Killing Roses

8__Inviting trouble

“Your cop boyfriend?”

Valerie gasped like she was being starved of oxygen and darted across the space between them to smack a hand over Michael’s mouth. He dodged her, darting under her arm.

“What? You said he was you boyfrie—”

Val caught him and smacked a hand over his mouth.

“Ha-ha! What?! That’s ridiculous!” She laughed awkwardly as she glanced at Roman. He stood very still, watching them with an expression Valerie couldn’t read.

“Mmur ridduqous!” mumbled Michael under her hand.

Roman took slow steps into the apartment and stopped right in front of them.

He tilted his head, frowning darkly. Valerie saw how he was staring at Michael and she got tense.

Oh, no. Had Detective Parker once “busted” Michael’s ass as the kid had fearfully said? She shoved him behind her and stood between them, arms stretched out.

She noticed that Roman’s eyes remained on the sixteen-year-old behind her.

Roman was staring intensely at the kid who stared obnoxiously back at him.

“What’s… what’s your name?” Roman questioned.

“His name’s Michael!” Val said. “He’s no trouble! I swear. He’s a good kid!”

Valerie sensed Michael stepping backward and she glanced back at him. “It’s okay.”

Michael’s eyes grew anxious as he glanced at Valerie and looked back at Roman.

“I’m not scared,” he said. Roman saw the kid’s chin tremble as he took another step back. “I’m not scared of no cop.”

Roman was immediately reminded of Liam. Countless times, his baby brother would be terrified out of his mind of a bug or thunder, but would never admit it. He’d pout and insist that he wasn’t scared.

Roman realized that Valerie told him the kid was scared of cops. Sighing, he took his hand off his weapon and held both up so the boy could see he meant no harm.

“Calm down, kid. I only asked what your name is.” He glanced at Valerie who was currently practicing how to be a human fence. “Could you move?”

She blinked and slowly lowered her arms. She turned to Michael. “He won’t hurt you.”

The kid looked her in the eyes and seemed to relax. Valerie walked to stand next to Michael where she crossed her arms and looked at Roman.

“And why do want to know his name?”

Roman gave her a look. “What are you? His lawyer? I’m only asking.”

“I am soon to be his legal guardian,” Valerie proudly stated.

Both Roman and Michael’s eyes widened.

“Really?” Michael asked. “You’re gonna…”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m gonna adopt you.” She clapped him on the back. “Congrats, kid. You’re gonna be out the system.” Valerie couldn’t stop her mouth. What the hell was she doing? She wasn’t sure about this! But she couldn’t stop now, Detective Roman Parker with the mocking eyes was watching.

Michael was staring at her and when his face stretched in the biggest grin she’d ever seen, Valerie lost all doubt about her decision. So what if she was only eight years older than him? So what? She could still kick-ass as a big sister. Not that she’d ever had any siblings.

“Awesome,” said Michael, still grinning at Val like she’d offered him the rest of her lifespan. His smile dimmed. “Wait, for real, right? You’re not playing with me… right?”

She nodded. “I’m serious. But if you give me trouble, like refusing to get in school or you start smoking pot like you kids do, I will tape you to my ceiling and fill it with spiders.” She smiled sweetly when he flinched.

She turned back to Roman to find him looking at them with a strange expression. “I take it… he’s staying here? With you?” asked Roman.

Valerie nodded. “Yeah.”

Roman nodded at the door. “Can I have a word, Miss Quinn?”

Valerie followed him outside and closed the door. When she turned to him, her whole body stiffened.

“What?”

He was staring at her like she was a bug under his microscope. With no warning, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her all the way into the apartment staircase half a floor down from hers, where Val felt like he took ninety percent of the space and oxygen. She shrunk back against the wall as he took a step closer.

“Do you often take strange kids off the street and right into your home?”

Val clenched her jaw. She hated how he said things that made him sound so smart but made her look like a fool. His words were so polite, but his tone again said: “Oh, Valerie, you big idiot.”

“He’s not a strange kid.”

“Oh? What do you know about him? Tell me, I’ll do a background check. What if he’s a runaway and he has a whole family? You could be charged with kidnapping.”

Roman had to go away with some info about this kid. It had been a long time since he’d remembered Liam so vividly. There was something about this Michael kid. He knew he couldn’t assume that every boy with grey eyes like those was Liam, but Roman was used to ruling out every possibility.

Valerie scoffed, struggling to keep her eyes up and her gaze on his. If she just lowered her gaze a little, she’d be staring at his muscled chest as it rose and fell with each breath he took.

“He said he has no family! He used to be in foster, but it got really shitty since, of course, human beings are full of s**t. You don’t need to do a background check on him! I’ll do it myself. I have every intention of adopting him, so I need to find out as much as I can.”

“Valerie—”

“He’s a good kid!” she stated firmly, stretching to her full height and getting in his face to get her point across. Roman lowered his face in challenge and Valerie stubbornly held his gaze. She would ignore this heat between them. It didn’t matter that he’d said her name like it was a sensual lover’s caress. She’d ignore the wetness between her thighs, she had to in order to win the argument. “I trust him.”

Roman made a face. “You can’t just trust anyone, especially not now.”

Valerie held up her hand. “That’s enough, Mr. Detective,” she said in a bored tone. “Don’t you have a case to solve? I’m alive, you’ve seen that, so you can run along now.”

Roman’s eyes narrowed in irritation. The silence stretched between them and when Val saw his eyes darken, she quickly turned hers away, shamelessly retracting her silent challenge. “That mouth of yours…” he growled. “…will get you into trouble one of these days.”

Valerie suddenly felt how exposed her long legs were in her short robe. She knew she was crazy to be feeling like that, but her breasts tingled either way, her n*****s tightening in her pajamas.

“Maybe,” she said, staring into his eyes. “I’m hoping it does.”

The desire in her eyes was unhidden. He could tell she didn’t know how easy to read she was. Roman’s lips parted and unable to stop himself, he slowly leaned an arm over her head on the wall, caging her in between the wall and his chest.

“Don’t test me…” he murmured.

She touched her pink tongue to her lips, moistening them. “Or what?”

Valerie stared at him, wondering what he was going to do. His gaze slowly lowered to her mouth before he swept it over her chest where he could clearly see how aroused she was. She shifted and Roman saw her breasts press harder against her robe. He barely stifled the groan in his throat. She was tempting him so bad.

When his eyes came up, Val saw the challenge in the grey orbs. His head lowered and she held her breath, her lips automatically parting.

He moved closer and Valerie felt his chest touch her breasts. The gasp escaped before she could hold it back. Roman felt her press against him as she arched her back and tilted her head back, offering her mouth to him.

Roman closed his eyes. f**k, he couldn’t do this. He had a psychopath to catch. He had to stop.

He opened his eyes again saw her body pressed against his, felt her breasts rubbing against him as she inched closer. He couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to.

Roman groaned and snuck a hand around her body before he let his mouth cover her waiting lips. The second his mouth touched hers and she gasped breathlessly, Roman lost his mind.

Her hands slid up his body, wrapping around his neck and she pulled him against her as Roman wrapped both arms around her body. The feeling of her soft lips beneath his, hungrily discovering his taste had Roman hardening to a point he was sure would terrify her.

But Valerie wasn’t at all scared. Her body was throbbing with desire. She felt nothing but the dark and dangerous thrill of their arousal as Roman’s mouth moved over hers.

It was savage and greedy and she opened for him, ready to take her own fill of this man she who she couldn’t get out of her head. He tasted addictive.

His tongue invaded her mouth and Valerie pressed up to get more of it, the throbbing between her legs impossibly sweet and painful at the same time. The moans coming out of her mouth only fuelled his desire, making Roman trace the shape of her body with his hands, tracing a thumb over her hardened n****e.

Suddenly, a sharp ding! sound pierced through their cloud of lust, making Roman jerk away from Valerie as if she’d shot him. Val darted away from the wall, wide-eyed and disheveled. They weren’t visible from the elevator where they stood, but Val’s heart pounded anyway.

He breathlessly watched her try to fix her appearance. When they heard the buzzer, they both knew that someone was at her apartment door.

Roman glanced up the stairs. “Don’t worry. It’s… Detective Cooper. My partner.”

“Oh,” said Val.   

They stared at each other so intensely, the air between them nearly sparked.

“I uh… gotta go,” Roman said dazedly. “Uhm… s-stay safe and uh, keep Liam safe. There’s gonna be a cop outside your door tonight.”

He gave her a curt nod and disappeared up the stairs onto her floor where she heard him calling out to Detective Cooper. A few seconds later, the elevator dinged and slid shut.

The minute she knew they were gone, Valerie slumped against the wall, slapping her forehead.

“Oh, my f*****g word!” she groaned miserably. “What have I just done?!” Jumping away from the wall, she paced around in the space of the small landing, glancing anxiously up the stairs. “What the hell just happened? And who the f**k’s Liam?!”

Breathing deeply, Val bit her lip and stared at the wall where she’d damn nearly eaten Roman alive.

“Okay, I mean…” She sighed, shrugging. “Happens to the best of us, right? He was all in my face with his big chest and his damn good scent, f**k, he really smells so good! I couldn’t help it! s**t, I f****d up.”

“What are you doing down there?”

Valerie jumped, looking up the staircase. Michael stood there, leaning against the wall.

“What? Nothing. What do you mean?” She hurried up the stairs, ignoring how he looked at her like she’d been dealing drugs in the staircase.

Breezing right past Michael like she hadn’t just been snogging someone back there, Valerie turned in the direction of the apartment, but came to a stop when she saw the scary-looking cop standing at the door.

His arms were massive, his thighs like tree trunks as he stood before her door. Val quickly turned to Michael with raised brows.

“Cop dude left ‘im here,” Michael said with a shrug. “Not the cool, angry-looking one though. An older cop. Said he was ‘assigned to ensure Miss Quinn’s safety’. Say hi.”

Valerie nodded. Oh, yeah. Roman had mentioned it. She’d been too post-kiss-shocked to do anything except blink.

“Well, that’s good.” Valerie walked back towards the door and the cop suddenly stood taller.

“Evening, ma’am. I’m Officer Chase Kingston. I’ll be your protection until further notice.”

He nodded curtly and crossed his arms again.

“Ah, yes. Uhm…” Val glanced at Michael who looked as clueless as her. “Welcome. Will you come inside?”

The guy shook his buzz-cut head. “No, ma’am. I will remain at your door until safer arrangements are made for you tomorrow. Goodnight, ma’am.”

Valerie blinked, feeling like she had no choice but to go inside. Damn, his tone was dismissive.

Heading inside, she made herself and Michael a sandwich before they headed off to bed, having had enough excitement for the night.

Valerie curled up in her bed, reaching down for her phone where she’d dropped it earlier. There were fifteen missed calls from Roman Parker. He must have been calling her when she went downstairs to check the doors.

She sighed and buried her face into her pillow. Roman Parker. f**k. Val shifted her legs and felt the unmistakable slide of wetness between her thighs.

Turning onto her back, she bit her lip. She shouldn’t let him affect her like this. Her eyes fell closed and immediately images of Roman kissing her and his fingers grazing her breasts, filled her head. Valerie clenched her thighs together and gasped at the sharp pleasure.

With a frustrated groan, she turned her face into her pillow and forced herself to go to sleep.

Tomorrow was Friday and the Department had given all the employees an extended weekend off, so she could sleep in. Now if she was lucky, she’d manage to sleep without dreaming of Roman. And all the parts of his body that she wanted him to put between her thighs.

Wait.

No! She didn't want him between her thighs! Valerie groaned in frustration.

She would avoid it. It didn't happen.

That guy was bad, bad news.