LITMIR.BIZ

       Four

      The woman had an appetite, Cord observed admiringly as she tucked into a double beef burger with all the trimmings. He’d ordered the same for himself. He nodded at a few of the people he knew as they went by, but mostly his attention was on the woman seated opposite him in the booth.

      “Nice place, even better food,” Zoe said when she finished her first bite.

      “It’s a staple here in Royal. You’re always guaranteed a good meal.”

      “I like it. Thanks for bringing me here.”

      The simple compliment with her thanks made him feel ridiculously proud.

      “So, tell me more about yourself,” he said. “You mentioned you’re the youngest of five? Is that right?”

      “Yeah. I like to tell everyone that my mom and dad tried five times before they got the mixture right. My brothers would disagree. If they ever listened to me, that is.”

      Cord smiled. “Wow, four brothers. I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like growing up.”

      As an only child whose future running the family spread was clearly outlined from birth, he had often wondered what it would have been like to share the load with one or more siblings. But from what he’d seen with a lot of his peers, siblings were overrated. Zoe spent the rest of their meal regaling him with stories of the things her brothers got up to while trying to keep her in line. Emphasis on the word trying. Seems she’d been a handful as a kid, and Cord wouldn’t mind betting she hadn’t changed much.

      They were lingering over coffee when he saw her fight back a yawn. It made him realize the time—nearly ten. While that wasn’t late, when you’d done a five-hour drive, like she had, or in his case, been up since before the crack of dawn, it was definitely time to bring the evening to an end.

      “It’s getting late. I’d best get you to your bed.”

      His choice of words had color flaming in her cheeks. He felt an answering wave of heat pulse through his body, too. To distract them both, he signaled for the check and paid, without demur from his guest this time, and they went out to the truck. When they reached her motel, he got down from the truck and walked her to her door.

      “Thank you for dinner,” Zoe said after opening her motel room and flicking on the light. “I enjoyed the company. It can get lonely on trips like this.”

      “Happy to help you pass the time,” he drawled in response.

      Even though he’d chosen his words to tease, oddly, he meant it. He’d engineered tonight to keep her away from Jesse but found himself enjoying her company. Hell, if he was totally honest, enjoying her. The air grew thick and heavy between them as she looked up into his eyes. Without thinking, Cord raised one hand and slid it around the back of her neck as he lowered his face to hers and gave in to the impulse to see if she tasted as good as he’d been imagining all evening.

      He felt the shock that rippled through her body as his fingers touched the bare skin at her nape. Felt the sense of hesitation before her lips parted and she kissed him back. He’d been wrong. She tasted far better than he could ever have imagined, and somewhere along the line their kiss went from a questing beginning to something hot and hard and hungry. It was as if they were combustible elements, drawn together into a conflagration that took them both by surprise.

      Zoe made a sound, like a deep hum, and he was lost. He wanted her—all of her. Forget she was a cop, forget she was investigating his best friend and most likely him, as well. Forget everything but the sweet, spicy flavor of her mouth, the softness of her lips and the urgency that pulled them together.

      He snaked one arm around her waist, hauling her to him. Being tall, she lined up against his body perfectly, her hips against his, her mound pressing on his erection. She rolled her hips, and he groaned involuntarily. The subtle pressure of her body against his was driving him to the brink of his control. If this was what she could do to him clothed, imagine what they could do to each other naked.

      Her hands slid over his shoulders; her fingers clenched on the leather of his jacket as he deepened the kiss. When his tongue tasted hers, she shuddered from head to foot. He did it again. Ah yes, there was that little hum from deep in her throat. She wasn’t a passive woman. She gave back as good as he’d given. Her tongue was now dueling with his. And then she was pulling him through the doorway. Together they shuffled over the threshold. He kicked the motel room door closed behind them and spun her to push her up against the door.

      Lacing his fingers with hers, he lifted her hands up so they were against the door on either side of her head. Then he bent and kissed a hot trail of wet sucking kisses from her lips to her finely boned jawline and down the sweet cords of her neck. Beneath his touch he felt her heated skin jump as sensation transferred from his touch to her. He let go of one of her hands and cupped her breast through her shirt, groaning in frustration as he felt the pebbled nipple against his palm.

      This wasn’t enough. He needed to touch her properly, without the barrier of clothing. His hand was at her buttons before he knew he’d even formed the thought clearly. In his haste he realized he’d torn one button loose from her shirt entirely when he heard the faint sound as it hit the carpet at their feet. But even that couldn’t stop him in his pursuit of the need to see her naked. The front of her shirt fell open and he tugged the tails from her waistband and shoved the fabric aside.

      He sucked in a sharp breath. She wore a black lace bra under that almost-masculine shirt of hers. The woman was a total contradiction. Touch-me-not plain clothing and lingerie made for sin beneath it.

      “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, her breathing ragged.

      “What does it look like I’m doing, Detective? I’m undertaking an investigation of my own,” he growled.

      He reached to cup one of her breasts in his large hand. Yeah, she fit like she was made for him. Rubbing his thumb across her distended nipple,

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