He wouldn't lie and tell her no. The case was only part of it, though. "I'm interested in you." True on more than one level.
She'd flattened her palm on the table, and he reached across and laid his hand over hers. She tried to yank away from him, but he pressed a little harder, caressed the soft skin between her thumb and first finger. She shivered.
He released her and said, "I like you, Raine. I'm attracted to you, and I think you're attracted to me. I want to get to know you. That's why I showed up today."
"You want to get involved with someone you think is a criminal." She held his gaze steadily, but her throat rippled each time she swallowed.
"A criminal?" He raised his eyebrows. "Don't think I ever said that. Is that what you are?"
She didn't answer Made him even more curious about her connection to Northrup.
Her finger traced the coffee blotch on the tablecloth, and she stared at it as if it could tell her what to say. She finally looked at him. "Genie Northrup was my sister," she said, her voice defiant. "Peter killed her. He needs to know that I won't forget what he did. That I'm holding him accountable."
Electricity flashed through him. There it was. Her sister. He kept his voice even. "What do you mean, Northrup killed her? She was mugged in an alley outside a club. Northrup had an alibi. A solid one, or else the detectives would have been all over him."
"Alibis can be faked." Her fingers clenched into fists, and she dropped them into her lap. "I know Peter killed her." Her mouth was tight and her eyes were hot with anger. "He beat her. I have pictures of what he did to her. Genie told me that if she died, Peter would be the one. He threatened to kill her every time he beat her."
"Did she call the police?"
"Sometimes. But she never pressed charges." Her mouth twisted. "She knew it would be worse for her if she did. And Peter has money. Money can make a lot of things go away."
"Are you saying he bribed police officers?" He clenched his jaw and wondered about his former captain.
"He would have had to bribe too many of them. So probably not. But his lawyers are the kind who make it easy for a man like Peter to get away with...a lot. They can twist the facts into pretzels. Make problems disappear." Her mouth thinned. "His days of getting away with murder are over."
He eased back in his chair, watching her. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing." She lifted her chin. "I'm not going to do a damn thing to Peter."
"You're just going to watch him."
"Yes."
Her gaze flickered away from his. She was lying.
He wouldn't call her on it. If she trusted him, maybe she'd confide in him. Give him a chance to stop whatever hare-brained scheme she was planning.
So he'd work on earning her trust. Starting now.
Yesterday evening, he hadn't liked the gleam in Northrup's eyes. Like he couldn't wait to see Raine in trouble. Maybe cause the trouble himself.
Raine wanted to take Northrup down. Northrup wanted to destroy Raine. There were all kinds of possibilities, and none of them were good.
That was reason enough to stick close to her. He could save her from herself. Or from Northrup. Whichever of them snapped first.
"Okay," he said. "Thank you for telling me the truth. I can write up my report and be done with the whole prowler thing." He wasn't done with Genie Northrup's murder, though. Or Raine's plan, whatever it was. He was just getting started.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not going to ask me any more questions?"
"You've told me what I needed to know – what you were doing on his street. I'm a homicide cop – I don't normally handle prowler cases."
She watched him as if she didn't believe a word he was saying. "So why did you take a prowler call that night?"
He leaned back in his chair. "My sister."
"What about her?"
"She's a patrol cop. When the call came in, she answered it. I could tell she was beat, but she was the closest squad car, so it was hers. So I took it for her."
"That was...nice of you."
"She'd been on a domestic call for hours. They're tense. Scary as hell. Cops hate them." He shifted his eyes away from Raine. It sounded as if Genie Northrup had made plenty of domestic calls before she was killed.
He felt Raine's gaze on him, so he met it. "Mia's shift should have been over four hours earlier. I figured it would be a quick drive by and some paperwork."
"Too bad it wasn't."
He held her gaze. "I'm sorry about your sister, Raine. But I'm not sorry at all I took that call from Mia."
Pink crept into her cheeks and her gaze skittered away from him. "I need to head back to the city." Her gaze touched her watch as she fumbled in her purse and set several bills on the table. "Here's my share of dinner."
He nudged the money back to her. "Don't worry about it. You can get the bill next time."
She left the money sitting on the table and stood up. "I'd rather pay my own way." She raised one eyebrow. "In case there isn't a next time."
He stood, too. He wasn't about to give her the height advantage. "Why wouldn't there be?"
She gripped the back of her chair. "Because you're pissed off that I didn't tell you the truth in the beginning. You came to the meet today to tell me you knew I lied. Because being arrested for stalking is such a good start to a relationship."
He had to hand it to Raine – she didn't back down. And she was blunt. He suspected a man would always know where he stood with her.
He liked that about her. Liked it a lot.
He reached for her hand, held it tightly when she tried to yank it away. He stroked one finger over the back of her hand. "Wrong." Another stroke. "Wrong." He picked up her hand and kissed her palm. "Hoping this is a start."
She stared at him, opened her mouth to speak. Shut it again. "That's...I'm..." She snatched her hand away. "You're not funny."
"Not trying to be. I'm serious as hell."
"Why should I trust you?"
"No reason not to. I'm not working for Northrup. I met you two days ago. I've got no connection to your former brother-in-law or your sister's case." He planned to learn everything about it, though. As soon as possible.
She shoved her chair closer to the table, and it squeaked as it scraped against the old hardwood floor. "I don't trust you, Donovan."
He tilted his head. "Fair enough." He lifted her coat from the back of the chair, then held it for her.
She hesitated for a long moment. He bent close to her ear. "No ulterior motive for helping you on with your coat, other than disliking pain. My mother would twist my ear if I didn't."
She shivered when his breath feathered over her ear, and her scent filled his head. Clean sweat and citrus and something spicy and exotic. He wanted to bury his face in her neck and breathe her in.
She jerked away from him and shoved her arms into her jacket. But her fingers had a little trouble lining up the zipper.
He shrugged on his own jacket, then guided Raine out of the restaurant with a hand on her back.
Tiny white lights twinkled in the trees lining the street as they dodged the couples, families and groups of teens flowing along the sidewalk. Finally he drew her out of the current of people and stopped near a bench under one of the lighted trees.
"Where did you park?" he asked.
"Back at the barn," she said.
"I'll walk you there."
He expected her to say no, and she didn't surprise him. "That's not necessary."
"Of course it isn't. You're more than capable of taking care of yourself. But I want to walk with you. I don't know much about this city. Could be a dangerous place."
She snorted. "This white bread suburb? Really?"
"Best not to take chances. Naperville might be full of gangbangers and bad actors."
He heard a tiny spasm of laughter, quickly muffled, and smiled to himself.
"You were right about that restaurant. The food was good," she eventually said as they walked down the
street. The number of people on the sidewalk allowed him to walk close to her, their hands brushing occasionally, sparks shooting up his arm each time.
"Next time, I'm paying," he said. "You pay on the second date? I lose my man card. Wouldn't be able to look my brothers in the eye."
Her lips twitched. "Jury's still out on next time."
He suppressed his own smile. It wasn't a no. He could work with that. “What's wrong?" he asked with a mock-horrified look. “Did I talk about myself the whole time? Chew with my mouth open? Make bodily noises while we were eating?”
A smile flitted across her face, then disappeared. “You know you didn’t. But I’m not looking to get involved with anyone. I don’t have much free time. Not a lot of room for a man in my life.” She glanced at him. "And it's...complicated with you."
Yeah. It was. But at least she hadn't repeated the line about not dating cops from his precinct. That was progress. "I'm not asking you to go steady with me, Raine. Just for another date." After he'd had time to read the reports from her sister's murder.
"I'll think about it."
"There's a bar in my neighborhood that has good music," he said easily. "We could check it out sometime."
"We'll see."
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Watch it, man," a kid muttered as he swerved around them.
"I won't lie, Raine. I want to get to know you better. I'm interested." And not just because of the case, he realized with a flash of uneasiness.
"You're going to keep pushing, aren't you?"
"As long as it takes."
She sighed. "Not making any decisions tonight. Okay?"
"I expected you to say no to dinner," he confessed.
"Hard to deny I was hungry."
They'd left the busy, well-lighted downtown area behind. On their left, cars rushed by on a busy street. On the right, a small stand of trees made the shadows impenetrable. They were the only two people in sight.
"So I owe this dinner to your inability to control yourself?"
She shot him an amused glanced. "I suppose that's one way of putting it."
"What would be another? That you enjoyed my company?"
They turned the corner that led to the building where the match had been held. She shrugged. "You came all the way out here, and you stayed until the end of the meet. You said you'd had a late night." Her blond hair shone in the weak light of the street lamp, and her face was shadowed. "I figured dinner was the least I could do."
"So it was a pity date."
She brushed his hand with hers, and this time, there wasn't the excuse of a crowded sidewalk. He hooked her pinkie with his, and she didn't yank her hand away. Progress.
"Not a pity date," she murmured. She unhooked her finger from him and picked up the pace, as if in a hurry to get to her car. To get away from him.
"Whew. My ego thanks you." She smiled again, but didn't look at him. "I liked watching you today. You were amazing."
She'd mesmerized him. Graceful, fluid and strong, she'd leaped and kicked as if she had wings. She'd danced around her opponents as if she was on air.
She'd won every match except the last one with the old guy.
"It was...nice, having someone there," she admitted after a long moment. "Someone watching. Genie used to come to all my meets."
"No boyfriends were interested?"
"No." Her tone of voice made it clear she wasn't going to discuss it.
"Let me know when the next meet is. I'll come to that, too."
She looked up at him as they were passing another street lamp. Her eyes were dark in the weak light, and her expression was puzzled. "They all look about the same."
"Not showing up to learn more about tae kwon do." It would not be a hardship to get close to Raine Taylor. Her sweater and skinny jeans highlighted all the curves of her body, and his hands itched to explore them. He wanted to make her lose that self-control. He wanted to know what she looked like as she climaxed.
What sounds she made.
They'd reached the parking lot. Her van was the only vehicle there. He walked her to the driver's door, which faced a Little League baseball field. They were hidden from the street and darkness surrounded them. As she lifted her hand to insert the key in the door, he closed his hand around hers.
"I'll be there because I want to see you."
He leaned down slowly, watching her face. Her eyes were glued to his, and her lips were parted. He thought she took a stuttering breath right before he put his mouth on hers.
Chapter 7
Raine's keys slipped out of her hand as Connor bent closer, and her breath caught in her throat when he brushed his mouth over hers. He fumbled for her hand and twined their fingers, and her heart faltered at the sweetness of his gesture.
Maybe he'd been telling the truth. Maybe it wasn't just the case. Maybe he was interested in her.
His hand was hot against hers, and his callused fingertips rasped when he stroked his thumb against the back of her hand. She slid her thumb over his wrist and his pulse thundered beneath her skin.
"Are you going to freak out if I kiss you?" he whispered.
His breath feathered over her skin, warm and fragrant with coffee and tiramisu, and she trembled. "Yes," she breathed.
He cupped her face with his other hand. "Good. Because I'm already freaking out." He leaned closer, and heat from his body licked at her skin like flames. "I want to kiss you, Raine."
She'd edged closer before she realized what she was doing. This was stupid. Dangerous. It put her plans at risk.
In this moment, she couldn't make herself care. She wanted him, too.
His mouth explored hers, nipping at her lower lip, soothing it with his tongue. As he tasted her, he crowded her into her van.
How had she not realized how big he was? How tall and solid and strong? He had to bend to kiss her. His shoulders were wide enough to block out the light from the street lamp. Standing so close, it felt as if he was twice her size.
He was careful, though, not to let any other part of his body touch hers. Maybe he was trying not to alarm her.
Maybe he was trying to drive her crazy. If so, it was working.
She wrapped her arm around his back and pulled him against her. His chest pressed against her already hard nipples, and the sensation shot directly to the heavy, aching place between her legs. His mouth muffled her sharp cry, but his body hardened even more against hers.
She moved one leg between his and pressed against his muscular thigh. Her clit throbbed and her breasts were heavy and swollen. She wanted to wrap herself around him and cling. To let go of everything but Connor.
He teased her lower lip, gliding the tip of his tongue over the sensitive flesh, then sucking gently. He let her lip go with a tiny pop, then whispered, "I've been wondering what you taste like." His low, rough voice made her shiver.
"Honey," he said. His lips touched hers again, as if he needed another taste. "You taste like honey." He slicked his tongue over her upper lip. "Sweet." She trembled against him. "Complex." She bit his lower lip and he murmured against hers. "A little spicy."
Raine's legs shook, and she leaned hard against Connor, unsure if she could hold herself upright. Her movement pressed his thigh against her clit, and she couldn't control the tiny, needy sound. He smiled against her mouth and deepened the kiss.
His tongue danced with hers, stroking its length, curling around it, caressing the sides of her mouth. He retreated to tug at her lower lip, sweeping his tongue along its inner surface. Her head filled with the taste of him, the coffee they'd had, the wine they'd drunk with dinner.
He retreated, and she chased his tongue with hers. She learned the contours of his mouth, the way he gasped when she tangled her tongue with his. The way his body tightened when she touched his chest.
Her whole body ached. Yearned. She needed the calluses of his fingers scraping against her skin. His naked chest against hers, his hair teasing her nipples.
She'd dropped h
is hand, she realized dimly, and her arms were wrapped around him, keeping him tight against her. Their chests, their hips, their thighs were glued together, and every inch of her skin burned.
She slid her hands onto his ass, shaping the hard muscles, enjoying the way he jerked at her touch. Pressing him closer.
Leaving one hand against the rock-hard curve of muscle, she slid the other into his hair. It flowed through her fingers like silk as she cupped his head and held his mouth to hers. The tiny remaining rational part of her brain screamed that she was making out with a cop. That this was a terrible idea. She ignored it.
She fumbled with his shirt, trying to drag it out of his waistband. She needed to feel the heat of his skin and the contours of his muscles.
Then he angled his mouth over hers, taking the kiss deeper, and she gripped his shirt in her fist. She wanted to spend the whole night exploring his mouth, letting her tongue duel with his, learning his taste. She wanted to stand in the dark, held against her van by the press of his body, and kiss him forever.
Apparently he felt the same way. His mouth moved frantically over hers, as if he couldn't get enough of her, either. He yanked her shirt out of her jeans and slid his hand beneath it, and his fingers burned her skin. Branded it. As he trailed his hands over her ribs, moving higher, she held her breath and her breasts tightened in anticipation. When he brushed the lower edge with the side of his hand, she moaned into his mouth.
He cushioned her head with his other hand and pressed her hard against the van. The leisurely exploration of each other's mouths was over. He kissed her deeply, his hips moving against hers in rhythm with his tongue. He closed his hand over her breast, and she shuddered as his fingers scraped over her nipple, shocking even through the thin material of her bra.
She slid her hands beneath his shirt, desperate to touch him. To feel the heat of his skin, the hardness of his muscles. Those muscles quivered as she dragged her fingers lower. Tensed when she went lower still. His hips moved faster against hers, and he shoved her bra up and took her bare breast in his hand.
Trust Me (The Donovan Family Book 4) Page 6
