Stripped Naked (Naked Cowboys) (11 page)

“Jinx Malone.”

“My, aren’t we official-sounding.” Amy Montgomery’s voice was tinged with laughter.

“You bet.” Jinx leaned back in her chair. “Just call me madam publisher.”

“Well, madam publisher, I just called to see how things are going with sheriff hottie.”

Heat crept up her cheeks and her hand tightened on the receiver. “What do you mean? Nothing’s
going
, as you put it.”

“Uh-huh. Buck said he saw the two of you having lunch together. And last night Matt happened to be passing your house to drop something off to one of your neighbors and he saw Dillon’s car parked in the driveway.”

Note to self: have Dillon park in the garage.

“We were discussing the big story,” she told her friend. “He was bringing me up to date.”

“Is that what they call it?” Amy laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, Jinx. I think it’s great if there’s something going on between the two of you. You deserve it after that rat fink Max. So does Dillon.”

Jinx tried to keep her tone level. “What does that mean? I know he got shot during his last arrest. Did he have another problem? Another reason why he left San Antonio? ”

On the other end of the line, Amy was silent for a long moment. “It’s really not my story to tell, but I’ll say this much. He was involved with a reporter in San Antonio and everything—the case and the relationship—went to shit at the same time. If you want to know how she was tangled up in it you’ll have to ask him.”

Jinx picked up a pen from her desk and fiddled with it.

“A reporter?” Maybe whatever happened was why he felt the way he did about the press. “Just out of curiosity, do you know who it was? I thought the crime reporters for the San Antonio paper were all men.”

“Uh, this was a television reporter. Naomi Richardson. She didn’t start until long after you were gone.”

“I know her.” A funny feeling settled in her stomach. “She started at one of the New York stations before I came back here. Did she blow him off for the Big Apple?”

“Something like that.” Amy’s tone was noncommittal. “Like I said, anything else you want to know you’ll have to ask him.”

“None of my business. We’re just professional acquaintances.”

Amy laughed. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Then her voice sobered. “I just don’t want to see either of you hurt again. You and I have been friends for a long time and I’ve really gotten to like Dillon in the short time I’ve known him.”

“Nothing to worry about,” Jinx assured her. “But thanks for your concern.”

“So how about lunch tomorrow? I’ll bring Reenie and we can share some girl talk.”

The offer was really tempting. Jinx knew she needed to really reconnect with Amy and she’d liked Reenie instantly. If she was making this place her home now she needed a circle of friends.

“Sure. That sounds good. The Bit and Bite?”

“Hell, no.” Amy chuckled. “Someplace where we’re not on display. How about Bristol’s? They have great lunches and we’ll have privacy.”

“All right. Want me to meet you there?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind. One o’clock okay for you?”

“You got it.”

After Jinx hung up, she sat back in her chair and thought about what Amy had said. She’d love to solve the mystery of Dillon’s relationship with Naomi Richardson and what it was that had affected him so badly. There had to be a lot more to it than just the usual kind of breakup story. And it probably was the reason he hated reporters so much. But she wasn’t about to pry. When you had a relationship that was just about sex you didn’t share those kinds of things.

Only…last night had a different feel than the first night with Dillon. More intense. More emotional. They talked together easily and the moments between incredible sex weren’t uncomfortable or strained. She liked the way when they fell asleep he had his arm around her and his fingers linked with hers. And then there was the shower play that had started out as a game and turned into something far more intense.

She wanted things with him she’d never wanted with Max. And she didn’t feel as if she was always on stage, primed to perform at his command.

Well, shit, Jinx. Have your head examined, why don’t you? What happened to a relationship that was just sex?

She had an uncomfortable feeling that in a very short span of time she and Dillon were moving way beyond just sex. And she wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Dillon took a swallow of his coffee and waited for Charlie Whittaker to say something. His old boss had asked to meet with him and they’d settled for an out-of-the-way truck stop where they wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. The SAPD was still keeping the murder and the investigation of the hedge-fund partners on the down low, but Charlie had called to say he had information for him. Information he didn’t want to trust to a telephone, either cell or landline.

“I suppose you’ve heard Naomi Richardson is back in San Antonio,” the older man said finally.

Dillon nodded. “More than heard. She dropped in to see me.” He grimaced. “Said she’d made a big mistake and wanted to pick up where we left off. As if.”

“Yeah.” Charlie nodded. “Once around with her is enough. I don’t suppose she told you she fell on her face in New York.”

Dillon shook his head. “Of course not. You think she’d admit that?”

“Seems she didn’t quite cut it and the producer she took off with got tired of her in his bed.” Charlie shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I was an idiot,” Dillon said. “Never again. So, what have you got?”

“We got a match on the DNA on your corpse. It’s Bert Redmond all right. No doubt about it.”

“So now what?”

Charlie motioned to the waitress for a coffee refill, waiting until she moved away before speaking again.

“We’ve got a forensic accountant on the trail of the money now that we have an idea which trail to follow. And we’re slowly building the case against Vince Drummond.” He shook his head. “The asshole is still running around blaming poor Bert for everything and acting like he’s more innocent than a new babe. But we’re going through every movement he’s made for the past two years. There are strings there to pull, and we’re tugging away on them.”

“What do you want to do about the body?”

“If you can hold onto it for a little bit more I’d be very grateful,” Charlie told him. “I don’t want anyone to know who it is until we get Vince wrapped up good and tight.”

Dillon nodded. “No problem. Just keep me in the loop.”

“You can even get in on the arrest, if you want to.”

Dillon rubbed his thigh, a gesture that had become almost automatic for him. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. I’ve had enough excitement in my life.”

Charlie gave him a questioning look. “So you really like it out here? It’s not too quiet for you?”

“Quiet is good. And yeah, I’m happy here.”

“Now if you could just find the right woman to settle down with.”

Dillon’s thoughts immediately flashed to Jinx, naked in bed, her body flushed with sated hunger, her lips swollen from his kisses. He thought about her sense of humor and how easy it was to be with her.

No. Don’t go there.

Anyway, they’d only really been together twice. Hardly enough time to get to know anyone. Besides, it was just sex. They’d agreed.

“Dillon?” Charlie’s voice pierced his mental fog. “You already got someone on the brain?”

“Not at all.” Dillon finished his coffee. “I’m living a life of single-blessedness.”

Charlie laughed. “Single is right, but I’m not sure how blessed. You’ll know when the right woman comes along. And she won’t be anything like Naomi.”

“That’s for damn sure.” Dillon rose and tossed some bills on the table. “Good to see you again, Charlie.”

“Same here. And I’ll keep you up on what’s happening.”

The two men shook hands then Dillon climbed in his SUV. He was surprised by the fact that he hadn’t wanted in on the arrest even a little bit. Maybe it was a sign he was finally putting the past behind him. He just wished he had a better handle on his future, especially where Jinx Malone was concerned.

Chapter Six

Two weeks passed and Dillon was still sitting on the dead body, fielding questions and avoiding giving direct answers.

“We can’t move it until we know who it is,” he kept repeating.

Jinx had been as good as her word about not pressing him, something that surprised him. She’d even emailed him two short follow-up pieces she was doing to satisfy the readers, asking him to approve them. He wondered if she was taking drugs. No bloodhound reporter he’d ever met acted like that. Certainly not Naomi.

Just the thought of Naomi made his stomach twist in knots. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get passed what a fool he’d been. An idiot. And if he ever tried, to the scar on his thigh was enough to remind him.

Charlie Whittaker had touched base with him several times since their meeting. The department had nearly all the evidence they needed to arrest Vince Drummond, including what had happened the night Bert was shot. An informant had even led them to the gun. They were waiting for one more piece of evidence before moving forward.

“Vince isn’t going anywhere,” Charlie told him. “Not yet anyway. He’ll wait until the heat is off completely, then decide to relocate someplace where he can tap into the money he stole.”

“You getting a lot of pressure from the media?” Dillon wanted to know.

“About what we usually do. And Naomi’s trying her act on everyone connected with the case to see if she can get any information. She badly needs to break the story herself. Word on the street is she’s only back at the television station on a trial basis.”

“Not my problem,” Dillon pointed out. “Or yours. Well, give me a call when you’re ready to move.”

“You got it.”

Life had moved along from one day to the next. He and Jinx had spent several more nights together, nights that left him with an unfamiliar longing. He’d also had lunch with Matt a couple of times and once with Matt and Buck. He thought to himself how nice it was to have friends outside the law enforcement community. Normal friends.

Now, at the end of a very long day handling a lot of nuisance stuff, he wanted nothing more than to go home, take a hot shower and unwind. Preferably with Jinx Malone, who was becoming more and more an integral part of his life. And just how had that happened? They’d both been very careful to observe boundaries. The
just sex
had turned out to be
just unbelievable sex
but it was more than that. He relaxed with her more than he ever had with any other woman, including Naomi. Even more than that, he’d come to respect her as a professional, something he’d never felt about the reporters who used to pester the shit out of him. He’d even surprised them both by asking her on a ride along one night.

He knew the smart thing was to pull back, but the problem was he didn’t want to.

Well, shit.

He wondered if he could talk her into coming to his house tonight. They always spent time at hers, but maybe it was time to switch things up a little. Before he could stop himself, he picked up the phone and dialed her number.

“Is this a phone-sex call?” she joked when she answered.

He smiled. “It would be if I didn’t have an office full of people out there. Tonight’s when you put the paper to bed, right?”

“Uh-huh. Got something in mind?” she teased.

“I wondered if I could put
you
to bed, only this time at my house.”

When she was silent for a moment, he wondered if he’d overstepped. Somehow keeping things at her house had given her a control she told him she needed.

“Listen, if you’d rather not—”

“No, no. I mean, yes, your house is fine. I won’t get out of here until almost eight. How about I pick up Chinese on the way?”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll leave the door unlocked so you can let yourself in.”

“See you later.” Her voice was rich with sexual desire.

Dillon was hard as a rock when he hung up. Tonight couldn’t come soon enough for him.

Even with nothing major on the books, he was still kept busy at the office until after seven. If he didn’t hustle, Jinx would get to the house before he did. At home, he stripped off his clothes and stuffed them in the hamper then turned on the shower. He was standing there, letting the hot water sluice over him, when he heard someone in the bathroom with him.

Good. Jinx had finished up early and they could have hot shower sex.

But when the glass door slid open it wasn’t Jinx who greeted him. It was Naomi, naked except for a wicked smile.

“This is just like old times.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his.

Dillon grabbed her arms and dragged them away from him. “Are you out of your mind? What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

“The door was unlocked. Darling, you really must be more careful about that.”

She tried to move closer to him again, but he held her at arm’s length.

“No shit.” He turned off the water and opened the shower door. “Out.” He lifted her bodily and placed her on the bath mat. “Get dressed and get the hell out of here.”