Forbidden Attraction: A Contemporary Romance Box Set Read online

  “I know dude. Try to relax,” she suggested quietly, knowing it was a platitude I couldn’t listen to.

  “How the hell am I supposed to relax?” I griped. “I’m sittin’ over here twiddlin’ my dick while someone’s tryin’ to ruin my life, and I can’t get involved and help solve the case. If we don’t prove I’m innocent, they’re gonna throw my ass in jail, and I’ll be eatin’ breakfast next to the same motherfuckers I put in the joint. You know for damn sure they’ll gut me inside of two days.”

  “That ain’t gonna happen,” Lopez swore. “Drugs in that quantity are easier to track than cash. That’s our forte. We slayed shit over in narcotics. When I heard about that, I immediately hit up our old informants on the west side of town. I’m sure someone’ll give up something on a big package movin’ into a dealer’s hands soon.”

  “I hope so,” I said. “Because I’m not puttin’ up with this shit anymore. I’m nobody’s fuckin’ patsy, and I’m not just gonna roll over and let it go. Fuck this bullshit, Lopez. This is my life we’re talking about here.”

  “I know.” Lopez sighed. “And you need to know that your life is incredibly important to me. I’m doing everything I can to figure out what the hell’s goin’ on. Riggs authorized overtime because he knew I’d be working round the clock clearing your name.”

  “Good,” I said, feeling only slightly better. “You deserve it for this. Thank you for everything you’re doin’.”

  “No thanks needed,” she said. “You’re my brother. If the situation were reversed, you’d be doin’ it for me. We’ve always had each other’s backs and always will.”

  “You know it. Keep me informed, okay?”

  “You know I will,” she promised. “I would’ve called you earlier about the drugs, but I had to wait for that IA bitch to leave first. Brass don’t want me tellin’ you shit about this case, so they have their eyes on me.”

  “Sorry about that,” I said, frowning. This bullshit was affecting everyone in my life.

  “I just feel terrible that this is happening to you. You don’t deserve it. You deserve stripes, not charges, and I know someone out there is aware of that now.” Her voice was strong as she spoke. “I don’t think they were ready for the backlash that would come from framing Martin Ferrel. It’s definitely a surprise curveball for the perp. Hopefully, it fucks with them enough they start makin’ mistakes.”

  “I feel ya,” I sighed. “Alright, hit me up tonight when you’re off.”

  “Will do,” she said, hanging up.

  I paced back and forth on the porch, chewing on my thumbnail and thinking about what she’d told me. I was pissed. No, more than that. I was livid. I growled loudly, picking up the lawn chair and tossing it at the railing of the balcony. It clanged loudly and fell to the ground.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I screamed.

  I was so screwed, and this idle time was making it ten times worse. I wanted to punch something more substantial than the damn door frame. I needed to get this frustration and anger out before it backfired on me.

  Half the shit in my file was because I couldn’t control my anger with a perp. I’d seen the department psychiatrist but fucking hated it, so I pretended I was all better and got the hell out of there. I assumed since I was able to trick her, either I was an excellent liar, or she was a terrible doctor who shouldn’t have been treating me anyway.

  I walked into the house and changed my clothes, figuring the only place I could go was the gym. Lift a few weights, run myself ragged on the treadmill, and let my thoughts work themselves out.

  As I put on my shoes, I thought about Rene and how I hoped she was taking a half day and going to the gym too. My plan to seduce her to my side wasn’t moving fast enough. If I didn’t do something about that, I would end up spending the rest of my days in a cell. If I lived that long.

  I shook my head and grabbed my keys, walking out of the house. When I got to the gym, I nodded at the regulars and threw my shit into the locker room. I came out ready to get some tension off my shoulders. I started with the speed bag, pumping through the blows so fast my muscles were aching. Even then I didn’t stop, pushing through the pain and letting out some serious aggression.

  I could picture the criminals, my fists hitting their faces faster than I punched the speed bag. The asshats were going to pay, especially when the precinct got hold of them. Nobody fucks with our squad. They would be lucky to get to their cell in one piece.

  I stopped for a minute and leaned against the wall, sweat pouring down my forehead. I looked around the gym trying to collect my breath, looking for Rene. She wasn’t there, and I hadn’t seen her car on the way in either. That just made shit even worse, and the anger surged through me all over again. I didn’t have control of anything in my own life anymore. I had landed in a position of helplessness and it was not okay with me, not even for a second. This shit was going to end me on multiple levels.

  I slapped the speed bag with my hand and shook my head, grabbing a towel to wipe the bag off. What was the use of hitting a leather bag repeatedly? What I really needed to do was try to relax, but I had no idea how to accomplish that. I was frustrated with everything, on top of being livid about the position I was in. Those two emotions put together were not a good combination, the kind of cocktail that could get me in trouble.

  I tossed the paper towel in the trash and walked out of the main area and back to the sauna. If punching my way out of this anger wasn’t going to work, maybe steaming it out would.

  I couldn’t even begin to understand how I had ended up in this situation in the first place. One minute I’d been working a homicide case and the next minute I was being stripped of my gun and badge by my own captain. No matter how much people believed I was innocent, if the evidence pointed to my guilt, there wasn’t much they could do to keep me out of jail.

  Rene could. I needed to get close to her, to get her to believe me, and to make sure she kept me informed. I needed to seduce her. But more than that, I needed to spend some time with her. Fucking her couldn’t be the only thing on my agenda; she’d sniff that out in a heartbeat. Perhaps she and I could have a friendship similar to what I had with Lopez, but I didn’t think that would work. I wanted her like I’d never wanted another woman; friendship was too bland.

  Before I could do anything, though, I had to figure out where she was.

  Rene

  After finding out about the drugs missing from the same evidence locker as the money, I sat in the office nearly all day filling out new paperwork and informing my captain of the update to the case. After about a novel’s worth of notes and submissions, I was ready to relax. I left the precinct and drove home, stopping at the gym to use their sauna. It was before the end of the day rush, so hopefully it would be nice and quiet in there.

  I parked my car and got out, stretching my arms over my head. I turned around and scanned the parking lot, looking for Martin’s truck. I was certain Lopez would tell him about the missing drugs, and when she did, he’d be furious. My only hope was that he didn’t stick his nose into the case to try and prove his innocence, which I was slowly starting to believe in. I tapped my hands on the roof of my car, looking around. The guy was a complete douchebag, there was no question in that, but I never pegged him as a thief or a druggie. He did have ties to the drug community because of his start in narcotics, but the drugs and the money landing on his doorstep was too convenient, too easy.

  Too simple. Too obvious. Like the theft. It’s that crap and his alibi that make me think he may be innocent. The flirty shit was over the top obvious as well; I knew he thought he could charm me onto his side, and perhaps to his bed. No fucking way, I thought, sneering. That would be the dumbest thing I could possibly do.

  When I didn’t see his truck, I sighed with relief, grabbed my bag out of the back of the car, and headed inside. Instead of the normal locker rooms, I headed to the sauna and changed in the stall inside the room. The window was all steamed up, and I couldn’t wait to get in t
here and lean back and relax. That day in particular, I could have sat in the sauna for the rest of my life.

  I shoved my bag into one of the lockers and tightened the towel around my body. Hopefully, I would be the only one in there and could feel comfortable instead of wondering if people were looking at me damn near naked.

  I checked the timer on the door, making sure I had plenty of time before the heat shut off inside. I grabbed the handle and opened the door, feeling the heat radiate over me. However, as soon as I stepped inside, I froze. Sitting in the middle of the sauna, in nothing but a towel himself, was Martin. That bastard was sitting in the exact spot I wanted. How the fuck does this keep happening?

  The cold air from outside flowed through the sauna, hitting him in the face. He pulled his eyebrows together and opened his eyes, a grin appearing as he recognized me. I turned to leave, deciding to hit the elliptical instead but stopped at the sound of his voice.

  “Chicken.” He chuckled under his breath.

  I stopped, my ego burned by his quiet comment. I would be damned if he was going to chase me away from something I really wanted to do. I’d been through hell and back to prove myself, and I refused to let a man like him make me feel less powerful.

  I sighed and shut the door before turning and walking to sit on the opposite end from him. I didn’t look at him, refused to let my eyes drift that direction. I quietly leaned back against the wall. How was I supposed to relax in a hot sauna with him practically naked and me in a towel as well? I couldn’t tell if the heat in the room was from the sauna or from the awkward intensity between the two of us. Best just to ignore it. A statement easier said than done.

  “You know you won’t get any of the steam that close to the door,” he commented, one eye opening to look at me as I glanced at him. “It’s about ten degrees cooler over there. Come sit next to me. I won’t bite ya.” He patted the seat next to him and grinned.

  I shook my head without making eye contact with him. I tried to sit back and relax, letting the steam ease the tension in my body, but it really was too cool on that side. I opened my eyes, frustrated, and clutched the top of my towel as I walked across his line of sight to the other end of the room. I moved closer to the steam, not to him, my eyes down to let him know I wasn’t interested in any kind of conversation. I wanted to decompress from the day and figure out what my next move was. His presence wasn’t helping since my thoughts had to be filled with him and the case.

  I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the details of the case, but I could literally feel Martin only feet away from me. I was unnerved, being so close to him wearing nothing more than a towel. Had I known I would be in that situation, I would never have walked in. He was stuck in my head, though, and I sighed, opening my eyes. I glanced at him and scowled at his boyish grin, trying to ignore the fact that he was incredibly handsome.

  “I didn’t see your truck parked outside,” I grumbled. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have come in.”

  “No, I suppose you wouldn’t have.” He smiled. “I rode my motorcycle. It’s a beautiful day out, and I haven’t ridden the thing anywhere in a long time, so why not today? The wind on my face and the throttle of the bike underneath me...” He clicked his tongue. “Nothin’ like it.”

  I really don’t give a damn, I thought nastily. I stared ahead, trying not to picture him on a motorcycle. He was sexy enough and thinking about him riding a bike covered in leather was not something I needed in my head.

  I nodded absently, making a mental note that I had to start looking for a bike everywhere I went. But that might not help too much. I basically felt like I couldn’t go out anywhere without running into him. It was a miracle he hadn’t seen Jenny yet.

  I put the thought out of my mind and leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I thought about the case, the new development, and the fact that everyone was holding onto Martin’s innocence even more than before, claiming there was no way he took the drugs. He hated drugs. But none of it made any sense if he wasn’t the perp. I wondered how long the drugs had been missing and whether they had left with the money or if someone had come back and taken them at a different time. We might be looking at two separate theft cases, and Martin may be responsible for one, both, or none. Joy.

  I opened my eyes and looked at him, realizing then that Martin had scooted closer to me. I sat up immediately, clutching my bath towel. He was so close I could feel the heat coming off his body. He was practically naked, and visions of us from all those years before started playing through my mind. I tried to shake it, but they continued, and I realized how much more fit and in shape he was now than in high school.

  Why the fuck was I thinking about any of that anyway? If I was going to think about that night, I should remember how it felt for him to use me for sex and leave me in a stranger’s room so he could go win a fucking dare. I should remember how he killed my faith in men.

  I wanted to be angry about the fact that he’d left me alone to raise my daughter, but he didn’t even know she existed. Rationally, I knew that wasn’t his fault. I had intentionally kept her from him. Irrationally, I hated him for the struggles Jenny and I had suffered. Mostly, if I was honest, I would admit that the only reason I hated him was because he had fucked me and left me like I was trash.

  On top of the ridiculous personal connection that I hated having with him, I was investigating him for possibly stealing cocaine and a whole lot of money. He was an asshole and probably a dirty cop, not the kind of guy I would even consider giving the time of day. He was the kind of guy I scoffed at when I put him in handcuffs and threw him into a cell.

  Returning to the present, I frowned at him. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to get that close to me. He was built like a damn dream with arms as big as my head, a muscular, defined stomach and chest, and the way the steam glistened off his skin was a major turn on. He looked like some kind of model sitting there in his towel, his eyes fixed on my face, no doubt watching for a reaction. All I had to do was shift the slightest bit and our bodies would be touching. I could barely breathe properly.

  I wanted to push him away, but at the same time, my urge not to was even stronger. I stared straight ahead, feeling his eyes roving over my body. The feeling of someone wanting me the way he did was powerful and erotic, and I wasn’t willing to give that up just yet. I was out of my mind, I could tell.

  “You know,” I commented without moving my head or eyes in his direction, “the gym has rules about harassment.”

  “They do?” he asked with an innocent smile. “But is it harassment if you don’t tell me to stop?”

  “I shouldn’t have to,” I pointed out, trying to inject sass in my tone. “I’m sure that big guy that polices the place would love to come get you. Or maybe the girl behind the counter. She looks like she doesn’t put up with bullshit.”

  “Right.” He laughed. “What are they going to do? Call the cops? I’m pretty sure I got the lock on that one.”

  “Ugh.” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “You are so fucking full of yourself. It drives me crazy.”

  “I like to hear that.” He smiled.

  “It wasn’t a compliment, asshole,” I said, shaking my head. Sexual chemistry happens whether or not you’re being an asshole. All you’re doing is annoying me. But I couldn’t bring myself to say that out loud.

  He leaned closer, and I could feel the warmth of his breath on my skin. Part of me wanted to slug him, but the other part of me wanted to see what would happen next. It was wrong. It was dangerous. I knew where it would end up, but I was having a hard time caring. I breathed deeply, trying to find my control.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, still not moving an inch.

  He skimmed my jaw with his mouth, lightly nibbling on my skin.

  Fuck! Goosebumps shot all over me, even though I was sitting in a room that was over a hundred degrees. I swallowed hard, feeling the edge of his tongue on my skin as he moved up toward my ear. My hands grasped so tightly to my towel that my
knuckles were turning white. He stopped next to my face and smiled.

  “Am I not being obvious enough?” he whispered.

  Before I could say a word or even decide what to say, he reached up and pulled my chin toward him. I looked at him for a moment before he leaned forward and pressed his lips tightly against mine. I was rigid, stiff as a board, but I kissed him back, feeling the passion heating up inside me.

  The sound of the outer door opening made him jump and pull his lips away from mine. All I could do was sit there with my mouth gaping, watching him hold tightly to his towel as he stood up. Before the inner door was open, he was walking away. He looked back and flashed me a smile before walking out.

  What the hell did I just do? Why didn’t I yell? Pull away? Hit him? Hot or not, the guy’s a dick, and I know where caving in to him leads!

  I sat in the sauna, alone again, in a puddle of need and disgust as he disappeared. It felt almost reminiscent of the past, and I hated every second of it. One thing I knew for sure: my desire for Martin hadn’t subsided one bit over the last twelve years. And that was a serious problem.

  Martin

  I walked out of that sauna to the locker room, put on my clothes, and headed out of the gym. I tried to slow my breathing as I drove home on my bike, but I was struggling to do so. I was so hot for Rene that I could barely control myself. I slammed the door and stripped. My cock was rock solid in my pants, and I didn’t even make it to the shower before I started to jack it.

  I had to release the pressure, to give myself some relief before I exploded. I hadn’t expected to want her so badly, to want to fuck her and have very little self-control over it. I thought I had played it perfectly, but apparently I was wrong. The sauna, the two of us alone, and the sexual tension had been enough to make me feel like a horny teenager again. I was so riled up after that, I was pretty sure if she had even touched my aching dick with her finger, I would have cum all over myself.