by M. S. Parker
And then it hit me and my face flushed.
Shit.
I knew what he was talking about.
“The, um, bruise,” I started. “Was it here?” I pointed to a place on my own neck.
“Yes.” Rheingard nodded.
“Yeah, um...” My ears were burning. “I did do that.”
“So you're admitting that you put a bruise on your husband's throat before you got into the airplane?” Rheingard glanced at his partner. “If it somehow caused Mr. Lockwood to pass out and forget to open his parachute, it wasn't intentional...”
“It wasn't a bruise,” I interrupted. “It was a hickey.”
If I'd known that such a statement would effectively shut them both up for nearly a full minute, I might've said it sooner.
Then Detective Reed opened his mouth and I knew whatever he was going to say would be rude.
“Yes, Detective Reed,” I spoke before he could. “I gave my husband a hickey when we were making love on our anniversary. He gave me one too. I doubt either of them caused my husband's parachute to not open, but I do know my sex life isn't any of your business.”
Another moment of uncomfortable silence followed before Detective Rheingard spoke, “The thing is, your sex life is our business. Especially when it comes to this investigation.”
“What the hell does my sex life have to do with this, other than the fact that it explains the mark on Allen's neck?”
Detective Reed put his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together. “You didn't answer our original question, Mrs. Lockwood. How long had you and Dr. Whitehall been having an affair before the two of you decided to kill your husband?”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “You know what? I've had enough of this. I came in to answer legitimate questions, but all you keep doing is going over the same stuff I've already answered, and being rude to me.” I stood up. “I'm done here. If you want to speak to me again, call my lawyer. He'll come in with me because I'm tired of this. Good day, detectives.”
Chapter 12
I called Mr. Henley as soon as I came out of the police station. I knew the detectives were furious, and Henley wasn't going to like it either, so I figured it was better that he hear it from me.
I explained things to him as quickly as I could, not wanting to give him a chance to comment until I was done. When I did finally fall silent, his reaction was exactly what I expected.
“Shae.” He gave a heavy sigh. “That was probably not the best thing you could've done.”
“I know,” I admitted. “But I just couldn't take any more of it. All they have is a bunch of suspicions without any proof and they're wasting all their time on questioning me when they should be accepting that Allen did it to himself. There's proof of that right in the letter I gave them.”
“You do know if they rule it a suicide, the insurance company is going to want their money back,” Henley said. “In fact, I'm surprised they released it at all. They usually wait for a ruling, but what's done is done. Even if someone jumped the gun in sending you the check, you won't be allowed to keep it if the detectives officially rule it suicide.”
“I know,” I said. “And I don't care. I just want this to be done so that I can try to have a normal life again.”
“Well, I'll do whatever I can to make that possible.” There was a pause, and then he spoke again, “Are you heading into work now?”
Right. He didn't know.
“Not exactly.”
“Can you come by my office? There are a couple new developments I'd like to discuss.”
That was probably a good thing since I had to explain my suspension. I just hoped what he had to say made up for my plethora of bad news.
By the time I was on my way home, I was ready to chalk up the day as a complete loss.
The events at the police station had been awful, making me re-live seeing Allen die, hearing the accusations about Jasper and myself. They made what Jasper and I had into something sordid, the sort of thing the people of St. Helena had been gossiping about. That hurt me almost as much as the rest.
My meeting with Mr. Henley hadn't been much better, and the information he'd given me continued to circle in my mind. It was heading towards late afternoon by the time I pulled into the driveway and I already felt like my brain was going to explode.
I didn't even register that Jasper's car was in the driveway until I opened the door and smelled something wonderful. He was home.
“Jas?” I called his name as I stepped inside.
“Hey, babe.” He stepped out of the kitchen, a smile lighting up his face when he saw me.
“Why aren't you at work?” I asked as he came towards me.
“Left early,” he said, wrapping his arms around me. He bent his head and gave me a brief, but intense kiss. “I thought you might have a rough day, and since I wasn't here last night when you needed me because I was at work, I figured work could take the back seat today.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say that it hadn't been work that needed him last night, but rather Georgia. I didn't though. It would've sounded petty because it would've been petty. I didn't like the woman or how she behaved with Jasper, but he was mine, so she wasn't even close to the top of my problems list.
“I'm glad you're here.” I pressed my face against his chest, closing my eyes as I breathed in his scent. “Saying it was a rough day is an understatement.”
“What happened, love?” He ran his hand over my hair.
I shook my head. “What smells so good?” I smiled. “Besides you.”
He chuckled, the rumble a gentle sound in my ear. “I'm making dinner. Roasted chicken with cooked carrots. Fresh Asiago bread from Augustine's Bakery and a blueberry pie ready to go in the oven when the chicken comes out.”
I groaned, mouth watering at the thought of all that wonderful food. “You are amazing.”
“I like to think so.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and used his other hand to take my purse. “We still have some time before the chicken's done. Why don't you go sit on the couch, and I'll bring you something to drink. You want beer or wine?”
I smiled, loving that he asked and didn't assume. “How about a beer before dinner and wine with it?”
He grinned. “Sounds good.”
He headed back into the kitchen while I kicked off my dress shoes and went into the living room. I settled on the couch, pulling my feet up under me as I closed my eyes and rested my head on the back of the couch.
I felt the couch shift as Jasper sat next to me and I turned my head, opening my eyes to look at him. He held out a bottle of beer and I took it gratefully. As I took a long drink, he reached down to pick up my feet. I shifted with him so that my feet were on his lap. He reached under my skirt to pull down one stocking, then the other, leaving my feet bare.
He didn't ask any questions or even try to make small talk. He just took my foot in his hands and began to work his thumbs against the sole of my foot.
“Fuck,” I breathed. My eyelids fluttered. “That feels amazing.”
He smiled and kept rubbing, his thumbs finding all of the right spots that reached places inside me that touching a foot shouldn't be able to reach. I felt myself beginning to relax. When he started on my other foot, I was okay enough to tell him what had happened at the police station.
He was silent through all of it, only the tension I could sense in his body told me what he was feeling. When I got to the part about Detective Reed asking how long our affair had been going on, he swore softly.
“That was the last straw,” I said. “All of the accusations were awful, but I couldn't stand them acting like we'd done something wrong, like our relationship was something I needed to be ashamed of.”
“What did you say?” he asked as his thumbs moved up to the muscle right under my big toe.
“I told them I was done, and if they wanted to talk to me again, to call my attorney because I wasn't going to put up with their behavior.” I took a
nother drink of my beer. “Then I walked out and called Mr. Henley to tell him what I'd done.”
“What did he have to say?”
I shrugged. “Pretty much what I expected. That what I'd done hadn't been the best idea, but then he asked me to come to his office because he had some new information he wanted to share in person.”
I drained the last of my beer and set the empty bottle on the coffee table. I could feel the edges of everything start to turn fuzzy. It wasn't enough that I forgot about my problems, but the alcohol had definitely helped. That and a glass of wine with dinner and I'd be pleasantly buzzed all night.
“What did Mr. Henley have to tell you?” Jasper asked, his fingers switching from massaging to running over my ankles and the tops of my feet. The touch was light enough to be just this side of ticklish, and it sent shivers of pleasure across my nerves.
“He's convinced that everything the cops have is circumstantial, easily explained away, but that he's seen cases where circumstantial evidence, when put together in a believable story, end up in a conviction.”
“You're innocent,” Jasper said. “No one in their right mind would think you killed Allen.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously? You think a jury would look at me and think that I didn't care about the inheritance? That I just happened to fall in love with my husband's best friend only a couple of months after the accident?”
“It won't get that far,” he said firmly. “They tried arresting you once and a judge threw it out.”
“But a judge signed off on it in the first place,” I countered. “And, granted, the detectives hadn't exactly been honest with what they'd told her they had on me, but if they put together a strong circumstantial case, there's always a possibility someone will listen.” I sighed. “And that's even without the Lockwoods getting involved.”
“What did they do now?” Jasper asked, his eyes darkening into that stormy sort of gray that came when he was upset.
“We don't have any proof,” I said. “But Mr. Henley has been talking to some friends of his in the DA's office and there are rumors going around that some of the people higher up are pushing things forward. Like the judge who signed the original arrest warrant hadn't been quite as thorough or careful as she ought to have been.”
“You don't think the Lockwoods are actually bribing anyone, do you?” Jasper asked. “I mean, I'm not so sure they wouldn't be capable of it, but those would be some serious accusations.”
I shrugged. “I don't know, Jas. When Allen was alive, I would've said no way. They might have been willing to lie to get what they wanted, but I never would've thought they'd cross into anything blatantly illegal. Even some of the stuff they pulled about Allen's will wasn't exactly surprising.”
“And now?”
“They set fire to the vineyard.” I frowned. “Or at least hired someone to do it. Even if they're never charged for it, you and I both know they're responsible. That was crossing a line I never wanted to think they'd cross.”
“What did Henley say you should do?”
I sighed. “Well, there's not really much of anything I can do right now except wait. The detectives will either take what they have, and use it to exonerate or charge me, or they'll called Henley to set up another interview with me.” I gave him a serious look. “And you might want to consider looking into a lawyer for yourself. I have a feeling they might be coming for you next.”
He shrugged. “We'll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, I'm more worried about you. What did Mr. Henley say about the Lockwoods?”
“He said he'll try to dig a little deeper, but neither of us think he'll be able to find anything. They're too used to hiding stuff like this back in Texas. They can cover their tracks.”
“Does he think you're going to be charged again?”
“He didn't say it, but I think I will. Those detectives aren't going to let this go, especially not if they have higher ups encouraging them.”
Jasper was quiet for a moment, and then his fingers tightened around my ankle. I raised my head to look at him.
“What do you need from me?”
“I need to not think,” I said. “I need all of the chaos in my head to quiet down, at least for a while, or I'm going to go crazy.”
He gave me a smile, the kind of smile that warmed everything inside me. “I think I can manage that.”
Chapter 13
I started to sit up, desire pooling in my belly, but Jasper shook his head.
“The bedroom?” I started to ask.
“I want you here.” His voice was low as he wrapped his hands around my ankles and gave me a tug so that I was half-laying on the couch. His eyes danced with humor as he added, “I need to be able to hear the oven timer. Don't want to burn dinner.”
I rolled my eyes, a smile curving my lips as he crawled up my body until we were face to face. He held himself over me until our bodies were barely touching, but it didn't matter. Electricity buzzed between us, filling the air until I could barely breathe, and he hadn't even done anything yet.
Still keeping his body above mine, he lowered only his face so that he could brush his lips across mine. His tongue darted out, teasing my mouth until I chased it back, turning a light touch into a full kiss. I put my hands on the back of his neck and yanked him down. I didn't want gentle and sweet.
“Make me forget,” I whispered against his mouth before I took his bottom lip between my teeth.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him towards me. I moaned as he let his weight rest against me. My fingers made their way through his hair as he took control of the kiss, claiming my mouth with the sort of reckless abandon that had caused us to make love out in the vineyard, in the closet of my former in-laws' house. This was what I wanted, something fierce and wild enough to make me not think about anything else.
He tugged at the buttons of my blouse, impatience nearly ripping some free. I didn't care. I just wanted his hands on me. He pushed my bra up as soon as he had my shirt open enough, not bothering to remove either one. His fingers rolled and pinched and pulled on my nipples until I was whimpering against his questing tongue.
He kissed down my neck and across my collarbone before moving down to my breasts. I buried my fingers in his hair, twisting the silky strands between my fingers as he teased me by placing open-mouthed kisses across my breasts, sucking and nipping at the flesh, but never touching my nipples. When he finally closed his lips around one of them, my body jerked, a hiss of satisfaction coming between my teeth.
I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the scorching wet heat. Every pull of his mouth went straight through me, as if he had a direct line from my breast to that throbbing place deep inside me. My panties were soaked by the time he switched from one breast to the other.
He wriggled a hand between us, finding the button of my pants. As he was working that open, I tugged on his shirt, needing to feel his skin under my hands. I had it bunched by his shoulders when he managed to get his hand into my pants. My nails raked across his back while his fingers slid beneath the waistband of my panties to find me slick and wet.
“Oh, baby.” His voice was rough. “I love that I do this to you.”
His fingers pressed against my clit and I gasped, my back arching. He took my nipple into his mouth again, sucking hard on the sensitive flesh even as he slid a finger inside me. My eyelids fluttered as he worked his finger into me, my pants keeping his hand pressed tightly to me, putting pressure and the most delicious friction on my clit with every move he made. Between his hand between my legs and his mouth on my breast, I lost myself in the exquisite sensations coursing through me. With his usual single-minded determination, he worked me towards climax until I finally exploded around him.
I was still coming down when he pushed himself up on his knees and began to yank at my pants and underwear, pulling them both down to the middle of my thighs. He flipped me over, easily maneuvering my still-limp body until I was on my knees in fron
t of the couch, my elbows on the seat.
Jasper moved behind me, his hands caressing my bare ass before moving to my hips. I felt his cock nudge against me, and then he was pushing inside. But he was too big and I couldn't spread my legs any further. My head fell forward as he relentlessly worked his way into me, each inch making me gasp and pant as he stretched me.
“Fuck.” The word burst out of me. “Fuck. Fuck.”
“You are so tight,” Jasper ground out. His fingers massaged my hips as he came to rest inside me. He curled his body over mine and pressed his lips to my ear. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. I pushed back against him. “Please.”
He slid his hands beneath me, cupping my breasts as he moved. Short, shallow thrusts that deepened as he straightened. My clit throbbed in response to Jasper's fingers manipulating my swollen nipples, each twist and pull sending a jolt of painful pleasure into my system.
My breath came in bursts as he thrust into me, his cock rubbing every inch of me. There were nerves being stroked that I hadn't even been aware of until now, and I shuddered at the first wave of pleasure that washed over me.
“Come for me, baby,” Jasper murmured in my ear. “I'm almost there.”
One of his hands left my breast and slid down my stomach. The tip of his finger brushed over my clit. I groaned, shivering. I felt his teeth through the fabric of my shirt as he bit down on my shoulder and I moaned. His finger made circles on my clit, each one pushing me closer to another orgasm.
And then I was there, tipping over the edge, calling out his name as I came. He followed a moment later, buried deep inside me. He slumped over my back, his arms wrapped around me, holding me until we both came down. I hissed as he pulled out, suddenly feeling empty. He settled on the floor, pulling me onto his lap so he could kiss me.
He brushed back my hair, resting his forehead on mine. “Dinner should be done soon. Why don't you go get cleaned up, get into something comfortable and by then, we should be ready to eat.”
