Page 56

Story: Guilty as Sin

“How many occurred while he was inside?”
“Two. The rest were before and since. But none of his former addresses were for residences with a private garage. And he’d have had a helluva time getting a victim in and out of an apartment without being seen.”
“Outdoor temperatures here are pretty steady year-round,” Reese observed. He turned to look at her, but she studiously avoided meeting his eyes. “Nighttime temps in the winter might be too chilly, but otherwise the weather wouldn’t preclude him using a secluded outdoor spot.”
She sipped in silence for a few minutes before asking suddenly, “How close is Lorna Eckworth’s address to that radius?”
“Good question. It’s eighteen miles. And she’s owned the property for…” This search took a bit longer. “Thirteen years. Before that, the deed was titled to Francis and Lorna McNulty. He’s still alive, so divorced. She must have gotten it from the proceeds. Or bought out his share.” He saw where Reese was going with her inquiry. “You think he may have used her house for criminal activity?”
She lifted one bare shoulder. “Maybe. If his father had visitation, McNulty would be very familiar with that neighborhood. Enough so that he could have found other nearby unoccupied buildings or houses that he thought were safe. If Jennings does manage to get a warrant for that site he took me to…”
“I talked to him last night.” Hayes drained his coffee. She stepped back, and he made a return trip to the kitchen for another. “They found a tin buried close to the structure’s foundation. McNulty’s prints were on it. He’s going to try to get a warrant today.” He returned to the table to set his coffee downnext to the laptop, careful to keep a slight distance between them. “And by the way, the attorney Adam hired will meet you at the station prior to your interview with Usher. But she’ll call your cell at nine Monday to speak with you first.”
She nodded, her index finger tapping rhythmically on the mug she held. Her show of nerves was unusual. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you last night.”
He shook his head. “Reese. You know better than that.”
Her gaze skirted his. “I had nightmares for months after…Thorne. It infuriated me. Made me feel weak, like I was still under his control. But I beat them, eventually. To have it happen again last night was gutting. Like I’d regressed.”
Something softened inside him. She could irritate him at one turn and completely disarm him the next. The pendulum added to the tangle of feelings knotted in his chest. “Yesterday’s events were traumatic, retriggering some of the old responses. You have no more power over what happens in your sleep than you do over the fresh bruises or muscle stiffness.”
Her gaze flew to his. Held. “I hope you’re right. And…thank you.” The words sounded as if they were difficult for her to say. “I’m not used to being taken care of, I guess.” She looked away then as if embarrassed. “You’ll have to add hazard pay to your bill.”
“I’m glad I was here.” It was all he could manage. Distantly, he could feel the restraint he’d exercised earlier fray. He needed space and time to reconstruct it. She gave him neither.
Reese didn’t seem to move, but all of a sudden she was nearer. Hayes went still, willing her to return to the patio. To her bedroom. Anywhere but here. She rose up on tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. His muscles tensed. He could withstand this. He would. A simple expression of gratitude from a vulnerable woman called to every protective instinct he possessed. He had the thought and wanted to believe it.
But reason wasn’t ruling the moment. It wasn’t protectiveness Hayes felt. His body quaked with the need to touch her, to shove his hand into her hair and haul her closer. But a thread of logic remained. He had a duty here. And whether she’d admit it or not, yesterday had retraumatized her. He wouldn’t add to that.
His lack of response didn’t discourage her. Reese’s mouth firmed against his, and she drew closer, angling the kiss, sinking into it more fully. There was no hesitation. No tentativeness. And when she scored his bottom lip with her teeth, his last thread of control abruptly snapped.
One of his arms snaked around her waist while his other hand took the mug from her and set it on the table even as he returned the pressure of her lips. Took the kiss deeper. Hotter. A dim whisper of sanity reminded him that the last thing she needed right now was further upheaval in her life. But she didn’t shrink from the contact. Just the opposite. Her lips parted under his, an invitation he accepted. His tongue swept into her mouth exploringly, tasting hers, relearning her flavor. He’d never been a saint but somehow this felt new. Unfamiliar and exquisitely tempting. Hayes drew in her scent greedily, struggling beneath twin layers of desperation and temptation.
Because she was alluring in every mood. Willful. Insightful. Unguarded. Gut-wrenchingly sweet. And now, right this second, seductive as hell. With effort, Hayes tore his mouth from hers. Was immediately distracted by the curve of her neck and the pulse that beat rapidly at the base of her throat. His lips explored both, and one hand dropped to caress her butt. Last night had been about comfort. But there was nothing comfortable about his rocketing senses or the tight bar of heat that had settled low in his gut.
She dragged her lips over the jaw he hadn’t yet shaved as she tugged his shirt from his waistband. Skated a palm up his torso,leaving tiny pricks of warmth in its wake. He scrambled for his lone shred of restraint. “This is a mistake,” he managed, his voice raspy.
Her mouth moved to his earlobe. Worried it with her teeth. “Funny. It doesn’t feel like one.”
The unmistakable invitation in her words arrowed through him, leaving a shower of sparks in its wake. Threatened to shred all the half-formed reasons he was scrambling for. “You have that appointment at eleven. You need to get ready.” The last word was strangled. Both her hands were beneath his shirt now, kneading his pecs. Lingering on his shoulders. He was straddling a chasm between heaven and hell, and she was pushing him closer and closer to the brink.
There was a note of humor in her voice when her lips returned to his to whisper against them, “I’ve always been good with time management.”
Because there was no way to summon control while he touched her, he dropped his hands. Fisted them. “I don’t want an hour, Reese. When this happens—and it will—it’ll take all night. Maybe longer.”
Her eyes went slumbrous. “That sounds like a promise.”
It was all he could do not to reach for her again. He took a step back but didn’t release her gaze. “Oh, it is.” The words did nothing to douse the hunger Hayes was trying unsuccessfully to harness. “One I plan to keep.”
26
The shower was as cold as Reese could stand it, and still couldn’t extinguish the tiny fireballs of heat zinging through her bloodstream. Hayes Moreland packed a punch. No surprise there. Her heart hammered like a long-distance runner on the last lap. And though the overhead spray was punishing, she fancied she could still feel the warmth of his skin on her palms. Her fingers curled a bit as if to trap it there. And she allowed herself to imagine, for just a moment, what would have happened if he hadn’t called a stop to things earlier.
Reese wasn’t naïve. She knew when a man wanted her. Although it’d been a long time since she’d brought one home, she’d never met a man yet who’d tuck his libido away until he had more time to sate it.
But that hadn’t been the only thing that caused Hayes to call a halt. The mantle of duty weighed heavily on him, and she hadn’t lessened it by slipping away yesterday to catch up with Kervin. Reese was used to following her instincts wherever they led her. And for the second time in her life, they’d almost brought her to ruin.
The shower hadn’t chilled her, but the memories did. She shut off the water, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel. She may have escaped Lance McNulty, but her nightmare was a vivid reminder of just how different the outcome could have been.