Noble of you, Rossiter. Stupid, but noble.
But she didn't fall asleep. Almost as soon as he'd finished arguing with himself, she opened her eyes, gave him a shy smile, then turned on her side to face him, her lips closing over his. His arms went around her, the two of them twisting and rolling on the bed in a tangle of limbs, hands exploring soft skin, seeking out new ways to give pleasure. And then she was beneath him, both of them breathless.
On fire for her, Gabe reached beneath a pillow and drew out the condom he'd stashed there, ripping off the wrapper with his teeth, his mouth filling with the taste of latex and spermicidal lubricant. He was about to slide it down the length of his erection, when her hands caught his, stopping him.
"No. No condom. Please! This first time, let it be what it's meant to be. Let me give all of myself to you. Let me have all of you." She looked at him through those big eyes of hers, and he knew she was serious.
His heart seemed to stop. "I've been tested, so I know I can't make you sick. But I never got the vasectomy, Kat. I can make you pregnant. Do you know what you're risking, what you're asking me to risk?"
"Yeah, I do." She nodded. "Just this once. Please."
"No condom" had always meant "no sex" as far as Gabe was concerned. He hadn't had sex without a condom since ... Well, he couldn't remember when. But the thought of being inside Kat, of truly feeling her, with no barriers between them ...
He groaned, let the condom fall to the sheets, then stretched himself out above her, wrapping her left leg around his waist. "I don't want to hurt you."
She slid her hands up his chest, looked into his eyes. "I know."
His gaze locked with hers, he slowly nudged the tip of his cock into her slippery heat, her body resisting his intrusion, his access impeded by that thin ring of flesh. Then, with the slightest thrust of his hips, he broke through.
Her eyes flew wide, and she gasped, then squeezed her eyes shut, biting her bottom lip. And it struck him as unfair somehow that what felt so indescribably good to him caused her pain.
"Easy, honey." He held himself still inside her--no easy task. She was slick and impossibly tight, the head of his cock teased by sensations he would never have felt if he'd been wearing a condom--subtle textures, wetness, heat. Every instinct he had urged him to drive deeper, to bury himself in her snug warmth, the first stirrings of orgasm tugging at his belly. But this was about her, about pleasing her, about giving her everything he could give her, because what she'd given him-Jesus!-what she'd just given him was priceless, far beyond anything he deserved.
Kat tried to relax, the pain gradually subsiding, her nervousness giving way to a sense of exhilaration at the thought that Gabe was inside her.
"I'm sorry." He stroked her hair, raining kisses on her cheeks, her eyelids, her lips, her forehead, as if trying to kiss away her discomfort, the tenderness on his face almost breaking her heart.
"It's not bad, really." And it wasn't-not anymore.
Watching her face, he repeatedly withdrew, then nudged himself inside her again, going deeper each time, gradually stretching her past the pain until he filled her completely, the sensation both strange and pleasurable.
He moaned, whispered her name, his body shaking. "Oh, honey, you feel so ... Jesus Christ."
And then he began to move in deep, slow thrusts, stroking the hidden places inside her, the slippery friction making her ache. Oh, the sweetness of it! She was so glad she'd waited for this moment, for this man, for Gabe. No matter what happened tomorrow or next week or next month, this was beyond her dreams.
Unable to get enough of him, she slid her hands up the sweat-slick planes of his chest, over the hard curves of his shoulders, and down the tense muscles of his back. "Ayor anosh'ni! Ayor anosh'ni!" I love you! I love you!
The words spilled out of her in a breathless rush, carrying the spirit of her love to him, returning at least some of the love Jill had stolen, even if he couldn't understand what she was saying. And then Kat couldn't think, let alone speak, the ache inside her drawing together in a tight, shimmering knot, as he moved over her, against her, inside her, his breath hot on her face, his skin slick with sweat.
"Oh, Kat, honey-Christ!-I can't ... hold off ... much longer!"
An image of his penis thrusting in her closed fist flashed through her mind, and she realized that's exactly how he was moving inside her now, his hips thrusting hard, strong, fast. And in a moment, hot semen would shoot from him into her, just as it had shot over her fingers that night. The thought was so erotic, so deeply arousing, that Kat found herself on the brink of another climax.
But this was like nothing she'd felt before, the feel of him inside her carrying her higher than she'd ever been. Orgasm overtook her with the force of a flash flood, drowning her in pleasure, a riptide of bliss that threatened to carry her away. She heard a woman cry out, and realized it was she, her nails instinctively digging into his back as she fought to hold on, her teeth finding his shoulder, her inner muscles clenching around him.
He groaned, his pace quickening, as he answered her cries with whispers of encouragement. "That's right, honey! Come for me!"
She heard his breath catch, felt his control shatter, his body shuddering as he came apart in her arms, losing himself inside her with a deep groan.
GABE LOOKED DOWN at the woman who slept so deeply in his arms, her head resting on his chest, her sweet face completely relaxed, one silky leg tucked between his. He ought to hate himself. Instead he felt overwhelmed by a sense of ... peace.
The candles had long since burned themselves out, the fire burned to embers in the woodstove. Though he knew he should get up and add more wood, he didn't want to move. He didn't want to let go of her.
For so long, sex had been about nothing but physical release. He'd hook up with an attractive woman and fuck her, craving those few seconds of forgetfulness that came when he did. Then he'd pack up his prick and leave, feeling empty and wanting to be alone. In the end, he'd felt the same disgust for each and every one of those women that he'd felt for himself.
He'd been afraid the same thing would happen tonight. But it hadn't. Instead of wanting to scrape Kat off his skin and leave her, he'd wanted to hold her, to kiss her until she fell asleep, to feel the warmth of her skin against his. Somehow she filled the emptiness inside him, made him feel whole again.
You love her, buddy.
He wanted to deny it, but he couldn't. The truth of it lodged in his chest, swelling behind his breastbone until it almost hurt.
He loved Katherine James.
That fact ought to scare the hell out of him, but it didn't. Instead, it left him grinning like an idiot.
Silly goat.
Still grinning, he drew the covers up to her chin--and fell into a deep sleep.
"VAIL?"
"They're probably holed up at a condo with twenty-four-hour security."
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"You have some idea where they went?"
"Let's just say I've got a hunch."
"You might as well give up. You're not going to get to them. Besides, there's too much attention on them as it is. If you somehow did manage to kill them-you've bungled it so far--every reporter in the state would jump on the story."
"Hey, they got lucky last time. The trick is to get to him first. Once he's out of the way, killing her will be easy."
"Do you really think you can do it? Do you really think you can kill a woman?"
"Are you kidding me? If it's a choice between her dying and me going to prison, then she's already dead."
CHAPTER 26
KAT AWOKE THE next morning, her body floating, her nose cold.
"Morning, beautiful." Gabe leaned over her and kissed her, brushing a strand of hair off her cheek. "I was wondering if you were going to sleep all day."
"Mmm." She stretched, feeling as lazy as a cat, her heart warm with memories from last night. "Maybe I should."
He chuckled. "Well, at least stay in bed until I get th
e fire going. It's cold outside these covers."
Used to getting up in the cold, she was about to offer to help when he slipped out of bed and, still completely naked, strode over to the woodpile, the mounds of his buttocks shifting as he walked, his body available for her casual perusal. And she decided she was fine with letting him do it himself.
Even without an erection he seemed big. Had that part of him really been inside her? She squeezed her thighs together, felt both moisture and a twinge of soreness, and almost smiled. Yes, he most certainly had. And it had been more wonderful than she could possibly have imagined.
I can't make any promises about tomorrow, Kat, but for tonight at least, I'll do my damned best to be worth it.
His words came back to her, warmth blossoming behind her breastbone when she thought of all he'd done to please her. The candles and pine boughs. The way he'd gone out of his way to make sure she enjoyed it, taking his time, holding back for her sake. The tenderness and concern on his face when he'd finally pushed inside her. He'd made her feel beautiful. He'd made her feel wanted. He'd made her feel loved.
He'd even been willing to give her a first time that was pure, with no barriers between them. He wasn't Native, so she hadn't expected him to understand how important it was for the male and female waters to mingle. But even if he hadn't understood what it meant to her, he'd done as she asked.
She might not know much about sex, but she'd learned enough from listening to her I-Team friends talk about it to know that last night had been more than special. It had been perfect.
She watched Gabe as he bent down, opened the stove, and put wood on what remained of the embers one piece at a time. His body was different from hers in so many wonderful ways--the muscles of his back that narrowed to a V just above his butt, his flat, smooth nipples, the muscle just above each hip that curved down toward--
"Enjoying the view?" He grinned.
Kat felt herself blush, but met his gaze, determined to put shyness behind her. She'd made love with this man. She'd trusted him with everything she was. She had no reason to feel embarrassed or shy, no reason to hold back. "Yes, I am."
AMUSED, GASE CLOSED the woodstove, the fire now rekindled, and took a step toward the bed. "Want a closer look?"
Kat laughed, sat up, then winced, her laugh becoming a gasp.
Gabe had a pretty good idea what was wrong. He'd seen flecks of dried blood on the sheets and on himself. He'd figured she'd be sore.
It's called "hymeneal laceration," Rossiter. And you caused it.
Yeah, thanks. He already knew that.
There'd been no way around it, but it still bothered him that he'd hurt her. He walked over to the sink. "Lie back and rest for a minute."
"What--"
"You'll see." The sun had been up for a while, so the water was nice and hot. He filled a bowl and tested the temp with his fingers. Grabbing a clean dishcloth, he walked back to the bed, setting the bowl down on the nightstand. He took the cloth, dipped it in the water, then squeezed it out and slid into bed beside her. "Bend your knees."
When she'd done what he'd asked, he slipped his hand beneath the covers and between her thighs, pressing the hot cloth against her.
Her eyes drifted shut, and she gave a little sigh.
"Does that help?" Unable to help himself, he ducked down and kissed her temple.
"It helps a lot. Thanks."
"You should probably soak in the tub a couple of times today. It will ease the soreness and help you heal." He turned back toward the nightstand, dipped the cloth in the bowl again, and squeezed it out, then held it against her once more.
Again, she sighed. "Mmm."
He studied her face, grateful to see no sign that she regretted last night. Then again, he'd never met a woman who knew her own mind quite the way Kat did. Despite the hardships of her life, she seemed to know exactly who she was. That was more than he could say for most women--or for himself.
She opened her eyes and caught him watching her. She reached up and touched her hand to his cheek, running her thumb over the stubble on his jaw. "In case you're wondering, Gabe Rossiter, last night was the most wonderful night of my life. You were--and you are--more than worth it."
Something swelled in Gabe's chest. There was so much he wanted to say to her, so much to explain. But this was all so new to him, and the words got stuck somewhere in his throat. "I'm glad."
Why don't you tell her it was special for you, too, Rossiter? Why don't you tell her that it blows your mind to think she spent her virginity on you? Why don't you tell heryou love her?
He would--later.
He turned back toward the nightstand, wet cloth in hand, but stopped when she caught his arm. He looked down to find her staring at his shoulder, eyes wide with shock. He turned his chin, glanced down--and saw a bruise surrounded by teeth marks.
She looked up at him, shame on her face. "I did that, didn't I?"
Gabe couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, you did, and at the time, honey, it felt good. Don't worry about it. Given what women go through, a man ought to be tough enough to take a little pain for the sake of his woman's pleasure."
GABE TOOK ADVANTAGE of Kat's soak in the tub to call Darcangelo and repeat the conversation they'd tried to have last night. Perhaps it was pointless, but he wanted to shelter her from as much of this as he could. She didn't seem to remember it, but twice last night she'd had nightmares, once muttering something about a coyote. It had made him want to beat the shit out of someone--specifically Frank Daniels.
"Daniels claims he has no idea how the clippings of Kat's articles got into his trunk." Julian's voice came through crystal clear this time. "In fact, he's all but accused me and Hunter of planting them there."
"No one's going to believe that bullshit. So what's his excuse for following us?"
"He says he wanted to make sure the two of you got safely out of Dodge. He says he and Chief Barker were sick of the Boulder PD getting slammed in the papers. Barker backed Daniels up, admitting they'd had that conversation about it and saying that Daniels volunteered to make sure we got safely outside Boulder PD jurisdiction."
Gabe gave a snort. "We were outside their jurisdiction once we left the city limits. How does he explain following us across three counties and over the divide to Vail? Did he suddenly get the urge to go skiing?"
"He says he knows Kat thinks he's behind it and he wanted to make damned sure nothing happened to her."
"This from the man who yanked her by her hair." Gabe wasn't buying it.
"The AR-15 and the ammo belong to him. His prints are on both. But there are no prints on the folder with Kat's articles, and there are no prints on the articles themselves. Same with the muddy gloves. There are no fingerprints inside or out."
"He's a cop. He knows how not to leave prints."
"True, but he also knows his rights better than most people. Why let me search his car if he knows there's shit in the back that could incriminate him? Why keep a rifle on hand that could easily be pin tested and matched with the evidence found on Mesa Butte? He's stupid--I'll give you that--but he's not that stupid."
"You sure about that?"
"Pretty sure. And here's another thing. My FBI contacts looked into him and found no way to connect him to looting. They tracked his credit card use for the past year, and found no strange pattern of travel, no heavy equipment rental, no purchases of Indian artifacts, no history of collecting antiques. Nada."
"So you're saying you think he's being set up?" This was not what Gabe wanted to hear. It meant that the person behind all of this was still out of their sights.
"That's what Hunter thinks, and he's got more experience being set up than anyone I know." Darcangelo laughed at what was obviously a private joke. "But if the pin tests show it wasn't Daniels's rifle, I'm going to say Hunter's right."
"When will you get the test results back?"
"Hard to say with this being a short week because of Thanksgiving. I'm pushing to get them by Wednesday." r />
Gabe had forgotten about Thanksgiving. "Does Daniels have any idea who might be behind this?"
"He wants to peg it on someone in the Native community, but I'm not leaning in that direction. We've questioned a few of Kat's friends, and my gut tells me they're clean. They're simple folks--hardworking, honest, and scared to death for her."
"Dammit! I wish there was something I could do, some angle I could follow from here while you work your side of it there."
"You're doing the most important thing--keeping our girl safe. Oh, speaking of angles... Daniels did turn up on the list of city staff who have access to info about the city's surveillance system--but so did a thousand other people. So that tells us nothing."
Well, that figured, didn't it? "Thanks for checking. Keep me posted."
"Will do." There was a moment of silence. "We're going to catch whoever's behind this, Rossiter. I promise you that."
"Damn straight we will."
"There's a winter storm warning in effect for later in the week. You need anything up there?"
"No. I think we're set. I'll check in every day at oh-eight-hundred and sixteen-hundred hours."
"Good enough. Oh, one last thing. Tessa sends her regards--" There was a moment of muffled discussion on the other end, a woman's voice in the background. "Tessa says I'm supposed to use her exact words. She says to please give Kat her love and tell her that Sophie had an ultrasound and it's a girl and to act surprised when Sophie calls because even though Sophie didn't tell Tessa not to tell Kat, Tessa thinks Sophie will probably want to tell Kat herself. Got that?"
Gabe chuckled. "Yeah, I think so."
"Women!" But as exasperated as he sounded, Darcangelo wasn't fooling anyone. Gabe could tell the man loved his wife to the point of distraction.
He hung up the phone just as Kat walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a peach-colored towel, her hair hanging dark and wet down her back.
"Who was that?" She kept her voice casual, but he could sense her anxiety. She must have been able to hear more than he'd thought she would.