Somewhere in His Arms (70 page)

              Later, they went to The Grove and looked at laptops as Alec thought it was high time his wife got her own.

             
“But I don’t need a new laptop!” she protested amongst the expanse of glossy aluminum casings. “Why do a I need a new one when I can use yours?”

             
“You’ll need one
when
and
if
you decide to go back to school,” he explained, hovering over an impressive 17-inch model with a price tag to match the gross domestic product of Taiwan. “What about this one?”

             
“Who says I’m going back to school?” she muttered, wincing at the price tags. “I’m still paying off my college loans and you want me to buy a new laptop?” Lucy ambled over to the MP3 section and scanned the various makes and colors. She felt him beside her. “I’m not buying
anything
that costs as much as a small house!”

             
“You’re being silly,” he chided softly and reached down to grasp her hand. “What about that dress you wore to Scarpetta’s?”

             
“That’s different,” she said, flushing slightly. “I didn’t know how much it cost until they rang it up, and I’ll get years of wear out of it.”

             
Alec eyed his wife dubiously until she rolled her eyes and dragged him out of the store. “Buy me some ice cream, English!” she demanded and he laughed, happy to placate his wife just this once.

             
It was nearly five when they trudged through the door. Gavin and Pat were back from their day of fun and were obviously relieved when they saw them. “Where did you two get off to?” Pat demanded. “We were about to send out a search party!”

             
Alec and Lucy collapsed onto the sofa and put their feet up on the coffee table. “We were at the police station trying to talk to Detective Brandon.”

             
“Did you?”

             
“No, we
did
not!” Lucy answered indignantly. “We had to sit and be grilled by some little shrew in a uniform. All they did was file a missing persons report.”

             
Pat exchanged glances with Gavin who nodded at him. Gavin picked up the telephone and put in an order. “Well, we can talk about it after supper. How’s pizza sound?”

             
They sighed and nodded and leaned their heads back, both suddenly assaulted by horrendous headaches. “Make it double cheese and pepperoni,” they mumbled in unison and closed their eyes.

             
After polishing off most of four pies, Pat had a little talk with Alec. Lucy and Gavin had gone to bed. “Well, laddie, tell yer ole dad what happened.”

             
Alec ran an agitated hand through his raven locks and felt for a sore spot at the back of his neck. It had been giving him hell all day. “We went to the library first and read through some old newspaper clippings.” He sighed raggedly. “Poor Rudy, he must have aged about fifty years after the first trial.”

             
“Did you find anything new, though?”

             
“Just the same old bullshit,” Alec held out his cup into which Pat poured a little whiskey. “I shouldn’t.”

             
“You should and so should I.” Pat settled his bear-like frame into the wooden chair and leaned forward. “What about the police?”

             
“About as useful as bedbugs!” Alec scoffed. “Lucy nearly throttled the chav, I had to drag her out of there before she ripped her head off.”

             
Pat chuckled. “She’s a spitfire, that one.” He sipped his whiskey and tea thoughtfully. “What about this case he was working on?”

             
Alec shrugged. “When we were hiding in Point Reyes, there were only a few people who knew where we were.”

             
“And…?”

             
“Rudy, for one. Me, Tia, and Detective Brandon.”

             
“That’s a lot of people who had to keep a secret.”

             
“Well, you can eliminate Rudy and Tia.”

             
“And you.”

             
“And me,” Alec said, rolling his eyes. “That left Brandon.”

             
“And Rudy was going to see who the leaky bucket was, eh?”

             
“Yeah, he was supposed to. He was acting a mite peculiar before he left.”

             
Pat frowned and decided this was a case for his trusty Wensleydale. He rose and fetched some crackers and plates. He set them down and set to slicing his way through a wedge. “Go on.”

             
“Well, we went for an early Thanksgiving supper and after, we were having coffee. I asked him who did he think the leak was and he dropped his cup and it shattered on the floor. I’d never seen him so discomposed.”

             
“Might have known more than he was letting on, laddie.” Pat handed his son a plate full of crackers and cheese. “Where do you think he was off to?”

             
“Don’t know,” Alec said through a mouthful of Wensleydale. “We ought to ask Tia. Maybe he said something to her.”

             
“Could be.”

             
Alec eyed his stepdad closely. Pat’s face was unusually pensive. The old noggin was gearing up for something. “What are you thinking, dad?”

             
“Don’t know,” Pat’s huge shoulders moved slightly. “It doesn’t feel right. Him going off like that and not telling anyone where or why. He would have been back by now.” He polished off his plate and Alec’s as well. “We ought to get his cell phone records and any credit card purchases he might have made.”

             
“I was thinking the same thing.”

             
Pat grinned at his son and tapped his glass to his. “It’s on then!”

             
“I guess so,” Alec muttered to himself. “I’d better tell Lucy.”

             
“Why?”

             
“Because she’ll have me head on a platter if I don’t, not to mention other body parts!”

             
Pat guffawed at that and nodded. “Now you know what being married is like! ‘Bout time you joined the club, laddie!’

             
“It’s not such a bad club to belong to,” Alec said, flushing a bit under Pat’s knowing gaze. “Stop grinning like that or I’ll tell mum all about these Wensleydale orgies!”

             
His stepfather paled; Maggie had had him on a diet for years, concerned he was overweight. Try as he might, he could not give up his beloved Wensleydale. “Now, laddie,” the man cajoled. “You don’t want to do that! I’ll behave.”

             
“You better,” Alec warned and took the plates and cups to the sink. “I’d better turn in. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

             
“Goodnight, laddie,” Pat smiled and watched Alec’s tall form disappear down the hall. But he didn’t go to bed. He whipped out his phone and made a few calls. It would be well into morning before he finally got some sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Six

One of the hardest things about having your family live with you was the lack of privacy. Though Alec was chuffed about having Gavin and Pat in the house, he and Lucy were finding out how very difficult it was to maintain an active sex life. The walls were paper-thin and Gavin was right in the next room. They’d had to sneak down to the beach
and make love in a sleeping bag. Alec was certain the damn thing was merely an evil device invented by a madman in which one would slowly suffocate.

             
“Stop!” Lucy giggled as he nuzzled her neck. “It’s not
that
bad!” They had taken the sleeping bag out near the washed up dinghy and climbed in with Alec fulminating about the travesty of not being able to make love in a proper bed. “Oh!” she gasped as his mouth found a nipple. It had been nearly two weeks since they’d last been together, and Lucy was famished for his touch. Her hands slid into his hair and cradled his head to her.

             
“My love,” he breathed, drawing the sensitive peak into his mouth and suckling her gently. His hands slid down over her flat belly and down a slender thigh to the hem of her nightgown. “Take this off,” he pleaded hoarsely and held his breath when she obliged, nearly poking his eye out with her elbow. He fumbled with his pajama pants and flung them aside. Alec clasped her to him hungrily. It had been too damn long since he’d felt that silken flesh against his own. He groaned as her taut little nipples pressed into his chest, and he seated himself between her thighs. He gasped at the feel of her, hot and damp against him.

             
“My English,” she murmured, pressing softly heated kisses against his mouth and throat. “I love you so.” Lucy allowed her hands to slide down over his satiny flesh, shyly brushing her fingers against his nipples, down his hard belly, and following the crisp smattering of hair down to his engorged cock. Her hand closed gently around him, and he let out a shuddering gasp as he plunged his sex into hers. Her soft cry mingled with his, and she winced as he filled and stretched her snug flesh. But just as suddenly as the discomfort emerged, it vanished and became a slow throbbing ache, deep inside. “Oh my, is that for me?” she breathed against his lips and wiggled beneath him, gasping as he sank even deeper.

             
Alec chuckled against her mouth and held her tightly to him, allowing his tongue to ravish hers while her body got used to him again. He could feel her flesh stretching, widening to accommodate his girth, and he began to stroke gently. “All right?’ he whispered against her lips.

             
She sighed with pleasure and tightened her arms around him. “Yes!” Lucy closed her eyes and arched her hips into his frenetic thrusts. He felt good and right; so deep and hot inside her. She didn’t think she’d ever get enough as she rose up against him, gasping in delight as he plunged into her again and again.               His mouth was hot and demanding against hers and she returned his fevered kisses, telling him how much she wanted him. He groaned and caressed her cheek and buried his face against her throat. His ragged breaths scalded sensitive skin and sent rapturous currents of excitement down her spine. “Alec!” she sobbed, feeling the excruciating turmoil within; it was building into something monstrous and she wasn’t certain she’d survive the ensuing flood.

             
“Come with me, wife,” he whispered raggedly in her ear. “I won’t let go.”

             
Lucy shook her head, feeling his body quivering beneath her hands and suddenly without warning, it slammed into her like the pounding waves roaring in her ears. Her mouth opened on a sob and his mouth swooped down, taking it onto his tongue and giving her his cries in return. Alec groaned and shuddered in her arms, thrusting frantically into her, and felt as if he were being torn asunder, the release was so intense.

             
His body settled heavily onto hers as their breathing slowly quieted. He could feel her hands---gentle and sweet---stroking over his body and down his back. “Wife,” he murmured happily and kissed her neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of salt water and roses.

             
“Husband,” she whispered back and kissed his chin, sighing as his lips caressed hers. “Was I too loud?” Lucy asked shyly. His body shook with suppressed laughter.

             
“No more than usual,” he quipped, and uttered a squawk of pain when she pinched him lightly on the bum. “Hey, wife! Watch where you put that thing!”

             
“You were saying…?”

             
“I could ask you the same thing,” he countered. “Was
I
too loud?”

             
She pulled his head down to hers and kissed his nose lightly. “No more than usual.” Lucy stifled a shriek when he lightly nipped her earlobe. “That tickles!”

             
“Serves you right,” he said huskily, grinding his hips sensuously against hers. “Take it back.”

             
“Never!” she gasped and drew his head down to hers.

* * *

              The police never called back, and Pat decided it was time to take matters into their own hands. “If they won’t help, then we’ll do it ourselves!” he declared one day out of the blue. “Can’t trust these Yanks to do a decent job anyway.”