"Then let's do this."
Yes, the romance had changed in the last ten years. Less candlelight and soft music but much more love and passion. She was amazed that Tanner could still make her tingle and swoon after all of this time, but if anything, he was far more potent now. He knew all the places that sent her into orbit and he made a point of making sure he hit all the hot spots.
Maddie stripped down while Tanner adjusted the temperature of the water. Somehow, he'd already managed to get naked and she had to marvel at how quickly he'd done it. She'd barely blinked and his clothes were gone. But that meant that she could leisurely admire his physique, lean and hard. Because of the grueling physical nature of his job, Tanner had always been careful to work out regularly and keep himself in top shape, although he'd complained lately that it was getting more difficult.
"Like what you see?"
Oops, she'd been caught staring.
But who can blame me?
"I certainly do."
His arm snaked out and pulled Maddie flush against his body. "I like what I see too, honey."
Capturing her lips with his, he helped her step into the large tiled shower and closed the door behind them. Water cascaded down her back and she leaned into the stream, letting the heat chase away her tension. Tanner's large hands were massaging her neck and shoulders, the soap dripping down. He worked those muscles until she was groaning with pleasure, her eyes drifting closed. He worked his way down her back and legs before lifting her hands and pressing them against the wet tile wall.
"Brace yourself here."
Those too clever hands were now reaching around her and working on her front, his rough palms cupping her breasts and pinching the nipples. If she hadn't been holding herself up again the wall, her knees would have given out. Her pulse quickened and her arousal built as Tanner ever so slowly worked over her belly and then finally down to her slit.
His left arm wrapped around her torso to keep her upright as the fingers on his right hand delved between her legs, unerringly finding her clit, already swollen and needy.
"Tanner," she breathed, but for the life of her she couldn't think of anything she wanted to say except that she needed more. More of him. Preferably right away.
The temperature in the shower seemed to have risen, the steam wrapping around them and playing a game of hide and seek. Maddie rested her head back on Tanner's chest as his deft fingers drove her closer and closer to her climax. He took his time, not a bit in a hurry, content to let her arousal build slowly. The tension grew in Maddie's abdomen, coiling tighter and tighter with each stroke on her clit. It was excruciating and pure pleasure all at the same time, waiting for what would surely be a cataclysmic explosion.
"Are you with me, honey?" His lips were close to her ear, his voice like gravel. "Can you come for me now? Are you ready?"
It was all too much. The feel of Tanner's breath on her cheek. The timbre of his voice sending shivers up her spine. The sensation of the water sluicing off of her sensitive skin. His knowledgeable fingers making a mockery of any control Maddie might have still had.
That coil in her belly tightened painfully one more time before springing free, her orgasm sending her reeling as if she'd been hit by a freight train. Flames ran through her veins and sparks exploded behind her eyelids as she clung to Tanner like a lifeline. If he'd let go of her, she would have fallen into a heap on the tile floor.
Before her climax was even done, Tanner hefted her up in his arms and turned her around so her back was pressed against the wall. Lifting her legs, he impaled himself deeply inside of her in one deliciously delightful stroke. She wrapped her legs around his lean middle, her fingers clenching his damp shoulders. He was grunting with each hard thrust, his cock rubbing all the sensitive spots inside of her.
She would have a few bruises tomorrow on her hips from where he was holding her so firmly but right now, she didn't care in the least. Pulling his head down, her fingers scraping through his wet, silky hair, she whispered filthy, dirty words into his ear, exhorting him to fuck her harder and faster. Give her his cock and make her beg. She'd learned that he liked his dirty talk so she gave it to him in spades. It spurred her arousal on as well, and she was surprised to find herself building toward another release despite having come only minutes before.
"Give it to me," she urged, her voice choked as he sucked on her neck. She'd have a mark there, too. "Fuck me hard."
His face was beautiful and tortured at the same time, his teeth snapped together and bared like a wild animal. He was riding her hard and giving her everything that she was begging for and then some. She whimpered as she teetered on the edge of the precipice once more, not sure if she would survive the second fall.
"Come," he commanded. "Come now."
It was all she needed to go tumbling into the abyss, whirling around until she was dizzy, her soul shattering into a million pieces and then slowly coming back together as she drifted down from her high. At some point Tanner had reached his peak as well, his arms clamped around her like steel bands.
It wasn't until she could keep her eyes open without the world tilting on its axis that Tanner cautiously allowed her toes to touch the shower floor. Even then, he held her protectively, his large body shielding hers until she could stand on her own.
"Getting clean has never been so much fun," Tanner said with a chuckle and a kiss to her lips. "I think we're going to sleep well tonight."
They might even sleep past sunrise. Together.
19
Tanner didn't want to get out of bed early the next morning but Sheriff Ken Smith was stopping by for a discussion about the ongoing investigation. He felt slightly more awake and human after a quick shower - alone this time - and a cup of coffee but he was still yawning when he opened the door to the younger man.
"I'm sorry about the early hour," Ken said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Tanner had poured him a cup of coffee. "I have a meeting with the town council after this and they're all over me to get this murder solved so it's out of the papers. They say it's bad for tourism, which is basically the only industry we have in our town."
Tanner had had many a meeting with the various mayors of Springwood through the years. Most of them had been fine but a few had been downright unpleasant. Like the last one with Pete.
"It's not a problem. We just need to keep it down because my wife is still sleeping."
Maddie didn't sleep late much but he was glad she was getting a chance to do just that. When he'd closed the bedroom door behind him she was still asleep, her hair like a halo on the pillow. She'd looked so peaceful and serene.
"No problem. I just wanted to say again that I'm grateful as hell for the help. I have the backing of the town council on this too, although we have no money to pay–"
"Don't worry about that," Tanner cut in. "I'm not doing this for money. I'm doing it to help you out."
"I still can't believe you're helping me."
"I'm hopefully teaching you as well. It's great that you haven't had anything bad happen here but you can't count on that continuing after this. Now you'll know what to do."
The younger man's head nodded vigorously. "I am absolutely learning from you. I'm getting more of an idea of what I need to do."
"That's good." Tanner took a sip of his coffee. "I'm not sure if you're aware but Leo is planning to leave Florida in a few days. He's going to visit some friends in New York City."
Ken's eyes widened. "That's not good, right? Can I stop him? Should I stop him? I mean...do we think he's guilty?"
It was an excellent question. One that Tanner didn't yet have an answer for.
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I think Leo Gordon is still a viable suspect and I'm not that concerned if all he's doing is going to New York City. Now if he's planning to leave the country from there, that's an issue. As for whether you can stop him, not really. You can ask him to delay his trip but he can say no."
"The DNA from Bibi's fingernails won't be
back for weeks," Ken lamented. "I doubt I can keep him here that long if he's determined to leave."
Rubbing his chin, Tanner assessed the options. "It might not work but you could have the coroner not release the body. That will sometimes keep your suspect in the area. Not weeks, but maybe for a few extra days."
"I can try that. Have you had a chance to talk to Ashley Monroe yet?"
"I knocked on her door a few times yesterday but she didn't answer. We might have to make that conversation more official in the sheriff's station." Sometimes a person needed to have their world shook up a little before they took the situation seriously. "We also need to talk to Leo again. Maybe this time in the station as well."
Wincing, Ken cleared his throat. "He's all lawyered up. I got a call from his attorney that said any questions should be submitted in writing through him."
"Fine, let's start compiling them. You don't want him thinking that he runs this investigation. You need to keep the pressure on."
"Right, right." Ken ducked his head and shifted in his chair. "I know you're not going to be happy but I'm having trouble getting footage from the security cameras up and down the beach. A few people have been accommodating, but some don't want to do it and they said that I need to get a warrant. Should I do that?"
"Not yet," Tanner responded. "Let's look at the video that we have and see if we need any more. Also, is there a red light camera at the traffic light near the condo? If so, see if you can get that footage. We might get lucky."
They chatted for a few more minutes before Ken left, thanking Tanner once again for the help. The guy looked like he wanted to do just about anything but go to that meeting with the town council.
Whistling, Tanner headed into the kitchen to make breakfast for Maddie. The scent of food always woke her up. He shouldn't be so damn happy that he wasn't the poor bastard that had to go to that meeting but he was. Getting fired might have been the best thing that had ever happened to him.
It was after breakfast and Maddie and Tanner were relaxing on the sunny patio when Logan called. Tanner put the phone on speaker so she could hear the conversation, too.
"Enjoying the warm weather?" Logan asked with a laugh. "It's cold as hell here."
"Then maybe it's time to take Ava on a vacation," Maddie teased. "I bet she would love it."
"She would," he agreed. "But right now, she's on a deadline for a new book. Maybe after the first of the year. She always says the months after the holidays but before spring are the worst."
Maddie couldn't agree more. She had vivid memories of a few Chicago winters that seemed like they'd last forever.
"So what have you got for us?" Tanner asked, placing the cell phone on the table between them. "Any good news?"
"Depends on what you might call good news. First, I ran the license plate of the guy with the package from last week. He checked out clean. He wanted to leave a gift for his ex-girlfriend who was staying with a friend. She’d told him to leave her alone but apparently he’s not a good listener. I don’t think he has anything to do with your case.”
“I also checked out the finances of Randy and Carrie Knight, plus Leo Gordon a little more closely. Seems that Randy Knight's business received an influx of cash about four months ago. From whom, you might wonder? Leo Gordon. I don't know about you but I don't usually hand out huge swaths of cash to men that are supposedly having an affair with my wife."
That was an understatement on Logan's part.
"I would imagine that any man that you thought was having an affair with Ava would be six feet under," Maddie replied. "And you'd make it look like an accident."
"So would she if the roles were reversed," Logan laughed. "Ava can be quite bloodthirsty. But the influx of capital into Knight's business isn't the interesting part. I dug more deeply into Leo Gordon's finances and look what I found. The other woman."
"Ashley Monroe?" Tanner asked, giving Maddie a quick nod. "According to Knight, she's the next Mrs. Leo Gordon."
"Nope. There's another woman in Gordon's life and he's spending money hand over fist on her. Definitely a man courting a female."
"How can you tell?" Maddie asked.
"I don't buy my friends jewelry and lingerie," Logan said. "Plus perfume, expensive dinners, and various and sundry gifts. Trust me. He might be sleeping with this Ashley Monroe but she's not the next on deck."
"What did you find about Ashley Monroe?" Tanner queried. "Anything interesting?"
"Not really. She's been married twice, both times to rich men. She received generous settlements and she lives within her means. She's made some excellent investments and has a diverse portfolio. She's rich by most people's standards but not wealthy. From what I can see her major vice is obscenely expensive shoes. She has lots of friends and socializes a great deal. If she wants to level up and catch an even wealthier husband, she shouldn't have a problem. She runs in the right circles. She has no major debt, no skeletons in the closet. She's basically an open book. What you see is what you get. We like those types in this business. My gut tells me that she's not your killer."
Logan was an instinctual lawman and everyone respected that little voice inside of him.
"It's good to be able to knock someone off of the suspect list," Tanner said. "I'm thinking the same as you. Ashley Monroe doesn't strike me as the murdering type, although I'd still love to talk to her. So far, she's been making that difficult. She can't be found."
"I can put a track on her credit cards. Let you know the next time she uses them."
"I don't think we need to do that. Yet. The local sheriff left his card on her door this morning. That should let her know that we're serious about talking to her. If she still doesn't contact us, then I'll let you know. Did you get any details about Gordon's first marriage?"
"I did and it's about what we expected. Rocky marriage. My source says that the wife contacted a divorce attorney before she died but she didn't get a chance to file. Gordon was questioned by the police but he had an alibi."
"I hope it's a better one than the one he has now," Tanner groused. "Upstairs asleep isn't exactly ironclad."
"It's about as lame. He was hanging out at a buddy's house drinking. The friend confirmed it. The investigation was eventually dropped when no other leads came up."
"How convenient," Maddie muttered under her breath. "One friend alibis the other."
"I want to talk to that friend," Tanner said. "Think you can find out who he is and find him? I also want to talk to Gordon's lady friend. If she was going to be the next wife, she did have a vested interest in ending his marriage. One way or the other."
"I'm sending you all her info via email. As for the identity of Gordon's alibi, I'll keep working on that." A small pause. "Are you having fun working on the case? Because we have about a dozen more backed up here that we could use a hand with."
Maddie's gaze traveled from the phone to Tanner, who appeared to be visibly uncomfortable. They hadn't talked much about his future since their last conversation. She didn't want to push him in any direction. She only wanted him to be happy.
"I wouldn't call it fun," Tanner finally replied. "Especially since I'm supposed to be on vacation getting a break from work. We'll talk about this more when I get back home."
His tone was firm and Logan must have picked up on it even through the phone, because their friend dropped the subject altogether.
"I'll give you a call when I get more information. Just be careful, okay? You've got a killer running loose down there and I'm betting they don't want to be caught."
An ominous warning on a bright, sunny day. She'd make sure Tanner didn't take any crazy chances. If he didn't watch his back, she'd give him a bit of help.
20
Tanner had the sheriff set up their meeting with Leo's girlfriend Dina Wallace. Ken couldn't make it but Maddie had jumped at the chance to go. Her husband hadn't been all that enthused by the idea but she'd pointed out that Ava and Presley would have been allowed to go and he'd relucta
ntly given in. All while muttering...
"I'm going to have a talk with Seth and Logan."
"Maybe I want to learn more about what you do," Maddie had said during the drive in their rental car to Dina Wallace's home in a nearby city. "You should take it as a compliment."
"I would but I don't do this anymore. Technically speaking. You've never shown much interest in policework before."
"Now that's not true," she protested. "When we were first dating you took me to that murder crime scene and I found that discarded coffee cup. Remember?"
"No."
She didn't believe him for a second. Tanner had an amazing memory.
"Yes, you do. You absolutely remember. You probably remember better than I do."
"I remember that I sent you home as quickly as possible. You shouldn't be hanging around grisly crime scenes."
Sometimes her husband said the funniest things. She had to laugh out loud at this one. She'd worked in one of the busiest - and bloodiest - emergency rooms in Chicago. Some bloody abandoned building wasn't going to give her nightmares.
"I think you've conveniently forgotten what I do for a living, husband."
"I think you've conveniently forgotten that cop work can be dangerous...wife. There's a killer on the loose if you haven't noticed."
She batted her eyelashes at him. "I feel very safe with you. Besides, I can help you with questioning Dina Wallace. I can be watching her expressions and body language while you concentrate on her answers."
She had him. His lips were twisted as if he wanted to say that she was wrong but he couldn't bring himself to lie.
Sighing, he nodded in agreement. "Having you there will hopefully relax her a bit. Get her thinking that this isn't nearly as official as bringing her into the station would be. She might lower her defenses."
"So she's definitely a suspect?"
"She had motive, although how strong it is could be debated. Now it's time to see if she had opportunity and means. As I've mentioned before, I'm not leaning toward a female killer. It would have taken a great deal of strength to overpower Bibi and strangle her."
Bitter Justice (Cowboy Justice Association Book 12) Page 14
