Bayou Heat (10 page)

Her hands hit the bar with a force she hadn’t anticipated,
but she managed to maintain her hold even as the rusty metal bit into her
palms.

Below, a crash sounded and she pulled her feet up in time to
see the trashcan fly down the alley and land close to the corner. The truck
passed under her and continued down the street. This time it rolled right over
the can, flattening it like a pancake.

Eris hung there weakly as the truck’s taillights disappeared
around the corner. That’s exactly what someone wanted to do to
her
, she
thought as she looked down at the now flat piece of metal. They wanted to
squish the life right out of her.

“Eris…”

At the sound of her name being called, she looked over her
shoulder and watched as Rob sprinted across the street. She was so glad to see
him she didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry.

She could see the frantic movement of his head as he
continued to look around.

“Eris!”

This time there was an unmistakable note of panic in his
voice. There was a part of her that wanted to hang around and see how long it
would take before he looked up. He was a man though, and she figured her arms
wouldn’t hold out that long because they were already starting to burn.

“Up here.”

In the shadowy light, she watched his head snap up and felt
his gaze as it locked on her. He stood there frozen for a few seconds, and then
she thought she heard him say “thank you” before he ran toward her.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.” His voice now carried an edge she couldn’t decipher.
“How the hell are we going to get you down?”

“I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about that.” Her
fingers slipped on the wet bar and she felt her body jolt slightly.

“Why not?”

“Because—” Her words turned into a scream as her grip gave
way and she dropped straight down.

She figured she was about to break a bone or two but then
strong arms grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close.

Her chest made contact with Rob’s and she felt him stagger
backward. His back hit the brick wall, jarring her hard enough to rattle her
teeth and elicit a groan from him. The landing wasn’t the smoothest in the
world, but his hard chest was better than the rough pavement any day of the
week.

Rob maneuvered her down his body until her good foot hit the
ground and she was nestled between his legs. Without thought her arms went
around his waist and she rested her head against his shoulder.

For several minutes they stayed there with one of his large
hands stroking up and down her spine as the warm summer rain surrounded them.
No man had ever provided her with so much comfort without there being strings
attached. The gentle caresses stopped and a shudder passed through Rob as he
slowly put some space between them.

She instantly missed the contact of his body as he turned
them around so her back was to the wall. His hands went to her shoulders and
lightly he started skimming them down her body. The feeling was incredible even
through her rain-soaked clothes.

“Where are you hurt?” His words were cold and detached but
his hands were warm as they glided down her ribs, brushing the sides of her
breasts. She inhaled sharply as heat pooled deep in her body.

“Did you hurt your ribs?”

His hands went back to exploring the area and it was all she
could do not to moan in ecstasy.

“Eris, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. My ribs aren’t injured,” she said between
clenched teeth as his hands dipped to her hips and he knelt in front of her. If
his tone had given her any indication he was interested in her, she’d be all
over him in a heartbeat. But he was so professional about what he was doing
that she knew this was business to him, nothing more. As his hands moved lower
over her butt, she jumped. “There’s no reason for this. I’m perfectly okay.”

“Liar. I heard you stifle a scream of pain as you landed. So
either tell me what’s hurting or I’ll keep exploring until I find it.”

“My left ankle. I twisted it while running.” His hands moved
from her upper thighs to her ankle and she sighed in relief as she attempted to
slow her pulse. If he kept up the exploring much longer, she’d have pinned him
to the ground and had her way with him. She was extremely thankful the alley
was dark; it saved her the embarrassment of him realizing she was so turned-on.

His fingers deftly probed her tender flesh through her
ankle-high boots. “Ouch, that hurts.”

He paused, cradling her foot in his hands and looking up at
her. “Thought you weren’t injured?”

“I lied.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

She tried to think of some smart remark to come back with
but couldn’t, so for once in her life she remained silent.

Rob gently lowered her foot to the ground. “There’s some
swelling already. Can you stand on it?”

Eris tested her foot and grimaced as she did. “It hurts, but
I don’t think it’s broken.”

“I’m glad.”

Eris was touched by the concern in his voice.

“Now do you mind explaining what the hell you were doing?”

The worry she heard in his voice transformed to a growl of
anger faster than one could flip a light switch. “I was following a lead.”

“Alone?”

Their eyes connected and she knew he was waiting for an
answer. She tried not to respond but her mouth had a mind of its own. “Is that
a rhetorical question?”

He stood in one swift, graceful motion, placing a hand on
each side of her shoulders and pinning her with his glare. “Jesus H. Christ,
Eris, do you have any idea what went through my mind when I realized you were
gone?”

“I’m guessing your ego was bruised because I gave you the
slip so easily.”

“I could care less about my ego. Try again.”

Even through the darkness and rain, she felt his eyes boring
into hers. She knew he was waiting for the correct response, and she wasn’t
about to give it to him. She wanted to see where he would go with this. “Titan’s
company image is going to be tarnished if anything happened to me?”

“Not even close, princess. I was terrified I was going to
find you like all the other victims. Even though that frightened the hell out
of me, there was one thing I knew I was going to regret and have to live with
for the rest of my life. So why don’t you try again to figure that one out?”

Eris looked up into his face and, through a slow, warm
drizzle of rain, tried to read his expression but couldn’t. Whatever he was
feeling was masked behind a face of granite. For the first time since she’d met
this man, uneasiness skittered through her. He was so intense it was
frightening.

“Aren’t you going to guess?”

His voice was steely cold, making her insides jump with
uncertainty. “I haven’t a clue.”

He lowered his mouth closer to hers. She felt his breath
brush across her face.

She couldn’t have formed a coherent word if her life
depended on it. She felt rather than heard his reply in the deepest part of
her.

“That I wouldn’t get to do this again.”

The terror and panic he’d felt since finding her gone
transformed into an overpowering need to feel her alive, naked and under him.
Not knowing how, Rob managed to resist the urge to take her mouth in the hot,
plundering, brutal kiss he wanted. Instead he placed a gentle kiss on her
luscious full lips. Then he continued to play with her mouth, dropping kisses
on each corner, nibbling on her lower lip until she wrapped her arms around his
neck.

He continued with the soft, sensual kisses, even though she
rubbed her body against his and fisted her hands in his hair, pulling him closer.
He was determined to make her take this mismatched attraction to the next
level. His body burned and he was sure he was about to lose his mind. Then he
felt her tongue skim the seam of his lips.

That was all the invitation he needed. Soft and gentle turned
into hard and furious. His tongue entered her mouth as he leaned into her,
pushing her into the wall as he ground his hips against her warm center. One
hand skimmed down her to caress the curve of her hip while the other captured
one perfect breast.

She gasped at the onslaught but didn’t fight him. No, the
little temptress moved one hand down and cupped him through his jeans. A moan
ripped from his chest as she continued to move against him.

She whimpered as his fingers grazed the underside of her
breast through the wet material. The pressure to his rock-hard member
increased, making him crazy with need. He took the pearl-hard nipple between
his fingers and twisted ever-so lightly.

Eris’ body trembled in his arms as she moved both hands to
his hips, jerked his pelvis to hers and started rubbing against him. It was a
take-no-prisoners kind of night, he thought as he broke the kiss and raised her
shirt so he could suckle.

The rain started to fall harder again and the sounds of
people laughing and running for cover drifted down the alley, breaking the
spell. Lifting his head, he rested it against her forehead as he reluctantly
tugged her shirt back down. He could feel her breathing soft and fast as she
fought for her own semblance of calm. “I think we should go someplace dryer and
a lot more private to finish this. Would you like that?”

Eris gently brushed Rob’s wet, tangled hair back from his
face and gazed up into his eyes. For several long seconds she scanned his face
as if she were looking for some magical sign. “I’d like that very much.”

It wasn’t until he heard her soft, almost shyly spoken
response that he realized how much he feared her rejection. Her words were like
balm to his battered soul, healing a spot inside him so deep that he’d
forgotten it’d been broken.

Before he could answer her, she continued, “Shouldn’t we
call the police or Tarrington? This is a police investigation after all.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“All I can tell them is that it was a black truck with no
distinguishing extras. The light for the rear plate was conveniently out, so I
didn’t get the number. Can you add anything to that description?”

“No.”

If he hadn’t been standing so close to her, he’d never have
heard the dejection in her voice or the whispered response. She turned her face
away from him and that bothered him more than if she’d ranted and raved about
the injustice of it all. “Neither can I, but I do know some friends who will
cover heaven and hell looking for it.”

Her self-pity lasted for about ten seconds and when she
turned back to him he could see her determination was back. “So what are we
going to do next?”

Rob actually laughed at her audacity. “We are going to do
nothing right now. After I’ve finished ravaging you, you’re going to tell me
every detail that transpired this evening. You’ll start with that phone call
you answered before you disappeared. Then I’m going to make some phone calls.”

“Shouldn’t we go look for the truck?”

“No, you’re hurt.”

“But there might be critical evidence in the truck.”

“I seriously doubt there is any evidence in the truck. The
killer has been too smart to make a stupid mistake now.”

“True, but this could be the time she slips up and it could
be the lead we’ve been looking for.”

He heard the edge of uncertainty in her voice and knew she
was barely holding it together. It took more willpower than he thought he had
to contain the rage that flowed through his body. “After I make my phone calls,
the truck will be found and, when it is, every millimeter of it will be
searched, printed and DNA tested by the best lab techs I can bring in. When my
people finish with the vehicle, we’ll call the cops. Because I
will
find
the SOB and he will pay—and that’s a promise, princess.”

Rob turned his back to Eris and squatted down. “Hop on. I’ll
give you a ride.”

Eris settled herself onto his back. Then he stood and
started walking. When he reached the end of the alleyway, he turned left.

“My apartment is the other direction.”

“I know.”

“Then turn around.”

“Nope.” An exasperated sigh sounded in his ear and Rob
barely managed to contain the chuckle that formed in his chest.

“Will you at least tell me where you’re taking me?”

“My place.”

“Why? We both have dry clothes back at mine.”

“Yeah, but we’ll have more privacy at mine.”

He felt Eris shift as she brushed the hair back from his
face then her breath caressed his ear. “So you want time alone with me?”

His body stirred and his breath caught. “More than
anything.”

“I’m glad,” she whispered as she traced the edge of his ear
with her tongue.

Rob stopped dead in his tracks. “Princess, you are making it
extremely difficult to walk at the moment.”

“I know.”

Her voice was husky and carried the tone of a woman who knew
exactly what she was doing. She shifted, causing her breasts to press more
firmly to his back. Rob moaned despite his best effort to ignore the woman and
the feelings she was causing.

“You know my apartment is closer.”

Rob sucked in his breath and started walking again as the
rain let up. “I know, but I don’t want any interruptions once we’re home.” The
wind started to pick up and he felt Eris shiver. “You okay back there?”

“I’m fine.” She shook as she said the words.

“You’re such a liar.”

“Yeah, but at least I don’t complain about every little
thing.”

“True, and I’m extremely grateful you don’t.” Eris vibrated
harder against him and he picked up the pace.

A few minutes later they rounded a corner and he spotted a
neighbor leaving his building. “David, can you hold that door?”

The man turned and spotted Rob and then noticed Eris. David
flashed a devilish grin as he held the door. “Need a hand there, old boy?”