Smoking Hot

by Karen Kelley

  She moaned as his thumbs pressed against her and began to rotate. All thoughts of demanding to be returned to the ranch vanished as fire began to spread through her. “I need you, Dillon,” she said on a dry ragged breath.

  “You need what?”

  “For you to fill me, to make love to me.” She was begging but she didn’t care. He made her body come alive. She wanted him so much that she thought she might die if he didn’t make love to her soon.

  He lowered his head and tasted her. “You’re sweet. Like the lotions and oils they massaged onto your body.” He tugged lightly with his teeth on the fleshy part of her sex. His tongue scraped across her clit, then he sucked her inside his mouth.

  She couldn’t think as her vision blurred and heat flooded her body. She tried to take a breath but only small amounts of oxygen entered her lungs. She didn’t know when he moved, when his erection nudged against her opening. She became aware when he entered her, when he pressed closer. She circled her legs around his waist and pulled him even closer. She tried to move against him, but he had her pinned to the table. “Please, don’t torture me any longer.”

  “Me torture you? Sweet lady, you still don’t know what you do to me. I only stopped so I wouldn’t end it all too soon. I want you so much my body burns. You fill a need that no one has ever met. It’s you who controls me, not I who controls you.” He looked into her eyes.

  She saw the truth of his words. The barely unleashed passion that rose inside him. “Then fuck me.”

  He groaned and began to move inside her. His thrusts were long and deep. She rose to meet him. Their bodies came together, then moved apart. The friction inside her burned with an intensity she’d never felt before.

  He cried out. As his seed spilled into her, he continued to stroke. He rose above her then lowered. The heat continued to build inside her until the sky lit with vibrant colors as they exploded across the sky. She cried out, her arms circling his neck.

  She didn’t need to worry that he might let go because he held her just as tightly.

  “I didn’t give up control,” she finally said.

  “No, you didn’t.”

  She nodded. “Good.” There was a moment of quiet before she began to talk again. “You understand I can never give up complete control, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. I would never ask you to.”

  Relief filled her. She believed Dillon spoke the truth. When he rolled to his side, he took her with him. She snuggled against his chest, feeling comforted by the steady beat of his heart. She’d never felt so satiated in her life. Or so exhausted. She closed her eyes. She needed to rest for a little while.

  ******

  When Raine opened her eyes next she was in her bed and sunlight streamed through her window. The scent of a tropical paradise surrounded her. She rolled to her side and found herself staring at Dillon’s sleeping form. He’d stayed with her the rest of the night.

  A warm feeling spread from her stomach to her limbs. She had no idea why the thought of him staying with her should give her so much pleasure, but it did. This was the first time she’d spent all night with a man. It was an odd feeling waking up beside someone.

  He stretched and yawned as his eyes came open. When his gaze landed on her, he smiled. “Morning, beautiful.”

  She smiled. “Morning.” Waking up beside him every morning wouldn’t be a bad thing. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she could feel the cold fingers of dread caressing her body. “How long will you stay?” she asked.

  “I’ll be with you all day.”

  She shook her head. “I’m talking about after today. If we don’t find enough evidence against Ethan, will you go to prison with me? I don’t mean sentenced to jail time, but will you be there when I need you?” Even as she warned herself to shut up, the questions rolled off her tongue. And they didn’t stop. “Can you close your eyes and make us disappear?”

  “They won’t let me.” He trailed his fingers lightly up and down her arm. “We’ll need to find the real bank robbers before my time here is over.”

  “Or what?”

  “I’ll make sure if that happens, one of the others will be there for you.”

  She closed her eyes tight. It wouldn’t be the same. She drew in a shuddering breath. “Then you’re planning to leave.”

  “I won’t have a choice.”

  Pain ripped through her. No one ever stayed except Grandpa.

  “You knew I couldn’t stay,” he said quietly.

  Raine rolled to her other side, hugging the sheet close. Yes, of course she knew he wouldn’t stay. He wasn’t like her. He was immortal.

  She’d always told herself she wouldn’t get married. The thought of a permanent relationship scared the hell out of her.

  She remembered the countless times her father talked about when he’d first met her mother. His eyes would shine with a special light when he talked about sweeping Lucille off her feet. If her mother heard him talking, she would smile, but the same light didn’t shine in her eyes.

  After Raine’s mother walked out on them, he never spoke her name again. The light dimmed until it went out altogether and the only thing left was an empty shell. The bond between Raine and her father broke. Then her father died. The pain that ripped through her tore off little chunks of her heart— the same as it was doing now.

  Don’t let them get too close and you won’t feel like that again, the voice inside her head mocked. In and out of your life, that’s all. No commitments. Stupid! You broke your own rules.

  Dillon’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder. She closed her eyes tight, then reached up and covered his hand with hers.

  “You’re right. I knew you would leave.” She stumbled over her next words. “At first, I didn’t care.”

  “And now you do?”

  Things wouldn’t change, so why not admit the truth? “You aggravate the hell out of me, but yes, I’m going to miss you.” The thought of Dillon leaving left her feeling empty on the inside. She would grit her teeth and get over it, just like she did everything else.

  “I haven’t left yet,” he said.

  He pulled her toward him. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. She knew he stirred feelings inside her, and not just because he’d spent the night. It was this. Him holding her in his arms. The warmth of his body against hers. Feeling as though everything would be okay and they would find enough evidence against Ethan. Then she realized what Dillon gave her that she hadn’t had in a long time. Security. What would she do when he left?

  “Don’t think about it too much,” he said when the silence lengthened between them.

  “I’ll survive.” She drew in a deep breath. “I always do.”

  “I don’t want you to just survive. I want you to be happy.”

  “At this moment, I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. Why don’t we leave it at that?”

  He studied her face as if he wanted to say more, but then he nodded.

  She moved out of his embrace, knowing that as much as she would like to stay nestled in his arms, her problems weren’t going away. When she pushed the cover to the side and rolled away from him, there was a chill in the air. She shivered as she hurried to the dresser. When she didn’t hear him getting up, she glanced over her shoulder. He was still in the same spot. Staring with a hungry look. Something stirred inside her.

  “Really? After last night?” Her words didn’t come out as strong as she would’ve liked.

  He dragged his eyes to her face. “I was okay until you slipped out of bed naked.”

  Knowing that she turned him on was nice. But she still had a criminal to catch. She opened a drawer and began to get dressed.

  He still didn’t move. “You’re supposed to be helping me, remember?” She stepped into a lacy pair of black bikini panties.

  “No clothes,” he grumbled and sat up in bed. The sheet bunched around him. Now she was staring. How could a man be so beautiful? His shoulders were broad and he had the
most delicious muscles. And when he pulled her close it was as though he was giving her a piece of Heaven.

  “You’re killing me,” he groaned.

  “What?” She realized he wasn’t the only one who was staring.

  “I’ll be back in a minute.” He closed his eyes and disappeared.

  Raine grabbed the dresser. He really should warn her before he popped in and out of her life. It was jarring watching him vanish. She started to move away, then opened another drawer and grabbed the first bra she touched. They had a lot of work to do today and she didn’t want to tempt him. At least, not before they had some more leads.

  She pulled on jeans and a loose shirt, buttoning the front.

  Maybe Ethan wouldn’t slip up, but there had been two men with him. They might not be as good. She grabbed socks and boots and then headed downstairs. Once she had the coffee started, she went to the back porch and sat in one of the rocking chairs, setting her boots and socks on the floor, staring at the land before her. There was something fresh and clean about the country. She didn’t want to lose it.

  Someone once told her the country was too quiet. They didn’t listen. There was nothing quiet about it. Birds were already waking up. They chirped and flew back and forth from tree to tree. They fussed at a squirrel who invaded their territory. The squirrel wiggled his tail at them as if to say he didn’t want to climb their silly old tree anyway and scurried back down. A horse whinnied. The cow answered. The chickens were clucking and the rooster crowed.

  She drew in a deep breath. Good clean country air. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee. You couldn’t beat— Dillon popped in, blocking her view. She jumped and grabbed her boot, ready to throw it at her intruder. She stopped herself just in time. “What? Is your goal to give me a heart attack?” She frowned at him. “I asked you not to do that.”

  “You knew I was coming back.” His forehead furrowed as though he was genuinely puzzled.

  “Okay. Fine,” she grumbled as she pulled her socks then boots on. She came to her feet and started past him, but he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Her body was starting to come alive when he ended the kiss and stepped back.

  “Good morning, in case I forgot to tell you.”

  For a moment she only stared at him, then a frown turned her lips downward. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re an ass?”

  He grinned. “A few people have.”

  “They were right. You are.” But she wasn’t really mad. How could she be angry when he made her feel so alive?

  Chapter 23

  Dillon was going to be the death of her. All that should be going through her mind was collecting enough evidence to prove

  Ethan robbed the bank, but when he touched her like that, when he pulled her close, when he kissed her, nothing else seemed important.

  She pushed out of his arms. “The coffee should be ready.”

  “I won’t let you go to prison,” Dillon said.

  She turned at the door. “How will you stop them?”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  The determination in his eyes said he would do exactly that, no matter the cost. Maybe she didn’t want to know what he would do if it came down to it. There was something in his look that said his decision might be a high price for him to pay.

  “It won’t come to that,” she said with renewed determination. Suddenly, it wasn’t her future or Grandpa’s or Tilly’s at risk.

  Dillon was also throwing his hat into the ring. It left a sour taste in her mouth. The weight of everything and everyone she cared for rested on her shoulders and the burden was getting heavier by the minute. She wasn’t sure she would hold up.

  “Trust me on this one,” he said.

  But she couldn’t. It wasn’t because he’d mistakenly thought she would be killed the night of the bank robbery and pushed her out of the way. That wasn’t his fault. She knew deep down she was afraid to let someone else take charge. She wasn’t exactly sure why; she only knew she couldn’t, and she didn’t want to think too long or hard about her reasoning.

  “Coffee,” she mumbled, then hurried into the kitchen.

  She went straight to the cabinet and opened the door, taking down two cups. She filled one, then the other, marveling that her hands were steady.

  The screen door opened and closed. She added sugar and cream to her coffee. “I do what I have to do,” she said. She stirred the coffee, watching it change from dark black to a light brown.

  He picked up his cup. She didn’t look at him. Dillon simply said, “I know.”

  A moment passed until she gathered her thoughts and spoke

  again. “I need to find out if this uncle exists.”

  “Where do you want to start?” he asked.

  But Dad, it’s too hard.

  Raine, you’re not paying attention.

  I am, but it’s like walking through a maze and there’s no way out. Every time I think I might have it figured out, the perp throws another hedge in my path and I have to start all over again.

  If you want to find where the lie begins, sometimes you have to start at the end.

  She blew across the top of her coffee and took a drink. “We’ll start at the end.” She had a plan and it was a good one. For a while she might have been anxious, but good teaching always won out, and her father was one of the best.

  She glanced up and saw that Dillon didn’t understand what she was talking about. “Phil Turner owned the car dealership.

  We’ll start with him.”

  It still took over two hours to track the man down. At least he was still in town. The ink was barely dry on the contract and he was tying up loose ends and not planning to return, or so his cousin told them. The cousin didn’t care for his uppity ways and was more than glad to tell them he was at the storage buildings on the North side of town, making arrangements to have the rest of his things shipped to California.

  “Mr. Turner, we’d like to speak with you a moment,” Raine said with a smile pasted on her face.

  He was standing with a man outside the office building. The cousin had described Philip Turner accurately. He was tall and thin and always wore a jacket no matter the temperature. The cousin said he had thin skin and the brutal Texas sun would burn him to a crisp if he wasn’t careful. She also said they better hurry because his flight left that afternoon.

  “I’m afraid I don’t have the time,” he answered and took the top copy of the sheet the other man handed him.

  “It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Turner.” The owner of the storage buildings tugged on his cap and hurried back inside. He didn’t ask many questions about what went in his storage units and he didn’t want to know anything.

  “Unless you want to miss your plane, you’ll oblige the lady,” Dillon said.

  Raine glanced his way. Since when did he become a cop?

  “By what authority do you have the right to detain me?” he blustered.

  “I’m a deputy. That’s all the authority I need,” she said.

  Technically, he didn’t know she was on a forced leave of absence.

  She refrained from telling him.

  His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “Where’s your uniform?”

  “We’re undercover,” Dillon easily answered before she had a chance.

  Now they were breaking the law. Legally, she didn’t have any authority to question Mr. Turner, but she didn’t refute Dillon’s words. “Would you like to use my phone to call the office? Sheriff Barnes has to be in court this morning, but he might be back. If not, we can wait here or at the office.”

  Mr. Turner glanced at his watch and frowned. “No, I’m sure you’re who you say you are. What do you need to know?”

  “We want to know everything about the deal you made with Ethan Miles.”

  “He’s a cop.” He looked back and forth between them.

  Raine didn’t blink. “He’s under investigation.”

  The man stuck a finger beneath his collar as though he thought it was
a noose that was tightening around his neck. “I don’t know anything about him except we made a deal and he signed on the dotted line. If he’s done anything illegal, I’m not aware of it.”

  Dillon’s smile didn’t look at all genuine. “Did we say he did something illegal?” He looked at Raine as though he was puzzled.

  “All we said was that he was under investigation. Isn’t that right?”

  What the hell was Dillon doing? Mr. Turner wasn’t stupid, and Dillon might be immortal but he couldn’t act. She gave him a look that she hoped would tell him to back off and let her handle this. When Mr. Turner looked at her for confirmation, she smiled.

  “We’re checking out a few of his stories,” she explained.

  “Now, if you don’t mind answering a few questions, then you can be on your way.”

  “How did he pay?” Dillon asked.

  “How was he acting?” Raine asked at the same time. Mr. Turner looked between the two of them as though he might turn around at any moment and run all the way to California. She hurriedly jumped in. “One question at a time, Mr. Turner. How did he act?”

  A bead of sweat ran down the side of Mr. Turner’s face. “As if he was in a hurry,” his words tumbled out. “Nervous,” he squeaked.

  “And how did he pay?”

  “A check on a Galveston bank. It’s legit. I called to make sure. The money has already been transferred. Over half up front and the same bank is financing the rest.”

  “Did he say where he got the money?” Not that she expected him to know.

  “An uncle died and left it to him. That’s all he said. I swear.”

  By the time they finished with their questions, Mr. Turner was sweating profusely and practically ran to his rented Cadillac.

  Raine watched him climb inside and drive off in a swirl of dust.

  “The sale of the dealership might be perfectly legal, but I’d bet my last dollar he’s done shady dealings in the past,” Dillon said, voicing her thoughts.

  “I agree.”

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “If Ethan paid four hundred thousand for the building, there’s a quarter of a million dollars still unaccounted for. Where’s that money?”