The tsunami that has been building below rises high to hit the shore. Balls tight, I shout, exploding inside her with a groan.
“Ah fuck, yesss!”
As I come, she shudders, then collapses onto my chest. I don’t remember drifting off, but at some point in the night, she shifts off me to the mattress. An arm around her waist, I tuck her close.
Best night ever.
Sated, I sleep soundly.
Sometime later, before the sun rises, scents of coffee and sizzling pork wake me. Padding into my tiny kitchen, I slide behind my sexy flygirl to hug her. Wearing only my t-shirt, she’s pure temptation.
Today, we will capture the killer, so we can get back to what’s important. Us.
Ignoring my hard-on, I nibble the back of her neck. “Did you sleep well?”
“Like a rock. How about you?” As I’m about to answer my dog bounds in front of the kibble cabinet, whining pathetically.
“Oh, you big faker.” Hands on her waist, Bree laughs lightly. “Don’t let her fool you. I fed her.”
“We both thank you.” Cup in hand, I pour myself some joe.
After taking a gulp, I tug her to me. “I slept better than drinking a whole bottle of Nyquil.”
“So, making love was kind of like cough medicine?” She’s not a giggler, which makes the sound all the sweeter.
The L-word floors me. I probably shouldn’t make too much of it, but dammit… the warmth in my heart? It feels like coming home.
Shaken to the core, I pull my toaster from the hutch, put it on the table, and plug it into the extension cord. Meanwhile, she forks the crispy meat onto one of my grandmother’s blue willow plates.
Sitting, she clinks her ceramic mug against mine. “Bon appétit.”
When the bread pops up, to my horror, she spreads peanut butter before piling on strips of bacon.
With her mouth full, she moans like she did during the night. “Oh-maaaa-gawd, this is superb.”
Holy hell. All I want to do is drag her back to bed which can’t happen until we find the killer.
Wiping my hands on a napkin, I power up my computer. “If you don’t mind, I want us to review what happened in the woods. Even the smallest detail can help.”
She swallows back her last bite while scooting her chair closer. “Let me think… Before I met Andrea, I had a creepy feeling as if being followed. He might be trolling a larger section of the trail than we think.”
I make a note of it. “Go on.”
“Nothing else. Andee and I argued, I hiked, talked to Herman—” Her lids lower. “The night they fired into my tent, it was pitch black. I still can’t believe I fell asleep—the gunshot scared the shit out of me.”
“Wait. That’s it.” Heart hammering, I move closer to her.
“Not following you.”
“Diego Carmine, if it was him in the forest, he couldn’t’ve used your pistol—he hadn’t stolen it yet. He must’ve had his own. The bullet’s probably still lodged in the dirt. If we find it, it might link him to other unsolved murders, which takes the pressure off you.”
I wonder if I ought to call Hunt. He is the one in charge of the investigation. However, if I do, he won’t let her anywhere near the crime scene. If he forbids her, she might try to go it alone. Also, after the parking lot incident, I’m not keen on sharing intel.
Dammit. Clearly, I’m biased. I should hand in my badge—but who would take over as sheriff?
“Oorah.” Determined to put an end to this, I stand. “Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.”
Chapter 28
