“He’s fine,” Cusack assured her. “He’s upstairs now and doesn’t appear to be nursing too bad of a hangover.”
Eva barked a laugh. “Well, now, that’s surprising. If I had drank as much as he did last night, I wouldn’t be moving today. I probably should have cut him off sooner than I did but, well, he was so depressed about losing his job. I knew he lived in the building and he promised he wouldn’t be driving anywhere, so I let him drink a while.”
“How long is a while?” Megan asked.
Eva tapped her chin and looked to the ceiling. “Oh, seems like it was about nine, maybe a quarter after. It was still pretty early.”
“Do you remember what time he came in?” Cusack asked.
“I think it was around six, maybe seven.”
“Thank you, Eva.” Megan smiled and backed away. “We appreciate your time.” She waited until they were outside the bar before she turned to Cusack. “Story checks out, but not completely.”
“Yeah, I got that. If he was really as wasted as that bartender says, then it’s surprising he made it up to his apartment, let alone two miles down the road to the aquarium.”
“But if he was pretending to be drunker than he really was, he would’ve had plenty of time to make it to the aquarium, kill Paul, and get back home. No one would have ever known he was doing anything other than snoozing.”
Cusack scowled. “Yeah, I thought of that, too.”
* * * *
Drake smelled her before he saw her, a heady mix of strawberries and thoroughly aroused female that drifted over him, through him, and settled in his cock. He hadn’t expected her to show. He arrived at the bar of the Bombay Bicycle Club twenty minutes late, settled on a stool, and ordered a draught. He had considered calling her, but nixed the idea almost as soon as it came to him. Order number two, if she didn’t follow this one, he might be wrong after all.
“You started without me,” Megan said, taking the barstool next to him.
Drake slid her a sideways look. “I got tired of waiting.”
She lifted a brow. “Not a patient man, are you? I started not to come.”
Drake pursed his lips. “Why did you?”
“I needed a drink.” She shrugged. “And I told you I would.”
Drake signaled the bartender. “Another draught and…” He shot a questioning look at Megan.
“Sex on the beach, please,” she said to the bartender.
Drake grinned as the bartender walked away. “That could be fun.”
Megan’s gaze slid down his front, her expression starkly sexual, her eyes full of wicked mischief. “Hmm, yes, I bet it could be.”
Drake turned slightly toward her. “So who decided to keep her promise, the detective or the woman?”
“The woman.” The bartender returned with their drinks. She picked hers up and took a long swallow. “I sent the detective home for the night.”
“Then I won’t ask what you found out this afternoon.” Since she wasn’t here to arrest him and he didn’t see Cusack lurking in any shadows, he figured his goose hadn’t been cooked yet.
“Good, because I don’t want to talk about it. I want to forget about suspects and suspicions, and enjoy what is left of the night.”
“How much do you want to enjoy it?”
Megan paused with her glass halfway to her lips. She held his gaze for a long moment, obviously choosing her words carefully. Then she seemed to say to hell with it, took another sip, and set down her glass. “As much as I can.”
Drake stretched one foot to the floor, dug in his pocket, and pulled out the purchase he had picked up on a whim on his way to the bar. He leaned into her, slipping the vibrating bullet into her hand as he pushed her hair back so he could whisper in her ear. “Go to the ladies room and put this in.”
She glanced at the object he had put in her hand, then looked at him, a sea of erotic excitement and dark longing dancing in her big hazel eyes. “Where is the rest of it?”
“In my other pocket.” He leaned in again, licked her earlobe between his teeth for a quick nip, and smiled when she shivered. “I intend to enjoy the night, too.”
* * * *
Megan couldn’t believe she was doing this. She stood in the stall in the ladies room, her shorts and panties around her ankles, and stared at the oval sex toy Drake had given her. She knew what the rest of it was, the part he had said was in his pocket. The wireless remote control for the vibrator he wanted her to insert in her pussy.
You said you wanted to enjoy tonight.
Yes, she had, and she did. Her cheeks heated at the thought of the object vibrating inside her when he chose to hit the switch while she sat in the middle of a crowded bar. No one would know, as long as she didn’t make a fool of herself, of course. If she did this, she would be giving him control, both literally and metaphorically.
Which is exactly what you want, isn’t it?
Yes, it was. She eased her head back, closed her eyes, and took a deep, ragged breath. Slipping her free hand between her legs, she parted her pussy lips with her fingers and pushed the egg-shaped object into her channel. A low moan escaped her lips as her sodden pussy closed around the cold metal, her inner muscles securing it in place.
Better not make any more of those sounds or you
will
make a fool of yourself.
Jesus, this was crazy, but it was fun, too. She found herself smiling wickedly as she pulled up her panties and shorts and walked out of the bathroom. Several male heads turned as she passed them on her way back to her seat, and an evil thrill shot down her spine. She locked gazes with Drake as she slid onto her barstool, fighting to keep her expression blank as the bullet easily shifted inside her sodden pussy.
He lifted his beer mug, a devious smile tilting his lips around the rim. “Is it in?”
Megan nodded and picked up her own glass. She couldn’t stop her attention from dropping to his free hand, to the other pocket where she knew he had the remote control. Instead of going for it, though, he left his free hand resting on his thigh.
“Good. How does it feel?”
He was so laid back, so calm.
So in command.
Confidence pumped off him in waves, mingling with her nervousness and creating an exotic concoction that left her feeling woozy. She thought about his question for a minute, her focus inwardly centering on the bullet in her pussy. “The crude answer would be like a tampon, I guess.”
He nodded once, obviously not put off by her bluntness. Why the hell would he be? The man didn’t hold anything back and apparently didn’t expect her to either.
“I started to pick up one for the other hole, too, but I decided I wanted to be the one to insert it.”
The other hole?
It took a minute for the meaning of his words to sink in. Her eyes widened when she realized he meant her anus.
“Have you ever played there, had it played with?”
She shook her head slowly. “No.” But she wanted to. And her answer to him wasn’t entirely true. She had played around with her anus before, running her vibrator over the entrance, but never daring to push it inside.
“So how are your parents? What are they up to lately?”
My parents?
Megan blinked at him, at the quick change of subject, and his devilish smile widened. “You’re bad, you know that?”
“I thought your specialty was catching the bad guys.”
Have I caught you?
She bit back the question that sprang to her tongue, laughed, and shook her head. “You’re an entirely different kind of bad, Drake Allen.”
I hope.
She shut off the thought before it went any further. She had sent the detective side of her home tonight, determined not to allow any suspicions or doubts to cloud her night with him. Deep down, she knew she didn’t really believe he had killed Paul. Forget all the evidence that was practically slapping her in the face. He was being framed. By whom, she still wasn’t sure. Forget that he scared her to her core. The man spelled danger with a capital
D
, but not in a way that made him a killer. No, the only risks she faced by being with him would be detrimental to her hormones and very possibly to her heart.
“I’m just getting started.” To prove it, he slid the hand on his thigh to his pocket and the bullet inside her began a slow vibration that had her stiffening even as a riot of naughty pleasure raced through her. “You didn’t answer my question.”
His question? What did he ask again?
“You might need to repeat the question,” she said softly, struggling not to sound too breathless.
He tsked and shook his head in a way that might have been disapproval if not for the mischievous glint swirling with the laughter in his eyes.
The speed of the vibrations increased, and Megan barely managed to prevent a moan from escaping. She could hear the low hum of the tiny motor even over the elevated noise in the bar and wondered if anyone else could, too.
She leaned closer to Drake. “Can’t you hear that?”
Drake chuckled. “No, the only reason you can is because it’s inside you.”
She wasn’t entirely sure she believed him, but she settled back on her stool and picked up her drink. She tried to ignore the electric pulses of pleasure zinging through her pussy, tried to concentrate on anything else, but sensations stretched through her, burning her clit, hardening her nipples, and scrambling her brain.
“I asked about your parents. How are they? What are they working on these days?”
My parents. Oh, yeah, right.
“They’re good. They’re somewhere in the Atlantic working on a project to preserve a coral reef they’ve discovered. From what they’ve told me, it’s a big one. Not anywhere near as huge as the Mesoamerican, of course, but they believe it will certainly make a mark.”
“That’s amazing. I’m surprised you didn’t jump a boat to join them while you had vacation time.”
The vibrations suddenly stopped, and Megan sighed. Equal parts relief and need slammed together in her system. It didn’t help a bit in her efforts to get her thoughts together. Now they were centering on when the vibrations would begin again, her body aching for more.
“I, yeah, I thought about it.” She hesitated and sipped her drink. “Considering what has happened, I’m glad I didn’t.”
Drake nodded, his expression somber. “So am I.” He downed the remainder of his beer, signaled the bartender for another round, and bumped the switch on the remote control.
Megan jumped at the jolt of intense vibrations that quivered through her only to stop as quickly as they had began. She narrowed her eyes at him, and his lips twitched. “Having fun?” she asked through gritted teeth.
His smile widened. “Yep.”
“I’m going to make you pay for this later.” Despite her warning, she knew the only one who would be paying for this would be her, as soon as he got his hands on her. His control wouldn’t stop with the remote in his pocket and the knowledge of that only made her want to speed up time to get to the really good stuff.
“Consider this punishment,” he told her huskily.
Megan gaped at him. “For what?”
“Not doing what I told you to last night.”
For not going to bed after he left her apartment and getting herself off with her vibrator. “It wouldn’t have done any good,” she admitted, letting him see the truth of her words in her eyes. What did she have to lose now? She was already in this deep. He already knew she wanted him. Why not go for broke?
“Is this doing any good?”
She frowned. “No.” It was prolonging her agony, giving her just enough pleasure to keep her wanting more while denying her what she wanted most.
Which was exactly what getting herself off last night would have done and he knew that.
Devious bastard.
“Then you get the point now.” Sheer amusement danced with heated promises in his eyes as he shifted on his barstool.
The vibrations started once more, this time at the intense speed of the previous jolts, but not fizzling away as quickly. He left it at that speed, her pussy pulsing, clenching around the object, the pleasure tearing through her, teetering her on the edge of release. When he turned it off again, she nearly slapped him.
“That’s one of the things on the top of my to-do list.”
The conversational inflection in his tone blew her mind. She couldn’t keep up. Her body burned at the thought that it would soon become his personal playground. Her thoughts ping-ponged in her head, half of them centered around the erotic sensations pumping through her body while the other half struggled to make sense of the conversation.
“What, to piss me off?”
His killer grin spread, and he skimmed the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “I saw you pissed earlier, and I liked it. You’re sexy as hell when you have flames shooting out of those eyes.” He let his hand fall, grazing it down the side of her breast and her abdomen before pulling away. “But, no, I meant the Mesoamerican Reef. I want to explore it someday. Seven hundred miles of stony coral and over five hundred species of fish…” He shook his head. “It’s got to be one of the ocean’s most gorgeous treasures.”