Tri Me (Primrose, Minnesota, Book 4) (8 page)

“Why?”

She gave him an eye roll. “I couldn’t run out of my house naked.”

“Why weren’t you dressed?” Tempted to swallow his next question, he choked it out anyway. “Were you alone?”

“No Jackson, I was playing strip poker with the entire Primrose Junior College football team and I lost.”

“Alex …” he growled.

“Oh good grief! I was soaking in a bubble bath with my mp3 player plugged in my ears when I smelled smoke. I grabbed a towel and when I opened the door, the house was filled with smoke, too dark to see anything. Do you know how hard it is to crawl while wrapped in a towel?”

His stomach tightened with a twinge of guilt and he gave jealously a kick in the teeth. Obviously she was scared to death. He couldn’t help but notice her hands shook as she worked hard to hide the motion, but he knew from experience that coming down from adrenaline was a bitch.

“I’m sorry. Wait, you only left with a towel?”

“Well, no. I managed to grab my purse and briefcase on my way out.”

Before he could question her about the necessity of saving her purse and briefcase from the fire, Team Alex arrived one by one and nudged him outside their protective circle. Although he was silently grateful Alex had such a strong support system, he also knew that support system would stall his fact-finding mission for the time being. Luckily, he towered every one of them.

He caught Alex’s eye over Marnie’s head. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

The RSI team stood just outside the perimeter of the fire and Jackson knew from experience every one of them took mental notes.

Mace glanced at the circle of women and then back at him. “How is she?”

“Tough as nails.”

“Good luck penetrating that armor,” Jake mumbled.

“Thanks for the encouragement.” Jackson turned to Shane. “Any word on the structure?”

“Unfortunately, it’s a total loss.”

Ryker cleared his throat. “Accident?”

“Fire’s too hot for me to investigate tonight.”

“Any theories?”

“Thousands.”

Jackson took a stab at one particular theory he didn’t quite put much stock in. “Electrical?”

Shane tossed a glance over his shoulder and then stepped closer to the pack. “I’ll have to come back in the morning to investigate. Pick me up at eight o’clock.”

The four of them nodded almost in unison before Shane turned and walked back toward the fire engines.

Ryker folded his arms across his chest. “Suppose she’ll agree to a safe house?”

“Most likely not.” Jackson didn’t hesitate in his answer. “Not until we know for sure this was personal.”

“Uh, Jackson.” Mace exhaled hard. “You know as well as we do, this was personal.”

He knew his partner spoke the truth but Shane’s report would give them more ammo. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Determined to talk sense into Alex, he headed back for the ambulance and penetrated the circle.

Liberty gave him a soft smile. “She’s had a long night.”

“You can interrogate her tomorrow,” Bri added.

He gave them both a sideways grin. “Where is she staying tonight?”

“She wanted to stay at a hotel,” Dara drawled, obviously offended.

“But I said absolutely not,” Marnie added. “I have an extra bedroom and I got used to Dara being there. It’s been kind of lonely without her so it’s best for both of us.”

“I don’t want to impose …”

“You’re not.” Marnie cut Alex off in mid-sentence. “You can borrow some of my clothes and we’ll go shopping tomorrow. You know how bored I get during summer break. It’ll be fun.”

He waited for Alex’s argument, impressed that Marnie’s stern teacher’s voice kept her quiet.
Interesting
. Maybe Marnie could teach him something.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Dara tugged the edge of the blanket up closer to Alex’s neck. “Reagan is there.”

“No need. I’ll go on to Marnie’s.”

He released a silent sigh of relief. “I’ll meet you there. I need facts.”

Alex glanced at Bri and then back at him. “My shrink says you should question me tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow may be too late for me to do anything.”

“Okay, but you know the penalty.”

Yeah, he did. She wouldn’t hesitate to add that to the
list.
Damn thing just kept growing longer and longer. Reluctant to make it public, he simply nodded. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

True to his word, he arrived at Marnie’s apartment just as she and Marnie unlocked the door. And since she stood on the doorstep in nothing but her towel, he wasted no time in hustling her inside, past a wide-eyed, obviously shocked Marnie, and into the bathroom.

“Drop the towel.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I appreciate your concern, Jackson, but I can manage alone.”

“Drop.”

His fingers wrapped hers, loosening her hold.

“The.”

Very slowly he eased open the wrapper.

“Towel.”

In one swift tug, the terry cloth hit the floor.

For several seconds she stood beautifully naked, her emerald gaze trained directly on him as if giving him one more chance to run before she lifted her knee and planted it in his balls, karate-style. Instead, those full, plump lips split into a half-smile and she struck a sex-kitten pose with one hand on her left hip.

“Okay, so now what, Detective Too-Cool?”

He swallowed hard and his brain taunted,
yeah, so now what?
His cock screamed in agony and strained so hard it nearly poked a hole through his fly. He moved his gaze from the top of her five foot frame to the bottom and back again. The tiny package of dynamite stood loaded, poised to blow him from here to Kingdom Come – and they hadn’t even lit the fuse.

Unable to stop himself, he glanced back at her chest, her firm breasts teasing him to touch. His mouth watered and he balled his fists to keep from reaching out and stroking one pebbled nipple – or better yet, lowering his head and pulling it inside his mouth to tease it with his tongue. His mind flashed back to their previous kiss and he harbored an undeniable feeling of de´ja vu.

With a hard sigh, he forced his gaze back into her eyes and a sudden flash of vulnerability caused him to pause. Damn nobility.

“You’re getting in the shower.”

“You sure about that?”

Hell no.
“Yes.” He squatted and balanced one elbow on the edge of the tub while he reached to turn on the faucets with his other hand.

“Pity,” she taunted behind him.

His elbow slid from the tub and he nearly fell over the edge.
Damn, damn, damn, just … damn!
He braced both hands against the slick porcelain then pushed himself to stand on jelly legs he hoped would hold his weight. Once upright, he practiced amazing self control to keep his gaze focused into her eyes and away from her delectable body. Her delectable
naked
body.

“Test the water before you get in.”

With another of her mischievous grins, she stepped past him, lifted one leg, and stuck one pink-polished toe into the running water. As she held his gaze with her own and extended her leg, her narrowed eyes and curvy body reminded him of a Siamese cat stretching in warm sunlight before lying to nap in the rays. Oh man, what he wouldn’t give to have her curled up in his lap, stroking her neck while she mewed in satisfaction.
Oh for the love of God
– he had to pull himself together.

“Perfect.”

He shook his head to clear the notion that he had just heard the purr in her voice. “I’ll wait in the living room. We’ll talk when you’re finished.”

With every fiber of his being screaming bloody murder, Jackson turned and left the very attractive, very naked woman alone under the steaming hot water and headed toward the living room. The sight of Marnie sprawled on the sofa, coffee cup in hand, with one eyebrow arched and her head cocked to one side did little to ease his distress. Apparently, Alex wasn’t the only one in hot water.

“Did you check the temperature of the water?”

He very carefully folded himself into a chair opposite her and smirked. “You can’t crack me, Miss Carpenter.”

“How long are you two going to play hide-and-seek?”

“As long as she says.”

“Smart man.” She lowered her feet to the floor. “Coffee?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

He took the much-needed momentary reprieve from Marnie’s scrutiny to roll his shoulders in an unsuccessful attempt to release some of the tension. Although he felt ninety-eight percent positive Alex was in a whole helluva lot of trouble, convincing her to run from it would be a downright miracle.

“You’re prepared to beat your head against the wall, right?” Marnie handed him a steaming mug.

“Thank you.” He lifted the cup and welcomed the warm, nutty taste as he sipped. “Alex is a smart woman.”

“That’s an understatement.” Marnie snorted. “She’s absolutely brilliant.”

He couldn’t argue her point but didn’t hesitate to make his own. “Sometimes her intelligence is a pain in my ass.”

“She does tend to over-think.” She placed one hand over her mouth as she yawned. “Good luck with your interrogation. I’m headed to bed.”

A tiny thread of panic wound around his nerve endings as Marnie left the room – there was something to be said about safety in numbers. Then again, sparring one-on-one with Alex provided a rush of stimulation he welcomed.

He raised the cup, drained the remaining contents, and then set it on the end table beside him. Question marks speared his brain as he attempted to snap the pieces of this puzzle together. Was this fire coincidental? Instinct made that difficult to believe. It was just too entirely ironic that not forty-eight hours after the last harassing phone call, her house had caught fire.

He rolled his head to one side, caught by surprise when he saw her braced on one hip inside the doorway.

“How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to hear the grind of the gears in your brain.”

She pushed off one hip, walked to the sofa, and lowered her curves to the cushion. Even dressed in baggy sweats and a t-shirt, her body taunted him.

“Feel better?”

“Much.”

“Any idea how the fire started?”

“I’m pretty sure it was an electrical issue.”

“What makes you believe that?”

“My lights have flickered a few times during the past week.”

“What else?”

“The sockets in the bathroom have sparked and tripped the breakers, as well.”

“Did you call an electrician?”

“It’s on my list,” she mumbled.

“Okay, so you have electrical issues. I’m still not convinced that’s the cause of the fire. Shane’s going in to investigate in the morning when things cool off.” He stood and offered a hand, relieved when she accepted and stepped into the circle of his arms. “Humor me and lay low until I figure out what the hell’s going on.”

His heartbeat accelerated when she placed one cheek against his chest. “Okay.”

He resisted the urge to snicker in total disbelief. Her agreement was too incredibly easy. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” The warmth of her breath seeped through the cotton of shirt, tantalizing his already-heated skin. “The girls are coming tomorrow to plan a baby shower for Liberty.” She gave him one of her famous man-eater grins – the one she gave him when he and she both knew she held the upper hand. “Would you like to supervise?”

“No.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head, desperate for more contact. “I’ll expect to find you here when I drop by with more information.”

“I said I’d be here. Do I need to take an oath?”

“No.”

He gently eased her back from him and tipped her chin with his index finger, hesitating just a moment, careful not to invade her personal space without permission. As if granting her express permission, she leaned into his touch and raised her lips toward him in invitation. Without further encouragement, he placed his lips over hers and relished the complete and utter contentment of the electrical moment. Sheer territorial possession caused him to urge her mouth open and deepen the kiss until both of them needed oxygen.

“Don’t let Dara talk you into another novel.”

His blood warmed even further when she released a short giggle. “I’m sure she’s taking notes.”

“No doubt,” he agreed as he released her and headed to the front door. “Just make sure you don’t become the heroine.”

Jackson mentally prepared himself for the worst as Ryker steered the sleek, black extended cab pickup truck into Alex’s driveway and parked at the bottom. He stole a glance around the silent interior, somewhat encouraged that all three men wore the same expression of determination. And if he were psychic, he’d bet that all three thought the same thing – arson.