Page 46 of Criminology of a Character

“I do, thank you. It’s just frustrating news.”

“Hopefully next time I’ll have better.”

“I hope so.” Bel got out of her car and clicked the lock button.

“I’ll let you go,” Barry said. “Have a good night. Get some sleep. Sounds like you need it.”

“Thanks. Talk soon.” She hung up and let herself into the front door, kicking off her boots before climbing the grand staircase to Eamon’s room. He and the dog were passed out on the bed, but Cerberus picked up his head as she entered. He rolled onto his back immediately to beg for a belly rub, and she buried her face in his neck rolls as she rubbed his chest. Tears stained his fur when she finally pulled away, but the pitbull didn’t carein the least. It wasn’t the first time his mom had cried on him, nor would it be the last.

Bel jumped into Eamon’s luxurious shower, but she didn’t have the energy to do more than scrub her entire body with a giant palmful of shampoo. Her exhaustion couldn’t handle conditioner or a brush. The knots were tomorrow’s problem. For now, she was clean, and that was enough. Even toweling off and changing into pajamas seemed a daunting task, so shesimplyrubbed her hair until it wasn’t soaked and walked naked into the dark bedroom. She crawled across the mattress,and Eamon moved for the first time since she’d entered his room. He shifted below the blankets and grabbed her waist before hauling her against his warmth. With swift and graceful movements, he tucked her below the comforter and wrapped her in his arms, her nose pressed against his bare chest as she curled into his power. His voice was silent, but his thundering heartbeat spoke volumes, and Bel cried against his skin until his embrace delivered her into a warm and peaceful sleep. No frozen girls haunted her dreams. It seemed even nightmares were afraid of Eamon Stone.

The alarm clockshattered the silence, jerking Bel out of sleep so forcefully that she smacked Eamon in the face. He grunted at her attack as he turned off their 5 a.m. wake-up, and when the stillness returned to his room, he lay back on the pillows and drew her against his chest.

“There’s a drawer of clothes for you in my dresser,” he whispered into her hair as he breathed in her scent. “I’ll make you breakfast.”

He barely got the words out before Bel captured his face and pulled his lips to hers. She kissed him with every emotion raging within her, letting him taste the anguish these past few days had woven into her being, and Eamon understood how desperately she needed him. He gripped her bare hips and dragged her exhausted body on top of his, never letting his lips part from hers as he shifted his boxer briefs just low enough. Bel gasped as he moved against her, as he loved her in every way she craved. He pledged his undying devotion with his mouth, his tongue, his hands, his skin. It was raw and desperate, their fingers interlaced as their moans mingled in the darkness, and therewas beauty in how their bodies spoke for them. She didn’t need her voice for Eamon to understand her. He didn’t need words to conveythe depths ofhis emotions, and with a barely audible‘I love you’, he gave her all of him.

“You will never end up in a basement again,” he whispered into her hair as she lay sprawled and heaving on his chest. As much as she needed sleep, she needed this more, and his broad palms gripping her sweaty skin finally banished the cold the freezer had embedded within her.

“You’ll never end up in a freezer,” he continued. “I won’t allow it. I will keep you safe, no matter the cost.”

“I know.” She kissed his neck, just like he always kissed hers. “I have to go.” She reluctantly pushed herself off his chest, but he caught her hips and held her in place.

“You didn’t kill those women,” he said, reading her emotions too well for her comfort. “You don’t hold the guilt. It’s an unspeakable tragedy, but you don’t deserve the punishment. You will avenge them, but don’t accept that responsibility.”

“It was right under our noses, though,” she argued.

“You haven’t lived here long enough to bear that burden,” he said. “And even if you did, you’re here to bring them peace. I know how deeply you feel. Your heart amazes me, but don’t let this burrow too deep.” He placed a calloused palm over her heart, and Bel savored the way the renovations had turned his skin rough. He could afford to hire a team to restore his home, but he’d taken it upon himself to raise the estate from the ashes. He devoted himself to the things he loved, and she was the one he cherished above them all. His rough handswere a reminderof how he poured into her well-being, and she could barely remember a time when she’d been afraid of him.

“I missed you.” She kissed his full lips, and he caught her face as he deepened it, his tongue slipping into her mouth.

“So, live with me,” he teased as they broke apart.

“I meant during the investigation,” Bel laughed, feeling lighter after her night in the housethatwasn’t her home yet felt like it should be.“You were with me the entire time during the Darling case, and I prefer when you’re there to watch my back.”

“I’m always watching your back.” He rubbed her spine to reinforce his statement. “Even when you don’t realize it, I’m watching.”

“You look how I feel,”Olivia said as they both pushed through the station doors at exactly 6 a.m. “I didn’t realize just how much I needed to sleep in a bed with someone I love.”

“And eat real food,” Bel said. “Eamon made such a massive breakfast that I couldn’t finish it.”

“Ewan isn’t much of a cook, but he made coffee, bagels, and scrambled eggs. I’ve never loved eggs so much.”

Bel smiled at her partner, cupping her cheek as Griffin strode toward them.

“Good morning,” he greeted as he leaned against Bel’s desk. “How are you guys?”

“Better,” Bel said, and Olivia nodded in agreement.

“Good,” he said. “I went home and hugged my wife all night. I still feel rough, but we needed that. I’m holding a press conference at noon since the news is having a field day with their speculations. I’d like you both to be there, but in the meantime, Thum called. She wants you both to stop by first thing.”

“Poor Lina.” Olivia frowned. “She has the toughest job of us all, I think. We’ll head over.”

“Thanks.” Griffin patted their shoulders, and gathering their coats, the women turned and exited the way they’d just come.

“Did you get any sleep?” Bel asked when they met Lina in the morgue minutes later.

“Yes, we all went home for the night,” the medical examiner said. “I can’t perform autopsies with unsteady hands.”

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