VEILED MIRROR (16 page)

“So it’s Ellie who’s gone.” The muscles in Connor’s jaw worked for several moments.

Jason sympathized with the man. Being professional law enforcement didn’t make it easy to find out someone you knew was dead.

The sheriff looked at Beth. “I liked your sister. She had grit. And apparently, so do you.”

Beth nodded. “Thank you.”

Then Connor speared Jason with a sharp look. “Did you know about this?”

Beth answered. “No. And when I told him, he insisted I tell you.”

Jason smiled at Beth trying to protect him, then nodded as the other man measured him with a glance. He didn’t blame the sheriff for being skeptical.

“I’m glad someone has some sense around here,” Connor said. “Does anyone else know?”

“Maria.”

Connor’s eyes widened. Jason understood his surprise.

“And she went along with it?” The sheriff shook his head. “That
is
an endorsement.”

“But you can’t tell anyone else, not even your deputies,” Beth said.

“Oh?” There was a dangerous edge to Connor’s voice. Jason would bet that he wasn’t used to having anyone tell him what he could and couldn’t do.

“No. If word gets out that Ellie is dead, the killer will have what he wanted. He’ll disappear. But if he thinks I’m—Ellie—is still alive, he might try again. He might make a mistake.”

Connor was silent, considering.

“It shouldn’t affect your investigation, I wouldn’t think,” Jason said. He couldn’t believe he was trying to persuade the sheriff to let Beth remain a target instead of keeping her safe. But he wanted to find Chris’s killer, too. “You’ll be looking into an attempt on Ellie’s life. Beth’s identity won’t change that.”

“Unless it was really an attempt on Miss Hart’s life.”

“But no one knows who I am! The only—”

Connor held up his hand. “I agree, that’s unlikely.” He regarded Beth carefully for a moment before he spoke again. “And just how long do you expect me to tolerate this charade? This isn’t something you can continue indefinitely. The estate will have to be settled.”

“Until the inquest?”

“As I recall, you demanded the inquest because you were looking for a way to convince me that a crime had occurred,” Connor said wryly. “I’m convinced. Do you still want one?”

“I think we need to keep everything moving along as if nothing has changed,” Jason said. “We don’t want to raise any doubts in the mind of whoever is behind this. Depending on how good the grapevine is, it would be better if he thinks you still need to be convinced.”

The sheriff nodded. “Good point. Though I’d have to be pretty dim not to be convinced after what happened tonight.”

“If he underestimates you, all the better,” Jason said.

Connor nodded and turned back to Beth. “Normally I’d recommend you leave town and keep a low profile, now that you’ve made yourself a target, but—”

“I can’t leave. The memorial service is tomorrow. And if I hide, how will we catch the killer?”

Connor lifted an eyebrow. “As I was going to say, that would defeat the purpose of drawing out the perpetrator. I don’t have enough men to post one here twenty-four-seven until we catch this guy, but I can have someone check in on you regularly.”

“You don’t have to. Jason’s an
FBI
agent.”

Jason winced inwardly. He’d wanted to be the one to tell Connor. The sharp look he turned on Jason reminded him of his squad supervisor, when Renton wasn’t happy. “I would have told you, Sheriff, but I’m not here officially. I’m only here as Chris and Ellie’s friend.”

Connor’s eyes narrowed. “I thought there was something about you. But I still want to see some I.D.” After Jason showed him his badge, Connor sighed. “Do the two of you have any more secrets you’d like to share?”

“That’s it.”
Like I’d tell him about Ellie’s ghostly visitations.

“Are you armed?”

“I was. I lost my weapon in the wash.”

“You might want to remedy that situation if you intend to protect Miss Hart. Did Chris keep any guns?”

Beth shook her head. “I don’t think so. I haven’t seen any.”

Jason brightened. “Actually he has a gun safe in the back of the closet here.” He got up and looked inside. Connor followed.

“That’s a top-of-the-line safe,” Connor said. “You know the combination?”

“No.”
Damn it.
The lock would have to be drilled, or the manufacturer would have to send someone to dismantle it. Either way, it would take a couple of days to get anyone out to the ranch.

“Too bad. Jenson’s Gun Shop is honest. They’ll give you a good price.”

Jason nodded. “Thanks.” He’d feel better once he was armed again.

Connor stood and started to leave. “You know, you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do when folks ’round here find out about this.”

Beth flushed. “I know.”

“I’ll head out to the wash now, and see what my deputies have found.”

“Sheriff?” Jason stopped him.

Connor turned.

“If Montenegro is involved, you may want to give the Bureau a call.”

“I’ve already thought of that.”

Jason nodded.“Could you keep me informed of what you find?” Jason asked.

“Sure.” The Sheriff’s expression was bland. “Open communication is so important.”

Beth sagged against the
front door after the sheriff left, feeling like she’d just survived another close call. “I thought he was going to arrest me there for a minute.”

“Connor’s not stupid.” Jason took her hand and tugged her down the hall. Ollie followed them. “Come on. You’re exhausted. You need some rest.”

She knew what he said was true, but she was still wired. She stopped outside his room. “I don’t think I can sleep.” She searched his face, hoping to see that he understood her.

He did.

Jason licked his lips and put both hands on her shoulders. Heat blazed in his eyes as he gazed into hers for a long minute. “Are you sure?”

Beth nodded.

The corner of his mouth curved up. “Thank God. I don’t know what I’d do if you’d changed your mind.” He lowered his mouth to hers. His kiss was restrained at first, gentle, tentatively testing her desire. She responded in kind, but soon their lips grew more urgent. She was hungry for him. It had been too long since she’d been in his arms. All the anger she’d felt for him fell away. They’d almost died tonight, but they’d survived. They were alive and that was all that was important right now. Beth wrapped her arms around Jason’s back as she swayed toward him, savoring the strength of him, sinking into the warmth of his embrace. His tongue caressed her lips, tangled with her own. She opened, angling her head to better accept his advances. The world fell away. All that existed was the feel of his hands stroking her back, his mouth loving hers.

Then he broke the kiss. He was breathing just as hard as she was but he pulled back, leaning against the open door frame. His dark, hot eyes searched her face. “Beth, you’ve been through a lot. Are you sure?”

Beth fisted her hands in his shirt. “Asked and answered, counselor.” Actually, she was pretty sure this was a bad idea. She knew that sleeping with him would make her heart vulnerable. He hadn’t made her any promises. She had no reason to think this was the beginning of a new relationship for them. But right now she didn’t care. Right now, all she wanted was to feel his lips and hands and body pressing close. Feel the heat surging in him. His chivalry touched her, but it wasn’t what she wanted from him now. “I’m sure. Besides, you all but promised me earlier. It’s not nice to get a girl all worked up and then leave her hanging. You wouldn’t want me to think you’re a tease, now would you?”

Jason choked on a laugh. “Heaven forbid.” He pulled the tee-shirt off over her head. Raising her arms only hurt a little bit.

She wasn’t wearing a bra and his eyes darkened as he took in the sight of her bare breasts. He ran his hands up her sides gently, then thumbed her already puckered nipples. A shiver ran through her, down to her toes. He did it again and she pressed herself into his palms. He bent and tenderly kissed his way down the line of bruising that crossed her chest, then sucked one firm peak into his mouth.

Yes!
Fire kindled, racing from her breast downward as he laved her swollen flesh with his tongue. She arched her back, lifting her breasts. He suckled an earthy, visceral sound from her, a moan that demanded,
More!
She was so hungry for him, she didn’t care how wanton she sounded. Her fingers threaded through his thick hair, flexing in time with the pleasure pulsing through her body. Jason moved to her other breast, replacing his mouth with his hand on the first, gently kneading and tweaking as he suckled her other nipple.

She had missed this. Missed him.

Ollie sighed, then continued on down the hallway into Ellie’s room.

“My room or yours?” His voice was husky.

“Yours,” she said, pushing him through the open doorway. She didn’t want to make love in Chris and Ellie’s bed. It would feel like Ell was watching over her shoulder.

She stopped next to the four-poster bed and unbuttoned her jeans. A single lamp cast a soft glow from the dresser.

“Let me,” Jason said as he put his hands on her hips. He pulled down the zipper slowly, then pushed the denim over her hips. He bent and kissed her belly, then he knelt and licked and nibbled lower, just above her pink bikini underwear. Beth buried her hands in his dark hair, enjoying the feather-light touch of his mouth on her skin. He smoothed her jeans down her thighs, kissing as he went. His hands caressed the backs of her legs as he eased her pants from her one leg at a time.

Jason looked up at her from under his dark lashes as he squeezed her buns and grinned. He started to hook a finger in the band of her panties, but she stopped him. She wasn’t going to let him have all the fun.

“My turn,” she said, pulling him to his feet.

She slipped her hands under his shirt and up his back, reveling in the feel of his muscles under her hands. He was a little thinner than he’d been four months ago, but still toned. “Lift your arms,” she commanded.

He obeyed and bent so she could peel his shirt off over his head. She noticed he didn’t raise his left arm all the way. She flung the shirt aside then kissed him while running her hands over his chest. It was broad and muscular, just as she remembered, the scar slightly raised under her fingers. The surgeons had done a good job of minimizing the wound, but it still wrapped halfway around him. She saw where the bullet had gone in, but the doctors had cut him open far beyond that.

Jason seemed to read the question in her face. “The bullet bounced around in my chest. They had to clean up the damage.”

Belated fear for him flashed through her. Tonight wasn’t the first time Jason had come close to death. “How long were you in the hospital?” She asked softly.

“A month. Then six weeks in a rehab center, and another six of outpatient. I found out about Chris on my first day back.”

“Oh my God! You should have called me.”

“It didn’t seem right. I’d just broken up with you after all. But I wanted to. I can’t tell you how often I thought about you. Believe me.”

Maybe she was a fool, but she did believe him. She kissed the scar from one end to the other, then flicked his small nipples with her thumbs.

His breath caught in his throat. “If my nurses had kissed my owie like that, my recovery might not have taken so long.”

Beth snorted. “Or you’d still be there, malingering.”

Jason laughed. “You’re the only nurse I want now.” Then he kissed her and pushed her back on the bed. He shucked his jeans and briefs and followed her down.

“Hey! I wanted to do that,” Beth protested.

“Next time,” he said as he pulled off her panties. He kissed her all over, starting with her eyelids and then trailing little nibbles and licks down her neck to her collarbone then onward to her breasts again. He paid them equal attention, nipping them with his teeth, and flicking them with his tongue while his hand roamed and massaged, building the tension in her until she thrummed like a harp string. She was beginning to think she might come just from that when he moved on to the crux of her thighs. He parted her legs and kissed right on down between them.

His breath was warm on her hot flesh as he paused for a moment. The anticipation made her swell even further.

The first touch of his tongue brought a lightning bolt of pleasure crashing through her. Thought ceased; she could only feel. All the fear and worry that had consumed her for the last week fell away. All that mattered right now was this man and how he was touching her.

His hands kneaded her buttocks, lifting and tilting her for better access. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her as if she were being borne up and tossed on an ocean of joy. But she wanted more. “Jason, please,” she held out her arms to him.

He moved up and settled himself between her thighs. Then he pulled away, leaned over the edge of the bed, and fumbled with his jeans.

“What?” Her mind was too fogged by desire to understand what he was doing.

“Condom,” he replied tersely.

What was I thinking?
It wasn’t like her to be so … consumed. A moment later he was back, and she was guiding him in.

“Oh yes,” she breathed.

“Amen,” he answered, and then he began to move.

She met him stroke for stroke, shifting to take him deeper, lifting her legs around his waist. This was what she’d wanted. He took his weight on his elbows, caressing her face, nuzzling her neck. She felt surrounded by his strength. He thrust and she took him in, wanting more. The tide of joy and hunger rose, lifting her until she teetered on a cresting curl of wonder. She cried out, “Jason!” Then, abruptly, she fell over the edge into the sparkling depths.

Jason held his breath,
holding on as Beth contracted around him. Her eyes were closed, her jaw rigid. Her back arched with the force of her orgasm. He grinned, delighted that he’d brought her to this moment. She’d been through so much. A sudden memory of her dark eyes, wide with terror in her white face, flashed like lightning through his mind. His arms tightened as he pushed away his answering flash of fear. He wouldn’t think of that now, of how close he’d come to losing her. She was here, safe and warm in his bed, alive and hot in his arms. He thrust into her deeply, submerging himself in her heat.
She’s safe,
he thought in time with his movement.
She’s safe.