Detectives on duty didn’t follow women to the grocery store instead of investigating a case. Good detectives didn’t make out with suspects in dingy elevators. Greiff wasn’t a good detective. And he didn’t care.
A low growl rumbled from his throat, and he closed on her with aggression and pent-up lust. The careful seduction he’d exhibited in the earlier kisses fled, chased out of existence by the supple skin of her waist, the teasing darts of her tongue, and her nipples against his chest. Chloe groaned when he seized her tongue and sucked on it hard, grinding his groin against her abdomen, and palming her breast.
Everything about it was wrong. Making out with a suspect in a case who believed she had the ability to become invisible and ran around the city in full-on flasher gear, bought booze for old ladies along with other dubious items, and hung out in the subway naked—he’d finally gone over the edge.
The pressure of two small hands gripping his ass incited him further. He wrapped his hand in the back of her tank top and twisted it, crushing her to his torso. Their teeth banged into each other from the force of the kiss.
“Oh my God. I think I need to rethink the twelve-hour quarantine rule.” She barely got the words out before he hitched her up and twined her legs around his waist, careful not to dislodge his radio from his belt. A bell dinged behind them, and she grabbed him by the ears and tugged until he raised his head from the swell of her breast. “The door is open. We need to get out of here.”
He sank his fingers into her ass in response and bit her right nipple through her shirt before letting her slide down to the floor. She shivered and he released a puff of breath against her ear and then licked it in a last bid to change her mind. “You sure you don’t want to go back to your place?”
“No.” She made brief eye contact. “I promised Muriel a pigeon and a cheesecake. She’ll be really pissed if I don’t fill my end of the bargain.”
He thunked his forehead on the cheap, faux-wood paneled wall and closed his eyes. “All right.”
She kissed his cheek, and he inhaled the scent of flowers and vanilla, logged and matched them once more with the alluring scent from the crime scene this morning. These were different than her body wash and shampoo, smells she’d always carry because they belonged to her alone. Unchangeable and as entwined with her as her DNA. Chloe smells. He’d be able to track her anywhere in the world based on them alone. Entwined with her base scent was the musk of arousal, and he bit back a groan.
“If that’s what you want.”
A shudder rippled through her slight frame, and she closed her eyes and swallowed, shaking her head. “Want has nothing to do with it, and you know it, Jake. I’m telling you, there is nothing like a pissed-off drag queen roommate and an unpaid octogenarian voodoo priestess. Or whatever she is. I once spilled grape juice on one of Daisy Mae’s t-shirts. Not only did I wake up every morning for a week with a new style of overdone stage make-up, but I didn’t get Muriel’s rum in time because of a jerk-o—err, a job I had to do, so I kept finding dead mice in my sneakers.”
“Make-up washes off.” He sucked her ear lobe into his mouth and nibbled on it.
“Yeah. But the pictures on the Internet stay forever.” The pressure of her hands against his chest forced him to move back far enough for their stares to lock. “I think we both agree we want to get all hot and heavy. But gotta take care of responsibilities first.”
They looked at each other until her attention shifted over his shoulder. Horror and embarrassment contorted her expression.
“Oh my God, you little slut! Are you making out in the elevator?”
Greiff turned and schooled his expression as quickly as possible, but he was sure the person in question saw his eyebrows almost disappear into his hair.
“I’m so proud! Come here and hug me. How you managed to attract this delicious lump of beefcake I’ll never know. I mean you don’t even have on some earrings or something to bring out your eyes.”
A six-foot-tall woman wearing a short, bobbed wig, leopard-print spandex, platform sandals, and a crop top whisked into the elevator, brandishing a pair of oversized sunglasses in one hand and an iced coffee in the other. Her blinged-out nails were long enough to put a T-Rex to shame. Chloe sidestepped him and moved toward the other female with stiff, awkward movements.
Correction. Male. She had an Adam’s apple. Had to be the famous Daisy Mae.
“Hi Daisy. I was just on my way to return a cart to Frank.” Chloe nearly disappeared into a hug full of mumbled words and the distinct stink of perfume.
“Oh, please introduce me to tall, dark, and completely clueless in the wardrobe department. Where ever did you find him? I swear; there’s someone for everyone.” Daisy switched her drink to her left hand and held out the right.
Greiff shook it and refrained from pulling on the appendage to get a closer look at the fingernails. He got the impression of nail polish with glitter, a rhinestone or two, and black blotches of some kind. Tiny pictures?
“Hi, I’m Daisy Mae, Chloe’s roommate. So nice to meet you. Tell me, what excuse do you have for being so terrifically mismatched this morning? I swear people hell bent on the destruction of fashion had a field day in your closet.”
“Greiff.” His phone vibrated and he removed it, grimacing at the number on the screen. “I’ve got to take this. It’s my partner.”
He withheld a laugh at the look on Chloe’s face—she moved to follow, but was blocked by her roommate. The door started to close, and he stopped it with one hand, giving her a pointed look she used as an excuse to exit the elevator as he answered the phone.
“Yeah.”
“Where you at man? Last I saw you; you were jogging down the street, right past the coffee shop.”
He cleared his throat, glanced at Chloe, and squeezed the phone. “Yeah, and I thought we already had this conversation. What are you, my mother?”
Rustling noises came through the speaker. “So, did you catch up to ‘em? ’Cause the captain is breathing down my neck. He wants to know what the hell you’re doing and where you are. You gotta check in some.”
“I was following a lead. I’m a detective. That’s what I do.” Neither of them brought up the reason for the captain’s concern. The shooting had happened three months ago. Three months, eight days, and 17 hours ago. But who was counting?
Eighteen years old. A career gang banger and drug dealer who’d run the streets for a decade.
But still just a kid. It brought back memories of other kids overseas who’d lay dead in the streets beside burned out buildings or in mountain caves.
“Yeah, and you also have a partner. So?”
Chloe had crossed to the far side of the lobby and appeared engaged in some kind of verbal sparring match with her roommate. Daisy Mae held her hands out; fingers splayed, and tapped one foot. He blinked and stared, realized Daisy Mae wasn’t just an outrageous dresser.
She was in color. Two people in one day, when he hadn’t seen anyone or anything in color for years. Maybe he needed to visit an eye doctor.
“Greiff.” Spetrino barked his voice and he flinched.
“What?”
“The lead. Did it pan out?” The squawk of a radio sounded in the background.
“Ah, no. Just some lady rubber-necking. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m taking the rest of the day off. Personal time.” Not the right thing to do, but he had it coming. No one would say a word either. They’d all been on him to take time off. Said some distance would help him get over killing the kid. But he found being alone in his empty apartment made everything worse. “Take care of it for me, would ya?”
“All right. I got your back.”
Greiff started toward Chloe, wondering what the hell she and her roommate were discussing. The look on Chloe’s face bordered on terror.
“Yeah.” He ended the call and stuffed his phone in his pocket.
“Please darling. You know how much I love it when you do my nails.” Daisy Mae turned to him and held out h
er hands, fingers dangling, and wagged them back and forth. “Detective, help me convince Chloe to be a good roomie and give her pal a mani. You should have her give you one some time. You won’t believe the job she does. Amazing. Totally amazing.”
Chloe shook her head and made slicing motions near her neck. Then she pantomimed hanging herself.
“I’m sure she does. But I’m stealing her for the evening. She’s supposed to buy me dinner with eight dollars.” Daisy Mae chortled and smoothed her wig. He frowned. “What do you know that I don’t?”
“Only that little miss fashion reject there is an even worse cook than she is a dresser. Have fun with that.” She hugged Chloe before sauntering to the elevator. “See you later, Cee-Cee. I expect details when you get home.”
“Um, yeah. Okay.” Chloe almost ran for the door.
Greiff followed her outside into the heat, rubbed his palms together, and tried to memorize the sensation of cupping her breast and the way the tight curves of her ass filled his hands. With a woman like Chloe around, taking a day off held appeal rather than empty silence and the ghosts of his memories. The sight of her skipping down the steps kicked his pulse rate higher. He hoped he’d get to enjoy the silk and heat of her skin under his fingers and the erotic sounds she made when he kissed her again soon.
Chapter Six
Chloe sucked in a deep breath as she exited the building. While being engulfed in the gravity and charisma that surrounded her roommate tended to overwhelm her, perhaps in this case it wasn’t such a bad thing. She’d been ready to rip off Greiff’s pants and ride him right there in the elevator.
Girl with freaky-deaky powers she might be, but she didn’t have sex with strangers. Hell, she didn’t kiss strangers. What was it about Greiff that allowed him to sneak past her defenses and make a bee-line for her danger zone? Actually, what was it about him that made her lead him there? Laying all the blame at his feet was tempting, but unfair.
The shopping cart remained where she’d left it. Grasping the handle and turning it around to head back to Frank’s, the front wheel clattered from side to side and she groaned. The weight of the groceries had held it to the ground; now that the articles were removed the wheel was free to bounce around and sent vibrations through the entire cart.
Thank God she only had to walk a few blocks to reach the store. Any longer and she’d abandon the cart in an alley and call it a day.
Greiff paced beside her, a tall, solid presence she told her hormones to ignore. The task proved impossible to do. In the ocean, Greiff would swim with whale sharks and the huge mammals would take notice. He exuded energy in an undeniable aura. Now that she’d stepped inside it, been covered in it, she felt it dancing over her skin like invisible appendages.
She cleared her throat and imagined what her mother would say about her recent behavior. Nothing good. A lot of lecturing about popsicles and milk and giving them away for free, followed by an extra trip to church.
“Your roommate is something else.” He scrubbed the hair on the back of his head with one hand and then rubbed at his nose.
“Yeah, she’s a big personality. Never a dull moment with Daisy around.” The cart hit a bump in the sidewalk, and it jammed the wheel into one position for three steps before the wheel released and rattled louder than ever. “Thanks for saving me from manicure hell.”
“It wasn’t exactly an act of charity,” he replied.
She gave him a questioning look.
He raised an eyebrow and smoothed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. The brush of his finger caused a line of heat to skim down her neck straight to her breasts. “You have to buy me dinner, remember?”
The look on his face captivated her so; she stubbed her toe on the sidewalk and stumbled.
“Ouch! Biscuits! That hurts.” She hopped up and down on one foot.
Greiff grasped her by the waist with his large hands and held her still. “Let me see.” Kneeling down in front of her, he took her foot in his hands and rubbed his thumb over her left big toe. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you flip-flops are dangerous? My kid sister broke her ankle running in these things when she was three.”
He tilted his head up, blue eyes taking in every thought displayed on her face.
The thumb continued to stroke her, soothing away the sting of the scrape and forming bruise. She gulped for air and pulled her foot back. “Greiff, have you ever felt…I mean, have you ever been this attracted to someone this fast?”
“Pure physical lust, sure. But no, not… There’s something different here.” His legs flexed, and he surged up until he towered over her. She craned her neck back and met his eyes. He cradled her cheek with his palm and burrowed his fingers into her hair. “Toe feel better?”
“Yeah.” Nerves bundled in her belly, and she wet her lips. “Are you going to kiss me again?”
The scrape of his thick masculine nails over her scalp sent a shiver coursing down her torso. “Do you want a kiss?”
Gentle pressure on the back of her head caused her to lean into him, stretching her hands across his chest.
“Yeah.” The hard muscles under her palms begged to be explored without the hindrance of fabric between them. She picked at a button, the desire to bite it off crowding out the rest of her thoughts.
“Come here.” He cupped her ass with his free hand and applied upward pressure until she rose to her toes, the hard length of his erection against her stomach sending pulsations of warmth to her clit. He met her halfway, leaning down to take her earlobe between his teeth and sucked on it. He released the bud of flesh and whispered, “I don’t know what this is, and honey, I don’t care. The only thing stopping me from ripping your pants off is the fact that we’re in the middle of the sidewalk.”
The statement caused a gush of liquid heat to flood her pussy, and she let out a shuddery breath.
Gulping, she said, “Too bad you can’t go invisible, like me. We could mosey on up to the wall in the alley over there and get—”
He licked her neck from her ear to her jaw, dragged the hand on her ass up her side, over her waist to palm her right breast, and caressed her nipple. His cock twitched against her abdomen and she hooked her fingers into his belt loops and tugged at him. The firm body behind the mismatched suit stoked her sexual excitement even higher.
“Oh my God! Get a room you two!” Daisy Mae clacked her way over to where they mauled each other. In public. She took a photo with her phone and waved it around dramatically before shoving it into an oversized shoulder bag. Daisy stuck one arm out to hail a cab, and Chloe burned with mortification. “Evidence. For later. See if you don’t do my next manicure.”
She backed away from Greiff and put the width of the shopping cart between them. Lust burned through her veins in an unimpeded rush; her skin overly sensitive and almost raw. His chest heaved, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed and scratched at his beard stubble.
“Ah, I need to return this to Frank.” Her flip-flops cracked the soles of her feet as she high-tailed it to the tiny bodega on the corner.
He fell in step beside her and rooted around in the inside pocket of his suit jacket for something. Now that they no longer touched, the boiling in her veins lessened enough for her to think about what she’d been doing. Making out. With the cop who’d chased her into the subway this morning. She should have been on a bus to Nowhere, U.S.A. hours ago. The Professor was going to send his goons after her for sure.
He cleared his throat and put an unlit cigarette to his lips.
She snatched it and threw it on the ground over her shoulder. “You’re quitting, remember?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw him roll his eyes. Wrinkles marred his forehead. “That was my last one.”
“Poor baby.”
They walked a few more feet in silence.
“So, you really believe you can turn invisible.”
The tone of his statement told Chloe all she needed to know. The spell was broken. Greiff thought she should be in a p
added cell receiving injections in the ass on a semi-regular basis. Damn, she’d really been into him too.
“Don’t just believe it. I can do it.”
“So, let’s say you can. Wanna tell me why you like hanging around my crime scenes?” The shopping cart hit a nasty bump in the sidewalk, and he grabbed the push bar to steady it, brushing her hand. A lightning bolt of lust zinged through her body straight to her core. She jerked back.
Now that they weren’t making out, entangled in the web of desire, her body’s reactions made her confused and angry. And, okay, frustrated. The throbbing pulse centered between her thighs seemed to have no intention of lessening.
“Because I caught the jerks, that’s why. I figure if I have this ability, why not use it for something worthwhile? I like watching the cops load them into the car and take them away.”
Greiff relinquished his side of the shopping cart and she took control of it again. Frank’s store was across the intersection in front of them.
She shoved the cart to cross the street and he closed his fingers around her wrist. Liquid heat pooled in her breasts and spread. He held her wrist until she looked up and met his eyes.
“So what, you’re some kind of naked superhero? You weigh, what, a hundred pounds? You could be killed. Or end up in jail yourself for assault. You’re playing a dangerous game, lying to me.”
“I’m not lying.” Her teeth gritted together. “I hit that jerk this morning over the head with a frying pan.”
“Wearing what? You said it only works if you’re naked. If you held that pan, your prints would be on it, on something in that apartment.”
“I don’t have fingerprints. And my foot prints are weird. They don’t look human.” She waved her free hand in front of his face and jerked the other from his grip.
He squeezed the bridge of his nose, walked in a tight circle, and extended his right hand, palm up. “May I see your hand? Please.”
Covert Craving Page 4