“Avoiding them.”
“Some mistakes are worth it, don’t you think?”
“Most just hurt.”
“No pain, no gain. Isn’t that what they say?”
“I don’t see how I could gain anything by messing up my life. Helping you is one thing. Getting involved with you again is something else altogether.” She could feel every nerve in her body vibrating, feel the intensity of his gaze all the way to her bones.
“You’re already involved with me.” He leaned closer, his hands skimming over her shoulders, down her sides, his thumbs brushing the outsides of her breasts. “That’s why you’re trembling. That’s why I can hear you breathing. Why I see all that heat in your eyes. What else is going on inside you?”
Realizing he was about to kiss her, annoyed with herself because she was an inch away from letting him, Landis stepped back. “Don’t do that,” she snapped. “Don’t toy with my emotions like that, damn it. That’s not fair.”
Making a sound of frustration, Jack stalked over to the kitchen window and looked out. Landis held her ground near the sofa, trembling, aware that she was breathing hard, that her nerves were snapping like a lit fuse.
“You’re right,” he said. “That wasn’t fair. For either of us.”
“Jack, I know you’ve been alone for a long—”
“That doesn’t have a thing to do with what’s going on between us,” he cut in.
“There can’t be anything between us.”
“Wishing for something doesn’t make it so.”
She sighed, unhappy with the situation, unhappy with herself for having come so close to making a mistake that would further complicate an already complicated situation.
For several tense minutes the only sound came from the crackle of the fire. Then Jack turned to her, closed the distance between them. “I did some thinking last night,” he began. “It’s only a matter of time before the cops find out about this place. I don’t want to be here when they show up.”
Surprise and regret and a shimmer of pain punched her hard enough to take her breath. Staring at him, she realized the one thing she didn’t feel was relief. “I was going to go through your file again. There are other avenues we can explore.”
“I’m out of time, Red. We’re out of time.” He grimaced. “I want you to drive back to your place. I’ll leave it up to you whether or not you go to the cops. If you do, I’d appreciate it if you tell me now so I have time to get out of the state.”
She swallowed hard at the jumble of emotions his words elicited, struggled to stay focused on the matter at hand. “If I talk to the police, it will only be to tell them what I know, that you’re innocent.”
A smile whispered across his features. “I’m flattered you would do that for me, but I think we both know it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than your word to make them believe you.”
“You’re innocent,” she said.
Crossing to her, he reached out and set his hand against her cheek. “Your saying that means more to me than you’ll ever know. But it doesn’t change anything.”
The realization that he was sacrificing his chances of clearing his name to protect her went through her like an electric shock. “You’re trying to protect me.”
“And not doing a very good job of it.”
“I don’t need your protection.”
His dark eyes ran the length of her, lingering at her breasts, her hips, but he didn’t move toward her. “You need protection from me.”
“I can handle you.”
“Maybe this time. But what about next time? I think we both know there will be a next time. And we both know it’s going to lead to a mistake we can’t take back.”
“I know better, even if you don’t.”
“I’m a man, Landis, and I’ve got my sights set on you. You can put any kind of spin on that you want, but we both know I’ll eventually get inside you.” His eyes burned into hers. “You give me a chance, and I’ll take what I want from you without a thought as to what it will do to you.”
His face was grim as he snagged her coat from the chair and started toward her. “That’s why you’re going to leave now.”
The earth tilted beneath her feet, and she struggled hard to keep her footing. “If you retain me as your lawyer I’ll be protected by attorney-client privilege.”
“If I were the scoundrel you seem to think I am, I might take you up on that.” He retrieved her purse from the dining room chair. “But I’m not.” He thrust the coat at her. “Put on the damn coat.”
“Jack, there’s still a possibility you’ll be cleared.”
“There’s an even bigger chance I’ll get railroaded back to prison. That you’ll get disbarred from practicing law. Is that what you want?”
She didn’t accept the coat. “I’m not leaving things like this.”
“You don’t have a choice. Neither do I.”
Landis wanted to tell him it didn’t have to end like this, but she couldn’t speak. Things were happening too fast, like a movie speeding along in fast forward and she didn’t know her next line. She knew it would be professional suicide for her to get more deeply involved in his plight. She didn’t even want to think about what it would cost her on an emotional level. But it would destroy her to walk out that door.
“I’m not leaving,” she said. “I’m already involved. I’m going to finish this.”
Never taking his eyes from hers, he flung her coat and purse on the kitchen table. Her heart beat madly in her chest when he crossed to her, his face set with anger. “You’re not being very smart about this.”
She stepped back, surprised by the extent of his anger. “I’m handling this the only way I know how.”
“You’re making a mistake that’s going to cost you everything. I don’t want to be responsible for doing that to you.”
He didn’t stop when he reached her, but crowded her, sent her back several steps until her back hit the wall. “I’m not going to let you intimidate me.”
“Is that what I’m doing?” He smiled darkly. “Intimidating you?”
“You think you can drive me away by behaving like an idiot.”
“Or maybe I think this is one mistake that just might be worth it.”
He didn’t ask for permission when he took her mouth. The bold contact stunned her. She felt herself stiffen in shock, then the spark of pleasure ignited and burst into a roaring flame. Heat engulfed her, burning her from the inside out. Growling low in his throat, he wrapped one arm around her and pressed the full length of his body against hers. She could feel the hard ridge of him against her belly. Her own arousal came swiftly and with stunning power. A short fuse that burned close and hot. She felt one of them trembling, but for the life of her she couldn’t tell if it was her or him.
He kissed her, then tilted his head and whispered her name. “Damn it, you make me want you.”
Closing her eyes against the accusation in his words, the threat in his voice, she put her arms around his neck. He smelled of soap and the out of doors and healthy male. Her senses drank in the scent of him, the feel of him. The hard length of his body against hers. The bristle of his whiskers against her cheek. The harsh sound of his breathing. The insistence of his mouth as it coaxed hers into submission. All of it laced with an underlying redolence of male hunger.
Slanting her head back, he deepened the kiss. Erotic pleasure skittered through her when his tongue probed her mouth. Landis opened to him, tested him with her own tongue, loving his taste and the silky texture of his mouth. She could feel the need pounding deep in her womb. Warmth pulsing between her legs. Need churned inside her, an urgent mix of heat and desperation and a sweet ache that grew with every beat of her heart.
Jack broke the kiss momentarily and whispered something in her ear, but Landis was beyond hearing, beyond understanding. His erection nudged her belly, a steel rod she could feel through their clothing. The knowledge that he wanted her should have brought her to her senses?
??she knew this could never come to fruition. But the raw truth of it thrilled her, ignited a flame she’d thought was dead.
Body to body, he kissed with the urgency of a man driven by the most fundamental of needs. He moved against her without finesse. She absorbed him, wanting with a fierceness that was frightening in its intensity. Somewhere in the back of her mind an alarm wailed. An alarm that warned of an impending mistake. But she silenced it with ruthless precision.
He cursed her, kissed her and then savaged her mouth. She should have been shocked, by his words, by the violence of his need. But she wasn’t any of those things and kissed him back with an abandon she’d never before known.
Impatient hands fought with the fabric of her sweater, pulling and tugging in their search for flesh. “I need to touch you,” he whispered. “Now.”
His hand slid between them and with a clever flick of his wrist, the clasp of her bra opened. Landis barely had time to gasp when without preamble he cupped her breasts. She jolted hard when his fingertips brushed over her sensitized nipples. She felt the zing of sensation all the way to her core. Her knees went weak when he molded her flesh with his hands. She’d known desire before. She’d known desire with this man. But it had never been anything like the sensations assaulting her now.
Raw lust splintered through her. Insanity descended, hi-jacked her intellect and she let it go without a fight. His hands went to the small of her back. He bent to her, kissing her throat, whispering words beyond her understanding. His mouth left a wet trail over her collarbone, then lower to the valley between her breasts.
The last of her control tumbled away when he took her nipple into his mouth. She cried out as intense pleasure crashed through her. She arched, felt her body flexing and contracting, knew she was seconds away from a freefall. He suckled greedily. Vaguely, she was aware of his hand flat against her belly. The warmth of his fingertips sliding beneath the waistband of her jeans. She could feel her body pulsing. The need clenching at her. His hand slid lower, and she wondered if he could feel the beat of her blood against his palm.
She knew better than to let this go any further. The words to end it were on the tip of her tongue. But the pleasure was like a mind-altering drug, destroying the last of her judgment. When his fingers met the crisp curls at her vee, she opened to him. She knew it was foolish, knew she would pay dearly for it, knew he would hurt her. But for the first time in her life, she didn’t care about any of those things.
She cried out when he slicked his finger over her, into her. “Jack…”
Fever built inside her as he began to stroke. Tremors wracked her body. Heat burned her from within, running through her veins like lava. Her body gripped him. Intellectually she fought what she knew would happen next. Emotionally, she cried out with the pain she knew this would bring her. But physically, she took everything he offered, and wanted more.
“Jack…I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” he whispered. “For me…let go.”
The power of what she felt for him awed as much as it frightened. It was too much. It was too good. It was a mistake.
Her body didn’t care.
He stroked her, moving within her, sending her higher and higher. He took her to the limit, then over the edge and into a wild, tumbling freefall. She relinquished her control. He stole the rest like a thief in the night.
She cried out his name when the climax struck her. He whispered hers in answer. Once. Twice. She closed her eyes against the intensity of the moment, against the keen sense of vulnerability that followed.
Jack kissed her deeply. “I’ve dreamed of touching you like that a thousand times,” he whispered. “God, Landis, I’ve missed you….”
She couldn’t speak. A hundred emotions pulled her in a hundred different directions. She felt as if he’d taken her apart cell by cell. As if she would never be put back together the same way.
His arms were still around her, locking her against him. Vaguely, she was aware of him tugging at her jeans with his free hand, trying to get them down. All she could think was that this wasn’t what she’d intended to happen. That it would be wrong to let this go any further.
He leaned close to kiss her again, but she turned her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip, held her in place. “Landis…”
She broke free of his grip and stepped back. “I can’t do this.”
Heat glittered in his eyes when he raised his gaze to hers. He was breathing hard, his nostrils flaring with each inhale. She could see a hint of moisture on his forehead. He stared at her, looking perplexed, angry and frustrated as hell.
Only then did she realize she was crying. Hot, humiliating tears that squeezed through her lashes to scald her cheeks. Her chest was so tight she couldn’t explain herself even if she knew what was going on in that foolish heart of hers.
“What’s wrong?” She could hear the anger in his voice, but he made no move to go to her. “Did I hurt you?”
Feeling horribly vulnerable, Landis closed her eyes. “Damn it.”
“I don’t know what I did wrong.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I did.” Shaken, she stepped back, hoping the distance would help clear her head. It didn’t.
“Maybe you should have left when I told you to,” he growled.
It took every ounce of strength she possessed to look him in the eye. “I can’t let…what’s between us muddle things, Jack. If I’m going to help you, I’ve got to stay focused. I can’t stay focused when you—” She stopped cold, realizing she didn’t want to finish the sentence.
He contemplated with a gaze so cold it chilled her. “Next time I won’t give you the chance to change your mind.”
“You never used to be self-destructive.”
“Yeah? Well, you never used to be a tease. Looks like we’ve both changed.”
Anger flashed, but she didn’t let herself react. She knew his crude words and biting tone were a result of frustration and fear, so she let it roll off her.
“I don’t need you here, messing with my head,” he said.
An instant before he turned away, she saw the bitterness in his eyes. She hated the way it looked on him. Jack had never been bitter. Even after twelve years on the police force—and another year spent locked away for a crime he hadn’t committed—he’d never lost hope. Until now.
“If you run, where does that leave you?” she asked.
“That leaves me a free man.”
“The police will never stop looking for you. You know that. Damn it, Jack, you won’t be free until you—”
Cursing, he spun on her. Anger flared in his eyes. In two steps, he was upon her. She gasped when his fingers closed around her upper arms. “It’s over, Landis! As much as I wanted this to work out, as much as I want to get inside you, this isn’t going to work. I can’t stay here. I’m out of time. Out of options. And so are you. Now get the hell out!”
“I know what you’re doing,” she said, but her voice shook. “And it’s not going to work.”
She saw pain in his eyes an instant before he crushed his mouth to hers. There was no tenderness in the kiss, only a deep, smoldering violence that unnerved her. Rage tore through her that he would treat her with such utter disrespect. Breaking free of his grip, she drew back to strike him, but Jack was too quick. He braceleted her wrist and squeezed hard enough to make her wince. “Forget about me! Get on with your life!”
He released her with such force that she stumbled back, shocked to her core, pain breaking open inside her. “Don’t do this.”
Without looking at her, he walked to the sofa and picked up her coat. From the kitchen chair, he snagged her bag and brought both into the living room and thrust them at her. “Go back to your safe little life, Landis.”
The words went through her like a lance. Contempt was the one thing she hadn’t expected from Jack.
He pressed her purse into her hands. “Go home, pack
a bag and stay with Ian for a few days. You’ll be safe there until I can get out of town. Don’t do anything stupid.”
He didn’t even look at her as he muscled her toward the door. Without preamble, he swung it open and shoved her onto the porch hard enough to make her stumble. Incensed, she spun, ready for battle. But the look in his eyes stopped her. She’d never seen such anguish. Such regret. Her anger faded as quickly as it had assailed her.
“You don’t have to do this.” Knowing he was going to slam the door in her face, she reached out and pressed her hand flat against it. “Don’t—”
A hollow thud went through the door. Landis yelped when splinters of wood jumped out at her. Something hot bit into her cheek. Shock ripped through her when she looked at the door and saw the bullet hole.
Only then did she realize someone was shooting at her.
Chapter 9
H eedless of his own safety, Jack reached for Landis and hauled her inside. “Get down!”
“The police?” she asked.
“Cops usually don’t shoot the hostage.” He slammed the door, bolted it, then turned to her, his eyes wild. “Are you hit?” A wave of cold, hard fear thundered through him when he saw the blood on her cheek. “God, you’re bleeding.”
Eyes wide with shock, she raised her hand to her cheek.
Without waiting for an answer, he dragged her away from the door and into the main room, then turned her to him. Swiftly, he ran his hands down her coat, looking for holes or, God forbid, blood. When he found nothing, he raised his hand to her cheek and touched the well of blood with trembling fingers. “A chip of wood must have grazed you.”
She frowned at the blood on his fingers. “Jack, if that wasn’t the police, then who was it?”
“We’re not going to stick around to find out.” Taking her hand, he pulled her through the kitchen and mudroom and out the back door. “The truck,” he said and hauled her into a dead run toward the carport.
“Why are they shooting at us?”
Jack didn’t want to voice what he was thinking. He didn’t want to think about who might be taking potshots at him. He sure as hell didn’t want to think about who might be taking potshots at Landis. “Let’s just concentrate on getting out of here alive for now. If that’s who I think it is, we’ve got about two seconds before all hell breaks loose.”