Black and Shadow (11 page)

“Are you sure you don’t want to lie
down?” Joe walked over and put his hand on the back of her chair.
“Hey, where’s the picture of the DEA agent?”

Jessica turned. “These are the only
pictures in the stack.”

“But it was here. I don’t understand.”
Joe scratched his head. Then he went to the door and opened it,
looking around the hallway.

He came back and sat. “Check Fred’s
file. Maybe it slipped inside.”

Jessica dutifully opened the file
folder, but only saw the pictures of Fred’s body. “Nope, it’s not
here.”

“I’ll ask Hugh for another copy of the
picture. This woman appeared somehow related to the DEA agent. I’m
not sure what’s going on. The only thing I can think happened is
Sarah took it, but I don’t know why. I’ll have to track her down,
but first, I think I promised you a dinner out.” Joe’s jaw
clenched. Jessica spared a moment of pity for the other woman. Joe
wouldn’t put up with a person on his team he couldn’t trust. Taking
the picture, for whatever reason, was a stupid move.

“Should we order in?” Jessica asked.
An intimidate dinner in Joe’s apartment would allow them to discuss
the case. Besides, going to bed with Joe ranked high on her list of
priorities. The man had knocked her socks off and she wanted to get
to know him better.

“I can order something from the
kitchen. They have a room service menu, though it’s
limited.”

“That would be perfect.” Jessica
lifted one of the pictures of Fred and the woman from the Rattler.
Who was she?

Joe walked over and phoned downstairs.
“Any preferences for the meat? Beef, chicken or fish?”

“Anything you get, I’ll eat.” Jessica
waved her hand absently, her mind on her brother and all that
happened since she got to New Mexico.

§

Joe ordered several dishes and
replaced the receiver to the phone. Why did Sarah take the picture
of the DEA agent? He would have happily gotten a copy made for her.
The fact she pilfered it worried him. He would have to confront her
about it. He contacted Hugh telepathically and asked for another
copy of the last picture. Then he walked to his desk and fired up
his computer. He pulled up the security work schedule. Like he
thought, Sarah’s shift ended soon. Tracking her down meant leaving
Jessica, something he wasn’t willing to do yet. He’d wait and speak
to Sarah tomorrow when her shift started.

Jessica sat reading Fred’s file, a
frown marring her face. Joe ached for her and her loss. Fred had
been more than her brother; he had become a father figure. The
person Jessica could count on to be there. Joe rubbed absently at
his chest where the tribal tattoo lay. Now he knew Jessica was his
mate, he’d have to work to take Fred’s place. Not as a father
figure, but as someone she could turn to for support.

Jessica didn’t really understand the
significance of the Shadow marking. She was the one, his woman. He
would move mountains for her if necessary. She needed to have this
situation solved by finding Fred’s murderer. Jessica winced and
rubbed at her wound. Joe frowned, thinking about what might have
happened that night at the bar. Most of all, she needed to be
safe.

§

Joe took the empty dinner plate from
Jessica and set is aside. At least he got her to stop reading
Fred’s file and eat. “We’ll figure out what happened to your
brother, I promise.” He swept her up into his arms.

“What are you doing?” she
squeaked.

“Taking you to bed. The doctor said
you needed your rest.” Joe laid her gently on his mattress. He
liked seeing her there. Her red hair caught the light from the
setting sun streaming in his window.

“Something tells me we won’t be
resting.” Her eyes sparkled.

“Smart woman.” Joe removed his robe
before joining her on the bed.

He reached for the blanket wrapped
around her toga style and pulled one end free. “Right now, I need
to love you.” He pulled away the cloth baring her breasts and
leaned down to kiss the soft globes.

Jessica wound her fingers through his
hair, massaging his scalp as she pulled him closer. Joe hummed, his
mouth full as he suckled her. She moaned. He nipped lightly at the
tight nubbin.

“So good…” she gasped.

Joe smiled while switching sides. He
licked at the distended flesh, pink and luscious, before once more
pulling her nipple into his mouth. He loved the taste of her, sweet
with a hint of musk. He rolled his tongue around the tip. Jessica
tugged at his hair. He could feel the rapid beating of her
heart.

He thought to take it slower this
time, to savor the moment. She tugged on his hair again. “Joe!” she
exclaimed.

“So impatient,”
he sent telepathically.

He released her breast and kissed the
underside before moving to her stomach. He made a slight foray at
her belly button, licking and kissing, before moving lower,
removing the blanket as he went. It felt like unwrapping a present.
His present.

He looked at the curls between her
legs, glistening with moisture. He leaned down and licked at the
small drops. He moved between her thighs and pulled her legs over
his arms before licking again.

Jessica gasped. Her hands fisted the
sheets. Joe pushed his tongue in deep and then flicked the little
bundle of nerves before going in deep again.

“Joe, please.”

She trembled. Her thighs lifted while
her heels pressed into his back. Joe gripped her hips and sucked on
her clit.

Jessica screamed. Her body bucked with
her orgasm. Joe still licked. Her legs clamped around his head. He
licked at the moisture heralding her pleasure. More. He wanted to
give her so much more.

She relaxed and Joe rose,
positioning himself at the entrance to her core. He surged deep. So
wet, so hot. Jessica moaned. She gripped him tightly. He pulled out
and plunged again.
“So good,”
he acknowledged.

Jessica grabbed at his thighs, raising
her hips to take him deeper. He plunged again and again, needing to
connect them. Her nails sank into his flesh.

“More,”
she demanded.

He pulled her higher up while plunging
deep. She moaned. Her head thrashed on the pillow. She felt so hot,
her body a furnace he plundered. In as far as he could push, and
then out before pushing in again. Her body trembled. Joe pushed in
deeply. The sound of panted breaths and flesh hitting flesh filled
the room.

Flames licked at his insides. His body
drew up. He fought it, wanting Jessica’s pleasure first.

“Come for me,
sweetheart,”
he sent into her
mind.

Her body stiffened, squeezing him so
tightly his eyesight wavered.

“Joe,” she wailed.

A gush of moisture washed over him. He
pushed in once, twice, her body pulling him deep. He exploded, his
body shaking with effort as he filled her. Reaching for her mind
telepathically, he shared all of his emotions.

“Mine.”

§

Jessica stretched languidly. She felt
deliciously relaxed, her body sore in intimate places. She reached
across the bed, but cold sheets met her hands. Then she touched
something soft and silky. She opened her eyes. The morning sun
showed a red rose and a note sitting on Joe’s pillow. She picked up
the bloom and brought it to her nose. It smelled wonderful. She
smiled. Her bear man was a romantic at heart. She caressed her face
with the petals before laying the rose on her chest. She picked up
the note, staring at the strong masculine handwriting.

“I hope you slept well. Call me when
you wake. I’ll be in my office,” the letter said. He signed it,
“Love, your Joe.” Jessica ran her fingers over the signature. “Your
Joe.”

He could have signed it any number of
ways, but this seemed more serious, more intimate. Was he her Joe?
He talked of destiny and claiming, but she didn’t know if that
meant forever.

He wouldn’t be the first man to talk
about destiny to get into a woman’s pants. Her hand fell to the
small red heart marking her breast. She remembered the cold of
Shadow, taking her breath away. The darkness and seeing Joe’s
bedroom through a darkened window. What did she really know about
this tribe that walked through a different dimension?

The cell phone Joe provided rang.
Jessica reached for it and answered expecting it to be
Joe.

“Miss Black?”

“Sarah?” Why was Sarah
calling?

“You need to get out of town. Go to
New York.”

“Are you threatening me?” Jessica
asked.

Joe stared at the New Mexico desert
outside his window. If someone walked into his office, they would
notice the silly smile he couldn’t seem to stop wearing. His
thoughts constantly returned to last night and the many times he
made love to Jessica. He was glad she was adventurous in bed and
not afraid to make demands. They would have a long, happy life
together. He’d make sure of it.

His phone rang on his desk and he
picked up.

“Running Bear.”

“Joe,” Hugh’s worried voice began.
“Sarah called in sick today. She got a replacement for her shift,
but after her taking that picture last night, I think we should go
check on her.”

“Did our background check show
anything unusual about her, Hugh?” What was going on with his
team?

“Well… I checked on her when you
contacted me telepathically last night.”

Joe could picture Hugh in front of his
computer all night. The man needed to get a life. He’d been glued
to his computer ever since he came home wounded from his last
assignment for General Holland. That was years ago.

“Things don’t quite add up. I think
she might be a Federal Agent with the DOJ,” Hugh
continued.

“What?”

“Yeah. I made a few calls this
morning. I think she’s here investigating that DEA agent everyone
thinks is dirty.”

“Is that why she took the picture last
night? Why didn’t she tell us instead of this elaborate
ruse?”

“She’s undercover. I guess they
figured she wouldn’t find anything if she came in flashing her
credentials.”

“Go check on her if you want. I’m so
tired of all the games. Nobody can be honest anymore.”

“Don’t take it so hard, papa bear.
It’s Sarah’s job to take down the bad guys, like yours. She’s just
doing it differently.”

“I guess I’m getting old.” Joe
sighed.

“It’s a good thing you have a young
beautiful woman in your bed then, old man.”

“Yeah. It is. Did you find anything
out about that woman in the pictures with Fred?”

“Not yet. You said you and Jessica saw
her at the Rattler? Maybe we should set up a surveillance camera
across the street. We might get interesting shots.”

“I want to know who she is, not what
she’s drinking. Besides, I don’t think you could get the permits to
put up the camera. It might scare everyone away.”

“True. Maybe you and Jessica should go
in and get another drink.”

“And have someone take pot shots at us
again? I don’t think so. I want Jessica safe. No more
investigations turning dangerous.” Hugh was out of his mind if he
thought Joe would allow Jessica anywhere near that bar.

“I don’t think Miss Black would agree
with you. Something tells me she doesn’t give up
easily.”

“I don’t want her to give up. She
needs to finish this. I just want her safe.” The thought of losing
Jessica made his body stiffen.

“Okay, if I hear anything else. I’ll
let you know,” Hugh said.

“You do that.” Joe hung up the phone.
He frowned.

Jessica could visit the bar. In
Shadow.

§

“No. You don’t understand. I gotta go.
Just be careful,” Sarah said. Then the phone went dead. What the
hell was that? Jessica stared at the device in her hand.

She rubbed her hand over her face and
climbed from the bed. She needed a shower. She picked up her
suitcase and opened it. The zipper got caught half-way round and
Jessica reached in to see what jammed it: Fred’s high school year
book. She yanked it out of the case and set it on the bed before
she finished unzipping. Grabbing clothes and her toiletries she
headed for the bathroom. The marble and glass in the room looked
inviting. Big fluffy towels waited next to the shower. She smiled
to think Joe had such a luxurious bathroom.

It didn’t take long for her shower
even though she had to wrap her arm to keep it dry. Jessica smiled.
Her arm barely hurt. Finally, things felt normal. She finished
getting dressed. A twinge in her middle told her she needed food.
She searched through the little kitchenette, but only found a
carton of stale milk and a box of crackers. Where did Joe
eat?

Remembering the fruit basket Katherine
Sloane brought her, she searched again. Why didn’t anyone bring up
the basket and her purse? She looked at the phone near the door.
Joe had ordered room service last night, but Jessica didn’t see a
menu. Plus, her cash and credit cards were in her purse.