ENTANGLED PURSUITS (MEN OF ACTION Book 1)

by Brenda Jackson

  There was so much sexual energy between them, and it was more powerful today than it had been yesterday. A low moan slipped past her lips, and she had to momentarily close her eyes to pull herself together. When she reopened them, he was standing beside her chair.

  “Let me warm you, baby,” he said in a low, husky voice.

  How had he gotten so close without making a sound? When he took a step back and extended his hand to her, she eased out of her chair to stand. The moment she placed her hand in his, he swept her into his arms.

  They moved through the house in a blur, until finally, he placed her on his bed. She figured he must have taken the stairs two at a time to get there so quickly. Toni then watched and saw it all. The speed in which he was stripping out of his clothes, the bottle of syrup he’d grabbed off the table to bring up here with them, and the way he was looking at her through a pair of glazed eyes.

  When she eased up to remove her clothes, he was back, right there on the bed to help her. “I’ve got this,” he said, tossing the sweater aside. And then he was tugging her skirt down her hips and thighs. It didn’t take him anytime to remove her socks and boots.

  Like him, she was now totally naked, and her heart skipped a beat when he reached for the bottle of syrup. He removed the cap and began dripping it all over her, especially around her chest and the juncture of her thighs. She tossed her head back loving the way the sticky substance felt on her skin.

  Toni recalled the first time he’d done this to her, and the memory made her sigh. Then, suddenly, he was there, practically swallowing the sound from her lips. Immediately he sucked her tongue into his mouth and began kissing her with a vivacity that had the area between her legs throbbing mercilessly.

  He released her mouth and then the tasting began. His naughty and voracious tongue licked down her throat, and then the tip of it made circle motions along her neck. His mouth finally moved lower to her breasts where both nipples were drenched with syrup.

  Heaven help her…

  She grabbed hold of his head the moment he eased a nipple between his lips and began sucking in earnest. With each pull, the throbbing between her legs grew more intense. Then, he gave the other nipple the same heady treatment.

  “You liked that?” he asked a while later. He eased back slightly, allowing her to see that all the syrup had been licked from her breasts.

  “Of course, I liked it.” How could she not?

  “Now, for the rest of you,” he said, as he eased back to her. Using the tip of his tongue, he began licking the syrup off her stomach, still using those circular motions that were driving her insane.

  “I forgot to mention that I really liked your bra and matching panties,” he said, lifting his head a quick second to glance up at her. “Of course, I like you better without them.”

  “Thanks,” she said, barely getting the word out as he began licking around her navel. Anticipating making love with him, she had worn sexy underthings, but he had removed them so fast, she hadn’t thought he noticed.

  Drew lifted his head. “You taste good, Toni.”

  She shook her head. “It’s the syrup.”

  “No, baby, it’s you.”

  “You think so?”

  “Sweetheart, I know so.”

  Sweetheart…baby… Now he had her head spinning and her heart swelling. She loved it when he used endearments. But before she could spend too much time thinking about it, his warm breath was on the inside of her thigh. Then there was the feel of his beard brushing across her skin there as well. It seemed to electrify every pore within her body.

  She couldn’t stop the moan that flowed from her lips, or loosen her grip on the sheets. Nobody could do this better than Drew.

  “I’m going to have to take care of this,” he said, suddenly working his fingers through the curls at the apex of her legs. “I may have put too much syrup here.” He lifted his head slightly and a mischievous smile touched his lips. “I must confess, it was a deliberate move on my part.”

  Toni released another moan. Did he have any idea what his touch was doing to her? Then, she realized that no, he didn’t. He had no idea that she hadn’t been with anyone since him. Maybe if she told him, he would go a little easier on her.

  Before another thought could settle in her mind, she felt his fingers parting her nether lips and then wiggling their way inside of her. And before she could let out a moan, his tongue replaced his fingers. Lordy!

  He held tight to her thighs while his mouth began to thoroughly, yet leisurely, feast on her. When his tongue took hold of her clit, she had to fight back a scream.

  She reached his head, trying to pull him away. The pleasure was just too intense. But then when he began moving his tongue in that way that could drive a woman to speak ten different languages all at once, and all the sensations that rushed through her made her thighs tremble, she nearly bucked off the bed, but he held her down.

  “Drew!”

  An orgasm hit her, and she exploded into a million sensual fragments. But he wouldn’t take his mouth away. Instead, he kept on feasting on her until she had another climax, and then another. She felt as if she was about to die—there was no way she could handle anymore pleasure.

  Suddenly, he pulled his head from between her legs and quickly turned her around, tilting her backside to him. Before she could draw in a satisfying breath, he pulled her toward his erection, straddling her from behind, doggy style, and sliding into her wet, womanly core.

  He began thrusting hard inside of her, holding tight to her hips to keep her in place. He was buried balls-deep inside of her, and all she could do was moan his name as he thrust deeper and harder.

  Toni decided it was time for some payback. Using her inner muscles, she gripped him, demanding everything from him. In retaliation, he pounded even harder into her. Then he would withdraw, only to thrust hard into her again.

  Drew let out a deep, guttural growl at the same time she felt him coming inside of her. The sensation of him drenching her insides caused her to come again, as well.

  “Drew!

  “Toni!”

  He was still coming, and she held him tight, desperately wanting everything that he was giving her.

  • • •

  A couple of hours later, Andrew lay with Toni’s body draped over him. Their bodies were a sticky mess, and the bed was in total disarray. He figured they would take a shower, and then he would change the linens on his bed. But not now. He couldn’t move if he wanted to, and it seemed she felt the same way. He had no complaints. The last two hours had been well worth it, and he felt so damn good.

  “Do you have to look so content?”

  He glanced up at Toni and grinned. “Can’t help it, baby. You shouldn’t have returned the favor with the syrup.”

  She smiled. “I figured you needed a taste of your own medicine. Did you like it?”

  “Yes. Couldn’t you tell?”

  There was a smug grin on her face, one he adored. “Yeah.”

  Her mouth looked swollen from all his kisses, and her hair was a thick mass over her head. Like their encounter yesterday, their lovemaking had been wild, unrestrained. They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other.

  “So, tell me, Andrew Logan, what was your favorite part?” she asked, while trailing a fingertip across his chest.

  That was easy. “When you had me inside your mouth.” He’d almost come the moment she’d put her tongue to work on him. He’d enjoyed it so much, his balls still ached just remembering it.

  “What about you, Toni? What was your favorite part?” he asked, not quite believing they were having this conversation.

  “All of it. Just having you back inside of me, feeling you coming inside of me.” She had always liked that—him shooting off inside of her. Once they’d felt comfortable making love without a condom, they had done so.

  “I love coming inside you, too.” He paused a moment. “I haven’t done that with anyone since you.” Why was he telling her that? For som
e reason he wanted her to know. There might have been other women since her, but none had gotten as close to him. She was the only woman he’d ever been skin to skin with.

  “I can beat that.”

  He smiled up at her. “Beat it how?” he asked, running his fingers through her hair, loving the feel of it in his hands.

  “I haven’t been with anyone since you, period.”

  His hand went still, and he studied her features. “What did you say?” He moved to look into her face, just to make sure he had heard her correctly.

  “I said I haven’t been touched by anyone since you.”

  Her words had blood rushing through his ears in disbelief. “But that was nearly five years…”

  She chuckled mildly. “Trust me, Drew, I know how long it was.”

  “But why?”

  She held his gaze. “I didn’t want to be with anyone else. I only wanted you.”

  He heard what she was saying but he couldn’t believe it. He knew what a passionate woman she was. “How did you keep from going insane?”

  A smile touched her lips. “I had help.”

  He lifted a brow. “Help?”

  “Yes. My battery-operated boyfriends kept me sane.”

  Again, he could not believe they were having this conversation but damn, he was intrigued. “Were they any good?”

  “Not as good as the real thing. I changed them every year. I even gave them names.”

  Now that, he found amusing. “You did?”

  “Yes.”

  “What were their names?” he asked, grinning.

  She leaned close to his face and whispered, “Drew 1, Drew 2, Drew 3, and Drew 4.”

  The smile vanished from his face. “Are you serious?”

  “Totally. And do you know what, Drew?”

  “What?” he asked, swallowing deeply.

  She inched closer to him. “Every time I came, I pretended it was you inside of me. But it wasn’t as good as you. It couldn’t get as big or as hard as you, and no matter how I tried, I could never match your rhythm. But they were better than nothing. However, they couldn’t replace the real thing,” she said, reaching down to grip him with her hand. “Nothing is better than this. So if I seem a little greedy, you’ve just got to bear with me.”

  Drew pulled in a sharp breath and closed his eyes when she began stroking him. “Toni?”

  “Umm?”

  “What are you doing?” His erection was already hard as a result of what she’d been telling him.

  “Making up for lost time.”

  He sucked in another sharp breath when she shifted her body so that her open legs were right above his swollen penis. “Besides, I need to come again, Drew. I have a feeling we’re headed for a rough week at headquarters. We need to find a killer.”

  When she began rotating her body over his, moving up and down, he felt his eyes roll back in his head. Tightening his hold around her middle, he began moving with her, establishing the rhythm he knew she liked. Her sticky skin slid against his, but he didn’t care. What mattered more than anything was that he was buried deep inside her, and he intended to stay there for a while.

  Andrew knew, at that moment, that he loved her. He truly loved her. And when he felt her body beginning to tremble, the orgasm that was about to take over her would send him over the edge, as well. He also knew now that Toni was back in his arms, in his life, he didn’t intend on letting her go again.

  DREW HAD BEEN RIGHT—Toni definitely liked Lieutenant Curtis McPherson. He was about six-feet tall, with a sturdy build, and had curly red hair, fair skin, blue eyes, and a friendly smile. She had been sitting at her desk, working with her sticky notes, and when she’d looked up, there he was.

  Although he’d been born in America, he had a slight Scottish accent. In their ‘getting to know you’ conversation, he told her that his parents had been determined to make sure their offspring knew of their heritage, and every few years, the whole family had returned to Scotland to attend certain festivals, and reunite with the country they loved. Lieutenant McPherson admitted that he hoped he could do the same with his family.

  It was Monday morning, and Toni was in a good mood. She hadn’t left Drew’s house until daybreak, and had only gone home to shower and dress for work. Before leaving his place, she had reiterated her rules regarding their relationship. Their time together would start Friday night and go through the weekend. That would give them something to look forward to.

  This morning she’d made a pit stop at Starbucks, and still got to work minutes before Drew arrived. He had walked into the office with that Andrew Logan swagger that heated her blood. Greeting those he passed, it was quite obvious that he was in a good mood.

  “Good morning, Drew,” she said, trying to keep the smile from her lips. “Did you have a nice weekend?”

  His eyes held hers a second too long when he’d said, “The best I’ve had in a long time.”

  She smiled. “Glad to hear it. By the way, we’ve got a meeting with Lieutenant McPherson at nine,” she told him. “I met him earlier this morning. You were right, he’s a nice guy.”

  Drew nodded. “He was also a good detective.”

  At nine o’clock, they met with McPherson in his office and gave him an update on the cases they were investigating. “Okay, let’s talk about the Maria Tindal case.” Using a remote, he proceeded to lower a huge screen in his office that showed a summary of what they’d uncovered.

  Drew let Toni start things off. “Maria Tindal was killed in her home around 10:00 pm. There was no sign of forced entry, and no sign of a fight, either. It seemed as if she had showered less than an hour before.”

  Lieutenant McPherson nodded. “Murder weapon?”

  “Kitchen knife, which we’ve located. It was washed clean, but not clean enough. Residue of the victim’s blood was left behind.”

  McPherson nodded again. “Suspects?”

  “Everyone’s alibis checked out. All we have are persons of interest.”

  “I understand one of the persons you interviewed, Fred Tatters, might be connected to a Federal case.”

  “Yes. It was turned over to Detective Zinc in the Special Investigation Unit because of Tatter’s connection to Roger Shellpoint. Shellpoint has been on the FBI’s radar for a while for allegedly operating a ring that hauls stolen merchandise across state lines. Human trafficking is also under investigation.”

  Lieutenant McPherson nodded. “I remember the name. If I’m not mistaken, a few years back they thought they had enough to put Shellpoint away, but he got out on a technicality.” He threw a paper clip on his desk. “Taking Shellpoint out could be big, and I’m sure the SIU appreciates that information.”

  Lieutenant McPherson straightened up in his chair. “Okay, let’s go through the persons of interest. Having an alibi sometimes doesn’t mean anything more than that person has someone to cover for them. I’ve thrown the book at a lot of people who had verified alibis,” Lieutenant McPherson said.

  Drew took over the narrative and went through the list of everyone they had interviewed, and their connection with the case.

  “I see Jamia Roundtree’s face up there,” McPherson said.

  Drew raised a brow. “You know her?”

  “Not personally, but she’s well known around here. She was a terror when she was a teen, and her father was always buying someone off so they didn’t press charges. Tatum Roundtree knew the right people, and he wasn’t above using his influence to get his spoiled daughter out of trouble.”

  Toni frowned. “What kind of trouble? I checked and couldn’t find a record—not even youth delinquent records.”

  “You wouldn’t. Like I said, Tatum has friends in high places. If I remember correctly, she had a lot of speeding tickets, there were a few incidents reported where her bullying of other girls had gone too far, and she was once arrested for shoplifting. It was weird—her parents bought her anything she wanted. We all figured she did it for attention. Basically, everything the ki
d did was hushed up and never made the news.”

  McPherson sighed. “Tatum was a beloved football star, and people often bent over backwards to make him happy...even if it meant looking the other way when his daughter broke the law.”

  Toni could tell Lieutenant McPherson wasn’t impressed. She wasn’t either. “Jamia Roundtree and Johnnie Underwood’s alibis checked out. Cameras showed him arriving and leaving her residence—or should we say, her parents’ residence—at the times they stated,” she said.

  McPherson frowned when he saw the words by the next three women’s names. “Rich bitches? What’s that about?”

  Toni bit her lip to keep from grinning. “That’s what they call themselves, and it seems they have the money to prove it. Jennifer Evans’s father, Morey Evans, owned a slew of car dealerships in town. He and his wife were murdered one night during a home invasion. Jennifer Evans has her own thoughts about what really happened.”

  McPherson nodded. “I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to her.” His expression revealed just what he thought of Maria’s stepsister—and it wasn’t good. “If I recall, she believed her stepmother planned a hit, and then had a change of heart at the last minute, getting her killed, too.”

  “How were you involved?” Drew asked.

  “I was a detective then. I wasn’t officially on the case, but Detectives Flowers and Rollins asked me to step in. Jennifer Evans was driving them crazy. But they checked out her theory and found nothing.”

  Drew nodded. “There was no love lost between her and the victim, who happened to be her stepsister. Her alibi checked out—we talked to the two girlfriends she was with that night at her place, celebrating the delivery of her wedding dress.”

  Drew and Toni advised him of Maria Tindal’s association with Bryon Nettles, and the fact that she’d taken a flash drive. “We were able to get a search warrant and confiscated all the cameras around his house, but so far, nothing illegal has been revealed,” Drew said. “We also confiscated his computer. Valerie is in the process of making a copy of the hard drive.”