His possessiveness was suddenly going a little too far. “And why would I do that?”

  “Because I plan on ensuring your safety and to be able to do so, you need to obey me.” He closed the distance until the heat of his body created a bundle of nerves.

  Obey. The single word had my pussy throbbing.

  Even in the shadows of the early evening, I noticed the heated look on his face. A rush of heat curled across mine. Enough so, I glanced toward the ocean, still tingling all over.

  “Not by breaking your promise, you won’t.”

  He laughed and the way his eyebrows knitted together was positively infuriating. “No, sweet girl. There are other ways to protect you.”

  “Which you refuse to tell me.”

  “On a need-to-know basis if it comes down to that.”

  “Uh-huh. I assure you that I can take care of myself. Plus, the caller was just taunting me, doing nothing more than trying to terrify me.” Maybe I was hopeful I’d believe the words dripping from my mouth. Tingling sensations tickled every inch of my body, his closeness keeping me lightheaded.

  “While I appreciate your strengths, you’ve somehow become the object of his admiration. And serial killers generally do not leave a job unfinished.”

  “Now you’re trying to scare me.”

  His grin was noncommittal. “Just being realistic.”

  “Let’s say for the sake of arguing the wrong killer is behind bars. Why would the monster suddenly come out of the shadows now?”

  His shrug was thoughtful, yet the answer had already been predetermined. “Because the execution date is set and, in some ways, that means he’ll be a free man.”

  “Free to kill again.” I hadn’t looked at the situation in such a way. My pulse was now sky high, every muscle taut.

  With a gentle touch, he brushed his knuckles against the side of my face. “Copycat or not. If he dares try and touch you, he’ll need to get through me first.”

  The moment shared was different than either I’d expected or what I’d wanted to happen. I’d read enough about the man to realize he was set in his ways, difficult when an agent. There were enough stories depicting his lackluster appreciation of rules and hierarchy. As an author, the rumor mill had touched on him being particular about contracts, promotion, and appearances, his surprise visit to a local bookstore the reason I’d dropped everything, making time to attend the signing.

  Now here we were, the gruff and still dangerous man acting as if he was the hero in his own story, prepared to take on a savage killer.

  “You’re one man, Maverick. Your stance on protecting me is adorable, but ill-advised.”

  “Ill-advised? You sound like my editor.” He pulled his hand away, the slow drop of his head and the tickling sound of his gruff mumble creating yet another tingle of electricity.

  “I’m being serious.”

  “Then how do you suggest we handle the possibility that there’s another killer out in the wild, whether copycat or the man who kidnapped you thirteen years ago?”

  After a few seconds, I exhaled. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “Exactly. While I’m very concerned about your contact information being breached, not only is there not enough evidence for anyone to consider overturning the case, but there also isn’t a single thing that would even suggest looking into the possibility.”

  While the voice inside my head screamed he was right, my mental attitude was such I was furious with both him and the situation. “Then what am I supposed to do? Just change my number and hope that the bastard won’t contact me again?”

  “Yes.”

  “O-kay. Fine.” His answer was too quick, too intentional, an answer I just didn’t want to hear. “Then what happens when the girls begin to disappear? What then? I contact the police and let them handle the bastard?” I backed away, needing air and space and…

  Maybe a CAT scan. My mind was all over the place. I hadn’t thought this through at all. I’d gone to see him on a whim, not the way I acted when protecting my clients. Or myself.

  “Exactly.” A single step was taken, deliberate and without hesitation.

  One word. No explanation, but none was needed. I’d taken something on myself that had no decent conclusion.

  “They did nothing the last time.”

  He wasn’t arguing with me. “The process doesn’t always work.”

  “Which is why you quit the FBI.”

  Laughing, he took a deep breath. “Don’t read between every line, Alexia. There’s a chance you’ll be disappointed.”

  A quiet settled in, only the soft whispers of the ocean breeze providing an indication I was even breathing. I lowered my head, studying the dark liquid in the glass, images popping into my mind. “He brought a hose into the shed once. I’ll never forget that. I had no idea where he’d gotten the water source. Maybe the swamp. The odor was ungodly, but not nearly as repulsive as the overwhelming stench of rotting meat and sour milk, a cloying perfume mixed with decay. He hosed down the walls, the floor, Even the ceiling. Every inch had been caked in blood, strings running down from the rafters. I’ll never forget how he laughed. The sound vibrated in my ears long after he’d finished.”

  “Jesus.”

  Lifting my head, there was a change in the connection we’d shared. Even closer. A tether based on horror and memories that would never fade, never cease to exist. “When the monster left that day, he told us to be good little girls and maybe we’d live another day. Our master. Our salvation. That night he came back. We heard the screams. Even today, the sharp cries linger in my mind. Nightmares plague me. Night. Day. I see the faces of those girls in every victim I assist.”

  Maverick shook his head, the shadows encroaching the deck unable to hide the same rage noted on the stormy night when he’d saved me. Just as he took another step closer, I backed away, shoving out my arm palm up.

  “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have gone to your signing. You have nothing to do with this and it was thoughtless of me to try and wrangle you into a nightmare that might not exist.” I placed my wineglass down on the table, immediately heading to the door. “Thank you for listening to me.”

  A sob stuck in my throat that I refused to acknowledge.

  Just before I walked inside, words were blurted out. “You’ll always be my hero.”

  “I’m no one’s hero, Alexia. I’m just a man.”

  His statement was chilling for no other reason than that he had no clue how he’d made me feel all those years ago. I’d been a desperate, frightened girl with no hope for the future until he’d carried me from the scene of horror. Spinning around, my fists were clenched by my sides and I issued the words quickly before I changed my mind.

  “You were more than my hero. You were my only safe haven.”

  The word reserved didn’t do him justice. Maybe cautious or even brooding. When he said nothing, I accepted that my actions had been foolish. So, I walked away.

  “Alexia. Wait.”

  “Why? You’re right. I’m wrong. I’m just…” His presence was all consuming, no longer just tickling my naked skin but enflaming my core.

  He stopped right behind me, his breathing labored yet controlled.

  “I’m just scared the nightmare isn’t over. I know how silly it sounds. Ridiculous. I’m sorry I interrupted your life. I didn’t have anyone else to turn to.”

  The touch of his hand on my arm sent a shockwave of both emotions and vibrations. My legs were shaky as he turned me around. My heart thudded when he cupped both sides of my face. But the gentleness when he tipped my head, the soft brush of his thumbs skimming across my face was exciting.

  “You can lean on me, Alexia. I’m not going anywhere.”

  I gripped his arm, struggling with my nerves as he pulled me closer, so close his masculine scent shoved aside the lingering stench that had never escaped my system.

  The closeness claimed the air around us. No ocean breeze. No staunch Miami humidity.

  Just the two of us and a wave of electricity confounding every rational thought.

  “Maverick,” I whispered, doing everything to concentrate on the rapid beat of my heart thrumming against my chest instead of the increasing throb in my pussy.

  Seconds ticked.

  A full minute.

  There were no sounds.

  No formal acknowledgment of our intentions.

  But nothing could pull me away or change my mind.

  I wanted this man more than any other in my life.

  Every brush of his fingertips augmented the jolts of current, every look he offered creating tiny prickles. I slipped further and further into a dark abyss.

  As soon as I wrapped my fingers around his wrist, a delicious sound erupted from deep within his throat.

  Trembling, I kneaded his muscles through his shirt as he dared to slowly lower his head another few centimeters. His scent was overpowering, keeping my pulse racing, my pussy so wet, the fragrance combined with his. Our bodies were like live wires, skittering, dancing in a raging thunderstorm. When he tangled his fingers in my hair, coiling the long strands around his hand, he yanked my head until I was captured in his arms. Suddenly, everything I thought mattered was shoved aside.

  I craved his touch. His lips on mine. I longed to slide my hand down his tee shirt to his jeans, freeing his cock so he could plunge inside. And I craved his mouth against my sex, driving his tongue past my swollen folds.

  “Alexia.” With a slight cock of his head, he nuzzled his face against the side of my neck. “This is probably not a good idea.”

  Every sound a slight shudder, I arched my back, offering him all of me. “I know. But I don’t care.”

  “Neither do I.” He crushed his lips against mine as he wrapped his arm around my waist, lifting me off my feet. The hard ridge of his cock pressed against me created a deeper ache in my pussy.

  The man was fully aroused, every muscle tense as he fought with the addictive longing.

  Maybe I should be doing the same.

  He shifted his hand, fisting my hair instead of my neck, crushing me against his body until wave after wave of electricity soared through me. The kiss became a blinding whir of passion, the intensity I’d seen in him before excluding all understanding as he explored my mouth, drinking in my essence.

  From everything I’d read and had learned about him, he was a man capable of tremendous violence, but I sensed there was an agonizing need for darkness and intimacy. He’d been an unruly agent, fighting orders and procedures. Almost every word he’d written on a page had been augmented with his disdain of the legal system.

  I was thrown by my body’s reactions, every nerve ending seared, my legs wobbling as he thrust his tongue inside. My core was ignited, the flames turning into an obliterating firestorm of longing, leaving my mind fractured as to how I could feel so strongly toward such a man.

  The kiss became more powerful as he dominated my tongue, his actions rough, bordering on brutal, but I’d never felt so alive, crazed with wild abandon. A moan slipped past the kiss as he scooped me off the deck.

  I flung my arms over his shoulders, every ache more intense. The kiss was as if time was running out, the world ending. As his tongue swirled, finally demanding its way into my mouth, my resolve started to crumble, leaving me exposed to the madness.

  His actions were rough yet inviting, pushing me to the point of letting go. I’d never hungered to surrender to anyone as I did with this man. Maybe I was merely living out a fantasy and nothing else, but the taste of him and the heat of his body were explosive.

  As the kiss continued, I found myself melting into his powerful arms, unable to think about anything else but the clear madness of experiencing rapture when I’d believed he’d shut me down. I closed my eyes, thriving off the intimacy, my pussy clenching several times.

  “You want this.” He wasn’t asking. He was telling me.

  “Do I?”

  “Tell me.” His grip on my chin became more forceful as he wrenched my head, forcing me to stare into his eyes. Riveting, the flecks of light sparking off them from the last vestige of sunlight added gasoline to the fire.

  I ripped at his tee shirt, yanking the hem from the tight confines of his jeans, longing to slide my hands underneath so I could marvel in his carved body. I could no longer recognize any aspect of the woman I’d become, so crazed that nothing else seemed to matter.

  “I’m going to fuck you. Tell me you want it.”

  “I can’t.”

  He peppered my cheek with kisses, dragging his rough tongue along my jaw, sliding it to the base of my ear. As he nipped my earlobe, everything I’d thought I’d known about the woman inside was shattered, broken pieces of glass imbedded in my skin. I shoved the rest of the world aside, unable to halt what was about to happen.

  Nor did I want to.

  “Tell. Me.” His command reverberated in my ears, the husky sound filtering into every cell and pore of my skin, the fire all consuming.

  “Yes. Fuck me. Just… fuck me.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Maverick

  “There is nothing like the hunting of women. No gourmet food. No expensive liquor. No sensual perfume. And no raw, unbridled sexual experience that could hold a candle to the hunt, the capture, and the kill.”

  The bastard’s words lingered in my mind. I could almost hear his voice inside my head, laughing as he tossed them out like cookie crumbs to potential new conquests.

  Every time I cinched my eyes shut, I could see his face. But in a few seconds, the ugliness was crowded out by visions of my unexpected guest.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  What the hell was I doing?

  Touching her? Kissing her?

  I needed to shut it all down immediately. But I didn’t want to.

  Yes, Alexia was fucking gorgeous. Yes, she’d awakened something I’d believed driven into permanent abstention. She’d also managed with a single smile to allow my cravings to surface.

  Yet at the same time, discovering her identity had also jarred an abysmal past, destroying dozens of chains and locks I’d placed around myself for one single reason.

  Keeping my sanity.

  Maybe two.

  To keep me from breaking down the doors of the prison and killing the evil bastard myself. He’d fucked with everyone for almost a year, taunting victims, police officers, and judges. He’d believed himself bigger than the law, enjoying terrifying everyone in the chase. But he hadn’t been able to get to me.

  At least not where others could witness the downfall of a once highly decorated FBI agent. Little did anyone know how much I’d suffered.

  Keeping my anger and inner frustrations private had been a feat for years. I’d finally surrendered the memories and burning need to the same prison as everything else about the case.

  Now the doors had been blown wide open.

  “I want you,” Alexia said quietly.

  I kissed her again, this time with abandon. She had no idea what she’d just started. As I swept my tongue inside once again, she gripped my shirt, arching her back. The feel of having her in my arms was incredible, pushing every boundary.

  Every moan she whispered I captured. The taste of her was so damn sweet I was lightheaded. Just when I thought I was about to drag her inside, pitching her on my bed, she pushed away.

  Her laugh was playful and when she dragged the tip of her tongue around her lips, the ache in my balls increased.

  Goddamn it. What the hell was I going to do with her?

  I sensed Alexia was in danger and I had every intention of keeping her safe. Other than the laws of the land, I wasn’t hindered by the guidelines forced on me as an agent. However, going after a ghost wouldn’t do either one of us any good.

  “What are we doing here?” Alexia asked. Her voice was alluring, the slight look she offered playful. Now she was teasing me.

  “I think you know the answer.” Although I wasn’t certain I did. Since the initial meeting in the bookstore, the attraction had been undeniable. Everything she’d said personally, including appreciating the dominating side of my characters had exposed the same darkness inside of her that I usually kept buried deep within me.

  A longing that could be considered sadistic if not completely possessive in nature.

  She studied me for a few seconds, taking another sip of her wine. “I don’t want to get hurt.”

  “And you think I’m that kind of man?”

  Every laugh dragged the primal cravings to the surface. “Are you?”

  “Well, I don’t intend on hurting you, at least emotionally. Will there be pain involved? Perhaps. But I know that’s what you want and what you need.” We were close enough I could concentrate on the bobbing pulse on the side of her neck. I was pushing every button.

  And I just didn’t care. The longing for her was already off the charts.

  She couldn’t deny what I was telling her. “You know what I need?”

  “Yes. Intimately. Come here, Alexia.” I even beckoned her with a single finger.

  “Why?” The little vixen ran the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip again.

  “Because I commanded you to do so.”

  She studied her glass for a full ten seconds before obeying, lifting her head as she approached. “Yes, Mr. Callahan?”

  I took her wineglass from her hand, placing both drinks on the outside table. Then I cupped her face, rubbing her jaw as I’d done before. Within seconds, the tension eased, the bright moon rising over the ocean water adding a shimmering reflection to her eyes. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. “I need to see all of you. Every inch.”

  “What if I don’t obey?”

  “Then I guess you’ll learn the truth about me.”

  “Which is?”

  “Exactly what I told you. That I’m no hero and certainly no saint.” I lowered my head, kissing the top of her forehead.

  “You must have me confused,” she mused. “I never said anything about you being a saint. But I did experience your heroic qualities. That’s not something you can deny.”

  Rescuing then protecting her had been the only thing on my mind all those years ago. Here we were all over again.