“You just feel so good against me.” He carried her toward the bathroom. “I’ve missed you.”
He had a huge, claw-footed tub in the middle of the bathroom. He lowered her into that tub and the warm water was absolute bliss. He stepped in behind her, and they sank down together. The water kept pumping from the brass faucet, filling up the space around them.
Bennett pulled her back against his chest. His hands curled around her stomach and he pressed a kiss to her shoulder.
“I missed you,” Bennett said again. She heard the echo of pain in his voice.
“Don’t worry,” Ivy told him. “I’m not going anywhere.” And this time, neither are you. They were together now, and nothing would tear them apart again.
***
Cameron Wilde jogged down the beach. He loved the beach at dawn. When the first streaks of the sun’s light began to inch across the sky, they always looked so red…like blood. His sneakered feet pounded across the sand, but he made sure to stay out of the waves that reached so greedily toward him. His breath sawed in and out even as his heartbeat pounded steadily.
The sand flew up in his wake. His hands were fisted as he ran and—
Someone was at his beach house. Not just any person, either. A cop car. He saw it from a good mile away. His pace quickened as he hurried forward. A cop shouldn’t be visiting his beach house. That was his sanctuary. No one should be there.
But now he could see two uniformed men. One was on his balcony. One was walking down the beach toward him.
“Mr. Wilde!” The cop approaching him yelled.
Cameron waved and kept running. When he was within five feet of that cop, he stopped, his breath heaving. “What’s going on?”
“Got orders to check on you, sir.” The cop surveyed him, more than a bit suspiciously. “I’m Officer Fred Wayne. The authorities over in Mobile have been trying to reach you.”
His gut clenched. Cameron lowered his head, put his hands on his knees, and sucked in a deep breath. “Why? What’s happening?” The authorities…
Instantly, Ivy’s face flashed through his mind.
Oh, hell, no—
“We came by last night, looking for you, sir, but you weren’t here.”
No, he hadn’t been.
“Want to tell us where you were?”
Fucking some girl I met on the beach. A brunette who looked enough like Ivy to get me through the night. But now, he wasn’t going to tell the guy that bit. “I was out at one of the bars.” True enough. He’d just left the bar after a while.
Fred took another step toward him. “Where is your Porsche, Mr. Wilde?”
Cameron kept his hands on his knees, but he tilted his head back so he could gaze at the cop. “The last time I checked, the Porsche was locked in my garage.” He straightened slowly, rolling his shoulders. “I don’t bring it here. The sand would just mess up the paint.”
The cop frowned.
“I drove the SUV over. It’s parked under the cabin, I’m sure you saw it.” And the cop was making him nervous. “What’s happening?” Cameron demanded again.
“We’re going to need you to come with us, sir.” Officer Fred glanced over his shoulder. The guy’s partner had left the balcony and was walking toward them. Fred cleared his throat and said, “It appears that your Porsche may have been stolen.”
“What?” Could he have worse luck?
“It was spotted at the scene of a murder.”
Cameron took an aggressive step toward that cop. “Who was murdered?” Not Ivy, not—
Fred put his hand on his holster. “Sir, I need you to calm down.”
Cameron growled. “I’m wearing a pair of jogging shorts and tennis shoes. I obviously have no weapons, so you’re not in any danger from me.” He put his hands up, though, so the guys wouldn’t get all trigger happy. “Tell me what the hell is going on here.”
Fred nervously licked his lips. “You need to go in to the Mobile police station.”
Cameron’s back teeth ground together.
“A…a Shelly Estes was killed last night, and the perp who killed her, he drove off in your car,” Fred told him.
Shelly? Cameron shook his head. “No, that’s not possible.”
“I said too much.” Fred backed up a step. “You need to get dressed. They want you in Mobile.”
“Shelly?” Cameron whispered. Oh, shit, but Hugh must be a mess. He followed the cop, his steps wooden, his mind whirling.
The killer had used his car? His Porsche? What the hell? It was almost as if… “Is the bastard trying to set me up?” Because cops had come hunting for him, and that shit couldn’t be good.
Fred glanced back at him. “You’ll probably want your lawyer to meet you in Mobile.”
Sonofabitch. “I don’t want a lawyer. I want to see my friends.” Because Hugh and Ivy would need him.
He would be there for them, no matter what.
Chapter Ten
The sunlight poured through the blinds, falling onto the bed. Onto Ivy.