Not One Clue_ A Mystery Part 34

"Don't be stupid," I said. I felt as if I were having an out-of-body experience, which, come to think of it, would have made me b.i.t.c.hin' mad. I mean, if there was ever a time I wanted to be in my body, this was it.

"Trying not to be," he said. "Take this."

It took me a moment to realize he was holding a condom. I have no idea where he'd been keeping it.

"Don't dally," he reminded me.

I tore the foil away with my teeth. There was a moment of panic on my part when I feared I had forgotten how to apply the thing, but finally he was sheathed and raring to go.

"Ready?" he said.

"If I were any more ready you'd be superfluous."

"Never," he said.

"Don't be so sure. Francois is one sweet-talking-" I began, but suddenly he lifted me up and pushed into me in one smooth glide.

The earth moved. I shrieked. He groaned. In approximately thirty-two seconds, it was over. I was panting like a bulldog, sweaty as h.e.l.l, and happy as a songbird.

It took several minutes before either of us could talk, and when he did his voice was gruff. "Sorry," he said.

I still couldn't think straight, but I was cognizant enough to realize I was one lucky little nuthatch. "For being as big as a frickin' train?" I asked.

"I'm usually ... I didn't mean to go so fast. You're just so ..." He paused to breathe.

"Just so what?"

He stared into my eyes. "Just so f.u.c.king s.e.xy you make me crazy."

"You already got my clothes off, Rivera. No need for sweet talk."

He stared at me, eyes like lasers. "You don't think this is over, do you?"

He was looking at me like I was a mocha turtle sundae. The desire in his eyes made my caramel simmer.

I skimmed my gaze down his body, and just past his navel saw that this was definitely not over.

"I hope you've rested up," he said, and kissed me again.

By midnight we had moved to the floor. By 1:17 we had found the bed.

Dehydration pushed us into the kitchen. At 5:05, I realized I had been entirely wrong about there being enough room on the counter for two.

Panting, Rivera rolled onto his back. I pulled a bag of grapes out from under his left shoulder, considered taking some nutrition, and decided I didn't have the strength.

"I've got to get home," he said.

"Now?"

"Five hours ago," he said, and sitting up, swung his feet to the floor. The scenery from behind was almost as stimulating as the frontal view.

I found the strength to run my hand down his back. He looked over his shoulder, eyes smoldering. "Don't get me started."

"You haven't even started yet?" I asked, and sat on the edge of the counter. My clothes were long gone. All that remained was one shoe. I have no idea how that had survived.

He kissed me, then pulled away and growled. "I have to be at work in three hours."

"You could sleep here."

"Maybe if you were dressed in full armor and put a padlock on your chast.i.ty belt."

"Would a bike chain work?" I asked, but he was already headed for the bedroom and his long-lost clothes. His b.u.t.tocks bunched and gathered on every step. I slipped off the lone sandal and followed By the time I reached the bedroom, he was pulling his jeans over bare skin. The sight did something lascivious to my nether regions.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you could do it again."

"Do what?" I asked, and dangled the huarache from two fingers.

He stood there staring at me, body tense. Then he swore and kissed me with enough heat to bake a vase. "Come with me," he said.

"To your house?" I'm not sure why I was surprised. It wasn't as if I hadn't been there before, but I had never stayed the night ... or the morning ... as the situation happened to be.

"You can't stay here alone."

I glanced around. As it turns out, I had almost forgotten the burglary. "I have to get this cleaned up."

He kissed me again. "Tomorrow."

"It is is tomorrow," I said. tomorrow," I said.

"Don't be stubborn, McMullen ..." he began. The edgy, bossy tone was already sneaking back into his voice, and for a moment I felt my hackles rise, but then I remembered that he was buck naked under his jeans and somehow that made everything better.

"I'll lock the door and arm the system the second you leave," I promised.

"You think I'm nuts? I can't leave you here alone."

"So you're staying?" I asked. "Great," I said, and turning, sauntered away. I could feel his gaze sear my backside. "I'll get some clean sheets. I'm sure you'll get plenty of sleep before you have to give one hundred percent to the LAPD."

He answered with a growl. I turned, all innocence, shoe still dangling from my fingertips. His brows were lowered, and I think I saw his jeans s.h.i.+ft a little at the crotch. I raised my gaze slowly to his. A muscle danced in his jaw. I believe he may have been realizing we had just had s.e.x about forty-two times and that forty-three might kill him.

"You'll lock your door?" he asked.

"Of course."

"And arm your system."

"I'm not stupid."

"If something happens to you I'll never forgive you."

I laughed. The world looked surprisingly rosy on zilch sleep and eight hours of mind-blowing s.e.x. "I'll keep that in mind. Go home."

"You'll keep your phone on?"

"The landline and the cell."

"Is it fully charged?"

"Absolutely."

"You don't know that."

I laughed. Rosy? The world looked absolutely giddy. "I'll be fine, Rivera. I promise."

He blew out a hard breath. "Keep Harley-" he began, then glanced around. "Where is is Harley?" Harley?"

The truth hit me in a rush. "Oh s.h.i.+t! I-"

"We forgot him in the car," he said, but I was already heading toward the door, flooded with guilt.

"You go out like that, McMullen, and I'll never be able to sleep again."

I turned, embarra.s.sed for the first time by my lack of clothing. I had honestly forgotten.

"I'll do a perimeter check around your house," he said. "Then I'll bring him in."

"I can-"

"You get some clothes on before my hard-on becomes permanent."

"That's not physically possible," I said, and glancing to the left, spied a grape that had gone AWOL sometime before midnight. Turning, I bent to retrieve it. I could feel his gaze follow me like a spotlight.

"Jesus," he said, and turned away. In a moment I was alone.

I managed to stifle my laughter, but my mood was positively euphoric. By the time he returned I had found a robe. I dropped to my knees as Harlequin loped up to me, all wiggles and squirms.

I crooned at him a little, engaging in the kind of baby talk that makes me sick when other people do it. He sat down on my bare foot and licked my sleeve.

"I guess he doesn't hold it against us," I said.

"He was asleep in the backseat," Rivera said. "Twitching like a Taser victim and drooling on his paws."

"Well ..." I rose to my feet, feeling strangely uncomfortable suddenly. I cleared my throat. "Thanks for ..." I shrugged. "Everything."

"Anytime."

"Really?" My face felt warm. His eyes looked hot.

"I might need a few hours to hydrate," he said.

"I'm sorry it got so late."

His eyes said something I couldn't quite read. "I'll call you when I get to work," he said.

"I'll be fine," I said, and then he kissed me.

"You're a h.e.l.l of a lot better than fine," he said, and turned away.

I planned to go to bed immediately, but Harley looked hungry, so I fed him a half a bag of dog food, then rummaged in the fridge for something for myself. There were two onions trying to grow their way to freedom, leftovers from ten days ago, three eggs, and a half a carton of soy milk. planned to go to bed immediately, but Harley looked hungry, so I fed him a half a bag of dog food, then rummaged in the fridge for something for myself. There were two onions trying to grow their way to freedom, leftovers from ten days ago, three eggs, and a half a carton of soy milk.

It seemed like a sign from G.o.d. I mean, my chocolate chip cookie recipe called for three eggs. In five minutes I was adding the chips to the batter and humming.

It was then that I heard a sound at the front door. For a moment my breath caught in my throat, but then Laney spoke. Her footsteps rushed down the hall.

"Mac! Mac!"

"In here."

She appeared in the doorway of the kitchen like a frantic doe. "What happened?"

I felt the blush rise to my cheeks. "Nothing. Why?"

"Nothing! I've been trying to call you since nine o'clock last night."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I must have put my phone ..." I didn't let my gaze skim to the pile of cus.h.i.+ons under which Rivera had hidden it. "... on vibrate. Where's Solberg?"

"I left him at the inn with his parents. You-" She stopped, scowled. "Are you baking cookies?"

"Yeah. Well, making dough." My cookies rarely see the inside of an oven. Why waste the electricity when dough is the ambrosia of the G.o.ds? I gave the ambrosia a good stir.

"I-"

"Are you making cookies at six in the morning after you've been burglarized?"

"Oh." Maybe it was a little surprising that I had forgotten that little tidbit of information. "I just ... I was kind of ..."

She gave me a narrow, a.s.sessing glance. "When did Rivera leave?"

"What?"

"Rivera." It was the only word she repeated. The blush had moved down to my clavicle. "What makes you think-"

"You're humming."

"Am not."