Page 18 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)

Quinn insisted on reading through every email. It took a while, but she was the thorough kind, both at work and in private. Lia admired that quality about her.

“Typical,” she declared then, showing she could be overly blunt at times too.

“What does that mean? Tell me more,” Lia invited.

“Well, she starts off all nice and chatty, doesn’t she? Giving you this, ‘Hey, long time no see, how-are-you-darling? ’ kind of vibe. But then—”

“She’s not British.”

“What?” Quinn frowned.

Smiling, Lia threw an arm around her shoulders and kissed her soundly on the cheek. “You make her sound like the British Queen.”

“Well, you know what I mean. It begins friendly, then she turns questioning, and finally, bitter and vindictive when you fail to reply.”

“Yes, I noticed that too.” Lia nodded as she exhaled. ”Guess I’m just trying to lighten the mood up a little.”

“I’m sorry this is happening, Lia.” Quinn placed her fingers at the back of her neck, expertly zooming on a painful knot and digging gently to dissolve it. Lia tilted her neck the opposite way to help with the process. “I know from things you said that you really cared about Brooke. Probably still do.”

“Probably,” Lia admitted. “We were engaged.”

“Of course.”

“Even if we didn’t see each other or rarely spoke anymore, I still considered her a friend. Or worst case scenario, at least not an enemy!”

“Don’t worry, okay? We’ll sort this out.”

Lia turned to look at her. Mine, she thought as Quinn held her gaze. Her wife, lover, best friend. All sparkling blue eyes and surfer-blond hair, with the sort of body that would sell fitness magazines like hot cakes. Though, of course, Quinn would never consider being on the cover of one...

“What?” she prompted softly. “I say something wrong?”

“No.” Lia shook her head. “Just… I love you, Quinn.”

Even though she knew it, this kind of open statement still had the power to make Lieutenant Wesley, tough as nails former army captain and equally resilient cop, blush like a young girl in pleasure.

“Ah. I’ll go for that,” she nodded with a grin.

Smiling in return, Lia hooked her arm back around her neck to deliver a deep kiss. She loved to feel the instant softening of this hard body pressed against hers, the way Quinn always yielded for her, no matter what.

“I love you, Lia,” she murmured.

“I think I should go see her. Apparently, she’s still based in Boston. I want to confront her face to face, find out what the hell is going on.”

“Hmm-mm. Yeah.” Quinn bit lightly on her lip. “I thought you might say that.”

“I think I should go alone,” Lia added.

“Thought you might say that too.”

“Yes, I’ll be better able to—”

“No,” Quinn said softly.

“Darling. Listen—”

“You listen.” Quinn wrapped her up in a tight embrace and flashed a blazing smile at the same time. “Don’t call me darling and argue about this, Lia,” she ordered. “ We are going to find out what’s going on. Together.”

“Okay, but… No, please, listen to me!” Lia laughed when Quinn rolled her eyes, amusement and impatience both obvious in her gaze. “We can go to Boston together, but I should talk to her on my own.”

“You are such a reporter.”

“Does that mean stubborn and obstinate?”

“You know it does, as I’ve told you plenty of times before.”

“With all due respect, babe; you ever heard of the pot and kettle situation?”

“Lia, are you asking me to stand aside and let you enter your crazy girlfriend’s lair on your own? Sorry to say, but it sounds as if she’s turned psycho on us.”

“ Former girlfriend.” Lia did not dispute the crazy bit. “And yes, I am asking you.”

Quinn held her gaze, then narrowed her eyes with a little smirk.

“Say please,” she demanded.

“Make me,” Lia grunted, then gasped as she found herself immediately flung onto her back with a warm mouth covering hers. All in the blink of an eye.

Mm… Yes. Of course, she could count on her hot-blooded wife to always respond positively to this sort of challenge. Quinn kept one arm locked loosely around her neck; she slipped under the waistband of her shorts with her free one and proceeded to stroke her in a way that only an exceedingly attentive, adoring, and long-term partner would know how to. Lia held on to her, laughed, and moaned at the same time.

“What are you doing to me?”

Quinn stopped trailing a line of kisses behind her ear long enough to answer.

“Negotiating. Don’t you know it’s a marriage thing?”

“What—Oh!” A precise flick of her finger over her clitoris had Lia gasping again in reaction. She arched her back, seeking more of the same kind of pressure. But Quinn was apparently not willing to grant it to her yet.

“Huh,” she sighed. “This is torture.”

“Do you really think so, Ms. Kennedy?”

“Yes.” Lia tried to capture her mouth and was also denied. “You’re not playing fair.”

“You said ‘make me’ .” Quinn yanked her shorts down her quivering thighs. “So, I will. Mm… You smell lovely from the shower.”

“Kiss me,” Lia demanded next and smiled inside when that request was swiftly granted. Gosh, I love you...

She grew slick and aroused under the languorous rhythm Quinn established, accepting the round of ‘negotiations’ , as the soothing gift it was meant to be. Lia was upset in more ways than one, and Quinn clearly understood. What on earth could have made Brooke, always such a strong and proud woman in the past, snap like that? But the emails backed up Lia’s original hunch about the writing style, and Quinn was accurate when she said she sounded like a psycho. Brooke apparently just wanted to say hello in her first email. Maybe visit and catch up in person in the next one. And then, the most shocking thing of all… She admitted a bit later on that she wanted to get back together, and wasn’t it a shame Lia was married now? Never mind. According to her, there were ways around these things. She dared to call the most amazing miracle of Lia’s entire life ‘a shame’ ? Dammit! First, that awful blog. Now, this. It hurt, yes. And so, Quinn would find a way to love her all through it. Knowing this only fueled Lia’s arousal.

“Babe,” she whispered. “I’m so close...”

“I know; I can feel you pulsing in my hand.” When in the mood, Quinn excelled at this kind of talk. And as Lia shivered, she followed up with a gorgeous, wicked smile. “Even so, I am still waiting to hear you say the magic word.”

She took her mouth with another kiss, nicely demanding, loaded with love, passion, and a hint of teasing. Frustrated and delighted in equal measures at her antics, Lia attempted to roll on top of her and regain control. Quinn just laughed and lay more heavily on top of her, keeping her captive. It was all part of the game.

“Be good,” she instructed and circled a lazy finger around and over her clit.

Lia convulsed.

“Quinn,” she groaned.

“Yes.”

“Come on!”

“Yeah? You got something to tell me?”

Torn between laughter and a fresh moan, as these talented fingers drifted a bit to push gently against her opening, Lia gave a heated chuckle.

“Maybe,” she conceded.

“You’re beautiful when you’re fighting not to give in.”

Lia could feel how hot and swollen she also was as Quinn rode her thigh. Getting there as well, she thought in satisfaction. And fast with it, too. She knew every nuance in her wife’s blue eyes, every alteration in her breathing, every heartbeat. She laid gentle fingers on the back of her neck, eager for another taste of her mouth. Lia fondled her left breast at the same time. Not so gentle with that gesture, but possessive and urgent. She pinched her nipple, felt her flinch, and soothed the burn with a heavy caress. The needy grunt this got out of her wife almost pushed her over the edge.

“Soon, you’ll be the one begging me,” she laughed.

“Not soon enough for you,” Quinn assured and proceeded to make the statement true.

She rubbed her harder, faster. Made her blood sizzle and sing, and tingles of need radiate from the very core of her being to the tip of her erect nipples. Lia arched under her. Even as she started to lose control of her own breath, she fought to recover and continued to hold, determined to ride this wave of pleasure for as long as she could.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Quinn let out as she ended a torrid kiss.

“Because of you.”

“And you know the best bit?”

“What?” Lia managed to pant.

“You’re my wife. You belong to me. I love you, Lia.”

That did it. Lia was no longer playing or even able to think when she surrendered in a whisper.

“Quinn… I’m yours. Please.”

◆◆◆

They lay in a hot tangle afterward, recovering. Passion and play gave way to a sweet and tender embrace, another favorite part of lovemaking for Lia. Quinn snuggled in the circle of her arms, just as eager for it. She was pretty ruthless about not allowing anyone to witness her less dominant side, and Lia loved the fact that she was so comfortable asking for cuddles with her, openly enjoying the freedom to express this more vulnerable facet of her character.

“Some negotiation, eh?” she murmured.

“Bet they don’t do that every day at the UN.”

“No.” Amused, Lia chuckled. “I feel very fortunate.”

“Me too. So, I’ll need to tell Wilson about the situation with your ex. Is that okay with you?”

“It’s fine. And I’ll book us a flight to Boston ASAP if that’s alright with you as well.”

“Yes, it is. Thanks, Lia.”

“No problem.”

They looked at each other and smiled.

◆◆◆

Cody could not have said for sure what came first: Kim’s subtle movement as she lay sleeping in her arms or the ringing of her cell phone. Sensitive, you bet…

“Ssh, it’s okay,” she murmured and answered the call the way she always did. “Yes. Miller.”

“Detective Miller, this is Officer Clay with Sector 9. Thought you’d like to know that your suspect was spotted at a bar and grill restaurant close to the airport last night.”

“I do,” Cody confirmed, instantly wide awake. “What else you got?”

“The waitress there saw the police appeal on the news after her evening shift, and it rang a bell. She’s pretty sure the man she served was Jack Winters. He had steak and eggs and did not leave a tip.”

“Is that why she remembers him?”

“Not quite. What made an impression was his aggressive manner and the creepy way he kept staring at her breasts while she served him.”

“Yeah, that’ll do it. Any idea where the guy was headed next?”

“Affirmative. Motel 6 just across from where the restaurant is located.”

“Where are you now, Officer?” Cody prompted.

“Just got to it, Detective. I’m parked on the road, safely out of sight.”

“Ping me your location, Clay; I’ll be right with you.” She hung up and started to throw on clothes. At the same time, she shared the information with Kim. “Sounds like Winters may be hiding at a motel. Hopefully, we’ll have him nice and tight in custody before he can think of trying to elude us again. Where is my other boot?”

“Here, babe.”

Cody flashed a quick grin as she handed it to her, and her heart swelled at the term. Babe. Nice. She could get used to it. She laced up the boots, hooked on her belt, and reached for her badge and weapon.

“I’ll call you with an update as soon as I can.”

“I’ll be at work and waiting.”

“No problem.”

Cody stopped when she reached the door, suddenly feeling a little shy as she turned to face her. “So, uh… Are you free for dinner tonight?”

Kim’s smile lit up her entire face.

“For you,” she grinned, “absolutely.”

“Cool.” Cody wanted to linger and mentally cursed the fact that she could not. “I have to go.”

“You got backup?”

“Yes. All safe.”

Kim nodded, stared at her for a split second, then grabbed her face and kissed her. Just as hot and passionate as before, except that now the kiss also held an added level of intimacy and a thrilling touch of possessiveness. She ended it with a tiny bite, just hard enough to cause a spark on Cody’s lower lip.

“Come back to me in one piece, Detective.”

“You give me one hell of an incentive.”

“Good,” Kim said with a flash of her sultry eyes.