“Don’t touch the….”
Too late. Her fingers encircled the outside doorknob.
Eyes closed, Jared sighed and counted to ten. His heart rate was slow to settle. He picked up the quivering puppy, lifted him to the light, and examined him. “Looks like he survived without any harm.”
Dee snatched the furry bundle and cradled him close.
The dog lapped at the pale skin of Dee’s cheek. Jared swallowed hard. Lucky was definitely the right name for that dog.
“We’re not going to be able to see much out here tonight,” Mike said.
The buzzing in Jared’s ears nearly obliterated the sound of Mike’s voice. He couldn’t pull his gaze from her: her soft, full lips; the slumberous look of her eyes as she returned his stare; the rumpled, just-out-of-bed look of her hair. Even the oversized T-shirt and mismatched boxers were affecting him. “No,” he managed weakly, aching to touch her.
Jared almost fell to his knees when a hand clamped over his shoulder. He turned to find Mike’s smirking face. “You might want to close your mouth,” Mike whispered, “and breathe.”
Undaunted, Mike focused his attention on Dee and climbed the steps. “We’ll check the inside, make sure it’s secure. Then it would be best if you had someone stay with you tonight.”
Frank stepped into the light. “I’ve got nothing going on. I can stay.”
Jared scowled at Frank, elbowed past Mike. “Send Katie over tomorrow. She’ll want to help organize the party at Ray’s.”
“What party?” Dee asked.
Hand on her elbow, Jared ushered Dee into the kitchen; Mike and Frank followed. “We’re having a demolition party Sunday evening. We’re going to toast the old place out and move furniture so work can begin first thing Monday morning.”
Mike flipped on the light in the front room, inspected the door, the windows while Jared headed down the hall to check the bedroom, office and bathroom. The can of aerosol cleanser lay on the floor, a pathetic weapon against the possibilities.
Mike joined Jared in the hallway just outside the kitchen. “What time do you want Katie here?”
Frank stood against the back door, his eyes trained on the still growling pup held securely in Dee’s arms.
“Do you have plans for tomorrow?” Jared asked Dee. She remained silent. She was withdrawing. He read the remnants of fear pinching her features, the swirling of plans clouding her eyes. “Have her come by tomorrow morning,” he said. “Late morning.”
Scooping the puppy from Dee’s arms, Jared crossed to Frank. Lucky’s growls grew louder; his little body trembled. Frank backed out of the door. “I can’t believe you don’t like dogs,” Jared said.
Frank sniffed. “He doesn’t like me.”
Jared shook his head as he scratched behind the dog’s ear. “He senses your fear.”
“Thanks, both of you, for coming,” he said as Mike stepped around him and walked out the door.
“No problem,” Mike answered.
“No big deal,” Frank said. “It’s been a busy night. I hadn’t made it home yet when I heard the call.”
“I appreciate it,” Jared said. He closed the door, then turned. Dee was wedged against the cabinets, her hands wrapped around her upper arms.
“Tell me what happened.”
She stared at him, her face pale and expressionless, her lips parted, her fingers, in tiny movements, smoothing up and down her arms. “Lucky woke me up. He wouldn’t stop barking.”
“He was doing exactly what he’s supposed to do. Good dog,” he jostled the pup against his chest. “You’ve got to be tired. Why don’t I take Lucky out, and you can go on to bed?”
Hazel eyes met his gaze. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”
He resisted the urge to go to her. Honor had forced him to leave her alone in that bed earlier. She’d been tired, hurting. Those reasons still stood.
He wasn’t so sure about his honor.
With Herculean effort, Jared stepped back. His gaze swept the kitchen counter until he found the dog’s leash, clipped it on, and stepped out on the deck.
One more second in there and he’d have wrapped himself around her. Even separated by a wall and door, he was still aware of her. He yearned to touch.
He would stay with her. Someone would be with her twenty-four/seven until whoever was hassling her was in custody. No way was that someone going to be anyone other than himself.
He was in for a long, tortuous night, but he knew how to wait. Knew how to pick his time, how to build a slow-simmering seduction.
Dee wasn’t like any other woman he knew. This was no chess match where they both made moves knowing there was a common end. Dee was more like a vat of warm honey at the bottom of a slippery slope. He’d fought that slope at first. Now he was ready to jump.
On a primal level, his body had recognized her as belonging to him the second she’d walked into Moore’s that night. His injuries, a concern at the front of his thoughts since the wreck, never mattered.
Her wild and unsubstantiated accusations against another cop offered little deterrence.
Securing the tired puppy in the kitchen once more, Jared stood in the silent hallway. He stared at the couch in the darkened living room. It was inches too short and had no pillows, but he’d be close to Dee—as close as he’d allow himself for the moment.
As he started across the hardwood floor, a sound drew his attention to the bedroom. He recognized the scraping and sliding of drawers opening and closing.
She was packing, running.
Anger and understanding blanketed a core of panic. He could not let her go. Now wasn’t the time, dammit, not in the dark. Not if it was her past catching up to her. Not when he couldn’t assure her safety.
Knowing she was safe, alive, was essential.
Soft white light spilled out of the door that remained ajar. He edged the door wider.
On the bed was a pitiful pile of personal belongings. Unaware of his presence, Dee continued to add to the collection.
“What are you doing?”
Dee screamed and cowered against the dresser.
“It’s just me.” Jared took one step into her bedroom. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Without a word, she returned to the open drawer.
He reached her in two quick strides. He slid his fingers over her shoulders and nudged her around to face him. Bending his knees, he stared straight into those hazel eyes. “Stop it,” he said. “Just stop it.”
“I can’t stay.”
She quivered beneath his fingers.
“I’ve got to get out of here.”
“No.”
Her golden eyes shifted back and forth over his, searching, pleading. “What difference does it make? I’m not staying here forever.”
Yeah, he’d known that all along. Still, he couldn’t just let her walk out. Not now. “The difference is that if you leave now, you’ll just be running again. You’ve got no plans. No safety net. Hell, you’ve got no car.”
Dee looked away, a stubborn set to her jaw. “I’ll hitchhike.”
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “Dee.” He pulled her close and tucked her head beneath his chin. Her body snuggled against his in a perfect fit. “I’d be the one picking you up.”
“Why? You don’t believe me,” she said into his shirt. “But he’s here. He’s found me. He won’t stop till I’m dead.”
“Fine,” he said as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. She felt so good, so right in his arms. “He’s here. What makes you think he’s going to step back and let you get away? How safe will you be hitchhiking in the dark? The car that pulls over could be him.”
She burrowed her face against the curve of his neck, her arms sliding around his waist.
“What am I supposed to do? Wait?”
Tenderness swamped him. “You’re supposed to trust me.”
“But you don’t….”
Her hair was warm silk against his cheek. �
�I’ll stay right here until this is over.”
She pulled back to look into his eyes. “No. That puts you in too much danger.”
He slid his fingers through the tangle of her hair and tucked her head back in. He pressed his lips against the smoothness of her forehead. “I’m not leaving you, Dee.”
Her arms tightened around him.
He angled his jaw over the side of her head, brought his lips to her temple. She was right. He was in danger. He sought the softness of her cheek. All kinds of danger. If someone walked into the house right now, he wasn’t sure he could lift his arms away from her. But… he pressed the lightest kiss to the corner of her mouth, tasting her cinnamon sweetness, her heat… the biggest danger was in continuing to hold her.
“Dee,” he whispered.
She tilted her head, seeking, until her lips met his.
His body quivered, tightened. He pressed his lips to hers over and over again. Short, soft, sinking kisses that left him breathless, his heart racing.
He searched for a rationalization to stop this plunge into madness. This wasn’t the best position from which to protect her. Emotional involvement clouded judgment, skewed decisions.
She gazed up at him through eyes that glowed golden in the low light, and the arguments in his brain evaporated.
Her hair was tousled. His fingers, still imbedded in the cool strands, caressed her scalp.
A slow, unsteady breath escaped her kiss-stung lips.
Every cell in his body yearned for her, wanted to touch her, to know her imprint, her taste. Desire beyond reason, beyond warning, beyond danger drummed through him.
“Dee,” he murmured against her lips as she backed toward the bed. Her movements contained a sense of urgency, desperation. “We don’t have to do this.” He wanted to bite his tongue but settled for another quick taste of her lips. “I promise. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
Her hold around his waist loosened. “You don’t want…?”
His lips crushed hers. He could not let her voice such an insane thought.
Beneath the pressure of his mouth, her lips curled into a sweet smile. She slid her hands to his shoulders and tugged as she lowered to the bed.
His deep laugh became a groan, a growl. The bed dipped beneath the weight of his knee. Arguments, cautions vanished.
It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. He needed to feel every curve and line of her body beneath his hands, his weight. Still, he fought for control. “Slow down.” The murmured plea was as much for him as her.
He wanted to savor. To show her this was more than impulse, more than panic. This was him. This was them. Together.
“We have all night.” Another reminder between hot, deep kisses.
All night. There was so much he wanted to do, so much he needed to explore. His fingers slid down the sleek curve of her arm, curled into the hem of her shirt, and tugged. And tugged again until he found heated, smooth skin.
Her body was a playground, a feast for his senses. Her stomach was like living satin, her breasts…. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing, anything to keep the end from coming too fast.
Dee rolled until she loomed over him. Her gaze burned into his as she whipped his shirt up, tugging until he lifted his arms, his head. She threw the shirt across the room.
He moaned as she leaned over, warm skin to warm skin, and pressed a line of kisses across his chest. The end came roaring back.
“Dee.” Her name snagged in his throat.
As if guided by radar, Dee honed in on the silver-white surgical scar that rose over the left side of his waistband. He wanted to push her questing fingers away but his resistance collapsed beneath the soft press of her lips. “Dee,” he begged.
Her eyes mesmerized, green and gold and black and intense. They shone with desire and not an ounce of sympathy. She was not put off by his scars.
He lifted his head and found her mouth for a soul-deep kiss as he rolled, tucking her beneath him. “We’re going to do this my way,” he growled. “Nice and slow.” He wanted every step.
“We’ve got all night.” She tossed his words back at him. Her slender fingers raced down his back and slipped beneath his pants to curl over his buttocks.
She was going to kill him.
He dodged her questing lips and placed a moist, sucking kiss beneath her jaw. “Maybe all night will be enough.” He’d give her the slick ecstasy that screamed of life, then they’d see. “But I doubt it.
“What do you want, Dee? Tell me what you need.”
“You.”
“You’ve got me.” He slid a finger along the lower curve of her breast, maddened by the silky weight.
Heat poured from her. Incredible waves of heat that pulled him under.
“Tell me what you want, what you need.”
Her cheeks were flushed, her breath ragged. She was wild. She was beautiful. And she drove him beyond reason, beyond thoughts, beyond care. “I need you. Now.” She sucked in a breath, arched beneath him. “Right now.”
His control snapped. Frenzy replaced slow. Busy hands worked at zippers, snaps until pants were ripped away in a desperate need to join. A blinding race to possess. A mad rush to ecstasy.
A lazy drift to boneless survival.
Her body provided a welcome cushion beneath his weak mass. He might not be able to move for a week. It was a proud moment when he found enough energy to nuzzle the curve of her neck. “You okay?”
“Mmm hmm,” she responded.
He lifted his head by small degrees. Her face wore the dopey, drooping smile of complete satisfaction and utter exhaustion. He did that to her. And he’d do it again.
In an hour or so.
****
Okay was too mundane a word for what she felt. Until this moment she thought she was experienced, believed she knew all about the lightning thrill of sex. But nothing in her past compared to this total repletion. Completion. As if two lost halves had joined into their perfect whole.
Wasn’t that a typical female response—romanticizing a basic biological occurrence?
Still, a purely female thrill zinged through her, forcing her lips into a slow, gloating grin as she surveyed his wrung-out form. He’d stretched out beside her, his body lax, hers to study at her leisure. Tanned skin showcased toned muscles beneath. A sprinkling of black hair rode along his arms, his legs, his chest. His impossibly long lashes lay fanned over the upper curve of sharp cheekbones. His full lips were parted, relaxed, on the verge of sleep. How could she resist all that delicious male? Dee leaned over and scraped her teeth along his stubbled jaw.
His body jolted. “Woman, you’re going to kill me.”
Dee tried to bat her eyes, tried to feign innocence.
His laughter was as sweetly seductive as everything that had come before, until he bolted up, a look of horror in his inky dark eyes as he looked at her. “I didn’t use protection.”
“I’m on the pill,” she said, hiding her amusement.
“But still….”
She curled onto her side. “I haven’t been with anyone but Carl in two years. I should be the one concerned.” She had no illusions about the man in her bed. He was sweet. He was kind. He was gorgeous. He probably knew nothing about celibacy or deprivation. Or limiting himself. “Carl always used a condom.” His insistence bordered on fanatic, as if he was deliberately denying her that most personal contact. “Always.”
The heat that spread over his cheeks was both surprising and endearing.
She wasn’t looking for commitment. Neither of them was. If…when she no longer had to run from a killer, she still had the pressure of her family to deal with and her own hopes and dreams. Small-town Kentucky wasn’t even a blip on that map.
Jared loomed over her for a second, then apparently satisfied, he dropped a kiss to her shoulder and collapsed beside her. He matched the curve of his body to hers and slid an arm over her waist, holding her close, his long fingers splayed over her abdomen. “Go to sleep. You’re safe
.”
Safe. In spite of everything, she did feel safe, secure. And content. The warmth of his body eased the last of the tension from her muscles and she let sleep claim her.
In what felt like only moments, Dee woke with a start. Sunlight peeked around the drapes. She could hear Lucky scratching at the kitchen door, whimpering with need. Her limbs felt drugged, heavy and totally relaxed as she struggled from beneath the dead weight of Jared’s arm.
Dee propped herself up on an elbow. Jared’s dark shadow of beard was longer, less styled, making him appear more rakish, dangerous.
She’d slept with this man. Another cop. How and why that happened required serious thought. At some point.
The puppy yowled, impatient and frantic. Spurred to action, Dee pushed back the sheet and slipped her legs over the side.
Long, hard fingers circled her wrist and tugged her back. “I’ve got him,” Jared said. With fluid movements, he slipped from the bed and stepped into his jeans.
She studied the play of muscles over his bare back. He was a living, breathing, lip-smacking advertisement for temptation.
He looked over his shoulder and winked, giving her a full-of-intent smile. “Are you okay?”
Their time together was limited, thank God. He could be lethal to her heart and her ego.
“I’ll bring you a pain pill when I come back,” he offered.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Sure?”
Dee searched for a bright smile, lifted one shoulder, then the other. “All better.”
His grin turned to devilish. “Guess you just needed some physical therapy.”
A pillow hit him in the back before Dee realized she’d even picked it up. His laughter trailed down the hall until it was drowned by the excited yipping of her dog. Tiny nails danced over the vinyl floor, punctuated with eager, jumping thumps and deep, soothing words.
Her dog loved him.
Scrambling off the bed, Dee slammed the bathroom door behind her. She brushed her teeth, and turned the water on for a quick shower. Soap and warm water weren’t going to be enough to erase the memory of Jared’s touch.
She’d just gotten away from Carl. Surely she wasn’t repeating that mistake.
She hurried through her shower, then raced into the bedroom and snatched up her nightshirt. She pulled it over her head and yanked at the hem, trying to cover as much skin as possible.
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 245
