Some Like It in Handcuffs

by Warner, Christine

  “I’m still spinning at the news Karina was pregnant.”

  “Like you mentioned last night, it stands to reason why there were some sections blacked out on the autopsy and parts of the police report. Somebody didn’t want it becoming common knowledge.”

  Sunny bobbed her head. “Mr. DeVito never mentioned it. For that matter neither has Benny. I’m sure it’s a hard subject to talk about, but Mr. DeVito should’ve made sure I knew every detail, no matter if he thinks it’ll impact the case or not.”

  “You’re right, we’ll have to see what else we can find out about that.”

  “Also, I don’t understand how Vivian ended up with the earrings Benny made for Karina. Benny wouldn’t have given them to her. Even the ones he made me are similar, but not exact.”

  “At this point I think you’re reading too much into the earrings. I’m more interested in talking to Benny and Slater. And checking out that vacant store, although I have no idea how we’ll manage to get inside.” His eyes twinkled with a devilish gleam.

  “I’ll be at Benny’s tonight. If Slater’s there, one of us can strike up a conversation with him.” Sunny traced her fingers around the lip of her glass.

  “What time do we have to be there?” Judson grabbed the last piece of bacon from her plate, popped it in his mouth and leaned back rubbing his stomach.

  “Seven.” Sunny finished the last of her juice. “It’s prohibition night, so you need to dress in something gangster. A clothing style from the twenties or something like that.”

  “Seriously?” A frown creased his forehead.

  “Benny’s idea,” she said. “It’s usually dead the middle of the week and he thinks this gimmick might draw in customers. Even the dancers will be dressed like Flappers.”

  “So, what are you wearing?” His darkened gaze raked over her.

  “Same as the other girls.” A shiver worked its way across her skin. All of a sudden, she looked forward to the night ahead.

  ****

  Oh man, I’m in trouble now.

  Judson’s hand shook as he ran it over the top of his smooth head to the nape of his neck.

  Sunny stood framed in the doorway of her apartment. The thin shoulder strap of her dress slid down her upper arm. His mouth watered. She spelled trouble with a capitol T.

  He pulled at the collar of his shirt as she slid the strap up her shoulder to put it back in place. His eyes were drawn to the rise of her chest when she inhaled, then dropped to linger along the curve of her breasts as they rose above the edge of her clingy dress. Judson’s fingers curled when he imagined them filling his palms, the perfect fit. They pulled against the fabric and invited further inspection. His hooded gaze traveled down her body and stopped at the slight flare of her hips. The flimsy fringe that covered the dress accented her curves and swished when she moved.

  She was all woman. And he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone.

  Stay strong. Judson cursed himself in silence. He’d done so well keeping his distance, except for that moment of weakness in her office. Tonight would be the test he dreaded.

  Sunny pressed her back against the door. “Come in while I grab my purse.”

  When Judson swallowed it was like choking down sand. He stepped past her and his arm brushed her chest. She sucked in a breath. The tight buds of her nipples pressed against her dress, and it took willpower not to stop and pull her into his arms. The scent of jasmine followed the path of her fingertips as they glided up to touch the base of her throat.

  Two butterfly combs secured her hair atop her head. It accentuated her eyes, and they glowed as if on fire. The rich shade of plum on her lips, matched her dress and shoes.

  Sunny was hot before, but at this moment if he reached out to touch her, he’d burst into flames.

  The heart pendant at her throat sparkled, drawing his attention to her shaky smile as if she were unsure of her appearance.

  Judson licked his parched lips.

  “You look beautiful, Sunny.” His husky voice sounded foreign in the quiet room.

  ****

  Sunny stood behind the deserted bar leafing through a muscle car magazine. She looked up when Judson approached the counter.

  His fedora matched his blue and gray pinstriped suit, and it brought out the color of his eyes. Every part of her body pulsated as he neared.

  “Your mustache is coming in nicely.”

  He chuckled. “I’m working on it. You can’t expect a full lip of hair in one day.”

  “The one you’re wearing looks plenty real to me,” she whispered.

  Kelly walked over waving a dollar bill in her hand. “Hey, can you give me change for the jukebox? It’s so quiet in here tonight the girls and I are going to listen to music and share beauty tips.” She pursed her overdone pink lips which matched her fringed dress.

  After Sunny made change, Kelly teetered over to the machine on six inch platforms to select some music. A heart tugging love ballad blared through the speakers. Sunny’s eyes widened at her choice, this was the last type of music the girls usually picked.

  Kelly rested her hand on the jukebox and looked in Sunny and Judson’s direction. “Why don’t you two lovebirds take a break from boredom and share a dance?”

  “Good idea.” Judson took off his suit jacket to toss it over the back of a nearby chair. His light gray dress shirt matched the pin stripes on his suit. When he held out his hand her breath caught in her throat and she backed away.

  “No, I’m good,” she said.

  “Come on, Sunny. Live a little.” One of the dancers shouted.

  “Woohoo!” yelled Kelly. “Show us your moves girl.” Her hips gyrated in time to the music and the other dancers clapped and yelled. A couple of them joined in and shook their rears to the seductive tempo of the music and spun in a slow circle.

  Heat rose up Sunny’s body and she pressed her hand to her neck touching the pendant at her throat.

  “Maybe Judson will dance with you,” she threw back.

  “Nope, I told you, we’re busy discussing girl things.” Kelly’s eyes shined brighter than her lips.

  All the dancers started cheering, urging the couple to move to the stage. Judson leaned against the bar and winked. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Benny and Tasha walk through the swinging doors to join the fun. He clapped his hands together then whistled. Everyone joined in, and Kelly pumped her fist in the air yelling, “Go, go, go.”

  Sunny rolled her eyes, shook her head, and placed her hand into Judson’s.

  “I’m warning you, I can’t dance.” She giggled. With her free hand she slid the heart pendant on her necklace back and forth as she rounded the bar.

  They walked to the stage hand in hand. The lights dimmed and a spotlight followed their movements. She looked toward the control booth and recognized Benny’s tall, thin form behind the glass panel.

  She scowled. “Geesh, they don’t need to make a huge production of this.”

  Judson’s eyes sparkled in the light. “Let ’em have some fun.”

  With a playful jerk, he pulled her into his arms. She raised her hands as she collided with his firm chest. His hard muscles flexed against her fingertips. She felt lightheaded, but wonderful.

  He wore no cologne, but he smelled clean, masculine. She pressed her cheek against the soft material of his shirt and tried to breathe normal.

  “Don’t encourage them anymore than you already have.” Her voice shook.

  Panic overwhelmed her when he tightened his grip then adjusted her body against his. She considered pushing him away and making a break for it. But, she took another breathe, and realized she didn’t want too.

  It was dangerous to be so close to him. If this was the risk her family had talked about, she wholeheartedly agreed. She snuggled into his embrace. He led her in relaxed movements around the stage to the slow rhythm of the music.

  ****

  Judson pulled Sunny farther into his arms. He couldn’t get her close enough and h
is insides stirred. His nostrils were filled with her perfume, his hands with her soft pliant body. Thoughts of her swam through his head. They should be alone instead of moving across the stage at Benny’s Backyard Playhouse with an audience.

  For a moment Judson closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to savor the feel of her against his body.

  The soft tassels of her Flapper dress tickled his hands. He pressed his palms against her shoulders and she moved closer. They slowed. His hands slid down to her waist as if her dress were made of honey. A feeling of rightness spread through him, her soft curves molded into his hard and ready body. She sighed into his shoulder.

  Judson’s voice came out in a harsh whisper against her ear, “You don’t give yourself credit. You’re a great dancer.”

  “I’m faking it.” He couldn’t see her face, but he heard the smile in her voice.

  His control diminished. It wasn’t an option to hold back any longer. His grip around her waist tightened as he pulled her so close air couldn’t pass between them. They stopped.

  He wanted to pick her up and drag her from everyone’s watchful eyes to someplace private. But that would be too much like a caveman maneuver. The urge to touch his lips to hers overwhelmed him as he envisioned their bodies locked in an intimate embrace.

  Damn it. It didn’t matter if her father was his superior, and they were working a case together, or even that he would be moving back to Montana in a few short weeks.

  ****

  Sunny’s insides trembled when Judson lifted her face with his thumb to meet his heat filled eyes.

  “Don’t hate me for this.” He growled huskily. Those five words lit fire to the insides of her thighs.

  Judson lowered his head and pressed his firm lips to hers. If he hadn’t held her so securely in his arms, she would’ve oozed into a puddle of hot lava at his feet.

  His lips softened as his mouth grew urgent. Hunger forced her lips apart to allow his skilled tongue to find and teach her own timid one.

  A deep moan rumbled in his throat.

  It gave her confidence to nibble his tongue between her teeth. The pressure she applied caused him to tense before a shudder rocked his body.

  Judson slid one hand down to cover the soft indent where her back met her rear. She purred like a contented kitten. He pressed her into him and she felt his desire while his other hand shifted her chin to better accommodate the pressure from his lips.

  Their ragged breathes turned shallow.

  Sunny forgot they stood in the center of the stage.

  Judson ran his tongue over her aching lips. She moaned and her legs shook. Their heated bodies fused together. Flames flickered deep inside of her. The sensuous tempo of the music throbbed inside her head.

  He drew back. His experienced fingers cupped her head with gentle pressure and his thumb caressed her chin.

  The tip of her tongue slid over her upper lip and she tasted him there. Sunny opened her eyes in slow motion.

  His passion filled eyes stared into hers.

  Judson lowered his mouth to her ear. He flicked his tongue on her ear lobe and she dug her fingers into his back. “What do you say we get out of here?”

  The sound of his voice pulsed through her shaking body.

  “I say what took you so long to ask?”

  They smiled. The stage lights grew brighter, and a dance song pounded from the speakers.

  Tasha sidled up to the side of the stage snapping her gum. The exaggerated bat of her eyelashes as she waved a napkin in front of her face brought Sunny back to the present.

  Sunny blinked and her fingers traced her swollen lips.

  “Damn, you two. Is it hot in here, or is it just me?”

  All the girls laughed and giggled. Sunny stiffened. Judson’s arms tightened around her. The urges she’d had only moments ago disappeared with each thump from the bass of the dance music. She turned to the girls, her heart stopped. They just witnessed her lost in lust because she’d forgotten her and Judson were on stage at Benny’s, and had an audience.

  It was an effort to swallow as she pulled out of Judson’s arms.

  He stepped toward her, stopping when she gave him a small smile and shook her head. With shaky legs she made her way off the stage and walked toward the exit.

  Apparently their kiss hadn’t affected him like it had her. She needed to collect herself, and she couldn’t in front of everyone. She opened the door, stepped outside, and sucked in a lungful of air.

  She’d been so caught up in the moment, and her feelings, she would’ve left with him. Hell, she planned on it.

  Sunny hugged herself.

  What am I doing? We work together, plus he’s leaving soon.

  A light wind blew over her and cooled her heated flesh. She shivered rubbing her forearms. Her emotions were coming to play in this and she didn’t like it. Judson was off limits.

  Sunny repeated the words over and over in her mind. She needed to tattoo them into her brain.

  But, the only words that seemed to stick in her brain had nothing to do with negatives.

  He’s here now, and he kisses like nobody’s business.

  She smiled to herself.

  Chapter Ten

  Judson closed the door behind him. Sunny stood off to the side of the stoop with her arms crossed over her abdomen. Her thin lipped expression and rigid back alerted him to her mood, but he didn’t want to delay sharing his news.

  “I got a text from your brother.” He smiled as he stepped toward her.

  Her head shot up. “What about?” She shifted away from him, pressing her palms down the front of her dress to iron away invisible wrinkles.

  “The evidence box is at the precinct.”

  “Great. Since it’s so dead around here you should head over and see what they’ll let us take.”

  “They copied the evidence list so we can review it, and we were granted permission to sign out the pictures they have on file.”

  Sunny’s eyes sparkled in the overhead light from the alley. With a flick of her tongue, she moistened her lips and a stab of desire sliced through him. She belonged in his arms where they could share an encore of their kiss. He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “I can’t wait to get out of here so we can go over it.” She touched his forearm, but pulled away almost as quickly.

  Judson’s arm smoldered where she touched. “I don’t think Benny would object if you left early.”

  Sunny wrapped her arms around her mid section and shivered. A light breeze carried the scent of her perfume around him, and he tensed. If he had his suit coat he could cover her, but it gave him the excuse he needed to touch her, so he curved his arm around her shoulders and rubbed his hand down her arm. She stiffened, but he didn’t stop and before long she relaxed against him with a soft sigh.

  “I want to talk to Benny. I’ll give you my key and you can start sorting through the list. When I’m done here I’ll catch up.” She swayed into him. “If Slater shows up tonight, I wouldn’t mind chatting with him too.”

  “He was leaving when I came out.” Judson glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He’d considered talking to Slater when he passed by him, but put it off in favor of seeing Sunny first. His own taut muscles loosened when she wrapped her arm around his waist, hugging him to her side.

  “I didn’t see him.” Her quiet voice affected him like a drug. Soft and timid her fingertips kneaded his flesh through the material of his shirt. Everything around them seemed secondary as he concentrated on the rhythm of her breathing.

  “He must’ve come in when we were dancing.” As soon as the words left his lips he realized his mistake. The stiffening of her body confirmed it. The kiss they’d shared on stage in front of everyone had unnerved her. Hell, it had unnerved him too.

  Sunny untangled herself from his arms. “I wonder why he didn’t stick around.”

  “It looked like him and Benny had a disagreement. I didn’t hear anything, but it seemed heated.”


  Sunny rubbed her hands down her arms, reminding Judson again of the cold temperature outside. Not that he noticed it, his body smoldered.

  “That’s the perfect opener for me to get Benny talking about Slater. Let’s head inside, I’ll get my keys so you can get going.” Excitement sounded in her voice.

  “How are you planning on getting home? Remember, I drove.”

  She waved away his words. “Don’t worry. Kelly will give me a ride.”

  Judson held her elbow in a light grip as they crossed the threshold. As soon as they were inside she pulled from his grasp and headed for the back room. He waited by the bar.

  The fringe of Sunny’s dress swished against her body as she stepped through the swinging doors seconds later with her key ring twirling around her fingers. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes bright. His mouth went dry when she stopped in front of him.

  “As soon as I talk to Benny, I’ll see about Kelly and me leaving. It’ll be exciting to check out the pictures and see the evidence list.”

  “Call my cell when you’re on your way.” Judson grabbed his jacket from the chair, jammed his arms inside the sleeves then pulled his car keys from the inside pocket. He needed to make a quick get-a-way, outside to the cool air. It wouldn’t be as good as a cold shower, but at least he wouldn’t have to smell her delectable perfume, or watch her body give that dress a work out.

  “Wait.” She tilted her head, a slight curve to her lips. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  “Right.” He stepped closer. “We have to make this look real.” Her brow creased as he circled her waist with his arm. One swift tug and he had her locked in his embrace.

  He lowered his head to hers. She whimpered before his mouth closed over the soft fullness of her lips. Sunny pushed at his chest, sighed deep in her throat, and balled her fists into his shirt to pull him closer. She surrendered her lips, opening to accept the warmth of his tongue.

  A tremor spread across her body and he groaned. He ran his free hand down the length of her back, molding her front into his. Their tongues reacquainted. He leaned into her and cupped her bottom in his hand. As he broke off their kiss, she caught his bottom lip with her teeth. Judson drew back slowly, opened his eyes and stared into her darkened gaze.