Paint It Black (21 page)

“You seem like a nice person, and I know you’ve got a lot to deal with right now. I only wanted to warn you …” She hesitated and took another step toward me. “Don’t be fooled by that ‘Aw, shucks’ good ol’ boy shtick. Jason is a player. He knows exactly how far that Texas charm can get him.”

I couldn’t keep the edge out of my voice. “And this has what, exactly, to do with me?”

“Oh, come on, Denise. He’s after you. I see it, everyone sees it. He chased Kim, too, in the beginning. Then he got what he wanted and broke her heart.”

Everyone sees it?

I leaned against the sink. “She seems awfully friendly with a guy who used her so badly.”

Andrea sighed. “Because she’s still in love with him. She pretends she isn’t, that she’s over him, but I know she’d take him back in a heartbeat if he’d ask her. But he’s moved on to new prey.”

I didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended or to laugh in her face. The whole thing seemed ridiculous, and yet … I remembered the way he’d kissed me that
night. I couldn’t deny I was attracted to him, and I knew it wasn’t one-sided. Something that seemed so harmless in the beginning felt so intense lately. Now that I was free, how far would he push it? How far would I let him?

Whether this was or wasn’t a game to him, Cougar and I were close enough that I didn’t feel comfortable having this conversation with a casual acquaintance. “Thanks for the advice,” I said, and moved past her to the door. She didn’t follow.

Outside, I joined Ubi and Tucker in the conference room. As we jockeyed for an empty table, someone handed me a stack of plastic plates. I counted out three and passed them on while Tucker snagged us a box of pizza. I twisted to grab some paper towels from the table behind me and turned to find a drink sitting beside my plate. Though my wonton soup had pretty much worn off, I wasn’t hungry. The smell of onions and pepperoni made my stomach lurch.

“Cougar’s on his way,” Tucker said. “Should we wait for him?”

Ubi laughed. “Let’s just save him a piece. I’m starving.”

I took a sip of my drink and nearly spat it out. “What’s in this?” I gasped.

“Matthews didn’t have enough booze, so he cut it with antifreeze,” Tucker said with a wink. He tapped his plastic cup to mine. “To justice.”

“To justice,” I said, and took another sip.

I picked at a slice of cheese pizza, finished my drink, and shook my head when Ubi offered to refill it. I couldn’t concentrate on the conversations around me. I thought about me and Cougar and wondered if Andrea was right, that maybe the only reason he wanted me was because he hadn’t had me yet. Even if that were true, was it wrong? We were adults, and I wasn’t searching for another husband. If we wanted to have a fling, whose business was it? Fifteen minutes later, my thoughts were turning to obsession and I found myself watching the door. Waiting for him.

Cougar, Cougar, Cougar
, I thought.
Where are you?

Sweat trickled down my back. “Is it hot in here?” I asked Tucker. “Why is it so hot in here?”

He gave me an odd look, so I decided to wander around a bit. Five minutes later, Cougar finally walked in the door. His blue eyes scanned the room, then lit on me. He smiled, and I thought that surely I’d never seen anything so beautiful. Kim and Andrea stood by the water fountain, and I felt them watching as I hurried to him.

You’re just jealous
, I thought, then turned my attention back to Cougar. Suddenly, everything seemed all right. Better than all right. Fantastic. I was so happy to see him that I threw my arms around his neck and smacked a loud kiss on his cheek. “You’re here! You’re finally here.”

The look he gave me was puzzled, though not displeased. He tweaked my nose. “Are you drunk?”

“I’ve only had one,” I sniffed, trying to act offended, but instead I caught a whiff of his aftershave and shamelessly sniffed again.

“Pitcher or glass?”

“Ha, ha,” I said, and tugged on his hand. “Dance with me.”

His eyebrow lifted. “To ‘Frosty the Snowman’?”

I pressed up against him and brushed my lips against his ear. “Better yet, let’s go someplace private. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

That was the last thing I remembered.

I was lost in some feverish, dark dream world in which Cougar and I were the only inhabitants. Clutching a fistful of his T-shirt in each hand, I slammed him against a wall and kissed him for all I was worth. He tensed beneath me, then kissed me back, giving as much as he took. I pulled away just long enough to yank his shirt over his head.

He breathed my name like a prayer while I rained kisses on his throat and chest. Winding his fingers in my hair, he forced my face up to meet his and delivered another crushing kiss. His body molded against mine, but it wasn’t enough.

I was burning, burning, desperate for the feel of skin on skin. Planting my palms on his chest, I shoved him
backward and tore off my shirt and bra. He clutched my shoulders like a drowning man and yanked me back in his arms …

“Wake up,” someone called in the distance. “Please wake up.”

I turned to see who it was, and Cougar faded away. I found myself alone in the dark.

“No,” I mumbled. “No, come back.”

Something icy splashed over me. Suddenly, I was lying in a frigid pool. The freezing water stabbed me like pinpricks all over my body. I tried to sit up, but something kept pushing me back down.

“Cougar!” I cried. “Where are you?”

The blood roaring in my ears drowned out all sound.

The cold gradually faded away, or else my body grew numb. Maybe I didn’t even have a body anymore. I felt nothing, nothing except for a strange sense of peace and space. Was this what it was like to be dead?

Someone wiped my forehead with a cool, damp cloth. My skin felt hypersensitive, sunburned. Even the gentle strokes made me want to scream. I tried to slap the cloth away, but I couldn’t lift my arms. Maybe if I moved, they would stop. I willed myself to open my eyes.

“Hey, you.”

Cougar!
I nearly sobbed with relief.

I couldn’t hold my eyes open long enough to focus on him.

“How ya feeling?” he asked softly.

“Mmm, thirsty,” I rasped.

“Hang on, and I’ll get you some water.”

I twisted my head in his direction. My eyes rolled like marbles in their sockets, and my jaw ached. Something cold lay against my wrist. I stared down at an IV.

“Hospital?” I croaked. “Why?”

Cougar grimaced. “This isn’t a hospital. It’s hell, with fluorescent lighting.”

My next thought left me breathless. “Abby! I have to pick up Abby!”

I tried to sit up, but Cougar gently pushed me back down. “Shhh. Abby’s okay. She’s with Grady and his mother. We tried to get her, but the school wouldn’t let us have her. Said we weren’t on the list or whatever, but Linda called an hour ago and checked on her. She was doing her homework.”

I blinked at him. “Elizabeth’s out of the hospital?” With a trembling hand, I touched the growth of beard on his cheek. “How long have I been here?”

“Since yesterday.” He pressed the cup to my lips. “Drink slow. They said I can’t give you much at once.”

I tried to obey, but the cool liquid felt like heaven on my parched throat. I drained it, and could’ve chugged a gallon more. “What happened to me?”

Cougar set the cup on the tray table and shifted on the mattress beside me. “What do you remember?”

I closed my eyes and tried to collect my thoughts. I remembered meeting with Barnes, but I couldn’t tell him that. “Pizza. At the office. People were bringing in pizza.”

“Someone slipped you something, probably in your drink. Haven’t got the tox report yet, but the doctor guesses a hallucinogen like DXM or PMA.”

“What? That’s era—” I broke off, remembering Maria’s threat.

I
can get to you anywhere, anytime
.

Cougar gave me a fierce hug. “I know. In the middle of the friggin’ DEA building. Nobody knows what the hell happened, but you’re the only one that got it.” He hesitated. His voice was distraught when he said, “Babe, I can feel your heart pounding.”

Babe?

I pulled back and searched his face. Something in his eyes made my heart thump even harder. My gaze dropped to his lips.

Cougar trailed his fingertips down my cheek. I shivered when his hands lightly caught my shoulders and tugged me closer. He lowered his head. I caught the warm, cinnamon scent of Dentyne an instant before he grazed my mouth with a featherlight kiss. My lips parted beneath his, inviting him deeper, but he tormented me with another soft whisper of a kiss. His hands barely skimmed my shoulders, but they burned through the
thin hospital gown. The tip of his tongue darted between my lips. This gentle assault was even more maddening than the raging passion of my dream.

His fingers tightened on my shoulders, and he pushed me away.

“Umm, no. I shouldn’t do this.” He stood and turned his back. “Not until I’m sure it’s really you this time, not some drug.”

I froze.
“This
time?” Heat flooded my face when I recalled my “dream.” “Cougar, please tell me I didn’t do something to embarrass myself in front of everyone.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment, then he chuckled and shot me a devilish grin over his shoulder. “Not everyone. Just me, but I won’t tell anybody.”

“What—” I broke off as the door opened and Tucker stuck his head in.

“Hey, whaddaya know. Sleeping Beauty’s awake.” He walked in and nodded at Cougar. “When you get a sec, Angel wants to see you.”

Cougar rubbed his face, and I realized how exhausted he looked. “Something wrong?”

Tucker smiled. “Nope, something’s finally right. They’re walking him around in the hallway. He’s been asking for you and Necie, but we didn’t tell him …”

“Okay.” He looked at me. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time, and tell him I said hello.”

Cougar surprised me by striding back to me and
kissing my cheek. Tucker’s eyebrows lifted, and the corner of his mouth twitched before he covered it with his hand.

“Hey, Coug,” he said. “I’ll stay here. You grab something to eat before you come back.”

“Not hungry.” Cougar winked. “I’ve been taking hits off Necie’s IV when she wasn’t looking.”

He walked out, shutting the door behind him. Tucker pulled a chair up to my bedside. “He’s been here the whole time.” He cleared his throat. “So … what do you remember?”

“That’s what we were just talking about.”
Before we started kissing, anyway
. “I remember the pizza, and the conference room. I remember Cougar coming in. What happened after that?”

Tucker smirked. “You mean, before or after you danced on the table?”

“I did not!”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, so you didn’t. To be honest with you, I didn’t know anything was going on until Cougar started hollering that something was wrong with you. You were a little quiet while we were eating, kept saying how hot the room was, but you acted normal until Cougar showed up.”

He paused, waiting for a reaction, and I said, “C’mon, Tuck. Don’t do me this way. Tell me what I did.”

He held up his palms. “Okay, okay. No more teasing. You just greeted him a little … enthusiastically. A big
hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then you guys disappeared into one of the offices. Cougar came out a minute later, dragging you behind him. You were burning up and mumbling. When we got you here, your temp was 105.” He frowned. “I didn’t see who put the cups on our table. Neither did Ubi. People were passing them around. I don’t know if it was random, or—”

“I think Maria had it done,” I blurted, and his eyes widened.

“But… why? You can’t help it if her old man waived his right to a trial. And you’ve left Grady.”

I hesitated, wishing I could tell him the whole story. “I guess you’re right. But who else? Why else?”

“What about Grady? Maybe someone he knows has access.”

“Grady?”

“He’s probably pretty mad about the way your lawyer handled him. Then there’s Abby … He may not have primary custody, but he’s got her right now.”

“I have to get out of here. I have to go get her. Elizabeth’s not well, and I don’t trust him not to drink around Abby.”

The door flew open. Bill and Cougar charged in.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, panicked by the anxiety on their faces. “Is it Abby? Did something happen—”

They looked at each other, then looked at me.

“It’s your house,” Bill said. “One of your neighbors called the station looking for you. She said your house is on fire.”

CHAPTER
12

W
hat?” I could barely process what was happening to me. This wasn’t a grudge, it was war.

Wait until I take everything
.

I can get to you anywhere, anytime
.

Maria’s hateful words echoed in my head. I felt like screaming, but I was afraid that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to stop. I yanked the IV from my wrist and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

“What are you doing?” Cougar yelled.

My head swam when a bright bead of blood swelled and trickled down my arm. Cougar pushed past Bill into the bathroom. He emerged with a fistful of paper towels. Kneeling in front of me, he pressed them to my wrist.

“Necie, there’s nothing you can do. Lie back down,
and I’ll—”

“No!”

He paused and stared up at me in frustration.

I struggled to speak over the lump in my throat. “Take me to my house.”

“But, honey—”

I silenced him by brushing my fingers against his lips. “Jason, please.”

I don’t know what made me use his real name, but I could see it affected him. He looked away, and finally he nodded. “I’ll get your clothes.”

Bill and Tucker slipped outside while Cougar rummaged through the closet. He tossed my clothes on the bed and turned his back.

“Holler if you need help,” he said with none of his usual playfulness.

Having him so close should’ve felt strange, considering I had no idea what had happened between us yesterday, but it didn’t. My life had been turned upside down. Everything—absolutely everything—had changed, including my relationship with Cougar, but he was the only thing that felt right anymore. Part of me longed to tell him that, but I didn’t know how.