Fire and Ice (13 page)

For many long ecstatic moments they held each other, laughing, crying, stroking one another. Reveling in the smell and taste of their sweaty, glistening bodies. When he could trust his voice and his emotions, Sam pulled her up close to him.

“I gotta know, Princess. Was I better than your toy? Than those two-minute men?”

She paused as though considering. “Which of the seven orgasms you gave me, Sam, did you want me to rate? The ones where I begged you not to stop, or the ones where I shrieked like a banshee?”

He laughed, then buried his face in her hair and murmured, “How about the one when you came with me and made me come harder than I ever have in my life?”

“Ahhh… yes.” She sighed. “
That
one.”

Chapter 13

“Lt. Nilsson, could I see you for a moment, please. In my office?”

Annika reflexively frowned at the interruption—until she looked up and saw Sam standing in the entrance to her cubicle. It took a moment to tear herself away from the copious reports Ralph Wiese had messengered over to her. She’d been poring over them for the last three hours. The day had been frenetic from the time she and Sam arrived until now, mid-afternoon. But what could you expect on the 4
th
of July in a Northern Minnesota resort town?

The unaccustomed soreness in places she didn’t know she had was an enticing reminder of the night she’d spent with Sam. As if she needed to be reminded. They’d arrived at the station at 7 a.m. and hadn’t seen each other since. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t thinking about him every minute of the day. Several times she put her head down on the desk and gave in to the sensations washing over her, at the memory of one X-rated scene or another. God, she knew he was sex on a stick, but not even her most illicit imaginings could have conjured up the reality of Samuel D. Carter. From the handcuffs and blindfold to his wicked hands and tongue, she tortured herself throughout the day remembering what it was like to give in to the sexiest man who walked the Earth. Humph! Give in? Damn, by the time dawn was streaking its pink and gold fingers across the dark sky, she was initiating outrageous couplings that she’d never known real people did. His sexy voice praising, encouraging her naughtiness, driving her to unimaginable heights replayed in her brain throughout the day. It was amazing that she got anything done.

She closed her eyes tight, then opened them to be sure the tall muscular man in the doorway wasn’t one more figment of her overwrought imagination. But even blindfolded she would know it was Sam. The combination of his subtly expensive cologne and the unmistakable odor of a strong man was an aphrodisiac like none other. The slight flush on his cheeks and the banked excitement in his dark eyes threw a powerful switch in her wayward body. Clinging to the edge of her desk to keep from falling, she dumped the forensic reports she’d been studying on top of the desk and nodded.

“I… I’ll be right there.”

As they turned the corner a beefy cop hollered out, “Sam, been lookin’ for you! Marion said I could find you here. Can I talk to you for a minute? Just got a call from the dispatch. Another possible drowning at Lake Pleasant. C, double-F, D is there, but they could use some crowd control help. Didn’t know who you want to assign.”

If Pete Wilson noticed the energy flaring between her and Sam he didn’t let on. Sam’s voice was cool. Ever the consummate professional, only a brief flash of annoyance betrayed his frustration at being interrupted.

“Lieutenant. Wait for me in my office, please.” Sam let his hand rest for a minute on her lower back. His fingers tugging at the elastic of her racy thong sent shockwaves racing over her sensitized nerve endings. Heat hit her core, remembering Sam’s delight at her reverse strip tease when she put on a scanty thong and lacy bra under her nondescript jeans and body revealing t-shirt. If Pete didn’t see the flush on her cheeks, he was blind. As he looked down at the sheaf of papers in his hands the curve of his mouth confirmed the hardened cop hadn’t missed a thing the two lovers were saying silently to one another.

Waiting in Sam’s office, Annika heard the door close behind him. Before she could catch her breath, Sam had captured her in his arms. Dragging her against the wall, he lifted her up over his thigh, pressing her stomach against his prominent arousal.

He groaned. “Damn, Annika. I’ve been fantasizing about this since I dropped you off this morning. How the hell are we going to make it through the day? I need you, Princess. Like this!”

He wove his hands in her hair and jerked her head back exposing the vulnerable place on her throat that screamed for his touch. He sought her lips. Surprisingly gentle at first he nipped at the tender flesh then bit down harder. Running his tongue over the seam of her mouth he murmured a low husky sound.

“Open for me, Princess. Let me in. I want to come in deep inside of you.”

A wrenching flood of heat pooled in her belly at his sexy command. She groaned in reply, and didn’t resist his powerful tongue tangling with hers. Demanding, pushing against her nonexistent resistance, he sucked on her tongue while his hands sought her nipples through the lace of her bra. When Annika clutched at his hair, he grasped the perfect globes of her ass in his big hands. Raising her higher, he pressed her legs apart, driving her harder against the wall. Annika gasped for air, a sob of need rising in her throat.

A peremptory knock on the door was the only warning they had before Nate burst in.

Nate reeled back, then his eyes lit with amusement at the sight of them. He shook his head in mock dismay. “I’d ask if I was interrupting something, but even a fucktard like me can see that I am. Sorry as hell, bro. But we got another emergency on Hwy 2. Did you ever think you’d be spending your 4
th
of July chasing down methheads on jet skis?”

Annika tried to ignore Nate’s amusement at her clumsy efforts to smooth her shirt and tug her tousled hair back into its controlled twist. He winked at her, then spoke to Sam.

“So much for making it to our party on time. Not sure when I’ll get there. Erin is going to kill me. Of course if anyone will understand, she will. Connor said he’s pulled in help from three outlying districts just to handle the water-related emergencies.”

Sam’s controlled voice contrasted with the flush on his cheeks, and the way he was positioning his body to protect Annika from Nate’s amused perusal.

“You
are
still having the party. Right, Nate?”

“Hell yes. If nothing else, the wives and kiddies deserve a family day. The guys will come when they can. With the reinforcements you brought in from the Tribes, we should be able to hold to eight hour shifts. And there’s not a better place to watch the fireworks than over the Chief’s and our private lake. I’ll see you both at the cabin. Be great if you can host for me if I’m late.”

Stopping in the doorway, he glanced pointedly at Annika’s wrinkled shirt, red swollen lips and Sam’s still bulging erection. He flashed them an appreciative grin.

“Damn, Hollywood. Didn’t know there was a bigger jagoff than yours truly, but you two are giving me and Erin some serious competition. Whooee. You two are
hot
!”

His audible chuckle echoed down the hallway.

~~~

A chorus of welcoming calls greeted them when they arrived at Erin’s and Nate’s cabin. Even with the string of emergencies, the driveway and grassy area on the side of the cabin were filled with cars. Childish shrieks from the lake and the smell of barbecue signified the party was underway. Picnic tables and large coolers of beer and soft drinks were set up between the majestic cabin and the shore. There had to be at least a hundred people there, ranging from infants in shoulder packs to every age kid, along with their parents and grandparents. The boisterous crowd testified to Erin’s impact on Nate. Sam had told Annika that until Erin came into Nate’s life, Nate had never invited anyone but close family to his sanctuary cabin. Annika could relate. Until Sam, the idea of attending a 4
th
of July party would have been anathema to her. Now with Sam’s arm over her shoulders, pulling her close to him, she gave in to the excitement of the crowd. With a sigh of appreciation, she couldn’t help but notice that as many people who called out to Sam also welcomed her.

Paul Michols, one of the rookie street cops and a former college football sensation, hollered out to Sam.

“Hey Commander, I heard you bragging the other day about your Delta squads’ touch football team. How about putting your record up against some of the real football players. The ones who grew up on dirt fields and play as dirty as they talk.”

Sam laughed, “Hell, Michols, you haven’t heard dirty talk until you’ve met up with a gang of Delta Force. A little warning, buddy: I played with guys who never knew a rule they didn’t break. Same thing goes for the way we played football.”

There were hoots and hollers as the men divided up into teams, then chose from among the women… who were as eager as the men to hit the gridiron. Sam turned to Annika.

“Looks like this venture is coed, Princess. Ready to get some mud on those tight pants of yours?”

Annika laughed. “I keep telling you not to underestimate a former biker babe. But you go ahead. I’m going to go in and see if Erin and Kait need any help. Don’t break anything.”

Sam frowned then relented. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Okay, but don’t be long. I need an Annika fix at least every two minutes or I start acting like the big guy and we all know what that’s like.”

Annika had just said her hello’s to the women bustling in the busy kitchen when her phone vibrated. Glancing down at the caller I.D. she saw it was Ralph Wiese, the upstart accountant who was as devious and semi-crooked as his older partner.

“Erin, is there some place I can take this call?”

Erin directed her to Nate’s study with a big smile. “If that’s a business call, Annika, you better close the door. This party is right on the verge of mayhem.”

Ralph’s southern drawl spilled from the phone like warm honey, every exclamation more outrageous then the former. If not for the seriousness of his information, Annika would have laughed. As it was, she grabbed a sheet of paper and rummaged in the desk drawer for a pen.

“Go for it, Ralph. What have you got?”

“Everything your sweet little heart could want, Sugar Cakes. I’m tellin’ you Ahh-ne-ka, when I’m finished you’re gonna be kissin’ that righteous black dude good bye, and hoppin’ aboard the RW Express. And, honey, when you park that pretty little caboose of yours on my engine, I promise you a ride you’ll never forget.”

When Annika laughed. Nunn’s voice came over the speaker.

“Cut the bullshit, Ralph. Lt. Nilsson doesn’t have time to deal with your nonsense.”

“Nonsense? Damn, Nunn. I’m insulted. That’s my gold-plated foreplay. Works every time.”

Ten minutes later, with fully five pages of notes, Annika decided she could put up with any amount of sexually inappropriate harassment if it netted her the kind of information the two cronies had unearthed.

Nunn’s voice was uncustomarily cheerful. “Yes, Lieutenant, your hunches and theories were 100% on target.”

Ralph drawled in agreement. “You’ve got him, Sugar Cakes. Now go pin that asshole’s balls to the wall. By this time tomorrow you’ll have enough hard evidence to arrest him for collusion. Knowing that asswipe, he’ll give up the firebug on the spot just to save his sorry ass. But who needs him? Not with a smart girl like you on the case. You were right about both of them, Hot Stuff. By tomorrow we won’t need the big guy to rat out his stooge. You’ll be able to bring them both in at once.”

Nunn’s gruff voice broke in. “You’re a smart girl, Annika. Scary smart. I wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of you. So you tell that big badboy detective, he better watch out. If he thought Sam was competition, with you on the scene, they both better be watchin’ their six.”

Annika allowed a wave of satisfaction to overtake her. By damn, Nunn and Wiese were right. Her instincts and all her hard work had paid off. It was one thing to identify the culprits. It was another to get the evidence to bring them in. She couldn’t wait to tell Sam and Nate.

Annika’s phone beeped and she pulled it out, thinking it was Nunn and Wiese. Instead she saw a text from Fred Dalton, Connor’s second in command. Fred, a long time firefighter, had been a terrific resource on the case. He’d been the one to identify the accelerant, a key factor in any arson case. His message was cryptic and compelling.
“Meet me at the site, Lt. May have found the source of the diethyl ether.”

Much as she hated to leave the party, Annika couldn’t ignore Fred’s request. She knew every firefighter in the CFFD was working today. Fred wouldn’t have contacted her if it weren’t important. She looked out the wall of windows in the great room for Sam. She needed his car. She stepped back with a frown when she spotted him. From what she could see, every physically fit woman under the age of twenty-five had somehow made it on to Sam’s team. Or at least that was the group crowding around him in a huddle. Pressing her lips together in a straight line, she headed for the kitchen.

“Erin, can I borrow your car? I just got a text from Fred Dalton. He needs me to meet him. Sam’s busy fending off the secretarial pool and I don’t want to interrupt.”

Erin broke away from the cluster of women who were arranging salads and loading trays of meats for the barbecue. She grabbed her keys from a hook on the pantry wall and handed them to Annika. Her brows tightened in a concerned frown.

“Of course you can use my car. But, Annika, shouldn’t you tell Sam where you’re going? He’ll be worried.”

Annika sniffed. “I doubt it. He seems to be enjoying the football game. And we wouldn’t want to disappoint the bevy of butterflies surrounding him, now would we? “

Ignoring Erin’s surprised gulp, Annika refused to be embarrassed. She knew she sounded like a spiteful, jealous woman, and dammit, maybe that’s just what she was. But she couldn’t suppress the old insecurities nagging her. Why did she think that every woman who saw him wouldn’t be as gaga over Sam as she was? She flinched at the sharp pang in her chest, realizing that this was what life with Sam would be like. One gorgeous guy and a never ending throng of eager women panting for his attention. Great. Just what she’d always wanted.