Showdown in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #3)(46)

The stark fear in Jennifer’s expression when she had recalled her dream still bothered him. That someone’s life could be so derailed by another was beyond unfair and made him even more determined to catch the kidnapper and see to it that he could never hurt another girl again. Always looking over your shoulder, not knowing when an enemy might strike, was enough to render even the strongest person immobile.

He shook his head, amazed that Raissa had not only managed to live that way for nine years but had done so right under the nose of the very men she was hiding from. Unfortunately, all indicators pointed to the end of her charade. There were far too many black Cadillacs around Raissa and her friends. He smiled for a moment, thinking about Maryse.

He’d called her bluff and pulled her file. He had to admit that it wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting, and it made him rethink his position on her lying about how she took the photo. For all he knew, she may have strolled down the street and asked the guy to pose. Maryse’s escape from death was a story that belonged in a Hollywood movie, if they could even get an audience to buy it, which he doubted. If there was one thing Zach had learned long ago, it was that truth is definitely stranger than fiction. Still, he couldn’t help admiring the way Maryse had handled a seemingly impossible situation, and he said a silent prayer for the man brave enough to marry her. Her husband, Luc, must have nine lives.

It was almost one A.M. when he parked his car behind the hotel. Maryse had been kind enough to provide him with a key to the back door so he could slip in unnoticed. He unlocked the back door and slipped inside. Raissa’s room was on the third floor, so he hurried up the stairs and down the hall, hoping she was still awake.

Light shone underneath her room door. A good sign. He lifted his hand to knock and stepped back in surprise when the door swung open before he had even touched it. It took him only a split second to remember the security cameras. Raissa had probably been tracking his movements since he’d first driven down Main Street.

She was wearing a black silk negligee with a plunging neckline and a sexy smile. “About time you got here.” She reached out with one hand and pulled him inside.

As he followed her into the room, he checked out her backside and realized the nightie ended just below the curve of her rear. He felt his pulse quicken. Get a grip. You can’t jump the woman as soon as you walk in the room, regardless of how she’s dressed. He laid his keys on one of the tables and turned to face her.

She was standing close to him, and when he turned, she ran her hands up his backside and bit him playfully on his neck. “Fun business now. Boring business later.”

Zach felt a rush of heat throughout his body and he grew hard immediately. “You get no argument from me.” He lowered his lips to hers in a crushing kiss, their mouths mixed in a frenzy of pure animal attraction. He ran a hand across her breast, feeling the engorged nipple through the thin fabric, and she groaned.

“I know this is going to sound really bad,” Raissa said, “but I’m not really interested in foreplay.”

Zach hardened even more and was certain he’d split the zipper on his jeans. “My God, you’re perfect.”

He pushed the nightie’s thin straps over her shoulders and the silk slid to the floor. There was nothing else in the way. He ran his hands down her body and stopped at a scar in the center of her chest, just below her breasts. It was perfectly round, a shape he’d seen before. He looked up to ask, but she shook her head, unzipped his jeans, and pushed them down.

He almost lost control when she wrapped her hand around the hard length of him. Never had he wanted something so badly, knowing with every ounce of his being that it was a stupid thing to do. But damned if he was going to worry about that now. He slid his hand down and felt wet heat. He touched her with light, feathery strokes. She gasped and stroked him faster until he was on the edge.

“No foreplay,” he reminded her. He pulled his jeans off his feet and retrieved a condom from his pocket. A couple of seconds later, he was ready for action. He pushed a pile of paper off the table with one arm and lifted Raissa onto it.

She pulled him to her and he entered her fast and hard. She ran her hands down his back, and he could feel her nails pressing into his skin. He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her deep and long while he thrust. She wrapped her legs around him and he felt himself being absorbed completely by this woman. Mind, body, and soul.

He felt the rise coming and he could tell she was on the verge, just like him. He thrust once, twice more, then one final thrust that sent them both over the edge.

He thought his mind would explode. Heat rushed over his body, but the last thing he wanted to do was cool off. He didn’t want to let her go, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand without collapsing from sheer pleasure. The bed was at least ten steps away, so he yanked a spare blanket off the dresser with one hand, lifted Raissa off the table, and laid her down on the floor beside him, directly under the cool air of the ceiling fan. She leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips, wearing a satisfied smile, then nestled her head in the crook of his arm.

Zach had been right earlier. Raissa was perfect.

When he’d gotten his breath back a bit, he rolled on his side and traced a finger down her chest and to the scar. “Nine-millimeter?”

“Yeah.”

“Was it Sonny who shot you?”

“No. Spider.”