Page 14 of Crash Point

Javier reached for his pants and shirt as Blake helped her pack up all of her equipment. Given the end result, she felt guilty for calling him. Though she suspected Javier wouldn’t have backed off if he hadn’t seen Blake in the flesh. And really, if the chef had touched her one more time, there was no force on earth that would have kept her from cold-cocking the guy. Then Blake would have been called in anyway…to arrest her for assault.

“Sorry for bothering you when you were on duty.”

Blake folded the legs on her tripod. “No problem. I actually wasn’t far from here, working on a case. I’d just finished interviewing a witness and was heading back to the precinct to type up the report. Your timing was perfect.”

Blake had told her a little bit about the details of his job. She wondered how he could stand to spend so much of his day dealing with anger and sadness and pain. He investigated cases involving domestic violence, child abuse and rape.

Javier walked over to say goodbye when they finished packing up. He gave Chloe two platonic kisses on the cheek, then—to her dismay—told Blake he was a very lucky man. Blake didn’t bother to correct him. Instead, he gave her a wink that told her she was in his debt.

That didn’t bug her as much as she might have expected.

Chloe retrieved her cell phone from Elise, thanked her for her help and she and Blake stepped out into the bright sunshine together.

“What’s next on your list for today?” Blake asked as he placed her bags in the trunk of her car.

“I’m taking pictures of Caliph. At the tattoo parlor.”

Blake chuckled. “Sounds like your mom wore him down.”

“I think it was actually a tag-team effort. Jennifer was fairly convincing too.”

“Guess I don’t have to worry about your safety with your brother around. That’s a shame. I was enjoying being your bodyguard.”

“I shouldn’t have called you, but I was dangerously close to pulverizing that guy, which would have pissed my mother off. I thought maybe if you showed up and I pretended that you were…” She wasn’t sure why it was hard for her to say “boyfriend” to him, but for some reason, it felt wrong.

“Your boyfriend,” he finished for her.

She nodded. “I thought that would make him back off and it worked. So I owe you one.”

Blake reached for her. Chloe didn’t bother stepping away. Not when she wanted him to hold her. She was beginning to crave his kisses more than chocolate and that was saying something. “I think I like having you in my debt.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I wouldn’t call this a debt. Just one friend owing another a favor. A very small favor.”

Blake placed his lips against her cheek, the touch more caress than kiss. His breath was warm against her skin, sexy and sweet, all at the same time. “When can I collect my favor?”

Her eyes had drifted closed, but now she opened them, her gaze taking in the busy street behind them.

What was she doing? Blake Mills had stolen from her family, broken her heart, left without a trace for years and now she was letting him walk right back into her life without so much as a hi or bye. She was letting her body make the decisions—choosing sex over common sense.

She took a step away. Blake looked as if he’d try to pull her back, so she added another step, more distance. “I can’t do this again.”

“Do what?”

She pointed to herself, then him. “This. Us. I’ve been down this road before and it didn’t end well.”

“I’m not the same man I was when I was nineteen years old, Chloe.”

“Why did you leave?” The words fell out unbidden, unwanted. Chloe hadn’t meant to ask because she didn’t want to know. In her mind, there was no reason good enough for him to do what he’d done. None.

Blake ran a hand through his dark hair. In the sunlight, it was so black it shimmered like water. It betrayed the Italian heritage on his mother’s side, which was actually the only thing Chloe knew about Blake’s mother apart from the fact she hadn’t been around when he grew up.

“I was wondering when you were going to ask me that.”

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter.”

Blake frowned. “Of course it does.” Before he could say anything more, Blake’s cell phone beeped. He read the screen and sighed. “I have to go. Domestic dispute. The neighbor just called it in.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’m late for my shoot with Caliph anyway.”

“I want to talk about this, Chloe.”

She walked toward the driver’s side door and opened it. “I meant what I said. You and I are ancient history, Blake. I think it would be best if we just left all of this in the past and got back to life as normal.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I wasn’t asking.”

Blake’s eyes darkened with a determination that told her she wouldn’t win this fight. “I’ll be at Mama Lewis’s house on Sunday for dinner.”

Fuck. The photo shoot. “I have a friend who is a photographer. She’s really—”

“No. You’re taking the pictures.”

“Blake. Please. Why can’t you just let this go?”

He walked toward her, cornering her. “I made a mistake, Chloe. Shit, I’ve fucked up a million times. But if I let you walk away right now, without explaining, without fighting for you, it’ll be the biggest mistake of my life.”

He took advantage of the fact her mouth had fallen open. Blake’s lips landed on hers, kissing her roughly, telling her in no uncertain terms that this was nowhere near over.

Chapter Five

Blake loaded Chloe’s equipment into the motorcycle bag he’d borrowed from a friend as she watched, quiet and tense. She’d been the same way all through her family’s Sunday dinner. Her mother had even remarked on her silence, but Chloe simply dismissed it, saying she hadn’t slept well the night before.

Blake had followed her to her apartment on his Harley, refusing to budge when Chloe insisted she could drive herself to the lake. They were evenly matched on stubbornness, so Blake pulled out the “you owe me one” card, forcing her to give in.

He turned to find her on the sidewalk, her arms crossed stiffly. Blake tapped her on the nose, hoping the playful gesture would help her loosen up. “You’re not facing the firing squad here. We’re just going for a ride on my Harley, taking some pictures and having a little talk.”

Her shoulders slumped slightly as she released a sigh. “Fine. You’re right. Today’s conversation is about ten years overdue. Let’s get this over with.”

Blake swallowed heavily as he considered what he’d say. They’d only dated for three months all those years ago. When he thought of it that way, it blew him away. Those ninety days had had a huge impact on his life.

Problem was he’d been a jackass when he was younger, too embarrassed by his home life to come clean to his pretty little girlfriend. He’d painted a picture of some badass guy who went through life with no regard for following rules or obeying authority figures. It was easier to pretend he didn’t care what anyone thought of him than admit to Chloe how much he wanted her to look at him and see someone who was worthy of her love and respect.

He placed a helmet on Chloe’s head, helping her with the strap before putting on his own. Then he threw his leg over the bike and gestured for her to hop on. The second her thighs rested against his, Blake felt himself transported back to the first time they’d ridden together. He’d watched her and her friends studying in the back corner of the sub shop where he worked for several weeks, his gaze constantly drawn to her bright blue eyes and her loud, infectious laugh.

Most of the time, Blake lived in a rundown apartment on the wrong side of town. That was whenever his dad didn’t drink the rent money. During bad times, they crashed on the dirty floors of neighbors or even on the street. There weren’t too many happy people in his world and Blake felt as if he were constantly wading through a sea of misery.

Chloe was the complete opposite of all that. She was light and sunshine and fresh air and laughter—all rolled into one beautiful package.

Blake fired up the engine on his Harley, loving the way Chloe leaned into him, pressing her breasts against his back. He weaved his way carefully through city traffic, glad when they hit Interstate 10. Blake pointed the nose of the bike toward the west and pulled back on the throttle.

Blake was never more at peace than when he was on his motorcycle. Sometimes it felt as if the roar of the engine was the only thing that could drown out his bad memories. He’d recognized that the first time he straddled a Harley. The feeling of peace the bike gave him hadn’t waned since.

Chloe’s grip tightened around his waist, but he didn’t give way, didn’t slow down. He knew her, knew she loved this feeling of flying as much as he did. It was another way they were alike, in synch. Sometimes it amazed him how many similarities he and Chloe shared, given their completely different upbringings.

For nearly an hour, it was just the two of them, soaking up the sunshine and the silence while letting the wind blow all the hurt away. Blake didn’t pretend that pain wouldn’t resurface, that the next few hours wouldn’t be difficult. He’d never talked about his past or his father. Ever. But complete honesty was the only chance he had at possibly regaining Chloe’s trust. And maybe even her love.

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