a Touch of TNT (An Everly Gray Adventure) (32 page)

When I pulled into my driveway Mitch was sprawled on my front porch. Sexy. As. All. Hell.

By the time I gathered my handbag and empty water bottle, he’d opened the car door and stood there with a grin that showed off his dimple. Worn blue jeans hugged his body in all the right places. And he needed a haircut. My heart trembled, and my fingers tingled with the need to weave through the soft, brown curls resting against his neck.

“Is touch okay?” I sounded breathless.

A headshake told me no. I bit down on my lip and tucked my hands behind my back. “Sometimes I really wish I didn’t have this hinky touch thing.”

“Shhh,” he whispered, leaning into the car to cup my chin in his hand. He lightly pressed his mouth against mine, then slid the tip of his tongue along the fullness of my lower lip. I caught his soft moan with my mouth, and curled my fingers into tight fists. How was I ever going to keep from touching him?

He deepened the kiss, teasing until my body and mind melted, merging into liquid heat. Then he eased away from me, straightened, and took a step back.

Barely in time.

My eyes fluttered open. In another minute I wouldn’t have been able to control my fingers. His hips were right in front of me—eye level. “Liked the kiss, did you?” I asked.

“Can’t deny that.” A hoarse rasp threaded under his words.

“Mmm, guess not. Nice goods.” I slid out of the car and grabbed the top of the door, glanced at my fingers then back at him.

“The assignment was classified,” he answered my silent question, and ran the tip of his index finger along my jaw. “We can’t take a chance on you touching me. Not yet. The images are too new, and you’d pick up on them for sure.”

“Damn.” I stepped away from him and slammed the car door shut, started up the stairs toward my back door.

He whistled. “Holy…woman, have you been walking around in that outfit all day? Without me?”

I looked down at myself, nodded. “All day, and a successful day it’s been, too.”

He adjusted his jeans and took the steps two at a time to reach me. I grabbed the railing and held on as he pressed against me, then I buried my nose in his neck, inhaling the fragrance of Mitch and Black on Black.

His skin was warm against my lips, and I ran my tongue along the sensitive area below his ear, tasted salt and the uniqueness that belongs only to him.

“Yo. Not the time or place.” Annie—with really bad timing.

I had no words.

“Apparently you left a cryptic message on Adam’s cell.” She raised her eyebrows and quirked a smile at me.

Mitch took a step back, and a wave of reality replaced the lust clouding my brain—and a few other parts. “Damn, I hate when doing the right thing interferes with my life.”

“I’m not too happy about it myself. Annie’s right about the place, though. Your neighbors were about to get an eyeful.”

He motioned me up the steps ahead of him. I greeted Annie with a hug before I swung around to see him standing where I’d left him, arms crossed. “Hell of a dress.”

Annie grinned. “I helped her pick it out. And the shoes.”

He took the rest of the steps at a jog and rested his hand against the small of my back. “We’re not talking about the shoes until we’re alone,” he said against my ear. Then he reached out to ruffle Annie’s hair.

She snagged his hand before it got anywhere near her curls.

“Jeezus, woman,” he said twisting his wrist around, back and forth a few times. “Cut a guy some slack.”

She grinned. “Some habits are a bitch to break.”

“Got it. I won’t be doing any unannounced touching in the future. Great taste in shoes, though,” he said with a slow smile.

Annie spun around. “Not to break this up or anything, but I put together some snacks and opened a bottle of shiraz. I figured we’d need food to brainstorm about what’s been going on. Get everyone up to speed.”

Mitch and I settled into chairs on Annie’s side of the deck while she poured four glasses of wine. “Adam’s here already?” I nodded at the fourth glass.

“Yeah. He’s been doing too much overtime. Hayes ordered him to take the afternoon off.” She poured wine all around, held my gaze. “He’s thinking of moving in with you until this case is wrapped up.”

Mitch shook his head. “Not tonight, he isn’t.”

“I’m not what tonight?” Adam asked from the kitchen doorway.

“Spending the night with me.” I swallowed a sip of the shiraz.

“Looks like that’s been covered.” He shared a handshake with Mitch, and a wave of jealousy washed through me.

“I hate that other people can touch you and I can’t,” I muttered.

Mitch ran his hand around the back of my neck and tugged at my mop of dark red curls. “Doesn’t do much for me either, Sunshine.”

Adam cleared his throat, gulped a mouthful of wine. “So, wanna fill me in on that message you left?”

I did. Without leaving anything out. Mitch’s hand tightened on my neck when I got to the part about North showing up, then he stuffed a cheese cube in his mouth and followed it with a long swallow of wine.

I was driving the man to drink.

Damn. Not what I wanted to do. I planned something more along the lines of driving him to distraction. He must have read my face because his eyes sparkled and he clinked the edge of my wineglass with his.

Adam and Annie stared at me with identical impatient expressions. Finally Adam prodded, “And the pictures?”

I reached for Mitch. He grabbed my wrist and placed my hand on the arm of the chair, then rested his palm against my thigh.

“The pictures, El.” Adam said, blowing out a sigh. “It’s been a long day.”

I nodded. “They were photos of Marcy Blaine and, I think, Danielle Chambers…engaged in…adult activities.”

“Interesting turn of events.” Annie sandwiched a slice of cheese between two crackers and took a bite. “I thought Marcy was hot and heavy with Justin North. Or did I miss something since your B and E at Danielle Chamber’s house?”

I shot her a look. “No B, just E. And apparently we all missed something. She’s definitely hot and heavy with Danielle, too.”

Adam paced around the deck, stopped in front of my chair. “You’re telling me I’m in the middle of two homicides, and now I have to wade through the sexual proclivities of Marcy Blaine in order to find the killer? Well, shit.”

“Um-hmm. And speaking of Marcy, where was she last night? And is Merlin okay?”

He clammed up and dropped back in his chair.

I slid forward in mine. “Hey. Don’t think you can pull that I-can’t-talk-about-an-active-case stuff. Not now. Not when it’s because of me that you know anything about Marcy’s break-in. The chief put me on this case, Adam. I’m part of it.”

He was quiet for a minute, narrowed his eyes at me, then opened his mouth but no words came out.

Annie nudged his foot. “She has a point.”

He sighed, looked at Mitch, and some man-thing passed between them.

“Huh,” he shrugged. “Not much to tell. I put out a BOLO on her license, and the uniform following Terri North caught it. Blaine and Mrs. North were having dinner together at the Cardinal Club.”

“What?” I said, uncrossing my legs and sliding back into my chair. “Terri—” I clamped my mouth shut. That was client information. Confidential. Client information.

“Talk.” Adam pointed a finger at me.

How could I wriggle out of this one? “I think it’s possible Terri North knows about Marcy’s affair with Justin and has taken…steps to make sure it ends.”

“Not possible,” Adam shot back, shaking his head. “The Mrs. has been under surveillance since North became ‘a person of interest’ in Jacobson’s murder.”

“And?” I bristled. Mitch pressed his hand against my thigh, tapped his fingers. I took a deep breath.

“And we would know,” Adam said. “Women act psycho when their husbands cheat.”

No kidding. At a loss for words, I gave Annie a palms up. “Adam, uh, I think El has a point here. If she says Terri North is onto Marcy and Justin’s affair, she probably is.”

Adam’s eyes darted back and forth between Annie and me. “And how, exactly, would you know that?”

“They know because they’re women,” Mitch cut in. “If a man cheated on Jayne, she’d find a way to shred him and no one would be the wiser.”

“You’re talking about your sister?” Adam’s eyebrows shot up.

Mitch nodded. “She’s female and tough.” He shrugged. “The same principles apply.”

My mouth gaped. “I didn’t think you knew that about Jayne.”

He followed the zipper down the back of my dress with his fingertip. “I know. Difference is, Jayne has a conscience.”

Adam scooted to the edge of his chair, all cop. “What makes you think Terri North doesn’t have a conscience?”

“Watching El and Annie talk about her. Their expressions told me.”

“Ah,” Adam sighed, collapsing back in his chair. “The photographer gig.”

Mitch topped off his wine. “The government hires me for a reason you know.”

“Yeah,” Adam said. He hit his fist against the arm of the chair. “I know, but I can’t make an arrest on psychic vibes.”

I choked on a swallow of wine. “Come on Adam, this is what you do best. Put all the stuff we come up with into police-speak.”

He frowned. “You got anything else?”

“Yes. Today at The Barton Group office, North acted like he didn’t know about the explosion. Didn’t you question him?”

“Yes,” Adam said carefully. “Why?”

“He said nothing about me being there or my car blowing up.”

“We kept your name out of it.”

“How could you do that? People saw me. Firemen, paramedics…Pierce.” I felt Mitch tense when I mentioned Pierce, started to reach for him only to find his wineglass blocking my attempt. This touching thing had to be fixed. Soon.

“As of now you haven’t been identified, and I plan to keep it that way.” He bent to kiss the top of Annie’s head.

“Hold it.” I wasn’t about to let him off the hook. “You haven’t said how Shauna Blaine died.”

“Camping accident. In the mountains. By herself. Dead of winter. Dumb thing to do.”

My mind twiddled with that info. “That’s it? Why was she there by herself?”

“Marcy Blaine didn’t know. College kids. They do stuff.” He checked his watch again. “Gotta go. Thanks for the food and wine, sis.”

At the top of the stairs he turned around and pulled the letter I’d given him out of his pocket. “Almost forgot this. No answers yet,” he said handing it to me, then jabbed a finger in my direction. “I want to know what you’re up to.”

His lips twitched. Almost a smile. “Merlin is safe at home with Marcy.”

I grinned. “Thanks.”

“You got attached to the little guy, didn’t you?”

I lifted a shoulder, let it drop. “He’s pretty cute.”

Adam’s chuckle floated back as he disappeared down the stairs.

I handed the letter to Annie. “I’d like you and Pierce to take a look at this. It’s been on my mother’s desk for years. There’s some numbers inside, probably a code for something…”

She nodded and tucked it in her pocket. “I’ll see what I can do.”

I stood to help her clear the table. “Sit.” She pointed at my chair. “Is Marcy lesbian?”

I balanced on the edge of the chair. “If those pictures are accurate, yeah, she is. Or she could be bi.”

“And North’s reaction?”

“Shock. He hasn’t confronted her yet. Ka—my client said North received the package of photos shortly after negotiations started this morning.”

Annie’s eyes held a wicked gleam. “I think I’ll be doing some secret agent stuff this evening.”

TWENTY-FOUR

The wicked grin that accompanied
Annie’s announcement to go on a sleuthing expedition sent a flash of anticipation up my spine. Or maybe it was dark and dangerous heat pouring from Mitch.

But since I couldn’t touch him… “Want some company?” I asked her.

“Not hardly. Both North and Blaine know you by sight. Besides, you have better things to do tonight.”

“Not when I can’t—”

“Let’s go, Sunshine. Let Annie get to work.” Mitch shifted, impatience threading through his words. Probably unrequited lust, definitely something I could relate to.

We arranged to meet with Annie for breakfast (so my curiosity wouldn’t explode overnight), then Mitch and I made our way home. Interesting. Merging Mitch and home in the same thought.

He played with my zipper for the short walk, and when we got in the door he pinned my wrists against the wall, slid his knee along the inside of my thigh and pressed against me. He teased and played with my lips and tongue until I was fighting to free my hands. “I can’t—”

“Yes—” he whispered against my lips— “you can.” He backed away from me and released one wrist. The other he held tightly as he led me to the bedroom.

Obviously, he’d been in here before I got home. It was impossible to miss the two silk scarves tied to the headboard. Purple. My heart started to race. Surely he wasn’t thinking—