Family Honor (17 page)

"Whatever you want, baby," she murmured and let him take the lead.

He sheathed himself and spun her around so she faced the wall. He pried her legs apart and bent her forward, taking her from behind with one smooth stroke.

Mel gasped and clutched the shower wall. "Yess," she hissed.

Slow, steady strokes worked into deep, fast pummeling. Mel
couldn't
see him but heard his shallow, panting breath.
He's
close.
The mere thought sent her reeling over the edge into bliss so divine, she never wanted it to end.

Nate shouted his release and grasped her firmly. When they were both spent, his body pressed hers against the wall. He cleared his throat and pulled out quickly.
"Uh, sorry."

Mel's limbs were rubber. She could barely move but managed to face him and smile. "Sorry for what? Giving me one of the top five orgasms of my life? No need to apologize, believe me."

He peeled off the used rubber and reached around the shower curtain to dispose of it. "Top five? Damn, I thought I'd rank a little higher."

She laughed. "Don't worry. After this weekend, you hold
all
the top five spots."

He grinned and rubbed his nose against hers. "You hold the top spot for me, too, gorgeous. No, I was apologizing for smashing you into the wall."

Wrapping her arms around him, she snuggled her face against his chest. "I didn't notice. I'm supremely happy right now."

"I'm
close,
just have this one small problem."

She looked at him. "What?"

"We're losing the hot water! It's freaking freezing over here!"

She felt the chilly water that pelted his back.

She fumbled for the knob and turned the heat up. "There's a couple minutes of warm water left. Hurry and clean up, and we'll get out."

"That's better." Nate sighed. They washed each other once more, then found a couple of towels and dried off before stumbling to the bed.

"Hungry?" she asked as she tossed the covers aside.

"Maybe later.
I'd rather lie here a while and hold you, first."

"I totally agree."

Nate released the clip in her hair and tugged out the ponytail holder. He smoothed the locks around her shoulders and pulled her into the curve of his arm as they lay down. Using his one free hand, he tossed a sheet over them.

Mel cuddled
close,
deciding that in his arms was her new favorite place to be in the whole world. A thought struck her and she inhaled with fear.
Tomorrow is Tuesday. Five days
. A tear escaped and before she could stop them, more followed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nate touched her chin and brought her gaze up to meet his.

"I just realized. Tomorrow makes five days."

He wiped the tears away with his thumb. "I know.
I'll
call my chief in the morning. I think I can get a couple of
days
extension since we're so close on this thing."

She shook her head. "I'm not talking about the case. Right now, I
don't
care about the stupid case. I'm talking about us."

"I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead. "I'm sure it seems cold, but I have to care about the case.
It's
what brought me here. And
it's
got to be the center of my focus. Once we wrap it up, then I can move on to other important matters. Like finding out how long the commercial flights take between Wichita and San Antonio. I doubt they'll let me use the FBI jet on the weekends."

Mel perked up.
"Weekends?
So, this
doesn't
have to end when the case is over? Because if it did, I was starting to hope we might never solve it."

Nate squeezed her arm. "Don't ever say that. We've got to get that madman off the streets and you know it."

"I know." Mel sniffed. "I'm just not ready to let go of this." She corrected herself and said what she really meant. "I'm not ready to let go of
you
."

He rolled on top of her and kissed her long and hard, pausing only
long
enough to catch a breath before doing it again. Within moments
he'd
retrieved another condom from the nightstand and they were as one, with passion like she'd never felt before burning inside her. She craved him, needed him, and took all he had to offer. When they finally collapsed onto the bed, sated and exhausted, Nate spooned her and buried his face in her hair. Mel heard his rhythmic breathing and thought
he'd
fallen asleep. She closed her eyes, drowsy and content to do the same thing.

She heard him whisper, "I'm not sure I'll
ever
be ready to let go of you."

Her eyes popped open. She smiled, and closed them again.

It seemed like mere moments later when she woke to her phone ringing. She grabbed it and squinted at the clock.
Six-thirty a.m
. Mel groaned. "Curtis," she snapped into the phone.

"Please don't tell me we have another one," Nate muttered next to her.

"Shhh," she motioned to him. There was hesitation on the other end of the phone.
"Yes, hello?"

"Detective Curtis?
This is Rayelle, um, Juicy. From downtown, you know?"

Mel forced her thoughts to focus.
"Of course.
Rayelle is a pretty name. Can I call you that?"

"Yeah, whatever.
I
wasn't
sure I should bother you, but I got worried. Sheila never made it back last night. After you and that FBI guy talked to us, we agreed to check in with each other a few times a day. She always called me when she finished up. She didn't call last night, and she's not answering her phone."

"Damn. Okay Rayelle, you did the right thing.
I'm
going to send some patrol units looking for her. Listen, I know you don't like to give it out, but this would be a lot easier if I had your phone number."

"Sure."

Mel nudged Nate. "Write this down."

He grabbed his cell and used it to save the number.

"555-2361."

Mel repeated the number and Nate typed it. "We'll be in touch Rayelle. Find someplace safe and sit tight for now, will you? Stay off the streets."

"I will. Thanks." She disconnected the call.

Mel punched her phone off and looked at Nate.

"Who's Rayelle?"

"Juicy. She called to tell me Sheila never made it home last night."

Chapter Seven

Nate threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. "Well, shit. Good thing we showered last night. Wish
we'd
eaten, though. I'm starved."

Mel smiled.
"Me too.
I'll
make some calls and get the patrol units started. We can grab something on the way in."

"If this is our guy, he's really escalating now. It's only been a day since they found Sissy."

She nodded and spoke to her captain, then Stone. Nate watched her dress and
holster
her Glock.

"Damn, that's sexy." He secured his own weapon and stepped in front of her.
"A woman with a gun as big as mine."
He swept her into his arms for a long, breathless kiss. When they separated, he smiled. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Her face flushed and her eyes appeared unfocused.

He grinned again, loving the genuineness of her. She wore her heart on her sleeve and her emotions displayed on her face.
I could get used to waking up with this woman.
 

As if
she'd
read his mind, she murmured, "You think we'll ever get to wake up leisurely?
Lay here smooching for a while, a good morning quickie, maybe breakfast in bed?"

Nate laughed. "Sounds like my idea of the perfect morning. We'll plan on that, okay?"

"It's a deal." Mel rubbed her hands over his scruffy face and kissed him. "I'll get food and meet you at the office."

He rubbed his nose on hers. "See you there." On his way
out
he called over his shoulder, "Something with bacon, please!"

"You got it." Mel smiled sweetly. The expression on her face made it very hard to leave. Had they not received the call about Sheila,
he'd
turn around and they'd both have been late to work.
But happy, very happy
.
He smiled.

Nate walked out to his car and realized he
was
happy. Happier than
he'd
been in a long time. There was just one thing standing in the way of total joy.
The slasher.
Hopefully,
they'd
make some headway on the case today. Regardless, he needed to call his chief tonight.
He'd
texted back and forth with his team a few times.
They'd
found the missing boy in Tacoma and had returned to San Antonio.
They'd
expect him to be back in time to go with them on their next assignment.

Can't
go yet.
Mel's ambivalence was rubbing off on him. He shook his head. Need to solve this case. Once that was done,
he'd
give serious thought to some strategies for making things work with Mel.

The thought cheered him, and he drove to the office with a slightly lighter heart.

Reality hit home when he entered the bullpen and saw the anxious faces of the team. "Anything on Sheila?" he asked quickly.

"Nothing yet," Stone replied.

"That's good. If she was dead, someone would probably have found her by now. We're going to proceed under the assumption that she's still alive."

Stone glanced at the door. "Wonder what's keeping Mel?"

Nate thought quickly. "She, uh, texted me that she was grabbing some breakfast.
Said she'd be here in a few."

"Good."

Becker made a face. "She'll never keep her figure eating fast food all the time. I eat an egg white omelet every morning,
then
run for forty-five minutes. It's all about discipline."

"Mel has discipline," Stone defended his partner. "She just likes a good fried roll every now and again."

Nate grinned.
"Can't blame her there."
He spotted her entering the room and went to help with the food.

"Lattes for everyone," she announced. "And I got some extra bacon and egg biscuits just in case anyone else is hungry."

"I'm practically drooling from the smell." He took the bag and lowered his voice. "Remind me not to skip dinner next time. I mean, skipping dinner was good, but remind me to eat something later."

She laughed. "I'd be happy to do that."

He raised his brows in feigned shock. "You are bad.
Very, very bad."
He carried the food into the war room where they ate and talked about Sheila.

Nate picked a chunk of bacon out of his biscuit sandwich and savored it before gobbling it down.

Becker shook her head.
"Pure poison.
Bacon will kill you."

Licking his fingers, Nate grabbed another bite of the savory pork and told it, "If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right."