Stripped Bare (3 page)

“Then I think maybe after we do a thorough look through of your sister’s stuff, we should set up a time to talk to Nicole about what was going on with Chloe,” Shep said.

Stace nodded her head. Her mind was buzzing with different thoughts. “Another thing to consider is that they didn’t care if her stuff was found, didn’t care who she called,” she said. “They were either confident that it wouldn’t matter.” She paused unable to voice the other possibility.

“Or they didn’t plan on keeping her that long,” Shep said. “Meaning they either killed her or sold her.” He reached a hand out to take Stace’s and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t mean to upset you or sound cold. I’m just trying to say that we need to think about every possibility. At this point we know nothing, so we can’t omit anything.”

She nodded. Chloe’s death was a possibility she had to face. Her sister had been missing for a month.

Shep turned back to the wheel and put the truck in gear, pulling back onto the road. Neither of them talked while he headed toward the farmhouse.

“Here,” she said pointing to the winding drive that would lead to her house.

She jumped out as soon as the truck came to a stop reaching into the back for her bag before turning toward the house. She felt Shep on the steps behind her as she unlocked the door and opened it. Pushing inside she dropped her bag and turned to face him. He stepped in and shut the door behind him placing his bag beside hers.

“It’s hard to be here without her,” Stace admitted. The house was too quiet, too empty. It seemed to settle on her shoulders like a mantle of guilt for all the times she hadn’t been around. Everywhere she looked she saw signs of her sister. This was more Chloe’s house than it ever would be Stace’s.

“I can’t imagine,” Shep said reaching out to take her hand and give it a squeeze. The man really was gorgeous with all that shaggy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. What she could see of his body let her know that he took care of himself. She wanted to get him naked.
Soon.

His eyes flared as if he could read her thoughts and in moments she found herself trapped between him and the wall. He leaned in and kissed her, stroking his tongue inside and exploring every crevice of her mouth. She batted his tongue with hers and he scraped his teeth over it before sucking it. She could feel her pussy flooding and contracting, eager to feel any part of him there.

He leaned in and rubbed her body with his. She felt the hard bulge of his cock and rubbed her hard, tight nipples against his chest. Her arms reached for him eager to grab, hold and touch. But Shep eased back from her putting distance between them.

“I want you,” he said softly. “You want me.” There was a wicked twinkle in his eyes now. “But don’t think I won’t make you work for it.”

She laughed, just burst out and laughed. He’d managed to break the tension that held her in place just inside the entryway. For the first time since entering the house she could really breathe.

“Why don’t you show me where to put my bag for now and then we’ll take a look at Chloe’s stuff,” Shep said.

“Follow me,” Stace said and wondered if he would really protest if she led him to her bedroom.

Chapter Three

Shep tossed his bag on the bed in the room that he was shown to. He took note that her bedroom was directly across the hall. Hell, he’d wanted nothing more than to strip her and lift her against that wall earlier. He could imagine how she would slide onto his cock as he eased her down his length. His cock was as hard as granite. And his thoughts weren’t doing anything to ease him. He needed to focus on why he was here more, and less on whom he was here with.

Stace stepped into the doorway. Her long dark hair now hung loose over her shoulders and down her back. It looked so long and silky and he wanted to feel it brushing over his skin, his chest, his stomach. Her tongue darted out to lick over her plump bottom lip and he craved that tongue, wanted to feel it glide over his shaft, lick across the head of his cock.

“Penny for your thoughts,” she murmured and he gave a chuckle.

“Sure about that?” he queried.

Stace smiled and, damn, she was beautiful. “How about we resume this conversation later?”

“Sounds good,” she agreed turning back toward the hall and leading him out of the room and down the hall. “Chloe’s room is this way. I put her book bag and purse in her room when I picked them up from the police.”

They entered the room and Shep noticed the change in Stace’s breathing as she looked at her sister’s things, saw the touch of sadness and worry that couldn’t be missed in her eyes. He wanted to pull her close and comfort her but now wasn’t the time. Now was the time to work on finding Chloe and ending Stace’s worry.

“Why don’t you dump the purse out on the bed and really look through all her stuff while I fire up her computer?” Shep offered.

Stace’s only reply was a sigh before she picked up her sister’s purse and dumped it out. Shep could see the anxiety in her eyes but there was no missing the confidence in the way she carried herself. She wouldn’t give up until she found her sister, one way or another.

“This one hers?” he asked as he moved over to the desk against the back wall and the laptop that sat there.

“Yes,” Stace replied glancing up as she worked her hands through the purse contents spreading them out all over the bed.

Shep sat down and fired it up. The first thing he did was take a look at all the documents and files on her computer. Most had to do with school. He hit the button for her internet connection and hoped she was one of the people who saved her passwords to her computer. She had as it automatically logged right into her email and he could see tabs saved across the top that would lead him to other places she might have left information.

He wasn’t sure when Stace left the room. He took the time required to go through every file on the computer and still came up empty-handed. There was nothing there to point them in a particular direction. He powered the computer down and stood. He stretched his back groaning as he looked at his watch and saw that he’d been at it for over an hour. He headed down the stairs and followed the laughter to the kitchen.

Griff was here and Shep could smell the pizza. His stomach rumbled and he hoped Griff had brought enough. He stepped into the kitchen to see Griff putting paper plates out on the table. Stace was sitting on the counter with a beer in her hand sipping as she watched Griff. She’d ditched her socks and shoes at some point and he loved the way she swung her bare feet. They both glanced his way as he entered. He moved toward Stace.

“Smells good,” he said. He was going to stop beside where Stace sat on the counter but when she spread her thighs he couldn’t resist the invitation and moved to stand right between them.

“Beer?” she asked casually, as if they stood this way all the time.

“Yeah,” he answered and she reached over and popped the top off one of the bottles sitting next to her before handing it to him.

“Pizza and beer,” she murmured smiling.
“Doesn’t get much better than this.”

Ahhh, hell.
She was perfect.
Shep might just fall in love.

“Woman after my own heart,” Griff said with a grin as he opened one of the pizza boxes and grabbed a couple of slices to put on a plate. “We’ve got everything, all meat, and one that has
like
twenty different kinds of cheese or something like that.”

“What do you want?” Shep asked as he sat his beer by her thigh and moved toward the table grabbing a plate for each of them.

“Give me one of each,” Stace said and Shep loaded two plates with one of each. He handed her a plate then moved back between her thighs, turning to face Griff while they ate.

No one spoke for a bit as they were too busy eating. After they had each had another plateful they finally began to wind down. Shep loved the fact that Stace ate. She didn’t pick, didn’t eat one and set her plate aside. She was keeping up with him and Griff and that was a big turn-on. A woman who could eat like that would have the energy to play hard later and he knew just what they could play.

“So did you find anything?” Shep asked Griff.

“That Tark’s is indeed wall-to-wall people,” Griff said. “If they said that they remembered her but not who she was with or where, then chances are they aren’t lying. That place is crazy. I have no idea where all those people come from.”

“Tark’s has always been the place to go,” Stace offered.

“I spoke with several of the staff and they honestly either didn’t see Chloe or did but don’t recall anything other than they saw her there,” Griff said. “I believe them. After looking around tonight, the flow of people in and out is crazy. Hell I could remember faces that I saw tonight but not what they did while they were there. And this isn’t even a Friday.”

“Did your sister go there often?” Shep asked.

“I don’t think so,” Stace said. “She’d just turned twenty-one this year though. I’m sure Nicole would know more. I spoke with her earlier and she’s agreed to stop by tomorrow after her morning classes.”

“Great,” Shep said. “It will help if we can find out if Chloe went there often or if this was an impromptu stop.”

“I know she didn’t go there often but I don’t know if that Friday was a planned visit or not,” Stace said sipping her second beer.

“We’ll see what we can find out from Nicole in the morning,” Shep said. “Did you find anything of importance in your sister’s purse?”

“Nothing out of place,” Stace said. “Her wallet didn’t hold any secret numbers or notes or receipts. Compact and gloss in side pocket with a couple condoms. Some pens, peppermints and pack of gum.”

“Condoms?”
Griff asked. “Was your sister dating someone?”

“Once again, not that I know of,” Stace replied holding her hand up before either guy could say anything. “But she’s heard enough from me to know to practice safe sex. Her body so she can’t depend on a guy to have protection.”

“Smart woman,” Shep said.

“The condoms came from a box I keep in the bathroom,” Stace said letting her gaze lock with Shep’s. “Only two missing are the ones in her purse.”

So Stace had them covered when it came to protection. Good to know. Of course he had a box in his bag as well. So there was no limit to the amount of fun they could have.

“So what time are Nicole’s classes over?” Griff asked. “It seems like everything at this point depends on what we can find out from her.”

“Her class finishes at eleven forty-five,” Stace said. “So she said she would be here around one.”

“All right,” Griff said.
“Been a long day guys, so I’m hitting the hay.”

“You remember the way to the bedroom?” Stace asked.

“Down the hall last door on the left,” Griff said.

“Bathroom is right across the hall,” Stace offered.

“Shower sounds really good right now,” Griff said. “I’ll catch you both in the morning.”

“Night,” Shep said.

Griff slapped Shep on the shoulder as he passed and sent a wink toward Stace. “I’ve got my iPod with me so if you need me for some reason you’ll have to come get me. I won’t be able to hear a thing.”

Shep grinned. Stace laughed. Griff just whistled and headed out the door and down the hall.

Shep turned to face the counter and Stace inched forward until their hips met at just the right point. He rocked his hard cock against the denim covered vee of her thighs. She moaned and rotated her hips up and into him.

“I’ve been working really hard today,” she vowed.

“We both have,” Shep agreed.

“I’d say that I worked hard enough,” she said wrapping her legs up around his waist and pressing hard into him. “Wouldn’t you?”

“Hell, yes,” Shep said.

“Why don’t we move upstairs?” she whispered into his ear and Shep scooped her up off the counter cradling her weight in his arms as he turned with her still wrapped around his waist and headed out the door and toward the stairs.

“Your room or mine?” he asked.

“King-size bed with connecting door to the bathroom and the box of condoms,” Stace murmured as she licked a path up his neck to his ear. “I’d say my room.”

Shep just groaned as her teeth found his earlobe and began to nibble. He had no idea how they made it up the stairs and to her room without him losing control and taking her against a wall. But he was determined to not mess this up. He wanted more than one night with her and that made this first time all the more important.

He stepped into her room and using one hand he eased the door shut behind them before leaning against it. Stace wiggled and he guided her as she slid her legs from around his waist and eased them down his legs to the floor. She leaned into him and with a moan moved her lips over his. He cupped the back of her head and plunged his tongue into her mouth rubbing and thrusting against hers in this delicious play of what they would enjoy with the rest of their bodies later.

She stepped back from him and before he could say or do anything she had moved through a connecting door. He heard a cabinet open and close and she was back with the box of condoms. She placed them on the bedside table dumping a few out for easy reach before turning back to him.

“You’re still going to have to work for it,” she grinned as she reached for the hem of her shirt. “I like a lot of foreplay,” she warned.

“I think I can manage that,” Shep said watching as that shirt slipped higher revealing her taut abs and then her black, lace-encased breasts.
Full, high and perfect.
He couldn’t wait to get them in his hands, feel the tight buds of her nipples against his tongue.

“But just so you don’t feel slighted,” she added as she dropped the shirt to the floor at her feet. “I like to give foreplay just as much as I like to get it.”

His cock jerked behind his zipper at the thought of the wet heat of her mouth taking him in, sucking and licking him. Hell this verbal foreplay was better than any sex he’d had lately. “I like that quality in a woman,” Shep said watching as she moved her hand to the snap of her jeans and released it.