Long, Lean and Lethal Read online

  She kept walking, offering a view that won over searching the parking lot for his car. When he finally did glance up, Rain held keys in her hand and paused at the driver’s-side door of what he guessed was a brand-new Taurus.

  Noah stopped next to her and held his hand out for the keys.

  Rain looked at his hand and her disdain didn’t leave her face when she lifted long, thick lashes and graced him with her baby blues. “I’m driving. Get in on the other side.”

  “I always drive.”

  “Not with me you don’t.”

  Noah knew a test when he saw one. Rain probably challenged anyone who crossed her path. If he’d known he was going to have the sexy Amazon cop tossed in his lap he would have researched her. But sometimes there was something to be said about first contact and initial reactions.

  “Detective, you can give me the keys or I’ll take them from you. But if we’re going to be partners you might as well get accustomed to shotgun.”

  She rolled her eyes, looking disgusted, and turned to slide the key into the keyhole.

  Noah wrapped his fingers around her arm and Rain spun around, a long strand of dark hair flying free from its confines and drifting over her face. Her eyes turned a stormy, turbulent shade of blue and her parted lips were a soft red, full and moist.

  “Just try and manhandle me, Bureau man, and I swear to God you’ll regret it,” she hissed, willingly showing off her quick temper. Her sudden quick breath and the fiery flush that spread over her cheeks proved one thing: sparring with him got her off.

  There wasn’t a damn thing wrong with good Klingon sex.

  They were going to be partners, paired together without either of them knowing beforehand. There needed to be stipulations, understanding of each other’s nature, in order for them to appear the part they were about to play. Getting to know Rain Huxtable was paramount, prior to anything else they would learn together. He didn’t mind pushing her a bit to learn her true colors.

  Noah tugged her toward him. Rain resisted, turning her back to the car and then leaning against it when he let go of her arm. It wasn’t hard to remove the keys from her hand, especially with the element of surprise in his corner. She might be taller than most women, and fine-tuned to perfection, but he was stronger than she was. He covered her hand with his, parted her fingers, and slipped the rental keys into his palm.

  “You can slide in through this side, or walk around the car,” he whispered, keeping his reaction to physically touching her well under wraps. “But you’re riding shotgun. That isn’t open to discussion. When we get to the station, you can take the lead.”

  Rain tried shoving her way around him. Noah pushed his body against hers, holding her where she was, pinned between him and the car. Most women leaned their heads back, exposing their necks to him. And he knew his size intimidated many. But Rain barely adjusted her head to glare at him.

  “Are you getting your rocks off, Bureau man?” she snarled, moistening her lips as her tongue darted over them.

  “Trust me, cop woman; you’ll know when I do.” He liked her height, he decided. Her creamy skin was soft as silk, but it covered a warrior’s heart. And the way her dark hair and baby blues contrasted against her complexion made for a distracting, if not professional model quality, picture. She looked like the type of woman a man would keep as a trophy, but so far she acted like a woman who would rather see a man bleed than submit to him. “But until we get to that point, let’s get a few things straight.”

  “Don’t hold your breath. Macho men don’t turn me on,” she purred, relaxing her body and dropping her hands to her sides. Rain didn’t take her gaze from his, though. “And all we need to understand about each other is that if you do as you’re told, and don’t ever touch me, we’ll get along just fine. Unless of course you don’t mind a leash and collar. Now that might get me wet.”

  She couldn’t be serious. Studying her facial expression, her captivating eyes, had him guessing she was messing with him. It also showed him he was grossly out of practice in figuring out if a woman was flirting with him or picking on him. He’d been 100 percent loyal to Laurel for over three years. Obviously her sense of loyalty was defined very differently from his.

  Noah grabbed Rain’s arms, this time moving her away from the door and turning her around. He almost gave her a quick slap on the ass, just to see her reaction. But there was a serious and dangerous criminal to catch, and although Noah somehow doubted Rain would scream sexual harassment, he also didn’t want her thinking that all that mattered to him was getting down her pants.

  “Get in the car, Rain,” he instructed, admitting being impressed by her distracting good looks but knowing as well the last thing he wanted to do was fuck her. Any type of relationship, physical or otherwise, would take more out of him than he had to offer. One-night stands were it for him, and would be from here on out. “Let’s see if you navigate as well as you spar.”

  Noah unlocked the car and then slid behind the wheel, impressed that he barely needed to adjust the seat. He watched Rain walk around the front of the car, her expression tight as she reached the passenger side and then climbed in next to him.

  The car smelled brand-new and he noticed less than a hundred miles on it. Other than the round sticker on the dash that said “Thank you for not smoking,” there wasn’t any other indication that it was a rental. Noah let the engine run for a moment while he worked the sticker until he successfully removed it from the dash.

  “Don’t tell me you smoke,” she said, shooting him a side-glance.

  “The less this looks like a rental, the better.” He’d give the outside a onceover to check for any stickers a rental agency might have affixed to it later. “Have you done a lot of undercover work?”

  Her smile was smug and colder than the glare she shot at him. “Damn shame you haven’t had time to research me.” She pointed toward the exit, not answering his question. “Head on out and go north. The station isn’t far from here.”

  He felt her gaze travel up and down his body and was very aware of the distance between them. But more than that, a sizzling sexual current hung heavily in the air. Rain might be playing tough and coming across as put out big-time by being forced to spend time with him, but he got under her skin as much as she did him. They would either fight or fuck, and he wasn’t sure either would make her a good partner.

  TWO

  Rain leaned back in her office chair and scratched her scalp. She’d been strapped to FBI man all day long. Granted, he was reasonable enough to acknowledge that her game plan for proceeding looked good. And there was some solace in knowing he had no clue they were to be teamed together, either. But that didn’t make the idea of working with him, or having him around her like a fucking shadow, any more appealing.

  “Cherish these moments alone, girl,” she mumbled, staring at the ceiling and stretching while she yanked the clasp that held her hair at her nape until her hair fell free over her shoulders. She continued raking her fingernails through her hair and enjoying a quiet moment to pout.

  Her skin tingled as if he were still watching her. Noah’s unnerving dark eyes seemed to be able to read her thoughts, delve into her soul, and learn the answers to his questions before she spoke. He was too intense, too much in her space. She didn’t like it.

  Worse yet, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a man as dangerously good-looking as Noah. With his broad, pronounced cheekbones and long, straight nose and dark wavy hair that wasn’t quite black but a rich chocolaty brown bordering his regal-looking face, he reminded her of one of those heroes from a dark shape-shifter-type movie that her father used to love watching. Noah would have been the nemesis, the unknown who appeared, aided in saving the day, but definitely wasn’t who he professed to be.

  “Lord,” she muttered, not sure if more coffee would help or if she should simply call it quits for the day. Rain lifted her head, staring at her doorway and the hallway outside her office. Noah would also be the type appearing without a s
ound out of nowhere and watching her without her noticing it. No one stood in her doorway, though. “Definitely need to call it quits for the day,” she grumbled, cradling her head with her hands and letting it fall back so she could stare at the ceiling some more.

  Noah had taken off to make some phone calls. She didn’t ask what calls or when he’d be back. If she had, he would think she cared, or that she might be interested in him. And she didn’t care. She wasn’t interested. Rain just wanted to cherish the alone time.

  God, she didn’t want a partner. Chief Noble knew she didn’t want a partner. There was no way she could risk herself working that closely with someone else again.

  Two years ago she had lost her father and it might as well have been yesterday. The pain from him dying just wouldn’t go away. Then last year Bowen, her partner for four years, was killed during a bust. He took a bullet meant for her. Anyone she truly loved, or dared opening up to where she could call them friend, died, or disappeared from her life. The pain was too intense. And as much as being alone really sucked, it was better than having her heart sliced open again. The pain was too intense.

  “Crap!” Rain leaned forward, grabbed her hair clasp off her desk, and snapped and unsnapped it in her fingers. She couldn’t do shit to change the past. “All you have to focus on is keeping anyone else from dying.”

  Rain glanced at the wall clock and then picked up her yellow legal pad. Staring at the notes she’d scribbled throughout the day, she considered what she’d tell the chief when he showed up. It was almost five, and if Chief Noble was good at anything, it was his word. He would be punctual; he always was. More than likely he would saunter in, anxious to learn if she’d killed FBI man or if they’d come up with a kick-ass game plan.

  Rain and Noah hadn’t so much created a strategic method of attack yet as they’d shared info, learned what each other knew already about the case. Glancing at her notes, she had learned a few things today she hadn’t already known. But Noah didn’t know all the details surrounding the murders here in Lincoln, either. There were two murders in Kansas City, four in Dallas, and three here. The similarities were uncanny, making it appear pretty damned clear they were all committed by the same person, or possibly group of people. Maybe there were swinger haters out there intent on doing damage to the promiscuous lifestyle.

  If Chief Noble expected her to show her gratitude for bringing in the FBI, he would have one hell of a long wait. It wasn’t going to happen. She was good. Damned good, the best he had. And it hurt like hell that he’d contacted the Bureau without discussing it with her first. She could solve this case without Noah’s help. Without anyone’s help. Rain would have convinced Chief Noble of that if he’d given her the chance.

  She didn’t deny Noah had skills—he was FBI. That didn’t mean she couldn’t take this on by herself. She didn’t need Noah. Even if going undercover as a married couple might be a good idea since they were investigating murders committed inside a clique of married couples who didn’t open up easily to those outside their circle, it wasn’t the only way to crack the case.

  Worse yet, there was something about Noah that went beyond him being FBI. The way he looked in his blue jeans, how his broad, muscular-looking chest filled out the short-sleeved T-shirt he wore, the entire package, distracted her too much. That was the problem, and why she relished a moment to herself, if only to get her head back on straight and focus on something other than his large, muscular Renaissance man–type sex appeal.

  She leaned forward and reached for her phone, then punched the main number down on the first floor. “Betty,” she said, noticing for the first time that she sounded tired. “Will you let me know when the chief comes in?”

  “He’s already here,” Betty Boop, as a lot of the guys called her, squeaked cheerfully through the phone. Her short crop of black hair and large dark eyes earned her the nickname. “And who is the tall, dark, and brooding sexy hunk that is with him?” she asked, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

  “I have no idea,” Rain said dryly.

  Betty snorted and then mumbled something before hanging up. Rain didn’t care if Betty didn’t believe her. Betty knew most of what was going on in the station from her perch at the service counter. More than likely, she knew more about Noah than Rain did.

  As Rain adjusted her chair to move closer to her computer, her stomach growled. And her clothes itched. She absently clicked her way around a few sites until she came upon the profile for Special Agent Noah Kayne. The chief didn’t bother telling her until he sent her to get the damned rental that she would have a partner on this case. After she got Mr. FBI dumped in her lap before noon, lunch had been the last thing on her mind. Now a hot meal and even hotter shower sounded better than anything else she could think of. Other than getting even with the chief for neglecting to mention that her new partner would be an obnoxious, stuck-on-himself Bureau man, whose dangerous gaze and relaxed, confident movements reminded her too much of a hungry predator. Rain wouldn’t allow herself to be his next meal.

  Moving the mouse again, she glanced at the clock and realized it was after five. Betty had mentioned that the chief was with Noah. There wasn’t anyone else in the station who came close to tall, dark, and brooding. If he and the chief were plotting without her, she’d chew their asses.

  “Maybe I should just go home and assume FBI doesn’t need a partner after all,” she growled, standing and heading around her desk.

  She stopped when the door opened and Noah entered, meeting her gaze immediately and looking as if he knew exactly what her thoughts were. Not many men looked at a woman like they were sincerely interested in what was going on in her mind. Hell, most men didn’t seem to notice that a woman had a mind. But Noah, with his thick dark hair that waved around his face and made him look about as non-FBI as a guy could look, gave her all of his attention like she was the only thing on his mind. And he searched her face as if knowing her thoughts mattered more to him than anything else.

  In spite of how her body reacted to those possessive eyes, she forced herself to look away first and focus on the chief, who was right behind Noah. Then, the insane afterthought hit her and she remembered that her hair was disheveled. Rain grabbed her hair clasp.

  “You said five,” she snapped, glaring at Chief Noble while pulling her hair against the back of her neck and then securing her hair clasp.

  “And since you were too busy to join us, we were forced to come to you,” Noah said with a soft baritone, and then walked right up to her, cupping her cheek against the palm of his hand, brushing his fingertips down to her jawbone, and then moving around her.

  She froze, completely taken aback that he would physically touch her in the office. Not that she would let him touch her no matter where they were, but here, in front of the chief?

  Noah’s touch was so relaxed, his movements so comfortable and confident. They were strangers. He shouldn’t touch her like that. But then he shouldn’t look at her like that, either. It was as if they’d known each other forever and his hands were on her every day. And her body reacted to him like she already knew how good he was.

  Hell. He probably sucked in the sack.

  “The meeting was supposed to be here,” she growled under her breath.

  Noah ignored her comment and moved behind her and then made himself very comfortable in the large office chair she’d been reclining in. The chief rested his rear on the edge of the desk and crossed his thick arms over his barrel chest.

  “I was headed here when Noah found me,” the chief said dismissively. His usual scowl was in place, and she doubted he even noticed the exchange between her and Noah. “Sounds like you’ve got him up-to-date nicely on everything so far.”

  “If I’d had some notice that he was going to be assigned to me—,” she began.

  “The FBI believes we’re possibly dealing with hate crimes,” the chief said, interrupting her. “Noah was filling me in on their suspicions so far. Although the group here in Lincoln isn’t
as evolved as the ones in Kansas City and Dallas, they are growing, and becoming more open about who they are. And I like what you two have got going so far. This just might work,” the chief added, finally looking at her with his watery gray eyes.

  “What hate crimes? We didn’t discuss this.” She shifted her attention from Chief Noble to Noah.

  “You’re finding out now.” Noah’s expression turned blank as he met her gaze, as if they were complete strangers and hadn’t spent the last few hours shut in the detectives’ brainstorming room. “I only found out when I touched base with my supervisor. We’ve got a new lead.”

  Rain dropped her focus to the floor, chewing her lower lip. This was her case. She’d been working on it since the first murder a couple of months ago. Maybe there weren’t a lot of clues. Maybe it was one of the tougher cases Lincoln had seen. But it wasn’t too tough a case for her to crack. Noah offered this new lead as if it were a prize to bring to the table. But damn it, Rain would have discovered the connection soon enough.

  She wouldn’t admit Noah came up with good arguments and was incredibly easy to brainstorm with. None of that was the point. She was good enough to handle this case alone. She’d earned it. Since entering the force, Rain had worked her way up the ladder, never arguing over any case given her, and proving to everyone she wasn’t riding on her last name for favors. In spite of how incredible her father had been, Rain had shown the entire force she was equally incredible, and by her own right.

  “When Noah touched base with his supervisor just now, she sent him information on several Web sites that might be fronts for generating income that is then being sent to bank accounts around the country. We might have money laundering involved in these murders, too.”

  Rain looked at Noah. Excitement sizzled inside her. A new fact to add to the whole picture, new information. She wanted every detail. “How do you know we aren’t dealing with two completely unrelated crimes? How are these Web sites linked to our murders?” she asked, playing devil’s advocate.