if in ecstasy.
Damn it, he was about to bust out his zipper.
One song bled into the next, then another. Even her graceful fingers turned him on,
and he imagined his big dark hands all over her fair skin, enveloping her slight form
as he drove into her sweet, tight cunt.
He drew in a deep breath. Mission objective: Save the girl from being horrifically
murdered. He had no business thinking about sex with her. She had a boyfriend. He
was a foot taller and outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. The grooves on
his face revealed the harsh danger in his life she would never understand. Bailey
would probably take one look at him and scream.
As she raised her leg behind her, arched her back, and made some graceful sweep with
her arms, the phone in his pocket buzzed. Thanking fuck that the music covered the
sound, he pulled it from his pocket. Jack Cole. Caitlyn Wells’s body had been discovered
about four that afternoon. He’d thoughtfully included a picture. As he saw it, Joaquin
hissed in a breath. She’d received the same treatment as the others—broken, sawed
into pieces, mutilated almost beyond recognition. If Logan and Hunter’s theory about
who was behind all this was right, these separatists were working faster. Or maybe
they were just losing patience. Either way, it wasn’t good. They’d be done with the
girl in Oklahoma soon. And they’d be heading down to Houston—if they weren’t on their
way already. Then they’d abduct Bailey and— Fuck no. He couldn’t even think about
that. It wouldn’t happen on his watch.
He tapped out a quick curse to Jack and added that he’d call later.
About that time, Bailey turned off the music. Perspiration dripped down her neck,
disappeared between her breasts. Patches of moisture discolored the back of her leotard.
Her hairline was soaking wet. Joaquin found himself just as fascinated. Did she work
that hard in bed with a lover, chasing pleasure with him to create an unforgettable
experience?
She disappeared, and he saw the shoes fly across the room, back into the corner. The
patter of footsteps over the hardwood floors grew quieter, fainter, until they disappeared.
The creak of the old house’s water pipes sounded in the walls next. Bailey had probably
gone to shower.
Easing the armoire door open, he peeked out. All the lights were on and the coast
was clear. Excellent.
First order of business: Secure the location.
Joaquin unfolded himself from the cramped space and backtracked to the front door.
He wanted to throttle her when he found it unlocked. Was she insane? Even if she didn’t
know about the danger breathing down her neck, any run-of-the-mill rapist or killer
looking for an easy thrill could just walk right in while she was in a tile box with
her eyes closed and so damn vulnerable.
Shit
. He’d never quite understood the urge to spank a woman, but he was starting to get
a clue.
After locking them in tight once more, he swiped her phone and schlepped back to her
bedroom. Sweat-damp clothes littered the floor. Running water pelted the walls and
floor of the shower. She sang in a high, lilting soprano. He didn’t recognize the
song. Something about eternal love—vomit—but she could carry a tune. That shouldn’t
surprise him. She was both musical and talented.
Tucking himself behind a plush chair in a corner of the room, he prowled through her
phone, just waiting for her to emerge from the bathroom. She didn’t password protect
the device, so he could see the name of her last caller. Blane looked young, fit,
and boyishly handsome. They’d exchanged a series of texts with lots of flirting and
hearts.
Somewhere in the back of his head, Joaquin wondered if her boyfriend would pose a
problem by doing something inconvenient like dropping by unexpectedly tonight. Joaquin
would almost wonder what she saw in a guy like Blane, except it was both obvious and
irrelevant.
The