Chapter Two Desiree
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I drop Cody off at my mother’s place, artfully dodging her probing questions about the man in the front seat of my car. I don’t want to talk about him. Don’t want to think about him.
Every time he breathes, I can feel it like it’s my own.
It’s so damn strange and I don’t know what’s going on but I sure as hell don’t need it.
I sit back down in the car and try to ignore the woodsy pine scent of him.
It tickles my nose and sets my heart pounding.
My clit pulses in time with my heartbeat.
I shove it all down when the radio crackles.
The sheriff calls in and requests everybody meet him at the site of a crime. A murder. My eyes widen. Those don’t happen around here. I have only been in this town for about a month but already I know that it’s a quiet, peaceful town with few real crimes.
Murder! That’s massive. Then the big man beside me shifts in his seat, dragging me back to the present.
The big naked man. Ugh!
“Sheriff, I need to take care of a little problem and then I’ll be right there.” I don’t want to tell him that I’m hauling around a naked man. It would be all over town before I even hit the city limits.
“I need all of you out here now,” he growls. “This is top priority. Whatever you were thinking of doing, drop it and get out here.”
I sigh and roll my eyes, not even attempting another argument. I hit the sirens and u-turn in the road, heading for the address he gave. I’m not very familiar with this part of the mountains.
“Turn left onto the track up ahead of us,” Mr. Naked says.
My eyes slide to his and I try not to look down.
I want to so bad. I want to know what he’s hiding under the blanket.
Although I saw! I wish I could scrub it from my mind but I saw the whole thing.
And he’s damn fine! Big, broad shoulders, at least six foot six.
Amazing eight-pack abs and a little happy trail of brown hair liberally sprinkled with gray that makes my fingers tingle.
I want to run them through the trail and see if it’s as soft as it looks.
See if it makes me as happy as I think it would him.
Shit! I pull my mind out of the gutter. I don’t have time for this! I turn where he said and follow a bouncy, rugged track that barely seems like a road. My eyes slew to his.
“You aren’t trying to get me somewhere alone to kill me are you?”
He chuckles and it’s a husky, dark sound that makes my blood pound in my ears. I clench my thighs and his head lifts. I swear to god, he’s sniffing the air.
“You’re the one with the gun. Why would I do that?”
I nod my head. “Remember that.”
Yes, ma’am.” He salutes me wryly.
“Fuck,” I hiss under my breath and slam the car to a stop. Lights are set up around the perimeter and pretty much every cop in this area is milling around, avoiding the danger zone where the tape is at.
“You stay here. I’ll try and get this done as quick as I can,” I say and step out of the car, unsurprised when he ignores me and steps out on the other side. “Dammit! I said stay in the car.”
He smiles grimly at me, his silver eyes alight with unholy glee. “I am not a dog, mate. I don’t sit and stay when you tell me to. I do what I need to do.”
I roll my eyes and stalk up to the sheriff. He turns and starts to say something to me then glares over my shoulder. “What the hell is he doing here?” His cold eyes skim down Austin’s body. “And why is he wearing just a blanket?”
“Why the hell couldn’t you just stay in the goddamned car?” I mutter under my breath. The Sheriff and Austin both glare at me and then Austin glares at the Sheriff, stepping between us and shoving me back. I gasp. “Austin, what the hell are you doing?”
“Why is he talking to you like that?” Austin growls.
“Like what?” both of us ask.
“Is he your lover?”
The sheriff snorts out a laugh and I glare daggers at both men for vastly different reasons.
Bull, the sheriff clears his throat. “Well, I think…I mean…” he huffs out a breath, running his fingers through his salt and pepper hair.
He points over about ten feet away. “I’m going to go stand over there.
You figure out whatever’s going on here?
” He glares at Austin one more time. “And then you better explain why this guy is naked.” He stalks off.
I whirl around and shove a hand into Austin’s broad chest, barely moving him. I can feel the heat from his skin under mine though and it makes me shiver. I shove that shit down. I don’t have time for this.
“What was all that shit about?” I hiss under my breath.
He glares at me. “That is the question that I’m asking. Who the hell does he think he is to talk to you like that?”
“Ummm. He’s my boss. He’s the Sheriff. And normally he’s a really nice guy so I’m not really sure what’s going on. But…”. I hold up a hand to forestall the argument I sense coming. “That doesn’t really matter. My point is what the hell is with all that macho posturing bullshit?”
He shakes his head at me and grunts. “I don’t understand what you’re asking me. All I was doing is looking out for my mate.”
“Well, that’s all well and good but I don’t need…wait a minute. What the hell do you mean your mate? Who’s your mate?” I glare at him and he grins sheepishly.
“You are.”
“The hell I am! And why do you say it like that? Shouldn’t it be your love or your girlfriend?” I shake my head. What the hell am I asking?
“No, that’s not the question. That’s not the answer,” I huff out a groan and run my hand through my long ponytail.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on here but I don’t have time for this.
I need to get back to work and you need to get out of the way.
Go back to the car and wait. I’ll try and get done as quick as I can.
Then I’ll take you home. Unless you can get in contact with one of your brothers and get them to come get you. ”
He shakes his head quickly. “Nope. I’ll wait.” The stubborn look on his handsome face tells me I’m not going to win this one.
He stalks off to the cruiser but then he stops, his nose twitching. A growl rumbles out of his chest.
At least I think it was a growl. “Austin?” I ask him quietly.
He whirls towards me and I see his eyes glow golden before they shift back to the deep gray that I remember. I squint at him.
“Is there something wrong with your eyes?” I walk closer, slowly and carefully. He doesn’t even blink but I swear I hear that deep rumble come from his chest again.
“Are you growling?” I ask him, surprised. And damn confused.
“Why would I growl?” he asks me and I can’t honestly answer that. Why would he growl? Like an animal. I swear that’s the same rumbling growl that I heard in the woods. When he said that there was an animal loose.
I shake my head, wondering if I’m losing my mind.
It’s been a long day. Cody got up super-early and took off like a whirlwind.
It’s hard keeping track of that boy sometimes.
Ever since my sister and her husband died in a car accident I’ve been sole guardian for him and it’s exhausting.
I knew nothing about kids when he was dropped on my doorstep by the state.
I didn’t even have time to date with my job and now I have to try to take care of a kid.
Not that I regret it. My mom wanted to take him but she’s struggling with her own demons and she can’t handle taking care of herself some days let alone a willful child who’s still grieving in some ways.
Austin stalks off but I see his eyes keep drifting to the body. I don’t know many people that don’t get thrown off-kilter when they see a dead body so I can’t really fault him for that. My eyes narrow when he seems to move closer instead of further away.
“Austin. The car, please.” I groan, hoping that at least one male listens to me today. Cody won’t so hopefully Austin does but I don’t hold out high hopes. The men around me seem to be universally stubborn as hell.
I sigh and shuffle towards the Sheriff. Bull’s a good guy but he’s been a little crabby lately. I know his wife, Sarah has been a bit under the weather lately and their adopted kids are a handful at the best of times. Without her they’re probably wild as wolves.
I grin and listen to him while he explains how the body was found and who he is. Which they don’t actually know.
But I can’t wipe the look on Austin’s face out of my mind. He knew something. And I want to know what.
My eyes shift to him in the car and his golden eyes spark in the shadows of the car.
I shiver and feel my body clench and bend toward him.
I want to go to him and I don’t know why the hell I’m having these damn feelings but it’s fucking inconvenient as hell.
Like hot flashes zipping through me at the most inconvenient times.
I turn away and we start working the scene but half of my mind stays locked on Austin’s strange ways and the look that he gave me.
Heat. Lust and desire. All swirling with a secret that I want to know.
It has something to do with this case and I’m not sure why or how but I know he’s involved somehow.
And that’s enough to bring my focus back under control.
Because if Austin’s involved somehow he could be dangerous to more than just my mind. He might be deadly to my body as well.