The Investigator (37 page)

“Let’s get out of here,” Riley muttered, his voice husky with need.

“
Mm
… You read my mind.”

* * *

Less than an hour later, with the clock just shy of midnight, Kate kicked off her four-inch heels in the bedroom of her tenth-floor apartment and sighed. Riley came up behind her and massaged the tired muscles in her shoulders.

“You worked hard tonight. And to think you raised a million dollars? You’re amazing.”

He bent his head and nuzzled her neck. She groaned and tilted her head to the side, to give him better access.

“
Mm
, that feels so good,” she murmured. “It’s been a hectic couple of weeks. I’m so grateful for Mary and Genevieve,” she added, referring to her assistants. “They were the ones who were amazing. What with Mom and everything else that happened in Australia, I’d have never have managed to pull something like this together without their help.”

Riley nibbled at the soft skin behind her ear. “You’re right,” he said. “Mary especially deserves the healthy pay packet you offered her.”

Kate frowned a little, wondering why he’d singled the girl out. Mary was a godsend, but Genevieve had worked equally hard to make the night happen.

Without a word, he set Kate away from him and strode to his side of her super king bed. Bending low, he collected a package off the floor. “I had Mary wrap a little gift for you and arranged to have it delivered.”

Kate stared curiously at the parcel in Riley’s hands. The embossed forest-green and gold paper carried the logo of her gallery. He closed the distance between them and offered it to her.

“For you,” he said simply. “With all my love.”

Kate’s heart thumped. Her fingers were less than steady when she untied the green ribbon that secured the wrapping paper. Smoothing it back, she revealed the bronze and alloy statue she’d admired earlier.

She gasped in surprise. Her gaze flew to his. “Oh, Riley, it’s—it’s beautiful. I-I don’t know what to say.” She swallowed the lump in her throat.

Riley smiled softly, his eyes full of love. “You’ve already said everything I need to hear. I love you, Mrs Munro, with all that I am.”

Kate carefully set the package aside and threw her arms around him. With renewed hunger, she pressed her lips to his. Riley kissed her back, cradling her head and angling his lips to consume her with a passion that matched hers. His shirt and pants and Kate’s Valentino dress were discarded in quick succession. Their underwear quickly followed.

Riley bent and picked her up and deposited her gently on the bed. Moments later, he joined her and Kate relished the feel of his hard, muscular body sliding against hers.

She threaded her arms around his neck and opened her mouth under his. His tongue glided across her lips, tasting, probing and finally thrusting inside. She groaned and moved against him, desire burning low in her belly.

He broke away and kissed his way down her neck, teasing the sensitive flesh beneath her ear until she shivered from the contact. He continued lower, his lips moving over the soft peaks of her breasts. She gasped when his mouth closed over her nipple, his tongue sweeping over the little nub until it stood hard.

Just when she thought she couldn’t stand that another minute, he turned his attention to her other breast and she suffered the beautiful torment all over again.

Wanting to give as much pleasure as she was receiving, Kate slid out from underneath him and pushed him back against the mattress. Surprise and delight glittered in his eyes and a slow, sexy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

She sat back on her haunches and looked at him.
Really
looked at him. His skin was golden, smooth and exotic. She ran her fingers lightly over the strong planes of his chest, loving the feel of him.

She moved her hand lower and his stomach muscles contracted under her touch. She smiled, once again luxuriating in her power over him. His erection lay thick and hard against the cushion of his groin, beckoning her.

Giving into the temptation, she fitted her hand around his cock and stroked him. He groaned and the sound only fueled the flames of her desire.

“What you’re doing…” he rasped. “It feels so good. Please, don’t stop.”

She flushed from pleasure, still getting used to the idea of being able to please him. With her hand around his shaft, she bent low and opened her mouth. He groaned again, his eyes closed, his head thrown back against the pillows. She used her tongue to lick the side of his shaft and swipe at the moisture beading the tip, all the while stroking him with her hand.

“You’re driving me crazy,” he muttered, clenching his hands at his side.

“I’m glad,” she murmured, knowing it was true. She wanted to drive him crazy, to have him forget every woman he’d ever been with, to want no one but her. She sucked him into her mouth, harder and faster, in time with the rhythm of her hand.

“Christ, if you don’t stop now, I’m going to come.”

Satisfaction surged through her and she smiled. “Come, then.”

“No.” The word was wrenched from him on another groan. Before she realized what was happening, he sat up and reached for her, flipping her over onto her back in one smooth movement.

“Riley!” she gasped as his lips found hers again.

“We’re coming together.”

Working his mouth over her nipples, he raised them once again into tight, little nubs. Satisfied, he moved lower, kissing his way down her stomach until his face was buried between her legs. Breathing in deeply, he flicked his tongue over her throbbing clit. When she gasped and grabbed for his hair he made a wholly masculine sound of satisfaction.

“Two can play at this game,” he murmured, lifting his head to offer her a smile full of wickedness.

Not giving her time to respond, he licked his way into the core of her, moistening the way with his tongue. Heat burned between her legs and she gasped again when he slid a finger inside her. Moving it in and out in perfect imitation of her earlier rhythm, she clung to the bedclothes and prayed she could withstand the sensual onslaught.

He rose above her and pressed his cock against her. She welcomed the feel of it in silent relief. Lifting her hips, she met his thrust and groaned as he entered her, filling her, stretching her, fanning the flames of her need to a fever pitch.

“Christ, you feel so good.” He moved inside her, his face taut with desire.

She matched his rhythm, her legs wrapped around his hips, urging him closer. Her climax was building, increasing with every urgent thrust of his hips. She clung to him, making mindless murmurs of need as she reached the pinnacle and toppled over the other side.

“Ohhh!”
she gasped, her muscles clenching around him. At the same time, Riley’s body tensed and he spent himself inside her. With a groan, he collapsed on top of her.

Long moments later, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at her. “I love you.”

Her heart swelled. “I love you, too.”

Their lips met in a kiss that was both sweet and poignant and tender and offered a lifetime of promise.

Kate clung to the feeling and swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in her throat. Reaching up, she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him again. Digging deep for her courage, she asked him the question she’d been dreading.

“Does it matter? What Darryl did to me?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

“Of course it matters.”

Her stomach dropped and she tried to pull out of his arms. He refused to let her go.

“But not in the way you think.” His eyes burned into hers, dark and somber. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over the sheer anger that consumes me every time I think about what he did to you, but then I look at you and it doesn’t matter, because you’ve won. You didn’t let what he did defeat you. With your help, the police laid enough charges on him and Hannaford to keep them battling the court system for years to come. If they’re found guilty, and with the evidence we have against them, there’s no reason they won’t, both of them will be spending many years at Her Majesty’s pleasure.”

His eyes filled with emotion and his voice cracked as he added, “I love you so much.”

Tears pricked her eyes. Riley took her chin in his fingers and tilted her head upwards. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Please, don’t cry. Just tell me you love me, too.”

She hiccupped somewhere between a sob and a laugh and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, oh, yes. I love you, too. I’ll never get tired of saying it.”

A grin turned up the corner of his lips. “Does that mean you’re adjusting to the idea of leaving London and starting our life together as the wife of Watervale’s newest Local Area Commander?”

Her eyes opened wide in surprise. “Y-you mean you got it? You got the job?”

Riley’s grin widened. He nodded. “Yep, someone off the interview panel called this afternoon.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she exclaimed, joy and happiness spreading through her that her husband, the love her life, had found recognition at last.

“Tonight was all about you and your mom, sweetheart. I didn’t want to spoil it.”

His lips found hers, warm, loving, insistent. She opened her mouth to him, reveling in the sensations he stirred up deep inside her. There was no longer fear or disgust or panic or pain. There was no Darryl, no Hannaford, no past.

There was only Riley.

And their future.

NOTE TO READERS

I do hope you have enjoyed reading Riley and Kate’s story. The issue of racial prejudice affects all of us and I loved how Riley dealt with it, I also loved how Riley’s mixed heritage didn’t matter to Kate—that she loved him for who he was. It would be nice to think we could all embrace her attitude and make the world a nicer place to live.

In Book Three of the Munro Family Series, you will meet another Munro brother.
The Predator
is Brandon Munro’s story and yes, he’s every bit as gorgeous as his brothers. Here’s a sneak peek:

Everything comes at a price…

When Australian Federal Agent
Brandon Munro
walked out on his wife without a word of explanation, he had no idea the price would be so high.

Alex Cavanaugh’s
world fell apart the night Brandon told her their marriage was over. Devastated over his refusal to tell her why and unwilling to keep him by her side out of a sense of duty, she conceals from him her pregnancy.

Four years later, Alex has rebuilt her life and has found success as an Australian Federal Agent working in a High Tech Operations team hunting online predators. In conjunction with INTERPOL and the FBI, her team is in pursuit of a pedophile ring that has its origins in Belgium.

When Brandon transfers to her Unit, Alex’s life is thrown into turmoil once again. Pitted together in a race to uncover a global ring of online pedophiles, Alex and Brandon are forced to confront each other…and their past.

As the pressure mounts, Brandon struggles to deal with his guilt and reconnect with the woman he still loves. Alex lives on tenterhooks that Brandon may discover he has a son. Despite her sound reasons for keeping the child a secret, she fears he will never forgive her once he discovers the extent of her treachery.

While both struggle with guilt and forgiveness and the resurgence of love, they are unaware of the predator who stalks close to home…

The Predator
will be available in April, 2014.
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if you would like to receive news on upcoming Munro Family stories, release dates, book launches and other snippets. I love to hear from my readers. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] Let me know who your favorite Munro family member is.

The Munro Family Series

THE PROFILER

(Book One—Clayton and Ellie)

THE INVESTIGATOR

(Book Two—Riley and Kate)

THE PREDATOR

(Book Three—Brandon and Alex)

THE BETRAYAL

(Book Four—Declan and Chloe)

THE DECEPTION

(Book Five—Will and Savannah)

THE NEGOTIATOR

(Book Six—Andy and Cally)

THE RANSOM

(Book Seven—Lane and Zara)

THE DEFENDANT

(Book Eight—Chase and Josie)

THE SHOOTING

(Book Nine—Tom and Lily)

THE MAKER

(Book Ten—Bryce and Chanel)

Read the back cover blurb of each of the Munro Family stories by visiting my website at:

http://www.christaylorauthor.com.au/about/books

For the latest news on release dates, sign up for my newsletter at:

http://www.christaylorauthor.com.au/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As usual, no book comes into being without a lot of help and support by my friends and family. A world of thanks must go to my friend and fellow author Angela Bissell, critique partner extraordinaire, and a girl who loves the Munro family as much as I do.

To my editor, Pat Thomas, thank you for being the best editor in the world. To Alisha for my fantastic cover. My sister, Nicole Guihot, for her excellent editorial comments and suggestions. Nic, I hope you like the final result.

To Amy Atwell and her incredibly capable staff at Author EMS. Thank you for your expertise and your sense of humor. Book formatting doesn’t cover even half of what you do.

To the fantastic writer organizations such as Romance Writers of Australia, Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of New Zealand for all the help, support and encouragement they offer new and aspiring writers, including me.

To my readers, thank you for your support and love for the Munro family. Your encouragement and enjoyment make this journey all worthwhile.