Safe From the Dark (22 page)

Evie
pressed soft kisses to his abdomen and then slid off to shuck her jeans and
panties.

“Not
afraid of getting arrested for indecent exposure, Miss Asher?”

“Right
now I wouldn’t have a problem with it if you decided to fuck me on the main
stage at the Harvest Festival.”

They
both sucked in a breath as her wet core slid against his bare cock.

“Please
tell me there’s a condom in your wallet,” she moaned, relieved when he nodded.

She
dug it out and dropped it on his chest, and then tugged the wide neck of her
long-sleeved tee shirt down, along with the cups of her bra, tucking them under
her breasts to display and frame the mounds and the tight nipples.

Evie
braced her hands on the hood and bent over to rub the hard little nubs over
Colin’s chest, electricity zinging through her at the contact as his cock
jerked beneath her, hardening another inch.

“Fucking
tease,” he groaned.

She
was back in charge, and Evie couldn’t hold back a grin. She cupped one breast,
holding it up to his mouth.

“Suck,”
she ordered.

Nothing
could have pleased her better than the worshipful, “Yes, ma’am” before he went
wild for her, sucking and nipping and reveling in her breasts until she was
panting, rolling her hips to let her swollen clit ride the ridge of his cock.

“I
can feel your hot juices sliding down my dick, baby,” he muttered, letting her
nipple go with a soft ‘pop,’ “Put me inside.”

Hands
practically shaking, Evie sheathed him with the condom and then positioned
herself over the throbbing shaft.

“All
mine,” Evie murmured, the words just slipping out against her will, but she
couldn’t dwell on it because the broad crown of his cock was parting her folds,
luring her down until she was fully impaled. And then she just couldn’t think
at all, because he was hot and big and letting her fuck him exactly how she
wanted to, her pussy filled to bursting with every decadent stroke.

And
if that weren’t enough to incinerate her control, the look in his eyes as he
watched her take him would have done the trick. She rode him until she came,
crying out her pleasure, her head falling back. She thought she was done, but
he simply gritted out, “Again,” his cock still rock hard inside her as he held
on and she started moving, fresh shards of pleasure tearing through her system.

“Touch
yourself, Evie. Show me what you like. If my hands were free, I’d roll those
tasty little nipples and stroke your sweet clit until you shattered for me.”

And
so she did, touching and teasing her most sensitive flesh while he watched her.
When she couldn’t take it one more moment, she swooped down to capture his lips
as pleasure crashed over them both, his groan against her mouth long and
satisfying.

“I
think this round is yours,” he whispered.

COLIN
STROKED EVIE’S HAIR in the pre-dawn light seeping into his bedroom window,
feeling like he was getting away with something as contentment drifted through
him. Of course, if she had been awake, she probably would have jerked away. After
they arrived at his house last night, they’d been too tired for anything more
than a three-minute shower before they tumbled into bed. Colin had been
surprised at how tight his muscles were from the stint in handcuffs, and
reminded himself not to piss Evie off. He grinned as a shard of remembered
pleasure shivered through him.

Well,
not more than once or twice a week.

At
least her gunshot wounds seemed to be healing nicely, though he was sure the
healing process would be faster if she’d stop getting shot at and running
herself into the ground. He wished he could say the same about healing her heart.
The sexual games were all well and good –
okay, better than good
– but
with every day that passed, Colin was becoming increasingly sure that he wanted
to give a relationship with her a real shot. Of course, it was hard to tell if
they’d have anything to talk about when someone wasn’t trying to kill them.

The
thought had him stiffening, but then Evie stirred in her sleep, cuddling
closer, her arm flung across him to anchor him to her side.

This
is what I want
.

So
they’d started with danger and sexual chemistry. So what? The glimpses of the
real Evie he’d seen under the porcupine exterior were enough to make him want
more. That was the best he could do, but it was more than many couples started
out with.

A
couple.

Colin
waited for the usual wave of revulsion, but it didn’t come.

Well,
what do you know?
The revelation deserved a reward, for both of them.

As
dawn crept into the room, Colin swiped a condom from the night stand before
easing Evie to her side, pulling her back against his chest. She grumbled as he
lifted her leg over his hip, but he slid his fingers between her thighs to
stroke her morning-soft folds until he’d caught her attention, and she was
rocking against his fingers, making sleepy little sounds of pleasure.

“Awake?”
he murmured, gently scraping his teeth along her shoulder.

“Did
you wake me up just to torture me?”

Colin
chuckled, but savored her sharp breath as he rolled on the condom and slid
inside. Hot and wet and perfect.

“Just
saying good morning.”

Her
fingers came up to thread through his hair, tenderly holding his mouth to the
curve of her neck as he rocked them both to an easy, gratifying climax.

“Good
morning,” she whispered back, breathless, as he shuddered in release.

EVIE
CAREFULLY PRODDED HER wounds before deciding that the bandages could come off
her shoulder. Her side needed a few more days. She’d have to follow up with
Jocelyn. The past week was definitely taking its toll – stress and dodging a
killer and mind-blowing sex on the hood of a car were exhausting.

So
much for casual and meaningless.

She
frowned at herself in the bathroom mirror. They’d just have to deal with it. But
she was disturbed by Colin’s behavior, and by her own. He wasn’t acting like
someone determined to have a quick fling that ended in friendship. Instead, he
kept pushing her boundaries, shoving her out of her comfort zone and offering
an intimacy that both lured and terrified her. For her part, Evie was trying to
tamp down on the hopeful little part of her that wondered, as he made love to
her so gently in the rosy glow of sunrise, what it would be like to wake up
every morning, cherished and loved by some who held her heart in his hand.

Not
ready!
Evie
shivered, pushing the thought away.

Dressed,
she wandered downstairs, following her nose to the coffeepot in the kitchen,
where Colin was flipping pancakes, his expression far too grim for such a
mundane task.

“What’s
wrong?” Evie asked, pouring herself a cup and sitting down at the table, which
was already set.

Colin
smoothly slid a stack of pancakes onto a plate, grabbed the maple syrup from
the cupboard, and joined her.

“Ever
been to Rome? Let’s go to Rome.”

The
non sequitor threw Evie for a moment.

“What’s
in Rome?”

“It
doesn’t have to be Rome. Paris. Buenos Aires. There isn’t any reason we have to
stay in Bright’s Ferry.”

Comprehension
dawned.

“Colin,
we can’t just run away.”

“Why
not? I have plenty of money. The killer is upset by the way I live my life, so
why not just take my life somewhere else?”

He
stabbed his pancakes.

“Look,”
Evie began gently, “We’re going to catch her. I’ll admit this is not the
easiest thing I’ve ever dealt with, but life in New York was no picnic. Even
before I got shot there were drug dealers and rapists and murderers. I didn’t
let them run me out of town.”

Her
mouth twisted ruefully.

“I
did that myself, sadly.”

“Evie
– ”

“I
don’t want to talk about it. Not right now, anyway.”

“But
someday.” His eyes were steady.

She
hesitated, and then, “Maybe.”

That
seemed to satisfy him, and he reached for the syrup.

“Anyway,
the point is that you can’t just run. What happens to everyone you leave
behind? Jocelyn and Grace. Tony, Mary, Candace, Tom. Do you think the killer’s
just going to leave them alone?”

Colin
put his hand over hers, and though her heart quaked, she allowed it, twining
her fingers with his.

A
FEW HOURS LATER, Evie sat in the corner booth at the diner, waiting for Tony,
who was up at the house, comparing the handwriting samples from the stalker’s
letters to the pictures that Colin had taken of the vandalism at Gram’s cabin. Colin
was sure he recognized the handwriting, but couldn’t place it, so Tony was
trying to walk him through it, hoping to jar his memory.

She
stirred a cup of coffee and watched people come and go. Occasionally one would
smile at her, while another would consider her with suspicion or skepticism,
and then turn away.

Dreyer
Morton was alone in a booth by the window. He noted her and nodded, and then
went back to his newspaper.

So
much for being welcomed with open arms.
Evie had a feeling that her poking and prodding
into the lives of Bright’s Ferry residents wasn’t winning her any points, but
at the same time, the fact that she was protecting Colin Daniels was a mark in
her favor. The way she figured it, about half the town approved, while the
other half was ready to write her off as Laura Asher’s troublemaking daughter.

It
takes time
, she
reminded herself. She was here for the long haul, and would just have to find a
way to make it work.

The
front bell jangled, and Millicent Grayson walked in, carrying a curly-haired
little boy who must have been no more than two. The locals greeted her warmly,
and Mary hurried up to pinch the little boy’s cheek, dragging a little smile
from the usually serious waitress. She ushered them to a booth, and as Evie
watched Millicent get her son settled in a booster seat, she wondered if she
could really be a killer.

She
has a crush on Colin. She has no alibi.

It
wasn’t enough, and Evie knew it, but two people were dead, and they were
running out of time. The killer’s attacks were becoming more brutal, more
intimate – first a gun, now a knife across poor Alan Wilkinson’s throat. At
least they knew for certain that the killer was female. Evie and Tony had long
suspected it, but Evie was willing to take any little shred of evidence that
would bring her closer to catching the stalker as a win.

The
door clanged again and Candace stormed in, scanning the diner with steely eyes
until she spotted Evie.

“Deputy
Asher! I’ve been looking for you.”

She
stormed up to the table, and Evie noticed that her gait was a little awkward.

“Shouldn’t
you be at Town Hall, Candace? We’ve got better security there, and I’d really
prefer it if you didn’t venture into public areas without – ”

“My
husband is dead!” Her ringing proclamation brought the diner’s chatter grinding
to a halt.

Evie
flushed, “I know, and I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“I
don’t need you to be sorry, Deputy Asher! I need you to do your job! You’ve got
Colin under arrest up at that house, like a sitting duck.”

“It’s
for his own protection.” Evie was starting to get pissed.

“I
can see how well you’ve protected us, Ms. Asher.” Candace was contemptuous.

Dreyer
folded his newspaper and stood.

“The
Harvest Festival is the biggest event of the year. How many tourists are going
to want to come to Bright’s Ferry with a killer on the loose?”

“We’re
following every lead, Mrs. Wilkinson. I can assure you – ”

“Assure
me of what? That our streets are safe? That no one else is going to get killed?
Excuse me if I take your assurances with a grain of salt. Maybe we need to
bring in real professionals who know what they’re doing. For all we know, you
could be asking all the wrong questions.”

Evie
felt her composure snap all at once.

“Here’s
a question for you. Where were you last night?”

“Excuse
me?” Candace’s voice was a choir of disapproval.

“Colin’s
attacker was a woman, and you were conspicuously absent.”

“I
was at the French film playing at the Fairview, and how dare you – ”

“Actually,”
and a tall, gangly man with thinning hair pushed up his glasses, spinning
around on his stool at the counter, “I was taking tickets last night, and I
didn’t see you, Candace.”

And
now the whole room was staring at Candace, and Evie felt a real prickle of
intuition as the gears started to realign in her head.