Hand on her arm, he steered her, unrelenting as a jungle python gripping its evening meal. Frustration and anger built with each step, until the top of her head felt ready to blow.
She dug in her heels, yanked her arm free and swung around, glaring at him.
“I’m not your prize Doberman out for a brisk evening stroll, Detective.” Despite her mounting irritation, Ally managed to hiss the words instead of shouting.
His lips twitched.
Twitched!
Oh, that’s it. Spinning on her heel, she marched down the hall. The first bathroom she came to, she darted inside and slammed the door shut with a less-than-satisfying thud. She yanked off the stupid coat and threw it on the floor. Her single lap around the small room came to an abrupt halt when Greg pushed through the door.
Ally narrowed her eyes, blood at full boil. “You can’t come in here.”
He leaned against the closed door, crossing his arms, watching her with his irritating unfathomable expression. The big jerk.
“Actually, I can. This is the men’s room.”
She focused on the urinal-lined wall. If wishes counted, Greg would be a frog about now. A big warty one. “I don’t care. Get out.”
“Make me.”
His low voiced taunt froze her in place. “What?”
“Make. Me.”
He didn’t look unruffled now. His eyes gleamed, watching her like a big cat staring at cornered prey.
She glanced below his belt buckle and her eyes widened. Good night, he had a hard-on. Heat raced over her skin, her traitorous body revving up in response to his arousal. Readying for him.
Oh, hell no.
Greg uncrossed his arms, grabbed the garbage can and heaved it in front of the door before taking a step toward her. She retreated, only recognizing her mistake when his eyes sparked with triumph. He stalked forward, closing the distance. She retreated again.
Just short of a bathroom sink, she stopped and snapped her spine straight. “This is ridiculous. If you think we’re going to fool around after all the crap you’ve thrown at me, you’re beyond thick-skulled.”
Pulling the tattered mantle of her dignity around her, Ally tried to sidle around him.
“We’re gonna more than fool around, babe.” He grabbed her around the waist and unceremoniously deposited her on the cold ceramic sink. The chill permeated the sundress so quickly she might as well have been naked. She started to slide backward into the sink. With a small shriek, she lunged forward and latched onto Greg’s hard biceps.
His gaze dropped to her lips and his mouth followed, thrusting his tongue inside to tangle with hers, demanding complete surrender.
Not gonna happen.
If they were going to do this – her body gave a resounding cheer of approval – it would be on her terms. She pulled him closer, sank her fingernails into his shoulders and rubbed her breasts against him. His attack paused and his hips twitched. She slid her hands up, grabbed handfuls of his thick hair and angled his head for easier plundering.
He bridged the remaining distance and tugged her bottom closer until she teetered on the edge of the sink, melding her softness against his steel. Ally moaned into his mouth. His palms slid down her thighs and under the hem of her dress, pulling the material up as his hands journeyed toward her hips.
Never breaking from the battleground of their kiss, she impatiently tugged open his blue jeans. Greg’s erection sprang into her waiting hands, and she wrapped her fingers around him. His hands reached the junction of her thighs, her thong panties and bare skin offered no barrier when he parted her swollen folds. Thick fingers spread her slick arousal over her and she almost came.
He brushed aside her hand and positioned himself at her entrance.
Breaking their kiss, he held her gaze. A rakishly angled broad hat on his blond head and the image of a victorious pirate would be complete. Something in the depths of his eyes, though…
Greg sank to the hilt and her head dropped back, the exquisite pleasure trembling across her lips on a husky moan. Not giving an inch, she wrapped her legs around his waist. One hand on her bottom, he tugged her head back up and kissed her as he began to move.
Deep and hard, each thrust pushed her closer to the edge. His lips were gentle, the exact opposite of the demanding press of his hips. Greg explored her mouth with delicate thoroughness while his body took unhesitating command of hers.
Ally clung to him, a rock in the storm.
“Ally,” he whispered against her lips.
She swore the same emotion she’d seen in his eyes twisted through his passion-roughened voice.
His lips skated along her jaw and down her throat to the sensitive curve at her shoulder. She shivered. He kissed her skin and she trembled. He sucked gently and her muscles clenched. He nibbled and she tumbled into a swirl of exploding stars.
His hips jackknifed against her and he groaned low against her neck as he came.
Gradually, the hard press of the sink against her bottom demanded her attention. The reality of her situation popped the delicate bloom of post-coital glow.
Greg lifted his head, eyes once again shuttered and unreadable. Just as well. She didn’t need any more confusion where he was concerned.
She refused to look at him as he helped her off the sink. Frowning over the dampness between her thighs, she adjusted her clothes.
He’d been the poster boy for safe sex the night before.
“I didn’t use protection,” Greg said, as if reading her thoughts.
He sounded so matter of fact, no hint of regret or apology. Strange. A man like him wouldn’t want any unsanctioned rug rats running around. A vision of a baby with blonde curls and eyes the color of the Aegean Sea temporarily blotted out the bathroom.
She managed a careless shrug. “I’m sure it won’t be an issue.”
Snagging the trench coat off the floor, she brushed past him, pulling the coat on and raising the collar to shield her face. She tugged the cap back into place, painfully aware of Greg’s presence right behind her. Respecting the invisible wall she’d erected between them, he didn’t lift a finger to help her.
Ally tried to shove the metal garbage can away from the door, and about wrenched her shoulder from its socket. “What is this thing made out of?”
He reached around her and slid the can aside.
Right. Gritting her teeth, hand on the doorknob, she glanced at him. “Shall we?”
With effort, she ignored the wet slide of her thighs as she followed Greg down another hallway. He stopped in front of a closed door, glanced up and down the empty hall, opened the door and basically shoved her inside. Relief etched across his face, he followed her in and shut the door.
“About time you got here, Marsing,” a rusty voice barked, startling her.
Hunched over the array of papers scattered across the scarred surface of a massive desk, glaring at them from beneath a shock of bushy white eyebrows, sat the man she’d already met several times. He still in no way resembled her image of a police captain. The extravagance of his eyebrows made up for the lack of hair on top of his head, not counting a few lonely strays, topped off with an overabundance of attitude.
Attitude directed toward Greg. Her sympathy was almost piqued. Almost.
“Sorry, sir.”
She hung up the trench coat that smelled miserably of Greg and tossed the cap in a chair, which Greg promptly sat on. He glared at her and yanked the smashed baseball hat out from under his rear end.
Gracefully sitting as far from him as possible, she gave him her most angelic smile.
“This is my favorite hat.” Greg slapped the misshapen cap against his thigh.
“Oh?” She batted her lashes, shaping her lips in a round moue of distress. Petty of her, but a woman took her revenge where she could. “What a pity. I do hope it’ll be alright.”
Ignoring the way his eyes focused on her lips and darkened, ignoring her answering surge of desire, she turned to the captain—who was avidly
following their byplay. Which annoyed her to no end. So she hopped up, leaned over the desk and offered her hand.
“Pleased to meet you.” Sheer willpower kept her expression bland.
“Oh, right.” Greg spoke up behind her. “Captain, meet Ally Thompson. Ally, this is Captain Morgan.”
Was the name Greg’s idea of a joke? She glanced over her shoulder, but his gaze was fastened on her rear end as she bent over the desk. Guess he wasn’t joking. He was too busy being a guy. Captain Morgan grasped her offered hand, and she turned back to him.
His grave expression betrayed nothing, but his gray eyes twinkled. He gave her hand a brisk squeeze. She half expected him to pat her on the head, too, and quickly found her seat again.
“Well, young lady, has Detective Marsing told you all about our little plan?”
“Yes, he has.”
The twinkle departed like yesterday’s news. “What do you think?”
She bit her lip, unsure how to respond. “Umm…” She glanced at Greg.
He sprawled in his chair, glowering at nothing in particular.
“Well… frankly it scares the hell out of me.”
Greg’s eyebrows shot up.
“But I’ll do it.”
“Good.” The Captain’s alert gaze shifted to Greg. “How ’bout it, Marsing? We all set to move on this?”
Greg straightened from his slouch. “Yes.”
“Run me through the plan again. Let’s make sure there aren’t any holes for Miss Thompson to fall through.”
“As we discussed, I’ve run my mouth all morning about how some woman I’m protecting is insisting on going back to the scene of her abduction today to show me where Victor abducted her and walk me through the process. Locker-room talk, the works. I’ve got a few ex-military buddies providing back-up at the park, where I hope to pick up the head honcho. He’s got to be frustrated at this point, hearing about this latest failure on top of the other ones.”
“You trust these friends of yours?” the Captain asked.
“With my life. They’ll keep the area tight as a tick’s ass, sir.” Greg gave a respectful nod.
Ally rolled her eyes. “What’s happening with the Victor situation?”
They exchanged a look she couldn’t interpret.
“Well…” Captain Morgan folded his hands on top of the desk. “Victor is under armed guard at the local hospital. As soon as he’s released, he’ll be transported to jail. That’ll be a bit yet, since his injuries include a collapsed lung and other internal damage.” He grinned. “Nice job, by the way.”
Tension crept up her spine. She didn’t want to think about what had happened within those walls, not even her escape. Jia Li, though… “What about the women?”
His expression turned serious. “That’s a bit trickier. Some of them were there so long they hardly know anything else. Identifying the women and tracking down families will take time. In some cases, we’re dealing with young girls who’ve been missing so long they no longer resemble any photos, on top of which they’re so traumatized or ashamed they refuse to speak to anyone—male or female. Composite sketches have to be created and run through missing persons. Meanwhile, we’re fielding thousands of calls from parents of abducted children, attorneys, press and every Tom, Dick, and Harry—otherwise known as concerned citizens, within four hundred square miles.” He spread his hands. “We’re doing all we can, and they’re as comfortable as possible in the meantime.”
“Where are they?”
“You can’t see them, Ally,” Greg said. “You don’t want that kind of attention. The media is camped outside the place.”
She refused to spare him a glance.
“We’ve moved them all to a local women’s shelter. The place has tight security because of previous run-ins with abusive husbands, not to mention on-staff counselors to help any of the women who want it. Unfortunately, we have to keep them in lockdown. The women who’ve accepted our help or are underage, anyway. There’s some concern about the men they’ve…uh…associated with could try to get to them. Victor had some pretty high-powered people as clients. Once we’ve sorted everyone out, I imagine some of the women will enter the protection program.”
Ally crossed her arms, not pleased. Those poor women had gone from one cage to another. Still, she could see the rationale of it. Even if she didn’t like it.
“We’re doing everything in our power to help them. I believe we’ve covered everything, Detective. I’m counting on you to make sure nothing happens to Miss Thompson. She’s taking a huge leap of faith here. Let’s not reward her confidence by failing to keep her safe. Again.”
Greg’s hand tightened under Ally’s elbow as he lifted her from the chair. She hid a shiver of awareness. Greg was so good at maintaining his careless façade, she had no way of knowing if he was aware of her reaction. At the door, Ally shoved her arms into the smothering trench coat and slapped the ball cap over her head.
Tipping the brim up with a finger, she caught Captain Morgan’s roguish wink and smiled.
“It was lovely meeting you again, Captain Morgan.”
“You too. Hopefully next time will be under more pleasant circumstances. Take care out there. I hate putting you in this situation after all you’ve been through. If we had any other option…” He shook his head and waved her out the door.
Ally highly doubted there would be a “next time,” but she held onto her smile and nodded. They didn’t exactly move in the same circles. Neither did Greg, who steered her out the door.
This time, thank you very much, she left the building under her own steam. She even opened her door, got herself into Greg’s car and shut the door. All alone. See what a grown-up girl she was?
Ally barely restrained from snorting. Yeah, right.
Refusing to look at Greg, she glowered out her window. They were parked in a corner between two buildings, most of the car hidden from view. The sounds of him settling into his seat and the musky, spicy scent of his cologne magnified. Ally shook her head in disgust. Somewhere in the past twenty-four hours, her body had clearly gone into overdrive, determined to make up for the sad state of her love life the last few years.
Oh, who was she kidding? Her love life had been a pathetic, scrawny, substance-deprived, weed of a thing ever since she’d developed an interest in having one. Throw in the insidious little voice whispering in her ear, telling her to enjoy every aspect of Greg while he was still available, and she had a regular World War III. Her heart versus her head. Either way, something was going to wind up bloodied.
Everything revolved around one question, really. Did she want to spend the fraction of time she had left with Greg pouting?
Ally became aware of the painful degree of silence within the confines of the car. Wary, she met Greg’s gaze. “What?”
“Just wondering how long your little snit is going to last. We have a lot to accomplish and I don’t want it interfering.”
So much for romance. More the fool for even thinking such a thing. Sweet as apple pie à la mode on a hot summer day, she smiled. “My mood is dandy. I’m just contemplating the previously unknown joys of bathroom sex. Don’t worry yourself about coming up a little…” She glanced down at his lap and widened her smile. “Short.”
He continued to stare at her. Waiting for a second head to sprout?
“What?”
Greg shrugged, finally starting the car, but he made no move to shift into drive. Probably missing the rumbling power of his Camaro. The sedate, uninspiring mid-size sedan, hardly compared.
Maybe she’d trade in her Prius for something else. Something a bit more fun, a bit more sporty. Not a Camaro.
Licking her lips, she tasted Greg. The memory of his body against her, inside her, sped up her pulse. She shifted in her seat. Her panties rubbed against her clit and Ally bit her lip against a moan. She dropped her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Focus on something else. Anything else.
When had she turned into a raging
nympho? She met Greg’s gaze. “So, uh…you’ve put the word out? All systems are go?”
“Oh, yeah.” His voice dropped an octave, the husky tone setting her squirming in the seat again.
She didn’t know who moved first. Greg hauled her across the narrow space to straddle his lap while she voraciously ate at his mouth, sucking on his tongue and nipping his lips. She coasted her hands under his shirt and moaned into his mouth at the feel of his skin.
Ally yanked off his shirt and curled her fingers in his coarse chest hair, reveling in the sensation. His hands massaged her bare bottom, and she sent out a silent thank you for the indecent panties she was wearing. She’d been too mad and too far gone to appreciate the lack of coverage in the bathroom, but no more.
One of his hands disappeared. A click sounded and his seat dropped back, offering her so much more to touch and more room to maneuver. He fumbled his pants open, lifted her up and onto him. They both groaned as he slid into her slick heat.
Watching the passion etched across his face, she began to move. Greg pushed the straps of her dress down, baring her breasts and cupped them. He rolled her nipples between his fingers. She sucked in air and slammed down on him a little harder than she’d intended.
His eyes narrowed to slits and the muscles in his neck corded, but his hands remained gentle, teasing and tormenting her. Ally found a rhythm she liked, hitting the perfect spot inside and out. Each stroke of her body over his drew her muscles tighter.
She fought for control, her movements jerky. He gripped her hips, helping her slide along his rigid length. Watching her ride him. Seeing too much.
Love swelled and pressed like a trapped bird against her ribcage. Emotion had to be written all over her face. She didn’t care; she was determined to selfishly take everything he offered.
She sobbed with the effort to hold back.
“Shhh, baby.” Greg pulled her head down to him, spreading gentle kisses across her flushed face. Big hands smoothed up and down her back as he held her, cradled her close like she mattered to him. As if all of his words to the contrary meant nothing.
Sweet Deception Page 17
