Chapter 12

12

"I was so worried about you." Gwen clung to Will, resting her cheek on his chest.

"Me, too." His voice rumbled beneath her cheek. "I don't know how you survived, but I'm glad."

Clay and the other FBI agent had subdued Caruceko and hustled him out of the laboratory. Winston had never returned. Once able to draw in a breath without shaking, she drew back to study his face and touch the trail of dried blood down his swollen cheek. "We've got a first-aid kit in the cabinet." She crossed to the storage cabinet. "You got that fighting Winston?"

"Yeah. That guy must have been a boxer. He dragged me to the front entrance and slammed me against the door. The pressure bar released, and Clay and the other FBI agents poured inside and subdued him."

"I was so worried Winston would take you to the side entrance. Caruceko told me they'd come inside that way but there would have been no one to help you. I'm surprised Clay came ready for action. Didn't they only want to talk to us?"

"They probably keep equipment in their vehicles. I know I would."

Will spoke as calmly as if the last half-hour had been a walk in the park. She wiped the perspiration dripping down her temple and found the medical kit on the bottom shelf. Will sat in a chair, and she tore open a wipe and doctored Will's cut. "Why did they want to meet us here, anyway?"

"To find out what we knew about Caruceko's whereabouts."

"And they found him." She pressed a bandage pad to his cheek, tossed the trash and tapped an icon on her cell. "I should call the campus police with an update."

"You've got them on speed dial?" His blue eyes sparkled.

"Remember he called me earlier." Gwen lifted a finger when Starnes answered. She told him what had happened and disconnected. "He's coming over. The incident at the dorm was a false alarm."

Will nodded. "Probably set up as a diversion."

"The situation got scary so fast, but I've learned a lot from you. Staying poised in an emergency is a very attractive trait of yours, you know." She smiled.

His face flushed. "I can assure you I was a heap of nerves on my first missions." Will lifted her chin. "You, on the other hand, absolutely faked out the villain and saved the day."

Several hours later, well after midnight, Will let them into his apartment. The glittering skyline rose beyond the windows like a million diamonds glittering in the dark. "I for one am glad to be here."

"Me, too. I'm making an ice pack for you." Gwen dropped her overnight bag and tote beside the kitchen island.

"I've got one of those reusable freezer packs, but I got hit hours ago. Applying cold now probably won't do anything to reduce the swelling."

"Don't you think it's worth a try?" She opened the freezer and pulled out the frozen pack.

He held out his hand, settled on a stool, propping his elbow on the counter and the cold pack on his jaw. "A little wine might go down nicely right now. There should be a bottle of merlot chilling."

Gwen found that and two glasses. "You have a corkscrew?"

"In the drawer next to the fridge."

She handed the opener over and, holding the bottle between his knees, he managed to twist the screw into the cork and handed the bottle back. "Now you can slowly lift the cork out by pressing down on the handles slowly."

Soon, she had filled two glasses.

"Cheers!" Will clinked his against hers. "We've survived the last two days."

"Yes." She carried her wine over to the windows. "Less than two days. We didn't meet until Friday night. They say you get to know a person's real character when they're under stress."

They'd spent every waking moment together in a pressure cooker. Will was no longer a stranger and fast becoming so much more. He'd proved she could depend on him, but they'd been busy reacting to the threats against her and the lab. Neither of them had talked about their relationship or their feelings. She didn't know hers, not for the long term, anyway, but tonight had proved that life could be cut short at any time. Shouldn't they simply enjoy each other's company while they could?

Will turned his head, the cold pack still pressed against his cheek. "We definitely had enough to turn coal into a diamond."

She sipped the very good merlot and sank onto the sectional. "Or drive us crazy."

He tossed the cold pack back into the freezer and walked over.

She rubbed her palm over the soft microfiber fabric of the couch. "I'm glad we didn't try to drive back to Westchester tonight."

"As you pointed out, I needed to ice my jaw."

She laughed. "Hope it helped, but you can't have used it more than five minutes."

"That's all it's getting." He set his glass on the coffee table and stretched his arms along the back cushion. "Tomorrow is Sunday. You can sleep in with no worries."

"You mentioned a flag football game tomorrow in the park." She took a sip, letting it work its magic to loosen her muscles. The exhaustive aftermath of the adrenaline rush faded. His body so close to hers energized her, every cell in her body swiveling like a satellite disk homing in on a signal.

"The game isn't required attendance."

Playing along, she teased, "You have other plans?"

"Depends on you." His deep voice seemed to wrap around her, banishing the city lights outside to another planet. She shifted closer to him and traced a design on his thigh, her gaze never leaving his.

He was giving her that look, the one that awoke the little flutter inside. "I'm flattered you're planning your weekend around me. What's left of it."

He took her hand. "Earlier you said I was a good influence on you."

The delicious heat of his body soaked into her. "I've definitely got my confidence back."

"I'd like to influence you in a different way." He cupped the back of her neck and bent close, hesitating a breath away.

"Is that so?" she teased, and her lingering exhaustion vanished into thin air. He kissed her neck, working up to her ear which he nibbled, and then across her cheek.

"Are you going to give me a real kiss?"

He pulled her into his lap. She straddled his legs and smiled. "You're just pretending."

"No. Doing it right." He cupped her face and kissed her. She slipped her hands over his shoulders and down his strong arms. "I need a little more convincing."

"Is that so?" He repeated her question in mock surprise. His hands found her hips. When he settled his mouth over hers, she opened to him, and he dove deeper, stretching the kiss out so long she gasped for breath when he raised his head.

But not too far. His warm, wine-tinged breath caressed her mouth, and shivers coursed through her all over again. "Is that better?"

She caught her hands behind his neck, the tickle of his dark hair broadcasting waves of wildfire down her arms, over her shoulders and down through her core. This man really did it to her, but she wanted so much more.

His fingers found her buttons. Seconds later, cool air on her bare skin sent goosebumps skittering over her skin. He planted kisses over her shoulders, and she leaned into him.

His hands moved up over her ribs, slowly, slowly, making her breasts tingle in anticipation. He whispered in her ear, the brush of his beard making her insides shivery. "Do you want what I do tonight?"

"I think so." She did. Being here with Will felt right.

"You sure? You've had a rough day." He lifted his sexy, dark brows.

"A day in the life, huh? And what a day." But she'd survived, and she needed to feel that in every fiber of her body.

If this led to complications, so be it. Tomorrow could take care of itself. She let her blouse slip down her arms to emphasize the point. "Yes, I'm sure."

He scooped her up and carried her down the hall, stopping once to kiss her deeply.