by Debbie Mason
As she reached the floor-to-ceiling window, her hand went to her throat, her heart pitter-patting in her chest. Damn the man. Candles glowed along either side of the dock. It was romantic and beautiful, and so unfair. She had no choice but to join him now. A full moon shimmered a path across the lake. She searched the water at the front of the dock for some sign of him.
“Looking for me?”
She jumped at the sound of his voice from behind her. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” She thought she might have squeezed the life out of Princess, too. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as Chance prowled toward her wearing only a pair of low-riding khaki shorts, all of his sun-bronzed muscles on full, mouthwatering display.
“Sorry,” he murmured when he reached her, touching his lips to her shoulder, running one of the cold, wet beer bottles he held down her arm.
“You’re forgiven.” She angled her head so he could continue trailing those hot, branding kisses up her neck, groaning her frustration when he stopped inches shy of the sensitive place beneath her ear. She loved when he kissed her there, and he knew it.
“Come with me down to the dock, and I’ll kiss you there”—he gave her a teasing lick—“all night.”
As if she could refuse after the effort he’d put in. She tipped her head back to rest it on his shoulder. “Yes, I’ll come with you down to the dock. You don’t play fair, McBride. You’re as sneaky as your aunt.”
He grinned, then his eyes widened. “What the hell happened to Princess?”
“Um, I gave her a haircut,” she said, a nervous, questioning tone in her voice. Maybe she’d overstepped. It was his… Kate’s dog, not hers. “How would you like to wear a fur coat in the summer? She was hot.”
“Settle down, Slick. I’m not mad. She looks like a puppy again. You like your haircut, don’t you, Princess?” He leaned over Vivi’s shoulder, rubbing his head against the dog. “And I think you like Vivi, too.”
“She just needed to know who’s boss,” Vivi said, unable to keep the smug tone from her voice.
Chance shot her a worried glance, touching the beer bottle to his head. “Don’t even think about it. You are not coming near me with a pair of scissors. I like my hair just the way it is.”
She put Princess down, turning into Chance’s arms. “I do, too,” she said, running her fingers through his thick dark blond hair.
“You don’t have to cut my hair. You’ve got me wrapped around your little finger, Slick.”
“Sometimes you say the sweetest things, McBride.” And did them, too.
His mouth curved, and he handed her the beer bottles, sweeping her into his arms. “I should have recorded that,” he said, as he opened the patio door. Princess whined as he closed it behind him. “Not this time. I don’t want to share my girl tonight.”
“Twice within seconds, McBride? You better be careful or it’ll become a habit.”
He smiled down at her, his even, white teeth flashing. “Get used to it.”
She was, and she smothered the voice in her head that warned her to be careful. It was too late for the warning. “I can walk, you know.”
“Safer this way. I don’t want you to step on anything that’ll send you back to the house.”
She stiffened. “Like what?”
“Relax, I’ve got you. I’ll never let anything hurt you.” With the full moon and swath of stars lighting up the night sky, she saw the almost imperceptible tightening of his strong, masculine features. Her wounded warrior still had a ways to go.
She forced a lightness to her voice as he carefully set her feet on the plaid blanket he’d thoughtfully laid out on the dock. “Don’t worry. If I can handle Princess, I can handle anything. I’m not going anywhere, McBride. Well, not until you put the Drugstore Bandits behind bars at least. The apartment’s rented the end of June so…” she began, handing him a bottle. With a firm grip on her towel, she lowered herself onto the blanket.
“You’re not going anywhere, period,” he said as he sat beside her. “I thought we’d already settled this, Slick.” His hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle, he moved it between them. “You and me, we’re together now.”
“We are, but I wasn’t sure if that meant you wanted me to—” She bowed her head when he gave his a frustrated shake, set his beer bottle on the dock, and got to his feet.
He held out his hand. “Come on.”
“No, I want to talk about this.”
“We will, once I have you naked and in my arms.”
She smiled and patted the blanket. “We can do that right here.”
He kept his eyes on her as he undid his shorts and stripped them off. “In the water. Now.” Without waiting for her response, which she was having trouble forming due to the delectable view he provided, he turned around, giving her a brief look at his muscled back, tight backside, and powerful legs before diving into the water.
He reappeared moments later, looking like he belonged on a movie set or in a magazine as he smoothed his hair back from his gorgeous face with his hands. “Come to me.”
There was something beneath the command in his deep voice that had her rising to her feet. Her eyes locked to his as she walked to the edge of the dock. The dancing moonlight shimmered across the water, illuminating his serious, almost pained expression. For some reason this was important to him. Maybe he needed to know she trusted him to take care of her, to protect her.
She looked into the dark depths. Oh God, she really didn’t want to get in the water. But from day one this man had pushed her out of her comfort zone. Why did she expect him to change now? Taking a deep breath, she loosened her towel, letting it drop to her feet.
“Jesus, God,” Chance said, his voice gruff, his eyes drinking her in.
He’d seen every inch of her body, kissed and caressed it, too, but the way he looked at her now felt strangely more intimate. She lifted her hands, about to cover herself, but dropped them to her sides when he said, “Don’t ever hide yourself from me. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, Vivi Westfield. I…” He had that pained look on his face again, then he smiled and held up his hands. “I’ll catch you.”
Vivi didn’t let herself think, she just closed her eyes and jumped, panicking when the water closed over her head. She sank deeper into the murky depths until strong hands clamped on either side of her waist, drawing her against a hard, familiar body. Breaking through the surface, she spurted water. Chance had that look on his face again as he stared into her eyes.
She wound her arms around his neck, kicking her feet even though she knew she was safe in his arms. The cool, silky water lapped against her body, gently rocking them together. He moved his hands from her waist, smoothing her hair from her face. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed and grimaced, then said harshly, “I love you.”
She bit the inside of her lip. She knew he did. She’d known when he told her he was crazy about her earlier today. His eyes narrowed when she didn’t immediately respond. She smiled. “Could you tell me again? Only this time without looking like someone has a gun pointed at your head.”
“I just told you I love you, woman. You’re supposed to be happy, maybe even cry a little.”
“You didn’t cry when I told you I loved you.” He tipped his head back and looked up at the stars. Thinking she’d teased him enough, she kissed his neck. “I love you, Chance McBride. I loved you when you were James Harris, and I loved you when you were Superman. And I’m happy you love me, too.”
“You’re lucky I love you, because you came this close to being picked up and thrown.” He jerked his thumb behind him, indicating where she would’ve ended up. Then he looked into her eyes. “James Harris loved you, too, and so did Superman. Only they didn’t know it then.”
“It’s okay. Men are a little slower on the uptake.” She rubbed against him, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Maybe now that we got the mushy stuff out of the way, we can get to the good stuff.”
“I
didn’t stand a chance against you,” he said, cradling the back of her head in the palm of his hand as he lowered his mouth to hers, swallowing her panicked yelp as he stopped kicking and they sank beneath the water.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I know you’re excited,” Vivi said to Princess, who pounced as soon as she opened the mudroom door. “Don’t pee. I’ll take you out in a sec.” Vivi deposited the groceries on the counter. She’d decided to make Chance a nice dinner and snuck out an hour early from work. He’d had a crappy day. Make that a crappy couple of days. As he’d suspected, the Drugstore Bandits hadn’t taken the bait and yesterday’s sting operation had been a bust. A lot of man-hours and money wasted. It’s why they pulled Earl and Zach in for questioning this morning.
Neither Chance nor Gage had wanted to bring them in, but the DEA and FBI agents overrode their argument that they’d tip their hands. Chance had stopped by the Chronicle after they’d questioned Zach. He didn’t get anything out of Zach, but Jake had given him a black eye. To say Jake was an unhappy man was an understatement. He was livid Chance broke his word. Jake didn’t realize how hard he’d fought not to. Vivi suspected Chance might also be on his sister-in-law’s bad side. Natalee hadn’t shown up for work today, nor had she taken any of Vivi’s calls.
As thunder rumbled across the lake, Vivi grabbed Princess’s leash off the kitchen counter. The incoming storm was another reason she’d rushed home. Although she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, she’d been worried about her former nemesis. Once Princess had done her business, Vivi changed into a pair of black silk sleep pants and a lacy black tank top. She hoped Chance appreciated her effort. She’d rather be wearing a sloppy sweatshirt with her go-to jean shorts.
She covered up with an apron. Smiling as she thought of Chance’s reaction if she met him at the door wearing only the white apron and a red pair of do-me shoes. She filed the idea away for another time. She had work to do. Grace had told Vivi anyone could make her spaghetti and meatballs, but that was Grace. By the time Vivi rolled the last of the meatballs, an hour had passed. She’d been right. Grace lied. This was not an easy-peasy recipe. But the sauce bubbling on the back burner smelled amazing. Vivi gave in to Princess’s whining and tossed her a small piece of leftover ground beef, making sure there was no garlic or onion in the meat before she did. Then she set about creating a romantic atmosphere with candles and flowers.
As she surveyed the dining room table, she decided she’d earn some serious Brownie points from McBride. But as the minutes ticked by on the clock over the mantel, the points he’d accumulated over the last several days diminished. Pathetic. He tells you he loves you, and you turn into a clingy woman. She turned down the sauce, then curled up on the couch with Princess. And as the rain beat down on the copper roof, she wondered what advice she’d give a woman whose man was now an hour late. She smiled and picked up the phone. Some sexy-talk time should do the trick. If he did have to work late, all he’d be thinking about was getting home to her. If he didn’t, her sex-phone-operator voice that he professed to love so much would guarantee he thought twice about intentionally being late again.
He answered on the first ring. She mentally returned one of his Brownie points. “Hey, honey, sorry I didn’t call.” Two points for the apology. “Last-minute change of plans. On the off chance we’re wrong about Earl and Zach and the real guys can’t resist the bait, DEA authorized a second stakeout in Eagle Creek.”
She returned all of his points. “So does that mean you’re stuck sitting in your car all night with nothing to do?”
“Yeah, I’m here until at least midnight. Do you have a cold?”
She rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. “No, but maybe I’m coming down with one because I’m very, very hot.”
“Give Dad a call. He’ll come over and check you out.”
Okay, she must not be doing this right. How could he not catch on? She tried again. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m wearing only an apron and red high heels.” She smiled, waiting for his reaction. She’d put some serious sexy vibes into her voice.
He laughed. “An apron? You don’t cook, and you don’t wear high heels. Get some clothes on and call him.”
Vivi looked at Princess. “He’s an idiot.”
“Did you say something, honey?”
All right, time to go for broke. She closed her eyes, imagining Chance was here with her. She opened them. That was just embarrassing. She mentally rehearsed what to say before lowering her voice. “Yes, I did, lover. I’m a very bad girl. And I’m going to be really, really bad when you come home.” And then she told him what she was going to do to him. She covered her face with her hand. She probably should be covering poor Princess’s ears. What kind of a dog mother was she?
She heard choking and what sounded like muffled laughter. “Jesus, baby, you gotta stop right now. I’m on—”
She really sucked at this if he was laughing. She’d give it one last shot. “Turned on, I know. So am I, baby.” She was so not horny. This phone-sex thing was overrated. “My nipples…”
“Gage, I swear to God, if you don’t—”
Her eyes went wide. She stared at phone. “Oh, God,” she moaned and disconnected. She’d just had one-sided phone sex while Gage listened. Her best friend’s husband. Her boyfriend’s brother. What was he thinking? The phone rang. She let it go to voice mail. When it rang the fourth time, she picked up. She’d gone from freaking-the-hell embarrassed to ticked-the-hell off. “I hate you.”
“No, you don’t. You love me. I’m sorry, honey. I tried to tell you—”
“Am I on speaker now?”
“No, and I’m standing outside in the middle of nowhere in the rain. No one can hear you but me. Tell me again what you’re going to do to me when I get home. I—”
“Are you freaking kidding me? You’re cut off, McBride. Maybe if you had taken me off speaker ten minutes ago, I—”
“I tried, the goddamn thing was stuck. But I covered Gage’s ears. He hardly heard anything. Just that bit about what you’re going to do with your—”
“Really? You don’t think I’m embarrassed enough without you repeating what I said?” She covered her face. Princess walked up her chest to lick her hand.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. That was the hottest thing I have ever heard.”
“It was stupid. I suck at phone sex.”
“You’re amazing at phone sex. But seriously, honey, all you have to do is say my name to make me hard.”
Well, that was somewhat gratifying. Until she thought about what Gage had overheard. “You better make sure your brother doesn’t breathe a word of this. I won’t be able to look at Maddie without wondering if…”
“What do you think he’s doing right now? He’s on the phone trying to get your best friend to—”
“T-M-freaking-I.”
“God, I love you. And you’ve just ensured that every minute I’m sitting in that car I’m going to be thinking of you in nothing but an apron and red do-me shoes.”
Wow, it actually worked. “Maybe I like you again.”
He laughed, then his voice went deep and sexy, and he told her what he was going to do to her when he came home. “I love you again,” she said breathlessly when he finished.
“You never stopped.” She heard the smile in his voice and smiled back. “Honey, I’ve gotta go. Have a nap. You’re going to need lots of energy when I come home.”
Maybe a nap isn’t such a bad idea after all, she thought when she disconnected. Phone sex must have the same effect as the real deal because she did indeed fall asleep. Waking up to a flash of lightning over the water and her phone ringing, she squinted at the clock above the fireplace. It was ten o’clock. Maybe Chance was coming home early. She picked up. “Hey, are you—”
A computer-enhanced voice came over the line. “I have information about Kate McBride’s death. If you want it, meet me at the gas station on Old Mill Road in twenty minutes. Come alone.”
She couldn’t tell if the voice was male or female, young or old. “Who is this? What information do you—” The line went dead.
Vivi sat up and debated whether to call Chance. He was on a stakeout until midnight. If she didn’t act now… She’d dealt with informants in the past and had never run into any trouble. Well, maybe once or twice. But she wasn’t nervous. She knew the gas station. It was on the road into Christmas. It wasn’t isolated, and it was well lit. She’d be fine. If she was nervous about anything, it was the information they had. Was it something that would turn Chance’s world upside down? If someone had intentionally set out to harm Kate, it would. It was that thought that decided it for Vivi. She’d handle this on her own.
Princess shivered when a clap of thunder rattled the windows. “Okay, pal, we’re going for a ride.”
Vivi didn’t bother changing. She turned off the sauce, then threw on a raincoat and stepped into her rubber boots, gathering Princess in her arms. She slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, checking to be sure her camera and voice recorder were inside. Shoving her cell phone in her pocket, she headed out the door. Once inside the car, she jacked up the heat. Princess whined, crawling onto her lap.
Maybe if the weather wasn’t as bad, she’d let Princess stay in her lap, but not tonight. Vivi ran back in the house and grabbed a throw pillow and blanket from the couch, glancing at the clock as she did. She was cutting it close. She got back in the car, tucked the dog snugly into the front passenger seat, and backed out of the garage.
Turning the wipers to high, she leaned forward to peer through the teeming rain. Thunder rumbled and lightning cracked in the woods to her left. If she wasn’t confident in her driving abilities, she might have thought twice about going out on a night like this. But she was a good driver. Her father had trained her well. As she drove down the dark, windy road, she couldn’t help but wonder what had made Kate go out in a blizzard. It was a question she imagined Chance had asked himself a million times. Maybe Vivi would finally be able to put the matter to rest for him. At the end of the cabin road, she turned right. Just that slight deviation from Kate’s path the night she died made Vivi feel better.