Colton's Secret Bodyguard

So where did that leave them? Amazing sex, and then they parted ways when David Swanson was found?

I can’t do that, Rylan. Can you?

* * *

Bree’s thoughts remained troubled as she lay awake. Her mind turned from her romantic woes with Rylan to Trey’s visit and his revelations about David’s emails. Although they had discussed Lone Wolf’s identity, it was impossible to guess who he—or she—might be. The Coltons had plenty of enemies in the business world, and any of the individual family members could have stirred up antagonism in their personal lives. Even so, a threat of this magnitude had the weight of a lot of bitterness behind it.

Had Bree been the starting point because she was seen as the easy target? It was possible that someone looking to cause trouble for the Coltons had learned of David’s hostility toward her and decided to make use of it to launch a wider campaign. Anyone who knew her family would know the special place Bree held within it. Hurt her and everyone would be outraged. She was still the little cousin they all loved to protect. It didn’t matter how hard she fought against it—that was the way it was.

As they’d batted different ideas back and forth, Rylan had come up with a radical new suggestion. What if there was no second person? What if David was the Lone Wolf—the clue was in the name after all—and the email conversations were his way of setting up his defense in advance of committing the crimes? Blame it on the shadowy person in the background.

The bad guy made me do it. It was a different twist on the voices in my head. Could David be that devious? Bree would have said not, but he’d fooled her into believing he was a mild-mannered, kindly man when in reality he was a vengeful stalker with an unhealthy fixation on her family.

Taken to the extreme, it was even feasible that David had a multiple personality disorder. If he was suffering from a mental illness, he may not know that he had created the persona of Lone Wolf and that both personalities resided within him. Until he was captured, all this was pure speculation, but it raised a troubling possibility.

One thing was for sure, whether his partner was real, imaginary or a convenient invention, the Colton family was not safe while David was still at large. Which was why Trey had left after dinner and gone back to his office to check how the investigation was progressing.

Bree checked the time on her cell phone. Four in the morning. She should follow Rylan’s example and get some sleep. A few weeks ago, the biggest thing she had to worry about was the placement of the exhibits in the gallery.

She curled tight against his body and closed her eyes. Life had sure become complicated, but there were compensations.

Chapter 17

Rylan was woken by the sensation of Bree’s warm lips tickling his stomach. Either that, or he was in the grip of the hottest dream ever. As her butterfly kisses moved lower, his hips jerked.

She looked up with a smile. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“So you decided to wake me?” He gasped as her tongue flicked out, tracing the head of his erection.

“Do you mind?”

“I guess I can live with it.” He caught hold of her hair, pinning it at the nape of her neck and angling his head to get a view of what she was doing.

Bree laughed, then slowly kissed along his iron hard length. With one hand squeezing the base of his shaft, she wrapped her lips around him and started gently sucking. Slow and steady. She might be trying to drive him insane. At the same time, her tongue applied exquisite pressure all along his sensitized flesh.

Rylan stroked Bree’s cheek, wanting to show her the tenderness he felt, even as she was setting his body alight.

“Feels so good.” Rylan’s hips moved in time with her rhythm.

Maintaining eye contact, she gave him an “I know what this is doing to you, and I love it” stare that almost singed his nerve endings.

“Pull my hair.” She lifted her head briefly to gasp out the instruction.

Rylan obeyed immediately, his eyes narrowing as he observed her reaction. Sheer wanton pleasure. Her absolute need for him was apparent in the way her movements kicked into a higher gear and she looked at him like he was the only thing in the world she would ever want. She took him deeper into her mouth, sucking with more force as her head bobbed up and down.