Hell Is Burning (32 page)

“Yeah, and had you come to me with it weeks ago, I would have suggested the same thing. This aged you, and there was no reason. We’re partner’s, Greyson, remember?”

Yeah, he did.

“I’m sorry.”

She went into his arms. “Now that we settled that, I have another problem.”

He stared down into her emerald eyes. “What’s that?”

“All this talk about me being property turned me right on. So, you’re obligated to take care of me. Your wife is all hot and bothered, and you owe me for this one.”

He blinked. Had his wife just…?

“I want you to take me to bed, Greyson. I want your hands all over me, and I want you to be the man in our relationship.”

His body heated up because he probably didn't deserve this. No, he knew he didn't.

“Emma.”

“I’m yours in this room. You do own me. Here, I’m Greyson’s property. Let my caveman out. I want him to take me until I can’t think straight.”

His heart pounded in his chest.

Greyson loved how his wife could bring the darkest parts of him out, and not run from them. Here, they were more than welcome.

He loved that about her.

“Emma, don’t tease me.”

“I’m serious, Greyson.”

He kissed her.

It was hot, wet, and a frenetic tangle of tongues. As he dove in, she could barely breathe. His hands were sliding across her body, and Emma could feel the heat pooling low in her belly.

Slowly, he broke away.

“God! I love you,” he said.

The worry was gone from his eyes, and they were going from the silvery color to molten mercury. She wanted to fall into them and never resurface. Her cave-Croft was all stirred up, and they were about to combust from the chemical reaction.

“Strip for me,” he ordered, moving to sit on their bed. There was nothing sexier than watching his Emma remove the layers of cop until she was bare and all his.

As she peeled off her gun, badge, and blazer, the tough cop was gone. Already, he could see the difference. When she shook out her hair, she was no longer hardened.

Emma was femininity personified.

She was his.

“Emma, I adore you,” he admitted as she pulled the t-shirt over her head. Beneath, she wore some baby blue brazier that made his mouth water. When she dropped her jeans, there was a sexy thong to match.

Jesus!

He wanted her.

Emma stood motionless before her husband. When she didn't move, he stared up into her eyes. “Do I really own you, Emma? Are you really my property?”

She dropped to her knees. “I’d wear a sign around my neck to prove it. I’m yours, Grey.”

His body went hard as she knelt between his legs. Her warm breath tickled over the flesh on his arm.

“Let me please you.” Her fingers ran over his wrist and her name tattooed there. It made her want to reciprocate. Emma wanted the world to know she belonged to him.

He shook. “Emma.”

When she flicked open his pants, pulling him free from his boxers, Greyson moaned. When her head found its way into his lap, he couldn’t think.

All he wanted was to feel.

“More, Emma. Give me all you have. I demand it.”

She bobbed up and down as she pleasured him. With tongue and mouth, she showed him who was boss. She may be submissive in bed, but she held all the control.

She devoured him.

Greyson dropped back, staring up at the ceiling. He was having a hard time focusing on anything but the way his wife was blowing him.

His whole body shook.

It bowed as he struggled to hold on to control.

This was heaven and hell all rolled into one. He could feel the fires licking at his very soul.

“When she pulled her mouth from his erection, he went to his elbows to stare at her. Greyson was breathing heavy, and she was grinning.

“Kitten.”

“Do whatever you want with me, Greyson,” she offered. “Take me. Claim me. Own me.”

His heart pounded.

His mind was on sexy overload.

Getting up, he pointed at the bed. “Get in to the middle.”

She did what he asked.

Emma watched him grab her handcuffs from the discarded clothes, and his from the back of his jeans. Taking her wrists in his large hands, he cuffed her arms above her head.

She was his prisoner.

How many times had he fantasized about this?

The number was too many to count.

“I want you trapped beneath me. I need you to be my captive.”

Her heart fluttered as he snapped them closed, and then began stripping. While her mouth had made him hard, Greyson locking her to the bed had made him like steel. He was throbbing in anticipation.

She licked her lips wantonly, knowing he wouldn’t miss it. Emma wanted him out of control.

She was getting her wish.

Greyson was wild with lust, and she loved every second of it. When he dropped his gun, pulled off his shirt, and lost his pants, she couldn’t look away.

His sexy body heated hers, and she felt herself getting wet without him even touching her.

“Kitten, I’m going to enjoy this,” he said. “I think I need to see you bound for me more often.”

Jesus!

She wanted that in the worst way. There was something to be said about being his captive. Emma knew she wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. She was ready to shatter just from being restrained.

Sue her.

She liked this little fantasy.

As he climbed onto the bed, he loved how she was laid out before him like some Goddess on an altar. He could take his time and devour her in little tiny bites.

“Greyson,” she whispered as his mouth began tracing fire down her torso. He was destroying her with just a light touch of mouth and lips. The wave of power had switched. He was back in control, and she loved it.

“Emma, you’re mine. Say it,” he ordered.

“I’ll always be yours,” she promised.

He moved across her abs and to the part of her he craved most. Greyson wanted to get lost in his woman, and he couldn’t wait.

Yanking her legs apart, he dove in. With lips and tongue, he tormented her like she’d done to him. It wasn’t payback.

It was love.

It was pure heaven.

It was them.

As his tongue rolled around the most sensitive part of her body, she shook, pulling on the cuffs that restrained her. He was wickedly torturing her, and he knew it.

Here was his kitten, and she was trapped.

“Please,” she begged as he refused to let her move. His large hands had her legs held open as he feasted on all she had to offer.

“Who’s property are you, Emma?” he asked, flicking his tongue wickedly over her clit.

She stared at him, distracted from his oral assault. “Grey.”

“Even out of this bedroom, who do you belong to? You said we’re partners, but that’s not true, is it?”

Damn him.

He’d seen through her lecture.

This man knew the truth. The kitten had claws, but the master had his own power.

“Tell me.”

“Greyson,” she moaned as his fingers slid through her wetness, dipping in and out of her body as if he had all the time in the world.

“Emma, answer me.”

“Please.”

“I own you, Emma. You go out in the world, but inside your heart, what do you really feel?” He rubbed the pad of his thumb against her clitoris, causing her body to bow with just that simple touch.

“Greyson.”

“I want all. I need all.”

She understood.

In order for her husband to be himself, she had to be herself. That’s why they worked so well.

“Truth, Emma. Out there, who rules your world?”

She shook as he took her to the precipice. Emma wanted to shatter apart, and just as she was about to, he stopped.

“I want you to tell me the truth.”

“Damn you!”

He grinned sexily at her. “It’ll be our little secret. Who do you want running your life?” he asked, using his tongue to whip her back up and close to release.

“You.”

“Anyone else?”

She swallowed, trying to find the words. “You, and only you.”

He looked up at her. “I think you can do better than that, kitten. Who do you want owning you?”

She shook as he refused to let her shatter apart. It was true. Everything he said was absolutely fact. Emma loved when he dominated her life. She loved dressing for him and being his kitten. If she wasn’t a cop, she’d follow him around trying to please him. This was the life she loved beneath the toughness of detective.

“I want you to own me. Only you, Grey. You can have all of me.”

He didn't hesitate. Instead, without warning, he forced her legs wider apart and slid home, burying his rock hard dick in her body.

Emma gasped.

He took her.

It was hard.

It was rough.

It shoved her over the edge in a cataclysmic orgasm. He had to hold on as she vibrated around him, trying to lure him to the edge. As her body milked his, he refused to succumb to the pleasure.

He wanted more.

Greyson wanted to steal all she had to offer. He needed so much more from his kitten.

When she finally resurfaced, she had to blink to clear the fog of pleasure.

“Now, I’ll really take you.”

And he did.

Greyson Croft rode his bound wife into the pleasure. Her gasps and moans were music to his ears. He loved watching her writhe beneath him as he buried himself repeatedly in her body.

“Oh, Grey!” she begged, wrapping her legs around his muscular hips. With each stroke in, he kissed the deepest part of her body, filling her.

She was close.

“Wait for me,” he ordered gruffly, as he continued to pound himself into his woman. There was no gentleness, only him claiming his prize.

His wife.

His kitten.

She moaned, body arching to take all he had, as she struggled to remain in control. When he was close, she could see it in his eyes.

“Look at me, Emma, as I claim what’s mine. I own you.”

She did what he asked. It wasn’t easy, but she couldn’t look away. He was right.

God help her, but Greyson Croft owned her and always would.

With the last thrust, he forced her from the edge, and she came.

It was hard.

It was violent.

And it took him along for the ride.

When he erupted, it was like falling into the wildest of storms. His body trapped her smaller one beneath him, and they tumbled.

Greyson couldn’t think as all of him poured into her in a scorching wave of heat.

Finally, when all sensation returned, he could feel the tickle of her breath against his neck. She was basking in the afterglow with him.

Going up on his elbows, he gently kissed her. “I love you with all my heart.”

She nuzzled his cheek with hers. “I feel the same.”

As he went to get off her, she got his attention. “Greyson?”

He stopped. “Yes, Emma?”

“I meant what I said. You were right. You do own me, and I love every second of it. There’s no man I’d want to belong to but you.”

His body hardened. “Emma.”

“I don’t mind if the world knows the truth. You own my mind, body, and soul. You’re my caveman, and I’m definitely your cave babe.”

With that, he lost control and took her again.

If he was going to be a caveman, he might as well act like it.

Chapter Nine

Friday Late Morning  

After taking some time to reconnect and work though their issue at hand, Greyson and Emma had some time before their lunch meeting with Dimitri Gideon.

When they arrived at the office, the team was hard at work, breaking down all the information they could find on the deceased woman.

As they entered the room, Greyson noticed Paris was trying to get his attention.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing, but can I talk to you both outside for a minute before you start the meeting?” he asked.

Greyson dropped his gear and Emma followed suit. Outside, they waited for him. When he rolled out, file on his lap, they didn't know what to think.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked.

“Yes, but Curtis isn’t. I know you wanted me to evaluate him, and I did.”

Greyson waited for it. “Well?”

“He shouldn’t be in here working. I know that for some people, it’s better to have work to keep them busy, but with Curtis, this is eating away at him. When he arrived, he was better. Twenty minutes into work, he started to disintegrate. This is a really bad idea.”

“What can I do, Paris?” Emma asked. “I don’t want him locked up in a house, but I don’t want him looking at pictures of his dead wife either.”

“Whatever happened last night helped him. What did you do at home?”

Greyson told him about their plan to adopt Curtis. “Crazy, right?”

“Actually, it’ll give him a sense of safety. He loves you both, and being part of your unit will help him heal. It’s actually a really good idea. Did you tell him?”

“Yes.”

“And that’s likely why he looked better this morning. Then he was dropped right back into it without his safety net. It’s like getting better, and then getting a new cold. With each one, you’re going to weaken the immune system. Curtis’s heart is just like that. He’s getting better, and then BAM! He’s hurting again.”

“So we should…?”

“Get him out of here. We don’t need him running searches. Tessa and I can handle that. Captain Ford has work to do at his office, and we can carry this.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Will he ever be able to go back to work?” Greyson needed to know. If not, they were going to have to find a way to save the man. They had money, and that wouldn’t be hard. They’d only have to create a position in their empire.

“Yes, with time. Right now, he needs to not think about it. One day, his heart will heal, and he’ll be good. Who knows when? In my heart, I don’t doubt that it’ll happen.”

Emma thought about it. “We have a meeting with a security company in a little while. Will that set him back?”

“Will you be talking about this case?”

Greyson doubted it. Unless Brynn’s death was involved, they would be okay.

“No.”

“Take him. He can use a little down time away from here.”

“Dante is at the house,” Emma suggested. “We can take him there to help him.”

Greyson liked that idea. “He can pick out a room.”

“Are you leaving the condo?” Paris asked. “That’s a castle. I can’t imagine what the house is going to look like.”

Emma grinned. If the man only knew that he was going to be getting a castle, and soon, he’d be shocked.

“This is my wife’s masterpiece. It will be whatever she wants it to be. A happy wife means…”

She cut him off. “Don’t do it. I’m playing cop.”

He laughed. “Yes, kitten.”

Emma sighed.

Paris laughed. “We should get back to work. I know the team is busy.”

Inside, they all took their seats.

“We just harassed the reporter, and that was a total bust,” Greyson stated. “He’s going with confidential source, and isn't willing to play ball.”

Curtis leaned back in his chair. “Why don’t you hack him?” he asked.

They stared at him.

Emma tapped her gold shield on her belt. “Could the answer be: because we’re the law?”

He laughed. “Technically, it’s not illegal. You see, if the source was from inside the FBI or the LVPD, there will be a trace from the offices. All you need to do is run a reverse search through the mainframe, looking for the reporter’s email addy. It’ll ping and give you any person who sent the mail.”

“If it’s not there?”

“Then it didn't come from inside. Now, they could have used their private email, but then that’s not going to show. You have a fifty-fifty shot that you’ll catch them.”

Greyson weighed his options.

“If they used work equipment, that’s a violation of our work code. So, you can nail them for it. HR won’t stop you. The Federal government frowns upon source leaks.”

He had a point.

Greyson glanced over at Paris. “Can you handle that?” he asked.

Before the man spoke up, Curtis interrupted him. “I can do that,” he offered. “I’m faster than Paris,” he began, and then looked over at him, “no offense.”

Paris smiled. “None taken. It’s the truth, but I can still manage.”

“What will I do?” he asked. “I’m not really good at twiddling my thumbs.”

Emma saw the anger.

It was brewing there below the surface. Curtis was angry, and that was a dangerous thing.

Paris had been right.

This man needed out.

“You’re coming with us,” Croft stated, trying to lighten the oppressive energy in the room, “unless you want to stay inside, chained to the table, and doing searches.”

He glanced over. “Really? I can go out? With you guys into the field?”

Emma laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m not so sure about the field part. Honestly, we have a lunch meeting, and then need to swing over to the house. Would you like to ride shotgun?”

He grinned. “Yeah, I haven’t seen the place. The last I saw it was when…”

He almost mentioned when Randall Mason was killed. Curtis didn't think Emma wanted to relive that.

“It’s okay, Curtis. When we lose people, we don’t really. They’re always there.”

He didn't say a word.

Curtis didn't have to.

It was clearly written on his face. After what he found out, he didn't want to even think about his dead wife. Like he said, she was dead to him.

That bridge was burned, and where there was once sorrow, there was a festering anger. It was one of the stages of healing.

“I could use some air. I’ll go. Plus, Dad’s buying,” he added. “I’m starving.”

Well, that was solved.

Greyson moved them along. There really wasn’t much time left before their meeting, and he still needed Emma to get her update on the dead woman.

But first…

“Curtis, I need a favor.”

The man glanced over. “What can I do for you?”

“Can you head up to my office? I need the files Linda has for me. I’m behind on signing off on things, and I’ll need to catch up tonight at home.”

He pushed out of his chair. “No problem. I’ll meet you down in the lobby.”

“Thanks.”

They waited for him to leave. Emma pulled out her phone and dialed her partner. Mace answered on the first ring.

“Hey, Emma, what’s up?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m in the morgue. Doctor Bentley is just wrapping up the autopsy.”

She put him on speaker. “We don’t have much time, so give me what you have.”

Steele Bentley’s voice came over the line. “We have the woman’s ID. The only reason we pulled it was she was arrested a few years ago for a hit and run. She was drinking and sideswiped a car. Her prints were in the system.”

That was a lucky break for them.

“Who do we have?” Emma asked. “And make it fast. We ditched Curtis, and don’t have much time before he gets suspicious and wanders back.”

They understood.

“We have Kelly Granger. As I stated before, your killer is going over the edge with overkill.”

Paris spoke up, “That’s likely. I’m thinking that this man is reliving something.”

They glanced over.

“How do you know?”

“There’s very little deviation from his MO. He’s taking women who all look alike. They’re all short, brunette, and blue eyed.”

They stared over at the screen with the dead women’s photos. He had a point.

“She wasn’t drugged, she wasn’t hit on the head, and the COD is strangulation. No broken hyoid. Our killer choked them with his hands, and then strung her up.”

“Just like the first two,” Tessa said. “Brynn’s death has to be a copycat.”

Emma was aware.

They now had double the work, and even less workable leads.

“It looks like you were right, Steele,” stated Greyson. The ropes and pillowcases matched for victims one, two, and four. Brynn is the odd woman out.”

“Who would kill her?” stated Tessa.

Emma closed her eyes. “It looks like someone wants us to think it’s Curtis. His wife filed for divorce.”

Paris and Tessa both gasped.

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah,” stated Croft, not giving the details of that divorce. While he trusted the ME, and his two agents, he wasn’t so sure about Emma’s partner. Yes, he was friends with Ethan Blackhawk, but that didn't mean that he couldn’t be playing both sides.

It had happened before.

“Someone is going to a lot of trouble to hang Curtis out to dry. They had to have watched him. They had to be watching us, Mace. The killer made this look like the other killings.”

“Great. More of a mess to handle,” he stated.

“Brynn was a red herring.”

They all thought about it. With more kills, Brynn didn't fit in.

“We’re tracing the pillowcase and rope used on Brynn. We found some DNA, and fibers. We’re hoping to be able to give you something.”

“What can you tell me now?”

“It’s a pricy brand of cotton. It’s something you might find in an expensive store. It will be less common than the ones our killer is using, but it’s still going to be a bitch to trace.”

They were well aware.

“Just do what you can. Is there anything on the fibers?” Emma asked. “The ones you found on Brynn?”

“Max should have the report done soon. As soon as I get it, you’ll be getting it.”

“Okay, so back to Kelly Granger. What else do we have?” Croft asked, glancing over at his people.

“We can tell you that Kelly Granger was single, but in a relationship. That’s what her social media site states. With a little digging, we found out that she’s dating Liam Eckerly. He’s a yoga instructor.”

“Wait,” Emma said, stopping him. “Paris, didn't you say that Shirley Golden was supposed to go to the gym and never made it?”

“Yes. That’s what her girlfriend stated.”

“What gym?” Croft asked.

“It’s
‘Body and Soul’
, and it’s not far from the center of town,” Tessa replied.

“Did we run that against all the victims?” Croft asked.

Paris shook his head. “Not yet. We didn't have a tie in, but now we do.”

“Tessa, can you do the runs on the gym connection, and Paris can you stay on the email to the skeezy reporter?” Emma asked. “We’re down a few people, and need to keep both threads going.”

They didn't mind.

Mace spoke up, “I’ll be heading back in soon, and I can help out. I don’t mind doing runs.”

This was one more reason she liked her partner. He was a decent man, and he understood that sometimes a partner had to take one for the team, by way of paperwork.

“I’ll owe you one, Mace,” she said.

“You can buy the next round of beers when we hit up happy hour,” he stated good-naturedly.

“Deal.”

“I’ll be upstairs in ten.”

With that, he ended his call.

“Okay, you two need to know a little bit more.” They told Paris and Tessa about the filing, and how Brynn was going to nail Curtis with a rep.

“Shit! That’s horrible,” Tessa stated. “I hate attorneys. They’re scumbags.”

Paris agreed. “That is more reason why he needs to be out of here.”

“If that hits the media, in a leak, we’ll have a witch hunt. We have two killers, and Curtis doesn’t have an alibi. Someone wants to stir the shit pot.”

“Who?” Tessa asked.

“It’s either Dominic Marianna, or the person who has been gunning for us the last year. This would be a perfect opportunity to take me down. Brynn was Emma’s partner, and Curtis was mine. They wouldn’t know why Curtis and Brynn opted to put space between us.”

That was a good point.

“We need you two to watch your backs. If Marianna is making a play for us, he knows the people we surround ourselves with, and that means you two.”