What's Done in Darkness (34 page)

“Come here.” Brian patted the spot beside him on the bed.

My breath caught in my throat.

“By now you should know that I'm not going to hurt you,” he went on.

“Is this all part of an act?” I blurted. “An attempt to get information about Katrina by getting close to me?”

Brian regarded me with skepticism. “I know there's nothing you can tell me about Katrina that I don't already know.”

He was right about that. I barely knew Katrina, and I wasn't involved in any illegal activity with her. And if he believed that I was, certainly he wouldn't have me in his hotel room.…

“Surely you don't think I invited you to my hotel room in the middle of the night because of Katrina,” he said, echoing my thoughts. His lips curled in a smile, the same charming smile that had instantly had me smitten.

I swallowed.

“I get that you're confused. About everything. But what I said to you earlier, I meant it.” He held my gaze. “What happened between us wasn't an act.…”

My heart thudded against my rib cage. I believed him.

“Come here,” he said again, his voice soft, a gentle invitation. I knew that if I wanted to get up and leave he wouldn't stop me.

And maybe I should do exactly that. Get up, head to the door. Why should I make this easy for him?

I got to my feet. Took a couple of steps to my left, as if I were heading to the door. But then I abruptly turned. Took slow steps toward him.

As I reached him, his hands went up, cupped my hips. I glanced down at him, saw that damn smile. And all I could think was that I wanted to kiss him until the world around us faded away.

He urged me down, and I straddled his legs as I sat on his lap. Without missing a beat, my lips went down, too, finding his.

The kiss was like a minivolcano, erupting with heat. What was it about this guy that made all rational thought fly out the window?

His fingers found my face as his tongue flicked over mine. And he began to touch me, tantalizing strokes with his fingertips that added to the sensation of his kiss. I could feel his arousal against my center. Large and hard.

I moaned and deepened the kiss, then reached for the hem of my shirt and started to pull it off.

As soon as it was discarded, his palms were on my back, warm and enticing and holding my body against his as he eased backward on the bed. His lips found mine again, and his tongue delved into my mouth with broad strokes, his fingers trailing up my spine.

A sigh escaped me as he unclasped my bra. Then, in a flash, he spun us over, deftly switching positions. Now I was the one on my back and he was on top of me, his strong legs between my thighs.

I looked into his eyes, darkened and filled with desire for me, and hot lust shot through my veins. And then he was touching me, the tips of his fingers grazing my cheek, then moving down to my neck, and over to one shoulder. Brian slipped his fingers beneath my bra strap and eased it off of my shoulder and down my arm. I heard his sharp intake of breath as his eyes drank in the sight of my naked breasts.

“You're beautiful,” he rasped, the words making me heady. Adjusting his body, he pulled the other strap down my other arm, then tossed my bra onto the floor. I curled my leg around his thigh, urging him closer.

He grinned down at me. “Looks like you're starting to trust me.”

I chuckled softly. Then, quickly becoming serious, I lifted my head and nuzzled my nose against his cheek. “I wouldn't be here if I didn't,” I whispered.

A groan rumbling in his chest, Brian angled his head, his lips finding mine. As he kissed me softly, one of his hands covered my breast. And then he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, hot and delicious.

Brian tweaked my nipple, coaxing it into a hardened peak. I gripped his shoulders and moaned into his mouth.

“Yes, baby,” he said. “I'm going to do everything you like, for as long as you like.”

And then he brought his mouth down onto my nipple. And as his lips tugged and his tongue tantalized, every thought of anything but him faded away.

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Where was Christian? I weaved my way through the crowd in Tequila Grill, craning my neck left and right trying to find him.

Katrina saw me and beamed. I made my way over to her.

Where's Christian?
I asked.

She didn't answer me. Instead, she raised her arms over her head and began to move her body to the funky beat playing in the bar. That's when I saw the blood on her hands.

Katrina! You're bleeding!

Look at the bird,
she said.

As she said that, I looked up. Saw a bird sitting on a string of lights and chirping.

The next instant my brain registered that the sound I'd actually heard was my cell phone going off, indicating that I'd received a text message.

My eyes flew open. And that's when I realized that something was wrong. That I wasn't where I was supposed to be.

I looked to my left. Saw Brian's naked torso beside me. And it all came rushing back.

Going to his hotel room last night.

Making love to him for hours.

A smile broke out on my face.

He was on his stomach, his face turned away from me. The fact that he hadn't stirred told me he was sleeping.

I snuggled close to his body. The past several days had brought highs and lows, unexpected turns. The last place I'd expected to be right now was in bed with Brian. But he'd shown up yesterday, and here we were. My world had changed for the better.

My cell phone chirped again, and I glanced at the clock. It was minutes after eight. Who was contacting me at this hour?

I stretched my naked body over Brian's, reaching for the phone that was on his night table. He stirred.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

I grabbed my phone and settled back in the bed. Then I checked my texts. There were two from my sister. The most recent text appeared first:

Have you still been talking to Shawde? I thought I told you to stay away from her.

I frowned, then read the previous message:

Hey, what's going on? I'm watching the news right now. Shemar's sister is on.

I sat up and reached for the remote control. I turned the television on. The volume blared, and I quickly turned the sound down.

Too late. I'd awoken Brian. He rolled over onto his back, his narrowed eyes meeting mine.

“Sorry,” I murmured. “I didn't mean to wake you.”

“What's going on?”

I started flipping through the channels. “I got a text from my sister. Remember the woman I told you who came to me about her brother?” I'd filled Brian in on the whole story when we'd taken a break from making love. “She's apparently on the news.”

I kept flipping until I found CNN. If my sister had seen the news, it had to be on a national news network.

“Come here.”

Brian extended his arm, and I lay beside him, resting my head on his shoulder, my eyes still on the television set. “I should be getting back soon,” I said. “Katrina will wonder where I was.”

His fingers stroked my back. “What if I'm not ready to let you go yet?”

I angled my head to look at him, skeptical. “Seriously?”

His other hand went to my face, and I felt a rush of desire. Damn, I was becoming aroused again. “What, you think I came down here to see you for one night and that's it?”

The edges of my lips fought to curl in a smile, but I kept it under control. “Maybe.”

“Oh, really?” His hand tightened on my back, and then he deftly adjusted our bodies so that I was now on my back and he was resting on top of me. “You need me to prove that last night wasn't about a one-night stand?”

He buried his lips in my neck, and I giggled at first … until his mouth began to move more slowly, with flicks of his tongue teasing my skin.

“Mmmm,” I moaned, wrapping my hands around his neck.

“… fishermen were surprised when they caught something unexpected in their fishing net.”

“That's right, Taylor. Authorities here in Key West say that two fishermen were stunned to find the body of an unidentified man in their net last night. Shawde Williams, visiting Key West from upstate New York, is certain she knows the identity of the man.”

“That's the story,” I said, and quickly began to maneuver my body from beneath Brian's. He eased off of me and groaned in protest. I reached for the remote control and turned up the volume. “The guy, the one I told you came down here to investigate Katrina. That must be him they found!”

Shawde was now on the screen, standing in front of the marina, the blue waters of the ocean behind her. “I'm certain that the man is Gordon Deaver. He went missing just over a week ago. He was in Florida, working for me. You know the story about the man recently murdered in Mexico? That victim was involved with the same woman my brother was involved with six years ago. My brother also died under suspicious circumstances. Now Gordon is dead, too.”

The reporter, a man, looked visibly shocked. “You're saying you know this man and you believe that he was murdered?”

“Katrina Hughes killed my brother. I'm sure of it. Now her husband ends up dead during a trip to Mexico? And the man I sent down here to investigate her also ends up dead in the Atlantic? This is not coincidence. She needs to be arrested
now
—so that no one else dies.”

“Those are incredible allegations.”

“Katrina Hughes is a dangerous woman.”

“Oh my God,” I said. “Shawde came to see me at the café, told me that she'd found the hotel where Gordon was staying. He never checked out. I didn't … I didn't want to believe anything bad had happened to him.”

“… body is currently at the medical examiner's office,” the reporter was saying when I turned my attention back to him. “Given the state of the body, it may be a while before an identification can be made and a cause of death determined.”

“If Gordon's dead, too … how many coincidences can there be?”

“Hey,” Brian said gently, sitting beside me and placing a hand on my back.

“One more death. Someone else connected to Katrina.” I looked over my shoulder at him. “I can't keep denying the obvious.”

“She may not be arrested for any crime yet,” Brian began, “but that doesn't mean she's innocent. I don't want you going back there.”

I swallowed. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time I cut my losses, headed back home.

“We can stay here for a while,” he went on.

“At this hotel?”

“Why not?”

Being holed up here with Brian, in our own little world, certainly held appeal.

He curled his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “If she
has
killed all of these people—she's clearly unstable. It's not smart to go back there.”

“All of my stuff is there,” I said.

One of Brian's hands crept up to my breast. “Well, there's no reason you have to go
right now
.…”

“I'm supposed to work,” I said, then lolled my head backward as sensations of pleasure spread through me.

My cell phone rang, jarring me out of the moment.

Brian tweaked my nipple. “Let it ring.”

“It's probably my sister calling to see if I saw the news report,” I told him. “I should answer it.”

With a groan of frustration, I pulled away from him and found my phone on the bed. Indeed, Marie's picture was displayed on my screen.

I swiped the TALK button. “Hey, Marie.”

“Jade Blackwin?”

I frowned. That wasn't Marie's voice. “Yes?”

“I'm calling from Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania.”

I blinked, my brain not quite making sense of what I'd heard. “What?”

“You're listed as your sister's emergency contact.”

“Yes, I am.” A chill ran down my spine. I was starting to understand. If someone from the hospital was calling me, that meant my sister couldn't. “What—what happened?”

“I'd say it's important for you to get here as soon as you can.”

Panic gripped me with icy tentacles. “Oh God.” I forced in a breath. “Is she—is she dead?”

Beside me, I felt Brian's hands on my shoulders.

“She's been in a car crash, and she's in critical condition. Can you come to the hospital?”

“No.”
I jumped to my feet. “I mean, yes. Of course. I'm on my way right now.” I paused, trying to focus my frazzled thoughts. “Wait—but I'm in Florida. I—I'm not sure when I can get a flight.”

“Just get here as soon as you can.”

I held the phone in my hand, devastation filling my belly with the weight of a heavy boulder.

“Jade, what's happening?” Brian asked.

“It's my sister. She's—she's been in a car accident. I have to get to Erie as soon as possible.”

“Shit,” Brian said. “How bad is it?”

“The woman didn't say.” My eyes scanned the discarded clothes on the floor for my underwear. “But it's critical.”

“What can I do?” Brian asked me.

I got off the bed and scooped up my bra. And that's when it hit me. Shawde's words.

Five and a half years ago, after dating Katrina, he died in a car crash. The police ruled it an accident, but I know it wasn't that. It was murder.

My knees buckled, and I dropped onto the floor.

Brian bounded out of the bed and rushed over to me. “Jade!”

He held me in his arms, and I buried my face in his shoulder and began to cry.

“Shhh.”

“This is what happened to Shawde's brother. He—he was in a car wreck. And I—I didn't believe her.”

“Hey.” Brian brushed my hair off of my face. “Don't you go thinking the worst. Your sister's alive, and I'm sure she's gonna be fine. Besides, Katrina's here, in Florida.”