Perry turned his lights on and shifted into second after taking the corner. He needed sleep, but the thought of taking his baby out on the interstate, cutting loose for a few, and feeling the power of his Z underneath him sounded really good. Something about Kylie sitting next to him just added to his craving to drive for a while instead of returning home. It would be light soon, though, and there was a lot of work to do, work that would be done a lot better with at least a few hours of sleep.
Kylie fought to hide a yawn from him, and he suppressed the urge to reach out and stroke her hair from her face. He wasn’t sure what pissed him off more, her cold reaction to him when he told her he knew she was FBI or that he hadn’t figured it out on his own sooner. Proof right there that being around her was fogging his thoughts.
Perry stopped at the stop sign, glanced both ways, and shifted into first as he pulled onto the deserted street. A delivery truck idled in a parking lot as they drove by; otherwise the world was asleep. Perry wondered if he’d be able to crash at all tonight.
“You going to be able to drive home?” He glanced at Kylie when she yawned again, this time not hiding the fact that she did.
“I’ve driven on less sleep than I’m working on now, Officer,” she said, and gave him a smirk.
God, she was cute as fucking hell. “You can stay at my house,” he offered, shifting again and making the light as he headed back to his neighborhood. “I’ll even take the couch.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Think I wouldn’t?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not staying the night at your house, Perry. You know as well as I do that I can’t do that. For whatever reason, someone checked your house out tonight and my car was in your driveway.”
He looked at her. Kylie relaxed in her bucket seat, her seat belt secure and pressing between her breasts, making them look even perkier. Her bare knees were pressed together and she gripped them with her hands, her pink-painted fingernails adding to her youthful appearance. It hit him at that moment that he probably didn’t even know the real Kylie Donovan. She was working undercover, playing a part, a part that demanded she appear young, carefree, and a bit on the easy side. He cringed at the blunt reality that easy and available was the way teenage girls looked. On the prowl, in heat-how did Kylie usually dress?
“That’s not the only reason, though, right?”
She looked at him, her blue eyes flashing with emotions he doubted she’d share with him. “You know it’s the only reason that matters.”
He watched her expression turn stubborn as she returned her attention to the road ahead of them. Blonde wisps curled at her neck. Her hair was slightly tousled, which made her look even hotter, although he also saw the level of exhaustion settling in on her.
Driving his Z with Kylie sitting next to him, relaxed, her sultry air obvious even without sleep, exhilarated him. Perry felt the rumble of the engine when he downshifted. This old car would run forever, kicking ass any chance it had, as long as he took care of it. In a way, his car was like him. As long as he kept his head clear, he would take down Peter.
And God help Franco if he was abducting teenage girls and brutalizing them. Perry would dismember the son of a bitch.
Perry turned into his driveway and eased the Z into the garage. Kylie got out before he turned off the motor.
“What do you know about Franco?” she asked, adjusting her dress as she walked out of the garage.
There was still a heavy mist in the air that dampened her hair. In the darkness, it took on a soft, golden brown hue. She didn’t look at Perry but stared toward the end of his drive while continuing to run her palms down the length of her short skirt.
“He’s been on the force for about five years, I think, not as long as me. His record is okay, I guess.” He wasn’t sure why he didn’t add that Franco was a prick. But until Perry did some further investigation on his own, he would hold back his personal feelings about the man. “He usually goes for the high-profile cases.”
“Likes the camera, does he?” She turned, her gaze lifting slowly to Perry’s face as a small smile appeared.
“Franco is all over letting the media know how it is.” Perry liked talking shop with her. He realized that knowing who she was removed a barrier between them. If he pushed, he could get closer. They were two birds of a feather, investigators. Although the thought of this sexy, petite woman standing before him protecting the community the way Perry would didn’t register well for him. She needed protecting, not being put in the line of fire. “I’ll find out why he drove by.”
She nodded once and pressed her teeth into her lower lip, studying him for a moment. “Perry,” she began.
“I’m not going to blow your cover,” he told her, letting her hear what he suspected she needed to know more than anything.
“Thank you,” she said, exhaling.
“Did you think I would?” he asked before thinking about it. It would start getting light in the next hour or so. He reached for her, touching her shoulder, and led her toward his house. “You’re getting soaked,” he told her.
“I’m going home.” She didn’t answer his question.
“You’d do better with some sleep.” He stopped at his door, wanting her to come inside but at the same time arguing with himself to let her go.
“I’m sure we both would.” She didn’t say she was going home to crash.
They’d hit a new level in whatever kind of relationship existed between them. And if he was smart, he’d tell her to drive safely, and head inside for a couple hours of sleep before heading to the station. There was work to do, and a monster to catch. Quite possibly they were given one hell of a clue tonight, and that needed to be checked out.
“Come inside for a minute.”
She looked at him warily. “Why?”
“Because you’re getting soaked and I want to talk to you without getting wet myself.” He ignored the little voice in the back of his head that yelled at him about getting involved with Kylie, with any woman for that matter.
“For a minute,” Kylie said, sounding hesitant.
Telling himself that understanding her mind didn’t mean they were bonding in any way almost got his conscience to leave him alone. He closed the door behind him and stood against it when Kylie turned to face him. She looked trapped, wary, and curious. It would be a hell of a lot easier to close himself off to her if he didn’t see that glint of interest sparkling in her pretty blue eyes.
“Thank you for staying quiet about this,” she said, and looked down at her hands.
He guessed she wanted to say more. Possibly like him, a relationship scared her.
“Where are you from?” He understood her surprise when she looked back up at his face, her lips parting although she didn’t say right away. He asked her, although he already knew the answer, because putting into words what he really needed to say was damn near impossible. Telling her he regretted having sex with her would be a bold-faced lie. But saying he would leave her alone would be a lie, too.
“Good question,” she said, her laugh not sounding too sincere. “I have a post office box in Dallas. Does that count?”
“Where do you stay when you aren’t working a case?”
According to what he read she lived in Dallas but her holding off telling him showed her wariness bordered more on lack of trust. Even if he didn’t plan on building a relationship with her, he would gain her trust.
“I have an apartment,” she offered. “In Dallas.”
“I’ve been there a few times. Huge city.” He was stalling. Watching her shift from one foot to the other, lick her lips, and brush a strand of damp hair from her face proved enough distraction to keep him from focusing on what he wanted to say. Although at the moment, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. Don’t think anything will come of it, but I want you answering only to me. That would go over well.
Thunder suddenly exploded outside, lightning stinging through the air almost at exactly the same time. Kylie jumped and yelped, then pressed her hand to her heart, looking toward the windows that faced the street. It was still black with night outside, but the sound of rain suddenly pounding on the roof over them created a dull roar.
“Shit,” Kylie hissed. “I need to go.”
“On no sleep? You want to drive in a downpour?” He shook his head, willing to take her on if she argued with him. “Let me check radar.”
Perry walked past her into his home and headed to his computer. If Kylie tried leaving, he would stop her. And he wouldn’t fight the fact that the sudden downpour didn’t bother him a bit. For whatever reasons, he wasn’t ready for her to leave.
When he moved his mouse, Kylie was right next to him. Thunder exploded again and she jumped. He looked at her as lightning briefly lit up his den.
“Scared of storms?”
She instantly stiffened, then glared at him. “No,” she said stubbornly.
He hid a grin as he quickly pulled up his weather program. “Okay,” he said slowly. Clicking the link to check radar, he straightened while it took a moment to refresh itself and show him current conditions. “Looks as though it might rain all morning,” he said when radar appeared. “But the nasty cell is over us right now. That scary thunder will be gone shortly.”
He caught her pouting expression, accentuated by the glow of the computer, and watched as her long lashes fluttered over her bright blue eyes. He told himself it was because he was exhausted, that if he were well rested he would have the strength to stop himself. Perry turned, slid his hand alongside her neck, and used his thumb to press under her chin.
Kylie’s head fell back too easily, her eyes closing and then opening slowly as she focused on him. “What are you doing, Perry?” she whispered.
“I think you know,” he said, his voice suddenly very gruff.
Simply tasting her wasn’t enough. Especially when she parted her lips, invitation enough to devour her. He pulled her against his chest, possibly a bit roughly, but it was too much work at the moment to push his desire for her back into a safe place where he could control it.
Perry tangled his fingers in her damp strands and tugged harder. Kylie arched her neck, her head falling all the way back, and offered him a feast with her mouth and her soft, slender neck. He was harder than steel within moments. His cock throbbed in his jeans. Standing like this, with her body pressed against his, grew unbearable in moments.
If she told him no now, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop. As he lifted her into his arms, thunder erupted outside once again before he carried her to his bedroom.
“This probably isn’t a good idea,” she whispered against his ear.
He reached his bed and lowered her onto it. Lightning shook the house and the rain pounded louder when he exerted the effort to straighten. He swore he felt the air charge with electricity when he reached for his shirt.
“You’re probably right.” He ripped his shirt off his body, anxious to get out of his jeans, too. “We’re going to do it anyway, though.”
He’d never felt more awkward when he stripped out of his clothes. His jeans were damp enough to cling to his legs. He peeled them down and then fought to get his shoes off.
Kylie leaned back on her elbows, one leg bent enough to allow him a view up her skirt. She didn’t undress but instead watched him stumble around at the edge of the bed until he was naked. Kylie sucked in a breath through her teeth, and her cheeks flushed, reward enough when she looked at him with complete adoration and need. He quickly forgot about the ordeal of undressing when he crawled over her.
She tried collapsing on the bed, but he grabbed the back of her neck and lifted her to him, then once again captured her mouth. As hard as it was to get out of his clothes, Kylie’s seemed to glide off her body. He had her on her knees in the middle of the bed when he tossed her bra to the floor. Thunder and lightning exploded simultaneously, and he swore at the same time her nipples hardened into tempting beacons that made his mouth water.
Her fingers were cool when they brushed over his arms, and her eyes wide open in the darkness. Thinking about her taking down a criminal, carrying a gun, created sensations inside Perry that he didn’t know how to handle. As much as he couldn’t tell her what to do, he wanted to do just that. But for now, here, just the two of them, he would run the show and she would submit to him.
“I’m going to make you forget about that storm,” he growled, taking her hands in his and lifting them above her head.
“It doesn’t bother me,” she said, her voice raspy.
Perry dragged her backward and moved around her when he had her flat on the bed. Then taking her wrists in one hand, he dragged his fingers down her middle, watching as she shivered under his touch.
“I need to decide what to do about you not telling me the truth.” As if to back him on the matter, thunder exploded loud enough that the windowpanes rattled. Kylie hissed out a breath, her eyes growing wide as she looked toward the window next to the bed. “Let me see what I can do to make sure the next time it storms, you think of us making love instead of how loud the thunder is.”
“Just because thunder grabs my attention,” she said, but then moaned when he latched onto one of her breasts. “You’re wrong about me. It doesn’t scare me but you’re going to have to do a lot more than that to distract me,” she suggested, a grin on her face.
Kylie pressed her hand on his head and pushed his face into her breasts. Arching her back, she hummed her approval of his actions. Perry saw that Kylie didn’t view these little denials of hers as lies. The storm rattled her nerves more than it did others’. Some people just got jittery when weather got loud. He didn’t doubt for a minute Kylie could hold her own under much more terrifying circumstances.
“Trust me, sweetheart, I’m definitely going to do a lot more.” He wouldn’t voice whether it would be for better or worse. And he refused to think about any repercussions from fucking her again. Right now, she felt and tasted too damn good to think about anything other than enjoying her hot, perfect body.
The storm rumbled outside, lighting the room for brief moments before again enclosing them in darkness. He enjoyed every flash of light and the view offered underneath him as Kylie started breathing heavier while her lips parted.
“I’m going to make every inch of you tingle with need,” he informed her, his voice a husky whisper as he left her breasts and kissed a path to her belly button.
She blinked, and he knew the moment she focused on him. The gaze in her eyes burned into him, fiery lust creating a unique shade of blue that glowed when lightning flashed in through his bedroom windows.
“I think you should fuck me,” she whispered. Her voice held a sultry, needy edge to it that sounded as fucking hot as she looked when she shifted underneath him. “Now,” she added, pressing her lips together and holding his gaze.
“Soon, my dear,” he told her, and cupped her breasts as he moved lower.
Perry ran his tongue over her pelvic bone, her smooth flesh warm and feeling very recently shaven. Picturing her paying close attention to shaving her intimate parts, running her fingers over the flesh to make sure it was smooth, got his dick even harder than it already was.
“Relax and enjoy the moment. I’m going to make you come more than once tonight.”
“Keep it up, and it will be morning,” she whined, squirming and gripping his wrists with her small hands.
She couldn’t move his hands if she tried, and she gripped him firmly, but when he lowered his mouth even farther and breathed in deeply, her rich scent made him think she held on tightly to maintain composure and not to move his hands.
When he placed a gentle kiss over her clit, Kylie jumped, shrieking, and dug her fingernails into his arms. He pulled free of her grip and pressed his hands on each thigh, then opened her for him.
“My God, woman. Damn, you taste good.” He filled his mouth with her rich cream when he ran his tongue down her soft folds.
“Shit, Perry,” she cried out, reaching for him, her head coming off the bed as she almost moved into a sitting position.
“So sensitive. And so wet,” he growled, adjusting himself between her legs and holding her in place as he began feasting.
She was so close to the edge. Moisture coated his lips, and its ripe scent filled his lungs. He could get drunk off her. And not only how easily she got soaked for him, but also the smoothness of her skin, the subtle way she shifted her body while he stroked her with his tongue. Kylie damn near purred as he continued licking and sucking. The sounds she made were enough to push him to the edge right along with her.
Every man loved knowing his actions pleased a lady. But it was more than knowing. Deep inside Perry’s soul, he accepted that what he did to Kylie affected her so strongly that she melted underneath him, submitting completely. It was more than an ego high; it created an animalistic sensation to protect, claim, and mark the beautiful creature humming her praise over what he did to her.
“Perry!” Kylie cried out at the same time the storm intensified outside. Lightning and thunder shook the house, lighting up the room.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” he rumbled into her soaked entrance. “Come for me.”
She didn’t cry out because of the storm. He seriously doubted Kylie even acknowledged the weather. He’d taken her where he wanted her, and knowing so hardened him to steel. Her body quivered, and her leg muscles clamped against him, threatening to smother him in her drenched heat. He was the stronger of the two, though, and grabbed her thighs, keeping her open, and waited the additional moment until she spasmed and came hard.
It was all he could do to move, but he wanted that clenching heat, craved that soaked paradise as much as she ached to have him. Perry crawled over her while she groped at him, tugging and almost fighting him to make him move faster. Her legs wrapped around his waist the moment he was in position and she pulled down on him while at the same time lifting her ass off his bed and meeting him halfway.
Her pussy was like a magnet, pulling his cock deep into her heat until he was positive he would drown in her.
“God, yes! Fuck me, Perry. Fuck me now,” she demanded, dragging her nails over his shoulders while almost crawling into his arms.
He was over her, on hands and knees, and thrust inside her, impaling her without ceremony. Their growls filled the night, making the storm outside dim in comparison to the energy and stamina that sizzled inside. Perry was certain he’d never known better sex. As he fucked her, thrusting deep inside her again and again, the only thought that managed to seep through his fogged-over, lust-filled brain was that he had become addicted to Kylie faster than a junkie craved his next fix. Regardless of what labels they wanted, or chose, to put on whatever kind of relationship that existed between them, Perry knew without a doubt that he would fuck the shit out of her. And he’d want her again the moment he was through. Taking Kylie once, twice, several times wasn’t enough. He wasn’t sure how many times would be enough, or if he would ever have his fill of her.
As his balls tightened painfully and all blood drained from his body and caused his cock to swell larger and grow harder, Perry fought to hold out just a few minutes longer. He’d found paradise and didn’t want to leave. Somehow he needed to keep this woman close. In fact, he would do whatever it took to make sure she didn’t go anywhere. Focusing on having her in his life, satisfying her well enough that she wouldn’t want to be apart from him, destroyed his resolve and the dam holding back his release.
“Kylie,” he howled, come rushing from him with enough force that the room tilted for a moment. He was pretty sure he didn’t yell anything else, nothing that would reveal the strange thoughts swimming in his head right now.
“Yes, yes,” she whimpered, her body spasming around his as she came again, matching his orgasm with the same explosive energy.
Perry felt everything he had unload deep inside her. The release brought some blood back to his brain and helped him think a bit clearer. Even then, as reality kicked in and he knew keeping Kylie around wasn’t an option, he still found himself contemplating ways to do just that.
Perry’s eyes burned when he walked into the station several hours later. It was still drizzling and his plain T-shirt hugged his body, which itched. The floor was slick and one of the administrative girls walking in front of him with an armful of files slipped.
“Easy there,” he said, grabbing her arm and then damn near slipping himself when he helped keep the files from crashing to the floor. “Hey!” he yelled at the janitor down the hall. “Get a sign up here that the floor is wet.”
The janitor mumbled something but moved to obey.
“I’m fine. Thank you.” The young clerk looked flushed when she clutched the files to her chest.
“Good.” Perry was sure he sounded gruff but didn’t care.
He never thought twice about most of the women he worked with flirting with him or showing signs of interest or curiosity when they shot furtive glances his direction. Usually, if a woman acted just the opposite, he noticed that faster than the blatant invitations he too often received. But this morning, exhausted, wet, and aching to be curled up under warm blankets with Kylie sleeping in his arms, he didn’t care what kind of reaction the young lady he wasn’t sure he’d seen before gave him.
He entered the “pit,” immediately aware of how loud everyone seemed to be. Heading for his desk, he didn’t realize he glared at Barker and Richey until the women quit giggling and gave him curious stares.
“Tough night, Flynn?” Jane asked, giving him the onceover and then nudging her partner with her elbow. “I’d hate to see what the lady looks like.”
Both women chuckled and resumed their conversation, an animated gossip session concerning someone in Forensics. Perry wasn’t expected to respond, so he didn’t.
“Perry, there you are. Come here.” Carl gestured with his head and then brought his Styrofoam cup to his lips and downed a fair bit of coffee.
Coffee. That’s what Perry needed. Several cups at least.
“In a minute,” he said, and turned toward the industrialsize coffeemaker that sat on a table in the corner of the “pit.”
Perry helped himself to a cup and blew on the steaming brew as he turned and followed his partner.
“What’s up?” Perry asked, enduring how hot the coffee was and practically gulping it down, willing the caffeine to kick in quickly.
“Rad’s not in yet.”
Perry reached his desk and slumped against it. “Okay, and?”
“Man, you look like shit. Like you’ve been up all night or something.” Carl downed more of his coffee and turned toward his own desk, which was next to Perry’s facing it. Grabbing the morning paper off it, Carl flapped it open and slapped it down on Perry’s desk. “We’re front-page news, man, and not in a good way.”
Perry hated having to concentrate so he could focus on the print that glared up at him. The large headline and subtitles underneath were enough to kick-start his brain into high gear-and create a dull headache, which started throbbing as his blood pressure soared.
“Fuck me, bitch,” he grumbled, downing the rest of his coffee. The burn down his esophagus did nothing to distract the headache that grew in intensity by the moment. “This is this morning’s paper?”
Carl must have viewed the question as rhetorical, since the date was right on the top of the page. “Not only does the fucking reporter dog the hell out of us-the prick-but look,” he growled, speaking faster as his temper became more apparent. He stabbed the newspaper with his index finger. “It says here they’re turning the case over to the FBI. We’re on this case, Flynn. I’ll be a goddamn monkey’s uncle if we’re pulled off this one, man. This is a doozy. We just need a few really good leads. Fucking reporter, what’s her name?” He started muttering in Spanish as he dragged his finger down the paper. “Hannah Oswald here announces to all of Kansas City and surrounding suburbs that the online predator could possibly be one of our own.”
Perry pushed himself away from his desk and refilled his cup. Carl followed him, ranting and raving, while Perry drank half of the cup, refilled it again, and then turned to meet his partner’s heated gaze.
“Let’s head downstairs and talk to Pinky. I don’t know who the hell leaked the news to the press, but if Peter is using one of our computers to stalk these girls, I want to know right now which computer he’s using in our station.” Suddenly a few things made sense, Rad’s behavior for one. But if the Chief believed Peter was a cop on the force, why didn’t he fill Perry in on that piece of info when he gave him the case?
If the motherfucker believed Perry was a suspect, he would hand the man’s head to him on a goddamn platter.
Pete Goddard and Franco joined Barker and Richey. Perry wasn’t sure which one of them spotted the newspaper on his desk, but the four of them started commenting on it and he watched each of them closely, focusing on Franco and Goddard. He didn’t see any reaction out of either one of them that could qualify as odd or suspicious. But then if a cop was abducting teenage girls and using the station to instigate his crime, the asshole would have balls of steel. He’d be cocky-arrogant enough to believe he could pull off horrendous crimes under everyone’s noses and not get caught. And so far, he’d been right.
Joseph Pinkman might have possibly invented computers and just stayed on the low about it. Fitting the profile of the classic geek to a T, Pinky glanced up from behind his monitor and pushed his wire-frame glasses up his nose when Perry rapped on the open door to Pinky’s office.
“I need you to solve a case for us, Pinky,” Perry said, entering the small room lined with filing cabinets and three desks, all smothered with mounds of paperwork. To the best of his memory, no one had worked in this office other than Pinky, but the extra desks had never been removed. Perry pulled the CD that he’d saved all the information he had so far on Peter out of the file folder he’d brought from home and handed it over to Pinky. “I need to know what computer our man is using to talk to the girls he’s abducted.”
“I’ve been playing around with that already this morning.” Pinky pulled the CD out of the case and slid it into his disk drive. “I’m assuming this is the online predator case? You two going to try and nab him before the FBI come in and take over?”
“Yes and yes,” Carl offered.
“This should be pretty simple.” Pinky started explaining how every computer had its own specific address and left a trail that was easy to trace. “Several computers are being used. Give me a minute.”
Perry walked around Pinky’s desk and stared at the computer while Pinky switched screens and clicked his mouse repeatedly until he found the page he wanted. Then pointing at his monitor with his long, skinny finger, he looked up at Perry and smiled.
“Now, match these numbers up to the ones we have on file,” he said, again flipping screens. “It’s one of the computers in the ‘pit.’ Hold on; I’ve got a diagram right here. Wait. This can’t be right.”
“What?” Perry’s headache was moving between his eyes. “Tell me.”
“It’s your computer, Perry.”