It was no more than a ten-minute drive, and both of them were too preoccupied to talk. And they were barely inside the door before she had slid into his arms, shivering slightly, clinging to him, her arms slipping around his neck, her body pressed to his, her lips seeking his mouth. It seemed an eon of ecstasy that they remained thus, and he felt a renewed sense not just of fervor and hunger, but of that deeper rise of emotion that came from the fact that they had made the subtle adjustment from wanting to needing, from carnal chemistry to a melding of body, heart and soul. She, too, was soon covered in swamp mud, and they made their way to the bathroom, where he managed to turn on the shower spray while disrobing himself and her, barely breaking contact the whole time.
Flesh, naked flesh, soap and suds, and hands. She touched him everywhere. He returned the favor. She had magic hands, taking a slow course of discovery. Light on his shoulders at first, and then with a pressure that both alleviated strain and created the sweetest strain of a very different kind.
Her fingers played down the length of his spine, over his hips. He touched her in return. The darkness of his hands over the pale roundness of her breasts was arousing, his palms rubbing over her nipples before his head ducked and his mouth caressed them. The water sluiced through her hair. He caught it and cast it over her shoulder, turning her against him so that his lips could fall on her nape, below her ear, on her shoulders, her back. He turned her in his arms, continuing his erotic ministrations against her abdomen, her thighs, then between them. She gripped his shoulders, quivered at his touch, moaned slightly, then cried out, sliding down in sudsy sleekness to meet his mouth with the furious hunger of her own once again.
Her hands were delicate, then fierce, stroking against his chest. They knelt together in a steaming spray that seemed almost fantasy, something keener, sharper, than he’d ever known before. She stroked his sex with her hands and tongue, and he wound his arms around her, bringing them both to their feet, bracing her against the tile of the shower, lifting her until she came back down on him and the hard arousal of his sex slid easily into her. He nearly whispered the words to her then, that he was more than physically one with her, that he was falling in love. But he would never have her doubt such words, as she would if they were spoken in the urgent desperation of the desire that drummed through him like a storm tearing the Glades asunder, so he whispered instead that she was beautiful, and the words she returned were ever more arousing. He became aware of the ancient thunder throbbing through his body, his lungs and his heart, and in a matter of moments they climaxed together in the steamy spray. The winds began to ease while they remained entwined.
Later, when they had sudsed again, then slipped into each other’s arms to sleep, but wound up making love again, he held her, spooned against him. He lay awake, stroking her hair, in wonder. He had thought he would never find a woman like his wife again, someone who had loved him fiercely, been brave and funny, sweet and strong, an equal, but able to make him feel his own strengths, that he was very much a man.
And, of course, he hadn’t found his wife again. In a place in his heart, he would love and cherish her forever.
He had found someone unique, who was passionate and righteous, confident, her own self. Different, and yet with qualities that resonated in his heart and soul.
He adjusted his position slightly. Pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I think I’m falling in love,” he whispered.
She gave no reply. He wondered if he had pushed her too fast, if his great epiphany was not exactly shared.
But neither did she move or deny him.
Then he realized that he had found the words to say what he was feeling too late, at least for that evening.
Her breathing was soft and even, her fingers curled around his.
And she was sound asleep.
He smiled to himself.
It changed what he was feeling, deepened it, to know that she would sleep beside him, that they would wake together in the morning.
That he wanted to sleep this way every night of his life, and wake beside her again and again.
Would she feel the same? he wondered. Enough to really love this place, where predators roamed, the mosquitoes seemed elephantine and bit like crazy…and the sunsets were the most glorious man would ever see, and the birds that flew overhead came in all the colors of a rainbow.
He rose in the night and padded naked to the back window, looking out on the eternal darkness.
He heard her, felt her, before she came behind him, arms winding around his back as she laid her cheek against him.
Words failed him again.
He simply turned and took her into his arms. Though tenderness reigned, he found himself afraid.
Afraid to break the moment…
Afraid she didn’t feel the same.
And later, still awake, he wondered if there was even more that had stopped him.
Fear…?
They had almost certainly killed the man-eater that had gotten Billy Ray.
They had not, however, captured the man who had created it.
Chapter 11
The massive alligator was being taken upstate for examination, but that didn’t stop Harry Rogers from trying to use it to improve his tourist trade.
When Lorena arrived bright and early for work, she discovered that Harry knew how to move quickly. Out front, next to the ticket stalls, he had a mounted enlarged photo of the giant crocodilian—his own arm around it.
Lorena hadn’t seen what had gone on overnight, so she was amazed to see that a number of the television stations had arrived, along with radio and newspaper reporters.
The monster was, as Harry and Michael had known, good for business.
The day moved rapidly, in a whirl of tours. Lorena took only a few minutes for lunch. Besides helping with the tours, she had to pull out an ammonia capsule to revive an elderly lady who stood in the heat a bit too long, patch up two little boys who scraped their knees, and treat an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite.
Michael was either too harried to bother her about the previous night or he had just gotten bored with the subject and didn’t care any longer.
Sam and Hugh were both still a bit on fire, talking about the hunt the night before. Jesse had turned off his phone during the night, so Jack and Hugh, with Harry’s blessing, were delighted to keep busy providing the reporters with what they needed.
The place was jumping.
The police waited until closing to make their appearance.
Lorena had just been saying goodbye to a group of tourists near the main entrance when she heard Harry’s booming voice, alive with protest.
“A search warrant—for this place? What do you guys think that I’m doing here, feeding drug runners to my critters? What the hell are you after at an alligator farm?”
She noted that although a number of cops had arrived in vans with all kinds of equipment, Lars Garcia and Abe were the ones talking to Harry.
Lars sighed. “Harry, look, I’m sorry—”
“This is Jesse’s jurisdiction, or so I thought!”
“Tribal law stands, unless the county, state or federal authorities have to step in,” Lars said unhappily. He saw Lorena and studied her absently as he spoke. “Look, Harry, Jesse knows that we’re here, and he’s not feeling that his toes are being stepped upon. Harry, that was a monster they brought down. We have to search all the farms.”
“For what?” Harry demanded.
“Evidence that someone’s genetically engineering monster gators,” Lars explained.
“What?” Harry seemed incredulous. “Look here, that was no creature from a horror movie. It was big, but it was just a gator. Jesse shot it, and it died.”
“There has never been an alligator that size in Florida before,” Abe said.
“There hasn’t been one on record. Doesn’t mean there hasn’t been one out there.”
“It was way beyond the norm, Harry,” Lars insisted.
“Harry,?
?? Abe interjected, “God knows, you’re an opportunist. Let’s just hope you’re not a crook.”
Harry looked at Abe, enraged.
“Harry, please,” Lars said, glaring at his partner. “Let us just clear you and your group so we can move on.”
“You idiot!” Harry said, still glaring at Abe. “Clear me of what? Hell, am I an idiot? If I could manufacture a creature like that, do you think I’d let it out in the Everglades? Hell, no! I’d be making money on it.”
Lars tried once again to explain. “Harry, we all know that a hatchling could get out. Someone could get careless, or someone could steal one, then lose it.”
Harry threw up his hands, really angry. “You know what you can do with your search warrant as far as I’m concerned. But you go right ahead. You look into anything that you want to look into. Search yourself silly. I’m calling my lawyer. You know, if you wanted to see something at my place, all you had to do was ask.”
Harry walked away muttering. Lars gave a slight smile to Lorena, shrugged and turned away to talk to a distinguished-looking man in a special-unit suit.
She hadn’t realized that Michael had come up behind her. “The suspicious cops are your fault, I imagine?” he asked softly.
A shiver shot down her spine as he spoke. She spun around quickly. She didn’t have to answer. He shrugged. “Not that I care. But if Harry finds out…mmm. You’re in trouble. Big.”
“Excuse me, Michael, I’m hungry,” she said, and started for the cafeteria.
“I’m hungry, too,” he said, trailing after her.
When they entered the cafeteria, Sally was rushing out. She didn’t look at all amused. “Hey, sexy, what’s up?” Michael demanded, stopping her.
She grated her teeth and cast Lorena what seemed like an evil stare, although she couldn’t really be sure.
She might just be paranoid.
“They’re inspecting everything, and Harry wants me there to explain the books. I don’t get this—I don’t get it at all! There was a giant alligator in the swamp—so we get audited? Not that there are any problems, I can assure you. My books are always perfect.”
“I’m sure they are,” Lorena murmured.
The woman might have been in a hurry, but she took time to glare at Lorena. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she murmured. “We were such a quiet place. Then you arrived and all hell broke loose. Did you have a nice time last night?”
“Yes, thank you,” Lorena said evenly.
“What did you do last night?” Michael asked with a frown.
“Oh, come on, Dr. Preston! We have a budding romance in our midst, or didn’t you know?” Sally asked.
Michael stared at Lorena. “You left with Jesse?”
“We’re not required to stay on the premises,” Lorena said.
“You’re moving in with him?” Michael demanded. Lorena couldn’t tell if he was angry or just surprised.
She looked at him incredulously, shaking her head. “That’s kind of a leap, isn’t it?” she demanded. She kept smiling, but the curve of her lips was forced. “This is my business, okay?”
“We’re just trying to watch out for you,” Sally assured her, suddenly saccharine. “I mean, well, you work here, so you’re one of us. Jesse is…well, Jesse keeps his distance.”
“Doesn’t seem that he’s keeping much of a distance now,” Michael murmured.
“Hey!” Lorena protested again.
“Think of us as one big family,” Michael told her.
“Okay, bro. I’m not moving anywhere. If such a thing ever happens, I’ll be sure to inform my family,” she said.
“How lovely,” Sally murmured. “I’m off to see to my books. You children have a lovely dinner.” She waved a hand in the air and left them.
“You know, you are going to have to tell us what’s going on,” Michael said, a hand at Lorena’s back as he directed her toward a table.
She was saved from having to answer at that moment when Jack Pine joined them, sitting down with a weary grimace. “Busy day,” he said.
“Oh? At your end, too?” Michael said.
“A bunch of scientist types, or so I’m told, will be in tomorrow. They want to investigate all our stock,” Jack explained.
Michael stared at Lorena again. “How come I haven’t heard anything about this?”
“Maybe they just haven’t gotten to you yet,” Jack suggested.
Hugh came over just then, settling down at the table across from Michael. “This is nuts.”
“Are we closing tomorrow for all this?” Michael demanded.
“Oh, no. They can work around us. They’re taking samples, bringing chemists and vets in, that kind of stuff,” Hugh said cheerfully.
“It’s absurd,” Michael said indignantly. “I mean, my research is…well, it’s mine. Where are my rights in all this?”
“I suppose the problem has something to do with giant alligators eating people,” Jack said with a shrug.
“There are alligators everywhere,” Michael protested. “Alligator farms abound in this state. Entrepreneurs run hunts on private property that aren’t sanctioned or controlled by the state or federal government.”
“Well, Michael, maybe they feel that your research will help them,” Jack said. “Who the hell knows? Has anyone ordered dinner yet?”
Looking across the room, Lorena saw that Jesse had arrived. She was both startled and pleased, and jumped to her feet before she realized that despite the fact that their affair was growing obvious, she might have been a little more circumspect.
“Well, well,” Hugh murmured.
Lorena ignored him.
Jesse was already walking over to them. He offered her a smile, held out her chair for her, then chose one for himself.
“So you reported Harry’s as a hot bed of…what, exactly?” Michael asked.
Jesse frowned. “What?”
Michael leveled a finger at him. “Cops and the people from Fish and Wildlife are going to be crawling all over the place.”
“I heard they’re checking out a bunch of places,” Jesse said with a shrug.
“Why assume that Harry’s has anything to do with a giant alligator?” Michael demanded.
“Maybe because Harry sponsors a lot of research—your research—into improving gator meat and hides?” Jesse suggested.
“Can we order now?” Jack asked as one of the waiters arrived at the table.
“Sure. We’re in the middle of a criminal investigation. Let’s eat,” Michael snorted.
“I’m hungry,” Jack snapped back.
The tension was definitely growing, Lorena thought.
“Michael, they’ve got to find out what is going on,” Jesse said. “There could be more of those creatures out there. And if they don’t find the sustenance they need in the wild, that would put people in danger. “Come on, Michael. How many attacks on humans do you want to see?”
“There’s no reason to think there are more alligators that size out there,” Michael insisted. “Maybe our gators are just getting bigger all around, catching up with some of their counterparts in other places. Maybe they should start investigating that before they come out here on Indian land and start poking their noses into things.”
“Hey, this may be Indian land, but when it’s a countywide problem—”
“The alligator was caught on Indian land, too,” Michael said testily, cutting Jesse off mid-sentence.
Lorena saw Jesse tense, but he wasn’t the one who answered. “So what are you suggesting, Michael? That it’s all right because only Indians will be eaten?” Jack Pine snapped.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Michael argued indignantly. “I’m trying to be supportive of tribal law.”
“Good of you to be concerned,” Jesse replied.
“I think we should order dinner,” Hugh murmured, nodding to the waiter, who had continued hovering in the background.
Fresh catfish was suggested and accepted all the way around. Most of the tension aroun
d the table eased, but a slight chill remained. Jesse seemed distracted, Jack stiff, and Michael annoyed. Only Hugh seemed oblivious to the general air of discomfort.
“So, any clues as to how our gator got to be such a monster?” Hugh asked Jesse.
“It’s been sent off to Jacksonville. That’s all I know right now,” Jesse said.
“Hey, there’s Harry,” Hugh said. “He looks happy.”
Harry, smiling broadly, breezed by the table. “Looking good, looking good,” he told them cheerfully.
“What looks good?” Michael asked skeptically.
“This place. The phones have been ringing off the hook. People want to find out all about alligators. It’s kind of like Jurassic Park meets the Florida Everglades. Hey, how’s that catfish? Can’t get any fresher.”
“Harry, we don’t know. We haven’t got it yet,” Hugh said, amused.
“Well, it’s going to be great. We’re on a roll, all of us. Keep up the good work.”
Harry left just as their catfish arrived.
Lorena glanced at Jesse. Could Harry possibly be guilty of anything if he was this happy while the authorities were crawling all over his holdings?
Just as Jack remarked that the catfish was indeed excellent, a slender, balding man in a typical tourist T-shirt and khakis walked up to the table. “Dr. Michael Preston?” he inquired.
Michael sat back tensely. “Yes.”
The man offered a hand. “Jason Pratt, Wildlife Conservation. Can you give me a few minutes of your time? When you’re done eating, of course.”
“I guess I’m done,” Michael said, throwing his napkin on the table.
“There’s no reason for you to rush,” Pratt protested. “I just wanted to catch you before you retired for the night.”
Since it was still early, it was unlikely that Michael had been about to go to bed. Maybe Pratt was afraid Michael was about to flee?
Michael rose. “No. I’m done. How can I help you?”
He walked away with Pratt. Jesse rose, as well. “Want to take a ride with me?” he asked Lorena.
“Sure,” she murmured, rising, too. Jack and Hugh were exchanging glances. She knew that along with the giant alligator, she was definitely a topic of conversation between them.