“Well, she could be right, I suppose,” she noted. “Yet it’s not that easy to scare me off.”
“Good,” he said.
As they wandered into the front lobby and over to the elevator, she raised her hand at the doorman, adding a smile. “Good evening, Harry.”
Harry nodded. “You two have a good night now.”
She shook her head. “I’ve got to go back to work. I just need a little shut-eye and some food first.” He frowned at her, and she held up her hands with a shrug. “When the cases come, the cases come,” she explained. “We work on them because we need to.”
He nodded slowly. “But you’ve still got to look after yourself.”
“I’m working on that part.” She gave him a half laugh. “And honestly it shouldn’t be all that bad. I’ll see how it is.”
And, with that, she and Simon headed up to the penthouse. As she stepped inside, she walked over to the big picture window and stared out at the beautiful view. “You know what? From up here you can almost forget all about the underbelly.”
“I can’t,” he argued, “because I work in it.”
She looked back at him. “You do pick up some of the worst buildings in the city, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I do. Sometimes I just can’t help myself. Those buildings, they’re all part of the soul of the city. It’s up to some of us to help fix them up and to heal that soul.”
She smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
With that, she walked over into his open arms, which quickly closed securely around her.
*
Simon held Kateclose, the fatigue evident on her lean features. “Food for the body or the soul first?”
Tilting her head back slightly, she looked up at him in confusion.
He smiled gently and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Food for the body first. Otherwise you will crash and won’t eat.” With a nudge toward the table, he quickly portioned out two plates, watching in concern as she started eating with an appetite, only to slowly sag in place.
“Keep eating,” he urged, “then bed.”
Maybe it was his voice, or his words, but she managed to polish off her plate to stare at him, with huge bags under her eyes.
“Now bed.” He stood and removed the few dishes, quickly putting them in the sink, then turning to her, as she moved slowly toward the bedroom. His heart sank. He hated to see her work herself to the bone; yet he also knew nothing he could say would change it. Turning off the lights, he followed her to the bedroom, only to find the room empty. Surprised, he followed the trail of clothing to the bathroom and the shower. She was leaning under the water, her head resting against the tiles, letting the water rush over her.
With a tender smile he quickly shucked off his clothing and stepped in behind her. He picked up the bar of soap and gently rubbed it over her lean shoulders. She gave a start at his touch, turning her head to give him a half smile. He soaped her from head to toe. Afterward, in the same caring motion, he shampooed her hair, then added conditioner. It was easier to treat her as a defenseless child. And she stood quietly, letting him.
When he finally turned her around to face him, he smiled down at her, a trusting look in her gaze. “Bed, before you fall asleep where you stand.”
A light flared in her eyes. “Soon,” she whispered, looping her arms around his neck. “But maybe a little of this first.” And, with the water sluicing down their silky bodies, she stood thigh to chest against him, sliding sinuously from side to side.
He sucked in his breath, his body already on a knife’s edge. She slid her hands down his chest between them to wrap one hand around his erection. He shuddered, staring, mesmerized at the knowing glint in her gaze. “Tease.”
“Nah, this isn’t teasing. It’s a start of something memorable.” With that, she tugged his head downward, as she surged upward, her lips reaching for him, consuming him.
Passion ripped through him. He lifted her, spun, and slammed her up against the tiles.
She gasped.
He froze.
She laughed and wrapped her legs around his hips.
He groaned and surged deep inside her. She nipped at his chin, as he grabbed her hips and pounded into her, feeling a lust he’d only ever experienced with Kate. He let it drive him forward, riding her to completion. For both of them.