Seeing Love: Saints Protection & Investigations Read online

  He lifted her chin with his fingers, and said, “We’re getting off on the wrong foot if you can’t tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Nodding her agreement, she lifted her gaze back to his face, her cheeks still warm from the blush. “Um…I meant, you’ve had a lot of…uh…experience and with um…women who have had a lot also. I guess. I mean, I assume they have. Not that I should assum—”

  He placed his finger on her lips, stilling her words, knowing that saying them was costing her dignity. Her expression almost broke him. She looked so unsure. My fuckin’ reputation is biting me in the ass! How can I ever convince her that there’s no comparison between her and the others before?

  Lowering himself gently to her side, he propped his head up on his right hand, letting his left settle on her hip, rolling her toward him. “Faith, there’s nothing in the world I can say that’ll make you feel any better about who I was before I met you. But you’ve gotta believe me when I say, that was before you.”

  “Bart, we’ve known each other for a week and the first half of that you hated me.”

  “I get that, and I’m not making any promises here other than you are different, this is different, and I want to explore what’s between us. What I’m experiencing, I’ve never felt before. And I sure as hell am not comparing you to anyone before, other than to say that being with you is blowing anyone else out of my mind.”

  She reached over, running her fingertips over his stubbled jaw before sliding them into his hair. “We seem to always be at odds, don’t we?” she asked, sadness filling her dark eyes.

  “No, princess,” he protested. “We’re moving past that and moving forward. That’s what I want you to focus on—nothing in the past, just us, here and now and the future.”

  His words flowed, filling her lonely corners. Smiling, she leaned over, keeping her eyes on his as she kissed him softly. Maybe tonight is all I’lI have with him…but he’s right…for tonight, there’ll be no looking at the past.

  Laying on his side with her next to him, he began to explore every delicious curve. She traced the smattering of chest hair tickling her nipples and as his hand moved between them to cup her breasts, she felt the jolt down to her core. She watched as he lowered his head, beginning to suckle once more. Rolling his tongue around the tight bud, he pulled her nipple deep into his mouth eliciting a moan from her lips.

  Moving between her breasts, he reveled in the silky, smooth skin, knowing his jaw stubble was abrading, then secretly smiling at the thought of marking her. Jesus, what a caveman move. Sliding his fingers down over her stomach toward her mound, he cupped her, slightly touching her clit.

  She jerked upward at the sensitive touch and grabbed his hair with both of her hands, tugging his mouth back to hers. Once more losing herself in his kiss, she sucked his tongue deeply.

  Groaning, he took over, owning her mouth with his. As he moved his finger through her slick folds, he pulled his lips away from hers, kissing his way down her body—over her breasts and back up to the sensitive spot where her pulse beat wildly.

  Knowing her pussy was now wet and relaxed, he placed his engorged cock at her entrance, then hesitated. “Has it been awhile? I don’t want to hurt you.” He hated asking. Hated even thinking of her other partners, but recognized the double standard in his mind. Navigating unchartered waters, he forced his expression to be neutral.

  Lowering her eyes in embarrassment, she replied, “Um, about a year.”

  His eyes widened in shock, but quickly recovered, not wanting to embarrass her further. Fuck yeah, he thought once again. Feeling like a caveman once more, he moved to the side to roll on a condom. He gently entered her, filling her a little bit at a time, allowing her to adjust to his size. She moaned at the fullness and the pressure that immediately began to build. With a final push, he was in all the way and began to pump slowly.

  The tightness of his engorged cock filling her stretched her inner muscles more than ever before. She clasped her arms around his shoulders before moving them to his back, feeling the tight muscles moving underneath his smooth skin.

  “More, I need more,” she said in a whisper and he began to pump faster, rocking her body. She wrapped her legs around his tight waist in an attempt to draw him closer as the delicious feeling of friction was soon sending her over the edge again. Two orgasms in one night. I’ve never had that, she realized as the shock waves pulsated from her inner core outwards.

  He felt her pussy walls grab his dick and her natural juices made the pounding easier. He captured her lips once more, imitating the motion of his thrusting with his tongue. He sensed his balls tighten and knew he was close. Keeping his eyes on her face, he wanted to see her pleasure…he wanted to own her pleasure.

  For a second, he wondered about the instinctive, intimate connection to this woman, but quickly turned his mind back to the amazing feeling of driving deep inside of her. If I have my way, she’ll never be lonely again. Her eyes were closed and the bliss that covered her expression was all he needed. Throwing his head back, he powered through his orgasm, pulsating deep inside as her pussy tightened around him once again.

  Falling down to the side of her, he rolled her on top of his sweaty body, still shaking with the intensity of the moment. Never… never. I’ve never fucked like that. Jesus, how can this be so different with her?

  Neither of them spoke for several minutes, the emotions of the act too overwhelming. Too important. Her breasts crushed to his chest, her legs tangled with his, and their hearts beat wildly. Her head rested on his shoulder, tucked into his neck.

  As their breathing slowed, she lifted her head and looked down at him, her dark eyes shining. “Wow,” she whispered.

  His head nodded slowly as his gaze wandered over her face, wanting to make sure she was all right. I meant to go slow. I meant to go easy, but once I got inside of her sweetness, I just—

  “Hey, where’d you go?” she asked, praying he was not beginning to have regrets.

  “I’m sorry, Faith,” he began, then quickly realized his mistake when he saw the shadow pass over her eyes. “No, no,” he amended in a rush. “I’m not sorry about what we did, just how I did it. I meant to take it slow but, once I started with your sweet body, I got a little crazy.”

  She smiled, her fingers tracing patterns on his tattoo. “I didn’t know it could be like that,” she said honestly. Her hand moved down to the pendant on the silver chain around his neck. Holding the medallion, she saw it was of St. Bartholomew.

  He caught her curious expression and simply answered, “A gift from my grandfather.”

  She let the pendant slip through her fingers before patting it against his chest, right over his heart. “Then I know it’s special and next to your heart is where it should be,” she murmured.

  He watched her expression for a moment, tucking her hair behind her ear to see her face clearly. I’ve never met anyone as honest as her. No pretense. No faking. Just real. How could I have ever accused her of being false?

  He tightened his huge arms around her, enveloping. Protecting. Needing. They may have started out on the wrong foot, but he now vowed to move forward with this woman.

  “Princess, I may be many things, but I’ll always lay it right out there. I was wrong about you from the beginning and I’m so sorry for being such a prick to you at first. But I want you here with me and to work to see where this can go.”

  Her eyes searched his, finding truth, but hers were filled with uncertainty.

  “What is it?” he asked, running his knuckles over her cheek.

  “I don’t know, Bart,” she said hesitantly. “I mean, this was great but, from what you’ve told me, I don’t know that you’re cut out to be relationship material. And I can’t do casual and share you—”

  He rolled over, pinning her underneath his body, holding his weight off her. “I know what you’re trying to say, but Babe, I promise you that I’m ready for a relationship—I was just waiting for the right woman. I told you that I’
ve always wanted what my parents and grandparent have. If I’m with you, there’s no one else. We’re solid and we’re together.”

  A gentle smile rolled off her lips. “Together? That sounds good.” She watched as his handsome face broke into a grin. I’ve never seen anyone so heart-stopping gorgeous in my whole life. She ran her fingers over his strong jaw, loving the feel of the rough stubble underneath her fingertips.

  He pulled her head down to his and kissed her once more. This time soft. Gentle. Full of the promise of a future. “Yeah, princess. Together.”

  Chapter 19

  The next morning, Bart headed to the Saints after dropping Faith off at the elementary school. “I’ll be back at three p.m. to pick you up,” he said.

  “Are you sure it’s necessary?”

  “Absolutely. Until we determine what’s going on, I want you safe.” Touching her lips with his in a chaste kiss that had him wanting to take it deeper, he leaned back. “I’ll be in touch with Mitch this morning to check on what’s happening. I think another money drop from Ivan may be happening today.”

  At the thought of how frightened Erik must be, she nodded sadly before walking through the school doors.

  Four hours later, just as she was rolling her art supply cart to her closet office, she heard the bell ring as school dismissed. It’s only noon! Looking over at one of the teachers, she asked, “Was this a half day?”

  “Oh yeah, thank goodness. The kids go home early today so the teachers can enter the grades. Did you forget?”

  “Yep,” she answered, feeling foolish. With everything going on in my life, it’s no surprise I can’t keep anything straight.

  Since most of the teachers were eating with their grade levels, she decided to treat herself by going across the street to grab lunch at a nearby deli. As she stepped off the curb, the hairs on the back of her neck began to prickle but, when she turned to look around, she saw nothing suspicious.

  The lunch crowd had already passed and she was pleased to find an empty stool at the counter. She usually packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when she was working, so a deli lunch was a rarity. Enjoying the warm turkey, swiss, and cranberry croissant, she was munching on her sandwich when the same feeling of being watched crept over her. Casually looking around, she still found no suspicious eyes on her. Giving her head a shake, she finished quickly, determined to get back into the school building where she could feel safe.

  Moving through the doors, she made her way to the sidewalk, where the cold air slapped her in the face. Good, she thought. I needed to get out of my head! With her head down to protect her face against the biting wind, she walked to the intersection.

  Stepping off the curb, she began walking across the street glad to have taken the time to have a nice lunch instead of her homemade sandwich. Lost in thought, she barely felt the tingling again over the roar of an engine. Jerking her head around she saw a black sedan, its dark-tinted windows hiding any humanity, speeding toward her. She darted toward the other side of the street but saw the sedan move to the next lane, continuing straight for her. As its tires squealed to keep from running into a parked car, she jumped at the last second, sprawling on the far sidewalk. Pain exploded in her arms and shoulders as she tried to protect her head, which hit the pavement anyway.

  Heart pounding, she heard the car as it sped away down the street. With the wind knocked out of her, she was aware of several people crowding around offering assistance. The tingling had stopped, but the ringing in her ears grew louder. She tried to stand, but eager hands insisted she sit. A man held a handkerchief against her forehead to stem the flow of blood as others called 911. As the blood continued to trickle down her face, she felt the world grow smaller and darker. The faraway sound of a siren was the last thing she heard before slipping into unconsciousness.

  *

  Bethany was in the kitchen of the home she shared with Jack, working on the programs for Cam and Miriam’s wedding, when her phone rang. Looking at it, she did not recognize the number.

  “Hello?”

  “Bethany? It’s Faith,” came the soft voice.

  “Faith? Hey, girl. What’s up?”

  “Um, I was wondering if you knew where Bart was? He was going to come pick me up at school at three, but I…uh—”

  “He’s here. Do you need him to come now?”

  “I tried to call his phone, but it just went to voicemail and I didn’t want to interrupt something important.” She took a ragged breath but, before she could say anything else, Bethany jumped in.

  “Faith, are you okay? You don’t sound good. What’s going on?”

  “I’m…well, I’m at the hospital. University Hospital, downtown.”

  “Oh, my God! What happened?” Bethany shrieked, already running for the door leading down to the compound conference room.

  Before she could take a step, Jack appeared at the bottom of the stairs questioningly, having heard her exclamation.

  “Someone tried to run me down,” Faith’s voice cracked as the exhausted, frightened tears began to flow.

  “I’m getting him. We’re coming now,” Bethany promised. Barely disconnecting, she yelled, “Bart!” as Jack was already heading toward her.

  Bart came around the corner, looking up, as she yelled again, “It’s Faith. Someone tried to run her down. She’s at University Hospital.”

  “Fuck!” he barked, running up the steps right behind Jack, followed quickly by the rest of the Saints.

  Jack, always in control of his men, barked out, “Cam, you drive. Monty, get with Mitch and find out what they know. Jude, work with him. Luke, get the info from the CPD and find out where she was and look at any of the street cameras. The rest of you know what to do. Bethany, babe,” he gentled his voice at the top of the stairs, and said, “you’re coming with me.”

  Nodding, she grabbed her purse and quickly followed him, Bart, and Cam out to their vehicles.

  *

  Faith sat on the narrow, hard mattress in the ER, fiddling with the sheet covering her legs. Glancing down at her battered body, she sighed. Her head pounded, so she closed her eyes, trying to block out the glare of the harsh lights in the room.

  A noise down the hall had her jerking her eyes open, then immediately wincing at the movement. Before she could discern the voices, Bart bounded into the room, coming to an abrupt halt at the sight of her.

  Attempting a smile, she said, “Hi,” not knowing what else to say.

  Cam came into the small room, right on Bart’s heels, followed by Jack and Bethany. The men stood speechless for a second as Bethany rushed forward. “Oh, Faith, you poor dear.” Bethany pushed Faith’s long, dark hair back away from her face, showing clearly the stitches on her forehead. A growl from the other side of the room had the two women looking up at Bart’s face.

  He stalked to the other side of Bethany’s bed and bent to take her hand, but halted when he saw it was bandaged. Reaching for the other, he saw the same treatment. His face, tight with anger, tried to force a smile for her, but rage had him seeing red. “What’s the status, princess?”

  Before she could answer, the doctor squeezed into the room, shock on her face at the three huge men taking up all the space. She looked over at her patient and grinned. “Well, Ms. Romani, if most of my patients had these kind of friends waiting for them, they would probably recover quicker,” she joked.

  Faith smiled, first at the doctor and then Saints filling the room. Her eyes swept over to Bethany as she offered her thanks.

  “Doc?” Bart asked curtly, not willing to wait for one more second to see what was happening with his girl.

  “We treated the cuts and abrasions on her hands and knees. Even though she used her hands to catch her fall, the force of her movement caused her forehead to hit the pavement anyway, therefore, we have stitched the more severe cut. We had a plastic surgeon on site and he was the one to do the stitches, which will greatly reduce the size of a scar. We did order x-rays to make sure there were no furth
er injuries and I was just coming in with those results.” Turning back to Faith, she reported, “I’m pleased to tell you there are no broken bones.”

  Looking up at the group, the doctor focused her gaze on the large, blond man hovering by the side of the bed, noting his hand caressing Faith’s shoulders. “With the force with which she hit her head, I’m concerned about a concussion. She’ll need to be watched tonight and brought back if there are any problems. I assume that won’t be a problem?”

  “No, ma’am,” he vowed. “She’s coming with me.”

  Closing her laptop, the doctor smiled. “Good.” Walking over to Faith, she touched her arm, saying, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Romani. The nurse will be back in with the discharge instructions.”

  Bart focused his attention back on Faith, leaning over her bed, placing his hands on either side of her hips. As his face came to within a breath of hers, he said, “I wanna know everything princess, but first, I wanna be sure you’re going to be okay.”

  Mesmerized, her gaze never wandered from his as she nodded slowly as in a trance. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

  “No, you’re not okay now, but I’m sure as hell going to make sure that you will be.”

  Jack interrupted, saying, “Bart, let Bethany help Faith get dressed and we’ll talk outside. I’ve got a Charlestown PD detective outside to fill us in on what happened.”

  Leaning down the rest of the way, Bart settled his lips onto hers in a barely there, gentle kiss that left no doubt in her mind that it was a kiss of promise.

  By the time she opened her eyes, he had moved silently out of the room with Jack and Cam, leaving a smiling Bethany in their wake.

  It did not take long for the two women to get Faith’s skirt and blouse back on. Her tights were shredded so they ended up in the trash. Bethany squatted to slip Faith’s sensible flats onto her feet. “It’s cold outside, but Cam will bring Bart’s truck around to the entrance. Then Cam’ll ride back with us while Bart takes you home.”