She wriggled her hips again, trying to get free. It had taken her months and almost burning out her favorite vibrator to get her libido to calm down after that night. She sure as hell didn’t need to stir up that hornet’s nest again.
“Don’t move,” he whispered, the deep, husky sound hitting her low down in her belly, setting off a succession of little electric zaps and zings all over her body as he leaned closer until there was barely an inch of breathing space between them. An inch that was getting smaller and smaller with every second. The warmth of his breath blew softly over her lips.
God, what a temptation! She licked her lips. His eyes darkened to a warm brown as he licked his. She followed the trail of that tongue with her eyes, dying to—
No! She pushed him harder.
What was she thinking? Nope. No way. Not again. Those kisses were deadly!
Besides, he’d slept with half her girlfriends. Probably all of them for all she knew. No way was she going to end up like them. Drooling over a man when he so much as looked their way.
“If you’re thinking of checking out the results of my tonsillectomy, hot stuff,” she managed to whisper, “I suggest you make sure your health plan is up to date first. I’m not interested, and I go down fighting.” The fact that the words came out as little more than a husky croak made it sound pretty unconvincing, even to her ears, but she held up her bandaged arm as proof and to drive the point home rubbed her knee up his inner thigh, nudging pointedly against the swollen package pushing against his jeans.
Randy chuckled, deliberately missing the point, and pushed against her knee, his eyes crinkling at the corners as the darkness faded, leaving them their normal light brown. “I sure hope you do go down fighting, babe, ‘cause I aim to put that to the test a little later on when we’re all alone.”
She licked her lips. She only did that when she was nervous or agitated, and right then she was both. God, did he have to smell so damn good? Standing so close, her head was filled with the all-male scent—not even a hint of aftershave, just whatever was distinctively Randy—and it was making her hormones jump like popcorn over a high heat.
“I’ll be back a little later with my stuff. You’ve got me for the duration, Crissy, so best make the most of it.” He tipped her face up so he was staring right into her eyes. “I’m really a nice guy once you get to know me.”
He leaned over and brushed a lingering kiss along her cheek before he winked at her and turned away.
“Later, babe…”
She watched him leave the kitchen and head down the hallway and caught the cupboard as her legs weakened. No, that wasn’t a walk—it was a damn swagger. Confident. Arrogant. Hell, but what a tight butt! She could only imagine what it would look like naked, flexing… She bit her lip as he turned back, catching her eyes glued at hip level.
“Y-yes?”
“Lock the door after me, honey. No sense in making it too easy for them.”
“Right. Got it.”
She curled her lips in derision when he winked at her, but inside her tummy was doing little star jumps.
Damn man. Now what was she going to do?
To hear her friends tell it, he was the hottest thing in the sack since the invention of the double vibrator. The only reason she’d done the damn dare was to prove no man could kiss that well. They’d all been expecting her to fall the same way they had, straight into bed with him. Sure, she’d been tempted, seriously so, but no way would she give her friends the satisfaction of saying “I told you so”. Still, when he’d gone to get them both a drink, she’d seen her chance—her only chance—to get away. Part desperation and part self-preservation, she’d hauled ass out of there the minute his back was turned.
Not to say that she wouldn’t have enjoyed the sex, but she figured Randy’s bedpost already had so many notches it looked like a nest of hungry termites had attacked it. At least her notch was noticeably absent.
And then Neil had come along. Sweet, quiet Neil… What had she been thinking? Although, now that she thought about it, maybe Neil had been all about getting as far away from the sort of temptation Randy represented as it was possible to get.
She sighed to herself. Two months they’d gone out, and he’d still been waiting for the “right moment”. Which didn’t do a whole lot for a girl’s ego.
Randy, on the other hand, looked like he couldn’t wait to get naked with her. A whimsical smile lit her eyes as she imagined that body… On her bed, preferably. Or leaning over her. God, and what a fuck it would be. Feeling him sliding into her as he bit at her nipples… Hard and slow, filling her so full…
Crossing her legs and tensing against the dampness she felt moistening her panties, she shook her head and groaned silently.
She was screwed. Totally, completely screwed.
Chapter Three
“I must come and watch this one,” mused Chad, launching himself out of the wicker chair where he’d been waiting, and catching up with Randy as he strolled back across the road to his truck.
Slipping his sunglasses down over his eyes, Randy pulled his mind away from Crissy and what thoughts about those hard nipples were doing to his peace of mind. “What? Watch what?”
Chad shrugged back into his leather jacket. “You. When you tell Zig why it is you feel you have to stay with the luscious and very lickable Crissy.”
Randy inhaled deeply to swallow the snarl. “Don’t be thinking about licking Crissy, cuz, unless you want to be lapping up your next bowl of milk through a straw. And you know damn well why I need to stay there. This is not a normal burglary—you can feel that as well as I can.”
“So, it has nothing to do those big tits you were drooling over.”
Randy yanked open the door of his truck. “None.”
“Or that sexy ass.”
One foot on the door runner, ready to climb in, Randy stepped back down and turned to face his cousin who was leaning casually against the side of his truck, thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his jeans. “Your point?”
“Just checking out the ground rules, cuz. I might be interested myself. Let’s face it—at least her cat likes me. I’d say I’ve got half a foot in the door already. I think I should stay here with Crissy and you—”
Grabbing both lapels of Chad’s leather jacket, Randy pulled him up close and glared. “Just keep your fucking hands to yourself and off Crissy, hear?”
To his annoyance, Chad just smirked. “Oh, I don’t see why we don’t let the little lady make up her own mind. After all, unless you’re making a claim…” Chad freed himself and grabbed his helmet to put it on. Swinging his leg over the bike, he kick-started it and said, “See you back at the office, man. Last one there…” The rest of his words were drowned out by the roar of the bike as he tore off down the street.
No fucking way! Randy thought to himself. Goddamn cat! Picking up his cell phone, he called the office, grateful his brother answered the phone on the second ring.
“Zig?… Just on my way back… Yeah, the situation’s not looking good—weres, possibly a vamp involved too, so I’ll be staying here until we get some solid answers… Uh-huh… Well, my suggestion is to have Chad working with Marcus…” Randy ran his free hand through his hair as he listened to his brother. “Look, I’m on my way back now. I’ll explain it all when I get there… Sure, be there in a few.” With a grin, he pressed “End” and snapped the cell phone shut.
Starting up the truck, he pulled away from the gutter, leaning his arm on the sill of the open window as he drove down the road, singing along to a song on the radio.
* * * * *
When he strolled into the office ten minutes later, he laughed at the sour expression on Chad’s face.
“You fight dirty, man. This ain’t over.”
Randy snorted and bumped Chad sideways as they both walked into Ziggy’s office.
“Okay, give it to me. What’s the deal over at the Carter place?” said Ziggy. “You mentioned on the phone you think some of our guys
have been sniffing around. Give me the rest of it.”
Randy looked at Chad, who just nodded as if to give him the lead.
“At least one werewolf, possibly two, but the thing that bothers me…” he glanced at Chad again as if in confirmation, “is the other smell. I’m betting a vamp is somehow involved with this. But it doesn’t make sense. Why steal a human’s camera? What were they looking for in her house? And the woman can’t go another round, Zig, I’m telling you. She’s a walking advertisement for Blue Cross as it is. This whole thing is weird—it just doesn’t smell right.”
“Not to mention, I found this little beauty.” Chad tossed the knife on the desk.
“Being a little cavalier with the evidence there, aren’t you, Chad?” Ziggy raised an eyebrow at him.
Chad snorted. “Maybe. If we were going to the cops with it. Which we aren’t. Right?”
Ziggy shook his head, but then picked the knife up and flicked it open, whistling soundlessly as he turned it over and back. “Somebody meant business.” He closed the knife and handed it back to Chad. Crossing his hands behind his head, he leaned so far back in his chair, the springs protested. “So, what’s the plan? You’re staying there. Okay, that’s cool. Just remember my earlier warning, yes?” He paused and stared at Randy as if waiting. Randy just rolled his eyes and looked away. “But what else? Chad? What about you?”
“Well, seeing as how I’ll have my nights free…” Chad looked pointedly at a smirking Randy, “I thought I’d give Marcus a call. He’ll know better than anyone if we’ve got a bloodsucker to contend with as well. And what type. We’ll probably swing by later tonight. But I agree with Randy on this one—those guys will be back. Too many things just don’t add up.”
A faint smile lit Ziggy’s face. “I’m impressed. For once you two seem to be serious about something. From what you’ve told me, something strange is going on. Maybe the camera is a clue. Too much of a coincidence for the first guy to just be a simple mugger. Any idea what she’s been shooting? Who she’s worked for?”
“She’s making me up a list,” said Randy. “I’ll start on that tomorrow.”
“Okay, keep me posted and give me a yell if you need a hand.”
Chad already had his cell phone out as they walked out of the office. Randy waited while he left a message on Marcus’ answering machine.
When he flipped the phone shut, Randy said, “I’m going to follow up a couple of leads Crissy gave me. You wanna come?”
Chad looked pensive for a moment, but then his expression cleared. “Yeah, why not. Let’s go.”
* * * * *
Settling his duffel more squarely over his shoulder, Randy raised his hand to knock on Crissy’s door and frowned when the door opened under his hand.
Shit!
He’d told her to lock it. What was wrong with her?
His senses went on alert. Dropping the old canvas bag softly on the floor just inside the door, Randy pulled his Beretta out of the duffel, freeing it from its shoulder holster, and stepped down the hall, grateful for the carpet runner that muffled his steps, sniffing the air as he went.
Slipping his head into each room, he moved swiftly down the hall and checked out every one. When he reached the laundry, a hiss greeted him as he woke Fatso, curled up on a pile of laundry, from a sound sleep. The old feline raised one eye and a corner of his lip, baring a tiny fang before he dropped his head down onto a towel and settled back into a sleep again.
Mangy bag of fleas, thought Randy in derision.
After uncovering nothing through a search of the lower floor, not even the owner of the house, a frown creased Randy’s face. True, nothing smelled off, but that didn’t mean much. Body tense, gun raised in front of him, he hugged the sides of the stairs as he moved up them, one at a time, freezing in place when one creaked under him.
With a measured and careful tread, he started off again, taking a deep breath as he tested each step before putting his weight on it. At the top landing, four doors stood open.
Deciding to just start with the nearest one first, he edged inside warily, his eyes scanning the darkened interior. At some point in the house’s history, it must have been the old nursery, judging by the décor—clouds painted on the walls with cartoon characters frolicking below. Right now, though, it was a junk room from the look of the boxes, some opened, some not, littering the floor space.
He backed out as quietly as he entered and edged his way along the wall to the next doorway. Bathroom—peeling paint and cracked tiles—obviously in need of some renovation. But nothing else worth mentioning. The room next door was empty too, excluding the double bed, unmade, and a chest of drawers pushed up against the opposite wall. Well, Crissy had known he’d be back, so if the bed wasn’t made, it meant he just might be sleeping in the next room. Yeah, right. He could dream.
Still, his body went rigid when he tipped his head around the corner of the doorway and took in the state of the main bedroom.
A chill ran down his spine. Had the burglar come back in the short time he’d been gone? If he had, the open door downstairs would have been an open invitation. Whatever had gone on in there, it looked like she’d put up one hell of a fight.
After seeing the decorating disaster downstairs, Randy had been expecting more of the same in Crissy’s personal space. He was surprised by an eclectic mix that, like the kitchen, just made it feel lived in, comfortable. Except for the fact that it looked like a tornado had gone through it. A chair was tipped over, clothes were hanging out of open drawers, over the old velvet couch positioned under one of the huge bay windows, the sheets were half pulled off the bed and touching the floor…
He listened hard for any sound that might tell him if Crissy was still in there. Or hurt.
Heart in his throat, he moved stealthily around the room, lifting a skirt here, a bit of silky underwear there with the barrel of his gun, his eyes alert, his senses charged.
All that was left was a door, slightly ajar, off the bedroom. Pushing slowly on the door to open it, he was hit with a cloud of lavender-scented steam.
The hand with his gun dropped as he took in the sight in front of him. If anything his heart started pounding harder. Oh, Jesus!
Crissy, eyes closed, a beatific smile on her face, and every goddamn inch of her beautifully wet and naked. Full, tanned breasts offset by the whiteness of the bubbles, barely cresting the surface, dimpled knees peeking above the water—damn! It was just about the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.
But it was about time she learned a lesson about security and safety. He crossed his arms over his chest, gun exposed, and leaned back against the door, the click as it shut sounding very loud in the serenity of the bathroom.
“You really didn’t need to go to all that trouble, babe. Naked on the bed would have been just fine…”
Her eyes blinked open. “What the hell—”
Correction—now that was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. Crissy sitting up straight, those mouth-watering tits bobbing with the movement, little cherry nipples all puckered and dying for a bite, blue eyes flashing—absolutely delicious!
“Do you often barge into a woman’s bathroom uninvited? And what’s with the gun, James Bond? I’m not armed, no concealed weapons, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
He curled his lip. Somehow it figured she wouldn’t be one of those women who would jump up screaming, trying to protect her modesty. Dammit. “Oh, trust me, babe, I noticed.” He placed the gun down on the vanity. “So, do you often take a bath and leave the house wide open for anyone to wander in?”
“I didn’t—”
“And your bedroom, Crissy…” Yes, that damn bedroom. Either she was the messiest woman on the planet, or she liked her sex rough.
And while the thought of rough sex and Crissy made his cock twitch to get out and join the fun, it was the idea that someone else might have explored that particular pleasure with her recently that made him want to snarl.
Subsequen
tly, his words came out much harsher than he intended. “It looks like a fight…or something took place in there. Naturally I assumed…”
Her reply was equally as snappy. “Okay, I’ll bite. You assumed what?”
His cock jerked at the word “bite”. Yeah. That was something he was definitely looking forward to. She could bite him from here to Sunday and he’d lie there and lap up every nip and nibble. “You and I, we need to talk. Either you can get out of that tub, or I can join you in there… Personally, I’d go for the second option.” He started to undo the buttons on his shirt.
“Whoa! Hold it right there, big guy. I’ll get out. Right after you leave.”
He stifled a grin. “What? And miss the best part?” Turning, he noticed a little stool next to the vanity and planted himself down. “Nope, I think I’ll stay right here. Just in case you need a hand,” he said with a smirk. Damn, if her getting all pissy with him didn’t make him hard as a flagpole.
“Nudity doesn’t bother me, you know.”
“Glad to hear it, babe, ‘cause it sure as hell doesn’t bother me either.”
Even so, he swallowed hard as she stood up, one eyebrow raised at him which was kinda cute, but the water streaming over and down her body in small rivulets had him stomping on an urge to close the distance between them and lick her dry, starting at her feet and not stopping until he reached those diamond-hard nipples.
Candid Camera Page 4