Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker 6)

“I’m glad.”

They ate the first course slowly, sipping their wine. When they finished, Teddy glanced at his watch: perfect timing. He cleared away their dishes, put them into the dishwasher and then removed the roasting duck from the oven, crisp and juicy. He cut the duck expertly into pieces and arranged them on two plates, leaving room for the small potatoes and haricots verts he had already prepared, then he served them.

“It looks wonderful,” she said.

“I hope you think so when you’ve tasted it.”

She signaled her approval with her first bite. “No one has ever cooked me a dinner as good as this,” she said. “Certainly not a man.”

“Cooking is one of my pleasures,” Teddy replied.

“What are your other pleasures?” she asked.

“Shooting, building technical things and…” He stopped.

“What?”

“I was about to go too far,” he said.

“You were going to say sex, weren’t you?”

Teddy laughed. “You don’t know me well enough for that, yet.”

“I like shooting, too,” she said, “and…” She stopped, and they both laughed.

She reached over and touched his hair. “This isn’t original equipment,” she said.

Teddy laughed. “I’m vain, and I look better with hair, even if it isn’t original equipment.”

“It looks good on you,” she said, “but my guess is you’d look just as good without it.”

“You have a liking for bare scalp, do you?”

“On some men it looks good.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Teddy said, “but I’ll keep my hair on, at least in public.” Especially while he was in the same town as Holly Barker, he reflected.

He took their dishes away and brought them both ice cream, then he put a coffeepot and cups on the living room coffee table.

She took a seat on the sofa, near the center, and he sat close to her. They were both warm with the Scotch and the wine, and it didn’t take long before they were kissing.

“It’s been a long time for me,” she said.

He knew from his research that she meant since Bruno had raped her.

“I won’t rush you,” he said.

She kissed him again. “I think I’d like to be rushed.”

Teddy picked up the tempo.

When he awoke the following morning she was in the shower, and she came back to the bedroom toweling herself, but naked. He liked it that she wasn’t modest about what was a very beautiful body.

She lay down next to him for a moment. “I’d really like to make love to you again,” she said, “but I have an early staff meeting that I can’t be late for.”

“I understand,” he replied. “Is this about the rapist/murderer you’re looking for?”

“Yes. We’re having everybody sit down together at the same table: the local cops, the medical examiner, the forensics people. Maybe we can get a little synergy going.”