Beyond the Call of Duty by Wendy Stone Page A

his mind.
    Twenty minutes later, he wiped the last of the bits of shaving cream off his clean-shaven face and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked younger. That was the first thought that came to mind. Not that he looked old before; the beard gave him maturity. Without it, he felt about ten years younger.
    A knock on the door of the bathroom caught his attention. “Yes?”
    “Gabe, I came in to check...” the words slowly drifted away as she stared at the man in front of her. “Y-You shaved?”
    He smiled, reaching out a hand to lift her jaw. “I knew they made you a U.S. Marshal for some reason. Yes, I shaved. You approve?”
    Lexi smiled, her eyes gleaming with golden highlights as she moved around him. “Oh yes,” she said softly, bringing her hand up to feel his smooth skin. “I very much approve.”
    He grabbed her hand before she could take it back and tugged her into his arms. Leaning against the counter, he held her close, pulling her off balance so she leaned into him. “You could show your approval in another way,” he said, smiling into her gorgeous amber eyes.
    * * * *
    Lexi didn’t struggle. She was where she wanted to be. It didn’t matter to her that Gabe had run with the mob or that he might be a criminal. What mattered to her was how she felt whenever she was around him. She was nervous, but not afraid, her skin felt hot and her heart seemed to race, especially when she was as close as she was now. She’d never been as attracted to a man as she was to Gabe. Everything else was second place to him.
    A sly smile touched her lips as she ran her fingers through his longish hair, raking it back from his forehead. “Some other way, huh?” She wrapped her fingers in the side of his hair and yanked his head down, and then lifted her mouth, instinctively parting her lips to meet his. His mouth was hot, the skin around it smooth. It was almost like kissing a completely different man who had his mouth, but she took complete advantage, slipping her tongue past his lips to play, listening to his moan of pleasure.
    “I’m not letting you leave my arms again,” he whispered against her lips as she curled up her mouth. “I let you go, and you leave me alone. Do you know how badly I wanted to wake up with you in my arms?”
    She moved her hands across his bare shoulders and slid her palms down his chest. “Gabe, you know why I had to leave. Jack would pull me from the case if he thought I was getting too involved with you. He would be worried about me missing something or being an instant too late or not doing my job right if I care about you too much.”
    “So you do?” he asked, nuzzling his nose into the soft spot next to her ear.
    “Do what?” she breathed, shivering as the heat of his mouth tickled her skin.
    “Care about me too much?”
    She drew in a deep breath, backing away to put herself at arm’s length from him. “Are you asking if I love you, Gabe?”
    “Well, no, actually. I was just wondering about you caring about me, but if you love me, I wouldn’t mind hearing about that either. I mean, I know I’m pretty irresistible.”
    “You have a very healthy sense of self.”
    He trapped her against the counter, moving closer so she could feel his heat through her clothing. “Well, I’m more interested in what you think of my sense of self.” He dipped his head before she could answer and brushed his lips with hers, softly, gently tasting. Lexi couldn’t resist the teasing brushes and moved her hand to his hair, tipping her head to bring their lips in closer contact. The kiss was deep and heated, their tongues dueling. He finally pulled away, just the tiniest bit, his breathing heavy, her breasts rising as spasmodically as his own chest.
    “So?” he whispered against her mouth, nibbling against her lower lip.
    “So, what?” she asked, her voice sounding as dazed as she felt. No one had ever taken her to heat as fast as this man did with just a kiss.
    “Do you love me,