Deadly Games

by Karen Rock

  Katherine swallowed back a laugh, imagining anyone at Dallas Heat using the words “dull as dirt” to describe the club’s biggest draw. Clearly Nash’s family adored him, but didn’t think much of his profession.

  “Aunt June. Aunt Lynn. You’re looking lovely,” Nash said, joining them. “You’ve met Katherine?”

  “Oh, yes. You’re a lucky man, Nash. Don’t let this one get away.”

  “I’m the lucky one.” Katherine slid an arm around Nash’s lean waist, playing the girlfriend role to the hilt. It irked her to see them running Nash down. His family loved him, but he deserved their respect, too. “If not for Nash, I would’ve been shot today. He’s a hero.”

  His aunts’ eyes widened and one gasped. Nash, she noticed, had gone still, his face tense.

  “He always was good in a fight,” June observed.

  Lynn nodded. “That’s how he got arrested. Bar brawl. Ruined his chances to join the reservation’s security squad.”

  “Now I’m working on a criminal case,” Nash said, a defensive note entering his voice. Clearly, he wanted to impress relatives who still saw him as the troubled youth of his past.

  “I saw the news,” exclaimed a third woman, rushing toward them in beaded sandals beneath a loose white dress. “A person of interest is in jail? Nash. Will you find Layla now?”

  So much for Katherine’s wish to keep the case’s latest development out of the press…. She held in a sigh and peered closer at the dark-haired woman who resembled Layla Pierce.

  Layla’s mother?

  Nash took the woman’s hands gently in his, his expression earnest, instilling confidence. “We’re doing everything we can. Deena, this is Special Agent Katherine Bowden, one of our country’s top criminal investigators. She’s leading the case.”

  Katherine glowed at the praise. As a fellow profiler, her ex had acted put-out when she’d been assigned higher-priority cases than him. With Nash, no jealousy existed, just his unflagging support. He was secure in who he was—a very attractive quality in a man.

  “It’s an honor to meet you.” Deena hugged Katherine, dashing away tears. “I know you two will bring my baby home.”

  Her heart ached at a mother’s pain. It was one thing to solve a case in the abstract, and another entirely when you saw the human side, the impact on real people and their lives. Victims became alive when seen through the eyes of those who survived them. “We’ll do everything in our power to locate Layla, ma’am.”

  She mentally crossed her fingers, hoping, praying they found the young woman. She’d been missing much longer than the rest…what were the chances her unsub broke his M.O. with Layla?

  Not high.

  But Katherine wouldn’t quit searching, or seeking justice for Layla, Brittany or any of the Last Call Killer’s victims, and neither would Nash. His obvious pride in the case touched her. They were alike. Both driven and determined to disprove labels from their past.

  A slow, dreamy tune began and the women headed to the cake table.

  Grabbing her hand tightly in his, he pleaded with sexy green eyes. “Dance with me?”

  With Nash, she suspected her answer would always be yes.

  She nodded, and he tugged her onto the dance floor. In an instant, he wrapped her in his strong arms, the hardness of his chest and thighs touching her as his scent worked itself into her consciousness.

  He smelled like the forest on a wild, storm-tossed day. Like sunlight on an open field. Like rain falling through leaves. All that with an underlying, barely discernible hint of sandalwood aftershave, a masculine scent that had her pulse dancing along with the beat. Her resistance crumbled as she fell under his spell.

  Never had she felt so graceful as he effortlessly propelled her backward through the press of two-stepping couples, his hand resting in the center of her lower back. He was light on his feet. Confident and magnetically handsome, his hold firm. Possessive. Heat radiated through him and into her.

  “You look beautiful.”

  He was staring at her with his head tilted, his dark hair falling over his forehead, covering one of his eyes. She fought the urge to brush it away from his face and feel the silkiness of it between her fingers. It was sinful how beautiful and shiny his hair was. “So do you.”

  He shrugged and threw her a smile that could melt a glacier. Damn.

  “You didn’t have to do that.” His grip on her waist burned through the silky material of her dress, his presence overpowering. It was as if he seeped into her mind and skin. “Pretend to be my girlfriend.”

  “Pretending is easy. It’s the real thing I’m no good at. Remember?”

  “It’s because you weren’t with the right man before…remember?” His lips touched her ear, brushing a kiss to the outer shell, his breath a warm rasp.

  “Who’s the right man?”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “Let me show you. Even if it’s only for one night.”

  The temptation to say yes, to give herself to Nash, seized her, making her feel delirious and dizzy. The unspoken implication of tangling up the sheets together hung heavy in the air between them.

  Nash watched her closely, eyeing her flaming cheeks. When she stepped on his feet, he steadied her and led her off the dance floor. “Let’s get some air.”

  He guided her onto a moonlit path leading to a pair of one-room cabins. Stars glittered in the dark sky. Soft, warm air enfolded them like butterfly wings.

  He stopped at a picnic table and leaned against it. Overhead, an owl took flight with a powerful wing flap. For a long few minutes, Nash didn’t say anything, and neither did she.

  Her mind pulled her in one direction, her body and heart in another. Without the armor of her FBI suits, her credentials, her holster, the deeper tug of emotions swelled between them…ones based not on physical attraction, but on soul-deep need. Did she dare indulge it for this one night?

  Katherine’s mouth was so dry, it was an effort to speak. “Thank you for inviting me.”

  He stroked his fingers over the back of her hand, and she shivered despite herself. His touch was light, delicate even—as if he was afraid he might spook her. But heat accompanied his touch, too. It tempted her, tripped up her thoughts.

  “Having a good time?” He smiled, just a subtle turn of his lips that shouldn’t raise her blood pressure or send shivers down her spine.

  “Your family, they’re—” She slid a quick glance at Nash’s expressive face. She tore her eyes away, but they returned to him, drawn like iron to a magnet. “They’re just like you.”

  “How so?”

  “Warm. Affectionate. Welcoming.”

  His mouth twitched. “I was hoping for exciting. Unexpected.”

  “We had enough of that earlier. Besides, those words only apply to you.”

  His arm slid around her waist. “Only me?”

  His fingers were big and warm where they rested against her, as balmy as the pine-scented air flowing through the dense woods. For long seconds, she didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. She couldn’t. Not when he was so close. Not when his crisp hair brushed against her cheek as he leaned in to watch what she was thinking.

  “Yes.” Her breath broke on the single syllable.

  His head jerked up. She’d never seen eyes so intensely green—or so turbulent.

  “Why did you bring me here tonight?”

  “I wanted to.” He lifted his hand to her face, ran his fingers down the line of her jaw. His touch was soft, so soft, and she couldn’t help herself. She pressed her cheek into his hand until he cupped her face. The hand on her hip tightened convulsively and he closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

  “Why me?”

  His fingers relaxed again, and when he opened his eyes they were filled with unspeakable tenderness. “Because I want to spend more time with you.” His voice was raw and honest
, no hint of humor or teasing. No smirky grin. Just those deep pools of green watching her, reading her.

  He laid her hand against his chest where his heart pulsed, strong and steady, beneath her palm through the soft fabric of his shirt. “I want to know you outside of work. Understand this thing between us. Tell me you feel it, too.”

  “I—I—do. It’s just that I can’t…I’m not able to…” Her voice trailed away, stuck in the tangle of her thoughts.

  “Katherine.” Her name sounded almost reverent on his lips.

  She felt like she was breathing more heavily than normal and she hoped he couldn’t see it as she attempted to regain her balance. The effect he had on her was devastating. “Yes?”

  “Do you want to go back?”

  “Back?”

  His thumb whispered across her lips. “To the party.”

  She was so lost in his touch, in the feel of his skin against hers, that she could barely focus on his words. Or on her answer. Part of her knew this was a bad idea. Sleeping with a partner on a case wouldn’t work out.

  But standing here, wrapped up in Nash—drowning in him—she wanted to be with him, wanted to see if her instincts, which told her to trust him, were right. What would a real relationship with Nash be like?

  She turned her face into his hand and brushed her lips against his palm. He stiffened. A small, breathless sound escaped him.

  The little voice inside her, the reasonable one, returned, telling her to run—not walk—to the cabin Nash’s mother had showed her earlier and shut the door. Double bolt it, too.

  “I’d better get some sleep. Long day tomorrow.”

  Nash studied her for a long moment. If her rejection stung, he hid it well. In one gracefully athletic move, he slid to his feet and laced his fingers in hers. They strolled to the cabins, the silence between them electric.

  “Your bag’s in that one,” he said, pointing to one of the small, one-room structures when they stopped. He angled around to face her. The orange glow thrown by porch lights revealed the little crinkles by the corners of his eyes. She could feel the heat rolling off him in waves, hear the hitch in his breathing, smell the sweet mint of his breath.

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll be next door…” Mere inches separated them now; with each sentence, each word, they moved inexorably closer. “…if you change your mind,” he murmured, his mouth centimeters from her ear. Her cheek.

  Air hissed between her clenched teeth.

  “Good night.” She dashed up the steps and bolted the door behind her.

  Her short, ragged breaths echoed in the dim light. Nash was next door…. Too close for comfort. She ground her teeth and yanked off her clothes as she paced the wide-planked floor, back and forth. She stopped beside the large bed dominating the room. The memory of waking in Nash’s arms returned, sharp and sweet.

  She’d felt safe.

  Secure.

  Wanted.

  The day’s harrowing events thrummed through her. Post-arrest adrenaline usually dissipated by now. Instead, Nash stoked it to greater, unbearable heights. It vibrated inside her harder than ever. She needed relief from the torture of denying what she wanted most.

  And she wanted Nash.

  She wanted to taste him. Needed to. Damn the consequences. She’d hated every minute of the physical distance she’d put between them the last few days. She steeled her nerves, pulled on a robe, and darted next door. Her knees shook. For all the teasing rebuffs she had subjected him to, she wasn’t so brave now when her pride was at stake.

  Her knock went unanswered. From the branches of a nearby elm tree, a pair of doves cooed. She cupped her hands around her eyes and peered into his dark, empty cabin. All around rose the summer evening scents of wildflowers, moon scuttling across grassy fields, a faint whiff of a familiar spicy soap.

  Nash.

  Where was he?

  Following the sound of rushing water, she traipsed down a short trail to an enclosed outdoor shower. A pair of black dress slacks and a towel hung from hooks beside its door. Her heart skidded to a stop when she spied Nash’s broad shoulders and head as he twisted beneath a showerhead. With his eyes closed, he massaged shampoo through his thick, dark hair.

  He was gorgeous. Sexy. Smart. And hers for the taking.

  And she was a total idiot for just standing there.

  Katherine shrugged off her robe and dropped it to the ground. Cool air whispered across her flesh, nervous anticipation raising goosebumps. She watched as Nash’s hand swept lower, soaping up his glistening chest. His lids lifted and suddenly his eyes blazed into hers.

  “Katherine?”

  She lifted her chin and stepped inside, letting the door close behind her. Instantly, the warm, humid air slicked her skin and the pebbly ground dug into the soles of her feet. She was physically exposed and emotionally stripped. But she hadn’t come this far to turn back now.

  “Tell me I’m not imagining you,” he said gruffly, swiping the water from his face. Long lashes spiked around his eyes. They stayed on hers for a few moments, his gaze filled with a longing that made a warm tingle flow down her spine.

  “I…” Whatever she’d intended to say evaporated at the sight of water streaming on bronzed skin. She tried and failed to catch her breath. She slid closer until they stood toe to toe.

  “I changed my mind.” Hot water pulsed over her hypersensitive flesh.

  “Came to your senses, you mean.” He nuzzled her ear and inhaled deeply.

  Her heart palpitated, and a wave of dizziness followed. “Arrogant, cocky, egotistical man…”

  He chuckled, the sound low and throaty and oh, so sexy. “Is that your version of sweet talk?” His fingers brushed her lips. They might as well have been matches, striking flames against her skin. Heat danced over her, belly and breasts, neck and face, burning her from the inside out. “If so, darlin’, it’s leavin’ a bit to be desired.”

  She trembled at the rub of his water-slick hardness against her belly. Every part of her body was aching to be touched. Filled. “I need you, Nash,” she groaned. “I don’t know for how long. I just want to think about now. Us. And how you make me feel.” All around, wet, sultry heat pressed, fogging the air in their private space.

  Nash pulled her against him, fusing their wet bodies from hip to chest. The heat and strength of him fired straight through her skin as his hands lifted to tangle in her soaked hair. He tugged a little and molten desire poured through her, intensifying the want—and the need.

  “How do I make you feel?” As he spoke, his cheek snuggled against hers, his breath warm as it fanned the side of her face.

  She slid her hands down his muscular biceps, rubbed his broad shoulders before skimming them up his neck. “Crazy. Out of control.”

  Scared.

  He rained tantalizing kisses on her cheek, her jaw, the corners of her mouth. “I’m right there with you. I lost my mind the first moment I saw you. Every time I see you. You have this insane effect on me. Fuck, I want you so bad,” he said, his voice gravelly with lust. His lips skimmed across her cheek, down her jaw, slowly. Oh, so slowly. Her quick gulp of air sizzled its way down her windpipe into her desperate lungs.

  She tipped her head back. “Do tell.” Steam billowed in the small square space. The voices of departing guests echoed through the woods from the main house. Would any detour by the cabins? Spot her and Nash in the outdoor shower? The thrill of discovery shivered inside.

  He flashed her a wicked, sexy grin that made her stomach go into spasms. “I’d rather show you.”

  “No. Let me.” She rose on her toes and brought her mouth closer to his, needing to be in charge, to not completely surrender herself.

  Pulling his lower lip between her teeth, she nipped it before plundering his mouth beneath the gushing water. His hand gripped her thigh, his fingers caressing the sensitive
flesh on the inside of her knee as he kissed her in return, his mouth firm on hers.

  A surge of a thousand tiny lightning bolts raced through her body.

  Her body trembled, as did his. “Mmm. You’re good.” She placed her hands on his wet, slippery shoulders and backed him up until his legs hit the wooden bench seat beneath the showerhead. Warm water pelted them, a tropical waterfall, Nash’s hard, sexy body aligned with hers.

  “Are you sure about this?” he growled against her mouth. “About here?”

  She pushed him down on the bench, then straddled his body, her knees on either side of his thighs. “I can’t wait for anywhere else.”

  Her words had exactly the desired effect. His thumbs brushed over her nipples, the drawn-out sensation almost unbearable. The slide of his hard, wet thighs against hers kicked her pulse into high speed, fast-forward.

  “Stop teasing me,” she gasped between uneven breaths. He was breaking through her carefully controlled façade, slipping past her defenses to her most intimate, vulnerable part. She had no idea anything could make her feel so electrified.

  Anyone, she amended.

  Only Nash.

  “This isn’t teasing, sweetheart,” Nash rasped, kneading her breasts, then burying his face between them, moving his lips from one to the other, suckling her nipples until she was grinding against his erection, lost in his touch.

  Perhaps feeling the weight of her stare, he peered up at her, never slowing his thorough tasting beneath the pummeling water. The glittering emerald of his eyes transfixed her. She arched back and whimpered at the delicious chafe of his jaw against her tender skin.

  “Relax.” His deep bass voice vibrated in her ear. “I know what you want, sweetheart.” She squealed in surprise when he switched places, scooping her up and settling her on the soaked bench.

  “Spread your legs for me, baby.” Raw, raspy words that made her heart pound even harder and put her in a spellbound state. She almost fainted when his stubbled cheek grazed her tender inner thigh.

  Heat pooled between her legs, a swirling, restless ache. Overhead, the hot water ran out, and cool droplets rained down on their overheated skin, the contrast intensifying the wild sensations washing through her.