When my eyes opened, I was burrowed inside the blankets. Pale arms were wrapped around me, and somehow I knew it was much later despite there being no clock to check.

“Is it dark out?” I asked, instinctively feeling my neck. No bumps, only smooth skin. How amazing that there were no visible traces despite my whole body having residual tingles.

“Yes, it’s dark now.”

I turned to face him, gasping when his cold feet touched mine. “You’re freezing!”

“You took all the covers again.”

I glanced down at myself. I was cocooned in the entire comforter. Bones only had a few scraps of the blanket as he’d spooned around me. Guess he wasn’t exaggerating.

I unwrapped myself and threw half the blanket over him, shivering as his chilled flesh touched my bare skin. “You undressed me while I was asleep? You didn’t take advantage, did you?”

“No, I took precautions,” he replied, searching my eyes. It was then that I noticed he was so tense, a single blow might have shattered him. “I stripped you and hid your clothes so if you woke up angry about what happened, you wouldn’t be able to run out without talking to me first.”

Here was a man who learned from experience. I almost smiled at the mental image of him hiding my clothes under various boulders. Then I sobered.

“I’m not angry. I wanted it, and it was-incredible. I didn’t know it would be that way.”

“I’m so glad to hear you say that,” he whispered. “I love you, Kitten. I can’t describe how much.”

My heart exploded in my chest with a rush of feeling. Tears sprang to my eyes at the ache of emotion silently screaming to be voiced.

He saw the tears. “What’s wrong?”

“You won’t stop until you have all of me, will you? My body, my blood, my trust…and still you want more.”

He knew of what I spoke and his reply was immediate.

“I want your heart the most. Above all else. You’re exactly right, I won’t stop until I have it.”

Tears began to slide down my cheeks, because I couldn’t hold the truth back anymore. I didn’t know how I’d managed to hold it back this long. “You have it already. So now you can stop.”

His whole body stilled. “You mean that?”

Uncertainty but also growing emotion filled his eyes as they bore into mine. I nodded, mouth too dry to speak.

“Say it. I need to hear the words. Tell me.”

I licked my lips and cleared my throat. It took three times, but finally my voice returned.

“I love you, Bones.”

A weight seemed to lift from me I hadn’t known was there. Funny how much I’d feared something that shouldn’t have frightened me at all.

“Again.” He started to smile, and a beautiful, pure joy filled up the emptiness I’d carried my entire life.

“I love you.”

He kissed my forehead, cheeks, eyelids, and chin, feather-soft brushes that had the impact of a locomotive.

“Once more.” The request was muffled by his mouth on mine and I breathed the words into him.

“I love you.”

Bones kissed me until my head reeled and everything tilted even though I was lying flat. He only paused long enough to whisper onto my lips, “It was well worth the wait.”

TWENTY-ONE

C ATHERINE, YOU HAVEN’T BEEN HOME IN FOUR weeks. I know college keeps you busy, but you have to promise you’ll come home for Christmas.”

Guilt filled me as I switched the phone from one ear to another, waiting for my Pop-Tarts to come flying out of the toaster. The spring inside the machine usually sent them crashing out onto the counter.

“I told you, Mom, I’ll be there for Christmas. But before then, I’ll be very busy. I’m studying like mad. Exams are coming up.”

That wasn’t what had filled most of my time. Oh, I’d been studying, but not for college. No, Bones and I had been poring over any and all paper trails we could find to try and discover who Francesca had meant when she said someone “higher up” than a judge or a police chief. Considering it would have to be a person with authority over the police department, from all the missing or forged reports we’d uncovered, that left the mayor of Columbus as our most probable suspect. We’d been watching him. Tailing him, eavesdropping, checking his background, you name it. So far, nothing, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t just being careful. After all, we’d only been monitoring him for nine days.

“Are you still seeing Timmie? Please tell me you’re using condoms.”

I drew in a deep breath. I’d faced bloodthirsty monsters and been less nervous, but this was a discussion that had been put off long enough.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Why don’t you come over this weekend? We…we can all sit down together.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” was her instant question.

“No.” But when you hear this, you’ll wish I was.

“All right, Catherine.” She sounded less concerned, but still wary. “When?”

I swallowed hard. “Friday, seven o’clock?”

“Fine. I’ll bring a pie.”

And I’ll grind up some Valium and put it in there, because you’ll need it. “Okay. I’ll see you then. I love you, Mom.” Whether or not you’ll decide to love me.

“Someone’s at the door, Catherine. I have to go.”

“Okay. ’Bye.”

I hung up. Well, it was done. I’d tell Bones about it later when I saw him. Knowing him, he’d be pleased. Poor man didn’t realize what he had coming.

About thirty minutes later a knock sounded at the door, startling me. Timmie was out of town visiting his mother. Bones had left before dawn in his usual routine, so that only left my landlord Mr. Josephs to be considered, especially since I’d just hung up with my mother. When I looked through the peephole to see who was outside, however, I didn’t recognize the face. Either of them.

“Who is it?”

The vibe coming from the other side of the door was human, so I didn’t grab for my stakes.

“Police. Detective Mansfield and Detective Black. Catherine Crawfield?”

Police? “Yes?” Still, I didn’t open the door.

There was an uncomfortable pause. “Will you open the door, please, miss? We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

The tone of voice didn’t sound like he appreciated speaking through a wall. Frantically I kicked my stakes, always nearby just in case, under the couch.

“Just a second! I’m not dressed.”

I put the remainder of my weapons into a suitcase and shoved them under the bed. I threw a robe over myself to complete the picture of hastily clothed, and opened the door.

The one who looked around fifty introduced himself as Detective Mansfield, and the younger one, perhaps in his mid-thirties, was Detective Black. Detective Mansfield handed me a card with his name and number printed on it. I took it, shook their hands, and glanced briefly at the badges they flashed at me.

“Those could be from Kmart and I wouldn’t know the difference, so you’ll excuse me if we just chat at the door.”

My voice was cool but polite as I mentally sized them up. They didn’t appear threatening, but looks were deceiving, and we knew Hennessey had goons in uniform on his side.

Detective Mansfield looked me over as well, and his eyes were probing. I hoped I looked like the poster child of the innocent college student.

“Miss Crawfield, if it would make you more comfortable, you can call the department and verify our badge numbers. We’d be willing to wait. Then we could come inside and not have to stand.”

Nice try, but no cigar, fellas. “Oh, that’s all right. What is this about? Was my truck broken into or something? There’s been a lot of that going on at the campus.”

“No, miss, we aren’t here about your truck, but I bet you’ve got a good idea why we would want to talk to you, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t, and I don’t appreciate the mystery, Detective.”

Now my tone hardened a bit to let them know I wasn’t a quivering mass of jelly. Like my intestines had become.