Mountain Darkness (Wild Mountain Men 1)

“My shift’s over. My car is right there.”

I knew exactly where it was since I parked next to it.

“Have someone walk you to it if it’s dark. Okay?”

“Yes.” She tried to pull back and I let her. Only enough so she could look up at me. “What are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t call you, so I was going to have you follow me to Donovan’s. He’s waiting for us.”

“Oh,” she breathed. I could hear the sound of dishes clattering inside the diner. Her shift was done, but the place was open all night.

“I told you later, didn’t I?” Ever since the questioning this morning, I’d wanted her. It had been torture letting Miranski grill her. I’d wanted to yank her out of the chair, hug the shit out of her and tell the other detective to fuck off.

I liked Miranski. She was good at her job, which made my life easier. She could drink most guys under the table over happy hour and could ski the back bowls better than most locals on a good powder day. Being from Colorado, she wasn’t a local. She didn’t think Kit had anything to do with the murder any more than I did, but she knew nothing about Kit, hadn’t grown up with her like I had, so her questions weren’t just to mess with her.

Keith Mills, on the other hand... The fucker had a thing for Kit, and not the good kind. Hell, I didn’t even want him to know her. But he did and he thought she was bad news. I had no idea if he really considered her guilty or found her a perfect person to vent his anger toward. Kit had taken it for years. Why not dish a little more shit on her plate?

I’d calmed him down, a little. He was still out for blood, but I warned him from acting out and told him to let us do our jobs. I also gave him a piece of my mind for harassing Kit, although his hatred seemed to run deep. He’d left, but it wasn’t the last I’d see of him about the case.

“How did you know I was working here?”

I laughed. “I am a detective.” And she’d told me she was going to try and get her job back. I knew Dolly and Clyde and all those times I’d gone to the diner to talk with Kit, I’d seen the way they doted on her. I knew they’d give her the job back. I didn’t know she’d work tonight, but pulling into the lot and finding her car was easy enough.

“You thought we weren’t going to connect with you.”

She was quiet for a one heartbeat, then another.

“Kit,” I said, drawing the word out.

She sighed. “I just… it’s happening so fast. I wasn’t sure.”

I grinned as I walked her backward until she was pressed into the cinder block wall. “Fast? It’s been happening for years.”

I couldn’t help myself. I kissed her. And nudged my knee between her legs. Our height difference had her practically riding my thigh. My dick pressed into her belly.

I wanted to flip her around and take her right here. Right now. But she deserved better than behind the diner. And no one saw Kit getting fucked but me and Donovan.

With a growl, I stepped back, looked down at her. Fuck, she looked good. Her lips glistened in the lights. Her eyes were blurry and she was all soft and pliant against me. I could even feel the hard tips of her nipples against my chest.

I wouldn’t fuck her here, but that didn’t mean I’d stop touching her. I stroked her hair back. “Where were you going?”

Her eyes darted away and even in the harsh lights, I could see her blush. “Dolly offered me her couch.”

I counted to ten, but it did nothing to ease my frustration with her. I wanted to shake some sense into her. I settled my hands on her slim shoulders, but didn’t shake. “Kit—”

“It’s eleven at night. I hadn’t heard from you, so I thought—”

“Whatever you were thinking is wrong. You’re ours now, Kit. If you didn’t get that after what we did last night, then Donovan and I aren’t doing it right.”

The corner of her mouth tipped up. She didn’t believe we were in this all the way. I didn’t like that, that she doubted us, but it was a trust thing. While we’d been into her for so long, she’d thought we’d been off limits for over a year. I stifled a smile. Donovan and me, together. Yeah, no. So maybe it would take her a little longer to get her head in the game, but we’d show her. Prove to her we meant every word. Every touch. Everything.

“Let’s go.” I slung my arm around her shoulder and led her to her car.

Thirty minutes later, we were in Donovan’s apartment and she was in my arms again. “Finally,” I murmured, kissing her neck. “Mmm, you smell like French fries.”

She laughed pulled out of my hold.

“Let me see,” Donovan said, grabbing her hand and spinning her around so she was in his arms. He kissed her, then nuzzled her neck.