by LENA DIAZ,
She took a drink of water when he offered it, then pushed the bottle away. Pierce set the bottle down on the table and sat holding her, wondering what else he could do to get the old Madison back. He needed to tease her. Or make her mad, anything to bring back that spark that was Madison.
An idea shot through him, an idea that would either work, or get him slapped. He was willing to risk it. He sank his fingers in her hair and pressed his mouth against hers. He’d only meant to shock her into awareness, but the moment his lips touched hers he couldn’t pull back. Not yet. He deepened the kiss, tasting the rich soy sauce, tasting her, teasing her until she parted her lips on a soft sigh.
He swept his tongue inside, and pulled her closer. At her lack of response, he finally pulled back in frustration. She stared up at him, blinking like an owl.
Then she burst into tears.
“Ah hell.” He pulled her against his chest, feeling like a jerk. “Not exactly the reaction I was going for.” He rocked her against him, not sure what to do. He’d never, not once, seen her cry like this. Even the tears she’d shed back at the police station didn’t compare to the flood of tears streaming down her face now, as she took in big gulping breaths between sobs.
The whole idea of her breaking down like this seemed foreign. She was a rock. If anything, she seemed too strong sometimes. He didn’t have a clue how to comfort her.
A slow song flowed out of the speakers across the room. In desperation, he stood with her in his arms, kicked the coffee table out of the way, and set her on her feet. He put his arms around her, hugged her against his chest, and started swaying to the music.
Relief swept through him when she started swaying too. He took one of her hands in his and moved around the room in slow circles. Her sniffles gradually quieted until they finally stopped.
When another slow song came on, she tugged her hand free and reached up to lock her arms behind his head. Her eyes had lost their glassy look and were focused on him now, as she moved with him.
“I didn’t know you could dance,” she whispered.
“I can’t. I’m totally faking it and hoping you won’t notice.”
Some of her spark was coming back into her eyes as she gave him a small smile. “Oh, I don’t know. I sense some raw talent here. You’re better than you think.” She sniffed again, and lowered her head against his chest.
Her fingers started playing with his hair, stroking his neck, sending heat racing down his spine. He cleared his throat and tried to concentrate on the music so that he wouldn’t step on her feet.
She moved closer to him, the heat of her belly cuddled against his groin. He stumbled but quickly recovered, trying to think of something, anything, but the warm woman pressed against him. The dancing had calmed her, and woke her up from that scary trance she’d been in earlier. He didn’t want to do anything that might make her go back to being the quiet, lost woman she’d been a few minutes ago.
Because that had scared the hell out of him.
One of her arms slowly slid from around his neck, her fingers brushing down his chest, across his abs. He sucked in a breath when she hooked her fingers in the waistband of his pants.
A trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face, even though the room was on the chilly side because he’d forgotten to turn up the heat when they came in. Madison couldn’t possibly know the effect she was having on him, could she?
“Are you okay?” Her lips moved against his shirt, her hot breath washing through the opening between the buttons and rasping across his skin.
He tensed and held his breath before slowly letting it out. “Of course.” His voice came out rough and raspy. He cleared his throat. “Why?”
She slid her finger through his shirt opening and touched his skin. “Your heart’s racing a lot faster than it should for a slow dance.”
“It’s a bit warm in here. I’ll check the thermostat.” He pulled back.
Her hand tightened around his waistband, and she tugged him back against her. “Here, I’ll take off your shirt. That should cool you off.” An impish light gleamed in her eyes.
He grabbed her wandering hands as she started unbuttoning his shirt. “Mads, don’t.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
He swallowed, hard. “Because you’re not thinking clearly right now. You’re under a lot of stress.”
Her mouth curved up in a delighted grin. “I know a great stress reliever.” She grabbed the edges of his shirt and yanked it open, sending the buttons flying.
Now this was the Madison that Pierce remembered.
Grabbing her hands, he stopped swaying to the music. “I’m very glad the real Madison is back, but I’m not going to do something you’ll regret later.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “No matter how much I want to.”
He retreated several more steps, but she followed him, her hips gyrating as she stalked him across the room.
He grunted when he backed up against the wall.
Her fingers feathered mercilessly down his chest. “You don’t have to worry about regrets. I won’t have any. I want you. Now.” She started undoing his belt.
The way she wiggled against him had his traitorous body throbbing in response. He grabbed her hands.
She grinned and wiggled again.
“Stop it,” he croaked, sliding his hips to the side and stepping away from her. “Behave.”
Refusing to show him any mercy, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it off over her head.
His mouth went dry as his gaze dipped down to her generous breasts encased in a scrap of lace that didn’t deserve to be called a bra. He didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t help it. “This was a bad idea coming here. I’ll take you back to Alex’s house.”
Her hands moved down to her jeans and she flipped the button open. “The only place I want to go right now is your bedroom. With you.” She yanked her zipper down, then shimmied out of her jeans.
For all that the mouth-watering thong covered, she might as well have not been wearing anything. Pierce groaned and closed his eyes. “I mean it, Mads. This isn’t going to happen. You broke up with me for a reason. There’s no point in going down that road again.”
“Open your eyes.”
“No.”
“Now who’s the coward?”
He opened his eyes and nearly stumbled to his knees. She was standing in front of him in all her naked glory. The woman was perfection personified, and Pierce’s willpower was rapidly fading. He swallowed against his thick tongue, and totally gave up trying to look her in the face. His hungry gaze caressed every inch of her golden skin.
“Why the hell don’t you have any tan lines?” he growled.
Her hips rolled seductively as she took a step toward him. “I want you. And you can’t exactly lie and say you don’t feel the same way. The more than generous proof is right in front of me.”
He cursed and took a step back down the hall, away from the temptation of her body.
Like a sex goddess, without a hint of modesty or embarrassment heating her naked flesh, she pursued him.
When Pierce bumped up against his bedroom door, Madison stopped directly in front of him, her breasts pressing against his chest. She reached up and captured a drop of sweat running down the side of his face and sucked it off the tip of her finger.
“Um, salty.”
His body jerked and he groaned. “You’re not playing fair.”
Her smile disappeared and for the first time since she’d started this little striptease, her face turned serious. She lifted her arms around his neck and pulled his head down.
“I’m not playing. I’m scared. I don’t know what’s going to happen when we leave here. I don’t want to think anymore. I just want to feel. I want to know that someone cares about me. I want to forget, to pretend that none of the bad things ever happened. For just a few hours, I want to love and be loved. Is that really such a bad thing to ask?” She reached up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips a
gainst his in a kiss that was so sweet it made his heart skip a beat.
When she pulled back, her eyes were wide and searching. “Love me. Please?”
He knew it was wrong. He knew she’d regret this later, as would he. He didn’t want to be her temporary reprieve from the pressures of the world. But looking into her sad eyes, hearing the pleading tone in a voice he’d never heard plead before, all his noble intentions died in a heap of ashes.
He opened the bedroom door behind him, then bent down and lifted her against his chest and carried her inside.
Now that he’d given up trying to resist her, he couldn’t seem to slow down. He hadn’t been with anyone else since she’d broken up with him. And he’d never been the celibate type.
She was under his skin, in his blood, and he didn’t know how he’d survive again without her after tasting her again. He shoved that bleak thought away and focused on her, only her.
He quickly shed his clothes, leaving them on the floor beside the bed.
They twisted against each other, their arms and legs tangling together as they fought to get closer. The familiar scent of jasmine rose from Madison’s heated skin. She shoved Pierce onto his back and covered him with her body, positioning him at her entrance then lowering herself on him in one quick stroke that had him arching off the bed.
Never one to worry about foreplay, Madison rode him with fervor, her hips arching up and down. Pierce grabbed her waist and ground himself against her, pushing deeper, faster.
Suddenly she cried out and tightened around him. He thrust upward two more times and joined her, shouting her name as he climaxed inside her.
She shuddered and fell across his chest, limp, sweaty, her breath coming out in choppy pants.
He grimaced at the tug on his stitches, but he didn’t care. Being with Madison had always been this way, explosive, incredible, totally satisfying in a way no other woman had ever satisfied him. She loved to take charge in the bedroom like she tried to do outside the bedroom, and he didn’t mind letting her.
The first time.
He’d give her a few minutes to recover. Then he’d love her the way he wanted to love her, slowly and thoroughly, tasting every delectable curve until she tightened around him and cried out his name.
And then he’d love her again.
WHEN DAWN BEGAN to make its way across the sky, its first rays fell through Pierce’s bedroom window, dusting gold across Madison’s flawless skin, marred only by the tiny dragon tattoo that he knew was on her left buttock. She lay splayed out across his chest like a blanket, snoring like a lumberjack.
He grinned and gently eased her hair back from her face. There were dark circles under her eyes from the makeup she hadn’t taken off, and from lack of sleep. Neither of them had been able to keep their hands off each other last night.
His cell phone chimed, letting him know he had a message. He gently eased Madison to the side onto the mattress. She snorted and rolled over, facing away from him, giving him a delightful view of her curvy little backside, and the tattoo. Unable to resist, he leaned over and gave her a kiss on that little splotch of color.
The cell phone chimed again. He wished he could ignore the world right now, but he knew he couldn’t. He leaned over the edge of the bed and grabbed the phone out of the pants he’d discarded on the floor. The message was from Alex. Lieutenant Hamilton wanted Madison to come to the station. Alex didn’t know why, but he didn’t think it was good news.
Pierce glanced at the time on his phone. They needed to be at the station in an hour. He hated to wake Madison up, but there was no way to avoid the real world any longer.
He set his phone down and rolled over, spooning his hips behind her. He placed a soft kiss against the nape of her neck. “Wake up, sweetheart.”
She snored louder.
After three more tries, he gave up the sweet, easy way of waking her up. Lord help her if there was ever a fire, because he didn’t think a host of smoke alarms would wake the woman when she was this tired.
He padded into the bathroom, took care of his needs and brushed his teeth. Then he turned on the shower. Once it was warm, he went back into the bedroom and scooped Madison into his arms.
“Um.” She snuffled against his chest, still asleep.
He kissed her soft, pink mouth, and carried her into the shower.
Her eyes flew open when the water hit her. She pressed against him and turned her face away. “Need to pee and brush my teeth.”
He laughed and stepped back out of the shower with her. He slapped her bottom and went to the door. “Hurry. I’m not going to wait very long.”
She cursed and grabbed the nearest object she could find to use as a weapon. The hairbrush went flying. Pierce ducked, laughing as he hurried out of the room and shut the door behind him.
When Pierce stepped back into the bathroom a few minutes later, Madison was already in the shower, washing her hair. Her eyes were closed, so he quietly stepped in the tub, leaned down, and drew her nipple into his mouth.
Her eyes opened wide, and she cursed again, but this time she pulled him closer.
IN THE PAST, police stations had always felt like home to Madison. Her brother had been in law enforcement for as long as she could remember, and he’d enjoyed giving her tours, introducing her to his friends. She’d never expected to feel intimidated in a police station like she did today, not knowing why Hamilton had called them.
The feel of Pierce’s hand on the small of her back as he led her to the conference room helped comfort her, but she was still shaking inside. She had no idea what they were meeting about, but Alex had assured her the bail hadn’t been revoked.
Yet.
Pierce opened the door, and Alex, who was already inside waiting, stood and shook both of their hands.
“What’s this about?” Pierce asked.
“No idea. Hamilton told me what he told you—to get here quick because he had some news to share about the investigation.”
Madison declined the seat Pierce pulled out for her. “I’d rather stand.”
He leaned down next to her ear. “I’d rather you sit. That way I can grab you if you start to slug Hamilton.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and leaned against the wall beside the window.
Mimicking her pose, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside her. He grinned and gave her a sexy wink.
Seeing this teasing side of him had the anxiety inside her loosening its hold. If he could smile and tease her, maybe she shouldn’t be so worried.
The door opened and Lieutenant Hamilton stepped inside, along with Casey and Tessa.
Pierce straightened away from the wall, his face mirroring his surprise. “What are you two doing here?”
“One of our agents on another case stumbled across some evidence that ties back to this case,” Casey said.
Everyone except Pierce and Madison sat down. Hamilton plopped a manila folder on the table. He pulled out an eight-by-ten color photo and slid it toward Pierce.
Madison started to step forward, but Pierce moved in front of her, blocking her view. “What are you trying to pull, Hamilton? Turn the picture over. Now.”
“You don’t have to protect me,” Madison said. “I have a right to see any evidence against me.”
“That isn’t evidence,” Pierce said, his voice shaking with anger.
She shoved past him and grabbed the photograph. He swore behind her and joined her at the table, but he didn’t try to shield her again or take the picture away.
Her gut wrenched at the look of terror frozen on the dead woman’s face. But then her stomach twisted with a completely different emotion. She glanced up at Hamilton in surprise. “She’s wearing my clothes, and she looks just like me. Who is she? What happened to her?”
“Her street name is Misti,” Hamilton said.
“Street name?”
“She’s a hooker, was a hooker,” Casey explained. “Her body was found in an alley not far from the motel whe
re you were supposedly caught on camera the day you went missing. An undercover agent found her, and when I saw the picture, I knew we were on to something. She could practically be your twin, and it can’t be a coincidence that she’s wearing the same outfit you were the day you were abducted.”
Pierce raised a brow. “So, now you believe her story?”
“Hard not to. Even Hamilton is coming around, aren’t you, Lieutenant?”
“I’m stubborn, not stupid. Even I can’t deny what this looks like. Damon McKinley, or whoever abducted you, may very well have used this woman to pretend to be you at the motel. The only motive I can think of is the one written on the note you said you saw when you woke up in that room where your abductor held you. He wants to ‘punish’ you. I sure wish I had that note,” he grumbled.
Since his voice sounded disappointed rather than suspicious, Madison wasn’t sure what to think.
Tessa pointed one of her perfect fingernails to the dead woman’s cleavage. “See that mole? We studied the motel photographs and found the same mole in an overhead shot when her shirt was gapping open. All of us—Hamilton, Casey, and me—believe this is the woman who was in your car at the motel. Unless you have the same mole, this is corroboration for your story that you weren’t at the motel.”
“She doesn’t.” Pierce’s eyes widened and his face flushed light red, as if he’d just realized he’d spoken out loud, and hadn’t meant too. He cleared his throat. “Go on, what else do you have.”
Casey looked like he was stifling a grin.
Alex frowned at Pierce and leaned forward, his hands crossed on the table. “Lieutenant, this is great news, but I got the impression on the phone there was something more you wanted to tell us.”
Hamilton loosened his tie and suddenly looked uncomfortable. “We’ve had some developments with the toxicology regarding your father,” he said, addressing Madison.
Feeling she might need to sit to hear this, Madison pulled out a chair and sat down, clasping her hands together in her lap. Pierce moved to stand behind her chair and rested his hands on her shoulders. She didn’t know if he was trying to comfort her or keep her from slugging Hamilton when he said whatever he was going to say. Either way, she was glad for his support. She leaned slightly back and he squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.
