Killer Scents (31 page)

“I’m not sure what brought that on, but I’m sure glad it did.”

Heat warmed her cheeks. “Isn’t this the best day ever?”

He
took hold of her hand and led her through the deserted lower level and up to the deck buzzing with life. Luck
il
y for them a young couple left the perfect table at the railing
.

A
splash of red, orange and gold littered the landscape
like
an artist’s paintbrush put them there
.
A robin’s
egg sky
created
the perfect backdrop
for the crystalline lake
.

Becca inhaled deep
ly
and
then
let it out slowly
.
She looked over at Randy to find him gazing at her with such intensity it robbed her of breath. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”
she asked.

“Yes, and I’m looking at her right now.”

Becca settled in her seat and put her hand in his atop the table. “You’re such an amazing man. I can’t tell you how much
your patience and understanding
means
to me
.
It takes a special kind of man to
step back and give
someone
the time and space needed to heal
.
It’s because of you that I’ve
come to
a point
in my recovery where I can actually look in the mirror and be happy with what I see.”

Randy’s eyes
fill
ed
with moisture
. “You
’
re one of the strongest women I know, Becca. Take all the time you need, as long as you keep a place in your heart for me.”

She
gulped, unable to stop the
rush of emotion
even if she tried. “Take me home.”

His brow
wrinkl
ed in confusion. “Are you feeling okay? Is it something I said?”

She
reached for his hand
.
How can he not see how much I love him?
“No, you don’t understand. I want you to come home
with
me. Let me show you just how much you mean to me.”

His troubled
expression transformed
into
surprise and elation
as
he stood and offered his hand. “Let’s go home.”

Randy wasn’t sure what prompted this sudden change in plans but he definitely liked the new direction they were headed. The chemistry between them had ignited. Upon entering the city
, a
shiver ran from the
top of his head to his toes.

Becca
turned in her driveway and
clicked the garage door opener
. Randy
pulled in beside her
, reminded of the time
she wouldn’t let him park inside, telling him he
wouldn’t be there long enough to warrant it.

He chuckled to himself.
Boy was she wrong.

As he followed the sway of her hips into the house, his pulse raced like a school boy anticipating
his first kiss.
Easy does it. Let her take the lead in her own time.

“I don’t know about you, but I could use a shower.”
She
smiled suggestively. “Care to join me?”

“No, you go ahead
.
I had a shower this morning.” He sat at the table and stooped over to remove his boots,
look
ing up to find her standing in the doorway with her mouth open. He laughed. “I’m right behind you.”

“You bugger.” She tossed a dish towel at him and turned on her heel.

Randy set his boots on the mat
.
He
jumped up,
taking off his shirt on the way
to the bathroom. She stood in the steam-filled room, half dressed, her breasts milky white.
He stepped towards her only to be stopped with her hand between them. She fluttered her eyelashes and went down on her knees, slowly undoing his jeans and pushing them down to his ankles for him to step out of them.

Randy cupped her face in his hands, gently persuading her to stand. “My god, Red, do you have any idea what you do to me?”

She smiled and pressed her leg against his erection. “I think I have some idea.”

Randy growled and backed her into the shower, under
the
warmth raining down on them
.
H
e captured a nipple in his mouth, rewarded by her moan.
T
he
water
ran cold
before
his legs turned to jelly and Becca leaned heavily against him
.

He watched her take an oversized towel and wrap it around her, tucking the end between her breasts.

“
Red
.”

She looked at him
through lowered lashes
. “Yes?”

Randy took her face in his hands and tilted it upwards so he could look directly into her eyes. “I love you.”

Her eyesight blurred and her bottom lip quivered
. “I love you too, Detective.”

He smiled, happy to finally hear those words
from her.
He brushed her
mouth
lightly before pulling her into his arms.

“Are you hungry?”
s
he asked.

“Starving, what do you have in mind?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“I think you need some food
,
old man. You can’t run on empty at your age.”

“Oh, you want to play that game do ya, ol’ lady?”

Becca laughed. On her way out of the bathroom, she dropped her towel and snatched her housecoat from the back of the door.

“You don’t play fair.” Randy’s words were muffled behind the closed door.

Becca padded across the carpet to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Crap.” She frowned at the scarce contents. She’d never enjoyed cooking for just her alone

Her gaze wandered over half a dozen eggs, a quart of milk, cheese, and two bagels
. 
“Perfect.”

Becca decided to cook a couple of cheese omelettes and toast the bagels. “It’s never the wrong time for breakfast.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Randy eased up behind her and nuzzled her neck.

She set down the knife for the cheese, unable to concentrate with him so close to her. “Mmm, that feels good.”

Randy spun her around and slipped his hands inside her housecoat. He pulled her close so her bare breasts pressed against his damp chest.

“You do realize I can’t cook anything like this.” She giggled.

“I beg to differ.” He swept her off her feet and cradled her in his arms. “I think we can
definitely
get something cooking between the two of us.”

His lips covered hers in a long, lush
kiss
as he carried her to the bedroom. Suddenly, he came to a full stop and pulled back from
her
. He looked into her bedroom, his eyes a tad too bright.

“What’s wrong?” Randy slowly lowered her to stand, and she turned to look in the same direction. “No, no, no.... This can’t be happening again.”

She grabbed his arm, unable to take her eyes off of the disturbing image before her. On her pillow, precisely in the center, lay a long-stemmed, dark purple rose. Her knees buckled, and Randy held her upright with a hand clamped on each arm.

He firmed his hold on her. “Look at me, Red.”

Becca
forced herself to meet his gaze
.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this together. I promise.”

Her fear quickly turned to anger. A fire erupted within her. “I am going to find the bastard and put an end to this for good.”

“You won’t be alone, Red.
We
will find him.”

“Yes. Yes, we will.” Becca leaned into his chest and welcomed his steadying embrace. “And when we do find him—I’m going to kill him....”

The End

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adelle Laudan lives in Southern Ontario with the last of her four children still under her wing. She is keeper of one little diva dog named ChaChi who always manages to make her smile. Adelle is a multi-published author, spanning many genres.