"I don't know," I say, pulling her closer to me, inhaling her. I rubbed my lips against the side of hers. She whimpers, following my lips with hers, but she's too slow.
I pull away, smiling slightly. "Work for it."
She stares at me intently, eyes ablaze with desire. "Are you sure?"
I shrug, biting my lip. She groans, digging her hands through my hair, pulling me close to her body. She nips at my chin softly, kissing along my jaw. "Good," she says, slipping her hand up my hospital gown. "Because I don't plan on stopping."
Then, like clockwork, her lips are kissing mine. They're warm and hungry and soft. I pull her close to me, wrapping my arm around her waist. "I don't want you to."
Her fingers dig into my hips, drawing lines down my bottom. She wraps my legs around her waist, slipping in between my legs, kissing my neck heartedly. Her hips moved in tandem with mine. I whimper, tossing my head back. "Wait!"
I can feel her smirking against the skin of my neck. She ignores me, slipping her fingers down and inside of me. I grab her shoulder, flinching. "Art."
She chuckles, moving her fingers inside of me gently. My hips jerk along with her. She kisses me, slipping her tongue in between my lips warmly. Art whimpers. She's helpless against the warmth of my skin, fingers massaging my insides pleasantly. I jerk away from her, legs trembling.
"We should stop," I gasp. "What if Doctor Micheal sees us like this?"
"I don't care."
•••
I wake up wrapped in Art's embrace, feeling pretty trash. Her face is buried in my neck. She inhales deeply, snuggling deeply into me.
I rub my forehead, groaning quietly. I sit up. The blankets pools in my waist and only then do I realize I'm completely naked. The door opens.
"Shoot!" Quickly, l cover me, wrapping the blankets around my shoulders. I lean back against my pillow. "Good morning, Doctor Michaels."
He nods, scribbling something on his clipboard. "Good morning, Miss Lorde. I just want to inform you that you're free to go. You are obligated to sign for your prescription at reception, but other than that you may leave."
I nod. "Thank you, doctor."
Then, Art and I are alone. I slip out from under her, getting dressed in the clothes on my bedside table. It's a loose-fitting T-shirt and sweatpants. I step into my Vans.
"Art," I say, tying my hair into a bun. "Hey! We have to leave. I've still got a case to solve!"
She turns her back to me, groaning sleepily. "One more minute..."
I manage to get Art up and out of bed by the afternoon. I sign the papers for my prescription and we make our way towards the parking lot.
Art's all smiles, her arm wrapped around my waist, following my footsteps. She hides her face in my neck. "What are we doing today?"
My phone rings in my pocket. I pick up. "Hello?"
"Good afternoon. This is Detective Radley, from Bluebell Police Station. I would like to see you and you're a partner in my office this evening—if that's possible."
I stop walking. "What's this about?"
"Joseline Madeline's case."
•••
"He wants to see us about Joseline's case?" Art asks parking in front of the local police station.
I shrug, tucking my hair behind my ears. "That's what he said."
We enter the station, wiping our shoes on the doormat. Detective Radley greets us by the door.
"Good morning," he says. "Follow me."
Art stares at me, scowling slightly. I shrug. She grabs my hand, following behind the detective. We take a seat opposite him in his office.
"I've received a tip that the two of you have been investigating this case independently," Radley says, leaning back in his seat. "Do you want to tell me what that's all about?"
"It's because you're not willing to do anything about it!" I couldn't help myself. Suddenly, I felt so upset. "I've been investigating this case for almost ten years and I'm no closer to solving this case than you'll ever be!"
"Erin," Art says quietly, touching my shoulder.
"Calm down, Lorde," Radley says, getting up from his seat. He peeks out of his door, closing it. "I didn't call you here to argue. I heard about the DNA samples and unless you hand them over, I could have you arrested for tampering with police evidence. So, what's it going to be?" Radley asks.