I kissed her again, this time with abandon. She had no idea what she’d just started. As I swept my tongue inside once again, she gripped my shirt, arching her back. The feel of having her in my arms was incredible, pushing every boundary.
Every moan she whispered I captured. The taste of her was so damn sweet I was lightheaded. Just when I thought I was about to drag her inside, pitching her on my bed, she pushed away.
Her laugh was playful and when she dragged the tip of her tongue around her lips, the ache in my balls increased.
Goddamn it. What the hell was I going to do with her?
I sensed Alexia was in danger and I had every intention of keeping her safe. Other than the laws of the land, I wasn’t hindered by the guidelines forced on me as an agent. However, going after a ghost wouldn’t do either one of us any good.
“What are we doing here?” Alexia asked. Her voice was alluring, the slight look she offered playful. Now she was teasing me.
“I think you know the answer.” Although I wasn’t certain I did. Since the initial meeting in the bookstore, the attraction had been undeniable. Everything she’d said personally, including appreciating the dominating side of my characters had exposed the same darkness inside of her that I usually kept buried deep within me.
A longing that could be considered sadistic if not completely possessive in nature.
She studied me for a few seconds, taking another sip of her wine. “I don’t want to get hurt.”
“And you think I’m that kind of man?”
Every laugh dragged the primal cravings to the surface. “Are you?”
“Well, I don’t intend on hurting you, at least emotionally. Will there be pain involved? Perhaps. But I know that’s whatyou want and what you need.” We were close enough I could concentrate on the bobbing pulse on the side of her neck. I was pushing every button.
And I just didn’t care. The longing for her was already off the charts.
She couldn’t deny what I was telling her. “You know what I need?”
“Yes. Intimately. Come here, Alexia.” I even beckoned her with a single finger.
“Why?” The little vixen ran the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip again.
“Because I commanded you to do so.”
She studied her glass for a full ten seconds before obeying, lifting her head as she approached. “Yes, Mr. Callahan?”
I took her wineglass from her hand, placing both drinks on the outside table. Then I cupped her face, rubbing her jaw as I’d done before. Within seconds, the tension eased, the bright moon rising over the ocean water adding a shimmering reflection to her eyes. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. “I need to see all of you. Every inch.”
“What if I don’t obey?”
“Then I guess you’ll learn the truth about me.”
“Which is?”
“Exactly what I told you. That I’m no hero and certainly no saint.” I lowered my head, kissing the top of her forehead.
“You must have me confused,” she mused. “I never said anything about you being a saint. But I did experience your heroic qualities. That’s not something you can deny.”
Rescuing then protecting her had been the only thing on my mind all those years ago. Here we were all over again.
I continued to tell myself the phone call was likely nothing more than a copycat. That should be the truth, but the nagging sensations remained.
With her hand in mine, I led her through the house. She didn’t fight me even as the air between us crackled with a heavy weight of electricity.
Copycat freaks determined to have their fifteen minutes of fame had haunted the operators at the FBI after Samuel’s arrest, keeping the employees busy. Even I’d chased my share of false leads in my attempt to mend fences as well as keep a single scrap of evidence from being considered tainted.
After Samuel had been tried, convicted, and tossed in a maximum-security prison, his notoriety had kept the crazies fed on his brand of crack. It had taken two full years for the shit show to dry up and the nutcases to shift their attention and efforts to another psychopath.
By then, even I’d moved onto another case. Another horror. Another situation where justice hadn’t been served. At least in my mind.
