Between Midnight and Dawn (12 page)

Slow and easy. Don’t mess this up.

Her breathing was short and shallow, her body quivering underneath him. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. That thought helped him get his shit together. Nicole was special. She deserved tender passion and mind-blowing pleasure. And that’s exactly what she was going to get. He’d spend the afternoon giving her one orgasm after the other, until she didn’t have the energy to crawl from the bed. He’d spend the night holding her as she slept peacefully in his arms.

Safe.

Protected.

Mine.

“Kyle,” she said, a question in her voice.

Lost in his thoughts of Nicole and what she meant to him, he’d been staring at her too long. Not wasting another second, eyes still locked, he slowly pressed his hips forward entering her in one long stroke. Her eyes closed, her hips arching up to meet him, until he was seated fully inside her welcoming body.

Blood pumping hard with desire, Kyle kissed her delectable mouth, but otherwise remained still, wanting to savor the moment. Take his time to appreciate every second of having Nicole in his arms. But his control was soon tested when she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips, her internal muscles gripping him like a silken fist.

Kyle buried his face in her neck. “Baby, don’t move,” he hissed between his teeth. His release already pushed at the edges of his control.

Her sweet giggle was exactly what he needed to wrestle back his willpower, reminding him that her pleasure came first. He lifted his head and studied her, running his thumb across her lower lip, still damp from his kisses. “You think that’s funny?”

Her generous mouth curved into a smile, her eyes flashing with both humor and desire. “Well, yeah. Sorta.” She squeezed her internal muscles again, and this time his eyes did cross.

The little vixen.
Two could play this game. With a returning grin, he threaded his fingers into her vibrant curls and took her mouth in another heated kiss as he began to move inside her, loving the sound of her soft whimpers almost as much as he loved the feel of being inside her.

Mouths fused together, he made love to Nicole with slow, measured strokes, tilting her head so he could get inside her mouth as deeply as he was inside her body. Electrical currents shot up his spine. She was like the sweetest of fruit and he wanted to eat her up.

With one hand, he gently squeezed her breasts, one, then the other, tweaking the velvety tips with his thumb. The silken softness of her skin drove his desire higher and higher, his movements increasing, becoming more frantic as passion crowded out thought.

Kyle lowered his head to her breast, circling the tight bud with his tongue before drawing the tip into his mouth, loving the way she arched against him with sharp cries of pleasure, rotating her hips so he could slide deeper still. Nibbling his way to her other breast he gave it equal attention, not wanting it to feel neglected. A neglected breast was a terrible thing, in his opinion.

He kissed her again, their bodies damp from the heat being generated by their lovemaking. Nicole’s hands moved down his sides to grip his ass, tugging him closer, snapping what little control he had remaining. His pace kicked into overdrive as he finally let his passion run free.

Kyle,” she gasped. Her core tightened around him, nearly his undoing. Arching up, her heels dug into his thighs as her arms flew up over her head. With one last keening cry, her entire body shook with the force of her orgasm.

Managing to contain his own release, barely, Kyle lifted his head to watch Nicole as she shattered beneath him. And was rewarded for his efforts. She came beautifully. Eyes squeezed tight, breasts heaving as she trembled with the force of her pleasure. Pleasure he’d given her. And the sounds she made were pure music. The feel of her internal muscles tightening along his cock, heaven itself.

His body thrummed with the need to let go, but he managed to hold off his release, waiting as her orgasm swept her away. Kyle kept up his driving pace as her keening cry filled the air, her body going ridged beneath him for long moments, before she slumped back on the bed, panting.

Unable to hold back a second longer, he withdrew. Nicole’s eyes flew open in surprise, but before she could say anything Kyle flipped her over, slid an arm under her belly, and lifted her to her knees.

Her seductive moan let him know she was on-board with his actions. That was good, because he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he had to stop now. He was so close his jaw hurt from clenching his teeth to maintain control.

With a rumbling growl of appreciation, he plunged inside her again. Taking her hips in a firm grip, he set up a steady pace, his own pleasure growing with each thrust. And by the sounds of her moans, the feel of her moist center tightening around him, she was again on the edge. Thank God, because he didn’t think he’d last much longer.

Leaning over her, his sweat-dampened chest pressed against her slender back, Kyle nuzzled her ear. Sliding his hand between her legs, he rotated his thumb against the silken bud that he wanted to taste again. That thought was all it took for his release to slam into him, at the same time as Nicole cried out and they both flew over the edge.

Nicole opened her eyes and stared at her bedroom walls, soft shadows filling the room. The clock on her nightstand read nearly six p.m. She blinked, once, twice, as the day’s memories hit her, at the same time she became aware of a hard male body pressed along her back, firm flesh rising up against her bottom.
Kyle.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he murmured, kissing the back of her neck.

“Hi,” she said shyly, heat rising up her neck as she recalled the unrestrained manner in which Kyle had made love to her throughout the afternoon. It’d been hot. Although now she wasn’t sure how she would face him after her uncontrollable responses. Who knew she could be so wanton?

Kyle ran a hand down her arm, sliding it over to cover her bare stomach and tugging her back against his thick erection. Her embarrassment dissolved faster than cotton candy on her tongue, desire taking its place.

Amusement rose inside her. Heck, she really was a slut. At least with this man. How could she want him again after he’d already given her four, no, five orgasms over the course of the afternoon? He was a seriously generous lover.

She glanced over her shoulder and met his gaze. The flames burning in his eyes indicated he wanted her as much as she wanted him. “I can’t believe I fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon.”

Kyle’s laughter washed over her, the deep, sexy sound warming her everywhere. He rolled her onto her back and cupped her cheek. “I think I wore you out. Sorry about that.”

“No you’re not.”

A grin covered his face. “Yeah.” He shrugged one broad, powerful shoulder, her eyes following the sexy movement. He tugged on the sheet covering her until it slid to her waist. His eyes darkened. “Probably not.”

He leaned down and kissed her, his mouth soft and sensual on hers, one hand kneading her breast. She moaned, welcoming his now familiar flavor on her tongue as her body tingled with wanting him.

The sound of a cell phone ringing shattered the moment, and Kyle groaned. “Ignore it,” he whispered softly. His hand drifted lower, settling between her legs as his kiss deepened. As the cell phone quieted, he slid a finger inside her, gently stroking . . . once, twice, three times, before adding a second finger and stroking some more.

“So wet. So beautiful,” he murmured, lowering his head to give her a kiss brimming with possession. His tongue delved into her mouth, mimicking the way his fingers moved inside her.

Nicole loved the way Kyle was touching her, and didn’t want it to end. She wanted to stay right where she was, in bed with Kyle, and forget about the rest of the world. But her mind was soon clouded by the pure pleasure of his touch, and there was no stopping the climax that blasted through her. All Nicole could do was hold on tight as she shattered with the force of the explosion.

As her mind slowly came back to earth, she heard his cell phone ringing again. “Yo-You better get that,” she managed, opening her eyes to find him watching her as though she were his next snack.

Six orgasms in one day, I’m one lucky woman.

Another little thrill shot through her as he softly caressed her inner thigh. “It could be important,” she said with a soft laugh, although her body was already perking up for another round of lovemaking.

His lust-filled gaze flicked over her, but he nodded. Sliding from the bed, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her mouth, before tugging on his jeans. Making his way across the room, he retrieved the now silent cell phone.

She took the moment to enjoy his well-defined body. With his thick, dark hair sexily tousled, jeans riding low on lean hips, the snap undone and the zipper halfway down, he looked more like an Abercrombie & Fitch underwear model instead of the tough cop she knew him to be.

Turning, he caught her eyeing him up like a piece of candy and winked. His lips quirked in amusement as he hit redial.

“What?” he barked into the phone, never taking his eyes off her.

He tensed, his eyes shuttering all emotion, becoming cop’s eyes. He shifted away from her. “When?”

Nicole sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest as fear coiled like a serpent in her stomach, even as her body still thrummed from his loving. “What is it?”

“Right,” Kyle said, turning back to level her with a stare that she couldn’t read, but his eyes held a grim look. “Okay, we’ll see you in a little while.”

“Who?” she asked, nervously licking her lips.

Kyle walked over to her, tossing the cell phone on the nightstand and taking a seat next to her on the bed. “Nicole,” he said quietly, before brushing a soft kiss across her lips.

She tensed, instinctively knowing something very bad had happened. “What, Kyle? What happened?”

“Nicole, honey.” He tenderly brushed her bangs aside, before framing her face between his palms. He stared deeply into her eyes, resolve showing in his dark depths, along with slow burning fury. “Sheryl’s missing.”

Chapter 12

Allan glanced into his rearview mirror to make sure he wasn’t being followed before veering off onto the grassy path that led to his cabin. A five-acre rural parcel of land forty minutes outside of Detroit, it was well hidden in a thicket of trees. He’d been using the property as his personal playground for over twenty years. Oh, the fun he’d had here.

He smirked, glancing over at the woman sitting next to him, still in a stupor. It’d been a piece of cake taking the little bitch out of her place. A bouquet a flowers and a dose of GHB, and presto, the woman would have gone down on him in the middle of the street if he’d asked her to. If it hadn’t been for the nosy neighbor, no one would have even known he was there.

That could be a problem. But the guy really hadn’t gotten a good look at him, so he should be fine. But he needed to get his head out of his ass, because he couldn’t afford any more mistakes.

His lip curled in disdain, taking in the woman’s stick figure and colorless blond hair. She wasn’t his normal type, and really didn’t do it for him, all skin and bones, with no curves whatsoever. Now Nicole Chambers, there was a woman he could spend hours fucking. But Kyle Wade was stuck to her like a tick, making it difficult to get near her. But maybe he could lure her out if he used her friend.

And if not, he could at least make Nicole suffer by hurting the skinny piece of ass next to him, make her pay for thwarting him.

It took only half an hour more to reach his cabin. The woman was starting to come around. Exiting his vehicle, he hurried around to her car door, wanting to get her inside before she realized what was going on and tried to escape. It’d be a shame to have to kill her before he had a chance to carry out his plans.

Allan checked his watch. He only had a short time to get her secured, before he needed to meet up with his contact in Detroit. He needed cash, and was moving some of the drugs he’d taken off dealers during his time on the force.

Wrenching the door open, he hauled her roughly from the car.

“W-What?” She pulled away from him, or at least attempted to. He jerked her back, and onto the porch. “What’s going on?”

Keeping a firm grip on her arm, he unlocked the door and pushed her inside his cramped cabin, slamming and locking the door behind him. Swaying, she glanced around, clearly disoriented. She blinked. Shook her head. Rubbed her eyes, and once more looked around the cabin.

Allan smirked. Waiting for the moment when she realized she was in trouble.

One. Two . . . And there it was. Excitement pulsed through his bloodstream. This was always his favorite part.

“Who-Who are you?” Her hand came up to rest on her flat chest as she took an awkward step back, blinking rapidly. Her green eyes slowly filled with awareness, horror spreading across her face.

His gaze raked her, scowling. The woman had no tits whatsoever, and no hips to grab on to. It’d be like sticking his dick through a hole in a log. Contempt twisted his lips.

“What do you want?” She shoved her hair out of her eyes and scanned the room, already looking for a way out.

He chuckled. There would be no way out for her. Not now. Not ever. “C’mon, buttercup. Can’t you guess?”

The drug was wearing off by the second, and before she had her full senses back, he needed to secure her. Closing the short distance between them, and before she had a chance to react, he ripped her blouse open, then backhanded her. As planned, she stumbled and fell back onto the table behind her. A well-practiced maneuver. One he’d used dozens of times.

While she was still dazed from the blow, he reached for the leather strap bolted to the table and secured it to the other side, effectively securing her upper body. She screamed and began to struggle. At this point, they always screamed. They always struggled. Little good it did ‘em. He fucking loved it.

“Let me go. Oh my God. Don’t do this.”

Reveling in her fear, Allan grabbed her kicking legs and strapped her down, until she was completely immobile. He stood back to appreciate his handiwork. She continued to scream, and he began laughing. He’d need to move her to the other room before he left for Detroit, in case someone stumbled across his cabin. Although unlikely, he’d err on the side of caution.

“No one’s going to hear you, Sheryl.”

At the sound of her name, she stilled. Panic filled her eyes. “You’re . . .” Her chest shook as she inhaled a deep breath. “You’re the man who killed t-that woman.” It wasn’t a question. “What do you want?”

He picked up his whipping cane. “Screams, buttercup. Just more of your screams.”

Nicole wore a path in the carpet as she paced from one end of her living room to the other, waiting for Dean and Rob to arrive. Guilt ate at her as she thought of her best friend in the hands of a serial killer. A serial killer who wanted her, but had taken Sheryl instead.

“Nicole, it’s going to be okay,” Kyle said again. And again, his words did little to calm her.

Her stomach was nothing more than a huge churning sea of acid at the thought of lying in Kyle’s arms while Sheryl was being abducted by a vicious killer. Nicole knew in her heart that the only reason he’d taken Sheryl was because he couldn’t get to her.

“How can you say that?” Her voice was shrill as fear clogged her chest. “If you know who this guy is, why can’t you arrest him?”

In a matter of seconds, she’d gone from the happiest she’d ever been, basking in the aftermath of Kyle’s lovemaking, content to lie in his arms and dream of a possible future, to terrified, wracked with guilt, so very afraid she’d never see her friend alive again.

She stopped pacing and slammed her fingers into her hair, gripping tight fistfuls as bile rose up her throat. “What if he’s hurting her right now?”

With two quick strides, Kyle was at her side, taking her fists into his hands, and gently rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs. “We can’t arrest him without more proof.”

“Why not? You said you knew who he was. Can’t you do something?”

He placed a finger over her lips, halting her flow of words. “Rob will fill us in when he gets here.”

Kyle enfolded her into his arms. Nicole leaned into him, absorbing the comfort he offered her. Bracing herself for what was to come. Because she’d need every ounce of fortitude within her to handle listening to the details of Sheryl’s abduction.

At the sound of a car driving up her driveway, she stepped away from Kyle and raced to the living room window, tugging back the drapes. She spotted Rob’s car, as well as Dean’s, coming to a stop in front of her house. By the time she turned around, Kyle was already opening the front door, heading out to greet the men.

As if recognizing her stress, Charlie whined, butting her hand with his nose. She sank to the floor, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face into his soft fur as she fought back the tears clogging her throat. Giving Charlie a quick hug, she took a deep, calming breath, trying to prepare herself for what was coming.

It was a few minutes later before the men came inside. From the closed-off expression on Kyle’s face, she guessed he’d already been told what happened and was keeping his emotions under tight control so he wouldn’t freak her out any worse than she already was.

A surge of affection for him rushed through her, helping to dislodge some of her distress. Bracing herself, she stood, patting Charlie on the head as the men approached.

Kyle placed an arm around her shoulders, tugging her close to his side. “How you holding up, honey?”

She didn’t miss the slightly raised eyebrow from Dean or the gleam of approval in Rob’s eyes. Forcing a smile she wasn’t feeling, she lied, “I’m fine.”

She directed her gaze to Dean. “What happened?”

Dean’s mouth pressed into a grim line, before he said, “Sheryl was abducted from her home a little after five this afternoon.”

She clutched her chest. Unlike her, Sheryl lived in a subdivision in town, with neighbors close enough you could keep tabs on everyone’s comings and goings. “How could someone just waltz in and take her?”

Kyle’s hand caressed her arm. “A neighbor heard what sounded like a scuffle coming from her place, but when he went to check he spotted a man getting into the elevator with her. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a good look at the guy. Said Sheryl seemed out of it though.”

Rob broke in, his voice hard. “Her door was left ajar, so he went in and spotted a bouquet of flowers and an empty syringe on the floor and called the police.”

His words brought all kinds of awful images to her mind and she couldn’t contain the moan that escaped. Her legs trembled underneath her.

Kyle’s grip tightened, as if he were afraid she’d fall. “We’ll find her. I promise.” He shifted his gaze to the other men. “He’s obviously losing it, to conduct such a brazen act. He’s bound to make a mistake. And when he does, we’ll be ready.”

She shook her head. “But what if he hurts her, Kyle? Will you find her before this monster hurts her?” Or worse. But she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

“Sheryl’s strong.” Rob’s clipped, angry tone sounded nothing like the friendly man she’d met only days earlier. “She’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive.”

Nicole watched a tense muscle throb along Rob’s hard-set jaw and wondered how close he and Sheryl had become.

Dean continued, “The eyewitness was only able to give us a partial description, but his height and built matched Barber’s.”

“Barber? That’s his name?” she asked.

Dean nodded. “Allan Barber.”

“If you know who he is, can’t you just arrest him?” Her voice held a note of hysteria and she forced back her panic. Her friend needed her to stay strong.

Kyle gave her a comforting squeeze. “He didn’t get a good enough look. The abductor was wearing a ball cap, shading his eyes. It’s not enough for a warrant.” He glanced over at Dean. “But you could have him picked up for questioning and a line-up.”

Dean nodded. “Already in the works. But they have to find him first.”

The sound of her cell phone chiming a text message where she’d tossed it on the coffee table indicated an incoming text. She ignored it, asking, “If you know who this man is, why is he still out there, terrorizing people?” Her thoughts flew to the poor woman they’d found this morning in her ditch. “Killing women.”

“Not enough evidence,” Rob said. “But we should have the clean photo from Kyle’s video camera soon. Hopefully it’ll have what we need to put this piece of crap behind bars.”

Nicole’s cell phone chimed again, indicating another incoming text. An uneasy feeling swept through her.

With the lousy cell service in her area, it wasn’t unusual for text messages to hit her phone all at once. But rarely did she get text messages. Only from Sheryl.

As she crossed over to the coffee table to pick up her iPhone, her mind flashed to the odd message she’d received earlier that week. The room grew quiet as she punched the messages image on the screen, seeing Sheryl’s phone number.

With an increasing feeling of dread, she read the partial text showing on her screen. ‘
I’ll be coming for you next.’

She gasped.

“What is it?” Kyle quickly ate up the space between them, taking the phone from her shaking hand.

Wetting her dry lips, she managed to say, “A text from Sheryl’s phone.”

“What!” Rob strode over to them, followed by Dean.

Kyle stared at the phone as he read the message, and his eyes narrowed. He nodded to the other two men and moved away, far enough that she couldn’t read the screen. His thumb made another pass over the touch pad and she knew he’d opened the second message. Fury tore across his features as he stared at her phone.

Watching over Kyle’s shoulder, Rob made a strangling noise, as if he were in pain. Cursing, he spun away and stormed out the door.

“What is it?” she asked, afraid to know, but her mind was imagining the worst. Photos of her friend’s mutilated body lying in a ditch somewhere. She took a faltering step toward Kyle. He watched her approach, his breathing heavy and brows deeply furrowed.

Kyle shoved the phone toward Dean.

“Is she . . . dead?” Her voice cracked. Memories of her and Sheryl over the years flashed through her mind. Sheryl was more than a friend, she was like a sister.

“No,” Dean said, placing her phone into his jacket pocket. “I’m afraid I need this photo for evidence, Nicole.”

“I want to see it.”

Kyle rushed to her side, taking her face into his hands he stared into her eyes. “No, baby. You don’t.”

He gave Dean a quick head-nod toward the door, before bringing his attention back to her. His eyes were filled with compassion, his thumbs making little circles on her cheeks.

She moaned, gripping his shoulders as Dean left. Sensing her distress, Charlie whimpered and nudged her leg. “Please, Kyle. I need to know.”

“She’s alive, Nicole.” He tugged her up against his chest, his voice gentle. “But he’s roughed her up pretty good.”

Nicole took a deep breath, fisting the front of his shirt. “How bad, Kyle? You have to tell me.”

“It’s not good. But until we find her, we won’t know how bad.”

“Can’t you just track her phone?”

Kyle shook his head. “He’s disabled the tracking capability.”

Her emotions reeling, she couldn’t stop the floodgate of tears from falling as she buried her face into his chest.

“Sssh, baby,” he murmured, as she shook with deep, gut-wrenching sobs, her mind trying to come to terms with Sheryl’s abduction and the thought of what that monster could have done to her. Was possibly doing to her right now.

After what seemed like forever, she’d cried herself out. Still nestled in Kyle’s embrace, breathing in his comforting masculine scent, she began rebuilding her emotions. Sheryl would tell her to ‘quit whining and do something.’