Need Me (Dark Obsession 3)

He felt the soft touch of her lips against his ear and arousal shot straight through Devlin’s body. He wasn’t supposed to get turned on in a police station. There was no way he should be that far gone…but his cock was pushing against the fly of his jeans, and Devlin knew he had one serious fucking problem.

He was hot for a would-be killer.

But what if I’m guilty? Her question hung between them. What if...

His instincts screamed at him, telling him to protect Julianna.

But he wasn’t a fool. He wouldn’t let desire lead him down a dark path with a killer. He’d find out the truth about Julianna. He’d discover every secret she’d ever kept. If she was a murderer, then he’d turn her over to the cops, wrapped up in a big, red ribbon.

And if she was innocent, then he’d nail the bastard who was playing such a vicious game with her life.

The best way to uncover the truth? Stay as close as possible to Julianna.

“Let’s get out of here,” he told her, leaving that what if question unanswered. He knew they had to be very careful what they said—and how loudly they said their words. In a police station, eyes and ears were everywhere. He wrapped his arm around Julianna’s shoulders and steered her toward the door. When they headed into that hallway, he saw Sophie standing a few feet away, and his friend Lex was at her side.

Lex inclined his head to Devlin even as Sophie hurried toward Julianna. “You’re clear to leave,” Sophie told Julianna, but there was worry in her blue gaze. “They don’t have any evidence to charge you on this one. But…” She cast a quick glance toward Lex, then looked back at Julianna. “I don’t like this setup. The car bombing, the murder of the security consultant. Someone is after you. Someone with a serious grudge.”

Just who would want to destroy Julianna’s life? Devlin would be finding out. “I’ll be staying close,” Devlin assured Sophie. “You don’t have to worry. She’s under VJS protection now.”

“They’re the best,” Sophie said. Lex put his hand on her shoulder. His gaze met Devlin’s. Devlin could easily read the questions in the other man’s eyes , but those were questions that would have to wait until later. Right then, his priority was getting Julianna out of there. He took her hand, threaded his fingers with hers, and they walked through the station. Since it was so late, the bullpen was mostly empty. A good thing because he didn’t feel like dealing with the suspicious stares of other cops right then.

Once outside, they hurried down the steps and he put her into his SUV. Minutes later, they were cutting through DC, moving quickly in the night.

“Thank you,” Julianna said.

He didn’t want her gratitude.

I want her. What the hell was it about her? How was she piercing right through his control? His reaction to her was dangerous, mostly because it was so damn primal.

“If you hadn’t spotted the problem with those photos, I-I would have been there all night.”

He grunted. “Sophie wouldn’t let that happen.” And the kick in his gut also told him that Faith had probably already suspected those photos were fakes—she’d just wanted to see Julianna’s reaction to them. He knew the technique was a cop favorite. Bring a suspect in during the middle of the night—a perfect time when the suspect would be groggy and off-guard. Then, proceed to grill the hell out of that suspect. Toss your evidence at her. Throw out your suspicions.

And watch the person break apart.

Only Julianna hadn’t broken apart.

“I…I hate that you saw the photos, though.”

They stopped at a red light. A fast glance showed him that she was twisting her hands together.

“It’s silly, isn’t it? With everything else that’s going on, I’m embarrassed because you saw me naked.”

Mostly naked. “You don’t need to be embarrassed.” She had a beautiful body. He’d looked at those images and he’d felt two things.

Desire—hot and hard for her.

Fury—at the asshole in the picture with her. At the bastard who’d taken the picture. At any man who’d touched her.

Because I should be with her.

Yeah, his reactions to her were totally off the charts, and he had to get his self-control back, pronto. He didn’t know what it was about Julianna that set him off, but he had to be very careful with her.

The light changed. He accelerated.

“I didn’t lie to you.”

Devlin could feel her stare on him.

“I didn’t have a lover. And I…I hadn’t been with my husband, not since our wedding night. I couldn’t stand the thought of him touching me. He could make me stay in that house with him, but I wasn’t going to have sex with him. Not after I-I learned what he was really like.”

He nearly slammed on the brakes. He did tighten his hold on the steering wheel. His grip was so hard he was amazed he hadn’t ripped the thing right away from the dash. “You weren’t fucking your husband?”

“We were married for two months before he died. Two of the most hellish months of my life. We had sex in the beginning of our relationship, but…” Her voice trailed away. “You were right about my wrist.” From the corner of his eye, Devlin saw her flex her wrist. “But that was only the start.”

The sonofabitch. He forced his back teeth to unclench. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Her mocking laughter filled the SUV. “He can’t, but someone else out there sure seems determined to destroy me.”

Yes, someone sure as hell did.

“He was having an affair with his assistant

, okay?” Now her voice was even colder. “And I was glad because it meant that he would leave me the hell alone. I might have been stuck in that house with him, but he wasn’t going to be in my bed. That wasn’t happening.” She drew in a shaking breath. “And is there any more of my soul that I have to bare to you right now?”

“Not now,” he told her, his voice soft. But soon, you’ll tell me everything.

***

It wasn’t surprising that Julianna had found a new lover. A dumb fool who’d lie for her. She’d probably batted her lashes, fed the idiot some lame-ass story about her past, and the guy had fallen for her.

She would use him, just as she used the others. Julianna was rotten, straight to her core. Others might be fooled by her—

But not me.

The SUV was a few blocks ahead. Julianna was in that vehicle—with the new lover. The lover who’d been there when Julianna’s car exploded earlier. You should have burned, too, Julianna. Everything had been planned out so nicely. Julianna and Holliwell both should be dead. Two more loose ends eliminated.

Only Julianna was still very much alive and breathing. The police had found the photos of her and Holliwell, and they’d done nothing.

At the very least, Julianna should have been thrown into a jail cell. Instead, she was riding off into the night. She wasn’t going to escape, though. There would be no happy ending for her.

Soon enough, she’d be joining Jeremy in the ground.

Soon enough…

Chapter Four

“Okay, buddy…” Lex Jensen paced in Devlin’s kitchen. A new day had dawned and streaks of sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Want to tell me why you’re alibiing that woman? And, hey, do me a favor…save us both some time. Cut through the bullshit and give me the truth.”

Devlin took a slow sip of his coffee. He wasn’t particularly surprised by Lex’s early morning visit. He’d figured that Sophie would tell her lover all about that little chat in the interrogation room. Honestly, he was just surprised Lex hadn’t shown up sooner.

“You’re a suspicious SOB,” Lex continued, frowning a bit. “Hell, you even warned me off Sophie, and we both know what a dick move that was.”