Of course, he was enjoying every moment of driving me crazy. His smile said so. But I could see strain on his face, even through the stubble covering his chiseled jaw. He was doing his best to keep from erupting deep inside, which was why I did my best to force it to happen.
All I had to do was squeeze my muscles and there was no way he could ignore the pressure or the little bit of control I stole from him.
Even if I’d pay for my naughtiness later.
I didn’t mind, not when I could tell he was finally letting go, even more so than before.
With our breathing labored, he drove into me like a primal beast and I met every brutal thrust with one of my own. Until we were left breathless and sweaty.
And still in desperate need.
Just as I couldn’t hold on any longer, responding with a wild orgasm that gripped my body in waves of pleasure, he finally let go.
The moment was breathtaking, leaving us both panting, my vision clouded.
When he gently fell on top of me, our bodies slickened by sweat, I had a terrible feeling he’d think this was a mistake.
Maybe it was, but right now, I wasn’t about to worry about errors made.
I’d followed my instinct and it was never wrong.
CHAPTER 16
Viper
I could easily call myself an idiot and I’d feel just fine about doing so.
Why?
Because on the drive to Grace’s house, I’d thought of all the ways I could tell her the truth. None of them had seemed appropriate. When that had failed, I’d tried to think about what little I could share so she wouldn’t ask. But I’d known better. Landen had offered me an opportunity to be up front with her. I had a feeling that the offer had an expiration date.
Maybe that’s why when I’d seen the road that I’d figured was part of her property, I’d wanted a little time alone to try to come up with something. The up-close sight of the burned barn had shocked the fuck out of me.
What had been left was damaged beyond repair and I hadn’t lied to her that the dilapidated ruins were dangerous. Why keep it? Maybe because the investigation was still active. After how manyweeks? I couldn’t remember and I could tell by her reaction she didn’t want to talk about what had occurred.
What I couldn’t get was how both her parents had died in the building. Unless they’d been lured there and locked inside. What kind of monster did that shit? Maybe the same one who’d been walking through the woods with an assault rifle.
Also maybe the same one who’d torched the sporting goods store. I’d driven by the location on the way to her ranch. The building had been huge, and leveled almost entirely. But the two weren’t connected. When I’d been a firefighter, I’d worked more fires caused by arson than anything I’d done in wildland firefighting, at least enough to know there were two types of arsonists.
Those who did so for the thrill, not caring what they set on fire. And those who did so with specific steps in mind. Whether that be based on revenge, increase in power or methods. The random fires were usually done by curious teenagers or idiots.
The bigger fires were almost always set by those with knowledge about accelerants. About explosives. They took time finding the most vulnerable place within a structure and learned routines. They even looked up plans on county websites.
In my mind, they were some of the most dangerous criminals of all. When someone died in a set fire, it was usually when the person had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting out alive.
From what I knew about her mom and dad, they were two upstanding people. Why had they been targeted?
With Grace nuzzled in my arms, her head resting on my chest, I realized it had been a long time since I was this comfortable.However, I sensed there was still some tension between us. And I knew why.
The fact I’d pushed Grace out of her comfort zone hadn’t been intentional, yet I’d wanted to try to figure out what might be going on. I’d heard significant concern in the fire marshal’s voice, even if she hadn’t used the words in providing her apprehension.
Now all I could think about was protecting Grace.
In our passion, there’d been a chemistry unlike anything I’d felt with anyone my entire life. She was special, so much so that even after a few days, I felt protective of her. I’d proven that with the client I’d disapproved of, which meant I needed to be very careful how I handled myself around her friends. She’d already been warned about me.
She’d only give me so much time to come clean before she pinned me with questions. Which was only fair. But what could I say?
The question lingered in the back of my mind as Grace slipped from the couch, padding toward the kitchen. When she returned, she was wearing my tee shirt, bringing a beer and a bottle of wine along with a glass.
