Centerfold (23 page)

“That original shoot, remember?” Roman patted her arm. “Don’t worry. We’ll personally chat with anyone at the station who thinks they can tease you about this. Aiden can be quite convincing.”

“Great. Just great.” She sighed, sinking into their embrace. “Guess there are worse things I could be. And Ms. December did bring us all together.”

“Hell, yeah. Now rest. Because Aiden wants his turn, and after all that sass… You might not see the light of day until December is gone.”

Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:

Til Death: Deadly Vision

Kris Norris

Excerpt

Chapter One

“9-1-1, do you need police, fire…”

“I need the fucking cops!”

Fallon bit back a curse, curbing her urge to hang up, as she spoke calmly into the phone. “Where do you need the police?”

She heard the man tell someone to shut the hell up as he breathed heavily into the phone. “There’s a fucking fight going on here, so stop asking me questions and send the damn cops!”

“It’s hard to send the police when I don’t know where you are, sir.” Fallon kept her voice cool and detached, knowing any increase in her tone would set the guy off even more.

“I dialled, 9-1-1. I know you guys trace the fucking calls!”

“Only land lines. You’re on a cell, so the only address I get is the repeater you’re bouncing off of. So why don’t you tell me where you are, and I’ll send some help your way.”

“God damn, son of a bitch…I said shut up already…just send the cops to Joe’s Bar. They’ll know where it is.”

“What kind of…” The phone went dead. “Bloody typical.” She released the line and dialled the number back, not surprised when the asshole’s messaging system picked up. “Great. Just great.” She typed a few lines onto the screen, shaking her head in disgust. Why the hell jerks like him called the police if they weren’t willing to talk to the dispatchers never ceased to amaze her. Seven years on the job and she still hadn’t figured it out. She let the sigh she’d been holding back tremble across her lips as she keyed up the radio.

“Bravo one and bravo two, dispatch.”

The line hung silent for a few moments before a husky voice surged over the airwaves. “Bravo one. Go ahead, dispatch.”

“Are you guys available for the usual down at Joe’s bar?”

“Bravo two’s clear.”

“Yeah, we’re clear too, dispatch. Got any details for us?”

“Just the usual dead silence on the other end of the phone,” she sighed
.
“But I could hear the music still playing in the background, so I doubt it’s that out of control yet. Other than that, I’ve got nothing for you.” She paused, listening to the men mutter under their breath. “Would it help to say my spider sense is tingling?” she added.

Laughter erupted over the radio. “Thanks, Fallon. We’ll be sure to watch our backs.”

“Don’t forget to give me a shout when you’re on scene, and I’ll set the timer for you. Let me know if you big strong fellows need any more back-up.”

“And distort the God-like images you’ve developed for us. I don’t think so,
darling
.”

Fallon smiled as she cleared the channel and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She knew it wouldn’t stop the headache from spreading, but it was all she could do until she slept the bugger away. Damn, she was tired. The dispatch centre had lost more than a few operators over the past few months, and she’d worked more overtime than she cared to count, tonight being no exception.

“Hey. Fallon. What are you still doing here?”

Fallon turned towards the voice, smiling at Jane’s watchful expression. “You know me, Jane. I can’t seem to get enough of this place.”

Jane rolled her eyes as she set her purse down on the desk beside Fallon. “Fourteen hours again?”

“Try eighteen,” she replied, answering another call over the radio. She heard Jane mumble beside her, but chose to ignore it. Jane had a husband and a life to go home to. All she had was her mountain bike to keep her company. “Roger, bravo two. Do you want me to leave the channel open or set a five minute timer for you?”

“Timer’s fine, Fallon. Just a few redneck boys duking it out in the parking lot. No weapons. I don’t anticipate any problems.”

“Speak for yourself, Jeff. I just had my nails done,” moaned Ken.

Fallon couldn’t stop her smile. “I’ll chat with you in five, boys.”

“Another fist match at Joe’s?” asked Jane, clipping her headset in place. “That’s the third time this week, and it’s only Tuesday.”

“Must be the lack of sunshine.”

“More like the lack of willing females,” she retorted. “I swear men get so worked up when they aren’t getting laid.”

“This coming from a woman who gets more than her fair share of sex,” pointed out Fallon. She watched Jane’s face flush a deep red. No doubt she’d made the most of her days off. “You about ready?”

Jane nodded, tapping her computer to life. “Why don’t you go home and call it a day… and a night, for that matter.” She sighed as three lines lit up at once. “And don’t come back for a while, got it?”

“Believe me, nothing will be able to drag me back in here before I’ve had a couple of days off.” She gathered her things, wondering how she’d spend the next forty-eight hours. “Call me later. Maybe we can catch a movie tomorrow?”

“Sounds good, hon. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Fallon forced a smile as she headed out to her Jeep. Jane meant well, but she seldom called once she left the office.
Too much sex,
thought Fallon, settling into the driver’s seat. God, what she wouldn’t give to be in Jane’s place. She loved sex. She just wasn’t getting any.

You could have some if you weren’t still pining over Gil.

She cursed the irritating voice in her head. She wasn’t
pining
over Gil. She was just having trouble moving on. It didn’t mean she was, in any way,
pining
for him.

She sighed, imagining his fingers grazing her body. He knew where every erogenous spot was, and took his time teasing each one in turn—from the hollow by her collarbone down to the delicate arch of her foot. He was a master at making her feel sexy and feminine, and tears pooled behind her lashes just thinking about him. She missed him. Missed the feel of his tongue between her thighs, swirling her juices around her clit until she screamed out his name with her release. Missed the hard thrust of his cock deep inside her, as he possessed her like no man had ever tried. He’d been her every fantasy, her best friend.

“Stop it,” she hissed, revving the engine in the growing darkness. “He’s gone. It’s over. Deal with it.” She stepped on the pedal, spinning the tires as she squealed out of the lot and into traffic. All she needed was a hot shower and a good night’s sleep, and everything would look better in the morning.

* * * *

“He’s going to strike again,” sighed Special Agent Wade Davis. “It’s only a matter of time. He can’t hide from us forever.”

Special Agent Gil Grant looked up at the man. He’d been going over the records for hours, and was so tired he was sure the lines had started melding together. He glanced over at the wall, eyeing the photos pinned to the board. Six women­­­—all young and fit—all dead. He cursed, crumpling the paper he’d been writing on. “Time is the one thing we don’t have. It’s been two weeks since his last victim. He won’t wait much longer.”

“Maybe this time he’ll leave something behind we can nail him with.”

Gil held back the growl building in his chest. Wade was young, and still too arrogant to see himself as anything other than bulletproof. He hadn’t watched his fellow agents die in the name of justice, and maintained the belief that good always conquered evil.

But evil was far stronger than anyone wanted to believe. And it was going to take more than one lucky break to catch this guy. “I’d rather nail the bastard before he strikes again, if it’s all the same to you.”

Wade merely shrugged. They both knew the chances of tracking the guy down before his next victim was found mutilated and marked was pretty slim, but Gil hated to give in to defeat. The thought of going over another bloody crime scene curdled his stomach. There was always so much blood.

Gil shook his head and closed the file. “Maybe he won’t kill anyone tonight,” he said, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair as he headed for the door. “I’ll be on my cell if anything comes up. See you tomorrow.”

Wade grabbed Gil’s shoulder as he bridged the door. “I know I’m new and everything, but I want this bastard as much as you do. I know we’ll get him.”

Gil glanced back at Wade over his shoulder. “I sure hope you’re right, Junior, or it’s going to be a hell of a hard pill to swallow.”

Wade winced and smacked him across the back. “Have a good night, old man.”

Gil sighed and headed down the hall—a good night—now that would be a pleasant change. He hadn’t had a good night since…

He shivered as thoughts of Fallon flitted through his mind. She’d been the best lover he’d ever had, and the only woman he’d truly loved. He could still feel her body against his. The soft press of her breasts in his hands as he massaged them with slow circles, teasing them until her nipples puckered against her skin. They were thick and hard, and he loved feeling them rasp against his teeth as he suckled them into his mouth. He could lave them for hours. Take her from one orgasm into another without ever touching her pussy. She was the most responsive woman he’d ever met.

He swallowed, forcing the moisture past the lump stuck in his throat. He couldn’t think of her without his chest tightening and his breathing hitch. She still haunted his dreams, and he wondered if he’d ever be able to move on…to forget.

“Ah, fuck,” he cursed, feeling the rain dampen his face. The heavy clouds had been threatening all day, but he’d hoped to make it to his truck before the worst of the coming storm hit. Luck wasn’t on his side tonight, and the steady rivulets of water trickled down his back by the time he swung open his door and ducked inside. He leant back against the seat, and closed his eyes. The metal pins in his left shoulder seemed to vibrate in the heavy air, sending tremors through his body as he tried to rub the damn ache away. But it wasn’t any good. He was cold and wet, and so damn horny it hurt.

“Son of a bitch!” He banged his hands against the steering wheel, anger bubbling through his veins. It wasn’t bad enough he couldn’t get any kind of lead on the psycho stalking Washington state’s women, now he was faced with another night of dreaming of Fallon, only to wake up to find himself alone.

* * * *

Fallon tossed in her bed, hearing the rumble of thunder echo across the sky. She’d been lying there for twenty minutes, but she just couldn’t seem to fall asleep. She knew she needed it. Her eyes were heavy and dry. The muscles in her back ached, and her headache had blossomed into a migraine. But every time she closed her eyes images of Gil raced across the darkness. She could see him clearly. The sexy little half smile he gave her whenever he wanted to seduce her. Or the way his muscles flexed and bunched beneath her fingers as he pumped her full of his hot cum. He was dangerous, in every sense of the word, and it tore her apart to think she’d lost him. He’d just never been the same since…

A loud blast of music filled the room. Fallon jumped, grabbing her cell off the small table beside the bed. She flipped it open, fumbling for the right button as her breathing stalled in her chest.

“9-1-1…” she paused, staring down at the phone. “Ah crap. Hello?”

“Okay, you really need to get a life, Fallon, if you’re starting to answer your cell that way!”

Fallon snorted into the phone, pulling the strap of her slip back across her shoulder. “Well, I’m sure you’d answer the same way if you’d just spent the past two days at work.” She took a deep breath, hoping to calm the pounding in her chest. “So what’s up? Don’t tell me they want me to come back now?”

“Hell no. And I sure wouldn’t be the one to phone you. I just wanted to ask you something.” She heard Jane pause and wondered what her friend was up to. “You weren’t sleeping yet, were you?”

“Not yet. You know how it is. It’s hard to unwind sometimes.” She bit at her bottom lip. “So what do you need to ask me?”

“I meant to ask you before, but it totally slipped my mind. Brad and I are having a barbeque on Sunday. I already checked the schedule. You aren’t working. We were wondering if you’d join us?”

“Just me?”

Jane stammered on the phone, yelling something to another operator. Fallon could hear the nervousness in her friend’s voice. “There may be another friend or two joining us.”

Fallon smiled. So that was it. Jane was trying to set her up… again. “Okay, Jane. Spill it. What’s his name?”

Jane huffed. “His name is Jackson and he’s a new fire-fighter down at the station. Brad thought it might be nice to introduce him to a few people in town…so he doesn’t feel lonely.”

“And I, of course, was your number one pick.”

“You need to move on. You’ve done nothing but work since you and Gil broke up. It’s not healthy.” Jane breathed heavily into the phone. “Okay, girlfriend. Tell me. When was the last time you got laid?”