by CJ Roberts
“Can you give us a list of the people who’ve had access since Thursday?” Becker asked.
Nic nodded. “Vivian Carmichael came here today to pick up my clothes, and Lauren was here last night with Kaden.” Turning to Kaden, he asked, “Can you pull the records from the security system so we know when it was enabled and disabled?”
“Already done, sir.” He picked a sheet of paper off the table. “The system was disabled Thursday evening at 11:35 PM, reset two hours later. It was disabled and reset on Friday morning and Friday night as expected. Unexpectedly though, it was disabled and reset twice this morning.”
Anderson pulled out his notepad. “The Thursday night hours match up with the eyewitness accounts of when you left the bar with Ms. Rayne. We imagine she used your key and you gave her the code to get in.”
“Then she made a copy and let herself in again this morning,” Nic said. Lauren took his hand and squeezed it.
“Ms. James, what did you do while you were here?” Anderson asked.
Her eyes flicked to Nic. “I cleaned up Nic’s room.” She arched a brow. “Then I tidied up the mess left by the police.”
Anderson cleared his throat. “Sorry about that, ma’am. The CSI guys are focused on collecting evidence. Did you see anything unusual?”
She pictured the message dripping with blood and shuddered. “There certainly wasn’t anything written on the bathroom mirror.”
Becker questioned her, then Kaden regarding their whereabouts during the past twenty-four hours. “Ms. James, you had a window of opportunity between leaving the hospital this morning and your return during the press conference. The timing matches when the security system was disabled.”
“But I don’t know the code.”
“You could have seen Mr. Christiansen enter it last night.”
Kaden crossed his arms and frowned at the detectives. “That didn’t happen. And even if it did, how would she get a key?”
Nic stepped up behind her and pulled her into the comforting circle of his arms. “What’s this about, Detectives? Why are you hassling Lauren?”
Becker didn’t bat an eye. “Everyone is a suspect… until they aren’t.”
“What happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Nic snarled.
“Only in court. During an investigation, it works the other way.”
Nic walked to the door and opened it. “You don’t want to solve this case. You just want to close it.”
Anderson shot Lauren an apologetic look, then turned to Nic. “Mr. Lamoureux, we don’t want to offend anyone, but we do need to be thorough. We haven’t ruled out that the stalker is someone close to you.” Nic paled and shut the door.
An hour later, after the detectives and the CSI team left, Nic joined Lauren in the living room. He paced between the large picture window and the stone fireplace, his frustration visible in the tight lines around his mouth and in the stiffness of his shoulders.
If it were winter, she could light a fire, put on some soft music and offer him a glass of wine. She wanted to help him relax, but didn’t know him well enough to know what to do. Vivian would know. Her stomach twisted with jealousy. She pushed those thoughts away. Vivian might be Nic’s best friend, but she wasn’t the one he’d brought home.
She hugged his waist from behind. “It’s going to be all right. We’ll find Summer soon.”
Turning until they were face to face, he wrapped her in his arms. Her hands roamed his back, massaging the tight muscles while he nuzzled her neck. “Summer might not be the stalker. The text messages and the sightings began before I even met her.”
Lost in the pleasure of exploring his strong back, Lauren didn’t hear him at first. Then his words sank in. She pulled back to see his face. “You think there’s more than one person involved?”
His lips thinned and a tic appeared in the sharp line of his jaw. “It’s a definite possibility.”
Nothing she could say would make it all better. She rubbed his eyebrows with her thumbs, smoothing out his frown, and kissed his lips. “You don’t deserve this.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“What do you mean?”
“For all you know, I could be a very bad person.”
A smile curved her lips as her eyes roamed his gorgeous, distraught face. “You may not know me very well, but I’ve known you for years. No one in your position can keep deep dark secrets for long. If you had done anything worthy of making you a bad person, everyone would know about it by now.”
Somehow, instead of reassuring him, her words had the opposite effect. He kissed her on the nose. “I have to make some calls.”
Lauren followed him with her eyes as he headed up the stairs to his office. This was the second time she’d described him as a good person, and both times he’d become uncomfortable.
What skeletons were rattling around Nic The Lover’s closet?
She trembled with rage at what had been done to her Nic. Anger sat on her chest like a heavy weight. The fear of losing him had literally driven her to her knees. There could be no life for her without Nic.
And there would be no life for that stupid, conniving bitch who’d drugged him.
It was all over the news. The awful photo had gone viral on the Internet. The police claimed Summer wanted everyone to think Nic was her boyfriend. But she knew the truth. He’d never willingly have sex with the porn star. Drugging him was the only way she’d ever get near his bed.
Summer was only supposed to dance with him, get one or two Paparazzi Kisses. The photos would have drawn the media’s attention from the photographer. Instead, the slut had played her; she’d had her own plan all along! And to make matters worse, the paparazzi had photos of the fucking photographer at the hospital.
Her fingers curled around the pen she held in her hand, breaking it.
The press was calling her a stalker. But it wasn’t true. Didn’t they know that Nic was hers? That he would only ever be hers?
Nic was a lucky boy, even if he didn’t know it yet. As the red ink from the broken pen dripped down her arm, she smiled. She would take care of Summer. The bitch would never hurt Nic again.
And she’d take care of the photographer, too. Very soon.
Her blood thrummed with excitement. Nic would be thrilled with her for taking care of his problem, taking care of him. After this, he’d understand she’d do anything for him. Even crawl through broken glass.
Grabbing the newspaper, she rubbed her hand across the photograph, leaving a red smear of ink over the whore’s face. She’d take away anything, anyone that caused him pain. For him, she’d wash her hands in blood.
11
Nic paused at the top of the steps, hearing the muted voices in the living room. He stretched his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension building in his chest. His life was such a fucking mess. He sucked air deep into his lungs as he descended the stairs and entered the living room. “Kaden, can I have a word with you?”
Lauren jumped up. “I’ll get some drinks while you two talk. Pop okay?”
“Thank you, chérie.” Nic followed her with his eyes, enjoying the sway of her hips as she walked to the kitchen. She was probably confused about his behavior, but he’d make it up to her later, when they were alone.
Hearing Kaden chuckle, Nic dragged his gaze to his bodyguard’s knowing grin. He shrugged and grinned back. He’d been so excited to come home and spend time with Lauren, he’d all but forgotten Summer was still on the loose, and even worse, she had his keys and the code to the alarm system. Were he and Lauren safe here? He had to be sure. “Get a locksmith to change the locks. And after doing a full inspection of the security system, change the codes. I don’t want anyone but you and me to have access to this place.”
“I’m already on it.”
“One more thing, can you work for me full time until this situation is resolved? You can have the spare bedroom.”
“Absolutely.” Kaden nodded.
“Is Beth going to hate me
for this?”
Kaden threw his head back and laughed. “No. She’s a huge fan.”
Nic smiled. “Is there anything I can do to thank her?”
When Kaden hesitated, Nic made a get-on-with-it motion with his hand. “She’d love an autographed photo.”
“The ones I have on hand are all pretty racy. Can you handle the competition?” Nic teased.
“You might play a soldier, but I’m the real deal.”
Laughing, Nic left Kaden to his work and went back up to his office. The photos Lauren had taken in D.C. lay on his desk. As he sorted through the pile, his heart filled with pride. These were damn good. With her talent, she deserved to have her photos on the covers of all the major magazines. Someday people would be begging to work with her.
When he found the one of him wearing only a pair of camouflage pants, a grin spread across his face. Beth would love it. Kaden wouldn’t. Perfect. Laughing, he signed the photo.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
He turned to see Lauren. She handed him a tall glass of pop. “Kaden will be staying with us until Summer is found,” he said.
“Good. You need all the protection you can get.”
“He’ll be protecting us. The doll was warning enough.”
“Don’t remind me.” She pointed to his desk. “Were you going over the photos from the shoot?”
“I’m autographing one for Kaden’s girlfriend. A thank you for monopolizing his time.”
She pointed to the shot he’d signed. “That one’s my favorite.”
He pulled her onto his lap and chuckled when she blushed. “Tell me why.”
As she traced a finger down his neck and into the open V of his shirt, she murmured, “When I see this photo, it makes me think of running my hands over all those muscles so I can feel them contracting and relaxing. Then I think of running my fingers over your chest and…”
He swallowed hard, aware of his rapidly increasing heart rate as she matched actions to words. “And then what?” His voice was gruff even to his own ears.
She unbuttoned his shirt in no particular hurry. “And then I think of kissing my way down your neck and your chest so I can do this.” He inhaled sharply as her mouth closed around one nipple. All his attention lasered in on the touch of her lips, the swirl of her tongue.
“Oh yeah? Come to think of it, that’s my favorite photo, too.” He lifted his hips to push against Lauren’s bottom. He was definitely rising to the occasion.
Nic heard a knock and reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Lauren to see Kaden lounging against the doorframe. The man had the worst timing.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Kaden grinned. “A locksmith is coming in a few hours. I’ve changed the access codes on the security system. The new ones are on the kitchen table. I’m leaving to get my stuff. Call me if there’s a problem.”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
“Is that the photo for Beth?”
“Yeah. I hope she likes it.” He handed the photo to Kaden.
Kaden glanced at Lauren. “If she likes it as much as Ms. James here, it might take me a bit more than an hour to get back.”
Lauren blushed again, and Nic burst out laughing. “No worries man. Take your time. I’m in good hands.”
“No doubt,” Kaden said with a wink for Lauren. “By the way, everything’s been tidied up in the master suite.”
As Kaden’s feet pounded down the stairs, Lauren playfully punched Nic in the arm. “You’re incorrigible.”
“No, just really, really happy you’re here.” He ran his hands along her thighs, pushing her skirt up, then turned her so she straddled his lap. “I haven’t been able to think of anything but getting my hands on you since I first saw you in D.C.”
“After all those kisses on the cheek, I thought you were feeling very brotherly.”
“Chérie, there’s nothing brotherly about what I want to do to you.” He placed his hands under her ass and stood up. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she laughed in delight. While nibbling on her neck, he carried her to his room.
After laying her on his bed, he sat beside her and threaded his fingers through her wild hair. Blood rushed from his head to his cock as he imagined the soft strands slipping over his thighs as she…. Pushing the image aside for the moment, he brushed a stray curl behind her ear. “Are you sure about this? If you want to wait, we can.”
She smiled. “I’m sure.”
Okay then. Nic undid the top button of her blouse, then the second. When her eyebrows dipped in a small frown, his hands stilled. “Something wrong?”
“It’s a little bright in here. Could we close the blinds?”
She averted her eyes. Ah. Lauren was uncomfortable letting him see her naked. “Whatever you want. But just so you know, I love your body. Someday, I hope you’ll let me look at you in the light.”
“I’ve seen the photos of the women you’ve dated. Actresses and supermodels. As close to perfect as a plastic surgery can get them. I’m nothing like them.”
“Exactly.”
Lauren narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know how to take that. Are you saying I’m not beautiful? I know I’m not perfect, and frankly, I’m not sure what you see in me.”
Hearing the anger and doubt in her voice, Nic’s stomach did a slow, sickening roll. How could she have gotten everything so wrong? He took her hand, pressing it to the bulge between his legs. “I might be a good actor, but I can’t fake this. You’re beautiful. Inside and out.”
She rolled her eyes. “Nice line, Nic. But have you ever slept with a woman who’s had a child? Have you ever seen stretch marks or C-section scars? Believe me, they’re not very attractive.”
Lauren was right; he’d never slept with a mother before. How bad could her scars be to make her think they’d turn him off? He didn’t think anything could do that. “My mother used to say scars and stretch marks are the badges of motherhood. You shouldn’t be ashamed of that, Lauren.”
He kissed her, then stood to close the blinds. Lauren grasped his arm. “Leave them.”
“Don’t do this for me.”
After rising onto her knees, she rested her forehead against his. “I’m not. Don’t you think I want to see you too?” She smiled shyly. “It’s been a long time for me.”
“How long?”
“Over five years.” When his brows rose, she laughed. Five years? God, he couldn’t imagine going five weeks. His dick would shrivel up and fall off.
He kissed the tip of her pert nose. “We’ll take it slow and you can stop me anytime. Just say the word.”
Chuckling, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him onto the bed, twisting so he landed on his back. He was more than happy to let her take charge. It touched him that she was honoring him in this way. Straddling his lap, she removed her blouse, revealing the chain around her neck. Would she remove her husband’s dog tags before they made love?
“I love your chest,” she said, undoing the remaining buttons on his shirt. Her small hands sculpting his pecs made him groan with pleasure. When her nails traced the line of his hair down to the waistband of his pants, chills ran up his spine, and gooseflesh spread across his chest and stomach.
Unable to resist, he reached up to palm her smooth, supple breasts. As if reading his mind, she reached behind her back to unhook her lacy white bra. His hands were poised to catch her breasts when the cups of the bra fell away. “So beautiful.”
Her gasps of pleasure as he rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers drove him wild. He wanted more. Raising himself up, he twisted the chain around so the dog tags rested on her back, then he lifted her breasts in an offering to his mouth.
When his lips closed over both peaked nipples at the same time, she moaned. “That feels so good.”
He agreed wholeheartedly. The taste of her as his tongue curled around her nipples was exotic and exhilarating. He wanted a lot more. She clasped his head against her breasts, rocking her hips in a rhythm like
a slow dance. Reluctantly, he gave up his claim on her breasts and shrugged off his shirt. That first contact of hot flesh pressed against flesh was one of his favorite parts of sex, and he couldn’t wait a moment longer to experience it with Lauren. As soon as the shirt was off, he lay back down and pulled her tightly against his chest. As if understanding what he wanted, she slid her hands over his biceps and wrapped her arms around his neck.
They were connected. Every inch of skin from their waists up, touching. Her softness molded against his hardness. He was burning out of control. And as he looked up into her beautiful flushed face, he gave in to the temptation of a mouth already swollen from their earlier kisses.
With his teeth, he tugged on her lower lip. She arched her back, crushing her breasts against his chest, and opened her lips. Never one to refuse such a charming invitation, he covered her mouth in a bold, decisive gesture. As her tongue wound around his, he imagined she was licking another part of his body. He growled deep in his throat.
Releasing her mouth, he eased her back up and slid his hands under her skirt, bunching the fabric at her waist. After a moment, he hesitated. “Are you certain, chérie?”
“Never more,” she breathed, her voice husky and seductive as she reached for his zipper.
He shifted her down beside him and tugged her skirt off, then stopped to admire the sight of her in a lacy white thong that matched the bra on the floor. “Do all moms wear panties like this?”
“You like?”
“Oh, yeah. I like a lot.” With a smile, he grabbed each side of the thong and pulled down as Lauren wiggled and lifted her bottom. He’d ask her to model these for him sometime. But not now. Twirling the panties on his fingertip, he caught her eye and let them fly across the room to land on the dresser.
