by Cindi Myers
He took a step back. “I’m really sorry to hear that,” he said. “But why would I know anything about it?”
Was he really as innocent as he looked? “Nothing bad happened to me until that day I was hiking and looked over onto your property and saw those two men, and they saw me,” she said. “Since then, it’s been one horrible thing after another.”
“I can see how the timing seems suspicious to you,” he said. “But from what I know of you and your efforts with the Eagle Mountain environmentalists, I think it’s not unreasonable to believe that you’re a woman who has made enemies in her life. But I’m not one of them.”
Lacy touched her arm. “Maybe we should leave,” she said softly.
“Yes.” Paige walked to her car. Lacy went with her.
“Maybe the best thing to do would be to avoid anyone from CNG until things cool off,” Lacy said. “If they do have something to do with the threats against you, there’s no sense making them angrier.”
Paige nodded. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have taken my anger over all this out on Reed.” She glanced toward the office, but the door was shut now, with no sign of Bryce Reed.
“It’s understandable.” Lacy rubbed her back. “When we get back to the house, why don’t you take a hot bath and try to relax? I’ll find some clothes for you to change into.”
Paige realized the clothes she was wearing smelled of smoke from the fire. A hot bath did sound relaxing, but she didn’t want to go to Lacy’s house—not yet. She pulled her keys from her pocket. “Is it all right with you if I come to the house later?” she asked. “I’d like to drive around for a while—do some thinking and clear my head.”
“Of course,” Lacy said. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?”
“I will. I promise.” She got into the car and waited until Lacy had pulled out of the lot before she drove out behind her. When Lacy turned off toward her parents’ home, Paige kept going, all the way to the motel out by the highway. She drove around the lot until she spotted Rob’s truck; apparently, the fire hadn’t spread to the parking area beside her house and reached his vehicle.
She studied the row of rooms facing the parking area, then slipped her cell phone from her pocket and dialed his number. “Can I come see you?” she asked when he answered.
“Of course,” he said. “Where are you now?”
“I’m right outside.”
She waited, and in a few seconds, the door to one of the rooms opened and he stood there, dressed only in jeans, the phone in one hand. She got out of the car and went to him. When he pulled her into his arms, and into the room, it felt exactly like coming home.
Chapter Twelve
Rob let Paige lead the way, letting her show him what she wanted—what she needed. If she wanted comfort, he would do his best to comfort her. But as she wrapped herself around him and her lips claimed his, he realized she was picking up where they had left off at the B and B—finally letting down her guard and giving in to the passion that had sizzled between them since he had moved in under her roof.
She broke off the kiss and leaned back a little in his arms, her gaze sweeping over him, assessing. “Nice,” she said, the single word sending heat through him. She planted a kiss in the center of his chest, and smoothed her hands over his stomach, stopping at the snap of his jeans. His erection strained against the fly, and when she dragged her nails over it, he shuddered.
Her eyes met his. “I hope you have protection,” she said.
“I do.”
“Oh?” She looked amused. “Awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
He gripped her waist, pulling her tight against him. “Paige, that firebomb wasn’t the only thing burning in your house and you know it.” He slid his hands up to cradle her head. “I’ve wanted you from the first day I saw you, in the hallway at the courthouse.”
She blinked. “I was terrible to you that day. I accused you of not knowing how to do your job.”
“Yeah, and I didn’t like that one bit. But if you could have seen yourself—so beautiful and fierce and doing everything you could to stand up for your brother. I had to admire that.”
“So angry women turn you on?” She slid her hands around to cup his bottom.
“No. But you turn me on.”
“That first day, sex was definitely not on my mind,” she said. “But you’ve grown on me.” She reached down and started to lower his zipper, but he stopped her, then began undoing the buttons of her blouse. He pushed the fabric off her shoulders and paused to admire the full breasts swelling above the lace of her bra before reaching around and unfastening this garment and tossing it aside also.
She gasped when his lips closed over her nipple, and squirmed against him in a way that made his vision momentarily blur. He grasped her hips, stilling her, and transferred his attention to her other breast. At the same time, he lowered the zipper of her skirt and pushed it and her underwear down, until they puddled around her ankles.
He began kissing his way down her body, her skin soft and warm beneath his lips. When he lowered himself and put his mouth over her sex, she cried out and dug her fingers into his shoulders. He closed his eyes and his senses homed in on the taste and scent of her, the feel of her hands on him and his own desire building within him. All he wanted and needed right now was to be here with her, to give her as much pleasure as he was able.
She squirmed against him, her breath coming in gasps. He looked up, transfixed by the passion playing across her face. Being able to make her forget, at least for this little while, her fear and loss made him feel ten feet tall and bulletproof. She was the most precious thing in the world to him in that moment, worth every bit of aggravation she had ever caused him.
She came with a cry of triumph, and he rose to catch her in his arms, gathering her up and carrying her across the room to the bed, where they fell together, entwined.
Paige reveled in the feel of Rob’s body against hers—all warm muscle and masculine strength, his every touch both tender and insistent. They stripped each other of the last of their clothing, and then he fumbled in the plastic shopping bag on the floor beside the bed and came up with a condom packet. Watching him sheathe himself with it left her breathless and trembling, but instead of pushing her down on the bed and kneeling over her, he lay back against the pillows and beckoned to her.
“What do you want?” she asked, grinning.
“The question is, what do you want?” He pulled her up on top of him and looked into her eyes.
She felt stripped of more than clothing beneath that gaze. He made her want a lot of things she had told herself for years that she didn’t really need—companionship, protection, even love.
She kissed him, long and hard, then positioned herself over him and let him fill both her body and her spirit. They moved together, led by instinct and pleasure. They kept their eyes open, watching each other, seeing passion and trust reflected back. Their movements grew faster and more intense, and she felt herself losing control. But instead of holding back, she gave herself up to the moment, and a second, deeper climax overwhelmed her, even as he found his release beneath her.
They clung together for a long time afterward, her head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her, his sex still inside her. Then, with a long sigh, he rolled them to their sides and slid out. He discarded the condom, then lay back down, pulling her to him once more. “I’m glad you came to find me,” he said, stroking her hair. “I wanted to go after you when you left with Lacy.”
“She took me to get my car. Then I told her I needed to drive around and think.”
“And you drove here.” His gaze held the unspoken question—why?
“You’re the person I wanted to be with,” she said. “To tell you the truth, that surprises me—and frustrates me a little, too. I’ve worked so hard to be independent, it’s hard for me to lean on someone else.”
“I’m not going to confine you, Paige,” he said. “I meant it when I said I appreciated how strong you are. I don’t want to change that. But even the strongest nation in the world needs allies. Let me be yours.”
She rested her head on his shoulder again, in that warm hollow where she fitted so perfectly. “I’m happy to have you as my ally,” she said.
His arm tightened around her. “Does it upset you to talk about what happened this afternoon?”
“I think it might help, actually,” she said. “Talking, I mean. Or at least, having you listen.”
“Did you run into any trouble when you went back to CNG’s office?” he asked.
“Bryce Reed came out of his office when Lacy and I showed up to get my car. The mayor was with him.”
“I got the impression the two were pretty cozy on this project,” Rob said.
“Larry still isn’t speaking to me,” she said. “He’s never going to forgive me for opposing the original development. Not that I’m losing sleep over it.”
“What about Reed?” Rob asked. “What did he say?”
“It’s not so much what he said as what I said.” She winced, remembering. “I kind of went off on him. I accused him of knowing something about the fire, and about the men who shot at me. He denied it, of course, and I felt bad afterward.”
Rob massaged her shoulder. “Don’t be so quick to mistrust your instincts,” he said. “I can’t prove Reed had anything to do with what happened today, but I’m going to be watching him closely. Everything seems connected to that property on Dakota Ridge. CNG owns the land, so how could Reed not be aware of what is happening up there?”
“I think I’m going to let you worry about that, while I focus on rebuilding my business.” And my life, she silently added. She kissed his neck and sniffed. “You smell like smoke.”
He kissed the top of her head. “So do you,” he said. “I was getting ready to take a shower when you showed up.”
“A shower sounds good. Is it big enough for two?”
“For two people who really like each other.”
“Then why don’t we give it a try?”
“I like the way you think.”
* * *
PAIGE LEFT ROB’S hotel room well after dark, after she had called Lacy and apologized for being absent so long. Rob hadn’t tried to persuade her to stay, sensing that she wanted a little space between them to think about what had happened. So they’d parted with a kiss and a promise to talk again the next day. He slept fitfully, the smell of her clinging to the sheets and disturbing his dreams. Paige Riddell was a complex woman who promised to complicate his life considerably. But he had been taking the easy road when it came to relationships for all his adult life. Maybe it was time he tried a different, more challenging path.
He rose early, in time to call his Denver office before his boss reported for work. As he had hoped, the admin, Stacy, answered the phone. “Are you calling to tell us you’re cutting your vacation short and coming back to work early?” she asked. “Because we’re swamped.”
“No,” he said. “I’m calling to ask if you can do me a little favor.”
“I thought you were supposed to be fishing,” she said.
“I am—just not always for trout.”
“What do you want me to do?” There was no mistaking the suspicion in her tone.
“I want you to do a little background check on a guy named Bryce Reed. He’s chief financial officer of an outfit called CNG Development.”
“Is this related to a case you’re working on?” she asked.
“Peripherally.”
“Is that a fancy way of saying no?”
“I just want a little history on the guy, and to know if he has a record,” Rob said.
“The boss won’t like it.”
“The boss doesn’t have to know.”
The silence on the other end of the line was so long, he wondered if she had disconnected. But at last she said, “True. As long as you’re on the right side of the law.”
“I promise I’m one of the good guys. And I’ll bring you a box of Godiva chocolates for your trouble.”
She laughed. “I’m not too sure you are a good guy, but I’m not going to pass up good chocolate. I’ll run this guy and let you know what I find.”
“Thanks.”
He ended the call and checked the time—8:45. Too early to call Paige, who had had a rough day yesterday. Too early to drive out to the CNG offices and watch Bryce Reed.
Someone knocked on his hotel room door, and his heart sped up. He hurried to check outside and felt a little foolish when he saw that his visitor wasn’t Paige, but Parker. “How did you know this was my room?” he asked, after he had opened the door.
Parker shrugged. “I saw your truck and figured I’d knock on doors until I found you. It’s not like the motel is that big.”
“What can I do for you?” Rob asked.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.” He stepped aside and the young man moved past him. He sat in one of the two chairs at the small table in front of the window, and Rob sat across from him.
Parker was wearing the same black T-shirt he’d had on the day before, and the same jeans, though he had shaved and smelled of soap.
“Everything go okay with the professor last night?” Rob asked.
“Yeah. He’s cool.” He shifted in his chair and looked around the room—everywhere but at Rob.
“What can I do for you?” Rob asked again.
At last Parker’s gaze met his. “I want to help find out who is doing all this stuff to Paige,” he said.
“How can you help?” Rob asked.
“I don’t know. But two people are better than one, right?” He ran his hand through his short hair. “I just don’t want to stand around doing nothing while someone tries to hurt her again,” he said.
“Any ideas who that someone might be?” Rob asked.
Parker frowned. “I was up on Dakota Ridge again the evening after that day you and Paige and the sheriff saw me.” He held up his hand. “I know I promised I wouldn’t trespass up there again, but this was important. If I was going to find that World War II lab, I had to do it before CNG broke ground on their new research facility. After that, the place will be crawling with construction crews.”
“You were there the evening those two men were killed?” Rob asked. “And you’re just now saying something?”
“I didn’t see anyone killed,” Parker said. “And I don’t know anything about the fire, either. But I did see some strange stuff while I was up there. Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with Paige, but what if it does?”
Rob studied the younger man. Parker’s shoulders were slumped, but his expression was that of a man refusing to accept defeat. “Why come to me instead of the sheriff?” he asked. “I don’t have any official role in this case.”
No fidgeting this time. “You heard the questions Sheriff Walker was asking me yesterday. He already thinks I might have something to do with all of this.”
“I think the sheriff is trying to look at this from all angles and cover all the bases,” Rob said. “He’s being a good cop.”
Parker’s look of disdain said he didn’t believe “good” and “cop” should be used in the same sentence. “You didn’t turn me in to him after you saw me up at Dakota Ridge that day,” he said.
“Maybe I was just trying to impress your sister.”
“I figured that was a given. But you wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened to her.”
Rob definitely hadn’t expected that, and had to resist the urge to ask Parker to elaborate. But now wasn’t the time. “What did you see up on Dakota Ridge?” he asked.
“A helicopter. One of those little ones, like a traffic copter or something. Only this one was very sl
eek and expensive looking. I heard it coming and ducked into some really deep undergrowth. I figured it was a medical chopper, or maybe military, and would fly over. Instead, it landed right there in the middle of what used to be a street. The door opened and these two guys in camo fatigues, with AR-15s, jumped out. Then a man in a business suit followed them.”
Rob sat forward, alert and intrigued. “What did they do?”
“The guys with the guns unloaded a wooden crate from the helicopter, while the guy in the suit watched. There was a pilot, too, but he never got out.”
Paige had mentioned seeing two men carrying a wooden crate that day on the hiking trail. “What did they do with the crate?” Rob asked.
Parker shook his head. “I don’t know. About that time a deer wandered out of the woods. One of the guys with the guns whirled around and fired on it—just about cut it in half. Totally freaked me out. All I wanted to do was get out of there as fast as I could. I crept back in the woods, as quietly as I could. It was probably only five minutes, but it seemed like forever until I was over the fence, and maybe another fifteen before I got to where I had parked my car, in the woods about a quarter mile back toward town.”
“What time was this?” Rob asked.
“It was early. The commissioners’ meeting started at six thirty, and this was before then, but not too far ahead of time—maybe six o’clock.”
“What time did you leave?”
“It was six forty when I got back to my car.”
The fire had been called in at seven thirty. “The crate sounds like the one Paige saw,” Rob said. “Similar, at least. Did you recognize any of the men?”
“No. But I have pictures.” He took his phone from his pocket, swiped through a few screens, then turned it toward Rob. “I was back in the woods a ways, and I was so nervous I was shaking, but maybe if you blow them up or work some magic in a photo lab...”
Rob stared at the blurry photograph of two men in fatigues and one in a suit, standing by a helicopter. Their faces were too indistinct to make out.
“There’s more, if you want to flip through,” Parker said.
