towns over, go to a club, pick someone up and—” He shrugged, doubting prim Noah would want to hear about handcuffs, blow jobs in his SUV, a little rough play.
Noah’s hands clenched into fists. He swallowed. “I have a son. He’s everything to me. I’ve built my own career and a stable life, all so I could be a good father. I don’t have room in my life for… flings.”
Kell raked a hand through his hair. “You don’t fit,” he agreed crankily.
“Oh, whatever will I do?” Noah said sarcastically. “I’m so sorry I’m not like some floozy you pick up at a bar!”
Kell reached out and cupped the back of Noah’s neck, brows lowered. Noah gave a little gasp at his touch, and his pupils dilated. Kell felt himself swell and wished he could rub himself off on that cool, lean body.
“Floozy?” Kell was amused by Noah’s quaint talk. “Just horny men looking for some relief. I know what you’re scared of, baby,” he whispered.
“Really?” Noah’s eyes were snapping again like gasoline set alight. “And don’t call me ‘baby’.”
“ Penetration. You haven’t had anyone inside you before and you’re scared of taking me.”
Noah smacked Kell’s hand away. “I’m not scared. I’m pissed off, you barbarian!”
“I promise I’d take care of you.”
Noah stared into dark predatory eyes, soft and heated, making promises of sweaty skin against skin and hands fisted in the sheets. He could almost picture Kell on top of him, Noah’s legs spread, clutching Kell’s working ass—
Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the urgent squawk of Kell’s radio.
“I THOUGHT you had a dog,” Alec said as they got closer to Jade’s
place. He was looking around as if appreciating the touches she’d made, like planting winter pansies near the road so they glimmered in dark violet dots below tall trees.
“Yeah.” She frowned. “Beau. He’s a retriever I got from the pound. He’s old, but he usually barks whenever he hears me come home.”
Alec looked around, taking in the unnatural stillness. “Jade, stay here. I want to take a look first.”
“Fuck that! That’s my dog and my land!” She pulled out her gun and fed in fresh ammunition.
“Just don’t shoot me.” Alec didn’t try to dissuade her, however. The deerskin pouch against his neck was hot, burning a warning as it had earlier when he’d been tracking in the forest.
“Where do you keep your dog when you aren’t home?” “Got a nice house out front I built him myself. He likes to stay outdoors while I’m at work. How come?”
Alec pressed a hand against Jade’s shoulder, looking at her gravely. “I know you’re tough, but I need you to trust me and let me take a look first, okay? This is what I was trained to do.”
“Alec….” She bit her lip and did something she never did, studying his earnest chocolate eyes: she gave in.
He melted into the deep pools of shadow from the trees on her front yard, and Jade stood in the dark, gripping her gun and feeling the seconds tick by in the rapid pounding of her heart.
A
LEC stole closer to Jade’s house, nose suddenly wrinkling from the smell… like ripe meat….
He looked around for Jade’s dog but saw nothing. He tried her front door and was relieved it was locked, so he moved on to peer in her living room window but caught no sign of her pet indoors.
His shoulder blades were itching, telling him there was something bad out here, something he’d missed.
And then he saw it when he swung around to return to Jade. Hanging from a tree, just like a hide drying, milky eyes wide with terror.
He gagged and lowered his gaze, looking around sharply, but now the deerskin bundle was cooling. Whoever had been here was gone.
But they had left something behind.
D
ANIEL M AKEPEACE , the county coroner, stared up at the
hanging corpse, raising a reddish-blond brow over contemplative gray eyes. “So guess you found Morley, huh?” he drawled.
Kell felt the burn
Noah’s hands clenched into fists. He swallowed. “I have a son. He’s everything to me. I’ve built my own career and a stable life, all so I could be a good father. I don’t have room in my life for… flings.”
Kell raked a hand through his hair. “You don’t fit,” he agreed crankily.
“Oh, whatever will I do?” Noah said sarcastically. “I’m so sorry I’m not like some floozy you pick up at a bar!”
Kell reached out and cupped the back of Noah’s neck, brows lowered. Noah gave a little gasp at his touch, and his pupils dilated. Kell felt himself swell and wished he could rub himself off on that cool, lean body.
“Floozy?” Kell was amused by Noah’s quaint talk. “Just horny men looking for some relief. I know what you’re scared of, baby,” he whispered.
“Really?” Noah’s eyes were snapping again like gasoline set alight. “And don’t call me ‘baby’.”
“ Penetration. You haven’t had anyone inside you before and you’re scared of taking me.”
Noah smacked Kell’s hand away. “I’m not scared. I’m pissed off, you barbarian!”
“I promise I’d take care of you.”
Noah stared into dark predatory eyes, soft and heated, making promises of sweaty skin against skin and hands fisted in the sheets. He could almost picture Kell on top of him, Noah’s legs spread, clutching Kell’s working ass—
Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the urgent squawk of Kell’s radio.
“I THOUGHT you had a dog,” Alec said as they got closer to Jade’s
place. He was looking around as if appreciating the touches she’d made, like planting winter pansies near the road so they glimmered in dark violet dots below tall trees.
“Yeah.” She frowned. “Beau. He’s a retriever I got from the pound. He’s old, but he usually barks whenever he hears me come home.”
Alec looked around, taking in the unnatural stillness. “Jade, stay here. I want to take a look first.”
“Fuck that! That’s my dog and my land!” She pulled out her gun and fed in fresh ammunition.
“Just don’t shoot me.” Alec didn’t try to dissuade her, however. The deerskin pouch against his neck was hot, burning a warning as it had earlier when he’d been tracking in the forest.
“Where do you keep your dog when you aren’t home?” “Got a nice house out front I built him myself. He likes to stay outdoors while I’m at work. How come?”
Alec pressed a hand against Jade’s shoulder, looking at her gravely. “I know you’re tough, but I need you to trust me and let me take a look first, okay? This is what I was trained to do.”
“Alec….” She bit her lip and did something she never did, studying his earnest chocolate eyes: she gave in.
He melted into the deep pools of shadow from the trees on her front yard, and Jade stood in the dark, gripping her gun and feeling the seconds tick by in the rapid pounding of her heart.
A
LEC stole closer to Jade’s house, nose suddenly wrinkling from the smell… like ripe meat….
He looked around for Jade’s dog but saw nothing. He tried her front door and was relieved it was locked, so he moved on to peer in her living room window but caught no sign of her pet indoors.
His shoulder blades were itching, telling him there was something bad out here, something he’d missed.
And then he saw it when he swung around to return to Jade. Hanging from a tree, just like a hide drying, milky eyes wide with terror.
He gagged and lowered his gaze, looking around sharply, but now the deerskin bundle was cooling. Whoever had been here was gone.
But they had left something behind.
D
ANIEL M AKEPEACE , the county coroner, stared up at the
hanging corpse, raising a reddish-blond brow over contemplative gray eyes. “So guess you found Morley, huh?” he drawled.
Kell felt the burn
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