Reunited By The Badge (To Serve & Seduce Book 3)

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  She felt Paul’s hands trailing a lazy path down the length of her legs, his mouth fluttering damp kisses against her flesh. He had her body on fire, all her synapses firing with electricity. It felt like the Fourth of July fireworks from her head down to her toes. She murmured his name, a soft chant blowing through the air like a prayer. Then she parted her legs in invitation.

  Simone was in agony with desire, the pain like a deep craving that was intoxicating and addictive. When he blew warm breath against her most private space, she pushed herself toward him, the need having grown more than she had ever imagined. She pushed forward again, wanting his touch to quell the rising heat. But he teased again, in no hurry to rush his ministrations. He blew softly against her again, then gently nipped at her inner thigh until he reached the apex of her parting.

  He tugged first at her outer lips, then the inner, using his mouth to send waves of pleasure through her, and then his tongue prodded her clitoris and his fingers slipped into her damp, moist cavity. Simone grabbed the bedclothes with both hands and her back arched. She bit down against her bottom lip, fighting not to scream.

  Giving in to the frenzy of feelings, Simone felt her body swirl and spin. It was a rollercoaster ride of sheer gratification and she savored the decadent sensations that were suddenly consuming. Her eyes rolled and her muscles clenched and then just like that her world exploded, the sensation like a tsunami rushing through space. It was a staggering tide of pleasure, with rolling waves convulsing through her body. She rode the crest for what seemed like an eternity, slowly slipping back to the sound of Paul’s voice murmuring endearments as he kissed a slow trail up the length of her torso, until he was nuzzling his face into her neck. She opened her eyes and he was smiling down at her.

  “You good?” he asked, kissing her neck, along her jawline and then her cheeks.

  Simone nodded. “Better than good,” she whispered back. “Do you forgive me?”

  Paul nodded. “I always do. I love you.”

  Simone nodded her own head a second time and then she widened her parted legs even more as he nestled the entirety of his body against her. As he slid himself into her, she wrapped one leg and then the other around his back, her arms tightening around his torso as she clung to him with complete abandon. He loved her, and he whispered it repeatedly like the sweetest mantra, and Simone loved him back as fiercely.

  Chapter 11

  The next morning, Paul was already back in the lab when Simone finally crawled out of bed and made it to the kitchen. He’d left freshly cooked bacon and croissants on the table. A clean frying pan rested on the stove and eggs sat in a bowl on the counter beside a softened stick of butter.

  Simone wasn’t feeling one-hundred-percent and hoped the coffee would give her the push she needed to get her day started. Despite what had turned out to be an incredible night, she was feeling like her body was failing her. She had her fingers crossed that she wasn’t coming down with a cold, or worse, the flu.

  With her coffee mug in one hand and a croissant in the other she moved into the dining room. Standing before the notes she’d pasted to the wall, she studied the line of data that was known to them with the data that wasn’t.

  Paul and Oliver had identified the contaminant and had established a pattern of exposure. How the contaminant had been created was still questionable, although Paul had a few theories that he hoped the additional testing would help answer. Nor did they know for certain that Lender even knew about the contaminant and if they did, why they were ignoring it. Simone was discovering that drug manufacturing was far more complicated than she originally realized and companies that routinely outsourced their manufacturing processes and acquired their active ingredients from global marketplaces were subject to all manner of catastrophes.

  The hard facts they could prove, they planned to present to the FDA and demand further investigation and a recall of the product. She also planned to file a civil lawsuit, hopeful that litigation would motivate Lender to remove the drug voluntarily and do what was right by the patients affected by their flawed business practices. It wasn’t going to be a cheap endeavor and neither one of them necessarily had the personal resources to fight Lender on their own and that meant finding additional legal help, preferably a law firm with deep pockets and a solid reputation. In theory, it all sounded like a solid plan. In reality, Simone knew there was a lot of hard work ahead of them and no guarantee there would be any return on their investment.

  She dropped down onto one of the cushioned seats and took a sip of her coffee to wash down the bite of pastry that seemed stuck in her chest, feeling too heavy to swallow. Her stomach flipped and for the briefest second, she thought her breakfast might not stay with her through lunch. The sensation passed just as quickly as it had bubbled her tummy.

  She suddenly felt overwhelmed and she knew it might take making a decision Paul would not agree with to get the job done. She closed her eyes and let herself sit in the quiet, her mind racing as she pondered what her next steps would be and if her steps and his led them in the same direction.

  * * *

  “Simone? You okay?”

  Paul was standing before her, eyeing her with concern. He was wearing her favorite gray sweatshirt, the one she’d given him for his last birthday. They had gone skiing in Aspen for an extended weekend and had spent most of their time in their cabin, snuggled against each other. It had been his birthday, but he had made that whole weekend about her, making her feel like the luckiest woman in the world. The memory still made her tingle with joy.

  She reached out her hand to press it against his abdomen, relishing the feel of the soft cotton blend. She tugged at him gently, pulling him toward her until his lips met hers in the sweetest kiss.

  “I’m good. Good morning.”

  “Good morning. How long have you been up?”

  Her eyes skated from side to side. “What time is it?”

  “Just after twelve.”

  “After twelve? It wasn’t quite ten o’clock when I sat down!”

  Paul laughed. “You didn’t get a whole lot of rest last night.”

  “I got enough that I shouldn’t be falling asleep in a chair!”

  His smile was consoling. “It happens.”

  “Not to me it doesn’t. I think I’m catching something. I didn’t feel well when I got up.”

  Paul pressed his palm to her forehead. “You don’t feel like you’re running a fever, but we don’t want to take any chances. Any other symptoms I should be aware of?”

  She shook her head. “I was slightly nauseous this morning, but I think it was just because I drank coffee on an empty stomach and got a slight caffeine rush.”

  “But you always drink coffee on an empty stomach, don’t you?”

  “Usually. I can’t think of anything else it might be.”

  “Well, just to be on the safe side, I’m going to make you a cup of tea and some chicken noodle soup for lunch. And I want you to take a dose of vitamin C for me. I think you might just need to take a break today.”

  “I have way too much work to do. And I’m sure it’s not that serious,” she said.

  “Well, we’re going to relax together. I’ve done all I can do, and Oliver doesn’t get in until later tonight. So, we can watch Netflix movies and chill all afternoon.”

  Simone pursed her lips. She started to balk but changed her mind. She still felt funky and lying around watching movies with Paul wouldn’t be that bad. She nodded. “If you insist.”

  Paul gave her a wink of his eye. “I do. And even though you don’t feel warm, I want to get your temperature. Let me grab the thermometer.”

  * * *

  That day, they felt like they were on vacation and not trying to save the world, Simone thought as she snuggled against Paul. His idea of chilling was to alternate between watching a documentary and reading some scientific study on his iPad. Simone h
ad been dozing off and on for most of the afternoon, convinced the cold weather was trying to throw her off-balance. She couldn’t afford to be sick, as every time she thought about the case her to-do list lengthened substantially.

  The sounds of the door opening and closing pulled them both from the reverie. Oliver’s booming voice filled the space and lifted the mood from serene to serendipitous. He was in rowdy spirits, delighted to be home and fretful about a storm purported to be racing toward them. He rushed in, greeted them both with hugs and then disappeared down to his side of the home.

  Paul laughed. “Well, so much for peace and quiet.”

  “Your brother’s exuberance is in a league of its own.”

  “I just hope he plans to use some of that energy to cook.”

  Simone laughed with him. “Me, too!”

  As if on cue Oliver barreled back into the room. “I stopped by the market before I came in. Wasn’t sure what you two had left in the fridge and I picked up the most stunning red salmon. It’s so gorgeous I had to get it for dinner. One of you come help me with the grocery bags. I hope you two are hungry. I thought we’d have Thai black rice salad with honey-glazed salmon, and I picked up a wonderful sponge cake from the bakery for dessert.”

  Simone and Paul gave each other a look. “Thai black rice salad,” they both mouthed in unison before bursting out laughing again.

  Oliver halted in the doorway, turning to give them a narrowed look. “Peel yourself off that beautiful woman, little brother, and come help me please!”

  * * *

  “I swear, Oliver,” Simone said as she spooned the last of her dinner into her mouth. “You are in the wrong profession.”

  She slid a finger across her empty plate and into her mouth, licking the last taste of the meal away. It was the first full meal she’d been able to eat since being nauseous earlier that morning. She was feeling much better and she was grateful she hadn’t had to cook it. That salad had been a delectable melding of black rice, mango and bell pepper tossed in a vinaigrette of soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sriracha and mint. Combined with the glazed salmon that had been cooked to sheer perfection, it was almost orgasmic.

  Paul nodded in agreement. “You should seriously consider opening a restaurant. Everything you cook is good, but this is amazing!” he added.

  Oliver laughed. “Y’all can butter me up all you want, you’re still washing dishes,” he said.

  “We will gladly do dishes if you promise to make this at least once per month for us,” Simone said. “It was excellent!”

  “For you, doll, I’d make it twice per month.”

  Simone grinned foolishly. She held up her plate. “Can we taste the dessert now?”

  Oliver had risen from the table and stood at the counter. He turned back toward her holding a slice of layered orange sponge cake with a decadent cream icing sprinkled with pecans. Simone’s eyes widened with joy and she started bobbing up and down in her seat with glee.

  Paul shook his head. “You’re killing me, Simone! Your sweet tooth is ridiculous. Just go slow though, in case it upsets your stomach, please!”

  “My sweet tooth ensures my sanity,” she replied as she took her first bite and swooned. “Oh, my goodness! This is pure...” she started, then she purred, her whole body shivering with excitement.

  “Okay,” Paul muttered. “This is really some delicious stuff!”

  Oliver nodded excitedly. “And the bakery is owned by this little cutie from Ireland. His name’s Dermot.” He grinned widely.

  Paul laughed as he swallowed his second bite. “What’s with you and bakers?”

  Oliver shrugged and rolled his eyes skyward. “Just can’t help myself!”

  Two slices of cake later and the trio sat planning what they wanted to do next.

  “I need a good night’s sleep,” Oliver said, “but I’ll be in the lab first thing in the morning. I’m anxious to get my hands on the new samples.”

  “Preliminary tests don’t look promising.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Paul said, shaking his head.

  Simone pushed her dessert plate to the center of the table. “Since we’re on the subject, I think we need to go public sooner than later.”

  Paul leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “What are you proposing?”

  “A news conference to announce the pending lawsuit. I think if we call them out publicly, and focus a national spotlight on their practices, it might force their hand.”

  “That, or they’ll tie us up in litigation so quick, neither one of us will ever work in our selected fields again.”

  “There’s always that restaurant,” Oliver muttered as he swept the dirty dishes from the table. “You two would look good bussing tables.”

  Paul gave his brother a smirk, his eyes rolling skyward.

  Simone shrugged. “We still have more questions than we do answers. We’re never going to be able to fix this by ourselves, and to get the help we require and stop children from dying we really need to do something drastic.”

  “What kind of danger does that put you two in, though?” Oliver asked. “If Lender sent people to shoot at you, I doubt they’re going to sit by and let you just tell the world how bad they are.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” Paul said.

  “Well, we have to do something. We can’t just sit up here playing with the data and running tests. We also can’t be the only ones looking at these meds. We need to involve the FDA, maybe the FBI, and we haven’t even begun to consider the international implications. Do we need to reach out to the World Health Organization as well?”

  “She makes a good point,” Oliver interjected.

  Paul nodded.

  “We’re in over our heads,” Simone observed. “Now we need to figure out how to get out from under and then get ahead of this. It’s been almost six, seven weeks now since we left Chicago. We need to think about going home.”

  “But we don’t have any guarantee going public or trying to go public isn’t going to get us killed.”

  “No, we don’t, but we knew we were putting ourselves at risk the minute we ran.”

  Paul took a deep breath. He stood, moving to the sink to rinse the dirty dishes and rest them in the dishwasher.

  “I think I’m going to bed,” Oliver said. “Let me know what you decide in the morning.”

  “Thank you for a wonderful meal,” Simone said, her smile shining in her eyes.

  Oliver winked his eye at her. “I left you another piece of cake on the counter.”

  She blew him a kiss and giggled like a five-year-old.

  Paul shook his head, his own smile pulling across his face. She looked happy and he didn’t want to risk anything sweeping that joy from her. “Let’s table the conversation until tomorrow. Let me think about it and we can decide what we want to do after Oliver and I finish testing these last samples.”

  Simone nodded. “That’s fine, but we need to make a decision, Paul.” She had moved to his side and stood with a dish towel in her hand.

  Paul leaned to kiss her cheek. “Are you feeling any better?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I think I ate too much cake.”

  He laughed. “Why don’t you head to bed? If you are trying to catch something your body needs to get as much rest as it can. I’ll finish up the dishes and be there in a few minutes.”

  Simone leaned her head on his shoulder. “I am tired,” she said. “Thank you.”

  Paul wrapped his arms around Simone’s torso and hugged her close. He kissed her forehead and then her lips. As she ambled across the family room, he found himself suddenly feeling panicked. What if he couldn’t keep her safe?

  Concern twisted his insides and the stress tightened the muscles across his shoulders and back. Paul couldn’t help but think
about what could happen if things went wrong, despite their best efforts. What impact their actions would have on both their careers, most especially Simone. She was only there because she believed in him. What if they went through all of this and found themselves still at odds over their future? The uncertainty was stifling, a lengthy list of questions he had no answers to. No scenario that was playing out in his head guaranteed a successful outcome or that he and Simone would get their happily ever after. That fact haunted him the most.

  * * *

  When Simone woke the next morning, she was feeling shaky again. Not worse than the day before, but not better. Just not one-hundred-percent yet. After a quick shower and change she headed to the kitchen. A note rested on the table. Paul and his brother had gone out to run an errand. She’d been left to fend for herself and she had no interest in the bacon and eggs in the refrigerator. Instead, she made herself a cup of coffee and settled on a bowl of fruit salad Oliver had left for her.

  Paul hadn’t come to bed, instead sleeping in the room across from hers. She knew it had everything to do with her suggestion about going public. He had doubts and was worried, although he would never say so out loud. But she had seen the concern on his face when she’d left him finishing the dishes. He had probably tossed and turned most of the night, not wanting to disturb her rest. She knew he was still on the fence about what their next step should be and though she understood why, she also knew it was time to do more than just rewrite their plan to do something. She stood by her suggestion to press forward and expose what they knew.

  As the coffee kicked in, she felt much better, the fog seeming to lift from her skull. She moved to the dining room and the beginnings of the legal brief she intended to file. It was a good start. Not great, and nowhere close to being the perfection she needed it to be. She needed access to a law library and a paralegal team to help her research legal precedents. She needed more than being there could afford her. She took another quick sip of her coffee. Reaching for her cell phone, she dialed.