Red Red Rose (26 page)

I
closed my eyes, letting out a heavenly sigh. “Mmmm. A few shots of espresso and
this would be perfect.”

“Yeah,
well I’m not giving you espresso this late at night.” He ushered me to the
living room and tucked me into his side on the sofa. I set my cup on the coffee
table and curled my feet up under my bottom. He grabbed his laptop and the
tapping of his fingers on the keys was the only thing that filled the silence
as thoughts of the past continued to assault me.

His
frustration got the better of him after a few minutes and he slammed the laptop
closed and placed it back on the table. I knew it was killing him that he
couldn’t find the answers we needed tonight.

 “When
I left Nora Hill behind all those years ago, it was literally like I became a
new person.” He turned to listen. “I told myself I wasn’t her anymore, that I
could be anyone I wanted. I never looked back. I never thought about Aaron
again. I just closed the door on my old life. I never thought it would be
re-opened and that my past could come back to hurt me or the people I love.”

“Hey,”
he took my chin between his fingers, “don’t you dare start blaming yourself. Of
all the things you’re allowed to feel, guilt is not one I will tolerate. Do you
understand?”

I
nodded and then he shifted us so that we were both stretched out on the couch,
my back to his front, his arms around me.

“Tell
me this will all be over soon,” I whispered.

“This
will all be over soon,” he echoed softly.

“And
what happens with us once you’re not working a case here anymore? Where do you even
live?”

“Everywhere
and nowhere. I go wherever the next job is, but I haven’t stayed in one place
very long since getting out of the military. Haven’t wanted to until now.”

I
rolled over on top of him so that my hands were on his chest and we were almost
nose to nose. “But your job, it takes you all over.”

“It
does.”

“For
months at a time?”

“Sometimes,”
he brushed a few strands of my hair back behind my ear. “But if I had something
to come back to, someone to come back to, I might find a reason to work a
little faster and get home quicker.”

I
rolled my bottom lip between my teeth. “You’d make your home here with me?” I
was almost afraid to hope.

“Nora,
my home
is
with you. The only question is whether or not you’ll have me.
I know it’s only been a short time, but I’ve lived a life where my next day,
hell my next hour, wasn’t ever promised. None of us are guaranteed a second
longer than right now, and from the moment I signed my life over to the US
government, I’ve been more aware of that than most. I know how to let go of the
things that don’t matter and how to fight like hell to hang onto the ones that
do. You,” he stroked the backs of his fingers along my cheek, “you’re the one
thing I don’t ever want to let go of.”

“I
don’t want to let you go either, but I also can’t jump into this when there’s
still so much about you I don’t know. I’d need to know more about what exactly
it is you’d be doing every time you walked out the door, because I don’t know
if I can live knowing every time you leave, you’re putting yourself at risk of
never coming back.”

“I
wish I could tell you I’d walk away from my job for you, that I’d find
something permanent here and be okay with it, but the truth is, I don’t know
how to do anything else and I don’t want to. Is it dangerous? Sometimes, but
not always. But I’m good at what I do, and what I do, like coming here, it
matters. I do what has to be done and sometimes that means crossing a line or
putting my ass on the line, but helping people, fighting the battles others
can’t, it’s in my blood. I’m not sure I could walk away from it without giving
up a part of who I am.”

This
man.

Just.

Wow.

I
laid my head down on his chest and listened to his strong heartbeat. “I don’t
want you give up something that’s such a huge part of who you are. This world
needs good men and heroes like you. I don’t want to take you away from the
world, but I also don’t know if I’m a strong enough woman to love you and not
ask you to give it up. I don’t know if I could live knowing that every time the
bullets start flying, you’ll be the guy throwing yourself in the line of fire
to save everyone else. I know that makes me selfish, but I don’t know if my
heart could be anything but selfish with you.”

He
stroked his hand up and down my back, and swept it over my hair. Then it
stilled. “I’ll make you a deal.”

I
propped myself up on his chest again. He cupped my chin and swept his thumb
across my lower lip.

“We
get through this, and once the bad guy is caught, I’ll take a month off. We’ll
spend as much time together as you want and you can ask me anything you want,
about me, about my job. At the end of the month you decide what you want. If
you want to say goodbye, then I’ll understand, but if you decide that you want
to give us a shot, then you can do it knowing you have my promise that I will
do everything I can to make sure I come home to you every time. I need to be a
part of my team, but I can step back into a support position on the riskier
jobs, and I can cut back on the number of jobs I accept. You will always be my
priority. I know it’s still not the kind of guarantee you want, but it’s
everything I can give you. So tell me you’ll think about it.”

I
nodded and he released my chin, letting me drop my head back to his chest. It
wasn’t long before the steady cadence of his heartbeat lulled me closer to
sleep. I was struggling to fight it, and then after a few yawns escaped,
Spencer sat up, pulling me with him.

I
groaned because I wanted to stay how we were, but he dragged me up to my feet
and insisted I go to sleep in my bed, not on him. I worried he was going to
leave, but after he assured me he was staying, I agreed to go to bed on the
condition that he go with me. He tried to argue, insisting he would make his
bed on the couch, but I told him if he did that, he’d have to share it, because
I would join him.

He
was still protesting when we got to my room, but I walked over to the edge of
my bed and brazenly untied my robe and let it fall to the floor, leaving me standing
before him in nothing but my black, lacy boy shorts and a tiny black tank top.
His Adam’s apple bobbed slowly when he swallowed.

I
tilted my head and smiled coyly. “Are you going to come to bed or not?”

“Yes
ma’am,” he growled, stalking toward me with panther like grace. He hooked a
hand around my back and then I was looking up into dark, predatory eyes as he
lowered me. When my back hit the mattress, his body was covering mine.

“You
cheated.” His teeth scraped softly along my jaw and then he nipped at me. I
lifted my hands to his chest, feeling the hard muscles beneath his tee. I
tipped my head to the side, exposing the length of my neck and shoulder to him.
He accepted my offer, laying kisses across my sensitive flesh. I slid my hands
around to his back, raking my fingers down the taught muscles there as he bit
down on the spot where my neck and shoulder met. My lips parted, and I sucked
in needy breaths.

One
rough hand dug into my hip as his lips travelled across my collarbone. My hand
slid up his back and tangled in his hair. “If this is your way of convincing me
to say yes before the month is up, then it’s you who isn’t playing fair,” I
accused, more than a little breathless.

His
only response was a low chuckle that breezed over my chest, heating my already
flushed skin. He looked up at me through his lashes as he dropped his lips to
the center of my breastbone.

“I
never promised I would play fair. I told you I fight for the things I want in
my life, and if I have to fight dirty, I will.” He proved his point,
seductively tasting his way up the column of my throat and along my jaw to my
ear, where he tugged my earlobe between his teeth. Every nerve ending in my
body pulsed as a wave of need washed over me at that one move. I might have
even pulled his hair and let out a girly, satisfied moan.

He
pushed himself up on his arms and mine fell to my side. I was sure the desire
reflected in his eyes was a mirror image of my own. He took my hands in his,
curling his fingers around mine and pressing them into the mattress as his lips
found mine. I squeezed back and lifted my head slightly to meet his kiss. He
teased and drove me wild with wanting, pressing in and pulling back. Nipping
and tasting at my lips, but not giving me what I craved. Every time he pulled
back I chased his lips with my own and then he would force me back down with his
mouth, only to tease me more. When he’d wound us both up, well and good, with
desperation, we came together in a beautiful collision. Softer and sweeter than
I expected, so much like the man. The kiss was everything that he was; a little
rough and demanding around the edges, but so tender and loving at the same
time.

Every
inch of his body was pressed to mine, his hips cradled between my legs, and
when he rocked forward I couldn’t help but tilt my hips as a bolt of desire
shot through me. I bit his lip, and not gently. He groaned, driving his hips
forward one more time before he tugged his lip free and pushed himself up,
rolling to his back beside me.

His
chest heaved up and down and he threw an arm across his eyes, while another
deep groan rumbled from his throat. “You’re killing me.”

My
own breathing was heavy and ragged, but I still managed a chuckle. “Oh, but
what a death it would be.”

“It
would.” We both turned our heads sideways to face each other. His serious
expression cracked when I failed to hide the smile on my face and then we were
both grinning like idiots.

“You
need to get under those blankets like right now before I attack you again,” he
warned, and though his tone was playful, his eyes were not.

For
some reason I thought taunting the beast inside was a good idea and instead of
doing as he said, I rose from the bed. “But I need to brush my teeth after that
hot chocolate.” I made sure there was a little extra sway in my hips as I
sauntered toward the door. I tossed a cheeky grin and wink over my shoulder
before slipping from my bedroom and into the bathroom.

When
I returned, his eyes were narrowed on me, but a grin played at the corners of
his mouth. “Come here.”

He
sat on the edge of my bed and I placed myself between his legs. He set his
hands on my hips, pulling me in closer. His fingers toyed with the lacy edge of
my underwear. I rested my hands on his shoulders and then leaned down to press
my lips against the scruff on his jaw. I pushed one hand back through his hair
and kissed the spot just below his ear. Then I replaced my kiss with a soft
bite and his fingers dug into my hips. I climbed up on to the bed and straddled
his lap. His hardness met my softness everywhere that we touched, and as soon
as my lips touched his, he lost control, or maybe he took control. I don’t know,
but he fell backwards and I tumbled forward coming down on top of him and then
we were just a tangle of body parts, our mouths clashing as we both fought for
control of the kiss.

When
the need had built to the point where once again we either had to stop or a lot
more clothing needed to come off, we broke apart and lay breathing heavily,
side by side. After a minute he sat up and I watched him strip off his shirt
and jeans. Then he leaned back down and placed a quick kiss on my lips before
disappearing to use the bathroom.

When
he returned, he threw back the covers and climbed into my bed. He tugged me to
his side, where he tucked me in and then pulled the blankets over both of us. I
threw my arm across his chest and his hand slid down to wrap around my thigh
and he hitched it over his leg.

“When
our month is up and it’s time for me to make my decision, don’t let me make it
while we’re in bed,” I murmured.

“Why
not?”

“Because,
you could get me to agree to just about anything with that mouth and those
hands of yours. I’m not even sure I want to know what else you’re capable of.”

His
chest shook softly with laughter. “Then don’t worry. I’ll make sure we have our
conversation in bed.”

I
smacked his chest, but couldn’t stop my grin.

“Go
to sleep, Nora, before you start another fire.”

My
grin spread and I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward and scraped my teeth
along his nipple before I gently bit down. He hissed, and his body jerked
slightly. His hand slid down to cup my bottom and he squeezed, almost
painfully.

“I’m
serious. If you can’t behave, I’ll go sleep on the couch. After I teach you a
lesson, sweetheart.”

I
chuckled and rested my head in the crook of his shoulder. “As tempting as your
offer is, I am tired and tomorrow is going to be a busy day, so I guess I’ll
behave. Tonight.”

He
squeezed me around the waist and then dropped a kiss on my head. “Goodnight,
beautiful.”

“Goodnight.”

I
woke nestled in Spencer’s arms with the overwhelming desire to stay there,
possibly forever, but it felt like I was draped over a furnace. His face was
still relaxed in sleep and his chest rose and fell steadily beneath me. I
worked to smoothly extricate myself from his arms so that I could shut off my
alarm before it woke him. Some days, like today, my internal clock beat the
alarm. I reached for it on the nightstand and hurriedly turned it off, but when
I tried to climb free of the bed, an arm hooked around my waist and dragged me
back. A hard, warm body encased me from behind. He buried his face in my hair
and let out a sleepy groan. He brushed my wild locks aside and nuzzled my neck
before trailing several slow kisses along my bare shoulder.

A
contented sigh fell from my lips, “Good morning to you too.”

He
rolled me onto my back and positioned himself on his side. He slid an
appreciative look down my body and then lifted his eyes to mine.

“Good
morning.” His voice was rough with sleep, and I knew it was the first thing I
wanted to hear when I woke up every morning. He followed it up with a sweet
kiss on my lips.

“If
you don’t stop now, I’ll never make it out of bed, and I really need to get
ready for work.”

He
chuckled and then gave me a playful shove. “Then go on, get ready for work.”

I
had to drag myself from his lips and the bed, but today was not a day I could
afford to be late.

I
had tables to decorate and games to set out. Reggie and I still hadn’t agreed
on movie showings. I wanted to do Never Been Kissed, followed by the Wedding
Singer and then maybe some Audrey Hepburn films, but Reggie wanted to make it
the non-stop Reese Witherspoon show and play Legally Blonde and Sweet Home
Alabama. Don’t get me wrong, I love those movies, but it would be enabling his
Reese obsession. She was his lady crush. Said he might even go straight for
her. Either way it was sure to be a battle today.

Spencer
was up and had my coffee brewing and breakfast started by the time I was
dressed and out of the bathroom.

“My
mind is made up; you can stay forever,” I told him when I accepted the first
cup of coffee from him. I took a sip and then inhaled the smell of bacon and
eggs cooking.

He
laughed and turned his attention back to the stove. “You’re too easy,” he
tossed over his shoulder.

I
chose not to engage on that one. There was just a little something extra in my
step this morning, and for a change it wasn’t the caffeine. I liked having him here
in the morning. I liked it a lot.

I
liked waking up to his kisses. I liked him cooking breakfast for me in my
kitchen in nothing but his boxer briefs and a tee, and I liked sitting down at
my counter eating breakfast with him. What I didn’t like was when reality
crashed into my perfect morning and he had to remind me to be cautious and
trust no one as he walked me out to my car. He planned to shower, in my shower
I might add because for some reason I also liked that, and then swing by his
motel before following me to the shop.

“Why
don’t you just check out of the motel and stay with me,” I offered before
climbing into my car. “I know I’ll feel safer with you inside and not watching
my house from your car. Besides, you weren’t very stealthy about it anyway. My
neighbor saw you parked out front. I’m sure you probably scared any creepers
off, but not very effective if you’re hoping to catch someone up to nefarious
deeds.”

“What
do you mean? When did he see me parked out front?”

“Saturday
night when you came back after leaving the first time. Clint, in the house
behind me, was coming home from Seattle and saw your car parked out there at
two in the morning.”

“Nora,
I’ve watched your house a lot of nights, but I didn’t come back here that
night, and I’ve never done it parked right out front. You’re right that it’s
not very stealthy. I almost slipped up a few weeks ago. It was right after I took
the job. I didn’t expect much to come from sitting on your house, so I didn’t
bother to hide my truck. I was parked down the block, and that was the night
someone was sneaking around in your yard. I don’t know how he got past me, but
as soon as I saw shadows moving around in the yard I was out of my truck and
going to check it out. Then Kujo came over the fence and he bolted. I tried to
go after him, but lost him on the next block.”

Obviously
I remembered that night, and I remembered the big truck that drove away shortly
after Clint and I checked things out. “So if it wasn’t you parked out front on
Saturday . . .” my words faded at the implication of what it meant.

“Black
car you said? Did he get a make, model or license plate?”

“No,
he circled the block, but whoever it was had taken off. He just said black and
sporty. My first thought was Nathan, but he denied it and then I drove by your
motel and saw you climbing out of the Mustang.”

He
nodded. “I’ve already got Monroe on your ex, but we’ll see if anyone else
drives something black and sporty, and in the future, you shouldn’t go snooping
around motels at night by yourself.”

“I’ll
try not to make it a habit.”

“Funny.
You better get to work. I have a few phone calls I need to make, but I won’t be
too long.”

“Okay,
I’ll see you soon, then.” I leaned up on my toes and kissed him, before
climbing into my car and pulling out of the drive.

Reggie
arrived at the shop at almost the same time I did, and as expected, while we draped
tables with the sparkly red covers and flowers, we argued chick flicks. In the
end, we came up with a compromise of movies that satisfied both of us.

“You
gave in awfully easy,” Reggie was eyeing me suspiciously as we dressed the last
table. “And dare I say, was that a smile I saw on your face a few minutes ago?
Someone is in an extra chipper mood, which seems a contrast to when I last saw
you. Since it was only yesterday, someone has some ‘splaining to do.”

Normally
I wouldn’t be so quick to dish about my overnight guests, even with Reggie, but
since this was also a chance to clear Spencer’s name, I decided not to hold
back.

“Shaw
might have stayed over last night.”

Reggie’s
head snapped back and his eyebrows shot up. “And he didn’t try to serial kill
you?”

“Nope,
but he did cook me breakfast. Oh, and he’s working with the FBI and cops to
catch the real killer, but you can’t breathe a word of this to anyone. The only
reason I’m spilling this to you is because I know if you were kidnapping girls,
it wouldn’t be to strangle them. You’d make them watch Legally Blonde on repeat
until they took their own lives."

He
rolled his eyes and I gave him a brief recap of the night before, skipping over
all but the pertinent details of my past.

“When
this is all over, you should sell your story to Lifetime, because it would make
one hell of a movie.”

“I
don’t think so. I just want to put this all behind me, and,” I glanced at the
clock on the wall, “we have to be ready to open in ten minutes now. Anymore
commentary is going to have to wait.”

We
got the shop open in time for the first trickle of customers. The morning
wasn’t any busier than usual, but by mid-morning we’d sold several of the
decadent, specialty drinks we added to the menu just for the holiday. Today
wasn’t just about lovers giving gifts, but it seemed it was an occasion for
most of the population to indulge themselves. We also sold a handful of last
minute gift cards and a few novelty coffee items we stocked. It was shaping up
to be a good day for business and we hadn’t made it to the main event yet.

Chick
flicks played on the screens, adding to the atmosphere, and making the long
lines more bearable for our customers. Even with Nina here, and the three of us
working smoothly and efficiently together, we stayed on our toes all morning. I
didn’t even have time to give Spencer a proper hello when he walked in. When he
made it to the front of the line I thrust his black coffee at him and was ready
to move on to the next customer, but he reached across the counter and dragged
me to his lips for a quick kiss that earned us several catcalls and romantic
sighs. Only then did he take his coffee and plant himself in the corner of the
shop with his computer.

For
the rest of the morning, and into the afternoon, his eyes were glued to that
screen, except when he was on the phone or got up to use the restroom. I was
dying to ask him what he was finding out, but the non-stop rush kept me from
taking a break until almost lunch. When I finally walked over and dropped into
the seat across from him, he looked up from screen. Frustration was evident in
his features.

“The
search isn’t going well?” I surmised.

“My
guys sent me everything they could dig up and Monroe has his men on it too, but
unfortunately we’re not getting anything solid.” He sat back in his chair,
raking his hand over his hair.

“Hey,”
I said softly, getting up and rounding the table. I lowered myself onto his lap
and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You guys will figure it out. It’s just a
matter of time.”

“I’m
just afraid that he’ll get his shot at you before we do, or he’ll realize we’re
getting close and decide he’s got nothing to lose. I don’t like not knowing
where the threat is coming from.”

I
dropped my forehead to his. “I trust you and if I have to stitch myself to your
side until he’s caught, then so be it.”

A
faint smile touched his lips. “I think I’ll have to insist.”

“Nothing
will happen to me with my very own, personal body guard watching my back at all
times.”

I
could still feel the tension in him and see the worry lines that creased his
brow when he returned his attention to the information on his computer screen.
“Whoever this guy is, he’s smart, but maybe you’ll see something I’m missing.
I’ve poured through everything we were able to find on Lee after you were both
removed from the Johnson’s care. It seems he bounced around for two years
between foster homes, all over the state, before he was placed with the Reardon
family in Kamiah, which if you don’t know where that is, is basically the
middle of bumfuck nowhere, Idaho. He was with them for a year before it became
permanent and he was adopted.

“Now
there isn’t a whole lot of information on any of the homes he was in, but we’ve
managed to dig up the names of the foster parents and some of the kids who
might have been in the homes at the same time. We’re working through crossing
them off. We’ve managed to eliminate all but a handful. Read through those
names and see if any stick out to you.”

I
scanned the list, but none of them were familiar to me. “I’m sorry,” I told
him.

“It’s
okay, it was a long shot. It’s possible our guy isn’t even on this list. Monroe
has people contacting each of the foster homes and the case workers to see who he
might have been close with, or if he ever talked about you to anyone. They’re
also trying to get in touch with the schools and local law enforcement. He was
in and out of trouble, and maybe he had a partner in crime.”

“And
did you look into the fire that killed him?”

“Yes.
Reports say that the fire that burned down the Reardon family farm was caused
by faulty wiring. The whole family, except for the Reardon’s biological son,
Andrew, perished in the fire. Monroe also sent agents out to Kamiah to poke
around and talk to people who might have known the Reardon family. So far this
is looking like our most promising lead.”

“How
so?”

“Well,
we can’t find anything on Andrew Reardon after the fire. It says he was sent to
live with an estranged uncle, but after that there are no records. No driver’s
license, no school or employment records. We can’t find any sort of photo ID
for him, and the uncle has since passed away so we can’t even get in touch with
him to track Andrew down. Both properties were left to Andrew, and it seems
both were sold, but there aren’t even bank records for Andrew. All we were able
to dig up are a few old photos of the Reardon family that were featured in the
local paper after their deaths. I enlarged a few of them, but they’re still
hard to make out.”

He
opened up a new window with a picture of the family standing on a rickety
looking front porch. The house behind them didn’t look to be faring much
better. Mr. and Mrs. Reardon stood stoic behind three kids. A pre-teen girl and
two older boys. The newspaper photo was grainy and in black and white, I almost
couldn’t pick out Aaron. Both boys were about the same height and had a similar
build and wore glasses. The other boy was just a little taller and lankier.
They couldn’t have been older than fourteen in the picture, so it must have
been taken shortly after Aaron went to live with them.

“Honestly,
I don’t think I’d be able to tell if I’d ever seen him before. It’s such a
terrible picture.”

“I
know. That’s what worries me. We’ll have to try and identify him some other
way.”

“You
really can’t find anything else on him?”