by Diane Saxon
He knew she could deny it, but it was the truth. Her eyes dipped to his still-smiling mouth and her tongue came out to touch her top lip, and then nipped back into her mouth as though she realized what she had done. The smile dropped from his face and giving a small groan he took the lead and touched his lips to hers.
Her eyes were still wide, looking into his as he gently persuaded her lips open, testing, tasting as he deepened the kiss. As he slid his tongue in to her mouth to investigate, he watched her eyes slowly close with pleasure and it sent his senses into overdrive.
*
She could smell his clean scent, subtle aftershave, and masculine warmth. The same smell she had had in her house these last few days…the smell of the man she had yearned for.
Curious, she touched his freshly shaven jaw, his cheek, trailed her fingers up around his ear and on to cup the back of his head while his mouth devoured hers. She drew him in closer, her tongue shyly touched his. Her knees weakened as he groaned. Sweet white fog engulfed her mind as he enticed her with his inviting lips to deepen the kiss. Warmth spread through her belly as he hauled her into his embrace, crushing her breasts against his chest. Heat shot through her loins while his hips pinned her against the kitchen counter, and she squirmed rhythmically against him.
She gulped in oxygen as his mouth left hers to ravage his way down her neck to the erratic pulse pounding at the base of her throat. She lifted her arms and clung onto his shoulders as her knees turned to water, and she tried to stop herself from simply sliding to the floor in a molten puddle. His hand slid up her rib cage to cup her small breast. The heat of his palm soaked through her shirt and bra as his mouth sucked on her neck. He unbuttoned her shirt, his lips returned to hers, and he slipped his hand inside her bra, cupping her. He squeezed her stiffened nipple.
Her knees gave out. She gasped into his mouth, scorching heat flooded her loins, but he held her firm against the kitchen counter, one hand caressed her breast, the other slipped the button and zipper undone on her baggy trousers. His mouth devoured hers as he slid his fingers down her belly.
And Jack burst in through the kitchen doorway.
“Whoa…Jesus, sorry guys.”
They leaped apart and stood staring at each other, panting, as Jack turned on his heel and hightailed it back out of the kitchen.
“Bugger it. Will there ever be a time when we don’t get interrupted?” Michael growled, shoving his hair back from his forehead. Frustration radiated off him in waves.
Her fingers fumbled as heat scorched her cheeks.
“I have to go.” She rushed to fasten her buttons, but her fingers shook.
“Don’t…stay.” He moved in again, his voice a husky invitation. She lifted her shaking hands to ward him off, her breath heaved through her chest, and every instinct told her to run.
“I can’t, I’m working…I’m sorry, this is stupid…I don’t even really know you.”
He stepped back, his eyes narrowed, his mouth tightened. She couldn’t tell if his face was flushed with passion or anger. She soon found out.
“It was just a kiss, Bill. I think we know each other well enough for that. I want to take you to bed, not marry you.” Irritation vibrated off him. She felt the hard, fast slap of it.
She blew out a breath, took another one in. Her fingers stopped fumbling and she finished buttoning her shirt. She realized she was far more comfortable dealing with his fury than his desire. She dealt with quick tempers every day.
She yanked up her zipper and fastened the button on her trousers, smiled quick and feral and felt her nose wrinkle slightly as she pulled back her lips and snarled.
“Well, tiger, I never asked for a marriage proposal, but I swear if Jack hadn’t walked in, you would have been in my panties and had me up against the kitchen counter. We wouldn’t have made it to bed.” She hauled in a breath, filling her lungs just to prove to herself she could still breathe.
She gave him a solid shove so he took a hasty step back.
“Don’t blame me if you got carried away, tiger. I told you I was just about to go on duty.” She narrowed her eyes at him and shoved again. He fell back another step, holding his arms out wide to indicate she was free to go.
For the hell of it, she gave him another push. This time his body didn’t budge, but she had enough space to sidle around him.
“Playtime’s over, tiger. I’m going to work.” She patted his cheek sharply and slid past him before he could react. She glanced back as she walked out the door, his jaw was clenched, his aqua eyes cold as ice.
* * * *
Jack leaned on the police Land Cruiser when she stalked out the door. She jumped down the steps thinking the very devil himself was behind her.
“What’s going on?” Jack demanded as he straightened away from the vehicle.
“Nothing…Nothing’s going on. I’ll drive.” She held out her hand for the keys.
“You sure as hell won’t, sugar, not in that mood you’re not.” He slipped into the driver’s seat and waited for her to buckle up before he drove away, letting the dirt spit up as the wheels spun.
“Don’t call me sugar, Jack.” She scowled “It’s condescending—you’ve never been that to me. Don’t start now.” He flicked her sideways look, rolled his eyes, and huffed.
“Okay, but you’re more than just my cousin, Bill. You’re my little sister, and I’m not sure you know what you’re doing getting involved with Michael like that.” He tugged at his hair in frustration and embarrassment. “He’s too…umm…worldly for you. I know you rough it with the boys, you know what’s what, but I don’t think Michael falls into the category of men you normally deal with. He’s not going to be fooled by your bad-ass attitude, and I don’t think he’ll let you manipulate him.”
“I’m not trying to manipulate him, nor am I involved with him. It was just a kiss for Christ’s sake, one goddamned kiss. It’s not like I want to marry him.” She repeated Michael’s words. She slapped back into her seat, rubbed her thighs.
“He hadn’t stayed the night, then? ’Cause that’s the impression I got.”
“No, he’d just arrived! We had breakfast. He came over to see if I wanted to go for a run.” She folded her arms across her chest, hunkered down in the seat, and stared out the side window. Jesus, she’d never felt so childish. Conversation over!
“Well. It didn’t look like you were running to me. In fact I saw a wet handprint on your ass as you got in the car. It’s too big to be yours.” Jack ignored her warning look and body language. After all, he probably considered changing her diapers when she was little gave him the right to have his say. Her temper notched down a little as she realized how much he loved her.
“Seems to me you’re all grown up now. I just hope to God I don’t have to whip my brother-in-law’s ass before all this is through.” He pulled out onto the highway and ignored her snorting laugh as he concentrated on his driving.
She relaxed as she contemplated Jack whipping Michael’s smaller, leaner frame. The idea quite appealed.
Chapter 6
Cody Forrester was where his mama said he would be. She’d been too frightened to enter his bedroom, so he lay fast asleep on his bed in the early morning with the shotgun he’d used for the robbery leaning against the wall beside him. His pudgy arms and legs draped over the side of his single bed and dangled almost to the floor. His fat belly protruded out of his gray, sweat-stained vest.
Jack drew his weapon and nodded in Bill’s direction.
She could smell Cody’s body odor from across the room, and her stomach rebelled the closer she got. She approached the bed, and silent as possible, slid her handcuffs from her belt, and leaned over to cuff him.
Her face was within inches of his when his drug-crazed eyes popped wide open and stared back into her surprised ones. Both his ham-sized fists shot out; she felt the sting of his left one as it smacked her high on her right cheekbone. His other fist slammed her under her chin. Her jaw snapped together, and she felt a
sickening crunch as her teeth bit through her cheek, filling her mouth with the metallic taste of blood. Cody grabbed her by the shirt and launched her body across the room. She hit the ground and skidded several feet on her ass across the bare floorboards. Pain shot through her shoulder blade as it connected with Jack’s size-thirteen boot.
Cursing the little shit on the bed, she staggered to her feet. She had no idea what hurt the most; all she knew was that she could feel pain radiate through her entire body, and her head throbbed. She shook her head to relieve the waves of dizziness about to overwhelm her and then dove headlong into the fray, focused and determined, as all hell broke loose.
Cody flung himself toward the shotgun at the same time Jack yelled a warning from behind her to get out of his way. Cody was beyond reason and as he snatched up his shotgun, Bill launched herself bodily at him, threw her arms around his upper thighs, and brought him crashing to the ground. The gun skidded across the floor, and the pair of them thrashed around as Bill tried to get a purchase on Cody’s obese, sweaty body.
She clambered her way up his fat belly, threw back her right arm, put her weight and temper behind it, and smacked him hard with the heel of one hand while she punched him once in the stomach with the other. As the breath rushed out of his lungs, she flipped him over onto his face, yanked his arm hard up his back, and straddled him. She dropped her weight down on top of him, and she heard his groan of defeat as he finally stopped struggling.
“Handcuffs! Jack, goddammit give me your handcuffs! I lost mine.” Breathless, she pulled Cody’s other arm behind his back, wrenched it up, and took the handcuffs Jack offered to her.
“Thanks for your help, partner,” she spat out. Jack just leaned back against the doorway where he’d been most the time, gun still in hand, smiling placidly.
“Well, the way I figured it, I was just going to shoot the bastard, but you leaped into my line of fire. I was waiting for a clean shot.” He drawled as he slid his gun back into its holster.
Staggering to her feet, she hauled Cody to his. Her tongue felt thick and fat as she read him his rights. Turning, she squinted blindly at Jack as a gush of hot, tannic blood filled her mouth and spilled from her lips.
Jack turned ashen and sucked in his breath.
“Fucking hell, Bill, you need an ambulance.”
* * * *
Michael relaxed on the porch swing with a cup of coffee in his hand, and a dog on each side of his legs. He watched with some amusement as Mac’s black Ferrari jolted along the rutted track into the yard, scraping the low-slung undercarriage.
He knew Mac liked him, but he also knew the man considered him trouble for his little sister. So he guessed he’d turned up to make sure they weren’t left alone together. It had been a long few days of manipulation and maneuvering between Mac and his brothers to ensure they were kept apart, but it seemed, Michael thought with a grin, he was starting to make it difficult for them. It was a bit like a game of chess. It amused him to watch their scheming. They had no idea what a master schemer he was.
It seemed their line of communication had let them down this time, and Mac must have believed it was Bill’s day off too.
Mac unfolded his long legs and pushed his huge frame out of the Ferrari, almost getting his shoulders stuck in the doorway. Michael laughed.
“You know you’re too big for that don’t you?”
“Sure.” Mac pushed his long, black hair back from his face and flicked his plait back over his shoulder. “But I look fantastic in it.”
“No, you look too big for it.”
Michael could see how Mac had become a legendary movie star; his ego was enormous, but he was still intelligent enough to be self-deprecating. He laughed as he sat on the swing making it creak and groan.
“It’s only rented. It goes back at the end of the week. I think my hair is starting to thin where it keeps rubbing against the roof.” They sat in silence for a moment.
“Where’s Bill?”
“I’m surprised you don’t know. You had a wasted journey. Bill’s out with Jack picking up some guy who shot up a store yesterday.”
Mac leaned forward. The seat grumbled loudly. He stood, gave it a disgusted look, and moved toward the house.
“More coffee?”
“That’d be good.”
They sat in Bill’s kitchen, drank her coffee, and Mac explained why he needed to bulk up for his next acting job on location in England. Michael wasn’t surprised to hear female eyes would be firmly fixed on Mac’s broad, waxed, oil-slicked chest. Sounded like being a good-guy action hero sucked.
“I knew a girl in England not far from where I’ll be on location. She was the love of my life when I was twenty-one.” Mac stared into the distance, regret in his eyes. “She had the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen.” His mouth quirked slightly. It seemed to Michael that Mac had gone into the right industry. His penchant for drama was effective.
“What happened?” Michael’s attention started to wane while he watched with rising curiosity as Jack’s Land Cruiser flew down the road toward the house, kicking up dust in its wake. Both men stood to peer out the window.
“Broke my heart and left me.” Mac shrugged, and he squinted. “Wanted to be a vet. Wonder if she ever made it.”
His voice tailed off as his little sister slammed out of one side of the Land Cruiser while Jack slammed out of the other, their voices raised and their long strides quickly covering the distance to the house.
“Uh-oh,” Mac murmured as he stepped toward the door.
The kitchen door flew open, and Bill strode in with two anxious dogs prancing by her side.
“Forget it, Jack, I’m not going to hospital.” She eyed the two motionless men in her kitchen. Blood streaked down her chin, and the front of her shirt and her speech was slurred and her face had been pummeled.
Mac reacted first. “What in hell’s name happened to you?” he yelled.
Michael wasn’t sure whether it was his place to do anything, but the sick feeling that hit him in the pit of his stomach as he saw her swollen, battered face rooted him to the spot while the other two men circled around her, trying to bully her into doing what they wanted her to do.
He knew they were concerned for her, but she wasn’t responding well. Her eyes were glazed, and she looked panicked as she backed up into Michael. Instinct had him bend down and simply scoop her into his arms.
“Quiet,” he commanded and carried her out of the kitchen away from the noise. Speechless, her mouth dropped open as he held her gently in his arms, but then the two men left standing in the kitchen were left speechless too.
It took them a split second and narrow-eyed glances before they hustled after them just in time to see Michael sit on her large blue sofa, cradling her in his arms. He shifted her body so she was comfortable on his lap and pushed her head firmly so her uninjured cheek rested on his shoulder.
“Shh…Jack, go and ring Kate, tell her what’s happened, and ask her to come now.” His voice calm and in charge, he instructed each of them in turn. “Mac, go and get some ice, a bag of peas, or something out of the freezer and wrap it in a towel…and a clean cloth to wipe this blood off.”
All three of them opened their mouths at once to argue.
“Do it!” he commanded.
She lifted her head, and he pushed it firmly into his shoulder again. He rested his chin on top and stroked her hair and ear in a slow, soothing motion.
“Stay where you are,” he instructed her.
Her face was a mess, and it made his gut wrench looking at the damage. He’d seen so many injuries in his time, but he didn’t think many affected him like this. It worried him that he seemed to feel responsible for her protection. It wasn’t natural.
Silent, he felt her relax as her hand came up to rest on his chest, and her fingers shook slightly as she rubbed the material of his T-shirt.
Mac returned with the ice, applied gentle pressure to her cheek, and knelt on the floor by her side.
“Sorry.” His smile was soft, his eyes apologetic. No further words were needed. She smiled back, closing her eyes, relaxing further into Michael’s chest.
“I’m okay.”
“Tell me what happened,” Michael said. She relayed the story as Mac adjusted the ice pack on her face and wiped the blood from her chin. Jack stood silent in the doorway looking uncomfortable and a little guilty.
By the time she’d finished the story, Kate came bustling through the house, baby in her arms and a black doctor’s bag dangling from one hand. Passing the baby to Jack, she moved Mac to one side, knelt by the sofa and turned Bill’s head to get a better view of her swollen and bruised face. Four people in the room sucked air in through their teeth, and Bill’s eyes got bigger.
“Jack says you won’t go to the hospital.” Kate’s voice was firm as she poked and prodded, turning Bill’s head this way and that.
“No point,” Bill muttered, her voice thick and unnatural. “They’ll only give me painkillers, a pat on the back, and tell me to get some rest. Nothing’s broken; it was only his fists.”
“Hmm…okay.” Kate pushed gently on Bill’s chin and looked inside her mouth, hissed a breath in through her teeth. She’d bitten down hard on the inside of her cheek, leaving it swollen and gashed, which was probably where all the blood on the front of her shirt had come from. Despite the initial blood washing around her gums, her teeth were all intact. “Are you allergic to anything?” Turning away, she rooted through her bag as Michael idly watched.
“No. Don’t think I’ve ever taken anything to be allergic to. You got some magic pills in there, Doc?”
With her back to her, Kate took a syringe out of her bag, filled it with clear liquid, and gave a nod to Michael.
“Something like that.” She swiped a cool wipe across the top of Bill’s shoulder and deftly injected the liquid into her arm before she could even protest.