AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Turning his truck off, he slid out and started up her walk to the back door, not quite sure what he was going to say. Just as he reached for the handle, the door opened and there she stood, in nothing but a silky, slinky black nightie thing.
His mouth went dry.
She leaned against the door where the slow, sensual spread of her sexy mouth did something entirely too dangerous to his sanity. "I wondered if you were going to sit out there all night or if you were ever going to come in."
Raith came in.
Fourteen
Willow closed her eyes as she pressed her cheek to Malloy's hot skin. His heartbeat echoed through her ear, still erratic from exerting himself. Her arms tightened as she held him.
She feared she might've had a panic attack when Camille and Dylan had stood up to leave. She wanted to grab them back and make them stay longer. Forever. She loved those two. They were her closest friends. And when they moved, she was going to feel as empty as her house was.
But Malloy had saved her from having to think about that tonight. Her heart had skipped a little beat when she'd noticed his truck parked across the street as she'd walked the Taggarts outside and waved them off. Her guests finally gone, she'd turned and hurried in, hustling straight to the bedroom, where she yanked a new piece of lingerie she'd bought earlier that very day out of her top drawer.
She slithered into it and was pacing her house, wondering if he was actually going to come knocking or not. If he hadn't showed up in another two minutes, she probably would've walked out to him, through the blistering cold and still wearing her nightie. She'd never been as relieved as when she'd finally spotted him strolling up the back walkway.
After she'd invited him in, they'd only made it five feet to the kitchen table. Glad she'd cleaned it already after supper, she wiggled a little under Malloy, trying to un-stick her butt from the surface of the tabletop.
Malloy lifted his head. "I'm starving," he said, though his eyes were heavy and tired as if he'd been about to pass out on top of her.
Willow chuckled as they both sat upright. Still feeling soft toward him for her little gift in the living room and for showing up just when she needed company, she leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. "There's leftover fettuccini alfredo in the fridge."
His stomach growled in response, but his eyes shot her a confused look as if he couldn't understand her sweet attitude.
The kiss was still tingling her lips, so she wondered if he could feel the impression of her mouth against his as well. It'd been a simple, dry kiss but the sensation that rippled through her left her breathless. She had a feeling he'd been similarly struck because he'd swayed forward as she pulled away.
Lifting his lashes, he eyed her curiously, probably wondering what he'd done to receive such loving treatment.
"Thank you for the gift," she murmured, the tops of her cheeks lighting with so much color she damn near glowed with happiness.
His eyelashes fluttered with confusion. "What gift?"
Her smile froze. "The figurine," she reminded him.
He shook his head slowly. "You lost me."
"The cop statue," she said with a little more force, her body going rigid and her eyes frosting with displeasure. How could he forget? "You left a figurine of a police officer in my living room."
A prickle of unease rippled up the back of her neck when his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Sliding off the table and onto his feet, he said, "Show me."
Willow blinked, uncomfortable about the direction of this conversation. "But—"
"Where is it?" he cut in, his voice a little too hard, which only made her scowl.
"It's on the end table by the couch."
Brushing past her, Raith headed that way. He paused as soon as he reached the front room. Blindly, he turned, scanning all the knick-knacks on the two tables sitting on either side of her sofa.
"It's right here," Willow told him, coming in behind him and moving around him to reach for the statuette.
Raith caught her hand before she could actually touch it, startling her.
"What—"
"When did you notice it?" He crouched in front of the object and studied it with a trained eye.
"I didn't," Willow explained, setting her hands on her hips. "Camille did tonight when she and Dylan came over. Why? What's going on?"
