“Sore?” He asked.
“A little,” she admitted. When he arched one eyebrow at her, she shrugged then winced. “Maybe more than a little.”
“You did flip your car a couple of times,” he pointed out. “And then there was our ill-advised and overly strenuous activity from last night.”
“I didn’t have to do a lot of the work, if I remember correctly,” she pointed out.
“If it’s work, I did it wrong.”
Lacey sank further down into the water, letting the jets soothe her aching muscles. “I have no regrets. It was completely worth it.”
Jack reached for her, tugging her through the water until she was straddling his lap. “Do you feel up to a repeat performance?”
Lacey grinned as she reached beneath the water and closed her hand over him. “Normally, that’d be a question for you… but since I have proof in my hand that you are definitely up for it—.”
He kissed her then, his mouth devouring hers hungrily. Lacey kissed him back just as eagerly. She felt powerful with him, seductive and confident. With him, she didn’t think about the fact that her stomach wasn’t flat, that she didn’t have a thigh gap, that her boobs weren’t augmented and unnaturally perky. He’d told her she was beautiful, that to him she was perfect, and when he touched her, she felt that.
Had that been the secret all along? Had sex with Brandon always been so disappointing because she couldn’t get out of her head long enough to pay attention to her body and what she was feeling?
“Stop thinking,” he whispered against her lips.
She laughed. “Make me.”
His head dipped and he seized one pert nipple between his lips, worrying it gently and then laving it with his tongue. She’d issued a challenge and he’d met it. Her brain seized completely. The sensations of his mouth at her breast seemed to arrow straight to her core. An answering heat bloomed inside her building to an unbearable need.
Then his hands were everywhere, coasting over her body, touching her in all the places that made her shiver and all the places that made her burn. Not content to wait for him, Lacey pressed her knees against the seat in the hot tub and pushed herself up just enough that she could sink down on him, taking him inside her fully. She was greedy for the pleasure she’d felt the night before, greedy to feel the heat and the power of him inside her.
“You’re going too fast,” he said. “We don’t have to rush.”
“I do,” she said. “We’ll slow down later. Right now I need you… I don’t want to wait.”
With those words, he placed his hands on her hips steadying her as she moved on him, rocking her hips against him. The water sloshed around them as they moved, the sounds of the jets partially masking their hungry cries and pleasured moans.
* * *
Jack watched her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her head thrown back, hair flowing behind her, her mouth open on a soft cry and her eyes closed—she was like every erotic fantasy he’d ever had. With their breath steaming in the air around them, her naked breasts rising above the waterline and the hot, tight, clench of her body around his cock, he knew it would be over too quickly. But he wasn’t about to go off first. So he shifted one hand from her hip and reached between their bodies, his thumb brushing swollen nub of her clit as she rocked against him.
He felt the tremors in her then, the first spasms of her release fluttering around him. And only when she clutched at him, his name rushing from her lips on a shattered cry as she collapsed against him, did he pick up his own pace. He thrust into her once, twice, and then one last time. He held her close as he cock twitched inside her, pulsing with his release. And her neck was right there, her head turned to one side. He wanted to mark her, to show the world she was his. But not yet. Not just yet. So, he contented himself with placing a kiss there and stroking the silken skin of her back as their labored breathing slowly returned to normal.
“I’m going to have to install one of these at home,” he teased.
“A pool or a hot tub?”
“The hot tub definitely. The pool if you want one,” he said.
“You want me to live with you?” She asked.
“That’s what you do when you want to spend your life with someone, isn’t it?” He asked. “I know you’re not ready… not just yet. But when you are—.”
“What if I am ready?” She asked. “What if that’s what I want to?”
“Are you?” He asked.
She hesitated. “Maybe.”
“Then you’re not. When the answer is just yes… not maybe, then we’ll talk about it,” he said. “But for now, I just want to sit here in this hot tub, hold you close and be content with the moment.”
11
Saturday
After sleeping in and then having a late breakfast, they’d spent the morning at Lacey’s apartment going through the photos from the flash drive once more. Jack had wanted to be able to identify everyone in the photos by sight Ince they’d be running into most of them at the party that night. Now they were in town for all the final preparations for the annual Valentine’s Ball. He supposed that in a town called Cupid’s Point, it was only natural to work with what you had and make that holiday a tourist attraction. Every motel, hotel and bed and breakfast they passed had posted ‘no vacancy’ signs. The parking areas downtown were full and there were people bustling everywhere.
“This really is a huge deal,” he said.
“Of course, it is!” Lacey laughed at what must have looked like confusion on his face. “Asheville has Biltmore and nightlife to draw crowds in. On the other side of the mountain, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have the family vacation spot thing going for them. For Cupid’s Point, we have a couple of wedding chapels, romantic Victorian architecture and a name that screams romance. We’ve played to our strengths.”
And that meant he had to come up with something for Valentine’s Day.
Jack dropped Lacey at the hair salon on Main Street so she could undergo all the strange rituals that women deemed necessary for special events. With her occupied and reasonably well guarded given the crowd of women that was gathered there, he found a parking spot on the street and made his way to one of the many florist shops that dotted the town. He ordered a dozen roses, paid a ridiculous sum of money for them and then took them back to the truck, hiding the white box with the big red bow under the emergency blanket he carried. When that was done, he made his way to the sheriff’s office.
Entering the building he gave a nod to the desk sergeant who waved him through. Heading down the short corridor to the small office, he knocked and the sheriff called out for him to come in.
“I don’t know how you came by this information,” the sheriff said, “But it checked out. When my guys rolled up, the Nissan was there. Torch was still in the back. He admitted everything. His sister made him do it he says, so her baby girl wouldn’t lose her good man and her cushy life to a home-wrecking—well, it wasn’t a word I’d ever say about Lacey.”
Jack nodded. “Never mind that Brittany is the homewrecker in all this. I guess it doesn’t count when she does it.”
The sheriff laughed. “Guess not. Thing is, we can charge the uncle. We can charge the mother. But she won’t roll on her own daughter and we both know that it’s not really the family you’re after with this.”
“No. No it isn’t.”
“I’m keeping him. Destruction of public property. Reckless endangerment. But that’s the best I can do.”
Jack sighed. “You take care of him and when it comes to Brittany and her mother…I’ll handle that part of things. And you don’t want to know how I got the info… I promise to use it only for good,”
“Don’t tell me any more about it,” the sheriff insisted. “Take care of Lacey, though. I knew Brittany was trouble and I know Brandon is an asshole but I can’t believe they were in on this.”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think Brandon is. I think he’s into plenty of shady shit, but I don’t think
he cared enough about Lacey to be plotting against her,” Jack admitted.
The other man nodded. “I can see that. I don’t think he much gives a shit about anybody, including Brittany. She’s just a trophy for him… someone that will look good on his arm when he starts running for office. Most of us figured he only went after Lacey because he was looking at her grandad’s money… Not that she’s not great, but Brandon’s not the sort to care for what kind of person someone is and she’s not flashy enough for to be his type.”
Jack didn’t say anything to that. It was all completely accurate so he just let it stand. “How many assholes have you arrested that Brandon walked right out of a court room scot-free?”
“Too damn many. You got a way to stop that too?”
Jack smiled. “Maybe. Don’t ask, though.”
The sheriff nodded. “You ever consider giving up being a PI and coming to work here?”
Jack laughed. “You never know.’
With that conversation done, Jack left and went back to the salon. Lacey walked out just as he arrived back there. She looked beautiful but then she always looked beautiful to him. He was smart enough not to say to her that he couldn’t actually tell that much difference between how she looked every day and how she looked leaving the salon.
“Where to now?” He asked.
“Home. I’ve got to do my makeup and try to squeeze into that dress. It may take superhuman strength to get that zipper up,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve kind of blown my diet over the last couple days.”
“Yeah, but you’ve been getting lots of exercise,” he pointed out.
“Sex doesn’t burn that many calories,” she replied with a laugh.
“Then we should try harder.”
She glared at him. “You even think of touching me or my hair until after this party tonight and I will make you regret it.”
He laughed at that and opened the door to the truck for her. “Fine. I won’t touch you or your hair and I’ll get you into that dress… but only if I can get you out of it later.”
Heading around to the driver’s side, he climbed in and started the engine. As they were pulling into traffic, Grey called. Jack hit the button on the steering wheel to accept the call. “Yeah?”
“Robert Kenney has been paying Hartman ten grand a month for the last six months. Based on the date stamp on those photos with his dominatrix, that’s about the time they were taken. I’m guessing that Brandon got to her and set the whole thing up.”
“Sounds about right. Can you find the dominatrix and get her to talk?”
Grey laughed. “I can ask her to talk. She wouldn’t be a dominatrix if men could just get her to do what they wanted.”
“Fine. Fair enough. Pay what you need to. We’ll be recouping our expenses from Mr. Hartman. Prepare an invoice.”
When the call ended, Lacey was staring at him in shock. “You’re billing him for the privilege of wrecking his life?”
“Hell, yes. He wrecked his own life and a bunch of other people’s. I’m billing him for cleaning up the mess,” Jack stated.
“You’re actually kind of ruthless,” Lacey mused. “I think I like that.”
Jack grinned. “So how good were you at your job when you worked for Brandon?”
“Why? Are you hiring?”
“Maybe… the pay’s shit but the fringe benefits are nice.”
“I’ll think about it,” Lacey said. “You won’t get sick of me?”
“Never. I’m not wired that way. I’d spend every minute of every day with you if I could,” he admitted. “Unless your shopping or getting your nails done. I’m pretty much out then.”
Lacey was smiling as she looked away and out the window at the road ahead. “Don’t knock a pedicure, Jack… You’ve not lived until you’ve had one.”
* * *
Lacey surveyed her reflection for a moment. She’d been locked away in her small bathroom for what seemed like hours. Satisfied with her makeup, she reached for her dress hanging on the back of the door. The black sequin gown had a high neck which meant she’d had to do very little work to hide the worst of her bruises. Slipping it on, she tugged the side zipper up. It actually went up with very little resistance. She giggled to herself. Maybe sex did burn that many calories?
Taking in her reflection, Lacey’s eyes widened. She felt not just pretty, but sexy. The dress hugged her curves from her shoulders to her knees and then flared out, the sequins getting progressively lighter to give it an ombre appearance. Silver strappy heels and a deep red wrap completed the look. The small vintage clutch, a beaded designer bag from the eighties, was her grandmother’s and had been borrowed for the night. It was a bold look for her and one that would probably catch a lot of people off guard, but she was strangely okay with that. She was tired of hiding, she realized, tired of being the quiet one that everyone overlooked.
Leaving the bathroom, she walked through the bedroom and into the living room where Jack was waiting for her. As she stepped inside, she saw him dressed in a black suit and tie. He looked impossibly handsome. When he saw her, he gave a low whistle.
“That is one hell of a dress, Miss Burton.”
“That is one hell of a suit, Mr. Carter.”
He grinned and then he stepped away from the small bar that separated the living room from the kitchen and she could see the huge bouquet of roses that he’d been hiding behind his back. Her heart fluttered a little and she could feel her expression going all soft and dreamy. “You were busy today.”
“Yes, I was. You shouldn’t need a holiday to get flowers, Lacey. It shouldn’t be rare for your man to open a door for you or treat you right. You know that, don’t you?”
She blinked at the tears that statement prompted, quickly dashing them away. “I’m getting there.”
Jack approached her then and kissed her. It wasn’t like the heated kisses they’d shared to that point. It was about affection and caring. The attraction was still there, buzzing underneath the surface of it, but it wasn’t the focus in that moment.
“I wish this was just a date,” she said. “That we weren’t going to confront Brandon and Robert Kenney. That it was just us celebrating Valentine’s Day like any normal couple.”
“We’re not a normal couple,” he said. “I’m a bear, remember?”
She laughed. “I do. I’m not likely to forget that.”
“This is just one Valentine’s Day, Lacey. There’s going to be so many others… and I promise you, they will only be better from here.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Okay. I’m going to hold you to that. Let’s go.”
12
The Arrowhead Country Club was packed with people. Entering the ballroom, Jack took in the crowd. He’d known that Cupid’s Point was a wealthy community, but seeing the number of men in obviously not rental tuxedos and women draped in designer gowns and jewelry brought home to him just how true that was.
Across the room, he spotted Robert Kenney and his campaign manager. With Lacey on his arm, he made his way over there. The campaign manager stepped forward. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kenney won’t be doing any interviews tonight.”
“I’m not here for Mr. Kenney. I’m here for you,” Jack said with a cold smile. “Where were you on Thursday night at seven-thirty?”
The man blanched, his florid face going pale. “I was at home.”
Jack shook his head. “Try again. That’s the wrong answer. And before you do, know this… I know where you were on Thursday night. I’m just giving you a chance to be honest.”
Robert Kenney stepped forward. “Is there a problem?”
Jack smiled, keeping up the appearance of a friendly conversation. “Yes, Mr. Kenney, there is. And I think we need to discuss your association with Brandon Hartman in a more private location.”
Kenney’s face turned an alarming shade of purple. “There’s a small room behind the coat check.”
“Lead the way, Mr. Kenney,” Lacey insisted with a sweet smile. “We’ll be
right behind you.”
The four of them walked past the coat check and down a narrow corridor. There was a small lounge there filled with antique furniture. Kenney closed and locked the door. “I won’t be blackmailed.”
“Again. You won’t be blackmailed again,” Jack corrected. “And we’re not here to blackmail you. We’re here to see that it stops… and as for you,” Jack addressed the campaign manager, “You ever come near Lacey again, trust me when I tell you that losing an election for your boss here will be the last thing you need to worry about it.”
“What is he talking about, Sean?” Kenney demanded.
Sean, the campaign manager, sighed. “I overheard Hartman and his new girlfriend arguing about the photos. She was insisting that they demand more money from you, but he said that until he could lay hands on the photos again, he didn’t have anything else to use against you. I put two and two together and figured out that the originals were still with Miss Burton here. I never meant to hurt her. I honestly assumed she was as involved in the scheme as Brittany is.”
Jack had suspected as much. “I’m keeping all the photos. They will be under lock and key. No one outside of our security and investigation firm will see them. But I’m not giving them up. But you won’t pay Brandon Hartman another dime.”
“You’re certain he doesn’t have more copies?” Kenney demanded.
“It doesn’t matter. We have enough on him to put him on the straight and narrow,” Lacey insisted. “We know who else he’s blackmailing besides you. We know where he’s hiding the money and we’ve got proof that his cash deposits are not coming from the source he states they are. That’s enough to get him off your back.”
The Bear’s Blind Date: A Howl’s Romance Page 7
