“Reese, let’s leave the party and go up to your place.” He pulled back a little, his face close to hers, his green eyes burning with heat. “I want to be alone with you.”
Her mouth opened and closed twice before she managed to say, “Not yet. I’m not . . . I’m still not ready to have sex with you.”
When he started to respond, she put her fingers over his lips, silencing him. “And I still need to talk to you, remember?”
“Right.” He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “What did you want to talk about?”
Not wanting to do this out in the open, she asked, “Do you mind if we go up to the patio?”
“Not at all. Just let me say bye to Brit first.”
A few minutes later, Reese did her best to ignore the death-ray looks coming from Stacy and a few other women as she and Ben left the party, walking up to their houses together. Focusing on what she wanted to tell him, she tried to decide where to start, hoping he didn’t . . . God, she didn’t know. Think she was some wack job? Or worse, see it all as some ploy to get his attention? She couldn’t see Ben doing either of those things, but then, she didn’t necessarily trust her judgment much when it came to men. There’d been a time when she’d thought Drew was the best thing that could have ever happened to her, and look at how that had turned out.
But with a little jolt of surprise, Reese realized she had a hell of a lot more faith in the man walking beside her.
* * *
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR THEM TO REACH THE RELATIVE PRIVACY OF the back patio that ran the length of both houses. Ben watched as she set her bag down on one of the chairs, then made a kind of restless movement with her hands, before crossing her arms. It was obvious she was nervous, her voice a little husky as she locked her gaze on his and said, “It’s probably nothing . . . I mean, I’m sure it’s nothing, but I figure it’s better to be cautious than stupid, right?”
He gave a slow nod, not liking the tremor of unease he could hear in her quiet tone, and more than a little surprised by how protective he felt. He liked looking out for people—hell, it was a fundamental part of his job. But the feeling was deeper with Reese. More . . . intense. It was all he could do to keep his hands at his sides, instead of reaching out and pulling her into his arms.
“First, I need to give you some background. No one in my family knows about this, so please don’t tell them.”
“You can trust me, Reese.”
She studied his expression, then took a deep breath. “A few months ago, I had some . . . trouble up in Boston. It began when I started getting the weird feeling that someone was watching me. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but then something happened. I came home one day after work and found a . . . a butchered cat in the middle of my bed. There was a note next to the animal’s body that said my time would come.”
He cursed under his breath, the guttural words rough in his throat. “Did the police have any suspects?”
She nodded. “Yes. But they couldn’t—”
“That’s why you asked me about a note last night, isn’t it?” he ground out, suddenly cutting her off. “You were worried that whoever threw that bottle through your door did it on purpose, weren’t you? Fuck, Reese. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. What the hell were you thinking?”
“Well, we don’t know who threw the bottle last night. It probably was just some kids who’d had too much to drink. But before we start arguing about it,” she snapped, “I have something else to tell you.”
Ben could feel his heart beating even faster, while a boulder-size lump of dread settled in his gut. “What is it?”
She rubbed her hands over her arms, as if she were chilled, when the temperature had to be climbing. “A few weeks after the cat incident, a woman was found nearly beaten to death in my apartment building. She wasn’t able to give any details about her attacker, and the police couldn’t find any kind of connection between us, but it definitely freaked me out. There wasn’t any note left near her body, like there was with the cat, but . . . I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. So I got the heck out of there.”
“You did the right thing.”
With those simple words, he could sense some of her tension easing. “So you don’t think I was just being paranoid?” she asked, searching his expression.
“Not at all.” Aware that his anger wasn’t going to help the situation, Ben tried for a calmer tone. “I’ve been in law enforcement long enough to know that you should always listen to your gut. Now tell me about the suspects.”
“The police in Boston compiled a list. Not a long one, but there were three possible suspects that they looked into, after asking me to give them the names of anyone who might have a grudge against me or who I might have pissed off. Things like that.”
“Who were they?”
“Drew, obviously, because of the divorce. Then there was the father of one of the students I taught a few years ago. I reported him to the state for suspected abuse, which turned out to be true.”
“And the third name?” he asked, hoping the bastard father was rotting away in prison somewhere. Though knowing the justice system these days, the jackass was probably already paroled.
“A creep one of my friends broke up with after I found out he was cheating on her with another one of the teachers at our school. I told her about the affair, and he blamed me for the end of both relationships.”
“What did the police find when they looked into things?”
“They cleared Drew. Seems he had a solid alibi with his receptionist, Lizzie. My friend’s jerk of a boyfriend died from an overdose two years ago. And a car had hit the parent of my student, killing him instantly, the day before the cat was left on my bed. Weird timing, but it couldn’t have been him.”
Scratching the stubble on his jaw, he asked, “What about one of Leighton’s former opponents in the courtroom? Did the police look into any of them?”
“He works mostly in corporate law. So he’s gone up against a lot of assholes, but not necessarily the profile type the cops were looking for.”
His mouth pressed into a flat line. “They should have been looking at everybody.”
“I would have felt better if they had, but after they’d checked out the three names I’d given them, they said there was nothing more they could do until a new lead came in. They didn’t even have any partial prints they could use, which means he probably wore gloves when he broke into my apartment and left the cat. So I packed up and moved here, hoping to leave it all behind me. But . . .”
He grabbed her chilled hand, rubbing his thumb over the delicate points of her knuckles. “But what?”
“I don’t know,” she said tensely. “It just seems that some weird things have been happening since I got to town. First there was that bottle, which was probably nothing. But then you told me about the girl who was found beaten on the beach, and this morning, after you left, I got a strange text on my phone.”
“Let me see it.”
She pulled her hand from his and turned, rummaging in the bag for the phone, before turning back around and handing it to him. Ben made a low sound in his throat as he read the text, furious that someone would deliberately try to frighten her. He knew the bottle and the teenage girl probably had nothing to do with her, but the text was definitely meant to draw a personal reaction.
“I know it could have been sent to me by accident. I mean, I haven’t had the number long. But it’s still creepy.”
“It could be Leighton,” he said, handing the phone back to her. Despite the alibi her ex had given the local PD in Boston, his gut told him the guy was somehow involved. He probably thought he could scare the crap out of her, and she’d go running right back into his arms. “He called you on this phone,” he added, “so you know he has the number.”
“But the text didn’t come from his cell phone,” she pointed out, slipping the phone back into her bag. “It was a blocked number.”
“He could have use
d another phone, Reese. Burn phones are easy to pick up these days, and he would know better than to send the text from his own number.”
“I guess. But it . . . it seems unlike him to put so much effort into something. Drew’s the kind of man who pays people to do things for him.”
“Well, that’s always a possibility.” His voice got a little grittier. “He could be paying someone to keep an eye on you. Maybe even do his dirty work for him.”
Reese sucked in a sharp breath, realizing he was right. But there was still something that didn’t feel right about it. As much of a bastard as Drew was, she found it difficult to believe he could be so vindictive. Maybe if she’d been the one cheating, but damn it, he was the one who had wrecked what was left of their marriage. Not her!
“Since we don’t know for sure what’s going on,” he said, drawing her from her thoughts, “I think it’s better to be safe than sorry.” It was probably just her hormones, but the hard edge of authority in Ben’s deep voice was already making her feel better. “I’m going to call the alarm company and have them move up the installation date.”
She’d been thinking the same thing. “That would be great. But I think I should pay for the alarm.”
His gaze narrowed. “Like hell you will.”
“Ben, it would make—”
“I’ll pay for the fucking alarm, Reese. So drop it.”
“Fine,” she said tightly. “I also wanted to ask if you think I should hire an investigator.”
He shook his head. “Not when I can look into things for you. I’ve got more resources at the station than an investigator will have. Even one as good as Alex.”
She knew from the bits she’d heard over the years that Alex Hudson’s career as a detective in Orlando had fallen apart after the end of his marriage. Since then, the dark, quiet Hudson brother had worked as a private investigator, specializing in cases in Southern Florida. She knew he’d earned a kickass reputation for himself, but was glad Ben hadn’t suggested she hire him. Alex’s arctic personality had always made her extremely uncomfortable.
Ben went on, saying, “I’ll try to get the alarm company out tomorrow, but it might not be until Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully I’ll be able to stay with you most nights, but I get called out for work whenever there’s an emergency. When that happens, I want to know that you’re protected.”
“Stay with me?” She blinked, wondering where he’d gotten that idea. Yeah, she wanted his advice, but she hadn’t expected him to think she needed to be watched over like a child. “I don’t need a protector, Ben. That’s not why I confided in you. I just wanted you to know what was happening, so that you could maybe help me keep an eye on things.”
“I’d rather keep an eye on you.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen. I can take care of myself.”
He shook his head again, beginning to sound more than a little frustrated. “And if things get worse?”
“Then I’ll ask for your advice about what I should do next. But I won’t expect you to solve my problems for me.”
“It’s my job to keep people safe, Reese.”
“You wouldn’t offer to sleep over at any other woman’s house. Brit told me that’s not your MO.”
He looked pissed. “Brit needs to mind her own damn business, because I don’t have a fucking MO,” he snapped. “And we can keep going around in circles, but this is going to happen.”
“What exactly do you mean by this?”
“You and me. Spending time together. In and out of bed. And don’t look so damn surprised. I plan on sticking close to you until we figure out what’s going on with your ex and that text, but you know there’s more to it than that. I’ve been honest about what I want from the moment you hit town.”
“And to think that I thought what I’ve told you might actually scare you off,” she shot back, on the verge of stomping her foot like a child. And wouldn’t that be embarrassing!
He came a little closer, his expression a mesmerizing mix of humor, anger, and intensity. “I don’t scare easily, Reese. It pisses me off that some jackass could be deliberately trying to screw with your head, but it doesn’t make me want you any less. I want you more every damn second that we spend together. That hasn’t changed.”
She swallowed, feeling dazed by everything that was happening. Like she was caught up in a rockslide that she couldn’t stop. It was such a strange sensation, wanting this man so badly when he was driving her so crazy. Somehow, she found enough composure to say, “I’m not letting you spend the night with me again, Ben. And despite what happened between us this morning, I still haven’t agreed to anything.”
“But you will,” he said quietly, suddenly giving her the cockiest smile she’d ever seen. “You’ll do it because you deserve to just sit back and enjoy yourself for a while. To celebrate the fact that you got rid of that prick jackass you were married to and lose yourself in as many screaming orgasms as you can take.”
God, she was as bad as Pavlov’s dog. All he had to do was give her the I-want-to-eat-you-alive look he was giving her at that exact moment, and desire consumed every other emotion in its path. “You’re so damn arrogant,” she said in exasperation, wondering what on earth she was going to do with him.
“It’s only arrogance if I can’t deliver.”
“You’re that sure of yourself?”
“I am.” His green eyes darkened with challenge. “Come on, Reese. Use me for some fun. For pleasure. Use me for whatever the hell you need.” He reached out, brushing his thumb along the edge of her jaw. “I’m daring you to.”
Her eyes went huge. “You’re daring me to take what I want from you?”
“You’re damn right, I am.”
“You’re so freaking crazy,” she whispered, giving a nervous laugh as she turned her head to the side. “This isn’t something you can rush, Ben. I need more time to—”
“Screw that.” He caught her chin, making her look at him. “Time isn’t going to solve anything. It’s just going to make it easier for you to shut me out.”
“No. I just . . . I need to know what I’m doing.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he argued, gripping her shoulders. “You just need to go with your gut.”
“And take your dare? Say to hell with everything else and just take my pleasure from you?” She made a short, sharp sound of frustration, jerking out of his hold. “God, Ben. Open your eyes. I’m not some dominatrix. I’m a freaking schoolteacher! I don’t tie men up and suck them dry!”
There was a single instant when she could see just how surprised he was by her outburst, and then a husky laugh rumbled up from his chest. “That’s not what I meant”—his lashes lowered a little over the glittering heat in his eyes—“though it certainly makes for an interesting visual.”
“I’m serious,” she muttered, glaring at the gorgeous jerk. She couldn’t believe he was laughing at her!
“So am I.” He stepped even closer, his body nearly touching hers as she tilted her head back. “If you’re willing to trust me, I swear you won’t regret it.”
“Aren’t you listening? I don’t know how to tell you what I want or need!”
“Then let me be in charge. Hell, that’s what I’m more comfortable with, anyway. All you’ll have to do is lie back and feel good. Just leave the how up to me.”
She licked her lips, breathing fast. “The how?”
“How it happens between us.” His eyes got even darker, and his voice dropped. “If you trust me, I’ll fuck you in the ways I know will make you come the hardest . . . the longest. After everything that you’ve been through—all the shit you’ve been dealing with—that’s what you need, Reese. You need a man to spend his time on you, learning you, controlling your pleasure. To get under your skin and make you come till you can’t even see straight. Until you can’t even remember your name.”
She reeled, feeling those husky words roll through her like a smoky shot of whiskey, rich and warm and provocative. Sh
e didn’t think she’d ever get used to the way he talked to her. And then she thought about what he’d said. Really took a moment to think about what it meant—realization coming like a smack between the eyes as she thought back to their conversation that morning about handcuffs. Breathlessly . . . and a little hesitantly, since she wasn’t really sure how she felt about it, she asked, “Are you a Dom?”
His brows rose. “You’re familiar with the BDSM lifestyle?”
“I . . . read.”
“Is that right?” His mouth twitched, as if he was trying not to smile. “Well, to answer your question, I don’t practice the lifestyle the way a lot of people do. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not dominant in bed.”
She ran her hands over her arms again, barely able to control her breathing. It was more than a little surprising to discover how turned-on she was by the idea of him liking to take control in the bedroom. “And . . . and what if I want more than just screaming orgasms?”
There was a heavy pause, before he finally asked, “What kind of more?”
She shrugged, stung by that pause. “There’s no telling. Women are complicated creatures, Ben. Surely you know that.”
He stared down at her, studying her eyes, making her feel as if he were trying to look inside her mind and dig out the answer he wanted. Then he finally said, “If that happens . . . who knows? I guess you’d have to be willing to work for it.”
His answer shocked her as much as everything else that had happened between them. She hadn’t expected anything but a flat-out refusal, the question more of a test, if anything, to see just how strongly the idea of a relationship would make him freak. She knew damn well that a guy like Ben would never settle down. But instead, he’d voiced his response so that it almost sounded like a challenge.
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