Damn. After that massage he’d wanted to take her wordlessly on the floor of the cabin. He’d wanted her until he was shaking with the need, pulled back only because making love to her like that, no matter how much she desired it, would only push her further way. He’d done enough of that already.
And he’d wanted her to admit she wanted him, too.
She’d been beautiful—exquisite—lying before him, flushed with desire. He’d been aroused to the point of madness by her obvious pleasure with their lovemaking. Now full breasts with rosy nipples beckoned him again.
He hated that his old dream had come again, one that had tormented him since his father’s betrayal. He always awoke with a panicked jolt, interrupting a dash away from unknown dangers. He never knew what he was running from.
Exhaling roughly, he swung his legs out of bed and planted his feet on the worn wooden floor. After a moment, he rose and moved out of the bedroom to check the house.
His thoughts remained on his dad as he gazed outside, and the dense woods called to mind happier times. He remembered childhood camping trips with his parents and Annie when Dad had taught them how to fish. Although his sister hadn’t liked baiting the hooks, she’d liked catching fish and eating the cooked results with no problem. Maybe that’s one reason she’d fallen in love with her husband, a man who loved to fish.
Moving to the living room, he thought about his brother-in-law and their fishing trips before Mark got hooked on his pain meds. Good times. Mark had loved this cabin. He’d been a great guy, a wonderful husband to his sister, fabulous father to Charlie. The man was much missed.
Cody stared out the kitchen window. He had promised Annie he’d put away unscrupulous doctors who turned good men into addicts.
Nobody out there. The demons were inside with him.
Annie never used this cabin anymore. She’d asked him whether she ought to sell. Maybe now was the right time. Maybe it was past time to make other changes, too, time for him to move on, escape the past.
When he’d completed his circuit, Cody paused at the bedroom door to watch Merlene sleep. She lay on her side, her chest rising and falling evenly, a splash of dark hair visible against a white pillow. He longed to feel her beside him again—warm, soft, her breasts pressing into him with each breath.
How would she act in the morning? Would their lovemaking ruin any chances of deepening trust, ripening a relationship that had barely started? She was one complicated lady, and he kept taking missteps. This one might have been fatal.
God help him, how he wanted her. But he wanted more than just raw, shimmering passion, as intoxicating as that had been. She was the first woman who’d ever made him want more, made him think about something permanent. What was it about her? Her petite body made her appear deceptively vulnerable. Did he feel a need to protect her, like some ancient troglodyte? No. Her feistiness appealed to him even more. Her stubborn nature, her independence, her desire to better herself with an education.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, startling him from his thoughts. She propped herself up on her elbow, her face barely visible in the dark.
“No,” he said. “Go back to sleep.”
“Did you hear something?”
“No. Why? Did you?”
“Just you, breathing hard, then prowling around the house. Another bad dream?” Soft and sleepy, her voice drifted to him from the bed.
He exhaled roughly and leaned against the door frame. “Same damn one.”
She sat up against the headboard. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He clinched against a sudden need to feel Merlene in his arms, her smooth cheek nestled on his chest, and moved toward the bed. “I’m not much interested in talk right now.”
“I’m not sorry about tonight,” she said after a pause. “Are you?”
“No way, pretty Miss Merl. No way.”
“But I hate to think I’ve given you bad dreams.”
“You didn’t. It’s an old nightmare.” He lay down beside her. “One I can’t get seem to get rid of.”
She gathered him close. “I know one sure way,” she whispered.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MERLENE FOUND THE long drive back to Miami a hundred times more pleasant than the tense trip north. She relaxed around Cody, enjoyed his company. They chatted like two old friends while learning all about each other’s likes and dislikes. He loved sports. Turned out they were both fans of the Miami Dolphins. She quit looking for hidden meaning in every word he uttered.
She understood nothing was certain between them. He was still a cop and she a P.I. So far all they’d shared was one night of fabulous sex. She glanced at him and smiled. He must have felt her gaze because he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Yes, it had been fantastic lovemaking for them both.
No telling what might happen. This case could come between them, but the prospect of a future together no longer seemed impossible. What would it be like to date a cop?
Her contented musings lasted until Cody exited the interstate in North Miami, miles from her Coconut Grove address.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Now, don’t freak out, but I’m taking you to a safe house.”
“Safe house?” She sucked in a deep breath and focused on the busy road ahead. “But I want to go home.”
“Not until we have Neville Feldman in custody.”
She’d been so deliriously happy after what she and Cody had shared, she hadn’t considered what would happen when they arrived back in Miami. Yeah, Feldman was still out there and remained a threat.
But a safe house? Why hadn’t he told her?
“What’s going on, Cody?”
“I arranged with my lieutenant to drive you straight there. He wants you protected—and so do I—until Feldman is behind bars.”
“You arranged it with your lieutenant? Why didn’t you arrange it with me?”
“This is for your own good, Merlene.”
“But I don’t want to be your prisoner, and you can’t believe Neville will come after me now.”
He glanced sideways at her, then quickly back to the road. “He’s made threats. You need to stay in protective custody until we get this wrapped up.”
“Threats?” A bolt of alarm sent a frisson up her spine, kicking up her heart rate. “How?”
“Yesterday he told his brother he was going to take care of the bitch that filmed him. He meant in the same way he took care of his accomplice.”
“His accomplice?” She swallowed hard. “You mean Ray Price.”
“The very dead Ray Price.” Cody gave her a pointed look as he made a right-hand turn into a middle-class residential neighborhood.
All her old suspicions about Cody came slamming back, erasing the euphoria that had buoyed her since last night. How dare he not tell her about Neville’s threat? Maybe he thought he was protecting her, but the whole idea of protection was more than unsettling. It was downright... She paused in her tumbling thoughts.
Unsettling, yes. But not nearly as terrifying as being stalked by a murderer.
“You deliberately kept this from me,” she said, fighting to keep her voice under control. “What else haven’t you told me?”
“He claims someone set him up.”
“Set him up?” She thought about that allegation. “Of course he does. Don’t bad guys always say they’re innocent?”
Cody nodded. “But he’s blaming you, Merl. I hope you don’t own any dubbing equipment that could alter a digital recording.”
“Of course not. Why would I?”
He nodded. “Good.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and wondered how her carefully arranged life had become such a disaster. Her surveillance subject was dead, and his murder
er wanted to bump her off next. On top of that, she was involved with a cop, the only person who had ever tried to take care of her. Her face warmed as she remembered how well he’d taken care of her the previous evening.
Still, he had no right to keep the truth from her.
“You should have told me,” she said. “I’m not a child.”
“Hey,” he said, “if I was wrong, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Can’t I at least pick up some clean clothes? I only packed for one night on the road.”
“Give me a key. I’ll go later.”
Whoa. Was he kidding? For sure she didn’t want Cody Warren rummaging through the private drawers in her bedroom. Her most personal secrets would be his to discover while he remained as closed off about himself as ever.
He reached over to squeeze her shoulder. “You’ll be totally safe.”
“So you say, Detective.”
Frowning, she considered how he continued to run roughshod over her life but refused to reveal anything about himself. Maybe when they were alone together in the safe house—wherever the hell that was—she could get him to open up. She wanted to know why he was so unbending yet so sweet, so sexy—so damned everything.
There had to be something wrong with him. Bad dreams. Never married. The way he encouraged the kids in the ballpark, he ought to have five little rug rats of his own to coach. But he didn’t. With sudden insight, she knew Cody would make a fantastic father. She placed her hand over her abdomen. And yet he was always careful.
To think she’d been fantasizing about a possible life with Cody. When would she ever learn? He didn’t trust her. Or at least not completely. She’d heard the doubt in his voice when he’d casually asked her about the dubbing equipment.
Oh, no question he was skilled at his job. He’d almost hidden it, but the suspicion was still there.
* * *
MERLENE SHIFTED HER weight from foot to foot as Cody knocked twice at a boxy one-story house in a suburban neighborhood consisting of block after block of similar homes. A uniformed officer with wiry gray hair opened the door. His aloof gaze touched hers, then he nodded at Cody and motioned them inside.
“We’re all set, Cody. Glad to see you and Mrs. Saunders made it safely.”
“Thanks, Johnny,” Cody said. “This is Merlene Saunders. Merlene, this is Officer Johnny Newcomb. You’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
“Ma’am,” Newcomb said.
She attempted a smile. “Hi.”
What had she been thinking? Of course she and Cody wouldn’t be alone. Unease lodged in her gut as she realized how isolated she’d be from the rest of the world. This was looking more and more like a house arrest.
“Any news on Feldman?” Cody asked as he surveyed the interior of the house.
“Nothing yet,” Newcomb replied.
Cody nodded and grabbed Merlene’s small suitcase. He flipped open his cell phone and punched in a number as he moved into a bedroom.
While Cody reported in, Merlene explored her safe house. Cody deposited her bag in the largest of the two bedrooms, which contained a double bed covered by a navy blue comforter, an ancient wooden nightstand with a reading lamp and an equally old chest of drawers. Another smaller bedroom was furnished similarly. The living room featured a dark gray cloth sofa, a brown leather recliner and a television set. A dining room with a table and mismatched chairs completed the tiny house.
How nice. Her new home, complete with furnishings straight out of her nightmare childhood.
Not exactly the plush surroundings she’d imagined. Certainly nothing like the flashy modern mansions she’d seen on Burn Notice or CSI Miami.
She ended her tour in a screened-in patio behind the house, finding one wooden chair borrowed from the dining room and an ashtray on the concrete slab beside it. Newcomb must be a smoker.
The view was into a secluded backyard enclosed by a six-foot wooden fence. Thick grass, lush from summer rains, needed mowing. An orange-and-black butterfly flitted among the weeds.
Towering, moisture-laden clouds dominated the western sky. She stared toward the darkening storm, wondering how soon it would reach their location. She took a deep breath and could smell the coming rain.
Cody stepped through the sliding glass door and joined her on the porch, glancing to the west, as well. The breeze stirred, blowing his hair away from his forehead. She ached to trace the stubble that was beginning to show on his jaw. Low, rumbling thunder boomed in the distance, and she felt an answering vibration deep inside her.
And that frightened her. Her feelings for Cody had come on too fast, too strong. She wanted to touch him, to run her fingers through his windblown hair, to feel his lips capture hers—and now she wouldn’t even be able to talk to him.
How long before they could be alone together? A rush of warmth accompanied her reckless imaginings, and she averted her gaze from his face.
He was too much the perfect cop to ever touch her here. The realization that she desperately wanted him to pissed her off.
“Where’s the Jacuzzi?” she asked.
“Jacuzzi?” Eyebrows raised, he turned away from the brewing storm.
“This is a safe house, right? Where’s the pool, the hot tub?” She folded her arms across her chest. “On TV there’s always a view of the ocean.”
Grinning, Cody reached for her but stopped. A guarded expression replaced his smile. With a glance at the house, he lowered his arm.
“Damn,” he whispered. “This is going to be harder than I thought.”
Elation flowed through Merlene, making her feel light as the backyard butterfly. So he still wanted her.
“Are you certain your star witness needs this much protection, Detective Warren?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cody stepped away from her. “I have to go. Give me your key, and I’ll bring you some clean clothes later.”
She hesitated, her stomach executing a quick cartwheel at the thought of Cody in her bedroom, free to pry anywhere he wanted. There had to be another way. Once again she felt powerless because of his position.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if I went with you?” she asked. “Or at least quicker?”
“If Neville Feldman is looking for you, he’ll be watching your home.”
“But he’s in North Florida.”
Cody shrugged. “He could have accomplices.”
“Ray Price is dead, remember?”
“There could be others working with him. We don’t know the full extent of this insurance fraud scheme. That’s the point of a safe house.”
Realizing there was no hope for it unless she wanted to wear the same filthy clothing for heaven knows how long, she dug in her purse for her key chain.
“Bring the textbook on my dining room table, okay? The one I was reading the other day.”
He appeared to be judging the weight of her keys, then his fingers closed around them and he looked up. “Sure. Anything else?”
She sighed and cast an unhappy glance around the porch. “I guess I won’t be needing a bathing suit, so just shorts and blouses. The blouses are in the closet, shorts in a drawer in the chest. Oh, and clean underwear.”
She expected at least a leer from Cody, but he just nodded and said, “You’ll listen to Johnny, won’t you, Merl? He knows what he’s doing.”
“Of course.”
“You won’t try to leave?”
“I don’t have a car.”
Still, he hesitated, acting like he didn’t want to go anywhere. “You’ll be safe here. Don’t worry.”
She stared at him. “Are you serious? You’ve put me under house arrest, telling me it’s for my own safety, and I’m not to worry?”
“You’re not under arrest.”
She raised her chin. “So
I could leave if I wanted to?”
Cody sucked a breath deep into his lungs and released it slowly. She held her own breath waiting for his reply.
“Yes, you could leave,” he said. “But I’m asking you to remain here.”
She nodded. “You’re also asking me not to worry.”
“That’s right. Because if you stay here, you don’t need to worry.” He took a step away, then turned back with a half smile.
“Besides, I promise you, Merl, I’m worried enough for both of us.”
* * *
“I’M FINE, D.J. REALLY. Not concerned at all.” At least not about my safety, Merlene silently added. My sanity, maybe.
Soon after Cody’s departure, she’d phoned her boss to make her own report. Cody asked her not to use her cell, insisting Feldman might have the ability to trace the call. She seriously doubted he was that talented a crook but complied.
The only landline in her hideaway hung on a wall in the kitchen. She could hear but not see the television Officer Newcomb watched in the living room.
“But I feel like a prisoner,” she told D.J.
“Cody said you were doing great—a real trouper.”
Merlene quit twisting the phone cord around a finger. “When did you talk to Cody?”
“Yesterday and today. He’s been keeping me posted a lot better than you have.”
“Sorry. I’ve been a little...distracted.” How could she possibly explain her present situation to D.J. when she didn’t understand herself what was going on?
“So I gathered.” A coughing fit interrupted anything else he intended to say.
“Are you using your inhalers?” she asked.
A long pause hung heavy over the connection.
“D.J.?”
“I had another...episode last night.”
“What the hell happened?”
“Couldn’t catch my breath. Scared me a little.”
She closed her eyes. Things must be bad for D.J. to admit that.
“Have you been to the doctor?”
“Now, don’t start nagging, Merl. I’ve got an appointment this afternoon.”
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