Eyewitness

Chapter Twelve

Kieran’s gaze darted to the roof above Devon’s head. Stacks of red roofing tiles shifted. Piles of bricks inched toward the rain gutters. Before he could process the implications, Kieran’s feet began moving, his legs pumping. He called Devon’s name again, the sound a roar in his ears.

His sprint caused his lungs to burn, and he couldn’t manage more than a strangled cry from his throat. Devon’s eyes widened at his approach. As the quarterback in high school and college, he’d had to execute a few tackles. Time to put one in play.

The muscles in his legs bunched as he sprang forward, his arms wide. He led with his chest, connecting with Devon’s mid-section and Michael’s leg dangling against her body. He wrapped his arms around both of them to cushion the impact of the fall.

All three of them hit the ground, and the backs of Kieran’s hands scraped along the asphalt as he cradled Devon’s head. Michael, sandwiched between them, grunted when Kieran’s body crushed him against Devon’s chest.

A crash resounded behind them, and bricks and tiles pelted Kieran’s legs. Still covering Devon and Michael with his body, he twisted his head around and coughed at the red dust rising from a pile of debris that had destroyed the awning-the awning where Devon had stood with Michael seconds before.

Devon moaned and Michael whimpered. Kieran rolled from their bodies and sat on his heels. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“What happened?” Devon pushed up to her elbows, and her jaw dropped when she saw the bricks and tiles scattered in the alley.

“Whoa.” Michael sat up on Devon’s stomach and she winced.

Kieran scooped him off and ran his hands from the boy’s shoulders down his arms. “Are you okay, Michael? Does anything hurt?”

“My nose.”

Kieran planted his finger on the tip of Michael’s nose. “Must’ve squished it, but you look the same.”

“H-how did you know those bricks and tiles were going to fall?”

Kieran gazed at the roof. Whoever shoved those building materials over the edge was long gone now. Maybe someone saw him leaving the roof.

As Michael bent over to brush off his knees, Kieran met Devon’s eyes and put a finger to his lips. “A premonition.”

Her face white, Devon struggled to her feet and clamped Michael against her legs where he squirmed out of her grasp.

Kieran rose, shaking dust from his hair. “Where’s Detective Marquette?”

“I-I don’t know. Maybe still at the police station.” She waved her arm at the back of a stucco building across the alley.

“What did he say when he called you?” Kieran knelt in front of Michael and checked out a small scrape on his elbow.

“He didn’t call me. He texted me.”

“He texted you?” Kieran’s gut twisted. “How did you know it was Marquette?”

With trembling hands, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. “I saved his number. His ID popped up when I got the text.”

“Did you call him back?”

“He was in a meeting. I assumed that’s why he texted me.”

“What’s he still doing in town?” Michael’s small frame stiffened beneath his hands, so Kieran softened his tone. “What did the text say?”

Devon slid open her phone and held it in front of him, cupping the screen. He read the message, and the knots in his belly got tighter.

“Where is he then?” He spread his arms to encompass the alley.

A few shopkeepers had wandered out their back doors and were pointing at the debris. The manager of Vinnie’s was pawing through the pieces of his broken awning.

Devon shook her head. “I don’t know where he is. He must still be in his meeting.”

“Why would you leave Elena’s office like that? You know you’re in dan…” He trailed off as he picked a bit of dirt from Michael’s hair. Michael didn’t need to keep hearing how much danger surrounded his mom.

“I was going to meet a cop, for goodness’ sakes…in a well-traveled alley behind the police station.”

“Didn’t do you much good.” Kieran pointed to the roof of the building.

“We don’t know anything yet, Kieran.”

“That’s right, but we’re going to find out.”

“Did you see what happened out here?” The manager of Vinnie’s waved a piece of the tattered red-and-white-striped awning back and forth.

“The bricks and tiles fell from the roof, or someone pushed them off. Did you see anyone up there?”

The manager’s face reddened. “If I find out it’s those damned teenagers who hang out back here, I’m going straight to the mayor.”

“How would someone get off the roof?”

“It’s not that high. You’d be surprised what those kids can do-jump onto Dumpsters, shimmy down trees. We even had some teens taking their skateboards up there and jumping from building to building.” He shook a fist at the skateboarders who’d stopped doing tricks long enough to gawk at the mess of bricks on the ground. “If I find out you boys had anything to do with this, I’m going to get Mayor Davis to ban you kids from this alley.”

The boys smirked and took off on their boards.

“How come no workers are up there working on the roof and facade?”

“There’s some money dispute among the businesses. The city’s paying for it, but some businesses think they’re more deserving than others.”

Devon tugged on Kieran’s hand. “I’m calling Detective Marquette.”

She punched in his number but got his voice mail. Then she pointed to the back of the police station. “Let’s find him.”

Kieran pinned the pizza manager with his gaze. “While you’re at it, you tell the mayor that those falling bricks and tiles almost landed on a woman and a child.”

My woman and child.

They crossed the alley together, only to find the back door of the police station locked. Devon led him down a walkway to the front of the building.

Kieran held open the door for her as she marched to the front desk like she owned the place. She planted her hands on the counter. “Where is Detective Marquette?”

The officer’s eyes popped. “You mean that homicide detective from SFPD who was meeting with the chief?”

“That’s the one.”

“He’s not here.”

“Do you mean the meeting’s over and he already left?”

“Uh.” The officer passed a hand over his mouth. “Yeah. He left after the meeting yesterday.”

Kieran’s hands clenched into fists, as he moved next to Devon, his shoulder touching hers.

“H-he didn’t have a meeting with the chief today?”

“Not unless it was a teleconference. The chief’s been holed up with the mayor for the past half hour.”

Devon’s shoulders slumped. “Maybe he was on the phone with Detective Marquette before his meeting with the mayor. Can I talk to the chief?”

“Hold on.” The officer punched a button on the phone and spoke into the speaker. “Chief, Devon Reese is here to see you.”

“Damn these Reeses. Are they ever going to leave this building?”

The officer closed his eyes. “Ah, Chief, you’re on speaker phone.”

“Send her back.”

“Sorry, Ms. Reese.” He looked both ways and hunched forward. “For the record, we’re all looking forward to the day when your brother takes over as chief.”

Devon grinned. “I appreciate that.”

“And I second that emotion.” A petite, fluffy woman scurried from the back and gave Devon a quick hug and patted Michael’s head. “You’re so big, Michael.”

“Kieran, you remember Lucinda Lotts, don’t you? My father’s secretary.”

That session with Dr. Estrada had helped, but not enough that he could immediately place every name and face in Coral Cove. “Of course I do.”

“Good to have you home, Kieran.” She crooked her finger at Michael. “Do you want to have a treat in my cubicle while your mom talks to Chief Evans, Michael?”

Devon mouthed the words “thank you” over Michael’s head, but Kieran held his breath. Would Michael go with her?

Michael looked up at Devon for approval and she nodded. “He already had candy, Lucinda.”

“Oh, we’ll find something better than that.” She took his hand and led him to the back room divided by several cubicles.

Devon blew out a breath and squared her shoulders. “I’m ready.”

Kieran placed his hand on the small of her back and steered her down the hallway. “Don’t expect a warm welcome.”

He rapped on the chief’s door with a single knuckle.

“Come on in.”

The chief swung his feet off the desk when they walked in, and the mayor hid a smile behind a cough.

“Sorry about that, Devon. It’s been a tough day.”

“Tell me about it.” She blew a strand of hair from her face. “Did you have a meeting with Detective Marquette today?”

The chief shot a glance at the mayor. “No. He left yesterday. Didn’t you talk to him?”

Kieran gritted his teeth. This sounded bad.

“I-I did see him…yesterday.” Devon gripped the edge of the desk, her knuckles turning white.

Kieran draped his arm across her shoulder and he pressed her into the chair stationed behind her. She folded.

“What’s this about?” Chief Evans sat forward in his seat.

Kieran wedged a hip against the corner of the desk. “Devon got a message from Detective Marquette earlier, asking her to meet him in the alley after his meeting with you.”

The chief spread his hands. “Maybe it was an old message. I haven’t heard from the detective since…” He scrabbled through some papers in his inbox. Then he punched a button on his phone. “Officer Dickens, didn’t I get some message from Detective Marquette SFPD Homicide this morning?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you have it?”

“It’s out here, sir.”

Chief Evans rolled his eyes. “Then bring it in here.”

Devon held out her phone to the chief. “It’s not an old message. You can see the time, eleven-forty today.”

The chief squinted at the display. “Doesn’t say the meeting is with me specifically, but I guess I’d know if one of my officers was meeting with him. Don’t know why one of my officers would be meeting with him.”

Officer Dickens poked his head into the room, a piece of pink paper from a message pad clutched in his hand. “I have it.”

The chief held out his hand, his fingers wiggling. “Hand it over.”

The officer held it out, and the chief snatched it from his fingers. He perused the note with a wrinkled brow and then slapped it in front of Devon.

She hunched forward to read it, and then dropped her forehead onto the note.

A muscle in Kieran’s jaw jumped and he rubbed a circle on Devon’s back. “What is it? What does the note say, Devon?”

She raised her glassy eyes to his face and swallowed. “Detective Marquette lost his cell phone… Yesterday.”

DEVON FELT LIKE SHE was drowning and her breath came out in little spurts. Her cell phone, in the middle of Chief Evans’s desk, seemed to be emitting some sort of toxic vibe now.

How had the killer gotten Detective Marquette’s cell phone? From there it would’ve been easy for him to text her since Detective Marquette probably had her number stored in his phone. The detective had called her several times since the murder.

Kieran’s low, steady voice cleared the fog in her head.

“…so it’s obvious, the person who’s been stalking Devon stole Detective Marquette’s phone and used it to lure Devon into that alley.”

“Why would you agree to meet someone in an alley based on a text message?”

Devon’s palm itched to smack the chief’s fake incredulous look from his face. “It wasn’t just someone. It was Detective Marquette. Why would I have any reason to believe the detective wasn’t the one sending texts from his own phone?”

She pushed up from the chair, her fingernails curling into the blotter on the desk. “And it wasn’t just some alley. It was the alley behind the police station, for God’s sake. Why would I have any reason to believe I wouldn’t be safe right behind the Coral Cove Police Station?” She smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Oh, I know…because you’re the chief.”

Kieran ran his fingers down her arm, and she resisted an urge to shake him off.

“Devon…”

Her blood thumped in her temples and she pounded her fist on the desk, making the chief’s favorite pen bounce. “I was eager to talk to Detective Marquette because you guys haven’t done anything. Someone’s trying to kill me because he or they have the mistaken idea I know something about Mrs. Del Vecchio’s murder. And you’re not doing anything to protect me. If Kieran weren’t here, I’d be dead already.”

“Our force isn’t big enough…”

She snatched the pen off the desk and threw it across the room. Tyler ducked.

“Not only do you lead a worthless force, your officers are running around stealing.”

“What are you talking about?” The chief remained seated, his hands folded on his desk.

“The night someone took a shot at me at Columbella House, Kieran and I had found a diary. When we went back for it, it was gone.”

The chief’s brows shot up. “Why would one of my men want to steal a diary?”

Devon waved her arms around and Tyler ducked again. “I don’t know. It’s just a general…a general…lack of direction in this department.”

“Well, I’m sure things will be so much better when another Reese takes over this position.” The chief managed a tight smile. “In the meantime, I’ll have an officer start questioning the businesses in the area to see if anyone noticed someone going up or coming down from those rooftops.”

Tyler cleared his throat. “And I’ll certainly see about having the construction company secure its materials until building can resume.”

“Yeah, and you might also want to recover that diary, Mayor Davis, since it could’ve belonged to your former fiancée. You know-the one who dumped you for her sister’s boyfriend?”

She charged out of the room and stormed down the hallway to collect Michael from Lucinda. When she stumbled into the sunshine, Kieran gripping her hand, her pulse began to resume its normal beat.

“Wow.” Kieran raised one eyebrow and his mouth quirked at the corner. “You left with both barrels blazing. By the look on the mayor’s face, he didn’t know what hit him.”

She scooped in a breath and blew it out with a sigh. “Chief Evans gets under my skin. Did you hear him? He was implying it was my fault someone almost dumped a ton of bricks on me.”

“Look.” Kieran placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, but don’t go running around town without me, even in broad daylight, even when you think you’re going to meet a cop. Not a good idea right now.”

“I need to call Detective Marquette and tell him that someone used his cell to contact me, to set me up.”

“Yeah, we’ll do that, but first,” he scooped up Michael and threw him over one shoulder, “we need to eat lunch.”

Michael giggled and then shouted, “Pizza!”

Devon’s nose tingled as she watched Kieran bounce Michael over his shoulder. Michael had actually giggled…and shouted, and both were like a sweet melody to her ears. She had no doubt Elena’s sessions were helping Michael, but having a father, especially a father like Kieran-protective, strong-was having an even greater effect.

She made sure to lead them around to the front of Vinnie’s so Michael wouldn’t connect the collapsed awning with the pizza. After they ordered and ate a few slices, Michael pointed to a table where two boys had cars zooming across the tabletop.

“He can join them if he wants.” The boys’ mother smiled. “They have more cars.”

Michael turned toward Devon, his eyes shining. It had been a while since he’d played with his friends from daycare. He hadn’t been interested. She shooed him with her fingers. “Go ahead, but stay at their table where I can see you.”

She and Kieran watched him dig two cars out of the boys’ backpack and roll them around the pizza tins.

Kieran stretched out his legs and folded his arms behind his head. “Good sign, huh?”

“Lots of good signs since he’s been here, despite the bathroom blowing up and those bricks almost falling on us.”

“You’d think the threats to you here would drive him even further into his shell, but that’s not happening. Elena must know what she’s doing.”

“Elena and you.”

“Me?”

“Both times, Kieran, at the bathroom and in the alley, you were there to save us. That means a lot to Michael. I’ve done my best to protect him, but having a dad to keep you safe is different from having a mom around.”

He dropped his chin to his chest and a smile tugged at one side of his mouth as he watched Michael. “Been good for me, too.”

“Speaking of which,” she picked a piece of pepperoni from the pizza and popped it into her mouth, “how did your session with Elena go?”

“It was good.” He patted his pocket. “She gave me a prescription for a sleeping aid and assured me I wouldn’t be doing any sleepwalking if I took it.”

“Or dreaming?”

“She couldn’t guarantee that.”

She wiped her fingers on a napkin and waved at Michael. “Well, at least that’s good about the sleepwalking.”

“Not necessarily.”

“What do you mean?” She shredded the napkin without meeting his eyes. Was he looking for excuses not to spend the night with her?

“If I’m sound asleep, how am I going to protect you and Michael?”

She dropped the pieces of napkin on her plate and brushed her hands together. “I don’t think these guys are going to be coming around the house. They have to know by now you’re my personal bodyguard, and they’re not going to know you’re in slumber land instead of sitting by the window with your gun locked and loaded.”

“Which is exactly where I should be.”

Devon knew exactly where he should be-locked, loaded and in her bed.

“And what about your family?” Devon folded her arms and hunched her shoulders, ready to do battle. “Was Dr. Estrada able to convince you to call your parents and Colin to let them know you’re alive? You talk about protection-you have to put Colin out of his misery.”

Kieran traced a bead of moisture on the outside of his glass with his fingertip. “I’m going to call them…as soon as this mess is over. As soon as you and Michael are safe. Before I see Colin again, it’s important to make sure he knows he doesn’t have to take care of me, or worry about me.”

“So you want to prove you can take care of business on your own first.” The man had a mountain of stubborn pride, but he had a point. “I get it.”

“Good.” He skewered her with one dark eye. “I need to call my family in my own time.”

“So let’s get this over with.” She unhooked her purse from the back of her chair and fished for her cell phone in the side pocket. “I’m going to call Detective Marquette in case Chief Evans couldn’t be bothered.”

“Good idea.” Kieran wandered toward the table where Michael was playing and crouched beside him.

Devon blinked. If she was going to get teary-eyed every time she saw Kieran with Michael, she’d better invest in some waterproof mascara. Sighing, she punched in the number for the SFPD Homicide Division and got a receptionist. “Could you page Detective Marquette, please? This is really important.”

Several minutes later, her cell phone rang and she waved it at Kieran. The display showed a restricted number.

Kieran swooped back to the table and held out his hand, palm up. “Let me get it. The killer has your number.”

His words sent a line of fear trickling down her spine, and she dropped the phone into his hand.

“Hello?”

She held her breath and crumpled her pizza-stained napkin.

“Yeah, this is Roarke.” He nodded at her. “I’ll let Devon tell you the story.”

He handed the phone back to her. “Detective Marquette? This is Devon Reese. I got a text message from your cell phone.”

She told him about the text and the meeting request and the near miss in the alley. He punctuated her narrative with grunts, curses and whistles.

When she finished, he cursed again. “That SOB must’ve stolen my cell phone while I was in Coral Cove.”

Her heart rate accelerated. “Do you have any idea where it was stolen? Did you talk to someone suspicious here? Did anyone initiate a conversation with you?”

“Whoa. Who’s the detective here? I guess he played me for a fool because I honestly believed I left it somewhere in Coral Cove. That’s why I called the chief-thought I might’ve left it at the station.”

“And he didn’t even bother to call you back.”

Marquette ignored her jab at a fellow officer of the law. “This guy really wants at you. Whoever he is.”

“You don’t really think it has anything to do with my brother’s undercover work, do you?”

“It’s still a possibility, Ms. Reese. Tell you what. I need you up here in the city anyway to look at some mug shots of Johnny Del’s former cohorts.”

“You can’t just scan them and send them to my email?”

“Not allowed to do that. You have to physically sign off on them. Besides, coming back here might be a good idea. Get you out of danger’s way, or better yet, if the creep follows you we might finally get a line on him.”

She hunched her shoulders. Why did everyone have to keep reminding her of the danger she faced? “I’m not sure, Detective. I don’t want to bring my son back there right now.”

“Think about it. I need you to look at these six-packs. Who knows? You might even recognize one of the men.”

When she ended the call, she slumped back in her seat. “He wants me to go to the city to look at some mug shots of Johnny Del’s partners.”

“He mentioned that before. What’s the problem?”

Her gaze darted toward Michael trading cars with the other boys at the table. “I hadn’t planned on taking Michael back to San Francisco just yet.”

“He should be okay if you don’t take him back to your place where Granny Del was murdered.”

“A-and you’ll be with us?”

He planted his hands on the table and leaned forward. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

LATER THAT EVENING, KIERAN watched Devon put the finishing touches on the root beer floats as Michael jabbed his fingers into the vanilla ice cream. That was normal behavior for a four-year-old boy, right?

Michael seemed a lot less tense now than he did when Kieran had first plucked him off those rocks a few days ago. He shifted his gaze back to the baseball game where the camera panned the crowd, zeroing in on a father and son. They mugged for the camera and the dad tugged at the boy’s Giants baseball cap.

The man made it seem so effortless…this being-a-father business. Kieran wanted lessons, a playbook, a different life. What did that man on the TV screen know of brutality, of torture, of survival? And why couldn’t Kieran erase those memories from his fragmented mind? Experiences not conducive to being a father…or a husband.

A small hand tapped his shoulder. “Root beer floats.”

“Thanks, Michael.” He tugged on his ear. “I hope you put a lot of ice cream in there.”

“With my own two hands.” Michael splayed a pair of freshly scrubbed hands in front of him.

“Mmm.” Kieran raised his brows at Devon.

“Trust me. He used an ice cream scooper.”

Kieran gripped the handle of the frosty mug and tipped the root beer into his mouth through the sweet foam. “Perfect.”

They slurped through their desserts, and Kieran collected the empty mugs and brought them to the kitchen sink. He rinsed the mugs and squirted a stream of yellow dishwashing liquid into the warm water to wash the remaining pans from dinner. He called over his shoulder. “Are we going to spend the night in the city or go up and back in one day?”

“Uh, I’m not sure. We’re not going to stay at my apartment. Maybe we should get a hotel room…or two, so we have a home base in case Detective Marquette keeps us waiting.”

“When you called him back, did he give you a specific time?”

“He said around two o’clock, but he’s in court that day and isn’t sure he’ll be finished by then.”

“We can always take a long, late lunch if he isn’t.”

“Let’s play it by ear.”

He grabbed a dish towel and wiped his hands. When he turned toward the living room, he tripped to a stop. He took a deep breath and sauntered toward Michael’s stiff frame, facing away from the TV.

When Kieran had gone into the kitchen, Michael had been watching the game, sitting cross-legged with his knees bouncing. Now he’d drawn up his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs.

Kieran shot a glance at Devon, who shrugged, lines of worry creasing her forehead.

Kieran plopped on the floor next to Michael. “Do you want to watch the rest of the game?”

Michael burrowed his chin into his knees.

“Someday I’ll take you to see a live baseball game in San Francisco. Would you like that?”

Michael pulled his arms up to his knees, hiding his face.

Kieran’s hand hovered at the back of Michael’s head. Should he touch him? Leave him alone? What would the dad at the baseball game do?

Kieran dropped his hand. “If you’re worried about going back home tomorrow, it’s okay. It’s okay to be worried, but we’re not going to your apartment and I’ll be with you.”

Michael rocked back and forth, and Devon jumped up from the couch. “We’ll be at the police station most of the time, Michael. It’ll be fine, and we can have lunch on Fisherman’s Wharf.”

She ruffled Michael’s hair as she wrinkled her nose at Kieran. “Time for bed.”

Kieran went with her to tuck Michael in, but any progress they’d made in the past few days had evaporated. Michael had withdrawn, his voice silent once again.

Kieran listened to the story Devon read aloud, and he contributed sound effects and silly comments but Michael wasn’t biting.

Once Michael dozed off, they retreated to the living room.

Devon collapsed on the couch and curled her legs beneath her. “Ugh. Maybe we should’ve discussed the trip privately and then just sprung it on him tomorrow in the car.”

“I don’t think that would’ve been a good idea. In fact, I mishandled it completely by mentioning the trip in the kitchen. He’s a bright kid. Why wouldn’t he pick up on what I was saying? We should’ve told him first.”

“Okay, don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes it’s not easy to figure out the best way to go. If we had sat down with him and told him we were going back to San Francisco, maybe that would have signaled to him that we were worried about it. By discussing it casually, he might approach it casually.”

“But he didn’t.”

“Parents can’t know everything.” She bit her lip as she sent a worried look at the hallway. “I’m sure he’ll be fine tomorrow.”

They switched from the game to a movie, and Kieran traced the edge of the sleeping pill bottle in his pocket with the tip of his finger. A couple of those and he’d be knocked out for the night-no nightmares, no memories, no sleepwalking. No Devon.

She curled up beside him on the couch, her head propped up on the arm and her toes inches from his thigh. Her smooth calves curved up from slender ankles.

His fingers inched toward her skin for just a small taste. He ran the pad of his thumb along her silky flesh and her leg twitched. He circled a spot around a light freckle and her toes curled into his thigh.

Encircling her ankles with his fingers, he drew her feet onto his lap. “You can stretch out.”

She sighed and wiggled her toes. Her hair fanned out across her chest, and he swore he could see the golden strands tremble with each beat of her heart.

His own heart thudded against his ribcage. When she dug her heels into the inside of his thigh, a rush of potent desire flooded his senses.

He cupped the heel of her foot in his hand and raised it to his lips. He pressed a kiss against the bone on the top of her foot, and she sucked in a breath.

Her other foot crept close to his crotch where she tucked it between his legs. He gritted his teeth to suppress the groan that had clawed its way up from his gut. When the wave of need subsided into a dull ache, he pulled in a breath between clenched teeth. “You have very talented feet.”

Something between a snort and a giggle bubbled from her lips and she wiggled the foot he still held captive. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. There’s magic in these toes.”

He took her big toe between his teeth. “I’d prefer it if you used other parts of your anatomy.”

“And I’d prefer it if you used other parts of yours.” Her gaze dropped to his lap where his erection was straining against the fly of his shorts.

He took one of her legs and tucked it on his left side and then rolled to his stomach, facing her on the couch. She needed no encouragement. She wrapped both of her legs around his waist and he lowered his body to press against hers.

The smell of her engulfed him, wildflowers and sunshine and musky woman, drawing him into an orbit of heady passion. A place where the mind didn’t matter, where the heightened sensitivities of the body held sway.

He took possession of her lips. He plundered her mouth like a man too long without water, without nectar, without sustenance. His pelvis grinded against hers, seeking a release for his body that he had to hold in check.

She arched against him, slipping a hand between their sealed bodies to unbutton her blouse. When it gaped open, Kieran ran his tongue down her throat to the sweet spot between her breasts. He slipped one hand inside her bra and caressed her while he circled his thumb around her nipple, bringing it to a ripe peak.

Bending his head, he replaced his thumb with the tip of his tongue, teasing her until she cried out.

She reached for his fly and yanked at the buttons, almost ripping them from his shorts. She flattened her hands against his belly and then slid them inside his boxers. Her hands fondled the length of his erection, and he closed his eyes, dragging a shuddering breath into his lungs.

Where had all his self-control gone?

Maybe if he could get Devon to move her hands to another part of his body, he could rein in his runaway lust. She skimmed her fingernails along his tight flesh, and he thrust forward, a growl rumbling in his chest.

Balancing on one forearm, he grabbed both of her wrists and pulled her hands away from the danger zone. She had the nerve to smirk in his face. She’d pay for that.

He rose to his knees, straddling her. He tugged at the button on her pants, and yanked them down by the zipper.

“Hey, you’re going to rip them.” She slapped at his hand and lifted her hips from the couch, bringing her parts dangerously close to his parts.

She hitched up on her elbows and shimmied out of the pants, which caused another sledgehammer of need to pound into his belly.

He grabbed her hips, his fingers digging into her soft, rounded flesh. Then he scooted back until his head was level with the juncture of her legs.

“Oh.” Her eyes widened for a moment before her lids fluttered to half-mast, and she weaved her fingers through his hair, tugging him forward.

He tasted her, and with a soft moan, she dug her nails into his scalp. He caressed her swollen flesh with his tongue, and the taste and feel of her acted like a drug coursing through his veins.

He didn’t want a sleeping pill to knock him out. He’d rather stay awake all night long making love to Devon. He wanted to relearn every curve and hollow of her body. He drew back and landed a line of kisses along her inner thigh.

She gasped and clutched at his shoulder. “More, Kieran. I’ve missed you so much. I want all of you.”

Could he deliver? He’d gladly offer her all of his body, but could he ever let her into the dark recesses of his mind?

He’d start with his body.

He swung his legs over the side of the couch to peel off his shorts as Devon unhooked her bra and shrugged off her blouse.

They needed to finish this in the bedroom, or start it all over again. Kieran stepped out of his shorts and scooped up Devon from the couch.

And then he almost dropped her as a shrill scream sliced through the house.