by Lee Taylor
A harsh groan ripped from his throat at the sight.
“Jesus, Annika. Look at you!”
Pressing his face against her warm flesh he breathed in deep. The fragrance of lemon and mint mixed with the unmistakable odor of an aroused woman drove him into action. Murmuring soft words of praise he lifted one heavy mound close to his mouth. Running his tongue over her full breast, he licked off the salty sweat and nipped at the sensitive skin. As he closed in on the taut beaded nub, she cried out and tried to pull back. He shook his head and held her tighter.
“No, Annika. Uh uh, baby. Just feel, Annika. Feel how your body loves my tongue, my touch. And, just so you know? I’m not going to stop. This is just the beginning of a whole new world of pleasure I’m going to shower on you. So enjoy it, Annika. Enjoy how much you want it. How much you want me. How much you want me to lick you and taste you.”
When she writhed against him inadvertently pressing her nipple closer to his mouth, he chuckled.
“Ah, yes. That’s the way. Let your body speak for you. Listen to what it’s saying, Annika. You want me to take your sensitive nipples in my mouth and suck on them, don’t you? Suck on them harder and harder? One and then the other?” At the sound of her soft gasp and throaty consenting moan, he continued, “Mm hmm. Oh yes, baby. That is just what I’m going to do. First one, then the other. And that is only the beginning. I want you, Annika. All of you! You beautiful, beautiful, hot woman!”
Annika couldn’t believe what was happening to her. Her bottom rested on his hips and she could feel his fearsome arousal nudging against her ass. Before she could stop him, he’d pulled down her halter top releasing her bare breasts. The cool air against her heated flesh coupled with his murmurs of delighted praise sent screaming sensations to her core. Stunned at the strength of her body’s reaction, she pressed her nipple against his lips. His knowing chuckle and expert tongue made her writhe with desire.
Oh God, she’d never felt anything like this. No one had ever done this to her. All guys ogled her breasts, most made crude remarks about them. Some of her would-be lovers had even tried to stroke them. But no one had done what Sam was doing. He’d taken them in his hands, into his mouth as though they were the most precious treasures on Earth, and his to play with. In between words of praise, he stroked the heated mounds, ran his fingers over the sensitive tips and then followed up with his talented mouth. What he was doing to her was erotic enough but what shocked her most was her reaction.
It was as though her mind had shut down and her body had taken over. She heard whimpers—pleas for more, and was startled to realize they were coming from her. The more Sam touched her, licked her and sucked on one needy nipple and then the other, the hotter she became. When the torrent of sensations roiling over her reached a peak that she had to climb or die trying, she writhed beneath him, begging, crying out for more.
Sam responded, his voice rumbling with passion, “Ah, yes, Annika. Now. Come for me. Now, my hot, sweet woman. Come now!”
Her desire was so intense she couldn’t resist his command. Couldn’t tell him she could never do such an outrageous thing. To climax from his hands and mouth on her breasts alone? But before she could stop herself, she wailed a keening sound and gave into the tsunami of exquisite sensations whipping over her. Wave after wave of heated sparks flooded her. Sam held her tight in his arms whispering soft words of praise and encouragement as her body finally began to quiet, the tremors becoming less fierce. Annika was stunned when he leaned over and kissed the tears running down her cheeks.
Sam smiled softly rubbing her thumbs over her wet cheeks.
“In case you didn’t know it, Annika, this is what happens when ice melts. And, baby, once it starts melting, that hot woman buried inside won’t allow it to freeze again.”
Before she could protest or better yet beg for more, he strode over to the table and laid her back against it. To her shock, he jerked her hips up next to the edge and put her legs over his shoulders pulling her groin up tight against him. Too stunned by the excitement churning up inside of her to protest, she reached for him. Tangling her fingers in Sam’s curly hair, she pulled his head down until his mouth was inches away from her belly. At his hard male sound of approval she arched her back, raising her hips in invitation, aching to have his mouth on bare skin.
Sam tugged at her skirt. With an easy tear he dispensed with the miniscule inches of fabric and tossed it over his shoulder. He groaned at the heady aroma wafting from between her legs. The scrap of lace covering her mound was damp, fragrant. He longed to rip it off and bury his nose, his mouth against her bare flesh. He wanted to savor the scent and taste of her. But he cautioned himself to slow down, not to frighten her with his urgency. Her climax had humbled him. Damn, she was even hotter than he instinctively knew that she was. And now he had the privilege of taking her to places she’d never been. And in the process, opening himself to emotions and a level of passion he’d never known. Her soft, erotic moans begging him for more almost drove him out of his mind. His burgeoning arousal surged against his trousers threatening to break through the zipper if he didn’t get relief—and soon. As in, immediately.
For a moment, Sam thought the pounding he heard was his heart banging against his chest. Only when he heard Nate’s voice, did he realize that Nate was at the door, calling to Annika. Sam yanked her into his arms instinctively covering her nakedness with his body.
“Annika, it’s me, Nate. Open the door. We have an emergency.”
Annika gasped and buried her head against Sam’s shoulder. She was too overcome by the storm of emotions swamping her to make sense of what was happening.
Sam stood her on the floor and whipped off his shirt putting her arms into the sleeves and buttoning a couple of the buttons. At Nate’s loud knocking, she lurched forward and managed to open the door a crack.
Nate peered at her, his expression tight, stern.
“Sorry to barge in, Lieutenant. I got a call from Connor. It’s an emergency. My squad’s at the curb. I’ve got a call into Sam….”
He stopped when Sam stepped forward from the shadows, pulling Annika protectively against him.
“Won’t be necessary, Nate. I’m here.”
Nate reeled back in surprise, then shook his head, a disbelieving smile tugging at his lips.
“Well, I’ll be damned!”
Even though the situation was graphically clear, Annika felt she had to explain, somehow….
“It’s not what you think, Detective. Sam was just….”
Nate cut her off. Pointing to the bulge in Sam’s trousers, he grinned. “Honey, there’s a lot of things we men can lie about but that’s not one of them.”
Annika peeked down at Sam’s pants and felt her face flame. She sniffed. “Men.”
Nate looked her over appraisingly and shook his head. “Fortunately for us guys, the gods weren’t entirely one-sided. They send us hound dogs a few signals to let us know we weren’t barking up the wrong tree.”
He stifled a grin, but nodded at Annika’s erect nipples poking against Sam’s shirt.
“Better give the commander back his shirt, Lieutenant, and get yourself dressed. We have a fire to go to.”
Sam followed her into the bedroom and grabbed one of the many shirts tossed on the bed.
“Here, Annika. Put this on. Get dressed. And don’t worry. I’ll handle Nate.”
She stared up at him, her face was flushed—her lips were red and swollen from his kisses. It took everything he had not to grab her and never let her go. Instead, he helped her take off his shirt. Forcing himself to look away from her bare breasts, he put on his shirt. As he tucked it into his pants, he did his best to ignore his iron hard prick, and reached out and stroked her cheek.
“It’s okay, Annika.” He pulled her close to him. His voice was nearly a whisper now. “Later, baby. We’re just getting started. You know that, don’t you?”
When she nodded, her eyes shining with the same desire he was sure was i
n his, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
“Get dressed, honey.”
He left the room, closing the door behind him and went out to face his grinning partner.
When Nate raised an eyebrow and tossed him an unspoken question, Sam brushed him off.
“Dammit, bro, when I said, fire could melt ice, I didn’t mean a real goddamn fire.”
They shared a soft chuckle, stopping when Annika entered. She was dressed in jeans, boots and, as Nate had suggested, a jacket. None of which hid the heat on her face or the soft gleam in her eyes.
As they tromped down the stairs, Nate sidled over to her, jerking his head at Sam.
“As your commanding officer, Lieutenant, I feel it’s my duty to warn you. Hotshot here didn’t get where he is on his looks and gold-plated connections alone. Underestimate him at your peril.” He added with a wink, “He gets what he goes after. And from the looks of it, Lieutenant, he’s goin’ after you.”
Annika tossed her head, ignoring the knowing grin the two men exchanged and gave him a grim smile.
“Thanks, Detective. Forewarned is forearmed.”
But even as she spoke the brave words, Annika knew defending her heart was a lost cause. Her body had betrayed her the first time she saw Sam, days ago. The betrayal was now complete. All she could think about was finishing what she and Sam had started. And then beginning all over again.
When they turned the corner to the entrance of Lakeside Estates, they saw clouds of smoke and towering flames billowing through the dark star-lit sky.
When Connor saw them, he disengaged from the crowd of firefighters and hurried toward them, a deep frown striping his forehead.
“Glad you three got here. If it’s one thing we need, it’s the police.”
He raised an expressive brow, his grim expression encompassing them all.
“Just so you know. This is no longer a case of suspected arson. Now, it’s murder.”
Chapter 11
An ashen-faced Garrett Baker led them toward the burning building. Annika stood with Sam and Nate at a safe distance, watching the courageous firefighters work to control the flames. Thank God it was a calm night. As quickly as the building burned, the fire could have spread to the whole development. Connor’s crew wasn’t taking any chances, and were busy building a guard perimeter between the smoldering fire and surrounding homes.
Nate turned to the visibly shaken cop. “Okay, Sergeant. What’ve we got? I understand you were the first on the scene.”
“Damn, Nate. I… I was driving by, circling the development. Like I always do… a couple of times a night. I saw smoke and then before it even registered in my brain that we had another fire, there was a massive explosion. Shit! It looked like the whole damn place was going up in smoke.”
Baker’s eyes were wide, red-rimmed. Smudges of soot lodged in the deep wrinkles lining his face. He looked haggard, distressed. Annika couldn’t be sure, but she thought she smelled alcohol on his breath. For a veteran cop he seemed more affected by the scene than she expected. But to be fair to the guy, this wasn’t only a massive fire; it was a murder scene.
Baker hitched up his jeans and scrubbed at his three or four day old beard. He focused his bleary gaze on Nate.
“I thought I heard screams but I couldn’t get close enough to see…. I… I called dispatch and these guys were here in minutes. But… not quick enough to save Leo. Damn, Nate. The poor old guy must have been sleeping it off in the house that blew. I’ve seen him around here some nights. Never paid much attention. Hell, as long as I’ve known him, old Leo always manages to find a hole to crawl into at night. Except in the winter. You know, when he hits the shelters.”
The furrow between his brows deepening, Nate studied the distraught man. His next words confirmed Annika’s suspicion that Baker had been drinking.
“Don’t know how you got here, Baker, but it’s a damn good thing you did. But you look like hell, bro. I’ll get someone to take you home. Don’t want you driving. And buddy, lay off the booze. We’re gonna need your insights. You’re an important witness, being the first on the scene. Be at the station at 8 a.m. I’ll arrange for one of the guys to pick you up.”
Annika interrupted.
“If you don’t object, Detective, I’d like to ask the sergeant some questions—if he is up to it. His first impressions are important.”
Holding up his hands, Nate shrugged. “Sure thing, Lieutenant. You’re the boss.”
Nate’s eyes narrowed as he turned toward the agitated cop. “Baker, answer the lieutenant’s questions, and in the meantime I’ll get Pete to drive you home. You don’t look good, buddy. Shape up before you get to the station in the morning. You hear me?”
Sgt. Baker nodded, then reluctantly faced Annika.
Sam moved next to Annika. “Do you need help, Lieutenant?”
Annika shook her head. “No, thanks. The Sergeant and I will be fine. I need to focus on how the fire started. I know you and Nate need to deal with the dead body.”
They all turned at the sounds of angry voices.
“I don’t give a good goddamn if you’re Jesus Christ himself. Get the hell behind this perimeter or I’ll have you arrested on the spot. Nuthin’ I’d like better than puttin’ your sorry ass in jail!”
Fred Dalton, Connor’s ground commander, was toe to toe with an angry Brennan Corcoran. It was hard to tell which man’s face was a deeper shade of red.
Sam looked to Nate who gave him an affirmative nod. Annika watched in admiration as Sam eased between the two angry men confronting each other. A master negotiator, he skillfully put the pompous developer and the irate firefighter on the same level—addressing both by their first names.
“Brennan. I’m glad you got here. I was just asking if you’d been notified of this latest tragedy. Let’s go over here at a safe distance and let Fred and his men get the fire under control. These men are doing their best to prevent any more damage to your property.”
Sam focused on Fred Dalton who’d taken a wary step back but was still glaring at Corcoran.
“Fred, keep up the good work. We’ll get out of your way. Brennan is understandably upset. Particularly now that someone has died at the site. Do me a favor, Fred. When you get things stable or if anything changes, come and give me and Brennan an update.”
Fred stepped back looking from one man to the other. After a moment’s reflection, he shrugged and turned to Sam.
“Sure thing, Sam. Just as long as you keep this ignorant asshole out of the fire scene.”
“Will do, Fred.”
A slight smile tugged at Sam’s mouth as the angry little man stormed off, muttering under his breath about rich assholes without the brains God gave gutter snipes. Sam motioned to Corcoran to follow him.
“Now, Brennan, let’s you and I join Lt. Nilsson and Sgt. Baker. If you haven’t heard, Sgt. Baker was the first on the scene tonight. His quick actions brought the CFFD here in record time. Unfortunately, not in time to save the man who was sleeping in the house that’s turning to cinders.”
~~~
The next morning, Annika stared at her watch. It was hard to believe it was only 10 o’clock in the morning. The way her body felt, it could have been midnight. They’d been at the fire scene until 3 a.m.. She could barely remember Sam half-carrying her up the stairs to her apartment. He’d given her that sexy smile that melted her insides and murmured, “There’s nothing I’d like better than to tuck you in bed, Lieutenant. After slowing undressing you, of course, one piece of clothing at a time. But given that you are having trouble keeping your eyes open, I’ll be a gentleman and just see you to the door.”
He’d leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Pleasant dreams, Princess. I know that mine will be.”
Even now, hours later, Annika could feel his lips on her cheek. Damn, she was so far gone. She’d never given in to a man so completely. Allowed him to capture her thoughts and her dreams. But Sam Carter had done exactly that. And rather than trying to p
ush him away, she was counting the minutes until she saw him again. As if her thoughts had conjured him up, Sam poked his head in to the entrance to her cubicle.
“Hey. You.”
At the sound of his voice, heat hit her core. Annika was sure her face was as red hot as she felt. She wondered if Sam knew the effect he was having on her. At his sassy wink, she had a damn good sense that he did.
“Hey, Princess. Marian said you were looking for me. Said you needed the contact numbers for Nate’s relatively legitimate forensic accountants. Be prepared to shade your eyes. Nunn and Wiese tread a fine line between what is legal and what is flat out criminal activity. But they can smell wrongdoing in their sleep. Who do you want them to investigate? Corcoran?”
Annika nodded. “Among others.”
Sam grinned. “No wonder you’re a top notch investigator. You know how to keep your mouth shut. Well, the dynamic duo is expecting your call. FYI. Nate put them on Corcoran’s tail a couple of days ago. Told them to report to you.”
Annika tried to hide her annoyance. Of course Nate wouldn’t think anything of butting into her investigation. At Sam’s questioning glance she stifled her response. She’d been told more than once by her superiors that she didn’t always have to go it alone. But trust had never been her strong suit. She wished she could be as easy as Sam and Nate were with each other. They never seemed to feel the need to prove themselves. But then why would they? They were both as close to perfect as they could be. When she didn’t respond to Sam’s unspoken question, she was grateful he didn’t press.
“Nate and I are off to meet with the Chief, to bring him up to date and to see if we can stave off the press. Don’t have to tell you, given Nate’s rep with the media, we’re going to be overrun soon. Hope you’re up for it, Annika. When the press gets a glimpse of our dazzling new fire inspector, they’ll be tearing down the ramparts. Be prepared, Princess. You’re soon going to be a media sensation.”
