“Chicago will be okay for a few days.” Gina smiled. “It’ll still be here when you get back, with all the creepy paranorms roaming around stirring up trouble.”
Cal’s lips twisted. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“See?” Demi threw her hands up. “He thinks he can save all of Chicago.”
“Not possible, man.” Aurai laid a hand on Cal’s arm. “Takes more than you two to put the pinch on the renegades of the paranormal community.”
“Hey. I’ll still be here while they’re off humping in the sheets,” Brigid said. “What am I, chopped tinder?” The dragons stirred beneath the netting, shooting out blasts of flames. “You understand me, don’t you?” She leaned close to the little fire-starters, cooing as if they were a litter of puppies. “It’s okay. We’ll get you out of that mess soon enough.”
Gina stepped in front of Brigid. “They stay where they are until we can get them somewhere safe.” One of the dragons shot out a long stream of fire, singeing Gina’s butt. She squealed and leaped out of the way. “Damn it.” She twisted her arm and formed a ball of water, throwing it like a snowball at the offender. The water splashed over the dragon and it hissed its displeasure.
“Leave it to me.” Cal slipped an arm around Demi and pulled her against him. “I’ll get us some time off.”
Demi let the stress roll over her shoulders, feeling tired to the bone. Cal’s warm body next to hers stirred up a valiant rebirth of her flagging libido. “Really?”
He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah.”
“What about the rising stats of paranormal crimes?”
His arm stiffened around her middle as if he was fighting his instinct to stay and contribute to the greater good of the city. Then he sighed and loosened his hold. “Let someone else handle them for a couple days.”
“Don’t worry about Chicago,” Brigid said airily. “I’ll manage fine while you two take a vacation.”
The paranormal extraction van rolled up beside them and two technicians hopped out, loaded the demon into the back and reached for the net with the dragons trapped beneath. Fire shot out between the tiny squares of fireproof strands. “Ouch!” One of the technicians yelped and jerked his hand back.
“Amateurs.” Brigid tucked her long ebony hair down the back of her black leather jacket, gathered the edges of the net together and slung it gently over her shoulder. The dragon flies hissed and fluttered as they tumbled inside the webbing. As if they sensed a kindred spirit in Demi’s sister, they didn’t attack her. She nodded to Gina, Selena and Aurai. “See you guys at dinner tomorrow night.” She turned to Demi and Cal. “And I better not see you two.” With a grin at the paranormal extraction techs, she climbed into the back with the demon. “Let’s get this paddy wagon rollin’.”
Demi couldn’t help the smile and the slight sense of relief she felt at Cal’s promise to ask for time off. If only it was that simple.
* * *
An hour later, Cal stood in Chief Warner’s office pleading their case. “We haven’t had a day off in two months. Demi and I are burned out.”
“And everyone else is in the same boat. But every day we get another two or three calls about strange happenings in the city. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s as if someone left the gate open and every slimeball paranorm is crawling out of the gutters, stirrin’ up trouble.”
“Yeah, and do you see an end in sight?” Cal asked.
“No.”
“Neither do we. But we can’t keep pushing ourselves like we have. If your team gets too tired, they start making mistakes.”
“Are you telling me Demi allows herself, or you, to make any mistakes?”
Cal shook his head, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “No, but it could be a matter of time. I’m only asking for three days. Three lousy days in which I can get Demi out of the city, far enough away from here that she won’t be sucked back in for some emergency or other.”
The lieutenant lifted a file from his desk and tapped it across his open palm.
“Three days and I’ll pull doubles for a week when we get back,” Cal added to his plea.
“Okay.”
“I’ll even take a shift in the paranormal retention center—”
“I said okay. And stop begging.” The chief held up the folder. “You can have the time off, on one condition.”
Cal’s heart pounded at the thought of getting Demi alone for three days and all the sexy things he would do to her body. “Anything.”
Chief Warner’s lips twitched in his otherwise poker face. “You and Demi deliver a package to the Fifth Precinct in New York City and you can have the next three days off.”
Hope surged, then crashed to his stomach at the way the chief’s lips jerked on the corners, as if he was holding back a grin. Dreading the answer, Cal asked, “What’s in the package?”
Chief Warner’s lips spread into a wide grin. “I’ll let you know when you get to the airport.”
* * *
“Three days? Away from the city? Where are we going?” Demi stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a sheer forest-green baby-doll nightgown and paused, running the toes of her right leg along the back of her left calf, fully aware that her breasts showed through the thin fabric.
Cal’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he leaned his back against the headboard, wearing nothing but a smile in the bed of his apartment. “It’s a surprise.” His gaze raked over her, his cock hardening and coming to attention. “Where’d you get that?” he asked, nodding toward her.
Demi shrugged. “It’s a little something I was saving to wear for a special occasion.”
“We’re not on our vacation yet. Not that I’m complaining.” He held out his hand. “Come here. I’d come to you, but I don’t think I can move.” He stretched his back and cringed. “That demon…”
Demi nodded. “I’ve a few bruises of my own.” She did her best vamp across the room. “We could just lie in bed and count each other’s bruises…or…” Walking her fingers up his bare chest, she touched his lips. “We could start our vacation early.” Her back ached and the bruises hurt every time she bumped one, but dammit, she wasn’t going to pass on this round of sex.
Cal captured her finger and kissed the tip. “I’ve had one cup of coffee over my limit so I’m jacked up on caffeine. I’m good for at least twenty minutes.” He winked and tugged her closer.
“As tired as I am, I’m determined to stay awake for the concert and the encore.”
“I’d be satisfied with the concert.” He pulled her across him, his heart tugging as she winced. “I wanted to kill that demon for throwing you.”
“Kinda felt the same way when he threw you.” She sat in his lap, wiggling her bottom.
Grinning, Cal pinched her naked ass. “Mmm. I like that. No panties means we can shave a few minutes off that twenty.”
“No way. I want foreplay.”
He frowned. “Last time I tried a little foreplay, you fell asleep.”
She straddled his legs and rubbed her pussy along his erection. “I think I can stay awake tonight. Considering we’re officially on vacation, I can sacrifice a little sleep to the cause.”
“Uh, Demi, about this vacation—”
She