Shadow of Sin (The Martin Family)

by Kincade, Parker

  Her ass held him, gripped him, sucked him in, as she screamed his name.

  His balls ached and his dick throbbed with anticipation. “You feel so good, Samantha. It’s never been so good before. Tell me you feel it.”

  “You’re destroying me,” she whimpered.

  He moved his hips, his cock thrusting slowly, working into her with smooth precision. “You can’t hide from me anymore, Samantha,” he demanded. “No more, you hear me?”

  He reached around and stroked her clit, knowing the added sensation would be what she needed to come again. He increased his pace, the exquisite pleasure making his limbs shake.

  “Let go, damn it,” he growled as her body tightened around him. He couldn’t take much more of this.

  Samantha shook her head, still trying to deny what he knew she felt.

  “I love you.” He moved faster. “Jesus fuck. You’re mine, Samantha. Only mine,” he vowed.

  Caleb couldn’t control the words that rolled from his tongue. He hadn’t meant to tell her. Not yet.

  He’d fought for so long. This, what he’d found with Samantha, was what made him feel whole. From the moment they’d met, she’d turned his life upside down. She drove him crazy, irritated the living shit out of him sometimes. But, she made every part of his life worthwhile. Everything he’d been through—every triumph, every mistake, every scar—had brought him here. To this place.

  To her.

  “I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’ve got you. Come for me.”

  Her ass tightened around his sensitized cock in a grip that bordered on pain. She exploded in a wave of rippling muscles and he was done. Caleb roared out as his release shot from his body with a force that left him shattered. His hips jerked, wave after wave of pleasure washing through him as he filled her with his seed.

  Exhausted, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to the bed, his cock still buried deep inside her. “I love you,” he whispered.

  He’d already said it once. Might as well go for broke.

  * * *

  There was no way she’d heard him correctly.

  Caleb didn’t love her. He loved fucking her. That’s what he’d meant. Had to be.

  Caleb pulled from her and rolled off the bed, leaving her feeling empty, her body devoid of the warmth only he could provide.

  She hadn’t been immune to whatever had just happened between them. Her thighs still shook and the sound of her heart thrummed a heavy beat in her ears. She’d never felt so close, so connected to a person before. He’d demanded everything and she’d willingly obliged.

  Could he? Did he?

  No.

  He’d gotten caught up in the moment, in the pleasure they’d shared.

  That. Was. All.

  “Huh-uh. Don’t do that.”

  Samantha glanced up. “Do what?”

  Caleb crawled over her, his body moving like a predator about to catch its prey. He placed a kiss between her brows. “Analyze what just happened. Stop it. I can feel the gears turning, sweetheart.”

  He dropped to his side and tugged until she was spooned against the hard planes of his naked body. His heat warmed her from her neck to her toes.

  “I won’t let you pull away from me. Not again. Not ever.”

  Not ever?

  They didn’t have the greatest history. Far from it. The last week hadn’t been all sunshine and hot sex, either. Tonight, for example. This didn’t erase the fact that he’d kept his plans from her. Plans that were directly related to her life.

  “Caleb, I —”

  “Believe in what you felt, Samantha.” His voice was soft against her ear. “We’ll figure the rest out.”

  Could she do it? Could she give herself to a man who’d demand every piece of her?

  She’d lived in fear of it her entire life. Fear that had turned into a cynicism that made her sick.

  Thank you, daddy dearest, for those parting gifts.

  She didn’t want to be that girl. The one who lived without love because she’d been too afraid to believe. The one who grew old with bitter hatred and a heart of stone.

  Caleb wasn’t her father, not even remotely close. He wouldn’t do again what he’d done tonight and leave her in the dark. He wouldn’t.

  She hadn’t been the only one who’d given something in this bed tonight. She’d gotten part of him as well.

  Caleb sighed and dropped a kiss on her neck. “Come on, counselor. Let’s get cleaned up and get some sleep. Maybe then you’ll stop thinkin’ so hard.”

  She took a deep breath and succumbed to the overwhelming feeling of being surrounded by him. She loved him, so the decision wasn’t really hers to make, was it?

  Like it or not, her heart had already decided.

  Chapter 17

  Caleb had almost dozed off when a loud knock sounded at the front door. He rarely had unexpected company. His family knew better than to surprise him, especially in the middle of the night. That left either emergency personnel or someone who’d bypassed his security and shouldn’t be here.

  As if she’d sensed his tension, Samantha stirred in his arms.

  “Seriously?” she complained. “What does a girl have to do to get some sleep around here?”

  He felt a twinge of guilt over the fact she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in a week. He kissed her forehead. “Stay here, baby. I’ll be right back.”

  He got up and pulled on a pair of jeans.

  “Where’re you going?”

  The question in her sleepy gaze tore at him. She deserved a moment of peace. They both did.

  He caressed the side of her face. “Stay here,” he repeated and reached into the side table for his weapon—a Beretta M9 service pistol that had belonged to his dad—and tucked it in the waistband of his jeans.

  The sight of his gun got her attention. “Like hell.” She flew off the bed in search of clothes.

  He should’ve expected as much. His lack of irritation at her for not listening was new though. Pride filled his chest as she hurried to get dressed in order to stand by his side.

  He shook his head. Must be the sexual hangover making him all soft and squishy.

  The knock sounded again.

  Caleb extended a hand to her. Samantha’s smile lit up her face as she entwined her fingers with his.

  “At least stay behind me until we know who it is.” He’d meant to scowl, but didn’t quite make it. She looked entirely too sexy with her heavy eyelids and hair that had been tousled by his own hands.

  She nodded and did as he asked, going so far as to move behind the door while he checked the monitor.

  Caleb gave Samantha a questioning look and opened the door. “Charlie? What’re you doing here?”

  Charlie removed his hat and shuffled in. “We need to talk.”

  Samantha came to his side and Caleb wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “Can’t this wait?” Caleb asked. “It’s late.”

  “I’m afraid it can’t. Sorry about the hour, but I knew you wouldn’t want me to wait until morning for this.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Vincent Matteo was found dead at the Gardens a few hours ago.”

  Caleb cursed, knowing there was more to it than that. “What happened?”

  Charlie’s expression filled with regret. “Witnesses say you and Vincent had a run in earlier in the evening.”

  “Are you serious?” Samantha demanded. “You can’t possibly think Caleb had anything to do with this.”

  Caleb held up a hand to quiet her, but he held Charlie’s gaze. “He threatened people I care about, Charlie. I warned him that might not be his best course of action. That’s all that happened.”

  Charlie nodded and held his phone up. “You recognize this knife?”

  Fury exploded in Caleb’s chest. He snatched the phone from Charlie’s hand and brought it closer. The knife was covered in blood, but there was no mistaking the C.M. carved in the handle. It was his hunting knife. “Where did you get this?�
�

  “Buried in Vincent Matteo’s chest.”

  Caleb’s violent curse rang out as he let go of Samantha and set to pacing the room. “It’s mine. I keep it in the glove compartment of my truck. Someone must have stolen it.”

  “Any sign of damage that could explain that?” Charlie asked.

  Caleb ran his hands through his hair. “You mean besides the fucking bullet holes I just had fixed?”

  “Wait a minute.” Samantha held up her hands. “Wait just a damned minute, Charlie. Are you accusing Caleb of murder? I’ve been with him the entire night. His sister and brother-in-law were with us at the benefit. At no time was he out of our sight.”

  “Are you acting as his attorney, or as his alibi?” Charlie slid onto a barstool, his expression apprehensive. “Come on, Sam. You know me better than that. I know Caleb didn’t have anything to do with this. Not to mention that half of the city’s officials were at that shindig tonight and have already vouched for him, as have Joe and Amanda.”

  “You’ve talked to them?” Samantha was pissed. His little champion.

  Charlie nodded. “I called them on the way here. Joe’s going to meet us at my office, Caleb. You’re not a suspect, but your knife was used. That connects you to this clusterfuck. We need to get all the eye witness statements on the record and figure out a plausible reason for how your knife ended up in a dead man, preferably before the District Attorney starts breathing down my neck.”

  Caleb pulled Samantha toward him, needing to feel the warmth of her skin. He ran his hands up her arms and cupped her neck, using his thumbs to raise her chin until she looked at him. “Charlie is right, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be fine. Nothing to worry about, right Charlie?”

  Charlie nodded. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  Caleb didn’t want Samantha to stay alone, even now that Vincent was dead.

  Dead. Gone. No longer able to threaten or harm her.

  Jesus, a man was dead and all Caleb could feel was relief; the kind of bone-deep alleviation of stress that made a man feel about twenty pounds lighter.

  “Do you mind if we drop Samantha at Alec’s before we head over to your office, Charlie? I’d feel better knowing she wasn’t alone.”

  “No. I’m coming with you,” she said against his chest.

  Caleb was suddenly exhausted as he let her go and grabbed his phone. “There’s no need, sweetheart. You’re about to fall over. You need to rest.”

  “If you think I’m going to —”

  “Don’t argue with me about this,” Caleb snapped, his tone rougher than he’d intended. “There’s nothing you can do, and you’re as exhausted as I am.”

  He kissed her forehead, breathing in her sultry scent. He could smell himself on her as well. The combination gave him a heavy sense of satisfaction.

  “Caleb is right, Samantha,” Charlie said. “There’s nothing we need from you tonight. You can come in later today and give your corroborating witness statement.”

  “Sweetheart, look at me.” Caleb waited until she complied. Her eyes blazed in anger, but for once, Caleb knew it was for him instead of at him. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.”

  Caleb felt a surge of satisfaction at her lack of hesitation. “Then go to Alec’s. Please. Charlie, Joe and I will figure this out.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief when her arms came around his neck.

  “If you aren’t at Alec’s by sun up, heads are gonna roll,” she vowed.

  He hugged her close. Vincent was dead. Samantha had her life back. If he had his way, her life would be filled with joy and happiness. She’d never know fear again.

  “You’re safe now, Samantha.” He sought to reassure her, to give her something good after the hell life had dealt her. “It’s over.”

  * * *

  The sun was up by the time Caleb and Joe walked into Alec’s house. They’d spent the night crammed into Charlie’s tiny office, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

  At least he’d made it back in time to stop Samantha from storming the police station, although he wouldn’t complain about seeing her all pissed off on his behalf again. Damn, that woman was a sight to see when she was fired up.

  Charlie had informed them that someone had used Caleb’s knife to kill Vincent. The knife had been locked in the glove compartment of his truck, which showed no signs of forced entry. It was obvious someone was trying to set him up, but why? More importantly, who?

  Caleb poured two steaming mugs of coffee and handed one to Joe before heading for Alec’s office at the back of the house. Overly large, the office looked more like a war room than a home office in suburbia. His unoccupied desk sat at one end, a map of the world taking up most of the windowless wall behind. Family pictures adorned the other walls. The three boys with their father on a fishing trip, Amanda and Samantha on horseback, Caleb and Brandon wearing fatigues in the desert sand, their parents on a Christmas morning a lifetime ago.

  Situated in the center of the room was a table that looked more suited for a dining room than an office. There were enough chairs to seat eight, and three of them were occupied.

  Caleb collapsed into the chair closest to Alec, exhaustion biting at his heels. “Where’s Samantha?”

  Alec glanced at him. “Asleep. She wanted to wait up, but I insisted there was nothing she could do. She wasn’t happy about it. My ears are still burning from the ass-chewin’ she gave me about ‘goddamned Martin men bossing me around’.” Alec did a poor rendition of Samantha’s smooth tone. “But in the end, she knew I was right.” Alec gave him an apologetic smile. “You look like you could use a drink.”

  “More than one. But, it’ll have to wait,” Caleb said. “What’s the word?”

  Alec turned his laptop so Caleb could see the report on the screen. “According to this, someone disengaged the lock on your truck around nine o’clock.”

  That was well after they’d arrived at the benefit. It chapped his ass that someone got into his truck undetected, but Caleb didn’t press the issue. “We have the when. What we don’t have is the who.”

  Joe walked to the end of the table and pulled Amanda into a tight hug. “Hey baby,” he mumbled against her neck. “Why’re you still up?”

  Amanda ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his head back for a kiss before snuggling against him again. “Hey,” she sighed. “Not tired.”

  Joe kissed her again before releasing her back to her chair. “You look like you’re about to pass out.” His hand came to rest on the back of her neck, his thumb sweeping back and forth in a gentle caress.

  The scene was painfully intimate. Caleb had grown used to the affection they so easily gave to each other. Watching them now made him long for something he’d never imagined wanting for himself.

  Love.

  And he loved Samantha more than he’d ever thought possible.

  Caleb shoved back the urge to wake her. She needed to rest, but damn. He wanted to see her eyes, put his arms around her and smell the sweetness of her skin. To feel her heart beat against his chest and know she was okay.

  She’d become a vital part of him. He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  “Does anyone have a theory on what the hell?” Brandon’s question broke through Caleb’s thoughts.

  Joe shook his head. “The police are scratching their heads. Whoever nailed Vincent knew what they were doing. One clean strike to the heart. No sign of a struggle, leading us to believe he knew the person.”

  “The son of a bitch baited me,” Caleb said. “And I took the hook. It’s the only thing that makes sense. It can’t be a coincidence that I publicly threatened him and he turns up dead a few hours later … by my weapon.”

  “We both know it was no coincidence, but I doubt Vincent knew of the outcome,” Joe said. “The man I saw was confident and cocky. Not what one would expect from someone who knew he was about to die.”

  “We can’t be the only people who’d benefit from Vin
cent’s death, but the question is, how is this connected to Samantha? Could Carlotta have come back and finished the job herself?” From what Caleb had heard about Carlotta, it seemed highly unlikely.

  “What if Samantha isn’t the target?” Alec asked, ignoring his question.

  Amanda stiffened, her eyes flaring with momentary panic, followed by guilt. Joe squeezed her shoulder, as if to reassure her.

  What was that about? Caleb considered Amanda’s tense expression. This was why she’d always lost her ass at poker. The ability to shield her emotions was severely lacking at best. She was hiding something.

  Caleb turned his attention back to Alec, silently vowing to get answers from Amanda before they were done. “What’re you thinking?”

  Alec shrugged. “I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right. Let’s think about this. When Sam’s office was broken into, who’d she go to for help?”

  “I know where you’re going with this,” Brandon interrupted, “but that’s not entirely accurate. Amanda went to her. Not the other way around.”

  Caleb agreed. “Amanda was the one who insisted Samantha move into our building for the security.”

  Alec nodded. “But we need to look at every angle. Everyone Sam cares about is in this room. Anyone who knows Sam, knows how close she is to Amanda.”

  “She’s close to you too, Alec,” Amanda pointed out. “What’re you trying to say?”

  Alec glanced around the table, his gaze landing on Caleb. “I’m suggesting that we’ve made assumptions based on the obvious. Vincent’s murder demands that we look at the not so obvious, wouldn’t you think?”

  Caleb felt the pride swell in his chest. Maybe he’d not given Alec enough credit over the years. “Which is why I asked about Carlotta. Or, what about Sam’s father? Could this be connected to him?” That was something Caleb should’ve considered before now.

  “Doubtful on both parts. Sam’s estrangement from her dad is well known. Using Sam to get to him wouldn’t gain anyone anything. I can’t say for sure about Carlotta, but if she’s safe, she’d have no reason to come back now.” Alec looked at Amanda again. “What if —”