Cassidy’s grin was sweet and unbelievably shy. “If I was any closer to you I’d be in back of you.”
He smacked her butt lightly, and she squealed.
“Ow!” She squirmed.
“Give me a break. That didn’t hurt,” he said.
“Okay, it didn’t.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You into kinky sex?”
Her eyes widened. Oh, hell. Shit he’d said something too soon.
“Depends on what you mean by kinky,” she said.
“A little light bondage. Doing it other places besides bed.”
Her cheeks went red. “Um…I’ve never tried any bondage. And never anywhere but a bed.”
Her confession sent a raw need rushing through him, a primal reaction he couldn’t constrain. He lifted his hips and his cock nestled between her pussy lips, the long bar of flesh brushing along wetness that made his cock grow even harder. Christ, she was gonna kill him. He couldn’t wait to get inside her again.
“I’ll make you deal.”
“Oh?”
“You said you’d never had an orgasm with a man inside you, but that happened.”
“Yes.” Her face was still pink, her eyes a little evasive.
“I think you’re more sexual than you think.”
“I never said I wasn’t sexual. I just didn’t have the right man to experiment with.”
He didn’t know if he wanted to be her experiment, but at this point he wanted her any way he could get her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this horny, if ever.
“I’m willing to try other places if you are,” she said. “Not sure about bondage. Maybe later.”
He brushed a hand over her hair, sorry he’d mentioned it. “Sorry. You’ve got to trust someone a lot to do that. As for the bondage, I was thinking you’d tie me up. That way you’d feel safe.”
She tilted her head to the side slightly. “I never would have pegged you for kinky at all.”
He chuckled. “Well, there are degrees of kinky. I’m not into whips, chains, masks, any of the hard core BDSM. That doesn’t turn me on. “
“I wouldn’t be interested in that, either.”
“Then it’s a deal. Sex how we want it. No whips, collars or chains.”
She laughed. “Deal. Although you might look interesting in a collar. And a leash.”
He tickled her sides, and she squeaked in laughter and wriggled. He held her against him, but stopped tickling her. “Trying to make me your bitch?”
She laughed. “Sounds interesting.”
He nuzzled her neck, kissing while he ran his hands over her body. He mapped her skin, loving the softness, the feminine sighs she made as he coasted over her arms and back. She wiggled again, and it took everything he had not to roll her over and slide straight into her core, condom or not. Desire coiled hot in his belly. He’d always loved sex. Loved the way a woman looked and sounded when she came. When Cassidy’s tight body had tugged and squeezed him, and she’d moaned in orgasm, he’d almost lost it there and then.
“Jeremy?”
He stopped kissing her neck. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for…” She looked awkward all of a sudden. The young, vulnerable geek girl he’d known all those years ago, wanting reassurance. “I’m glad we met again.”
“Me, too.” Protectiveness surged inside him, and the thought of Rankin hurting her made his blood boil. “Look, if Rankin shows up again, let me know.”
“You think he would?”
“Yeah.” Confession time. “I always thought he was a bit of a jackass, but it never occurred to me he was a rapist.”
“Oh, crap. Do you think he has…I mean do you think he’d rape again? Or that he did it to more than one girl in school?”
“Probably. That’s what worries me.” He twisted ideas around in his head. “Stay with me while you’re in town. No need to find a hotel room.”
Doubt touched her expression. “You sure?”
“Absolutely. Rankin probably won’t mess with you if he knows you’re with me.”
“Wait…what are you going to do, Jeremy? You aren’t going to threaten him are you?”
He cleared his throat. “Not exactly threaten.”
Her mouth twisted in to a half grimace. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
He brushed hair back from her face, his fingers tangling in the thick strands. “Hell no. I’m not going to beat him up. Don’t worry.”
She sighed. “All right.”
“All right you’ll stay here?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. Back to sex.”
Cassidy laughed softly. “A much better topic.”
Something in her gaze, the utter trust and warmth he saw there, made him feel safe as well. He felt like he could tell her things he’d never told another woman. “I haven’t even been tempted to try kinky with another woman for a long time. But I’m up for anything you want.”
He smoothed his hands over her body, wanting her to feel more and more pleasure for as long as she could stand it. He cupped her butt, loving the way the round cheeks felt under his grip. He didn’t squeeze too hard—he wasn’t into rough sex. At least not the kind that had potential to hurt. Breathing in her warm scent, he closed his eyes and drew her down for a kiss. Immediately her tongue played with his. He slid his fingers from her butt cheeks to the soft, creamy flesh between her legs. She gasped and sighed. He stroked and smoothed the moisture over her pliant softness. He teased her flesh, until she squirmed and panted. She shifted off of him.
“Where are you going?” he asked, disappointed.
“Patience.”
She grinned and reached for a condom. She ripped the package open and crawled back onto the bed. With skill she slipped the protection over his cock smoothing it over his hardness with a deliberate slowness that wrung a moan from him. Within a moment, she settled over his cock. He moaned in pleasure as she opened herself to him, her tightness fitting over him like a tight glove. He’d never felt anything as exquisite. She moved on him, a steady rise and fall. He gasped, lifted his hips, and urged her to move faster. His body was hers, and he liked her taking charge. It was the sexiest damned thing he’d ever seen. Heat surrounded his cock, and she clasped him, released, clasped and released. Surrendering to the moment, he watched her. Her eyes closed as her hair tumbled over her shoulders in a sexy, messy tangle. The way her lips parted, the tiny sounds she made…sweet little gasps that told she loved the feeling of his cock inside her. He felt free, drugged by her excitement. Seconds wove into minutes. He gritted his teeth, determined that he wouldn’t pop off like a firecracker this time. She took him furiously, riding him with an aggressiveness that thrilled. Holy shit, she was on fire. He sat up, drew her down on top of him and flipped her under him. They disconnected in the process. She threw her arm around his neck and kissed him. Plunging his tongue into her mouth, he kissed her until they were both gasping. He drove deep into her pussy, tunneling and retreating, thrusting with a steady cadence designed to keep her right on the edge. With a gasp and a groan, she surged under him, trying to make him go faster.
“Jeremy.” Her voice held ecstatic pain. She wanted to let go. To come.
He pulled out of her. “Up on your knees.”
Immediately she rolled over and came up on her hands and knees. He thrust deep between her thighs, and she cried out. Oh, yeah. He pumped steadily, caressing her ass cheeks, molding her bottom under his fingers. She had the sweetest little ass. Firm and feminine. He thrust harder, rocking her back and forth with the force of his movements. Her groans escalated. Bracing himself over her, he reached around and found her clit. She moaned softly as he strummed her. Faster. Faster. Now she was wild, surging back against him until their flesh met over and over in a crazy dance. Seconds later she gasped and shivered, moan after trembling moan leaving her throat. Her feminine walls tightened and released over him in climax as she came. His body no longer cared as it exploded in a mind-melting st
ream of hot release. He shook, his entire body trembling as he took her with jerky thrusts. Gasping for breath, he went deep into the ecstasy.
Six
Cassidy couldn’t stop thinking about sex. And it was all Jeremy Tate’s fault.
She’d known him—again, for all of two days. Today, if she got through it without blowing a gasket somewhere in her brain, would count as three.
Good thing she had a break from him. As she drove her rental toward Joanna’s Cafe that morning, she wondered if she’d lost her mind. Could the hum, which she hadn’t heard since that morning in the motel room, be the reason she’d fucked Jeremy into a coma? After last night’s foray into sex, which had blown her away, and this morning’s escapade, she had no other conclusion. She never screwed a man seven ways to Sunday. A man had never driven her crazy with lust. She wished she had some horrible habit like biting her nails or smoking. Anything she could do to elevate the anxiety churning in her gut. She’d talk to Joanna if she could and try to remedy the ridiculousness. As she drove, though, her mind went back to Jeremy frickin’-delicious Tate.
He’d gotten a call from work right after he’d taken a shower this morning and had to cover for another officer who’d called in sick. So he’d dressed in his regular brown and khaki uniform. Hell, the man would look sexy wearing a paper bag. She’d been disappointed he had to work, but that was a law enforcement officer’s life. After a lingering kiss and a quick breakfast, he’s left her with a key. She hadn’t told him she planned on investigating the hum without him, but it wouldn’t have mattered if he liked it or not. She was her own woman. But something extraordinary had happened last night when they’d made love and this morning when they’d connected again. It hadn’t felt quite like she expected.
She’d wanted it to be pure mindless sex. Wanted it be raw, dirty, no-holds-barred. When she’d asked him for hard sex, he’d taken her from behind in a way so exciting she’d exploded into tiny pieces. She’d loved it more than she could have imagined. When he’d smiled at her, held her close, treated her with exquisite tenderness, her heart had melted. Right now she yearned for him, wanted him near her. What woman wouldn’t want a gorgeous man cradling her close, his powerful arms keeping her safe? When Jeremy held her, she felt so protected it was ridiculous. As if nothing and no one could hurt her ever.
“God, you’re a mess Cassidy.” She shook her head as she talked to herself. “Jeremy is sexy. He’s all man. So what? Calm down and slow down.”
Then she laughed, afraid that the so what in the situation wouldn’t work. Nope, Jeremy had already done a number on her head even if she couldn’t afford it. She lived in Costa Rica. She worked in Costa Rica. End of story. She could enjoy wild sex for three weeks, enjoy Jeremy’s glorious body and lovemaking. It would have to last her a long, long time.
When she’d taken a shower this morning, she felt well-used. She’d adored it. Her entire body had tingled as she’d rinsed away the soap and remembered how his hardness had felt inside her. Thick. Broad. Spreading her as wide and as deep as he could go. The few times she’d had sex in her life…before Jeremy that totaled two times, certainly didn’t qualify as experience. Jeremy had taken her three times already, and she’d sucked him off. Maybe it was simply sexual overload. As she’d told him, she had never had an orgasm with a man inside her until him. What she didn’t want to happen was for a wild animal attraction to mess with her common sense. Just because Jeremy was good at sex, that he knew how to flip her switch…well, that didn’t mean she needed to obsess.
She sighed. Right. Despite the fact her nipples tingled, her pussy threatened to go wet again just thinking about him…yeah, she could ignore all that to discover the origin of the hum.
She headed right for the cafe, and when she went inside she saw the place was rocking with morning customers. She’d had breakfast, but craved more coffee. A young hostess took her to a table, and right then Joanna came from the back and saw Cassidy. She waved. Cassidy was already sipping coffee by the time Joanna made it over to the booth. Joanna plopped onto the seat opposite Cassidy and grinned. Her hair was floating around her face, and she tucked an escaped curl behind her ears. She looked busy, flushed, and happy.
“Howdy,” Joanna said with a grin. “I’m surprised to see you here so early. The sun is barely up. Besides, I figured you would already be on the hunt for the hum.”
“I’m staying with Jeremy and he uh…he had to go in to work. I’m on the hunt for coffee at the moment.” Cassidy took another sip of the delicious brew.
“Uh-huh. Staying with him, eh?”
“Hotels are full.” Cassidy knew her tone held defensiveness.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist girl. I’m glad you’re staying with him. You okay after that trauma the other day?”
Cassidy almost said the sex with Jeremy had wiped the gun-toting crazy dude right outta her mind. Instead she said, “I’m good. No time to over think anything.”
Right. Like that wasn’t the tallest, widest fib ever. She wasn’t thinking about almost getting shot, but she was over thinking her relationship with Jeremy.
Joanna leaned one elbow on the table and propped her chin in her hand. One of her eyebrows lifted. “So did you find out anything about the hum yesterday?”
Eager to get her mind back on the hum, Cassidy kept her voice low and explained the meeting at the electrical plant with Rex. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this.”
“Of course not.” Joanna played with the salt shaker in front of her, twirling it in her hands. She made a zipping motion over her mouth. “I’m mum.”
Cassidy lowered her voice even more. “Is Brooker friends with Bud Rankin by any chance from the Sheriff’s Department?”
Joanna shook her head vehemently. “No way. That guy is a jerk. Why?”
“Long story. I’ll have to tell you someday.” Cassidy looked around, afraid someone would hear them despite their low tones. “But not here.”
Joanna shoved the salt shaker to the side. “There’s something I think you should know, and this has nothing to do with the hum. Well, I should say I don’t think it has anything to do with it.”
“Okay. It sounds serious.”
“It is. You asked if Brooker is friends with Rankin, and he isn’t. Rankin, though, came in here yesterday and when he heard someone say they’d seen you in town, he got all animated.”
“Crap. Well, he was at the country-western bar last night. Let’s just say he…how do I put this? He tried to blackmail me by saying that if I didn’t play footsie with him, he’d tell Jeremy what happened to me in high school. He also wants me to stop investigating the hum.” Cassidy’s stomach tumbled and pitched. She sipped coffee anyway.
Joanna went a little pale. “Holy crap, girl. You have to tell me what he did.”
“I will later. In the meantime, I’m going to finish this coffee and get on the road.”
“Where are you going?”
“You know that old munitions site?”
Joanna gave her a lopsided grin. “The one we used to call Area 51?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“You think that has anything to do with the hum?”
“If someone is doing something covert, it might be a good place to hide it.”
“I dunno. Kids are always cruising through there. The cops are up there all the time because teenagers like to park. I haven’t heard any of them saying they’ve heard the hum there.”
“You personally haven’t heard them say it, but all it might mean is they aren’t reporting it.”
“True.” Joanna snapped her fingers. “I just thought of a place. What about the Hexley place nearby?”
Cassidy shivered as nauseating memories arose. “That old house? Isn’t it a death trap by now?
“I’ve heard ghost hunters are investigating the place.”
Cassidy grunted softly. “What would that have to do with the hum?”
Joanna gave a large shrug. “I don’t know. This damn hum isn’t
something people can define, they’re just going crazy. We need answers and no one knows where to start. But you shouldn’t go to any of these places without Jeremy anyway.”
“Oh, no. I can’t go to the munitions place with him, and especially not the Hexley place,” Cassidy said.
“Why not?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking. Remember what happened there with Jeremy’s father?” Cassidy was incredulous.
Joanna’s face fell. “Oh, damn. I forgot. How could I forget?”
“There’s no way he’d go there with me.” Cassidy brushed that off with a wave of the hand. “Besides, what if Jeremy wasn’t around? How would I ever get anything done without his help? First he’s convincing me he’ll talk to Rex and the good-ole-boys to get answers and now I can’t investigate without him? I’ll have to investigate myself. I can’t ask him to go there.”
Joanna rolled her gaze to the ceiling for a second. “Don’t go all Helen Reddy on me. All I’m saying is use common sense. You aren’t as big and strong as Jeremy, and you’re not packing a weapon. You’re brains, he can be brawn.”
Cassidy almost choked on her coffee. She laughed around a sputter. “Are you saying Jeremy isn’t smart?”
“He’s smart as hell. But like I said, he’s good protection, just like Brooker is.”
“I hate it, but you’re right.” Cassidy pondered. “You could loan me Brooker as a bodyguard.”
Joanna sent her gaze to the ceiling one more time. “No way. Brooker would laugh us both out of the room. You know how skeptical he is. We’ll find someone else to go with you. You’re too intelligent to act like one of those brainless bimbos in a horror movie who walks into the dark house all alone.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. This is one of the times I wish I did know how to shoot.”
“Brooker taught me how.”
“Great, maybe I should take you with me to all the dark, haunted places I want to go.”
Joanna held up her arms. “I am woman, hear me roar.”
They laughed, the silly joke catching them at the right time to start giggles. When people glanced over at them, they clammed up.
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