Parker stood up and started gathering the dinner things. “Let’s clean up and make a plan for tomorrow.” She shot him a smoldering look. “I’d like to retire early if you don’t mind.”
Daire also got to his feet, his rock-hard cock protesting the movement. He grabbed anything within reach she hadn’t already picked up. “So long as you intend to do that retiring in my bed, I’m on board with that schedule.”
Parker bumped her ass playfully against his as she whisked past him. Being only human and a male one at that, Daire lost what little control he’d held onto. He followed her into the kitchen and dumped the stuff he had onto the counter before snagging her around the waist. Parker squealed as he twirled her into his arms and into a kiss. He let his lips and tongue do his talking for him, delving deep into her luscious mouth. His fingers plucked at her blouse, pulling it free from the slacks she wore so that he could slide his hands up her back. She shimmied against him and grabbed his ass to pull him more tightly against her.
If she’d made any effort to slow him down, he would have acceded to her wishes immediately. Her encouragement, however, broke the last shred of control he possessed. He broke off the kiss and within seconds had her pants and panties off. The kitten-faced socks stayed on because they made her even sexier in his eyes for some reason. He started in on the buttons to her blouse, then realized he wanted her higher up. So he made her squeal again when he lifted and set her down on an empty part of the counter.
She laughed breathlessly. “You seem eager.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry about that. I don’t think I can wait to even get you up to my bed. I hope that’s not a problem.”
Daire didn’t bother to remove her blouse. He reached around her back to grapple with the hooks of her bra and pushed it up over her breasts as soon as he won the fight. They were small and high, the nipples hard. He palmed them for a few seconds, delighting in the feel of the perfect handful they made. He pinched each nipple between thumbs and forefingers, smiling at the way it made her moan. Her hands gripped the edge of the counter with white-knuckle pressure.
He replaced hands with mouth, alternating between the two lovely mounds, sucking and laving each until he could barely contain a thrashing Parker within his loose embrace. His control of her worsened as he licked his way down to her cleft. He ran his tongue over her clit and winced when she responded by taking a fistful of his hair and pressing his face in closer. He panted against her wet folds while he worked her up into a climax. She wrapped her legs around his shoulders and writhed. Her cries of encouragement spurred him on. Latching his lips around her clit, he sucked hard.
Parker screamed and a small flood of juices splashed against his lips and chin. He lapped it up greedily and kept the pressure on her clit to wring the last of the orgasm from her. She twisted so violently in his grasp that he had to dig his fingers into the top of her ass to keep them both from falling to the floor. Her movements stilled on a final sob, and her head came down to rest against his.
Daire gasped for breath and struggled to still his own body. His cock pressed desperately against his fly, and his balls ached with unspent need. He had to get inside her, now, except he didn’t have a condom.
But as he worked up the energy to carry her upstairs, she surprised him by lifting his head and staring down at him with puffy lips and half-lidded eyes. “I’m on the pill, and I want you to fuck me right now.”
Daire choked on a gasp. “Seriously? You’re okay with no condom?”
She gave him a seductive smile. “Yes.”
It took him less than a second to agree. He was free of disease and trusted her to know she was as well. He didn’t have the strength or will to resist her generous offer. Yanking his zipper and pants down, he freed his cock and lined it up with her pussy. He had to move her closer to the edge of the counter and tilt her hips to get inside her. As he slid his way home, he kept his eyes open to watch the effect it had on her. Always worried he’d be too much for her to take, his heart swelled with elation at the look of utter ecstasy on her face—eyes closed, mouth open in a wide O.
The walls of her cunt tightened around him, squeezed, then loosened, then squeezed again. Never before had the wet heat of a woman coated his cock directly during his journey within her body. The unfettered sensation was electrifying, stripping his nerve endings raw. He gasped and grunted with both pleasure and effort, worried he’d lose control far faster than he wanted.
Parker didn’t seem to have the same concern. She increased her pressure on his dick, egging him on. He began to thrust slowly, going up on his toes in order to press his shaft against her clit with each forward move. He wanted to make her come again with him, but his efforts worked against him. She gripped him by the upper arms and dug her nails into his flesh. Her grip on him pulsed with the same rhythm of his thrusts and her heels spurred him to pick up speed with hard kicks.
The climax flashed up as he drilled into her with an ever quickening pace. He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. Slamming them shut, he convulsed in her arms and against her body as his cock exploded. Cum slicked his way, allowing him to make shallow, quick thrusts with ease. Parker quaked and mewed, yet didn’t come, so he shoved his thumb between their sweaty bodies and rubbed it against her clit with the same rhythm as he fucked her. She slammed into him with a sharp cry and held on with a desperate tightness that made him shout out in victory.
When the aftershocks subsided and Daire was sure his legs were steady enough, he lifted Parker off the counter and carried her up to bed.
Chapter Eight
Parker had to admit letting Daire drive made her feel a little safer. Having been raised in the city, she’d obtained her license in college and didn’t really enjoy being behind the wheel of a car. Plus, their little accident the last time they’d been on the highway left her skittish.
Daire, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease driving the strange car. In an abundance of caution, they’d taken a circuitous route to first Finn and Michael’s place, and then to the garage of a friend of Ronan’s. The man had handed over the keys to his SUV without a word. Daire had accepted the event without a noticeable qualm.
Apparently, Ronan had an extended network of friends and contacts that came in handy from time-to-time. She couldn’t argue with the unorthodox way of doing business given that it made her more certain they weren’t being followed. Even if seeing Morgan proved futile, she didn’t want to make too big a target of herself or Daire.
God, the proximity of the man made her hotter than the vehicle’s heater. She wanted him again, even after a long night of lovemaking capped with an early morning quickie. She’d put it down to the relief from her dry spell since Evan, but she knew she’d be only trying to fool herself. She’d fallen hopelessly and ridiculously in love with a man she’d only known for a few weeks and with whom she’d spent hardly any time. It was like the kind of romcom she normally would deride as improbable drivel, yet here she sat hoping the Morgan interview would end quickly so she could go back to bed with Daire. Or maybe they’d try another room in his house. The kitchen had proved surprisingly appealing.
Daire glanced at her and shook his head. “You’re going to have to stop thinking that, whatever it is, because I’m not strong enough to ignore the unspoken invitation.”
Parker’s cheeks flushed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to distract you.”
“Sweetheart, you exist, therefore, you distract me stupid.”
Parker ignored the way his words made her cunt quiver. “I will do my best to keep my head in the game, sir.”
Daire chuckled. “That’s all I ask.”
Morgan’s facility was located north of Boston, situated in a nice, quiet area. Parker and Daire sat in the parking lot, staring at the main building for a few seconds. The place wasn’t very upscale, yet given the level of care needed for dementia patients, Parker figured it still cost a pretty penny, more than you’d expect a low-level crook like Morgan would normally be able to afford
. When they finally left their car, they’d already formed a plan. As the actual investigator with authority, Parker would take the lead. Her being female might prove to disarm the administrative staff and Morgan alike, assuming he had any ability to perceive what was happening.
The receptionist called the head administrator on site, a kindly-looking woman who nevertheless scrutinized both their IDs and them. She pursed her lips and folded her arms. “This is highly irregular. Mr. Morgan is under guardianship, as are all of our patients, and the guardian said nothing about this visit.”
Parker fixed the most disarming smile on her face she could manage. “I understand, ma’am. We weren’t able to contact Mr. Morgan’s guardian.” Which of course was a lie. They couldn’t take the chance of alerting anyone to what they were doing. “Mr. Morgan isn’t under investigation. We’re just hoping he can help us with tying up some loose ends on a relatively routine matter.”
More lies, but the other woman’s expression softened. “You do know that Mr. Morgan’s dementia is so advanced he’s unlikely to be able to help you in any way.”
Sensing an opening, Parker hurried to reassure the woman. “Yes, we know. It’s really mostly something to check off a to-do list. We’ll be happy to speak with him in a public room. That way, someone would be able to intervene if we seem to be stressing him.”
That did the trick. Within fifteen minutes, Parker and Daire sat in a large, open community room filled with patients and their visitors. A nurse wheeled a surprisingly hearty-looking Morgan in and parked his chair in front of them. The nurse bent down to put her face in front of his even though his eyes were glued to the floor.
“Mr. Morgan, these people want to visit with you for a while. I’ll be nearby if you need or want anything.” She cast a dubious look at Parker and Daire before moving off to another part of the room.
Parker leaned closer to Morgan. “Hi, Mr. Morgan. I’m detective Parker Li from the internal affairs division of the Boston Police Department. She slid her ID within his line of vision, but he didn’t seem to notice. His fingers curled around his knees, however. “I’m here with Lieutenant Daire Callaghan.”
This time she saw the flicker in his eyes, as if he’d started to glance up, then thought better of it. She looked over at Daire, who answered her look with a raise of his eyebrows. Maybe he hadn’t seen the reaction. She scooted closer to Morgan. “Mr. Morgan, could you please look at me?”
Morgan didn’t raise his gaze. His fingers plucked at the thin fabric of his cotton pants. His chest rose and fell more quickly, telling her he might be agitated. Or maybe just worried about having cops visit him. Did he even understand what she said?
Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part, but she sensed more alertness in him than his overt movements would imply. She pressed some more. “Mr. Morgan, we’re not here to cause you any trouble. We just want to ask you a few questions about people we think you know. Mahurin and Forrester, to be exact.”
The fingers stopped their plucking for a split second before starting up again. The man’s breathing looked to have really picked up speed. His eyelashes fluttered, and he flicked his eyeballs to one side before returning them to the front position.
Parker became convinced he was more present than he let on. In fact, she had a growing suspicion he might be faking much if not all his condition. Was it even possible for him to do so? Could he have faked dementia to get out of prison? Being trapped in a facility with actual patients couldn’t be pleasant, yet maybe it beat prison. And it might be the one thing he could do to stay alive. If no one thought he represented a threat, they might leave him alone. Too many bodies brought too much attention. She decided to go for broke.
She leaned in even closer and dropped her voice so that no one other than Daire could possibly hear her. “Look, Johnny, we don’t give a rat’s ass about you. We’re after bigger fish. We want to know who’s behind the dirty cops, who’s behind the murders of Lieutenant Callaghan’s parents. Help us nail them, and you won’t have to worry about them tying up the loose end you might represent. Have you heard about O’Malley’s throat being cut? Do you know that Forrester had the top of her head blown off when she came under investigation?”
The fingers stopped moving. Morgan’s whole body stilled. It looked as if he wasn’t even breathing anymore.
“You know what happens to people who stop being useful to them. They don’t like people being out of their control. Your mother kept you safe because they believed you’d keep your mouth shut for her sake. They might believe your mind is too far gone for you to be a problem, but then again, dementia patients often remember things from the past and say things without any kind of filter. How easy would it be to kill someone in this facility? Who would even pay attention to a dementia patient falling asleep one night and never waking up? Especially when your cousin wouldn’t bother to ask for an autopsy.”
Parker sat back and forced a look of frustration on her face in case anyone paid attention. Then she let her words stew inside Morgan’s mind for a couple of minutes, looking for any sign she’d gotten through to him. He still didn’t look up at her, but he did start rocking his body slowly from side-to-side. His fingers once more tugged and scratched at his pants.
Parker let out a deep, silent breath and looked at Daire. She tried to convey her regret silently to him. The tiny smile he sent back told her it was okay. He understood it had been a long shot.
She almost jumped when Morgan spoke in a whisper. She kept her sights on Daire, not daring to let on to the rest of the room what was happening. “Clever, girl. Think you’ve figured it all out, do you?”
“Not everything,” she replied as if speaking to Daire. “I don’t know the most important thing, the person in charge. I only need a name, and I promise you I’ll bring them all down.
Something like a snort passed Morgan’s lips. “You better have a lot of time to devote to it. There’s a lot of them.”
“I’ll make it my life’s work.” She spoke the words as a vow, this time really speaking to Daire.
“They find out…I’m dead.”
“I’ll cut off the head of the ring today. The rest of them will be so worried about saving themselves, they won’t bother with you even if they know we came here. We’ve been very careful not to be followed, though. And I’ll make sure you have protection.”
Morgan snorted again. “Yeah, like I find that comforting. Until you know every name, you’ll never know if you sent my executioner or not.”
As casually as she could, Parker scanned the room to see if anyone watched them. She didn’t detect any hastily moved heads, so once more, she leaned over to talk to Morgan. “Then I won’t call attention to you by doing so, but we’re here and if they somehow find out about this visit, they’ll kill you anyway. We’re your best bet for survival.”
“Cunt,” Morgan hissed.
“Watch your mouth, Morgan, or I’ll dump you out of that chair and proclaim you a faker.” Daire issued the warning in a falsely cheerful tone.
Morgan finally glanced up at them. His expression held a grim satisfaction. “You’re just like your old man, aren’t you? A white knight and too pure to get down in the mud with the rest of us mortals. Got him killed and his woman, too.” His lips curled up in a nasty smile. “Maybe if he’d been a little less holier than thou, he would have seen the viper in his nest.”
“What do you mean?” Parker jumped in before Daire could. Fury vibrated off of him in palpable waves.
Morgan dropped his gaze again. “Who better to hide us all than the man with the spotlight on him? Hiding in plain sight. Clever, ruthless bastard. Could have worked his way up to mayor at least. Bring him down and you’re right, the rest will be easier.”
A small, wounded sound came out of Daire’s lips. Parker looked at him with alarm. He shook his head at her. “No.” The one word was almost a plea.
“I don’t understand.” Her brain tried to make sense of Morgan’s cryptic words, but Daire had obv
iously worked them out already.
“You’re lying,” he spat out.
Morgan again looked up at them. The smile he gave sent a shudder down Parker’s spine. “I’m not. No point in it for me, is there? Get him. Get him today, or he’ll kill me and you, your brothers, even this nice piece of tail you’re obviously sniffing after.”
Parker had to put a hand on Daire to restrain him. Curling her fingers around his arm, she pulled him up to a standing position with her.
“Thank you for visiting with us, Mr. Morgan,” she said in a voice loud enough to carry. “I’m sorry if we bothered you.” With that, she all but dragged Daire back to the car.
****
On the verge of hyperventilating, Daire pulled into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant a couple of blocks from the dementia facility. He stopped the car and placed his forehead against the steering wheel. How he’d kept it together enough to get out of that place and back on the road without losing it entirely, he’d never know. He probably should have given the keys to Parker, but he’d shaken off all of her attempts at communicating.
Her delicate hand came to rest on the back of his neck. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head, unable to give voice to his feelings at the moment. He took great shuddering breaths and worked to get his emotions under control. Finnegan, his father’s closest friend, Finn’s godfather and a man Daire himself had looked up to all his childhood, had been at the center of it all along. When the man had said those terrible things about Daire’s father the other day to stop the investigation, it hadn’t been a horrible mistake. It had been a calculated move to derail him and his brothers from delving further into the murders. He supposed he should be glad the guy hadn’t put a bullet in his head instead.
Daire exhaled sharply and sat back up. He grabbed Parker’s hand as it left his neck and clasped it between both of his. “I should have seen it long ago. Finnegan was an obvious suspect.”
Internal Affair Page 12
