I'll Be Seeing You (6 page)

“It’s okay,” she chuckled softly. “I’m on the pill to regulate my periods.”

Cole rolled over and pulled her up against his side, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Thank God, he thought with an unsteady breath. He had been much too worried about burying himself inside her to think about anything else. He had
never
been so careless before, but then again, he had never wanted anyone as much before either. Jesus, he had absolutely no control around her. His body vibrated with need when she snuggled up against him and sighed, her breath puffing out against his chest.

“Get some sleep, Sweetheart,” he whispered against her hair, his lips grazing her temple. “You’re safe here. I’ll be right here beside you.”

And, as Katherine drifted off into a dreamless sleep for the first time in years, she knew beyond a doubt that she was.

***

Cole reluctantly opened his eyes to the rapping at his front door, and inwardly groaned when he checked the alarm clock to see that it was only a little past seven. Holy Shit! Who in the hell would be here so damned early? He carefully slipped from the bed, making sure not to wake Katherine.

He turned and looked at her, curled up in sleep, her glorious hair fanned out around her perfect face, and he smiled. God, she was beautiful. She was the stuff that dreams were made of.

He slipped from the room closing the door quietly behind him and dashed to his room, grabbed a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and slipped them on, his mouth set in a tight line. He stormed over to the front door, yanking it open with a scowl, only to find Ben standing there, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” he snarled, not the least bit happy about being pulled from his bed…or Katherine.

“Morning, partner.” Ben laughed, much too cheerfully for Cole’s liking. “I heard about your break-in last night and the Captain sent me over with some clothes for your…
guest
.” He held up a brown paper bag and grinned, giving him a wink that set Cole’s teeth on edge before dropping his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. “He wants you and Ms. Chastain at the station as soon as possible.” Ben snorted, his eyes taking in what Cole was wearing with a healthy grin. “So, I see you put another notch in the old bedpost there, Buddy. Very nice. I’ve got to say, damn quick work. But then again, you never had any problem getting them into your bed, did you.”

Cole heard a gasp and turned to find Katherine standing behind him, dressed only in his t-shirt. Her face burned red as she looked from Cole to Ben, and she looked as if she had been punched in the gut. He noticed with a twist to his heart that her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly as her lashes sparkled with moisture, and he just wanted to beat the hell out of Ben.

Suddenly her spine straightened and she squared her shoulders, those emerald depths darkening slightly and taking on a defiant gleam as she lifted her chin defiantly. He saw her take a breath.

“You must be Detective McKenzie’s partner,” she said, her tone cool and controlled. “I met you at the station the other day, but we weren’t properly introduced.” She took a few steps, closing the distance between them, and walked past Cole without as much as a glance. He felt his body tense at the state of her undress. His t-shirt barely grazed her thighs and he didn’t like Ben seeing so much…skin. Damn it! “I’m Katherine Chastain.” She held out her hand to him, which Ben took tentatively. “I heard you brought me some clothes.”

Ben nodded dumbly and held the bag out to her, which Katherine quickly snagged. “It’s very nice…to meet you, Miss Chastain,” Ben stammered, his face turning beet red, and he shifted his feet uncomfortably, looking as if he just wanted to melt into the ground at his feet. “Ben Richards.”

“Thank you for bringing these, I’m sure you didn’t sign up to play delivery boy,” Katherine replied softly, and Cole swore that he heard the tiniest tremor in her voice. “If you’ll both excuse me, I’ll just go get dressed. We don’t want to keep your Captain waiting.” With that, she turned and disappeared into the bedroom, her back straight and her head held high, and Cole had never felt like such a piece of shit before. He turned and glared at his partner, wanting nothing more at that moment than to punch him square in the face.

“Holy
shit
, Mac,” Ben breathed hoarsely, visibly swallowing as he stood there looking extremely uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was there.”

“Tell the Captain that we’ll be down shortly…
asshole
,” Cole spit out before slamming the door in his partner’s face. Shit!

***

“Katherine?” Cole called softly, gently opening the door to the spare room. She was standing beside the bed and he could see that she was trying hard to keep her composure. She rifled through the bag, taking out the jeans and sweater that Ben had brought her with trembling hands, and he felt like the world’s biggest asshole. “What you heard…”

She turned on him, her chest heaving as her eyes sparkled with tears. She held up her hand, and he noticed with a tightening to his gut that her eyes were red and swollen. Jesus Christ, he was a dick.

“Don’t,” she said, much more softly than he had expected she would. She should be screaming at him. He damned well deserved it. “I don’t need to hear it, Detective. We had sex…it was nice. Go and put that notch on your bed post and let’s just move on.”

Cole was on her in three strides. He grabbed her arms and pulled her closer to him, and she instantly stiffened. “It’s not like that,” he hissed, his gaze locking with and holding hers with an intensity that pulled the breath from her body. She swallowed hard and returned his gaze, refusing to break in front of him.

“You don’t have to lie to me, Cole. No harm…no foul.” As she said the words, she knew that they were a lie. “You don’t owe me anything.” She could have kicked herself right in the head as the words passed her lips. She knew that she shouldn’t have just fallen into bed with him. That wasn’t like her. She had only ever had one other lover, and she cringed when she remembered how
that
had turned out. No…men were definitely not in her cards. She had trust issues, and this whole fiasco only proved that they were justified. She felt like a complete idiot for believing that he might have cared for her just a little. She cringed slightly as the thought that he had merely pretended to believe her only to get her into bed slithered across her mind. How could she have been so stupid?

***

Cole was trembling with rage. Not at her, but at himself and Ben. He wanted to strangle the man for even insinuating that she was just a conquest. She was the furthest thing from that. He didn’t even understand it himself; he just knew that she was different. “It’s not like that,” he repeated softly, his eyes boring into hers. “
Not
with you.” And, God help him, it was the truth. He had never cared before if he ever saw a woman again after he had bedded her. All he ever did was get his satisfaction and get the hell out. He had never even brought a woman to his home before. Had never cared to hold anyone, wake up next to her, or keep her safe…but, with Katherine…he cared. More than even he was willing to admit.

“Cole, please… just don’t. We’re not children. You don’t have to lie to me. I’ll be out of your way as soon as possible and then we can both move on with our lives. I appreciate everything that you’ve done, but you don’t have any obligation to me,” she stated, and in that next instant he had her across the room and pressed up against the wall, his mouth crashing down on hers with nothing less than desperation. His mouth ravaged hers with all the need that he felt. Need for her. Only her. She had gotten under his skin in a heartbeat, and he needed her to see that. He needed her to
feel
it. Feel it the way he did. He needed that more than anything.

He kissed her hard, his body pressing up against hers, his erection grinding against her belly, and he heard her moan, her body trembling against his so hard now that it reverberated right through his, right to his very bones. Christ!

Cole tore his mouth from hers and caught her gaze, heavily lidded with desire, and a shudder ran across him, threatening to knock him to his knees. “It’s
not
like that with you, Katherine,” he groaned, needing more than anything to make her see it, and his mouth came crashing down on hers once again.

He lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his hips, his mouth never leaving hers, and backed up, carrying her over to the bed. He laid them down onto the mattress, their bodies straining and tangling against the other’s, their mouths hungry…seeking. Their hands sliding over the other’s body in want and need. Desperate…raw.

He tore his shirt from her and tossed it across the room, his lips instantly covering the hardened peak of her breast and nipping. She cried out, raking her nails along his back, begging him for more.

Cole knew that there wasn’t going to be any foreplay, no taking his time. He needed her…now. Thanking God that she hadn’t put his boxers back on, he kicked off his pajama pants and stationed himself between her thighs, lifting her legs up over his shoulders. His mouth sought out hers as he entered her moist heat with a powerful thrust, a contented groan passing between them as he filled her to the hilt.

“Oh, my
God…
Cole!” Katherine cried out against his mouth, relishing the feel of this man buried deep inside her…deeper than anyone had ever been before. She never could have believed that anything could be so all-consuming. She was lightheaded and so very desperate for him.

Cole moved, his body trembling with his need for her. His tongue toyed and played with hers, matching the thrusts of his body. He swallowed her cry as her body came crashing down around him and he growled, deep in his throat, his own climax hitting him hard with a great shuddering of every muscle that he possessed. He clenched his jaw as her name passed his lips over and over in a husky rush as if it were some sacred mantra.

Cole fell back onto the bed, pulling her with him. He held her close to his chest as he took deep breaths, trying to get the rapid beating of his heart to slow down. Sex had never been like this before.
Ever
. Jesus, he couldn’t have even
imagined
it ever being so good, but with Katherine…
Shit
.

“Cole,” she whispered, her warm breath fluttering across his heated skin like the wings of a butterfly, “I…”

“Don’t,” he husked out, cutting her off, knowing deep down in his soul that she was going to try and make less of this than what it was. He knew that it was a defense mechanism, but he wasn’t about to accept that. This was
more.
He had never felt this way with any woman before. And there had been
plenty
, he thought with a frown, wondering just what in the
hell
he had been thinking. They had all just been empty ways to chase his demons away. He hadn’t cared for tenderness; he had merely wanted a means to an end, that momentary rush of pleasure. But with Katherine…it was so much more than just the physical. He wanted to know this woman inside and out. He wanted to make her happy more than he wanted his next breath. “Just know that I
never
looked at you…at this, as a conquest. Never. Not with you, Katherine.”

***

Katherine chewed on her lip as she once again fought back the stave of tears that were threatening to spill over. She could feel the tears burning the backs of her eyes and tried to keep them in check. His gentle words were like a soothing balm to her shattered soul. He wasn’t promising her forever…he was simply telling her that she mattered. And, for right now, that was enough. It seemed as if she hadn’t mattered to anyone is such a long time. At least, not in the way that she had always wanted.

“Thank you,” she murmured against his skin, placing a tender kiss against his chest.

“For what?” he asked softly, his fingers skimming along her back.

“For making me feel alive. For the first time in…”she was going to say ten years, but realized with a clenching to her gut that she had never felt like this before…period. She swallowed back her tears and smiled. “In forever,” she quietly finished, unable to say anymore.

Cole squeezed her to him a moment before getting the resolve to slip from the bed. They had to get down to the station, and no matter how much he wanted to stay in bed and make love to her all day long, he knew that it wasn’t in the cards. He sat on the edge of the mattress and turned to look at her laying there…her lips swollen from his kisses, her eyes sparkling in the aftermath of their lovemaking, her cheeks flushed, and groaned. Shit! This was too damned hard.

“Come on, Sweetheart. We need to get down to the principal’s office.”

Katherine choked on a laugh and sat up, holding the sheet to her chest. Cole smiled and leaned over, pressing his lips to hers. Dear God, he thought with a shiver, there’s just no going back.

Chapter 5

As they walked through the doors of the station, Cole kept his hand protectively at the small of Katherine’s back, leading her towards his office.

Ben sat at his desk in the bull pen and smiled at them uncomfortably as they passed, giving Katherine a small, embarrassed nod, and looking as though he had swallowed crushed glass.

Cole held the door open for her and ushered her inside. “Wait here for me,” he instructed her, his voice soft and gentle.

“But…I thought your Captain wanted to talk to me?”

“He does, but I need to speak with him first.” He ushered her to a chair and kissed her, his lips lingering only a few precious moments before he backed up and disappeared down the hall.

***

Cole rapped on his superior’s door and walked in, giving the burly man behind the desk a grin. “Morning, Mike,” he said, strolling over and sitting down across from him, stretching his long frame out in front of him.

Captain Mike Newman watched Cole quietly as he made his way over and sat down, his face set in a tight scowl. The man was in his early fifties, his once dark hair almost completely grey now from spending much too much time married to his job. He was tough, but fair, and took his job seriously. That’s why this was just so damned hard.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing, McKenzie?” he asked finally, glaring at Cole and trying hard to control his temper.

Cole chuckled softly. He had worked under Mike for the past eight years, and they had always had an easy rapport. They respected each other, and Cole knew by the way that the man was glaring at him that he was not happy. Not happy at all.

“Not sure what you mean, Mike,” Cole responded, that grin still touching his mouth. He crossed his arms across his chest, his brow raising.

“Jesus, Cole,” he sighed finally, rubbing his hands over his face with a shaking of his head. “For Christ’s sake! You took her
home
! To
your
damned house!”

“She wasn’t safe at her place,” Cole said easily, shrugging his shoulders as if he hadn’t a care in the world, which only served to piss Mike off all the more.

“Listen, Cole. It was a
possible
break in. There was absolutely no sign of any tampering with the locks, nothing taken or even fricking
disturbed
. There was a fucking
flower
left on her pillow! You do
not
take a woman to your house because someone, most likely a
lover
for God’s sake, left a goddamned flower on her bed! Shit and damnation! Just what in the hell are you doing here?” he repeated, his face actually turning red now.

“She has a history of being stalked and a friend asked me to look into it. So, I’m looking into it.”

Mike rubbed his hand over his eyes again with a tired sigh. It wasn’t even noon yet and his day was already pretty much shot to shit. “Listen, Mac, I know your history. You’re the best I’ve got. I know you don’t act rashly…but, there was absolutely
no
evidence of anyone breaking into her house. No imminent threat
at all.
”

“This guy’s good.” Cole stated simply, and Mike gave his head a quick, jerky shake. The poor man looked positively green.

“Okay, look. Here’s the deal. Let me talk to her and we’ll go from there. If you really think that this is more than just her jumping at shadows, well…shit! We’ll see what we can do. But, Christ, Cole; you know better than anyone that unless we have at least a suspect or some
proof
, there’s not a whole hell of a lot that we can do. You’re my lead detective, Cole, and I don’t need you running around half-cocked after nothing, just because of a pretty piece of tail. Shit, you’ve mostly likely crossed so many lines already that you could be playing fucking hopscotch!”

Cole’s entire body stiffened and he sat up a little straighter, trying hard to control his temper. Katherine was
anything
but a pretty piece of tail. He didn’t understand why his Captain’s words bothered him like they did…but they did. In fact, they made him furious. He could understand Mike’s suspicions…but still.

Mike saw Cole’s temper flair and knew that he had hit a nerve. You didn’t have to be a genius to see that something was definitely going on between Cole and this woman; he only hoped that it didn’t come back to bite him in the ass. He didn’t need for his best detective to fuck up because some crazy bitch had his head up her ass. Shit! Yep, his day was just getting worse and worse.

“Just let me talk to her,” he muttered, and Cole stood and silently left his office, leaving his anger in his wake like a dark, toxic cloud.

***

Katherine jumped as Cole stormed into the office, his face set in a tight, furious line. She could feel the tension rolling off him in waves and stood, meeting his stormy gaze with a look of understanding.

“Your Captain thinks I’m crazy,” she choked out softly; not a question, just a resigned statement. She was used to people thinking that she was insane. Her own attorney had said as much when she testified that she believed Stewart was innocent. Yes, this was nothing new to her at all. It was what she had come to expect.

Cole was in front of her in two swift strides, his mouth taking hers. He kissed her hungrily, his hands sliding up her arms and pulling her close.

“You are
not
crazy, damn it,” he whispered against her mouth, his breath warm and minty, and she could almost believe him. He sounded so sure of it. “I don’t want to hear you talking about yourself that way. Do you understand?”

She took a shuddering breath and nodded, trying to regain her composure. No! He was right. She wasn’t crazy.
He
was
back.
He
had found her again, and no matter how many people told her that she was just imagining it, she knew the truth. It was something that she had lived with for a very long time.

Cole took a step back and grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s get this over with so that we can concentrate on finding this bastard.”

***

Mike Newman watched as Cole led the beautiful brunette through his office door, taking notice of the way that he protectively kept her by his side with a tightening to his gut. Yes, he thought with a frown, Cole was getting in deep, deeper than he had ever seen him before. This was not good.

Mike stood and held out his hand. “Miss Chastain,” he said as warmly as he possibly could, considering the boulder sized pit that was growing in his gut. “It’s very nice to meet you. Please, have a seat.”

Katherine sat down and felt Cole move up behind the chair, placing his hands on its back, his fingers whispering along her shoulders. She fought back the urge to lean back into his heat, and gave the Captain a shaky smile, trying hard to get a tight grip on her emotions.

“Please, call me Katherine.”

“Very well, Katherine,” Mike said, nodding bruskly. “Let me start by saying that my men searched your house and there was no sign of forced entry,” he said, glancing at Cole, who merely stood there silently, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

“I really wouldn’t expect there would be,” she replied with a straightening of her shoulders. A grin played at the corners of Cole’s mouth. Damn, but this woman had moxie!

“Excuse me, Miss Chastain?”

Katherine took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Captain Newman, this…
man
,” she nearly choked on the word. He wasn’t a man. He was a monster. She shook the thought off and concentrated on getting through this. “He’s smart. Trust me, he doesn’t leave traces. I was stalked by him for over three years,” she said calmly, meeting Mike squarely in the eye. “He murdered my mother, Captain Newman, and at one time or the other over the last six years has been there at some point, no matter where I went or who I became. Not to mention the fact that there is an innocent man sitting in prison because of him.” Katherine felt that all too familiar pang of guilt hit her when she mentioned Stewart. His life had been ruined, and it was all because of her. “I was Katie Philips then,” she said it so softly that Mike had to lean forward to hear her. She felt Cole’s hand squeeze her shoulder and swallowed, gaining strength from that one simple touch.
Oh, Lord, Katherine, what are you doing here? What are you doing with this man? He’s dangerous.

Mike studied her a moment, seemingly searching his memory. Finally his eyes lit up with recognition, “You’re
that
Katie Philips,” he breathed, and she nodded, her expression unreadable. “I remember reading about that. I am sorry. That was…a tragedy,” he finished with a grim shake of his head.

Katherine gave him the obligatory smile, although it didn’t even come close to reaching her eyes. She only hoped that he wouldn’t tell Cole to run for the hills. Tell him that she was as crazy as a loon and needed to get as far from her as possible…and quickly.

Mike sighed raggedly, squeezing the bridge of his nose. Damn if his gut wasn’t telling him that this woman was telling the truth, and that she wasn’t just imagining this whole freaking fiasco.

“Listen, Miss Chastain. I trust Cole implicitly. He’s the best damned detective that I’ve got. Unfortunately, protocol isn’t going to be very accommodating here. Without some sort of proof, the department’s hands are basically tied. For all intents and purposes, your case has been closed and your stalker is in prison. We just don’t have the resources to do anything without
something
solid to go on.” He looked her in the eye and saw an amazing amount of strength there; a strength that he couldn’t help but to admire. He could suddenly understand why Cole seemed to be so taken with her. It would be so easy to do with this woman. Her entire being radiated warmth and honesty. Shit!

Katherine nodded, knowing all too well how little help a police department could be. She knew that this was a difficult situation, but she was really hoping that with all the new stalker laws, things would be different somehow. Just wishful thinking she supposed.

Mike looked back to Cole and studied him silently a moment, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Cole, you have quite a bit of vacation time built up. Perhaps you’re burned out, and need to take some time off,” he said softly. “You know you have access to whatever you need, but until you can bring me something solid, there’s really nothing I can do right now.” Cole knew what he was suggesting and could have jumped over Mike’s desk and hugged him.

***

Katherine looked between the two men, completely confused. “Thanks Mike.” Cole gave him a genuine grin. “As of right now, consider me off the clock.”

Mike gave him a quick nod and stood, holding his hand out to Katherine. She stood and took it, still not quite understanding what was going on. “Miss Chastain, it’s been a pleasure. I promise to do everything that I can.”

With that, Cole took Katherine by the elbow and started walking towards the door. “I’ll be in touch, Mike,” he said as he ushered her out of the office.

“Don’t make me regret this, McKenzie,” she heard him call as Cole closed the door behind them.

***

Katherine remained silent until they had walked out of the station. As they were heading towards Cole’s car, she stopped, glaring up at him. “Just what in the
hell
was all that about?” she demanded, her eyes spitting fire, and Cole’s heart did a painful thump in his chest. She was absolutely adorable when she was pissed. Those green eyes of hers practically glowed like a cats, and he was hard pressed not to pull her into his arms and kiss those damned lips.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Cole responded, his lips curling ever so slightly as he feigned confusion; which only made Katherine all the madder.

“You can’t just leave your job because of me,” she ground out, those glorious eyes of hers narrowing in anger. “You don’t even know me!” She turned and started walking off, but his hand on her arm stopped her. She glared up into his face, her mouth set in a tight line. She couldn’t let him do this. She wouldn’t let him put his life on hold for her. Damn it! All she had wanted was some help. Now, everything was spinning completely out of control.

“I want to,” he whispered, and Katherine’s mouth fell open in surprise. She wasn’t sure if he meant taking leave from his job or getting to know her, but either option left her with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that she was finding it hard to breathe. No! He didn’t need to get tangled up in her messed up life. All she had wanted was some help, not for this man to disrupt his entire life for her. It just wasn’t fair to him. She was a complete stranger to him! He didn’t need to be drawn into her craziness.

“You can’t,” she whispered, her voice holding no conviction whatsoever. She bit back the tears threatening to spill over and shook her head. “Cole, I…I’m not what you need to get tangled up with right now. Believe me. My life is…complicated. I don’t stay in one place for very long,” she finished, her heart aching. The last thing she wanted at the moment was to even toy with the idea of having to pack up and disappear once again. She was so tired of doing that.