The Next Move by Lauren Gallagher

groaned, then grabbed the couch for balance as his own knees shook beside hers.
              They were both unsteady on their feet, so they made a half-hearted effort to straighten their clothes, then collapsed on the couch together. She rested her head on his shoulder, listening to his heart pound as his trembling fingers ran through her hair.
              "I guess even booty calls can have makeup sex," he said, kissing the top of her head.
              "If this is what makeup sex is like with you, I’ll fight with you any day of the week."
              He chuckled. "We don’t have to make up for me to fuck you like that." He paused and when he spoke again, his tone was more serious. "I’m glad we’re on the same page again."
              She played with one of the buttons on his shirt. "So am I. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen after…" She looked up at him. "You know, what happened after the funeral."
              He touched her face. "I know, I wasn’t either. And it’s been driving me crazy." He took a breath. "To be honest, I’ve been worried sick about you. This was one of those times when I was supposed to be there as your friend, but I fucked up as your lover."
              "We both fucked up, Chris," she said.
              "I know," he said, running the backs of his fingers up and down her cheek. "But it meant I couldn’t be there for you when you needed me."
              "But you’re here now."
              He smiled. "Yeah, I am." He kissed her forehead. "How are you holding up, anyway?"
              She shrugged. "As well as can be expected," she said, her voice low. "It’s just going to take time. What about you?"
              "About the same." He swallowed. "It’s just, for the last few days…" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I wasn’t sure if I’d lost one friend or two. I think that was the hardest part."
              "Well, as you said," she said, sitting up so she didn’t have to crane her neck to look at him. "I’m here now. So are you."
              He smiled, putting his hand on the back of her neck and drawing her into a gentle kiss. "I missed you," he said.
              "I missed you, too," she whispered just before he kissed her. After a moment, she pulled back and met his eyes. She took a breath, started to say something, but as his fingers moved into her hair and the tip of his tongue ran along the inside of his upper lip, words escaped her, so she kissed him again.
              Their gentle kiss deepened and Chris’s other hand slid around her waist to her back, pulling her onto his lap. She ran her fingers through his hair, pushing herself against him as his cock hardened between them.
              When he bent to kiss her neck, she asked, "How many more condoms do you have with you?"
              "Two," he whispered against her jaw. "But plenty more in the bedroom."
              "The ones in the bedroom can wait."
    "Oh?" He cupped her breast through her shirt. "For
    what?"
              She sat back and pulled her shirt off before coming back down to kiss him again. "Until we’re done with the other two."
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Fifteen
     
              "Shitty day?" Kat asked as she leaned her gun case against the wall.
              "One of the best," Chris muttered, thumbing another round into the clip.
    "Ah, one of those." She adjusted her ear protection, wincing as it snagged in her hair. "The kind of day that warrants…   Damn it, can you help me with this?"
    "Yeah, sure." He set the clip down and carefully freed her hair from where it was caught. "Better?"
    She fiddled with the ear protection once more, then nodded. "Yes, thank you. Long hair’s a bitch."
    "Well, then it suits you, doesn’t it?" He grunted as she elbowed him. "My point exactly."
    "Jackass," she said with a laugh. "So this was the