“There isn’t much to tell.” Pain flickered over his features as he eased down to the couch and stretched his long legs out in front of him. “I got pulled over yesterday on my way home from Disney. The cop must have been buddies with your ex, because he made me wait on the side of the road until Dennis showed up. Things went downhill from there.”
That explained why Dennis had left the bar in such a hurry. “That bastard. I can’t believe he did this to you.”
“Well, to be fair, I think they might have taken turns.”
“Youthink?” Her voice shot up half an octave.
“I can’t say for sure,” Joe said. “I passed out after a blow to the head. By the time I came to, they were gone.”
For a moment or two, she simply stared at him, too shocked and outraged to speak. “This is insane. What the hell is the matter with him? He’s supposed to protect the public, not beat people up like some thug in a dark alley.”
It went against everything an officer of the law was supposed to stand for. If he was willing to go this far, he might kill Joe the next time.
The thought of there even being a next time made her blood run cold.
Back when they were a couple, Dennis had faced more than one accusation of excessive force. At the time, she’d dismissed the allegations as groundless. After all, some criminals were willing to do or say anything to avoid serving time in prison. Plus, the internal investigations had cleared him of any wrongdoing. But now she wasn’t so sure, and that uncertainty sent a shudder through her.
Joe patted the cushion to his left, and she reluctantly settled beside him. Every movement he made seemed to cause him pain, and the last thing she wanted to do was add to his discomfort.
“Please tell me you pressed charges against him.”
“It wouldn’t do any good. I can’t prove he did this to me. When push comes to shove, it’s my word against his, and who do you think they’re going to believe?”
He was right, damn it. It made her feel powerless, and feeling powerless pissed her off. “We can’t just let him get away with this.”
“He won’t. The people I work with are going to help me deal with Officer Heckler, but it’s going to take some time.” He shifted position and sucked air through his teeth.
“This is my fault. He did this because you’re with me. Maybe if we stopped seeing each other—not permanently, just long enough to make him think—”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Joe said. “Like it or not, we’re in this together.”
Her lips pursed. “I’m not going to be responsible for you getting killed.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You can’t say that for sure.”
“Yes, I can.” His voice softened with obvious affection as he stretched one arm along the back of the couch. “Now come here.”
Fiona shook her head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Trust me; it’ll be worth it.”
His smile cracked her resolve. Even battered and bruised, the man was drop-dead gorgeous.
“The only thing that got me through today was knowing I’d see you tonight. Please, I need to touch you.”
It was thepleasethat did her in. How could she possibly say no? Mindful of his injuries, she snuggled against him and winced when she heard his breath hitch.
Joe rested his cheek on the top of her head and let out a sigh of contentment. “There, I feel better already.”
He felt warm and solid, and she wanted to press closer, but she didn’t because she didn’t want to cause him more discomfort than he was already experiencing. His fingers idly stroked her shoulder, sending sparks of awareness through her body.
“I’m not turning my back on you just because your ex treated me like a piñata. You mean too much to me.”
She smiled at that. Little by little, she relaxed against him, soothed by the low timbre of his voice and the masculine scent of his skin. “I don’t understand why he’s doing all this. When I left, he didn’t even try all that hard to get me back. Then he pops back into my life out of the blue, swearing we’re meant to be together.”
“Is it possible you have something he wants?”
