Dirty Deeds (22 page)

The palms of his hands slid to her breasts and he cupped them, one in each hand, his thumbs rubbing over the tender nipples that responded by springing up hard and wanting. His eyes, no longer emerald but now dark and smoky, held hers as he stroked again and again over the hardened nubs. It made everything inside her go warm and soft.

Louie ran her hands up his hard chest, rising up slightly on her toes to kiss him. When he moaned into her mouth, she smiled. Good to know she wasn't the only one holding on by a thread.

"You're driving me crazy," she said against his lips.

He buried his hands in her hair and pulled her head back until they were once again staring into each other's eyes. "And you're driving me wild."

"Oh," she breathed. "I like wild."

He let go of her hair, his hands drifting down her back until he gripped her ass, pulling her hips close to him. His cock, hard and hot, pressed against the tender flesh of her stomach. She definitely wasn't in this alone. Her legs quivered and for a moment she thought her knees might buckle.

Any reserve she had, and it wasn't much to begin with, evaporated when he dropped his head to take a nipple in his mouth. The heat of his tongue against her skin had her shaking all over. He bit her nipple, not hard enough to hurt but enough to start a firestorm in her body. It was more than she could take and still she wanted more.

"Paul," she said on a sigh, her hands now on his ass urging him even closer. The feel of his body against hers was intoxicating. She moved against him, her hips shifting, rubbing.

A husky sound from deep in his throat was the only warning she had before they fell to the bed, a tangle of arms, legs, and lips. It all became blurred then, flesh against flesh, heat and growing desire. His lips met hers in a kiss so hot it singed. Then his lips moved to her neck, her shoulder, her breast and stomach. Finally, his kisses trailed down from her stomach to the soft curls between her legs. When his tongue invaded her hot, wet center, her hips lifted to his mouth. He licked, kissed and teased until she thought she'd fly apart. Just at the edge of coming, he slowly kissed his way back to her lips.

"You're trying to kill me, and I think it's working."

He smiled against her lips. "You taste as sweet as you smell."

The scent of her was on him as he kissed her deeply, his tongue dancing with hers. It was exciting. It was special.

With a move that even surprised her, Louie flipped Paul onto his back and deftly mounted him. She cried out as her body filled with him. He reached out to hold her hips as she moved on him, the feel of his cock sliding in and out, amazing. Slowly she rocked, taking every stroke into her moist folds. She wanted to make it last all night and yet with every stroke, the fire inside her body grew hotter and more demanding. She didn't know how much longer she could hang on and judging by the tension in Paul's body, he wasn't far behind.

All of a sudden, she cried out as everything in her body tightened. Paul's hand moved to her clit and he fingered it gently as she came in an explosion of sensation. A moment later, he tensed, pumped harder and came with shuddering moan.

She dropped her head to his chest as his arms came around her. His heart beat quickly against her ear and she dropped a kiss to his chest, licking the salty taste of sweat from her lips.

Louie wasn't a kid and she'd been around the block a time or two, yet as she rolled off of him to lie back damp and sated against the rumpled sheets, the realization it'd never been like this before hit her. Something in Paul touched a place no one else had ever even gotten close to. She absolutely hated the term soul mate and yet right now, she wondered if there was more truth in the theory than she'd ever believed.

She was breathing hard and her words were little more than a whisper. "I've never felt like this before." She hadn't really intended to say it out loud and now feared he'd bolt.

He didn't. Instead he rolled on his side and propped his head on one hand. With his other hand, he brushed the damp hairs from her face. His breathing was as ragged as hers. "It's never been like this for me either."

She looked away. "You're just saying that to make me feel better. I've seen pictures of you with models and actresses." Recalling pictures of him in newspapers and magazines with beautiful women smiling up at him, actually made her heart ache.

He laughed and kissed her hair. "No doubt you have, along with a couple million other people."

How could Louie ever compete with women like that? She wasn't beautiful, model-like, or famous. She'd have to be happy with the little time they had together before their real lives intruded once more. He'd go back to his hockey and his fame; she'd go back to obscurity and the hunt for her brother's would-be killer.

Paul turned her face with his finger until she looked at him. His green eyes had gone soft. "This is special, Louie, whether you want to believe it or not."

Her eyes filled with tears and it made her want to scream. She wouldn't melt, she just wouldn't. "I'm not like those women."

He laughed and the sound was gentle, happy. "Thank the good Lord for that."

She cocked her head and studied him. His lips were full and just a hint of reddish stubble darkened his face. God, he looked good. "I don't understand."

Pulling her into his arms once more, his body was hot and hard against hers. "You're the most wonderful woman I've ever met. You're fearless and powerful."

"Thanks for the compliment. I sound like your friendly neighborhood Amazon."

His arms tightened. "You didn't let me finish. You're also beautiful and intelligent and everything a guy hopes for and rarely ever finds."

"Beautiful?" Was he blind?

"Beautiful." He kissed her softly, his tongue parting her lips, searching, tasting.

Okay, so maybe he was blind, but what the hell, blind was good. Her hands moved down his body to his hips and she drew him close. Plenty of night left to make memories, and she wasn't going to think about tomorrow. For now, she'd take what he was offering and treasure it.

* * * *

Paul stood at the kitchen sink, still naked, drinking a glass of water and staring out the window. He'd left Louie dozing in her bedroom down the hall, her dark hair splayed against the pale linen of the pillowcase, her skin flushed in the creamy moonlight spilling through the window over the bed.

After making love a second time, much slower than the first frenzied rush to pleasure, she'd drifted off to sleep while he'd laid there watching the play of moonlight on the ceiling. As comfortable as he was with Louie's head on his shoulder, her breathing easy and steady, he'd been unsettled. So much so, he'd finally slipped out of the bedroom.

It wasn't just the beautiful woman who filled him with a hot rush of desire that had him so restless. No, it was a little bit of everything. Emotions were coming at him from all directions. Emotions he never saw coming. After their night under the stars, he'd realized how different it was with her. Even so, he wasn't prepared for how she touched his heart. He hadn't foreseen a woman like Louie walking into his life, especially now.

What he'd really like to do was go back into the bedroom and make love until both of them were so exhausted they couldn't move. Except that fantasy was too far out of reach because life wasn't going to be stalled. Soon, he'd have to leave her side to take his brother home.

How many times had he prayed for Jamie to end the constant chaos he created? Too many to count. Well, it was over now. Paul had never dreamed the solution to Jamie's errant ways was at the end of a rifle.

He finished the water, set the empty glass on the counter and turned to walk back to the bedroom. The house was dark and peaceful, the quiet broken only by the slight hum of the refrigerator. The hardwood floor was cool on the soles of his feet. A very faint scent of cinnamon floated through the air.

In the bedroom doorway, he paused and leaned against the frame. Louie shifted a little, stretching her long smooth legs like a cat. Everything about her was magnificent from those shapely legs, to her flat stomach and sensual lips. He'd seen a great many beauties in his time but not one could compare to the woman on the bed. She was beautiful and sexy in a way that none of the others could match. She made his blood roar.

In fact, the blood was roaring right now and as he watched her sleep, his cock hardened. From the first sweet taste of her lips, he'd been hooked. She made him horny with little more than the twitch of a toe. Soon, he'd have to leave but right now, he had plenty of time for love.

Paul slid back onto the bed next to Louie and ran his hand down her smooth hip. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then licked her ear. He loved the way she smelled and tasted. Her body quivered beneath his hand as he stroked her skin, and he smiled.

"Hummm," she purred. "Can't a girl get some sleep without being mauled?"

He licked her ear again, nipping at the tender lobe. "The girl can sleep on her time. Right now, it's my time."

"Pushy." She rolled over and put her arms around his neck. "I guess I'm just a sucker for pushy men."

"My good luck."

She pulled his head down and kissed him, urging his lips open with her tongue. He obliged. The taste of her was intoxicating, and he loved drinking her in. With one knee, he nudged her legs apart. Rising on his hands, he slid slowly into her wet heat. His gaze intent on hers, he watched the emotions cross her face as he moved in and out with agonizing slowness. In her eyes, he saw everything he felt in his heart and in that moment realized through the tragedy that was his brother's life and death, something beautiful had been born.

Putting lips against hers, he murmured, "Thank you."

* * * *

When he left her in the early hours of the morning, Louie wondered if she'd ever see him again. She kissed him goodbye and watched as he backed his car out of the driveway. As he'd walked out the front door, his eyes had been filled with sadness and her heart ached for him. She knew what it felt like to lose a brother. Though Chris was still alive, it didn't count for much. His heart continued to beat strong and steady while his mind was locked away in a silent prison. She could visit him, touch him, and talk to him, and still he was lost to her. Now, Paul was leaving to bury his brother and the grief it brought had to be deep and painful.

As he'd made love to her the last time, he'd been incredibly tender. Nothing was rushed and they came together with a sweetness so intense it had brought tears to her eyes. It was more than thinking of it as making love, it actually felt like love. Who would have guessed?

She wanted to believe that she'd see Paul again and yet no promises were made, not in the throes of passion, not in the calm afterward. She couldn't bring herself to ask and he didn't offer the words she'd wanted to hear. Of course, to be fair, he left her bed to take his dead brother home. He might have had something else on his mind.

Still…

Louie stood at the window wrapped in her old terrycloth robe until his car's taillights disappeared down the street. Outside the air was cool, a light rain giving the still dark morning a misty glow from encroaching sunrise and dimming streetlights. She loved her home and her neighborhood, yet all of a sudden it somehow seemed gloomy and lonely. She pulled her robe tighter, pushing away the chill that crept up her back.

Chapter Fourteen

Louie found that no matter how much she tossed and turned, she couldn't get back to sleep after Paul left. She finally gave up and instead dressed and headed for the office. Traffic this early in the morning was light and it made for a great commute. She loved crossing the Monroe Street Bridge this time of year because the Spokane Falls were running hard. It was a sight that never failed to amaze her even though she'd spent her whole life in Spokane. The way the massive falls roared, white foam spraying over the huge basalt rock at the river's edge, was awe-inspiring.

The message light on her phone was blinking when she got in, and she crossed to her desk to pick up the receiver and punch the voice-mail button. The recognizable voice made her pulse quicken.

Joe Federer got straight to the point. "Lou, Joe here. Doc Septen completed his post-mortem and he's on the same page as you and me. Our shooter is a pro. The accuracy was a dead giveaway." He laughed harshly. "Lou, even our own guys aren't that good. You still keep up with the job? Well, if you do, you won't like the latest stats. Our boys and girls only hit one out of five shots. This asshole hit three for three. Sent the bullet to the Spokane folks to see if they can make a match. Call me if you come across anything on your end."

He left her his personal cell number that Louie jotted down on a piece of paper. Then she erased the voicemail. She wasn't sure why she did that. It just seemed important not to have that particular message left on her phone. Something smelled here and she was bound and determined to find out what it was if it was the last thing she did.

The second message on her phone was more cryptic. It was Amy Johnson, an old friend from the job. She didn't leave much of a message just something about a body that might be of interest to Louie. Like she needed to be around yet another death. Jotting down Amy's number, she slipped the note into her pocket. She'd call her back later.

Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, she checked it for messages dismayed to see the display was black. The battery was dead. Probably would have been a good idea to charge it. Well, if anyone left a message on the cell, she hoped it wasn't important.

Louie wasn't surprised to find herself alone in the shared offices. Harry thrived on the night. That'd never been her thing even when she was a new recruit and stuck on the worst night patrol. Two years she spent on patrol before she was able to get off that stinky assignment although she'd have to admit that driving and walking through the city in the wee hours of the morning had taught her a great deal. By day, it was a city defined by friendly people, clear skies, and easy traffic. By night, it was a different beast altogether. Oh, people were still friendly enough; it just cost a little more to elicit the friendship. When the clear skies turned dark and the easy traffic faded to a trickle, what was left behind in the heart of the city were users, dealers, prostitutes and those who lived on the fringes of society, as well as those who fed on them. A world arose in the gloom that most of the good and proper citizens of the city didn't realize existed. They didn't want to know about that part of their world.