by Sarah Makela
He changed course at the last minute and ran his palms over her hips. His fingers dipped beneath the lacey material of her panties and tugged them down in one fluid motion.
She opened her eyes and stared down at him. His gaze locked on her face. She smiled and unzipped the skirt, letting it fall to the tile floor.
His hands caressed her hips and her thighs again. He licked his lips, and she felt like her knees would give out at the sight of him staring at her with desire naked in his eyes. She could’ve melted in his arms right then.
He rose to his feet and helped her out of her blouse.
They needed to get cleaned up. No doubt about that. Ian was the only one who could make her feel this desirable after running through the streets and Dumpster diving for her purse. She grabbed his polo shirt and pulled it over his head, then tossed it with the pile of her clothes before returning for his jeans.
He grinned but turned her toward the shower and lightly smacked her butt. “Start the shower. I’ll double check that everything is secure. Be right back.”
She frowned, but he was right. With what had happened today, they needed to make sure the apartment was extra safe before allowing themselves to be vulnerable. She bent to start the water. Behind her, she heard Ian groan. She peeked over her shoulder and winked at him. “Hurry up, my sexy technomage.”
He flashed a smile and nodded, then ducked out of the bathroom. She heard Bernard talking outside. “You guys have SEX yet? From the pheromones flooding the bathroom, I’d guess not!”
Ian responded, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
Heat spread over her skin. Crap! Bernard could read and feel emotions. If they were strong enough, he could get as high as a kite from them. That was part of his curse. The thing most dangerous about him. He could distort those emotions into something inhumane and deadly, making the person kill themselves or others.
Made for interesting living arrangements. She’d had to learn to control her emotions a lot better since being around him, and yet Ian brought out a completely new side of her that craved powerful emotions and passion.
They had yet to have any major problems, but she suspected that was because Bernard was far too curious to see them consummate the act. They’d managed to avoid him interrupting, even though the pesky gnome was persistent. She didn’t get into voyeurism at all.
She ran her hand under the hot spray of water, wanting Ian to get back in here and lock the door already.
The door opened, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Ian slid in and closed it behind him quickly before sliding the lock home and staring at her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just hoping you weren’t Bernard.” She ran a hand through her hair and glanced at the cascading stream of water. “You should get those pants off.”
He slid down the zipper, and she watched him slip out of his jeans. His cock firm, but not rock solid. Yet.
Ian stepped behind Hannah in the shower. He took in the sight of her delicious curves. Blood poured into and hardened his cock that much more. He needed to take her. Needed to fulfill his needs and hers. He’d hated having their previous attempts at lovemaking fail, but how was it fair to the people having their organs brutally removed for them to stop and get it on? They needed to eat, sleep, shower, but… Maybe he was being too fanatical about solving this string of gruesome murders.
His body softened as his mind went down that trail. Damn.
Hannah turned under the stream of water and smiled up at him. Her gaze dipped, and her smile faded a little around the edges. “What’s wrong? Did I do something?”
He shook his head and cradled her face with his hands, brushing his thumb over her cheek. “No, it’s me. I’m sorry.”
“What?” The smile vanished completely and was replaced with a frown. “What are you worrying about?” She moved away, and his heart sank a little.
Running his hand over his wet hair, he sighed. “It’s just hard for me to relax when there’s someone out there capable of committing these heinous murders.” She wasn’t taking this well, and he couldn’t blame her. He’d probably feel the same way if their situations were reversed.
“I know that the murders are bad, and I don’t like that they’re happening either. But when it comes down to it, I trust us to get to the bottom of it. I need to know that inside these walls we can shut out whatever is happening at our job to have a life too. I need to feel your touch and to know that you care about me. You’ve let things get between us again.” Her voice cracked a little, and she hung her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s not fair.”
Turning her back on him, she grabbed the shampoo and lathered up her hair.
He blinked a splash of water from his eyes. She was right. He wasn’t doing what he could to make sure their relationship lasted this time, and that was what he sincerely wanted. Her coming into his life again last month was a second chance for him to make things right, and it seemed like he wasn’t doing such a good job at the moment.
He reached out and ran his hand over her back, but she jerked away. Her foot slipped, and he caught her, holding her steady until she regained her footing in the now soap-slick shower.
“Thanks,” she said, staring up into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to be hurt again. You have no idea what last time did to me.”
He laughed, but the sound was humorless even to his own ears. “I think I have an idea. Believe me. Losing you was one of the worst things I’ve been through, other than…” He jerked his head toward the shower curtain and smirked.
Hannah smiled. “Yeah, I’m not sure how you’ve survived Bernard. Literally.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his chest. “Let’s finish up and get out of the shower. The water is going to get cold soon.” Her gaze rose to meet his, passion burning within her eyes. “And maybe if you’re feeling up to it, we’ll figure out something else to occupy ourselves.”
He smirked. “Your offer sounds intriguing. I can’t wait to see what you have in mind.” The water went from warm to cool, and he grimaced. They soaped their bodies and shampooed their hair, getting cleaned up from the muck and sweat they’d accumulated that day.
Ian stepped out of the shower onto the mat as Hannah turned off the water. He briskly rubbed a towel over his body as he watched her. She moved so gracefully, but when the occasion called for it, she was intense and strong. Her intelligence at their jobs and the way she kept track of things so carefully. All of that attracted him and more. Her vulnerability touched him the most. The way she looked at him and made him feel so cared about.
He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve her, but now that she was in his life, he’d do everything in his power to keep her.
* * *
Hannah reclined on the bed and stared up at Ian. His bath towel hung low on his hips and jutted toward her from his arousal. He leaned over her and ran his hands over her curves. He gripped her towel and unwrapped her like a present left just for him.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she stared up at him. Wetness already dampened her thighs from their close call earlier. He grinned and pressed his lips against her ribcage then moved higher toward her breasts. His fingertips brushed over her mound, bringing a moan from her throat.
She snagged his towel and let it fall to the ground as well. She wanted him desperately and didn’t want anything else to ruin this time together. She pulled him onto the bed next to her and trailed her hand lower down the firm, muscular expanse of his chest, over his flat stomach and across his hard cock that lay against his belly. She straddled his legs and gripped him in her fist, bringing a gasp to his lips.
He stared up at her, meeting her gaze as she pumped her fist over his length in firm strokes. He grew larger in her hand, and his breathing came harder the more she toyed with him. Her other hand caressed the soft flesh of his testicles. She grinned and leaned down between his legs. His eyes grew wider, and he plunged his fingers into her hair.
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br /> She ran her tongue up his length and over his tip, flicking her tongue across his slit. The slightly salty taste of him was almost as sweet as the sound of hearing him moan. She didn’t do this kind of thing often, but she enjoyed it when she did. He usually seemed surprised, like he didn’t expect her to want to give him pleasure like this. She took him into her mouth, and he thrust between her lips before stopping.
His grip tightened a little on her head. “Hannah.” His voice was rough and husky and sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine. “I want to be in you.”
Boy, did she want that too. She glanced up at him and smiled, running her tongue over the tip again before pulling away from him.
He leaned over to the nightstand to pull out a condom, ripped open the small package, and rolled it on. Before she could blink, he laid her down and then pressed his cock between her legs, rubbing his thick tip over her clit.
Hannah wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Their lips met as he thrust into her, melding their bodies together. She circled her legs around his waist and kept pace with him, pushing against him, and taking him more and deeper.
He ran his hand over her breast and thumbed her nipple, heightening the sensations cascading through her body. Climax tumbled toward her like a train, and she dug her nails into Ian’s back as he continued to rock his hips against her. He groaned and picked up his pace.
She pressed her mouth against his again, kissing him with all she had in her to keep from screaming her desire. Her body shook as waves of pleasure washed over her. Ian’s cock pulsed inside her as they came together.
He rested his forehead against hers. “That was wonderful.”
She grinned. “You did good.”
He cocked an eyebrow and pulled back a little, a smirk curving his lips. “Just good? I’ll show you great.”
She blinked, anticipation filling her.
“Next time, that is.” He winked at her. “Let’s do a few things and get something to eat.” Ian pulled away and headed into the bathroom.
Oh well…
After getting dressed again, Hannah checked what Ian had been able to salvage from her purse. The documents she had taken earlier for review were still there. Most of her belongings were intact, but some make-up she had taken along was ruined. Her wallet was still present, and so were her keys.
She went toward the kitchen, finding Ian digging through the fridge. “How about a cold cuts sandwich? Also, are you able to use some of the stuff from the purse still?” Ian asked while getting deli meats, vegetables, and cheeses out.
“Most of it, actually. Shame about the purse, though. You know what is odd? The creep didn’t take anything. He had the chance to take something, especially when he was hiding in the alley,” Hannah said and grabbed some slices of bread.
Ian grimaced. “Maybe he didn’t expect us to follow him.”
Hannah shrugged. “Maybe.”
Enjoying the quiet, broken occasionally by the telltale snoring coming from Bernard’s little hut, they ate their sandwiches in the comfortable safety of their home.
Chapter Five
Ian opened his eyes after feeling a slight tug against his cheek. A small flow of character strings, floating mid-air, had gently touched him, before passing by and joining others at the edge of his vision. The stream of information was constant. Binary calculations, network paths, block allocations and memory constraints, their symbolic images and abstractions filling his view. Knowing he was inside his own dream did not lessen the feeling of awe. The pillars of data that shaped his dreamy landscape made structures that formed and reformed, taking shapes he hadn’t even begun to understand. The vivid colors, ranging from blue to bright amber, reminded him of quick diagnostic light-coding of servers, the blue streets of data pathways between server labs housing thousands of machines, seemingly working as one.
Reaching out with a hand, he shaped the realm around him, creating vivid images and illusions that street performers couldn’t even dream about. Yet, behind him, out of the corner of his eye, he saw slow decay creeping in, corrupting the binary information, turning it to rusty clumps that became static, unmoving in the endless stream of data. A chill passed through him, freezing him to the core. Dread and imminent danger flowed from the corrupted segments of data as well as their source that lay just out of his sight.
Waking up with a cold sweat, he rose gently so as not to disturb Hannah. In the living room, dim light and a muffled sound came from the TV as the gnome stuffed popcorn in his mouth.
“Hey Ian. Look at this.” Bernard had a big grin on his face. “I like the way this town is going.” He paused the newsfeed from the local station.
The screen showed a face that had bruised eyes and burnt ears. Immediately, Ian felt a jolt of energy running through him. What remained of his tiredness had vanished, replaced by a sense of urgency.
“Bernard, when was this?” Ian asked, sorting through the documents Hannah had brought home and trying to get the photographs.
“About half an hour ago. It was on the nightly special. The police found the body behind one of the shadier hotels near St. Gregory’s. Seems they don’t know too much, as they are actively seeking any witnesses. Here’s the funny thing. This guy was also drained of blood, and his small intestine was taken,” Bernard said with a gleeful tone.
Cursing himself, Ian set the documents down, unable to match the faces with the picture on TV. Their guy had just made another kill. “Why are you so happy about this, anyway?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. All of this rush of emotion going around. It almost makes me wonder if this is what my aunt felt while Ripper was walking the streets. Ah, the stories she told about the suffering, pain, anguish and dread that permeated the alleys. I really can’t wait.” The gnome smacked his lips as if he’d eaten a sweet and expensive treat.
Hannah trudged into the living room. “What’s going on?” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned.
Before Ian could answer, the gnome filled in the bloody details to the tired woman. Slowly but surely, Hannah stirred from her sleepy state and rewound the recording.
“Today, in this dark alleyway, the police found the mutilated body of Thomas Ingrid. The police are asking for anyone who might have witnessed the crime. Also, they’re warning people to stay alert and report any suspicious activity. Whoever did this is considered extremely dangerous and possibly psychotic,” the young reporter said, talking eagerly with his hands.
Hannah paused the recording, looking stunned.
A familiar tune broke the uneasy atmosphere. Ian looked around for his phone, only to see the gnome coming from the kitchen with it. Oddly enough, the gnome’s voice was somewhat serious when he handed the phone over to Ian.
Leon’s number showed up in cold blue digits on the caller ID. “Talk to me, Leon. What is going on?” Ian was surprised by the amount of annoyance in his own voice.
“Hey there! Don’t get an attitude with me. I just got a call that this is all over the news. So far, the police don’t know about the earlier cases. Dr. Grant has arranged a visit to the morgue for you guys to see the body firsthand, and I’ll be accompanying you two. There is something odd about it. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Leon hung up.
After a moment, they dressed and decided to head out, leaving the gnome to watch over the news in case anything else came up.
Chapter Six
Reaching the hospital, Hannah and Ian found Leon waiting in the lobby in his nurse uniform. They entered the personnel-only area and headed downstairs toward the basement. They passed a massive laundry facility and a kitchen in their progress downward.
A set of doors and a few more flights of stairs left them in a cold white room with an examination table dominating their attention. Reeves, the medical examiner, identified by his small nametag, stood near the body and passed her and Ian each a pair of gloves without saying a word.
The body itself, lying on the table, was luckily covered by a she
et, giving them at least some comfort in the room. The air-conditioning had mostly removed any scents from the room, which Hannah was eternally grateful for.
Leon approached and said something quietly to Reeves. Reeves simply nodded and pointed toward his notes. “Sorry, you two. Mr. Reeves is one of the best medical examiners, but he’s mute. You’ll have to refer to his notes for the details.” Leon handed a clipboard to Ian.
Approaching the body, Hannah noticed a slight twitch underneath the sheet, as if the arm of the deceased had moved. “Is that normal?” she asked, looking at the medical examiner, who nodded, as if he had seen it too many times. Unable to shake an eerie feeling, she stepped closer to Ian and looked at the notes.
It appeared their victim had been through the same torture as the ones before. The small intestine, part of the latest batch of bio-organs, was missing, while all the surface organs had initially been gently moved aside, before being replaced at the end.
“It says here that the, and I quote, oddest thing was the additional care the victim was given. Could you show us what you mean?” Ian asked the medical examiner, who had silently walked closer to them.
Reeves approached the cold steel stretcher and uncovered the body to the waist in one efficient motion. The body below was badly tortured, scars and fresh cuts crisscrossing the extremities. The vivisection was exactly what they had seen on the other victims. Reeves had even humorously noted in his examination that it, and the style in which it had been done, had saved him easily fifteen minutes of work.
The membranes covering the internal organs were mostly intact -- only a series of small cuts showed where the organs had been pulled out. Reeves reached in with his gloved hand and gently moved the other parts aside, showing neat cuts that had been mandatory to reach the organ through the front of the body. What struck Hannah as odd initially was the lack of blood deep inside the cavity. There was plenty on top of the heart and other major organs, but in the back, where the remaining blood should have settled, she could barely see any.
