Body of Evidence (Evidence Series) (46 page)

She let out a sigh of relief. The fact that Raptor was in limbo had been weighing on her.

Curt’s arms tightened around her waist. His hard body warmed her back. “You’re safe.”

His lips found her temple and he kissed a trail down her neck. She twisted in his arms and faced him. Her mouth met his in a long, leisurely kiss. Eventually she rocked back on her heels and smiled. “I appear to be living with you,” she said. Not the words she’d planned to say, but, with the last funeral over, she no longer had a reason remain in DC. No reason, that is, except Curt.

His mouth curved in her favorite smile. “You just noticed?”

She nipped at his chin. “I don’t want to go back to Hawai’i.”

His grip on her hips tightened. “Good, because I want you here. With me. But you should know I’ll go wherever you decide.”

Tiny bubbles of joy expanded in her chest. She’d expected his response but still liked hearing the words. “I’ve been thinking I could apply for a job at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Anacostia. It wouldn’t be JPAC, but it could be meaningful.” She paused, wondering how he’d react to her next statement. “When I get back on my feet financially, I’d like to find a way to fund a scholarship—to Stanford. I can’t pay it back, but I can pay it forward.”

His eyes lit. “I think that’s a fabulous idea. I can support you; then any salary you earn can go straight to the scholarship.”

Emotion flooded her. She kissed him, accepting his offer without words. He let out a guttural groan that told her he enjoyed this method of negotiation.

She broke the kiss and glanced around the room. “There is one caveat. If we’re going to stay here, we need to do something about your condo.” She pretended to shudder. “It’s a shame Raptor blew up a perfectly nice safe house and left this place intact.”

He chuckled. “Before you were here, I was never home. Now when I’m home, all I see is you.”

She grinned. “Good one.”

“I’m getting good at this relationship thing.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, it’s been days since you’ve tried to read me like a chessboard.”

“I can’t help it. That’s how my mind works.” He kissed her again. “There was another message on the answering machine. The White House wants a definitive answer on whether or not we’re going to attend the State Dinner next week.”

“They really want us there, don’t they?”

“It would be good PR after what happened to the secretary of state.”

She frowned. “I’m willing to go. But it won’t be nearly as fun as the pretend one.”

He raised his eyebrows suggestively. “We can do for real what we talked about.”

“Sex afterward was a given.”

He laughed. “No, I mean put in a token appearance and leave.”

“We could bail before the first course?”

“Yes. I have a different appetizer in mind.”

She grabbed his tie and pulled him to her for a leisurely kiss. With her mouth on his, she backed him toward the bedroom as she undressed him. He was naked from the waist up by the time she pushed him backward onto the bed. “If you bring the champagne, I’ll bring the honey.”

He tugged on her arm, and she toppled forward, landing on his chest. “Check,” he said. In a swift motion, he flipped her so she was pinned to the mattress beneath him. Hazel eyes alight, he grinned a sexy, confident grin. “And mate.”

A
UTHOR’S
N
OTE

F
OR MORE INFORMATION
on the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the work they do, please visit their website at
www.jpac.pacom.mil.

T
HANK YOU FOR
reading
Body of Evidence
. I hope you enjoyed it!

If you’d like to know when my next book is available, you can sign up for my new release e-mail list at
www.Rachel-Grant.net
. You can also follow me on Twitter at
@RachelSGrant
or like my Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/RachelGrantAuthor
. I’m also on Goodreads at
www.goodreads.com/RachelGrantAuthor
, where you can see what I’m currently reading.

Reviews help other readers find books. All reveiws, whether postive or negative, are appreciated.

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
HANK YOU TO
my friend and Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command archaeologist Richard Wills, for answering all my questions about JPAC protocols and for describing your experiences working in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This book wouldn’t have been possible without your insight.

Thank you to author and Center for Disease Control Infectious Disease Specialist Jennifer McQuiston and her colleagues Mary Reynolds and Andrea McCollum for answering my questions about smallpox. Their opinions do not represent the opinions of the CDC, and any factual inaccuracies in this book are my mistake, not theirs.

Thank you to author and Air Force Reserve public affairs officer AJ Brower, for answering my questions about US Air Force bases and dormitories.

Thank you to attorneys Steven Burke, Shauny Jaine, and Kenneth Kagan, for answering my legal questions and explaining the difference between case-in-chief and rebuttal, and the rules of evidence for both.

Thank you also to Courtney Milan for answering random questions about US law and lawyers when I didn’t know what I needed to know. Also, I can’t remember who suggested it, but I must thank either Courtney or Mr. Milan for naming my mercenary organization.

Thank you to both the plaintiff’s and defendant’s attorneys who selected me to be juror number nine in a civil suit just weeks after I began writing this story. I was utterly grateful for the opportunity to learn about our court system from a juror’s perspective. Thank you also to my fellow jurors, who left me with nothing but respect for our system and pride in how honorable and conscientious our compulsory volunteers are.

Thank you to all the authors who critiqued this book, with a special shout out to the authors who dropped everything to read for me (sometimes more than once) when I needed it most: Elisabeth Naughton, Darcy Burke, Kris Kennedy, Jill Barnett, Mary Sullivan, Carey Baldwin, Amy Atwell, Krista Hall, Jennie Lucas, Gwen Hernandez, and Elizabeth Heiter.

Huge thanks to my blogmates at
www.KissandThrill.com
for putting up with me on this publishing journey. I’d be nowhere without your support, and your friendship means the world to me. Workshop!

Thank you to the Northwest Pixie Chicks for the best annual writing retreat every year. You all inspire me.

Thank you to the RWA® judges who made this book a finalist in the Golden Heart® contest two years in a row. Those contest finals opened so many doors for me, for which I’m grateful.

Huge thanks to my agent, Elizabeth Winick Rubinstein at McIntosh & Otis, for pushing me to be a better writer and for believing in me. Your support has meant more than I can say, and without you, this book would be so much less.

As always, thank you to my family. Everything I do, every word I write, is for you.

T
HANK YOU TO
the men and women of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command who work in difficult and often uncomfortable conditions to bring our lost servicemen and women home.

Lastly, thank you to all the men and women, past and present, who have served in the US armed forces.

B
OOKS BY
R
ACHEL
G
RANT

Concrete Evidence (Evidence Series #1)

Body of Evidence (Evidence Series #2)

Grave Danger