"This wasn't what I planned to wear," she said, stroking the satin strap.

He could just see where the material clung to her p.u.s.s.y, dark and thin. If she got wet, he'd probably be able to feel that wetness and her heat through the satin.

"What did you plan to wear?" He didn't have a problem with what she had on. Far from it, actually.

"I have this bra and panty set I wanted to wear. Blue lace really pretty. But I couldn't find the set in my lingerie drawer and I'm sure it was there not long ago. I don't wear it very often. I'm not sure, but I think someone may have taken it."

His heart dropped, straight to the bottom of his gut. "You mean whoever trespa.s.sed into your apartment and left the flowers?"

She shrugged. "Who else? I don't have a lot of guests over. You, Mariah, Elijah... None of you would get into my drawers, let alone take any of my things."

That was true. A frisson zipped down his spine cold at first, then angry-hot. If someone had taken underwear out of Belle's drawers, he'd gladly choke them with the strap of the very bra they'd stolen if he ever caught them.

The look must have shown on his face, because Belle placed a hand on his chest.

"I'm not sure about it, Jackson. But I think it's a possibility, and I promised I wouldn't keep anything like this from you..."

He nodded. "I'm glad you told me. I'm just p.i.s.sed it happened."

"Might have happened."

"You're sure the missing items should've been in your drawer?"

"As sure as I can be. Like I said, I almost never wore them. The panties were pretty uncomfortable just for show, really. But after last night, I wanted to look good when I came here today."

"Belle..." He sighed as emotion slammed into him so much of it he wanted to grab her, hold her tight and fall into bed with her.

Of course, that wasn't an option.

She frowned. "I know I just rained all over your good mood. Sorry."

"Not your fault." He leaned into her touch. "I'm just worried about you. I'm still glad you're here, though. Will you stay the night?"

He watched her expression for the flash of doubt he expected, ready to argue. Her suspicions about the missing lingerie had rekindled the smoldering embers of his worry into an inferno of protective instinct.

"Let me watch out for you," he said. He had to get her to agree. By being alone even with the Glock she was playing with fire. Someone could be out to hurt her.

It was so f.u.c.king frustrating not knowing who was bothering her or why, that he wanted to punch something. Break something.

But he just stood there, anch.o.r.ed by her soft touch.

"I have a better idea," she said. "Why don't you stay the night at my place? If you think you're up to riding over there, that is. I have a bigger bed."

"All right." He agreed before she could change her mind. He'd go anywhere if it meant she'd let him be there for her. If she'd asked him to spend the night with her on a sandy blanket under the pier, he'd have done it.

"I have extra pillows you can prop your leg up on, and I can bring you back here in the morning."

"Whatever works for you."

There was a pause, during which he could feel his heart beating, pumping relief through his veins.

"I know what I just told you makes it all seem creepier," she said, "but we've done everything we can so far, right?"

He wracked his mind for any measures he hadn't taken and came up with nothing. "Yeah."

He still hated to admit it.

"Let's forget about it for a little while then, okay?" She flattened the hand she'd pressed against his chest, rubbing a slow trail down toward his hips.

His c.o.c.k hardened again despite his frustration despite everything.

Her touch did that to him made everything else melt away in a haze of pleasure.

"Yesterday felt like the first time I'd touched you in forever," she said.

He fought a groan as his d.i.c.k pushed his gym shorts up and out. "Likewise."

She rocked up onto her toes and brushed his jaw with her lips. "I love you. Come on..."

When she pressed a hand against his shaft, he couldn't hold back that groan anymore.

"Careful," he said, "you'll knock me flat on my a.s.s."

"Why don't we take this to bed, then? Or the couch your choice."

The couch was closer, and Elijah was at work, so they didn't have to worry about being interrupted. Jackson chose the sofa. Moments later, the place where he'd spent so much time bored out of his mind became a temporary heaven.

It wouldn't last they had a lot to worry about but d.a.m.n, was it good.

Belle slept as close to the edge of the bed as she possibly could, leaving s.p.a.ce between her and Jackson. Though she longed to feel the heat of his body, she couldn't risk sleeping too close and possibly rolling into him and hurting his leg.

She slept like that for hours, and when she woke up in the dark, she almost fell off the edge of the mattress.

Gripping the bedclothes instinctively, she jerked and willed her suddenly racing heart to slow. The near fall had given her an adrenaline rush though, and her pulse kept pounding.

It wasn't her proximity to the edge of the bed that had woken her up. No, there'd been a sound a sound that came again as she listened.

CHAPTER 34.

"d.a.m.n it. f.u.c.k!"

Jackson. Belle reached over to his side of the bed and felt nothing.

Throwing the covers aside, she hurried toward the door, hit the light and stepped out into the hall. In her mind's eye, she could see him lying on the floor, fallen while navigating her dark apartment on his way to the bathroom.

He wasn't there, though. She found him in the living room, sitting on her couch and glowering at the coffee table as if he wanted to put a fist through its gla.s.s surface.

"What's going on?"

He looked up, his frown deepening. "Stubbed my toe on the coffee table my left one. Hurt like a b.i.t.c.h, but it's nothing."

Now it was her turn to frown. "What are you doing out here? It's three in the morning."

"Heard a noise."

Her gaze was drawn toward the door, and her heart gave a fast, lurching leap.

"What kind of noise?"

His frown faded halfway. "A couple of h.o.r.n.y cats, apparently. Woke me up with their screeching. I was still half asleep and thought there might be some psycho out in the parking lot murdering someone. Realized what I was hearing by the time I got out here, and then..."

He indicated the coffee table.

For the first time, she noticed the Glock lying on its surface. She also noticed that something was missing.

"Where are your crutches?"

"I couldn't use the crutches and carry a gun at the same time," Jackson said.

"I didn't realize you could walk without them already."

"Turns out I can."

"Are you sure you should be doing that?"

"I'm fine, Princess."

Except for his f.u.c.king toe. It hurt almost as much as his leg, and that was saying something.

She yawned, pressing the back of a hand against her mouth. "If you're fine, then why do you look so p.i.s.sed?"

He looked down at himself: the leg that was still thicker than the other one, thanks to swelling, and the bandages that flashed white beneath the gym shorts that had become his couch potato uniform.

"If there'd been some creep out there, I probably would've wasted so much time tripping over my own a.s.s that they'd have gotten away. Maybe even hurt someone."

"Tripping over your own a.s.s? Now that's just impossible." She crossed her arms beneath her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her shoulders bowing beneath her cami's tiny straps.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she said. "There's n.o.body out there."

"Tonight, anyway. That we know of." The knowledge that someone had targeted Belle for what, he didn't know seared the back of his neck like a bad sunburn. He couldn't shake the feeling, and he all but expected his skin to start peeling away in layers, exposing raw nerves.

She uncrossed her arms and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come back to bed. I'm so tired, and I won't fall back asleep without you there."

He stood and followed her gracelessly through the apartment, carrying the Glock. She flipped the lights off along the way and he shuffled through the darkness, feeling useless as the nerves in his leg fired pain signals to his brain.

The pain intensified with every step, and the high of reconnecting with Belle was tainted by the realization that he wasn't able to protect her to the best of his abilities.

By the time they reached the bed, he was limping like a peg-legged pirate and had to stifle a sigh of relief as he sank down onto the mattress. Biting his tongue, he exhaled silently instead.

"What's up, Belle?" Zackary ambushed her as she rounded a corner in the office, carrying a fresh cup of coffee.

"The usual." She enjoyed her work, but it wasn't exactly a wild ride. "You?"

He shrugged. "Not much going on so far this morning. You planning to go to the financial aid director's retirement party?"

"Sure, I guess so." The invitation had been waiting in her inbox when she'd gotten to work a couple hours ago. "Were you invited too?"

"Sort of. I know I'm just a student worker, but Keira said I can be her plus one."

"That's nice you've been working here for a while now."

He nodded. "Who are you bringing?"

"As my plus one? My boyfriend, if he's feeling up to it."

Zackary nodded, his mouth turning down at the corners. He knew about Jackson being shot. All the college staff seemed to know, and co-workers Belle was barely acquainted with asked about him regularly. Apparently, they'd all been duly impressed by the hero cop article.

"How's he doing lately, anyway?"

"Getting better every day."

"Well, it'll be cool to meet him. He's basically a local celebrity now."

"I have a feeling he'd consider that a bit of a stretch." She thought of Jackson bored at home in his gym shorts and knew he'd scoff at the idea.

Zackary shrugged. "All the college staff are pretty impressed. You think he'll feel up to coming?"

"The party is still a couple weeks away. I'm hoping he'll be feeling good enough for an evening out by then."

"Good luck. And even if he can't come, you'll have me and Keira to hang out with."

She nodded. If Jackson wasn't feeling well enough to go to the party, she probably wouldn't stay long, if she made an appearance at all. She didn't bother saying so to Zackary. Ever since he'd found out she was dating Jackson the "hero cop," he'd been less flirtatious toward her. Friendly and a little awkward, but he hadn't made any amorous overtures in weeks.

It was a nice change, and she didn't want to rock the boat.