Bring the Heat (10 page)

Shane spoke up as he and Tonio rejoined the group. “Daisy and I will stay with Cara a little longer. Then she and Blake are going home with us. It's not a good idea for them to be alone at the house right now.”

That was something everyone agreed on. In fact, it germinated a seed of an idea that took root and refused to let go. He'd save that for later.

“Everyone watch your backs,” Austin told them. Though he knew it went without saying, he felt better saying it. “He doesn't care who he hurts or how, as long as he gets to me. Safety first, guys.”

Austin hugged Cara and said good-bye to his detectives, and Shane assured him one of them would call if there was any change in Taylor's condition. Laura passed out hugs also, and it warmed Austin to see her reaching out to his friends.

He and Laura walked back out to her car, and he offered to drive. She shook her head.

“I've got this, Captain. Sit back and relax. I'm taking you home, and we'll go back to the club and get your truck tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He slumped in his seat and his eyes drifted shut. Instantly he fell asleep to the soft melody on the radio and Laura's hand in his.

•   •   •

Laura couldn't help but glance at Austin now and then as she drove him home.

The man was running on empty. Her heart went out to him for all he'd been through, and his ordeal was far from over. Slumped in his seat, his head tilted back, dark lashes fanned on his cheeks, auburn hair in disarray. His broad chest rose and fell evenly in the sleep of the truly exhausted. You had to trust someone a lot to sleep like that, right?

So he trusts me?
She thought so, deep down, and that gave her a jolt of pleasure.

When she finally pulled into his driveway, she hated waking him. No help for it, though. She reached over and shook him gently. “Austin, we're here.”

Grumbling, he sat up and blinked in confusion. “What?”

“You're home. Considering what happened to Taylor, I'll make sure you get inside before I go.”

That caused a deep frown to crease his brow. “I don't think I like the idea of you going home alone. Not tonight.”

“Are you suggesting I stay here?” Her pulse sped up.

“I think it's a good idea. Don't you?”

“It's probably not necessary.” She wanted to stay, more than anything. But not from a sense of obligation on his part to protect her.

“Maybe not.” He paused, gorgeous eyes boring into hers in the darkness. “But what if I want you to?”

“Then that would be different, wouldn't it?”

“Yes, it would. Stay?”

That one word, spoken softly from his lips with such
hope, caused a ripple of desire through every cell in her body. “There's nowhere else I'd rather be.”

They got out of the car, and a bit of unwelcome reality returned when he palmed his gun and placed himself just in front of her as he went to unlock the door. He never stopped scanning their surroundings until they were safely through the door.

Once inside, he disarmed the alarm and checked every room. Satisfied, he armed the house again. “We're set for the night.”

“Are we?” He didn't miss the double entendre.

His smile nearly brought her to her knees. “Oh yes. We're set in every way.”

She laughed as he started tugging her toward what she assumed was his bedroom. “You don't seem so tired anymore.”

“I'll sleep later. With you in my arms.”

She liked the sound of that. Liked it even better when they entered his room and he turned her to face him, started peeling off her clothes. He made removing her blouse into an art, slowly undoing every button, eyes heated as he studied each one. Then the blouse hit the floor and he got rid of the bra, flicking the clasp in the back.

As she let the bra slide off, exposing herself to his hungry gaze, he made a very male sound of approval in his chest.

“Beautiful,” he said. Reaching out, he cupped her full breasts, grazing the nipples and hardening them to taut peaks. “So full and lush.”

“Your turn.” Taking the hem of his T-shirt, she
pulled it up over his head and tossed it to the floor. Bare chested, sprinkled with a fine bit of hair on a muscular chest, a six-pack down below, he was a mouthwatering vision. “Damn. All for me.”

“Yes, all for you.”

Framing her face with his big hands, he took her mouth, and the kiss was every bit as electric as it had been before. More so. This was intimacy on a whole new level. Two people exposing themselves for the first time. Not just their bodies, but their hearts. She didn't kid herself that this was just sex, and knew he wasn't the type, either.

Which made it even better. Finally, he toed off his boots, pushed his jeans and underwear down, and kicked them off. His cock stood hard and proud, and she reached out, wrapping her fingers around his thick length.

“Shit,” he hissed. “That feels so good. It's been too long.”

“For me, too. You feel wonderful.”

He was all silk and hardness, wrapped in one. She loved cupping and manipulating his heavy balls underneath, and watching the bliss in his expression as she played. It made her feel powerful, but also connected to him. He was hers to touch and explore.

“Let's take care of these.” He went for the button on her pants, making short work of it.

Then he helped her as she kicked off her own shoes, slid off her pants and underwear. She let him guide her
onto the bed and got settled on her back. He crawled over her like a starving panther, eyes glittering. She couldn't wait to be devoured.

Lowering his body over hers, he ate her mouth, and she relished their heat pressed together. The weight of him felt so right. So good. Then he moved downward, laving each nipple, lavishing them with attention. She buried her fingers in his thick hair and caught a hint of silver in the strands, especially at his temples, and wondered why she hadn't noticed before. She loved it, just as she loved everything about him.

His lips blazed a path down her stomach, and he stopped to tease her inny with his tongue, making her giggle. Grinning, he moved on, kissing the inside of each thigh and looking up at her in question. In answer, she let her legs fall open in invitation.

Gently, he parted her folds and teased her slit with his tongue. Little currents of pleasure shot through her sex to her belly, ramped up more and more as he licked her deeper. Finally he was tongue-fucking her, grazing her clit, and she writhed under his attentions, coming undone one nerve at a time.

“Austin! Please!”

“Need my cock, baby?”

“Yes. Fuck me, please,” she whimpered.

In a heartbeat he was on his knees, reaching for a packet in the bedside drawer. He sheathed himself quickly, then brought his cock to her opening and pushed inside. Never had she been filled so completely, and tears pricked her eyes from the sheer joy of finally being with him. Making love with Austin.

Grasping her hips, he guided her as he pumped, the action causing the muscles in his chest and arms to stand out, showing off just what great shape he kept himself in. Driving into her with sure strokes, he took them both to the edge. Then he lowered himself on top of her, kissing her deeply as they made love.

His strokes quickened and she felt the telltale heat spreading through her. She couldn't stop the orgasm that washed over her and she cried out, clinging to his shoulders. With a few more strokes he followed, spasming and arching into her until they were both spent.

“Sweetheart, that was so good,” he said into her hair, kissing her temple.

“It was wonderful. I haven't had sex like that in—well, ever.”

He made a pleased noise and carefully pulled out. After a quick trip to the bathroom he returned with a warm washcloth, which he used to gently clean her. He tossed the cloth into the bathroom, then slid into the bed again, tucking her against his side. Content, she snuggled with her head on his chest. She'd just made love with the man she'd wanted for so long, she couldn't remember desiring anyone else. Maybe they had a future. Maybe not.

But for now, it was more than enough.

“Shane said Taylor survived the night.” Austin pocketed his cell phone and turned to face Laura. “But it was a near thing.”

His new lover was leaning against the kitchen counter, looking delectable in one of his T-shirts and sipping a mug of coffee. Relief suffused her face. “Thank God.”

“Yeah. He had a crisis, though. His heart stopped and they had to bring him back.”

“Oh no.”

“They discovered he was bleeding internally and rushed him into surgery again. The doctor thinks they've stopped it.”

“God, I hope so.”

“Me, too.” He shook his head. “It was a damn terrible night—well, the first part, anyway. The last part with you was terrific. I wish I could just hide here with you the rest of the day.”

“Wouldn't that be great?” She sighed, rinsing out the mug and setting it in the sink. “One of these days we'll have to make that a plan.”

“You bet, sweetheart.” She smiled at him, and it
eased some of the weariness inside him. “Damn, I've got to get ready for work. Shower with me?”

“May as well conserve water.”

Laughing, he tugged her with him. He wasn't sure how well the conserving worked out, but the shower was fun. Twenty minutes later they emerged, cleaner and much happier. Ready to face whatever the day threw at them. He hoped.

“I'll take you to your truck before I go home and change clothes,” she said. “Can't wear the same ones I had on yesterday.”

“Well, you
could
. Technically.”

“No, thanks.” She tossed him a grin.

The ride to his truck was far too short. When he kissed her good-bye, he knew the day would be far too long. Despite his resolve to stay away, he was already way in over his head with this woman. Probably had been from the day they'd met.

A long day of running down leads didn't garner much. Austin spent hours going over his list of people he'd put away in recent years who'd be vicious enough to kill for revenge. He pored over details of their whereabouts, what they'd been up to. The fact was, very few were still around anymore. The ones who were just weren't good candidates to be the monster who was after him now.

It didn't make sense. The killer held a huge grudge, but Austin couldn't imagine what it could be. He was missing something important.

He didn't get to go see Taylor until early evening, just before the sun went down. He'd wanted to get to
the hospital sooner, but knew the best way he could help was to work on catching the killer. The detective had plenty of visitors in and out all day, especially from the station. Cara, he was told, had barely left her boyfriend's side.

He wondered, as he approached her warily, whether she'd blame him for what had befallen her lover. That notion was dispelled, however, as she flung herself into his arms.

“I'm so glad you're here.”

“I'm so, so sorry,” he whispered. “I'd give anything to take this from him, and you.”

“It's not your fault, Austin. I mean that.” Pulling back, she gave him a look of fierce determination. “This isn't anyone's fault but that monster who shot Taylor. Find him and make him pay for what he's done.”

“I intend to,” he assured her.

“Good. That's all I ask.”

“Has his day been better than last night?”

“A bit,” she said. “He's more stable and there hasn't been any more internal bleeding.”

“That's great news. Mind if I go in?”

“Of course not.” She smiled at him through her tears. “He'd like that. Maybe he even knows somehow that we're here. At least I like to think so.”

“I believe he does. Can't hurt to keep talking to him.”

With a last hug, he left her and walked to Taylor's room. Nothing had changed, except perhaps the man's color was better. Or maybe that was wishful thinking. He talked to the detective for a few minutes, updating
him on the investigation and stuff that was happening around the station, even though he probably couldn't hear a word. He talked until a nurse came in to check Taylor's vitals and informed him that his time was up. Probably had been for a few minutes.

Promising Taylor he'd be back, he left. After saying good-bye to Cara he headed out to his truck. He was parked in the side lot, and many of the cars had cleared out. Alert, he scanned the area. There was a van parked a couple of spaces from his truck, but nobody seemed to be around.

He was prepared for a direct attack, palm on the hilt of his gun. What he wasn't prepared for was the sting in his shoulder, almost as though he'd been stung by a wasp. Startled, he looked down to see a needle piercing his shirt, stuck into his flesh.

“Fucking hell!”

Yanking the thing out, he flung it away, but the damage was done. His head swam and his legs were suddenly made of rubber. He fell, hitting the pavement hard, and heard tires squeal. Saw the van peel out of the parking lot, could have sworn he heard a man's maniacal laughter.

He tried to grab his phone, but his fingers wouldn't work. It was hard to breathe.

That son of a bitch!

He heard a car approach and stop. A woman's voice yelling in fear.

Then he knew nothing more.

•   •   •

Laura pulled into the parking lot of the hospital,
looking for Austin's truck. She knew he was coming to visit Taylor after work.

Finally she spotted it in a side lot and turned in that direction. Just then a van rounded the corner and went screeching past, nearly taking off her front bumper.

“Stupid jerk,” she muttered. Then she spotted a figure lying crumpled on the ground.

Her pulse leapt into her throat as she closed the distance and slid to a stop. She recognized the man right away, and terror seized her. “Austin!”

She ran to him and rolled him onto his back. His eyes were closed, breathing labored. Something glinted on the ground nearby—a needle, attached to what appeared to be a dart.

Even though they were in the parking lot of the hospital, she had no way to move him and nobody was around to help. Hands shaking, she dialed 911.

“There's a police captain down in the parking lot of Sterling Hospital! Please, we need help.”

•   •   •

The first thing Austin became aware of was the pounding in his head.

“Jesus.” A bass drum battered at his brain, which must have meant he wasn't dead. Other than that, he wasn't sure of anything.

He tried to move. Big mistake. The drum pounded harder, shooting waves of pain to every cell and nerve ending. An involuntary moan escaped his lips and a hand immediately curled around his fingers. Small. Soft and warm.

“Austin? Please wake up and open your eyes, sweetie.”

Laura
 . . .

Had he said her name aloud, or only dreamed it? He struggled to do as she asked, and her hand gave a reassuring squeeze.

“That's it. You can do it. Let me see those big green eyes.”

“Laura?” To his ears, his voice sounded rough. Felt like it, too.

“I'm here. You're going to be all right—don't you worry,” she said softly.

Really? After several minutes of effort, he managed to pry his lids open. As his vision adjusted, he took in the stark white ceiling, plain walls. The strong antiseptic odor, making him a little sick.

“Hospital?” he rasped.

Laura laid a hand on his shoulder, began to comb her fingers through his hair with the other. “Yes. Be still, and don't try to talk too much. You've been through quite an ordeal, Captain.”

Jeez, no kidding. “What happened?”

“You don't remember?”

He shook his head and was instantly sorry; even the slight movement made it seem like it would roll right off his neck. But her fingers raking his hair, her gentle touch, felt soothing. Nice. She scooted closer to the bed, angling over him so he could see her without turning his head too much. He sighed, drinking in the welcome sight.

Her dark hair caught the sunlight streaming in
through the crack in the curtains, gleaming almost blue-black. She'd pulled the tresses back into a ponytail, and hadn't bothered with makeup. Fresh scrubbed, dressed in a plain dark blue T-shirt and jeans, she looked much younger than her late thirties. Somehow, having her at his side, gazing down at him with concern, caressing him, made him feel a little better.

“You came here to the hospital to see Taylor last night. Do you recall that much?”

The memory returned in bits. “I remember visiting, hugging Cara. Talking to Taylor. Then nothing but a huge black hole.”

“I'm not surprised. You had enough Rohypnol in your system to take down a man twice your size.”

He blinked. “Christ. How?”

Laura took a deep breath, the shadows in her lovely eyes giving him pause. “You went down to the parking lot. The stalker darted you and left you there. I saw the van leaving, though I didn't know who it was at the time. I found you and called the paramedics, and they brought you around to the ER, where they did some tests to figure out what had been in the needle. He overdosed you.”

Shock had him trying to sit up, but moving caused the room to spin. Laura eased him back onto the pillows.

“They didn't catch him, did they?”

“He escaped. I'm sorry.”

“Shit.” He thought for a minute and said, “You know, this was a warning, not a real attempt on my life.
He was fucking with me. If he'd been serious, he would have tried what he did to Taylor.”

“Your guys agree,” she said. “They were here earlier and said pretty much the same thing. This was the killer posturing, letting you know he can get to you.”

Laura withdrew, and the loss of her touch left Austin strangely bereft. She appeared miserable. Upset. She seemed to be taking this pretty hard, and he understood. It wasn't too fun from his position, either.

“When can I go home?”

“This afternoon, as long as you check out okay. The doc said you'd be fine.”

Another thought occurred to him. “Crap—nobody called my parents, did they?”

She smiled and patted his arm. “No. Shane said there was no reason to scare them, and you could tell them if you wanted.”

“Not fucking likely.”

He shuddered to imagine their reaction. They'd been through enough on account of their sons.

“What were you doing at the hospital anyway? Looking for me?”

A flush pinkened her cheeks. “Maybe.”

“Hmm. I think you were,” he teased.

“I think you hit your head too hard. I don't even like you very much.”

His smile widened. “Liar. Come here.”

“What for?” The hungry look in her eyes said she knew damn well what for.

“I'm an injured man. I need comforting. Kiss me,” he whispered hoarsely. More like begged, but he didn't
care. He wanted to taste her again, needed her body against his. Reaffirming that he was alive.

“You don't appear to be
that
injured.” Her expression warmed and she bent over him, careful not to jostle him. A whiff of French vanilla teased his nose; then her lips covered his. Gentle, giving. Taking charge of the kiss, she slipped her tongue into his mouth. Exploring, tasting. Driving him out of his mind, and doing much to ease his headache.

Laura's breasts brushed his chest through her shirt and the thin fabric of his hospital gown. He imagined suckling her nipples, spreading her legs, trailing kisses down her flat belly the way he'd done their first time . . . He groaned, aware that his cock had swelled, harder than a red-hot poker.

She pulled back, grinning at him. “All better?”

“Yeah,” he lied. “It's a damn good thing I don't like you, because if I did—”

“You'd do what?” She arched a brow, brown eyes dancing with mischief.

“Whoops, sorry to interrupt, kids.”

Laura jerked away from him, straightening to look at the man striding into the room. Shane came to stand beside her, his huge grin testifying that he was anything but sorry. In fact, he looked amused as hell. His sharp gaze took in Austin, however, and the humor quickly fled from his face. He squeezed Austin's shoulder.

“Good to see you back from la-la land, Cap. You scared the holy fuckin' shit out of us.”

Austin tried to smile. “Good to
be
back. Now if I can just get the hell out of here, I'll be happy.”

“I'll bet.”

“How's Taylor?”

“Hanging in there, showing some signs of improvement. The doctor is cautiously optimistic that they can move him from the ICU in a couple of days. Maybe.”

That was truly great news, but he was hesitant to celebrate too much just yet.

“So, this attempt,” Shane said. “He could've had you. I think he was sending you a message.”

“Yeah.” His humiliation knew no bounds. And his anger, too. Not only had the bastard gotten one of his men—he'd done a drive-by and slapped Austin on the ass for good measure. It was tough to take.

“Hey, it's going to be fine. We're going to catch him and put him away.”

“I know. It's just infuriating.”

They talked for a few more minutes, until Shane spoke a few more words of encouragement and finally showed himself out. Austin tried—he really did—but the dark mood that enshrouded him was tough to get past.

He tried to encourage Laura to go home for a while, but was secretly glad she stayed until his release.

She was safer by his side, or at least he told himself.

Even if he was an inept fool.

•   •   •

Austin had been quiet for the last hour and a half. Too quiet. No snappy barbs, no cocky smile. No teasing glint in his beautiful green eyes. He sat mute, staring
out the passenger window of her Mercedes, expression blank. No, not blank, exactly.

Lost.

He'd barely responded when the doctor had released him that afternoon with strict instructions to take his pain medication and rest. Hadn't uttered a single protest when Laura had helped him dress in a pair of sweats, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes, rather than the clothing he'd had on the night before.