Chapter 24
24
CAS
W ithout hesitation, I angled my head to seal my lips over hers, controlling our kiss. A soft moan of pleasure seeped from her lips into mine, sending a bolt of want straight to my cock. She was perfection embodied. I kissed her with the passion I felt for her, hoping she understood what I couldn’t put into words. Nothing else mattered, just her and me, together. I could protect her against everything except me, which was the scariest threat of them all.
“Cas,” she said against my lips.
“Lady.”
“Tell me one thing.”
“Anything.” I meant it. Whatever she wanted, I’d tell her. I’d tell her government secrets to make her happy.
“Tell me that when this is all done, when the bad guy is caught and gone, that this feeling won’t stop.”
My lips paused. Eyes open, I waited for Alta’s to meet mine. “We will never be done. Whatever this is between us is never-ending, I’ll ache for you for eternity. I can’t promise we’ll be together.” Gripping her hands, I wrapped both arms around my neck and pressed my forehead against hers. “But wherever I am, you’ll be with me. Time, distance, even death can’t stop me from thinking of you, from wanting you.” My heart thundered against my chest. “I have no fucking idea what this is, but whatever it is, it’s not temporary, that’s for damn sure.”
Her eyes sealed closed. “I’m… I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“My past, the memories, the sicko chasing me, you, the way I feel about you, what I want….” She swallowed hard as her hazel eyes fluttered open to meet mine. “What I want from you.”
All the blood that flowed through my veins shifted straight to my cock. “And what is that, Lady?” My voice was so guttural, it didn’t sound natural, or like my own.
Her voice shook. “Something I can’t have.” Tears welled in her sad eyes. “I’m sorry I’m so damaged that I can’t?—”
Instead of refuting her with words, I poured my overpowering desire for her, and all the broken slivers she believed were ugly instead of the beauty I found in the damage, from my lips to hers. Sucking, nipping soft and slow, savoring each delectable bit of her plump lips, I ate up the soft moan she released as she pressed closer.
“Do you trust me?” I asked as I sucked down her neck. Fuck, she tasted like innocence—sweet and perfect.
“Yes.” The lack of hesitation and her clawing at my arms, begging me to squeeze her tighter, confirmed her quick response.
My hands trembled with tremendous restraint to not strip her out of her damn clothes right there in the living room. Fingertips against her back, I brushed lower and lower down her tight T-shirt. A groan escaped as I gripped each of her perky ass cheeks. Not caring about my injured hand, I squeezed each one and lifted her. Immediately, muscular, lean legs wrapped around my waist, squeezing the breath from my lungs.
One step.
One fucking step was as far as I got before my cell rang through the small cabin.
“Fuck,” I grunted. Set to ignore the interruption, I strode across the room while it continued to ring. A sigh of relief brushed across her neck, only for it to turn into a groan when the phone began ringing again. Still ignoring it, I shoved her back against the wall of the short hallway, pressing my rock-hard cock against her and grinding firmly.
“Oh my,” Alta breathed with a content sigh. “Yes.”
The phone stopped ringing only to pick back up its cock-blocking shrill tone.
Every curse word ever invented sailed through my head. Heat from my forehead sizzled against the chill of hers. “I have to get that.” Each inch her perfect tits and warm center slid down my body was torture.
When her feet safely reached the ground, I planted a rough kiss on the top of her head and stormed toward the still-ringing phone. Annoyance played with the fuse to my anger, leaving me fidgety and on edge, which was the worst possible combination with Alta in the room. I was going to explode, and no fucking way did I want her there when it happened.
I accepted her the way she was, but there was no way I could ask that of her in return. She was perfect; I was a motherfucking atomic bomb.
“What,” I snapped the second I put the phone to my ear.
“Interrupting something?” Peters said in a steely tone that immediately caught my attention, raising caution flags.
“What happened?”
Alta tiptoed closer with questions in her eyes.
“Who is it?” she whispered once she was by my side.
Ignoring her question, I turned my back to her and focused on Peters.
“Another woman went missing. Be ready in fifteen.” The line went dead.
Holding the phone out, I stared at the blank screen. “Another woman went missing,” I stated, monotone. “Peters will be here in fifteen minutes.”
The sound of something falling onto the couch made me turn. Alta sat on the old worn couch with a hand covering her mouth.
“When? Where?” she asked from behind her hand.
“He didn’t give any details.” My gaze traveled from her disheveled hair—I wasn’t too gentle when I ripped the hat from her head earlier—to her long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans. “Get dressed. You’re coming with me.”
“What? I’m suspended.”
Glaring down, I widened my stance and crossed both arms across my chest. A flick of lust-filled heat flashed in her eyes, stirring my cock back into action. “If you think I give a shit about what that asshat John has to say, you’re wrong. I’m not leaving you unprotected. You’re coming with us, and that’s final, Lady.” I pointed toward her bedroom. “Go get changed. It’s grown colder since the sun’s set, and it looks like a storm’s blowing in.”
A mischievous smile played on her lips, making her look even more irresistible.
“Yes, sir.”
“Go.” I jabbed my finger for emphasis.
Against my better judgment, I watched each of her steps, loving the way her ass bounced.
“I need a fucking cigarette,” I mumbled to myself. The dog perked up, eyeing me from where he lay on a massive bed in the corner of the room. “Seriously, I get it. It’s going to kill me. Stop it with the guilt trip.”
Not dropping his stare, I walked back toward the door. The second my hand wrapped around the doorknob, I swear he shook his head in disappointment.
Outside, the wind whipped through the trees as the first glimpses of the moon peeked over the mountains. I snagged the spare pack I left on the windowsill and pulled a cigarette out with my teeth before tossing the rest back to my not-so-secret hiding spot.
Cancerous smoke filled my lungs, easing the tension from the day. That woman kept me on my toes, that was for sure. From the second I pulled into her driveway that morning till now, it was nonstop. And that incident with the mountain lion…. I huffed a laugh as I slid the butt of the cigarette back and forth over my lower lip. She was a mess, a highly entertaining mess.
Headlights cut through the dark, signaling Peters’s arrival. Steeling my frustration at him for the interruption of my next few hours, I leaned against the post and watched as he climbed out of the SUV.
“You look murderous.” Not that he seemed to care with his constant knowing smirk. “Don’t kill the fucking messenger, okay.”
Instead of confirming what he already knew, I sealed my lips around the cigarette and took a deep inhale.
“You ready?”
“Waiting on her.” I tilted my head toward the cabin. “She needed to change.”
“Her wet?—”
“Careful,” I said in a tone that cut through his shit.
He sighed. “You’re no fun like this.” With a wave of his hand, he gestured up and down my face with a cringe. “But you weren’t the other way either, so I guess there isn’t any change in your normal sour attitude. Either way, I didn’t make this shit happen. We have a job to do, and duty calls.”
“I get that duty fucking calls,” I seethed. “What do we know?”
“Nothing.” I shot him a glare. “Fuck, man, all they said was a man reported his wife missing this afternoon. Somehow my office found out about it, called me, and I called the Estes Park police station. The lead investigator isn’t giving me shit since I’m not a cop, which is where you come in. I need you to strong-arm this asshole captain into giving us all the details of the case.”
Around us, darkness blanked the area along with a thick cloud cover, sealing off the moon’s bright rays. Dampness in the air mixed with the cold mountain wind made everything feel heavy and foretelling—though of what, I had no idea. Everything was off about this guy and his fascination with Alta. The fucker had gone off the rails, which was never a good thing.
We had to figure out the connection, if there was one, and get ahead of this bastard before he tried to snag her. So far, the note and creepy mutilated rat heart were all he’d done, but at some point that wouldn’t be enough. He’d escalate, and that fucking scared the shit out of me. This wasn’t battle; it was fucking guerrilla warfare. We had no way to fight him except to be on guard at all times.
“I’ll get the information.” The tip of the cigarette singed the ends of my fingertips as I pinched it off before tossing the butt into the ashtray. “Give us a second.”
Inside, the dry, hot air seared the inside of my nostrils. “You ready?” I called out impatiently. “Peters is here.”
My breath caught when she rounded the short corner from her bedroom into the living room. Long, bright strawberry-blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, which directed my gaze straight to the sweater’s V–neck, showing off a hint of pale-skinned cleavage. The red sweater brought out the unique hues of her hair and gave her hazel eyes more of a green tint than brown.
“I'm used to wearing my uniform or sweatshirts everywhere,” she said, making her pale, freckled cheeks flame pink. “Is this okay?”
“You’re beautiful.” Understatement of the year.
The pink of her cheeks turned a bright red.
Extending a hand, I urged her closer. The moment she was within arm's reach, I pulled her flush against me, allowing her to feel just how ‘okay’ I thought her choice of outfit was.
“If any of the officers look at you?—”
Her hand slammed against my chest with a force that knocked the breath from my lungs. “They all know me. And this late at night, why would anyone be at the station?”
Shit.
“We’re not going to the ranger station.”
“Then where?”
“The Estes Park police station.”
All the color drained from her face. “I’ll go get my hat?—”
“Don’t you fucking dare.”
“Cas,” she said while nibbling at the edge of her thumb.
The nervous energy radiating off her spoke to her rising fear. This woman who was born to stand out was terrified of allowing her natural beauty to shine, all because of one fuckstick. With a grip on her hand, I tugged her toward the door. “Don’t worry. You look extraordinarily ordinary.”
The corners of her lips twitched. “You sure? Because the rest of your body doesn’t seem to agree.”
“Positive, Lady.”
Peters’s eyes lit up in surprise and appreciation—the fucker—as she stepped out onto the porch behind me. I gave a slight shake of my head, and he cleared his throat and looked toward the SUV.
“Seriously, Birdie,” Peters sighed. “Couldn’t you’ve dressed up or something? Dressed like that, maybe we can take you to McDonald's or something after we’re done.”
I watched as her smirk grew into a full-blown smile. “Sounds perfect.”
The ride to the station turned awkward the moment we were all piled into the Suburban. Not a word was said the entire thirty-minute drive, the pelting of ice against the windshield and roof from the forming storm the only sound in the confined space. My thoughts were too consumed by the case and preparing for a battle at the police station for idle conversation.
The brakes squeaked as Peters slowed to back into a tight parking space.
“Let me do the talking,” I said, rubbing a hand down my face. “I have no idea what kind of resistance, if any, we’ll face inside. Most cops don’t like someone like me snooping around on their turf. And Alta?”
She swiveled in the passenger seat. Apprehension glimmered in her bright eyes.
Fuck, she was gorgeous.
“Don’t talk to a single person in there. You’re still suspended, so technically you shouldn’t be here, but stay close. I don’t want you out of my sight. Peters, I’ll make sure you get the information you need.”
At that, I flung the door open and stepped out into the freezing drizzle. Peters and Alta followed suit. I hugged her close to shield her from the blasting wind, and we jogged in sync to the front doors.