Overkill(103)

“What about Eban’s?”

“No observance, private burial in the family plot. Rumor is that Sid has left the running of his conglomerate to chief executives and has gone abroad for an unspecified length of time. He’s been disgraced, and he had a long way to fall. He’s rather pathetic, isn’t he?”

With Doug’s profound grief fresh on his mind, Zach wasn’t ready to be quite as merciful as Kate, but he didn’t envy Sid Clarke the years he would spend trying to live down the tragedies wrought by his son.

“Theo?” he asked.

“Another quiet service. I was unable to attend, but I sent something and signed it from both of us.”

“Thank you. You’re back in the AG’s good graces?”

“Oh, my, yes,” she said with a wry smile. “Secretly, I think he’s relieved that it ended the way it did.”

“He can tick the Eban Clarke box.”

“Correct. Problem solved. He didn’t have to publicly address a muddy issue, and his hands stayed clean. At a press conference, he publicly commended my courage to tackle the tough cases.”

“Did the son of a bitch mention that you narrowly escaped with your life?”

“As a footnote.”

“Bastard,” Zach muttered.

“Doesn’t matter. I know he’ll always be a politician first.”

After more muttering, Zach said, “Cal is still on the mend?” He’d been released from the local hospital and taken back to Atlanta.

“He’s expected to make a full recovery, hopefully before the baby arrives. Bing was going to return to Greenville via Atlanta so he could stop and check in with them. He and Melinda have formed quite a bond.”

“Should I be jealous?” Zach asked.

She laughed. “I don’t think so. He’s devoted to you, Zach. He loves you.”

“Both a curse and a blessing.”

“You don’t fool me. You love him back. In any case, before he left today he invited himself to spend Thanksgiving up here with us.”

He gave her a dubious look. “Can you cook?”

“Hmm, basics. But a Thanksgiving dinner is beyond my skills, so Bing offered to bake the turkey.”

“Be afraid.”

Again she laughed. “He’ll have help. Mother will make the side dishes.”

He raised an eyebrow.

Sheepishly, she said, “I included my parents. I hope that’s all right.”

“Sure. As long as they like football.”

“Not to worry. They’re big fans. Fair warning, Daddy will be starstruck.”

“Even though I’m sleeping with his daughter?”

“Just that once.”

He growled, “More than once.”

“We only slept for an hour, though.”

“But I had carnal knowledge of you three times.”

“Three if you’re counting… that.”

“Oh, I’m counting that.” He ran his thumb along her lower lip, pressing down the center of it with the pad and pushing it between her teeth to touch her tongue. “Before that, I thought you licking off that coffee foam was the sexiest thing I’d ever watched.”

Her cheeks flooded with color, and she made a breathless little sound as she moved his hand away from her mouth. “You got us off track again.”

“Not me. I stay on this track.” He slipped his hand under her top and into her bra cup. “Which is good, because it seems like you’re planning to spend a lot of time here.”

“Well,” she said, removing his hand from her breast and assuming her firm prosecutor’s voice, “there are a few logistics to be worked out first, Mr. Bridger.”

“Like what?”

“Like an invitation from you.”

“You’re invited. What else?”

“I have a job. I’m good at that job. I want to keep that job.”

“So keep it. I have a job that I’m good at, too, and I plan on keeping it.”

“But I want you, too. So much.”

“That’s the only thing I needed to hear, Kate. It’s the only thing that counts. We’ll work out the logistics as we go along. One day at a time. Okay?”

“Okay. But—”

“But?”

“I am a planner.”

“I have a few plans myself.” He looked around. “This is a big place. We should fill it up.”

“Your decorator has done a more than adequate job of furnishing it.”

“Yeah, but I was thinking more along the lines of a boy to teach to throw a spiral. I don’t know much about little girls, but no reason for them not to toss footballs around, too, is there?”

Kate pushed away from him and sat up straight. “You’re skipping about five steps.”

He scooped her up into his arms and headed for the staircase. “There’s one step we’re skipping that I’m going to fix right now.”

Even carrying her, he climbed two stairs at a time. In the bedroom, he set her down and cupped her head between his hands. “Do you want to lie down?”

“Not necessarily.”

Mouths fused, he backed her against the wall. After a fierce kiss, he began undressing her, tugging at articles of clothing—cursing the uncooperative ones and tossing them aside when they came free—until he knelt and peeled off her slacks. He kissed her through a pair of underwear so small and sheer as to be token. They didn’t last long.