Control…he had to regain control. This thing buzzing between them made doing his job inordinately difficult. He could not compromise her safety…or the case.
For the next half hour, they wandered through the crowd, stopping to dance when a song Leah liked vibrated from the speakers. He spotted at least one of Lambert’s people. The guy parked at a table looked far too uptight and watchful to be a regular patron.
By the time Leah announced she was ready to leave, Owen was incredibly grateful. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take of this pretending to be a couple without making a serious mistake. His whole body hummed at the sound of her voice, the touch of her hand.
When they emerged onto the sidewalk in the night air, he relaxed marginally, sharpened his focus on their surroundings. A few people strolled the sidewalks on either side of the street. A car—not the black sedan—rolled slowly past. Lambert had people here. Leah’s hand squeezed his, and she glanced up athim with a dreamy smile. This, he decided, was going to be a long night.
She held on to his hand until they were in the car heading back to Chestnut Place.
There was no talking…just the distinct sizzle of electricity still flowing between them. He had maybe fifteen minutes to regain some semblance of control.
Gerard/Morris Apartment
Chestnut Street, 11:45 p.m.
LEAH’S FINGERS FUMBLEDtwice in her effort to unlock the door. Though Owen waited behind her, the smell of his aftershave was driving her mad.
If they hadn’t been in the middle of that club, she was certain that kiss would have ended up going way, way further. She had never been kissed like that. Ever. Even now, she could scarcely breathe thinking about it.
The truth was…she had wanted way more than just that kiss. Still did.
Finally, the key turned and the door unlocked. Owen placed a hand on her arm to remind her that he needed to go in first. If anyone was waiting inside, he wanted to be the one at the front of the line.
Leah closed and locked the door behind them and then sagged against it. Her body was on fire. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had sex, but she wanted it now. Wanted it in the worst way.
When he was about to head into the hall toward the bedrooms, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Wait.”
He turned around, worry in his expression.
She pushed off the door she’d just locked, let her purse drop to the floor and walked straight up to him. Her arms wentaround his neck, and she rose onto her tiptoes until her lips locked with his. He hesitated, let her do what she would without reacting, which only made her more desperate. Her fingers threaded through his dark hair, her breasts rubbed against his chest—sending fire shooting straight through her.
Finally, his arms went around her and he pulled her tightly against him. She made a sound of want, and he reacted, lifting her off her feet and moving toward the bedroom. Her legs went around his waist, and he staggered to a stop, pressed her against the nearest wall. He glided one hand over her thigh, moving toward her bottom. She cried out. He deepened the kiss. She nipped his lower lip, and he repaid her in kind.
He lifted her away from the wall and moved through the door to her room. She wanted to rip that T-shirt off his body…wanted to feel his skin beneath her palms. When he reached the bed, her feet dropped to the floor and her hands went instantly to that tee, tugging it out from his jeans. He removed his belt, all the while kissing her.
They were doing this…yes, they were. If he stopped now, she would absolutely die.
His fingers went to her hair and worked the elastic from it, letting it fall around her shoulders. He traced the length of it down her back.
Her own fingers struggled with working his tee upward. His hands moved away from her long enough to pull the wad of cotton over his head and drop it to the floor. Her hands went instantly to his chest, glided over his skin…feeling the heat and the pounding of his heart.
Her tee came off next, and then he was easing her down onto the bed. She relaxed into the softness of the covers, and he climbed on top of her, his knees on either side of her hips, keeping his weight off her body.
But she wanted to feel the weight of him…she wanted to…
Her elbow brushed against something cool on the covers. She froze.
“You okay?” he whispered breathlessly.
“There’s…” She tried to reach whatever it was with her hand but couldn’t get in the right position. “There’s something in the bed.”
He was off her instantly and yanking her up and away from any potential threat. The bedside lamp suddenly came on, and she blinked her eyes to adjust to the light.
A faceted heart-shaped glass object sparkled red against the white covers. Another smaller piece, and then another and another, spread out around it. Leah rushed to her bedroom window and opened the curtains she kept pulled across it.
“The wind chime.” She walked back to the bed and turned on the lamp that sat on the opposite side of where she slept. There was enough light then to see the near-invisible strings that connected all the pieces of colored glass. “It hangs in my window.” She glanced back at the window, then at the bed once more. “It was in the window when I closed the curtains to get dressed before we left for the club.”
“Where did the wind chime come from?” Owen asked.
