by Stone, Piper
Shoving his phone into his pocket, he began picking through and tossing hunks of wood, pieces of plastic and remains of furniture. An odd looking mechanism caught his attention. The small black box was charred but there were remaining wires leading from one side. As he held the box closer to his face, the color-coded wires instantly made his hackles raise. “What the hell ?”
“Can I help you ?”
Tensing, he dropped and shifted the mechanism, covering up his discovery before turning around. He recognized the man from a picture in the paper. Montgomery Jeffries didn’t appear to be threatening, but he immediately gathered a sense of distrust. His thoughts drifted to Shannon. This kind of guy didn’t seem to be her type. “I’m with the Fire Department. Checking for any remaining embers. I know the owner will want to release the building to a demolition firm .”
Montgomery eyed him first with disdain then seemed to accept what he was being told. “That would be Jeffries Development and you’re right. I was here checking myself. There’s so much work to do.” After shaking his head, he smiled, his grin wide, his teeth far too white and along with his polished and practiced smile, he extended his arm .
Landen stepped over the debris and jumped off a heap, shaking the man’s hand. “Landen Weaver.” Everything about the man was plastic. What could she see in a guy like this ?
“Montgomery Jeffries. Good to meet you.” He held his grip, the handshake firm. When he pulled back, he gave an exaggerated sigh. “Damn shame. I loved this place. My shining glory after everything we went through.” He exhaled and rubbed his eyes, holding his fingers over them for almost a solid minute. When he looked up, he seemed to have tears in his eyes. “You fellas did a good job of keeping the rest of the mountain from going up. Credit to your organization. You should be proud of the work you did .”
Sell me an Amway product, why don’t you? “We do our jobs, Mr. Jeffries, and take fires very seriously .”
“Come now. You can call me Montgomery. We’re all friends here. Small town in so many ways, you know .”
How many times had the line been used? “Thank you. I think you’re good to go. I hope your insurance company has everything they need to issue you a check, so you can start rebuilding.” The question seemed to garner a stiffened posture. The rebuilding was the key. Had to be .
“Oh, they have everything, damn vultures. I pay them enough that they better have everything they need. I want this building back up pronto.” Montgomery hesitated. “Of course, that’s after the county and the fire department give their okay and all. I play by the rules .”
“I’m sure you do. Everything should be in order. When the fire investigator gives the final ruling, then you’ll be good to go.” Landen noticed a twitch just above the man’s left eye .
“Accidental of course. I heard some kids were bragging about setting the fire. Damn shame. What they’re taught now in schools .”
“Yes, well the ruling has to be finalized but I’m certain you’ll be the first to hear. Good to meet you.” Landen nodded and walked away, hoping the man would leave so he could investigate the metal box he’d found .
“Landen. You don’t mind if I call you that, do you ?”
“That’s fine.” He tipped his head. Dear God, the man was slick in every aspect. From his shiny shoes and three-thousand-dollar suit, the diamond ring that had to cost more than he made in a year, he had an instant dislike for the man .
“I was just about to grab some lunch. Why don’t you join me ?”
Landen kept his face as expressionless as possible. “I appreciate the offer I really do, but I have a lot on my plate today as you can imagine .”
“I certainly understand that, but I insist. I make it my business to get to know influential folks in this town. Besides, I would love to get an insider’s look at what you fellas do. I mean you’re a celebrity and all.” His smile grew larger, as if he knew he’d caught Landen off guard. “Oh, come now. You don’t think I read the papers or watch the news? You’re a damn hero and should be proud of it. Let me buy you lunch. It’s the least I could do after all the hard work you do saving lives .”
While having lunch with the man was the last thing he wanted to do, he realized he might garner some useful information, for the investigation if nothing else. “What the heck. I could eat .”
“A man of few words. I think I’m going to like getting to know you .”
* * *
S hannon was fed up. She hadn’t gotten a call from Landen or an inquiry in any manner regarding Jace. She was furious that she’d let her guard down with him at the accident. She could no longer think about the fact she’d slept with the man .
The morning had been spent doing some investigation online, as well as making a few phone calls. While she was no sleuth of the year, she could tell Jeffries had a huge development hung up with the city council and was losing thousands of dollars a day with every new hold up. What she couldn’t find was any connection to the property that had burned. After three hours, she’d given up .
Given the multiple deliveries coming to Ziggy’s, including a new speaker system for the stage, she’d resigned herself to being at work early. She was going to have to get her errands done quickly in order to get back home and feed the dog. Damn it! The man continued to put her in awkward positions. She was so going to give him a piece of her mind, if and when he ever decided to come for Jace .
Slamming the car door, she ran toward the drug store. Forced to park almost a full block away, she walked quickly down the sidewalk. When she rounded the corner, she had a bird’s eye view into one of her favorite restaurants. A casual look forced a second. Her blood ran cold. A sharp sting biting behind her eyes, she stopped and blinked several times, staring through the almost floor to ceiling glass. There was no way. No fucking way. Why was she so angry? The man could have lunch with anybody he wanted to. A laugh pushed past her lips. Montgomery had his clutches in half the folks in town. They couldn’t see her, not gawking anyway. Taking a giant stride backwards, she barely avoided a collision with a couple. “So sorry !”
Vile fury rushed up from her stomach, tightening her throat. She pressed her back against the brick building and counted to five, just in case they’d seen her. When she darted her head out, she pressed her fist into her mouth to keep from screaming. Sitting near the window, talking as if they were old friends was Landen, breaking bread with the asshole of the year. She felt betrayed, cheated. Used. There was no way. How could she have been so stupid ?
What was Landen, the man’s best buddy? No, this didn’t make any sense. Landen had been in town for a short time and didn’t even have a home secured as of yet. Or did he? Then again, she knew only what Landen had told her. What if they were friends from before, maybe college? They were about the same age after all. She had to fight to control her breathing and when she was no longer seeing stars, she looked again. While Landen seemed to be listening to the conversation, Montgomery was animated, his hands moving as he talked. The man was selling a load of bullshit, just like he always did .
What in the hell could they have to talk about if they weren’t friends? Was he investigating Jeffries Development? Like Montgomery would give anything away. Nothing made any sense and she could think of no logical explanation. Landen was a snake. That’s all there was to it. Perhaps Montgomery had hired the man to keep an eye on her. The thought created another volley of pain cutting through her forehead and eyes. At least she hadn’t gotten any more involved with Landen. She clung to the wall, promising new conviction .
Determined to finish her errands, she kept her head low as she walked past. At least she knew what Landen was made of and she could forgo rethinking her earlier decision. Satisfied, she held her head high as soon as she passed .
Then why was her heart hurting ?
* * *
“I ’m going to have to leave you, baby. I can only hope you’ll get to see your daddy tomorrow.” The words sounded hollow, even to Shannon. She checked then rech
ecked Jace’s water and crouched down to kiss him on the head. “Eat your dinner, then I’m going to have to go to work. You’ll be okay. I’ll leave a couple lights on .”
She walked back toward the bedroom to grab her purse and keys when she heard the rapping on her door. Debating whether to answer, she growled and took heavy steps. When she opened the door, she gave Landen a nasty look and her mask of steel locked down. “What the hell do you want ?”
“Whoa.” Landen held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to startle you .”
“You didn’t startle me.” You pissed me off. Huffing, she placed one hand on her hip and tried to keep her voice low. No sense in disturbing Jace .
Landen shifted from foot to foot and cleared his throat, giving her a waning smile. “Okay then. Look, I took a chance you’d be here. I came to get Jace.” His smile faded .
“He’s eating and it’s about damn time you gave a shit about anything other than yourself.” She kept her hand on the door, her grip as firm as her words .
“What does that mean ?”
Shannon laughed. “As if you don’t know. Tell you what. I’ll bring him to the restaurant with me. You can pick him up from there.” She attempted to close the door in his face .
Landen stuck his foot inside and while he didn’t push, his posture screamed he wasn’t moving. “No, I don’t know, and I think we need to talk .”
“We have nothing to talk about.” Damn, why did his eyes have to be so incredible, almost mesmerizing. She noticed a slight scent of smoke, as if he’d been working. Even this was attractive. Too much so .
“Shannon. Please? I know I upset you, but goddamn, woman, we should be able to talk about this .”
She backed away from the door. “Talk? You mean like you were talking with that piece of shit, Montgomery Jeffries? Or were you two plotting against me ?”
Landen inched inside and narrowed his eyes. “How did you know about that ?”
“I have eyes.” She could see confusion on his face. “God, I was such a fool to trust you .”
“Okay. I can honestly say I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I agree with you. He’s a son of a bitch as far as I’m concerned. What about this plotting against you? What are you talking about?” His face twisted with concern .
Shannon was taken aback. Don’t trust. You can’t trust. “Wait a minute. What did you say ?”
“I can think of dozens of reasons. He’s very practiced and has a high opinion of himself.” Landen looked away then closed the door, but remained where he was .
Snorting, she rolled her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know. Why were you with him?” Her tone grew more demanding .
“I thought you were dating him .”
The words left a solid weight in her stomach. “That was a… mistake. He asked me out and I accepted, but there will never be anything between us. That’s not what we’re talking about here .”
“What happened ?”
“None of your business.” She brushed a bead of perspiration from her forehead. “You suspect him of something. Don’t you ?”
“I can’t tell you right now. Okay ?”
Laughing, she pointed toward the door. “That means you’re working for him or with him. Either way, that’s unacceptable so get out. As I said, I’ll have Jace with me later today. And we don’t need to see each other when you come in either. Got it ?”
“Shannon, I can’t tell you because it’s part of an ongoing investigation, but it has nothing to do with me working for that man!” Landen clenched his fist and swallowed hard. “This is complicated .”
“Such is life. Get out !”
“Hold on. Okay? Listen to me,” he commanded then softened his voice. “The truth is, I have strong beliefs that he — ”
“Is a lying, manipulative asshole?” Shannon interrupted .
Chuckling, Landen nodded. “That will work. What did the man do to you ?”
Before she could retort, she watched as Jace flew into the room, jumping into Landen’s arms. The dog couldn’t be that wrong about him. “Let’s just say I don’t trust him in any manner .”
“Fair enough .”
“And I don’t understand. Why were you having lunch with him and how do I know that you’re not lying to me ?”
“Good God, girl. Whoever did this to you needs to be shot. I wasn’t there as his friend. I was trying to gather information .”
“For this investigation .”
“Exactly.”
Just hearing him say the words, and with so much conviction, gave her a new set of doubts about her own ability to size up people. “I don’t know if I believe you .”
“Why? Do you think I have something to do with Jeffries Development or the recent fire? Do you honestly think I could have a man like Montgomery as a friend?” He moved closer .
She took a step back. “Just stay away .”
He remained unblinking. “I’m sorry I left you the other night. I’m even sorrier that I got you involved with this mess .”
“This mess ?”
Landen groaned and rubbed his hand through his hair. “With me. You can’t be with me .”
The words hung in the room. “There’s the crux of it. At least you had the guts to tell me the truth. I was nothing but a one-night stand, just something to get you by.” Shannon spit the words as her blood pressure rose. “How dare you use me !”
“No. That’s not what I meant, and I would never use you .”
“You have to be kidding me? I’m a big girl. That’s all right. Just tell me the truth. That was just sex. We chatted. We had too much wine. Nothing more.” She took a step back and turned around, refusing to get emotional. But her hands were shaking. Damn it! Don’t do this. Don’t get emotional .
“Is that what you think?” Landen asked, his voice little more than a soft whisper .
She had no idea what to think or if she wanted to believe him. Believing would mean she wanted more. “Go away, Landen. Please just go away.” Hearing nothing, she closed her eyes, as if she could shut out the world .
“I don’t want to go away .”
When she felt the whispered touch of his fingers, a light caress, she shuddered, her breathing ragged. “Landen. Don’t. You just don’t understand.” The almost magical current remained, sizzling every inch of her naked skin .
“I understand I will never intentionally hurt you.” He blew a swath of air across her cheek and danced the tip of his index finger in a slow circle around her shoulder. “I understand you don’t trust me.” He intertwined his fingers in her long hair and pulled, exposing her neck .
Her nipples hardening, she tensed as he continued to caress. “No, I can’t…” The moment he pushed his chest against her back, the words trailed off. He let go of her hair, but she held the position and when he used the flats of both hands, rubbing down from her waist to her hips, then to her upper thighs, she whimpered and rested her head on his shoulder. Arching her back, she allowed the touch, enjoying his strong hold and breathing in a man who was all male, full of danger and passion, everything she’d ever craved. “I don’t trust me.” Had she uttered the words, damning any chance of happiness? No. No. No !
“Shannon.” The word issued with a guttural growl, he eased around to face her, his hands never leaving her, his breath skipping along her neck and across her lips. He lowered his head, crushing his mouth over hers. As he thrust his tongue inside, he moaned and pressed his hands against both sides of her face. He kept his strong hold as the kiss continued, the passion wild and intense .
Every part of her tingling, she rubbed her fingers across his forearms before cupping her hands over his. No man had ever kissed her this way, exuding utter control, full domination. She wanted nothing more than to lose herself, succumb in a way she hadn’t before. If only …
As if sensing her discord, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling Shannon onto her toes. He leaned over, forcing her into a deep arc and bit down on her lower lip .
“Oh!” Blinking several times, shimmers of light bounced against the periphery of her vision as goose bumps broke out over her heated, naked skin. A string of whimpers slipped past her lips and she wrapped one hand around his carved shoulder, the other pushing against his chest. The dichotomy of push and pull made the kiss so much more exciting, daring in every aspect. This shouldn’t be, yet she was hot and wet, her pussy clenching .
Landen licked across the seam of her mouth then down to her chin, nipping her tender flesh. His hot breath continued to slide along her skin as he peppered her with kisses, husky grunts roaring from his throat .
She let go, if only for a few seconds, a precious capture of time, and rubbed her hand down his muscular chest, kneading his chiseled six pack abs, his thin waist. Flexing her fingers open, she stroked his denim covered cock, her legs shaking the moment she felt his throbbing shaft .
“I want you,” he breathed. “God, I want you.” He issued a growl then bit down on her neck before sucking, rolling his tongue back and forth across her tender tissue .
Her nipples were hard, aching and she wanted nothing more than to drop to her knees, and suck his dick. She envisioned the powerful man stripping her of her clothes and tossing her onto the bed. Forcing her onto her knees as he wrapped her hands tightly around her hair then spanking her ass, his hand slapping long and hard. She panted as the images rolled in the back of her mind, vivid colors pushing against her psyche. “Landen. Oh …”
Landen rubbed her back as he licked down further, using his teeth to move the tee-shirt, exposing the top portion of her lacy bra .
She fumbled with his buckle, unable to feel her fingers as electric sensations raced up and down the back of her legs, her spine. She could swear she heard an echo of his voice, so dark and commanding, as he told her exactly how she was going to serve him. And at that moment she wanted nothing more than to be owned by him .
He slid his tongue underneath the thin lace and swirled the tip around her hardened nipple as he cupped her breast, pinching and twisting .
