Die for Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer (13 page)

Then he was heading toward her. Slow steps. She climbed onto the bed, pulling the covers back. “Um, do you want—”

“Just you.” He kissed her again. “Just. You.”

He was naked. Warm and solid and surrounding her. Part of her wanted to pull away, because, suddenly, this was too much. He was too much.

The whispers of the past tried to come for her once more.

“Tell me what you like.”

His voice quieted the whispers.

“You.” Her instant response. And it was true. There was something about him that got to her. An instinctive response.

He laughed lightly, and Katherine had the feeling that she’d caught him by surprise. She also liked his laugh. It sounded warm. A little husky.

“I like you too, Katherine.” His fingers skimmed down her shoulder. Slid down to her wrist. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the inside of her wrist. “But I want to know what gives you pleasure.”

Pleasure was skating through her right then. A hum of pleasure because she’d felt the rasp of his tongue against her skin and her madly beating pulse.

“I want…wild.” She forced the words out. “Hot.” That had been what he said, right? If that was what he wanted, then she—

“We’ll get to that,” Dane promised. “But first, I think we need to focus on you.”

And he was pushing between her legs. Putting those slightly callused fingertips on her thighs and easing them farther apart. She expected him to thrust a finger into her sex. She’d already tensed but…but Dane bent his head.

“I like focusing on you,” he whispered, and then his mouth was on her.

She wasn’t prepared for the sensual slide of his lips and tongue, and her whole body tightened. She arched her hips, not to get away from him, but to get so much closer to that wicked mouth.

Because he was giving her pleasure. Not reminding her of the past. Just making her feel—

Alive
.

When her first orgasm hit, she choked out Dane’s name. Her body bowed off the bed as the pleasure throbbed through her blood.

“And I fucking love the way you taste,” he said, the words dark and deep.

Her heart slammed in her chest. The drumming filled her ears. She hadn’t expected…that. Not so fast. Now all she wanted was—

Again, please.

“Ready for the wild part?” Dane asked, voice rough with lust. “’Cause I can’t hold on much longer.” A sensual warning.

The she saw that he was easing a condom over his erect length, and the guy was
very
aroused. She wondered if he always carried a condom around with him, or had he been planning on this?

Then his hands were reaching for her. His fingers curled around hers. Not holding her down. She hated to be held down, but…his fingers were twining with hers, not pinning her.

“Ready?” Dane asked.

She nodded, her hair sliding over the pillows.

“Then wrap your legs around me.”

She did.

He’d promised her wild, but would he deliver on that promise?

Dane thrust into her. She gasped as her body tried to adjust. Three years. Not since—

“
Only. Me
,” Dane ordered. His fingers tightened around hers. Then he withdrew. Drove deep. Harder.

The bed began to rock beneath them. Her box springs squeaked. She wrapped her legs around him, tried to arch her hips, seeking a position that would let him slide in easier but…

The guy was
big.

And it had been a long time.

Then his right hand pulled away from her. His fingers slid between their bodies. Pushed over the center of her desire.

He withdrew, then thrust into her.

Yes.

She stared up at him. Her eyes had adjusted a bit to the darkness, and she could almost make out his features in the dark.

Her cop.

Dane.

He hooked her legs up higher. Pushed harder. Deeper. Her breath heaved out and she arched against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. Again and again.

She came, her body tightening on a wave of pleasure as her orgasm shuddered through her.

Dane kept thrusting. The pleasure intensified, stealing her breath. She couldn’t even call out to him.

“Want…more,” he growled. Then he was kissing her. She was frantic for him. The pleasure was all she knew. He was all she knew.

They rolled across the bed. No, they were wrecking her bed, and she loved it.
Loved it.

She was on top of him. Rising up and down, and her knees were sinking into the mattress. His hands were tight around her hips as he pulled her into his pounding thrusts. She wanted him to come.

Wanted the pleasure to last forever.

“Not…enough…” Then he had her under him again. Her legs were over his shoulders, and he seemed to be inside her even deeper than before.

Another thrust. Withdrawal. Thrust.

He’d promised her wild.
He was giving her wild.

Dane stiffened against her. Shuddered. She almost wished the lights were on then, because she would have loved to see his eyes go blind with pleasure. Would the blue darken? Lighten?

Her breath rasped out. Her heart kept racing.

Pleasure still whispered through her body. So much pleasure. She licked her dry lips.

He eased her legs down. Stayed inside of her.

She wrapped her arms around him. Held him close.

Just sex. Just sex.
The mantra repeated in her head again and again. They would part in a few minutes. The lust had been satisfied. The desire fulfilled.

But she didn’t want him to leave her.

Only Dane.
He’d made her feel normal again. Given her the pleasure that other women took with their lovers.

She hadn’t trusted a man enough to get this close.

Why him?

But then he was pulling away, as she’d known he would. Heading into the bathroom without speaking to her. Katherine fumbled for the covers, suddenly feeling far too exposed even in the dark. Then she heard his footsteps coming back toward her.

He’d leave now. Go to the room across the hall. They’d have some awkward conversation in the morning and—

And he was climbing into bed with her.

She stiffened when his arms wrapped around her. She could have sworn…had he just pressed a kiss to her head?

“It’s okay, Katherine,” he told her quietly. “You’re safe tonight.”

Tears wanted to fill her eyes. Stupid tears. She hadn’t let herself cry in so long. She wouldn’t cry now. “Of course I am,” she mumbled, hoping her voice didn’t sound weak. “I’ve got a gun three feet away in my nightstand drawer.”

He laughed at that. The same husky, deep laugh as before, and the sound seemed to warm her once more.

Yes, she had Ross’s gun close by. And she had warm, strong arms around her. Someone to hold her in the dark.

Don’t cry. Don’t break.

She could still feel him inside her. Aftershocks of pleasure seemed to slip through her sex. But even better than that, she liked the way he held her.

Dane curved his body around hers.

Her lashes started to fall. She wouldn’t be able to sleep with him there, of course. She’d wait a few minutes, then she’d tell him to head across the hall to the other room. She didn’t want him there when dawn came. Didn’t want him to see her in the light.

She’d tell him to leave soon.

Soon…

Katherine was sleeping with the cop.

Damn her. She was
screwing
the man. She’d just met him. So much for her ice queen routine.

The binoculars had given a perfect view into Katherine’s house. She should have shut the fucking blinds in her kitchen. But, no, her kitchen lights had been blazing, and she’d let the cop put his hands all over her.

She’d twisted and pushed against him, looking desperate for his touch.

She
was supposed to be the one who was special? She was just a whore. Katherine had shown her true colors.

She’d rushed from the kitchen with the cop. Gone upstairs but finally had the sense to turn off her light.

The binoculars were in the car now. No good anymore. Cops were at Katherine’s door. A cop was in her bed.

She’ll pay.

The fools thought Katherine was the target tonight.

No, Katherine wouldn’t be getting this package.

A few moments later, the car’s engine cranked up. The car slid slowly into the darkness. The cops didn’t even give the vehicle more than a cursory glance as it drove down the street.

It should have been harder.
The thought came instantly. But killing wasn’t hard.

Especially when the world was full of such easy prey.

He woke to find Katherine curled around him. Her body was soft and sensual, she smelled lightly of strawberries, and her head was tucked onto his shoulder.

His hand was wrapped around her hip. Her leg rested on his thigh.

And it felt like he was in damn heaven.

Dane hadn’t intended to have sex with her the night before. Hell yes, he’d wanted her. Most sane men would want a walking wet dream like Katherine Cole, but…

He’d brought the condom along just in case the relentless fantasy in his head actually came true. A guy could hope, right? He hadn’t thought the lady would actually give him the green light. But then she’d looked at him with those big, deep eyes of hers.

And his self-control had been lost.

Pulling away from her would have taken more strength than he possessed. So it was a real damn good thing that the lady had been pulling him toward her. Not pushing him away.

He shifted his head on the pillow so he could look at her. She looked younger when she slept. Vulnerable. Her long lashes cast shadows on her cheeks.

He could see the smooth skin of her shoulders. Creamy and—

His eyes narrowed even as his hand lifted, and carefully his fingers skated over the tip of her right shoulder. The skin was slightly raised. Not in just one spot, but four. Four rough circles. Old scars that looked like—

“They’re burns.” She didn’t open her eyes, but Katherine’s body was suddenly tense beside him. “Cigarette burns, to be exact.”

He’d seen a few burns like those before. Judging by the way they’d faded…“You were just a kid.”

“I guess Agent Wayne was right about my shared history with Valentine. We both had really screwed-up childhoods.” Her lashes were still covering her eyes, and he had the feeling that she was hiding from him. Or maybe it was just easier for her to talk without looking into his eyes.

“My mother was on drugs too—like his. And when she got high, she burned me.”

His jaw locked. “How long?”

“When I was nine, I went into the foster care system.”

Nine years. Had they all been hell? The scars said they had.

“The scars don’t matter, okay? They’re just marks on my body, nothing more.” Her lashes lifted. The gold in her gaze seemed to shine even brighter.

“Are there more?” Because these marks pissed him off. He didn’t want anyone or anything hurting her, ever.

“Not where you can see.”

She tried to pull away from him, but Dane wasn’t ready to let her go.

“You should have gone to the other room last night. After—” Katherine broke off and cleared her throat.

“After the fucking fantastic sex?” Because it had been incredible. The best he’d had, and Dane hadn’t exactly lived a pure life.

Her cheeks reddened.

Damn, the blushing was cute. “You sure as hell aren’t what I imagined.”

Her lips parted in surprise, and her face seemed to pale. “You mean since I was the lover of a serial killer, you expected something else from me?” Then she shoved against him. “I’m not the freak show the papers said I was. I’m not twisted or depraved or—” Her breath heaved out. “I’m just
me.
”

“Dammit, I meant—”

“The night’s over,” she snapped. “Time to return to reality.”

He’d rather return to the night, but Katherine had climbed out of the bed and jerked most of the covers with her.

Since he wasn’t the shy sort, Dane slowly rose to his feet. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

Katherine’s head tilted back. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders. “Then what did you mean?”

“I didn’t expect to touch you and go from zero to lust in about two seconds.”

She blinked.

“I want you.” The woman would be pretty blind not to realize that fact, considering the heavy arousal he’d woken with—the arousal that was plain to see right then. “But our timing is pretty screwed at the moment.”

Her lips parted.

“If I weren’t working the case, I’d be wining and dining you.”

“You—” Katherine cleared her throat. “What do you want from me?”

Her trust. He had to have it in order to solve this case. But he couldn’t say that. So he stuck with the truth that he could give. “I want everything you can give me.” Because one time with her wasn’t going to be enough for him. Last night had just been a taste. He was a starving man.

But before he could say anything else, the doorbell rang. Hell. He glanced at his watch. Seven o’clock. Not quite time for a shift change, and even if it were, Dane wasn’t in the mood to leave. He and Katherine needed to clear the air some more.