She kissed the base of his throat while he covered her breasts with his hands. Then he squeezed and rolled her nipples with his thumbs until he felt her pushing herself against him and knew she was hot and aching for more. Gently he eased her robe to the floor. Pausing in awe, he drew in a harsh breath as his eyes took in her small waist, her bare torso, her glorious bosom, then drifted lower.
She smiled that shy kind of smile that melted his insides, and his body instinctively pulsed and thrust against her. “Sweetheart, you are so beautiful.”
She found the snap of his jeans, and the sound of the snap popping open and the slow rasp of his zipper being lowered made his muscles quake with desire. She pushed his jeans over his hips, and her blatant perusal of his body only heightened the urgency.
“I can’t believe you’re here like this,” Veronica whispered.
He held her hands with his own and studied her face. “You want to stop?”
She shook her head. “No. Will you stay all night?” Veronica asked softly.
“You’ll have to kick me out,” he said, taking her mouth again and lowering her to the bed. He lay beside her, propped himself on his elbow and gave himself time to enjoy the beauty of her lying naked in the moonlight. Streaks of yellow and bronze streamed through the window, highlighting the tips of her hair and illuminating her face with a golden glow. The soft scent of her shampoo and the fresh bed linens were enticing, the air filled with her womanly fragrance like the aroma of honeysuckle on a warm, spring day. She ran her hands through his hair, down his arms and body. He kissed her again, warming her with the touch of his hands and mouth, tasting the saltiness, the sweetness of her smooth skin.
Then he was on top of her, stroking and petting her, reveling in her soft cries and her pleas for more, loving her body in ways he’d never loved a woman before. Rising above her, he cupped her breasts and licked the tip of her nipple, suckling it and circling it with his tongue, then laving the other nipple as he probed her soft womanhood with his need. He quickly found a condom and slipped it on, then thrust gently until he felt the tip of his body enter hers and saw her tense and close her eyes.
“Veronica, look at me, baby,” he ground out. She opened her eyes, and the smile of pleasure and the blatant need he saw made him pause. “You are so wonderful.”
She caressed his face with her fingers, and he kissed them, one by one. He traced a path down her arms to her waist, then lower, teasing her body with playful fingers. Veronica groaned and cupped his buttocks with her hands. He lowered his mouth again and consumed her with a kiss that deepened as he pushed inside her, and she moaned with pleasure. She was tight, and her body hugged his as he filled her and pumped himself in and out, her dark eyes wild with emotions. Her chest heaved as he drove her crazy with his hands, taunting her nipples over and over again with his tongue until she begged for more, and when he felt her body convulse around his, he fisted his hand in her hair and dragged her mouth to his, never once letting his gaze leave her face. He wanted to see every moment of her pleasure. Then she gripped his hips and wrapped her legs around him and he groaned in total ecstasy.
Chapter Eleven
Veronica snuggled into Nathan’s arms, taking solace in his protective embrace and reveling in the euphoric aftermath of their lovemaking.
She wanted him again. And again. And again.
The soft sandy hairs on his chest tickled her chin as she buried her face against him, and the fact that he kept stroking her back and holding her told her he, too, wanted more. The danger and fear she’d felt earlier evaporated in the face of his strength, and a sense of peace filled her. With Nathan’s arms around her she felt safer than she had in a very long time. But what would happen in the morning?
“That was incredible,” Nathan whispered in her hair.
Veronica nodded against his chest, then moaned a reply. A deep chuckle resonated from him. He rolled her over and pinned her beneath him, rubbing himself up and down over her body in an intimate gesture that made her gasp. “I want you again.”
Veronica smiled. “Well, what’s stopping you, Detective?”
He threw his head back and laughed again, so hard that Veronica laughed with him.
“You know that’s the first time I’ve really heard you laugh,” Nathan said, his face serious. “It sounds great.”
She traced her finger along his stubbled jaw. “It’s all because of you.”
Their gazes locked and a moment of silent understanding passed, then Nathan lowered his head and took her mouth in a kiss just as hungry as the first one, and Veronica knew the night was going to be filled with loving and laughter. She prayed it would never end.
Hours later as a sliver of early-morning sunshine peeked its way through the venetian blinds, Nathan awoke with a start. He’d heard a sound.
Someone was outside Veronica’s apartment.
Easing his arm from underneath her head, he paused for only a second to take in her quiet beauty as she lay sleeping, her long hair fanned across the pale yellow sheets, her porcelain skin rosy from his lovemaking. He yanked on his jeans, pulled on his shirt without buttoning it and reached for his gun.
Then he heard it again. Footsteps—quiet and slow as if someone were easing their way around the side of the apartment toward her front door.
“Veronica,” he whispered, shaking her gently.
Sleepy-eyed, she rolled over and stretched, her breasts rising above the edge of the sheet. Jesus. He wanted her again.
Instead he grabbed her robe. “Here, put this on.”
She gave him a puzzled look, but he pressed his finger to her lips to keep her quiet. “I think I hear something outside. I’ll be right back.”
She sat up, immediately tense. “Don’t go.”
He smiled slowly, then cupped her face with both his hands. “I’ll be okay. It’s probably just someone walking their dog.”
She nodded, obviously not buying his explanation, but slipped on her robe. “Be careful.”
He gave her a quick kiss, then handed her the phone. “Call 911 if you need to.” Moving slowly, he made his way through the living room and paused at the door.
He could hear the faint rustle of footsteps in leaves through the hollow wood. He gripped his gun in one hand and eased the door open. A tall man with light brown hair wearing a designer jogging suit was standing in the doorway.
“Freeze. Police.”
The thin man’s eyes bulged, and he jammed his hands up in the air. “I’m not armed. Don’t…don’t shoot.”
Nathan kept the gun aimed at the man’s chest. “Who the hell are you and why are you creeping around outside?”
“I’m—”
“Ron?” The sound of Veronica’s voice broke off the man’s stuttered words. It took Nathan a moment to realize he was standing face-to-face with Ron Cox, Veronica’s old boyfriend. The man who was supposed to be in Savannah.
He felt Veronica move up behind him. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“I should be asking you that,” Ron said snidely. He started to lower his hands, but Nathan shoved them up and glared at him.
“Let me pat you down first, buddy.”
“What?” Ron asked indignantly.
“Nathan, I don’t think—”
He ignored them both and did a quick brisk search. When he found Ron clean, he lowered his gun, but not his distrust of the man. He didn’t like Cox on sight. He was too clean, too polished, too whiny looking. And he was snooping around Veronica’s when he was supposed to be miles away.
“Veronica, what’s going on here?” Ron asked, recovering enough from Nathan’s intimidation tactics to push his way inside.
She glanced nervously at Nathan and back at Ron. Nathan folded his arms and made no attempt to move.
“I…this is Detective Dawson. He…”
“I’m here to protect Veronica,” Nathan supplied.
“Protect her? Is this standard police procedure?” Incredibility hardened Ron’s voice as
he did an obvious perusal of Nathan’s and Veronica’s appearances. “It looks like you’re doing a whole lot more than that, buddy.”
Nathan almost laughed at the man for throwing his own word back at him. His anger only made him look more wimpy. Nathan could take him with one simple blow to the solar plexus and the man would never know what hit him.
He also realized Veronica’s hair was mussed and she was wearing nothing but her skimpy robe. Her cheeks and face were slightly red from whisker marks. His shirt was unbuttoned and he’d skipped the socks and just slipped on shoes. It looked as if they’d been in bed—doing exactly what they had been doing.
And he wasn’t going to apologize or make excuses to this weasel. Veronica, on the other hand, appeared mortified.
“I asked you a question,” Ron said to Veronica.
She wrapped her arms around her middle. “It’s a long story, Ron. Why don’t you come in and I’ll make some coffee.”
Coffee—Nathan wanted to bark. Were they going to entertain this little bozo? He felt like arresting him, for…for…what, he didn’t know yet. Just for being alive and being on Veronica’s doorstep.
“Okay,” Ron said. “You know I like mine with cream and sugar.”
“And you know how I like mine,” Nathan added.
Veronica rolled her eyes and hurried to the kitchen. He and Ron simply stood and stared down each other.
“You’d better have a good explanation,” Ron said.
“So had you,” Nathan replied.
Veronica brought in a tray and pointed to the couch. “Sit.”
Nathan smothered a grin at the commanding tone of her voice. She was a little thing but strong and stubborn. Maybe that was the reason he’d fallen in love with her.
In love? He froze, automatically feeling his heart pound at an odd rhythm. He was in love with Veronica. What a fine time to realize it—right in the middle of a confrontation with her former boyfriend.
And lover? Had she slept with this turkey?
“You go first,” Veronica said to Ron. “I want to know why you’re here.”
Ron sighed angrily and pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up on his thin pointed nose. “I was worried about you. I couldn’t figure out why you wouldn’t return any of my calls.”
Nathan saw Veronica’s gaze shift to him and back. What was she thinking? Did he have something to do with the reason she hadn’t phoned Ron?
“I told you when I left that it was over, Ron. That I wanted to move on.”
“I know,” Ron said, avoiding looking at Nathan. “But I thought once you got here, you’d miss me and change your mind.” Then he did look at Nathan, a glare that only a man could understand. “But I see you haven’t been lonely.”
“It’s…it’s not what you think.”
Nathan arched an eyebrow at Veronica. It damn well was what the man thought, and she’d better not deny it.
Ron clicked his teeth. “Come on, Veronica. I’m not stupid.”
She ran her hands up and down her thighs in a nervous gesture. “Well, maybe partly. But there’s more.” She went on to explain about the attack and the threats she’d been getting. Ron’s already-white skin turned ghostly pale. His eyes bulged beneath his glasses.
“Oh, my God. You think someone’s trying to kill you?”
Veronica shrugged. “Or drive me crazy. I really don’t know what to think, except somehow I think everything may be related to my past—the parts I can’t remember.” She started to explain, but Ron stopped her.
“I know about your parents, Veronica.”
She stared at him with her mouth open. “How…when?”
Ron leaned his elbows on his knees. “I’ve known from the beginning. Old man Owen checks out all the potential employees before he hires them.”
“So everyone knows?” Nathan’s chest ached at the horrified expression on Veronica’s face.
Ron nodded. Nathan watched the exchange with interest. If Ron had known, he could have used her past to torment her. But even though he disliked the man immensely, he sensed Ron genuinely cared for Veronica. Another thought to ponder.
“I’m sorry, Veronica,” Ron said, reaching for her hand.
She pulled back. “But why didn’t you say something?”
Ron frowned at her withdrawal. “I figured if you wanted to talk about it, you would.”
“So I hid it from everyone there for no reason.”
“I…I didn’t understand why you wouldn’t talk about it,” Ron said.
The true concern in Ron’s voice struck a nerve in Nathan. At least the man had one good point—he hadn’t cared about Veronica’s past. And his gut instinct told him Cox wouldn’t hurt her.
So, did Veronica still care for him?
“How long have you been in town?” Nathan asked, remembering the dark sedan that had followed them.
“A couple of days,” Ron said, looking sheepish.
“So you were here in Oakland when you called me?” Veronica asked.
Ron nodded. “Yeah, I wanted to ask you if I could come over, but you sounded too distracted. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Then I saw you with him.” Ron glared at Nathan.
“And you followed us?” Nathan asked.
“Yes.”
Veronica’s eyes widened. “You did what?”
“I only wanted to find out who he was. And how involved the two of you were.” Ron gave Veronica a hurt look. “I guess I got my answer.”
“I’m sorry, Ron,” Veronica said quietly. “I really am. You’re a good friend, but like I told you in Florida, that’s all it can ever be. When I met Detective—”
“You don’t have to explain about us,” Nathan cut in.
“Yeah, I think I’d rather not hear the details,” Ron said sarcastically.
Veronica wrung her hands together as the tension crackled through the room.
Ron finally stood, jammed his hands in his pockets in a gesture of defeat and faced Nathan. “You’d better not take advantage of her.”
“I can take care of myself,” Veronica snapped.
Nathan pushed himself up and shook his head. “I’m going to catch the creep who’s doing this.”
“Can I see you alone for a moment?” Ron asked Veronica.
Nathan waited, hoping she’d say no. Instead she looked to him and arched her beautiful eyebrows. “Do you mind?”
Nathan’s hands fisted by his sides, but he gave her a brief nod and stepped into the bedroom. He paced back and forth across the room, his mind reeling. What did the two of them have to talk about that he couldn’t hear? What was Veronica saying to him? When this mess was over, would she go back to that wimp?
No. He damn well wouldn’t let her. She was his now. And if he had to make love to her over and over all day, he’d prove it to her.
A few minutes later he couldn’t stand it any longer. He opened the door and saw Ron lean over and kiss Veronica on the cheek. “I hope you find what you came here for,” he told her softly. Then he turned and walked out the door.
Veronica had wondered if the “morning after” would be uncomfortable, but awkward didn’t begin to describe the incident with Ron. She stole a glance at Nathan over the fresh blueberry muffins she’d made after Ron left, and saw him watching her, something he’d been doing intently since Ron had walked out the door.
“These are delicious,” he said.
Forcing a smile, she broke her muffin in two and watched Nathan lick his lips. A crumb clung to the corner of his mouth and she was tempted to lick it off. Last night she would have.
This morning she didn’t feel quite so bold.
“So what did Ron want during your little private talk?”
His tone sounded mild, but Veronica could read his eyes now, and they held more than simple curiosity. And more than just interest in her case. They held heat and the remnants of their night of passion—the same wonderful memories hovering in the front of her own mind. And she also thought she detected a hint of jealousy
. Could the handsome detective have feelings for her?
“He wanted me to be careful, that’s all.”
“And?”
“And that’s all. It’s over between us,” Veronica said quietly. She didn’t know if that was the answer he wanted to hear, but she wasn’t into playing games, not with either man.
“Good.” Nathan slurped his coffee and grinned. “I don’t share my women, Veronica.”
Veronica almost choked on her food. “Your what?”
Nathan wiped his mouth. “Excuse me—my woman.”
Veronica stared at him, remembering the mindless pleasure he’d given her. What a totally barbaric thing to say. Then suddenly she laughed and so did Nathan.
“It’s Saturday. Do you have to work?” he asked.
She cleared the table. “I need to do some errands.”
“Want a bodyguard?” Nathan asked coming up behind her and circling her waist with his arms. “’Cause I like guarding your body.”
Veronica moaned as he nibbled at the sensitive skin at the base of her neck. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Protecting you is my work,” he whispered against her hair.
“Is that all I am? A job?” Veronica bit her tongue as the words came out, mortified she’d revealed so much of her feelings.
Nathan spun her around. The anger in his eyes made her stiffen in his arms. “You know you’re not.”
“I…I’m sorry.”
He cupped her face and lowered his head, devouring her mouth with his. When he finally broke the kiss, she could hardly breathe.
“I need to take a shower,” she said softly.
Nathan grinned. “So do I.”
An hour later, after they’d made wonderful love in the shower, Nathan drove Veronica to her office to retrieve her car.
“I’m going to the precinct to check on the labwork. Will you be all right?”
“Yes,” she said. “I have a little paperwork to catch up on.”
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