Morgan let her hair fall in a wave around her face to hide the smile that spread across her lips when Graham referred to her as his girlfriend. Trying to stick to the topic of the murder investigation, she said, “You just said you were in charge of the investigation. What about the FBI specialist?"
"There is no FBI specialist, sweet thing. I'm the specialist. That was just another red herring to keep him from watching me. Now he'll be looking for some new guy ... which is why we brought my cousin in from out of town to play the part."
"Aren't you worried he'll go after your cousin?"
Graham shook his head with a look that lacked concern. “Nah. My cousin is a cop as well and he's good at what he does. He can handle himself."
Morgan stared at him in confusion as the light switched to green. “So there's no one from the FBI coming?” she asked even though she'd already been given an answer. The car behind her started honking angrily so she pulled off to the side of the road. “But ... you told me Friday..."
Graham set her with a pointed look. “I knew you'd report whatever I told you. I was using that broadcast to throw the killer off my trail and onto someone else's."
"You lied to me?” Morgan squeaked in disbelief, all delight over being called his girlfriend vanishing. “You used me to help along your investigation.” She couldn't believe her ears. The whole time in the diner when she thought Graham had been opening up and trusting her, he'd been playing her. “You fed me false information and let me lie to the whole world."
"You pretended there was something wrong with your car so you could lull me into a sense of false security. We used each other."
Morgan's heart dropped to her toes. “You knew there was nothing wrong with my car?"
"Yeah. I knew there was nothing wrong with your car. You were driving a vehicle that belonged to the news station. I ran the plates. If something goes wrong with a company car, your employer will handle everything. You wouldn't have needed to get it towed on your own.” He sent her a pointed look. “And the outfit kind of gave it away as well. No one is pretending to be broken down while wearing that little amount of clothing unless they want something."
Morgan put a hand to her face in dismay. “But you still ... and you let me ... and then we...” Her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment.
Graham gave a rueful laugh and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah. That kind of put an unexpected spin on the situation. I'd planned on trying to make this up to you after I bagged the murderer by giving you an exclusive interview or something. I never planned on us sleeping together Friday night."
Trying to ignore the topic of their sexual encounter, Morgan asked, “If there's no FBI specialist, how are you planning on catching this guy?"
"I told you. I'm the specialist."
Morgan couldn't help the derisive snort that escaped her. “You?” She shook her head, eyeing him critically. “I highly doubt you have the skills to trick anyone, let alone a murderer. You're one of those goody-goodies who wears everything you're feeling in your expression. No murderer is going to be outsmarted by that."
"I got you to play into my hand, didn't I?” Graham asked a little defensively.
Morgan stammered over a reply to that before finally saying, “Maybe you're tricky, but you don't have the aggressiveness necessary to take down a serial killer. You're more bark than bite."
Graham gave an angry, humorless laugh. “More bark than bite,” he grumbled. “If you only knew.” His expression darkened and he gave her a glare that made Morgan freeze in her seat. “I've got plenty of bite. In fact, I enjoy biting very much."
Morgan's hand flew suddenly to her throat. She'd nearly forgotten about the bite on her neck. It was the most peculiar thing she'd ever seen. It had healed overnight, leaving a jagged little scar. It seemed so impossible that she'd been ignoring it, trying to pretend it wasn't there.
When he saw her reach for her scar, Graham's lips curved into a slight smile. “I suppose you learned that firsthand.” Leaning toward her, he brushed his fingers along her collarbone.
Morgan was surprised by his gentle, affectionate touch. Unable to help herself, she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the sensation of his soft caress. A moment later, she jumped, startled when his lips pressed a soft kiss to her neck.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart,” he whispered against her skin. “I'm sorry I used you, but it will go a long way in catching this guy.” He brought a hand up to tickle along the side of her neck while his mouth pressed a kiss to the opposite side. “I will make it up to you. I promise."
Morgan leaned into his hand when he ran his thumb along her jaw, unable to resist his power to make her forget how angry she was. “That's it? No big fight?"
Graham nuzzled his face into her neck, continuing to press kisses against her skin. “That's it. I see no need to get irrational and yell. If you can put it behind you, so can I."
"Oh,” Morgan said in surprise. She couldn't believe this was going to end so smoothly. “I ... I can forget about it."
"Good,” Graham replied, voice husky. “Then come over here.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her closer to him.
Morgan grinned into his mouth as he gave her an imploring kiss. “I'm glad you can forgive me.” She scooted even closer, leaning into his chest. “And I'm sorry I insulted your ability to do your job. You will catch this guy. I have faith that you can."
Graham tugged her over the space between the seats to sit on his lap. “I'm glad I have your confidence back."
Morgan wrapped her arms around his neck and kicked off her high heels, running her stocking covered foot along his ankle. With a content sigh, she relaxed against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
While she leaned into him, Graham slid a hand over her knee. The hand didn't rest there long before it started traveling up her thigh.
Eyes widening, Morgan lifted her head to stare into his mischievous eyes. “We can't do that in public. We'll get arrested or something."
With an amused smirk, Graham motioned toward his uniform. “I am the police. No one's going to arrest us.” He quirked one eyebrow questioningly, waiting for permission to continue. “Besides, I just wanted to steal a couple kisses from you. Nothing more, I want to get caught having sex in the car just as little as you do. A little naughty touching wouldn't bother me though."
Morgan's eyes were glued to his broad chest and the way his uniform fit perfectly on his body. She'd always secretly had a thing for cops, and Graham was like a fantasy come true. “If you're sure we won't get into trouble..."
"Positive,” Graham assured her as his fingers inched under the edge of her skirt.
Giving in, Morgan leaned forward to give him a kiss. “Okay. You've convinced me."
They spent the next twenty minutes in a tight embrace, the rest of the world shut out so that only the two of them existed. They spent Graham's entire lunch kissing and cuddling, the thought of food long forgotten.
"This is perfect,” Morgan whispered against his lips.
"Just like I heard it would be,” Graham replied happily.
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Chapter 5
Graham was in a stranger's home, his body bent over and his hands braced on his knees. He was taking small, measured breaths to keep the nausea at bay over what he'd just seen in the room behind him. Even breathing through his mouth, his senses couldn't block out the horror. He could taste lingering fear thick on his tongue.
The murderer had struck again, this time taking out an entire family, four people in all. The living room had been bad enough, but the bedroom behind Graham was unbearable. It was a child's room, a little girl. She barely looked old enough to say her ABC's.
At that thought, Graham's stomach lurched again and he fought desperately to keep his lunch down. She was just so damn tiny. Graham guessed that she'd hidden in there, listened while that monster killed her older brother and parents. Graham couldn't even imagine how terrified she must have been. She'd be
en too young to even understand what was happening, to young to have done anything to deserve this, and the killer had shown her no mercy.
Graham closed his smoky, gray eyes and the image of blond pigtails and a pink sundress filled his mind. Both were covered in blood just like the wall behind them. It was a memory that would haunt his dreams for years to come.
He wished that he'd never walked into that room, never seen what evil people were capable of. He'd seen it before, but it was shocking every time, especially when it involved children. It was his job though. It was his job to go in there and not weep at what had been done, to not let the loss of a child get to him. He had to be detached. He had to simply sift through the evidence and block out everything else. If he let it get to him too much, he might miss something, something that would lead him to the man responsible for this atrocity.
Straightening up, Graham took one last deep breath. He ignored the smell of blood, the stench of violent death, and forced his mind to prepare itself for what he was about to face.
He tried distracting himself. Instead of picturing pink walls with blood stained decals of ponies, he envisioned Morgan's smile. He held tightly to the mental image of her happy face. If he could just think of Morgan, he could forget about the family he'd been too late to save. He could forget about the fact that this would happen again and again until he was able to outsmart this psychopath.
Filling his mind with thoughts of his dinner date later in the evening, Graham focused his now bright blue eyes on the doorway in front of him. Steeling his nerves, he walked back into that room and he did what everyone expected of him. He did his job.
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Chapter 6
Morgan sat in the passenger seat of Graham's car. They were on their way back from dinner, a dinner that had been practically perfect. Graham had been funny and charming. She'd been quite pleased with his date conduct. If she thought he was good looking in uniform ... Yowza! Graham Audrick was to die for in his dress clothes. It made her anxious to see how he would look in a pair of tight fitting blue jeans.
They'd jokingly debated on the degree to which meat should be cooked. Graham liked it far too bloody for her taste and he'd complained that she destroyed her dinner by having it burnt it to a crisp. Even their disagreement over meat had been fun and lighthearted and ... perfect.
They were now on their way back to Graham's house. He'd said he wanted to show her his home, more importantly, his fireplace.
Morgan wasn't sure if that was a sly hint at sex or not. The boy seemed to love his fire, so it could have nothing to do with the fact that last time he'd gotten her in front of a fireplace, she'd thrown her morals out the window and slept with him. She supposed it didn't really matter how he meant it. Deep down she knew that by agreeing to go to his place, she was practically agreeing to have sex with him again. The thought made her smile because this was the part that usually made her nervous. She would get nauseous with worry at the stress involved in getting so intimate with another person. With Graham though, she was actually looking forward to it.
She was drawn out of her thoughts as they pulled up in front of a large log cabin home. The sun was setting, but there was still enough visibility for her to see her surroundings.
"Well, here it is,” Graham said softly, not wanting to break the peaceful quiet that hung in the air.
She gave a soft sound of appreciation.
The house was absolutely breathtaking with its wraparound porch and big picture windows. It had a homey, country look to it that made Morgan feel safe and happy by just being there. The city with all its crime and horrors was completely forgotten with just one look at Graham's home. No wonder he'd been so eager to show it to her. It was like a slice of heaven hidden only minutes from the busy highway.
Behind the house were lush, green woods. From one of the trees, Morgan could see a swing hanging from a large, leafy branch. It swayed softly in the breeze, its movement like an invitation. She had an urge to run from the car and dance through those magical trees, to jump onto that swing and let the cool night breeze whip through her hair.
To the left side of the house was a large field. It was full of daisies, and Morgan could only imagine how beautiful it must look in the sunlight. She wanted to throw herself in the middle of that field and let the flowers tickle her skin while their scent filled the summer air. In the twilight, Morgan could see the flashing bulbs of fireflies as they hovered amongst the flowers, twinkling like miniature stars. The whole effect was like nothing she'd ever seen before. She half expected a fairy to go prancing through the yard, wings fluttering with glittered colors as it went about its business.
"It's beautiful,” Morgan breathed in awe.
Graham gave a shy, proud smile. “I'm a big fan of the outdoors,” he revealed bashfully. “I love to go running through those woods. I can forget about everything else and just concentrate on how soothing it is out there."
The look on his face was so adorable that Morgan felt her heart melt. He was showing her a private, personal side of himself that she had a feeling not many people got to see. Overcome with the need to let him know how much she cared about him, she leaned across the seat and pressed her lips to his cheek.
"What was that for?” Graham asked, turning to her with a pleased, boyish grin.
"For being so adorable,” Morgan informed him, giving him a gentle kiss.
Graham made a soft noise of approval as he deepened the kiss, running his fingers through her hair. “This is so unbelievably perfect."
"That's because it's new.” Even as she said it, Morgan knew that wasn't true. None of her previous relationships had felt this right when they were first starting out. Nothing in her life had ever felt this right.
"No,” Graham argued. “That's not it. I think—"
Morgan didn't get to hear the rest of his sentence because the door to his side of the car was ripped open and he was yanked out. She gave a shriek of fear when she heard him hit the ground with a grunt of pain. “Graham?” she cried in dread, peering into the near darkness for him. It had gotten dark enough that she couldn't see well or even tell in which direction he'd been thrown.
To Morgan's relief, Graham had motion detector floodlights set up on the porch. When Graham went flying into the yard, it was enough to activate them, flooding the lawn with artificial light. In the sudden glare, a face loomed into view, but it wasn't Graham's.
"He's got a little girlfriend. How adorable,” a man Morgan didn't recognize sneered.
The man reached for her and Morgan shrank back against her door with a yelp of terror. He grabbed at her again and she kicked out with her heeled foot.
Her heel connected with the man's hand and he threw back his head and laughed. “And she's human at that! I sure did pick the right city.” With a threatening leer, he reached for her again.
This time it was the stranger that was grabbed by the back of his shirt and thrown to the ground outside the car.
Graham stood above the man, his posture screaming aggressiveness. “She's mine. You are not to touch her."
The man's eyes widened at the possessive tone in Graham's voice, a puzzled look crossing his face. In surprise, he turned back to Morgan, eyeing her neck thoughtfully. “You're like me,” he said softly to Graham, his eyes returning once again to the man he'd yanked from the car, “but she's not."
Morgan could practically see his brain whirring as he processed information that she didn't understand. Graham was like him? What, male?
The man continued to stare at Graham, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. “I didn't realize you were one of us until I pulled you from the car. I knew there was a reason why you intrigued me, Officer Audrick ... besides the fact that I find it so amusing to watch you show up to those crime scenes and snivel over the fact that you never make it in time to save the day. All those times I watched you from the shadows, I never knew why I was so fascinated by you. I didn't figure out what it was until just now.” His e
yes slid to Morgan and his lip curled in disgust. “But you're not like me at all, are you? You've taken a human mate. You've tied yourself down with the very thing that you should be ridding this city of.” His eyes lifted to Graham's, his expression full of violence. “Do I need to do it for you, Officer?"
"You are not to touch her,” Graham repeated warningly. Graham felt sick to his stomach that this man had been so close to every crime scene. He'd tried to sniff out the murderer's scent, but the smell of blood had been too much of an overload to his highly developed senses. He'd spent more time than he would have liked at each crime scene with his head between his knees, trying unsuccessfully to keep himself from vomiting. His mind nearly panicked at the thought of this man getting his hands on Morgan. “You are not to touch her,” he repeated angrily.
The man gave a disgusted snort, ignoring Graham's threatening statement. “Filthy humans. They're always polluting our air and building cities over our forests. If more of us thought like me, we'd kill them all and take back what is rightfully ours."
"The only thing that's rightfully yours is a cell in a shifter prison."
"I'm not going to any prison,” the man said darkly. “I'll die fighting before I let myself be locked up like some animal."
"Then you'll die,” Graham growled, his voice low and dangerous. His hand moved to his hip and he blanched, realizing he didn't have his gun on him.
"A gun?” the man asked in disgust. “You fight with human weapons? They've housebroken you, haven't they? They might as well put a collar and bell on you.” The man cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. “You know the best way to have a brawl. If you want me, you'll have to fight me that way."
Graham's eyes flicked to Morgan, concern written clearly in them.
The man gave a loud, booming laugh. “She doesn't know?! You've marked her, trapping her into a lifelong commitment, yet you didn't have the decency to let her know what she was getting into?"
More Bark Than Bite Page 4
