Chapter 25

Dante listened to the sound of rain pounding against the window, each beat relentless and insistent. Not unlike the effect the woman lying wrapped around him had on his heart. The heart that was in love with her. Had he been more shocked by the realization that he loved her or by the knowledge that she loved him back? He didn't know.

What he did know was that Lulu Spencer drove him out of his mind. Could make him lose control in an instant. Whether it had been her intention to push him or not, she sent him tumbling over the edge last night. The hesitation and vulnerability in her quiet "Do you love me?" had the wall around his heart cracking and then rebuilding until it was surrounded by just her. But the foundation felt shaky. Not because he doubted his feelings but because he was terrified of screwing things up, and wasn't that a kick in the ass? Before he met Lulu, he was always confident, and admittedly cocky at times. He never had qualms about his "fuck 'em and forget 'em" lifestyle – as long as he and the women he was with knew it was all in the name of a good time. Only on a couple of instances had he misjudged a woman's interest to be less than what it actually was. When he had ended it, he had gotten a "Go to hell" and "You're a bastard" respectively. He felt bad about hurting them, but he couldn't feel bad for not forcing feelings that weren't there.

He tilted his head to the side so he could get a better look at her face as her cheek rested against his chest. He could feel her warm breath on his skin, the gentle touch of her fingers as one of her hands laid low against his stomach. He knew his feelings for Lulu were anything but forced. They may have caught him off guard and knocked him on his ass, but she was inside of him. In a way that no one had ever come close to and a way he had serious doubts he could feel with anyone else. It was why he got so pissed off when she had tried to compare herself to other women he'd been with. What he had with Lulu was separate from that. Now he just had to figure out what to do next.

We'll figure it out together.

He recalled her words before she had tried to kiss all his worries away and eventually ended up asleep in his arms.

If things went his way, they'd have either Bennett or Williams in custody today and charged with enough crimes to keep them in prison for the rest of their miserable lives. And then what? Would Lulu want to move back into her apartment? It would make sense. Because he told himself his desire to want her to stay with him was crazy. They should take time to really get to know each other, actually go out on a freaking date. Shouldn't they?

A flash of lightning lit up the room at the same time a loud crash of thunder boomed from what sounded like right outside the window. Lulu jumped in his arms, her eyes shooting open. He automatically tightened his arm around her and soothingly stroked her back, but also admitting to himself he'd use any excuse to touch her.

"Hi," she said softly, sleep still clouding the hazel eyes staring up at him.

His lips brushed a kiss against her forehead. "Hi."

"What time is it?"

"I'd check but that would require moving and I kind of like you like this."

She smiled at him and he made a sound of protest when she pushed off of him to glance at the clock on the ledge above the bed. "About ten after four."

She settled back down against him and rested her chin on her hands over his chest as she looked up at him. He slipped his arms around her and locked them around her back. More thunder rumbled.

"It's not letting up any, is it?"

"Should clear out by the afternoon."

"I used to be able to sit for hours and listen to that sound. I've written some of my best stuff in some of the worst storms."

"Somehow I don't think you need storms to help you with that."

"Aww," she said smiling. "You're just trying to get in my pants."

Grinning back, he let his hands fall lower until they were cupping her bare ass, his cock stirring to life. "Already did," he said lowly.

She squirmed a little when he started massaging her flesh. "Details." She paused. "I didn't think I could ever be this happy."

"No? You weren't happy with those other two guys?"

She looked at him strangely. "You really are jealous, aren't you?"

He just grunted. So, what if he was?

"My last relationship lasted over a year and a half."

An unpleasant feeling settled in his stomach. This was supposed to make him feel better?

"I didn't love him," she continued, and relief had the grip around his heart easing.

"Why stay with him that long?"

"Convenience. And nothing better coming along." Her shoulders moved in a shrugging motion. "He was another author. Nice guy. We barely saw each other because we were so busy and had our own schedules. The day we broke up, he told me he loved me. I don't think he did. He never even really knew me. And after he said those words, it just kind of hit me."

His hands had wandered back up and were rubbing idle circles in the small of her back. "What?"

"I never missed him. All that time we spent apart, not once did I miss him." She shook her head. "How can you love someone you never miss? When I suggested we call it off, I wasn't even sad. It felt more like a goodbye to a friend." Her fingers tapped lightly against his chest and she pushed herself further up his body until they were face to face. "And then you came around. God…As much as you irritated me, I missed you after a day."

Her admission flowed through him, tugged at his heart in a different way altogether. "You were just irritated that you wanted me so much."

Her mouth dropped open a little but still she laughed. "Shut up."

"Okay," he said and leaned forward just enough for his lips to latch onto hers. One of his hands slid around her neck as he took her deeper into his mouth, deeper inside of him. His tongue swept inside the warmth of her mouth, the tip of it engaging hers sensually. Her hair brushed against his cheeks and her hands clutched his shoulders. He kissed her like he couldn't get enough of her…because he couldn't. When he pulled back, his lips trailed over to her cheek and kissed it lightly. "Just so you know. I kind of started missing you that first night you left me hot and bothered in the kitchen after looking too sexy eating that ice cream."

Her smile lit up her face. "Just kind of?"

He smiled back, his hands moving the hair from her eyes, trapping the silky strands beneath his palms as he framed her face. "I am in love with you, Lesley Lu Spencer." And it was already getting easier to say.

Despite the pleasure he saw on her face, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How'd you find out my full name?"

"I'm a detective."

"Ah." She nodded her head. "You cheated."

"Saw it when I was looking through the previous police reports," he admitted.

She laughed and then leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his neck, let her lips nuzzle there a few moments until his breathing became deeper. "Thank you."

He tilted her chin up to look at him. "For what?"

"For being exactly what I need. For loving me. For saying it."

Her lips moved in another smile and he knew he could live the rest of his life just to see that smile. "I want to keep making you happy. I don't want to let you down, Lulu." He knew his voice had dropped at that last part.

"You couldn't." She touched her lips to his in a kiss he knew was meant to reassure and he was annoyed with himself for needing it. "I love you, Dante."

He knew it was the most open they had been with each other. He thought it should feel awkward stripping down his emotions, sharing them with her. But it wasn't. She soothed something inside of him. It was the best way he could explain it.

Gently, he eased himself away from her and stood up. He saw disappointment on her face but he held out a hand to her. "I want you to see what I see when I look at you."

Her eyebrows creased but her hand dropped into his waiting one and he helped to pull her up. It took every ounce of willpower not to let his hands roam all over her naked body in that moment. Keeping her hand in his, he led her towards the full length mirror that hung just outside the bathroom. When he positioned her a few feet in front of it, he saw uncertainty settle in her eyes.

"Dante…"

"Trust me." He walked back into the other room to grab a chair. When he brought it back, she was standing stiffly in the same place he left her. He stood in front of the chair and behind her but didn't sit down yet. He bent his head and rubbed his lips along one of her shoulders. "Relax, sweetheart." He stepped forward until his erection was pressing against her bottom. She sucked in a breath and leaned back against him. "Don't think. Just feel." He laid his palms flat against the sides of her upper thighs, dragged them up slowly until they settled on her hips. "And watch."

He moved his mouth to one of her ears and his tongue darted out to trace along the lobe, his teeth scraping against the part he knew to be the most sensitive and was rewarded by her shiver. He spread his hands across her abdomen and then trailed them lower. He could feel his cock harden against her, knew she felt it too. He looked at their reflection in the mirror, her eyes starting to glaze over, her hands gripping his wrists, her throat visibly working as she swallowed and then released a deep breath. He could feel her muscles loosening even more as she sagged against him. He liked seeing the contrast in their skin, his slightly darker against the paler tone of hers. Liked the way his hands looked as they journeyed over her body and the way she seemed to tremble beneath them.

Their gazes, laden with intensity and desire, locked in the mirror. He pulled his hands free so they could turn her face to his until their mouths were coming together and melding against one another. His tongue teased the seam of her lips until it pushed through to taste her. Her moan filled him with a sense of urgency as their tongues collided, rubbed, teased.

Pulling back, he glanced towards the mirror and watched the increasing rise and fall of Lulu's chest. She ran her tongue over her slightly swollen lips and his cock stirred as blood flowed and pooled.

"Have you ever watched yourself come?"

That delicate flush crept into her cheeks, but he held in his smile. She shook her head.

"You're going to," he said. "Keep your eyes on the mirror."

She blew out a breath but did as he said. He lifted his hands until they were holding the weight of her breasts in his palms. "Put your hands over mine." When she did so, he spread his fingers and then locked them together with hers. Their hands moved higher until they were rubbing circles around the tightening peaks of her nipples. A small sound escaped her throat as she arched against him. He curved his body around hers until he could lower his mouth and run his tongue along one of the nipples, his teeth then biting down gently and tugging. Her body jerked and her eyes blinked but he saw her keep her focus on the image of the two of them reflecting back at her.

He stood back up straight and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I love how responsive you are every time I touch you."

"So keep doing it," she whispered a little breathlessly, causing him to smile.

Keeping one pair of their joined hands over one of her breasts, he slid the other pair down her stomach, then over the pale curls at the juncture of her thighs and then finally sent them gliding over her slick folds. He dipped two of their fingers inside her. "Spread your legs wider." His voice was a little rougher than he intended, but damned if being with Lulu didn't reduce him to the most primal need a man could have to claim a woman. Masculine pride roared when she immediately obeyed, and he started stroking their joined fingers in and out, up and down the entire length of her sex. With the hold he had on her other hand, he made sure their fingers continued rubbing her nipple, then moving over to give the same attention to the other one. He could feel the moisture leaking out onto their hands down below and when he saw Lulu's eyes start to drift closed in the mirror, he thrust another pair of fingers deep inside of her. Her face twisted and she cried out. She bucked against their hands when one of his fingers stroked her distended clit with determination.

"Oh God…Oh God." Her breath came out in pants and when her teeth clamped down on her lower lip, he stopped all stimulation.

"You do that right before you come. Bite your lip like that. I don't want you to come until I'm inside of you."

She groaned in frustration. "Then get inside me. Dante. Please."

God, he needed that. So fucking bad. His hands slipped free from hers and then rested on her shoulders, slid down her arms. "Look at yourself. Do you see how hot you are? See what you do to me?" She didn't respond, but he saw the undisguised emotions in her eyes. "Flushed. Swollen. Wet. Mine."

Her head fell back against him and she moaned, the sound ragged and low. Had he ever seen a sexier woman? Hell no.

His cock throbbed to the point of pain. Shit. He couldn't wait any longer. He backed up until his knees hit the back of the chair and then he sat down. He reached forward and grabbed onto her hips and pulled her backwards until she was standing over him and straddling his legs. He peered around her so he could look into the mirror. Her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes, though somewhat hesitant, held a film of longing that matched his own need for her pulsing inside him.

"Watch me take you." He kissed the curve of her hip and his finger circled the baby-soft skin around her belly. Her legs shook when he fingered her clit again. "Watch me fuck you." He pinched the bundle of nerves in between two of his fingers and quickly released it. She stumbled, cried out softly. "Watch me make love to you."

Ending their current torture, yet beginning a different kind altogether, he positioned his cock where he wanted it with one hand, and with the other he guided her down until he was sliding inside of her inch by agonizingly slow inch. He ignored the soreness he was starting to feel in his back from being craned in this position…because he wanted to see it. See himself sinking into the slick heat of her that felt like home. See her opening and stretching around him. See the passion that completely overtook her face. He spread his legs wider, forcing her to collapse down fully against him with her legs draped over his thighs, the action sending him buried to the hilt. In the mirror, he saw shock cross her face as she gasped for air. He clenched his teeth and could feel the sweat breaking out from his pores while her walls squeezed and pulsed around him so tightly he felt it through every nerve in his body.

"You okay?" The words came out in a grunt.

He was asking if she was okay? She could barely breathe. She mumbled some kind of a response that she thought sounded enough like "yes" that he would get the point and start moving. She felt completely vulnerable in this position, spread open and at his mercy. She slipped her left arm around his shoulder and then leaned back further against him. She could have sworn she felt him nudging against her womb. His eyes pierced hers through the mirror. How she was able to keep hers open she had no idea. She stared mesmerized at the sight of their joined bodies. The way he disappeared inside of her, the way she opened to accommodate him. Nothing was more perfect or more right. Or more erotic. He had a way of setting her on fire and it went straight to her soul.

She watched as he lifted her so that he slid out of her until just the head of his cock remained inside of her. She whimpered at the loss and then groaned when he ground her back down against him until she felt, and saw, the hardness of his balls pressing against her. Small spasms already fluttered around his erection and she felt him jerk a little inside of her. Removing her arm from his shoulder, she leaned forward and braced her hands above his knees. Experimenting, she started rocking herself forwards and then back. She could hear his harsh breaths from behind her. She could no longer see his face in the mirror because he had straightened and was now tracing his tongue along the skin on her back. His hands circled around her stomach and the next time she started to move forward, she found herself being thrust back against him. Her nails dug into his skin and she felt the telltale tightening in her sex and in her belly.

"Going…to…come," she half-moaned, half-cried. She saw herself bite down hard on her lip. Funny how she never picked up on that until he mentioned it. He maneuvered them until she was lying back against him, her upper body somewhat tilted, the position allowing her to see him in the mirror again and giving her the opportunity to reach back and fist her hand in his hair. Almost at once, his index finger pressed against her throbbing clit and circled around it. It was all she needed. She tried to stay focused on the mirror, remembering his earlier comment about watching herself come, but her vision became a blur as everything inside her splintered, then shattered. Full body shudders wracked her and she felt his hands close over her breasts, his teeth graze her shoulder and then bite down. She felt each twitch of his cock as it pulsed hot semen inside her. The shout of what sounded like her name must have come from him, she realized vaguely, just as the keening cry she heard must have been coming from her lips.

She had to blink her eyes until her sight readjusted long moments later and she was able to stare back at their reflection. She was completely slumped against him, a few strands of hair clung to sweat that had beaded on her forehead. She looked shaken, yet completely satisfied. His hands were intimately splayed over her belly, his fingers resting possessively above her sex. He had slipped out of her body but she could see the evidence of their joining between her thighs. His eyes penetrated inside her even through the mirror. She swallowed and then turned her head so she was looking into the real thing and not a reflection, and the jolt to her heart hit her even harder.

"I think I missed what you wanted me to see," she said weakly.

He turned her so she was sitting sideways in his lap. His hand cupped the back of her head and brought her face down to his. "You saw exactly what I wanted you to see."

Confused, she looked into his eyes. But instead of answering, he kissed her in a tender meeting of lips. Her fingers played lightly over his chains before she looped her arms around his neck, his murmured "I love you" against her mouth taking her to a place where she felt nothing could ever go wrong again.

"You can come with me, you know. Wait at the station."

She smiled but shook her head and watched as he finished getting ready. They had already showered and eaten breakfast when Lucky had called to say the DNA results were expected back within the next couple of hours. "I'd just be in the way there. Sounds like you guys will be pretty busy today."

"I just want to be able to come back here and tell you that it's all over."

She wanted that too. No matter the outcome, she knew she'd be able to deal with the fallout as long as she had Dante by her side. She already knew she wanted him in her future.

She grabbed his badge from the table and walked over to him, slipped it into his hand. "I love you, Detective." Her lips touched his.

"Mmm. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that." He pulled her into his arms and just held her. He kissed the top of her head and gently rubbed her back before reluctantly pulling away. "And in case I didn't tell you…You look really sexy in my shirt."

He tugged at the hem that landed at her upper thighs and the smile reappeared on her face. As ridiculous as it sounded, it smelled like him and she didn't want to take it off. Yeah, she had it bad.

He gave her another too brief kiss and walked over to the elevator and pushed the button.

"And one more thing," he began after he stepped inside. "I love you, too."

The elevator door closed, cutting off her view of his smiling face, and her heart sighed.

Before Dante headed to his car, he walked across the street towards the unmarked police sedan. If he recalled correctly, it was McKinley's rotation, and he wanted to give him some last minute instructions. The rain was still coming down, but thankfully not the downpour of a few hours ago. After knocking on the window and getting no response, he frowned. He couldn't see anything through the tinted windows so he reached down to grab the door handle. Finding it unlocked, he pulled the door open and cursed.

He forced down the bile as he stared at McKinley slumped back against the seat, throat slit. One of his hands reached for his phone while the other automatically reached for his weapon. He had to call it in. Had to get up to Lulu. Had to do his job. Had to ignore the panic that started rising.

He felt a sharp bite of pain in his shoulder. Felt his body jerk forward. He looked down at his arm, saw a pool of red spreading underneath his shirt. Son of a bitch. He'd been hit. He spun around, his eyes scanning wildly, his good arm lifting his gun but there was no target to shoot at. Where the fuck was he? He hadn't even heard a goddamn thing. His breath expelled in a grunt of pain, his body slamming back against the car. What the hell? He heard the sound of his gun as it fell against the concrete. He looked blindly for his phone but spots formed behind his eyes, numbness settled in his arm. Hot, searing, agonizing pain lanced his gut. Staring down through blurry eyes he saw a fresh circle of blood forming near his stomach. Oh, fuck. Fuck. Not good.

His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, rain mixing with the blood pooling around him. The spots behind his eyes turned to swirling colors.

Lulu.

It was his last thought before the colors turned to black and he felt nothing at all.

Her cell phone rang. Lulu glanced down at the screen as the unknown number popped up. She frowned, debated ignoring it, but finally answering and bringing the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Lulu?"

The voice on the other line was frantic, panicked. And unfamiliar.

"Who is this?"

"It's Josh."

Josh? Her mind searched for recognition. Josh Bennett?

"Michael's son?"

"Yes. Yes." The voice was impatient. "Lulu, I think Dad is going to do something stupid."

A sense of dread filled her. "What are you talking about?"

"I walked in on him in his office. He was completely crazy. I've never seen him like that. He kept muttering that today it would be over." The words came out in a rush and Lulu felt her heart beating painfully hard in her chest. "There were pictures of you. Spread all over his desk. God, Lulu. I think he's the one who's been doing those things to you."

No. She didn't want to believe it. Never wanted to believe it. "Josh –"

"I tried to stop him. I tried." His voice cracked. "He made a comment that he had to take care of Detectives Spencer and Falconeri. When I tried to stop him, he hit me."

"Oh, God." This couldn't be happening.

"Lulu, we have a gun. It's not here. And Dad took off over an hour ago." She heard him take an audible breath while hers seemed to cease altogether. "I called the cops. Jesus. I don't know what else to do. But I had to let you know. Had to…" His voice trailed off, sounded like he was in shock.

Her brain yelled for her to do something instead of just standing there lamely and useless. "Josh, I have to go." She hung up the phone without waiting for a response and then immediately dialed Dante's cell phone. She listened with increasing panic at each unanswered ring until finally his voicemail picked up. He was okay. He had to be okay. Josh was wrong.

She forced her legs to move, forced herself to throw on the first pair of pants and shirt she could find. She had to do something. She had to see for herself that Dante and her brother were okay. She slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and started to dial Lucky's number, willing him to answer, as she walked over to the door and pulled it open.

She froze in disbelief, confusion, and then terror at the man blocking the door. At Josh Bennett as he stood with a sick smile spreading over his face, his hand holding up his cell phone. He reached out and easily slipped the phone from her hand and tucked it along with his into his pocket.

"I'll take that. Hi, Lulu. I missed you. Did you miss me?"

The voice was completely different from the one she heard on the phone just moments before. This one was cold…dead. As dead as she'd be if she didn't do something.

But she didn't get the chance. He had pulled out a gun and the last thing she saw was the butt of it as it came slamming down against her head.