Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8) (10 page)

Time couldn’t heal all things. Death still found a way to maintain the upper hand.

“It still looks the same,” Ethan admitted.

The flowers were
now gone, but there was still greenery. Some of the Myrtle was still thriving.

“Yeah, it does.”

Ethan took the keys from her fingers and led her up the stairs. At the top, he opened the door and pushed it open.
Reaching inside, he hit the light switch and the place came alive.

“Wait, I want to do something,” he said, turning to face Elizabeth.

She couldn’t help but see the hesitation. “Okay, what?” she asked, trying to offer him some reassurance.

Before she could speak, he swept her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold.

“I never got to do that,” he said, honestly. “When we bought our home, I didn't think to do it, and I’m sorry.”

Elizabeth was touched by the
romance. It was sweet and endearing. It was definitely something that Ethan would do, before the ‘incident’.

Gently, he laid a kiss on her lips and placed her back on her feet. “Welcome home, baby,” he said.

Elizabeth took a moment to look around at their place. Here was their vacation home, and they never used it. It was a sad testament to how busy their lives had become, and how neglected they had become too.

“Before we go further, I want to suggest something,” he stated, staring into her eyes. There were ghosts here, and he wanted to not only chase them, but bring
out new memories to take their place.

“Yes?” she asked, waiting for him to finish.

“Next Valentine’s Day, I think we come back, but bring the kids and Wyler. I think everyone would love it here. I know that I do.”

Elizabeth moved towards him, taking a chance. He said she never touched him, well, he was going to get his wish. Dropping her arm around his waist, she laid her head on his shoulder and placed her free hand on his chest.

“I’d like that,” she replied, as she stared up into his eyes. Moving closer to his body, she pressed herself against him. “I love you, Ethan,” she murmured, stroking his skin with gentle fingers.

Immediately, his body responded, but this time, so did his heart. There was the steady staccato of thumps that reminded him
of what she meant to him.

Elizabeth let go of what had happened recently, and slid further back into their past. This was her moment to heal her husband. Going up on her toes, she let her mouth offer so much love. The kiss was warm and heated her body.

Gone was the need to baby him, and back was the longing of a woman for her mate. When her hands slid up into his open shirt to drop it, and his jacket, from his shoulders, Ethan inhaled sharply.

“Want to go upstairs with me and christen our vacation home with boring old married couple sex?” she whispered, her lips never leaving his.

Ethan was having a difficult time thinking. When the doctor had suggested returning here, he didn't believe that it would work. Yeah, he was wrong.

It was clearly working.

Ethan didn't just want sex. He wanted to make love to his wife.

It had been too long.

“Hell yes, I do.”

Elizabeth giggled and the tension broke free from her body. Jumping up, she wrapped her legs around his hips and clung to the man she loved.
For the first time in a long time, she trusted that he was strong enough to carry her. No longer was she going to see him as broken.

He was whole.

“Giddy up, Cowboy,” she muttered, as her hands wandered and lips followed not far behind.

Already, Ethan
was ready for her. It was like an age old call, so primitive and instinctual. Just like when he first saw her, Ethan knew that he had to have her again.

Moving towards the steps, he allowed her to torment him unmercifully with her mouth. The things that she was whispering in his ear were driving him wild.

His Elizabeth was back.

His hellion was on fire and taking him with her.

This was the woman he fell in love with, and she was reaching through the dark to pull him into the light with everything that she had. In all honestly, he never thought any of this would work, but he was grateful it was.

Life was being
birthed back into his soul.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he carried her into their bedroom. Placing her on her feet, he began unbuttoning her shirt to get to the soft, silky flesh of the woman he loved.

“I missed you so much, Ethan,” she murmured, as her hands had his pants open and unzipped in seconds. “Really, really, missed you,” she added.

When her
warm fingers found him, Ethan reveled in the way she touched him. The warm glide of palm over heated flesh drew goose bumps to his body. “Elizabeth,” he whispered, as he finally got her out of her shirt.

Dropping to her knee
s in front of him, she stared up at him with so much emotion in her eyes. “I love you, Ethan Jackson Blackhawk. I’ll love you until the day we die.”

His heart stuttered in his chest at her words. When he was going to die, his fear was it would be alone. Here, Elizabeth was telling him that no matter where he went, they would traverse it
together.

Taking him in her hand, she stroked him
, and then began worshipping his body. If she was going to save him, Elizabeth was going to let him see everything that lived in her for him.

There would be no question in his mind.

He didn't think that she wanted to touch him? Oh, he was so very wrong on that. A second didn't go by that she didn't want the man before her. It was this desperate hunger, devouring her from the inside out.

Ethan watched as she
consumed him hungrily. It was like when they first came together to navigate the minefield of love. Only now, the emotions were so much deeper.

Everything mattered even more.

He watched her worship him, and his heart swelled. “I love you, Lyzee,” he replied, as he allowed himself to fall into the pleasure that she was offering him.

Elizabeth ran her nails down his leg, just to watch him shake.
The well of emotion that she was feeling for this man was so deep, she doubted there would ever be a bottom.

As
Ethan vibrated in need, she released him and stood in front of him. Reaching down, she flicked open her jeans and stripped. This was all about them, scars, wounds, and flesh. There would be no hiding tonight.

They would bare it all.

Ethan watched the woman before him and his heart pounded in his ears. She was right. They both had changed. Her hair was gone, he had a few scars, but underneath it all, there was one undeniable truth.

They were still Ethan and Elizabeth Blackhawk, and this was where it all started.

Here, they were one.

Picking her up in his arms, he carried her to their bed. When he laid her in the middle, Ethan placed his body lovingly, and protectively, over hers.

“Make love to me, Ethan,” she purred.
“I want you more than ever.”

“I plan on it,” he replied, as his mouth traversed across her skin, leaving a trail of warm
, wet kisses. When he moved lower, her hands instinctually went to his hair and his heart skipped.

The second he touched her with the tip of his tongue, she fought for control. This was the Ethan
who could undo her in seconds. He was back and sharing his heart with her once more. Elizabeth was elated and filled with hope.

Ethan was madly in love with her, and he was sorry that he let the pain cloud that. He was only human, but he should have trusted in what he knew.

She was his.

He was hers.

They were forever meant to be.

Teasing and tormenting her was making him crazy. Her breathless gasps
as she arched into his hungry mouth was making Ethan want to pillage and take. This woman drove him wild and made him feel.

“Ethan!” she shouted, as he nipped her and pushed her off into the spiral of heat. “God!” she muttered
, as her body was racked with so much pleasure.

Where he thought that he could be satiated with one taste, he had been very wrong. Diving back into her body, he worked
her into a frenzy with mouth and hands. The way that she responded to him was making him come alive.

Nothing tasted or felt more right.

He was home.

When she begged and pleaded, he forced her to feel more, as if offering his heart on a platter to her. If she ever doubted his love, devotion
, or depth of need, this would speak for it all.

When she shook and shattered once more, he finally gave her a second to float back to reality.

“I’ve missed this,” he murmured, as he slowly moved back up her body. Yeah, Elizabeth had changed too, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. The lush curves of womanhood made him want more and more. She wasn’t the rail thin sheriff who he had married. Now, she was the sexy woman he fell in love with every day since.

When Elizabeth opened her eyes, she was staring into blue black ones that were now telling a far different tale. They were no longer shuttered and hiding truth. Now, Ethan was letting her see into his soul.

Their soul.

“I missed this too, Ethan,” she replied, finally able to find her voice.

“I need so much more,” he whispered, waiting for her to invite him into the warmth that he craved.

Wrapping her legs around his hips, she pulled him into her body. When they both shook, she wanted to shout in glee.

“Lyzee,” he murmured as his body reveled in the slow, hot glide into the warmth. “God, I missed you,” he whispered as he leaned down to give her a kiss.

Lips met and tongues slid across each other, as they began moving together as one. The only sound in the room was the quickening of breath, the occasional moan
, and then finally his words. With one last thrust, he plunged into her to push them both over the edge and into the bliss.

“I’m home,” he shouted.

And he was, and she wasn’t going to let him go.

Ever again.

  ~ Chapter Three ~

   
Wednesday Morning

          
   Salem

One of the best things about that particular bedroom was the sun breaking over the trees not far from their home. The rays tickled her skin and pulled her from sleep.

When Elizabeth woke, a few things
were evident. She desperately needed a shower to loosen up her stiff and tired muscles, and that Ethan was wrapped around her body.

In her
head, there was a chorus of halleluiahs going off. In fact, she almost wanted to run around and shout like a lunatic over that small detail.

To anyone else, it may not mean anything, but when the man you loved had resigned himself to sleeping on the furthest part of the bed, this was a declaration.

It was a victory.

Rolling
to face him, she began leaving a trail of kisses down his cheek and to his neck. In fact, if he held still long enough, she would do more than kiss him, in celebration of what was happening.

“Mmmmm,” he muttered, as he pulled her even closer to his body. “Morning, baby,” he whispered, snuggling
with his wife. This was the best damn vacation ever. He was able to find the piece of him that was missing, make love to his wife, and not have to get out of bed for work.

Yeah, this vacation thing was
freaking amazing.

Why hadn’t they done it sooner?

“Morning, love bug,” she purred, running her hands wantonly across his chest and shoulders.

He snickered and pulled the blanket up over both of them until they were cocooned in the warmth.

“How did you sleep?” she asked, trying not to get easily distracted.

Ethan had the best
night’s rest that he had in the last four months. Maybe it was the vacation, the lack of pressure, or the very naked woman beside him.

Or, it could have been the trifecta of it all.

“Like a rock.”

She stared into his eyes, in the shadowy confines of the comforter. “You didn't need the bathroom light on.”

His heart skipped. “I know.”

Elizabeth giggled and rolled until she was
lying on top of his body. “That calls for a morning celebration. How about I go downstairs and look for some coffee? I may have a very old can of it around.”

He laughed. “Yeah, that sounds appealing.
There’s nothing like four year old coffee to kick start the body in the morning. I had something more titillating in mind,” he whispered, lecherously.

Elizabeth wiggled her eyebrows
in response. “Well, maybe I’m just trying to buy you some time in the shower before I head on in and show you how to do a proper mauling.”

He rolled and placed her back beneath him. “I like that idea. Go hunt some caffeine up, and I’ll go get all wet and
soapy.”

“Yee haw.
I love a rousing game of
‘catch a slippery Indian’
,” she drawled and teased. “I see warm, wet Native on the breakfast menu this morning.”

Ethan kissed her enthusiastically. “I can’t wait.”

She watched him walk to the bathroom and couldn’t help but find herself getting overheated. It probably had something to do with his naked ass and all the tattoos crisscrossing his back. It was like déjà vu all over again.

Thank freaking God!

In a matter of seconds, the man had made her all hot and bothered, and t
hat was something that she never thought would change.

Hopping out of bed, she quickly dressed and dug for the pregnancy test in her bag.
As much as she wanted a shower, there was something bigger that needed to be handled. Racing downstairs, she had every intention of giving Ethan a huge surprise.

As
Elizabeth took the test, she prayed that her suspicions had been right. When the line immediately formed, she almost wanted to weep. Standing in the mirror, she placed her hand over her belly and spoke to her little growing fetus. “You’re a lucky little one. You’re being born into an amazing family, and your daddy is awesome.”

Knowing there was very little time, she raced to the kitchen and dug for a baggie to house her new prize. When she heard the telltale creak of the one step, she grinned.

No matter how hard Ethan tried, he always hit that one squeaky stair, and it too flooded back a million fond memories.

Ethan appeared in the doorway rubbing his hair
with a towel. “I waited for you, but then I really thought you got lost.”

She grinned at him.

“Why are you smiling like that?” he asked, suspiciously.

“Well, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want?”

Ethan stopped rubbing his hair. His heart skipped in his chest at the worries of what could possibly go wrong. “Give me the bad, and be gentle please.”

“Well
, honey,” she began.

“Oh shit,” he muttered
, as he braced himself against the wall.

Elizabeth started laughing at the response. That was totally an ‘old’ Ethan thing. “We have no coffee. You
’re going to have to take me out to breakfast, and you’re buying in celebration.”

Immediately, he relaxed and grinned. “Well if that’s my bad news for today, I ca
n’t wait to hear the good news. It has to be pretty amazing.”

She didn't say anything. Elizabeth simply pulled the baggie from her back pocket and tossed it to him.

Blackhawk caught it in the air and stared at it. It took a second to register, but then his eyes got big, and he glanced up at her. “You’re pregnant?” he whispered.

She nodded.

“I was right. This news is pretty amazing.”

                              *     *     *

Salem

Sheriff’s Office

There was something to be said about being sheriff. It was a damn good gig. It paid the bills better than when he was a deputy, and it also got the girls.

Yeah, the ladies loved a man in uniform.

Okay, so sue him. Tony Morell was a walking hormone, and he liked getting laid. What the hell else was he supposed to do in Salem on a slow day? Shoot bottles off a wall?

When he had been given the job, he was worried that he wasn’t going to be able to pull it off, but with the help of an amazing staff,
Tony knew how Elizabeth had done it. It was actually fairly easy.

He signed some papers.

Filed some reports.

Made a schedule.

Come on! A monkey could do half this shit. It was most definitely a really good gig. What Tony may like most is how he got to interact with the people also on staff.

For example, there was Doc Trudeaux. The man reminded him of someone’s granddad. He was pleasant, fun
, and good natured.

It was always a
great day when he could visit the man and have a cup of coffee with him. It was like hanging out with your family. Doc made it comfortable and very laid back.

He loved it
.

When Tony had arrived at the office, he found a message on his desk. Sometime yesterday, Doc had called wanting to meet with him.

Tony would have stopped in earlier had the man gotten himself a cell phone, but Doc was old school. He didn't like all that newfangled technology. In fact, he shunned it. That was the one thing that they would argue back and forth about all the time.

It was kind of their thing.

So, it would have to be a visit.

Pulling up to the morgue, he parked in the spot designated for sheriff. It always made him proud to get out and greet the people
who were passing by. Yeah, he was the man keeping them safe, and he loved every second of it.

Okay, granted there was no crime in town, or very little anyway, but still, he was protecting and serving. After all, he had a boss to answer to and an election to win in the fall.

So far, he assumed it was going to be a landslide.

At least with the ladies.

Tony was waging his own private campaign on the bedroom front, and he was getting many applause, if he said so himself.

Heading into the morgue, he took the elevator down to the basement where the lab was housed. Even though Doc had a perfectly good office upstairs, he was often found sitting at one of the silver morgue
slabs doing his paperwork.

Why Tony would never know.

It creeped him out, to think about all the guts and gore that had been on those tables. Yuck! Not in his life!

Entering through the swinging doors, Tony was caught off guard. It was already well past eight in the morning
, and Doc was nowhere to be found.

Okay, that was peculiar.

You could set your watch by Doc Trudeaux. He was more accurate than the clock in the center of town. When Doc’s lab assistant came in, Tony stopped him.

“Hey, where’s
the boss man?” he asked.

Harry
Fillmore glanced up from his checklist. “I don’t really know, Sheriff. He isn’t in yet.”

“When is he scheduled to show?” Tony continued.

The tech shrugged. “We don’t have any bodies to work on today, so it’s going to be slow. Maybe he decided to head in a little later. He is over seventy.”

Yeah, that was a possibility.

“Okay, if he shows up, tell him to call me. He wanted to see me.”

Harry nodded and went back to his work. It wasn’t like he was his boss’s keeper. How the hell was he supposed to know where the man was?
Doc was the top of the food chain, and they checked in with him, not vise versa.

Tony headed out.

A little piece of his brain was warning him that something wasn’t right, but he chose to ignore it.

He was still relatively new at this law thing, and soon enough, he would learn to never ignore
his gut.

Ever again.

                            *     *     *

Ethan didn't speak for a whole minute. He absolutely couldn’t believe what Elizabeth was telling him. Yes, he wanted more kids in the worst way, but he had given up hope. When they didn't get pregnant the last few months, Ethan had just added it to the misery that was burying him.

Now, this too was lifted from his shoulders.

“We’re having another baby?” he stated
again. “Together?”

That made her laugh.
Between the look on his face and that insane question, she was entertained. “Well, since Callen has been taking one for the team, Cowboy, and using protection, that really only leaves one possible baby daddy in the house.”

He stared at her openmouthed.

“We’re having a baby.” This time, realization was dawning and it wasn’t a question, but a statement.

“Yes, Cowboy. Congrats. You knocked up your wife once more,” she teased.

When his eyes filled with tears, Elizabeth fought hard to not be too soft. Wasn’t that what he wanted?

“I love you,” he gushed
, as he rushed at Elizabeth. Grabbing her, he pulled her into his body and wrapped around her tightly. “I’m going to be a father again!”

She started laughing, especially after he picked her
up off the ground and spun her around. “Yeah, but I tend to feel a little sick when I wake up, so turning me like a top is probably a bad idea,” she stated. “Unless, you want to shower again right after the pukapocalypse.”

Immediately, Ethan put her down. Staring into her icy blue eyes, he ran his fingers lovingly over her lips, then cheek
, and finally the pixie cut hair. “Today is one of the best days of my life!”

Not only did he begin the journey back to his life, his woman was having their baby.

Dropping to his knees, he lifted her shirt. “I love you already. You’re going to have an awesome life, I promise!”

Elizabeth dropped her voice low and teased him. “Daddy, you need to take mommy out for breakfast. I need to eat.”

He started laughing. “Okay, I get it. I’m back on feeding duty once more.” That was just one more amazing thing. His time could be filled with focusing on his child and wife, and not the emotional turmoil he was feeling.

Maybe fate was cutting him a break.

Finally!

When she grinned at him, his heart skipped.

“Damn right you are, Cowboy. Now feed us!”