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  “What kind of pickup?”

  “He gets the guns dirt cheap since they’re usually stolen. Then he sells them on the street for a much higher price. The man he buys from has a shipment ready. That would be the best time to bust him. In fact, it’s probably the only way to make sure we nail him.”

  Seeing the determination in his eyes, Emily knew Judd would find a way to get Clayton Donner, with or without her help. But she wanted to be near him any way she could. “Since I still have my own reasons for wanting him caught, I’ll be glad to help however I can.” She hesitated, then asked, “You’re certain Donner is the one who sold my brother the gun?”

  “As certain as I can be. We traced him to Springfield by the weapons he sold. One whole shipment was faulty guns. I don’t know yet how Donner got hold of them, but from what you told me, it’s safe to say your brother got one of them.”

  A resurgence of anger flooded through her. So Donner had known the guns were faulty before he sold them? He had deliberately risked her brother’s life, and that fact made her determination almost equal to Judd’s. “I look forward to doing whatever I can to help.”

  Judd let out a long breath. Then he leaned across the table and took both her hands. “I don’t want to have to worry about you. I want your word that you won’t try anything on your own. I don’t even want you in that part of town without me. Promise me.”

  “I work there at the soup kitchen…”

  “Not until this is over, Em. I mean it. It’s just too risky. Promise me.”

  “Judd—”

  “I lost Max, dammit! Isn’t that enough?”

  His sudden loss of control shook her. She stared at his eyes, hard now with determination and an emotion that closely resembled fear. Reluctantly, she nodded. The last thing she wanted to do was distract him. Already, it seemed to her, he was too emotionally involved, and that weakened his objectivity, putting him in danger. It was obvious that Max Henley had been, and still was, the most important person in the world to Judd. Emily decided she might very well be able to keep an eye on Judd as long as he let her stay close. And evidently, the only way to do that, was to agree to his rules.

  “All right. I promise. But I want a promise from you, too, Judd.”

  It took him a moment to regain his calm demeanor. Then he lifted an eyebrow in question.

  “From now on, you have to be honest with me,” she said. “There are few things I really abhor, but lying is one of them. You’ve lied to me from the start.”

  Judd turned his head. “I was on assignment, Em. And you just came tripping into my case, nearly messing everything up. I did what I thought was best.”

  “And of course telling me the truth never entered your mind?” When he gave her a severe frown, she quickly added, “Okay, not at first. But since then? Surely you had to realize I wasn’t a threat?”

  His stare was hard. “You’re a bigger threat than you know.”

  Emily had no idea what that was supposed to mean. And while she did understand Judd’s position, she couldn’t help feeling like a fool. First she thought he was a cop, then she believed he was a stripper. Now she finds out he actually is a cop. A small, humorless laugh escaped her. “I suppose it really is funny. Did you laugh at the irony of it, Judd?”

  “Not once.”

  “Oh, come on. I must have looked like an idiot. And here you were, trying to keep the poor naive little fool out of trouble.”

  “It wasn’t like that, Em.”

  She stood, suddenly wanting to be alone. “I should have learned my lesson long ago.” She knew Judd had no idea what she was talking about, that she was remembering her sad lack of judgment so many years ago. She shook her head, not at all certain she’d ever tell him. Lord, she probably wouldn’t have the chance to tell him. Once this ordeal with Donner was over—and, according to Judd, it would be over soon—Judd would go on about his business, and she would have to forget about him.

  “I wonder if my parents were right.”

  Judd hadn’t moved. He sat in the chair watching her. “About what?”

  “About me being such a bad judge of character. They always claim I have a very unrealistic perception of mankind, they say that I should accept the world, and my place in it, and stop trying to change things. I suppose I ought to give up and let them have their way.”

  Judd stiffened, and his expression looked dangerous. “You don’t mean that.”

  With a shake of her head and another small smile, Emily turned to leave. Just before she reached the hallway entrance, she stopped. “One more thing, Judd.”

  She turned to face him and her gaze locked with his. “The man who came in here? He mumbled something, just before I ran, about only wanting the film.”

  Judd shot to his feet. “What?”

  Her smile turned a bit crooked. “I didn’t want to tell the police, because I thought it might be important. I was going to wait and tell you so we could figure out what the man meant. But now, since you are the police…” She shrugged.

  Judd was busy cursing.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked him.

  “First, I’m going to get someone over here to check your door for fingerprints.”

  “It won’t do any good. He wore gloves. I felt them when he grabbed me.”

  “Another tidbit you were saving only for me?”

  “Uh-huh. I honestly don’t know anything else, though.” She stifled a forced yawn. “I think I’ll get ready for bed now.”

  Judd moved to stand directly in front of her. “I’m staying the night, Em.”

  “That’s not necessary.” But, oh, it would be so nice. She sincerely hoped he would insist. For some reason, the thought of being all alone was very unsettling. And even more unsettling was the thought of letting Judd out of her sight.

  “I think it is. I won’t bother you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “I wasn’t worried.”

  He accepted that statement with a smile of his own. “Good. Why don’t you show me where you want me to sleep? Then I’ve got a few more calls to make.”

  Since Emily wouldn’t show him where she really wanted him to sleep, which was with her, she led him to the room down the hall from her bedroom. Decorated in muted shades of blue, it had only a twin bed and was considered her guest room. There were two other bedrooms, one was John’s room, since he dropped in often whenever there were problems with her parents, and the other room served as a small upstairs sitting room.

  Judd nodded his approval, then took Emily’s shoulders. “Try to sleep. But honey, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

  He doesn’t mean what you’re thinking, Em. Didn’t he just tell you earlier tonight it was too soon? “Thank you, Judd. Good night.” Emily forced her feet to move down the hall, then she forced herself inside her room and closed the door. Her forehead made a soft thwack when she dropped it against the wood, and her cheek started throbbing again.

  But none of it was as apparent as the drumming of her heart. It was all just beginning to sink in, from the slapstick beginning to the frightening end. Judd was an officer, who chose to take his clothes off in an undercover case, using a police uniform as a costume. It was too ironic. And Lord help her, so was her situation.

  She was falling in love with a thoroughly outrageous man.

  JUDD LAY in the narrow bed, stripped down to his underwear, with only the sheet covering him. His arms were propped behind his head and he listened to the strange sounds of the house as it settled. He’d left the door open in case Emily needed him.

  God, what a mess.

  Howell had raised holy hell with him, and for good reason. He’d behaved like a rookie with no experience at all. He knew better, hell, he was damn good at his job. But he just kept thinking of what could have happened. The thought of Emily being hurt was untenable. He had to find some way to wrap this operation up, and quickly. He didn’t want to be involved with her, didn’t want to care about her. Bu
t he knew it was too late.

  Did two people ever come from more different backgrounds? Emily was cultured, refined, elegant. She had a poise that never seemed to leave her, and a way of talking that implied gentleness and kindness and…all the things he wasn’t. That refined speech of hers turned him on. Everything about her turned him on.

  He had to quell those thoughts. Emily wasn’t for him. From what he knew of her parents, they would balk at the mere mention of her getting involved with someone like him. And he didn’t want to add to her problems there. She evidently had some very real differences with her parents, but at least she had parents. And probably aunts and uncles and grandparents, all of them educated and smelling of old money.

  The only smells Judd had been familiar with around his house were stale beer and unwashed dishes. Max had tried to teach him a better way, but Max had been a simple man with simple manners. He hadn’t owned a speck of real silver, yet that was exactly what Emily stirred her tea with. And he couldn’t be certain, but he thought the teacup she’d used earlier was authentic china. It had seemed delicate and fragile—just like Emily.

  He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to close out the image of her lying soft and warm in her own bed, her dark hair fanned out on the pillow, those big brown eyes sleepy, her skin flushed. He wanted her, more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life. He hadn’t known a man could want this much and live through it. She was right down the hall, and he suspected if he went to her, she wouldn’t send him away.

  But as bad as he wanted her, he also knew he had no right to her. So he continued to stare at the ceiling.

  Somewhere downstairs he heard a clock chime eleven. Then he heard a different noise, one he hadn’t heard yet, and he turned his head on the pillow to look toward the door.

  Emily stood there, a slight form silhouetted by the vague light of the moon coming through the window. He couldn’t quite draw a breath deep enough to chase away the tightness in his chest. When she didn’t move, he leaned up on one elbow. His voice sounded low and rough when he spoke. “Are you all right, babe?”

  She made another small, helpless sound, then took a tiny step into the room. Every muscle in his body tensed.

  He couldn’t make out her face, but he could tell her gown was long and pale and he could feel her nervousness. He didn’t know why she was here, but his body had a few ideas and was reacting accordingly. He was instantly and painfully aroused. “Em?”

  She took another step, then whispered in a trembling tone, “I know you said it was too soon. And you’re right, of course. I told myself this wasn’t proper, that I should behave with some decorum.” Her hands twisted together and she drew a deep, shaky breath. “But you see, the thing is…”

  Judd knew his heart was going to slam right through his ribs. He couldn’t wait another second for her to finish her sketchy explanation. She was here, she wanted him, and despite all the reasons he’d just given himself for why he shouldn’t, he knew he wanted her too badly to send her away.

  He stared at her in the darkness, and then lifted the sheet. “Come here, Emily.”

  Chapter 7

  SHE MOVED SO FAST, JUDD BARELY HAD TIME TO brace himself for her weight. Not that she weighed anything at all. She was soft and sweet and she smelled so incredibly inviting—like a woman aroused. Like feminine heat and excitement. Her brushed-cotton gown tangled around his legs when he turned and pinned her beneath him. He felt her body sigh into his, her slim legs parting, her pelvis arching up. In the next instant, her hands cupped his face and she kissed him. It wasn’t a gentle kiss. She ate at his mouth, hungry and anxious and needy.

  So many feelings swamped him. Lust, of course, since Emily always inspired that base craving, even when she wasn’t intent on seducing him. And need, a need he didn’t like acknowledging, but one that was so powerful, so all-consuming, he couldn’t minimize it as anything less than what it was.

  But first and foremost was tenderness, laced with a touch of relief that he wouldn’t have to pull back this time; she would finally be his. She had come to him, and she was kissing him as if she wanted him every bit as badly as he wanted her. That wasn’t possible, but if her need was anywhere close to his, they both might damn well explode.

  “Emily…”

  Her kisses, hot and urgent, landed against his jaw, his chin, the side of his mouth. Her nipples were taut against his chest, her breath hot and fast. He wanted to touch her everywhere, all at once, and he wanted to simply hold her, to let her know how precious she was. He slid one hand down her side, felt her shiver, heard her moan, and he nearly lost his mind. He gripped her small backside with both hands and urged her higher against his throbbing erection, rubbing sinuously, slow and deep, again and again. He wanted to drown in the hot friction, the sensual feel of her warm body giving way to him. Her legs parted wide and she bent her knees, cradling him, offering herself.

  Judd groaned low in his throat and went still, aware of the soft heat between her thighs now touching him. He knew she was excited, and the fact was making him crazy. “Too fast, honey. Way too fast.”

  Emily wasn’t listening. Her hands frantically stroked his naked back and her legs shifted restlessly, rubbing against his, holding him. She continued to lift her hips into him, exciting herself, exciting him more. Judd dropped his full weight on her to keep her still, then carefully caged her face. She whimpered, trying to move.

  “Shh. It’s all right, Em. We’ve got all night.” Then he kissed her. She tasted hot and sweet, and when he slipped his tongue between her lips, she sucked on him with greedy excitement.

  Judd had never known kissing to be such a deeply sensual experience. To him, it had always been pleasant, sometimes a prelude to sex, sometimes not. But he’d never felt such a keen desire just from kissing. Emily was driving him over the edge, and he hadn’t even touched her yet.

  He caught her slim wrists in one hand and trapped them over her head. He had to take control or he’d never last. She muttered a low protest and her hips moved, rubbing and seeking beneath his, finding his erection and grinding against it. Her nightgown was in his way and he knotted one fist in the material and lifted, urgently. He needed to touch all of her, to explore her body, to brand her as his own. Emily squirmed to accommodate him, allowing the material to be jerked above her waist. When Judd felt her bare, slender thighs against his own, he growled and pushed against her.

  It almost struck him as funny, the effect she had on him. Prim, polite, proper little Emily. He dipped his head and nuzzled her breasts at the same time he slid his hand over her silky mound, letting his fingers tangle in her damp curls. Emily stopped moving; she even stopped breathing. Judd felt her suspended anticipation.

  He released her wrists long enough to jerk the buttons open on the bodice of her nightgown so he could taste her nipples, feel the heat of her flesh, and then he wedged his hand back between her thighs. He pressed his face to her breast and kissed her soft skin, his mouth open and wet. Emily shifted so her puckered nipple brushed against his cheek and Judd smiled, then began to suckle, drawing her in deep, stroking with his tongue, nipping with his teeth.

  Her ragged moan was low and so damn sexy he moaned with her. His fingers slid over the tight curls, felt her slick and wet, hot and swollen with wanting him, and then he slid a finger deep inside her. She was incredibly tight and he added another finger, hearing her groan, feeling her body clasp his fingers as he forced them a bit deeper, stretching her.

  He began a smooth rhythm, and with a breathless moan, her body moved with him. His thumb lifted to glide over the apex of her mound, finding her most sensitive flesh and stroking it, while his mouth still drew greedily on her nipple, and Emily suddenly stiffened, then screamed out her climax. Judd went still with shock.

  Her slim body shuddered and lifted beneath his, her face pulled tight in her pleasure. He watched her every movement, her intense delight expressed in her narrowed eyes, her parted lips, the sweet sounds she made. Judd knew he had never se
en anything so beautiful, so right. It seemed to go on and on, and as her cries turned to low breathless moans, he kissed her, taking her pleasure into himself.

  When she stilled, he continued to cuddle her close, his own need now put on hold. A tenderness he’d never experienced before swirled through him, and he couldn’t help smiling. Miss Cooper was a red-hot firecracker, and he must be the luckiest man alive. “You okay, Em?”

  She didn’t answer. Her breasts were still heaving and her heartbeat thundered against his chest. Judd placed one last gentle kiss on her open mouth, then lifted himself away to reach for his pants. He fumbled in the pockets until he found his wallet and located a condom. When he turned back to Emily, he saw her watching him, her dark eyes so wide they filled her face. Her bottom lip trembled as she slowly drew in uneven breaths. Damp curls framed her face and her expression was wary.

  She was probably a bit embarrassed by her unrestrained display. He didn’t have time to soothe her, though. He needed to be inside her, right now, feeling her body clasped tight around his erection just as it had clasped his fingers. With the help of the moonlight, he could see her pale belly and still-open thighs. He bent and pressed his mouth to her moist female flesh, breathing in her scent and his need for her overwhelmed him. His tongue flicked out, stroking her, rasping over her delicate tissues and he gained one small taste of her excitement before Emily gasped and began struggling away.

  He caught the hem of her gown and wrestled it over her head, chuckling at the way she tried to stop him. She slapped at his hands, and when she realized he had won the tug-of-war, she covered her face with her hands. Once the gown was free, Judd tossed it aside and then immediately pulled her hands away from her face. The feel of her naked body, so warm and soft and ready, made him shudder. He covered her completely and said in the same breath, “You are so beautiful, Em. I’ve never known a woman like you.”

  She peeked one eye open and studied him. “Really?”