After Midnight (12 page)

She looked at his chest and gasped when she saw the huge bruise that covered it. It had gone through all the shades of black and purple and was now a shade of sickly yellow. “Is that from the bullet? Even with a vest on?”

He nodded. “Without the vest, it would have been a hole. A big one.”

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, and leaned forward to kiss it gently. Her lips brushed across one of his flat nipples, and he felt a surprising surge slam through him as his penis surged back to life. He was still inside her, and her eyes widened as she felt him fill her again.

A flirtatious smile curved her lips, and she leaned over and actually took his nipple into her mouth and gave it a little bite.

“Good God, woman! What are you doing to me?” The question was rhetorical as he shifted his body over hers and once again pushed deeper inside her while his lips captured hers in a slow, hungry kiss.

This time, their lovemaking was unhurried and easy as they took the time to explore and taste each other all over before they plunged into orgasms that were almost simultaneous.

It was after noon when they finally left the sanctuary of their bed and scavenged the kitchen for food. After throwing together a brunch of eggs, bacon, grapes, and potato chips because he was missing such critical items as bread and milk, they sat on the balcony at the small table and barely noticed the view. They couldn’t keep their eyes or their hands off each other.

“I don’t know what you have planned for today, but I’ve got an errand to run, and I’d love to have you go with me,” he said.

“I’d love to go with you. I just have to call Mr. Jacobi. His daughter was going to come in today, so he really doesn’t need me.”

“Good.” He started gathering up the dishes, but she shooed him away.

“I’ll take care of these. Are you going to take a shower?”

He gave her one of those slow crooked grins that sent tingles all the way down to her toes. “It’s a big shower. And I could use the help. I still can’t get my shoulder wet.”

“Poor baby. It seemed to be working just fine this morning.”

He rolled it and grimaced. “I didn’t even have to go to PT today. I think I exercised it enough.”

“And you think my joining you in the shower will help?” she teased.

“I’m sure it will.” He held out his hand.

She felt those now familiar stirrings low in her stomach, and she took his hand without hesitation. The first second she saw him that night of the shooting, looking so tall and handsome in his uniform, she had instantly fallen in lust. The more time they spent together, the more she liked him and the more she wanted to know him even better. But the lust was still there.

Kate had no idea where this relationship would go or how long it would last. She hoped for the best because Sam was a man she could definitely fall in love with. But she had no idea how he felt other than that he wanted her. Maybe that would have to be enough for now.

Taking a shower was a challenge. He stripped down and she helped him tape a plastic bag around his shoulder, trying hard not to be distracted by the magnificence of his naked body. He turned the shower on and stepped in, then stood to one side, giving her plenty of room. She dropped the robe on the floor and joined him.

“You have no idea how wonderful it feels to take a real shower with plenty of hot water and no spiders or other creepy-crawlies hiding in the corners,” she told him as she let the water splash over her.

“I saw your bathroom, and it was worse than the ones we had at Boy Scout camp.” He fumbled with the soap, trying to wash with one hand but clearly having difficulty.

Kate took the soap from him, lathered it in her hands, then slicked it over his back. He moaned his approval as she let her hands slide lower, cupping his cheeks and down his thighs. When he turned around, the evidence of his arousal stood hard and huge. She rubbed the soap in her hands again, then made slow, soapy circles on his chest and under his arms. Her slick fingers followed the curves of his abs, then dipped lower until they wrapped around him.

Slow, soapy strokes made him grow even more in her hands. His knees must have threatened to give way, because he braced his arms on both sides of the shower. One of her hands slipped lower, between his legs, gently caressing his balls, then moved back to his penis.

Unable to hold back any longer, he pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth with his. His hands wrapped around her, holding her close, rubbing his slickened body against hers. She looped her arms around his neck, and with his left hand under her rear, he lifted her and let her slide down his body until he entered her. It was awkward and sexy and unbelievably hot, all at the same time. Just touching him so intimately had already turned her on, so it took only a few thrusts for her to reach an explosive climax. She gripped him tighter, burying her face in his wet hair as he plunged deeper and found his own release.

Her legs slid down until they touched the floor, but it took several minutes before either recovered. She leaned against the back wall and he stood against her, shielding her from the shower spray, but not willing to let her go. Slowly, they pulled apart, but he leaned down and gave her a long, lazy kiss.

“You’re the best nurse ever.”

“I’m sure you’ve had plenty to compare with,” she said softly, not really wanting to know the truth, but hoping it was as special for him as it was for her.

“Darlin’,” he drawled, “you are the only woman I have ever taken a shower with. But now that I know what I’ve been missing…”

She punched him playfully in his good shoulder. With a great deal of tickling and touching, they finished their shower and dried off. He moved up behind her and took her in his arms, pulling her back against his chest. He leaned over and nibbled on her neck. “You’re delicious. It’s a good thing I’m on leave right now, or I wouldn’t want to go to work. It’s hard enough to even get dressed.”

Kate leaned back and smiled. This felt so good. And so right. “I could stay here all day, but didn’t you say something about an errand?”

He grumbled, but he stepped away and left her alone so she could dry her hair and put on a little makeup. Although if he didn’t like the way she looked by now, there was nothing she could really do about it.

A half hour later, they were in his Mustang and headed south. “I grew up in Parker, which is a small suburb a few miles from Denver. My parents are on vacation, and my brothers and I have been taking turns going to their house and checking on things. And today is my day.”

“Are you the oldest?”

“No, I’m in the middle. The older one, Rusty, is a fireman and the other one, Chris, is a paramedic.”

“They were with you at the funeral, weren’t they?” she asked, remembering the two tall men who had stood on each side of him during the service.

“Yes, that was them.” He went on to regale her with stories of their childhood for the rest of the short drive to Parker. He explained how the small town had once been a stop on the many cattle drives that had come up from Texas and had grown into a small but progressive city of around fifty thousand people. They continued through the main commercial area until he turned into an area south of town that consisted of several large houses built on five-acre tracts of land.

Sam pulled into the driveway of a white stucco ranch house and stopped. “Here we are.” He took her on a tour of the house and the yard surrounding it. Most of the land had been left natural with wild grasses, scrub oaks, and a few prickly pears and yuccas sprinkled around. As they walked, hand in hand, he suddenly stopped and held a finger to his lips.

In front of them, not fifty feet away, a large mule deer doe and two young fawns, still shaky on their spindly legs, were standing in the shade of a large pine tree. Kate watched, fascinated. She had grown up in an area of livestock, but it was all domestic animals such as horses and cattle. She had never, outside of a zoo, been this close to a real wild thing. To add to it, a couple of bunnies hopped out and nibbled on the grass.

“It’s like a Disney movie,” she whispered.

“Yeah, I’ve always loved it here. It was a great place to grow up.”

Suddenly, the moment was destroyed by the ringing of his cell phone. Sam quickly grabbed it out of his pocket, but the deer whirled and bounded away, their white tails waving good-bye. The babies struggled to keep up, but they followed their instincts and ran after their mother. The bunnies, too, disappeared, and Sam and Kate were left alone.

“Hello,” he spoke into the phone. “Oh, no, you didn’t disturb anything. How are you doing?” He paused, listening to the voice on the other end. “No, I’m sure that’s not what it is.” He listened. “Of course, I’ll come by. Right now?” He glanced over at Kate and shrugged. “Sure. We’re in Parker, so it’ll take us about forty-five minutes.” He listened again. “Stay calm. I’ll be there soon.” He ended the call.

“Want to ride along with me to visit Larry’s widow? She’s found something that has upset her, and she wants me to look at it.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Since I’m not going to let you go back to your apartment alone, I guess you’re stuck with me.”

“But, I—”

He pulled her into his arms and stopped her protests with a kiss.

“You make a good argument,” she said when he pulled away. “We’ll talk about the apartment later.”

He finished checking on the house and watering the plants, then they returned to Denver using the same route as before. But before they reached downtown, Sam turned into a small subdivision of older homes with neat yards, shaded by large, mature trees. This was obviously an established area where people took pride in their homes.

He parked in front of a small two-story colonial with a redbrick front and fresh white trim. Kate felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach, nervous to meet the widow of the fallen police officer. How would the woman react to meeting her? Would she, in any way, blame Kate? Kate still blamed herself, so the idea was not that far-fetched.

But Sue Resnick couldn’t have been more cordial. She welcomed Kate as if she was an old friend, especially after Sam introduced her as his girlfriend.

His girlfriend!
She filed those words away for later, but they brought a smile to her heart that helped her relax.

“Please look at this for me,” Sue said to Sam. “I never handled any of our finances, but now that Larry is gone…I have to.” She led the way to the kitchen table and waved her hand over the pile of checkbooks, bank statements, canceled checks, and bills. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Sam sat and Kate took the chair next to him. Sue brought them both soft drinks and a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. “This is what I do best,” Sue said to Kate as she helped herself. “I volunteer at the zoo and the library, but I’ve spent most of my life raising our children and taking care of Larry.”

“These are delicious.” Kate took another bite of cookie. “I heard you have some grandkids, too.”

“Oh, yes. I’ll show you their pictures before you leave.” She sat across the table from Sam and handed him a stack of canceled checks. “I’ve figured out what most of the bills and payments are for, except for these.”

Sam took the checks and flipped through them. “They’re all made out to Coral Marcus. Do you know who she is or what they’re for?”

To both Kate’s and Sam’s dismay, Sue burst into tears. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, “I have no idea.”

Kate and Sam exchanged helpless looks. Kate looked around, saw a box of tissues, and slid it toward the weeping woman. Sue pulled out a handful and dabbed at her eyes.

“Every month he wrote her a check for two hundred and fifty dollars. Every month for the last ten years…and I never knew about it.” She reached out and grabbed Sam’s wrist, compelling him to meet her pleading eyes. “Tell me, Sam. Who was this woman? Was he having an affair? You were his best friend. You would know.”

Sam was clearly speechless, whether by shock or because he didn’t want to reveal a secret wasn’t clear.

Sue lifted her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Please tell me the truth. I can take it. I just need to know.”

Sam reached across the table and covered her hand with his much larger one. He leaned toward her and steadily met her gaze. “I have no idea who Coral Marcus is, but I can assure you Larry was
not
having an affair. I’ve never met anyone more devoted to his family than he was.”

“But all that overtime…was he really working or was he—?”

“He worked more overtime than everyone. I can get you his time records if that would make you feel better.”

“But two hundred and fifty dollars is a lot of money. Some months we were so short of cash, and yet…” She waved toward the checks. “Every darn month, no matter how tight we were.”

Sam shook his head, honestly baffled. “There must be a perfectly logical reason. Let me take these with me. I’ve got a lot of time on my hands right now. I’ll see if I can track down this woman and find out what it’s all about.”

“Oh, Sam, would you? Larry was such a good man…. I just can’t believe…I don’t want to believe—”

“I can guarantee that it’s not what you’re thinking.” Sam slid a look at Kate, who picked up on his cue.

“I’d love to see those pictures of your grandkids.”

Sue’s expression softened and she stood. “I’ll be right back.”

Sam mouthed “Thank you” to Kate as Sue left the room. She returned with a large photo album, which she placed in front of Kate, then pulled a chair closer and sat so she could narrate each photo.

Kate oohed and ahhed at all the right places, which was easy enough because the babies were beautiful and the family was large and obviously close and happy. Christmases around heavily decorated trees with wrapping paper thrown everywhere and children proudly showing off their presents. Easters with colored eggs, spotted bunnies, and kids in frilly dresses and brand-new suits. Vacations at the lake with tents and fish and kids feeding chipmunks.

Sue stopped often when Larry was in a photo. She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it, but her forefinger gently stroked his cheek through the plastic. But she was smiling, even as a tear rolled slowly down her face and dripped onto the page.

Kate lifted her gaze to Sam and saw he was staring at her with a warmth she could feel all the way across the table. He gave her a slow, intimate wink that touched her more than any words he could have spoken.

She looked back at the photos as Sue continued to flip through the pages. It was the kind of family Kate had always wished she had, full of love and chaos and laughter. And now it was missing its head, but it still had its heart.

Sue closed the book after turning the last page. She turned to Kate. “Thank you, dear. That was so kind of you. I’m sorry if I bored you.”

“No, honestly, Sue. I enjoyed seeing your pictures. You have a wonderful family, and to be perfectly honest, I’m a little jealous. I’m an only child, and I always wanted lots of brothers and sisters.”

“Well, you’ve got plenty of time to have a large family of your own.” Sue gave a meaningful glance to Sam, and lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “He’s a keeper. You could do a lot worse.”