“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“Did the bleeding stop?”
“Yeah, no more blood. Seriously, I’m fine.” She patted his arm but didn’t pull away. He found he couldn’t move his hand from her. Instead, he moved his fingers up to capture strands of her loose hair. Soft. A little coarser than his when he had it, but hers felt soft against the pads of his fingers.
“What do you think Ingle’s mother had on your father?”
He leaned forward a little, but her voice stopped his motion. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to bury his face in her hair. In her scent. In her. The question distracted him. “I don’t know exactly.” He did know, maybe not what exactly why but he couldn’t tell her all of his suspicions. “I think she blackmailed him into allowing Richard into the company, and she sure as hell had something hanging over him when he signed away a quarter of the company after the divorce.”
Edge’s cell phone rang; she removed her hand from his arm to answer it.
He waited for her to finish her call, still playing with her hair by running his hand up and down the strands.
She mouthed the words, ‘Harvey,’ so he’d know who she spoke to. The conversation seemed to end quickly and it sounded like good news. “Thank you,” she said, then hung up the phone. “The phone company confirmed a call came in from your house to Harvey’s office during the time he had a meeting with Ingle.”
“That’s great news. It proves I did call. It still doesn’t prove that Richard took the call and pretended to be Harvey, though.”
“Yeah, how come you didn’t recognize Harvey’s voice?”
Ethan frowned. “The person on the other line just said, ‘yeah’. It was Harvey’s private line. He’s the only one who answers it, so I assumed it was him. Even when he denied we’d spoken I couldn’t believe he would lie, but I knew I wasn’t lying. So, I had no idea what was going on. Now that I think about it, I did all the talking. I told him I wanted him to move with the divorce and hire the detective. I’d meet him at his house the following night and we would go over details then. I gave him a time and hung up. He didn’t protest, so I thought the time was fine. It wasn’t unusual for us to do business after hours at his home.”
“So, Ingle knew when you were going to be gone and that you were planning on filing for divorce.”
“If he was the one who took the call then, yes.” He released her hair to hold up the journal resting between them. He’d read it from cover to cover now. “From Sharon’s last entry, we know she was expecting him and she planned on telling him she was getting rid of the baby. She never intended to have it.” He didn’t add the real reason she was getting rid of Richard’s child is because she knew her duty was to have his child. She might not have been aware of her Atrox heritage but she knew enough to understand she had to have his child or else she would end up with nothing. Her grandfather may have engineered the marriage before he died, but the money coming to her from his estate remained tied to her giving Ethan a child. His will made that clear. Sharon wouldn’t risk it all for Richard, if Ethan demanded a paternity test. Which he damn well would have.
“So, you think she had a chance to tell him?”
“I’m sure she did tell him she wasn’t going to leave me and she wasn’t going to have the baby.”
“And that’s when the bastard lost his mind and killed her.”
He nodded. “That makes sense. I think he did it in a fit of temper. He always had a temper, although I’ve never known him to be physically violent, verbally yes, physical no. Then again, the man killed Sharon and tried to kill us, so who the hell knows. He’s had more secretaries than anyone else in the company. No one in the company likes to work with him. There’s a folder about an inch thick of employee complaints against him. The only ones he seems different around are the clients, which was a good thing. But even then, I only allowed him to work with the more established accounts.”
“The big money folks.”
“Exactly. He had no trouble smoozing them.”
“I understand why your father couldn’t fire him, but after his death, why didn’t you?”
“It was complicated. Because of the way the stocks were tied up. I would have had to buy him out and my money is all tied up in the company. The company was already in enough financial trouble. Sharon’s money helped stabilize it and by the time I decided to get a divorce, there was no way I would have been able to fight her and buy Richard out too. Not without cutting salaries and laying people off, which I refuse to do.”
“Okay.”
“So, what do we do now?” he asked.
“Now, we come up with a plan. Then, I make a phone call to my police friend and take him what we have so far.”
“Do you think it will be enough for him to hold off arresting me outright?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He stared at her, trying to read her beautiful face, but it told him nothing of how she really felt. “Thank you for believing me. Helping me. But why? Why are you doing all this?”
“I don’t like to see an innocent man go to jail.”
His senses told him she wasn’t quite telling the whole truth. “Is that all?” From the first time he’d seen her in the woods, he’d wanted her. Nothing had changed that. Even though it hadn’t been long, the more he’d been around her, the stronger the attraction.
“Should there be more?” she queried.
“Do you want there to be?”
Chapter Nine
Whoa! Now, that was a loaded question. While he played with her loose hair, the cat inside her had relaxed and gone soft. Wanting to rub her body against his—all of him. She had to clamp down tight on her control to stop herself from purring at his touch. She lost her battle. “Ah, hell.” Always one for taking risk, she jumped him.
Wrapping one hand around his neck and the other around his bicep, she pulled him to her, but he was already leaning toward her. Their lips clashed in the middle and her essence went up in flames. Heat. So much heat. Heated blood rolled through her body, igniting every nerve ending she had, intensifying her enjoyment. Like being caught in the midst of a change, but one bringing a different kind of pleasure.
His lips covered hers, his tongue pushing into her mouth while hers met and mated his eagerly. No first kiss, this felt like more of a about fucking time kind of greeting. Full of frenzy, raw need and growls. Oh hell yes, from him and her. A prime male and female in heat and both damn near ready to explode. She felt him easing back onto the couch or maybe she pushed him back. She didn’t care much which. Only the taste of him mattered, only the feel of him mattered...Only this.
Ethan tugged her shirt off at the same time she reached for his, but even in her lust filled haze, she felt the shift in him. She froze. Eyes wide open, she watched him. Waited.
The bandage had slipped, he could clearly see the area of her shoulder where a wound should have been. Only a small pink scratch, not even a scar marred her flesh. He tugged the bandage the rest of the way off and tossed it aside. Ethan raised his hand and touched the area with his fingertip.
She glanced down at his finger and watched as his nail elongate into a black claw, the cool razor sharp tip didn’t even prick her skin.
He turned it sideways and caressed the scratch.
Her chest rose and fell into the caress, she hadn’t even realized she’d held her breath until then. She took his hand and raised the claw to her lips. It receded back to a normal shaped finger and she kissed it. He lowered his finger, replacing it with his mouth. His kiss softened, becoming an acceptance she felt right down to her soul, even her cat accepted him. Purring in pleasure.
He abruptly pulled away from her and glanced toward the door. “We have company.”
His voice wasn’t what she’d heard before. Tougher somehow, more like his animal rode him and rode him hard. She understood the feeling. Then she sensed what he did, they did have company and she recognized the scent. “He’s a friend.”
&nbs
p; “He’s like us?”
There it was out in the open between them.
“I think so. We don’t talk about it and I respect his privacy.”
Ethan nodded, understanding.
They sat up and fixed their clothing just as they heard the key turn in the lock. By the time Cole opened the door, they were completely dressed, sitting side-by-side and staring at him.
“Edge,” Cole said.
She heard the amusement in his voice, like he knew what they’d been doing just moments before. If his senses were anywhere as acute as theirs were, then he damn sure did.
Cole tilted his head and sniffed the air. “Damn!” he hissed. “A complication.”
She didn’t have to see the fine hairs on Ethan to know they were standing at attention. So were Cole’s. Holy shit. Two prime cats. Two unmated cats with a female clearly in heat. Not a good situation at anytime. “Um, Cole,” she started, getting off the couch and coming toward him, making sure to place herself between him and Ethan. “Is something going on? Why are you here?”
“I came by to check on you.” Her friend and partner sighed, tilting his head to look around her. “You must be Ethan. It’s cool man, no claim. You in control?”
“What the fuck do you know?” Ethan growled out.
She turned to see the color of his eyes change to dark sapphires with golden center slits...Cat gold.
Cole sighed again. He sat down in the armchair, one furthest away from Ethan. “I know a lot—it’s not something I talk about and this is the only minor exception I’m prepared to make. I only came by, because I’ve found out a few things and wanted to talk to you both. I have an idea.”
Edge sat down, again beside Ethan. She rested her hand on his arm before she realized what she’d done. His body still trembled, like he fought an inner battle, but she stroked him twice and he stopped. The fine hairs on his arm also settled down. “Okay, what ya got?”
“After you told me about that attorney and the telephone call, I went ahead and called our favorite detective. He was very interested, but before he commits he wants to see the journal.”
She glanced at Ethan.
It must have been knocked to the floor. Ethan bent down and picked the journal up, placing it back on the coffee table and pushing it toward Cole. “Okay. I’m trusting you.”
Cole got up out of the chair and grabbed it. “You won’t be sorry. Was the attorney able to confirm the call?”
“Yeah, he did. Now what?” Edge asked.
Cole sat down with the journal in his hand. “I think we need to return to the scene of the crime. I found out earlier that Richard has filed for power of attorney over Ethan’s personal affairs. That includes his house and all the property on the premises. He’s contacted your security company.”
“How do you know all of this?” Ethan asked, confused.
“I have lots of friends.”
Edge shook her head. “Don’t bother to ask, he always does this.”
“So, you think he’s going to what? Get access to the pool house? Oh.” Ethan frowned.
“What?” Edge asked.
“I changed the code to the pool house. Sharon had a safe installed in the floor in one of the bedrooms recently. That’s where I found her journal. I don’t think Richard knows about that safe, but he knows about the journal and is looking for it. He’s had access to the house with plenty of time to search it. Since he didn’t find it there, maybe last night like me, he thought to search the pool house but couldn’t get in because I’d changed the code.”
Edge nodded. “I think he’s not sure if you’ve got it or not?”
“Seems like it.”
“So, he plans to get the security people to disarm the alarm and open the safe for him,” Edge surmised.
“Yeah,” Ethan agreed. “But the security firm that handles the alarm isn’t the same one that installed the safe.”
“So, he really doesn’t know about the safe in the pool house,” Cole said.
“I don’t think so.”
“Then, all he intends to do is search the place,” Cole stated. “That’s good. He’ll probably wait until the security people leave before he does that.”
“Probably.” Ethan nodded. “But how’s that going to help us get him to confess to Sharon’s murder?”
“We’re going to make sure we’re there, at least you will be to confront him,” Edge said immediately understanding where Cole was going with his plan.
“You’ll be wired, of course,” Cole confirmed. “And I’ll have the detective on stand-by to arrive in time to grab Richard.”
“Okay, but what if he’s got a gun?” Ethan asked. “He had one last time I faced him, and he didn’t have any trouble using it.”
“But like you said yourself,” Edge interjected, “He likes to talk. He’s going to want to impress you with how smart he is. But no worries, I’ll be inside the pool house with you. I won’t let him hurt you and I’ll have my own gun.”
Ethan stared at her. Another flash of possessive golden heat filled his gaze. “I’m not that easy to hurt.”
“On that note,” Cole stood up and pulled a Pocket Glock out of his jacket, placing it on the table. “To replace the one from the other night. Now, I’m going to get this journal to our friend and find out exactly when the security people are due at the house.”
“Thanks,” Edge said, but she left the gun right there. She wasn’t wearing her harness and she felt Ethan tense at the sight of the gun. She knew if she touched it in front of him he wouldn’t like it, instead she placed her hand on his thigh.
“Are you going to be there too?” Ethan asked Cole.
“No need. Edge can more than handle this.”
“Is there any way you can stall the security folks?” Edge asked Cole. “Make sure they come out later in the evening. The days are shorter and it gets dark early, we’d have an advantage in the dark.”
Cole grinned. “I like the way you think. I feel sure I can arrange it. I’ll make a call as soon as I leave.”
“Why don’t you just do that now?” Edge asked.
He looked back and forth between her and Ethan. “Privacy.”
Ethan stared at her and his look heated her already heated flesh even more. “Go ahead, make the call. The sooner you do, the sooner this nightmare of my life can end.”
Cole grinned but took out his phone and called someone. The call seemed brief but he told the person what he needed done. He hung up the phone and gazed up. “Done. Ingle won’t be able to get into the pool house earlier than five.”
Ethan stood up and moved over to Cole. “I want to thank you,” he said offering him his hand.
Cole took it and they grinned at each other, coming to some kind of unvoiced understanding.
Edge smiled, watching both men. Talk about a feast for the eyes and other things. Her best friend and the man she—well lusted after. But her heart skipped a beat at the thought of what Ethan could be to her and the cat in her absolutely purred.
This time, loud enough, so both men turned to stare at her.
She grinned.
Chapter Ten
“Damn it! We’ve got to wait until tomorrow evening before they can get out here,” Richard said to his mother who sat across from him at the dinner table.
“I still don’t understand why you can’t just break a window or something?” Beth said looking out through the patio door of Ethan’s home onto the rolling hills beyond.
“Because technically, it’s not my property and I can’t do any damage to it. If I break a window the cops come, the last thing I want is to seem as though I’m not exactly what I appear to be. Tomorrow, will be soon enough for us to know if Ethan has the journal or not.”
“Do you want me to help you look?”
Richard thought about it for a moment. “If you want. The pool house isn’t that big, but lots of places to hide something like a journal.”
“What time do you need me here?”
“Th
e security company should be here around five and I don’t think it will take long. So, come by around five thirty.”
“Fine. I’ll be here.”
Ethan locked the door after Cole left, then turned to face her. “Now, where were we?”
Edge still sat on the couch and stared at him. “I’m not real sure we should be doing this right now.” In spite of how much she wanted to. Really, really wanted to.
He moved toward her, all sleek rippling muscle, like the cat he was. Her cat. The thought flashed across her consciousness and wouldn’t let go.
He stopped in front of her and held out his hands, when she put them in his, he pulled her up to stand in front of him, placing his nose against her neck and rubbed. “You smell good, kitty kat.” He exaggerated the ‘k’.
She did the same, rubbing her nose along his neck. “So do you.” And he did, a nice spicy, earthy scent drifted off him. It surrounded her. Male in heat. High heat at that. The vibration of the purring in his throat had her womb clenching. When he grabbed her waist and lifted her off her feet, she wrapped her legs around his slender waist. Even through the denim they both wore, she felt his hardness pressed against the apex of her fast heating core.
“I’m going to make you purr, kitty kat. I’m going to make you fucking purr just for me.”
“Promise?”
In answer, Ethan lowered his head, nipped the corner of her lip and licked it better before slipping his tongue into her mouth. He tasted of rich spicy chocolate. He’d been eating a piece earlier, something else they shared. He’d found her hidden stash. “Oh, yeah,” he murmured.
She lowered her legs and pushed out of his embrace, when he tried to pull her back to him she braced her hands on his arms. “Bed.”
The single word got through to him and he stopped. She grabbed his hand and turned to lead them to the bedroom, but he tugged on her hand stopping her. “What’s your name…your real one?” he asked.
“Why do you need to know?”
“Tell me.” A demand from an alpha, a Leo, in full prime.
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