by Kat Martin
Gray slowly shook his head, wondering how he’d been so blind. “My father warned me that I needed to think before acting. Or in this case, before leaping to conclusions.”
She reached to place her hand on his chest, her expression one of sympathy.
“It would probably be best to sit down and talk to her. Communication is the only way to have a healthy relationship. I learned that too late.”
“You’re right, Mel.” He pressed his hand over hers, rejoicing in the feel of her touch. It’d been so long. Too long. “I’ve never found it easy to discuss my emotions or what’s in my heart. I just assume I know what other people are feeling and that they know what’s going on with me.” He allowed his other hand to settle at the base of her spine, gently urging her toward him. “A mistake I’m not going to make again.”
For a blissful second, she snuggled against him. Gray groaned at the sensation of her soft warmth. This was what he’d dreamed of, night after long night. Breathing deeply of her bewitching scent, Gray lowered his head.
He had to taste her . . .
When he was a breath away from her lips, Mel abruptly panicked. Shoving her hands against his chest, she broke away from his light grasp.
“We should go back.”
Gray felt a sharp pang of rejection as Mel turned to hurry back up the path. He logically knew he had to be patient, but his heart was desperate to wrap her in his arms and kiss her until she couldn’t remember that she wanted to run away from him.
Then his disappointment was replaced with concern as he watched her foot catch on a loose rock and she pitched to the side.
“Mel,” he called out, leaping forward.
He managed to wrap his arm around her waist, but as she knocked into him, he lost his balance. Locked together, they tumbled to the ground, rolling down the steep incline to land in the bottom of a deep ditch.
Chapter Eight
Mel wasn’t hurt. Her breath had been knocked from her lungs, and she had a few scrapes and bruises. Her pride had taken the greatest injury.
She’d acted like a nervous schoolgirl, running away from Gray. Now, she was lying flat on her back, covered in dust, with the large man perched on top of her. No doubt it served her right, but that didn’t lessen her embarrassment.
Gray gazed down at her in concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
His brows drew together, something that might have been pain darkening his eyes to a smoky gray.
“You don’t have to break your neck trying to get away from me, Mel,” he said in a husky voice. “If your feelings for me are gone, I understand. It’s no one’s fault but my own. I promise I won’t say another word.”
Mel’s embarrassment started to fade, slowly replaced by a far more dangerous emotion.
“It’s not that,” she rasped as a potent, ruthless desire spread through her.
She felt his muscles clench, almost as if he was expecting a physical blow.
“Mel?”
She didn’t want to admit the truth. It exposed a part of her that she preferred to keep hidden. But she’d just lectured Gray on the importance of honest communication.
“I don’t trust you not to hurt me again,” she forced herself to confess.
Regret softened his chiseled features. “I’m sorry. So sorry.” He lowered his head, lightly pressing his lips against her mouth. “I was an idiot,” he breathed. “Is there any way you can ever forgive me?”
A sweet, sensual pleasure swirled through her. Warm and familiar and utterly addictive. This was what she feared. Her aching, soul-deep need for this man. It’d nearly broken her when he’d left. Could she survive if he abandoned her again?
“I don’t know,” she admitted with blunt honesty.
“Oh, Mel.” His lips skimmed over her cheek, his touch light. As if assuring her that she could push him away at any second. “I’ve never forgotten how soft your skin feels beneath my fingertips.” He nibbled the edge of her mouth. “Or the sweet temptation of your lips.”
Mel shivered, her body instinctively softening beneath his solid weight. It felt so good to have him pressing her against the cool earth, his warm scent teasing her senses even as his tongue traced her lower lip.
“Gray.” Her hands lifted to rest against his wide chest. Instantly she was blasted with memories of the nights she’d spent exploring those hard, sculpted muscles. First with her fingers, and then with her mouth.
“Yes?” he murmured, sweeping his lips down the line of her jaw.
“This is crazy,” she muttered.
He lifted his head, staring down at her with eyes darkened by a fierce hunger that echoed deep inside her.
“No, the past two years were crazy,” he said, his voice harsh. “This is . . .” His head once again swooped down to claim her mouth with a demanding kiss. “This is salvation.”
Passion ricocheted through her. “It doesn’t feel like salvation,” she muttered.
“What does it feel like?”
Mel gasped, as if the air had been knocked from her lungs as Gray’s lips found the pulse at the base of her throat. Only this man could make her head spin and her heart race with his kiss.
“It feels like danger,” she admitted.
He lifted his head, allowing his smoky gaze to glide over her with a warm caress.
“I know it will take time to believe in me again, Mel,” he said, his expression somber. “But I swear I’m prepared to do whatever is necessary to earn your trust.”
She licked her lips, trying to clear her thoughts. Her body hummed with hunger, and desire pulsed between them, battering through the barriers she struggled to build around her heart.
“And after you’ve exposed the dirty cop?” she demanded. “Will you return to Spokane?”
His gaze lingered on her mouth, as if searching for inspiration.
“I’m not running this time,” he assured her, reaching out to grasp the hem of her sweatshirt. “I’m staying in Seattle to fight for my family. My mother, Jarod and Tori, along with their little one.” He deliberately paused. “And you.”
Mel shivered as he slowly tugged the thick fabric upward. She told herself to push him away. She was still mad at being abandoned. Wasn’t she?
Instead she lay there in silent approval, allowing him to peel the shirt off of her before he gently tucked it beneath her head.
“Gray . . .”
Her words trailed away as his fingers nimbly managed to unhook her bra.
The lacy undergarment disappeared as he smiled down at her with a smoldering anticipation.
“Yes?”
“What if someone is walking on the pathway?”
“Don’t worry,” he assured her in low tones. “This is part of my mother’s property. If anyone tries to pass through the fencing, it will set off an alarm.”
He stroked his fingers through her hair before they traced the shell of her ear and skimmed down her throat. A moan of sheer pleasure was wrenched from her lips. His smile widened as Gray lowered his head to trail a scorching path of kisses over her forehead.
“Wait,” she breathed, trembling with an odd combination of alarm and intense yearning.
“What’s wrong?”
She hesitated. She didn’t know. Nothing felt wrong. In fact, it all felt gloriously perfect.
Still, there was a small, stubborn part of her that insisted she give some excuse.
“This is going so fast.”
His gaze scorched over her; then he bent forward and allowed his lips to press against her furrowed brow.
“We can take this as slow as you want,” he promised, moving his lips to nuzzle against the tender skin of her temple.
Her hands slid beneath his shirt, no longer able to resist the temptation.
A sinfully delicious excitement curled through her stomach as her fingers explored the bare skin of his chest before moving down the hard planes of his stomach. By the time she reached the waistband of his sweats she could feel the th
ick length of his erection pressing against her.
“Maybe not too slow,” she managed to acknowledge, digging her nails into his skin as his lips found a tender spot just below her ear.
“Not too fast, not too slow,” he murmured, his voice amused as his hands cupped her breasts. “Just right.”
A raw, earthy bliss shuddered through her as his fingers stroked over the tips of her tightened nipples.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she moaned.
“Me either,” he admitted, his lips stroking down her throat. “I’ve dreamed of this so many nights, I’m afraid I’m going to wake and discover you’re nothing more than a figment of my imagination.”
She didn’t feel like a figment.
Just the opposite. For the first time in two years she felt vividly alive as a rush of sensations cascaded through her. His lips paused over the pulse hammering at the base of her throat and her back arched as need created a damp yearning between her legs.
Overhead the sun peaked through the thick foliage, but they were hidden in the soft violet shadows of the forest floor. Mel released her reservations and allowed herself to be swept from her mundane world to a place of crisp, cedar-scented magic.
“And in your dreams did I tell you that you were a jerk for leaving Seattle?” she teased.
His chuckle was low and sinful. “Yes.” His lips traveled downward, tracing the upper curve of her breasts. “And it wasn’t until I swore that I would devote myself to your eternal happiness that you allowed me to hold you in my arms.” His fingers skimmed down the curve of her body.
A sigh escaped her parted lips. Desire continued to thunder through her, but it was more than mere lust. It was tangled with emotions that had never truly died.
His lips brushed the tip of her breast and Mel groaned. Oh yes. She felt as if she was melting from the inside out.
Her hands glided over his shoulders around his neck; then her fingers tangled in the silk of his chestnut hair.
Anticipation heated her blood, searing away the fear that had guarded her heart for so long.
* * *
Gray lifted his head to gaze down at the woman lying beneath him. Surrounded by the beauty of nature, she looked even more like a pixie. A delicate woodland creature who might disappear in a puff of smoke.
A growl rumbled in his throat as his hungry gaze slid over the soft swell of her breasts. He needed more. He needed to have her completely naked in his arms.
With more haste than skill, Gray rolled to the side, shedding his clothes. He took a second to grab his wallet from the pocket of his sweats and pulled out a condom that he quickly slid onto his aching erection. Then, with the same haste, he disposed of Mel’s clothing.
It wasn’t that he feared she would change her mind. The last thing he would want was for her to make love if she wasn’t absolutely ready. But he hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d claimed that this woman had haunted his dreams for two years.
His body was clenched with a need that was painful.
Stroking his fingers over her cheek, he gazed down at her with blatant hunger.
“Are you ready?” he asked in a low voice.
She quivered, a flush of arousal staining her cheeks. “For longer than I want to admit.”
He lowered his head, brushing a kiss over her mouth. “I’ve missed you, Mel,” he murmured. “Your taste.” He swept his lips over her cheek, savoring the heat of her skin. “Your passion.”
Allowing his fingers to slide over her body, Gray caressed the soft skin of her inner thigh. At the same time, he kissed a path to the tip of her hardened nipple and captured it between his teeth. He relished the sound of her soft pants filling the air.
Such sweet music.
He feathered his fingers up her inner thigh, heading for his prize. “Is this still too fast?”
She shivered, her hands running an impatient path down his back.
“It’s just . . .” Her breath caught as his finger dipped through the moist cleft between her legs. “Oh.”
He laughed, using the tip of his tongue to tease her nipple, at the same time sliding his finger into the welcome heat of her body.
“It’s just what?” he teased.
“Too slow,” she told him in a voice thick with need.
“But don’t they say that good things come to those who—”
He forgot what he was going to say as Mel reached to wrap her fingers around his arousal.
“Were you going to suggest that we wait?” It was her turn to tease as she explored him with a light grip.
“Nope, you were right.” Gray settled between her legs and entered her with one deep thrust. “Too slow.”
A sigh of ecstasy was wrenched from his throat. She was tight, her sweet heat fitting around him like a glove.
Paradise.
He forgot the reason they were hiding in the mountains, and the danger that lurked in the distance. Nothing mattered but the exquisite sensations that jolted through him as he pulled back his hips and plunged into her slick warmth.
Gray nipped at her lower lip. She tasted of spring air and wildflowers. His woodland pixie.
Awed by the intensity of the sensations that shuddered through his body with every thrust, Gray was vividly conscious of the sounds of Mel’s soft moans. He’d promised to devote himself to her happiness. Which meant ensuring that she reached her climax first.
Framing her face in his hands, he sought her mouth as he kept his pace slow and steady. She returned his kiss, her body arching as she neared her release.
“Gray,” she whispered.
“I’ve got you,” he muttered in thick tones. “And I’m never letting go.”
Increasing his pace, Gray urged her legs to wrap around his hips. He heard her gasp in startled joy, and he clenched his teeth, his hips surging until he was buried deep inside her.
The world seemed to shift beneath them as a shattering climax slammed through him.
Chapter Nine
Wrapped tightly in Gray’s arms, Mel tried to gather her dazed thoughts. A task that would have been easier if his lips weren’t still brushing soft kisses over her heated cheeks and his fingers trailing up and down the curve of her back.
She felt as if she’d been shattered into a thousand pieces by the intensity of her emotions. And she wasn’t entirely certain she’d ever pull herself together again.
The disturbing thought sent a tiny shiver down her spine. Instantly, Gray sat up and studied her with a worried expression.
“You’re cold,” he murmured, quickly helping her to pull on her sweats and shoes.
Mel didn’t correct him, as she covertly watched him tug his clothes over the hard temptation of his body. She needed time to process what had just occurred between them. And what it meant to her future.
Once they were both dressed, Gray reached to grasp her hand, sending her a wry smile as he plucked a cedar needle from her hair.
“I’ve really got to work on my timing,” he teased. “I can’t seem to get it right around you. Probably because you make me a little crazy.”
She sent him a stern glance. “We need to concentrate on who’s threatening Donny.”
The silver eyes sparkled with wicked humor. “I can multitask.”
Mel’s heart skipped. Or maybe it fluttered. Hard to tell the difference. And she found herself longing to lean against his side as they walked up the pathway. As if she couldn’t get close enough to him.
Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
Once they returned to the house, Gray moved straight to the office, where there were stacks of paper waiting for them on the printer.
Gray carried the pile to the desk and sorted the pages into those pertaining to Kevin the Hammer or his brother Manny.
“How can I help?” Mel demanded, feeling the need to keep her mind occupied.
“I want to read through the rap sheets and make notes of arresting officers, and any deals with prosecutors that might have lessened their s
entence,” he said as he motioned for her to take the leather desk chair. He walked to grab another seat from a corner.
Mel sat and started skimming through Manny’s rap sheet. Her brows lifted in surprise.
“Good grief,” she muttered. “They must have been arrested a hundred times.”
“Close,” Gray agreed, settling beside her to examine Hammer’s endless sheets of paper. “It looks like most of them are petty thefts or disturbing the peace.” His brow furrowed as he shuffled toward the bottom of the stack. “It wasn’t until they were picked up in a drug bust at a local crack house that they served more than a few weeks in jail.” He continued reading through the file until he reached the last page. “Hmm.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t have access to any juvenile files, but from the day Hammer turned eighteen he was arrested on a regular basis,” Gray said. “At least once or twice a month. Then, for the past three years he has nothing in his record.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Not even a speeding ticket.”
She considered the various possibilities. “Could he have been in jail?” she at last asked.
“No. His last incarceration was four years ago for possession with intent to sell.”
“That means he went straight. Or . . .”
“Or someone is protecting him.” Gray completed her thought. He nodded toward her stack of papers. “What about Manny?”
Mel shuffled to the bottom page. “The same. No arrests for over three years.”
He frowned. “Who was the last cop to pick him up?”
It took a minute for her to find the officer listed among the information crammed onto the forms.
“Rick Houseman,” she read aloud. “Do you know him?”
“The name is familiar.” Gray hesitated, as if silently testing the name to stir a memory. Then he made a sound of impatience. “No. He couldn’t be involved. I remember he retired before I left Seattle and moved to Florida.” Gray muttered a soft curse. “Whoever the cops are, they made sure that there was no way to trace the Hamil brothers to them.”
Mel shared his frustration. “What do we do now?”
