On the Scent (17 page)

She trembled beneath him and slid her arms around his neck.

“You have too many clothes on.” She struggled to catch her breath. Sweet heavens, she was practically panting with anticipation.

“Patience.” He murmured the word against her mouth as he ground his hips against her, wringing a moan from deep within her. She squirmed beneath him as he licked a trail down her neck to her breast, nipping her nipple and then lapping it with his tongue over and over again.

Her hands slid between them, desperate for more, wanting him inside her. Now. Fast and hard. They could do slow and sweet later. She didn't care. She tugged the button free, released his zipper and slid a hand inside, gasping when she felt his hot erection through his briefs. Oh, yes, he was a big boy, wasn't he? She licked her lips at that revelation as her fingers explored the shape of him.

“Hannah.” He groaned before claiming her mouth again, desperate, hungry. He moved away long enough to rid himself of his clothes, and Hannah had a moment of clarity when he ripped open a packet with his teeth and crawled between her legs again, lifting one over his shoulder and trailing kisses along her inner thigh as he inched closer to where she wanted him to be. She was so wild for him, she'd forgotten about protection. She moaned and fell back, lifting her hips in desperation for more.

They both groaned when he entered her body, taking his time as he stroked her slowly, pulling all the way out before sliding in again, oh, so slowly.

“So tight.” His eyes were shut as he maintained a steady pace.

Hannah whimpered, arching her back, trying to urge him to move faster, harder. His hands tightened their grip around her thighs, lifting her leg over his hip so he could thrust deeper. He kissed her, sliding his tongue between her lips and making her moan. His pace quickened, and her heart hammered as she teetered on the edge of orgasm. He slipped a hand between them, teasing her clit as he stroked into her, and she came loudly, delighting as her release tipped him over the edge too, loving the way he moaned into her neck as he bucked against her.

He rolled them onto their sides, keeping himself inside her, lifting her leg over his hip and kissing her so sweetly she felt tears of joy threaten to spill free.

“I feel good inside you.” He nuzzled her neck. “I don't want to leave.”

“Then don't.”

“Mmmm.” He shifted, and she could feel him growing hard again. “You okay?”

Smiling, she squeezed him with her muscles and felt him twitch inside her. “Oh yeah. I'll be even better when we do that again.”

He groaned. “Woman, you're insatiable. Give me a few minutes. Damn, you're so hot.”

“Hot as in temperature, or hot as in—?” She squeezed him again, felt him harden, and loved it when he groaned and ground against her.

“Every way imaginable.” He licked the shell of her ear as he pressed her back against the mattress. “You're incredible.”

Oh my, she was panting again and he wasn't even moving yet. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Licking his bottom lip, she murmured, “By the way, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you.” Tangling her fingers in his hair, she pulled his mouth back to hers.

They could talk later.

Um, man. Hello?

A loud whiney sound pierced Zach's contented dream-like state, and he slapped a hand toward the nightstand to mute the annoying alarm. Just a few more minutes. He could sleep for just a few more.

The whining grew louder.

Man, I have to peeeee. Please take me to pee.

More whining.

Zach sat straight up and felt the weight of another body shift away from him. A feminine grumble was the only sound Hannah made as she burrowed deeper into her pillow. She was barely covered by a sheet, and her naked back and thigh reminded him that he, too, wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

He'd done it. He'd slept with her.

Zach ran a hand over his face, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Glancing down, he saw Costello looking up with an eager gaze as the dog whined and pawed at the side of the bed. As soon as Zach made eye contact with him, the mutt's tail started slamming a beat against the hardwood floor.

Pleeaaase!

“Alright, buddy, hold on.” Zach slid his legs over the side of the bed and looked around for his jeans. The dog was sitting on them and bounced away as soon as Zach stood.

We're going to peeeeee! And then can we eat? Can we eat after we pee, man? Can we? Ohhhh, we were supposed to eat an hour ago. I'm sooooo hungry. And I have to peeeeee. This is a nightmare!

Zach snickered as he put his pants on and followed the excited dog to the back door. Slipping the leash on the mutt, he padded outside and saw that the sun was still bright in the sky. How long had they been asleep? A few hours?

Okay, let's eat.
Costello turned and bounded back toward the house a minute or two later, practically dragging Zach behind him.

Zach was pretty sure he knew the animals' feeding schedule by now, so he dug around the boxes until he found their late lunch and poured them into bowls without disturbing Hannah. Abbott sprang out of somewhere unknown and darted toward the foul-smelling canned food Zach dished out. Geez, it reeked.

Mmmmm, mmmm, you're not so bad
, the cat thought as he gobbled the treat.
I could learn to like this guy. This. Is. So. Good.

When he returned to the bedroom, Hannah was sprawled out on her stomach on the bed. She looked sexy as hell tangled up in the sheets, with her dark long hair tousled across the pillow.

He loved this woman. How had that happened? What the hell was he gonna do about it?

He stretched out beside her and reached over to push her hair away from her eyes. Murmuring, she nuzzled into his hand. Her eyes blinked open, and her sigh warmed his fingers.

“Hi,” she said sleepily.

“Hi.” He couldn't keep the grin off his face. “Have a nice nap?”

“Mmmm-hmmm.” Her fingers slid out from beneath the pillow and explored the muscles above his jeans. “Why are you dressed?”

“Your dog had to pee.”

Her eyes widened and she sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. “Oh no, what time is it? I should have already fed the boys.”

He stilled her movement. “Relax. I took care of it.”

“You did?” She sank back against the pillow. “Thanks.” Her eyes lit up with humor as she stared at him. “Sir, are you smirking at me?”

“Damn straight.” He propped his head on his hand and looked at her. “I'm in bed with a hot woman, and she's naked. I'm a guy. Of course I'm smirking.”

She tucked the hair behind her ear. “What am I gonna do with you?”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Taking suggestions?”

She giggled, and he loved that sound. He leaned over and kissed her.

Her lips clung to his as her fingers speared into his hair, and a certain part of his body stirred. He pulled away.

“I'm breaking all my rules with you.”

“And that's a problem, why?” She nipped at his bottom lip, and he groaned, sliding further away from her.

“I'm supposed to be protecting you.”

She relaxed against the pillow, devouring him with her eyes. “You can protect my body anytime you want, Mr. Collins.”

She was killing him here. Shaking his head, he grabbed his shirt off the floor and tugged it on. “I need to check in and see if anyone has made any headway on your case. No more distractions.” He watched the disappointment flitter across her face. “For a while, anyway.”

She pretended to pout. “Will you at least move into the bedroom with me?”

She was still flirting, but he heard the vulnerability in her voice too. “I insist on it, Miss Dawson. For your protection, of course.”

Her smile could have lit up the room. “Of course.”

“Get dressed and stop distracting me, woman. I wanna get this case solved.”

“Bossy,” she grumbled, but she was smiling as she slid out of bed and picked up her clothes.

Zach went in search of his phone and grimaced when he saw he had three missed calls—one from E.J. and two from Kellan. He rang Kellan back first.

“Where the hell have you been? I'm headed there to check on you.”

Zach blew out a breath. “I fell asleep. Alarm didn't go off.” Hannah padded past him barefoot in those shorts and that tight shirt again, turning his mind to mush. Man, he had it bad. He must have been drooling because she rolled her eyes at him and moved into the kitchen. When she stretched up to look into a cabinet, exposing a tiny strip of bare skin at her waist, he forced himself to turn away.

“How far away are you?”

“Not too far. What's the word?”

“Wilma,” Zach murmured, reciting the code they had agreed upon with Hannah for “everything is fine.” “Wally” was their code for “I'm in trouble and can't talk on the phone.”

“Alright. I'm turning around.”

Good. They couldn't have E.J. or Kellan or anyone connected with the office coming here for risk they were being watched or followed to get to Hannah. That had been their agreement.

He swore, cursing himself for compromising her location. Not to mention making his partners worry.

After Zach ended the call, Hannah slid her arms around his waist from behind and kissed his shoulder, causing some of the tension Kellan's words had triggered to melt away. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” He turned and slid an arm around her. “Interpol is sending someone to look at the jewel. We'll have to go back Tuesday to meet with them for that. It's almost over, Hannah.”

She lowered her head to his chest and nodded.

He used his fingers to lift her gaze back up to his. “What's wrong?”

A sad expression played at the corners of her mouth. “I only worry what it will do to Ellie's reputation. As mad as I am at her right now, I don't want it to come out in the press that she was the Fox. She worked so hard to put that all behind her and start over.”

He'd assumed she was worried about her inheritance being affected. He should have known. “Want some good news?”

She pretended to consider it. “If you insist.”

He smiled. “Statute of limitations has run out. Ellie's money is safe. Even if Interpol wanted to pursue charges against Ellie or try to reclaim any of her money, they wouldn't be able to.”

She blinked. “So Ellie's name won't be dragged through the mud?”

“Not likely.” He kissed her softly and then tugged her toward the kitchen. “Come on. Let's eat. For some reason, I'm famished.”

He did everything he could to distract himself from his internal promise to tell her about his psychic abilities. She was so happy—hell, he was so happy, he didn't want to ruin the moment.

Spending time, doing simple things like chatting about classic cinema over deviled egg sandwiches with Hannah felt like a novelty to Zach. Had he ever been so easy around another woman? He couldn't remember it if he had. They tidied up the kitchen then Zach checked his email account while she called Sarah for her promised daily check-in. Afterward, they settled on the sofa together to go through more of Ellie's papers. She snuggled into the curve of his arm as if her body was made for his. He loved the feeling. Loved having her so close to him.

“Zach?”

“Hmm?” He was skimming a copy of the deed to Ellie's former house.

She gave up all pretense of studying the documents she held and slid her arms around his waist. “Why did you say I deserved better than you? Cause I gotta tell you, you're pretty darn good.”

Damn. He'd wanted her to forget. He'd wanted more time with her.

He'd have rather chewed nails than talk about this now. She couldn't hide that glimpse of vulnerability from her beautiful green eyes. That was his undoing. “I haven't always been the best person, Hannah. My past is—” How did he say this?

She lowered her head to his chest and tightened her arms around him. “Everyone has a past, Zach. I care about who you are now.”

God, he hoped so.

“Tell me about your brother.” Her voice was soft. “What happened to him?”

His body tensed. How the hell did she know about Dylan?

She turned her face up to his again and whispered, “You showed me his picture when you were out of it—after you got hit by that tranquilizer.”

He wondered again what else he'd said or done. “I don't know what happened to him.”

Her eyebrows furrowed.

“I haven't seen him in years.” He sighed, thinking
this is it. This is where it ends, after she finds out what a bastard I am.
“I ran away from home when I was seventeen— a few months shy of graduation.”

Her breathing quickened. He looked away. “My mom married a real asshole when I was fourteen. He had it out for me from day one, knocked me around, wouldn't get off my back. My mom either didn't notice or didn't care. He never touched Dylan. Only me.”

“I'm so sorry.” She slid a reassuring hand across his chest, resting it over his heart.

Her support was like a balm. The rest of the story spilled out without any more encouragement.

“One day my mom gave me her keys and asked me to pick Dylan up from baseball practice. We were sitting at a red light when a truck rear-ended us. Nothing major. We weren't hurt, but it left a dent in the bumper. When the asshole saw it, he beat me until I could hardly walk. Told me I had wrecked the car on purpose for attention, as if anyone would be so stupid. That was it. I packed my bags, stole some money from my mom's purse. Never looked back.”

Her arms tightened around him again. “Why didn't you report him?”

“Didn't see a point.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. “He never messed with Dylan. He
loved
Dylan. He never touched my mom. Guess I figured no one cared, if she didn't.” He sighed. “I'd always planned to go back for Dylan, but things weren't that easy.”

She lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes were wide. “You kept in touch with him though. Didn't you?”

He'd sent his kid brother a postcard when he'd made it to San Diego for basic training. He'd wanted Dylan to know he'd joined the Marines. Wanted him to be proud his big brother was trying to do something noble.

Dylan never responded. He had no idea if his brother had gotten the card or not.

“After I got discharged from the Marines, I tried calling him, just to let him know I was okay. He wasn't home. Ray answered, so I hung up.”

“You didn't try again?”

Sure, he had. “After I became a P.I. in L.A., I tried again. I thought he might want to come visit.”

Her arms tightened around his middle. “Did he?”

“I never got the chance to ask.”

“You said you were working as a P.I. when a producer offered you the TV show, right?” Hannah's voice was on the teasing side of curious.

His mind went back to those days. Brian had been shipped to Camp Pendleton for more training and was headed to Afghanistan after that. Zach had been alone. Lonely. Desperate. How the hell he hadn't fallen into depression, he had no idea. His arm injury had killed his chances of being a cop like his father, but one day, he'd seen an employment ad in the classifieds for a well-known private investigations agency in Los Angeles. He couldn't be a cop. He couldn't be a Marine. Maybe he could go another route?

He'd been good at it, too. So good, his boss had taken a chance and given him some high profile cases within his first year.

Then, TV producer Connor Pruitt had read a report Zach had typed up—Pruitt's intern had not only been selling spoilers to a magazine, the young woman had also been stealing props from the set and selling them on an Internet auction site—and asked, “How'd you figure this out so fast?”

Zach had shrugged. Nothing major. He'd made some calls. Followed the girl to the post office a few more times than seemed normal. Played a hunch.

“You ever do any acting?” Connor had studied Zach's features closer. “You've got a great look. You know that? I might could use you for a project I'm doing.”

The last thing Zach had wanted was to fall into Hollywood's traps. “Not an actor. Sorry.”

But the guy had called again, a few days later. He'd explained that the show was meant to be a reality show featuring a real private investigator. “You don't have to be an actor. Could be a lot of money in it for you. Great exposure. Sure you're not interested?”

Zach had turned him down again. He didn't have much, but he'd be damned if he'd lose his integrity.

“Why don't you think about it and give me a call if you change your mind,” the producer had persuaded. “I have a good feeling about you, kid. An I-could-make-a-shitload-of-money good feeling.”

Him, a TV star? Ridiculous thought. Still, Zach'd wondered if his brother would get a kick out of the idea. Figured it would be a fun ice-breaker.

He'd tried to call Dylan again and froze when his mother had answered instead. He'd finally managed a strangled, “Hi, mama.” She'd cried and begged him to come home. He'd been tempted, but— “Is Ray still there?”