by Crissy Smith
“Please,” she begged softly as she ripped her mouth away. She didn’t know what exactly she was asking for, just something. He was driving her mad.
Garrett cursed then slid his hand under her sweater to the waistband of her pants. His fingers grazed her stomach then, oh yes, he was playing with her clit.
She hiked her leg higher, giving him better access to rub where she really wanted him. He dipped a finger inside her and she sobbed out in relief. He plunged his digit in and out before he added another. Lily was overwhelmed by the arousal but did manage to fumble with his button and zipper so she could fit her hand inside his jeans. It was awkward as she was still riding his fingers while trying to jack him at the same time. It didn’t matter though. She was so close.
His legs shook as the tingling in her clit signaled her approaching release. She leaned forward and closed her mouth down on the fabric of Garrett’s shirt as she came. He rubbed his thumb over her clit until she sagged against him. She still grasped his erection and he was hard as steel.
Lily lifted her head and was glad for the darkness that surrounded them. Garrett lowered his mouth and this time the kiss was soft and gentle. She started to move her hand again, sliding her palm over him, and swallowed his moan.
She wondered just how many sounds she could pull from him. She planned to find that out later. Lily broke the kiss and nudged him back so she could lower her leg. He’d gripped her so tightly that she wondered if she would have bruises later. If so, she would wear them with pride.
Once there was enough distance between them, she dropped down to her knees. The cold concrete jolted her but she was determined to get his hard cock in her mouth. She tugged on the waistband of his jeans until his erection sprang out. Holding the base with her right hand, she licked at his mushroomed head. The saltiness of his pre-cum was unique and all Garrett.
Garrett slid his fingers through her hair to grip her head. Lily stopped teasing his cockhead and lowered her mouth down on him. She pulled back, sucking hard, and Garrett groaned loudly. She repeated the move faster and with more suction until he was thrusting into her mouth and she knew he was on the very edge.
As his hips faltered, she reached up and rolled his balls with her free hand.
He cried out just before he pulled away and covered her hand with his. Together they jerked his cock until he spilled onto the concrete beside her. Lily watched him the entire time.
Once spent, he fell to his knees beside her and gathered her into his arms. Lily rested her cheek against his chest.
“I want to take you home and lay you in my bed but I promised Nick I would stay here,” he said.
“I understand.”
Garrett placed his hand under her chin and raised her face. “This isn’t a one off. I want to see more of you.”
She grinned. “I guarantee it.”
Chapter Four
Garrett sipped his second cup of coffee as he once again reviewed the case notes. Haas was on the way to pick him up and he wanted to be completely ready. His body still hummed from the night before, and with the house quiet around him it took everything in him to concentrate and not think back to how sexy Lily had been, lost in passion.
His cock had been half hard all morning and that was after he’d jacked off in the shower earlier. He’d hated to watch Lily go but until they found Randy Bolton and whoever was responsible for the arsons, he didn’t know how much time they’d have to spend together.
The reasons for solving this case fast were starting to pile up. The advance in his career, getting to spend more time with Lily and most important was reuniting Nick with his father.
He’d peeked in on Nick before he’d come downstairs and the boy had been curled up in the middle of the bed with his new wolf cradled in his arms. It was adorable.
“You’re up early,” Cooper said as he entered the kitchen.
Garrett grinned. “Haas is on his way. We wanted to get an early start. Coffee’s fresh.”
Cooper stopped in the middle of the kitchen and took a deep breath. “Oh God! I don’t know when the last time there was coffee that I didn’t have to make first thing in the morning.”
“Julie has never been a morning person, even before she took the night shift,” Garrett said.
“That’s why she took it,” Cooper agreed. “I don’t mind. Most of my work takes place at night. That’s when most of the deals are made and when trouble hits the streets. I’ve been working days for a couple of weeks now and I’m getting pretty sick of not seeing her enough. I can’t wait until White and Johnson get back from vacation.”
As a narcotics detectives in a city that had a lot of tourists who came to party, Cooper and his partner, Josiah, were busy. He could see how Cooper and Julie made their relationship work. They both had devoted their lives to helping others and had still managed to find love and each other.
Garrett knew he’d be lucky if he ever found what they had, but he had hopes. The previous evening with Lily was one of the best he could remember.
Cooper filled his mug before walking over to sit at the table across from him. “You know that you moving here means the world to her,” Cooper said.
Garrett closed the folder he’d been reading and took in Cooper. It was obvious in the way that Cooper was watching him that he had something to say to Garrett.
“I think it’s worked out for the best,” Garrett agreed.
“She was worried about you after she came back here. We’ve discussed how the Kermit Fire Department treated you but I don’t think you told Julie everything.”
“No,” Garrett agreed. “She had enough going on trying to win you back.”
Cooper shook his head. “She didn’t have to do more than return. My heart always belonged to her.”
Garrett believed him. When Julie had found out about Cooper’s ability to shift she’d freaked out. It had been before the shifters had announced their presence and she hadn’t known what to think. The time she’d spent in Kermit with him had strengthened Garrett and his sister’s bond, but Garrett hadn’t been certain Cooper would be able to forgive her for taking off.
Cooper had and Garrett was grateful that his sister now had her true love.
“She might not have come back if you hadn’t pushed her,” Cooper told him.
“She was miserable,” Garrett replied honestly.
“What I’m trying to say is that I have you to thank for giving her the nudge she needed. You’re family,” Cooper said.
“Thanks.” Garrett wasn’t sure what else he could say.
“Sure,” Cooper said. “So if there’s anything you’re not sure about or have questions on you can come to me.”
Garrett picked up his mug and leaned back in his chair. There was so much happening in his life. What was Cooper hinting at? “Okay.”
Cooper grinned. “You know shifters have increased senses don’t you?”
“Yes.” Garrett frowned. “And…”
“You were gone a while last night walking Lily out. When you returned I could smell her on you,” Cooper said.
He could feel the embarrassment heat his cheeks as he blushed. After he’d returned to the house the night before he had gone straight to the bathroom to clean up. Obviously his efforts hadn’t fooled everyone. “Well…I…”
Cooper laughed. “It’s okay, man. I know exactly how you feel.”
Garrett held up his hands. He so didn’t want to know anything about Cooper and Julie’s sex life.
“All I’m saying is that I’ve been there. You have a connection with Lily. If there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m here for you.”
Garrett set his mug down. “I really appreciate it. I don’t know why what I feel for Lily is so strong. I just want to get to know her better. There’s something about her,” he admitted. “But I have to find out who is responsible for these fires. I want to get Nick back home.”
“We’re heading out again this morning to track down any leads. Julie has a few days off
so she’ll stay with Nick, and Tom is heading over after his shift,” Cooper said. “You just concentrate on your job. Everything else will work out. I don’t see Lily going anywhere.”
That was exactly what Garrett needed to hear. A horn honked out front so Garrett stood and gathered up his laptop and the files. He slipped them into his backpack before he picked up his cup. He strolled to the sink, as he thought about his and Cooper’s conversation. After he rinsed out his mug he turned to Cooper. “Thanks,” he said.
Cooper waved him off. “We’ll call if we get anything.”
Garrett grabbed his gear and walked out. Once out of the front door, he jogged to the idling SUV. Haas nodded at him after he’d opened the passenger door. “You ready for this?”
“Yes, I’ve read through the cases several times. I think we should start with the law office,” he suggested.
“Break-ins aren’t really in our jurisdiction,” Haas pointed out.
“It’s all connected,” Garrett said. He knew in his gut that the key to finding the person or persons responsible was through Randy and Mike’s office. There was a reason that Randy had been taken. No other fires had been set with residents on the premises.
“Okay, spell it out for me,” Haas told him.
“What do an abandoned building, a closed hardware store and two family houses have in common? That’s the approach I’m taking,” Garrett said.
“All the properties were owned by shifters,” Haas replied.
“I did a search on the owners. Randy represented the owners of the hardware store in a case when they were sued by an employee that claimed to have been hurt while on duty. The courts sided with the owners that the employee had actually been injured while off on his own time. Mike told me last night that he is currently on the counsel for the owners of the building where a company out of California is trying to buy the land. That property was damaged by arson then we have Randy’s house,” Garrett said.
“That’s good. So the fire that the law firm haven’t been connected to is the other house fire,” Haas stated.
“I didn’t find anything in the public records so maybe we should ask Mike about them,” Garrett suggested.
“I agree,” Haas replied.
Garrett glanced out of the window as Haas drove them closer to town. He felt really good about his input and he was pleased that Haas was listening to him. The main street leading into downtown Clear Creek wasn’t busy this early in the morning. Garrett knew that later the restaurants would be packed and the tourists would be going from shop to shop picking up their souvenirs and trinkets.
The tourists brought in a lot of money for the town, using the forests and nature preserves as hiking trails and relaxing in the beautiful scenery. Until Garrett had moved there he’d never visited the city and now he regretted it. Clear Creek was a wonderful little oasis, but what made it so great were the residents. They were a strong community that relied on one another and Garrett wanted to do his best for them. He vowed that no more residents would live in fear of the arsonist that was haunting them.
As they passed the local bakery, three men in suits sat at an outside table enjoying the morning and laughing together. One of them could be the guy they were after. It could be anyone. They needed to figure out that last piece to connect all the fires and hopefully that would lead them to where Randy was.
“Should we call ahead?” Garrett asked as Haas turned onto the street where Mike’s law office was. He was only two blocks from downtown so they would be pulling up within minutes.
“Mike’s always in early,” Haas told him. “Man works more than I do.”
“That’s right,” Garrett said. “You know Mike from the Pack?”
“Yes,” Haas agreed. “We hang out a little on the weekends when we can, too.”
“I was able to ask him a few questions at dinner. I saw him last night but I didn’t want to bring up too much in case Nick walked in,” Garrett said.
“That’s smart. That boy’s been through enough,” Haas said.
Mike’s BMW was already parked when they pulled into the small lot in front of the building. Another vehicle was next to Mike’s but Garrett didn’t recognize who it belonged to. Garrett grabbed his backpack and swung it over his shoulder as he exited the SUV.
The office was lit up but there was no one at the reception desk.
“Hey, Mike!” Haas called out.
When there was no answer, Haas shrugged and Garrett followed him past the empty desk into the hall. There were three doors closed but Garrett could hear voices coming from behind one. As they got closer, the fact that Mike was in the middle of an argument was obvious. So was the detail that it was a woman’s voice bickering back.
“I can’t help you,” Mike said loudly before Haas knocked on the door.
There was a moment of silence, some shuffling, before it was cracked ajar and Mike stuck his head out. “Oh. Hi, guys.”
Garrett couldn’t see past Mike but now his curiosity was killing him.
“Sorry to intrude so early but we were hoping to catch you before you got started for the day,” Haas explained.
“Yeah, sure.” Mike glanced over his shoulder before opening the door.
Garrett was shocked to see Shelby Holt, the local reporter, standing next to Mike’s desk. Garrett had met the gorgeous lady several times, as she was one of Julie’s best friends. The reason he was surprised to see her in Mike’s office was that it was common knowledge that the two of them couldn’t stand one another. So it didn’t make sense that the two of them were meeting early in the morning in private. Especially when it appeared that they hadn’t just been arguing. Mike’s tie was crooked and while Shelby was dressed gracefully, there were wrinkles in her skirt. Garrett didn’t know what to think but he was aware whatever was going on was none of his business.
“Hey, Shelby,” Garrett greeted.
“Gentleman,” she replied back with a nod.
Mike turned to Shelby. “Maybe we can continue this discussion later?”
Shelby ran her gaze over Garrett, then Haas and finally Mike. “Sure.”
No one said anything as she picked up her purse and on those needle heels strolled out of the room. Even though Garrett wasn’t interested in her and didn’t find her nearly as attractive as Lily, he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she exited. There was just something about Shelby that screamed class.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Haas said to Mike, which pulled Garrett’s attention back to the men.
“It’s okay,” Mike said while straightening his tie and frowning. “Our conversation wasn’t going anywhere.”
Garrett wanted to offer his ear but refrained. Maybe he’d call Mike later, since Mike looked like he needed a friend.
“We wanted to discuss the break-in and your firm’s connection to the arson fires,” Haas stated.
“Connection?” Mike asked and motioned for them to sit.
Garrett waited until Haas took the left chair before dropping down into the right. They faced the desk as Mike slid into his own chair.
Haas nodded at Garrett.
Garrett scooted up in his chair as he pulled his backpack onto his lap. He took out the case file and opened it. “Your firm represented the Wilson Hardware firm in a lawsuit against Ralph Money.”
“Randy handled that case but he spoke to me about it. The owner, Carl Wilson, had an employee that he wrote up for missing some shifts. Carl was about to fire him, he suspected him of using drugs, and Mr. Money kept screwing up orders. Instead Ralph claimed an injury and tried to sue but we proved he’d actually gotten it on a camping trip with some friends. We obtained some paperwork from when Ralph first had the injury treated.”
“Did you have any contact with Mr. Money after the trial?” Haas questioned.
“He yelled some profanities and made some rude remarks afterwards but no, we never heard from him again that I know of,” Mike said.
“What can you tell us about the sale of the property you�
�re currently handling? The Hampton place out north,” Haas asked.
“I can’t give you too much information since it’s still in negotiations. All I can really say is that a company out of California wants the land pretty damn bad. The owners hadn’t even thought about selling and are taking their time on deciding. The company believes they just want more money but that’s not it,” Mike explained.
“What is the problem?” Garrett questioned.
“The owners? You’ll have their information in your records from the fire, I’m sure,” Mike said.
“Rodney and Greg Hampton,” Haas supplied.
“Greg is all for selling while Rodney wants to keep the property. It’s been difficult to negotiate the offer.”
“Anything feel kinky about the offer?” Haas asked.
“No, I’ve done enough of these that it’s pretty routine,” Mike responded.
“How about the Franks family?” Haas questioned.
“Franks?” Mike repeated.
“Victor or Lucy Franks?” Garrett said.
“Those names don’t sound familiar at all,” Mike said.
Garrett shuffled through a few pages before he saw another name. “Alex Franks?”
Mike started to shake his head before his eyes widened. “Wait! I know that name!” He picked up papers and shuffled through them then threw them back down. “Damn it! Where have I heard that name before?” Mike jumped up and raced from the room.
Garrett exchanged a confused look with Haas before they rose and ran after him. The door across from his office was open. Garrett reached the door first and gasped at the sight of the disaster. Filing cabinets were turned over, papers littered the floor and pictures hung at weird angles. Mike was mumbling to himself as he searched the desk.
“Is this from the break-in?” Haas asked.
Mike glanced up for a split second. “Yes, we cleaned the reception area and my office first. We were going to work on Randy’s office today.” He pounded his fist on the desk. “I think I recognize the name but I’m not sure. I need some time to sort through this mess.”