Twelve Shades of Midnight:

by Liliana Hart

  “Are you okay with the flash and boom?” she asked. “Does it trigger memories?”

  “Yes and no. Yes, I can handle the noise—because I know it’s coming. Today in the storage unit nearly did me in—because it was real—and I wanted to shove Officer Tourney’s head into the wall when he suggested I’d suffered from a bout of PTSD panic upon hearing a random firework.”

  “I did too,” Sienna said.

  He smiled. “I’ve had PTSD issues, but nothing like some of the guys I know. I’ve had time—seven years now—and therapy. I had a bigger problem missing the adrenaline rush. It’s not exactly a healthy line of work, but I’ve learned to refocus.” He fixed her with a sexy smile. “And found other ways to get my rocks off.”

  She flushed with heat.

  A loud boom rent the air, drawing their attention back to the barge. The first volley was a streak of blue smoke, eliciting a gasp from the crowd when the end burst into a yellow, sunlike shape.

  The display was slow, as a slight breeze was needed to wash away the previous sky painting before moving on to the next. But the pace was fitting for a show that was more like an aurora borealis than the flash and spark of normal fireworks. On the barge, white and gray smoke billowed prior to each low explosion, signaling the next image.

  The show was long, loud, and beautiful as colors filled the bright blue midnight sky. The report of the explosions bounced off the water and echoed from the hills. The sound vibrated through her body with a resonance akin to the mask, making her wonder where the mask was, and what had made Adam desperate enough to steal it again.

  The finale was a grand, burnt-sienna-colored sun that rivaled the real midnight sun. After the boom faded, the silence was deep and stark in contrast.

  The crowd remained silent seconds longer than Sienna had ever imagined a group of revelers could, until the peace was broken by a woman’s scream.

  The body had been dumped on the bandstand. The bass player had screamed when she found him sprawled over an amplifier. Whispers filtered through the crowd, finally reaching Rhys and Sienna: no one recognized the dead man.

  With a sense of foreboding, Rhys led Sienna to the stage. Officer Tourney was there, behind the hastily strung-up crime scene tape. Other officers from Itqaklut were present as well. “Tourney,” Rhys called out. “Let us take a look. There’s a chance Sienna will recognize the guy.”

  “It’s a head shot,” he said. “Gruesome.”

  Rhys turned to Sienna. “Can you handle it?”

  Her face was pale but her gaze resolute. “Yes. We need to know.”

  To the officer, Rhys said, “Let her in.”

  Tourney nodded, and Sienna pulled Rhys with her. When the officers objected, she stood her ground. They let him pass the barrier with her.

  She glanced quickly, then away. She gave Rhys a sharp nod, which was good because Rhys had a harder time recognizing the man with the hole in the middle of his face.

  To Tourney, Sienna said, “His name is Adam Helvig. He’s a museum curator and lives near Tacoma. He’s the person we suggested might have taken a shot at me earlier, and the man we suspect might have stolen a box from me with an artifact inside. I called it in about an hour ago.”

  Tourney frowned and insisted on questioning them separately. It took the fool thirty minutes to round up witnesses in the crowded beer garden who verified Rhys and Sienna had been enjoying drinks during the entire firework display, precious minutes in which the Pelligrew brothers—if they’d shot Helvig—could be fleeing Itqaklut… except, there were no night flights, so maybe the snail pace of the investigation wouldn’t be a disaster.

  Rhys considered the night a success when neither of them was arrested for murder.

  Chapter Eleven

  Rhys pulled the damaged SUV into Chuck’s driveway and paused, wondering if the house was safe. And if it wasn’t, would the mask be able to tell Sienna? It had, after all, been stolen, and with Helvig dead, who knew where it was now?

  “I can still feel it,” Sienna said. “I live fifteen miles from the museum, but it sent me nightmares every night. I don’t think a few miles matter.”

  “What’s it saying? Is the house safe?”

  “It’s saying nothing, so I guess so?”

  “Okay, then. Here’s how we’re going to do this: I’m going to search the house—with my gun out. I want you right behind me.”

  She nodded.

  The quick search showed the house was empty, and Sienna flopped onto the couch. Rhys leaned against the open bedroom door. He was so tired, it took a moment for him to realize they were both in the same places they’d been at the start of the dream.

  Some of the tiredness left him.

  Not being one to mess with what had been successful in the dream, he quickly shucked his shirt. She laughed and tugged her shirt over her head, then stood to remove her jeans. In seconds, she stood before him in nothing but a black bra and panties.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” he said, meaning every syllable. Her body was athletic and strong, yet soft in all the right places—thighs, ass, belly, breasts. He loved her curves. He’d made love to her once, but had yet to taste every perfect inch of her. Time to remedy that.

  He took a step toward her, but she held out a hand to stop him. “No. Lose the pants first. I want to see all of you.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” In moments, he stood before her, fully naked.

  “Lights are on, and neither of us has died in the last ten minutes. Promise me this isn’t just a dream.” Her voice was husky. Sexy as hell. She took a step toward him.

  “Gorgeous, this is one hundred percent real.” He closed the distance between them, placed his hands on her perfect hips, and pulled her against him. His erection pressed against the soft skin of her belly, drawing a groan from him as he leaned down to kiss her.

  Her satin bra rubbed his chest. As sexy as it was, he needed her skin, all of her soft, smooth, sweet skin against his. His tongue slid inside her mouth as he undid the clasp. Her bra hit the floor, and he shifted to her panties, peeling them off her without breaking the kiss. He had her naked in a flash and cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs across her hard nipples as he dropped his mouth lower to kiss her neck.

  She purred against him, pressing her breasts into his palms.

  “Are you going to… order me to do things… like you did in the dream?”

  He chuckled. “Next time, and, if you want, every one of the next two hundred times after that. But this time, no. I want to be certain you want everything I do to you and everything you do to me.”

  “What if… what if I don’t… please you?”

  He laughed, incredulous, and then realized from her wide eyes she was serious. He scooped her into his arms and headed for the bedroom. “Sweetheart. All you have to do is breathe and you please me. Besides, you’ve pleased me enough already. Now it’s my turn to please you.” He dropped her on the bed, then returned to the living room.

  “Where are you going?” she called though the open door.

  He returned a moment later with her purse. “Condoms.” He set the bag on the bed. “I know better than to go through a woman’s purse.”

  She grinned and pulled out the box. God, how he loved her sexy smile. He climbed on the bed next to her and touched her skin, starting at her shoulder, over her breast, pausing to tweak the nipple, then lower, across her belly, over her hip, at last reaching her thigh, where he stroked in ever-widening circles, dropping between her legs and inching closer and closer to her center. He licked her nipple, then drew it into his mouth to suck on it. The pert tip felt so damn good on his tongue.

  She pushed at his chest, rolling him to his back, and she straddled him, her hot center directly on his erection. She took his hands and pinned them above his head on the mattress. “I can do whatever I want?” she asked.

  “Hell, yeah.”

  She dropped kisses on his face, nibbled along his jaw, then released his hands so she could move lower, sucking on h
is neck, his chest, finally shifting to his side to nip at his ribs and belly. “You have an amazing body. Are you sure you’re a lawyer?”

  He grinned. “Pretty sure. It would seriously mess with my job as an AUSA if I weren’t.”

  She traced his abs, trailing her fingers ever lower until she followed the thicker line of hair that extended south. She continued on that path all the way to the tip of his penis. Her thumb caressed him, then she grinned and dipped down and licked him like he was a lollipop, twirling her tongue around the head.

  He tightened his abs, forcing himself to hold back and not thrust himself into her sweet, hot mouth. She licked him again, taking him a little deeper inside. With a sideways glance, she met his gaze and took his cock deep into her throat.

  He curled his fingers into the bedding, forcing himself to remain still as she sucked on him while looking into his eyes. He clenched his teeth and said, “Holy fuck, that feels good.”

  She sucked all the way to the tip, then wrapped her hand around the base and stroked as she ran her tongue along the underside of the shaft. “You look so hot right now,” she said. “Your eyes are so intense with arousal, and your muscles tight with coiled energy. Ready to strike.” Without breaking eye contact, she sucked on him again, a slow, wet slide that took him to the brink. “I loved sucking on your cock in the dark. But this. Seeing you. Is even better.”

  He cupped her head, lifting her mouth from his cock, then sat up, pulling her with him until their mouths met in a hot, deep kiss. He pressed a hand between her thighs and stroked her clit, then slipped between her folds and felt her slick heat. She groaned without breaking the kiss and rocked her hips against his fingers.

  She was wet and ready, and he needed to taste her. He nudged her to her back and spread her thighs. He licked her clit. Sucked on it, loving the way her body tightened with each delicious swipe of his tongue. He shifted, stroking her with his thumb as he thrust his tongue inside her, then returning to her clit so he could suck and lick and make her body tighten with building orgasm. She pulled back. “Inside me, Rhys. I want you inside me.”

  He wanted that too, but she tasted so sweet, and he loved the way she panted as he brought her ever closer to orgasm. He licked her again, sucking while abrading her with his tongue.

  “Please, Rhys.” She took a shuddering breath. “That feels…so…ohh…” She pulled back again, this time scooting farther away. “Get a condom on and get inside me.” Her tone was firm.

  He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  He grabbed a condom from the box and sheathed himself, then settled between her thighs. “You want this slow and sweet, or a hard fuck?”

  “Earlier I would have said slow and sweet, but I’m so hot now I just need you to fuck me. I might die if you don’t fuck me.” She was less timid using the word fuck now, which turned him on even more.

  He slid his cock into her slick, tight body, her heat enclosing him as she let out a low moan of pleasure that captured exactly how he felt. He kissed her, a hot deep kiss that kept rhythm with his thrusts as he moved within her. She locked her ankles behind his back, clenching him to her. Her body tightened, and the pace of her breathy moans increased. His orgasm raced toward him, and he slowed so he could reach between them and massage her clit. She let out a guttural moan at the first touch, and he was gone, caught in the throes of his own orgasm as she came undone in his arms.

  Her orgasm continued past his, and he smiled and slowly thrust inside her, keeping her aloft for as long as he could, then he dropped down and rolled to his side, gathering her against him, still inside her tight body.

  She smiled at him and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “You know, I quite liked that.”

  He laughed and kissed her nose. “Yeah, well, I fucking loved it.”

  “You are quite a man, Rhys Vaughan. I’m really glad the mask picked you, and I’m already dreading the moment when you’re no longer under its spell.”

  He stiffened. “What makes you think that will change anything?”

  “When the mask is no longer messing with our minds, this crazy attraction might disappear.”

  His heart, having finally slowed after orgasm, started to pound again, this time with pain that held a bitter edge. He released her, sliding from her body. Moving away from her heat. “Are you saying you don’t think you’d be attracted to me if it weren’t for the mask?”

  “What? No!” She reached to pull him back, but he moved farther away. “I mean that you won’t be interested in me.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Why? Look at you. You’re perfect. You’re handsome, successful. Smart. Charming. Ripped. Guys like you don’t give women like me the time of day.”

  “What the hell do you mean, women like you?”

  She pursed her lips. “I need to lose fifteen pounds, I own a small business that could go under at any time, I’m inhibited and insecure, not to mention currently haunted by an old shaman. Face it, I’m not the type of woman who usually draws interest from men like you.”

  “I don’t know which bothers me more, that you think I’m some sort of asshole snob or the way you’re denigrating yourself.” He rolled out of bed and left the room to use the bathroom. After disposing of the condom, he cleaned up and splashed water on his face, trying to rein in his temper and the hurt. What if, for her, this wasn’t real?

  What if he was the only one falling in love?

  He returned to the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe. She’d covered herself with the top blanket, already withdrawing from him while he stood naked before her.

  She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. “Rhys, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I think you’re a jerk. I don’t. Not at all. You’re amazing, and I don’t… I can’t…” She sighed. “I’m not going to get attached to the idea this is real, because I don’t want to be hurt when it’s over.”

  So he was ass-over-teakettle, while she was… what… holding back? Just having fun? “I can’t believe I’ve had the best fucking sex of my life—twice—and you’re already planning our breakup.”

  Her eyes widened. “Best sex ever?” The blanket slipped, revealing the tops of her breasts to his eager gaze.

  He stepped toward her. “Yes. Maybe you get your rocks off like that all the time, but for me, it was damn special.”

  “No.” She cleared her throat. “It’s never been like that for me before. Ever. I just figured a guy like you—”

  “Can you cut out the ‘guy like you’ stuff?”

  “Sorry.” She shifted, causing the blanket to slip even lower, revealing her nipples.

  He dropped onto the bed, sitting beside her, and tugged the blanket down another two inches. “I’m stupid crazy about you, Sienna. I know the mask brought us together, but that’s all it was—a matchmaker. The rest is up to us.”

  “I’m afraid to believe that, because if I go all in, I don’t think I’ll ever get over losing you.”

  “I’m not asking you to go all in, but I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop folding before all the cards are dealt.” He kissed her. “I can’t see the future, but nothing about the present makes me think we won’t be together when we’re even older than Archie. All I ask is that you give us a chance now. Can you do that?”

  She slipped her tongue between his lips, a silent but enthusiastic acquiescence.

  He smiled and pushed her back on the bed, then tugged the blanket down slowly, revealing her perfect curves one inch at a time. “And I’m looking forward to working together to banish all those inhibitions I’ve seen no sign of, but which you seem to think you have.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Sienna woke slowly, first feeling Rhys’s mouth on her shoulder, his hand on her breast. Her body came awake in stages, directly correlated to the region on which Rhys devoted his attention. She didn’t open her eyes until his thick cock was deep inside her, and then she came to a powerful climax as she stared deep into his
incredible blue eyes.

  She suspected she was falling in love with him but was afraid to embrace the exhilarating feeling. No, afraid wasn’t the right word. She was terrified.

  Afterward, he held her, kissing her cheeks, her lips, her hairline. “You’re thinking again, aren’t you?” His deep voice sent a warm vibration across her nervous system, similar to her reaction when a favorite song came on the radio. She wanted to turn up the volume and sway.

  “Who, me? I don’t think. I just enjoy.” She cupped his face between her hands. “And I enjoy you immensely.”

  He laughed, his wide smile the melody of her favorite song. The phone on the nightstand rang, a discordant note that messed with the harmony. He leaned over her to check caller ID. “It’s the FBI,” he said and answered the call.

  She scooted up in bed and listened while he talked to the agent, and was relieved when it was apparent the man would fly out to Itqaklut today. But then, the museum curator had been murdered last night; even Officer Tourney was inclined to take them seriously now.

  She smiled as Rhys told the agent he suspected Adam had stolen the mask. They knew so much more than they could reveal.

  When the call was complete, Sienna got out of bed and grabbed Rhys’s shirt from the floor. She slipped it on, then flipped her tangled hair from under the collar. Rhys’s eyes heated, fixed on the open shirt as it gaped around her breasts, so she flashed a smile and slowly started buttoning from the bottom.

  Rhys climbed out of bed and paused before her, beautiful, naked, and erect. He stroked her breast, stopping her from buttoning the shirt, and said, “Don’t you dare get dressed. I need to fuck you again. Now.”

  His eyes widened, his face expressing the same shock she felt as she realized they’d caught a glimpse of this moment the first night they met.