Chapter Twenty-Three
“Mr. Morris?” Sky ran up the ramp and practically threw herself in the arms of her former high school science teacher.
She stepped back and lifted her hand to her heart to quell its rapid tattoo. His face was rather pasty and his hair thin, making him look closer to a vagrant than a respected member of the academic community, but the fact he was alive thrilled her—especially since she thought he’d died ten years ago.
“Yes, it’s me. I know it’s a bit of a shock.”
Her mouth dropped open. “A bit? I went to your funeral and cried for days. You were my favorite teacher.” He’d had a closed casket because of the fiery nature of his death.
“I’m sorry to have put you all through that.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come inside, and I’ll tell you what happened.”
She glanced back at Kane who appeared a bit perplexed and for good reason. Once inside, she looked around the now cleaned up living room. “Your place looks great.”
“Smells good too,” Kane added as he stepped in behind her.
Earl smiled. Thank goodness, he had his dentures in this time. “That Phyllis sure is a miracle worker, but I could do with a pinch less cinnamon.”
She chuckled. She and Kane sat on the couch, and Mr. Morris pulled up a chair.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll bring your friend up to speed first, Sky. After I left the military, I took a job teaching at Savory High where I taught Sky here.”
She smiled. “I was a terrible student. I always wanted to thank you for putting up with me.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “Nonsense. You were a joy. Three years after you graduated, the military recruited me to work at an underground military base nearby.”
Sky swore her heart nearly stopped. “Blackthorn Base?”
“Yes. Earl told me you’d discovered the government’s little secret.” A corner of his mouth turned up, and he acted as if she’d figured something out no one else had. He seemed proud of her intelligence.
No way. “Don’t tell me you’re whistleblower2?”
“I am.” He didn’t look happy about it.
Oh my God. “I’m so sorry about your family. You never got them back, did you?” According to the Internet article, he’d stolen artifacts from the Base and was told unless he returned the items, they would hold his wife and child hostage.
“No. I know the government. They either killed them right away or did experiments on them.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “It was a tragedy, and that’s why I need your help to expose the murdering military.”
“You have my word I will do my best.” If her family had been taken, she would have tried to save them no matter what. “You never went back in?” Her tone must have been harsh because he flinched.
Mr. Morris gritted his teeth. “You don’t understand. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had been able to get in. I had friends who worked there at the time who looked for them but to no avail, so I assumed they were already dead.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine anything so terrible.” She glanced at Kane whose gaze was off to the side, as if he might be reliving his wife’s death. She wanted to hold his hand to give him comfort, but now wasn’t the right time.
“I feared they’d come after me next.” For the next hour, Morris explained why he had to convince the government that he’d died in a car accident.
“Did you work with any alien technology?” She’d been dying to ask.
“Not personally, but I always believed it existed in other parts of the lab. In fact, I was trying to understand the scope of the place, when I found evidence of a book that appeared to contain alien technology. That’s one of the things I took.”
She glanced from Earl back to Mr. Morris. “Do you still have this book?”
“Not anymore.”
“What happened to it?”
His lip curled. “As soon as I stole the book, I went to Washington and spoke with a General Richard Habberd, along with a panel of men who claimed they were interested in investigating alien life. I gave them what I thought was proof that aliens existed, but they called me a crackpot, booted me out, and then refused to return the book. You don’t know what it’s like to attempt to expose them. The government is too powerful.”
That didn’t surprise her.
Kane leaned forward. “How can I get into the Base and look around without being caught?”
“You can’t.”
“We have a key card that’s in the evidence locker back at the station that gives us access to the first level.” As soon as Sky opened her mouth, Kane’s hand tightened on her knee.
Morris inhaled. “Oh, that’s different. There might be a way if…”
All four bounced ideas around, but in the end, there was no clear-cut solution. The ones that might work, Kane nixed, saying it was too dangerous and that he had to go alone.
Mr. Morris stood. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more, but I need to leave. I never stay in any one place for long.”
“You think after all this time the government wants to kill you?”
“Yes. I’ve had several, obviously failed attempts on my life in the last few months alone.”
She didn’t want this fount of information to slip out of her fingertips. “How can I reach you?”
“Ask Earl. He has his ways.”
Without even waiting for a hug goodbye, Mr. Morris slipped out.
Sky stepped over to Earl, leaned over, and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you for contacting him.”
Earl nodded, but from the grim expression, he didn’t seem certain he should have exposed his friend, especially since they weren’t any further ahead than when she’d arrived.
Kane grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.” He led her to the Jeep and held open the door. “How about we stop at the grocery store and pick up some steak. I’m not in the mood to run into anyone else if we go to EBE’s.”
“Great.” Now that sounded like a plan. For a second, she wanted to suggest marshmallows for dessert, but given how the event fizzled last time, she decided against it.
While she wanted to continue brainstorming a way in which she, Kane, and maybe a few others could sneak into the Base, she’d let it go for tonight. Not arguing for a change would be a wonderful reward for Kane’s heroics. He deserved it.
Once at the store, she let him pick out the cut of meat and the wine, while she chose some asparagus to go with the steak, and then picked up a box of chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
The temperature was a little chilly outside for cooking, but Kane didn’t seem to mind grilling in the near dark even with the wind blowing. Inside, while the asparagus was cooking in the oven in a lemon butter sauce, she put on music, set the table, and poured the wine. Sky had picked up a bouquet of flowers at the store and placed them in a glass vase on the table, admitting the setting was very romantic.
“Steaks are done,” Kane announced as he entered with the sizzling plate of food. The door banged shut behind him.
“They smell sooooo wonderful.”
“I agree. I’m starved. I used a lot of energy the other day saving a damsel in distress.” He winked and smiled, causing his dimples to sink deep into his cheeks, which made him look so sexy.
She laughed. “I can only imagine.” Pulling their combined weight up a thin rope had to have taken a tremendous effort.
Because the food tasted so good, they ate fast—probably too fast for their own good. They drank their wine and talked about what they wanted in life.
“So why don’t you leave Savory?” he asked as he tossed his napkin on top of his plate.
“I understand that if I want to be a detective in a big city I’ll need to leave at some point, but I haven’t because I’m a little afraid to be on my own.” That might have been the first time she’d been honest with herself.
“You’re what? Thirty?”
She planted a hand on the table in an attempt to look affronted. “Twenty-nine, but enough about me. Tell me what you want out of life?” She might as well toss the uncomfortable line of questioning back at him.
He cocked a brow. “Adventure.”
“You get adventure every day.” She expected something along the line of a family, children, and a white picket fence.
“I know, but I want a different kind of adventure now. I’m feeling restless, but I can’t put my finger on what it is I want.”
He sipped the wine then swirled the remaining liquid around in the glass. She might not be an expert on reading people, but there was something he wasn’t telling her. Be that way. Sky poured herself a third glass of wine.
“You sure you should be drinking like that?” A hint of smile crossed his lips, probably remembering her low tolerance level.
“Yes.” Like she’d ever tell him she was drinking because she wanted to be uninhibited when she ripped off his clothes and had her way with him.
“How’s Chris these days? Hear much from him?”
Her hand stilled. That came out of left field. Talk about a mood killer. “I broke up with him a while back.”
“Nice.”
Now she regretted not telling Kane before.
He set down his glass and plucked a rose from the vase. “Come on.”
She swigged down the rest of her wine. “Where to?”
“Trust me.” He winked.
“What are you planning?” she asked, wanting confirmation before she obeyed.
“I think you know,” he said, dragging a knuckle down her cheek.
As much as she wanted to jump his bones, she wanted to be sure that he truly was interested. She’d just told him she and Chris were through. “Are you sure you’re ready to move on?”
He slipped his hands down her shoulders. “If you’re asking me if I will forget my wife, the answer is no, but it’s time that I move on. It’s what she would have wanted.”
He grabbed Sky’s hand and slowly led her over to the sofa, probably to give her time to tell him no—only she wouldn’t. The music filled the whole room, and the essence of steak and wine mingled with the sweet aroma of the flower he’d plucked from the centerpiece. He set the rose on the coffee table.
“Lie down.” Without saying a word, he unlaced her right boot, keeping his eyes on her face the whole time. As he pulled off the first one, along with her sock, he let one finger drag across the bare skin of her ankle so lightly that she had to glance down to see if he was actually touching her or if it was just the sudden rush of hormones causing her skin to tingle. He repeated the divine movement on the other side.
Kane stepped over to each of the lamps and flicked them off. Had it not been for the light filtering in from the kitchen, she wouldn’t have been able to see at all. “I want you to close your eyes and not move, no matter what I do,” he said.
“Why?”
He held up a hand. “Sky.”
Because she trusted him with her life and with her heart, she bit her lip and pressed her legs together so as not to appear too eager. Then she did as he asked.
With her eyes shut, she listened to his feet move across the wood floor and tried to figure out what he was doing. A match struck the side of a box and that tangy smell of phosphorus wafted over to her. Even through her closed lids, light danced. She’d had the dang candle for over two years and had never lit it.
She had no idea what was in store, but whatever it was, it would be memorable. With her head on a throw pillow and her feet extended, she should be almost asleep, but the tingling that raced up her legs and the wetness building between them made her heart pound.
Kane scooted her legs closer to the back of the sofa and sat next to her waist. He smelled of charcoal and smoke, and she wanted to reach up and touch him, but decided that for once in her life, she’d follow directions and not move. His breathing was even, but his thigh against her tensed. Something velvety soft touched her forehead, and it took her a moment to realize it was the rose!
He dragged the flower over the bridge of her nose and down her lips before caressing her throat. The scent of sweetness teased her nostrils, and she inhaled deeply. He brushed the petal over her eyes, lingering there before returning it to its downward path. Around and around, the soft swirls relaxed every muscle, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“No moving,” he warned.
He wanted her not to react at all? That wasn’t possible when every nerve in her body fired off electrical pulses of pleasure, making her toes curl.
“I won’t lie. I want you, Sky.” His hand rested on her zipper.
“I want you just as much.”
He exhaled on a large huff and then unzipped her jeans, the metal teeth clicking open one by one. Remaining still when he was doing such wondrous things to her body was one of the hardest things she’d ever been asked to do.
“Keep your eyes closed. Promise?”
She nodded and moaned in anticipation. The rose returned to kiss her lips, and he moved it back and forth until her mouth was swollen with desire. She wanted to yank the flower away from him to stop the intense sensations, but the lazy movement held such caring and sensuality, she didn’t dare interrupt his dance.
“Lift your hips.”
Once again, she followed his command, and after a few tugs, he slipped off her jeans, the material slowly dragging over her thighs and across her calves. The flower of torture found a new location. It traveled over her belly, then made its way between her legs for what seemed like an eternity, before he dragged it over her hips, thighs, and calves, the touch so light it tickled the small hairs on her legs. He treated the bottom of her feet to the delightful petal touch, but each brush of the flower wreaked havoc with her senses. Each caress was so sweet and soft, it ratcheted up the need for him to be on her and then in her. She was pulsing with desire.
The pressure on the sofa disappeared. What? The legs of the coffee table scraped on the floor, and then his breath cascaded across her belly, even though his lips didn’t touch her.
“I want you.” Each of his words caressed the hairs on her stomach.
The flower suddenly landed on her lips as if he was forbidding her to respond. The lack of his touch drove her crazy. She wanted to feel his hands on her body and willed his lips to her mouth. Damn him for withholding the pleasure. His plan must be to drive her over the edge.
“Be right back.” The sound was so low she almost didn’t catch what he said.
A moment later, cool liquid pooled in her belly button then overflowed onto her stomach. The shock of the cold made her suck in her breath, and she fisted her hands to keep from grabbing him. This torture was too much. From the tangy, rich scent, it was wine. When his tongue licked her navel, she inhaled, the throbbing between her legs intensifying at his mere touch. A groan escaped. She elevated her hips and slipped her hands underneath her butt, her willpower having evaporated. She could almost taste him on her tongue even though she hadn’t licked him—yet. And lick him she would.
He slid his fingers under her shirt, and the rough pads of his fingertips prickled her skin. “Sit up a bit,” he commanded.
She didn’t mind following any of his instructions. Off went her shirt, and a few seconds later, her bra followed. She waited for his tongue, but apparently, he had more frustration in mind. One by one, he dropped rose petals on her breasts then blew air across each once so that they fluttered over her chest up to her neck. Her core ached. Hell, she ached all over. How much more did he expect her to withstand?
The tips of his thumb danced over each nipple, and no doubt they were standing erect, worshiping him. He tweaked one nipple, and then the next, sending erotic messages to every inch of her. From the way his breath skated across his skin, he was close to losing control.
Her inner walls contracted, again and again, her climax brimming. She bucked her hips up and down and fisted her hands, wanting him to see that this wasn’t fair, but he didn’t seem to notice. She moaned loudly, and as her orgasm claimed her, she let out a yell.
Breaths rapid, she collapsed back onto the sofa. She defied him and opened her eyes. She’d never come before with so few touches.
Kane leaned back grinning. “You liked that?”
She swatted at him. “You bastard. If you ever do that again, I’ll have to arrest you for torturing an officer of the law.” Her glance went from his face straight to his crotch where his huge cock was peeking out from the top of his low-rise jeans. “I see I wasn’t the only one turned on.”
“That you weren’t.”
Without another word, he stood and stripped off his jeans and shirt that showcased muscles and sinew bulging everywhere. “Wow.”
“You’re the wow in this duo.”
“Can you just shut up and kiss me?” she begged.
And then he did—after he donned a condom he just happened to have nearby. Kane obeyed very well when he wanted to. The kisses weren’t soft either. He devoured her lips while his hands plied her body. In a flash, her panties were gone and he eased inside her, each inch stretching her wide, and taking her higher and higher.
“You feel so damned good, girl.”
“So do you.” Joining with Kane was better than she could have ever imagined.
He pumped and thrust, acting as if this might be his last moment on Earth. Heat built inside her as her inner walls clamped down on his hard shaft, wanting to keep him inside her forever.
Between the blood rushing to her brain, pounding against her skull, and her screams of ecstasy, she barely heard the grunts and groans of his pleasure. His fingers tightened on her shoulders as he dipped his head and kissed her again, their tongues trying to possess each other.
Time flew as their passion soared, and finally, their time together ended with a shattering release. She was spent, never having experienced anything so remarkable in her life.
Kane lay on top of her, and as much as she wanted to say something, no words came out. Kane too seemed speechless. Once he caught his breath, he stood and carried her into his bedroom. As he placed her under the sheets, she’d never been so happy in her life.
* * *
The sound of wind buffeting the windows woke her, forcing Sky to crack open an eye. The glowing clock read 7:00 a.m. and Kane was no longer in the bed. She sat up quickly but immediately regretted the movement. Her head pounded, but not so bad she couldn’t function. They’d made love—twice! Once in the living room earlier, and then last night in his bed. She fell back onto the pillow and nearly giggled. The room smelled of their hot, passionate sex.
As she exhaled, his voice filtered in through the door. Kane was speaking to someone in the kitchen, or else he was on the phone.
Sky slipped out of bed. Not wanting to walk into the kitchen naked, she pulled on the shirt he’d worn last night and inhaled his scent. Without panties, she managed to tiptoe out of the guestroom and into her own bedroom without him noticing.
She drew on jeans without underwear and planned to eavesdrop just in case Kane was speaking to the General. She stood by the kitchen entrance out of his sight and leaned against the doorjamb.
“Her only choice is to quit being a cop, and she’ll never do that.” Her heart dropped to her stomach. He was talking about her? “She’s great. I agree, but it isn’t going to work, I’m telling you.” He paused. “We just don’t have the kind of relationship we would need for things to work out in the long run.” This was followed by a long silence. “We got along in the beginning and had great times working together, but I don’t have that strong of an attachment to make a go of it.”
Sky’s knees almost buckled. He never said he loved her last night, but she assumed he at least liked her a lot. For starters, he had taken such care to make her happy before he sought his release. True, she anticipated he’d leave someday, just not now. Dear God, she’d been a fool.