Chapter 8

 

Warmth; real comforting warmth, paired with the lingering satisfaction that usually stayed after a bout of intense sex was like a wrapped blanket around the young woman.

Keisha slowly swam back to reality even though the majority of her faculties wanted her to stay in that fuzzy realm between sleep and wake. Eventually, though, she came to with the feel of smooth skin over solid muscle under the side of her face.

With her eyes closed, she remembered all of last night; well, earlier the morning actually. Hunter had pushed her up against her kitchen wall and went on to give her one of the most seductive and lustful encounters she had ever experienced.

A vivid memory of him sucking her wetness off his fingers almost made her shudder. What had come after that had been one of the most world rocking experiences of her life. With every touch, breath and look Hunter had pushed her to the edge of sanity and she had ascended into a higher dimension of pleasure.

His mouth had been a furnace on her skin and on her wet flesh. Using his mouth Hunter had seared pleasure into every part of her being by kissing every part of her body… except for her mouth. And that had troubled her for a moment; why hadn't he kissed her?

She knew that kissing was more than an intimate gesture; it bared one soul to the other and if it wasn’t done right it would quench the fire of desire faster than a flash flood.

But mere desire didn’t even come close to the fire between them, his hunger for her has evolved desire into something or higher incarnation. The still dull throbbing marks on her inner thigh from his teeth were a testament to Hunter’s hunger.

“You know… playing possum isn’t going to work with me,” A deep voice said from just above her head.

Hunter’s words had been said genially but his tone was…empty. Keisha shifted and blinked her eyes open. She stayed still as one of her fantasies was now a reality, she was resting on his softly rising chest and feeling the rhythmic and steady beats of his heart.

She looked up to meet his hooded green eyes and pressed her hand to his chest. "Good morning… I assume.”

Hunter’s expression was a bit distant but his mouth quirked into a small smirk, “It is actually.”

Her eyes flitted to half-mast, “Did last night really happen or was I dreaming?”

In answer Hunter took her hand resting on his chest and slid it down his ripped belly to close her fingers around his quiescent member, “Does that answer your question?”

While her hand circled him, she stretched her neck up to kiss him but was rewarded by Hunter turning his face away. That small move felt like a truckload of ice was dumped on her.

Hurt, she pulled her hand away, “What’s that for… why won’t you kiss me?”

Hunter met her eyes, “It’s not you Keisha; I just don’t kiss. It’s something I gave up years ago.”

Now that was a bit puzzling and she felt curious enough to ask, “Why?”

The body beside her shifted and she compensated by pulling back as Hunter swung his legs over the side of the bed. She sat away with the sheets to her chest while facing his back as he reached for on his pants. “It’s nothing major Keisha. You don’t need to concern yourself with it. I just don’t feel the necessity of kissing… anymore.”

A dozen arguments flew up in Keisha's mind but she knew better than to push. She knew how to read body language and his practically screamed ‘leave it alone’, so she dropped it like a hot iron.

Then, two of things that she dreaded which came after a night like one before happened; stifled silence and anxiety. She sat there in the dimness of the room biting her lip as her mind spun. Something needed to be said but what? What could she say to remove the tension that had just stifled the air?

“Again, you’re thinking too hard,” Hunter said evenly while standing up to secure his pants. “We’re two adults Keisha and we want each other; it’s not rocket science.”

A small twinge of hope at the fact that he had said ‘want’; present tense, not past but still a small spark of irritation was in her chest, “How can I not? Right now, I feel like I’ve pissed you off of disappointed you or something.”

At that Hunter turned around to face her and then cup her cheek and ran his thumb over her bottom lip and then to her chin. Their eyes met and held and so did Keisha’s breath.

“You haven’t for either one.” Hunter said evenly, “Last night just proved that we can fully satisfy each other because usually, I'd have enough energy to go on a second and third round. You actually drained me last night.”

“Then why are you going?” she asked lowly tightening the sheet to her bosom, “You can stay, you know.”

A lock of his hair flipped over his eyes and Keisha caught a certain look which she couldn't decipher, "I know, I just got to run to the station and take care of some things.”

His tone was level and she sensed his honestly but his words were very vague and she had a feeling that those things he had to take care of pertained to her. The motion of his finger on her chin was a bit soothing and her emotions settled a bit.

“You’ll come back tonight, right?” she asked tentatively.

And that in itself, asking that question, was a scary and foreign feeling for her. The trembling hope behind those words wasn't transmitted through her voice but she felt it in the middle of her chest.

Hunter paused for a moment before he nodded, “I’ll be back tonight. I’ve left my personal number and home address on a pad on the coffee table so can call me or come to me directly in case you can't get to me through the station.”

The tense bubble in the middle of her gut seemed to deflate and she took the steady assurance in his voice and look as a promise.

“Okay…” she managed a smile, “…I’ll see you later then.”

With a return smile, Hunter left her room, most likely to the unused room she had given him. She sat there for a moment before she fell back on the sheets and closed her eyes.

Never in her life had she felt that needy before, and it scared her.

Why had she asked Hunter that question with that crippling level of anxiety in her chest? What would have happened if Hunter had refused her and told her he wasn’t coming back?

She was so glad that Hunter hadn’t acted like she was just an outlet for their lust and nothing else. If he had she knew she would have been devastated.

It felt a little pathetic that she was now hanging on his promise to come back. This feeling running through her was nothing less than troubling; what was it about Hunter that made her feel these riotous levels of anxiety, hope, lustful and fear?

It was like something about this man dug past all the barriers she had put up around her heart and dug her raw emotions up for air. She hadn’t felt this much on since way back when while she had been trapped in Etienne’s web.

She sat up on the bed and ruffled her hair for a moment, then wrinkled her nose at the stale smell of sex and sweat on the sheets. Stepping off the bed she grabbed her discarded shirt and shorts and pulled them on.

Systematically, she stripped the bed and put the soiled sheets in a hamper destined for the Laundromat and then placed new sheets on the bed. She was just fluffing the pillows when Hunter stepped back inside the room.

His hair looked freshly washed and his clothes fitted on him fitted a bit too close for comfort; he was clad in a pair of beautifully molded dark blue jeans and a long sleeve white Henley and his shades were on too.

“I’m going now,” He said lowly, “And for God’s sake, don’t let your mind run ahead of you.”

Keisha stopped her motions and after a moment dropped the pillow, “…Yeah…um, let me walk you out.”

At the doorway, she leaned on the door-jam just like before and smiled, "See you later."

Hunter reached out and cupped her chin once more as his thumb traced her cheekbone then he flashed her a tight smile, nodded and without a word left.

Keisha held out till he disappeared around the corner and the closed the door after him. Slowly, she slipped down the length of the wooden partition and drew her legs up to her chin.

The emotions bubbling in her chest were really troubling; the potent mix of anxiety, want and insecurity with him wasn’t right. She sat there for a moment with her eyes closed; trying to remove these emotions but a part of her knew that this feeling wasn’t going to go anywhere soon.

She slowly pushed off from the ground and made her way to her bathroom. She knew that even washing the smell of Hunter from her skin, it wouldn't remove his touch that was seared into her brain.

 

*****

 

Hunter strode into the lobby of the PD and immediately gravitated to the Cyber Crimes department.

The text he had gotten this morning had sent his mind barreling down myriad pathways and a potent mix of emotions cramp his gut. The woman he sorely wanted to prove innocent had just been thrown into the quagmire, even deeper than before.

The desktop seized in the raid was registered in her name; but not only that it was the computer that was used to check on the money laundering account. Christ; if the prosecution got a hold of that golden nugget of information Keisha’s life was done.

There would be no questions, no ifs or buts if she was going to be sentenced to prison. Hunter had been hoping that for the worst if she did get sentenced it was under a ‘willful ignorance’ sentence, but now she was going to be convicted of the full brunt.

He stepped into Cyber Crimes with an unconscious hope that they had been wrong about the ownership of the PC, but the look on Jackson's face made that hope disintegrate.

The tech’s blue eyes shifted from his but he still asked, “Detective, you already know the bad news, but I have some good news, I’d like to think you’d want the good now.”

Hunter’s teeth grinded in irritation, “And what would that be?”

"Even though the comp is owned by Keisha Al-Habar and the origin of the Bitcoin wallet was based on it… aside from that, there is no other connection to her. Her name isn’t on the house’s lease or she has no other connections to the internet bill or other utilities.”

A small level of relief settled into Hunter’s mind but he didn’t make it show. Then an idea came to him, “Jackson, remember when I asked you to dig into Keisha’s past…I have a name… look for anyone named Etienne in connection to her. They were engaged but he had a wife; find him and then find out how old this PC is.”

Jackson frowned slightly, “Why do you want to know who this guy is and what would be the connection with the desktop is?”

Honesty, Hunter didn’t have a solid reason but he had a hunch that someone in her past, maybe this Etienne person had gotten a hand one of her old PC’s and was using it to frame her.

“It’s just a gut feeling,” Hunter replied stiffly; and if there was anything Hunter prized himself on was following his gut. It had saved his life on the battlefield more times than he could count. “Just look into them, and for god’s sake, keep it on the down low.”

 

*****

 

Keisha closed another file and placed it on the pile mentally marked finished. She had gotten to work a little late but no one had blinked an eye to her late arrival.

She had immediately jumped into work and thanks to the powers that be, the market was up today and all her employees were feeling an easy roll. She had gone through the day with a genial mood, a gentle and happy attitude which resulted in the small and satisfied smile on her face.

It was a good day overall and was at ease all day and she was actually looking to go home…to Hunter.

Through the day, even when she kept her focus strictly on business, the man was still on the edge of her mind. Following his advice though she did her best to not over-think or obsesses about what had happened between them.

As the time wound down, a part of her mind was actually contemplating going to the supermarket and actually cooking one of her grandmother's signature roast for Hunter and her tonight. But would that be a bit too presumptuous; cooking for him and acting like a girlfriend?

A quick look at the clock she noted it was fifteen to three and the anticipation emotion of going home and meeting with Hunter was slowly filling her when her office door was knocked on.

“Keisha,” Lilia said while sticking her head inside the room, “I’m sorry to bother you and I know it’s unexpected, but you have a visitor.”

Even though she had no appointments that day, Keisha reached for her agenda and scanned it once more, “My calendar is clear.”

“I know,” Lila said pushing her glasses up her nose, “And he didn’t make one, but he says that he knows you and you wouldn’t turn him away.”

A little mystified about who it was, Keisha cocked her head to the side and asked, “Who is that?”

Her question was taken out of her mouth as a form, tall and clothed in a slick Hugo Boss suit stepped inside and slickly drawled, “Well, aren’t you as beautiful as ever… ma cher.”

It seems like a barrel of ice-cold water had been dunked upon her and soaked her to her feet as Keisha sat, fully dumbstruck as Etienne Dubois, cool and collected stood in the entrance of her office, “May I come in?”