by Debra Webb
Her nerves jangling and her body overreacting to his, she blurted, “I came to see Roy.”
Oh, damn.
The moon provided just enough illumination for her to get a good look at his furious expression. Alex drew back but the edge of the seat stopped her.
The muscle in his tightly clenched jaw flexed. “Do you have any idea how angry Roy was at you this afternoon? Showing up at his favorite haunt when he’s had a few beers was not a smart move. He could have…” Mitch fell silent, clearly grappling for control.
“Are you saying that Roy gets violent when he’s had a few?”
Those icy blue eyes flickered with rocketing irritation. “I’m saying,” he ground out the words, “that you could have been on the receiving end of a heated outburst.”
A theory formed in Alex’s mind. “Do you think he would go ballistic if some girl he considered unworthy of him told Roy he’d gotten her pregnant?”
Mitch slammed his fist against the Jeep. “You never give up, do you? First it’s Phillip, then it’s Miller, now it’s Roy.”
Alex inclined her head in agreement. “I’d say that pretty much pins down the right suspects.”
“Get in the damn Jeep.”
His last sliver of patience had vanished. Mitch just wanted to get her out of here. He didn’t know what the hell he was going to do with her, but he didn’t want her on the streets. Her nosing around was going to get her into serious trouble. He supposed Roy was as much a suspect as anyone else, but Mitch didn’t have to like it.
“I said get in,” he snapped when she didn’t move.
She fixed him with a look that spelled trouble. “Roy asked me to go some place more private with him. He seemed more than happy to talk to me. Maybe I should take him up on his offer.”
Something thick and dark engulfed Mitch. Something that felt far too much like raging jealousy.
“In fact, I think he kind of likes me in spite of—”
Mitch silenced her with his mouth.
He didn’t want to hear any more of her excuses. He didn’t want to talk anymore about the case.
His kiss was hard and punishing, just like he meant it to be. His heart hammered in his chest like a sledgehammer. She tried to push him away at first, but then her fingers fisted in his shirt and pulled him closer. She trembled, then melted against him. The thought crossed his mind that he shouldn’t do this…but he opted not to think for now.
He wanted to feel.
He wanted Alex. Again.
He smoothed his palms over her satiny thighs and beneath the hem of that short black dress that made him too crazy to reason or even to think. The swell of her firm buttocks filled his hands and his body jerked with reaction. Instantly, he hardened like a rock. He deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth as his fingers found and traced the thong of her panties. She whimpered and he stroked that sensitive path again.
Her hand slid between their bodies. She stroked the stiff bulge of his erection through the denim of his jeans. He groaned, needing desperately to feel the soft warmth of her palm against him, and wanting even more to be inside her pumping hard toward the release steadily building inside him.
He broke the kiss long enough to murmur, “Get in. We can’t do this here.”
His hands on her waist, he lifted her into the Jeep and she scooted over to the passenger’s side. Mitch climbed in and started the engine.
“Hurry,” she breathed, her plea urgent, her fingers fisting in his shirtsleeve. “You started this, don’t make me wait.”
He shoved the Jeep into gear and roared out of the parking lot. He pushed the limits of the speed zones as he sped across town in record time. He could feel her watching him, but he didn’t dare look at her for fear of not making it the rest of the way home. Speaking was too risky as well. One wrong word and the spell would be broken. As much as he knew he should, he didn’t want that.
He swore when the last traffic signal before leaving Shady Grove proper behind turned red, forcing him to stop. His fingers tightened on the wheel, his palms sweating with the need pounding in his loins. He wanted to touch her. He was already breathing hard, his whole body primed for mating with hers.
She leaned over and kissed him, her lips trailing along his jaw until she found his mouth. Instinctively his fingers threaded into her hair, holding her more firmly against him. One long leg slid over his lap until she straddled him, her back to the steering wheel. The light was probably green now but he didn’t care, he couldn’t take his mouth from hers. Her tongue tangled with his at the same time that she pressed down against him, the heat between her thighs burning him through the worn cotton.
A horn blared behind them. Difficult as it proved, Mitch dragged his mouth from hers and concentrated on moving forward. Her fingers buried in his hair, Alex traced the cleft of his ear with her tantalizing tongue. Mitch resisted the urge to close his eyes in ecstasy. He had to focus on the road before them, but she wasn’t making it easy.
Her hips undulated against his lap, her mouth doing something equally wicked to his throat. His erection pulsed, hard and too close to the edge for comfort. He needed to be inside her. With one hand on the wheel, he cupped her thigh, then explored that sensitive flesh until he found the hot, wet spot he’d been looking for. She cried out when his finger parted her feminine folds. Her movements became more frantic as that same finger eased inside her. She ground her pelvis against him, taking him deeper. A second finger slipped inside and her inner muscles spasmed around him. Her teeth sank into his neck. He groaned savagely.
Mitch barely made the left turn onto his road. She was riding him hard and fast now. Her breathing as ragged as hell, her slick walls clenching around his fingers. He skidded to a stop in front of his house at the same instant that she came. Her scream of release sent his blood searing through his veins and his pulse pounding in his ears.
He snatched his keys from the ignition and stumbled out of the Jeep with her clinging to him, her body still throbbing with release. He maneuvered the front steps; stumbled across the porch. Her mouth sealed over his as he attempted to slide the key into the lock. It took three tries, but he was so lost to their desperate kisses that he barely noticed.
After kicking the door shut and flipping the dead bolt he tossed his keys in the general direction of the hall table and bumped into the nearest wall. Alex ripped his shirt open, sending buttons pinging to the hardwood floor. She shoved the shirt off his shoulders and kissed the center of his chest. Her sweet mouth closed over one nipple and he roared with savage need. There was no time for any more foreplay, he had to be inside her.
Mitch dragged her panties off, then wrenched his jeans open, freeing himself. He hiked her dress above her hips and coiled her legs around his waist. He swore at the awkward position and hitched her bottom a little higher. His tip nudged her dampness. She moaned with pleasure. Pressing her back against the wall, he plunged deep inside her, stretching her tight feminine walls until she cried out. When he would have pulled back, she clutched his shoulders and urged him on with unintelligible words. Her feet, high heels and all, locked at the small of his back, she arched her hips, meeting each of his thrusts, sinking him deeper inside her.
One more thrust and he exploded with release. As his movements slowed, her tight, clenching muscles milking the last remnants of climax from him, the only sound was their frantic panting. He kissed her soft shoulder and cursed himself for being too brutal. He’d been so ready by the time they got through the door it was a miracle he hadn’t come the moment he entered her.
Their surroundings slowly drifted into consciousness. The house was silent and dark. It was late. He anchored her to him, one arm locked around her waist, the other supporting her lush bottom. He walked, their bodies still intimately joined, to his bedroom and lowered her to his bed.
Alex shivered at the feel of the cool sheets beneath her. The bare skin of his chest was damp with sweat. He kissed her forehead, her nose, her hungry mouth and t
hen down the column of her throat. She felt him hardening inside her all over again and she smiled, her heart still pounding so hard she could hardly catch her breath.
He nibbled then sucked her jutting nipples through the silk of her dress. She arched her back in approval. His arousal thickened, filling her, stretching her all over again.
And then he moved.
The movements were slower, but deeper, the thickness of him dragging along her tingling feminine flesh causing a sensuous friction that had her fever mounting all over again. The muscles that moments ago had been sated and relaxed now tensed in anticipation of her new building climax. She locked her legs around his and met each hammering thrust until an even more powerful release shuddered through them simultaneously. They collapsed together, their harsh breathing breaking the quiet of the dark room.
Long minutes later when the sweat had dried and breathing had returned to normal, Mitch still held her close to his chest. She could feel his heart beating steadily.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he whispered, his voice raw and filled with emotions she couldn’t quite sort.
She smiled against his bare skin. “What? Have wild, hot sex with you?”
A possessive hand glided along her spine and pressed her intimately against him. “You know what I mean.”
She sighed and trailed a finger around one perfect pec. “I promise I won’t do it again unless I have to.”
He swore softly. “At least give me the chance to go with you.”
Alex drew back and looked up at him, trying desperately to see his eyes in the sparse moonlight filtering in through the windows. “All right.”
She refused to analyze what that request meant. If she put too much stock in it, she would only wind up with a broken heart. She closed her eyes and winced inwardly. God, it was too late. Her heart was involved. She tamped down the emotions that stirred with the thought. Whatever she thought she felt, one thing was certain, Mitch wouldn’t be experiencing the same thing. This was likely just another male-female encounter as far as he was concerned.
“Another thing,” he said, his voice still husky from a double climax. “That wasn’t just sex.”
THIS ISN’T the first time he’s gotten a young girl pregnant.
Alex tried to claw her way from the nightmare invading her dream of making love with Mitch. She didn’t want to hear this. She wanted to feel languid and safe. The way she did in Mitch’s arms with him filling her body and soul.
About fifteen years ago he did the same thing. He covered it up that time by paying the girl off. This time he may have done something much worse.
Alex groaned. She didn’t want to know. Go away, she told the unwanted voice. Just go away.
I can’t go away, Alex. You promised to help me. Don’t let him get away with what he did to my sister. He can’t escape his past. All you have to do is dig deep enough.
Alex shook her head. Mitch. She wanted to dream about Mitch.
He was furious. Lines of rage were etched in his handsome face. Alex hated herself for what she had done. She’d felt something with him…and now it was for nothing. Stay away from my family, he commanded. Stay away from me. And if you don’t stop nosing around in my county, you’ll be sorry.
Alex jerked awake. She sat straight up. She couldn’t breathe. Mitch stirred beside her. The purple and gold hues of dawn were streaking across the room. She stumbled from his bed, almost falling in her haste. He’d threatened her. He knew something about Phillip’s past. Something that had a major bearing on Marija’s disappearance.
I was told he’s done this before.
Jasna’s voice. She’d told Alex about another time, fifteen years ago, when Phillip had gotten another young girl in trouble. Having heard rumor of that long hidden fact had been the deciding factor in Jasna’s mind that Phillip was somehow responsible for her sister’s disappearance.
Alex shoved her tousled hair back from her face and snatched up the closest item she could find to cover herself. Mitch’s scent enveloped her as did his shirt. She trembled and fought the urge to cry. He’d threatened to make her sorry if she didn’t leave his family alone and stop digging around in his county. He was protecting his uncle. How far would he be willing to go to cover for him?
A shudder wracked her trembling body. She had to get out of here.
“Alex, what’s wrong?”
She froze, unable to even take a breath.
He climbed out of bed, gloriously naked, his full-grown morning arousal making her heart beat even faster. She squeezed her eyes shut and blocked his image. She couldn’t trust him. How had she missed that?
Blood is thicker than water.
“Hey.” His fingers curled around her upper arms. “Did you have another nightmare? God, you’re shaking.”
She forced her eyes open and looked directly into his. “Take your hands off me.”
His expression lined with concern. “Just tell me what’s wrong.” He looked so worried. How could he do that?
She twisted out of his hold. “Don’t touch me again.” She sucked in a shaky, but much-needed breath. “You’re covering for Phillip.”
He sighed and plowed his fingers through his hair. “Not that again.”
“You threatened me,” she snapped. “You told me I’d be sorry. Did you think I wouldn’t remember until it was too late?”
He looked directly at her then and Alex saw the truth of her words in his eyes.
Chapter Eleven
Alex waited, her impatience growing with each passing minute, for Ethan to return her call. He’d left a message with Peg after Alex and Mitch left the office yesterday to go to the Malloy house. She hoped he’d found something on Phillip. Specifically she needed proof that what Jasna had told her was true. Alex had no recall of looking into Jasna’s allegation. But she must have. She would never have put off checking out that kind of lead.
And that would explain a lot. It would certainly justify her gut feeling that Phillip was hiding something. Not to mention it would lend credibility to why she’d chosen to avoid telling Mitch the truth that first night. She’d obviously known his connection to Phillip. But that connection hadn’t stopped her from falling for the guy.
She blew out a frustrated breath and stared at the pages scattered on the desk before her. The last thing she needed to think about was her foolish feelings for Mitch. She’d really screwed up this time. Not only had she gotten involved with a player in a case, she couldn’t trust him.
He’d threatened her when she was guilty of nothing but following the leads in her investigation.
He was a cop. He should understand that better than anyone.
Mitch had tried repeatedly last night and this morning to explain that he’d only been angry and blowing off steam, but Alex just couldn’t trust her instincts where he was concerned. Though her heart told her he was telling the truth and that he cared for her…blood is thicker than water.
Why had that phrase stuck in her head?
Mitch stepped out of his office, drawing her attention as easily as if her very survival depended upon seeing him. He propped one hip on the edge of Peg’s desk and reviewed the messages she’d taken for him.
As usual, his hair was restrained at his neck. But it hadn’t been last night. Last night the tawny mane had fallen around his shoulders. She’d tangled her fingers in the silkiness of it. She’d traced that square jaw with her tongue, kissed him until she couldn’t breathe. Her heart skipped a foolish beat. The way he’d held her in his arms after their lovemaking…so tenderly, as if he had deep feelings for her.
She shook off that line of thinking. None of it was real. She was confused. The head injury most likely was the cause. She’d never had this kind of problem maintaining her objectivity before.
Mitch looked straight at her. Her breath caught.
The telephone extension on Dixon’s desk rang, jerking Alex from the trance she’d immediately slipped into when faced with that mesmerizing gaze. She turned away f
rom those hypnotic blue eyes and snatched up the receiver.
It was Ethan.
“I think I have what you’re looking for, Al.”
She massaged the ache that had started in her forehead. “Great. I could use a good lead about now.” Who was she kidding? She could have used a good lead days ago. Then maybe she could have saved Jasna’s life. Alex closed her eyes against that painful reality. Both Jasna and her sister were dead, nothing she could do now would change that. But she owed it to them to bring their murderer to justice.
“Well, you were right, Phillip Malloy is hiding a dirty little secret.”
Alex held her breath, hoping it would fit with what she’d remembered from one of her conversations with Jasna.
“Fifteen years ago when he was Professor of Law at Ole Miss, he got involved with one of his students, Kari Brown.”
I was told he’s done this before.
A chill sank all the way to Alex’s bones.
“When his pupil discovered she was pregnant, he insisted she get rid of the problem or else.”
“Or else,” Alex echoed. “What was the or else?” Why couldn’t she remember any of the conversation with the Brown woman? Alex had to have been the one to locate her.
“She didn’t take a chance on finding out. She took the money and disappeared. She never spoke of it again until you found her.”
So the dream was right. Jasna heard the rumor and, with Marija missing, feared the worst for her sister. She’d hired Alex to find out if the rumor was true and to try and find Marija. Alex had found the woman. Her brow furrowed into a frown. Not even a glimmer of memory came to mind.
“Kari won’t testify against him. She’s no longer afraid of Malloy, but she doesn’t want her husband or the kid to know it happened. I don’t know how much weight the information carries if we can’t use it to bring him down.”
Alex’s gaze riveted to the reception area. Mitch was striding in her direction.
“Trust me, Ethan, this is just what I needed. Look, I’ll call you back.” She hung up without waiting for his goodbye.