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The once warm cocoon cooled down quickly from the loss of body heat and it felt lonesome. A strange sadness filled him. With shyness kicking in, Beau rose also and began to dress, using the clothes still scattered around the floor. He considered forcing her to acknowledge what had happened between them the night before but thought better of it. Maybe her way of ignoring them hooking up worked for both of them… at least until the end of their present assignment.
He went into the kitchen and found the coffee pot and toaster and began preparations. Starving, not having eaten the night before, he started loading the bread and got the butter ready.
Her voice came from the bedroom doorway. “I’m done with the bathroom if you want a shower.”
Rather than look her way, he continued his preparations. “No, you go ahead; I’ll zip home before heading for the office.”
“It’s okay. I had one last night so I’m fine.” She appeared, dressed in a dark well-fitting pantsuit, a light blue sweater, and heeled boots for the office. Her hair, twisted in a single braid, had been wrapped around her head and made her look old fashioned in a quaint kind of way. He liked how it accentuated her elegant features.
Then her announcement hit him and stopped him dead. He swung her way. “You did? I never heard you.”
“Buddy, you were out cold. I didn’t have the heart to wake you, so I went ahead, then climbed back into bed and slept better than I have in a long time. It’s due to you being there, so thanks.”
She motioned with her hand for him to just do as she suggested and without another word, he gladly went to take care of his morning ritual. He blessed her when he saw the toothpaste and new toothbrush package on the counter and the large, fluffy bath towel hanging on the hook beside the shower door.
***
Taking huge breaths after Beau left the room, Lori closed her eyes to remember the night before. Screams and gunfire had forced her awake in the middle of the night. Stretched out beside Beau’s nakedness, she’d tried fighting off the terrible images, but reality had surfaced and wouldn’t be ignored.
Jolting to her senses had also stirred the anguish, bringing it back in force. Taking deep breaths, she tried centering herself to her surroundings.
Enjoying the man’s gentle arms cuddling her close to his wonderfully warm body, she’d fought to sink into a sham perception of being cared for. That everything was right in her world. But no matter how close she felt to him physically, Beau Walker was virtually a stranger.
The fact of not being alone did soothe enough for her to relax the tension. Laying quietly, the earlier events reemerged against her will, emotions welled up in force, and she needed a solitary place to release the pent-up anger and frustration.
Moving very slowly, careful not to wake the man who so desperately needed his sleep, she tiptoed to the bathroom, ran the shower hot, and let the water cleanse her body, wash away her tears and the grieving in her soul.
By the time it cooled, she’d made a pact with herself. She’d do everything she could to find that bastard manipulator, Ray. Understanding fully that it was pure surmising on her part, everything in her said neither Tyler, Jessica, nor Buddy had come up with the scheme to infiltrate schools and kill by themselves. In her mind they were pawns and the chess master still roamed free to let loose more of his murderous pieces on the world.
Sick at heart, Lori fully grasped that the psychopath needed to be stopped and put behind bars where he belonged. Hopefully, before sending out more dejected allies to do the disgusting acts of school vengeance Mr. Ray didn’t seem to have the guts to do himself.
Dreadfully tired now, standing in the doorway of the bedroom, unsure of what to do, she pushed away the earlier memory of begging her partner to make her feel alive. To have sex with her and help her block the disturbing images she knew would have impaled her all night long.
Should I just grab a blanket and go to sleep on the chair? It wouldn’t be the first time.
The thought of those many lonely nights filled with sadness made her tears resume. She sniffed and wiped them away. Then she heard a distinct sound of a person in terrible pain.
The sound of a man’s quiet sobs, especially while he slept, would shatter any person. To Lori, it fashioned a wide dent in her otherwise protected heart. His suffering couldn’t be ignored, nor could it be downplayed.
Moving closer to the bed, Lori knew Beau slept. But wracked with sorrowful dreams, his subconscious grieved anyway. Instantly, she understood, hers weren’t the only needs to be met. Accepting that comfort from another human would matter, she slid back under the covers, moved in close to his warmth, and used her body to surround him. Instantly, he drew her close, sighed, and quieted.
Now… now she could sleep.
In the morning, waking first, she lay at ease and watched the face of the man who’d been a savior the night before. The man she’d begun to admire even though she knew he’d never be her type. This stunner embodied everything she disliked in the male sex.
His charisma couldn’t be denied, nor the handsome features and gorgeous blue eyes he seemingly took for granted. Muscular build, tall and well-developed, a body any man worked hard to keep in shape would thrill any female.
And she could attest to his sexual prowess. Hadn’t she experienced the orgasm of her dreams, all unexpected and all powerful? Never before had she reached such heights, but then she put it down to her crushing needs of the night before. Any attractive man could have lifted her out of herself… right?
Sure. She’d go along with that for now because there was no way in hell that she’d ever turn to Beau again. Not for sex and not for release. Just then his eyes opened, and she felt herself sink into the bluest oceans of tenderness she’d ever faced.
Uh oh! Time to get herself together.
His good morning almost undermined her strength but too many visions of brokenhearted friends by men who looked as good as him returned her sanity.
Time to move.
Chapter Twenty-three
