by Vella Day
He’d unleashed her inner beast, and she scraped her nails down his back. After he drove his cock to the hilt, he kissed her with more passion than she thought possible. As if he knew she’d be overwhelmed, he waited. Pulses radiated in every direction and her pussy cramped with need. It was as if he had his finger in the dam. If he moved even the slightest bit, she’d burst.
“Amber, what you do to me.” His words came out on a breath. The kiss that followed spoke of a future. Of hope.
She held on tight, and together they soared upward. Her juices flowed as she encased his cock, holding him hostage and loving him hard. He dipped his head and murmured something she couldn’t decipher. As he thrust his cock inside her again, he moaned, and they both burst at the same time. Her screams and his wild cry collided. Her climax tore through her, and she lost her sight, her breath, her heart. Cade Carter had done what he’d promised—taken her somewhere she’d never been before.
How long he held her, she couldn’t say, since no thoughts entered her brain other than those of pure delight. Eventually, he withdrew, stepped away from the bed, and returned with a warm cloth.
After he wiped her clean, she reached around to take out the plug. His hand snapped on her wrist. “Leave it in for another hour.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
She mouthed his phrase back to him. He laughed, dropped down next to her and kissed her again. Life with Cade would never be dull.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Amber roused, the smell of eggs filled the house, causing her stomach to grumble. After eating a big dinner, and then munching on popcorn and cheese after a night of sexual bliss, she was surprised she had any desire to eat ever again.
She cracked open an eye and wondered when Cade had risen. A shower would have to wait. Breakfast came first.
She was naked and didn’t feel comfortable walking around the house that way, so she tossed on her tank and flannel bottoms and padded out.
Cade was dressed in his slacks and had his white shirt untucked. She slipped behind him and dragged her hands up his naked chest. “I thought you didn’t cook.”
He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I can do simple.”
“Simple is good. What can I do?”
“I couldn’t find the coffee.”
“It’s hidden.” From the cabinet next to the fridge, she pulled out the bag of Starbucks coffee, but pushed back the reason why she’d purchased it.
He removed the eggs from the burner. “Plates?”
“I’ll get them.” Once she set them next to the stove, she brewed the tea and fixed the coffee. The plate of eggs didn’t look very substantial for a man Cade’s size. “If I had known you were coming over, I would have bought some bacon.” And muffins and whatever else a real man ate.
“I’m fine with this.”
While he placed the food on the table, she prepared the beverages. Once they were seated, both scarfed down their food. “You said both you and Stone were free today. What are we doing?”
“He said he was taking charge of the activities, so I don’t know.”
Before she had a chance to discuss possible outings, Cade’s cell rang.
He grimaced before pulling out his phone and checking the caller ID. “Fuck. Sorry, sugar. It’s work.”
She sank back against her chair. She didn’t get called in often, but when she did, she had to go.
His fingers tightened their grip. “Where? When? I’ll be there.” He set his phone down. “I am so sorry. There’s been an attempt on a patient’s life.”
She grabbed the back of the chair. “Attempt?” Who was doing this?
“I don’t know much more than that.”
“Do you want me to come?”
“It’s your day off. Stone will be so disappointed if he can’t be with you.”
Would it always be like this? Would she be constantly disappointed because the three of them couldn’t be together? “Do you think Stone will still want to go out with me?”
He pushed back his chair, lifted her out of hers, and cupped her face. “I can guarantee it. Just don’t have too much fun without me.”
“I’ll try.” Despite the horrible situation, a small chuckle escaped.
He bent down and kissed her. Knowing Cade had to leave, she kept the contact light.
“I’ll call you,” he said, as he stepped toward the door.
As soon as he left, the air thinned. Boy, did she have it bad.
* *
When Cade arrived at the hospital, he rushed up to the fourth floor. His sometime partner, Ethan Harper, met him at the reception desk.
Ethan’s tie was loose and his shirt wrinkled. “Have you been here long?” Cade asked.
“I was here on duty on the fifth floor when I got the call from Hartwick.”
Cade nodded. “What do you know?”
“Edgar Mulholland’s monitor went off, indicating he’d stopped breathing, and his nurse rushed in with a crash cart. She must have gotten there quickly, because she managed to revive him. The man has ALS—that’s Lou Gherig’s disease.”
“I know what it is.” Cade’s gut clenched.
“He’s in the late stages of the disease.”
The thought of anyone suffocating in his own fluids was chilling. “How do we know it was attempted murder?”
“Edgar told his nurse.”
His heart pounded hard for a couple of beats. “Can he identify this person?”
Ethan shook his head. “Said he was asleep when he felt the port wiggle and woke up.”
“What did he see?”
“Edgar said it was still dark in the room, and since his eyesight is terrible, he could only make out the shape of a person. The muscles in his eyes don’t work well.”
“Could he tell if it was a man or a woman?” He knew from experience, someone else could be guilty, too.
“All he recalled was that the person was hunched over him, so he couldn’t tell. When I spoke with him, he wasn’t fully awake. He might remember more details later.”
Cade’s mind whirred. “I wonder why the killer didn’t think about the alarm, or give him enough drugs to prevent resuscitation.”
“I can think of a couple of reasons. One, when the alarm went off, he or she panicked and didn’t give the second drug—assuming it’s the same person.”
Ethan’s assumption was reasonable. “And two?”
“Maybe he couldn’t get enough Ativan without arousing suspicion.”
Something wasn’t right. “How do you know it was Ativan?”
“Found the vial.”
Cade huffed out a breath. “Fuck. That’s the second time a vial has been left. No one is that careless, unless—”
“Unless he wants to get caught?” Now it was Ethan who raised his brows. “Not buying it.”
“I trust you sent the evidence to the lab to see if there are any fingerprints?”
“Sure did, but there weren’t any on the vial for Stephanie Osmond, so I’m not getting my hopes up.”
“I wouldn’t either, especially since everyone wears gloves around here.”
Dan Hartwick strode up to them and faced Ethan. “What can you tell me?”
Ethan filled his boss in on the details. Hartwick squared his shoulders. The man looked more tired than usual. He hadn’t shaved, and if Cade’s memory served him right, the boss wore the same suit yesterday. He had no room to talk though. He was in the same boat.
Hartwick dragged a hand down his jaw. “Seems like the killer is escalating. Cade, do a timeline to see if we can anticipate when he might strike again.”
Cade’s gut swirled. He hadn’t wanted to believe the boyfriend of Amber’s best friend could be involved, but he had to tell them her suspicions. “I’ll do that. You should know that one of the nurses, Amber Delacroix, has a theory.”
“What would that be?”
He told Dan and Ethan about her gut feeling. “Everything’s circumstantial,
but Ben had the means and possibly the motive.”
“Ethan,” Hartwick said. “Check out his alibi. See if he’s at the hospital now. If not, find him and speak with him.”
“On it, boss.”
Cade tensed. “Don’t mention Amber’s name. I don’t want retribution in case he’s involved.”
“Got it.” Ethan trotted off.
Dan glanced at Cade. “We stationed cops on every floor. How did this happen?”
“The killer’s good, despite appearing quite careless.” His sixth sense told him the dropped vials were for show. While he didn’t know Ben other than when he’d questioned him in the Emma Luther case, from the way Amber spoke of him, he didn’t seem the type to need recognition for his good deed. Then again, Cade was no shrink.
Dan nodded. “Check to see if there’s any security footage for this floor.”
He’d done that for the Luther case. “The hospital only has cameras in public places, like the parking lot and the cafeteria.”
Dan looked up as if he expected to point to one. “I swore I saw some around in other places.”
“Can’t have them in the rooms for privacy issues.” He thought back to what one of the staff members had told him. “There are cameras in the ICUs and other critical care units, as well as some for the rooms housing those mentally unstable, but not on this floor.”
“Shit.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
* *
After arriving home seven hours ago, and managing a few hours of sleep, Stone was still a little groggy. Thank God, he had three days off. He planned to spend them with Amber and Cade. His roommate had been with her more than he had, and that sucked. He bet the two of them were chomping at the bit to get on with the adventure he’d planned.
While Amber might be out of her element, he wanted to see how she adapted to hiking. Next time, he’d introduce her to rock climbing.
To make sure she was agreeable, he called her cell.
“Hey, Stone.”
Her voice wasn’t as cheery as he’d hoped. “What’s wrong?”
“Cade had to go into work.”
Shit. That wasn’t the end of the world, but the three of them needed to do things together in order to bond. She sure was getting a good view of what things might be like in the future though.
The future. He liked those two words. It was crazy he’d fallen for Amber so fast, but her spirit, ambition, and open mind had caught his attention. Add in her loving nature, and he’d been hooked. Cade, too, was falling for her, too, which made it almost too good to be true.
“The two of us can still get together if you’re up for it.” He held his breath.
“I’d love that. Cade said you had something planned.”
“I thought we could go hiking. I even put together a little something to eat.” Stone had a backup plan in place in case she wasn’t up for it.
“We’re having a picnic?” He hadn’t expected her to sound so excited.
“Yup. Can you be ready in twenty?”
“Sure can.”
“You have sturdy boots, right?”
“Of course I do. I live in Montana now. Haven’t used them much, though.”
He chuckled to himself. He’d have to take it slow. As soon as he disconnected, Stone grabbed his backpack from the garage. He retrieved the food he’d bought before he went into work yesterday from the fridge and stuffed everything inside, making sure to grab extra water bottles for Amber. While he was disappointed Cade had to work, he was anxious to spend quality time with her.
His cell rang. Cade. “Hey.”
“Look, I have to cancel.”
He appreciated the heads up. “Amber told me.”
“Did she mention about last night?”
Instead of cheer, Cade’s voice held a lot of tension. Stone leaned against the counter and grabbed the edge. “Did something happen?”
Cade told him about her near breakdown and that she suspected Ben might be the serial killer. “Be careful with her, okay? She’s really fragile.”
Shit. “I will, but Ben? He’s such a nice guy.”
“So she said.”
Stone blew out a big breath. Ben and Jamie meant the world to her. While Stone hadn’t spent much time with her friend, from the eulogy Ben delivered at Chris’s funeral, he was a caring person—more so than most. Stone actually thought Ben was a bit weak and that Jamie was the one in control. Ben just didn’t seem to be the killer type.
Stone drew a palm down his chin. “Amber didn’t see him harm anyone, did she?” Amber had been through too much already. Having Ben guilty would destroy her. With no supportive family to speak of, Jamie and Ben had become her life.
“No. Watching Amber struggle with the conflict was one of the worst times of my life and really tore me up.”
“What do you think? Is he guilty?”
“I don’t know, which is why we need to be careful. Let Amber bring up the topic first, okay?”
He could feel her pain. “I won’t say anything unless she mentions it.”
“Good. I doubt she will. She’s still trying to process everything. Ethan and I are checking into Ben’s whereabouts. Let’s wait and see if there is any substance to her claim before we have another heart to heart. If Ben is guilty, she’ll need a lot of comfort.”
Stone pushed off from the counter and walked into the living room. “I’m taking her hiking today. Maybe that will help keep her mind off her troubles.”
“Great. Keep her safe.” Voices sounded in the background. “I gotta go.” Cade hung up.
“This sucks.” Stone grabbed his keys and headed out.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up in her drive. The day was perfect—temp almost near eighty—which for Rock Hard, Montana was a rarity. They’d get hot climbing, but what he had planned at the top would take care of that.
As he slipped from his truck, the front door opened, and beautiful Amber emerged. She was thankfully wearing proper hiking boots and carrying a daypack. He was worried she might bring a purse or something. From the way her long sleeve shirt was bunched in places, he suspected she’d layered for the day. Smart girl.
“Hey.” Stone ran up and embraced her.
Having her in his arms set his body on fire. He hugged her tight then loosened his grip. If he had his way, he’d never let her go. His lips yearned to taste her, and he captured her delicious mouth. She was pure sweetness. Her arms slipped over his shoulders and wrapped them around his neck. When his stiff cock pressed against her body, he leaned back, chuckled, and adjusted his balls.
“It’s up to you how we play this, baby, but do you want to hike then make love or make love then hike?”
She looked at the sky. “Seeing how clear it is, I say hike, shower, then make love.”
He smiled. “Come on then.”
He helped her into the cab of his truck before slipping into the driver’s side.
Amber snapped her seatbelt into place. “So where are we going?”
“Harmes National Forest.”
Her brows furrowed. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t be hiking any paths that are too steep. And there will be a reward at the end.”
Her mouth made the prettiest “o” shape. “I like rewards.”
For the rest of the trip, she gazed out the window.
“Wait until we reach the top,” Stone said. “You won’t believe the view.”
“It’s pretty here, too.”
She sounded better. Good. He turned off the paved surface and onto a fire road. While his truck bucked and bounced on the rutted path, Amber didn’t complain. He liked she was made of sturdy stuff, but perhaps she was mentally so far away that she wasn’t aware of the ride at all.
The road ended at a boulder. “Far as she goes.” He glanced over at her. She was smiling. Yes! “Ready?”
She jumped out, not waiting for him to open her door. He got his pack out of the bed of his truck and slipped it on.
She donned her small daypack and checked out his gear. “You need something that big? We’re just having lunch, right?”
“I want to be prepared for every contingency. Come on.” He didn’t need her to ask what that might entail. “Why don’t you lead? I tend to walk fast.”
She stuck out her tongue. “Braggart. I know you’re in better shape.”
He pounded his chest and laughed, inhaling the clean air. For the next twenty minutes, he enjoyed the fabulous scenery of Amber’s ass moving and swaying in front of him. Her pace was steady and sure.
She stopped suddenly to pick a purple flower. “This is beautiful.” She inhaled and closed her eyes. “And sweet.”
“Like you.” He vowed to keep that look of wide-eyed wonder on her face forever. “It’s called a fairy slipper.”
The strongest urge to protect her against everything bad came over him. He never wanted her to be sad again.
Her shoulders sagged. “Now I wished I’d brought my camera.”
“You don’t have your cell?”
“Honestly? I didn’t want to chance getting called in.”
He never left home without his. While reception was spotty in the mountains, the camera would work just fine. “I have mine. Hold the flower up to your face and I’ll take your picture.” After he located his phone, she posed and he snapped away. This would be one he’d keep forever.
“Take one of us both,” she said, excitement lacing her voice.
As soon as she moved next to him and smiled, he held out his arm and snapped. “Let’s check it out,” he said. She leaned over as he scrolled to the picture. “Look at you.” Amber was tiny and beautiful. “It’s a keeper.”
“Send me a copy?”
“Will do.” He stashed the phone back in his pack and patted her butt. “Let’s get moving.”
After another twenty minutes, Stone made her stop to drink water. Never once during the hike had she complained, not even when she had to climb over some large boulders.
When her pace began to slow and she kept wiping her brow, it appeared as if her interest in hiking as waning. “We’re almost there, baby.”
She looked back and smiled. “I’m good.” Her breath had quickened.
