Deadly Games

by Karen Rock

  Megan threw her arms around Katherine again. “That’s my girl!”

  “You’re not going to start singing ‘That’s What Friends are For,’ are you?”

  “Keep smiling…keep shining…” Megan sang quietly as she guided Katherine to the entrance.

  Nash greeted the bouncer, a friend who also moonlighted at Dallas Heat, and ushered the laughing women inside. The waiting line groaned and voiced their protests.

  “It’s amateur night,” boomed a leather-clad, female DJ as they waded through the crowd toward a table filled with square-jawed men. Their watchful eyes, authoritative bearing, and shorn hair announced law enforcement, even without the uniform. “Ladies—and men—come on up and strut your stuff. Best performer wins a seven hundred and fifty milliliter bottle of Dom Perignon. Who’s ready?”

  A line of women clad in Daisy Duke shorts and bikini tops stomped their cowboy boots atop the bar, twirling and shaking their asses.

  But Katherine ensnared all of Nash’s attention. Her eyes were a brilliant blue beneath thick golden lashes. Pink colored her high cheekbones and a buttoned dress shirt encircled her throat. Topped with lace. Lace. She was killing him. Surrounded by all this flesh, he should be unmoved by her starched appearance. Instead, she intrigued him more than ever. Aroused him painfully. And he wished away the next couple of hours until he unbuttoned that prissy shirt and spread it wide, exposing her impossibly smooth skin for his touch.

  And his touch only.

  A tall, dark-haired man walked by, a lecherous grin covering his face as he took in Katherine; it was all Nash could do to keep from knocking it off his face.

  “It’s Agent Bowden!” one of the officers shouted when they reached the table.

  “Hey, Bowden. How about a beer?”

  “Ladies don’t like beer,” exclaimed another, signaling for the waiter. “Can we buy you a drink? You’re doing a hell of a job on the Last Call Killer case.”

  “No.”

  The jovial crowd sobered at Katherine’s quick rejection, and Nash tensed.

  Come on, Katherine. Show them your fire. Your humor. Your spunk.

  She snagged the officer’s half-filled beer, downed it in one gulp, then passed it back to the gaping man. Nash nearly laughed at the group’s astonished expressions. “This lady definitely drinks beer. Just not in a long time.”

  Her warm eyes landed on Nash, a smile in them.

  “The dartboard’s free!” another officer announced, pulling up short when he glimpsed Katherine. “Or we could just sit here and—uh—talk. Good to see you, Special Agent Bowden.”

  “Call me Katherine. And count me in for darts.” She pulled a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet and slapped it on the table. “Let’s play.”

  Megan’s elbow dug into Nash’s side. “She’s a ringer,” she said right into his ear, her words barely discernible over the pounding honky-tonk music.

  This he had to see.

  Katherine yanked the darts from the board and separated them into two piles. “What are the teams?”

  One of the officers stepped forward. “I’ll lead one and you the other. Sound good?”

  “That’ll work.” Katherine scanned the group. “Four on a team. Twenty each to play. Who wants to be on my side?”

  Nash, Megan, and an officer with a blond crew cut joined Katherine. The group tossed cash on the pile and rolled up their sleeves. Katherine ditched her suit coat. The way her white shirt stuck to her lean abdomen made Nash miss his opening shot.

  “Don’t worry,” Katherine shouted in his ear, igniting his senses when her mouth grazed his flesh. “I’ve got us covered.” Her eyes sparkled and she smoldered where she stood.

  “My God,” Nash breathed, watching as she glided away. “She’s like…fire.”

  In the next hour, the teams went throw for throw. Megan scored the winning shot in their final game, and she and Katherine hugged in triumph.

  “How much do we owe you?” slurred one of the officers, swaying ever so slightly. Every time a team member missed a shot, they’d had to take a drink.

  Katherine waved her hand, her eyes fuzzy as she tilted slightly then straightened her stance. “It was all for fun. Let’s donate it to the children’s hospital.”

  Another cop turned green and raced to the restroom.

  “It’s all fun and games until someone pukes their guts out.” Megan’s short giggle ended on a hiccupping sob. She leaned on their blond teammate whose name, Nash had learned, was Ned Blane.

  “You’re all right, Katherine.” Ned nodded approvingly in her general direction, his eyes at half-mast. “Some of us thought you were uptight, but you showed us.”

  “My girl kicks ass!” Megan blew Katherine a kiss. “She’s going to save one of my best friends.”

  Nash wrapped his arms around Katherine from behind and dropped his chin to her shoulder.

  “Thank you,” she mouthed against his temple before pressing a kiss to it.

  “Ready to get out of here?” He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d last with her curvy ass rubbing against his flanks. He had to take a deep breath to keep from hustling her outside.

  “Yes.” She glanced up and her teary smile ignited his protective instincts. “I want to forget everything tonight, and know only you.”

  “Let’s go,” he growled in her ear, hunger edging his voice. Need pounded inside him. Insistent. Rapacious. He only wanted her, too.

  “Megan,” Katherine protested. “We can’t leave her.”

  He nodded to the bar where Megan now chatted with Ned Blane, a fresh bottle of beer in her hand. “Looks like she’s having a good time.” He held up Katherine’s suit jacket.

  “I don’t think she wants to go home yet.” Katherine slipped her arms into it, waved to catch Megan’s eye, then pointed to the door. Megan made a shooing motion, mouthing, “Have fun.”

  “Maybe she has other things on her mind.” Nash cupped Katherine’s tight ass and pressed her against him so she’d know just what he had in mind, too.

  “Oh!” she gasped, her lids lowering to half-mast as she gazed up at him coyly. “Did you enjoy the show?”

  “Yes. And don’t ever do it again. Unless it’s just for me.” He peered at the crowd’s avid, leering faces, grabbed her hand, and practically dragged her to a side door and outside into the balmy night.

  He turned the corner into the alley and, finally alone, dug his fingers into her hair and urgently plundered her mouth with his, taking what he wanted. What he needed. With a moan that sent his pulse racing, she grabbed the collar of his leather jacket and pulled herself higher, meeting his mouth with a desperation of her own. “Why do you,” she muttered between kisses, “have this effect on me?”

  For a full minute he didn’t answer, devouring her mouth. His palms slid down the back of her suit, stopping momentarily when he encountered bare thighs before sliding up under the skirt. He groaned. Her butt was mostly bare, only a small scrap of material covering the cleft between her cheeks. His fingers curled in anticipation before he filled his palms with smooth, soft skin. Katherine jerked against him, her arms coming around his neck, one leg bending so her thigh rubbed against his as she arched closer.

  “You’re the one driving me crazy.” His fingertips slid higher, encountering slick, hot flesh and she groaned deep in her throat. She was open to him. He could have her. Here.

  Now.

  The word banged in his mind as he pulled her closer still, grinding his body against her, wishing they were anywhere but here. “Let’s go home.” He nipped at her throat.

  “Whose?”

  His tongue bathed her clavicle, pressing lightly on her fluttering pulse. “Doesn’t matter. Anywhere you are is home.”

  “Nash,” she murmured, stiffening against him. “I’m not ready to—”

  Damn it. Just because he was r
eady to speak his heart didn’t mean she was prepared to hear it. He wanted to grind his teeth in frustration. Their previous two nights together had been spontaneous. An explosion. Tonight…well, if she needed time and space, he’d give it to her. He’d let her go. Sleep alone. Even if it killed him. Which it just might.

  Nash’s eyes stung. “I understand. I just thought, since you’d mentioned a ‘later’…”

  She swallowed hard. “Yes. I did.”

  He tried not to sigh, but a little one escaped. “Katherine, it’s okay. We’ll do whatever you want. We can just talk. Or if you want me to drop you off at your apartment, I will.”

  Her eyes darted up, startled again. “Oh no. That’s not what I want. I’m just…scared.”

  Shock mingled with relief. “Of me?”

  She glanced away. “This is embarrassing, and I’m sorry. I want to go home with you. I really do. It’s just…. Well, it was a lot easier before when I—I didn’t care as much.” Then she frowned. “No. That’s coming out wrong.”

  “You care about me?” It sounded exactly right. In every way.

  “No.”

  One word punctured the hope rising inside Nash. He turned to hide his hurt, but she followed, ducking under his arm.

  “I mean I don’t just care about you. I-I love you. And I don’t know what the hell to do about it.” She covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders hunched.

  Happiness detonated inside, leveling him, nearly bringing him to his knees. Katherine Bowden loved him. The smartest, strongest, most beautiful woman in the world, loved him. He carefully drew her hands away, his own trembling. “I don’t know either, but I love you, too.”

  She stared at him blankly as if not fully absorbing his words. Maybe he’d just have to show her how he felt…convince her everything would be all right.

  “Come on,” he said softly. “We’ll figure it out together. You’ll see.”

  For a moment, she hesitated. And when she nodded, the seismic force of his joy nearly lifted him off his feet.

  Minutes felt like hours as they flew down I45, her body plastered against his back as his speedometer blew past the speed limit. He zipped into a parking spot in front of her apartment building and cut the engine. When he swept her off her feet, she gasped in surprise, then laced her fingers behind his neck with a purring sigh.

  Once he set her down inside, he immediately reached for her, cupping his hand on the side of her throat and bending down to cover her mouth with his, kissing her slow and deep. Possessive. She moaned against his lips, rising on her toes and threading her fingers through his hair.

  His chest heaved against hers and his hands slid down her back to cup her ass cheeks, grinding his cock against her as he kissed her until they were both breathless. She tasted of cinnamon and beer, a slight tinge of smoke in her hair. When he pulled back, his control slipped at the lust-filled yearning in her eyes. He took off her jacket with unsteady hands and draped it over a nearby chair.

  “Let’s take things slow.” He shrugged out of his coat and laid it over hers. When he unbuttoned his shirt, she dragged in a harsh breath and bit her lip.

  “That might not be possible.”

  The soft tone of her voice, and the hungry glitter in her eyes as they roved over him, sucked the air from his lungs. She’d looked at him that exact same way the night he’d danced for her. Like she’d wanted to devour him whole.

  “You’re perfect, Katherine,” he whispered in her ear as he walked behind her and swept her hair aside to kiss the side of her long, silky neck. For a moment there was quiet, the only sound her rapid breathing and the beat of his heart, heavy in his ears. “Every single inch of you, inside and out. I’ve never felt like this about anyone else.”

  “Enough to have a relationship? A committed one?”

  Her voice shook as he reached around her and slowly slid each of her fascinating little buttons through their holes, revealing beautiful skin. He sucked in a quick breath. He’d been dreaming, damn near salivating over getting her out of her clothes since they walked into the bar. Suddenly it was Christmas in springtime as he stared down at shadowed cleavage surrounded by delicate white lace he wanted to chew through to get to her.

  “I don’t have a choice in the matter. Not since the moment I first saw you. But even if I did, I’d never want to be apart,” he said, kissing his way from one shoulder to the other, smiling fiercely when she shivered again, violently. “You’re beautiful in every way. So beautiful to me. And I love you.”

  He palmed her warm, full breasts from behind, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples through the lace. Damn, she felt good. Right. And so hot. A sultry sigh escaped her parted lips, and her back arched.

  “I love you, too.” A faint note of vulnerability entered her voice. “But what if I can’t put you first?”

  “I’ve never cared about coming in first. I’d rather be last. Your forever.” He unsnapped her bra and trailed a fingertip down her spine.

  Her body instantly reacted, quivering and flushing as she leaned into him, her head tipped back against his shoulder, giving him full access. Plumping her soft, full breasts until she whimpered, he slid a hand down her abdomen to slip beneath the band of her panties. He stroked the heat between her thighs and she was so wet, like warm satin, it obliterated any intention he’d had of being patient and gentle. He nearly burst with the hunger to bury himself inside her and seek his release.

  But it wasn’t all about him.

  “What do you want, Katherine?”

  “You. Only you.” Katherine pulled away then turned slowly, resisting every atom in her body demanding she throw herself at him. He was gorgeous, a work of art hewed from sinew and bone.

  He was what she wanted. Right now, and forever. He loved her—a magical, miraculous fact she struggled to believe. The swell of emotions she’d been fighting for days surged. At the root of it was this incredible man and his steadfast support through a time of mental and physical intensity. Even if he didn’t understand everything she had experienced, he’d at least recognized her pain and desperation. Acted to alleviate them. Comfort her. And bring her exquisite pleasure.

  She gasped when he picked her up effortlessly, carried her through the open door to her bedroom, and plopped her down on the edge of her bed. Pushing her torso back with one hand, and her skirt and panties down with the other, he ducked his head. He turned his attention to her shirt and bra next, whisking them off and away.

  Lying flat on her back, she peered up at him, her body pulsing and so ready. His expression ferocious, he shoved his pants to the floor, leaving him standing in a pair of briefs.

  “I’m not going to let you go after this,” he said. “Not again.”

  “You’d better not.”

  It was all he needed to hear. He tore off his briefs, grabbed a condom from his pants pocket, then placed it in her palm. “I’m going to make you so happy.”

  “You already do.”

  Her hands suddenly unsteady, she managed to roll it on, thrilled with how closely he watched her every move. Then he gripped her shoulders and pressed her back to the bed, following her down, using his leg to move hers apart, to sink between her thighs. They both moaned, as if they’d been waiting for that first moment of full body contact.

  He pressed his hard tip deliciously against her, kissing her until the breath left her lungs. “I’m not sure how gentle I can be,” he said in her ear when he paused, his voice ragged and full of air. “But I’ll try.”

  “Fast, slow, I don’t care,” she gasped. “Just not soft.”

  He peered down at their nearly joined bodies and laughed. “No chance of that.” Then he plunged inside her, the jolting, intense sensation wrenching a cry from her lips.

  Oh. Yes.

  Just what she wanted.

  When she wrapped her legs around his waist to give him deeper access
, a guttural sound ripped from his throat. It flooded her with heat as he pumped his hips harder, faster, deeper until she thought her heart would explode from her chest. Her entire being was focused on what was going on between her legs, what Nash was doing to her. The universe had disappeared and all that remained was the incredible feeling of him inside her, steel against silk. Each thrust pulled her deeper into everything that was him…that was them.

  “You’re mine,” he panted.

  She wanted to agree, to tell him she belonged to him, but words were beyond her now. Whimpers escaped her instead. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and her heels into his back. As he sank powerfully into her flesh, over and over, her head tossed on the pillow. Their frantic movements were a homecoming, her wet muscles gripping him as he glided out, then in. She didn’t want to let him go. Even for a second. And oh, she was close as she felt herself clench around him. So close.

  Then he reached between them and stroked her until she catapulted into oblivion. Her entire body tightened, shaking and then releasing. He muffled her shout with his mouth as bright lights popped behind her eyelids and pleasure exploded inside.

  He buried his face against her neck, his body tightening as he followed her over the brink. Minutes ticked by as he lay atop her, lax and still. She kissed his shoulder, welcoming his weight. His love.

  Please let it be true. Please let him truly love me—for me. She’d been so alone for so long.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, and he leveraged himself to his elbows, studying her.

  “For what?”

  “For this. And for knowing what I needed. That first night and every day we’ve been together since then. How do you always know?”

  “Watching you from the stage…you were so cool. Almost untouchable; I couldn’t resist the challenge to see if I could make you melt. Then you were so hot. Like fire. And I wanted…more. Not just your passion. Not even every bit of your time or attention, necessarily. It was more about what I wanted to give you. How I could make you smile. Laugh. What seeing you happy does to me.” He smiled, and his dimple winked. “See—it’s actually very selfish.”