Laying Down the Law (5 page)

Gabe nodded and then gave Zuri a one-sided smile. “Colt keeps pretty busy. You might not see a lot of him while you’re here.”

“That’s all right,” she said, keeping her voice even. “I don’t need babysittin’.”

Colt ignored Gabe and grabbed her hand, pulled her up and kept hold of her while they walked toward the garage at the side of the house. When they stood beside a blue and white Sheriff’s vehicle, he dropped her hand. “The bed’s all yours tonight. Get some sleep.”

“But I thought…” She bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t reacted at all. He’d think she was disappointed they weren’t going to make love.

“I was just seein’ how far you’d go. How desperate you really are. Makes me wonder if you’ve told me everything, or if you’re still keepin’ secrets.”

Zuri closed her mouth, not wanting to dig a deeper hole for herself.

He paused as though hoping she’d tell him something more.

She sighed. “Look, I’m tired. Sleep sounds pretty good to me now.”

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me everything,” he said, his voice a deep, masculine growl.

“I want to,” she said truthfully, fingering a shirt button. “I really do. But it’s so damn complicated. And like you said, we don’t really know each other.”

Colt’s lips firmed. His chest lifted around a deep sigh. “I’ll see you in the mornin’.”

His head descended, and as though it was the most natural thing in the world to do, she relaxed against the arm cinching around her and melted into his body. His kiss was surprisingly soft and over way too quick.

She must have made a sound of complaint, because he smiled, his eyelids dipping as he studied her face. “Not enough, is it?”

Zuri shook her head.

He bent his head again, but his lips hovered just above hers. He waited until she rose up on her tip-toes to press her mouth against his. Again, like a flame licking at dry tinder, sensual heat exploded between them.

Colt turned her toward the truck, crowding her against hard metal.

She slid her hands up his chest, then snuck them around the back of his warm neck to cling against him.

The kiss deepened, their mouths circling, tongues darting inward to taste. Colt glided his hands over her— cupping one over her bottom, slipping another beneath her shirt and molding it around a bare breast.

Zuri moaned and lifted her leg, sliding it over the crest of his hip as he pushed against her, rutting gently between her legs. She broke the kiss. “This is crazy,” she whispered.

“Agreed,” he rasped into her ear. “Bad idea.”

She raked her nails against his scalp, loving the way he groaned as though his body ached for completion as much as hers.

He slid his hand down her belly, gliding beneath the rolled waistband of the pants he’d leant her. Fingers raked downward, slipping between her moist folds.

“God, Colt,” she moaned.

His mouth slammed over hers again, and he stroked her slick sex, two fingers plunging inside her.

Her body vibrated, bowed backward. Her breath hitched.

Slowly, he circled his thumb over her clitoris, the callused digit scraping and exciting her arousal to full bloom, and she cried out, the sound muffled against his mouth.

Liquid heat seeped from inside her, coating his fingers, easing his intrusion. She pulsed, dragging on his stroking fingers, forward and back, in a slow, sensual ebb and flow.

He caught her lower lip with his teeth, and she opened her eyes, snared by the heat banked in his darkened eyes. “Come for me, Zuri,” he whispered.

Her orgasm exploded—rich, hot, moist. She gasped, her body undulating, inviting his deepening strokes until at last the convulsions rippling deep inside her grew still, and her body quivered in the aftermath.

Colt dropped his forehead to her shoulder and pulled his hand from beneath her clothing. Then he wrapped both arms around her, rocking them together until she breathed deeply, her cheek snuggled against his.

“Gotta go,” he said, his voice rough.

“Wish you weren’t gonna be so long.”

He pressed a kiss against her hair. “Get some sleep.”

When he released her, she blinked, shaken by how fast the man had gotten to her. She hugged herself as he climbed into his vehicle.

As he eased his sheriff’s SUV out of the garage, she rubbed her arms, feeling chilled and wondering if she could slip back to the bedroom without another run-in with one of the brothers.

She hadn’t been lying when she’d said she was tired. Her body ached with exhaustion—from too little sleep the night before as she’d huddled naked under a blanket while her clothes dried draped over chairs, from worry that wouldn’t let her go.

Colt didn’t trust her. And she didn’t want to be here when all his suspicions were confirmed. She’d thought she could keep this light but was quickly getting trapped by an attraction that was too hot for her resist.

Chapter Six

Colt pulled past the orange-and-white striped barricade, parked next to Wade Dalton’s cruiser and set his blue lights to strobe before he headed to the creek bank.

Wade had called him first, right after he’d run the plates, knowing Colt would be interested to know that an old girlfriend’s car had been spotted washed up on the bank.

Colt strode toward Wade who stood at the top of the embankment. “Thanks for keepin’ a lid on this for me.”

Wade raised his eyebrows. “Gonna tell me why I’m not reportin’ a missin’ driver?”

“She’s not missin’.”

Wade’s eyebrows rose. “She show up at your place?”

Colt nodded and glanced down into the darkened creek bed.

Moonlight glinted on the surface of the water and the top of Zuri’s Corolla, which had been deposited on the bank. The rear tires were sunk in a foot of mud.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this on the down low for now,” Colt said quietly. “There’s more goin’ on here than just an accident.”

“She tell you that?”

“I have a hunch.” He jerked his chin toward the car. “You check it out?”

“Thought you might prefer to do the honors, boss.”

Colt snorted. Wade was one of his closest friends, and not the least impressed with his higher rank. “I’ll have a look. You stay up here and wait for the wrecker.”

Wade pushed back the brim of his hat. “You think she’s in some kind of trouble?”

“It’s Zuri.”

Wade grunted. “Point taken. Go satisfy your curiosity.”

Colt grabbed tall bushes and exposed tree roots as he slid sideways down the bank. When he reached the bottom, his boots sank into wet sand and gravel. The closer he drew, the less he liked the look of the car. Grass clung to every metallic crevice and seam. He pulled on the front passenger-seat door handle but it didn’t budge. Bracing himself, he tugged again and it opened, brackish water rushing from the interior.

Colt leaned on the door and peered inside, his belly knotting because he knew the car had been completely submerged at one point.

As unforgiving as a Texas flashflood could be, he knew Zuri had been lucky to escape with her life. And yet she’d acted as if it wasn’t a big deal. He scanned the interior, noted the driver’s window had been the only one opened. Anything that had been left inside the car on the seat or floors was now long gone.

Remembering her concern for the contents of her trunk and glove box, he hesitated for all of second before reaching across and popping the button to open the compartment. Water spilled out and he reached inside. His fingers wrapped around narrow bundles, and he pulled them out.

His heartbeat hammered against his chest as he gazed down at the money, still bound in soggy bank wrappers. This had to be what she’d been worried about.

He strummed his fingers across the ends and guessed he held a few thousand dollars in hundred dollar bills.

“You find something?” Wade shouted from above.

“Damn you, Zuri. Damn, damn…” Colt hung his head, breathing deeply to steady his heart. Zuri was in big trouble. No doubt she’d come up with a plausible explanation for carrying that much money stuffed inside her glove box. But she’d be lying. In his gut, he knew she’d broken the law.

He stuffed the cash into the front pockets of his jeans and turned. “Not a thing,” he lied, hating himself for the deception, and angry as hell at her for putting him in this position.

Zuri had a lot of explaining to do. After he gave her a chance to come clean, he’d decide what to do next. In his heart, he wanted to protect her. If he couldn’t, he’d never forgive himself. He hoped like hell he’d be left with a choice that wouldn’t end his career or smear his family’s name. If he hadn’t already done that.

Colt let himself into the bedroom and strode on bare feet toward the bed. He’d removed his soaked and muddy boots on the porch, not so much to keep the floors clean but so that no one would be alerted to his return.

Moonlight streamed through the windows, bathing the side of Zuri’s face in soft gray. In sleep, the deep lines that had bracketed her mouth were relaxed, and she looked like she had all those years ago when they’d fallen asleep in a jumble of limbs on the mattress in the cabin.

Shoving the memories behind him, he crouched beside the bed and covered her mouth with his hand.

Her eyes slammed open, and she gave a muffled shout.

“Shhhhh,” he said softly. “Not a word. Get up.” He waited until she grew still then slowly pulled his hand away.

“Colt?” she whispered.

“Not a damn word.” He turned to the chair beside the window, picked up his robe and tossed it at her. “Put this on. We’re goin’ someplace to talk.”

She sat slowly and raked back her hair, eyeing him with fear creeping across her tense features. She swung her bare legs to the side of the bed, rose swiftly and tugged down the hem of the dark T-shirt she’d worn to bed. She shrugged into the robe, belted it and followed his pointing finger toward the door. They walked silently through the house, out the front door and then he stepped down onto the path leading toward the barn.

“I need shoes.”

Fine gravel bit into the water-softened soles of his feet, but he shook his head. A little pain was deserved.

She clamped her lips closed and followed behind him, her steps crunching in the gravel. When they reached the barn, he jerked his head, telling her to get inside. Then he closed the door to lock them in together.

He walked through the darkness, found the light switch and flipped on the single bare light bulb suspended from the rafters. When he faced her, his expression was set in stern lines.

“What’s wrong? What’s happened?” she whispered. Then her gaze trailed down his body to his water-soaked pants and the mud staining the bottom of his blue jeans. Her gaze widened and shot back up to lock with his.

“I’m gonna give you a chance,” he bit out. “One chance to tell me the truth. If you do, I promise I’ll do everything I can to help you. But for once in your life, you have to play straight with me.”

Her mouth opened to speak, but her words died. Her chest rose and fell swiftly. “Why should I trust you?”

“Zuri, I’m all you’ve got. You don’t have a choice.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’ll be the judge.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to drag you into this.”

“I’m already there.” He reached into his pockets and pulled out the cash.

Her eyes closed; her head bowed. “I know it looks bad.”

“Baby, you have no idea.”

Zuri’s face crumpled, tears streaming from her eyes. “Colt, I swear I didn’t do it.”

He tightened his jaw and waited her out.

Her shoulders dropped. “There was a robbery yesterday…at the bank where I work. One armed man. He had a gun. Killed my boss.” She paused on a soft sob.

Colt kept silent but slapped the bills across his palm, no sign of compassion anywhere in the set of his steel-edged jaw. He was never going to believe her, had likely already decided she was guilty.

Still, she lifted her chin. “I’m being framed.”

Colt lay facing the window, unable to sleep. After the story he’d heard, he didn’t know what to think or believe. It was far-fetched, like a really bad made-for-TV movie. But unless Zuri had grown into one helluva an actress, it just might be true.

The sorry fact was he
wanted
it to be true. Then he’d know exactly what to do. He’d call in a friend from the FBI to give her protection until everything was sorted out.

If it wasn’t true, if she’d been stringing him along for a chance to lay low and make good her escape, he wasn’t sure he could turn her in. The thought of Zuri,
his Zuri
, spending the rest of her life in jail made him sick.

Which meant, for now, he couldn’t say anything to anyone outside his family.

He heard a sniff from the far side of the bed, but closed his eyes. Touching her now would be the wrong thing to do. He was angry, twisted up inside, confused about how he felt. The revenge he’d originally planned had been tossed out the door with the possibility she really was innocent. He’d be using her when she was her most vulnerable.