Karma (24 page)

She curled her hand around his balls, running her fingertips over the heavy sacs.

“Liza, baby, that feels good.” The words sounded torn from him. “I’m close, sweetheart, come here.”

She shook her head and continued to work him, gliding her tongue along the firm ridge and popping her lips over his wet head before going back in for more.

“Gonna come,” he warned her.

As if that would make her stop? She picked up her pace and her own body throbbed in time to the rhythm they’d set. Unable to control herself, she reached down and began to rub herself with her fingertip, seeking the same relief she was giving him. Waves began to crest inside her immediately and she circled her tiny nub harder, faster, the pressure building as fast as his.

Dare’s hand came up to tangle in her hair and he held on as she brought him to climax. He pumped his hips into her, and when he came with a shout she followed, her orgasm blinding in its intensity, and she worked at swallowing every last drop while at the same time, grinding her pelvis against her own hand.

She released him and collapsed on his thighs, his fingers still tangled in her hair as he held her close.

“Hell of a way to wake up,” he said at last.

She managed a laugh. “I thought so.”

“I’d offer to take care of you, but I realized you already handled that.”

“I’ve never…not in front of anyone before.” A warm flush rose to her cheeks. “Does it bother you?”

“I think it’s hot.”

She rolled her eyes. “You would.” She shook her head. “Men,” she muttered, and crawled back up to meet his gaze.

He pulled her into his arms and to her surprise, into a long kiss. “Feeling better this morning?” he asked.

“Much. Thanks to you.”

He met her gaze, his hot stare lingering. “Can’t say I minded.”

She settled her hand on his chest and placed her head against his shoulder. He pulled her close and they lay together in silence. Liza enjoyed the sense of peace and rightness surrounding her and realized how foreign both sensations were to her.

“We need to talk,” Dare said, breaking the peace.

“I know.” She drew a deep breath and prepared to face reality. “Let me take a shower and pull my thoughts together, okay?”

He nodded. “I’ll jump in after you. If I join you, we won’t get any talking done.”

She grinned, visions of him taking such good care of her last night before taking
her
.

And, oh, he’d taken her. Possessed her was more like it. She’d come apart, and when she resurfaced she’d wondered if she’d ever be the same.

Now in the light of day, she knew she wasn’t the same woman she’d been before her life had become entangled with his, and she wondered how she’d cope when he was long gone.

Before Liza and Dare settled in to talk, Liza grabbed her cell phone and locked herself in the bathroom to call
her brother. She needed to talk to him in person and to do that she had to make sure he’d be around. What she didn’t need was an argument about Brian with Dare, so she chose the most private room in the house.

She dialed, but her brother’s phone rang and rang and nobody answered. She didn’t even get voicemail on the other end. Same for his cell phone. She’d check in with work later, but she had a hunch they hadn’t heard from him either. If all else failed, she’d have to call her parents, but she dreaded that almost as much as she dreaded the thought that someone wanted to hurt her brother. Through her.

Her stomach cramped as the memory of the guy with the heavy chains and threats came back to her. What if he’d hurt Brian? Her knees went weak and she lowered herself to a small vanity chair, forcing herself to think. If the guy had given her a message for her brother yesterday, surely that meant Brian had time before whoever he owed money acted or hurt him.

A knock sounded on the door.

“Come on in,” she called.

Dare stepped inside. “Are you okay?”

She clasped the phone in her hand. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

He leaned against the door frame. “You look upset.”

“No more than I should be considering what’s going on.” She drew a deep breath. “Are you ready to talk?”

“I am. Are you?”

She shook her head and laughed. “Ready? No. Willing? Yes.”

He stepped forward and held out his hand. She took it, letting him pull her to her feet.

They sat down in her family room and Liza curled her legs beneath her. “What do you want to know?”

“For starters, why you snuck your cell phone into the bathroom.” He stared at her with those perceptive eyes and the determined gaze she remembered from when they were merely acquaintances. A few short weeks, yet it seemed like forever.

“I was trying to reach my brother,” she admitted.

“And you think I’d have a problem with that.”

She shrugged. “Wouldn’t you?”

“I’m going to have to get used to it.”

But he wasn’t there yet. She ignored the kernel of disappointment in her stomach. “Well, I didn’t want to ruin the mood. Anyway, he didn’t answer.”

“Okay, let’s start at the beginning.”

She nodded. “Where is that?”

“With your brother. He owes someone money. Forgive me for asking, but doesn’t he have plenty?”

She bit the inside of her cheek. “We have trust funds. We have access to the monthly interest if we need it. I don’t. I don’t know about Brian, but I’d guess he dips into his. His lifestyle is more extravagant than mine.”

Dare raised an eyebrow. “He lives in your parents’ house. Does he pay rent?”

She shrugged. “I figured the less I knew about the extent to which my parents enabled him, the better. It’s enough I do my share.”

“Relax. This isn’t an interrogation. I’m just trying to get the facts because I’ll be damned if someone’s going to hurt you again.” Dare placed a hand on her bare thigh, just where the denim fringe of her shorts ended.

She didn’t pretend his touch didn’t affect her. It did. But she knew how important this conversation was, so she ignored the warmth spreading upward.

“Well, Brian makes a more than decent salary. It should cover living well. But as I said, he likes nice things.”

When Dare remained silent, Liza felt compelled to add more. “Okay, he thinks he’s entitled to them.”

“I didn’t say that.”

She expelled a long breath. To his credit, he hadn’t. “But you thought it.”

“What does Brian do in his spare time?”

“Other than drink, you mean?”

Dare closed his eyes in frustration. “Look, we’re not going to get anywhere if you keep assuming I’m out to hurt him. All I want to do is protect
you
.”

She smiled, appreciating his strength and caring, his very presence more than she could say. “I’m having problems at the office that might have something to do with Brian.” She blurted out the truth before she could talk herself out of it again.

She could no longer tell herself she didn’t need Dare Barron.

She did.

Dare was doing everything he could not to verbally blast Brian’s actions in front of Liza. She’d trusted him with what was going on in her life and Dare didn’t want to make her regret it.

Even if the information led to the conclusion that Brian was involved in fraud or embezzlement from his own sister’s company, something Liza hadn’t yet acknowledged out loud.

From what Liza had explained to Dare, two checks had been printed to an antiques store and both had been cashed. One signature on the back looked like her brother’s. Without saying a word against Brian, Dare had merely offered to go back to Annabelle’s Antiques along with her because no way was he leaving her alone and unprotected.

They arrived at the small shop early the next morning in time to greet the owner when she opened. The parking lot was empty, and with a little luck the woman would be free to talk to them.

Dare walked to the entrance, Liza by his side. She was dressed in an outfit that fell between her business suits and
her outside the office shorts. A flirty skirt hit her mid thigh and a ruffled top belted around the waist completed the look, along with a sexy pair of heeled sandals. As usual, the woman made him drool with little effort or intent. He was getting used to being in a constant state of arousal around her, which didn’t bother him as long as she seemed happy to indulge him when they were alone, which she did.

Liza paused outside the door and put a hand on his arm.

“Remember, I upset her last time I was here so I wouldn’t count on her being too helpful. And I don’t think we should mention that you’re a cop either.”

Dare nodded. “For now, I agree with you.” But if it became necessary in order to get information, he had no problem pulling out his badge.

He held open the door and Liza walked through. Inside, the shop was the epitome of an antiques store, a hodgepodge of items and accessories littered around and tagged with handwritten prices.

A tall woman with long dark hair turned at the sound of the ringing bell, which had announced their arrival.

“Hi, Annabelle,” Liza said.

“Liza,” the other woman said stiffly. “What are you doing here? I thought we covered everything the other day.”

“I upset you and I’m sorry. I came to apologize and to try to talk about it again.”

Annabelle lifted her chin. “You all but asked me if I deliberately cashed two checks.”

Liza shook her head. “No. I told you that two checks had been written and deposited, at least according to the bank. You refused to discuss anything more with me.”

“I had customers.”

“And you were upset.” An apologetic look crossed Liza’s face. “I was hoping you’d had time to calm down and understand I need to look into this.”

Annabelle wouldn’t meet Liza’s gaze. She turned to Dare instead. “Who is this?”

“My…boyfriend,” Liza said, stumbling over the word.

Dare bit back a grin. The woman who didn’t do relationships had just confirmed she was in one.

“Dare Barron, this is Annabelle Block. Annabelle, this is Dare.”

He nodded. “We’re spending the day together and Liza wanted to stop by and see you before we did anything else. She’s been upset all weekend,” Dare explained.

The other woman let out a long sigh. “All I know is that I received one check, signed the back, and deposited it. I never saw another one.” Liza nodded. “Is there anyone else with access to your mail? Someone who does your banking?”

Dare had prepped her and she was doing a fine job of questioning Annabelle while attempting to convince the shop owner she was deflecting blame away from her.

Annabelle shook her head. “It’s just me. You know I’m a small business. I have one part-time employee and that’s it. I do all my own banking.” She forced out each word.

Liza gave the woman a smile. “Okay. I appreciate your patience and your honesty.”

Annabelle immediately turned away. “I told you everything I know,” she said over her shoulder.

If that were true, then why was the woman so uptight and unable to look either of them in the eye? Dare wondered.

“Thanks,” Liza said. “Come on, Dare.” She tugged on his hand and they turned for the door.

“Have you spoken to your brother?” Annabelle asked just as Liza gripped the handle.

Liza pivoted back around. “You know Brian?”

Dare turned as well, wanting to see the woman’s face and gauge her reaction.

“He’s come in looking at antiques.” Annabelle’s gaze darted around the store, not focusing on any one of her items in particular. Definitely not making eye contact as she spoke.

“Brian’s an accountant,” Liza said, her gaze narrowing.

“He…ummm…he’s been here,” the other woman said lamely.

Liza started forward, but Dare stopped her with a hand on her arm. If they crowded Annabelle, they wouldn’t get any answers. She’d clam up fast.

“Weren’t you just telling me this morning that you couldn’t reach Brian for the last couple of days?” Dare asked Liza.

She nodded. “He hasn’t answered his phone or returned my calls. Do
you
speak to him often?” she asked Annabelle.

The other woman looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Sometimes. We talked yesterday. He was in a rush and said he’d call me back. He hasn’t.”

Dare wondered if that had been before or after Liza spoke to Annabelle about the two checks.

“And that’s unusual?” Dare asked.

She shook her head quickly. “No, he’s a customer. I just…”

Dare forced a grin. “She’s got a thing for him,” he said to Liza, deliberately speaking loudly and laughing as if he’d just figured it out.

“No, I…well, we used to date,” she finally admitted.

Liza’s eyes opened wide. “I had no idea,” she murmured.

And Dare had a hunch she wasn’t supposed to.

“We kept it quiet…and then we broke up. But we’ve kept in touch,” Annabelle admitted.

“If you hear from him, will you let me know?” Liza asked.

“I sure will. And…I understand why you had to ask about the checks. I’m sorry I got touchy.”

“It’s okay.”

But Dare felt the confusion vibrating through her body as if it were his own.

Annabelle shifted uncomfortably. “And if
you
hear from him, will you tell me?” she asked.

“Of course.”

They stepped outside into the heated summer air and
headed for the car. No sooner had Dare opened the door for her than she turned and wrapped her arms around him tight.

“Thanks for coming with me,” she said.

“Anytime.”

Liza spent the next day doing normal things, like working. She’d let Jeff handle the Mystic job. As long as someone was threatening Brian through her, Liza wanted to stick close to home. After the trip to Annabelle’s, Liza left twice-daily messages on her brother’s cell phone, but she hadn’t heard from him, which left her on edge and worried. Something she held back from Dare because no matter how good he was being to her, she still thought asking him to feel pity for Brian was taking things too far.

As for Dare, it had taken some doing, but she’d gotten him to return to work as well. They’d compromised, Liza promising that he could drive her to the office and pick her up to take her home after his shift. She wasn’t stupid and readily agreed. She had no desire to be accosted or threatened in town or anywhere where she might be found alone. Dare picked her up at six. They went to dinner and returned to her house where neither could keep their hands off each other.