Microsoft Word - FortunesFool.rtf (36 page)

fisting a handful, all the while losing himself in the blaze of desire

flaming within the depths of her eyes.

Get a hold of yourself, Archer. Now's not the time to think with your
dick.
He groaned in disgust at the momentary weakness and chalked it up to a non-existent love life since his break up with Carrie three months

ago. Their relationship had subsisted on the mutual grounds of fil ing

each other's physical needs. He'd been perfectly content until she'd told him he was too cold inside.

What the hell did that mean?
Too cold inside?
Okay, maybe his love life had fallen to second place in the race for his attention, but his work was his life. There could never be anything that beat the adrenaline rush of a good chase, or finding hidden clues to close a case.

Jeez, what was with women and their need for love? Carrie had

thrown him for a loop. Archer's frown deepened and his irritation

transferred to the woman on the other side of his binoculars. She had just induced a longing he had been damned good at repressing until now.

How could he find himself attracted to someone as mousy as her?

He'd seen a lot of desperate types come through Farra's Fortunes, but this one beat all. Maybe if the woman wasn't bundled up in all that mess she

might have a chance of landing a man. Instead, she was putting all her

faith in a fraudulent fortuneteller who would blind her with promises of God-knows-what.

Archer reached for the coffee cup and took a long swallow, his eyes

never leaving the scene unfolding before him. One minute the woman

was speaking to the elderly shopkeeper and the next she had pulled the

raggedy material from her neck and wrapped it around her head like a

makeshift turban.

"Well, I'll be…" He nearly crushed the paper cup, slamming it back in its holder. "She's a member of the club." Archer frowned, disappointed to discover the brunette was involved in such shady dealings. She didn't look the part, but these days you never could tell.

Damn shame.
Archer liked it better when he thought she was a

patron, yet his odd attraction for her wasn't doused by the revelation. His interest was only further piqued, and he wanted to know what had led her to this criminal route.

Archer's jaw clenched in annoyance when he thought about the

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enjoyment the woman was having at ruining the lives of others. He could

only imagine what schemes the two of them were cooking up in there.

The way the brunette rehearsed her psychic mumbo-jumbo further

incensed him. He knew the locals would no doubt buy the act with a

sincere face like hers.

As long as Archer was back in town, he wasn't about to let some

crooks take hard earned money out of the hands of the good citizens of

Elmhaven. Not if he could help it.

One thing was for sure, he couldn't believe his luck at stumbling

across the counterfeiting operations in connection with the case his team had been trying to bust for months. Even more unbelievable was that the

main players had been nestled in the sleepy town of Elmhaven, of all

places. He just needed to pinpoint who the ringleader actually was.

Archer felt like letting out a howl of excitement. Christ, he was born

and raised just two blocks from the main street and nothing like this had ever happened in Mayberry! The timing couldn't have been better.

Maybe leaving Jersey after his suspension from the bureau wasn't a

completely fucked up mess after all.

Now, if only he could get his hands on some shred of proof. This

would be the proof he needed to hammer the last nail in the coffin and

put this bitch to bed.

A smug smile of satisfaction formed on his lips.

He couldn't wait to see the captain's face when he forked over the

evidence and single-handedly uncovered the mastermind of the

counterfeiting ring. Archer would surely get reinstated and be back on

the streets doing what he did best in no time at all.

Bite me, Cap'n Jack!

Archer's adrenaline shot up, elated by the unofficial undercover

work. The elation wore off as day turned to night and still they chatted away. Just when he thought the night might drag on forever, the two

women broke from their deep discussion and exchanged information. He

adjusted the lens, but couldn't get a good look at the paper handed to the brunette. A few minutes later the mousy broad left the shop.

His lips curled in disgust at the devious elation etched on her

youthful face as she walked. Women were a conniving lot, and this one

looked to be one he'd enjoy apprehending. Archer threw the binoculars

on the passenger seat and turned the ignition on to follow her.

He knew it would be too risky to try to bust the operation alone, but

he figured he'd gather enough evidence and then call in for backup. It

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wasn't like he was breaking any rules.

Archer's suspension was a damn joke, and everyone in the office

knew it. The captain had a vendetta against him ever since he'd found out Archer had been sleeping with his daughter. In reality, did anyone really give a shit if he roughed up some drug dealer who didn't give a fuck who he hurt?

Sure, he followed rules, but he didn't see anything wrong in

obtaining information his own way. Besides, the dealer had a reputation

for seducing kids who'd been kicked around by the system. Some of the

runners were often neglected latchkeys who craved love. Anyone paying

them the least bit of attention had their loyalty.

Matt always had a soft spot for outcasts, and he made it his duty to

help as many of these kids as possible to discover a better path than their current one. It was bad enough to hear the statistics on these youths

robbed of their childhood. Hell, he'd seen his fair share of young victims face-to-face, so it wasn't tough to exact a bit of revenge on those

deserving of it. Someone had to protect these kids and it might as well be him.

Matt slowed the car down, and pulled into an empty parking space.

The woman had sprinted across the path and he got out to follow her on

foot. Somewhere along the way his eyes took notice of the sway of her

hips and her long, lean legs as she walked through the streets at a hasty pace.
Focus, Archer.
Matt wondered if it was the full moon playing tricks on him, because his sudden libido wasn't relenting. He tried his best to avoid admiring her backside and focused instead on the ugly battered

shoes. The only problem was that his eyes managed to take an interest in her sexy ankles and the curve and slender shape of her calves in the sheer skirt.He didn't know how long he shadowed her, but relief washed over

him when she finally rounded a corner and took a short cut through a

vacant alley. Matt hoped the night would end with more details than it

began. Something tangible would make the last few weeks of

excruciating boredom worthwhile.

The woman slowed her pace to glance over her shoulder, and Matt

ducked into the shadows to avoid being discovered. The brunette stopped

in front of a dilapidated apartment building, marred by cracked concrete and protected by bent metal bars over the windows. Not the finest section of town by any means, but he figured a woman with an unlawful

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background would want to hole up in a place like this.

Matt watched her unlock the aging gate and scurry in like a cat

afraid of her own shadow. Her actions would have been endearing if she

had been anybody else. The gate banged shut behind her and he let out a

curse, knowing he wouldn't easily make it in that way. With a sigh, he

considered waiting it out.

Over his dead body.

Matt's mind kicked into overdrive and he scanned the rows of

windows, hoping to figure out which apartment was hers. Minutes ticked

by before his gaze locked onto a shadow stumbling around in a darkened

room before a flicker of light glowed within. A dim glow cascaded into

several more and brought light to the darkness.

Why the hell wasn't she flipping on the lights?

Ah, candles.

Little Miss Gypsy intrigued him more each minute. After a bit of

shuffling, her figure emerged and stopped in front of the open window. A smile touched his lips as he glimpsed the familiar mass of curls.

The soft cast of the moonlight made her a vision of loveliness. The

ridiculous turban was gone and her silky hair spilled over her shoulders.

Gone were all thoughts of his mission, the chase, and the discovery as

she captivated him with her ethereal splendor.

His insides knotted up, mesmerized by her as she stood stoically,

surrounded by the soft cloud of candlelight. She resembled a fairytale

heroine, and he felt the coldness that had plagued his soul suddenly melt away as quickly as his senses.

Never in his life had Matt ached to hold someone, or hungered to

possess another human being like he did at that moment. He tried to

catch his breath and break the spell, and glanced up only to find the full moon laughing down at him.

Oh yeah, the cosmos were playing tricks on him and Matt Archer

was in deep shit.

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Matt's eyes followed the dancing light shining off the candle as it

created a visual path for the owner. Impatient for a closer look, he

scanned the dirty alleyway for ideas to reach her window. His thoughts

drifted to curiosity about her living space. How was it arranged? Did her possessions provide any clues about the woman?

His gaze skimmed the iron posts and metal scraps hanging off the

aged building, and zeroed in on a fire escape that led up to her apartment.

The stars must have aligned because this night had proved all too

convenient. A strange superstition stirred within him, yet he couldn't

fight his desire to see her up close.

After some maneuvering, Matt made it up to her floor and steadied

himself on the platform as he peered inside. He felt guilty, a damn

peeping Tom, but he coaxed himself into believing this was all for the

sake of work.

Holy hell!

Matt almost went into cardiac arrest upon seeing her. He did a

double, then a triple take, to make sure he wasn't imagining the scene

playing out before him. The unexpected sexpot made his heart lurch and

palms sweat from pure anticipation.

The woman stood barely clad before a mirror, staring at her own

reflection as in a trance. She had shed the bulky clothing and was clad

only in a transparent chemise and a thin, knee-length skirt. He watched

her run her fingers through her hair, then pull it up into a French twist atop her head as she peered into the glass.

Matt couldn't pull his stare away from her. He held his breath,

waiting anxiously for her next move. When he thought he couldn't stand

the hesitation any longer, she touched those luscious lips and traced the shape with her fingertips, splaying lightly across them with a slow

gentleness. Her hands continued onward, down her chin, lower to her

throat and she closed her eyes, almost as if she imagined the caress of a lover.

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Her nipples strained through the thin fabric and Matt had the urge to

seize the hard pearls between his teeth. With a slow ease, the woman

pushed the tiny straps off her shoulders, and the material swished to the floor at her feet. Her breasts bounced free from their restraints. The sight made him grow hard in response.

The multi-colored skirt followed the discarded chemise, pooling

around her on the floor. One hand tenderly cupped a full globe while her free one caressed a path down her stomach until she reached the area just above her mound. Her hand skimmed across the lace panties, feeling the

pattern sensually.

She inhaled deeply and her fingers continued the fiery path until she

began her tender exploration. Archer's hand dropped to his crotch to

adjust himself. In all his years he had never seen a woman more aware of her own body. This fascinated him and brought to light a fantasy that

Archer would relish replaying in his head for years to come.

The torture continued when the woman slid off the underwear, now

completely naked for him to enjoy. He drank in the sight of her milky

flesh and shapely curves. His eyes dropped to her pussy and he knew

without a doubt he was condemned to hell. He could easily eat that up all night long until she begged him to put her out of her misery.

The woman rubbed her breasts and savored the feel of discovering

herself. With a free hand, she soon dipped her fingers between the dusk

of hairs and reached the spot she was searching for. Matt watched in utter fascination as her hand teased her own flesh until her breathing visibly increased.

Her breath became labored, followed by soundless moans from the

sensations of her self-love. He clenched his teeth as his cock swelled, his jeans cutting into his circulation. The woman squeezed her breast, her

moans increasing with each stroke.

Matt's body hummed with awareness and lust as he devoured her

erotic movements. He wanted to burst through the window and fuck her

like she had obviously envisioned. He wanted to caress every inch of her with his tongue, to taste the sweetness of her body. How had he ever

believed she was a mouse when she was clearly a vixen unleashing