L.A. Dead (Stone Barrington 6)

Stone had been erect since she'd answered the phone, and Charlene wasn't interested in foreplay. He was inside her before they were fully on the bed, and she was already wet. They made love hungrily, rolling about on the king-size bed, he on top, then she. There were no words, only sounds-yells, bleats, cries, moans. The breeze from the Pacific blew over their bodies, drying their sweat, keeping them going. She came slowly to a climax, and Stone followed her more swiftly, penetrating her fully. More sounds, followed by gasps for breath, then they were both lying on their backs, sucking in wind.

"Good God!" she managed to say finally. "I've done a lot of fucking in my time, but I don't think I ever had a running start before."

"I was in a hurry," he panted.

"Oh, I'm not complaining, Sugar."

He turned and reached for her. "Again," he said.

She pushed him onto his back. "Now you take it easy," she said. "My call for tomorrow isn't until eleven, and you've got to last until then. I don't want you to leave in an ambulance."

Stone burst out laughing. "Oh, I feel wonderful," he laughed. "First time in days; I don't know how long."

"You've been wound a little tight, haven't you?"

"You wouldn't believe how tight."

"Well, I think I've just had a demonstration, and if it took you that long to start unwinding…"

"I think I may live now, if Dolce doesn't shoot me."

"Dolce? Is there somebody I don't know about?"

"My wife, God help me."

"Sugar, I believe we've skipped a part of your bio," she said, rising onto one elbow and tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Paper marriage," he said. "Piece of paper, nothing more. Trouble is, it's an Italian piece of paper."

"Baby, you're not making any sense. Did you get drunk in Vegas, or something?"

"Happened in Venice," he panted. "The real one, not the Vegas one. Glorious place to get married."

"Did she Shanghai you?"

"I went voluntarily, I'm afraid. I don't know what I was thinking."

"So, what's the next level of that relationship?"

"The next level is divorce, and I have a feeling it's not going to be easy, since it has to happen in Italy."

"I don't understand how… wait a minute; you came out here just to help Arrington, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Were you in Venice when you heard about Vance?"

"Yes. We'd had the civil ceremony; we were due for the big one, in

St. Mark's, the next day. When I heard about Vance, I dropped everything."

"Including Dolce?"

"Turned out that way."

"How did she take it?"

"Badly."