Karen Rose - I’m Watching You

It must have encouraged her, because she closed her hand around him and squeezed and he knew he was truly going to die. „Stop.“ He grabbed her wrist. „I want to be inside you when I come.“ He kicked off his pants and managed the condom, his hands shaking in his haste. Then he crawled between her legs and kissed her mouth until he felt her melt again. „Don’t be afraid,“ he whispered, pushing her down to the floor.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. „I’m not.“

But she was. He knew she was. He could only make her fear disappear by showing her how it would be. He pressed deep, shuddering as her muscles contracted around him, accepting him. She was hot and tight. And beautiful. And mine . „Kristen?“

Her face had tensed, but the fear was gone. „Don’t stop.“

„I won’t. I can’t.“ He pulled out, then thrust deep and she caught her breath. „When we got to this point, I might suggest you – “ He broke it off when she lifted her knees to hug his hips and he went deeper still. „Oh, God. Yes. Now move with me, Kristen.“ He set their bodies in rhythm. „Talk to me. Tell me what you feel.“

„It’s incredible.“ She cried out when he thrust and her hands reached to grab his shoulders. „I never knew…“

And somewhere he lost the thread of the conversation, his body taking control and he took, and took. In the distance he heard her muffled cry, felt her body contract around him, her pleasure catapulting him into his own. He gritted his teeth and thrust a final time.

Then there was peace. Panting, he rolled onto his side, still holding her, praying that now that it was over she wouldn’t feel guilty or retreat back into herself. That he wouldn’t accept. She was a most remarkable woman, although she would never admit it. He stopped just short of thinking she was the most remarkable woman, because in the stillness that followed completion, he knew he’d been a lucky man. He’d found two such women in his life. Debra was gone and he could never bring her back. But she of all people would want him to go on. And for the first time since holding his precious wife as she bled into a gutter, Abe allowed himself to imagine what the future would be like. To have a normal life again, with a wife to hold in the night and children with bouncy red curls. And it made him smile.

Kristen lay there, steeping in the kaleidoscope of sensations with which he’d gifted her, of all places on her kitchen floor. She pressed a lazy kiss to his hairy chest and settled her head back on his arm. Relief was a major emotion at the moment. He’d been pleased. More than pleased if she was any judge. Not that she was, but neither was she an idiot He’d practically had heart failure toward the end, so hard was his pulse. The way he’d lunged, his teeth bared. The way his body had bucked and shaken. The groan as he climaxed. He’d been pleased. And so had she. She’d come not once, but twice and it had been like nothing she ever could have anticipated.

I’m not frigid after all . The thought was so exhilarating that she laughed out loud.

Abe drew a rasping breath. „Now, if we ever got to the place where we actually made love, I would suggest you not laugh afterward.“ His tone was teasing and her heart rolled over in her chest „It’s very bad for my ego.“

She kissed the underside of his chin. „Your ego is safe. I’m happy. That’s all.“

He pulled her close in a hard hug. „That’s not all, Kristen. That’s everything.“

„You’re right.“ She lifted her head and looked down at their naked bodies. It was a sight she thought she would never see. Her naked with a man. That the man was Abe was… everything. She kissed his shoulder, then dropped her head back to rest on his arm. „Do you realize we’re naked on my kitchen floor with a squad car parked out on my curb?“

He scratched his nose. „Do you realize I’m about to sneeze from all this dust and I’m lying on a piece of dry-wall?“ he asked and she giggled. Giggled. She, Kristen Mayhew, formerly of frigid fame, was lying naked in a pile of plaster dust with a man who looked like Abe Reagan and giggling. He smiled and touched the tip of her nose. „You should laugh more often,“ he said. „And you’ve got plaster dust all over your nose.“

She stretched lazily, feeling better than wonderful. „A shower will fix that.“

„Hmm. The shower.“ There was laughter in his voice. „Do you want to know what I want to do in the shower?“

Wednesday, February 25,

8:30 p.m.

„Thanks.“ Zoe closed her cell phone with a snap. „Let’s go.“

Scott wearily put the minivan in gear. „Where?“

„County. She just went in with Detective Reagan.“ Scott sighed and pulled away from the curb where they’d been parked. „Let me guess. Another one of your sources?“

„Hospital lobby,“ Zoe said with satisfaction, opening her compact. „She got away earlier today, but we’ll catch her this time.“

„Oh joy,“ Scott muttered.

Zoe glared at him. „Just drive, Scott.“

Wednesday, February 25,

8:45 P.M.

Kristen stood outside the window to ICU watching Vincent’s body lying motionless in the hospital bed. She and Abe had set out from her house to grab dinner, but with-out her asking he’d driven straight to the hospital, which was so sweet of him.

„Thank you,“ she murmured.

„For what?“

She could feel the vibrations of his rumbling voice through her back as he held her tightly against him, partly possessive, mostly supportive. She leaned back into him, feeling her hair catch on the stubble of his beard. For the first time in years she’d actually left the house with her hair down, because he’d asked her to and she didn’t know if she could ever tell him no. „For coming up with me. I know you don’t like hospitals.“

„How could you tell?“

„I figured it out when you muttered in the elevator how much you hate hospitals.“

„Sorry. It’s… ingrained.“

„Still, thank you for bringing me to see him. It was thoughtful.“

She could feel him shrug. „I knew you were worried about Vincent.“

„And thanks for getting me in.“ At first they’d refused her entry because she wasn’t family, but Abe had gotten them in by flashing his badge. She sighed heavily, looking at Vincent just lying there. „I never thought of either of them as being old, but I guess they are.“

A nurse walked up. „Visiting hours are long since over, Detective. You’re going to need to go now.“ She raised a brow. „Unless you have any more questions.“

„No, you’ve told us there’s no change. No more questions,“ Kristen said quietly.

„Wait. I have a question. Has anyone been in to see him?“ Abe asked in his cop voice, and Kristen twisted to look at him over her shoulder in surprise.

„Two men, but neither of them were family,“ the nurse answered.

„ Two men?“ Kristen frowned at the nurse in confusion. „One would have been Owen Madden, but who was the other?“

„He didn’t leave his name, and he was extremely distraught.“

„Can you describe him?“ Abe asked and the nurse’s eyes softened.

„Twenty-five-year-old Caucasian male with mild Down’s syndrome. Very functional. Said he’d heard about his friend on the news. I really wanted to let him in, but…“

Kristen sagged. „Timothy.“

Abe lifted her chin to look in her eyes. „You know him?“

„He worked for Owen up until a month ago, but quit when his grandmother got sick.“

Abe’s eyes narrowed. „When did he quit? Exactly, Kristen?“

„I don’t know. Mid-January maybe.“ His meaning struck her and she shook her head forcefully. „No way. There is no way Timothy could be involved in anything like what we’re dealing with. No way, Abe.“