Wilde One (12 page)

“Those men in the Jeeps were between us and the graveyard at that point. Still doesn’t mean someone aimed at you on purpose. Hell, maybe I was the target, and their skill at shooting sucks. Could be some kid tried to pick off a possum perched on a gravestone or a low flying owl or bat—and missed.”

“That seems more likely than any other scenario. No one knew I’d be in New Orleans, let alone at the Shrimp Shack.” She wadded her pillow into a more comfortable shape. “Not that I have any mortal enemies, although a couple of my former students might want to take a shot at me.”

“I don’t imagine they’d have the wherewithal to track you down across several states to do it.” He rolled to his side again, returned his hand to her hip and squeezed. “You’re right. It was probably some kind of freak accident.”

“Which is why I’m doubly glad to be here and not in a police precinct. Though neither of us seems to be getting any sleep.” She let out a sigh. “I can’t relax.”

He scooted closer. “Not surprising. I’m sure your system is still filled with adrenaline.” He slid his hand up her back then pressed her down onto her stomach and dug fingers into tight muscles. “Maybe I can knead some of the tension out of you.”

Ainslee wasn’t too sure having his big, warm hand roaming up and down her spine would do anything to relax her. His thigh rested alongside her hip as he sat up to use more pressure.

She let out a moan. “Oh, God.”

“Am I hurting your shoulder?”

“No, that was a good, ‘oh, God,’ not a bad one.”

He chuckled then continued the delicious torture. He pressed his thumbs in along her backbone while his fingers splayed over her ribs to brush the sides of her breasts. A quiver of desire stirred banked embers into a blaze. If she rolled over, those palms would cover her breasts completely. A little whimper slipped out as she squirmed then pressed her legs tightly together.

Rocky growled.

He stopped. “You’re sure I’m not hurting you?”

“Positive.” The breathy response didn’t sound like her. More like some woman performing a lap dance.

He resumed his ministrations, his hands moving slower as his breathing quickened. Ainslee was pretty certain she wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of his impromptu backrub. Finally he stopped and let out a long breath before lying down beside her. Face pressed into her pillow, she was afraid to look in his direction. Heat pooled in her core like a volcano preparing to erupt.

“Are you as turned on as I am?”

Her head snapped around. “More.”

“Are we going to do something about it?”

Are we really having this discussion?
Why couldn’t he just grab her and take the decision out of her hands? Oh no, he had to be thoughtful.
Considerate.

“Are we?” Her voice squeaked.

“My vote’s a yes.” He reached over to brush the hair off her cheek then lingered to caress her jaw. “But, it’s your call.”

Do it, Ainslee. Say yes. Don’t think it to death.

“We’ve been getting along so well. I don’t want to screw that up.”

“Who says we would? We’re just adding a new dimension.” He touched her bottom lip with his thumb.

The molten lava bubbled closer to the surface. “What the hell. We only live once, right?”

He dipped his hand to rest against the curve of her neck. When she rolled to her side, he covered one breast. Her nipple tightened painfully.

“Is that a yes?”

She nodded. “Do you have…” The words stuck in her throat.

“Bought a jumbo pack the first day we met. Hope springs eternal.”

She choked on a laugh that was cut off when he cupped the back of her head with his other hand to pull her in for a long, drugging kiss. Then a second. And a third.

Ainslee wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. When he rolled her onto her back to lie full length on top of her, she nearly melted into a pool of lust. His tongue stroked. He caressed her butt covered by nothing but a pair of skimpy panties beneath a long T-shirt. Muscled thighs pressed along hers, and beneath the boxers—

“Wait.” He pushed up off her and dug through the bag he’d left near the door. “Where the hell did they go?”

His muttered words brought a smile to her lips. Using the moment of distraction, she whipped the T-shirt over her head and winced when the material rubbed across the gauze pad covering her shoulder. Beside her, Rocky rolled onto his back and stuck his legs in the air. Ainslee was tempted to follow suit. Instead, she slipped off her panties and tried to contain the need throbbing in a dull ache.

“Thank God!” The sleeping bag rustled as he ripped the foil packet. Moments later he was back at her side, cupping her face in his hands as he rose over her. “You’re naked.”

“So are you.”

“Took about one second to lose the boxers.” He dropped a kiss onto her lips and lingered. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be. Not. One. Place.” He settled between her thighs.”

The breath whooshed out of her. “Neither can I.”

“You’re sure about this?”

She gritted her teeth. “Yes. Uh, Griff?”

“What?”

“Shut up and do it.”

On a snort of laughter, he sank into her. All the tension drained from her body. In that moment, nothing existed but the two of them.

“Heaven.”

She wasn’t sure if he said it. Or if she did.

When he began to move, the tension returned, tightening unbearably. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she clung like a mollusk. Nothing but the explosion that rocked her world could have pried her away.

With a shout, he pushed hard one final time, his whole body shaking. Drenched in sweat, they lay pressed together. Finally, her heartbeat began to slow.

She rubbed her cheek against the hard plain of his chest and let out a sigh. “That was certainly memorable. I hope you didn’t wake the other campers with that yell.”

His chest shook on a rumbling chuckle. “Me? What about you?”

She pushed up to look at him in the dark. “I didn’t make any noise.”

“Are you kidding. “You screamed when you…” His breath came out in a rush. “At least I assume it was when you—”

“Oh, God.” Heat surged up her neck. “I did?”

“Oh, yeah.” He kissed her, slowly and thoroughly. “It was hot. Very hot. Tipped me right over the edge. Not that I needed much of a nudge.”

“Shoot me now.” She flopped back down. “Or should I say again.”

His hand sifted through her long curls. “Why?”

“Seems easier and quicker than dying of embarrassment.”

“No reason to be embarrassed. You made me feel like a superstar. Although there was a moment or two when I thought Rocky might bite me. Didn’t you hear him growling?”

She shook her head then glanced over at the dog. His long nose rested on his paws, and the whites of his eyes gleamed in the dark.

“Apparently, I was completely oblivious.”

He tightened his arms around her. “We should probably get some sleep since we have to get up early to be at the graveyard.”

When an insistent prod pushed against her thigh, she grinned. “You don’t feel sleepy.”

“I’m not.” He nipped her ear then licked the outer edge.

A shudder rippled through her. “Me, either.”

“God, Ainslee, I can’t even begin to describe how incredible you are.”

She looped a leg over his waist. “Don’t you mean easy?”

He smiled against her neck. “See. Smoking hot, funny and adorable. No man could resist that combination.”

She framed his face in her hands and nipped his bottom lip. “I don’t know about that. Plenty seem to have managed to resist in the past.”

“Idiots. All of them were idiots.” He caressed the side of her face. “You up for round two?”

Warmth filled her, a deep level of comfort edged with anticipation that went far beyond sex. She let out a long, slow breath. “Oh, yeah, I’m ready.”

* * * *

Ainslee yawned so wide her jaw cracked as she stumbled between the rows of headstones in the pre-dawn gloom. “What are we looking for?”

Griff stopped and scratched the back of his neck. “Hell if I know. Any ideas?”

“Since I don’t see a big red X marks the spot, I think we’d better use our powers of deduction to figure it out. The graveyard isn’t huge, but there still have to be over a hundred stones. Blind luck probably isn’t going to cut it.”

“Do you suppose Thomas is buried here?”

“Maybe.” She frowned. “That might be a place to start, but you’d think Parnell would have looked around his grandpa’s grave.”

“And if he’d found the next clue, he wouldn’t be coming back. What about the rings?” Griff fished them out of his pocket. “Old Victor obviously put them in the bottles for a reason.”

Ainslee covered another yawn then gave her head a shake. “I can’t think straight. It’s your fault my brain is mush.”

He smiled. “Last night your brain wasn’t my top priority. Now it is. Slug down that coffee and kick it out of neutral.”

With a scowl his way, she sipped from the takeout cup and forced herself to think about something other than the reason for her current lack of mental acuity. She didn’t function well with only a couple hours of sleep, and Griff had been intent on depriving her of rest at regular intervals throughout the night. “Hand me the rings.”

He did. “Cheap trinkets. Maybe they represent the treasure. Rubies and Amber. Do you think the others got different stones? Diamonds or emeralds or pearls?”

Her hand clenched tight, and the metal and glass dug into her palm. “That must be it! Pearl is a name. So is Ruby and Amber. If we search for a headstone belonging to Ruby—”

“You truly are amazing!” He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. When she winced, he loosened his grip then stroked her arm below the bandage. “Sorry. I got excited and forgot.”

“It still aches a little.” She backed up a step when he released her. “Let’s get moving. You take that side of the cemetery, and I’ll start here. Yell if you find a Ruby or an Amber. There could be more than one buried in this place.”

Some of the stones were so dark and moldy with age Ainslee had to squint in the dim light to read them. The process was slower than she’d expected. Apparently Griff was experiencing the same frustration. A few muttered expletives echoed through the graveyard. She continued down the row. Margaret. Henry. Tobias. Ruth. Opal.
Opal?

“Hey, I think I found one.”

Griff ran her way, tripped then swore again. “Damn it. Maybe we should have waited until we could actually see what we’re doing. Who’d you find?”

“Opal.”

“
Opal?
That’s not…oh, I get it. She could belong to one of the others.” Hands on hips, he stared at the grave. “I don’t see a clue.”

“The grass looks disturbed at the base of the stone. Maybe something’s buried there.”

“Should we look?”

Ainslee let out a sigh. “If we wanted to play dirty, we could find all the clues and take them. Doesn’t seem very noble, and Ogden number four already accused us of cheating.”

“It’d serve him right if we did, just for suggesting we’re not playing fair. But what’s the fun in winning if we cheat? Let’s leave it alone and keep looking for ours.” He turned away. “Back to the hunt. It’s starting to get lighter, so we should be able to move faster.”

Two rows later, she let out a whoop. “I found Amber.” Kneeling on the soft grass, she dug into the loose sod at the base of the stone. A piece of turf peeled back. Beneath it rested a small wooden box in a shallow hole. After lifting it out, she patted the grass back into place then traced the letters and numbers carved into the headstone. “Amber Benoit. She was only twelve years old when she died.”

Griff walked up and squatted beside her. He rubbed the back of Ainslee’s neck then dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Ruby was ninety-five. I found her, too.” He held up an identical box.

She leaned against him. “I guess we got what we came for. So, why do I feel so sad?”

“This girl lived over a hundred years ago. Lots of kids died back then. Disease. Natural disasters. God knows what else.”

“Now it’s drive-by shootings.” Ainslee let out a sigh. “Rest in peace, Amber.” Touching the headstone a final time, she rose to her feet. “Do you want to open the boxes?”

He stood then laid a hand on her shoulder and pointed. “Look who’s here? Maybe we should get out of Dodge first.”

A shadowy figure moved through the stones near the entrance to the cemetery.

“It’s too dark to see his face, but it must be Parnell. No one else is that tall. Well, no one but other basketball players.”

Griff pressed a hand against the small of her back. “Let’s go.”

As they approached the gates, Jones hurried between the headstones in their direction. “Excuse me.” He stopped a few yards short, his gaze zeroing in on Ainslee. “Didn’t I see you in Boston?”

She glanced at Griff. When he just shrugged, she nodded and held out her hand. “I’m Ainslee Fontaine. This is Griff Wilde.”

A huge palm enclosed hers. “Parnell Jones.” The superstar shook hands with Griff then gave them a hesitant smile. “I don’t suppose your presence here is a coincidence.”

“Nope.” Griff grinned. “I never imagined I’d be pitted against you in a contest. Maybe it isn’t basketball, but my brothers will still be green with envy.”

White teeth flashed. “I’m always up for a game of hoops. Maybe at our next stop, uh, in…” His voice trailed off on a hopeful note.

Ainslee laughed. “Do we look that dumb?”

His smile fell away. “No, I’d say you’re pretty smart. Did you find the clue?”

Griff nodded. “You haven’t?”

“Not yet. I know it’s here somewhere, but…”

Ainslee stepped forward. “What kind of ring did you get?”

The big man reached in his pocket and held out his hand. The ring on his palm held a white plastic ball. “Cheap piece of crap.”

“Since I’m a big fan…” Griff lifted one brow. “Do you mind?”

Ainslee grinned. “You should ask for tickets or something in exchange for information.”

The ball player’s eyes brightened. “I’m down with that. Front row seats anytime you want next season.”

“You’re on!” Griff slapped him a high-five. “The piece of crap is a pearl. Go find a grave for someone named Pearl and lift the sod at the base of the headstone.”