“Ms. Worthington is with me. Let me confirm the time.” He muted the call. “Bethany Applegate is willing to talk with you, tomorrow, nine P.M.”
Her eyes brightened. “That’s great.”
He tapped the mute button. “Senator, we’ll see you tomorrow.” After thanking her, he hung up.
“Thank you for setting that up for me.” She flipped open the laptop and logged in. “How was your ride?”
Was she distracted or maybe avoiding the obvious? This conversation was too important to force. “What’s got you working so late?”
“I got Joey’s last name—the pastoral counselor who’s latched on to my sister. I’m curious to see if he pops up in any of the databases.”
“He won’t if he doesn’t have a record or he uses an alias.”
“I’ve gotta start somewhere, right?” She opened a people-search database and typed in his name. Then, she repeated that with four more databases used by law enforcement. She added name variations like Joseph Thomason and Thomason Joseph. As the software searched for hits, she slid her gaze to his. “Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Us.”
She stilled. “Last night was a one-off. We were in a kink club and we played together.” She shook her head. “That can’t happen again.”
While pausing to digest her words, he pushed up the sleeves of his black sweater and tugged down the quarter-zip. Her eyes tracked his every action.
“I want to be around you every fucking moment. I want to make all your problems go away. I want to kiss you, to be inside you.” He leaned back in the chair. “I miss you when we’re not together and I can’t focus on anything but being with you when we are.”
Chaotic energy whirled around them while they stared into each other’s eyes.
“All I want to do is—” She pursed her lips.
“The same thing I want to do to you, Evan.”
“This isnothow I work a case or get things done. I’m all about control, until I get within three feet of you, and then I have none. Until I can get a handle on myself, I’ve got to go this alone.”
And on those words, she left.
Walking away wouldn’t change how they felt, but he understood her rationale. She couldn’t control her actions or her feelings, so she was resorting to distance.That’s not gonna work, either.
He pulled a spare Glock from his safe before throwing on his jacket and gloves. With helmet in hand, he strode out.
Once outside, he mounted his bike, pulled on his helmet, and took off. The frigid night air did nothing to cool the heat coursing through him. He wanted her, but more than that, he wanted her to admit her feelings. Shutting him out and hiding behind her tough exterior wasn’t doing either of them any good.
He parked in front of her apartment building. The street was quiet, no sign of Evangeline. On the sidewalk, he removed his helmet and called her on her cell. A phone rang behind him and he turned.
With each step she took, heat infused his chest. Crashing into him, she kissed him, hard. “Come inside. I’m going to fuck you.”
Her raw words dripped with sensuality. This wasn’t a request. This was a damn demand.
And he was all in.
Linking fingers, they entered the building and hurried down the hallway, their jagged breaths cutting through the tense silence. With a sense of urgency, she fished out her keys, whipped the door open, and rushed inside.
The second he shut the door, she backed him against it. Her mouth was on his, her sexy, ravenous sounds turning guttural. The hunger in her kisses was voracious. She was on fire and unstoppable.
The kissing continued until she pushed off him, gasping for breath, her eyes wild with need. She yanked off her sweater, kicked off her shoes, and wiggled out of her jeans, leaving her in a pale pink push-up bra and matching panties. He paused to soak up her beautiful curves and those fantastic legs. Groaning, the adrenaline pounded through him, turning him into a massive ball of need.Jesus, I won’t last five minutes.
He threw his jacket on her sofa and she tugged his sweater over his head. Though her breathing was out of control, her actions were deliberate.
“You look so damn hot in those leathers, but I can’t fuck you in them.”
Boots, pants, boxers—gone in seconds. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around him, attaching herself like a monkey. He held her tightly while she ground against him, devouring him with her ferocious kisses.
