Page 83 of Hold a Candle

“I’ll check with Quinn, but I’m guessing it will be off limits until at least Monday,” he said apologetically.

Pauley stood up. “Why so long? Luca’s hearing is over and there are no charges.”

Mica shrugged. “I don’t know. Luca was my investigation and I’m done with it, but mayhap the drug task force wants to look at it. At any rate, Quinn isn’t releasing the scene yet.”

Pauley rolled her eyes. “Any time they are involved, it always takes forever.”

A sense of dissatisfaction suddenly filled her as they walked with Mica to the front door. Police procedures would never change, but something had changed for her in the last five days. She had a new man in her life, one she wanted to explore a relationship with. Maybe spend the rest of her life with. She thought she might be in love with him, but her heart was holding out, refusing to trust easily. It was too soon.

Jamie’s talk about priorities made her feel a little guilty, mostly because he was right. True, there was always someone who needed help, and she loved helping people. She loved training the new detectives as they came up the line. Her caseload was always full, and it was why she’d gone into law enforcement in the first place.

As career paths went, she was a detective superintendent with senior privileges at a crime scene. She’d worked hard to get where she was, a lifetime in fact, and only a few others in the council had the seniority that she enjoyed. She had no intention of giving that up. She also had more vacation time than she would ever use in a year, and there was always more.

She glanced over at Jamie as they came to a stop at the front door and made a heart-swelling decision. When Mica reached for the doorknob, she put her hand on his wrist. “I won’t be in until Monday, Mica,” she said firmly, her blood rushing in excitement, her eyes catching Jamie’s start of surprise. “I’ll call Quinn and let him know. Ye will have to get along without me for a few more days, I’m going to be out of town.”

The smile on Jamie’s face broadened, and Mica looked from one to the other with a sly approving eye. He was no slouch—he could read the signs.

“Am I to assume ye are going to celebrate yer promise?”

Pauley didn’t hesitate as she took Jamie’s hand and slipped to his side with a knowing smile. “Actually, we are going to celebrate our engagement. Just a promise is juvenile, adults make commitments.”

Mica’s deep laugh rang out. “Enjoy yer time off, ye certainly have enough of it built up,” he told her. “I’m really happy for ye both.”

Jamie shook his hand when Mica reached for it, and then Pauley allowed him to give her a hug. “Thank ye, Mica.”

“Aye, thank ye, Mica,” Jamie added with the biggest grin Pauley had seen yet lighting up his face. The door closed behind Mica and Jamie took both of her hands. “What changed yer mind, lass?” he asked, pulling her in close to his body.

Pauley shivered with reaction as he placed her hands on his shoulders so his arms could slink around her on the silky black dress and rub her back and buttocks. “It occurred to me that if we are going to give the next eight weeks a fair shot, we needed to spend enough time together to get sick of each other,” she mocked. “That can’t happen if we are both working all the time.”

“And the engagement part?” He purred with satisfaction.

She could feel the hard length of him pressing against her abdomen and it set her blood on fire. “Thatwasjuvenile,” she admitted with a throaty laugh.

He picked up her hand and kissed her ring finger. “I wanted to show the world that ye are mine, and if juvenile was what it took to get my ring on yer finger, then I was ready to be juvenile,” he admitted, his attitude lacking in repentance or regret.

“Why, Mr. MacNamara, I’m shocked,” Pauley smirked. “I wonder what other lengths ye will go to in order to get what ye want?”

Jamie’s eyelids slid to half-mast and that evil grinchy grin appeared. “Ye are about to find out, my wee firebrand,” he murmured. Then his arms went beneath her buttocks and she squealed when he picked her up. Her arms locked around his neck as he stalked down the hallway and into his bedroom where he set her down and closed the door behind him.

Pauley’s heart rate picked up even more as he pulled her to the bed and raised her black sheath to reveal red garters and red lacy scraps of panties. Something she hadn’t worn in years and years. Somehow, she had the feeling he might like it if the evening went the way she hoped it would. She was right, his eyes lit up like roman candles.

“Ye are a naughty lass, aren’t ye?” he growled in delight as he guided her down and across his lap. Her upper body rested on the bed, leaving her rounded backside in the perfect position for his exploration.

Pauley shivered as he pulled down the scraps of red lace and moved aside the garters, leaving her buttocks free and clear for his touch.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, “just beautiful. Ye have firm, lovely skin, Pauley.”

“Not as firm as it used to be,” she mocked, glancing back at him.

He turned her head towards the closet door where the double doors closed to create one large mirror. “Look at yerself,” he whispered. “Ye are perfect as far as I’m concerned.”

Pauley looked at the sensuous scene they created together. Her legs were up, her high heels crossed in the air, and the white mounds of her buttocks stood out beneath his tanned palm. The only color in the picture besides the black and white in their clothing was the bright red garter belt and clasps, and her scrap of panties at mid-thigh.

“That’s probably the only part of me that doesn’t have a scar of some sort,” she joked feebly. “Motherhood and thirty years of law enforcement have a way of doing that to ye.”

She was surprised when he merely nodded. His eyes, dark in the low light, gleamed at her reflection in the mirror.

“Then ye’ll be in good company,” he replied. “I have a few scars of my own, courtesy of some of the dangerous places I’ve worked during my career, and my brothers. We can exchange battle stories.”

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