Time stretched out with neither of them saying a word. She didn’t even try to close her eyes, and she knew he wasn’t sleeping. Outside, she heard the surprising hoot of an owl.
And then the silence was back.
After what seemed like hours, Josh reached for the bedside lamp. He turned it on and rolled onto his side toward her. The bulb wasn’t high-wattage. With it at his back, she could barely see his face, but his eyes were dark and his expression was stern.
Nina’s heart stopped. Was this it? Had he decided he just couldn’t deal with it? Was he breaking up with her?
He propped himself up on his elbow. ‘Listen, here’s the deal. I love you, Nina. If it means that I need to look the other way, I will, because I just can’t see any other option for us.’
Her air rasped against her throat. ‘You love me?’
‘So much I can’t think straight either.’
‘Oh, my …’ She sat up in the bed and caught his face with both hands. ‘I love you, too. So much. I have for a long time.’
She kissed him, and he met her halfway. Her heart was so full, she thought it would burst. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck, and he deepened the kiss as he pushed her back down into the pillow.
His eyes were dark pools as he pulled back to look at her. ‘I’d rather you tell me the truth like you did tonight than keep things from me because of my job.’
‘Murphy scared me, because he went after you. He wanted to keep us under his thumb. I couldn’t let that happen.’ Maybe if it had been only her, but not him. ‘I needed to protect you.’
‘I get that, but seeing you in all your glory scared the hell out of me. It made me realise how far out you can get on a razor’s edge. All alone. I’ve got to know, Nina, so I can have your back too.’
She opened her hand against his chest. He felt warm and hard.
‘I’ll try,’ she said, her throat tight. ‘I’ve just had to shoulder the weight on my own for so long … against people who think like you do …’
‘I’m trying to change my thinking. Honest, I am.’
She caressed his chest gently. ‘But you’re my detective. I don’t want you to change.’
He leaned his forehead against hers. ‘You’ve got to let me in. I’m not afraid of your strength. I’ve got to admit, I got a bit of a hard-on watching you go into Amazon mode.’
‘You think I’m an Amazon?’
‘A bite-sized one.’ He leaned down again, and she felt his teeth at her neck. He soothed the pinch with a long, wet lick. ‘I love you, Nina.’
His mouth settled over hers again in a deep kiss. When he rolled back on his side, Nina turned to face him. Resting on the same pillow, they made out with passion. The heat only rose. He stroked his hand up her thigh, and she wiggled to help him lift the T-shirt she’d borrowed from him.
The one she wasn’t giving back.
His big hand stopped, spread wide over her bottom. ‘No panties tonight?’
‘I took them off.’ She bit her lip. ‘I was hopeful.’
His hand began moving in the most interesting circles, and she quivered when his fingers slipped between her legs from the back.
‘Tell me,’ he whispered. ‘Were they orange?’
She grazed her hand down to the small of his back. ‘You’ll have to find out in the morning.’
‘Good. Something to look forward to.’ He kissed her again, and their lips clung.
Nina knew what she was looking forward to, but she couldn’t wait that long. His hands were busy, so she wriggled out of the T-shirt. When she settled back down beside him, he smoothed her flyaway hair.
And tucked it behind her ear.
Her breasts pressed against his chest, and their bellies brushed. She stared into his dark eyes as she wrapped her top leg over his waist.
Opening up to him … Wanting to complete the connection …
He rubbed her bottom, and then he was touching her intimately. Two fingers penetrated her and pumped slowly to draw out her wetness. Her nipples tightened into hard pebbles against his hard chest.
‘I like that we don’t have to stop for a rubber any more,’ he whispered.
He positioned the head of his cock at her opening, and Nina tilted her hips forward to accept him.
‘Me, too.’
She groaned when the pressure started. He entered her slowly and smoothly, sliding all the way in until there was no more of him to take.
A muscle in his jaw jumped as she held him deep inside. She clenched her inner muscles, and his fingers raked white lines down her thigh flung over his hip.
‘All right?’ he asked.
‘So good.’
‘Damn good,’ he agreed.
He began rocking, slowly forward and slowly back. She found his rhythm, and their bodies began to move in synchronisation.
His hand plumped her breast. ‘I swear you used to start breathing fire when you saw me coming.’
‘That’s because you kept poking at me.’
‘Like this?’ His hips swung forward in a long arc, and he ground into her at the end.
Her breath caught on a little squeal. ‘I don’t sashay.’
He chuckled. In bed, while making love, he smiled at her.
And Nina was gone.
He wrapped her up in his arms. ‘Yes, you do.’ He groaned when she shifted against him. ‘Just like that.’
They made love, face to face, with nobody on top. It went on and on until neither of them could breathe, and neither of them cared.
They loved one another. It was all that mattered.
When the rush of the orgasm passed, they relaxed on the pillow, their bodies still tangled together. Josh reached back for the light, but then his arm came around her waist again.
Nina rubbed her thigh against his hip.
‘I’m not pulling out,’ he said.
‘You’d better not,’ she warned.
His breath brushed against her ear. ‘We’ll make it work, baby. It’s going to work.’
Chapter Fifteen
Nina was at yet another after-hours event, this one at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The event was in support of science and technology within classrooms. At least it was livelier than the last few affairs she’d attended. The dress code was formal, but not black tie. Most of the guests were exploring the exhibits, and chatter was loud and enthusiastic.
That could happen when you got away from the political crowd. People smiled more, and they weren’t always watching their words. The mix ranged from scientists to politicians to space geeks. She’d been amusing herself by trying to determine which was which.
She walked into the new exhibit that displayed close-up pictures of the moon. She’d always had an affinity for it. There was an astronaut attending the event tonight. He’d just given a talk, but she hadn’t yet gotten the chance to speak with him privately. She’d find him soon. It was the one thing she’d looked forward to about tonight.
She heard a buzz and dug into her purse to find a text from Josh.
‘Miss me?’ he asked.
She sat down on a bench along the side of the room and crossed her ankles.
‘So much,’ she typed back. He would have liked tonight’s event, but she was still hesitant about bringing a date with her. She needed to be approachable. Not only was her man a cop, he could get snarly when other men looked in her direction.
‘Hooked up any astronauts yet?’
She blushed. Sometimes she wished he still didn’t know the truth about what she did. He liked to tease, but she knew he also worried.
A lot.
‘No, but he looks sexy in his flight jacket.’
The return message wasn’t long in coming. ‘Do you need me to come over there?’
She laughed aloud. ‘No,’ she typed back. ‘It won’t be much longer.’
‘You’re wearing the red shoes, right?’
‘And the red dress.’
‘I really think I should come escort y
ou.’
She ran her finger alongside the screen. She wished he could, too. These evenings apart were tough. She liked being social, but it was getting more and more difficult to attend events alone.
‘What’s the score of the Nationals game?’ she typed.
‘6 to 5. We’re winning.’
‘But for how long?’
‘Don’t jinx it,’ he warned.
Nina was still smiling when she heard someone approaching. She glanced up and saw Congressman Craft heading in her direction.
Taking a deep breath, she texted, ‘I’ll see you soon.’
‘Hurry.’
She’d try.
‘Congressman Craft and Jasmine.’ She tucked her phone away and stood. She gestured at their sharp attire. Her escort’s blue dress matched the representative’s tie. ‘Colour co-ordinating already?’
The congressman smoothed his lapels, and a flush showed on his cheekbones. ‘Too much?’
Jasmine wrapped their arms together. ‘I think it just proves how good of a match we are.’
Nina smiled, but neither of the two noticed. They were looking deeply into each other’s eyes. The couple really did look gorgeous together, although unconventional. He had auburn hair and farm-boy shoulders, while she had wild curls and long legs.
‘Are you enjoying the event?’ she asked.
‘Growing up, I always wanted to be an astronaut,’ Craft confessed.
Jasmine’s eyes lit up. ‘Me, too. My Astronaut Barbie and I would go to the moon for tea.’
Nina tilted her head. The two really were cute, and Craft was showing more real personality than most politicians these days.
As if she’d summoned him, Senator Gunderson walked over to shake the hand of an engineer who was giving a demonstration of a lander robot. The senator had a posse with him, but for once it had no women. His despondency over the loss of Genieve and the betrayal of his assistant seemed to be gone. In its place was his old swagger and bold grin.
‘Gunderson,’ Craft commented, following the direction of her look. ‘With the luck that guy’s had recently, we should probably steer clear.’
For someone so unlucky, Gunderson was still going to win re-election by a landslide. Kevin Murphy’s numbers were doing nothing but deteriorating. Nina didn’t believe in kismet. She’d rarely seen what came around go around unless she made it happen. For Murphy, it seemed more like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
She twirled her earring. ‘Better the devil you know …’
Craft’s brow jumped, but he gave a conspiratorial nod.
She decided then and there that she liked the man.
She just wasn’t sure about Jasmine’s moony eyes. She warned her escorts about falling for the fantasy. They were going to have to have a talk.
The escort suddenly pointed across the room. ‘The NASA flight director is finally alone. You wanted to speak with him about preparing students better for technical jobs.’
‘Right.’ Craft’s chin came up. ‘Sorry, Nina. I’d really like to talk to him.’
‘Join us?’ Jasmine said.
Nina folded her hands around her purse. ‘You two go ahead. I’ll be fine.’
She watched them go. They’d been an offbeat match, but she’d gone with her gut. She had a feeling that Jasmine would be escorting the congressman for a while. Maybe instead of reining her in, they should start looking at an exclusive contract. It was earlier than she normally signed one, but the two had chemistry.
Nina looked around the room teeming with people. Speaking of working … she really should go out and mingle more. She’d noticed that several of the scientists were alone. They’d be an excellent fit for Luxxor’s services, but she just didn’t feel the spark. Not tonight.
She sighed heavily.
She was bored.
It had been that way for a while. Instead of having any creative spark, she’d been fighting fires. She supposed that came with running a company. There was excitement at the beginning, but routine always followed. Her business might not be the norm, but she was feeling some of that fatigue.
She straightened her shoulders. Maybe she should just look for the charity sponsors so she could donate to the cause. The she could go home. To Josh.
A hot flush went through her. That was something in her life that excited her.
She looked for the sponsor who’d invited her. Congressman Craft and Jasmine were happily chatting up the NASA flight director. She spotted Dane and Noelle walking about the displays too. The pretty brunette pointed from one to the next, obviously thinking about her students.
Nina tucked her hair behind her ear. She’d done a good job with that matchup too.
She looked at the people mingling throughout the crowd. She picked out one who was an engineering stud, no doubt about it. The cute Asian girl on the other side of the room was a space geek. She’d go nuts for him.
Nina shook her head. Enough with the daydreaming. She wanted to get home. She saw a blond bodyguard hovering around Gunderson. He was new – but he certainly had an eye on Gunderson’s aide with the bowtie.
Nina suddenly stopped the little game.
Her pulse began to pound faster. Was it a game? The ideas were flying through her brain, fast and furious. She wandered away from the crowd to find a quiet spot.
She toyed with her earring as she tried to sort everything out. She didn’t have a pen or paper, so she finally started collecting notes on her phone. Eventually, it was all there. She stared at the idea that had come into shape. Dare she?
She was a risk taker.
She switched over to make a call. ‘Genieve? Can you meet me at the Apple Tree Grille? I want to talk to you about something important.’
* * *
Three days later
Josh was doing the least glamorous part of police work, cleaning up files. He sat at his desk and went through the documentation piece by piece. He was making sure that the information was complete and all evidence was assembled before putting the case file away to await trial or archival. It was work he hadn’t done for a while, and it was needed.
He tucked away the Burglary on Movie Night case and found himself staring at the Gunderson file. It was the original one involving the break-in at the Emissary Hotel.
He drummed his fingers along the edge of his desk. The evidence was all there. Some of it had been used to charge the reporters, while some of it needed more evidence to connect to it before it would be useful for charges against someone else. Someone he didn’t want to think about … There was a video memory card, a key card for the hotel room, pictures of the crime scene and the congressman’s bruises – and a photograph of himself and Nina at the ballpark.
One of these things was not like the others.
He picked up the photograph and looked at the back. ‘That bastard Murphy,’ he whispered underneath his breath.
‘Wow,’ Alvarez said, stopping in his tracks. ‘Is that the photo Higgins tried to use against you?’
Josh ran a hand through his hair. ‘Yeah.’
The photo was flat again. He’d shoved it between two books. For better storage, he’d told himself.
Yeah, that was why.
‘Pretty hot,’ Alvarez said.
Tell him about it.
‘That your girlfriend?’ the detective asked.
‘Yeah,’ Josh said. Although ‘girlfriend’ didn’t really fit Nina’s style. She was more of a ‘partner’ or a ‘significant other’. ‘His lover.’ All her friends knew now. Why not his?
Because she’d been a complicated suspect/witness who’d pulled the commander into a case …
Yeah, that had made things interesting at work. A relationship with her was still tricky from his side.
Alvarez clicked his tongue. ‘I didn’t think it was over between you two.’
Josh rolled his shoulders. ‘It started up again.’
‘Anyone here could see it smouldering.’
Josh glanced towards the captain’s office. Thi
ngs had been OK between him and his boss. They’d had a good long talk after the commander had thrown his weight around, but Josh didn’t want to challenge the status quo. ‘I should probably tell the captain what’s going on.’
Murphy’s words had been eating at him. He should have recused himself from the Gunderson case. He’d told Nina he’d look the other way, but he also needed to be upfront about dating her.
‘Why?’ Alvarez said. ‘She’s not coming back, is she?’
‘God, I hope not,’ Josh said. Not unless it was to bring him a forgotten lunch. Knowing Nina, though, she’d probably cater it in from Rasika.
‘I thought the case was over,’ Alvarez said. ‘You caught the perps.’
‘Yeah.’
‘So why look for smoke when there’s no fire?’
But what if there was a fire?
‘You have a right to a personal life, Morgan. If that life looks like that picture, then you’re one lucky bastard. Nobody around here needs to know.’
It was personal, Josh agreed.
But he wasn’t naive. He knew Nina was trying, but she was still keeping things from him. Business secrets. He’d promised to look away, but eventually he’d see something he wasn’t supposed to. What decision would he make then?
How could he assure her that he wouldn’t turn on her? He’d promised to protect and serve, too. What if his vows ran up against one another?
He loved her, but promises were only as good as –
The answer hit him like one of Genieve’s landscaping blocks.
‘Whoa.’ Alvarez reached out to steady him. ‘Are you all right there?’
Josh was better than all right. He felt like a weight had just been lifted off his chest. His brain was turning everything over … how to make it work … when would be the best time … where …
He wasn’t one to get fancy. The best time was now.
He collected the case files and checked them back into Evidence.
‘I need to run home for something,’ he said. ‘I’m going to take an early lunch – and it will probably be a long one.’
Alvarez chuckled. ‘I know what that’s code for.’
Josh shrugged his shoulders into his jacket and tugged at his shirt cuffs. No, the man really didn’t.
He wasn’t going for the base hit. He was going for a home run.
Courting Suspicion Page 24