Justifiable Risk (10 page)

“Afraid not. If I don’t follow the general’s orders, there’ll be hell to pay.” She clearly wasn’t happy about the forced caretaking. “And what were you doing in that warehouse? You promised me some time.”

“But I didn’t agree to infinity. Why were you there, alone? Isn’t that a violation of police protocol?” The day she and Greer met, Sergeant Fluharty had cautioned Greer about handling a dangerous situation without backup.

“I was doing my job.”

“You like that, don’t you? The risky part?” When Greer didn’t answer, Eva pushed a bit more. “Taking down felons without assistance, riding your motorcycle like a maniac, showering outside in near-freezing water, searching buildings alone—it all appeals to you, doesn’t it?”

“Help isn’t always available. The guys have their own stuff to do and now that—” Greer stared too intently at the road ahead.

Eva mentally completed the statement: you’ve alienated me from my squad. “If you’re taking unnecessary risks because of me, please don’t.”

“It’s not about you. I enjoy my work, and I don’t have anything to lose.”

The certainty of Greer’s comment struck Eva as heartbreaking. It sounded like a death wish. Eva had never grieved so deeply that it threatened to suck the life out of her. But this woman, shrouded in silence and mystery, personified a wounded soul.

When they arrived at the motel, Eva took a quick shower while Greer made phone calls. Eva walked out of the bathroom with the terry-cloth robe tied around her and Greer’s gaze swept slowly up her body. The look was like a caress as she remembered Greer’s fingers skimming the surface of her skin. She shivered as tiny shocks of arousal fanned through her.

All her earlier good intentions, all the mental discouragement evaporated with the flood of desire that drenched the inside of her thighs. The attraction overwhelmed her as she fought the urge to strip bare and press herself against Greer. She grabbed the edge of the bed for support and settled onto it.

When she looked up, Greer stood in front of her. “Are you dizzy again? What do you need?” Her normally husky voice softened, and the tenderness of it ripped away the last of Eva’s restraint.

She pulled Greer into her, resting her face against Greer’s breasts. “I’m sorry. It must be the head injury.” Eva didn’t usually blame outside forces for her desires. If she wanted someone, she went after her without excuse or explanation. But that approach probably wouldn’t be as effective with Greer Ellis. “I can’t help myself. I’m really attracted to you.” At least that part was true. What she didn’t add was, “In a purely sexual sense.”

Greer tried to step back but Eva hugged her tighter. “I know this doesn’t sound logical. I’m here to find out what happened to my brother. But it stirs up so many emotions. I can’t seem to separate the grief from the need to connect. Please. I see how you look at me.”

“But that doesn’t mean we should—”

“For God’s sake, enough with the
shoulds
already. Do what you feel for once.” The tension in Greer’s body relaxed slightly and Eva tugged her down on top of her on the bed. “Don’t think. Don’t talk. Just kiss me.”

Greer tensed again. “No kissing.” Her eyes said more about the comment than her words.

“Fine, fuck me, then.” Eva shrugged out of the bathrobe and rolled over on all fours. “Is this impersonal enough for you?” She rubbed her ass against Greer’s abdomen as she fondled her own breasts for stimulation. “Take me. You don’t need to be gentle.”

When Greer hesitated, seemingly uncertain what to do, disappointment settled over Eva. Did she misread this woman’s abilities and her blatant sexuality? How much more explicit did she have to be about what she wanted?

She guided Greer’s hand to her breast and squeezed hard. Her nipple instantly puckered. “Again.” Greer’s fingers pinched her erect flesh and sensation coursed through her. “Yes,” she encouraged her, “yes.” She rocked her hips back, desperate for contact. Her voice strained and quivered with need as she begged, “Please go inside me.”

Greer crouched over Eva’s body and slowly rimmed her sensitive opening with the tip of her finger, too tentative, too gentle. “Harder, I need to
feel
it.”

Her words finally registered as Greer’s touch became more purposeful. She twisted Eva’s nipple and her other hand orchestrated a similar rhythm on her clit. Alternating jolts of pleasure and pain rifled Eva’s insides. Jabs of electricity sparked through her body and her temperature spiked. It wouldn’t take much for her to come, to experience that ultimate expression of life.

“Do it now.”

Greer released Eva’s pulsing clit and thrust her fingers deep inside. The entry was rough, and Eva buried her face in the pillow to muffle a scream. She pounded her ass against Greer’s hand, urging her to go deeper. “More.” Faster and harder—exactly what she needed.

Eva turned to watch the woman who had arrived like manna from heaven as her sexual savior in this godforsaken town. Greer’s eyes were tightly closed and she humped her own driving hand as she thrust in and out of Eva. Her well-formed thighs bulged beneath tight jeans, and Eva ached to see her naked, her head thrown back as she climaxed. The thought of this confident, controlled woman in the throes of orgasm made Eva’s abdomen clench with the first tremors of release. “Yes. Faster.”

Greer slid her hand from Eva’s breast and stroked her clit in time with her deep penetrations. Eva covered Greer’s hand with hers and clamped down on her swollen tissue. The pain and pleasure coalesced at once in her groin and she surrendered, vibrantly alive, as the climax consumed her. It temporarily obliterated anything but the physical sensations of touch, relief, and satisfaction. She savored the last shudders of orgasm, waited while the soft moaning of Greer’s release subsided, then rolled over.

Greer knelt beside her, still fully clothed, and for a second Eva glimpsed a faraway expression in her eyes. She’d seen that look many times, the sightless stare of an emotionally absent lover, physically present but mentally somewhere else. Then it disappeared.

“Jesus, I feel like I stumbled into the rabbit hole.” Greer wiped a hand across her sweaty forehead and through her short hair. “This
shouldn’t
have happened.”

“I believe you went through the rabbit hole and directly into Dante’s second circle of hell, whether you should or not.” A stab of her headache returned as Eva calmed her breathing.

“I don’t know what that means, but it won’t be pretty if anybody finds out about this. You aren’t planning to—”

“To what? Report you to the chief, blackmail you, or write it up in the
New York Times
? I need your help, but I do have limits.” The thought about bedding Greer to secure her assistance skidded through her mind. As if to chastise herself, she added, “You don’t need to worry, Detective, this was just sex.”

Greer gave her a skeptical look as she stood and headed for the door. “Good. Sex I can handle. If you want anything else, I can’t help you.” With her hand on the doorknob, Greer turned back. “But thanks for this. It was…different.”

Eva couldn’t resist teasing Greer a little. “But what about my concussion and my car? We left it at the warehouse, remember?”

“I think you’re fine. I’ll drop your car off later and leave the keys under the mat.” She opened the door and came face-to-face with JJ.

His gaze shot from Greer to Eva’s naked body stretched across the bed. “I thought I smelled pussy coming from this room.”

Greer tried to step outside and take JJ with her, but he pushed his way past. Eva pulled her robe around her and sat up on the bed. She wasn’t about to let his insult or his arrogance get the better of her. “What can I do for you, Detective Johnston?”

“I could use some of what you gave her.” The strong odor of alcohol spewed from him like raw sewage.

From the corner of her eye, Eva saw Greer’s body tense and her fists clench. “We need to take this outside, JJ.” Greer reached for his arm, but he jerked away.

“I like the view in here better.” He stared at Greer with a look that made Eva fear for her safety. “Damn, that must be some good stuff if she’s already got you pussy whipped.”

Greer stood toe-to-toe with JJ and matched his angry glare. “You need to shut up right now and get out of here before one of us does something we’ll both regret.”

JJ didn’t budge. “Has she told you what she’s been doing the past couple of days? Maybe she was saving that for the pillow-talk segment of the performance.”

“I’m warning you, JJ. Being drunk isn’t an excuse for disrespect.”

“Jesus, Greer, the woman’s been bad-mouthing us all over town. She’s hit about every place on Elm Street asking questions about the department and us. It sounds like she’s trying to dig up dirt.”

Greer stood very still as though listening to what JJ was saying.

“She’s even got the newspaper going through their files to find shit.
And
she was asking questions about you personally. Did she tell you
that
before she rubbed it all over you?”

That got Greer’s attention. She turned toward Eva with slow deliberation. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Eva could see the anger in Greer’s eyes. She had agreed to be patient while Greer worked the case, but she couldn’t wait forever. The last thing she wanted was to have this conversation in front of a drunk Jake Johnston. Her chances of explaining to Greer were higher without his interference. “Maybe we could talk privately?”

“I’d advise against that, partner. It’s a slippery slope between those thighs and into that honey pot of hers.”

“One more nasty word out of your mouth and I swear I’ll hit you, JJ.”

“I’ve finished here anyway.” He looked at Eva, shook his head, and staggered toward the exit. “Now I know why you brushed me off so fast. I wasn’t the right flavor.” He opened the door, stabbed his index finger in Greer’s direction, and said, “Clare wouldn’t approve of you thinking with your clit.”

Greer bolted for the door so fast that it startled Eva. But it slammed in her face and she pounded on it with both fists. “You son of a bitch!”

Eva watched the uncharacteristic loss of control in stunned silence. This was the first time she’d seen Greer Ellis show such raw emotion. JJ knew exactly where to stick the knife to get a reaction from her. Clare was obviously Greer’s Achilles’ heel.

Eva waited until Greer stopped pounding and slumped forward. With her head against the door, she thumbed the wedding ring on her hand as if drawing strength from it. Eva walked up behind her and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“Fine.” She didn’t turn around.

“Why don’t you sit down?”

“I should go.”

“Would you like to talk?” Eva waited, interpreting Greer’s reticence as a sign that she might actually want to share her feelings. “About Clare?”

Greer spun around and Eva stepped back to avoid being shoved away. “She’s none of your damn business. Stay out of things that don’t concern you.” Before Eva could apologize, Greer opened the door and jogged across the parking lot toward her car.

*

Greer slapped the alarm clock off the bedside table as its annoying beep rousted her from the only thirty minutes of sleep she’d gotten all night. She’d thought about JJ, this case, and Eva until they all blended together and made no sense. How had her life become so complicated in such a short time? JJ had turned into a major prick with an unknown agenda. He’d even brought Clare into his drunken tirade. He’d answer for that one. The review of the Saldana case was affecting everything in her life, and not in a good way.

And how had she gotten sexually involved with the family member of a victim? Even a rookie knew that was a no-no. She’d been attracted to Eva since the day they met. Her long wavy hair and dark eyes were like a siren call. Those luscious lips and cute dimples made it hard to concentrate. Eva’s body curved in all the right places with a tight ass and ample, suckable breasts. Being in Eva’s presence made her horny and skittish as a mustang. When Greer accidentally touched her the first time, she thought she might cry out. Eva’s skin was so silky and soft that she wanted to nuzzle against it and feel it bond to her own. It had been a long time since she responded to anyone so viscerally.

And last night when Eva appeared wearing only her bathrobe, Greer couldn’t think of anything but getting her out of it. Eva’s vulnerability tinged with assertiveness had surprised her, especially when she pulled her into an embrace that quickly led to sex. When she said, “Fuck me, then,” Greer’s clit twitched in response. The accented cadence of Eva’s voice sounded like a polite invitation instead of a cry for release. And Eva left no doubt that she only wanted sex: hard, fast, and
not
gentle—an outlet for her rampant emotions.

Eva’s body responded to her like blown glass to the master’s breath. She’d been desperate for contact and receptive to every manipulation. Greer fingered Eva’s long mane as passion rode her like a stallion, bareback, exciting and dangerous. The moisture and heat Eva exuded blinded Greer to anything but her thundering release. It had taken all her willpower not to scream as she came, hard and wild against Eva’s rounded ass.

But Eva had seen something Greer would’ve preferred to keep hidden. Somehow she understood that Greer needed the impersonality of taking her from behind. Once she knew she didn’t have to kiss or look at Eva, Greer’s appetites took over. She’d screwed women since Clare and knew her limitations. Sex was fine, as long as no one asked for anything more.