Blood Red Rage (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 1)

by Morgan Kelley

  “You are a woman after my own heart. Where have you been all my life?” he teased.

  God, she wanted his heart in the worst possible way.

  Justin forced himself to concentrate, and when he heard nothing, he pushed the door open slightly.

  “Damn it, Julian!” he stated, laughing. Apparently, his brother wanted to play dirty.

  Vivian giggled when she found the room empty. “You two have a really good relationship. I wish I had a sibling.”

  He pulled out her coat and his too. “Yeah, well I have more than one. I’m the middle child of five.”

  She laughed. “Wow, someone loved kids.”

  Justin helped her into wool coat and watched her button it. “Well, my mom had my brother Connor first, and then she found out that she was pregnant with twins. After we came along, she found out she was pregnant again with another set of twin girls. Thus, the Littlemoon tribe was formed.”

  She took his hand as he led her from the room. “Are they identical too?”

  “No, they’re not. My one sister is in the Navy and the other one is a mom of a half dozen kids herself.”

  “Holy shit, that’s a lot of children.”

  Justin pulled her under his shoulder, as they walked down the quiet street. “Yeah, then, you have my brother’s wife. She’s had four children too.”

  She wondered if Justin ever thought about kids.

  “I know Julian wants a baby in the worst way, but so far nothing.”

  “I’m sure it’ll happen,” she stated.

  “Are you telling me that you’ve seen it in the future, or just guessing?”

  She grinned but didn't answer. “It’s cold tonight.”

  He glanced up, distracted by the star filled sky. “It’s pretty,” he murmured.

  Vivian wouldn’t disagree with him there. “It certainly is.”

  “Do you believe in fate and love at first sight?” he asked, figuring he might as well go for it.

  “Yes on both counts.”

  He stopped in front of the steps that led to her place. “I want to be honest with you. I think I’m in love with you.” He watched the look on her face, and he continued quickly. “I know that this is fast, and I can’t explain it, but I feel like you’re meant to be part of me.”

  So, this was what it felt like to be totally speechless.

  Her silence was unnerving him. “Did you dream about us, past this case?” He needed to know. Justin hated thinking that she saw their future and it wasn’t with them together. The mere idea made his stomach clench in torment.

  Certainly, fate wouldn’t be this cruel of a bitch.

  “Vivian, I need an answer.”

  She stared into his eyes, as her own filled with tears. Her brain struggled to find a way to express what he meant to her, already. “I did dream about us.”

  He was trying to wait patiently. “Do we come to an end? I need to know if I should I just walk away right now, Vivian, in order to save both of our hearts. Please tell me what you saw, because I can’t move forward without believing that what I’m feeling is real.” He ran his fingers over her cheek and whispered, “You have to be real.”

  The first tear slid down her cheek, and when he kissed it away, her heart melted even more. “I love you, Justin, and we do have more than just this case. I can’t give you specifics, but I can tell you that the dream I had felt permanent. You belong with me.”

  His heart soared that finally, he had the chance that he had always wanted. Bringing his lips down to hers, he gently shared what was living inside of him for her.

  It was love, and it began blossoming into something so amazing, that he wanted to weep from the bounding joy.

  Breaking the kiss, he led her up the stairs and into her building. “That’s all I needed to know,” he said softly, as his larger hand held hers securely in his own. The worry had abated and he could breathe a little easier.

  Inside the elevator, he pressed her against the wall to kiss her once more. Instead of frenzied, it was gentle and showed her the other side that he was willing to offer only her. Vivian was well aware that he was offering her his heart on a silver platter.

  In her brain, the dream replayed over and over. They were together. That was definitely true, but she didn't tell him that it wouldn’t be an easy road.

  She couldn’t flaunt their relationship.

  He would have to live with the secrecy, unless fate found a way to change its path. She prayed for a miracle, to give them a chance.

  Yet, the feel of him in her life was enough to make her push those worries far from her mind.

  “Justin,” she practically purred, as he lifted her off her feet as the elevator doors opened. Without even having to look, he carried her to her door, and pulled the keys from her fingers.

  Tonight, he was going to show her the side of him that no one ever saw before. Justin had kept it locked away and protected for so many years, and now he knew why. This woman was the reason.

  Vivian Graves was meant to be the only one who saw the truth behind the battle scarred soul.

  As the lock clicked, he pushed it open and tossed the keys on her counter. With the utmost care in the world, he unbuttoned her coat, and then moved to his next. When her hands went to his face, to pull him down into a kiss, he didn't fight it.

  If she wanted his life, he’d give her that too.

  As their mouths met, and created the heat to warm them both up, he removed her sidearm and handcuffs. Dropping them beside the keys, he began leaving a trail of their clothes on the way into her bedroom.

  Shirts fell.

  Shoes landed everywhere.

  Pants dropped.

  Before they knew it, flesh was exposed to wandering hands and lips. It was heated quickly, and it drew need to the surface.

  “I want you, baby,” he whispered in her ear, before teasing it with his teeth. “You feel so good.”

  She went into his arms as he unhooked her bra and pulled it delicately from her body. Instinctually, her hands went to his hips and pushed his boxers down. Before she could touch him, she was back in his arms and being placed in the center of her bed.

  “I want to make love to you,” he stated.

  What could she possibly say?

  Her brain was screaming YES!

  Slowly, lips traversed down her torso. They lingered momentarily at her breasts, until she arched into his mouth.

  If his intent was to drive her into madness, she was almost there.

  Lower still, he slid down and circled her belly button with the tip of his tongue. When she shook beneath him, he too was enjoying the eroticism of the intimacy. In his brain, he had one goal, and he was inches from it. Pulling her lace panties down her legs, he found exactly what he wanted.

  The second his mouth made contact, she moaned his name.

  Never before had a woman’s reaction to such an intimate kiss made him want to lose control. Her breathy sighs and moans were making it damn hard to concentrate.

  Yet, he found the strength of will to offer her up everything in him for her, and her alone.

  When she shook, Vivian knew how close she was to the edge. “Justin,” she whispered, as he nipped her. It shoved her off into the pleasure, and she fell out of control. It was only when he was sliding up her body and taking his place between her legs that she was finally able to focus.

  “I want to feel you surrounding me,” he said softly, as he gently slid into her.

  Without hesitation, she wrapped her legs around his hips and met him for the first delicious strokes. Everything in her body screamed for him to give her more, as there would never be enough of Justin. He was the ultimate treasure in her life, and she couldn’t ever go back.

  “I love you,” he promised. “I will give us the most amazing life that I can.”

  She opened her eyes to stare into his. Lavender met brown, and she was lost to his words and his actions. “I love you too, Justin. Thank you for finding me,” she whispered, as tears s
lid from the corners of her eyes.

  He focused on nothing more than making love to her. The world fell away, and all there was in the moment was Vivian.

  His woman.

  As he filled her, she couldn’t help but fall even more in love with him. When she first saw him in the dream, she never believed it to be true.

  There wasn’t enough hope in the world to convince her that she no longer had to hide the real her.

  She was accepted.

  She was loved.

  Vivian Graves could stop pretending she was normal, because in that moment it didn't matter.

  Justin Littlemoon made her whole.

  He’d given her what she could never find before him.

  Love…

  Chapter Twelve

  Friday Morning

  Julian rolled over and cuddled with his wife. He buried his face in her neck and began leaving little feather light kisses, along her skin. Almost immediately, she slid closer to his body and returned them.

  Waking up with her was one of his greatest pleasures in life. Julian couldn’t imagine a day without Tori. It just wouldn’t be the same.

  As she looked up at him, her stormy gray eyes began to clear from the sleep. “You look worried,” she said, leaving little kisses across his chin and lips.

  “I was thinking about my brother.”

  “We’re in bed naked, and you’re thinking about Justin?” Now, she began to giggle. “I never saw this day coming.”

  His hand snaked out and stroked a breast. “Oh, I’m always thinking about sex, it’s just I’m worried about him.”

  She understood and stopped teasing him. “Want to talk about it?”

  “He’s moving really fast.”

  Tori laughed. “Yeah? You Littlemoon brothers are notorious for that.”

  “What if she breaks his heart?”

  Running her fingers over his cheek, she made him look into her eyes. “If she does, then we’ll be there to pick him up. You can’t protect him forever, Jules. It’s time for Justin to put it out there and find out if she’s the one.”

  He knew she was right. “He’s not as strong as everyone thinks. The war, it did things to him too.”

  It was like preaching to the choir.

  “But we’re strong as a united front, and we’ll help him if he needs it. When you told him you were going to marry me, what did he say?”

  “That it would serve me right if you laughed in my face and told me to pound sand.”

  She snickered, because that sounded about right. “I mean, did he tell you not to do it?”

  Julian thought back to it. “No, he didn't.”

  “One of the best things about you two is that you always have each other’s backs. What that means is, you can’t protect him from trying, but you can help him when he fails. I don’t think that this is going to be one of those moments.”

  “Do you like her?”

  She thought about it. “I do. She’s a kind person who came to us knowing we could have laughed at her and sent her away. She put herself out there and was right. Vivian has a gift, and we can’t rationalize it.”

  Julian didn't say anything.

  “Justin thinks things through like a Marine. He’s going to charge into this head first, because he’s fearless. He may screw it up, but he has his backup to hold the line while he handles his mission.”

  Julian loved her more than anything in the world. “I get all hot and bothered when you talk military in bed.”

  She snorted. “You’re nuts.”

  “You're right about everything. I’m crazy for you, and I’m going to let my brother charge into this. I’ll cover his rear,” he said, kissing his wife. “Although, I prefer covering yours instead.”

  She didn't mind in the least. “I’m glad I could calm you down,” Tori stated, as her own hands began wandering.

  “I’m still worried about one thing,” he muttered. Tori was making it damn hard to concentrate.

  “What?” she asked.

  “If he’s still down there in that closet.”

  She stroked him silkily with her fingers, and he moaned. “Who are you kidding? He made his escape and got out of there. In fact, if he did figure it out, I’m willing to bet that he had sex right on your desk.”

  Julian paused and was mortified. “Oh hell.” Then, he analyzed what she was saying and figured that she was most likely right.

  Tori started laughing. “We have twenty minutes until we have to be downstairs. How fast can you be?”

  He rolled and stared down at her with a big grin on his face. “Oh, Mrs. Littlemoon, I can get the job done fast.”

  “You’re a man of so many talents.”

  Justin walked into work whistling. As he entered the room, everyone looked up from their work.

  “Moring, Kane. Where’s my brother?”

  The man lifted an eyebrow and pointed towards Julian’s office. “They’re in there prepping for this morning’s meeting.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “Good morning, Christina. How are you doing today?”

  “Uh good,” she replied, as they watched him walk away.

  “He’s either on drugs,” Kane stated, “or in love.”

  She was smiling beside him. “I think the latter. He looks like cupid shot him in the ass a few times. Julian has that dopey grin on his face that men get all the time.”

  “Hey!”

  “It’s sexy on you, babe.”

  Somehow, he didn't believe her.

  As he strolled into his brother’s office, both of the people he loved glanced up at him. Tori began grinning immediately, and she winked at him. When he winked back, his brother objected teasingly.

  “Don’t make me kick your ass, Justin.”

  He laughed and dropped down into his chair. “It won’t be the first or last time you did it.”

  “How was your night?” Julian asked. Obviously, someone was in a damn good mood. So, it couldn’t have been a bad one.

  “I told her that I love her.”

  Well, his wife was right. His brother just charged through the frontline into imminent danger. “Wow, that’s fast.”

  He shrugged and waited for the ‘rational’ brother to talk him out of what he was feeling.

  “What did she say?”

  “She easily reciprocated, and then we had sex.”

  Tori began laughing. Thank God that Vivian wasn’t here to witness this discussion. She’d be mortified.

  Justin was still waiting for his brother to comment. All his life, Julian had always been the one who he wanted to get approval from. When they were young, their father was murdered and Julian was the stronger brother who always held him up. “Well? I’m waiting for you to tell me that I’m crazy and irresponsible.”

  Julian looked at his wife and noticed that she was waiting too. “I only have one thing to say about all this, Justin.”

  He tensed. “What?” Justin really wanted his brother to like Vivian, the same way he loved Tori. They were a family, and he wanted to have that connection into it.

  “I wish I could be a fly on the wall when you tell Clarissa.” It was all he had to say. Immediately, Justin looked nervous.

  “Shit, I forgot about mom.”

  Both of them were now laughing. Clarissa Littlemoon was like a drill sergeant. She had to be, since after her husband’s death, she was forced to raise five hellion Native children all alone.

  “She’s going to run your ass through the ringer on this one.”

  Justin went to speak and the phone began to ring.

  “Oh look, we said her name and she’s calling.”

  He blanched in absolute horror.

  Julian laughed as he answered the line. “Yeah, we’re ready.” When he hung up, he grinned. “Calm down, it was just Kane. We need to get going.”

  “Wait, are you going to make me face mom alone?” he asked, as he stood.

  “Hell yes. I had to bring Tori there by myself. You never met me on the outskirts
of the Rez as my backup.”

  “Hey! You did it on Christmas Eve! You had all of us there to offer you support.”

  Julian pulled on his coat and helped his wife into hers. “Yeah? Well, I always was better at timing things.”

  Tori buttoned her coat and walked towards Justin. When she patted him on the cheek, she stared into his eyes. “Man up, Marine. This is going to be one hell of a mission. Wear your body armor. Clarissa has really good aim.”

  He watched her leave. “Yeah, no kidding. This one might get me killed yet!”

  When they pulled up to Tawny James’s house, everyone stared at them.

  Maybe it was the way they all looked crossing the driveway, or possibly it was because the lead detective was standing there with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Julian was as calm as ever. “We’re part of this community and want to help. We’re used to looking for missing people. This is kind of what we do.”

  He glared at them suspiciously.

  “Are you saying that you don’t want five more searchers who do this for a living?” Tori asked loudly. “Who are offering their assistance pro bono?”

  Yeah, that had Josh Devaul’s attention.

  “No! Stay! We need to find Tawny and any help is appreciated.”

  She smiled at the lead detective and his partner. “We’ll try and stay out of your way.” On her way past Vivian, when her partner couldn’t see her face, she winked.

  Detective Lester fumed. “I really despise them.”

  Immediately, Vivian went into defensive mode to protect them as best she could. “They may just want to help,” she offered. “We can use all the assistance that we can get to find the missing woman.”

  “Yeah, but I can still dislike them.”

  Vivian turned her head and noticed Justin was watching her. A small smiled curled across her lips. Yeah, this secret affair thing was going to be damn hard.

  “You keep your eyes on them. I don’t want them wandering around the woods,” Lester ordered.

  “I can do that,” she offered, secretly thrilled at the prospect.