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path Pam had made; the white one led to her bedroom, where she d closed the door.
Long, tapered candles cast a golden light off the glasses of chardonnay waiting for
them; the bottle sat in a silver ice bucket at the edge of the table. She d made dinner an
event. Red lace tablecloth with matching napkins set off white place settings. Silverware
beside each gleamed. She d pulled out the very best for tonight. How ironic this would also
be the night they became engaged. Declan blessed the Fates that had guided him.
Pam removed the covers off the food: pork loin all carved and waiting to be served,
fresh asparagus, and tiny new potatoes flecked with rosemary.
It looks and smells wonderful. He held her chair out and she slipped into her seat.
I hope you enjoy it.
I know I will. He lifted his wineglass after he sat. To us.
Smiling, she mirrored his action. They clinked glasses, then sipped to his toast.
If you don t mind, I d like to wait until after Remy and Gloria s wedding to make any
announcements.
88 Caitlyn Willows
I agree. It was Remy and Gloria s time. Nothing should distract from that. By the
way, I never asked. How did you manage to slink out of maid-of-honor duties?
Sister trumps best friend. Thank goodness. Way too much stress and responsibility for
me. She winked as she put a piece of pork in her mouth.
Declan did the same. It was so tender it nearly melted before he could chew. They
should probably talk about this leap they d made. Doing so felt like a mood killer.
The robe does feel good.
And I love the way your napkin sits on your ... uhm ... lap.
Declan tossed back a laugh. His cock wore the red lace like a scarf. It s hungry, too.
It ll get fed soon. She speared a small bite of potato.
More surprises?
You have no idea, she purred. We re going to do some exploring. Don t worry. I ll
give you a little something to take the edge off after we eat. After all, I want to make sure
you ll last the night.
So far it didn t take much. All he had to do was think about Pam and he got hard.
Plus, someone s going to have to do the dishes. I don t want to get my new ring wet.
I d call that a fair exchange -- whoever cooks, the other one does the dishes. But let s
not make a list of rules, he quickly added.
I agree we work things out as we go. I think we re both grown-up enough to know
how to cohabitate with another person.
And mature enough to work through any issues, he said. They lifted their glasses,
toasting to that.
He and Pam knew each other s likes and dislikes, as well as what the problems had
been in their previous marriages. They d been friends for years, lovers for months. A lot of
people started off with a lot less going for them.
Anything noteworthy happen at work today? he asked, shifting into safer territory so
he would at least last through dinner.
Everyone s on edge. Mayor, district attorney, police commissioner are all demanding
quick resolution. They seem to have lost sight of the fact that this just happened yesterday.
Evidence gathering and evaluation takes time. No one seems to give a rat s ass that we get the
right man, just that we get someone to throw to the wolves.
Typical political bullshit, people worried more about their jobs than doing the right
thing. If any mistakes were made, the police -- specifically, Pam and Buckley -- would be the
ones blamed.
I m surprised you re not pulling an all-nighter.
So am I, she said. But there really wasn t much more we could do tonight. There s no
way we can rush certain lab reports. The commissioner seems to forget this isn t TV. DNA
Buddy System 89
takes longer than five minutes, not that we ve found anything unique to jump on. From the
way things look, it ll be Monday before we can find out who prescribed the Ambien for
Murray.
So you did determine it was hers?
We think so. The levels in her blood seem to indicate that.
Someone else could have given it to her.
We thought about that, too, since there was no prescription at the house. If the
pharmacies draw a blank or we have a suspect by then, we ll move on to that. The
surveillance tapes from the hotel showed nothing. We won t be able to get the ones from
your building until Monday, if we can get them then. Several of the doctors in the building
are balking; they claim doctor-patient privilege. Hank s going to hash that out in court
tomorrow.
Are we still doing the bachelor party thing tomorrow night?
Yes. We ve got no other leads. Even though this is a poor one at best, the captain
wants to carry it through. I ll be serving cocktails, still skimpy, but with strippers there I ll
doubt anyone will notice me.
Baby, they d have to be blind to not notice you.
Pam smiled. Aren t you sweet, and completely biased.
Guilty as charged. They toasted again.
And what about you? Did you have any luck today? she asked.
Declan took his time chewing his asparagus while he thought of how he wanted to
answer. The curve of her eyebrow told him his ploy was obvious.
The women were in my Thursday-night group sessions. But I can t give you the names
of the other participants without a subpoena.
You ll have it. She kept that eyebrow arched and her gaze locked onto him as she
finished her wine. I presume you checked their files for information?
I did and nothing there rang any alarm bells. Again ...
You ll need a subpoena. Yes, I get it.
And she clearly wasn t happy about it. Declan didn t care. He had a job to do just as she
did. Turning conversation back to them suddenly seemed an excellent idea.
Declan split the last of the wine between them. Any thought to the type of wedding
you d like to have?
Small and private, only us if we can get away with it. A small gathering later on to
celebrate should soothe hurt feelings.
He liked that idea and told her so. When?
She shrugged. We re together so what does it matter?
90 Caitlyn Willows
He didn t like that. It matters to me. The sooner I make you my wife, the happier I ll
be. I m a little hurt you could simply shrug it off.
Pam had the nerve to smile. I can tell. Your napkin s deflated.
I m serious, Pam. This isn t a joke.
You think I don t care? That damn eyebrow came back up. It was really starting to
annoy him.
I m beginning to wonder.
She slid her chair back, then extended her hand to him as she stood. Come with me.
He clasped her fingers and let her lead him down the white rose petal trail to her
bedroom. The door opened with her gentle push and the scene before him took Declan s
breath away. The stage she d set for dinner paled in comparison. It had been a woman s room
before, with lacy ivory curtains, pale peach bedspread, flowery percale sheets and blond
wood furnishings -- all very nice, but designed for and by a woman. Now it was a sensuous
den of elegance.
Blond furnishings remained. Pillars, tapers, and votives of black and gold lit every
surface. Draperies matched the black velvet and gold satin bedspread, which was turned
down to reveal gold-colored sheets. Gold rose petals shaped a heart at the foot of the bed. In
the center, Pam had spelled out I Love You with them.
I wanted this to be a night to remember. She hugged his arm. Think this story will
be good enough to tell our children?
Emotion clogged his throat. All Declan could do was nod.
Of course, they don t need to know what happens from this point on. She slipped the
knot free on his robe, then raked it down his shoulders. Lie down, facedown. Time to do
some exploring.
He clicked his gaze down to hers. What kind?
Pam dropped her robe on a whispered trust me, then dusted her fingers up his dick as
she stretched on tiptoe to kiss him. She darted away before they could touch and waved her
hand toward the bed.
Declan tugged the bedspread down. The satin underside made it slither to the floor. He
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