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“Oh!” Lisa clenched the side of the mattress as she released the shuddering orgasm that night. “Ah!”
“Mmm.” Jake shivered in between her thighs. Groaning, he rolled off her and reached for the cover.
“No.” Lisa grabbed it. “I want to look at you.” She lay on her side and rubbed his muscular pecs and perfect abs. “God, that was great.”
He panted. “It’s always...great.” He turned on his side to face her. “You’re even more gorgeous when you come.”
She giggled. “Jake.”
“It’s true.” He felt her breast. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.” He caught her nipple between his lips.
She moaned. “More beautiful than Katherine was?”
He lay on his back.
“Sorry.” Lisa lapped her leg over his. “I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay.”
“No it’s not.” She patted his chest. “I’m always getting on you about mentioning Mason at the wrong time, and then I go and mention Katherine.” She wiggled her toes against his shin. “We just made love. The last thing you’d want to think about is the accident.”
“I’m fine.” He wiped sweat off his forehead. “I don’t get upset about it anymore.”
She propped up on her elbow.
“The accident happened.” He adjusted the pillow underneath his head. “It changed my life, but I’ve moved on.”
She climbed on top of him.
He pulled his arms around her.
She plucked his lips with her fingers. “I wish I could stay in your arms forever.”
“You could.” He stroked her head. “If you moved in with me, then this could happen every night.” He lay his arms behind his head. “How’s the Devon Barnes case going? Did you find out why his number was in your phone?”
“Uh-uh.” She kissed his sweaty breast. “Winston and Dee spoke to his ex-girlfriend though. He used to beat her and she lost their baby.”
“Aw.” Jake moaned. “That’s terrible.”
“I gotta admit...” She wiggled her leg. “When I heard what an asshole he’d been I couldn’t help but think of his death as payback.”
“Lisa.”
“I’m not saying I condone his murder, but a part of me finds it hard to have sympathy for him. Do you blame me?”
He wiggled underneath her. “That’s kind of cold don’t you think?”
“Yeah, well, so is beating your girlfriend until she has a miscarriage.”
He sat up against the headboard. “I know he was an asshole, but he still died. A human still lost his life.”
“I know.” She tugged on his chin. “I’m not saying him dying is right I just—”
“Lack sympathy.”
“Mason hurt me very badly.” She moved off him and held the cover to her bosom. “Sometimes that makes it hard to be sympathetic to certain people.” She touched his cheek. “But I didn’t mean I wanted anyone to die.”
“I’m just confused about all this.” He scratched his thigh. “There has to be a reason that Devon had your number in his phone.”
She chuckled. “That’s the mystery, Jake.”
“Listen.” He took her hand. “You can come to me about anything and I’ll understand.”
“There’s nothing to say. I don’t know why Devon had my information in his phone, Jake.”
“Okay.” He looked off.
She touched his face. “You believe me don’t you?”
He pulled her into his arms. “Of course I do.”
****
“Lisa.” Winston entered the police-station file room the next day. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
She pulled folders from the file cabinet. “I hate slugging through these cabinets.” She snatched a folder. “Can you imagine how it was back in the old days when they had to solve cases without computers?”
He shut the door. “We think we found the knife used in Devon Barnes’ murder.”
Lisa looked up from the folder. “Are you sure?”
“Well we’re not sure.” He approached her with his hands in his pockets. “But usually when bloody knives pop up not far from a crime scene, we can make a safe guess. We’re analyzing it for DNA and prints of course.”
“What kind of knife was it?”
He hunched one shoulder. “Looks like a regular kitchen knife.”
“Well it’s great you found it.” She set the folder down and went through the papers inside. “You still haven’t found out why he had my information in his phone?”
He shook his head. “But I want to apologize about yesterday. I didn’t mean for it to sound like I was accusing you.”
“It’s fine.” She stuffed the papers back into the folder. “You had a right to be curious. I didn’t take it personally.” She put the folder back into the cabinet. “Well keep me informed.” She passed him on her way to the door.
“Are you moving in with Jake?”
She stopped. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He turned around. “Are you moving in with Jake or not?”
“And didn’t I tell you that’s none of your business?”
“Well I think differently.” His eyes penetrated her. “Are you or are you not moving in with Jake?”
“And why is that so important to you?”
“You know why.” He grabbed her. “God, Lisa, how long do we have to keep pretending?”
“Let go of me.” She jerked back but couldn’t shake his grip. “Let...go.”
He did. “You know that moving in with Jake would be a big mistake. That’s why you wanted to think about it. Say I’m wrong. Say you aren’t having reservations about Jake. That’s because you don’t love him.”
“Oh, so you’re in my head now?” She sighed. “I’m sick and tired of going through this with you every day. I’m with Jake, and you’re going to have to get over it!”
“I’ll never get over it because you don’t belong with him!”
“This is crazy.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “What do I have to do to get through to you?”
“Convince me that you don’t have feelings for me.” He grabbed her by the arms. “But I know you do. I feel it every time we’re in a room together.”
“Winston.”
“Jake knows it too. I saw how he looked at us at Salinger’s party. Hell, everyone there could feel the heat between us.” He let her go.
“Look, I love Jake and he needs me.”
“And I don’t?”
She stared at him. “What?”
He lowered his voice. “I need you too.”
“I’m tired of this, Winston. I can’t go through this every damn day.”
“If you’d stop pretend—”
“No, you need to stop ignoring what I tell you and listen to me.” She pointed at him. “Now this is it! There is never going to be anything between us, Winston.”
“You can’t keep denying—”
“Ah!” She gripped her head. “I can’t deal with this shit anymore! I can’t breathe so please...please stop this!”
“I can’t.” He pulled her close. “My heart won’t let me.”
“God, Winston.” She laid her hand on his chest. “You don’t need to chase me. You’re a man any woman would want, and you deserve a woman who wants you.”
He laid his finger on her lips. “You want me, and we both know it. What about when we kissed in the rain?”
She dropped her head and sighed.
“You wanted me then just like you want me now.”
“I—”
“You don’t belong with Jake.” He moved his mouth toward hers. “You belong with me.”
He kissed her.
The door opened. “Oh!” Connie gasped.
Winston tore his mouth from Lisa’s lips.
“Jesus.” Lisa covered her mouth.
“I’m uh...sorry to interrupt.” Connie held up a folder. “I just needed to file this.”
Winston wiped lipstick off his mouth. “It’s okay.”
“Fuck,” Lisa whispered.
“You sure everything’s all right?” Connie asked.
“Yes.” Winston waved. “Can you give us a moment please? Lisa and I—”
“No.” Lisa cleared her throat. “This conversation is over. Excuse me, Connie.” She darted past her and out the door.