Safe From the Dark (9 page)

Evie
didn’t have the heart to tell him that given her taste in men, she was
this
close
to just swearing them off entirely, and agreed to a rain check. Inside
the house, she stripped off the fancy new duds, poured a glass of wine, and
climbed into a scalding bubble bath, refusing to think about Colin and fuming
over the fact Jack Forrest was still ruining her life from hundreds of miles
away.

THE
SLUT HADN’T BEEN injured in the fire, not a mark on that putrid white skin. The
new deputy had saved her, not knowing what she was. She’d walked in with Matt
Harris. He was a good boy – he deserved someone upstanding, like the deputy. Meanwhile,
the restaurant was crowded, and while Colin was in the restroom, the slut had
chatted up the men at the next table, flirting and leaning in to give them a
glimpse of the ample cleavage exposed by her whorish red gown.

She
was supposed to burn, the cleansing fire stripping away the cloak of false
beauty to reveal the ugliness of lust and sin beneath. That she lived was an
affront. That Colin seemed determined to offer solace in his bed was worse. Colin’s
judgment was impaired. He wasn’t thinking clearly, or he’d see her for what she
really was.

He
needed direction.

Guidance.

Discipline.

He
returned from the restroom, smiling as Deirdre handed him a glass of wine, but
the unease in his face was apparent. Clearly he sensed the decay that lay under
her smooth lips and bright blue eyes.

A
little punishment would show him the difference between right and wrong. That’s
what correction was for. It was for his own good.

COLIN
TOSSED AND TURNED in the dark, unable to get comfortable. He’d made it through
dinner, but Deirdre’s less than subtle attempts to undress him as they drove
back to the house were aggressive and annoying. He caught a glimpse of Evie’s
cabin, light glowing softly in the darkness across the hill, and realized that
he couldn’t sleep with Deirdre tonight. Even though she hadn’t been talking
about him, Evie’s lecture still hit home, and for the first time in quite a while,
Colin couldn’t stomach the thought of fun between the sheets without meaning or
repercussion. Deirdre had not been pleased to be bundled into the guest room,
but an hour later, the house was quiet, and Colin was alone with his thoughts.

Unfortunately,
they were all of Evie.

Trouble
or no, Colin was fascinated with the town’s new addition, and now that he’d
held her against him, tasted her lips and the vanilla spice of her skin, all he
wanted to do was peel that silky blue dress down for a better look at those
lacy bits of nothing she was wearing tonight, and then wrap those gorgeous legs
around him and feel her surrender to his desire as he filled her to bursting
with his aching cock.

Like
that was ever going to happen.

Colin
was beginning to put the pieces together, although there were gaps. The woman
was tough as nails on the outside, the result of a horrific childhood with an
alcoholic father, but some married asshole named “Jack” had found a way around
the armor to the sweetness that Colin had gotten a heady taste of tonight. However,
instead of treasuring it, nurturing it, he’d seduced and humiliated her,
leaving her with zero trust in men and a chip on her shoulder the size of
Nantucket. She was better off without him, no doubt about it.

Not
that Colin was the man for the job, either, he assured himself. The concept of
commitment sent a chill through his veins. And if he were going to tie himself
to one woman, Evie was the exact opposite of the sweetly submissive type he
preferred. Still, the thought of some other jerk getting intimately acquainted
with Evie’s softness was like a thorn in his paw.

Matt
could be over there right now.

Colin
groaned and tried to banish the idea from his mind, but then the image became
one of
him
instead, and he slid a hand down to take firm hold of his
dick, which surged to attention as the pictures flooded his brain – Evie’s
fingers tunneling through his hair to hold him close while he sampled those
perfect tits, begging for release while he lapped up the nectar between her
thighs, and obediently sinking to her knees at his request, eagerly taking his
dick into her mouth.

Oh
God, this won’t take long.

He
came with a harsh moan, pleasure racing through his system. Afterward, Colin
lay panting, his come cooling on his skin as the usual sense of satisfaction
warred with frustration.

The
woman was going to drive him crazy. He realized he was halfway there when he
came to the conclusion that the only way to get Evie Asher out of his mind
might be to fuck her out of his system. For that to happen, he would probably
have to get her to trust him enough to let him close enough to slide between
those pretty thighs. For
that
miracle to occur, he was going to have to
actually date her, at least for a while. As in a real relationship, until the
fascination wore off. Which might take months, given his inability to stop
thinking about her. Wasn’t
that
a scary thought?

A
quick trip to the adjoining bathroom cleaned away the evidence of his desire,
but the unease remained.

Moonlight
spilled through the window and as Colin headed back to bed, a flash of movement
outside caught his eye.

Something
was out there.

He
hesitated – in town it wasn’t unusual to get raccoons and possums, and the
occasional deer, but up here in the hills, there was the chance of a run-in
with larger predators – a coyote or even the rare mountain lion. Still,
something didn’t feel right. It didn’t
feel
like an animal. It felt like
a person, someone watching the house.

Knowing
he was probably just overreacting, Colin pulled on some clothes and grabbed a
baseball bat from the closet.

Just
a quick look around.

In
the dark, he found sneakers and padded downstairs, careful not to wake Deirdre
as he opened the front door and stepped onto the porch.

Quiet.

Colin
peered into the dark, sure he’d seen
something.

A
rustle from half-completed construction on the side of the house had him
jumping out of his skin, his heart pounding. He raised the bat, edging closer
to where a loose tarp flapped in the chill night breeze.

Nothing.

Colin
peered around the scaffolding, but everything was as it should be – dark and
empty, with materials piled up neatly, waiting for the workmen to return next
week for the next stage of the project.

He
felt the blow a split second before the shocking pain in his head, and then the
ground was tilting up to meet him. Throwing a useless arm out, he caught the
edge of a workbench, sending boxes of nails and tools clattering to the ground
as the world went black.

Somewhere
in the distance, Colin heard footsteps and then Deirdre’s high-pitched scream.

“Oh
my God, Colin!”

And
then
nothing
.

EVIE
WAS LYING ON a beach. Sun, sand, and a shirtless Colin rubbing sunscreen into
her back on a tropical island. He had the best hands, warm and big and sure as
they massaged the creamy lotion into her skin. He growled approvingly as he
untied her bikini top to cup her breasts from behind, which was okay because they
had the beach all to themselves. He pinched and rolled her oh-so-sensitive
nipples while he whispered into her ear all the hot and dirty things he was
planning to do to her.

Then
they were naked, and she was pushing him back to the sand. He went willingly,
obediently holding his large cock steady for her as she sank down, breathlessly
taking him to the hilt. She smiled as he let her fuck him any way she wanted
to, giving up control to just accept all the pleasure she could give him.

If
only someone would stop that damned bell from ringing, everything would be
perfect.

Evie
pried bleary eyes open, her skin tight, her pussy throbbing, unsatisfied as
reality came rushing back. She reached for her phone, glancing at the clock –
twelve-thirty AM.

“Asher.
Hey, Tony.”

Thirty
seconds later she was racing around the room, finding clothes and keys, and
then out the door and into her car, wrenching the little sedan down the road to
the fork and then up toward the Daniels house. She was shocked to find her
hands were trembling as she jumped out of the car and hurried up to bang on the
front door.

The
handsome young Latino man who opened the door was barely out of college, but
carried himself with the poise of someone much older. Still, he looked puzzled
to see a harried woman on the stoop. Evie flashed her badge and tried to look
professional, because that’s what a cop did when summoned to a crime scene in
the middle of the night. The young man’s expression cleared, and he stepped
aside to let her in.

“You
must be Deputy Asher. Tom Castillo, Colin’s assistant.”

Evie
shook hands and glanced over at the living room, where Deirdre was nursing a
very large glass of scotch from an armchair, wrapped in a blanket. Colin sat on
the couch while Jocelyn, in flannel cat-printed PJs with a jacket flung over
them, was gently examining his eyes as he held an ice pack to the back of his
head. Evie felt the hard knot of worry uncoil ever so slightly.

“Hey,
Doc,” she said, stepping into the room.

Colin
watched her warily as she approached.

Well,
of course he’s wary. You basically let all the crazy out. Now he wouldn’t come
near you with a ten-foot pole.
Despite her ongoing resolution to avoid him at all costs, the thought was
supremely depressing.

“Tony
sent me. I was closest.”

Colin
didn’t look happy about that, either. Jocelyn sat back.

“You
might have a slight concussion, but you’re lucky that head of yours is so
damned hard, Colin. With great reluctance, I’m going to let you stay here for
the night.”

She
grabbed a notepad from her bag and scrawled a quick list.

“You
notice any of these symptoms, do not hesitate, do not drive. Call me, call Tom.
Have someone get you to the ER.”

Evie
cleared her throat.

“I
know it’s late, but I have to ask a few questions while the incident is still
fresh in your mind.”

Colin
sighed.

“I
saw something move outside, I came out to check it out, got about ten steps off
the porch, and then the bastard brained me with a two by four. That’s about
it.”

Evie
turned to Deirdre.

“Why
did you come outside, Ms. Small?”

Deirdre
gulped her drink, and Jocelyn and Evie exchanged a look.

“Well,
I heard the most awful clatter.”

She
paused.

“When
I fell, I knocked over the workbench,” Colin offered.

“Yes,”
said Deirdre, “that was it. Then I came outside and saw Colin lying
unconscious, and so I called Tom. He must have been alone because he came right
over.”

She
giggled, hiccupped, and then frowned.

Tom
rolled his eyes.

“Colin
had already come around when I got here, but I thought the Doc should have a
look at him just in case.”

“You
thought right,” agreed Jocelyn, packing her bag again.

“Was
anything disturbed?” Evie asked, turning back to Colin, forcing herself to hold
his gaze.

“No.”

“Anything
taken?”

“No.”

“We
can’t really rule out a burglar. You may have interrupted him or her before
they had a chance to break in.”

“I
keep telling you, this isn’t New York. Besides, why would someone come all the
way up here when all the tourist traps in town are there for the taking?”

Evie
hesitated, and then voiced what was really on her mind.

“It
seems to be common knowledge that Ms. Small was staying here tonight. After the
fire last night, it’s possible that she was the target.”

Colin
frowned.

“I
thought the fire was an accident.”

“Signs
point to arson.”

The
four looked to Deirdre, but she was out like a light, curled up in the
armchair, cuddling her glass.

“I’ll
put her to bed,” said Tom, moving the glass, and then lifting her into his arms
in a surprising show of lean strength.

“Thanks,
Tom,” said Colin, and Evie bit her lip, trying not to ask whose bed Tom was
planning to put her in. She wasn’t used to this kind of jealousy, and didn’t
like it. But the harder she tried to ignore it, the more it sank green claws
into her stomach. There was something between them, whether it she acknowledged
it or not.

“Best
not to mention this to anyone in town,” remarked Colin, “Candace will freak,
and Dreyer will immediately make it a reason to oust me from office. Until we
know what’s going on, let’s keep it between us.”