Heat: An Alpha Male Criminal Romance (A Hotter Than Hell Novel Book 1) (10 page)

“Not much, Kelsy. I came from Veterans and Mama Kane. It doesn’t look good. I’m looking for her goat.” Mama Kane would never tell anyone her goat’s name. She just called it “goat.”

“So sorry, Mak. I heard one of her friends wigged out and it went bad. They arrested him and animal control picked up the goat.”

“Could you do me a favor?”

“Sure, if you take a kitten for me.” She is such a weasel.

I groan. “You know I can’t, and you’re a bitch for asking.”

I get a grin. “Sneak her in. The apartment management will never know. People do it all the time.”

“They’ll know.”

Her shoulders drop. “What do you need?” she asks on a sigh.

“A call to animal control to check on the goat. I don’t want the department to know I’m working the area.” Kelsy knows all about how I’m treated by the officers who were once my friends. It pisses her off. She thinks a PI is way cooler than being a cop. She also knows that animal control in this area has close ties with the Wendell Precinct. One of the animal control officer’s husbands works patrol in Sunnyslope.

She makes the call while I wait. I can only hear her side of the conversation. She tells whoever answered the phone to call her if Mama Kane dies because she might have a home for the goat.

“You think you have a home?” I ask as soon as she hangs up the phone.

“No, but I think you’ll find one.”

This time I groan loud and long. “I hate you.”

“You love animals and someday you’ll be in a place where you can have a menagerie. Then you’ll pay me back for all the favors I do for you.”

When I worked this area, Kelsy gave me dog food to hand out to the homeless while I was on graveyard shifts, and she swung some free medication my way too. I know she paid for it out of her own pocket, but she never let me help. It’s her way of giving back to this small, nutzoid community within the big city.

I head out to my boiling hot car wondering how the hell I’ll find a home for a goat.

Chapter Eleven

I WON’T LIE. I
think about Moon at least a hundred times throughout the day. This is because I’m an idiot and because his quiet control does something for me sexually. Maybe I’ll try a dating site and get someone on the side. There must be men out there who just want a booty call. I’m not at all happy that Moon has taken away my infatuation with my vibrator. I won’t ask for much if a man is interested in helping me out—no dates, just a hard dick now and then that doesn’t stop working when the batteries run out.

I’m at my apartment, which I’ve cleaned. I even made my bed, and that’s a small miracle. It’s all because I can’t stop thinking about Moon. Nervous energy fills me. For dinner, I scramble two eggs and place them on a cold flour tortilla, wrap it up, and eat it burrito style. I eat while standing in my kitchen. Again, it’s that nervous energy that won’t leave me alone. I plan to grocery shop tomorrow so I have more options when it comes to meals. I have money in the bank for a change and need to stock up while I can. Part of the money will go for rent and bills, but I swear I’m buying enough food to last for more than a few days.

My sleep is restless. The following day, I run errands, which include buying groceries. I also haul my laundry to the laundry unit where I’m assigned at the apartment complex. There are six washing machines and three dryers. I use two to wash and two to dry while I read a newspaper left behind by who I’m sure is an older resident. I would typically surf the internet on my phone. While scanning the pages, I daydream about what if. What if Moon was a normal guy? What if Moon wasn’t up to his eyeballs in illegal activity? What if Moon wasn’t hot? What if Moon had a wart on his nose? These thoughts solve nothing and give me a headache.

I haul the clean laundry back to my apartment and put it away. The laundry room is hotter than my apartment, which sucks. I’m hot and sweaty, so I take a shower. I hear my cell ringing and get out of the shower just in time to answer it.

It’s Kelsy. “Mama Kane died and the goat doesn’t have much time.”

“Fuck,” I whisper. “I’ll think of something, hold the green mile off as long as you can.”

“Will do and sorry, Mak. I know you liked Mama.”

“Thanks,” I say before disconnecting. I did like Mama Kane. She had her moments, but most of the time she was a gentle old lady who lived a rough life. I knew she was in the military long before women were accepted there. The thought of her tragic life depresses me. Could I end up like Mama Kane? I have my parents now, but what about after they’re gone. You never know what life will hand you.

Trying to quiet my morose thoughts, I stretch out as much as possible on the loveseat and turn on the news. I washed my hair and now I weave it into a long, wet braid. I’m hearing about the third homicide of the night when there’s a knock at my door.

No one ever knocks at my door. I’m in a tee and my favorite cotton short shorts. They’re indecent, and I don’t wear them outside the apartment. I walk over to the door and check the peephole.

Fucking shit. It’s Moon. He’s standing back from the door with his hands in his suit pants pockets. That’s all I can really see because the small, rounded glass distorts his features. I throw back the locks and open the door about four inches.

“Why are you here, Moon?” I ask before I see the two men standing off to the side. One’s Gomez. I look back at Moon wondering what the hell is going on. This time I take a good look at him. He’s tired. He has lines around his eyes and dark circles beneath them. My heart does a flip-flop.

He turns to Gomez. “Satisfied?” he barks. “Wait down at the car.”

“Moon?” Gomez questions.

Moon runs a hand over his head. “Just go, Alex. I’ll be down shortly.” I can’t see Moon’s face as the two men leave. Moon turns his attention to me. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d say hello.” I can’t tell if he’s joking. His eyes are haunted and he looks so depressed. “Don’t invite me in,” he says quietly.

“I have no intention of allowing you inside,” I say just as quietly. I would, though. I’d throw away my earlier resolution to never see him again if he’d smile.

We stand looking at each other for the longest time. Something in his eyes changes in a scary way. Before I can close the door, he pushes it with his foot, takes his hands from his pockets, and drags me outside. The door closes behind me.

He has pulled me so close that his face is inches from mine. “I locked it after I opened the door so it auto locks and I don’t have a key,” I say on a slow breath.

“I have a key. Christ, you smell so good,” he murmurs and runs his nose across my cheek.

I would tell him the same thing, but the information about him having my key stops me cold. “You made copies of my keys?” I knew he must have, I just didn’t expect him to admit it.

His hand glides down my body until he cups my ass. He ignores my question. “I just needed to see you for a moment and do this…”

His lips crash down on mine. He isn’t gentle. I forget about the keys. Hell, I forget that I’m outside in my short shorts. The kiss is hungry and wet, dominating and sexual. He tastes so damn good.

He backs off and runs his tongue across my lips. “I’ve fantasized for the past two nights about you, like this.” He deepens the kiss. His tongue slips around mine and I moan. He pulls me closer and presses his erection into my lower belly. Fucking hell he feels good. My panties flood with liquid heat. He bites my lower lip and runs his tongue inside. He slides his hand off my ass and grasps my fingers, raising my arms above my head, and uses his body to push me against the door. I want him inside me, making me come. I no longer want to deny this man. He lifts my arms higher.

“Shoulder, please,” I whisper as soon as he lets me up for air. A dull throb is settling in my shoulder and once more I hate that my body limits me.

Moon immediately drops my hands and his fingers go to my braid, which rests over my shoulder. He tugs it playfully. “Sorry,” he breathes. “I only needed one kiss. Now, I can’t get enough.”

“Moon…” I sigh as he places soft, wet kisses down my throat. He nibbles my skin, and fuck I want his teeth to sink in and claim me.

“You need to promise you’ll be here when I pick you up for our date,” he says with a groan against my throat. His hot breath makes me shiver.

It’s hard to think while he’s touching me and using the braid to steer my head where he wants it. He hits every erogenous zone I have from the neck up. My breathing is ragged, and I swear I’m about to pass out from lack of oxygen. “I can’t be seen with you, Moon.”

The words are like ice water. His sensual blue eyes turn hard and his nostrils flair. The hold he has on my braid tightens and his other hand moves to my throat where he adds just a bit of pressure. His thumb ring slides across my jaw. When he speaks, I don’t like the edge in his voice. “For the first time in my life, I’ve reconsidered who I am and what I do. Thoughts of you are eating me alive. You see a criminal, but I have no criminal history—no arrests, nothing. I’m asking you to look past what you think you know and go out with me.”

This isn’t the time or place to have this discussion. Moon isn’t giving me a choice. “I know exactly who you are. Lack of a criminal history doesn’t change that. I don’t need the trouble that being associated with you will bring.” It’s harsh but true. I need him to back off because my resolve weakens as soon as he touches me. What I want and what I need are two entirely different things.

Moon leans closer. His finger slides over my lips before his mouth moves in. This kiss practically stops my heart. It’s completely different. It’s slow and sweet. Giving, instead of taking. The possessiveness is gone and in its place is gentleness. He’s killing me. Stabbing me in the heart with kindness. He raises his head and I’m breathless. His eyes have turned dark with sensuality and his anger has vanished. “We’ll work it out, Madison.”

It’s not what I want. I don’t need this worked out. I need Moon out of my life. I say none of this because the last kiss suckered me into giving him a chance. “I need a favor.”

He pulls away a little and I can tell his thoughts are racing. “If I give you this favor, you’ll be ready when I arrive Wednesday and have an overnight bag packed.”

Hell, he has no idea what I’ll ask for and still, he’s willing to give it. “It’s a small favor and doesn’t require an overnight bag.”

“Those are my terms.” The silver streaks are back in his eyes and he’s all business.

This isn’t good. How the hell do I get myself into these situations? I tell him what I need without agreeing to his demands. “Downtown Phoenix animal control has a goat that needs a home. A home where it’s not a hot meal.”

He stares at me for several long moments. I know he’s trying to decide if I’m serious. “A goat?” he finally asks.

“Yes, as in Billy.”

I receive what I’ve wanted since Moon appeared at my door. He smiles and the smile turns to laughter. The sound travels over my skin like it did before. His expression changes and whatever it is that made his day a bad one is no longer in his thoughts. My insides go soft and gooey. How does something as simple as laughter ratchet up sexual awareness that was already on high alert? The smile doesn’t leave his lips when he leans in and kisses me again. Keys jingle and I’m completely unaware how they ended up in his hand. He unlocks the door while assaulting my lips. When the door slides backward, Moon keeps me from falling. The sexual fog he’s cast over me is alive and well, and I’m about to combust.

He pulls away. “Lock up,” he says and places a sweet and gentle kiss on my lips. “I’ll find a home for your goat.”

I close and lock the door and lean my forehead against it like I did two nights ago. I’m in so far over my head that drowning will be the only outcome possible.