“Yeah, well, anyway. Paul, or rather Paula, was raped as a child. She married at age eighteen to get away from dear old dad and was severely beaten by her new husband. As a result, she needed plastic surgery to repair the damage. Once under the knife, she decided to have facial reconstruction to look like a man, complete with a new brow ridge and a more masculine jaw.”
“That’s amazing. What about gender reassignment surgery?”
“She didn’t have that done. Only a hysterectomy and lots of testosterone shots.”
“It makes so much sense now. She didn’t want other women to suffer like she had. My God, why didn’t she get help?”
“We’ll never know. She hanged herself this morning.”
Kerry gasped. “Part of me feels sorry for her too.”
“Don’t. She/he was a vicious vigilante.” Hunter pummeled his fist in his palm. “I should have seen the signs. Dalton was small for a man and had the nicest hands. I figured that’s why he became a surgeon.” Hunter held up his large, meaty palms. “I could never hold a knife with any precision with these paws.”
Kerry wanted him to hold something else. “I say we put Dr. Paula Dalton to rest and move on with our own operation.”
Hunter dragged her to him and peered into her eyes, into her soul. “Sounds like a plan.”
She wanted to strip him naked and spend the entire day in bed with him, but the thought of walking on the beach, smelling the salt air won. She’d have her feast later.
After they changed, they stepped through the open sliding glass doors on to a small, cement patio. Hunter unhooked the metal gate and voila, the beach. Her bare feet sunk into the warm, fine-grain sand, and the wind whipped through her hair. Kerry closed her eyes, tilted her head to the sun, opened her arms, and inhaled the wonderful salt air.
She relaxed and turned to Hunter. “I couldn’t be in a better place right now. Thank you.”
His grin puckered his cheeks. “Come on. I have a proposition for you.”
No way would he propose. Their courtship had been too quick. She expected a wall of fear to restrain her, but instead joy spread through her.
Hunter got a glint in his eye. “Race you to the water?”
“You’re on.” Sprinting as fast as she could, she fell farther and farther behind the speed demon. Naturally, he won.
He grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. “We’ll have to get you in training.”
“Riiight.”
Hunter’s face turned serious as he gazed out to sea. Kids ran behind them, and then ducked into the water, sending sea spray their way.
“I’ve been worried about Phil,” he said.
Whoa. Not what she thought he was going to say. “So am I.”
“This past week I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, about him, about us.”
She liked the us part. “What about?”
“If Phil doesn’t think his life has value, it’ll kill him. So he and I came up with a plan—and you’re part of it.”
“Me?” He sounded edgy for some reason.
“Phil wants to work, but he’ll be too frustrated behind his old desk. As chance would have it, Braham University called a few weeks ago and spoke with our boss. They said some philanthropist, whose wife and daughter had died recently, wanted to donate a state-of-the art forensic facility on campus. They need someone with a police background to run it. So Phil plans to interview for the job once he gets out of the hospital.”
She smiled. “That sounds perfect for him. But you said I’m part of this. How?”
“Whoever gets the top job will be in charge of hiring the best of the best. And you fit the bill. You can still teach, but Phil and I figured with your talent in 3-D modeling you’d make the perfect candidate for the forensic anthropology position. Given the nature of the lab, we figure there’ll be many skeletons in people’s closets that will need identifying.”
“I love the idea. When I’m not teaching, I could help identify the victims; something you know is dear to my heart.”
“And I would be there to protect you.” Hunter pulled her a few feet into the swirling water and the cool foam lapped at their ankles.
She reached up and kissed him briefly. “Tell me more. Would we be working directly for the sheriff’s department, or what?”
Hunter headed north along the beach, still holding her hand. “No. You’d be paid extra by this lab. The new owner understands if any faculty members are hired, they shouldn’t announce their moonlighting activities to Braham University.”
“So we’d be working in secret?”
“Kind of looks that way. The kinks haven’t been worked out yet.”
Her mind raced with possibilities. “Would anyone other than law enforcement be able to access the lab?”
“Most definitely. Any private citizen who wants the lab to work on a paternity case, cold case or whatever, could hire the lab—for a hefty fee, I might add.”
“This sounds too good to be true. A state-of-the-art lab. We wouldn’t have to wait months and months for DNA testing.”
“You got it.”
“Well, count me in.” Anything to keep Hunter in her life.
Hunter did a one-eighty and headed back to the hotel. “Come on. I have something better in mind than talking shop.”
The hotel room brought relief from the sun, sand, and crowds. The moment they stepped into the cool room, Hunter pulled her to him and kissed her hard. Kerry still couldn’t get used to Hunter being such a free spirit. He’d always been so in control.
He patted her on the butt. “I say we don’t waste water. Let’s shower together.”
He didn’t have to ask her twice. He led her by the hand into the bathroom. The joy and excitement of being with him made her laugh.
“What’s so funny?” he said, as he stripped naked.
His erection stood at attention. The sparkle in his eye told her he was glad he pleased her.
“Nothing.” She ran her nail down his chest and twirled the tip along the head of his cock. “I’m just...” How could she explain this newfound glee? “Happy.”
He grabbed her hand. “I think we better shower first before your happiness carries you away.”
“Spoilsport.”
He ran the water to heat it. Kerry stood there enjoying him move, the soft light bouncing off his muscular body.
“Are you going to undress or what, Ms. Happy?” She didn’t move. “Here, let me help.”
As he helped her pull down her bathing suit, she laughed. Hunter stopped the strip job and nuzzled her neck. “Hey, don’t get sidelined.” God, when was the last time she’d flirted with a man? Probably never.
“Not a chance.” In a flash, she was naked, her sandy clothes tossed carelessly near the door.
When steam spewed from the shower, they stepped into the stall and closed the glass door. The four-foot by four-foot shower barely fit both of them, but she wasn’t complaining.
Her back to the water, she dropped her head and wet her hair, enjoying the pounding heat on her scalp. As she poured a palmful of shampoo onto her head, Hunter grabbed the soap and lathered first her shoulders, and then her hips.
She giggled. “That tickles.”
He looked crestfallen. “You’ll have to sacrifice for cleanliness.” He conveniently stopped his soapy hands on her breasts and scrubbed them thoroughly.
Between the lavender soap, the lemon shampoo, and the delicious sensations coursing through her was almost too much to handle. Having more important things to do than worry about the knots in her hair, she quickly rinsed.
Hunter ducked the soap between her legs, and Kerry perked up. She grabbed the bar from him before he excited her too much and ran the slippery soap first over his well-formed chest, and then over his rippled abs. “I think these may be your best feature.”
He tossed her a look of mocked horror. “And not this handsome face?”
She kissed him. “The face will do. Turn around.”
After she lathered his back, he returned the favor. When their fingers wrinkled, they rinsed, touched, and kissed. As her tongue danced inside his mouth, his fingers worked magic on her sensitive G-spot.
Her elbow smacked into the wall. “Ouch.”
“Maybe we should try something a little safer.”
“Like?”
“You’ll see. I want more room to explore you properly.” Hunter reached around her and turned off the water. “This time, I want to go slow.”
“I like slow.” Okay the truth. “I like fast too.”
“You are easy.”
“Only for you.”