Page 52 of Dangerous Secrets
“Sawyer’s caught up onwhat’s going on.I told him not to bother coming tonight.Whoeverbroke in and took Bud is long gone.”
“I hate this.I hatefeeling vulnerable, knowing someone is coming on our property andis enough of a monster to try drowning Bud.It’s probably the sameperson responsible for killing the calf.”
Walker draped his arm across the backof the couch and his fingers threaded through the ends of her hair.“Agreed.This property’s large enough there are dozens ofdirections they could’ve come from.I’ll take a look around whenit’s light, see if there’s anything to see.”
She nodded slowly.“Did they takeanything from the cabin?”
He shook his head.“They didn’t takemy power tools that were on the back deck.I figured Sawyer wouldbe more familiar with the forms and reports in the box so I’d takenit to his place and we spent a couple hours looking through it.Pretty sure that’s what they were after.”
“How do you think Budended up in the creek with a rope around his neck?”
Walker moved his arm, his thumb nowmoving in lazy circles at the base of her skull, which feltamazing.She turned to see his face and immediately realized hermistake.
The move put her lips inches fromhis.
“Someone’s fucking withme, and they’re willing to torture my dog to do it.Whoever it wasprobably threw him into the creek to drown him and the rope snaggedon the rock.I doubt he would’ve lasted five minutes longer if wehadn’t found him.”
“Perhaps.It’s alsopossible they’d wrapped the rope around the rock intentionally soyou’d find him drowned.More impact that way than if he’d beenswept downstream and you never knew what happened tohim.”
“Shit.You’re probablyright.”
He ran a hand over Bud’s head, theonly part of him exposed.Though his eyes were closed, the littledog gave a contented groan.
“I think he’s going to beokay.”
“Yeah.”His voice wasgruff.“Thanks for your help.”He shifted.His glittering greengaze locked squarely on hers.
He lifted one of his long fingers totrace the side of her face, then under her chin, sending her pulseskittering.She caught her breath as the air between them grewheavy.Gritting her teeth to keep from mindlessly diving in, sheturned away to stare with fierce concentration at the dog on herlap.
“Coward,” he murmured inher ear.
One word and her controlbroke.
“Like hell.”
She was done fighting the attractionthat grew stronger every time she saw him.
He was the only man she’d ever wanted,and wanting him was a hunger only he could satisfy.
Maybe she’d regret it later, but inthat moment, all she could think was she craved Walker McGrath morethan her next breath.
Her hand to the back of his neckbrought him closer and she pressed her lips to his.
He opened his mouth and took herin.
The feel of his tongue sliding againsthers, the smell of pine, the sensation of heat rocketing throughher body all combined to form a maelstrom of sensation threateningto swamp her.
He broke the kiss for a brief momentto move her onto his lap.Bud didn’t even open his eyes when Walkerplaced him and the heating pad on the cushion next tothem.
Ignoring the voice in her head tellingher to use caution, she straddled him, and when he cupped her rearto bring her closer, she rode the hard ridge of his erection.Hisgroan matched hers when she rocked back and forth, tension coilingtighter between them.She opened her lips to his and felt time spinout as sensation flooded her.
To keep from combusting on the spot,she broke the kiss, burying her face in the crook of his neck.“Ohmy god, Walker.”Breathing deep didn’t help cool her at all.Drawing in a breath brought the scent of him into herlungs.
She felt his breath shudder as heclamped his hands like steel bands on her arms and held her untilshe looked up to find his gaze laser-locked on hers.“Is that ‘Ohmy god, Walker, it’s so good,’ or ‘Oh my god, Walker, I want you tostop’?Be sure, Laney.”
He sucked in a sharp breath when shebent her head to lick his neck, then used her teeth to scrape theskin.A shiver rippled through his body.
With her lips pressed against hisskin, she mumbled, “That’s ‘Oh my god, Walker, I think I might dieif you stop.’”
