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She nearly leaped out of the tub as he continued stoking the flame burning inside of her. Her legs squeezed together, trapping his hand in place while she struggled to keep breathing. The man’s fingers were magical, like a weapon he used to shut her up and keep her in line. That wasn’t even an exaggeration. Between the water swishing between her legs, and the way he was picking up speed, sliding his fingers in and out of her, Journey couldn’t speak. She could barely think.
One last stroke of his fingers and she fell apart. The toe-curling orgasm had her gripping the sides of the tub tighter as everything inside of her exploded.
“Oh, my….” she panted.
When she glanced up, Laz was smiling. “Well, the first part of this date is going better than I expected.” He bent over and kissed her sweetly. “Now, quit messing around, and come on. I don’t want the food to get cold.”
Journey sputtered a laugh, scooped up a handful of water, and threw it at him. He laughed, dodging most of it before hurrying out of the room.
She sat back, wanting just a few more minutes of relaxation.
God, I love my man.
* * *
Laz was feeling pretty proud of himself. It had been a long time since he romanced his wife. Knowing that the last few days—hell, the last few months—had weighed on her, he wanted to do something special. He wanted to make her feel special because that’s what she was to him.
If the shooting had taught him anything, it was that life was short and could be snuffed out in a heartbeat. The days of taking what they had for granted were over.
“Man, this is so good,” Journey crooned, moaning as she stuffed a piece of honey-glazed chicken into her mouth. “Thank you for this, and feel free to cook for me anytime.”
Laz chuckled. She knew as well as he did that the only part of the meal he’d prepared was the broccoli and garlic bread. He had ordered the chicken, three-cheese scalloped potatoes, and cheesecake bites from her favorite restaurant.
“Only the best for you, baby,” he said, bringing his beer bottle to his mouth and taking a healthy swig. Sitting across the candlelit table from her, watching her enjoy the meal, was all the thanks he needed.
He had wanted to take her to her favorite restaurant, but it wasn’t safe yet. It was bad enough that they had security sitting outside the house. Going to a restaurant with her would’ve meant even more guys watching their backs. So, he’d done the next best thing and ordered in. Until they found the mastermind behind the hit, they weren’t taking any unnecessary chances.
Thinking about taking chances brought to mind his adventures from the night before. He had handed over the recording once he’d gotten Wiz to clean it up, and the shooters had been arrested. All three were in protective custody at the hospital, recovering from concussions, busted ribs, and a few broken bones. Neither volunteered how they had sustained their injuries, but Laz was sure Ted and Remy knew.
Laz and Parker, after they visited with Benny that night, found Shaggy, the other shooter, and they also found the driver. The two assholes happened to be roommates and lived in an apartment on the east side of town.
After a bit of persuasion, they confessed to their role in the shooting and suffered a similar beating as Benny. It helped that Laz knew enough about their families to use them as a threat to get the punks to talk. It also ensured that they’d keep their mouths closed about how they had sustained their injuries.
Laz had no plans of going after any of their family members, but they didn’t need to know that.
Ashton had been a huge help, and Laz would forever be in his debt. His friend had been instrumental in getting the evidence to Ted, making it seem like he got everything from a confidential informant. That included Benny’s gun that Laz had confiscated.
A couple of hours ago, he had gotten word that, after ballistics had been run on the weapon, the data confirmed that it was the weapon used in Laz’s shooting and matched a homicide case from two months earlier.
Needless to say, the three punks would spend the rest of their lives in jail.
Journey set her fork down and wiped her mouth with a napkin. She smiled at Laz over the tapered candles that had melted down to stubs, and his heart squeezed at the love he saw in her gaze.
“I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed,” she said. “Thank you for giving me just what I needed. I always enjoy our date nights, and I promise we’ll get back to having them regularly.”
He could tell she was still feeling guilty about her role in their marital issues, but Laz was more than ready for them to move past any problems. They had both apologized, agreed to do better at putting their marriage first, and that was all he needed. He just had to figure out how to get her past it.
Time. All it would take was time for her to realize they were in a good place.
He reached across the table for her hand. “I have no doubt we’re on the right track, but babe, you talk about this being a relaxing evening, and I can tell you’ve been distracted for much of it. What’s on your mind?” he asked, caressing the back of her fingers with his thumb. “And before you say nothing, remember, I used to be a detective. I’m good at reading people.”
She gave a little laugh and sighed. “I’m sorry. I know you said this is a work-free zone tonight, but I can’t stop thinking about this case.” She squeezed his hand before releasing it and picked up her wine glass. “It started as a murder case, but it’s turning into so much more, including company fraud.”
He pushed his chair back and stretched out his legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankle. Laz didn’t know much about the case since Journey didn’t really discuss it—or any of them, for that matter. But he could tell early on that this one bothered her more than others. That was saying a lot, considering some of the heinous crime cases she took on.
“No, I’m not doing this,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not going to ruin a beautiful evening with my husband to discuss work.”
“Babe, if you need to talk it out, we can.”
