Crime & Passion (8 page)

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to,”
Stone said sharply. “I told you she was off limits until this case
is over.”

Donovan balled his hand into a fist. “I’m not
leaving her while she’s so afraid.”

“You’re always thinking with your dick.”

Donovan clenched his teeth together and
swallowed back an angry retort. He didn’t need this job. With his
record of arrests and convictions, he’d be welcome anywhere in the
state.

Then again, after what happened in Los
Angeles, he didn’t want to go back there. He didn’t want to go
anywhere with a high crime rate, and those would be the places
needing additional cops right now. He’d have to play nice with
Stone.

“Look, Chief, I understand what you’re
saying. I know my reputation.” Donovan kept his voice as level as
possible. “Miss Scott has made it painfully clear she isn’t
interested in me as a man. She has, however, asked for my
protection, and I promised it to her.”

“Finally found one you couldn’t fool, huh,
Andrews?” Stone laughed. “I’ll send Sanders to deal with collecting
evidence and let you take care of Miss Scott if that’s what she
wants. I know you’re not on duty, but take her statement and make
sure she isn’t late for the sketch artist.”

Donovan let out a relieved sigh. “I can
handle that. Thanks.”

“One more thing, Andrews.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Don’t make me regret this, or I’ll make your
life hell.”

The phone clicked in his ear and Donovan hung
up, glad Stone had relented. He would have had to risk disobeying
his superior officer otherwise. Something about this scenario
didn’t sit well with him. Donovan didn’t think Stephanie Johnson
would trouble herself to kill a dog and scare Madeline, even if she
did kill Frank—she was only thinking about her kids now.

Someone else was behind this, and Donovan
didn’t trust anyone with Maddie until he knew who it was.

***

Madeline put on lip gloss before slicking her
hair into a ponytail. She felt more in control of herself now that
she had showered. She grabbed her dirty clothes off the floor and
filled the tub with cold water. Brutus’ blood probably wouldn’t
come clean from her clothing, but at least she could try soaking
it.

Tears misted her eyes and Madeline blinked
them back. Poor Brutus! Donovan would know the name of the vet so
she could check on the dog’s progress.

“Donovan?” she called, stepping out of the
bathroom into her bedroom.

Surprisingly enough, he wasn’t in the room
sniffing her panties or some other equally disturbing activity.
Donovan didn’t seem to realize so much of what he did was improper.
Then again, most women probably didn’t question him, afraid of
being dumped if they raised any protest about his actions.

She’d half expected him to claim he needed to
stay in the same room with her while she showered—to offer proper
protection, of course. Almost before they left the parking lot at
Woofy Cuts, Madeline questioned her intelligence level at begging
him to stay with her.

However, when they arrived at the apartment,
he surprised her by asking for a measuring tape and telling her to
enjoy the shower. The fact that Donovan hadn’t made any
inappropriate remarks was nothing short of astonishing.

Maybe, buried deep inside and strongly
suppressed, a gentleman actually dwells inside him.

Madeline walked into the living room, closing
the bedroom door behind her. “Where are you hiding, Donovan?”

“I’m in the kitchen,” he called. “Have a
seat. You’re just in time.”

“For what?”

Donovan appeared in the doorway to the
kitchen, carrying the tea service on a tray. “I figured you could
use a cup of chamomile to calm you before we head to the
station.”

As he set the tray on the coffee table,
Madeline took a seat on the couch. She schooled her face into a
neutral position, trying not to let Donovan see the shock she felt.
Apparently the gentleman lurked closer to the surface than his
prior actions lead her to believe.

“I hope you don’t mind me rummaging through
your kitchen.” He poured two mugs and handed her one.

“The kitchen is definitely a better place
than my bedroom.” She took a small sip and smiled. “Thanks. It was
thoughtful of you.”

Donovan sat next to her and his thigh brushed
against hers. Madeline tried to ignore the heat of him, the way he
seemed to fill the entire room. She wanted to snuggle against his
side and let his arms soothe away her fear.

She took another swallow of tea, wondering
where those feelings came from. Sure, she found Donovan attractive
physically, but he changed women more often than he changed
underwear.

I don’t want him,
she reminded
herself.
It’s just some sort of instinct. He acts like the
strong alpha male and my hormones are urging me to breed with him.
Damn...we’re little better than animals.

“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her from
her thoughts. “You haven’t had the best week.”

“That’s the understatement of the year, but
I’m fine.” Madeline decided to ignore the intriguing flecks of
green mixed with the blue of his irises. “I want to call and check
on Brutus.”

“Billy called while you were getting ready.
Brutus is stable. If he makes it through the night, Billy says
he’ll be okay.” Donovan took her free hand in his.

Madeline’s stomach somersaulted at his touch.
Her brain tried to reason with her body, but his hand was
reassuringly firm and strong, and she didn’t pull away.

“It seemed to take forever before you got
there,” she admitted. “It was the longest and scariest five minutes
of my life.”

“When I think how close you came today...that
he was in the same room as you.” He squeezed her hand tighter, and
she felt a tremor go through his arm and hand. “I won’t let
anything happen to you. I’ll drive you to the station to give your
statement. That’s the safest place for you. While you’re there,
I’ll go to the hardware store.”

Madeline set her cup on the table and curled
her legs beneath her. “What are you getting there?”

“Better door locks for one. I also measured
your windows so I can put wooden poles inside the frames. Then, no
one can open them from the outside. I’ll also find a huge can of
pepper spray to place near the door.”

“Sounds like I’ll be secure here tonight.”
She tipped her head to the side, studying Donovan’s profile. “I
think we need to clarify something though.”

Donovan finished his tea and set the mug on
the table. “What’s that?”

Madeline took a deep breath, wondering if she
was about to drive her protector away. Then again, if he had made
the assumption she’d wind up on her back for him just because he
did a little home improvement, it would be best to end that line of
thinking now. “I hope you realize I’m grateful for everything
you’re doing...”

“I sense a ‘but’ in that statement.”

She nodded. “I’m not going to sleep with you
as payment.”

Donovan shifted on the couch and lifted his
work-roughened hand to her face. The tips of his fingers danced
softly across her jaw. He leaned forward, his body pressing against
hers.

Madeline’s breath quickened as she inhaled
the scent of fresh air and ocean—Donovan’s unique flavor. He
smelled of everything she loved, everything she came to the coast
to find.

His lips softly brushed her cheek. His warm
breath puffed against her ear, weakening her resolve to keep things
on a friendship basis. Really, would it hurt her to have a
one-night stand with this man? Maybe it was what she needed.

The sex would be fantastic. It had to be. Why
else would all those women want to be with Donovan? From everything
Brandon said, the entire town knew of Donovan’s inability to
commit. Remarkable bedroom prowess was the only thing that made
sense.

Donovan pulled away, stroking her head and
tugging gently on her ponytail. “I know what you’ve heard about me.
Most of the gossip is warranted, but not all.”

Madeline wondered if he could hear the
pounding of her heart. “Tell me what they got wrong,” she said,
pleased she didn’t sound too breathless.

“Enough sharing.” He stood and pulled her to
her feet. “It’s time to go to the station.”

“I assume you want my house keys so you can
get back in here while I’m at the station. Give me a reason to
trust you with them.”

“Hardball, huh?” He grinned and Madeline felt
herself grinning in return. “I’m a jerk, a womanizer, and I
occasionally have a bad temper.”

Madeline rolled her eyes. “I thought you were
telling me something I didn’t already know.”

He led her to the doorway, grabbing her keys
off the hook on the wall. “I’m looking for something more than
mind-blowing sex.”

“So what are you saying? You’re a sensitive
guy searching for his soul mate?” Madeline snorted and shook her
head. “I don’t buy it. You’ve slept with all the women in town, and
probably a ton more here on vacation.”

“Is that really what you think?”

“Donovan, be serious. You told me you wanted
to date me, and the next night you were out with someone else. Face
it. You’re player of the year. MVP sort of stuff.” She folded her
arms in front of her. “I just got out of a relationship with a man
like that, only he wasn’t as honest about it as you are.”

“Ahhh.” He lifted his eyebrows. “That
explains a lot.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, nothing.” He opened the door and they
stepped into the hallway. “Just so you know, I planned that date
before I met you. But I broke things off with Christy last
night.”

“You did?” Madeline didn’t know how to feel
about that. Even though she’d been jealous and spiteful, calling
Donovan’s date a child, Christy really was a beautiful young woman.
“What happened? Was she horrible in bed?”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

She shook her head, not sure she could
believe him. “Everyone in town agrees on one thing—if you stand
next to a woman for five minutes, her next position will be on her
back. You’re saying that didn’t happen with Christy?”

His jaw clenched and he stared at her for a
moment without answering. “Why do we have to talk about this?” he
finally asked.

Madeline looked away from him, wondering why
she felt compelled to tell him the truth. “I’ve dealt with men who
sleep around,” she said softly. “I want a reason to trust you.”

Donovan caught her under the chin and forced
her to look at him. “Christy begged me to have sex with her. I said
no.”

After a breathless minute of staring into his
eyes, Madeline dropped her gaze and handed him her house keys.
Donovan closed the door to the apartment, and she watched him lock
it.

“Why would you do that?” she finally asked
when he didn’t say anything further. “Christy’s young, pretty,
probably a lot of fun.”

Donovan reclaimed her hand and walked to the
elevator. “I want something more than fun. Besides, I’m too old to
chase college-aged women.”

“You’re not that old,” Madeline said
quickly.

He gave her a lopsided grin as the elevator
doors opened. “I’m glad to hear you say that, but I
am
getting too old for the dating game.”

Madeline sat in the office at the police
station, waiting for Kenneth Stone to return and finish questioning
her. Working with the sketch artist had been a waste of time. Chief
Stone didn’t seem happy when Madeline couldn’t give him more
information, but she tried to put herself in his shoes. If what
Donovan said was true, the police force didn’t have any leads.
After this attack, the public would panic, and Stone needed some
way to reassure them.

She described the dark outfit and the baton
in the person’s hand in as much detail as she could. Chief Stone
questioned her extensively about the bat, seeming surprised by the
information. Madeline wondered why Donovan hadn’t already told
him.

After questioning her, Chief Stone left her
in his office while he took a phone call. No matter how she fought
it, Madeline’s mind kept wandering back to what happened with
Donovan. She wished she could trust what he said, but his
reputation was hard to ignore. She couldn’t risk getting caught up
with another man who pretended to be faithful, only to break her
heart later.

If Donovan wanted another conquest and only
said those things about getting out of the dating game to lure
Madeline into bed, she wished he’d be honest instead. She couldn’t
believe she was actually considering a one-night stand, but
something about it was almost appealing.

She’d never considered the simplicity of
short-term affairs before. No commitment, no expectations. Best of
all, no reason to stuff herself with chocolate cake when it
ended.

Chief Stone entered the office, holding a
folder in his hand. He shifted his bulk around the desk and sat in
the chair. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Madeline met his blue eyes and nodded. “I
wish I could be more help. I’d really like you to nail the bastard
responsible for all this.”

He raised a gray eyebrow. “You might still
have something of use to offer.”

“I’ll answer any questions you have.”

Stone pushed the folder across the desk,
placing it in front of her. “Take a look at that picture and tell
me if anything jumps out at you.”

Madeline looked at the picture—the
blood-smeared message left on the wall at Woofy Cuts. She shrugged.
“I’m not sure what you expect me to see.”

He placed his elbows on the desk and rested
his chin against his hands. “Lindsey Butters made an interesting
comment to Officer Sanders while he collected evidence this
morning.”

He looked intently at her, apparently waiting
for her response, and the silence stretched between them. Was that
supposed to offer her a clue? She wasn’t a mind reader.