Marie Rochelle - Devilishy Yours Read online

  “I always talk to the press when I feel the leads are turning cold. I had to smoke you out some kind of way.” He said factiously, “And look, it worked.” He smirked. “You came to me, and I didn’t have to break out in a sweat to find you.”

  “Why aren’t you listening to me?” Ajana snapped. “I’m not guilty. You have the wrong woman. I haven’t robbed any jewelry stores.”

  Jerking his arms again, Ryan struggled to get out of the handcuffs.

  He was growing tired of hearing Ajana’s lies; the station had a videotape of her in action. She wasn’t going to get away with it.

  “Miss Bennett, you’re guilty as sin and I’m going to prove it.”

  * * * *

  Ajana didn’t know how she was going to get herself out of this mess. Officer Lerner was wrong. She wasn’t the thief the cops had been searching for these past two months, but it didn’t seem like he was going to believe her. Everything had been fine with her last hideout, until Officer Ryan Lerner decided to go on television and display her picture to the world.

  First, she had been captivated by how handsome Officer Lerner was; so much so, she hadn’t heard the words coming out of his mouth. But the second her picture flashed across the screen, the fog of lust in her mind cleared up and she immediately went into action. It had taken her all of five seconds to get out of the restaurant, and into her car.

  During the two hour drive back to town, her mind played out several ways to get Officer Lerner to listen to her side of the story, but not once did any of her ideas involve kidnapping the handsome cop. God, she was already looking at twelve years in prison for a jewel heist she didn’t commit. Now she could add life to her sentence for kidnapping an officer against his will. If she didn’t rectify this, she wasn’t ever going to see the light of day.

  Sitting down on the table in front of Ryan, Ajana crossed her legs and ran her eyes up and down the length of the hunk in front of her. Television showed off how nice-looking he was, but it didn’t do him justice. The television diminished how thick and shiny his dark brown hair was. It failed to show the green flecks in his dark brown eyes, making them look hazel at times.

  “Stop staring at me and let me go. I swear I’ll do anything I can to help you get a lesser sentence.” Ryan toiled in a desperate attempt to bait her. Ajana shook her head slowly.

  “No, I can’t let you go. You’re my only hope of clearing my name of these charges. You should know that the kidnapper never let’s the hostage goes until they are positive their every demand has been meet.”

  “Your demands aren’t going to be met because you’re guilty. I have all the proof out in my car.” Ryan tossed back at her.

  “What proof?” She watched as Ryan pressed his lips together then turned his head away from her.

  “Don’t tell me then. I can go out there and get it myself; but you should know Officer Lerner, I’m not going to prison for a crime I didn’t commit.” Spinning on her heel Ajana raced from the room back out to the car in the garage.

  * * * *

  “I’m such an idiot!” Ryan cursed at himself. “How could I let her know that all of the evidence was out there in the car? She’s going to destroy it, and I’m going to be in a heap of trouble?” He had to find a way out of these damned handcuffs, and soon. Ajana honestly believe she was innocent and a desperate people would do desperate things to prove that they’re right.

  He hated that Ajana was on the wrong side of the law because she was one hot little number, especially wearing the eggshell sweater and jeans. He had noticed how her butt was cupped nicely in her jeans as she ran from the room. He twisted around in the chair to relive some of the ache in his jeans. Had he really been without a woman for so long that he was lusting after the prime suspect in an on going case? Shit, after this was over he would have to dig out that little black book and find an old girlfriend to call up.

  Closing his eyes he thought back to what he might have wanted to hook up with.

  “Hey, I know you aren’t asleep so why are your eyes closed?” Ajana came back into the room with his bag in her hand. Sitting down on the couch she tossed the gun on the table and then unzipped his bag.

  “I didn’t tell you that you could go through my things.” He retorted watching as she tossed items from his bag onto the table.

  “I don’t need to ask your permission for anything that I do, handsome. I wanted to look inside here so I did.” Ajana answered then smiled at him before reaching back into his dark blue bag.

  “Flirting with me isn’t going to make me be on your side.” Ryan replied not liking how her compliment made him feel. Damn, he was hard up for a woman when a known criminal was turning him on.

  “Just stating the oblivious,” Ajana countered. “You know that you’re an attractive man. If we had met under different circumstances, I might have approached you. I have a weakness for men who look like you.”

  Ryan sat silently as he observed Ajana lift her file and spread it across the glass table. She didn’t say a word to him as she read over her file and looked at all the witness statements that were also included. He wanted to tear his eyes away from her but he couldn’t. It seemed like a light was around her that drew his undivided attention.

  Ajana was totally different than he imagined she would be. She was spunky, border lining on tough; however there was a softness about her. Ajana almost had him doubting that it was she on all of the surveillance cameras.

  Shit, if Sergeant Webster knew he was thinking this away, he would have an appointment with the department shrink in five minutes flat.

  “This isn’t me in these photos. I have never been to any of these places.” Ajana uttered drawing his eyes down to her full bottom lip.

  “Don’t play with me. It’s you and we both know it.” Ryan muttered. “Look you’re holding a close up of your face in your hand. Are you really going to tell me that isn’t you?”

  “Yes, I am. You have to trust me. Officer Lerner, I swear this isn’t me in any of these pictures.”

  “It’s kind of hard to trust you when I’m still handcuffed to this chair.” Ryan commented.

  Chapter Four

  “Do you think I’m crazy?” Ajana chuckled at him. The sound of her laughter echoed through the house and across his tense body. She stopped laughing long enough to compose herself then she waved a small hand in his direction. “The second I let you go my ass would be sitting in that seat instead of yours.”

  Ryan was pissed with the way Ajana wasn’t taking him at his word. Why did she think she knew him so well? They had only been around each other for maybe two hours at the most. He wasn’t a man that gave his word then turned around and took it back. “No, I swear I’ll sit and listen to your side. I’m open to hearing what you have to say.”

  He couldn’t put his finger on but there was something in Ajana’s eyes that made him want to believe her. Could it be the direct way she kept looking at him? Or he was just in awe of the woman’s picture he had been staring at for the past sixty days?

  “How many people have fallen for that line of crap?” Ajana inquired coming toward him. “You’re a cop and your first duty is to protect and serve the innocent.”

  “You keep telling me you’re innocent. Let me go so I can believe you more. If you’re convincing enough, I’ll do everything in my power to help you prove it.”

  Falling down on his lap Ajana ran her fingers through his hair. He knew shouldn’t like how good her body felt against his, but he did. Ryan turned his head away from Ajana’s wandering fingers. He needed to control his body’s response to her. Hell, if he didn’t feel the heat between them rises, and by her heated gaze, she felt it too.

  “I don’t believe you, Officer Lerner. You are trying to con me and I don’t like it.”

  Ajana breathed softly into his ear.

  The heat of her breath made his pulse rise, and his groin tighten.

  “Stop flirting with me Miss Bennett, it isn’t going to work. We both know that you’re
a sensual woman, but only your brains are going to work with me, so can you please get off of me.”

  Ryan looked Ajana straight in the eye.

  Minutes past while Ajana ran her hands from his hair across his shoulders and it was taking all his willpower not to shiver under her light caress. Why did this happen to him? First he fell for Syleena when she was already head over heels in love with Storm. Now he was getting all hot and bothered for a jewel thief.

  Maybe he had some kind of chemical imbalance that needed to be fixed with medication? Tonight was Halloween and there was a full moon outside that could also explain his bizarre behavior. Soft fingers tapped against the stubble on his cheek before Ajana exhaled noisily and got up from his lap.

  “You can’t blame a girl from trying.”

  She shrugged her shoulders, and sauntered back over to the couch and sat down.

  He stared at Ajana as she dropped her head into her hands, and ran her fingers back and forth through her thick hair in frustration.

  He could only guess what was going on in that psychotic mind of hers now.

  * * * *

  Her plan wasn’t coming together like she hoped. Ryan thought she was lying; and none of her friends or family wanted anything to do with her now. She would never forget this Halloween night. Tonight was the night that her life official ended along with what little bit of common sense she had left.

  How had she gone from working at one of the hottest jewelry stores in Atlanta, to being the prime suspect of robbing it and five others? She knew that she would never do something like that because she appreciated her job, and could afford to purchase fine jewels. Shit, she remembered the times she prayed for a commission from a ring sale. She never thought about a five-finger discount with any of the merchandise back then, why would she try to steal it now.

  She had loved her job.

  Everyone there made her feel like a part of the family, she wouldn’t think about hurting them like that. She needed to be vindicated, and to succeed in doing that; she must first find a way to make Officer Lerner see that it wasn’t her on the security tapes. Ryan Lerner may not like it, but he was her only chance at clearing her name from this awful mess. She wasn’t about to let him go anywhere until that happened.

  “You are going to help me whether you like it or not.” Rising to stand in front of him, she watched as he looked up at her. “I wouldn’t be in half this mess if you hadn’t flashed my picture across the television.”

  “I don’t help criminals and that’s what you are Ajana Bennett.” Ajana took a closer step towards Ryan, when the doorbell rung.

  “Who in the hell could that be?” She uttered rushing over to the window. Pulling back the curtain she peeked out and noticed several trick or treaters on the porch. Tossing back the curtains she hurried back over to Ryan.

  “There are about seven or eight kids on your porch wanting Halloween candy. We aren’t going to answer that door, do you understand me?”

  “We have too. I give them candy every year and if I don’t their parents will become suspicious, especially since they saw me pull into the garage.”

  “Shit.”

  “You know what this means don’t you?”

  Ajana hated the ideas formulating in her mind. “No, I’m not going to let you go to that door. Tell me where the candy is and I’ll give it to them.” She gazed around the room but she didn’t see a bag of candy.

  “You can’t be serious.” Ryan laughed. “It will look even odder if you open my door. My nosy neighbors know that I don’t have a girlfriend; so I want to know how will you explain yourself to them, especially after having your face plastered all over the tube?”

  She despised that Ryan was right. The ringing of the doorbell brought her focus back onto the situation at hand. “Fine, I’ll let you go to the door, but if you try anything funny… you will regret it.”

  “I have an extra key to the cuffs over there in the bowl by the front door.”

  Rushing over to the door, Ajana grabbed the key then raced back over to the table and picked up her gun. She got close to Ryan and waved it under his nose; missing how his eyes narrowed on the gun before they shot back up to her face.

  “Don’t try to be a wise guy or I’ll shoot you.” Moving behind Ryan, Ajana quickly undid the handcuffs and followed him over to the door.

  “Don’t worry; I don’t want a bullet in my back.” Ryan opened a cabinet drawer by the front door and pulled out a huge bag of bubble gum. “Are you going to let the kids see you with that?” He questioned nodding down at the gun in her hand.

  “No, I’m not.” She tossed back sliding behind the door she Ryan could open it.

  The second the door swung open she heard excited voice scream.

  “Officer Ryan. What took you so long? We knew you were in there.”

  “I’m sorry my little ghosts and witches. I was tied up and couldn’t get to the door as quickly as I wanted to.” Ryan’s deep voice answered. “I guess I have to give everyone two pieces of gum to make up for it, don’t I?”

  “No, I think it should be three pieces.” One little girl chimed in.

  “Yeah, I agree with Sara. We were waiting for you a long time Office Ryan,” A little boy complained.

  “Well, I guess I can spare three pieces for my favorite sidekicks in the neighborhood,” Ryan joked back with the children.

  She couldn’t help but smile at the way Ryan let the children think they had conned him into extra pieces of candy. She listened as Ryan talked with the children before he sent them on to the next house.

  “You have a way with kids.” Ajana praised Ryan as he closed the door and tossed the candy back on the cabinet. “They really like you.”

  “They’re sweet kids. I like them too.” Ryan spun around and faced her so fast she almost dropped the gun.

  She didn’t like how Ryan kept taking steps closer to her. From her position he towered over her shorter frame; she was rapidly losing her advantage over him because she was losing control fast. Pointing the gun toward the middle of his chest, Ajana lowered her voice. “Go sit back down.”

  “I’m not going back to that chair and you can’t make me.” Ryan took two quick steps boxing her body in with his.

  “I’m the one holding the gun Officer Lerner. I think I’m calling the shots here.”

  “I don’t think so, Miss Bennett.” Ryan disagreed.

  “Do you want to get shot on Halloween? I’m pissed off enough to do it.” She threatened.

  “Ajana, you aren’t going to shoot me with that gun,” Ryan smirked.

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s a toy gun,” Ryan snarled. Snatching the gun out of her hand he pitched it on the table behind them.

  Shit, what in the hell was she going to do now!

  Chapter Five

  Ryan cursed his stupidity as he wrapped his fingers around Ajana’s arm and dragged her over to the couch. Why hadn’t he noticed before now that it was a toy gun? God, he should quit his job right now out of shame.

  “I can’t believe you forced me into my house with a toy gun.” He tossed Ajana’s struggling body down on the love seat. “Sit here and don’t move a muscle. I have to call the station and report this. You’re going to spend a long time in prison for this little stunt.” Ryan promised. Ajana jumped up from the couch and he pushed her back down.

  “I told you to sit still.” Brushing his hand off her shoulder, Ajana threw him a look that could have melted ice.

  “It’s not a toy gun. My ex-boyfriend worked on a movie set. It’s a prop; and it must have looked pretty authentic because it fooled you,” she taunted. Ryan wasn’t going to let Ajana get the best of him.

  “You were hiding in the backseat of my car at night. What was I suppose to do when I felt a gun pointed in the back of my head. I didn’t have any other choice but to listen to you.”

  A small grinned kicked up the left corner of Ajana’s mouth making her even sexier to him, but he wasn’t supposed to n
otice that. He chided himself. What was wrong with him when it came to this woman? Why was he debating back and forth with her instead of calling Sergeant Webster? Was he one of those freaks that lusted after criminals after reading about them in the paper or seeing them on television?

  “I scared you didn’t I?” Crossing her legs, Ajana leaned back against the couch and gave him a full grin.

  “Don’t get smug, Miss Bennett, because you are enjoying the last of your freedom, this charade is almost over.” Spinning on his heels, Ryan walked over to the phone and picked it up. Before he could dial one number, the receiver was snatched out of his hand and slammed back down.