Chapter 8 #2
Water streams over us as I drive into her, each thrust pushing her up the slick tile.
Her fingers tangle in my wet hair, pulling my mouth to hers in a kiss that's all teeth and tongue and raw need.
This isn't about tenderness or exploration.
This is about burning off fear and stress and the accumulated tension of a day spent waiting for violence.
One hand slides between us, my fingers finding her clit, and she cries out. "Devlin, I'm close."
I increase the pressure, the rhythm, driving us both toward the edge. Her body tightens around me, muscles trembling, and I feel her right there on the brink.
Her orgasm hits hard and fast, her body clenching around me as she moans my name. The sensation pushes me over, and I bury myself deep as I come, groaning against her throat as pleasure whites out everything else.
We stay like that for a moment, breathing hard, hearts pounding, the water still running over us. Slowly, I lower her back to her feet, my hands steadying her when her legs threaten to give out.
"Better?" I brush wet hair back from her face.
"Much better." She leans against me, exhaustion finally catching up with her. "Thank you."
"For the sex or the distraction?" I reach for the body wash, starting to actually clean us both now that we've burned off the worst of the tension.
"Both." She turns under my hands, letting me wash her back, her shoulders, the curve of her spine. "And for not treating me like I'm fragile. For understanding I needed to feel something other than afraid."
"You're not fragile." I work the soap into her skin, the touch intimate but no longer sexual. Just the care of one person for another. "You're the strongest person I know. And you're allowed to need release from the pressure without being weak."
She turns to face me, water rinsing away the soap. "We're going to catch him. Whoever it is. They're going to make a mistake, and we're going to be ready."
"We're going to catch him." I repeat it with certainty, pulling her close under the spray. "And then you can go back to your life without looking over your shoulder."
"What if I want you in that life?" She looks up at me, direct and honest. "After all this is over. What if I want to keep you?"
The question hits harder than expected. "Then you keep me. If you still want me when the danger's gone and I'm just a K9 handler with a dog who steals your food."
"I'll still want you." She reaches up, her palm against my jaw. "This isn't just adrenaline and proximity. You know that, right?"
"I know." And I do. What's building between us started before the stalking escalated, before she moved into my quarters. It's been there since Duke decided she was pack. "Same goes for you. When this is over and you're safe again, I'm not going anywhere."
We finish the shower in comfortable silence, the earlier urgency replaced by tired contentment. When we step out, I grab towels for both of us, and we dry off in the steamy bathroom.
Andi heads to the bedroom in just a towel, and I follow after securing the house for the night. Duke's already in his spot on the floor at the foot of the bed, having checked all the windows and doors himself.
I catch Andi as she's about to drop the towel and climb into bed. "Not yet."
"Devlin, I'm exhausted."
"I know." I scoop her up, carrying her the few steps to the bed. She laughs, surprised, and wraps her arms around my neck.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking care of you." I set her down on the bed gently, then climb in beside her. "You gave me what I needed in the shower. Let me give you what you need now."
"Which is?" But she's already curling against me, her head finding my shoulder like it belongs there.
"Sleep. Safety. Someone watching over you while you rest." I pull the blankets over both of us and invite Duke on the bed. "Tomorrow brings whatever it brings. Tonight you get to just be Andi. Not the target, not the victim. Just the woman I'm falling for who needs sleep."
"Falling for?" Her voice is already getting heavy with exhaustion.
"Yeah." No point denying it. "Falling for."
"Good." She presses a kiss to my shoulder. "Because I'm falling too."
She's asleep within minutes, her breathing evening out, body relaxing against mine. Duke shifts at the foot of the bed, his head lifting periodically to check the windows and door before settling back down.
I don't sleep much that night, listening for sounds that don't belong, monitoring Duke's reactions to every shift in wind or distant noise. He's restless too, knowing something's wrong even if he can't articulate it.
Morning arrives with pale light through the bedroom curtains. Andi stirs against me, warm and soft and safe in my arms. I want to keep her here, locked in this moment where nothing can touch her.
But that's not reality.
She dresses in work clothes—cargo pants, fitted shirt, hair in its practical braid.
Ready to face whatever the day brings. I watch her move through my quarters like she belongs here, and something in my chest tightens at the thought that this is temporary.
That once Hutchins is caught, she goes back to her cottage and her independent life.
Unless she chooses to stay.
"I need to go into the operations building this morning," she says over coffee. "Lieutenant Colonel Cain wants an update on the investigation, and I have reports that can't wait any longer."
"I'll drive you. Duke and I will stay close." Not negotiable. Hutchins might be under surveillance, but that doesn't mean he won't try something.
"Okay." No argument, just acceptance. She's learning to let me protect her without seeing it as weakness.
We drive to the operations building together, Duke in the back seat. Base is fully awake now, morning routines in full swing. People notice us arriving together, but I don't care about gossip. The only thing that matters is Andi's safety.
I walk her to her office, Duke at alert beside me. "I'll be nearby. Text me when you're done with Cain."
"I will." She squeezes my hand once before disappearing into her office.
I position myself where I can maintain line of sight to her door, Duke settling beside me. The morning passes in routine security work. Andi emerges twice—once for a meeting with Cain, once to grab coffee from the break room. Each time, Duke and I shadow her movements.
Around midday, an assist call comes through—medical situation, another operative, I’m the closest person, I have no choice but to leave. I remind myself Hutchins is being watched so everything should be fine. I shoot Andi a quick text:
Need to answer a call. We’ve got eyes on Hutchins. You should be fine. Don’t leave your office.
I take off with Duke at my side.
My phone buzzes as I’m responding. Nelson:
Hutchins' surveillance lost him twenty minutes ago. Last seen leaving maintenance building. Location unknown. Be alert.
Ice hits my gut. I try and untangle myself from the medical emergency, but those kinds of things can’t be rushed. I remind myself that Andi should be safe.
I text Andi:
Stay in your office. Lock the door. Hutchins' location unknown.
Her immediate response:
Sorry. I was running late. I needed to do a final survey check near eastern retention pond. Back in 30.
Every instinct I have screams wrong. The retention pond is isolated, far from help, exactly where Hutchins would know to find her if he's been watching her routine. And he's off the surveillance grid.
I'm already moving, Duke at my heels.
Wait for me. Don't get out of your vehicle.
There is no response, and I know Andi. I know her dedication, her need to complete her work, her refusal to let fear control her schedule.
I break into a run, Duke matching my pace. The retention pond is a quarter mile from the operations building. Too far if Hutchins is already there. Too far if he's making his move right now.
Duke's body language shifts as we clear the maintenance buildings, his nose working the air. He's caught something. His head snaps toward the wetlands, ears forward, every line screaming alert.
"Track," I command, giving him full lead. "Find Andi."
He launches forward at speed, and I follow, weapon drawn, praying we're not too late.