Page 40 of In the Arms of a Hero

“Yeah. It’s turning into a full-blown investigation with no identification of the victim yet.”

“I’m so sorry, Aaron. You must be exhausted.”

Her simple statement scored straight through him. No past girlfriends had ever asked how he was doing with his job. Butthen, he’d never gotten emotionally close enough to anyone to share, until now. He wanted more. He wanted to give more. And that was going to start now.

20

Aaron watched Belinda walk from the kitchen to the living room, placing the two beer bottles on the coffee table and the large pizza box he’d arrived with. She handed him a plate and sat on the sofa beside him. It was late by the time he and Sam had finished for the day and even later by the time he’d made it to Belinda’s apartment with the pizza.

She crinkled her nose. “I feel like I should have cleared off my table enough for us to eat there.”

He halted the bite of pizza that was on its way to his mouth and replied, “Why? Your table is your work space, and there’s no reason to change that just because I’m here. Anyway, the fact that you’re letting me eat here is more than enough.”

She grinned. “I wanted to have dinner with you.”

“Yeah, but I should have offered to take you out somewhere.”

Shaking her head, she disagreed. “No, this is better.”

He took a bite and chewed slowly, savoring the flavors but realizing how hungry he was since he’d skipped lunch. “Anything with you is better than going home to an empty apartment and trying to figure out what to nuke for dinner.”

She licked a dollop of pizza sauce from her bottom lip, and he stared, wishing it had been his tongue that caressed her lip.Her lips moved again, but he belatedly realized that she was speaking.

“I’m sorry… what did you say?” he asked.

Her expression fell slightly, filling with sympathy. “I was just saying that Hayley mentioned how hard a case like what you and Sam are working on can be. And I wanted to do something to… I don’t know… help.” She shrugged. “But then you brought the pizza, so you really did it all.”

He set his plate on the coffee table and shook his head. Twisting to face her, he held her gaze. “Oh no, Belinda. I only brought pizza. That’s nothing. You provided a place of comfort and company. That’s more than what I would have had going home alone. Just being able to come here and know I’ll be surrounded by the beautiful nature pictures that are calming and share conversation with you takes me to a better place than where my mind has been all day.” He wondered if his meager explanation could possibly begin to let her know how much her invite had meant to him.

Her blue-violet gaze never left his face, and then she curled her lips slightly. “That’s what Hayley said, but I wasn’t sure.”

His brow furrowed, and she continued. “I asked her how I could help you, and she said that the best way to help when you’re having a day dealing with death, or a murder, or abuse, was just to be present and to be myself. And to let you be you.”

He blew out a long breath, slowly unpacking all that she had just said, starting with the first part. “You asked Hayley how you could help me?”

“I hated that you would have to face such a terrible day and go home alone.”

“And then you texted me the invitation to come over?”

Her smile warmed his heart, and she nodded. “Of course I did.”

She said it so easily, as though wanting to help him was second nature to her. Once more, realizing that with past girlfriends, he’d never had that… someone who thought of the emotional demands of his job. “Thank you,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t shake as much as he thought it might. Leaning toward her, he touched his lips to hers in a soft, barely-there kiss. When he leaned back, she had her eyes closed and let out a tiny sigh as her lips curved more.

She was utterly captivating, and he’d so willingly let her go. Pulling himself back from the brink of the cliff where people jump off when they drown in past regrets, Aaron returned his full attention to Belinda.

They leaned back slightly so their gazes could meet. “I fucked up last year, Belinda. I knew it at the time but had no idea how to make it right. Then I realized I couldn’t make it right until I understood myself. Who I was without the shadow of abandonment covering everything about me. And I don’t know that I’m ever going to say that my past won’t still be in my mind, but I don’t want it ever to alter my future again.”

Her eyes held his. Blowing out a little puff of breath, she said, “Aaron, we just weren’t on the same page last year, and that’s okay. I was hurt at the time, but the truth is that sometimes two people who are right for each other just aren’t at the right time for each other.”

Her words were like a balm, soothing over him in a way that he hadn’t felt since Sally used to take care of his scraped knees. He sucked in a breath through his nose that he felt hitch on its way to his lungs, and his arms tightened around her. “You make me happy, Belinda. You make me want to be better. You make me want to?—”

“I don’t want you to change, Aaron. You don’t need to change for me.” Her eyes reflected the depth of her sincerity, imploring him to grasp the truth of her confession. “I just want you, butonly if you want me, too.” Her gentle laughter, tinged with a hint of nervousness, broke through, lightening the moment. “That sounds like we’re in elementary school passing notes… if you like me, check the box.”

He chuckled, and warmth eased the tightness in his chest. “Okay. If you like me, will you check the box?”

“Yes,” she confirmed with a radiant smile. “I’ll check the box, Aaron. I really like you.” Then she held his gaze, peering deeply. “What about you?”

The urge to capture her lips in a kiss was overwhelming. It wouldn’t be the first time, but it would be the first time he knew without doubt or questioned what he wanted, what he felt, and what he would fight to keep. “I’m crazy about you, too, Belinda. I want to be with you. Only you. And I want to be worthy of you.”

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