Free Tempt Me by Shiloh Walker Page A

got tired of it. I broke it
off. He...”
    Rocki turned her head.
Shit. Why was this still so hard? She knew all of this, damn
it. She knew it. She hadn’t grown up in an abusive home,
and she wasn’t one of those women who’d been made to
believe she was just supposed to take abuse.
    â€œ The day I broke it
off, Dwayne acted like everything was fine. We’d still be
friends. I packed up my things, took it all over to Lacey’s.
Went to work...I worked part-time for a theater company, then—did
the costumes, that sort of thing. I was working on designing some of
my own stuff, but it was a private thing. Never made anything, never
showed anybody.” Her hands were sweating. Damn it. He wasn’t
going to do this her again. Not again. Swiping her palms down the
front of her jeans, she looked back at Cole, making herself look him
straight in the eye. “I was leaving work when he attacked me.
He knocked me down, wrapped his hands around my neck, started
screaming at me.”
    She could still hear him. No fucking bitch leaves me —
    â€œ I tried to fight
him, but then, I just didn’t know how . I kicked, I
screamed as loud as I could. But I passed out. Somebody from the
theater heard me, though. Called the cops. There was a beat cop close
by, and thank God for that...because if they’d been a minute or
two later...”
    Rocki shuddered.
    A hand touched her
shoulder. Tensing, she looked up and realized Cole had left his seat
at the booth and was now crouched by hers. She scooted over on the
bench, disturbed by how desperately she needed that contact. As he
settled down next to her, she rested her head against him. A strong
arm came around her. Rocki groaned, sinking into the warmth of his
embrace. She’d missed this...just having somebody there to hold
her. Somebody she could trust. Somebody she liked and had a
connection with.
    And God help her...she
had it with Cole.
    â€œ The cops showed up
while he was still trying to get my clothes off,” she said,
needing to get the words out. “He took off running when he
heard the sirens, and I woke up with my shirt ripped open, my jeans
unzipped. I hadn’t been awake, but I swear, I could feel his
hands all over me.”
    She swallowed and then
looked up at him. Cole lifted a hand, brushed her hair back from her
face, then stroked his thumb over her lip. “Then what? You knew
who it was, right?”
    â€œ Yeah.” She
looked away. “But I wouldn’t press charges. Not then. The
notes started coming next. Then the flowers. Then he started calling
and I knew I had to do something, or he might try to kill me next
time. I warned him that I’d press charges if he kept it up. He
just laughed, said I hadn’t done it before, I wouldn’t
this time.”
    â€œ So did you?”
    â€œ I went to the
police station. Filled out the report, did everything I was supposed
to...and the officer in charge was an ass. Told me they couldn’t
promise they’d get results. I’d need to be careful of my
whereabouts. And maybe I should dress differently.” She made a
face. “I had on a fucking T-shirt and jeans. Damn, I was
furious. I stormed out of there, so mad I could barely see...and
crashed right into Brant.”
    â€œ Brant. Your
husband.”
    â€œ Yeah. Although,
not then.” Absently, she plucked at a loose thread on his
sweater, then let her hand fall to his thigh. When the muscles under
her hand bunched, she felt a blush settle low her breasts. But she
didn’t move her hand. “Brant...ah, well, he was a
gentleman, through and through. Saw that I was upset. Asked around.
Had another officer take the report again. Then he walked me to my
car.”
    â€œ But that wasn’t
it.”
    â€œ No.” She
smiled. “A few days later he showed up at the theater and asked
me how I felt about dating cops, mentioned he’d almost taken my
case himself but that