Forever Hers (19 page)

“Sly?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Try not to get caught.” Hanging up, Eddie plugged in the thumb drive Sally had given him and went back to the files on the present robberies, reading statements by eye-witnesses, listening to interviews of the suspects Briggs had rounded up and questioned. Six homes robbed, the last two, the robbers M.O. changed. The similarities between the case and what happened in Virginia were too uncanny. Maybe he was seeing things that weren’t there.

Sounds reached him from the living room and he glanced at his watch. It was past midnight. Frowning, he closed his laptop, got up and went to investigate.

As he drew closer, he recognized Amy’s voice. She was talking to herself again. The woman had some very weird habits. The lights were off and the glow from the screen bathed her face, giving her an ethereal look. She said something aloud, shook her head then furiously tapped the keyboard.

“What is it going to be, sweetheart? Foot or back massage,” she mumbled in a deep voice.

“I had a different kind of massage in mind,” she added in a breathless voice and laughed.

He couldn’t remember his mother ever reading aloud her dialogue, but then again, she often closeted herself in the den and asked not to be interrupted.

“Still up?”

Amy literally jumped. “Jeez, Fitzgerald. What are you doing skulking in the dark?” she asked, peering at him.

“What are you doing up so late?”

“This is when I write.” She twirled around in her chair. “I got my muse back and guess who gets the credit for that?”
 

“
Calliope, Erato
and
Euterpe
?”

She laughed. “Someone knows their Greek mythology. No, you.”

Eddie pushed his hands in the front pockets of his pants and walked toward her. One moment angry the next chipper, she was so unpredictable it drove him nuts. “Why me?”

“After talking to you, I realized that my character wasn’t flawed enough. Like a magician, I fixed him and my story flows better.”

“I’m happy I could help.” He stared down at her, and for one brief and crazy moment, he wanted to capture the smile on her lips with his mouth. She’d been through so much, yet could still find joy in the tiniest of things. “What exactly do you write?”

“Romance stories.” She got up suddenly, forcing him to take a step back. She moved closer as though daring him. “You know, flowers and chocolate, growing old and wrinkly together. Happily ever after, which you, my cynical detective, don’t believe in.”

He stood his ground after taking two steps back. “Rather die happy than be nagged to death.”

“You know, you’re totally screwed, right?”

“How do you figure that?”

“You’re missing out on life’s little joys: the excitement and euphoria of being in love, the heartache of not knowing if your love is returned or not, having someone through illness and health, celebrating together when you hold your child in your arms. You’re going to grow old alone and miserable.”

Eddie didn’t know why he reacted the way he did. Maybe it was the truth in her words which was piercing his conscience with razor sharp precision and the wish to shut her up or the silhouette of her curvaceous body from the glare of the screen behind her. Or maybe it was the combination of fatigue, her scent teasing his senses and the realization that he wanted her like he’d never wanted another woman.

He grabbed her arms and dragged her body flush against his. His lips crushed hers as his arms wrapped around her, lifting her clear off the floor. Her mouth was sweet, hot. A blend of coffee, vanilla and her natural flavor. He’d wanted to taste her lush lips from the moment they’d met. But a taste wasn’t enough. He wanted more.

His tongue burrowed deep, plunging in and out as he bent her over his arm. The feel of her lush body against his, the moans coming from deep inside her throat pushed him a little over the edge. He ripped his lips from hers and sucked in air, then she did something unexpected. She grabbed his head, pulled it down and picked up where he’d left off. Her lips parted, inviting his tongue to come and play.

Eddie didn’t resist. He couldn’t.

He reclaimed her mouth in a fierce kiss, savoring the taste of her lips. She matched him; bold, demanding and giving. A low guttural moan escaped her throat and he echoed it. He reached down, grasped her buttocks and lifted her up higher. Her legs opened and wrapped around his hips. She ground herself against him, telling him what he already suspected. Amy was lusty and would approach sex the way she approached life, boldly and without guile.

He took the necessary steps that brought him to the couch and lowered them down with Amy on top of him. He pushed his hips up, seeking the heat between her legs, his tongue drinking his fill, caressing and showing her what he’d like to do to her.

He ran his hands up her velvet soft thighs, then pushed under her T-shirt to cup her breasts. The lacy, silk cami was no barrier for his hungry hands. He found her nipples hard and inviting. He tweaked them and she cried out.

Another cry echoed it, except it was filled with terror, sending a chill up his spine. They both froze, then they sprung apart and raced toward Raelynn’s bedroom. Amy shot through the doorway first. He paused to flip up the light switch in her bedroom, a shaft falling across Raelynn’s bed.

The little girl sat up in her bed, her eyes wide, her tiny chest rising and falling. “He took me, Mommy. He took me away from you.”

“It was just a bad dream, baby.” Amy gathered her in her arms. “Just a bad dream. You’re okay.”

The child wiggled out of Amy’s arms and launched herself at Eddie. He barely managed to catch her. Shock flashed in Amy’s eyes, then hurt.

Raelynn had decided to trust him, but he wished Amy would too. There was so much about her he still didn’t know, and she wasn’t going to open up about her past unless she trusted him. Without knowing her history with Nolan, the bastard would continue to have an advantage over Eddie. The problem was he had no idea what else to do to earn her trust.

Amy lifted her arm and aimed a jab at Eddie’s solar plexus. He raised the boxing pad and blocked her, but she came at him with her knee, aiming for his private area. He pushed her knee down and caught her arm before she fell on her ass, again.

“Good response, but you have to be faster. When you strike, follow through with a hook. No hesitation and no show of fear. You want to catch your opponent unaware, not give him time to recover. You keep losing your balance because your feet are not anchored properly. Your stance is too narrow.”

She widened her stance and raised her hands.

“Again,” Eddie ordered.

Her skin glittered with sweat and her arms ached. For two days they’ve been practicing, each time lasting an hour or two. He was determined to turn her into a fighting machine, a one-woman army. In fact, it surprised her to learn he’d picked up the boxing gloves and pads from a local sporting goods store.

As for the kiss they’d shared, it was all but forgotten. It still irked her that it hadn’t affected him. His expression, as he’d held and calmed Raelynn in the bedroom, had been cool, gray eyes clear with no hint of the man who had kissed her as though he couldn’t get enough of her. For two days now, he’d been distant, a wall of steel between them. The only time he seemed himself was during chess with Raelynn. Part of her was happy her daughter was learning to trust a man. The other part wished he would smile at her the way he did with Raelynn.

As for touching her, he acted like she was a leper or something. Not that she blamed him. One touch from him and she had lit up like fireworks. Celibacy had turned her into a sexual fiend. Even the fact that he was a cop ceased to matter.

The problem was no matter how often she tried to forget the kiss, little things reminded her of the rush of raw sexual energy she’d felt, the sensual invasion of her, the hard length of him as they’d strained against each other. With a kiss, he had shown her what she’d been missing, took her to a place where she felt exposed and vulnerable, except it was the kind of vulnerability that could shatter a soul if she wasn’t careful.

The sting of her ass meeting the floor sent a jolt through Amy. She blinked and glared at Eddie. “What happened?”

“You’re not concentrating,” he snapped.

“Am too. You pushed me too hard.”

He scowled. “I did not.”

He hadn’t but his attitude bugged her. “You’ve been such a grouch for days, always pushing me. We’ve been at it for two hours already. And yesterday and the day before were even longer. I’m exhausted and my arms are killing me.”

His jaw clenched. “It’s called preparing you.”

“We haven’t heard a peep from Nolan. He’s probably gotten tired of the game or your grouchiness scared him off.”

“That’s what he wants you to think, so he can catch you off guard again.” He pushed his fingers through his hair and nodded. “Okay. Take a break. We’ll continue this evening.”

She wanted to make a snarky comment, but she lacked the energy to fan her frustration. He was tense and crabby, and it was rubbing off on her. He acted as though if he pushed them hard enough, they’d be too exhausted to think about what happened between them. Well, he wasn’t the only who wished they had never kissed.

He turned to put the pads on a shelf, and her gaze went to his ass. The jersey shorts didn’t leave much to the imagination. The man had the greatest ass ever. He turned and his narrowed eyes snared hers.

“Why aren’t you getting up?”

“I love the feel of cold cement on my butt.”

He stared at her as though she’d lost her mind, then chuckled. “You say the craziest things.” He offered her his hand. “Come on. We’ll have padding on the floor by the end of the day. I’m expecting a delivery of floor mats.”

“Good, because I don’t know how long my butt can take the beating.”

He grinned. “You have natural padding.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you saying I’m fat?”

“No, Amy. You have a beautiful…”

She looked at him expectantly. “Beautiful what?”

“Never mind.” He pulled her up. Maybe he underestimated his strength or he was too agitated he forgot she wasn’t his size, but he yanked too hard and she lost her balance.

His hand came to her waist and anchored her against him. They both froze. The heat from their bodies mingled and the musky scent of clean sweat rose and teased her senses. Her breathing stalled as his eyes raked her face then rested on her lips. Amy sucked in a breath, her lips parting, inviting. His eyes locked with hers. They burned with need.

“This is wrong,” he snapped.

Hurt slammed into her.

“I agree,” she shot back.

Scowling, his hand dropped away and he stepped back. “We’ll train again in the evening.”

“You already said that.”

“Just making sure you got it.” He disappeared inside the house, the door slamming behind him.

She stuck out her tongue. “Big baby. Just because you’re so scared to feel, you’re taking it out on me and the poor door.”

She grabbed the towel she’d brought with her and the laptop she’d used to monitor Raelynn while she played with Jimmy in the sand box and followed Eddie, but at a slower pace. She didn’t get him. How could he look at her with so much heat in his eyes then walk away? The saddest part was, had he touched her after that annoying statement, she would have fallen into his arms.

An hour later, Amy had lunch ready. Sam and Jimmy already disappeared back to their respective homes for lunch, so she served the stew into three bowls, got the crackers out and set the table.

“This is really good,” Eddie said after a spoonful.

Dang, she couldn’t even get revenge right. She’d cooked tofu stew and camouflaged the soft pieces with a handful of clams and oysters. Not only that, she’d made a pot of it and planned to freeze and serve it in the next few days. It was her way of getting back at him for thinking it was wrong to want her.

A seaplane came into view just as they were finishing lunch. Eddie got up and started toward the dock, his gaze on the plane. By the time Amy stepped outside with their drinks, it had landed and was gliding toward their private dock.

A man stepped on the dock just as Amy reached Eddie’s side. Dressed in all black, jeans and shirt, scruffy boots and leather jacket, he was huge. He looked toward them and touched his forehead in solute. Eddie cursed and crossed his arms.

“Who is he?” Amy asked.

“That’s my cousin Jade’s husband,” Eddie said just as a second man joined the first. He had longer hair, high cheekbones and slightly slanted eyes. He was tall too but leaner and dressed in hip-hugging jeans and shirt. He waved and flashed a mocking grin.

“Faith’s husband and if I’m right, Ashley’s will be next,” Eddie finished, not bothering to hide his irritation.

The third hadn’t left the plane yet, but he and another man wearing a cowboy hat pushed two huge boxes and several smaller ones to the two men on the dock.

“Did you know they were coming?” Amy asked.

“No. They were supposed to mail the stuff, not deliver it in person. I bet the girls put them up to this.”