Who the h.e.l.l had she been having s.e.x with, anyway? Was it the men shead been with, or was it the past that had gotten her all screwed up?

This was going to take some finessing, and a h.e.l.l of a lot of patience.

aAnna.a She narrowed her gaze at him as he approached.

aWhat?a aYou see s.e.x as a battle to be won.a She backed away. aThatas ridiculous.a aIs it?a He caught up to her, took her hand and pulled her toward the sofa, dragging her on top of him. She went willingly, but d.a.m.n she was stiff as a board.

aItas not ridiculous. Youare tense. All my hard work ma.s.saging those tight muscles just went down the drain.a She sat astride him, pressing her hands on his chesta"keeping distance. aThatas because you p.i.s.sed me off. We were doing fine in the kitchena"until you stopped.a aBecause I could tell you werenat ready.a She c.o.c.ked a brow. aReally. And how could you tell?a aIt was in your eyes. Your body was saying yes, but the rest of you wasnat on board.a She fisted his s.h.i.+rt in her hands. He wasnat sure if she was frustrated, turned on or preparing to take a swing at him.

aPsychoa.n.a.lyzing me, Renaldi?a aNo, just reading some clear signals that told me to back off. When we have s.e.x itas going to be because youare ready for it. Totally ready for it.a She surged against him and his c.o.c.k roared to life. He gritted his teeth, refusing to let her control the game. aSeems to me youare totally ready.a aWe arenat talking about me. Weare talking about you.a She leaned forward, her hair loose and draped around her beautiful face. aI am ready.a She rocked against him again and he thought for a few seconds about giving up and throwing her to the sofa and taking what she was offering. Why bother worrying about whether or not she was psychologically ready? Physically she was totally in the game, right? She was offering, and it had been a long time since head been inside a hot woman. It would be easy, they could both get off and ease some of the tension. Then they could concentrate on finding a killer.

But this was Anna, and something was off with her. He didnat just want to f.u.c.k her, he wanted to make love to her, wanted her to be with hima"really with him. Not just two bodies grinding together, but engaged in a way that went beyond just the physical.

And he didnat think head get that if all they did was rip each otheras clothes off and go at it.

Not right now, anyway.

She needed a slow, seductive dance. He intended to break down her barriers no matter how long it took, no matter how painful it was going to bea"for both of them.

And the one thing he knew about her was that she liked to be in control. Head bet that extended to the bedroom, too, where maybe the average guy wouldnat notice that she wanted to be in charge so she could playact the game of s.e.x.

Like now, when she slid her hand between them to rub his erection, hoping to distract him.

aIam ready, Dante. Letas get to it.a That was part of her problem. Her body was all over his, hot and s.e.xy and doing all the right things. G.o.d, was she doing all the right things. In fact, if she continued to do that he was either going to explode or throw her on the floor and shove inside her so he could come. And head make her come. And shead be happy about that, too. Theyad both be happy.

But there was a disconnect in her eyes. Her body might want the s.e.x and the release that went with it, but the rest of her hadnat shown up to the party.

And he really wanted her focused on what they did togethera"what he did to hera"not just her body, but her mind, her heart and her soul.

Maybe it was too much to ask of her, given what shead been through, but he was willing to give it a try.

He wrapped his arm around her and flipped her over onto her back, looming over her, keeping watch as her eyes widened.

aYouare ready, huh?a She smiled. aTotally.a aFor anything?a He saw the glint of wariness, but she masked it by lifting her chin. aI can take whatever youave got. Bring it on.a And then he knew for sure she looked on s.e.x as a challenge to be won, not something to be shared.

He was going to change that.

When she reached between them to touch him again, he grabbed her wrist and held it pinned to her side. aNo.a She frowned. aWhy not?a Instead of answering her, he kissed her, a deliberately gentle kiss with just his lips, meant to slow down the tempo. He knew she wanted him hot and bothered and eager for penetration. Which he was. He reallya"oh, h.e.l.l, yesa"was. But he was also a man used to denying himself what he wanted.

He could wait.

Anna had no idea what kind of game Dante was playing, but the rules had changed and she didnat have the upper hand anymore, which she didnat like one bit.

But he was kissing her in this slow and deliberate way that made her head fuzzy, and all her limbs went lax until all she could think about were the delicious things he was doing with his mouth.

So when he rolled to his side and slid his hand under her s.h.i.+rt to snake his fingers along her stomach, her guard was down and her concentration was focused on his hands and how very much she craved his touch. And when he cupped a breast, his thumb drawing lazy circles across her bra-covered nipple, she whimpered in protest, wis.h.i.+ng she was already naked so she could feel the touch directly.

She was a languid pool of nerve endings, a sensual puppet, and Dante pulled all her strings. Somewhere in her s.e.x-fogged brain was the thought that this wasnat how it usually played out. She always had control. She was the one who set the pace, the scenario, and she never, ever handed the reins to a man.

But when Dante hooked his leg over hers, his denim-clad thigh rubbing against her center, and he took her mouth at the same time he pulled the cup of her bra down and found her nipple, a million stars exploded behind her eyes. All coherent thought fled as he plucked the bud between his fingers and drove his thigh against her s.e.x, his mouth devouring hers, his tongue exploring in a sensual dance she had no hope to resist. All she could do was clutch his s.h.i.+rt in a death grip and hope she could continue to draw breath through his a.s.sault.

His fingers were on a march, sweeping over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her abdomen and lower, her breath catching as he slid his hand into her shorts.

He pulled his lips from her mouth. She opened her eyes and found him watching her, something far too intimate to bear, especially considering where his hand was. She scrunched her eyes closed and buried her face in his neck.

aAnna.a His fingers danced along the top of her s.e.x, dipping into her panties. She arched against him as wild sensation burst and she lost all hope of controlling this game.

aAnna, look at me.a He asked too much of her. She bit down on her lip when his fingers slid lower, but couldnat resist the moan of sheer pleasure as he found the tight bud and began to play with it.

aAnna.a She tilted her head back and opened her eyes, meeting his gaze at the same time he tucked two fingers inside her. Her lips parted and she gasped, lifting to take more, feeling every sensation as his thumb swirled around the tight knot until she thought she might explode.

aDonat hold back,a he whispered, pinning her with his gaze. aRelease for me.a Shead never known a man like this, who could take her from anger and frustration to sweet pleasure in mere minutes. But as she rode the crest of his finessing fingers, she knew without a doubt she couldnat hold back.

It had been too long and, d.a.m.n him, he was just too good.

And as the pulses began deep inside her, she knew that he felt them, too, saw the smile of triumph on his face as she rocked against his hand and let go.

She gripped his arm, lifted her hips, and his name spilled from her lips.

aDante.a He took her mouth in a deep, searing kiss as she climaxed, absorbing her cries as waves of pleasure crashed over her, leaving her shaken and trembling against him.

And still, he held on to her, his fingers continuing to coax every quake within her until he finally withdrew.

She expected him to strip her and take her then, but he only held her, kissed her, took her down gently from the rollicking roller coaster of sensations and emotions of her o.r.g.a.s.m until she couldnat help but ask him.

aDante.a He looked down at her. aYeah?a aWeare not finished yet.a He grinned. aNo, Anna. Weare not. Not by a long shot.a aShouldnat weaa aGet back to work? Yeah, we probably should.a He s.h.i.+fted her upright.

Was he serious?

aButa"a He cupped her chin with his fingers. aI think you need to trust me before we go any further. Letas take this slow.a She glanced down at the ridge against his jeans that showed the pleasure had been all one-sided, and wondered how he could deny himself like that.

aIall survive. Letas get back to work. We have a killer to catch.a She inhaled, let it out and watched him head into the other room.

Trust him? She didnat know what to make of him.

She stood and headed into the kitchen.

Fifteen.

aYouave got one h.e.l.l of a smile on your face.a Anna lifted her head, lost the smile and narrowed her gaze at Roman, who leaned a hip against her desk. aI do not.a He frowned and crossed his arms. aWhatas going on?a aNothingas going on. Iam working here.a aYouare working with a smile. Thatas not like you.a Geez. She came into the office in a halfway decent mood and she got an interrogation. aWhy are you being so nosy?a He slid into the chair next to her desk. aWhy are you being so evasive?a d.a.m.n Dante, anyway. This was why she preferred being tense. Her being relaxed made people suspicious. aIam not being evasive. I got a good nightas sleep, thatas all.a Roman laughed. aYeah, that is unusual for you. And strange considering everything going on. What brought on the sleep?a She adjusted the files on her desk. aI kind of had a bodyguard. Danteas staying with me.a Roman arched a brow. aIs that right?a aHe insisted.a aAnd youare no pushover. So what gives?a She shoved the files away and gave Roman a pointed look. aYou suddenly have a problem with Dante?a aI just wonder if heas really who he says he is.a She looked around, though Dante wasnat there anyway. Head gone with Ellen Clemons to help her make Jeffas funeral arrangements, something she admired him for doing and knew wasnat going to be easy for him.

He told her head catch up with her later. After head followed her to the precinct, of course. And that had been after much arguing on her part that she could drive herself to work without an escort. But head insisted. Shead told him he could shadow her if he wanted, but it was a waste of time.

He had, and had pulled off when shead entered the lot.

Anna was grateful for the reprieve after last nightas intimacy. She needed time to regroup and figure out just what they meant to each other.

But now she had Roman in her face questioning Danteas motives, and she didnat need that today.

aI donat understand, Roman. Heas FBI. He has the credentials.a Which he wasnat, but at least Anna knew who he was.

aIs he? It just seems strange that all this s.h.i.+t starts going down the minute he steps into town.a She nodded. aWeave discussed that, figured our suspect started this chain of events as soon as Dante came back. You know, all of us who were there that night are now in the same place?a aOr it could be something else.a aLike what?a He stared at her until she caught on to his thought process. aYou think Dante is the killer? Why? That would make no sense, and he was with meaa But he hadnat been with her specifically at the times the murders had been committed, had he? She thought back to the two murders. After, when she got the calls, yes. But she couldnat pinpoint time of death to Dante being with her the whole time, could she?

aDante would have no reason to kill George or Jeff,a she argued.

aNot that you know of, but what do any of us really know about him anymore? Heas been gone for twelve years, Anna. Do we really know where heas been and what heas been doing all that time?a aWhy would you accuse him of this? Is there something you know about him that youare not telling me?a Roman shook his head. aIam not accusing him of anything. Jesus, Anna, Iad hate if he was the one. And no, I donat know anything concrete. But I donat like how close heas gotten to you so fast after he came back, and how youave let him. Two people get killed in the same manner as Tony Maclin, in the same alley. They get hearts carved on their chests, and suddenly Danteas moving in with you. Thatas just a little convenient.

aItas you Iam worried about. I donat want the way things were between the two of you in the past to cloud your judgment now.a She lifted her chin. aMy eyes are wide open.a aAre they? I just want you to be careful.a aI am careful. I know who he is.a At least she thought she did.

aYou know, who we all were back then isnat who we are now. You canat accept him based on who he was twelve years ago. Weare all different now.a aI know that, Roman. Thatas part of why Iam trying to keep Dante close. Iam trying to find out who he is now. Iam doing my job.a He looked at her as if he didnat really believe her, but finally he nodded. aAs long as you do it with your eyes wide open.a She wondered if she did know. Dammit, she hated that Roman had thought the same thing shead thought. Only shead discarded the idea, hadnat followed through.

Was Roman the one thinking clearly and she was seeing only what she wanted to see?

Was Dante sliding past her defenses, purposely ingratiating himself into her life, into her heart, so that she wouldnat see what was going on right under her nose?

Roman was only looking out for her, making her see logic. Her judgment wasnat exactly clear where Dante was concerned. And Roman was always logical when working cases, never let his emotion cloud his judgment. Thatas what made him a good cop.

Was she letting emotion get in the way of seeing what was right in front of her?

Shead accepted everything Dante said at face value without any proof. How did she know for a fact he was who he said he was? Head given her the perfect excuse not to be able to verify his background. Black ops, in the wind, unable to be tracked.

s.h.i.+t. She pushed back from her desk and stood, heading into the break room for a coffee.

After pouring a coffee she moved over to the snack machine, searching for something to munch on, loading her quarters in and deciding on a package of nuts.

Could Dante get legitimate FBI credentials if he did anything other than work for the government? Her captain had certainly bought his ID, and Pohanski was no dumba.s.s. Surely head have had Dante checked out, verified by the FBI, but no way could she go to her captain and ask him if head verified Dante. That would only cast suspicion on Dante, and thatas the last thing she would do.

She leaned her forehead against the metal side of the snack machine, wis.h.i.+ng every d.a.m.n thing didnat have to be so complicated.

aYou taking a nap?a She jerked upright and turned around to find Dante leaning against the doorway of the break room. aHow did you get in here?a He held up his badge. aHall pa.s.s.a She blew out a breath. aRight. Of course.a He frowned and came into the room, stopping in front of her to run his hand down her arm. aYou upset about something?a She took a step away. aNo, just busy.a aBulls.h.i.+t. Whatas wrong?a aNothing. Just have a lot on my mind.a aThe Maclin file?a aYeah.a aFind anything?a aNo. I want to interview his family.a Dante s.h.i.+fted his gaze to the doorway, then back to her. aThatas risky, donat you think?a aWhy?a A couple uniforms came into the break room, so Anna led Dante out the side exit. The brutal heat slammed into her and made her breath catch. At least they were alone out here.

aIsnat it obvious?a he asked when they moved along the far wall on the side of the building, a place set up for smokers. None were outside right now, so they had privacy.

aIsnat what obvious?a aMaclinas family. What are you hoping to find out?a aI donat know. Maybe I can get some information out of them. I want to meet them, talk to them, see what they have to say about their son and that night. The case is twelve years cold now.a aNot to them it isnat. You know what he was to you. To them, he was their son, and he was murdered.a She lifted her chin. aI know what he was to them. Still, itas a lead we need to follow.a He leaned against the brick wall and shrugged. aUp to you.a aYes, it is. You want to come along?a aYou know I do.a aAnd it wonat bother you.a aTo meet Maclinas family? No. Why should it?a He seemed so cold at that moment, she wished he hadnat s.h.i.+fted his sungla.s.ses over his eyes so she could see them. She could read a lot in a personas eyes.

Like whether or not they were lying to her.

Dammit. Why had Roman planted the seed of doubt in her mind? Was Dante a killer? Could he be sweet and gentle and touch her body the way he had, and be a cold and ruthless killer, too?

She knew he could. Lots of killers were like that, completely fooling the people closest to them into believing they were warm and loving, when in fact they were utter psychopaths.

She didnat want to think about this. Not now.

She went inside, grabbed her file and notepad and met Dante in the parking lot.

aIall drive,a he said. aYou give directions.a She could argue the point that he had no legal right to commandeer a detectiveas vehicle, but decided to pick her battles with him. She slid into the pa.s.senger side and told him where to go.

The Maclins still lived in the same house in Kirkwood where Tony had grown up. Anna directed Dante up Lindbergh, then off a side street.

aNice,a he said. aOur lives would all have been a lot different if we could have lived in houses like these.a There were large lots with some smaller homes, and then some bigger, all with perfectly manicured lawns, mature trees and beautiful landscaping.

The Maclin home was one of the bigger ones, a two-story white frame house with dark green painted trim. Triangular gables spread across the top of the home, and a wide porch was set off at the side of the house. A couple expensive cars were parked in the driveway in front of the three-car garage. Anna wondered what sat inside the garage.

aRich kid,a Dante said, wrinkling his nose as he pulled up the circular driveway and parked. aWhat the h.e.l.l was he doing in an alley in South City that night?a Anna met him around the front of her car. aThatas something his parents could never tell us, according to his file.a aMaybe they know something more now.a aDoubt it,a she said, ringing the bell, aor they would have let us know by now. They want their sonas killer found.a Dante didnat say anything, just kept a straight face as they waited for the door to be answered.

aBet they have a butler,a Dante said, whispering in her ear.

She nudged him with her elbow.

The door was answered after Anna rang it a second time. A tall, slender woman with short blond hair answered. She was well dresseda"country-club type, Anna would guess, based on the crisp capri pants and b.u.t.ton-down silk short-sleeved s.h.i.+rt. Expensive sandals, too.

aSusan Maclin?a Anna asked, revealing her badge.

aYes? Is something wrong?a Anna introduced herself and Dante. aWeare here about your sonas case.a Susanas hand went to her throat, her eyes widening. aIs there new evidence? Did you find his killer?a Anna almost felt guilty getting the womanas hopes up. aNo, maaam, weare just looking into a few cold cases. Mind if we come in and ask you some questions?a She opened the gla.s.s and screen door. aOf course not.a Susan Maclin led them inside, where it was icy cool, thankfully. The place was open and s.p.a.cious as they followed her from the front to the back of the house.

aI hope you donat mind the sunroom. Itas where I spend a lot of time. Itas air-conditioned, of course.a Anna looked at Dante, who shrugged. aItas fine, maaam,a he said.

aIall bring us some iced tea.a aNot necessary,a Anna said. aWeall try not to take up too much of your time.a aOh, itas no bother at all. Iam so grateful youare reopening the case. Iall be back in a moment.a She glided out of the room, her blouse seeming to flow like water. The woman was so elegant and graceful. Anna slunk into the chair, feeling the weight of guilt settle on top of her.

Susan Maclin looked frail and vulnerable.

And hopeful, her brown eyes widening with that look a parent got whenever a cop opened up an old, unsolved case. Shead seen that look before on the faces of loved ones whose child or parent or spouse had been a victim. All they craved was closure. Annaas and Danteas presence here represented the hope that it could come sometime in the near future.

Only, Susan Maclin would never have closure for her son Tonyas murder. s.h.i.+t.

aStop it,a Dante whispered, taking a seat in one of the oversize chairs next to her.

Anna s.h.i.+fted her gaze from all the beautiful knickknacks over to Dante. aStop what?a aLooking so guilty.a aSheas making us tea.a aIam sure itas already made.a aDonat you feel guilty?a aNo. And you shouldnat, either.a aHere we are.a Anna sat up straight and managed to put on her nonsmiling detectiveas face for Tony Maclinas mother as the woman handed her a gla.s.s of iced tea.

aThank you.a Susan took a seat across from Anna and Dante, held herself in rigidly perfect posture as she faced them. aYouare welcome. So tell me what news you have about my sonas case.a aIs your husband around?a Her hopeful look faltered a bit. aIam afraid Bob doesnat live here anymore. Weare divorced.a aIam sorry,a Anna said. aIf you donat mind my asking, for how long?a aIs that relevant?a aEverything is relevant in a murder investigation, Mrs. Maclin.a aWe divorced five years after Tony was killed. His death put a strain on our marriage, as you can probably imagine.a Susan swept her perfectly coiffed hair away from her face.

aI can imagine. So you stayed here in the house?a aYes. Bobas family is in Chicago. The memories hereathey were hard for him. He relocated. Which made it difficult for Sam.a aSam?a Dante asked.

aTonyas younger brother.a aOh, thatas right,a Anna said. She remembered the younger brother being mentioned in Maclinas file. But Dante wouldnat have known about him. She shot him a look and he covered nicely, turning to Susan.

aDoes Sam live here with you?a Dante asked.

aOff and on. Heas a sculptor, an artist like me, though I paint.a Her eyes filled with tears. aLike Tony was going to be, before he died. He was so very talentedaa Anna waited while Susan composed herself, trying to feel sympathy for this woman whoad lost her son. But her son had taken something from Anna that night twelve years ago, and Annaas life had never been the same.

And while she didnat mourn Tony Maclinas death, she felt bad for what Susan Maclin lost because of that night. A son. A marriage.

If they hadnat killed Tonya aEven after all these years, itas still so difficult,a Susan said.