Free A Killing Cupid (Sensory Ops) by Nikki Duncan Page B

the other victims. Instead, the detailed awareness of what was coming raised the dread.
    There was no way to brace herself for the things she’d heard had happened to those other women. The things that would happen to her if the slightest thing went wrong.
    " Lana. You can back out of this. You can walk out of that room right now."
    She could. She could mutter the code word and have Aidan at her door pretending to be her date. He could search her place and find the killer. Except The Killing Cupid never left DNA behind.
    Without going through with the plan, without getting hard proof that he was there to kill her, Cupid wouldn’t go down for the other murders.
    Other than flowers, a note and a dead body, he never left evidence. No DNA. No survivor s. No witnesses.
    She was their last resort. She was the woman who could save countless others.
    No pressure. Lana shifted her shoulders slightly, picturing a steel rod slipping through her vertebras. This bastard would not scare her away.
    Aidan and his team had warned her that Cupid wouldn’t make his move until she was at her most vulnerable. She would get vulnerable.
    Pretending she was being watched by a man she loved, a man who would be tender and kind, she pulled the tail of her blouse from her skirt. That Aidan's face was the one she pictured was something she wouldn't allow herself the dwell on, but it got her through.
    Blocking the danger from her mind as much as possible, fantasiz ing that the sexy voice in her ear was in her room, she walked to her full length mirror. Facing herself, acutely aware that Aidan could see her reflection, she slipped free the first button of her blouse.
    " Ooh hell." Aidan’s brogue deepened as he drew the words out. If the rest of the team watched...
    Don’t think about it. Do what needs done. The Killing Cupid liked strong, confident women. She would give him one. She breathed deep, calmed her racing heart a little and met her own gaze while picturing instead an arresting, warm milk-chocolate one.
    Emboldened, she slipped the next button free. And then the next.
    One by one, moving lower and lower until she slipped the last disk from its hole, she pictured Aidan’s gaze on her. As she slid the blouse over her shoulders and allowed it to fall to the floor, she imagined his eyes softening with desire.
    Her stomach clenched.
    She reached across her body and lowered the side zipper of her skirt. The brush of her arm over her satin covered breast struck her as clearly as if it was Aidan’s touch. Her nipple puckered. A low moan rumbled in her ear.
    She smiled. He may not like her, but he liked what he saw.
    The skirt dropped to join her blouse. Only her pink , satin bra and matching thong blocked her body from Aidan’s gaze. If he stood in front of her—
    " Lana." Warning weighted Aidan’s voice.
    " Wow." A gravelly voice immediately followed and shattered the erotic haze she’d slipped into. "Seems I saved the sexiest for last."
    She spun on the ball of her foot and swallowed. A tall man, easily clearing six feet and two hundred and fifty pounds stood outside her bathroom door. She’d expected him to come from the closet. Had he, she would have seen his reflection in the mirror.
    How had she forgotten for a second that a killer was in her home? What the hell was wrong with her that she’d given thoughts of Aidan so much control? "You’re..."
    " Going to awaken you more completely than whatever man you were just fantasizing about."
    Cupid was dressed head to toe in a plastic suit—if he wore that suit the entire time, it explained the lack of DNA. A large strap-on hung from his right hand, but his desire at seeing her strip tease was evident beneath the plastic suit. A stocking covered his head, distorting his features. He was creepy, but not unattractive and he somehow seemed familiar.
    " Lana, I’m coming in."
    " No, you’re not." She hoped her words stopped Aidan while also giving Cupid pause. A disconcerting blast of