Hostile Desires (16 page)

With little effort, he lifted her into his arms, then walked to the back of the house to his bedroom. He dropped her on the bed from such a height that she bounced. A laugh of sheer delight rose up from her throat, and he stopped to stare at her.

“Aw, lass, you do know how to make a man melt.”

She stopped laughing as she watched him pull off his shirt, then unbutton and unzip his pants. Bloody hell, he was a bloody Scottish god. Muscles rippled beneath golden brown flesh.

Her gaze moved down his body. He was still wearing a pair of knit boxers, unfortunately. His erection was hard to miss. His cock twitched as she studied him. Graeme chuckled. She looked up at him.

“It has a mind of its own when it comes to you.”

She smiled and scooted to the end of the bed so she sat with her feet on the floor. Without hesitation, she reached forward and pressed her hand against him. He groaned and she smiled.

“Sure, get enjoyment out of my pain.”

Feeling a little bold, she said, “I promise to help with that.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise. What did he think she was, a prude?

“You’re in charge, love.”

For a second, she didn’t understand. Then, when she saw the glint in his eyes, she did. He was letting her take control of the situation. She stood and turned around.

“Could you unzip me?”

Again, he hesitated. Now she realized he was just as nervous as she was, and it made her fall for him even more. In the next second, she felt a slowly released breath against the nape of her neck. He eased the zipper down. She let the dress fall to the floor. He bent his head and touched his lips to her shoulder. As he moved his mouth up to her neck, he trailed his fingers down her spine, then back up to her bra. As he continued to tease her, he unhooked her bra. This time, she hesitated for a second. It was the first time a man would see her naked since the attack.

And just like that, memories of that dark night years before came rushing back to her. She closed her eyes as if that would help but, of course, it didn’t. The terror, the pain, everything rushed through her, dampening the arousal Graeme had inspired.

He paused and pulled back just a few inches.

“You have the control, Elle. Just say stop and I will. No matter what.”

She couldn’t see his face, as he was standing behind her, but she could hear the infinite pledge in those words. He would do what he said, because Graeme always did. Warmth filled her and...trust. Love might be what the poets write about, but for her, trust was much more important. And she knew with Graeme, it was there.

She let the bra drop to the ground. He turned her around slowly, then slipped a finger beneath her chin to force her gaze up.

“Know this, Elle. When I say you are in control, you are. Stop is the only word I need to know that we have gone too far for you. Doona ever hesitate to say it. I want you, more than you’ll ever know, but I don’t want you to give up your peace.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Graeme.”

“What, love?”

Elle couldn’t bring herself to say it. Truthfully, she didn’t know what to say to him at that point. Instead, she cupped his face and kissed him, trying her best to pour all of her emotions into the kiss. He groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing against her. The scent of him filled her senses. He always smelled of musk...but not a cologne. It was unique to him, and it always called to her. His warmth surrounded her, as his arms urged her closer. She could feel his erection against her belly. It sent little sparks of heat dancing through her blood and along her nerve endings.

He ripped his mouth away, then gently laid her down on the bed. In one quick move, he slipped her panties off. For a moment, he stood staring down at her, mumbling something that sounded like Scottish Celt. Then, he joined her on the bed, first kissing her mouth, then working his way down her body. His tongue and hands worked magic over her body, teasing her, tempting her.

A graze of teeth over her nipple. His fingers dancing over her belly button. When he settled in between her legs, he smiled up at her.

“You even smell like roses down here, love.” His voice was thick with emotion and darkened with arousal.

He set his mouth on her sex. She was already wet, so wet she even surprised herself. If she had thought he was good before, she had been wrong. He was a bloody genius with his tongue. He slipped it between her folds, then up and over her clit. Again and again, that same motion brought her closer to completion, but not close enough. When he slipped a finger inside of her, then pulled her clit between his teeth, she lost it. A rush of heat burst through her as she bowed up off the bed. She screamed his name, as she molded her hands to the back of his head pressing herself against his face.

Just as she felt herself falling down, he added another finger, and continued on.

“Come for me again, love. I want to see you.”

She could do nothing but obey his plea. Before she could stop it, another orgasm slammed through her. She screamed from the force of it, as blissful gratification washed over her.

This time, he pulled away, tugged off his boxers. She opened her eyes, as she watched him stand back up. His erection curved up against his stomach, and she licked her lips.

“Oh, love, you do know how to please a man.”

He joined her back on the bed then, bending down to kiss her. She could taste herself on his lips.

He slipped an arm beneath her, then rolled them over so she was on top of him. She found herself straddling him.

“As I said, love. You’re in charge.” He grabbed a condom out of his bedside table and handed it to her.

Even in this, it was up to her. She undid the wrapper, then scooted down so that she could roll the condom on his erection. She did so slowly, savoring the groans from Graeme.

“Bleeding hell. I have unleashed a she-devil.”

She laughed with the power of it, then straddled him once more. Again, she took her time as she sank down on his cock. Inch by inch, she took him inside of her, and that connection she had…grew. It wasn’t just physical, but also emotional.

God, he was huge, and he filled her to bursting. When she finally had him inside her to the hilt, she rose up and started to ride him. Amazingly, she felt her arousal start to build again.

He rose up, and she thought he would roll them over again; instead, he pulled her close, still allowing her to set the pace, as he took one of her nipples into his mouth.

“Oh, yes, love, that’s it.” His teeth grazed over the tip, then he pulled her deeper into his mouth. Need blazed through her once again, lighting another orgasm, but it shimmered just out of her reach. Then, as she felt him surrender to his orgasm, she gained her release. As she convulsed against him, they fell over the edge into pleasure together.

G
raeme lay in bed
, Elle on top of him. At that moment, he decided he might just be the luckiest man alive. Scratch that. He
was
the fucking luckiest man alive. She had chosen him, and that meant she trusted him. That was more than he expected at this point.

He trailed his fingers over her shoulder.

“When did you get the tattoo?” he asked.

He had seen it earlier, but did not mention it. She’d had Scottish Gaelic tattooed on her shoulder,
neach-tàrrsainn,
meaning ‘one who survives’.

“It was about a year after...well, after. I spent most of that year hidden away in Oxford and in Inverness.”

“With your grandmother.”

“Yes. It allowed me to spend time working on myself and not dealing with the rags in London. They couldn’t find me, so they left me alone. I had time heal.”

He kept running his fingers over her flesh as he waited. He knew this was a lot for her to share, a part of her soul she kept hidden. If he pushed she might retreat.

“My grannie was the one who said I should get it. I came up with the idea, and she pushed for it. She found the artist to handle it, and took me when I was ready.”

“I can’t think your folks were too happy with that.”

She chuckled, and he could feel the delightful little tug against his cock. He was still inside of her and he liked it this way.

“My father still doesn’t know. Mum likes to say my father was born middle-aged, so she decided not to tell him. But Mum, she’s somewhat more liberal about things like that.”

“She definitely sounded nice on the phone.”

“She is, as is my father, but he’s just a little set in his ways. Of course, when he comes to visit, he will see it if we are at the beach.”

He liked hearing her talk about them. There was a warmth in her voice he didn’t hear that often. Graeme thought it boded well for their relationship. He was very close to his family, even with all the miles between them.

He stopped moving his hand when he realized what he had just thought. Granted, he knew with her history, Elle didn’t jump into bed with him on a whim, but he hadn’t registered his intentions until now.

She sat up and looked down at him. The light from the living room poured in through the doorway behind her. She looked like...an angel. Right then and there, he wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen to this relationship. But the one thing he did know was that he’d fallen in love with her.

“Graeme, are you okay?”

He nodded, as his world shifted around him, then settled in a new order. It wasn’t the same, but it definitely felt right. She was beautiful, but she was strong and sweet, and just the kind of woman he always thought he would marry.

“You look weird.”

He chuckled. “You look like a goddess.”

She rolled her eyes and turned away, but he caught her hand.

“Why do you do that?” he asked.

“What?”

“You don’t take my compliments seriously. You
are
beautiful.”

She sighed. “I’m just not accustomed to men saying that to me.”

“Please tell me that idiot of an ex-husband wasn’t
that
stupid?”

She shrugged. “He wasn’t good at expressing his affection.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I just gave him an excuse. My ex was a wanker, who didn’t understand me at all.”

He smiled. “There’s the Eleanora I know.”

She slipped out of bed, and he hated losing the ability to touch her—but he let her go. He didn’t feel at all guilty for enjoying the view of her cute little arse as she walked into the bathroom.

Graeme pulled off the condom and threw it in the wastebasket. When he looked around for Dumfries, he saw his dog had decided to finally give them some kind of privacy. She’d shut the bathroom door, and he heard the toilet flush.

When she opened the door, she smiled at him. “You don’t need to worry about pretty words. I’m not a woman who expects flattery.”

“It’s not flattery. It’s the way I see you.”

Her eyes softened, and her cheeks pinkened. Graeme promised himself to say things like that every day for the rest of their lives.

When it hit him what he had just thought, he waited for the panic. It didn’t come. Instead, he felt...centered. Right. She climbed up on the bed beside him.

She leaned down and kissed him on the mouth, then moved lower. With precise moves, she skimmed her mouth over his flesh, nipping here and there, and driving him downright mental. When she reached his nipple, she twirled her tongue over it, before moving further down.

She settled between his legs, circling her fingers around his cock.

Fuck
.

Elle paused. “Did you say something?”

“No,” he said, but it came out as a growl. Her mouth curved.

She leaned down and licked the head...once, twice...then she took him fully into her mouth. Taking her time, she teased him, her tongue wrapping around his shaft, as she slipped her hand down to his sac. He clawed at the sheet trying to keep his control, not wanting to come just yet, but Elle was unrelenting. Over and over she took him into her mouth, until he couldn’t hold back any longer.

He slipped his hands to her hair with the intent of pulling her up, but he found himself moving with her, heat curling low in his stomach. When he thought he couldn’t take it any more, she gave him one long last lick, then released him. He opened his eyes. She sat there, looking so damned happy that he couldn’t be mad. Frustrated, yes, but he couldn’t hold a grudge against her for teasing him. Power radiated off her in waves, and it was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen. She reached over, grabbed another condom. After slipping it on him, she straddled him once again and started to ride him.

As she twisted her hips, he groaned. He watched as she threw her head back and moaned. Damned, the woman was so un-fucking-believably sensual. Then, she leaned forward, placing a hand on each side of his head and looked down at him. Over and over, she rolled her hips, not breaking eye contact.

“Come for me, Graeme,” she said, her voice husky with her own arousal.

She took his bottom lip between her teeth. She released it, then increased her speed. In the next moment, her inner muscles rippled over his cock as her release hit her.

“Come with me, Graeme, now,” she pleaded. He could do nothing but fulfill her request. He thrust up into her and let go.

His orgasm was a rush of heat, then pure bliss washing over him. Moments later, she collapsed on him.

T
he next morning
, Elle walked into the office and found Graeme waiting for her again. He was dressed in a dark gray TFH shirt, which he tucked into a pair of form-fitting jeans. God, she wanted to slip her hand beneath the waistband of his jeans and tease him.

She released a slow breath and ordered her hormones to calm down. She was almost forty years old, for goodness sake. He approached her, unhurried, with his hand on the holster of his gun.

Oh, my.

“Good morning, Eleanora.”

“You know,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear, “you’ll have the entire office betting on us if you aren’t careful.”

“I hate to tell you, but they’re already wagering on us, love,” he said.

She shook her head, even though she knew he was right. More than likely, there had been a bet on them for several months.

“What are you going to do today?” she asked.

“I’m running down a few of those CIs that we came up with last night. Checking to see who’s still alive, who’s still in the system.”

“Have fun with that. I have to go over my notes for the Sanders’ case next week. I want to make sure I’m ready.”

“Lunch then?”

“If you’re lucky,” she said with a smile, as she walked toward the lift.

She was still smiling when she stepped onto the lift and hit the button. There was something to be said about younger men. She could not remember smiling this much as an adult.

The doors slid open and Drew was standing there waiting on her. He was wearing one of his Doctor Who Weeping Angels shirts today, along with a pair of khaki cargo pants. She knew a lot of people would object to Drew’s choice in work clothes, but she couldn’t. First, he was one of the best assistants she had ever had. Second, Drew might not be wearing a suit, but he was always neat. Besides, they lived in Hawaii. Wearing a suit wasn’t normal. You could always pick a
haole
by what he wore.

“Good morning, Doc. How are you feeling today?” he asked.

“Pretty good. How about you?”

“Counting down the days to the wedding.”

She smiled and walked over to her desk. “I didn’t see that they needed us for anything up at TFH, and we’re now way down on the list for the HPD, so I thought you could help me prepare for the Sanders’ case.”

“Great idea. Don’t want to be caught off guard.”

He went to the filing cabinet and started pulling out folders. He was tapping his foot to some internal song that only he heard. She had never met anyone who was always in such a good mood. Drew was usually early to work, beating her to the office more than once, and he always wanted to help her. Her one worry was that Cat would hurt him. Not on purpose, because Cat wasn’t that kind of person. But she knew better than most how an affair at work could blow up in your face.

The moment the words sunk in, she realized what she had been thinking. Here she was worried about Drew, and she was the one in the affair with someone at work.

“Doc?”

She shook herself and looked at Drew.

“Are you okay? You look a little off.”

She sighed. “I just realized that sometimes we make mistakes, and there is just no way to avoid them.”

He nodded. “Are you talking about you and McGregor?”

She rolled her eyes. “Is it that obvious?”

Drew shrugged. “It is to me.”

“Oh lord.”

“Don’t worry about it. You know, you have always been nice and funny. But I don’t think I’ve seen you truly happy until these last few weeks.”

She sighed. “I don’t want my happiness to depend on a man.”

“Why not? And why is it that he is the only reason? My mother always says that people’s love isn’t based on any known scientific data. Not really. You can’t predict it, right?

She nodded, fascinated by his enthusiasm.

“Sure, they can talk about the chemicals your body produces, but that initial attraction is individual. Every person has a personal experience with love and attraction. Plus, Mom says that you should never measure love by how much you need someone. It isn’t always about what you need, but what each relationship builds.”

She blinked. “Your mother is a wise woman.”

“Yeah, she is. Dad always says she’s the brains of the business.”

“And he’s the creative one?”

He nodded. “See, again, they built something together. Just like I want to do with Cat.”

Again, apprehension hit her. Drew had been infatuated by the tough officer since they had been introduced about a year ago. Everyone knew about it, and while she knew Cat was intrigued, Elle wasn’t convinced Cat understood how much Drew cared about her.

“Drew, be careful with Cat.”

He laid the file on her desk. “I won’t hurt her. My mother raised me better.”

“I was talking about Cat hurting you.”

Drew patted her on the arm, as if to reassure her, which was odd. Elle was usually the one who was doing the reassuring.

“Cat seems all tough, and she is, but there’s a soft heart beneath that armor,” he said. “I plan on being the one she trusts to show it to.”

She stared at him a long time. Everyone thought of him as innocent, but she knew he wasn’t. Well, not
an
innocent, but everyone thought he was naïve. Then, there were times like this that he would make a comment that was so bloody insightful, he stunned her.

“You really understand her.”

He gave her a wink. “I told you, my mom raised me right.”

“Right. Okay, let’s get to work.”

“You have a lunch date with McGregor?”

She rolled her eyes. “Who texted?”

“Cat and Floyd.”

“This is just getting out of hand. You know, one of these days, the HPD is going to get onto this, we’re all going to get arrested for illegal betting.”

Drew shook his head and said nothing, but she knew that if they figured out what had happened the night before, someone won a big pot.

“You shouldn’t really care,” Drew said.

“Why is that?”

“McGregor is definitely smitten with you.”

“I’m not the kind of woman men get smitten over, Drew.”

Drew frowned. “Why would you say that?”

She shrugged. “I was a nerd in school, and much too serious. Getting straight A’s was more important than getting a date.”

“I don’t think you realize how amazing you are.”

She could feel her cheeks heating. “Drew, I think we need to concentrate on work.”

“No, Doc. You need to know. You know I think of you as my mentor?” She nodded.

“I had a lot of trouble concentrating on work when I first got hired. I think it was your accent, which is sexy enough to hear for folks on the mainland, but even more exotic here. You are quite the catch, Doc.”

“That is so sweet, Drew.”

He smiled. “Thank you.”

She leaned closer. “And just so you know, if Cat hurts you, I will make her cry.”

He was still smiling, then it faded. “You are kind of scary.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

A
dam parked
his motorcycle on the street in Aiea and sat there. He’d been making this weekly visit to Jin’s for the last few months, mostly checking up on her, and partly for himself.

From the moment she had been abducted by the serial killing duo known as The Akua Killers, Adam had blamed himself. His own personal relationship with her had always been strained. He’d been infatuated with her from the start, and she had been using him to get information. So he had avoided her, and she had almost died because of it. He should have known she would go too far. She was always pushing for the best story, looking to make a name for herself. And then, she had been given the story of a lifetime: inside information on a serial killer that was terrorizing Honolulu.