Playing With Fire (30 page)

“Yeah, honey, I want you. So damn much. But, I’m a big man,
Erin, and you haven’t… haven’t. Well, I know it’s been a long time.”

“Four years, Nate. No, more than that. Really, a lifetime.
But this is different, Nate. This is you.”

When he still resisted, Erin pleaded. “Show me how much you
love me. Show me how much you want me.”

He groaned, a deep sound of agonized need.

“Fuck yes, Erin. I want you.”

He grabbed the pillow from under her head and stacked it on
the one under her ass, raising her hips higher. Spreading her legs he pressed
the head of his throbbing cock against her entrance, inching his way in. Her
channel was tight, tantalizingly tight. He stopped to let her get accustomed to
his size, but then pulled back.

“God, baby, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“No, Nate, you’re not hurting me. I
want
you. Yes!
Like that. Only harder, deeper.”

With a groan Nate rose up on his knees and folded her legs
back against her chest.

Erin cried out, “Oh yes. God, yes. Now, Nate!”

He clutched her ass cheeks in his big hands and thrust into
her. In and out, again and again. He felt her orgasm sweep over her, flooding
him with a gush of moisture. Her cries of pleasure urged him on. Powerful
violent sensations shook him. There was no way he could hold back. With a roar
as strong and wild as the winds pummeling the windows, he drove deep inside her
to a place he never felt before. To a place he wanted to spend a lifetime
returning to.

~~~

Hours later, long after they’d moved to the bed and the
first pink fingers of dawn were teasing the sky, Nate pulled her even tighter
against his chest. Capturing her in his arms, his low sexy drawl vibrated
against her ear.

“How many, Erin?”

She nestled against him and gave him a drowsy smile.

“You were right, Nate. I should have had a chalkboard. I
lost count.”

Erin stretched cat-like, luxuriating in the big bed. A low
fire cast a warm soft glow throughout the room. She sipped on the hazelnut
latte that Nate had made for her. When she was amazed that he knew her favorite
drink, he confessed that he had called Connor and quizzed him on what she
liked. Fortunately it was one of his favorites as well and he had all the
supplies. Another surprise about the big man who she now admitted she was
wildly in love with. He liked ‘girlie’ coffee drinks!

Nate was in the kitchen talking on the telephone, setting up
a series of appointments and calls. Listening to his rumbling voice punctuated
with his infectious laugh, she wished it was night again and she could revel in
his arms. At least she would be able to rest today. He had a full day ahead of
him. No, she thought with a sigh, she would just have to survive on the
memories of the most extraordinary night she had ever had. She already missed
him and he was just in the other room.

She smiled when she got out of the shower to see her clothes
from yesterday neatly folded and ready to wear. Which meant, she thought with
yet another sigh, that he had washed them and dried them all when she was
sleeping. He was still on the telephone when she came into the kitchen. His
eyes lit up when he saw her, and he pulled her down on his lap, pressing her
against his powerful chest.

“Okay, Dan. I’m taking Erin to the Langs. I want a tight
perimeter around the house. Someone will be there at all times, and I’ll be
back and forth. Don’t know if you heard, but Connor and Kait had a baby boy.
Called him Gabriel Nathan Lang. Yeah. It is an honor. And scary as hell. Never
thought I’d be an uncle… and now to have a kid named after me. That’s a lot of
pressure.”

Throughout the conversation, Nate’s hands roamed over her
body. She struggled not to give into the flood of sensations washing over her.
Oh God, would it always be this way? The sight of him, plus his scent, and she
became a mass of screaming sensations. From the way he was holding her and
stroking her, he was having the same concerns. As much as she didn’t want him
to leave, she knew he had a busy day and was excited about the possibility of a
genuine lead in the murder case.

An hour later, as they pulled up in front of the Lang’s
house, Nate reached for her.

“Dammit, Erin. Do you know how hard it is for me to leave
you here? All I want to do is hold you, and never let you go. I gotta tell you,
baby, as soon as I close this damn case, I’m going to take some time off.
Something I haven’t done in three years. And all I’m gonna do is feast on you!”

She laughed. “That sounds wonderful. But what about tonight?
Will you be able to come over here?”

“God, I hope so. I’ve three interrogations this afternoon,
and then I hope like hell Eric has some news for me. If he does, honey, I may
have to head out to California. In the meantime, Mama D is going to put you in
what she still calls ‘Nate’s room.’ Damn, Erin, I slept in that room until I
went away to college. Hell, I spent my teenage years there holed up like a bat
in a cave. I yanked off more times in that room than any kid’s body should have
to endure. I’d be surprised if it still didn’t smell like sex. Mama D’s too
polite to say anything but I’ll betcha anything she had the place fumigated
after I left.”

Erin laughed. “I’ll miss you, Nate. If you can’t come here,
will you call me?”

Shed hated sounding needy but she felt uneasy, disoriented.
Nate seemed to see the uncertainty in her eyes.

“Erin, listen to me. When this is all over, I’m going to
take you to my sanctuary — our sanctuary. We’re going to stock up on food, lock
the doors, and like the damn bears who hibernate, we may not come out until
Spring!”

He tipped up her chin and looked at her through half-closed
eyes.

“And baby I’m going to explore you. Learn you. There’s not a
part of you I’m not going to touch. I want you, Erin. I want you so bad, I’m
blind with it. Just so you know, it is killing me to let you go today. But I
promise you, I’ll be back to get you. You got that, darlin’?”

~~~

Erin woke up from her nap, surprised to see that it was
nearly five o’clock. She was more tired than she had realized. Her body ached,
but not from the accident. No, her aches were lovely ones in places she never
would have dreamed of.

Mama D had laid out some of Connor’s sister’s clothes for
her to wear, until Nate could bring hers. She smiled when she put on the jeans
and sweater. As usual, the jeans always fit a little loose and the sweater was
too tight. But remembering Nate’s awestruck look as he gazed at her naked body,
she knew she would never be critical of her own shape again.

In the kitchen, she saw a note from Mama D: Kait and the
baby were coming home, and Mama D had gone to Connor’s to get everything ready
for them. Erin’s stomach growled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten since the
latte and bagel at Nate’s house. She hated to rummage in the refrigerator. She
felt shy. Although they all had been wonderful, she knew the Langs were caught
up in the excitement of the new baby. Having a house guest was probably the
last thing they wanted. Mama D’s note said they would all be home no later than
seven o’clock.

Just as she was trying to decide what she wanted to eat, her
telephone rang. She saw that it was Blake. Oh God, she’d forgotten to call him.
A pang of guilt shot through her. She hadn’t even thought about him since she
abruptly ended their conversation yesterday. He must be worried. But then he
always worried about her, she thought with a smile, remembering how they had
met.

As she expected, Blake’s voice was tight with concern.

“Erin, are you all right? I’ve been so concerned about you.
I don’t want to pester you, but you said you would call, and when you didn’t—”

“Blake, I’m so sorry. I’m fine. Really I am. Just more tired
than anything. In fact I just woke up after taking an unexpected four-hour
nap.”

“You poor thing. You must have needed it. Erin, it seems as
though all I do is apologize to you. But I am sorry I was so bossy yesterday. I
know that frustrates you.”

“No, Blake. I was testy yesterday. And shaken up. The
accident….”

“God yes, Erin. We have so much to talk about. Are you able
to have company? Or to go out? I would love to take you out for an early
dinner, provided you are up to it.”

Erin hesitated. As if on cue, her stomach growled. She
laughed.

“You can’t hear it Blake, but my stomach just reported that
I am hungry. If it isn’t too much trouble, I would like to go out to eat. I’m
staying at the Lang’s for the next couple of days. But Connor and Kaitlin had
the baby, so they are all over at Connor’s.”

“Wonderful. How about I pick you up in thirty minutes?”

~~~

They pulled up in front of Blake’s condominium.

“Do you mind if we stop at my place, Erin? I just received a
shipment of wine from California. I decided that it is impossible to get a
decent bottle of wine in this god-forsaken hick town. I also have some
wonderful imported cheeses. We could have our first course here. At least we
will be assured of decent food.”

Erin smiled to herself. This wasn’t the first time she had
noticed that Blake was a snob. But it was obviously part of his personality. He
liked nice things. His clothes were amazing. He always looked as though he’s
stepped out of GQ. She grinned, wondering how he would look in worn jeans and a
t-shirt.

“This is a 2009 Black Horse Cabernet, Erin. It is an
extraordinary wine. One of the finest in the world — and it’s made in a vineyard
close to my home.”

Erin sipped on it and thought it tasted bitter, but perhaps
that was how very expensive wines were supposed to taste.

“Tell me, Erin, did that Neanderthal Stryker figure out what
was wrong with your car? Isn’t that the car he insisted that you use? It’s his
cousin’s, correct? I would think if anyone knew what might be wrong with that
car, it would be Stryker.”

Erin ignored his insinuating remark. She was accustomed to
Blake attacking Nate. She could only assume that he was jealous. And he should
be. Nate was everything that Blake wasn’t. She tried to shake off her
drowsiness. She should have stayed at the Lang’s and rested. It was clear Blake
was more interested in his expensive wine than he was in eating. But then she
didn’t feel as hungry as she had before.

Although she shook her head no, Blake refilled her glass.

“Really, Erin, I know you are unaccustomed to the finer
things, but you really should not let a wine of this caliber go to waste.”

Erin felt hot, flushed, but took another sip. She was glad
when Blake returned with a plate of cheese and crackers. She decided that she
would stay a little longer and then ask him to take her back to the Lang’s
rather than out for dinner. She was more tired that she had realized.

~~~

Eric’s voice rang with excitement.

“Don’t want to get you too jazzed up, Nate, my man. But this
is our first real lead. Gotta tell you, Willoughby all but peed in his pants
when I showed him the pictures. You think Brad Warner is a pretentious prick.
You gotta see Damon. Bet he and the good Chief buy their Stefano Bemer loafers
at the same boutique. No flip-flops for these guys! But nothing like showing a
guy pictures from ten different angles of a sadistic domme beating his ass, to
make him wished he’d left his Armani suit on. Don’t know about you, Nate. I’m
all for kink. But man, I protect my jewels. I’d never let some ‘lady’ in a
black leather harness with a cane have at ’em. Ever been to one of those
places, Nate? Some of it is damn intriguing. Now the guy-on-guy stuff leaves me
cold. Unless of course, there are a couple of hot women in between.”

“Eric. What. The. Fuck did Willoughby have to say.”

Eric’s voice dropped to an excited whisper.

“Sorry, Nate. Can’t resist pulling your chain. He gave me a
name, Nate. An honest to God fucking name, Nate!”

“And it is?”

“Kenneth B. Crenshaw the 3rd.”

“No fucking way!”

“Way! And get this. Nate. He was Dylan’s college roommate
for three years at Cal Tech. He lives in L.A. We got his address, and have a
squad heading over there now. If he’s not there we’ll put out an APB.
Naturally, he’s an attorney. Wouldn’t you know? And apparently a real shark,
because even that prick Damon Willoughby was ‘concerned’ about him.”

Nate tried not to let his excitement get the best of him, but
he knew in his gut this was the real deal. Damn. How fast could he get to L.A.?

“I pulled a picture from his college yearbook. Granted it’s
twenty years old. But we also found this write up on him in the Style section
of the L.A. Times. It has a current photo. Seems he’s a big player on the Jet
Set scene. I’m sending it to your phone now.”

Nate flipped open his phone and stared at the photograph.
Through the roar in his ears and the red haze blanketing his vision, he heard
himself speak.

“Hold the APB, Eric. You won’t find him in L.A.; Crenshaw is
here. Right here in ChicadiafuckingFalls. Only, here we know him as Blake
Richards.”

~~~

“I’m sorry, Blake. I’m not very good company. I’m tired. I’d
like to leave now.”

Blake’s lip curled up at the corner. His eyes danced.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t have had the wine.”

He motioned to her.

“Sit down. Erin. You’ve had a hard life, haven’t you, my
dear?”

Erin struggled to concentrate on what he was saying. He
wasn’t making sense.

“What… what do you mean?”

Blake’s voice sounded like it was coming from a distance,
and he was looking at her oddly. As if he found her amusing.

“Married to a bastard like Dylan Masterson must have been
horrendous. There aren’t many people as despicable as Dylan. How did you hook
up with him? A girl like you and a wealthy man like him?”

Erin was startled. Blake’s lip twisted in an ugly sneer.