With devilish ways.
She clawed the sofa, undulating her body to tease and tempt.
And she did.
There was no chance of holding back any longer. She’d wrapped me around her little finger, wagging it with that look in her eyes that screamed of pure seduction. And I’d fallen for it. The pursed lips. The shock and awe turning to tears. Her sweet voice. And dear God, that sultry body. What the hell did I do from here?
As my cock finally released, I smacked her bottom three more times, engaged in every sound she made. As a possessive kind of man, I knew that if anyone dared touch her, they might not like what happened.
And there wouldn’t be a moment’s worth of guilt.
CHAPTER 17
Grace
“We still don’t have anything concrete, Grace. There was no DNA other than your parents’ and of course the fire burned too hot to get any fingerprints.”
I’d never been so frustrated in my life. Chief Taylor had been exceptionally kind over the last few weeks, initially trying to keep me informed about the ongoing investigation. Suddenly, all communication had stopped. Kaput. Given his attitude, I had a feeling he didn’t want to tell me the investigation wasn’t a top priority.
Maybe I should be grateful he’d returned my call.
This time.
“You haven’t spent much time at the barn. Didn’t you tell me there was a crude bomb?”
“Grace, the entire forensics crew was there for almost twelve hours, the fire marshal hours after that. Now that weeks havepassed, any evidence we didn’t find would likely be tainted. Yes, the bomb itself was crude in components, but I assure you manufactured in such a way as to cause maximum damage. You don’t need to continue worrying about this.”
“No offense, Chief, but my family was murdered. Not yours.” I was angrier with him than I’d been before, frustrated at the lack of movement.
“I understand, Grace. I really do. Look, why don’t you go ahead and tear down the barn? You’re free to do that now. I know some people who will give you a good price.”
Why? Because it was just something else to finalize their deaths. Oh, I hated this.
“What about the sporting goods store fire? Any connection?” What if they hadn’t done enough? “Maybe the arsonist purchased his bomb making materials there and was caught.”
I’d be damned if the man didn’t laugh as if I was just a woman and didn’t know what I was talking about. I’d experienced the bullshit before, partially because I wasn’t always an in-your-face kind of girl whether by height or attitude. But I was learning how to be and it was frustrating as hell.
“Grace, just leave the worry about the many fires to those trained to handle them.”
There it was. The condescending bullshit tossed out like a tiny cookie crumb that I’d scramble to snatch up. A starved little mouse. That made me angry, furious. I didn’t care about his position or that he was my on-again, off-again best friend’s dad. “Listen here, Chief Taylor. I understand you have a job to do and I appreciate you acting as if you care about what happened to my parents, but there’s something about that fire that indicatedmore than just a random crime. It was a well-orchestrated plan that wasn’t tossed together overnight. Have you given any credence to the thought my parents knew the arsonist? With no forced entry anywhere, they obviously weren’t too concerned when he or she showed up.”
His sigh pleased me. He was irritated. I was glad.
Ellie May suddenly jumped off the couch, woofing as she did. Which meant I had company inside the house. He was earlier than usual. Maybe because it was a Thursday. A little tingle drifted down my spine. In the last few days, everything seemed… normal.
Normal in the sense that the time spent with Viper had been as if we were a couple. The passion had exploded, but he’d gone to work, excited about the training he was doing with the Zullies, even allowing me to hear stories about his day.
With the July Fourth celebrations this weekend, I only had one Friday client to see. I was feeling a little jolly about sharing a holiday with the man, which was completely ridiculous. For all I knew, he had to work.
He’d grilled outside both nights, enjoying the chore, even moving his hulking mass of a body in time to some rock music.
We’d gone on a walk to the river, this time not near the shell of a barn but just as beautiful.
And he’d still found time to do several repairs. My heart was full.
Which was dangerous because I didn’t want to forget what had preoccupied my mind since returning home.
For a good reason.
