RETREAT
Right around six in the morning, Larkin's bodyguards finally persuaded her to go to bed. She hadn't wanted to go until she heard from Donovan. When two hours passed without word, she became nervous. When four passed, she was flat out scared. However, she couldn't deny she was tired. She couldn't fight sleep. It took her over. She had fallen onto the bed in an exhausted heap and sometime or another, someone had covered her with a throw blanket. She had been asleep for an hour and a half when she half-heard another person entering the room. Figuring it was her mother again, she didn't try to wake up. Since she had decided to sleep, she was damn well going to do it. When the person crawled in beside her, she realized she was either dreaming or Donovan had come to her.
When she opened her eyes, she smiled and immediately tried to kiss him, but he pulled back and away from her. He remained on the bed, but moved to lean over her. Confused, the smile left her face and she gazed at him with some concern. It was then that she realized he smelled slightly of gasoline and had blood staining his arm. His face was strained and his eyes haunted. Had she gotten away? She reached out to him, but he wouldn't allow her to touch his face. He took her hands in his and held them down.
"Frank, what…"
Donovan shook his head and placed his finger over her lips. After a few seconds, he removed his finger. "I don't know how to explain this," he began, "but I need a little time to process what happened. Don't worry about Grant; we have her. Tonight, I forgot who I was for a while. I forgot you. I forgot everything." His hand reached out to stroke her cheek. It was so amazingly soft. The images of what he had nearly done haunted him. "Selena, I'm afraid that one day, I'll turn out just like Grant. All it would take is just the right push."
She wanted to ask what the hell happened to him out in the field, but she never let the question leave her lips. He wouldn't tell her. There were certain things he needed to keep buried deeply within his mind and heart; this was one of them. She wouldn't push. "No Frank, you could never become like her. It's not in you."
It is. It is inside me. It came out tonight and this wasn't the first time. He could say nothing else to her, because she'd simply argue against him. She would argue because she loved him. He knew it plainly, could read it in her actions, words, and especially in her eyes. "I love you." Without giving her a chance to respond, he leaned down and captured her lips in a breathless, passionate kiss. When he broke it, he drew her into his embrace. He knew he must look and smell like shit, but he had to touch her, to be with her. Later, he would give her the details. It could wait. Loving her could not.
* * *
Late Winter, 2004It took several weeks to get the case of Kira Grant settled and put away. Both Donovan and Larkin were present when she was tried and convicted for her crimes. This time, the court system would make no mistakes. They not only cuffed her, but shackled her as well. Grant could barely walk. Another person had shown up in the courtroom. She had sat toward the back away from the crowd. A few people here and there recognized her, but she was mostly a stranger. Not to Donovan. Ellen Landry-Cole had witnessed the entire trial, and when Grant saw her, she became furious enough to kill. Larkin saw the woman and wondered what her tie to Grant was, but Donovan did not elaborate. It was one of many stories he would tell her soon enough. However, right now, they needed to keep their focus on putting Kira Grant away for good. This time. This time, Kira Grant was gone. After it was settled, it was time to get away. Larkin hadn't yet started her job and the DOJ wasn't complaining much, so she didn't argue when Donovan asked her to go to his mountain retreat. Actually, they both needed to take a breather. The stress and heartbreak had wreaked havoc on them both.
Larkin couldn't help but smile wryly as she entered the cabin. It was colder than all get out, just like it was when he had first brought her here. Of course, it was worse this time. They entered the front room and dropped their luggage. Donovan immediately moved toward the thermostat to turn on the heat, but Larkin stopped him. Smiling up at him, she said, "Build us a fire."
He approached her and took her into his embrace. "Will you slip into your big fuzzy robe," he asked with a lifted eyebrow.
"Maybe," she said with a silky little smile. "Why don't you look for some kindling and wood? Perhaps by the time you come back, you'll have your answer."
"I'm game."
By the time Donovan returned, Larkin wasn't exactly in her fuzzy robe. Instead, she had taken out a blanket she had managed to pack somewhere and wrapped it around her body. The sight of her that way immediately brought on a sweet, sweet ache in his groin. It wasn't just a lust thing, exactly, but since he had come to her that early morning, he couldn't get enough of her. It seemed as if he were afraid she'd disappear at any second. For a moment, he turned his attention away from her and began working at getting the fire started. It took about fifteen minutes to get it roaring and he glanced over at her. Unmoving before the fireplace, her eyes were fixed on the flames. He took this opportunity to gaze at her without her knowledge. She seemed hypnotized and drawn in. In November, he hadn't thought they would have come this far. He had messed up so very badly and had hurt her deeply. Yet, she never allowed him to take all the blame. She wanted some of it to rest on her shoulders. They didn't talk about it much, because it wasn't necessary. The only thing she didn't want to talk about was the miscarriage. She couldn't deal with the thought of losing a child she had never known about. In fact, not knowing and losing the baby was harder for her to deal with. She felt his eyes on her and she glanced at him. His gaze never faltered.
"You know," she began, "we were here in a similar setting the night you said you loved me."
He nodded and smiled. His hand stroked her cheek ever so gently. "I think I remember."
"You think, huh?" She drew away from him a little and opened the blanket spread about her body. She had nothing on underneath. "Would you like to share?"
"Not the way you're thinking," he said. "Why don't we spread it out on the floor so I can make love to you?"
"Why don't you get undressed first?"
He bit his lip. "I thought you'd never ask."
Larkin drew the blanket back around her and watched as Donovan slowly removed his clothing bit-by-bit, piece-by-piece. When he was unclothed before her, she leaned toward him and kissed his lips gently. She wanted to pull away to tease a bit, but he held onto her, deepening the kiss. His tongue touched hers, caressed it, and swirled about it. During the kiss, her hand slid down his chest, along his side, and then moved around to his lower abdomen. He broke the kiss long enough to bring in a sharp, hissing breath as her hand danced delicately about his taut flesh, her fingers moving teasingly though the coarse hair that started a few inches below his navel. He wanted to protest, but he wasn't an idiot. Her hand found him and began a slow caress. He couldn't concentrate on anything as complex as a kiss. Instead, he lay with his forehead against hers and allowed her to caress him until his pulse boomed at his temples. He took hold of her wrist, clearly indicating that for now, he had had enough. He drew the blanket away from her body and pushed her down onto her back. Leaning over her, his hands began moving over her body, touching her, caressing her, and loving her. He was reminded of the first night he'd made love to her after her injuries had healed. He had almost been afraid to touch her for fear of hurting her. Larkin nearly had had to initiate the whole thing. You're such a passionate lover, Frank, she had said, but you're acting as if I'll dry up and blow away with the slightest touch. He smiled a little at the memory and when she had begun to ask him what he was smiling about, he cut her question off with a deep kiss. During the kiss, they switched positions and Larkin was atop him, straddling his waist. She ran her hands along his face, down his chest, and back up again. His hands slid around her waist and down the base of her spine. When she felt them cupping her buttocks, she sighed and pressed her lower body down onto his hardness. She was warm and moist against him. He shifted his body ever so slightly, bringing it into a near sitting position. Donovan tangled his hand into the back of her hair and brought her lips up to his again. Her arms and legs went around him and her hands found the taut muscles of his back.
"Come inside me," she whispered against his lips. "Please, Frank, come inside me now."
He wasn't about to deny her request. She sighed as she felt him sliding into her deliciously slow and easy. They moved together, almost as one entity. She met her release first, and he soon after. Her body collapsed against his, and they kept their arms wrapped tightly around each other. She clung to him, her cheek resting against his damp shoulder. He brought one of his arms up and ran his hand through her hair. At first, he couldn't say anything. As much as the first time you said you loved her, you're trying to wimp out again, aren't you? Once again, he was afraid he was pushing too hard, but if he didn't speak now, he might lose his nerve. As if you haven't lost it already.
"I love you, Selena," he whispered.
Before he said another word, he felt her lips on his shoulder. "I love you, too."
"Selena, will you…will you marry me?"
Larkin drew away a little and searched his face. "What did you say," she asked in a stunned kind of shock.
He smiled a little. "I asked you to marry me. Will you?"
She kissed his lips very gently. "Yes, I'll marry you."
His lips found hers again and he kissed her deeply. When he broke it, he gazed at her. "I wasn't so sure you'd accept." She wanted to speak, but before she could, he completed his thought, "But in case you did, I brought a ring. I'll give it to you later, because right now, I don't want to move."
"Right now," she said smiling, "I don't want you to move."
* * *
Three Months Later
It was the heat that awakened her. Before they had gone to bed the night before, they'd turned off the air conditioning and opened the windows to let the breeze flow into the room. This morning, it was hotter than hell, but he didn't seem to notice. She climbed out of bed and made quick work of the windows. She went to the thermostat and kicked the air down a couple of notches. She glanced down at him and shook her head. She had no idea how the hell he could sleep in this kind of heat. Duh, Jane. He's slept in places a lot hotter than this. However, she did notice he had kicked most of the covers off the bed, giving a full view of his magnificent body. There are some advantages to the heat, oh yes indeed. She didn't go back to bed immediately. Instead, she glanced out the window at the growing, glowing ball of light that would soon make it even hotter outside. Before she turned around, she felt the solid wall of his body up against hers. She hadn't heard him getting up. Goddamn it, how does he do that?
"Can I persuade you to come back to bed," he asked while nuzzling the side of her throat.
She smiled. "Hmm…maybe. Wait until it cools off a little. I'm all hot and sticky."
"I don't mind," he said, sliding his arms around her waist. "Come back to bed."
"God, Frank, you never let me rest," she said, but she didn't sound the least bit annoyed. In fact, she was ready for him to drag her back to bed and spend another hour or two making love to her.
"We're not supposed to rest, Selena. This is our honeymoon."
"Oh yeah," she said as if she had forgotten. "It is. Okay then, take me back to bed."
"My pleasure."
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To be continued…