Smoking Hot (13 page)

Raine scanned her list of suspects. Some of them bordered on the ridiculous, but Dillon insisted she write down everyone she knew or might have talked to in the days before the robbery and they would eliminate them one by one. She studied the names. This was crazy. Sheriff Barnes did not rob the bank. She flipped the pencil to the eraser side and pressed it against the paper. Before she could remove his name, Dillon pulled the pencil out of her hand.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Sheriff Barnes did not rob the bank.”

“You know that for a fact?”

“No, but my gut tells me he didn't do it. My gut is very seldom wrong.”

“But you didn't say it was never wrong.” He tossed the pencil onto the table. “He's a suspect until we eliminate him.” He flipped one of the dining room chairs around, then straddled the seat, resting his arms casually against the back. She couldn't keep from staring at his biceps. The guy had some serious muscles. He made her whole body ache for his touch, to have him wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

Dillon barely noticed her. And why should he, she argued. They were trying to catch the men who robbed the bank, not have hot sex. She clenched her legs together. But that was all she could think about.

He suddenly came to his feet, as though he was the one feeling restless, and paced the floor. His forehead puckered. Then he strode back to the table and leaned over her. Her thought processing abilities came to a grinding halt when his warm breath tickled her neck. He leaned in a little closer to read the names on her paper. His scent filled her space. Sandalwood and sage, maybe? A hint of leather. She closed her eyes and inhaled. Yes, definitely leather. The aroma weaved its way around her, caressed with a light playful touch.

“Raine?”

His voice penetrated the fog of desire. She snapped out of it and met his gaze. “What? Did you say something?”

Dillon picked up the paper and studied it. “Why not Sheriff Barnes?” he asked, meeting her gaze.

She shook her head. “No, he wouldn't do it. He's a good man, not a criminal.”

“But you put his name on the list.”

She jumped to her feet, feeling a need to put space between them. “Because you told me to write down the names of people I was in contact with before the robbery. He's my boss. It was inevitable that I speak to him before the robbery.”

“Does he like his job?”

“Of course he does.”

“How well do you know him?”

“Very well. He was lead deputy for my father, and before that, deputy. He's been with the department since I was nine years old and he was twenty. Why would he rob a bank?”

“What's with all the posters on the walls of his office?”

She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. “First the sheriff is a suspect and now you want to know about his office decor?”

“Humor me.”

“They've been up since he took office.” Not long after her father died, she dropped by the sheriff's office to collect a box he'd found in the far corner of the closet. She'd called him by his first name back then—Glen. As soon as she stepped into the office and saw the changes Glen made, Raine knew she would never think of it as her father's office. Glen had made the space his. He was the sheriff and due the respect that went with the office. That's when she started calling him Sheriff Barnes.

He balked at first, but she wouldn't budge. He finally got used to it. She frowned. He'd told her she was stubborn. Dillon said the same thing. She pulled out a chair at the far end of the table rather than taking the one closer to Dillon. Was
stubborn
a nice way of saying she was a control freak? She dismissed that notion. She didn't always need to be in charge.

She glanced up. “He told me he was going to travel someday. He put up posters of places he wanted to go. What's your point?”

“That maybe with the money from the bank heist he can go sooner than he planned. Take early retirement.”

No, it couldn't be! But even as she told herself that Glen would never break the law, she had to wonder if he was getting tired of small-town life. For as long as she'd known him, all he ever wanted to be was an officer of the law. Her father was the same way.

Except she'd heard her father grumble about the low pay and the lack of respect he got from some people. He threatened more than once to get into another line of work, anything that would pay more money. Raine's mother had eagerly agreed, but after the first few times he mentioned changing his profession, then not following through, she knew he would never quit.

Glen had once voiced the same complaint, but then he would start talking about a case he'd handled and his eyes would have the same sparkle that had been in her father's. Glen wouldn't leave. He loved his job too much, and he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his career.

“Scratch his name off,” she said.

“You're sure?”

“Positive.” But she wasn't. Not one hundred percent. She hated all the doubts Dillon created inside her.

Dillon picked up the pencil and drew a line through Sheriff Barnes's name. “Then let's move on.”

“Good.” But she knew she wouldn't feel any kind of relief until the bank robbers were captured.

He set the paper on the table in front of her, but it wasn't the paper she looked at. Dillon was way too distracting.

“What about Ethan? His name is on your list.” He raised his head.

Dillon's eyes were so blue, so vibrant. She could get lost in them if she wasn't careful. They were mesmerizing.

Mesmerizing? Dammit, he was doing it to her again. “I know what you're up to,” she said, dragging her gaze back to the paper, but it didn't really help. She still felt his nearness.

“Up to?” He wore a confused expression. “I thought we were trying to catch the bank robbers.”

Yeah, right. This was a maneuver she used all the time. The seductive scent, leaning in closer to look at something, warm breath tickling. Her poor victims never knew what hit them.

Dillon was trying to seduce her. Losing was not in her vocabulary, even if he did have otherworldly powers. “You can't fool me.”

His eyebrows veed.

“That cologne you're wearing.” She would admit his tactics were pretty good. Not good enough, though. “You're also mesmerizing me with your eyes. You would love to seduce me. To make me your submissive, but it isn't going to work. I'm on to you.”

“I'm not trying to seduce you,” he said. “When you said you weren't into playing sex games, I took you at your word and backed off.”

His smile was slow and sexy. She could feel herself begin to melt on the inside. Could she have misread the signals he sent? He looked truthful. It wouldn't be the first time she was wrong about something. Sincerity practically oozed from his pores. He was an angel—at least half. Had she misread him? Her gut feeling wasn't
always
right. Great. Now she questioned herself.

“I didn't say I wasn't into sex games,” she finally muttered.

“As long as we play by your rules.” His gaze dropped lower.

Raine's body responded to his heated look. She could almost feel him touching her, tweaking her nipples, flicking his finger across them right before he lowered his mouth. It took a moment for his words to sink in.

She drew in a deep breath, pushing away from the table. “What's wrong with my rules?” She put distance between them, walking to the window. She stared out at nothing in particular. A male redbird landed on one of the branches in the oak tree at the front of the house, looked around, then swooped down to the bird feeder. Grandpa always made sure there was wild bird seed in the feeder. She doled out fifteen dollars a month to feed the damn birds. He always asked if she had filled the feeder and she always did—for him. She couldn't care less about the stupid birds. Most of the time they built their nests in the rain gutter, and she would have to drag out the ladder and move the nests to one of the trees. It was a pain in the butt.

The redbird grabbed a black sunflower seed before swooping away. She wondered if he was taking it back to the female. The he-man. He would probably get laid for his efforts. Not a bad idea. She could feed Dillon, then maybe he would have sex with her. Only one problem with that idea—she was a terrible cook. Worse than Grandpa.

“It wouldn't be as bad as you think,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.

She glanced over her shoulder. “Why can't we just have sex and leave it at that? Why does there have to be games? We would both have release, satisfaction.”

He shook his head. “All or nothing.”

She gritted her teeth. The man was stubborn! “Then nothing.” She hugged her waist, glaring at him. She could be just as stubborn.

He shrugged as if to say that was fine, he would abide by her decision, and turned back to the paper she'd scribbled names on. “Why did you put Ethan at the top of your list?”

Just like that he switched gears. They'd been talking about sex; now they were back to the bank robbers. Sure, she knew what was at stake. They had to catch them so she could clear the McCandless name. But it took her a minute longer to stop thinking about Dillon and sex and concentrate on bank robbers.

“Because I don't like him,” she grated out.

“That's not a good enough reason.”

She knew that, but she was pissed. Deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. She really had to get her emotions under control.

“He was the first one on the scene,” she finally said when she could think more clearly. “Him and Leo. They're tight. I don't trust either one of them.”

“Still not good enough.”

The man was infuriating. Worse than a detective. “My gut tells me there's more going on than either one is letting on.”

“Do you think they might have robbed the bank?”

She sat on the edge of the windowsill, planting the palms of her hands on either side. Her anger evaporated. “I honestly can't say,” she finally admitted. “I definitely feel like there's more going on than meets the eye.”

“What do you know about them?”

“Not a lot. Ethan's from the Galveston area. He's thirty-three. I don't think he's ever been married. He's never mentioned an ex-wife or kids, so he probably isn't strapped paying child support.” She was thoughtful for a moment. He did have one passion. “He's into old cars. From what I've heard, he's restoring several.”

“A hefty investment.”

He and Leo had been putting their heads together a lot recently. Things she'd forgotten began to take on new meaning. “Darla mentioned something once, that Ethan was trying to buy the old Chevy showroom and garage. It's been vacant for a couple of years, but she said he didn't have enough money yet.”

“Maybe he decided to borrow from the bank and make it a no interest loan. Leo could've helped.”

She shook her head. “They're still cops. They wouldn't rob a bank.” As much as she would like to point the finger in their direction, she didn't think Ethan and Leo would turn to crime to finance their business.

“Are you positive?”

Again, she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about anything. “There were three bank robbers, though. Who was the third man?”

“It could be anyone they brought in.”

“Ethan and his gang.” It sounded more insane when she said the words out loud. “No, I don't think so.”

“Why did he take so long to get to the bank? Wasn't he on call that night? He might have been stashing the money.”

She thought back to something Ethan said. “When I was at the sheriff's office for questioning, he said that he had been picking up some papers.”

But where? She closed her eyes and thought back. Sheriff Barnes and the Ranger had just entered his office. She'd blurted “this is the man who was shot.” No one had been able to see Dillon and she'd had to cover her blunder. She practically accused Ethan of being the guilty one. He'd hurried to defend himself by saying he was picking up papers from…

Her eyes flew open. “Joe,” she said as though she just answered the million dollar question. “He was picking up papers from Joe.” She breathed a sigh of relief. The bump on her head and not being able to remember everything had scared her. The doctor said her memory would gradually return, but she wasn't good at being patient.

“Easy enough to check out if he's lying. Or maybe this is the third man. He would make a convenient alibi, and they would know that.”

Her elation fizzled. Now she was even more confused, because Dillon might be right. Ethan, Leo, and this guy called Joe might have robbed the bank. Ethan would know exactly where she would be that night. He even wanted her to go to the other side of town. His plan backfired when she saw the light flash inside the bank. But would he rob the bank?

“What about Leo?” Dillon asked.

“He's an idiot.”

“Do you have anything more to go on?”

She knew her observation wasn't what she would call being a good detective, but it was the truth. “He's married. His wife is sweet but she doesn't have a clue he flirts with every female in town.”

“Affairs?”

She was thoughtful, then shook her head. “No, I think he likes the chase. It makes him feel more important than he is.

“He buys the women presents,” she continued, thinking aloud. “He would need money. I know he's invested in a few wild schemes in the past that fell through and cost him. He's not much of a salesman.”

“Anything else?”

No, she couldn't think of anything. But Leo? Nothing he ever did turned out well. He was gullible, too. Ethan might have talked him into robbing the bank with him. “Maybe,” she said.

“We'll keep them on top of the list.”

Her head was starting to throb. She reached up and massaged her temples as Dillon scribbled something on the paper.