5 Bargain Hunting

by Rhonda Pollero

  Liam’s head tilted to one side and he gave me an icy glare. “What happened to stay home or go to a public place?”

  “I did go to a public place and it was very secure.”

  “How can you know that?”

  “It had razor wire, metal detectors, pat downs, and guards everywhere.”

  “You went to see Santos?”

  I nodded. “He was very helpful.”

  “He’s also a full-of-shit felon who only talked to you so he could get his rocks off.”

  “That, too,” I admitted. “But don’t you want to know what I found out?”

  “I want to put you over my knee and spank you.”

  “Sorry, I’m not into that kind of stuff.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “Okay, talk.”

  I repeated the encounter, sans the parts about unbuttoning my shirt. “I honestly don’t think he knows who all was involved. Just that someone was orchestrating raids with large cash deposits that never made it into evidence. Someone or someones were skimming off the top.”

  Liam came around and got himself a beer. “Santos isn’t reliable.”

  “What did Vasquez say when you saw him?”

  “Lots of profanity. He was a dead end.”

  “So all we really know is that José had a history with the Latin Bandits and my guess is neither you nor Stan Cain was in on it. That’s why Stan was killed.”

  “Then why kill José if he was the inside man?”

  “I haven’t figured that out yet,” I admitted. “Maybe José wasn’t alone in skimming. Maybe he was in it with other officers and for some reason, they had to shut him up. Think maybe Garza might know if there was some sort of secret investigation going on?”

  “If he did, he wouldn’t have pressed charges against me. He’d never go along with a sham prosecution.”

  I nodded. “Good point.”

  Liam placed his barely touched beer on the countertop.

  I took an involuntary step backward when he was close. The action didn’t go unnoticed, not if his satisfied smirk was any indication.

  “Liam,” I cautioned as I held up one hand, palm out. “We aren’t going to do this. You have stitches.”

  “We haven’t done anything yet and I heal fast. The stitches come out in the morning.”

  I backed up farther, only to find myself against the cool wall. Liam kept coming, his intense eyes belying the small smile curving his chiseled mouth.

  “Please?” I said, not sure what I was asking for.

  Without a word, Liam took the glass from my hand and deposited it on the counter. Then he flattened his palms on the wall on either side of my head.

  I could smell his musky cologne and hear his slightly uneven breath. There was a smoldering intensity in his eyes that sent a ripple of desire through me.

  “Please what?” he asked.

  His warm, mint-scented breath washed over my face. Tilting my head back, I searched his eyes beneath the thick outline of his dark lashes.

  “I’ve been very, very patient,” he said.

  Bending at the waist, Liam leaned forward until his lips barely grazed mine. Wide-eyed, I experienced the first tentative seconds of the kiss through a haze of surprise. The pressure from his mouth increased almost instantly. It was no longer tentative. It was demanding and confident. Apparently fueled by the months of touches and meaningful looks that had punctuated our coexistence. His hands moved slowly, purposefully to my waist. His strong fingers slipped beneath the fabric of my top and came to rest just below the swell of my rib cage. My mouth burned where he incited fires with his expert exploration of my mouth. A sigh inspired by purely animal desire rose in my throat. I was being bombarded with so many sensations at once, one more pleasurable than the last. The callused pad of his thumb brushed the bared flesh at my midriff. His kiss was so thorough, so wonderful that my knees were actually beginning to tremble.

  When he pulled away, I very nearly reached out to keep him close to me. It wasn’t necessary, he didn’t go far. Resting his forehead on mine, I listened to the harmony of our labored breathing.

  “What am I going to do with you?” he asked.

  “Kissing me is a good place to start.”

  “I kissed you. You responded. Why have we been pretending?”

  “It’s not pretending,” I said, feeling sad and lonely all of a sudden. “Maybe deep down we both know this isn’t such a great idea.”

  “That,” he began as he lifted his head and met my eyes, “is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

  Liam wasn’t subtle with his second kiss. There was nothing even remotely sweet about it. This kiss was meant to do one thing, convey desire. Even before he pressed his hardness into my belly, I knew he was aroused like he’d never been before. I also knew that I had to keep this from happening, no matter how much I wanted it myself. Sex changes people. The whole relationship becomes tainted. If Liam was my lover, chances were he’d no longer be my friend.

  “Don’t,” I said as I placed my hands flat against his chest and gave a little shove. “This is wrong.”

  “How can you say that?” he countered. “How can anything this good be wrong?”

  “Because it ends,” I said on a long breath. “We go along fine for a while, then something happens and we walk away from each other. I want you in my life, and if that means no sex, so be it.” I watched him from behind the safety of my lashes.

  “Finley.” He said my name on a rush of breath. “I don’t want to make love to you just for the hell of it.”

  “Then why?” I asked, truly confused.

  He looked at me with eyes so full of tenderness I almost sighed. “I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I laid eyes on you.” He brushed his lips across my forehead. “Because of everything you’ve done for me.”

  “Gratitude isn’t a good reason to have sex.”

  “Not gratitude,” he insisted as his fingers moved to grip my upper arms. His lips touched mine. His voice deepened to a husky whisper as he continued. “Like it or not, there’s more here than just lust.” He kissed me lightly. “Do we really have to put a label on it? I love the way you laugh. I love the fire in your eyes when you’re angry.”

  “Liam?” I whispered, feeling my defenses crumble.

  “I know it will be incredible between us. Let’s just go with that for now.”

  He kissed me with equal measures of passion and pleading.

  “You’re confusing me,” I admitted.

  “I’m trying not to,” he said quietly. His hand came up and he captured a lock of my hair between his thumb and forefinger. He silently studied the pale strands, his expression dark and intense.

  “I don’t know what to do, Liam. I don’t want to make a mistake.”

  “You won’t,” he promised, his voice low, and definitely seductive.

  The sincerity in his voice worked like a vise on my throat. The lump of emotion threatened to strangle me as the moments of silence dragged on.

  “We don’t even know if we have anything in common.”

  “Well, I know a good place to start,” he countered, his voice rising a notch. “We can deal with the other stuff later,” he said as he scooped me up in his arms, cradling me against his solid chest.

  Liam carried me down the hall to my bedroom. As if I was some fragile object, he placed me on the bed, gently arranging me against the pillows.

  I was silent as I watched him shrug out of his shirt and jeans before joining me on the bed. Through passion-dilated eyes, I took in the impressive sight of him, absently checking to make sure his injury was little more than a faint red line. His body was a true thing of beauty. Rolling on his side, Liam pulled me closer, until I encountered the solid outline of him. His expression was fixed, his mouth little more than a taut line.

  “This’ll be good, Finley. You’ll see,” he said as he gently pulled me into the circle of his arms.

  It felt so good, so right. I needed this. Closing my
eyes, I reminded myself of how many times I’d dreamed of this moment.

  I surrendered completely.

  Cradling me in one arm, Liam used his free hand to stroke the hair away from my face. I greedily drank in the scent of his cologne as I cautiously allowed my fingers to rest against his thigh. His skin was warm and smooth, a startling contrast to the very defined muscle I could feel beneath my hand. I remained perfectly still, comforted by his scent, his touch, and his nearness. Strange that I could find such solace in his arms. Being here in this room with Liam was enough to erase the uncertainty that had plagued me for days. What could be the harm in just a few hours of the pleasure I knew I could find here? He was right. We could work the rest of the stuff out later.

  He tilted my head back until his face was mere fractions of an inch from mine. I could feel the ragged expulsion of his breath. Instinctively, my palms flattened against his chest. The thick mat of dark hair served as a cushion for my touch. Still, beneath the softness, I could easily feel the hard outline of muscle.

  “I want you so badly,” he said in a near whisper.

  My lashes fluttered as his words washed over my upturned face. I needed to hear those words, perhaps even wished for them. Liam’s lips tentatively brushed mine. So feather light was the kiss that I wasn’t even certain it could qualify as such. His movements were careful, measured. His thumbs stroked the hollows of my cheeks.

  Slowly and deliberately he stripped off my shirt and shorts, trailing little kisses everywhere he exposed new skin. With skill and agility, he made quick work of my bra and thong. His dexterity continued as he removed the last barrier of his clothing until we were both gloriously naked.

  I banished all thought from my mind. I wanted this, almost desperately. The feel of his hands and his lips made me feel alive. The ache in my chest was changing, evolving, being taken over by some new emotions. I became acutely aware of every aspect of him. The pressure of his thigh where it touched mine. The sound of his uneven breathing. The magical sensation of his mouth kissing me in places I didn’t even know needed kissing.

  When he lifted his head, I grabbed his broad shoulders. “Don’t,” I whispered, urging him back to me.

  His resistance was both surprising and short-lived. It was almost totally forgotten when he dipped his head. His lips did more than brush against mine. His hands left my face and wound around my body. Liam crushed me against him. I could actually feel the pounding of his heart beneath my hands.

  The encounter quickly turned into something intense and consuming. His tongue moistened my parted lips. The kiss became demanding, and I was a very willing participant. I managed to work my hands across his chest, until I felt the outline of his erect nipples beneath my palms. He responded to my action by running his hands all over my back and nibbling my lower lip. It was a purely erotic action, one that inspired great need and desire in me.

  A small moan escaped my lips as I kneaded the muscles of his chest. He tasted vaguely of mint and he continued to work magic with his mouth. I felt the kiss in the pit of my stomach. What had started as a pleasant warmth had grown into a full-fledged heat emanating from my very core, fueled by the sensation of his fingers snaking up my back, entwining in my hair and guiding my head back at a severe angle. Passion flared as he hungrily devoured first my mouth, then the tender flesh at the base of my throat. His mouth was hot, the stubble of his beard slightly abrasive. I felt it all. I was aware of everything—the outline of his body, the almost arrogant expectation in his kiss. Liam was obviously a skilled and talented lover. I was a compliant and demanding partner.

  This was a wondrous new place for me, special and beautiful. The controlled urgency of his need was a heady thing. It gave me the sense that I had a certain primal power over this man.

  He kissed, touched, and tasted until I literally cried out for him. It was no longer a physical act, it was a need. I needed Liam inside me to feel complete.

  Poised above me, his brow glistening with perspiration, Liam looked down at me with smoldering, heavy eyes. He waited for me to guide him, then filled me with one long, powerful thrust. Then he moved. Rhythmically, faster and faster, until I was nearly out of my mind.

  The sights and sounds around me became a blur as the knot in my stomach wound tighter with each passing minute. Building fiercely until I felt the spasm of satisfaction begin to wrack my body. Liam groaned against my ear as he joined in my release. His hold didn’t diminish and he kept placing tiny kisses against my damp brow.

  “Told you it would be good,” he said without conceit.

  “You didn’t tell me it would be fantastic,” I responded before realizing I’d spoken the words aloud. I felt kind of foolish at the admission.

  He fell silent and gently stroked my hair.

  I’d never had sex like that. I wasn’t even sure if sex was the right word. It was more like a fusion of man and woman, primordial, punctuated by the most mind-blowing orgasm I’d ever experienced. Only now came the hard part. After-sex silence or awkward chitchat? Should I discreetly slip into the bathroom and freshen up, or should I lie there, lingering in his arms? Someone needed to create a manual. Postcoital etiquette for the woman who probably just blew a great friendship.

  Sometimes the truth hurts—literally.

  seventeen

  The awkwardness was still there in the morning when I was pouring two mugs of steamy coffee. I couldn’t look him in the eyes. Not because we had had sex, but because we had done it twice. My shower had been officially christened.

  I was like a tightly wound watch, while Liam was the very picture of relaxed. It’s so much easier for guys. That’s because they don’t dissect every little nuance.

  “Are you going to remain silent?” he asked, grinning.

  “It’s the best plan I’ve got right now.”

  “I’ve got to go to Ashley’s place this morning.”

  I wanted to throw my coffee mug at him. “You’re a busy guy.”

  He sighed. “I’m going over to let the dog out. You can come along if you want. You’d like Perry Mason.”

  “I’m afraid of dogs.”

  “Perry is harmless.”

  “He has teeth, doesn’t he?”

  “Well, you’ll have to meet eventually. I can’t leave him at Ashley’s forever.”

  Pass, thanks, on the dog meet and greet. “I have a job,” I reminded him. “Tony has something he needs me to do on a case, and I want to take a second look at the guys from your unit. If Santos was telling the truth, someone’s sitting on some serious cash.”

  “And if he was full of crap?”

  “Then I’ll just have wasted some time.” I set my mug in the sink. “Why are you so resistant to the idea that some people on the force could be corrupt?”

  “I worked with these guys. Trusted them. Cops have a special bond. We put our lives in each other’s hands. It’s just hard for me to think they intentionally got me booted from the force. Even harder to imagine that they’re responsible for the deaths of Stan and José.”

  “But they threw you under the bus the first chance they got.”

  “Now you sound like Ashley. Next thing I know you’ll be telling me you think I shot that kid.”

  “Why would I do that?” I asked, puzzled.

  “That was Ashley’s theory. She never thought I meant for it to happen, she was just convinced by the evidence and my attorney’s suggestion that I take a plea.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, thinking it was a lame response to what he’d just said.

  “It got worse. I spent all the money we’d saved for her salon on my jackass lawyer. Cleaned us out. Ashley had to go back to work in one of those quickie nail salons.”

  “But things turned out okay. She has her place now.”

  “That didn’t seem like it was in the cards five years ago. She was convinced we’d go bankrupt before I went to prison.” He wasn’t looking at me anymore. His stare was far off in the distance and his face was devoid of emotion. “Sh
e made a decision that ended our marriage.”

  “Ashley wanted the divorce?”

  He scoffed. “I was not a very pleasant person back then. I was mad at the world and she was convenient. We were on shaky ground. She put up a united front for the media, but she had so many doubts. About me. About our future. I realize now I can’t blame her for what she did. And I’ve worked hard to replace every penny we spent on the attorney’s fees.”

  “You’re partners?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No. The salon is all hers. I just made good on what I’d taken from her.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, why? It wasn’t like you intentionally blew through your savings. Your career—your life—was on the line.”

  “That’s exactly what she said when she told me she’d had an abortion. She said she didn’t want to be a single parent raising a kid in poverty. We’d been trying for a baby for a year. It took me a long time to forgive her for that. She never even told me she was pregnant.”

  “That’s a huge thing. But you’re past it now.”

  “It took a while, but we learned to be friends again.”

  I took a steadying breath. “Friends with benefits?”

  His gaze met and held mine. “No,” he said with so much clarity something tense subsided in me. “Anything else you want to know?”

  I felt my face warm. “Nope, I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one morning.”

  He laughed. “Why would you be embarrassed?”

  “For asking a question I had no business asking.”

  Liam came around and drew me into a tender embrace. “You can ask me anything.”

  “Really?” A day ago I had like a zillion questions. Now I could barely remember my own name. I guess things had changed between us. But for how long?

  “Sure.”

  “Could you save this hug for later? I’ve got to get to work.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “Consider it a date.”

  I smiled all the way to work. Who wouldn’t? Liam made me happy and it felt like forever since I’d been happy. I was more than happy, I was ecstatic. I didn’t even mind Margaret’s scowl as I breezed through the lobby and went to my office. I had a message from Tony to meet him in his office in thirty minutes. That gave me plenty of time to send e-mails to Jane, Liv, and Becky to arrange for a lunch. I just had to share my good news.