Faded Cotton (Erotic Romance) (17 page)

She finally pulled back with a quizzical look
on her face, grinning big, shaking her head in disbelief.

He nodded and grinned a little sheepishly.
“You can thank Google.” Both chuckled and fell back into the
covers.

They would make love again, later in the
small hours of the morning, before falling into a deep and peaceful
sleep. Bodies entwined, Laurel’s back pushed deep against Derrick,
his long arms pulling her close, and curled to rest his hand upon
her breast, her hand upon his.

__________________________

“Wow.” Jen smiled gently.

“I told you that I’m not who you thought I
was.” She laughed. “Add this little vacation to things, and I have
quite the life story so far.”

“I guess we can assume at this point, that
the charges that were leveled against you were just to get you into
custody and bring you here,” Jen surmised.

“Well I think that’s a piece of the puzzle,
don’t you?” Laurel raised her eyebrows.

“Yes, definitely.”

“So what was in the package with the purple
bow?” Jen was curious.

“The diamond studs that I wear. I treasure
them; they mark a turning point in my life.” Laurel smiled.

A loud knock on the door got their
attention.

Jake LeGrande was in no mood to have
additional problems on his hands. “What’s wrong, what the hell is
the emergency?” He turned toward Jen, “Why are you in here?” He
looked between the two women who beamed at each other. “Damn
guards,” he said under his breath.

“Nothing two smart female brains can’t
handle,” stated a smiling Laurel.

He looked at Jen’s red eyes and then back at
Laurel, eyes wide. “What?”

“Jen needs to work while she’s holed up here,
and I need something to do, so I’m going to help.” Laurel went on
to list everything they needed to work on Jen’s cold case.

Jake shook his head, “Okay, but the laptop
comes with an intel expert to keep you two out of trouble. It can’t
hurt to have two more heads on this detail.” He looked at Jen, “And
the answer is yes, I have your briefcase. Tomorrow, after
lunch.”

__________________________

“Hi, Brian!” Laurel gave the tall Navy
intelligence officer a hug, barely able to get her arms around
him.

“At your service, ma’am!” Brian grinned and
popped open the laptop he’d brought in. “Who do you want to know
about?”

“Senator Laughlin, everything.” Jen butted
in, insisting.

Brian Tanner’s eyebrows lifted, but he took
the directive and jumped in to find the history of the man in
question. Financial records, medical records, tax records, past
girlfriends, vehicles. Nothing evaded Brian’s queries.

Laurel and Jen took over the conference room.
They used the side-by-side dry erase boards to set up a web of
information linking dates, names, and photos of faces and
evidence.

Jake blew in the door while the two were deep
in thought, startling them, “Will this keep you two occupied for a
while?”

“Well I’m betting we can tell you who is
trying to kill me before you can.” Laurel said smugly.

Jen stood, arms crossed behind her, glaring
at Jake. “I do this for a living, Captain LeGrande.”

“Quite successfully, I understand,” he said
curtly and turned to leave, still very much in official command
mode.

“Can you at least share what you know?”
Laurel pressed him.

“No. Classified.” He barked tersely. Then
suddenly, softening, he said over his shoulder, “Your names are on
the same hit list.” He strode out the door in a rush. God, he hated
to tell them, but if it meant they would depend more on him and his
men, so be it. The two women looked at each other eyes wide,
eyebrows up.

The first connection to be entertained was
the fact that Jen was there in addition to Laurel and now they knew
why. Neither had a connection they were aware of with the exception
of being “on the same list”.

Jen pulled out the case file on her parents’
death to review what she had already reviewed a hundred times. She
decided to go back to the beginning. She listed the original
possible suspects for the hit and run at the center of her web.
Senator Lauglin had been the primary suspect. He was the,
then-governor’s son, current senator, and was being groomed by his
party as a possible presidential candidate.

A few hours later, Jen and Laurel were both
rubbing their eyes and necks, stressed from staring at the same
information. “Good start. We need to walk away and come back fresh
tomorrow and go over it again,” commanded Jen.

“Agreed. Dinner is at seven so we still have
time to go for a swim. I need to fix my farmers tan anyway.” Laurel
said with a smile.

__________________________

“So I still need an escort?” Jen covered her
disappointment that her escort wasn’t Adam MacClain.

“Yes ma’am.” He nodded to her. “I’m
Lieutenant Jess LeGrande. I’ll be escorting you to the beach.”

Jen gave him a once over.
Jess.
He was
LeGrande’s son all right. Dark brown, almost black hair, broad
shoulders, electric blue eyes that studied her closely, tall—big.
Good grief,
she thought,
are they all built like
this?

She talked as they headed to the beach. “So,
how do you feel about having a brother?” Jen prodded.

He gave her an
it’s none of your
business
look, but answered anyway. “I grew up just down the
road from the MacClain’s. Adam and I have always been like
brothers. We look alike except for the hair and eyes.” His voice
had an easy, deep, middle-south melodic intonation. Jess smiled at
her.

Jen noticed he was a little more reserved
than Adam. “None of this bothers you?”

“No. Our father—Captain LeGrande, took us
fishing together a lot when he was home. I spent a lot of time at
the MacClain’s as a kid.” He pushed to change the subject, “I’m
sorry for the way we had to extract you from the last
situation.”

“That was you?” Jen looked at him
wide-eyed.

“Please remember you weren’t hurt,” Jess
said.

“Yes, but I still had a whopper headache.”
Jen rubbed the back of her head and neck as if to confirm the lack
of injury.

“Sorry.” He looked a little
uncomfortable.

“Well at least I get to stay here if you had
to ‘extract’ me,” she chuckled.

Jess LeGrande gave the beautiful woman he was
assigned to watch a gentle sideways grin. He chuckled to himself;
he would have to remember to give thanks for the detail.

When she strode ahead a little to meet her
swimming companion, Jess took in the view. He grinned at her gentle
sway. Perfect, he thought, for once he didn’t tower over a girl.
Her long legs were a testament to that. He couldn’t help but watch
her flowing golden blonde hair and her gentle bounce as she tip
toed into the water.

Jess took in a deep breath and sighed. It
wasn’t going to be easy having her right under his nose.

“The water is unbelievable! It’s nothing like
the rivers or creeks back home. There is tropical forest on the
other side of the runway, you know.” Laurel was enthralled with the
beauty of the island and sounded more like a tourist than a
prisoner.

Jen breathed in deep. “It’s been so long
since I’ve had a vacation that I just don’t know how to relax.”

“Well, under the circumstances, I can see
that, but I suggest you give it a try.”

“Laurel, is there more to the story with
Derrick? Obviously, he didn’t stay.” Jen was looking for something
to take her mind off of Adam—and Jess.

“Yes, there’s more.”

__________________________

Derrick stayed. The leaves started to turn
under the chill of late September. Laurel stood on the deck that
morning, hot chocolate in hand, thinking about Derrick’s future. As
much as it was going to hurt, it was time.

Jacket zipped, Derrick came in for lunch,
mail in hand. “What’s this?” He opened the package addressed to
him.

“College info. You’ve taken your entrance
exams, you just need to apply,” Laurel said, facing the sink, as
she finished cleaning off the last of the season’s tomatoes from
their small garden.

“Laurel, I just want to stay here.” He moved
behind her to wrap his arms around her, giving her a quick
squeeze.

“Derrick, stop, please. Don’t say anything
you haven’t thought through. You—can’t stay.” Laurel secretly
wished the circumstances were different.

“Can’t stay” came out very quietly. She
turned to him, fighting the eventuality of sadness. “You may not
know it now, but in time you would.”

“I love you,” he said nuzzling her soft
neck.

“And I love you,” she sniffed. She hugged him
tightly burying her face into his chest, inhaling him. He always
smelled so good. She pushed him to arm’s length.

“It’s from the University; the law
school.”

“Law school?" He was amazed at the confidence
she had in him.

“Derrick, you went through every single
contract I have. You researched everything and we made some very
positive changes. Hell, you even went through my will!”

“That I did,” he chuckled.

“I just wanted to know you are going to be
taken care of when...,” Derrick faded off and looked at her. He had
been thinking about the future, he just didn’t want to admit it to
himself.

“When you go, I know,” she said quietly.

He kissed her cheek softly. Then looking at
her, he searched her eyes. She tiptoed to meet his kiss. It was a
soft, comforting kiss with a hint of promise for later. He could
have kissed her like that all day.

She gently pushed some distance between them.
“Apply. I know your grade point was great and your test scores are
very high. You’re brilliant, Derrick. It’s time to see how far you
can go with it.” She pulled him close, hugged him tightly.

__________________________

Derrick was accepted easily to the pre-law
program and garnered scholarships. They spent the evening going to
dinner, celebrating. This time, they put their jeans aside. Derrick
wore the same silk suit he’d arrived in, even though it fit him a
little differently. Laurel had on a little black dress that
accentuated her best features.

She had made reservations at one of the
nicest restaurants in in the city. They both knew that no matter
where they went, they would cause a stir, but neither cared. No one
would see their relationship the same way they did. He couldn’t
help but smile at her, flirting with his eyes. Derrick chose to
take the long way home, as if to put off the inevitable.

He pulled the truck in the drive after dark
and sat quietly looking at Laurel. “I’m staying until late December
if you are okay with that.”

She hung her head a second before
straightening and smiling, a faint wistful smile. “I’d like that.”
They stared at each other for a moment.

“My dad has a gift for you.” His eyes
brightened and he smiled, attempting to change gears. “He’s pleased
with my school plans.” “Laurel this—us—it’s been good for both of
us?” He looked at her intently. She nodded.

“It’s good to hear you call your father,
Dad,” she thought out loud. “So, if I accept something, for the
time you have been here, does that make me a pro?” She started
giggling, as he furrowed his eyebrows at her mischievously.

“And what would that make me?” A smile crept
across his face and he joined her. They laughed until a tear fell
on her cheek.

He pulled her close and kissed her
forehead.

“Does he know?”

“I think he suspects, but I’ve never said
anything to him. If he ever asks, I’ll tell him the truth. Man to
man.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll tell him that it was an
incredible, passionate, love affair that I initiated and we both
wanted.”

She smiled and ducked her head to her
shoulder. In that motion, the soft sweet girl showed in the tough
confident woman that she had let him possess so passionately.

__________________________

“The end?” Jen asked.

“No.” Laurel smiled broadly, looking out over
the water at the fading sun. “Not exactly. He did stay through
December.”

“So is there more?”

“Oh yes, there is more,” she grinned. She had
left out some of the more intimate details of her time with
Derrick, but she knew Jen had been getting the picture anyway. Jen
was amazed at the love Laurel possessed.

Laurel had a man that had loved her and
babies and a farm to run—a lover too. Jen wondered if she could
have that dream, or one like it. Jen wondered if she could have a
man that was strong enough to let her pursue her dreams, have
babies to love and watch grow, and a fulfilling career. She
wondered if that was even possible. “Solve the puzzle, Jen,” she
said out loud to herself. She knew she had to solve her parents’
death before she could even begin to attempt to answer anything for
herself. “Laurel, what do you and I have in common? People, places,
things, anything?”

“Uh, apparently somebody wants us dead; Jake
knows something about it, and isn’t telling.” They both giggled at
her Nancy Drewish explanation.

“What else? What differences are there
between the guys?” Jen pushed.

“Let’s see. Well, I’ve told you about Tanner,
Pisano, and the rest of the guys.” She started to run down the list
of men who had come to work on the farm.

“Umm, okay, here is a shocker. Morrison is
gay.”

“A gay Navy SEAL? No way!” Jen’s astonishment
was all over her face.

“Everyone knows. The guys are cool with it.
They all value him as an individual and he’s not forward about it
or flaming or anything. A couple of years ago, just acknowledging
it would have gotten his sexy, Mr. Model-Type guy, kicked out...or
shot. Besides being so gorgeous, Robert is also very smart. He’s a
pilot and is also an intelligence specialist. He’s a computer
wizard with a crazy high IQ. He can fly anything, and fix anything,
especially—fine-wired stuff.” She started giggling big.