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“Like throwing a stone into water and watching the ripple,” Noah said.
“Some stones are bigger than others.”
“But there’s always a ripple.”
“He gets off on the idea that no one will ever figure out that he’s the one causing it,” she said.
Noah turned her back around. The scent of her conditioner filled the shower and his hands massaged her head again.
Holmes fit this profile well. Who would suspect an upstanding doctor of savagely murdering innocent women? Fisher was more believable as someone who could be violent but in the last eight years, he’d cultivated a persona of kindness and helpfulness. He was a devout member of his church. He volunteered to help with almost every program the church offered and he ran the AA and NA meetings. He’d hid his obsessive side well.
Once Josie’s hair was thoroughly rinsed, Noah helped her out of the shower and wrapped her in a towel. He used another to dry her hair. Her mind went wonderfully blank as she watched droplets of water slide down his toned chest.
“Where’s Trinity?” she asked.
“Walking Trout.”
“Really?”
He didn’t catch the suggestive note in her voice.
“Noah,” she said. “We’re alone.”
“Yeah.”
“I mean alone-alone. No houseguests. No family. No dog.”
“No broody teenager.”
She smacked his chest.
“I’m kidding,” he said, tossing the towel aside and smoothing her hair away from her face.
Josie let the towel wrapped around her body fall to the floor. Excitement and anticipation thrummed through her body.
“You just dislocated your shoulder,” Noah said, but his hands were on her ass again.
“So?” Josie breathed. “That just means you’ll have to be careful.”
“Okay.” Noah lowered his mouth to hers. Between kisses, he said, “Do you want to know what Gretchen said before or after I clear your head?”
Josie pressed herself against him. “After,” she said breathlessly.
He laughed against her mouth. “Well, this is a first.”
“Shut up,” she said, but she found herself laughing, too.
“Your sexy talk is improving,” he teased as she threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.
It was a long-running joke between them that Josie was so obsessive about work that she couldn’t help discussing cases in bed. It was also a fact that sex helped clear her head. In that department, her husband always overdelivered. She didn’t want to wait a second longer.
“Noah.” Josie nipped at his lower lip. “Put that mouth to better use.”
* * *
“So?” Josie sat propped up in their bed, wearing one of her husband’s T-shirts while he helped get her left arm into the sling. Her mind was blissfully quiet. “What did Gretchen say?”
A smile curved his lips. “You’re not even going to let me bask in my postcoital glow?”
