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As Caleb dipped inside her, determined to give her pleasure and not pain, Izzy thought they were the two loneliest people in the world, who by some miracle had found each other in the dark.
His lips brushed her ear as she neared her climax. “Tell me you’re mine, Izzy,” he whispered.
She gripped his arms and held onto him tightly. “Yes,” she told him. “Yes.”
And this time, it was enough.
The next morning, Izzy held the trunk of the Charger open while Caleb slung her duffel bag into it. As she closed the lid, he slid one hand around her waist and drew her close. “Call me,” he told her.
“I will,” she promised. “As soon as I hit town.”
Izzy had delivered the Paul cousins and Darla to the Rapid City Police Department, but her check would actually be cut from the Denver PD. As she’d been on the phone with Vernita that morning, she’d told the woman to inform the cashier to only write a check for half the amount. Caleb had waived the other half of the reward—no surprise there, she’d realized. Instead she’d asked for the check to be made out to Cash. She planned to deliver it to the family of the gas station owner to help cover funeral expenses. As she anticipated, the FBI had rescinded the kidnapping reward since Darla Hale had not actually been kidnapped. Instead, her bounty was reduced to the same as Jeter’s. It wouldn’t do much to help the family, but having lost someone suddenly herself, Izzy felt obligated to do what she could.
She gripped the car keys in her hand as she stood to face Caleb in the driveway of his house. “Good luck,” she told him. He nodded somberly. He’d decided not to wait for the IA investigation to finish. There would likely be no criminal charges against him as the department wouldn’t want to publicly call any and all of Caleb’s prior arrests into question. They would be happy to see him leave quietly, with no pension of course. Caleb had told her he was fine with leaving and though she could tell by his tone that he wasn’t entirely happy with the circumstances, he actually was okay with walking away from the badge.
He tugged the two halves of her leather jacket together to protect her from a sudden gust of wind. “Pack winter clothes, Izzy,” he told her. “Pack all your winter clothes.” She grinned as he leaned down to kiss her. His mouth slanted over hers and his tongue slipped inside as easily as any other part of him. She sighed and melted against him. By the time he was done with her, he set her back on her feet. She sighed again and leaned one hip against the Charger.
“Call me,” he ordered.
“I will.”
Epilogue
Izzy sat resting her head against the truck’s window. The sun was already setting over the black hills off in the distance. The fading light filtered through the trees and glinted on the silver wrapped package resting on her lap. Caleb was in the driver’s seat competently navigating the recently plowed road ahead of them. Rapid City was no Denver in the winter, but it had its own kind of charm. The evergreen trees bowed heavily with pristine white powder and the unblemished hills were a tiny bit like the caps of mountains she was used to.
Caleb lowered the truck’s gear and wound their way up the hill to the Sullivans’ log cabin. When he pulled into the circular drive, Izzy noticed the line of vehicles parked alongside the house. They were the last ones to arrive. She shivered involuntarily as she remembered why they were so late. Rapid City was indeed frigid beyond comprehension in winter; however, Caleb kept his promise about keeping her warm. She tugged at the black turtleneck that was both protecting her from the cold and hiding her latest set of hickeys.
Caleb parked the truck and Izzy headed up the steps of the front porch with her package as Caleb carried an overflowing laundry basket containing the rest of the gifts. Izzy hadn’t quite finished kicking the slush off her boots before the front door swung wide.
“Merry Christmas!” Sarah gushed as she beckoned them in. The house was beyond welcoming. The smell of Sarah’s cooking hit Izzy straight away and when she stepped inside, the fire in the fireplace immediately began to thaw out her toes.
“Merry Christmas,” Izzy replied as Sarah swept her into a one-armed hug. Baby Hope was on the woman’s hip and when Izzy came within range, she snatched the glittering silver bow stuck to the package under Izzy’s arm. The little girl squealed with delight as the shiny prize came loose from its moorings. She crumpled it in her tiny hand.
“Hope!” Sarah half-scolded.
Izzy waved her new friend off. “No harm done. It’s just Caleb’s gift. Not a big deal,” she said as she smirked at him.
