Several stories below, he could hear the drone of the Chicago traffic. It was the same noise that he'd heard night after night and he'd always taken it for granted. But

no more. Never again would he take anything for granted. He was only a prisoner for a few days but he was surprised at how much it had changed him. Prison was

pure hell in every sense of the word.

In the past, Cary thought nothing of putting people away without really knowing if they were innocent or guilty. But now, having been accused of drug smuggling, he

knew all too well what those people had gone through. And he had a permanent reminder of that horrifying experience.

He held out his hand, cringing when he remembered how he'd gotten the large gash on his right palm. It still hurt like hell but it was nothing like the pain of when the

gash occurred. He should have known better than to trust anyone in prison but it was too late now. And before he realized what was happening, a knife was drawn,

followed by a pain so intense that he thought he would die. He knew damn well that Alicia and Kalinda didn't buy his story about having obtained his injury by falling

down.

But it didn't matter anyway. Alicia had worked tirelessly to tend had worked hard to free him, as had Kalinda. And it had worked, although he wasn't out of the woods

yet. Now his life could go back to normal…. Another joke of a thought.

Damn, when was he going to be allowed to live his own life?

Now he sat in his living room staring into the darkness. Who knew that freedom could feel so good?

He pointed the remote at the television, bringing the screen to life. Nothing like a little basketball action to pass the time. They were just announcing the starting lineup

for the Knicks when there was a knock on his door.

Heart racing, he stood at once, the feeling of panic returning, as it always did these days. Cautiously he crossed the length of his studio apartment and went to the

door. When he turned the lock and thrust the door open he was stunned at the sight of his visitor.

"Kalinda… what are you doing here?"

She smiled at him, looking damn sexy as hell in a tight, low-cut dress in a stunning combination of black and red. She smiled seductively; a look that drove him

absolutely wild. But he remained calm, not trying to get his hopes up. There had to be a reasonable explanation for her showing up at his place unannounced. It was

true that she'd seduced him before, and it had worked… oh how it had worked… but since his stint in prison, he refused to take chances with anything.

But he couldn't help smiling at her. "You never answered my question. What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you."

His eyebrows rose in amusement. "Oh? You think I need checking up on?"

Her smile disappeared. "I was worried…. Are you okay?"

"Um… yeah… I'm okay… I think I'm okay… for a criminal." He grinned at his own joke, but his smile faded when he noticed that she wasn't amused. "I'm sorry. I was

kidding. I was-."

She grabbed him and kissed him forcefully on the mouth; her tongue grazing his lower lip. He'd kissed her before of course, plenty of times, but never like this. When

the seemly endless kisses in fact ended, they quickly shed their clothes and resumed where they'd left off.

In the background he could hear the cheers of the crowd from the television as the Knicks scored another two points. But all he could think about was how much he

wanted this woman… Needed her… physically and emotionally.

The night was hot as they made their way across his apartment and stood by the window pane, the breeze cooling their heated, naked bodies. She cried out in

pleasure at what he was doing to her, and she was definitely pleased with his performance. But he knew that he could do better… much better. She deserved

everything that he could give her.

"What about the bed?" She moaned, arching her neck as he trailed kisses from her mouth to the hollow between her breasts. He didn't need to be told twice and he

pulled her to the middle of the room flinging her onto the bed where she let him know that she ready for him. Hell, she was more than ready.

She lay on the bed staring up at him with longing, inviting him in. He didn't hesitate to hover over her, ready to give the performance of his life. Once he was ready they

found their rhythm quickly and when they'd finished sometime later he collapsed on top of her, breathing in rapid succession. Sleep came easily then, just as the sex

had. And when they woke they changed positions, snuggling against each other.

She climbed out of bed, allowing him full view of her sexy-as-hell body and she walked to the kitchen opening the refrigerator. "Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah. A beer. Damn, I can't believe how much I took those things for granted."

She smiled at him and grabbed two brown beer bottles from the fridge and then looked around in confusion.

"Try the left hand drawer."

She did as he asked, smiling with satisfaction as she held up the bottle opener. Watching her open the bottles, free of her clothing was incredibly erotic and when she

noticed him watching her, she pushed the door closed with her foot.

They lay side by side enjoying their beers and then her expression turned serious. "Were you scared?"

He took a swig of his beer. "Yeah, I was. I mean… I didn't want anyone to know, but I had no idea what in the hell was going on. And then that guy showed interest in

my law services-."

"Let me see your hand."

At her whispered request, he held out his right hand, displaying the large red gash; the one that still hurt like hell from time to time. She grasped his hand in hers and

turned his palm toward her, placing her lips against it. "You should bandage this. You don't want it to get infected."

He smiled at her concern, for she showed a hell of a lot more concern than other people did. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

She laughed covered her face with her free hand. "God, I sound like my mother. I'm sorry."

"No problem. Do you want to do the honors?"

She climbed off of the bed and took the sheet with her, wrapping it around her body. He watched mesmerized as she hurried into his bathroom and returned moments

later, carrying the first aid kit. She held the small white box emblazoned with a red X and smiled. "I'm impressed."

He laughed and waited patiently while she rummaged through the box. A dab of first aid ointment on his palm combined with her gentle fingers as she massaged it in.

The loving way she placed the gauze pad on his palm, and the way she carefully wrapped the bandage around it was nothing compared to the kiss he received after

she'd cut off the remaining tape and smoothed the edge against his skin.

It was easy to return to the moment, and even easier to say thank you without using any words at all. He went deeper this time, certain that this is what she wanted

and she gave him no complaints. Never in his life had he felt such satisfaction from such an intense physical act. The things she was doing to his body… his mind… his

emotions…

When he could go no more, he moved away from her, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. "God Kalinda, where did you learn to do that?"

She laughed and ran her finger lazily down his chest. "I've been around, you know."

His smile grew serious and he turned on his elbow to face her, his hand propped on his head. "Thank you. Not just for this, but for caring."

"A lot of people care about you, Cary."

"Yeah, but sometimes it doesn't seem like it."

"Well, I do."

Her comment deserved a scorching kiss. "Thank you."

She lay against him and sighed. And when their breathing had returned to normal, she lifted her head. "Are you ready?"

"For what?"

"To get started?"

He sat upright. "What are you talking about?"

"That was just the warm up. I can go all night."

He grabbed her and flipped her onto her back, resuming the same position as before. The celebration was just beginning.

THE END