Rising Heat (72 page)

I glanced down at the screen on my iPhone. Hawk. I was going to give him a piece of my mind. I picked up the phone and clicked the answer button. Before I had a chance to speak, Hawk was shouting at me.

“Tracy, where the hell are you?”

He sounded furious. Well, damn it, I was too. “I might ask you the same thing,” I snapped. “I’ve been trying to call you!”

“Where are you? Why did you leave the—?”

“You were supposed to be watching! You are supposed to be protecting me! Why weren’t you there when I needed you?”

“What happened? Where are you?”

I couldn’t help it. My voice began to shake with emotion, and to my horror, I began to cry. I choked back the tears. “Walmart parking lot. He called me.”

“Tracy, what—?”

I lost it. “The stalker, Hawk! He called my motel room!” Silence. “Did you hear me?”

“Come to my office,” he said, his voice sharp. “I’ll be waiting at the entrance.”

The call disconnected. While I was relieved to finally hear from him, I also wanted to know where he had been. Then again, he hadn’t said he was going to stake out the motel the entire night, did he?

I glanced out the window and realized that dawn was just brightening the eastern sky. More cars had pulled into the parking lot. I had slept for maybe an hour, surprising really, considering my state of mind. And stupid. What if the stalker had followed me here? He could easily have — no, don’t think like that.

I turned the ignition key and my truck rumbled to life. I quickly pulled out of the parking lot and headed downtown. I wanted to go home. I wanted this to be over.

I tried to keep my emotions in check, not jump to conclusions, but I couldn’t help but feel let down and alone. Abandoned. I knew that was silly. Hawk couldn’t watch me twenty-four hours a day. Still. By the time I drove up to the building that housed his office and the quilt store, I felt completely worn out, emotionally and physically.

Hawk emerged from the shop when I pulled my truck up. He didn’t say anything. I opened my door, climbed out and after locking the truck, followed him into the building. He locked the front door behind us. The quilt shop was dark and silent, smelling of fabrics. He wordlessly headed upstairs.

His office was dimly lit with a small desk lamp, but it was warm and offered a sense of security. Trying to maintain as much of my unraveling emotions as I could, I turned to him.

“Where the hell have you been?” I demanded. I tried to sound forceful but my voice trembled. So did my lower lip. Tears brimmed behind my eyes. “I needed you. You weren’t there!” I choked back a sob. “You said you would be there. You said—”

“Tracy,” he said, reaching for my shoulders. “Calm down—”

I tried to push against him, but that was like trying to knock over a brick wall. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Hawk! The bastard called on the motel phone! How did he know I was there? What am I supposed to do? I can’t do this… I can’t—”

“I was there for several hours after you went inside.” He spoke softly, calmly. “No one came near the motel—”

“But why did you leave? Where did you go?” I hated the sound of my whiny voice, but I couldn’t help it.

“I went to see one of my CI’s—”

“What? Your what?”

“One of my confidential informants. The police aren’t the only ones who use them. There’s a guy I’ve known for a while. If anything is happening on the streets, he knows about it.”

I looked at him, hope burgeoning. At the same time I tried to tamp it down. “Does he know anything?”

“He’s heard about the murders in the other towns, and so has just about everyone else living in the shadows.”

I knew what he was talking about. Every town, no matter how rural, had its dark side. The homeless. The prostitutes. The runaways. The night people.

“He’s going to keep his ears to the ground. None of the girls on the street have been approached by a stranger in the last week, but they’re pretty much working in pairs until they get picked up by a John. Safer that way.”

Okay, I could understand him going to talk to an informant, but why hadn’t he answered his phone? I asked.

“I turned it off when I found him, Tracy,” he explained. “I’m sorry. I always do that when I’m talking to one of my resources. Makes them feel safer.”

“I tried to call you several times,” I said. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know whether I should stay at the motel or go find another one or—”

I suddenly found myself in his arms. I wasn’t sure if I had reached for him or he had reached for me. He enveloped me within his grasp, pressing the back of my head into his shoulder. My arms were wrapped around his waist. God, I was so needy.

“Tell me what happened.”

“The phone in the motel room rang at three-thirty this morning.” Just the memory of it made me shiver. Hawk pulled me closer. He felt so warm, so solid. Once again, I felt the overwhelming sense of security that his body provided. But I couldn’t allow myself to become distracted. “How did he find me there, Hawk?”

“What did he say?”

“I know where you are.”

“What?”

“That’s what he said.
I know where you are.”
I looked up at him.

Once again, my emotions rose to the surface. Fear mixed with anxiety. I tried to push myself out of his grasp. Then the tears came. I tried to blink them back, tried to gain control of my emotions, but the events of the past few hours had ripped any sense of calm from me.

The next thing I knew, Hawk’s lips were brushing against one of my cheeks, kissing a tear away. I felt an instantaneous response. Dammit! I tried to pull away again, but not too forcefully. I realized that it was only a half-hearted effort. Before I could say anything, his lips were on mine. Gentle. Soothing. Comforting.

His kiss deepened and I responded. Adrenaline? I didn’t know. I wanted to be angry at him for not protecting me, for not being there when I needed him. I needed to trust him. Every cell in my body was trembling now, not just from my emotions, but the physical sensations that Hawk’s kiss was evoking within me.

I wasn’t sure I wanted this, but I couldn’t deny my body’s reaction. Once again, I felt my heartbeat accelerate. An odd excitement raced through my veins. My hands grasped his shoulders, hung on tight as his kiss deepened. His tongue delved inside my mouth and began to play tag with mine. I responded in kind.

I felt needy, desperate, for what I didn’t know, but at the moment all I could think about was the sensations racing through me, touching every part of me. I know it sounds cliché, but my knees felt weak and I leaned against him, relying on him to support me. He did that and more.

The next thing I knew, we were both on our knees on the padded Indian rug in front of his desk. I hadn’t really noticed it the first time I entered his office, but then again, I wasn’t exactly taking in his decor. It was soft, cushiony. And then we were both lying on that carpet side-by-side, facing each other, arms wrapped around one another. He broke off the kiss. His face close to mine, he spoke. “We shouldn’t… I should make some coffee—”

“No,” I whispered a moan, surprised at myself. “Not yet.” I tugged on his shirt, pulling him closer. I wanted him. Needed him. I couldn’t begin to explain it and I wasn’t even going to try. A second later, his lips were on mine again. My hands were wrapped around his strong, muscled back, trying to pull him closer to me. One of his hands threaded its way underneath my T-shirt and cupped my breast.

I hissed as his thumb brushed across my nipple. It puckered in response, sending an electrical jolt down to my already awakening center. I thrust my breasts upward, an instinctual yearning igniting the embers deep within my belly. My blood felt like it was on fire. My breathing accelerated.

I grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt and struggled to yank it upward. He made a sound in his throat, much like a laugh, and then he leaned back and removed it himself. The desk lamp bathed him in a soft glow of light. His muscles rippled. That gorgeous tattoo moved with an undulating grace. His skin was hot and smooth. I felt my pussy clench at the sight of him.

Impatient, I shoved my T-shirt up high onto my chest and felt a thrill as I saw him gaze at my breasts. Even without touching me, that look hardened my nipples, made my breasts tingle and ache for his touch.

“Hawk…”

I reached up for him again, pressing him closer, my fingers splayed against his warm skin. His chest pressed against mine, we shared another hungry kiss. His lips were demanding, almost aggressively so, but I was also feeling much the same. I felt emboldened by his response and thrust my tongue deep inside his mouth, tangling with his. And then it wasn’t enough to stroke his back, to trace my fingers along his triceps, nor to feel the bulge of muscle and the veins on his biceps.

I rolled onto my back and urged him on top of me. He obliged, straddling my legs. I felt the hardness of his cock against my lower abdomen. My hands strayed downward toward his pants. His mouth hovered over one of my nipples, his warm breath causing it to tighten and tingle with intense desire. My nipples now had a life of their own, aching for his touch as much as I longed for it. And then he was circling first one nipple with his tongue, then suckling, then circling again.

I tried to unbutton his pants, but he made a noise low in his throat and then leaned upward again, balancing his weight on his elbows. His tongue and lips were doing a number on my breasts. His long, black, silky hair hung down on either side of his face, brushing mine. I gave up on his pants for a minute and threaded my fingers through his hair. It was heavy, thick, and so smooth. I wanted to tangle my fingers in it.

I was distracted when his fingers reached for my pants. Together we managed to get them off even though his lips kept seeking my nipple. His other hand caressed my waist, down along my hips, and then my thigh. Heat. That’s all I felt wherever he touched me. I finally managed to get my shoes off, and then my pants. I hadn’t bothered to put on panties, of which Hawk took full advantage.

He leaned upward again, his lips on mine, his tongue delving deep into my mouth while his other hand caressed my belly, then inched ever lower. It was if he was giving me a chance to stop him, but I didn’t want to. The feelings I was experiencing were too delicious.

“Touch me, Hawk,” I implored, my voice soft and husky. I was brazen enough to place one of my hands over his hand and guide it toward my wet spot. His fingers gently caressed my mound and then slid lower, delving between my lips and along the length of wetness there. My heart pounded so fast now my ears began to ring. My hands were everywhere, exploring every inch of his skin, his musculature, wanting to grab onto his cock, but I couldn’t reach his pants anymore.

I groaned in complaint, but once again, he merely chuckled. And then his lips left my breasts, immediately replaced by his fingers. Those gifted fingers tweaked and played with my nipples as his lips traversed my abdomen. He left a trail of heat with his lips, his kisses, and his tongue. I bent my knees and spread them, inviting him to explore every inch of me. He teased, his hot tongue tracing a path of fire just inside my hip bone, down along my thigh, and then back up again.

My pussy throbbed in anticipation. My muscles began to contract with expectation. Then, in answer to the noises coming out of my throat, the warmth of his tongue suddenly covered my lips, suckling. Then his tongue swept upward to my clitoris, circled lazily, and then he suckled again. Lick, swirl, and suckle. My nerves zinged and my blood hummed.

I had never felt so passionate, so excited. Never in my life had I experienced this surge of sensations. Hawk was especially gifted, and he knew just how long to tease before he offered relief. It seemed to go on forever, this exquisite torture that he was able to perform with his fingers and his mouth.

It didn’t take long for my hips to respond. Soon, with every stroke of his tongue, my hips lifted in answer. My hands were on his head, my fingers wrapped around tendrils of his long hair. And then, I went over the edge. Stars burst behind my eyelids. I felt as if I was dripping over a cliff onto a rocky and wavy shore, the waves undulating with ever increasing frequency and intensity as my climax filled every cell in my body. I felt myself riding the waves of pleasure, making small, satisfied noises as Hawk devoted his complete attention to my pleasure.

And then, as I rode those waves, he moved up next to me, pulling me close to his body, one hand cupped over my breast. I panted, tried to control my breathing, but it took me a good minute to get to the point where I could breathe normally again.

As we lay there in the semi-darkness, I struggled with my emotions and feelings, not sure what it was about him that compelled me so. Was it adrenaline? My fright? I felt confused and uncertain. There was no doubt that he pleased me sexually, no doubt whatsoever. But what were these other feelings and how deep did they go?

Was I falling for Hawk? Could I be? I dared not look at him, not right now. I didn’t want him to see my thoughts, which might very well be written plainly on my face. For now, his warmth, his strength, and his quiet assurance would have to be enough. Finally, my heartbeat returning to a relative normal, I looked up at him and grinned.

“Your turn.”

MY HEART’S DESIRE

H
ELEN
G
REY

PART 3

BOOK DESCRIPTION

This is Part 3 of “My Heart’s Desire” – a five part Bad Boy Romantic Suspense Series by Helen Grey.

After news of another murder, Tracy agrees to hide out in Hawk’s cabin for the time being. There, she learns a few secrets about Hawk’s past; things that leave her confused and uncertain. Who can she count on? Who can she trust?

Then another message finds her:
‘You can’t hide from me.’

She knows she can’t, not forever.

Angry and vulnerable, she demands to go home for the day. Just one day of normal is all she wants. She’s done hiding. She won’t let the stalker control her life.