Deceived At Every Turn

by Jennifer Cole

  Harper stopped speaking and allowed silence to envelope them once again. It felt good to get a few things off her chest. But just a few things. A cop was a cop, and there was no way in hell the one standing in front of her was going to be permitted to intrude any further into her emotions.

  “I moved Alex because I didn’t want anyone knowing where he was. He was shot on purpose, and I’m afraid if the bastard knows he’s alive, he’ll try to finish the job. I know deep down Alex will never wake up, but I keep hoping maybe, just maybe he will, and we’ll have the proof to nail the son of a bitch who did it.”

  * * * *

  Riley stood silently, taking in her every word, allowing Harper the space and freedom she needed to let it all out. In his mind he tried assembling pieces of a fragmented puzzle into place, and wasn’t having a great deal of success.

  What was the connection between Alex and the chief? Yes, Marshall was Rainier’s boss, but there was something more. And why in the hell did Marshall call off the investigation into Alex’s shooting? That didn’t make sense to Riley. When one of their own was taken down in such a cowardly fashion, all law enforcement pulled together to sniff out the bastard responsible.

  Why did the chief want Harper tailed? Did he know, or suspect, that Alex Rainier was still alive? And what did he hope to gain from a man who was brain dead, kept alive only by machines?

  The first free moment he had, he was going to call his boss at headquarters for more details. This case was getting messier by the minute.

  “I turned to dancing because my savings were running out faster than I’d imagined. I’ve never had any more responsibility than myself and Fred and Ginger. I had this house to pay for, and Olivia. This is Olivia’s home, and I refused to see her lose it after losing her parents so tragically. Then there’s Alex’s private ’round the clock care. I needed money fast, so I took a job at Pleasures. My wages and tips keep us afloat. I don’t plan to do it forever, but I’ll do it until I figure something else out.”

  Riley moved in behind Harper and attempted to massage the tension from her shoulders while they sat in silence for several minutes. The happy sounds of the girls laughing in the backyard carried in through the open kitchen window. Many questions raced through his mind, and he needed answers. He had to keep her talking to gain more information. No matter the pain it caused, he needed to delve deeper.

  “How did you figure out Alex was there? How’d you know it was him?” she asked.

  Riley had been dreading the question. “The ‘how’ isn’t important--”

  “If you found my brother, that means the son of bitch who shot him can find him too,” she whispered.

  That was true. But, there was no evidence at this stage to indicate anyone other than Riley and his contact, John Watkins, knew the true identity of Casey Finnigan, current resident of room twelve of Metro Nursing Home.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, honey. Listen, after my visit to the nursing home, I started asking around. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but unfortunately, sometimes these things just happen. It sounds like your brother was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “I’ll never accept that. That wasn’t Alex. My brother was a damn good police officer, Riley. He would never have done something so stupid as to raid a major drug ring alone. That even sounds absurd. He was straight laced and did everything by the book. Someone lured him to that warehouse to kill him.”

  Riley tensed at her words. He sensed she wanted to tell him more, but just then the back door flew open and Olivia and Zandra burst through the opening.

  “Aunt Harper, can we please go to Riley’s boat? Pretty please?”

  * * * *

  Harper was about to crush Olivia’s excitement and tell her no, when Riley charged the two of them, wrapped his powerful arms around their tiny waists and threw them up over his broad shoulders.

  “Yes, my two little ladies.”

  They squealed with delight as he ran down the hallway toward Olivia’s bedroom.

  “We’re going to go, right now.”

  Once alone in the kitchen Harper exhaled a harsh breath. She was glad for the interruption from the girls, and even more for a few quiet minutes to herself. She wasn’t about to come clean with Riley, and reasoned she’d told him enough, maybe too much, and she wouldn’t tell him anymore.

  The sounds of Olivia and Zandra giggling from Olivia’s room brought a tear to Harper’s eye, and she resigned herself to the fact that Riley Spence had sucked her in, yet again, by using Olivia. Now she was going to be spending the day, and another night, with him.

  Chapter 12

  Harper threw some clothes for her and Olivia into an overnight bag, then met Riley at his car. He already had the girls strapped into the backseat and grabbed the bag, tossing it into the trunk. Her tension ebbed considerably by the time she lowered herself into his car.

  The subtle scent of him permeating the interior tickled her senses and sent her libido raging.

  “This is going to be great,” he declared, as Harper fastened her seatbelt.

  During the hour long ride to the lake, Zandra entertained them with a four year old’s detailed descriptions of past excursions aboard her Uncle Riley’s big boat. “It’s really long, and it’s really big. And it’s really pretty. And we can swim off the back of it. I have my own room and a really big bed on The Summer Rain and you can share it with me, Olivia.”

  Harper’s head snapped to the left. A smug grin curled Riley’s lips on one side.

  “I have a really big bed on her too.” He cast a glance her way. “Would you like to share it with me?”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Not at all. I’d like to share my bed with you.”

  “You’re an ass. You call your boat Summer Rain?”

  He shrugged, still smiling. “A couple of years ago when I bought her, it rained the whole summer and I didn’t get much use out of her. Seemed appropriate.”

  “Oh.” Made sense. Harper turned and watched the scenery whiz by as they continued along the highway to the marina.

  The two of them sat in silence, listening to the chatter from the backseat. Several moments passed, then Riley leaned over and brushed the back of his fingers against her bare thigh. She sucked in a startled breath as a spark flared in her lower belly. She couldn’t stop herself from shivering at his warm contact. Her reaction to his touch made him chuckle.

  “So, are you going to share my big bed with me, Harper Rainier?” His eyes twinkled with mischief.

  “No way, cop.” A teeny-tiny portion of her brain told her she shouldn’t. Her heart and her body told her she should.

  “We’ll see about that.” His wagging brow sent a jolt straight to all of Harper’s erogenous zones.

  As they pulled up to the gated marina a uniformed security guard popped out of the kiosk to greet them. “Good morning, Riley and Miss Zandra. How nice, you’ve brought guests today.”

  Zandra’s voice erupted loudly from the backseat. “Hi, Billy. This is my best friend, Olivia, and her Aunt Harper.”

  “Good morning, Billy. This is Harper Rainier. Harper, Billy Baxter,” Riley introduced her to the guard.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Rainier, and you Miss Olivia. It’s going to be a beautiful weekend out on the water. You folks have a nice time.”

  The guard opened the gates, and Riley drove up the roadway to the slip where his boat was docked. Zandra hadn’t exaggerated. The boat was huge. Technically, it wasn’t a boat--it was a yacht. Harper had never been close to a boat its size, never mind actually riding on one. Or was that ‘sailing’ on one?

  The beast had to be close to fifty feet in length, twenty feet wide, and looked like it had a basement. Harper was sure the monster came with its own staff. She wondered how Riley could afford such an extravagant, expensive water vessel along with those two BMWs, on a cop’s salary.

  “I see the wheels turning. I told you I’m not dirty,” he said wi
th a dimpled grin.

  “My brother was a cop and didn’t have extravagant toys. You can understand my curiosity.”

  “Inheritance.”

  After a moment, Harper nodded. Of course. His sister had passed away, she must have left him some money.

  He winked at her. “Let’s go. We’re burning daylight.” Riley jumped out of the car and opened the back door for the girls, who waited patiently near the trunk. His voice made Harper jump as it brought her back to reality. “She has two berths, one at the bow, the other at the stern. The galley is a chef’s dream. There’s a four-piece head with a shower, big enough for two.”

  Harper shivered. What the hell am I getting myself into?

  Zandra led Olivia down the center of the gangplank toward the boat where a tall, skinny man greeted them holding a life vest in each hand.

  “Ahoy, Miss Zandra, Miss Olivia. You finally made it. Come aboard, my lassies.”

  “I knew it came with its own crew,” Harper whispered.

  Riley chuckled.

  “Riley,” Harper said nervously as the skinny man grabbed a laughing and wiggly Olivia, hoisting her on deck.

  “It’s all right, honey, that’s Albert. She’ll be fine. Grab a couple of these bags for me, would you?”

  She did and slammed the trunk lid down before following Riley toward the yacht.

  “Ahoy, Riley, and to you, Miss Rainier.” The man tipped his old-fashioned sailor’s hat at Harper. “The Summer Rain is fueled up, warmed up, and ready to disembark, Captain.”

  Riley handed Albert their bags and helped Harper board, climbing aboard after her.

  “Hey, thanks, Albert. I appreciate it.”

  “My pleasure, buddy. Charted your course?”

  “With the gatehouse, yeah. We’ll be gone until late tomorrow afternoon and will be in my usual haunts unless you hear from me.”

  “You bet. You folks have a nice time.”

  Albert untied the vessel from the dock, and Riley maneuvered the enormous craft through the channel and out into the vast open waters of the calm lake.

  The sun was hot and shining brightly. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Once on the water Harper reveled in the refreshing breeze. They spent the entire afternoon cruising, until Riley found a sandbar where they anchored and spent a couple of hours swimming in the warm, clear water.

  For dinner he pulled up alongside a floating restaurant and bought a round of hot dogs, fries and milkshakes for his starving sailors. As darkness began to settle around them, Riley docked the beast along a slip at the bottom of a wooden staircase. At the top of the stairs sat a beautiful, two story log home, lit up by several external floodlights. What an incredible view they must have, Harper thought. She stood on the deck of the boat admiring the beautiful home, while Riley tucked the girls into bed.

  Harper made her way down the steps into the cabin area where she spied Riley through a doorway. He sat on the foot of a king sized bed. The girls were snuggled together under fluffy blankets. He was finishing a storybook as she stepped off the last step.

  “Good night, my princesses.” He kissed them each on the tops of their heads. “If you’re not all funned out, we’ll do it again tomorrow.”

  They both hugged him tightly.

  Harper heard Olivia’s tired voice from behind Riley’s body. “Thanks for bringing me and Aunt Harper on your boat, Riley. We’re having lots of fun. I like it when Aunt Harper is happy.”

  Harper’s heart ached at Olivia’s words. She tried so hard to put on a happy front for her niece, but it would seem the little one could see right through the façade.

  “You’re very welcome, sweetheart. We’re all going to spend a lot of time together, just like this. And I like to see your Aunt Harper happy, too. Now, go to sleep you two.”

  After tucking the blankets snugly around them and switching off the light, he turned to find Harper standing at the bottom of the steps, watching him. Damn, he was something else. Harper couldn’t fight her attraction for him, and she knew the feeling was mutual. He smiled as he closed the distance between them. When he reached her, he placed his hand against the small of her back and nodded toward the stairs.

  They spent an hour lying across a bench-seat on the open deck on the back of the boat, gazing up at the stars in comfortable silence. When darkness set in completely, Riley lit a few candles around the deck.

  “Would you do something for me?” he asked as he sat back down beside her.

  “Sure, if I can.”

  How could she not? He’d taken her mind off her troubles and shown her and Olivia an incredible day. Up until then, he hadn’t asked anything of her, except that she have a good time. She was prepared to do almost anything he asked.

  “Dance for me.”

  “What?” His request surprised her.

  “I want you to dance for me.”

  Struck with sudden shyness, Harper turned her head from him. Her cheeks felt inflamed. “You’ve seen me dance lots of times, Riley.”

  “At the club you dance for a room full of strangers. Tonight, I want you to dance just for me.” When she turned back to face him, lust flickered in his eyes and he studied her.

  Harper’s belly somersaulted, and her heart beat a tattoo inside her chest. Her nipples puckered into hard painful peaks, and her clit began to throb between her legs.

  “The girls.” How could he forget the girls sleeping below deck?

  “After a day in the fresh air, on the water? Sound asleep. Promise.”

  Harper glanced at the log house on the hill.

  As if reading her thoughts, he said, “I guarantee the owner isn’t there tonight.” A wicked sexy smile lifted Riley’s lips as he aimed a remote control at the bridge. Soft music filled the air around them. “Dance for me,” he ordered quietly.

  She said she’d do anything for him, so she stood and started to sway her hips slowly from side to side. The music flowed through her, and she gave in to the arousing sensations overtaking her control. She moved her body in a seductive rhythm around the deck of the rocking boat. Never breaking eye contact with Riley, she attempted to seduce him with her sensual movements.

  When the song ended Harper prayed Riley was as aroused as she was. Her pussy wept with want to have Riley buried deep inside her, taking her to that sexually fulfilling place only he could. She hadn’t removed a single stitch of clothing.

  Riley’s eyes flared with desire, telling her she’d done a good job of teasing him. He crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”

  Harper shook her head and looked at him through her lashes. “Where’s my tip, cop?” Her voice was low, shaky, and she shivered with anticipation.

  “I’m going to give you the whole thing, baby, not just the tip,” Riley growled and reached for her. He caught her wrists and pulled her to him. His warm hands burned her skin as they roamed under the billows of her skirt and up the length of her thighs. He cupped her bare buttocks, and a wide smile spread across his face. “Perfect,” he whispered.

  Harper inhaled a sharp breath as Riley urged her to straddle his lap. He massaged her rear and captured her mouth with his. His kiss tasted of possession. As she lost herself in his flavor, one of his hands slid over her hip, and his fingers then stroked her cleft, parting her fleshy outer lips to touch the moist, sensitive center they hid.

  Harper gasped as Riley slid two fingers inside her. She gripped his shoulders for support. He used the hand on her ass to pull her closer against his thrusting fingers. She crested quickly and pulled away from his kiss to suck in much needed air. Her lips brushed his as she tried to speak. “I’m, I...” Her orgasm hit so hard, so fast, she was unable to finish her sentence.

  As her body descended from its strong peak, Harper slumped against Riley’s chest, her face nestled in the crook of his neck.

  Through the dizzying fog of her release, she felt Riley’s thick fingers leave her body. He shifted her slightly to retrieve a foil package from his pocket, then relieved himself of his shorts
, and sheathed his erection in latex. He yanked off his t-shirt and pulled hers over her head as well, revealing her naked breasts to his hungry gaze. His erection lay heavily against her quivering thigh. He held her ass with his strong hands and lifted her over his cock. The broad crown probed her opening.

  “Ride me, Harper.” His voice was hoarse. He lowered her down onto him, painfully slow, until her pussy swallowed his cock completely. He removed his hands from her bottom and settled them on the seat on either side of himself. “I’m all yours, baby. Take me.”

  Harper shivered under the intensity of his heated gaze, commanding boldness, and ground her hips against him. She rode in time with the rocking motion of the boat. Pulling the tie holding her skirt around her waist, she tugged it from her body and dropped it at Riley’s feet. She leaned back, balancing herself by resting her hands on his thighs, offering him an unrestricted view of where their bodies joined.

  “Beautiful,” Riley praised as his cock slid in and out of her.

  She rubbed her hands over her breasts, plucking at her taut nipples. Her breath grew harsh as she watched his hungry gaze travel over her curves. Harper’s hips gyrated against Riley’s body, and she shuddered at the tense expression marring his gorgeous features. She knew it took great pains for him to restrain himself. Her head tipped to the side as she rode him faster, harder as she climbed within herself, reaching for a second climax. She clutched his shoulders, slamming herself against the engorged shaft impaling her. Their damp bodies slapped together and the sound pushed them on.

  Riley’s name was a hoarse cry from her throat as climax washed over her. Riley scooped her up in his arms, his cock still embedded inside her, and laid her down on the bench seat. He hissed, withdrawing himself from her depths to plunge back into her core with greater intensity. Harper arched her back, her head swimming with heat and need, losing herself in Riley’s passionate claiming. He consumed her.