As Olivia kicked off her shoes and took off her slacks, Daniel pulled the bedspread down, revealing black-and-gray striped sheets.
He got beneath the sheets and watched as she took off her hose, leaving her only in a pair of pale pink panties and a matching lacy bra.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve replayed in my mind that night with you in New Orleans,” he said, his voice husky and unusually deep.
“I’ve thought about it, too,” she admitted. She got into the bed and he instantly pulled her into his arms. His bare skin was warm against hers and his hands moved to her back and her bra fastening. He had it undone in a mere second. He pulled it off her shoulders and tossed it to the floor as his mouth found hers once again.
His broad chest against her naked breasts provided an exquisite sensation and when his hands moved to cover them, a gasp of pleasure escaped her.
This couldn’t be wrong when it felt so right. This couldn’t be wrong because she had both eyes open and knew not to expect anything more from him than these moments in his bed.
Another gasp escaped from her as his lips left her mouth and trailed down her neck and then captured the tip of one of her breasts.
She moved her hands to the back of his head, keeping him there as he kissed and sucked. He moved his head just enough to give attention to her other breast, teasing and licking as electric tingles shot through her center and spread to encompass her entire body.
It didn’t take long before she wanted them both completely naked. She needed to touch him, to taste him. She wanted him to remember this time with her as she knew she’d always remember it.
She took the lead, breaking away from him and tugging on his boxers. His eyes glowed a silvery green as she finished removing his boxers.
“My turn,” he whispered. He slipped his thumbs between the sides of her panties and her bare skin. With agonizing slowness he pulled her panties down her thighs, below her knees and finally off her body.
He slid his hands back up her legs, as if memorizing their shape by touch alone. She ran her hands down his chest, loving the play of his muscles beneath the warm flesh.
He moaned as she wrapped her fingers around his hardness. She moved her hand up and down, stroking him to a higher fever of passion. He tangled his fingers in her hair and moaned her name as she continued to caress him intimately. She leaned down and took him in her mouth, and his fingers tightened their tangle in her tresses.
“You’re driving me crazy,” he said, his voice distorted with his desire.
She stopped and looked at him. “I want you crazy. I want you insane for me.” Once again she began to lick and suck his velvety hardness until he finally pushed her away.
“No more,” he panted. “If you don’t stop now I’ll be done, and I don’t want this to be done yet.”
“I don’t want this done yet, either,” she replied.
She hadn’t had enough of him yet. The scent of his cologne dizzied her head and she wished she could capture it to have it in her senses forever.
He rolled her over on her back and began to love her body, starting at her lips and then slowly moving downward. It was as if he’d made love to her a hundred times before and knew just where to touch, exactly where to kiss to bring her the most pleasure.
Once again he latched on to one of her swollen nipples and teased and tormented. While his mouth gave special attention to her breasts, one of his hands stroked down her stomach and to the place she most wanted...needed his touch.
She arched her hips to meet him, surprised to find herself close to an explosive release. He knew just the right amount of pressure, just the right speed of finger movement to bring her quickly to the edge where she cascaded over with a violent intensity that left her breathless and weak.
“Again,” she managed to gasp as her hands clutched tightly to his shoulders.
He laughed, a low sexy rumble and once again moved his fingers to touch her intimately. This time her climax was less intense but no less pleasurable.
“Now I want you inside me.”
“I love a woman who knows exactly what she wants.” He moved between her thighs and slowly eased into her. She closed her eyes and gripped him firmly by the shoulders, loving the way they fit so perfectly together.
They moved together in a rhythm her body remembered despite the years that had gone by. They started slow and then increased their pace, and despite the fact that he’d already given her two exquisite climaxes, the crashing waves of yet another one approached.
As if he sensed how close she was, he increased the depth and quickness of his strokes inside her. She once again gasped his name as the waves threatened to drown her and she shuddered uncontrollably.
He thrust a final time into her, moaning her name and finding his own release. He collapsed halfway on top of her, the bulk of his weight held on his elbows. His face was mere inches from hers and he used his hands to brush her hair away from her face. He then kissed her so tenderly it was as if he reached inside her and caressed her heart.
At least she knew tonight wouldn’t produce any unintended consequences. She’d been on the pill since after Lily’s birth. Thinking about Lily made her realize it was time for her to get home.
“I’ve got to go,” she said.
“Stay,” he replied, his voice filled with a soft yearning that tugged at her heart. “Spend tonight with me, Olivia. Just this one night, stay and wake up in my arms in the morning.”
She could think of a million reasons why she shouldn’t, one of the biggest because she wanted to so badly. “I really should get home,” she replied, and still she didn’t make a move to get out of the bed.
“I can get mozzarella sticks delivered to Lily if you’ll let her share her mommy with me tonight.”
She smiled up at him. “You realize that’s blatant manipulation.”
“If it works then I’m not apologizing.”
Her head said to get up and leave, to go home where she belonged. But for just tonight she wanted to pretend that she belonged here with him.
“Order the cheese sticks. I’m not going anywhere,” she said, unaware that she had made up her mind before the words fell out of her mouth.
He rolled over to the side of the bed and picked up his cell phone. While he made the call to Jimmy’s Place, she scooted out of bed, grabbed her blouse and pulled it around her. She went down the hallway first to the bathroom and then to the kitchen to retrieve her purse and her own cell phone.
She quickly texted her mother that she was pulling another overnighter and fought the wave of guilt that swept over her. She didn’t like to lie to her mother, but what was she supposed to do? Text her that she’d just had hot sex with Daniel and wanted to spend the rest of the night in his arms?
She dropped her phone back into her purse and picked up her gun belt from the floor and carried them both back to the bedroom.
“Mozzarella sticks ordered and will be delivered within fifteen minutes or so,” Daniel said.
“And I just texted Mom to let her know I wouldn’t be home until morning.” She dropped her purse on the floor and placed her gun belt on the nightstand. She then removed her blouse and got back into the bed with him.
He immediately pulled her back into his arms and she placed her head on his chest, where she could hear his steady heartbeat in her ear.
He stroked up and down her back with one hand and a relaxation she hadn’t felt since first arriving in Lost Lagoon swept over her.
She’d deal with recriminations and potential regrets tomorrow. Tonight she just wanted to feel like a woman who was loved and cherished. Tonight she just wanted to pretend that she was snuggled against the man who was meant to be in her life forever.
It was a wonderful fantasy that she knew would be shattered by the morning light.
Chapter Ten
There was no question that waking with Olivia in his arms had been wonderful. Throughout the next day, Daniel could think of little else except what they’d shared the night before and then waking to the early morning dawn with her warm naked curves cuddled next to him.
He’d expected the morning to be awkward, and it had been. Olivia had been eager to get back home and shower and change and then get back to the office. She’d been distant but not completely closed off. As they drank coffee they’d made plans for him to eat dinner at her place that evening and then surprise Lily with a trip to the ice cream parlor.
He’d followed her to her house and waited in the driveway while she showered and dressed and then got into her car. He’d then followed her to the station where she’d disappeared into her office.
He knew her time here was running out with just a couple of weeks or so left. She’d been sent here to check the department for any further corruption, and he knew from her conversations with him that she’d pretty well completed her internal investigation.
Solving Shelly’s murder had not been the reason she’d been sent here to take over as sheriff. It was very possible, despite the rumor they’d begun of an imminent arrest, that the case would fall on the next sheriff’s desk.
It surprised him how much he would miss her when she left. He’d known all along she was only here temporarily, and he’d thought having her in his life, in his bed temporarily would be fine, that it would be enough for him.
But he wasn’t ready to tell her goodbye yet. At least he had the evening to look forward to, sharing dinner with Olivia, Rose and Lily, and then surprising Lily with the trip to the ice cream parlor.
“One day at a time,” he muttered to himself.
Josh looked up from his desk nearby. “Did you say something?”
“Nothing worthwhile,” Daniel replied. He leaned back in his chair and released a deep sigh. “I just thought that something would have happened by now to break the Sinclair case wide open.”
“It hasn’t been that long since you and Sheriff Bradford put out the word that an arrest was about to happen,” Josh replied.
“Yeah, but I thought once word got out, the murderer would panic and do something stupid or at least do something that would bring him into our awareness. So far all of our suspects are going about their lives as usual.”
“Which begs the question of do we even have the perp on our list of suspects?” Josh replied.
“Bite your tongue,” Daniel said. “I don’t even want to think about the possibility that there’s somebody out there we don’t know about, somebody who has managed to stay out of our radar for all this time.”
“If you think about it, Shelly could have been murdered by almost any man in town,” Josh continued. “I mean, she was a pretty young woman sitting on a bench in an isolated part of town in the middle of the night.”
“All the people we have on our suspect list have potential motive in her murder. Why would a man who just happened upon her murder her?” Daniel’s frustration grew by the minute.
“I’m just throwing out suppositions. Her diamond ring was stolen. Maybe it was nothing more than somebody needing the money to pawn the ring. Or, maybe it was a potential sexual assault gone bad.”
“Her purse was left on the bench and she had both cash and a credit card inside that wasn’t stolen. It wasn’t a robbery and you’re really going out of your way to ruin my day,” Daniel replied.
Josh grinned at him. “That’s what good friends are for.”
Daniel returned his attention to the file in front of him. He’d already considered all the scenarios Josh had brought up. It was possible the guilty person wasn’t on their suspect list, but his gut instinct told him he was.
Shelly’s engagement ring had been pretty, but certainly not a large diamond that could be pawned for any sizable amount of money. Besides, they’d contacted every pawn shop in the state to let them know about the stolen ring.
To the best of everyone’s knowledge, the ring hadn’t been pawned. Also Shelly’s clothing hadn’t shown any indication of a sexual attack. No rips or tears, nothing to point to a potential molestation.
At noon he stuck his head into Olivia’s office to see if she wanted to go out for a bite to eat, but she declined, telling him that she intended to work through lunch.
Instead of eating out, Josh drove through George’s Diner and picked up burgers and fries and the two deputies went into the small break room to eat lunch.
“I don’t want to eat too much,” Josh said as he unwrapped one of the smaller burgers George offered on his menu. “Savannah is making beef Wellington for dinner tonight.”
“When are you going to marry that girl?”
Josh smiled and his eyes softened. “Actually, we’re planning a small ceremony and a reception in two months. Savannah has had her head in bridal magazines and she’s planning on doing most of the work herself. I’m actually glad you brought it up because I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’d be my best man.”
Daniel swallowed his bite of burger and chased it with a quick sip of his soda, surprised and touched by Josh’s question. “I’d be honored to be your best man,” he replied.
“Good, I was hoping you’d agree.”
“I know Savannah had always wanted to open a fine-dining restaurant here in town. Has she given up on that idea?”
“Not at all,” Josh said. “She gave up on the idea when Shelly was murdered. She gave up on pretty much everything then, but she now intends to follow through on that dream after our wedding.”
“And what do you think about that?”
Josh smiled, again a softness creeping into his eyes. “I want her to fulfill every dream she’ll ever have. I totally support the idea of her opening a restaurant. Besides, it would be great if she got it up and running at around the same time that the theme park opens. Tourists will flock to a nice restaurant while they’re on vacation.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Daniel agreed and then frowned. “And now if only we had a good plan to get this murder case solved and filed away forever.”
Daniel spent the rest of the afternoon reading through all of the interviews they had conducted, trying to glean a new name, another piece of information that might move their investigation forward.
By five o’clock he was more than ready to call it a day and enjoy dinner with Olivia and her family. “It’s a perfect ice cream evening,” he said as he and Olivia left by the back door and stepped into the humid, hot air.
“Lily is going to be so excited. She and my mom have been cooped up in that house since the day we arrived in town.”
He was pleased that the distance he’d felt radiating from her that morning was gone and everything appeared normal between them.
“I’ll see you at your house,” he said as they reached her car. He waited for her to get inside her vehicle and then hurried to his own so that he could follow her.
As he drove he tried to empty his mind of all thoughts about murder and about Olivia’s assignment here being over soon. He just wanted to enjoy every minute of time with her that he could before it was time for her to move on.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to park in front of the bright yellow shanty she called home for now. Lily’s pixie face was pressed against the front window and lit with joy at the sight of them approaching the door.
“Nanny, they’re here!” Her voice drifted out and Daniel couldn’t help the smile that curved his lips at the sound of her excitement. Somehow the little minx had managed to capture a little piece of his heart.
Olivia opened the door and immediately moved to the pad on the wall to deal with the alarm. Meanwhile Lily grabbed Daniel’s hand and smiled up at him.
“Nanny told me you were eating with us a
gain tonight and I was so happy,” she exclaimed.
“I was happy, too. I’d much rather eat Nanny’s cooking than my own,” Daniel replied.
“Do you cook bad?” Lily asked.
“I don’t cook very good,” Daniel replied.
“We’re having my favorite, meat loaf and Nanny’s homemade mac and cheese,” Lily said.
“How about a hello for your mother?” Olivia asked as she unfastened her gun belt and placed it in its usual spot on the top of one of the kitchen cabinets.
“Hello, Mommy.” Lily dropped Daniel’s hand and rushed toward her mother for a round of kisses and hugs.
“Good evening, Deputy Carson,” Rose said with a warm smile.
“Same to you and please make it Daniel.”
“Then Daniel it is,” she replied with a pleased expression.
“Now, what can I do to help?”
Olivia and Lily had disappeared into Rose’s bedroom where he knew Olivia would be changing clothes.
“Absolutely nothing. Just sit and relax. How about a tall glass of lemonade?”
“That sounds great,” he agreed and sat at the table in the chair where he had sat each time he’d shared a meal with them.
Rose poured him a glass of the cold beverage and while they waited for Olivia and Lily to return from the bedroom, he and Rose chatted about the pirate theme park that would eventually open.
“It will definitely change things around here,” he said. “With all the tourists they’re hoping to attract the town will benefit both financially and socially.”
“We haven’t had a chance to really see any of the town,” Rose said as she pulled a large meat loaf from the lower rack of the oven. “Olivia has insisted we stay inside and don’t go exploring. I even have groceries delivered here.”
“Maybe we can change that a little bit this evening,” Olivia said as she and Lily returned to the room. She looked positively stunning with her hair loose around her shoulders and clad in white shorts and a sleeveless hot-pink blouse. Lily was like a mini-me in pink shorts and a pink-and-white checked top. Daniel got back to his feet at the sight of them.
Scene of the Crime: Who Killed Shelly Sinclair? Page 12