Her taste, her smell of fresh clean soap, and the feel of her skin beneath the palm of his hand gave him a rush of possessiveness so strong he trembled. He touched her breasts gently, almost reverently, the nipples hardening at his caress. His hands explored every part of her, dipping beneath the lace of her white panties, causing her to cry out in breathless pleasure at his touch. His kisses laid claim to her, branded her. The thought of another man lying with her like this almost drove him crazy with jealousy.
He wanted her like he’d never wanted any other woman, but he couldn’t have her except for tonight . . . for now . . . for this moment, and it was within his power to make her want him just as much. What she’d suffered through with Robby had been excruciating and humiliating, and Walker wanted to erase the memory from her mind. This would be the first time anyone made love to her, and he wanted it to be perfect. That she trusted him was both humbling and empowering.
He pushed himself away from her, stood, and removed his clothes while a sexy smile played on her lips. He slid her lace panties down her graceful legs and tossed them on top of his pile of garments, then knelt over her, drinking in her beauty until she reached for his hand and tugged him down beside her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, meeting his lips with urgency, as though passion had broken free from its deep hiding place within her. He caressed her soft, sweet body, his hands making her cry out and writhe beneath him. He teased her hardened nipples with his tongue, licking and nibbling.
When she moaned and kissed his neck, his control began to waver. He pushed himself up once more, foraged through his clothes until he found his wallet, and pulled out a small, foil-wrapped packet. She lay propped up on one elbow, all seriousness as though he performed some mysterious ritual. He had to remember this was all new to her. What must she think of a man who carried condoms in his wallet . . . ready at a moment’s notice? Something stirred at the fringes of his memory—something he hadn’t dealt with in a long time. Shame—that a man who made his living with guns and explosives would presume to want her—with an ache so pervading his knees threatened to give out. He should walk away and leave her with her purity intact, but he wasn’t strong enough . . . and he sure as hell wasn’t noble enough. When he met her gaze and she crooked her finger at him in invitation, he was powerless to do anything but return to her side. Then he parted her legs and moved between them.
“I can’t believe I’m asking this, but are you sure this is what you want?” The words came out in a groan as he held himself off her, braced by his two arms.
“Shut up, Walker.” She rose up to meet him, looping her arms around his neck.
“I should warn you that once probably won’t be enough.”
The tiniest smile appeared on her lips. “Is that a problem for you?”
“Not for me . . . but it is over and above the terms of our agreement.”
“Shut up, Walker.”
He laughed softly as he lowered her down until she was lying on the bed again and his body covered hers. A shiver rippled through her as he held her gaze and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. It wasn’t fear that made her tremble. Trust shone from her eyes, and it humbled him that she was able to trust anyone—least of all him. Tenderness welled up from some long hidden place within him.
He kissed and sucked at one breast while flicking his thumb over the other until she mewed and arched her body against his. He dropped gentle kisses on her eyes and lips, then as his self-control dissolved, captured her mouth with desperate hunger. Her mouth was so sweet and warm as his tongue tasted every square inch. He had to have her. He couldn’t wait another minute.
Tracing a path down her sides, over her hips to the back of her thighs, he lifted her until she wrapped her legs around him. He laced his fingers with hers and placed them beside her head on the pillow. The trust in her eyes never wavered as he pushed inside her. He held himself still within her, reveling at how tightly she sheathed him. As soon as he released her hands, she gripped his shoulders, her fingernails digging in, adding to the sensations coursing through him.
He kissed her long and tenderly. “You’re amazing. I may never get enough of this.” He whispered the words next to her ear, sensing the futility in his statement.
She smiled a sexy, sultry little smile, and he kissed her again, then began to slide in and out, a slow, easy rhythm. They met thrust for thrust until Walker was wild with need. Escalating in speed and urgency, he brought Darcy to the edge and she cried out his name, gripping him with arms and legs. His last few thrusts sent him over the top as well, and he collapsed on her, sated and happier than he could ever remember being.
Chapter Seventeen
* * *
WAKING WITH HIS warm chest snug against her back, his arm draped over her possessively, Darcy quickly moved this day to the top of her best-days-ever list. She smiled lazily as Walker trailed his fingers up her torso to her breast and nipped playfully at her neck. His soft beard tickled her, and the resulting sensation sent a tingle all the way to her feet.
“Mornin’. I didn’t think you’d ever wake up.” He flicked his thumb back and forth across her already hardened nipple, sending shards of longing through her. She moaned and he rolled her over, covering her mouth with his. He smiled when he raised his head.
“Aren’t you tired?” She smiled at the memory of their lovemaking throughout the early morning hours. He’d awakened incredible, joyous pleasures within her she hadn’t known existed, and she’d responded with eager recklessness. She had no fear of this man and apparently no shame either. Surely everyone would know she’d had sex just by looking at her. She would never be the same again.
“Tired of this? Surely you’re joking.” His hand traveled downward across her stomach as he held her gaze, and his eyes sparkled with mischief.
The sensations were so strong and immediate it almost hurt to keep them inside. She was ready again, in desperate need of the release only he could give her. Bending her knee, she trailed her foot over his calf to his thigh, where he caught her leg and shifted her beneath him. This time, as they reached the pinnacle together, tears filled her eyes and she clung to him, not wanting him to see and guess the reason.
It was foolish, but there was no help for it. She was in love with him. Watching him walk away would be the hardest thing she’d ever have to do, but she’d promised she wouldn’t expect anything more, and she’d die before she broke that promise. She blinked back the tears and composed her face into a smile as he rolled off her and pulled her into a tight embrace. He started to say something, but his cell phone rang from his pile of clothes on the floor. He kissed her and went to answer the phone.
“Joe? What’s up? Sure. Yeah. Give me ten minutes.” He dropped the phone on the nightstand and lay down beside her again.
“I told Joe I’d go for a run with him this morning. It’ll take me two minutes to dress. That leaves us eight. What would you like to do?”
Darcy laughed at his hopeful expression, but her smile died on her lips. “We’ll have more time—right? You’re not leaving yet?”
A guarded look came into his eyes as he grew serious. “We’ll have time. We need to talk.”
“We’ll talk when you get back.” She forced a smile. “Thanks . . . for last night.” The heat rose in her face but she kept her gaze fixed on his.
“Are you kidding? Last night was incredible. You’re incredible.” He kissed her hard before standing and pulling on his pants. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Cara is in the room beyond mine if you need her.” He kissed her one more time, obviously reluctant to leave.
Her smile came easier this time as she told him good-bye.
Darcy wasn’t looking forward to their talk. How would she ever get through it? He’d remind her he was all wrong for her—too much older than her and too worldly and that she promised she wouldn’t make him sorry he allowed her in his bed. Her head had all of his arguments memorized, but her heart was having trouble keeping up.
>
She flung the covers aside. Staying here and feeling sorry for herself all day wouldn’t change anything. Rolling out of the bed, she grabbed the oversized shirt she’d taken from the closet downstairs. She slipped into it and pulled fresh clothes from the bag Cara had left with her. Clean clothes were getting scarce, probably for Walker too. Today was as good a day as any to do laundry. That would give her something to keep her mind off Walker’s little talk. She showered, dressed, and went downstairs.
Coffee was brewing when Cooper knocked on the back door. He burst into the kitchen as soon as she turned off the alarm and opened the door.
“There you are. Are you ready?” The deputy breathed hard and his gaze skittered around the room.
“Ready? For what?”
“Didn’t Walker tell you?”
“He went for a run. What was he supposed to tell me?”
“I got a call from a colleague of mine at the Marshals Service. They’re moving Johnny today. If you don’t catch that bus this morning and let him know you’re coming, you’ll never see him again.”
“No. They can’t move him. I called yesterday and left a message. He was supposed to call me back. We aren’t going until Friday.” Darcy rattled off the itinerary, so sure everything would go the way they’d planned.
“Then you’re going to miss him.” Cooper paced back and forth in front of the door, looking out every few seconds.
“I can’t leave without Walker. Why didn’t he tell me?” Darcy glanced at her watch. Seven forty. They only had twenty minutes to catch the bus. The deputy’s urgency gripped her, and she couldn’t think straight.
“He’s coming with us?” Anger hardened Cooper’s voice.
“Yes.” Darcy had no time to worry about his problems with Walker.
“I just talked to him a few minutes ago. That must have been what he meant when he told me to take you to the bus and he’d be five or ten minutes behind us. He said he’d call you. Have you had your phone turned off or were you someplace where you couldn’t hear it ringing?”
“The shower.” She took her phone from her back pocket. There was one missed call and a message waiting.
“We don’t have time for that now.” Cooper grabbed her phone from her hand. “You can listen to your messages after we get on that bus and you contact Johnny, but we have to go now if we’re going to make it. So, decide.”
He was being a jerk and she didn’t like it one bit, but the bottom line was if she delayed she’d forfeit her last opportunity to see the Fontanas and say good-bye to Nick and Eddy. She couldn’t let that happen.
“All right. Let’s go.”
A COUPLE OF miles were all Walker had made before the jarring of his wounded side got his attention and he slowed to a walk. Joe finally noticed he was MIA and stopped to let him catch up. The two fell in step together.
“So, what’s going on between you and Darcy?” Joe didn’t waste any time getting to what was on his mind.
“I’d be stating the obvious if I told you it was none of your business.” Joe had been his friend a long time and knew him better than anyone else. Still, the question surprised Walker.
“It is my business as long as you’re working for me—and she’s the job.”
“It’s good that Reggie Allen is out of the picture then, because you said my working days are numbered.”
“Come on. Give me a break here, Walker. Cara and I are worried about you.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Walker slapped Joe on the back. “It’s still none of your business.”
“I’ll be damned. Cara’s right. You’re in love with her.”
Walker drew up suddenly and turned to face his friend. Words of denial died on his tongue in the face of Joe’s delighted grin.
“Shit! I am so fucked up!” Walker started down the trail again.
“What are you talking about?” Joe caught up with him and fell in stride.
“I’m no damn good for her. Hooking up with me would be the worst mistake she’s ever made. You know better than anyone what my life has been like. Couldn’t you just see her bringing me home to her parents?” Walker laughed harshly.
Joe shrugged. “She’s a nice girl . . . sweet . . . pretty . . . a little naïve. I don’t see anything saying she’s better than you, or even that she thinks she is. How does she feel?”
“She’s just getting started in life. She has no idea what she’d be giving up if she settled for someone like me.”
“You’re wrong. She’s an adult. Are you going to tell me you honestly think it’s right to make the decision for her?”
“I just don’t want to see her screw up her life.”
“I don’t want to see you screw up yours. The past is the past, Walker. If you’ve got a chance to be happy, don’t mess it up.”
Walker wanted to agree with him—wanted to think he had a chance with Darcy. It was easier while he held the solid, down-to-earth gaze of his friend, but then that gaze slipped away. Joe fixed his eyes on something over Walker’s right shoulder and a wariness he’d seen a hundred times on his friend’s face made another appearance.
“What the hell is that?” Joe pointed into the pine trees that lined the trail.
Walker swung around and saw what Joe was looking at nearly hidden by the trees about a hundred feet off the trail. A body. Just then the wind shifted toward the west, bringing the smell of decomposing flesh. Moving carefully, they covered the intervening distance. Whoever left the body here was probably long gone, but it was never a good idea to take chances.
“He’s been dead awhile.” Walker studied the single entry wound of the bullet that blew the back of the man’s head off. “There’s not enough blood here for a wound like that. He was killed somewhere else and dumped here.”
“Do you recognize him?”
The man wore a white dress shirt, complete with tie, but no suit jacket. Walker shook his head and knelt to check the man’s pockets. Joe bent down on the other side and did the same.
“No wallet. A thief wouldn’t have taken the time to hide the body. I’m thinking whoever did this didn’t want to make it too easy to ID him.” Walker checked the ground around the body for anything that might have been dropped.
“Wait, I’ve got something.” From the man’s front pants pocket, Joe produced a half dozen crumpled business cards. He glanced at the top card then flipped it so Walker could see it. “What did you say your deputy marshal’s name was?”
Walker stared at the bold lettering and the official emblem on the card. Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Cooper.
Chapter Eighteen
* * *
WALKER DIALED DARCY’S cell, hanging up as soon as the call went to voice mail, then changed his mind about leaving a message and dialed again.
“Darcy, listen carefully. Go to the safe room, right now, and stay there until I come for you. I’ll explain everything, but you need to know Cooper isn’t who he says he is.”
Joe’s phone vibrated. He answered and listened a moment before he put the phone on speaker.
“I was just getting out of the shower and I heard a car out front.” Cara sounded short of breath. “When I looked out the window, Darcy and some guy were getting in, and they drove away before I could get downstairs.”
“What kind of car?” Walker was pretty sure he already knew the answer.
“A late model Taurus—black.”
“Cooper’s car—or whoever the hell he is. Did he force her to leave with him?”
“No. It looked like she was in as much of a hurry as he was. What’s going on?”
“We found the real Deputy Cooper in the woods—dead,” Joe said.
“Whoever Darcy just left with has spent some time and energy on figuring out how to get to her. He apparently doesn’t do things impulsively, so I’m betting he’s got a plan.” Walker swore again. There was something off about that guy from the beginning. Why didn’t he stay with her? Why did he leave her alone? Goddamn it! If anything happened to h
er . . . he couldn’t let anything happen to her. He had to think. Walking in a circle just to be doing something, he sifted through the information he had.
Joe put a hand on Walker’s arm and stopped his useless movement. He’d taken the phone off speaker and held it to his ear now. “Thanks, Cara. I doubt they’ll be back, but be ready just in case. We’ll be there as soon as we can.” Joe closed the phone and dropped it in his pocket as he met Walker’s gaze. “We’ll find her.”
Walker nodded. “The fake Cooper was all about finding Johnny—and he knew Johnny was alive before Darcy got the call.”
“He has to be on DeLuca’s payroll. If he finds Johnny, he’ll kill him.” Joe turned and set a quick pace back toward the house.
Walker fell in beside him. “He’ll kill Darcy, too, as soon as he doesn’t need her anymore. Damn it! She said she wouldn’t go without me. He must have spun quite a story to get her to leave with him.” He glanced at his watch. “The bus Johnny told her to get on leaves at eight—in five minutes. Johnny told her someone was using her to get to him. She thought he was talking about me, but he meant Cooper all along. Come on, Joe. With the chopper we can stop him.”
They ran the two miles back to the house. Walker ignored the dull ache in his side as he tried to figure out how the imposter had gotten so close. The most likely scenario involved the fake Cooper finding the real deputy marshal out somewhere alone. He killed him and dumped his body out back. Then he assumed the dead man’s identity, supposedly to take Darcy into protective custody, but it was all an elaborate ploy to get Darcy to lead him to Johnny. All he had to do was kill Johnny and Darcy . . . and no more loose ends. No wonder he was so pissed when she refused to go with him. DeLuca was probably on his ass.
When I Find You: A Trust No One Novel Page 21