InTooDeep by Rachel Carrington Read Free Book Online Page B

“Should we shake on it?” His fingers
curled around the nape of her neck.
    She shivered and mentally cursed at what
she considered to be a sign of weakness. “I trust you.”
    “I imagine you would have to since your
choices are limited.”
    Her palms pressed against his chest.
“Actually, I have a list of others who are just as good at finding someone as
you are.” The lie slipped easily from her lips and Hunt responded with a quick
laugh.
    “I doubt it.”
    A spark of lightning danced in the air,
electric and captivating. Desire sparked and lingered. Carley forgot to
breathe, and as his hand stroked the side of her face her stomach knotted.
Leaning in, he grazed her chin with his teeth and a quicksilver shiver tore
down her spine.
    Why couldn’t she back away from him or push
him away? Her body gravitated toward his, eating up the small span of distance
that had remained between them.
    Now they stood body to body, his chest
brushing her breasts. Their breaths mingled, colliding in the air as their
hearts thumped out identical rhythms.
    “We should talk. You need to know about
Dani, oh, and about Scott. She’s dating a guy named Scott.” Was that
desperation she heard in her voice? Damn him. No man had ever unnerved her like
this.
    “Let’s get one thing straight first.”
    She wondered how his lips tasted. “What’s
that?” Was that her own breath coming so fast?
    One of his arms slipped around her waist,
drawing her even tighter in. “We do things my way.” His lips captured hers,
bruising, unyielding. Pure, sensual magic. And just as quickly as it began, it
was over. He lifted his head, pierced her with a hard stare. “That means
everything by the book.”
    Carley’s lips tingled. “I get it. No
felonies.”
    The look he gave her told her he didn’t
appreciate her humor. “That wasn’t a joke.” He extracted his cell phone from
the pocket of his jacket just as it rang. His gaze centered on the number
before zeroing in on her face. “Dammit. I forgot.” He silenced the call.
    “Forgot what?”
    “The reason I came looking for you. You
might have been the last person to see our victim alive.”
    Victim. The word made Carley sick inside.
“What are you talking about? Who did I see?”
    “Her name was Maggie Buttle.”
    Carley’s knees went weak and she backed up
until her spine connected with the wall. “Mrs. Buttle’s dead? Oh my God. She’s
dead because of my sister.”

Chapter Five
     
    Hunt took hold of her arms and guided her
to the couch, afraid her legs would give out any moment. He’d never seen a
woman lose so much blood in her face so fast. Once he had her down on the edge
of the cushion he knelt, taking her hands in his. They felt like blocks of ice
and he chafed them for warmth. “I know they were neighbors but what does Mrs.
Buttle’s death have to do with your sister?”
    Carley swallowed hard, her eyes filling
with tears. But only briefly. Then she shuttered her gaze and lowered her head.
“I went to see Mrs. Buttle last night to find out the last time she’d seen
Dani.”
    Shit. Could things get any more complicated?
With the old woman dead there was every reason to believe Carley’s sister was
in serious trouble. And he didn’t have a choice but to involve his department.
    “Carley.” He placed his hands on her knees.
“I think you know what I’m going to say next, but I have to let my partner in
on this. Your fingerprints were found at the scene of a homicide and he knows I
came looking for you.”
    She pushed him back and stood. “I’m not
going to the station with you, if that’s what you’re thinking. Now that I know Dani
is in real trouble I have to work fast.”
    Hunt glared at her. “You’re not getting
this. My partner knows who you are. I can’t just sweep this under the rug.”
    Fiery red curls dropping across her
shoulders, Carley whirled around to face him. “Did he tell you where I was?”
    “No. I told him I could get in touch with
you.”