a Touch of TNT (An Everly Gray Adventure) (5 page)

“I get that, and the cubs are adorable. It’s not the images per se. It’s that they’re foggy, distorted.”

“Ever happen before?” he asked, face carefully blank.

A flutter of anxiety passed through my body. “Not until today. I noticed it this morning when I was at a construction site doing some work for Chief Hayes. Instead of getting a snapshot like I usually do, the images were less distinct—like looking through a camera lens that had been cropped with foggy edges. And there were waves of energy, like heat waves, distorting the picture. ’Course there
were
heat waves. Real ones. But this was different, and it’s really freaking me out.”

“Whoa. Back up. Doing work for Hayes? What’s the danger level?” He didn’t give me time to answer, just gently set his lips on mine for a long, slow kiss and then folded his arms around me and whispered next to my ear. “So, about Hayes?”

My girl parts were all about action, not talk. “Way to distract me. Lull me into spilling the details without censoring. That was your plan, right?” A sigh escaped from deep in my chest, resigned and aching.

“Side benefit. I happen to like kissing you.” The laugh lines framing his eyes crinkled, and a smile sparkled behind his eyes.

There really was no reason to put off the inevitable. Shortly into my recitation, his body went stiff—not in a good way—and several flavors of pained expression crossed his face. My heart thudded against my breastbone as I relived the scene of finding Calvin Jacobson’s body and then waited for Mitch’s reaction—not an easy thing to do when you’re me. I’m
so
not good with the patience thing. I did some deep breathing. Anything to keep my fingers to myself and not invade his privacy.

“Quite a day, Sunshine.” His voice was tense enough to bounce a quarter off. “As much as I want to tuck you away someplace safe, I know you would beat the crap out of me if I tried.”

He stood, paced for a minute, then took a wide stance, arms crossed. “Hell, I’ll probably be gray before I reach my fortieth birthday. You’re a magnet for trouble. Dead bodies are trouble.” He jabbed his index finger in my direction. “It goes against every protective instinct I have to let you run loose like some comic book super star.”

My temper flared, a sharp jab in my belly. “
Let
me run loose?”

He slid a look at me and backed away, just out of reach, his mouth crinkled from fighting a grin. Guess he valued his life.

“Poor choice of words,” he growled, eyes twinkling. “I’m getting used to you. It’d be nice if you hung around for a while.”

I wasn’t ready to let him squirm out of this quite yet. “Comic book super star?”

He lost control of the grin. “You gotta admit, you have the strange-power-bestowed-at-birth angle down pat.”

Yeah. I did at that. “Right. Maybe I should contact Marvel, see if they have any positions open for a super star heroine type.”

I slid my hand into his.

“You checking to see what I’m thinking?” Tension rode his words.

“No. I can’t read minds. You know I only see images. Besides, you’ve told me what you’re thinking
and
my fingertips aren’t touching you.” I tugged on his hand. “I need help getting out of this chair. I’m stuck.”

He tossed his head, flicking back an unruly lock of hair. “And you wonder why I worry?”

I did my best to distract him with a slow lip-lick.

He slid his arms around me, crushed me against him. “There’s no way I’ll ever be able to tame that intrepid curiosity, I know that. I don’t like it, but I don’t want to change you.” He backed away a couple of steps. “That’s a lie. On days like this I do, but somewhere along the way I’ve learned better. Probably from growing up with Jayne.”

I pulled away, wrapped my arms around my ribs. Held on tight. Any mention of Jayne tends to make me a little wacky, and telling him about Jacobson and my screwy fingers had scraped my nerves raw. “You’re comparing me with your sister? Jayne is insensitive, overly protective of you, very uptight, and she doesn’t like me. Exactly what part of that is like me?”

He started to laugh, swallowed it. “You’re not alike in that way, but you do make me equally crazy.”

I grinned at him. “Yeah, I can see that but this thing with Hayes is no biggie. I’m just looking over some construction sites that have been experiencing an unusual number of accidents.
And
he’s assigned Adam to be my keeper. I’m perfectly safe, except that my hinky touch thing has gone even more hinky.”

“No
biggie
? Did you, or did you not just describe finding Jacobson’s body?”

“Not part of working for Hayes. That one rests solely on my curiosity.”

Mitch pulled me close, tucked my head under his chin. “Definitely gray before I’m forty. Damn, but I actually understand how you’re separating the two. Still, no more dead bodies, okay?”

“Fine with me.” It was an easy promise because I never
planned
to bump into dead people. It just happened. “But we wouldn’t be together if I hadn’t stumbled into you on the beach, touched you and seen the image of—”

His hands slid under my shirt, warm and calloused. “That’s in the past. We’re talking about the future here. The very near future.” He leaned forward, caught the edge of my shirt, and eased it over my head.

Delicious anticipation slipped over my skin.

Mitch stood there, his hands fisted in my shirt while he took in my lacy black bra. “The lace…perfect.” His tongue touched my skin through the fabric and heat poured through my body waking up my girl parts. Oh, yeah. There they were, all tingly with anticipation.

“I want you. Now.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the bedroom and the condoms. “No more talking.”

We usually took our time with welcome-home-sex, relearning curves and angles, exploring any changes in body and soul. Not tonight. Before we were halfway down the hall, he stopped and tugged me against him. A low moan rumbled in the back of his throat and his hands tucked under my waistband, rasping over my skin as he pushed shorts and panties to the floor with a single swipe. They tangled around my ankles, holding me captive as Mitch worked his way up my body.

“Beautiful. I love your scent, Sunshine. Want to bury myself in you.”

My body rippled with pleasure under the assault of his teeth, tongue and hands. I desperately wanted him to erase the horror of the day. “Now,” I gasped as he stood and pressed me tightly against the wall.

I fumbled with his zipper, couldn’t stop shaking long enough to free him. He pushed my hands aside, pulled a condom from his pocket, and before his jeans landed in a heap on the floor, I’d wrapped my legs around his waist. My fingertips dug into his back, images flashing behind my eyes. How I looked, felt, smelled, his animal need to protect me from harm, all seared my mind, intensifying my need for him and demanding my response.

Wild. Fast. The orgasm ripped through me, a cleansing of everything ugly in life.

Nothing is more powerful than love.

FOUR

Hazy, early morning light splashed on
the deck, a faint promise that it would be another hot day.

“Gotta go, Sunshine.” Mitch caught me around the waist and tugged me out the kitchen door, both of us reluctant to end our time together. “Don’t know when I’ll be back, but probably not more than a few days. Bunch of meetings to wrap up.”

I leaned into him, savoring the warmth of his body and the musky, satisfied scent that clung to him even after our morning shower. Nothing like a night of love making to create that special glow. “Yeah. I’m learning how to balance my coaching clients with helping Adam, and it doesn’t leave much time for the fun stuff.”

His lips found mine, the kiss a toe-curler.

“Ahem. Audience here.” Annie—hidden in the pool of soft morning shadow on her deck.

I blinked, shaded my eyes from the sun with the flat of my hand. “Big pile of paper you have there.”

She nodded. “Research on your case. Meeting this morning, remember? Say goodbye to the nice man.”

Mitch grinned at her. “Love you too, Annie. Later, Sunshine.” Mitch tossed a wave in our direction as he jogged down the stairs.

“Must have been good sex. You’re glowing, and I’m jealous.”

“Great sex—” I made my way to her side of our shared deck— “and you should be positively shivering with envy. Any of that coffee left?”

“In the kitchen. Top mine off, will you?”

I grabbed her mug and followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee, filled both cups, and settled on the chair next to her. “Anything good in that stack of paper? Where are Adam and Pierce?”

“Pierce stayed to go over it last night. Adam called in this morning to get the details, and yes, some good stuff.”

“Whatcha got?’ I blew across the top of my mug, and took a careful sip. “No cinnamon.”

“I was in the mood for hazelnut. The deal is, both Jacobson and North have the same alma mater. Calverton College.” She paused, flipped through a couple pages. “They belonged to a club called the TNTs.”

“As in blow-things-up TNT?”

“Don’t think so, but who knows. Clubs don’t fall under school supervision, so there’s a lot of slack. Seems that membership is by invitation only.”

“Huh. Elitist?” I tasted another swallow of coffee, the hazelnut flavor nose-wrinkling strong against my palate.

“Yeah. I’m guessing there’s an initiation ceremony of some sort.”

I ran my finger down the list of names on Annie’s printout. “To keep out those who don’t have the right stuff…like women?”

Annie shook her head. “Women members are rare, but I think it’s more that they were screening for a certain personality.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Adventuresome, you know, the daredevil type who live to break rules.” She sifted through her notes. “There’s an annual—” she made quote marks in the air—”mandatory meeting every October for the members.”

“I hope this case is settled before fall, but if not, we should crash the meeting. You super spy types do that sort of thing, right?”

“Um-hmm.” She was totally ignoring me. “Jacobson graduated ten years prior to North, so they didn’t know each other during college. Must have met at the yearly meeting. Could be they’ve been friends for years. “

“Interesting. I don’t know anything about groups like that because I stayed away from everyone in college.” I spread my hands in front of me, and then ran my thumb along my fingertips. “Didn’t want to be bombarded with stuff. Weird that the club is called TNT, what with all the explosions going on around here. So, what’s next?”

“I’ve got a call in to the president at Calverton. We’ll see what he says when he gets back to me, but clubs like this are usually founded on secrecy and a pact of silence. Still, he might know something that will help us with the case.” She shrugged, an impatient hitch of her shoulders. “Other than that, Jacobson and North often bid on the same projects with North coming out a clear winner, so I’m not liking him for the killer.”

“Guess I better find something to touch—”

“No. Adam will be pissed if I let you do anything unsanctioned today. He needs time to regroup after Jacobson’s homicide, so—are you ready for this—to help you stay out of trouble I’m taking you shopping.”

“Shopping? Oooooh. You have a date with Sean. Finally.”

“I do. And I’m thinking a new dress would be good.” Annie tried to tuck her hair behind her ear but the curls sprang free. “He’s finally off call, and I need your help finding something that will…something perfect.”

A scant hour later we were in a dressing room at Nordstrom’s and Annie was twirling around in a black halter dress with enough pizzazz to take the innocence out of her new haircut. Combined with a pair of heeled sandals, she looked every ounce a femme fatale. “Damn, I’m nervous. Sean has only seen me dressed in sweats covered with soot. Do you think he’ll like me all feminine like this? It was the…other part of me that he asked out. Not this.”

“Annie, look at me.”

There was fear in her eyes. Annie didn’t do fear. “What’s this about? You’re one of the most amazing women I know.” I met her gaze in the mirror.

“I think I love him.”

“This is your first date.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “We’ve talked for hours while he’s been stuck on call. He gets me, and it’s really scary and wonderful at the same time. What if I don’t know how to love someone? The guys I go out with are fun, not special. Haven’t been for a long time.”

“What happ—”

Annie cut me off. “How do you…what do you and Mitch…do with each other?” she asked as she wiggled out of the dress and started to tug on her jeans.

My eyes crossed.

“Do?”

“Yeah, you know,” she said, waving her hands around.

“Uh, no. Not exactly.”

Annie muttered something I couldn’t hear, then raised her voice. “Not sex.” It came out a hint of a decibel softer than a shout.

I cringed.

She glared. “Sex I can do. How do you
communicate
?”

My breath came out in a rush. Right. Communicate. “I don’t know how to answer that. Mitch and I have a different relationship. Careful. So far we’ve managed to avoid the discussion about my ESP fingers versus the security issues that come with his job. So, I guess there are some things we’ve tacitly agreed not to discuss. Probably because the topics are too heavy for the snippets of time we’ve been together. He travels a lot, and we’re still getting to know each other.”