RunningScaredBN
Page 27
“What do you want?”
“I want…” She shook her head, swallowed hard. “I want—”
“Hell,” Justin whispered. Unable to have her so close and not touch her, he held out his hand. “Come here.”
“What?”
“I can’t sit here any longer and not hold you. Come here. Please, sweetheart?”
She stood and allowed him to pull her down onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her for a few seconds. Riley closed her eyes, absorbing his warmth, his strength. She never thought she’d be this close to him again.
“Tell me what you want, Riley.”
What did she want? She had been so focused on what she needed to do, what she should do, she had rarely given thought to what she wanted. But now, now she knew there was something she wanted more than anything.
She buried her face against his neck. “You. Oh please, Justin, I want you so very much.”
He squeezed her tighter, dropped a kiss on her head. “Good, baby,” he said, his voice a husky whisper. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
Happiness like she’d never believed possible flooded through her. He still wanted her, despite all the stupid things she’d done.
“What else do you want?”
“I know Noah is disappointed in me, but I want to work for LCR again. If he’ll let me.”
“McCall knew I was coming here. Told me to tell you your resignation was never accepted.”
“And we’ll still be partners?”
“That’s never going to change.”
“Justin?”
“Yeah?”
She opened her eyes, then sat up in his lap. This was too important to cower or hide from. Holding his gaze with hers, she said the words she’d never said to anyone before. “I love you.”
With a groan, he took her mouth with his, the kiss sweet, gentle. And then it became something else as his lips moved over hers. Riley opened her mouth, and his tongue delved inside, tangling with hers. Within seconds, they were panting, caressing each other as if they’d never let the other go.
Pulling away slightly, he looked down at her. “I love you, too, Riley Ingram. So damn much.”
She reached up, trapped his mouth with hers, playing, wanting, needing.
They parted again, both breathless and needy.
“You asked what I wanted. Tell me what you want.” She scooted around on his lap, straddling him. “What do you, Justin Kelly, want?”
A beautiful smile curved his mouth, and she knew from the way he answered that he’d given this a lot of thought. “I want to have fun with you. Take you places you’ve never been. Hear you laugh. I want to dance with you. Make love to you till we can barely move or speak from exhaustion. I want to see happiness in your eyes. A smile on your luscious mouth. I want to hear you giggle at a corny joke. See you roll your eyes at the ridiculous things in life. I want to see you happy.”
“What if I don’t know how to be happy?”
“Baby, you’ve got so much love and goodness stored up inside you. There’s no doubt in my mind that you can be happy.”
“Teach me?”
He spoke against her lips. “We’ll teach each other.” And then he swept her away on a tidal wave of love and acceptance that she’d never believed was possible.
Riley Ingram, the girl who had never belonged to anyone, had finally found her way home.
Thank you for reading Running Scared, An LCR Elite Novel. I hope you enjoyed it.
1. This book is lendable. Share it with a friend who enjoys dark and steamy romantic suspense.
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5. Contact me at Christy@ChristyReece.com
Other Books by Christy Reece
LCR Elite Series
Running On Empty, An LCR Elite Novel
Chance Encounter, An LCR Elite Novel
Last Chance Rescue Series
Rescue Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Return To Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Run To Me, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
No Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Second Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Last Chance, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Justice, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Revenge, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Sweet Reward, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Chances Are, A Last Chance Rescue Novel
Grey Justice Series
Nothing To Lose, A Grey Justice Novel
Whatever It Takes, A Grey Justice Novel
Wildefire Series
Writing as Ella Grace
Midnight Secrets, A Wildefire Novel
Midnight Lies, A Wildefire Novel
Midnight Shadows, A Wildefire Novel
Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to the following people for helping make this book possible:
My husband, for his love, support, numerous moments of comic relief, and respecting my chocolate stash.
Joyce Lamb, for her copyediting, fabulous advice, and for helping to make Riley and Justin’s story shine.
Marie Force’s eBook Formatting Fairies, who always answers my endless questions with endless patience.
Tricia Schmitt (Pickyme) for her awesomely beautiful cover art.
The Reece’s Readers Facebook street team, for all your support and encouragement.
Anne Woodall, my first reader, who always goes above and beyond, and then goes the extra mile, too. You’re awesome!
My beta readers, for reading so quickly, all the catches you guys made, and your great advice.
Linda Clarkson, proofreader extraordinaire, who did an amazing job, in an unbelievably tight timeframe. So appreciate your eagle eye, Linda!
And to all my readers, a very special thank you! Without you, this book and all the others, past and future, would not be possible.
Christy Reece is the award winning and New York Times Bestselling author of dark romantic suspense. She lives in Alabama with her husband, three precocious canines, two incredibly spoiled cats, one very shy turtle, and a super cute flying squirrel.
Christy also writes steamy, southern suspense under the pen name Ella Grace.
Praise for Christy Reece novels:
“The type of book you will pick up and NEVER want to put down again.” Coffee Time Romance and More
“Romantic suspense has a major new star!” Romantic Times Magazine
“Sizzling romance and fraught suspense fill the pages as the novel races toward its intensely riveting conclusion.” Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Flat-out scary, and I loved every minute of it!” The Romance Reader's Connection
“A brilliantly plotted book. Her main characters are vulnerable yet strong, and even the villains are written with skillful and delicate brush strokes haunting your mind long after the book is done.” Fresh Fiction
“A passionate and vivacious thrill-ride! … I feel like I’ve been on an epic journey after finishing it.... Exquisite.” Joyfully Reviewed
Have you met Grey Justice?
Justice isn’t always swift or fair and only those who have felt the excruciating pain of denied justice can truly understand its bitter taste. But justice delayed doesn’t have to be justice denied. Enter the Grey Justice Group, ordinary citizens swept up in extraordinary circumstances. Led by billionaire philanthropist, Grey Justice, this small group of operatives gain justice for victims who have been let down by the law.
Turn the page for excerpts from the first two books in Christy Reece’s Grey Justice series, NOTHING TO LOSE and WHATEVER IT TAKES.
Nothing To Lose
A Grey Justice Novel
Choices Are Easy When You Have Nothing Left To Lose
Kennedy O’Connell had all the happiness she’d ever dreamed—u
ntil someone stole it away. Now on the run for her life, she has a choice to make—disappear forever or make those responsible pay. Her choice is easy.
Two men want to help her, each with their own agenda.
Detective Nick Gallagher is accustomed to pursuing killers within the law. Targeted for death, his life turned inside out, Nick vows to bring down those responsible, no matter the cost. But the beautiful and innocent Kennedy O’Connell brings out every protective instinct. Putting aside his own need for vengeance, he’ll do whatever is necessary to keep her safe and help her achieve her goals.
Billionaire philanthropist Grey Justice has a mission, too. Dubbed the ‘White Knight’ of those in need of a champion, few people are aware of his dark side. Having seen and experienced injustice—Grey knows its bitter taste. Gaining justice for those who have been wronged is a small price to pay for a man’s humanity.
With the help of a surprising accomplice, the three embark on a dangerous game of cat and mouse. The stage is set, the players are ready…the game is on. But someone is playing with another set of rules and survivors are not an option.
Chapter One
Houston, Texas
Kennedy O’Connell stepped back to admire her work and released a contented sigh. Yes. Even though she’d painted only a quarter of a wall with one coat, she was almost sure this color was the right one.
“Oh holy hell, you changed your mind again.”
Grinning, she glanced over her shoulder at her husband. “Eighth time’s the charm.”
His arms wrapped around her and pulled her against his hard body. As he nuzzled her neck, she could feel his smile against her skin. Kennedy knew if she looked at his face, his eyes would be dancing with good humor. Thomas O’Connell was a patient, even-keeled man, but her indecisiveness about the color for the nursery had put him to the test.
Snuggling back into his arms, she asked, “So do you like this color better than the last one?”
Without raising his head, Thomas growled, “It’s perfect.”
She snorted softly. “That’s what you said about the first seven.”
“That’s because they were perfect, too. Anything you pick is going to look great.”
She appreciated his faith in her. Having grown up in various foster homes, her priorities had been getting enough food to fill her belly and staying out of trouble. Surviving her childhood hadn’t involved learning about colors, textures, and fabrics.
When she and Thomas had married, almost everything she owned was secondhand and ragged. Since then, she’d been learning little by little, mostly by experimenting, what she liked. She had delighted in setting up their home, creating a beautiful environment she and Thomas could enjoy together. Now that their first child was on the way, she wanted everything to be just right, so she had taken experimentation to a whole new level.
She was on winter break from her first year of law school. In her spare time, she freelanced as a researcher for several law firms. She had considered taking on some jobs to earn a little extra money while on break, but Thomas had encouraged her to take her time off seriously by doing nothing at all. Never one to be idle, she couldn’t stop herself from working on the nursery. This wasn’t dry contracts, torts, or mind-numbing procedure. This was relaxing and fun.
Thomas’s big hands covered her protruding belly and caressed. At just over twenty-two weeks, she was all baby. The weight she had gained—thirteen pounds so far—had gone straight to her stomach.
“How’s Sweet Pea doing today?”
Smiling at the nickname Thomas had taken to calling their baby, Kennedy covered his hands with her own. “Sweet Pea is doing wonderful.” She tilted her head to look up at him. “But you know, if it’s a boy, you cannot call him Sweet Pea, right?”
“It’s a girl,” he assured her. “As sweet and beautiful as her mother.”
“I hope you’re right, if only because everything I’ve bought so far is pink.”
“I’m right.” He kissed the nape of her neck. “So. No queasiness?”
“Nope. I think she’s decided to take the day off.”
Warm breath caressed her ear as Thomas gently bit her lobe. “I’d say that calls for a celebration.”
Heat licked up her spine. Morning sickness that lasted long past morning had put a damper on their lovemaking lately. When she wasn’t in the bathroom throwing up, she was concentrating on staying still to keep from getting sick. But today, for whatever reason, the baby had decided to give her a break.
Turning in his arms, she whispered against his mouth. “I’ve missed you.”
His mouth covered hers, and Kennedy gave herself up to the delicious and familiar taste of the man she adored. Two years of marriage had only increased her love for him.
He raised his head and dropped a quick kiss on her nose. “Think that’ll hold you till tonight?”
Her smile teasing, she winked at him. “Yes, but don’t blame me if I get started early.”
His gruff laughter was cut off abruptly as he kissed her once more. Before she could pull him in for a deeper connection, he backed away. “Save some for me.”
Already tingling in anticipation of the coming night, Kennedy watched him walk away, loving how his swagger denoted confidence without a hint of conceit.
Thomas stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. “I’ll call you before I head home to see what you need.”
Blowing him a kiss in thanks, Kennedy turned back to her project, blissfully unaware that it would be the last time she would see her husband alive.
***
Detective Nick Gallagher slid into the front seat of his car, started the engine and flipped on his headlights. Damn, it was already dark. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the opposite direction of his apartment, pushing the vision of going home for a quick shower out of his mind. In fact, he’d be lucky to make his date on time. This was the first time today he’d had a few minutes to himself. This morning he’d been tied up in court, waiting to testify in a murder trial. The minute he’d walked out of the courtroom after his testimony, he’d been called in on a double homicide.
He took all of that in stride. He had played this dice when he’d chosen his career path. Sometimes, though, a little downtime to handle personal issues would have been nice.
With that thought in mind, he grabbed his cellphone and punched the speed dial for Thomas. His best friend was a detective in the Narcotics Division. Lately, the only way they’d communicated was through text messages and emails. Yesterday, Nick had gotten an oddly obscure text from him that had put his cop instincts on high alert.
Thomas answered on the first ring. “You forget something?”
“How’s that?” Nick asked.
Thomas chuckled. “Hey, Nick. Sorry. I was just talking to Kennedy. She’s been having some wild cravings lately, and I figured she’d thought of something else she wanted.”
“So you’re headed home for the night?”
“After I make a stop at Bailey’s grocery.”
“Where’s that?”
“Corner of Kendrick and Mulberry.”
“That’s on the other side of town. Why so far?”
“I’m on a mango run. I was in the area last week and picked up some fruit at the store. Kennedy went crazy over the mangoes and asked me to pick up some more. I think she’s got some sort of special dessert in mind for tonight.”
Nick didn’t question his friend’s need to please his wife. He’d seen Thomas’s devotion to Kennedy firsthand…there was almost nothing he wouldn’t do for her. And Kennedy was the same way about her husband. If anyone had the perfect marriage, it was the O’Connells.
“Sounds like you guys have plans for the evening.”
“Yeah, something like that. Why? What’s up?”
“I thought we might meet later and talk about that text you sent me yesterday. You know…about the Slaters.”
The slight pause before Thomas answered told Nick that plans or not, his f
riend didn’t want to discuss the subject. “It’s nothing, really. I made a couple of calls, thinking I’d found something interesting, but nothing panned out. Forget about it.”
Thomas O’Connell was the finest man Nick knew, but he couldn’t lie for shit. Something was definitely going on. “What do you mean you made a couple of calls? To who?”
“No one…really. Just forget I mentioned anything, okay?”
“Look, I’ll be the first to admit there’s no way the Slaters are as squeaky clean as they pretend. But if you are right, they’ll screw up big-time one day and get what’s coming to them.”
“Yeah, I know that. Like I said, it was just an idea that didn’t pan out. I’m over it now. So who’s the hottie of the night?”