Criminal Behavior--A Thrilling FBI Romance

by Amanda Stevens

  “You go ahead,” he said. “I’ll process the scene. Do you have a print kit in your car?”

  “Yes, but you won’t find anything. You can bet he wore gloves.”

  “Probably, but it’s worth a shot.”

  Addie paused in the doorway to glance back at him. “I don’t like being on the other side of things.”

  “I know you don’t. But it’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”

  Funny how capable and comforting he could seem standing there in nothing but his boxers. Maybe it was the ripple of all those muscles or the memories that were suddenly storming through Addie’s head. She felt weak in the knees and tried to convince herself it was nothing but aftershock.

  She glanced away then brought her gaze back to him. “It helps that you’re here tonight. Thank you for that.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. I’m the one who got you into this.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. We still don’t know if this guy has anything to do with you.”

  “Regardless, I think we can both agree that I owe you. I made a lot of mistakes ten years ago. I’ll always regret how things ended between us.”

  She rubbed a hand up and down her arm as she scowled into the bedroom. “I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

  “There are still things you need to know about me,” he said.

  Addie leaned back against the door frame and sighed. “Not now, Ethan, please. It’s been a long day. I’m done in. And besides, do you really want to have a serious conversation in your underwear?”

  “Not like you have any room to talk.”

  She smiled. “We must have looked like a pair of lunatics running around the neighborhood like this. Good thing no one saw us. Except for those two idiots in the Charger.”

  “Yes, they certainly got an eyeful,” Ethan agreed. His gazed dropped and lingered admiringly.

  “Hey,” she said softly. “Eyes up here.”

  “Can’t help myself. You’ve always had great legs.”

  “And I thought you were only interested in my mind.”

  “That, too.”

  Their gazes locked, and Addie’s breath quickened. Strange that the man who had betrayed her and left her brokenhearted could stand half-naked before her and the last thing she wanted was to send him away.

  Something must have shifted in her eyes or in her smile. She hadn’t said or done anything, and yet Ethan had picked up on a vibe. His gaze deepened. She could almost hear the throb of his pulse, the sudden rush of his blood. He said nothing, either. Didn’t move so much as an inch toward her, and yet Addie was suddenly trembling. Her heart flailed as images bombarded her once more. All those hot nights locked together in the bedroom of her tiny apartment. The long, soulful kisses. The groans and soft cries as he devoured her and then she him.

  “I remember how it was, too,” he said. “I remember every inch of that little garage apartment. And of you.”

  “That was a long time ago,” Addie felt compelled to remind him.

  “You really were something,” he said in a hushed voice. “Like a wild colt. All legs and untamed excitement.”

  “That’s how you remember me?” She laughed. “I was a mess. Right out of the academy, uncertain and untested, but trying desperately to prove myself. The best that can be said is that I was exuberantly green.”

  “You always struck me as supremely confident.”

  “You took care of that.”

  He stared at her for the longest moment. “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head and turned away. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that. I don’t know why I keep picking at you.” She paused and glanced back at him. “It’s easier to guilt someone else than to admit your own screwups.”

  “You’ve every right to blame me.”

  She closed her eyes on a breath. “We’ve both paid our dues. Anyway, I didn’t want to get into anything heavy tonight. We’ve been through the wringer already. We can talk in the morning.”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “Ethan?” She bit her lip. “I’m glad you’re here tonight. I said that already, didn’t I?”

  “I’m not tired of hearing it.” He stared at her so intently, Addie felt as if she’d had the wind knocked from her lungs.

  She said on a whisper, “Ethan.”

  “If you keep saying my name like that, I swear I’ll—”

  “Ethan.”

  He was across the room in a flash, pulling her against him, pushing up her shirt so that he could splay his hands across her bare skin. Addie returned his kiss with a pent-up ardor that stunned her. She’d been alone and celibate for far too long, and common sense deserted her like a caged bird released unexpectedly into the wild. Her heart pounded. Her blood heated. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She didn’t know what Ethan expected of her.

  Wrapping one arm around his neck, she steadied herself with the other hand flattened against the wall. She pressed into him, needy and demanding and feeling more reckless than she had in years. It was heady, that don’t-give-a-damn feeling. An intoxicating mix of lust and freedom.

  He kissed her, broke away to nuzzle her neck and then kissed her again. Addie drank him in like a cool glass of water on a hot summer’s day. She savored but was nowhere near sated.

  “I’d rip your clothes off if you were wearing any,” she murmured against his lips.

  He laughed softly.

  “Kiss me again,” she demanded.

  He willingly complied, and when he finally drew away, she tried to pull him back to her. “No. Don’t go away.”

  “I think I have to.”

  She sighed. “Why?”

  “Addie, you know why.”

  “No, I don’t. I want this. See? Eyes wide-open.”

  He cupped her face and dropped his forehead to hers. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Nothing, apparently.”

  He drew away once more. “You think I like being the spoiler? I want this, too. But those unresolved issues don’t just magically go away. You’ll regret this in the morning.”

  “There you go again, thinking you still know me.”

  “I do know you. No matter how much you try to pretend otherwise, you haven’t forgiven me yet. I don’t blame you. I haven’t earned back your trust. Maybe I never will. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you again.”

  She tugged down her shirt with brisk efficiency. “You’re assuming that I’m emotionally invested. People can sleep together just because they want to, you know. It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

  “For us it does.”

  “If you say so.” She moved toward the hallway. “You go ahead and process the crime scene, Ethan. Take all the time you need. I’ll just go have that drink now.”

  “Addie.”

  She put up a hand. “Nope. Discussion’s over,” she said without glancing back.

  * * *

  ADDIE COULDN’T SLEEP. She threw off the covers and rose, treading softly down the hallway so as not to awaken Ethan on the couch. She moved to the window and stared out into the night, her gaze moving from house to house as she searched the shadowy yards.

  Ethan stirred behind her. Then he bolted upright as he grabbed for his gun.

  “It’s just me,” she said.

  “Addie? What’s the matter?”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  He rose and came over to the window to join her, peering out at the night just as she was.

  “He’s out there,” Addie murmured. “I can feel him watching me.”

  “We can fix that.” Ethan reached over to close the blinds, but she stopped him.

  “No, don’t. I want him to see me. I want him to know that I’m not scared of him.”

  “You’re taunting him,�
�� Ethan said. “Not a good idea.”

  Addie shrugged. “Drawing him out is the only way we can catch him.”

  “So you’re using yourself as bait.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  He was silent for a moment. “I don’t like to think about that.”

  “Why? We both have dangerous jobs. Don’t go all caveman on me, Ethan. I know how to take care of myself.”

  “I never doubted it. I can still be concerned, can’t I?”

  “I guess I did give you reason to worry earlier,” she admitted grudgingly. “I let him drive me out of my own bedroom. A momentary weakness.”

  “You’re entitled.”

  “Ethan?”

  He turned to study her profile. “What is it, Addie?”

  “Do you ever think about what it might have been like if things hadn’t ended the way they did for us?”

  “That’s an abrupt change of topic,” he said in surprise. “I thought you didn’t want to get into anything heavy.”

  She shrugged again. “Just answer the question.”

  He seemed to consider his response. “What you’re really asking is how things might have been different if I hadn’t lied to you. I used to think about it all the time.”

  “And now?”

  He stared out the window with a brooding frown. “At some point, I had to move on. But being here with you has brought back a lot of memories.”

  “For me, too,” she admitted. “I think we had something special. Or was I just kidding myself? Was that a lie, too? I never could figure out where your deception began and ended.”

  “What I felt for you was never a lie. If you believe nothing else, please trust me on that one.”

  “Maybe it doesn’t matter anymore,” she said on a wistful note.

  “And maybe it does.” He put a tentative hand to her cheek. “Addie.”

  She closed her eyes on a breath. Then tilted her face to his.

  The kiss was gentle at first, almost sweetly hesitant. And then as she responded, he threaded his hands through her hair and drew her to him. Addie clung to him, willing away the past, willing away any negative thought that might once again kill the moment.

  She reached up and closed the blinds. Without the soft glow of the security lights, the room fell into darkness. Ethan was barely more than a silhouette as he walked her slowly back to the couch. She sank into the cushions and he hovered over her, staring at her intently before slowly moving down her body, kissing and stroking with fingers and tongue until those ripples of pleasure exploded and she thrust her hands in his hair, tugging him up and over her once more.

  She wrapped her legs around him, drawing him in as her eyes closed and her head fell back in ecstasy.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ethan was already up and dressed the next morning by the time Addie got around. She told him to help himself to anything in the kitchen while she stumbled groggily to the bathroom to shower. When she came out a few minutes later, dressed in her usual jeans and tank, she avoided his gaze as she went about the business of gathering her keys and weapon.

  “Are you ready?” she asked as she headed for the door. “I’ll take you by your hotel so you can change and then we can go see Vivian DuPriest. If you’re still up for it, that is.”

  “Just drop in on her?”

  “Unless you have a better idea. I don’t have a phone number, but I know where she lives. My grandmother and I used to walk by her house sometimes. Besides, if we just show up at her door, she’ll be less likely to turn us down.”

  “Then I guess I’m ready.”

  He went out the front door and waited on the porch while Addie set the alarm and locked up. “For all the good that dead bolt will do,” she muttered. “I’ll look for a locksmith this afternoon.”

  “Addie,” Ethan said as they climbed into her vehicle.

  She could feel the intensity of his gaze through the lenses of his sunglasses. She pretended to adjust the rearview mirror to escape the impact. “What is it?”

  “Should we talk about last night? I don’t like this awkwardness between us.”

  “We’ll get over it.” She dropped her hand from the mirror and turned to face him. “For what it’s worth, you were right about us. I don’t have regrets, but maybe it would have been best to keep things professional. We do still have issues, and maybe I haven’t forgiven you. I want to. I know it’s petty of me to keep harping on the past.”

  “It’s not petty. It’s self-preservation. I get it.”

  She shrugged. “Still, it doesn’t say much for my character. This may be presumptuous, but I’m going to say it, anyway. Where can this ever go, Ethan? You live and work in Virginia, and my home is in Charleston. I don’t see myself ever leaving this city. I belong here.”

  “I know that.”

  “And what I said about hooking up being fine with me...sometimes it is. Sometimes a casual relationship is all I want. But not with you. You were right about that, too. Nothing about us has ever been casual. Or easy, for that matter.”

  He smiled. “No.”

  “Things are really complicated right now. The investigation is heating up. Maybe we should just concentrate on that.”

  “Maybe we should.”

  She nodded. “We’re cool then? Truce still on?”

  “Truce is still on.”

  “Okay. Let’s get to work.” She started the engine and backed out of the driveway. The neighborhood was just coming awake. She waved to a couple she recognized as they pushed a stroller down the sidewalk. For one split second, she let herself go there. She imagined a different life, one with a husband and kids, playdates and soccer games and noisy evening meals eaten in the dining room rather than at her solitary perch at the bar. She imagined someone to wake up to in the morning and someone to come home to at night. Addie liked her life just fine. She really did. But sometimes she had the passing thought that more might be better.

  Shaking off her momentary discontent, she pulled onto King Street, heading south toward the water.

  She parked in a lot across the street from Ethan’s hotel and got out with him.

  “You want to come up?” he asked.

  “No, thanks. There’s a coffee shop just down that way. I’ll get caffeinated while you change. Take your time, though. I’m in no hurry.”

  “I know the one you mean. I’ll meet you there and grab a cup to go,” he said.

  He leaned in, and despite their previous conversation about keeping things professional, Addie thought he meant to kiss her, just a peck goodbye as if they were an old married couple. Instead, he brushed a leaf from her hair and then he was gone. She watched in bemusement as he crossed the street and disappeared inside the hotel. How could such a light touch electrify so many butterflies in her stomach? How could her world have gone so crazy so quickly?

  She turned and headed down the sidewalk toward the coffee shop. The morning was already hot and steamy. She tucked back her damp hair and kept her eyes peeled as she walked along. She didn’t want to be caught unaware as she had been the day before. The image of her stalker slipping up behind her flashed in her head, and she turned to glance over her shoulder. Traffic was sparse on the street, and only a few pedestrians were out and about. Addie stopped beneath an awning on the pretext of adjusting her sandal strap. Across the street, someone lurked in a recessed doorway. She could see little more than a silhouette, but she could feel eyes on her. Or was that her imagination?

  She continued down the street to the coffee shop, pausing to glance in the plateglass window before entering. If someone had followed her, she couldn’t detect him.

  Placing her order at the register, she sat down at a window table and faced the door. Her iced coffee arrived a few minutes later, along with a raspberry muffin. She nibbled and sipped as she stared out the window. A tall woman
in aviator sunglasses caught her attention. She wore a dark suit and polished loafers, a somber outfit for a summer morning. She’d never met Gwen Holloway in person, but Addie recognized the former profiler from her book jackets and program materials.

  She halted on the sidewalk when she saw Addie staring at her through the window. A chill shot through Addie even as she braced herself for the coming confrontation. It was no accident that Gwen Holloway had picked the same coffee shop. She had tailed Addie here, may even have orchestrated the break-in at her home last night. What else did the woman have up her sleeve?

  As if sensing and relishing Addie’s trepidation, Gwen Holloway smiled and removed her dark glasses as she came into the shop.

  Like Addie, she placed her order at the counter. Then she turned and swept her gaze across the tables before lighting once again on Addie. She lingered near the register, but Addie knew it was too much to hope that she’d ordered her coffee to go. Once she had her cup in hand, she made a beeline for Addie’s table.

  “Detective Kinsella, isn’t it? I’m Gwen Holloway.” Addie rose and they shook hands. “Mind if I join you?” Before Addie could protest, Gwen pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

  “Of course,” Addie said after the fact. “How did you know who I am?”

  “I recognized you from the photograph that accompanied your program application. You aroused my curiosity early on.”

  “How come?”

  “It seems you have a lot of fans in the Charleston Police Department. They couldn’t say enough good things about you. So I dug a little deeper to see if all the hype was warranted.”

  “And?”

  Gwen gave her a long assessment. “You and your partner have an impressive record. More closed cases than any detectives in your department. You’re an impressive team. I’m sure he’ll miss you over the next few weeks, but his loss will be this city’s gain. The insight and tools you’ll acquire from my program will change how you approach police work. You’ll be a different investigator by the time the course is concluded. But I warn you, Detective, it won’t be a cakewalk. The schedule is demanding.”