Set Up For Love (30 page)

After dinner, Dane lit the half-dozen jasmine and sandalwood candles scattered around the living room. The fragrance, mingled with burning wood, smelled wonderful. Jill nestled deeper into the couch cushions, sipping her wine. A mellow glow settled over her. The leaping flames in the hearth had a hypnotizing effect. She blinked several times to break the spell.

“Does your chest still hurt?”

Dane sat down next to her, and his dark eyes glinted with mischief. “Won’t keep me from doing anything I want to do.”

Don’t touch me, Dane. Please don’t touch me.

Jill stood abruptly and went to the window. There was no point in trying to feign a calm demeanor. The pane was cool against her forehead. It was raining, drenching the glass with diamond zigzagging streams. An arc of lightning cut across the sky. She flinched. A rumble of thunder followed. It had been a mistake coming here on a stormy night like this. A mistake coming here at all. She felt trapped by the stormy night, by her love.

Bending slightly, Jill folded her arms over her stomach. The yearning to be in Dane’s arms became a throbbing ache.

Something warm whispered over the back of her hair. She turned and found herself in the warmth of Dane’s arms. He buried his face in her hair.

But when he finally kissed her, she forgot about everything but the waves of warm pleasure and the sweet taste of almond mingled with wine. She buried her fingers in the soft knit of his sweater, lingering there a moment, then she placed her arms around his neck. His kiss deepened, but still she fought against letting go completely.

Anger flared in his eyes. “What’s impossible is staying apart. Since that moment Angelo held the knife to your throat...” Dane’s voice broke. “I loved you even before that, but I didn’t see how it would work. Then when Sammy went after you, I went crazy. I couldn’t lose you.”

“I know,” she said, touched by her own memories. “It was like that for me when that jailed slime stabbed you—I drove without seeing the road, frantic to get to you. Promising anything to have you. But then I feared if we kept on together, you’d end up dead. You’re so damned unpredictable.”

“Love does crazy things to a man.” He tucked her hair behind her ear with incredible tenderness. “We have to work this out, Jill”

She was trembling. She forced herself to breathe normally. “Together, we spell disaster, and you know it.”

“Don’t even think that.” His voice deepened. “I want to go ahead with what we have here.” He caressed the curve of her spine. “Look, I know I’m not Superman, but there’s more than one way to protect and care for you. And I’ll find the way that’s right for us. For our unique situation.”

It touched her heart that he wanted to try to walk the tricky line between curbing his protective instincts and being her protector.

She blinked back the sudden moisture in her eyes. “I can’t be a traditional wife. Most of the time I couldn’t even tell you where I’m going or what I’m doing. And we’d always be in each other’s way, at each other’s throats.”

He found the hollow of her neck, his mouth warm, his tongue sending shivers through her. “I don’t mind being at your soft, sweet throat. And you’re welcome to nibble on mine whenever you like.”

“There’s something else.” She inhaled deeply for courage. “I’ve always wanted babies.” Would he object after losing Davy?

His eyes clouded and he just stared at her, saying nothing. Her mouth felt dry. Had she just widened the gulf between them?

Finally he said, “There’s only one way I’d consider bringing a child into the world again. At conception, we would both have to leave the dangerous stuff behind. I won’t risk an innocent life for a few lines of print or to catch a psycho.”

“I’m willing. I’ve been thinking about a change anyway. After this case. But what about you? You eat up this front page stuff.”

“I’ve learned something about priorities. I’ll push the envelope for the next nine months or so. Then I’ll write this book that has been spinning around in my head for the last couple of years.”

She searched his eyes. “Are you just pacifying me?”

“We’re going to have to work on this trust thing between us.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But we have enough to overcome without leaving important things undone.” She traced the line of his firm jawline. “You’ll have to stay out of my cases.”

He grinned. “I will. I promise. We can set ground rules we can both live by. Count on it, we’ll make this work. I’ve never had anyone get into my blood, my soul, like you have. Never!” He stared at her for a moment. “Love me, the way I love you.”

“I do,” she said softly.

“I knew that.” He laughed and gathered her close, curving her to fit perfectly against his body. His kiss was deep, taking her breath away.

“Yes, yes.”
If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.

She laughed. “When we do have children, it won’t be easy. If we have a headstrong son like you, I’ll have my hands full. And love it.” The minute she mentioned
son
, she wished she hadn’t because of Davy.

But Dane only grinned. “Who wants easy? I love challenges.” He swept her off her feet and carried her toward the bedroom. It had stopped raining. The moon was out, bathing them in a luminous glow as they slowly undressed each other. Dane’s aftershave and her light fragrance mingled with the earthy balance of their warm bodies, like the scent of eternal flowers blooming in a dewy garden at midnight. Jill was giddy from the scent, from his touch, from the perfection of their passion. She knew their lovemaking wasn’t just the passionate exchange of lovers, it was the bonding of a man and a woman who wanted a lifetime together and would do whatever it took to make it happen.

Epilogue

Dane wore cut-off jeans and no shirt. Every time she looked at the fading scar on his chest, she thanked God that nothing vital had been cut. Sitting cross-legged on the floor with Dane amidst the Sunday newspapers felt right, natural. Jill took a bite from her raisin toast.
How could she have ever hesitated to marry the man who was clearly her soul mate?
Their six months together had surpassed anything she ever imagined. Postponing the honeymoon had allowed them to plunge right into domesticity. And the water was fine—sharing his life, sleeping in his arms.

“Listen to this,” Dane said, drowning out the soft melody of “Endless Love” coming from their stereo. “Snuff Video Killer Found Guilty!” He read on, giving the details of the trial.

Pride rose in Jill’s chest. The man had a way with words. Miraculously, his diligent reporting of the news hadn’t stopped him from being the right husband for her. Everyone at the Bureau accused her of taking happy pills—just because her step was lighter, her smile quicker, and she felt like humming much of the time.

Scents of gardenia drifted from the garden through the open sliding glass. The sunlight dimmed. The weatherman promised a clear afternoon, but the sun kept slipping behind the drifting clouds. It just couldn’t rain. Tess and Ellen would arrive around two with their dates, and Jill planned to barbecue and serve dinner on the patio.

She smiled, thinking of her sister’s progress in the past months. Tess had come out of her ordeal with Angelo stronger and wiser.

Dane dug through the stack of newspapers in front of him, checking one after another, his ritual to make sure they got everything right.

He shook his head. “The jury was out so long...” His deep voice trailed away. Jill understood his concerns and had feared the same thing—that Angelo’s attorney might get him off with that insanity plea. The shrewd lawyer had played up Angelo’s tragic childhood to the hilt. But it worked against him. The same with Sammy.

His warm hand slid possessively down the curve of her waist, tracing the flare of her hips. Moist, hot desire instantly pulsed in her core.

When he paused, she said, “I have a news flash for you, Mr. Reporter, if you’re interested.” Had she given it away with her husky breathless tone?

He slowly released her and grabbed a pen and small memo pad from the coffee table and poised to write. His eyes glinted. “Okay, shoot. What is it? A new development on the lollipop killer?”

Laughing, Dane wrestled her down and got on top of her. “Come on, Jill. I heard you whispering on the telephone. You and Gary have something big cooking. Give, baby, give.”

His hold tightened around her, taking her with him as he stood. Swinging her into his arms, he carried her toward the bedroom. “Let’s celebrate with some late-edition pillow talk before our guests arrive,” he murmured in her ear.

From the stereo, strains of “Endless Love” rose to a crescendo. The sun came from behind the clouds and streamed its golden rays into the room. The brilliance couldn’t compare to the glow on Dane’s face—or the happiness throbbing in her heart.

The End

www.lyndelakes.com

Other Books by Lynde Lakes:

Murder in the Clear Zone

Pointing Leaf

Primitive Flame

Star Fallen Lover

Silent Cymbals

Russian Connection