To Save His Mate (7 page)

As she raised her head, she gazed into his gorgeous eyes, admiring the silvery-blue color as they drew near. A moment later, his lips brushed softly over hers.

“That’s what passes for a nice first kiss, but I believe this was our third, so let’s see what happens,” he whispered, and once again, his lips found hers.

His mouth moved over hers slowly, teasingly, until Lacy opened to him on a moan, her fingers curling into fists in the front of his shirt, holding him to her.

Gradually, his hands traveled up her arms to frame her face as he angled their heads for a more perfect fit.

And, oh, was it perfect.

Lacy was utterly lost in the passion of their kiss when the sound of catcalls and applause effectively shattered the moment.

Someday,
she vowed,
we’ll really get to find out where one of those kisses can lead.

Before she could pull away, Ethan hugged her to his chest. The sound of his heart racing beneath her ear told her she wasn’t the only one affected by the kiss, and the bulge against her lower abdomen confirmed it.

“Now, that’s how a couple should kiss,” he panted by her ear before inhaling deeply. “Such an intoxicating fragrance.”

What? “I’m not wearing any perfume. It attracts bugs.”

“Mmm, then it’s just you,” his voice rumbled as he placed a soft kiss to her neck.

Lacy felt a shiver run through her and knew she was in desperate need of some dry panties.

“Come on you two. Let’s head out!” Adam called, and Lacy looked up to see that they’d stopped just at the edge of the trees. Apparently, Ethan had just put on a show for his family. Oddly enough, she wasn’t even mad. The kiss they’d just shared felt as if she’d been claimed, branded as his in a way that warned off any man who might show the slightest bit of interest.

“We’d better go.” Ethan stepped back, and Lacy immediately missed his warmth. “Besides, I need to get you back to the model house. I fully intend to give you a goodnight kiss before I leave.”

Lacy decided she could be just as forward as he could. “And I intend to let you.” She winked, satisfied by his wide-eyed look of surprise, and sauntered over to where Adam and Stephanie waited. So what if she put a little extra sway to her hips? As far as she was concerned, Ethan could be just as uncomfortable as she was at the moment.

He’d managed to wake her long-dormant libido, and now, her body seemed ready and more than willing to make up for lost time.

“Wow,” Adam exclaimed. “I was wondering if the two of you would come up for air before Stephanie was forced to perform CPR. Although, two girls in any kind of lip-lock is pretty hot.”

“Can you please flip his mangy ass again?” Stephanie pleaded.

Lacy just laughed, but the sound ended on a gasp as Ethan whispered in her ear, “Now, there’s a lovely sound. You should laugh more often.”

She felt herself blush and was grateful when Stephanie chose that moment to chime in. “Lacy, you should come out with me and Sarah on Thursday night. We try to do a girl’s night at least once a week if we can manage.”

“It kind of depends on the situation with the shoot,” Lacy replied. “Trust me, I could use a break, but my first priority has to be the safety of these models until the killer is caught.”

“I understand. Perhaps you could invite Jose to your place for a poker game with Adam?” Stephanie asked Ethan. “If he’s with the two of you, then he’ll be safe, and Lacy can cut loose with us for a few hours.”

Truthfully, Lacy would have no problem with leaving Jose with these men. She had no doubt they could protect him if needed, but her sense of responsibility still held strong.

“Go,” Ethan coaxed, his voice soft. “You need to take a break every now and then, for you as much as for your cover.”

“And what do you expect me to do with the women back at the house? They may not be the current targets, but this person has tried to kill twice now. If the killer loses their temper, then who’s to say one of the girls won’t be next?”

“If we can arrange to have them watched would you go?” Stephanie asked.

Lacy shook her head, truly regretting her inability to have a night out. It really had been a long time since she’d just hung out. “I can’t risk a cop or patrol potentially scaring this person off.”

“My husband can keep an eye on them, and nobody would ever know. He’s an ex-Navy SEAL and a damn good sniper, too. He’ll keep them safe. Besides,” Stephanie was grinning like a loon now, “it wouldn’t hurt for him to get a little taste of it again. I think he misses it.” She leaned in to whisper, “And I’m sure that he’ll be very grateful if I can get him this little ‘assignment’.”

“I’ll think about it, but that’s all I can promise.”

The women exchanged numbers before she and Ethan headed for the SUV. Once they were underway, Lacy dialed her superior.

“Murphy, it’s Lacy. Listen, there’s another victim heading your way. Someone released a swarm of bees into one of the dressing tents, and he was allergic. I’m not sure if that was general knowledge around the shoot, making him the latest target, but I’ll try to find out.”

“Watch your ass out there, girl.
Shit
. I’m not entirely comfortable with you having no official back-up.” His deep baritone carried well over the line, and Lacy adjusted the volume on her end. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“I’m fine, Chief. Besides, we have a new lead.” Now, she knew she had his undivided attention. “We found footprints near the scene. They’re small, so the perp is either a man with very small feet or we’re dealing with a woman.”

“Shit!” Man, he was really enjoying that word today. Murphy was mumbling to himself, but the resulting sound came out more like a menacing snarl. “Lacy, do you realize what this means? You could be bunking down with the killer in that damn house!”

Actually, the thought had already crossed her mind, but there was hardly anything she could do about it. “Relax, I’ve got this under control. I even have a cover story for when I’m out between shoots. The local sheriff is very helpful, and I may just have a secret weapon handy.” Lacy smiled, thinking that Stephanie’s husband could potentially turn out to be a real asset. “I’ll let you know when I get things hammered out. Gus—the sheriff—should be forwarding his reports to you later today, so keep your computer handy.”

“You keep your
phone
handy. This is giving me a really bad feeling,” he griped.

“That’s just your ulcer, Murphy. Pop a Tums, and I’ll check in tomorrow.”

“You better check in regularly, or I’m pulling you, do you understand? If I can’t be assured of your safety, then this is over.”

“I hear you. Bye, Murphy.” Bless the man. He was like a father to her. He was just as protective as one, too, never wanting her to go into dangerous situations unless it was absolutely necessary and only then with the best backup he could find.

Lacy would miss that man for sure, but it wasn’t enough to keep her from moving on. After this case, she’d be more than ready to take her leave from the big city. Maybe, she
would
take Gus up on his offer, after all.

Chapter Eight

“Here we are,” Ethan announced.

They pulled up to the house the female models were occupying, and Ethan reached over to take her hand.

“I hate that the time we spent together today wasn’t under better circumstances, but it did have its moments.” Ethan fully intended to send her inside, but not until he indulged in another “moment” with her.

Lacy gave him a sexy little half-smile that had his dick twitching to attention once more. “Well, you still need to walk me to the door, so the night’s not over yet.” And with that, the little minx opened her door and stepped out.

Ethan jumped out of the SUV and prowled around to where Lacy waited. So she thought to tease him? Well, he’d make damn sure he was center stage for any and all fantasies she could imagine anytime soon.

As they reached the steps to the porch, Ethan allowed Lacy to go ahead of him until they reached the top. Then, without warning, he tugged her arm, turning her back to him, before taking her mouth. He meant to be gentle, but his damn wolf was rattling the walls of his psyche, bringing his primal instincts to the surface and turning the kiss savage.

Pressing her back against the wooden post on the porch, Ethan fed from her mouth like a man starved…and she was right there with him.

The feel of her full, firm breasts pressed against his chest and the way her arms wrapped around his neck just before her fingers delved into his hair left Ethan growling low in his throat.

Sliding his hands from her trim hips, down the rounded curves of her ass, he kept going, lifting one thigh slightly until the sound of the front door brought him crashing back to sanity.

Good Lord, he’d nearly taken her right there on the porch…and she would have let him. He smelled her arousal like a heady perfume in the air between them. Oh, yeah, she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. The thought brought a smile to his lips.

“Sorry to interrupt,” came a distinctly male voice, and Ethan whirled to face none other than Jose as he carefully closed the door. “I was just leaving.”

Suspicion sparked, and Ethan couldn’t help asking, “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the hotel?”

“I wanted to make sure the girls were okay.”

Jose’s defensive response had Lacy easing out from behind Ethan, but not before he felt a sharp pinch on his ass.

“How are they?” she asked.

“Shaken up. Some of them are talking about leaving. How about you two?”

Lacy didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve just gotten back into the business, so I can’t afford to just walk off a shoot. Plus,” she added, snuggling up to Ethan’s side, “I’ve got other incentives to stick around.”

“I’m a local, so it’s not like I can really go far.” Ethan shrugged before hugging Lacy to his side. “Plus, someone has to watch out for the ladies.”

Feeling another little pinch, Ethan glanced down into Lacy’s eyes, but when she jerked them toward Jose, he got with the program.

“Hey, since it appears we’re the last men left, what do you say to a poker night? My brother and I were going to get together on Thursday evening.”

Jose seemed to perk up a bit at the invitation. “That would be great! Thanks, man. I have a feeling the estrogen overload will be getting to me by then, so a night with the guys sounds good.”

“Great, I’ll let you know the time then I’ll pick you up since I don’t live in town.” Ethan glanced around but didn’t see any vehicle but his own parked near the house. “You need a ride back to the hotel?”

“Sure, I’d appreciate that. I walked over, but it’s getting dark now, and with all of this shit happening, I’d just assume
not
be out alone at night.” Jose rolled his eyes at his own comment. “God, that makes me sound like a pussy.”

“Not at all,” Lacy insisted. “It makes you smart. I doubt all those bees just happened to be in that tent on their own, so that means a person must have put them in there. Just keep being careful.”

“I will, and you do the same.”

Ethan turned to Lacy, took her chin and turned her face up to his for one more kiss. He couldn’t get enough of the woman.

Aware of their audience, he kept it light then waited for her to go inside before turning back to Jose.

“Let’s head out. I’ve got a cold shower waiting for me,” Ethan mumbled.

Jose chuckled as he followed. “No doubt.”

* * * *

Lacy’s legs were still a little shaky as she entered the house, and, to her astonishment, she was immediately surrounded by the other models.

“Dish it, girl! Does he kiss as good as he looks?”

“Holy cow! Does he have a brother?”

“More than one?”

The questions were coming at her so fast Lacy could barely tell who asked what. She did notice, however, that Angel stood off to the side, the expression on her face the polar opposite of everyone else.

She looked angry.

Hmmm…

“Angel, are you all right?” Lacy asked.

“Oh, don’t mind her,” Madison cut in. “She’s just mad because nobody at the hospital will give her any updates on the guys.”

“We tried to explain to her that sleeping with a guy doesn’t make you privileged to his private information,” Renee offered.

It would seem that this group was rather diversified. There was Renee, the straight talker, Madison, the generally pleasant one, and Angel, the resident slut who slept with any male model who was willing.

“Actually, I’ll bet little Angel over there is just pissed that you got the jump on that hot piece of male yumminess before she could.” Madison just laughed when Angel sent a scathing glare her way. “Oh, you’re working on hooking up with Jose right now anyway.”

Now, this was interesting. So Angel had been intimate with both of the victims? She made a mental note to have Murphy check into any possible romantic involvement with the prior murder victims.

“Well, as nice as this little sabotage has been, I’m heading to bed. I’ll see you ladies bright and early,” Lacy called as she closed the door behind her amidst grumbles and gripes.

With Murphy’s warning about the killer possibly being in the house with her, Lacy flipped the lock on the knob and checked the windows, too.

Satisfied that she was as secure as possible, she quickly changed into her nightshirt and crawled into bed, tucking her nine-millimeter under her pillow. If only, she could fall asleep.

The kiss on the porch was supposed to convince the other models that there was something going on between her and Ethan, but the raw passion that ignited out there had nothing to do with creating a cover story. No, as far as Lacy was concerned, that was nothing short of explosive chemistry.

And she liked it.

A lot
.

Thank goodness, Jose had walked out when he had, because—Lacy was sad to admit—she had completely forgotten where she was. When Ethan’s lips had touched hers, everything else had just disappeared, the only thing remaining being the two of them.