Chapter 5
5
G arth blinked. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He turned his head. His phone wasn’t propped up on the charger, and that’s when he remembered he wasn’t in his bed. A smile tugged at his lips as the warm body draped over his.
How could he have forgotten?
He wrapped his arm tighter around Amber, brushing her hair from her face and kissing her temple. She smelled like peaches mixed with sunshine. It was intoxicating and he could get used to it.
She’d wormed her way into his dreams, and now his reality. She was the kind of woman he could see himself loving in the forever kind of way. That didn’t scare him one bit. However, what she’d uncovered on her brother’s computer did.
Even he couldn’t deny that.
But was his death related to what he’d uncovered? Or had he gone back to using and accidentally started a fire that caused his demise?
Both were possibilities.
Kaelie was the best arson investigator his department had. Even if she hadn’t been the lead on the case, she oversaw everything. Her report was impeccable, and he believed every word in it.
And then there was the autopsy. Steve had drugs in his system. Whether that been from slipping one time or using for days, it didn’t matter. It was fact.
However, Garth would be a fool not to recognize that it wouldn’t be the first time a criminal forced an injection into someone else. Or slipped something into someone’s drink when they weren’t looking.
Considering the note Steve wrote to Amber, Garth needed to ponder that a possibility.
If Steve wrote that at all. Garth wondered because anyone could have slipped that computer under her bed.
God, this made his head hurt.
“What time is it?” Amber asked in a raspy voice.
“I have no idea. I left my cell downstairs and it’s probably dead.”
She rolled to the side, fumbling with something on the other nightstand. She lifted her hand in the air. The television illuminated the room. Thankfully, the sound was on low as some all-night newscaster bellowed some depressing story about the state of the country. “Jesus, it’s only quarter to five.”
“I have to get out of bed in fifteen minutes if I’m going to be on time for my meeting. I need to charge my phone, take a shower, and head to work.”
“Well, I don’t have to get up until seven.” She tossed the remote to the side and draped her arm and leg over his body. “You’re welcome to use my shower.”
“I might as well use my own since all my clothes are at my place.” He stared at the ceiling fan, doing his best to push all thoughts of her brother and his case out of his mind. “What do you have going on today?”
“I’ve got to show a house today. Outside of that, a bunch of paperwork for a few closings and a few new listings.”
“Sounds busy.”
“Not really.” She rested her head on his chin. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Other than your bed is kind of small for two people, I slept like a baby.”
She smiled. “Small? It’s a queen-sized mattress. And I will never understand why people say they slept like a baby. Have you spent any time with a small child? They wake up constantly during the night.”
He chuckled. “First off. A king is the only way to go when you’re my height. And second, I believe the saying is meant to be a reference to the fact babies can sleep anywhere, in any position, and be peaceful.”
“Then you shouldn’t be complaining about my bed.” She arched a brow.
“I was just… never mind.” He palmed her cheek and gave her a proper good morning kiss, letting it linger a little too long. He groaned as her hand slid down his stomach. He curled his fingers around her wrist. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time for what would only make my day even better.”
“They’re called quickies for a reason.”
He chuckled. “I would like to believe I’m never that quick because that would just be too damn depressing.” He kissed her nose before throwing back the covers. He swung his legs to the side. He found his jeans and hiked them up over his hips. “I have a team meeting that if I’m late for, I’d be in some serious trouble. Otherwise, I’d say screw it and be late.”
“Well, at least let me make you a decent cup of coffee and maybe some toast.”
“Not necessary. You don’t have to get up for hours.”
“Yeah, but I’m wide awake now.” She flung the covers, exposing her gloriously naked body. She padded toward the closet while he stood there with his mouth gaping while his body reacted more like a horny teenager.
His eyes shifted toward the television.
Fuck. He really didn’t have time.
“Come on.” She tugged a robe around her body and pulled him by the forearm. “The clock’s ticking.”
“You’re killing me.”
“I’m willing. You’re the one who has to leave.”
He followed her into the kitchen, collecting the rest of his belongings. He stuffed his wallet in his pocket while she put a mug under the coffee maker.
“You can return my cup later.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I don’t do well without caffeine, especially when I’m forced to sleep in such a small bed.” He winked, although he found her bed to be quite comfy, even if she had hogged most of it.
“Please. No one made you stay there all night.”
“Well, I wasn’t about to sneak out when you made it clear you didn’t want me to. That would have been rude.”
“And you would have never been invited back.” She snagged the mug and handed it to him with a bright smile. “Nothing worse than having a houseguest leave without saying goodbye.”
“I would never, especially when I intend on this happening again.”
“It can happen again, right now.” She tugged at her robe, letting the sash fall to the side, exposing her round curves that sent his brain on vacation.
“I only had the one condom,” he said with a throaty growl, knowing he wasn’t leaving that kitchen anytime soon.
“I’m on birth control.” She wiggled completely out of the robe. It pooled at her feet.
“You don’t play fair.” He tore off his shirt. “And this will be the exact definition of a quickie, which isn’t what I prefer. I’d rather take my time.”
“Ticktock.” She tugged at his jeans, undoing the button and lowering the zipper. She reached inside, curling her deft fingers around his length. A slow, warm, intoxicating shiver crawled across his skin.
He groaned, heaving in a deep breath while she dotted tiny kisses across his chest, down his stomach, before taking him into her mouth. He couldn’t help but stare at the exotic beauty doing the most incredible things with her tongue, mouth, and hands.
Shy, she was not.
She was everything he wasn’t when it came to getting things going. Once he got started, he was fine. It was getting past that first kiss that always tripped him up.
Pooling her hair on top of her head, he watched as she devoured him like a popsicle.
“My turn.” He tugged, then lifted her off the floor, plopping her adorable ass on the counter. He hoisted her legs over his shoulder and licked a trail from the middle of her thigh to her sweet core while his thumb and forefinger found her nipple.
She arched, rolling her hips shamelessly toward his mouth, encouraging him to dive deeper.
And that’s exactly what he did, savoring every lick.
Her fingers threaded through his hair and her soft moans filled his ears.
Gently, he pulled her from the counter, turning her, thrusting himself deep inside as one hand gripped her breast and the other found her clit. He rubbed his thumb across the swollen, hard nub.
“Yes. Oh God, yes,” she whimpered, jerking her body against his with rough and wild abandon.
He gritted his teeth, on the verge of losing all control. But he couldn’t let that happen. Not yet. He wanted—needed—to feel her release tighten around him in a burst of pleasure.
She dropped her head back on his shoulder. Her breaths came in short, desperate gasps. “Garth,” she managed with a throaty groan. “Yes. Now.” Her body quivered and convulsed as her climax consumed his like a wild beast. She leaned forward on her forearms and heaved in a few large breaths. “Now that’s what I call a proper good morning.”
He couldn’t help it. He chuckled, smoothing his hand over her bare ass. “I’d have to agree.” He bent over, snagging her robe from the floor and covered her body before finding his jeans and hiking them up over his hips. He’d had his fair share of interesting sexual encounters. One or two kinky experiences. But that wasn’t his style. He wasn’t used to anything other than what he considered romantic relationships where sex was done in the bedroom.
One girlfriend told him he had a hang-up about that, and maybe he did.
He couldn’t help but wonder if Amber was using this—and him—to get through the pain of losing her brother and that thought did bother him. He cared for her, no doubt. And he thought she liked him back.
“I want you to know that I?—”
“Don’t normally have sex in a woman’s kitchen?” She tugged her robe tight around her middle and smiled.
“You do like to interrupt, don’t you,” he said, shaking his head. “I was going to say I like you. A lot. And that I respect you.”
“You’re a sweet man and thank you.” She pointed to the clock. “You’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on.”
“Shit.” He snagged his shirt and tossed it over his shoulder.
“Do you have plans tonight?” she asked.
“I do not. But I do have to go to the Aegis Network office for my meeting, so I won’t be home until around seven, but after that, I’m all yours.”
“Dessert and wine?”
“Sounds like a plan.” He pulled her close. “Promise me you’re not going to go making phone calls and poking your nose around your brother’s case.”
She rested her hands on his shoulders. “I can’t sit around and do nothing.”
“You asked for my help, and I’m giving it to you. I need you to be patient and let me do this my way.”
“Patience has never been my strong suit, as you just witnessed.” She sighed. “But I promise not to go stir up trouble.” She cocked her head. “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to be looking at what’s in front of me. Rereading his letter to me. Going over all the information that I have to see if maybe I missed something can only be useful.”
“Or drive you insane.” He cupped her face. “Leave this to the experts.”
“I don’t want to argue with you.”
“Then don’t give me a reason to?—”
She covered his mouth with her hand. “If you don’t leave, you’re going to be late for work.”
“I’ll see you tonight.” He brushed his lips over hers, snagged the mug, and turned on his heel. He paused at the side door, glancing over his shoulder. “Lock the doors and call or text if you need anything.”
“Be safe out there.”
He nodded and slipped out into the warm Florida air. There was no reasoning with Amber. Even after all that he’d done.
Could he blame her?
No. The hair on the back of his neck had stood on high alert when he’d read her brother’s note. Even he couldn’t deny that something smelled liked three-day-old dead fish.
But that didn’t mean her brother had been murdered.
Yet it didn’t mean he hadn’t.
And that meant her life could be in danger, something she hadn’t wrapped her pretty little brain around.
“Good morning, Garth,” a female voice echoed in his ears.
Fucking Veronica. She was the last thing he needed at five in the morning.
He gripped his shirt, painfully aware he was topless and shoeless. Damn, he’d left his favorite sneakers in Amber’s kitchen.
“I’m in a hurry, Veronica. Can’t stop and chat.” He waved.
She raced across the street, meeting him in his driveway.
He downed half the coffee, scalding the roof of his mouth. Wonderful.
“I don’t mean to be a nosy neighbor, but there have been a few break-ins and I noticed you coming out of Amber’s house. Did something happen?”
He wanted to burst out laughing because all Veronica really wanted to know was if he’d spent the night. He had half a mind to tell her that was exactly what had happened. But that wouldn’t be fair to Amber. “Nothing like that.”
“Oh. I see.” Veronica toyed with her long ponytail. “You know, the block party is coming up and my sister will be here.”
“I’m sorry.” He waved his dead phone. “I’ve really got to get ready for work. I’ll see you later.” He turned and marched straight up his front steps and into his house, letting out a sigh of relief.
Only, by the time the school bus came around, everyone in the neighborhood would be talking about what he could have possibly been doing coming out of Amber’s house at five in the morning with no shoes and his shirt off.
Let them talk.
Garth pushed open the doors to the fire station just a little before seven in the morning. Chastity Booker sat behind the big desk to the right and greeted him with a smile.
“How’s the baby doing?” he asked.
“She’s a daddy’s girl, that’s for sure.” Chastity had married Duncan, a fellow firefighter, less than a year ago. He missed working with her on the team, but after she had a baby, she opted to stay on administrative duty instead of running into burning buildings. She currently worked as Arthur’s assistant, and the station wouldn’t run smoothly without her organizational expertise and her ability to keep everyone in line.
“From what I can see, she’s got Duncan wrapped around her tiny little finger.” Garth always enjoyed seeing his friends with their families. Watching their kids stumble around, learning how to walk or ride a bike for the first time. He’d be lying if he didn’t feel a pang of jealousy every time he went to a family barbeque.
He rubbed the center of his chest. That familiar twist in his heart turned like a knife. Only this time, it had a name.
Amber.
It was strange how things had quickly shifted. How comfortable he’d become. His cheeks heated at the mere thought of this morning. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel confident in his abilities to please a woman. He’d proven he could do that time and time again. It was always those first few awkward dates and kisses. Sometimes he’d be fine in the bedroom, and then he’d open his mouth and weird shit would come out.
With Amber, he was way past all the dumb dorky shit that made him different when it came to women. But she was out of his league.
Garth tended to go for the girls who were more like him. A little more reserved, which often made things even more awkward in the beginning, but at least they understood each other.
Amber was strong. Confidant. Independent. While she had no problem asking for help when required, she wasn’t the kind of woman who needed a man in her life. She navigated the world just fine on her own. He admired that. It was one of the many things that had attracted him to her in the first place.
Chastity laughed, turning the frame on her desk around. “The latest picture says it all.”
In the image, Duncan held his daughter, kissing her chubby little cheek, while her arms were wrapped around his neck with a big smile.
“That’s adorable,” Garth said with a chuckle. Out of the corner of Garth’s eye, he saw Duncan step from the conference room.
“I see my wife is showing off the cutest little girl in the world.” Duncan slapped Garth on the back before taking the frame in his own hands. “I do make good-looking kids.”
“One kid and I think I might have had something to do with it.” Chastity snagged the picture and placed it back on her desk. “She does look just like her mother.”
“But who does she call for in the middle of the night?” Duncan asked with a grin.
“I trained her to do that,” Chastity said, laughing. “I swear, Garth, I think if Duncan could, he’d breastfeed.”
Garth burst out laughing, bending over, resting his hands on his knees. “That is an image I never needed in my head.”
“Are you attacking my manhood, honey? At work, no less.” Duncan planted his hands on his hips.
She batted her thick eyelashes. “Not at all. I’m just letting our friend know what a great daddy you are.”
“Good to know.” Duncan leaned over the desk, kissing his bride on the cheek.
Garth enjoyed the banter, but his mind kept wandering back to the woman he’d left this morning. Quickies had never been his thing. He also wasn’t an aggressive man. Two things he’d done before he’d even finished his coffee and honestly, he had found himself walking with a new spring in his step. He should start mornings like that more often, and yet a small part of him worried that the scene in her kitchen might not have been about anything other than Amber releasing some emotional pain.
He could understand that and because he cared more than he dared to admit, he wanted to be the man to ease some of that anguish. If that meant giving her physical pleasure, then so be it. His heart could take it. He hoped.
Amber had been through the ringer the last couple of weeks, and now she was trusting him to help her find the truth behind her brother’s death and the story he’d been working on.
He wasn’t sure he was capable of that alone. His skill set was limited to fires. He wasn’t an investigator. He didn’t have IT experience like some of his buddies. His training in the military had been mostly centered around being a fire protection specialist. Sure, he’d seen combat. He was good with a weapon. He’d been training with the Aegis Network. But other men on the team were more equipped to deal with this kind of thing than he was and he would need to ask for help.
“I’ll see you in the conference room.” Duncan turned and headed back down the hallway.
Chastity shook her head. “He’s all ready to have another one.”
“And what about you?” Garth asked.
“Oh, I want more. But I can wait another year. Duncan is just feeling his age, so we agreed on six months. But watching Buddy and Kaelie with the twins makes me want to stay on birth control forever.”
“Those two are a handful.” Garth peered down the hallway just as his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw Logan’s number flash across his screen. “I’ve got to take this.”
“Arthur isn’t here yet, so you’ve got time.”
Garth nodded, stepping back outside. “Hey, Logan, what’s up?”
Logan, his three brothers, and his wife Mia had lived down the street in Garth’s hometown of Jupiter, Florida. When Garth signed the papers to join the Air Force, Logan had been a great source of information. The whole family had been supportive, and Garth had always looked up to them.
“Do you have anything interesting for me?” Garth sat down on the stoop. The morning sun shone bright in the blue sky. Two jets roared overhead, leaving a white trail behind.
“Depends on your definition of interesting. Turns out the cops first on the scene at the Moore party when Ashley died were the same officers that were the first to arrive at Steve’s break-in. But that’s not weird all by itself.”
“No, it’s not,” Garth agreed.
“But Officer Riley was the first on the scene at Sandra Creeco’s car crash. He was off duty and just happened to be passing by. He was injured in the rescue attempt. I did some digging, and it turns out he had some run-ins with the law as a juvenile, but he turned himself around in his early twenties after being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.”
“How’d he go from that to being a cop?”
“A diversion program and according to his old case manager, he’s the poster child for voluntary systems. It’s all about reducing harm and risk and creating better relationships between the police and the citizens.”
“All aimed at developing trust.” Garth had heard of such programs and believed them to be a better alternative than simply tossing people in jail. But it didn’t always work. “What do you think about him? His record?”
“I’d say it’s questionable. There are a few marks on his career, but nothing that stands out as a huge red flag.”
“What about his partner? Officer Dani?”
“Boy next door type. On paper, those two are good guys. And based on the few people I got to talk to, exemplary cops, but Riley is a bit of a rebel, and it should be noted that Riley is good friends with Assistant District Attorney Jeff Bellen’s wife, Lisa.”
“Why is that important?” Garth asked, rubbing his temple with his free hand. Too many players to keep straight and nothing made sense. This damn thing gave him a fucking headache.
“Besides being married to Ivan Moore’s daughter?”
“Yeah.”
“Not exactly sure, but I’m digging deeper,” Logan said.
Garth let the information settle in the corner of his brain. It still didn’t add up to a conspiracy to kill Steve, but it did raise a few more red flags. “Anything else?”
“I’m sending a picture to your email. The image is of Ashley and Steve, but there are some people in the image that I don’t know who they are. Maybe your friend will recognize them and give me other places I can poke around.”
“I’ll have her check it out.”
“That’s all I’ve got for now,” Logan said.
“Thanks, Logan. Say hello to the family for me.” Garth stuffed his phone in his back pocket just as Arthur pulled in.
Garth sat on the steps, letting out a long breath.
The only motive to kill Steve was wrapped up in Ashley, but so far, her death seemed to be an accident. Still, something scratched the back of Garth’s mind. Nothing added up, but with three people dead who knew each other, that sent up more warning flags with a dozen more unanswered questions.
“You look constipated,” Arthur said with a slight chuckle as he joined Garth on the steps.
“My mind is all backed up.”
Arthur laughed harder. “Good retort. Now tell me why.”
“I’m going down the rabbit hole and looking into Steve’s death for Amber. I know I said I wouldn’t, but as I dig, I’m finding a few things that make me consider she might be on to something. It still doesn’t say murder, but it does spell trouble.”
“Ah, I see.” Arthur had been more than a friend to Garth. He was like a big brother and Garth loved the man like family. He could always count on Arthur. They’d first met in the Air Force Fire Protection Program where they served together for years. But Arthur had demons that demanded his attention and the Air Force didn’t give him the time and space needed to deal with them.
The Aegis Network did.
And Garth was all too willing to follow Arthur wherever he went. Being a firefighter had been Garth’s calling. Not the Air Force. That had been the means to the end. How he did that didn’t matter.
“I hate to ask this, but you’ve got a buddy in IT, right?” Garth asked.
“Yeah. You’ve meet him. Darius Ford. Why?”
“Logan’s wife is tied up with some things and I need someone to find out who an email address belongs to and maybe do some facial recognition magic. Amber’s brother got a threatening email to back off a story. There’s a lot of other fucked-up things in that email. I need to know where it came from.”
“Wait, back up one second.” Arthur stood. “You really think there’s something to this? Even though the case is closed.”
Garth sighed. “I don’t know. The email links three dead bodies in a way that could indicate someone was going after her brother.”
“If that’s the case, she really needs to stand down and be quiet about all this.”
“I got her to understand if she’s right and she pushes the wrong buttons, she’ll end up six feet under too.”
“All right, then. You’ve got Darius’ contact information. If anyone can figure out where the email was set up, it’s Darius. Now what about this facial recognition stuff?”
“Logan dug up a picture that has Steve, Amber’s brother, and his ex-girlfriend, Ashley, the chick who died at Moore’s house, in it, but he can’t trace the other people. Thought maybe Amber could, but if not, then maybe Darius can.”
“If he can’t, he will know who can,” Arthur said.
“I appreciate the help.” Garth took the hand Arthur offered and followed him back through the doors to the station.
“So, I hear you really like this woman.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Oh boy. Do you have it bad,” Arthur said, slapping his back. “Why is it that everyone on my team has to fall hard and fast and with drama?”
“Perhaps it’s because we all follow in your footsteps.”
Arthur laughed. “I suppose I walked right into that one.”