“You were almost killed yesterday.” Mitch’s words punched through the sound of the shower and rasped against my ears with a sudden intensity.
Blood surged through my veins, and I trembled with the need to feel every inch of his body, to claim it. And to claim life. “Now. I need you right now.”
He backed me against the shower stall, hard, his need evident in the tremor in his hands, the set of his jaw, and the power flashing behind his eyes. My legs found their way around his waist, and all coherent thought evaporated as our bodies fought for release. We marked each other’s skin with our combined scent—with lips, tongues, teeth, fingers—every touch a demand for more.
Thirty minutes later, drained and sated, we were dressed and ready for the day. Both of us casual in jeans and t-shirts. Maybe not the most professional way to meet with Chief Hayes, but hey, we’d just come off a bloody horrific night. And profound sex.
Mitch grabbed my hand as I followed the aroma of fresh-baked muffins to the kitchen. He tucked a finger under my chin, brought his lips down to rest against mine in a gentle kiss. “You okay? That was fast. Intense.”
“Well, yeah.” I pressed against him. “We do good sex. Whatever the mood.”
He caught my hand, brought my palm to his mouth, and flicked his tongue over the sensitive skin. “I’m not complaining, just want to know you’re okay.”
“Better than okay. Hungry though.” I captured his hand and headed for the kitchen and breakfast.
“Morning, Annie.” I reached for a bottle of aspirin and a cup—in that order—then poured myself some coffee. There was a big bowl of fruit on the table and a basket of just-baked muffins. Looked and smelled like cranberry. My fave.
“So, looks like the two of you worked up an appetite.”
Mitch grinned, leaning to plant a kiss on Annie’s cheek. “You could say that. Great soap you have in that shower. Stimulating.”
I elbowed him, felt my cheeks turning warm. Time to change the topic. I pulled out a chair, plopped down, and grabbed a muffin.
“Were you okay last night? I know it was brutal yesterday, and then staying here instead of at your own place. But with the broken front door and mess over there—” Annie’s voice washed through my embarrassment, brought me back to the reality of what went down.
“I tossed around a lot. Too much on my mind from yesterday, the whole week really. Do you realize how little time has actually passed since I—”
“Touched a bunch of stuff you had no business touching.” Mitch took my hand, cradled it in his. “Maybe we should take out an insurance policy on your fingers. Considering your curiosity and unerring ability to find trouble, seems like that’d be a good plan. Besides, without them we may never have found Tony’s killers and it would have taken considerably longer to make the connection to Delano West.” He planted gentle kisses along the tips of my fingers. “It could be that I’m beginning to see them from a whole new perspective.”
I looked over at Annie when he mentioned West’s name. It’s not your everyday line of work, being a sniper, even if your boss is the government—more or less.
She caught my look. “I’m okay. Remember this is something I trained for. I don’t like it. That’s why I’m retired. On the other hand, after studying him for years, I know firsthand about the evil Delano West held inside. Maybe now we can find some peace—Shelly especially.”
I nodded. “We’re probably all heading for serious post-traumatic stress and should be actively looking for an appropriate shrink. Is Shelly back home?”
“Yep, I spoke with her late last night and she’s doing okay. Better than I expected. Mentioned she’d call you for an appointment in a couple weeks.”
I finished up the last bite of muffin and downed my coffee. “We both need recovery time, and she needs to finish her work with Lisa Shaffer before we meet again.” I glanced at the clock. “Shouldn’t we be on our way to the see Chief Hayes?”
Annie shook her head. “No. Actually, the Chief changed his mind and doesn’t want you anywhere near his office until this blows over. Turns out, the media got wind of what happened. Anyway, Hayes sent the paperwork home with me last night.” She pointed to a red folder sitting on the counter.
I froze with my napkin halfway to my mouth. “The media? I didn’t notice any reporters.”
“They were on the scene,” she said, glancing over at the kitchen counter where the morning paper sat.
“What? Is there something in the paper?”
“They got a picture of you.” She sounded resigned.
Mitch snagged the paper, spread it open on the table.
“Oh…my. Well, maybe you really can’t tell it’s me with the wild hair and stunned expression. The picture’s kind of blurry. I’ve been thinking about a trip to somewhere—anywhere would be nice.”
Annie looked amused. “They didn’t get your name yet, so your secret is still safe—much to the Chief’s relief.”
Mitch slid his arm around my shoulder. “You have the perfect reason to be ‘not available.’ With your kitchen and deck under construction, no one will expect you to be here and reporters have notoriously short attention spans.”
Annie grabbed a muffin, peeled the paper wrapper off. “Just don’t go getting a reputation for this kind of thing.”
Mitch’s phone rang, sharp, jarring in the hominess of Annie’s kitchen. He checked the number and blew out a frustrated sigh before he went into the living room to take the call.
“Huh,” I mumbled, “looks like he picked up another assignment.”
“Looks like. Better get that paperwork signed. Adam will be here soon to pick it up.”
I finished reading and signing just as Pierce and Adam walked into the kitchen. “You all right, El?” they asked in unison.
“Yes, although you all could have been a little quicker getting the knight-in-shining-armor routine in gear. Did any of you notice whether West had long fingernails?”
“Fingernails?” They responded in unison.
“Yeah. Did you look at the body? I had a scratch on my neck and thought it might have come from when he tried to strangle me.” I hated asking, but I couldn’t get a good angle at the airport to check out his thumbs, and I had to know.
Violet’s eyes narrowed under a wrinkled brow. “You’re thinking claws, aren’t you? You haven’t been able to shake the image of West as a cat.”
I lifted my shoulders in an awkward shrug. “No. I mean, I know he looked human and there’s no way to prove otherwise, but there was blood on my neck.”
Annie held my gaze. “You were cut in several places, Everly. There was blood, and I’m not sure anyone noticed the exact source.”
She wanted me to be sane. A concept I clung to, but… “Is there going to be an autopsy?”
Adam huffed. “Autopsy? Yes. Didn’t notice his hands, but your neck looks fine. No marks. Are you sure he scratched you?”
Time to let this one go, El. West is dead and whatever theory you have, you’ll never know the answer. It’s probably best that way. More sane. “Things were…stressful, so I probably mixed stuff up in my mind. Maybe he didn’t scratch me.”
I handed the folder to Adam, dug Shelly’s ring out of my pocket, and tossed it to him. A distraction. No point in pursuing any of the oddities about West, especially when they would only make me look certifiable. “Shelly’s engagement ring,” I said by way of explanation. “I’m guessing it’s probably evidence.”
Adam caught it, dropped it in his pocket. “Yep. Where’s—?”
“Mitch’s paperwork,” Annie finished for him as she slid another folder into his hand.
“Good.” Adam gave Annie a long look. “You heading out with Pierce?”
“Um-hum. We have some loose ends to clean up.”
“Yeah, you do.” He gave each of us girls hugs, shared a minute of silent communication with Pierce, and then disappeared down the stairs.
My gaze tracked between Annie and Pierce. “I have a question—one I don’t re
ally want to think about, but it keeps nagging at the back of my mind.”
Pierce reached around me for a muffin. “Go.”
“Why do you suppose they stunned me instead of just shooting me? Both Shaved Head and Pudgy had guns, real guns. They didn’t hesitate to use them on Donny, why not on me?”
Annie rocked back on her heels and hooked her hands in her back pockets. I stayed silent, waiting. They’d taught me well about the value of silence. Finally, Annie sighed and looked at me, eyes hard, jaw clenched. “That’s another reason I have no regrets about taking the shot that killed West. He wanted to play with you, El. He wanted you to suffer, to slowly suck the life out of you just like he did Shelly. He was using both of you to get to me.”
“Huh? How?”
“When we arrived at the hangar yesterday, West didn’t meet the car.”
“Yes, I know that part,” I cut in impatiently. “The empty car really threw him. Me too.”
“It gave Pierce and me—” her eyes moved to include him— “a chance to take cover and gather information.” She took a deep breath. “West didn’t come after me because he knew I’d find him.”
Annie glanced at Pierce. “Arnie Scott had some things to say. West planned to kill Shelly. He sent Pestorelli and Freddie Hanson to pick you up. Wanted you to watch. West liked to control people. He planned to replace Shelly with you.”
“Me?” I shuddered. “Why me?”
Pierce picked up the story, his voice flat. “He knew A.J. would come after you. He would probably have spent some…time with her before he killed her. Both the torture and kill would have been at his hands.”
I shuddered, cold.
He laid his hand on my shoulder. “West was after you, El. Scott is the one who shot you. He described you and A.J. to West after the incident. West knew if he had you, A.J. would show up, would follow him to Paris. He used you as bait.”
“Bait? Shit.”
My eyes darted between them. “So…they were…watching me?”
“Pestorelli was watching Donny. He was a loose end that West wanted taken care of. Donny led him straight to you.”
“And Messy set my house on fire? Why?”
Pierce went still. “He’d planned to flush you both out that night. Wanted to deliver you to West. Thought it would make up for losing the bag of diamonds. Arnie’s mean but not too bright.”
“Okay. I needed to know that, don’t understand why since it’s making my knees weak, but I needed to hear it.” I swallowed a deep breath. “How long will you be gone?”
Annie shot a look at Pierce, then shrugged. “I’ll call when I’m on my way home.”
I looked at her, steady, sure. “You saved my life.”
“Yeah. What do you say—no more spying on each other, hiding things?”
“Deal. I’ll have my cell phone with me. Call me when you break free from the red tape.”
“Will do.” She glanced at Pierce. “Ready when you are,” she said as she picked up her backpack.
Pierce didn’t say anything, but his lips twitched in my direction before he glanced over at Annie. The communication was silent. She slid her weapon out of a kitchen drawer, tucked it in a holster at her ankle.
“Seriously,” she said to me, “why don’t you go on one of those retreat things? It’ll take Pete Williams time to finish your front door and our new deck. I’ll rest easier if I know the media can’t find you.”
Mitch snapped his phone closed and came up behind me. “I opted out of the assignment.” He wrapped his arm around me, tucking me snugly against his chest. “The timing on this sucks and I don’t want you to be alone, especially not with the press hungry for a scoop.”
I looked at him and apprehension prickled along my nerves. He’d never turned down an assignment that I knew of. “What’s the deal?”
“I’m thinking some one-on-one time at my place is in order.”
“Your place?”
“Uh-huh. Remember the house you wandered through without invitation? The one with the view of the sky from the bedroom? Moonlight? Stars?”
“You’re asking me to stay with you?”
“Yeah. Until this blows over. Maybe longer.”
Wow. Longer. Okay then. I was so not prepared for this, and scrambled for words. “Sounds…like a good plan. But I’ll need time at my retreat house too, time alone to sort through all this, until we see…how…compatible we are.”
He pulled me tight against his chest. “Yeah. Compatible. Don’t want to pass up an opportunity to explore compatibility.”
The rumble of his laughter echoed in his chest and a warm sensation melted through my tension. I wasn’t ready for a permanent live-in relationship, but I wasn’t ready to be alone either. It would be good to divide my time between Mitch’s house and my parents’ retreat. The best of both options.
We left en masse, by way of the front door to protect me from any wayward media people that might be lying in wait. No one jumped out of the bushes to take pictures, so I could only assume my name and address weren’t known. Yet.
I shed my jacket, tossed it in the back seat of my Bug, and locked the car doors—without getting in.
Three sets of eyes stared at me.
“I’m going down to the greenway to take a walk before I head to Mitch’s house. Not long.”
I was way overdue for my backwards walk. In a very short time, I’d radically changed my typical behavior patterns, and now I wanted to spend some time integrating the changes.
I looked at the three of them standing there not knowing what to do with me. It was nice. After all we’d been through, they still wanted to protect me.
Misplaced, but nice.
“I’m—” Annie started.
Pierce shot her a look, wrapped his arm around me for a hug, took Annie’s hand and led her to his truck. “Say goodbye to the people.”
She ran back, gave me one last hug, jumped in the truck, and they were gone.
I felt Mitch behind me, leaned into him. “I’ll meet you at your house.”
He rested his chin on my head, wrapped his arms around me, then let me go.
“There aren’t any strings, Sunshine. We’ll take it slow and easy.”
I breathed out a sigh I didn’t know I’d been holding. I wasn’t ready. Not yet. I stretched onto tiptoes, pressing my lips gently against his, then I turned and started down the path to the greenway. “Hey, Mitch?” I called as I tossed my hair and sent him a full-on smile. “Slow and easy has infinite possibilities.”
Sometime later—
I was sitting in my tree house, thinking over the past few weeks, what I’d touched, and what happened as a result of setting my fingers free. It was a lot to consider.
The rumble of an engine sounded in the driveway then stilled to silence. A car door slammed, and moments later Pierce climbed up the ladder and poked his head inside the tree house. “How’s it going?” he asked, making himself at home on the floor next to me.
“Good. I’m finding perspective and balance, without the use of charge cards.”
“Am I supposed to understand that?”
“Probably not.”
He reached for my hand. I pulled back and blinked at him. “You want to touch my hand? Have you seriously thought about that?”
“No, guess not. How about if I touch you someplace less dangerous?”
“Danger depends on your point of view.”
“Um-hum,” he agreed sliding his finger under the edge of my t-shirt. “Lie back. I need access to your navel.”
“My navel?”
“Belly jewel. Navel. They go together.” He held up a sparkling gem.
“Ummmm?” I leaned back on my elbows and focused on the diamond in his fingers.
Pierce removed the gold ring that had been adorning my navel for some ten years, tucked it in his pocket, and in its place slid a perfect, round diamond.
“Wow. Why?”
He winked at me and disappeared down the stairs.
Coming soon
a Touch of TNT
L. j. Charles
One
“I’ve lost it, haven’t I? Gone completely unhinged? Never mind. It’s obvious that I have or I wouldn’t be here.”
“You agreed to the chief’s request, shook hands on it, Everly, so listen up. There are two companies involved: C.J. Builders and North Construction. Both owners have denied any knowledge of the sabotage, and neither is inclined to cooperate with law enforcement. Too busy. Too arrogant. Too dishonest. Although, that last one remains to be proven.”
The morning heat colored everything with a hazy lassitude that made it hard to suck in a breath.
“It’s like looking at pictures of a war-torn country.”
I turned to face my temporary boss, Detective Adam Stone. The sun sparkled against his short blond hair giving him an angelic aura. A definite misconception, even if he was the brother of my best friend and neighbor, Annie Stone.
“All I know is that it’s too damn hot.” He unbuttoned his shirtsleeves and rolled them, then pushed his sunglasses tight against the bridge of his nose. “And that comment about pictures tells me you have Mitch on your mind instead of solving crimes.”
He had me there. Mitchell Hunt was definitely on my mind and under my skin. “He’s been away on assignment for two long weeks. One of those government things because he didn’t tell me where he was going.”
Mitch and I have been an item for a while. He does freelance photography, mostly for the military, taking pictures of situations that are of political interest. It makes building a relationship tough, because he’s frequently called away without notice and I spend too much time wondering where in the world he is—literally.
Adam tapped me on the shoulder. “Hey. What’s with you? Where’d you go?”
“Mitch will be home tonight. I’m excited. And scared. There’s always an adjustment thing when we first see each other. Makes me a little crazy, or maybe it’s just the heat.”
I shook off the slither of unease creeping down my spine and replaced it with a bubbly smile. “Sorry to have lost focus. Is there a certain place you want me to start, or shall I follow my fingers?”
a Touch of Ice Page 28