Pack Investigator (6 page)

Lily wasn’t going to play games. She knew exactly what Garrett meant and didn’t pretend otherwise. “Yes, it’s a new feeling for me but I felt it the second we met.”

Garrett nodded. “I didn’t think it was a shifter thing but I wanted to make sure.”

Lily laughed nervously. “No, I can assure you that this is new for me.”

“Thank God!” Garrett said before he pushed himself off the car. He stepped directly in front of her and wrapped his fingers around her waist.

She looked up into his eyes and saw the same need that she knew shone from her eyes back at him. He lowered his mouth slowly, as if giving her time to tell him no or pull away, but Lily had no intention of denying him.

Lily lifted onto her tiptoes and closed the distance. The first touch was soft but as their lips pressed together, Garrett took another step forward and removed the space between them. Lily grasped his shoulders as he licked at her bottom lip. She opened for him, allowing him to sweep his tongue inside her mouth.

She moaned. The bold rich flavor of the coffee from earlier mixed with Garrett’s unique taste made her just a tad lightheaded with need. She tightened her hold on him just before he lifted her off her feet and swung her around.

Her back touched the cold metal of her car but she didn’t care about the chill as Garrett blocked her in with his big, strong body. She let her head fall back as Garrett moved his lips down her neck. The shudders that ran through her body were caused by the need.

Garrett slid one hand over her ass before he lifted the back of her knee so that she could wrap her leg around his waist. He then hauled her up until she could feel his hard cock against her jean-covered pussy.

God, she wished they were alone and naked. She should really stop him before they got carried away but she couldn’t make the words come out of her mouth. Instead, needy moans and whimpers escaped.

“You taste just as good as I suspected,” Garrett murmured against her skin.

“Uh,” she managed.

He pulled back to peer down at her. “Kiss me again.”

She did. This time Garrett buried his hands in her hair and gripped her hard. The slight sting upped her arousal and she growled before nipping his lip. He drew back, grinning before he dove in and slammed his mouth on hers. She humped against him, the front of her jeans pressing against her clit perfectly. Her panties were wet with desire.

“Please,” she begged softly as she ripped her mouth away. She didn’t know what exactly she was asking for, just something. He was driving her mad.

Garrett cursed then slid his hand under her sweater to the waistband of her pants. His fingers grazed her stomach then, oh yes, he was playing with her clit.

She hiked her leg higher, giving him better access to rub where she really wanted him. He dipped a finger inside her and she sobbed out in relief. He plunged his digit in and out before he added another. Lily was overwhelmed by the arousal but did manage to fumble with his button and zipper so she could fit her hand inside his jeans. It was awkward as she was still riding his fingers while trying to jack him at the same time. It didn’t matter though. She was so close.

His legs shook as the tingling in her clit signaled her approaching release. She leaned forward and closed her mouth down on the fabric of Garrett’s shirt as she came. He rubbed his thumb over her clit until she sagged against him. She still grasped his erection and he was hard as steel.

Lily lifted her head and was glad for the darkness that surrounded them. Garrett lowered his mouth and this time the kiss was soft and gentle. She started to move her hand again, sliding her palm over him, and swallowed his moan.

She wondered just how many sounds she could pull from him. She planned to find that out later. Lily broke the kiss and nudged him back so she could lower her leg. He’d gripped her so tightly that she wondered if she would have bruises later. If so, she would wear them with pride.

Once there was enough distance between them, she dropped down to her knees. The cold concrete jolted her but she was determined to get his hard cock in her mouth. She tugged on the waistband of his jeans until his erection sprang out. Holding the base with her right hand, she licked at his mushroomed head. The saltiness of his pre-cum was unique and all Garrett.

Garrett slid his fingers through her hair to grip her head. Lily stopped teasing his cockhead and lowered her mouth down on him. She pulled back, sucking hard, and Garrett groaned loudly. She repeated the move faster and with more suction until he was thrusting into her mouth and she knew he was on the very edge.

As his hips faltered, she reached up and rolled his balls with her free hand.

He cried out just before he pulled away and covered her hand with his. Together they jerked his cock until he spilled onto the concrete beside her. Lily watched him the entire time.

Once spent, he fell to his knees beside her and gathered her into his arms. Lily rested her cheek against his chest.

“I want to take you home and lay you in my bed but I promised Nick I would stay here,” he said.

“I understand.”

Garrett placed his hand under her chin and raised her face. “This isn’t a one off. I want to see more of you.”

She grinned. “I guarantee it.”

Chapter Four

Garrett sipped his second cup of coffee as he once again reviewed the case notes. Haas was on the way to pick him up and he wanted to be completely ready. His body still hummed from the night before, and with the house quiet around him it took everything in him to concentrate and not think back to how sexy Lily had been, lost in passion.

His cock had been half hard all morning and that was after he’d jacked off in the shower earlier. He’d hated to watch Lily go but until they found Randy Bolton and whoever was responsible for the arsons, he didn’t know how much time they’d have to spend together.

The reasons for solving this case fast were starting to pile up. The advance in his career, getting to spend more time with Lily and most important was reuniting Nick with his father.

He’d peeked in on Nick before he’d come downstairs and the boy had been curled up in the middle of the bed with his new wolf cradled in his arms. It was adorable.

“You’re up early,” Cooper said as he entered the kitchen.

Garrett grinned. “Haas is on his way. We wanted to get an early start. Coffee’s fresh.”

Cooper stopped in the middle of the kitchen and took a deep breath. “Oh God! I don’t know when the last time there was coffee that I didn’t have to make first thing in the morning.”

“Julie has never been a morning person, even before she took the night shift,” Garrett said.

“That’s why she took it,” Cooper agreed. “I don’t mind. Most of my work takes place at night. That’s when most of the deals are made and when trouble hits the streets. I’ve been working days for a couple of weeks now and I’m getting pretty sick of not seeing her enough. I can’t wait until White and Johnson get back from vacation.”

As a narcotics detectives in a city that had a lot of tourists who came to party, Cooper and his partner, Josiah, were busy. He could see how Cooper and Julie made their relationship work. They both had devoted their lives to helping others and had still managed to find love and each other.

Garrett knew he’d be lucky if he ever found what they had, but he had hopes. The previous evening with Lily was one of the best he could remember.

Cooper filled his mug before walking over to sit at the table across from him. “You know that you moving here means the world to her,” Cooper said.

Garrett closed the folder he’d been reading and took in Cooper. It was obvious in the way that Cooper was watching him that he had something to say to Garrett.

“I think it’s worked out for the best,” Garrett agreed.

“She was worried about you after she came back here. We’ve discussed how the Kermit Fire Department treated you but I don’t think you told Julie everything.”

“No,” Garrett agreed. “She had enough going on trying to win you back.”

Cooper shook his head. “She didn’t have to do more than return. My heart always belonged to her.”

Garrett believed him. When Julie had found out about Cooper’s ability to shift she’d freaked out. It had been before the shifters had announced their presence and she hadn’t known what to think. The time she’d spent in Kermit with him had strengthened Garrett and his sister’s bond, but Garrett hadn’t been certain Cooper would be able to forgive her for taking off.

Cooper had and Garrett was grateful that his sister now had her true love.

“She might not have come back if you hadn’t pushed her,” Cooper told him.

“She was miserable,” Garrett replied honestly.

“What I’m trying to say is that I have you to thank for giving her the nudge she needed. You’re family,” Cooper said.

“Thanks.” Garrett wasn’t sure what else he could say.

“Sure,” Cooper said. “So if there’s anything you’re not sure about or have questions on you can come to me.”

Garrett picked up his mug and leaned back in his chair. There was so much happening in his life. What was Cooper hinting at? “Okay.”

Cooper grinned. “You know shifters have increased senses don’t you?”

“Yes.” Garrett frowned. “And…”

“You were gone a while last night walking Lily out. When you returned I could smell her on you,” Cooper said.

He could feel the embarrassment heat his cheeks as he blushed. After he’d returned to the house the night before he had gone straight to the bathroom to clean up. Obviously his efforts hadn’t fooled everyone. “Well…I…”

Cooper laughed. “It’s okay, man. I know exactly how you feel.”

Garrett held up his hands. He so didn’t want to know anything about Cooper and Julie’s sex life.

“All I’m saying is that I’ve been there. You have a connection with Lily. If there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m here for you.”

Garrett set his mug down. “I really appreciate it. I don’t know why what I feel for Lily is so strong. I just want to get to know her better. There’s something about her,” he admitted. “But I have to find out who is responsible for these fires. I want to get Nick back home.”

“We’re heading out again this morning to track down any leads. Julie has a few days off so she’ll stay with Nick, and Tom is heading over after his shift,” Cooper said. “You just concentrate on your job. Everything else will work out. I don’t see Lily going anywhere.”

That was exactly what Garrett needed to hear. A horn honked out front so Garrett stood and gathered up his laptop and the files. He slipped them into his backpack before he picked up his cup. He strolled to the sink, as he thought about his and Cooper’s conversation. After he rinsed out his mug he turned to Cooper. “Thanks,” he said.

Cooper waved him off. “We’ll call if we get anything.”

Garrett grabbed his gear and walked out. Once out of the front door, he jogged to the idling SUV. Haas nodded at him after he’d opened the passenger door. “You ready for this?”

“Yes, I’ve read through the cases several times. I think we should start with the law office,” he suggested.

“Break-ins aren’t really in our jurisdiction,” Haas pointed out.

“It’s all connected,” Garrett said. He knew in his gut that the key to finding the person or persons responsible was through Randy and Mike’s office. There was a reason that Randy had been taken. No other fires had been set with residents on the premises.

“Okay, spell it out for me,” Haas told him.

“What do an abandoned building, a closed hardware store and two family houses have in common? That’s the approach I’m taking,” Garrett said.

“All the properties were owned by shifters,” Haas replied.

“I did a search on the owners. Randy represented the owners of the hardware store in a case when they were sued by an employee that claimed to have been hurt while on duty. The courts sided with the owners that the employee had actually been injured while off on his own time. Mike told me last night that he is currently on the counsel for the owners of the building where a company out of California is trying to buy the land. That property was damaged by arson then we have Randy’s house,” Garrett said.

“That’s good. So the fire that the law firm haven’t been connected to is the other house fire,” Haas stated.

“I didn’t find anything in the public records so maybe we should ask Mike about them,” Garrett suggested.

“I agree,” Haas replied.

Garrett glanced out of the window as Haas drove them closer to town. He felt really good about his input and he was pleased that Haas was listening to him. The main street leading into downtown Clear Creek wasn’t busy this early in the morning. Garrett knew that later the restaurants would be packed and the tourists would be going from shop to shop picking up their souvenirs and trinkets.

The tourists brought in a lot of money for the town, using the forests and nature preserves as hiking trails and relaxing in the beautiful scenery. Until Garrett had moved there he’d never visited the city and now he regretted it. Clear Creek was a wonderful little oasis, but what made it so great were the residents. They were a strong community that relied on one another and Garrett wanted to do his best for them. He vowed that no more residents would live in fear of the arsonist that was haunting them.

As they passed the local bakery, three men in suits sat at an outside table enjoying the morning and laughing together. One of them could be the guy they were after. It could be anyone. They needed to figure out that last piece to connect all the fires and hopefully that would lead them to where Randy was.

“Should we call ahead?” Garrett asked as Haas turned onto the street where Mike’s law office was. He was only two blocks from downtown so they would be pulling up within minutes.

“Mike’s always in early,” Haas told him. “Man works more than I do.”

“That’s right,” Garrett said. “You know Mike from the Pack?”

“Yes,” Haas agreed. “We hang out a little on the weekends when we can, too.”

“I was able to ask him a few questions at dinner. I saw him last night but I didn’t want to bring up too much in case Nick walked in,” Garrett said.