Harlequin Romantic Suspense March 2016 Box Set

by Carla Cassidy

  She really needed to look into hiring a full-time delivery person, or at least two part-time drivers.

  “Ready?” Rio was next to her, his voice low in her ear. If she leaned in just a bit, he might kiss her on her earlobe, like he’d done when they’d made love.

  “Sure. Let’s go.” It wasn’t easy to follow him to the car and keep her mind off of how appealing his ass looked.

  She was in trouble. Shouldn’t she be more worried about getting through the Charbonneau wedding than fantasizing about a man she clearly needed to stay away from?

  Rio killed the engine in her driveway and she was thankful when he sprang out of his seat and walked around to get her door before she had a chance to do it herself. At least, she told herself she was grateful. It wasn’t as if she wanted him to turn to her in the dark confines of the car, reach across his armrest and...

  “I want to make sure your house is clear, Kayla. Let me do this for you. Then I’ll leave, I promise.”

  “You don’t have to promise, Rio. I trust you.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

  She ignored him and focused on getting her keys out instead. She placed them in Rio’s outstretched hand and he let them both into the house.

  “Stay here.” She waited in the foyer as he disappeared into the kitchen and then upstairs. She heard the floorboards squeak under his feet, heard her closets open and close. She’d never admit it to him that it made her feel more secure to have him here. First witnessing a murder and then having to act as if she had no idea what was going on was wearing on her. She was a horticulturist, not an actor.

  His sneakered feet appeared first on the stairs, followed by his long, lean legs in worn denim, stretched just tight enough across his crotch. His white shirt was next, and all she had to do was close her eyes and remember how flat and hard his abs were under that shirt, how his skin had heated under her fingers.

  Judging from the expression on his face when he stepped onto the foyer floor, he remembered, too.

  They stood no more than three feet apart with their eyes locked on each other. Kayla silently damned Rio’s ability to get her so sexually aroused without a single touch.

  “Rio.” She didn’t say more, couldn’t. Because it would be a lie to say anything denying her attraction to him. The heat that always simmered at the mere thought of him. The embers that ached to be blown into a full blaze again.

  “Kayla, we agreed. We’re friends.” She watched his mouth shape the words and didn’t miss the sardonic gleam in his eye.

  “It’s just like you to put it all back on me.”

  “It is on you. I would never have stopped seeing you.”

  “You had to.”

  “I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to, Kayla. I could have passed the case off to another officer.”

  They’d both taken a step closer and were no farther than a hand’s width apart. Forced to look up at him, Kayla couldn’t shake the memory of how he’d picked her up and carried her to her room. How they’d made love three times through a long Friday night, and after slow Saturday morning sex they’d had a king’s breakfast of eggs, pancakes, bacon, melon and coffee. And then showered together before they’d made love again. In the shower.

  “Stop reliving it in your head. I’m right here.” Rio offered no further warning before he swooped in and kissed her, to which she offered absolutely no resistance. The kiss wasn’t like the one in the flower shop. It had more intent. With this kiss, she was going to be back in Rio’s bed, she knew. Well, her bed for tonight.

  * * *

  Rio would be damned if he’d let his mind take over and ruin this perfect time with Kayla. Their mutual heat was beyond attraction or lust. He wouldn’t let himself call it more, especially that one four-letter word, but he’d call it a need.

  Because he needed Kayla, needed to have her as much as he’d ever needed anything in his life. Her lips were soft but demanding under his. Dreams had been his only break from the long days of knowing there was a woman for him, yet he couldn’t have her. Now the reality of being with Kayla again settled in and Rio knew how she liked it best. Hot and fast.

  “Oh, yes, right here.” She moved his hand under her shirt and over her breast, squeezing it with the amount of pressure she liked. Her hard nipple pressed against his palm and he took it between his fingers, teasing the taut flesh until she groaned again and he felt her sag against him.

  Before he could grin at her sexy swoon, she’d cupped his balls through his jeans and did some squeezing of her own. Her fingers worked over him, undoing the top button on his fly, her skin touching his and making him see red.

  He grasped her hands, his lips still on hers. Before he had a chance to think, he leaned down and kissed her on the curve of her neck, softly adding a nip with his front teeth. “Your bedroom, Kayla. Now.”

  She didn’t answer him but kissed him back with fury, her breasts against his chest and her pelvis pressed against his erection. “Here, Rio. Right now.” Kayla shrugged off her jacket, pulled her shirt over her head and shimmied out of her jeans in three seconds flat. If Rio wanted to make it to her bed with her, he couldn’t. He needed her. Needed Kayla. He needed to be inside her.

  “No fair.” He threaded his fingers into her hair and cradled her head as he kissed her thoroughly, allowing his fingers to first unhook her bra and then meander south to her wetness, where he shoved two fingers inside.

  “Rio!” Her cry drove him so close to climax he swore and withdrew his fingers, rushing to get out of his clothing. As he did, Kayla slipped off her panties and they stood facing each other at the base of the stairs, naked.

  “Do you want me on the stairs, Rio?” Her pupils were dilated, her blond hair wild around her flushed cheeks, and her lips were swollen just like he loved them to be.

  “Wherever you want me, baby.” He watched her climb up two stairs before she turned and hitched a leg on his hip. He gave up on control as he lifted her and entered her in one swift stroke. They both groaned at the sheer pleasure of their joining, as if they’d been apart for decades instead of four months.

  Kayla moved her hips over his erection and Rio helped her as long as he could. When he reached between them and touched her in the exact way he knew was her favorite, she screamed out. As she pulsed around him, he lowered her to the stairs and moved inside her without thinking. Only feeling, a rushing sense of knowing they fit together perfectly on every level, not just physically. He came hard in a crashing climax as Kayla cried out his name.

  CHAPTER 10

  Rio was summoned into Colt’s office on Thursday morning. “Where are we on Keith Paruso’s case?” Colt Todd eased back in his desk chair, his flinty eyes expectant as he looked at Rio.

  “There’s nothing new, and absolutely nothing against him, which is why I want to close the case. But not until I can prove the source of the accusations in the civil suit against him is one of the True Believers.”

  “Careful with that, Rio. We don’t officially have a cult settling in Silver Valley—just some very suspicious people in a trailer park. Once it goes official, we have to call in the other agencies, and we’re trying to avoid that for the moment. We need to let our friends in the background take care of it.”

  Rio knew Colt was talking about the Trail Hikers. The two men stared at each other and Rio’s stomach did a free fall before he clenched his fists at his sides. “And yet the True Believers have managed to sneak into our community, possibly get one mayor kicked out of office, keep the head of the fire department on administrative leave and now they’re potentially tied to the murder of the mayor’s assistant.”

  “You haven’t found any hard links between the cult and Meredith’s murder, have you?”

  Rio shook his head, his exasperation building. “No, but it all makes sense. I just can’t finger any one
person. I don’t have a murder weapon and we don’t have any usable evidence. And there’s the puzzle of the side door at the barn.” He pushed away the twinge of guilt that tried to claw at his focus. Kayla didn’t need to know about the possible second suspect, not until he was sure. He didn’t want to worry her any further.

  “It sounds as though the man who went after Kayla could have acted alone. But it’s possible he didn’t. Did Kayla mention any possibility of a third voice?”

  “No.” And Rio knew from experience that when your adrenaline was flowing it was often difficult to know exactly what you were hearing or seeing. If Kayla had heard a second female voice she could have easily mistaken it for Meredith’s, and a second male for the killer’s. “If Meredith had some dirt on the mayor or proof that the election was rigged, would it be enough to murder her? This is Silver Valley after all, not some big city.”

  Colt stretched his arms over and behind his head. “People have killed for less. And when you’re in the political world, no matter what level, it can get myopic. It’s not inconceivable that the mayor of Silver Valley has his eye on higher office. He wouldn’t want anyone or anything to get in his way. Hell, he’s spent more time with the governor and US Representatives to Congress than he has with me or any of the other community leaders in Silver Valley.”

  “He doesn’t see you as a leader—he sees you as someone who works for him.”

  Colt snorted. “Yeah, he thinks I’m an hourly employee. At the first meeting we had, he asked how much I make per hour. He was stunned that I’m salaried. Not a political science whiz, that guy.”

  “How the hell did he get elected?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. But no matter how much we believe the money that got him elected may have come from the cult, or even that they might have rigged the election, we don’t have any evidence.” Colt’s phone rang and he picked it up. “Todd here.” Rio watched his expression. The man was a rock, and his rarely ruffled exterior didn’t give Rio any insight into who the superintendent was talking to, or about what.

  “Send her in.” He hung up the phone and looked at Rio. “It’s Claudia.”

  Rio knew Claudia as the Trail Hikers CEO. Rio admired her tenacity. She put safety first but always solved whatever crime the Trail Hikers had been brought in to help with.

  A quick knock was followed by the appearance of the petite woman with knockout looks, silver hair included. She was old enough to be his mother but he never thought of her as remotely matronly. Her steady gaze skimmed over Rio before it settled on Colt.

  “Superintendent. How are you, Colt?”

  “Fine, fine. Nice to see you, Claudia. Please, have a seat.”

  Rio had stood and offered his hand to Claudia.

  “Ma’am.”

  She shook it firmly while smiling at him. “It’s Claudia, Rio. We’ve been through this.”

  “Yes, Claudia.” He’d had a conversation with his closest buddy on the force, Bryce Campbell. They both found calling the former flag officer by her first name a bit uncomfortable as she’d probably seen more action in her career with the marines than either of them would ever see. She sat in the chair next to Rio and looked at him. “What’s happening with the murder case?”

  “I don’t have anything concrete yet, but I do have some circumstantial evidence.” He relayed what Kayla had told him.

  “She’s the florist from the Christmas delivery, from the Female Preacher Killer case.” Claudia had the mind of someone half her age and her memory had never failed her while in Rio’s presence.

  “Yes.”

  Claudia nodded at his response, then turned toward Colt. “She’d be perfect to help with this. I can get some of my people inserted into the activity surrounding the wedding planning and ceremony, but as the florist she’ll have the best opportunities to collect intelligence for us.”

  Rio didn’t expect the sudden sense of his case spinning out of control that hit him. He felt as if he was in a kayak on the Susquehanna and hit with a surprise squall. “Kayla’s one-hundred-percent civilian. She’s already feeding us whatever she witnesses in the course of providing the floral services.

  “How well do you know her, Rio?” Claudia’s gaze didn’t waver and his stomach did a double somersault. Shit. Claudia knew. That was the problem when you worked with government shadow agencies. They had the means to dig up the smallest details on people. People you cared about.

  Like Kayla.

  “I, uh, we dated. Very briefly.” No way was he going to mention last night. “I had to end it when I was assigned to the SVFD case. She’s the sister of the fire department superintendent. I was just telling Superintendent Todd that I haven’t been able to prove any of the allegations against the fire chief.”

  “They’re unfounded. I had two of my analysts examine the phone communications between him and the alleged persons he’d misdirected during the fire at the church. Fire Chief Paruso acted in the most exemplary manner and the charges need to be dropped. We can’t help you with the civil suit against him, unfortunately.”

  A curl of excitement started in Rio’s chest and went straight for his crotch. If the case was dropped, he could see Kayla again. If she’d agree to it. Judging by her defensive posturing after their lovemaking, he couldn’t count on it.

  But still.

  “We have to make sure the press is informed and that any appearance of impropriety on his part is cleared.” He looked at Claudia. “Can I see what your analysts came up with?”

  Claudia nodded. “As part of the Trail Hikers, yes, you may. But you can’t use our data publicly.” He already knew that, but he’d be able to use their data to find something that could be released at an unclassified level.

  “I won’t. All I’ll have to tell the press and the DA is that Paruso has been cleared. Remove all doubt, prove that he acted in the public’s best interest before, during and after the Silver Valley Community Church’s fire.”

  “Hold on, Rio. Claudia’s right—you’ve got to make sure your testimony, and evidence, is rock-solid. The press will rip you apart if you have to say your source is classified.”

  “I’ll make sure, boss. Claudia, can I head over to headquarters today or tomorrow?” Mentally he tried to see how he’d fit it in. He still had to interview the mayor and his daughter.

  “I don’t see why not. When you do, why don’t you see if you can bring Kayla Paruso with you?”

  Her words were as effective as a knife through Kevlar, cutting down the growing confidence he’d been feeling about Keith’s case and his chance at a relationship with Kayla.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring her in, Claudia. She’s a florist, an artist. Her parents have worked for the State Department her entire life and she wanted something different than government service.”

  The silence after he stopped speaking unnerved him and he shot a quick glance at Colt, who was in the midst of exchanging a telling glance with Claudia.

  “I’m not trying to protect her, for heaven’s sake. She’s an adult and can make up her own mind, of course.” He felt like he did every time his mother had caught him sneaking a cookie out of the pantry. As if his hand held something that would get him in a lot of trouble. Falling for Kayla would cause problems he didn’t have time for.

  “Bring her in like Claudia asked, Rio. You can wait until you finish your interviews surrounding the murder and clear up Keith Paruso’s issues, but then I want to hear from Claudia that Kayla has been read into the program.”

  “Colt’s right, I’m sorry, Rio. I forgot that you have a lot on your plate. At any rate, have Kayla come in to the Trail Hikers office before next week. We’ll need at least two solid days to make sure she’s trained with a weapon and understands some basic self-defense.”

  “Will do.” Hell, they were going to put a weapon in Kayla�
�s hands? The hands that were adept at making art out of flowers and stems? The hands that had been on his...

  “You’re on your own until you find out more information about the Houseman case.” Claudia gave him his last order for the time being. Rio nodded at each of his bosses and left the room, closing the door behind him.

  Claudia only ever had conversations behind closed doors at SVPD.

  * * *

  “I don’t have much time to be out here with you.” Cynthia stood on the gazebo platform, appearing impatient and a bit bored. She’d made the twenty-minute drive from school specifically to see her stepmother and Kayla for the wedding planning. She’d told Kayla three times so far. Kayla had worked in the appointment even though it was the day before Good Friday and dozens of Easter orders loomed. Jenny was taking the load of the deliveries and shop business today.

  Kayla kept taking photos of the gazebo from every angle with her phone, using a ruler to help her judge the scale when she was back in her studio. The flowers she needed were going to cost a small fortune, but with a virtually unlimited budget she’d make it happen.

  “What are you measuring for, exactly? Didn’t Gloria give you a copy of the gazebo’s blueprint?”

  “No, and it wouldn’t help. I need to know how thick the railings are, what the light’s like.”

  “That’s brilliant. I would have never thought about the light.”

  “Hmm.”

  While talking to Cynthia might eventually yield a morsel of information, what Kayla really wanted to do was to get into Gloria’s personal office, unseen. It wasn’t going to be easy with Cynthia here, along with Sylvia and Gloria.

  Rio had made it clear that she wasn’t to do any snooping, but would simply observe things as they happened. Thinking of him only made her think of last night, of how carnal they’d been on the stairs and how she wished it could happen again. What happened to the intentions she’d had to stay away from him?

  Being the good girl had never been her modus operandi.