Her crying subsided. Her feminine scent and the heat from her pussy lured him closer. “Wade, please. I’m not ready to have sex with you.”
You will, darling. You will. He stroked her hair. “It’s what you need, sweetheart. Trust me.”
She sighed. “You might be right that it will take my suffering away, but I just can’t.”
Guilt, an emotion he wasn’t too familiar with, rose up in him. Was his real motive to make love to her, to drown her in pleasure and take away her pain? Or was it more about him, about his desire to possess her in the most intimate way? Truthfully both. Win-win.
“Why the ruse, sweetheart? Why not just ask Austin?”
She took a long breath before answering. “I thought about that. I really did. But with the police being unhelpful and with the possibility that Austin might’ve been behind Trent’s abduction, I decided to try it the only way I knew how.”
“And that was…?”
“I’m an investigative reporter, cowboy. A very good investigative reporter.”
He grinned. “Makes sense.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re a terrible waitress. You frequently get more coffee on the table than in the cup.”
She laughed. “That’s not true.”
“No, it’s not, but I did get you to smile.” That smile had been one of his main reasons for visiting Norma’s so often.
“You did. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Tell me where your brother’s apartment is.” Wade would prefer to move forward with his seduction plans, but he needed to get some information from her first.
“Denver. It’s our home.”
Denver was a big city. No wonder she couldn’t get the police to help. “You told me about the drugs. What about forced entry?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Another reason for the police to suspect he was missing by his own choice. “Did he have a car?”
“Yes. It’s still unrecovered.” Her voice shook as she answered his questions. This was obviously difficult for her.
“Perhaps he’s just decided to fall off the grid, doll.” He didn’t really suspect that. More likely he was on the run or dead.
She shook her head and closed her eyes. They were swollen from the tears. “We’re too close. Way too close. He would never do that to me. Never. Never. Never. Someone took him from his apartment by force. I’m certain of it. He’s been kidnapped for some reason.” Her panic seemed to push its way to the surface of her mind. How long had she been on this mission, a mission destined to fail? She’d been in Wilde for two months. That long for certain.
He wasn’t about to make her suffer any more. “Okay, sweetheart. It’s okay. You’re not alone now. I will help you.”
Pleasure was the only medicine he knew to still a troubled mind, and God knew, Mackenzie needed to drown in it tonight.
She pulled his sheet up to her swollen eyes as a makeshift tissue. Then she turned to him. “You really will help me?”
He nodded. “I have to, sweetheart. You’re definitely not a quitter. It’s just one of the things I love about you.”
He would move heaven and earth for her. Whatever it took to give her peace, he would do. His desires for her had grown from the moment he’d seen her at Norma’s and for the months to come. But tonight, this very moment, he wanted her for himself. Not just her body, but all of her. He wanted her by his side.
“I will never give up, Wade. I will find Trent no matter what it takes.”
Her determination to find her brother had returned in full force. He couldn’t help but admire that. She was resilient like no other he’d ever known. Family meant everything to Mackenzie. He wanted to kiss her, take her. Not just to appease his lust, but for something strong and deep inside him, something instinctual demanding he devour all that she had to offer, then take more.
“If I can get into Austin’s office and onto his computer, I will be able to—”