Hot Pursuit (16 page)

Evie chewed her lip. “I am. I’m worried about
Mama and Sarah, and I’m worried that whoever killed David isn’t
finished here.”

Matt touched her hand. Her nerve endings
stood at attention, acknowledging him in a way that continually
surprised her. In spite of her fear and frustration and exhaustion,
he seemed to have the power to make her body sit up and say howdy.
It was disconcerting as hell. And intriguing too.

His eyes searched hers. “One thing at a time,
Evie. Let’s get to the hospital; then you need to get some
sleep.”

* * *

When Matt had told her he wasn’t worried, he
wasn’t telling the truth. He set Evie’s suitcase in the guest room
at the carriage house and turned to her. She hadn’t spoken since
leaving the hospital.

When they left the PD, she insisted on going
to see her mother. He didn’t bother trying to talk her out of it.
Wouldn’t have done any good anyway.

After they checked on her mother, she
followed along bleary-eyed when they’d been allowed to collect her
clothes from the house.

It’d been too late to call her cousin for a
place to stay, so Matt had talked her into returning to Reynier’s
Retreat with him. It hadn’t taken much convincing. The plantation
wasn’t a military compound, but other than open access on the
bayou, it had enough security to alert them to anyone who decided
to pay an unscheduled visit.

Evie hadn’t mentioned Sarah lately, but he
knew she hadn’t forgotten. She was operating on autopilot,
processing only what she needed to function in the immediate
present. He recognized the signs because it was second nature out
in the field. Hostile Operations Team members counted on each other
to perform under extreme duress. Their lives depended on it.

But Evie wasn’t trained and she was
perilously close to a crash. It’d been a hard day for her. She was
tired, stressed, and ready to collapse. He glanced at the bedside
clock. It was nearly four a.m., and by Evie’s account of the
previous day, she’d not slept in about twenty-four hours.

“I’ll be down the hall,” he told her,
breaking the silence. As much as he’d like to spend the night
between the sheets with her, there was too much to do. He needed to
call Kevin MacDonald. His teammate was probably sleeping or
drinking—or fucking—but Kev would move mountains to get the
information Matt needed.

And if he wanted to find Sarah, protect Evie,
and catch a killer, he needed all the help he could get. Especially
since he’d been ordered—before he ever left Fort Bragg—to keep a
low profile. Colonel Mendez was not a happy camper at the
moment.

Matt resisted the urge to rub his ass just to
make sure it was still there. How Mendez got word so fast about
what was happening in Rochambeau, he had no idea. But he’d known it
would happen. Truth was, he’d expected more time to operate before
incurring the wrath of Mendez.

But the man’s sense for trouble was unerring.
Matt’s phone had started buzzing within minutes of the police’s
arrival at Norma Breaux’s house.

Nothing for it now, no matter what his
commanding officer said. Matt couldn’t stand idly by and let Evie
become the target of a killer. Would
not
stand by. Not that
he knew she was a target, but it wasn’t looking good at the moment.
David West had wanted something from Evie. And someone else wanted
it too. Matt prayed they’d gotten it—except Sarah was still
missing, and while that didn’t have to be connected, he wouldn’t
stop thinking about the possibility that it could be until they
found her.

Matt gritted his teeth. No, he would not
stand by and watch from the sidelines, no matter what his CO
preferred. He hadn’t been able to save Jim and Marco, but he wasn’t
going to let Evie down. Not this time. He’d suffer the consequences
once she and her family were safe.

Evie’s bloodshot eyes focused on him. “Thanks
for everything tonight.”

“It’s what I do.” And yet it was more than
that, at least where she was concerned. She’d been in his life
since he was seven years old. He felt responsible, even if he
hadn’t always done the best job of taking care of her.

“Lucky for me then.” She seemed a little
stunned, like someone who’d just been told her house got blown away
in a tornado and there was nothing left, not even a nail.

“Why don’t you get some sleep, huh?” He
squeezed her arm and then headed for the door.

“Wait.” Her voice was soft. “Could you stay?
Just for a little while.”

Christ
. He knew what the answer had to
be and yet he dreaded it at the same time. His self-control was
usually unbreakable. It had to be, to do what he did. But tonight,
he wasn’t so sure about his ability to maintain it. If anyone could
get under his skin, it was Evie. He wasn’t quite sure why that was,
but she’d been stunning him with her ability to do so since the
moment he’d seen her in her mama’s salon today. He told himself it
was because she made him remember more innocent times, more
carefree times, but the truth was he didn’t really know the
reason.

She simply got behind his walls. But, looking
at her wide violet eyes, he couldn’t say no. He understood her need
for company right now. Sometimes you just wanted another breathing
human being to share space with. Didn’t have to say anything, just
had to know someone was there if you needed them.

“As long as you want, Evie.”

She gave him a shaky smile, then disappeared
into the bathroom. When she returned several minutes later, she was
still wearing his shirt, unknotted now. She’d removed her bra and
the athletic shorts and he could see, as he held back the covers,
the curve of her ass beneath the hem of his shirt when she climbed
into the bed.

Holy shit
.

He pulled the covers up to her chin and
congratulated himself on his ability to do so while the blood was
rapidly draining from his brain. “It’s been a hell of a day,
huh?”

She settled into the pillows, her eyes
closing. Her hair, that silky black hair that his fingers itched to
touch again, puddled against the sheets. “It’s been memorable.”

Matt laughed. “An understatement,
chère
.”

“It’s the only way to keep it from taking
over.” She rolled her head back and forth on the pillow. “If I
think about it, think about—” She swallowed hard, and he knew she
was fighting tears.

“It’s okay, Evie.”

She nodded, and a tear slipped free. He
reached out and caught it, his fingers brushing the silky skin of
her cheek. What would it be like to have the right to touch her
whenever he wanted?

He swallowed. “You should sleep.” And he
should get the hell out of here before he did something stupid.
Like wrap a length of her hair around his fist and bury his nose in
it. Just a few hours ago, they’d been close to exploring each other
again. But that was then. This was now, and she was tired,
stressed, and thinking of so many things besides sex.

She blinked up at him, her eyes shimmering.
“I wish I could.”

Matt sat beside her on the edge of the bed,
facing her. He knew what he was supposed to say, but it bothered
him he had to say it to her in the first place. Evie shouldn’t be
dealing with this. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t what her world was
supposed to be about. That was his world.

“It’s not easy seeing a dead body. It’s even
harder when it was someone you knew.”

She closed her eyes. “I can’t figure out what
he wanted. I keep going over it in my head, and I just don’t
know.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. The guy called
you after months of no contact with a cryptic message. How could
you possibly know what he wanted?”

Matt reached for the light switch and flipped
it off. It’d be dawn soon, but the plantation shutters would keep
out much of the light while she slept. He kicked off his shoes and
lay on top of the covers beside her. If the room was dark, maybe
she’d fall asleep quickly and he could go call Kev.

She turned into him, her hand coming to rest
on his chest. He felt as if she’d zapped him with static
electricity. Not to mention his jeans were getting too damn tight.
“Poor Matt. Bet you wish you’d never asked me for that dance.”

He chuckled, trying to concentrate on
anything but the way her hand felt on his shirt. “It does seem to
be the turning point of my evening.”

But he didn’t really mind that part.
Returning from combat and trying to readjust to a normal life—for
the brief amount of time he usually had a normal life—was never
easy. Slipping into combat mode this evening was not only normal,
it was also a relief. When had it become so routine to him? When
had he come to desire the singularity of focus that combat mode
required?

My God, if he really got kicked off the team,
what in the hell would he do with his life? Put on a suit and work
at Girard Oil?

The thought was enough to make him shudder.
He had the engineering degree—the old man had pretty much insisted
on it, in fact—but no way did he want to sit behind a desk and read
business reports and P&L statements on a daily basis. He simply
couldn’t see himself functioning in that kind of life.

It was meaningless. It didn’t help people. It
didn’t make a difference. Hell, if only he’d had the temperament to
be a doctor. But he didn’t, and he didn’t want to be. He wanted to
do what he did, which was to help the people who needed it when
getting help could mean the difference between life and death.

The idea he might not get to do that anymore
terrified him. But, if that happened, maybe he’d hire on as a
mercenary in some dark, dank, disturbed country in need of highly
skilled muscle. It’s what made him feel useful, alive.

The only thing that filled the emptiness for
a time.

Matt blinked. Emptiness? Why was that the
word that came to mind? And why did he suddenly want to deny
it?

“I’m really sorry I dragged you into this.”
Evie’s breath tickled his cheek, pulled him back from the precipice
of his thoughts.

“I’m not.”

“I can’t believe this kind of thing is what
you do every day.”

“Just another day at the office.”

He said it jokingly, but the truth was he
needed this job. Though, right now, he was thinking he needed
something else more. When he was with Evie, he felt like he’d come
home. He told himself there was any number of reasons for that, and
none of them would last beyond the moment they had sex. It was
fascination and history and chemistry all rolled into one. Feed it,
and the intensity would ease.

Because he’d been fascinated with women
before, and the fascination always faded after they had sex. It was
just the way it worked for him. And he didn’t believe Evie would be
any different in the long run, despite their history.

Evie was soft where she curled against him,
her sweet scent soothing. Her fingers slid up his jaw, stroked
beneath his ear. He lay there quietly while his cock hardened
painfully. For once in his life, he just wanted to slip into the
moment and forget everything. Forget the planning and calculating,
forget the necessity to think beyond this moment, forget what lay
out there waiting to pounce from the shadows.

In a moment of supreme weakness, Matt lowered
his mouth to hers. She didn’t pull away in surprise but simply met
his kiss by opening her mouth and inviting him inside. He should
have known Evie wouldn’t behave as he expected her to.

He knew where this would lead if he wasn’t
careful, yet he couldn’t stop himself from leaning into the kiss,
from demanding more. She tasted so sweet and felt so good pressed
up against him. She made him forget everything but her.

She didn’t stop giving, didn’t stop tangling
her tongue with his, though he expected it at every turn.

He pulled back when he found himself reaching
for the covers, intending to expose her lovely skin to his hands
and mouth. This was Evie Baker, not some woman he’d never see
again. They had history—lots of history. And she wasn’t thinking
straight right now. Neither of them was.

“I shouldn’t have done that.” His voice
sounded thick.

“What? Kissed me? I liked it.”

“It’s not right, Evie. Not after
everything.”

She burrowed against his neck, her mouth next
to his ear. “Are we going there again? Because I could really use a
good lay right now. I need to stop thinking and
do
something.”

Matt bit back a groan. “I’ll find the
Monopoly board. We can play.”

Her voice was a whisper that sent a shiver
down his spine. “The only playing I want to do is with you.”

“Evie.” He was trying here, really trying. He
was downright frigging heroic, a real martyr for the cause.

“What’s the problem, Matt?”

“You aren’t thinking straight. It’s been a
stressful night. And believe me, as much as I want this, I don’t
want you regretting it tomorrow—let alone immediately after.”

She sighed, her breath blowing softly against
his neck. “I can’t promise I won’t regret it. I have no idea. But I
know I need this. I need you. It feels right
right now
.
That’s all I have to go on.”

“You need sleep.” His body ached. His cock
strained against his jeans.

“I can’t sleep, Matt. Not until you make me
come.”

Jesus H. Christ
.

“You’ve had a hard night, Evie. If you still
want this tomorrow, then we’ll see.”

She sighed and rolled away. “You’re right. It
has been a hard night. I’ve seen things I never thought I would. A
knife in my face, a dead body, my mama in the hospital.”

“I want to, Evie. Desperately. But there’s
too much history between us, and I won’t take advantage of you
again.”

She pushed herself up on an elbow. “It’s just
sex, Matt. Do you really think I’m that emotionally fragile that I
can’t separate the past from the present? Or that I believe for one
second this time will turn out like the last time? Yes, we’ll go
our separate ways. I know that. I don’t have starry-eyed dreams of
love and marriage, you know.”