by Desiree Holt
When at last she was completely naked, he lifted her and carried her into the bathroom. Fragrant steam rose from the tub, which was now filled to the top, bubbles floating on the surface.
“I dumped some of your good-smelling stuff into it,” he told her, smiling, as he turned off the taps. “I thought a few bubbles might be nice too.”
Kari swallowed a smile at the thought of this big, masculine soldier, a warrior, preparing this bath for her. He lowered her slowly into the water until she was submerged up to her neck. She leaned her head back against the bath pillow she kept in place and closed her eyes. It was heavenly, the heat, the bubbles, the scented water all working to ease the tension and wash away the fear. To help her relax.
Slade stripped off his T-shirt and kneeled beside the tub, picking up the flower sponge she kept on the ledge.
“You’ll have to excuse me if I stink from the ranch,” he told her. “I’d just gotten through riding when I got the call that you’d pushed the panic button.”
“You can smell like anything you want. It’s all good to me.” She let out a sigh. “It’s really over now, isn’t it?”
“It is. In fact—”
“Just let me say this. Let me get this out before we go any further.” She closed her eyes, unable to look at him while she spoke. “I am so very sorry, Slade. I acted like a child, refusing to listen to you. My brain knew you were right, but I wanted it to be over with so badly I couldn’t entertain the alternative.”
“I know, darlin’. It’s okay.” He began smoothing the sponge over her arms and shoulders.
“No, it’s not. I’m a prosecutor, for God’s sake. I know how this stuff works. The best cases sometimes go sideways because of just this sort of thing. I just didn’t want it to be that way with me.” She blew out a breath. “You have no idea how grateful I am to you. Not just for rescuing me but for not being so angry with me you wrote me off.”
“Never.” He eased the fluffy sponge over her breasts, first one, then the other, a caress more soothing than sexual.
“I don’t know why, but—” She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Thank you. I promise you that’s the last time I’ll ever act like an idiot.”
Slade rocked back on his heels and laughed. “Even I won’t promise that, but it’s nice to hear.” He leaned forward, ignoring the bubbles brushing his chest, and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ve been kicking myself for waiting all weekend to bring it up to you. Maybe if I’d figured out a way to do it earlier—”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure I would have listened then. But I will from now on.”
He stared at her, his eyes dark with some unknown emotion. “Does that mean you want to keep this going? Us? This thing between us?”
“Damn straight. Like you said in the beginning, you lead an uncertain life and you never know what’s going to happen. I understand you not wanting to—”
Now it was his turn to shut her up, but he did it by pressing his mouth to hers. “Forget all that. Forget everything else I said about not knowing how to have a relationship or not wanting to have someone at home worrying all the time about me or the rest of that crap. When that panic button set things in motion today I wasn’t sure I’d survive if something happened to you. But then I realized, whatever came in life, I’d always be grateful for whatever time we had together.” He rubbed his jaw, leaving a trail of soap bubbles.
Kari giggled then reached out to swipe them off. “It’s far more likely to happen to you than me, although you know that old saying. Car accidents can happen to anyone and right in front of your eyes.”
“My point is, I don’t want to waste any more time because of my hang-ups. This is fast, Kari, and maybe we skipped a bunch of steps, but…” He blew out a breath. “Here it is. I love you. I do. And I don’t want to take the chance someone else might grab you up while I’m being an indecisive idiot.”
“Come here.” When his mouth was a breath away from hers, she tugged him closer that last little bit.
Slade’s tongue slipped into her mouth, another gentle caress as he lightly licked and stroked. He tasted sweet and salty and sharp, all the flavors of who he was. When he finally lifted his head, she gave him a hard, intent look, as if asking him to see into her soul.
“I love you too.”
For the first time since she’d met him, she saw his face completely relax, felt the same release of tension in his body. The smile he gave her reached into every corner of her body.
“How about we finish this bath, take a nap and order in some dinner? For what I have in mind, you’ll need to be well rested and well fed.”
She laughed. “Keeping up my strength?”
“You know it.” Then all traces of humor left his face. “I’m serious about all this, Kari. I almost went nuts today when Jamie, my security guy, called to say you’d pushed that button. I realized then that I didn’t want to be the idiot that missed the best thing to ever walk into my life.”
“Then let’s not. Let’s make every minute count.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kari came awake with a start, not sure for a moment where she was. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she realized she was in her own place, her own bed, and Slade was right beside her, talking to someone on her cell. The last thing she remembered was listening to the shower running while she’d waited in bed for him. Then he’d slid his warm body in beside her and pulled her into his arms, cocooning himself around her and allowing her to just drift off to sleep.
Who on earth was he talking to?
“Oh, wait,” he said. “She’s awake now. Let me put this on speaker.”
She frowned. “Who is it?”
“Your boss. He has information to share.” He pressed the Speaker button and held the phone between them.
“You doing okay, Kari?” Kip asked. “Ross is about to kill himself over letting this happen.”
“He didn’t let anything happen,” she corrected him. “He’s not responsible for the judge’s actions.”
“He believes everyone was so happy to wrap the thing up that they didn’t look beneath the surface. John Schreiber knew all the details, even appeared to brag about some of the things.” His heavy sigh transmitted across the connection. “You know what they say, if something looks too good to be true, it usually is.”
“Kip had said the same thing yesterday. We all live and learn.”
“I just hate it that my learning put you in a desperate situation.”
“It’s all good now, though.” She leaned closer to Slade, who circled his arm around her. “Was this trip to San Antonio just a coincidence? He only just learned where I was.”
“Sort of. He knew about the conference and was wavering about attending. He got John to do his shtick and figured he could use his fake apology to get Ross to spill where you were. No more danger, right?”
“The conference was his cover,” Kari guessed.
“It was,” Kip agreed. “An unfortunate circumstance of timing for us.”
“I think it’s disgusting the way he bribed John to take the fall for him.”
Kip snorted. “Paid him an obscene amount of money and promised him he’d make sure he got a good position with a top firm when the time came.”
“Not if Schreiber was in jail,” Kari pointed out.
“Well, that’s the thing.” Kip paused. “The dates some of these things occurred, like the break-ins at your house? Schreiber had proof he was somewhere else.”
“But wouldn’t it then be an open case again?” Slade asked.
“It would,” Kip agreed. “But that could be months away. Glasgow was crazy enough to believe by that time Kari would be thrilled to be in a secret relationship with him and the whole thing would just die out.”
Kari felt a chill skitter down her spine. A secret relationship. He might even have taken it to the extreme of keeping her imprisoned in his house, or some other place.
“So what’s happening now?”
/> “Glasgow’s in the hospital until tomorrow,” Kip told her. “Chicago’s sending two detectives to bring him back to Illinois although San Antonio claims they have dibs since kidnapping trumps stalking.” He gave a short laugh. “Either way he’ll never see the outside of a prison cell again. And you can finally draw a full breath and live a normal life.”
“True, although I’m not even sure what’s normal anymore.”
Another pause.
“Kari, Ross asked me to pass along the word that he still has a place on his staff for you. It’s safe to return to Chicago if that’s what you want.”
She looked at Slade who shook his head. “You know what I want,” he whispered, “but the choice is yours.”
“And what about you, Kip? Would you still want to keep me on?”
“I didn’t just make a place for you,” he told her. “I had an opening and a real need for a seasoned prosecutor. I’d do a little jig if you decide to stay.”
She laughed. “Okay, if you promise to let me watch. Seriously, my life has had some changes to it since I came here. I’ll be staying in San Antonio.”
“Hot damn! Listen, take the rest of the week off. That’s an order. Next Monday when you come back to work, we’ll have a little party in the office here.”
“Not necessary,” she told him.
“It is for me.”
“I’ll call Ross myself and tell him what I’ve decided.” She looked at Slade again and he nodded.
“Take care.” Kip hung up.
Slade put the phone back on the nightstand then turned to her. “I’m hoping the reason you made that decision is because of us.”
“Maybe I just want to hang around Teo,” she teased.
Slade rolled her on top of his body and lightly slapped one cheek of her ass. “I might have to punish you for that.”
She gave a fake shiver. “Ooh! I’m so scared.”
When he spoke again, his voice was husky, rough with his own need. “I just want you to know I never thought I’d find a woman like you. For a while I thought you might be too good to be true.”
“And now?”
“I think you know the answer to that. I think we’ve done enough dancing around this issue. I love you. I told myself I’d never say those words to a woman, but I also never thought I’d meet a woman like you.”
She locked her gaze with his, seeing myriad emotions swirling in his eyes. “I love you too, Slade.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’m turning off your phone until tomorrow. I talked to the guys when they all checked in to see how you were doing. They’re taken care of, so I’ve turned my cell off already.”
“Taken care of?” She lifted an eyebrow. “With their ladies, I hope?”
He nodded. “Marc got dropped off at Christy’s. Man, I sure hope that’s turning into something and that it works for him. He’s been living in an emotional closet for a long time.”
“What about her? I didn’t really get to meet her.”
“Me neither.” He brushed the tips of his fingers down her cheek. “He’s being very closemouthed about the whole thing. But he seems a little less closed in, so I’m hoping.”
“And the others?”
“Megan’s taking Beau to the basketball game tonight,” he told her. “She’s got courtside seats and he’s about to wet himself.”
Kari laughed. “And Trey?”
“Kenzi has to go to Corpus Christi for a couple of days for a client. He’s going with.”
“So everyone’s set?”
“So it seems.” He wove his fingers through her hair, holding her head in pace. “That leaves me free to devote every minute to you.”
Yes, yes, yes!
His face was so close to hers that his breath, lightly scented from the mouthwash he’d used earlier, was a warm caress on her skin. His mouth was barely a whisper away from hers.
Kiss me! Kiss me!
Then he did, a light touch of lips at first, a soft brush. His tongue traced the outline of her mouth and licked the closed seam. Automatically she parted for him and his tongue slipped inside, softly invasive, tasting everywhere. It was a coaxing kiss more than a demanding one, and it made her weak in the knees. She clutched his arms to hold herself steady, her head swimming and her senses roaring to life.
“I meant what I said before.” He lifted his head, his hazel eyes now darkened almost to a forest green. “For a man like me, the special woman to complete him can be almost nonexistent. My life is…different. I can be gone for weeks or even months then here for a long time. Even when I’m on base, if we’re not training or planning a mission, I can at least come home for the weekends.”
“I’ll take it,” she told him. “A little of you is better than a lot of someone else.”
“I want us to plan a future together,” he insisted. “My future is with you.”
“Ditto. You got it, soldier.”
“How about ordering in some dinner?” he asked. “You hungry?”
“Not for food.” She placed a soft kiss on his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I don’t know how I got so lucky with you.”
“I think it was meant to be,” she said in a whisper. “What were the chances we’d meet in Chicago and five years later end up in the same city? I always believe there’s an invisible hand guiding us. Now I’m sure.”
“It’s guiding us in the right direction. That’s for sure.” He brushed his mouth over hers again. “I’d like to do some guiding with my own hands right now.”
“Would you do something for me?” Her heart thudded a beat at what she was about to ask him.
“For you, anything.”
“Let me freshen up a little. Then I want you to tie my hands when we make love. And blindfold me too.”
He gave her a penetrating stare. “Are you sure, Kari? After this afternoon—”
“That’s exactly why I want you to do it,” she broke in. “I don’t want to live with that image and that memory forever. When I think of restraint, I want it to be voluntary and with you.”
He studied her face for so long she wondered if he was ever going to say anything. Then he gave a slow nod.
“I’d like that. In a way it’s binding you to me.”
She rolled off his body and slipped from the bed. “And don’t forget to punish my impudent attitude,” she teased.
His eyes darkened. “You liked it when I spanked you the other day.”
She nodded. She’d more than liked it. It had made her hotter than hell. “Just like you did that night in Chicago.”
She slipped into her bathroom, closed the door and stared at herself in the mirror.
Now or never, Kari. Show him how you feel. He said the words. Now it’s time for you to take a chance.
Letting out a slow breath, she pushed away from the door and set about getting ready.
Slade had no idea what the hell Kari was doing, but her words kept echoing in his head. Tie her up? Blindfold her? Spank her? They’d already had a conversation about the appeal—or not—of BDSM and agreed for the most part it was a bit too extreme for both of them. But he knew of couples that introduced aspects of it into their sex lives and thrived on it. Just thinking about it made his cock swell even more and harden to painful attention.
Well, just lying here in bed like a lump wasn’t getting him anywhere, so he pushed himself to his feet and set about straightening the bedclothes. He used the guest bathroom to do his own freshening up and was standing in the middle of the room when she walked back in. She had brushed her hair until it shone, letting it fall in thick auburn waves to her shoulders. The scent of the bubble bath still clung to her, a tantalizing fragrance that made him want to lick every inch of her skin. She wore no makeup except a touch of gloss on her lips and he thought she looked exquisite.
He watched her pull open a drawer in her dresser and take out two silk scarves, which she placed in his hands.
“I’m yours, Slade. Bind me to you. L
et me feel your hands on me, everywhere on my body.”
Jesus!
He used one of the scarves to blindfold her, then led her to the bed and helped her to lie on her stomach.
“I won’t tie your hands to the headboard,” he insisted. “That’s way too much of a reminder of this afternoon and you don’t need any flashbacks.” He bent down and stroked his fingers along her cheek. “This will be special for us. Our own memories.”
She nodded in agreement. He wrapped the silk around her wrists, crisscrossing them, and placing her bound hands on the pillow. Then he trailed his fingers down the length of her spine, pausing a moment to slide them into the hot crevice of her buttocks then down to nudge her thighs wide apart. He drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly and brought the flat of his hand down on her ass with a sharp crack!
Kari jerked in response but didn’t make a sound. He did it again and again, the contact producing a dark shade of red that blossomed on her very delectable buttocks. When he slipped his fingers between her thighs seeking the entrance to her pussy, he found it to be soaked and very slick. He probed her wet channel and delivered another slap. Damn! Her inner walls clamped down at once and more juice coated his skin.
He slid out and placed his palm on one cheek of her buttocks. It still flamed with warmth, a heat that transferred itself to him. He couldn’t begin to describe the feeling it gave him that after everything she’d been through today she was willing to submit to this. No, not submit. Participate. Share the pleasure. She’d told him on that long-ago night she’d never done this with anyone else or even wanted to. He’d been excited then, but now? Now he was humbled.
A rush of love for this woman surged through him like cascading rapids. All his reservations about leaving her waiting at home were nothing compared to her strength. He had been the weak one, unwilling to take a chance. Her strength made his heart swell. How many women would have survived today’s chilling episode and not turned into a quivering mass?
They could play games later. Now he had something more important on his mind and he needed to be inside her to complete it. Yanking open the drawer to her nightstand, he then pulled out one of the condoms he kept there and rolled it on with hands that actually shook. In an instant he removed the scarves and turned her onto her back.
