Wilde for Her (A Wilde Security Novel) (Entangled Brazen)

by Burrows, Tonya

  Eva returned with the handcuffs, handed them over, then pulled her gun from her waistband and pointed it at the back of Preston’s head. “Don’t fucking move.” To Cam, “I called this in.”

  “All right.” He snapped the cuffs around Preston’s wrists, but kept the majority of his weight on the man as he finally looked up at Eva. She had a decent gash in the side of her neck. Wasn’t deep enough to be life-threatening, but she was bleeding down the front of her soaked T-shirt. Her chest heaved, her entire body trembled, but she still managed to hold the gun steady.

  She noticed him checking her over and her eyes softened. “I’m okay, Cam.”

  Yeah. His strong, capable Eva—of course she was okay. Or at least she would be once she got that wound treated. He drummed up a smile. “Nice moves. Recognized that leg trick.”

  “You should. I’ve taken you down with it enough.”

  “Got it figured out now. You won’t get me next time.”

  As sirens drew closer outside, she grinned at him. “Wanna bet?”

  Chapter Twenty-six

  “Lark’s missing.”

  Eva released a pent up breath and wrapped her cold hands around the coffee Cam set on the desk in front of her. After giving her statement, she’d taken a hot shower in the police department’s locker room and changed into a fresh pair of clothes she kept in her locker, but she still couldn’t shake the cold numbing her to the center of her being. The news only deepened the icy feeling, making her shiver even though it wasn’t completely unexpected. She’d sent officers to Lark’s home as soon as they had Preston in custody. “I was afraid of that.”

  Cam propped a hip on the edge of the desk, just like the old days when they had discussed cases late into the night. “The going theory is Preston killed her when she rejected him for Vaughn, but there’s no sign of blood in her apartment. No body. He won’t say what he did with her.”

  “I saw her at the hospital yesterday afternoon.” And suddenly, that encounter made a whole lot more sense. She’d gone to see Vaughn, which explained why she was so confused when Eva spoke about him as if he was Cam. “Does Vaughn know?”

  “Yeah.” He scrubbed his face with both hands. “He didn’t take it well. He cared about her, more than I’ve seen him care about any of the women he’s dated.”

  “I had no idea they were even together until Preston told me. Except, he thought Vaughn was you.”

  “Nobody knew. They kept it secret, but it started in Key West.”

  She nodded, so weighted down by exhaustion even that small action was a chore. “And Preston lost his mind when she dumped him for another Wilde.”

  Cam hesitated. He tried to cover by taking a drink of his own coffee, but she knew him, inside and out. She glared at him. “What?”

  Sighing, he set his mug aside. “Preston didn’t lose his mind in Key West. That’s just when he fixated on killing me and started using his political affiliations to track down people I’d arrested who held grudges. Except he made a big mistake by approaching Soup. Yeah, I arrested Soup once, and we had a rocky start to our acquaintance, but he liked me, considered me a friend. Friendship is something beyond Preston’s understanding.”

  Eva nodded, knowing he spoke the truth. But if he was aiming to comfort her, he failed. She didn’t feel any freaking better about the whole thing. “You’re stalling. How do you know Preston didn’t snap in Key West?”

  “He’s doing a lot of talking in there.” With a tilt of his head, Cam indicated the interrogation room, where Miguel and another detective were interviewing Preston. “It all still has to be substantiated, but he’s confessed to killing at least three women, starting as far back as his first girlfriend in high school. He doesn’t take rejection well.”

  She shivered harder. Oh, God, how could she have known him for five years, dated him for two, and not once suspected…

  Dammit, she should have seen something. As a cop, her job was to protect the innocent, and instead, she’d literally been in bed with one of the bad guys. Sickness roiled in her stomach, and she feared she might throw up the little bit of coffee she’d drank. She clamped her jaw shut and fought to rein in all of her bodily reactions. She had to maintain control. She was too close to an emotional cliff, and if she let go of the reins on her emotions, she’d tremble over the edge.

  Cam growled and stood, pulling her to her feet and tucking her against his chest. “Goddamn you, Eva. You don’t have to be strong right now. Nobody fucking expects that of you except yourself. Let go. Break down. Get it out of your system.”

  She balled her fists in his shirt, but didn’t lift her face from the crook of his neck. “If I start, I won’t stop.”

  “Then don’t.” His hand caressed the back of her head, tangled in the strands of her hair, and pulled gently until she had to meet his gaze. “I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

  As she stared up into the serious blue of his eyes, she saw the truth of his words. From that first day when he leaned across this very aisle and offered her a carrot stick, he’d had her back, saved her ass, and had just been there for her.

  She could let go because Cam would always be there to catch her and set her back on her feet, no matter how far she fell.

  Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned into his strength and let the tears come.

  …

  Eva’s tears destroyed him, but he held her through it, wishing he could absorb her pain, until she finally cried herself into exhaustion. Then he bundled her into the Hummer and drove her home—his home, where she belonged. She moved like a zombie, silent, unblinking, and unconcerned of her surroundings as he led her up the steps to his condo. Fearing she might collapse, he scooped her into his arms the moment the door shut out the cold behind them. The fact she allowed it without protest worried the hell outta him, and he double-timed it to his bedroom.

  He pulled back the sheets and gently laid her on the mattress, unsurprised to see her already out cold. Couldn’t blame her. The night had packed a huge wallop—both physical and emotional. At very least, she needed a solid night’s sleep.

  He stripped out of his clothes and slid into bed beside her, tucked her in against his chest. She sighed and nuzzled closer in her sleep. His muscles loosened, his heart beat easier, his lungs expanded for what felt like the first time since walking into her house and seeing that knife held to her throat.

  She was safe. In his arms and safe. And fuck their friends-with-benefits arrangement with all its rules, he was never letting her go again.

  …

  Eva woke nestled in bed with Cam’s even, sleeping breaths rustling her hair. For several disorientated moments, she couldn’t remember how she end up here, but didn’t care all that much because his arms were warm around her, his heartbeat comforting under her ear.

  Then, as the fuzziness of sleep cleared, memories of last night seeped back. She reached up and traced the edge of the bandage on her neck. Yes, the whole thing had been real. Damn. She kind of hoped it had all been a terrifying dream.

  The movement woke Cam, and his arms tightened around her. She smiled into his neck. “Your shoulder’s gotta be asleep by now.”

  “Yup,” he agreed but made no move to release her.

  “Why don’t you let me go?”

  In a surge of movement, he changed positions and tucked her underneath him, his thighs trapping hers. “Never,” he said and dipped his head.

  His lips, gentle on hers, stirred up a hot need low in her belly. She threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged him down, demanding more. He indulged her, treating her to lingering kisses that stoked the fire burning within her.

  Christ, she’d missed him.

  His big hand traced the outline of her body, found the edge of her shirt, and pushed it up, exposing her bare skin. He broke away from her lips and slid lower, trailing kisses down her body. She arched toward his mouth and felt his lips curve as he nuzzled her lower belly.

  “Still want that cookie
cutter family?” he asked, working his way down her body. “Two-point-five kids, a minivan, a dog?”

  “Hmm. That sounds…” Realization had her bolting upright, nearly knocking Cam in the chin with her knee. “Really fucking dull. I don’t want a dog. I want a parrot. And I’d rather get a root canal than be caught driving a minivan.”

  Cam sat up, his hair rumpled and eyes hooded. “That so?”

  “Yes, and I do want kids. A couple at least. And I still want them to have family dinners—most nights—and college funds. I want them to have a father they can rely on, who will always be there for them.” She leaned forward and cupped his cheeks in her hands. “And I very much want you to be their father, but I’m afraid I can’t trust myself to make this kind of decision anymore. My taste in men is as bad as my mother’s.”

  “Hey,” he said, offended.

  “I’m sorry, but I’ve known Preston for as long as I’ve known you. I thought I really knew him, and look how that turned out.”

  “Because he’s a liar,” Cam pointed out. “A slick, professional liar who charmed his way past a lot of people’s defenses. You only saw the face he wanted you to see, the one he thought would be most attractive to you.”

  She knew he was speaking the truth. That’s how serial killers operate. They lead double lives, showing the world a socially acceptable face while their victims are the only witnesses to their true evil. And yet… “How can I be sure I’m not making the same mistake with you?”

  Cam removed her hands from his face and kissed each of her knuckles before twining his fingers through hers. “What was Preston’s favorite color?”

  She blinked. “Um. Blue? I think.”

  “Mine?”

  “Red, same as mine. But that doesn’t prove anything.”

  “His favorite food?” he persisted.

  “He…” She searched her memory and came up blank. “I guess he never said.”

  “Mine?”

  “Baby carrots with a little bit of ranch dressing to dip them in.”

  “His favorite sport?”

  “Maybe…baseball? He took me to a few Nationals games, but…” When she trailed off, Cam tilted his head in a go on gesture. She sighed, seeing exactly where he was going with all this. “He spent most of the time on his phone and never paid much attention to the games.”

  “Uh-huh. And my favorite sport?” Cam prompted.

  “Hockey. You love the Caps, which is so sad because they always choke during playoffs.”

  He smiled and shook his head in exasperation, but her calculated jab didn’t do its job and get him to change subjects. “What about my worst habit?”

  His tone was all challenge now and the knots bunching up the muscles between her shoulders eased out. “Biting your nails. You started doing it after you stopped smoking.”

  “Which was how long ago?”

  “Shortly before we met. You quit cold turkey after eight years as a social smoker.”

  He nodded. “My biggest fear?”

  Eva started to answer with a silly and arbitrary fear—his dislike of clowns jumped to mind—but then closed her mouth without uttering a sound. Yeah, clowns spooked him and so did Shark Week on Discovery Channel, which she’d always found hilarious, but that was not the kind of fear he meant. He was talking about something deeper, the kind of fear that dictated a person’s every thought and action. And the fact she understood his question without clarification—and knew its answer—told her oodles about how solid the foundation of their relationship was. She’d never be able to answer such a question about Preston because she didn’t know him at his core. Thank God. Getting a glimpse into the man’s twisted soul would have left her scarred for life. As it was, she’d be doubting her instincts for a long time to come.

  But Cam? He was a good man, through and through. She’d always been able to trust him with her life when they worked together. Before last night, she’d already decided to trust him with her heart. And, dammit, she refused to let Preston take that goodness away from her.

  Eva closed the distance between them and brushed a light kiss over his mouth. “You’re most afraid of losing your brothers, which is one of your best qualities even though it makes you do stupid things like lie to them.”

  “Not only my brothers,” he said softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You, too. I’ve lived every day of the past five years terrified that I’ll wake up and you’ll be gone from my life, and that has stopped me from having the kind of relationship I’ve always wanted with you. But no more. Eva, I love you. My life isn’t worth the air I breathe without you in it, and if that means I risk losing you someday…well, that’s a risk I’m more than willing to take.”

  An incandescent joy settled low in her belly and lit her up from the inside out.

  “I love you, too, Cam, and I’m not going anywhere.” Swallowing back a lump of emotion, she poked his bare chest. “And I’d like my ring back since I have every intention of marrying you.”

  His dimple flashed as he pushed off the bed, found his pants on the floor, and dug the ring out of the pocket. Returning to her side, he held it up and its rubies glittered in the pale morning light from the window. “Our life won’t be sitcom perfect, but I promise whatever life we make together will be perfect for us.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes as he slid the ring on her finger, and for once, she didn’t try to stop them. He leaned in and caught the droplets with his lips. Her pulse kicked, spilling a heady mix of love and desire through her blood. She tilted her head back, inviting his lips to explore. Against her leg, his erection swelled and lengthened, and she wrapped her hand around him, stroked him until a growl thrummed from his chest.

  She sighed. “Make love to me, Cam.”

  “Absolutely.” He nudged her down on the bed, drawing off her shirt, then her pants and panties in one pull as he sat back on his knees. His gaze swept down her, all heat and worship, and a wave of goose bumps rose in its wake.

  “Are you wet for me?” He shoved his own pants off and his erection sprang free, long and hard, straining toward her. He took himself in one hand while the fingers of his other teased her entrance until she was ready to detonate.

  “Yes. Oh, yes.” She pressed against his hand and his thumb on her clit sent shockwaves rippling outward. Oh, she was close. So, so close. “Please, Cam. I want you inside me.”

  “Fuck, yeah.” He lifted her hips and joined them together in a hard thrust, tearing a moan from her throat.

  But once fully seated inside her, he stopped moving. He leaned forward, braced his weight on his forearms, and swept his lips reverently over her eyelids, cheeks, then finally her mouth.

  When she opened her eyes, he grinned down at her. “Want a big, traditional wedding with all the frills?”

  Her laugh caught in her throat. “Is that your idea of a marriage proposal?”

  “It’s my idea of wedding plans.” He circled his hips, his pelvis hit just the right spot, and her muscles seized in pleasure. He held her through the orgasm, murmuring in her ear, telling her exactly how good it felt for him when she came, and the dirty talk only intensified her climax.

  As the tremors subsided, she wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t think so. How about Vegas?”

  He froze and stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. “Really?”

  “Yes. It’s not perfect, but it’s perfect for us.” She stroked her hands down his back, tightened her legs around him. “When can we leave?”

  His hips jerked. “How about as soon as we finish here? In, let’s say…a week. If we can both still walk.”

  “You can’t keep me in bed for a week.”

  “Yeah?” He withdrew from her, then sank in again, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. He chuckled. “Wanna bet?”

  She smiled and opened to him, accepting him deeper into her body and her heart. Her partner, her best friend, her lover. Very soon, he’d also be her husband. And, someday, the father
of her children.

  Which, she decided, was a damn excellent benefit to their friendship.

  Find out where it all began with Jude and Libby

  Wilde Nights in Paradise

  the first book in the Wilde Security series!

  He’ll guard her body all night long.

  Former Marine Jude Wilde’s motto has always been “burn bridges and never look back,” so nobody is more surprised when Wilde Security is hired to protect assistant district attorney Libby Pruitt, the woman he loved and left. Although she makes it clear she wants nothing to do with Jude, they’re forced to fake a relationship for her safety. He can’t ignore the heat still simmering between them, and when her stalker’s threats escalate to attempted murder, he’s left with no choice but to whisk her away to a friend’s safe house in Key West, FL.

  Cooped up in paradise together, Jude begins to chip away at Libby’s resolve to hate him. But even as she gives in to his proximity and her body’s demands for his, she refuses to fall for his charms again. Maybe a torrid affair in the sun is exactly what she needs to get him out of her system. But when her stalker tracks them down, can they escape the steamy Key West night without anyone getting hurt?.

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  Love the Wilde men? Get ready for the men of HORNET in Tonya Burrows’ debut novel

  SEAL of Honor

  available in paperback and ebook!

  It’s a good thing Gabe Bristow lives and breathes the Navy SEAL credo, “the only easy day was yesterday,” because today, his life is unrecognizable. When his prestigious career comes to a crashing halt, he’s left with a bum leg and few prospects for employment that don’t include a desk.

  That is, until he’s offered the chance to command a private hostage rescue team and free a wealthy American businessman from Colombian paramilitary rebels. It seems like a good deal—until he meets his new team: a drunk Cajun linguist, a boy-genius CIA threat analyst, an FBI negotiator with mob ties, a cowboy medic, and an EOD expert as volatile as the bombs he defuses. Oh, and who could forget the sexy, frustratingly impulsive Audrey Van Amee? She’s determined to help rescue her brother—or drive Gabe crazy. Whichever comes first.