with a piece of paper, and they had words. It was obvious they were having a heated discussion, so, after he took off, I decided to see if Clare needed to get something off her chest."
"Did she?"
Amber shook her head, her ponytail waving behind her. "No, she talked hedgerows and arches, but then we were interrupted by a knock at the door. I had a perfect profile look at Mr. Paul Desoto."
Desoto had always been in the pool, but never in the deep end, and never wet enough to give the cops probable cause to get a warrant, or hell, for that matter, to focus manpower chasing him. "But it doesn't necessarily tie them to Peña."
"Maybe, but Desoto and Clare have a past and are tied to someone else who is a known associate of Peña." She showed him the monitors and walked him through the afternoon's events. "Captain Terrell wanted us to call when you got back. I think he wants to talk about how we are going to get a look at what's in the greenhouse."
"Damn, then Clare Edelman is the key, not Erik."
"We think so. She knows Desoto in an up close and personal way, and they both have a connection to Aarón Rubio."
"Rubio is directly tied to Peña. We need to get a better look at the greenhouse."
"Yep. But how? She barely let me in the damn thing when I stopped by today, and she's never offered to give us a tour, other than in passing."
He snapped his fingers. "Erik."
Amber blinked at him and cocked her head. "Excuse me?"
"He's proud of what he built. If I tell him I'm going to build you one as a surprise, he'll want to show me what he's done. I'll ask him to take me for a tour, and you can keep Clare busy so she can't run interference."
A smile spread across her face. "I know how to do it, but we'll have to wait until Saturday. I can make an appointment for Clare and me at a spa. She mentioned it today. We'll be gone for hours."
"Perfect. In the meantime, let's call Terrell."
Chapter 19
Amber stretched and smiled. Brody was wrapped around her back, spooning her tight against his body. She loved this time of the morning, when the worries of the case weren't foremost. Brody's hand splayed across her abdomen, and he moved his hips against her.
"Morning." His deep voice was a few octaves lower first thing in the morning. The rumble went through her back and deep into her soul. It was a sound she never thought she'd hear again and one she prayed she never took for granted.
"Good morning." She pushed back into him and was rewarded with another rumble of sound. This one was a needy growl. His morning whiskers scraped against her shoulder. The stark contrast between his warm lips, soft tongue, and scratchy whiskers sent a shudder of anticipation through her. They'd made love every night, several times a night, and almost every morning, too, but the love they shared now was different than it was ten years ago. At least for her it was. She was happy in her own skin, content in the new relationship which was regenerating from the disaster of the past, and pleased they'd cemented the remodeled connection with communication. The sex was fantastic, but more than anything, she cherished the friendship, trust, and forgiveness that supported what they were building between them.
She rolled onto her back and Brody covered her, moving between her legs. She ran her fingers through his bed head hair and smiled at the sexy man who looked at her like she'd placed the sun in the sky.
"What time do you have to meet Clare?"
She groaned. "Nine. We're driving into the city. It will take at least an hour to get to the spa and then we have four hours booked. Mani-pedi and a massage, plus an hour drive back after we have lunch."
"Then we have time." Brody lowered to her breast and circled her nipple with his tongue. She arched into him and held his head down to her sensitive skin. He took her into his mouth and hummed. The vibration and suction traveled in currents through her body. Under her skin, her muscles contracted, sending the pulsing currents along a familiar corridor of building tension and need.
Her hands traveled along the divots and ridges of his shoulders and back. His skin prickled under her exploring fingertips. The tactile need to reinforce her connection