by Jory Strong
She was standing in mulch, watching Perry sniffing out the perfect spot to pee.
“So the dog’s awake.”
“Perry.”
He grinned at her automatic correction. She was going to be a fierce mother.
There was an explosion of warmth in his chest. He wanted kids with her. Not now. Not even soon. But one day. Yeah, one day he’d be everything his old man hadn’t been as a father.
Cade slipped on his shirt as he walked toward her. He crouched next to Perry when he got to Grace.
“I’d about given up on actually meeting you,” he told the dog, offering a hand for the dachshund to sniff then rubbing behind Perry’s ears.
The old guy’s hind quarters plopped down. His eyes closed in bliss.
Cade laughed and looked up at Grace. “He’s a lot like you. Loves to be petted. Loves my touch.”
She rolled her eyes. “Got much of an ego, Cade?”
He gave Perry a final scratch then stood. “I might have been accused of it once or twice.”
“Until now I wouldn’t have guessed that numbers aren’t your strong point. I hope Mace is the one keeping the books.”
She moved in to him, kicking his heart into a faster beat and sending a wave of heat downward. Her nearness made his arms and hands feel empty.
She started doing up his shirt buttons. Eyes down, lips pursed, as if she hated putting another barrier between his skin and hers.
Pleasure shuddered through him, not just at the contact but at the intimacy of it, the familiarity.
He wanted to take her to the ground and make love to her. He managed not to but only because the sooner they left the house, the sooner they’d get her case behind them and move on to other things.
Percy found the perfect spot for a pee and lifted his leg. She gave him another minute then picked him up and carried him back to his chair.
Cade smiled at the picture she made. Yeah, she was going to make a hell of a mom.
Catching his look, she blushed prettily. “I know he can walk, but I like making things easy for him.”
Soft. She was so fucking soft. Not weak the way his mother had been, but she still needed him to keep her safe.
He hadn’t been able to do anything for his mother, but he could keep Grace’s life from being filled with threat and violence.
They left the house.
Cade’s hand went to the base of her spine like there was nowhere else it belonged. She balked when he tried to steer her toward the Boxster.
“No way. That is not a surveillance vehicle.”
Her tone was light, but the fact his car might stand out in the places they needed to go did nothing for his patience when it came to extricating her from Crime Tells.
He kept his silence, barely. Even managed not to demand the keys when they reached the Beetle.
She surprised him by offering them.
He didn’t reject the offer.
When she was in the passenger seat, safely belted in, he asked, “Where to?”
“Let me call Braden.”
She retrieved her cell from a side pocket on her purse and placed the call, asked, “You’re still at the apartment?…Anything?…Okay, thanks for doing this.”
She hit end and punched an address into the Beetle’s GPS for him. “Avery is at home.”
Cade cranked the Beetle’s engine. “Start talking, Grace. I want details.”
She huffed. “Anybody ever tell you that you’re bossy?”
“A time or two. You like bossy.”
“In some situations.”
A raw burn flared in his gut. His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
He glanced at her, hating the possibility some other guy had told her to strip and she’d obeyed, that some other guy had experienced the pleasure of her submission.
Don’t go there. The past is the past.
And he sure as hell had plenty of women in his.
Only they’d been players, same as he’d been. While Grace…
She wouldn’t give herself unless it meant something. Her age, her family, they were part of why he hadn’t taken what she’d always wanted to give him. But the bigger reason was that she was an all-or-nothing choice. He’d needed to be sure he was ready to offer her everything, that he was in control of the urge to dominate before he stepped into Grace’s life and took charge.
And Mace?
Worry about it later.
“Spill it, Grace,” he said, surprised he could manage a neutral tone.
She half turned, rewarded his effort with a smile.
“I wish there was more to spill, but so far I don’t know much more than I did when Bulldog gave me the case. Avery London is who we’re watching.”
“Watching?” That sounded far less dangerous than investigating, not that it eased the tightness in his chest at her working cases, being out there on her own, or worse, partnered with risk-takers like Lyric, Braden or Shane.
She was too important to chance losing, and it wasn’t like she’d need the money. He had plenty of it. Hell, she probably had plenty of it. She was damn good at the poker table.
“Watching is the more accurate word,” she said, frustration in her voice. “There are limitations on what Crime Tells is allowed to do. Avery’s parents are worried she’s involved in something illegal. She’s a first-year law student attending on about five different scholarships that together just barely cover the cost of school and renting an apartment. They want to know where the sudden wealth is coming from and help her get back on track, not get her sent to jail.”
“Have they tried asking her?”
“Yes. She claims the car, the jewelry, the cash comes from a boyfriend who is currently out of the country.”
“Pretty damn convenient. Unless it’s true and the boyfriend is involved in trafficking drugs. Did she give them a name?”
“No, and when they pressed it led to an estrangement.”
“She have a roommate?”
“Yes. Braden worked that angle for me. Easier for him to do without tipping Avery off.”
“He get anything?”
“What do you think?”
Cade hid his smile at the censure in her voice. Couldn’t blame a guy for enjoying the perks that went with the job, and as far as he knew, Braden never promised more than a night of fun.
“So what he’d get?”
“Not a lot in terms of leads, but the name of another law student who is worth looking at.”
“Avery have a routine? Go anywhere that’s surprised you? Met anyone of interest?”
“No. No. And no. Not so far.”
Grace’s cell rang with Braden’s tone. She answered, said, “We’re close. We’ll pick her up when she passes.”
Cade got to the far left. “Do a U-turn and wait for her on this street?”
“Yes. She’s driving a red Porsche 911 Cabriolet.”
Five minutes later it passed them.
Cade pulled away from the curb. “Better hope we don’t end up in a race. The Beetle doesn’t stand a chance against the Cabriolet.”
Maybe he’d buy Grace something faster.
Hell no. He’d get her something with plenty of metal between her and other drivers, something that could drive away from a crash with only a couple of dents and scratches.
He kept well back, prepared for evasive maneuvers. Adrenaline crept into his system along with memories of his time in the Marines, serving in places where even the friendlies were considered suspect and hostile.
He and Mace had both gone into those areas with an advantage. It’d been like living at home. Never sure when the old man was going to go off, moving carefully, like the house was a minefield, staying watchful and never dropping their guard, having each other’s backs.
They’d handled their tours, gotten their shit together, honed their skill at poker during hundreds of hours of downtime, then after they got back to the States and got their honorable discharges, they’d gotten very, very lucky when they�
��d gambled their accumulated earnings in tournament buy-ins.
They’d won more than enough seed money to get the first bar going and make a success of it, with plenty of funds left over to gamble on a second bar, a third, more, or something else entirely.
He glanced at Grace, want swelling so hard and fast it was nearly unbearable. She was so fucking beautiful, inside and out. A life with her, so much different than what he’d known growing up.
Why their mother had stayed with their old man, then hooked up with another just like him when he’d gotten life-without-the possibility-of-parole—
Doesn’t matter now.
He swallowed against the emotions that came with thoughts of her. Love. Anger. Regret. Guilt.
He couldn’t have done anything to prevent her from getting killed by the loser she’d picked, neither could Mace. If they hadn’t been in the Marines, they’d have been in jail.
Old Judge Hargrave had done them a solid when he gave them a choice between serving time for stealing cars or serving their county.
They’d never know if the judge had pulled strings to get them into the Marines, but they’d thrived in the service. They’d become real men, not punks who just thought they were men.
Grace turned her head, eyes colliding with his, the quick dip of her lashes and slight parting of her lips sending a surge of heat straight to his dick.
“You don’t want to distract me from our objective,” he growled.
She laughed and it was a fist around his cock, stroking up and down.
Her hand waved the air between the two of them as if that’d somehow cool down the instant heat. “You’re going to blame this on me?”
His mouth curved upward. “Hell yeah.” And just like that, nothing in the past mattered.
“That’s very male chauvinist of you.” But he heard the pleasure in her voice, didn’t care if she knew she had power over him. Hell, it should be damn obvious to her by now.
The Cabriolet headed into a rough area of San Francisco. His internal thermostat flipped from scorching hot to icy cold. “I don’t like anything about this.”
Not the area. Not the fact Grace would have been in it solo if Braden hadn’t swung by the bar last night. Not the fact she was working the case to begin with.
“Maybe this is the break I need,” she said.
Instantly his molars ground together. He suppressed the first couple of things he might have said, finally freed the third one. “Maybe this is the break we need to get this wrapped and behind us.”
The smile she shot him said she hadn’t read the deeper meaning, about just how far behind he intended for her leave this.
Let it go.
For now.
The Cabriolet pulled into a parking spot in front of what looked like a run-down warehouse converted into a gym.
Gang graffiti marked the building as claimed turf. Gangbangers slouching near the gym’s door suggested that the gym wasn’t a place to get clean and get straight.
Grace used her cell phone to capture some of the tagging.
He kept driving. “We park and wait, we’re going to get made.”
“I know.”
Avery got out of the Porsche.
Grace had her window rolled down so they heard the guys whistle, direct a spate of Spanish at Avery though none of them made a move toward her.
“The out-of-the-country boyfriend story is looking more believable,” Grace said.
“Yeah. She’ll be lucky if she doesn’t end up dead. And if she manages to cross the wrong people, she could get her parents and anyone else connected to her killed.”
“True.”
Good. He was glad she understood just how deadly serious this situation was.
“Bulldog wouldn’t put a favor owed over his family’s safety.”
Her jaw dropped. Snapped back in place, her lips going tight and stubborn.
Just as well, he had no intention of arguing with her here and now. In fact he had no intention of arguing with her period. He’d get his mouth on hers, his body on hers, and there’d be only sweet agreement and sensual surrender.
Avery entered the gym. A dirty white sign gave it a name. Leopoldo’s.
“We can’t hang out in this area,” he said.
“We don’t need to. I’ve got a tracker on the car. The app is on my cell.”
The edge in her voice warned him she hadn’t forgotten the veiled suggestion she should kick the case back to Bulldog.
He heard the sound of a message zipping away.
She called someone, said, “Can you identify the gang?”
There was a pause, her getting an answer.
“Any idea what they’re into?”
Cade pulled into a spot near a coffee shop, turned to watch her face.
“What about Leopoldo’s Gym? Know anything about it?”
A grimace. She met his eyes.
“No, I’m not anywhere near there. No, I’m not alone.”
Satisfaction surged into him. At least someone in her family had some sense when it came to her.
“Thanks, Cruz.”
Satisfaction morphed into a burn. Who the hell was Cruz? And what made him think Grace was his to worry about?
She ended the call. Tapped the phone, opening the tracking app.
“Who’s Cruz?”
Was that a quick feminine smile?
“You don’t want to play at making me jealous, Grace.”
Grace’s jaw dropped, literally, for the second time in a span of minutes. Though admittedly, the growly admission he could be jealous did crazy things to her insides, where the not-so-subtle hint she should quit the case without having any answers made her feel angry—and strangely, hurt.
“Do you even listen to what comes out of your mouth?” she asked, deciding it was time to take a stand.
“Who’s Cruz?”
If she hadn’t braided her hair after taking a shower, she’d have grabbed handfuls of it and yanked.
“Cruz Damascus. You’ve probably met him. He works for Crime Tells now. He’s also my neighbor.”
“The ex-boxer? Cole’s friend?”
“Yes.”
“He recognize the gang graffiti?”
“Yes. He didn’t know for sure what they’re into but guessed drugs at least. Lyric was at the office. She’s going to reach out to some of the cops she knows and see what she can find out.”
“And the gym?”
“Cruz said it was a hangout for gang members and a place for holding fights. He didn’t have anything else.”
Cade drummed the steering wheel. His eyes bored into hers.
Everything inside her responded to the fierce protectiveness, the hard, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe message in his expression. Not that she couldn’t take care of herself—she could.
“I don’t like anything about this,” he said.
“So you’ve said.”
She placed her hand on his chest. Felt the strong steady beat of his heart.
She didn’t want to argue over her first case. She didn’t want to argue period.
She licked her lips, thrilled at the flare of desire in his eyes.
He jerked her forward and plundered her mouth.
She drank in his moan. Her satisfaction swelled at the quickening of his heartbeat. Heat rippled through her abdomen that she could have this kind of impact on Cade.
She lost herself in that first kiss and stayed lost in the ones that followed. Wasn’t even ashamed he was the one who had the presence of mind to pull back.
A glance down and she wondered if he’d heard the ping indicating the tracker was moving. Or if he’d just decided sex in a Beetle was not happening, and the only thing he had to look forward to was a raging, unrelenting hard-on—because a glance to the front of his jeans confirmed she was not alone in needing but not having.
“Admiring your work, sweetheart?”
Chapter Five
Grace’s gaze moved from Cade’s erection to hi
s face. Her heart did a slow, happy roll at the humor there.
“Could be that’s exactly what I’m admiring,” she said.
When it came to Cade and Mace, desire for the both of them had always gone together like chocolate and coffee ice cream served in a sugar cone.
She leaned forward, giving him a quick kiss then looking at her cell and giving him directions.
Within minutes the red Cabriolet was ahead of them by several blocks.
They followed Avery to the university campus.
“She’ll be able to snag student parking,” Grace said. “I got lucky yesterday when I followed her here. Today you might have to let me out while you look for a place to put the Beetle.”
The muscle spasmed in his cheek. He so did not like that idea.
She readied the argument that she’d be safe. That she was perfectly capable of keeping herself safe.
He wisely decided to remain silent. And the vote of confidence—done against his inherently dominant nature—mattered to her, a lot, probably more than it should.
True to her prediction, Avery slipped into a student parking spot with nothing for the general public in sight.
Cade stopped, growled, “I’ll catch up to you.”
“There’s a map of the campus on the back seat. You can also download an app.”
She got out of the car.
Cade let her go, but it took almost everything he had to drive away. It’d almost be worth double parking and letting the Beetle get towed.
Yeah, and that’ll go over well with her.
He huffed out his frustration. He didn’t want to be here doing this when they could be doing far more pleasurable things together back at her place.
Fuck, it wasn’t even just that. He didn’t like her out of his sight. Didn’t like even a whiff of danger anywhere close to her.
It took ten minutes of circling and cussing to finally snag a parking spot. It took another fifteen, at a jog, texting back and forth, to catch up with Grace.
He took her hand in his. “Anything?”
“No. My read is that she’s using a walk around campus to think something over.”
“Hope you’re right and she’s thinking she’s on the path to screwing up her life.”
They meandered for another ten minutes. Slowly he relaxed.