by Mary Behre
“You are quite a sight to behold.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Yes, and shadows do wondrous things for a woman’s figure.” She crossed to his dresser, where the lamp light didn’t quite reach. Lifting her bra and panties from the stack of folded clothes she’d placed there earlier, she said, “I should be going.”
The bed squeaked behind her. Seth’s feet smacked the hardwood in several rapid steps, then his arms slipped around her waist and he spun her in his embrace. “Now why would you want to do that?” he asked, his deep baritone voice dropping an octave.
“Don’t you need to work in the morning?”
The scent of the honey and nuts of the Greek dessert mingled with the delicious smell of sex and sandalwood. Jules inhaled deeply and burrowed against his chest, despite knowing she shouldn’t. Every moment spent in this man’s presence weakened her resolve to keep her secrets to herself.
“It’s late,” she said, giving him the best excuse she could come up with in her fuddled brain. “I should go and let you sleep.”
“So you’re sacrificing yourself for me, now?” He tsked at her, then lightly nipped her earlobe.
The sensation sent a jolt of excitement through her. In- stantly, she was wet and ready for him again. She rubbed her chest against his.
He hissed in pleasure, then said, “Come back to bed with me. I won’t get a moment’s peace without you in it.” He dropped his hands to hers and led her toward his bed.
“But your case?” Jules followed with a frown.
He shrugged. “I’ll handle it. Tomorrow. Come on, we’ve talked enough. And I’m wide awake. If you want to sacrifice something for me, then let it be sleep.” He tumbled her onto the bed and followed her down. “If you do, I promise it will be the best sleepless night on record.”
CHAPTER 16
LATE AFTERNOON SUNSHINE spilled from the high window in the landing of the apartment complex stairwell. It shined a golden spotlight on Seth’s front door.
As quietly as he could, he opened it and slipped inside. He listened for sounds as he let his eyes adjust to the dimness of his living room. He’d unplugged his home phone before he’d left for work, so no one could accidentally call and wake Jules while he’d been out.
It had been risky leaving her asleep in his bed while he went to work. But his apartment was the safest place for her, if she couldn’t be with him. Not to mention he limited the risk of her leaving by pocketing her keys on his way out at six that morning.
Had she awakened and learned he’d snuck out with her keys, he had no doubt that she would have been livid. But he couldn’t risk her accidentally exposing herself to potential danger while he’d been at work.
A yawn seemed to well up from the middle of his body. Damn, he should’ve gone to sleep sooner last night, but he’d needed to wear out Jules. He counted on her sleeping through the day so he could do his job without worrying about her safety.
Laying both his and her sets of keys on the kitchen counter, he scooped up the note he’d left for Jules in case she woke while he was gone. He tossed the paper into the garbage can on the way to his bedroom.
Seth had drawn the shades just before he’d fallen asleep at four in the morning. He’d hoped she’d sleep all day, given that the shop was closed, and their fantastic marathon lovemaking session last night. A quick glance at his bed and a grin tugged at his lips. Jules still slumbered peacefully, even with the shaft of sunlight spilling across the bed.
He quickly stripped naked, then climbed between the sheets. Still asleep, she rolled over and wrapped herself around him. At her innocent touch, he went hard.
Amazing. He should have been too tired.
They’d made love all night. That should have left him sore, and resulted in him only catching a two-hour nap. Not to mention he’d had a long, frustrating day at work. He should have just stayed in bed given the fact that he and Jones had spent the afternoon chasing down bogus tips.
The only semi-useful bit of information he’d learned had been the identity of Jules’s mugger. Jack Kells, an ex-con with a talent for bypassing security systems. The thief had been paroled two years ago and had seemingly kept his nose clean until his attack on Jules.
Another dead end. Another wasted day. And his sergeant’s exam invitation seemed to slip further out of reach.
Seth yawned again. He was exhausted. He should sleep, but his body was hard and aching. He was ready to go again. No, he wasn’t ready to go exactly. He was ready for Jules. She was special.
Crazy as it sounded, it was true.
They’d talked for hours last night, not because of his case. No, they’d talked because he wanted to get to know her. A first for him.
After his divorce, sex had become a biological function. An itch to scratch, nothing more. Oh, he’d cared for each of his lovers, ensuring they found their pleasure when he was with them. But even the few relationships he’d had since his marriage had ended hadn’t been riddled with emotion or the need for more than physical contact.
Jules changed that. He wanted to know everything about her. What were her dreams? Well, he knew that: to find her sisters. What made her laugh? Hmmm . . . he knew that too. As he did a mental inventory of the questions he wanted to ask her, he realized he already knew most of the answers.
Still, there seemed to be something she kept hidden. Her fears, maybe? No, she’d shared those too.
But something had definitely upset her last night after they’d made love the second time. She’d claimed she wanted to leave to let him rest, but he sensed it was more than that. Jules had been ready to run home, and unless he missed his guess, run far away from him.
So why didn’t I let her go?
In the past, he never invited a woman to his place. He went to hers. It was easier to find an excuse to leave than it was to ask her to go home. And he always wanted the night to end. But not last night. Not with Jules. And it wasn’t entirely because he wanted to keep her safely hidden in his apartment.
No, he’d wanted her with him.
Between learning what her ex had done to her and learning about her childhood, Seth had fallen for her. He’d wanted to hold her. Soothe her. Make love to her and make her forget all her pain.
Make love.
His pulse jumped as those two words registered. He’d been thinking them on and off for several minutes but the impact of their meaning now hit him like a punch to his solar plexis.
What they’d shared last night had been erotic, fun, and incredibly powerful. It had been more intimate than anything he’d ever experienced.
She’d been soft and pliant in his arms, yet eager and responsive to his touch. Giving as good as she got, and demanding more. Then when he’d been buried deep inside her and she opened her smoky emerald-colored eyes, so filled with trust and desire, it stole his breath.
The case, her past, his past, all of it had gone away and the world had spiraled down to the two of them in bed. Touching. Caressing. Loving.
Love.
There was that word again. He wasn’t a romantic, despite what Jules thought.
Love didn’t really exist. It certainly didn’t happen after knowing someone only a few days. It wasn’t possible. Still, he felt . . . something.
He looked down at her sleeping form. She slept with one hand tucked between her cheek and his chest. Her hair fell over his body like a golden-red curtain. She didn’t exactly snore, but her breaths were deep, slow, and steady.
A smile curled his lips.
“What are you staring at?”
Her question startled him but he recovered quickly. “You, precious.”
“That’s not very modern of you,” she said, yawning. “Or me either.”
“What?” He pressed a kiss to the hollow on her throat.
“You calling me some generic nickname.” Her voice, soft and low, held no humor. “I could be anyone.”
“Precious.” He nipped her shoulder, hoping she’d open her eyes. She rolled fa
rther away instead. “I told you, I’ve never called anyone else that. And the name suits you beautifully.”
“In that case, I like it.” She rolled onto her back and finally opened her eyes. A wide smile spread across her face. “Detective Lambkins.”
“Oh, hell no.” He looked at her in horror. “You cannot call me that.”
“Not masculine enough?” She laughed.
“Definitely not.”
She stretched, arching her back. Seth couldn’t resist rolling on top of her. The sensation of her perky nipples rubbing against his chest made him ache with need.
Who needs sleep?
Jules slid her thighs around his waist, then pressed her feet against his back, drawing him closer. Her feminine red curls brushed against his bare abdomen. She was already hot and wet for him. Incredibly, he got harder for her.
His body demanded he take her hard and fast. God knew he needed the rest, but he didn’t want to rush this. Even after last night, touching her was too new. Seth wanted to savor every second. Lowering his face, he buried his nose against her neck and hair and inhaled the scent of sex and strawberries.
With only the sliver of the golden sunshine peeking into the room, she lay mostly in shadows. But a shaft of light drew a line along the length of her body from her left shoulder to her ankle. Starting at her shoulder, he traced the sunlit path with his tongue.
Detouring to her breasts on the way back up, he painted a path around her nipple but didn’t touch it directly. She moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist again. She arched her back, clearly trying to guide her nipple into his mouth. He chuckled against her flesh and brought his hands up to pin her shoulders gently to the mattress. “Stay.”
“Tormentor.”
“Maybe,” he agreed, then suckled the underside of her breast. “But you’re mine to torture. And you love it.”
He curled his tongue around her nipple. She gasped. He rolled the nipple between his teeth. She moaned. He blew a warm breath across the dusky pink bud. She shivered.
“You’re killing me.”
“Mine to torment,” he said, licking a path to her other breast. “Say it. Say you’re mine.”
“Please don’t tease me.”
“Say it.” He tortured her other nipple as he had her first. When she shuddered beneath his touch in want of sexual release, he amped up the torture. Drawing her aching tip into his mouth, he suckled. Hard.
She dug her heels into his ass, her body bowing.
“Say. It,” he said, with her nipple between his teeth, then he laved the tip and bit down lightly.
“Yours!” she cried out. “I’m yours, Seth. Oh, God! Yes!”
He suckled her until she shook in his arms. Amazed, he watched her beautiful face as she lost herself in the throes of her release. “Did you just co—?”
She clapped one hand over his mouth. The light filtering into the room glittered on her glistening, flushed cheek. “Shhh . . . pl-please,” she panted.
A grin spread across his face; he couldn’t stop it if he’d wanted to. And damn, he really didn’t want to.
“Proud of yourself?” Her lovely cheeks were pink.
“Very. How many men could say they’d made their lover come with just their mouth on her breast?” He pressed his lips against hers in a scorching kiss. “Don’t go anywhere. I’m not through with you yet.”
He stretched across her body for the condom box on the nightstand and froze.
The box was empty. “Damn.”
I should’ve bought more on the way home.
“Seth, what’s wrong?” Jules propped herself up on an elbow to look at him.
Before he could answer her, his cell phone rang. From the caller ID, he could see it was his partner.
Dropping the empty box onto the bedside table, Seth picked up the cell and answered it. “English. What’s up, Jones?”
“Got something interesting to show you down at the station.”
“I just got home,” Seth said, ignoring Jules’s wide-eyed expression. “Can it wait until morning?”
“Doubtful.” Jones growled a bearlike yawn.
Seth hadn’t been the only one exhausted at work today. Jones had had bags under his eyes and had downed at least two pots of coffee by himself. He hadn’t said what had kept him awake and Seth didn’t ask. Given Seth’s own adventures last night, the last thing he wanted to do was to discuss his partner’s sex life.
Jones continued. “Iris Masters came into the station looking for you an hour ago. She showed up with an armful of journals, right after you left. Said she’d thought they were stories Aimee-Lynn made up, but now suspected differently. Seems the girl wanted to be a writer. But the journals aren’t fantasies; they’re diaries, written in some cryptic prose that makes my eyes want to bleed.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this to you, but . . . point?”
“There are four references: Daggers, Mitchum, Blue Swan, and—”
“Holcomb,” he breathed into the receiver. “Damn, the names of the robbed jewelers.”
Excitement and urgency rippled down his spine. It was the break in the case he’d been searching for. Seth crossed to his closet and opened it, listening to Jones the entire time.
“You guessed it. There’s also a mention of four masked marauders: the Heiress, the Jack of Fools, the Prince of Hearts, and the Knight of the Realm.”
“Knight of the Realm?” he asked, crossing to hang his suit on the back of the bathroom door.
“Hokey, I know, but there’s more. There’s a detailed plan of how the four plan to prove to Holcomb that his chief of security is betraying his kingdom and stealing from him. It almost sounds like she viewed them as the good guys. Weird, huh?”
“Odd,” Seth agreed, crossing to his dresser to retrieve a fresh pair of boxers and socks. He set them on the bathroom sink. “What else?”
“Tons, but it’s the last entry you want to read. It’s different from the others. Listen—‘The Knight of the Realm is not what he seems. He’s betrayed us all. I, alone, must seek justice and make this right. I’ve called upon the English King to help me, and he’s promised aid. But I fear the journey on my own. Without my beloved prince at my side, how shall I survive? Whom can I entrust with the sparkling weight of my secrets?’”
Jones fell silent.
Seth checked his phone but the line was still open. “That’s it? ‘The sparkling weight of my secrets’?”
“Yes, my liege.”
Seth wasn’t amused. “I get it, I’m the English King.”
“Yeah, you got it the first time around. I had to read that craptastic piece of literature three times before I could stay awake long enough to even notice your name in there.” Jones yawned. He spoke again but his voice was muffled, as if the phone’s mouthpiece were covered. “Thanks, Harmon.”
Seth turned to Jules, who watched him silently from the bed. Her expression was open, curious. “I gotta go to work,” he mouthed.
She nodded, then sat up and wrapped the top sheet around her body, toga-style.
“Harmon just handed me a note from Captain Peterson.” Jones returned. “Whoa! It says, ‘Tell English to get his ass in here for a meeting at six thirty.’ What’d you do to piss off Peterson so much that he called for a meeting tonight?”
“Nothing. I haven’t seen him all day.” Seth wracked his brain. He’d left a voice mail for his captain asking to discuss his concerns about Jules’s safety. Surely that hadn’t ticked off his captain. Had it? “I thought Peterson was sick at home.”
“Guess not,” Jones replied. “But I haven’t seen him either. His office light is out and the door’s closed. Guess he’s coming in for the meeting too?”
Seth grunted noncommittally. “Hey, check my desk and phone for messages. See if he left a reply to my request for a protection detail.”
“For Jules? Never mind, stupid question. Of course it’s for her. Hang on.” Several heartbeats passed, then Jones said, “Sorry. Nothing. Maybe
it’ll be a short meeting?”
“Let’s hope so. I don’t like this.” Seth wasn’t comfortable leaving Jules alone again. But he couldn’t ignore this break or the command performance issued by Peterson. Shoving a hand through his hair, he said, “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
• • •
JULES COULD HARDLY breathe as she stared at Seth. From the moment he’d risen from the bed, his aura pulsed a vibrant emerald green. How could she see his aura and why did the ability come and go? With ghosts, Jules saw them all the time. Why was it different with him?
Strong emotions.
The only times she’d seen his aura was when he experienced powerful emotions. And in a strange way, it made sense. When he was angry or worried to the point of being overprotective, his emotions seemed to radiate from him.
While she didn’t see auras around other living people, she didn’t mind seeing his. It only made him more attractive. More accessible.
He ended his call and turned to her. Standing unabashedly naked in the middle of the bedroom floor, he tapped his cell against his chin and regarded her. “Precious, I need to go in to the station. I don’t know how long I’ll be. There might be a break in my case.”
“No problem. You go take your shower.” She gestured to the bathroom door where he’d hung a black shirt, blazer, and tie on a hanger. Although she couldn’t see it, she bet there were slacks on that hanger too. “I’ll let myself out. I need to check my messages anyway. If Big Jim or April called the apartment, they’ll worry if they don’t hear from me.”
“I’d prefer it if you’d stay here,” Seth said, propping his hands on his waist. He appeared unaware he stood gloriously naked. “No one knows you’re here. It’s safe.”
“You think I’m in danger?” Jules flinched.
“You know I do.” He nodded. “It’s why you’re here. Let me do my job and protect you.”
“Is that why you brought me here last night?” A sick feeling went through her. Could last night have meant more to her than to him? She rose from the bed, holding the sheet firmly around her body with her good arm. “Did you sleep with me out of some kind of . . . of . . . civic duty?”
