by Carsen Taite
Ellen’s smile was wistful. “Don’t say that. If I get lost, please promise you’ll look for me.”
“I promise.”
The view was amazing. Ellen’s perfect breasts, nipples erect stared down at her while her wet thighs straddled her abdomen. Danny bent forward to kiss her, and the press of their flesh sent electric pulses straight to her clit. With every stroke of her tongue, with every pass of their lips, the intensity built, and she hazily wondered if she could come from kissing alone.
As if to answer her question, Ellen murmured against her lips. “Touch me.”
Danny continued kissing her, but slid a hand between Ellen’s legs and made slow circles in the slick wet of her arousal. Ellen arched against her touch and she took the sign to enter, savoring the tight, warm walls closing on her fingers.
“Feels…so…good,” Ellen gasped.
“Yes.” The one word was all Danny could manage, but she wanted more. She placed a hand behind Ellen’s back and while still inside, rolled them both over. Ellen’s blond waves fanned out on the pillow, and her expression was dreamy, eyes fading shut. Danny circled one stiff nipple with her tongue before kissing her way to the other. As if she’d flipped a switch, Ellen arched her hips and bucked against her hand. She grazed her teeth along Ellen’s breast and sucked harder now, hungry for her climax. “You’re so close.” She murmured the words against Ellen’s skin in response to the escalating groans of pleasure. Within seconds, she uttered her own moans as Ellen’s fingers found her dripping clit, and teased it to erection.
“You’re so wet.”
“Excited. You…make…me.” Danny moaned between each word, torn between giving and receiving pleasure. But as hungry as she was to make Ellen come, she wanted more. She kissed Ellen’s closed eyelids. “Baby, look at me.”
Ellen’s eyes fluttered open and Danny stared into the midnight blue. Passion, excitement, promise. Maybe she was reading too much into Ellen’s gaze, but in this moment, anything seemed possible. She leaned down and kissed her lips, their eyes still locked as the intensity of their touch brought them to the brink. She had no idea who crested first—their orgasms tumbled together and they both cried out, sounds that might have been words, but didn’t need to be for her to understand what they meant.
Finally spent, she collapsed beside Ellen who had turned her head to keep their connection. Gazing into Ellen’s eyes, she was thankful the intensity of their climax had robbed her of the ability to speak. She was certain if she could have managed whole words, she would have said too much.
Chapter Fifteen
Ellen opened her eyes to bright sunlight and a half empty bed. Had she managed to chase Danny away again after all?
Not a chance. She may be a little fuzzy from exhaustion, but not enough to forget what had caused her to be so drained. Danny kissing her. Danny touching her. Danny on the couch, on the bed, in the shower. She hadn’t run away, she’d stayed and taken her to ecstasy. Over and over again. But where was she now?
A long stretch netted her answer when her fingers connected with a piece of paper. The note was short, but Ellen read it several times before tucking it between the pages of the journal she kept on her nightstand. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect evening. Was looking forward to waking up with you, but duty calls. Sweet dreams, Danny.
Thoughtful, romantic, sweet. Ellen had to admit that if she’d done a casting call for girlfriends, Danny would be a super star. But she wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. Girlfriends hung around, expected you to share details about your personal life. She’d spent more time on her personal life this week than she had in the last year, and while she didn’t regret a second spent with Danny, she felt guilty for not visiting her mother as much as usual, and even more guilty for keeping secrets from Danny. But she’d promised to keep her mother’s illness a secret even if she didn’t understand why it was so important to her.
She couldn’t begin to imagine how Vivian felt, checking in and out of reality on a daily basis. No more of the high society trappings she associated with civilized life. Now she was reduced to flirting with old men in what was really only a glorified nursing home. If her father had only stuck around instead of jumping ship when his wife lost her faculties, then things might be different. Mother could have stayed in this house. They could have gotten a private nurse to be here around the clock. But no, Bill had taken off at the first sign of trouble, and his only help was an encouraging phone call now and then. Whenever she pressed him about it, he would only say things had gotten too complicated.
Could she really blame him? She avoided complicated. Or at least she had until last night. Sleeping with Danny was fraught with complexity, but she’d done it anyway. And she didn’t regret it. Not yet, anyway. If things went further, she didn’t know what would happen, how she would feel. She didn’t need the complications, but as she lay in the bed where she and Danny had shared a night of passionate pleasure, what she needed paled in comparison to what she wanted.
And what about what Danny wanted? Last night hadn’t been a romp; it had been a journey. Things had shifted between them, and what had started days ago as harmless flirtation had veered into dangerous territory. Danny had been hurt by a woman who didn’t share her sense of commitment, yet she’d shown no sense of caution last night despite the fact Ellen had made it clear she wasn’t up for anything more than the physicality they’d shared.
But had she made it clear? She knew she hadn’t been cautious either, with Danny’s feelings or her own, and now she lay in bed, not knowing what last night had meant, but knowing it had meant something important. She was equal parts relieved and sad Danny wasn’t here to talk it out.
Time to get up. Face the day and forget about the night. First step, coffee. She pulled on a robe and padded to the kitchen. While the coffee brewed, she stepped outside to get the paper, tripped, and fell on her face. Lying on the ground, looking back toward the house, she saw the culprit. An enormous vase of white roses lay on its side. Damn. She pulled herself up and stepped carefully around the broken glass. There had to be at least a dozen roses now adorning her front porch. She retrieved a broom, brushed away the glass, and gathered each of the thirteen white roses and the tiny envelope lying in the floral debris. She waited until she was back in the house before opening the envelope. The card inside was simple—block letters and a short note. “Last night was such a rush. Thanks for the view.”
Simple and to the point. No silly “I love you” or “hey, let’s move in.” The comment about the view struck her as odd, but she had bared way more than her soul. Ellen read the note again and conceded Danny might be satisfied with great sex and no strings, and that wasn’t complicated at all. A pang of disappointment struck her, and she shrugged it away. She had no business feeling sad that she and Danny finally seemed to be on the same page. She’d planned to call Danny this morning, tell her something about how she’d enjoyed the night together, but now the gushing emotion she’d felt upon waking seemed excessive. She’d still call, thank her for the flowers, but no need to get all emotional. She stuffed the pangs of longing she’d woken with and picked up the phone to dial Danny’s number. Before she could enter the number, her cell phone buzzed with a text from Jill. “I know it’s Sunday, but call me. We have a problem.”
When Jill answered, she sounded out of breath. “Thank goodness you called. I ran by the office to pick up some signs for a picnic on campus, and I found an angry voice message on the answering machine. Sophia Falco called and she’s on fire. Something about cops beating down her door, grilling her for information about murders. She wants you to call her back right away. I don’t think it’ll keep until tomorrow.”
Ellen sighed as her peaceful morning slipped away. “Give me her number. I’ll call her as soon as I manage to down a cup of coffee. Sorry you had to deal with this.”
“Picking up the message and calling you was nothing. You have the hard part. Good luck.”
While she brewed a pot of coffee,
she pondered what Sophia could possibly want, especially on a Sunday morning. Funny, she’d just been thinking that unlike Danny, she rarely had to go rushing off to deal with an emergency during non-work hours, but here she was phoning her primary benefactor before her caffeine even kicked in.
“Sophia, it’s Ellen Davenport. I heard you left a message at the office. Is there something I can help you with?” She barely got out the words before Sophia started her rant. When she finally finished, Ellen was furious. She promised Sophia she’d get to the bottom of the matter. She hung up and placed her next call to Danny, her mood completely altered.
*
“What’s going on?” Danny strode into the war room at police headquarters, wishing she’d stopped for a decent cup of coffee. She’d gotten the page from Sarah while still tucked in Ellen’s bed. She’d longed to ignore the call of work, but she didn’t want anyone thinking the fact she was dating Ellen was interfering with her ability to do her job.
Dating Ellen. She rolled the words around in her head and tried not to become too fond of them. She wasn’t really dating Ellen. She’d taken her to her parents’ house for a meal and then they’d gotten naked. The night of sex had been amazing, but the last thing she needed to do was make it into something it wasn’t. Something she wanted it to be, but Ellen wasn’t interested in pursuing.
And why wasn’t she? Ellen was single and willing. What was it about her that made exploring something more so unpalatable? She made a mental note to ask next time she saw her. Nothing like being direct to get an answer you may or may not like. After last night, she had no doubt. She wanted to date Ellen. She probably should’ve determined what Ellen wanted before sleeping with her, but it wasn’t the first time a pretty woman had knocked her judgment out of whack. But if she’d been reading signals right, then Ellen might want something more too. They hadn’t just shared sex, they’d shared feelings, intimacy. She hadn’t gotten laid last night, she’d gotten shot through the heart, and she’d been reeling from the effect all morning.
Sarah cleared her throat and Danny snapped to attention. Fine to be distracted on her personal time, but right now she needed to focus on the case.
“We’ve started contacting some of the alumnae who were in the same class as the majority of the victims.”
Danny felt a knot of panic rise in her throat. “When did you start doing that? Does Ellen know?”
“Yesterday and I have no idea. Do we need to get a civilian’s permission to do interviews? Is that how you do things in Dallas County?”
“Don’t be an ass. It’s just we kind of promised her that we wouldn’t spread the word she’d shared information from their files without letting her know.”
“I get it, but we were discreet. Besides, it’s not like anyone’s going to know where we got the information. We could’ve gotten their names from the university.”
“Okay.” Danny pushed the panic aside. Sarah was probably right. No, she was actually right. She couldn’t let her promises to Ellen supersede the need to investigate this case, especially since her promises weren’t really made in her role as a professional. “Did you learn anything?”
“Not much. These women circle the wagons at the first sign of an outsider. I’m actually a little surprised Davenport agreed to let us have the access she did. They aren’t big on sharing.”
“Maybe we should talk to Ellen about that. They seem to have a lot of respect for her. If she were to pave the way, they might consent to some interviews.”
“Any excuse to talk to the pretty lady, right?”
“There you go, being an ass again.” Danny dismissed her guilt. Sarah couldn’t possibly know about their “date,” and she wasn’t about to share. For now, she’d do everything she could to compartmentalize her dual relationships with Ellen.
“Don’t be so naive. Anyone who watches the two of you together can tell you are more interested in getting in her pants than getting information.”
Was Sarah right? George hadn’t picked up on her interest in Ellen until she put it out there by bringing her to Joe’s party. “I think you just have a vivid imagination. You’ve had sex on the brain since the moment you walked in here.”
“Nothing wrong with that. You want to grab a drink later?”
“Let me guess. If I say no, you’ll assume it’s because I’m all hung up on someone else.”
“You got it. And not just someone. Maybe I’m asking because when this case is over, I plan to ask her out.”
Sarah’s expression was a challenge and Danny resisted rising to the bait. No way to win points in this conversation. Best way out was to feign indifference. “Remember to invite me to the wedding.”
“Now who’s being an ass? Besides, neither one of us is going to get involved with Ellen Davenport and I’ll tell you why. She’s—”
Danny’s phone rang, blocking out Sarah’s words. She started to answer, but paused when Ellen’s number appeared on the screen. She’d wanted to talk to her since the moment she’d left that morning, but she’d been surrounded by Sarah and the rest of the team. She couldn’t wait any longer. She ducked away with a murmured lie that her mother was on the phone and answered. “Hey.”
“Are you alone?”
The question was suggestive, but the tone wasn’t. Ellen sounded upset. Make that angry. “I’m at the station, but I’m not with anyone right now.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I miss you.”
“I got a call this morning from Sophia. Apparently, your team has been showing up on the doorsteps of Alpha Nu alumnae, asking a bunch of personal questions.”
“Yeah, I was just talking to Flores about that.”
“When were you going to talk to me about it?”
Nothing suggestive about Ellen’s words anymore, unless Danny was looking for a fight. And she wasn’t, but she couldn’t help but get defensive. “In case you don’t remember, we’re working a case here.”
“And your investigative skills are best used by bothering a bunch of middle-aged women?”
“Look, you know I can’t share any of the details of our investigation with you. I’ve already shared more than I should.”
“You look. You wouldn’t have any of that information if I hadn’t been nice enough to give you access. I trusted you to not go around sharing it with everyone else. I don’t think you realize what a dicey position you’ve put me in.”
“What? You have a bunch of rich old ladies angry with you? Poor Ellen, you have a hard life.” Danny regretted the words the minute they left her lips, but she was pissed. She’d been a little put out with Sarah for questioning these women, but she knew it was the right thing to do, and Ellen should know what they were doing to investigate the case was way more important than the complaints of a few women who’d had police show up in their rich, quiet neighborhoods. “I’m sorry, that was harsh.”
“I think last night was a mistake.”
Thud. The words were a blind blow, and Danny couldn’t think of anything to say. Last night with Ellen was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. Last night had been what she hoped was the beginning of more nights together. To hear Ellen dismiss what they’d shared as a mistake roused every defensive instinct she had. “You’re probably right.”
Silence. Danny waited it out, not in the mood to back down. The tug of war went on for what seemed like minutes, but was likely only seconds. Ellen spoke first. “Okay then. Please have Agent Flores call me to discuss the data files. I think it’s time I involve our attorneys.”
“Okay.”
“And, Danny?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for the flowers. I appreciate the gesture.”
“Flowers?”
“The white roses, this morning, on my porch?”
Danny nearly dropped the phone, but instead she summoned the wherewithal to wave Sarah over. She took a moment to whisper what Ellen had just said in Sarah’s ear and then handed the phone to Sarah who placed it on speaker. “Ellen,
this is Sarah. Listen very carefully to what I’m about to say. Lock your doors. Is there somewhere in your house where you can go to hide? Not for long, but just until I can get there?”
“Uh, yes, there’s a wine cellar just off the kitchen.” Ellen’s voice shook. “What’s going on?”
“Wine cellar is perfect. Now, is there a key hidden outside?”
“Yes, one of those fake rock things near the front porch. It’s about a foot from the big flower pot with the lemon tree. Seriously, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“Lock your doors and go to the wine cellar. Take your cell and turn off the ringer. Don’t come out until I text you. Tell me you understand.”
Danny held her breath while she and Sarah waited for Ellen’s response. She needed Ellen to heed Sarah’s words, not to ask questions. She knew they were scaring her, but they couldn’t afford to be afraid together.
“Okay. Please hurry.”
“We will, Ellen. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
Sarah clicked off the call and handed the phone back to Danny, not even pausing before she started to shout orders. While Sarah assembled a team, Danny considered that the killer might be in the house already, or working his way inside. Last night had not been a mistake. It had been anything but, and she’d give anything to take the words back, redo the conversation to make it about anticipating the future instead of regretting the past. She watched through a haze as Sarah and George headed for their cars.
Follow them. The thought galvanized her into action and she took off running. She may not carry a gun, and she may not have a clue what to do in this kind of a situation, but no way was she going to sit and wait while Ellen’s fate hung in the balance. Her only mistake in the last twenty-four hours had been thinking she could wait and see where her feelings would lead her. They’d already led her to love and she wasn’t about to let that go without a fight.
Chapter Sixteen
