by Cynthia Eden
“I’m going to Wicked,” Lex said. “I’ll take care of Sophie.”
Chance nodded. “Dev and I will follow the money.”
Because the money was their biggest lead. He turned to the right, but Chance caught his arm.
“Do me a favor, man?” Chance said.
Frowning, Lex glanced at him. Only he saw that Chance’s gaze was on the building across the street.
“Don’t get shot,” Chance said flatly. “I don’t like this case. Not one bit.”
Who did? But Lex nodded and hurried away.
***
Wicked wasn’t filled with dancers. There were no drunk men and women eager to escape into the wild beat of music at the club. The place was as silent as a tomb as Ethan led Sophie inside.
Dark. Too empty.
“All these years,” Ethan muttered. He went straight to the bar and grabbed for the whiskey. “I thought I was protecting you.”
“Who else would have wanted them dead?” She was the one with the biggest motive. When he poured two glasses of whiskey, she grabbed one and downed it in a quick gulp. “The rest of the world thought my dad was perfect—so big at church, great at his job. That’s why none of the cops ever did anything. They bought into his lies.” The monster had only come out at home.
Ethan drank his whiskey just as fast as she had, then immediately poured more. “So many years have passed. It’s not going to be easy to track down the killer.”
Maybe. Maybe not. She reached for her refilled glass, but didn’t drink. “What if the killer has already tracked me down?”
He stilled, with that whiskey midway to his mouth.
“Did you send that man to break into my house?” Sophie had to ask that question.
Ethan slammed the drink down on the bar top. “Hell, no! I would never do that to you!”
She took a sip from the glass. She hadn’t even noticed the burn of the whiskey during her first glass. She noticed with the sip. Weird. “The man who came in said he wanted to make sure that I was all right.” Her mind wouldn’t let this go. “He said he wanted to kill Daniel because of what he’d done to me.”
Ethan’s glass was still in front of him. He glanced around the bar, jaw tight, then he looked back at her. “And now Daniel’s dead.”
“Did you put the hit on him?” They could talk freely in Wicked. She knew that.
“No.”
Was he lying? Would he really lie to her? Sophie stared at him, trying to see deep inside to Ethan’s soul, wishing she could magically know the truth.
“I love you,” Ethan told her. “You called me your brother, and Sophie, you have to know that I think of you as family. Every dark secret I have, you know.”
He didn’t know all of her secrets. He didn’t know that she’d come close to taking her life right before her parents’ death. I wanted the pain to stop. She’d been on that bridge, ready to jump, but she hadn’t gone into the churning water.
Sophie took a longer sip—more of a gulp—and didn’t feel the burn of the whiskey that time. “The man in my home wanted to kill Daniel because of what he’d done to me. Do you think it’s possible…? No.” She tightened her grip on the glass. “There’s no way that same man could have killed my parents. That was so long ago. It wouldn’t make any sense.” Would it?
“No one has hurt you since then.” Ethan’s voice was considering. “No one but Daniel.”
If she did have a stalker… it was almost as if the guy saw himself as her protector. Would Daniel’s attack have set him off? After all of those years…?
Maybe.
“Ethan—”
A faint beeping filled the club’s interior. Sophie stiffened.
Ethan didn’t look concerned. “I put in a few security upgrades after the last mishap here.”
Mishap? Is that what he was going to call the time he’d nearly died in that place, courtesy of Daniel?
“During the day, I have a security monitor in place that tells me when anyone gets a little too close.” He tapped a button, and a screen appeared behind the bar. The shelves of glasses slid back, and the flat screen literally just appeared. Ethan tapped a button on his phone, and an image immediately appeared on that screen.
She saw the front exterior of Wicked.
She also saw a very determined Lex heading their way.
“Here comes the new lover,” Ethan said. He glanced over at Sophie. “You sure you know what you’re doing with that one? He doesn’t seem like the type to let go easily.”
No, he wasn’t. He also wasn’t the type to give up on someone. “I trust him.”
Shock flashed on Ethan’s face.
A bit self-consciously, Sophie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “And that’s not the whiskey talking, okay? Lex is one of the good guys.”
He tapped another button on his phone, and, on the screen behind the bar, she saw the door to Wicked swing open. Remote controlled. Handy.
“Since when…” Ethan asked, “do you date good guys?”
Lex quickened his steps and entered Wicked. “Since him,” Sophie said.
Ethan swore, but she was already turning away from him. She hurried across the bar and met Lex seconds later. “Look, I can explain,” Sophie began even as she wondered how he’d tracked her to Wicked. Dev, probably.
Lex caught her in his arms. He pulled her against his chest, holding her tightly. She could feel the frantic racing of his heart. Then—
He kissed her. Wildly, desperately.
“I am standing right here,” Ethan called out. “And this shit is extremely awkward. It’s like you’re making out with my sister right in front of me. Stop it, seriously.”
Lex pulled back, but only a little. He rested his forehead against hers.
“Lex, what’s wrong?”
“Griffin is dead. He was shot right in front of me. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do to save him.”
She shook her head, an instinctive denial.
“The shooter was good. He hit from across the street. Sniper position. He took out his target then got the hell out of there before the police arrived.” Lex looked over her shoulder, and she followed his gaze.
Ethan had the whiskey glass in his hand as he frowned at Lex. “Not me, man. I didn’t hire anyone to kill Daniel. The guy was rotting in prison. He wasn’t my concern.”
“Bull. You came huffing and puffing to my house because you were afraid he’d turn on you. But he got shot before he could, then—bam—Griffin is taken out, too.”
Ethan rolled his shoulders. “So you think that means I eliminated all of the ties to me. Clever, but—”
“Stop it!” Sophie nearly yelled. “Drop the tough guy act, Ethan! I told you, I trust Lex.”
She felt the ripple of surprise roll through Lex.
“She’s been drinking,” Ethan said quickly. “Don’t go getting all excited there, Lex. Whiskey makes her say crazy things.”
The hell it did. She could drink him under the table any day of the week. “Drop it,” she ordered Ethan again. “We need to find out who is doing this. What if he comes after me again? What then, Ethan?”
Ethan seemed to pale, but he nodded toward Lex and admitted, “I knew Sophie would stop the deal from going through, okay? I wasn’t planning to kill the guy right there. And if—fucking worst case scenario—Daniel had talked, then I would have applied pressure directly on the ADA. It’s not like that guy doesn’t have skeletons in his closet. Hell, years ago, Clarke liked to go slumming on the wrong side of town. I saved his ass a time or ten, but he likes to act like that never happened.”
She hadn’t known that.
“And all the times that Griffin came here?” Lex wanted to know. “What was that about?”
“Man, I don’t even stay here at night. Don’t like the crowds.” Ethan stroked the scar on his left cheek, then grazed the one on his right. “I’m not really in the mood for the ladies to look at me like I’m some kind of freak.”
“You’re not,”
Sophie said immediately.
Ethan laughed. “Soph, I’ve always told you, we have to do something about that soft heart.” Then his face tightened as he focused on Lex once more. “I didn’t even see Griffin so I sure didn’t go hiring the guy to kill for me. Look somewhere else, and look fast.”
Sophie opened her mouth, ready to tell Ethan that she’d fired the guys from VJS, so there would be no looking for them. That Lex was there because…
He wants me?
But Lex beat her to the punch. “Dev and Chance are already searching. We’ll find the bastard.”
“Good,” Ethan retorted. “Because it almost sounds as if the SOB wants to make me look guilty. Been there, done that shit already, and I sure don’t plan to do it again. I’ve got enough hell already on my plate.”
Yes, he did.
“Let’s go, Sophie,” Lex said. His fingers twined with hers.
She nodded.
“Sophie!” Ethan’s voice held a worried edge. “Be careful with him.”
With Lex?
“Good guys can hurt you, too.”
Lex pulled her closer to his side. “No, I won’t. Count on that. I’d fucking take a bullet before I hurt her.”
She could practically feel Ethan measuring Lex. Judging him. Finally, Ethan said, “Good. Remember that promise. I expect you to keep it.” Then he waved them away. “Sophie knows the way out.”
She did and she was the one who led them away from Ethan, and from the heavy darkness that always seemed to cling to him. A darkness that she’d known, too, for so long. But she was tired of the dark. Couldn’t it be time for her to step into the light?
They didn’t speak until they were at Lex’s car. He opened the passenger door for her and she slid inside.
“I needed to see you.” His voice was gruff.
Before she could reply, he’d hurried around the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. She reached for his hand just as he was about to start the car. “I needed you, too.” She needed him more than she’d realized.
He sucked in a breath and looked down at her hand. “Did you think about what I told you earlier?”
She glanced out of the front windshield. The sun was starting to set. In a few hours, when darkness really took over, Wicked would be packed. She didn’t plan to be anywhere near the club then. She planned to be in bed with Lex. “How about we try for that second night?” Sophie forced a smile, hoping it hid her nerves. “Want to see if it will be as good as the first?” Her gaze slid back to him, and she saw his whole face harden, even as his eyes lit with a fire.
“I don’t need to see.”
His voice alone could turn her on—and did.
“I know making love to you again will be fucking fantastic.” A muscle flexed in his jaw. “The hard part will be holding on until I get you home. When I’m near you, I want.” It sounded as if he were just stating a fact.
It had never been that way for her. Having someone want her so completely. So totally. All of her flaws and secrets, exactly as she was.
A thrill shot through her and she leaned across the seat toward him. Sophie caught Lex’s lower lip between her teeth, feeling reckless and wild with her own desire. She tugged sensually even as her hand slid down his chest. Down, down to his waist, then to his crotch. He was turned on—she could feel the hot length of his cock through his jeans. “I want, too. So drive fast, Lex. Because this time, I’ll get to make you crazy.”
He growled and said. “Sweetheart, you already do.”
She stroked him again, eased back in her seat, and smiled.
Lex spun the car out of the lot.
***
No, no, no! He sank back into the alley as fury pumped through him. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Sophie wasn’t supposed to turn to someone else. He was the one who’d done everything for her. He was the one who’d taken all of the risks. He’d killed for her.
But the bitch thought she could just go to another?
She was dead wrong.
No, no, Lex Jensen was the one who was dead. Tonight. Lex was dying tonight. And maybe he’d die in front of Sophie. Then she’d see. She’d realize all that he’d done for her over the years. She’d know that she belonged completely—
To me.
***
“Who the hell is that?” Ethan muttered beneath his breath as he stared at the security feed. He’d left the monitor up and he’d watched Lex play the gentleman and open Sophie’s car door.
You’d better treat her like a fucking queen. She deserves that.
But, after they’d pulled away, Ethan had noticed something else. A shadow that shouldn’t be there. Lurking, near the alley. A shadow that had the form of a man.
He unlocked his safe, took out his gun, and headed outside.
Ethan knew that shadow had been watching Sophie.
He searched the alley. The place reeked, but there was no one back there. Not anymore. Still clutching his weapon, Ethan returned to the front of Wicked.
Sophie was gone. Her watcher was gone.
This shit wasn’t good.
Chapter Eleven
She wants to be with me.
Lex knew just how important these moments were for him, for Sophie, and he was determined not to screw anything up.
He shut the door at his house. Set the alarms. Looked around. The place wasn’t good enough for her. He should light candles—do some kind of romantic gesture that women were supposed to like. Maybe he should get some wine for Sophie. Run her a bubble bath?
His gaze jerked around the room. The fireplace. Right. A crackling fire would be good. But first, he needed to get clean. He’d been surrounded by blood and death and before he touched Sophie, he wanted to wash that off his skin.
“Just relax here,” he told her, his body actually aching because he wanted her so much. “I’ll be right back.”
She frowned a little bit, but he hurried down the hallway. He stripped and jumped in the shower, not caring that the water was ice cold. Maybe it would slow him down a bit and help him to keep his control longer because when he touched Sophie, he pretty much went up in flames.
“I could join you.”
He whirled around. The still cold water pelted him, and through the glass door, he saw Sophie standing there. Stripping.
Not fast like he’d done. But slowly, sensually. Her shirt. Her skirt. Her thigh highs. How many pairs of those sexy things did she own? As he watched, she unhooked her bra and smiled. Then she kicked out of her shoes and, with her gaze on him, she pushed her panties down her hips.
The water didn’t feel so cold.
His hand flew out. He yanked off the faucet even as he opened that door.
Sophie waited a few steps away. She was completely nude. A perfect temptation. “I figure there is a reason you ran in here.”
His gaze was on her breasts. Those perfect pink nipples. Sweeter than strawberries. “Couldn’t touch you…” His voice was a rumble. “With death still on me.”
He heard her surprised inhalation. Maybe he should have sugarcoated, but thinking was kind of hard then, what with her sex bare and so very close.
I want to taste her again.
He grabbed a towel. Yanked it over him. He was dragging that towel down his chest when Sophie touched him. Her fingers slid over his stomach, and he was the one sucking in a hard breath.
“Let me,” Sophie said.
He’d let her do anything she wanted. Didn’t she know that?
She took the towel and slid it down his chest. Every muscle locked down. Well, his cock shot up. He was hard and aching, and if his control didn’t hold, he’d be coming all too soon.
She eased the towel down more. Put it right over his straining erection. Through the towel, she squeezed.
“Sophie, sweetheart, let me get you to the bed.” Or wait, hadn’t he been planning to light a fire? Or get wine or—
Planning to fuck her. Hard and deep. Planning to take her so completely there will never be another for h
er.
So much for good intentions. Every stroke had his primitive side—a side never too far away—surging forward.
Then Sophie dropped the towel. She leaned forward.
“Sophie—”
She put her mouth on him. A hot, wet heaven. She licked and she sucked and control disintegrated. He was supposed to seduce.
He barely stayed sane. His arms locked around her. He lifted her up, trying desperately not to hold her too tightly but—
“Are you going to fuck me?” Sophie asked. She arched up toward him. Bit his neck. He loved it when she did that. “Or do you want to make me wait while you shower again?”
The question shocked a laugh out of him and bought him a few more moments of not actually pouncing on her. He carried her to the bed. Spread her out. Looked his fill at her. “I was going to seduce you.”
She smiled. A real, warm, actual smile. One that stole his breath and his heart.
“Didn’t you notice?” Sophie murmured. “I just seduced you.”
Hell, yes, she had.
He reached for the nightstand and Lex yanked on a condom that waited there. Sophie’s eyes were on him, so watchful. “I can’t be easy,” Lex warned.
“Good. I don’t want you to be.”
“Hard. Wild?”
“Yes, please,” she whispered.
Fuck, yes. He drove into her. As deep as he could. Her legs wrapped around him even as Lex yanked her closer. Her sex squeezed him and when he pulled back—yes, yes!—her core was a tight, wet clasp. He thrust into her, again and again.
He took her breast in his hand. Stroked the nipple. Applied just enough pressure to make her moan and arch up against him. His hips pistoned against her and then they were rolling across the bed. Sophie rose above him, her knees on either side of his hips. His hands clamped around her waist and he guided her, moving her faster. With her rising above him like that, she looked so incredibly perfect.
If possible, he felt his cock growing even harder for her. His right hand slid down, found her sweet spot, and stroked her. Sophie’s hands slapped down on his chest as she moaned, but she kept rising and falling, rising and falling—then she was coming.