Dead Shall Speak (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 10) (39 page)

All the anger bubbled up and she did something that she never thought possible.

She slapped him.

The crack of hand to flesh filled the silence of the room. She watched his hand go to his face in surprise.

One thing was certain. Tony couldn’t be any more shocked than she was.

Where had that come from?

It was apparent that the deep well of crazy took over. She had just laid her hands on her fiancé.

Holy shit!

What had she done?

He stared at her, aqua eyes narrowed.

Jaxon knew she should just shut up, but it was like her brain was on disconnect. “Now I’m really acting like a child. Do you see the difference?”

Tony Magnus wasn’t new to getting slapped by a woman. He’d had it happen plenty of times when he kicked a one night stand out, but this time he was stunned.

Angry.

Furious.

Outraged.

When he moved toward her, she stood her ground.

“Go ahead. Hit me back.”

A part of him was appalled, and a part wanted to do just that. “Fine, I will.”

Grabbing her arm, he yanked her toward the bed as he sat down. She tumbled across his lap.

Realization struck.

He was going to…

His hand landed across her derrière. The crack was just as loud as the one when she struck him. He gave her five sharp slaps across her ass before he set her free.

Jaxon scrambled away, before they moved face to face.

“Before I was dealing with an adult. Now, this is how you deal with a child. See the difference?” he asked, handing her back her own words.

Time passed.

Heartbeats measured it.

One.

Two.

Three.

They collided.

Jaxon moved into his body, throwing herself against him with all her weight. He caught her in his arms and their mouths met in a frenzied mating.

She didn't know why she wanted him like that, but Jaxon knew if she didn't get him naked, she was going to burn up.

Tony couldn’t believe his luck. Where he thought that he’d crossed some line, he found that he uncovered something far more dangerous.

Lust.

Heat.

Passion.

He’d uncovered something that he’d never thought was there. His little minx didn't mind his heavy hand.

Literally.

“Jaxon,” he muttered, her mouth devouring him in greedy bites. Her hands were in his hair, she was climbing up his torso, and his body was on fire.

“Tony,” she barely replied, too lost in the man against her. “Hurry,” she pleaded, trying to get through his clothes. “I need you.”

Jaxon was melting inside. The sight of her fiancé kissing another woman was one thing, but the feeling of being placed over his knee and spanked turned her right on.

God help them both.

Tony couldn’t get his buttons undone fast enough. When he was taking too much time, she took over.

All that was heard was the rendering of fabric, her breathy gasps, and his moan of pleasure at wandering hands. His soul was on fire for this woman.

He’d die for her.

Tony would give anything to be with her.

He had to have her.

When he grabbed the hem of her shirt, roughly yanking it over her head, they stopped kissing. Her eyes were glazed with lust, his with need.

Nothing was said as they moved back at each other, and then tumbled onto the bed. Tony Magnus had to have her.

As they rolled back and forth, struggling to tear off the remainder of their clothes, the temperature in the room rose.

Tony knew he was on the cusp of going insane.

Jaxon managed to get naked first. When she ended up on top, she paused only momentarily to get her bearings. Beneath her was the sexiest man she’d ever met in her life. His black hair stood up in sexy peaks from her wandering hands, he was breathing heavily as she perched across his body.

“I want you, Tony.” She’d surely die without him—from the need bubbling in her belly, to the flickering heat consuming her heart.

“Take what you need,” he offered, knowing that she longed to be in charge this time. Because he loved her so much, Tony would lie back and let her find what she sought from his body.

Jaxon wasted no time. Diving in, she trailed her mouth down his body, starting at the pulse in his throat. She tormented and teased him, until it jumped beneath her lips. Sliding lower, she let her hands wander through the light splattering of chest hair.

God, it was one of her favorite things. It called to her, teasing her with a glimpse of the wonderful form beneath.

“Oh, Jaxy,” he murmured, as she glided down his torso. When she reached his navel, her fingers dipped even lower. Taking him in her hand, she stroked.

Slowly.

Lovingly.

Longingly.

His body bowed with the touch. It lit him up, threatening to burn him to the ground. What lust didn't light aflame, love did.

When her mouth found him, she worked him hard. She was so brutal, that his gasps and moans made her want more.

Need more.

Crave more.

Take more.

She had to have everything. After today, she wanted nothing less than all of the man beneath her.

He couldn’t last much longer. Her mouth was tearing him down. The stroke of heated fingers, hot tongue, and wisps of warm breath drove him mad.

It was taking every ounce of his control not to roll and take what he wanted. Jaxon was unraveling him with her desire.

She couldn’t stop.

In her mind, all she saw was the woman touching her man. The way Doctor Seston had her mouth on his, her hands around his neck, and her body pressed to what she owned, drove her insane.

This man was hers and if she had to reassure herself by reclaiming him, so be it. Releasing him from her mouth, she quickly moved up his body. The way he was breathing like a marathon runner pleased her.

She brought this out in him.

It called to her.

While Tony may be the more dominant in their relationship, her submissiveness had power. She had power over what they were when they came together.

She was in control.

Taking him in her hand, she prepared to sheath him.

“Tell me you love me,” she demanded.

He laughed. “Jaxon, what I feel for you is so much more than love. There aren’t words for it.”

That gave her more strength. “Say it.”

“I love and adore you with all of me.”

She slid him home.

When his body bowed and his eyes closed, she began her ride. It was punishing, hard, and demanding. “Look at me, Tony. See me.”

Oh, he absolutely did.

She was radiant, beautiful, and remarkably his. From the fire red hair, to the lean smooth lines, this woman would always live in his heart and soul.

She rode and rode, refusing to offer him any reprieve. Until he begged, she would tear him down, breaking his control. All Jaxon wanted was to see him melt, like she always did when he did this to her.

Tony knew she was in control, and he didn't care. As long as she stayed, loved him, and knew what lived in his heart for her, she could be as powerful as she wanted.

Love held them together.

The closer she pushed him to the edge, the more vocal he became.

“Please, Jaxy!”

She wanted him to fall.

It was her deepest need at that moment. “Promise me that you’ll never touch another woman again.”

He could give her that. “I swear, sweetheart. I only want you.”

It was all she needed. The punishment continued, as the only sounds in the room were his gasps for breath and the wet slide of his body joining hers.

“Promise me you’re mine.”

He gave her that too.

“Promise me that you’ll never leave me.”

His eyes opened, and he stared deep into hers. “I swear on my life, I’ll stay until the day I die.”

This victory was hers. With one last punishing stroke, she slammed herself down on him, burying Tony so deep in her body that he may never get free.

He moaned, slipping out of control. Everything around him exploded, taking them both off the edge and into the pleasure.

He couldn’t feel much, but he knew she was with him. Her steady breath was on his throat. As he fought to surface, his arms finally obeyed and wrapped around her. Still buried in her body, he rolled, tucking her close.

“I love you, Jaxon,” he murmured, leaving kisses across her cheek and lips.

“I love you too, but I’m still mad at you.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I get that, but you have other problems to worry about right now.”

She opened her eyes to find his face so close to hers. Effortlessly, she found his mouth to offer him a kiss. “What?”

Tony laughed. “You punched a civilian in the face, knocked her out, and still have to tell your boss.”

Horror filled her. “Oh shit! Elizabeth.”

He grinned. “Yeah, and while seducing me in bed made me less angry, it’s not going to work on her. You’re definitely not her type. You’re not male or Native enough to distract her.”

Jaxon closed her eyes. Her biggest fear had been losing Tony, but right behind it was coming in second. There was a new terror on her ‘scared shitless’ list.

At the top was Elizabeth Blackhawk.

“She’s going to kick my ass.”

Tony was well aware. Now, he only hoped he could stop it.

                                 *    *    *

When her tablet finally beeped, she was so damn excited. They’d been trying to match the woman’s reconstructed skull for the last day, and now they finally had a match.

Pulling it up, Johanna and Broderick stared at the face looking back at them.

“She did good work. It’s nearly perfect,” Brody Seaton stated, admiring Jaxon’s work. They now had their third fleshy victim’s name.

“She did! Elizabeth is going to be happy!” Johanna stated, jumping up. She was so thrilled that for a brief moment, she lost her mind.

Grabbing her partner, she kissed him firmly on the mouth.

Then, she realized what the hell she just did.

“Oh, shit! Brody…”

He blew it off. He knew her well enough to know that Johanna would freak out if he busted her ass over it. If he had a snowball’s chance in hell at building something with her, he had to let it go.

“We better go tell the boss. She’ll need this information to get the investigation going.”

She could have kissed him again, if she wasn’t so hell bent on keeping their relationship professional.

“Good idea.”

Even as she headed out to find the boss, Johanna Madden knew one thing.

This was going to be very hard. Her partner tasted damn good.

                               *    *    *

Autopsy

As Chris Leonard stood over his newest ‘patient’, he knew this was going to be one hell of an autopsy. From her body, he could tell that this woman suffered a great deal before her death.

“What do we have, Doc?” Elizabeth asked, hopping up onto a metal table with a cup of coffee.

He shook his head. “It’s like that movie where the man wakes up every day, and it’s the same shit over and over again.”

She laughed at his not-so-slightly veiled comment about her pushing for information. Elizabeth had news for him. That was never going to change.

“Well, at least you’re not shocked. I need something, Chris. I have to head to see her parents, and soon. I can’t show up there with ‘we have your daughter and she’s a hot mess’. That’s not going to fly.”

Elizabeth had a point.

Glancing over at Meredith, he gave her the okay.

She approached, carrying a clear evidence bag. “I’m checking for the killer’s DNA. This was around her neck, or so the other ME claims.”

Elizabeth took it and stared in disgust. “A dog collar and chain? That’s horrifying.”

No one disagreed there.

Ethan made notes. This would help him with the profile at some point. “He was using it to train her,” he stated.

Again, there were more looks of disgust.

Chris continued, “Yes, and it was definitely around her neck, and for a while.”

Meredith held up a second smaller bag. “It was padlocked on. They cut through the leather to get it off her.”