Matching Signs

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Matching Signs ISBN # 1-4199-0536-8 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Matching Signs Copyright© 2006 Tielle St. Clare Edited by Briana St. James. Cover art by Lissa Waitley & Syneca. Electronic book Publication: October 2006

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Content Advisory: The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This book has been rated S-ensuous by a minimum of three independent reviewers. Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (Erotic), and X (X-treme). S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination. E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature. X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

MATCHING SIGNS Tielle St. Clare

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: CSI: CBS Broadcasting Inc Glock: Glock Gesellschaft M.B.H. LTD LIAB JT ST CO

Matching Signs

Prologue Detective Mitch Keane pulled back the sheet and stared at the unseeing eyes of what had once been a pretty young woman. Fuck. Two dead. One alive but unable to remember anything of her attacker. All in six months. This was getting bad. The press hadn’t connected the killings yet but they would. They always did. The cops and crime scene team worked methodically and carefully, making sure not to ruin any evidence. Not that Mitch expected to find any. This was just like the others. No evidence, no traces. Just a dead body—beaten and broken. This woman had been missing for four days and Mitch was sure she would fit the pattern of their killer. All three women came from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different economic statuses. The only thing they had in common was they all went to a dating service. “Another one?” Drew asked in a low voice. Mitch nodded. “Want to bet this one was into astrology as well? Looking for love in the stars.” He shook his head in disgust. “What a bunch of crap,” Drew said, voicing Mitch’s own opinion. “They go to these parties, looking for some magical force in the universe to find them a boyfriend, and they end up dead.” Mitch nodded. “We need some help on this one. We need to get into one of these ‘Matching Signs’ parties. The membership lists they gave us were practically worthless. Some didn’t have last names or addresses. Who signs up for an event and just writes ‘Chuck’ as their full name?” Drew nodded his agreement. Mitch looked across the scene at the patrol officer who’d called it in. She looked a little pale but was holding strong. Her spine was straight and her chin high as she talked to Justin, the third detective who’d been working this case. She listened stoically as Justin spoke. The serious light in her eyes in no way detracted from the fact that she had a killer body—even the ballistics vest she wore couldn’t hide it. Mitch couldn’t help but notice. Hell, probably every man at the scene had noticed but he pushed it aside. Didn’t matter. Even if he was looking for a woman to replace the one who’d walked out two months ago—and he wasn’t—he wouldn’t pick her. She was a cop and he had a strict rule about dating cops—it didn’t happen. Ever. No matter how hot they were. Or how many fantasies she could inspire. 5

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His cock twitched and Mitch grunted. What was he doing? He never, ever let himself be distracted on a scene, and certainly not by a cop. “I’ll talk to the LT,” Mitch said, ignoring his body’s interest in the female cop. “See if he can get approval for us to go to one of these parties. They’re kind of pricey but I think the department will be willing to front the cost.” Drew nodded. “It’ll have to be you.” “Why me?” “I’d say because you can’t get a date but that would be too obvious.” Mitch rolled his eyes. “Why can’t you go?” He did not want to attend a speeddating party—not even for work. “Well, my wife frowns on me dating and I’ve been to the bar twice already to interview the staff and owner of this franchise. So has Justin. You’re the only one they won’t recognize.” “Great. Just how I want to spend an evening—surrounded by a bunch of people who can’t get laid.” “You’ll be in good company then.” Mitch glared at him. It hadn’t been that long since his last date. Some blonde named Betsy or Bitsy Something. Admittedly, he hadn’t gone home with her but that was because she’d been a little too much of a ditz. He didn’t mind cute or sweet but he couldn’t handle stupid. He glanced over to where the woman cop had been standing. She was alone now, still watching the scene, her turbulent eyes dark against her pale cheeks. “What we need is a woman.” No kidding. “What? I wouldn’t let your wife hear you say that.” “Yeah, she’d kill me. For the party, we need a woman. You can go but you’ll be talking to women. We’re hunting a man. We need someone to cover the other half of the crowd.” Mitch considered the idea. It had merit. “I’ll talk to the LT and let you know.” “Uh, detectives, the coroner would like to remove the body.” Drew and Mitch both nodded though Mitch couldn’t resist one more look at the poor woman. He sighed. “This is what comes from being desperate and dateless.”

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Chapter One Kat walked up the stairs, shoring up her courage as she turned the corner. If she’d been alone she might have paused and straightened her uniform before she walked inside but there were others in the hall so instead she tugged on her vest, pushed her shoulders back and walked into the detective bullpen. She made a quick scan of the room, cataloguing the mostly untidy desks and the two guys talking on the phone. She nodded to Justin and the other guy. She thought his name was Brad but hadn’t ever talked to him. She turned her gaze to the target for her visit in the corner—Lieutenant Lee’s office. The lieutenant looked up from his desk as she approached and called for her to come in. Two other detectives filled the chairs opposite the LT’s desk. They all stood up when she walked in. The radio strapped to her belt crackled and she casually turned it down. She was still officially on duty. “Officer Browning, thanks for coming.” He nodded to the two men. “Do you know Mitch Keane and Drew Nelson?” She nodded in greeting. She hadn’t actually spoken with either of them but she knew them on sight. Drew was kind of hard to miss. He was over six and a half feet tall, broad shouldered and completely bald. Mitch was hard to miss as well but for totally different reasons. The kind of reasons that gave a girl wicked fantasies. Kat quietly took a deep breath. So she’d had a few late night thoughts about the Detective. She knew she was not alone in that. He was a favorite lust-crush among the women at the station, though none ever claimed to have dated him. Which meant he was either very discreet—or didn’t date people he worked with. Or maybe he didn’t like women. That would be a shame. “Did Sergeant Green tell you what we’re looking for?” the lieutenant asked. “Yes, sir. He said you needed some help for a few weeks, maybe longer.” “We’ve got three people out. One on maternity leave, one injured and one has a family emergency.” Kat nodded. “I understand from Sergeant Green that you’re interested in moving into the detective squad.” “Yes, sir.” “Well, this will give you a chance to try it out. I can’t guarantee the work will be terribly exciting. Mostly paperwork and helping out so what’s left of my team can get back on the street.” “I understand.” And she did. She had no illusions that she was going to be an instant hero or suddenly solve a case that none of the other detectives had managed to

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solve. But still, this was a chance to prove herself. If nothing else, she could show them her work ethic and prove she wasn’t some bimbo with big breasts. Not that many in the department thought she was a bimbo. Not anymore. When she’d first joined the force four years ago, one sergeant had tried to relegate her to a fluffy PR job. When that didn’t work, he’d suggested she work in Vice—saying she’d be the perfect decoy—but she’d held firm and gone on patrol. She’d done her time driving the streets, stopping red-light runners and even running down the occasional dirt bag. As for her breasts, there wasn’t much she could do about them—not without major surgery—but she did her best to downplay them and after four years, she rarely had to smack someone around for staring at them. She wasn’t exactly “one of the guys” with the other officers in patrol, but neither was she the favorite fantasy. At least she hoped not. And, in truth, the vests all the patrol officers wore were so thick and had so many pockets and pieces of equipment that it was almost impossible to see anyone’s shape beneath. “There is one case we’d like your help on, if you’re interested.” Her spine instinctively straightened. “You were first on the scene at the dead body last week, right?” Conscious of the way Drew and Mitch silently watched her, she nodded. “We’re hitting brick walls on this case. The only thing the three victims have in common is a dating service called Matching Signs. The membership list they gave us as part of a search warrant was incomplete. The organizer says last-minute additions don’t always sign in fully, so there are no addresses, sometimes they don’t even use last names. And about half the people pay in cash, which tells me they’re either hiding from a partner or they’re hiding from us. Either way, about a third of the people who attend, mainly men, we have no way of actually finding. So we’re going to do things the old-fashioned way.” “Spy on them,” Drew said with a smile. She noticed Mitch didn’t smile. And he didn’t look away from her. The steady stare made her want to check her fly, make sure she wasn’t flashing pink polka-dotted panties at these guys. “Tomorrow night, they’re holding another one of these parties. Mitch is going in as a guest. We’d like you to do the same.” “Undercover?” Mitch scoffed and shook his head. “You’re not Sam Spade.” She felt her cheeks heat up. “I never thought I was,” she said coolly, turning her attention to the lieutenant. “What do you want me to do?” “You’ll attend the party and see what you can find out.”

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“Your job,” Mitch said, “will be to observe, record the names of the guys who you talk to and report back to me. That’s it.” The precise, almost snippy, way he spoke set her teeth on edge—like he was giving instructions to a five-year-old. “I can handle that,” she said with as much confidence as she could. “We’re looking for a killer here,” he countered, his eyes flashing. “I know. I was there, remember?” She’d been the first cop to the scene and had a good idea of the damage done to that woman. “And I’d like to help.” “That settles it.” The lieutenant stood up and everyone else followed suit. “Mitch, work with Kat. Get her set up and prepared for tomorrow night. You need to fill out some paperwork for this party thing. Mitch has a copy he can give you. Kat, as of now, you’re officially on loan to our department.” “Thank you.” She nodded, trying to crush the little fizzle of pleasure. This was her chance and she wasn’t going to screw it up. She followed Mitch and Drew out of the lieutenant’s office. Mitch closed the door behind them and stared down at her. She raised her chin, daring him to tell her she didn’t belong. “Use Mike’s desk,” he said, nodding toward the empty desk on the far side of the room. She nodded and walked away, back straight, jaw lifted. She wasn’t backing down from any challenge in the room. Mitch felt his groin react. Damn, he didn’t need this. Since seeing her at the crime scene, he’d developed a couple of wicked fantasies involving her. His mind instantly latched onto his favorite—Kat, naked except for a tiny pair of blue panties, kneeling, his cock sliding between those wicked lips, groaning because she loved having him fuck her mouth. “You know, you could have been a little nicer.” He looked up at Drew. Hell, everyone looked up at Drew. “I was nice enough.” “You wanted help. You got help.” “I didn’t expect the LT to give us someone with no experience.” “We’re kind of out of choices. The only woman in our unit is Gracie and given that she’s eight months pregnant, I seriously doubt anyone will believe she’s hard up for a date.” Drew stared at him for a minute longer and Mitch nodded. “Find a way to make it work.” “Yeah.” He sighed and walked to where Kat was sitting. It wasn’t that he had a problem with her in particular. He just didn’t want to spend his time worrying about an inexperienced cop when he should be looking for a killer. Particularly not one that made his dick hard just by walking into the room. He clenched his jaw, transferring some of his stress to those muscles. “Here’s the registration form. Get it turned in today or you might not get into tomorrow night’s party.” She nodded. 9

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“And once we get there, your job is to observe, record and report. We’re not looking for a hero here.” Her lips tightened and he could tell she was holding back some choice words. “I got it,” she said instead. “Well, let’s make sure you do. Let’s go.” “Go where?” she asked as she followed him to the door. “Lunch. I’m going to give you the crash course in human observation.”

***** Kat took the tag from the coat check girl and forced herself to smile. It wouldn’t be out of character to be a little nervous so she let some of her nerves show through—not that she could have stopped it. Her heart was fluttering in her throat, her head was pounding. Hell, she’d have been nervous under the best circumstances—speed dating?—but this being her first undercover assignment made her doubly edgy. Her stomach did a little flip-flop. In truth, it sounded a lot more glamorous than it really was. You’re just here to observe, record and report, she reminded herself. And stay the hell out of the way. That hadn’t actually been in the job description Mitch had given her but she’d gotten the underlying message. Lunch with Mitch had been fascinating. They’d sat at the restaurant for over two hours and Mitch had talked about the people around them, the way they moved, who was nervous, who was confident, which couple was having an affair and the fact that the busboy had lied about enjoying his job. There was so much to remember, she hoped she could keep it all in her head. Besides being fascinating, lunch had also been strange. She’d listened to all the information Mitch had given her but it was as if being close to him she’d been sucked into this weird sexual vortex. Even though she’d been interested in what Mitch had said, she’d had to keep refocusing her attention. The man’s voice could seduce a saint and it was way too easy for her sex-starved mind to turn instructions like “watch how he crosses his arms” to “uncross your arms and let me see your breasts”. Not that Mitch had noticed. He’d been professional and cool, almost indifferent, to her. Kat had tried to mirror his attitude and was relatively pleased with the result. In the end, she’d been able to push aside her lust and focus on what he was saying. Hopefully she could acquit herself well here tonight. Now here she was. About to enter the wonderful world of speed dating—with a twist. A planetary twist. Let The Planets Guide You To Your Perfect Match. The banner hung above the welcome table and Kat got in line. Two men and a woman were in front of her, but she’d seen no sign of Mitch. Somehow he didn’t strike her as an early-to-arrive kind of guy. He’d probably show up at the last minute and 10

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charm his way into the room. She didn’t doubt that he had lots of charm. He just hadn’t used any of it on her. “Can I help you?” the woman behind the desk asked in a friendly, ethereal voice. Kat jumped. The line had moved faster than she’d expected. “Oh yes. I’m here for the…the—” She waved her hand toward the bar. “For our Matching Signs gathering…where the planets will guide you to your perfect match.” Her voice became singsongy, almost hypnotic. “Uh, yeah.” “I’m Jessamine. I’m the host and astrological guide for the evening.” “I’m Kat.” “So nice to meet you. Do you have a reservation?” She’d made the call yesterday to put her name on the list. “Uh, yes.” “Good. Is this your first time at one of our gatherings? “Yes.” “And have you completed your form? We’ll need all that information—oh you have, wonderful.” Kat handed her the page she’d filled out. Unlike most dating questionnaires—or so Kat assumed, having never had the courage to try a dating service—this one hadn’t asked about physical characteristics or interests or what she was looking for in a mate. It had merely asked the date, location and time of her birth. And of course a credit card number. Jessamine looked at the form and nodded. “Oh good. You’re a Libra. We have difficulty getting Libras to our little gatherings.” Because they keep dying. Kat kept that thought to herself. All three victims had attended Matching Signs parties—and all three had been Libras. Like Kat. She swallowed and tried not to think of herself as bait. Observe, record and report. That was all she was there to do. “We like to keep a good mix of signs so that appropriate matches can be made,” Jessamine explained. Kat smiled and nodded like she agreed with the woman. Personally, she’d never believed much in astrology or letting “the signs” guide her but if this would help them capture a killer, she’d play along. Jessamine turned to the computer and plugged in Kat’s information, her fingers flying across the keyboard. When she was finished she picked up a box and placed it into a port of some kind. The small rectangular box had the outline of a set of scales etched into the side. The computer hummed and lights on the box flashed and sparkled. After about ten seconds, Jessamine pulled the small box from its electrical perch. “Here you are. If you’ll just take space number twenty in the bar, get yourself a drink if you’d like, we’ll begin in just a few minutes.”

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“What do I do with this?” Kat held up the box. “I’ll explain it all before we begin.” Her smile never wavered. Ever. It was quite irritating actually. Kat squeezed the box in her hand and slowly turned, bumping into the person in line behind her. “Oh I’m sor—” She looked up—right into Mitch’s eyes. “Uh, sorry.” For some reason her cheeks felt bright red and she could only hope that anyone watching would assume it was embarrassment for having bumped into such a delicious specimen of a man. It wasn’t unreasonable. He wasn’t movie star handsome but there was such an energy—sexual energy—that radiated off him, she could physically see women drawn to him. A few casually asked questions had given her some additional information. He definitely wasn’t gay and he had a strict no-dating-cops policy. That was fine with her. She didn’t want to date him, she assured herself. But the possibility of dragging him off to bed for a couple—four—hours of great sex had potential. He looked like a man who could fulfill that particular fantasy and then some. He was the perfect mix of handsome and rugged, serious and sexy. The light brown hair, cut short, piercing blue eyes and well-defined cheekbones caught most women’s attention. For Kat it was that and all that sexual energy emanating from him. It made her little hormones just stand up and sing. Kat laughed silently. Lustful thoughts aside, she was here to do a job. And really there was little chance of her sleeping with a guy that she’d actually spoken with for only three hours and for most of that time, he’d been glaring or snarling at her. Still, it didn’t lessen his impact. He was yummy. Even their “astrological guide” straightened in her seat and pushed her chest forward. Mitch obligingly looked down. The smile that crept to the corners of his mouth made Kat want to snarl. Ogling the help, she thought. How tacky. Then realized she’d been staring at Mitch for way too long. Allowing her blush to show—she was supposed to be looking for a man after all— she turned away and walked into the bar. The room was packed with people. The women were standing in small clumps, the men lurked at the edges of the room, watching them like predators—or eager little puppies. “Get a drink, act like you want to be here.” The whispered growl had barely registered when she felt Mitch brush by her. He walked up to the bar. The female bartender immediately moved to where he stood. “I’m Mara. What can I get you?” Kat almost rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure Mara included herself on the list of available choices. The woman leaned over the bar, ostensibly to hear him but truly it was to give him a better view of her cleavage.

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Kat knew the move and had used it herself. Her breasts were generally agreed upon as her best feature and her “goin’ out” clothes tended to show a fair amount of skin. When one went fishing, one had to use appropriate bait. Tonight her outfit was relatively conservative—at least for her. The neckline made only a shallow plunge between her breasts. The sexiness of the top came from its tightness, the stretchy material clinging to her skin but giving her freedom to move. With that and the long flowing skirt that felt very retro-seventies, she looked good. She knew it. It didn’t hurt to remind herself of that fact. And she wore flats in case she had to run. Mitch had been very clear about not wearing what he called “stupid shoes”. She didn’t doubt that he liked his women to wear those kinds of shoes. Just not other cops. Kat sidled up next to Mitch and waited for Mara to return. The woman placed a drink in front of him, blew off his attempt to pay with a wink and shake of her head and turned to Kat. Mara quickly scanned Kat’s body and obviously found her lacking. “What will you have?” Her voice was distinctly cooler. Not sure what the protocol was about drinking while undercover, she nodded to Mitch’s glass. “Hmm. That looks good. I’ll have what he’s having.” Mara’s lips curled into a sneer, saying she didn’t approve of Kat’s attempt at flirtation. “One Long Island iced tea coming up.” Kat almost choked. The last time she’d had a Long Island iced tea, it had started with one and moved onto another and the next morning she’d woken up with some of her clothes missing and only a vague memory of stripping them off in the fountain outside the hotel. Fortunately, she’d had friends there who’d been more sober than her who’d kept her out of too much trouble. Unfortunately, she’d had friends there who never let her forget her attempts to attract the bell captain’s attention by skinny-dipping in a hotel fountain. She’d vowed never to drink another Long Island iced tea. Mitch turned toward her as he walked away—the warning in his eyes. She accepted the drink—she had to pay of course—and found her place in the bar. Sitting alone at her small table, she sipped from her glass. Whew. The bartender might not like her but she hadn’t skimped on alcohol. Kat clutched her purse and scanned the room, casually checking out all the people. There was a wide mix—some vivacious, some painfully shy, some arrogant. “Good evening, my fellow seekers.” Jessamine’s melodious voice rang through the bar, quickly silencing the noise. She stepped onto a slightly raised area, her arms open in welcome. “Tonight we will listen to the planets as they guide us in our journey to find love. Each of you was given a box—perfectly tuned to your astrological sign. When the bell rings, the gentlemen will begin at a woman’s station. You will each have five 13

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minutes to talk and get to know one another, learn just a little about the other person. When I give the signal, you will connect your box to the other person’s—if your signs are compatible, the lights will illuminate and a gentle ringing will be heard. If you are not compatible with the person, you will hear a soft buzz.” A low rumble of laughter went through the crowd. “While there is no sign completely incompatible with another, there are some combinations that are more challenging. We give you the five minutes of conversation to learn for yourselves what you seek in a mate, and then the planets will guide you to your perfect match. “At the end of the night, Matching Signs will give you a list of your compatible companions and if you choose to seek further contact with those individuals, we will act as your go-between.” For a small fee, Kat silently added. The singsong aspect to Jessamine’s voice grated on Kat’s nerves so she was thankful when she announced that the gentlemen should approach their first stations. “Enjoy yourselves and let the planets guide you to your perfect match.” Kat smiled at the man across from her. He was pleasant looking and stared at Kat intensely. “I’m Kat Taylor,” she said, using the name they’d given her for her “cover”. She deliberately included the last name, hoping he could reciprocate. “I’m Roger Hudson.” She casually wrote his name on the paper in front of her and glanced at the list of suggested questions. “So what do you do?” The rest of the conversation was filled with the small talk dribble that usually occurred on the first date but was condensed into a quick five minutes. It was enough to tell Kat that if she were going to date someone in the room, it wouldn’t be Roger. He was mad at the world—and the female half of the species in particular. At the end of the conversation, they held their Matching Signs boxes together. No lights lit and a low buzz rumbled between them. Kat shrugged as if to say, “it wasn’t meant to be”. Roger grimaced and stood, moving to the next woman’s station. Another man sat down. And then another and another. Kat fell into a routine but found it a challenge to engage in conversations and still track the movements of the other patrons in the bar. Nothing around her seemed suspicious. Some of the men were pleasant, some annoying but none that really sparked any interest in her. Until Jared. He sat down and smiled—the soft, confident kind of smile that always made her heart flutter. “So I’m excited to finally be at your table,” he said, leaning in close. “You’ve got a great smile. It’s nice to see it up close.”

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“Oh thanks. So do you.” That made his smile even broader, as if he truly found pleasure in her compliment. “I’m Kat Taylor.” “I’m Jared.” No last name. She put a tick mark by his name. He smiled with the arrogance of a man who knew his own attraction to the female of the species—but didn’t take it for granted. “I’m not going to ask you any of the cheesy questions about why a beautiful woman like you needs help finding a man. I’m going to assume you’re busy like the rest of us and not that you have some fatal flaw like you leave your socks on the bedroom floor or you don’t match your panties and bra.” Kat laughed. She couldn’t help it. Unable to resist the fun flirtation, she leaned forward and dropped her voice. “As a matter of fact, I do drop my socks on the bedroom floor—but I also match my bra and panties.” “Black lace?” he asked eagerly. “Oh sorry. White cotton.” “Liar.” He dropped back in his chair. “But I guess that’s okay. It is a first date after all so lying about your bad habits is de rigueur.” The rest of the conversation moved quickly. If it were any other situation—if she weren’t looking for a murderer—she could have spent the evening chatting with him. When the time came to match their boxes, she smiled and held hers up. The two boxes met—lights flashed and bells rang. “Looks like we’re a good match.” She nodded. “Looks like.” He shook her hand and walked away. Kat dutifully marked him down on the sheet of paper in front of her as someone to check out. Two men later, Mitch stopped beside the seat across from her. Schooling her features, she looked at the drink he placed on the table. Like hers, it was almost full. She took a few minutes to stare at him—just because she could. It was allowed, even expected, to check out the potential mates, and though she knew he would make a lousy mate, she liked looking at him. She was better off with someone like Jared— funny, handsome and safe. Mitch was like a wild animal trapped in a cage—beautiful to look at but too dangerous to play with. But there was something about him—the same thing that no doubt lured women throughout the room—that just made her hot. Made her want to drop before him and beg him to father her children. It had to be that ancient herd mentality that she suspected lived in the human genes. Her body was instinctively attracted to the dominant male in the room. Even putting it down to purely physical lust that she would just ignore—as any reasonable woman would do—it was still irritating. Her pussy fluttered, clenching and relaxing as if preparing for his penetration. 15

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Not going to happen. She sent the message to her body for all the good it would do. “I believe this is my seat.” Her breath caught in her throat at the seductive timbre of his voice. The sexual beast that was constrained at the office lurked just beneath his skin tonight. The slow way he sat down seemed designed to draw attention to his body. Unable to stop herself, she let her eyes travel down his front, the thin sweater clinging lightly to his chest and arms. It seemed a natural flow to keep looking, let her gaze wander down to his groin. He dropped into his chair and the movement jolted her out of her perusal. Heat washed over her cheeks but that she could have handled. It was the heat that flowed into her sex that was the problem. Damn, what was it about this man that made her panties so wet? She wasn’t even sure she liked him. Though from all reports—she’d asked some of the guys at the station about him—he was a good guy and a great cop. Wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship—which Kat took to mean he slept around—but she couldn’t hold that against him. Not when she was having fantasies about sleeping with him herself. Of course, it didn’t matter whether she liked him or not. He didn’t date other cops and she had a pretty strict rule of keeping relationships away from the office. It was too easy for a female police officer to get a reputation around the station—one that might screw up her chances of getting on the detective squad permanently. And she wasn’t going to let anything keep her from that goal. Now if her body could remember that. She shifted in her chair, her arm brushing against her chest, and realized her nipples were tight and pressing against the thin material of her bra. She could only hope that between the bra and her shirt they weren’t standing out like headlights on a dark night. “Hi, I’m Mitch.” “I’m Kat.” She knew he started this way in case anyone was listening. “So how’s it going?” His face held the same sexy smile but the light in his eyes was serious. “Good.” She tapped the page in front of her. “I’ve met some interesting people. How about you?” He shrugged and looked around like he was ready to move on. Great. She couldn’t even keep his attention for five minutes. After a moment watching the room, he looked back. “So, any body piercings?” “What?” She couldn’t believe she’d heard him right. The twinkle in his eyes made her heart skip a beat. He rolled his eyes. “I thought we were supposed to be getting to know each other.” “Yeah but most people start with what do you do for a living?”

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“I know what you do for a living. And in a room like this I wouldn’t be surprised if most people started with ‘what’s your favorite sex position’?” He raised his eyebrows, silently asking for her answer to that question. “I’m not answering that either. Besides, your dates must be a lot more interesting if you’re already talking about sex.” He shrugged in a very noncommittal way. Hmm. Great. She hadn’t been imagining it when it appeared every woman in the room was lusting after him. “Well, let’s start with something simple,” she said, just to be irritating. Just to be the one woman in the room who wasn’t visibly offering herself to him. “What’s your favorite color?” She saw the laughter in his eyes. “Blue. Yours?” “Purple.” “Close enough. Any piercings?” She sighed. “Quite the little bulldog, aren’t you? Ears and…” She paused, not sure how much she should reveal. “And bellybutton.” There was no reaction on his face and she dismissed the possibility that he was flirting. He was obviously just trying to get a rise out of her. “What about you?” “Me?” “I’m not the only one sharing secrets. Have you got anything pierced?” His eyes tightened. “Like what?” Her eyes dropped down—like she could see his crotch through the table. Hell, she couldn’t actually mean… He squeezed his knees together at the very thought. “Uh, no.” “Oh.” She sounded a little disappointed and Mitch wasn’t sure how to take that. Did she actually want a guy with his dick pierced? It seemed a little out of character from the little he’d been able to learn about her in the past thirty-six hours. She had a reputation of being a bit of an ice queen outside work. She was a good cop from all reports but she didn’t socialize with the other officers. He didn’t have a problem with that. It was probably smart for a female cop. Despite the changes in the force, it was still a hard place for a woman to work. Definitely a boys’ club. He recognized it and did his part to change it. But it was slow. His own impressions of Kat had been professional and serious. It was his reaction he was worried about. He’d just about lost his teeth when she’d walked in tonight in a skintight top that emphasized every curve of her breasts. And the casual way she carried herself as if she didn’t know she was every man’s wet dream fantasy. He shouldn’t have teased her about piercings or sexual positions but when he’d taken his seat, she’d looked so

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serious, so intense, he wanted to see her smile. Wanted to have her smile at him the way she had every other man who sat across from her. There was just something about her, something about the way she carried herself— with strength and arrogance. God, he loved strong women. Particularly when they let some of that strength go and let him lead. Mitch scanned the brochure he was using for his notes. Let The Planets Guide You To Your Perfect Match. Right. Perfect match. Right. From what he’d seen, most the people here were looking for the perfect fuck. Unable to stop himself, he glanced over at Kat. While he didn’t know if she’d be the perfect fuck, she was making his top ten list of fantasies. She seemed to have the perfect combination—just enough strength to be challenging and just enough submissiveness to be interesting. In the past forty-eight hours, it had become too easy to imagine her kneeling before him, naked, her breasts full, nipples tight. Her ass pink from his hand and his dick shoved hard up inside her. His cock twitched in his jeans and Mitch shifted, casually tried to hide his erection. Great. Now he could be uncomfortable for the rest of the night. He looked down the line of men. One guy who’d been chatting Kat up glanced back down the row, catching Kat’s eye and winking. “So what is it with Blondie down there?” “What do you mean?” Her eyes were wide with innocence but he knew it was an act. “Just stay focused on why you’re here. You’re not picking guys. You’re here to observe—” “—record and report. I got it. I got it the five times you told me yesterday.” Mitch hid his wince. So he’d been a little harsh. It was just that she was new—no experience undercover at all—and they were potentially putting her in front of a killer. The fact that she was a cop didn’t reduce Mitch’s stress. He still had to watch out for her. “Just keep your mind on your job. We’re looking for a bad guy, remember?” Her spine straightened and he knew he’d pissed her off. “I haven’t forgotten. I was nice to the guy while I was observing him. You catch more flies with honey.” He grunted. “Just watch who you offer that honey to.” God, he sounded jealous. Why? Because she might like Blondie and she hasn’t done anything more than treat you like a fellow cop? Damn, he had to get his dick under control. This was getting ridiculous. Better that she was irritated with him than she knew his real thoughts. She squinted her eyes and glared at him. “Bastard.” “Tsk tsk,” he said with just enough sarcasm to be annoying. “You’re supposed to look like you like me.”

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The chime echoed through the room. Grim eyes staring at each other, they raised their boxes. The two rectangles clicked together. The lights stayed dim and there was a low, annoying buzz. “Hmm. Looks like we’re not a good match,” he said casually. “No surprise.” “None.” With a nod, he stood up. “Keep your eyes open,” he said in warning as he moved to the next station. “And talk to me before you leave.” Instead of responding, she looked to the next guy who was already shoving Mitch out of the way to get to Kat’s table. She laughed and offered her hand to the guy, smiling at him in a way that made Mitch’s cock throb. Mitch sat down at his next table and smiled. He could do it. He’d spend the rest of the night focused on finding a killer and tomorrow he’d talk to the LT and tell him why it was a really bad idea for him to work with Kat Browning. Way too distracting.

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Chapter Two Kat smiled at the last man who sat down and almost sighed. Her jaw was beginning to ache. Not only had she smiled for two solid hours but from the moment Mitch had left her table she’d been grinding her back teeth together. She looked around and found him across the room. He’d moved down the row of tables, leaving a stream of limp, practically orgasmic women behind. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he’d been having sex with each of them and had left them properly satisfied. Right. Not even Mitch could satisfy this many women, she thought, trying to hold back her scoff. The edges of her mouth tightened. It didn’t seem fair. Why did he get to act like he was on the prowl but she was supposed to sit quietly, hands folded neatly in her lap, breasts properly covered? Once he’d left her table, she’d tried to come across as flirtatious and sexy to the guys she met, but in truth she was too irritated for it to work so she went back to friendly and interested. His laughter—low and sensual—floated through the air. Even from across the bar she could see women melt as he sat down and smiled at them. She was appalled for her whole sex. That was it. It wasn’t the least bit that she was jealous. She had no reason to be jealous. If he wanted to flirt with or even fuck half the women in this room, what did she care? Because you wouldn’t be one of them. She winced, trying to contain her wayward thoughts. Her eyes once again sought him out. The bar curved to the right so now he sat with his back to her, talking to the last woman for the night. The party was winding down but not Mitch. The woman—though she barely looked legal to Kat—seemed the perfect type for him. From her position, Kat had a clear view of his companion. Blonde and perky. The tilt of her head was cute and she looked a little spacey. He probably likes them stupid, she thought, directing a glare to his back. Probably makes him feel manly. “Uh, hello?” She flinched and looked across her table. The man—Byron May—was the last on her list and damn, she’d lost track of the conversation while she was staring at Mitch. “We’re supposed to match boxes. The bell rang.” “Oh sorry. My mind was elsewhere.” Byron looked over his shoulder to where Mitch was still laughing with the blonde bimbo.

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“Yeah. Women have been doing that all night.” He grimaced. “I wish guys like him wouldn’t come to these things. He obviously doesn’t need help finding a woman. Every woman here was practically drooling over him.” “I wasn’t.” His weak gaze turned skeptical and then mocking. Enough that Kat blushed. In that moment she saw he was quite cute. A little bit of geek but in a sweet way. “Okay, maybe a little.” She held up her box and the lights flashed and the bells rang. “Hmm, the planets think we’d make a good match.” He nodded and flashed her a soft smile. Jessamine stepped into the room and onto her perch. “Thank you all for joining us tonight as the planets help us find our perfect match. If you’ll please mark on your sheet any of the people you found interesting. I also encourage you to take a second look at those the planets identified as good matches. Sometimes we don’t always see the true person in the first few minutes.” Kat fumbled with her list. She hadn’t actually been evaluating any of them as dates but she felt she had to put down a few names or it would look strange. She quickly wrote down Byron and Jared. She started to write down Mitch but realized every other woman in the room would be putting his name down. Would it look strange if she didn’t? Oh what the hell. She wrote his name down as well. Might as well join the crowd. She gathered her papers and dropped them off at the registration desk. Jessamine looked down Kat’s choices, nodding with approval at the first two and then shaking her head at the last one. “What?” Kat leaned in, curious. “It’s nothing, my dear.” She smiled again but the bright perkiness faded. Hmmm, Jessamine didn’t like that Kat had put Mitch on her list. Mitch was still sitting in the corner talking but he’d been joined by two other women. The little crowd seemed quite willing to share him. Bet he loves that. And she didn’t like to compete. He’d told her to talk to him but there was no way to know how long he’d be caught up with his adoring throng—and she wasn’t about to join the crowd. She got her coat and lingered in the entryway, stalling to see if Mitch would break away, but no. With a sigh, she pulled on her coat and stepped outside. “Kat.” The low call of her name jerked her to a stop. She turned and saw Jared step out of the shadowy trees that lined the walkway.

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“Hi.” The cop in her sent her senses on full alert. Her heart pounded and muscles tensed. She gripped her purse strap and took her hand out of her pocket, ready for an attack. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I just didn’t want the crazy spirit guide woman to see us talking. She’s pretty particular about her rules. No exchanging of phone numbers, no meeting outside the party.” He rolled his eyes in a friendly, mocking way but Kat didn’t let down her guard. “I just wanted to give you my card.” He handed her a business card. “Maybe we could go out sometime. Call me if you want to get together.” It was the perfect line. He wasn’t pressuring her, wasn’t doing anything except offering her the chance to choose. “Thanks.” She took the card, watching as he took one step back, clearly wanting to give her space. If she’d really been looking for a date, she would probably have taken him up on the offer. He was just the kind of guy she liked to date—fun, lighthearted. He would be a great companion and a fun lover. But for now, she was here on business. “Can I walk you to your car?” “Uh—” It was a nice offer but it was an offer from a stranger. She could probably take him. Probably. But there was no reason to be stupid. Of course, if he was the killer, she was missing out on a prime opportunity to let him attack her. Except that the killer didn’t attack in the parking lot. He either snatched the women from the bar or from their homes later. Don’t be a hero. I don’t want to have to save your ass. Mitch’s voice thrummed through her head. Mitch’s final instructions today before leaving the station had included not getting herself into a situation that required him to rescue her. “I’ll be fine,” she told Jared. “How about I walk to my car,” Jared suggested. “And then watch you, so I know you’re safe but you don’t have to worry that I’m some psycho killer.” God, she hoped he wasn’t the killer. As if her silence indicated her agreement, he started down the sidewalk. “It was nice meeting you, Kat. You’re not like the other women here. We’ll see each other again.” The bald statement sent a shiver down her spine. With a nod, he turned and strode away. Kat stayed back, waiting until he reached his car. He opened the door and waved to her. He really was going to stand there and watch her. Feeling strangely on display, she moved toward her car, never so conscious of the way she walked. Were her hips swinging too much? Was she flouncing? Or was she too stiff? She got to her car and looked over. Jared was still waiting there.

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“Thanks!” she called out. “My pleasure. See you.” She nodded, got into her car and sat there, letting some of the tension drain from her shoulders. Jared was either really sweet or really creepy. He seemed really sweet. But he hadn’t given her his last name. She drove out of the parking lot, driving by Jared’s car, waving one more time before she got onto the highway. She watched him through her rearview mirror. He’d been friendly and interesting. She’d felt none of the bone-melting lust for him that she did with Mitch but that was a good thing. Lust like she was developing for Mitch was doomed to disappointment. Either it would never be fulfilled and she’d end up eternally frustrated—or it would be fulfilled. And there was no way reality could live up to her imagination. That was depressing. Arrgh. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t shopping for a man. She’d been undercover. That had a nice ring to it. Her first undercover assignment. She’d actually made it through the evening without embarrassing herself and Mitch hadn’t had to save her. It sounded like a successful evening to her. Now came the hard part—would she be able to add anything to the investigation? She had her notes and needed to organize them. The newly formed team was meeting tomorrow at noon and she wanted to be ready. It was only ten. She had time tonight to sit down and think everything through. See if anything particular came to mind. A few of the men actually seemed to like her. That wasn’t necessarily suspicious but it was a bit unusual. It had obviously been too long since she’d had a real date. She got home and was just hanging her keys on the hook beside the door when there was a knock. Her heart started to pound. Jared? Had he followed her? Pulling her gun from inside her purse, she held it behind her hip and peeked out the peephole. Mitch waited on the other side and even through the tiny, magnified hole she could see he was annoyed. Beneath the glare of her porch light, he stared at her neighbor’s house and pounded again on the door. Sliding her gun back into her purse, she rolled her shoulders back, gave herself a moment to calm her heart and grabbed the door handle. “Mitch—” “What the fuck do you think you were doing?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. He pushed the door open and stomped into her living room, spinning around and sending that powerful glare her direction. Her instinctive reaction was to take a step back but she knew weakness would only lessen his opinion of her.

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“Excuse me?” she demanded in return, slamming the door closed to punctuate her sentence. “I was doing what I was asked to do.” “You weren’t asked to pick up some guy in the parking lot. We’re chasing a killer if you don’t remember.” “I remember. And I didn’t ‘pick him up’. He wanted to talk to me. That’s all.” “Talk to you?” He scoffed. “That’s not what he wanted to do.” “He was flirting with me. It happens.” “So he’s a friendly killer. Isn’t that nice?” “It’s not him,” she said, feeling a strange need to defend Jared. Maybe she just didn’t want the guy who seemed interesting to her to be the murderer. “You know, the bad guys don’t walk around with signs that say ‘I’m a serial killer’. It would be a lot more convenient for us if they did.” “Just because some guy talks to me doesn’t make him our killer. In fact, it’s most likely that he’s not.” “How do you know that? You suddenly psychic?” “No, but two of the women were drugged while they were at the party. I clearly wasn’t. Besides, I thought I was supposed to be interacting with the men at the party.” Her logic just made the muscles in his jaw even tighter. If he didn’t do something soon, find some way to release the tension, he was going to break a tooth. What the hell had she been thinking? She’d been alone in a dark walkway in an area where a known killer is hunting his next victim. She had no sense. His fingers curled into a fist. He wasn’t actually considering hitting her—or so he told himself—but he couldn’t believe the risk she’d taken. She should have waited for him to walk her to her car. Instead, he’d started out the door and found her standing in the dim light talking with that guy—flirting with him. She’d smiled so much Mitch was sure her mouth had to be aching. He had better things to do with that mouth—kiss it, bite it, fuck it. Damn, he should have spent last night in Tessa’s bed. She was an occasional fuck partner who didn’t mind if he just dropped by to work out the pressure on her body. She got what she wanted and so did he. If he’d come inside her a few times last night, Mitch was sure he wouldn’t be considering all the things that he was considering. Trying to focus on the conversation and not the way her top accentuated the curves of her breasts, he nodded. “Yes, but you do it within the safety of the bar—and within sight of your partner. And you never let a strange man walk you to your car.” “He didn’t. He—” “And did you think that he might have gotten your license number?” “How about the fact that I got his?” She put her hand on her hip and stepped forward. The pose was aggressive and so sexy he was sure his hard-on was going to bust through his jeans.

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The sensual defiance that surrounded her was going to drive him over the edge. He’d had women stand up to him in the past but often it was an attempt to get his attention. When he’d finally given it to them, they’d turned compliant and, well, boring. Mitch knew that Kat’s attitude wasn’t designed to capture his attention. She was fully prepared to face him down—and even when he had her on her knees, she’d fight him, resist letting him have full control. But the strong line of her chin and the fire in her eyes gave him no indication that her thoughts were anywhere near his. She was pissed at him. And that no doubt precluded him throwing her to the carpet and fucking her until she screamed his name. He pushed the sexy thoughts aside and returned to his role as the senior officer. “It doesn’t matter what you got—you put yourself, and through that, this whole operation at risk.” Knowing it was a bad idea for his future sanity, he matched her steps forward, until he was staring down at her. “You should have waited for me. I would have made sure you got to your car safely.” “I’m a cop. I know how to take care of myself.” “You’re also a woman and you’ll—” “And that just sticks in your throat, doesn’t it? That you have to work with a woman.” “I have no problem working with women,” he protested, because it was true. The women he knew on the force were generally smart and savvy. And he’d trust any of them to watch his back. He just didn’t know Kat that well. “So it’s just me you don’t like?” He laughed softly and shook his head, letting some of his anger go. Most of it wasn’t directed at Kat anyway. It was mainly internal. “You don’t back down one bit, do you?” She shrugged, seemingly willing to let the situation calm. “I’ve learned that women who look like me have two options in life—you can either play the bimbo and secretly control things without men being the wiser, or you turn into a stone cold bitch.” The icy tone told him which path she’d chosen. “I don’t see you as a stone cold bitch,” he said, willing to offer that concession. “Then I’ll just have to work harder.” Mitch smiled. He couldn’t stop himself—and he saw a hint of a smile on her lips as well. It lasted for only a second and then her eyes tightened and she straightened her spine, pushing her shoulders back—as if that little hint of vulnerability was too much. “Fine.” He took one step back, giving them a little breathy room. “You’re right. I don’t like having you on this case. We have three women raped and tortured. Two are dead, one is so traumatized she can barely speak and won’t leave her house at all.” The line of Kat’s jaw tensed. “You’re a distraction and we can’t afford any distractions.” “And why am I a distraction? Because I have breasts?”

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“Your breasts are just a small part of it. I can—and have,” he pointed out, knowing he didn’t need a sexual harassment suit on his hands, “worked with women on a regular basis. The truth is you’re inexperienced—” “I’ve been on the force four years.” He ignored her interruption. “And this is the first undercover work you’ve done.” “I can handle myself.” Her protest was so insistent he couldn’t ignore it. Still he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. You have no experience doing this and because of that, tonight when we were at the party, instead of all my focus being on the crowd, watching for anything that might give me a clue as to who is hurting these women, some of it was on you. Making sure you weren’t in trouble and weren’t screwing up my investigation.” It seemed like a good enough excuse but the truth was, part of the time, he’d just liked watching her. “You don’t want to have to rescue my ass,” she said, repeating his words from earlier. “Exactly.” “Well, my ass was fine tonight.” He thought about her ass and the way her long flowery skirt hid it. He’d seen it when she was dressed in her blues and knew precisely how fine it was. “I know.” He hadn’t really meant it to sound sexual but obviously his thoughts were being transmitted through his voice. Her eyes widened just a fraction and he knew she recognized the tone. But she didn’t back away. They were close, close enough that with one grab she could be in his arms, those lips could be beneath his and that ass could be in his hands. Without realizing that he’d moved, he was there. His hand slipped beneath her hair and pulled her forward, bending down as he drew her up. Their lips met—there were no light first kisses, no tempting little brushes of their lips. He needed to conquer her—dominate her in a way he’d never done with any other partner. He covered her mouth with his, loving the way she didn’t hesitate—as if she’d been thinking about his mouth as much as he’d been thinking about hers—and moved into the kiss. Seconds later the touch of their lips wasn’t enough. He snarled his intent— a sound she seemed to recognize—and pushed his tongue between her lips. She opened for him, was there to meet him, taste him, her touch as hungry as his. He turned her head to the side so he could stretch deeper, taste more of her. He waited for the rejection—some protest. Instead she accepted him, clung to him, sucking on his tongue, twining hers around him. Her fingers gripped his jacket, holding him close. Like him, she couldn’t seem to let go. Part of his psyche warned him to pull back—this was too dangerous. She was a cop for God’s sake, but even with that warning, he couldn’t make himself release her. The sweet feminine taste filled his mouth and he wanted more—wanted to run his lips across her body, slide his tongue between the hot wet folds of her pussy.

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He closed his eyes and his other senses took control. The sensation of her lips pressing against his, moving and seeking. The delicate stroke of her tongue on his that made him imagine the same caress on his cock. She tasted of sweet woman with the hint of alcohol. Mitch knew immediately that he could become drunk just on her taste. Fighting the urge to grab her and pull her hard against him, he held his hands firmly at her waist and concentrated on the kiss until breath became an urgent need. He snapped his head back, gasping in oxygen but hating the fact that he had to release her mouth to do so. Her eyes popped open. She blinked and watched him—surprise, pure shock lacing her gaze. He stared at her mouth—her lips pink and puffy, showing signs of his kisses. He wanted more. He wanted her marked and labeled as his. The strange possessive urge should have worried him but in truth he just wanted more. His eyes dropped down, landing on her chest as she inhaled. The points of her breasts showed against her shirt, practically begging for his mouth. It was all he could do not to reach out and cup one of those round firm mounds in his hand and squeeze. But if he did that, he would end up dragging her off to bed. And that would be bad. “This would be a major mistake,” she said, the slight tremble in her voice giving him a confidence boost he didn’t need. “I know.” He looked into her eyes. The lust and heat there gripped his balls like a fist and he clenched his hands so he didn’t pull her to him. She was right. Major mistake. As of yesterday, she was temporarily assigned to his unit. They had to work together. Face each other every day. He’d done it once before when he’d been a rookie and when it had fallen apart, life at the station had been hell. “Right.” He nodded. “Right. So we aren’t going to do it.” “No.” “Right. Good.” The words were coming out of his mouth but they were hard to hear over the protests shouted from his body—his lower body in particular. For a long time, neither of them moved—as if each waited for a sign that the other was committed to disengaging their bodies. Kat swallowed and stared at him, daring him to back away. He could practically hear the words—be a man, walk away. Responding to that dare, he peeled his hands off her hips and backed up. When he moved, so did she, taking one step opposite to his. They stood, watching. Mitch looked at her, trying to see where her mind was. Was he going to have to apologize? Or worse, would she announce it when she walked into the station tomorrow? No. The little he knew about her gave him confidence that she would keep this between them. “I’d better be going.”

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“Right.” “I’ll see you tomorrow at the station.” It was a Saturday but since this was a major case, they would all be there. “Sure.” Fuck. She sounded so cool and disinterested—as if he hadn’t had his tongue halfway down her throat moments ago. “Fine,” he snapped. “Fine.” That time she sounded a little more snippy. Good. If he was going to spend the night horny and uncomfortable, he didn’t want to be the only one. Mitch started toward the door, forcing his body to move. To get the hell out of there before he did something really stupid. Oh, wait, he’d already done that. Kissing Kat had been stupid. Now he knew what she tasted like, how she responded, the sexy way her hips felt in his hands. He hadn’t grabbed her ass and now rather wished he had. If that was going to be his only chance to touch her, he wished he’d put his hands on her backside. And her breasts. She had the kind of tits a guy couldn’t help but notice—no matter how much sensitivity training he’d been given. He reached the door—and made the worst mistake possible. He looked at her. Her nipples were pressed against the thin material of her shirt. Her lips were pink and full— and wet. Her tongue scraped the inside ledge of her mouth as if she savored the lingering taste of his lips. He wanted that—wanted her mouth on his, her mouth on his cock. Hell, she could put her mouth on any part of his body that she wanted. “Fuck.” The curse was soft and disappeared as he reached for her, jerking her forward. He didn’t have to pull hard, she moved into him, wrapping her arms back around his neck. The kiss picked up where the other had left off—hot and wet, deep. As if they were each desperate to become a part of the other. Given a second chance, Mitch slid his hands down her back and cupped her ass, drawing her closer. The curved cheeks of her butt filled his hands to perfection—firm, tight with just enough cushion to let a man know he was fucking a woman. He snugged her up tight to his body, one hand on her lower back, the other on her ass, his cock slipping into the space between her legs. She gasped, lifting her mouth from his. She didn’t go far, snagging his lower lip with her teeth before placing a kiss on his jaw. Her eyes looked a little glassy as he rolled his hips forward, giving her no doubt that he wanted to be inside her. “I thought we agreed this was a major mistake,” she whispered, her breathless voice caressing his skin. “It is.” He couldn’t deny it, but he also couldn’t deny his body, the pure intoxicating need to be inside her, to feel that ass in his hands as he pounded his cock into her cunt.

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“Then what are we doing?” He covered her lips in a commanding kiss, filling her mouth with his tongue. She fought him for a moment then conceded, backing off and letting him dominate. The subtle action made his cock infinitely harder. That’s how she would be in bed—strong but submissive. “Do you want me to leave?” he growled against her lips, silently begging her to answer no. He didn’t know if he had the strength to make his legs walk out the door. He’d have to crawl away. She moaned and shook her head. “Then let’s make a mistake,” he said, whispering the words across her cheek, placing his lips to her ear, “that’s worth regretting.”

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Chapter Three She moaned her agreement and the sound sank into his groin, swirling around his cock. Desperation gave him strength and he ground his erection against her sex. The heat flooding her pussy trickled through the thin layer of her skirt, warming his jeans. Fuck. There was no way he would make it to the bedroom. He didn’t know where it was and wasn’t going to take the time to ask. Holding her close, his cock nestled between her thighs, he sank to his knees, taking her with him. Her body melded with his as they reached the floor. Mitch kept going, moving over her until they were stretched out, full body contact. The hot space between her legs opened, making a place for him. Not wide enough, not yet. Just a hint to tell him he could have what was inside if he worked for it. His mouth locked to hers, the sweet tangle of her tongue drawing him in, deeper. Making him wonder what it would be like to have her tongue lashing his cock, his erection plunging into her mouth… He rocked his hips forward, feeling her warmth and moisture melt into his skin. He needed it, needed to be buried between her legs, to claim her body, her soul. That asshole who had hit on her at the club would be a distant memory by the morning, Mitch decided as he pulsed against her pussy. The sexy sound of her gasp guided him to repeat the motion. She groaned and pressed up, silently begging for more. He reached beneath her skirt and tugged down her panties, pulling them to her ankles before he released them. He looked into her eyes, a masculine warning that her final gates were about to be breached. There was no sign of panic—only desire, a hunger to match his own. Her eyes sparkled and her lips hung slightly open. The urge to bury his cock inside her overwhelmed him. Tossing her skirt out of his way, he slipped his hand between her thighs and almost groaned at the heat and moisture that greeted him. Mitch stared down—their bodies were so close, a mere micrometer between complete connection. Liquid fire flowed over his fingers as he stroked her, explored her wet flesh. He wanted to put his mouth on her, slide his tongue into her cunt, until she was begging him to let her come. But that would be next time. Now, he had to fuck her—and his cock wasn’t prepared to wait. Feeling slightly out of control, under the influence of desire, he tore open his jeans, grabbing his wallet and finding the condom he routinely placed in there. Despite station rumors, he hadn’t had that many chances to use it but damn he was glad he had it tonight. He tossed his wallet to the side and ripped open the foil packet. Fingers trembling slightly, he placed the rubber on the head of his cock. Kat sat up, her skirt teasing his cock as she leaned forward and placed her lips on his skin, scraping her teeth along his neck. It was a distinctly feminine action—powerful

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but delicate, designed to remind him that she was there. Heat melted through his jeans where she stroked his thigh, her fingers wandering closer and closer to his cock. Distracted, Mitch paused while putting on the condom, taking a moment to kiss her, sink his tongue back into her mouth. Her hands slid into his hair, holding him in place as their kiss turned purely carnal. She sucked on his tongue and his cock twitched in response. Mitch snapped his head and dragged in a long breath. Fuck, his head was spinning. Her eyes watched him with a confident, sensual fire that burned right into his groin. With a not-so-gentle nudge he pushed her back. She sank back onto the carpet, a wicked smile curving her lips—as if she knew how close he was to the edge. The powerful, feminine confidence sliced through his control and demanded he take her. There was no time for foreplay. He plunged his hand between her thighs, driving his finger into her cunt, assuring himself that she was ready for a fast, hard fuck. Her hips pumped up, taking him even deeper. Good. “Mitch.” “One second, baby.” “Too long.” He withdrew his hand, his fingers coated in her pussy juice, and rolled the condom the rest of the way on. He swirled his wet fingers around his shaft, loving the heat and the smell of her desire. A small corner of his mind remained in control, reminding him that he had to make it good for her—particularly if he wanted to be invited back. Looking down at the beautiful body stretched out before him, he groaned. He definitely wanted to come back. His subconscious tried to warn that this was a mistake and they were never going to be in this position again but he pushed it aside. He’d deal with it later. Right now he had a beautiful, sexual woman begging him to fuck her. He placed the tip of his cock to her entrance and began to push inside. The tight grip of her cunt was a dream—squeezing him, drawing him in. She tensed as he began to stretch her. “It’s okay, honey. Let me inside.” “Oooh, Mitch, more.” Despite the pressure on his cock, he smiled. “There’s more, baby.” He continued that first slow penetration, loving the sweet clasp of her pussy as she accepted him. A low, quiet moan of pure pleasure whispered through the room and Mitch watched as her mouth opened. Yes, soon he would fuck those pretty lips, come inside her mouth. The image made him even harder and he pressed forward. The sharp entry made her cry out. He looked down but there was no pain in her gaze. Only desire. “You like that, baby?” he asked. The thick, hard rod slid deeper into her sex and Kat whimpered.

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God, he loved that sound. Like she was fighting it, fighting the pleasure he could give her. He guided his cock deeper. She could fight all she wanted but he was going to make her come…and come again. “You want more, baby?” The question barely penetrated the sexual haze that clouded her mind. He was inside her, hard and thick—almost too much. It bordered on the edge of pain but felt so good, she didn’t want him to stop. “Talk to me, Kat.” His voice was strong and commanding, demanding a response. “Do you want more? Or shall I leave?” “No!” The possibility sent her into a panic. She couldn’t lose the feel of him now— not yet. She wrapped her hands around his back and dug her heels into his butt. She opened her eyes, not realizing that she’d closed them and stared into his bright blue gaze. “Don’t leave.” She winced at the desperate sound to her words but couldn’t stop them. “Good girl.” She shivered at the soft compliment. “I’m going to fuck you, fuck you until you scream.” He accompanied the words with a slow press of his hips, giving her even more of his cock. “Yessss.” She couldn’t control the hiss that slipped from her lips. As he withdrew, almost, not quite, pulling his cock from inside her, she tried to figure out how they’d gotten here. But all she could remember was his mouth, his lips against her skin, his cock filling her. The heavy plunge of his shaft sent tempting shivers through her pussy as he set a wickedly hard rhythm. Each stroke, deeper and longer, brushing against her clit. He pushed up on his arms, his hips pumping hard and deep as he moved inside her. The pressure built, his balls slapping her ass as he thrust faster, giving her more. Her pussy clenched with each hard penetration, making her want more. She pulled him down, nipping at his lower lip, a dainty bite that hurt just a bit, she was sure. “Fuck me,” she whispered into his mouth. “Give me more.” He growled his response even as his hips pumped back and pounded forward. The hard thrust filled her and Kat couldn’t stop her cry. It was perfect. Deep and thick. She grabbed his hips, knowing her fingernails were marking his skin but didn’t care. Couldn’t care. She needed more—the bright climax hung just out of her reach. “More, Mitch. Just a little more.” The corner of his mouth pulled up and she knew he liked the sound of her begging. “Soon, baby. Soon.” “Now!” At her command, he froze—staring down at her with all the arrogance of a man who knew how to fuck and wasn’t going to be rushed. The daring glint in his eyes

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warned Kat she’d made a serious mistake. Placing his hand on her hips, he withdrew, sliding that delicious cock out of her, until just the tip remained inside. “No.” The sound was a mix between a growl and groan. “Do you want to come?” “Mitch, please—” He shook her head, warning her to answer his question. “Do you want to come?” he repeated. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Yes, please, Mitch.” He rubbed his hand across her stomach. “You need it, don’t you, baby? I can feel the way your pussy is throbbing, needing to be fucked.” He gave her just a little more of his cock, just a little tease. The shallow entrance stripped away her irritation. “Yes.” She no longer cared if she was begging or sounded desperate. She just wanted him. “Now, I’m going to sink into you and you’re going to come.” He was like a hypnotist planting a suggestion in her mind. “I want to be deep inside you when it happens. I want to feel that sweet cunt grip me as you come.” “Yes.” She pulsed her hips up, hoping to drive him back into her, but the wicked laugh warned her that he wouldn’t be pressed. “Soon, honey.” His promise sank into her pussy as he slowly filled her, the long slow penetration rubbing her clit as he stretched her. The exquisite pressure was just enough and Kat couldn’t control it. She cried out, her back arching up as he held her hips down, his cock full inside her. He slipped his hand between their bodies and rubbed the top of her mound, a fast little massage that jolted another orgasm through her pussy. “Oh that’s it, baby. Squeeze me. Let me feel you come.” Her head fell back against the carpet as she let the orgasm spread through her body. It seemed endless—the first wicked spike followed by a subtle flow of pleasure. She opened her eyes and stared up. Mitch was above her, holding himself over on his elbows, his cock still buried deep inside her. His eyes sparkled with dangerous pleasure and pure masculine pride and she knew he wasn’t done with her just yet. “You’re beautiful when you come.” He adjusted his hips, pressing a little closer as if he wanted to become a part of her. “What about you?” she asked, her voice surprisingly breathless—and then almost wished she hadn’t. The dark smile that curved his lips promised secrets she wasn’t sure she could handle. “Oh don’t worry, Kat. I fully intend to come inside you but you needed to come.” His words were laced with arrogance—that he could hold out longer than she could. “And I want to enjoy this pretty cunt just a little longer.” He sat back on his heels, almost slipping from inside her but taking her with him, lifting her hips as he knelt, raising her ass until it rested against his spread thighs. 33

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Kat lay back, feeling exposed and vulnerable. Mitch flipped back her skirt, baring her pussy and the connection between their bodies. “So pretty,” he whispered, smoothing his hand across her stomach, his fingers skimming the top of her mound. “I like seeing my cock inside you.” The explicit words and the hungry sound of his voice made Kat’s pussy flutter. “Oh that’s good, baby.” He whispered the words, fighting the urge to rear back and fuck her hard, fast. He wasn’t sure what had slowed him—given him the strength to not come—but he clung to the last bit of control, long enough to tease her. Gritting his teeth, he eased his cock out of her pussy, the slick wet slide making him want to shout. She felt so good—hot and slippery. So ready to fuck. He slipped his fingers into the short hair above her pussy, watching the delicate shudders that moved through her body at the tiny caress. She was sensitive. He could do so much to this body. Her eyes watched him with a mixture of passion and trepidation. Her breasts rose and fell as she took long, heavy breaths—as if she was trying to regain control of her body. He certainly didn’t want that. “Take off your shirt, Kat.” He eased his thumb down and brushed a light stroke against her clit, knowing she might be sensitive from her orgasm but wanting more, wanting her to come again before he finally lost it inside her. “Take it off, baby, and let me see those pretty tits. All the guys tonight wanted to see you. Show me.” It wasn’t so much a plea as a command. Heat flared in her gaze but she didn’t move. Warmth bloomed inside his chest. The blatant defiance drove him forward until he was over her, holding himself above her, his cock pressed inside her, promising what he could give her but holding it just out of reach. “Do it, baby. Don’t make me punish you.” He gripped her hips and gave a short thrust inside her. Heat coated his cock as she shivered delicately. So she liked the idea of being punished? Good. He hitched her up higher, forcing his cock even deeper. Her moisture flowed down, dampening the front of his jeans. He would be wearing her scent when he left here. She took a deep breath and for a moment he thought she might defy him, deny him, but then she shifted, wiggling as she lifted the hem of her blouse. He slid his hands down her thighs, circling her knees as she struggled to pull her shirt off. In this position it wasn’t easy. Her weight was on her back and shoulders as he had her hips raised. Shimmying and twisting, she managed to drag the top up and off her head. She grunted, struggling with the slippery material. When she looked at him again, her gaze was filled with exasperation.

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He tried not to laugh—that might kill the mood. And Kat would get over her irritation. In just a few seconds, she would forget all about her shirt. All she would care about was what he was doing to her. The pink lace of her bra held her breasts, the full mounds pressing against the sides, straining the strength of the material. At the station, he’d known she was built but hadn’t expected this delicious surprise. Did she wear lace under her uniform? That image would haunt his days at work for weeks. When she reached for the front clasp of the bra, he brushed her hands away and placed his fingers on the tiny metal tab. With a quick twist, he undid it. The slides split open and he lifted the material away—leaving her beautiful breasts bare, the nipples tight and puffy, eager for his mouth. He slid both hands around and cupped the heavy mounds pressing them up, rocking his cock in and out in slow, shallow pulses as he flicked his thumbs across her nipples. She gasped and met his thrusts, working her pussy along the length of his cock. He pressed a hand on her stomach, holding her still. He was too close. A few more strokes and he’d come. “Hold still. I know you feel it. I’ll give it to you,” he promised, knowing he was near the end of his control. But not just yet. He didn’t know if he was ever going to get a chance to be inside her or touch her breasts again, and he wanted to enjoy it just a little longer. Pulling his hands away from her breasts, he held her hips as he slowly thrust in and out. Her naked breasts shimmied each time he pulsed inside her. He ground his teeth together, fighting the urge to pull out and come all over those pretty tits. He closed his eyes for a second and tried to find that last bit of control, wanting her to come one more time for him. He eased his thumbs into the top of her slit, pressing down as he pushed in. Kat did her best to crush the moan that wanted to escape but only succeeded in turning it into a whimper—which the bastard loved, no doubt. The memories of the delicious climax he’d brought her to had faded and the need had returned. With a few quick thrusts, she could come, she knew she would. But Mitch held back, held her on the edge. Next time, she silently vowed. Next time she would have him at her mercy, spread out, chained to her bed. Then she would decide when he could come, how much pleasure he could take. Clinging to that yummy fantasy, she took a deep breath and felt him slide back into her. He had the wicked ability to fill her perfectly and press her clit in precise timing so that every sensitive spot on her pussy was touched and teased. She struggled to move against him but in this position, it was impossible for her to get a good grip. “Hold still, baby,” he warned in that delicious growl. She’d never liked being called baby or babe, but something about the way Mitch said it made her shiver. “I’ll get you there. Soon. Just let me see you touch those pretty breasts.” 35

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Men had admired her breasts—or at least noticed them—since she’d turned fourteen. But lying here, beneath Mitch, his fingers slowly stroking her clit, promising more, it felt like the first time. Like her body was made for his pleasure. Heat flowed from her pussy into her core, slipping into her limbs until her body felt like it was burning. He licked his lips and watched her. “My hands are already full, baby.” He followed his words with a light stroke against her clit, sliding one thumb between her pussy lips. “I want to see you touch your pretty tits.” It was the rough, gravelly sound of his voice that reached her. “Let me see, baby,” he whispered. Once again the urging was more command than plea and Kat shivered at the sound. She pressed her hands on the sides and pushed up, cupping her breasts, plumping the mounds and offering them to him. “That’s it, Kat. Very good.” He whispered the words as he bent down. She held her breasts up, positioning her nipples for his mouth. He covered the first tip with a kiss so light that Kat wasn’t sure she felt it. It might have been the wind, but then she realized the wind blew cold, not hot. Not wicked. He breathed on her then slowly, oh so slowly, placed his lips over the tip of her right breast. She expected more. The distinct sucking, the desperate need of every man who’d ever been her lover—but Mitch was different. He placed a hot kiss on each nipple, greeting it, welcoming it. He followed the warm caresses with a slow stroke of his tongue, leisurely circling the tight peak, drawing in closer. The light, teasing touches slid into her body. He savored her, caressing her like she was a delicate china vase. His fingers continued to stroke her pussy and his shaft rocked inside her—not enough to make her come, but pressing deep, teasing parts of her cunt she hadn’t known existed. The hot deliberate strokes so different from the gentle kisses on her breasts. Kisses that made her want more. She wanted his mouth, sucking on her nipples, tasting her. Claiming. She placed her hand behind his hand and pressed him down even as she arched up, urging her nipple into his mouth. Still he moved slowly—as if to warn her that he would take her, fuck her at his own pace. His lips opened and closed gently around the peak of her breast. She waited, breathless. The moment was deliciously painful then finally he sucked, drawing deeply on her nipple, rubbing his tongue against the hard peak. She held her breath, not wanting to miss any of it, the steady pulls of his lips perfectly timed to the shallow heavy thrusts. Just when she thought she couldn’t get more aroused, he proved her wrong. Her body felt like a wire strung tight. “Mitch,” she moaned his name, putting all her desire into that one word. He raised his eyes even as his teeth bit down gently on her nipple. She cried out, feeling the delicious zing race to her pussy. One more stroke. That was all she needed. She hadn’t realized she said the words out loud until he smiled. “One more. That’s all? But can I give you more? I need to have you hard. Do you want that, baby?”

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“God, yes!” She knew her cry was too loud, too harsh. Too something, but she couldn’t control it. She needed him. Her pussy ached. The arrogant look in his eyes worried her—oh God, he wasn’t going to fuck her. He was going to leave her like this. She fought his hold but he gave her a quick, smart tap to her ass and the shock stilled her. “Wait.” The surprise that he’d actually slapped her butt followed by the sharp command made her lie back, compliant to his instructions. “Very good.” With that announcement, he drew back. She moaned, fearing he would pull out—instead he returned, hard, deep, fast. Her cry filled the room. Yes, that was what she wanted. “God, you feel so good,” he growled. “So tight. Holding my dick like it was made for you.” She wrapped her ankles around his back and pulled forward, urging him even harder the next time. Mitch grunted and she could see the tension in his body as he fought for control. She squeezed again, tightening her pussy around his cock, pushing him over the edge. His head snapped up and he stared down at her, his breath coming in harsh pants—even as he continued to pound into her, never slowing, driving deeper. The line of his neck was taut and strong as he stretched over her. Kat reached up and scraped her fingernails down the long muscle, just enough to layer sensation upon sensation. He filled her, stretching her. It would be so easy to let go but she fought the pleasure. She was close but she held back. Now that he was desperate to come she wanted to savor it a bit. Give him a little of the torment she’d lived through. She’d be sore tomorrow but she didn’t care. “Come, damn it,” he growled. “Soon,” she promised, using his words back on her, thrusting up against him. His eyes popped open as she fucked herself on his cock, controlling it for just a moment. She thought she heard him laugh but then a wicked caress from his thumb moved along the side of her clit. “You’ll come now.” As if he truly had control of her body, the orgasm shot through her pussy. Kat gasped, her fingernails sinking into his back as the vibrations shot into her core. Mitch shouted in triumph and drove into her one last time, holding himself deep inside. He sank down, collapsing on top of her. The floor was hard beneath her and Mitch hard on top but she was too satisfied to care. Her body was practically glowing with the lingering traces of her climax and the pleasure of having Mitch come inside her. A low surge of energy hummed beneath her skin warning that there might be more, that she wanted him again, but for the moment, she just wanted to enjoy the sensations, his weight, his breath on her neck, the languid strokes of her hands on his back. Besides if she moved, reality might set in and she didn’t want to think about that. Not yet. Later. After Mitch had left, then she would no doubt spend hours agonizing over this.

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Let’s make a mistake that’s worth regretting. Mitch’s tempting voice swirled through her head. It had been a mistake but she couldn’t regret it. Not now. Not with him still inside her, on top of her. Even as she thought the words, he raised his head. She couldn’t stop herself from tensing. Was this the point when he slipped his cock out of her, adjusted his clothes and thanked her for a good fuck? “I—” She wasn’t sure what she’d planned to say—something to ward off any pity or sarcastic remarks—but it didn’t matter. She never got the chance to speak. Mitch cupped the back of her head and lifted her up, meeting her halfway, his mouth covering hers in a kiss of blatant possession, his tongue tangling with hers. It took her a moment to realize he wasn’t immediately walking away—then she lost herself in the kiss, savoring the male flavor and command as he slipped out of her. She whimpered at the loss of his cock. Mitch’s lips curled into a smile and he drew back, only a breath away. “I like being inside you too, baby.” He gave her another quick kiss and then rolled away. He did some fixing and adjusting and moments later he stood up. Kat lay on the ground, her skirt hiked up above her waist, naked except for that narrow strip of material. Mitch looked down at her with all the arrogance and pride of a conquering warlord. “Don’t move, Kat. I’ll be right back.” He stepped over her and headed into the back of her house. Moments later she heard the flush of the toilet and it inspired her to action. She couldn’t, wouldn’t be lying on the floor basically naked when he came back. If he was leaving, she was going to at least face him on her feet. She stood and grabbed her top. The slippery material was halfway over her head, when he walked back in. “You don’t take directions very well, do you?” Peering out from around the neckline, which somehow had become twisted through the armhole, Kat stared at him. “I told you not to move.” He stepped forward, grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it back off, throwing it behind her. “I think you need to be punished.” She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and stared up at him, trying to look as confident and arrogant as he did, trying to ignore the fact that her breasts were brushing against his chest. “You seem to have a fascination with punishing me.” Her pussy clenched at the thought. What did Mitch think was a fair punishment? Spanking? Bondage? She’d never really experimented with previous lovers but somehow she thought that would be just up Mitch’s alley. “Hmmm, we’ll figure something out.” The wicked glint in his eyes made her shiver. She was in for a long night.

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Chapter Four Mitch tapped his fingers on his thigh and tried to listen to the lieutenant. Tried to ignore the woman sitting beside him. And even more tried to hide the fact that he had a hard-on that refused to go away. He didn’t understand it. He’d fucked her. Several times. He’d come. Several times. Three to be specific. Clear evidence to his cock that he wasn’t depriving it. Hell, it hadn’t even been that long since he’d been with someone else. A little over two months or so. In the grand scheme of things, he hadn’t been desperate last night. There had been no real reason that he’d dragged her to the floor of her living room, scooped that long skirt out of his way and fucked her until they’d both collapsed. His cock twitched—making it painfully obvious that his penis didn’t seem to care that it had been satisfied last night. The damn thing wanted more. Mitch shifted, crossed his ankle onto his knee and pulled his shirt down…and hoped to hell he looked casual doing it. He couldn’t afford to have any of the guys notice he was sporting a boner. They’d figure out who it was for. Hell, they were detectives. “What did you find?” Lieutenant Lee asked, directing his question to Mitch and then turning to include Kat. Mitch looked to her, letting her take the lead. “I got the names of the guys I talked to. None of them seemed out of the ordinary.” She smiled. “But of course, the bad guys don’t wear signs around their necks saying ‘I’m a serial killer’, so I guess I’d better check them all out.” Drew cracked a smile and nodded at her joke and Mitch had to stop a look of irritation. That had been his line. “What about you, Mitch?” He gave himself a mental shake and said, “Nothing stands out. Just a bunch of people looking for someone to hook up with. Desperate but not openly dangerous.” “They weren’t desperate,” Kat said, her voice tainted with irritation. Mitch squished his lips together and stared at her, warning her with his gaze to not make this personal. What was she so cranky about? She had no right to be irritated with him. It had been a mutual decision to fuck last night and a mutual agreement in the morning that it had been a mistake. Hell, he shouldn’t have stayed around long enough to discuss it—sexual postmortems were not his thing—but after the second time, he’d passed out practically on top of her. Damn, she was an energetic woman. Demanding. He liked that in a lover.

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And when he’d woken up at four in the morning, fully intending to slip out like the male coward he was, the sight of her breasts, the pink puffy lips of her cunt had drawn him back for one more fuck—slow and easy. To the point she barely woke for it. Enough to cry out his name as she came and to fall back asleep—this time on top of him. There had been no graceful way to leave. Or so he’d told himself. By the time he’d become coherent again, it was daylight and they’d had their awkward morning after. Awkward but probably necessary considering they had to work together. She’d been standing in the kitchen, drinking coffee and wearing baggy shorts and a sweatshirt. He’d taken the opportunity to use her shower—after all, he’d already overstayed his welcome, might as well get cleaned up. Her hair was pulled back in a scrunchy thing and there were pale dark circles under her eyes. She, no doubt, thought she looked like hell. All he could see was a well-fucked woman. She’d earned those circles and the slightly worn-out look. Next time, he’d— He snapped his thoughts back. No next time. “Well, I guess I’d better be going,” he said. “Yeah.” He didn’t know what to do. Say. Should he kiss her goodbye? Just walk away? “Uh—” Brilliant start. “Thanks.” “Thanks?!” He realized that was the wrong thing to say as the word left his mouth. “Well, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had a one-night stand with someone I was going to see again. I’m flying blind here,” he admitted. She shook her head but set her coffee cup down on the counter with a sharp smack. “Don’t worry about it. We knew last night that it was a mistake.” “But we did it anyway.” “That’s right.” She waved her hand as if erasing the memory. “Now we just have to forget it. Act like it never happened.” “Right.” Though he knew it was going to take him awhile to burn the memory from his cock. “So we’ll just go on with our lives.” “I can handle that.” He dug his keys out of his pocket. “See you later.” “See you.” Her quiet goodbye haunted him through his drive home—maybe because he wanted the soft farewell to mean more than it really did. It was over. They just had to forget about it. He came back to the present conversation. “Most of the guys I talked to just don’t have time to meet women,” Kat was saying to the other guys. “They were looking for someone to settle down with.”

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Someone to fuck. Justin laughed openly. “That’s not what guys are looking for,” he warned from across the room. The lieutenant held up his hand to stop the conversation from degrading any further. “So it was a bust,” Lee said. “Not quite. There was one guy who was hitting on Kat pretty hard.” Mitch could feel her glare without looking to his left. “He was just flirting.” “Whatever. He might have gotten her plate number so be prepared if anyone starts doing searches on her.” He looked to Justin. The guy might be a bit immature but he was a good cop and he could make computers sing. Justin’s face turned serious and he nodded. Kat’s look spoke volumes but Mitch wasn’t backing down. He didn’t trust the pretty boy. And he didn’t like the way Jared had looked at Kat. It was a little too sleazy. The guy hadn’t stared at her tits but Mitch could tell he wanted to. What guy wouldn’t? No, there was something dodgy about the guy and Mitch was going to check him out. “Kat, you know how to do searches on these guys?” Lee asked. She shook her head. “Mitch, show her how to access the databases that we have.” Mitch nodded, keeping his face impassive. It was a trick he’d learned the first year of being a cop and right now it served him well. He wasn’t quite sure of his reaction to being ordered to work with her—pleasure at being so close to her, and irritation that he’d be so close to her. His cock was not going to go down until he either got some relief—not likely—or he got away from her. That also wasn’t likely. At least not for a few hours. None of them would work a full day but with a case like this, they would all put in extra hours. The lieutenant, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, headed back to his office. Mitch stood up but Drew’s voice stopped his escape. “What about you, Mitch?” Drew asked, lifting his chin toward him. “Meet anyone? Some lonely lady looking for love?” Mitch laughed, trying to divert the conversation before it got started. “I wasn’t hunting for a date, Drew.” “No, but you found one.” Kat tensed and Justin spun around, his mouth opened dramatically. Mitch glared at Drew but there was no stopping him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It was Drew’s turn to laugh. “Right. It is so obvious you got laid last night. You’re practically wearing a sign.” Mitch shook his head and hoped to hell he wasn’t blushing.

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Justin squinted his eyes and peered across his desk at Mitch. “You’re right. Something is different. He’s got that—” He snapped his fingers. “Relaxed quality about him that says he had sex after a long drought.” “Fuck off, both of you.” “Who is she?” Justin asked, leaping out of his chair and following Mitch as he turned away. “Someone we know?” Mitch glowered at his friend. Justin held up his hands and backed away but he could see this wasn’t over. He was going to be razzed about this for awhile. Sending another glare toward Drew—how the fuck could he tell Mitch had had sex?—he waved Kat toward her computer. The momentary stress of the guys finding out who he’d slept with eased the pain in his crotch for a few seconds, but then Kat strolled by. Damn, she wasn’t even trying to be sexy but the tight fit of her jeans and the baggy sweatshirt that hid those perfect breasts seemed more enticing than the skimpiest nightgown. Kat sat down. Pulling the keyboard close to her, she looked up at him expectantly. From watching her, there was no way to tell she’d spent a good portion of the night with his cock inside her. The look on her face was bland. And it pissed him off. Here he was fighting the hard-on that wouldn’t die, and she acted like it never happened. Fuck that. He dragged a chair from another desk and sat down, crowding her a bit but from anyone else’s point of view, it would appear that he sat close to see the monitor. Mitch leaned forward, placing his arm on the back of her chair and peering at the screen. “Okay, log in and I’ll help you find what you’re looking for.” Kat was pleased that her fingers were already on the keyboard. That way he couldn’t see them tremble. How could something so innocuous as telling her to log on sound sexy? It was the way he said it—that deep, husky bedroom voice that made her pussy ache with the memory of last night. And the fact that he was leaning into her. Just enough to feel his heat, not enough that anyone else would notice. Or maybe it was just her. They’d agreed it was a mistake. Both last night and this morning. It was a mistake. A really, really good mistake but still, it was bad. Her knees had been weak the entire time she’d been at the station—hoping she didn’t show any signs. Now she was glad that none of the guys knew her well enough to recognize the “recently had sex” vibes she was afraid she was giving off. She typed in her log-in and realized she’d entered the wrong password. Damn. The whole thing was just too damn distracting. That first time had been amazing. She’d come two or three times. And then he’d dragged her into the bedroom—thank goodness her sheets were clean—and administered her “punishment”. Mitch’s idea of punishment hadn’t involved spanking or handcuffs or any of the things she’d imagined. In fact, by some standards, it would be considered quite tame—

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but spectacular nonetheless. First he’d ordered her to strip off her skirt and stand before him. He’d done a slow scan of her body, the hunger from his eyes keeping her warm. When he’d finished, he ordered her to undress him. That hadn’t been a hardship at all. His body was all delicious strong muscles and sharp angles. The ripples across his stomach had called to her fingers, making her crave the simple touch of stroking his skin. But when she’d tried to open his jeans, he’d stopped her and ordered her to do it with her mouth only. It had been a struggle—not something she had any practice with—but after a moment, she realized that every attempt, every time she failed to open the button or pull the zipper down, Mitch was getting harder. Immediate success no longer her goal, she’d taken her time until he’d finally stepped back, taking her prize with him. The memory of the stern look on his face countered by the dangerous heat in his eyes made her smile as she typed in the first name on her list. He’d commanded her to climb onto her bed and lay spread before him, her legs open so he could look at her. Cream had dripped down the insides of her thighs, her pussy aching to feel that hard cock inside her. Again. But Mitch held back. It was then that she discovered what his form of punishment would be—hours of arousal with no relief. He’d kept her on the verge of coming—with his fingers and cock—for what seemed liked forever, until she was begging him to let her come. Every time she got close, he’d back off, sometimes even pulling out of her, until she’d calmed down. Then he’d start again. She’d tried to touch him, but he’d simply backed away, damn him. By the time he’d actually fucked her—all the way, both of them coming—she’d practically been crying. Nothing had ever felt as good as that orgasm. Even now, just being close to him, her body hummed with the lingering memory. The light smell of his aftershave made her want to sink back against him but she held herself upright. It was a mistake. Let it go. Forget it. He leaned forward, his shoulder brushing hers as he reached around her to point to the screen. “See, that’s the list you want to search.” It took her a second to realize what he was doing. He could have shown her that without touching her. He was doing it on purpose—just to tease her. “Not so close,” she whispered, glancing to see if anyone was watching. “Why?” He spoke but his lips barely moved. “Last night you liked having me on top of you.” “Bastard,” she said, though it came out more teasing and flirtatious than she’d intended. “Witch,” he responded in kind, his eyes glittering with barely disguised lust. “What the hell, Mitch?” The lieutenant’s voice made them snap apart. “Let the woman do her job.”

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“I’m helping her. I wouldn’t want her to make a mistake she might regret,” Mitch said, but he stood and stepped away from the desk. Kat looked up and fluttered her eyelashes. “Oh don’t worry, I learn from my mistakes.” She paused to give him a moment to worry. “And I rarely repeat them.” The heat that flared in his eyes made her pussy clench and her heart skip a beat. Barely containing her smile, she turned back to the computer. It had been fun to tease him but now she was going to spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about that look of warning in Mitch’s gaze—and the promise behind it.

***** Kat looked up at the almost empty squad room. Her back was starting to ache and her eyes were gritty. The lieutenant was in his office but everyone else was gone. She’d entered name after name in several databases. Some information had come back quickly. For others, the computer was still searching. She had a few minutes before she was supposed to meet Terese for dinner. Terese would be the one person who might recognize that Kat had had sex last night. Maybe dinner was a bad idea. No, it was too late to cancel. She’d just have to endure the teasing and Terese’s questions. Maybe she could get some advice. Kat glanced at the clock. She’d use the time to do a little research. The Internet connection here was much faster than her dialup at home. Kat opened her favorite internet search engine and typed in “Signs of the Zodiac Libra”. 932,000 pages. Eeek. Too much information. She clicked on the first choice and watched the page load. She didn’t know much about the zodiac signs and since this killer was clearly searching for Libra women, she wanted to know more about the sign. Her sign. She scrolled through the description—pleased to see she was considered intelligent, sociable. A little too eager to please others but she ignored that and kept reading. Venus. The word stopped her eyes. And she slowed down her skimming. Her sign was influenced by Venus, the Goddess of Love. Sensual, flirtatious, passionate. All those sounded good to her. She nodded her head as she kept reading. A Libra sees all sides of an argument and isn’t a quick decision maker. She winced. That certainly sounded like her. Some members of this sign can be insincere in their efforts to please everyone. Ugh. She scanned the rest of the description, finding parts of it eerily accurate to her own personality. Scrolling back to the top of the page, she saw a link that caught her eye. Compatibility Match. Glancing around the room to confirm she was alone, she went to the page. Are you compatible? Is he or she your perfect mate? With a few drop down links all she had to do was put in her sign and…she sighed. Was she really going to do it? The Matching Signs boxes had already told her she 44

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wasn’t compatible with Mitch. Of course, that was before she’d had incredible sex with him. Of course, what did that mean? Sex was just sex. Stalling for as long as she could stand it, she finally dragged down one menu to Libra and one to Cancer, Mitch’s sign. And breathed a sigh of relief when alarm bells and whistles didn’t go off warning her to stay away from Mitch. Of course, she planned to stay away from him. Last night was a one-time deal, a mistake. She closed her eyes and realized she was rambling. To herself. Trying to justify what she’d done. More to the point, trying to convince herself that she didn’t want to do it again. Only she did. She sighed and stared at the page. Libra and Cancer. Match not recommended. Great, tell me something I don’t know. An intimate relationship between these two signs can be one of the most challenging of the zodiac. Considerable discomfort for the star signs involved may occur. Kat laughed. There was nothing else to do. It was like she was reading the warning about side effects of a medication. Cancer’s need for a more restrictive domestic form of lovemaking and emotional expression dampens the social, playful and diversity-seeking Libran’s enthusiasm. From the Libra standpoint—Cancer is a stick-in-the-mud and selfishly desires to possess you. This pairing tends to be sexually incompatible. Kat sat back. That sounded grim. And not truly accurate. Based on Mitch’s performance last night, “restrictive” and “domestic” weren’t exactly words she would use to describe him. Not that he’d done anything outrageous. They’d pretty much stayed in the missionary position all night. The center of her stomach dropped and she pressed her thighs together at the memory. It had been pretty straightforward, front to front, man on top sex but it had been hot. Maybe that was all he liked. She pursed her lips and considered the idea. It was possible to live a lifetime of missionary position sex. Particularly when it was that good. And over time, maybe she could change his mind and get him to branch out a bit. She stopped. Over time? There weren’t going to be any more times. What am I doing? She moved her mouse to the top right, ready to X out of the program, but stopped. Mitch was definitely not compatible with her. Why not check Jared? Again she dragged down the menu to Libra and then switched the other sign to Aries, Jared’s sign. As the Matching Signs boxes had indicated, they were a good match. Though there were some concerns as well.

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You’ll find excitement and passion in the bedroom with your Aries man. Emotional and sexual rapport will be strong and the initial meeting could be marked by powerful sexual urges. Kat waggled her head back and forth. She wouldn’t have called them “powerful sexual urges”. Moderate maybe. She’d liked Jared well enough and he’d been fun but she hadn’t felt any desire to throw herself on the floor and drag him down on top of her. Or be thrown down by him. Heat flooded her chest and flowed south. Wow. She didn’t need to sleep with Mitch again. The memories alone seemed to be keeping her warm. And turned on. But not satisfied. “Kat, what are you still doing here?” She looked up at the lieutenant. “Oh just a little research on Zodiac signs. Trying to see if I can find something that might trigger this guy.” She shrugged, suddenly feeling stupid. “I mean, I’m sure you guys have already done it.” “No, it’s always good to have someone else look at it,” he said. “Which way are you headed when you leave?” “Uh, toward the east side.” “Are you going anywhere near where Mitch lives?” “Mitch?” “Yeah, he lives on the east side. I just need to drop off some papers but my wife is waiting for me.” He held up an envelope. “It’s no big deal. It will wait until Monday.” “No, I can do it.” She vaguely remembered the description of her sign “always eager to please” and mentally winced. Still, it was better to believe that than she was eager to see Mitch again. “Great.” The lieutenant handed her the envelope and said good night. Kat typed Mitch’s name into the computer and found his address. It was on her side of town but a good ten minutes away from her place. She fingered the edge of the envelope. What was she thinking? It’s nothing. You’re just doing a favor for the lieutenant. It has nothing to do with seeing Mitch again. Right.

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Chapter Five She managed to convince herself that she didn’t want to see Mitch again—at least long enough to delay it. Dinner with Terese had been fun but a little exhausting. Her friend had demanded all the details and squealed excitedly at Kat’s exploits. Terese’s advice about Mitch hadn’t been helpful. Instead of agreeing with Kat that it was a mistake, she’d urged her to go for it. Have a wild affair—a fuckfest as Terese liked to call it—and then dump his ass when he became too annoying. That was how Terese ruled her love life. Kat wasn’t sure she could be so blatantly superficial. Kat— obviously—didn’t believe she needed to be in love with a guy before she slept with him but using a guy for sex was just too tacky. It made him seem like a human vibrator. Turn him on whenever she wanted to get off. She couldn’t do that. She turned her car down the road toward Mitch’s condo complex. The two-story condos had tiny yards and nice landscaping—what she could see of it in the dark. It was almost nine o’clock and with any luck Mitch was out with his friends. It was Saturday night after all. She wouldn’t have to see him at all. She could leave the envelope on his porch and escape and then she’d have all day tomorrow to convince herself that last night had been a mistake. More likely he’s out with some woman. The corners of Kat’s eyes tightened. What if he’s home…with some woman? A blonde, busty bimbo bouncing on his bed. She didn’t care for the alliteration at all. Her stomach flipped over. Oh great. This has gone from doing the lieutenant a favor to a potentially embarrassing situation. She pulled into a parking spot a fair distance away from his unit, giving herself a few extra minutes to calm her nerves. It didn’t matter who he had at his house or what he was doing with her. Kat was here on legitimate business. That logic held her steady until it came time to knock on the door. She raised her fist three times before she found the courage to rap her knuckle on the wood surface. The interminable wait made her heart pound and drat, her palms were starting to sweat. This wasn’t good. She glanced down and saw her nipples pressing lightly against the thin material of her tank top. She’d been hot at dinner and taken off the sweatshirt she’d worn at the station. Great, now he’s going to take one look at you and think you came here to fuck. Didn’t you? Missionary position sex. Remember that. Bland, no-change sex. She tried to cling to that idea, hoping to turn the concept of sex with Mitch into something less appealing.

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Right. She’d come harder with him last night that she had ever before—both with human lovers and electronic toys. Just because her sign description was accurate about her personality didn’t mean that Mitch’s was. The curtain beside the door eased back and she saw Mitch peer through the side window. Cautious. Seconds later the door popped open and he stood there—looking more yummy than a man had a right to. It took only a second to take in the whole picture—the long delicious legs encased in jeans, the T-shirt stretched over broad muscles, his hair slightly mussed as if he’d slid his fingers into it to tidy it and those bright blue eyes glittering behind the lenses of wire-framed glasses. He wore glasses? Her pussy fluttered and her breasts suddenly felt heavy and full. Something about a strong man in glasses made her hot—hot enough to jump him in his entryway. Like that hasn’t happened before. Without meaning to, she rolled her hip to the side and pushed she shoulders back, emphasizing her breasts. Her body moved into an instinctively sensual pose. Missionary position sex. Who the fuck cared? She demanded of the irritating voice in her head. Mitch’s eyes dipped down to her chest and then snapped back up. The heat in his gaze quickly reminded her that she was not here for a fast fuck. She had a mission. “The lieutenant asked me to drop this by.” She offered him the envelope but realized he had his gun in the hand not holding the door open. She smiled. “Do you always answer the door armed?” He blinked and looked at her like it was rhetorical question. “Yes. Don’t you?” “Not usually.” He turned away. “Let me just put this away.” The door was left open and Kat couldn’t resist stepping inside. She’d been to the apartments of a few of the guys on patrol and they all lived on the edge of filth. Mitch’s house seemed well put together and fairly tidy. The front door opened into the living room. A long couch—perfect for his large frame—faced a fireplace. In the corner a massive flat screen hung from the wall with a cabinet full of electronic boxes below it. Typical male. Mitch came back into the living room and Kat was once again hit by a wave of lust. She had to get out of there before they repeated last night. “Did you want to see the place?” He waved his hand toward the area behind him. Tell him you have to go. Tell him you have a date waiting. Or have to feed your dog. But he knows you don’t have a dog. Her sanity demanded that she make a choice from one of the selections but when she opened her mouth, something entirely different came out. “I’d love to.” I’d love to fall into bed with you, fuck you until dawn—again. Another night of missionary position sex was sounding very good right now. 48

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Not that Mitch seemed to notice. He turned away and led her through the house— showing her the kitchen and the room where he worked out on the downstairs floor. Her libido was running on high and just the sight of those weight benches made her cream her undies. It was way too easy imagining him working out, lying flat on the bench while she straddled him, rode him. His cock inside her and her in control. She opened her mouth to breathe. Her chest was a little tight and she needed to get moving. She realized Mitch was silent and she glanced up, mentally cringing that he’d see the lust in her eyes. “Want to see the upstairs?” The only indication that he might have noticed her sudden drop into sexual fantasyland was the tightness of his voice. But he made no move toward her. Obviously you’re the only one still having sex fantasies, she reprimanded herself. He’d done her—now he was moving on. Mitch had clearly gotten all he’d wanted last night. And not even the thought of easily available sex made him interested. How depressing. He turned away and led her up a narrow staircase. He quickly showed her his office and a guest room at one end of the hall before crossing back over the stairs. Her stomach did a little flip-flop. This was the master bedroom. Mitch’s bedroom. It was probably a bad idea to see it. It would only make fantasies of being in his bed even worse. Of course, there was no way to stop him. What could she say? “Oh that’s enough. I don’t need any more possibilities of places you could fuck me”? Then it was too late. He pushed the door open and Kat leaned in. A little sigh of relief slipped out. The room was tidy—no socks on the floor and, even better, no blonde bimbo in the bed. The bed was huge and dominated the left side of the room. The dark brown colors of his blanket and sheets looked masculine without being too dark. A low bench sat at the foot of the bed, giving her the image of Mitch sitting there each morning, pulling on his socks, wearing just his trousers, the sight of his bare toes making her pussy twitch. Kat jerked. She was fantasizing about the man’s toes? Definitely time to go. But she couldn’t resist one last look at the bed. The crushed blankets indicated he’d been lying there recently and gave the room an intimate feel that did nothing to slow her pounding heart. “I was reading,” he said. She nodded. “I didn’t know you wore glasses.” He grimaced. “Contacts most of the time. Sometimes at night, they’re too much.” “They look good.” She looked into his eyes and saw the heat that had exploded between them last night. She waited—surely he would make a move, kiss her, something. Instead, he stepped back. “That’s the house.”

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Sudden change of subject. Not good. He was trying to get her to leave. “It’s nice.” She could take a hint. She started down the steps. She would get the hell out and go home and just indulge the fantasies she had about Mitch—all while trying not to think about the fact that he obviously hadn’t enjoyed himself last night as much as she had. She clearly had to work on her technique. She skipped down the steps, eager to leave now. God forbid that she offer herself to Mitch and he turn her down. She’d never be able to face him. “Thanks for the tour,” she said, sounding a bit too perky. “Nice place.” Bracing herself for the disinterest on his face, she turned around—and Mitch was there, right behind her, inches from her, his hand propped against the door keeping it closed. It wasn’t disinterest blazing in his eyes. “What is it about one of us leaving that makes me want to fuck you so badly?” he asked in that low, sexual voice that had lured her through multiple orgasms last night. The sound alone was like a finger thrusting in her pussy. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Knowing he watched, she opened her lips and let her tongue peek out, teasing the corner. A low growl escaped his lips. His hand cupped her head and turned her, positioning her mouth perfectly for his. As if desperate for the taste of her, he allowed two sipping kisses before driving his tongue deep into her mouth, capturing her and daring her to play with him. The bold aggression in his touch ignited the hunger inside her and she met him, her tongue battling with his, dipping into his mouth to tease him the way he’d tempted her. Feeling some of the gentle violence flow into her, she drew back and nipped her teeth along his lower lip. The pain seemed to release another side of him. He grabbed her hands and raised them up, bracing her wrists against the door as his body held her caged. His mouth continued to ravage hers. He drew closer, pressing his hips into hers, sliding his cock into the notch between her thighs. The sweet pressure sent a flurry of shivers through her pussy and she couldn’t resist rubbing against his erection. His moan flowed into her mouth and coursed through her body, filling her sex with the delicious warmth of being desired. He captured both wrists in one hand, holding her, binding her. Kat fought against his grip but he held firm, biting down gently on her lip in reprimand. She knew her whimper was too revealing but she didn’t care. She loved the slight pain of his teeth. “Hmm, good,” he whispered against her neck as if he could hear her thoughts and approved of them. He tugged the strap of her tank top and her bra aside, scraping his teeth across her shoulder, and placed a light kiss on the curve of her breast as if promising to return.

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Trapped as she was, Kat could do little more than stand there and take his caresses, accept them. It gave her a wicked freedom to just enjoy. Mitch kissed the space just beneath her ear. “Do like oral?” he asked, capturing her lobe between his teeth. He drew back inches, his eyes drilling into hers. “Given or received?” she dared. His eyes flashed with interest. “Either.” “Both.” The right side of his mouth pulled up into a half-smile. “Good.” One more kiss on her lips and he was gone, sinking down. He skimmed light kisses across her breasts—teasing caresses through her clothes that only made her want more. His fingers went to the waistband of her jeans, opening the button, the zipper, sliding his hand inside her pants. His finger stroked the light silk of her underwear and he smiled. On his knees, he nudged the hem of her blouse away with his nose and stroked his lips across her stomach. The ten pounds she wanted to lose all stuck to her stomach and thighs but the way he kissed and touched her skin, he didn’t notice. He flicked his tongue lightly against the sparkling charm that hung from her bellybutton ring. “Very sexy,” he whispered as he fought to pull her jeans down. She reached down to help but he slapped her hands out of the way. “I like to unwrap my own presents.” He winked up at her—feeling an unusual mixture of lust and humor. He loved all parts of fucking—the anticipation, foreplay, the actual penetration, even holding the woman afterward—but rarely had he felt like laughing while he was touching a woman. Not because it was funny or because Kat was anything less than mind-blowing—but because it was fun. Maybe it was because he knew she wasn’t going to expect anything the next day—that they were both only interested in the physical. Or maybe it was just the way she pushed and prodded him—daring him to do her. Daring him to fuck her properly. His cock twitched at the idea and he smiled. Soon, he promised the erection in his jeans. Soon he’d be inside her but not before he did a few more things to her sweet body. He tugged on the tight jeans and managed to ease them and her underwear over her round hips. “Today…you had to wear jeans,” he groused playfully as he yanked the tight material down to her knees. He looked up and smiled. “Though I have to say, these jeans make your ass look great.” When she moved to kick off her shoes, he held her still, keeping her trapped by her clothes. He leaned in closer, savoring the scent of her arousal and the tension in her body as he spread her pussy lips and slid his tongue into the tight slit. She jolted as if the sensation was too strong to bear but the constriction of her jeans and the strength of his shoulders wouldn’t let her move.

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He looked up—just to make sure she was watching—then pumped his tongue in and out of her slit, rubbing against her clit. Her eyes glowed hot as he repeated the motion. Such a sensual creature. Proud and defiant. Releasing her from the bindings of her clothes, he tugged her jeans and panties all the way down, freeing one leg so that she was open, available, to him. Once again he stared into her eyes. Her hand gripped the doorknob, holding herself upright. The light in her gaze was forcibly brave—as if she was searching for her strength. He liked that. Liked that she was strong and still unsure—that his touch could surprise her. He raised her foot and placed it on his knee, opening her pussy to him, and decided he liked her pride. She was tough but still so soft. Wet and perfect for him. His mouth pulled up in a wide smile. That little bit of defiance, the fight inside her triggered something inside his chest—he would give her all the pleasure he could, make her take it, knowing she would love it. He could feel her stare as he turned his gaze to her sweet pussy. Last night he’d touched it, put his fingers in it but he hadn’t really spent any time exploring it, looking at it. “Spread yourself.” The command was out of his mouth before he could stop it. She jerked and stared down at him. For a moment he thought she would refuse, but even as she blushed she reached between her legs and with one hand spread her pussy lips apart, opening herself even more. The warm sensual scent of her sex flooded the room and Mitch groaned. Knowing she watched him, he leaned forward and stretched out his tongue, flicking across the tight bud of her clit. Her body twitched at the delicate caress. Good. She wanted this. Last night his body had been filled with a single purpose—to get inside her as quickly as possible. Tonight, he knew there would be more. He could savor her. She wouldn’t run before he was finished with her. Tonight, she belonged to him. This was a habit he could get into. The thought made his cock press harder against the restrictive material of his jeans. For most of the day, he’d been semi-hard and seeing Kat in his house, her breasts pressing against the tiny tank top, her tight ass in those jeans had just made it worse. Now this—fuck, he couldn’t get any harder. Not without permanently damaging something. Unfortunately his mind didn’t seem to notice and kept sending him fantasies of Kat in his bed, night after night. Her sexy, tight body stretched out. Her eyes flashing defiance when he commanded her to roll over. Oh yeah, that’s how it would be. She wouldn’t give in easily. She would make him work for it. Her hips pressed forward, sliding her clit against the point of his tongue. His little witch was hungry for it. He teased her, giving her a taste of what was to come before he drew back. Her eyes popped open and she stared down at him, shocked at his sudden withdrawal.

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“Don’t worry, baby. I’m not done with you yet.” He leaned forward and placed a hot open-mouthed kiss on her clit, stroking his tongue across the wet flesh. “I want to feel this pretty cunt come against my mouth.” He whispered the words against her skin and felt her shiver. She liked to hear what he wanted to do to her. Good. Because he liked talking while he made love, liked the sounds, scents and flavors of an aroused woman—a woman on the verge of coming. He fluttered his tongue across her pussy lips, tickling the sensitive flesh. The delicate little gasp she released told him she was fighting it. He could feel the slow rise of her orgasm, the heavy flow of her juices. He caught the liquid on his tongue and savored the musky taste. Dipping his tongue into her opening, he rubbed the sensitive first inch of her pussy. Her hips rolled forward and his cock rose against the inside of his jeans. She wanted it—wanted him inside her. Soon, he vowed silently. He would give her more than she could handle. Kat dropped her head back against the door and tried to keep her heart from exploding. She’d had guys go down on her before—some because they wanted to please her and some because they felt like it was required—but never one who truly loved it. Every stroke of his tongue, every warm murmur against her skin was a testament to his pleasure. She clutched the doorknob, using it to keep from sinking to the ground. Mitch’s hand holding her ass supported her as well. It was a good thing because her knees were trembling. He dipped his tongue into her pussy—a short shallow pulse—as if promising her more, preparing the way for his cock. Then slowly licked his way back up to her clit. It was a path he’d taken before but this time, please God, this time he had to let her come. He placed his lips over her clit, sucking lightly as he tormented the tight bundle with his tongue. Her tightly strung body couldn’t take any more. He lapped one more time and the delicious tension released inside her. Even as the orgasm jolted through her pussy, Mitch drove two fingers into her sex. The sharp penetration ignited a new wave of flurries. Kat gasped and dug her fingers into his head, holding him there. “That’s it, honey, let me have it all.” He fucked his fingers in and out, drawing out every tingle even as his lips kissed her clit, triggering another subtle shock to her system. Gravity pulled on her body but she straightened her supporting leg and fought to remain upright. A long time later, her lungs seemed able to function again and she gulped in a full breath. There was no calming her heart. She felt him move and only then realized that her eyes were closed. When she opened them, he was there, his body pressed against hers, his hand holding her leg around his waist, his cock pressed against her pussy. “Very nice,” he whispered against her lips, sharing a taste of her sex. She swallowed deeply. “Funny, that’s just what I was going to say to you.” Her voice quavered and she knew she wasn’t in complete control of her body.

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Mitch kissed her quickly then stepped back—a damp stain marked the front of his jeans, moisture from her pussy. A blush washed over her cheeks though she couldn’t quite decide why she was embarrassed. “Now—” Mitch folded his arms across his chest and stared at her—his gaze assessing. “Kick off those jeans and walk that pretty little ass into my bedroom like a good little girl.” She could see just a hint of his game. Thought he could order her around, did he? “What if I don’t want to?” “Now, missy, you’re already suiting up for another punishment—don’t make it worse by sassin’ me.” She had no idea where that drawl came from, but she liked it. It was wild and sexy. And just a little bit dangerous. “What am I being punished for?” “You mean besides sassin’ me? Last night—that guy at the bar. Flirting with him, showing him your pretty tits. Tits that only I get to see.” She shivered at the possessive tone. Even knowing it was just a game, it made her pussy clench and her nipples push against the lace of her bra as if to agree. It made her wonder what it would be like to belong to Mitch, to truly have a claim on him and know that he felt the same way in return. “Now go on.” He tipped his head toward the stairs. Kat took a long breath, deciding if she wanted to continue with this. Was it wise to put Mitch in an even more dominant role? But the thought of what he would do to her in his bed—what he had in mind for her “punishment”—was too tempting to resist. Last night had been amazing— torturous while he’d held her in a state of suspended arousal—and she couldn’t resist the chance to come like that again. She stepped out of her second pant leg and let her panties fall in a puddle near her ankle—leaving her naked from the waist down. Knowing that her cheeks were bright red, she lifted her chin and walked by, the weight of his eyes tracking her. She was three steps up the stairs when his voice stopped her. “You know—I made a mistake.” She glanced over her shoulder. Mitch stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up, his gaze trained on her backside. “Those jeans don’t make your ass look good.” Pause. Kat waited—her stomach turning flip-flops. “Your ass makes those jeans look good.” The sides of her mouth pulled up in a smile and she turned, continuing her trip up the stairs, her hips swinging with just a little more sway than normal. She’d been working out hard to keep her backside toned and was suddenly glad for all those squats and lunges. Having just had the tour, she walked confidently into his bedroom. With no further instructions, she sat primly on the edge of the bed, keeping her knees pressed tight together. Mitch walked in long moments later and shook his head.

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“Bad little girls don’t get to sit down. Stand up.” The command in his voice made her shiver. She’d never played at dominance and submission—had never had the courage to tell her lovers that she might be interested. Besides, she always figured if she had to tell a man to dominate her, it wouldn’t be that much fun. Her knees were still weak from the orgasm he’d licked her to downstairs but she stood—moving slow, tempting him with the idea that she might refuse. He stepped close and Kat raised her mouth, expecting a kiss, some reward for obeying but instead, he leaned back, just out of reach. This was to be part of her punishment. She could almost hear him—bad girls don’t get my mouth. Silent, he pulled the lower edge of her tank top up, commanding her without words to raise her arms overhead while he stripped off the thin top. He tossed it on the bed and looked down. Kat had never felt more on display—standing there in nothing but her bra. She squeezed her thighs together, which only made the throbbing in her pussy worse. Though she knew Mitch liked her ass, he seemed pleased with her front right now. He stroked one finger down the inside lace edge of her bra, tracing the line to the deep valley between her breasts. Heat followed his touch—like a brand across her skin. He followed the V up the other side—the caress so light that Kat couldn’t credit it. So different from the man who’d touched her the night before. Last night had been desperate—hot, hard and hungry. Wonderful but like a spark that had to be used before it disappeared. Tonight, the desire was still there—but the world moved slower—as if they knew that time wasn’t chasing them. Kat pushed the thoughts of the future out of her head. She couldn’t start thinking of this as anything more than a night of sex. Slow, sensuous, mind-blowing sex. But that’s all it could be. Her chest rose in a heavy breath, pushing against his hand. “Was that a sigh? Bored with my touch already?” “Oh no.” She shook her head emphatically. The movement sent a strand of her hair over her shoulder, teasing the curve of her breast. The light caress was simple but sent another shiver into her sex. Her entire body hummed with the need to feel. “Perhaps you want these pretty breasts to be released from this delightful bit of lace.” His hands covered her breasts, his palms teasing her nipples through the lace. “I know you don’t wear this skimpy bra under your uniform.” He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Makes me want to strip your out of your blues.” She tensed at the reminder that they would eventually go back into the world but the concern was brushed from her mind as he quickly undid the front clasp. As if he truly was unwrapping a gift, he peeled back first one side, freeing one breast. He took the time to stroke his fingers along the slope, circling the nipple until it tightened almost painfully. Kat fought to control her breathing—not wanting to start

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panting before he was even naked—but it was a struggle. The way he watched her was so intense it moved through her body like liquid gold. Slowly he stripped away the other side and dropped the black lace on the floor. Mitch stepped back and looked at her. Feeling vulnerable and curiously shy, Kat forced herself to remain still beneath his stare. Her nipples were like prominent little beacons, the anticipation of his touch making her ache. “Very nice,” he finally said. “But not even the sight of your breasts will make me forget your punishment.”

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Chapter Six Kat swallowed. Another night of unrelenting arousal—followed by an incredible climax—or two. She could handle that. She waited for him to order her onto the bed. Instead, he sat down on the side of the bed and held out his hand. “Come here.” The playful tone from before was gone and the hard, heavy power of command flowed through his words. Her body responded to the strength and she found herself walking toward him. He didn’t guide her down between his legs as expected. Instead, he pulled her alongside the bed then slowly bent her forward until she was draped across his thighs, her breasts pressing against his legs. Her heart pounded in her ears as she stared at the ground. What the hell was she doing—bare assed and over his knee? This was different from last night. And what happened to straightforward, missionary position sex? “Spread your legs for me, honey. Let me see your pretty cunt.” Even as she shivered at the explicit command, part of her felt compelled to protest. “Listen, Mitch—” The sharp smack of his palm on her bottom shocked the words out of her. He’d actually spanked her. The slight burning sank into her sex, warming her already fluid heat. He placed another bracing slap on her ass sending another jolt into her pussy. She pressed her lips together to keep from moaning. His fingers brushed across her ass and slid down, easing between her thighs. “Spread your legs, baby. I want to see how wet you are.” Unable to deny his command, she inched her feet apart, pressing up slightly on her toes. “That’s it,” he encouraged. The warmth from his fingers swept across her pussy as he stroked her, light, testing caresses. “Hmmm, very nice.” His fingers slipped into her opening, giving her just a light caress—enough to tease. “You like having your tight little ass spanked, don’t you?” Kat didn’t answer. Mitch seemed to take that as defiance and followed the silence with two sharp, hard spanks to her bottom. Her skin burned where he struck her but the heat only ignited more warmth, more liquid in her pussy. Again he dipped his fingers into her opening and grunted as if he approved of what he found there. The pattern established, he continued—the light smacks, followed by a wicked caress to her cunt—until she was squirming, needing more than his fingers, needing him to fuck her. To ride her.

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“Please, Mitch.” She pressed up on her toes, trying to push her clit forward, hoping to rub against his leg, anything, or somehow slide his fingers deeper. There had to be a release. Her body was strung so tight, every nerve alight with the delicate pain and warmth from Mitch’s hand. “What do you need, honey? Tell me.” “Fuck me. Please.” “Not just yet, honey. I want you to come again before I slide into this hot little cunt.” The shiver up her spine turned into a moan as he pushed two fingers inside her. The sensation of having something inside her was sweet but wanted him, wanted his cock. Still, her body couldn’t resist the long penetrations of his fingers and she moved against him, thrusting back and sending him deeper. It wasn’t enough to make her come—just enough to make the need worse. She dug her fingernails into the carpet and bit her teeth together, trying to stop the pleading words that threatened. “Very good.” As if to reward her for fucking herself against his hand, he rubbed his thumb along her clit, adding a delicate stroke with each penetration. Perfectly timed, his strokes worked together and she thought she might, just might, be able to come. He worked her—stroking and finger-fucking her until she was pumping hard, flying against his touch. “That’s it, baby.” The encouragement was so sweet that she couldn’t stop the orgasm that shot through her pussy—inspired by his touch and the sweet caress of his words. He continued to move inside her—slow strokes bringing her down from the rush. Finally he pulled his fingers out of her and smoothed his large palm across her heated bottom, as if complimenting her for her orgasm. “Since you took your punishment so well, you deserve a reward.” Her pussy twitched and Kat moaned. “Yes, please.” She whimpered as he helped her to stand. She turned into him, needing his warmth, his support. His arms curled around her, pulling her close. She raised her leg and hooked her foot behind his knee, opening her pussy, needing that connection. Scraping her teeth across his neck, she pumped against him. “Do you want my cock, baby? Want me to come inside your sweet cunt?” “Yes,” she whimpered as she spoke, her mind lost in the world of frustration. She wanted him, needed him. For so long, she’d needed him. Her breasts ached and she felt empty without him. Mitch pushed her leg down and stepped back, still supporting her as he turned her away. “No! I need—” She needed his mouth, his tongue, his cock. She needed all of him. “I know, honey. Let me give it to you.”

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A protest formed on her lips but the warm coverage of his hands on her breasts stopped it. He squeezed and massaged, seeming to realize she needed a harder touch, giving her the caress she wasn’t able to find on her own. He pinched her nipples just to the point of pain then soothed them by rubbing tiny circles around them. Moisture dripped down the inside of her thigh, cooling in the air, each squeeze of his hand sending a new shimmer into her sex. She pressed her hips back, sliding the ridge of his erection between her ass cheeks. “That’s it, baby, that’s how I want you—hungry for it, desperate to feel my cock inside you.” She groaned at the delicious picture his words created. “Walk to the end of the bed and bend over. Put your elbows on the bench and present your ass to me.” Desire controlled her will. Eager to do anything that would make him finally fuck her, she followed his instructions, bending over, her ass, still hot from his hand, high in the air, her head near her knees. She spread her feet wide, knowing she was displaying her pussy, wanting to tempt him. She heard the slow slide of his zipper and the crinkle of the condom wrapper and almost whimpered with the need to feel him. “So pretty,” he whispered, stroking his fingers up the inside of her thighs. “And wet.” He spread her moisture across her skin. She closed her eyes and gripped the sides of the bench. She felt his fingers around her right ankle and almost screamed. She loved that he wanted to touch her but enough with the foreplay already—she wanted to be fucked. But instead of the light, teasing strokes she expected, he lifted her foot, pushing her even farther forward. Balanced on one leg and her hands, she gasped for breath and waited, trusting him. He raised her leg, holding her ankle near his hip. Moments later she felt the hard nudge of his cock at her opening. “Ready to take me, honey?” “Yes,” she moaned, stretching out the word. He pushed the first inch into her as if testing her tightness. A breath caught between them and then he thrust forward, driving in hard, fast. Deep. Kat’s eyes popped open as he plunged into her. The thickness of his cock, long and hard, filling her, the unusual angle of her body and raised leg allowed his shaft to reach places no one else had ever seemed able to find. He pulled out and surged back in. Kat cried out, her body pulsing with the need to come. Shocked at the wicked new sensations shooting through her body, she clung to the bench and let him pound into her until she couldn’t take any more—she needed to move. Pumping back as much as she could, she met him as he drove forward, sinking him deeper, guiding him to that delicious spot only he seemed able to reach. “That’s it, baby, let me feel you come, let me feel it.”

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Her body seemed tuned to his commands and the first shudders of orgasm shot through her pussy, quickly followed by another wave, deeper and longer, consuming her whole body. She gripped the bench and held on as he continued to move inside her, faster and harder, his own body seeking the release she’d found. He cried out as he thrust into her, once and again. Tension pulled on his muscles as he held her tight, his cock buried so deep inside her she didn’t know where he ended and where she began. She hung there, bent over, her body still vibrating with the final traces of her orgasm, the only sound in the room was their panting. He released her raised leg and as it dropped to the floor, the rest of her body wanted to follow it. Only Mitch’s hands kept her upright. He lifted her until she stood straight. The world was spinning around her as she raised her eyes to him. He held her against him when she started to sway. “You okay?” he asked, loving the dazed, sated look on her face. “Huh?” “You okay?” he asked again. Her lips smiled and she nodded like a drunk lecher. “I’m wonderful.” “You certainly are. Now let’s get you into bed.” She was surprisingly compliant as he pulled back the blankets and guided her beneath the covers, clinging to him when he tried to pull away. “I’ll be right back,” he promised. That seemed to satisfy her because she released him and dropped her head on his pillow. Her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open, asleep. Masculine pride surged through his chest. He couldn’t help it. He’d fucked the strength from her body. He quickly went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom and clean up, stripping off his clothes as he walked back into the bedroom. He stopped by the edge of the bed and watched her for a long time. In reality he should probably be moving her along. He’d spent last night at her place but that was pure exhaustion. And she looked damn good in his bed—her hair all tumbled and messed up—her breasts poking out above the top of the blanket, her nipples rosy and tight, still ready for his mouth. He’d let her sleep for a few minutes and then he’d figure out a way to send her home. They’d agreed last night was a mistake. He stared down at her and shook his head. So what did that make tonight? He knew his reputation at the station—hit and run. Though he hadn’t had nearly the number of women he was reported to have fucked—he’d have been unable to walk if he’d done that many women—he’d had his fair share. He was better at casual sex than relationships anyway. Every time he’d tried to have a relationship with a woman, it had ended up with a lot of screaming and tears. And that’s why no dating other cops. 60

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We aren’t dating. We just had sex. A few times. Really good sex. His cock hardened at the way she’d willingly bent over his knee, taking his “punishment”. The only other time he’d spanked a woman, she’d suggested it, practically demanded it before he could fuck her. It had been fun. It was more fun when the woman was reluctantly intrigued. And then bending her over and fucking her like that—her tight ass presented for him, the firm grip of her cunt surrounding his cock. Unable to stop himself, he wrapped his fingers around his shaft and pumped up and down a few times. Maybe she’d be interested in another round before he kicked her out. As if she heard the mental suggestion, she moaned and shifted in his bed, her legs moving restlessly across the silk sheets. Curious, Mitch pulled back the blankets. Her hand was cuddled between her thighs, cupping her pussy. Mitch couldn’t resist. He slipped under the blankets and eased his hand onto her leg. “Here, Kat, let me.” He slid his fingers under hers, stroking the soft hair that covered her sex. Her hand flopped to the side and she spread her legs, giving him access. He smiled, not even sure she was awake—but she was aroused. Liquid coated his fingers. Keeping his touch light, he stroked her, teasing her clit, just enjoying the pleasure of touching her so intimately. He gently caressed her, watching as a slow orgasm washed through her body. She smiled and turned into him, still asleep. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and snuggled her close. Strange that a man like him, who had a laundry list of excuses for slipping out of a woman’s house or getting her out of his, should be content with letting a woman who was so obviously dangerous to him sleep in his bed. Maybe it was the satisfied look on her face. He did his best to be a considerate lover and make sure his partner came and enjoyed herself—but something about Kat stirred up his interest. The fact that on the second date he’d spanked her was something. It was rare that his juices flowed that direction but it had been fun—and she’d loved it. Her ass would be a bit sore tomorrow but that would just make it all the more fun for him—watching her sit gently, rubbing her butt to ease some of the pain. His cock gave an interested twitch that served to remind his brain that he wasn’t going to be with Kat tomorrow. He was going to wake her up in a few minutes and get her moving. With that thought on his mind, he pulled her tighter. He didn’t want her to get chilled. The warmth between her legs flowed into his fingers and he couldn’t resist a tiny stroke, the lightest caress. Still asleep she wiggled her hips, pressing closer to his hand. He smiled into the darkness, lying there with his hand between her thighs and his face buried in her hair, knowing she’d dream of him.

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Kat came awake with two thoughts in her head. One, this was not her bed. Her bed had a pink floral comforter and a dragon-shaped night light that her niece had given her. The memory of earlier in the night came back to her in a flood. What Mitch had done to her? Spanking her, bending her over and fucking her hard and deep. A low ache began in her pussy and she wiggled, responding to her body’s need to move. Mitch groaned as if she’d disturbed his sleep and pulled her closer. She stared into the weak light and realized his hand was between her legs. Her second thought was that she really had to pee. As warm and seductive as Mitch felt, she was going to have to get up. Not wanting to disturb him, she carefully pulled his hand away from her crotch. She glanced over her shoulder to see if he’d woken. Still asleep but a faintly disgruntled look lined his face. She smiled. Something to hold for future reference. Mitch didn’t like having his toys taken away. Slowly she eased his arm away from her hip, slipping out from underneath its weight. She lowered his hand to the mattress and Mitch moved, rolling onto his back, his eyes still closed, the hand that had been snugged so sweetly between her thighs draped across his stomach. Kat took a moment to observe him. He looked different and still so familiar in his sleep. The strength was still there— the power, even the energy. As if he could wake up and be ready to battle the world in a single breath. But there was also a softness. Maybe it was the vulnerability. That he’d allowed himself to fall asleep with her still there. Kat shook her head. She was getting so fanciful. It was sex. The night before had been sex. It wasn’t anything more than that and knowing Mitch, it never would be. She had to keep that firmly in her mind. If she started making romantic plans about a future and a white picket fence with Mitch, she was doomed to disappointment. No, much better that they keep it purely physical. Less chance of her getting her heart broken when Mitch finally decided he was done fucking her. The depressing thought shook her out of her reverie and she straightened and slipped into the bathroom, checking out the cleanliness of the small room as she used the facilities. It was pure nosiness on her part but she was curious about what kind of man Mitch was. Clearly he was a man who was at least fairly tidy. She had a feeling he had someone clean because the faucets sparkled and she couldn’t see Mitch spending his weekends polishing. She took a moment to clean up and finger-comb her hair. She looked in the mirror, trying to decide if it was sexy or just a mess. She opened the door, letting her eyes adjust to the low light in the room. Mitch still lay on his back—like he’d been put on display particularly for her viewing pleasure. The smooth planes of his chest fairly called for her touch. Her fingers tingled in response. Despite the extended time they’d spent naked with each other, she hadn’t had the chance to explore him. Last night, it had been too frenzied—so focused on the actual fucking. And tonight Mitch had done all the touching, the spanking.

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Despite the need for silence, she giggled. She couldn’t really imagine her spanking Mitch, but she could certainly appreciate the concept of touching him, letting her fingers wander along the lines of his muscles, followed by her tongue. The image sent a renewed craving into her sex. Strange—usually in her fantasies, she was the recipient of the attention but something about Mitch made her want to stroke him, kiss him, lick him until he was crazy with the need to fuck her. She stepped closer to the bed. In reality, a reality she’d have to face tomorrow, she should be leaving. Take this opportunity to slip out. That’s probably what Mitch expected, wanted. Though he had ended up spending the full night in her bed last night. So she could go home at—she peered at the red digits next to the bed—two in the morning. Or she could crawl back into bed and—and what? Sleep? Naw. If all she was going to do was sleep, she could go home. She could crawl into his bed and wake him. Even with only their casual acquaintance so far, she was pretty sure he would wake up quickly and eager for a middle-of-the-night quickie. Or she could wake him up slowly. She licked her lips, imagining the feel of his cock between her lips. He’d like that. He was a man who would truly appreciate a blowjob. Wicked, feminine power surged through her. He’d fucked her, now she’d take him—and she’d be in control. She slipped back under the light blanket and eased it down, past his waist. His cock lay asleep against his thigh. Perfect. Keeping her touch light, she stroked her fingers across the shaft—enough to capture his subconscious attention but not quite enough to wake him. Letting her fingertips wander, she trailed them up his stomach, enjoying the smooth skin, the warm muscles beneath. She crawled closer, borrowing some of his heat. Leaning down, she placed her mouth at the base of his cock and breathed hot, warm air across the tight skin. Using her tongue, she followed the line of his cock, feeling it start to swell as she lifted it into her hand. She reached the end and softly sucked the tip into her mouth. A low groan slipped from between Mitch’s lips as his legs moved restlessly against the mattress. His cock continued to harden beneath her lips and fingers. She took her time, stroking it, exploring the softness and the delicate ridges, sliding her finger and her tongue along the thick vein. Each time she came to the top, she took him between her lips, tempting his sleeping mind with the image of fucking her mouth. She gave him one taste and then withdrew. His legs went from restless to still, muscles tightening. She smiled against his skin, knowing he was awake and watching. She lifted her head and looked up at him, blinking innocently. “Oh I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” He laughed softly. “Damn straight, baby. And I can’t think of a better way to wake up.” She raised her eyebrows. “Don’t expect this every time,” she warned.

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Shaking his head, he said, “Oh no. I know a rare gift when I feel it.” He slipped his fingers into her hair. “Am I going to feel it?” “Maybe.” Though even as she said the words, she bent down, returning to her delicious task, made even better by the fact that he was awake and loving the touch of her lips and tongue, fingers and hands. She lost herself in the power of caressing and licking him, the bite of his fingers against her scalp, the tension in his muscles as he fought to thrust, fought the urge to pound the back of her throat. “How badly do you want it?” She wanted to hear the words, wanted to hear the desire. “God, Kat, I’d kill right now to feel you suck me.” She couldn’t stop the smile that tugged on her lips. “Good.” She breathed the words against his cock and followed the sound up with a stroke of her tongue. With one hand on her head, the other dug into the sheets, clawing at them as she pressed the flat of her tongue against his cock, fluttering it down the full length. The sweet tension of his thighs was like a caress to her pussy. He was fighting it. Fighting the pleasure. She turned her head and placed her open lips against the base of his cock, moving up the full length of his shaft, until she reached the head. A quick glance told her he was watching her. She swirled her tongue across the tip even as she slipped one hand between his legs, cupping his balls between her fingers. Keeping her touch light, she caressed the deliciously heavy sac and opened her lips, taking him deep inside in one long plunge. His cock pressed against the back of her throat and she fought the urge to gag, letting him go as deep as possible before she pulled back. His groan broke the tentative silence in the room. Heat swelled between her legs. Perfect. This was what she wanted. A man beneath her who needed, craved her touch. A drop of pre-cum leaked from the tip and Kat looked up at him—something inside her inspired the wicked submission—waiting for his approval. Mitch nodded, giving his permission for her tongue. She lapped at the tip and then engulfed the full head, again driving him to the back of her throat. His hips pulsed upward, as if the sensation was too much for his body to control. Kat resisted the smile that threatened and wrapped her lips around his cock, sucking lightly as she drew back, a long slow withdrawal, each inch sliding through her lips. She raised her eyes as she pulled back, watching the muscles on his jaw tighten, clench, the delicious strain of his neck as he stretched up, fighting the sensations. She deepened her thrust, swallowing as much of his cock as she could. Primal, animal urges filled her. The urge to control him, to be controlled by him flooded her body. All that existed was the delicious shaft that pumped inside her mouth. Moisture dripped from her pussy as she fucked him with her mouth. Kat pushed down again, taking him deep into her mouth. The center of her pussy clenched—like he was fucking her cunt. She could feel him everywhere. She hummed around his cock—knowing he would feel the sensation and needing something to express her pleasure.

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Panting, she drew back, hovering over him on all fours. Hot fluid dripped down the inside of her thighs. Her pussy clenched, needing to be filled. She knew if she turned, Mitch would drive his tongue into her cunt but she wanted more. If this was their last night together—and who the hell knew what regrets tomorrow would bring—she wanted to feel him. All of him. “Kat, baby, please tell me you didn’t wake me up in the middle of the night just to make my balls blue.” Unable to find the words, she shook her head. And crawled over him, straddling his hips. She took a moment to look down at him—knowing that if he wanted her to, she would return to sucking him off but she truly wanted to fuck him. To ride him. His eyes met hers and she saw nothing but pleasure—hunger—in them. “Woman on top,” she said. “What?” he asked with a light shake of his head. She grinned. “You asked last night what my favorite position was. Woman on top.” She cradled his cock in her hand and pressed the thick head to her opening. “I hope that’s okay with you.” “Fuck yes.” He swallowed and placed his hand over hers, stopping the slow penetration she’d begun. “Wait.” He stretched to the bedside, not moving out from under her. Seconds later he turned back with a condom in his hands. It took a moment for her to recognize it for what it was and then nodded, taking it from him. Her hands trembled as she ripped open the packet and rolled the thin latex down his shaft. She couldn’t resist, bending over and placing another hot kiss on his cock moments before she covered it. That task completed, she returned to her position. Mitch watched her—his eyes practically glowing in the dim light. Pausing for a moment—to heighten the anticipation and to tease him just a bit—she took a deep breath and slowly sank down. Their matching groans harmonized in the room as she pushed, easing him deeper. Mitch grabbed her hips, guiding her down, adding needed pressure when she would have retreated. Her breath caught in her throat as he penetrated her. The corner of her mind warned that somehow he’d seized control but she didn’t care. This was what she wanted, him inside her, filling her, fucking her. His cock sank into her pussy—long and hot, thick, stretching her with the perfect width. Unable to stop the noise, a long low groan poured from her lips. She tipped her head back, arching her breasts forward, and let the sound fill the room, fill her body. It was so good. “That’s it, baby, take it all.” She rocked her hips, taking him deeper, letting him touch the deepest parts of her. A little sore from the past two nights, she moved slowly, raising and lowering herself onto his shaft, riding him like a slow-motion rocking horse, each entrance sending a

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whisper caress along her clit. It would be a while before she came but that was fine— very fine. His big hands covered her breasts, tweaking her nipples with gentle fingers. “Let me taste you, baby. Lean down.” Keeping him firmly buried inside her, she leaned forward. He stretched up and sucked on one hard peak between his lips. His other hand caressed the other breast, massaging it and preparing it for his pleasure. He turned and suckled at that nipple for a long time. Kat moved in time to his rhythm, pressing harder and deeper. The center of her pussy practically vibrated. It was too much. She pushed back, needing more leverage. She planted her hands on the bed beside him and began to ride him hard. Their eyes met as her hips rose and fell. It was as if in all the world his cock was designed, created for her pleasure. His fingers gripped her hips enough that she would have marks tomorrow but she didn’t care. Pure pleasure hovered just out of reach. One stroke and she could be there but she fought it. Not just yet. She wanted one thing more before she came. He clenched his jaw and his head tilted back as he strained, fighting the orgasm. Kat squeezed around his cock. “Come,” she whispered. “Come for me.” “Kat, baby—” “Don’t worry. I’m right behind you. Come.” She tightened around him and sank down. He groaned and tension whipped through his body, driving his hips up and into her. The heavy thrust was perfect. She cried out and let herself go. She stayed upright for as long as she could but then dropped forward, having just enough strength to catch herself as she collapsed onto him, his cock buried inside her, softening. His chest pumped in heavy deep breaths, making it uncomfortable but very exciting as he regained his control. “Okay, then I’m changing my choice.” She lifted her head and looked down at him. “Huh?” “Positions. I was going to go with doggy-style but I’m thinking it’s neck and neck with you on top.” She giggled—something she never did—and rested back down, using him as her pillow. No doubt she should get up and leave. It was probably expected. But she just needed a few minutes. A few more minutes of his body against hers.

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Chapter Seven The pounding sounded for a moment like it was coming from inside his head. As Mitch’s brain slowly came awake, he recognized the noise as fists on his front door. The rest of his body soon followed his head and he realized he still had an arm full of naked woman. After that incredible blowjob and fuck, he’d collapsed in a puddle of male satisfaction—Kat still on top of him. He’d barely had the strength to go to the bathroom and clean up before he’d lost consciousness. The vague voice in the back of his head that urged him to move her along was silenced by the delicious sight of her body wrapped in his sheets. And when he’d crawled back into bed, she’d curled into him, like he was the source of her pleasure. His morning erection flared at the memory. Great—he had a hard-on ready to pound railroad spikes and there was someone at his door. Someone who wasn’t going away. Who the hell would be—? “Oh fuck.” Kat pushed up on her elbow and looked down at him. She looked almost as startled as he felt. Her hair was a mess—mostly from his hands when she’d gone down on him—and hung about her face in a tangled mass. Her lips were slightly swollen and there was a pale mark on her neck from his teeth. Damn she looked hot. “What is it?” Her question joined the next round of pounding. “It’s Justin and Drew. We’ve got a softball game this morning.” For a minute he considered letting them knock but knew they wouldn’t stop. They knew his car was in the parking lot of his condo complex. The phone beside him rang. Mitch threw back the covers and swung his feet to the floor. He grabbed the cell phone from the bedside table, hit the button and growled, “I’ll be there. Hold on.” He dragged his jeans off the chair and pulled them on, glancing at Kat as he did up the top button. She looked sexy and wild—and a little distressed. As if she didn’t know how to respond. “I’ll go get rid of them. Just stay here.” He loped down the stairs, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he went. Normally he woke up alert and ready for anything. Maybe it was having Kat in his bed. He hadn’t spent all that much time sleeping. Even after she’d fallen asleep the second time, he’d stayed awake—thinking about what they’d done, what it meant. 67

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It was a mistake. They both knew it but would they be able to stop themselves from doing it again? It wasn’t like they were hurting anyone else. Neither of them had lovers or spouses to consider. His mind racing through the situation, he barely noticed his living room as he yanked open the door and glared at two of his best friends. “What?” “Where the hell have you been? What’s wrong?” Drew walked forward, clearly expecting to be allowed inside. And Mitch couldn’t think of a reason not to let him in— as long as Kat stayed upstairs. “Got some chippy hidden in your bedroom.” All the guys at the station called his women “chippies”. It came from a rather embarrassing moment when his mother had been nagging about his getting married— in front of his friends—and finally said, “You can’t spend the rest of your life chasing one chippy after another. You need to find a nice girl.” From then on, every woman he’d dated had become a chippy. Mitch stepped back. “No.” “Oooh, I bet he does,” Justin laughed. “That’s what took him so long to get to the door. He was engaged in a little a.m. recreation.” I wish. Mitch kept his mouth shut. “Naw—” Drew shook his head. “None of his chippies are allowed to stay the night. Mitch kicks them out with a kiss and a pat on the ass.” Drew slapped Mitch on his shoulder as if congratulating him on his ability to kick women out of bed. Mitch shrugged modestly and nodded. Good, let them think she left in the middle of the night. “Then this one left with a few parts missing.” Mitch and Drew turned. Justin was bent over. He straightened, holding one of Kat’s shoes. He dropped that and held up her jeans and when those fell out of his hand, the thin strap of her panties was looped over his finger. “We’d better call the station and tell them we have a streaker roaming the streets.” Mitch felt his cheeks warm. Fuck, he was actually blushing. He reached out and snatched Kat’s panties from Justin’s hand, finding it strangely irritating to see the other man touching that scrap of material. “Oooh, so One-Night-Mitch didn’t kick her out. She must have been worth a replay.” The laughter on Drew’s face and in his voice made Mitch want to deck him. “Shut up.” It wasn’t the most eloquent response but his friends didn’t respond to eloquence. They responded to brute force and slap-downs. Drew only laughed. “Wow, I’ve never known you to actually date someone,” Justin said. He’d transferred into the squad only two years ago.

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“We aren’t dating,” Mitch corrected. He couldn’t explain what exactly they were doing because he wasn’t sure himself. They’d had sex. Twice. Well, over the course of the two nights. They’d actually done it more than twice. But still, it was just sex. Really good sex—at least on his part. He hoped on hers. Then he remembered the dopey smile on her face after he’d bent her over and fucked her from behind. He’d never had a woman look at him like that. He’d pleased women before—but no one had ever looked at him with that stunned, hungry look—like he’d literally just made the earth move. “So can we meet her?” “No.” “Pleeeeese.” “No.” Mitch shoved Kat’s underwear into his pocket. “Who is she? Someone we know?” Drew tapped his finger to his lip. “Hmmm, someone new. None of the past chippies would be allowed to stay.” Justin nodded wisely. “We’re detectives. We should be able to figure this out.” “Don’t worry about it,” Mitch said, trying to sound more unconcerned than he felt. Drew scoffed. “Of course we have to worry about it. This is big news. One-NightMitch is letting a woman sleep over.” “One he was hot enough for to strip her out of her panties in the doorway,” Justin added. “So who could it be? Not a cop. We have rules about that.” Drew’s eyes tightened as he worked his brain cells. “The new blonde at the Fly-By-Night?” “Oooh, good choice,” Justin said with an approving nod. “Listen, guess all you want. It’s none of your business and it’s not worth straining your brains for. What are you doing here so early? Game isn’t until eleven.” “We came by to drag you to breakfast.” “We didn’t know you’d be eating in.” “Shut the fuck up.” He looked at their grinning faces and knew there was no way he was going to get them out of his house. And if he did, they would just sit in the parking lot and wait to see what woman left his condo. He couldn’t let them find out about Kat. Not only did they have a standing rule of no dating other cops, she would be hassled mercilessly. It would be subtle but the guys on the squad would close ranks around him and she’d be left on her own. “Let me go change. I’ll be right back.” “Ooh, will she be coming down too?” Justin said, following him to the bottom of the stairs like an eager puppy. “We could just follow him up. See this chippy in all her glory.”

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“Put one foot on my stairs and I’ll kill you.” He glared at his friends to make sure they knew he was serious. When Justin looked like he was going to ignore Mitch, Drew grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back into the living room. “We’ll wait down here. You can bring her to us.” He held his hand up like a witness in a courtroom. “Promise.” Mitch nodded and started up the stairs. He could trust Drew not to come upstairs looking for a glimpse of the woman. Fuck. He hadn’t thought about any of this. He should have kicked her out in the middle of the night but damn it, she felt good in his bed. Comfortable. And when she’d sucked him off…his cock twitched at the memory and he cursed his friends waiting downstairs. But to protect both him and Kat, he had to get rid of them first. He walked into his bedroom, realizing after he did so that it might have been a good idea to knock. There was no need. She was in the bathroom—the shower to be precise. It was too easy to imagine what she looked like. Wet and slick, water sluicing off that smooth skin. Rivers curling around her breasts as she slowly moved her hands across her skin. The sensation in his jeans moved from a twitch to a full hard-on. Great. He’d go back downstairs and have to put up with more teasing about that. Unless… He dragged his thoughts away from climbing into the shower with Kat and putting his erection to good use. He didn’t have time—there was no telling how long Drew could keep Justin or his own curiosity in check—and beyond that, it was a bad idea. They’d already spent two nights together. And now they had to work together. When Charlie and Gracie came back to the job, Kat would go back to patrolling the traffic beat. And he could lust from afar—like all the other male, not-dead, cops did. Of course, now that he’d had a chance to actually taste the flesh that tempted him, he didn’t know if he’d be able to resist. No. He’d had two nights of incredible sex with her and it would be enough. It had to be enough. The shower stopped and Mitch stared at the door. He should be doing something when she opened the door so it didn’t look like he was waiting for her. Though part of him was. Just one more glimpse of skin, the hint of her breast. God, he was pathetic. The bathroom door opened and Mitch braced himself. Turning—hoping he looked cool and in control—he faced her. And felt his jaw drop. The air in his chest left in a painful rush and the hard-on in his jeans went to full alert. He’d spent two nights touching, kissing, fucking her body—but this was different. Her wet hair hung down around her neck. The towel she had wrapped around her body barely fit—leaving a tempting shadow at the bottom. “Hope it’s okay—” She pointed over her shoulder toward the bathroom. “What? Oh sure.”

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“I found a new toothbrush and used that as well.” “Sure, that’s fine.” God, she must have fucked the sense from his head as well as the cum from his dick. He couldn’t seem to think of anything to say—beyond the typical male begging to allow him to touch her again. And there were so many reasons why that was a bad idea—though for the life of him he couldn’t remember what those were. “Uh, should I just hide up here?” Her question did a lot to startle him out of his daze. “Umm, yeah. That’s probably best.” As he said the words he realized how rude it probably sounded that he wanted to keep her hidden. “Unless—” “Oh no.” She winced. “Nothing personal but I don’t want people to think I’m fucking my way onto the detective squad.” Mitch straightened. He could understand but still there was a part of him that wanted her to walk downstairs—that mark on her neck, his cum dripping from between her legs—to declare that she belonged to him. “Sure. I can understand that. Let me just—” He indicated the bathroom. And Kat stepped out of the way. Damn. It took him only moments to get ready. When he came out, Kat was sitting on the bed, the blankets pulled across her legs. She once again wore her shirt. And her bra. Jerking off in the shower had helped a bit but there was no denying the interest in his cock to strip those clothes off her—get her back to the natural state. Forcing his thoughts away from her and to the two men standing in his living room, he dragged on clothes, leaving his shirt untucked to hide his growing erection. He finger-combed his hair and walked to the door. What the fuck was he supposed to say? “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. At the station.” She nodded. “Right.” He looked at her—sitting alone on the edge of his bed. She didn’t look like a lost waif or abandoned. Damn, he kind of wished she looked more abandoned. Like she cared that he was leaving. “See you.” He opened the door and left. Kat stared at the closed door for a long time. The sting of unshed tears marked the back of her eyes. Damn, why was she upset? She’d known what she was getting into. She’d thought about it ahead of time. Hell, she was the one who’d asked for a tour, knowing it would give her a chance to see his bedroom—a chance to imagine herself in his bed. 71

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Well, now she’d been there. It had been amazing. Incredible. So why was she on the verge of crying? Because she was stuck upstairs like a dirty little secret. It made no sense. She didn’t want the other detectives to know she had slept with Mitch any more than he did. Maybe it was because he hadn’t touched her. At all. He’d stared at her—and she’d seen the desire on his face and the erection he’d tried to hide—but he hadn’t touched her. She took a deep breath and told herself it didn’t matter. It was just sex. You knew that going in, she reminded herself. And I’ll be okay with it. Holding onto that determination, she stood and dropped the blanket. She’d have to go downstairs and get her jeans. And underwear. How embarrassing. Had the guys from the station seen— The bedroom door popped open and Mitch strode in. Kat jumped back and placed her hand to her pounding heart. Mitch tossed her jeans across the end of the bed and turned, heading straight back to the door. She blinked and stared at him. He was going to walk out without saying anything. He took two steps then seemed to change his mind and whirled around, facing her. Moving quickly, as if he didn’t want to think about his actions, he wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her close, bending down as he did. His kiss was powerful and aggressive, dominating her with one caress. He smoothed his hand down her back and across her ass, reminding her of last night’s games. As if that soothed his soul, he lifted his head. “Give us five minutes to leave and then you should be clear.” She nodded. He gave her another quick kiss. “I’ll call you.” Shocked, Kat once again found herself staring at a closed door—only this time she was smiling. I’ll call you. She knew it was probably just a blow-off statement but still it pleased her. He hadn’t forgotten her when he’d walked out the door. If nothing else she’d lingered in his conscience and he’d felt compelled to return. Shaking her head, she grabbed her jeans and shook them out, expecting her underwear to drop to the ground. Nothing. She dug her hands into the pockets and still found nothing. How could he have forgotten her panties? Men. With a sigh, she dragged her jeans over her hips—the motion reminding her of the way Mitch had spanked her last night—and went to the door, listening before she opened it. It was silent downstairs but she still moved with caution, ready to run back to her hiding place at the first noise. At the bottom of the stairs, she peeked around the corner, relieved to find the room empty.

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She did a quick survey of the downstairs to make sure she was truly alone then went in search of her underwear. They had been right with her jeans. He should have grabbed them as well. She found her shoes. But no underwear. That could mean only one explanation. She went into the kitchen and found paper and a marker—leaving Mitch a big note on his counter. Where are my panties? K

***** The phone rang at ten that night just as she was crawling into bed. She looked at the number but didn’t recognize it. She sighed. Probably a wrong number. She considered letting the machine pick up, but she had a compulsion where the phone was concerned and couldn’t stand to let it ring. “Hello?” she asked, putting just enough irritation in her voice so whoever was on the other end of the line would think they’d woken her. “Hello.” She sat up in bed—suddenly wishing she’d worn something sexier to bed than a pair of shorts and baggy sweatshirt. Mitch. “Uh, hi.” She looked around, feeling silly. She’d never really expected him to call. They had slept with each other twice—well, over the space of two nights, so that probably deserved a phone call at least. Maybe dinner. But men said they’d call and rarely did. “You might want to be a little more careful about leaving notes on my counter.” The reprimand in his voice was laced with enough laughter that Kat didn’t panic too much. “Why? Did one of the guys see it?” “Uh, no. My mother.” “What?!” “My mom met up with me and came by to drop off some food for my freezer—she likes to take care of me. Now, she’s very curious about the woman leaving questions about panties on my kitchen counter.” “Oh God, Mitch, I’m sorry.” She dropped back on her pillows, her free hand covering her eyes. She’d just meant it to tease him—not embarrass him. “Don’t worry. She has this strange belief that my sex life involves dozens of different women and wicked sex clubs.” His voice was gentle but Kat could hear the weariness in his words. Though whether he was tired because of a long day or tired of a sex life that involved dozens of different women, she couldn’t tell. 73

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“Instead of what it truly is—” she teased. “Taking unsuspecting women to your bedroom and spanking them.” The silence on the other end of the phone. “That was a bit unusual.” The sexy drawl made her pussy ache with the memory of his delicious punishment. “I’ll say.” He chuckled and the sound sent a new wave of shivers down her spine. “You loved it. You came so hard you could barely stand up.” “That’s because you had me practically standing on my head. I was dizzy.” “I know. Next time I’ll let you kneel on the ground, that pretty ass in the air, my cock inside you.” Kat bit back a groan. Would there be a next time? Mitch seemed to be planning it but did she really want this to continue? Part of her screamed a defiant yes but the more logical, protective side warned that she would get her heart broken. “You think about that, baby. Think about how I’m going to fuck you the next time I get you alone. Good night, Kat.” The phone clicked off on the other end and Kat closed her eyes. She would do just that—think about him until the next time. Just let it be about sex, she warned but even as she thought it she knew it probably wasn’t possible. She wasn’t good at casual sex—fuck buddies. She needed something else or it got real old, real fast. Maybe that’s all she needed. A few more times with Mitch and she’d get bored with him. Restrictive domestic form of lovemaking. Tends to be sexually incompatible. She remembered the phrases from the astrology guide. Boy, were they way off on that one.

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Chapter Eight Kat looked up from her desk. Again, she was one of the last ones to leave. She’d gotten used to that in the past month. Her long hours were the result of several influences. She wanted to do a good job and she enjoyed the work—even the boring research. And staying late made it easier for her and Mitch to make plans. She could tell from a simple stare whether he would suggest meeting up later. It had occurred with surprising frequency in the last four weeks. Sometimes it actually felt like they were dating. She tried to steer her thoughts away from that idea. They’d decided—mutually agreed—that they would enjoy each other until one or the other—or both—decided it was enough. So far—neither had decided that. Kat had, on several occasions, tried to convince herself that breaking up with Mitch was the wise thing to do—but wise or not, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She liked him—even when they weren’t in bed. And that was happening with surprising frequency as well. She glanced up and saw Justin and Mitch putting on their coats. They were no doubt headed out to the Fly-By-Night. It was the local cop hangout and while Kat had gone a few times, she still didn’t feel comfortable. Too many chances of someone seeing through the charade she and Mitch had created. Dropping her gaze, she opened the Matching Signs case file. Nothing had come from their first party. None of the names she or Mitch had collected had shown any promise. They all appeared to be what they looked like—lonely people looking for love. The next party was scheduled for tomorrow night and once again she and Mitch would attend. What could they do different? Something to draw out the killer? She didn’t like the idea of being bait but it was starting to feel like they had to make a move. Dangerous but that was the way her mind was working. She examined the crime scene photos, hoping to see something, anything to tell her how the killer picked the women. It was a grim sight. She placed three photos side by side. The way the clothes had been slashed. Drops of blood on the clothes indicated they’d been cut off the victims—and not with much care. But before he’d dumped the bodies, he’d re-dressed them. Why? Her stomach turned at the brutality of the crimes but she knew she had to get past that. Instead of focusing on the humiliation and the pain of the victim, she tried to think about the attacker. The anger, the pure hatred that seemed to radiate from the crime scene.

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Rape was about power but this seemed even more evil. This attacker hated his victims and loved the kill. The pleasure of destroying something he hated. She continued through the files, her eyes drawn back to the clothes and the way the killer had placed them back on the body. “You going to sit here all night?” She looked up at Mitch’s call. He stood at the door with Justin. Kat had no problem facing Mitch but for some reason, seeing Justin made her blush. Worrying that she might do something to give away the fact that she was Mitch’s new “chippy”. They’d managed to pull it off for a month—no one was any the wiser. For a group of detectives, they weren’t very perceptive. Of course, Mitch was very careful about the way he treated her in the office. If she didn’t know he was sleeping with her, she wouldn’t have been able to tell. He was brusque and professional. He joked with Drew and sometimes Justin but the rest of the time, he was focused on his job. “Oh no,” she finally answered. “I just wanted to look at the scene photos again.” Mitch wandered back into the room. Justin stayed at the door, his lips crinkling into an unhappy grimace—as if she was delaying whatever he had planned for the night. Kat decided she didn’t really want to know about their plans. True, she officially had no claim on Mitch but the thought of him fucking her one night and then picking up another woman the next made her skin burn. They hadn’t made any promises of being exclusive but considering three of the past four nights he’d been at her place, she’d better not find him with another woman. That would be a scene the cops would remember for years. “So what’s so special that no one else has seen?” There was just a hint of offended curiosity in his voice but Kat ignored it. If she’d learned anything in the past four weeks, it was that he was so arrogantly male at times that she wanted to smack him. But he’d listened to her whenever she had something to say. She just had to get through his ego first. “I don’t know. Something about the clothes.” She tapped the photo of Jessica’s scene. “The way he slashed them up.” “Yeah, the shrink said it indicated anger and rage at his victim.” Mitch shook his head. “As if we couldn’t figure that out for ourselves.” She laughed, conscious of the fact that Justin was still waiting impatiently at the door. “What was Marisha wearing? The night she went to the party?” Mitch shrugged and shook his head. He glanced at Justin. He also shook his head. “She wasn’t attacked at the party,” Justin pointed out. “She was grabbed later.” “Or maybe he connected up with her afterward,” Mitch said with just a touch of warning in his voice. “You know, in the parking lot. Giving her his phone number.”

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She glared up at him. He had to remind her about Jared. They hadn’t been able to dig up anything unusual about Jared but that hadn’t stopped Mitch from bringing him up as a suspect each time they discussed the case. “But there’s no way of knowing what she wore at the actual party.” “Her friends would know.” Mitch raised his eyebrows at that comment. Kat laughed. “Trust me. If you’re a woman going to a speed-dating party, you consult your friends about what to wear and then the next day you report back.” “Mitch, man, we’ve got to get going.” “What? Oh right.” He looked at Kat. “You ready to leave? We’ll walk you out.” She shook her head. “I’m going to stay a bit. I just want to wrap my mind around this.” She smiled. “Besides, I’m at a police station. I think I’ll be fairly safe walking to my car.” His eyes tightened into a glare and she fluttered her eyelashes at him, knowing it would irritate him. She was fine with his dominance games in the bedroom but he didn’t rule the world. Though she knew it was probably a bit childish, in the past four weeks she’d made a specific effort to not always be available when he called. It was her own little way of convincing herself that she wasn’t totally falling for him. The main problem was—she was falling for him. She liked him. Probably too much. Sexually it was a given. He was a fantastic lover. Inventive, tender and consciously aware of her body as a woman. But she’d started to like him at work. He was a damn good detective and a good leader. Smart and clever. He knew how to interview suspects in a way that awed her. And even their time outside the office hadn’t totally been spent in bed. After the first few nights, Mitch seemed to come to the conclusion that he couldn’t just show up when he wanted to fuck. He’d started bringing dinner or spending the evening with her before taking her to bed. A little prelude to sex. And during those times, they’d talked, laughed, fought. God, he was stubborn. She had to work to keep up with him or he’d ride all over her. She had a feeling he liked that. Liked that she didn’t let him always have his way. It was almost like they were dating. Except they couldn’t go anywhere together or tell anyone. God, it was like dating a married man. Ugh. Obviously, it didn’t bother her too much or she would have said no on one of the many nights they’d been together. Or she wouldn’t have called him late in the night, whispering sexy things she knew would inspire him to jump into his car and race over to her place—a ten-minute drive he seemed able to make in four minutes. “So you’ll be okay?” She flinched, having forgotten for a moment that he and Justin were standing there. “Yeah.” 77

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“And I’ll see you tomorrow.” She looked into his eyes and saw the message. He wouldn’t be coming by later. “That’s perfect.” She added a little bit of arrogance to her answer. Make him wonder what she was doing with her nights when he wasn’t around. Mostly hanging out at Terese’s house but he didn’t have to know that. The corners of his eyes tightened but he nodded. She waved as he and Justin walked away before deliberately turning her eyes back to the pictures. She scanned the file for contacts. Marisha’s friend, Shannon, had come in to identify the body. She’d left her name and number. Before she could think better of it, Kat picked up the phone and dialed. After four rings, Shannon answered. “Shannon, this is Officer Browning from the police department. I’m working on Marisha’s case.” “Oh wow, um, hi. I haven’t talked to anyone about this in weeks. Have you found the guy who did it?” “No, we’re working on it.” “Oh.” The disappointment and acceptance in that one word strengthened Kat’s resolve. “I’m hoping you can help me. Do you know what Marisha wore the night of the Matching Signs party?” “What she wore?” “Yes. Did she have a special outfit that she put on for the night? Something new?” “No. She wanted to be comfortable but sexy, you know, so she was going to wear her favorite outfit.” Shannon’s voice caught and Kat could her hear take a long breath, trying to compose herself. “She was going to wear her pink top—it had bits of glitter all over it and a short black skirt.” Kat flipped through the pictures of the women looking for similarities. It was difficult because of the way the killer had shredded their clothes but the basic outline was there. “What did her top look like?” “Well, it was pink and sparkly.” “How low cut?” “It showed a bit of skin. She had a great body and she liked to show it off.” Shannon’s voice changed. “But she wasn’t a slut or anything.” “No, I wasn’t thinking that at all. I’m just trying to find similarities between other possible victims.” She scrambled, not wanting to offend the victim’s friend. “It could be anything. The color of her shirt, the fact that it was glittery. I’m just gathering as much information as I can.” “Man, this dude is sick. I hope you catch the bastard.” “I do too. Thanks for the help.”

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She dropped the handset onto the cradle. Now she had a good idea of what all three victims wore to the party. It was time to check out her closet. Three hours later, she was frustrated and depressed. It had obviously been too long since she’d gone out. The clothes she’d thought were sexy were either drab or just didn’t fit right. Her low-cut tops seemed to hang wrong. It was the ten pounds she’d gained in the past three months—it had all gone right to her chest. Mitch seemed to enjoy it but it made her party clothes a little too tight. The phone rang but Kat just glared at it. It was almost eleven. It was no doubt Mitch. Again. He’d left a message earlier asking her to call him back if she was free. She didn’t feel like being free tonight. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him. She just didn’t want to have to explain what she was doing. It was probably stupid to even think that the killer was picking up women based on what they wore but it was the only thing she could see that connected each woman. The phone stopped ringing—without a message being left. She glared into her closet. This wasn’t going to work. If she was going to look sexy enough to attract a killer, she was going to have to go shopping.

***** Kat hurried into the Hot Spot, racing past a couple leaving. She was late and knew if she wasn’t in place when the party started, she wouldn’t be allowed in. Then her whole day would be for nothing. After a full day at work—surreptitiously avoiding Mitch—she’d made a run to the mall. It had taken longer than she’d hoped but she’d found the outfit she was looking for. It was a hunch and probably one that probably wouldn’t pan out but she wanted to try it anyway. The line at the registration table gone and Jessamine looked like she was packing up her computer when Kat raced up. A look of serene reprimand crossed Jessamine’s face—followed quickly by the light of excitement. “Hmmm, interesting. I believe the planets have something special in store for you tonight.” “Uh, why?” “Well, I was prepared to close up our gathering five minutes ago but something stopped me, some urge told me to delay, that a valuable latecomer would be arriving.” She held out her hand, taking Kat’s papers. “And now you’re here. This will be a special night for you.” Kat nodded and tried to smile. If this were a movie or an episode of CSI, Jessamine’s words would be a preview of the next two hours. And then Kat’s body would be found lying in the alleyway. The flutter of nervous butterflies twitched in her stomach but she ignored it and reminded herself this was reality. Not a TV show.

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Maybe that was what they’d been missing. They’d looked at all the men. Maybe the guy had an accomplice, someone who lured the women out of the club and then handed them over to the killer? It was possible. Except they’d found no signs of a second person. Very few signs of a first. While Jessamine entered Kat’s information into the computer, Kat took her coat to the coat check room, shivering a bit as the air hit her bare skin. Tonight’s outfit was a complete divergence from the last time’s. She wore a tight blue top with thin straps and no bra. The plunging neckline was deep and wide, leaving almost a third of her breasts bared to the world. She was used to men staring at her chest but she wasn’t quite used to placing it so fully on display. And the skirt probably couldn’t have been shorter—not if she wanted to stay legal. Hopefully she looked sexy and a little slutty. But not like a hooker who walked into the bar looking for clients. She returned to the check-in table and Jessamine handed Kat her Matching Signs box. The other woman looked up and her eyes widened. “Sexy outfit. You’re really going for it tonight, huh?” The tone was teasing and sexual. Kat shrugged. “If you’ve got it, might as well show it off.” “Naturally.” Jessamine patted her hand and winked. “You’re in space number three. Have fun tonight. I think the planets are with you.” “I hope so.” She walked into the room just steps in front of Jessamine and told herself that was why everyone turned and stared at her—not because she was practically naked from the waist up. No. She dragged her insecurities in. If I’m going to wear an outfit like this, I’m going to wear it. She pushed her shoulders back, giving her breasts that extra bit of plump, and strolled across the room, letting her hips swing in a slow deep rhythm. Several pairs of eyes tracked her across the room. Hell, even the bartenders stopped and looked. Jessamine began her welcoming speech as Kat sat down so she didn’t have time to see if Mitch was there. She assumed he was hidden in some dark corner, chatting up some woman. Jessamine finished her instructions and rang the bell. Kat sat in her seat and smiled up in greeting at the first man to sit down across from her. He smiled and then his eyes widened as he looked down her body, his gaze stopping on her breasts. The blatant admiration sent a shiver up her spine. Well, you dressed this way to get this sort of attention. Be happy that it’s working. Voices filled the room as each couple frantically talked, trying to gather enough information to tell if the other person was “the one”. Kat tried to focus on her job but even as she smiled at the man across from her—he didn’t really notice because he was still staring at her chest—Mitch stepped into her line of sight. His glare put a damper on her sexy glow. He looked at her for one long, irritated second and then turned, the granite of his cheeks changing as he smiled at the woman to his right. 80

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Kat lifted her chin and straightened her spine—her body instinctively reacting to his visual snub. The movement seemed to test the strength of her top and the eyes on the guy across from her grew even wider, as if he was anticipating the moment when everything broke loose and was freed. “Hey—” She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “My eyes are up here.” “Huh?” He didn’t seem to understand her snide comment but at least he was looking at her face. “So what do you do for a living?” she asked, forcing a smile on her lips. That seemed to break his trance and he started talking, with only occasional glances down to her chest. Having done this once before, Kat was better able to listen to her partner and still keep track of what was going on in the room. The crowd tonight seemed livelier—more laughter, the voices louder. Kat felt her voice going as she had to almost shout across the table. She lost track of how many men she’d talked do. Her Matching Signs box responded positively to only two of them. The rest of the time, it buzzed ominously. Kat even tapped her box on the table to see if something was wrong. There had been several guys she’d liked—and if she’d been looking for a man, she might have considered—but the planets didn’t think they’d be a good match. Not that she believed much in astrology, she reminded herself. Still, what was wrong with her that she didn’t match anyone? Jessamine thought something special was going to happen tonight. So far, not happening. Kat looked around as another man left her table. He’d been one of the few who hadn’t stared at her chest. He’d found it difficult to look at her in fact. He was cute in an absentminded professor sort of way and she kind of felt sorry for him. He’d seemed relieved when their Matching Signs boxes hadn’t responded. As if he’d been terrified of her. She smiled comfortingly at him as he stood up. When she looked back, Mitch was in the seat across from her. The smile he’d bestowed on every other woman in the room—the sexual, tempting smile that made them all melt—was gone. Oh he still smiled. He was a professional after all but up close, she could see there was none of the laughter or teasing in his eyes that he’d shared with the other women. She’d tried not to watch him all night but it had been impossible. Only when he’d dropped out of sight in the corners of the room had she been able to concentrate. “Hi, I’m Kat.” She offered her hand, trying to keep up appearances. Mitch took her hand in his and squeezed—impersonal, cold. Irritated. “I’m Mitch. Nice outfit.” His cold compliment shocked Kat. She stared at him for a moment, not sure she’d heard it right. Mister Wild Sex, bending her over his knee and spanking her before

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fucking her so hard from behind that she saw stars—and he didn’t approve of her showing a little skin? “Glad you like it.” He leaned forward and his smile wavered. “I don’t. What makes you think you can flash your tits at every man and woman in this room?” Knowing what it did to her already deep cleavage, she leaned forward. It was the move the bartender had used on him the last time, designed to draw his eyes down. Mitch looked down then glared back up at her as if he knew precisely what she was doing. “What makes you think you have any say in what I do with my tits?” “Since we’re sleeping together, I assumed the only person who sees your breasts, and any other part of your body that is normally covered, is me.” They had to lean in very close—so close she could smell his aftershave and oh, heavens did he smell yummy—to hear each other. With the noise in the room, there was little chance of anyone else hearing their conversation. “That sounds a little like a relationship and I didn’t think we had one of those.” “What do you call all those nights in bed together?” he challenged. “Fucking,” she snapped back. She’d been feeling confident and sexy and he’d come along and ruined it. “Well, as long as we’re just fucking, I guess I don’t care what you do.” He sounded hurt, almost jealous. The center of her stomach fell away and she started to apologize but he didn’t seem to notice her attempt to break into the conversation. “If you want to show everyone here your body, fine. I don’t care.” Kat’s heart did a slow roll over because it really sounded like Mitch didn’t care. That hurt in his voice must have been her imagination. “Just remember you’re here to work. You’re not actually trolling for guys.” Kat felt her mouth drop open. Mitch grimaced and stood up. “I’ll be back.” He stood up and stalked off toward the hallway that led to the bathrooms. She watched his back—her eyes burning with the press of tears. She glanced down at the table. He’d left his Matching Signs box. Even knowing the result, she couldn’t resist pressing her box against his. She held her breath for a moment, some part of her hoping the stupid signs would match this time. The boxes clicked together and a low buzz rumbled, reminding her not even the universe thought they were a good match. She dropped the box onto the table and tried to tell herself that the ache in her chest was irritation.

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Chapter Nine With Mitch gone, she didn’t have much to do so she looked around the room. Great. Sitting alone in a room full of couples. Was there anything more depressing? And her one friend in this whole place was gone. Probably forever. Jessamine rang the bell and laughter and groans filled the bar as couples held their boxes up, searching for the perfect match. Kat stared at Mitch’s box. They were definitely not a perfect match. Even the stars saw it. So why was she having such a hard time letting go of it? So they had great sex. That was all. Was it enough? Was it more than that? Damn. She’d never been good at the whole casual sex thing. “I forgot this.” His hand reached out and grabbed the box off her table. “We’ll meet tomorrow,” he said softly though the chill hadn’t left his voice. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He sat down at the table beside her and granted the woman across from him the hot, sexy smile he’d shared with the others. Trying to ignore the pain in her chest, Kat forced a smile at the man who’d taken up the seat opposite her. He looked at her chest but she no longer found amusement or pleasure in it. She just wanted the night to be over. Another man left her table and as she waited for the next round, Mara, the bitchy bartender from the first night, approached. “Here. You look like you could use this.” Kat saw the drink in her hand and the feminine look of commiseration on her face. “What?” She tipped her head toward Mitch. “Didn’t look like that one went so well.” How embarrassing. Even the bartender had seen her get dumped. Dumped at speed dating. Not good. “No.” Kat pushed her shoulders back, refusing to let Mitch’s attitude spoil her night—or her chance to catch a killer. “But there are others.” “That’s right. Here.” She placed the drink on Kat’s table. “On the house.” “Uh, thanks.” She took a sip and realized it was another Long Island iced tea. Mara was good. The woman winked and turned away. Kat took another sip of the drink, feeling the need for some false strength. The alcohol burned down her throat, giving her something to think about besides what an asshole Mitch was. And what a bitch she’d been. Mitch laughed and reached across his table, placing his fingers on the back of his partner’s hand. Fighting a glare in his direction, Kat grabbed her glass and took a long swallow, sucking almost half the drink through the straw. One drink wouldn’t kill her and it might very well stop her from killing Mitch. 83

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“Is everything okay?” She jolted and looked at the next guy on her list. “Everything’s fine. What’s your name?” The conversation actually managed to decline after that scintillating opening. With Mitch sitting a few people away and just at the perfect angle where she could watch him, it was difficult to concentrate—particularly when he seemed completely enthralled by the bimbo sitting across from him. He leaned into the conversation and smiled that come-hither smile that made Kat’s pussy ache when he flashed it at her. And made her crazy when he gave it to someone else. Perfect. She was jealous about a guy who thought of her as nothing more than a human fuck toy. When the bell rang, Kat jolted and realized the guy across from her had been trying to get her attention for some time. He glared at her and the tight squeeze of his mouth made his thin lips look even worse. Shrugging a weak apology, she held her box to his and listened as the chimes went off. So the stars thought they were a good match? No way. She couldn’t imagine his lips on hers or on her pussy. Licking her the way Mitch licked her—like he loved the taste, loved making her come. “Good evening, Kat.” She jumped again and blinked at the man who’d sat down across from her. Jared. “Hi.” Kat took a judicious sip of her drink. The bartender was making them strong tonight. “You look lovely tonight.” Kat giggled at that. “Mitch didn’t think so,” she blurted out. “Who’s Mitch?” Jared’s eyes squinted and Kat realized she wasn’t supposed to say anything about Mitch. “No one.” She stuck the drink straw in her mouth to stop herself from saying anything else she wasn’t supposed to. “A friend? Ex-lover?” Kat shook her head—determined not to say anything more—as the urge to giggle again bubbled up in her throat. Part of her mind acknowledged that this wasn’t normal but the warm buzz moving through her body was too pleasant to deny. Especially after the way Mitch had treated her. It took all her concentration to focus on what Jared was saying. Between sentences, the room was making the most irritating dips and swirls. She barely noticed when the bell sounded and Jared held up his box. Her fingers were uncoordinated and it took two tries for her to match signs with him. “Are you all right?” he asked as he stood up. She nodded. “I’m good.” His face doubled before it straightened again. He walked away and another man sat down. Kat didn’t even attempt to listen to him as he rambled about meeting women. Something was definitely wrong. The buzzed feeling had passed and the middle of her abdomen started to hurt. She pressed 84

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her hand on her belly and took a deep breath. Her head was spinning and she didn’t feel well. Another man dropped into the seat across from her. Kat laid her fingertips across her lips to stop from throwing up on him. “I’ll be right back.” She stood up and swayed, using the table to keep herself steady. Some corner of her consciousness looked for Mitch, needing him, but her stomach rumbled and she knew she had only seconds to get out of the room before she lost her dinner all over the carpet. She ran down the dark hall to the bathroom, knocked open the door and lunged into a stall, barfing up everything in her stomach. The painful retching lasted only a few minutes but when it was done, she was weak and her head was fuzzy. She clutched the side of the toilet and tried to stand. Darkness pressed at her but she fought it back. “Here, let me help you.” The comforting voice was accompanied by strong hands lifting her. “Mitch?” Kat asked, her head dropping back. She opened her mouth, gasping for air. “No, Mitch isn’t here. But I can take you to him. Will that help?” She nodded and blinked. The room moved in waves before her eyes, the floor tilting as the colors changed. She stumbled to the side, heading slowly toward the door. “Oooh, you did have too much to drink, didn’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” They stepped into the dark hallway. Sounds tried to penetrate from somewhere but Kat couldn’t focus. This was wrong. She’d been drunk before and it didn’t feel like this. Something was wrong. They moved farther from the noise. “Where’s Mitch?” she asked, her mind latching onto the one concrete thing. Mitch was here. He would help her. He might hate her but he’d help her. “Such a pretty slut.” The comforting voice turned harsh and gravelly and a hand grabbed between her legs, pinching hard. “You’ve got a man and you still come here looking for more. Some other cock to shove between your legs.” Fingers bit into her arm and dragged her forward. A bright red exit sign looped and swirled in front of her eyes. Kat tripped over the toe of her shoe and the ground came up to meet her. She tried to open her eyes but it didn’t help. The world was still bending and twisting before her, making her stomach roil again. A hard grip pulled on her arm, scratching her skin. Her mind sank deeper into the fog and darkness but Kat knew one thing. She couldn’t let whoever was holding her take her outside. She tightened her muscles, silently fighting and praying that Mitch would find her. Mitch flashed his patented “I’m so into you, babe” smile at the woman across from him even as he glanced toward Kat’s spot. Was she still watching him? He hoped so. Maybe he could find a woman in this crowd. Just because he was working didn’t mean he couldn’t shop around as well. Kat had snagged a guy that first night.

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Mitch felt his lips tighten. He was pretty sure she hadn’t thought much about Jared since. Mitch had done a good job of wiping Blondie from her memory. A dozen-plus nights of great sex would do that for you. But it didn’t look like there would be any more. That’s a good thing. Even as he thought the words, he knew he was lying. It was great sex but it was more. At least he’d thought it was more. They talked and ate together. It wasn’t like he showed up at her house, fucked her and left. Well, he’d done that the first few times but after their first dinner together, he’d made a conscious effort to not make it seem like he just wanted to fuck. So he’d done the “date” things. They had dinner, watched a few movies. He’d even spent a few evenings there and not slept with her—though that was probably more to do with her having her period than any gentlemanly urge on his part. But he’d stayed. It wasn’t like he’d said, “oh you don’t want sex, I’m out of here”. He thought that proved he wasn’t a complete asshole. He glanced back her—needing to glare at her one more time. How dare she act like all he was interested in was sex? He blinked and shook his head to clear it. It took him a moment to process what he was seeing. Or more precisely, what he wasn’t seeing. Kat. She wasn’t at her table. Where the hell was she? He straightened and scanned the room. “Hello?” The woman he was supposed to be chatting up tapped his arm. “Remember me?” “Uh, yeah. I’ll be back.” He stalked to Kat’s station. “Where is the woman who was sitting there?” he asked. “The one with the huge knockers?” the guy asked. “I don’t know. She walked away.” He nudged Mitch—as if Mitch wanted to be part of that stupid male club. “Too bad. I was going to spend my full five minutes staring at those sweet titties and—” “Ever wonder why you can’t get date?” Mitch felt compelled to ask. Then he looked to the woman who’d been seated on Kat’s left. “Did you see where she went?” “I think she went to the bathroom. She didn’t look like she was feeling well.” Mitch nodded and stalked away. Please God let her be in the bathroom, crying because she’s pissed at me. But that didn’t sound like Kat. She’d deck him before she’d cry over him. The hallway was dark but Mitch’s eyes quickly adjusted. He stopped at the ladies room, his hand on the door, ready to open it when he heard a low groan at the end of the hall. He ran forward and turned the corner. Kat lay on the ground, her skirt twisted up to her waist, the edge of her panties showing, her eyes closed. The female bartender knelt over her. “What happened?” Mara shook her head. “I don’t know. I just found her lying here. I guess she had too much to drink.” She rolled Kat over and pried open one of her eyes. “She doesn’t look good.” She looked up at Mitch. “My boss will hate me but we need to call an

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ambulance. But I don’t want her dying from alcohol poisoning. I only gave her one. She didn’t look drunk or I wouldn’t have served her.” His heart pounded into his throat but Mitch pushed the rising panic aside. He was a cop. He dealt with this kind of shit every day. But never with someone he cared about. Mitch calculated the time for an ambulance to arrive. He could be at the hospital in half that. “I’ll take her.” He flashed his badge. “I’m a cop. I’ll get her to a hospital.” “Are you sure?” “Yes.” He flipped open his phone. “I need you to go out front, as if nothing is going on, but don’t let anyone leave.” “The party is finishing up in another fifteen minutes.” “You’ll have cops on site by then.” “What is it?” she asked as he hefted Kat in to his arms. Her body was completely limp, her head hanging backward. “She’s not a normal drunk, is she?” “I don’t know. Just go watch the door.” Mara—her eyes wide and concerned—nodded and backed away. Mitch didn’t have time to worry about her. He had to get Kat to the hospital—the other women had all been drugged but no one could figure out what with. He shouldered open the door and raced to his car, dropping her in the front seat. As he drove he dialed dispatch and sent police to secure the scene at the club. “Are you on site?” the calming voice of the dispatcher asked, as her fingers clicked in the background on the keyboard. “No, I’m heading toward Mercy Regional. I’ve got an officer down. Drugged on something.” He knew Kat wasn’t drunk. He’d been watching her all night and she’d only had the one drink. No way she came in there drunk. She was too responsible for that. “Have them waiting for me when I drive up.” The siren in his car wailed through the night, startling drivers out of his way. Mitch dropped the phone and floored it. He glanced at Kat. Her breathing seemed normal, her mouth was open and her eyes shut. “Hold on, baby. It will be okay.” He couldn’t resist touching her. Stroking her hair. A strap from the skimpy top sagged down one shoulder, leaving more skin bared. He cursed himself for being such an ass—but that was for later, when Kat was better. A drive that should have taken twenty minutes, he did in seven. He pulled into the Emergency—Ambulances Only drive through. Slamming his car into park, he jumped out and ran around to the other side. As he opened his passenger door, the hospital doors opened, and the emergency crew ran out, meeting him with a gurney. “Detective Keane?”

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“Yes.” He lifted Kat from the car, reluctant to let her go. He placed her on the gurney. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered again as he put her down, hoping she could hear him through whatever was covering her mind. “I thought they said an officer was down?” one of the techs asked as they repositioned her. “She is an officer.” Mitch could have reached across and punched the guy for his arrogant, mocking tone. “She’s undercover.” “What happened to her?” The serious tone to the doctor’s voice broke through Mitch’s irritation. “Drugged with something.” He followed them into the hospital, giving them background on the case. “Okay, thanks. You wait here.” “She’s my partner,” Mitch protested. “And we’ll take care of her. You need to fill out some paperwork and make some calls, I’m sure.” The reminder to do his job made Mitch growl. Damn. Mitch nodded and stepped back, watching as they wheeled her unconscious body down the hall. He waited until they were out of sight and flipped open his phone, calling Justin. They were at the scene. The glass she’d been drinking out of had already been disposed of. Either washed or destroyed. “How is she?” “They’re working on her now. Do you want me to come back there?” “No, we’ve got it covered. You stay with Kat. She should have someone with her.” Mitch nodded though Justin couldn’t see him. Kat was new to them but she was a part of their team and someone should be with her. Mitch closed his phone and accepted a clipboard filled with forms from the nurse. He had to call the LT, let him know what was going on, get information from Kat’s police records. He wandered over to the waiting area and tried to distract his mind by filling in the blank pages. There wasn’t much he could give them beyond her name and job. He did what he could and then handed in the clipboard. He dropped back into his chair and stared at the set of double doors. There was so much he didn’t know about her and sitting here, waiting to see if she was okay, he wanted to know it all.

***** Kat fought her way to the surface—struggling against the lulling effects of whatever was pulling her down. “Shh, shh. It’s okay, honey. You’re okay.” 88

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“Mitch?” “Yeah, I’m here.” She felt a warm hand on her forehead and turned toward it. “What happened?” Her throat felt raw and scratchy. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. You’re fine.” She shook her head. She wasn’t fine. She knew something was wrong but she couldn’t figure out what it was. “Are you hurt?” Even through the fog that pulled at her she could hear his concern. “Thirsty.” It wasn’t the only answer but it was the truth. “I can help with that.” His lips brushed her cheek before he moved away, the light caress making her smile. Seconds later, a straw was slipped between her lips. She gulped down the water, wanting more when he pulled it away. “Not too much at first,” he said. She didn’t open her eyes, didn’t have the strength. “Just go back to sleep, I’ll be right here.” “Stay.” “I will, honey. I’m not leaving.” Those comforting words followed her back into oblivion.

***** Waking up the second time wasn’t nearly so pleasant. Light pierced her eyelids as she came fully awake, emphasizing how crappy she actually felt. It was like a rotten combination of a hangover and the flu. Mitch was still there—looking tired and scruffy. He came to the side of the bed when she tried to sit up. “Hey, don’t move. You might still be queasy.” Kat nodded, not trusting herself to speak. “What happened?” “What do you remember?” She could see him switch into cop mode and she knew she had to do the same. She dropped back onto the pillow and tried to concentrate on her last memory. The vague memory of him during the night didn’t count. “Uhm, I remember being at the party. Fighting with you.” He grimaced and nodded. “Yeah, we can talk about that later.” “And then it gets all blurry. I had a drink, I remember that, but then nothing.” A slow horror filled her. Had the attacker grabbed her? Raped her? “What happened?” “You were drugged. We don’t know with what yet. The doctors haven’t been able to pinpoint it yet. Probably a derivative of one of the date rape drugs.” “And…?” She splayed her fingers onto her already upset stomach. “From what we’ve pieced together, you went to the bathroom, threw up and then either started to walk outside or someone was carrying you outside?” He left the question hanging, hoping she could fill in the blanks.

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She closed her eyes and tried to remember. It was blank—a vague darkness filled with a voice and her own panic. “There was someone there. But I can’t remember who it was or what they looked like.” Unwanted tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry.” Mitch switched from cop to lover in a heartbeat. “It’s okay. You’re fine. The bartender found you on the floor and you’re okay.” She nodded, blinking away the tears. She didn’t feel okay. She was pissed. She’d had her chance and she’d screwed it up. Had almost become a victim of the guy they were chasing. “Listen, just rest and I’ll—” The door swung open and Mitch backed away, moving a respectful distance from her. “You’re awake.” Kat looked at the guy in the white coat who entered her room. “I’m Dr. MacDonald. I treated you last night when they brought you in. How are you feeling?” “Okay. Weak, kind of queasy.” “Remaining effects of the drugs. We’re not sure what they gave you. We’re doing some tests on your blood. Whatever it is, it enters the bloodstream quickly. From all descriptions, it seems to have hit you pretty hard.” Mitch nodded, agreeing with the doctor. “We’d like to draw some more blood but after that if you’re feeling up to it, you should be fine to go home.” Kat nodded. She wanted to get the hell out of there. Some place that she could curl up into a ball and cry. “Do you have someone to stay with you?” “I live alone.” “Is there someone you can call to come stay with you? Check on you through the day?” There were a few friends that she could ask to do that. Before she had a chance to answer, Mitch spoke up. “I’ll take care of her.” The doctor showed no surprise. He just nodded. “I’ll get the paperwork going and we’ll see about getting you ready to go home.” As the doctor left, a nurse entered, carrying a small stack of towels. “I’ll just wait outside until you’re ready,” Mitch offered. Kat thought for a moment that he was going to touch her but he stepped away and backed out of the room. Her emotions on the edge and her body still shaky from the drugs, she let the nurse help her clean up, dress and tried not to think about last night. It wasn’t easy.

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What had happened? Why was there a huge blank spot in her memory? A shudder ran down her spine at the thought of what might have happened if Mitch hadn’t saved her. Damn. That first night he’d told her not to do anything stupid—he didn’t want to have to rescue her ass. And that’s exactly what happened. Tears threatened but she blinked them back. She wasn’t quite ready to break down, though she knew it was coming. She silently followed Mitch to his car. Her clothes from last night had gone into evidence and she left wearing a sweatsuit that was too big in the butt and too tight across her chest. To hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra, she wrapped her arms under her breasts, hoping to keep everything from bouncing too much. Mitch didn’t seem to notice. He barely spoke to her as he drove home, just enough to ask if she was okay. When she answered that she was, he became silent again. Great. He’s probably pissed. I’m pissed. I’m scared. The motion of the car on the drive home highlighted the queasiness in her stomach and she was so thrilled to see her house she almost cried. Mitch helped her inside and into her bedroom. “Do you want something to drink?” He led her to the bed. “I could make tea.” She smiled. “Have you ever made tea for anyone?” “No, but I’m sure I can figure it out.” “I’m fine. Just some water.” He nodded and stepped back. As soon as he left the room, Kat collapsed. The strength needed to keep it together disappeared. It was the first time she’d been alone since waking up and it all came rushing back to her. Not the memories—those were still cloudy and blank—but the embarrassment, the fear. Tears poured from her eyes and deep choking sobs clogged her throat. She rolled over, shoving her face into her pillow, hiding the sound and needing the privacy. She pulled her legs up to her chest, curling herself into a tight ball as she fought the fear and the anger. Wanting to know what had happened to her. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t been raped. She hadn’t been in control. Someone else had touched her—and she couldn’t remember any of it. “Shhh.” Mitch’s warmth flowed around her back, his hands slowly stroking her skin. “It will be okay.” His comfort only made it worse and she cried harder. He didn’t speak again, but he didn’t leave. He lay beside her, his arms loosely around her, his fingers locking with hers. Slowly her body relaxed, stretching out on the bed as the tears dried. “Want to talk about it?” She shook her head. How would he understand? She’d gone in as a cop and come out a victim. But when he didn’t say anything, she found herself speaking. “I hate not knowing what happened.” Tears dripped from her eyes again but these were from anger. “I was

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so close and now I can’t even remember what happened. I can’t tell you so you can get the bastard.” She punched the pillow. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll catch him. And the doctor said some of your memory might come back. You just have to wait and be patient.” Patient. Right. She wanted to know now. “I’m sorry about all this.” Mitch shook his head, his serious eyes filled with compassion. “Don’t be. None of this is your fault.” She winced and knew she had to confess. “Some of it might be.” “Huh?” “The outfit that I wore. The one you hated.” “I didn’t hate it,” Mitch interrupted. “I just hated the fact that all those other guys were looking at you. You’re lucky I didn’t bend you over some table and fuck you in front of them so they knew you belonged to me.” She smiled at his admission but knew she had to tell him the rest. “I checked what the victims had been wearing when they went to the Matching Signs party. They’d all been dressed very provocatively—lots of breast showing, short skirt, kind of flashy. I kind of matched their outfits.” That sent Mitch to his feet. He stood at the side of her bed and glared down at her, the comforting, gentle man gone. “You deliberately set yourself up to attract the killer.” “That’s what we were there for.” “To watch, to monitor, to observe. Not to get kidnapped.” “I wasn’t intending to get kidnapped.” “But you did. You set yourself up as bait and didn’t bother to tell me—the guy who’s supposed to be watching your ass.” “I didn’t think of it as bait. I was trying to match the circumstances of the previous attacks.” “Well, you managed to do that well, didn’t you?” “Yes,” she snapped, tears burgeoning up in her eyes. The missing memories, the fact that she’d been close to the killer and she couldn’t identify him, it all came back to her. She’d screwed up and left Mitch to clean up the mess. Lifting her chin, she blinked away the tears. And this time, Mitch didn’t lie down to comfort her. “And I’m sorry.” She dragged in a ragged breath. “I’m sorry you had to rescue me. I know you didn’t want to have to do that.” He flinched and looked at her—the irritation on his face increasing. “What?” “That first night. You told me not to do something stupid because you didn’t want to have to save my ass and that’s what you had to do.” “Kat—” He rubbed his hand across his face and she could see how tired he was. He’d been up all night with her. “You’re my partner. I’d fully expect you to save my ass

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if the situation was reversed. I’m pissed because you didn’t tell me what you were planning. It was probably a good idea but I would have liked to have had some additional backup if I’d known you were going to do it.” “Oh.” That took a lot of the wind out of her sails. Damn. And women were supposed to be such great communicators. “And the truth is, while I’m glad I found you in time—you’d done a pretty good job of slowing this guy down. Your foot was wedged against that doorframe. You weren’t letting anyone drag you out of that hallway.” She lifted her head and looked up at him. The tears still trickled down her cheeks but she ignored them. “Really?” “Yeah. Even drugged with whatever that guy had given you, you weren’t going without a fight. I’ve never been so impressed by a cop.” The tears flowed freely again. “You did just what you were supposed to do. We’ll find this bastard. We’ll get him.” Kat sighed. She’d made her confession and Mitch seemed okay with it. She didn’t doubt he was still a little pissed and she’d be hearing about this again, but at least it was out there. Exhaustion roared through her body, as if the stress of talking to Mitch was all that had kept her upright. “Why don’t you get some sleep?” It wasn’t a question and her body followed the command. She crawled under the blankets. “I’ll be here when you wake up,” he said softly from the door. She felt herself smile as she drifted off to sleep.

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Chapter Ten Kat woke from her nap feeling almost normal again. The lethargy was gone and the sick stomach seemed to have settled. She cleaned up in the bathroom and changed out of the sweats and into her favorite shorts and baggy sweatshirt. She was sick, she justified, and that meant she didn’t have to dress up for anyone. Mitch had seen her in a lot less. Scraping her hair back away from her face, she wandered into the living room. Empty. She sighed. Drat. Maybe Mitch had changed his mind and left. “Oh good, you’re up. I was just coming to check on you.” She spun around and saw him coming out of her kitchen. “Hi. You’re still here.” “Where else would I be?” he asked the question with a laugh. She shrugged, feeling silly. Mitch stepped forward, placing his hand around her neck and pulling her in for a long slow kiss. Kat opened her mouth, eagerly welcoming his tongue. The languid caress of his lips on hers soothed more of the fears that kept trying to appear. With his hand holding her in place, he deliciously commanded her response, slow, wicked strokes of his tongue that reminded her of the way he licked her pussy. A flutter low in her sex urged her closer to his body but he backed away. “How are you feeling?” he asked. His voice was calm but the way he licked his lips—as if savoring the taste of her—gave her some confidence that he wasn’t unaffected by their kiss. “Fine. Good actually.” “Doctor said you shouldn’t do much. Why don’t you stretch out on the couch…” “I’ve been resting all day.” “And you’ll rest a few hours more.” “You could rest with me,” she said in a deliberately seductive tone. He physically turned her around and gave her a quick swat on the butt. She jumped forward. “None of that now—you’re injured. Rest and I’ll bring you some lunch. How about some chicken noodle soup?” She looked over her shoulder at him. “When did you turn so freakin’ domestic?” “When my partner got sent to the hospital.” Though she knew it was just a cop term, she loved the way he claimed her as his partner. “Enjoy it now, because it won’t last. By tomorrow I’ll be riding your ass.” “Hmmm.” She considered the idea. “I’d probably enjoy that too.” 94

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Mitch’s eyes widened and he smiled, a look of pure, wicked intent on his face. “Good to know. Now get your cute little butt on the couch.” Because her cheeks were hot, she turned around and followed directions. She settled herself and stretched for the remote, straightening when Mitch returned. He set a cup of tea on the coffee table. “Thanks, I—” Before she could continue he grabbed the afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over her, making sure her feet were covered. “Mitch—” The teasing warning in her voice must have reached him because he straightened, looking a little embarrassed at the way he’d been hovering. As if he couldn’t settle, he wandered around the room, tidying her magazines, sitting down for a bit to watch what she was watching. The conversation was sparse but not strained. They talked when they had something to say. “Do you need anything?” he asked midway through the afternoon. “Mitch, I’m fine.” She looked at him, trying to see what was truly behind his actions. “You got to me in time,” she said, in case that was what was bothering him. His lips tightened for a moment but then he shrugged. “Maybe, but I was an asshole last night—the whole clothes thing. I guess I’m trying to make up for it.” “You were really jealous?” “Baby, you’ve got some very impressive tits.” “But only you get to see them.” Those had been his words last night. “It’s not even that. I think if I’d been your date, and all those guys knew that I was the one who’d been kissing and sucking your breasts—it wouldn’t have bothered me so much.” He squinted his eyes as if remembering the party. “I didn’t like them thinking they had a chance.” His gaze cleared and he stared directly at her. “Of course, if I’d known it was all part of the case, my attitude would have been different as well.” She groaned. See, she thought. I knew we weren’t done discussing this. “You’re ri—” A knock on the door interrupted her and she never got the chance to tell him he’d been right. She should have told him what she had in mind, but how did she say she hadn’t wanted him to think she was stupid? Only she hadn’t been stupid. What she’d done had attracted the killer’s attention. That was a good thing, right? Mitch sprung away from her like he’d been burned and walked to the front door. Kat had no idea who would be visiting her. She hadn’t called anyone to tell them she’d ended up in the hospital. Her mother already hated the idea of her being a cop so telling her she’d been drugged and almost kidnapped-raped-murdered was not going to help the situation. She’d tell her friends—it was the kind of story she wouldn’t be able to keep from them—but few of her friends were the type to just drop by. They always called first—on the mistaken belief that she might be entertaining some guy. Ha!

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Mitch put his arm behind him as he walked toward the door and she realized he was reaching for his weapon. He pulled his Glock from his waistband and held it at his side as he peeked through the peephole. A satisfied nod had him returning the gun to his back and draping his shirt over it so it was again hidden. Who did Mitch know that would be coming to her house? He opened the door and she had her answer. Everyone. Brad, Justin and Drew and a woman she didn’t recognize walked into her living room. Justin carried three pizza boxes—which he handed to Mitch as the host of this party—and a six-pack of beer. Mitch took them and walked straight into the kitchen like he owned the place. The rest of the group crowded into Kat’s living room. She was introduced to Yvonne, Drew’s wife. Yvonne was a beautiful black woman with laughing eyes. She sat down next to Kat and patted her hand. “How are you feeling? It must have been awful.” Kat shrugged, nodding. She didn’t remember much—except throwing up a couple of times and being poked and prodded. Most of it had been in a haze. “You’re looking okay,” Drew added. She brushed her hair back away from face, suddenly wishing she’d actually put on clothes. Mitch—okay. He’d seen her in the mornings—complete with messed-up hair and morning breath. He didn’t scare easily. But she hadn’t expected the whole detective squad to see her. Mitch returned from the kitchen carrying the pizza, some plates, paper towels and the hot red pepper flakes she kept above her stove. He’d eaten often enough at her place that he knew where things were and had obviously made himself at home. She didn’t know how she felt about that. It wasn’t like she had anything to hide—at least not in the kitchen. Not that she had much to hide anywhere else either. A few sex toys in her bedside table but Mitch already knew about those and had enjoyed them with her several times. A plate of pepperoni pizza passed in front of her face and surprised her. She realized how far off track her thoughts had gotten. She had a room full of cops—she shouldn’t be thinking about Mitch and sex toys. Pizza was handed out but none given to her. She looked up at Mitch. “You have soup.” He put a bowl of congealing condensed chicken soup on her coffee table. “Why can’t I have pizza?” “I’m not sure you’re up to pizza.” He said it in a gruff way but she could hear the affection behind it. If they’d been alone, he would have touched her, stroked her head as he spoke. When they were alone, he liked to touch her. He’d kept his hand on her most of the time she’d been at the hospital, as if to let her know she wasn’t alone. He’d only withdrew when someone else walked into the room.

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She blinked at him—trying to decide if he was right, but she never got the chance to answer. “Back off, Mitch. She’s a big girl.” Justin shook his head. “I’ve never seen him hover over any of us like this. Must be because you’re a girl.” “Must be.” Deep red spots appeared on Mitch’s cheeks but he accepted Justin’s teasing with a laugh. He also stared pointedly at Kat as she reached into the pizza box, silently warning her that she’d get no sympathy later if it upset her stomach. The thought made her smile. Deep down he was a pretty sweet guy. Not that he let many people see that. She took a piece of Canadian bacon and pineapple and nibbled on the end, checking the status of her body as she ate. Mitch grabbed a piece of pizza and a beer and sat down two seats away from her. “So what did you find out?” Kat asked, knowing they all wanted to talk about it. “Not much,” Drew admitted. “Mitch said the drugs messed your memory up but do you remember anything that might help?” “I don’t know.” “Who brought you the drink?” Justin asked, leaning forward. In fact all the guys leaned into the circle, watching her. Now she understood the power of a steady stare during an interrogation. With all eyes on her, she took a deep breath and pushed her mind back through the night. The fight with Mitch. She’d been sitting at the table stewing about that when… “The bartender. Mara.” Mike and Brad nodded. “That jives with her report.” Brad tipped his head toward Kat. “She says you looked like you were upset, could use a drink, so she included an extra one in the round she was making.” Kat sat up. The information caught Mitch’s attention as well. “But she left several drinks sitting on the bar and turned away to get something— just as a transition was made. A dozen people walked by that bar and could have dropped something into one of the drinks.” “What about Kat’s glass?” Mitch asked. “Washed before we got there. The bartender didn’t know it was evidence and while she was waiting for us to show up she kept busy by cleaning.” Mitch cursed. He should have secured the scene but he’d been worried about Kat. She’d looked so pale and lifeless lying there. “Seems kind of random, doesn’t it?” she asked. “I mean, if someone just put something into one of the drinks as they walked by, they would have no way of knowing where it was going.”

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“Just pure luck that it got to you?” The skeptical looks on everyone’s faces mirrored Mitch’s own thoughts. They’d checked out the bar staff and nothing had popped. “What about the guys at your table?” Drew asked. “Could one of them have slipped something into your drink there?” “Maybe.” She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. “I’m trying to remember who came to my table after Mitch left it.” Her eyes fluttered open. “I’d have to check my card but I think it was a guy named Dan and then Jared and after that it gets blurry.” Mitch straightened. “Jared?” “Who’s Jared?” Justin asked around a mouthful of pepperoni. Mitch didn’t even try to hide his dislike. “That asshole who has been hitting on Kat at these parties. I told you he was a freak.” “He’s not a freak. He’s a nice guy.” “A nice guy who couldn’t keep his eyes off your—” “Don’t say it.” She held one finger in warning. Drew laughed. “Listen to you two. Working together for a month and you already sound like an old married couple.” Kat’s heart started to pound in her ears and Mitch’s face lost all expression—a signal he was crushing his emotions. Had they been too obvious? “Doesn’t matter,” Mitch said, his voice firm. “I’m going to check the guy out.” “You already checked him out once.” “Well, I’m going to do it again because I don’t trust him.” That seemed to close the subject for all parties. “Listen, not that this isn’t fascinating but can we talk about something else?” Yvonne interrupted. Yvonne obviously commanded great power around these guys because they switched subjects and nothing more was said about work. Though Kat knew from glancing at Mitch that they weren’t done talking about it. The six-pack of beer disappeared as the guys switched to the topic of their softball team which, based on the conversation, wasn’t doing well. “Anyone want another beer?” Justin and Brad accepted Mitch’s offer and he went to her kitchen and returned with three bottles of the beer Kat stocked for when Mitch came over. Yvonne kept up a steady chatter while Kat nibbled on her piece of pizza. Yvonne looked at the stacks of plates and beer bottles. “With all those drugs in your system, probably best not to attempt a beer as well, huh?” she said teasingly. Kat shook her head. “I’m not much of a beer drinker anyway. White wine is my drink.” “Oh me too. The next picnic, I’ll make sure to have some on hand.” “Thanks.” 98

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Mitch broke away from the group and collected the empty plates. “Oh let me help,” Yvonne offered, jumping up and helping Mitch carry stuff into the kitchen. Drew immediately slid into her place on the couch as if they didn’t want to leave Kat alone. They started talking about home ownership and the challenges. She needed to paint the trim around her windows but hadn’t gotten around to it. Maintenance was the one part of owning her own home that she didn’t like. Five minutes later, Yvonne and Mitch returned from the kitchen. The smug look on Yvonne’s face caught Kat’s attention but before she could ask about it, Yvonne announced it was time to leave. Justin and Brad followed them to the door but Mitch held back, obviously intending to stay. He closed the door behind them and turned to her. “Don’t worry, honey. They won’t find it strange that I’m staying to take care of you.” He meant it to comfort her but somehow it just made her sad. More things she had to hide. She groaned and dropped her head against the back of the couch. It was too much for her tired mind to handle. “Are you ready for bed?” If he’d said it with any sort of seduction, she’d have leapt at the chance but instead his attitude was concern. “No. I’m wide awake.” He smiled. “Want to watch a movie?” He held up a chick flick she knew he hadn’t brought. “Yvonne left it,” he admitted with a smile. Still, he dropped down onto the couch beside her, pulling her against him, and watching the movie. It ended with a traditional happy ending that made Kat smile and made Mitch roll his eyes. He shook his head. “Not a single gunshot.” It was weak but she punched him in the side. “You must be feeling better.” He jumped out of the couch and pulled her to her feet. “Why don’t you get ready for bed?” He kissed her cheek and walked away. Dishes clanked in the kitchen as he cleaned up. He was determined to take care of her. Bed? She’d been horizontal most of the day—she had no idea how she was going to be able to sleep. Unless… She glanced at the kitchen door. Maybe Mitch could make her a little tired. She went into her bedroom, brushed her teeth and crawled into bed. She’d removed the shorts but left on the sweatshirt. If Mitch didn’t sleep with her, at least she’d be warm.

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But she hoped Mitch would stay. A slinky nightgown was hidden in her bottom drawer but she rejected the idea. She didn’t want him to think—well, she wasn’t sure what she wanted him to think but slinky seemed a bit overdone when she’d been drugged and attacked the night before. With the covers pulled up to her chin, she waited. And waited. It gave her too much time to think. And she had too many topics swirling through her brain—Mitch, the case, Mitch, being drugged. Mitch. The evening had been strangely comfortable. In fact, the whole day had been comfortable, pleasant mostly—considering she’d spent most of it immobile. They’d had moments of irritation naturally. Some topics just didn’t seem to be safe with them. Jared being one of them. No matter what she said, she couldn’t quite convince Mitch that Jared wasn’t the guy they were looking for. It didn’t connect in her brain. Jared was too nice, pleasant. Not pushy. But then that was how serial killers worked, wasn’t it? They lured their victims in with harmless personalities. Of course, she wouldn’t exactly call Jared harmless. He was sexy and interesting and if she wasn’t currently sleeping with a very sexy though irritating cop, she might look his way. But she was sleeping with Mitch. At least she thought she was. He didn’t seem to have any intention of coming to her bed tonight. It was a good half-hour before he appeared at her door. He walked inside and stopped at the edge of the bed, making no effort to join her. “How are you feeling?” His continued concern made her smile and a low chuckle came out with her answer. “I’m fine. I feel good actually. I’ve done nothing all day. I’m not sure I’m tired enough to go to sleep.” A flicker of heat splashed into his eyes but he didn’t reach for her or laugh or say something sexy. Instead he nodded. “Well, just try, huh?” He smoothed his hand over her hair and down her cheek. “I’ll be in the living room.” “Why do you get to stay up and I have to sleep?” she asked, not quite keeping the pout out of her voice. She felt like a child being sent to bed. “I’m not staying up. I’m going to sleep on your couch.” The breath rushed out of Kat’s chest in a hot flood. “Why?” “I don’t want you to be alone—” “No.” It was too much. “Why are you sleeping down there?” She sat up. “You don’t want to sleep with me unless we’ve had sex?” He flung up his hands in frustration. “No. Truth is, I’m sleeping on the couch so you won’t wake up in the middle of the night and wonder what that hard-on is doing between your legs.” He repeated the flailing hand motion. “I’m trying to be sensitive.”

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Kat couldn’t stop her smile. It was very sweet of him, but she wanted him beside her. Inside her. “Come to bed, baby.” Her voice instinctively dropped to a low, husky tone. She held out her hand and waited for him to reach for her. He hesitated for just moment then stepped forward. His fingers enveloped hers. The strength with which she pulled him seemed to surprise him but she wasn’t stopping. Even if they didn’t make love, she wanted to be near him. He stopped beside the bed—clearly there was a distance between them. “Don’t you want me?” she asked low and sexy, tempting. He flinched as if the idea appalled him, his fingers disconnecting from hers and scraping through his hair. “Hell yes. I didn’t want to freak you out.” His eyes glowed with anger as he looked at her. “I didn’t want you thinking about whatever that bastard might have done if he’d succeeded in getting you out of the building.” She knew then he’d been thinking about it. He’d imagined all of the things she refused to let herself think about. “All I want to think about is you. I want you. I want to feel you.” She liked the way his eyes lit up and she knew he wasn’t going to resist her seduction. Her hand slipped down his chest, fingers tracing across the subtle planes of his stomach. The gentle dips of his muscles. She’d spent time exploring them but now, feeling the sweet rise and fall as he breathed, she wanted more. Wanted to trail her tongue across the grooves. It felt so delicious—familiar but still exciting. She knew how he liked to be touched, knew that he loved to have her enjoy his body. Over the past month they’d made love a dozen times and she used every bit of that knowledge now—to pleasure and seduce him. He held himself still and Kat felt herself smile. It was the first time that Mitch had been unsure when they’d been making love. He wanted her. She knew that. She slid her hand down and savored the warm bulge in his jeans. His sharp intake of breath made her smile. He felt it. Every stroke. A sweet seductive groan slipped from his lips and made her wet. He was hard and ready. So thick that she couldn’t reach around him. The delicious power of seduction flowed through her veins, giving her strength, pushing aside the strange mixed-up memories from the night before. There was only here and now—Mitch and Kat. Despite the urgency singing through her body, she wouldn’t be rushed. She trailed one finger along his erection, a light, teasing touch to warn him that this would be no quick fuck. Leaning back, she pushed the blankets away and raised her nightshirt to the tops of her thighs, not baring herself but teasing him with the sight she knew he loved. “Come to bed.”

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Chapter Eleven Mitch stared at the beautiful woman before him. A siren. Tempting him. Hell, he should leave. He couldn’t leave. She was wounded, frightened. That doesn’t mean you should fuck her. Be a gentleman. Back away. He’d made love to her many times in her bed but something about this time seemed different. As if by staying he’d been openly declaring he was interested in more than sex. Hell, like that wasn’t obvious already. He’d made her soup for God’s sake. If that didn’t scream “relationship”, he didn’t know what did. He put his knee on the bed, sinking down beside her even as he acknowledged where this might lead. Her hand cupped his erection and the delicate caress wiped out his ability to think. He’d face it all tomorrow. Tonight, the seductress had returned, ready to take him. Unable to resist, he stretched out beside her, reaching for her when he realized he was still fully dressed. He started to get up but her hand smacked him on the chest and pushed him back into the mattress. “I just wanted to take my clothes off,” he pointed out. “Make it easier for you to seduce me.” She opened the top button of his shirt and laughed softly. “I don’t think you could be easier to seduce,” she said. The teasing light in her eyes made him smile. Her confidence was returning fast and hard. “Only with you,” he groaned—knowing that was quickly becoming the truth. He’d become addicted to her particular touch, flavor. The feel of her pussy holding him. Her sensual smile made his cock throb. There was nothing sexier than a strong woman enjoying her body—and enjoying his. She plucked at the buttons on his shirt, opening them one at a time, baring his skin slowly and baptizing each new inch of flesh with her lips, her tongue. Halfway down his chest, she added her teeth, dainty bites that proved she wasn’t as delicate as he’d thought. She moved down his body, slow, so slow that by the time she reached for the button that held his jeans closed, he thought he might scream. His cock had long ago grown hard—so hard he was sure he’d have permanent dents in his flesh from the button fly. It was worth it. Whatever Kat did to him, it was worth it. She smoothed her hand along the thick bulge, savoring the warmth that flowed through his clothes. The confused memories of last night still lingered in the back of her head but she ignored them. Tonight she was safe and with a sexy man who wanted her. She would face her fears tomorrow.

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She pressed up, letting her senses lead, whatever felt good, she let happen. Knowing Mitch loved her breasts, she pulled off the baggy sweatshirt and tossed it aside, leaving her dressed only in a tiny pair of pink panties. His eyes glittered with pleasure as she straddled him, pressing up high on her knees. Languid and fluid, she slid her hands down her breasts, plumping the tight nipples before going lower, easing her hands over her stomach, loving the way Mitch watched her, his eyes tracking the movements of her fingers. His hands clamped down on her knees as if to hold her in place, not allowing her to move before she’d finished her journey. She hooked her thumbs into the edges of her panties, eased them down, stretching the material until it locked on her legs. Pulling away, she lifted herself up only long enough to remove the panties and toss them over the side of the bed. Mitch lay before her, his shirt open, still wearing his jeans, and she was naked. It made her feel powerful and sexy—like she was a love slave ordered to please her master. She widened her thighs and sat down, easing her wet pussy onto his erection, still firmly encased in his pants. Moisture slipped from her sex and rolled onto him. She rocked her hips back and forth, pressing him against her clit, spreading her liquid across his jeans. She dropped forward, catching herself with her hands above him. Her hair fell down around them, a dark curtain that teased his skin. Placing her lips against his ear, she whispered, “I like the thought that when you leave here tomorrow, you’ll smell like me.” She nipped his earlobe. “You’ll think of me, remember what it was like to be inside me.” He groaned and stared at her with hungry eyes. “Honey, I already think about you all the time. Why do you think I’ve suddenly started wearing suit jackets to work? To hide the perpetual hard-on I seem to have these days.” She laughed and sat up. The sudden movement pressed her harder into his erection and she couldn’t contain her own moan. “Do you want to come, baby?” he asked, subtly taking control. “Let me help you.” She shook her head. “I want you to be inside me when I come—but not just yet.” The heat flared in his eyes again and his hands tightened on her hips and Kat suddenly knew that was what she wanted. She wanted to drive him crazy—crazy enough that he seized control. She wanted to be fucked by him—hard and fast. The tension in his body gave her the assurance that he wasn’t far from taking over. Mitch couldn’t remain passive for long. Keeping her gaze focused on him, she moved down his body, opening the fly and easing the hard, heavy cock out from inside. “Hmm, yummy,” she whispered against his skin, letting her breath warm him. She flicked her tongue across the underside of his shaft. “So hot and hard.” Another lick. “Just for me.” One more kiss. “So big—you just barely fit inside my cunt.” She used the same words he did with her, knowing he liked the rough, sexy words, liked to hear how much she wanted him. His cock swelled in her hands.

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“Baby, if you aren’t careful, you’re going to find yourself with more than you can handle.” The threat was growled through clenched teeth and Kat knew she almost had him. She laughed softly, teasing the sound against his flesh. “I can take all of you.” She swirled her tongue around the thick head. She was getting to him. Tension whipped through his muscles and he froze. As if one tiny movement would break his control. “And love it. Hard and deep. The way you stretch all the way inside me. Making me ache just a little. Hmm, that’s what I want. All of you, deep inside me. Fucking my cunt, coming inside—” Mitch growled and grabbed her hand pulling her fingers away from his cock as he flipped her over, landing on top of her, his cock insinuating itself between her legs, the head slipping into her opening. He stopped himself, clutching at that last bit of control. The fire in his eyes warned that if she pushed that last little bit over the edge, she was responsible for whatever happened. “Fuck me,” she whispered, taunting him, daring him to follow her command. The slick flesh of her cunt drew him forward but he stopped, forcing himself to pull back. Years of training gave him the two seconds he needed to grab a condom out of the top drawer and roll it on. He slid the rubber on and returned to the warmth of her pussy, the heat and wet calling to him. There was no finesse. Mindless, he slid the tip into her opening and slammed his hips forward, crying out as his cock drove in deep, hard. Part of his mind, some distant corner, tried to remind him to be gentle—that she was wounded and frightened—but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. It felt too good, the tight grip of her cunt holding him, drawing him back inside each time he withdrew, the dig of her heels into his ass, pulling him harder into her. She wanted this. Hard. He reared back and gave her what she wanted, wanting it to last but knowing it would be over too soon. The sweet contractions of her pussy rippled up his cock and he heard her moan. The delicate caress gave him the strength to release the choke hold he had on his cock and he drove forward, her orgasm milking him, making him want and need more. He pulled back and forced one more thrust out of his sated cock. He moaned against her throat, sinking down onto her, her arms wrapping around his back, her legs caging his hips as if she didn’t want to let him go. Fighting the lethargy that followed the ultimate orgasm, he raised his head, determined to check on her, make sure he hadn’t hurt her or scared her. He looked down, her eyes were closed and she was smiling—the lazy, sexy smile of a wellsatisfied woman. He raised himself up and looked at her. After a long moment, she opened her eyes. “Hmmm, that was really good.” She licked her lips. “All I can think about is more.” His cock twitched deep inside her and Mitch grinned in return.

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“Well, give me a few minutes to recover and I’ll help you with that.” Kat felt her heart do a little leap in her chest. This was what she wanted. Who she wanted. Not just in her bed but in her life. Mitch leaned over and placed hot kisses on her neck, whispering delicious words that made her body crave his touch—and made her heart ache. It’s just sex. She tried to repeat the words in her mind. That’s what they’d agreed to at the very beginning. Mitch slipped his hand between her legs and Kat groaned. Soon. Soon she was going to have to face the reality. It was way more than that. At least for her. His finger slipped into her pussy, teasing the sensitive opening, even as his tongue sank into her mouth. She pushed the grim thoughts aside and decided to spend the night enjoying the man beside her. Tomorrow—or very soon—she’d face the truth.

***** Kat took a deep breath and tried to slow her heartbeat. She glanced toward the door and saw Mitch walking in. He and Justin had been out doing a knock ‘n talk to get information about the victim of a stabbing. Mitch raised his chin in greeting but didn’t say anything. Wow, this was getting hard. It had been easier before she’d been attacked—when she could attempt to fool herself into believing all they had in common was sex. Now it was different. That day at her house and the night that followed had changed things. She was falling in love with him and that was a very bad thing. Damn. When this had started she’d warned herself to not get attached to him, to not let it be more than sex. But that hadn’t lasted. Not for her. And Saturday had just highlighted everything that she was missing. Everything she couldn’t have. Everything she wanted. Mitch wanted a lover—someone to fuck. And she wanted more. She wanted it all. Maybe it was time to cut her losses. She stared at the report she was supposed to be writing up and realized she had no idea what words were going onto the screen. She hit clear, prepared to start again. In the six weeks she’d been working in the detective division, she’d learned a lot. Enough to know she wanted it as a permanent job. Eventually. She might have to wait. Working with Mitch—particularly after they broke up—was going to be a challenge. And she didn’t think that day was long in coming. Where the day spent together had made her want more, she was convinced it had made Mitch panic. A little too domestic. He’d been distant and a little reserved. She could practically see his mind working, trying to figure out how to ease out of the relationship. Probably waiting until she went back onto patrol. 105

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That gave her a little less than two weeks. Gracie had had her baby but she’d be on maternity leave for at least three months. Charlie, the detective on medical leave, was coming back. The LT had told her she would be returning to her regular duties then. Her last duty would be the Matching Signs party at the end of next week. The LT was giving them one final try. Kat knew this time she really was going in as bait. Something to trigger the killer. A body appeared in the edge of her vision, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up. Drew stood beside her desk. “So we’re having a barbecue at my house this Saturday if you’d like to come.” “What?!” Justin jumped up from his desk and walked the three steps to Drew’s side. “That’s a Slug Club event. You’re inviting her?” The “Slug Club” was a group of the cops—basically the detective division with a few additional people. The requirement to join the club was you had to have been wounded in the line of duty. They’d all taken a “slug” for the cause. Drew shrugged. “Well, she did end up in the hospital because of the job.” “Yeah, but she didn’t get shot or stabbed.” “No visible wound,” Brad piped up from across the room and Kat realized everyone was listening. “Hmmm.” Drew stared down at her, obviously reconsidering the invitation. “They’re right.” “No visible wound,” she agreed. “But I had my stomach pumped.” Drew’s eyes widened and Justin’s lips pulled back. “Ewww. That counts.” “Good,” Drew agreed. “I’ll email you a map to the house. Feel free to bring a date. As long as it’s not another cop.” “Why no other cops?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light. She’d been dying to know but it wasn’t something she could ask Mitch. It would seem a little too obvious. “We hang around with enough cops at work. We want someone new to torment,” Justin said. “Besides, cops dating cops never works. Just ask him.” Drew tilted his head toward Mitch. Mitch looked up but didn’t answer. “Our boy here started dating this very hot female cop about two years out of the academy. It breaks up—like Mitch’s relationships always do—and damn, it was like a world war around here. First, she wouldn’t talk to him, sure as hell wouldn’t work with him. Then she started sniping at him when she decided the silent treatment wasn’t working. It was ugly. Right, Mitch?” He shrugged and nodded but didn’t meet Kat’s eyes. “That’s too bad,” Kat said casually. “I’ve always managed to stay friends with guys once we’ve broken up.” It was a lie but it suited her purposes. She didn’t want Mitch to worry when the time came. She wouldn’t make a scene. She’d let it go and move on— even if it killed her. She would not be the lover they talked about ten years later.

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“And this Saturday—” Justin said, spinning around and facing Mitch. “Mitch is bringing a date, right, Mitch? The new chippy? Bring her so we can all meet the woman who’s put the spring back in your step. Given you that dopey smile every morning.” Mitch raised his eyes and glared Justin—nothing dopey in his gaze at all. “At least I have a reason for looking stupid. It’s your natural state.” Everyone in the room chuckled as Mitch slapped Justin down. Kat would have thought it was hilarious—if they hadn’t been talking about her. Now she just had to worry about spending four hours in the company of Mitch and his friends—and not look like she’d licked and tasted every inch of his body. It was easier at work when they had the professional atmosphere and the job to keep them busy. “Saturday?” Drew said as he walked away. “Be there.” Kat smiled and nodded. How am I going to get out of this?

***** In the end, it had been painfully easy. A quick call to Yvonne and she’d bowed out gracefully. Yvonne hadn’t pressed. In fact, she’d been so kind Kat wondered if there was any way she knew. It didn’t seem likely. She’d only met her once. With a sigh, Kat kicked back the afghan and punched another channel on the remote. There was nothing on. A hundred channels and there was nothing she wanted to watch. How can that be? Because you want to be with Mitch. Tell me something I don’t know, she groused at the irritating voice in her head. It was the truth. She did want to be with Mitch but she couldn’t—for the sake of her sanity and her heart—go on like they’d been. It was time to make a clean cut of it. The picnic would have been too much. Seeing him and hiding everything she felt. She couldn’t do it. The knock on her front door wasn’t completely unexpected. She sighed, gathered her resolve and went to see who it was—though she was pretty sure she knew. She looked through the peephole and saw Mitch, looking casual and gorgeous on her porch. He also looked irritated. Knowing she couldn’t put it off any longer, she opened the door and stepped back. “Hi!” “Hi, you okay?” “Sure, why not?” she said, hoping he couldn’t see the way her hands were trembling and her knees were shaking. “Because you missed the barbecue. Yvonne said you’d called and said something had come up.” “Yeah.” The corners of his eyes crinkled.

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“What’s going on, Kat?” She waved him inside. He didn’t come in far. As if he knew this wouldn’t be a long conversation. He folded his arms across his chest, his eyes daring her to speak. She inhaled, long and deep. It didn’t help. “I think we need to stop doing this.” She sort of waved her hand between the two of them. “Sure. That’s fine.” He shrugged and nodded with no more interest than if she’d told him they were out of pork fried rice and he’d have to take chicken instead. “Can I ask why?” She laughed without humor, feeling the tears start at the back of her eyes. She wasn’t going to get out of this without crying, she knew it. “Do you care?” “I’d like to know. I thought we were going along pretty well.” “That’s just it.” She laughed and this time, she actually saw the humor in the situation. “I never thought I’d actually say this as I was breaking up with someone but it’s not you, it’s me.” He stared at her, confusion and anger in his eyes. She took a shallow breath. “I didn’t go to the picnic today because I wasn’t sure I could maintain this façade we’ve created. We’re not a couple and it’s obvious we won’t ever be.” She raised her hand when she saw him preparing to speak. “After two months, if it hasn’t turned into more than just sex, it’s not going to and I want more than just a man to fuck. Better to stop it now.” He pressed his lips together and nodded. “Okay, fine. It’s been fun. Thanks for all the hot sex.” He said it with just enough arrogance and a hint of spitefulness that Kat’s anger took the place of the sadness. “You too,” she replied. “See you.” Mitch pulled open the door and resisted the urge to slam it shut as he walked out. She wants a relationship—hell, that’s what he thought they had. It seemed hard to believe that after almost two months she was still looking at it like only sex. He’d thought there was more but he’d obviously been mistaken. He’d known when they started that she, like him, was just in it for the sex but that had changed. At least he’d thought it had. Guess when he was making the mental transition from fucking to dating, she hadn’t noticed or hadn’t cared. Fine, they were done. He’d known this was coming. She wanted a guy who interested her beyond what he could do to her in bed and obviously that guy wasn’t him.

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He stopped at the side of his car, staring at the can of paint in the back seat. He’d planned to stop by and paint the trim on her house tomorrow. Guess he’d take the day off instead.

***** “Dude, what is your problem lately?” Mitch clenched his jaw and felt the edges of his eyes tighten. He looked up from his beer and raised his eyebrows, daring Justin to say anything else. “What?!” Mitch demanded, going on the attack. “For the past week, you’ve been a real asshole.” Trust Justin to cut to the chase. Mitch took a swallow of his beer and glared back at Justin. “Fuck you.” “See? That’s what I mean. It’s like you’ve had your dick in a knot ever since the barbecue. What? Did your chippy dump you?” Mitch willed himself not to blush but he couldn’t quite control the flinch. “Oh fuck, man, is that it?” Justin went from pissed to compassionate in two seconds. “Did you get dumped?” “I didn’t get dumped.” Not precisely. “You dumped her?” “We decided it was best if we stopped seeing each other.” “Oh dude, you got dumped.” “I didn’t get dumped.” “Any time a guy says ‘we decided…’ it means he got dumped. She just did it in a nice way. What happened? I thought you two were going along great.” Mitch laughed without humor. “How would you know? You don’t even know her.” “No, but I know you and you’ve been in a better mood since you hooked up with her. And it’s not just the ‘I’m gettin’ some’ glow that you always had around you. Whoever she was, you liked her.” Mitch nodded. He did like her. Hell, he missed her. Wasn’t that just screwed up? He saw her practically every day. There had been no recriminations, no tears, no silent stares. It was like she’d completely forgotten that they’d spent the majority of the last seven weeks fucking each other’s brains out. Or maybe she just didn’t care. Hell, he thought men were supposed to be callous bastards. But Kat seemed to take their breakup—if he could even call it that—without so much as a whimper. Well, why not? It was just sex to her and obviously she can get that anywhere.

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Like that pretty boy, Jared. Maybe she’s seeing him. She’d certainly laughed a lot when Jared was at her table. Jared. What the hell kind of name is Jared? Sounded like something out of a soap opera. He downed the rest of his beer. Was that it? Was she fucking that asshole? Or maybe not. Maybe they were falling in love and hadn’t actually been to bed yet. The sarcastic voice in his head didn’t help. It made it worse. Kat, falling in love with someone else, spending all her nights with this mystery guy. “Well, since you’re no longer dating the chippy, want to go out tomorrow night? Friday night, dude. I’ve got one date. I’m sure I could hook you up with something you’d like. Something that could suck the chrome off a bumper—that would take your mind off the chippy.” “I don’t need you to pimp for me, Just.” “Just offering, man.” “Well, thanks but I’ve got to do another of those astrology parties. We’re trying one more time but the lieutenant thinks we’re just spinning our wheels on this one. If we don’t find anything, we’re handing it over to the feds.” “So you have one more night of meeting hot babes.” Justin slapped him on the back. “Maybe you’ll find the girl of your dreams there.” Mitch nodded and sighed. Maybe he already had.

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Chapter Twelve Kat stepped into the Hot Spot, now familiar with the routine and with the slightly panicked feeling that accompanied the process. This was the first time she’d been back since the attack and it felt strange, knowing she’d lost a few hours of her life here. Thank God Mitch had been nearby. She glanced quickly into the bar before approaching the registration table. Mitch’s car hadn’t been in the parking lot but still she looked, hoping for a glimpse of him. For the past five days, they’d spent much of their time in the same office but rarely saw each other. It was like he was trying to avoid her as much as she was him. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice the change. It had been the right decision. She knew in her head that it was the right decision but damn, her heart didn’t agree. Six days without him and she was miserable. And he didn’t seem any different. Maybe once she was back on patrol… She pulled back from the thought. She couldn’t let herself hope. Mitch hadn’t even cared when she’d told him they should stop seeing each other. Why should he? He probably had the next chippy all lined up. He’d better not actually be fucking her already, Kat thought, feeling her forehead throb. She wasn’t sure she could handle knowing that. She was pretty sure her heart would explode—right after she’d decked him. Kat moved to the registration desk. Jessamine once again greeted her with a smile and singsong welcome. While she entered information into the computer, Kat took a moment to scan the arriving crowd to see if Mitch was among them. He’d always been there when she was and it was strange, feeling like she was alone in this crowd. You can handle this. You’re a cop. Mitch had to save you the last time. “How are you this evening?” Jessamine’s voice broke through Kat’s thoughts. “Huh?” “I asked how you were but I can see your mind is somewhere else.” Jessamine clicked her tongue and shook her head. “He’s not the right one for you.” “Who isn’t?” Kat looked around to see to whom Jessamine was referring. “I’ve seen the way you stare at him—that man. Light hair, gorgeous? I think his name is Mitch.” Kat nodded. Her heart started to pound. She didn’t really believe this astrology stuff but it would be interesting to hear Jessamine’s opinion. “He’s a rough, strong man and I can see why a woman like you would be attracted to him.” “A woman like me?” 111

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“A Libra. You’re the love sign. Libra women are notoriously sexual in spirit and nature.” “Really?” Funny, she’d never felt that. Until she met Mitch that is. “Yes, but this guy is a Cancer.” “You don’t know his name but you remember his sign?” Jessamine laughed. “I never forget a sign. Besides I keep an eye on the room and I could see you watching him. He’s awfully hard to ignore.” For a minute, Kat thought Jessamine was going to giggle but then the woman’s face turned serious. “You’ve heard my speech several times now and you know, no signs are completely incompatible but some are just much more challenging. Cancer and Libra.” Again she clicked her tongue. “Very difficult. You should look at the other matches on your list.” Kat accepted the electronic box from Jessamine and nodded as she walked away. Just what she didn’t need—confirmation from the universe that they weren’t meant to be together.

***** Mitch stared at the offer the LT had given him, not sure what to do. Two months ago, the lieutenant had talked to him about being promoted to sergeant. Now the offer was actually in front of him. It would be a step up—but it would also put him back in direct contact with Kat. That probably wasn’t a good idea. At least not yet. They’d managed pretty well for the past five days. They’d been cool and distant. Hopefully no one else noticed that he hadn’t assigned her any work for the past few days. It just seemed weird to ask his former lover to file for him. It was just going to take a little time, he assured himself. At least for him. Kat—he couldn’t tell. She barely looked at him in the office. Maybe she was regretting her decision. Right. Not likely. Just because you want her back—doesn’t mean she’s interested. She obviously gave it a chance and found you lacked something. Get over it. Sure, he’d get over it. She was just another woman. Another hot body to fuck. It was the abrupt way she’d just cut him out of her life that had startled him, he told himself. It was probably payback from the universe for all the women he’d turned loose with no more than a “it’s time to move on” comment. The words filled his head and his stomach flip-flopped. No, she wasn’t just a hot body. God, maybe she wasn’t even just another woman. Was it possible? He’d rarely even considered the possibility of falling in love. He wasn’t sure he ever expected it to happen, but if it did, he was sure to recognize it. Or maybe this was it. This strange kind of desire and lust and pain. Wanting to be with her, even when they weren’t in bed.

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He glanced around the squad room. It was late on a Friday. Most of the guys were gone—either at home cuddling their wives and children or off at the bar, looking for the night’s entertainment. That would be him in another few weeks. A weight settled on his chest. Damn, this last week had been a bitch. He’d had a hell of a time sleeping. Part of it had been worry about Kat but part of it was just missing her beside him. It was strange to want another body in his bed. Usually he wanted the woman there long enough to fuck but then needed to escape. It was too confining to have someone else taking up space he was used to filling. But with Kat it had been different. She’d been comfortable in bed. And though he’d groused at her cold feet it had felt good to warm her toes—and the rest of her. His cock twitched in his trousers. Great. He had a hard-on and had to go endure two hours of small talk while watching Kat flirt with a dozen or more men. She was probably already there. Her pretty breasts lifted and presented for viewing. Fuck. He hated this. He knew as soon as he walked into the room he’d get the overwhelming urge to pound his chest and challenge any man who dared look at his woman. His woman? Not anymore. “Detective?” The soft feminine voice was like a battering ram against his thoughts. He jerked and looked up. It took him only a second to place the woman before him. Victim Number Two. Jessica Wills. Drugged at the party and disappeared. She’d been found dazed and bleeding three days later. “Miss Wills.” He stood. “How can I help you?” She’d been broken and terrified when she’d been found and hadn’t been able to tell them much about her experience. Even now as he watched her, he could see the pure determination it took for her to stand there. “I know I wasn’t much help when they found me—” “Not at all. You told us what you could and that’s all we expect.” She smiled softly as if she appreciated his comfort. “I know that’s not true.” She shook her head, staring at the desk between them, never quite looking at him. “I still can’t talk about it with anyone. They want me to talk to a counselor but I can’t say the words. I can’t talk about it.” “I understand.” He winced because he didn’t understand and there was very little likelihood in his life he ever would. But after seeing Kat and what the loss of even a few hours of her life meant, he understood the pain of someone who loved a victim. The frustration at being unable to fix whatever was going on inside her. “I started writing things down. Just to get them out of my head.” She glanced up. “Mostly it’s just ramblings and being pissed.” Tears filled her eyes and Mitch felt his fingers curl into fists, wanting to kill the man who’d hurt her. She gulped in a breath and held out a book. “I’d like it back so I can burn it but everything I remember is there.

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I hope it helps.” She plopped the book in his hand and spun around, stalking from the room as if she was afraid she might snatch it from his hands. Mitch gripped the book and watched her, pausing only a second before he called the front desk to make sure she got safely to her car. As soon as the call was made he sat down and flipped open the journal. It started three days after she’d been found and taken to the hospital. It felt intrusive to read her private thoughts, like he was eavesdropping on a confession, but he pushed on. Anger poured off the page—rage at being raped and the loss of her memory. Mitch’s stomach turned even before he got to any information about the attack. Just the pain and harm done to this woman. He forced himself to keep reading, skimming some of the emotional parts, knowing it would do no one any good if he became so pissed he ripped the journal in half. His eyes moving so quickly down the page he almost missed the short insertion. The vague, hazy description of the room. Mitch read it but a sense of urgency moved him on. He grabbed a sticky flag and marked the page. They would come back later and analyze everything she remembered. He kept on. The memories becoming more frequently interspersed with the emotions. I woke up to hear someone yelling at me. As I came to, he drove it inside, ripping into me. I could hear someone crying and knew it was me but whatever drug he’d given me wouldn’t let me fight. All I could do was lie there while he… Mitch hated it and wondered again how the guys in the sex crimes division faced it every day. Two pages later, another section caught his eye. It was dark when I came to this time and I could hear her in the blackness, laughing at me, taunting me. Telling me what she would do to me next and how much I would like it. I’m a slut. I’m a slut. All I care about is some man pounding himself between my legs. Colors spin inside my brain, blocking out the darkness, and that voice hums through my head, laughing as I cry. He read through it again—something didn’t make sense. On the second pass he realized she was referring to a woman. Had she just made a mistake as she was writing? No, there it was a second time. Or maybe it was just the confusion of a traumatized woman. Mitch reached for the phone, flipping open the case file even as the dial tone rumbled in his ear. He quickly dialed Jessica Wills’ cell phone, hating that he had to disturb her when she so obviously didn’t want to talk about this. “Hello?” Her greeting was hesitant as if the strange phone number on the other end was a threat. “Miss Wills? This is Detective Keane. You dropped off your journal to me about an hour ago?” “Yes.” “I’m sorry to bother you but I have a question. At one point you refer to a woman’s voice. She seems to be threatening you. Is that accurate?” 114

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She hesitated for a moment then said, “Yes. I know it sounds strange but I heard a woman there.” She paused for a breath. “I might be remembering wrong. Most of it is just vague images. Whatever they gave me kept me pretty foggy. I don’t even remember how I got away.” Sheer guts and determination, Mitch thought. “Well, thank you, Miss Wills. This has been a great help.” “I’m sorry I couldn’t do it earlier.” Her voice trembled but then steadied again. “Don’t worry. You’ve done well. We’ll keep you informed.” He quickly hung up and stared at the open pages. A woman? Was it possible? They’d all assumed it was a man. The brutality of the rapes had caused them to immediately look at men. The presence of spermicide also indicated the attacker was male, but of course a woman could have used a condom on whatever instrument she’d used to penetrate. It might even help her maintain the fantasy that she was a man hurting these women. Mitch pushed back from his desk, grabbing his coat as he stood up and started walking. A woman. They had done cursory examinations of the women who worked at Matching Signs and the bar but not closely. They’d assumed they were looking for a man. The image of Kat lying on the hall floor, her foot jammed against the doorframe in an instinctive attempt to keep from being dragged out. And the bartender kneeling over her, her hands on Kat’s shoulders. Not trying to help her up but to drag her out. She was in the perfect position to serve the drugged drinks. They hadn’t looked closely at her because she was a woman. Fuck. Mitch flipped open his phone and hit the speed dial for Kat as he hit the door. The phone rang four times and then Kat’s voice mail picked up. “This is Kat. Leave a message. I’ll call you back.” “Kat, call me. Whatever you do, don’t drink anything tonight. Get the hell out of there. And call me. I think we’ve been looking at this wrong.” “Hey, Mitch.” Mitch looked up and saw Justin strolling toward him, his arms open wide. “You don’t have your date already. Let’s—” “Get to dispatch. See if they can trace Kat’s phone.” “Trace Kat’s phone?” “Our phones have GPS. Go to dispatch and figure out how to track where Kat is.” Justin might be a young shit most of the time but he understood when to get serious. “What’s going on?”

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“I think I know who we’re looking for.” “Who?” Justin asked, dropping into step with Mitch as he strode toward his car. “The bartender.” “We looked at him.” “Not him, her. The woman. Mara.” They reached Mitch’s car. “Kat went to the Matching Signs party. I’m going to get her.” “Want me to go with you?” “No, find Kat’s phone. I’m going to the club. I’ll call Drew as I’m driving and get him on this.” “I’ll get the rest of the squad. If she’s in danger, they’ll all want to be in on it.” Mitch nodded. Justin was right. Kat had become a part of their group. No doubt when this was all over, she would be asked to take the detective’s test and then they’d be working together every day. Except the department would never go for that. If he was on the detective squad, she couldn’t be. Not if they were dating. But they weren’t dating. Would Kat even want to try? His scrambled mind couldn’t deal with it all. He floored the gas pedal and hit the siren, screaming through the streets. First, he would get to Kat, make sure she was safe, then he’d worry about the future.

***** Where the hell is Mitch? Kat glared across the crowded bar. Probably out with some chippy. No, she rejected the idea immediately. Mitch might be pissed at her and might not want to see her, but he’d never miss an assignment. Kat forced her lips into another smile and turned to greet the next man who filled the chair across from her. Her smile turned almost real when she saw it was Jared. “You’re back.” “As are you.” Kat nodded. She could understand why a good-looking guy like Jared might want to come to a party like this, but this was easily his fourth or fifth time. Wasn’t he meeting anyone? Or was he just too picky? Or was there another reason? They’d checked him out. Nothing popped. He leaned forward, his face serious, almost reprimanding. “Where did you go the last time? You disappeared on me. I thought we were going to talk afterward but you left.” “I got sick.” “Hmm. That’s a good word for it. Did you just have a revelation that I wasn’t someone you wanted to spend time with? You could have just said something.” The low tone of his voice was harsh, almost vicious. Kat had to lean in to hear but then the female bartender—Mara—stepped between her table and the next one. The woman

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beside Kat was without a partner across from her. Sitting all alone. They were short one man—Mitch. “Here.” The bartender placed a drink beside the woman. “I didn’t order this.” “It was paid for by an admirer. Enjoy it.” “Thanks.” She raised the drink up in salute and took a long drink. As she placed it back on the table, the napkin floated to the ground. Mara crouched down. “Here. Let me help you.” She placed the napkin back on the table and walked away. Let me help you. Let me help you. Kat replayed the words in her head. They were familiar. That voice, that tone. Where? She tapped one fingernail on the hard wood table, her mind replaying the sounds in her head, repeating them so they became part of her conscious thought. “Kat!” She jolted and looked up. Jared looked across the table at her. “Are you even listening to me?” She shook her head and tried to look apologetic but the glare coming from his eyes made sympathy difficult. “I’m sorry. My mind was elsewhere.” He scoffed. “I should have known. You women are all alike. You’re the least bit pretty and you think a man’s going to fall at your feet and worship.” He dropped back into his chair. “You’re just like my ex. Flashing her tits at me. Always wanting me to follow her around and tell her how beautiful she was. Never stopping to think that sometimes I might—” The chime sounded and Kat held up her box, stopping Jared’s conversation. With a grimace he raised his Matching Signs box to hers. The lights went off and bells rang. “Wow. See. Just proves that even the planets can be wrong sometime,” she said. Jared glared at her one final time and bolted out of his chair, spinning around and heading to the next station. By the time he sat down, his charming smile was back in place. He reached across the table and took the woman’s hand in friendly welcome. The only sign of the arrogant, angry man who’d sat across from Kat was the sneer he pointed her direction when his “date” wasn’t looking. Well, she would be happy to tell Mitch, I was right. He wasn’t a serial killer. Just an asshole. The space across from her was empty and Kat quickly dismissed Jared, turning back to the phrase that was still pressing on her skull. Where had she heard it? Movie lines tended to stick in her head. Maybe it was from a movie. She closed her eyes and tried to picture someone saying it. No figure formed in her imagination. Let me help you. Let me help you.

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A vague memory crept into her head. Darkness, confusion, the strength sapped from her body. Her stomach turned over. That’s where she’d heard it. The person who’d grabbed her. Offered to help her. She’d been in the bathroom, throwing up but he’d come—no, she’d come. Kat opened her eyes and looked up, searching the bar. Mara wasn’t behind the bar. “Hey, maybe you and I should talk.” Kat blinked and looked around “What?” The guy sitting kitty-corner from her leaned out of his chair. “My date bailed and you’re sitting alone. Why don’t I move over?” He started to get up but Kat waved him back. “Where’s the woman who was sitting here?” “She said she wasn’t feeling well and went to the bathroom.” Kat stood up. “Call 911. Tell them there’s an officer down. Have them connect you with Mitch Keane, Detective Mitch Keane if you can. Tell them to get here. Now.”

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Chapter Thirteen As she walked away from the table, a bell chimed in her purse. She kept moving but dipped her hand into her bag and pulled out the phone. “This is Kat.” She stared into the dark corridor, hesitating for a moment before leaving the noise of the bar. “It’s Mitch. Where are—?” Relief spiked through her veins. “Mitch, it’s Mara, the bartender.” “I know.” “How do you know?” she asked, feeling a little disgruntled that she hadn’t been able to spring it on him. “We’ll talk about it later. Now sit tight. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” “I can’t. I think she’s going after someone else.” “What?” Kat reached the bathroom door. So far, she hadn’t seen anyone. “I think she’s grabbed another woman,” she said, most of her attention on the search. She listened at the door and didn’t hear voices but that didn’t mean much. If the drugs worked like the doctor said they did, they could incapacitate someone pretty fast. Taking a deep breath, Kat pushed open the bathroom door, walking with the speed of a woman who needed to pee—but keeping her attention trained on what might be waiting. The room was empty. “Damn.” “What? What’s happening?” She heard a car horn honk and Mitch swear. “Fuck, I hate this.” “The woman I saw in the bar isn’t in the bathroom. That means Mara already has her. I got to go.” “What? No, damn it. You stay there.” “She could hurt her.” “I’m going to hurt you if you don’t listen to me. I’m going to beat your ass so hard you won’t sit down for a week. And this time you won’t like it.” The memory of the delicious sexual spankings he’d given her made her smile. “I love you too, baby,” she said, her voice was filled with teasing but as the words left her mouth, she realized this was the first time she’d said them. And she was pretty sure they were true.

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Silence met her on the other end of the phone. Still moving down the hall, she shook her head. There was a homicidal rapist on the loose, and Mitch was stressing about the fact that she’d said she loved him. Even if she meant it as a joke. Ready to just pitch the phone, his voice stopped her. The panic was gone and he said, “If that’s true, stay inside.” Her heart ached but she couldn’t do what he asked. “Would you?” “No but—” “Just get here fast. I’m going to find her.” “You fucking stay on the phone with me.” The anger returned and poured through the phone but Kat braced herself against it. It was the same tone he’d had after she’d been attacked. He wasn’t so much angry as frightened. “I need both hands. I’ll be fine but I can’t let Mara take this woman away. We might not find her again. Just get here.” Before he could say anything more—or she could make any more confessions, she hit the off button and silenced the ringer. Her chest was tight as she walked down the hallway where Mitch said he’d found her. Bits and pieces of that night flashed through her mind but nothing solid. She ignored the memories and concentrated on the present. She pulled her gun out of her purse and held it down to her side, not wanting to scare any patrons she might run into. The back door—employee entrance—was closed. Kat knew this was where Mitch had found her on the ground—with Mara crouching over her. Kat pushed open the door and stepped into the barely lit parking lot. She quickly scanned the cars and found one with the dome light lit and the back door open. She jogged across the parking lot—as well as she could in two-inch heels—and saw Mara pushing a woman into the back seat of a car. “Police. Freeze.” Mara tensed but straightened, pulling the woman with her. The unconscious woman collapsed against Mara. “What’s this all about? I’m just trying to help her. She isn’t well.” “No kidding.” Kat stepped closer and saw Mara’s eyes widen. “I remember you. You’re a cop?” She tsked her tongue. “You should really know better than to get falling down drunk when you’re out in public.” Kat glared but before she could give Mara another command to step back, Mara shoved the drugged woman toward Kat. Instinct won and Kat reached out to catch her. As the body fell to the ground, Mara swung her foot out and connected with Kat’s head. The bright pain set off sparklers behind her eyes and she dropped to the ground. Gravel dug into her bare shoulder but she couldn’t find the ability to react. A body moved over her and a sweet, comforting voice filled the night air. “Oooh, such a slut that you had to come back for more. Even after that handsome cop carried you away.” It felt like a vise grip around Kat’s chest and she realized Mara 120

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was sitting on her. “He’s probably off fucking the next girl in a short skirt with big boobs. Did you really think you could hold him? You little sluts are all alike.” A cloth covered Kat’s mouth and nose. Her body tried to reject the vile scent that flowed through the material but after a few long moments, she needed breath and gasped, inhaling whatever it was deep into her lungs. The pain almost immediately disappeared as her mind floated away. A corner of her brain told her to move but she couldn’t make her body respond. She opened her eyes and stared up at Mara. The woman smiled—evil flowing from behind the light in her gaze. “That’s it. Don’t worry. I don’t blame you.” Soft hands moved across her skin. Her voice was musical now. “You’re born this way. Libras are always sluts. But I can save you. Show you that you don’t need a man—don’t need to spread your legs for every asshole with a dick.” Light caught a piece of glass and Kat realized Mara was holding a syringe. “You’ll learn,” she crooned as she stroked Kat’s arm, lowering the needle to the crook in her elbow. “You’ll learn to love everything I do to you. That’s the only way you can be saved.” The needle pressed against her arm. “This won’t hurt much. It’s a special mix I’ve been working with. You’ll be begging me for more.” Fighting the drug that held her bound, Kat tensed her arm as the needle pricked her skin. “Drop it.” Mitch’s clear, harsh voice rang through the night. Mara immediately released the syringe and it tinkled as it hit the ground. “Now stand up.” Mara moved slowly, following directions, moving into the shadows between the cars as she stood, cautiously backing away. The weak light glinted off the metal of Kat’s gun—in Mara’s hand. Her body still locked in paralysis, Kat watched as Mara shook her head. “I was only trying to help her.” She kept the gun hidden next to the car. “I’ll bet. Let me see your hands.” “She’s hurt.” Mara’s insistence made Mitch glance down. From the shadow, Mara raised the gun and shot through the car windows, glass erupting across the pavement and Kat’s body. Mitch cried out and Kat heard a thump as he hit the ground. She struggled to move but her body wouldn’t respond. Her mind was clear and she fought the drug, willing her muscles to tighten. Mara stood over her and stared down with a wicked smirk. The faint wail of sirens haunted the air. She sighed heavily as if she was disappointed. “I guess I won’t be able to finish with you. It’s too bad. I think you could have been helped.” She looked over at Mitch. “And don’t worry. Your knight in shining armor isn’t dead. I know better than to kill a cop. Maybe, if you’re lucky, he’ll fuck you for a few months before finding some other bitch to stick it into.” She kicked Kat in the ribs, her voice turning from gentle to harsh. “But don’t worry, a Libra slut like yourself will always find another man.” She drew back her foot and Kat tensed. “Think of me the next time you spread your legs for him. I could have saved you, made you happy.” She kicked—and Kat’s body responded. She 121

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snapped her hand out and grabbed Mara’s foot as it connected. Clumsy and still fighting the drugs, Kat pulled hard, yanking Mara’s leg up. The momentum sent the woman backward, dropping her hard to the pavement. Kat let her fury take control and threw herself forward, landing on top of Mara, straddling her. Rocks scraped Kat’s knees but she ignored the pain. She drew back her fist and drove it forward, cracking into Mara’s cheek. The woman groaned and Kat felt a wicked satisfaction at the thud of her head hitting the ground. Noise echoed in the distance but Kat let it roll past her. Mara struggled—freeing her hands and trying to throw Kat off. Anger and adrenaline flooded her system and Kat swung again, connecting once more with Mara’s jaw. She got no response but didn’t care. She drew her fist back, ready for another hit. A huge hand wrapped around her wrist and stopped her. “Kat, let her go. She’s unconscious.” She blinked and looked up at Drew. He stared down at her, looking deep into her eyes as if to make sure she really heard him. “You can get up now.” “She shot Mitch.” Kat barely recognized her own voice or the violence that flowed through her. The desire to hurt the woman who hurt her lover. “Yes. Now come on. Let’s get back and let them take her away.” She let Drew pull her to her feet and slowly backed away, the energy draining from her body as she stood. Mitch. The thought hit her like a train. “Where’s Mitch? Is he—?” She couldn’t quite bring herself to say the word. “Bleeding but alive.” They turned and saw two EMTs kneeling on either side of his fallen body. They moved quickly, their faces grim and determined. Kat’s heart sunk into her stomach and a tight band constricted her chest. “I’m fine.” The snarling growl that rattled from between the two EMTs shocked Kat’s heart into beating again. Mitch was obviously alive and well enough to speak. And he was pissed. “Now let me—” “Just stay down. We’ll get you to the hospital and then you can fight with the doctors.” Before he had a chance to protest—a sign that he was truly injured because an uninjured Mitch would never have capitulated that easily—they loaded him onto a gurney and the ambulance drove away. As the vehicle left the parking lot, Kat realized she was still watching it, staring at the empty space. She had to snap out of it. She had a job to do. Reports to file. Giving herself a shake, she blinked and looked up at Drew. “It was Mara. She’s—” “We got it, Kat. Justin and Brad are taking it over. The crime scene team is on the way.”

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She looked up. More bodies filled the tiny space of the parking lot. Another medical team assisted the unconscious woman Mara had targeted. A uniformed officer was setting up crime scene tape. Brad was kneeling beside Mara. “I should—” She couldn’t really think. Mitch. She had to check on Mitch. He’d gotten shot because of her. “Go to the hospital,” Drew finished for her. “You and I are going to the hospital.” “What?” “We’ll go—get those scrapes looked at.” As he mentioned the scratches on her knees and hands, they started to hurt. “And then you and I will pace the waiting room until they say that Mitch is done.” Kat stared at him. He seemed to know about her and Mitch. Then Drew shrugged. “It’s tradition that when your partner gets hurt, you have to stand around waiting like an idiot. I could use the company.” Mitch had been shot and she was going to see him. Screw the fact that the rest of the world might find out they were lovers. She was going to the hospital and when he got better they were going to have a serious talk. They arrived to find the emergency room in full tilt. The only news they could get about Mitch was that he’d arrived and was still alive. Being prepped for surgery—or so the nurse thought. Drew led Kat down the hall and found someone to take care of her cuts. She moved in a fog, knowing that it was a good thing Drew was there or she wouldn’t be able to function. Her mind was filled with too much information. Too many things to think about. Suddenly it didn’t seem to matter if she and Mitch were a traditional couple or not. She wanted him. Safe and sound and in her life. “I’m going to go see what I can find out about Mitch. Let the docs treat you and they’ll take you down the waiting area.” Drew spoke slowly—which was good because slow was all Kat could handle at the moment. She nodded and then winced. She looked down at the red, bleeding cuts on her knees. Well, that would be something to think about. Something to distract her from thoughts of Mitch.

***** Mitch opened his eyes and saw Drew standing in the doorway. The pain in his shoulder spiked as he pushed himself up. “What’s this crap? The nurse says you’re refusing treatment.” “No, I’ll let them… Where is she?” “The nurse?” Drew walked to the bedside. “No.” He closed his eyes and fought the wave of fire in his shoulder. “Oh, Mara. Don’t worry. We got her. She’s on the way to the prison hospital.”

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Mitch shook his head. He didn’t care about Mara. “No. Kat. Where is she? Is she all right?” “She’s down the hall. They’re looking at her—” He lunged up and grabbed Drew’s arm. “Is she hurt? You didn’t tell me she was hurt.” “She’s fine.” The startled, cautious look on Drew’s face warned Mitch that he was overreacting but damn it, he couldn’t find out anything about Kat. She’d slipped away, facing that bitch on her own. And he hadn’t been able to help. His head spun again and he sank back down on the bed. The nurse came to his other side and ordered him to lie still. “I’m going to give you something to calm you down. Then we’ll get you into surgery.” She held up a needle and started to move toward his IV. “No! Don’t knock me out yet.” “Mitch, man, let her do it. They’ve got to get the bullet out.” “Where is she? Where’s Kat?” Mitch demanded, ignoring the nurse’s irritated glare. He knew he had to let them treat his shoulder but not until he knew what had happened to Kat. “The doctor’s got her—” “I thought you said she was fine.” “She is. But she’s got some cuts on her fists and her legs from when she beat the hell out of our suspect. The doc’s just cleaning the wounds.” “Let me see her.” The nurse moved back in and Mitch jerked away. “No. Not until I see Kat.” The commiserating look between Drew and the nurse should have made him feel guilty but there was no room for such a worthless emotion. He needed to see Kat. “I’ll go get her and then you’ll let them knock you out?” “Yes.” With Drew’s assurance to return soon, Mitch rested back on the pillows— keeping one eye on the nurse, practically daring her to come near him with that needle. Not until he saw Kat. Assured himself that she was okay. That she was safe. Kat patted the bandages on the backs of her hands. Her knuckles had split when she’d punched Mara. Admittedly, she’d been a little harsh with her response but the woman had shot Mitch. Kat curled her fingers into a fist and winced as the newly cleaned cuts burned. Her knees ached and stung every time she moved but they’d been able to get the grit out of the wounds. “You okay?” She looked up and saw Yvonne standing beside her. “Oh yeah. A few bruises. I’ll be fine. Mitch is—” Tears clogged her voice and she just nodded instead. Yvonne sat down and put her arm around Kat’s shoulders. Drew must have called her.

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“I know.” Brad and Justin stood silently in the corner of the room, their grim faces making Kat’s heart ache even more. Mitch would supposedly be fine. The EMTs said he looked good but still—he was shot. And that was never a minor thing. Until he came out of surgery, Kat knew the rest of the squad would wait here. And so would she. Everyone straightened as Drew walked into the room. He quickly scanned the faces, stopping when he found hers. “Mitch won’t let them treat him until he sees Kat.” “Me?” Drew nodded and Kat slowly stood. He raised his eyebrows but Kat chose to ignore his silent question. She followed him down the hall and into the prep room. The curtain was pulled back and a very grim-faced nurse glared at them. “Do something before he loses any more blood,” the woman commanded. Drew nodded and urged Kat forward. They went behind the curtain. Mitch lay on the raised bed, his upper body propped up, a bandage covering the hole in his shoulder. “Mitch?” His head snapped up and then he winced. The pain on his face had her moving, reaching for him, even as he stretched out his hand to her. “Are you okay, baby?” he asked, dragging her close. “They said you were hurt.” “A few scratches. It’s nothing. I’m so sorry. You—” He continued to pull her forward, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her into him, his lips searching and finding hers. She forgot that Drew was watching. Forgot the nurses were waiting. Her senses were consumed by the desperation and hunger that filled Mitch’s kiss. Anger joined in and he drove his tongue into her mouth, as if to remind himself that she was there and his. Long moments later he drew back, wincing as he lay back on the bed. His chest rose and fell in tortured breaths. “I’m still going to beat your ass.” She smiled. He was going to be okay. Aware that others were listening, she leaned down and lowered her voice to a husky whisper. “Just let them fix you up and you’re more than welcome to do whatever you want to my ass.” Heat flickered in his eyes, warming Kat with the promise and warning that he planned to do just that. He raised his chin to the nurse. “Okay, let’s do this.” The woman hrrmphed and walked to his bedside. While Kat watched, she injected something into Mitch’s IV. Moments later his eyes turned glassy. “We have to take him now,” the nurse said gently. Kat nodded and bent down to give him a quick kiss. “I’ll be waiting.” “Good.” His eyes drooped shut. “I love you.” He didn’t speak but a dopey grin formed on his lips. He’d heard her. 125

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She backed out of the room and found Drew waiting in the hall—the look on his face a combination of surprise and irritation. “You’re the chippy?” Kat straightened her spine and tried to hide her blush. “Not crazy about that term but yes.” She raised her chin, staring Drew down. Finally he shook his head and turned away, walking down the hall toward the waiting room. They walked in and everyone stood. Justin, Yvonne and Brad looked expectantly at them. Drew stepped to the side, looked at the group and announced, “She’s the chippy.” “What? Who?” “Kat. She’s Mitch’s chippy.” Everyone in the room was silent, staring. Yvonne thrust her fists into the air. “Yes. I win the pool.” “There was a pool?” Kat’s dismay was smothered by the amazement that Yvonne had actually won. “You actually put Kat’s name in the pot?” Drew demanded. “Yep. The day after we visited at her house.” She shook her head and smiled gently at Kat. “You don’t drink beer but you had the kind that Mitch drinks in your refrigerator—and he was way too familiar with the layout of your kitchen.” Justin stared at Drew and back at Yvonne. “You should join the squad.” Kat laughed along with everyone else but waited on tenterhooks. After the shock wore off, what were they going to say? Do? Again Drew shook his head. “I’m amazed.” “Yeah,” Justin agreed. “I’m gonna kick his ass once he gets better.” “Oh yeah.” Brad nodded along with them before Drew pulled her into a big hug. “Well, welcome to the family.” Kat smiled but crushed the flutter of nerves. Things might change once Mitch got out of surgery. He might regret his display. It might not matter. She did love him but she couldn’t go back to being his “chippy”. She wanted more. She sat down and accepted a cup of coffee from Yvonne. There was nothing to do but wait.

*****

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Kat pushed open the hospital room door and almost backed out. Mitch’s room was full. Packed. People stacked three deep around his bed. Balloons were tied to the bed and flowers covered every available flat surface in the room. She’d spent much of the past two days in this room but it had always been just the two of them—or a member of his family. They seemed to accept Kat’s right to be there. Maybe it had something to do with the way Mitch held her hand, keeping her by his side whenever he was awake. After his mother and his sister, she’d been the first person to see him. She wasn’t going to ask too many questions. Not yet. Maybe getting shot had changed Mitch’s perspective of the world. It didn’t matter. She was going to go with the flow for a while. Let him get better. Then they could talk. “There she is,” Drew called from the far side of the bed. “Kat, get in here. He’s been asking for you every two minutes.” “Once,” Mitch protested. “I asked once.” Kat laughed, feeling a little on display as a pathway opened up between her and his bed. She noticed that the crowd was mainly cops—patrol and detectives, the lieutenant—but Mitch’s family and a few people she didn’t recognize were also included. She walked forward, planning to stop a casual distance away. But Mitch held out his good arm, silently calling for her to take his hand. She did, loving the warmth of his grip as he pulled her to him. As had become their habit, he dragged her all the way down—mindless of the fact that there were other people, a bunch of other people, in the room—and gave her a quick kiss. It wasn’t passionate or overwhelming. It was a sweet, welcome back kiss. The kind husbands and wives shared before and after work. It made her heart flutter almost as much as the deep, intoxicating kisses they shared when everyone was gone. “Ah, come on,” Drew moaned. “I still can’t believe I’m seeing you two do that.” “You’ll get used to it,” Mitch said with a smirk. He laced his fingers with hers and looked at the lieutenant. “We’re both here now.” “Well, I have certificates and awards from the mayor’s office. All set for both of you, once you’re out of the hospital.” He nodded to Mitch. Mitch squeezed her fingers as if to tell her it would soon be over. “And Mitch, here’s a present from the department.” He handed over a flat package about four inches thick wrapped in brown paper. Kat leaned close as Mitch undid the tape. He didn’t seem nearly as curious as she did. Like he knew what was inside. He peeled back the paper and revealed a new uniform. A patrol uniform. Mitch was going back on patrol? That didn’t make sense. Then she looked at the name above the pocket. Sergeant Mitch Keane. Sergeant? The room erupted in soft applause.

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“Thanks, LT, but I can’t accept it.” He closed the paper and looked at the lieutenant. “With Kat on patrol, you know I can’t take over the sergeant’s position. The department would never go for that.” Lieutenant Lee nodded. “It’s a delayed assignment. Sergeant Green is staying on for another three months. That should be enough time for Officer Browning to take and pass the detective’s test.” Kat felt her heart skip a beat. “You did an excellent job in our division and if you’re up to it, we’d like to make you a permanent member.” “Um, yes.” There was another comforting squeeze to her fingers. “So get well and when you come back, we’ll get you trained up to run the patrol unit.” The lieutenant looked around. “Now why don’t we all get out of here and let Mitch rest? I need him back on duty in a few days.” There was grumbling and some laughter and it took about twenty minutes but eventually everyone left—even Mitch’s mom who had guarded him like a lioness with her cub. Only Kat remained behind. The door closed, leaving them alone. She looked at the uniform now sitting neatly near the window. “So, Sergeant, huh?” “Yeah. What do you think?” She smiled, sitting down on the edge of his bed. “I think you’ll be great.” “And you want to take the detective’s test, right?” “Oh yes.” “Then what’s wrong?” He looked at her with those deep blue eyes and she felt her heart melt. She took a deep breath and gathered her courage. “Everyone knows about us now and they all seem to expect this to be a permanent thing. Or if not permanent, at least long term…” “And you don’t want that.” He said it with such lack of emotion that it startled Kat. “No. That’s not it. I know you didn’t want to get that involved. I mean, we started with the understanding that it would be just sex—” “It was never just sex for me.” He grimaced. “Well, not since very early. The first couple of times, yeah.” She nodded, afraid to believe what she was hearing. “And I got the impression it was more than sex for you too. After all, you said you loved me as they were taking me away for surgery. Were you just taking pity on the wounded guy?”

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“No!” She slapped his good arm. “I meant it. I just don’t want to trap you into a relationship you don’t want.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her down. “I’m a master at getting out of relationships I don’t want. This time I’m trying to get into one and you’re making it very difficult.” He kissed her. “Now tell me you love me.” “Why?” “Because I want to hear it when I’m not drugged up.” She looked down at him and saw something in his eyes—something that gave her the confidence to do it. “I love you.” “I love you too.” “Are you going to make me say it first all the time?” she demanded, sitting up. He laughed. “No. God, I love you. You don’t back down for one minute.” “Not with you. I’m just trying to keep up.”

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Epilogue Kat looked up at the door. Mitch stood in the hall, waiting for her—and looking damn fine in his patrol uniform. The rule at the police department was that when an officer was promoted to sergeant, he couldn’t be placed in his old division. That’s why Mitch had been moved to patrol. It had worked out well. Mitch liked being out on the streets. And Kat was still a newbie in the detective unit but she was getting her feet under her. He looked around the room, saw it was empty and walked in, resting his hip on her desk. “You ready? I’m hungry. And I need to mow the lawn tonight.” He’d given up his condo and moved into Kat’s house two months ago—three months after he’d gotten out of the hospital. They had quickly decided the house was too small for the both of them but it worked until they could find something else. And Mitch loved having a lawn to take care of. Kat was thrilled. She hated that part of owning a house. But tonight, she had other plans for the evening. “I’m ready. I just got off the phone with the prosecutor. Mara’s trial date is already getting pushed back.” “She’ll get her day in court eventually. And with all the evidence they got from her house, she’s going away for a long time. But they have to go through all the motions.” “Bet she pleads insane.” “Bet she’s not far off. That weird obsession she had with Libra women.” “Well…” She winked at him. “We are one of the love signs. Influenced by Venus.” She stood up and leaned close. “Are you sure you have to mow the lawn tonight?” she whispered, thinking of the lingerie and handcuff combination she had in a box under the bed waiting for just such a night like this. “I have a surprise I think you might like.” He smiled. “You mean that hot little number you have hidden under the bed?” Her mouth fell open and she glared at him. “What were you doing looking down there?” “I’m nosy. I’m a cop. It’s my nature.” He threw his arm around her shoulder and led her to the doorway. “Besides, I was looking to see if you’d gotten me anything for my birthday.” “Why would I get you something for your birthday already? It’s four months away.” He stopped walking. “No, it’s not. It’s next week.” “It can’t be next week.”

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“I know when my birthday is. It’s next week. Ask my mom.” “But you’re a Cancer. That’s like June-July.” He shook his head. “I’m not a Cancer. I’m an Aries.” “But your Matching Signs box. That was a Cancer box.” “Oh right. Yeah, I have several IDs I used when I went undercover. I guess that one had a different birthday on it.” “You’re an Aries?” “What’s the big deal?” He started down the steps, waiting for her to catch up. “Nothing.” Aries. She hadn’t looked at it in months but she still remembered the signs compatibility match. Not compatible with Cancer. Very compatible with Aries. You’ll find excitement and passion in the bedroom with your Aries man. Emotional and sexual rapport will be strong and the initial meeting could be marked by powerful sexual urges. She stared at his back. Hmm. Maybe she should contact the Matching Signs people and give a testimonial—because the planets truly had helped her find her perfect match.

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About the Author Tielle (pronounced “teal”) St. Clare has had life-long love of romance novels. She began reading romances in the 7th grade when she discovered Victoria Holt novels and began writing romances at the age of 16 (during Trigonometry, if the truth be told). During her senior year in high school, the class dressed up as what they would be in twenty years—Tielle dressed as a romance writer. When not writing romances, Tielle has worked in public relations and video production for the past 20 years. She moved to Alaska when she was seven years old in 1972 when her father was transferred with the military. Tielle believes romances should be hot and sexy with a great story and fun characters. Tielle welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Tielle St. Clare Christmas Elf Close Quarters Dragon’s Fire Dragon’s Kiss Dragon’s Rise Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis III anthology Ellora’s Cavemen: Legendary Tails II anthology Enter the Dragon anthology First Moon Rise Irish Enchantment anthology Just One Night Simon’s Bliss Through Shattered Light Transformations anthology

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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