Family Honor (22 page)

"You started those reports yet?" Reeder asked Mel.

"Just getting ready to."

He nodded and walked away.

Nate rolled his eyes. "We're taking a break. Come on." He led her by the small of the back to the door.

"Where are we going?"

"Away from here.
We need to clear our heads."

She stopped walking. "No, I need to get busy processing evidence. I have a lot to do."

"Mel." He squeezed her wrist. "There's nothing that has to be done now. Everything is under control. For the sake of your mental health,
you've
got to get out of here for a while. One hour. Come on. The work will still be here when you get back."

She looked around,
then
shrugged. "I guess you're right. I could use a break to clear my mind."

They walked to his SUV and he drove to her house.

"What are we doing?" Mel asked. "I thought we were getting something to eat?"

He smiled. "You said you weren't hungry. I decided on an alternative way to spend the hour."

"Nate, no."
She planted her feet on the floorboard and refused to get out. "I can't think about this yet."

He walked around to her side and opened the door.

"Melanie, listen to me. Every part of the case is in someone else's hands right now. Yes,
you'll
have more work to do later, but for the next hour, we're going to set it all aside.
I'm
not sure yet when I have to leave. The chief wants me to come back immediately.
I'd
rather go tomorrow, so we can have one more night. But it's not certain yet."

She gazed at him sadly. "So I'd better grab this opportunity while I can?"

He smiled and shrugged. "I just know I want to hold you.
It's
been an exhilarating, exhausting day so far. Not
sure
what lies ahead. So for now, I just want to hold you."

She took his hand and stepped out of the SUV. They went inside and undressed, and without saying anything, both headed straight for the shower.

Mel pinned her hair into a bun and climbed in. She adjusted the water temperature and reached for the soap.

Nate slipped in and drew the curtain. He inhaled as she ran the smooth bar over his skin tenderly, taking care not to miss an inch. By the time
she'd
finished, he was so aroused he could barely stand the excitement.

He took the soap and lathered her in return. His hands glided over her smooth, slick flesh and he
couldn't
resist squeezing every so often.

Mel smiled and before
he'd
finished, pressed her body against his.

He groaned, dropping the soap back in the dish. They kissed and turned slowly in a circle so the water could rinse them. They pulled apart long enough to remove the last of the lather,
then
he shut the water off. With one towel wrapped around them both, they shuffled to the bed and tossed off the covers before falling in.

"Want you," she murmured, their lips pressed together.

"Want you more." He grinned and kissed at the same time. Nate reached for a condom and sheathed himself before plunging forward and satisfying them both.

"Yes!" Mel clung to him, allowing her head to loll back. "Oh, yes."

"Not going to take long," he muttered through gritted teeth. "You and that soap got me all revved up."

"Me too," she murmured, bucking in rhythm with his thrusts.

Nate's insides churned; he was close. "Damn," he sputtered.
"Feels too good."

"Come on," she encouraged. "I don't want to be the only one going to heaven this trip."

"All aboard!" he called and they erupted in laughter. It was short-lived. His climax overtook him and all he could do was hold on and somehow try to keep breathing.

Mel's gasping, panting breaths added fuel to his fire. He rocked her until they both collapsed onto the bed, holding each other tight.

He eventually had to move to keep from crushing her. He chucked the used rubber into the trash can and spooned her, his chest to her back.

Mel clutched his arms as he cradled her.

"Damn," he murmured in her ear. "How can each time be so much better than the last?"

"Because we're perfect together.
A week ago, we
didn't
know one another. Now, the only thing I don't know is how I'm going to survive without you."

He kissed her ear. "You won't be without me. I
don't
want this to end, Melanie Curtis. I figure we can handle things in one of two ways."

She turned her face up. "Do tell."

Nate smiled. "We can be sad and miserable, and mope around because we're not together. Or, we can say, 'Hey. A week
ago
we didn't know each other. Now we do, and the future has never looked brighter'." He nibbled her lobe until she squirmed. "We can make it exciting, figuring out times and places we can meet. We won't be together every day, but when we are …
zoingo!
"

She laughed. "Nate, you're so funny. You put such a spin on everything. It amazes me."

"I try my hardest to delight you, m'lady."

"You do. You really do."

He rolled up on one arm and looked down at her.
"Seriously, Mel.
We have to make choices in life. We choose whether
we're
going to be happy or sad. I prefer happy.
You make me happy
. I choose to figure out how to make this work with you."

"I want to be happy too. I
haven't
quite wrapped my head around how we're going to make this work, but if you think we can, I believe you.
You're
a very smart man, Nathan Willis. I trust you with all my heart."

He pressed a light kiss to her lips. "This is going to be great. I'm already looking forward to sneaking away for the weekend with you." He hoped she
didn't
notice he was trying too hard. He
didn't
know what else to do.

They held each other a while longer before reluctantly rising and getting dressed. Nate said, "I'll drop you off at the office since your car is there.
Don't
think I'd better come in, though. Reeder's ready for me to be gone."

She wrapped her fingers around one of his lapels. "Reeder's not going to miss your kisses. I am." She fingered his rough cheek and gave him one last buss.

"Happy, remember? Excited for the future?"

"Right."
She nodded, and pulled a key from her dresser drawer. "Here's a house key for you so you can come and go."

"Thanks." He grinned. "That makes me happy."

"Me too."
She
didn't
sound particularly cheery.

Nate had a lot of work to do.

* * * *

He left Mel at the police department and drove to a local mall to do some shopping. He wanted to find something special for her. He also wanted to pick up a few clothes to leave at her place. It had been ages since he strolled through a mall without a case weighing on his mind.
He'd
almost forgotten how nice it could be.

In between buying jeans for himself and fragrant bubble bath for her, his phone rang. He recognized the number.
Mel.
"Willis," he gave his stock answer.

"Hello Agent Willis. This is Detective Curtis.
I'm
just sitting here thinking about you and getting all happy. What are you doing?"

"Buying presents for you, which is making me pretty damned happy, too."

"Presents? Ooh, I like presents. I can't believe you went shopping without me."

"I'll bring you along next time. We'll stop and buy an Orange Julius, and maybe get some ice cream."

"I can't wait. So what are you buying me?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise. You'll find out tonight."

"Good! Speaking of tonight, I called Cappie to tell him about the case, and he wants to hear all about it. What would you think about grabbing a beer with the team and maybe a bite to eat at
Morgan's
? Everyone wants to celebrate. Brady will even come for a little while."

"If you'd like to do that, it's fine with me. We'll have the rest of the night to ourselves."

She breathed an audible sigh. "Thank goodness. I was hoping you wouldn't have to leave before tomorrow."

He
didn't
tell her, but he'd already spoken to his chief about staying the few extra days through the weekend. The chief
wasn't
thrilled, but Nate knew it would be okay.
Provided there
isn't
a zombie apocalypse or some other tragedy that requires my immediate attention.

He'd
surprise her with the news that night. Maybe she could even get a day or two off by the end of the week, now that Webb was under lock and key. The thought of spending time with Mel, unencumbered by work, aroused the hell out of him. With more shopping left to do, he tamped down the feeling and said, "Want to go home and change after work? We can take one car to
Morgan's
. No reason to hide our relationship since we're not working together anymore."

"I'll do that. Enjoy the rest of your shopping excursion. And remember, you can never go wrong with chocolate."

Nate chuckled. "Get back to work." He disconnected the call and headed to the candy store.

* * * *

He washed a load of clothes and straightened up the house before she returned. With a dozen red roses in a vase on the table and a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge, he hoped it would be a special night.
He'd
wrapped the few small gifts he'd purchased for her, along with some sexy lingerie and a diamond pendant. Nate changed into jeans and a button down shirt and was waiting for Mel at the front door.

"Jeans!
I like!" Mel kissed him and at the same time, her hands roamed down and squeezed his butt.

"Ah, ah, ah … none of that."
He backed up. "You promised me dinner first. No booty calls."

She laughed. "Damn, you figured me out." Peering over his shoulder into the dining room, she exclaimed, "Roses!"

"Not right now." Nate ushered her to the bedroom. "Get changed and we'll go. Your presents are for later, when it's just you and me."

Mel pouted but her eyes sparkled. She told him about her afternoon as she pulled on jeans, and kept talking on the drive to Morgan's. "Collecting the evidence at Webb's house took all damned day. I never even saw it. Stone said there was some kind of commotion with the neighbor's dog getting loose, and it was kind of a mess. But it's over now."

"Yeah, it's over." Nate smiled and squeezed her hand. "And we have the rest of the night ahead of us."

She grinned and squeezed back.

They continued holding hands as they walked into
Morgan's
. The place was crowded but Nate spotted their team front and center of the bar talking with Cappie. As they made their way in, the crowd began clapping and the action reverberated through the bar like a wave at a football game.