Drea swallowed the mouthful.“Definitely.Sorry.There’s a fourth.How do you prove they are killing people to cover it up?And is the governorreallyinvolved?”
“That’s five.”
Drea rolled her eyes.“You know what I mean.I’ve read every file twice, and none of them are the smoking bullet.It’s all based on suggestion only, but nothing solid.”
“You do remember someone held us up a gunpoint because of all this, right?”
“I know.But aren’t you the slightest bit curious about how it all fits together?”
Cujo shook his head.“Before you start telling me the carnival ride owner did it, Velma, we should understand the risks first.Not sure it’s worth dying for.”
“Scooby Dooreferences?Really?”Drea chuckled.It felt good to laugh.
They ate in comfortable silence.Cujo topped off her wine.
“I don’t want anything bad to happen, but I feel like I need to exhaust every avenue.”She put her fork down, finally full.
“I understand.”He pulled her chair closer, leaning in for a kiss.Drea savored the tumbling feeling in her chest as his lips pressed against hers.“We’ll go see Carter together.”
She guided his hand inside her robe, watching his eyes darken when his fingers brushed against her breast.
“Have you been naked under here the whole time we’ve been eating Chinese?”Lifting her by her elbows, he encouraged her to stand.He maneuvered her until she stood facing him, hips resting against the table.With a swift tug, the belt of the robe came undone.Drea ran her fingers through his hair.His warm hands slid inside the robe and pushed it open until she was fully exposed to him.
They came to a halt around her back as he rested his forehead on her stomach, his breath tickling her.She gently massaged his scalp with her fingernails.
“Sorry, Drea.You’ve been through enough.”His hands coursed up the side of her ribs, turning her insides to jelly.He pushed away from her.“And you’ve got work in a couple of hours.”He started to pull her robe closed.
“Please,” she gasped, stilling his attempts to stop.
The heart-stopping tenderness in his eyes said more than his words.She kissed the top of his head in silence, unmoving.
He slid the robe off her shoulders and watched as it slipped to the floor.
Instead of the frenzied lovemaking she’d anticipated, Cujo worked his way down her body slowly.Small nips followed by tantalizing flicks of his tongue.By the time he reached her nipples, Drea was sure she was going to explode.
He lifted her into his arms, kissing her.She rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her to his room.
The comforter was cool against her back as Cujo laid her down.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and connected it to a cable.Music came pounding out of speakers somewhere near the dresser.Wait… was that?Big band brass and drums reverberated through the room.
“Frank?”she asked laughing as Sinatra started to singFor Once in My Life.He knew just what she needed.
“Oh yeah, baby,” he said opening the buttons of his shirt while swinging his hips in time to the beat of the song.As the music crescendoed, he pulled both sides of his shirt from his jeans and opened it wide to reveal his incredible chest.
For once in my life, I have someone who needs me.Cujo paused his striptease to give her a tender kiss.
Drea couldn’t contain the laughter as he spun around.He gazed over his shoulder at her while he shimmied out of his shirt, slowly revealing all the glorious ink she had once hated.The shirtsleeves were tight and got stuck over his biceps.She covered her eyes slightly, wincing as he tried to unravel the shirt that was now acting more like a straightjacket.
He tugged at the sleeve.“Come on, motherfucker,” he mumbled, finally breaking his arms free.“Ha!”He spun the shirt in wide circle above his head before throwing it toward her.Drea grabbed it.
With a quick tug, the belt went flying into the wardrobe.The slow descent of his zipper revealed black boxer briefs.Cujo hopped on one foot, trying to get his boot off.He had the body of a Chippendale dancer, the looks of a male model, and the grace of a drunken hippopotamus.All six and a half feet of him making a complete fool of himself all for her.
“This was a lot smoother in my head,” he said laughing at himself.Finally boots and socks off, he stood at the bottom of the bed, legs wide, arms up in the air.
Drea crawled to the end of the mattress, slid both hands into the waistband of his jeans and underwear, and pushed, freeing his hard erection.
Cujo quickly removed the rest of his clothes and pushed her gently back onto the comforter.He grabbed her feet, pulled them together, and lifted her legs up in front of him, kissing her toes.
