Family Honor (11 page)

She thrust her hips against his, relishing the firmness she felt. "I'm not sure I'd want you to." Mel sighed.
"Just think, we have all weekend."

Nate nibbled a spot behind her ear and murmured, "In the words of some great country singer, 'this ain't
no
thinkin' thing'."

She chuckled. "Why do men get all their best lines from country singers?"

He continued his assault on her neck. "Oh, you haven't heard my
best
lines yet. But I figure, those guys get paid to write love songs. I get paid to solve crimes. So hey, go with your strengths."

"We never did get around to talking about your virtues. Now I want know about your strengths. I want to know
all
about them."

"We best get going then." He pulled away and rubbed their noses together. "I'll follow you."

"Will you?" She grinned.

"Anywhere," he assured her.

The look on his face spoke volumes. At that moment, she truly believed he would. "Let's go."

It took just minutes to get to her house from the restaurant. Mel grabbed the food and wine, keeping one eye on Nate
who'd
pulled into the driveway behind her. He carried his suitcase through the garage and followed her into the house.

"Punch that button, will you?" She asked as they left the garage.

He did, lowering the big door. "I plan on punching a lot of buttons here real soon."

She shoved everything in the refrigerator, wherever she could find room. The last casserole
she'd
been making the other night was still in there, she'd never gotten around to freezing it. They
wouldn't
go hungry.

She closed the door and straightened up, turning to find Nate standing right behind her. "Hungry?" she asked.

"Oh yeah."
He pressed her against the cool white door, and several magnets and notes went flying. "Sorry." He grinned.

"Don't be." Her arms slid around his neck and she pulled his face to hers for a kiss. "I'm hungry, too. But not for food."

He thrust one of his knees between her legs and pressed upwards. His lips left her mouth and trailed down her neck. "Why don't we take this party into the other room?"

"Someplace with a firm mattress and soft pillows?"

"Oh yeah."
Without releasing her, Nate walked them down the hall to the master bedroom. At the edge of the bed, his fingers worked on unbuttoning her vest then blouse.

She shoved his jacket off and paused when she encountered his gun.

He stopped, and took a moment to remove and secure it properly.

While he did, she threw back the covers and fluffed the pillows on her bed. She turned around to see Nate unbuttoning his shirt. He tossed it aside, and stepped closer to her.

Mel reached for the waistband of his slacks and released that button.

"A woman who knows what she wants."

She grinned at him.
"Oh yeah."

They quickly finished undressing each other and stood, breathing heavily, for a long moment while they admired one another. He tossed a foil packet on the nightstand.

"Damn, you're gorgeous." He released her ponytail and her hair fell down around her shoulders.

Mel ran a hand over the soft curly hair on his chest. "Right back atcha, babe." She longed to move her hands lower, but
apparently
Nate had other plans.

He pressed her onto the bed and climbed over her, drawing one of her nipples into his mouth. "Gorgeous," he mumbled with his mouth full.

Mel squirmed beneath him. When he switched
sides
she shifted one leg between his so she could feel his rigid shaft. She pressed upwards, enjoying the groans it elicited.

"You're gonna kill me."

"I'm gonna try. Look, I know you're into slow and luxurious and all that, but I'm ready now." She grabbed the condom from the nightstand and
unwrapped
it.

Nate grinned. "I can do fast and furious." He rose above her, putting some space between them.

"That's what I want." Mel rubbed her hands over his silky smooth shaft before rolling the condom into place. "All dressed up with no place to go."

"I've got someplace to go." His knee nudged her legs apart. He felt his way forward with on hand first, and when he was sure she was ready, pressed home.

"Oh yes you do." Mel arched her back as he drove into her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.
It's
going to be a bumpy ride.

Nate alternated between fast and slow, working her into a frenzy that she
hadn't
felt in a long time, if ever. Just when she thought she was close, he grabbed her ass and rolled them over so she was on top.

"Oh!" She gazed down at him, surprised.

He grinned.
"Your turn to do the work."

She smiled at him.
"Men.
A woman's work is never done."

He reached for her breasts and held on. "I really just wanted to see these bouncing above me.
And that hair cascading down around me.
I love your hair." He leaned forward and flicked a nipple with his tongue. "I love these, too."

Mel tossed her head back and closed her eyes. The intensity was overwhelming, and now she was very close. "Aw, damn…."

"Come on," he encouraged her. "I'm right there with you. Come on, baby."

Mel gasped and let go. Waves of pleasure washed over her and it was all she could do to remain upright. Time suspended for precious long moments. When the fog lifted, she could tell by the look on Nate's face that he had indeed been right there with her.

"Lord
almighty
," he muttered breathlessly.

She grinned. "I know, right?" She leaned forward and rested her head on his chest.

"That was freaking amazing." He kissed her forehead.

Mel glanced up at him. "Five days isn't going to be enough."

The pained expression that crossed his face confirmed he felt the same way.

* * * *

Mel opened her eyes and looked around. Sunset indicated it was evening, other than
that
she had no idea of the time. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and winced as she stood.
Damn long time since I hurt this good
. She padded out to the living room where Nate sat wearing nothing but jeans as he poured over crime scene photos.

"Hey." She ruffled his hair and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Hello there, gorgeous." He set his work aside, reached up and pulled her onto his lap. "Have a nice nap?"

She fought a yawn. "Did I nap? I have no idea what time it is."

He chuckled. "It's nearly seven. You slept a few hours, which is good, considering we got very little sleep last night."

She snuggled into his chest.
It's
all coming back to me now.
They'd
stayed in bed all Saturday afternoon and most of the evening.
Warmed over veal parmesan hit the spot at eight p.m., with another break for wine and chocolate cake somewhere around midnight.
 
Other than that,
it'd
been pretty much nonstop hanky-panky until the sun came up and they both caught a couple hours sleep.

"What are you doing?"
A rhetorical question.
She knew very well what he was doing, but she loved to hear the sound of his voice.

"Well, for a while I laid there and watched you sleep. That was incredible. But it made me want you again, so for your well-being, I decided I should get up and look at something that didn't make me horny."

She gazed at the photos of the dead bodies and turned away quickly. "Glad to hear that. Anything new come to you?"

"Not yet. Something's niggling at my subconscious, though. So close that I should be able to reach out and grab it."

"It'll get there. Maybe you need to take your mind off it for a while."

He chuckled. "My mind's been off it for a long while.
Decided I better spend some time
on
it before we go in tomorrow."

"Don't remind me." She cupped his chin and turned his face to hers for a kiss. His rough beard scraped her skin but she
didn't
care. She
couldn't
get enough of him.

Tongues batted back and forth for dominance before happily meeting somewhere in the middle. Mel ground her bottom into his crotch, hoping to get him worked up again.

He pulled away, an apologetic look in his eyes. "Hey there, baby girl. I need to focus my attention on this for a bit. Then I promise
,
I'm yours for the rest of the night."

"I can help you go over this stuff."

Nate grinned.
"Yeah … no.
When
you're
near me all I want to think about is you. I just need some time to myself her for a bit."

She kissed him once more and sighed as she stood. "The bloom is off the rose. Guess I'll head into the kitchen and make us something to eat."

He chuckled, but his attention was already on the photos.

She stood in the doorway and watched him for several minutes. His intensity amazed her, and not just in bed. In everything he did. Her heart felt so full, yet in some ways
she'd
never been more terrified.
Five days
.
He'd
arrived on Friday.
This is Sunday
.
Three more days
.
The sudden thought chilled and her heart skipped a beat.

She heated a chicken casserole and fixed two plates so they could eat on the sofa. She suspected he
wouldn't
stop working to eat, and she was right. He thanked her for fixing the dish, and seemed to enjoy it, but he never stopped pouring over the reports and photos.

As Mel cleaned
up
she envisioned a weekend far in the future. Nate immersed in the latest FBI case files, while she puttered around the house looking for something to do.
What kind of a life would that be?
Once again watching him from the doorway, she answered her own question.
A wonderful life
.

* * * *

The alarm woke her early in the morning, but as she slapped at it she realized it
wasn't
ceasing.
Phone.
She rolled up and grabbed her cell phone, pushing the talk button. "Curtis."

Nate's cell likewise sounded on the other nightstand. Fumbling for it, he mumbled, "Willis."

Mel focused on her caller. "Curtis,
it's
Reeder.
We've
got another body. This one's roommate found her, so we already have a positive I.D. You need to meet Stone at the scene. I'll send the coordinates to your cell GPS."

"Sure thing Captain. Be right there." She punched her off button at the same time as Nate did his.

Their eyes caught. "We've got another one," they said in unison. She scrambled from her side of the bed and he rolled out of his. With a quick nod to each other, they started sorting clothes.

Chapter Five

Mel drove to the Oldtown location Reeder sent to her phone, while keeping an eye on her rearview mirror to make sure Nate followed. She parked between Stone's Volt and a black and white cop car which cordoned off the alley. The FBI loaner pulled in just behind her.