Heat Of The Night

Heat Of The Night
Donna Kauffman

SHE MAKES HIM AN OFFER…Detective Brady O'Keefe doesn't want a relationship–doesn't believe in relationships. Especially now that he's knee-deep in a murder investigation that threatens the mayor's reelection campaign. An investigation that would go much more smoothly if only he could concentrate on more than the mayor's sexy PR consultant….…HE CAN'T REFUSE!Erin Mahoney can't afford to lose this job, but working day–and night–with Brady O'Keefe is driving her to distraction! How can she focus on press releases when all she can do is fantasize about the two of them giving each other some release? So what will it hurt to offer him one night of sex to get it out of their systems, with no strings attached? Little does she guess that being tied up by Brady will be way too appealing….

“I have a plan,” Erin said

Brady folded his arms trying to remain in control of the situation. Only, just looking at Erin kept him aroused. “A plan?”

“I was thinking that neither of us really has time for a relationship. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have…needs.” She reached up and toyed with his collar. “I thought we both could use a release valve. One with no strings, no demands. Just a safe outlet.”

Brady knew there was nothing safe about Erin Mahoney. Not intellectually and sure as hell not sexually. And yet even as he stood there trying to convince himself he should turn her down, he knew he wouldn’t.

So he didn’t. Reaching for her, he crushed her lips with his. His hands slid over her curves, his fingers brushing the sides of her breasts as she moaned softly. He settled his hands on her hips, lifting her up. “Wrap your legs around me,” he said in a husky voice as he carried her toward the bedroom. “Because I’ve got some plans of my own….”

Dear Reader,

I’ve always been a sucker for a cop story. The suspense, the drama, the fight for justice. Probably because I’m the daughter of a cop and have been a witness to that life for most of my own. Of course, as I got older, I wanted romance to go along with the suspense and drama. The rugged, hard-nosed detective who gets his man…and then gets his woman! In my case, I got what I wanted, both in the books I read and wrote, and in real life. In fact, it was while researching a story that I met my husband. He’s not a hard-nosed detective, but I was just as captivated by him as a SWAT team commander.

I hope you’re a sucker for a good cop story, too. I think you’ll enjoy watching Erin Mahoney shake up hard-nosed homicide detective Brady O’Keefe. And I know you’ll enjoy seeing just how Brady gets his woman.

Happy reading!

Donna Kauffman

P.S. I love to hear from readers.

Check out my Web site at www.donnakauffman.com.

Books by Donna Kauffman

HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION

828—WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

Heat of the Night

Donna Kauffman

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

This book is dedicated to my Lawman.

Contents

Chapter 1 (#u273f5d5a-942f-5f86-9f95-3a23c9c77062)

Chapter 2 (#uc19aee4c-3f70-55fa-bcd4-a303ff9c3127)

Chapter 3 (#u87518471-e4ed-5e67-8cdc-8435ff4b0bcd)

Chapter 4 (#ub41fa300-355a-58a2-9e76-fa7df5bb6ee7)

Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

1

“THE HANDCUFFS and leather mask could be explained in any number of ways.” Bill Henley swiveled his chair around and gazed out his office window. Fog still hugged the streets of Philadelphia, but Mayor Henley probably wasn’t thinking about traffic jams or whether the mist would burn off before his nine o’clock tee off time.

Homicide detective Brady O’Keefe waited impatiently for Henley to come to terms with reality. The mayor was right about the handcuffs and leather mask. But the pink tutu and satin bustier his friend had also been wearing were another matter altogether, not to mention the feather whip. Brady wished for about the hundredth time this morning that the commissioner wasn’t in bed with the flu. He should be here holding Henley’s hand so Brady could get back to solving the city’s latest murder.

A minute passed, then another. Brady sighed, then spoke quietly but directly. “Sir, I did what I could to squash the media coverage. But Sanderson was very well known, and…” He stopped, knowing he didn’t have to tell the mayor how bad this was going to look when it hit the papers. And it would hit the papers. Morton Sanderson was a major player in the Philadelphia business community and a chief backer of Henley’s upcoming reelection campaign. He was also a self-righteous blowhard, notorious for his public drubbing of anyone who fell short of his strict code of morality.

Which made that pink tutu particularly hard to deal with.

“Well, I don’t think you or anyone else is going to be able to make this go away or keep it under wraps,” Brady finished. He hated all this political-posturing crap. He wasn’t good at pussyfooting around, much less putting positive spins on things that weren’t remotely positive. He’d gotten where he was by focusing on one thing and one thing only: getting to the truth. He stood straighter. “To be frank, sir, I need to get back to the station. I’ve got interviews lined up all morning and I can’t afford to waste time on who is going to write what in the morning papers.”

The mayor swung back around, appearing ready to blast him for his insubordination, but abruptly stopped. His expression turned weary, but it was the real grief in the depths of his eyes that made Brady rein in his impatience.

“Just find out who set him up, O’Keefe,” Henley said quietly. “I’ll take care of the media.”

“Sir, with respect, there is no indication of a setup. Not yet anyway.”

“I know Mort rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but I know—knew—him better than most. No way did he die in a seedy hotel while taking part in some sort of kinky sex scandal. There’s something else going on here. Find the truth, Detective O’Keefe. And find it fast.”

“Yes, sir.”