Deceived At Every Turn Page 8

  “Riley...I can’t...I can’t...” she pleaded.

  “Sure you can. Come again for me,” he ground out, never taking his eyes off her face.

  She exploded at his command. Harper’s muscles spasmed violently around Riley’s cock as he continued to pound himself into her depths.

  “I-it’s your t-turn,” Harper stammered between thrusts, holding her bouncing breasts, her body building yet again. “Come with me, Riley.” Her hips bucked, meeting his demanding strokes. “Now.”

  Riley’s control shattered. His body shuddered and his cock jerked, unloading hot liquid deep into her core.

  Chapter 13

  On Monday morning, Riley whistled as he strolled into the chief’s office, thinking about the weekend he’d spent with Harper. The first of many to come, he hoped.

  Riley had never met anyone like Harper. She was the fire to his water. The black to his white. The yes to his no. He’d lost count of the number of times she’d whispered or cried out yes, yes, yes in the throes of passion, at his hands. He loved her feistiness, her confidence, her vulnerability. Harper was exciting, sensual and sexually, the most fulfilling partner he’d ever had. Not that he’d had many. It was incredible the way she’d given herself to him so willingly, over and over again.

  “Morning, Chief.” Riley lowered himself in the chair in front of his boss’s desk.

  “Thanks for coming in, Spence. I wanted to tell you personally that the surveillance of the Rain woman is terminated. Effective immediately.”

  “You mean Harper Rainier?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You failed to mention her real name when you gave me the assignment.” Riley kept his tone light.

  “Her real name wasn’t important in keeping tabs on her,” the chief said. “Besides, you learned who she was, so what’s it matter?”

  “Suppose it doesn’t.” It did, but Riley decided not to push the issue just yet. He was relieved to hear the surveillance was over. That must mean Harper was safe, and that was all that mattered to Riley. “She’s no longer in danger?”

  “She was never in any danger.”

  “Come again?”

  “It was a surveillance mission, nothing more.”

  “You had me, Smith and Thompson playing sitter?”

  From across the desk, the chief shot him a look. “As if you weren’t enjoying yourself.”

  Riley narrowed his eyes. Yes, he did enjoy spending time with Harper, and would continue to do so if he had his way, but that was neither here nor there. Before he asked what the hell the chief was inferring, his boss continued.

  “I’ve got the information I was looking for. There’s no more need to tail her.” The chief started to rummage around the papers on his cluttered desk.

  The chief’s tone piqued Riley’s curiosity. “What were you looking for?”

  “Her brother.”

  Riley’s body broke out in a cold sweat.

  “Heard a rumor he was alive, but I couldn’t find him.”

  The hair at the base of Riley’s skull stood on end. His mind raced. More pieces to the puzzle.

  “Right, Detective Rainier, isn’t it? I’ve heard a little about him. Heard he was shot in the line of duty.”

  “Yeah,” the chief said gruffly. “Stuck his nose in somewhere it didn’t belong. Real shame, went and got himself shot. Good guy, good cop.”

  “So I hear.” Riley studied the chief. His sixth sense for spotting a whopper of a scam, surfaced. “What’s your take on his shooting?”

  “Huh? Oh, well, rumor is he was doing some investigative footwork off duty. Walked into a drug buy and didn’t call for backup.” The chief shrugged casually.

  “I’ve heard the rumors, Chief. I asked for your take.”

  Marshall looked stunned at Riley’s rebuke. A vein in Marshall’s right temple began to pulse. His breath grew uneven, and his eyes shifted from side to side as if he couldn’t maintain eye contact with Riley. “Who knows what he was thinking. Some kids think that once they get the badge they can take on the world. Rainier was no different.”

  “Sounds a little weak for a good cop, don’t you think?” From everything he’d learned about Harper’s brother, Alex wasn’t stupid. So how in the hell did he get caught up in what he had, and ended up getting shot?

  Marshall looked up from his paper shuffling, his mouth open. As he snapped it shut, Riley figured his boss realized he was gaping.

  He shrugged again. “Everyone wants to be a hero. Guess Rainier thought he was a big man, could take down the bad guy by himself. Hey, sometimes even the best fuck up.”

  Riley didn’t like, or appreciate, the tone in which the chief used Alex Rainier’s name. Instinct told him the chief was hiding something. “I suppose. What do you want with him?” Folding his hands behind his head, he stretched his legs out in front of him, feigning carelessness.

  “I’m interested in the information he collected from his investigation. Stuff from the stakeouts of suspects. Shit like that.”

  “Why don’t you ask Harper?”

  “Unfortunately, she isn’t forthcoming when it comes to talking to the police,” Marshall replied with a curled lip.

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “Who the fuck knows what goes on in a broad’s mind. Lord knows we did everything we could to find the person responsible. We spent months and countless man-hours chasing down one dead-end lead after another. Only called off the investigation a few weeks ago.”

  Well , that doesn’t make any sense . Harper told him the chief put a halt on the investigation in less than a week. Something wasn’t right.

  Riley studied the chief, searching for any signs of the chief’s possible guilt. It didn’t take much effort to find it. Sweat peppered the other man’s bald head and upper lip. His hands shook as he absently went back to searching for something lost under the piles of papers on his desk.

  “What is it you’re looking for, Chief?”

  “Huh? Oh, I uh, misplaced my glasses,” he mumbled.

  “They’re on your face. But that’s not what I meant. What are you looking for from Rainier?”

  “His note pads would be helpful. The guy wrote everything down. Real by-the-book kind of guy, he was--is.”

  Riley shrugged, attempting to be unconcerned at the slip-up. He wasn’t impressed by the sarcastic undertone of condemnation in the chief’s voice as he spoke of one of his own fallen officers. It was almost as if Marshall thought the detective had gotten what he deserved. And that rubbed Riley the wrong way. His cop’s brain raced a mile a minute, as hundreds of thoughts floated through, all vying for his attention at the same time. Things didn’t add up. The Rainier case was closed. So why did the chief want to know where the detective was and what he’d found during some off-the-books undercover work?

  Something smelled fishy and Riley needed to be a part of it. When he left here, he’d call the Bureau to report his findings.

  “Why didn’t you say so, Wade? May I call you Wade?” Riley laced his voice with arrogant self-importance. A self-centered fuck like Marshall would bite. “The Rainier woman has a thing for me. You know what I mean, a guy can tell.” He winked. “Practically throws herself at me.” He rolled his eyes in irritation.

  “Oh, sure, I know what you mean.” He nodded. A moment later confusion creased Marshall’s brow. “How exactly does her wanting to fuck you help me?”

  “I’ll use her desire for me to get what you want from her brother. Just give me a little time. She’ll be like putty in my hands. No woman can resist the Spence charm.” Riley shot the chief a sly grin.

  The chief grinned back. “Thank you, Spence. I need some help with this, because I can’t get close enough to her.”

  “Sure, think nothing of it. I’ll snoop around, get the information you need. Whatever I find, I’ll report to no one but you. Now, tell me exactly what it is you’re looking for and everything you know about Rainier and the shooting.”

  The chief stiffened in h
is chair. “I’ve told you all I know. And our investigation must be kept quiet. No one in the precinct knows I’m looking into Rainier, or that he’s alive.”

  “Don’t worry about a thing.” Riley waved him off. “I’ve got your back, Chief. No one will hear about it from me. I’ll check in when I’ve got something for you. I don’t figure it’ll take too long. Like I said, she digs me.”

  The men exchanged nods before Riley left Marshall’s office. Outside the chief’s door, Riley stopped in the hallway for a moment to recap their conversation and to organize his thoughts.

  From within the chief’s office he heard, “I’ve got that cocky little prick right where I want him.”

  Riley grinned. No, you pompous fuck, I’m going to find out what you’re up to, and nail your ass to the wall.

  Chapter 14

  Riley showed up at Harper’s place around dinnertime with takeout in hand.

  “You’re a life saver.” She graced him with a quick peck on his lips when he entered the house. “Melina has a late class today, so I picked the girls up. I completely forgot we’d be on our own for dinner and haven’t prepared anything.” She took the bags of Chinese food from him and walked to the kitchen. “How was your day?” she asked, setting the hot containers out on the table.

  “Fine,” he replied as he set the table with plates and cutlery. “By the way, your ‘round the clock surveillance’ is over.”

  “Oh.” Harper looked up at him, her expression one of surprise, then shrugged. “That explains why the afternoon shift took off early. Guess I wasn’t in danger after all, huh?”

  “I guess not,” he said simply. He didn’t see the need to reveal just yet that Marshall knew the whereabouts of Alex. First, he needed to figure out exactly what Alex had on whomever he’d been watching. “Harper, what do you know about Alex’s undercover work, and the night he was shot?”

  With her back to him, Riley noticed her body stiffen. She took several calming breaths, and her shoulders relaxed before she turned to him. “What?”

  “We never finished our conversation about Alex over the weekend and I thought maybe you’d like to share more about your brother. Maybe you’d like to brainstorm about the investigation,” Riley offered before popping a cube of Kung Pao chicken into his mouth.

  “Well, you thought wrong. I don’t. And there was no investigation, Riley. The entire staff of the Metro Police Department is a bunch of bottom feeders that aren’t worth shit.” Bitterness and contempt filled her eyes and laced her voice.

  Anger flared in those dark green eyes of hers as she spoke. She was fucking beautiful when she was fired up. This might make his job tough. He had to get Harper to open up and trust him.

  “Is present company excluded from your analogy?” He flashed a devilish grin.

  “For now,” she said flatly. “Call in the girls, please.”

  * * * *

  After a lot of thought, Harper decided maybe Riley Spence wasn’t such a bad guy. Ah, hell, who was she kidding, she’d fallen in love. There was no denying it. She was in love with Riley, and his niece. She’d bought right into his seduction, hook, line and sinker.

  With the surveillance finished, she wasn’t sure where that left things with her and Riley. Sure he said he liked being with her and told Olivia they’d be spending a lot more time together. Yet, the possibility was there that he’d said that just to be nice. He certainly was under no obligation to continue seeing her. Actually, he hadn’t been obliged to see her socially to begin with. It had just happened. Maybe he was interested in more of a relationship with her.

  No, she wouldn’t allow herself to dwell on what might or might not be right now. She had to concentrate on Olivia and whether or not she should move Alex. Maybe it wasn’t really necessary to move him after all. No one except her and Olivia visited him. The staff would have told her. Yes Riley knew where Alex was, but she trusted her secret was safe with him.

  * * * *

  After the dinner dishes were cleaned, Harper leashed the dogs for their evening walk. She and the girls were standing at the door when Riley rounded the corner.

  “Oh hey, do you mind if I pass on the walk tonight? I need to make a couple of calls for work,” he said apologetically.

  “Okay, sure, that’s all right. I was going to take the girls to the park, but if you want Zandra back early--”

  “No, honey, if you didn’t mind, I thought Zandra and I would spend the night.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  He hadn’t thought she would. “Great. So let the girls burn off their energy before bed. Here.” He plucked some money out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Why don’t you stop and get ice cream for the walk back, my treat. If I finish my calls and you’re not back yet, I’ll meet you at the park.”

  “Okay, we’ll see you later.”

  “You girls behave,” he said, bending to kiss them on their heads, before straightening to kiss Harper on the lips.

  When they disappeared from sight, Riley strolled to Harper’s bedroom to have a look around. Her brother’s things had to be in the house somewhere. The question was, where?

  Harper had turned the master bedroom Alex had at one time shared with his wife into her own. There wasn’t a trace of Alex anywhere. Riley looked under the bed and pulled out a couple of boxes he found there. Inside were old photos. The vibrant male in the pictures, vaguely resembling the shell of the man Riley had seen in the hospital, was Alex Rainier. The woman he didn’t recognize must have been the wife.

  Riley moved on to a dresser and started rifling through the drawers. He pulled one open and spied lingerie, pretty items he’d yet to see on Harper. These were her personal pieces, not ones she’d worn for work.

  “This is a nice surprise.” He smiled. Lifting a couple of pieces to his nose, he inhaled her enticing feminine scent on the lacy items. His cock raised in his shorts as he pictured Harper modeling the sexy items for him. After indulging for several more minutes, he reluctantly replaced the items, closed the drawer and moved on to the closet. Sliding the door open he flicked on the light switch inside and started searching the top shelves, where he found a dozen small boxes piled neatly in a corner.

  “Ah, this was easier than I thought it would be. It’s a little sad at how predictable you are, honey.” He chuckled as he lifted the lid off the first box. More photos. The next box yielded some knickknacks of sorts. Another held some baby things…tiny pieces of jewelry, a silver baby spoon and cup. A couple of items were engraved with Olivia’s name.

  The rest of the boxes held nothing of significance to what he was seeking. After shoving her hanging clothes from side to side, he knelt to delve though some more boxes piled in the corners on the floor. As he reached for the first one, the sound of a clearing throat coming from behind startled him.

  “Hey, baby, you’re back already,” Riley said, casting a glance over his shoulder, yet refusing to make eye contact with her.

  Turning back to the closet, he kept his eyes glued on the floor, attempting to re-group. He took a deep breath.

  “What are you doing?” Harper asked. The tone of her voice hinted at restrained annoyance.

  “How come you’re back so soon, is anything wrong?” He stood, brushing off his knees and the front of his shorts.

  “We’ve been gone over an hour and a half. The girls actually asked to come home and have a bath before bed. Why are you rummaging around in my closet?”

  “I was on my way to the bathroom and I thought I saw something scurry under the closet door. I thought it might have been a mouse. I didn’t find anything though.” He shrugged innocently. “I guess I was wrong.”

  Riley crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against his solid frame. He felt her body relax as she hugged him back.

  Damn, that was close. Better exercise a little more caution next time. And there would definitely be a next time. “So, are you in charge of bath time tonight, or am I?”

  Cha
pter 15

  Once the girls were tucked into Olivia’s bed, Riley and Harper sat in the backyard until she had to leave for work. After her boyfriend dropped her off, Melina had excused herself to study in her room. At ten Harper declared it was time to leave, and Riley grabbed his keys from beside the front door.

  “I’ll go with you,” he announced.

  “But you don’t have to. You’re not tailing me anymore.”

  “I’m far from finished watching your tail, honey.” He chuckled, opening the door for her.

  “You know Tiny watches out for us at the club. You don’t have to come with me. You don’t like it there.”

  Wasn’t that the truth. Riley despised the fact Harper danced at Pleasures Gentlemen’s Club. He understood why she did it, but he didn’t like it.

  “I’m sure Tiny does a fine job, but I’d feel better being there. And no, I don’t like it at the club, or what you do there, but I like you and that’s where you’re going to be,” he said, dropping a kiss on the top of her brunette wig. “Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  After her shift at the club, Riley drove the two of them home. Harper excused herself to take a shower. As she rinsed the mango scented shampoo from her hair and the soap from her body, a cool breeze caressed her warm skin. She opened her eyes and saw Riley standing in front of her in all his naked, masculine glory. His erection stuck straight out from his body, his gaze travelled over her curves, devouring her. He cupped her ample breasts in his hands, massaging them.

  The hungry look in his eyes sent her pulse racing. Her breathing grew labored, her breasts heaved in his strong hands. He released her right breast to trail the backs of his fingers down her belly to the pleasure zone between her thighs. Using his foot, he pushed against her ankles, forcing her legs apart. One thick finger delved between her folds, then entered her. Riley pumped his digit into her slowly, several times, before adding a second. The fingers of his other hand continued to pluck and toy with her aching nipples.