Midnight Action (6 page)

The bag came sailing in his direction. Morgan caught it on instinct, all the while blinking at the macabre scene before him.

A puddle of blood pooled around the dead man’s head, courtesy of the sharp blade that had pierced his jugular. Noelle must have had that deadly six-incher stashed on her other thigh, the crazy bitch. And evidently she wasn’t overly attached to the knife, because she gracefully rose to her feet, leaving the blade lodged in her prey’s throat.

Morgan finally found his voice. “Should I even ask?”

She shrugged. “Marcel here was pissing off some very important people by dealing coke in their territory. He really should have known better.”

“So tonight was a job after all.”

“Obviously.” She brushed past him, fixing the bottom of her dress as she walked.

When she realized he hadn’t moved, she halted in her stiletto tracks and tossed a mild look over her shoulder. “You coming, Jim?”

Swallowing, he spared one last look at the lifeless body sprawled on the ground, then followed Noelle to the door.

Nineteen years ago

With a bored look, René zipped up his pants and glanced at the bed. “Say one word to your mother about this and I’ll kill you both. Understand?”

“Yes,” Noelle whispered.

She waited until her stepfather had left the bedroom before allowing the anger to surface. She’d learned not to reveal her fury during their encounters. That only made the beatings worse.

Now, with the door closed, the impotent rage bubbled over. It burned her throat, tingled in her palms, surged through her blood.

She was going to kill the bastard. Goddamn it, she was. But not until she came up with a foolproof plan, one that didn’t result in her behind bars.

Dad can help.

She immediately banished the thought and stumbled off the sweat-soaked mattress. No, she would never go to her father for help. He couldn’t know about René. Ever.

She ran into her private bath, bare feet slapping the white marble floor. Like the rest of the house, the bathroom was the epitome of elegance. Noelle ignored the raised bathtub and hurried into the enormous glass shower stall, where she cranked all four showerheads and adjusted the faucet not to warm, but scalding.

It didn’t take long for the blistering hot water to soak her naked body and wash away all traces of René, but it still wasn’t enough. She still had to scrub her skin raw with a scratchy loofah, scouring off the sweat and semen, the sickening scent of his cinnamon-flavored aftershave.

When she finally emerged from the steamy stall, her flesh was red and sore, and the rage sizzling inside her was just as potent as before. Soon, she reminded herself. Soon she’d be out of this hellhole.

But God, a month and a half seemed like a lifetime. A goddamn eternity.

In her bedroom, she grabbed random items of clothing from the antique mahogany armoire, dressing on autopilot, the frantic need to flee taking over. Breathing hard, she swiped her red leather Louis Vuitton purse from the white-upholstered Bergere chair in the corner of the room, then fumbled inside it for her phone and dialed Jim’s number with trembling fingers.

When his husky voice filled her ear, she almost keeled over with relief.

“Can I see you?” she blurted out.

He replied with no hesitation. “Of course. Come to my hotel?”

“I’ll be there soon.”

Noelle hung up and raced out the door, and fifteen minutes later, she was hurrying into the lobby of the Lancaster. The fierce jumble of emotions in her chest hadn’t dulled during the taxi ride over. She was just as mad, just as bitter, and just as ashamed.

She’d run into René and her mother on her way out. The happy couple was going to a charity dinner for the police department, and René had been decked out in full police regalia. The nerve of it made her want to vomit. Two minutes after raping his wife’s daughter, he’d donned his dress uniform and was about to spend the rest of his evening strutting around like a hero and charming rich suckers out of their money so his department could have more tools to catch criminals.

But
he
was the criminal.

Worse than a criminal. He was a
monster
.

Noelle’s breathing went shallow, her vision wavering as she ducked into the elevator. She was near tears, and that only made her madder. Her real father didn’t condone tears. He considered them a sign of weakness.

I’m trying, Dad. I’m really trying to be strong
.

She choked on the lump in her throat, wishing she could be as tough as her dad, but knowing she wasn’t. Because if she was, she never would have let René lay his revolting hands on her. She would have fought harder and kept him off.

The elevator doors dinged open and she rushed down the carpeted corridor, her gaze homing in on the door of Jim’s suite. The gold-plated numbers were like a shining beacon of salvation.
Jim
was her salvation. They’d been seeing each other for only two weeks, but she was already dreading the day he had to go back to America. She didn’t want him to leave. She wasn’t sure she’d survive saying good-bye to the gruff, intense soldier she’d come to rely on.

When he opened the door, Noelle launched herself into his arms and buried her face in the crook of his corded neck. She inhaled his spicy, masculine scent, drawing warmth and comfort from his embrace.

“You okay?” He closed the door and led her inside.

She nodded weakly. “I’m fine.”

Jim’s sharp blue eyes searched her face. “No, you’re not. What happened?”

“Nothing.” Averting her gaze, she shrugged out of her peacoat and set it on the arm of the beige sofa.

“Noelle.”

She sighed. “Nothing out of the ordinary,” she amended. “René was in one of his moods tonight.”

“C’mere.”

He opened his arms and she stepped into them once more.

“Will you do something for me?” she asked softly.

“Anything.”

“Will you...” She tipped her head so she could meet his eyes, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Will you kiss me?”

His expression flickered with reluctance.

“I know you said you wanted to take it slow,” she went on hastily, “but please, Jim, I need this. I need you to make me forget.”

He stayed quiet, but his eyes never left hers. What she saw there only added to her muddled, emotion-ridden state. Reluctance again, but also tenderness. And desperation. Heat. Lots and lots of heat.

“Please,” she whispered.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Noelle...”

She held her breath, watching his expression go from hesitant to tortured to...defeated.

“Okay,” he murmured. “Okay.”

Her pulse sped up when he touched her chin. His hand was big and warm, his fingers gentle as he dragged them along the curve of her jaw. She parted her lips, anticipation building inside her, but when his mouth finally covered hers, it was like nothing she could have ever imagined.

His lips brushed hers with infinite care, soft and sweet and so thrilling her heart stopped beating for one crazy moment. Then the pressure increased, the tip of his tongue slid inside her mouth, and the kiss went from gentle to downright
possessive
. She’d kissed boys before, but not like this. Never like this.

Jim’s lips teased and coaxed, his tongue so skillful and demanding she forgot how to breathe. His mouth, hot and wicked, moved over hers, and each brush of his lips and stroke of his tongue stirred the fire inside her, until her entire body felt consumed by flames. His stubble scraped her cheeks in the most delicious way, and when he drew her closer so that their chests were flush against each other, she could feel his heart hammering against her breasts.

She kissed him back like a woman starved, taking every ounce of pleasure he had to offer. When her tongue slipped into his mouth so she could do some exploring of her own, Jim’s low groan of approval vibrated between them and made every inch of her melt.

“Christ. Noelle.” He pulled back only to whisper those two passion-laced words, and then he was kissing her again, while his hands traveled down the length of her back and settled over her bottom.

He cupped her buttocks and thrust his lower body into hers, and a moan escaped her lips at the feel of his erection pressing into her belly.

So this was desire. This was lust. She’d feared that René had destroyed her ability to experience such powerful sexual emotions, and triumph soared through her when she realized that he hadn’t. He hadn’t stolen this from her.

As a wave of liberation crested inside her, Noelle dug her fingers into Jim’s shoulders and kissed him back hungrily. She didn’t care that he wanted to take things slow. She wanted him. She
needed
him.

With frantic hands, she tugged on the hem of his T-shirt, desperately trying to lift it up, but he stopped her by stumbling backward.

“No,” he said hoarsely. “We can’t.”

Determination hardened her features. “We
can
. I want to.”

“Not yet.” He practically choked out the words, as if he didn’t want to say them but was forcing himself to.

She could see in his eyes that he didn’t want to stop. His gaze burned with need, and his cheeks were flushed from passion. He kept his hands at his sides, curled into tight fists, like he was trying not to reach out and touch her.

“Why not?” she pressed.

“Because I don’t want to rush it. You’re special—don’t you get that? You deserve more than...than
me
, damn it.”

She furrowed her brows in surprise. “Don’t say that. I’m lucky to have you—don’t
you
get that?”

His expression went shuttered, but not before she glimpsed a flash of anguish.

“You really want us to wait?” she said slowly.

He released a ragged breath. “I do. I know it doesn’t make much sense to you, but I can’t just rush you into my bed. I need to earn it.”

He was right—his cryptic words didn’t make a lick of sense to her, but he sounded so tormented and looked so upset that she decided not to push him.

“Okay,” she murmured. “We’ll go back to taking it slow.”

The relief that flooded his face was unmistakable. “Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “Do you want to go out for dinner?”

Dinner? Uh, yeah, right. What she wanted to do was kiss him again. To lose herself in those incredible sensations and never leave his side.

But after a beat, she simply nodded. “Sure.”

“Okay, cool. Let me just grab my coat and wallet.”

He took several steps toward the bedroom, but stopped before he reached the door. “Noelle?”

“Yeah?”

When he turned to face her, her breath lodged in her lungs.

He swallowed, looking more vulnerable than she’d ever seen him. “That was the best kiss of my life.”

Present day

The second she and Jim got back to the town house, Noelle made a beeline for the living room bar and poured herself a glass of brandy. She heard him come up behind her, and his proximity raised her hackles. For some inexplicable reason the man seemed determined to stick to her like glue—and she didn’t like it one damn bit. Bad enough that he’d joined her at the club, but now he was crowding her in her own home?

She spun around and scowled at him. “Quit shadowing me. It’s annoying.”

“Why couldn’t you just say you were working a job back there?” he said gruffly. “Why all the subterfuge?”

“What subterfuge? I said I wanted to go dancing—I went dancing.” She sipped the expensive alcohol, hoping it would ease her high-strung nerves. “I also happened to eliminate a slimebag and make a million bucks. What’s it to you? In fact, why the hell are you still here?”

His long fingers hooked into the belt loops of his olive green cargo pants. She saw a muscle in his jaw twitch, and then his throat dipped, as if he was fighting the words that finally left his mouth.

“I want you to help me find the person who hired Girard.” When he met her eyes, she’d never seen him so ill at ease. “So...I’ll ask you again. Will you, please”—he blanched at the word—“help me?”

A smug smile stretched across her face. “Aw, was that so hard?”

“Yes or no, Noelle.”

“Yes.” Her grin widened. “But only because it means you’ll owe me one.”

“Nothing comes from the goodness of your heart, huh?”

“Of course not. Generosity gets you nowhere.” She slugged back the rest of her brandy and slammed the glass on the bar top. “I’m turning in now. We’ll do some digging in the morning.”

As she stepped forward, she deliberately allowed her bare arm to brush his, and enjoyed his intake of breath.

Before she could blink, his hand curled over her wrist to keep her in place.

“This teasing bullshit needs to stop,” he snapped.

“Let go of me,” she said coolly.

His fingers only dug harder into her flesh. “And your pretense of indifference is getting old, baby. Go ahead and flaunt your body, rub up against me, try to get me going, but don’t pretend it doesn’t affect you too.” He pressed his thumb on the pulse point in her wrist. “You want to fuck me.”

She let out an incredulous laugh. “Oh really?”

Jim’s answering laugh was dark and sensual. “You. Want. To. Fuck. Me.” Each word came out in a slow, infuriating rasp.

Noelle tilted her head, and the look on his face sent her pulse careening. Hot and feral, with raw resentment thrown into the mix.

He hated this as much as she did. The tension thickening the air, the volatile emotions whipping between them like unsecured cables in a windstorm.

As she peered up at him, signs of arousal bloomed in her body. Her breasts grew achy. Her core throbbed. Her heart pounded. And in the center of the carnal storm raging inside her was her own hefty dose of resentment. She hated him for having the power to do this to her. To ignite her body this way.

“Not gonna try to deny it?” he taunted.

Noelle sucked in a shaky breath.

“Nah, didn’t think you would.”

Keeping her wrist in a death grip, he brought his other hand to his groin and cupped his package. Hard.

Her sex clenched as she watched him stroke the hard ridge of arousal beneath his pants.

“You want this, don’t you?”

“Fuck off,” she managed to squeeze out.

Jim wasn’t finished tormenting her. “Baby, we both know you want my cock inside you. Remember how deep it filled you? Remember the way I made you moan?”

Oh God. She did. She remembered it like it was yesterday. Their naked bodies entwined on crisp linen sheets, her pussy stretching to accommodate him, her inner muscles clasping his thick shaft.

Moisture pooled between her legs, while the saliva in her mouth turned to dust.

“Do you remember?”

She swallowed before responding. “No.”

“Yes, you do.” He stroked the inside of her wrist with the pad of his thumb. “You remember every second of it.”

She yanked her hand away as a spike of anger pierced her chest. “No, what I remember is your lies. I remember your betrayal. I remember
that
. So I repeat,
fuck off
. Fuck off and don’t ever touch me again—”

His mouth came down on hers without warning, his kiss hot and demanding, a greedy domination that almost knocked her off her feet. She had no choice but to grab on to him, bunching his T-shirt between her fingers as his tongue plunged inside her mouth.

The taste of him sent her mind spinning. His rock-hard abs quivered beneath her fingers, neck muscles straining as he angled his head to drive the kiss deeper.

When their tongues touched, it was like an incredible drug had been injected into her system. A moan of desperation slipped out before she could stop it, which only triggered a low growl from Jim’s throat.

He thrust his hand in her updo, tugging at the pins that kept it up. They fell to the carpet as her hair came free, and then he fisted the loose strands, pulling to the point of pain. All the while his mouth continued to devour hers, depriving her of much-needed oxygen, a never-ending kiss that exhilarated her senses and stole her sanity.

God, she had to regain control. She couldn’t let him draw her in again, not after everything he’d done to her.

The memory of his betrayal was all it took for her to find her footing. It was all it took to bring a flash of clarity to her mind.

With a growl of her own, she captured his lower lip between her teeth and bit him.

Hard.

Jim’s angry curse delivered her back to the welcome realm of reality. Gasping for air, she wrenched herself out of his grasp. She saw his blood glistening on his lips, and she basked in the satisfaction of knowing she’d caused him pain.

Aggravation burned in his midnight blue eyes as he lifted a hand to his mouth and touched the puncture. But he didn’t say a word. Just gazed at her, thoughtfully almost, which only fueled her growing rage.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she hissed out.

Jim wiped his hand on the front of his shirt, leaving a streak of red against the white fabric.

“I let it slide at the airport back in February, but I’m done with this shit. You understand?” Her features hardened as she glowered at him. “Kiss me again without my permission and I’ll slit your throat.”

Fighting the uncontrollable beating of her heart, Noelle bulldozed past him and stormed out of the room, leaving him in the same state he’d left her all those years ago.

Bloody and alone.