He blew out an annoyed breath. “I don’t get why she didn’t come here and talk to you. Why have you meet her in an abandoned building? Who didn’t she want to see her? I only wish you’d waited until I could have gone with you.” He wasn’t doing a very good job of protecting her.
“I tried calling you.” She took a sip. Her eyes appeared wide and innocent as she peered at him over the rim of her cup.
“I’m sorry. I was tied up.” Guilt penetrated every part of his body.
“I wouldn’t have gone into the building, but I knew something was wrong.” He watched her set her cup down, then she brought her legs up onto the couch and tucked her feet under bottom. “I heard a noise.”
“A noise?” he asked.
“I heard her scream. A wretched sound that I’ll never forget.” Her voice sounded thick with emotion and he followed the movement of her fingers. She played with a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. He recognized the shirt. Once upon a time, it’d belonged to him but now it had more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese. Did she remember it was his shirt? She lifted her hand and tangled it into her now drying hair. Wearing no makeup, she looked like a teenager again, and in his shirt, he could easily imagine that it was years ago.
He pulled his thoughts back on track. “Are you sure it was a scream?”
“I’m sure,” she said in a whispered voice. “Without a doubt.”
“What happened when you got inside?” he asked.
“I went to the cafeteria.” She shifted on the cushion.
“I know you’re tired and sore, but Holly, anything you can tell me will help.”
Bringing her gaze up to meet his, her vulnerability tore through him. “Everything happened so quickly. The memory is a blur.”
“You should have left the second you heard the scream.” His emotions crossed the professional line. “It was unsafe. You could have ended up just like Danielle.”
“But I could have helped her. If only I’d been a few minutes sooner.” Her bottom lip trembled.
“There was nothing you could have done. It was too late by then.”
“How was she killed?”
He swallowed. “Her throat was cut.”
With his words, her hand swept to her neck. “That’s why there was so much blood.”
He could see the moisture in her eyes. Would she cry? If she did, he’d fall like a tower of building blocks. “Yes.”
“The killer must be brought to justice,” she said.
“The forensic team will find something. I’m sure. There’s so much damn trash around that place from all of the teenagers who use it as party central.”
“He was very careful not to leave any of his own DNA there,” she said.
“Why do you say that?”
Her gaze drifted off. “He was wearing a toboggan and gloves. I remember now. He lifted his hand when I shone the light from my cell. And the killer is definitely a man. His breathing was ragged and his cologne was strong.”
“I figured it was a man. The cut on Danielle’s throat was wide and deep so it had to be someone with strength.”
“Boots. He wore boots. Leather. I felt them.”
“Did he say anything?” There were still too many voids to lead him to any suspect.
“Nothing.”
His cell rang. He grabbed it and hit talk, “Yeah?” He listened as one of his officers gave him details. “Okay. I’ll see you shortly.” He pushed the phone back into his pocket.
“Did they find anything?” she asked.
He scrubbed his jaw. “Maybe, but I’ve got to head back into the office. Are you going to be okay?” He stood up. He didn’t like leaving her, but he had a job to do and he couldn’t take her with him. A distraction was the last thing he needed. “I’m going to have an officer sit out front in a patrol car.” She stood up and she seemed so small. He knew she was tough, but no one should see what she had today.
“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.” A weak smile covered her lips.
“Call me if you need anything. If you hear even the slightest noise outside, or inside, let the officer know”
“I’m a target in this in some way, aren’t I?” she asked.
“Too bad she didn’t get a chance to tell you what she needed to say. Right now, we can only hope that forensics finds something. It could take days to get through the chaotic mess over there.”
“You’ll let me know, right?”
“As soon as I know something.” He offered her a reassuring smile, but he knew it did nothing for her. He headed for the door, and she followed.
“Did she have family?”
“Not anyone around these parts,” he answered. “I’ll see you later. Bolt the door behind me.”
Once he stepped out on the porch, he listened until he heard the lock slide home. He stood in the shadows for a few minutes, scanning the darkness. Holly’s life was at risk. Time was ticking on the case. He picked up his radio. “Send Officer—” he caught himself before saying Hartman. That wouldn’t work. “Reed over to the Young house for patrol duty.”
CHAPTER TEN
HOLLY AWOKE THE next morning and every part of her body ached, including her brain. After tossing and turning all night, she’d finally fallen asleep only to be tormented by nightmares. She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her knuckles, demanding the images of blood and death away. The pictures molded inside her mind. She knew she’d always remember the fear she’d felt and the lifeless body underneath her own.
Climbing from bed, she looked out of the window. Officer Reed had left. She’d taken him out a thermos of coffee sometime after two A.M. and then she’d gone to bed.
Dressing in a lightweight shirt and jeans, Holly brushed her hair and teeth, and slid into a pair of flip-flops. Ten minutes later, standing in the kitchen, she tried thinking of the list of things she needed to do. Nothing came to mind. Grabbing her purse, she headed out, locking the door behind her.
Just as she’d done a hundred times as a kid, she headed to Liam’s neighborhood, and an invisible magnet navigated her to his home. His cruiser sat in the drive, and she parked behind it. She glanced at the radio clock. Ten A.M. She’d expected him to be at work by now. At the door, she knocked once, and when he didn’t answer, she started down the sidewalk toward her car. The sound of the door clicking open stopped her. She turned just as he came into view, squinting in the sunlight. A layer of beard covered his jaw line and he was naked, at least partially. The thin sheet wrapped around his bottom half didn’t do much to hide his parts. It was as close to naked as her libido could withstand. All thoughts of the night they’d shared came back with vengeance. Her skin grew tingly and her heart pounded. She wanted him like nothing she’d ever wanted in all her life. Guilt rolled in and she forced it away. She shouldn’t feel shame. The connection she shared with Liam was a beautiful thing, meant to continue, not be shunned.
“So, did you drop by to stare or would you like to come in?” He took a step back and pushed the door wider.
“Are you sure you’re rested enough for company?” she asked.
“I’m up now. I won’t get back to sleep.”
She stepped past him into the entrance and glanced inside the house. The living room walls were a deep purple and brown curtains hung from the windows. The house was decorated with leather furniture, glass tables and a woman’s touch—and not his mother’s.
“Looks like someone opened a can of girly girl in here,” she said.
“It wasn’t my doing. I just haven’t cared enough to pick up a can of paint and a brush.” He tightened his grip on his sheet and motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen.
Liam’s mom, Francis, had loved her kitchen. That’s where the older woman stayed most of the time. She’d whip up pies and gourmet dinners every day. Francis had taught Holly how to bake a pumpkin pie from scratch. “I remember your mom standing at the stove. She was always smiling.”.
He filled the carafe with water and scooped out coffee
from a glass container and she watched. “She loved to bake, but not as much as she enjoyed socializing,” Liam said with a shake of his head.
“Her death must have been hard on you,” she said. He tied the sheet at his waist so he didn’t have to hold it with one hand. She would have offered for him to change, but she liked the view. His muscles stretched and tightened, and his flat abs welcomed her touch. The sheet loosened and he casually tugged it tighter. All Holly wanted to do was rip it off.
“You didn’t come here to discuss my mother’s death. You came to talk about last night,” he said. “How are you?”
Holly knew what he really meant. He didn’t want to talk about Francis’s death. And she didn’t want to push him. “I had to get out of the house. I felt like a caged animal.”
He leaned on the bar. He was close enough that she caught a whiff of his amazing scent—man and temptation. Even at a time when everything seemed to be falling down around her, he could still make her feel like a seductive woman. “You’ve always felt that way in this town,” he said with a frown.
She sighed. He was right—somewhat. “Once upon a time I did feel like I wanted to travel all over the world. But, after a few years of therapy and a measure of maturity, I realized I wanted to get away because I thought everyone around here looked down on me.”
His eyes connected with hers. They were warm and secure, like invisible open arms. “Those were your own insecurities, sweetheart. They knew you were nothing like your mom. You’re more like your grandma. Feisty, hard-headed and honest.”
The man was a dose of anti-depressant to her brain. His charm flashed like a neon sign and he’d also matured in many ways. “I dreamt of blood and mayhem all night,” she said.
“I figured you would. I should have come back after I finished at the office, but I didn’t want to wake you at seven this morning.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to babysit me. Officer Reed was there.”
“It’s not babysitting. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
She lifted one brow. “It’s your job to camp out in my house, in my bed?”
His brows scrunched. “No one said anything about being in your bed. That’s a whole different situation.”
“Exactly, and that’s how I want to keep it. I don’t want you to show up at my door with an excuse to “protect” me. I want you to visit because you want to see me.” Realizing she’d just exposed a lot of her emotion in one fell swoop, she knew it was too late to change path. Of course, she was vulnerable and this could go wrong on so many different levels. Yet, if this was wrong then she didn’t want right.
“Are you saying that you want me to show up on your doorstep with dirty intentions?” A sneaky grin passed over his lips.
Hell, why hide it? “Yes, I guess I am. Why should we deny great sex? The connection remains and it sure beats solo pleasure.”
“You want me as your sex toy?” He feigned shock but she could tell by the mischievous twinkle in his eye that the thought excited him.
“Hold your horses, stallion. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
He poured each of them a cup of coffee and handed her one. “Admit it, the cotton sheet does it for you.” He winked.
She skimmed his brawny shoulders, down along his toned abs to the narrowing of his waist and settled her attention right there for a long moment before retracing her visual steps. The grin wasn’t half bad either. “Not the sheet. What I like is underneath. I sure could use something to take my mind off everything.”
“You certainly know how to make a man rethink a morning woody.” His voice turned gruff.
“Is that right?” The white material became a tent.
With a flick of his wrist, he pulled the sheet away from his body and dropped it to his feet. Some sexy invite. Holly slid off the stool and made her way around to him, all the while keeping her gaze locked with his. He reached out and tugged her hard against him. Their lips met in a heated kiss.
He lifted his head. “What is this power you hold over me?” he said against her lips.
“It’s not power. Only a linking of souls and tantalizing emotion that can drive us insane,” she said.
“Love is insanity.” He swept the tips of his fingers across her cheek. Sincerity lingered in his gaze.
Her mind screamed to put up a wall. Her heart ignored logical reasoning. He’d used the “L” word. Physical desire was what she craved. Nothing emotional.
Smoothing her palms over his chest, she glided the pads of her fingers over his erect nipples and brought her arms around his neck. Her breasts tingled. She dropped her head back to look at him. “A sexy unclothed man. Mm, you know what this means don’t you?”
“That you should get naked too?”
“There isn’t any reason to be in a hurry, is there?” She slid the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip. She could taste his essence already.
“When it comes to this, hell no, there’s no hurry.” His words were breathless.
Holly took a step back and targeted her gaze on his hardened cock. She knew what he liked and she aimed to please. Sinking to her knees, she wrapped her fingers around his taut skin and followed with her mouth.
Sliding her lips along his shaft, she used her tongue and made swirling motions around the smoothness of his head. Looking at him through the veil of her lashes, she knew she held the greatest supremacy. His eyes glazed with lust and his jaw set in a pleasured angle. No other man could be any sexier, or primal.
Moving her mouth and pumping her palm, each of her movements made him tense. Slipping her hand lower, she cupped his balls in her palm and the skin grew tighter. His deep moans told her he liked her playful touch. “Holly…,” he exhaled her name. It was more of a curse than a word. “Come here.” He reached down and dragged her up to her feet like a man who didn’t know his own strength.
“I wasn’t finished yet,” she said.
“I’m not a selfish man, you know that. What pleasure would I get in not pleasing you?” While he spoke, he was unbuttoning and unzipping her pants. He tore them down her hips and legs in record speed. She gave them a toss with her big toe.
Her thong was another matter. While dipped to his knees, he used his teeth to cut the sliver of string at one hip. Then he moved to the other side and did the same. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.
Holly dug her fingers into his scalp. “If you don’t take me soon I’m going to explode.”
He alleviated some of her frenzy when he buried his finger deep inside her and nuzzled his face against the apex of her thighs. He licked her clit and she jerked at the sharp prickles that bounced through her. The rhythm of his tongue and finger played wonderful havoc on every nerve ending. He suckled her like a rare fruit and his moans vibrated her moist flesh. She clutched his head and held on, riding the waves of orgasm.
“You taste so good, baby.” He placed his hands on her hips, gently pulling her downward on top of him as he laid his back upon the floor. Holly straddled him between her thighs. He guided himself inside her, allowing his thick girth to stretch her as he entered her completely. They became one and nothing else mattered but the bliss that held them in its warmth.
Holly laid her head upon his chest, listening to the heavy beat of his heart and sweat beaded where skin connected. The musk scent of sex swirled around them. Passion ignited and when release came, it left them wrapped in satisfaction.
She laid on him for the longest time, listening to his heart beating. One large hand lay on the small of her back while the other entwined in her hair. She’d never known such paradise, such refuge, and she didn’t want to leave this heaven-like space. Eventually, her legs started to fall asleep and she rolled off, snuggling at his side.
“Are you feeling what I’m feeling?” he asked.
“If you’re feeling like cherry gelatin, then yes.”
“Cherry gelatin? Is that a good thing?” he asked.
“All jiggly and sweet.” She looked up at him
. “I know. It’s corny.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. You can be corny with me.” He lifted himself up on elbow and kissed her forehead. “Will I look like a jerk if I rush away before the jiggly feeling fades?”
“You have to work.” She would have liked to lay there with him for a few more hours. She enjoyed the safety and security, but life called.
He nodded. “I’ve got to check out some leads on the case.”
She sat up. “Leads? Does that mean you have some clues to follow?”
“No.” He turned away, scrubbing his head with the heels of his hands.
“That’s a lie. What are you not wanting to tell me?” she asked.
“What makes you think I’m hiding something?” he asked.
“I know you too well. You never were good at hiding your emotions.”
He sighed. “Let’s get dressed and then we’ll talk. Okay?”
His somber expression made her stomach twist. “When a man asks you to put on your clothes to talk, I’d say that’s definitely a sign that he’s going to drop a bomb.”
“It’s not a bomb.” He used the tips of his fingers to sweep her hair off her forehead. He pushed himself off the floor then offered her his hand. “Let me help you up.”
Reaching for her clothes, she pulled them on. He had gone to the bedroom and when he came back, he was dressed in his uniform.
“Do I need to sit for this talk?” She became more uptight as each minute passed, wondering what he would say to her.
“Only if you need to rest those limp legs.” He winked. “I’ll pour us another cup of coffee.” Coffee poured, and one cup in Holly’s hand, he sat next to her.
“Okay, I can’t take another second. Spill the beans,” she pleaded.
“You’re very impatient.” He smirked.
“What’s new?” she asked.
“We found the knife used to kill Danielle.”
“The knife?” she asked in eagerness. “That’s a good thing, right?” She couldn’t understand why he didn’t seem content.
“We got a set of prints last night from the weapon.”
She noticed how he ran his finger around the rim of his mug. “And?” she urged.
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