She was already on the edge again.
With Ethan, he was the most giving of lovers in bed. He could go for hours, and she was a lucky girl.
Like now, he was doing something wicked to her clit.
“Jesus!”
She couldn’t catch her breath, as the eruption was fast and explosive.
She came again.
“Ethan!” Elizabeth dug her nails into his shoulders as she tumbled over the edge. When she opened her eyes, she saw him kneeling between her legs as he waited for her to resurface.
Here was her Native brave.
She was still hungry for him and wanted more.
“I need you, Ethan. I need to feel you in me.”
It said it all.
“Thank God! I really don’t know how much longer I can dine on my wife and not bury myself in her.” Ethan pulled her toward him and lifted her hips. “I love this part best.”
With that, he slid home.
She moaned as his large hands held her hips in place. The invasion was amazing.
“YES!” she shouted, as he began moving.
“I’m going to make us both cum,” he vowed, beginning his slide in and out of her wet, warm body.
Leaning forward, Ethan braced himself over her. He was buried to the hilt, and it was perfection.
This was worth everything.
In that instant, there was no doubt in his mind that he’d found his other half. The only way this could be better was if he could erase both of their pasts.
He wanted Elizabeth to be his first, his only, his one. Ethan would give anything for that—even his career.
“More,” she moaned, feeling so deliciously full. Staring up at him, Elizabeth never wanted it to end.
Ethan left kisses across her bruised cheek. “I’ll make it all better,” he vowed, and he was.
This was infinitely better than she’d been feeling.
Hell!
There was nothing better than sex as medicine.
This was absolute heaven.
Ethan continued moving. Slowly, he was setting the pace, before finding his rhythm as he picked up the speed.
It was about both of them exploding and cumming at the same time. That was his goal. He wanted to feel his body explode into hers.
“So good, baby,” he whispered, as beads of perspiration formed on his brow. In the back of his mind, he was ordering himself to wait for her, giving Elizabeth as much pleasure as possible.
She needed this.
She earned it.
As she met him, thrust for thrust, arching her hips to meet him, her control was slipping. All she wanted was to feel him cum. The visual in her head was more than enough to shove her over the edge.
She exploded.
In the midst of the storm, she heard him. Ethan was moaning as he continued to drive his body into hers.
“Little more,” he begged, thrusting harder into her. He was right on the edge.
When she dug her nails into his shoulders, it was enough to push him over the edge.
He exploded with his wife’s name on his lips.
It was amazing.
His body went lax, as he cocooned her into the mattress beneath them. Gently, he rested over her.
Their hearts beat at the same time.
They were in sync.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you more,” she replied.
Ethan recovered first, rolling off her body before pulling her with him. When she curled around him and cuddled, his heart thumped louder in his chest.
“Sleep,” he ordered. “I’ll hold you all night long.” Ethan didn’t know why, but he didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to hold his wife for as long as she would let him.
His heart skipped.
The dream replayed in his mind. He honestly believed his battered, bloody raven might leave him.
How?
He didn’t know.
Why?
He wasn’t sure.
His gut was screaming to hold on for dear life.
“Okay, Ethan,” she muttered, her eyes beginning to close. It felt so good in his arms.
It was where she wanted to be.
All she prayed was when she told him about Chris, he didn’t take this away.
If he did, she’d die without him.
Slowly, as she slipped into sleep, their bedroom door opened. Callen came in, smiling at his brother. Ethan could see him from the light coming through the door behind him.
“All done?” he asked.
“Yeah, thanks for giving me some time with her. I really needed it.”
Callen slid into bed and braced his body against her back. She smelled like Ethan.
“I can jump her another time. I know that after tomorrow, you go back to playing Deputy Director.”
Yeah, Monday quickly approached and with it came a myriad of responsibilities.
“I need a promise.”
Callen stared into his brother’s eyes. “What do you need, Ethan?”
“No matter what’s coming, I need you to promise me that you’ll protect her when I can’t. I have a bad feeling.”
Yeah, so did he.
Only it wasn’t related to the case.
It was the destruction of their relationship, and it was looming on the horizon.
“I’ll love and protect her when you can’t, Ethan. She’s mine too. I understand.”
Ethan hoped so.
He was scared.
Deep down, the little voice in his gut was warning him that there was a cliff coming up ahead, and they were heading right at it.
It terrified him.
The dream haunted him.
He hoped it wouldn’t be one of their deaths.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Across DC
Tonight, he was taking another.
This one was special.
She’d know it the minute she knew her name. This was going to be the victim who brought him the huge prize.
He had been saving this one for last. It would be the dead giveaway, and it would bring Elizabeth right to him.
Again.
Many years ago, they had met, they had challenged each other, and they had parted ways.
She’d left one hell of an impression on him.
For fourteen years, he’d loved, cherished, and fantasized about her.
She was the one.
He’d killed all the women, leaving her clues. He wanted her to know that he was thinking about her and watching all those years.
He cut out the articles.
He cut out her pictures.
He’d saved each and every one of them.
As he stood there, in his home, he stared at them all. She was beautiful in them. She was radiant.
After this next victim, she’d figure it out. He knew he’d never get to her at her home.
It was suicide, and he wouldn’t risk it.
Once she arrived here, he had his way of protecting her. He’d keep her safe. He’d keep her with him for the rest of his life.
Oh, she was going to be his. They all wanted her, but in the end, she’d be his. He’d own that whore.
Once and for all.
Elizabeth had no choice.
The end was coming.
She’d be his, or…
She’d die.
After all, she’d been playing hooker, but not for him.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Whitefox-Blackhawk
Homestead
When her phone rang, she wanted to weep.
As predicted, the killer had, indeed, struck again. Unfortunately, she’d been right. He was killing at a breakneck pace.
This was a mess.
The killer had absolutely no direction, and that was worrisome. How was she supposed to chase a killer who didn’t have a pattern?
The only things that remained the same were that he liked roses and hookers.
; That did NOT help solve a case.
At this rate, she might have to have Ethan get her some help. Elizabeth was so desperate to get this one under control that she was even considering asking Livy to help out. She could use another set of eyes.
That said it all.
As the phone rang, Callen reached for it and answered it. “Whitefox. Is it another body?”
He listened.
“We’ll be there. Transmit the coordinates.”
He hung up.
“This is a nightmare,” she muttered. “I think this killer is trying to kill me. His method? Sleep deprivation.”
Callen was well aware. He’d gone from every other day to every day, and they couldn’t keep up.
They were struggling with this.
Elizabeth was battered and bruised, she wasn’t focused, and the team was a mess.
Yeah, this was bad.
She sat up in bed, trying to focus.
Ethan was the only one with balls enough to say what they were both thinking.
“Stay in. We’ll go.”
“I have to go. I don’t have a choice. I can’t risk that he’ll go for one of our kids as security transports them to school.”
They understood her fear.
They were living it, too, only she was part of their concern. Ethan and Callen didn’t want to risk her.
She flopped back and stared at the ceiling. “Before we go, I need to say something.”
Both men listened.
Callen prayed she wasn’t going to drop the bomb. This was a bad time. Ethan was edgy. He could see it in his eyes.
“What, baby?” Ethan asked, running his fingers over her bruised cheek.
“When this case is over, I need a vacation.”
Callen relaxed.
“Can we go somewhere?”
Ethan sighed. “I can’t.”
She looked over.
“Gabe is about to start treatment. I can’t ditch the job. I’m about to do two positions, plus profile, plus play father and husband. For the next six weeks, I have to hold up the entire FBI. I can’t just walk away.”
Elizabeth focused on one word.
“Play?” she asked. “What does that mean? Shouldn’t it be reversed? You play director and are a husband and father?”
He closed his eyes. “Baby.”
Callen stepped in before it escalated.
“How about this? Elizabeth and I take the kids to Salem. We pack them up, and you fly out on Friday to be with us. The bureau shuts down on the weekends. At least it’s two days with us. You can spend the days being a father, and then head back to the FBI on Monday morning to rule the kingdom?”
He thought about it.
“I can do that.”
She squeezed his hand. “I know you’re balancing. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful, but we need down time as a family. I don’t know if I can keep this up. I’m burning it at both ends, and something has to give.”
He was aware.
His wife was only human. She’d been going non-stop since the birth of Christopher Anthony.
“And I know you’re exhausted, baby. You go case after case, and the last time we took time off, Doctor Trudeaux was killed, and we worked. I want you to take some downtime. I want you to take the kids to Salem. We have your family home there, and they can play.”
She kissed him. “Promise you’ll come? Promise that no matter what, you’ll come for me?”
Blackhawk had the feeling she was saying something more, but he wasn’t quite sure what.
“I will. I promise. As soon as I can leave, I’ll be there, baby. You know I want to be with you guys. I’m not playing husband. I am one. I’m just juggling now. I have to do my time in Hell.”
She got it.
They were all paying penance for past sins.
Elizabeth opted to cut him a break.
“Deal,” she said. “Now let’s get this over with. We have to find something, and soon. I don’t know how much longer we can pull off this pace.”
Honestly, neither did they.
Something, or someone, had to give.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Crime Scene
Sunday Two A.M
When they rolled up, the place was a mess. There were cops everywhere, and once again, Detective Sheehan was there, and he was in his miserable glory.
Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed about fourteen years ago, and he’d never gone back. The man had a big old hate on, and it was directed at Elizabeth.
It was on her last nerves.
“Well, well, how’s the case going, Elizabeth? Did you find your man yet? Or are we going to keep collecting dead bodies until you wake up, figure out you suck at this, and you hand it back to me?”
“I’d rather screw a porcupine without lube than work with you or give you this case, Glenn. We don’t need you sleeping with any of the victims right before you forget to keep them safe.”
He lunged for her.
Was it a low blow?
Hell yeah, but she’d had about enough.
He was being a douchebag.
They were doing the best they could, and they were working damn hard to find who the killer was.
Screw him.
Ethan pushed Glenn away from his wife. “By all means, Detective Sheehan. Give me something to report to your boss. I’d love for you to touch her so I can own your badge before lunchtime.”
“It looks like she’s been manhandled plenty. Did you both wise up and figure out she’s a whore too?” Glenn fired back.
Callen got past Elizabeth’s outstretched arms. This time, she was trying to stop her husbands from killing him.
“Callen!”
He didn’t care.
In a heartbeat, he’d hand in his badge. This was about the douchebag insulting his wife.
“Callen, he’s baiting you,” Ethan said calmly. “Don’t let him win. We need you.”
It was all he had to hear. He released the man’s shirt.
“If you ever call my wife, and the mother of my children, that again, I’ll end you.”
“She sleeps with both of you, and you hired a hooker. Trust me, she’s a whore and you’re just getting it for free!”
Callen was going to kill him.
That was it.
He was a dead man.
Chris stepped in to stop the fight. It wouldn’t be fair. The men would chew him up, and spit him out.
“Detective Sheehan, I need you to leave my scene. I’m calling this mine, and we all know the ME has final say. Put your shitty attitude away and head out. You’re really not needed here.”
He glared at Chris. “You want her too! You’re just mad she isn’t yours anymore!”
Callen shoved him away the second he heard the man running his mouth. All he could hope was Ethan didn’t pick up that little tidbit.
Shit!
What the hell was it about this case? All the crazies had come out of the woodwork.
“Off my crime scene,” Elizabeth ordered.
Ethan was already dialing Captain Jefferson to call off his detective.
This was the last thing they needed.
The media was filming.
Already, they were asking uncomfortable questions. The less spotlight on this, the better.
Chris offered Elizabeth his arm. “Shall we see who he’s left this time?”
She snorted. “You’re nuts.”
Elizabeth wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.
To love this job, you had to be.
When they reached the woman, it felt very familiar. The alley reminded her of someplace, but where? Again, she had that feeling of being here before.
Only, she couldn’t place it.
This was a sign her mind was definitely going.
She needed a week in bed to counteract the beat downs, the stress, and her ever escalating anxiety of Ethan finding out what the hell had happened.
Oh, and
she really needed that week to sleep.
“Yeah, well, that’s going to make this hard,” he offered, pointing at the body.
Chris hadn’t expected this. Here was more proof that this killer was over the edge.
Once more, he’d switched it up.
Yeah, and in a big way.
Elizabeth glanced over.
“Is her head missing?” she asked, staring in disbelief.
“Uh huh.”
She shook her head.
“Well, if this doesn’t have me all the way jacked up.”
And it did.
Chapter Sixteen
Elizabeth and her husbands stood over the body as Christopher Leonard did his thing. It was odd looking down at a corpse without a head—especially one where it was obviously staged.
There was no blood.
Not a damn drop.
Did this killer think she was completely incompetent? Or was he messing with her again?
The woman had been laid on her back with her legs spread, and a blue rose on her chest.
Yeah, this was interesting.
If this mental illness didn’t have a disease, when they caught this asshole, they should probably name it after him. He’d earned his crazy badge on this one.
“Well, from the way he’s placed her, we can say she was a hooker,” Ethan offered.
Well, at least he wasn’t deviating from that pattern.
“What do we know, Chris?”
“She’s headless.”
“Really? Today, you decide to yank my chain and bust my ass?” she asked. “Now seemed like a good time for you?”
“Well, ringmaster. Welcome to your circus. Here are your monkeys.”
She laughed.
This was a circus and one clown was running amuck. She was going to put him down, and not with a confetti gun either.
“When I get her back, I’ll run her fingerprints and her blood work. Then I’ll have something more for you. I need a little time.”
“How about you just tell me if she was dead when he lopped off her noggin?” she asked. “We can start there, and that will at least give me the level of crazy this douchebag is at.”
Dying to Love (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 18) Page 40