“You keep your phone handy. This is giving me a really bad feeling,” he griped.
“That’s just your ulcer, Murphy. Pop a Tums, and I’ll check in tomorrow.”
“You better check in regularly, or I’m pulling you, do you understand? If I can’t be assured of your safety, then this is over.”
“I hear you. Bye, Murphy.” Bless the man. He was like a father to her. He was just as protective as one, too, never wanting her to go into dangerous situations unless it was absolutely necessary and only then with the best backup he could find.
Lacy would miss that man for sure, but it wasn’t enough to keep her from moving on. After this case, she’d be more than ready to take her leave from the big city. Maybe, she would take Gus up on his offer, after all.
Chapter Eight
“Here we are,” Ethan announced.
They pulled up to the house the female models were occupying, and Ethan reached over to take her hand.
“I hate that the time we spent together today wasn’t under better circumstances, but it did have its moments.” Ethan fully intended to send her inside, but not until he indulged in another “moment” with her.
Lacy gave him a sexy little half-smile that had his dick twitching to attention once more. “Well, you still need to walk me to the door, so the night’s not over yet.” And with that, the little minx opened her door and stepped out.
Ethan jumped out of the SUV and prowled around to where Lacy waited. So she thought to tease him? Well, he’d make damn sure he was center stage for any and all fantasies she could imagine anytime soon.
As they reached the steps to the porch, Ethan allowed Lacy to go ahead of him until they reached the top. Then, without warning, he tugged her arm, turning her back to him, before taking her mouth. He meant to be gentle, but his damn wolf was rattling the walls of his psyche, bringing his primal instincts to the surface and turning the kiss savage.
Pressing her back against the wooden post on the porch, Ethan fed from her mouth like a man starved…and she was right there with him.
The feel of her full, firm breasts pressed against his chest and the way her arms wrapped around his neck just before her fingers delved into his hair left Ethan growling low in his throat.
Sliding his hands from her trim hips, down the rounded curves of her ass, he kept going, lifting one thigh slightly until the sound of the front door brought him crashing back to sanity.
Good Lord, he’d nearly taken her right there on the porch…and she would have let him. He smelled her arousal like a heady perfume in the air between them. Oh, yeah, she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. The thought brought a smile to his lips.
“Sorry to interrupt,” came a distinctly male voice, and Ethan whirled to face none other than Jose as he carefully closed the door. “I was just leaving.”
Suspicion sparked, and Ethan couldn’t help asking, “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the hotel?”
“I wanted to make sure the girls were okay.”
Jose’s defensive response had Lacy easing out from behind Ethan, but not before he felt a sharp pinch on his ass.
“How are they?” she asked.
“Shaken up. Some of them are talking about leaving. How about you two?”
Lacy didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve just gotten back into the business, so I can’t afford to just walk off a shoot. Plus,” she added, snuggling up to Ethan’s side, “I’ve got other incentives to stick around.”
“I’m a local, so it’s not like I can really go far.” Ethan shrugged before hugging Lacy to his side. “Plus, someone has to watch out for the ladies.”
Feeling another little pinch, Ethan glanced down into Lacy’s eyes, but when she jerked them toward Jose, he got with the program.
“Hey, since it appears we’re the last men left, what do you say to a poker night? My brother and I were going to get together on Thursday evening.”
Jose seemed to perk up a bit at the invitation. “That would be great! Thanks, man. I have a feeling the estrogen overload will be getting to me by then, so a night with the guys sounds good.”
“Great, I’ll let you know the time then I’ll pick you up since I don’t live in town.” Ethan glanced around but didn’t see any vehicle but his own parked near the house. “You need a ride back to the hotel?”
“Sure, I’d appreciate that. I walked over, but it’s getting dark now, and with all of this shit happening, I’d just assume not be out alone at night.” Jose rolled his eyes at his own comment. “God, that makes me sound like a pussy.”
“Not at all,” Lacy insisted. “It makes you smart. I doubt all those bees just happened to be in that tent on their own, so that means a person must have put them in there. Just keep being careful.”
“I will, and you do the same.”
Ethan turned to Lacy, took her chin and turned her face up to his for one more kiss. He couldn’t get enough of the woman.
Aware of their audience, he kept it light then waited for her to go inside before turning back to Jose.
“Let’s head out. I’ve got a cold shower waiting for me,” Ethan mumbled.
Jose chuckled as he followed. “No doubt.”
* * * *
Lacy’s legs were still a little shaky as she entered the house, and, to her astonishment, she was immediately surrounded by the other models.
“Dish it, girl! Does he kiss as good as he looks?”
“Holy cow! Does he have a brother?”
“More than one?”
The questions were coming at her so fast Lacy could barely tell who asked what. She did notice, however, that Angel stood off to the side, the expression on her face the polar opposite of everyone else.
She looked angry.
Hmmm…
“Angel, are you all right?” Lacy asked.
“Oh, don’t mind her,” Madison cut in. “She’s just mad because nobody at the hospital will give her any updates on the guys.”
“We tried to explain to her that sleeping with a guy doesn’t make you privileged to his private information,” Renee offered.
It would seem that this group was rather diversified. There was Renee, the straight talker, Madison, the generally pleasant one, and Angel, the resident slut who slept with any male model who was willing.
“Actually, I’ll bet little Angel over there is just pissed that you got the jump on that hot piece of male yumminess before she could.” Madison just laughed when Angel sent a scathing glare her way. “Oh, you’re working on hooking up with Jose right now anyway.”
Now, this was interesting. So Angel had been intimate with both of the victims? She made a mental note to have Murphy check into any possible romantic involvement with the prior murder victims.
“Well, as nice as this little sabotage has been, I’m heading to bed. I’ll see you ladies bright and early,” Lacy called as she closed the door behind her amidst grumbles and gripes.
With Murphy’s warning about the killer possibly being in the house with her, Lacy flipped the lock on the knob and checked the windows, too.
Satisfied that she was as secure as possible, she quickly changed into her nightshirt and crawled into bed, tucking her nine-millimeter under her pillow. If only, she could fall asleep.
The kiss on the porch was supposed to convince the other models that there was something going on between her and Ethan, but the raw passion that ignited out there had nothing to do with creating a cover story. No, as far as Lacy was concerned, that was nothing short of explosive chemistry.
And she liked it.
A lot.
Thank goodness, Jose had walked out when he had, because—Lacy was sad to admit—she had completely forgotten where she was. When Ethan’s lips had touched hers, everything else had just disappeared, the only thing remaining being the two of them.
Lacy was sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she’d never experienced anything like that before, but she was even more certain she never would
again, at least, not with anyone other than Ethan.
Thoughts of him were hard to dispel—they were certainly more pleasant than what she should be thinking about—but Lacy forced herself to recap what she knew so far.
There were two victims, both male, and both potentially involved with Angel at some point. That would mean her partner, Bruce, had done the dirty with the resident slut, as Renee called her.
Lacy sincerely hoped he remembered to bag the goods. Just because there’s a pretty, well-kept exterior doesn’t mean the person wasn’t harboring all sorts of crotch-rotting diseases. A shudder passed through her, and she quickly steered her thoughts elsewhere. It had been a long day, and tomorrow would likely be the same. Sending up a little prayer that no attacks came, Lacy finally allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
Chapter Nine
It was Thursday, all had remained quiet on the shoot site, and Ethan found he was genuinely looking forward to playing poker with Adam and Jose that night. He and Jose had exchanged some friendly smack-talk over the upcoming game, and Ethan had to admit, he liked the guy.
For the last few days, Ethan and Lacy had been virtually inseparable. Logan claimed their chemistry was likely to set the pages on fire once the pictures went to print, and Ethan couldn’t agree more.
He couldn’t believe how much he’d grown to care for her in such a short amount of time. Within a week, he’d begun to crave her. He could feel whenever she was nearby, and his wolf insisted on seeking her out every time.
Figuring out if she felt anything for him, other than lust, was proving to be damn difficult. Lacy was so focused on the case, that a lot of their time “together” was actually spent brainstorming potential suspects at the shoot.
For some reason, she seemed to be stuck on Angel, but Ethan couldn’t see it. The petite model simply didn’t fit the bill.
Angel was small. She looked as if a good breeze could topple her, and Lacy thought she was a murderer? Most killers were extremely arrogant, so sure that they were smarter than everyone else, but Angel was as insecure as they came.
Actually, her insecurities were probably what had her hopping from one bed to another with the male models. But, regardless of whether it was insecurity or she just had the morals of an alley cat, Ethan still couldn’t bring himself to see her as a killer.
Angel was still trying to check on the two models who were still hospitalized—though nobody would give her any information—so she was obviously capable of having feelings for the men she bedded.
Perhaps, she simply feared being alone?
Regardless, Ethan had his eye on the burly man in charge of the lighting. He was clearly not the usual person to handle the job, since Landon was having to talk the guy through everything. With him being new, Ethan was in the same boat, but with the way the other man kept looking around, often not paying attention to the instructions he was being given, it made Ethan wonder…could this man be a suspect?
Who was he kidding? At this point, everyone was a suspect.
“Ethan!” Turning, he noted Logan prancing across the clearing and groaned. It was too early for this. “Listen, we’re going to start some of the swimsuit shots today, so—”
“If you’re even thinking of asking me to shave, wax or use any other form of hair removal, the answer is no.” There was no way he would walk around, greased up, like those magazine models he’d seen in the past.
Hell, he still had some pride.
“Um, well, go see Allie in wardrobe and see what she has for you today.” Logan paused, and Ethan knew the man just couldn’t resist. “You really would look fantastic if you let them…”
A low growl sent the little twerp scurrying off with a yelp, and Ethan couldn’t help but smile, mostly because he could feel Lacy behind him.
“What did you do to Logan?” Her sweet voice was like a balm, immediately calming him and soothing his frustration with the photographer. How did she do that?
Ethan turned, fully intending to answer her, and would have if he hadn’t just swallowed his own tongue.
Lacy had apparently already been to the women’s wardrobe tent, because she stood before him in a tiny gold bikini, looking like a bronze goddess with her tan skin and chocolate brown hair hanging over one shoulder. Her full breasts were barely covered by the little triangles of fabric tied together with some sort of thin, floss-like string.
Ethan allowed his eyes to travel leisurely over her trim little belly to the equally small triangle tied at her hips, then down over her killer legs and further to her dainty little feet, one of which was currently tapping out an aggravated rhythm.
“Are you done ogling me yet?” she snapped, though her eyes betrayed her amusement.
“Do you honestly think any man would be able to resist? Hell, Lacy, do you even know how amazing you look right now?” Her blush told him she knew but wasn’t used to having it pointed out so bluntly. “Listen, I’m lucky to be standing at the moment because every male instinct I have is screaming for me to drop to my knees and worship at your feet, but my common sense—or survival instinct—is warning me against doing that.”
“Smart man.”
“In public anyway. In private, I can’t make any promises.” Ethan watched as desire flashed briefly in her eyes, and he smiled. “Take a walk with me.”
“Now? You need to get changed. Our shots are right after Angel and Jose.”
“They just headed out, so that gives us at least thirty minutes. Let’s go.”
Taking her hand in his, Ethan led a sputtering Lacy into the trees surrounding the shoot. Once they were out of sight, he quickly scanned their surroundings with his heightened senses before turning and pulling her sweet body up against his own. Her short breaths fanned over his lips as he moved closer before she finally leaned forward and closed the gap.
Just like every other time, the sparks between them ignited into an inferno. However, this time, with Lacy in a state of near nudity before him, Ethan couldn’t help himself. He had to touch her.
Aware of her exposed, tender skin, he leaned back against a nearby tree and pulled her to him, keeping their bodies flush as he struggled for control. The feel of her full breasts pressed against his chest fired his blood and had his wolf panting in his mind.
“Lacy, I’ve got to touch you,” he breathed against her lips, his knees nearly buckling when she gave him a small nod before pressing her mouth to his once more.
Keeping one arm around her waist, Ethan slowly ran his other hand up her side, his thumb grazing the underside of her breast. A small moan escaped her throat as she arched, seeking more.
She reacted to his touch in such a way that his wolf gave a low growl of approval, which only spurred Ethan on.
When she began kissing him with a little more force, Ethan cupped her breast in his palm, using his thumb and finger to deliver a gentle pinch to her nipple and it immediately hardened.
The sweet scent of her arousal hung in the air now, wreaking havoc on his libido. He wanted to touch her, to feel her against him and explore her body, but now, the urge to see her come for him was almost overwhelming. He wondered what she’d look like. Would she throw back her head in abandon? Was she one of those women who came with a long moan, or was she a little more vocal? He sincerely hoped it was the latter.
Skimming his hand down her side, over her hip, to her thigh, Ethan took in the feel of her satiny skin. Her entire body felt as though it were made of silk. He knew the models had been waxed, and his mouth watered as the thought of her being bare—everywhere—went through his mind.
His fingers trailed back up to her hip, tracing the edge of her bikini bottoms before he cupped her mound, moaning at the heat he found. Good grief, the woman would kill him. He’d have a serious problem getting his dick down before their photos, but he was a man on a mission, and that mission involved Lacy shattering in his arms.
She made no move to stop him, so Ethan took that as consent and slipped his middle finger under the fabric.
Damn, she felt so soft and smooth, and his hips bucked forward with a mind of their own. When he slowly traced the seam of her labia, Lacy’s head dropped back, her breaths coming shallow and quick.
Beautiful.
Parting her folds, Ethan slid his finger down to her opening before drawing her slick juices back up to her clit. The little bud was swollen and erect, and he enjoyed the tremor that passed through her as he gently rubbed the tiny nub.
“Pull your top to the side, Lacy. Let me see your beautiful breasts.” Shit, he was practically snarling at her, but there was nothing he could do. His beast was dangerously close to the surface, though he seemed content to just watch for now, leaving Ethan with at least a little control.
Lacy looked up at him with her expression slightly dazed and her lids heavy. He’d put that sultry look in her eyes, and Ethan smiled. She seemed to study him for a moment then her gaze moved down to his lips, and she leaned in for another scorching kiss.
At first, he thought she hadn’t heard what he’d said then he felt her hands slide between them and pull the small triangles of fabric to the side, leaving her erect nipples rubbing against his chest.
What he wouldn’t give to be anywhere else but here in the woods right now. Somewhere private, where he could strip them both completely bare and finally have her beneath him. Sadly, today was not that day.
Their time was short, but he knew how to make the most of it. A woman’s G-spot was a wonderful thing, and he knew just how to hit hers from this position.
Continuing to kiss her, Ethan eased one finger inside her snug little channel. She was hot and tight, causing his dick to throb beneath the zipper of his jeans.
To Save His Mate Page 6
