Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4

by Mallory Crowe

  She caught her breath at the sudden vulnerability. She couldn’t see him. All she could do was wait for his next movement. The next time he decided to touch her...

  “Spread your legs for me,” he whispered into her ear.

  Without hesitation, she widened her stance and was immediately rewarded as Luke’s body came flush with hers. “Good girl,” he murmured as he reached around her. His hand ran over her belly and through the curls at the juncture of her thighs. And then he found her clit.

  Evelyn jerked in his arms at the sudden sensation, pleasure shooting through her like a lightning bolt. But he didn’t stop. He pushed two fingers deep within her as he flicked her clit again. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool tile as the steam from the water seemed to encase them in their own little cocoon.

  He didn’t give her any leniency. He kept working at her, rubbing in just the right way until her entire being seemed to be one tight bundle of nerves waiting for release...

  Then the orgasm hit her. Her back arched and she pressed her ass against his cock as the moan escaped her lips. As the aftershocks quaked through her, Luke angled her hips and thrust inside in one long, sure motion.

  Her hands balled to fists, but she kept them against the tile. He wrapped one arm around her breasts for leverage as the other one went right back to her oversensitive clit. He wasn’t about to give her any break.

  He started to move within her, and she let her head fall back against him. Everything felt so good...the water, his body, his touch on her breasts....

  As his thrusts quickened, he gently bit her ear before he finally started to lose control. There was something so gratifying in seeing Luke reduced to a pleasure-driven beast. Just like he seemed to do to her. His breaths quickened against her ear as he pushed in her harder and faster. And with every thrust, the pressure on her clit increased and as Evelyn’s second orgasm crashed over her, Luke finally lost it.

  His hand on her breast tightened as he shattered in his own release. “Evelyn...” he breathed as the final quakes of his orgasm rocked him.

  For a few moments, neither of them moved. Instead, they both caught their breath as they tried to come back down to earth. Luke pressed a kiss to her shoulder and released her breast, running his hand over her front to rest at her waist.

  “Best shower ever.” She smiled.

  He let out a soft laugh and pulled out of her. She turned in his arms, but he didn’t seem nearly as happy and carefree as she felt at the moment. “What’s wrong?”

  He met her eyes with his intense gaze and he sighed. “I just can’t imagine never having another shower like this.”

  She shrugged. “We’re here for a few more days. Don’t worry. Besides, after that, I think I owe you.”

  “Not that. After this. After Longineu is arrested.”

  Evelyn stiffened, suddenly realizing what he was saying. Damn it, did he have to bring this up while they were naked? “I’m going back to Texas after this,” she reminded him.

  “But do you want to?”

  Evelyn glanced down. Of course she wanted to. She’d worked her entire career to get a chance to stop the rampant corruption along the border. To be one of the honest ones keeping people safe.

  But the idea of staying with Luke was enticing. Besides the physical aspect of their relationship, which was undeniably fantastic, she liked him. He pushed her. Challenged her in a way that no other man had. And he seemed to respect her and her job for the most part. None of the macho “I’m the man—I know what’s best” attitude that she’d been fighting against her entire life.

  She couldn’t lie...the idea of trying to make something work long term with Luke was appealing, but... “I hardly know you, Luke.”

  He nodded and stepped back. “I understand.”

  She opened her mouth to say more, but he immediately erased any trace of sadness with a big smile. “How about I go open a bottle of wine? You can finish your shower and then we can find something nice to watch on TV.”

  Damn. She wanted to say more, but if he wanted to act like the entire conversation never happened, who was she to rub salt in the wound? “Sure. That sounds nice.”

  “Great.” He leaned in, kissing her briefly before he got out of the shower and shut the glass doors.

  Evelyn fell back against the tile and rubbed at her temple. Even though the tile had finally warmed and the entire bathroom was filled with steam, she couldn’t help the cold that seemed to creep in now that Luke was gone.

  “Fuck.” What the hell was wrong with him? Asking Evelyn to stay? Of course she’d say no! She hardly knew him and they’d been “together” all of three days. And of those three days, she’d never once hinted that she’d wanted anything more than a quick, fun fling.

  Which should’ve made him ecstatic. Wasn’t that his one requirement in a woman? Willing to have a fun, no-strings-attached relationship with amazing sex. Now that he’d found one, he suddenly was going to become the clingy one. Fuck.

  He pulled a clean pair of boxer briefs out of his drawer and a pair of black pajama pants. Hopefully he hadn’t scared Evelyn completely away. They would be here for a bit longer, and he’d be damned if she was going to give him the cold shoulder the rest of the week because he didn’t know how to keep his damn mouth shut.

  What the hell had he been thinking? Sure, he liked Evelyn. If she was a native New Yorker and wasn’t planning to leave the state as soon as possible, then, yes, maybe he’d consider trying for something more than a fling. But if the tables were turned and she suddenly announced—after sex, no less—that she was going to stay in the state and completely alter the trajectory of her career for him, he would’ve freaked out.

  Well, overjoyed and then freaked out. So who the hell was he to ask her to change all of her plans just because he was having great sex?

  He shook his head as he pulled on his pants and padded into the kitchen. Maybe he could get her to drink enough that she’d forget he even mentioned anything to her. He pulled out a bottle of wine and eyed the three bottles remaining in the wine cooler. He had a feeling it would take hard liquor to wipe that memory from her mind. Fuck.

  He set the bottle on the counter and reached up for the glasses as the floor creaked behind him. Was Evelyn done already? Somehow he thought she’d linger under the water, looking for any reason to avoid him after that fiasco.

  He turned to face her, determined to act as though nothing had happened. Except for the mind-blowing sex. He’d own up to that. “I hope you like red wine, because that’s all we—”

  Something slammed into the side of his face, and the last thing he remembered as the world went dark was the sound of his parents’ favorite wine glasses smashing on the hardwood floor.

  Evelyn jerked her head out of the water at the sound of the glass breaking. She opened her mouth to ask Luke whether everything was okay, but stopped herself. She knew Luke well enough to realize he didn’t drop things.

  If he had knocked something over, he probably would’ve cursed. Or she’d hear him going into the closet for the broom and dustpan. Something. All she heard over the sound of the shower was silence.

  Unease drifted over her. She’d been around long enough to know when to trust her gut. Leaving the water on, she pushed open the shower door and stepped out. She ran a towel over her soaking hair and body as quickly as possible. She peeked around the corner to make sure there was no one in the master bedroom off the bathroom, but it was empty.

  After verifying the room was clear, she pulled on her t-shirt and panties and grabbed her gun holster off the dresser. The gun was already loaded, so she flicked the safety off. If she was overreacting, Luke might think she was crazy, but she was here to watch over him, so he’d have to deal with her crazy.

  Evelyn was about to leave the bedroom when she heard heavy footsteps approach. The soft sound of boots against hardwood echoed through the house. Which was worrisome, because why would Luke be wearing boots right after a shower and befo
re bed?

  Her heartbeat sped up as she glanced around the room. There was nowhere to hide except the closet; that would be the first place anyone would look, and it would effectively trap her.

  She took a calming breath and took a chance by standing behind the open door. As he entered, he wouldn’t be able to see her, but if he looked in this direction she’d be outed. Chances were that he’d start with the bathroom and closet, and that would give her the chance to get a jump on him.

  She held her breath as he approached, trying to make no sound at all. His steps slowed as he entered the room. He paused in the middle of the room, and Evelyn tried to get a look.

  He wasn’t the man from her apartment. This man was older, maybe in his forties, and even though he was muscular, he appeared to have a substantial beer belly. He headed for the bathroom and disappeared into the other room. Evelyn leveled her gun in that direction. She started to step out from behind the door when Luke’s voice cut through the house. “She’s not here!”

  Shit. He wasn’t alone, which meant that Luke was with whoever this asshole brought with him. If she shot the guy in the bedroom, the other guy might freak, and who knew what he would do to Luke. Evelyn slipped out of the room while Beer Belly was still in the bathroom. She tiptoed through the empty hallway. She’d heard glass breaking but wasn’t sure where. It could be from anywhere, considering the entire cottage had hardwood and the sounds echoed like crazy. She paused at the end of the hallway. Chances were that once she emerged, guy number two would see her and she’d have to act fast.

  But then a grunting sound came from the kitchen and Luke screamed, “Evelyn, get out of the hou—” The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the house, and Evelyn kicked into gear. She stepped out from the hallway and immediately saw the man standing over a tied-up Luke, ready to strike him with the butt of his handgun.

  Evelyn didn’t hesitate as she brought up her gun and fired off three shots in quick succession. The man fell hard and fast. She met Luke’s eyes. He seethed with anger and she knew there was going to be hell to pay for whoever was behind this break-in. But the anger disappeared in a flash, replaced by fear, and she knew Beer Belly was coming up behind her. She tried to turn in time, but the man already had his gun up and aimed. All she could do was drop to the floor as bullets flew right over her head. He ran as he fired, which had to be hurting his aim, but the closer he was, the more dangerous he was.

  She fired off a round blindly and ducked behind the corner where he couldn’t see her anymore. In a flash, Luke was at her side. His hands were still bound behind his back, and two trickles of blood covered the right side of his face. “Untie me.” He knelt next to her.

  “A little busy,” she muttered as she stared at the hallway. Either the guy was going to come into the main living area firing blindly, or he was going to try to get out of the cottage via the back rooms.

  The sound of smashing glass from the bedroom answered that question. “Shit. He’s making a run for it.” Everything in her wanted to chase after the man, but her priority was Luke, and they weren’t exactly alone in the house.

  She pushed herself up, passed the small table to the counter and snatched a knife from the counter. She went back to Luke and knelt next to him, eyeing the zip ties that held his wrists. The thing was so tight his hands were purple. No wonder he wanted it off. It had to hurt like a bitch. She cut through the plastic in one quick motion before she pulled him up to stand. “Come on,” she said. “We need to get to a phone.”

  Without waiting for him to respond, she pulled him into the bedroom and grabbed the first phone she saw, which was hers. She dialed 911 first, asking for paramedics and alerting them to a suspect running on foot and described his clothes and build. She had a feeling he’d be long gone before the police got out here, even with the quick response time in such a high-income area.

  After that, she called Hotchins, who agreed to get in his car immediately to drive out. But it would still be hours before he arrived.

  She hung up the phone and looked back to Luke. “Police should be here any minute. We need to talk to the guy who roughed you up before they get here.”

  She turned to go back to the kitchen, but Luke’s hand on her arm stopped her. “Evelyn, wait.”

  She pulled free of his grasp. “I have a job to do, Luke. The paramedics will be here soon to take a look at your head.” Without waiting for a response, she headed back to the kitchen to look down at the man she’d shot. “Damn it,” she muttered.

  The man wasn’t familiar to her. Younger than the one who got away, but still strong. Evelyn bent down and pressed her fingers to his throat, looking for any sign of a pulse. Nothing. She’d hit him three times in the chest, and his death had probably been instant. A cold ice flowed through her veins. “Damn it!” she said again.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Luke from behind her.

  “What’s wrong? I just killed a man.” She didn’t look back at Luke; instead, she stared at the dead man at her feet. At least his eyes were closed. It was always so much worse when they were open. He only wore a black t-shirt and black jeans, so there wasn’t much room for him to have any identifying information. She felt his pockets and when she felt something hard in one, she pulled out the cell phone.

  “He had a gun, Evelyn. There was nothing else you could do.”

  She thought back to the moments before she fired. Once Hotchins was here, she’d have to give a full, detailed report of everything that happened. She stood, holding the phone in her fist. “How did they get to you?”

  “Snuck up behind me like cowards. Knocked me out with something, and the second I woke up, I called to warn you.”

  “Did they say anything? Give any indication of how they knew where we were?” Hotchins was the only one she told, but did that mean he was the traitor? That made no sense. He’d been riding her harder than anyone to bring down the Thirteen Stars.

  “As I said, it was bang, then me screaming for you to get out of the house. Which you didn’t do, by the way.”

  “My job isn’t to run and hide. It’s to bring down the people who want you dead.” Which she’d failed to do. Horribly. Fuck.

  “I’m happy you take your job so seriously, believe me, but I don’t want you putting yourself in danger for me.”

  “Trust me, I don’t want that either. I’ve already done too much for you.”

  She heard him approach and she steeled herself for his questions.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Evelyn forced herself to go blank. To force out any possibility of a relationship from her mind. “That man never should’ve died.”

  “I told you, Evelyn, it was self-defense. He had a gun. Who knew what he was going to do to me? To you?”

  “Not that. He could be a link to Longineu. These guys, the ones who do the dirty work, they break easy. If we brought him in, this would all be over. I shouldn’t have killed him.”

  “You didn’t have a choice!”

  Turning to face him, Evelyn snapped, “No, I didn’t have a choice! I got one look at him about to hit you and everything went blank. Empty. I had to stop him the easiest way I knew how! And now he’s dead and you’re still in danger for God knows how long. And that’s because I was worried about you.”

  “What were you supposed to do?”

  “Shoot a warning. Distract him. Get him away from you and hit his firing arm. I’m a good enough aim. I could do it.”

  “With another guy in the house? You were surrounded.”

  “I’m a worse agent around you,” she said softly. “My feelings and emotions got in the way and they jeopardized this entire operation.”

  Sirens sounded in the distance and Evelyn knew the police would be here any minute. Good. Then maybe she wouldn’t have to finish this conversation.

  “Does that mean you’re leaving?” asked Luke. His own face was stone cold, and the flashing blue and red lights started to fill the cottage, making his features seem eve
n more harsh.

  “Of course not. I started this investigation. I’ll finish it. I just can’t let myself be distracted any more. It’s hurting both of us.” The sound of a car door closing told her that they needed to start recounting their stories to the police. But to pound the point home once more, Evelyn said, “And once this is over, I’m going back to Texas.”

  Luke eyed Evelyn’s boss. The man looked haggard, which made sense considering he’d left his home at nine p.m. and driven two hours to get to a crime scene.

  Hotchins wore jeans and a wrinkled gray button-up. He had light brownish-red hair, and a short beard covered the bottom half of his face. And he seemed just as upset as Evelyn did about the whole thing.

  By this point, Luke had gone over the entire thing five times, but he was pretty sure he’d made it clear to the locals that he didn’t want to have to go into the station to answer more questions.

  He’d rather just sit and stew in his own anger for a bit longer. If he’d had his way, the son of a bitch would still be alive too. He’d snuck up on Luke. Invaded his home. Threatened Evelyn.

  What would’ve happened if Evelyn hadn’t heard the glass break? What if she’d written it off to him being clumsy and continued on with her shower? The other guy would’ve found her naked and alone, and there would’ve been nothing Luke could’ve done to stop it.

  His fists were clenched so tightly that his arms shook, and he forced himself to relax them. There were too many people here for him to have a temper tantrum, and there was nothing he could do now. The one man was dead and the other one could be anywhere. There were empty houses all over this time of year, and he could’ve broken into any of them to hide out. And considering the wealthy families who owned the homes in the area, the police weren’t about to start searching random homes in hopes they found the man Evelyn referred to as Beer Belly.