Incandescent (11 page)

Aaron relaxed. “Well, that’s a relief. When
do you have to leave?”

Anna passed him in the hall, entering her
living room where she plucked a white cotton shirt from the hook on
the wall. She slid it over her pink tanktop and buttoned it while
looking at him. “I can give you five minutes,” she said as she
tucked the shirt into the waistband of her black skirt. She stepped
into a pair of sandals and bent to slip the strap around her
heel.

Her movements were quick and methodical, and
hypnotized Aaron who stared at her bare legs as she smoothed
creases from her skirt. Efficient and tidy, she was ready to go.
She put her hands on her hips. “Well? What did you want to ask
me?”

“It’s going to take more than five minutes,”
he said. “When will you be free? And where is Gretchen?”

Anna lifted a shoulder. “Gretchen is at
Mark’s. I don’t know when she’ll be back. I don’t know when I’ll be
back, either. Weddings and receptions can go on and on. Since this
is how I make a living, I’m not going to cut it short. I’m paid a
base fee and by the photo, not the hour. If I want a lot of good
photos, I have to stick around.”

She opened the hall closet, pulled out her
camera bag and hefted a tripod. “I’ll see you later.” She brushed
past him, heading for the living room where she picked up a second
camera bag, this one heavier than the first.

Aaron offered her a hand. “Why don’t I go
with you?” he suggested. “I’ll carry your bags.”

She laughed, the sound light and cheerful.
“What, now you want to be my gopher? Besides, you’re not dressed
for a wedding. Either come formal as a guest or indiscreet as a
worker.”

“Who’s getting married?” he asked, quirking a
brow.

“Nobody you know,” she retorted.

“Well, why don’t we swing by my motel and
I’ll change my shirt?”

Anna shook her head. “No can do. Don’t want
to be late.”

“If you can give me five minutes to talk, you
can give me five minutes to change,” he challenged.

Anna studied his determined face. He was
buoyant and upbeat, not the morose and moody man from the night
before. “What’s come over you?” she asked, suspicion tempering her
voice. “You’re not grouchy this morning.”

“Deal with it,” he quipped, taking the heavy
bag from her and opening the front door. “Let’s take my truck.”

Chapter Twenty

Anna loved photographing weddings at the old
Presbyterian church, with its towering steeple and Gothic-revival
architecture. Sunbeams filtered through the gorgeous Tiffany
stained glass and lit the nave in jewel tones. The beautiful bride
and her handsome groom posed and smiled for photos singly and with
their attendants after the ceremony, while the guests trooped
across the street for the reception at the Wainwright House, an
elegant restaurant in a large Victorian house.

True to his word, Aaron served as Anna’s
assistant, servile in his plain white button-down shirt and black
pants. He carried bags, handed her lenses and filters when asked,
and set the tripod where she needed it. She also captured video of
the ceremony and would use it to make a short film for the newly
married couple.

The afternoon meal waned and soon the waiters
brought out the champagne fountain. The DJ played up-beat music and
people of all ages crowded the parquet dance floor. Anna worked
steadily, taking photos of the guests and the wedding party.
Occasionally, she paused long enough to wolf down the appetizers,
small glasses of wine and a piece of wedding cake Aaron handed her
throughout the reception. After several hours, guests peeled off
and the room emptied. Exhausted, Anna sat at a back table and
checked the batteries in her various cameras. As she packed away
the equipment, the bride approached.

Radiant in white tulle, the bride hugged
Anna. “Thank you so much! I can’t believe you stayed the whole
time.”

Anna grinned. “I told you I would. I know I
have some great shots,” she said. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll let you
preview them before anyone else, okay? Just in case I shot
something you’d prefer others not see.”

“Oh my gosh, wonderful. I’m sure my cousin
doesn’t want her husband to see a photo of her dancing with an old
boyfriend. Not that they’re …” she tapered off. “You know how it
is. He’s stationed overseas right now and the last thing she wants
is for him to worry about her.”

Anna grimaced. “I’ll upload them to a secure
server and send you a login, okay? You can look at them online.
Delete anything you wish,” she said. “I’ll put them on the wedding
website and you can share them with your family and friends. You
know how it works. I showed you the system at the bridal show in
June.”

Being among the last to leave gave Anna the
opportunity to say goodbye to most of the guests and several asked
for a card. Before the reception ended, Anna had several promising
leads and six bookings for high school photo shoots and family
portraits.

As they headed home in the twilight, Anna was
glad Aaron drove. She’d drunk several glasses of champagne and felt
light-headed.

She closed her eyes and rested her head
against the seat, waiting for him to start the truck. “Thank you
for helping today,” she said, her voice dreamy and tired. “It was
nice, having someone carry the heavy bag.”

Aaron put the key in the ignition and the red
truck rumbled to life. “Well, I’m glad I’m not doing it for a
living,” he said. “I don’t think I could put up with all the
drama.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, people tend to misbehave
at weddings. You’d be surprised at the kind of shenanigans I’ve
seen, and photographed without knowing. I could start a side
business as an extortionist. Oh wait, you’re a cop, aren’t you?
Forget what I said.”

“Kinda like a cop,” he said. “Which reminds
me, when we get back to your place, I’d like to talk to you and
Gretchen about the investigation.”

She yawned. “Back to that, eh? What’s on your
mind?”

Aaron maneuvered the steering wheel, turning
the tight corners and navigating the narrow roads back to
Gretchen’s apartment. “I’ve been thinking about the case a lot, and
I’d like to approach it from a different angle. It’s
complicated.”

“Why can’t you tell me about it now?” she
asked, stifling another yawn.

“You’re tired,” he said, parking along the
curb. “Besides, we’re here.”

He glanced out the window at the quiet
building. “And it looks like Gretchen still isn’t home. Does she
ever stay put?”

“What can I say? She’s in love.”

Aaron raised a brow. “Already? Didn’t she
start dating this guy a week ago?”

“It’s been two weeks. Since the night of the
fire,” Anna said with a deep sigh.

They sat in the quiet truck cab for several
moments. In the distance, Aaron heard the laughter of children as
they ran from yard to yard.

“Well, thanks again,” Anna said, gathering
her bags and opening her car door.

“I’ll help you,” Aaron said, picking up the
tripod. He slung the strap of the heavy bag camera bag over one
shoulder. They crossed the street together and walked up the porch
stairs. He waited while she searched the zippered front of her
camera bag for her house key.

“You can put those in the hall closet,” Anna
said, as she entered the dark house. She walked into the hallway,
seeking the light switch on the far wall.

Aaron caught her wrist. “Hold on,” he
murmured. “You don’t think my services are free, do you?”

At his touch, her heart leapt. All day they’d
been together, working as a team, and she enjoyed the easy
camaraderie. In the twilight, she felt the magnetic pull of his
sexy lips.

“So, now you want me,” she said.

Entranced, Aaron dropped the camera bags. He
planted his palms against the wall, caging her. “Since the moment I
met you,” he confessed, and then kissed her.

Her mouth blossomed and her tongue danced
with his. She tasted champagne and wedding cake.

“Tell me you want me, too, Anna,” he cajoled,
his hands dropping to her hips, holding her against him.

Anna felt breathless with need for him. “I
do,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him.

Slipping a hand under her short skirt, he
stroked the back of her thigh. “Where’s your room?”

Instead of answering, she reached behind her
and turned a knob. The door swung open and she and Aaron stumbled
into the dark room.

“You’re not getting away this time,” she
said. She pulled him with her as she backed to the bed and sat.
Aaron sank to his knees, his arms wrapped around her waist, his
cheek pressed to her breasts.

Light spilled in through the open door,
illuminating her but leaving Aaron in the shadows. “I can’t see
you,” she whispered. She arched over him, reaching for the small
lamp on the nightstand. She cupped the sides of his face and
studied him in the soft, warm glow. She traced the arching black
eyebrows, the sharp cheekbones, the full upper lip. Her thumb
rubbed his bottom lip before dropping to his cleft chin. “Are you a
demon?” she wondered aloud. “How can someone look so frightening
and so gorgeous at the same time?”

A frown creased his forehead. “Are you afraid
of me?”

Instead of answering, Anna sought his mouth,
licking his lips and taunting his tongue with hers.

She drew back. “Should I be?”

“Never,” he promised. “I’m the good guy,
remember?”

She slid her hands down his shoulders and
around his back. She touched the outline of hard steel beneath his
shirt. She froze. “What is that?”

“It’s alright. The safety’s on,” he assured
her, pulling the handgun from its shoulder holster and placing it
on the floor next to the bed.

“You brought a gun in here? Did you have it
at the wedding? I should ask if you’re afraid of me.” She looked
into his eyes and saw secrets. “I hope you brought more protection
than a gun,” she added wickedly.

He tangled a hand into her hair and dragged
her mouth to his.

The room became hot, her clothes stifling.
She leaned out of his embrace and reached under his shirt, her
fingers sliding over warm muscle. With eyes pinning his, she tugged
his shirt until the buttons opened and it slid off his shoulders.
She flung it into a corner of the room. She reached for the hem of
her shirt. Both it and her tank top landed atop the small heap of
clothes.

Anna sank onto the quilted bed, pulling Aaron
into her arms, her creamy white breasts a contrast to his dark skin
and black hair. Sinuous, she moved against him, gasping when his
lips finally closed around a taut nipple. She caught his wrist and
placed his hand between her thighs. He pushed her skirt to her
waist and tugged her panties down, tossing them aside. It was her
turn to moan.

“You are so soft,” he whispered against her
fevered neck.

Her questing hands stroked his ribs before
heading lower, forging a path through dark hair before unsnapping
his pants and lowering the zipper. With a wicked grin, she rolled
him over. She lowered her head and her tongue darted around,
swirling and stroking as she inched his pants down his hips. He
groaned aloud. “Stop. Don’t move,” he warned.

“Not this time, mister,” she growled, hiking
her skirt and straddling him.

He bought several seconds of sanity sliding a
hand between them. “Just a moment,” he whispered, his voice husky
with desire. He moved his free hand into his back pocket for his
wallet and a condom. He tossed the wallet aside, then ripped the
small foil packet open with his teeth. He grinned and said, “I’m
going to need two hands for this.”

Anna plucked it from him “I’ll help,” she
offered, sitting back on her heels and giggling as she fitted it in
place and rolled it down.

“I’ve never done that before,” she admitted.
“Now, where were we?” She pinned his shoulders to the mattress.

“Are you going to let me take off my
pants?”

“Too late,” she said as she rubbed against
him, wiggling into position, her skirt bunched around her hips.
Aaron cupped her buttocks and slid in, rocking and thrusting upward
as his need escalated. Anna marched to a different drummer,
rotating her hips and squeezing each time he withdrew. Aaron lifted
his head, his hot, wet mouth closing on her breast. She shattered,
fragmenting with each shuddering breath. He joined her, catching
her cry of wonder in his mouth. They kissed until she fluttered
back to earth, resting on his chest. Her arms trembled, caught
between their bodies. Her hips collapsed on him, her ankles nestled
beneath his calves. And still they kissed.

Her mouth refused to leave his until he
lifted her chin and stroked her swollen lips.

“Next time, let’s go a bit slower. And get
rid of the clothes,” he murmured.

She rested her cheek against him, closing her
eyes. “Sure, whatever.”

Chapter Twenty-One

He studied Anna’s profile. She had fallen
asleep in his arms, not long after they made love. He hadn’t
intended to seduce her. It seemed like a good idea at the time. He
closed his eyes and inhaled her light floral scent. It still seemed
like a good idea, and he wanted to wake her for another round, but
she slept soundly. He eased out of bed and pulled on his pants,
putting his wallet in his back pocket. He zipped his pants, not
bothering with the snap or belt. He stepped out of the bedroom and
into the hall, before pulling his cell phone from his front pocket.
He walked towards the living room, intent on his mobile’s small
screen. He flipped through various screens as he checked text
messages and emails. He’d missed a call and dialed the voice mail
system. As he stood in the empty living room, the phone to his ear,
the front door opened and Gretchen walked in.