In the Shadow of Love (13 page)

“You’re very beautiful.”  She held her breath wanting more.  His lips trailed across hers and excitement coursed through her body like fire.  The rush of it was intoxicating, lasting only a moment before he put some distance between them. 

“When this is all over,” his breathing was ragged, “if you still feel the same way,” he took a deep breath, “we’ll do it right.”

His words left Maggie with a yearning and hunger that was fueled by the lingering warmth of his body against her skin.  She wasn’t sure she could wait until this investigation was over.  Looking up into his eyes for reassurance he didn’t meet her gaze.

“I need a moment,” he cleared his throat, “and then I think we need to get back to the investigation.”

Disappointment flooded through her, his words dousing her passion like a bucket of cold water.  She didn’t want to get back to the investigation.  She wanted to be loved and held and cherished.  She tried to think of something to say but couldn’t.  She was left staring at his back as he left the room.  A feeling of rejection threatened to overwhelm her.

“Stop that!”  Stomping her foot she chastised herself thinking she was still alone.

“Maggie?”  Morris’ voice brought her around to reality.  “Is everything okay?”

“Er, fine.  Just fine!”  Her previously good mood had soured.  “Let’s just get this done and over with, okay?”

“Maggie, look, I–”

“No, don’t!”  Her hand went up to silence him.  She just knew she’d break down if he said another word about their brief but erotic encounter.  Her emotions ran wild as she tried to sort through everything that had changed in the short time she had known him.  She just couldn’t take him being sweet and understanding.  Not now.

“You’re right,” she continued. “We need to finish with the investigation.”  Her voice held a tone of professionalism she didn’t feel.  Gathering her strength she sat down at the table.  “Now where were we?”

The next few hours passed excruciatingly slow.  Maggie’s demeanor yelled - HALT, stay out!  Struggling with his own surge of confusing emotions, Morris fought against a strong sense of loss.  Shoving aside his uneasiness he took Maggie’s lead and hoped that they could work everything out once this case was solved and put in the closed-case files for good.

 Despite the distractions they had accomplished a lot.  Maggie had put together a detailed analysis and writing profile of the people who had forged documents and setup the dummy companies funneling money and materials illegally through a maze of bureaucracy.

Now, as with DNA, they needed to find somebody for comparison.  Her talents as a document examiner and forensic linguist were impressive.  In a fairly short period of time she had boiled down the evidence to the necessary indicators and clues that he was convinced would ultimately help solve the case.

Suddenly, she pushed herself away from the table interrupting his concentration.   “Well, I can’t look at another piece of paper today.”  She stood and stretched her arms above her head.  She glanced at her watch as she lowered her arms.

“Is it really that late?”  Her stomach growled.

“Yes, it’s really that late.”  He tried to sense her mood.  “The least I can do is buy you dinner.”

Maggie wasn’t expecting an invitation to dinner, especially from someone who she had just treated so coldly.  Images of her moping around the past few hours flashed through her mind and she realized just how horrible it must have been for him – and, he still wanted to buy her dinner!

Laughter burst from her lips and she couldn’t stop.

“I didn’t know that having dinner with me would be so amusing.”  He actually sounded hurt.

“It isn’t–,” she fumbled over her words.   “I didn’t mean to – look, I’m sorry about the way I’ve treated you the past few hours.”

He looked surprised.

“Friends?”  She extended a hand and when he touched her she felt that earlier spark of attraction

“Friends.”

Even a friendly handshake made currents run through her physical being and his body language told her he felt the same.

Looking for a distraction, Maggie turned to clear the kitchen table.

 “Let’s order in.”  Keeping her back to him while she fought to regain her composure, she continued, “I know a great Chinese place that delivers.”   She couldn’t bear for him to see her disappointment if he said no.

“Okay.”  It was almost a whisper.

Turning to face him, she looked him in the eye to gauge his reaction.  “That way, if we want to discuss anything, we don’t have to worry that someone will over hear us.”

“Good idea.”  His tone was guarded.

“Okay, then, I’ll give them a call.”  She reached into a bin on the wall and pulled out a slightly crumpled brochure that served as a menu and handed it to him.   Bold letters at the top announced, Mr. Wong’s China Palace.

 “Anything in particular you’d like?”  Grabbing the phone she dialed without looking for the number.  “Boys and I love this place.”  It was obvious that she’d use this take-out service many times before.  “And, they don’t use MSG!  It’s all fresh.”

“Whatever you order is fine with me.”  He was more of a steak and potatoes man – her palate apparently more experienced than his.

Morris had never heard a woman as enthusiastic about food before as he listened while she placed their order.  

“Here,” she handed him a bottle of wine.  “You’re in charge of drinks.”

He studied the label - a California Merlot.  She pulled a cork screw out of a drawer and grabbed two wine glasses from an overhead rack.

“Follow me.”  Leaving the kitchen she headed towards the living room and placed the dishes on a low table in the middle of the room then turned to take the wine glasses from him.

The table was beautiful with rich tones of a reddish brown wood.  He hadn’t noticed it the first time he was in this room.

 “It’s Koa wood.”  She answered his unasked question.  “From Hawaii.”

“Aw.”  It was mouthed more than said.

She stroked its smooth surface.  “I got this on a trip to the University in Honolulu when I did some consulting there.” 

She turned to light a fire.  She had already lit one inside of him and he was hungry to put it out.  He watched her move smoothly around the room getting everything ready, mesmerized by her graceful moves.

Then the door bell rang.

“And that would be our dinner.  Open the wine so it can breathe a little.”  The last part was tossed over her shoulder as she headed for the door.

He stayed in the living room absorbing the warmth of the fire.  He felt at home and it felt good.  Almost too good.  Warning bells sounded in his head.  He should leave while he was still in control of himself.

The sound of the front door closing was followed by her return to the cozy atmosphere of the living room.  She was gone only a few moments and in that short period of time he missed her.  He knew it was crazy but he had missed her.

Tonight they were alone, no interruptions, just them and take-out from Mr. Wong’s China Palace.  He poured two glasses of wine and set them on the table.

Kicking off her shoes, Maggie folded herself onto the floor with the agility of a young girl.  Feeling a little awkward trying to mimic her gymnastic efforts he somehow managed to curl himself on the floor, legs crossed beneath the table, without cutting off his circulation.  It was clear he needed to add more flexibility training to his workout schedule.

Placing the containers in the middle of the table she picked up a pair of chopsticks and began serving, impressing him with her prowess with the skinny pieces of wood.  Then she handed him a pair and panic set in.

“I never could get the hang of these things.”  He waved them in the air as if surrendering.

“It’s easy, really.”  Picking up her pair she demonstrated, making it look easy, but he was skeptical.  None before her could teach him how to use two simple sticks that millions of peasants all over the world had mastered for centuries.

She opened and closed the sticks as if they were an extension of her fingers.  He dropped his at every turn.

“No, not like that.”  She gathered herself from under the table and was by his side before he knew it.  “Here, let me show you,” demonstrating more slowly this time.  He tried to mimic her motions. 

“That’s better, but you need to relax more.”  Kneeling beside him she stretched her right arm along side his while holding his larger hand in hers. 

“Like this.” Her breath caressed the side of his face and neck.  It sent shivers of ecstasy through him.  Suddenly, food was the last thing on his mind.  His body tensed wanting her more than ever.

“That’s it!” Her voice excited.  “You got it.”  She promptly rose to her feet leaving his body aching for her touch.

Sitting across from him she began to eat.

             “Aren’t you hungry?”  She looked at him in confusion.

“Yes.”  It was the truth, but not for food.

“Dig in then,” she said with a full mouth.  “It’s good.”

Regaining his composure he did just that.  Her smell and touch lingered in his brain and on his skin.  It
was
good food and soon his body settled down, letting his other sense of hunger take over.

They ate in quiet companionship for the first few minutes before Maggie broke the spell.

 “You know what I don’t get?”  He looked at her, silently urging her to continue.  “Why would someone in Owen’s corporation try to hide a fictitious company in the name of a lower level, blue-collar employee.  I mean it doesn’t make sense.”  She furrowed her brow.  He noticed that she did that whenever she was concentrating.

“At some point an audit would have uncovered it.”  She furrowed her brow even more.  “Unless–“ she waved a chopstick in front of her as if it were a pointer.

“Go on.”

“–unless the auditor was in on it as well.”  She dug into her food some more.  “I’ll have to see if I have anything on the auditor.  I think I do.”

She ate heartily, and it was obvious that she enjoyed life.  He liked that.  The last woman he dated never finished a meal and was so thin that he thought she’d blow away.  A blind date set up by his sister and it was his last date until now.

“A penny for your thoughts.”

“They’re not worth it,” looking up from his food.

She lifted her wine glass and held it up to make a toast.   “Then here’s to getting a lot accomplished today.”  He raised his in kind.

The wine trailed smoothly down his throat.  It was perfect.  A perfect wine for a perfect dinner with a perfect woman.  The only thing that would make this evening more perfect was Maggie naked in his arms after a night of passionate love making.  The thought sent a trail of reignited passion burning through his body, rekindling sensations he had fought so hard to quell.

He ate more food and drank more wine.

“Tell me about yourself.”  He wanted to know more about the woman who was stealing his heart.

She looked up, startled, her eyes fully engaging him.

“Do you want to know as a cop or as a person?”  She teased.

“As a person.”  He longed to touch her but remained where he was, a sea of Koa wood between them.

She put down her chopsticks and took another sip of wine.  Holding the delicate vessel in her hand she proceeded to tell him all about herself.

Time passed quickly as Maggie talked.  She became acutely aware that she had revealed more than intended.  Maybe it was because of the wine, but maybe because she was falling in love for the first time.  It sounded strange having been married and being the mother of two young boys, but this was different.  She was different.

She topped off both wine glasses even though she knew she shouldn’t.  She was getting carried away but it felt right.         She lifted the glass to her lips and let the dark red nectar flow down her throat, emboldening her to go on.

“–and then we got divorced.  So, here I am with two young sons, but that part you know.”  She glanced at her watch.  “Wow, I’ve been babbling for the past half hour.”  She looked up and cast him an impish glance.  “Now, it’s your turn.”

She saw him flinch.

“There’s not much to tell.”

“Oh no you don’t.  You don’t get off that easy.  You now know more about me than I do about you.”

“That’s right, I do.”  He smiled a smile that made her heart race with anticipation.

“Turn-about is fair play.”  Maggie was determined to even things up.  “So are there younger versions of you around?”  Maggie didn’t know why she asked that but wished she hadn’t when his heart-racing smile was quickly replaced by a look of forlorn.  A painful silence passed before she found the courage to speak.

“I’m sorry.”  She wanted to break the awkward silence, anything to get the mood back where it was.  “If it’s too painful, I–”

“Let’s just talk about something else, okay?”

“Sure.”

He quickly gulped the fiery liquid in his glass, placing the fragile wine glass a little too hard on the table.  The sound broke the silence that threatened an otherwise perfect evening.

“Maybe another time.”  Maggie put both hands on the table to lift herself off the floor.  “Time to clear up the mess.”  She started to grab empty take-out containers when he took hold of her hand.

“I’m not trying to shut you out.  I just haven’t talked to anybody about this,” he paused, pain etched across his face, “and I’m not sure I’m ready to do it now.”

“It’s okay, really.”  She laid her hand atop his.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to cause you to relive so much hurt.”  Her eyes fixed on his.

Then suddenly he was standing, pulling her towards him.  Caught off guard, she didn’t resist, feeling his warmth cover her body as he held her tighter and tighter and she lost herself in his arms.

Morris couldn’t stop himself - he didn’t want to. This was where he needed to be right now.  Just a few minutes with her in his arms he told himself and he’d let her go.  She didn’t resist.  In fact, she seemed to welcome it.

Her hands caressed his back sending a shiver of desire up his spine.  Before he knew it his hands were under her shirt.  He hadn’t meant to let things go this far but the soft skin of her lower back ignited a fire in him that had been threatening to burn wild all evening.  He heard her moan – it was a sound of unchecked pleasure.  He knew he should stop but he couldn’t.  He was in a dream and he didn’t want to wake up.