Out for Justice

by Susan Kearney

And he’d made it clear he wasn’t going to tell her, which only egged her on. “I’m not a virgin, Wade. Nor am I a tramp.”

  “I’ve never thought that.”

  “I’m choosy and I want you.” She laid her words out with brazen abandon—after all, she had nothing to lose but her pride. And yet, even if he turned her down again, she knew every attempt was bringing her ever closer to her objective. He couldn’t disguise the raw need in his tone any more than she could hold back her words. “I suppose if you have no intention of being with me, I’ll just have to take care of myself.” At the same time she told him that, she smoothed a hand along her neck and toward her chest, stopping just above her breasts.

  He groaned, no longer able to tear his gaze away from her. “Stop it.”

  “Okay.”

  She stood up in the waist-high water. The moonlight glinted off her breasts and the cool night air barely lowered her internal temperature. Never in her life had she acted so boldly, but between the death of her brother and almost losing her own life the other day, she knew life could end suddenly, and she wanted to make the most of hers. She didn’t want to hold back her feelings or her desire for this man, and if that took baring her body and coming to him naked, she could do so.

  She’d never felt more vulnerable in her life. Or more triumphant as the hunger in his eyes reminded her of a tiger about to leap on its prey. He clenched his jaw, deepening the hollows of his cheekbones and giving his expression a savage sharpness that made her breath catch. At the sight of the bulge in his jeans, she restrained a satisfied grin.

  Dipping her hands beneath the water, she cupped a handful, then splashed it over her, enjoying the wet heat and the cool air. “Come play with me, Wade.”

  “No.”

  She fisted her hands on her hips. “Why not?”

  “I don’t owe you explanations.”

  “You don’t owe me a thing.” She had no idea what made her flatten her palms on her tummy, then smooth them up her midriff until she saw him swallow hard with a fierce longing that he had no reason to deny.

  He sucked in his breath and released the air in a slow hiss. “I promised Andrew that I’d look after you.”

  “So go ahead and look.”

  “Damn it. Stop playing games.”

  “What’s wrong with playing games?” Ducking underwater and holding her breath, she cut off any response he could possibly make. Let him stew in his own frustration. Let him wonder if she’d changed her mind. Let him—

  The water churned with his arrival. He hadn’t stopped to take off his clothes. In the underwater lights of the hot tub, she could see he’d kicked off his shoes, hadn’t bothered to take off his shirt or jeans or socks, revealing his impatience. He seized her shoulders with his large hands and jerked her to the surface, and for a moment she considered whether she’d pushed him too far.

  Then his mouth crashed down on hers, taking before she offered, demanding, and divulging a need he’d failed to deny.

  About time.

  She wasn’t sure she could have faced him in the morning if he’d spun and walked away. But now that he was here, holding her, kissing her, she reveled in his clean male scent. In his clever mouth and ardent hands that roved over her back and melted her insides.

  Sizzling heat pounded through her veins, and she wanted to make this last. She wanted to savor her need and his. But she felt caught up in his power, as if she’d stolen a ride on a runaway train. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on, plastered her breasts against his chest and kissed him back until her thoughts whirled and her heart raced on a pure adrenaline rush.

  The heady feeling of knowing he wanted to resist her but couldn’t had her gulping for air and grabbing his shirt to pull it over his head. He laughed into her neck and let her remove his shirt, and when they finally stood flesh to flesh, her skin skimming over his hard chest, her lips and teeth exploring his jaw and neck, she wanted more.

  “Hey. Slow down,” he whispered.

  She nipped his shoulder. “No way.”

  “There’s no rush.”

  But there was. She didn’t want to give him a moment to think, for fear he might change his mind. And after joining her in the water, after tasting the caramel on his breath from their luscious dessert, after holding him so close, she couldn’t bear to risk him backing off.

  “Wade.”

  “Mmm.” He nuzzled a path down her neck that left a trail of blazing heat.

  “I’m not sure I can stand up while you do that.”

  “I’m just getting started.”

  That’s exactly what she wanted to hear. Yet, contradictorily, she needed him to hurry. She wanted to take off his clothes, but he seemed more interested in exploring the shell of her ear. And, damn it, his hands hadn’t even come close to exploring her breasts. Here she was in his arms, naked, available and he seemed more interested in her neck than getting down to business.

  “Wade.”

  Shamelessly she arched her breasts against his powerful chest, her nipples budding with hot bliss. “Touch me.”

  “I am touching you. You have the silkiest skin and you taste like nectar.”

  He ran his lips down her neck and she shivered in anticipation. At the same she reached for his jeans and fumbled with his belt. If the water ruined the leather, she’d buy him a new one.

  Just as she reached for his zipper, his mouth closed over the tip of one breast. She gasped, her fingers losing contact with the metal fastener, her mind losing focus on the task she’d set for herself. His tongue swirled and created a magic aura that wrapped around and blanketed her in a trance, where she could only stand still and ride out the pleasure.

  Any reservations she might have had about encouraging him wilted. She couldn’t feel this good, this needy, this desperate unless they were meant to have this moment together. A sense of certainty, of rightness, of expectation and hope let her drop her normal inhibitions with Wade in a way she’d never done before.

  As he held her in one spot with hands and teeth and tongue, her legs weakened just as her pulse raced.

  “Please,” she murmured, unsure of what she was even asking him for. She only knew he couldn’t keep her so still. She needed to move. To use her mouth on him at the same moment he tasted her.

  He bit lightly, then licked away the tingling love bite before attending to her other breast, giving it identical loving. Her fingers tugged his hair, trying to urge him on. But intent on being thorough, he held her fast, his jeans out of her reach.

  “You feel too good.” She tried to step back, but he kept her captured with his teeth, and the tug of his lips almost had her moaning in frustration.

  “There’s no such thing as feeling too good,” he murmured, his lips tickling and teasing her breast while his hand ministered to her other breast until desire welled up so hot and heavy that she wanted to pound on him to stop. Only she didn’t want him to stop. She wanted more. Her entire body trembled for him, but every time she moved, he nipped and kept her exactly where he demanded.

  “Damn you, Wade. I need you inside me.”

  “Okay.” He agreed, but the foolish man kept right on with his sensual assault to her breasts until her head spun and she had to grab his shoulders to keep her balance.

  “We need…I need…to take off…your jeans,” she told him as a bolt of pure lust shocked her from her breasts to her toes.

  “Okay.” With his teeth on her breast, and one hand roving over her other breast, she didn’t dare move. He had her trapped on the edge of desire, and he seemed intent on keeping her there, teasing, taunting, tempting until she was ready to scream with a longing for release.

  His free hand dipped between her thighs, teasing the curls, and she didn’t know if she parted her legs for him or if they were already parted. She only knew she’d never felt so vulnerable, so lusty, so ready to explode. Just a few caresses of his fingers between her slick folds would drive her over the edge. She trembled with anticipation, every muscle te
nsing for his touch.

  She waited. And waited, but he always seemed to miss the exact spot where she needed him most. And then it struck her that he was reading her like a book, keeping her right on the edge on purpose, denying her the ultimate pleasure just to drive her crazy with frustration.

  “I can’t take…much more.”

  “Okay.”

  To her surprise, he released her. He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her out of the tub, setting her bottom down on the deck with her legs dangling into the water. The cool breeze on her hot skin created a sizzling sensation down her spine, but when his head dipped between her legs and his tongue licked her, she let out a short scream, half panic—half pure pleasure.

  And every sensation that he’d created swept her into a tumbling cascade of need. Her head tilted back, her back arched, her breasts thrust wantonly upward at the sky. His tongue on her most intimate place, his hands cradling her bottom, his fingers holding her tipped up and open.

  She flattened her palms on the deck and her knees hooked over his shoulders. And then he feasted until she squirmed, until she moaned, until she floundered wildly, caught between where he so wickedly kept her and where she so desperately wanted to go.

  And when she could take no more, when every cell in her body demanded release, he pulled back, climbed from the pool and swept her into his arms.

  And she didn’t know whether to kiss him or curse him because she felt like a wild woman, ready to attack, he’d set her to simmering, heated her until she almost boiled over, and then he’d denied her his heat just when she needed it most. He set her down in the bedroom and made her stand still while he dried her with a towel, taking his time to caress her face and neck and breasts and back and bottom with the thick terry cloth, until she snapped it out of his hands and returned the favor.

  The man had a chest that could have been on a fitness magazine. A light dusting of chest hair made him sexy as hell, but it was the heat in his eyes that jolted her into returning the favor.

  She might have driven him to the brink when he’d jumped into the hot tub, but he’d just done the same to her. She clung to her sanity just barely, and did her utmost to ignore the out-of-control fire he’d stoked as she dried his back and stomach.

  And finally, she tugged down his zipper. Pulling off his wet jeans took more strength than she had, but not even gravity or his slender hips came to her aid. Even with the open zipper, she tugged on the wet material, tried sliding her hands inside the waist and down his buttocks to separate the clinging denim from…bare skin. Wade didn’t wear underwear.

  As time passed, she regained a little control over herself and now she saw an opportunity for payback. Yes, removing his wet jeans was a chore, but when she could have tugged them down an inch, she settled for less and with each sliver of hips and thighs that she revealed, she stroked, caressed and patted.

  And when his jeans finally pooled at his feet, he kicked off his socks and either he tackled her or she tackled him onto the mattress—she wasn’t sure which. Nor did it matter, since their actions got them where she wanted to be. On his bed. In his arms.

  She’d landed on top and he grinned up at her, his smile utterly charming. “Are you going to have your way with me, woman?”

  “I believe I am.”

  He jerked his thumb at the nightstand. “Condoms are in the top drawer.”

  She leaned over to open the drawer, and he took her breast back into his mouth. Fire shot through her, and all of her need came raging back. She dropped the first condom on the floor, reached for another. He reached and slipped a finger into her delicate folds, and her hands shook so badly, she couldn’t open the packet.

  “Would you stop that for a minute?”

  “Mmm.”

  In frustration she used her teeth, ripped open the packet and saw that she’d torn the condom, too. “Damn it. I need another one.”

  “Mmm.” His tongue and teeth made movement difficult. This time she took the entire box and dumped the contents on the bed. She fumbled again, but opened the damned thing. His fingers found her and she groaned.

  She needed him inside her, filling her, stroking her. This time she opened the slippery packet more carefully. Unrolled it over him, not an easy task when she couldn’t see exactly what she was doing. But from the frantic motion of his mouth and his fingers, he was just as eager to join with her as she was for him.

  Her breath came in raw pants. But finally she positioned her hips over him, slid down his erection. And held perfectly still. “Ah, I finally have you.”

  “Let me introduce you to a concept.” His hands clasped her hips. “It’s called movement.”

  “I think we should wait.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” He rolled on top of her in one swift movement.

  She should have protested. He’d made her wait. He’d said she could have her way with him, but he was taking over. Not that she could complain when he felt so good. And she liked the idea of him losing control, of not being able to keep to what he’d said. Of his having to have her right now.

  When he began to thrust, hard and fast, she wrapped her legs around him, drew his mouth to hers. His fullness ignited the explosion and as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, he kept moving, kept going. She gasped for air, dug her fingertips into his back and hung on as she burst again and then again. This time he was right there with her.

  Minutes later, when her galloping heart slowed and her lungs stopped burning for air, she realized that he had his hands clenched in her hair and he snuggled close, yet protectively, keeping his full weight from pressing her into the mattress.

  He rolled them both onto their sides. “We need to talk.”

  “Mmm.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “I don’t want to talk.” She wanted to enjoy every residual effect of their lovemaking. Her body felt heavy and sated, more relaxed than she’d ever known. And with the buzz of multiple orgasms still in her bones, the last thing she wanted was to analyze this marvelous experience.

  One glance at the determination in his eyes told her she wouldn’t like what he was about to say. She placed a finger on his lips. “Shh.”

  “No can do.” He rolled off the bed, headed to the bathroom.

  She pulled the sheet over her and closed her eyes. Maybe she could fall asleep before he returned. Wade had been absolutely yummy in bed. And his actions, the care he’d taken with her body, told her much more than any conversation could about his feelings.

  She might not be able to fall asleep, but she could pretend. He took a quick shower, and by the time he returned, her breathing was steady. She could feel him looking down at her, but kept her eyes closed.

  He hesitated, as if deciding whether or not to join her in his bed. When the mattress dipped, she didn’t allow her smile to reach her lips. And when he slipped under the covers, she snuggled against him. His arm came around her. And then she no longer had to pretend to sleep.

  TOO HYPED TO SLEEP Wade listened to her breathing. He wasn’t proud of himself. He’d known better than to take Kelly to bed. He should have held back. But when she’d stood up in that hot tub, the water glistening over her breasts, he’d simply been too aroused to resist.

  Instinct took over. Instincts that told him he would never forget this night and that he would regret his weakness for many years to come.

  And guilt played into the mixture. He’d promised Andrew to look out for his little sister. Andrew hadn’t meant make wild, crazy, awesome love to her.

  So he’d disappointed the trust his friend had placed in him. What was more important, he’d disappointed himself. He didn’t believe in tasting caviar when one must dine regularly on cheese and bread. One didn’t test drive a Ferrari when one drove a pickup truck. But now that he’d tasted the forbidden fruit, he’d have to suffer the consequences.

  He deserved the sleepless nights, the comparison of knowing other women wouldn’t measure up to what she’d given him. S
he hadn’t held back. She’d kept up. And she’d tasted sweeter than any exotic dessert.

  But no way would it happen again. She’d taken the edge off his lust. Now there was no more mystery between them. They’d go to Fort Worth tomorrow, find Johnny and get to the bottom of things. Perhaps they would have to go to Dallas and talk to Debbie West’s husband. And even if they never figured out who murdered Andrew, Kelly would return to school after her summer break.

  He wouldn’t allow himself to become any more involved. And so he allowed himself to enjoy, just this once, the fragrance of her hair on his pillow, the soft silkiness of her breast against his chest, the smoothness of her legs entwined with his.

  Shortly before dawn, Wade entered that twilight zone just before falling asleep when a thud brought him to full wakefulness. Had a raccoon climbed on his roof?

  Had a neighbor’s dog come scrounging around his trash can?

  Once again wide awake, he eased out of bed and reached for the gun on his nightstand. He didn’t bother to dress but padded silently from the bedroom without waking Kelly.

  It was probably nothing.

  Nevertheless, he didn’t turn on any lights. He stepped quietly and carefully into the living area.

  The front door was closed. So was the back. But he hadn’t turned his security system on after they’d come inside from the back deck. Other things had been on his mind.

  He peered into the kitchen. Checked the front closet.

  Nothing.

  He was about to engage the system and head back to bed when he heard the creak of shoe leather scuffing across the front stoop. The hair on the back of his neck raised.

  If he’d been alone, he’d go outside to investigate. But he had to stay inside to protect Kelly. Because if she ever came to harm, Wade would never forgive himself.

  Chapter Ten

  A soft knock on the front door followed by a feminine “Kelly, are you awake?” made Wade realize that the female outside didn’t mean any harm. However, he had no intention of opening the door stark naked with a gun in his hand.