Read Online Black and Shadow by Caryn Moya Block - Free Book Online

were probably clues waiting
for us to find them and now they’re gone.”
    “You can be damn sure I’ll find out
who’s behind this, Jessica.”
    “I need to get up. I need to take care
of this.” Jessica threw off the covers.
    Joe grabbed her waist and kept her
pinned to the bed. “What you need to do, is stay in bed,” he said
through gritted teeth. “And get to feeling better. Let me take care
of this for you. Don’t you trust me?”
    “Of course, I trust you. That’s not
the point. Fred was my brother, the only family I had
left.”
    Joe looked into Jessica’s panicked
eyes. She didn’t understand what was going on any more than he did.
He caressed her hair before leaning down to gently kiss her. At the
same time he reached for her mind and found a whirling mass of
emotions.
    He ran his hands softly
over her, gentling her, as he filled her mind with peace and
safety. “Whatever is going on, I will
protect you. We’ll figure this out, together. You’re not
alone.” The tension slowly left her body.
She sighed. “That’s my girl.” He nibbled on her lower lip and then kissed her
in earnest. She gripped his shirt in one hand, holding him close.
Before the kiss could get any hotter, he pulled away and kissed
each eye. Already his body demanded more. She let him go and lay
peacefully. He stepped back and covered her again with the
blankets.
    “Now. Is there anything I can bring
you?”
    “How about the file you have on Fred’s
murder? Come on, Joe. I’ve been shot and Fred’s apartment has been
gone through. Someone thinks I’ll figure out who killed him. Why
else would they try and take me out? Then when they miss me, they
leave a note warning me to leave town. There must be something
we’re missing.”
    Joe thought for a moment. The note
could have been left before Jessica arrived. She’d go crazy if she
didn’t have something to occupy her time. “Okay, I’ll bring you the
file, but it doesn’t leave the building. I need to check that
symbol on the warning note. Give me about an hour and I’ll be back.
Hopefully with more information you can pour over. I’ll even bring
you a laptop to use. Just promise me you won’t hack the system
again.”
    “I won’t hack the system, unless I
need information.” Jessica smiled prettily.
    “Not nice, sweetheart. Careful, or
I’ll turn you over my knee. Your behind isn’t damaged.”
    “Don’t threaten me. I’m not afraid of
you, teddy bear.”
    “Teddy bear? Honey, I am anything but
a teddy bear. If you knew what I wanted to do to you, well…you
wouldn’t think of me as being soft and cute.”
    “What do you want to do?”
    “I want to take you to my bed and keep
you there for a week. Do you need to know more?”
    A shiver went through her. Jessica
shook her head. “No, that seems pretty clear.”
     
    §
     
    What Joe didn’t realize was he hadn’t
said anything Jessica didn’t already know. He was seriously hot and
he hadn’t hidden the fact he wanted her.
    He kissed her lightly. “Try and get
rest until I get back.”
    “Joe, all I’m doing is resting.” It
drove her mad.
    “Yeah, but you’ll need your strength
when I get you all to myself.” With a wink, he turned and left the
room.
    She smiled. Joe turned out to be a
real nice guy. He didn’t seem to notice the women around him giving
him the eye. He stayed focused, on his work and on her. She
appreciated that. A man like that wouldn’t stray. When he made a
commitment, it would be forever.
    Jessica threw off the covers. She
winced as she rolled from the bed. Sitting up felt too painful, so
rolling was the easiest way. She walked into the bathroom, pulling
her IV stand behind her. Once she finished, she found her suitcase
in the cabinet and used her good arm to pull it out. A yawn took
her by surprise. She tired so easily and the pain killers wiped her
out.
    After unzipping the bag, she rifled
through her clothes until she found the things Joe had sent her
from Fred. She