"I could help you relax."
"I don't think what you have in mind is going to be relaxing."
A small smile spread across his lips. "It will be-eventually. You'll sleep like a baby-after."
Her pulse sped up, and desire teased all of her hot spots. The look in his eyes, the promise in his voice, the warmth of his fingers as they played around hers-were all so damned irresistible.
It was reckless, foolish, stupid, unprofessional …
There were lots of reasons for why not, but all she could think of right now were all the reasons for why …
She wanted to make him feel better. She wanted to make herself feel better. She didn't want to think for a while. She just wanted to escape …
She didn't know who moved first, but suddenly the distance between them was gone, and the touch of their mouths felt like the answer to a million questions. The sparks between them had been simmering for days, and now there was no holding back. Their need for each other was released in one long, hot kiss.
Devin's lips were firm, demanding, and possessive. This was no tender, tentative kiss of exploration for Devin. He was all in, and so was she.
She liked a man who knew what he wanted and went after it, and she especially liked a man who enjoyed kissing her as much as Devin did.
The deep groan in his throat between kisses, his hands threading through her hair to hold her head in place, made her pulse race even faster. Every time he lifted his head to breathe, she pulled him back to her.
She felt rushed and crushed by desire, by want.
Had it been a million years since she'd wanted someone as much as she wanted him? It certainly felt like it.
She grabbed his T-shirt and pulled it up and over his head, running her hands all over his warm, hard chest, loving the feel of his muscles and his power. He was all man, and she'd never felt more feminine in her life, a feeling that increased when Devin stripped off her top and her bra, his hands rushing to cup her full, suddenly heavy, and aching breasts.
Their mouths met again for a hungry kiss, and then Devin rolled her on to her back as he pulled the snap on her jeans and slid his hand into the heat between her legs.
Needing no more barriers between them, she wriggled out of her jeans and panties as Devin stripped off his boxers.
As he came back to her, she put a hand on his chest, forcing herself to take one second to think. "Wait."
"Second thoughts already?"
"Do you have anything?"
"Oh, yeah, of course." He pulled open the drawer next to the bed and pulled out a couple of condoms. "Got it covered."
"Not exactly, but you're close," she said with a grin. "Let me help."
"You do like to be helpful, but first-it's my turn."
He pushed her back against the pillows and turned his beautiful, intense focus completely on her. She'd seen Devin be thorough, determined, competitive, and now she knew how good it could feel to have his concentration on her pleasure.
He kissed, stroked, licked and teased her body until she went out of her mind. She wanted to torture him, too, but he kept telling her tonight was all about her. And what woman didn't want to hear that?
So she let him have his way with her, and he took her places she'd never been before. When they came together in passion, it was unlike anything she'd ever experienced.
She didn't know how much time had passed, or when she'd drifted off to sleep, but at some point she became aware of the sun drifting through the windows, and a cooler air hitting the parts of her body that weren't completely draped around Devin.
She grabbed a blanket that had fallen by the wayside and pulled it over them.
Devin shifted and blinked his beautiful brown eyes open, giving her a sleepy but happy look.
"I thought it was a dream," he murmured, running his hand down the side of her face. "But you're here."
"I am here," she said, feeling a little awkward now that the night shadows had gone, and there was nowhere to hide from her impulsive actions. "I probably shouldn't be."
"There are no rules between us, Kate, so you didn't break any."
"Didn't I?" she asked with a little sigh, rolling onto her back as she stared at the ceiling.
Devin turned on to his side, propping his head on one elbow as he looked at her. "So what? You feel guilty? Irresponsible? Unprofessional? Unsatisfied?"
"Definitely not unsatisfied," she said, seeing the gleam in his eyes. "But you already knew that."
"Still, good to have confirmed."
"I don't feel guilty or irresponsible or unprofessional; that's the problem. I feel good."
He grinned. "Good enough to take a shower with me?"
"Devin. You are way too-"
"Tempting? Irresistible? Hot?"
"What is it with the multiple choice questions?"
"You seem to have trouble putting words together, Kate."
He was right about that. She was still enjoying the delicious ache of her muscles and the memories of their night together. "Apparently, I don't wake up as fast and as sharp as you do."
"That's why a shower would do you good. I can help you wake up."
"You've helped me a lot already."
He laughed, and she felt a rush of warmth that she'd been the one to put the smile on his face, to make him forget for a while the darkness he'd been living in the past year and a half. "I'm glad to hear it."
"I'm surprised you want to spend time in the shower; I thought you'd want to get back to work right away," she said.
His smile dimmed. "That's true." Now, he was the one to flop over on his back and stare at the ceiling. "I just don't know what the hell to do next."
She rolled over to face him. "You know what to do."
"Work the problem?"
She nodded. "One step at a time."
"We're back at square one."
"I wouldn't go that far back. We have the partial plate, the make of the car. The police are interviewing witnesses around the fire scene. Emma is going to keep us in the loop. And tonight we have a book signing to go to where several suspects will probably be in attendance."
A light entered his eyes. "That's right. We have the fundraiser at the bookstore."
"There's a lot to do, Devin. We are not done by any stretch of the imagination."
He surprised her by putting his arm around her and pulling her down for a kiss. "You're right," he said. "Thanks for the pep talk."
"Any time."
"You made me feel better. Now it's my turn."
"It was your turn last time."
"So I get two turns." His hand ran down her bare back. "Are you complaining?"
"God, no," she said, already turned on. "Then we get back to work."
Fifteen
After another hour of mind-blowing fun in bed with Devin, Kate took a quick shower and then headed into the kitchen to make breakfast while Devin got dressed. Thinking about Devin made her smile.
Who would have thought the man who had tried so hard to get rid of her now had trouble keeping his hands off her?
She felt a little smug about that thought. But the truth was she had just as much trouble keeping her hands off him. It wasn't just the chemistry between them, either. There were already probably far too many emotions involved, at least on her part, but then she'd never been good at separating sex from feeling. She just didn't get naked with people she didn't care about.
But she needed to put a rein on her feelings when it came to Devin. They were ships passing in the night. There was no future plan. They didn't even live in the same city. Another week together and then who knew when they'd see each other? She couldn't let herself like him too much.
She just had a feeling she might have already crossed that line.
So she'd step back. She could do that.
Devin would probably do the same. It wasn't like he wanted anything that required commitment.
They were on the same page.
She just wished that thought made her feel a little happier.
Turning her attention to the refrigerator, she was happy to see Devin had a fair amount of food. She grabbed eggs and vegetables and decided on a veggie scramble with turkey bacon and sourdough toast.
Devin walked into the kitchen as she was filling two plates with food.
He was barefoot, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and his dark hair was still damp. He'd shaved, making the bruises around his left eye even more apparent. He looked so damn good she could eat him for breakfast.
The smile he gave her was personal, intimate, and he followed it up by stealing a quick kiss.
"Figured I better get that in before your walls go up," he said.
"You have more walls than I do."
He grinned and grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate. "Probably true. It smells good in here. Thanks for making breakfast."
"I was hungry." She handed him a full plate. "You had all the ingredients; I just put them together."
"Better than I could have. I'm impressed."
"Finally, I've impressed you. Stop the clock," she said wryly.