The Kill

CHAPTER 27

Zack and Quinn spread open the map of the Cascades on the desk in Zack’s room at the North Fork Lodge.

The lodge owners, middle-aged sisters Kristy and Beth Krause, had opened their bed-and-breakfast to the police earlier in the evening, so when Zack and the others arrived at two in the morning, they already had several rooms prepared.

“The fog was too thick for the sheriff’s search teams to attempt a manhunt tonight,” Quinn said. He pointed to an area near the base of the mountain and the Anchor River. “They’ll be starting here at daybreak with dogs and at least a dozen men. We’ll have men with dogs coming from the other side.” He pointed to the place near the Boy Scout camp where Driscoll had crashed the truck.

“He could elude our men at night,” Zack said. “If he goes at a steady pace, he’ll be at the base of the mountain by morning.”

“Miranda said this area is almost impossible to navigate. He either has to follow Road 56-and we have men discreetly stationed at several places along the road-or wind around to the river and follow it out.

“There is a chance,” Quinn continued, “that he could cross Road 56 at one point, and that would put him on this side of the mountain. There are several vacation homes and public campgrounds. It’s a little late in the season, but the sheriff’s department is sending deputies to each residence to first warn anyone there, as well as inspect any vacant houses. They’ve called in support from neighboring counties as well as the forest rangers.”

“This lodge is in that area. If Driscoll crosses Road 56 he could end up here.”

“That’s why the sheriff assigned two deputies to these grounds.”

Zack ran a hand over his face. “I should have been doing all this.”

“Why? That’s why you have a good team around you. You’ve been going practically 24/7 for the last week.” Quinn slapped his hand on Zack’s back. “Get some sleep. Everything that can be covered in the four hours between now and dawn has been.”

Quinn’s cell phone rang and Zack tensed. Bad news? Or had they captured Driscoll?

“Agent Peterson,” Quinn answered. He visibly relaxed. “I’ll be right there. Love you too.” He shut his phone. “Miranda told me to come to bed.”

“She’s a good woman.”

“You don’t know the half of it. To think of all the time I wasted… “ his voice trailed off. “Um, I’ve known Olivia for a long time. She’s very important to Miranda and me.”

What was that supposed to mean? Zack frowned.

Quinn held his hand up to stop whatever he thought Zack was going to say. Hell, Zack didn’t know what he was going to say, but he felt distinctly uncomfortable, as if he were a teenager facing his girlfriend’s father after breaking curfew.

“What I should say is, Olivia has taken the world on her shoulders and doesn’t leave much time for herself. She deserves a little happiness. Especially after this.”

Zack agreed. “After we wrap this up, we’re going away for a few days.”

“Good.” Quinn nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something else, then, “You know when you’re on a tough case and you’re faced with an ultimatum and no decision is perfect? That no matter what you choose to do, there are consequences?”

“There are always consequences, Peterson. You have to do what is the most right.”

“Exactly. Good. Well. Get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be another long day.”

Quinn left and Zack frowned. What was that all about? He yawned and rubbed his face. He was exhausted, but there was no way he could sleep right now. His mind was working overtime. They’d rescued Nina, but Driscoll was still out there.

He needed a shower, so he turned on the water, stripped, and stepped under the spray.

When Olivia had slipped down the crevice, he’d thought she’d fallen to her death. He’d been terrified he’d lost her. When Zack saw her alive he could at least breathe again. When he held her in his arms, he didn’t ever want to let her go. Cold fear had turned into something hot and needy. He’d never felt so close, so connected, with anyone.

She’d reached out for him, her adrenaline-induced passion pulling him over the edge. He had wanted to make love to her, right then. The fact that they were in the middle of the woods with an audience hadn’t entered his mind.

Now he wanted her twice as bad.

What was Olivia doing right now? Was she sleeping? Or, like his, was her mind too active to shut down?

He shut off the water and dried off, pulling on his boxers and pacing. He was semi-hard thinking about Olivia and her lips. Remembering her full breasts under the damp robe she’d worn in the hotel room the other morning. Remembering the way her long, soft fingers drew trails of electricity wherever they touched his skin.

He wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight until he kissed her again.

He pulled on his jeans, grabbed his holster, and left.

Olivia couldn’t sleep either.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to go to a man. She wanted to slide into bed next to Zack Travis and ask him to make love to her.

When she’d been married, not once had she initiated sex. Greg had always suggested they have a romantic dinner, which was his way of starting a romantic evening that ended in bed.

She knew why-it was being touched. It had taken a long time to get comfortable with Greg, a long time to accept his touch. But already, after mere days, she didn’t flinch at the thought of Zack touching her. She didn’t hesitate to reach out for him, even to just casually pat his arm.

She’d have to be comatose not to recognize the change happening within. And it had as much to do with the way Zack had treated her, talked to her, respected and pushed her, as with her own internal growth.

But would she have become as strong and accepting of the past, putting it behind her, if Zack hadn’t come into her life? The two events were linked.

She slid out of bed and crossed to the large picture window that overlooked a valley. She couldn’t see much except shadows and the suggestion of a meadow. She wore a long flannel gown Kristy Krause had loaned her when the kind woman had taken her soiled clothes to wash. She’d showered and her short hair was still damp, but she wasn’t cold.

What should she do? Should she simply walk across the hall and knock on Zack’s door and throw herself into his arms? That’s what she wanted. Needed.

But what if she was mistaken about him? She thought he had some feelings for her beyond professional interest, but considering she hadn’t dated since Greg, she didn’t know if she was reading things right. And considering they had spent the last five days on the edge, working this case nonstop, maybe it was that intensity she was picking up on and not any personal feelings between them.

Still, it wasn’t just the embrace tonight after rescuing Nina. What about the kiss in the car when they were in California? He’d opened up her heart in a way she hadn’t believed possible.

She hadn’t told him the complete truth. She bit her lip, battling with herself. She had to tell him; he deserved to know she wasn’t who she’d been pretending to be. But that could wait. It had to. As soon as Driscoll was caught, the case wrapped up, she would tell him. Explain exactly what she’d done and why.

Certainly he would understand. He had to.

The knock on her door made her jump, but she knew it was Zack. She almost tripped over her feet to open the door, feeling like a foolish teenager.

“Hi,” she said, taking a step back.

“Hi.” He took a step toward her and closed the door behind him.

He was shirtless, his bare, hard chest at her eye level. Her mouth went dry, her lips parted. She licked them, took a step forward and put her mouth on his pectoral, breathed in his clean, damp skin.

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her up to his mouth.

The kiss wasn’t light or even kind. It was powerful, hungry, and Olivia responded with just as much passion and hunger for Zack as he showed her.

He moaned into her lips, kissing her with such urgency she almost lost her breath.

“Olivia, I was so scared I’d lost you. Lost you before I really found you.”

“Zack-”

Suddenly her feet were off the ground as he swooped her up into his arms. Her head felt light and amazingly empty. All her senses prickled with the need to be touched.

She’d never wanted to be touched, intimately touched, by anyone. Now she couldn’t imagine his hands anywhere but on her body, his eyes anywhere but locked with hers, his breath anywhere but on her neck.

Zack’s skin was hot to the touch. She was amazed at how much heat he generated. She’d never need a flannel nightgown again, let alone a blanket, if Zack slept next to her every night.

He laid her on the bed and removed his jeans, leaving him in boxers, his large, firm body hovering over hers. She swallowed, reached for him, and he came to her.

His hands reached under her nightgown and clasped her breasts, his thumbs circling her nipples, teasing them into hard nubs. The cold that had filled her soul most of her life melted away at his insistent, probing caress.

She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his face to hers. She lost herself in his searching kiss.

The fire building within was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. No leisurely kisses and patient seduction. Zack focused on her entire body at once, every pore of her skin craving his attention. She rubbed her body against him, wanton and free like she’d never been before.

Zack brought out a passion within her that she’d never thought she was capable of achieving.

His mouth scorched her where his lips trod. His tongue trailed hot paths down her neck, behind her ear, teasing her lobe. She’d never known her neck, her ears, her shoulders were so sensitive, that hot kisses and urgent moans could send little shock waves of pulsing heat throughout her body.

The gown was frustrating her. She wanted to feel Zack’s hot body against her bare skin. She fumbled to rid herself of the gown.

When Zack noticed Olivia was trying to remove her flannel nightgown, he reached down and with one swift movement pulled it over her head.

He stared at her body in the dim night light. She wore nothing underneath, and he found her perfect.

She was petite but curvy, with full breasts and wide hips. Her hourglass figure had been merely hinted at beneath those functional business suits. Naked, Olivia was a sexy dream.

He ran his hands down her sides, molding her, relishing the contact. He’d never forget this moment, the first time he touched her nude body, the first time he had her in bed.

He planned on many more times.

He put his arms on either side of her head and watched her expression. Eyes closed, her creamy skin flushed with desire. He leaned down to kiss her. Softly. So slowly. She was too special to rush, too enticing to wait. He wanted it all right now, yet craved time to savor every touch, every kiss, every need.

Her breasts rose with each breath. Her heart pulsated in her chest, thump-thump, thump-thump, matching his own heavy ache. He kissed the spot where Olivia’s heart throbbed, then circled his tongue along her breast, enjoying her reaction. Her hands reached for him, grasped his shoulders and squeezed. She moaned as his tongue skimmed over her taut nipple.

He reached for the back of her neck, twisted her silky hair between his hands and sucked her nipples, first one, then the other. Time stopped; it was only the two of them, and his only goal was to please her.

He wanted her. He needed her. He paced himself, her pleasure most important to him. She responded to every caress, moaned when his mouth found an unkissed spot to devour. Slow, feathery kisses turned urgent; urgent kisses became tender whispers.

Olivia’s entire body vibrated with heat and anticipation. Zack’s passionate assault, which started soft and sweet, was now hard and spicy. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She felt out of control, lustful, hungry.

His hands never stopped moving, touching her hair, her neck, her shoulders, trailing a light caress down her arm, then taking her hands and squeezing tight as he sucked her breast, his body hard against hers.

He trailed kisses back up her neck and found her mouth. She put her hands on his face, holding him to her. Kissing him as passionately as he assaulted her. She couldn’t get enough of him, his body, his strength, his lips. She found her hands roaming, pulling Zack’s body closer, feeling his rock hard muscles pressed against her softer flesh.

“Olivia,” he breathed into her ear, then nibbled the lobe. She gasped, the hot sensation in her ear sending even hotter tingles throughout her body.

“Make love to me,” she whispered, her voice husky.

He released her arms and slid down her body, kissing and tasting until she squirmed with sweet discomfort, wanting him to finish what he’d started and stop torturing her.

“Zack,” she murmured, unable to voice another word as his mouth found her inner thigh. She gasped, nerves tingling, feeling alternately hot and cold. His hot tongue circled down, down until he kissed her knee. Her calf. Her foot. Never before had Olivia thought the leg such a beacon of erotic energy. But the more attention he lavished on her legs, the more she wanted him to make love to her.

No man had ever paid so much attention to just kissing her. But these were not simple kisses. Zack left no inch of skin untouched. He kissed, rubbed, licked, breathed on, every pore of her body. She couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, all her senses gone except for touch. She’d never had such a tactile experience, where the simplest whisper on her skin could make her hot and gasping for air.

Zack’s mouth found her ear again. “I want to make love to you.”

“Yes,” she breathed. “Are you-um, prepared?” She hated to ask, but she wasn’t on the pill anymore. She hadn’t been with anyone since her divorce.

“I am,” he whispered.

Olivia watched as Zack took off his boxers and slid a condom on his rigid penis. She’d never watched a man enter her and she licked her lips, feeling alternately embarrassed and intensely excited.

Zack stared at Olivia, her flushed skin, peaked nipples, swollen lips. He could watch her all night, hold her forever. She reached for him and he leaned down, kissed her softly, but her lips pressed harder, drew him in, urged him on. Her hands skimmed down his back, her light touch almost unbearable.

He needed to be inside her.

He gently spread her legs and touched her wet core. She gasped and squirmed against his finger. He replaced his finger with his cock and slowly began to enter her, one arm wrapped around her back, the other around her bottom.

Her body tightened and he stopped moving.

“Are you okay?” The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

“It’s been a while,” she breathed into his ear.

“I won’t hurt you, Liv. I would never hurt you.”

“You’re not.” She kissed his neck, little gasps coming from her throat as he readjusted his body, pulling out of her enough to bring his arms to either side of her head.

He looked at Olivia’s beautiful face, kissed her red lips, and said, “Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

She did, slowly, as if in a deep, pleasurable dream.

“I want to watch you,” he said, and kissed her again.

This time, he pushed into her and didn’t pull back. Slow and steady. She was hot and tight, and the thought that he was the first man she’d trusted with her body in years moved and excited him.

He pushed himself fully inside her and she gasped again. He stopped to let her body grow accustomed to his. Her eyes searched his face. What was she looking for? What did she see in him?

Did she see that he cared for her in a way he hadn’t known he was capable of? Did she see a need he filled? He kissed her lips, wanted to tell her this wasn’t going to be the last time. But the kiss would have to show her, his touch would have to convince her.

Olivia held her breath as Zack filled her. She looked into his face and saw raw intensity, every thought and action focused on her. Every nerve ending under her skin wanted to mate with Zack. He brought sexual desire to a higher level.

She moved slightly, and he took it to mean she was ready. She didn’t know if she was ready. All she wanted was to feel him move inside her.

Slowly, he withdrew, then pushed back deep inside, the tip of his penis dancing against her cervix, creating a completely new sensation. She gasped. He did it again. Pulled slowly out, then eased back in, dancing until she drew in a long, unsteady breath.

She started moving along with him. Tentative, unsure of herself at first. She’d never been the instigator. She’d never wanted sex badly enough to push it. Now, she couldn’t get enough. She reached for his hands and squeezed as a wave of sensation flooded her. Sweat coated her body and his. She could no longer tell where he ended and she began. They clasped hands and he held them on either side of her head, holding her to the bed, all attention focused on his penis in her body, in and out, slowly, unhurried.

The quiet, deliberate lovemaking didn’t last. Zack moved faster on top of her, the groans deep in his chest making her even hotter. She matched his rhythm, a tornado whirling within her until her gasps came faster and her body spun out of control.

“Oh. My. God.” She was parched, sweating, drained.

“Olivia,” he breathed into her hair, thrusting deep inside her and holding it.

Together, they drew out the peak of their lovemaking until they were drenched, satiated. Zack rolled onto his side, taking Olivia with him, peppering her face with slow, languid kisses until he reached her mouth.

His mouth devoured hers, leaving her nearly as breathless as the orgasm.

She sighed and relaxed in his arms. At peace.

Zack hugged Olivia, holding her tight, close. He didn’t want to let her go.

Something more than sex had happened between them. How much did this woman mean to him? Much, much more than he’d thought before they fell into bed together.

Her breathing grew even, unlabored, and he realized she’d fallen asleep.

He stared at her in the faint light. In sleep, she looked vulnerable-not a word he normally associated with Olivia.

His heart fluttered just a bit, but enough that he questioned his own feelings.

Love. It was not a word he normally associated with women.

But he definitely associated it with this woman.