Safe From the Dark (21 page)

“Get
in line,” muttered Jocelyn, pressing down the adhesive into Colin’s side,
ignoring his wince. “You’re lucky you don’t need stitches.”

“It’s
not like I came over here trying to get myself killed,” Colin didn’t sound
appropriately remorseful, which just pissed Evie off further.

“You’re
not supposed to be going anywhere at all! Why do I have half this town guarding
your ass? All these volunteers, Tony, Zeke – they all have better things to do
than to watch over someone who doesn’t even have the most basic hint of
self-preservation!”

Evie
didn’t care that they were yelling at each other in front of a dozen people, or
that Colin had gotten up to get in her face, scowling down at her. The blood on
his jeans pushed a spike of fear through her gut –
she hadn’t been there to
protect him.
The big idiot.

“You
can’t just lock me up and expect me to sit back while you catch this killer,
Evie. It’s my friends and my community she’s going after.”

“I
can do whatever the law allows, Colin Daniels. And that includes putting you
under house arrest. Colin Daniels, you’re under arrest for obstruction of
justice.”

Colin
looked stunned as Evie pulled a pair of handcuffs from her back pocket, whirled
him around, and had him cuffed in the blink of an eye.

“How
the hell did I obstruct justice?!?”

“You
disrupted a crime scene.”

“You
wouldn’t have even known there was a crime scene here if I hadn’t shown up!”

She
ignored him pushed him toward her car.

“You
have the right to remain silent – ”

“Evie,
I’m not sure about this – ” Even Tony sounded hesitant, but Evie was feeling wrathful,
and stood her ground.

“I
am taking him home. If he sets one foot outside that house, I’m going to lock
him up in the jail cell downtown and invite the local paper to come take pictures.
I’m sure that will go over really well with the Town Council.”

The
ghost of a smile flitted across Tony’s face, but he smothered it.

“And
we’ll cancel the Harvest Festival.”

Candace
let out a shocked gasp.

“You
can’t do that! All the work we’ve put in, all the revenue it brings to this
town.”

Tony
just shook his head.

“My
number one priority is keeping the residents of this town safe, along with our
guests. If that means canceling the festival, you can be sure that’s exactly
what I’ll do.”

He
caught Colin’s eye.

“But
we’re not there yet. Colin, go home and cool off.”

“You’re
not really going to let her put me under house arrest. Tony!”

“Sorry,
buddy. You’re on your own.”

THE
TEMPERATURE IN THE car was a few degrees below sub-Arctic, despite the fact that
Evie hadn’t looked at him once since shoving him in the back seat like a common
criminal.

She’d
actually put him in handcuffs.

Colin
couldn’t believe it. Not that the idea of Evie and handcuffs in the same room
wasn’t a combination he hadn’t considered a time or two, but the fantasy
usually consisted of her chained spread-eagled to his bed while he licked
caramel sauce off her tits.

He
twisted, infuriated by the restraints, even more angry that she’d chastised him
like an errant teenager.

“You
can’t just arrest me. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

She
ignored him, though her shoulders tensed up.

“Evie,
stop the fucking car and look at me!”

Miraculously,
she did as he asked, wrenching the car to the side of the road and killing the
engine, but leaving the lights on.

She
started to speak, and then seared him with one fury-laden look before
clambering out of the car, slamming the door shut.

Colin
watched her pace along the shoulder, feeling helpless and infuriated. Behind
her, he could see nothing but dark woods. They were off the beaten path,
completely isolated. Evie was taking a meandering path back to the house to
avoid being ambushed along any predictable routes.

Even
when she was mad enough to cut off his balls with a blunt butter knife, she was
still thinking like a cop, still protecting him from harm.

He
knew she was angry, but she was also scared.
For him.

Something
twisted in his heart and Colin was overwhelmed with a frightening desire to
just wrap his arms around Evie, reassure her that he was fine, and then make
love to her until all thoughts of blood, death, stalkers, and murder were
burned away by the fires of passion. The rest of the world would go away,
leaving just the two of them.

His
reverie was interrupted by the back door being yanked open, and then Evie
grabbed a handful of his shirt and half-dragged, half-propelled him out to send
him stumbling against the heated hood of the car.

“You
nearly died.” She poked him in the chest, hard. Her eyes were huge in the dim
light, her body close enough that her hip brushed his swelling cock. Adrenaline
and fear and anger were having a predictable result on his body.

“But
I didn’t,” he insisted.

“Do
you know how I felt when your call came in?”

“Helpless?
Frustrated? I’m familiar with the sensations. That’s exactly how I feel when
you put yourself in danger, Evie.”

“Yes,
but I’m trained to do exactly that. You’re a civilian. I can’t believe I have
to remind you that I’m the one with the gun!”

“You
can’t catch this woman on your own.”

Her
hands came up to his chest. He wasn’t sure she was even aware of the move.

“I
can’t catch her if I’m spending all my time worrying about you.”

“Well,
you’ve got me where you want me now, tied up and unable to get in your way,
Deputy. What are you going to do with me?”

EVIE
STARED AT COLIN in the gloom, uncertain. Part of her wanted to keep raging at
him, to do everything to convince him that what he’d done tonight was supremely
stupid. Another part of her wanted to plaster every inch of her body against
his, to assure herself that his lungs still worked by his breath mingling with
hers when they kissed, to feel the pulse of his heartbeat in his chest against
her breasts, and the rush of blood under his skin as he filled her with his
heavy shaft, throbbing with life and heat. Alive.

You’re
going to regret this later,
remarked the inner cop, but Evie wasn’t listening as her hands started on the
buttons of his shirt.

Colin
didn’t speak, but watched her, his breath coming hard, his incredible body passive
under her hands. The way he’d made her give up control the last time they were
together was masterful, but it was her turn now, and the thought of having him
at her mercy,
finally¸
was heady.

Evie
spread his shirt wide. The headlights cast the sculpted muscles of his torso into
sharp relief. She licked the line that separated the impressive ridges, and
then abruptly sank her teeth into one tough pectoral.

“Shit.”

Colin
arched under her, pressing her mouth harder against his chest, his swollen cock
harder against her stomach.

Evie
let him go, staring at the mark she’d made, shocked at herself even as satisfaction
threaded through her –
mine
. Any other woman who saw him now would know
that he’d been branded and claimed.
Don’t
touch
. Evie scowled at
the idea of other women seeing his chest.

“Dammit,”
she muttered.

Colin,
panting and tight, still managed a smirk.

“Do
you want me to tattoo your name across my ass? That might be a little more
permanent.”

“Shut
up.”

Evie
pulled his head down for a kiss, hot and wet and seductive, tongues tangling,
teeth scraping, breath mingling as she realized with a start that he was
becoming her drug of choice – a craving, impossible to kick, addictive
temptation personified. She wasn’t comfortable with the idea, so she focused on
the moment – the heat of his mouth and skin, the rasp of stubble, and the
thickness of that luscious cock swelling between them.

She
scraped her nails up the length of his erection through the denim, her pussy
already wet in anticipation. Colin yanked his mouth away and let his head fall
back against the hood of the car with a
thunk
.

“Are
you going to fuck me or not?” His voice sounded aggravated. “Because if you’re
not, at least take out my cock so that I don’t come in my pants like a fifteen-year-old
with his first dirty magazine.”

Evie’s
breath hitched at the thought – Colin straining against the handcuffs, his
jeans pulled low, letting her watch as he let go, his come splattering those
rock hard abs and chest, the heat in his eyes an inferno.

His
groan pulled her out of her reverie.

“God,
you love the idea, don’t you? Fine, you can tie me down and watch me come for
you every day of the week if you want to. Right now, just touch me.”

Drawing
out the moment, Evie undid his belt buckle, unsnapped his jeans, and carefully
drew the zipper down. Her hands moved to his hips to tug jeans and underwear
down over his ass, freeing the hard shaft and the heavy sac beneath.

His
cock was always a surprise, the width and length promising all sorts of naughty
delights. Feather light, Evie swirled a finger around the head.

“So
you are packing a weapon after all. My mistake.”

Colin
laughed, but it became a moan as her nimble fingers trailed down to cup his
balls, gently caressing. He shuddered.

“I
hope you’re enjoying yourself, Deputy Asher, because arrest or no arrest, the
minute I’m out of these handcuffs, your hot little body is mine.”

He
spread his legs as far as the denim trapping them would allow, giving her more
space to play.

“Big
words from the man in handcuffs.”

She
straddled his thighs, the residual heat from the engine keeping them warm on
the chilly fall night. Not that she needed it – Evie felt like she was going to
self-combust any moment now.

“I
don’t know where to start,” she murmured, drinking in the sight of Colin spread
out before her like a feast, his cock rampant and straining, the damp tip
glistening.

“Put
your mouth on me.” His voice was tight.

With
a tiny grin, Evie leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose, letting her
pussy rub the ridge of his erection.
Yum.
His snarl of frustration
became a choked groan as she slithered down to repeat the delicate caress on
the head of his cock.

“For
fuck’s sake, Evie – ”

The
rest of his exclamation was lost in incoherent babble as she licked a luxurious
path from root to tip before opening her mouth wide to take the head of his
cock, and then more. She steadied herself with one hand on his abs and found
them tight and trembling. Not altering the slow rhythm she had set, Evie looked
up to see Colin straining to hold his head up despite his arms being trapped
under him, his spine gently arched.

He
was watching her
.
The knowledge had her pussy pulsing. She pulled her hair out of the way and
wrapped a hand around the base of his shaft to tilt it, adjusting her angle so
that he would have an unobstructed view of her sucking his cock. The taste of
him was as she remembered – hot and earthy and exciting, velvet poured over
steel. She swirled her tongue around the head and took as much as she could,
uncaring that his size made taking all of him impossible.

She
thought she was in control until he whispered, low and rough, “Sweet Evie, the
way you suck me. Take a little more, baby, and I’ll give you everything I have.
Is that what you want? Want me to fill your mouth?”

Evie
was a little shocked when a whimper escaped her throat, the erotic words
pushing her closer to the edge as Colin sneakily took control back from her,
rocking his hips up with sexy little thrusts that pushed his throbbing flesh to
the back of her throat. She struggled to control her gag reflex, breathing
carefully, wanting him to explode for her.
Wanting it all.

Colin’s
movements became less controlled, and with her free hand, Evie cuddled and
petted his balls, paying special attention to the soft skin behind them. They
were drawn up tight. Above, his body was hard, sheened with sweat, the hottest
thing she’d ever seen.

“God,
Evie – ” he bit out, and then he exploded in a rush, filling her mouth as he
had promised. Evie took it all, his pleasure pushing her almost to the point of
climax herself. When he was done, he collapsed back in a limp sprawl, and she
lapped gently at the head of his cock, marveling that it had barely flagged.
Oh,
the possibilities.

“I
hope you’re not done having your wicked way with me,” he murmured, looking up,
his eyes brimming with satisfaction.