Page 37 of Special Agent Raven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Once near the house, Raven stopped the jeep on the road a couple hundred yards away and whistled for Koda to come there so she could stop her from barking.

“Sorry but it’s best if we walk from here. Nana has incredible hearing and it’s not only Koda’s fussing that wakes her up. She’d hear the jeep pulling into the yard too.”

“Figured it was something like that.”

She saw Cane’s eyes follow her bad habit of throwing her keys on the floor under the steering wheel and though he shook his head at the ways of country folks, he didn’t say anything. She’d gotten into the habit of leaving her keys with the vehicle because her and Winona used to share the jeep. Nowadays, her nana had a van of her own, but the habit still stuck.

Koda rushed them before she could try and explain further, and by the time both adults dealt with the dog’s greeting, they were at the porch. Raven opened the door so they could sneak into the quiet place where all were asleep.

Waving Cane to follow, she slipped off her boots and tippytoed down the hall toward the opposite portion of the big house from her Nana’s bedroom. Once in her own room, she spoke normally. “We made it. Nana’s suite is on the other side of the house and that basically gives me a modicum of privacy. As I grew older, she insisted we renovate, splitting the downstairs space into two suites on either side of the livingroom.

“Your Winona is an incredibly thoughtful woman, isn’t she?”

Raven’s pride apparent in her expression, she admitted, “I’m very lucky. When my mother dropped me off here like a sack of rocks she didn’t want hanging around her neck, I thought my world had ended. Trust me, I wasn’t a happy kid and made Nana’s life miserable for as long as it took her to get it through my thick skull that I was loved and would always be protected by the amazing woman.”

“What happened to your mom?”

“I don’t know. We never heard from her again.”

“Didn’t you follow up after you had the opportunity to find people… you know, in your job at the office?”

Raven looked into his face, hers wearing the icy calm of a woman who’d come to her decision from a hurt deeper than physical. “No. I didn’t. Because I don’t give a royal fuck. She left me… never looked back. I’ve got no time for a person so shallow.”

Before he could answer, she moved to the bathroom and stopped at the doorway. “I swear, I’ll be quick, but I need to wash off Palmer’s blood.”

“Hey, I’m good. Just point me to where I can sleep.”

Without thinking of how it might look, she nodded toward the bed. “Just bunk in here again. I really don’t want to wake Nana and have to tell her about Palmer tonight. She often looked after him when his parents were partying and he needed a safe placeto stay. It’ll be hard on her when she hears about her boy’s death.”

“Sure. Thanks.” Cane must have seen how close she was to a breakdown, and the smart man just turned away to remove his shirt.

Once the door closed on her privacy, she shed her clothes and headed for the hot welcome of steaming water to hide her heartache. Poor Palmer. He never had a chance with his drunken parents, mean siblings, and bullying school mates.

How many times had he knocked at their door, tears streaking the dirt on his face, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Her nana’s welcoming hug helped him build enough strength to get through his schooling, and she facilitated his eventual employment at the sheriff’s department.

Once he earned a solid wage, every penny went towards saving for the one goal he wanted the most… a home of his own where he could lock the door and be safe. And the house he eventually invested in came as a huge bargain from a man who had no children but had taken a liking to Winona and through her… Palmer.

Sadly, once in a while, he’d succumb to the same alcohol poison his parents ruined their lives with. Thankfully, those fiascos were far and few between and protected by old Sheriff Dune. Reliving memories, she revisited her last trip home where she’d brought his favorite mac n cheese casserole over to his place as a surprise… the one that Winona had cooked for his birthday. They’d sat sharing the meal along with a few beers while catching up on the local news.

What made her cry harder – he hadn’t stuttered once.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Heaven.

Cane swore this had to be heaven.

The smell of her. The touch of her warm, silky skin. Her hot lips sighing his name. Feelings of unbelievable desire clutched his heart in a satin web of happiness.

Unexpectedly, wakefulness intruded and he knew. The woman in his arms wasn’t his wife. Not Diane. She’d never felt this way… or fit this perfect. He breathed in the soap’s perfume and decided it was an elixir for pure, instant passion.

As their bodies cradled closer, her smooth legs intermingled with his, turning his bones to mush and his blood to liquid heat. Unwilling to open his eyes or wake from the perfect dream, he searched for her lips and kissed her with every bit of yearning in his soul, wanting to be the man who’d satisfy his fantasy’s needs.

Instantly, the phantom opened to him, spreading her legs as an invitation for him to make her his. Finding her body wet withyearning, hot with anticipation, he probed inside her sopping welcome with his fingers and loved her moaning response.

Severely hardened from an ache that needed release, he rubbed against her thigh, and she sought him out, holding him tightly, rubbing him, squeezing him… guiding him to her body.