Troop 18 Read online

  Andy groaned, dropped her hands from Kate’s face, and pulled roughly at the zipper of her jacket, opening it with one hand and pushing it off Kate’s shoulder with the other. Kate tugged at the bottom of Andy’s sweatshirt, her hands just as insistent. Andy lifted her arms as Kate pulled it and Andy’s t-shirt off over her head without missing a beat, the smallest, sweetest smirk on Kate’s face. Andy’s touch was rougher than she intended as she pulled off Kate’s shirt, loving the way her red hair fell back against the bare, white skin of her shoulders.

  Andy bent down, one arm behind Kate’s shoulders and the other behind her knees, and she lifted her off the ground. Kate gave a shocked cry and looked at Andy, her brown eyes still wet from crying. Then she leaned her head back against Andy’s bicep and laughed and oh, that laugh did something to Andy. Something cracked and broke free.

  Andy lay Kate on the bed and unlaced and pulled off Kate’s boots one by one. She kicked off her own shoes at the same time, watching a now-silent Kate. The trace of laughter was still in Kate’s eyes, in the smile that played about her lips. It made Andy want to smile back and kiss Kate until she had to stop and catch her breath.

  As she bit Kate’s neck and ran her fingers very slowly up the inside seam of those new, hated jeans, Andy still had room for the anger. Part of her wanted to pause, to stop, to hold herself just above Kate and wait to figure out what this was. The other part of her, the part that slid her hips over Kate’s at just the right pace, just the right angle until Kate let out the most erotic moan, knew that stopping was next to impossible.

  The fire behind them blazed hot as Andy ran her hands over Kate’s body, relieved that her body felt this familiar, and the sound of Kate’s breath catching in her throat, the arch of Kate’s body against hers was so much the same. Andy slid her hands down over Kate’s shoulders and chest, trailing her thumb lightly over her breast then across her ribs, the smooth skin of her stomach and, finally, the rough, stiff fabric of her jeans. Anger surged again, and Andy twisted the fabric in her hands, wrenching it against Kate’s hips. And Andy kissed her hard, kissed away the question in Kate’s eyes, kissed her like she was never, ever going to let her up for air. But Kate didn’t resist, taking on Andy’s challenge.

  Andy explored Kate’s body like it was new, like she couldn’t anticipate which touch would cause Kate to moan, bite her lip, arch her back, or close her eyes. And every time Kate did, Andy felt the heat in her own body kick again, and her desire seemed limitless. Tenderness gave way to urgency, and Andy tracked Kate’s breathing as it increased, the movements of her hips pressing, reaching. Andy stalled, stopped, started again, feeling the groan of frustration low in Kate’s throat. Andy smiled down at her, telling Kate with her eyes this was just the beginning.

  Andy pushed back suddenly until her feet hit the floor, digging her fingers roughly at the button and zipper of Kate’s jeans and yanking them forcefully down. Kate’s whole body slipped a few inches down to the foot of the bed. Kate was naked in seconds, and Andy felt uncertainty for the first time. She wasn’t going to be able to resist Kate for much longer, to fight the urge to take her hard and fast, feeling every muscle in their bodies straining for the same release.

  Andy clenched her jaw, balled up the jeans in her hands and felt the anger compete with her desire, felt them mix in her belly as she threw the jeans across the room. Without warning, Kate sat up and pulled at the waistband at Andy’s hips. Andy stepped out of the last of her clothes. Triumph was in Kate’s eyes as she pulled Andy against her. Again, Andy allowed Kate to think she had a moment of control. She didn’t.

  Kate pulled Andy’s head down to kiss her. She dropped her hands down, fingers trailing over Andy’s thighs, tracing their own invisible seam up and up. Andy stopped breathing and clenched the muscles in her stomach against the wave of desire that threatened to undo her entirely. Kate seemed to know, and her lips twisted into a smile as they kissed. A mistake, that smile.

  Andy’s need for Kate had always been overwhelming, but never like this. Andy picked up Kate again and almost threw her down on the bed, this time following her down, their bodies seeking a familiar, frantic rhythm together. Kate gripped Andy’s hips with her thighs, her arms tight around Andy’s neck. The urgency in her body was palpable in the thrust of her hips, the shine in her eyes, and the low sounds in her throat. Close, so close.

  Andy broke Kate’s grip on her, one hand on her hips holding her down, the other stretching Kate’s arms above her head, pinning her. Andy let the minute stretch, waiting for Kate to protest or resist. She didn’t. She took it, fighting back with her lack of fight. Andy had to smile, the kiss to Kate’s throat turning into a bite on her neck, leaving her love-marked and out of breath.

  Andy suddenly released Kate’s hands and repositioned herself above Kate, not touching her anywhere except where her long hair fell across Kate’s chest as she looked down at her. She had expected Kate to pull her down and had been ready to resist, tensing the muscles in her core. But Kate held still, looking up at Andy for so long that Andy began to feel the muscles in her shoulders and arms start to burn. A small tremor shook Andy, and she wasn’t sure if it was fatigue or need. Kate raised her hand and touched Andy’s face very gently, lovingly, from her temple, down to her cheekbone then finally drawing one finger across Andy’s lips. Kate’s whole body shook, trembling with the weakness of wanting.

  “Andy.” Kate’s voice was a whisper and somehow she managed to turn her name into a statement of love and understanding and need.

  Kate’s voice, her touch, the look in her eyes, finally broke something in Andy. With a defeated groan, Andy lowered her head and kissed Kate long and hard. She didn’t stop her body from pressing against Kate, didn’t resist anything, no more choreographed torture, no more punishment. Andy felt Kate’s hands on her hips, the press of their skin together, hot and slick, the taste of her lips, the sound of Kate’s voice in her ear. They were heat and fire, they were uncontrolled, seeking out each other’s pleasure as they strained for their own release. Kate’s breathing came in short, sharp gasps, her whole body moving upward. Every movement was doubly magnified for Andy, reading it in Kate’s body, feeling it in her own. Muscles tensed, voices silenced, thoughts abandoned as every sensation in their bodies urged them onward. Kate reached it first, her head thrown back, her whole upper body arching off the bed. Andy wasn’t far behind as Kate rocked her into an ecstasy she had almost forgotten her body was capable of.

  Chapter Seven

  Andy woke disoriented. Her body tensed as she took in details in rapid succession: cold outside the blanket, muted rain against the roof, dawn lighting the open room of the small cabin. And Kate asleep beside her, face turned away, red curls in chaos over her pillow.

  Andy breathed, stilled her body, and slowed her mind. She felt a peace settle over her, a feeling she only associated with waking up to Kate in bed. She’d missed that feeling. God, she’d missed it. Andy watched the shallow rise and fall of Kate’s back as she breathed, her arms under the pillow, her body pressed down into the bed. When Kate slept well, she slept hard.

  Andy fought the urge to stroke Kate’s back with her hand, to press her palm gently between her shoulder blades and feel the soft warmth of her skin. She would let her sleep for now, simply content to have Kate here. As that realization sunk in, surging joy spread up through Andy’s chest. Her heart stuttered, and she smiled to herself. Kate was back. Different, yes. A little. But not in her smile, not in the way she looked at Andy or the way their bodies reacted to each other. Not in the way she loved Andy. That had not changed. Andy felt peace, contentment. She never wanted to lose her again.

  Very slowly, still conflicted about waking Kate, Andy moved her hand toward Kate’s back, letting it hover over the warmth of her skin. She held it there for a long time, then very slowly pressed her palm against her back. Andy always felt instant warmth and this rapid-fire rhythm of her heart when she touched Kate. Kate stirred beneath Andy’s hand, a deeper breath
, a slow stretch of her spine, and finally she turned her head on the pillow and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times and smiled sleepily.

  “Andy.”

  Kate said her name like a statement of fact, undisputable and solid. Andy ran her hand very lightly up Kate’s spine, feeling her body slowly waking up.

  “Good morning,” Andy said quietly, happily.

  They looked at each other for a long time, neither in any hurry to talk or move, listening to the very light patter of rain against the roof as it dripped off the tree branches. They were cocooned, and it felt so much like their cabin in Montana that Andy was briefly, wonderfully disoriented.

  Kate stretched her whole body, this time from the tips of her fingers down her neck, her spine, hips and legs and right to her toes. Then she let out a long breath and turned on her side, sliding her hand on Andy’s hip, skimming her fingers over the scar.

  “So, do you happen to have any coffee?” Kate said, her eyes shining.

  Andy laughed. No hesitation, no worry, no need to hide. She just laughed. “Sorry, no coffee,” she said. “If you really need to wake up, we could go for a run.” Kate made a face, and Andy laughed again.

  “My attitude towards exercise hasn’t changed that much,” Kate said, burrowing in closer to Andy. “Therapist recommendations or not.” Andy felt Kate’s body stiffen just slightly, then relax again as if she’d considered worrying then remembered she didn’t have to. They both held still, letting the fifty-five days catch up to them and acknowledging with the morning light that things had changed.

  Andy touched the tips of her fingers to the soft skin under Kate’s eyes. It was impossible not to touch Kate. Andy loved the reassurance of her presence, the thrill of familiarity. Kate smiled and propped herself up on one elbow, long red curls spilling through her fingers. Andy was aware that time was passing, the sun climbing higher outside the window. Nothing else seemed important. Nothing could compete with Kate in her bed, telling her where she’d been the last two months.

  “Does it bother you that I was able to talk to someone else? That it wasn’t you?” Kate’s forehead wrinkled slightly, the worry causing her voice to dip. Andy tugged gently on one of Kate’s curls, wrapping it around her fingers. “That depends,” Andy said. “Was she cute?”

  Kate poked her in the ribs, making Andy laugh.

  “No, she wasn’t cute.” Kate shook her head. “Isn’t. I’m still seeing her.” Andy heard a question in Kate’s voice now, an uncertainty. It was the same tone she’d had when she left the message on Andy’s phone, the same tone as the night before, telling Andy that she wasn’t better yet, that she was still working on it. Andy wished she could reassure Kate, explain how relieved she was to hear Kate was able to open up to someone. Andy smoothed the wrinkle on Kate’s forehead with her finger, trailed her hand down Kate’s face, and was rewarded with a look of contentment.

  “I’d rather be your partner and your lover than your therapist, Kate,” Andy said.

  As a cop, the word partner meant something different to her. The word girlfriend had been sufficient in the past, but it had never been quite right with Kate. And for the first time in two months, Andy allowed herself to hear in her head the word she wanted to use. Wife. That’s the word that fit, that adequately summed up how she had always felt about Kate.

  Andy didn’t say this out loud, though. It was too soon. Kate was barely back, and Andy was too conscious of not pushing, of not crossing the line. Instead, Andy shifted her arms around Kate and pulled her in closer, thinking it didn’t seem possible Kate would ever be close enough. Kate slid her hips over Andy’s in the easiest, most familiar way and caused a slow, hot sensation to spread through Andy’s core. With her dark red hair creating a curtain around them, Kate leaned down and kissed Andy, very slowly and gently. Andy could feel Kate’s lips curl up into a smile as they kissed, like her own joy was impossible to contain. Andy knew exactly how she felt.

  A light but insistent knock at the door made them both freeze. “It’s probably Kurtz,” Andy said as Kate slid off, covering herself with the blanket.

  Andy pulled on her cold sweatshirt and running pants, her feet chilled against the floorboards. With a quick glance back at Kate, who was mostly hidden by blankets, she opened the door. Tara stood on the porch in a bright yellow slicker, her long braid tucked back under her hood. She smiled knowingly and held out a basket when Andy opened the door.

  “Thought you two might be hungry,” Tara said as Andy took the heavy basket. She could feel something warm against the tea towel draped over top. Tara also pulled out Andy’s radio from a large pocket in her jacket. “And your radio started squawking about half an hour ago. Kurtz broke into your room to get it. And just so you know, the cabin isn’t booked until New Year’s, so feel free to stay. Just let me know, and I’ll stock the kitchen.”

  “Thanks, Tara,” Andy said gratefully.

  Tara left again without another word, her dirty boots thumping across the porch. Andy closed the door and carried the basket over to Kate who sat up with the blankets tucked under her arms. Andy handed her the basket and knelt in front of the fireplace, shifting the still hot coals and adding a small piece of wood. Kate sorted through the basket, giving the occasional exclamation of surprise.

  “Oooh, biscuits. They’re still warm! And I’m guessing this is coffee. And some jam and butter. Here’s cream and a little sugar. This is amazing.”

  Andy finished with the fireplace and found two mugs in the kitchen cupboards. She poured them each a cup from the silver thermos, adding cream and sugar for Kate and keeping it black for herself. She handed over the mug and watched Kate sipping and sighing contentedly. Andy gave a silent prayer of thanks to no one in particular for the simple pleasure of watching Kate take her first sip of coffee in the morning.

  Sitting on the bed at Kate’s side, Andy broke open a warm biscuit, spread butter on both halves then held up the jam, waiting for Kate’s nod of approval before spreading it on and handing it over. Kate bit in happily and closed her eyes, savouring each bite. Andy prepared another and handed it over before making one for herself. They ate silently, contentedly, until the static squawk of Les’s voice on the radio interrupted their breakfast in bed.

  “Camp Depot to Sgt. Wyles. Andy, you around?” Les seemed calm enough, no note of urgency in her tone. But as Andy picked up the radio, she felt the weight of responsibility settle back on her shoulders. She remembered she had a job to do. They both did.

  Andy pushed down the button as she spoke into the radio. “Wyles here. How’s camp, Sgt. Manitou?”

  “All cadets accounted for. And instructors, for that matter. Our camp medic, however, is itching to get the heck out of Dodge. Any thoughts on your ETA? She’s hoping to make the ten thirty bus out of Kamloops this morning.”

  Andy stood up from the bed, rummaged on the floor until she found her watch. 8:37 a.m. They could make it if they hurried. “Tell Ms. Stinson to be packed and ready to go, we’ll be there in forty-five minutes.”

  “We?”

  Andy smiled at Kate. “Dr. Morrison arrived last night. I’ll bring her up to camp with me.”

  There was a long pause, and Andy wondered why the sergeant was taking so long to respond. “Sorry, Sgt. Wyles. I believe your transmission cut out. I’ll tell the medic you’ll be here in time to get her on the noon bus out of Kamloops. See you in a few hours. Camp Depot out.”

  Andy shook her head, put the radio on the bedside table, and picked up her coffee. Kate seemed to have eaten enough, and was sitting up in bed. She looked fully awake and alert, her brown eyes bright and full of questions.

  “So, tell me about the cadets,” Kate said, wiping crumbs from her fingers and taking a sip of her coffee.

  “What information have you already been given?” Andy said, hedging.

  Kate summarized the background of the troop as a whole, the cadet’s tragic death, the money, the question of drugs, and the troop’s unique ability to close rank. “But
I don’t know much about the cadets themselves. Staff Sgt. Finns only said your role was to get to the bottom of what was going on. Mine is to make sure everyone remains healthy and uninjured. And I assume my presence is also insurance against future lawsuits.” Andy had always appreciated the way Kate could see past any bullshit, right to the core facts of a situation. “So, are you going to tell me or what?”

  Andy thought about it. “No,” she said and laughed at Kate’s expression. “But for a good reason. I don’t want to bias you, I want to know what you see without my impressions. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes, I guess it does,” Kate said grudgingly. “But I’ll need to see their files, their medical information. How about I see each cadet individually, do a baseline physical, and read the relevant information then? If we do that today, I could give you my first impressions tonight and you can fill me in on the rest.”

  “Yes, but let’s make it a team meeting tonight with you, me, Sergeant Trokof, and the three instructors. We haven’t had the chance to sit down formally, so let’s do that tonight.”

  Kate suddenly looked nervous, and she put down her coffee cup and leaned forward. Andy could see the long arc of her naked back down to her hips, but she concentrated on the expression on Kate’s face, noticing with an ache in her chest the way Kate stopped when she tried to work through whatever she was thinking by worrying the ring now gone from her left hand.

  “How is this going to go? How do we work together?”

  “The way we always have,” Andy said steadily.

  Kate immediately shook her head again, like she was frustrated she couldn’t get the words out properly. “But I did it badly, navigating our relationship and everyone else while we worked together. It was one of the things I just left up to you.”