Lullabies and Lies

by Mallory Kane

  So he lay there, wanting her with an aching need that throbbed through him with every beat of his heart, and waited for morning.

  BURT HAD HER. Sunny struggled with all her strength, but he’d wrapped her up in something. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. All she could do was scream.

  “Sunny.”

  He touched her face.

  No! Get off me! I swear I don’t know where Emily is!

  Then suddenly, Griff was there, big and strong and safe. He tossed Burt into an iron cage and held out his arms to her.

  “You’re safe now. I’ll carry you,” he said. “We’re close.”

  “Sunny, wake up.”

  She curled her fingers against hot silky skin. The smell of soap and cinnamon swirled around her, a safe, yet exciting scent. The scent of strength and goodness.

  “Sunny, it’s me, Griff. You were having a bad dream.”

  The words finally penetrated her dream-soaked brain. “Griff?”

  She felt his heart beating fast and strong. Felt his rapid breathing.

  “I dreamed about Burt. He was going to kill me.”

  “He’s in custody. You’re here with me. Safe.”

  “Safe. That’s what you said.” She made a sad little sound that could as easily have been a sob. “I’m safe. But what about Emily?”

  Suddenly, she couldn’t bear it any longer—the uncertainty, the fear for Emily’s safety, the horror of losing her baby. She broke down, all the locked-up grief and tension pouring out in uncontrollable sobs.

  “Oh, God. I can’t do this. I can’t keep pretending.” The bedclothes were tangled around her, suffocating her. She pushed against them and leaped out of bed.

  Griff was there, beside her. “Sunny, you’re still in the dream. You need to wake up. Come on, everything’s going to be fine.”

  “No! No!” She pushed at him. “Stop it! Don’t lie to me! You haven’t lied to me before. Don’t lie now.”

  But he had. Griff’s heart thudded painfully in his chest. He’d lied to her every day, every minute. He’d never told her why he’d been chosen to work on her case.

  “Come on. Let’s get you back in bed.” He held out his arms.

  “No!” She slapped at his hands. “Get away from me. I can’t sleep.”

  She paced back and forth, like a caged tiger. “Maybe I should look at your database. We should send it to Lil. She’s really good at finding patterns. Maybe—” Her voice broke.

  Her pain dug into him. He couldn’t bear to see her so heartbroken. He couldn’t bear to see her trying so hard to hold on to control.

  To his surprise, her knees gave way and she crumpled to the floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees and lowered her head, her slender back shaking.

  Griff sat down on the floor beside her and gently pulled her into his arms. She didn’t resist.

  After a while, her sobs quietened, then turned to an occasional little snuffle.

  He blinked away the dampness from his own eyes, and stood, urging her up with him.

  “Come on, let’s go to sleep. You need your strength for tomorrow. Remember, you’re going to see Emily.”

  She felt breakable. It hurt him.

  Guiding her over to the bed, he pulled back the tangled covers. “There you go. I’ll tuck you in.”

  “Don’t.” Her voice was small but firm.

  “Okay.” He brushed her hair away from her face with a hand that wasn’t totally steady. He’d comforted dozens of families through these times when their faith ran out and their hope faded, but Sunny’s breakdown had crushed his already sore heart.

  His fingers lingered on her cheek for an instant, then he straightened.

  “I’m going to—”

  “Hold me. Please?”

  He glanced at her in surprise. The little pink top she wore for sleeping outlined her small, perfect breasts. Her skin gleamed like porcelain in the dim light from the windows; her hair had dried wavy and soft, and floated around her head and shoulders like angel hair.

  She was the most beautiful being he’d ever laid eyes on. He couldn’t touch her. He couldn’t trust himself to.

  “That’s not a good idea.”

  “Please. Please just stay here. You don’t know what I see when I close my eyes. I can’t do it alone.”

  He did know. Too well. He squeezed his eyes shut, telling himself he was strong enough to bury his feelings. He could be a comfort to her. He could hold her and make her feel safe, the way no one had for him when his sister disappeared.

  He sat down on the bed.

  “I’m so cold. So scared. I can’t stop shaking. I can’t stop thinking about her.”

  He realized he was shaking, too. He was finding it harder and harder to pretend she was just another terrified family member he was bound to help. She was becoming so much more. His body was already hard just from the thought of holding her close.

  He would do anything for her, but he didn’t want to hold her. Once he touched her, he knew with an awful certainty he’d never be the same again.

  Sunny saw the reluctance in his face. And the fear. She was afraid, too. She felt the life draining out of her, felt grief sucking away her strength. She needed something to draw on.

  And Griff was the strongest, most honorable man she’d ever met.

  “Make me feel safe.” She stared up at him, holding his gaze, until he blinked. She knew he’d lost the battle with himself.

  He turned off the lamp.

  Dim light filtering through the motel curtains outlined the shape of his body. Lean and long, with sleek, sharply planed muscles.

  He slid into bed beside her and as naturally as if they’d been lovers for years, she slipped into the curve of his arm.

  Pressing her cheek against the hollow between his shoulder and neck, she rested her hand on his chest and released a shuddering sigh.

  “Sunny—” He stiffened.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and pulled her hand away.

  “It’s okay.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and let the fingers of his other hand brush her forearm. Then he slid his fingers down her arm to her wrist, then to her hand. He picked it up and pulled it to his lips, then lay it on his chest.

  Oh, it felt so good, to be held, to be cherished.

  The promise of his strong, sleek body against hers gave her what words never would. They gave her the strength to believe.

  She didn’t care if she was stealing it from him. Didn’t care if the confidence and safety weren’t rightly hers. She’d take what she could get.

  Tears gathered in her eyes as she relaxed against him. “You’re a good man, Griffin Stone.”

  She felt his head shake. “No. No, I’m not. I’m trying to be.”

  She turned her head and buried her nose in the hollow of his shoulder, letting her lips brush his skin. It was a small theft, just a tiny sense of the tantalizing mixture of strength and gentleness that characterized him.

  He drew a sharp breath, and before she realized what she was doing, Sunny slid her hand around his neck.

  His head bent and hers raised and their lips barely brushed each other, like the wake of a butterfly’s wing.

  Inside her, something incredible happened. The feel of his mouth on hers was indescribable. His lips tasted like a healing potion.

  At first he was hesitant, barely touching her, as if he thought she would break. But Sunny didn’t feel fragile.

  She felt dazed and light-headed. She liked the feeling. It took away her fear, even if for a moment. She wanted to be filled, surrounded by him.

  She deepened the kiss, and he growled in his throat, the sound vibrating through his lips.

  A sensual thrill centered inside her, all the way down to the core of her sexuality.

  He felt it, too. She knew he did because he slid down in the bed, pulling her with him, and stretched his body against hers. His hand reached around to cup her bottom and pull her close.

  He wanted her. His body told he
r so.

  The thought strengthened the throbbing yearning that engulfed her.

  His body hardened, and he pressed against her, his erection hot, pulsing against her thighs as he took her mouth, then trailed his lips and tongue down her neck.

  “I should stop,” he whispered raggedly against the hollow of her throat. “This isn’t right. You don’t want this.” He lifted his head and stared deep into her eyes, his so dark they looked black. “You just want comfort.”

  She cupped his cheek with her hand. “I do want it. I want you. I need you.” She pulled his head back down and kissed him again, arching against him in a growing frenzy of need.

  Griff moaned quietly and touched her, his fingers trailing heat over her skin as he slid her pajamas off.

  His skin glided against hers, steel against silk. His heat warmed her fear-chilled body. His strength surrounded her. For this moment at least, she felt hope.

  When he raised himself above her, she ran her hands up his sinewy arms to his broad shoulders, then encircled his neck. He slid into her with sweet agonizing slowness.

  With a moan, Sunny arched, seeking more.

  His breathing grew erratic. She felt his heart beating through his whole body, and hers sped up, matching his rhythm.

  He sank hilt deep, filling her, giving her a sense of completion she’d never before felt.

  Then he began to move, and a tremor built inside her. From her core, a wondrous tension built with agonizing, titillating slowness, until she wanted to scream with anticipation.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer, he stiffened and strained against her, plunging again and again, driving her past all thought. His release triggered hers, and she reached her own nearly unbearable pinnacle just seconds after his.

  105 hours missing

  THE MORNING SUN shone in Hiram’s eyes as he looked across the street from the motel at his ancient Plymouth, sitting in the holding lot of the auto repair shop next door. The old girl had given him two hundred and seventy thousand miles of uncomplaining service over the past twelve years.

  But now she was a goner, and he was stuck seventy miles outside of Philadelphia, and it was all Janie Gross’s fault. If she’d just answered her phone. He’d tried to call her three times last night to let her know that Sunny Loveless and the FBI agent were headed toward Bess’s.

  The last time he’d called, while the tow truck was hauling his car back here, he’d dared to leave a message. Nothing specific. Just you’d better call me.

  Turning away from the window, he looked at his watch and thought about calling Janie again, for the last time. He needed money, now more than ever, but he’d about decided being homeless on a street corner in the middle of winter would be better than putting up with Janie’s nutty paranoia.

  His cell phone rang.

  “This better be good, Hiram.” Janie’s hoarse voice scraped his raw nerves. “I told you not to call me.”

  Hiram couldn’t help but grin. She was going to regret talking to him like that. He made a point of sounding apologetic. “I didn’t mean to bother you, Janie, but I thought you’d like to know that the last I saw of Sunny Loveless and her FBI agent, they were in his car, headed up Interstate 95.”

  “What! Why didn’t you—” Janie cut off in the middle of her tirade.

  Hiram knew what she was about to say. Why didn’t you call me? But he had. She had three missed calls on her cell phone. She couldn’t blame him.

  “Yeah, and now my car’s broke down. I’m about seventy miles east of Philly. I’m going to need you to wire me some money so I can get her fixed.”

  “Screw you and your car. Bess must have figured out whose baby she had. She must have called her. Damn that old hag. I’ve got to get there before they do.”

  She cut the connection.

  Hiram looked at his cell phone, thinking about Janie’s words. A sick lump of fear lodged in his chest. Janie wouldn’t hurt a baby—would she?

  His mind made the next logical leap. How much trouble would he be in if he turned her in? Surely the police and the FBI would appreciate knowing exactly who had kidnapped the Loveless woman’s baby girl, not to mention the dozens of other children Janie and Ed had brokered over the years.

  They might be willing to pay for the information. With his information, they could solve dozens of crimes. That ought to be worth something.

  THE HARSH JANGLE of a phone woke Sunny. For an instant, she was disoriented. Someone stirred next to her, and the memory of Griff’s strong hot body enveloping hers slid through her with a thrill.

  He groaned under his breath and sat up as the phone rang again, louder.

  Opening her eyes to a squint, she saw the sleek curve of his naked back, lean broad shoulders and dark hair that was tousled and curling at the nape of his neck.

  “Yeah?” his gravelly voice reverberated through the thin mattress of the double bed. “Hey, Natasha, whatcha got?”

  Emily. Shame sucker punched Sunny. She was naked, in bed with the FBI Agent who was helping her find her daughter.

  Dear God, what kind of mother was she? She’d indulged herself while Emily was lost, possibly in danger.

  For the first time in the entire six months she’d been Emily’s mother, her first thought upon waking was not of the child she’d sworn to love and protect. Her heart gaped with aching emptiness.

  I’m so sorry, Emily Rose.

  Griff stood and pushed his fingers through his hair. He bowed his head and scratched the back of his neck, yawning.

  “Yeah, we’re up.” He sent her a sheepish grin that lit his face and made his oddly colored eyes sparkle.

  Sunny sat up, pulling the sheet with her. She couldn’t breathe. Had they found Emily?

  “Bergen Street in Oak Grove, seventeen miles west of Philadelphia. Okay, got it.” He reached over and picked up Sunny’s cell phone off the bedside table, flipped it open and deftly pressed keys. “Yeah, here it is. That’s the same number.”

  “They’ve found her?” Sunny touched him on the forearm.

  Griff laid his hand over hers as he spoke into the phone. “No. Absolutely not! I don’t care what CAC says. They asked me to be in charge of this case. They can’t—” He cut himself off, then took a swift breath. “Let me talk to Decker.”

  Where were her pajamas? Her face burned with humiliation. She’d never done anything like this in her life. She found them and slipped them on, while her mind raced.

  What was going on? CAC was Crimes Against Children. She knew that from her investigative work. It was a special division of the FBI devoted to missing children.

  She remembered someone saying that Griff was with a different division of the FBI, but Griff had assured her that he was an expert in missing child cases. So she hadn’t questioned why CAC wasn’t involved. She’d been too distraught about Emily.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked him.

  He lifted his head and looked at her from under his lashes. Her hand covered her skimpy, revealing tank top.

  “I’m going to be a few minutes here,” he said, his gaze flickering toward her hand. “Why don’t you go get dressed? We’ve got the address of the woman who called you.”

  “Oh—” Sunny’s heart stopped, then thudded against her chest. Her throat spasmed. Joy and relief washed over her and brought tears to her eyes. She would get to see Emily today. Hold her, kiss her, smell her sweet baby hair.

  She looked at Griff through tear-blurred eyes.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. She loved Griffin Stone at that moment. He’d kept his promise. He’d found her baby. With one hand over her mouth, she laid her other hand against his face.

  Griff winced at the tender feel of Sunny’s hand on his cheek and the hope and joy shimmering in her eyes.

  It terrified him and sent a spear of guilt lancing through his chest. He’d taken advantage of her last night, and today he felt like a heel. But as bad as he felt, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The little pajama thing
she wore made her look fragile and feminine, although she’d felt anything but fragile last night.

  Griff swallowed hard and tried to banish the memories of her firm, supple body under his, meeting his need with a need of her own that had surprised him.

  Right now, he had to deal with the head of CAC, who was angry that Griff had run off with the baby’s mother on what he considered a wild-goose chase—and a dangerous one at that. So he needed her out of his sight. He couldn’t afford to be distracted. Besides, he didn’t want her to hear his conversation with Decker.

  He tried to smile reassuringly at Sunny, and the answering smile she sent him lit up the room like a cake full of birthday candles. A spear of dread pierced his heart.

  He’d done what he’d sworn he’d never do. He’d gotten his heart involved. He’d promised her he would find her baby, knowing he had no right to get her hopes up.

  How many promises was he going to make, before he found one he could keep?

  “Go on,” he said gently.

  As she stepped through the connecting door, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so beautiful, so brave. So trusting.

  “Griff?” A strong, steady voice sounded in his ear.

  “Mitch.”

  “Everything okay?”

  Typically, Decker didn’t offer recriminations. He merely listened to the facts and gave his input. Griff knew it was up to him to give Decker the information he needed.

  “It appears the woman who has the child is not the kidnapper. Ms. Loveless was contacted and told to come to Philadelphia, then contact the woman for further instructions on how to get her baby back.”

  “I see.” There was a world of concern behind those two words. Griff knew Decker was assessing his ability to handle the case, given his uncharacteristic actions.

  “Evidence that she’s not the kidnapper?”

  “Nothing, sir, except Sun—Ms. Loveless’s report of what the woman said.”

  “How confident are you?”

  Griff thought about all the tidbits of information, not much of which added up. Then he thought about Sunny’s determination.