An Inner Fire (24 page)

“Please. Davis,” she first pleaded then commanded.

“I can’t wait either.” He lowered himself on top of her, holding all of his own weight with his arms. Nestled between her thighs, he slowly entered her, filling her. She tightened her hands on his back, pulling him closer and kissing him hard. His breathing accelerated, rushing in and out past her ear with each thrust.

“Grayce, I want to make this good for you.”

His strangled words excited her. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling them both into the vortex swirling around them. Her desperate need drove them to a frenzied pace.

She held on to Davis, closed her eyes and got lost in the pleasure.

“You’re so damn perfect.” With one last thrust, his body wracked with his climax.

He lay on her, his body shuddering. She soothed the moist skin on his back, tracing each vertebra. She inhaled the salty, sweaty smell of Davis.

“I don’t want to move. I want to stay right here but I’m squishing you.”

She wanted Davis’ body on top of her, filling her, heating her. She wanted this shelter, this feeling of security that nothing could ever go wrong, tomorrow would never come.

Davis rolled over and pulled her close to him. They gazed into each other’s eyes, shocked by their intense lovemaking. He kissed her hair, her eyes, and then gently kissed her lips. “Pretty quiet. Are you okay?”

She laughed. “I’m in awe.”

“Me, too. My fantasy didn’t come close to the reality of being with you in the flesh, and oh what flesh.” His hand caressed her hip, her thigh. “This is one of my favorite places, so soft, tender and this little hollow. I want to spend the night sucking on this supple flesh, to feel you shiver against me when I touch you here.” His tongue probed and licked the space behind her ear. Her heart thrummed like a hummingbird.

“We were kind of in a rush, but I promise you, next time we’ll go slower.” She saw the heat in his look. How could he already stir her feelings?

She snuggled deeper and turned on her side, pressing against his warmth and safety.

* * *

Disoriented and sore, Grayce rolled over. She looked straight into Davis’ eyes. He was dressed and standing over her.

“Good Morning. I’m sorry I’ve got to get to work.”

“It’s Sunday.”

They had spent the whole night in each other’s arms, talking, between fierce and sweet lovemaking.

“Of all the worst timing.” His tone was bemused. He bent down to kiss her. “I’m thinking maybe the guy on the wharf could wait.”

He pulled back her covers, grinning. His face softened in the morning light. “I don’t want to forget what you look like.”

He was beaming, like a mischievous little boy. “What the hell? Are those bruises from me?”

She reached to pull back the covers.

Davis tugged back. “Let me see.” He touched her shoulder and rolled her gently to her side.

“This isn’t from last night. What happened to you?”

This was the moment she had tried to prevent by turning off the lights and lighting candles. This was the moment when she should tell him. He probably was used to threats on his life, but she wasn’t. The words and the rage of the man were branded into her brain.

“I tripped on my stairs when I was working late on Friday night.” The rehearsed words came out easily. But her body shuddered with the memory of her dark descent down the steps.

“You could’ve been killed.”

The thought of the man dangling her over the steps brought the same tingling behind her knees as before she fell. The knot in her stomach twisted.

He sat on the bed next to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. But you must’ve been in pain.” His eyes held concern.

She was tempted to blurt out the truth. Tell him everything, including her suspicions about his boss.

“Why didn’t you tell me last night?” Patches of red streaked across his cheeks. “Were you in pain? You know we could’ve waited.”

“I wasn’t in pain last night. I was…” Her face started to heat too. “Honestly, I forgot.”

He leaned forward, trailing his finger, followed by his kisses along the bruises on her shoulder. “Last night was amazing. You’re amazing Grayce Walters.”

“Ditto, Ewan Davis.” She felt cherished this morning. Last night was more than sex for her and she hoped for Davis, too.

“I hate that I have to leave. I want…” His knuckle brushed on the underside of her breast. Her breast began to swell with his touch. His breathing got rough, loud. He stood and pulled the covers over her. “I mean it when I say I can’t resist you.”

His laugh was delicious to her ears.

“You’re covered in bruises and I can’t stop wanting you. I better not even start or I won’t leave.” His face flushed with color again.

She would never not want Ewan Davis.

“Why do you have to meet on Sunday?”

“The guy I met in Georgetown yesterday gave me a lead. He saw two men in leather coats go into Shed 4, late at night. They drove a black SUV and loaded it with crab crates. I wanted the guy to do a sworn statement, but it made him so paranoid I let it drop for now. He really believes someone might come after him. It’s strange.”

“Why is it strange?”

“The guy’s bigger than I am and one rough dude. He didn’t strike me as someone who would be easily intimidated.”

Even with the heat of Davis pressed against her thigh, she got cold, bone cold.

“I called the guy from the port and told him I wanted to look into a few sheds, with no one around. Nothing official, of course. If I had known about last night, well, if I had known…” He waggled his eyebrows. “I definitely wouldn’t have planned this for early Sunday morning.”

Her mouth was dry. “Will the assistant chief be there?”

“The brass don’t work on Sunday.”

Grayce touched Davis’ hand. “There’s something about that man I don’t trust.”

“He was baiting me. He was trying to get to me by hitting on you. He has no respect for women.”

“It felt like more than harassment.” She wanted to tell him about the scar and her suspicions, but it wasn’t a simple conversation. Davis was in a rush, and she needed time to explain. This morning or any morning wouldn’t be the right time. And she didn’t want to ruin last night’s magic. She wanted to savor the delight of being loved by Davis.

“I need to get going.” Davis pressed his warm lips to hers. “What are your plans for the day?”

“James and I have lunch together on most Sundays. I listen to his salacious description of his Saturday night at the clubs.”

He brushed her hair away from her forehead. “Are you going to describe your salacious Saturday night?”

“I’ll report it was like most of my Saturday nights, nothing out of the usual.”

The relaxed lines around his mouth and eyes vanished. He straightened, pulling away from her.

“I’m joking. You know that, right?” She pulled on his hand bringing him closer.

“I’ve just been with…” His tone got low. “You’re so different.”

She rubbed the skin on his hand with her finger. “I’m not planning to share any details about last night. It was our night.”

“This isn’t about one night.”

She pulled the sheet up around her neck.

Davis smiled. “I’ll call you later. And you can tell James my intentions are honorable.” He walked out of the bedroom humming.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Grayce grinned at James when he arrived at the restaurant. She couldn’t stop smiling after her night with Davis.

James unwrapped his black cashmere scarf and scanned the café, making sure everyone noticed his entrance before he sat. “You look like hell. What happened?”

“I do? I don’t feel bad.”

James’ thick lashes veiled his close inspection of her face, hair and lips. He bent around their little table to look at her body.

“Honestly, James. What is the matter with you? I’m wearing the same blue jeans.”

“You did it!”

“What?”

“You did, don’t deny it.”

She giggled. She seemed to be doing a lot of smiling and giggling. A passionate night with Davis had turned her into a giddy teenager.

“After the party last night, his place or yours?”

“Mine.”

“God, give me more details. What were you wearing? The little black dress from Helene?”

Shivers of pleasure skittered along her spine with the memory of Davis unzipping her skirt.

James gestured, raising his hands toward the ceiling. “Why didn’t you call me? I’m so good at seduction dressing.” No topic could make him happier. She could imagine James, during an earthquake, his condo shaking, pausing for the appropriate disaster fashion statement before rushing to safety.

“I wore a skirt, turtle neck and my Stuart Weitzman boots. And I didn’t plan to seduce Davis.”

“A turtleneck? That proves it.”

“Proves what?”

“The man’s in love.”

Her stomach plummeted and rolled, the sensation of falling out of your seat, tumbling into space during the rollercoaster’s loop-to-loop.

He leaned across the table and beckoned with his index finger. “Come on, give Jamesie some details.”

She and James had shared years of intimate sex details. Well, James’ had shared them. She wasn’t going to discuss her night with Davis. It was too new, too private.

“There aren’t many details to share. What can I say? We left the party early and Davis drove me home and came in.”

James twirled his mustache as if he were a villain in a silent movie. “Came in? Yes, he did.”

“James.” He usually couldn’t shock her with his coarse comments.

“Okay, okay, just a tiny tidbit. Something to whet my imagination about the gorgeous firefighter. Is Davis as hot as he seems?”

Her face burned from the memory of Davis’ intense lovemaking.

“The color of your face, my God, its crimson. I’ve never seen you like this, such a glow; you either had a facial by Yugaslava or fantastic sex.”

She pressed her hands to her cheeks.

“You’re in love.”

“Love after one night?” She thought of her intimate night with Davis—the laughter, the teasing, and the non-stop talking. Last night was more than sex, it was sweet sharing.

“Oh honey, after one long night, you know. I see it in your eyes. I might not be the intuitive, but I’m the expert about love if you consider how many times I’ve been in love. You’re a goner. Admit it.”

“Well, maybe a little bit.”

James placed his hand on hers, his dark eyes glistened with tears. “Davis is a lucky guy.”

“I’m not sure he’ll think he’s lucky, when I tell you what’s been happening.”

She described the man attacking her, dropping her down the stairs. For once in his life, James didn’t joke. He listened during her description of the vision of Maclean’s scar and the sculpture garden. His jokes would come later.

“What am I going to do? I hinted to Davis about Maclean and he thought I was offended by Maclean’s sexist attitude.”

“Darlin’, you’ve gotta tell Davis.”

Her entire body tightened, sending spasms of pain from her fall down her shoulder to her arm. “I can’t.”

“He’ll understand.”

“What makes you so sure?”

James ran his fingers through his hair, lifting the thick curls into a tousled GQ look. “How can he not believe you? You’re the most sincere person I know.”

“It has nothing to do with my sincerity. Davis was an investment banker and now he’s an investigator. The man believes in facts.”

“Men in love are more open, accepting. It’s why I love falling in love every other week.” He raked his hair one last time, achieving the perfect finished style.

The idea of Davis in love skidded along her nerve endings. Scintillating pricks of pleasure skipped along her skin.

It didn’t matter. Davis wouldn’t discount his logical world because of his attraction for her. He wouldn’t accept that Mitzi communicated images to her. She had moments of not believing it herself.

“It won’t work. He values logic. Nothing about my abilities can be understood with deductive reasoning.”

Davis would never believe in her ability to protect him, the power that set her apart from others and made her steadfast. He would only see her five foot, 90-pound body.

“If I tell Davis, he’ll rush in and they’ll kill him. I can’t believe I’m saying it out loud, but it’s true. I need to protect him in my own way. It sounds crazy, but that’s how I feel.”

It was time to use her abilities for something other than healing sick animals. She didn’t have the physical prowess of Davis and Toni. Her strength came from an inner power.

James reached across the table and patted her hand. “Honey, if you believe it. I believe it.”

Their friendship had a lot of fluff and silliness, but it was their way of finding humor in their painful pasts. James had suffered under his father’s brutal hand. Grayce didn’t have scars like James, just bruising on her heart from losing Cassie.