No matter how convinced Caleb was, Ramie didn’t feel the same way. She hated being so powerless. She hated that she was helpless to do anything to prevent him from targeting his next victim. God only knew how many women he’d already killed.
But she fell silent, not wanting to argue with Caleb when he was so determined not to place blame on her.
Caleb gathered her up with his arm and leaned down to kiss her. “I’m going to go shower so I can get gone and back as soon as possible. Eliza and Dane will be with you until I return. You won’t have to worry about Tori or my brothers. Dane has been instructed to keep you away from them.”
She bit her lip to stanch her reaction to his words. He didn’t mean them to be hurtful, but how could they not be when the people most important to him wanted her gone and out of the way?
She brushed her mouth over his chest and hugged him tightly. “Hurry back,” she said. “I miss you already.”
It was the truth. Knowing he wouldn’t be here, protecting her, fueled her anxiety. But she had to keep it together so she could help put a psychopath behind bars.
She rolled away, taking the top sheet with her. As she stood, the sheet unfurled and she wrapped it loosely around her body, suddenly conscious of her nudity—and his. He pushed himself out of bed, and she saw his erection that had nothing to do with it being morning.
She clutched the folds of the material over her breasts as he walked around the end of the bed to stand just in front of her. Then he reached forward, tugging at the sheet until finally she let go. It pooled at her feet and Caleb’s avid gaze burned a trail over her skin.
He cupped her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace. His warmth was a shock against her chilled skin. His big hands roamed over her back and down to the curve of her behind, squeezing possessively.
“I thought you had to go,” she whispered.
“I do. But we both happen to need a shower, so why not kill two birds with one stone?”
She shivered delicately, her pulse bounding. His lips found hers in a heated rush. His hands tangled in her hair, tugging lightly so her chin was angled upward and her mouth fit perfectly to his.
He began backing them toward the bathroom, his lips never leaving hers. When they got inside, he fumbled for the light switch and then he lifted her, hoisting her up his body before placing her on the counter between the two sinks.
His cock was rigid, straining upward toward his navel when he hurriedly turned on the shower. When he returned to her, his erection pressed hard against her belly as he gathered her in his arms once more.
She let out a sigh and let her head rest on his shoulder. He brushed his lips over her exposed neckline and then nibbled a path to her earlobe. Again she found herself lifted. She wrapped her legs around his waist to anchor herself more firmly. Holding her with one arm, Caleb stuck his free hand into the spray to test the temperature.
Evidently satisfied with the result, Caleb stepped into the shower and lowered Ramie to her feet. Even so, he still kept one arm firmly wrapped around her while reaching for the shampoo with his other hand.
He soaped her from head to toe, petting and caressing until she was nearly mindless with need. She was aroused to fever pitch, craving, wanting so badly. Steam rose, coating their skin with dewy moisture, and then he ducked her back under the spray to rinse her off.
Not five minutes later, Caleb tugged hard at the faucet to turn off the shower and then he was out of the stall in seconds, lifting her to the counter and fitting his erection between her thighs all in one smooth motion.
He plunged deep and hard. Ripple after ripple of raw pleasure consumed her. She threw back her head, bumping the mirror behind her. Her hair clung wetly to her body as she arched her breasts forward for his mouth to find.
Her hands slapped the counter and her fingers curled around the edge to give her leverage as he continued to drive into her. And then with a muffled curse he swiftly withdrew, his face a wreath of strain. The veins at his temples were distended and he tugged in shaky breaths, his chest heaving with the effort.
“Don’t stop!” she gasped. “God, Caleb, you can’t stop now!”
“I forgot the goddamn condom again,” he growled. “Give me just a minute.”
It seemed an eternity before he yanked one of the drawers open and then ripped at one of the packets. He fumbled between her legs a moment and then spread her wide once more.
He pushed into her and they both moaned. She curled both arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss her. Had there ever been a man like Caleb in her life? Never had she felt the tumultuous rush of raw, hedonistic desire.
“God, what you do to me, Ramie,” he said through clenched teeth. “You make me forget everything until all I want is to be inside you and never leave.”