Chapter 35

Holly slowly came to consciousness, trying to recall where she was. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so hard. Glancing at the clock, it read eleven in the morning. Wow. She’d slept over twelve hours!

The memories of last night came flooding back as she stretched. Hesitant to see Justice, she pulled the comforter up over her head and groaned. She’d slept with a superior officer, hadn’t used any protection … and had experienced the best sex of her life.

Go figure.

At least she took birth control pills, but that didn’t protect her against STDs.

What a mess.

What would he say to her this morning? Probably something along the lines that the night had been a mistake, and it wouldn’t happen again. Frankly, it shouldn’t be a recurring event as it seemed wrong on so many levels. He had offered to help her, not screw her.

However, he came to her last night, and he had initiated the kiss that started it all. She needed to make it clear to him that she wouldn’t be reporting their encounters to their superiors. She had just as much say in what happened as he did, and frankly, she had wanted it—every blessed second of it.

She found his hesitancy interesting, and decided that he’d simply wanted her to show him what she wanted him to do to please her.

A shiver ran down her spine just thinking about the night. Her hips ached a little bit as she recalled the passion they’d shared. Even though their sizes sat on opposite ends of the spectrum, it seemed his large body fit perfectly with her compact figure. She recalled the way his fingers had gently caressed her as his mouth had claimed her with open lust and desire. Her heartbeat quickened and she threw off the covers. She couldn’t stay in bed all day thinking about it. She’d drive herself crazy, and besides, she had more important things to worry about—like finding out who’d killed her brother and staying out of jail.

Guilt washed through her as she padded into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. For a few hours, she’d been able to forget her Billy’s murder, and it had felt good to have that weight lifted, even for just a small period of time. However, now, she regretted it. Instead of getting laid, she should be looking to deliver a good dose of justice to her brother’s killer.

She grinned at the play on words as she dried her face. Justice would help her deliver justice.

As the shower water warmed up, she brushed her teeth, then stepped into the warm spray. As the water washed over her body, it reminded her of Justice’s gentle touch, his soft tongue lapping at her breast. Heat pooled between her legs as the shampoo cascaded down her torso.

“You need to stop that right now, you little hussy,” she said, her voice echoing off the brown tiles. If she had her way, Justice would come back downstairs, bend her over the sink, and take her from behind. “Not going to happen, Holly, so just knock it off.”

Her thoughts were so scattered. One minute, she considered finding her Billy’s killer; the next, being bent over a sink. “Focus, girl. Focus.”

She quickly dressed, ran her fingers through her hair, then took a deep breath and headed upstairs.

Justice sat at the kitchen table, a cell phone in his hand as he stared out the window. She studied his strong jawline and the way the morning sun made his dark skin gleam. He looked to be deep in thought, as it seemed he hadn’t heard her.

“Hi,” she said.

He turned to her and smiled. “Good morning.”

At least, he didn’t seem upset or angry about last night.

“Or should I say afternoon?” he asked.

She grinned and approached the table. “Yes, I did sleep quite a while.”

“I guess you needed it.”

She waited for some type of signal. Should she bend down and kiss him? Give him a hug? Or should she just sit down?

“Have a seat,” he said, motioning to the chair across the table from him.

Apparently, there would not be any affection this morning, and relief washed through her, but so did disappointment.

“There’s been another murder in your apartment building.”

She gasped and leaned back in her chair.

“Same M.O. as you and your brother. A woman was murdered and her husband says he’s being framed. He’s sitting in jail right now.”

Her heart raced as she considered the fact that it could have been her in a jail cell for something she didn’t do. “We have to find out who’s doing this, Justice.”

He nodded. “I know. We’re heading over to the apartment complex to take a look around.”

She scoffed. “Do you really think someone’s going to leave a letter of admission on the front door?”

“No. But my friends have given me some information that will help us.”

“Like what? Who are these friends?”

He grinned. “Go get your shoes on.”

“So you’re going to blow off my question?”

He reached across the table and took her hands in his. She shivered as he ran his thumb over her palm.

“Sometimes, it’s better if you don’t know things, Holly,” he said, his voice soft. “When I don’t answer your questions, it’s to keep you safe. Being privy to my ‘friends’ can be dangerous for you, so please, just take my word that the information is solid.”

He hadn’t wronged her yet, and besides, if he was getting the intel from an illegal source, he was right. She didn’t need to know anything. Perhaps he had friends higher up in the military who could access classified information.

“Okay.”

As he let go of her hands, she reluctantly stood and headed for the staircase.

“Holly?”

She turned back to him.

“Last night … well, thank you. It … it was amazing.”

Heat warmed her cheeks, and she smiled. “Yeah, it was.”

They stared at each other for a beat. She didn’t want to hear about how wrong it had been. She wanted to just bask in the perfection of their shared experience, just for a bit.

Hence, she quickly added, “I’ll go get my shoes on.”