Page 61 of Knife in the Back (New Orleans #4)

The Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana

Burke tilted his head when he heard the creak of the stairs.

Naomi had been going over ring designs with Molly for the past hour.

Phin and Sylvi had come for Cora and they were long gone.

The kids were asleep, Val’s dog lying in the hallway outside their doors.

Everyone was where they were supposed to be.

Except Naomi. But soon she would be.

She’d be tired. Ruthanne had confided that Naomi had fallen asleep in his chair that afternoon, only to wake screaming because of a nightmare. It had been Everett who’d calmed her down.

That was good. Giving Naomi a chance to bond with her son was important. He hoped they’d continue building a new relationship together.

He hoped that for himself, too.

He smelled honeysuckle and patted the love seat cushion. “Rest.”

She curled into the space beside him and put her head on his shoulder, making a contented sound.

“Did you find the right ring design?” he asked.

“No, but Molly said that I gave her good feedback so that she and Cora could look more tomorrow. It all could be for naught. The ring might not be missing or have anything to do with any of this. We’ll check the evidence room, but we can ask André to do that tomorrow.

” She set her hand high on his thigh, giving it a light squeeze. “You okay?”

He stared at her hand that was so close and still so far away. “I’m fine. Why?”

“Because you looked like someone kicked your puppy when you came back from your errands earlier. You still look sad.”

He sighed. “You were right.”

“About what?”

He didn’t even hesitate. He knew she’d keep his confidence and he needed someone to talk to. “Kaleb and Juliette. Their marriage is in trouble and Kaleb has…changed. He went into Juliette’s phone and blocked my number.”

“Which is why she hadn’t called you back. That’s not good. If he’s violating her privacy like that, what else is he doing?”

“Apparently having an affair.”

“I hate that for her. Is she sure?”

“She hired a PI. Didn’t ask me so I wouldn’t be dragged into it, but I guess we’re past that.”

“That’s pretty serious. Did she get a definitive answer?”

“Definitive enough. The PI followed Kaleb all over New Orleans. Kaleb met the same woman several times at her apartment.”

“I’m sorry, Burke.”

“So am I, because now I am dragged into this. Kaleb was supposed to have left New Orleans on Monday for a business trip, but Juliette thinks he lied, that he stayed in the city. I asked Antoine to check. I figured I’d be able to show her that he’d gotten on a plane for Chicago, just like he said.”

“But Kaleb didn’t?”

“No. Antoine told me that he checked the airlines and there was no Kaleb Marchand on any of the manifests. He might have taken a private charter, but there’d still be a record of the flight.”

“That’s a problem. And, let me just add, I find it both fascinating and alarming that Antoine can get that information so easily.”

“I agree with both of those statements. So now I have to tell Juliette that Kaleb lied to her.”

“Maybe give it a few days. Antoine might find a chartered flight. Plus, you’re kind of busy right now.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Not as busy as I’d like to be.”

She smiled up at him. “Why, Mr.Broussard,” she said, thickening her accent, “whatever could you mean?”

He kissed her and she hummed her pleasure. She fit so perfectly against him. He’d dated over the years. Not much, but some. All the women had been too small. Naomi was just right.

I want to keep her. I want her to keep me, too.

He ended the kiss, nudging her nose with his before leaning back into the love seat, keeping her close.

“I’m sorry that your friends’ marriage is in trouble,” she whispered. “Does that…does it make you doubt the whole idea?”

“Of marriage?”

“Yes.”

He hesitated, then thought, To hell with this , and he lifted her to sit on his lap. She snuggled right in. “I never thought I’d find anyone I’d even consider marrying,” he admitted. “Not after Kyra.”

“Kaleb’s sister?”

“Yeah. We were both young, but I loved her.”

“Young love can be hard, even when things go right.”

He thought she was talking about her own marriage. “Was Jimmy your first?”

“He was. We were high school sweethearts, and back then we agreed on what we wanted. I wanted to be married, but I also wanted to be…I don’t know. Part of something bigger than me. That’s why I applied to the police academy.”

“I get that. I’d toyed with the idea of enlisting for the same reason, but Kyra was against it, so I decided not to.”

“Until she died.”

“Yeah. Until they all died on that plane. So I joined up. Left Kaleb behind. That was wrong of me. He’d lost his sister. Maybe that’s when the resentment started.”

She kissed his chin. “You can’t go down that road. Just be the good man that you are. He’ll either come around or he won’t.”

“You’re right, once again. And no.”

“No, what?”

“No, their marriage falling apart doesn’t make me doubt the institution.

My mother’s marriage sucked because my father was an abusive asshole, but I’ve seen good marriages and they’re beautiful.

André’s parents, for example. They’ve been together for nearly fifty years and love each other. So I do believe.”

“Good. It would be sad if you didn’t. You should be happy.”

“And because you’re the marrying type?”

“That too.” She met his eyes, hers intense. “Not…soon. I’m not trying to move too fast. And it doesn’t have to be formalized. But the concept of monogamy is important to me. I felt that you needed to know that before…”

“Before?”

She smirked. “Before we get too busy.”

He lightly gripped her chin and kissed her again, this one much more thorough.

He kissed her until she was pressed against him, her arms tight around his neck.

He kissed her until she straddled his lap, until her body surged and ebbed against him.

Until his body responded and he was harder than he’d been in a very, very long time. Maybe ever.

He kissed her until she broke away, gasping for air. “Burke.”

“Let’s see where this takes us. I don’t want anyone else. You’re the first woman in a long time that I truly see. And who sees me.”

She kissed him this time, a light, sweet kiss, then smiled against his lips. “I do see you, but I wouldn’t mind seeing more of you. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve actually wanted anyone. Assuming that’s what you want, of course.”

“I want you,” he said gruffly. “Any way you’ll have me.”

“Then show me your room, Burke Broussard. Let’s see where this takes us.”

—

The Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana

Thursday, February 27, 12:00 a.m.

Naomi thought she’d hidden her nerves very well as Burke led her to his bedroom, but he’d picked up on them.

She should have known that he would.

She wanted this. Wanted him. A lot. But it had been a very long time and she wasn’t the young woman she’d once been. Plus, he was going to have to close the door. She hadn’t considered that when she’d been so bold in the living room.

Holding her hand, Burke glanced at his door before he closed it. “Will you be all right if I shut the door?”

She made herself nod. “Yes.”

He studied her for a moment, then closed the door. “I suppose I could find a way to take your mind off whatever’s making you nervous.”

She smiled at him. She’d expected him to offer her a way out, to say that they didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to do.

But he trusted her to know her own mind. “Like what?”

He led her to a chair in the corner of his room and she chuckled. “Another BarcaLounger? Was there a sale?”

He grinned. “If it ain’t broke. They’re comfortable. Sit. Stay awhile.”

She sat and watched him cross the room, his big body fluid and graceful as he lit the candles that were placed here and there. He was a beautiful man. Soon she’d get to see just how beautiful.

For now, she looked around his room, wanting to know him better. It was a masculine room, but not too much. The bed was huge, but the room was large as well. She thought that at one time it might have been two rooms.

“Did you knock down a wall?”

He looked up from lighting the candle on his mantel.

“My uncle did. He was big like me. Needed more space, he always said. This suite was three rooms. He turned one into a bathroom. The other two…” He waved at the space.

“Took me a while to move in here after I came home from the Corps. It had always been his space, but over the years I made it mine.”

He picked up a straight-backed chair from beneath a desk that was piled high with paperwork and books. He set the chair in front of her and lowered himself onto it. “Can I take the bandages off for a little while?”

She nodded, her heart tripping. “My mother only put them on so that I wouldn’t pick anything up for a few hours.”

He began to unwind the bandages her mother had applied, his lips tipping up into a rueful smile. “I’d really prefer we not talk about your mother right now.” He met her eyes in the flickering candlelight. “I don’t want to think about anyone else but you.”

She swallowed, her cheeks heating. Being the center of his focus was heady. “Okay.”

His cheek dimpled as his smile grew. “You’re pretty when you blush.”

Her cheeks grew even warmer. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”

He pulled away the last of the gauze bandage away from her left hand. There was still a large Band-Aid covering her palm and he kissed it softly. “You do have hands under those oven mitts.”

“The better to touch you with,” she said, her voice husky.

“I like that.” He cleared the other hand of gauze and kissed that palm as well. “I want your hands on my skin.”

She leaned forward, cupped his face, and brushed his lips with hers. “Take off your shirt, Burke. I want to touch you.”

He made a sound in his throat, part moan, part growl. It made her tingle in all the right places. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the floor.