Dr. Orgasm (A Holiday Romance Collection Book 2)

by Michelle Love

  But if Inca chose Raffaelo over him? Tommaso didn’t yet know what his reaction would be, but he knew—none of them would come out of it unscathed.

  Olly ignored the terms of the restraining order without hesitation. He marched over to the Sakura as soon as they opened and got Inca on her own.

  She looked tired and stressed out and all the fight went out of him. “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head and started to cry. Olly went to her and pulled her into a bear hug.

  Nancy watched them from outside the Sakura, her face set and hard. Jesus, would they ever learn?

  Last night, after seeing Winter acting so bizarrely at dinner, she’d confessed her fears to a concerned Tyler. They had both tried calling Inca, only to get her voicemail, and were about to go get in the car when she called them. She told them she had discussed things with Tommaso but wouldn’t say anymore. Her voice had been tired, almost flat, and she had turned down their offer to come over. But they both had stayed up until the early hours, wracked with concern.

  “We can’t interfere,” she’d told Tyler. “Last thing she needs is babying. We need to give her space.”

  But Tyler had lain awake all night next to her; Nancy knew because she had too. Now, watching Inca hug Olly, she felt an irrational anger towards her defacto daughter. She stalked into the coffee house, slamming her bag onto the counter. Inca and Olly leaped apart, both flushing guiltily.

  “Well, isn’t this nice?” Nancy’s voice was like ice. Olly coughed.

  “I better …” he turned to leave, but Nancy stopped him.

  “No, you both need to hear what I have to say. What the hell are you doing? You,” she nodded at Olly, “are still under a restraining order. And you—” she broke off, her anger too much for her. She shook her head at Inca, who quailed under her gaze. “Are you trying to drive yourself crazy again?”

  “Olly, just go,” Inca said softly. “I need to talk to Nancy.”

  When they were alone, Inca held up her hands. “Look, we’re just trying to find our way back to friendship, is all. I was feeling down and he hugged me. Like a friend.”

  Nancy scoffed. “You are hell-bent on self-destruction.”

  Inca smiled, and Nancy was taken aback by the steel in her voice when she spoke next. “Quite the opposite,” she said. “I’m finally realizing something. I’m not looking for Olly or Tommaso or anyone else to rescue me. I realized I have to be my own white knight. And that means taking control of my life without—and I say this with love—without anyone telling me what I’m supposed to do or who I’m supposed see. That goes for you, Tyler, Tommaso and anyone else.”

  Nancy watched Inca with narrowed eyes as she moved around the teahouse wiping down tables, turning on the lamps. Outside it had started to rain, the headache gray sky packed with dark clouds—an ice storm was coming. Inca’s face was drawn and she looked older, changed, broken. When Inca had finished cleaning the tables, Nancy stopped her with hand on her back, making her look at her. Inca’s eyes were haunted and Nancy felt a twist of terror in her stomach. She smoothed a hand down her daughter’s hair.

  “Inca … what did he do to you?”

  “He didn’t do anything to me, Mom,” she said, her voice breaking. “I did something to him, and it’s unforgivable.”

  Nancy tried, but Inca would not tell her more. She went home to Tyler and told him what she’d said. “I think she’s reaching a breaking point. I really do.”

  Knox was waiting for Olly when he came back from patrol. Evening had settled over the island and the ice had started to stick to everyone and everything. Olly walked into the office, casting a glance over to his friend, seated, waiting patiently for him to hang his coat up. Olly sat at his desk, knowing something bad was coming. Knox cleared his throat.

  “Olly, I need to talk to you about something. Earlier I got a call from the powers that be. You were seen going into the Sakura this morning and talking to Inca, in violation of the restraining order.”

  Olly nodded, resigned. “Yeah. So?” His mind was still on Nancy’s words from that morning.

  Knox drew in a deep breath. “Olly, they have temporarily promoted me to Chief. An investigation will be pending.”

  Olly blinked, his mind shocked back into the present. “What?”

  Knox felt his shoulders tense. “I’m saying, Olly … I’m suspending you. Go home; get your shit together. I’ll need your badge and gun.”

  Tommaso called Inca as she worked the late shift. “Darling, I might be a few minutes late picking you up.”

  Inca tried to smile at the love in his voice. “I can drive myself, Tommaso. My car is right here.”

  He hesitated. “You will come home, though?” It made her chest hurt.

  “Of course, my love. Of course, I’m coming home to you.”

  She thought about the call, frowning. Why had he seemed so strange? She shrugged and went to serve a customer.

  Olly slumped back into his sister’s couch and raised a beer bottle to her. “Here’s to some time off.”

  Luna sighed, shaking her head. “This is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.”

  Olly shrugged. “Honestly, sis, I’m past caring now. Tommaso Winter is an asshole who thinks Inca is his property.”

  Luna made a noise. “Seriously, what is it with you people? She’s just a normal woman. Why do you all go gaga over her?”

  Olly looked surprised at the venom in his sister’s voice. “Calm down … it’s not Inca’s fault.”

  “Isn’t it? Don’t you think she loves that attention, Olly?”

  “You know she’s not like that.”

  Luna looked away from him, her face red with anger. “She didn’t used to be.”

  Olly patted his sister’s shoulder. “Sis …”

  “Don’t you think everyone’s life would be easier if she wasn’t around? Take her out of the equation and problem solved.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” he reprimanded his sister. “Kevin Harnett nearly killed her. Do you think she deserved that?”

  But Luna did not answer him.

  At ten o’clock, Inca went to lock the front door of the Sakura. Before she could, Scarlett came racing in, startling Inca.

  Inca pulled her in out of the rain. “What are you doing here this late?”

  “I was with Knox and he got called out.”

  “That explains the lack of coat. Look, why don’t I give you a ride home? I’ll just be a minute.”

  Scarlett shook her wet hair. “Can I help?”

  “I just have to finish in here and take the trash out.”

  Scarlett headed to the kitchen. “I’ll do the trash; I’m already wet.”

  Inca called after her. “Put my red mac on; it’s behind the door.”

  Scarlett tugged the raincoat on—Inca was a lot smaller than she was and it didn’t reach around Scarlett’s large chest. She shrugged, grinning. “Better than nothing.”

  Outside, ice and rain were falling in a torrent and the road was slick with a thick coat of ice. It was bitterly cold as Scarlett dashed outside to the garbage bins and threw in the sack of trash from the kitchen. The rain soaked through her light shirt and she tugged Inca’s coat further around her. The damp material stuck to her body as she went back to the door—only to find it had closed behind her and locked.

  Goddammit! Scarlett wiggled the handle, but it was stuck tight. “Inca! Let me in!” She banged on the door. She heard a step behind her and spun around. She squinted through the rain—was there someone there?

  There was a muffled bang and the first bullet smashed through the center of her belly. She gasped, shock and adrenaline flooding her system. All the air seemed pushed out of her lungs and she saw her blood spreading across the damp cotton of her shirt.

  Oh God, no …

  Her attacker shot her again, the bullet slamming into her chest, and Scarlett dropped to the ground, gasping for air and for life as her killer stood over and aimed the gun at her head. The pain was overwh
elming, the hot lead burning a path through her soft flesh. She put out a hand, desperate now.

  “Please, please … no … don’t … please …”

  Then there was only darkness.

  Inca, hearing Scarlett bang on the door, put down her broom and went to let her friend in. As she entered the kitchen, she stopped, her heart beating hard. Under the outside door, the rain water was flooding in at the bottom. With the water blood. Inca darted to the back door and pulled it open to see her friend prone on the floor.

  Inca Sardee took in the murdered form of her best friend and all of her systems shut down. She saw her friend, saw she was dead, but she did not understand. She fell to her knees and began to scream …

  Whiteout #3

  Sparks. If she unfocused her eyes and pretended they were sparks of light from Christmas twinkle lights, or something more calming than the endless red-blue flash of the emergency service vehicles, then maybe she would be able to bear this.

  No.

  This could never be bearable. Inca slid her eyes over to the sheet covering the body of her friend.

  How can you be gone?

  She kept hearing Scarlett’s laughter in her head, feeling the way her arms felt when she hugged Inca. The smell of her perfume. Kept seeing the blood. Scarlett’s eyes open and staring.

  Inca whirled around and threw up. She had refused to go inside, out of the ice storm, and now she was soaked through and shivering. She closed her eyes and felt a blanket being wrapped around her, someone pulling her close.

  “I’m so sorry, honey.”

  Nancy. Knox—poor, shocked, Knox—must have called her. When Inca had found Scarlett shot to death, her screams had brought people running, and now her throat felt raw and desiccated. Inca leaned against her mother and let her guide her inside.

  “I don’t want to leave her alone,” she whispered in a voice cracked with grief. Nancy kissed her head.

  “They’re taking her away now, sweetheart; they’ll look after her.”

  Inca nodded. God, why was she so tired? Was it the shock? “Where’s Dad?”

  “He went to get Tommaso. He thought it would be better for Tommaso to hear it from him, rather than let him find out via the police.”

  Inca felt a rush of gratitude. “That’s good. Thank you.”

  “He’ll be here soon.”

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, baby?”

  “Why is all this happening? All of it, the other murders, the weird stuff that’s being going on. And now this … who would kill Scarlett? Why?”

  Nancy hugged her daughter harder. “I don’t know, my darling. I wish I could tell you why. Bad stuff happens—it just seems we’re on a run of it. God, that doesn’t even cover it, does it? But I don’t have the answers you want. I’m sorry.”

  Inca nodded, sighing. Her eyes felt like they had sand in them. “Mom … about Tommaso and me …”

  Nancy smoothed the hair away from her face. “What is it?”

  It had been on the tip of Inca’s tongue to tell her about Raffaelo and how she felt about Tommaso’s brother, but then she faltered. Even she didn’t understand what was going on between them or how she now felt about Tommaso. She did love him; she had no doubt, but could you really love two people with this much ferocity?

  She was saved by the arrival of her father and Tommaso, whose stricken face told her everything she needed to know about how he felt about her. She went into his arms. He kissed the top of her head.

  “Thank God you’re okay, mio Dio, grazie a Dio, stai bene.”

  Inca sank into his embrace, breathing in his comforting scent. “Someone killed Scarlett, Tommaso.”

  “I’m so sorry, mio caro, so very sorry.”

  Inca saw Tyler and Nancy exchange worried looks, but she couldn’t process what they meant. Just then, Knox, pale, sickened, and grief-stricken came in. “Hey.”

  “Man, sit down before you fall down.” Tyler steered him into a chair and Nancy went to put some coffee on. Knox shook his head.

  “I don’t believe this is happening.” Inca pulled away from Tommaso and went to sit by the shaken cop. She took his hands in hers.

  “I’m so sorry, Knox. Where’s Olly? He should be handling this, not you.”

  Knox shook his head. “Look, I need to tell you something, all of you.” He looked meaningfully at Inca. “Olly’s been suspended. For breaking the terms of the restraining order.”

  Inca gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Tommaso looked grim-faced and cursed softly in Italian. Inca looked at him—an unspoken communication passed between them, and Tommaso pulled out his phone.

  “I’ll rescind the order,” he said shortly, and stepped away from them to speak to his lawyer.

  Knox nodded gratefully.

  “It still might take some time to get him back, but thank you. I just cannot believe this; I was just with Scarlett.”

  Inca hugged him tightly. “I know … she came over to the Sakura after you got called out; I was just finishing up.”

  Knox nodded, his gaze fixed unseeing on a distant point for a moment. Then he looked at Inca. “Why was she wearing your coat?”

  Inca blinked. “She was taking the trash out for me.”

  “Okay.” Knox looked like he was about to say something else, but then a bunch of the crime scene investigators came in. The medical examiner shook hands with them, and Nancy fixed hot drinks for everyone. Outside, the ice storm was worsening.

  The medical examiner, Dr. Fielden, gave them the news. “She was shot three times: head, chest, and abdomen. I’m afraid she didn’t stand a chance, poor girl, but death would have been quick. I’ll obviously know more after the post-mortem.”

  Inca could feel nausea rising in her chest again. The doctor looked at her. “I believe you found her, Ms. Sardee? Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head. “No. I just keep seeing her face.”

  The doctor nodded sympathetically. “Understandable. Look, I’m sure the police will have plenty of questions for all of you, but for tonight, I suggest you go home and get some rest.” He glanced out of the window. “I hope we all get home safe in this.”

  “It’s bad out there,” said Knox in a dead, flat voice and the doctor studied him.

  “I think you shouldn’t be alone, Officer Westerwick. Not tonight.”

  “Come home with us, Knox,” Nancy said kindly, and he nodded.

  “Thank you, Nancy, Tyler. God … what the hell happened here tonight? How can she be gone?” And he broke down.

  Tommaso took Inca home and ran her a hot bath. She couldn’t stop shivering and clung to him. “Come in with me.”

  She lay back against him in the hot water, feeling the warmth seep into her bones. Tommaso’s big, muscled arms wrapped around her, his fingers tracing a pattern on her belly. Inca closed her eyes, trying to scrape the image of Scarlett’s broken body out of her mind. Her shirt had the tell-tale bullet holes in it, but it was the head wound that really got to her. So small, so insignificant, that tiny hole just above Scarlett’s left eyebrow. So small, and yet it made everything so final.

  God.

  Tears began to pour down Inca’s face then, and Tommaso let her cry softly, his hands stroking her skin to comfort her. After the tears stopped, he lifted her out of the bath and dried her, carrying her to bed. They needed no words, knowing that they would make love as a way of trying to ease some of the pain. Tommaso wound her legs gently around his waist as his cock slid into her. Inca clung to him, wanting him to cover her, dominate her, make her feel safe again. She couldn’t come though, and afterward Tommaso held her, kissing her gently, watching her eyes, waiting for her to start talking.

  She stroked his face, feeling guilty for what they had all been through. “I’m sorry about … Raffaelo,” she whispered, but he shook his head.

  “It’s okay. It really is, mio caro. We don’t have to talk about that now.”

  She pressed her lips to his. “I do love you, Tommaso.”


  “And I love you. But, bella, let’s be honest. You love Raff too.”

  She nodded, feeling her eyes fill with tears. “I know it’s incredibly selfish, but I don’t know how to give either of you up.”

  He drew his hand down her body. “I think tonight has shown us that if there is no need to give something up, then maybe we shouldn’t.”

  Inca was confused. “What do you mean?”

  Tommaso gave her a strange smile. “It doesn’t matter tonight, Inca. Sleep now.”

  Inca didn’t think she could sleep, but with Tommaso’s gentle caresses, she soon fell into a nightmare-plagued slumber.

  Tommaso slid from the bed and called Raffaelo in Italy. He told his brother what had happened and Raff was horrified. “Is Inca okay?”

  Tommaso sighed. “No, Raff, she’s not. Come home. She needs you.”

  Raffaelo hesitated. “I don’t know if I can.”

  “You can.” Tommaso’s voice hardened. “You can, and you must. We have done this to our girl; we made her fall in love with us. We must be there for her now. Both of us.”

  “Both?”

  “Yes.”

  There was a long pause before Tommaso heard Raffaelo’s sigh. “I’m on my way.”

  Olly Rosenbaum was woken by a telephone call from his boss and told he was reinstated, effective immediately. He didn’t find out about Scarlett’s murder, though, until he flicked on the television as he ate his breakfast. He lost his appetite immediately. Rushing down to the Sakura, he found it surrounded with crime scene tape and deserted by everyone except journalists. At the rear, he saw blood frozen to the ground and felt sick. He felt confused, sickened, and lost. Not knowing what to do, he went to the police station, where he saw Knox.

  He hugged his friend tight. “I’m so sorry, man.”

  Knox gave a tight nod. “I just want to find who did this.”

  “What have we got so far?”

  He filled Olly in. “The thing I keep coming back to is … Scarlett was wearing Inca’s raincoat. What if the killer was targeting Inca and not Scarlett?”