The Law of Desire (12 page)

Stopping the kiss went against every fiber of his being. But in order to do what he wanted to do,
no,
what he needed to do, he had to get those bothersome clothes off her. He made quick work of the offending objects and then spun her around so that she was leaning against the large mahogany desk where he had been only moments ago.

Bending his head, he feasted on her nipples first. He couldn’t hold back his groans as he traveled farther down her body and ended up on his knees in front of her. He continued trailing kisses until his tongue reached her core. Then, he suckled and lapped in and all around her velvet folds. Time seemed to stand still and all he could hear was her labored breath. All he could feel was her shuddering pulse. It seemed to echo and vibrate all around him. Her soft pants and shaking thighs were the only things that gave a hint that he wasn’t dreaming. He really was suckling on the greatest nectar known to man.

A moan escaped her lips and she squirmed. The pleasure must have been getting too intense for her, but he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t let her go. Soon she screamed loud and long. It could have been music if it wasn’t so raw and filled with need. She wanted more. He could tell. He stood and turned her to face the desk. Pushing the papers and knickknacks onto the floor, he bent her over the desk.

“You’re beautiful, Minerva.”

She whimpered.

He didn’t have time to get fully undressed himself. He needed to be in her. With mind-shattering quickness, he unzipped his pants, pulled out a condom and protected them before he tunneled deep inside her, not stopping until he reached the hilt.

Minerva cried out for what had to be the fifth or sixth time in a matter of minutes. How did he do it? How did he manage to make her body literally hum? His thrusts were powerful and all-consuming.

“I need you. I want you so bad, it might just drive me crazy.”

“Mmm…” She couldn’t talk in the midst of this. How was he able to talk? Didn’t he feel the earth moving beneath them? Wasn’t the emotion overload causing him to short-circuit? Was she the only one in the room who had to conserve enough energy to scream?

“I’m not going to be able to hold out much longer, baby. You feel so damn good.” He moved his hips faster, as if that were possible, and he worked her like a strong, well-oiled piston.

“Does it feel good to you, baby? Let me know. I will stay here all night to please you.”

“Mmm…mmm…mmm-hmm.” Her grunts channeled into moans and gasps. Her nerve endings refused to lie dormant. Every inch of her body sizzled and popped with desire. She felt the waves of heat travel from the pit of her stomach to her core and tears trailed down her eyes.

She couldn’t believe the man was making her feel so good it made her cry. Where was the rhyme or reason in that? Her heart thumped so loudly it rang in her ears. A sweet lump swelled in her chest and traveled to her throat. Emotions she didn’t dare name overwhelmed her as she bit back a sob.

She loved him.

She had never been in love before, but she knew without a doubt that she loved Lawrence Hightower.

Shaking her head, she resolved to clear her thoughts and enjoy the moment.

His hand reached around her body and slowly caressed her pleasure point. Each circular motion coincided with a thrust of his hips. He’d at least stopped talking, but the scandalous torture remained.

“Lawrence…” She couldn’t take much more. And no sooner did she think it than her body shook and convulsed.

She lost control of herself. She couldn’t think. She could only feel.

He pulled out, scooped her from the desk and into his arms and carried her over to the sofa. Within seconds, she was on the comfy chocolate-brown sofa and he was in her again, sending her into orbit until they both found release together.

I love you.
She wanted to say the words out loud, to scream them to the mountains surrounding them. But she couldn’t. Not yet, maybe not ever.

When he came back from disposing of the protection, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her toward the bedrooms.

“Hey, what about dinner?” She squeaked out the question as her stomach dipped and tingles overtook her body.

“It can wait. I need to finish teaching you your lesson for keeping yourself away from me all day.” He had a wickedly sexy gleam in his eyes and a sultry smile on his face.

She grinned. “Who knew being bad would make me feel so good?”

A
fter enjoying their meal together and having Lawrence shower her with praise for her culinary talents, she realized she could have listened to him rave about her cooking for the rest of her life. They could pull her feminist card if they wanted to, but she even let herself imagine preparing meals for handsome little boys who looked just like him as they all sat around a big table in a cute little house with a white picket fence.

Yes, she had it
that
bad.

And spending the rest of the evening in his arms having him make love to her with such passion and desire didn’t help. Her body would never be the same. Her heart was lost forever.

And she had to leave him.

She bit her lip and wrung her hands as she watched him sleep.

David’s harsh words reverberated in her head. If something were to happen to Lawrence because of her, she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it. It’s bad enough that the McKnights were dead because they offered her a place of refuge. Lawrence couldn’t die, too.

She thought about the two boyfriends who had ended up badly beaten. She remembered her brother with a hole in the middle of his forehead. Timmy and Tommy the same way. And then she imagined walking into the house and finding Lawrence shot, that handsome face drained of life, all because he tried to help her.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to dispel the ugly image. A tear escaped and she wiped it away. He was too amazing a spirit to lose his life because of some foolishness she’d brought to his door.

She eased out of the bed, got dressed, grabbed his keys, wrote a brief note and left.

It was for the best in the end.

Lawrence rolled over and reached for Minerva. He was filled with so much need he thought he might burst. He realized he would probably never get enough of this sweet and sexy woman. He couldn’t stop thinking about her; she had his mind. He couldn’t stop desiring her; she had his body. He couldn’t stop caring about her and wanting to keep her safe; she had his heart.

He slapped the cold empty space on the bed where her warm succulent body had been. Squinting at the clock, he saw that it was about 1:00 a.m. Where was she? He got out of bed in search of her and only started to get antsy when he reached the kitchen and saw the note on the refrigerator.

The note read
Sorry, Lawrence, but it’s time for me to go. I’ll leave the keys in the car for you in town at the bus station. Sorry…Minerva.

His eyes narrowed into a sliver and his blood boiled to a steam.

She played me!

Picking up the phone, he dialed the town sheriff. He might not ever hear the end of this from Dale, the sheriff, or Jed his deputy. But he needed help catching Minerva before she got too far. And when he caught her, that would be it. He was taking her back to Paterson and handing her over. Let the department handle the little conniving woman.

The phone rang several times at the town’s police station before anyone answered. He recognized Jed’s voice right away and silently cursed his luck. If either of the two men were more prone to making sure Lawrence never forgot how the big-city detective needed the help of the small-town sheriff, it was Jed.

“Hey, Jed. This is Lawrence Hightower—”

“Hey, Hightower, I heard you were up at your family’s place. Dale said you wanted us to look out for a white van. We haven’t seen anything. A bit early in the season for you, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I’m actually here on business. We needed a safe house for a potential witness. That’s the reason I’m calling. The witness is running scared. She actually took my truck and left a note saying she would leave the keys with it in town. I’m assuming she headed to the bus station. I can’t let her get away.”

“So you’re saying you need us small-town officers to help you apprehend a potential witness that got away by taking your vehicle?”

Damn!
“Yes, Jed. I would appreciate your help in this matter.”

“Well, now, that’s a first…” The sarcasm in Jed’s voice pulsed through the phone lines.

Lawrence gritted his teeth and counted to ten. “I would be in debt to you and more than willing to pay it back however you see fit.”

Damn! Wait until I get my hands on Minerva…

“Yeah? You’d be willing to take back every snide remark you ever made about small-town policing?”

“Of course. Those comments were made in the spirit of friendship.” Lawrence forced a chuckle.

“Hmm…Well, I’m not saying that’s what I want. But you’d best believe I’ll be calling in the marker on this one, Hightower.”

“Yeah, well, you have to actually find her first…”

“I’ll give you a call when we get her. You want us to bring her back to you or take her into the station?”

“Maybe Minerva Jones needs a taste of how grave the situation is…Bring her into the station and let her get a feel for the cell.”

“I guess that means you’ll be needing a ride into town?”

Damn!

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“She in your SUV? The black Navigator?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. See ya in a bit, Hightower.” Jed chuckled. “I can’t wait to share this with Dale. We’re gonna have a good laugh about this one. And I’m sure we’ll be able to think of a really creative way for you to pay us back.”

I’m sure you will…

“Thanks again, Jed. See you soon.”

Another cruddy jail cell?

When did this become her life?

The last thing she expected was the sheriff, or the deputy in this case, to come waltzing into the bus depot looking to arrest her. She hadn’t factored in a long wait for the bus or the bus being late. But she should have, since they were in such a small Pennsylvania town.

The young deputy had a smirk on his face the entire time and mumbled something about big-city cops not being immune to pretty young things. She could only assume that Lawrence must have called them to find her. That’s why she was so shocked when the Ashton Kutcher-looking deputy locked her in the holding cell.

The really messed-up part about it was that when the deputy came back in, with Lawrence right behind him, Lawrence’s eyes said it all. He was pissed.

“I can see why you got sidetracked enough to lose your witness, Hightower. She’s a pretty girl. I guess even a big-city cop like yourself can be a victim to a pretty face. Try to hold on to her this time.” The deputy chuckled and patted Lawrence on the back before settling in at his desk. He eyed them both as if he were waiting for a show to begin.

“Thanks again, Jed. And like I said, I owe you.”

“Yeah, and like I said, you’ll pay.” Jed chuckled.

Lawrence gritted his teeth and then his angry eyes landed on her.

Oh, yeah, this was going to be bad. Would she be able to get him to understand that she just didn’t want anything bad to happen to him? How could she do that without letting him know how much she had come to care for him? She couldn’t tell him she loved him. It would be too awkward, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to deal with him not loving her back.

Unflinching, she toughened her resolve and looked him dead in the eye.

He narrowed his gaze and his nostrils flared. Not in that sexy, I-want-you-so-bad-I-could-hardly-breathe way that she had gotten used to over the past few days. No, this was the you’re-lucky-you’re-in-that-cell-or-I-would-throttle-you stare.

She couldn’t help it; she flinched. So much for being tough…It was hard to put on airs when you knew you were wrong.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t press charges and have you arrested for grand theft auto, Minerva.” He bit the words out in a cold and distanced manner that made her heart stop.

Because I love you and I’m sorry
hardly seemed like the right thing to say. She took a deep breath. “I—”

“I don’t want to hear it. Jed, can you let Ms. Jones out. We’ll be leaving now.”

“Aww…And here I thought I’d be getting a front-row seat for this one. Oh, well…” Jed took his keys and let her out of the cell.

Lawrence was painfully silent during the ride back to the house. His jaw set in a harsh slant, he kept his eyes on the road and he seemed to have a tenuous grasp on calm.

“Lawrence—”

“Don’t.” He bit the word out, his tone demanding and resolute.

It would be the longest thirty minutes of her life. She couldn’t possibly be expected to just sit there and not try to explain. Why did he care if she left anyway? It wasn’t like she was going to steal his car. She had left a note.

“Listen, Lawrence, I know you’re upset and I don’t blame you—”

“Damn it, Minerva, I said don’t! I don’t want to hear it.”

“Well, I need to explain! See, what had happened was…” She stopped talking when she noticed him putting his signal on and pulling off onto the shoulder. He stopped the car and put it in Park before turning and glaring at her.

Uh-oh. This can’t be good. Maybe it wasn’t the best time to try and explain.

She swallowed.

“I figured it would be best if I put more distance between myself and the people looking for me, before anyone else got hurt.” She rushed out the words and chanced a glance at his face.

She’d seen stone more flexible than the angry glare on his face. She didn’t remember ever seeing him that upset. Even when he was her permanent shadow and thought she was a drug-dealing gang banger, he’d never looked at her with the kind of disgust and distrust that he had on his face now. They had come so far only to end up further apart than they were in the beginning.

And it was all her fault.

“Lawrence—”

“Save it, Minerva. I don’t want to hear your excuses. To think I even considered trying to trust you. You can’t be trusted. I won’t believe a word that comes out of your lying mouth.”

He pulled back onto the road and she didn’t bother trying to explain anymore.

When they got back to the house she figured she’d just go to her room and try not to cry. She’d been doing a wonderful job of keeping her emotions in check, given all the craziness that had happened in her life since her brother was murdered. So she couldn’t really understand the sudden and overwhelming need she felt to crawl into a ball and bawl like a baby.

It was as if the world was crashing down on her—her brother’s murder, the McKnights’ murder, David being angry with her and now Lawrence being angry with her, too.

The whirlwind of feelings threatening to combust inside her must have meant she was further gone than she thought. Having Lawrence so upset with her was breaking her heart and the only way that could happen was if she was already head over heels in love with him.

Feeling heaviness in her chest, she walked toward the room she had been sleeping in when she wasn’t wrapped in Lawrence’s arms in his bed.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To my room.”

“Uh-uh. Do I look stupid? You think I’m going to take my eyes off you now? All you’ll do is try and sneak out again. We’re sharing a room.”

“I just thought, since you are so upset with me—”

“Oh, trust me, if I could be away from you right now I would. And you certainly don’t have to worry about me trying anything with you. This is about the fact that I can’t trust you and I will not give you another opportunity to flee.”

A sharp pain raced through her chest. How many times was he going to say he couldn’t trust her? Like that was something new.

He has one more time to throw that trust crap in my face, though. One more time…

“Can I at least get my nightgown?” She hadn’t exactly needed one when she had shared his bed before.

“Hurry up. Don’t let me have to come get you.”

She put on her nightgown and went into his bedroom. The pink cotton oversize T-shirt-styled gown came past her knees, but she still felt a little under-dressed. She stood by the bed for a moment wondering if he really wanted her to share the space with him.

The angry glint in his eyes made her weary of asking him if he really thought it was a good idea. Honestly, she didn’t know if she could take much more of his snapping at her without cussing him out. And since she was in the wrong, she would try to stay away from giving him a piece of her mind.

As soon as she got into the bed, he walked over, took her arm and cuffed it to the bedpost.

Oh, now see…that’s it! That’s the last straw!

“What the hell are you doing, Lawrence? Is this really necessary?”

“Since you snuck your behind out of this very bed and this very room while I was sleeping, I’d say yes, it is necessary.”

“You’re acting like a real jerk right now.” Her voice caught and she willed herself not to cry. It wasn’t about trying to save face; it was about righteous indignation.

He shrugged and walked away. She watched him strip down to his boxers and get back into the bed. She willfully ignored his body.

“Who is David Sims, Minerva?” he asked in a clipped voice. His eyes were pinned on her.

She blinked.

Where the hell did that come from? How the hell does he know about David?

“And don’t you dare lie!”

“I’m not going to, Lawrence. I messed up. I shouldn’t have just left like that. But that doesn’t mean you get to treat me like crap. I’m sorry.”

“Save it, Minerva. Answer the question.”

The way he asked the question showed he already knew something. So no matter how much she had wanted to keep David’s name out of this and spare him from becoming more involved with her brother’s mess, she had to at least offer up something to Lawrence.

“He was my brother’s best friend and the McKnights’ first cousin. We all grew up together, but David was the only one of their group not to get involved with gangs or lead a life of crime.”

“If he’s not a criminal, then why is the LAPD looking for him? And why is there a possibility that he was in New Jersey when the McKnights were murdered?”