Slave to Love (29 page)

“The vibrator. Turn it off.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to come,” she whispered, mortified. She didn’t know what was wrong with her body since she’d been with Mick. It had grown willful, intractable, insatiable. All at the most inappropriate times.

“Come, then,” he murmured, sliding his fingers into the valley between her legs, smearing the wetness that had gathered there.

She moaned, seeking relief in his strokes. What the hell. She’d already done it in front of sixteen witnesses that afternoon. But he kept his fingers away from the spot where she craved them most, instead gliding wetly over her back entry. She sucked in a quick breath, tried to pull away.

He laughed, low and rough, and gave her a sharp spank.

This time she succeeded in jerking away. “Ow!” She struck out at him but he caught her wrist easily.

His smile was sinful; in his gaze she saw a multitude of wicked desires.

He seemed somehow different. Harsher. More unrelenting than he’d ever been.

More remorseless.

What had happened in the seraglio

She thought of Lauren and her heart quailed.

She caught hold of his harness. “Do you love me?”

He moved his thumb and the vibrations stopped.

“I’m not capable of love,” he said, and turned to the door. Away from her. “Let’s get out of here.”

He jumped from the cage and lifted her down by the waist. She fought his grip, the hurt of rejection cascading through her frustration.

It was no more, no less, than he’d always told her. But hearing it spoken aloud so coolly, so finally and indifferently, was brutal. Especially after he’d insisted on her declaring her own feelings to the whole world. Or had that just been part of the script?

“Let me go!” she hissed as he grabbed her arm to lead her toward the exit.

He spun and caught her leash, just under her collar. “Never.” He pulled it, pulled her, close to his face. “You’re mine.
Mine
. I’ll let you go when I’m dead.”

He turned and stalked toward the front entrance, towing her along in his turbulent aftermath through the gawking crowd.

“Then why not love me?”

He ignored her, waved to the tattooed ticket lady at the door and the bouncer on the outside, practically dragged her to the parking lot.

“Why not love me?” she asked again, a little louder, tripping over the uneven pavement in her heels.

He stopped dead, fisted his hands on his hips, turned slowly to face her.

“I saw my father tonight.”

Confusion temporarily overpowered the pain in her heart, the weakness in her limbs. “What?”

He jerked his chin at the club. “My father. He was here at Brimstone tonight. Inside.”

Her lips parted. “But—”

“He got out of prison two months back, you know. He’s been awol ever since.”

“What did he want?”

Mick’s expression hardened. “To remind me of who I am.”

A car horn blasted on the busy street behind them making her jump, but he didn’t even blink.

“And who are you, Mick?”

“The man you don’t want loving you.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

“We agreed, baby. No strings.”

She jerked on her leash, still firmly locked to his leather harness. “What do you call this?”

“Sex,” he spat out. “Pure physical gratification. I like fucking you and you like being fucked. Simple.”

She ground her teeth. He was such a damn liar. He might not love her. Might not
want
to love her. But he knew damned well what they had with each other went deeper than simple fucking. Far deeper.

“No strings?” she asked.

“That’s right.”

“In that case, you won’t mind if I let Cody fuck me.”

A muscle ticked over his eye. “Do you know what my father did to my mother?”

She flinched. “He shot her.”

“And her lover.”

The image of his mother from the drawer flashed through her mind, followed by her own photo, and she began to tremble. “Is there a point to this story, McGraw?”

He unhooked the end of her leash from his harness and tossed it at her. “The point is, you don’t want me in love with you.”

“Too dangerous, you mean?”

“Yeah. Too dangerous.”

“What did he really want, Mick? Your father.”

His eyes blazed. “To gloat.”

“Why?”

“He’d seen me...us...on the news.” Mick stabbed a hand through his hair. “He wanted to welcome me into his world. And laugh at me when I denied it. He said it was just a matter of time before I started hurting you, and started liking it.”

Caro let the awful words sink in and tried to digest them. “And you
believed
him?”

“He’s out for revenge, Caro. For me ratting on him and sending him to prison. He’ll take it any way he can.”

Mick climbed into the Z and slammed the door, looking incensed and yet...terrified. Like a furious little boy, impotent against a fate decided by everyone but himself.

The man was off his rocker if he thought he was anything like his murderous father. And it was about time he realized that.

But how could she show him?

She regarded his stormy visage on the other side of the windshield, then walked to the front of the car. Crawling onto the car’s hood on her hands and knees, she pouted at him through the windshield glass.

He burrowed into his bucket seat, face grim and arms tightly crossed, watching her warily. “What are you doing?”

She couldn’t hear him and pretended she couldn’t read his lips. She sat back on her heels and spread her knees so he could see right up her skirt to what she was offering. She pointed to her ears and turned her palms innocently skyward.

The automatic window glided down with a purr.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Spreading her knees wider, she reached into her back pocket and extracted the business card she’d gotten and waved it at the windshield. “Trying to decide who to take to the party. You or Cody.”

He glanced between her thighs, but didn’t take the bait. “What party?”

“The one I’m invited to tomorrow night. At the Tether Club.”

He straightened in a motion, at once all business. “The guy who left the card in your pocket last night?
He made contact
?” Mick was out of the car in a flash. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“You were too busy being a prick.”

“I haven’t begun being a prick. Let me see that.” He snatched the business card from her fingers. “It’s the address where the party’s being held.”

She studied him studying the card. “Too bad we won’t get a chance to go.”

“Why not?”

“Because the case will be cleared by then.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Rodney Smythe. I found him. Cody’s probably calling Bobby as we speak, and arranging to have him picked up.”

“Smythe? He was at the club?”

She nodded. “He’s our friend Rick.”

“
Rick is Smythe
?” Mick’s expression suddenly went deadly still. “Rick.” He cursed succinctly and virulently. “That’s the link I was missing,” he muttered, then cursed again.

“What are you talking about?”

He looked at her as though he’d forgotten she was there. “Nothing,” he said, and shook his head once. Then suddenly he said, “Shit! Lauren!”

“Don’t worry,” Caro said, laying a hand on his arm before he could rush off to the rescue. “Cody’ll take care of your little sweet pea.”

His jaw tightened as he swiped a hand through his hair. “I’m getting a little sick of hearing that man’s name come out of your mouth.”

“Yeah, well—” she slid off the hood “—you disappeared and left me locked in a fucking cage. Who was I supposed to tell?” She strode to the passenger side and waited for him to open her door.

Instead of opening it he pressed her up against it, the tension of moments before gone, replaced by something else. “I saw you with him. Saw what you were doing.”

She pushed his chest. He didn’t budge. “And what was that?”

“Flirting. First with your tits in his face, then on your knees. Christ, he was practically—”

“I told him I belong to you.”

“He wants me to share. Should I?”

“
Would
you share me?”

He exhaled harshly. “No.”

“Then there’s no problem, is there?”

“Maybe you’d like him to fuck you.”

“Maybe you’d like him to fuck
you
.” This time when she shoved he gave way.

“Maybe you should bring both of us to the Tether Club.”

“So you could do what?”

Mick’s lips curved in a sinister smile as he opened the door for her. “I guess you’d find out, wouldn’t you?”

“Sorry. The case will be over by tomorrow.” She got into the car.

“So?”

“So, we won’t need to go to that party.”

He stooped down, leaned in close to her ear, and whispered, “Maybe we should go anyway.” 

Chapter 19

 “Take off your bra,” Mick ordered Caro before they’d driven out of the parking lot.

He was feeling angry. Angrier than he’d ever felt before in his life.

Angrier than when he’d watched his dad beat his mother senseless. Angrier than when his father ignored him every day of his childhood. Angrier than when he’d called the cops on the bastard for making a ten-year-old see his mother murdered in her bed, covered in blood, and the body of a man who’d always been nice to him savagely mutilated. Angrier than when he’d almost lost his career trying to protect a partner when he saw the whole cycle repeating itself.

“My bra? Why?” she asked.

Yeah, he was angry. Angry because he was falling in love with Caroline Palmer, and he’d never get the chance to enjoy the feeling.

Angrier because she refused to be afraid of him.

“Because I said so,” he snapped.

He’d show her afraid.

He’d scare her so badly she’d run back to her preacher papa and boil pot roasts for the rest of her life. Instead of trying to fix what had no prayer of ever being fixed. Not after these past two months. Not after tomorrow night.

She shot him a look. “Yes, daddy.”

“Yes,
Sir
. I’m not your fucking daddy.”

“That’s for damn sure.” She unhooked the black bra and flung it into the rear seat, then leaned back against the car door. “There. Better?”

The Z was low-slung, giving passing cars a clear view inside. “You have such pretty breasts. I like showing them off.”

Her expression was surprisingly composed. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a pervert?”

“All the time. Now the skirt.”

“
What
?”

“You heard me.”

She must have sensed he was spoiling for a fight.

“All right,” she said calmly, unzipped the leather skirt, and wriggled out of it. Leaving her completely bare from her slave collar down to the tops of her stockings. “May I get dressed to walk into the house? I don’t want to give Brady and Washington heart attacks.”

“Change of plans. We’re not going to your house.”

Her eyes whipped to his. “Where are we going?”

“A friend of mine’s place.”

“Why?”

“I feel like a change of scenery.”
And equipment
.

“Mick, everyone’s expecting us to go to the duplex. That’s where the tail is set up to follow us, where the surveillance is in place, where the alarms are activated.”

“Yeah, I know. And my apartment building is crawling with crime scene cops and probably five hundred reporters. That’s why we’re going to Su’s.”

 “I don’t understand you. In case you’ve forgotten, this guy is planning to kill us!”

She looked so sexy sitting there naked he couldn’t take her objections seriously. Besides, he had a lesson to teach her.

“He’s also always one step ahead of us. The Teddie Killer knows who we are, what we are, and where we live. There’s not a chance in hell we’re fooling him with any of those precautions.” After tonight he knew that with dead certainty.

“But—”

“Besides, you tracked it yourself, he always kills on the night of the Tether Club party at the mansion. We’ll be fine for tonight.”

She puffed out an exasperated breath, but didn’t argue any more. “So who is this Su person?”

“An old friend of mine. She’s spending the summer in Cheyenne.”

“Wyoming?”

“She likes cowboys, what can I say.”

Caro crossed her arms below her breasts, making them perk up even nicer. “How does she feel about homicide detectives?”

He glanced over at her sharp tone. “Jealous?”

“Fuck you, McGraw.”

“Soon, baby.”

He smiled inwardly as he made the turn up the on-ramp for the freeway heading toward Pasadena.

And flicked the on switch to her vibrator.

Her eyes drifted shut and her nipples peaked. She made a sexy little noise, unfolded her arms and relaxed back against the car door.

“Mick?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“If I find out you’re fucking Su or Lauren or anyone but me, I’ll cut your balls off.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “You do that.”

Several minutes later she bounded up from her blissful silence. “Oh, shit! I need to call Bobby.”

“What’s the problem?”

“We should make sure Cody got hold of him about Rick—Smythe—and Lauren and Rebecca.”

Mick handed Caro his cell phone, admiring her professionalism at being worried about a woman she was convinced he was cheating on her with.

“Speed dial 1.”

She punched the button, wriggling her bottom. “Shut this thing off, will you?”

He decided not to. He got perversely aroused seeing her squirm with pleasure while trying to conduct business.

Bobby picked up immediately.

“Did you get him?” she asked, froze at the answer, then darted a worried look at Mick. “How the hell did he slip past everyone?” She listened briefly. “Shit, shit, shit. What about Lauren Adams and her friend?” She closed her eyes. “Thank God.”

Bobby said something else and she suddenly blushed deep red. She glanced around at the cars driving in their proximity, licking her lips. “Who’s tailing us?”

Mick grabbed the phone from her, hearing the last part of a name he recognized as belonging to an officer from SIS. “What’s he doing in our operation?” Mick asked irritatedly.

“Everyone’s been pulling overtime, bro. We take who we can get, wherever we can get them.” Bobby paused. “She’s topless?”

“Yep.”

“This is so not fair. I hope to hell she sues your ass for sexual harassment.”

“We’re working a case, bro. You can’t catch a sexual predator without showing him a little sex.”

“Oh, and you getting laid is just a side benefit?”

He looked at Caro, wriggling in her seat beside him, all flushed and tempting and on the brink of exploding his whole world. “You got it,” he said. “Listen, call off the hounds, Bobby. We’re not going to Caro’s place, we’re making a little detour tonight.”

“Where?” Bobby asked, sounding alarmed.

“Never mind. We’ll be okay. Our man won’t be hunting until tomorrow night.”

“You willing to bet your life on that? Ever hear of escalation?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”
Hell, he was in the middle of it
. He darted a glance at Caro. Her fingers were gripping the bucket seat. “Tomorrow
is
escalation. It’s only been four days since the last couple, remember? Besides, you’re going to catch Smythe tonight, right?”

Bobby sighed. “Right. But what if the Teddie Killer’s not Smythe? What if it’s not
any
of our suspects? What if it’s someone we haven’t even thought of? What if he changes his pattern?”

“Then I guess we’re screwed. But he won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Talk to Woodruff.” At the mention of the profiler’s name, Caro’s half-lidded eyes sprang open. Mick stomped down another claw of jealousy. “Trust me. People don’t change. Especially violent ones.” He clicked the off button. Conversation over.

“What about Tim?”

She was watching him, trying to concentrate, but he could tell the effects of the vibrator were taking their toll. Her hips were unconsciously grinding into the bucket seat, her breasts were peaked and swollen.

“Why? You want to fuck him, too?”

“Too?”

“Him and Cody. Maybe we should have a little
ménage à trois.

Hell, I could invite Bobby, make it a foursome.”

He didn’t care for the tiny smile that came to her lush lips. Her nipples were tight as kernels and a light sheen of sweat covered her forehead. “Mmm. I wonder if they all have cocks as big as yours?”

He fought not to be pleased by her backhanded compliment. “Fuck you, whore.”

“Back at you, sugar snap.”

Touché.

She worried her bottom lip and pressed her knees together with a low moan. She was doing her best not to come. Fine by him. He had other plans in that direction. He switched off the vibrator.

She gave a little groan as her body slumped. “Bastard.”

He smiled. “You’re finally catching on.”

He veered the Z off the freeway, flying down the off-ramp that would take them to Su’s home in the small community of San Marino, tucked into the southeastern edge of Pasadena.

“You’re sure your friend is in Cheyenne?”

“Positive. I keep an eye on her place for her while she’s gone.”

“She won’t mind us staying there?”

“Nope. It’s part of our deal.”

“Deal...?”

“You’ll see.”

She frowned. “What are you planning, McGraw?”

“To show you the real me.”

“It hasn’t been the real you so far?” she asked, brow raised sardonically.

“The
scary
real me.”

Her expression turned serious. “Mick, you aren’t your father. You have to know that.”

“You’re wrong, Caroline. And it’s time you understood just
how
wrong.”

“Don’t even try, Mick. You won’t hurt me. I know you won’t. You couldn’t.”

“I will.”

“Only when you leave me,” she said evenly, glancing away as he pulled up to the tall, black, wrought-iron gate standing sentinel before Su’s gazillion-dollar Spanish-style home.

He punched in the code and the gate glided open with barely a whisper. “You sure?”

She sighed. “So, how do you propose to scare me into believing you?

“By playing a game.”

“What kind of game?”

Pulling into the covered, brick-paved parking area behind the house, he brought the Camaro to a stop and turned off the engine. “A role-playing game. Sound fun?”

“Maybe. Who are we going to be?”

He released his safety belt, turned in his seat toward her. Reaching out, he stroked his fingers over one of her plump breasts, toying with the nipple. He smiled when it ruched tight in response.

He looked up. “I’ll be the Teddie Killer,” he said. “You’ll be my victim.”