to keep your curiosity at bay," he whispered. "Isn't that
what you've been doing with Junior, satisfying your curiosity
about why your mama found him so appealing?" He took
perverse pleasure in watching the color drain from her face.
"No," she denied hoarsely.
"I think it is."
"You're sick."
"Not me, baby." His breath trailed across her lips.
"You're the one who's curious."
He bent his head and kissed her. She stubbornly resisted
the pressure of his mouth, but he finally succeeded in maneuvering
her lips apart. His tongue raked her teeth and the
inner linings of her lips.
She opened to him. He felt the breath leave her body on
a ragged sigh. It was moist and warm and sweet inside his
mouth. His erection stretched, pushing painfully against his
fly, against hers. He reached inside her coat and covered her
breast with his hand. Beneath his revolving thumb her nipple
hardened, and when he swept it lightly, a low moan rose out
of her throat.
He raised his head and looked down into her face. Her
head was resting against the body of the airplane, her throat
arched and exposed. She was breathing hard. Her chest rose
and fell swiftly. He could feel her heart, like a small, wild,
frightened creature that had become trapped in his palm. Her
lips were slightly parted, wet and glistening. Her eyes were
closed. Slowly, they came open. They looked at each other
with wariness and confusion.
Oh Jesus, was Reede's last coherent thought. His mouth
lowered to hers again, hungrier, but much more temperate.
He pressed his tongue into her mouth, giving, not taking. He
fondled her breast with more finesse.
Eventually losing patience with her clothing, he dropped
his hand to her waist. Her sweater was pushed up, the cup
of her bra was pushed down, and her warm, soft flesh filled
his hand. Reflexively, she arched her back, plumping her
breast against his callused fingers and palm. He kneaded it
and continued to agitate its tight, feverish center with the pad
of his thumb.
Kissing her as though this was his first kiss ever, or the
last one he would ever be granted, he worked her legs apart
with his knee and angled his hips toward her cleft. From the
edge of his mind it registered that she made a helpless little
sound and lifted her arms to encircle his neck, but he could
focus on nothing except her mouth, his invasion of it, and
how damn much he wanted to be buried snugly inside her.
His free hand slid over her butt, down the back of her
thigh, and caught her behind the knee. He lifted it, propped
it on his hip, and made a grinding motion against her. He fit
his rigid body into the notch of her thighs and stroked her
there until the tempo escalated to a breathless pace. She spoke
his name on a sudden, catchy little breath that fanned his
passions hotter.
Several seconds later, he heard his name again, coming to
him dimly and from afar. Vaguely, he wondered how she
had managed to speak when her tongue was so actively engaged
with his.
He heard his name called again and realized that it wasn't
Alex's voice.
"Reede? Where are you, boy?"
His head snapped up. Alex blinked her eyes back into
focus. He hastily withdrew his hand from inside her sweater.
She yanked her coat closed.
"In here." His voice sounded like he'd recently gargled
nails.
Angus stepped through the door Alex had left open.
Reede noticed that the sun had set.
Thirty
To her credit, Alex recovered remarkably well, Angus
thought. Except for the dazed expression in her eyes and her
slightly swollen lips, she seemed perfectly composed.
"Hello, Angus," she said.
"Hi, Alex. Get things straightened out in Austin?"
"Yes. Thank you for lending me your airplane."
"Don't mention it."
"I, uh, was just on my way out." To Reede she said, "I'll
get back to you about this later." She left in a hurry. Reede
picked up a wrench and stuck his head into the exposed engine
of the small aircraft.
"What's she up to now?" Angus asked as he lowered
himself onto the stool Reede had occupied earlier.
"She discovered that I own this place. I never kept it a
secret, but I never advertised it, either. She figures I'd have
a lot to lose if she takes this case to a grand jury, whether
I'm the killer or not."
"She's right," the older man observed. Reede merely
shrugged, tossed the wrench on a worktable and closed the
motor casing. "Ely told me she came to his office asking
questions about his daddy's scalpel and the day of the murder."
"The scalpel, huh?"
"Yeah. Know anything about that?"
"Hell, no, do you?"
"Hell, no."
Reede went to a cabinet where he kept a supply of liquor
and beer. He poured himself a hefty shot of Jack Daniels and
tossed it down. He tilted the bottle toward Angus. "Want
one?"
"Sure, thanks." As he sipped the whiskey, he watched
Reede slam back another one.
Catching Angus's curious stare, he said, "It's been that
kind of day."
"Alex?"
Reede ran his hands through his hair like a man plagued
by demons. "Yeah. Damn, she's tenacious."
"There's no telling what kind of crap Merle Graham filled
her head with."
"No wonder she's vengeful." He blew out a breath of
extreme agitation. "If ME doesn't get that racetrack, all my
future plans will be affected."
"It's that important to you, huh?"
"What did you think, that I want to be a fucking sheriff
for the rest of my life?"
"You worry too much, boy!" Angus said heartily. "We'll
get it, and your future looks nothing but sunny. That's what
I came out here to talk about."
Reede regarded him curiously. "My future?"
Angus finished his whiskey in one hefty swallow and
crushed the paper cup in his fist. He pushed his cowboy hat
back further on his head and looked up at Reede, smiling
devilishly.
"I want you to come back and be an active part of Minton
Enterprises again."
For a moment, Reede was rendered speechless by shock.
He fell back a step, laughed, and said, "Are you shittin'
me?"
"Nope." Angus raised a callused hand. "Before you say
anything, hear me out."
He had already outlined in his mind what he was going
to say. After receiving disturbing calls from two worried
members of the racing commission who had read about
Alex's investigation in the Austin newspaper, he'd decided
he'd better get more aggressive about putting a stop to it.
This thing wasn't going to blow over, like he'd originally
hoped.
The long-distance conversations had ended on an optimistic
note. He'd pooh-poohed Alex's allegations, told them a few
dirty jokes, and had them laughing by the time they hung
up. He wasn't gravely concerned yet, but he definitely saw
the need for ME to present a solid front. Having Reede as
an integral part of the corporation again would be a positive
step in that direction.
Now, his rehearsed words flowed smoothly. "You know
almost as much as I do about racehorses, and more than Junior
ever took the time or effort to learn. You'd come back into
the company as an executive. I'd divide responsibilities
equally between you and Junior, though you'd have different
functions.
"I know how much this airfield means to you. You've got
a sentimental attachment to it, but you also see its moneymaking
potential. So do I. I'd incorporate it into ME. The
corporation could afford to finance the rebuilding and expansion
you want to do. We'd also have a lot more clout
with the airlines."
His smile broadened. "Shit, I'd even throw in a few shares
of ME stock as incentive. You can't pass up a deal like that,
boy."
He was disappointed in Reede's reaction, which he had
hoped would be astonishment tinged with pleasure. Instead,
it appeared to be astonishment tinged with suspicion.
"What brought this on?"
A picture of equanimity, Angus said, "You belong with
us--always have. I'm in a position to get things moving for
you. You'd be foolish not to take advantage of my offer."
"I'm not a boy who still needs your charity, Angus."
"I never considered you a charity case."
"I know that," Reede said evenly, "but no matter how