ROMANCE: Bear Naked Passion (Billionaire Bear Trio Book 2)

by Audrey Storm

“What? Katherine, what’d you do?” Maddie squeaked.

  “He wanted to talk about his brother,” she shrugged. “Plus, he still seems to think that I’m going to go looking for the Store Corner Robber.”

  “Aren’t you?” Maddie asked, sneezing.

  “More or less,” Katherine admitted. “He’s here, in uptown.”

  That made Maddie pause. “What? Kat, if this is from another one of your rats—”

  “Relax, we were briefed on it yesterday. But my informants aren’t always wrong, you know,” Katherine defended.

  “I’m sorry, you mean your homeless informants who’d say anything for a snack, right?” Maddie asked innocently.

  “They see things that other people don’t,” Katherine shrugged. To people in uptown, it was weird for her to take advantage of the homeless, yet in downtown, that was the way things were done.

  “Have they seen anything lately?” Maddie asked after a moment.

  “Nothing,” Katherine shook her head. “Same as our detectives and officers.”

  “So why do they think he’s here?” she asked.

  “They found a clerk dead in his gas station’s bathroom,” she supplied. “Money was gone, just like all the others.”

  “And they don’t think that it could’ve just been a burglary gone wrong?” Maddie said hopefully.

  Technically, all of the Store Corner Robber’s murders were a form of burglary. But he killed for fun, and the money was something that he seemed to take as his reward rather than doing what most serial killers did and take a souvenir.

  “The chief described the clerk as ‘gutted,’” Katherine said. “It’s him.”

  Katherine took the driver’s wheel that night. It was quiet, even for them, and she eventually pulled off with a sigh and a scowl. “Don’t you ever get tired of this?” she asked Maddie.

  “What, protecting the streets?” she said jokingly. “Never.”

  They sat and talked with the radio turned down low, snacking on the various treats that Mark had packed for them. It was just as Katherine was ripping open a bag of potato chips that she spotted the headlights driving toward them.

  “Do they seem to be going a little fast to you?” Maddie asked, her eyes on the car as well. Before Katherine could respond, the vehicle seemed to suddenly stop with a jerk. Katherine dropped the chips into Maddie’s lap and calmly shifted the car into drive. “Kat—”

  The car before them suddenly thrust into reverse, flying backwards down the dark road from where it’d just come from. Katherine floored the gas and they took off after them.

  “Katherine!” Maddie yelped, grabbing onto the dashboard while her seatbelt cut across her chest. Katherine didn’t answer – her full attention was on the car racing away from them.

  With a flick of her wrist, Katherine turned on the siren, the flash of the red and blue lights suddenly lighting up the darkness surrounding them. She could just barely make out the car, now – a blue truck with four doors.

  “There’s a bend, up ahead,” Katherine told Maddie, her eyes never wavering from the road. “We’re gaining on him. If he’s not familiar with the area—”

  “Kat, this is bad,” Maddie said. “This is dangerous.”

  Katherine glanced at her partner. “And what the hell did you think working on the force was going to be like?”

  “Kat!”

  “I saw!” she yelled, whipping the car to the far right. A figure had just jumped out of the truck, which left it as a roadblock for them to crash into. Luckily, the speed of it was still in their favor, and it gave Katherine time to lurch them off of the road and around the truck.

  If only she’d seen the tree.

  They crashed into with a sickening crunch, the force of it sending them bouncing back before gravity left them to rest. Katherine shook her head, blinking away the blurred edges of her vision before she turned to Maddie.

  “Are you good?” she asked.

  “Y-yeah,” Maddie nodded, her green eyes wide as she stared at the smoke rising from their engine. “Did he…?”

  “What?” Katherine snapped. “Get away? No shit.”

  “No,” Maddie shook her head before flinching and thinking better of it. “Kat, he wasn’t very tall, and I’m sure I saw blonde hair. I think,” she licked her lips, swallowing hard. “I think that was Store Corner Robber.”

  Chapter 5

  The chief made them get checked out by the paramedics, of course. They were cleared, though some worry about a concussion made Richard order them to take the next forty-eight hours off. Maddie called Mark happily and asked for a ride, whereas Katherine left grudgingly.

  She didn’t expect Philip Candor to be standing outside the building, leaning up against a limo. “Katherine,” he greeted her, his face a steel mask as he dropped the cigarette he’d been smoking.

  “Uh,” she said eloquently before clearing her throat and trying again. “What’re you doing here?”

  “Are you injured?” he asked, climbing up the stone steps to her. “Did anything—”

  “What, did your brother call you?” she asked snidely. “I’m fine,” she waved him off. “Fit as a fiddle.”

  “Good,” Philip breathed, finally coming to step on the same level as her. He was at least two heads taller, wearing his expensive suit while she stood there in her blue uniform, shirt tucked in with her belly sticking out.

  Crossing her arms self-consciously, she glared up at him. “Yeah, a real miracle. One I’d trade to get my name back on the gala list, but—”

  “That really meant a lot to you, didn’t it?” he asked quietly, reaching out a hand to her face. She dodged, and he dropped it. “Let me make it up to you with a real night at the gala. If you’re worried about a dress—”

  “I have a dress,” she ground out between clenched teeth.

  “And now a date,” he said, apparently regaining his usual arrogance as he extended an arm.

  “The gala is tomorrow night,” she said, staring at it.

  “And tonight I will escort you home,” he nodded, motioning to the limo. “Seeing as you’re in no shape to drive yourself.”

  Katherine eyed him warily. “I don’t live in uptown,” she admitted.

  If that surprised Philip, he didn’t show it. “Then we’ll have more time to talk,” he smiled.

  The limo was everything that she’d ever expected one to be. Long leather seats, a small mini bar on the side wall, and a divider between the driver and the passengers. A divider that Philip flicked up as soon as they slipped inside and buckled their seatbelts.

  “Richard tells me that you have an obsession with a killer that is on the loose,” he began, pouring himself a drink.

  “I thought your brother didn’t tell you anything?” she reminded him stubbornly.

  “He won’t, not without my own information to trade back,” Philip agreed. “I may have mentioned our relationship to him.”

  Katherine was torn between accusing him of telling and denying any relationship between them whatsoever. In the end she just sighed, and said, “So he told you about the Store Corner Robber?”

  Philip nodded. “He’s the reason that you work in uptown, but live in downtown?” He handed her a drink.

  “He’s the reason that my supervisor thought the streets weren’t safe for me anymore,” she scowled, swirling the amber liquid in her cup. “And why he thought a cushy office job in uptown would be more suitable.”

  “You aren’t a desk jokey,” Philip said.

  “I worked two weeks at that desk before they let me have a patrol car,” Katherine snorted. “Not to mention, they partnered me with a woman who is constantly under the weather, making it impossible to take a case and get any real work done.”

  “Cases are for detectives,” Philip frowned.

  “Not this guy,” Katherine shook her head, taking a sip. “He’s mine.”

  For all their differences, downtown and uptown were only about thirty minutes away from one another. Philip’s driv
er pulled up to her apartment building in record time, and Katherine set her empty cup on the floor.

  “I’m not even going to ask where you got my address,” she said, scooting toward the door.

  “Katherine,” Philip stopped her, placing a gentle hand on her arm. “I’ll be here to pick you up tomorrow. Six o’clock sharp.”

  Katherine said nothing as she stepped out of the car, slamming the door closed behind her. She never looked back, but she didn’t hear the limo pull away until she had the code punched in and the building door unlocked, slipping inside without a backwards glance.

  It was with a doubtful heart that Katherine pulled out her favorite dress for the gala. It was a black velvet one she’d bought years ago, with a low cut on the neckline and a hanging lace at the sleeves. It looked like it was from another time, but that was just fine with Katherine.

  She paired it with the diamond earrings that her father had bought for her when she’d graduated from the police academy, and she pulled out her mother’s silver necklace to match it.

  “I look stupid,” she muttered to herself as she turned to look in the mirror. The black velvet made her dark skin look like a molten bronze, and while the dress usually made her feel confident and sexy, today she only noticed the bulges and her double chin. “He’s not coming, anyway,” she tsked, glancing at the clock. It was five minutes to six, and it wasn’t like he really wanted such a fat girl on his arm, anyway. “I should just—”

  A knock at the door made her pause.

  Stepping quietly into her high heels as she crossed the room, she peered through the peephole. Philip Candor, dressed in a black suit that had such a sheen to it that it appeared to be silk, was standing on the other side of her door. Sucking in a breath, Katherine opened it for him.

  As she pulled it back and revealed herself, a look of utter shock that she’d only ever seen on him once before overtook his eyes. “Uh, hello?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

  He blinked, and then his cocky smirk was back in place. “Katherine,” he said smugly, reaching out a hand to capture hers. He brought it up to his face, kissing her knuckles. “You look beautiful.”

  Katherine ignored the flush that she felt burning her cheeks and ripped her hand away. “And you look nice, as always,” she said carelessly, going for an air of nonchalance. “Let me just grab my wrap—”

  “No,” Philip caught her hand again, stopping her. “Don’t cover up. You look perfect just the way you are now.”

  Katherine gave him a blank look. “It’s snowing outside, you idiot.”

  “Oh,” he said, releasing her. “Of course.”

  The ride to the gala took a little longer as it was being held at the civic center in the middle of downtown. Traffic was bad on a good day in that area, and on the night of the Citizen’s Gala it was nightmare. Luckily, Philip had a limo, so they were dropped off just outside of the front doors, leaving Philip’s driver to fight the road rage.

  “Mr. Candor,” a volunteer at the front greeted him. Philip started shrugging off his jacket, and Katherine awkwardly followed suit by taking off her wrap. “Here’s your ticket,” the girl said sweetly, offering him a small yellow ticket stub to reclaim his outerwear later.

  “Here,” Philip said, placing a gentle hand on Katherine’s lower back as he led her into the ballroom.

  “I know this place better than you,” Katherine rolled her eyes, but she didn’t step away. He took her to the buffet, collecting two flutes of champagne.

  “Take it,” he said, offering one to her. “You seem nervous.”

  Katherine didn’t bother fighting him, and she accepted the glass to take a sip.

  Couples were mingling all around them, and there was already a line for the rifle raffle. “All proceeds go toward Toys for Tots!” a woman was calling out, ushering patrons with thick checkbooks over to the queue. “Help a child this Christmas!”

  “Excuse me,” Philip toasted her, downing the rest of his drink. Setting the empty glass aside, he strolled confidently over to the raffle, already reaching into his inner pocket for his wallet. Katherine stayed where she was, eyeing the guests about her. She recognized a few of the big names, but she was disappointed to see that Maddie wasn’t in attendance. Or maybe she was still sick in bed at home, and wasn’t coming at all.

  That was why, when she felt a hand settle on her shoulder, that she turned into it with a huge smile.

  She barely held back a gasp at the short man leering at her.

  “You,” she breathed, her brown eyes wide in the face of his empty blue ones. Brushing his blonde bangs out of his face, he nodded crazily, his grip on her shoulder tightening.

  “Me,” he agreed.

  Chapter 6

  Katherine couldn’t think – she couldn’t breathe. All she could think about was that night, when he cornered her and held a knife to her throat.

  “Bet you didn’t expect to see me here,” he laughed. “Nor did I think to find some volunteer dressed so prettily. Or did you know that I was coming and wanted to dress appropriately for the funeral?”

  Katherine gulped. “You can’t—”

  “Oh, but I can,” he hissed, pulling her closer to poke her side with something. “Do you recognize it?” he asked, softly jabbing her again. He was holding something sharp, something that he was hiding in his coat pocket. “I almost cut your throat with it last time. So close, so close! But don’t worry,” he whispered, leaning in to her ear. “This time, I won’t miss.”

  “Katherine?”

  She jumped at the sound of Philip’s voice, jerking her head to look him in the eye. His confused face turned harsh as he saw her fear, and he glanced at the man standing so close to her.

  “Excuse me, sir,” he said arrogantly, his voice betraying his distaste. “But I believe that you’re bothering my date.”

  “She isn’t yours,” he sneered, looking at Philip while the knife’s edge made Katherine gasp as she felt it dig deep. “She’s mine.”

  “That should be my line,” Katherine growled, using Philip as her distraction to elbow the Store Corner Robber in the jaw. A woman screamed, and Katherine noticed the crowd beginning to form around them. The man stumbled back with a grunt, his knife’s tip gone from her side. Philip acted fast, tackling the man as soon as he was away from Katherine.

  “Phil, what…?”

  It was Richard—he’d run over to see what all the commotion was about.

  “Sir,” Katherine gasped, adrenaline pumping blood into her ears. “It’s him. It’s the Store Corner Robber.”

  By the time that the Robber – finally identified as Mike Croft – was hauled into custody and Katherine was cleared to go home with a yellow blanket around her shoulders and a bandage over her cut, it was well past midnight.

  “Go home, get some rest,” Richard said gruffly, patting her on the shoulder.

  “I’ll take her,” Philip said, already reaching out a hand for her. She took it without protest, following him blindly to his awaiting limo.

  “See that you do,” Richard grunted in agreement. “I’ll see you first thing Monday morning, Silver. You’ll no doubt have a medal waiting for you.”

  The drive was quiet, though not for Philip’s lack of trying.

  “What happened?” he asked quietly, pouring himself a drink. “I came back, and that man—”

  “He moved to uptown,” she said, “To find me.” Looking up at Philip, she sighed, long and low, and added, “He couldn’t stand that he’d let a victim get away.”

  “You’re not a victim,” Richard said angrily, putting the decanter away.

  “I know,” she said simply.

  The limo parked outside of her apartment building like it had the night before, but this time when she and Richard stepped out, it drove away. Before she could ask, Philip insisted, “I’m not leaving you alone tonight.” His tone left no room for an argument, and Katherine was too tired to try.

  They stepped quickly up the stairs and into her apartment
. Katherine uncoiled her wrap from around her shoulders and grabbed some extra blankets to dump onto the couch. It was a small, studio apartment, so apart from the bathroom nothing was divided by a wall or a door. Her bedroom, kitchen, and living space all sort of blended into one big space.

  “You don’t really have to stay,” Katherine sighed as she went into the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on. She certainly wasn’t going to be going to sleep any time soon. “We’ve gone on our date, you can go now.”

  “Why would I leave when I’ve finally got you?” Philip asked, and Katherine jumped from the hot breath on her neck. “Sorry,” he apologized. “You’ve been startled more than enough for today.” He started to walk away, but Katherine stopped him. She found that she liked his warmth at her back.

  “Philip,” she said, catching his wrist. “Why did you invite me tonight?”

  That just made him huff out a laugh. “Well, it wasn’t because I’d thought a mad man would try to sneak in and kill you.”

  “I’m serious,” she said fiercely, dropping his arm.

  Philip grabbed hers instead, and rubbed a thumb over her finger. “Because I find the woman who can beat me at my own game and resist an arrogant man’s charms utterly fascinating,” he said, staring into her eyes.

  She rolled her eyes. “I said to be serious—”

  “Oh,” he smirked. “I am.”

  Katherine saw the kiss coming from a mile away. She saw him move closer for it, saw the look in his eyes, but she stayed still—an easy target for an eager man. When his lips sealed over hers it was harsher than she’d expected; it wasn’t the butter-soft kiss of a salary man but rather the determined caress of a fighter.

  When she came up for air, it was to throw her arms around his neck and say, “Do that again.”

  She wasn’t sure for how long they bit and licked at one another’s lips, diving and grinding, but after a while she felt herself lifted and dropped onto the couch. He didn’t give her a moment to consider how he’d managed to lift her before he was on her again, unzipping her dress and pulling it down to reveal her breasts. They were big, always had been at her size, and he stared at them like the heavens and earth had descended before him.