Then he turned and their eyes met.
Surprised flickered in their gray depths then they darkened into a swirling mass of storm clouds; dark grays and silver lightning. His gaze skated over her once, twice before their eyes met again.
In seconds, Amy became a string of clichés—her heart thundered, stomach dipped and her palms began to sweat. This was why she had dressed. Not to find Nolan, but to see the flash of heat in Eddie’s eyes. To know she was desired by him. She knew she should cross the room, yet the expression on his face held her immobile.
As he started toward her, his gaze not shifting, people moved out of his way. Dizzying thoughts flashed through Amy’s head. He was going to sweep her into his arms and kiss her. Her body responded to her thoughts, anticipation racing under her skin and heat pooling in places that had been cold for so long.
Until this very moment, she hadn’t admitted to herself she wanted Eddie Fitzgerald. That she shouldn’t want him was bittersweet. Just because he was attentive didn’t mean anything. He was a cop doing his job.
***
Eddie had been listening to Sally explain how short-handed their investigative division was when she stopped and said, “Look what the cat dragged in.”
He’d turned, expecting to see Roland, and caught site of the breathtaking woman in red standing in the doorway. Air left the room as realization hit him hard in the gut.
Amy.
For a second, he’d stared, taking in the pixie bangs framing her breathtaking face, brilliant blue eyes luminous and lips slightly parted in a smile that promised a sinful night and decadent sex to any man that caught her attention tonight. Her dress didn’t leave much to the imagination either, draping over those delectable breasts and hugging her tiny waist and hips before stopping mid-thigh.
Knee-high black leather boots left an enticing stretch of thighs covered with shear black tights. His palm itched to touch, caress.
Whispers of longing came and went around him. Some wondered who she was. Others boldly voice their intentions to find out.
Mine.
The single word slammed into Eddie’s psyche with the finality of a judge’s mallet. No, no, no, definitely not his. No way. Amy was chaos in heels. He had enough craziness at work without getting involved with a woman like her.
Despite his stance, he couldn’t deny he wanted her. His body craved hers. His mouth longed to taste her lips. His heartbeat shot to a senseless tempo whenever she was around. Knowing she slept a few doors away from his only made matters worse. The attraction annoyed the hell out of him because it made no sense.
She was everything he avoided in a woman—stubborn, argumentative, unpredictable, yet he looked forward to their arguments, enjoyed their battle of wits and loved listening to her lengthy explanations on the most mundane things. But the most amazing thing about her was she made him laugh.
He reached her side and looked down into her eyes and steeled himself against her allure. Would she welcome him, if he did what every cell in his body was screaming at him to do? Kiss her and proclaim to the entire room she was his. The expectant look in her eyes said she might not fight him, but he wasn’t taking any chances. With Amy, he was never sure how she’d react to anything, which was maddening to say the least.
He gripped her arm, moved out of the doorway and against the wall then leaned down and whispered, “I thought I asked you to stay at home.”
Blue fire flashed in the depth of her eyes. “And I thought I made it clear that I planned to help.”
“If I recall, I told you I didn’t need your help.”
“Then chalk it down to my inability to obey orders.”
And screw with a man’s head without realizing it. It was part of her charm. “Where’s Raelynn? From your outfit, I don’t think there’s space to hide her.”
“If that’s a dig at my dress, you’d better take it back. It cost me an arm and a leg.”
Eddie chuckled. A different woman would have been offended he found her outfit skimpy. “I guess I have no choice but to let you stay.”
“Or you could stay on your end of the bar and I stay on my end.”
“And start a riot? No, you’re mine.”
Her brow shot up.
He flushed. “I mean, you’re at my end.”
“Mine and at my end don’t rhyme, detective,” she teased, eyes twinkling.
“Come on, I want you to meet someone.” He gripped her hand and escorted her across the bar, part of him wishing he had a trench coat to drape around her shoulders. Even though her boots gave her a few extra inches, his trench coat would still cover her from head to toe. He didn’t like the look on some of the men’s faces. He pulled her closer and gave them a look that said, “Back off.”
Amy stiffened the closer they got to Sally. He slowed down and said, “It’s okay. She knows.”
“You told her?” she asked, not masking her annoyance.
“Not everything. Just that a man stalked and harassed you in Virginia, forcing you to flee, and that he’s here now.”
“Oh.”
“We’ll need her to arrest Nolan and his man.” They stopped by the policewoman.
“Officer Sally, we meet again,” Amy said as Sally stood and they shook hands.
“Yes, we do. I’m terribly sorry the circumstances are not pleasant, Ms. Kincaid, but I promise to do whatever I can to help,” the policewoman said, choosing her words carefully. “Stalkers tend to think they’re slick, but we always catch them.”
“I hope so,” Amy said then smiled at the two men who brought them stools. “Thank you.”
“We’ll have a table ready for you in few minutes,” one of the men added, a broad grin on his face.
“Thank you,” Amy said again.
Eddie wanted to punch the guy’s nose. For ten minutes, he’d stood at the bar because all the stools were taken and now two had magically appeared. The wait for a table, he’d been told by the owner, was thirty minutes.
“We’d like one by the wall,” he ordered the young man.
“Yes, sir.” The man took one look at him and scuttled away.
Pup. His attention shifted to Amy and Sally. Amy was explaining about the things Nolan had done to her, even admitting he was her ex-husband, but the look in her eyes said there was a whole lot more to her stories.
“The police took his side and didn’t believe me,” she finished, “so I packed up and left, took up the name Jessica Franklin, and left and prayed he didn’t track me down. Guess I was wrong.” She looked at Eddie as though checking his reaction.
“Around here, we don’t believe cops are above the law, Ms. Kincaid. We will catch this bastard.”
“So your married name is not Franklin,” Eddie asked.
Amy shook her head. “No. My married name was Reither.”
What else had she lied about? It rankled that she was more comfortable with a female cop than him. On the other hand, he must remind her of her ex, which left a nasty taste in his mouth.
Amy ordered ginger ale when the bartender asked her what she was drinking, then they were led to a table in the back with the perfect view of the entrance. He’d already checked upstairs and knew Randal wasn’t in the building.
They ate their garlic fries with homemade ranch, braised duck and buffalo burgers as six-thirty came and went without Randal showing up. Amy, he noticed, didn’t eat her food. She kept studying people around the room, watching the door and tensing every time it opened. She had even excused herself and went upstairs before their food arrived.
Eddie wished he could reassure her, but he was fast learning that earning her trust wasn’t going to happen overnight. Seven came and went. Randal had said he’d be at the bar at seven. Fifteen minutes later, Eddie had a bad feeling in his gut. He’d learned to never disregard that feeling.
“We need Randal’s address,” he told Sally.
“I’ll call the station and get it.” The pub was too loud for phone conversation. A band was playing and the crowd showed their appreciation with every tune. Sally made her way out of the pub, nodding at people she knew and returning greetings.
“Call home too, Amy.”
She scowled, but something on his face had her diving into her purse for her cell phone. She followed Sally outside, turning heads without even being aware of it. Eddie settled their bill and headed outside too.
Sally was leaning against the squad car, talking on her phone, but Amy…
He looked around and frowned. Where the hell was she? He searched for her car and didn’t see it. Something cold settled in his stomach.
“Have you seen Amy?”
Sally looked up and frowned. “No.”
“She came outside to make a call too. Amy,” Eddie yelled, frantically looking up and down the street.
There was an alley right by the pub with no security light.
“Do you want me to put an APB on her car?” Sally asked.
“Not yet. Search that way.” He pointed toward the traffic light. “I’ll go this way.” He entered the alley, his body tense, stomach clenched with tension. If something happened to her, if that bastard so much as touched a hair on her head, he was dead.
“Amy!”
She was finishing her call when she heard voices calling her name. She recognized Eddie’s and rolled down the window just as he ran out of an alley. “Over here.”
He turned, saw her and changed directions, crossing the street at a run, Sally close behind him. Amy got out of the car.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” One second she was standing free, looking into eyes brewing with storm, the next Eddie had hauled her into his arms. With her breasts pressed against his chest, she could hear his heart pounding hard. A moment passed before she reacted.
She gripped the back of his shirt and tugged. “Eddie. I’m fine. Really.”
His arms tightened around her. Amy sighed and let him chase away his demons. But soon the hardness of his body called to something feminine and primitive inside her. His arms were wrapped around her like steel, one hand pressing the gentle swell of her left breast and the other resting on the inner side of her hip. Her nipples hardened and tingled, her body curving around his. Her dress had ridden up and the tights and his jeans were no barrier for the powerful muscles flexing against her thigh.
Amy imagined his hands moving just a little bit until his long fingers trapped a nipple while the other one coasted lower and lower. To have those beautiful long fingers caressing her, stroking nerves that had been dormant for so long… A shudder rocked her body. As though he was an extension of her, he trembled too.
One second, delicious need pulsed between them; the next a blast of cold air replaced the warmth as he stepped back. Their gazes locked. The moment stretched, a vortex of desire and cravings swirling around them.
Silver flashed in his eyes, chasing away the heat and the tenderness. He towered over her with intimidating air. “Didn’t you hear me call your name?”
Amy shook her head, trying to switch back to normal. He did it with such ease. “My phone died, so I came to the car to use the charger. I had to turn on the car and I couldn’t hear you above the engine and the windows up.”
He looked at the car as though seeing it for the first time. “Whose car is this?”
“Lauren’s. She loaned it to me for tonight. Is Randal here?” Her gaze swung from him to Sally.
“I spoke to his mother,” Sally explained. “Apparently, he received a call earlier in the evening and locked himself in his bedroom. He refused to come to the phone.”
“Do you think Nolan’s guy got to him?” Amy asked.
“
You
are going home,” Eddie said in an authoritative voice.
His authoritative
cop
voice didn’t work for her, and Amy’s first instinct was to defy him. Then she saw beyond his harsh voice to the concern shimmering in his eyes. He was a natural-born protector. No wonder he joined the force. “I am, but that doesn’t answer my question.”
“Now, Amy.”
“Yes, Eddie,” she said softly and smiled.
His gaze studied her lips as though something about her smile bugged him. His eyes locked with hers. “Why are you agreeing with me?”
Amy shrugged. “Because I want to go home.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are Raelynn and Lauren okay?”
“Yes. I just spoke with them.”
“You never agree with me on anything.”
Amy threw up her hands. He was looking for a fight. “That’s because you’re unreasonable and anal.”
“Me? You are the one who turns every conversation into a colossal argument.”
“But I just agreed with you this time,” she reminded him, her voice soft and soothing. Instead of calming him, it seemed to have an opposite effect on him. He scrubbed his face. “I promised Raelynn I’d read to her before she goes to bed, so yes I’m going home. Are you two heading to Randal’s, Sally?”
Eddie followed her glance, surprise flickering on his eyes as though he’d forgotten the policewoman was with them.
Sally nodded. “I got this, detective. Follow Ms. Kincaid home. With Reither on the loose, there’s no telling where he might pop up. I’ll give you a call as soon as I’m done with Randal.”