by Elle Kennedy
Phones exist for a reason.
She ignored the snarky voice and found herself slowing down even more.
“Jamie, you there?”
“What? Sorry, I’m here,” she said. “What did you say?”
“I said that maybe we should reinterview some of the witnesses who were at Sully’s bar the night of the argument.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” she answered absently.
Fine, so maybe she could just call him, but wasn’t this the kind of news someone would want to hear in person? She was already in the area. Wouldn’t be a hassle to pop in and—
She yanked on the steering wheel at the last second, turning onto the dirt road that led to Cole’s house.
“Let me give you a call later and we can talk more about the case,” she chirped to Finn. “Gotta go. I’m getting another call.”
She flicked off the Bluetooth before he could object, ignoring the sliver of guilt that pierced into her skin. She shouldn’t have lied to Finn, but she hadn’t wanted to tell him she was going to see Cole. Finn’s feelings about the millionaire were no secret. He probably wouldn’t even think to update Cole about any developments—or lack of—in the case.
Right, because that’s why you’re here, to give him an update.
She reached the tall front gate and stopped the car, trying valiantly not to question her own actions. This was a courtesy call. She was being courteous.
Coming here had nothing to do with the fact that her heart had done those funny little flips whenever Cole was around.
And fine, so maybe his deep voice sent shivers up her spine and his mouth fascinated her a little too much. Wasn’t like she would get involved with the man. He was still a person of interest in this case, which meant that she couldn’t—
A clap of thunder snapped her right out of her inner debate, making her jump. The loud boom was followed by the sound of rain slapping against the windshield.
Jamie stared out in shock. She’d been so wrapped up in thinking of reasons why she shouldn’t like Cole Donovan that she’d been completely oblivious to the fact that the sky had turned an ominous shade of gray. Thick black clouds rolled in from the distance, releasing sharp drops of rain that tapped against the roof of the car.
Looked like the storm Cole had predicted was making an appearance.
Biting her bottom lip, she sat in the car and glanced over at the rustic house beyond the steel gate. The shutters were rattling, and the wind chimes hanging from the porch roof swung in the breeze. Okay, she definitely needed to leave, before the storm got worse and driving became dangerous.
She was just reaching for the gearshift when another crash of thunder echoed from outside, a streak of white lit up the dark sky and the rain began to fall in earnest. It looked like a waterfall cascading over her car, and Jamie realized in growing dismay that there was no way she could outdrive this thing.
Cursing softly, she took a breath, rolled down the window, and pressed the intercom button on the electronic panel on the gate.
Cole’s voice crackled through a moment later. “Jamie?”
She was startled for a moment, then noticed the security camera mounted on the gate and realized he was probably in front of a screen looking right at her. She winced when a blast of wind blew rain through the open car window and soaked her face.
Before she could plead for him to let her in, the gate buzzed loudly, then parted.
As she drove through it, she saw a blur of motion from the corner of her eye as something dark and furry scurried through the open gate into Cole’s driveway. With the windshield wipers working furiously, it was hard to tell what it was, and then the animal darted behind a patch of trees, and she decided it was probably a squirrel. Shifting her gaze, she steered the car up the circular driveway in front of Cole’s house. As the wind rocked the car, she gritted her teeth, threw open the door, then ran toward the covered porch. While she waited by the door, she stared out at the incredible display of nature with wide eyes. She had never seen anything like it. Suddenly the entire sky was almost black, while the wind shrieked like police sirens.
The door swung open to reveal Cole, a look of concern on his handsome face. “What the hell are you doing here?” he yelled over the wind.
She decided to lie rather than admit the embarrassing truth. “I was coming back from Gideon’s and the storm just hit!”
She barely had a chance to finish her sentence before chaos broke out. The rain suddenly fell harder, accompanied by another crack of lightning. As the wind howled, the trees lining the driveway swayed wildly. Several branches crashed to the ground from the force of the wind, nearly falling onto her SUV.
Jamie turned around with a look of horror, and then she was being propelled backward into Cole by a forceful gust bringing with it rain that drenched them both. Cole caught her as she stumbled, planting his hand on her hip to steady her.
“Come inside,” he shouted over the din.
Another boom of thunder rolled through the sky, then a bolt of lightning that split one of the larger tree branches with a sickly crack. The heavy branch broke, crashing to the wet ground, directly behind Jamie’s car.
Cole curled his fingers over her waist and urged her toward the door. “Come on, we need to get inside.”
She quit gaping at the fallen tree branch and let him yank her into the hallway, where she dripped water all over the parquet floor. Her hair was stuck to her forehead and cheeks, making her look like a swamp monster. Just as she was about to comment on her wretched appearance, the lights began to flicker, then went out abruptly, shrouding the front hall in darkness.
“Well,” she started awkwardly. “I have some bad news.”
Cole handed Jamie a towel and tried nobly not to stare at her beaded nipples outlined by the thin cotton of the T-shirt he’d given her. They’d both been soaking wet when they’d come inside, and since he hadn’t been able to fix the generator, he couldn’t throw her clothes in the dryer. He’d given her a shirt and drawstring sweatpants to wear, and suddenly he regretted not covering her up in a parka or something.
The tight peaks of her nipples made his mouth go bone dry. He’d been trying to convince himself since yesterday that he wasn’t attracted to Jamie Crawford, that he’d simply enjoyed having someone so open-minded listen to his story, but at this moment, he couldn’t deny what he felt. With her damp hair falling down her back and curling at the ends, and those perky breasts beneath his shirt, she was undeniably beautiful.
And he was undeniably turned on.
He watched as she bent forward to towel-dry her hair, then cleared his throat. “I just made a pot of coffee before the power went out. Would you like a cup?”
“Yes,” she said gratefully.
“Sit down. I’ll bring it in here.”
He quickly left the room, breathing deeply as he headed to the kitchen. He moved through the shadows, grabbing mugs and pouring coffee. When he brought the steaming cups into the living room a minute later, he found Jamie sitting on one of the leather couches, her skin glowing in the candlelight.
“Guess you were smart to buy those supplies,” she remarked, glancing at the shining wicks of the various candles he’d placed around the room.
He joined her on the sofa, making sure to keep a respectful distance. “So Gideon is sticking to his story?” he asked, unable to stop the bitterness from entering his voice.
Her mouth dipped in a frown. “For now.”
“For now?” he echoed. “Does that mean you think I’m telling the truth?”
“It means he’s lying about something,” she replied. “I’ll probably go back in a day or two and give him another push.”
“You think it will help?”
“It won’t hurt,” she pointed out. “Besides, I can’t just leave it alone, not when I’m certain Gideon is hiding something. Trust me, Cole, if he saw you that night, I’ll get him to admit it.”
The moment his name left her lips, a peculiar little shive
r moved up his spine. Christ. Why was he so drawn to this woman? After his disastrous marriage to Teresa, he hadn’t felt any inkling to get involved with anyone again. If anything, his ex-wife’s betrayal had him thinking that he was done with women for good.
And then Jamie Crawford showed up on his doorstep, and each time he looked at her, he experienced a pull of attraction. An irrational need to find out if her skin felt as soft and smooth as it looked.
“Thank you,” he said. “It’s nice to know that someone is actually interested in finding the truth.” He scowled. “If only the sheriff were more inclined to do so.”
Jamie gave a wry smile. “He really doesn’t like you, you know.”
“Oh, trust me. I know.”
She shrugged. “I think the changes you made to this town unnerve him.”
“I built a hotel,” Cole said, a defensive edge creeping into his tone. “Which benefited this town, I might add.”
Those violet eyes searched his face. “What made you get into real estate?”
He blinked. He still wasn’t used to it, the way she changed subjects so smoothly. She was obviously quite skilled at it. Ruefully, he realized she’d probably be pretty damn good in a business negotiation.
As she waited for an answer, Cole thought about her question, then chuckled. “When an interviewer asks me that, I say it’s because I like beautiful buildings and creating homes for people.”
She raised one auburn eyebrow. “And the real reason?”
He grinned. “I wanted to spite my father.”
“Interesting.” She leaned forward to put down her mug. “I want to know more.”
“My father made his living buying up companies and tearing them down.” Cole set his jaw. “So I decided I’d make my living doing the opposite.”
“Is it true you gave away all of his money when he died?”
“Every last penny.”
And now he was even richer than his father had been, ironic as that was. When he’d closed his first nine-figure deal, he’d been tempted to look up at the sky—or perhaps down at the ground—and say to his father, What do you think of that, old man? Edward Donovan had spent his life chipping away at his son’s confidence, constantly taunting Cole that he would never amount to anything.
Proving the old bastard wrong was the greatest triumph of Cole’s life.
“Yet you managed to build something better from scratch,” Jamie said, sounding impressed. “You should be proud.”
“I am proud,” he admitted. “It was tough, starting out. I had to beg for bank loans and I did it all on my own. Those first dozen buildings I put up, that was my sweat, blood and tears.”
“You worked on the crew?”
“Oh yeah. I couldn’t demand those kinds of deadlines from my guys and not join in to meet them.”
“Do you still do it now?”
“Not so much anymore, someone needs to run the business, after all. But I did build the house we’re sitting in.”
She smiled, and something shifted in his chest. For some reason, he liked making this woman smile. Liked seeing that little twinkle of pleasure in her eyes.
“It’s a great house.” Then she shook her head. “But I still can’t believe you gave away your inheritance. I bet your mother wasn’t happy with that decision.”
“She was too drunk to notice.” The confession popped out before he could stop it.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jamie said quietly.
He gave a small shrug. “She’s sober now, has been ever since my father died. Once he was gone, Mom had no reason to drink herself into oblivion.”
“Your father was that bad, huh?”
“Worse,” he said grimly. “He wasn’t abusive, physically anyway, but he was a tyrant. He wanted a trophy wife and a child who was seen and not heard. He treated us like business associates. If I’m being honest, I don’t think he felt a drop of emotion for either one of us. It was all business for him, all the time.”
There was no bitterness in his voice—he’d stopped being bitter a long time ago. But it surprised him that he was sharing his life story with her. He didn’t talk about his childhood with anyone. Not even Teresa. But there was just something about Jamie’s perceptive lavender eyes and soothing aura that made him want to confide in her.
He fell silent, listening to the howl of the wind and the loud shuddering of the roof as the relentless rain battered against it. The large bay window overlooking the front yard revealed nothing but black, with the occasional burst of silver each time another bolt of lightning exploded from the sky. He didn’t worry about the roof collapsing, though. He’d built this house with his own two hands and knew it could withstand anything Mother Nature threw at it.
Turning away from the window, he glanced back at Jamie and asked, “What about you? Bad parents, or good ones?”
“Parent, singular,” she corrected. “And good, for the most part. My dad ran out on us before I was born, and my mom struggled to make ends meet.” She flashed him a self-deprecating smile. “No wealthy upbringing for me.”
“Wealth is overrated.”
“Yeah, you really don’t seem concerned with it. I mean, you live in this gorgeous house, but other than that, I get the feeling you’re down-to-earth, unbothered by material things.”
“You don’t seem bothered by those either.”
“I’m not.” She tilted her head in a thoughtful pose. “I guess when you grow up in a trailer park, you learn not to take things for granted.”
Somehow he couldn’t picture this beautiful, refined woman hailing from a trailer park.
She must have seen the doubt in his eyes, because she let out a laugh. “Seriously, trailer park. My mom had the big, bleached-blond hair and everything. She only went back to her natural color when I graduated from the academy.”
“Are you two close?”
“More or less. I don’t think she understands why I chose the Bureau as my career, but she’s proud of me, in her own way. She even sent me flowers after I got my first suspect to conf—” Her head jerked to the side. “Did you hear that?”
Cole went quiet, listening to the sound of the storm wreaking havoc outside. “All I hear is wind and rain.”
Jamie bounded to her feet and headed for the window. “I swear I heard howling.”
“The wind,” he reiterated, fighting a smile.
“No, it’s…” She pressed her face to the glass and peered out. “When I was driving in I saw something run into the yard—I figured it was a squirrel, but—” She gasped. “Oh no!”
“What—”
But she was already flying out of the room.
Panic thrummed inside him, propelling him into action. He hurried after her, but she’d managed to open the front door and was running out into the elements. Had she gone absolutely insane? His pulse was thrown off course when he reached the doorway and watched as a gust of wind and rain nearly knocked Jamie off her feet. She stumbled, recovered, and kept going, the T-shirt he’d given her clinging to her wet body.
Bloody hell.
Ignoring the frantic thumping of his heart, he took off after her, yelling at her only to have his voice carried away by the wind. Jamie had made it to the trees at the edge of the driveway, where the tin roof that used to be on his shed now lay in a crumbled heap of metal. He pushed forward, fighting the gusts that kept slamming him backward. Lightning whipped over his head, causing the dark sky to illuminate for one brief second before it went pitch-black again.
“Get in the house, Jamie!” he shouted fruitlessly.
He reached her just as she lifted up the metal roof lying on the grass, then swooped something into her arms. Raindrops assaulted his face, making it impossible to see what she was holding. It looked furry and wet and was letting out terrified howls.
Curling his fingers over her bare wet arm, he shoved her to his side. “We need to get inside, damn it!”
Another bolt of lightning, and then he heard a sizzling noise and pushe
d Jamie forward just as a branch crashed down behind them. Christ, the weatherman hadn’t been kidding this time. The hurricane currently terrorizing the coast had found its way inland, manifesting as a tropical storm that seemed unbelievably out of place in the interior of the state.
They moved with the wind now, letting it propel them toward the house. By the time they staggered into the dry front hall, every inch of Cole’s body was dripping wet.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he roared, his tone rivaling the furious storm outside.
“I… You didn’t have to come after me,” she stammered, spitting strands of soaked hair from her mouth.
“What is wrong with you?” His voice caught in his throat, an uncharacteristic vise of helplessness constricting his chest. “You could have been killed!”
“I saw—”
“I don’t give a damn what you saw.” He grasped both of her shoulders with his hands, vaguely aware of the squirming bundle in her arms. “That was stupid, risking your life like that.”
As adrenaline and lingering panic pumped through his blood, he looked into her eyes and saw the fearful glimmer in them. Realizing he was holding onto her shoulders far too tight, he loosened his grip and let out a ragged breath. “Damn it, Jamie, you scared the crap out of me.”
“I didn’t mean—”
He didn’t let her finish. Instead, he crushed his mouth over hers and kissed her.
Chapter 5
Jamie gasped against Cole’s lips, stunned by this sudden turn of events. His lips were cold, but his tongue was warm as it prodded against the seam of her lips and demanded entry. Just as she’d been helpless to stop herself from rushing outside, she was helpless to stop this kiss. It was a desperate mashing of mouths, a complete domination as Cole’s tongue thrust deep and tangled with her own.
He cupped the back of her head with one wet hand, angling for better access, kissing her so hard, so mercilessly that she sagged against him, their soaked shirts sticking together.
Something was happening inside of her. She was no longer cold, but scorching hot, flames of desire licking at her wet clothing, sizzling her skin and settling in her core. Her nipples hardened, so painfully stiff that she rubbed them against his chest to ease the dull ache.