With a gasp, he straightens against the wall, pulling up the bottom of his shirt.

  “It’s okay,” he gasps, squinting.

  “Kevlar!” I scream, diving forward and wrapping my arms around his neck. “You’re wearing a vest.”

  My shoulders wobble, and I collapse, sobbing and holding him. Strong arms encircle my waist, and he pulls me flush against his body, burying his face in the side of my neck.

  “Don’t cry, beautiful. I’ve got you.”

  I slide my hands across his cheeks, kissing his brow, his eyes, a touch of salt is on my tongue.

  Lifting my head, my voice breaks. “Are you crying?”

  “Are you?” He smiles, and joy explodes in my chest.

  Our mouths collide, and my fingers thread in his soft hair. Sealing my lips over his, they part, and our tongues curl together. Heat floods my body, and fresh tears fill my eyes. Lifting my chin, I pull him closer.

  “You’re here.” I sniff, hugging him tighter. “You came for me.”

  “I’ve been going out of my mind trying to find you.” He speaks against my neck, dragging his lips behind my ear before covering my mouth with his again.

  A whimper slips from my throat, and his hands fist in my sweater at my waist, dragging me closer. I can’t get enough of him. Happiness is a drug in my veins, and I’m desperate to hold him until our bodies melt into one.

  A loud Rooo! comes from Edward right beside us, and I jump with a little squeal. Then I collapse into laughter, wrapping an arm around my dog and scrubbing his neck.

  “Good boy, Edward! You were perfect!”

  Mom stands over us, holding his leash. Her eyes glow as she looks down at me straddling Aiden’s lap with my hand on his shoulder and my arm around my dog.

  “I hate to interrupt, but a lot of people are waiting to hear if we found you. We need to let them know…” She casts a glance in the direction of Stan’s dead body. “And there’s that.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Aiden bends a knee, groaning as he starts to rise.

  I hop off his lap, holding his arm. Once he’s standing, I wrap my arms around his waist, and his strong arm is over my shoulder.

  “Did you drive?” I look up at my mom.

  “We actually got here by boat. Once we knew where you were, it was the best way to sneak up on the house.”

  “No alligators?”

  Her brow furrows. “Are there alligators?”

  “I’m sure there are.” Aiden finishes tapping out a text then nods to the driveway. “We’ll drive that Ford back to Eureka. I just messaged Doug and Edna we’re on our way.” Warm gray eyes hold mine, and he slides his thumb down the side of my cheek. “We’re bringing you home.”

  CHAPTER 31

  AIDEN

  The courthouse is lit up like a carnival when we get back to town. Everyone who’s been working on the case is waiting, and as soon as I pull into my reserved space, Edna runs out to greet Gwen and Britt with hugs and cries of joy.

  Mom walks out with Owen, and Edward lunges forward to meet his little friend.

  “You did it, boy!” Owen drops to his knees and hugs the dog. “You helped Dad find the bad guys. Didn’t he, Dad? Did Edward help you solve the case?”

  “He sure did.” I scrub my hand on the top of Owen’s head, looking up to where Doug and Holly wave from the entrance to the courthouse.

  Stepping past the Brewer-Bailey reunion, I go to where one of the Beaufort deputies and a state trooper are watching, arms crossed and almost smiling.

  Waving for them to head inside with me, I quickly fill in the team on what we’ve been able to piece together, from what we knew going in and the things Stan confessed to Britt while he was holding her captive.

  It appears he’d originally planned to kidnap Gwen and force her to say all the things he wrote in his deranged email live on some social media platform. The vandalism and the thefts were distractions to send us hunting for Gary Blue instead of him when she went missing.

  “But why kill Gary? It blew his whole cover.” Piper sits on the edge of Doug’s desk, quickly making notes for the Tuesday edition of the gazette.

  “He told Britt it was because he caught Gary conspiring with Gwen.” My jaw tightens. “He thought killing Gary would send Gwen a message. Then he decided taking Britt would scare her into compliance.”

  When we’ve finished documenting what happened, Doug calls the coroner’s office, and a crew is sent to recover Stan’s body and process the scene.

  With the case wrapped and Britt safe, exhaustion hits me hard. I’d like to talk to her some more. I’d like to do a lot of things with her, but when I walk to the door and look out, she’s still surrounded by Gwen and Edna.

  Owen yawns, and my mother hugs him to her side looking tired herself.

  “We should head home.” I pat my son’s little back. “It’s late, and you've got school tomorrow.”

  We walk Edward out to where the three women are rehashing everything. Owen skips forward, hugging Britt around the waist. “Edward missed you while you were out of town, but I took good care of him for you!”

  “Thank you, Owen.” She bends down, hugging him tight. “I know you did a good job.”

  She looks up at me, and my jaw tightens with all the things I want to say to her. I love seeing her here, safe, hugging my son, and I loved having her in my arms again, even if it was too brief and we were flying on adrenaline.

  “Thank you again for rescuing me.” She’s so pretty.

  My arms can’t get enough of her, and I want to surround her body with mine and never let her go. Still, I can see the exhaustion lining her eyes as well.

  “Get some rest. We can talk tomorrow.”

  Her smile dims, but she blinks it away. “Okay.”

  Taking Owen’s hand, I help him and my mom into the truck. Hesitating, I watch her with her family. The aching pain in my chest is healed. The world is right, and magic or faith or whatever you want to call it has restored her to me.

  For the first time in years, I can imagine something bigger than us, something I can’t see or feel, that protected her from a madman and put her safely in my arms again.

  Or maybe I’m simply exhausted from a long week of tension and fear and the successful conclusion of a desperate search. My son and my mom are waiting for me, and I have to get them home. Then we’ll rest and see how it all looks tomorrow in the light of day.

  I’m out of bed before Owen, showered, dressed, and ready to head to the courthouse. When Owen’s finally up, I help him get dressed and brush his hair before grabbing a go-gurt and hurrying us out the door.

  The mob at the courthouse has dispersed, and today it’s the usual crew, Edna, Doug, and Holly. Doug is leaning beside Holly’s desk holding a donut, and it’s almost like nothing happened. Except Britt isn’t at her desk, and Gwen is leaving Edna’s office.

  She’s back to wearing her wildly patterned silk kimonos and scarves on her head with all the rings and bracelets and shit, but on her way past me, she stops.

  “Mom said you stated for the official record Stan was killed in self-defense.”

  “That’s exactly what happened.” I sit at my desk, opening my laptop. “He fired multiple shots at Britt, you, and me. You were well within your rights to defend yourself and your daughter. Hell, you defended me.”

  “Thank you.” She puts her hand on my arm briefly. “You stayed until the end, and you brought my daughter home.”

  “We both did.”

  I’d leave it at that, but the weight of the past is on my shoulders, and the unspoken words hanging between us need to be said.

  “I owe you an apology, Gwen. You were right all along about Lars. Dad couldn’t see past the facts, and I couldn’t see past what had gone before. But you never gave up. You knew he was murdered, and I’m glad we were finally able to call it what it was and find his killer.”

  “We have closure,” she says quietly before squinting at me. “Perhaps magic does bring justice?”

  “More like criminals always return to the scene of the crime.”

  “Maybe it’s a bit of both.” Edna walks up to join us. “Have you seen my granddaughter today, Sheriff?”

  “I was actually going to ask you the same thing. Is she taking the day off?” I wouldn’t blame her if she did, although I’ll be disappointed not to see her.

  “She’s at her apartment. I saw her when I left,” Gwen says.

  Edna arches an eyebrow at me. “I think you might want to check on her. She told me something about her work here being done, and I couldn’t seem to change her mind.”

  I’m on my feet at once, heading to the door. “I’ll have a talk with her.”

  “Take your time,” Edna calls. “Take as long as you need—all day if necessary!”

  Passing through the door, I hear her say to Gwen, “I picked the wrong brother.”

  Britt is standing in the small foyer guiding the beach cruiser to the door when I enter her building. Her hair is down, and she’s wearing the light blue dress she had on the day of the fair. Energy tightens in my chest when I remember her on my lap on the Ferris wheel, the unfinished business between us.

  “Aiden…” She blinks up at me when I step through the door.

  “What are you doing with that?” I nod to the bike.

  “Returning it to your mom. I don’t need it anymore.”

  Standing between her and the door, I put my hand on the handlebars to stop her. “Why not?”

  Her chin lowers, and her eyes drift to my hand. “I’m going back to Greenville.”

  “Like hell you are.” My impulsive response is out before I can stop it.

  Her pink tongue slips out to wet her bottom lip, and I’m this close to catching her face and kissing the idea right out of her pretty head.

  Putting her hand on her hip, she looks up at me. “The case is closed, Sheriff. We found our bad guy. It’s the reason Gran asked me to come here, and now it’s done.”

  “We have more cases. We still don’t know who’s putting those signs all over town.”

  Her slim brow furrows, and her arm drops. She shakes her head. “I can’t stay here. You’re… I…”

  Releasing the bike, I step closer to where she’s struggling with her reasons. Placing my thumb under her chin, I make her look at me. “What about you and me?”

  Her pretty eyes blink fast, and her words come out in a rush. “I can’t work with you anymore with the way I feel. I can’t see you everyday, knowing that I can never…” She exhales heavily. “You’re a good man, Aiden. You’re strong and good, and you deserve someone who won’t hurt you. You deserve someone who knows who she is and isn’t susceptible to her family’s pressure.”

  She’s so fucking adorable, and the emotions burning in my chest make it almost impossible not to smile, not to pull her into my arms. “I haven’t met anyone who isn’t susceptible to a certain amount of family pressure.”

  “Yes, but my family in particular.” She shakes her head. “They’re—”

  “Not what I thought they were.”

  Her nose wrinkles, and she looks up at me again. “What are you saying?”

  “Are you planning to hurt me again?”

  Her eyes go wide. “No, I would never—”

  “Are you going to come to me the next time Gwen wants you to hide something or do something that makes you uncomfortable?”

  Nodding, she answers quickly. “Yes!”

  “You’ll come to me first?”

  “Always.”

  “That’s all I need to know. Now get upstairs and get naked. The only place you’re going is to bed with me.”

  A smile breaks across her pretty face, and her hands fall away from the bike I’m holding. “Are you saying you still want me?”

  I prop the bike beside the stairs and put my hands on her arms, pulling her closer. “I’m saying you’re mine. You’re staying right here in Eureka with me. Does that sound good to you?”

  “Yes, sir!” Her voice is high, and a laugh slips through my lips.

  “Now get upstairs. We’ve got some catching up to do.”

  She skips around me, and I park the cruiser, glancing up to see her sexy little ass bouncing as she jogs up the steps. Catching the banister, I’m right behind her, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her off her feet and over my shoulder as I climb the last two steps.

  She shrieks a laugh, and I slide her down in my arms, carrying her through the door. Her legs are around my waist, and my hands grip her butt beneath her dress. With a sigh, she leans forward, planting her full lips on mine. Our mouths open, and I lick my tongue along hers, sweet and minty.

  Kicking the door shut, I carry her to the bed, dropping her on her back and looking down at her as I unbutton my shirt. Her blonde hair fans around her shoulders, and her bottom lip pulls between her teeth as she watches me. Hunger burns in my stomach, and my dick is hard and ready to make her mine.

  When I pull the shirt over my head, her green eyes flinch, and she climbs onto her knees fast. “Oh, Aiden!” Her fingers lightly hover over the large bruise above my heart. I catch a crystal tear on her cheek. “If anything had happened to you…”

  “Look at me.” Her chin lifts, and I slide my thumb under her eyes. “I would gladly take a bullet for you.”

  Shaking her head, she places her palm over the ugly spot. “Does it hurt?”

  “Not as much as the thought of losing you.”

  Her mouth covers mine again, and our kisses are hot and hungry, desperate and needy. Emotion floods my chest, and the fact of us here, together, after being so close to losing each other, has me needing to hold her tight, never let her go.

  “I’m not sure I can be gentle.” My voice is rough.

  Her hands cover mine, helping me lower my pants. “I don’t want you to be gentle. I want you to love me like you almost lost me.”

  Both my hands are in her hair, and I thread my fingers behind her head, claiming her mouth in a consuming kiss. I slide my tongue along hers, breaking to nip her lips with my teeth before doing it again. My teeth slide along her jaw and my face is in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent as I consume every piece of her.

  Little noises slip from her throat, driving me crazy. My voice is a groan against her lips. “What do you want?”

  “I want your cock…” Her fingers cover my tip, and my stomach shudders at her touch.

  “Feels so good.”

  Leaning forward, she flickers her tongue along the sides of my dick before pulling it fully into her hot little mouth, pumping her hand fast up and down my shaft.

  My knees waver, and I catch the side of her cheek for balance. “Fuck, girl.”

  She sucks me faster, bobbing her head until I’m right at the edge. Then she rises on her knees, kissing my stomach, making her way up my chest. “I want you inside me.”

  Our mouths meet again, and I slide my palms over her shoulders, pushing the straps of her dress down her arms. She lifts the entire garment over her head, leaving her before me in only a thin beige bra that’s practically transparent and a tiny scrap of underwear that barely covers her pussy.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful.” I slide my palms over her hardened nipples, squeezing and lifting. “I love this body.”

  She palms my cock, dragging her nails over my rigid length. “Take me.”

  I capture her lips again, moving her back onto the bed before kissing my way down her neck. She reaches behind her back to remove her bra, and I cover a nipple with my mouth, pulling and teasing it with my teeth.

  She moans and squirms, threading her fingers in the sides of my hair.

  My kisses trail lower, along the curve of her waist, over her hip as I settle between her thighs. “This is mine.”

  “Yes…” She gasps as I hook my finger inside the front of her thong and rub it up and down against her clit.

  Her hips jump and move with my hand, and I drag her panties down her legs, dropping them on the floor before returning to cover her pussy with my mouth.

  “Oh, God!” It’s a cracked sigh, and her knees rise.

  Circling my tongue, I pull her clit with my lips, focusing my attention on her response, the movement of her pelvis. Her body rocks like a wave on the ocean. Her breasts bounce with her gasps and shudders, and I slide a hand up to cover one, lifting and squeezing, plucking and tugging at her nipple with my fingers.

  Louder moans ripple from her throat, and my tongue moves faster, stroking and teasing until I slip two fingers into her slippery core. I curl them against the inside of her pussy, and she rises off the bed with a loud noise between a cry and a swear.

  Her body jerks and shudders, and I smile, moving my lips to the crease of her legs before kissing my way to her navel, higher to her soft tits.

  Bracing myself on my forearms, I look down at her flushed cheeks, the pink spreading across her chest. “Was that good, beautiful?”

  She nods, smiling lazily, lifting her arms to my neck. “So good.”

  “Are you ready for me to fuck you?” Another nod. “Get on your stomach, and hold onto the headboard.”

  It’s a low order, and her eyes widen with excitement before she flips over quickly, reaching over her head for the metal frame.

  Gripping her hips, I push her legs apart with mine. Leaning forward, my mouth is behind her ear, my beard sliding against the back of her neck.

  “Wider.” She shivers, letting out a little moan as she obeys my simple command.

  Her sexy little ass rises, and I grasp my dripping cock, sliding it up and down her core until I find her entrance. With one hard thrust, I’m fully inside her, and we both moan loudly.

  “Oh, shit,” she gasps.

  “Fuck…” I growl as her pussy grips my cock, clenching and pulling me. “God damn…”

  My forehead drops to her shoulder, and I try to catch my breath, to calm the fiery orgasm racing through my pelvis. It’s been so long since I was here, I’m going to come fast.

  “Hold on, baby.” I’m on my knees, and I start to thrust, eager and punishing.

  Our skin slaps, and she scoots forward on the bed, wailing and shuddering. I’m lost in the swirling waves of pleasure tightening my ass and driving my hips. Keeping one hand on her waist, I slide the other around between her legs, finding her clit and massaging it fast.