Monroe, Melody S. - Verdict (Siren Publishing Classic) (21 page)

By the time Susan’s shift ended, the weather had turned nasty. Rain, mixed with snow, pummeled the diner’s storefront window.

John wiped his hands on his apron and came out from behind the counter. “When Stone comes for you, you go ahead. Rebecca and I can clean up.”

She wasn’t sure if she should take him up on her offer, but why argue? She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. “Thanks. I’m still a little drained from the accident.”

“Be careful going home,” her boss said. “Driving around here can be tricky if you aren’t used to the twists and turns.”

“I’ll make sure Stone takes it easy.”

By the time Stone pulled in front of the diner, it was past eight. Susan waved to Rebecca, who was wiping down the last of the tables. She liked having a friend she could talk to without worrying about what she said or how she said it. Rebecca looked up and smiled. “Have fun on your days off.”

Two days off. Hmm. Susan wasn’t sure if she wanted to sit in the cabin by herself while Stone worked, but her schedule needed to mesh with the other workers’. “Thanks.”

Bracing herself against the wind, she lifted her collar and rushed outside. Driving rain soaked her before she reached the passenger’s side. She jumped in and slammed the door shut before she got the inside too wet.

“Don’t you have an umbrella?” Stone asked.

“Obviously not.” Damn, she shouldn’t have been sarcastic, but her feet hurt and her body ached.

He pulled out onto an empty road without responding. Apparently, no one else was crazy enough to drive in this weather, and they met with little traffic on their trip out of town.

“I’ll look to see if the Traynors have something you can borrow.” He slid the heater knob to high. “Don’t want you to catch cold.”

She didn’t remember her ex-husband caring about her health like Stone did, even at the beginning of their short marriage. She needed to shift her thoughts from her problems. “How was your day?”

“Good, but lunch was better.” He winked.

Her stomach fluttered. They weren’t in public, so there was no need for him to toss out compliments as if they were engaged. He must have forgiven her for the abrupt lunch discussion.

“I enjoyed you stopping by too.” God, she sounded like a freshman in high school. They’d already made love, so why couldn’t she relax around him?

He cleared his throat. “Anything unusual happen during day two at the diner?”

She nearly laughed at their awkward conversation until she realized he might suspect the killer to find them. “Actually, yes.” He quirked a brow, and she twisted toward him. “These two creepy men came in after you left. I asked John if he knew them, but he said they weren’t from around here.”

“Shepherd Hills gets a lot of visitors.” While his voice came out calm, his jaw was anything but relaxed.

“These didn’t act like tourists.”

He gripped the wheel tight. “What did they look like?”

An oncoming car drove past, illuminating the concern in his eyes. “I didn’t pay all that much attention until the shorter guy wouldn’t stop staring at me.”

“Describe him.” His tone came out clipped, official.

She should have memorized more details. “Caucasian, late thirties, maybe. He had glasses with black rims, wore a plaid shirt and had on dirty boots.” Not bad.

“So he wasn’t the same as the one at the Lake City Waffle House?”

Her stomach twisted. She wanted to remember. “At first I thought he might be, but because he was dressed so differently, I couldn’t be sure. I’m sorry.”

“You did your best.” Stone turned left onto the road leading up to mountain cabin. “What did these men sound like? Deep voice, raspy like a smoker, foreign accent, or what?”

She closed her eyes and tried to replay their interaction. “One of the men had a distinctive accent, like someone who lived around New York. The man in the plaid shirt didn’t say much. When they finished their meal and left, I made a point of looking at their license plate. They were from Virginia.” Pride seeped in.

His brows rose. “Did you get the number?”

She leaned back in the seat. “No. Another car pulled out in front and blocked the back of their red Mustang just as I tried to read the plate.”

He shook his head. “This town gets a lot of people passing through. The one man who took an interest might have been someone who liked to look at a beautiful woman.”

She nearly sputtered. With her scarred face, no one would find her attractive. “If they do stop by again, I’ll be sure to ask John or Rebecca to secretly take a picture of them with their camera phone.”

“Let’s hope they don’t come back.”

“Amen.”

The weather didn’t let up the whole ride to the cabin. If anything, the wind got stronger near the top of the mountain and the rain more intense. Trees swayed like beggars grabbing for a handout, creepy and disturbing.

Stone cut the engine close to the front door. “Wait here. I’ll get an umbrella for you.”

That was dumb. He’d get wet running to the cabin, back to the car, and back inside again. “I can make it. I’m already soaked.”

Before he made it to her side, she opened the door and hurried to the covered entranceway. She shivered against the cold.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he unlocked the cabin door with one hand. She appreciated his warm body heat.

Even though they were inside, the walls didn’t do a great job of keeping out the winter weather. “It’s freezing in here.” Chills raced down her back.

“Why don’t you take a hot shower while I light a fire?”

She didn’t remember the last time she’d taken the time to enjoy an evening watching flames flicker up a chimney. “Sounds divine.” She relished the idea of roasting by the fire with the hot and sexy Stone.

When she finished showering and reapplying her bandages, she pulled on her flannel gown. No use changing clothes twice. A little self-conscious, she padded out to the darkened living room and halted. Light from the fire bounced off the walls, giving the room a warm yellow glow.

Stone was lying on pillows he’d taken from the sofa. Two more pillows were next to him. “Come, join me.”

She couldn’t resist. Her back to Stone, she tucked her legs under and admired the flames. Heat poured over her.

“Here.” He tapped her shoulder and handed her a glass of red wine.

She twisted around. “What’s the occasion?”

“Occasion? This is the first time we’ve spent so many consecutive nights at one place. I’m hoping our days of running are over.”

If only. Susan sipped the wine. The robust liquid soothed her throat. “This is delicious.”

“I agree. I’ll have to thank Tom’s dad.”

The flames jumped and shook, mesmerizing her. As she drank and watched the interplay of wood and fire, her body slowly relaxed. Sprawled on the cushion behind her, Stone reached up and twisted her hair in his finger, sending shivers of delight along her body. She leaned her head back to enjoy his playfulness.

She set her glass down, turned toward him and leaned on her elbow. Shadows danced on his face, and she reached out to touch his bristly cheek, refusing to think of the long-term consequences.

He twisted his head and kissed her palm. Her soul melted. Maybe it was the stress of not talking to her family, the aftermath of seeing her best friend die, or having to run for her life, but that one act of tenderness did more to give her hope than any words could ever have done.

“Why don’t you move closer?” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

Her logical mind battled with her body. Yes, they’d make love, but once the killer was caught, they’d go back to their old lives, and she’d be alone again.

Stop thinking and just act.

The crackle of the fire and smell of the pine emboldened her. She scooted forward on the pillows until her lips were inches from his. Her fingers found their way into his still-rain-dampened hair. He leaned closer and she could smell the fresh scent on his skin.

She ran a thumb down his ear. “You should dry off. We don’t need you catching cold.”

“Trust me, I’m anything but cold.” He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her hip-to-hip. “I’ve wanted to hold you from the moment we left Atlanta.”

He closed his eyes, and she knew her looks didn’t matter to him. Her heart soared. She let her body and her desires lead the way. Too much thinking and analyzing would just get in the way. When their lips touched, her mind shut off. Her hands clasped his shoulders, then inched down his arms and over his bulging biceps. She wanted to touch all of his skin, taste him, and savor everything about him. With fumbling fingers, she unbuttoned his shirt and leaned back to let the light bounce off his magnificent body. A thatch of hair was lightly sprinkled across his upper chest, leaving the bottom half to his navel bare. “You’re gorgeous, you know.”

He laughed. “I think ‘gorgeous’ suits you more.”

Her face heated. His hands slipped to the end of her nightgown and tugged the cloth upward. Thrill and lust overwhelmed her senses.

He kissed her, his lips making her believe in forever-after. He rolled on top of her, his hard cock pressing against her wet pussy, and balanced on one elbow. Dear Lord, he was bigger than she remembered.

A moment later, he’d discarded her nightgown and began sucking on her nipple while he kneaded her other breast. Tender, yet firm, he thoroughly made his way from one nipple to the other, while his free hand explored the contours of her neck, her hips, her thighs, and even her knees. The fire sent out a loud snap, and she jerked at the intrusion.

“Shh.” He kissed her forehead, and she relaxed. He picked up his glass and tipped a bit of the wine into her navel.

She sucked her stomach inward. “It’s cold.” She giggled, the sound foreign to her ears.

“I’ll warm you up.”

He dipped his tongue into the pit of her stomach, and she sucked in a breath, praying he’d go lower.

He couldn’t get enough of her. Her long legs made him forget every FBI rule he’d ever learned. He loved her silky hair, soft lips, creamy thighs and magnificent breasts.

He wanted her. Now. Without ceremony, he dipped a finger inside her pussy, and she gasped. He had to have her, taste her, savor her.

Without asking what she wanted, he slipped between her thighs and licked her, slow at first, then flicked his tongue fast and furious as her moans increased. Her hard little clit reacted with every motion of his tongue, nearly tipping him over the edge. He wanted to take his time loving her, but the moment she wove her fingers in his hair and tugged, he wasn’t sure he could last.

Her head dropped back onto the pillow. “That feels wonderful. Please, don’t stop.”

“I have no intention of stopping.”
Ever
.

He ran his hands ran up and down the length of her legs, while his mouth explored every luscious part of her. He flicked his tongue again over her clit until her breaths increased, and she let out a loud groan. When she was thoroughly wet, he tugged off the rest of his clothes, anticipating how wonderful it would be to once again sink his cock into her drenched pussy.

He’d known her for a short while, yet she let him touch her inner soul.

He tossed his boxers behind him and her eyes widened. “You’re magnificent.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I want to taste you, too.”

She wouldn’t get a complaint from him.

She leaned over and kissed him, tasting like wine. Her hand reached down and grabbed his cock. His breath lodged in his chest. She pressed up on her hands and knees and slid below his waist. When she took him in her mouth, he nearly came.

His balls turned hard, and he had to bite down on his cheeks to hold back. “I need you. Now.”

He dragged her upward until she hovered over his cock. “Wait.”

Her breath hitched. “Wait? You can’t do this to me.”

He pulled a condom out of his wallet from his discarded jeans and waved the foil packet at her. “I’m the protector, remember?” Too bad he hadn’t thought to protect himself when they made love before.

Her face relaxed. “Hurry.”

Once he sheathed himself, she immediately planted herself on his cock again and slid down, her wet pussy taking all of him at once. She bucked up and down and dropped her head back as if the experience was better than anything she’d ever experienced.

His hands inched their way up her tiny waist to her full, luscious breasts. His thumbs stroked her nipples and he swore his dick got even harder.

He wet his lips. “God, what you do to me. You are so fucking tight.”

Her palms planted on his chest. He grabbed her ass and squeezed.

“I think it’s that your cock is so big.” She opened her mouth and let out a moan.

Making sure not to hurt her, he flipped her on her back. She lifted her legs to accommodate him, and he pushed his cock to the end of her channel. When her walls squeezed him tight, he gave up the fight and let loose his hot fluids.

A moment later, she stilled, nearly strangled his cock and screamed his name. He never wanted to let her go. Filling her felt so right.