Sheri couldn’t drive fast enough. Well, she was capable, however it wasn’t possible, not without violating speed laws, and Jacob who owned the role of the local police chief had already given her a fair number of warnings.
Her anger simmered right below the surface. Seeing Mat in her bar, her favorite watering hole, had taken her breath away. Not in a good way. It hadn’t been because he’d been flirting with her cousin, Elizabeth. They had often been called twins. Yes, there were differences but Mat got a pass for it being darker in the bar.
He—Mat Farrell—did not get one for just walking out on her after their time together.
Now he’d returned. To toss her life into disarray. Peering over her shoulder, she spied the lights from his truck. Right there, maintaining the same distance between them.
What could have happened for him to return here? To her.
Granted, he did say he needed her. Sure, that had played to her memories of what they’d shared for that week, but there hadn’t been anything sexual in his statement. In fact, his gaze had been remarkably devoid of anything but business. Another reason she’d agreed to talk to him. His work ethic was unmatched and if he needed something from her for it, she would hear him out.
Pulling up to the small bungalow she currently rented, she did her best to ignore the steadily increasing pulse between her legs as she watched him walk toward her. Dark brown shaggy hair fell in a sexy disarray over his face.
She swung her leg off the bike and didn’t bother tugging the skirt down.
His green gaze dropped and slowly ran up her form.
Crap, I need an ice bath now, with that look he just gave me. Perhaps it would just be more productive for me to just move to the Arctic or Antarctica, so I can be around some cooler weather to offset this heat this man gives me. Everywhere he looked, he stared below her clothes. His words, from long ago still rung in her ears as fresh as they’d been the second he shared them with her.
Whenever I look at you, I see you naked. I see every inch of your sexy dusky skin.
Not memories she needed to be having right now. Where was that damn ice bath?
“Come on in,” the words fell in a tumbled rush from her lips. She opened the door.
Mat brushed by her pushing her closer to the tenuous edge. He was a damn live wire, amping her up completely, merely by being in the same vicinity as her. She turned on one light then dropped her keys in the handmade ceramic dish on the table by the door. “What’s so important tha—”
His mouth smothered hers, cutting off her words. Mat thrust his tongue deep and she was there with hers to dance. His taste poured into her. The life-giving elixir she knew she would never have enough of. He backed her to the door, hands shoving up beneath her top, calloused hands running along hypersensitive skin. Nipples at taut points, she trembled when he swiped his thumbs over them.
Soaked panties didn’t stop her from nearly humping his leg when he wedged it between her thighs. Threading her fingers through his hair, she tugged sharply as he plucked at the tips of her nipples.
He growled in response before releasing her mouth and resting his head against hers.
They were both out of breath and there was no denying the hard length of his cock pushing against her.
“I need your skills.”
“So you’ve stated.” Crap, her heart pounded nigh out of control.
“You make me forget everything but sex.” His gaze darkened with heat. “And so fucking much off it.”
“Not exactly innocent there yourself,” she retorted, for the sole reason that she couldn’t seem keep the remark from tumbling out.
“I need you to take me down the river.”
She furrowed her brow. “All this fanfare of showing back up into my life after you just walked out for nothing more than a rafting or kayaking expedition? You could have gone through regular channels. Hell, you didn’t even have to come to me as there are plenty of people who are capable of taking you over the river.”
He shook his head, his expression remaining solemn. “No. Not a group. You and me. Only.”
There was a sense of urgency in his tone that had her focus returning from where it went to just the two of them on the river. Him shirtless, water beading down his muscular chest. Wait—she was going to focus. Starting now. “What’s going on?”
“Hopefully nothing.” With a final brush of his hands over her boobs, he dropped his hands back to his sides and stepped away. “You know about those children who were taken?”
“Of course.” Her gut clenched. “I do. My cousin, Liz who you met earlier tonight, is a state trooper. Maybe she should be the one you talk to?” Missing children was out of her league.
“I’m still not sure. I’m checking hunches, doing the research. I don’t want to get people’s hopes up or throw off those who are responsible for the kidnappings because if I speak to someone and what my thoughts are on it, alerts them and they bug out.”
She pursed her lips then moved by him to her wall where she had a large map of the waters she rafted. This was her domain. The rush, the danger, all of it, she loved. “You think they’re using the rivers to move the children?”
Between her and Liz, she was known as the nice one, the calm one, the nonviolent one. However, the thought of these children being yanked from their families for god knew what shit had her ready to show how bloodthirsty she could be.
Mat turned his gaze from the map to her and gave a sharp nod. “Unfortunately, yes. This area here—” He drew a circle with his finger— “Is what overlaps of the abduction sites if you’re using a twenty-five-mile radius.”
She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and stared. “What makes you think that the law didn’t think of this? And haven’t already considered checking it out? Or actually done so?”
“I don’t know. That’s part of the reason I’m only saying this is a hunch and don’t want to tell them anything which could possibly take them from what they are focusing on.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I can’t explain it but to me, this feels right.”
She knew what he’d done before and took his gut feeling as something important. “Okay then, let me tell you about this section. That’s an area that’s nothing less than a class three. There are a few smooth spots but other than that…Rapids. If you’re right and they are going through here often, they have someone with experience. Possibly more than one. You don’t take children down anything like this without serious experience at the helm. Not without being okay with losing possibly everyone. Aside from the radius, why do you think it’s here?”
“This could take a while.”
“Let’s get to it then.” Sheri took the map and carried it to the dining room table.