Deadly Desire (25 page)

Jace fell silent, a quiet rage simmering just below the surface. He liked Franklin, but he didn’t like someone speaking back to him, no matter who he was. No matter if he was right.

“Thank you, Franklin.” Carrie lifted her chin. “That settles it. I’m going alone.”

Carrie hurried out of the office, turning up her coat collar against the snow spitting down from the steel sky. Jace had surprised her today, coming into the office like she’d asked, bringing his assistant with him as if he actually intended to conduct a professional meeting with her. And he had. He’d come to tell her about the call from the station, and he’d let her go without trying to shove her against the wall and rip her clothes off.

She shivered. Even when he’d sat there being calm and professional, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his mouth on her throat and his hands on her thighs. How was she ever going to get through this case—and win—if she couldn’t get her head to stop swimming with thoughts of Jace?

Carrie glanced up at the numbers on the pre-war walk-ups she passed. Finally, she reached the apartment building that Jace had identified as Madison’s home. She felt nervous as she rang the bell. She was about to come face to face with one of Jace’s infamous flings, even if he’d said the situation hadn’t gone further than a drink. The knowledge that he’d been here, intending to do whatever he wanted to this girl’s body…she couldn’t bear to imagine it.

After a few moments, an elderly man opened the door, shifted his glasses, and peered at Carrie in confusion. “Yes?”

“I’m here to see a girl named Madison. She lives in Apartment 2B.” Carrie shook her head and glanced around her at the snow-dusted buildings. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d rung her bell, but I must have pushed the wrong button.”

The man frowned, crinkling his entire face. “There’s no Madison here. I live in 2B. Have for about fifteen years. It’s all rent-controlled and everything, thank goodness. Can’t imagine paying full price for one of these fancy Manhattan apartments, can you? You sure you have the right place?”

“I must be mistaken.” Carrie glanced around, taking slow steps down the icy steps. “Sorry to disturb you.”

The man shut the door behind him and Carrie checked the number on the house again. Fifteen. It was the building Jace had told her about, and despite his hesitance to share the information about his alibi, she knew Jace wasn’t one to get details incorrect.

Just as she began to back away from the building, something shuffled behind her and strong arms encircled her neck. Alarm flittered through her, and she coughed out a yell just as a rough palm pressed against her mouth. Hot tears filled her eyes as she jerked against her captor. The corners of her vision turned black, and her nose filled with something sharp and wet and sickly sweet.

The arms let go, and she stumbled two steps forward. Before she could turn, something shoved her to the ground. Her face met the concrete. Sharp pain exploded in her cheek, her heart roaring in her ears.

“What do you want?” she managed to breathe out as her vision swam. She couldn’t see a damn thing except the black creeping into her eyes. “Take my purse if you want. Just take it. I have money.”

“Stay out of this, or I’ll tell the world the truth about your relationship with Jace Holt,” a voice growled into her ear.

She sucked in a breath and struggled to turn her head and face her attacker, but whatever he’d done to her, she was far too weak. Footsteps crunched on snow as he walked away, the sound almost drowned out by the thunder of her heart in her ears. The world tipped underneath her and nausea bubbled up in her throat.

Gritting her teeth, she fumbled to pull her phone from her purse. A tiny voice inside her said she needed to call the cops, but instinct overrode any logic in her mind. Her fingers found the first contact in her phone. The number dialed, and a moment later, his voice rang in her ears.

“Jace, help. I need you.” And then the world went black.

Carrie awoke in darkness, and panic made her choke out a cry. Her heart banged against her ribcage as she wildly glanced around her, but there was nothing to see but black.

“Shh.” Jace’s soothing voice met her ears as strong arms enveloped her body. “I’ve got you. You’re here with me. You’re safe now.”

Carrie’s frantic breathing slowed as she twisted to wrap her arms around Jace’s neck and bury her face in his shoulder. His arms tightened around her, strong, warm, safe. She breathed in his scent, a musky aftershave with the hint of gin. The familiarity of him crashed over her, and her entire body sagged with relief.

Whatever had happened, he’d found her and brought her to safety, just like she knew he would.

“Tell me what happened to you, Carrie,” he said, murmuring the words into her hair. His breath was hot, tickling her ear, and a need pounded through her that she’d never felt before. She pulled back just enough for her lips to brush against his skin. His body stiffened in her arms, but she didn’t let him go.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

Fear from the night still shook through her. Flashes of pain. The sound of that voice in her ear. She needed to feel Jace, she needed him to consume her thoughts until nothing else in the world existed but his touch.

“I need you, Jace,” she whispered, opening herself up to the idea of letting him in, so much so that her heart felt as if it were about to explode. She pulled her shirt over her head and climbed onto his lap.

That’s all the encouragement Jace needed. His mouth took hers in hunger, his lips and tongue taking her breath away as his kiss betrayed his own need. She arched her back, and her nipples hardened as his hands found her breasts, cupping them in his palms. Moaning, she reached for him, but he pushed her back onto the bed. Straddling her, Jace leaned down and brushed hot kisses on her neck, on her cheek, on her lips, until Carrie could barely take his touch any longer. His lips disappeared down her belly, stopping just at the edge of her thong.

He was teasing her, and her body trembled from the desire pulsing through her veins. If he didn’t take her now, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand even a whisper of a touch.

“Jace,” she moaned as he pulled down her bra to expose her breasts. They spilled from their cups, and his mouth found her nipples, lipping and sucking. Thrills of pleasure spread across every inch of her skin until a wetness dampened her thighs. She groaned and wriggled against his mouth, her chest heaving with each labored breath.

“Mmm, you’re so gorgeous, Carrie,” he murmured against her nipples. The vibration of his voice sent new waves of pleasure through her body. “I’ve missed you so much.”

He edged away, flicked on the bedside light, and pulled his shirt over his head. She sucked in a breath and stared at him, admiring the way his hard abs rippled as he took off his pants and dropped his boxers to the floor. Her eyes drank in his body. Every inch of him she’d missed all this time. His erection taunted her, teased her. She wanted to reach out and wrap her hands around his length before pushing him inside her wet sex. Her mind was consumed by a need she hadn’t felt in years, body begging for him to take her, hard and fast and strong. She needed to feel Jace in every way that she possibly could, to drown out the fear of the night.

Jace’s eyes blazed as he climbed back on top of her. His fingers traced shivers down her body, leaving a hot trail of pleasure in their wake. When his hand reached her thong, he paused, a delicious smile playing on his lips. Carrie squirmed, lust and need making her ache so much she could scream. He pulled off her panties and tossed them to the floor. Her heart could barely contain itself as he settled over her, and before she could catch her breath, he’d pressed his cock inside her, slowly filling her until all she knew was Jace.

Her eyes fluttered as a moan escaped her lips. Jace groaned almost in time, his hips rocking against her body as he began to take her hard. She reached out to wrap her arms around him, but he took both her wrists in his hands and captured them on the bed above her head. He grunted as his pace quickened, his cock throbbing with each and every thrust.

“You’re mine, Carrie,” he said as every inch of him filled her up to the brink. “Say you’re mine.”

“I’m yours,” she gasped, barely able to breathe from the sensations tumbling through her.

Jace’s groans filled her ears just as pleasure ripped through her body, her climax shuddering through her so hard, a scream escaped from her throat. Her head swam and her ears rang, but a sweet, delicious satisfaction poured through her, making her head and eyes so heavy, she could barely remember what day it was.

Jace collapsed onto the bed beside her. “Come here.”

She answered his command and climbed into his arms. And as her eyelids began to flutter shut, she lost herself to dreams of Jace.

When Jace awoke, memories of the night before flooded his mind. Carrie still lay in his arms, her vanilla-scented hair splayed across his chest. Her body was warm and soft, and a tremor of emotion stirred inside his chest. An emotion that Jace had buried years before.

He shifted out from underneath her and slid out of bed. Jace knew he needed to be careful now. Getting Carrie close had always been his plan, but he wasn’t quite ready to let her into his life completely. There were things she didn’t know about him, things that might push her away. And he didn’t think he could handle it if he let down his guard, and she decided to leave him all over again.

All that mattered was that she was safe. Whoever had hurt her would pay.

Carrie shifted on his silk sheets, her eyes fluttering open. When she saw him standing over her, her cheeks flooded with color and her hands tightened around the smooth material that barely covered her breasts.

“Good morning,” Jace said, flicking a button on the wall. The panels covering his penthouse windows began to open, letting the bright light of the morning into the room. Sun beat down on Carrie’s skin, making her look even more gorgeous than she did in the dark. He didn’t know how that was possible. He’d never met another woman who was more beautiful in the morning than at night.

“Jace, I…” Carrie trailed off, speechless for once. He smirked to himself as he slid on a pair of black boxer briefs, as her eyes trailed down to his bulge. He’d fucked the words right out of her.

“I’m going to make you a coffee and order us up some breakfast.” He frowned, thinking back to the moment he saw Carrie’s body sprawled across the sidewalk in the snow. “And then we’re going to talk about what happened to you last night.”

Her mouth opened in protest, but he wasn’t having any of that. Carrie, as strong as she was, needed taking care of, and he knew he was the only man who could do it. In the kitchen, he poured her a cup of espresso and dialed in to the concierge to order her the works. Poached eggs, toast, spinach, just the way she liked it. She needed to refuel after her ordeal last night.

When he returned to the bedroom, Carrie was fully dressed and sitting on the bed. Frowning, he handed her the espresso. “There’s no need for that. You can stay and take a shower before you go into work. And if you need a fresh pair of clothes, I can always get something sent in for you.”