Beneath the Layers

by Caitlyn Willows

  “Don’t think I won’t report this, Davidson,” Yost told him.

  “Don’t give him the satisfaction of a response,” she whispered.

  Kurt grabbed the bag and kept walking with her. He hated having his back to a man he didn’t trust. Rage blinded him to anything else but Midge’s hand in his. It dissipated when she dragged him into the women’s restroom by the lab. A twist of her hand secured the lock. Midge wrapped him in a tight hug. He released the bag and clung to her, hating himself for not digging in and fighting for her sooner. For someone who claimed to like to peel back the layers slowly, he’d failed when it came to the woman he craved. Not once had he bothered to even try to work his way beyond Midge’s barriers. Even now words lodged in his throat, so he did the only thing he knew he could get right. He shoved his hand between her legs and his tongue between her lips.

  Midge whimpered and deepened the kiss as she fumbled to unzip his jeans. Following her lead, he did the same and shoved his hand straight to her hot pussy the second he got the zipper open. She broke their kiss on a gasp, arching her neck. He raked his teeth down the column of her throat and pressed her farther back. She gave up her attempt to unzip him and clamped her hands over her shoulders.

  “I love when you give yourself to me,” he told her.

  “As much as you love giving yourself to me?”

  She had him dead to rights on that one. Theirs was a mutual exchange of power and pleasure.

  “You bet, baby.”

  “Fuck me,” she whispered.

  His cock hardened all the more. She didn’t plead with him to stop or remind him they might get caught. Not his Midge. She wanted him now and damn the consequences.

  “Good,” he roughly replied. “Because I feel as if I’ll die if I don’t get inside you right now.”

  She raised her head. “Damn, you say the sweetest things.”

  She relinquished her hold on him and pulled away. Before he could comment on how much he missed being inside her heat, Midge was on her knees before him. She opened the zipper, yanked his clothing down and swallowed his cock. She shoved her hand between his legs to cup his balls. Kurt braced against the door, trying his best not to pound into it, but every loop of her tongue around his cock sent his hips rocking with uncontrolled frenzy. He kept one hand against the door and the other clutched in her hair. Climax was close. The fire within him demanded release.

  “Stop,” he gasped.

  Midge released him, fisting his cock instead.

  “I can’t fuck you if you make me come,” he managed to say through pants of breath. “And you did order me to fuck you.”

  Her grin tightened his balls. “So I did.”

  She fished a condom from his pocket and started to rip it open.

  “If you try to put that on me, I might not make it.”

  “Oh, the power.”

  Her husky voice slithered into his veins. He watched through the haze of lust as she stood, wiggled her jeans and panties down to her ankles, then positioned herself at the sink—ass out and all his. Kurt couldn’t get the condom on fast enough. He shoved his clothing down as he neared her.

  “I hope to hell that sink holds up,” he muttered, then slid inside her.

  Their breath caught. Neither of them moved. He loved the way her muscles gripped him, as if telling him that he wasn’t going anywhere until she was satisfied. He brushed his palms over her ass until she was writhing against him, setting the pace. Then he slipped one hand over her hip and right to her hard clit.

  Kurt locked his free arm around her waist to help keep their weight off the sink as much as possible. Eyes closed, he soaked in the feel of her pussy squeezing his cock while her clit grew hotter and harder under his touch. Orgasm rushed over him before he could stop it. He slammed into her under the force of his release, loving that she came with him. They lay draped over the sink, gasping for breath.

  “Damn, sweetheart.” Don’t say it. “Just damn.”

  “I know.”

  She curled her arm around his head and kissed him.

  Chapter Nine

  Joy had nestled in Midge’s heart hours ago and refused to leave. Watching Claudia give birth to Adam Elias Taylor, feeling love fill the room, holding that tiny bundle of life in her arms made her long for a child of her own.

  “I hate leaving them there all alone,” Zach mumbled from the back seat.

  “They aren’t all alone,” Kurt gently told him. “Phillip is with them. You’ve both been up all night. You need the rest. Let your support system support you. Eat and get some sleep. We’ve got your back.”

  Midge glanced at Zach’s reflection in the visor mirror. He didn’t seem appeased, not that she could blame him.

  “At least shave, shower and eat something,” she told him. “You can always go back afterward and nap in the chair.” As Marines, they’d all slept in worse places. “And you’ll have your own transportation, complete with car seat, on the off chance they’re discharged today.”

  “True, but they won’t be released until sometime tomorrow.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I can’t believe we had all that snow yesterday and this morning it’s nearly gone.”

  “Desert living,” she and Kurt said together.

  “Good times,” Zach muttered. “Looks like power’s been restored as well.”

  All the traffic lights were operating.

  “If you need me to handle your leave request, I can be your runner tomorrow. I don’t have to be in court,” she told him.

  “Not worried about any fallout from helping me out?”

  “I have no fucks left to give on that subject. If asked, I’ll tell them I’m following orders.”

  Zach snickered. “There you go. I’ll let you know.” He leaned his head back. In seconds, he was asleep.

  Kurt decreased his speed, giving their friend more time to nap during the drive back to the Taylor house. She’d bet it was the only nap he’d take. He’d feed the cat, shower and shave and be back at the hospital within the hour. Midge hoped he also took the time to eat while he was at home. Food options were limited to the emergency room vending machine on weekends. With the roads clear, though, he could grab a bite elsewhere if he could be compelled to leave Claudia and Adam. She doubted it, which was fine. She and Kurt could return with something for him later.

  Kurt shot a smile her way. “How does it feel to be an honorary aunt?”

  His soft voice seeped into her veins. “Like the best thing ever.”

  Her smile burst from the inside out. She still couldn’t believe that she and Kurt had been allowed to be there for the entire process. Once they’d arrived at labor and delivery, they’d been swept inside by a nurse who referred to them as an aunt and uncle. Emotion had rendered her mute. Phillip hadn’t batted an eye when he’d arrived to discover he and Claudia had acquired a brother. Midge learned it was how they’d all planned it since Kurt’s coloring matched theirs and his devotion showed a deep connection to Claudia. Now she’d been drawn in as well, with open arms and so much affection. No way was she putting distance between herself and them ever again.

  “I can’t even begin to describe how it felt to hold the little guy,” Kurt said.

  “Pure joy?”

  His smile widened. “Yeah.”

  “I love how he snuggled into my arms.”

  She stifled a yawn. They’d been up all night also. Midge couldn’t wait to curl up next to Kurt when they reached her place. At some point she’d dozed off without realizing it. She woke when Kurt pulled to a stop at the Taylor home. Behind her, Zach stretched awake. A glance at the dashboard clock showed an hour had passed.

  Zach released his seat belt. “What did you do? Drive to Yucca Valley and back to kill time?”

  Kurt twisted around. “Nah. Drove around a bit so you could rest.”

  “Thanks.” Zach leaned forward to give him a hug. Then he did the same to Midge, adding a kiss to her cheek. “We’ve missed you.”

  “I suspect yo
u’ll be seeing a lot of me now.”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  “Want us to take Miss Kitty tonight?” she asked.

  “That’d be great. But come get her later. I want to spend some time with her. Kurt has a key, and we have his.”

  “Later then.”

  They bid him goodbye and headed to her place.

  “I can’t wait to crawl into bed,” he said.

  “That makes two of us, even with the nap.”

  It didn’t take long to get to her house.

  “In the garage or out?” Kurt asked, pulling into the driveway.

  “In.” She fished the remote from the console between the seats.

  “I don’t see the master in his perch.”

  “The curtains are closed. Hades is probably pissed as hell about it, too. Heaven forbid he expend the effort to wiggle between the drapes for access.”

  “I’m sure his basket was in his way.”

  Giggling, she pressed the remote and the garage door lifted. That was when she saw her kitchen door was open.

  “What the… I swear to hell and back, if Bernadette is in my house…” She released her seat belt then shoved open the SUV door and ran toward the kitchen.

  Kurt was steps behind her. She jerked to a halt at the kitchen door, horrified at the destruction before her. The cabinets were emptied. Pots, pans, dishes, food lay strewn about everywhere. Drawers were pulled out and dumped. A bag of rice had burst open and grains covered the tile amid shards of glass and silverware. Canisters were upended and their contents spread over the counter.

  “Hades would have been petrified. What if he ran out the door?”

  Kurt brushed his hand over her shoulder. “Then he would have been in the garage.”

  “Hades!” She ran toward the living room

  “Honey, wait. You don’t know what you might be running into.”

  She froze in the doorway. More disaster, that was what she was running into. Books were scattered everywhere with spines broken and pages ripped. Her couch and chairs spilled their contents from large gashes in the cushions. DVD and CD cases were open and on the floor. Her house phone lay shattered by the fireplace, as if the culprit had hurled it against the wall.

  “Why would she do such a thing?”

  “Are you certain it was Bernadette?” he asked. “From my perspective, someone was deadly serious about finding something. She doesn’t seem like the kind of person to expend this kind of effort. Steal, yes. Physically destroy, no.”

  Both assessments were true. Bernadette would use that viper-like tongue of hers to destroy. Tears obscured Midge’s vision.

  “For what? What do they think I have? What if they killed Hades?”

  She started for the stairs. Kurt pulled her to a stop.

  “What if they’re still here?” he asked. “I’ll find Hades. You call 9-1-1 then start taking pictures. Try to determine if anything’s missing. Try not to touch anything. They may have left fingerprints.”

  After she nodded, Kurt took the stairs two at a time. The rubble made it impossible to tell if anything was missing. For all her expertise in restoration, there wasn’t much to salvage. Somehow she managed to remain calm while reporting the break-in to the dispatcher, but her voice shook with every word. Once she’d been assured help was on the way, she went to the window seat under Hades’ perch to retrieve her camera. It was the only place that hadn’t been disturbed—probably because it had been hidden by the curtains. Getting to it proved a problem. She had to remove everything from the top, yet had nowhere to put it that wouldn’t compromise the crime scene.

  Hades’ pathetic meow drew her attention to the stairs. He clung to Kurt, paws hugging his neck. Even from this distance, she could see him shaking. Kurt trotted down the steps, muttering soothing words while he gently stroked Hades’ back. Fur flew with every brush.

  “Oh, Hades,” she cried.

  More wails answered, as if he were telling them all about it. She met them at the bottom, reaching to take him—not an easy task. He didn’t want to release his new bestie. Kurt was forced to peel him away and turn him toward her. Once he saw her, Hades leaped into her arms. The force knocked Midge backward. Kurt’s quick reflexes kept her from falling.

  “It’s okay. It’s okay. We’re here now.” She dug her fingers into his fur, as much for her own comfort as his. “Where was he?”

  “Under what was left of your bed.”

  “Is it a mess upstairs, too?”

  “It is.”

  “Nothing insurance won’t take care of, right?” Her quivering chin unleashed her tears.

  Kurt drew her into a hug. “If it helps, I picked up your sex toys and put them in one of the tote bags.”

  She leaned into the comfort of his arms. “Bless you.” Having law enforcement see that would have mortified her.

  “You call it in?” he asked.

  “Yes. I was about to take pictures, but the camera’s in the window seat and I wasn’t sure how I could open it with everything on top and I didn’t know where to put the stuff without compromising the scene.”

  “I got it.” He kissed her temple and walked to the window.

  “She complains about everything else, why the hell didn’t Bernadette report this? They couldn’t have been quiet. She had to have heard the noise. Do you think this has anything to do with our peeper? If he was watching the house, he would have seen us leave.”

  “All excellent questions.” He shoved between the curtains, pushed everything on top back and lifted the lid. “Fuck.”

  Midge rushed to his side and peered over his shoulder. Balanced on top of old photo albums, extra pillows and blankets were gallon-freezer bags filled with packets of ketamine.

  “Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Panicked sobs overcame her. She’d moved back to top of his list as a suspect in his drug case. This evidence was damming. How could she convince him otherwise? “It’s not mine, Kurt. I swear to God it’s not mine.”

  Hades dug his claws into her neck. She focused on the pain, not the fact she was losing the best guy she’d ever met and might be going to jail for something she didn’t do.

  Kurt squeezed her shoulder. “Calm down, honey. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  Midge tried to blink away the flow of tears. It didn’t work. “You believe me?”

  He frowned. “Of course I believe you. If you had a stash like this, you would have put the packet you pulled off Forton in here.”

  She managed to nod and was vaguely aware of Kurt calling Jess and telling him to get here now with DEA and him telling her to say nothing to the deputy sheriffs about it. She watched him start to photograph the scene with his cell phone.

  “You don’t want to use my camera?”

  “I can’t get to it.”

  Because the drugs are on top of it. She needed to sit down. But where? Every place she looked was part of the crime scene.

  Hades retracted his claws and burrowed against her neck. Each meow was more pathetic than the last. Midge didn’t blame him for being frightened. She was scared to death.

  “It’s all right, big guy. I’m home now. Everything’s going to be fine.” She gave him long, soothing strokes down the back and walked upstairs to survey the damage. Petting his soft fur helped calm her, too. Her bedroom was in shambles.

  Her mattress had been ripped apart, then shoved aside. The box springs bore gouges resembling hammer-claw marks. Everything from her dresser drawers was tossed about the room. Same thing with her closet. The second bedroom was in a similar state.

  She checked the bathroom last. The scent of lilac wafted through the room. The vanity mirror had been smashed. From the broken bottle of bath salts in the sink, she guessed her intruder had thrown it at the mirror. Purple crystals were everywhere—on the sink, the carpeting. At least the intruder had the courtesy to empty the bottles and boxes into the bathtub, not onto the floor. Or maybe that was where he’d thrown them.

  It was still going to
take forever to clean up. She couldn’t do a thing until the various law enforcement agencies, followed by an insurance adjuster, were done.

  Midge tiptoed down the staircase. Hades’ warbles had finally slowed, but he was still shaking. He’d be clingy for quite some time. She counted her blessings he hadn’t been hurt. Kurt stood at the open front door, hands on his hips, ready for battle. She sat on the bottom step—the only inviolate place in the room.

  Kurt shut the door and sat beside her, giving Hades a scratch behind the ear. The affection earned him a healthy purr. “That’s it. Enjoy yourself now, buddy, and forget about those nasty bad guys.”

  He moved to the shoulder, then to his paws and the cat finally relaxed. Hades loved to have his feet massaged.

  “Should’ve given them a good whack with one of these, my furry friend. In fact…it looks like you did.”

  Midge twisted around to see. Kurt studied what appeared to be strands of hair dangling from Hades’ claws, then grinned.

  “I believe we might have a little DNA evidence here. Keep him still until someone can collect the evidence.”

  That wasn’t a problem. Hades wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’d probably wind up sleeping with them for the next two weeks. That was fine with her.

  “I’m scared to leave him home alone. Hell, I’m was afraid to stay in the house alone.”

  “You’re not going to be alone. You’ll be with me. As soon as we can, we’ll pack what you need and head to my house. You and Hades will be safe there.”

  Midge wasn’t so sure. “Do you suppose they’re watching the house right now? They’ll see us leave and might think we took the drugs with us.”

  He draped his arm around her. “They’ll also see the place crawling with police, NCIS and DEA. They’ll know the drugs have been confiscated. What I don’t understand is why they think or know you’ve got them—unless Forton hid it and they beat the information out of him.”

  Midge frowned. “Jeremy was alone for a long time here the other night while Susan and I got dressed to leave. Do you think that’s why he called last night, frantic to come over?”

  “It makes sense to me,” he said, more to himself than to her. “But why tear the place apart if Forton told them where it was? That must mean he didn’t…or they beat him unconscious before he could tell them.”