“Is your ear all right?” she murmured, reaching toward his head. She ran a finger down his temple, afraid to touch the injury itself.
His voice dropped a notch. “I think I’ll be okay.”
His stubble rasped against her fingertips, and the feel of it sent shivers deep into her skin. It was dark and he was big and rough. She didn’t even need to think of what he’d done to her last Friday night; she was wet already just from the sight of his wide body looming over her in the faint neon glare of the bar.
Curving her hand around the back of his neck, Jane pulled him down, happy to note he didn’t need much pulling.
His hands spread over her shoulders as if he’d been thinking of touching her for a while. His lips pressed hot and hungry against her mouth. The taste of him was a shot of adrenaline. Every nerve in her body sprang to life, and now she was
definitely
remembering what they’d done on Friday.
When his tongue plunged into her in a familiar rhythm, Jane knew she had to have him again. Had to. It wasn’t desire, it was
need
.
Everywhere he touched was naked skin. Her shoulders, arms, back. His hands moved restlessly over her, calluses adding just the right friction. Jane snuck her hand beneath his T-shirt to feel his skin, too, and in the dark it was as if they were naked already, clasped together, arching and sighing.
His groan rumbled into her as his mouth angled deeper. She moaned her own encouragement when one of his hands slipped down the front of her shirt. He cradled the weight of her breast, thumb stroking over her nipple. Oh, yes. Oh,
man
. He deserved a reward for his initiative.
Jane rubbed her hand over the front of his jeans, pressing against the bulge there. Apparently he was surprised, because Chase jumped in shock, bumping his nose into hers.
Laughing, she stroked him, then snuck her other hand down the back of his jeans to press her nails to his tight ass.
“Christ,” he hissed, fingers tightening on her breast. His free hand swept up her thigh. The skirt was too short to provide any barrier at all, and Jane didn’t even have time to draw a breath before he plunged his hand into her panties and slipped his fingers along her wetness.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes.”
He pushed one finger in, the pressure arching her back along the curve of the steel behind her. She fumbled blindly for the button of his jeans.
“Not here,” he rumbled.
“Yes, here.”
“I’ll take you home.”
“No.” The button finally gave in to her clumsy hands. “I can’t wait. Please.”
“Not
here
,” he insisted, but she wanted it here. She wanted it in a parking lot, in public, against a car with the background music of a trashy bar as the soundtrack. She wanted to be used, wanted to feel that cheap rush of need and desperation.
“Jane,” he said, “Anyone could—”
She stopped his stupid argument by wrapping her hand around his naked cock. The words died a rough death in his throat. “Fuck me, Chase. Right here.”
“Goddamn it,” he groaned as she stroked him. Despite his curse, he plunged another finger into her and kissed her to stop her sharp cry.
The truck next to her suddenly chirped, its lights flashing briefly. Jane gasped, but Chase didn’t react. “Get in my truck,” he growled.
“I don’t want to go—”
“I’ll fuck you here if that’s what you want, damn it. Get in.”
His crude words thrilled her, and Jane let him move her the few feet to the passenger door of his truck. She followed him in and slipped off her panties so she could straddle him. While he was still sliding on a condom, Jane nudged the straps of her tank top off and pushed it down to bunch at her waist before climbing atop him.
She took him deep and true with one hard drop of her hips.
“Christ,” he whispered, his hands squeezing her arms too tight.
Needing to feel the way he filled her, Jane didn’t move for a moment; she just closed her eyes and breathed. The music filtered through the windshield, muted but still there. A pack of bikes roared out of the parking lot. She opened her eyes to find their headlights flashing close enough to make her breath hitch. The close call made her sex beat harder.
Jane squeezed her thighs and began to ride him.
Chase drew in a hard breath. “God, you’re beautiful.” The neon limned his face in red.
She rose slowly, marveling at the length of him as she slid up, then filled herself with him again. “You’re perfect, Chase. Just perfect.”
His mouth closed over her nipple, cutting off her ability to speak. She could only groan and sigh as he gripped her hips and set the pace he wanted.
This wasn’t the first time she’d had sex in the parking lot of Ryders. As a teenager she hadn’t been wise or choosy, and she’d gotten more stupid with every wine cooler she’d finagled from the wolves at the bar. So no, this wasn’t her first time being used in the parking lot of Ryders, but it would clearly be the best. Because Chase was the kind of guy who took his pleasure in pleasing a woman. He wouldn’t try to get by with a quick finish and halfhearted “Thanks, babe.” He meant to make her come, and Jane meant to oblige him.
She pressed one hand to the roof of his truck for leverage, and slid one hand between their bodies to rub her clit as she rocked her hips.
“Jane,” he groaned. “You’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She was. She was hot and slutty and she didn’t care who might walk by and see her doing Chase in his truck. When she heard a conversation drift to her ears from only a few dozen feet away, her sex tightened with excitement. She rubbed herself faster, and Chase surged up to meet her hips.
“Fuck yeah,” he urged.
“You like it?” she whispered. “You like watching me ride you?”
“I like watching you ride me, and I like watching you finger yourself, and I’m gonna love watching you come.” He cupped her breasts and squeezed her nipples.
“Oh, God, yes. Chase…don’t stop. Don’t.”
He jerked his hips up to meet her.
“Yes. Just like that. Oh, Chase, just like that.” The world rolled over her, pulling her deep beneath a black wave. She couldn’t stop her scream. She couldn’t. She screamed and pressed her fingers hard to her clit as her hips shook against his. The hard pulse of her sex made her feel even more filled with him. Stretched and taken.
As the spasms faded, her heart beat even harder. Chase wasn’t done yet. He’d fallen still, his eyes glittering in the faint light as he watched. “Feel better?” he murmured, a smile curving his lips. A drop of sweat traced its way down his jaw.
“Definitely,” she sighed.
He lifted her, sliding himself free so he could turn her around. Jane rested her forearms against the dashboard as he lowered her back down to take him again. She put her head to her fists and whimpered as he guided her hips up and down, sliding even deeper than he had before. The muscles of his thighs tightened to steel beneath her.
She pictured his view like a movie, the way her ass tilted down when she sank onto him, the way he spread her cheeks when he lifted her up. His breathing got quicker and rougher. He loved this. Loved it. And that made her feel stupidly cherished, just as it had when she’d been a damaged young girl.
Now she knew the difference between lust and affection, but his carnal appreciation still filled her up inside. She still thrilled to every gasp as he took her. And when he groaned and shuddered and surged hard into her, Jane smiled at her clenched fists and sighed with a kind of pleasure she hadn’t found even with her own climax.
She was an animal with him…and she loved it.
Mentally he was even worse off. Who was this girl? If pressed, he would’ve guessed Jane had been educated at an East Coast prep school or something. Instead, she was the stepdaughter of Big Mac MacKenzie, an ex-con who sold and customized motorcycles for local bikers. She held herself like a woman in complete control of her structured world, but she’d urged him to do her against a car, fully exposed to anyone who might walk by.
And he didn’t remember Mac having any daughter named Jane.
Chase frowned down at the paper, seeing letters but not words. Chase had lived in the next town over, so he hadn’t known much about the family. The only daughter he’d heard of was named Dynasty, and Jane couldn’t be more dissimilar. But Jane had said she was a stepdaughter, and there was a good chance that Mac had been married before. There could’ve been two or three or six stepsiblings wandering in and out of that house.
Whoever the hell Jane was, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was intriguing as a sexy librarian, and she was damn hot as a barfly, too.
His body perked up at the thought of her, but Chase just sighed and shook off the images flashing through his mind. He likely wouldn’t see her today and there was no point getting worked up.
He tossed back the last of his coffee and headed out to the hotel site. There’d be no blasting today, but he could get out there with a pickax and maybe get his muscles back to solid form. Two hours later he was pouring sweat and bleeding from a few tiny cuts in his arms where flying shards of stone had nicked him. White dust coated every inch of his clothing. He felt great, and the corner of bedrock was as perfectly angled as it would get.
He was solid again, and strong enough to dare a phone call to Jane. He tossed the pickax to his site supervisor and tugged his phone from his pocket.
“Hey,” he said softly when Jane answered. “How are you? Did your brother get his hearing?”
“Yes, some of the charges were dropped.” She sounded exhausted. “He’s now charged with possession, which we expected, and felony possession of a financial device, which I was hoping he’d avoid.”
“But nothing unexpected.”
“No, not yet. But…” Tension dragged her voice to a rough pitch.
“What is it?”
Her silence radiated uncertainty and distrust, but she took a deep breath and spoke very softly. “His attorney finally got her hands on the search warrant. The stolen goods listed belonged to two women. One of them is missing and the other one…the other one was killed three weeks ago.”
“Shit,” he muttered.
“He didn’t do it,” she rushed on. “He couldn’t have. Jessie might be a slacker and a thief, but he’s no murderer.”
“Okay. All right. They haven’t charged him with murder or assault or anything like that, right?”
“No, nothing. But they clearly suspect him.”
Chase rubbed a hand over his hair, afraid he was about to make a big mistake. “Look, you need help, right?”
“I…Maybe. I mean, yes. Yes, I need help.”
“I want to offer to introduce you to someone.”
“Who?”
“My dad.”
“Your dad?”
“He was an investigator with the state police.” Chase felt his jaw tighten over the words. That had been a lifetime ago, but his dad had been good at his job. He’d just gotten caught one too many times with an open beer in the car. The state police had been forced to let him go. “It would be complicated.”
“Um, because of the…”
“The drinking, yeah. He’s highly functional as long as you catch him before three. His mind’s still sharp. If you can get him copies of the police and evidence reports, he might see something. Something important. He used to be amazing at seeing things other people couldn’t see.”
“Chase,” she whispered. “I don’t know. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”
“I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t think I could handle it. If you really think Jessie’s innocent…”
“I do. He’s no angel, obviously. At best, he’s a thief, but he’s got a good heart. If this investigation goes too far in the wrong direction…It happens all the time, Chase.”
“Then I’ll ask my dad to help. All right?” He waited. He’d hesitated to offer, knowing it would force him and his dad to spend time together. But now Chase held his breath, hoping she’d say yes. He wanted to help wipe that lost look from her eyes.
“Okay,” she finally breathed. “Okay, ask him. I’ll see what I can get as far as reports.”
“Good.”
“Chase…thank you. Thank you for helping me.”
He hung up and swiped a hand over his brow. His dad wouldn’t be up before ten, so Chase had at least another hour to convince himself this was a good idea. Maybe he could fool himself by then.
Just as she started to look over her shoulder at the glass doors of the station, a hand clasped her elbow. “Oh!”
“Jane, how are you?”
She found herself face-to-face with a man she hadn’t seen in months. “Oh, Mitch. Hi.”
The wind blew his blond hair over his forehead and Mitch pushed it back, offering her a sheepish grin. “I was just thinking about you, Jane. How’ve you been?”
“Great!” She said too brightly, fighting the feeling that she’d been caught. “Wonderful.”
Apparently he’d gotten to know her well in the weeks they’d dated, because he frowned at the tone of her voice and glanced up to the building behind her. “What are you doing here?”
“Traffic ticket,” she blurted out.
His gaze dropped to her hands, and she realized she was holding a thick sheaf of papers. Not exactly the paper trail associated with traffic tickets. Mitch was a dentist, not a lawyer, but that didn’t stop the doubt from darkening his eyes. “What—”
“I’ve got to go!” She started to turn.
“Wait, I wanted to ask…I thought we could grab dinner sometime. Spend a little time catching up.”
“Oh, Mitch, I don’t think I can.”
His brown eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Think about it?”
“I’m sorry, Mitch. I appreciate the offer, really. But I just started seeing someone else.” She was using Chase for sex—she might as well use him as an excuse, too.
“Darn. All right. Well, let me know if it doesn’t work out.”
“I will. Thank you.” As she walked away, Jane fought the urge to break into a run. Her panic made no sense. He had no idea why she’d been in the police station. He wasn’t a danger to her. Mitch was a great guy. So great that she couldn’t figure out why she’d broken it off in the first place.
When faced with the perfect man—the perfect man looking for a real relationship—Jane ran. She ran as if her life were in danger, even though these were the men she sought out for dating. But when talk turned to kids or marriage or a trip home to meet the parents, panic spun her down.
Yet that was what she had always
wanted
. A successful, stable husband. A beautiful home in a perfect neighborhood. Children playing in a green yard.
No trailers. No visits to jail. No revolving door of felon stepfathers. No moving from prison town to prison town. No secondhand clothes or old cars or parents you were embarrassed to let your teachers meet.
Jane took a deep breath and kept her pace slow and steady. Mitch was just the kind of man she meant to marry, so why did the sight of him wrap a tight band around her chest?
When her phone rang and she saw Chase’s number, that band snapped free with such suddenness that breath flew into her lungs. Because she was waiting to hear about his dad, obviously. Not because he was thinking about her as that phone chirped. Not because he was waiting for her to pick up, wondering if she was there.
“Hello?”
“Jane. Hi. My dad’s on board.”
“Oh, good. I’m so glad. I’ll pay him. Is that all right? The lawyer said that hiring an investigator is pretty common, so I want to be sure your dad is compensated.”
“Sure. He wants you to get copies of the arrest report, and any reports the women might have filed when their purses were stolen. Also, any evidence about their deaths, of course. Do you need help? This sounds like a lot.”
“No, I just got his arrest report, and his lawyer has already filed motions to release all the information about evidence. I’ll go back and see if I can find anything on the women.”
“What time do you want me to pick you up?”
She glanced at the plain silver face of her watch. Ten-thirty. “Going through the reports may take a while. And I should really stop at the office. I took a personal day, but…And your work. I don’t want to get you in trouble.” She meant to offer to wait until five, but her urgency stopped the words from leaving her throat.
Please don’t make me wait until five
.
“I can leave early. How about two-thirty? Is that too late?”
“No! Thank you. Chase, you’ve been so nice to me. And thank you for last night.” Silence greeted her words, letting her know she needed to replay them in her head. Oh, God. “I mean, thank you for your help at the bar!”
“No, thank you. Really.”
Jeez. Hadn’t this happened last time? This polite appreciation for a devastatingly dirty act? “I…Okay. Well, I’ll see you at two-thirty.” She gave Chase her address and hung up.
Flustered and distracted, she rushed into her office and began hurriedly sorting through the mail on her desk. Her personal life was fluttering out of control, and she couldn’t stand the thought that her work life might be sliding, too. If she could just keep Jennings Architecture running smoothly, it would act as a cap, keeping her secrets dark and hidden. Everything would be fine. She would be fine.
“Jane?”
She jumped up from her seat, hand flying to her chest. “Good morning, Mr. Jennings!”
“Jane, what are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to be sure everything was in order for the rest of your day, sir.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. If there’s something going on in your life, take as much time as you need. You’ve earned it.” He put his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor for a few seconds before glancing up at her. “
Is
there something going on?”
She really didn’t want to lie to him, especially when his eyes were warm with concern. “Mr. Jennings…”
“I’m worried about you, Jane. Yesterday you sent me an e-mail that had two typos.”
She gasped in genuine shock.
“I know,” Mr. Jennings said with a solemn nod. “I called Lori to find out if she had any idea what was going on.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jennings. I promise I won’t let this affect my work again. I—”
“Oh, come on, Jane. I’m not worried about the e-mail. I’m worried about
you
. But just tell me to back off if it’s none of my business.”
Her cheeks were on fire—she was sure of it.
“All right, the framers are starting on my house today, so I’m going to take Lori up to see it. Will you lock up when you leave?”
“Yes, of course. You’ve got your keys? And your phone?”
He nodded, but she noticed that he patted at several pockets before leaving. A lump growing in her throat, she watched him go. Quinn Jennings was like a brother to her. The kind of big brother she would’ve picked for herself if that kind of thing were possible.
She’d never had a big brother to look out for her. It had been just her and Jessie, and for a while there, she’d loved being a big sister.
For so many years it had been just Jane and her mom. She’d never suspected her new stepfather would be released from prison and show up on their doorstep with all his belongings stuffed in one duffel bag. Neither had her mother, or she would never have married him. That sort of defied the purpose of a lifer husband.
But Mac had been released on a technicality and everything had changed. Big Mac had been intimidating as hell, and Jane had spent months waiting for her mother to send him on his way. But he’d stayed, and then suddenly there’d been a little brother.
Jane had thought of Jessie as her pet. She’d held him and fed him, and had once tried to tie a leash around him. She’d even led Jessie into her room and let him nap on her bed while she did homework. The truth was, she’d helped to spoil him rotten as much as her mother had.
But then she’d hit puberty, and her little brother had been the last thing on her mind. She’d been a horrible sister from the moment she’d turned twelve. Neglectful and distant and self-obsessed. She’d contributed to his problems. But if she could help him now, maybe everything would be okay.
Jane glanced at the phone. A good sister would call her ex-boyfriend D.A. no matter what. A good sister wouldn’t hesitate. But Jane was hesitating.
Snatching up the phone before she could talk herself out of it, she dialed Greg’s number.
It rang a few times, and she was greeted by a moment of silence before Greg said, “Jane?”
“Greg. Hi.” Her tongue dried out so fast it nearly stuck to the roof of her mouth.
“I’m glad you called.”
“You are?”
“Yeah, I’m…Look, I’m sorry for what I said in the restaurant. It was out of line.”
Oh, thank God. He wasn’t mad anymore. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard. “You had every right to be angry. I shocked you. I’m really sorry.”
“Why don’t we get together tonight and talk about this more? I miss you, Jane.”
“Greg—”
“I’ve never taken anyone home to meet my parents. I wouldn’t have planned that if I hadn’t been considering a future with you. I’m not ready to give you up without a fight, Jane.”
Oh, God. A horrible thought popped into her head, expanding until it filled her skull and pushed every rational thought out. What if she took him back? Just for a little while? Just until her brother was exonerated? She could find out who was leading the case, how the investigation was going. She could even hang around his office and listen for little tidbits of information.
“Please?” he whispered. The real emotion in that word shocked her out of her madness.
“I’m sorry, Greg. I’m sorry, but I can’t.” Her hands shook with the horror of what she’d been contemplating.
His breath left him in a long sigh. “Just think about it,” he muttered.
Feeling awful, knowing she should say no, Jane kept her mouth shut, unable to take that last step to cut their bond completely.
“What were you calling about, then?” he snapped in a much colder voice.
“Um, I had a question. Do you know who’s been assigned to the Michelle Brown case?”
“Michelle Brown? Why?”
“I…” She couldn’t say it. Her stomach rolled at the thought.
Because my brother is a suspect
. “I know someone who knew her,” she blurted out. “I told them I’d see what I could find out.”
“Not another one,” he muttered. “I think that girl was friends with half the people in Aspen. The D.A. has the case right now. I seriously doubt he’ll assign it to anyone else.”
“Should I be nervous? Is there a killer out there stalking young women?”
“Well, you’re ten years older than Michelle was, Jane,” he said drily, clearly meaning to be snide. “But no, I wouldn’t worry too much. I can’t reveal anything else, but we may have the guy in custody already.”
Although she was sitting down, a wave of dizziness descended over her. He must mean Jessie. He must. “You think you’ve caught him?”
Greg cleared his throat, and his voice became sharper. “I’m not saying we caught him, okay? Don’t go spreading that around. I’m just saying that these kinds of people are usually involved in other criminal activities. It’s likely he’s already in custody for some minor crime.”
“Like what?” she pressed.
“Look, I’ve got to go.”
“Wait…How will you know it’s him? Did someone see him at the scene? Is there—”
“Jane, I can’t give out that kind of information. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Suspicion rang clear in his voice.
“Nothing. I’m sorry. I was just curious.”
“Yeah, well, if you were my girlfriend, maybe I’d consider talking this out with you.” He left it at that, clearly waiting for some sort of response.
“I’m sorry, Greg—”
“Don’t,” he said stiffly.
She snapped her mouth shut and listened to him take a deep breath.
“Please don’t say it again, Jane. I just…” The last word broke a little, as if he were getting choked up.
Jane squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he wouldn’t cry.
“Just think about me, all right?” he rasped. “You can’t just walk away from me like this.”
When she didn’t answer, the line went dead. Hating herself, Jane set the receiver down. She hadn’t accomplished anything and now she felt worse than ever.