My chin quivered and I took a deep breath. It was time to be strong. If I told him the truth, he’d either figure out a way to stop me or demand to take an active role in helping me find his brother. “If Buck asked me what you’d hired me to do, would you want me tellin’ him?”
“That’s bullshit, Rose!”
I slowly shook my head. “It’s not, and you know it. I’ve already agreed to do it . . . and like I said, I can’t keep callin’ you to be my backup. Not if I want to convince everyone I’m neutral. That means no more Brett. No more Jed following me around. After you take me home, we have to cease all communication.”
“No.”
“We can’t have it both ways, James. I’m in this world now as a mediator. I freely accept it. I made that decision when I set up the parley. I can do good for the county. I can help you keep peace. But that means I need to do this on my own.”
He spun away from me and ran his hands over his head. “You’ll be dead before the month’s out.”
“I’d like to think not,” I said with a hint of teasing. “I’m kind of scrappy.”
He turned around, anguish washing over his face. “Why in God’s name are you doin’ this, Rose? Go back to bein’ a landscaper. Marry that vet and have a family. Leave all this shit behind you and let me deal with it.”
A tear rolled down my face. “Some things are worth fightin’ for. Even if they don’t belong to you.”
He stalked over and pulled me to him, fisting the hair at the back of my neck. He tilted my head back to look up at him. “Don’t be so sure it doesn’t belong to you.”
More tears rolled down my face, and he kissed my cheeks. I closed my eyes and savored in his kisses, each of them both a gift and a curse.
His mouth found mine, possessive and wild, one hand still holding my hair while the other roamed over my butt and then moved to my breast. I clung to him and kissed him back, just as wild, just as feral.
His lips moved over my cheek up to my ear, leaving a path of burning desire. “God, I want you. I’m not sure I can give you up.”
I wasn’t sure I could give him up either, but I knew I could help him so much more behind the scenes than I could sneaking around with him in the dark.
“Give me one night,” he said in a raspy voice. “God, I want you. And I’m sure one night won’t be enough, but I’m asking for it anyway.”
After everything I’d told myself, I knew what my answer had to be, and yet I found myself saying, “One night.”
I’d become neutral Lady tomorrow. Tonight I belonged to James Malcolm.
Chapter 12
The drive was agonizingly long. After all his twists and turns to make sure we weren’t being followed, he finally turned down the partially hidden driveway to his house. We’d both stayed on our side of the car, as though we knew that touching each other before we got to his house was dangerous.
But he practically leapt out of the car after he parked in the garage and circled around to meet me as I got out. He shut the door and pushed my back against it, kissing me, soft and leisurely this time. Then he broke loose and smiled—the soft smile that warmed up his eyes.
The smile he saved for me.
He grabbed my hand, tugging me up a couple of steps and then through a door into his kitchen. Pulling me against his chest, he stroked my hair from my face. “Are you thirsty? Hungry?”
“I only want you.”
He took my hand again, more gently this time, and led me around the corner into his living room and up the stairs.
I stopped in my tracks when we reached the top. “Neely Kate.” How could I have forgotten that she had no idea of anything that had happened? She’d be worried sick when she realized I hadn’t come home.
“Jed took care of it. He knows I have you.”
“Took care of it?”
“Told her you’re with me. He’s with her now.”
“You know about them?”
“Since the day they left town.”
I frowned. Jed had told him before Neely Kate had told me?
“No talk about Jed and Neely Kate,” he grunted, pushing my back to the wall and covering my body with his. His hand came to rest on the side of my neck, and my body burned with desire just from the feel of him against me. “You’re mine tonight. There’s no one else. Just you and me.”
He kissed me again, and I pressed myself into him. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I could seep under his skin and into his soul. Then we could fuse together, and I’d still have a piece of him with me after I left.
His hands grabbed my hips, and he pressed himself into my abdomen, proving how much he already wanted me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my knees weak. He lifted me, cradling my butt in his hands as my legs wrapped around his waist, still kissing me as he carried me into his room.
He set my feet on the ground, then took a small step back, his eyes skimming over me.
“Are you on the pill?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I can still wear a condom.”
“Do you always wear one?” I asked.
“Always.”
“Then I trust you not to wear one tonight.”
He kissed me again, soft and gentle, as his hands lightly cupped my face and then skimmed down my neck and my nearly bare shoulders.
“You are so damned beautiful,” he said breathlessly as he lifted his head. His hands reached for the hem of my shirt and slowly lifted it, tugging it over my head, then tossed it onto the floor. He was already reaching for the button at the back of my skirt, and the zipper came next. Pushing the fabric over my hips, he let the fabric pool at my feet.
He took a step back and stared at me, taking in the view. I’d worn a strapless nude-colored bra and panties today—boring—but at least they matched and both had a hint of lace. “I would have dressed up more underneath had I known this was happening.”
He grinned the sly grin I was used to. “I’m not complaining.”
“I want to see you,” I said, closing the distance between us and reaching for the hem of his T-shirt. I lifted it, and he helped me pull it over his head and arms. I traced the scars on his side and his shoulder. He’d shown them to me a few weeks before, trying to convince me how dangerous his life was. They were wounds from past skirmishes with men who’d wanted what he had. It had only made me more intrigued.
His upper chest and arms were covered with elaborate tattoos. I’d seen them before but hadn’t paid much attention. Multiple images that appeared to tell a story—the story of his life, I assumed. I had no idea what most of them meant. Probably no one did other than James, and possibly Jed. I traced the largest piece with my finger, a tree that covered the left side of his chest, the branches reaching up to the base of his neck and over his shoulder. Multiple leaves lay at the base of the trunk, but something else caught my attention—a tiny daisy at the base of the tree, a fragile-looking thing with a single petal falling and caught in midair as if blowing away.
I looked up into his eyes and the way he watched me now . . .
I knew he would tell me the meaning of each and every tattoo if he had time. But time wasn’t on our side. It was after one in the morning. We only had hours.
I placed a kiss on the daisy, because the story behind it was what had convinced me James was a good man beneath it all. It was a symbol of his shame for failing to save Jed’s little sister from drowning when they were kids—a shame James would carry to his grave.
James carried so much regret and shame, more than anyone knew. It was a secret I would guard with all my heart.
He sucked in a breath as my lips caressed his skin, his hands digging into my hips. He leaned down and kissed me again, more urgent now. Feeling that same urgency, I fumbled with his belt and then the button on his jeans. He released a groan of frustration and grabbed my hands, moving them to his chest so he could dispense with his zipper.
As he worked off his shoes and jeans, I slid my hands over his hard pecs, up to his shoulder
s and then down his arms. How many times had I imagined touching him like this?
I looked down and realized he was fully naked, having removed his underwear with his jeans. I wrapped my hand around him, but he covered my fingers with his and made me stop. “No. I’m tryin’ not to just throw you on the bed and take you. Don’t make it more difficult than it already is.”
“I’m ready,” I said, freeing my hand and guiding his under the edge of my panties. “See?”
His eyes widened in surprise at both my boldness and the proof.
“Take me right now,” I said. “We’ll do this slower next time.”
“Next time,” he grunted.
“There better be a next time tonight. If you think you can get away with only one—”
He kissed me into silence as he slid his thumb under the edge of the top of my panties and slid them over my hips—being gentle with my leg as he let them drop to my feet.
“How tired are you?” he asked, leaning into my ear as he reached around and unhooked my bra and tossed it aside. “Because I assure you that we can do this all night.”
“Promises, promises,” I teased.
His eyes darkened as they scanned my now-naked body. “Lady, you have no idea.”
A shiver of desire washed over me. He noticed, and his grin turned predatory. He kissed me again, a kiss so consuming I lost myself in him.
His hands found my breasts, and then one moved lower. I moaned into his mouth as desperation filled me. I needed this man. I had no idea how I would walk away from him, but at least we had this. At least we had tonight.
I wasn’t going to waste a single minute.
And as if sensing my need, he pushed me down on the bed, scooting me up so my head was on his pillows. He knelt between my spread legs as he watched me with a gaze so intense I wondered how I didn’t combust. Naked and spread open to him, I was the most vulnerable I’d ever been with James, but I’d never felt more connected with him either.
He leaned over me, his mouth covering mine, and I hooked a leg around his lower back, rising up to meet him as he entered me. He released a guttural sound as he filled me, and I gasped—some tiny part of me reveled in how right it felt, but I already needed more.
His mouth lowered, kissing and nipping a trail down my neck and chest to my breast. A jolt shot through me when he found my nipple.
“James,” I moaned as I climbed higher, tightly wound.
I could tell his restraint was tenuous. I wanted him uninhibited. I wanted to make James Malcolm come undone. I lifted my pelvis and, grasping his butt cheeks, invited him to go deeper.
“I’m not fragile,” I said, my chest rising and falling. “Don’t hold back. I want all of you.”
He grabbed my wrists and pinned them over my head with one hand. He stared down at me, his eyes burning with lust and desire. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“Then claim me.”
My words unleashed him. Grunting, he kissed me again, losing control and leaving me at his mercy. I reveled in it as I climbed higher and higher until I shattered into pieces, crying out as wave after wave of pleasure washed over me.
He let go of my hands and grabbed my hips, pumping as though he couldn’t get deep enough. “Oh, God, Rose.” After one last drive, he released a groan and collapsed on top of me.
This was so perfect it broke my heart.
Rolling to his side, he gathered me in his arms and kissed me slowly and leisurely, and then with growing hunger as his hand roamed over my cheek, through my hair, and down my neck.
He leaned back and looked down at me with a mixture of awe and sorrow. “I have a feeling you’ll be my ruin, Rose Gardner.”
And I was certain he would be mine.
Chapter 13
The throbbing in my thigh awoke me. James was curled up behind me, his arm slung over my side and holding me close.
I couldn’t help smiling. He was possessive even when he slept.
I needed to get up and take something for the pain, but I wasn’t ready to leave him yet. The clock on the nightstand table read 6:42. I didn’t have much time left, and I’d already wasted a couple hours of it sleeping.
Rolling onto my back, I stared into his face, unable to resist the urge to touch him. He looked so at ease right now—all the tension I was accustomed to seeing was gone. I lifted my hand and let my fingertips trail over his face, the stubble on his chin scratching them.
His eyes cracked open and a lazy, satisfied smile stretched across his face. “I could have sworn I dreamed you were in my bed last night.”
“I’m here,” I said, but sorrow crept into my words.
He shifted so he was leaning over me. “We don’t have to make this a one-night thing,” he said, searching my face.
I stilled. “So you’re proposin’ we have random hookups?”
He continued to study me as though trying to determine whether I thought that was a good thing or a bad one.
“The agreement was one night, James.”
“You can’t tell me that you want to walk away after last night?” he asked in disbelief.
“The agreement was one night,” I said with more heat. “What about distancin’ myself from you?”
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you walk away from me now.”
“That’s not what we agreed to!” I sat up and tried to get out of bed, but he pulled me back down.
“Rose.”
I tried to push his arm away, but who was I kidding? The only way I was getting out of this bed was if he let me. “You’re bein’ unreasonable, James.”
“Unreasonable?” he said, getting irritated. “You’re the one who wanted this so damn bad!”
I worked loose and sat up, the sheet falling to my waist. “And you’re the one who said my life is in danger if people think I’m tied to you!”
“I’ll claim you. Just like I did last night, over and over and over.” His voice turned husky as his gaze fell to my breasts.
“Braggart,” I said as I pulled the sheet up to cover my breasts since I wanted him to actually hear me. “And we both know that won’t work. You tried to tell me, but I was too stubborn to listen.”
He sat up too and placed a kiss on my shoulder. “Your stubbornness is one of my many favorite traits.”
“Only when it works in your favor. When it doesn’t, you hate it.”
He tilted his head to look into my eyes. “There’s not a single part of you I hate.”
I grinned. “I’m gonna remind you of that the next time you’re pissed at me.”
“We can figure out a way to make this work, Rose.”
“I don’t want to sneak around. I don’t want to hide us, but I can’t be with you either. You’re a criminal.”
Thankfully, he didn’t take offense. “Not a single charge has stuck.”
“But we both know you’ve done illegal things. And everyone else knows it too.” I started to slide out of bed, but he stopped me again. “Let me go. I have to get some ibuprofen and take my antibiotic.”
“I’ll get it. Promise me you’ll stay there.”
“Okay, but not for much longer. I have to go soon.”
He pushed me back down and kissed me until I was mindless and boneless. He grinned down at me. “Wait there.”
As he got out of bed, he pulled off the sheet and tossed it onto the floor.
“Is your plan to keep me naked so I can’t leave your house?” I asked as he disappeared into his bathroom.
“Not originally,” he said, his voice muffled. I heard a cabinet open and then running water. “But it’s not a bad idea.”
He was back out a few seconds later with a glass of water and two bottles in his hand. He sat down next to me as I sat up, then handed me the water as he opened the first pill bottle.
“Who would believe that big bad Skeeter Malcolm would be playing naked nurse with me?”
He grinned and handed me two pills. “I’ll play naked nurse with you any day of t
he week.”
I swallowed the over-the-counter pain killer while he unscrewed a prescription bottle and dumped a pill into my palm.
“That’s not the bottle Tim Dermot gave me.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I thought I made it clear that I was going to supply your antibiotics. You can’t trust him, Rose.”
I popped the pill into my mouth and took a sip of the water.
“You know you’re not leavin’ until you tell me every detail of what happened last night, right?”
And things had been going so well.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said. “I’m supposed to be neutral, remember? No more runnin’ to you with my problems.”
“You’ve absolutely lost your mind if you think I’ll ever agree to that, so start talkin’.”
I shot him a glare, but I figured he had a right to know since there was a chance the same guys had taken Scooter. “I’m not having this conversation stark naked.”
He took the glass of water from me and put it on the nightstand. “If you’re sitting there telling me this is my last chance to see you naked, then you definitely are.”
“James . . .”
I tried to lean forward to get the sheet he’d tossed onto the floor, but he snaked an arm around my waist and hauled me back, pinning me down on the bed. “Start talking . . . unless you plan to spend all day here with me.” He leaned over and started to kiss my neck. “Although I’m likin’ that plan.”
I had to admit it was tempting, much too tempting, but I had actual work to do, not to mention a parrot to find along with the task of looking for James’ brother. “They kidnapped me in the carnival parking lot.”
His head rose and his jaw clenched as he searched my face. “And where the hell was that vet?”
“He had to leave for an emergency.”
“And he just left you in the damned parking lot?”
“Calm down, James,” I said, trying to sit up, but he held me down.
“Calm down? Any asshole who allows his date to get kidnapped doesn’t deserve her.” An ornery look filled his eyes. “But I’m noticin’ a trend, Lady. How many boyfriends have let you get kidnapped?”
For the Birds: Rose Gardner Investigations #2 (Rose Gardner Investigatons) Page 13