FOUR

“JAMES?” I CALLED OUT, looking over my shoulder.

He was pulling on his shirt and I paused in admiration. The broad, corded muscles of his back flexed as he drew the shirt over his head, and I was thoroughly enjoying the view until I noticed the tiny red lines I’d left behind with my fingernails. The memory of him sliding in and out of me with powerful thrusts short-circuited my brain, and I stood captivated, mute, and dazed.

“Yeah?” I jumped when he answered, lost in the erotic memories of what we’d just done.

My eyes traveled slowly up his body to his face without answering. He looked like a wild man again, and my heart reacted with a resounding thump. Dear God, the man made my body hum with a single look.

He cocked his head, the movement almost catlike with his eyes shimmering in the diffused light of the room. When I didn’t respond, something stirred in the depth of his expression and he moved, stalking around the bed, the air of uncoiled power dripping from him. Then he was in front of me, towering over my body like a predator. Heat rushed to my face as the images of his body moving over mine spun in a continuous loop. I opened my mouth to answer, closed it, and then wet my lips with the tip of my tongue, unable to utter a single word, my question forgotten with the wind.

His eyes zeroed in on my mouth and he reached up without warning and grabbed my neck, jerking me into his body, claiming my mouth roughly. We exchanged air as he took the kiss deeper, wetter, my head swimming as my body reignited like I’d been starved of his contact for years, not recently sated, and we started to lose control again. But just as quickly as it started, the flames died to a smolder as his pager vibrated, reminding us that time was not our own with a killer on the loose.

“I gotta call in and let them know I found you,” he said against my lips. “Then I gotta take you to the station so you can give your statement.”

I shuddered at the reminder. Two women were dead. One because she carried the same name as me, and I knew that truth would haunt me for the rest of my life. If I hadn’t gotten involved with Sara, the other Susan Montgomery would still be alive.

I listened as James called the station on my kitchen phone, thinking about Sara Watson. Had she said anything to me that would shed light on her killer? Was there someone in the diner watching us as we spoke? A shudder ran down my back as ice slithered down my spine, spreading a cold, weighty fear. What if the killer figured out he’d gotten rid of the wrong Susan Montgomery? My fight or flight instinct roared to life with that revelation, and that’s when the shaking started. Adrenaline tickled my brain as it dumped swiftly like a waterfall over boulders, kicking up my racing heart. My hands trembled from the sudden overdose of hormones, almost useless as I crammed clothes into an overnight bag. I became lightheaded almost instantly, my intake of breath coming in short bursts that didn’t fill my lungs, increasing my panic by a hundred-percent. If I didn’t reel in my control soon, I would pass out.

“Susan?” James questioned quietly, watching me from the bedroom door.

I closed my eyes, curling my hands into fists as I tried to will away the bloody images ravaging my headspace. I’m gonna die!

“Baby?” James whispered into my ear. His steely arm pulled me back into his chest and I panicked, the thought of being restrained for any reason heightening my fear.

Why it had taken this long for the severity of my situation to kick in was a mystery, but once it had, I felt trapped and unable to breathe. “Let me go,” I cried out in fear. If I didn’t move right that moment, I would come apart at the seams.

____________________________

“Let me go.” James heard the panic in Susan’s voice, and held on. He knew when he walked back into the bedroom she was in trouble. Her eyes were wild—like a caged animal—as she packed her bag, her breath coming in short gulps of air. His gut reaction had sealed any doubts he might have had she was the woman he’d been waiting for his whole life. He’d immediately wanted to find the man who was terrorizing her mind and rip him limb from limb. Put him six feet under so she’d never feel out of control again.

“Breathe, baby,” James mumbled softly into her ear, tightening his already iron grip. “I won’t let any harm come to you. Would put myself between you and the world if need be, so breathe, baby. I’ve got you.”

She shook her head rapidly, her panic in overdrive, clawing at his arm to escape. “He’s gonna find me then he’ll kill me.”

“If he finds you, then he’ll find me standin’ right in front of you. I won’t let him touch you,” he vowed, his voice like a whip, dangerous and sharp. He felt her body still slightly, so he moved the hair from the side of her neck, drinking in the subtle hint of baby powder and vanilla that clung to her velvet skin, and placed a soft kiss to her pulse. “I won’t let him touch you,” he repeated over and over until, inch by inch, her body relaxed into his, softening until her head leaned onto his shoulder and her breathing was less frantic; her pulse slower.

“You mean that, don’t you?”

“I meant all of it,” James insisted, turning her in his arms while he stared into blue eyes that pulled him under until he was drowning in the shallow pools. Until Susan, he’d never felt such a raw need to protect a woman. A need to take on the world so her brow never furrowed or her heart never raced with pure panic. “Whoever this asshole is, he won’t get within an inch of you.”

“Okay,” she answered with a smile so trusting it caused his heart to skip a beat. “I’m better now. Thank you.”

He squeezed her once, leaned down and nipped her bottom lip, then kissed the tip of her nose. “Better is good, but we won’t leave until you’re ready.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, chuckling in that sweet, but husky, way she had, saying, “You’ll have to settle for better until whoever killed Sara and the other Susan are behind bars.”

He searched her face and saw her eyes weren’t frantic anymore, and decided not to treat her with kid gloves. She was stronger than she knew; it was obvious in the line of her shoulders as she shook off her panic. “Then let’s go and get this over with, we can hunker down at my place until they pick this guy up. And they will, Susan. Never doubt that. People rarely get away with murder.”

Her shoulders straightened further, then she stepped back, turned, and zipped up her overnight bag. “All right, let’s get out of here and see if we can help.”

James grabbed her bag from the bed and slung it over his shoulder, then reached out his hand to her. She took it and followed him down the hall, her stride confident. That’s my girl, James thought with pride.

As they rounded the hall into the kitchen, her phone began to ring. Susan looked at it then took a deep breath and answered.

“Hello?”

James’s spine locked when a deep voice resonated through the earpiece in a spiteful tone, loud enough for his hearing to pick up. “You were in town for three days and you didn’t call me? How are we supposed to work this out if you won’t see me?”

He knew instantly it was the ex she’d mentioned. The one who had cheated on her.

Without hesitation, he pried Susan’s fingers from the receiver and put it to his ear, ignoring her narrowed eyes and snappish tone, “I don’t need your help. I can handle him.”

He didn’t want her to have to handle him. That was his job now. To put himself in front of her and take on the world if need be. Or in this case, an asshole who was idiotic enough to step out on a woman like Susan in the first place.

“Who is this?” James growled.

There was dead air. Then, “Who is this?”

“James Mayson. Susan’s man.”

“Her man?” the asshole sputtered.

“Yeah. Her man. A man who knows a fuckin’ great thing when he’s got it in his hands and In. His. Bed. Get me? Lose this number. If I hear one word from Susan that you’re makin’ a nuisance of yourself, I’ll haul your ass into the station for stalkin’—”

“—Haul me—Jesus, you’re a cop? Look, no harm no—”

“—If she wants to talk to you, and make no mistake, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she has no reason to want to talk to you, she’ll call you.”

James hung up as the asshole rushed out, “I’ll lose her number,” then looked down at Susan, his jaw ticking with profound jealousy. “He calls back I want to know instantly.”

Susan looked at the phone then looked back at James, her lips twitching in amusement. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen, caveman. Pretty sure your ‘in his bed’ comment got the point across.”

James reached out and tagged her neck, pulling her to his mouth. “What are you doin’?” she breathed against his lips.

“Restakin’ my claim.”

____________________________

Detective Dan Pike’s expression turned calculated as he stared at a printout of a Josh Sullivan, Sara Watson’s—apparently it was her real name—boyfriend. Pike was a good-looking man, about ten years older than James, with blondish hair and gray eyes. He held an air of confidence that helped settle my nerves even more. James was right; with detectives like Pike on the case it was only a matter of time before Sullivan was caught.

After giving a thorough account of my interaction with Sara, they ran her details and found her address. Once they had that, it was just a matter of knocking on a few doors to connect the dots to who she was dating. So several hours and a few cups of coffee later, James and I were tucked safely inside the sheriff’s department, waiting to see if they could hunt down her supposed killer/boyfriend in record time.

James shifted behind me where he leaned against the wall. “You find somethin’?” he asked Detective Pike.

“This piece of,” he paused and looked at me, “work has multiple arrests for possession. He also has aliases that connect him to Rudy Jackson, one of the biggest drug traffickers in Nashville,” Pike bit out looking at James. “And considerin’ the cluster . . . issues we had the other night with that drug bust, the same night Susan here met Sara, claimin’ she smelled of fuel and burnt rubber, it occurred to me they may be connected.”

I tried and failed to hide a grin at Detective Pike trying to clean up his language.

James pushed off the wall and snatched the sheet of paper from Pike. “If your suspicions turn out to be true, we can assume Sullivan killed Sara to keep her quiet, not about leavin’ him.” He turned and looked at me. “That would explain why she didn’t want the authorities involved. If she was there, she would have been charged. It also means he’s probably after you because of what he thinks Sara may or may not have told you.”

I swallowed hard at the reminder that some asshole truly wanted me dead, but refused to succumb to panic again. James said he would protect me, and I believed him. “Then you need to find him for Sara and Susan Montgomery, and all the kids whose lives will be destroyed by the drugs he’s supplyin’.”

Pike rose as I spoke, mumbling, “Damn straight, we do,” then ripped open the door and headed down the hall.

“Sounds like this case just broke wide-open,” I said.

James placed a hand on the table in front of me, leaning on it until his face was right in front of mine. “You okay?” he asked, running fingers through my hair, then wrapping his hand around my neck, squeezing for support. His blue eyes searched mine; clearly looking for a sign I was going to panic again, and my stomach flipped pleasantly because of his concern.

“I’m great.” I smiled.

His lip twitched. “So we’ve skipped from better to great?”

I studied the crinkles at the corner of his eyes for a brief moment then moved to the sensual curve of his lips. “Yeah, I think we just did.” My answer sounded breathy, maybe even a little bit awed. How had I ever questioned his integrity?

“I’m sorry I was foolish and listened to those rumors about you,” I blurted out, thinking back to when he’d called me out for my stupidity.

His lip twitched again. “You already apologized for that.”

My brows creased. “When did I do that?”

James leaned in closer until his lips were near my ear. “When I slid inside you and you cried out my name five times.”

My head snapped back and my face flushed. “I only called out your name three times,” I groused in a soft voice so no one could hear.

“It might not have been my name, but you shook the rafters of that old house.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m a good girl, we don’t shriek the rafters down.”

“If you’re an angel, then you’ll kill me if you turn devil in disguise.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

James studied me for a moment. “Do you roll your eyes a lot?” he asked curiously, looking at my lips.

“It’s a standard response to infuriating men.”

His mouth tugged at the corner. “Be prepared to be annoyed then. Often.”

I waited for him to explain, but he didn’t. Too curious for my own good, I demanded an answer. “And why is that?”

“’Cause you’re cuter than hell when you roll your eyes.”

“So you like it when I’m cute?”

“Yeah, but mostly because it inspires me to kiss you, and that puts me in the mind to have you flat on your back.”

I couldn’t help it—I rolled my eyes again—two seconds before he kissed me soundly in the middle of the interrogation room, probably with officers watching from behind the one-way glass.

“You can’t kiss me in a police station,” I gasped after ripping my mouth from his.

“Sheriff’s department,” he corrected with a smile, fingering my hair until he’d wrapped it around his finger. Then his eyes came back to mine and he stated with male arrogance dripping in his tone, “Get used to it, babe. I plan to kiss you anytime and anyplace I feel like it.”

I started to roll my eyes, but caught myself, avoiding being kissed again in front of Murfreesboro’s finest. James’s grin widened at my response, so I dug my sunglasses out of my purse and threw them on. There, let the eye rolling commence.

James threw back his head and laughed. Loudly, I might add. I was shooting daggers at him behind my dark lenses when Pike came back into the room looking between us. He didn’t ask why I had my eyes covered with sunglasses, and I liked him even more for it, until he grinned at my arrogant man and rolled his eyes at James.

Whatever.

“Sheriff agrees with our assessment and gave us the OK to wake up the DA for an arrest and search warrant.”

My heart leapt at the news. “So, he’ll be in custody soon?”

James nodded. “Assumin’ we find him soon.” He turned to Pike. “He won’t give up easily if our failed bust is any indicator. You’ll need S.W.A.T. for backup if he’s dug in with his men.”

Pike nodded. “I already requested S.W.A.T. if we get the warrant from the DA.”

“Good, ‘cause there’s no way I’m sittin’ this one out. Not with her life on the line.”

My heart stuttered a beat at the thought of James being shot at again, and looked at his arm. “Are you cleared for S.W.A.T. duty?”

He raised a brow then followed the direction of my focus. “It’s just a scratch. It doesn’t affect my performance.”

Just a scratch? He still had it covered with a bandage, but I’d seen the gouge the bullet ripped into his arm, it had to have needed a dozen stitches to close it. “But your range of motion has to be affected,” I argued, looking at the detective for backup. Surely they had rules about this?

Pike tried to hide a smile and I narrowed my covered eyes at him. “It’s only been three days. Aren’t you goin’ to stop him?”

“Four,” James said, grinning. “It’s after midnight.” He was arguing, yet again, about the number of days.

“It takes two weeks for a wound to properly heal itself enough that you don’t need sutures to keep it closed,” I replied with authority.

“Then I’ll be sure not to get shot in the arm again.”

He was not to be believed!

I shot from my chair, crossing the space between us in an instant, my heart thundering again in fear. But for James this time. “Are you always this arrogant and reckless?” I cried out in fear.

His eyes flashed with something I couldn’t read.

“I’m not reckless, Susan,” he said raising his hand to cup my cheek, running his thumb across the apple in a gentle calming motion, his other hand snaking around my back. “I have too much to live for.” His answer and the look in his ultra-blue eyes took some of the air out of my sails, but I was still terrified something would happen to him.

How had I become so attached to this man in a matter of days? Hours? From the moment he whispered my name?

It shook me to my core how much he meant to me in such a short amount of time. It wasn’t like me to be this irresponsible. I was careful. I made lists to organize my life. Didn’t exit the figurative interstate to drive the highways and byways of life on the off chance I might find a hidden wonder. I didn’t take risks. I followed the rules. But this man stomped into my life and refused to deviate from his course to claim me for his own, and I took hold of his hand, with little coaxing on his part, without a second thought. And I knew with certainty that if anything happened to him, I’d never recover from the loss. Never. He had ruined me for all other men in one night.

“Don’t take risks on my behalf, James. Please. If you’re not one-hundred-percent, you shouldn’t put your life on the line.”

His eyes softened around the edges, their blue depths sparkling with mirth. He drew me further into his body, wrapping his arms around me until my head was tucked into his chest. “Did my range of motion seem impaired four hours ago?” he asked softly, as a door closing echoed in the room. Pike must have left to give us privacy.

My face flushed automatically in response to his arrogant question, but I had to admit his arm didn’t seem the least bit out of commission. So, I shook my head in his chest, not about to agree with him out loud.

“I live on a farm, babe. I’ve been usin’ my arm since the mornin’ after I got grazed. I’m fine. But you need to get used to the idea that I’ll be called out like this. It’s my job. I’m team leader, so even if I’m out of commission, I’ll be there as their eyes.” I knew he was right, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t worry about him the moment he stepped out the door.

I sighed and looked up, nodding my head.

He grinned, knowing he’d won this round, and it tweaked my temper.

I hated to lose arguments, so I mumbled, “I noticed you didn’t deny you’re arrogant, though,” just to have the last word.

He rolled his lips between his teeth, but, I’ll point out, he didn’t argue my point!

“You ready?” he asked, rubbing my arms while I contemplated sticking out my tongue.

I blinked. “We’re leavin’?”

“Yeah, I’m takin’ you to my house.”

I hesitated. I felt safe here with all these guns around me.

James must have felt my nervous energy, and responded, “Baby, if they don’t call up S.W.A.T. then I’ll be there with you, and Sullivan has no reason to know about us.”

That made sense, so I relaxed.

“Okay. That makes me feel better,” I agreed.

“I promised, and I intend to keep my word. I won’t leave you alone unless I know Sullivan is under surveillance.”

____________________________

I’d seen James’s house peeking out between the trees as I’d driven past, but I had no idea what it looked like except for the fact it was painted a warm, pale yellow with white trim. I wasn’t expecting much since he was a bachelor, but even in the dark I could tell his home was picture-perfect. The two-story home with its large porch that was lined with fragrant flowers in autumn colors called to me, inviting me to climb into one of the old chairs, kick back, and relax. There were two, huge red barns on the property, one not far from the house that looked like it had been there for more than a century, providing cover for livestock, machinery, and hay. The whole setting was magically old-fashioned. Like we’d stepped through a time portal to a simpler time when all that mattered was God, family, and friends.

And I wanted to be a part of it.

“This way,” James said grabbing my hand, pulling me up the stairs to the front door. We’d made it two feet inside when he flipped on a light switch, illuminating the interior. Warm wood floors greeted me, the gleaming surface proving that James took care of the inside as well as the outside. His furnishings were sparse, primitive pieces that looked well used and sturdy. You could see every piece had a history to tell, one you wanted to hear, and they mixed perfectly with the few pieces of leather furniture he purchased new. His home was inviting, relaxed, but still a work in progress. He was waiting to finish it, or he was waiting for someone to join him in making the house a home. Susans look like home, hearth, and family.

Yes, I was an idiot. The signs that James was a good guy, the best kind of man, were there from the start.

I started to turn, intending to tell James how much I loved his home, when my feet left the ground on a shriek of laughter. “What are you doin’?”

James marched down a long hallway without mumbling a word then threw me onto a bed. I bounced twice then sat there in shock as he pulled the shirt from his body, his smoldering eyes holding me hostage with their intensity.

“It’ll take hours before they have a warrant,” he said by way of explanation for the toss, “so I plan on takin’ you again before I leave.”

I blinked and his jeans fell open, soft hair poking out between the buttons proving he went commando. I swallowed to control my reaction, then got to my knees and grabbed the hem of my T-shirt and pulled it over my head. One single heated look and I was at his mercy. It didn’t bode well for my future if we stuck like I thought we would. All he’d have to do was look at me with those eyes and I’d be putty in his hands.

My shirt barely hit the floor before he’d grabbed a fistful of my hair and tugged my head back, searing me with a kiss that spoke of possession, the need to claim.

“Wanted you in this bed since I watched you kick your tire. Wanted to lock myself deep inside you so no other man could,” he mumbled low, burying his hand down the back of my jeans to cup my ass. I leaned in and touched my tongue to his neck, and he shivered. I smiled against his skin, determined to draw the same reaction again.

Reaching down the front of his jeans, I wrapped my hand around his thick shaft and he grunted low in his throat as they fell to the floor. He jerked when I ran my thumb across the tip, then put his knee to the bed, twisted, then fell, taking me with him until I landed on top of him.

I should have been freaked out about Sullivan, not making out hot and heavy with James, but as James had said, ‘There may not be a tomorrow, so you shouldn’t take a moment for granted just because you think you’ll have a thousand more.’ With that in mind, I pushed up from his chest, slid to his side, and began kissing my way down his body until I reached my destination. Snaking out my tongue, I circled the velvet skin covering hot, hard steel. James hissed on contact, but I wanted a moan that vibrated deep in his chest, letting me know that his control would shatter by the time I was done with him.

“Take all of me,” James growled, and just like the good girl I was, I followed instructions and opened my mouth, taking him to the back of my throat on my first descent.

James bit out, “Christ,” as I sucked deeply on my way back up, my hand wrapped at the base so I could squeeze him tightly with each thrust of my mouth.

James knifed up and grabbed my hips, which were resting at his side, turning me so he could tug my jeans and panties off, then pulled me around to his mouth, spreading my slick folds apart so he could feast on my core. I bucked against his hand when he slid a finger inside, my mouth opening over his swollen shaft on a gasp when he curled his finger and hit the spot that turned my blood to liquid lava.

“James,” I whimpered, riding his hand, my grip on his cock like a vice.

“I want you to come on my face, baby.”

My plans to rip his control apart fell by the wayside. James’s tongue found my clit, then he pressed firmly on my G-spot and I shuddered, breaking apart into a thousand brilliant pieces.

“No . . . fair,” I panted as I fell from the clouds back to reality.

He responded by flipping me over, climbing up my body, and then slamming into me with such force that another mini orgasm slid through me.

His eyes had bled from ultra-blue to a deep indigo, searing me with their intensity. His jaw was hard like granite as he fought for control. My back arched on a powerful thrust, bringing my breasts closer to his lips. He took advantage, sucking a nipple deep into his warm mouth, and the combination threw me over the edge into white-hot bliss again.

“Fuckin’ brilliant the way you light up for me,” he growled.

I righted my head and reached up, grabbing his neck, pulling him down to my mouth, uttering, “James,” as I sealed my lips over his. I still wanted him to lose control, so I wrapped my legs around his hips and slammed down on his upward thrust, tightening my muscles, milking his steel shaft. I felt him stiffen, his arms banding around me in a steel-like hold as he gave me his weight. Then his tongue tangled possessively with mine on a deep, male moan, and he ignited, pounding harder inside me as he found his release. He was wild. Untamed. And it was beautiful.

All of it.