Shane shut the door to the O'Toole residence behind her and locked it quietly, just in case Oliver had fallen asleep for the evening. She very much doubted that was the case, but she hoped to avoid any questions about her and Rita's night out.
She tiptoed past the den and the study, not finding her spouse in either location. A quick peek in the kitchen narrowed his whereabouts to the bedroom.
Please be asleep, she thought to herself, knowing it was wishful thinking. Oliver simply wouldn't allow himself to retire to bed when Shane hadn't yet returned safely home for the evening.
As she entered their master suite, a strong pair of arms encircled her upper body.
Shane gasped.
His face was only a few inches from hers, and he was smirking.
"Oliver O'Toole, you scared me to death!"
He didn't look the least bit ashamed. In fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself, a bit amused, even.
"I am sorry, love, but you must have known how anxious I have been for you to return home." He raised his brows at her and Shane recognized the longing in his eyes.
"Well I, I thought that our, uh...rendezvous last night in the Brown Palace would tide you over for a while."
"Oh you did, did you?" His voice was low, husky.
He inched his face towards hers, his lips softly teasing her lips.
Her worried mind immediately attempted to fight her natural instincts to succumb to his advances. She knew that the more intimate time they spent together, the more likely he would discover—
Her heart raced as her thoughts completely shut down. That man could kiss any and all of her worries away...and he did...
Morning came much too quickly. The O'Tooles rushed to get ready, as they were running behind, which allowed too little time for conversation. Shane was grateful.
"I have some errands to run after work today," Shane informed Oliver. "I'll take my car."
Oliver nodded, not seeming too bothered by her statement. She wasn't entirely sure, though. The time constraints they were under could have likely prevented any questions or objections he might have normally had.
Throughout their day in the DLO, Shane found herself stealing glances at her husband as often as she found him looking her direction.
At least they had somewhat restored their physical connection. It would have been a completely blissful week of romance celebrating their two anniversaries; Shane's growing guilt, however, dampened her mood, and she was sure Oliver had noticed.
"Norman and I came in early and searched the lab," Rita whispered to Shane, just before they headed out to lunch.
"What?" Shane whispered back, casting a different type of glance toward the lab, where their husbands were working on their current dead letter case. "You told Norman?"
"No! Of course not." Rita was taken aback, and Shane immediately regretted her tone.
"I'm sorry, Rita. This whole thing just has me out of sorts."
"It's okay, Shane. I can only imagine how you must feel." Rita gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Like a part of me is missing," Shane remarked sullenly. "It's getting more difficult for me to keep my distance from Oliver, especially now that it's our anniversary week."
"Why would you want to keep your distance?" Rita asked, perplexed.
"Because, Rita, the more time he and I spend together—especially alone time—" Shane cleared her throat. "The more likely it is that he'll notice."
"I see." Rita grew quiet.
"Rita, I don't think it's here in the DLO. We've turned this place upside down. I need to do a thorough search at home, but I can't do that with Oliver there. I need you to do me a favor and have Norman occupy him for a few hours."
"Oookay," Rita replied, somewhat hesitantly.
"You think I should tell Oliver, don't you," Shane stated, pursing her lips and exhaling as she looked down at her bare hand.
"Tell me what?"
Shane's head snapped up at the sound of her husband's voice. He was walking toward her desk, while Norman stood in the doorway of the lab, casting a perplexed glance at Rita. She awkwardly slipped away from Shane, chuckling nervously as she passed by Oliver. He eyed Rita suspiciously, then looked back at Shane.
She sighed, knowing that her time was up.
"We're going to head out for lunch," Norman announced, yet neither O'Toole responded nor seemed to notice when the couple retreated from the DLO.
Shane bit her lip, avoiding Oliver's gaze.
"Well...shall we go to lunch as well?"
That was not what she expected him to say. She turned her head to look directly at him, her brows knit together.
He watched her expectantly, and after a few moments she nodded.
After Shane had gathered her things, the couple walked out of the DLO in silence.
