“You want to do it again.” It was a statement, not a question. His body had given him away.
“Hell, yeah,” he whispered. “Again and again. Every night for the rest of my life.”
She stilled, and he realized what he’d said. Steel slid out of her and turned on his side. It wasn’t fair of him to be talking of forever when so much stood between them.
“Steel,” she began. He silenced her with a kiss.
“No talking about the future. Let’s just stay here. Right now. You, me and the mud.”
She chuckled again. “Sounds perfect.” She turned on her side as well, pushed him over and climbed on top of him. “Your turn in the dirt.”
Steel was more than ready for another round, and this time as he eased inside her, he got to watch her moving above him, her breasts swaying as their hips met and parted again, her eyes closing when desire overtook her.
Stella was beautiful in her abandon, and Steel knew she was giving him a precious gift—her trust in him.
What had he done to inspire that trust?
He didn’t know, but he swore to himself he would deserve it from now on. Then he stopped thinking at all, too entranced by Stella’s beautiful form perched above him, silhouetted against the night sky, the feel of her encompassing him, enticing him to abandon himself.
Their slow, languorous lovemaking built up his need to a crescendo that couldn’t be ignored, and as he came again, release breaking from him in waves, Stella’s cries rang in his ears again as she shattered against him, Steel’s determination grew. He was going to break the case he was working on, prove himself once and for all worthy of this woman.
Then he would marry Stella.
There was no other conclusion he could tolerate.
Later, he walked Stella home across the pasture and made sure she made it safely inside, waiting to see the light in her bedroom window and hear her soft, “Good night,” through the screen before heading for home.
He had to laugh when he reached his trailer and surveyed himself in its tiny bathroom. He was covered with mud, which sluiced off him and swirled around the shower drain until he was finally clean.
He woke the next morning to a feeling that all was right with the world before he remembered that was far from true. Lily’s concern for Lara stuck with him, and he vowed to check on both girls one way or another.
Stella haunted him, too. As much as he’d enjoyed the previous evening’s romp in the mud, he needed to steer clear of her until his job was done. He didn’t want to tarnish what they had by involving her with his undercover persona. He needed to catch the killer—now.
No one was hanging out at the pit these days, though. The petty dealers had shifted to other locations. Steel got the feeling parents were keeping a close eye on their kids, which was a good thing, of course, but he knew it couldn’t last.
He was still pondering the problem while he drove through Chance Creek a few days later after stopping at the hardware store, where he’d picked up a hinge to replace one on a kitchen cabinet. He’d had no intention of fixing up his trailer when he rented it, but the condition of the place and the long hours he spent alone there had driven him to making small repairs. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye as he drove past the Chance Creek library and quickly pulled over to park when he spotted Lara speaking to another girl. Was this his chance? He needed to wait for her to be alone—
Hell.
Steel leaned in to get a better look. That was Liz, Stella’s stepsister, with Lara. How did those two know each other?
They were talking intently, Lara peppering the conversation with hand gestures. She was describing something.
Steel was out of the truck before he realized he’d made a decision, and he strode across the library’s lawn to its front steps.
“Hey,” he shouted before he even reached them. “What’s going on here?”
The girls jumped apart, but Liz quickly regained her composure.
“What’s your problem?” she demanded. He could tell she recognized him from the last time they’d met.
“My problem is I already told you to smarten up. First you hang out at the pit, now you’re here with her?” He jabbed a finger at Lara. “You know who she is, right? She used to hang out with Sue Hill—until Sue died.”
The blood drained from Lara’s face. “Sue was an addict. You can’t blame me for that.”
“I can blame you for not telling the sheriff who she was with. I know you know.”
Liz looked from one to the other of them, avid curiosity shining in her bright eyes. “You knew the girl who died?” she asked Lara. “Was she your friend?”
Lara turned an anguished gaze to Steel. “I didn’t know she’d do what she did.”
“What did she do?” Liz asked.
“Who was she with?” Steel drew nearer. For one second he thought Lara might answer.
“Steel Cooper?” a new voice called. “What are you doing at the library?”
“Gotta go.” Lara slipped away as soon as he turned to face Mary Turner, and he cursed the woman’s lousy timing.
“I’m just looking for a book,” he lied.
Mary looked him up and down. “Hmph. Doubt it. Liz, why aren’t you inside finding something to read?”
“Because reading is boring.” Liz was tracing Lara’s path down the street, and Steel bit back an urge to shake her. Lara was the last person she should be hanging out with.
“Because she was out here talking to Lara Whidby—Sue Hill’s friend,” he told Mary. “Better keep a closer watch on this one. She’s attracted to trouble.”
“Am not!”
“I was your age once,” he told her, catching Liz’s gaze and
