Bare It All

Watching her face for any sign of deception, Reese said, “Tell me.”

She gave in with a lot of tension. “The name he used was Trace Miller.”

The truth, as far as he could tell. “Thank you.” He’d do a search, but if the guy was half as good as he seemed, there wouldn’t be much, if anything, to uncover. “Now, about today...?” Reese prompted.

Alice drew a breath. “Today,” she said, “I saw that girl, and I knew something wasn’t right. I felt it.”

Because cops survived off gut instinct, Reese accepted that. “You should have called the police.”

“By then it might’ve been too late. I’m trying to make a difference, Reese. I want to believe that I’m stronger now than I was back then.”

She meant morally—and that frustrated Reese. “Do you honestly believe there was anything you could have done to change things?”

“Maybe not, but I still should have tried.”

“And died in the process? And then what?”

She shook her head.

Reese didn’t let her turn away. “He would have grabbed another woman, Alice. He would have replaced you.”

Shaken at that idea, she stared at him, her eyes haunted, her skin going pale. “Oh, my God, you’re probably right.”

“By enduring, you surely spared someone else.”

Her bottom lip trembled, shredding his heart. “I never thought of that.”

“You were too busy being guilty to see what I see. To see what others will see.” He brushed his thumb over her delicate but stubborn jaw. “Your family included.”

“That’s a really wonderful way to look at it.” A small, shaky smile appeared. “Thank you.”

On that high note, Reese decided it was time to jump up to the present. Hoping to keep her in a better mood, he picked her up and started across the floor.

“Are we going back to bed?”

Reese looked at her, saw the flush on her skin, the heat in her eyes, and he almost lost his resolve. Alice and her one-track mind.

Damn, he was a lucky man.

“We’re going to the kitchen.”

As he entered the room, she eyed the table with interest, her thoughts clear on her face.

Shoring up his resistance, Reese shook his head. “No, I won’t take you over the kitchen table.” The idea had merit, but this was too important to put off for any reason. “But I will feed you. I don’t know about you, but I’m starved.”

“Oh.” She looked disappointed for only a second. “We didn’t have dinner, did we?”

“And you haven’t yet told me about your newest exploit.” Remembering how close she’d come to danger worked to temper the lust. Flattening his hands on the table in front of her, Reese leaned in, nose to nose, wanting her to understand the seriousness of the current situation. “No fudging, and no omissions. I need to know everything, Alice, even the smallest detail. And I need to know it tonight.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ALICE BIT INTO the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and thought it tasted better than anything she’d eaten in years. Her world felt...brighter, an enormous weight lifted off her shoulders.

She’d shared her biggest shame, and yet Reese hadn’t turned away. He was such a good man, a detective even, and yet he didn’t blame her.

It meant so much, more than she’d realized was possible. “Before I go to bed, I think I’ll email my mom and dad.”

“I’m sure they’d love that.” He set a glass of milk in front of her. “But why not a phone call?”

“It’s late and I don’t want to wake them.” They’d been apart so long now, she’d prefer to ease into things. An email, a request to visit...

Maybe even a reunion, this time without all the barriers of her shame and their regret.

Reese filled his own glass with milk, took his seat next to her and gave her such a severe, serious look that she almost squirmed.

He lifted his sandwich. “You’re okay now?”

“I won’t sob on you anymore.” How humiliating that she’d left his chest wet with her tears. “I’m sorry about falling apart.”

“Don’t be.” He ate half the sandwich in a single bite. “I’m glad you told me.”

She was glad, too. It felt better not to carry the burden alone. “Thank you for letting me.”

Because he’d more or less insisted, he shook his head.

“I’m not really much of a crier.” She pulled at the crust on her bread. “There never seemed to be much point.”

“Everyone gets emotional now and then, and you certainly had reason.”

“I bet you don’t cry when you get emotional.”

His smile went crooked. “No, but I hit up the gym and lift weights until my entire body aches.”

Eyeing that awesome body, Alice could believe it. “That helps you to get things back in balance?”

Shrugging one boulder shoulder, Reese said, “It expends energy. Sometimes I run, too, but usually I do that just because I enjoy it. It’s a good time to think about things, to put them in perspective.”

“Things with your job?” she asked, and then digging a bit more, added, “Or with personal relationships?”

“Usually the job.” He turned his milk glass just a little, his thoughts hidden from her. “Rapes, missing teens... Those cases get to me more than murder sometimes.” His gaze met hers. “Many of the murders we see are between creeps. Bad deals that got out of hand. That sort of thing.”