Chapter 9
I heard the rumble of motorcycle pipes just as I walked out the back door of my building. The sound rolled through the alley, low and steady, until Aiden came to a stop. His badass bike glistened with a fine mist of rain, chrome catching what little light the gray sky offered.
I crossed my arms. “So you got her out, huh?”
“Yeah.” His mouth tilted in that almost-smile that usually got him out of trouble.
“There’s still a lot of rain, but she was ready to go.
” He tugged off his gloves and looked at me, that implacable blue gaze pinning me in place.
I’d never be able to count the shades in those eyes, so I didn’t even try.
“I didn’t like you not answering my phone call earlier. ”
Crap. I’d honestly forgotten. “It was a busy day.” I heard how weak it sounded.
“Was it?” His Irish lilt thickened, a thread of steel under velvet.
The corner of my mouth lifted. “Don’t be cranky.”
“I’ll deal with you later. For now, come ride with me.”
My pulse kicked up a notch. I wore my heavy wool coat, and it had been too long since I’d wrapped myself around that man on a bike. “Absolutely.” Tossing my briefcase into my car, I jogged across the damp pavement, rain peppering my hair.
He held out a helmet.
“You don’t have one,” I said, brows up.
“I’ll get the other one out of storage. For now, it goes on your head.”
There wasn’t any arguing with him when he sounded like that—quiet, sure, and already winning. I plunked the helmet on, fastening the strap as his gaze tracked every movement. He looked amused and a little too satisfied.
Sliding onto the seat behind him, I wrapped my arms around his solid middle. The warmth of him hit instantly through leather and muscle. He waited until I’d settled and then eased the bike into gear to swing onto the street.
The world blurred. Wind tore around us, cool and damp, carrying the scent of rain and exhaust. I let my head rest against his back, feeling the steady rhythm of his breathing and the rumble of the bike echoing through both of us.
Downtown Timber City passed in a flicker of green and gold. The St. Patrick’s decorations turned the world green around us, though not quite the over-the-top circus Silverville managed every March. Still, the Irish ran deep there. It ran deep in both of us.
We wound out of town toward Tamarack Lake. The road curved beneath a canopy of wet pine, the air rich with damp bark and cold earth. I flattened my hands against his abs and breathed him in—motor oil, rain, and man. Familiar. Grounding. Safe.
The ride ended too soon. He cut the engine in front of the cabin, and the quiet that followed was instant and thick. Only the ticking of the cooling bike and the faint hiss of rain filled the air.
When I swung my leg off, he caught my arm to steady me. His fingers lingered just long enough to make my breath hitch.
He pulled me close and unhooked my chin strap, easing the helmet off. “That was fun,” I said, trying not to sound breathless.
“It was.” He swung a leg over and stood there, tall and rain-damp, eyes unreadable. Drops slid down his hair and along his jaw.
I took a step back, needing space to breathe. “How’d your investigation go?”
“Interesting.”
“Is that a fact?”
His mouth flattened. “Yeah. Nothing on the dynamite yet. The lab will take some time in testing the residue for a signature.” He brushed a bit of water off my chin before continuing.
“The prints from your Nana’s shop are still stuck in the queue.
Washington’s lab is as behind as ours, but I’ll stay on them. ”
“Good.” I exhaled, watching the fog of my breath vanish.
He tilted his head slightly, eyes flicking down to the business card tucked into my jeans pocket. With deliberate slowness, he plucked it free. “Whose number?”
“A man named Cormac Coretti,” I said. “Have you ever heard of him?”
“No.” Aiden turned the card over and frowned at the blank back. “Why would I have heard of him?”
How unsettling. “He’s heard of you. He knew about the investigation.”
“Cormac Coretti.” Aiden tested the name, the accent flattening the vowels. “Irish-Italian combo?”
“It is.”
He gave me a look. “Please tell me neither of your grandmothers have met this guy.”
“Oh yeah. Nana O’Shea met him earlier today.”
Aiden’s brows lifted. “All right, tell me he’s over ninety.”
“He’s not. He’s young. Pretty good-looking.”
Aiden’s expression shifted into a half scowl, half grin. “Is that a fact? Why do you have his number?”
“He wants updates on the investigation. Says once my grandparents announce a reward, he’s going after the boxes.”
“Going after them how?”
Maybe I should’ve tried harder to question Cormac. “I’m not entirely sure. That’s just what he said.” I shrugged, but Aiden’s focus didn’t waver. “I don’t think Bampa will offer money.”
“Your grandparents announced a reward a couple hours ago,” Aiden said. “You haven’t heard?”
“No. I’ve been on the phone with clients all afternoon.” So Cormac had been right. Somehow, he’d known before I had. That didn’t sit well.
Aiden handed the card back, his jaw tight. “Is this guy off?”
“I can’t decide. He seems interested in Donna and asked for her number.”
Aiden cocked his head. “So he has good taste. Maybe he’s a collector of silver? Or some dumbass treasure hunter?”
I couldn’t pinpoint Coretti, but dumbass didn’t come close. “Maybe a collector, though I have no idea how he found out about the theft.”
Aiden studied me for a beat. “You don’t like questions without answers.”
He wasn’t wrong. “No.”
A gust of wind hit, bringing mist with it. Aiden reached out, his hand finding mine, and tugged me toward the door. His palm was rough and warm, the contrast almost startling.
Inside, the cabin’s heat wrapped around us, smelling faintly of cedar and wet leather. I removed my coat and shook out my hair. “I need to get Brickhouse back.”
“We can grab him after work tomorrow.”
“I miss the dog.”
Aiden’s voice softened, his hand brushing my back as he closed the door. “The Rottweiler misses you too.”
I turned toward the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.” His arm came around my waist from behind, sudden and sure, and before I could react, my feet left the ground.
I yelped, laughing. “I meant for food.”
“Who needs food?”
He turned me in one smooth motion and caught me against him, his mouth finding mine. Hot, demanding, and sure. My breath caught, the world narrowing to heat and heartbeat. I kissed him back, my fingers curling in his jacket, my pulse racing.
Aiden Devlin. The man could melt asphalt with one kiss.
We ended up farther into the living room and my jacket somehow dropped to the floor. My shirt sailed over my head, and he kept kissing me, with a hunger that hinted at emotion. A frustrated one.
Was he leaving again?
I broke free, my legs wrapped around his hips, my arms around his neck. “Aiden?”
“Yeah.” He swooped in again, his mouth lava hot.
Desire whipped down me, hitting all the good parts on the way. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of him around me. His heat and strength as he held me easily aloft.
I loved that about him.
I didn’t like secrets. I tore my face away, gasping for breath. “I think we should talk?” Leaning back, I stared into those wild eyes.
His smile was wicked. “Okay. You talk.” One hand easily released the back of my bra.
“Um—” I pressed against him. Devlin in a playful mood was too much to deny.
If he could be called anything close to playful.
His mouth found my neck, and he scraped his teeth down, nipping my collarbone.
Wandering up, he pressed hard kisses beneath my jaw, reaching my ear, where he bit into my earlobe.
Liquid fire slid through me, landing right between my legs.
His chuckle vibrated through my entire body.
“You’re not fair,” I breathed.
Now he leaned back, crimson across his high cheekbones. “Aingeal, I’ve never played fair. You know that.”
Yeah, I did, and I loved it when he called me angel in Gaelic.
Probably because it was a nice thought and nowhere near reality.
I could be kind and nice but didn’t come close to angelic.
Even so, the idea that he thought so warmed me up even more.
So I clapped both hands on his face and leaned in, licking along his generous mouth.
He sucked in a breath.
Power zapped through me. Aiden was sometimes larger than life, and to know I could affect him meant something. Something feminine and strong. I grinned against his lips.
He clamped one hand around my nape, pivoted, and put me down on the sofa. My jeans flew over my head, my panties with them, and he dropped to his knees. His mouth was instantly on me.
I gasped.
Aiden Devlin was very good at a lot of things in life. He was a damn master at this.
He knew my body much better than I ever would. That should’ve scared me, and sometimes alone in the darkness it did, but not right now. Definitely not right now.
His broad shoulders kept my legs wide, and he went at me, having me panting and begging much too fast. This time, he didn’t make me wait.
The orgasm tore through me, head to toe, sending me into spasms of waves.
I’m pretty sure I cried out his name. A couple of times.
Maybe I panted it out. When I came down, he stood and yanked off his clothes, plucking me up to place on the rug in front of the fireplace.
There wasn’t a fire roaring, but we didn’t need one.
“You good?” He knelt between my legs, lifting my hips.
“Yes,” I whispered, more than good.
As always, he was gentle, making sure he didn’t hurt me. Taking way too much time, he finally embedded himself fully in me.
My heart swelled. It’s a silly expression, but it really felt like it. I reached up and cupped his face, pushing that thick dark hair away from his eyes. Vulnerability swamped me. It wasn’t safe to love like this.
Not even close.
It was also way too late to worry about it. He’d probably had my heart since he’d rescued me out of that cabin so many years ago. Definitely since he’d returned to town, all big and bad, with a sweet smile he reserved only for me.
“You’re safe, angel,” he rumbled, seeing right inside me as usual. Then he started to move.
Powering inside me, he lit my entire body back on fire. I forgot worries. I forgot the future. I might’ve forgotten my own name.
I hit the climax first, arching, as wires uncoiled in my abdomen. Whimpering when I came down, I grabbed his arms just as he followed me, his body shuddering. When he’d finished, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my nose before reaching over and dragging a plush blanket off the couch.
“Hold on.” He withdrew from me and my body jerked, protesting. Grinning, he slid the blanket on me before standing and starting a fire. Buck ass naked.
Aiden had a body made for firelight. Or moonlight. Or full sunlight. Hard and lean, he showed scars. A couple of knife wounds, a burn or two, and bullet wounds.
His job had never been safe.
Of course, I had a few scars of my own from being shot. Sometimes life gets odd.
I admired his muscles and ignored the scars as he piled more kindling on the fire and then lay back down, cuddling me close beneath the blanket. I stretched against him, bracketed by pure strength, and watched the fire light the logs. “When are you leaving?” I whispered.
He stroked a calloused hand down my arm. “Don’t know. The task force is heating up, and we’ve found two more warehouses with illegal or dangerous substances. More mushrooms for microdosing.”
I blinked. “That’s not an ATF issue.”
“No. But there’s a volatile residue created from the process that involves us, as well as some illegal weapons being used to protect the grows.
Like I said, it’s a task force between several agencies with letters.
I’d like to wrap up the dynamite investigation before leaving again, but I might have to finish that from somewhere else. ”
I didn’t ask where. “Are you going undercover again?” It was tough not to hold my breath.
“Possibly.”
It took everything I had not to let my body shudder or my shoulders slump, even though they were pressed against his upper chest. I wiggled my butt against his groin, noting he was still half-hard. Would probably be fully there in a few minutes. Impressive. “Okay.”
He kissed my head. “That’s it? Okay?”
What else could there be? I was fully aware of his job when we’d moved in together. “Yeah. Just be careful. Don’t get shot.” Or stabbed. Or blown up.
“I won’t.” His brogue was deeper tonight. A bit darker. “You’re still okay with my job?”
Hell no. “Yes.” I’d gone into this with my eyes open. “I’m getting the feeling that this one is dangerous.”
“I have good backup.” So yes, it was dangerous.
“All right.” I accepted him as he was and chose not to delve too much into the future. He hadn’t proposed, and I wasn’t ready for marriage, anyway. But what if we got there? What if we had kids?
“I love you, Angel.”
I closed my eyes. For now, that was everything I wanted. I’d worry about the future later.
His phone buzzed from the crumpled mass of his jeans by the sofa.
“Really?” I muttered.
He chuckled. “It’s only a little past dinnertime.”
Oh. Huh. It felt like midnight.
He stretched a muscled arm, felt around, and drew the phone to his ear. “Devlin? Yeah? Okay. Thanks.” He clicked off.
I held my breath. Hopefully his mission hadn’t been moved up.
“That was my team. They found something on the CCTV,” he said. “They have somebody leaving your Nana’s shop before the explosion.”
I jolted. That was excellent news. “Who was it?”
“Saber just said we need to see it. Let’s go.”
I wriggled a bit. “Sounds good.”
We had to get this figured out…and fast.