Read Dangerous Dalliances (Maxwell Investigations) Online
Authors: Dawn Ibanez
Dangerous Dalliances (Maxwell Investigations)
Dangerous Dalliances
Maxwell
Investigations Book 3
Dawn
Ibanez
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is
coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 Dawn Bond-Ibanez
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act
of 1976, the scanning uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this
book/e-book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and
theft of the author’s intellectual property.
If you would
like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior
written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at
[email protected].
Thank you for your support of author’s rights.
ISBN: 1482787636
ISBN-978-1482787634
acknowledgement
A lot of work went into this novel, and there
isn’t just ONE person that I could think to say thank you and dedicate this
novel to. So I will have to say that this novel goes to those that have been on
the journey from the beginning. When Tangled Temptations was nothing but a pipe
dream and I was fortunate enough to get time at the computer to write it.
Table of Contents
People
were dancing and singing as they celebrated the life and death of a world
famous pop icon. Barry Maxwell made his way through to club and found himself
at the bar. He looked at the bartender and waved to him. “A shot of Jack,” he
ordered.
The
bartender nodded and quickly moved to fill drink orders. Barry turned around
and scanned the crowd. The dance floor was a huge living mass.
There were plenty of women dancing in barely
there outfits and there were just as many men willing to take advantage of
them. Barry glanced at his elbow and saw his shot waiting for him. He couldn’t
help but sigh as he downed his drink.
It
would have been easy to coax one of those women to his side. From there they
would go to the back room and possibly to her apartment, but he wasn’t
interested.
Lately, a beauty that tried
to be anything but preoccupied his thoughts.
His
older brother’s secretary, Lilavanti, hid behind saris and bulky clothes. The
three times he met with her, she had her long wine colored hair pulled back in
tight buns or ponytails, and her gorgeous green eyes were always covered by
fake glasses.
Barry
turned to the bartender and raised his glass. His thoughts of Lily turned to
her true nature. She was a Succubus. A creature everyone thought was extinct;
but somehow she and her twin Cord blended in with society. At least until Cord
went wild and started killing people. Barry’s own brother Eric was still
comatose after their fight.
Lily
was a different matter. She tried to hide her nature as much as possible. While
it seemed like everyone else backed away from her mousey image, Barry found it
hot as hell.
He
sighed as his drink reappeared. He reached for his wallet only to pause when
the bartender shook his head. “We know your sister,” the bartender said with a
smile. “Dylan’s family is always on the house.”
Barry
was confused by that bit of information. Usually, it was Madison that people
spoke about. He leaned forward. “Mind if I ask how you know her?”
The
bartender shrugged and reached for another glass. “A cub from my Skulk went
missing. Your sister found him before something bad happened to him.”
Barry
nodded as he looked at the bartender. With his red hair and lean build, Barry
knew exactly what he was dealing with. “Foxes, huh?”
The
Fox Shifter held out his hand. “Ethan,” he introduced.
“Barry,”
he replied as he shook Ethan’s hand. He glanced around the club again and
spotted a familiar form writhing against another one of the dancers. Barry
frowned as he spotted her long dark hair and slim figure. “You’ve seen her here
before?” Barry asked Ethan.
Grey
eyes looked at the woman dancing. “That’s Lily,” he said easily. “She comes in
here about once a month.” Ethan smirked as he watched her seductive moves. His
smirk then fell when both he and Barry saw Lily lead her partner from the dance
floor to the bathrooms. “I can tell you she’s a Supernatural, but exactly what,
I’m at a loss.”
Barry
finished his drink and tried to calm himself down. Even though Foxes ran the
place, he was in a bar full of normal patrons. He looked at Ethan. “I’ll tell
Dylan you said hello,” he said before moving into the crowd. Barry found
himself seething in anger. It was just over a month since Cord’s death. Now she
was out clubbing, dancing, and grinding against some poor unfortunate asshole.
He couldn’t even entertain the thought of her following in Cord’s footsteps and
killing someone as well.
He
reached the men’s room door and found it locked. Barry tried to calm himself as
he gripped the door knob. He allowed his Magic to flow down his arm and in
seconds the lock sprang open. The scene he spied as he opened the door made him
want to take out his own eyes. Lily was on her knees making quick work of the
strange man’s belt and zipper. Barry cleared his throat and gave them both his
best frown. “Lilavanti,” he said harshly.
The
man she was with looked at Barry. “Dude, that door was locked!” His eyes
blinked wildly.
Lily
stood and ran her hands through her hair. “What are you doing here?” she asked
hotly. When he reached out to grab her, she backed away from him. “Answer me,”
she snapped.
Barry
glanced at her partner and then returned his gaze to her. “I’m trying to stop
you from getting into even more trouble,” he said lowly.
There
was something in his voice that was teasing her hunger. She knew she should be
mad with him. All she wanted to do was have a quickie in the club. Get her
energy back up and go back to her boring life. “Either leave or join in,” she
said before turning back to her partner.
For
a moment Barry’s eyes glazed over. “We can either do this the easy way or the
hard way,” he challenged.
Lily’s
eyes dilated at his tone. She didn’t want to think about the things he could do
to her. She wouldn’t. Not when all she wanted was simple, uncomplicated sex.
With a smirk she grabbed her partner’s collar and brought his mouth down on top
of hers.
Barry
took a slow breath as he watched her. He couldn’t fall for her charms. He was
trying to be honorable. The Council was starting to ease up her restrictions,
and he didn’t want her to do anything to jeopardize that. Barry reached into
his back pocket and resigned himself to the fact that Lily just might be as
difficult as one of his sisters. “Hard way it is,” he said pulling out a pair
of handcuffs.
* *
* * *
“You
have no right to do this!” Lily screamed as Barry carried her out over his
shoulder. Her eyes narrowed when the approaching bouncers started to back off.
“You’re just going to let him kidnap me?” she shrieked.
Barry
laughed as he carried out of the club and to his car. His laughter was cut
short when she started to thrash and kick against him. It was just as he
expected. She was a spitfire when she was pissed. “I’m a cop, remember,” he
said as he stopped next to the passenger door of his Charger. He stood her on
her feet and quickly blocked the knees and kicks she threw at him. With a smile
he pressed her against the door. “All I have to say is that you’re wanted for
questioning. None of them will stop me,” he said into her ear.
It
was true. He was a cop and that was the reason why everyone let him manhandle
her out of the club. But the real crime was what his voice was doing to her.
Eric was the Siren, and in the months she worked for him she never reacted to
his voice like this. “Barry, don’t do this,” she pleaded. Her head lowered to
his shoulder and she inhaled his cologne. “I won’t kill anyone. I’ve done this
plenty of times before.”
Her
tone pulled at his heart strings. Barry leaned back and looked into her eyes.
“Lilavanti, I can’t let you put yourself in danger,” he said softly. As she
shook her head, he moved her over and opened the car door. “Let’s get out of
here,” he mumbled before helping her into his car.
Lily
wanted to cry. Her control was slipping and if it got loose, there was no
telling what would happen. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against
the headrest as Barry buckled her seatbelt. “I have to have sex tonight. You
don’t understand what you’re doing.” Her eyes opened and focused on Barry and
started to darken. “My powers are like your Magic. If I don’t find an outlet,
then there’s a risk that I could really start hurting people.”
Barry
sighed as he thought of his options. He couldn’t take her to Sloane. His brother-in-law
was still at the hospital with Eric. Dylan and Crispin were out. Barry’s
partner Thorne was there and he couldn’t subject his friend to a Succubus.
Madison and Troy were just married three days ago. His other brother Jimmy was
out of town. That only left one other option. “I’m taking you to my place.
You’ll be fine there,” he said lowly.
She
shook her head as he straightened and closed the door. He didn’t understand.
And while he thought she would hurt someone else, he wouldn’t even try to
understand. Her eyes focused on Barry as he walked over to the driver’s side of
the car and climbed in. As he started the car, she pressed her lips together.
“But will you be?” she asked before he drove off.
* *
* * *
Barry
pulled up to his apartment building and turned his car off. He looked over at
Lily and frowned at the way her head was leaning against the window. “Are you
asleep?” he asked softly. When she turned her head and looked at him, he forced
a smile on his face. “We’re here.”
“My
wrists hurt,” she whispered.
He
frowned and popped her seatbelt open. “Let me get those off of you,” he offered
as he pulled out the key to his handcuffs. He then smirked when she turned her
back to him. “You aren’t going to run away are you?” he teased. When she only
shook her head his frown returned. “Lilavanti, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“My
name is Lily,” she corrected. The moment he released her bonds, she popped open
the door and climbed out of the car. Her balance was shaky and she couldn’t
seem to get her eyes to focus right. Before she fell, she leaned back against
the car. “Just call me Lily,” she said tiredly. The gentle feeling of a hand
against her cheek made her look up.
Barry
sighed as he watched her. “How often do you need to have sex?” he asked. When
she started to shake her head at him, he frowned. “Answer the question,” he
said tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Please.”
Lily’s
eyes were partially glazed as she looked at him. “About once a month,” she
mumbled. “The last time was before Cord killed Megan.” When she heard Barry
curse she smiled. “I’ve been trying to keep a low profile,” she explained.
Barry
lifted her into his arms and ignored her protests. Her twin had killed the poor
girl from Dennis’s pack almost two months ago. If she was supposed to have sex
once a month, she had to be nearly starving. “You would’ve killed that boy in
the club,” he argued as he walked up to the main entrance to the building. A
frown crossed his face when she shook her head against his shoulder. “You don’t
think so?”
“Didn’t
happen last time,” she confessed. She bit her lip as Barry stood her up at the
glass door. “Just take me back to the club. I’ll be fine.”
He
gazed at her and his frown deepened. She looked as if she was about to pass
out. “You’ll be fine here,” he said tracing a finger along the side of her
face. When her eyes closed, he brushed his lips against hers. Barry’s arms
tightened around her when he felt her body going limp.
Lily
reached up and brushed her fingers against his face. “You said that already,”
she whispered. She smiled sadly as he frowned at her.
“In the
car.
You said I would be fine.”
He
opened the door and ushered her inside. “You will be.” As he escorted her to
the elevator he noticed how she was walking on steadier legs. “Do you trust
me?” he asked. He pressed the button for the small elevator car. When she
nodded he tilted her face up to his. “Keep that in mind,” he whispered before
claiming her lips in a tender kiss.
* *
* * *
Sunlight
streamed through the window waking her. Lily frowned as she looked around the
unfamiliar room. She could remember going to the club to feed and finding
someone. Then Eric’s brother showed up and took her out of the club over his
shoulder handcuffed.
Green
eyes went round as she sat up, only to bump into the solid form of Barry
sleeping next to her. “Oh my God,” she breathed. When he moaned and tightened
the arm around her waist, she pushed him away from her. “Oh my God,” she moaned
as she climbed out of the bed.
Lily’s
hands started to shake as she looked at Barry’s naked chest. Her heart was in
her throat when as she realized that she was also nude. She swore to never
sleep with Eric’s brothers. It was a promise she made to Eric’s unconscious
form while she looked over him at the hospital. Tears filled her eyes as she
searched out her clothes and quickly got dressed.
“Making
a clean getaway?” Barry asked from the bed.
She
pressed her lips together as she kept her back turned to him. “I shouldn’t have
come here with you,” she said softly. She could hear him moving off of the bed
and fought the urge to run. “This shouldn’t have happened.” Lily ignored her
bra and pulled on her blouse. She walked down the small hallway and quickly
found her pants and shoes.
Barry
sighed as he wrapped the bed sheet around his waist. “Lily, you don’t have to
overreact,” he said calmly. It surprised him that while he was still tired, he
didn’t feel as drained as he expected. He paused when he saw the way her back
straightened. “You’re not hurt and neither am I, what’s the problem?”
Lily
turned narrowed eyes to him and paused at the sight of him. “What’s the
problem?” she echoed. The expression on his face enraged her. “I didn’t want to
sleep with you. That’s the problem!”
He
flinched. The thought of her being this upset wasn’t sitting well with him.
Barry quickly walked over to her. “Lily,” he started. He paused when hurt jade
colored eyes looked at him. “It’s all right. No one has to know you were even
here.”
She
shook her head and moved away from him. “
I
know Barry,” she said as she
pulled her pants on. “I never wanted to sleep with a friend’s family member.
And even after I promised Eric that I wouldn’t sleep with you, here I am.” Lily
barely held back a sob as she pulled on her heeled boots. “I can’t believe
this.”