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“Not tonight. It’s enough… for both of us. I’ll pick up some Chinese and take you home. We can eat together.”
Stunned, Lori shook her head. “I couldn’t eat, sorry. Just the thought of food makes me nauseous.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the headrest.
“You’re right. Me too. Okay, tea and toast later. First, a couple of good stiff drinks.”
***
Beau had brought up the food, trying to bring some semblance of routine back into their lives. Even though he knew he’d never be able to choke down a meal, not after what he’d just witnessed, he needed to say something to keep Lori from leaving him.
It stood to reason that the earlier gruesome images wouldn’t fade soon. No matter how many times, in his line of work, he witnessed similar atrocities, it took a long time for him to deal with them, shed them, and finally shove them into a dedicated region in his mind where he kept those horrific memories under lock and key.
No doubt, it’s the way most law enforcement officers dealt with their nightmares. You build a hard shell that’s difficult to keep under control. But if you wanted a life of any kind, you had no choice.
He pulled up in front of a small liquor store. “I’ll only be a minute.” Once inside, he saw the TV on over the counter and the older, bearded man seated on the stool watching the news events of the day, mainly the school shooting. Seeing it on the screen reminded Beau of the horror, and he pulled himself away to go to the aisle where they had liquor bottles.
Not knowing which one she might prefer, he bought a good whiskey, one he was partial to at times like this. Then he grabbed a few different mixers not knowing which one Lori might like, and just in case, he snatched a bottle of red wine which he'd seen her sip at Luke’s place when they ate there.
Once he stashed it in the back seat, he headed to Lori’s home, left the car, and helped her out. Seeming almost lackadaisical to the point of being in shock, he picked up his parcel in one hand, guided her with the other, and followed her inside.
He closed the door behind them and waited when she stopped dead. Not expecting her reaction, he almost dropped the bag when she threw herself into his arms and put her lips against his. “Have sex with me, Beau. Let’s forget the world. It’s just us here.”
If his head didn’t swim with such an instant response, he would have pushed her aside gently and explained his theory about coworkers and relationships. But his better half didn’t care a hoot about any of that nonsense, not when she was grinding her body against his.
He dropped the bag onto the nearby chair and put his hands under her thighs to lift her legs so that she could encircle his hips. He stumbled against the wall and let her mouth convince him of her dangerous, outrageous intentions.
She tasted like heaven.
***
Once they’d entered, Lori couldn’t face the thought of being alone in the place, where in earlier times, she’d felt so much sadness. Everything inside wept from the trauma she’d just witnessed. Her heart bled for the people she’d seen at the school. She couldn’t face the world where so much pain lived, not alone.
Feeling the big, strong, wonderfully warm body next to hers lit a yearning inside that wouldn’t be denied. Temptation erupted. To hook up with a caring person couldn’t be resisted, not if she wanted to maintain her sanity.
The possibility of crawling inside his body and hiding for just a small amount of time meant that she just might get through the dreadfulness with some of her sanity intact. To feel hot lips against hers and hands touching her skin would be heaven. Heat to warm the cold saturating every pore in her body was exactly what she craved. Maybe then she might make it through the night.
With all those emotions rioting, she attacked, trying desperately to cleave herself to the one thing she sensed would be her salvation. The hot devil who could impale her, drive out the freezing, and bring her back to life.
She put everything she had into the kiss she so badly needed. Of their own accord, her legs lifted to encircle his hips and when she felt him begin to respond to her frenzy, when he lifted her so she could feel his hardness prodding her body, she thought she’d die if he didn’t join with her. She needed him to be hard and fast and drive her over the brink so the freezing that had begun to shroud her would thaw before it took hold.
Terrified he might stop, she began ripping at his clothes, imploring him with her kisses to be with her, to take her.
When she felt his resistance fade, she stopped being the aggressor and let the sexual sensations he’d begun to create soar. His kisses changed from hot and heavy demands to caresses meant to satisfy. Meant to foster feelings of passion. At first, he’d taken her to the wall, held her against it, and the hell with any damage this heavy-handedness might raise.
Within a short time, he’d changed, gentled, drew a response from her she’d never given before. Their kisses shifted from acts of survival to shared hunger. Aching with need, Lori hadn’t realized how long it had been since instant, greedy gratification gave way to hot, wild desire. And not to just consume her, but to please Beau as well.
Beau.
Him.
She leaned back to look into his eyes and saw a wary fear that she might have come to her senses. Instead, she pulled his face close and this time she kissed him for real, molding her body to his in the way one would do if they were giving over control.
Sudden silence entered between them as he held back, put his forehead against hers, and shuddered. Half undressed, his shirt buttons mostly open and tie gone, his hair looked mussed from her grasping fingers.
Her own jacket long gone with her blouse in the same state as his shirt, a pause happened. A scream began to form inside her body.
No. Please, don’t stop.
Chapter Twenty
