Page 63 of For the Birds

“We got a lead on Scooter.”

That caught my attention. “What kind oflead?”

“Someone at Walmart said they saw him get into a dark sedan last Wednesday afternoon. The driver was a guy with dark, shaggyhair.”

“Average height and build?” I asked.

“And a tattoo of a bird on hisarm.”

My eyes widened. “That was the guy who grabbed me from behind.”

“So there is a connection between your kidnapping and Scooter’s disappearance.”

“Yeah . . . looks like it.” I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better or worse, especially since Buck and his men had killed the two men who probably could have told us where to find Scooter. Had they done it on purpose so they couldn’t talk? I turned back around and snagged a T-shirt from James’ drawer, then walked into his en suite bathroom.

“What did Reynolds hire you to do?” he asked, following me inside.

I ignored him as I went into his water closet to pee. He was waiting for me when I came out, still standing there in all his naked glory, which was very hard to ignore.

I lifted my eyes to his face. “I’m gonna take a shower, but I need to wash my hair and I don’t want to smell likeyou.”

One side of his mouth lifted into a smirk. “I kind of like the idea of you smellin’ likeme.”

“So you can leave your mark on me? I expected better from you, James Malcolm.”

He laughed. “Get in, and I’ll beback.”

I’d soaked all my hair when he joined me in the marble tile shower, carrying several bottles I recognized from the night I’d stayed at his house several weeks ago. He’d taken them out of the guest shower. Before I could stop him, he started washing my hair. I closed my eyes and pressed my chest to his as he worked in the shampoo and then grabbed the shower head and rinsed out the lather.

“What did Reynolds hire you to do?” he asked quietly as he worked in the conditionernext.

I ignored the question, and after he rinsed out my hair, I leaned to the side to pick up a bottle of his body wash. I squirted it into my hand and began to spread it over his broad, solid chest.

“How much do you have to work out to maintain this?” I asked with agrin.

He grinned back. “Enough.”

“What kind of answer is that?” I asked, sliding my hands down his abdomen.

“A better one than the answer you’re givin’ me.” His voice was tight, and his body tensed as I moved down between his legs. After I made sure he was well-washed and completely turned on, I slid my hands down to his butt cheeks and pulled him againstme.

He growled and pushed my back against the tile wall, spending several minutes letting his mouth roam over my body until I was panting.

“What do you want, Rose?” he asked in a husky, commanding voice.

“You,” I said, tugging him to his feet. “Now.”

He grabbed my uninjured thigh and hooked it around his hip as he enteredme.

I released a loud moan and wrapped my arms around his neck to hang on as he lifted me off the ground.

He kissed me while he worked his magic until I was begging him for more. He gave it to me—and then some—until I was spent and satiated and in desperate need of a nap. He still had me pinned to the wall, his face buried in the curve of myneck.

I played with a damp piece of his hair that stuck out, overcome with sadness. Part of me desperately wanted to continue this, but I couldn’t—and deep down I knew that. “James, we have to talk, and I need you to be sensible and honest.”

He stayed like that a few seconds, nestled against me, before he finally lifted his head. I worried he’d shut down to protect himself, but emotion swirled in hiseyes.

I tightened my hold around his neck. “This conversation might be more manageable if we weren’t so . . . intimate rightnow.”

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