Harlequin Intrigue March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Nichole Severn

  The smell struck him first. It was an odor of musk and filth, of urine and feces. Grunts and rustling filled the otherwise silent night.

  He didn’t have to see the pigs to know they were there. When he’d bought the farm, he’d paid extra for the herd of pigs the farmer owned.

  According to what he’d read, there were far too many pigs in the small pen where they were kept and Peter was making sure they all stayed nice and hungry.

  The most important thing he’d learned about pigs was that sixteen of them could completely eat a human body in eight minutes. There were currently twenty-five pigs in the pen.

  This pen of hungry pigs was perfect for tying up any loose ends. Right now there were two—Ted and Sheila.

  Ultimately the pigs were his ex-wife’s fate.

  Colette had wanted to disappear from his life. Now he was going to make sure she disappeared from life altogether. He drew in the nasty scent of the pigs.

  Yes, it all smelled bad...but it also smelled of sweet revenge.

  * * *

  “THE PIZZA SMELLS delicious,” Ainsley said as she walked into Hunter’s kitchen.

  “Half pepperoni and half mushroom and green pepper,” he replied as he got out two plates and napkins.

  Ainsley sat at the table. She was touched that he had remembered the kind of pizza she liked. It meant he paid attention, and that made her feel very special.

  “Beer or soda?” he asked.

  “Soda is fine for me.”

  Within minutes they were both seated at the table and enjoying the pizza. “It was another fairly quiet day for me, which is just the way I like my days,” he said between bites.

  “My day started with me having to deny service to Ben Wilkins. He came in highly intoxicated. He was loud and belligerent, so I told him he needed to leave,” she said.

  “Did he comply?” Hunter asked. His green eyes darkened as he held her gaze.

  “He screamed and cursed at me, and then Big Ed escorted him out of the building,” she replied.

  “Big Ed should have called me. You should never have to endure that kind of abuse.”

  “Down, tiger,” she replied with a laugh, although she was secretly thrilled by the protective light that shone from his beautiful eyes.

  “I don’t like anyone talking disrespectfully to you,” he replied.

  She laughed once again. “It’s a hazard of working in food service.”

  “Then you should get hazard pay.”

  She grinned at him. He looked amazingly handsome tonight in a pair of jeans and a forest green shirt that did wonderful things to his eyes.

  She’d never dreamed it could be so easy, that a relationship could feel so warm and comfortable. She’d never believed she was worthy of a man like Hunter. He made her feel so many ways she hadn’t felt before...witty and funny, smart and beautiful. Whenever she was with him, she felt protected and safe.

  She wished she had met him years ago. She wished she had met him instead of Peter. But then she wouldn’t have Melinda, and she would never, ever wish her beautiful daughter away.

  Once the pizza was eaten, they moved to the sofa, where he pulled her close to his side. She relaxed into him, loving the feel of his nearness and the scent of him that stirred her on so many levels.

  He turned on a movie they both had wanted to see, but she was more focused on him than the action taking place on his television. As they cuddled together, she stroked her hand back and forth across his broad chest.

  It didn’t take long for her to sense a growing tension in him. His heartbeat accelerated beneath her touch and his breathing became quickened.

  “Being this close to you does terrible things to me, Ainsley,” he whispered into her ear.

  She raised her head to look at him. “Like what terrible things?”

  “You make me think about kissing you until we’re both positively breathless. You make me try to imagine what it would be like if I swept you up in my arms, carried you into my bed and made sweet love with you.”

  Her breath half caught in the back of her throat. “Why, Deputy Churchill, are you trying to seduce me again?”

  “I definitely am. How am I doing?” His eyes glittered with the burn of desire.

  “You are doing wonderfully well. I’m just wondering why you aren’t following your words with actions?”

  His lips immediately captured hers in a kiss that seared her right to the bottom of her feet. She was ready to take the next step with Hunter. She was ready to be completely vulnerable and make love with him.

  When he finally lifted his lips from hers, she smiled. “Ah, that was good for a beginning, but what happened to the part where you sweep me into your arms and carry me to your bed?”

  His eyes widened and then blazed with a passion that only confirmed to her that this was right. It was obvious he wanted her and oh, how she wanted him.

  He stood and then picked her up into his arms and walked down the hallway. When he reached his bedroom door, Zeus tried to follow them in.

  “Sorry, buddy. This is a party of two.” He closed the door to shut the dog out, and then he walked across the room and gently deposited her onto the bed.

  He stepped back and gazed at her for a long moment. “I must say, you look amazing in my bed.”

  “It will be a better picture when you join me here.”

  He grinned and leaped onto the bed. Her laughter was stolen by another one of his toe-curling kisses. Their tongues swirled together in a heated dance of sensuality.

  His hands moved up the back of her blouse, his palms hot against her bare skin. She wanted his hands touching her bare skin everywhere...and she wanted to touch his.

  As the kiss ended, she pushed away and sat up and then began unfastening the buttons on her blouse. He sat up as well and watched her. When she was finished with the last button, he reached out and pushed the garment off her shoulders, leaving her clad from the waist up in only her lacy bra. The blouse fell to the bed behind them.

  He then grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off over his head. His bare chest was gorgeous. It was smooth, and his muscles were sculpted and perfect.

  They came back together for more kissing and touching, and within minutes her bra went the way of her blouse. Finally, he kicked off his shoes, took off his socks and then shucked his jeans. He looked completely hot clad only in a pair of black boxers.

  He moved next to her and unfastened the button on her jeans and then unzipped them. She raised her hips to help him pull them off her, and then there was nothing between them except his boxers and her lacy, pale pink panties.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “And I want you so badly.”

  “Show me,” she replied half breathlessly.

  He pulled her back into his arms for a deep kiss. After several minutes he slid his lips to kiss behind her ear and then on down her throat.

  He melted her with the flames of desire in his eyes, with the heat of his lips and hands on her. When his mouth captured one of her taut nipples, she couldn’t help but moan with the sweet sensations.

  Her hands gripped his shoulders as he licked and nipped at first one nipple and then the other. This was what she’d wanted...this complete and total closeness with him.

  As his hand slid down her stomach to the waistband of her panties, her breath caught in her throat. He slowly moved his fingers from left to right, teasing her and heightening her need for him.

  She reached down and found him fully aroused within his boxers. She plucked at the material, wanting the boxers off him so she could stroke his bare hardness.

  Before that could happen, his fingers slid beneath her panties and found her moist center. She cried out as electric shocks of pleasure ripped through her. His fingers moved with just the right pressure, with just the right tempo. Her need climbed high
er and higher, and then a climax shattered her.

  She cried out his name and reached for his arousal once again. “I need more, Hunter,” she gasped. “I want you inside me.”

  He rolled away from her and took off his boxers. He then reached into his nightstand and grabbed a condom. He quickly rolled it on and then positioned himself between her thighs.

  He slowly eased into her and held her gaze. His eyes were like a primal forest, dark and wild. He buried himself in her and then remained unmoving for a long moment.

  As he continued to look down at her, she felt connected to him not only physically but also emotionally as well. It was as if their souls were uniting as well as their bodies.

  Slowly he began to stroke into her, and the tension inside her began to build once again. Their breaths became pants as he increased the quickness of his strokes. She was lost in him...in them.

  She’d never felt these incredible feelings before, certainly not in all the years of her marriage. This was more intense, more meaningful, and while he masterfully took control, there was also a wealth of gentleness coming from him.

  With a gasp, she felt another climax begin to build inside her. She urged him faster and met each of his thrusts with her own. She felt him surging inside her and the tension stiffening his entire body right before he climaxed sent her back over the edge again.

  After several seconds he rolled off her and onto his back next to her. It took a few minutes for them to both catch their breaths.

  He propped himself up on an elbow and smiled down at her. “That was better than in my best dreams,” he said.

  “For me, too.”

  He reached out and stroked his fingers across an old scar on her abdomen. “What’s this from?”

  “Oh, uh, a splenectomy due to a car accident,” she said. The lie tripped from her lips and she hated herself for it. She still had her spleen, no thanks to Peter, who had tried to kill her by stabbing her to death. Thankfully all the other wounds and broken bones she’d received from him were no longer visible.

  Once again he stroked his fingers over the old scar. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

  “It was a long time ago,” she replied. She sighed and looked at the clock on his nightstand. “It’s almost time for you to get me back home.”

  “I thought it was women who always wanted to bask in the afterglow,” he said teasingly. He leaned over and kissed her tenderly.

  When the kiss ended, he swept a strand of her long hair away from her face and frowned. “I wish you could stay right here for the whole night. I would love to cuddle you all night long and then wake up in the morning with you in my arms.”

  She sighed with wistfulness. “I would love that, too, but unfortunately reality intrudes and we need to get up.”

  “Go ahead and use my master bathroom, I’ll use the one in the hallway.” He rolled off his side of the bed, grabbed his boxers, jeans and shirt from the floor and then left the bedroom.

  Ainsley grabbed her clothing from the bed and the floor and then went into the adjoining bathroom. As her heart finally found a normal rhythm, she dressed and then stared at her reflection in the mirror.

  She looked like and felt like a woman who had just been thoroughly loved. Making love to Hunter had been magical. This evening, this experience, had just confirmed what she’d seen coming...she was falling head over heels in love with Hunter Churchill.

  She wanted this relationship to thrive and grow. She wanted this healthy and happy relationship. She desperately wanted a future with Hunter. Right now she felt as if it was within her fingertips—she just hoped nothing happened to mess it all up.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Deputy Churchill, somebody is out here to see you,” Lanie said when she stuck her head into the bullpen.

  He gazed at her quizzically, but before he could ask her who, she disappeared again. “Ainsley?” Nick said from his desk.

  Hunter shrugged. “She’s never shown up here before.” But they hadn’t spent the kind of night they had shared last night before.

  He’d spent far too much of the morning thinking about how much he’d loved the taste of her, the feel of her bare silky skin against his and the evocative scent of her.

  He sprang to his feet and hurried to the door. “Go get her, tiger.” Nick’s laughter chased behind him.

  Hunter stepped out into the reception area, disappointed not to see Ainsley but surprised to see Marybeth Wilson. “Marybeth, your dad doing okay?” he asked, instantly concerned about George.

  She was a petite blonde and had an aluminum foil–wrapped platter in her hand. “He’s doing fine. I should have done this before now, but I wanted to thank you for taking care of him while I was gone. He told me how kind you were to him.” She held out the platter. “These are homemade chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven.”

  “Marybeth, you didn’t have to do this,” he said as he took the platter from her. He made an instant decision not to tell her about his father’s visit to his home with his cookies. George apparently hadn’t told her, and Hunter wasn’t going to rat him out.

  She smiled. “Trust me, I needed to do this. You’ve been so kind to my father on so many occasions. It was about time I did something to show my appreciation.”

  Hunter smiled. “These cookies smell delicious, but still, I was only doing my job.”

  “We both know that you have gone above and beyond just doing your job for him many times. Anyway, enjoy the cookies.” She gave him another smile and then turned and left.

  “You’d better give me one of those cookies before you take them back to the other guys,” Lanie said. She jumped out of her chair, ripped the aluminum foil off the cookie plate and then sighed with pleasure. “Look at them...all warm and gooey with chocolate chips.” She grabbed two off the platter and then returned to her desk.

  “This was really nice,” Hunter said.

  “Way better than that time Betty Simon brought you her special cauliflower casserole,” Lanie replied.

  “Yeah, her thoughtfulness was appreciated even if her cooking skills weren’t,” Hunter said with a laugh. He returned to his desk, where Nick immediately grabbed two of the cookies. “If these are from Ainsley, then you better marry that girl,” he said after a bite.

  “Actually, they’re from Marybeth Wilson for me taking care of George whenever he goes off the rails. But I am considering marrying Ainsley.”

  Nick paused with the cookie halfway to his mouth. “Seriously, dude?”

  “Seriously,” Hunter replied. He didn’t know exactly when he’d realized he was completely in love with Ainsley, but he had reached a point in their relationship that love for her filled his heart. Making love with her last night had just confirmed it.

  “So, are you going to propose to her soon?”

  Hunter frowned. “Not yet. We’ve got a major issue we need to get past before I’ll ask her.”

  “What’s the issue?”

  “Her daughter hates me.”

  Nick’s dark brows danced upward in surprise. “Seriously? She hates the most well-liked deputy in the entire county? What did you do to her?”

  Hunter laughed. “Nothing. I bought her a stuffed pink unicorn, thinking that would break the ice between us.”

  “So apparently she isn’t into unicorns,” Nick said.

  “Oh, she was into the unicorn, she just wasn’t into me. I’m hoping it’s just going to take a little time.”

  Nick took a bite of the cookie. “Good luck with that, man.”

  Minutes later Hunter was back patrolling the streets, but his mind was still filled with Ainsley and Melinda. He hoped Dr. Atkins would be able to sort things out with Melinda and the little girl would give him a chance to be a part of her life. Without that, he knew there was no hope for a future with Ainsley.

  Still, last night had con
firmed to him that she felt close to him. He didn’t believe she was the kind of woman who would go to bed with him if she wasn’t falling in love with him, and that excited him for the future.

  When it was time for his lunch break, he was more than happy to head to the café. He stepped inside, grateful that as usual the lunch rush had passed and the café was relatively quiet.

  He spied Ainsley by the soda machine, and he slid into a seat at one of her tables. When she turned around, her beautiful smile lit up her features. She delivered a soda to one of the other diners and then walked over to his table.

  “I’ve been waiting all day to see you,” she said.

  “That’s funny, I’ve been waiting all day to see you, too,” he replied.

  “I couldn’t wait to thank you, although you shouldn’t have.” Her eyes twinkled brightly.

  “You’re welcome, but what is it I shouldn’t have done?”

  “You know...the roses,” she replied with one of her charming blushes rising up to color her cheeks.

  “Uh...what roses?”

  “Stop playing,” she replied and gave him a playful smack on his shoulder. “They were delivered in here this morning.”

  He gazed at her solemnly. “Ainsley, I’m not playing with you. I didn’t send you roses. What exactly was delivered to you this morning?”

  “A dozen red roses in a beautiful vase with no card. I just assumed after last night...” Her voice trailed off.

  “I wish I had sent you roses, Ainsley, but I didn’t.” He reared back in his chair and then grinned at her. “So, it looks like you have a secret admirer and I have some competition.”

  A deep frown cut across her forehead. “It isn’t funny. I don’t like secrets.”

  “I’m sure if you give it a little time whoever sent them to you will let you know.”

  “I hope you’re right,” she replied. Her frown smoothed out somewhat. “Now, what can I get you for lunch?”

  He placed his order with her, missing the flirtatious small talk they usually indulged in. He watched her taking care of the other diners in her section, and a sense of disquiet suddenly filled him. Despite the way Ainsley had reacted to the roses, maybe he shouldn’t be so sure of himself when it came to her.