It suddenly occurred to her that she’d seen nothing womanly in Ryder’s bedroom. No makeup or perfumes on the dresser. For that matter, no second chest of drawers or pictures of him and Melissa as a couple. “They’re not an item, strange as it might seem.”
Maggie shook her head and her eyebrows rose in disbelief. “And you know this because—”
“I saw his bedroom and—”
“His bedroom? Tell me you didn’t, Di! You slept with a suspect?” Maggie nearly screeched as she rose out of her chair and paced the small confines of Diana’s office. She whirled and faced Diana after a few steps. “Do you realize how much trouble you could get into? How this could impact your career?”
Diana appreciated her friend’s concern, but it was misplaced. “We ruled him out as a suspect after the last murder. There was nothing stopping us—”
“Except common sense. What were you thinking?”
Diana shook her head. “I wasn’t. I was feeling. I was needy like I never have been before, Maggie.”
Maggie ran a hand through her long auburn hair, took a deep breath and held it before finally saying, “Neediness makes you weak. Ever since your dad—”
“My dad has nothing to do with this.” Diana did not like where this conversation was going.
Maggie reached out and laid her hand over Diana’s as it rested on the desk. “It has everything to do with him. You’re afraid of loving anyone else because you’re afraid he’ll leave you, just like your dad did.”
Diana shook her head. “That’s not it.”
“Isn’t it? Isn’t it part of the reason you chose someone so unacceptable—because it gives you an immediate excuse to back out if it gets serious? To run away—”
“I’m not running away from anything, especially Ryder.”
Maggie’s gaze narrowed. “This is me you’re talking to, Di. We’ve known each other for six years. We’ve nursed each other through a lot of things, so—”
“Now you’re an expert on what makes me tick?”
“We’ve talked about how there’s a part of you that’s felt lost since your dad passed away. It’s what drove you before and now—”
“It has nothing to do with now,” Diana repeated, and pulled her hand away from Maggie’s. “Ryder is attractive and intriguing.”
“And wrong, isn’t he? David says there’s something not right about Latimer. He’s afraid of what’s going on with you two,” Maggie confided, clearly uneasy about discussing David’s concerns.
“I know David doesn’t like him, which begs the question of just when the two of you discussed it. Is there something I should know?” she asked, trying to shift the conversation to a different subject.
Maggie shrugged and again crossed her legs. She tried to adopt a relaxed pose, but it was obvious she was nervous.
“Well, Maggie? Are you and David—”
“Involved?” Maggie finished, one eyebrow raised to emphasize the point. She shrugged and replied, “We’ve had lunch a couple of times. Just lunch.”
Just lunch was the problem, Diana realized. Her friend wanted more from Diana’s too-logical, too-responsible partner. But Maggie knew that right now David didn’t have the time to spare for a relationship. “He’s been busy with this case. I’m sure when it’s over—”
“It’ll be something else.” Maggie sighed with disgust and pointed an almost accusatory finger at Diana. “You know there’s a reason you law enforcement types have such high divorce rates.”
Diana laughed at her normally unflappable friend’s pique. Mimicking her, she pointed a finger back and said, “The key word in that is divorce, which begs the question of how we get married in the first place.”
They both laughed at that, and Maggie seemed to relax a little. “Okay, so could you maybe hint to your partner that dinner might be nice. When he’s free, of course.”
Diana nodded and rose. “You know I appreciate your concern, even if it’s misplaced.”
Maggie stood and gave Diana a hug. “Watch your back, amiga. And do me a favor,” Maggie said as she walked to the door.
“Talk to David and—”
“Nope. Watch your heart even more closely.”
The headache that had been with her since that morning grew in intensity as she, Peter Daly and David lingered in the squad room, discussing their plan of action for the next day. They were in agreement about how to run the surveillance: someone had to talk to Ryder.
“Do you want me to go see him?” David asked, sensing her unease.
Diana shook her head. “No. I’ve been the main contact. It’s up to me to talk to him.”
“I could go with you for moral support.”
Diana shot him an annoyed look as Peter glanced from one to the other. “Is there something I should know about? Ryder giving you problems?”
“Nothing I can’t deal with.” Diana glared at her partner as if daring David to contradict her in front of the other cop.
David, it seemed, knew better than to incur her wrath. He held up his hands. “You going to see him tonight?”
“I think that would be best.” They needed the info right away if their guess about when the killer would strike was right. She couldn’t rest if she didn’t have an answer from Ryder about the missing bouncer and any possible criminal activity at the club. And, of course, about Melissa. She needed Ryder’s confirmation there was nothing going on that would keep them from sharing a bed for more than just an hour so she might get some sleep in between bouts of…Heat raced to her cheeks. She murmured a hasty goodbye to her two colleagues and headed to her office to make the call.
Ryder had instructed her to phone as soon as she arrived at The Lair and within minutes he was at the door of the club. As soon as he had closed it behind them, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.
She backed away. “Ryder, this is a business call.”
He let out a harsh laugh and motioned for her to head into his office. The club was pitch black, and she struggled to find her way in the dim light. As a concession, she allowed Ryder to place his hand on the small of her back to guide her to the opposite wall. She walked with one hand outstretched to avoid bumping into anything and wondered how Ryder could make his way.
Of course, he probably had been doing this for years and was familiar with the layout. At the far wall, he reached past her and opened the door leading to the inner workings of the club. Light spilled in from the hall, and she walked to his office.
Ryder followed behind her, a grim set to his features, and, once in his office, he headed straight to his desk and offered her the guest chair. The large expanse of fine mahogany established a physical distance between them to match the one created by her earlier rebuke. “Special Agent in Charge Reyes, what can I help you with tonight?”
She deserved the deep freeze, but she wasn’t about to let him dissuade her from the business at hand. Explaining about the two employees, she waited for Ryder to provide additional information.
“My bartender will do anything, anywhere, with anyone. Greg takes pride in it and doesn’t like to be interrupted. The fact that you can’t reach him doesn’t surprise me. He’ll be here tomorrow.” Ryder rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and adopted a slouch as he looked at her over steepled fingers.
“You sure about that?” She needed answers to all of the questions rattling around in her head.
“Greg rarely doesn’t show, and when he can’t make it, he calls so I can get another bartender. So far, he hasn’t called.”
“Your bouncer—Doug Baker. He’s had problems in the past. Rumor has it he may be dealing again—”
“Rumor’s wrong. Doug promised me—”
“Rumor has it you regularly meet people down in the alley. You have fancy digs that need money for upkeep. I wonder if the meetings have anything to do with that.” If it was possible, his face grew even stonier. His eyes glittered with a hardness she hadn’t thought possible.
“You can as
k this after—”
“Maybe last night was a way to throw me. I know you didn’t kill those girls, but maybe you need to keep me from learning what’s going on in the alley.”
“If you believe that I feel sorry for you,” he replied icily.
She picked up her chin. “Why?”
Ryder laughed again, rose from his chair and stood before her. He cradled her cheek, and she flinched. His touch held none of the tenderness of the night before. “Because only a coldhearted witch could fail to see that what happened last night was magical.”
She turned away from him, unable to answer. She couldn’t let him know how much it had meant to her, but she was afraid that if she denied it, she would be the coldhearted witch he had accused her of being. Ryder wasn’t going to let her go without an answer.
He knelt before her and applied gentle pressure to her cheek until she faced him. “The woman I held in my arms last night was anything but cold. She had a passion and fire that touched me deep inside.” With his free hand, he grasped her hand and brought it to his heart. “It made me feel again, in here, after years of thinking I didn’t have anything left.”
“Ryder, please. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.” He was melting her will and exposing the neediness she had confided to Maggie earlier.
“Are you going to find reasons to push me away? To hide from me, Diana?” he pressed.
“This,” she said, and motioned to the both of them with her hand, “is crazy. It’s wrong—”
“Is it, now?” he said with a hint of teasing in his voice. He moved closer and brushed his lips against hers as he whispered, “If it feels as good as this, how could it be wrong?”
She wanted to challenge him. Deny what she was feeling, but it was impossible when the press of his lips urged her to return his kiss. When the gentle swipe of his tongue begged for entrance. He tasted so good, just Ryder and the slight bite of the whiskey he must have been drinking before her arrival.
Murmuring a protest, she pulled away slightly and tried to continue with her questioning. “What do you do in the alley, Ryder?”
Ryder shifted his lips to her jaw, dropped little kisses along the line of it. He paused by her ear to whisper, “Nothing illegal or immoral, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Diana sucked in a breath as he nuzzled her neck and laid kiss after kiss down the length of it. She was losing perspective and needed to regain it, and quickly. Tugging at the longish hair at the nape of his neck, she slipped out of the chair as he shifted away and stood. When he rose and took a step toward her, she raised her hand to stop him. “Business, remember. Do you meet Doug to deal drugs?”
He moved toward her, like an animal stalking its prey. “I’ve already told you, it’s nothing you need to worry about. And as far as I know, Doug isn’t dealing anymore. He probably ran because he’s scared.”
Diana nodded. “Does he trust you?”
Ryder came a step nearer. “Why shouldn’t he?”
Diana inched back, slowly working her way to the door. “Call him and explain. Tell him we want to ask about the killings and nothing else. Tell him he’s not a suspect.”
“Done,” he replied quickly, and advanced on her but she couldn’t avoid that final question. “Why do you meet Melissa in the alley?”
“No reason that concerns you.”
“You live with her.”
“She shares my apartment. There’s only one person I want to share my bed.” He took another stride her way, forcing her against the wall by his door.
Diana had few choices: face him, face her fears, or run. She chose to run. “Don’t do this, Ryder, or—”
“Or what? You’ll kick my ass…again?” He tenderly ran his thumb across her lips. “Do you think that will prove you have control?”
“I have no control when it comes to you,” she confessed. She could try to convince herself otherwise, but she knew she’d be lying.
Ryder laid his fingertips against her mouth and softly traced the shape of her lips as he said, “Do you think you’re the only one with that problem? Don’t you know that I’ve thought about what we did and wondered if it made sense to continue this?”
“Why wouldn’t you want to?” she asked, a little confused and offended that he would hesitate, even though she was prepared to run.
Ryder noted the kaleidoscope of emotions that moved across her face. “Why? Do you think I want the FBI meddling in my life, even if I am totally aboveboard? Do you think I like the power you have over me, both physically and emotionally?”
Surprise registered on her face and she shrugged. “If it balances things out, I’ve asked myself why I let you charm me—”
“I wouldn’t use the word charm. Charm doesn’t usually involve bruises.” He rubbed at a tender spot on his ribs from the rough play of the night before.
“More reason I should leave. Before I really hurt you.” She lifted her chin a notch.
“Too late, darlin’. You’ve wounded me to the quick.” He was already damned.
“Ryder, I should—”
“Leave,” he finished, but gave her no opportunity to run, moving his hand quickly to the nape of her neck to hold her in place while he took her mouth with his lips.
She murmured a halfhearted protest, but he was not dissuaded. As he continued to kiss her, she relented and gave herself over to him. He moved his mouth against hers, savoring the warmth and softness of her lips and the slight catch in her breath that let him slip inside and experience the flavors of her. He eased his arms around her waist, entrapping her as the kiss went on and on, growing deeper and more intense with each passing moment until he needed more. Until kissing wasn’t enough.
He slipped one hand beneath the edge of her skirt while he pressed her tight against him with the other hand. Her stocking was slick beneath his palm. Until the edge of it gave way to the silky smoothness of her skin. He grinned. “Does every FBI agent wear these beneath her very proper suit?”
Diana retaliated with a quick bite to his lower lip that she then laved with her tongue. “What do you think?” She met his gaze and gave him a saucy grin.
He shifted his hand past the thigh-high stocking to the minuscule scrap of panties she wore, his mind working overtime as he imagined what that tiny piece of lingerie looked like. He hardened and barely stifled a groan as she cupped him through the fabric of his pants. “Someone better help me, ’cause I can’t get enough of you.”
Diana couldn’t get enough of him, either. When he slipped his hand beneath the edge of her underwear, she opened her mouth on his, encouraging him to continue even though she should be putting a stop to this. Everything about them together was…
She groaned as he parted her, finding her center and stroking it with a finger. Her breath hitched in her chest as he eased first one finger and then a second into her and moved them, building the pressure and making her needy to have him there.
Still, she gave one last shot at preserving what little sanity she had left. “We need to stop,” she said, even as she returned his kisses, unzipped his pants and freed him.
His breathing was rough against her face as he leaned his forehead against hers and glanced down to watch her surround him with her hand. “You only want to convince yourself that this is no good.”
“It isn’t,” she replied between shaky breaths. “I can’t control myself around you. That isn’t good.” But she helped him undo the buttons on her shirt and part the fabric, exposing the lacy bra beneath.
Ryder could barely think, his mind whirling with the feel of her beneath his fingers, warm and wet. Ready for him. And the sight of her breasts covered by the barest of taupe-colored lace, her dark coral nipples visible beneath the sheer fabric. His mouth watered, wanting to taste them. He reached up with his hand and undid the front clasp of her bra. Her breasts spilled free.
“Ryder.”
He didn’t know if his name was a plea for him to continue or to stop. He made a judgment cal
l. Bringing his hands beneath her buttocks, he applied slight pressure and she eased up, encircled his waist with her legs and guided him into her.
Ryder sucked in a breath as she surrounded him and he lost the last dregs of reason.
He leaned her against the wall and slowly shifted in and out of her. Needing to taste more, he bent his head and suckled one nipple and then the other, thinking no fruit had ever been as sweet.
She clasped his head tight to her chest and moved her hips, increasing his penetration. The warmth of her began a corresponding heat in his body. A heat that sizzled beneath his skin, awakening the barely leashed animal inside. An animal that knew there was little tenderness in this mating. There was just raw, driving need that made him thrust into her powerfully, seeking release. Seeking something more.
Diana welcomed the harsh movements of his hips driving her closer and closer to the edge. She held his head tight to her breasts as his mouth pulled at her nipples. And when he bit her gently, she cried out.
His head shot up, and there was something in his gaze she had not seen before. Something hard and dark and…exciting. Something she couldn’t deny any more than she had denied the demon in her dreams. “Come with me, Ryder. Love me.”
He closed his eyes and drove into her more forcefully. His thrusts sent waves of pleasure rippling through her, and she moaned, clasping him close.
Ryder was lost in the demand of their bodies. The beast in him savored the smells and sounds and tastes of their passion. He sniffed the air, running his hands along the small of her back. The heat of her overwhelmed him now as he moved within her. He struggled to rein in the animal, but it was a losing battle.
He bent his head and licked the tender spot between her neck and shoulder as his fangs erupted from his mouth. He grazed them against her skin and she held him close, cradling the back of his head. The smell of her arousal was a powerful call, and as she neared the edge of her release, it urged him on.
He buried his face against her neck, sucking at the saltiness of her skin and sensing the pounding beat of her pulse beneath his lips.
Darkness Calls Page 15
