by Mia Dymond
He gave her forehead a small kiss. “Tell me if I hurt you.”
Shadow caught a glimpse of Claire’s nod before an explosion echoed through the house and he hit the floor.
CHAPTER THREE
Shadow lay still for a minute, strangling the tension building in his veins and taking mental inventory of what the hell happened.
He’d been millimeters away from the sweetest satisfaction in the whole damn world and now he lay face down on the floor, limp-dicked and alone. Terror crawled his spine.
“Claire?”
Her weak cough caused panic to slip past his superman chokehold. He attempted to ease to his knees and then realized something that felt like a half-ton semi pinned him in place.
“Sonuvabitch.” He managed to roll to his back to see that he lay beneath a monster-sized piece of sheetrock. He wrapped his hands around each side and forced the weight from his body, thanking God the whole time for an abundant supply of adrenaline.
As soon as he stood, it took him half a second to realize he and Claire were in a whole shitload of trouble. The bedroom in which they were about to love no longer existed. Only a portion of one wall remained; a hole the size of the Grand Canyon opened to the outside. The bed was missing, the dresser was tipped on one side. Her silky lingerie scattered the floor.
“Claire, where are you?”
A jagged piece of sheetrock wiggled not far from where he stood. “Under here.”
“Are you hurt?”
A long, pregnant pause met his question before she finally answered. “Well I don’t know, Shadow. You think maybe you could lift this two-ton brick off me?”
Even with rage biting his ass, he chuckled as he lifted the weight. Relief seeped through his skin when her sweet, sarcastic smile beamed from the rubble.
“Thank you.”
She sat up and ran her hands over her pale, still-naked body before she looked at his.
His dick jumped and stiffened.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Adrenaline,” he mumbled as he pulled her to stand.
She grabbed a pair of panties and a bra a few inches away then wiggled into them. “Somebody’s serious.”
Shadow spotted his t-shirt under the dresser. “No shit.” He yanked the black cotton from the floor and handed it to her. “Put this on.”
She slipped the clothing over her head and fluffed her hair over the collar. “You’re still naked.”
“I hoped you’d grab something from my truck.” Sirens echoed in the distance. “And step on it.”
She rushed out the black hole and returned in record time with a pair of button-up jeans. “This is all I found.”
He pulled them on his body just before the first siren wailed outside the house. Firemen entered through the hole seconds later. Several uniforms followed.
Shadow answered questions as best he could and then dragged Claire to a waiting ambulance.
“I’m not hurt.”
“Humor me.”
She touched her fingers to her temples and sighed. “This is only the beginning.”
He frowned. “The hell you say.”
She gave a half smile and sat down in the back of the ambulance. “Maybe I’m wrong.”
Acid bubbled in his gut. She wasn’t wrong and he knew it. “Anything else?”
Claire gestured with her eyes at the young, blonde paramedic taking her blood pressure then shook her head.
Shadow stood at the back of the ambulance and watched firemen and cops scour the scene. One good look at the hole in the side of the house told him explosives were to blame. He’d spent enough time in Iraq to suspect any different. And since her car resembled a pile of metal, it was obvious it was the trigger.
Another ripple of ball-squeezing rage flowed through him. Claire had driven that car a mere three or four hours prior to causing total destruction.
A cold, sharp tug on his biceps caused him to turn his gaze back to Claire, her face pale and her eyebrows furrowed.
“Sorry,” he mumbled and then wrapped his fingers around her wrist to stroke the tender skin beneath.
Color seeped back into her face and her lips lifted into a smile.
“Claire?”
Shadow turned to a man now standing next to him and gave him a narrowed stare. Black dress pants, starched white shirt. Definitely a cop.
The newcomer extended a hand. “Detective Matthew Brooks.” Shadow gave his hand a firm shake.
Brooks directed his attention back to Claire. “Are you hurt?”
Shadow wasn’t impressed by the detective’s concern. Especially since he eyed Claire a little too much like a steak dinner. He moved his gaze back to Claire, her creamy thighs exposed from beneath his shirt. Medium rare. A twinge of pink in the center. Cooked for his taste buds and his alone. God, he was such a hypocrite. He shifted his weight, folded his arms across his bare chest, and purposely flexed.
“No, thank you, Matt,” Claire answered.
Shadow turned back to Brooks. “What’s your take on the situation?”
Brooks looked at Claire, as if he needed permission to answer.
“It’s okay.” She patted Shadow on the thigh. “Shadow’s my …” She smiled. “Well, he’s my shadow. He’s a private investigator with SEALs, Inc. in Diablo.”
Brooks seemed to relax at her explanation. Shadow kept his armor securely in place.
“I don’t really know much more than the obvious. Someone packed your Mercedes with C4, flipped a switch, and blew the car and part of the house to Kingdom Come. How much of the house has damage?”
Shadow lifted an eyebrow. “Just the bedroom.”
“Were you both in there?”
Claire’s cheeks pinkened. Shadow fought the urge to grin like a fox. “Obviously, Brooks.”
The detective snickered. “Facts. Aren’t they a bitch?”
Shadow let a satisfied grin escape. “Yeah, sometimes they are.” He turned his attention back to the scene. “Who’s the suit next to the fire chief?”
Brooks’ voice hardened. “Rick Lassiter, District Attorney.”
Shadow didn’t miss the other man’s irritation. “Is it unusual for him to be here?”
“Not really.” Brooks ran a hand across his jaw. “Just gets in the way sometimes.”
Shadow turned back to Claire, now with her head in her hands. He placed a hand on the back of her neck and began to massage.
Brooks frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay, Claire?”
She lifted her head and gave a weak smile. “I will be. I’m just a little shaken.”
Brooks glanced back at him. “Okay, so you already know you can’t stay here.”
“No way in hell.”
“Do you want me to have the Department make arrangements?”
“Not necessary.”
“Good enough.” Brooks nodded at Claire. “I’m going to be here awhile. Give me a call when you’re settled to talk specifics.”
Brooks returned to the middle of the chaos and Claire released a soft sigh. “I can’t go anywhere like this.”
Shadow grasped her arm and helped her from the ambulance. He glanced down at the t-shirt that swallowed her petite figure and hung just past her knees. “You’re covered.”
“Yes, but I need something past today.”
He led her to his truck, hoisted her in his arms and set her on the seat. “We’ll worry about that later.”
As soon as he sat behind the steering wheel, Claire cursed herself for leading him to Navajo. His fingers trembled beneath his iron hold. Anxiety stung her like hail stones.
Caution shone in his eyes as he spoke. “Is it safe for us to leave?”
She pushed the whirling emotions from her mind and mentally searched the area. The sinister force seemed to have exploded with the car. “Yes.”
He started the ignition and pulled into the street. “Now would be the time to tell me more about this case.”
“I need a few minutes.” She sighed, still concer
ned about her state of undress. “I’m not comfortable wearing this. Where are you taking me?”
He gave her a sly smile. One that told her he had a heck of a plan. “To the Windsor.”
***
Claire gave several second glances over her shoulder as she and Shadow walked hand in hand across the polished marble floor of the Windsor Hotel. The doorman greeted them with a smile and the concierge ushered them past to the reservation desk, not bothering to question why both of them were half naked. Claire giggled to herself. Not surprising when one of the half-dressed parties owned the hotel.
Shadow gave the clerk a grin then palmed a white card key before he shuffled her to an elevator tucked in a back corner.
“You probably use this frequently,” she teased as they boarded.
He waited until the doors slid closed and then leaned back against the railing. The warmth of his skin heated hers as he pulled her against his chest.
“I haven’t been here since my parents’ death,” he said into her hair.
Sorrow rippled through her, not intercepted from him, but of her own accord. He had been a valiant soldier, serving his country dangerously without question. He fought terrorists so evil his very sanity was threatened. It just wasn’t right that someone so brave and honorable should suffer the tragic loss of not one, but both parents.
“So, I’m the first?”
He chuckled. “Yes.”
Despite her attempt at humor, her heart ached for him. Brett brought him home for the first time six months after the tragic car accident that took his parents. Home. A place to find solace and heal. Although the other four Steele women did their best to win Shadow’s attention, he seemed drawn to Claire. He held her heart in his palm ever since.
When the elevator came to an easy stop, she left his embrace and turned to exit. The doors slid open and he nudged her off the elevator and down a short hallway. He swiped the card and then opened the door.
Claire took one look around the room and knew immediately what would happen next. And her knowledge had nothing to do with psychic vibes and everything to do with wanton desire.
He tossed the bag to the sofa then crushed her against him. His silent anguish pummeled her nerve endings and she ached to comfort him. Several seconds passed before she sought relief.
“Shadow, I’m fine.”
He planted a kiss on the top of her head and immediately his walls went up. “Sleep for a couple hours before we call Brooks.”
She stepped from his embrace and lifted an eyebrow. “On one condition.”
Those three little challenge words seemed to catch his attention and he folded his arms across his bulky chest as if he intended to negotiate. “What’s that?”
She moved back toward him and placed several butterfly kisses to his collarbone. “We have unfinished business,” she murmured.
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You sure you’re up for that?”
She opened her mouth and trailed her tongue over the smooth surface of his biceps and then swiveled to kiss the back side of his shoulder. She could’ve sworn the beautifully-inked black panther there growled a feral warning. Crouched so low that its belly lay against Shadow’s bronzed skin, the creature swished his tail when Shadow’s muscles flexed. She trailed her fingernail between Shadow’s shoulder blades. The cat’s golden eyes flashed.
“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” she whispered.
Within milliseconds Shadow locked his fingers around her wrist and dragged her to one of the bedrooms in the rear of the suite.
Claire entered the room, impressed by Shadow’s taste. When he released her long enough to close the door, she peeled back the comforter and top sheet and climbed onto the bed.
“Egyptian cotton. She must have been impressed.”
“Who?”
She let her gaze slide over his bare chest, corded with muscle and smooth as a baby’s bottom. “The woman at the front desk.”
“Not likely. This is my private suite. You’re not impressed?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Show me more.”
Without hesitation, he lowered one knee to the bed and grasped the hem of her t-shirt.
“Lift up, sweetheart.”
Claire lifted her arms and he rid her of the shirt, leaving her clad only in the green panties spared by the earlier blast.
He sucked in a hard breath. “You ditched the bra.”
She lifted one bare shoulder. “It was in the way.”
He gave her a smile that made her want to rip off her panties and climb on him to ride. “On your stomach.”
She squinted one eye. “I’m not sure I should turn my back on you.”
Claire barely had time to blink before she lay flat on her stomach.
She glanced over her shoulder to see him straddled across her legs. “Behave, Shadow.”
His breath tickled her neck as he brushed her hair to one side. “Baby, I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Her head fell forward and her nipples tightened when his lips caressed the top of her spine and the cool metal of his dogtags tickled her skin. She rested her head against the crisp but soft sheets and relished the intense satisfaction of his mouth on her skin as he moved lower down her back. Nerve endings tingled in places she didn’t know she had nerves and moisture coated the insides of her thighs.
Lost in his blissful ministrations, she jumped when the band of her panties snapped her skin.
“Well, well, well, what exactly do we have here?”
His husky low tone laced with humor made her pulse leap. She wondered how long it would take him to find the painted treasure. She braced herself on her elbows and looked back over her shoulder. “My teddy bear tattoo?”
He nodded while his eyes flickered with amusement. “You hate that nickname.”
“I don’t hate it. You and Brett just use it to tease me.” She shrugged. “I figured what the heck? If you can’t beat it, embrace it.”
“Yet you keep it a secret.”
“I’m very particular about who sees it.”
Goosebumps danced on her skin when he traced the bear with the pad of his index finger. Since the bear was inked so low on the left side of her back, its paw rested on the top of her cheek and his finger absently grazed the tender flesh there. “Purple is the color of clairvoyance, right?”
She raised an eyebrow, warmed by both his touch and his admission. “You’ve studied.”
He grinned. “Google.”
Claire groaned and lowered her head. “I told you to stay away from the computer. There’s some spooky stuff about psychics online.”
“So I found out.”
“Serves you right,” she teased. “I hope it gave you nightmares.”
He gave her bottom a swat that sent electricity through her veins. Claire bit back a squeal. Not from pain, however, from sheer arousal. She paused a few brief moments and then a grin split her lips. Pure desire fueled her as she finally lifted her head and turned to face him.
“Do that again.”
Shadow took one look at the pretty pink blush on Claire’s ass then felt his dick creep out the top of his pants.
Do it again?
He squeezed his hand closed then opened it again as he sought assurance in the depths of her dark brown eyes.
“Spank me, Shadow,” she prodded.
Still frozen by her request, he replayed her words through his mind. Was she serious? No doubt, her soft, silky, sex-kitten voice pretty much summed it up. His hand actually shook when he placed a tap against the other globe.
Claire pushed up to her knees and rubbed her ass against his crotch. “That wasn’t a spanking. Surely you can do better.”
Now certain he entered dangerous territory, he rubbed a palm over her skin instead, hoping to buy a few seconds of control. His stall tactic, however, was lost on her.
She wiggled her hips. “I’m waiting.”
He released a heavy breath. Sonuvafreakingbitch. Little Miss Spank-Me-S
hadow had finally worn him down. He raised his hand and gave her cheek a determined slap. The blush now spread from cheek to cheek.
“Oooh yeah,” she moaned, “much better.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her backbone. “I would’ve never guessed, Claire Bear.” His fingers slid over her slick wet folds.
She whimpered and pressed further back against him, her ass blistering hot against his lower stomach. “Be patient angel, I’ll make it better.”
He inserted his middle finger inside her body. Immediately, her muscles squeezed him in a warm, moist vise. His cock jumped against his stomach, leaving behind the wet, sticky hint that he wouldn’t last much longer.
“Christ, Claire,” he groaned.
In one smooth move, he lifted his head, popped the buttons of his jeans, and crammed every stitch of clothing off his hips and down his body. With a shaking hand, he grasped the strap of her panties and ripped them from her body.
He gave his cock one good hold-on-or-else stroke, positioned himself behind her, then let loose another string of curses.
Claire gave him a puzzled look over her shoulder. “Shadow? What’s wrong?”
He bent to kiss her left ass cheek then straightened. “The condoms blew up with the bedroom.”
Her hysterical giggles filled the room as she turned a semi-circle on her knees to face him. “Is that all?”
He wiped a hand across his brow, not quite as happy about the circumstances as she. “You’re not mad?”
She shook her head and silky waves of hair surrounded her erect nipples. “We don’t need them.”
“You’re protected?”
She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “Not exactly.”
Desperate, he tried again. “You have condoms?”
“No.”
Shadow reached over the side of the bed for his jeans. “Two minutes. I swear I’ll be back in at least that. Maybe sooner.”
Claire knocked the pants from his grasp.
He frowned. “What the hell?”
She cupped his chin in her hands. “I’m sterile, Shadow.”
