Going Down: Holding Out for a Hero, Book 1 Read online

  The wave of pleasure bore down on her, demanding her surrender and that she let go completely. And she had no choice. With a ragged moan, she gave herself over, grinding herself frantically into his thrusts, moaning and crying out in abandon.

  When the wave crested, she screamed hoarsely, clenching around his cock and milking him into his release.

  Tyson groaned, the sound ragged and guttural as he did two more shallow thrusts, before going deep and remaining buried.

  It took a while before she could form a thought, and by then Tyson had pulled out of her, disposed of the condom, and was climbing back into bed.

  “I need a minute,” he muttered, looping an arm around her waist and tugging her to him. “And then we can go again.”

  She gave a weak laugh and shook her head. “I’ll need at least an hour, turbo.”

  “Deal.”

  Closing her eyes, she let herself snuggle against him and rest. Just for a while…

  Chapter Eleven

  “Ellie. Wake up, sweetheart!”

  Ellie gasped and snapped her eyes open. Her whole body was rigid with tension and she couldn’t figure out where she was.

  She blinked, turning to look at Tyson before it sank in where they were and what had happened. Judging by the fading light outside, it was probably after eight p.m.

  “Did we fall asleep?” she asked uncertainly.

  “Yeah.” His gaze, full of concern and questions, searched hers. “You were having a nightmare.”

  “A nightmare…”

  “You don’t remember?”

  She hesitated and then shook her head. Her stomach swirled as anxiety ripped through her. No, she didn’t remember. But she had a pretty good guess what it was about.

  Tyson’s expression softened. “Come here, sweetheart.”

  When he pulled her into his arms, she didn’t resist. She burrowed her face against his hard chest, smelling the soap on him and faint hint of sweat from their earlier lovemaking.

  Lovemaking? Her mouth parted in dismay. When in her life had she ever called sex lovemaking?

  “Relax,” he murmured, stroking her hair and then her naked back. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. You’re okay.”

  And she was. Somewhere in the past couple of days, she’d really come to trust Tyson. She closed her eyes, listening to the solid thump of his heartbeat. It eased the tension from her body, brought back the peace and warmth.

  “Elinamayfia…whatever it is that’s going on, I promise, you can tell me.”

  And just like that, the serenity of the moment evaporated.

  He’d finally almost mastered her name…and it sounded beautiful on his lips.

  Only it wasn’t her name, it was her cousin’s. And she and Tyson weren’t really together like a normal couple, because everything was built on a lie. She was a lie.

  Ellie squinted her eyes closed, wanting to shut out the guilt and the frustration. Wanting to forget this cute little town and its wonderful people. She wasn’t one of them, and she certainly didn’t belong here. She was just using them.

  “Please, Tyson…just hold me,” she whispered. “Make love to me.”

  There was that phrase again, making love, only this time she didn’t flinch at it. She couldn’t really call it sex, because she’d never had the kind of sex that left almost left her crying with joy and her heart swelling with…no. She was not going to go there.

  She turned her head to glance at Tyson, because he hadn’t replied and she knew he was disappointed to an extent at her lack of confession.

  But then he gave a slow smile and reached for her, lifting her so she lay on top of him. His hands slid down to cup her ass.

  “Damn it, Ellie, you know I can’t say no to that kind of request,” he said softly and nuzzled her breasts.

  She sighed, heat already rocketing throughout her body again. “I know. That’s why I suggested it.”

  “But afterward, we’ll—”

  “Cook dinner.” Knowing that wasn’t at all what he’d been about to say, Ellie gave a flirty smile. “I’m going to work up an appetite.”

  And then, before he could argue, she lowered her head and covered his mouth with hers. Initiating a hot, thorough kiss.

  The distraction worked. Tyson gave a low groan and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tighter against his hard body and plunged his tongue deep into her mouth.

  Ellie tried not to think about how much longer she could keep diverting him, because Tyson obviously wasn’t going to let it go. Which meant she might have to consider leaving sooner than expected. The trial was in one week, and she really hated to leave Wyattville. If she could just make it a little bit longer…she’d be in the clear.

  When Tyson slipped a hand between her legs, she let out a whimper of pleasure and gave herself over to the rush of passion.

  She couldn’t think about how she was going to deal with tomorrow. Not right now. Not when they had tonight.

  Tyson only drove home briefly to grab a change of clothes, before bunking in at Ellie’s for the weekend. They spent most of Sunday being lazy. Only taking a break from the bedroom to eat and go for a quick walk on the beach.

  And now they were in bed for the night. He listened to the sound of the waves hitting the beach and Ellie’s steady breathing beside him. Darkness had fallen hours ago, but now, approaching midnight, he couldn’t seem to get to sleep. His mind wouldn’t shut down. Which wasn’t good, seeing as he had to be at work in the morning.

  He propped himself up on one elbow and stared down at Ellie, waiting to see if she’d stir. But her eyes remained closed and her lips parted just the tiniest bit.

  Reaching down, he lightly traced a finger over her satiny cheek. His chest tightened and tenderness like he’d never felt for another woman seeped through him.

  “How did you do it,” he asked softly. “How did you manage to work yourself into my heart in just a handful of days?”

  Ellie didn’t move, and there was no flickering of her eyelids. She was solidly out.

  With a sigh, Tyson rolled over and off the bed. His bare feet made no sound as he left the bedroom to wander around the house.

  The Bakemans tended to be gone more than they were here. At least since Roddy Bakeman had retired. He and his wife had been bitten pretty hard by the travel bug.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, he wandered the living room, glancing at the paintings that hung on the wall. As he approached the kitchen, the familiar sound of electronic humming broke the silence in the house.

  He walked purposely into the kitchen and toward the computer tucked away in the corner.

  Though the monitor was off, it seemed Ellie had forgotten to shut it down. Hmm, maybe he’d check his email since he hadn’t all weekend.

  Tyson sat down at the computer and pushed the monitor button. It hummed, flickering with light, before the screen came to life.

  Jesus, this was an old computer. He moved to type in his email server, when his gaze caught on the page Ellie had left up.

  His gaze scanned the headline of the Chicago Tribune article that was up.

  Trial to begin next week for Chicago man accused of drug trafficking.

  Tyson’s brows furrowed and he made a small noise of interest. It was always possible that Ellie just liked to keep up on the news from the city she used to live in.

  He kept reading. Scanning the article until he’d finished. But then his gut clenched. There was a key witness missing.

  Glancing down the hall to where she slept, he couldn’t shake the sense that whatever Ellie was hiding also scared the hell out of her.

  It was a lead. Probably a false one, but he’d be stupid not to check it out.

  Easing out of the chair, he moved silently back into the bedroom, determined to keep her sleeping. He didn’t want to risk her overhearing what he was about to do.

  He found his jeans on the floor and grabbed his cell phone out of them, before moving stealthily back into the kitchen.

  Dialing
the station, he waited for the twenty-something working the graveyard shift to answer.

  “Hey, Eve,” he said quietly when she picked up. “It’s Sheriff Wyatt. I need you to check something out for me.”

  “Hi, Sheriff! You’re up late. Sure, no problem. What do you need?”

  “I need you to make some phone calls, do some Internet searches on a trial going on in Chicago. Any info on the trial and a missing witness.”

  “I can do that. It’s dead as a doornail this time of night. It’ll give me something to do,” she said cheerfully. “All right, I’ve got the computer up. All I need is the details…”

  The screaming of the seagulls woke Ellie. Her eyes snapped open and she lay still, letting herself take a few deep breaths as she gained her surroundings again.

  A moment later, she rolled over, but her excitement faded as she noted the empty bed beside her. Though a dent remained in the pillow, Tyson was gone.

  She pressed her hand against his side of the bed and felt the cool sheets. And apparently he’d left a while ago.

  With a sigh, she scampered out of bed and stretched, easing the kinks out of her body. Her gaze fell on the alarm clock and her eyes widened.

  Holy crap! Eight in the morning? She never slept this late! Then again, she’d never had an evening like the one she and Tyson had shared last night.

  She wandered into the kitchen and found the note on the counter. She grabbed it and scanned it. Ah, he’d had to work this morning, but she’d better be ready to see him tonight. And clothing was discouraged.

  Her lips twitched into a smile and she headed to the fridge, pulling it open and staring inside. Her stomach growled as she debated what to eat for breakfast.

  As she stared, she became aware of the humming of the computer in the corner. Thoughts hit her at once. She’d left it on. She’d left the article open. What if Tyson had read it?

  Shutting the fridge again, Ellie moved slowly over to the computer, her breath held. When she reached it, she drew in a relieved gasp of air to see the monitor was still off. She turned it back on, and stared at the Chicago Tribune article that sat exactly as she’d left it.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I’m so glad you came in!”

  Ellie smiled up at Kate, who was fixing her an iced Americano, and then licked a bit of cream cheese frosting from her finger.

  “This cinnamon roll is to die for. And what can I say? You hooked me with that éclair the other day, Kate. I woke up and my first thoughts were of your shop.”

  Well, maybe after that whole computer freak out thing. Uneasy that she’d left the website up in the first place, and not wanting to risk Tyson discovering it later, she’d shut down the computer.

  Then, after a quick shower and throwing on some clothes, she’d headed into town. Breakfast at Kate’s Cakes had sounded like a good distraction to get her through the Monday.

  Kate carried the iced Americano to the table and gave a mischievous grin. “Those were really your very first thoughts?”

  Accepting the drink, Ellie felt her cheeks warm a bit and she cleared her throat. “All right, maybe they were my second…or third.”

  “Hmm, thought so.” Kate sat down across from her and her smile widened. “I’ve gotta say, I’ve never seen him like this.”

  Ellie’s pulse quickened and she was pretty sure she knew exactly who Kate was referring to, but still asked, “Who?”

  “Sheriff Smiley—I call him that because he’s always smiling. And Tyson Wyatt’s been smiling even more since you came to town. He’s fallen for you, girl. Hook, line and sinker.”

  If Ellie’s pulse had been fast before, it was breaking all kinds of records now.

  “I don’t think he’s fallen for me,” she said carefully, though she couldn’t say the same for herself. “I think it’s just that…”

  “The sex is good?”

  Okay, now she knew her face was red.

  “Don’t answer that, I was way out of line.” Kate grimaced and leaned back in her chair. “So, what have you guys been up to?”

  Though part of her wanted to declare just how great the sex had been—to confide in a woman with whom she was already building a friendship, Ellie went with the topic change instead.

  “Hung out and relaxed yesterday. Saturday, after stopping by here, we walked around town, explored the beach, and then went to Tyson’s parents’ house for a barbeque.”

  “Wait a minute.” Kate’s eyes widened and she leaned forward. “You got invited to the Wyatts’ barbeque? Wow, Ellie, I’m so impressed.”

  Ellie gave a nervous laugh. “It was just a barbeque.”

  “Oh no. It’s not just a barbeque. It’s the monthly Wyatts’ barbeque. You’ve got to have Wyatt blood in your veins or be damn near engaged to a Wyatt to get invited.”

  Damn near engaged to a Wyatt? Ellie’s throat dried out and her head felt light. She lifted her cinnamon roll for another bite, and her hand wasn’t as steady now.

  “You just don’t understand, Ellie,” Kate continued earnestly. “The Wyatts are like our town’s version of royalty.”

  Actually, she had gotten that impression a little. But it appeared the town folk took it pretty seriously. How had she not realized getting invited to Tyson’s family barbeque was such a big deal? Well, she’d realized it was a big deal because she’d been invited to meet his family, but she didn’t realize it was like the equivalent to getting into Buckingham Palace.

  Kate slapped the table and shook her head. “Seriously, Ellie, there isn’t a girl in town who hasn’t tried to snag one of the Wyatt men.”

  “Except for you of course.” Ellie couldn’t resist teasing, her amusement returning.

  But clearly it had been the wrong thing to say when Kate pulled back, her expression clouding over.

  “Don’t worry,” Kate said, her voice quieting as she shifted her gaze. “It’s never been Tyson.”

  Ellie blinked in dismay. What? Really?

  “Seriously? Todd? Trevor? One of the elusive cousins I’ve heard about?”

  Kate’s lips remained pressed together, her expression a bit sad and reflective. Ellie didn’t think she was going to answer and realized she probably shouldn’t have even asked.

  “Todd.”

  The quiet confession had Ellie’s eyes widening. Todd, the firefighter who was known to have seen more action with women than fires. And that was a direct quote from Tyson.

  “Has he…have you guys ever…?”

  “No. Oh, God, no.” Kate rolled her eyes. “Todd doesn’t even know I’m alive that way. If anything, I give him the little sister vibe.”

  Ellie took another sip of her iced Americano and eyed the other woman curiously. Kate might not be society’s definition of sexy or beautiful, but she was cute and curvy, and funny as hell. Probably mid-twenties, if that. She was the kind of girl who slipped under the radar, but who some guy would eventually discover and realize how damn lucky he was.

  “Maybe you should ask him out?” Ellie finally suggested.

  Kate let out a short laugh, her expression incredulous. “Umm, I’ll pass. I can think of plenty of other ways to humiliate myself, thank you very much.”

  Ellie was trying to think of how she could convince Kate to at least try, when the door opened and another customer came in.

  “Be back in a minute, Ellie. You enjoy your breakfast.”

  Watching Kate go deal with the customer, Ellie’s thoughts returned to last night.

  Memories of Tyson and their two days of hot lovemaking flickered through her mind. And, just like that, her body was alive with need again. Jeez, just thinking about him could make her nerves all jittery. It was like an addiction withdrawal…only her poison was the town’s sheriff.

  Sighing, she tore off another piece of cinnamon roll and popped it into her mouth.

  Maybe he’d get off work early…

  Tyson put the brakes on in his truck, turned off the ignition and exhaled a long breath, staring hard at the Bak
emans’ house.

  Looking in the window, he could see Ellie doing some yoga positions in the living room.

  Since this afternoon, his stomach had felt like there’d been a brick in it. Ever since he’d walked into the station and found Eve’s report on his desk.

  He closed his eyes, seeing again in his head the report that had detailed the Chicago drug trafficking trial. And, through some web searches and social networks, Eve had also managed to dig up some information on the missing key witness.

  Eleanor Owens.

  A twenty-six-year-old yoga instructor from Chicago, the ex-girlfriend of the defendant. And currently MIA.

  Bitterness sent bile rising into his throat and he shook his head. Damn it, he didn’t want it to be true. Didn’t want to think that the woman he’d slept with last night, the woman who’d crawled into his heart and set up real estate, had been lying to him.

  Shit, had anything she said been the truth? A fucking waitress in Brooklyn?

  Right now, he only had some pretty damning similarities adding up that Ellie was Eleanor, but he’d get the proof.

  After reaching for the handle on his door, Tyson pushed it open and stepped out of his truck. He strode up the porch and to the front door, knocking once before opening it.

  Ellie, bent over in the most fucking erotic pose he’d ever seen, looked at him from between her legs and smiled.

  “Hey there. I’m just finishing up.”

  “Take your time. I’ll just sit down,” he said, folding himself onto the sofa, “and enjoy the view.”

  She gave a soft laugh and slid her body into another weird pose. Hell, he didn’t understand the yoga stuff, but knew the chicks seemed to dig it. Some of the local gals even drove an hour away to take a class in the neighboring town.

  Watching Ellie with her hands and knees on the floor, her back arched, Tyson’s cock jerked. Damn, he wanted her again. Which made no sense. Why he could want a woman who could look him straight in the eye and lie without batting a lash.

  “Okay, maybe you’d better not watch me,” she muttered. “I can’t think. You’re getting me all hot staring at me like that.”