She tore her gaze from the curling wisps of hair visible at the open V of his shirt and sighed. “The flowers look fine. They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“Call the club and cancel for tonight.”
Now what was he up to? “I won’t be dancing until Hank can be there for backup. I’ve got three nights off.”
He lightly fingered a loose curl that lay on her cheek. “Good. Come spend a few days with me in Gloucester.”
Tempting. Too freaking tempting. She should say no. She should throw him out. Tell him she wouldn’t see him again. Some stranger lurking inside her heart took command of her tongue. “Okay. Let me pack a bag.”
On the way to the bedroom Lara questioned her own sanity. She had never been a woman who sought out relationships destined to go nowhere. As much as she’d like to deny it, she had to accept her growing attachment to Reino. Should she open herself to the hurt that would surely come when he tired of her?
* * * *
Reino entered the bedroom and walked over to Lara, who stood at her dressing table. Her eyes met his in the mirror. He couldn’t get enough of this woman, might never get enough of her. His hands descended on her shoulders, and he placed a kiss on the top of her head. Her hair smelled of rosemary, probably the shampoo she’d used that morning. Thoughts of her filled his mind day and night.
He feathered his fingers across her collarbone, coming to rest on her buttons of the old denim shirt. One by one, he undid them, while nuzzling one side of her neck and gently biting her earlobe. The shirt slipped to the floor. She wore no bra, but he’d known that the minute he’d walked in. Her nipples had peaked then, just as they did now.
He cupped her breasts and rolled the turgid tips with his thumbs. At her moan, he shifted his gaze to the mirror. What a passionate creature she was. Her head rested on his shoulder, her eyes closed, lips parted. “Look at me,” he commanded softly.
Her lashes fluttered against her flushed cheeks before opening. He inhaled sharply at the hot desire burning in her blue eyes. “Let’s stay here tonight. Go to Gloucester in the morning,” she whispered.
She pushed his hands away and turned in his arms. Her fingers made fast work of the snap and zipper on his jeans. She dropped to her knees and hooked her thumbs in his briefs. Slid them down his legs along with the jeans.
Reino bent his knees slightly and braced himself for the onslaught of her tongue licking its way up the inside of his thigh. Her mouth took the full length of his erection. His knees nearly buckled. He cupped the back of her head, threading his fingers through her curls. Lights flashed behind his closed eyelids as Lara varied sucking with lathing his cock with her sweet, hot tongue. Moments before exploding, he pushed her away, dropped to his knees and kissed her mouth.
A perfect fit. A perfect kiss. Everything about her was perfect. He loved her quick mind. Her sense of humor and her integrity. He had no doubt she was the woman he’d been waiting for. They slipped sideways to the floor, arms and legs entwined like two octopuses in a mating frenzy. He freed his leg from between hers and hooked it around her back. The sound of their harsh breathing was the only sound in the room.
Until the doorbell rang. Reino groaned. “Ignore it.”
“I ordered a pizza.”
He jumped to his feet, dragged on his jeans. He might as well pay for the fucking pizza or the kid would ring the bell all night.
He returned to the bedroom, expecting Lara’s mood for sex to have vanished. His heart thudded and his mouth went dry. She lay in bed, an invitation still in those sexy eyes. He tossed the pizza box on the dresser, struggled out of his jeans and hit the mattress running.
* * * *
“This is decadent,” Lara said some time later as they lay propped on the pillows, eating cold pizza. “I just changed the sheets, too.”
Reino laughed. “Decadence is fun with the right person.”
“Spoken like a true twenty-something guy.”
He stopped chewing and pitched his crust into the empty box on the floor. “I was waiting for the age thing to crop up again. Spit it out. Let’s get it in the open.”
Lara stiffened at the challenge in his tone. For the first time, easy-going Reino sounded pissed. Her appetite disappeared and she, too, threw the crust of her pizza in the box. “Reino, facts are facts. There’s an enormous age difference between us. I feel like Mrs. Robinson, for Christ’s sake.”
His mouth tightened. “You’re stretching it. If I remember correctly, Mrs. Robinson was over forty and Benjamin was twenty-one.”
“You’re too young for me. I can’t help the way I feel.”
“Too young for what?” he asked. “Too young to vote? Too young to drink? Too young to make a baby? Too young to fall in love? Too young to have sex? Too young to be a grandfather?” He flipped on his side and leaned on his elbow, the anger in his face adding ten years to his age. He poked her ribs with his finger. “I’m only guilty of one of them.”
Lara swallowed hard. The pizza in her stomach threatened to make an encore. “Okay. I admit it. It’s my hang-up.”
“Worried about what others will think?” he taunted.
“People talk.”
“So? Let them. Why do you care?”
“I don’t.”
“Spill it, Lara. What’s the real reason you’re acting like it’s a federal crime to want to be with a man thirteen years younger than you.”
Lara stared at her clasped hands and refused to meet his eyes. She turned over and slid close to the edge of bed, well out of his reach. So she thought.
Reino scooped her against him. His tone softened. “You’re afraid of being hurt,” he whispered into the back of her neck.
“Is that so hard to understand?” she murmured, relieved to have the truth in the open.
“Anyone in a relationship takes a risk. It’s got to be more than that. Talk to me.”
“Why hasn’t some sweet young thing snapped you up?”
“Because I’m cagey and didn’t want to be caught. Stop changing the subject.”
Lara sighed. “I’d risk the hurt if you were older.” Fear welled in her chest, pushing tears to the back of her eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m almost thirty-nine years old. My looks will go down hill faster than a runaway roller coaster from this day forward. Think you’ll still want me in another five years? Ten years? Ten years from now you’ll be younger than I am at this moment. I’ll be almost fifty.” There, she’d said it. She squeezed her eyes tight in an attempt to hold back the tears.
Lara soaked up the warmth of his body resting against her back. She quelled the urge to push closer against him. His forefinger made circles on her arm.
“If it would solve the problem, I wish I were older than you.”
Lara furrowed her brow. “Why’s that? No one should want to be older.”
“I’ve had my fill of twenty-somethings. I like you the way you are. Think you’re the only one afraid of getting hurt? Think again. I’m terrified.”
Lara gave a loud snort of derision. “Right. I bet you are.”
Reino nuzzled her neck. “It’s true. I’ve never had such strong feelings for any woman. It’s not a line, Lara,” he said when she tried to pull away. “If all I wanted was sex, I could find it anywhere.”
“That’s what I like about you, Reino—your over-inflated ego.”
He chuckled. “It’s the truth. What I feel for you is different, something I can’t yet find a name for. I want to explore what’s happening between us, wherever it leads.”
“Even if one or both of us ends up with a broken heart?”
He pushed his arm under her body and hugged her. “Nobody makes it through life without emotional bumps and bruises. Today is the only guarantee we have. Hey! Even General Electric only gives a few years warranty on their appliances.”
Lara attempted a laugh.
“Let’s make the most of today and let the future take care of itself.”
His argument swayed he
r. Except for the one thing that still niggled the back of her brain. “What if we fall in love and decide to get married?”
“What’s wrong with that?” She heard no trace of fear or reluctance. The man was unflappable.
“You’re young. You’ll want children. By then, I might not be able to give you any.”
He grasped her forearms and shook her gently. “You’re really good at creating obstacles. Let me see…ever hear of adoption?”
Lara considered the simple picture Reino created. He’d not lived long enough to experience the myriad of problems life threw at a person, not had to hurdle barriers to reach a destination only to discover he didn’t want to be there. Still…he tempted her. She closed her eyes and basked in the heat his body radiated. She tried to concentrate on her luck to be lying next to this young, gorgeous hunk totally naked in her bed. His intelligence and sense of humor put the icing on the cake.
* * * *
Reino listened to Lara’s even breathing and knew she’d fallen asleep. How could he convince her to give them a chance? As sure as his heart thumped against her back, he’d find a way to make her see that what they had together was special. Screw the age difference. He’d had his fill of silly young women who didn’t have a clue what they wanted out of life. He’d be damned if he’d let this woman get away.
Stretching his arm, he reached over and shut off the light on the nightstand. Lara stirred, but didn’t wake. He pulled her closer and shut his eyes.
A long while later his mind continued to race. He thought about waking Lara to make love, but decided against it. Sexual satisfaction wouldn’t cure his problem.
Lara had her fears, and he had his own. Her job gave him nightmares. Being a cop in a big city was dangerous business. Knowing that an intentional, or even a stray, bullet could end her life in a second haunted him.
Maybe he could convince her to move to the NorthShore and find a job in a local police department. Right. While he was at it, maybe he could convince the Pope to approve birth control for Catholics.
Perhaps there was something else she’d rather do. Like go back to school. She might even want to stay home and learn how to paint, or write a book. The possibilities were endless. He decided to bring up the subject in the next few days. Her job was just too damn dangerous.
When Mr. Sand Man made his appearance, he gladly gave himself up to the drowsiness and floated away on a cloud, dreaming of Lara.
At first, Reino tried to incorporate the persistent ringing into his dream before he realized it was the phone. Slow and groggy, he groped for it, knocking the small alarm clock off the nightstand. “Hello?” Heavy breathing came through the line. “Hello?” He heard a definite click.
“Reino?” Lara’s sleep-filled voice asked. “Who is it?”
“Must have been a wrong number,” he mumbled, turning and drawing her into his arms. “They hung up.”
Almost immediately, the phone rang again.
Suddenly alert, Lara climbed over him. “I’ll get it.”
“Yes? This is Detective Stevens. Eddie? Where are you?”
Reino reached up and turned on the light, squinting in the brightness. Lara now stood beside the bed. The look of horror on her face chased all tiredness from his mind. “What’s wrong?”
She carefully hung up the phone.
“That was Eddie McKinney. The homeless man I spoke to the other day,” she added. “He had something important to tell me.”
Reino picked up on the past tense. “What did he say?”
“I heard a gunshot. The line went dead. I’m afraid my pipeline for information is dead on some city street under a payphone.”
Reino bolted off the bed. “Jesus. Someone killed him?” Terror for Lara raced through his head, driving his adrenaline to an all time high. “Why?”
“Eddie must have called to give me information about the murders…perhaps even something that would have incriminated the murderer.”
Lara sprang into action, pulling open bureau drawers. She was half dressed before Reino got his pants on. “Where are you going?”
“I’ve got to try to locate Eddie.”
“Call the station and arrange for some backup.”
Her shoulders slumped, and he sighed with relief that she saw the wisdom of his advice. “Damn,” he muttered when he stepped on something sharp. He reached down and picked up the clock, surprised to see it was already six-thirty. He yawned and stretched.
Lara didn’t glance up from making coffee when he entered the kitchen. “Did you call the station?”
She nodded and her voice was subdued. “Yes. There’s no reason to hurry. They have the body. Someone called it in.” She looked over shoulder and met his gaze. “You were right.”
“I was? About what?”
“I killed Eddie McKinney. Not with the twenty dollars, but by asking questions. Whoever killed him must have seen me talking to him.”
Reino padded across the floor in his bare feet and drew her close. “Hey. You’re a cop. That’s what cops do.” He caressed her slender curves and kissed her lips. He’d intended the kiss to comfort her, but the moment their lips touched, his cock hardened. He wanted her so bad, he hurt. Sex was probably the last thing on Lara’s mind. He forced himself to back off.
* * * *
If Reino hadn’t pulled away, Lara knew she’d be flat on her back on the kitchen table. She should get over to where the body was found and look for evidence, not that she’d find anything. She doubted they’d find any leads on the shooting. Drive-by shootings were a dime a dozen in that part of the city. Her gaze locked with Reino’s. Her belly fluttered with the hot passion burning bright in his eyes. “I’ll be right back. I’ve got to make a phone call.”
Ten minutes later, she walked naked toward the kitchen to put out the fire started by Reino’s hot kiss. Hank had been at the station when she’d called. He assured her he had everything under control and would investigate the murder scene. The sound of running water came from the bathroom. What better than water to put out her fire?
She slipped into the shower and pressed close to Reino’s soap lathered body. Her gaze dropped to his cock pointing straight at her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Her arms curved around his neck, pulling his head toward her until her lips were a centimeter from his. “I will be.”
Large hands encircled her ribcage as their mouths melded. She nibbled at his bottom lip. He groaned and nipped her back. She grasped his cock with both hands. Wetness gushed between Lara’s thighs as Reino’s tongue rasped her nipple. His gentle sucking kept rhythm with her pumping hands.
“Hands against the wall, leg’s spread,” he rasped.
A desperate need wracked her insides. Reino placed her hands on the tiled wall and with his foot, spread her legs as far as the tub allowed. His hands coiled around her pelvic bones, and he pulled her hips toward him.
Guiding the head of his cock to her pussy with his hand, he fed it to her inch by inch. “Give me more,” she panted. “I want it all.”
“Shh,” he whispered against her skin, his tongue marking a trail down her spine. “You’ll get it. Be patient.”
Lara was beside herself. Her body craved the release she’d come to expect. The pulsing fever in her pussy grew hotter.
Reino continued to tease. A few inches in, a few inches out. She tried to wiggle her ass, but he held her still. A climax shot through her. She stiffened and cried out her pleasure.
Once her contractions ceased, he drove his cock to the hilt. “Oh, God,” she whimpered. His hands crept around her. One teased her nipples, the other tormented her swollen clit. Lara braced her feet and concentrated on matching his cadence. She climbed high, seeking another pinnacle. Reino’s mouth sucked the back of her neck. She exploded a second time and Reino came with her.
“The water’s cold.”
Reino’s matter-of-fact words brought her crashing back to reality. Still, she was reluctant to move. She’d collapse in a heap once he let
go of her.
He steadied her as he released her. Lara waited until he shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.
A shiver crawled down her back and she knew it was more than the chill in the room making her cold. Something had changed. As Reino handed her a towel, he avoided eye contact. Dread mushroomed in her belly.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Was his smile forced? Or was it her paranoia? “No. That was great. Best way to start a day.”
The words were something Reino would say, but the enthusiasm and dry wit were missing. Was the ax about to fall? Had he tired of her already? Lara wrapped the towel around her body and hurried to the bedroom. Nerves shot to hell, she wanted to throw herself on the bed, pound the pillows and have a good cry. First Eddie, and now this.
Instead, she hurried into her clothes and went to the kitchen in search of caffeine. Reino was propped against the counter, a mug in his hand.
Lara helped herself. The heavy silence made her even more self-conscious. The plans had been to go stay at Reino’s in Gloucester for a few days. Had those plans changed?
“I suppose you’ll have to stick around and investigate what happened to Eddie.”
Question answered. “I suppose,” she said, sipping her coffee. They looked everywhere in the kitchen but at each other. Lara frowned. “I’d appreciate the truth.”
“What truth?” His perplexed expression looked genuine.
“Something’s different since last night. You’re aloof, untouchable.”
He shrugged. “Tired, I guess. I’d better shove off. I haven’t been home for a few days.”
Lara refused to walk him to the door. “Sure. See you later.”
He came to where she stood and kissed her cheek. “How does your family feel about your job?”
She raised her gaze. “My job?”
“Yeah. You being a cop.”
“They don’t have an opinion. My parents are dead. There are no other relatives.”
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