by Barb Han
Deacon pulled back enough to capture her gaze. She was so damn sexy with her dark hair and eyes.
And then he took care of the rest of her buttons, fast; with nimble fingers he navigated down her shirt. She shrugged out of it and it landed on the floor. She brought her hands underneath his shirt and smoothed them across his skin.
Within a hot minute, they stood naked in the kitchen.
“You’re beautiful,” he said in barely a whisper as she smoothed his flat hand across her belly. Her skin goose-bumped underneath his touch, causing rockets of awareness to shoot through him. “So beautiful.”
She blinked up at him and said, “So are you.”
And then she let her hands roam free on his chest, his shoulders. He kissed her again, harder this time, tasting all the sweetness. His body shook with need and he could feel hers tremble under his touch.
He traced her collarbone before cupping her full breasts. Her back arched and he swallowed her moan. He tugged at her nipples, rolling one between his thumb and forefinger as sexual tension built toward an urgent pitch inside him.
“You’re sexy, Leah,” he said into her ear.
“You make me feel that way,” she responded, looking him straight in the eyes. “I want to feel you inside me, Deacon.”
That was all the urging it took for him to wrap his hands around her sweet round bottom and pick her up. She gripped the counter behind her and the motion caused her breasts to brush against his chest. She wrapped her legs around him as he took one of her breasts in his mouth.
He rolled his tongue around the tip of her nipple and she arched her back. He could feel that she was ready for him, so he positioned her sex on his shaft. She wiggled her hips until he reached deep inside her and then matched him stride for stride.
Their bodies matched up like they’d been made to be together. Deacon’s mouth found hers and he drove himself deeper inside her.
His body was an electric battlefield as she bucked her hips and dug her fingers into his shoulders. And damn, Deacon had had plenty of sex in his life but this...this was beyond comparison. Everything in his life righted itself and he had the overwhelming feeling of being right where he was supposed to be. Forever?
When they both couldn’t seem to get enough air and he felt her internal muscles convulse, Deacon let himself dive off the cliff, too.
It took a while for their breathing to slow. They just stayed as still as they could, holding onto each other as though neither wanted to let go.
* * *
DEACON PUT ON a fresh pot of coffee while Leah finished her shower. He knew he was in trouble with her. The sex they’d just had felt like anything but the raw animal magnetism he was used to. Don’t get him wrong, it was all that and more. The emotional connection they’d shared had brought their lovemaking to a whole new level and that caught him off guard. Had something stirred inside him immediately when he’d met the detective? Yes. But this was too soon for real feelings. The only relationship he could compare it to was that of his and Jackie’s. He’d loved Jackie. Hell, he’d been ready to make a trip to the ring store before...
Deacon cursed.
He couldn’t think about Jackie right now. Shoving his feelings down deep, he poured two fresh mugs of coffee.
Leah walked in and stopped as soon as her gaze landed on him. “What’s wrong?”
“Coffee?” He held up a mug.
She didn’t take it right away. Instead, she studied him and he felt for a second like she could see right through him.
And then she walked to him, kissed him and took the mug.
“You haven’t really slept,” he said to her, dodging her question.
“I’m fine. My adrenaline is off the charts and I learned to get by on power naps after Connor was born.” Leah looked beautiful in the oversized pink cowl-neck sweater she’d put on over a fresh pair of jeans. She was brains and compassion and internal beauty wrapped up in one package.
“I’d like to circle back and speak to Dougherty’s witnesses on the Jillian Mitchell and Delaney Richards cases,” Deacon said. She seemed ready to cut him some slack when she nodded.
“It shouldn’t be too difficult for me to get hold of those names,” she said. “I was thinking we should review their statements but on second thought we should follow up ourselves and see what they have to say.”
“Dougherty could be sloppy—”
“Distracted,” she interjected.
“Either way, I don’t trust his investigative skills right now.” Deacon searched her eyes for understanding. At the very least the man wasn’t being thorough. Women were dying, and from what it looked like, Leah was a target. Which brought him to his second point. “I’d like you to stay on the ranch while this case is active.”
“Impossible. I go back to work in three days and Jacobstown is too far away in the countryside.” Her jaw muscle ticked and he could see that he’d hit a nerve. Then, it hit him why she’d have that reaction. Of course, she’d want to stay close to Riley.
“I can’t ensure yours and Connor’s safety here. We have help there so you can focus on the case, and someone will be around 24/7 to help with your son. Meals will be taken care of, so there’ll be no distractions.” He hoped he could sell it to her based on the practicality of the suggestion. Down deep, he wanted her close to him.
“He’ll feel strange away from his home and especially if I’m not there.” Her walls were constructed high again. He understood the reason. She wasn’t quite ready to let anyone else in her and Connor’s lives. It had been the two of them for three years and she’d been handling everything on her own. There was comfort in that. Plus, Deacon had rerouted the conversation when she’d asked him what was wrong.
“There’s enough distraction on the ranch to keep him occupied. There are other kids close to his age to play with and more animals than you can count. I haven’t met a kiddo yet who wasn’t ready to pack a bag and move in once he or she was on the property.” He took a couple of steps toward her and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear when he got close enough to. “I need to know that both of you are safe. I can’t do that here. Not even if I stick around, which I’d planned to if you’d let me. And, I’m not trying to force you to do something you’re not comfortable with. Although, if I’m honest, I like the thought of you and Connor in my home.”
She opened her mouth to argue but clamped it shut.
“We have supplies on the ranch so you won’t have to think about anything for the day-to-day. You can devote all of your time to Connor and the case.”
The contents of her coffee cup became really interesting to her. She was a reasonable woman and it was a solid offer. So why wasn’t she jumping all over it?
The reason dawned on Deacon a few seconds later. “The killer’s not forcing you out of your home. He’s not winning. This is about making smart choices and keeping that little guy in there safe.” He looked her square in the eyes because she needed to know how serious he was about this next part. “I care about you and I need to know that you’re safe. I won’t be able to go back to that life, to leave you, if I think there’s a chance he could get to you or Connor.”
* * *
LEAH THOUGHT ABOUT what he was saying. Granted, he was one hundred percent right about not taking unnecessary risks. She would do whatever it took to protect Connor. “I want to stay here to keep an eye on Riley. I feel like if I leave, she could end up in more danger.”
The comment seemed to strike a chord with Deacon. “Any chance you could ask a fellow officer to stay at Riley’s house for a few days?”
“No one will be available given the hunt for the killer.”
Deacon nodded. “I can send someone to stay at her house if you think her parents will agree.”
“It never hurts to ask. Her mother trusts me.” Leah fired off a text to Riley’s mother, Carla. The response
came quickly. “Carla said she wouldn’t mind a little extra security until this guy is behind bars. She said she thinks Riley will sleep easier, too.”
“Does that mean you’ll come home with me?” Deacon asked. He dipped down and kissed her. “Because I want you to.”
A dozen butterflies released inside Leah’s chest. And if she set aside the emotional piece, he’d made solid points. She wouldn’t be throwing in the towel, surrendering to a bully and cowering. It was smart to know when to stand her ground and when to take help being offered to her.
In this case, Deacon was right. As long as Riley had extra protection, Leah would take him up on his proposition. “I’ll come to the ranch. I think it’ll be a nice change for Connor and we both could use some fresh air.”
Deacon’s smile lit his face and he looked even more handsome if that were even possible. She liked being the one to put that smile there. He went straight to work on his phone, no doubt scheduling the security person to keep watch over Riley. His fingers flew on the cell’s keypad. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and asked, “Do you think we should wake Connor now or wait until he wakes naturally?”
“I’ll gather toys and pack a suitcase for both of us. If he’s not up by then, we’ll wake him. I don’t want him to get too off schedule today or he’ll never sleep tonight.” Working as a real team felt good to Leah. Even with Wyatt she’d never felt this kind of... She didn’t know the right word for it... Ease? Ease seemed too simple to define the dynamic. Ease didn’t come anywhere near approaching the physical draw to Deacon or the way her stomach fluttered every time he was in the room.
The sex had been all fireworks and something more. She’d never experienced sex that had blown her mind in the way it had with Deacon. There was so much more than physical attraction. Although, there was plenty of that, too.
But enough thinking about that. This case would end. Feeling as defeated as she did right now, being no closer to the man responsible for murdering women made it important to remind herself of that fact a hundred times a day if that’s what it would take. She would return to a normal life. A heavy sigh slipped out as she busied herself locating a few of Connor’s favorite toys.
She packed up his DVDs after digging around for their cases. He repeated them so often it did no good to put them back properly after each viewing.
She zipped Connor’s bag, wondering how things would be when the case was solved. Would she be returning to a life before Deacon? It seemed so empty and hollow now.
* * *
A FEW IDEAS about the case rolled around in Deacon’s head. None he liked. His mind was locked on to Detective Charles Dougherty. Had he snapped? Granted, it was unlikely but that didn’t mean it was impossible. The officers on the force today mainly came from military backgrounds and were the first to have seen real action. No one knew what impact that would have on their psyche. Therefore, it was unknown just how many were affected by their service overseas. Sure, they had to pass mental testing but that didn’t mean much. How many times had his cousin Zach spoken about his concern for his deputies’ well-being, physical and mental? The effects of stress during military service were only beginning to surface in police work.
Deacon didn’t have to ask Leah to know that Charles Dougherty had served. He could tell by the way the man carried himself. Deacon couldn’t name which branch based on being in the same room with a person for five minutes, but he knew when he came across someone who’d been overseas. Dougherty’s service made it that much more difficult to put the man in any other light than a good one. Deacon had nothing but respect for his fellow servicewomen and men.
But his internal alarm bells had sounded off after meeting the guy. Dougherty was possessive of Leah. He was angry. He’d suffered the worst kind of trauma with his child. He’d lost his wife. And then possibly the last tether he had to reality, Leah, when she’d ended their relationship. That could send a man who was already on the edge tumbling off, which wasn’t an excuse by any means and it didn’t make any of his behavior acceptable. Deacon could follow the logic. That’s all. He’d seen good women and men come back broken after serving overseas. The effects didn’t always show right away.
The most difficult part was that a soldier had a hard time asking for help. In part because he or she was trained to handle anything. And anything and everything happened across the ocean. Deacon counted himself fortunate that he hadn’t brought demons back with him. Because he’d seen people stronger than him crack. It didn’t make him better than the others. It only made him luckier. Everyone had a breaking point. He’d come home before hitting his.
“Everything okay?” Leah stood at the doorway to the kitchen studying him.
“Dandy.” He hoped she’d let him get away with that and not dig deeper. She had a way of getting to his core and he’d never been so readable to anyone else before. He found that he did want to tell her something more about himself. Not his suspicions about Dougherty but about Deacon, the man. “I served in the military after high school.”
“Thank you for your service,” she said without hesitation.
“You’re welcome.” There was no hesitancy on her part when she walked over to him and kissed him, either.
Deacon couldn’t help but feel a deeper connection with Leah. She understood so much without him detailing out his background. She’d lost someone she cared about, too. He knew that about her. But even if he hadn’t, he’d have seen it in the pride in her eyes right now.
“Guess I wanted to make my own mark on the world. I did a stint and then bounced around from job to job before I met Jackie. Her little girl, Emery, had the brightest smile. She was two years old when a car struck them at an intersection and killed both on impact.” Deacon had never been able to talk about Jackie and Emery before, not with his family or friends. It was easier than he had expected it to be with Leah. She felt like the calm in a storm. Was it because they were two kindred souls? Two people who knew what real loss was?
“I’m so sorry, Deacon.”
Was that the tether binding them so tightly? Or was there so much more to their bond? He’d tried to dismiss the notion he could fall for someone so fast, or that he could open his heart to anyone.
Could he let Leah in?
Chapter Eighteen
The Kent family ranch was so much more beautiful and grand than Leah had expected. Warmth radiated from the main house, which was one of those two-story brick Colonials with white columns on a front porch that went on for days. The place looked like something out of a Southern-living style magazine and the lands surrounding it were even more stunning. The air smelled cleaner in Jacobstown, Leah noticed as she breathed in a lungful.
Connor beamed as he took in the scenery. As soon as she let him out of his car seat, he bolted toward the house and toward a black cat that was lounging on the porch.
“Gretchen won’t mind the company,” Deacon said, motioning toward the animal who was stretched out on her side. Connor dropped to his knees beside her and scratched her belly. “Looks like she found a new friend.”
“He loves pretty much all animals,” Leah said, just out of earshot of Connor. “He’d love a dog but we’re not home enough. It hardly seems fair.”
“We have a few to choose from on the ranch if you change your mind. People come out to the country and leave behind all manner of animals,” he said with disgust.
“That’s awful.” Leah couldn’t believe it but then she’d seen even crueler sides to people.
“A dog could go on your nightly run with you. Bring some peace of mind,” he offered.
“I’ve thought about that, actually. But I’m never home. I feel badly enough that Connor attends his preschool’s aftercare program. I barely get to see him, let alone an animal.” If her schedule ever slowed down or she changed careers someday, getting a dog would be high on her list.
“Let’s go inside, buddy,” she said t
o Connor.
He frowned until Deacon told him there were more animals inside the house.
“What’s her name?” Connor asked. To him, every animal was female because of Pickles.
“Gretchen,” Deacon supplied.
The smile on Connor’s face would have melted a glacier. And that’s exactly what the temperature felt like. It might have been cold outside but there was a fire crackling in the main house’s fireplace and the smell of cookies baking in the oven. Heaven? Leah couldn’t think of a more beautiful family home to grow up in.
The place was grand, even by Leah’s standards. The house she’d grown up in might’ve been large and well-appointed but it lacked the warmth of the Kent home. Leah was a little nervous that Connor wouldn’t take to the place and a lot nervous that he would. She would never be able to give him this or anything in this hemisphere. A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that all a kid really needed was love. It was true. Love and maybe a dog. She smiled at the thought. Someday.
Leah picked up her son and he hugged her around the neck. “Sweet boy.”
Deacon introduced her to his four brothers, one sister and two cousins. One by one each family member welcomed her. Then came the little ones. They were the twins, Aaron and Rea. The second he saw them he tried to wiggle out of Leah’s arms so he could get down and play. The next thing she knew he was racing past on a tricycle, showing off to the twins.
“Connor, slow down,” she warned.
Deacon waited until her son got out of earshot before he leaned in and said, “It’s okay with us if you want to let him go at it full force. Our folks brought us up allowing play inside. They said they didn’t want to live in a museum and loved the sound of children’s laughter. Since we grew up that way, we never think twice about letting a kid be a kid. Of course, we always brought our best manners to the supper table. That was nonnegotiable.”
“We’re like that at home. I guess you already know that because of the state of my house.” She figured it was as good a time as any to explain the chaos of toys all over as if he hadn’t already noticed.