Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
A warm shiver runs through me as I take in the sight of his naked back. He glances over his shoulder, gaze narrowing on the towel wrapped around my torso.
“Not sure I like the idea of you traipsing around another man’s house dressed like that,” he says.
“Last I checked, the other man was upstairs talking to Kenzie.”
His eyebrows lift. “Interesting...”
“That’s what I thought.” I close the French doors and tiptoe over to Cal, watching him fold his pants and lay them on the weight bench nearby. He turns off the lamp, bathing us in moonlight. He slides his boxers off and then pulls me against his hard body. His mouth captures mine. I whimper softly as he draws me onto his lap on the bed, his erection prodding my belly.
Nothing but the towel rests between us, as he runs his hands all over me.
“I missed you so much today,” I whisper against his lips. “I was so afraid when I saw the barn had burned down. I thought...”
“Shh, it’s all right, sweet girl. Daddy made it home safe.”
This time, I think but don’t say.
I wrap my arms around his shoulders and lean into the security of his body. I nearly drove myself insane worrying about him today. Scared the person who’d set the fire would come after him in an effort to slow down the case.
My mind keeps jumping back to what Teagan said when we were out looking for Kenzie. That she was grateful Jonah wasn’t a cop anymore. These past few days, Cal’s been asking me what I want for the future. I can picture the house I want, and the furniture inside, easily enough. What I can’t imagine is spending all my time alone there, worrying if Cal’s going to come home.
“What happened after we left today?” I ask.
“Aw, baby, we can talk about something nicer than that.” His palms close over my breasts, cupping and squeezing through the towel.
“I’m serious.” I guide his hands away from my nipples. “Did you find out more about the guy who hurt Kenzie?”
He rubs his forehead. “Forensics did find a bloody fingerprint on her necklace. When they ran it through the database, it came back matching a man named Hoyt Renier.”
“Hoyt Renier...” By itself, the name is innocuous. It’s not until I picture the man it belongs to that I shudder. “Who is he?”
“That’s the odd part.” Cal smooths his hands over the goosebumps along my arms. “Beyond an out-of-date driver’s license, the guy’s a virtual ghost. He’s only got one prior on his record for juvenile burglary, and a background check showed his mom used to work for the governor, back when he was a city councilman. She passed on about twelve years ago.”
“You don’t have any pictures of him?”
“Nothing recent,” he says. “But the resemblance is close enough to the description you and McKenzie gave.”
“Do you think you’ll find him?” I rest my forehead on Cal’s shoulder. He runs his fingers through my hair, skimming my nape.
“I do,” he says, like it’s that simple. “Bastard can’t hide forever. It’s only a matter of time before somebody gives him up, or he shows up on a security camera somewhere.”
Cal kneads the tight muscles in my shoulders as I struggle to scrape the memory of Hoyt’s face from my mind’s eye.
“Is it always going to be like this, Daddy?”
“Like what, baby?” He cups my chin, tilting my face so he can meet my gaze.
“Scary. Dangerous.” I swallow thickly. “I keep waiting for more terrible things to happen.”
I kiss his thumb as he brushes it over my lips.
“I wish I could promise that nothing terrible will ever happen again,” he says. “But you and I know there’s no shortage of terrible things in this world. What I can promise is that you’re not gonna have to face any of those things tonight.”
He kisses me gently, teasing my lips apart so he can get a deeper, fuller taste. I close my eyes and relax into his strength as he pulls me closer, his arms tightening around my waist. Our chests press together. I feel his heart pounding, his lungs expanding with every breath.
“Now,” he says against my lips. “Let’s talk about something nice.”
Somehow, even after our talk, his cock is still hard against my belly. He loosens my towel, letting it fall away so that there’s nothing standing between us.
I moan softly as his hands glide down my back to squeeze my bottom.
“I keep thinking about this dream house of yours,” he rasps. “How I want to live there with you, and fuck you in different ways in every room. The kitchen...” He bends to lick a circle around my nipple, then follows it up with a gentle pull I can feel throughout my whole body. “That’s where I’d start, with you on the table, legs spread open. I’d spend hours teasing you, winding you up, till you’re begging me to take you.”