Authors: Kylie Brant
Waking Evil 02 (32 page)
“You heard her screaming? Was she crying for help? Who was hurting her, Ezra T.? Did you see who put her in the pond?”
“Only one way to make her quit screamin’. Make her dead. Make her stop.” His words were coming faster, more frenzied. And the expression on his face had the ice forming anew in Ramsey’s veins.
“Did someone make her stop screaming, Ezra T.? Did you see who it was? Did you . . .”
Suddenly, he lunged for her. She dodged too late. Stumbling backward, Ramsey caught her foot on her tree root and nearly fell. His arm was around her throat in an instant, hauling her back against his chest with a surprisingly strong grip.
“Yer bad, too!” He smelled of body odor and the faint scent of decay found in the woods. Grimacing, Ramsey fought to break his hold without hurting the man. “Yessiree. You gonna get dead. But don’t you start screamin’, hear? No more screamin’.”
Dimly she was aware of Dev at her side, shouting, trying to break Ezra T.’s grip. But spots were beginning to dance in front of her eyes as he pressed more tightly against her windpipe. And any remaining concern about the man abruptly vanished.
She jabbed her elbow into his gut with all the force she could muster. He gave a surprised mewl, the sound oddly child-like, and his grasp loosened. Dev wrested Ezra’s arm from around Ramsey and pushed her farther away.
“What the hell’s wrong with you, Ezra T.? You know better than that!”
“She bad, she bad,” he jabbered, his finger pointing in Ramsey’s direction. “She gonna get dead.”
“Ezra T. . . .”
The other man bolted then, his movement as swift and sudden as a bird taking flight. And when Dev started after him, Ramsey said, “Let him go.”
He glanced back at her, his expression as grim as she’d ever seen it. “You were right. He’s got some explainin’ to do. Now more than ever.”
Wearily, she shook her head. “No,
you
were right. You and Rollins both said he was useless to question. He can’t help. Let’s go.”
you
were right. You and Rollins both said he was useless to question. He can’t help. Let’s go.”
His reluctance clearly showed as he moved back toward her. But then he paused in front of her, his fingers gentle as they brushed her neck. “Did he hurt you?”
His tenderness, on top of the other blows tonight, turned her bones weak. To stiffen them, she shrugged. “I’ve had worse than this chasing down a pissed-off crack whore.”
“A vivid mental image.” Placing an arm around her waist, he headed with her toward the clearing. It occurred to Ramsey that the events with Ezra T. had completely distracted her from her reaction to the woods.
Somehow she couldn’t feel it in her heart to be grateful to the man for that.
“I’ve told you, I’m fine. And as . . . unforgettable as this date has been, I need to get back to work.”
Imperturbably Dev waited for the microwave to ding and then opened it to extract the mug. “Marshmallows?”
“I said . . .” She stopped to look harder at him. “Marshmallows?”
“As a kid, I never did think hot cocoa quite hit the spot without a few marshmallows melted on top.”
“I’m not six, Stryker.”
Taking that as a no, he picked up the Bailey’s, gave the contents in the mug a stiff shot, then stirred the concoction before setting it in front of Ramsey.
She eyed it suspiciously before transferring her jaundiced gaze to him. “What’d you put in it?”
His mouth kicked up. “As an adult, I never did think hot cocoa quite hit the spot without a belt of a li’l hundred proof.” To allay her fears, he reached for the mug and sipped from it before setting it back down in front of her. “Drink.” Her fingers clenched around it, as if soaking up its warmth. Given the chilliness of her skin, she still needed it.
“And I thought Cripolo had some colorful characters.”
“I’m sure they do. We’ve got our share here, too.” Because she seemed to need the reminder, he nudged her hand until she brought the mug to her lips for a swallow. “I never expected Ezra T. to go off like that. I’m sorry he hurt you.”
“I’m embarrassed he got the chance.” Her tone was disgusted but stronger than it had been before. She took another drink. “It was just sheer stupidity on my part to let my guard down like that.”
He’d be willing to bet it didn’t happen often. Her guard was as much emotional as physical. Both were equally daunting. “You were distracted.”
“All around, not one of my finer nights.”
“You don’t have to be invincible all the time, Ramsey. Leastways, not ’round me. Bein’ vulnerable once in a while doesn’t make you weak.” The sight of her vulnerability, though, had weakened
him
, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. His gut still twisted when he recalled the panic that had filled her. He couldn’t help wondering about it. Couldn’t help feeling protective.
him
, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. His gut still twisted when he recalled the panic that had filled her. He couldn’t help wondering about it. Couldn’t help feeling protective.
Which made him short a couple screws, because until tonight, he couldn’t imagine anyone in less need of protecting than Ramsey Clark.
She sipped in a contemplative silence for while. When she finally spoke, her voice was low. “Once you’ve been at another’s mercy, you swear to yourself it will never happen again. That you’ll get stronger. Smarter. And history will never repeat itself because you’ve grown and changed and you’re not the same person anymore.”
Dev nodded, reaching for her mug. He took a long swallow before handing it back to her. Her words resonated deep inside him, where memories of himself as a young preteen still lingered. His stepdaddy’s idea of teaching him to box had just been a semi-civilized excuse for beating the hell out of him whenever he took a mind to. He could still recall the vicious burn of bitterness as he’d lie across his bed, nursing his latest bruises. He’d worked out twice as hard. Practiced every spare minute he had. Just for the moment he could lay that bastard out for the first time.
“They have a saying in Cripolo, Mississippi. If you’re born in the gutter, you grow up smelling like shit. I guess I’ve spent most of my life trying to get rid of the stench. Even ran off and got married when I was seventeen, determined to leave Cripolo and the Hawkins name behind.”
Her smile was self-mocking. “In our three months of wedded bliss, he punctured one of my eardrums, broke my nose and two ribs, and knocked out my top right bicuspid. When I walked out on Marlin Clark, it was with the intention of never seeing him again. But I kept his last name, because even the name of a lying, cheating, wife-beating lowlife scum was better than being Ramsey Hawkins.” She brought the mug to her lips again. “So, yeah. Invincible is good.”
He didn’t respond right away. Couldn’t. Not with this boulder-sized knot of rage lodged in his throat. His fingers clenched and unclenched while he battled back a primitive wall of fury that was as unexpected as it was overwhelming.
Long minutes passed before he could speak. His voice was tight. “It’d be easy ’nough to find out where the guy is these days.” His smile was feral. “Maybe pay him a li’l visit.” Discuss old times. Settle old scores on her behalf.
She looked at him over the rim of the mug, her gaze puzzled. “What for?” Something in his face must have alerted her then, because astonishment quickly followed. “You don’t even know him.”
“I know you.”
It was, he thought, one of the only times he’d seen her at a loss for words. Their gazes held for long moments before hers softened imperceptibly.
“He’s dead. In a bar fight several years ago. He’s not worth wasting time thinking about. I rarely do.”
But Dev knew he would. Knew he’d mourn the opportunity to make the son of a bitch bleed, just a little, for what he’d put Ramsey through all those years ago.
Just as he knew that whatever had shaped her, her ex-husband was only part of it.
She pushed the mug aside and rose. She’d want to leave now, and he couldn’t think of a single way to stop her. Wasn’t sure it would be wise to try. Not with all this emotion crashing and wheeling inside him.
He stood, too. Made to turn away. But then Ramsey was there, her hand on his arm. Her manner more tentative than he’d ever seen from her.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever had someone come to my defense before.” The wonderment of it still showed in her expression. She came up on tiptoe and brushed her mouth over his, first lightly, before returning to press more firmly. His arms went around her of their own accord, and he returned the kiss without any of the restraint he’d shown to date.
There was no holding back at any rate. The events of the evening, the revelations Ramsey had made, unleashed something primal that Dev had no idea how to contain. He could no longer recall why he wanted to.
Cupping the back of her head with one hand, he returned the kiss with all the hunger that had been building inside him for days. Every last bit of self-discipline he possessed abruptly went up in smoke.
The taste of her whipped through his system, amped up his heart rate. Created havoc with hormones that had been under “down boy” command since meeting her.
A command that was currently being ignored.
Without releasing her, Dev moved her backward until her back was against the fridge. His mouth eating at hers, he ran his free hand over the rounded curve of her bare shoulder. Traced her arm, firm with muscle beneath the sleek skin. Slid his hand inside the slinky material of her top to cup warm soft flesh.
Her nipple was a tight knot, and he rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. Felt her fingers tunnel into his hair as she pressed closer. Heard the hum of pleasure she made in response.
He’d spent some time thinking about just this moment. Thought about every inch he wanted to taste. The way he’d take his time to touch and stroke until he’d explored every part of her body. But his desire was an uncaged beast, recklessly lunging forth, and it made a mockery of any efforts at control.
Slow
wasn’t going to be an option.
Slow
wasn’t going to be an option.
Their mouths did battle, lips and tongues and teeth clashing as the kiss deepened. Took on an edge of frantic.
His brain fogged with lust. But he could still register a vague sense of alarm at how quickly the taste of her rocketed through him. Left every part of him quivering and straining.
His lips cruised a path up her jawline before closing, not quite gently, on her earlobe. “If this is only about gratitude, better tell me now.” Every muscle in his body clenched in anticipation of her answer. Made a mockery of his unspoken intention of bringing a halt to this.
Her eyes opened slowly, the eyelids heavy. And what he saw in their depths had his gut tightening into a hot ball of need. “I’m not
that
grateful.” She tugged his shirt loose to skate her palms up his sides.
that
grateful.” She tugged his shirt loose to skate her palms up his sides.
His hands lacked their usual finesse as he dragged the straps of her top down her arms to free her breasts. Then he swallowed hard at the sight of them, high and firm, smooth white globes tipped with pink nipples. And need clenched in his gut like a fist.
He’d never been a man to take intimacy lightly, but he couldn’t recall ever feeling this urgency before. His blood was churning with it. A more sensible man would take a step back, just long enough to calm his pulse. Regain a measure of reason.
But he’d never felt less sensible. In a primitive quest for the taste of flesh, he lowered his head to take one nipple in his mouth even as he continued to tease the other.
Dev lashed the taut bud with his tongue before sucking strongly from her. Her hands grew just a little frantic as she slid them up his chest, her nails scraping lightly before her fingers clenched on his shoulders. Dimly he heard something clatter to the floor before he felt her knee bend to tighten around his thigh. And he knew that this time, Ramsey wasn’t going to stop him. Wasn’t going to draw away. For some reason, the knowledge helped him regain a measure of control.
He lifted his head, his eyes opening to see her nipple, tight and moist from his mouth. The carnal image pleased him even as it whetted his appetite for more. He wanted her naked. Flesh against flesh. He wanted to see her aroused and demanding, sated and satisfied. And every emotion in between. Whatever he could get from her. Whatever those stalwart defenses of hers would allow.
And then he wanted more: all the secrets she hid from the world; all the emotion she denied herself. He wanted to smash the walls she used to protect herself until he could steep himself in every scent, every whisper and sigh. And tell himself, finally, he’d had it all.
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