She found the rhythm. The right one that would wring out every drop of this, and just when she had him right at the brink, Jack reached between her legs to touch her, to give her a little boost to take her to climax with him. Before he could do that, though, she hauled him up to a sitting position so they were face-to-face.
The kiss came. It wasn’t filled with hungry greed this time. This was gentle. Soft.
And whispering his name, Caroline wrapped her arms around him and finished them together.
Chapter Fourteen
Caroline didn’t bother wondering if having sex with Jack was yet another mistake. It probably was. Loss of focus and all that. But she refused to regret what had happened and figured Jack was on the same page with her. He certainly wasn’t doing anything to move her off him in the bed. In fact, he looked pleasured and satisfied.
It wouldn’t last, though.
No. Not for her cowboy lawman.
Soon, very soon, he’d start to see the problems that this sort of intimacy would cause for the investigation. That didn’t mean Jack didn’t love her. He did. But clearly in his mind, this would put a little tarnish on his badge and a whole lot more tarnish on his judgment. It had to be hard to think straight when feelings ran this hot and deep for someone in his protective custody.
Hoping to stop his guilt trip before it started, Caroline lifted her head and kissed Jack right on that incredible mouth of his. Rolling off him, she landed on her back next to him.
“Just remember that I’m the one who started this round,” she said.
His breathing was still a little uneven when he turned on his side and looked at her. “I sure didn’t do anything to stop you.”
“It wouldn’t have worked if you’d tried,” Caroline assured him. “And that’s all the whining we’re allowed over this.” She gave him another kiss—a quick, almost chaste one—and she forced herself off the bed. “I’m getting dressed so I can start doingcomputer checks and calls to look for Grace. Besides, Clarie might be wondering where we got off to.”
“Clarie’s smart,” Jack grumbled. “She’ll figure it out.”
True, which would make it awkward when Jack and she came out of the bedroom and faced the deputy. Still, it had to be done because Clarie was no doubt working on the case, as well. She might not approve of them rolling around in the sack while she did the job.
Since her clothes were scattered everywhere, it meant traipsing around the room naked while she gathered them. Jack watched, of course, as if entertained by the peep show. But then he huffed, got up and started doing the same thing.
Caroline certainly got some entertainment of her own by seeing his incredible body flex and move, and she reminded herself that they wouldn’t get any work done if she kept gawking at him.
“You do know we’re going to have to do something, well, drastic, to draw our attacker out in the open?” she threw out there, knowing it would get his mind back where it needed to be.
Of course, he wouldn’t like that worddrastic, and Jack expressed that dislike with a scowl. Then a huff, which actually softened his expression. “Look, I know you’re upset about Scotty’s death, but—”
That was as far as he got with his protest before his phone rang. His jeans were still on the floor, so Jack had to rummage around to locate it.
Caroline didn’t exactly breathe easier when she saw Kellan’s name on the screen. That was because he could be calling with more bad news. She hurried to finish dressing in case Jack and she had to do something right away. Jack answered the call, and he put it on speaker.
“We got an ID on the dead gunman,” Kellan said the moment he was on the line. “The name’s probably not going tomean anything to you. Amos Treadwell. He’s got a record and reputation for being a spine cracker for loan sharks and other lowlifes.”
So just a hired gun. That did nothing to make her feel better about any of this, because a paid killer could have done just as much damage as the person who’d hired him, or more.
“Please tell me that you can link Treadwell to one of our suspects,” Jack told his brother.
“I wish.” Kellan sounded disgusted that he hadn’t been able to do that. “But the CSIs did get something when they went through his pockets. Treadwell had other targets, and he’d written down the names on what he called his ‘to-do list.’”
Caroline felt a fresh coil of fear slide through her. “What names?” she heard herself ask.
Kellan took his time answering, and that let her know she wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. “Scotty, Grace, Jack, you and me.”
No, she didn’t like it, but it wasn’t much of a surprise. At least the first four weren’t, but she hadn’t expected Kellan to be on that list. Obviously, neither had Jack, because his now tight jaw muscles went to war with each other.
“Why would Treadwell plan to kill you?” Jack demanded.
She had no trouble hearing the long breath that Kellan took before he answered. “The person who hired Treadwell probably thinks Caroline has spilled all by now and that you spilled it to me.” Kellan paused, cursed. “The person could go after Gemma, too.”
Or anyone else in Jack’s family. That could include his partner, friends. The list could go on and on.
