Flashback (13 page)

“Wow, I can hardly hear you…”

“Kenz—”

“Gotta go.”

He didn't have to hear the click to know she'd shut her phone. Nor did he bother with swearing. Instead, he grabbed his keys and went after her, figuring her options were severely limited. She wouldn't have gone back to the docks because there were no sliding door there. So she was probably at Blake's house. He supposed she could also be at any one of the arsons Blake had been accused of, but most of them had been demo'd, and plus it seemed likely that if she was butting her nose in, she'd start at the top.

So would he.

He hit the jackpot on his first try. Pulling into the small house Blake had claimed as his own, he parked right next to Kenzie's flashy Mercedes. He got out of his truck and felt the hood of her car.

Still warm.

So she hadn't been there long. She was just damn lucky she hadn't gotten herself arrested again, considering the yellow tape surrounding the house. Just thinking about what Tommy would say, and how long he'd jail her this time, had him sweating. The front door was shut and, as he discovered, locked.

Aidan moved around the side of the house. His plan was simple. He was going to scare the hell out of her. And then he was going to kiss the hell out of her.

And then…and then he had no idea. Spanking her seemed like a good option.

The sliding back door on Blake's deck was unlocked and opened an inch. This was where she'd entered, and following suit, he slipped inside. The place was dark, but there was a light on upstairs, and he headed in that direction. At a sound behind him, he whipped around just as two hands smacked him in the chest and shoved. As he fell back, he reached out and hauled his assailant with him. He hit his ass on the bottom step and Kenzie landed on him.

“What are you doing?”
she demanded.

The stairs biting into his back, her full weight over the top of him, he hissed out a breath of pain. “What am
I
doing? What are
you
doing?”

“I'm—” She bit back whatever she'd been about to say, crawled backward off of him and stood up.

“No, it's okay, I'm fine, thanks,” he muttered, getting up on his own and brushing himself off. “How did you get in here?”

“Blake gave me his spare key a long time ago.”

“Okay, so back to my first question. Why are you here?”

“Looking for clues to Blake's innocence.” She glared at him, then pointed to the door. “You need to leave.”

“So do you.”

“Oh, no. This is my brother's place. I'm his beneficiary. I get to be here.”

“Not with the caution tape still blocking the front door, you don't.”

She was breathing fast, her voice thick and husky as if she'd been crying. Or maybe she still was. He couldn't see her clearly enough to decide. “Ah, Kenzie. Don't—”

“Go,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Fine. But you're coming with me.”

“No, I'm not.”

“Yeah, you are.” Wrapping his fingers around her arm, he headed toward the sliding door, toting her with him, until she yanked free. Then, lifting her nose, she stalked out in front of him, going willingly but not happily. “Kenzie,” he said as she got into her car.

“I don't want to talk right now.” She tried to shut the driver's door on him but he stepped closer, holding it open.

“Isn't that convenient.”

“Dammit, Aidan. Get out of my way.”

“Just tell me where you're going.”

For the first time, she hesitated.

“You could try my house,” he suggested. “My computer.”

She paused another beat. “I wouldn't want to impose.”

“Imposing would be getting your pretty ass arrested again, goddammit. Meet me there.”

“Fine.” Putting the car into gear, she peeled out, leaving him little choice but to hope that she would.

W
ITH LITTLE TO NO TRAFFIC
in the middle of the night, it took only five minutes to get home. Aidan pulled into his driveway next to the little red sports car, watching Kenzie storm up the walk to his front door, looking irritated and frustrated.

Just as irritated and frustrated, he followed. Did she have no clue what she was doing to him?

How could she not?

“Wait,” she said, stopping so fast he plowed into her, staring back at the street. “Did you see that car?”

“No.”

“It was gray.” She chewed on her thumbnail. “Look, I'm not trying to change the subject here, because trust me, I'm pissed and enjoying being pissed, but I think someone's following me.”

Reaching past her, he unlocked the door and gestured her in ahead of him, keeping his body in front of her back as he turned to eye the street.

He didn't see the car—at the moment, there were
no
cars—but he didn't doubt her. “You've seen it before?”

“Yes. Truthfully, I'm beginning to feel sort of stalked.” She whirled to face him. “Okay, so back to being pissed off.”

Oh, no. Not yet. He'd anticipated her, and was standing so close she bumped into him, squeaking in surprise, but when she tried to take a step back, he held her still. Christ, she smelled good and the way her hair framed her face…“How long have you suspected someone's been following you?”

“Since the boat fire, I guess.”

“Have you told anyone? Tommy? The police?”

“I wasn't really sure. I'm still not sure. It's just a feeling.”

He let go of her to pull out his cell phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the police.”

Kenzie stepped close and shut the phone, stuffing it back into his pocket. “Aidan, listen to me. We both know that you and I don't do
real
relationships, especially not with each other. Now sex, we do that just fine. And in case you're confused, the biggest difference between the two is that with just sex, there's no sharing of personal information.”

He was not liking where this was going. At all. “Meaning?”

“Meaning I don't have to account to you, and you're not responsible for me.”

He stared at her, more stung than he'd like to admit. “Well, shit.”

“I mean it, Aidan.”

“You don't want me to call the police.”

“And scare off the guy? No, I don't.”

“Fine.”

“
Fine.
Now where the hell is your computer? We have some files to access.”

“My bedroom.”

They were nose-to-nose, now. Breathing in each other's air. He could feel the heat of her radiating into him, and for whatever reason, his hands ran down her arms and then back up again, squeezing a little, more moved by the close proximity than he'd like to admit.

The very tips of her breasts brushed against his shirt. Her thighs bumped into his. Sparks were flying from her eyes, her mouth grim.

A mouth that suddenly he couldn't stop looking at.

Her hands had come up to his chest and she dug her fingers into his pecs, hard enough to have him hissing out a breath. Her eyes were on his, but then they lowered to his mouth.

She was thinking about kissing him.

Leaning in, he took care of that little piece of business for her. Covering her mouth with his, he swallowed her little moan of pleasure and promptly lost himself in her when she melted against him, entwining her arms around his neck so tightly he couldn't breathe. Since breathing was overrated anyway, especially when kissing her, he just hauled her up tighter against him and kept at it. Her hands were in his hair, his molded the length of her body to him, until suddenly, she shoved him clear, turned and stalked off, heading down the hallway and into his bedroom. He stared after her, breathing like a misused race horse, warring with himself. He could go after her. Or
he
could walk out on
her
for a change of pace.

Yeah, right.
He went after her.

 

W
HEN
A
IDAN OPENED THE DOOR
of his bedroom, Kenzie held her breath. She hadn't turned on the light, so he was silhouetted from behind by the lamp in the living room, looking tall, dark, and so sexy she could hardly stand it.

And attitude-ridden. Don't forget that. Stalking past her, he opened his laptop and hit the power button. While it booted up, she just stared through the dim room at him, wishing…hell.

Wishing things were different. That's all. If only she could call the writers and complain about this particular plotline, and maybe get it adjusted. Or get a new script delivered. Yeah, that would be best. One with a happy ending, please. With a sigh, she moved to the laptop. “Should I download it to your desktop?”

“Yes.”

She accessed her mail, and the files she'd saved, clicking on the first of Blake's. “It's going to take a while. It's a big file. And it'll take even longer to flip through it all and see if there's even anything in it that we can use.”

“Your caller suggested there was.”

“Yes, but how did he know?
What
did he know?”

“Let's find out. Kenzie—”

“I'm not ready to talk.”

He stepped closer, a big, tall, badass outline. “What
are
you ready for?”

“How about the only thing we're good at?”

With a low sound that might have been an agreeing groan, he came even closer. “Kenzie—”

“No. I mean it.” He was hard. She could feel him. Could feel, too, the tension shimmering throughout his entire body. It matched hers. “No talking.”

“Fine.” With a rough tug, he hauled her up against him. His body was warm and corded with strength, his hands hard and hot on her. And his mouth…

God, his mouth.

He was the most amazing kisser, his lips warm and soft and firm all at the same time, his tongue both talented and greedy and generous.

So generous that she moaned into his mouth and held on for the ride until she couldn't stand it anymore. “Clothes,” she muttered, and yanked off her own top, gratified to see him doing the same. She stared through the dark at his bared torso as she worked the buttons on her jeans while simultaneously kicking off her shoes. God, he was gorgeous. Sleek, toned and so damned yummy she wanted to gobble him up on the spot. She shoved down her jeans, watching him do the same, but unlike her, his underwear went bye-bye with his jeans, and her mouth actually went dry.

Riveted by the sight, she stood there in her bra and panties and socks. Staring.

He stood there in nothing. In glorious, mouth-dropping, heart-stopping nothing. Yeah, she'd seen it before, all of it and more—
but, damn.

“You cheated,” he said, reaching for her bra.

His erection nudged her belly, and forgetting to finish stripping, she wrapped her fingers around him.

He hissed out a breath.

“Too tight?” she asked as she stroked.

“No, your fingers are frozen.”

For some reason that made her laugh. How the hell that was even possible with all the sensations crowding and pushing for space in her brain was beyond her but she stood there, her fingers wrapped around a very impressive erection and laughed.

“Yeah, see, you're not really supposed to hold onto a guy's favorite body part and laugh.”

Which, of course, made her laugh harder.

With a shake of his head, he just smiled, clearly not too worried because he remained hard as a rock in her hand…

As his fingers worked their magic and her bra fell to the floor at their feet.

When he stepped even closer, her nipples brushed his chest, and it was her turn to hiss in a breath as they hardened.

And then she couldn't breathe at all because he dropped to his knees, hooked his thumbs in the edge of her panties and tugged.

At the sight he revealed, he gave a low, ragged groan and slid his hands up the backs of her thighs, cupping her bottom in his big palms. “God, look at you.”

“Aidan—”

“You're so pretty here.” He ran a finger over her. “All wet and glistening. For me.” There was a deep, husky satisfaction to his voice that made her thighs quiver.

“Spread your legs,” he murmured, skimming hot, wet, openmouthed kisses up an inner thigh. “Yeah, like that.” He pulled her forward, and right into his mouth.

At the first unerring stroke of his tongue her knees nearly buckled but he had a grip on her, one hand on her hip, holding her upright, the other exploring between her legs, working with his tongue to drive her out of her mind. “Aidan—”

“You taste like heaven,” he whispered against her.
“Heaven.”

And he felt like it. She strained against him, her fingers tunneled into his hair, her head thrown back as he took her exactly where he wanted to her to go, which was to the very edge of a cliff, so high she couldn't see all the way to the bottom, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything but feel.

And she was feeling plenty. Mostly a need for speed at this point, but he purposely slowed her down, dancing his tongue over her as light as a feather. She tightened her fingers in his hair, silently threatening to make him bald if he didn't get back to business. Her business. “Aidan, dammit.”

“I could look at you all day.”

“Look later. Do now.”

“Always in a hurry.” He tsked, but obliged.

Oh, God, how he obliged, skimming his hands up the front of her thighs, gently opening her. For a moment he pulled back, admiring the sight before him, wet from his tongue, wet from her own arousal.

Standing there so open and vulnerable, she let out a growl of frustration and need, and he leaned in, this time sucking her into his mouth hard, giving her the rhythm she needed to completely lose it.

When her knees gave out, he let her fall, catching her, rising to his feet, spinning toward the bed, his mouth fastened to hers. His hands moved over her body, thoroughly, ruthlessly, ravenously kissing her as they went, until from somewhere behind them, from the pocket of her pants, her cell phone went off. She couldn't even think about getting it. Hell, the entire place could have gone up in flames right then and there and she doubted she would have thought about it. “In me, in me.”

He let out a rough laugh.

“Now.”

Because now was the only thing that mattered, and this was the only thing that registered, the feel of his hands on her body, molding, sculpting, flaming the wildfire flickering to life inside her.

Aidan crawled up her body. He'd found a condom, and made himself at home between her thighs. Then he stared down into her eyes, his unwavering and fierce. “This is not just sex.” His voice was low and rough. “It's not. Not for me.”

She blinked, trying to clear her fuzzy head.

“And if that's all it is for you, I want to know it now.” He lifted her hips, his strong callused fingers gliding over her flesh, making sure she was ready for him.

She was.

Beyond ready.

“Tell me,” he demanded, holding still, waiting on her word. She stared up at him, her heart swelling at the truth. “It's more,” she admitted, which—
ding, ding, ding
—was the right answer because then he spread her thighs wider and drove himself into her, hard and fast, the way she'd wanted, and took her right where she needed to go.

Halfway there, with her breath sobbing in her throat, with their bodies straining with each other, she cupped his jaw and looked into his face.

He was damp with sweat, hard with tension, and so damned sexy she could scarcely speak. “Aidan.”

“Don't stop me.”

She shook her head at his rough plea. Stop him? Was he kidding? She wanted him to never stop.

Never…a terrifying thought. “Aidan…”

His mouth nuzzled at her ear. “Yeah?”

“I missed you,” she whispered, letting him in on her biggest secret, giving it to him without reserve, letting him look deeply into her eyes.

She absorbed both his surprise and his next thrust, and then that was it.

She burst.

And so did he.