Kasey didn’t bother to tell him that his suspicions about the taxi were wrong. Besides, she didn’t care about the kind of car, only that she wasn’t dead—thanks to Judy’s warning.
Curtis, even more solicitous than Tim, walked to the elevator beside Kasey. “Well, I guarantee you’ll get safely to your apartment. The elevators are in tip-top condition.”
Curtis pushed the button for her. “Almost a week with no problems. Keep your fingers crossed our luck will hold a little while longer.”
“At least until I get to my floor. I couldn’t handle another calamity tonight.” Kasey got on the elevator, and the door closed on Curtis’s wide, reassuring smile. She leaned back, feeling drained, now that the adrenaline rush was over. She longed for Will and the comfort of his arms.
As the elevator came to a stop on the nineteenth floor, Kasey’s pulse began to beat more quickly. Would Will be there, waiting for her? She stepped out of the elevator into an empty hallway. A little disappointed, she consoled herself with the fact that she’d have a chance to change clothes before rushing to Will.
She crossed to her apartment and stopped, a frown creasing her forehead. There was a florist box at her door. She picked it up curiously, with a glance toward Will’s apartment, and went inside.
She opened the card first, setting the box on the living-room table.
Something came up, and I have to cancel our date tonight. Please accept this flower, which is unique and exotic but can’t compare with you. Tomorrow night will be special. That’s a promise.
Will
Kasey sighed in disappointment, dropped into a chair and opened the box. Inside was an orchid unlike anything she’d ever seen, so deep purple that it was almost black, with a soft yellow throat. It was surrounded by rare and unusual greenery. Kasey lifted the bouquet from the tissue and, handling it carefully, went into the kitchen where she filled a vase and arranged the orchid in it.
His gift was beautiful; there was no doubt about that. But it didn’t keep Kasey from feeling upset. She’d desperately wanted to see Will. She tried to think sensibly, telling herself that she should look forward to a long shower and a good night’s rest.
Kasey poured herself a glass of wine, took off her scratched shoes and what was left of her stockings and went out onto the balcony, carrying the vase. A slight breeze cooled the hot night, and she could almost imagine a tang of autumn in the air. Summer would soon be ending and somehow that thought was bittersweet.
She walked to the edge of her balcony that joined with Will’s and looked over the low railing. She wasn’t being nosy, Kasey told herself, she was just interested in what he was doing. Was he at home behind the closed doors? Or had he gone out?
“It’s none of your business,” she said out loud, chiding herself. Will had a right to a life. He’d lived a lot of years before meeting Kasey, and there was no reason for her to think that everything should stop just because she was a part of his life now.
Of course, she thought, sipping her wine, everything in her life seemed to have stopped since he’d come into it. And, dammit, she wanted to know what was going on in his.
She leaned over a little, resting her hand on the railing, peering over at his balcony once more. There was a faint light in his living room. Maybe she’d give him a call just to tell him good-night. Then Kasey realized she didn’t even know his phone number. And knowing Will, he was probably unlisted. Besides, he obviously didn’t want to be disturbed, and she should respect his privacy.
But it was hard as hell not to be curious.
As she sipped her wine, Kasey drank in the heady scent of the exotic orchid. She’d never experienced anything like the subtle and sensuous aroma of the flower. It was certainly like Will to have found such an unusual gift for her. That gesture touched Kasey. Of course, Judy would see something malicious about that, too. At best, she would call Kasey a romantic fool. Well, she was in love with Will, and if that made her a fool, she didn’t care.
As she gazed out over the city lights, her earlier conversation with Judy replayed in her head. Judy had insisted that Will was the catalyst for all the unusual incidents that had plagued her recently. And if Judy heard about the car, she’d probably blame him for that, too.
“It was an accident,” Kasey said softly. “Everyone thinks so, and I do, too,” she reassured herself.
But Judy’s contention that Will had taken advantage of Kasey’s vulnerability was eerily close to the truth. She’d remembered the first time they made love—right after the subway incident. But she’d forgotten, or buried somewhere in her psyche, their first kiss. Now she remembered clearly what had happened that night. Will had appeared out of the darkness near Walk-by-Windows. She’d been frightened, and he’d been there for her, protective and caring. Powerfully drawn to him, Kasey had opened herself to him.
“It doesn’t mean a thing,” she lectured herself. Kasey had been as eager for their kiss—and for their lovemaking—as Will.
Then why the hell did dark doubts keep hounding her? Kasey drained her wine and went inside. A cool shower, a good night’s sleep, and she’d be back to normal. Dark thoughts weren’t her style, and she didn’t like this brooding side of herself.
She turned off the lights and headed for her bedroom, still pursued by doubts she couldn’t shake. Damn, why was Will so secretive? She could understand his running from the television crew in front of Bartow. Lots of people shied away from cameras; there was nothing unusual about that. But he avoided her questions, too, by changing the subject, distracting her, kissing her. And then he’d make love to her.
What about his obsession with the night, his unwillingness to go out into the daylight? Only once had he gone out during the day; that one time when she’d talked him into the picnic in the park. Then suddenly, another almost forgotten image flickered in her memory: the man in the park who’d waved at Will!
She hadn’t thought about it again, but now it all came back to her. Will had denied knowing the man. Vehemently. But since then, they hadn’t gone out during the day.
Kasey slipped off her clothes and got into bed. Her thoughts were not the exciting ones of the past two days. Now she was haunted by Judy’s warnings. The longer she knew Will, the less she seemed to know about him.
She turned out the lights, determined that was going to change. Tomorrow night, she would insist that they talk. She’d been kept in the dark too long.
* * *
BY THE NEXT NIGHT, her need to see Will overshadowed all her doubts. Kasey decided to get off early and surprise him. To achieve her plan, she had to bribe Mack into staying late and closing the restaurant, avoid Judy through most of the evening and work like a whirlwind to get eight hours’ work done in just over six.
At just past ten o’clock she was home, knocking on his door, out of breath but energized with excitement.
No answer.
Undaunted, she knocked again. This time, Will threw open the door, a scowl on his face that was immediately replaced with surprise.
“Kasey—what in the world...?” He looked at his watch with a frown. “What time is it?”
“I’m early,” she announced, and when he didn’t immediately respond, she experienced a sudden sinking feeling. Maybe he didn’t like surprises. “Hey,” she added quickly, “I can go away and come back later.”
“Not a chance,” he said, pulling her inside. “You just caught me by surprise—”
“And you don’t like surprises.”
“I’m crazy about them—one in particular.” He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her thoroughly. “I was just in the middle of something—”
Kasey moved ahead of him down the hall. She could see the light of his computer screen glowing in the living room. “You’re working at the computer.”
“Nothing important.” He crossed to the desk and hit a couple of keys. “And you’re the kind of interruption I crave. Come on,” he said, returning to Kasey and enfolding her in his arms. “Let’s go over
to your place and get back into that comfortable bed,” he suggested, giving her a little push toward the hall.
Kasey looked up at him beseechingly. “Can’t we stay here? I’d like to spend a night in your bed.”
“Well—” he looked around at the living-room office “—this is kind of unromantic...”
“Not with you here,” Kasey said boldly. “I’ve missed you, Will. And even though I loved the orchid, it didn’t quite take your place.”
“It’s more exotic,” he said, kissing her neck.
“Mmm.” The touch of his lips at the hollow in her throat caused an involuntary tremor.
“It’s much sweeter-smelling.”
“Mmm.” Kasey felt the smoothness of his face against her neck. “But it’s not as beautiful as you clean-shaven.”
“Men aren’t beautiful,” Will reminded her.
“So you say.” She pulled away just enough to look up at him. “But you’ll never prove it to me,” she added, touching his face with her fingers before reaching up to kiss his cheek, and then his mouth, licking him along the line of his bottom lip and tracing his upper lip with her tongue.
Will stood very still as she tasted him thoroughly. Then he said in a near whisper, “You can’t imagine how much I like it when you do that.”
“Really?” Kasey put her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him as she continued to drink from his soft, tantalizing lips. “You did the same thing to me in the middle of the night. Remember?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“And I remember how wonderful it felt.” She nibbled at his lower lip. “And I wanted you to know, too.”
“Now I do. I’ve been thinking about this all day,” he told her between kisses. “Waiting till midnight when I could see you again, feel you. And then you surprise me by coming home early. Do you realized that gives us almost two extra hours?”
“For what?” she teased.
“For this.” He covered her lips with his, drawing them into his mouth, consuming them and her.
When the kiss ended, her head was reeling. “Still want to stay here?” he asked. “Your bed is more comfortable.”
“Yours is closer,” she reminded him.
“You win.” He drew her down the hall into the bedroom. Along the way, they managed to shed their outer clothes, his T-shirt and trousers, her blouse and skirt. By the time they got to the bed, everything else had been peeled off, tossed aside, and they were together, bodies entwined, tasting and touching.
It was both familiar and all new for Kasey. “It’s crazy,” she said. “I feel as though we’ve been apart for weeks...”
“Months,” he added. “In a way, it’s like we’ve never been together at all. Somehow,” he murmured, “I have the feeling it’ll always be new and exciting for us, Kasey.”
“I know, I—” She couldn’t finish the sentence because of what she was feeling. His mouth or his hands seemed to touch every part of her body. Her lips, her breasts, the moistness between her legs. He excited her everywhere, turned her on fire for him.
“Oh,” she managed to moan, “that feels so good. Don’t stop. Please, Will—”
He continued to explore her thoroughly until she was weak with longing. “You give me such pleasure,” she whispered at last. “I want to do the same for you.”
“I’m yours,” he replied. “Totally. Completely.”
Her head still swimming with desire, she propped up on one elbow and looked at Will, stretched out naked on the bed beside her.
“Do whatever you want with me,” he said with a wicked grin.
“I intend to,” she told him. “It’s time for me to take advantage of you.” Her voice was a husky growl. “Starting now.”
She leaned over, kissing his mouth and letting her lips enjoy his smooth cheek, his chin, his neck. She moved along the line of his collarbone, used her tongue to taste and tempt his small, hard nipples. He groaned a little, and she smiled. His abdomen was flat and she skimmed little kisses across the warm flesh of it, circled his belly button with her tongue and nibbled on the edge of his hipbone.
Slowly, languidly, she let her hands glide through the fine dark hair around his erection and then held him with her fingers, stroked him, caressed him.
Will let out his breath in a long passionate sigh. Kasey had the power to drive him wild. Then she took him in her hot, slick mouth and he felt such a jolt of pure ecstasy that he gasped. Lights danced inside his head, a myriad of colors, brighter than any rainbow. He felt as though he might explode into a thousand pieces.
Quickly, almost roughly, Will pulled her to him. She slid down on his erection, one pleasurable inch at a time until he filled her completely. They moved together, slowly at first, and then more passionately. His eyes locked onto her face, her beautiful, glowing face, alight with desire and excitement. He couldn’t hold back, couldn’t stop the spiraling spasms that rocked him with erotic need.
When their release came, it was prolonged and powerful.
He drew her down into his arms and held on tightly, never wanting to let her go, afraid—suddenly—that if he told her the truth, he might lose her. But if he kept living this lie, he would lose her for sure.
* * *
KASEY WOKE UP and looked at the luminous dial on the bedside clock—1:00 a.m. She stretched a little and squinted in the half darkness at Will, who slept fretfully, his face creased in a frown. She touched his forehead lightly with the tips of her fingers, smoothing his skin. He moaned softly and turned over.
For a moment, Kasey was tempted to wake him up with a few carefully placed kisses. But something stopped her. He seemed uneasy and in need of sleep. She decided not to disturb him. Whatever was on his mind they could talk about later. They seriously needed to talk, but once again, she’d got sidetracked by the magic of their lovemaking.
Kasey slipped out of bed, picked up his T-shirt from the hall and pulled it over her head. She was very thirsty and a little hungry. Should she raid his refrigerator? Why not? Will made himself at home in her place.
She turned on the kitchen light, found a glass and filled it with water from the tap. Draining it, she opened the refrigerator and surveyed the contents. Milk. Eggs. And a variety of white cartons. She pulled one out and looked inside. Chicken, snowpeas and sprouts. She put it back and didn’t bother to check out the others, pretty sure they all contained the same thing: leftovers from Chinese take-out. Her appetite suddenly gone, Kasey filled her glass again and wandered into the living room.
A low lamp glowed on the desk next to the computer. This area was all Will’s, and she looked around it curiously. Books were stacked everywhere, arranged as haphazardly as they had been the first day she’d seen the apartment. But this time she had a chance to look at them.
“I’m not snooping,” Kasey muttered, “just looking at his books.” She glanced at a stack next to the computer, surprised by the titles: Studies in Erotomania, Delusions and Eroticism. The Obsessive Personality. The Psychology of a Stalker.
A prickle of uneasiness crept along her spine as she read the ominous titles again. Why did Will have these books? To learn about someone’s warped personality—or his own? As she stood in the shadowy light, shivering involuntarily, Will’s words came back to haunt her. “There are lots of crazy people around, Kasey,” he’d said. Was he talking about himself? No, Kasey decided. Will certainly wasn’t crazy.
But he had a strange choice of reading material.
That was another thing they’d need to talk about, Kasey realized. As she moved away, she bumped into a chair which hit the wobbly desk and sent a pile of letters onto the floor. When Kasey bent down to pick them up, her eyes caught the name and address on the top envelope: William Mastane, 123 Deerfoot Road, Hartville, Connecticut.
Mastane. Something about the name held her interest, skittering around in her head familiarly. She riffled through the other letters, all addressed to the same man, and wondered about the connection between William Mastane and he
r lover.
Totally puzzled, Kasey turned off the light and noticed that the computer was still on, a bright yellow menu displayed on the monitor. She stood before it for a long time, analyzing her choices. She could walk away, leaving the computer on. Or she could turn it off, hoping he’d saved his last file.
Or she could open one of the files.
Kasey was surprised at her thoughts; it wasn’t like her to be suspicious. She turned away quickly so she wouldn’t be tempted. Just as quickly, she turned back and before she could stop herself, she hit a key.
A list of files was displayed. She drew a long startled breath as her eyes ran down the choices.
“Act one, scene one, scene two. Act two, scene one...” She read them aloud.
Then another voice interrupted hers. It was anything but pleasant.
“What the hell are you doing?”
9
HIS HAND on her shoulder was like a jolt of electricity. Kasey let out a stifled scream and turned, looking into Will’s angry face.
“I asked you a question, Kasey.” There was fury in his eyes. He had pulled on a pair of trousers, but his chest was bare. He looked big and powerful. And dangerous—with his anger directed at her. “What are you doing?” he repeated.
“Nothing, I—”
“Do you call getting into my computer files nothing?”
“I didn’t get into your files,” she said defensively. “When I couldn’t sleep, I came in here. The light was on, I saw the books—”
“I’m not talking about the books, Kasey.”
“Well, I am!” she retorted. “When you find out that the man who has become your lover collects books about erotomania, you begin to wonder what else is going on. Especially when you’re not exactly sure what erotomania is,” she added.
“The delusional attachment to an object of love,” Will said. “That’s the textbook answer, anyway.”
“I guess I wanted to know why you were reading about that. Maybe I thought I’d find the answer in your files.”
Stranger in My Arms Page 13
