He fought the urge to rush, to possess. She tasted as he'd imagined she would, only better. She felt as he'd imagined as he settled over her, all soft and yielding, only better. He wanted her at such a gut-wrenching level that he was afraid to let himself go, afraid he'd just go all caveman and take and take, consuming her until there was nothing left.
Holding onto his control by a thread, he slipped inside her, letting her adjust to him. He saw her eyes widen with shock, their soft brown glazing over with pleasure. She murmured against his lips, tightening her hold on him, cradling him.
He was big, bigger than she realized. For a moment, she wasn't sure she could take all of him, and she pulled back slightly, but his grip on her kept her tightened, allowing her no retreat. He withdrew a little, then surged forward again, seating himself deep inside, touching the core of her, making her arch mindlessly.
After a long moment, he started moving. Pulling back, then pushing, long, slow, deep strokes that drove her wild. She'd never known a man to take such care, to give so generously. She watched his control slip away in his fierce gaze as he settled into a strong, powerful rhythm that rekindled a driving need deep inside her, taking over her very self, flinging her into a world she'd never known, never even had a glimpse of.
Her vision grayed, every cell in her body building toward an explosion more powerful than the last one. Her pulse galloping and roaring in her ears, she dimly heard his hoarse calling of her name, then his long moan. Then she peaked and exploded, crying out as, arms wrapped around each other, they slid down through crashing waves of pleasure.
He settled heavily on top of her, his chest heaving. For several long moments, Kaz lay there, reveling in the feel of him covering every inch of her, listening to his heart as its beat eventually slowed in concert with hers.
She rubbed her face against his shoulder, inhaling the damp, musky, already familiar scent of him. Never before had she felt this connection, either during or after sex. She'd surrendered a part of herself that she hadn't even known existed, that had been lying dormant all these years, waiting for the right man to come along.
Lying there in the quiet of the pre-dawn, she listened to the sound of Michael breathing, and she worried. About what they'd experienced, about how either of them could ever casually walk away from it, about how much she already was in love with him. Then she thought about Gary and where he was right now, while she was lying there, guilty in her sated pleasure.
Michael stirred and turned on his side, taking her with him, wrapping his arms around her. Cocooning her from the outside world, if only for a few more hours.
"Don't think about it," he soothed, his voice a murmur. "We'll sort it all out."
~~~~
Chapter 23
Kaz awoke to the sound of Michael talking softly on the phone, his voice low. "Yeah, I understand. They'll keep him there for now?...Right. I'll let her know."
She threw back the covers and sat up—slowly. The throbbing in her head was down to a dull ache, probably because she'd been able to sleep for the first time in days. But the rest of her body was, if anything, stiffer and sorer. She tentatively stood up, wincing, and used one hand to hold onto the headboard. Funny how she hadn't felt any of this while Michael had been making love to her a second time last night. Or again this morning, their whispered words and low moans gently disturbing the pre-dawn quiet. She smiled at the memory.
"What are you doing out of bed?"
She turned to find him standing in the doorway, a coffee mug in one hand. His hair was damp, his face freshly shaven. Even with a scowl on his face, he was adorable. And all hers. At least, for now. "What time is it?" she asked, smiling at him.
"Early afternoon."
"What?" She gaped at him. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Because you needed the sleep," he replied evenly. "Don't expect me to do things that aren't good for you."
She grumbled at that as she walked unsteadily across the room. "What are you supposed to let me know?"
"It's not good news."
She stopped, searching his face. "Gary?"
He nodded. "They've taken him into custody."
She put out a hand, leaning heavily against the dresser. "Is he okay?"
Michael hesitated. "According to Lucy, he resisted arrest. She says he's roughed up but refusing treatment. They're holding him at the station until he's arraigned later this afternoon."
"I want to see him." Kaz pulled open a drawer and starting yanking clothes out at random.
"That may not be possible—"
Her head whipped around. "I will see him." She bumped the drawer shut with her hip and grabbed the pile of clothes on top of the dresser. "If I can get him to tell me who the Astoria connection is, then we can take over his investigation."
"We?" Michael folded his arms, one eyebrow raised.
"Yes," Kaz said, and waited.
"All right." He nodded. "As long as we work together on this."
She sighed with relief, falling a little more in love with him. "I'll take the world's fastest shower, if you'll hunt up the world's largest bottle of aspirin."
#
An hour later, Michael dropped Kaz off at the station, extracting a promise from her to call him at the fire station when she was ready to leave. The light was already starting to fade. She couldn't believe she'd slept away most of the day. There was almost no time left.
She opened the door and, catching Joanne's eye, pointed at the interior security door. Joanne released the lock and waved her on through.
Lucy and Ivar were both at their desks, going through the stacks of papers that Sykes had taken from her house yesterday. Ivar had her laptop open in front of him, and he was tapping on the keys, a frown of concentration on his face. As she approached, he looked up, his expression relieved.
"What's your password?"
Kaz shook her head. "If anyone else was asking, I'd tell them to go to hell." She walked around to his side of the desk and typed it in for him.
"Someone's been accessing the fishermen's bank accounts, posing as Brenner, giving out his badge number." Lucy scrubbed a hand over her face. She looked like she'd been up all night, and she clearly wasn't happy about it. "When I called the bank first thing this morning, the manager's comment was, 'But I gave all this information to your officer yesterday afternoon.' " She sighed. "Never mind that the guy didn't think to ask for a subpoena. I don't suppose that was you?"
"I didn't think of it, but I wish I had," Kaz replied, earning a glare. She perched on the edge of the chair beside Lucy's desk, reaching out to pick up the muddy snow globe that was sitting there. Shaking it, she watched the snow drift down around the fishing trawler while she considered. "Could've been Gary, though."
"Yeah, that was my second thought."
Kaz set the snow globe back down and leaned forward. "Where is he? I want to see him."
Lucy hesitated, the expression on her face scaring Kaz. "What's wrong? Is he all right?" she asked.
Lucy nodded. "For now. The Chief has him on suicide watch, though."
"For God's sake, why?"
"He's despondent, refusing to talk, and refusing to eat." Lucy leaned back in her chair, looking truly defeated for the first time since the investigation had begun. And a little desperate. "I can't get through to him, Kaz. He just keeps repeating that I need to convince you to leave town."
Kaz leaned forward. "Take me to him."
"He's only allowed to see his lawyer." Lucy bit her lip. "But he's refusing legal representation."
"Then let me talk to him. Tell Sykes that I'm standing in for Phil until I can get him to fly up here."
Lucy shook her head. "A family member can't stand in for a lawyer. Anything he told you would be admissible in court."