But taking him in hand, Kate slowly began removing his shirt. Relishing the look of approval in her eyes as Kate slowly began stripping away his clothes, his mind went blank on everything but the feel of her hands on him.
When he was naked, Murphy offered her a lazy grin. With consternation, she was staring down at his jutting arousal. He cleared his throat. “Some parts of me aren’t as tired as the rest.”
Kate laughed, rolling her eyes upward. She reached into the shower to turn on the water.
Murphy continued to stare at her intently. “You’re gonna join me, I hope?”
“Somebody’s gonna have to soap you up.”
Murphy’s jaw dropped. Suddenly, he felt a little less tired. “Turn around, Kate. I’ve been dying to get you out of that dress since the moment I first saw you in it.”
She grinned and complied.
When Murphy began tugging down her zipper, Kate peeked over her shoulder, still grinning.
But Murphy’s mouth went dry as her skin was slowly exposed. “Ah – no bra?”
“It’s not as though I actually need one,” she announced, dryly.
He gave her breasts a heated glance. “Ah, Kate. Your breasts are perfect. If you only knew how many times I’ve thought about those breasts over these last six years,” he admitted wryly.
Grabbing her hand, he yanked her into the shower with him.
Propping himself against the wall of the shower, he closed his eyes, and sighed, as Kate ran her hands over his back and shoulders, exploring and becoming familiar with the textures of his skin.
He opened his eyes reluctantly. “We’re gonna wait, and make love later – since I’m so tired. Once I start, I don’t wanna have to stop.” He grinned. “No way, is our first time gonna be a quickie.” He cleared his throat. “But I’m gonna have to do something about this right now, Kate,” he added wryly, glancing downward.
Her eyes became huge. Silently, her mouth formed an ‘o’. But then she grinned, stepping out from the shower. “That’s fine, Michael. I’ll...err...get the towels? Since I’ve waited this long for you already,” she glanced over him appreciatively from head to toe, “I think I can wait just a little bit longer.” Her eyes lingered obviously on his arousal before Kate frowned, glancing back at his face. “You really do look tired.”
When Murphy eventually stepped out from the shower, Kate took over, quickly drying and wrapping a towel around his waist. God, he was so exhausted.
She tugged him by the hand into the bedroom. Pulling down the comforter, she lightly shoved Murphy into the bed. He felt the soft gentle touch of her kiss on his lips as his exhaustion immediately took over. Within moments, he was sound asleep.
* * *
After Michael had fallen asleep, Kate realized it might be a little more difficult for her. She still couldn’t believe he was here.
Moving into the bathroom, she scooped up the gown she’d worn to the wedding and returned it neatly into her closet. She grinned. At least it wouldn’t require dry cleaning – she’d only worn it for about four or five hours. Picking up Michael’s clothing, which was scattered all over the bathroom floor, she returned to the bedroom and laid his shirt and jeans over the back of the chair near the fireplace.
Ah – what the heck. Still wearing her robe, she slipped under the covers and settled in snugly next to Michael, wrapping an arm around his waist.
Kate must’ve been more tired than she’d realized. When she awoke to the touch of a finger running gently along the side of her face, she was momentarily startled. It took only seconds for her to remember – Michael was here.
“Just a minute.” Kate pulled down the comforter. “Let me get rid of this robe.”
Silently, Murphy crawled across the bed. Pulling her into his arms, he covered her mouth with his. “I can’t believe I’m here,” he whispered, when they finally surfaced for air.
She fell back onto the bed after Murphy helped her remove her robe and tossed it down onto the floor. Every point of contact was hot as Murphy caressed her, dragging his hands and mouth along from her lips and on to the smooth soft hollow of her throat, before moving down to sip at the nipple of her breast.
Oh, how she adored the power in his incredibly muscular body. She loved the weight of him, along with the tang of his scent. When he suddenly moved off of her, she felt bereft. But then his mouth found her breast again, and she was alive with desire and sensation as his teeth pulled gently at her nipple.
Gradually, he moved his mouth lower, over her stomach and between her thighs, tasting and stroking, letting no single part of her go untouched or unloved.
The tension built to an incredible degree, finally spilling free with a soft explosive cry from Kate. She found such delight in touching him, running her hands up and down the length of his back and over his buttocks.
And when he groaned, she urged Murphy closer, wanting – needing – to feel him inside of her.
It was the ultimate connection they’d both been seeking since they’d met all those years before. And as he finally slid into her, everything in Kate’s world became completely right.
* * *
Murphy had to search for breath. His chest felt tight as his heart started pounding against his chest. Kate’s irresistible pull had him sending his arms tightly around her waist as he helplessly dropped his mouth down on hers.
She tasted like fire. But maybe that was the just the heat running feverishly though his body and straight to his groin. When his endlessly demanding kiss parted her lips, he slipped his tongue inside her mouth so he’d be able to taste more of her. The sweet moist curve of her mouth had him envisioning all the places he’d just had the pleasure of tasting. He’d been holding back desire until now, and it was flooding past his defenses. He couldn’t stop the need that was running through him.
A need she obviously felt, too. She was kissing him back, running her hands around him and across his buttocks. Her fingers were firing up the heat already coursing through his body.
He was hot and hard, and she was on fire.
He thrust deeper, and harder, and Kate gasped, as her body arched greedily under his.
He lifted his shoulders up a little further, enough to appreciate the way her body, all slender curves, became hotter and more flushed with each powerful thrust. Covetously, she absorbed his forceful penetration as he rode her, and filled her. Murphy watched with satisfaction as he pushed her step by step closer to fiery fulfillment.
He felt the tension inside her coil, and felt her tighten beneath him. Her thighs gripped his as he released, held and beckoned. As her ragged breathing filled the air, it was a softer sound overlaying the rasp of his own staggered breath.
She reached for him, and tried to pull him down to her. Without breaking their rhythm, he shifted his hips, pressing more intimately between hers. His thrusts became deeper still.
Harder still.
Her body tightened beneath his, closing powerfully around his. The heat of her drove him on, taking him with her into the world beyond flames, into the pleasure of fulfillment and satiation.
And intense satisfaction
Until they fell, hearts thundering, senses energized, as their souls became one.
“Oh, Michael.”
“Oh, Kate,” he responded, softly. He wrapped her gently into his arms.
So this is what it’s like to really love someone, he thought, and to be loved in return. He was at peace, at home in Kate’s arms, where he was always meant to be.
* * *
But, as a pair of deep dark eyes peered into the bedroom from outside the sliding glass doors, Kate and Murphy were totally unaware that they had an audience. Filled with silent fury, those eyes held hatred and jealousy as they beheld the couple in the bed, lying wrapped within each other’s arms. Creeping slowly down the staircase and moving across the dock, their uninvited visitor stepped into the boat tied off and hidden near the shore. Once he was far enough away from the shore, he turned the key in the ignitio
n. Forcefully shifting the motor of the cruiser into gear, he disappeared into the night.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
The cell phone she’d left on the nightstand suddenly began to ring. Turning over and squinting at her alarm clock, Kate groaned, checking out the time. Six a.m. on a Sunday morning? She frowned. Something must be wrong.
Reaching for the phone, she stared at the name displayed on the caller I.D. before switching it on. “Hey, Kelly.”
“Kate, we have a really big problem. Dad wanted me to give you a call. A bunch of materials went missing last night from the Clarkson job. We’re talking about thousands of dollars’ worth of wooden flooring, along with the tile for the kitchen and bathrooms. Heck, Kate, even the kitchen sink was taken.”
Kate groaned as Kelly continued to discuss a few more of the details.
“Okay. Tell Dad that I’ll meet him there shortly.” Kate could hear the rumbling of her father’s voice in the background.
“Kate? Dad wants to know if you’ll stop in at the office and get the inventory sheets on your way over? He needs to get out there right away to meet Sam Danielson and his deputies.”
“Not a problem, Kel. Tell him I’ll try to be there within the hour.”
When Kate turned, Murphy was studying her worriedly, as he sat up in the bed. “Trouble?”
Kate immediately became distracted. Her eyes traveled over his face, before moving down appreciatively over his broad muscular shoulders. Her gaze lingered on the hair covering his chest, as she began to remember its softness from the night before, as it’d brushed gently across her nipples...
He grinned, obviously aware of her train of her thought. “Kate?”
She shook her head dazedly, before clearing her throat. “Uh – yeah, Michael?”
His gaze remained intense as his eyes held hers.
Kate sighed, drawing herself back into the present. “Remember all the trouble we had – with the missing materials – six-years ago?”
He nodded.
“Well, whoever was doing it actually stopped – for a little while, anyway. Who knows – maybe he discovered we were switching our inventory over to computers? Or, maybe, we never noticed what was stolen because it was just so minimal? Or heck, maybe Brian Lancaster was responsible for the materials thefts along with the reclaimed lumber. We never totally ruled him out as a suspect. But, all of sudden, over the past few years, the missing amounts of materials have grown larger. It’s like whoever’s been doing it isn’t even afraid he’ll get caught anymore.”
“Maybe he’s just becoming bolder because he’s been getting away with it for so long?”
Kate shrugged. “Maybe.”
“What about surveillance cameras, Kate? Wouldn’t that help?”
She shook her head. “Even though the cost of surveillance equipment has become a lot less expensive than it was five years ago, it’d just be too difficult. Do you realize, Michael – that we have over fifty jobs that we’re working on right now? We’ve nearly tripled in size over the last six years – we have over five-hundred employees on our payroll.”
Murphy blew out a long low whistle.
Wryly, she smiled. “Business has been good. Remodeling and reopening the Dragonfly Pointe Inn has been great for our economy. Even property away from the lake is in demand. Parceled lots – for building homes – are selling like crazy.”
Pulling herself out of the bed and reaching for her robe, she caught Murphy’s eyes running heatedly over her naked body. When she grinned, he offered her a sheepish smile.
“I need to go and get the inventory sheets from the office and meet Dad. Sam Danielson is out there already, I guess. One of his deputies was patrolling the area. He noticed that the front door of the house we’re remodeling was left wide open. The deputy called Sam, and Sam called Dad, who knew that the flooring was already stacked up inside and ready to be installed. Dan sent Luke out there to see if anything was missing.” Kate motioned with her hand. “Just make yourself at home while I’m gone.”
“Can I just come along with you? Maybe I can do something to help – and then we can stop and get breakfast when we’re finished.” He chuckled. “I’m kind of starving.”
Kate grinned. “Come to think of it, I don’t have much food in the house. I only moved in last week.”
Murphy grinned. “Really?” He slipped out of the bed. Last night, after he’d fallen asleep, Kate had gathered up his clothing and laid it neatly on a chair. Reaching down for his boxer briefs, he hurriedly slipped them on. Staring down at the rest of his clothing, he frowned. “I’d better go out and get my clothes from the car – these are a little ripe.”
Kate grinned. “It’ll be alright if you sneak out like that. At least you don’t have to worry about offending anyone’s sensibilities – since I don’t have any close neighbors.”
She hesitated – they seemed to be avoiding any talk about the night before.
Murphy tugged her into his arms. “Good morning, Kate.” Lowering his mouth to hers, he gave her a scorching kiss.
With a breathless sigh, she reluctantly pulled away. “Good morning to you, too, Michael,” she whispered softly.
She ran her hand lightly over the stubble on his chin before moving it down through the soft silky hair covering his chest. Touching him just wasn’t enough – she couldn’t seem to get enough of him. Kate couldn’t believe Michael was actually here. And what a kiss! She rested her head on his shoulder, loving the tang of his musky morning scent.
His voice was unsteady when he gently shoved her away. “You’d better get out of here Kate, or I’m not gonna be able to help myself.” His fiery green eyes held hers. “For sure, you’re gonna end up back in that bed.”
She giggled, as she reluctantly began gathering her clothes together. Running into the bathroom, she cranked on the water in the shower, quickly jumping in, washing off and getting out again. By the time Kate returned to the bedroom, Murphy was climbing up the stairs with his suitcase.
Peeking over his shoulder when he snapped open his suitcase, she chuckled, noticing the disarray inside. “Nice packing job.”
“I was in a hurry, Kate.” He grinned wryly at her, over his shoulder. “I had a wedding to stop.” Digging through the mishmash of clothes thrown inside, he finally pulled out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. “At least I brought lots of socks and underwear.”
Kate laughed, as she approached the stairs. Thinking about everything that’d happened since yesterday, she was becoming a little teary-eyed. “I’ll go downstairs and start the coffee while you’re taking your shower.”
Twenty minutes later, they were on the road in Kate’s truck. After a short stop at the newly-expanded offices of Callahan Construction, Kate steered on and around Crystal Rock Lake, heading towards the access road that ran alongside Pebble Lake.
“I don’t think we ever visited Pebble Lake when I was here before,” Murphy observed.
“The chain-of-lakes connected to Crystal Rock Lake supposedly covers almost a hundred miles. Dad used to take our entire family on boating trips when we were young. Mom would pack up a picnic lunch and we’d stop along the shore to swim and sometimes ski.”
“Sounds like fun,” Murphy said.
“It was. But eventually our boat broke down.” She turned to glance at Murphy. “Dad couldn’t afford to get the motor fixed, and the cost of a new one, even then, was ridiculous. Since Dad’s business was beginning to taper off back then, because of the economy, he ended up getting rid of the boat.” Kate smiled, sheepishly. “Poor Dad. I’m pretty sure that all of us kids cried that day and got upset with him, making him out to be a villain.”
When she pulled up into the driveway of the Clarkson property, Kate frowned. The scene appeared to be unusually active.
Jumping down from the truck, Murphy promptly made his way around to Kate’s door as she opened it up. Reaching for her hand, he made a quick grab for her clipboard before slamming the door and continued to hold her ha
nd while they approached the house.
* * *
A few hours later, after thoroughly investigating what was missing from the property, Kate and Murphy were eating breakfast, along with her father, at the Crystal Rock Tap.
“Yeah. The Clarkson place is really isolated, Kate,” Murphy was saying, in between bites of egg. “What else do all the robbery sites have in common?”
Cal became thoughtful. “I think we’ve pretty much agreed that someone has been loading up and hauling out materials by water.”
“Maybe you should look at this from a different angle, Cal?”
“What do you mean, Michael?” Murphy was working on his second helping from the breakfast buffet. Reaching over to Murphy’s plate, Kate snatched up a piece of his syrupy waffle.
Staring from Kate to Murphy, Cal frowned, rolling his eyes upward.
And Kate grinned.
Murphy paused, with his loaded up fork near his mouth. “Why do they only steal from properties near the water? Ease of access, sure. But maybe there’re other reasons, too?”
“Well,” Kate said, considering, “they’d have to have a place large enough to store that much lumber.”
Cal continued from where Kate left off. “Or, they’d have to make arrangements for transporting the materials beforehand. There might be a designated pick up spot somewhere along the lake.”
“But that’d be like searching for a needle in a haystack, Dad. The chain-of-lakes extends nearly one-hundred miles.”
“But there has to be a transport point, Kate. We’ve searched the entire state for those materials.”
“Dad – more than likely they’re breaking up the parcels and selling the lumber in smaller quantities.”
Cal sighed. “I have a feeling that someone is purchasing that lumber for cash under the table, Kate. I know of at least a half a dozen companies – even here up north – that could probably get away with it without anyone ever asking questions.”
That Unforgettable Kiss (Kissed By Fate Book 1) Page 19
