“Ignore that,” he said, lifting her focus to his amused eyes. “You’re naked. I can’t help it.”
She licked her lips. “What if I don’t want to ignore it?”
His eyes darkened and his voice deepened. “All the better, then. Scoot forward.”
She slid forward in the tub and turned around while he got in, holding his beer in his hand.
The water rose to the edge of the tub, the overflow drain kicked in, sucking the water away as Asher submerged himself. He wrapped an arm around her and then tugged her onto his lap, causing her glass to shake.
“Oh, look, I spilled my wine all over your chest,” she said, her knees settling on either side of him in the tub. “Maybe I should lick it up?”
He grinned, holding her tight enough against him so her sex pressed against his hardened length. “I’m not stopping you.”
She leaned down a little and licked the trail of wine, feeling him jerk beneath her. “Yummy,” she said, looking back into his eyes. She swirled her hips and discovered how good she felt rocking her hips against him just like that.
He groaned. “Toss back the rest of it so I can do something else with that mouth.”
She did exactly that and then placed the wineglass down and rocked her hips again. “Remember when we used to do this?” she asked, rubbing herself slowly against him, sliding her hands across the width of his shoulders. “When you were too good to have me, and this was all you’d let me do to you.”
His beer bottle soon rested next to her glass, and his jaw muscles worked as he reached for her breasts. “Yes, I vividly remember.” He tweaked her nipples. “Especially how much you liked this.”
She tossed her head back against the sudden need flooding her. Hot and wet, she slid her hands into his hair and then sealed her mouth across his, never stopping the thrusting of her hips, back and forth, rubbing herself against him, taking pleasure, giving pleasure.
His hands left her breasts, sliding down her back until he squeezed her butt and held on tight, helping her gain movement. “I’ve never forgotten how you used to fuck me like this, and how this made you fall apart.” He bit her neck.
She shivered and gasped. “No matter how much I begged you to take me,” she said, breathless, speeding up now, falling into the speed they set together. “You would never let me.” She lifted her hips until she found the top of him, reveling in the masculine sound that rumbled from his chest. “But I’m not that innocent girl anymore.” She took the tip of him inside her, knowing what she wanted. “I’m safe, protected, and clean. I want you, Asher.”
“You’ve got me,” he growled, then thrust her down on him in one swift stroke.
She arched against the intense pleasure and then lost herself in how they fit together. She’d never had unprotected sex with anyone but Asher, and the memory of him exploded into every molecule. She rocked her hips, the water sloshing around them to land on the bathroom floor. His deep grunts echoed her sensual screams, driving her higher and higher. She gripped the edge of the tub while his fingers dug into her hips, helping her move faster, harder, until she screamed, breaking wide open, and he crashed over the edge with her.
Chapter 16
The next morning, Asher woke to Remy still sleeping next to him. He’d left her there, wishing she could sleep until this hell was behind her. If she was in his bed, she was safe. But he knew Remy wasn’t the woman he’d left behind. She’d want to face this head-on, but he’d rather her stay safe instead. But back in the day, he’d made decisions that got them into a mess. He’d never decide anything for her again.
While he showered to get the rose oil scent from their bath off his skin, a plan formed, one that he doubted the chief would approve of, but one that was necessary for Asher to put Violi behind them. Nothing else mattered but that.
When he came out of the bathroom, he found Remy gone from the bed, Salem now sleeping on her pillow. He hurried into a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt and then headed downstairs. “Remy,” he called, moving quickly down the hallway into the small kitchen, but then the spike in his heart rate instantly slowed when he caught sight of Remy outside in his mother’s garden. He opened the back door and leaned against the doorframe.
Remy wore jeans and one of Asher’s sweaters that was oversized on her. He remembered she used to love wearing his leather coat, and he loved seeing her in it. His mind drifted, returning to a moment in the past where his view had been nearly identical.
Sweaty and starving, Asher entered the house and dropped his duffel bag on the floor after an intense workout at the local college. Everything hurt. From the tips of his fingers the whole way down to his toes ached, muscles he didn’t even know he had were strained, but once he graduated college he had his sights set on the police academy.
“Mom?” he called, moving through the hallway. He heard music coming from outside and followed the noise. When he reached the back door, he found his mother in her garden. But that’s not all he found.
Remy stood behind her, watering the flowerbeds with the hose. Her jeans were rolled up to her knees, her white T-shirt covered in dirt, tied up, exposing her belly. Damn. He was having trouble keeping his hands off her lately. Before he got hard in front of his mom, he focused on the flowers.
A song from the eighties played on the radio. Remy sang, dancing around the garden like she always did, which made her breasts bounce and ass jiggle. Shit.
“Asher.”
He jerked his gaze at his mother and then smiled. “Having fun?” he asked.
“Always,” Mom said, her green eyes sparkling and her brown hair up in a ponytail. Dad wasn’t anywhere in sight, which explained the peace on Mom’s face. Asher told her to leave him. They’d be okay once Asher got out of college, but Mom never listened, always saying Asher just didn’t understand his father. He loved her in ways Asher couldn’t comprehend. She gave Asher a kiss on his cheek when he reached her. “Remy is just so good with all the herbs and things.”
“It’s all my nana,” Remy said with a smile. “What I know, I learned from her.” She came over, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a quick kiss. “Ew. You stink.”
“I missed you too.” He grinned.
“You do smell, sweetie,” Mom said. “Go shower and then I’ll make us some dinner.”
Remy winked at him and turned back to shake her ass again. He swore she did that on purpose just to tease him. Her eighteenth birthday was only three weeks away, and it couldn’t have come any sooner. She wanted him. He wanted her. Damn his mother for making him promise to be “good” until she was officially an adult.
Now sweaty, starving, and hard, he turned away to go deal with the latter and the sweatiness in the shower when suddenly Remy said, “Actually, I think a shower here is better.”
He turned just in time to get sprayed in face with the jet of water. His mother’s laughter echoed in the air, followed by Remy’s squeal as he charged forward, stole the hose, scooped her up, and soaked them both.
“You’re awake.”
Asher blinked, thrust back into the garden where his mother no longer stood. Those memories used to haunt him. The happiness he had with his mother was one of the reasons he left Stoney Creek. She’d been everywhere, and that hurt more than Asher could bear. “Good morning,” he said, grabbing his sweater and tugging her closer to him. “Getting your hands dirty already?”
She frowned up at him. “What happened to your mom’s garden?”
“I happened,” Asher said with a laugh. “No green thumb, remember?”
“Well, it’s such a shame,” Remy said with sad eyes. “We’re going to have to fix this and get it back in tiptop shape.”
She went to walk by him, and he grabbed her again, picked her up in his arms. He loved the surprised gasp she gave, as much as he loved that she didn’t stop him from kissing her. He kept the kiss soft and sweet and backed away before she could remember her kissing rules. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, placing her back onto her feet.
She nodded. “Like a log until Salem jumped on my head.”
Asher laughed and tugged on the sweater. “I like this on you.”
“I know.” She grinned up at him with heat and promise. “That’s why I put it on.” She turned and headed into the house.
He followed, then locked the door behind him. “Listen, I’m going to drop you off at your shop. I’ve got somewhere I need to be, but I texted Kinsley and she’s going to come and hang with you for the day. Plus, we’ve still got a cruiser at your place.” When he turned around, he found her frowning at him. “What?”
She studied him a moment with her hands on her hips. “What you are you up to?”
“Nothing.”
Her brows raised.
“Nothing that needs to concern you,” he appeased.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to get all protective and do something stupid with Lars are you?”
The old him would have, but just as Remy wasn’t that innocent girl anymore, Asher wasn’t that hot-headed kid either. He shook his head. “The chief has given me a direct order to stay away from Lars.”
“All right,” she eventually said, obviously believing him. “I’ll be ready in a jiffy.”
“Great.” He smiled, moving back into the kitchen to make them both coffee.
While he couldn’t talk with Lars today, he did have a plan, and that plan was set into motion after he dropped Remy off at her shop and waited for Kinsley to arrive. After that, with Rhett sitting in the passenger seat, Asher made the three-hour drive to Portland. He’d purposely left Boone behind, since Boone wouldn’t approve of this visit. Rhett was always up for a little trouble, and Asher couldn’t sit around and do nothing. He needed answers and he’d get them.
The GPS finally indicated to turn off the I-295, and a handful of turns later, they were driving into the suburbs and pulled into a gorgeous home with manicured lawns and a black BMW sitting in the driveway. Asher pulled in beside the car, then cut the engine. “Now we know why Fanning targeted Violi’s sister,” he said, opening the car’s door.
Rhett whistled and began getting out. “That car alone costs more than our yearly salaries combined.”
Asher followed him out and then sidled up to him. They strode toward the limestone bungalow and Asher knocked on the dark oak wooden front door with a wrought iron lion’s head doorknocker.
The door opened a moment later to a slender woman in her mid-forties. Violi’s sister looked identical to the photograph he’d seen. Dark eyes, dark hair, and full lips and pink cheeks. “Christine?” Asher asked.
She opened the door a little wider. “I take it you’re the detectives from Stoney Creek?”
When Asher called Christine to see if she’d talk face-to-face with them, he wasn’t sure how to take her willingness. Now he suspected she had nothing to hide. “We are. I’m detective Asher Sullivan.” He gestured at Rhett. “This is my partner, Detective Rhett West.” They exchanged a handshake before Asher continued. “I’m very grateful that you agreed to speak to us.”
“Of course.” She moved out of the doorway and let them enter. “Please come in, but I’m not sure what else I can tell you about Andrew.”
Andrew aka Damon aka Kyle. “We just have some questions of our own about what happened with Andrew,” Asher said, removing his shoes and following behind her into her sitting room. The furniture was pristine, everything too new, too nice. Asher almost didn’t want to sit down.
Rhett actually didn’t take a seat. He moved to the window and stood there, folding his arms across his chest.
That’s why Rhett didn’t deal with victims. His broodiness made people uncomfortable. Boone was usually the brains when it came to a case. Rhett had great attention to detail with evidence. Asher had a way with victims, and always had. People trusted him. He had an innate instinct when to push and when to pull back. Everyone talked with Asher and gave up information they might not even have known they were withholding. That was a skill that had caught the FBI recruiter’s attention in the police academy, and that’s what led to the job offer.
Asher wanted Christine to be comfortable and to start talking. He sat across from her, extending his arm along the back of the couch, projecting ease. “I am so very sorry to hear what happened to you with Andrew. We’ve had a similar case in Stoney Creek against him. What happened to you shouldn’t happen to anymore.”
She glanced away and gave a little shrug. “Yeah, well, as much as I hate him, I was sorry to hear of his passing.”
Asher stared blankly at this woman. She was the polar opposite of what he expected to find today, and also the exact opposite of her brother. He took that in and gave Rhett a quick look before he focused back on Christine. “We actually haven’t come to talk about your ex-husband per se, but to discuss your brother, Lars Violi.”
“My brother?” she asked, wide-eyed. “Why?”
Asher leaned forward, staring at her intently. “I need to understand your brother’s involvement with your ex-husband.”
Her face suddenly lost all of its color. “We should not be talking about this.” She rose, fidgeting her hands. “You should go. I know nothing about any of this.”
Which, of course, told Asher she knew something. He’d let the Whitby Falls PD know that she might be someone to interview in regard to Fanning’s death, but Asher’s focus was on Remy and her safety. “A very good friend of mine almost married Andrew recently,” he explained gently, not moving from his spot. “Instead of healing now, she’s dealing with your brother coming around and asking questions. We suspect he is behind a recent break-in at her home. That’s why we’re here.”
Christine watched Asher a moment, her eyes sad, and she returned to her seat. “There’s been another victim?”
Asher nodded. “And just like you, she doesn’t deserve what happened to her. Your brother wants something from her. I need to understand what that is so I can help her.”
Christine twirled her finger in her hair, looking everywhere but at him. “I’m not sure why you think I can help you. I’ve only seen my brother twice in the past four years.”
“Is there are reason for that?” Rhett asked.
She gave Rhett a quick look, then glanced away. “My choice. I…I don’t like who my brother surrounds himself with. He understands and respects that.”
Asher had seen cops and FBI agents alike interrogate criminals and interview families of criminals. He’d seen them go up against people and fail. And he’d learned from their failures. “Christine, look at me,” he said softly. She jerked her head up, blinking rapidly. “I see that you’re afraid of your brother, and I understand why. Lars will never know that we’ve come to talk to you. But I need you to understand that a woman I care a great deal about—a woman whose life has been shattered—now has your brother breathing down her neck. Think of what that would be like for her.”
Her bottom lip trembled, and her head bowed. “I won’t be able to stop him. I can’t help you.”
Asher softened his voice further to comfort her. “I know you can’t stop him. I wouldn’t ask you to, but you can tell me what you know about your ex-husband and what Lars could want from him.”
Christine hesitated for a long moment and wrung her flighty hands together. “I went to Lars when I had suspicions about Andrew.” She finally looked at Asher, tears in her eyes. “By the time Lars had confirmation that Andrew was stealing my money, he’d already run.” Her voice broke. “I didn’t know, you know…what would happen to Andrew.”
“That’s not why I’m here, Christine,” he told her. “Please, think, what could Lars want from Andrew?”
Christine’s eyes darted from Asher to Rhett and then back to Asher again. “I honestly don’t know.” She paused, her gaze flicking up to the ceiling.
“Anything will help, Christine,” Asher pressed.
She looked back at Asher straight in the eye. “There is one thing you should know about my brother. He’s honor-bound to protect h
is family. If he feels anyone has threatened or hurt them, he won’t stop until he gets revenge.”
Asher read between the lines. “So, in his mind, you think he feels that my friend has done something to hurt your family?”
She shrugged. “That’s the only thing I can think of that would keep him hanging around.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Rhett said with a snort. “There’s gotta be something more.”
Christine challenged him with a fierce stare. “I’m telling you, I know my brother. If he is pursuing her for any reason, and doesn’t seem to back off, it’s because she’s done something that Lars feels has hurt me.”
Asher glanced at Rhett, who frowned.
“This woman,” Christine said, drawing Asher’s attention back to her. “Are you sure she’s as innocent as you believe?”
“Beyond a doubt,” Asher stated clearly.
Christine hesitated enough to draw in a deep breath. “Well then, all I can think of is that maybe she’s done something that’s made Lars believe she’s not Andrew’s victim, but is his partner.”
Chapter 17
A few minutes after five o’clock, Remy stepped out into the cold, cloudy fall afternoon and locked the shop’s front door as Kinsley said behind her, “I’m not supposed to leave you.”
“You’ve got a bar to run and they need you for a minute,” Remy said, turning around. Kinsley’s employees called, reporting missing booze from the storage room. “I just want to grab some plants and take them over to Asher’s, then I’ll be right back. I’m fine. Meet me back here in fifteen minutes.”
Kinsley firmed her stance and crossed her arms. “No.”
Remy rolled her eyes, hating the fuss, but loving them all for it too. “Okay, how about I get the cop at the back to follow me to Asher’s place. Sound good?”
Kinsley considered that and nodded. “That’ll do. Better to be safe than sorry.” She leaned in and kissed Remy’s cheek. “Once you’re back, come to the bar, and then we’ll go hang at my place.”
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