“I’m off duty the next few days.” He managed to force the words past his lips. “I’ll take you myself.”
She pushed her fingers through her hair and went over to the bar, lifting herself to the stool across from him and finally meeting his gaze.
“That was so humiliating.” She sighed. “I bet everyone on that street knows exactly what was done. Length, width, and color of each toy I owned are probably being discussed and gossiped over as we speak.”
His thighs tightened at the thought of the toys and their various uses. Hell, he couldn’t get the image of it out of his mind. Hannah spread out on the light lavender print of the quilt that covered her bed, her head thrown back, legs spread as she fucked herself with that dildo.
Sweat popped out on his brow. His cock thickened to the point that he was in agony.
“They’ll find something else to gossip over tomorrow.” He cleared his throat as he checked the coffeepot out of sheer desperation to see if the coffee had finished.
Pouring both of them a cup, he placed hers in front of her along with a spoon before pushing the sugar and creamer toward her.
“Thanks.” Her smile was a little absent as she fixed her coffee to taste.
He sipped at his, barely tasting it as that image teased at his mind again.
“Why would anyone want to just embarrass me?” She stirred her coffee before glancing up at him again. “Kindergarten teachers don’t exactly make enemies, you know. I could understand it if it were the high school. I mean, teenagers can be mischievous, but kindergarteners? When was the last time you heard of a five-year-old with the ability to do what was done tonight?”
“Their parents perhaps?” He knew better, just as she did.
She stared back at him knowingly. “Last summer, my car was egged just after that last date we had,” she said. “Little things happened that I brushed off as pranks by the local kids. They get a little bored sometimes.”
He sipped his coffee as he watched her broodingly.
“Now, it’s escalated,” she pointed out.
“What else happened last year?” He put down his coffee and watched her intently. “And why didn’t you report it?”
“As I said, I assumed it was the work of some bored teenagers. I never imagined anyone could actually want to frighten me. A car with egg on it, flowers unearthed from my garden, along the fence in the back. It was just little things.” She watched him closely. “This is because of you, isn’t it? Someone is trying to hurt you and they’re using me to do it.”
She was smart, he had to give her credit for that, and suspicious. Just as suspicious as he was.
“You didn’t tell Detective Dickerson about those events,” he stated. “Why not?”
She looked down at the countertop as her nail rubbed against it for a long moment, before lifting her head.
“I wanted to talk to you first. After what happened with Sienna’s brother tonight, I’ve pretty much pieced most of it together. I’d just like to know why.”
How was he supposed to answer that one? Oh, sorry, Hannah baby, I think someone knows I blew my wife’s fucking head off when she tried to kill her best friend. She was a cocaine junkie and a killer.
Yeah, he could see that one going over really well.
“I’m not sure why,” he finally answered instead. “But I’ll find out.”
He was lying to her. Hannah could feel it, she swore she could see the darkening of his eyes when he spoke, the betraying little tic of a muscle at his jaw.
Why would he lie to her?
“What happened when Sienna was kidnapped, Rick?” she asked instead. “The president of one of our largest banks, our mayor, your deputy, Galen Patrick— one of our biggest land owners— and a U.S. Marshal were killed that night along with Sienna. Some people say she was involved with them.”
She had never been one to beat around the bush, and she wasn’t going to now. She had a pretty good feeling that tonight was going to end with her in his bed. She at least wanted to know what she was getting herself into.
“I don’t know what she was involved in, Hannah,” he stated as he turned from her to refill his coffee cup. “She was kidnapped together with Sabella Malone. When the smoke cleared from the rescue attempt, Sienna was dead and a lot of men that everyone trusted were implicated.”
“That was a perfect nonanswer if I’ve ever heard one,” she told him, realizing he wasn’t going to tell her anything. She pretty much had it figured out, though.
Rick had been a part of that rescue attempt. Knowing him, he would have gone after his wife and her friend first. And everyone knew Sienna and Mike Conrad were a little too close. Rumors had been swirling about her and her flings for years; she was just surprised that Rick hadn’t suspected.