Absolution Read online

  She shook her head, forcing herself back to the present. She headed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Then, for added safety, she locked the door, ensuring the latch turned hard and loud.

  Chapter Three

  Joseph watched Eva’s retreating back and tried to ignore the pain in his chest as she ripped his heart out and carried it away. He tossed the remote back onto the table, giving up any pretenses of caring about what he wanted to watch. He knew what he wanted to see—Eva naked in the shower, soapy and wet with his hands on her body.

  I’m such a fool.

  Just because she’d asked him why he’d cheated on her didn’t mean he stood a chance at getting her back. She hated him, and believed him to be a sick bastard—a monster who didn’t give a damn about her or her feelings. Her body might still desire him, but she would never admit it. She wouldn’t tell him how her knees quivered every time he stepped close to her. He felt her though.

  He knew.

  But he also knew she’d never let him in her heart again, even though she still desired him. He’d ruined it all.

  He listened for the shower to start, and about thirty seconds after it did, he hopped to his feet and strode into her bedroom—what used to be their bedroom. Everything looked the same but with one noticeable exception—there were no longer pictures of the two of them anywhere. In fact, there were no pictures at all.

  He walked over to the bed and rubbed the indent in her pillow. She didn’t roll, his Eva. She would lie down and pass out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Always on her right side. And he had held her, burying his face in her hair while she slept. She’d smelled of cucumber melon after a shower, and to this day, whenever he caught the scent of it, his heart skipped a beat. He leaned down to inhale.

  Yup, her pillow smells like her.

  His penis hardened while, at the same time, his heart softened. If it worked the opposite way, his job would be a hell of a lot easier.

  Straightening, he advanced on the closet where he’d kept his clothes. He swung the door open, and halted in his tracks. She’d left the closet empty. She hadn’t even put any of her clothes or shoes inside. The confines of the small closet remained barren.

  Like my life.

  Why hadn’t she put something inside? Was she saving space for the next lover? His heart protested the very thought of another man using anything in his place. His closet. His woman.

  Or—and he liked this option far better—had she kept the space empty because it hurt too much to use the closet which had once been his? Did she miss him? Perhaps still care for him even a tiny bit?

  The shower stopped, and he cursed. Dropping to his knees, he pried the floorboard open in the back left corner. The board came up without a fight, as it always had. Reaching inside the cubbyhole hidden beneath, he held his breath until his hand closed around the velvet box inside. He retrieved the case and glanced over his shoulder to make sure Eva wasn’t out yet. She usually took a long time to dry her hair, and he hoped that hadn’t changed.

  He turned his attention back to the box, opening the lid. There, his secret rested. A princess cut, two-carat brilliant diamond shining on the size five white gold band, which would fit her to perfection. He’d checked and double-checked before sizing the band. Nothing would ruin the night when he would propose. Or so he’d thought.

  But then he’d gotten drunk and ended up in bed with a stripper.

  The squeaking hinges on the bathroom door warned him she approached, and he tucked the ring back in its hiding spot. He didn’t have time to secure the board without arising suspicion, so he swore under his breath and lunged to his feet. He turned around just in time to find Eva, wrapped in a robe and nothing else, standing in the doorway.

  His cock hardened, and his mouth lost all of its moisture.

  Jesus, he loved her. And the way she looked in a satin robe.

  ***

  Eva entered her room and froze a few paces inside. Joseph stood in front of his old closet, looking shamefaced. When she noticed his eyes darken with lust, her gaze lowered on its own accord to his crotch. Her mouth turned as dry as cotton balls at the sight of his penis straining against the fly of his jeans. With an inward groan, she flicked her gaze back to a safer area and found him studying her, but then noticed his gaze dart to the side of her face. He always did that if he had something to hide.

  She tilted her head. Did she detect a hint of guilt on his face?

  She swallowed and chose to ignore the horny part for her own sanity. This, and self-preservation. Because, damn it all to hell, she ached for him, too. More than she’d care to admit, thank you very much.

  Hell, his cocky attitude made her want him even more. If he could be so confident of what she wanted out of bed, she knew he damn well knew what she wanted in it. All too well. Like when he stroked behind her knees and kissed her neck at the same time.

  Wrong thought, Eva. Move on to something safer.

  “Why are you in here? And in my closet?” She glanced over his shoulder, and saw nothing out of order. Of course not. The closet was empty, after all. She’d never wanted to use the damned thing after he’d left. She’d packed his clothes in boxes and closed the door. She saw no reason to open the door after that, even if she could have used the extra space. It smelled too much like him.

  He glanced behind himself and then shut the door before leaning against it. “Oh, I need a shower, too, and I decided to check for any missed clothes of mine. But, it’s empty.” He pointed over his shoulder. As if the place he spoke of were in question.

  She sighed. “I threw them out the window. Remember?”

  “Not really. All of them?”

  His eyes grew comically wide, and she couldn’t help but grin. She had known he would be upset at the thought of his clothes gone forever. It was why she’d done it. She hadn’t been fond of him at the time. And still wasn’t.

  She cringed at the mental oversight that had slipped through. She already thought of her anger in past tense. It wasn’t a promising sign. Each second spent in his company chipped free a mental brick from the wall she’d erected out of tears. “What else should I have done?” Her voice rang a bit sharp, but she did not bother to soften her tone. “Keep them as a shrine to you or pass them on to my next lover?”

  “What lover? Who is he?” He frowned at her and flexed his jaw.

  She smiled and leaned against the wall. “What’s it matter? I’m not your concern anymore.”

  “Bullshit you aren’t. How many have there been? One? Two?”

  “None of your business!” She shook her head at his audacity. “What about you? I’m sure you’ve been far from celibate yourself.”

  “It’s different. I don’t want to kill people who have touched me. You, however, I find myself very protective of.”

  “Pft. That’s a double standard if I’ve ever heard one.”

  He sighed and rubbed his eyebrow. “Fine. You want to know my number? Zero.”

  She burst into laughter. “Yeah. Real funny. And I’m Mother Teresa.” He didn’t grin in response, and she sobered. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, you’re the guy who wanted sex at least twice a day. Sometimes more. This is you.”

  “Yeah. It was me. With you.”

  He refused to meet her questioning stare, and she sensed he’d been embarrassed by his spur-of-the-moment confession. She, damn it, was heart-warmed. And flattered. And optimistic. All of which were bad in a the-world-is-ending-and-you’re-going-to-die kind of way.

  “And the stripper. Let’s not forget her,” she said in a rush. She wondered if she was reminding him, or herself.

  “How could I? She split us up. And I’ve never been more pissed off about anything in my entire life.”

  His gaze crashed with hers, and she tried to look away, but something in his voice called to her, spoke to her of his vulnerability. Of his love. And, damn it, she believed him.

  “You’ll never know how angry I get when I think about that night,” he
said. “I’m sorry you got hurt. I am. But you have no fucking clue what is really going on.”

  Excuse me? She had every single clue nailed down to perfection, thank you very much. Asshole.

  “I know you feel b—”

  Joseph tackled her to the floor, knocking the air from her lungs, just as a gunshot rang out. She hit the wood hard with Joseph’s weight pressing into her. Another bullet whizzed overhead, and she screamed.

  Joseph rolled off, sitting up and drawing his gun in one smooth motion. Aiming, he fired and jumped up to chase after the man who’d stood in the bedroom doorway moments before. Eva lunged to her feet and followed but found Joseph, swearing and kicking the doorjamb. How in the world had they both missed the intrusion? Had they been so caught up in each other they’d missed the sound of the lock being jimmied? She had no idea how much noise picking a lock would make—but shouldn’t they have heard something?

  It seemed unfathomable.

  Joseph gave Eva a once-over, and he replaced his gun in its holster. Then he rushed to her and gathered her into his arms. For the first time since he’d returned, she didn’t fight him or object. She couldn’t believe what just occurred. Someone had fired a shot at her. She had to be the dullest person around. Teacher by day, single woman by night. Her most exciting evenings consisted of a girl’s night out—where she got home by ten. Why would anyone want her dead?

  Oh, right, because of Dad. Shit.

  She rested her cheek against Joseph’s speeding heart. Thank God he was okay. “Don’t ever put yourself in front of a bullet meant for me again. Are you insane? You could have been hurt.”

  His chest shook with laughter. “Of course I could have been hurt. It’s kind of the point of protecting you. Speaking of which….” He pulled his phone from his pocket and punched in numbers faster than she could watch.

  “Who are you calling?” she asked and then frowned, realizing who it must be. “Don’t call my dad. He’ll only worry, and it’s bad for his heart.”

  Ignoring her, Joseph released her to pace a distance away, presumably seeking privacy. “Sir?”

  Oh, hell no. She followed him so close that when he stopped, she bumped into him. He shot her an aggravated look, and she arched a brow, putting a hand on her hip. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Sir, we’ve been attacked. Someone broke into her apartment and took a couple of shots at us. I’m removing my charge to a remote location. I’d like two additional men to accompany us for eyes outside.” A slight pause. “Yes, sir. Right away.” He hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair.

  “I’m an assignment? I thought you were here to help, not because you had to be.” She walked away from him, more upset by this revelation than she cared to admit.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid. She almost reached her bedroom, but he grabbed her elbow, maneuvering her so her back hit the wall, and placed his hands on either side of her head. He crushed his lips to hers and rubbed his torso against her erect nipples. With a moan, she curled her arms around his waist and trailed her fingers to his ass. She’d always loved his ass.

  His erection nudged her belly, and she wrapped her leg around his thigh. His hands parted her robe to caress her breasts. Cupping them, he toyed with her nipples, rolling them between his fingers.

  The phone rang, causing her to jerk from his arms. She stumbled until her back hit the opposite wall, and she leaned against it for support. With her heart pounding in her ears, she fought to catch her breath. Joseph never took his gaze off her while she adjusted her robe to cover her bare chest.

  “This isn’t over,” he warned.

  “Yes, it is.” She took a shaky breath and shook her head. “A momentary weakness. It won’t happen again.” Even as she spoke, she knew she’d lied. God, she wanted him. Here. Now. Wherever. What a traitorous bitch her body had turned out to be.

  “The hell it won’t.” He put the phone to his ear and snapped, “Yes?”

  “Don’t yell at my dad,” she whispered.

  That gained her a scowl in return. She shrugged and stomped into her bedroom. They would need to leave, and she couldn’t wander the streets wearing a bathrobe. His muffled voice filtered through the closed bedroom door while she threw some clothes on. She didn’t need him walking in on her naked. She had a hard enough time resisting him. No sooner had she pulled her shirt over her head than a knock sounded on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Joseph swaggered in, his gaze hovering on her low-cut neckline. She’d chosen the garment because it showed off her cleavage quite deliciously. Or, so she’d been told by her friends. It couldn’t hurt to look good in front of an ex-boyfriend, right? Heck, every woman likes to show off how hot she looks to an ex, and she wasn’t any different, right?

  If I say it enough times, I might believe it, too.

  “Pack a few changes of clothing. We won’t be coming back. We’ll have to stop somewhere to grab clothes for me. I’d planned on getting them later tonight from my place, but now we need to move to a more secure location. Fast.”

  She blushed and smoothed her hair. “I have a few things of yours. I didn’t get a chance to throw them out yet.” Lowering to her hands and knees, she reached under the bed for the Rubbermaid container. She’d kept these things because they were his favorites—and they smelled of his cologne and soap. Whenever she had a wretched day, she removed them and inhaled his scent—even though any trace of him had disappeared long ago.

  He took the container, shooting her a curious look. The bin was clear plastic, so he could see what she’d chosen to keep. And he seemed to know why, too.

  “Thank you, Eva.”

  His voice cracked, bringing tears to her eyes. Damn it, why did it have to be so hard to forget the feelings she’d had for him?

  Because they’d never went away.

  Not meeting his gaze, she waved a hand in front of her face. “I’ll get the stuff I need from the bathroom while you finish up in here.”

  “Eva, please. Listen to something before we go.”

  “No, we better hurry. I don’t want to get shot at again. Talk later.” She chose to call her exit a nicely timed retreat, but in all reality, calling it a coward’s run would have been more accurate.

  Chapter Four

  As Eva walked away, Joseph locked his gaze on her swinging ass, enjoying the sight for a moment before he kicked the bedpost. Why wouldn’t she let him explain? He’d been trying to get through to her for six weeks, only to be detoured at every attempt.

  Once he got her to safety, he would tell her everything. What had happened the day he’d broken her heart. She might not want to hear it, but she would damn well listen, even if he had to tie her up to accomplish it. But she had been right in one aspect. He needed to get her somewhere safe. Then, all bets were off.

  He put the container on the bed and ripped off the lid. His breath caught at what she’d chosen to keep. The shirt she’d always stolen to sleep in because she liked how it smelled like him. The jeans he’d worn every Saturday for walking through the local farmer’s market. The sweatshirt she’d bought him on their first vacation. The list went on and on, each item more sentimental than the last. How had she managed to keep anything if she’d thrown of his stuff out the window?

  Dare he hope she still had feelings for him? She’d kicked him out and refused his calls. He hadn’t seen her since the day he had stumbled away from her, broken and confused. Now, he came to find she hadn’t banished him quite as completely as she would like him to think.

  And if he stood even a one in a million chance of having her allow him back in, he wouldn’t rest until she damn well let him explain the truth behind what she had seen that day. One way or the other, he would make her see reason even if he had to tie her up to force her to listen to him.

  What the hell did he have to lose?

  Slamming the lid back on the container, he tucked it under his arm and exited her room. After one last look at her bed, he shut the door. He didn’t dare to
retrieve the ring with her so close. Maybe someday, if she ever let him talk, he would return, get the diamond, and propose. If not, he could always leave it there to rot in hell. Like him.

  Eva exited the bathroom with an overnight bag, and when she saw him standing guard outside, she grimaced. “Your charge is ready to leave.”

  He groaned. “I think we both know you’re more than a mere assignment to me, Eva. So cut the drama.”

  She blushed and charged for the door, but he caught her elbow before she could make it out. Redirecting her behind him, he drew his gun and turned his head from left to right, checking for any unwanted visitors lurking. Two uniformed officers stood at the end of the hallway, and Joseph nodded at them. They approached, and he returned his pistol to the holster on his lower back.

  He seized Eva’s fingers. “Stay close to me, no matter what.”

  “Okay,” she murmured.

  Her petite hand clutched his, and his heart did an odd little flip-flop. Using his body to shield her, he stepped out into the hallway. The hair on the back of his neck tingled, and he threw Eva to the ground along with his belongings and drew his gun. The officer on the right pulled his gun, aiming at where Eva had stood mere seconds before. Rage pumped through Joseph’s veins. The punk dared to try to kill his woman? Two quick shots and the Cartel thugs crumbled to the ground. He rushed toward them, kicked their weapons out of reach, and checked for pulses…finding none. Each man had hidden a pistol behind their backs, and had fresh blood on soles of their shoes.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  He helped Eva to her feet, grabbed their stuff, and hurried her out of the apartment. She stumbled behind him, her breath catching as they passed the bodies.

  “Why’d you kill them?” she squeaked.