Jake and Johnson stood with their backs to her. Based on their stiff posture, whatever conversation they were having wasn’t pleasant. Checking their auras, she saw a storm cloud swirl of red in various shades, ranging from irritated to seriously pissed off. Jake was the pissed one.
Yeah, the sarge was being charming.
Which meant an interruption was in order. Erica headed toward them, her own anger working its way through the waves of her headache. “Hey, Sergeant?”
He turned and looked at her, his expression icy. What, no attaboy for saving the civilians? I’m shocked.
“You able to sketch whoever cast that spell?”
Erica shook her head. “I wasn’t able to pick up anything.”
The blue swirling in his aura looked a lot like relief. “That’s twice you came up empty.”
Jake turned, eyes narrowing, and Erica caught a flash of Clarence’s mane around his shoulders. “Considering she just saved a nine-year-old boy and his mother from becoming a human sacrifice, I think she did pretty well.”
Johnson’s head whipped toward him, and the two men locked gazes.
Erica’s muscles tensed as anger boiled through Jake’s aura, brightening visibly with Clarence’s contribution. Oh God, don’t manifest!
“That goes without saying,” Johnson said at last, his tone clipped.
Jake’s aura dimmed, and his expression flattened with concentration. He’s making Clarence retreat. Even as her shoulders relaxed, she frowned at herself. Well, of course. She’d seen Jake retain control under a lot worse circumstances than this -- like when he didn’t eat Ray.
He’s not Bobby, damn it. Maybe I need to quit acting as if he is. Anyway, even Bobby didn’t start losing it until he melded with Selena. Cut the man a break.
The sergeant turned to her. “You look like you rolled in blood. Go home and take a shower, then head back to the department. You’ve got a lot of paperwork to do, and I’m sure the sheriff is going to have questions.” He flicked Jake a look. “You too, Nolan. We can’t have the civilians think you’ve been eating people.” He walked away.
Erica and Jake exchanged the same what-an-asshole look they’d employed about certain Arcane Corps superiors. Then his brows lowered in concern. “You’ve got a migraine, don’t you?”
“Yep.” She sighed. “I couldn’t get a damn thing on that Arc. I didn’t have anything left.”
“It was worth a try. You do realize they’re going to put both of us on administrative leave for at least a couple of days?”
Erica straightened in alarm. “They don’t think the shooting was justified?”
He waved that concern away. “No, no, leave’s just standard procedure in any officer-involved shooting. For one thing, they figure you need a couple of mental health days after something like this.” He grimaced. “And they’re right.”
“You’re not feeling guilty about killing that asshole?”
“God, no. I’d rather have arrested him, but he didn’t give me that option.” Jake frowned, troubled. “I just keep thinking about what Noah went through, how terrified that child must’ve been. Judging by all those shallow cuts and the amount of blood, Ray spent at least half an hour torturing him. Makes me want to kill the bastard all over again.”
“Can’t say as I blame you.”
He sighed. “I keep second-guessing every additional minute we took. Even putting Noah’s mother in the car left him at the creep’s mercy a few minutes longer.”
“I know, but breaking a ward like that is like defusing a bomb. It could’ve been designed to kill Noah the minute we tried to take it down. I had to know what it did before I could touch it.” She raked both hands through her hair. “Do I wish Genevieve had been there? Oh hell, yes. She probably could have broken it the minute she walked in the door.”
Jake met her gaze with such intensity he seemed to stare at her soul. “Erica, I would not have wanted anyone else at my back today. And that includes Genevieve. She’s come through in some nasty situations, and God knows she’s got power, but you’ve got the training. And you’re tough.”
Even with her temples banging like a kettledrum, the compliment made her smile. “Thanks.” She hesitated. “You kept a handle on Clarence just now, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I did. I’ll admit he wanted to take a bite out of Johnson, but we’re not stupid. Both of us learned our lesson the last time.”
“And that wasn’t the first time today you controlled Clarence either. After I dropped the ward, I could see him trying to manifest, even as strung out as I was. I could feel how much he wanted to rip Ray’s throat out.”
“He wasn’t the only one,” Jake admitted.
“But if you’d manifested, Ray would’ve stabbed Noah before you managed to clear the distance.”
“Yeah, I had to haul pretty hard on both our leashes in order to shoot him instead.”
Erica looked him in the eye and told him the truth she’d realized when she watched him take Ray down. “I was wrong when I said we couldn’t afford a relationship. I think… I think part of it was because I’m afraid.” She looked away. “Losing Bobby…”
“Yeah?”
“I think Dave’s right. I think it’s time I grow a pair.”
He pretended to recoil in horror. “Oh, God, don’t do that!”
She gave him the side eye. “Do you and Dave have the same gag writer? What I’m saying is, I want to try again.”
“Yeah?” Jake’s aura lit up like the Fourth of July in shades of electric blue delight.
“On one condition…”
“What?”
She smirked. “You promise not to eat anybody.”
Dimples flashed. “With one exception, I hope.”
“Just one.”
* * *
The rest of the day was as exhausting and frustrating as she expected. First came the paperwork -- and there were reams of it for an officer-involved shooting -- then the interrogation. To avoid a possible conflict of interest, Sheriff Gable had asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, AKA SLED, to handle the investigation. SLED was basically South Carolina’s answer to the FBI.
Agents Thomas Romero and Sabrina McPherson were both scrupulously polite and painstaking in their questioning, which meant Erica spent an hour narrating the body cam footage to explain what she’d done. Fortunately, Romero was a Talent, and both were specialists in investigating magical crimes.
“So far it all looks pretty cut and dried,” Romero told her. A distinguished older man, he was a veteran Arcanist who’d retired from the Corps to pursue a second career in law enforcement. “There are a few more things we need to check, but it seems to me you’re in the clear.” He smiled at her, dark eyes crinkling at the corners. “Good job breaking that ward, by the way. I saw the crime scene photos of that thing. It must’ve been a bitch to take down.”
She grimaced. “Pretty much.”
Romero’s partner, a plump African-American woman with shrewd, cool eyes, gave her an approving nod. “That boy and his mother owe you their lives.”
Erica’s grimace morphed into a smile. Noah was out of critical condition, and his mother had been released from the hospital. “Thanks.”
When the agents finally declared themselves satisfied, Erica found Jake waiting in the Alpha bullpen finishing up his report on the shooting. She gave him a searching glance. “How are you doing?”
He straightened and rolled his shoulders as if his back hurt. “Could’ve been worse. Those SLED agents could have been Humanists, which was what I was afraid of.” With a sigh, he shut down the laptop. “Let’s get out of here before somebody remembers another form I have to fill out.”
Outside, the moon hung cold and bright in the cool April darkness. Erica paused, drawing a deep breath of the fragrant air.
Jake slanted her a look. “Would you like to come over?”
Her head was pounding, and she felt battered, wrung out. And yet she longed desperately to feel those stro
ng, warm arms around her. Wanted it so badly she was tempted to kiss him right now, parking lot cameras be damned.
As if mistaking her longing for hesitation, he took a step closer. “I’m not asking you to make love tonight -- I know you’re not up to it. To be honest, I’m not either. I’m fried.” He met her gaze, his eyes reflecting the glow from the nearby streetlamp. “I just need to hold you.” The words came out so low and rough, they almost thrummed. “I need to sleep with you in my arms -- or I’m not going to be able to sleep at all.”
“God, so do I. And I really want to get the fuck away from the security cameras, so I can kiss you. Let me swing by the house to shower and pack an overnight bag. Give me about forty-five minutes.”
His face lit despite his obvious weariness. “I’ll have a couple of Mellow Microbrews waiting.”
“Bless you.”
* * *
Jake met her at the door wearing only a pair of faded jeans, his blond hair damp and dark from his own shower. She paused on the doorstep, just drinking in the sight of the muscled Vee of his chest, broad and dusted with golden hair.
“Hi. Didn’t you say something about a kiss?” he asked, dimples flashing.
With a growl of strangled need and desperation, she went into his arms. Jake tasted of toothpaste, as the scent of shampoo and masculinity flooded her head. Her magical senses detected Clarence’s chuffing somewhere in the distance.
Jake drew her backwards, freeing one hand just long enough to swing the front door closed. She barely heard the bang, too intent on the taste of his mouth, the press of his erection. He felt so damned good. Why in the hell had she stayed away?
When he turned her toward the living room, she wrapped her arm around his lean waist with a sigh. “You know it’s been a bad day when you need three showers.”
“At least there was less blood the third time.” He grimaced. “Though I still reeked. Nothing like an interrogation in a Kevlar vest to give your deodorant a workout.”
She frowned. “They told me it was cut and dried.”
Jake took her hand and pulled her after him into the living room, where two cans of beer sat on the coffee table. Handing her one, he said, “Yeah, but I still shot a man. They couldn’t go easy on me.”
Erica settled down on the couch next to him, admiring the broad, muscled contours of his bare chest. Her gaze slid downward, and her eyes widened in anticipation at his impressive erection. “Why, hellloooo there.” With a mischievous smile, she reached to trace her forefinger along the length of his bulging zipper.
Jake caught her wrist and gave her a crooked smile. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“My headache’s really not that bad.”
“Yeah, no. Last thing I want you to feel making love to me is pain. I’m not into that.”
“That’s not what I heard. Wasn’t there that nurse…”
To her delight, his cheeks reddened. “Bobby told you about that? Anyway, she asked me for that spanking.”
“The way I heard it, you were more than happy to give it to her.”
“That was then. Now I’m into whatever you’re into.”
“Maybe I’m up for a little adventure too.” She gave him a seductive smile, ignoring a warning pulse from her temples.
“Ask me sometime when you don’t have that headache line between your eyebrows, and I’ll be happy to play whatever games you want.” His smile turned dark and wicked. “In fact, there’s nothing I’d like more. But not tonight.”
“So what do you want to do tonight?”
“We could try something really radical. Talk. Drink a beer or two. Unwind.” He lowered his head, a smile curving his lips. “Kiss.”
Erica smiled back. “Sounds good.”
* * *
An hour later, pleasantly relaxed from a couple of beers, they stripped and settled down in Jake’s big bed. Erica half expected the moment to segue into delicious sex, and headache or not, wasn’t averse to the idea.
He arrested her roaming hands with his larger ones. “Sleep. I promise to make it up to you in the morning.” His voice dropped into that wonderful low register he used. “I want your undivided attention when we make love.”
“Hmmmm. Well, okay, if you insist.” With a sigh, Erica wrapped her arms around him, nestled against his hard warmth, and closed her eyes, listening to the comforting thump of his heart.
A soft psychic rumble sounded in the darkness, and she glimpsed Clarence’s maned head above them in a swirl of golden light. He chuffed at her and vanished.
As Jake’s breathing deepened and slowed, it occurred to her Bobby would never have turned down sex if she’d offered it, headache or not.
Three days. They had three days of administrative leave. Then after that they’d need to work the Humanist protest -- it was going to be all hands on deck for that little party. But in the meantime they’d have three glorious days together. Nobody shooting at them, no Humanist assholes giving them a hard time.
Whatever will we do with ourselves? Erica grinned into the dark.
Chapter Eighteen
Erica woke lying on her side with the feel of Jake’s big body warm and strong along her back. His erection pressed against her ass, solid and tempting. “Good morning.” His voice rumbled in her ear, low and rough with sleep.
Her breath caught. “Good morning.” She tried to turn in his arms, but his grip tightened, holding her in place. When she rested one hand on his biceps, his upper arm was broader than the length of her entire hand. He nuzzled her hair, his breath rolling over her skin in warm gusts.
“Have I mentioned how much I love the way you wear your hair?” He bit gently at the curve where neck met shoulder, then began to press a string of tiny bites along her nape. “It leaves so much sensitive skin so delightfully bare.” His teeth closed on the lobe of her ear. “It’s really hot.”
“You find everything hot.”
Jake chuckled, the sound so dark and suggestive she felt her heart begin to hammer. “Only where you’re concerned.” He propped himself on one elbow, but when she again attempted to turn to face him, he held her still. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ve finally got you where I want you.”
She grinned over her shoulder at him. “Yeah? What exactly do you have in mind?”
“Oh, this and that.” One big hand swept the length of her body, long fingers dancing over her ribs with the perfect pressure to make her squirm. Jake hummed in approval. “Sensitive. This has possibilities.”
She licked dry lips, watching the rose and violet of his aura swirl around her. “For what?”
“This and that.” He found the jut of her hipbone and swirled a circle around it, tickling. She laughed and squirmed, fighting his hold, but he held her still with no effort at all. Erica wasn’t exactly weak, but she was nowhere near a match for Jake Nolan. Somehow the reminder of how much stronger he was made her breathless. She felt hot, restless, and wet.
Jake rolled his hips, and she felt his erection grind against her ass. She gasped as her excitement spiked.
He leaned down and sampled the curve of her ear again, his breath gusting hot against her skin. His teeth closed over her lobe. Tugged, just short of stinging. One hand reached up and curled around her throat. Not tight. Just hard enough for her to feel the calluses on his palm, on those long fingers.
His free hand found her nipple, fingers trapping it, tugging with the perfect pressure to send sweet little darts of delight up her spine. He cupped her in his palm as he milked the eager tip, first gentle, then hard, until her eyes slid shut. The rose of her own arousal wheeled before her eyes. “I’ve always loved your breasts.” His voice sounded even deeper than usual. She could feel the reverberation of it in his chest, against her back. “Your skin’s like silk. And these little nipples drive me crazy.”
“Your body’s not bad either.” The teasing tone she’d intended was ruined by the strangled note in her voice.
“Why, thank you.” Jake found a cord in her
neck, nibbled, breathed. She shivered. “I was wondering,” he asked, his breath gusting warm on her throat, “Did you mean it when you said you were interested in a little adventure?”
“Depends on what kind of adventure you’ve got in mind.”
“Well,” he drawled, “I couldn’t help but notice you seemed to like it when I pinned you down in the tub and took you from behind.”
She swallowed. “It had its moments.”
He inhaled as if drawing in her scent like a cat. “Apparently. You seem to be getting wetter.”
Oh boy. “Maybe.”
“How’d you like to try little bondage?”
Her heart was pounding so hard, she was pretty sure he could feel it. “Oh, God, tell me you don’t have a red room…”
He chuckled, warm against her ear. “You don’t need a dungeon when you’re sufficiently creative.”
“Yeah, you’ve never suffered from a lack of imagination.”
He released her to roll out of bed. As she twisted around, he snagged the belt from the pants he’d left on the bureau the night before. When she gave it an uneasy blink, he rolled his eyes. “Please. I said bondage, not discipline.”
“Do I need to give you a safe word?”
He grinned back. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”
Erica dropped her gaze to the jut of his erection. “Kielbasa.”
He laughed and pounced, but she flipped clear and scrambled off the bed to dart for the door. “Sorry, not that easy!”
With a growl, he leaped after her. “We’ll see about that.”
Laughing like a loon, Erica raced down the hallway toward the stairs, Jake in hot pursuit. The wall ended in a balustrade on one side, and she vaulted over it, hitting the floor five feet below. She took off like a rabbit an instant before the considerably louder thump as Jake hit the ground and pounded after her. The buckle of the belt jangled merrily as he roared, “Don’t make me chase you!”
She laughed and spun aside, narrowly avoiding his hand as he snatched for her. “Who are you kidding, lion boy? You love a good chase!”
“I must -- I’ve been chasing you long enough.” He pounded after her as she veered into the great room. She darted around the sectional couch, but he vaulted over the back of it to land squarely in her path. Yelping, Erica threw herself aside, but he tackled her, taking her down right on top of the huge beanbag chair that sprawled in front of the TV.
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