by Anne Rainey
Dean looked around for his sister but came up empty. “Where is Deanna anyway?”
“She went shopping with your mom. She needed to get her mind off her asshole twin.”
Dean winced. “Look, that’s why I’m here. I want you to run a search on Catherine.”
Jonas threw his hands in the air. “Why the hell would I? In case you forgot, we already did a background check on her when she first contacted Gracie claiming to be her sister. Get it through your thick skull that she’s clean, Dean. The. Fucking. End.”
Dean unzipped his Carhartt and tossed it over a chair. “Then you need to dig deeper. I know it sounds crazy, but there’s something she’s hiding. I can’t move forward until I know what it is.”
“Why are you so sure she’s hiding something? Don’t you think Wade or I would’ve gotten the same vibe from her if that were true? We’re the private investigators here, not you, and our instincts say she’s harmless.”
“You and Wade want her to be harmless. You don’t want to find anything on her because you care about her. My head is less clouded by my feelings.”
Jonas quirked a brow at him. “Oh, really?”
Dean squared his shoulders, ready for a fight. “Really.”
“From what I hear, your feelings are plenty involved, seeing as how you spent the night with her.”
Dean took a step forward, closing the distance between them. “Don’t even go there, Phoenix. What happened between Catherine and me is off limits.”
Jonas fisted his hands at his sides and shot right back, “I sort of thought so too, until I saw Deanna cry earlier today.”
Dean felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He couldn’t have heard right. “She was crying? Because of me?”
Jonas rolled his eyes. “Haven’t you figured out that she loves you and wants to see you happy? She came home in tears after dropping Catherine off. It was all I could do to get her to tell me what had happened.”
Dean shook his head, unwilling to think of how much pain he’d caused everyone already. “Catherine and I had a little misunderstanding. I’m going to fix it. Deanna doesn’t need to worry about me.”
“Yeah, well, she does. So if you don’t get your head out of your ass soon, I’m going to lose my temper and do something we’ll both regret.”
He had to bite back a smile at Jonas’s protective attitude toward Deanna. Dean’s admiration for the guy went up a few notches. “Then help me find out more information on Catherine. Once I know for sure that she has nothing to hide, I’ll gladly let this whole thing go.”
Jonas sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. “Deanna won’t like it if she finds out we’re digging around in Catherine’s life. She considers her part of the family already.”
“Look, if you won’t do it, I’ll find someone who will.”
Jonas was quiet a moment before asking, “You aren’t going to stop, are you?”
Dean shook his head. “Not until I can see the proof of Catherine’s innocence with my own eyes.”
“I’ll do it, but I think you’re making a big mistake,” he said. “She’s not the con artist you think she is. You could really fuck this up, Dean.”
Dean was starting to think the same thing. On all counts.
“Give me a few days. I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks,” Dean muttered as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. “I owe you one.”
Jonas snorted. “If Deanna gets wind of this we’ll both be up shit creek.”
Dean cursed under his breath at the thought. His twin wasn’t a pretty sight when she was angry. “Let’s make damn sure she doesn’t find out, then.”
Jonas nodded and shut the door in his face.
It wasn’t until Dean was behind the wheel that he thought of Jonas’s words. You could really fuck this up. Pain shot through his chest when he thought of never seeing Catherine again. Never touching her soft skin, never kissing her awake. Never slipping inside her welcoming body and making slow, sweet love all night long. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. He would talk to Catherine. Grovel if necessary. She’d gotten under his skin, and Dean aimed to keep her there. In the meantime, what was the harm in having Jonas get him some answers? It was peace of mind, nothing more. It would all work out, Dean would make damn sure of it.
It’d been more than two full days since Catherine had seen Dean. She’d avoided his calls, even though it’d been the hardest thing she’d ever done. When he’d stopped by her hotel suite a few times, Catherine hadn’t answered the door. It hadn’t been until she’d spied the pretty bouquet of daisies on the floor outside her room that she’d cried like a baby. Her heart was breaking, which was insane because they’d only spent one night together. She wasn’t supposed to fall for a one-night stand. They barely knew each other, so why did she feel such an overwhelming connection to Dean? It made little sense.
The time she’d spent with Gracie had helped to take her mind off the big jerk. She’d had fun going to the historical museum on Monday. Ohio was swiftly growing on Catherine. So much so that she’d begun to think of living in the Buckeye State. To be closer to Gracie would be wonderful. Unfortunately that would put her closer to Dean as well.
Now it was five o’clock on Tuesday, and Catherine had the evening to herself. She’d killed some time by doing some updates on a few clients’ websites, but she’d finished them too quickly. She still had the evening to herself. She contemplated going down to the hotel spa and getting a massage, maybe a mani-pedi as well. She felt like pampering herself a little. The distraction would do her good, and maybe the massage would loosen up a few of the knots in the back of her neck.
As she reached for the phone to call the front desk, a knock on the door stopped her. Her heartbeat sped up at the thought that it might be Dean. God, she missed him. It wasn’t fair that she could long for a man who saw her as some sort of fraud.
When she rose up on her tiptoes to see through the peephole, she all but swallowed her tongue. Dean stood outside her room, and he had the look of a man who’d had just about enough. His gaze zeroed in on the peephole, right at her, causing Catherine to stagger backward.
“I know you’re in there, Catherine, and this time I’m not leaving.”
His voice was loud enough to have everyone on the floor wondering what was going on. Catherine sighed, knowing she couldn’t avoid him forever. It was time to face the man, once and for all. She took a deep breath and turned the knob. The vision of him sucked all the air out of her lungs. He had on a pair of low-riding jeans, a black pocket T under his Carhartt, and a pair of black work boots. He was carrying a grocery bag in his right hand. Damn it, she could’ve stayed strong if he’d looked like crap. Maybe. As it was, Catherine knew it was only a matter of time before she caved.
On the other hand, she resembled something out of a horror movie. Her hair was piled up in a messy bun on top of her head, and she had on an old pair of jeans that so did not flatter her figure. The worn, baby-blue T-shirt she only ever wore to bed was the icing on the cake. Great, the ball was in his court already.
“It’s about time you stopped hiding from me,” he said as he strode through the door and pulled off his coat. After he tossed it onto the couch along with the bag, he turned and glared at her.
Catherine’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. She closed the door, then took a second to gather her courage. “I wasn’t hiding,” she lied as she turned toward him. “I simply didn’t want to see you. There’s a difference.” She pointed to the computer and decided to use work as an excuse. “Besides, I had some work to tend to.”
He moved closer to her, and Catherine found herself backing up. “You were hiding,” he reiterated, his voice as hard as steel.
Catherine wasn’t about to get into a debate with the man. “I have plans tonight, Dean, so make it fast.”
He grinned. It reminded her of a panther, once it had cornered its prey. “I talked to Wade and Gracie a little bit ago, Catherine,” he said, as
he took another step in her direction. “You don’t have plans with them. They’re on their way out to dinner with one of Wade’s clients.”
Her head shot up in the air. “My plans might not include my sister, but I have them nonetheless.” Okay, she hadn’t actually made the massage appointment yet, but Dean didn’t need to know that.
Dean stopped dead and cocked an eyebrow. “If not them, then who do you have plans with? You haven’t been in Ohio long enough to make friends.”
Was that jealousy she detected in his tone? Hmm, interesting. “I don’t see as how that’s any of your business.”
In two strides, Dean was in front of her, his hands wrapped firmly around her upper arms. “Everything you do is my business, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Who do you have plans with?”
Too late Catherine realized her mistake. Baiting a man like Dean was simply suicidal. He was too possessive and predatory. “No one,” she finally admitted. “I was going to make an appointment with the hotel spa, that’s all.”
He relaxed his hold, but he didn’t release her. “Why wouldn’t you answer my calls?”
She jerked out of his arms, angry that he’d even ask such a ridiculous question. “You can’t guess?”
He cupped her cheek in one calloused palm. “I hurt you.” His voice was low and rough. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Finally they arrived at the crux of the issue. Catherine debated the merits of shutting him down by simply refusing to hear his side of things, but she remembered her conversation with Gracie about giving him a chance to explain. Besides, didn’t she deserve to know the truth? The way Catherine saw it, she had a right to know if the night they’d shared meant anything to him. “Tell me something, Dean, and I want the truth.”
He shoved his hands in his front pockets. “I’ll always be honest with you, Catherine.”
She wasn’t so sure of that, but she let it slide. “Did you sleep with me simply to gain answers?” she blurted out. “Is that what our night was to you?”
“Christ, Catherine,” he growled. “Is that what you’ve been thinking all this time?”
Catherine tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and plowed on. “You said yourself that before I went back to Georgia you would have your answers. What else am I to think?”
Dean shook his head and stared down at the floor. “I’ve been a world-class bastard to you and I know that, but I’d never use you.”
Tears stung her eyes at the sincerity in Dean’s voice. She had to look away in order to maintain her composure. A rough palm beneath her chin brought her gaze back to his. “What we shared, it was special to me,” he said in a gentle voice. “It had nothing to do with getting answers and everything to do with you and me.”
Catherine wanted so badly to believe him, which was of course the problem. “I don’t know what you want from me, Dean,” she said, giving him the plain truth. “You don’t trust me and yet you’re here. Why?”
“Because I can’t stop thinking about you,” he ground out, sounding none too happy about it. “I can’t stop wanting you. Every moment of the day away from you has been an exercise in torture.”
“Oh, God,” Catherine moaned. It was too much. She couldn’t hold up against an attack like that.
“Don’t send me away, sweet Catherine,” he murmured as his lips brushed hers in a tender caress. “Let me make it up to you. Please.”
“You don’t fight fair,” she complained, as tears began to stream down her cheeks. “Not fair at all.”
He swiped at them with the pad of his thumb. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get you in my arms again,” he vowed. “Anything.”
Catherine let her arms drift around his neck. His virile scent filled her senses and sent her libido into overdrive. “I’ll be going home soon, you know. Back to Georgia.” The idea of leaving Dean, of never again feeling the warmth of his embrace, made her heart ache something fierce.
“We should make the most of every minute, then, don’t you think?” he asked, as he bent low and lifted her into his powerful arms.
She nodded, but before he could take her off to the bedroom, Catherine had enough of her wits about her to ask, “Does this mean you’re staying the night?”
“If you’ll have me.”
Catherine could’ve sworn Dean’s arms shook a little, but she must have been imagining it. A man as strong and confident as Dean would never show such an obvious sign of weakness. “Only if I can wake up next to you,” she said, giving him a smile. “But what about Duke? Don’t you need to get home to him?”
He shook his head. “My neighbor came home earlier than expected. So, Duke is back home.”
“Oh, that’s good, then.” After settling that little dilemma, Catherine surrendered. She was completely off her rocker, but damn it, she wanted another chance with him. Another moment out of time to indulge the pleasure she would only find in Dean’s arms.
17
As Dean placed Catherine on her feet next to the bed, he looked her over. He couldn’t believe he was being given another chance. He didn’t deserve it—no one knew that better than him—but he wasn’t about to pass it up either. God, even with the crazy hair and baggy clothes, she was beautiful. It didn’t matter what she wore because he’d already memorized every curve and valley. Her body would be stamped on his brain forever. Right now, with the two of them alone, he couldn’t think of a better way to spend the rest of the night than to play. Maybe a game of memory . . . blindfolded.
Dean wrapped an arm around her, then glided his palm down until he was cupping one jean-covered cheek. Catherine jolted, and Dean couldn’t prevent a grin. He had her full attention and he planned to keep it.
He grasped her around the middle with both hands, spanning her waistline. Catherine had curves, but his hands were big and his fingers almost touched together. She fit his body the way no other woman had. He watched her eyes heat up when he pulled her close, closer still, fitting her to him, and kissed her long and deep. The king-size bed was mere inches away. He walked backward, their lips locked together, until the backs of his knees hit the side of the bed and they both tumbled onto it, their mouths never breaking contact. Catherine’s startled hiss brought him to a halt. She tore her mouth from his and stared up at him as if scandalized. As if she hadn’t been the same woman who had begged him to let her come the other night. Several times.
“Dean?” she asked, her hushed whisper turning him on. Everything about her made him ache with hunger and need.
He grinned. “Catherine.” He lifted up and took hold of her shirt, yanking it up until he could see her tempting belly button ring. He pulled the material over her head and tossed it away. Her bra went next. When her large breasts fell free, Dean groaned. “God, I missed you,” he whispered before he blanketed her with his body. He dipped his head and sucked one already erect nipple into his mouth. She tasted like paradise, pure and simple. Catherine gasped and clutched onto the back of his head in a stinging hold. Her nipples were soft and pink, and Dean could feed on her for hours. He sucked and licked. She moaned his name, and Dean broke away long enough to admit, “I have to warn you. I haven’t eaten much the past few days, and you, sweetheart, are a meal fit for a king.”
“I-I certainly wouldn’t want you to starve,” she moaned.
“Mmm,” Dean groaned as he flicked his tongue over and around one nipple before moving to the other, gently at first then rougher, demanding her flesh to beg for him. He cupped the round globe and pulled it up higher, kneading the supple skin. He heard her moan of delight. Dean took joy in her animated responses to him. He gave in to his primal cravings and bit down. She arched upward, eager for his touch. His hand answered her unspoken pleas. Letting go of her breast, he journeyed down until he found her precious mound. “Clothes, sweetheart,” he mumbled as he quickly did away with her jeans and panties. His fingers delved at once, and his nostrils flared to life as he picked up her succulent scent. He found her clit swollen and throbbing. Damn, she was
soaked. He fondled and toyed with the little nub until the teasing seemed to become too much. She cried out his name and came, exploding all around his finger. It was the sweetest thing to watch Catherine come totally undone at his hands.
Dean moved away and tore at the button fly on his jeans, freeing his erection. In the red haze of his lust, her pleading barely reached his ears. He looked down and saw her arms outstretched, waiting to embrace him, even as her body waited to welcome him in. But Dean intended to enjoy his beautiful little seductress.
“Hold that thought,” he said as he moved off the bed and strode out of the room. He grabbed the bag he’d brought with him and carried it to the bed, where Catherine was now sitting up and looking at him with a question in her pretty emerald eyes. He took out the black blindfold he’d bought earlier in the day and held it up for her to see. She looked more confused than ever. They shared no words as he moved between her legs and placed the soft fabric over her eyes.
Her hands covered his in an instant. “Uh, Dean, I’m really not so sure about this.”
“I am.”
She clutched onto him tighter. “Dean.”
Her anxiety could be heard in the quiver of her soft voice. She should know he wouldn’t hurt her. He would never cause her pain. But then again, they’d only just met and he’d already made her cry. He had a lot to make up for.
“You don’t have to worry that I would take advantage of you, sweetheart,” he murmured. “My pleasure comes from yours.”
“There was plenty of pleasure without the blindfold.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, but this is more adventurous. And you wanted adventure, remember?” Dean waited, and when she dropped her hands, he went back to securing the material in a knot at the back of her head. “Is it too tight?”
She shook her head. No words, only the sound of her rapid breaths could be heard.
“All you have to do is feel. Let yourself go, Catherine. Experience every touch, every throb, and every breath.” A small shake of her head and Dean knew she was ready.