He grabbed the tank top and yankedit over her head, tossed it aside, while she reached behind her back and undidthe bra. It, too, disappeared, and then she was sitting astride him, her soft,hot pussy pressed to his cock, naked from the hips up. God, she was beautiful.
With dazed wonder, he moved hishands over her flat belly, up to feel the weight of her full breasts. Desiresurged through him and his hips lifted, thrusting his hard-on into her softness.Her eyes closed, her face tight with raw need, and she quivered beneath histouch.
She opened her eyes, appearingbemused herself, and reached for the buttons of his shirt. She undid the topone, then the next, then impatiently slid her hands inside to feel his chest.He gasped at the touch of her fingers on his chest, his nipples.
He pulled her down and rolled again,twining his legs with hers, trapping her against him, heat to heat, kissing heragain, wrapping his arms around her in a crushing embrace.
"Trey," she gasped,wrenching her mouth away from his, "stop. Please."
He could barely hear her over theroaring in his ears. Somehow, he managed to regain a fragment of control andgulped in a breath. "What?" he gasped. "What's wrong?"
She rolled away from him and lay onthe edge of the bed, her back to him. As he tried to focus his blurry vision,he pressed a hand to his fly, his cock throbbing painfully behind it.
She was so slender he could seeevery vertebra curving from her smooth neck down to the swell of her bottom inthose soft yoga pants. He watched her ribs rise and fall quickly with heragitated breathing.
"What is it, Marli?" heasked, straining to keep his voice gentle. But Christ, he was so turned on hecould barely see straight.
"I can't do this."
He was silent. She'd been doing justfine a minute ago. More than fine. Ho, boy. He took a deep breath andblew it out.
"I'm sorry," she mutteredinto the pillow. "I just can't."
Communicating with women wasn't oneof his strengths...witness his train wreck of a marriage. Marli wasn't hiswife...hell, she wasn't anything to him, except...important. Soimportant. He wanted to do this right.
He rolled onto his back and staredat the ceiling, trying in vain to control the blood rushing to his dick and thefurious pounding of his heart.
"Please, tell me why," hewhispered. "Talk to me, sweetheart."
She was silent, but he waited,calling on every ounce of patience he possessed. Her heard her sniffle, thenfelt her roll, too. He turned his head and saw she lay beside him, her head onthe pillow next to him. He reached up a hand and took her chin, tugging towardhim so she faced him. He touched her mouth with his fingertips, then removedhis hand. They weren't touching, just lying side by side, looking at eachother. Even with eyes shadowed with pain, her mouth pinched, she was sobeautiful.
"It's just wrong...tobe...enjoying myself like this. At a time like this. Krista's dead," shesaid baldly. "I should not be doing this."
"Oh, Marli." He'd talkedto victims' families so many times and he knew what she was talking about."It's okay, honey. Life goes on." He reached out and touched hercheek with gentle fingertips.
Slowly, she lifted her hand andgrabbed hold of his, pressing it to her face. "But it feels sowrong," she cried softly. "To go on with my life, when hersis over."
"I know."
She gazed back at him. Then sheclosed her eyes. "You were asking me earlier why I was so determined tofind her killer."
"Yeah." He waited.
Eyes still closed, still grippinghis hand and holding it to her cheek, she started to talk. "The nightKrista was murdered, she and I had a big argument." She stopped andsqueezed her eyes closed tighter.
Trey waited.
"She met...Rob...Sheldon...whoever.He was a smooth talker, and she really liked him. Then I sat down, and hestarted flirting with me a bit." She took a breath and opened her eyes."I wasn't flirting with him," she said earnestly, eyes pleading withhim to believe her. "I just...talk...and stuff comes out. I would nevertry to take a guy away from Krista. But she was mad. We'd both had a lot todrink. My fault again," she said a little bitterly. "I didn't want tobe at a stupid country bar, so I was ordering tequila shots for everyone. ThenKrista was telling me that I'm always attracting guys' attention, alwaysflirting with them. She told me to back off. I was so pissed off." Shepaused, gripped his hand even tighter. "I don't do that."
"I know, sweetheart." Hedid. He'd seen it happen. She just said things, but she was so sexy andappealing it came across as not so innocent. He'd seen her suddenly becomeaware of how her words sounded and close up because of it.
"Thank you," shewhispered. "But Krista thought I did. I couldn't believe it. We were bestfriends since high school. Like sisters. We're both different--she was muchquieter and more reserved than I am--but I loved her. I wouldn't do anything tohurt her. I never realized all those years that she was thinking stuff likethat about me. It hurt me."
"Yeah."
"And the worst thing is, whenshe went to leave with Sheldon, I was hurt and mad, and I practically dared herto do it. Rachel started to try to tell her she shouldn't be leaving with astranger, and I just...let her." Her eyes closed again and a tear squeezedout and rolled down her smooth cheek.
"It's all my fault she'sdead," she whispered. "And I can't bear it. I can't bear the thoughtthat she's gone, and that she died hating me. And now she's gone, and I cannever tell her how sorry I am."
Trey reached for her instinctively,pulling her into his arms. She buried her face into his neck, shaking, and oneof her hands fisted in his shirt. Ah, shit.
