“He broke into someone’s home?”
“Nope. It was his own place. The officer called for backup, and they tried to establish contact with him, but he wouldn’t respond. That’s when we got called in.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“Often enough that it can make relationships difficult. If I’m in town, then a day off is never guaranteed.”
Marci seemed to consider that. “So what happened?”
“We tried the loudspeaker, the phone, we even lobbed some tear gas in there, and still, for over four hours, the guy wouldn’t come out or make contact. So we stormed the place.”
“Oh my God. Was anyone hurt?”
Lucius rubbed the back of his neck, remembering. He had a well-trained team, and they always wore the appropriate protective gear, but that only offered so much security.
“As soon as we hit the door, we encountered gunfire. One of my men got shot in the knee, another in the hip.”
Her hand covered her mouth. “You got the man responsible?”
He nodded, pissed off all over again. “I shot the idiot in the hand, and we were finally able to subdue and arrest him.”
“The others will be okay?”
“Last I saw them at the hospital, they were patched up and flirting with the nurses.” Thank God, SWAT knew how to keep a cool head in chaotic situations.
Marci worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “You could have been shot, too.”
“I wasn’t.” He finished off his coffee. With Marci now distracted from the intimate details of his time with Bethany, he put her back on track.
“Tell me everything you know about Michael Tracer.”
“There isn’t that much to tell.” She sipped her coffee, thinking for a moment. “I met him shortly before I left the area where Bethany still lived, right before I moved in here. I didn’t like Mitch or Michael or whatever his name is, so even though he continued to call and ask me out, I didn’t tell him I was leaving, and I sure didn’t tell him where I’d be going.”
“He knew about Bethany?”
“Most everyone in town knew us both, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to think he’d quickly piece it together. Twins stand out, especially when one of the twins is known as a fruitcake.”
It angered him to think of anyone calling Marci names. “This was the town where you grew up?”
“Yes, and I shouldn’t sound so bitter. I had friends there. It wasn’t all bad. But after Mom and Dad retired to Arizona…well, there didn’t seem to be enough reason to stay.” She closed her eyes, looking pained. “But I should have stayed for Bethany.”
It sounded selfish, even to his own ears, but Lucius said, “I’m glad you didn’t. If you hadn’t moved here, I never would have met her.”
Her lashes lifted and she smiled. “That’s a nice way to look at it.” Then she nibbled on her lip some more. “Michael wasn’t local. He just showed up one day. He told me he was in real estate, but he’s probably a reporter or some whack job hoping to write the next great exposé. That’s the only reason I can think of to explain why he’d be stalking Bethany now.”
A dangerous tide of rage rolled through Lucius. “Define stalking.”
“Now Lucius, don’t look like that. He hasn’t done anything threatening. Nothing dangerous. It’s just that he won’t leave her alone, even now that she knows he was lying. He kept calling her, and he started showing up at her house. Once he even peeked in the windows, like he knew she was home and refusing to answer the door.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“At first, Bethany tried ignoring him, but…he makes her as nervous as he made me, and that’s enough for me to worry.”
It was enough for him to worry, too. “Police?”
“When Bethany called them, a very nice officer offered to talk to Michael, but they can’t find him. The address Bethany had was bogus. Maybe both the names we have are bogus, too. Who knows?”
“When did she last hear from him?”
“The first night she came here, he kept calling her cell phone until she turned it off. When she checked in the morning, he’d filled her mailbox. I don’t think she’s turned it back on since then.”
“I want to hear the calls.”
“I think they were personal—you know, sort of embarrassing stuff. She might not be keen on sharing them with you. But talk to her about it. She’s not unreasonable where her and my safety is concerned.”
Lucius left the stool with a purpose. “Thanks. I think I’ll do that right now.” The sooner he got a handle on the jerk harassing Bethany, the better he’d feel.
Marci stopped him by coming around the bar and taking his arm.
“Just so you know…Bethany’s looking for the whole package, not just a good time.”
That gave Lucius pause. He stared down at Marci—and wondered how anyone could consider her a better catch than Bethany. “By the whole package, you mean what? Marriage and kids and all that?” The idea didn’t seem too bad to him. “I have to tell you, marriage to a cop isn’t easy, and SWAT is especially—”
“I mean love.”
“Oh.” His heart beat a little too fast, mostly because he already knew he loved her, but he had no idea how Bethany really felt. She’d softened a lot, and now that he understood her reserve, he intended to get past it.
“I’m not going to lecture you on relationships, Lucius, so relax. Bethany’s a big girl and she can take care of herself where men are concerned.”
“Stalkers aside.”
“Stalkers aside, yes. But as a friend, I want you to know that she’s vulnerable right now. Because of Michael, she’s turned her life upside down, mostly to protect me. Just as I feel guilty that Michael contacted her to get to me, she worries that she might have said or done something to encourage him in that regard. She’s given up her job, her home—”
Lucius caught her shoulders in a gentle squeeze. “I plan to look out for both of you, so don’t worry about it, okay?” He had plenty of contacts who would help him find Michael or Mitch or whatever name he used. He’d see to it that the man got out of their lives, pronto.
Marci sighed. “That’s all well and good, but I don’t want to see her deliberately hurt. If you hurt her, I’d have to move out of here, and that’d just suck.”
Lucius laughed. “Well, I certainly don’t want to start looking for a new tenant, either.” On impulse, he cupped Marci’s face. “Thanks for everything, hon. The relationship advice, the insight on your maddening sister, and the info on Michael. I appreciate it.”
He pulled Marci into his arms for a tight hug—and the apartment door opened behind them.
With Marci still snagged up close, Lucius turned and found Bethany standing there, Hero at her side. She looked sleepy and rumpled and…devastated. But only for a second or two.
Then she looked enraged.
Five
Bethany wanted to shout from the hurt exploding inside her. Seeing Lucius wrapped around her sister destroyed her composure, but pride kept her tone calm and icily polite.
She found a smirking, sarcastic smile. “Come on, Hero. It looks like we’ve interrupted…something.”
With that parting shot, she walked off. She started to go back into Lucius’s apartment, but hey, it was his apartment, which meant he’d surely just walk in behind her. In mid-step, she switched course and headed for the front door. With his dog. Which only served him right.
Where she’d go, she had no idea, but she sure as heck didn’t intend to stay. She didn’t blame her sister; Marci couldn’t help it that men preferred her. And Marci didn’t know how Bethany felt about him; she hadn’t even admitted it to herself until that day. He was a great catch. No woman could resist him.
The bastard.
Marci and Lucius both came into the hall at the same time. They were both fast explaining. She turned to her sister. “It’s all right, Marci,” she said, all magnanimous and forgiving. A saint, even. She didn’t look at Lucius. “I understand
.”
“The hell you do,” Lucius shouted.
Upstairs, Devine’s door opened, and a second later, so did Tyra’s. “What’s going on?” Devine yelled down.
“Bethany’s being an ass,” Lucius replied.
That stopped Bethany in her tracks. She pivoted around and stomped back to him. Hero trotted along beside her.
When she reached him, she opened her mouth to blast him with invective—and he squashed her up tight against his chest and planted a hard, wet one on her.
Naturally, she resisted…for about three seconds. Then her knees went weak.
“There you go,” Marci said with satisfaction. And while Lucius continued to rape her mouth in a most delicious and convincing way, in front of God and tenants alike, Marci added, “He has no interest in me, Bethany. Trust me on this. I wouldn’t lie to you. He’s a good man, so I hope you don’t blow it.”
Lucius lifted away a scant millimeter. “I want you. Not her. Not anyone else.” He kissed her again before she could think of anything to say to that.
Amanda stepped into the hall. “Oh my. Well, why didn’t anyone tell me this was happening?”
Only Esther slept on, but then, it was well known that very little could rouse Esther out of her bed.
“Come to my place,” Lucius whispered against her lips. “I’ve missed you, and we have unfinished business to see to.”
Little sparks ignited deep in her belly. “You’re not interested in Marci?”
His forehead touched hers and he smiled. “How could I be, when there’s you?”
“Oh.” That sounded pretty sincere.
Hands cupping her face, he held her gaze. “My only interest in Marci is that she’s your sister, so a part of your life. She’s important to you, so that makes her important to me. But other than a brotherly peck or friendly hug, I have no desire to touch her. Ever.”
Now that she thought about it, what she’d seen had been rather perfunctory. Sort of a friendly snuggle, not a heated embrace. “I see.” She was starting to feel a little foolish for overreacting.
“You, on the other hand, are impossible to resist.”
Her heart soared. “Okay.”
In the next instant, he had her hustling along and she said, “Wait.”
Vibrating with frustration and sexual energy, he halted. “What?”
“Hero…”
“Is coming with us. He’s mine, too, and I haven’t spent enough time with him.”
He’s mine, too.Some indefinable emotion expanded within Bethany, making her heart feel full, her limbs weak. Her lips curled into a vague smile. “He needs to make a trip outside first. That’s what I was doing when I walked in on you two.”
Lucius smiled back at her. “We’ll walk him out together.” He looked around at their audience, then dismissed them all with a friendly, “Good night.”
Women of varying ages grinned. “Good night, Luscious,” they said in near unison, making Bethany laugh.
Arm in arm, they stepped out front. Lucius held Hero’s leash while the dog sniffed several bushes, a telephone pole, and a scraggly patch of grass until he found just the right spot.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Bethany said, staring up at the stars.
“It’s hot and humid and perfect,” Lucius agreed. He kissed her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and she could feel his anticipation, which made her feel it, too. When the dog came over and sat on his foot, Lucius patted his neck. “What more could a man want?”
Feeling wicked, Bethany said, “Well, I don’t know about man, but a woman could want a continuance of that little business from the afternoon.”
“Little business?”
She grinned, knowing she’d never been so happy before. “Incomplete business? Is that better?”
“Not really.” He grew serious, tipping up her chin and kissing her gently. “I’ll make it perfect. I promise.”
God, she loved him. “It already is.”
That seemed to set him off, and once again, he hustled her along. Once inside, he left her standing there while he locked the doors and fetched a fluffy blanket for Hero, which he spread out on the couch.
The dog stretched, looked at them both, then bounded up to circle the bedding before dropping with a lusty sigh.
“He’s a good dog, isn’t he?” Lucius remarked, giving Hero a few strokes along his back.
“He’s a wonderful dog. Very easy and well-mannered and gentle.”
That made Lucius smile. He sat at the edge of the couch by the dog’s feet and continued to stroke him. “He wasn’t gentle when he attacked Steve Seeder. Somehow, he knew things weren’t right. He knew Steve’s mother was in danger and he took care of it.” Lucius glanced up at Bethany. “It still amazes me. He went from being timid to ferocious, then back to timid. He would have just crept away if I hadn’t stopped him, like he figured his job was done and no one needed him anymore.”
Bethany wondered at his patience now, when moments before he’d been so anxious. “Animals have some psychic powers—did you know that?”
He grinned, looking so handsome that she felt like dragging him off to the bedroom right then. “Like your sister, you mean?”
Bethany shrugged. “I’m not quite sure how they do it, but it’s been proven that animals respond to us, just as we respond to them. They sense things. You’ve made Hero feel welcome, so he’s relaxed a lot. He still gets jumpy at times, whenever he’s uncertain, but that’ll fade with time.”
Sitting at the head of the couch, she, too, stroked the dog. “It’s been proven that animals help people with high blood pressure to lower their systolic and diastolic levels. They bring a calming effect. Cardiac patients usually live longer when they own pets, the elderly stay less depressed, handicapped children, and children of abuse, will respond to animals when humans can’t reach them.”
He seemed fascinated. Using that low, melodic voice that never failed to give her shivers, he whispered, “Makes you wonder how anyone could ever mistreat them, doesn’t it?”
Half asleep, Hero nuzzled his nose into Bethany’s hand, telling her how much he enjoyed the attention. “It destroys Marci when she knows an animal has been mistreated. She’s helped so many, but it’s never enough.”
“It leaves her vulnerable, doesn’t it?”
His insight didn’t surprise her; Lucius was a very astute man. “I remember the most recent incident. A woman was about to marry a man without knowing that he was mean and nasty to her dog when she wasn’t around. The dog, poor thing, was losing weight and sort of…fading away.”
“He felt betrayed.”
“Yes.” She bent to hug Hero, wishing all dogs could find a good home. “Marci picked up on it, and she contacted the woman.”
“I hoped she kicked the sorry son of a bitch to the curb.”
“She did. From the very beginning, she believed Marci. Especially when the dog, a mid-sized mutt, took to her. She called Marci the very next day, saying she’d confronted the guy, and although he denied it, she could see her dog was terrified of him. The wedding was called off, and now the dog is doing great.”
Lucius pushed to his feet and reached for Bethany’s hand. “Both you and your sister are pretty remarkable, you know that?”
“I know Marci is.” She allowed him to pull her up and into his arms. “But I’m just me.” As a child, she’d been almost jealous of Marci’s abilities because, even though much of the attention was negative, it was still a lot more than she received. She’d outgrown that, and accepted her mediocrity.
“I think you’re the most amazing, caring, loyal, and gentle woman I know.”
“Marci is—”
“A very nice person with an awesome talent, but she doesn’t have your gumption and fire.” He started for the bedroom, towing her along. “Like you said, it’s an attitude thing.”
“Are you going to keep teasing me about that?”
He tugged her past the bedroom door, then closed it and caged her there,
angling his body in so that his arms framed her shoulders and his hips nestled against hers. “When you’re right, you’re right. I love your attitude.”
Love. Hearing that particular word nearly sent her heart through her rib cage. “Show me.”
“Yes, ma’am. Now where were we? No—wait. I remember. We were right about—” His hand slid past the waistband of her shorts, then inside her shorts and inside her panties. Very softly, he whispered, “Here.”
Head back against the door, Bethany breathed, “Yeah, that seems about right.”
Lucius kissed her, and then kept on kissing her while he worked her T-shirt up to her chin. He lifted his head and stared down at her breasts. “Damn.”
Bethany held her breath, but let it out in a groan when he bent to her, closed his mouth around one nipple, and suckled softly. She waited for him to move on to the next step, to take her to the bed, but he didn’t. He seemed content to keep her pinned against the door while he drove her a little crazy with lust.
“Lucius…”
He switched to her other breast, circling her nipple with his tongue, gently closing his teeth over the very tip, tugging.
“Oh God.”
One long finger pushed inside her. Bethany couldn’t keep still. She felt her hips moving, grinding against his hand, blindly seeking the pleasure. He brought his thumb into play, lifted his eyes to watch her face, and she came with a wrenching moan, her eyes squeezed shut, her teeth clenched, her fingers gripping tight onto his shoulders.
It seemed an eternity before she collected herself and realized that his hands were now repositioned, one on her bottom to support her, another on her breast. She got her eyes open, and when she did, it was to see Lucius eyeing her with a slight smile.
She flushed.
His grin widened. “You’re beautiful.”
“I’m a little embarrassed. That is, I’ve never…well, climaxed like that.”
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