In the Bedroom with the Rope: Tied in Knots (5 page)

It didn’t escape him that she hadn’t sought him out to help her spend her lust. He’d asked to see her later but she hadn’t waited for him. His body might fuel her fantasies, but she didn’t trust him with hers. If she did, she’d be recovering in his bed right now.

Restless and horny, he set to the task of picking up his groceries, his thoughts in turmoil. It felt wrong to keep spying on her when he was so conflicted. He hadn’t been bullshitting Murphy earlier, dropping the investigation wasn’t an option he could live with. His gut told him Samantha was still in danger. But he did have to go back to work at some point and then she would be unprotected.

So what was the solution? A lover would have a reason to hang around her house, her bar, to call or text her and make sure she was okay. And a boyfriend had the potential to become a lover. Setting out a pan, he began frying up some bacon, considering the possibilities.

Will that be enough though?
His darker side whispered.
She’s just getting back in the saddle, do you really want to scare her off with your kink?

 
It wouldn’t be an issue, he’d keep that part of himself under wraps, be the perfect boyfriend. Samantha had no need to learn about his baser drives. If she shared her luscious body with him, he’d savor it, but he wouldn’t push her past her comfort zone. He’d take it slow, gain her trust.

It would be enough, it had to be, for both their sakes.

He threw the cooked bacon between some worthless white bread, snagged a beer and just sat down to eat when his cell phone rang. The display read Las Vegas Metro.

“Harrison,” he said crisply

“Hey, buddy.” It was Carla Rodriguez, his former partner from his days in vice. “How’s the shoulder?”

“Better before it had a hole blown through it. How’s tricks?”

“Busy as usual.” Though some counties in Nevada had licensed brothels, in any county with a population over 400,000 prostitution was illegal. Including Clark County, home to the city of Las Vegas. Of course that didn’t stop some of the local girls from soliciting to tourists on the strip. Trevor didn’t miss the drunken curses hurled at him from the lipstick smeared mouths on a nightly basis.

“So what’s up?” Though Carla had called to check on him from time to time throughout his recovery, she never did from the station.

“Murphy asked me to call. He’s in an interview, but wanted you to have the news ASAP.”

Dread coiled in Trevor’s stomach and his gaze moved to the laptop. Samantha was dressed and shuffling through her mail in the front hall. She looked beautiful, relaxed and happy, so much brighter and more alive. He had the sinking feeling that whatever came next was going to spoil his plans for her. “What news?”

“The charges against Gibbons were dropped. Trev, he’ll be out on the streets tonight.”

~Continued in Part 2, coming soon from Sanibel Moon Books!~