by T. F. Walsh
Heat rushed up my neck, and the blush on my face was instant. What was wrong with me?
He stopped near the corner of the building and turned to me, wearing the most mischievous grin. “You’re not shy, are you? No, I’m not dating anyone.”
My heart beat so loud in my ears, I swore the wall of the shed was also thumping.
“Are you?” One of his eyebrows arched.
“No.”
“Good to know.” He rounded the corner, and we emerged into a small grass clearing.
In the distance stood a long wooden fence, but beyond it, tufts of trees sprawled, forming a canopy over the enclosure. Dozens of animal sounds echoed on the wind. The scent of monkeys, wild cats, birds, and other animals tightened around me until I had a difficult time focusing on any one smell.
When I first moved to Braşov, I’d visited this zoo, but after seeing all the animals in their small, confined spaces, I’d promised myself to never return unless I fancied my heart torn to shreds with agony. Every animal deserved the right to freedom. If it were up to me, zoos, pet stores, and circuses would be banned forever. Not to mention hunters, trappers, and poachers.
“This way.” Connell waved me over to the back door of a cement-fibro shed.
Inside, a surgical odor mingled with the air, along with the earthiness of bears. I stepped deeper into the room where a metal table was overturned in the center. The counters beneath the window on the back wall were bare. A computer lay in the corner on a desk. Next to it, on the ground, I noticed an empty cage. A girl in jeans and a white T-shirt, with a police badge around her neck, was dusting for fingerprints on the metal table. I stepped around her, careful not to bump into her or intrude on her activity, and took deep inhalations. In the back, I caught a whiff of a leather stench. The same one. Oh, we were dealing with the same culprit, all right.
Connell stepped closer, his arm lightly brushing against mine. Tingles spread through me, and with the way he glanced my direction, I swore he felt it too. But this was a crime scene, a chance to find the cubs. Not a time for flirting.
“Find anything?” he asked.
“It’s here.”
He leaned toward the empty cage and inhaled. “I’m not picking up anything leathery, though I get a faint animal smell. You sure that’s not what you’re recognizing?”
I shook my head. “Nope. This is the same acidic tanning smell. You know, if you work with certain chemicals long enough, people have been known to take on some of the odor.”
Connell sniffed the area further. “I don’t know why I can’t detect it.”
I shrugged, unable to stop staring at his stubbled jawline, the perfect line of his nose, not to mention the loose strands of blond hair I considered pushing behind his ear. Great way to look desperate. “Doesn’t the zoo have security cameras?”
“Only outside. Two hooded figures were filmed cutting the locks on the back gates we just entered, before a white van entered and parked outside this building. Two people were in and out in less than a minute. The alarm went off, but the thieves were already gone with the bear cub by the time the guards arrived.”
“And the plate on the van?” I asked.
“Removed.”
Of course it was. These weren’t amateurs.
Connell sighed. “They knew what they were after, and it tells us a lot, since both thefts were of cubs found in the woods by institute staff.”
My thoughts went to Vasile and the friend he told about the cubs. Maybe he’d shared the news with someone else, too?
“Vasile told me you were interviewing his friend. He, or a friend of his, has to be connected here.”
“You’d make a great inspector.” When he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled. “We’re following a few leads from the interviews already. And I doubt it’s Sam’s Tans. This morning Anton found one of the backyard tanning places we’ve been observing with several stolen dogs from the neighborhood. They could be hiding the cubs, too.”
“But I smelled them at the store.”
“Of course you did. The same chemicals would be there as Sam’s Tans.”
How could I convince him the store was hiding something?
“You’ve got that look in your eye, Daciana. The one that tells me you’re going to break the law again.”
I glanced up at him and placed a hand on my chest. “Me? Never.”
CHAPTER SIX
CONNELL
Anton’s voice streamed from his office, two down from mine. No secrets in this station where the walls did little to conceal conversations.
“Oh, okay, I see. Well, if you change your mind, I know a quaint little cafe open until midnight.”
Must be a smart girl dumping his sorry ass.
“Of course. All right then, speak to you later, Daciana. Maybe we can talk over coffee soon.”
I stiffened in my seat. The bastard was still trying his luck.
Anton strolled past my office door, hands in his pockets and shoulders curled forward. I should have kept my mouth shut, let it pass, but my ego had other intentions. “Rejection stings, hey?”
He backed up into my doorway and threw me a scowl. “Fuck you.”
I reclined in my seat as guilt struck. His reaction shouldn’t have had that effect on me. Hell, this buffoon deserved to experience the torment of losing someone. But then would I be any better than him?
“You’re twenty-nine, like me. Time to grow up. So unless being an asshole is your life’s intention, maybe rethink your approach.”
Anton’s glare twisted his features, and his narrowing gaze hooked into me. “She didn’t reject me but said now’s not the right time.” His voice dipped and morphed into a gravelly sound. “With the case going on, you know.”
I shook my head. “You were rejected, man. Listen, maybe if you stop behaving like a caveman, constantly tugging on your dick, you might get some respect at the precinct and with the ladies. We were friends once, and somewhere inside you, there’s the decent guy I once knew.”
His shoulders shot back, and his hands curled into fists. “Piss off, you and your perfect life, your British accent, your righteousness. Don’t pretend you know me at all.”
I pushed myself to my feet, walked around the desk, and closed the distance between us, lowering my voice to avoid the chief overhearing us. “I will never forget what you did to me. I have no more time for you.”
A blistering anger awoke inside me along with the memories I’d lost, the future I’d planned. That part of my life was over, Michaela had bailed, and while torturing Anton would bring me the greatest satisfaction, that wasn’t me or whom I wanted to become. At least I’d finally realized the type of woman Michaela was—with her demands for weekly gifts, pressure to move to a larger city, and her constant sulkiness. I must have had lust on the brain not to have seen through her.
And if she hadn’t gone with Anton, some other guy would have come along and pulled her away. What if it had happened after tens years of marriage, with kids? Maybe it was better off I discovered it when I did.
“Actually,” I said, “I wanted to thank you for showing me what sort of person Michaela was.”
Anton’s anger warped into a tangle of frown lines across his brow. He turned and stormed down the corridor.
Time to head home. But first I’d swing past Sam’s Tans. There was something about the way Daciana had stared at me earlier that hinted she might pay them a visit again. I adored her tenacity but doubted she’d back down from trouble. She reminded me of myself in a few ways … Or at least the way I used to be. I seemed to have lost that part of me somewhere during the last year.
With keys in hand, I strolled out to discover Anton back in his office, flicking through files on his desk. For the first time, a new future lay ahead of me, and Anton was in the past. If I kept telling myself this, all the positive affirmation mumbo-jumbo might kick in. One step forward in letting go of the past.
Outside, the winds had picked up again, and the cold night
prickled across my skin. I drove through traffic, heading to the other side of the city. Except, up ahead lay Daciana’s place.
Without thinking, I made a hard right onto her street, spotting her apartment window from the street. I should check that she got home safe. Then I’d return to my place. Tonight was pizza-takeout-with-a-cold-beer night.
Slowing to a crawl on the narrow street with cars parked bumper to bumper on either side, I noticed Daciana’s apartment had no lights on. Maybe she’d gone to sleep already? At least she wasn’t on a date with Anton.
I sped down the curved street, knowing it looped around to the main road. A figure sprinted down the footpath in the same direction as me. Even with the hood and black clothes and the seemingly familiar running rhythm, I might have figured it was only a jogger. Except, I recognized Daciana’s cute ass right away. I laughed, unable to hold back how much I loved her spunk.
With no cars behind me, I slowed alongside her and pushed the button to slide down the window. “Want a lift, or should I wait for you at the store?”
Daciana halted and turned my way, pushing the hood back off her face. She frowned. “Isn’t stalking against the law, officer?” Even with her labored breaths, the inflection in her tone bordered on flirting.
“Not if that person is considered a suspect in a case.”
A hand flew to her chest in an exaggerated manner, fingers splayed out. “Oh, I’m a suspect now?”
“Technically everyone related to the case is until we find who’s responsible.”
“And it gives you the right to follow me?”
“I had this sneaking suspicion you were going to break the law.”
Beams appeared behind me from an approaching car. “So, you going to jump in?”
“Where are we headed?” Her head tilted to the side.
“Sam’s Tans. Unless you have somewhere else in mind.”
Her lips curled upward, and she opened the door and climbed in.
I drove down the road and shut her window to keep the cold wind outside.
“Still can’t believe you followed me. I’m not sure whether I should take it as a compliment or be creeped out.” Daciana buckled herself in and turned in her seat to face me.
“Well, I wasn’t going for the creep factor, but now you’ve got me worried.”
“You don’t trust me, do you? I simply planned to watch the store a bit and see if anything happened.” She shrugged. “For my own peace of mind.”
“Like you did last time?” I asked.
I met her genuine expression of concern. Shadows danced beneath her eyes, but as stupid as it sounded, I believed her story. Was I going soft, or was my cock now in charge? Neither changed the fact that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but alongside Daciana. She had me twisted up tight.
“Technically, the store is open to the public, so I wasn’t trespassing.” Sarcasm marbled her voice.
“After hours it’s not.” I merged the car onto the main road and accelerated. “Why are you so adamant that the owner is at fault?”
“Because I know what I smelled. If I hadn’t left the keys outside the institute, maybe the cubs would still be safe.” Her next words were soft, almost a whisper. “Plus, my job is on the line if they aren’t found.”
“Whoever took the cubs would have probably broken in and taken them with or without the key. The only difference is that you made it easier for them.”
She sighed. “Doesn’t really make me feel any better.”
I reached over and patted her knee, but the moment we touched, I realized it was a mistake. My pulse shifted into high gear. As I drew my hand away, neither of us said a word. Yep, I’d definitely crossed the line. Great move into creep territory, buddy.
When we reached the store, I parked a few cars down from the driveway. With my windows tinted extra dark, the likelihood of anyone seeing us was minuscule … Especially in this part of town with only industrial buildings around us.
I switched the engine off, unbuckled my seatbelt, and stared in the direction of the store. Night cloaked the land, and only the streetlights beamed across the front yard of the property. Everything else fell deadly still. Including inside the car.
Hell. If Daciana had pushed Anton away, what made me think she’d be interested in me?
The clack of Daciana unlatching her belt echoed, then her hand was on my thigh. Those sizzling sparks of electricity shot through me again. Michaela had never had this effect on me. I turned to Daciana, and she scooted closer in her seat, leaning an elbow on the center console. We were barely an inch apart.
“I hope I’m not pushing my luck here … ” Her sassy tone had my heart pounding against my rib cage.
Without another thought, I leaned in.
Daciana’s hand reached across, tracing the line of my jaw. Her fingers threaded through the hair behind my ear and drew me closer. Her lips grazed mine, softly.
My breaths sped up. I returned the kiss, and my hand moved to her shoulder, squeezing. I was desperate to draw her closer, but it was damn near impossible in the car. I sucked on her lower lip, and the mewling in her throat had me hard in a second flat. I shifted toward her for better access. My tongue surged inside her mouth. She hungrily accepted it, twirling hers with mine.
I blindly reached my hand down in front of my seat and pulled the lever. As the seat rolled all the way back, it gave me additional room to reach the minx whose hand was gliding down my chest.
Her hand slid lower to my stomach, and my pants tightened. I had to have her.
Gripping her hips, I coaxed her over the middle console and filled my hands with her perfect ass. She threaded a leg across my lap and leaned a knee on the edge of my seat. I guided her other leg over, and now she straddled my groin, half kneeling against me. She settled down on my hardness and smiled.
Her hands tugged at my shirt, pulling it free from the waistband, and her touch was fire against my stomach. I ripped my shirt off and yanked hers up, revealing a lacy, black bra. Her waist tapered inward to a flat stomach, but my sight was focused on something else. I closed in and left a trail of kisses along her collarbone and down to the tops of her soft breasts, which bounced each time she moved. My hands were already unlatching the back strap, and I inhaled her coconut-vanilla fragrance.
She slid the bra straps off her shoulders, revealing gorgeous breasts spilling out of my hands. The dark, rosy nipples beaded against my palms.
“You’re beautiful.”
I latched onto one of her breasts, my tongue flicking the bud as I sucked. Her groans escalated.
“Harder,” she purred, and fuck if I didn’t comply.
I squeezed her other nipple between my fingers, and her moans were rhythmic, driving me insane.
My pants constricted me. Her hips rocked back and forth, her heat rubbing against mine. Clothes had to go. I didn’t care how, but I craved to bury my face between her legs, tongue-fuck her until she came, then pound her like crazy.
I devoured the other breast and flicked open the button on her jeans. Nothing mattered, except Daciana and me.
“Connell.” Her sultry voice had goose bumps coating my arms. I broke my hold on the nipple and glanced up. Heat flushed her cheeks, and I adored the pure sexiness in her eyes. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”
“Babe, I’ll do whatever you ask, but first we’re finishing this.”
The way her mouth curled upward into a wicked grin had me so hard it ached.
“I’ll meet you in the back seat.” She climbed across me, but not before my tongue swept a path across one of her breasts. With her butt in the air and the front half of her body leaning into the back seat, I grasped her hips. “Don’t move.”
She obliged. I curled my fingers over the top of her jeans and pulled them down, along with black panties, to just above her bent knees, which balanced on the middle console.
She moaned her approval.
Her perfect ass was porcelain white, and I took a mock bite of a butt
cheek. My fingers slid down to the apex between her thighs, which were parted slightly, enough for me to reach the burning hot, silky mound. Her intoxicating scent fogged my head.
I slid two fingers inside her, slowly at first. Her groans intensified, while her hips wriggled. Then I pushed them into her faster, harder. Her excitement filled the car, and my balls were so tight. Fuck, I yearned to eat her, but the space didn’t permit it. I would soon enough.
“Come for me, babe. Come now.”
Her walls constricted around my fingers, tighter, but I never relented with the thrusting. She cried out with pleasure. Was that a faint growl? Hell, I loved it. Spasms shivered down her legs. When she grew silent and only her heavy breaths sounded, I withdrew my fingers, loving the glisten coating them. She was beyond hot, and I doubted I’d ever be able to stop fucking her.
I pulled her jeans back up her thighs, and she climbed the rest of the way into the back seat. I adjusted my pants and cock, ready to release him and party.
“Hurry back here.” The adorable rumble of her laughter made me hornier. How was that even possible?
The moment I reached for the door, prepared to meet her in the back, car lights beamed from the tanning store’s driveway. Then a van appeared, and my insides curdled. It was white. Similar to the one on the video from the zoo.
Daciana’s head popped forward between the seats. “Oh shit. We have to follow them.”
A part of me died on the inside at the idea of not finishing what we’d started. Talk about cock blocking. Atrocious timing.
In the rearview mirror, I watched Daciana fix her bra, tucking away her gorgeous breasts and tugging her hoodie back on. I buckled into my seat as she climbed into the front, bumping my shoulder in the process. My initial reaction was to take hold of her, kiss her, and start all over.
Instead, I edged the car onto the road and sped up behind the van, which had already turned right at the end of the street.
“Well, that was unfortunate.” Daciana offered me a smile, and beneath the streetlights we passed, her cheeks blushed. Just the memory of her screaming with pleasure had me so hard, I thought my pants might pop at the seams.