Page 45 of Outlaw Ridge: Hayes

Possibly, but he couldn’t rule out Duane or Royce. Hell, he couldn’t rule out lots of people since they didn’t know the motive for this particular attack.

Hayes went next to the reports on Duane’s former students, including Zander Emerson. While the info was thorough and then some, there was no proof that any of the students other than Zander had participated in the murders or the attacks. Ditto for there not being a link between Zander and Brooks. Or Zander and the first dead gunman.

So, where did that leave them?

“With squat,” Hayes muttered.

Still, he continued reading, digging through the backgrounds on each and every one of them. And since some of the students weren’t at the school at the same time as others, the sole link that they did have was with Duane.

Had maybe one of them killed to please their teacher, their mentor?

Obviously, Owen thought that was a possibility because the research team was now getting alibis on every single student. That wasn’t going to be a speedy process, but it was a necessary step to the elimination of suspects.

Hayes moved on to the preliminary report for Brooks’ death. He saw nothing in it that he hadn’t already gotten from Dr. Logan when she had been doling out those guesses at the crime scene. The autopsy though might turn up something.

Jemma stirred, and when Hayes checked the time, he realized she’d been asleep for over an hour. Probably not enoughrest time, but her eyes popped open. It seemed to take her a couple of seconds to focus.

Then, she smiled.

She yawned and stretched, and while she still had to be hurting from that nasty bruise, she didn’t wince in pain from the movement.

“I’m glad you’re still here,” she muttered, sitting up and leaning against him. “I thought you’d tuck me into bed and then go back downstairs.”

He’d considered it. Then, dismissed it. “I thought you might have some nightmares,” he said.

She shrugged, looked at him. Smiled again. “Actually, I had a great dream about you kissing me.”

Hell. That gave him an unwanted punch of lust. He hadn’t dreamed about it since he hadn’t slept, but he’d sure as hell given it plenty of thought.

“Owen probably needs us back down there, huh?” she muttered, studying him. Still, with that little smile playing with her mouth.

“Probably,” he repeated. He wouldn’t mention that Owen likely wouldn’t want her up and about so soon, that he’d want her to take another hour or two.

No, mentioning that would sound like an invitation.

To stay here and have sex with him.

Even though Hayes didn’t voice anything about that invitation, he could see in Jemma’s eyes that she understood what he was thinking. What he was feeling. What he wanted.

And what he wanted was her.

She did something about that. Jemma reached over, took the tablet from him and set it on the nightstand on her side of the bed. Then, she moved in for a continuation of the kiss that’d started before she had fallen asleep. She pressed her mouth tohis and just kept on pressing until the heat roared through every inch of him.

Hayes heard himself make a feral sound, but he resisted hauling her to him. He had to stay gentle here. Had to be mindful of her injuries.

Even if Jemma wasn’t.

She moved like an agile cat, easing onto his lap without even breaking the kiss.

Her center met his, and that amped up the fire even more to feel her against him. And she didn’t stay still either. She was already maneuvering and adjusting until she was pressed right against his erection.

That hard contact amped up the kissing a whole bunch of notches, and to stoke the fire even more, he took his mouth to her neck. Jemma rewarded him with a soft moan of pleasure.

And more of that center to dick contact.

Hayes tried to keep this at just foreplay, to stretch it out and savor, well, everything, but the need kicked up, driving everything up to the more, more, more level.

Jemma acted on that more by taking hold of his shirt and yanking it off. Then, she did the same to hers. Or rather to his shirt that she was wearing. Again, there was no signs of pain, only the intense heat in her eyes when he rid her of her bra.

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