by Kaylea Cross
Thankfully she didn’t tease, didn’t torture him by slowing down and reveling in her power over him. Instead she gripped him tight in her hand, using it and her mouth to drive him right to the edge of his control.
“Nina,” he rasped out, swallowing. “You’re gonna make me come soon.”
In response she reached up her free hand to close around his fist and squeeze, asking him to hold her hair tighter.
Jesus. Tate gripped it harder and lifted his head, struggling for breath at the sight of her sucking him off.
His thigh muscles twitched, his whole body tightening, gathering for the moment she made him explode. Then she moaned, a soft sound of pure enjoyment, and he lost it.
Hands locked in her hair, he arched his lower back and cried out as he started coming. Nina froze and stayed absolutely still, taking everything he gave her.
It was the hottest goddamn experience of his life.
He finally had enough control to unclench his fists from her hair. He combed his fingers through it, swallowed as she raised her head to smile up at him. He swore his heart rolled over in his chest.
Oh, hell. He was in such trouble with her, and he didn’t even care.
Not trusting himself to speak, he reached for her, tugging her up until he could cradle her in his arms. She sighed and snuggled into him, her face tucked into the side of his neck. He reached over for a quilt and carefully covered her with it, making sure every inch of her was protected from the chill or any mosquitoes out hunting.
Once she was all wrapped up, he held her like that, slowly gliding his fingers through her silky hair. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this content. Or this protective. Against all odds she’d already partially wormed her way into his heart, and he’d do anything to keep her safe and spare her pain.
Damn, it would be way too easy to fall for her if he let himself. He needed to be careful.
He didn’t realize he’d dozed off until later when his phone alarm woke them just after two in the morning. The sky was dark now, a black velvet canvas dotted by a million stars.
“It’s almost show time,” he whispered to Nina, gently turning her.
She rolled off him and settled up tight against his side, her head on his shoulder. “Did you know meteor showers are caused by debris from comets?” she murmured drowsily.
His lips curved up in the darkness. Sexy little scientist and her busy brain. “No. What else?”
He cuddled her close, warm and sated while she told him about more astrological trivia, enjoying her enthusiasm and the sound of her voice. Then she broke off in mid-sentence with a gasp, and he glanced up in time to see a trail of light streak across the sky.
“There! Did you see it?” She shook him gently, her excitement palpable.
He grinned. “Yeah.” Another streak flashed across the sky. Then another. And another, until it was like watching a cosmic artillery barrage.
Eventually the meteors began to peter out. Nina came up on one elbow beside him, her smile contagious as she looked into his eyes. “This is the most romantic night of my entire life.”
That surprised him. “Ever?”
“Literally ever. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He tugged her down for a kiss.
She hummed in appreciation, gave into him for a long moment before lifting her head. “So. By my calculations, we’ve got a little over three hours until the sun comes up. I wonder what we can do to pass the time until then?”
A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I’m sure we can think of something.”
He rolled her to her back and cradled the back of her head in one hand as he kissed her. He’d wanted her to crave him, but now he craved her on a scale he hadn’t bargained for.
He wanted to matter to her. For her to value him, appreciate him for who he was, look at his good qualities instead of his faults.
She was right. He had been lonely until she came along. He was tired of being lonely, and the thought of losing her now made him feel empty inside.
Every minute he spent with her, the link between them strengthened. He couldn’t just treat this as a fling and then walk away. Didn’t want her to date anyone else. But he couldn’t hand his heart to her, either, so it wasn’t fair to ask.
Tate didn’t want to hurt her. But if he was honest, he was more afraid of getting hurt in turn.
Chapter Thirteen
“So to review… The dimmer an object appears to us, the higher the numerical value given to its magnitude, with a difference of five magnitudes corresponding to a brightness factor of one-hundred exactly.”
Nina paused to make sure her second-year class seemed to be following her thus far before leading everyone through the example calculation step by step, explaining everything as she went.
“Therefore, we can say that the apparent magnitude of our sun as seen by us here on Earth is… -26.74.” She finished writing the answer with a flourish of her digital pen and looked up from her podium. “And voilà. That’s how easy it is to calculate apparent magnitude of a star. See? We did it.”
She gave the class an enthusiastic smile and scanned the room. “Any questions?”
No one raised a hand. Several students were looking at her blankly. One off to the left side looked deeply concerned. She was betting he would show up during her office hours that afternoon.
“No? You sure?” she prompted.
Still nothing.
“All right, give the practice problems at the end of the chapter your best effort for next class, then review everything we’ve covered so far. Because next time we meet we’ll be starting on my personal favorite topic of the whole course—dark matter, dark energy, and black holes.”
Several faces brightened at the news, making Nina grin. The math was going to increase in difficulty from here on out, but it was just so damn cool. They could do it, though some would need more help than others. She didn’t mind. She actually liked it when students came to her for help. It meant they trusted her enough to approach her, and then she really felt like she was doing her job.
“Dismissed. See you all Wednesday.” She packed up her bag as the students began filing out. No surprise, the alarmed student paused in front of her, looking slightly sheepish.
He glanced around as if to make sure no one could overhear, then said to her in a low voice, “Can I come see you this afternoon?”
“Of course. Don’t worry, we’ll get that light bulb to go on yet. I have total faith that it’ll click for you eventually.”
He gave her a relieved smile. “Thanks, Professor Benitez.”
“No problem. Have a good day and I’ll see you later.”
She left the classroom and headed up to her office, feeling like she was floating on air. After getting only three hours’ sleep last night she should be exhausted, but instead her entire body was energized and still on an endorphin high.
Being with Tate last night had been completely magical. She still couldn’t get over it. They were opposite in so many ways, but clicked where it mattered. After more stargazing and a second round of orgasms they’d lain in the bed of his pickup together, tucked under the quilts while the sky gradually lightened, the mountains rising behind them.
A sense of awe had enveloped her as the first golden rays of sunlight crept into the valley below them. Cuddled up with a thermos of coffee he’d brought that was still hot, they’d watched the sun appear over the edge of the eastern horizon, bathing Missoula in its light.
After that Tate had driven her home, waited while she showered and changed, then driven her into Missoula. Rylee had decided to stay with him for now, not comfortable going back to campus while her roommate was still missing, and Nina totally understood that.
They’d stopped for breakfast at a cute little diner she’d never been in before, then he’d driven her to campus. The way he’d kissed her goodbye before she got out of his truck, with those strong hands gently cupping her face as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him, had made her bell
y flip and her heart catch.
See you later, sunshine. Go reveal the secrets of the universe.
A shiver sped through her just thinking about the look in his eyes. Hot. Full of the things he wanted to do to her the next time they were alone. And also pride.
He was proud of her and what she did. That felt incredible.
She couldn’t wait to see him again, hopefully tonight. They hadn’t technically had sex yet, and she was looking forward to it. Except she was already falling for him, even if it wasn’t smart. And once they crossed that line, for her there would be no stopping the rest of the fall.
If Tate wasn’t ready to catch her…
Her phone rang. She grabbed it off her desk, went all gooey inside when she saw his number. “Hey, I was just thinking about you,” she answered, her body tingling in anticipation of seeing him later.
“Can you talk right now?”
Her smile faded at his grim tone, and her stomach tightened. “Yes, I’m in my office. Is something wrong?”
“Yes.”
Nina braced herself and took a breath, trying not to jump to conclusions. Was he pulling back because of last night? Had something about their connection scared him into pushing her away? “What’s going on?”
“I got word on Rylee’s friend. Samantha’s dead.”
Nina gasped and sank into the chair behind her desk, reeling from shock. “Oh my God. Oh, I’m so sorry.” That poor girl. “What happened?”
“I can’t go into too much detail, but she was found dead on the south bank of the Clark Fork about a mile-and-a-half east of campus. Looks like she was out there since Friday night or early Saturday morning. Whoever took her killed her and left her there.”
Ice slid through Nina’s veins. She swallowed, her pulse thudding in her ears, the past slamming into the present. “Was she…raped?”
“Pretty sure, yeah.”
Nina closed her eyes, the cold growing inside her. No. This was a nightmare. A horrible nightmare.
What if it’s connected?
“Anyway, Rylee’s pretty torn up about it. I’m at home with her right now. I don’t want to leave her alone, and she’s scared because this guy is still out there somewhere.”
Fear crawled up Nina’s spine, filling her until she couldn’t breathe. Oh, God. The druggings. The location where Samantha had been found. Being here on campus prior to the attacks.
They were more than linked. It might be the same damn attacker. And she’d said nothing.
“Nina? You still there?”
“Yes. Sorry.” She rubbed her forehead, trying and failing to push the fear away. “Tate, I gotta go.”
A taut, split-second of silence followed. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I gotta go,” she mumbled, then ended the call and immediately got up to shut her office door. Her fingers were unsteady as she turned the lock home, that terrible crawling sensation moving up and down her spine.
Okay. Stop. Breathe.
She returned to her desk and sat in the chair, closed her eyes and forced in a couple of slow, choppy breaths. It didn’t help. Her throat was already clogging, the backs of her eyes burning with the threat of tears as nausea swirled in her stomach like oil.
She should have reported it when it happened. But she hadn’t, because she’d wanted to bury the whole thing and forget it. And now Rylee’s friend might have been killed by the same man.
There was no way she could stay silent now. She had to come forward.
Avery.
Her hands shook as she dialed her friend’s number. Her breaths were uneven, her jaw trembling. All her muscles were locked. Jerky and uncoordinated.
“Avery Dahl.”
“Av-Avery,” she managed, grief spearing her.
“Nina? What’s the matter?”
She struggled to pull in a breath. Her teeth were chattering. “Sam-mantha’s k-killer. I…”
“Whoa, sweetie, slow down and take a breath.”
She tried. The air wheezed into her lungs and shuddered out. Oh, God, she was going to be sick.
“I’m guessing Tate told you the news?” Avery said.
“Y-yes. But—” She sucked in another breath. “The attacker. I…I think…”
“Hey, it’s all right. Take a minute and get your breath back, and then you can talk. I’m here, okay? Not going anywhere. Whatever you need to tell me, I’ll listen. But let’s get you calmed down first.”
Her friend’s calm, reassuring tone helped a little. Nina closed her eyes and took several slow breaths until she no longer felt like she was choking or about to throw up.
Finally she was in control enough to haltingly begin her story. Fear, guilt and shame swamped her as she told Avery everything she remembered. Her body was alternately cold and then numb, little tremors ripping through her.
“I don’t… D-don’t remember m-much of it. Just flashes. I d-didn’t think I’d be able to p-prove anything, so—” Her throat closed up.
“It’s all right. I understand.”
She gasped out the main details she could remember about that night. Mostly it came out in a jumble of apologies and excuses. “It just s-seems too s-similar,” she finished, then babbled for another minute.
At last she fell silent. And waited. Dreading Avery’s response. Fearing a lecture or even condemnation for her earlier silence that might have contributed to this unspeakable tragedy.
“Nina, you have to report this to the Missoula PD. Now.” Avery’s tone was quiet but firm.
“I know,” she whispered, stricken. If she could have prevented this tragedy, if she’d known what would happen, she would have done things so differently.
“I’ll meet you at the department. I don’t want you to be alone when you talk to the detectives.”
That almost pushed her into the tears she’d managed to hold back so far. “Thank you.” Her voice was barely audible. She felt so small and helpless, the sense of violation as strong as it had been the first time. “Just promise me you w-won’t tell T-Tate.”
Avery sighed. “Sweetie, he’s gonna find out almost as soon as you file the report, because he worked on two other cases like this when he was in Missoula. From what you’ve just told me it sounds like there’s a good possibility they’re connected, and so they’re going to want to consult with him immediately.”
“Oh, shit,” she breathed, closing her eyes again. She hadn’t wanted him to know. Hadn’t wanted anyone to ever find out. But especially not Tate. It was humiliating.
Avery was quiet a moment. “You guys are seeing each other, right?”
No point in tiptoeing around it now. “Yes.”
“Then you have to tell him.” A pause. “Do you want me to call him for you?”
“No,” she blurted, a burst of panic spurting through her. They were just starting to build something that could be incredible, and this could blow it all up. Once he found out what had happened, he might not want to touch her ever again.
But even she could see that him finding out was inevitable. She’d rather it come from her, as hard as it would be to tell him face to face and watch his reaction. She had no choice. “I’ll—I’ll tell him.” Her stomach pitched at the thought.
“Would you rather have him or me with you when you talk to the detectives?”
She cringed. “I…”
“If you want him there, I can just tell him you need him. Simple as that, no details. I’ll stay with Rylee, and have him meet you at the station there. You can have either him or me there, I just don’t want you to go through this alone.”
There was no help for it. She’d stayed silent for too long as it was, and an innocent victim had paid the ultimate price for it. “Okay, then Tate.” He would want to talk to her about it once he heard anyway. She’d rather tell him up front.
“All right. Now I’m going to call a contact I have on the Missoula PD. She’ll come pick you up and take you in to make your official statement. I’ll make it clear they’re not to
start anything until Tate gets there. All right?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Sweetie, don’t mention it. I’m proud of you for coming forward, and so damn sorry it happened at all. I’ll be here to support you every step of the way, no matter what. Love you.”
“I love you too,” she choked out. After ending the call Nina curled up in her chair and drew up her knees to rest her forehead on them, filled with dread and shame.
She should have done this a long time ago. Now she would have to do it in front of the man who held the power to crush her heart with his reaction.
Chapter Fourteen
Avery walked into Tate’s kitchen and eyed the display in front of her dubiously. “What’s this?”
“Dungeons and dragons,” Rylee answered, writing something down on a sheet of paper while Mason set out a tray and pouches of dice. “You said you’d play.”
“I thought it was a board game.” More like bored game. Avery would rather stab something sharp in her eye than be stuck playing a game right now, but Rylee still didn’t know what had happened, and Avery was here to make sure she was okay.
“No, it’s a role-playing game,” Mason answered from the other side of the table.
She met his pale stare, felt a ripple of something deep inside her. He didn’t know why Tate had raced out of here so fast, only that Nina had asked for him. But it was their job to occupy Rylee and keep her mind off everything for now. “How long does it take?”
“Hours for a good session,” he said meaningfully.
Perfect. She’d suck it up and spend time with him if it meant distracting Rylee for a while. “What do I need to do?”
“You have to make a character. Here.” Rylee slid a piece of paper and an open book over to her.
Avery listened while Rylee explained everything, secretly becoming less enthusiastic about this whole thing the more Rylee told her. Dragons and orks and trolls? Ugh.
She glanced up at Mason, squinted at his shirt. “What does that say?”
He grinned and sat up straighter so she could read it. A picture of a weird-shaped die sat beneath the words: Beware the dungeon master who wears a smile. “Dungeon master?” Was that some kind of BDSM thing?
