Chapter Sixteen

“Not like that!” Larry stammered, then chuckled when he saw she couldn’t keep a straight face. “You can have my bed, and I’ll take the couch. I mean, the fluff all over your living room is what made your couch usable, right?”

“Fair point,” she conceded. “But seriously - wouldn’t me staying at your place break that whole ‘we have to maintain appearances’ thing? Just saying.”

“And the boss said I am to guard you personally, remember? Easier to do that if we stay together. Just saying.”

She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes.

“You are so stubborn, Agent Fuller. It’s a good thing you’re cute.”

He belly-laughed, and said, “Come on, let’s go see how bad the damage is in the bedrooms.”

***

Twenty minutes later, Leah threw up her hands in disgust. They’d put bureau drawers back in place, then put the scattered clothes away in both rooms. But Leah’s and Shannon’s beds were a complete loss, all the way down to the box sets.

“Whoever carved these up wasn’t hugged enough as a child, or something. It was a really angry person with way too much time on their hands that did this.”

“I would have to agree,” Larry said. “They were very, very thorough. My bet is, they sent a crew here, not just Zavier. Faster that way, even though it draws more attention.”

“Yeah, but,” she countered, “it was after ten p.m. on a Saturday night. Most of the tenants on this floor are single and go clubbing every weekend, so they weren’t home to see anybody break in. And anybody that was hanging out at home, like me? The bad guys didn’t bust down the door, they picked the lock, remember? Less noise. The loudest part of all this would have been the entertainment center falling over, but other than that, not much to give them away at all.”

“By the way - we haven’t even talked about a major part of all this cleanup,” she continued.

“Which is?”

“How many trips do you think it will take to haul all this downstairs to throw it away?”

“You figure out what can be kept, and I will handle the rest of it. I’ve got connections, you know,” and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

They separated, Leah starting in the kitchen while Larry tackled the debris pile in the living room.

“Pretty much every dish we had is destroyed,” she called out, once she’d swept up all the remnants and dumped the dustpan for the last time. “Cookware, utensils, a few spices, and some cans. That’s about all that’s still good from the kitchen.”

Shaking her head, Leah pulled the magnetized dry erase board off the fridge and began to make a list of items to replace. When she finished, she grabbed two cold bottles of water from the fridge and went out to the living room to offer Larry one.

“Nice work,” Leah said, nodding in approval.

He’d gotten all the stuffing corralled and into bags, righted the entertainment center, and gathered up the DVD collection, putting them back on a shelf.

“The TV is toast, and so are any places to sit,” he reported. “But other than that, not too bad.”

“Yeah. The three most expensive things to replace, not including the beds,” she pointed out. “It’s gonna cost me two, two and a half grand, at least.”

“No, it won’t.”

“Yes, it will,” she protested.

“Did you not hear me earlier? I’ve got connections,” Larry said again, and smiled.

“What time is it? I’m starved.”

He checked his watch.

“Eight-forty.”

“Food time?”

“Food time,” he confirmed. “We can order takeout and pick it up on the way to my place. And just plan on staying there for a week or so. All right?”

Leah smiled softly.

“All right. Let me grab some more clothes first, though.”

***

They hit a drive-thru for subway sandwiches then headed to Larry’s apartment.

She started to grab her suitcases and Larry immediately said, “Nope. I’ve got them. You’re in charge of sandwiches.”

She stuck out her tongue but didn’t argue, and they made their way together up the stairs to his front door.

“Nice place,” she said when she stepped through the door that he’d opened for her. “Comfortable. With stuff you can actually sit on in the living room, unlike my place at the moment.”

He grinned.

“I’m just going to set your bags down in the bedroom. Be right back.”

He returned in short order and led her into the kitchen.

“What would you like to drink?”

She shrugged.

“What have you got?”

“Whiskey?”

She smiled.

“Works for me. On the rocks?”

“One on the rocks, coming right up.”

He poured out two and handed her one, and they sat at the dinette table by the window, eating their sandwiches in companionable silence.

When they finished, Larry said, “I’m just going to grab my pillow and a blanket right quick, and then the bedroom’s all yours.”

“All right,” Leah replied, even as she thought to herself boy, are you about to be so, so surprised.

She smiled sweetly as she watched him arrange his bedding on the couch, then asked, “Mind if I use your shower?”

“Go right ahead.”

“Thanks, I’ll be out in a little bit. And make me another drink, would you?”

“I’ll have it waiting for you when you return.”

She sauntered into his room and shut the door behind her, then moved immediately to the second suitcase she’d brought and rummaged through it until she found her sexiest negligee.

Leah hummed to herself as she showered, then toweled her body off and slipped into the nightie. She brushed her teeth, towel-dried her short dark hair, then put on her terrycloth bathrobe to keep her plans a surprise for as long as possible.

She gazed at herself in the mirror, nodding in approval before she tied the robe shut and headed back toward the living room.

“Thanks,” she said silkily when he handed her the glass.

Leah sat on one end of the couch, feet tucked underneath her, and sipped her whiskey as she gazed at him.

***

All Larry could concentrate on was the jasmine scent wafting his direction. The same as in my dream, he realized, and felt his arousal kicking in.

He watched her as she finished her drink and set the glass on the end table.

“Well,” she began, “I guess I’ll turn in.”

She stood, then walked over until she was standing in front of him.

“Larry,” she murmured.

“Yes?” he replied.

She held his gaze and smiled seductively as she slowly untied her robe and let it drop to the floor.

“I think you should join me.”

His jaw dropped as he took in the dark blue satin and lace nightie she was wearing.

“Are you sure about this?”

She nodded solemnly, her eyes bright with want.

Once he realized she was serious, he wasted no time at all. He leapt from the couch, scooped her into his arms, and carried her to the bedroom.

“Woman,” he growled against her throat, “I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you.”

“Well, here I am,” she whispered against his mouth. “Be with me, Larry. I need you.”

He kissed her passionately before he gently laid her down on the bed, stepping away from her only long enough to shed his clothing. He rejoined her, pulled her close, and kissed her deeply again as their hands splayed across each other’s bodies.

His breath caught when her hands slipped down from his washboard stomach and closed around him. Leah smiled against his mouth as she made little motions with her hands, and watched his eyes go dark with pent up desire.

Larry returned the favor by drawing his right index finger downward, between her breasts, down her stomach, cascading lower then turning and moving up under her short satin gown until it met her center and made her breath catch as well.

When he saw the glow of passion in her face build to a crescendo, he knew it was time. He separated from her to roll protection into place, then slid into her effortlessly, his eyes locked with hers, and he saw and felt the inferno blazing in her as he buried himself.

Leah’s entire body quivered with each movement.

“Larry,” she breathed. “Oh, Larry…”

“Yes?” he whispered against her ear as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Take me there,” she gasped, drunk with the sensations he was causing.

Larry covered Leah’s mouth with his as he finally lost control. All he could see, smell, touch, hear, taste was her. Nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered. And when she cried out his name, she took him with her into oblivion.