by Margaret Kay
He pressed a kiss to her lips. Then he sealed himself in the bathroom. As she laid facing the open curtains, she listened to the sound of the waves that drifted into the room. Her eyes took in the brilliance of the night sky. She felt more at peace than she had in years. Yes, this had been the correct step to take with him. She was where she was supposed to be.
When Lambchop emerged from the bathroom, he saw her still form lying on the bed. He mounted it and wrapped her in an embrace from behind. Satisfaction and happiness bristled through his entire body. Holding her felt right. Holding her felt perfect. The fact that they had just made love was amazing. The incredible sensation of connectedness he felt proved to him that this was where he was supposed to be, with Michaela. He now understood what it felt like to be with the one who was made for you by God.
He pressed a kiss to the back of her head. “I’d like to stay here with you all night, wake up holding you tomorrow morning.”
“I’d like that too,” she murmured. After several silent moments she sighed out loud. “Isn’t it just magnificent out there? I’ve left the curtains and the door open every night. I’ve stared at the sky and listened to the waves.”
“I normally don’t take the time to do either. But yes, it’s nice to be reminded to take in God’s handiwork and appreciate its beauty.” He paused and chuckled. “When we are on a mission, we pray for a cloudy night sky. Makes it easier to be unseen as we operate. I can’t recall the last time I gazed up at the night sky and just enjoyed it instead of evaluating what the conditions meant operationally.”
“I know the job you do, obviously, and I know it’s dangerous. I’ve spoken with both Angel and Madison about it. It amazes me the faith that they have in Shepherd and the team. Brielle just says she’d rather live with the risk than live without Sherman.”
“And how do you feel about it?”
“I’ve always worried about you guys when you’re on a mission. I’ve worried about your personal safety in a different way because we are so close.”
He waited when she paused. But she didn’t speak again. “Do you think that will change now?”
“I’m not sure. I know that this changes things between us. I’m just not sure how.”
“Why will things change? You say that like it’s a given.”
She sighed out. “Because of this, Landon. And you know it.”
He chuckled softly. He tightened his embrace around her waist. “Michaela, I’ve loved you since I’ve gotten to know you. Because we made love, the feelings I have towards you have deepened, but it changes nothing.”
He used the word love. Michaela stopped breathing, that word racing through her mind. She barely heard whatever words came next. Love? She sucked a breath in. It sounded loud in her ears. How could she respond to that? A million different replies flashed through her thoughts.
“You don’t have to say anything. I don’t want you to feel pressured to say how you feel. I’m sorry to have just blurted that out. But it is true. I would never have made love to you if I did not in fact love you. I think you know me well enough to know that my actions are always true to my feelings.”
She wanted to tell him to stop saying the word love. And yes, it did put pressure on her to tell him how she felt. After a few quiet moments of considering it, she finally spoke. “You know that I care very deeply for you. Before tonight, I would say that I loved you as a friend.”
“That’s good enough for me. Please leave it there for now.”
She was happy to let it lie for now. She kept her gaze focused on the beautiful sky. She was wide awake long after she heard his breaths even out and slip into a quiet and constant snore. And he laid on his side. She could only imagine how loudly he’d snore when lying on his back. She laid there, with his voice saying that he loved her echoing through her thoughts. Then her thoughts switched to how on Earth she would be involved in a relationship with him while resolving the issues that kept her chained to the past. Was she insane?
She was still awake when the sky lightened. Sonofabitch. She hadn’t slept all night. She would have to try to sleep at the beach, later. She felt Landon shift. She closed her eyes. She wouldn’t admit that she had been awake all night. He snuggled in closer, pressing his entire body against hers. She felt his hand caress over her hip. Her skin tingled beneath his touch. There was no denying that sexually, she was attracted to him. Of course, she’d always known that she was.
She responded by pressing her butt more firmly against him, an invitation. He was hard. His lips kissed her neck, stoking her desire. His body pressed completely against hers. It felt amazing as his hands caressed over her thigh and hip. A fire stirred in her when his arm snaked around her and held her beneath her belly button.
She turned her head into him, and his lips captured hers. He rolled her to her back and settled atop her. She loved the feeling of his strong body on hers. The kisses they shared were passionate, consuming. She kissed him like she’d never kissed anyone. If she’d said the word love or not, she knew that she had given this man her heart. She trusted him unlike she’d trusted anyone.
Focusing on the intense emotions she felt for him as he pressed into her, the act held more meaning. By the time they were both breathless and they both came, her thoughts had gone fuzzy, and all she focused on was the incredible sensations his body brought hers. They laid in contented bliss for a few wonderfully connected minutes after.
“I’m going to go for a run this morning. Would you like to join me?”
Michaela laughed out loud. Her? Go for a run? “No, I think I’ll just doze here some more. How about if I catch up with you later at the beach?”
He pressed another kiss to her forehead. “Sounds good.” He rose and grabbed his pants.
“And Landon, can we keep this relationship to ourselves for now? I’m not ready to tell the rest of our travelling companions about us yet.”
He crawled back onto the bed and settled on top of her. She watched his movements with a keen focus and admiration. He had no idea how sexy he was wearing only his jeans. The muscles in his arms were amazing. His chest and abs were as solid as his arms. She saw him differently this morning. She allowed herself to admire his incredible body.
He kissed her deeply, enjoying every second his tongue dueled with hers. When he pulled his lips back, his eyes stared into her soul. “I will not say a word to anyone until you are comfortable with it. Don’t worry.” He kissed her again and then pulled his Hawaiian shirt back on.
She watched him close the door as he left.
Victor
Lambchop walked with lighter steps as he made his way through the foliage lined path to the east villa section of the resort and his room. He was filled with happiness and anticipation for the rest of their vacation. He anticipated a wonderful next four days, days that they would celebrate this new relationship.
His room door came into view as he rounded a fragrant bougainvillea bush. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a foot poking out from beneath a bush on the ground farther down the winding path to the left. On that foot was a beautiful, spiked heal sandal that looked familiar.
His senses went on high alert as he stepped over. First, he saw the blue dress tangled in her legs. Her pale gray torso, and arms, and finally the full body came into view. The ligature marks and bruising on her neck drew his gaze. But it was the light green, freaky unseeing frosted marbles, staring at him that confirmed she was dead before he pressed his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse that wasn’t there. Her body was cool to the touch.
“Oh, Nevaeh,” he moaned. He bowed his head. “Heavenly Father, your precious child, Nevaeh, has been called home to you. I pray for her soul. I pray her Earthly existence, though short, was bathed in righteousness, love, mercy, and in forgiveness granted to others. May she know the everlasting peace of your kingdom. Amen.”
Lambchop reached for his phone to call the police.
“Freeze, right there,” a male voice yelled.
; Lambchop shifted his position to see the two, armed Lahaina cops standing at the end of the path, pointing their guns at him. “I’m going to reach into my pants and get my badge. I’m a federal agent.” He stood and moved very slowly. He held his badge up. “I just found her. The body is cold. There are ligature marks on her neck and petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes. I’m sure your coroner will place the TOD sometime last night.”
Lambchop stood nearby as the cops called the body in. Homicide detectives would take his statement. While Lambchop waited, he called it into Ops. Cooper was on. He took all the information and would make sure their contact at the NSA was notified. Then he tapped out a text to his three team members advising them of what he’d found and where. The two plainclothes detectives arrived shortly after.
Lambchop held his badge up while introducing himself to the detectives. Then he gave his statement of finding the body, including his personal relationship with the deceased.
“And you were supposed to meet her for drinks last night, but you stood her up because you were with another woman?” Detective Hamana, a short native Hawaiian man in his mid-forties asked obviously passing judgment on him.
“I know how that sounds, but yes. I’m here with a group of coworkers. Up until last night, Michaela and I have just been friends.”
Hamana exchanged a smiling glance with his partner, Detective Kinny. “We will need her information, please, to establish your alibi.”
“I understand,” Lambchop said. He gave them her full name, her room number, and her cell phone number.
Mother was the first of the team to arrive. He badged his way past the uniformed police officers as the coroner arrived. He too showed his badge to the detectives. “We have two more team members onsite, ATF Agents.” He paused and chuckled. “They are both here with their brides on their honeymoon trips, so it may take a bit longer for them to arrive.”
“I did tell you all in my text that you didn’t need to come. I can catch them up later.”
The two detectives exchanged smiles again. “Their honeymoon trips?” Hamana repeated.
“We’re a close team,” Lambchop said.
After some small talk, Hamana got back to the murder. “And you have no idea who may have wanted to hurt her?”
“As I said, I just met her the morning after we arrived. I don’t know her well at all. I don’t even know her last name.”
Sloan and Sherman arrived, badging their way past the crime scene tape that now cordoned off the area. “It’s a good thing the crime scene is back here out of plain sight,” Sherman said. “This isn’t very good advertising for a vacation destination.”
“I’m sure it happened back here so it would be out of plain sight,” Lambchop said.
The detectives stepped back over as the coroner zipped the bag over her body. “That’s it for now. I have your information and will contact you if we need anything.”
Lambchop offered his hand. “Thanks. I am planning to just hang around the pool and beach all day. I’ll keep my phone on me.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that,” Hamana said.
“I feel guilty. Had I kept our date last night, she might not have been killed,” Lambchop admitted as the three of them followed the walkway heading back towards the main pool area.
“You don’t know that and it’s not your fault,” Sloan said.
“I should have tried to get a hold of her to cancel, but after we got back to Michaela’s room, she didn’t even enter my thoughts.”
The other men chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that,” Mother said.
“Yeah, if you were thinking of her while you were with Michaela, that would have been pretty fucked-up,” Sherman agreed.
“Look, I promised Michaela I wouldn’t say anything about us being together last night. She wasn’t ready to go public with our relationship yet.”
Sloan laughed. “Well, I suggest you don’t go finding bodies when sneaking out of her room in the morning if you were looking to keep it under wraps. We’ll all keep it quiet, but you know the local cops are going to want to talk to her to confirm your alibi.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they will. I already gave them Michaela’s contact info. I need to go back to her room and tell her. So much for the run I was going to take. Just do me a favor and don’t tell the girls. Let Michaela tell them when she’s ready to.”
The three men gave their word. He sent a text message to Michaela when he arrived at her room door. He waited a few seconds. He heard no movement from inside. He wondered if she had already gotten up and went down for breakfast. He dialed her number and heard the faint sound of her phone ringing from within the room.
“Hello,” her groggy voice answered.
“I’m sorry I woke you. I’m at your door. Can you let me in?”
Michaela squinted against the bright hallway light. After he’d left, she closed the curtains to darken the room and went back to bed. At some point, she had fallen asleep. She didn’t feel rested in the least, but seeing the expression on his face, she instantly came to an alert state. “What’s wrong?”
She had that lightweight robe on and Lambchop could tell nothing else. He hated dropping this on her when instead, he’d like to drop the robe and make love to her again. He pointed inside her room. He entered behind her and went to the curtains, opening them to allow the bright morning sunlight to flood in. “I’m glad you went back to sleep.”
“What’s wrong, Landon?” She repeated.
A tense smile pulled at his lips. “You know me so well.” He gave her a quick kiss. “On my way back to my room, I found a body. It was her, Nevaeh. She’d been strangled.”
“Oh my God,” Michaela gasped. She wrapped her arms around him.
“I was supposed to meet her last night. I forgot about her after we came up to your room. I didn’t know how to get a hold of her to cancel, but I didn’t even think to. Michaela, I found her near my room door.”
“Oh, my God, Landon,” she repeated. “Do you think she was coming to find you when it happened?”
“Probably, I don’t know.”
“It’s not your fault,” she assured him.
“I know,” he agreed. But he did feel responsible. “I had to give your information to the detectives. They’ll be reaching out to you to verify my alibi, I’m sure.”
“Alibi? But you had nothing to do with it. You barely knew her.”
“And they’ll rule me out as a suspect and move onto finding who really did it.”
“This is unbelievable. That poor woman,” Michaela said as she continued to hold him.
“I notified the team about her. I had to tell them I was here all night. They promised me they wouldn’t tell the girls, though. I’m sorry.”
“That’s not important. Your being cleared of her murder is what matters.”
“I will be. Don’t worry about that.”
“Did the police get those men who tried to rob us last night? It was near your room door. You don’t think it had anything to do with them, do you?”
Lambchop hadn’t even thought about that. “I haven’t heard from the police regarding those five men who tried to rob us. I didn’t even think to mention it to the detectives. I’ll get in touch with them after they talk to you, which I’m sure will be this morning yet.”
Michaela frowned and shook her head. “This is some vacation, isn’t it?”
Lambchop gently grasped her cheeks. He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “Yes, it is. Despite the robbery attempt and Nevaeh’s murder, I’m glad we are here. I wouldn’t trade last night with you for anything.”
“Even if it meant that Nevaeh would still be alive?”
“I have to believe that God has a plan. I think it still would have happened if we were not at the resort. I’m also pretty sure it still would have happened if I hadn’t been with you last night. Her murder has nothing to do with us, but just maybe, we were here when it happened to help apprehend whoever was responsible and get her justic
e. You know that I have faith in God, always, Michaela.”
She gifted him with a passionate kiss. “That is one of the things I like most about you, your faith. Before we became friends, I had not thought about God much in the last twenty years. I guess my faith died with my mother.”
“No, it didn’t die. It went into a coma. I’ve seen it reawaken in you over the last few years,” he told her with a confident smile.
“Only because of the Pastor who’s brought it back to life.” She pressed another kiss to his lips.
When they broke from the embrace, Lambchop ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it from her forehead. “How about we order some room service breakfast and sit out on the balcony? Or did you want to try to go back to sleep?”