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Her arms slid around his neck and she forced a smile. “But you can’t live in the wilds of Colorado,” she said on a sigh. “I remember.”
“I might get eaten by bears,” he murmured as he bent to her mouth. He smiled as it met his halfway. She clung to him, drowning in a kiss that seemed to go on forever. She kissed him back, her fingers tangling in his thick, black hair.
A romantic Christmas song was playing on the radio. It suited his mood. He wondered how he was going to do his job with her on his mind all the time, because there was no way he’d ever be able to forget her.
He groaned against her soft lips and raised his head. “No,” he said huskily, and put her down. “We have to stop doing that.”
“Because you don’t like it?” she asked sadly.
“Because I like it too much,” he bit off. His eyes swept over her trim figure as the music played on, and he could almost picture her with a big swollen stomach, craving ice cream and pickles. He thought of a child. He hadn’t ever wanted one before. He wanted one now.
But she was eleven years younger than he was, and he lived in Chicago and he carried a gun.
His heavy brows drew together as he looked at her, his brain whirling with impossibilities.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“How you’d look pregnant,” he said, and then scowled fiercely at his lapse of common sense. “It was just a stray thought,” he added curtly.
But it wasn’t. She could see it in his face. He wasn’t thinking about a one-night stand. He was thinking about forever.
She could have danced, she was so happy. But she couldn’t let it show. He was already regretting the unexpected honesty. Better to pretend it didn’t matter.
“All of us have those,” she said, and she smiled. “Now, how about let’s finish this up. I made potato soup and fresh bread for supper.”
“I haven’t had potato soup in years,” he said, and he smiled. “It’s a favorite of mine.”
“I make it with real butter. It was my mother’s recipe.” She studied him hungrily. He was so handsome. She could hardly drag her eyes away. “Here. This is the last of them,” she said as she brought out three Star Trek ornaments. One had the sound and light of the transporter from the old series, and the other had theEnterprisecomplete with Kirk’s voice with the monologue that began every episode. The last one was the instrument that Dr. McCoy used when examining a patient—the same one Spock used when he surveyed a new organism. It had their voices on it.
“That’s amazing,” Tom said with a laugh. “It’s one of my favorite retro shows.”
“Mine, too. I love ornaments with light and sound. Oh, and then there’s this one. It’s not Star Trek, but it is outer-spacy.”
“Outer-spacy,” he repeated, chuckling, as she handed him Robbie the Robot and pressed the button on its side. Robbie’s voice came from it, loud and clear.
“I love this one,” he said, hanging it. “I’ve got the DVD somewhere.Forbidden Planet.”
“I have it on Amazon Prime,” she said.
“Damn!” he said, looking at his watch. “Honey, I’ve got to go pick up something. I’ve only got a small window of time to do it. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Will the soup keep?”
Her heart lifted at the endearment. It sounded so natural. “Of course it will,” she said softly. “Be careful.”
He bent and kissed her gently. “I’m always careful.”
He grabbed his jacket and went out the door. She turned back to the ornaments and pressed the Star Trek transporter one. It made her feel better.
Chapter Six
Tom had asked Alice to phone him when Downing and May were both out of the house. This was ideal, as she had something for him.
She handed him a paper sack at the front door. “If they ever find out . . .” she began worriedly.
He just smiled. “You’re a princess, Alice. What would I do without you?” he asked gently.
She laughed. “Well, if I’m out of a job, it’s going to be your task to find me a new one,” she teased.
“I’ll take that under advisement. You’re certain that nobody’s touched this except you and May?”
