Beneath Broken (Imperfect Heroes #2) Read online

  At this point, he was laughing so hard, he had an arm wrapped around his stomach and had to wipe tears away. “You kill me, man!”

  I sat back in my seat and blew out a breath. “What’s so funny?”

  “Your face, though,” he replied.

  Shaking my head because I didn’t understand his sick twisted humor, I went back to the issue at hand. “So why is Reece mad at you? Did you ever figure it out?”

  “Hormones, I guess.” His too-perfect face had grown serious again. “I do love her, man, I just want the old Reece back. Hopefully I’ll have her back after that baby vacates her body.”

  I chuckled and put the binoculars back up to my face. “Well, from what I’ve heard, that’s probably not gonna happen, but I will send some positive vibes and good thoughts and shit your way.”

  He sighed. “Great.”

  Still no sign of Silas, but I just knew he was going to show. “Look,” I said, handing Hunter the binoculars, “you’re going to have a son. You know how fucking awesome that is? I’ve met Reece, she will be a great mom. Just watch. It’ll be worth it all. That’s what my mom says about us boys, anyway.” I ended on a chuckle. “Speaking of my mom, I need to call her. I suck.”

  Hunter stared at me with a look I couldn’t quite understand and finally said, “That’s the second nice thing you’ve said to me in a week. Who the fuck are you, and what have you done with Mason?”

  “Hey, I can be nice when the occasion calls for it.”

  “Or… you’re finally getting laid and it’s making you nicer,” he said, chuckling.

  I debated telling Hunter that Harper and I still hadn’t gone there yet since our last conversation, then decided it wasn’t any of his business, so I just smirked and said, “Something like that.”

  He turned toward the window and lifted the binoculars to his face. “Shit. I think that’s him.”

  Handing me the binoculars, he didn’t even turn his face toward mine as he continued to look out the window.

  “Yes, that’s him,” I said excitedly. We both watched as he tossed the cigarette, which had been dangling from his mouth, onto the sidewalk and looked both ways down the street as he entered the large building.

  “Ten, Nine, Eight…” I began to count down as Hunter watched me. When I reached one, we both jumped out of the plain white police cruiser and went inside.

  We went straight to the security guard.

  Hunter said, “Dimitri, a skinny white guy just come through here?”

  He nodded. “Yes, took the elevator.”

  “What floor?” Hunter asked, his jaw pulsing in annoyance.

  “He told me he was going to Mathis Associates,” Dimitri replied proudly, as if he’d done something noble.

  Hunter had a smile on his face but I could tell he was annoyed. “Did you call up to Mathis Associates and tell them they had a visitor?”

  He shook his shiny, dark head and frowned. “No. I mean, I tried, but nobody answered.”

  “Then maybe you should have asked him to leave,” Hunter said through gritted teeth, suddenly frowning.

  Dimitri replied, “But I’ve seen him here before, he always goes up there.”

  At that, Hunter looked at me quizzically, and when my widened eyes and nod gave him the green light to head up there, he sprinted toward the stairs, and I followed.

  Seventeen flights is no joke, even for us, and especially in these dress shoes. Which is why, once we got to the eighth floor, we exited the stairwell and found the nearest elevator. Cardio was for the gym and I couldn’t afford to be winded once we got up there. That being said, sometimes I really missed being a beat cop, chasing suspects when they stupidly fled, jumping over fences, tackling the bad guys. There was no greater adrenaline rush. As it was now, I did too much damn sitting these days.

  I instantly regretted the decision to take the elevator when it chimed as it opened. As previously agreed upon, I had my 9mm pistol out in front of me, and Hunter had his cell phone up, recording video as soon as the elevators opened.

  To our relief, the doors to Mathis Associates were still closed, but that relief quickly turned to horror as we observed Silas Short standing in front of the glass door, his head cocked to the side as he stared at the lock. On hearing the elevator ding, he turned around.

  When his eyes went wide, he quickly looked both ways down the long hallway. I put my handgun out in front of me and growled, “Do not move an inch, Silas.”

  “How the hell do you know my name?” he asked, his hands up in surrender.

  I holstered my weapon and walked quickly to him as Hunter continued to record from his cell. Ignoring his question, I turned him around. “Put your hands up against the glass and spread your legs.”

  “What?” he asked, not moving. “I haven’t done anything.”

  I pulled my ID from my breast pocket. “Tampa PD. Let’s try this again. Turn around and submit to a pat search.”

  He briefly glanced at my badge, then at Hunter, who was filming, and damn near smirked. “No.”

  I flicked a glance at Hunter and nodded at his phone. With a knowing smile, he turned it around to himself and said into it, “It appears the suspect was casing the joint…”

  Silas’s eyes grew wide as I grabbed one of his shoulders and spun him around. With the flat of my hand, I pushed him into the glass and wrenched both hands behind his back.

  “Hey!” he protested.

  “Shut the fuck up,” I growled into his ear, grabbing one hand at a time and placing them on the glass above his head.

  “Get your hands off me!” He began to squirm.

  “Don’t move,” I snapped. He stopped squirming and I pulled out my handcuffs and secured them behind his back. “You have any weapons or needles or any shit that’s gonna hurt me?”

  “No, you asshole,” he replied.

  Ignoring his comment, I began patting him down. First the collar of his polo shirt, then I ran my hands around to his chest, then down the crease of his spine. I found nothing until I reached the right-side pocket of his loose-fitting pants. I pulled out a cell phone and tossed it to Hunter, who had thankfully pocketed his own.

  I ran my thumb along the inside of his belt line and then felt something else in his left-side pocket. I yanked out a small leather case of some kind, which I handed to Hunter.

  Running my hands down his hips, I reached around and gave his crotch area a good search. Nothing impressive there.

  I slid my hands down his legs on both sides, then searched his ankle area and the tops of his shoes thoroughly. Nothing.

  I turned him around. “Don’t move.”

  “Whatever. This is police brutality.”

  Chuckling, I said, “That wasn’t brutality. But I could show it to you if you’re really interested.”

  He glanced at Hunter, then back at me. “What’s your problem, dude?”

  “What are you doing up here, Silas? Looking to break into this business again?”

  His eyes widened momentarily before shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

  I took two steps and got into his face. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, asshole. You love to steal from nonprofit companies, don’t you?” I had to control my breathing now. “Do you know what this company does? It helps veterans find work and get back into society after they get back from Hell. You’re a vet, aren’t you? You think it’s okay to steal from a company like this? You’re nothing but a lowlife, no-good, piece of fucking shit who can go straight to –“

  “Oliver, that’s enough.” Hunter’s voice and hand on my shoulder cut me off.

  Looking down into Hunter’s other hand, my eyes widened. “Is that what I think it is?”

  Hunter smirked. “Yep. Lock-picking kit.”

  Smirking evilly I’m sure, I grabbed his handcuffs and used them to move him toward the elevator. “Silas Short, you are under arrest for attempted breaking and entering, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”r />
  I couldn’t even wait ‘til the next day to call Harper. After booking Silas into the city lockup and watching the iron bars slam in front of him, I drove home way too fast. Slumping onto my couch with a grin on my face, I pulled my phone from the pocket of my pants and I dialed Harper’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, gorgeous. I have some good news for you.”

  I could hear the smile in her voice. “Well, hello, Mason.”

  “Hi.” God, I’ve turned into a sap.

  “What’s your good news?” Suddenly, after hearing her voice, I had a near-urgent need to be near her, to see her, to touch her.

  “Actually, I’d love to deliver it in person. Are you at home?” I asked.

  She laughed a little. “I’m not. I’m still at the office.”

  My jaw clenched as I thought about how she’d been in there when Silas was about to pick the lock earlier. But I calmed down and said, “It’s eight o’clock at night. You work too much.”

  “Where else should I be? At home watching reality TV?”

  I laughed and decided to test the waters. “No, I thought maybe you’d be out on a date or something.”

  “Mason Oliver, I don’t get asked out on dates. I know you don’t believe me, but I don’t. Besides, I don’t even want to go out and play the field. I only want to go on dates with one person.”

  I grinned. “Yeah? Who’s that?”

  “I think you know, Detective.”

  I paused a minute. “I think you like that I’m a detective.”

  “No, I don’t,” she answered quickly. “It scares the heck out of me. But it’s also sexy as hell.”

  Resisting the urge to ask her what she was wearing, instead I said, “I’m coming to pick you up from your office. You done working for the night, Ms. Mathis?”

  With barely a pause, she replied quietly, “Yes, I would love that.”

  Chapter 21

  Harper

  Oh, my God. Oh, my God. It’s not like I’m going to get any more work done now. In fact, I’d worked all day and was scared to think about what I looked like. I don’t even remember putting on makeup this morning. Did I?

  Crap.

  I left my office and went to the restroom in the hallway. I put both hands on the counter and stared into the mirror with a sigh. My hair was in its usual ponytail and I had barely any makeup on. At least I’d put some on earlier. Not that I wore much, only a little to the office unless I had a really important meeting. I really didn’t care for the stuff but felt I had an image to uphold and a level of respect to command while managing the company I’d built with Keith.

  Sigh…

  Keith loved me with makeup, fancy clothes, and high heels. Admittedly, I loved myself in these things, too, but only because he seemed to appreciate my effort. I felt pretty and wanted. They were a lot of work and energy, and when I was with him, I didn’t mind. But lately, I didn’t have much energy to spread around.

  That’s not true. I had a little. For Mason. He had woken me up in ways I hadn’t thought possible. He made me want to get dressed up and look pretty for him. I hadn’t felt that way in a very, very long time.

  I reached back and pulled my hair from its ponytail and let my heavy hair cascade down my back. I wet it a little to get the curl back into it and applied a little pink lip gloss from the tube I kept in my front pocket.

  Making sure there was none on my teeth, I rinsed my mouth out with water and left the bathroom feeling a little better.

  Why was I so concerned with my appearance? Because I cared what Mason thought of me, that’s why.

  I made my way back into Mathis Associates, and just as I was about to go through the door to my office, I heard the elevator ding.

  My stomach turned over in nerves and excitement.

  I turned around and looked through the glass at the elevator. I was greeted by a handsome dark-haired detective with a grin on his face. The red tie at his throat had been loosened and now lay slightly cockeyed around his neck.

  I made my way to the front of the office to let him in.

  “Hi,” I said as I opened the door.

  Mason’s eyes grazed my body from my feet to the tip of my head. “Hi, gorgeous. You look beautiful.”

  Blushing at his comment and nodding my thanks, I pulled the door open wider, and with a flourish of my hand, invited him in.

  He took two steps in and closed the door behind him. He looked around briefly to ensure the office was empty, then his hands snaked around my waist before I could take a breath. “Hi.”

  I giggled nervously… when had I become such a giggler? Wasn’t that for schoolgirls?

  I couldn’t help it, though. Mason brought that out in me. It had been so long since anyone had. Maybe even forever. Was it possible I’d never been this giddy… this turned on by the mere sight and touch of a man?

  No, that’s ridiculous.

  I pulled slightly out of his grip and grabbed his hand, leading him toward my office.

  “Where are we going?” he asked with a grin as I dragged him behind me.

  “To my office. I need to shut everything down. You can talk to me while I do it.”

  He chuckled. “Talk, huh?”

  Ignoring his comment but biting back a smile, we reached my office. As I went around the desk to begin shutting down the computer, Mason came up behind me and turned me around.

  Pushing me so my butt had no choice but to sit on the desktop, he filled the space between my legs, and I gasped.

  Placing both hands around my waist, he smoothed my hair behind my shoulder and looked into my eyes. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you today,” he confessed.

  I blinked up at him, staring into his hazel eyes. “Me too. I mean, I’ve been thinking about you, too.”

  He smiled. “I knew what you meant.”

  It was suddenly hot in here, and I felt my stomach clench as the feel of him between my legs was causing a hot flush to ignite over my entire body. He was hard under those work slacks and the feel of it right at my very core was causing my insides to tighten and a shiver to skate down my spine.

  Leaning down, he placed a very soft kiss on my lips. I snaked my arms around his back, enjoying the feel of him. He smelled incredible, too. Manly, spicy, hardworking… I wanted him.

  He kissed me a little longer, and when he stopped, he kissed his way across my face to my ear and said, “I want to make love to you, Harper. Right here, on your desk.”

  I swallowed hard and goosebumps erupted all over my body at his sexy words. “I want that, too.” I looked out at the night sky, where the twinkling lights of Tampa bit into a dark night sky.

  Mason kissed me again, this time reaching down and pulling up my shirt while running his hands across my bare stomach. I groaned at the feel of his warm touch on my hot skin. I gasped when he broke the kiss and yanked the shirt off over my head, tossing it to the floor.

  Pulling back slightly, he looked down at my breasts, which were swelling out of the black lace bra I wore. He ran one finger over the mound of my left breast and said, “So beautiful.”

  Hooking a finger into his tie, I pulled it looser and slid it off over his head, tossing it on the floor. I then began to unbutton the small, clear buttons of his dark blue dress shirt.

  Wow, was I really going through with this?

  I haven’t ever been attracted to someone like this. Ever. I wanted Mason in every way, and as he stared intensely into my eyes while my fingers worked the buttons on his shirt, I began to wonder if this was the way I wanted my first time to go with him. The first time since Keith. The first time in almost a year and a half…

  Lust was clouding my mind and I didn’t for one second want him to stop touching me. That being said, my place was not too far from here. I slid the shirt off over his shoulders once it was completely unbuttoned and ran my fingers over the muscles on his arms and shoulders. He was so beautiful, so perfect, so damn sexy.

  Looking up into his eyes, I moved my
hand up to run it along his ear, where the hair was shaved short and tickled my fingertips. My fingernails found the back of his neck, lightly scraping his hair, and then I decided to push his face into mine so I could kiss him some more. He was an incredible kisser, and I already missed his mouth and tongue.

  He made no move to unbutton his pants or mine, he just pushed his body between us as we kissed. Getting more and more turned on with each touch, breath, and kiss, I realized I better make a decision. The shivers caused by his fingers trailing up and down my spine was seriously distracting.

  “I want this, Mason. But let’s go to my place or yours,” I finally said when I could muster up a small bit of self-control to break the kiss. I hoped he offered up his place. I wasn’t sure I was ready to have someone in my bedroom. I needed to make some changes in there.

  With his eyes hooded in arousal, he nodded slightly and used his thumb to wipe my bottom lip. “I would like that. My apartment is close by.”

  He pushed off of me, grabbed his shirt and tie, and just replaced the shirt. He stuffed the tie into his pants pocket.

  I found mine on the floor and also slid it on. Quickly shutting down the computer with severely trembling hands, I grabbed my purse from my desk drawer and slung it over my shoulder. I then put my hand out for him to exit and followed him out of my office, shutting off the light as we left.

  I locked up the front door and Mason pushed the call button for the elevator. It arrived almost immediately. We got in and he wrapped me in his arms and began kissing me again – soft, sweet, passionate, hungry. We made out like teenagers the entire 17 floor ride down. Calling out a quick goodbye to Dimitri, Mason led us to the parking garage. He held the door for me, and as I got into his Mustang, I got a sudden attack of nerves.

  My body was still burning with desire that I had no wish to douse, but I also began to worry about a million things as I came down from my lusty high.