by J. E. Taylor
“What were they doing?”
Steve shook his head. “I have no idea, but it looked a little like some sort of witchcraft.”
Jennifer started to laugh and stopped with a glare from him.
“Or devil-worship,” he added, putting a sobering spin on everything.
“I can’t believe that,” Jennifer balked. “It could have just been a fraternity ritual.”
Steve glanced at her, communicating his skepticism with in his eyes. “If they were standing in any other pattern, I would agree with you, but a pentacle?” He shook his head and looked back at the road.
“Didn’t the Masons use a pentacle as their symbol?”
Steve glanced at her. “Jen, they were performing a ritual in Latin that ended with the cracking of that egg. We both saw the blood come out of that shell. That has nothing to do with Masons.” Bill’s expression when the blood came out of the eggshell, followed by the look on his face when he saw Jennifer leaving the room, dug under Steve’s skin like a parasite, festering. He didn’t like this new development at all. He drove for a while without saying anything.
“Tracy told me something before I went to class.” She shifted in the seat.
Steve’s stomach growled and he pulled into Joe’s, the local burger joint on the corner across from the university’s main campus. He ordered a burger, fries, and a milkshake, and looked over at Jennifer. “You want anything?”
Jennifer shrugged. “A chocolate shake?”
He ordered her a chocolate shake and drove up to the window to pay and collect their food. He handed the bag to her, pulled into one of the far parking spaces, and put the car in park. “Go ahead,” he said as he took the food. “Tell me.”
“Tracy said the initiation for the pledges is the same thing every year. They tell the pledges about the legend of Paradise Cove and send them there. They’re supposed to get a picture of their reflection. That’s all that is required to get in, but there is a bonus as well. If you follow the stream and get a picture of where it ends, you don’t have to pay dues.”
Steve processed this information. That could explain some of the disappearances, but it still didn’t explain the girl they found this summer.
“Tracy told me to tell you not to do it if they make you go through initiation.” She offered him a sip of her milkshake and he shook his head.
“If they ask, I’ll go. It’s part of the cover.” He shrugged. “Was Tom in the fraternity?”
Jennifer nodded. “Yeah.”
Steve offered her a french fry and she declined with a shake of her head. “So he must have gone through the initiation.”
“That’s what Tracy said. I know Tom didn’t do the second part because he bitched about the dues to me for two years.” Jennifer looked out the window. She wasn’t comfortable discussing Tom in the same context of devil worship. “Billy still pays dues, according to Tracy.” She looked back at Steve.
Steve nodded as he crumpled the empty fry container, dropping it in the take out bag, and crumpling that as well. He pulled himself up and tossed it into the garbage barrel in front of the car, raising his arms in victory as it circled the rim and fell in. He grinned at Jennifer and started the car.
Jennifer finished the remainder of her milkshake, crumpled the cup, and tossed it at the barrel as he pulled forward. She turned and offered a smug grin as her garbage went in without hitting the rim. “Nothing but net.”
Steve laughed. “You’re something else.”
They pulled into the apartment parking lot and Jennifer waited while he put the top up on the convertible. “No more work.” He escorted her in. “I’m done for the night.”
Jennifer smiled. “No interrogations?” she teased as the elevator doors closed.
The slow sexy smile appeared. “I didn’t say that.” He pulled her to him and kissed her. “I didn’t say that at all.” The doors opened and he pulled away, stepping out of the elevator ahead of her, looking both ways out of habit.
“Looks like you’re still working,” Jennifer said in relation to his less than casual inspection of the hallway.
“Old habits die hard.” He shrugged. “And they happen to keep me alive.” He fit her keys into the door and swung it open.
Tracy jumped when the door swung open. What Lies Beneath played on the screen and she sat alone in the dark.
Jennifer looked at the television and then back at Tracy. “You are one sick girl.”
“You know I like scary movies.”
“But alone in the dark?” Jennifer asked, leading Steve into the room further.
“That’s the best way to watch them. Are you gonna watch the rest with me?” she asked, glancing between Jennifer and Steve, her eyes lingering on him before returning to Jennifer.
Steve shook his head and he looked at Jennifer. “I’ve got an eight o’clock class.” He scanned her with his eyes, immediately conveying his desires.
“I think we’ll pass,” Jennifer said, leading Steve back to her room. She flipped on the light and closed the door behind her.
Steve looked around. An amused smirk found its way to his lips.
“What?” Jennifer said, following the path of his gaze.
“Girly,” he remarked, and walked to the second door leading to the dressing room. Closing it, he flipped the lock, smiling back at Jennifer.
“Girly?” She looked around.
He nodded, approaching her. “Satin and lace.” He stopped in front of her. “Silk and cream,” he said, his voice smooth and raw at the same time, his eyes hungry for her. He ran his hands down her bare arms.
Jennifer tilted her head back and closed her eyes; his touch igniting her. Her breath quickened at the fire rising inside her, fanned by his hands running over her bare neck, slowly pulling the straps of her dress off her shoulders.
Steve reached and flipped the light off, then moved her toward the bed, peeling his shirt off and discarding it on the floor. He kissed her and pulled away as he gently pulled the dress over her head. “Reasonably sure?” he asked in a low, sexy voice. He kissed her neck, unhooking her bra and dropping it to the floor at their feet. “Show me reasonably sure,” he whispered, and flicked her ear with his tongue before finding her mouth again.
Jennifer ran her hands up his chest and around his neck as she kissed him, feeling his smooth skin against hers. “How would you like me to show you?” she asked against his lips as he leaned on the edge of the bed.
“With your sweet mouth.” Steve licked her lips and took her hands. He put her index finger in his mouth and pulled it out slowly. “And your soft hands,” he whispered, tilting his head and flashing a brief smile. He moved his hands lazily over her bare torso. “And your delectable body.” He yanked her to him, crushing her with an insistent kiss.
Jennifer reached down and found the button on his shorts. Flipping it open, she unzipped slowly, the clicking of his zipper overpowering the brush of their skin. She smiled under the pressure of his lips, running her thumbs under the waistband of this underwear. She shifted away from his insistent mouth, running her tongue down the strong arch of his neck.
He leaned back against the bed, his chest rumbling, purring his approval as she kissed her way down his bare chest, slowly removing his shorts. He kicked the shorts aside and his eyes closed, his hands running through her silky hair. He got lost in the heaven that was her mouth. Sweetly inexperienced, she coaxed him, teasing by licking his length before taking him in her mouth, flicking her tongue over the sensitive tip before sliding her lips down his shaft, sucking gently, repeating this slow seduction until he wanted to scream. He plunged his hands in her hair and moved her more fervently up and down his throbbing member, aching for release. “Oh god,” he groaned, his hips gyrating in time with her mouth. She sucked harder with each plunge until he arched with an eruption he felt through his entire being.
Jennifer sat back on her heels and wiped her mouth, her wide eyes visible with the light of the moon filtering through the window.
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Steve sat on the bed, dropping on his back, his arms out wide and his breath heaving in his chest. “God damn, girl,” he whispered in awe, propping himself on his elbows. He sat up and reached his hand out tugging her into his arms. Steve looked into her eyes and traced her face with the tips of his fingers. “You have no clue what I’d do for you, Jen.” His kiss was still insistent. “Please tell me you feel the same,” he said, looking more vulnerable than she had ever seen him.
“I do.”
He squeezed her a fraction tighter. “I could get used to this.”
Jennifer laughed. “So could I.” She tried to kiss him, but he pulled away.
“So, what are you doing for the rest of your life?” he asked, his voice light and joking, but his heart was more tied to the words than he wanted to admit. He could see forever with this woman, and wondered just how far he could play this without asking outright and putting her in a position to say yes or no.
“After I graduate, I’m heading to New York to try to get established. I’m thinking about starting with the stage and then transitioning to television and film, but we’ll see.” She gave him a small kiss. “Who knows, I might end up being another cliché; poor and taking odd jobs while I wait for my big break.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, besides I like New York,” Steve said and smiled.
Jennifer bit her lip. “That could be complicated.”
“How so?” Steve said.
“The spotlight doesn’t work well for an undercover cop.”
Steve leaned back a little as her words sank in. He wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Instead, he ran his hand through his hair and let himself slowly fall back on the bed. She was right—the kind of publicity that came with stardom was not good for undercover work. His face would be as recognizable as hers. He closed his eyes and sighed.
“Still want to continue whatever this is?”
Steve let his eyes drift back to her; but he didn’t answer her right away. “Come here.” Jennifer climbed on top of him. He brushed the hair away from her face so he could see her green eyes and he leaned up and kissed her. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I still want to be with you.” His blue eyes sparkled and he slowly smiled. “I don’t have to do undercover work.” He rolled and kissed her, running his hands down her bare skin.
Jennifer reached down and grabbed his wrists, rolling them back over as she brought his hands up next to his head. “I believe I was in the middle of showing you reasonably sure.”
“Oh, by all means,” he grinned.
Jennifer slowly ground her hips in a circle over him, feeling him immediately respond. “Do you have anything this time around?”
“In the pocket of my shorts. I stopped on the way home from campus.”
Jennifer let go of his wrists and retrieved his discarded shorts, fumbling through the pockets until she found the package of condoms. “You only bought five?” She tore one from the rest, peeled her underwear off and climbed back up on top of him.
Steve shrugged and put his hands behind his head.
Jennifer put the condom on him and slid him inside her as she tossed the package away. “We could go through five in one night,” she teased, riding him playfully, running her fingertips over his chest.
“True.” He smiled as he pulled his hands out from behind his head and ran them up her thighs. He grazed her skin with his fingertips before she grabbed his wrists again, pushing his arms down gently on the mattress above his head. Her hair tickled his face. She threw her head back to get it out of the way and kissed him hard.
Jennifer melted into him as they kissed, releasing his wrists and allowing him to wrap his arms around her as they made love.
Steve brushed the hair away from her face as she lay on his chest, exhausted from their exertion. “I love you,” he whispered and closed his eyes.
Jennifer kissed his chest. “I love you, too.” She listened to his heartbeat and drifted into a light sleep.
Steve’s eyes went wide. She’d finally spoken the words he wanted to hear and he kissed the top of her head. As he listened to her soft and even breathing, his mind drifted back to the case, analyzing the scene outside the fraternity. He kept coming back to the way Bill looked at Jennifer. He shivered unconsciously and she shifted, rolling off him and onto her side on the bed. Steve pulled his arm out from under her and found his underwear and shorts. Pulling them on, he wandered into the bathroom. When he came out of the toilet stall, Tracy was leaning against the door to the dressing room.
“You didn’t waste any time, did you?” Tracy’s eyes drifted over him, taking him in as he walked back toward Jennifer’s room.
Steve stopped in his tracks, the surprise on his face genuine.
Tracy laughed lightly as she stepped into the room approaching him, batting her eyes and licking her lips in a way that sent an uncomfortable warning across his skin.
“Actually, it’s really none of your business what I do with Jen.”
Tracy tilted her head. “She didn’t tell you? We share everything.” She moved in front of him and put her hands on his bare chest. “Everything.” She stepped closer, looking up into his eyes.
Steve took her hands and stepped back. “Not everything.” He stepped around her and into Jennifer’s room, shutting the door on Tracy. He stood with his back against the wood, looking at Jennifer sleeping peacefully on the bed, wondering how the hell he was going to tell her that her best friend came onto him.
Chapter 20
Sunlight broke through the window and Jennifer squinted, turning her head into the pillow with a low groan. She glanced at the clock and the numbers blinked, changing. It was five fifty-six in the morning and she hadn’t closed the mini-blinds last night like she usually did.
“Mhm,” Steve mumbled, squeezing her tighter against him. “Morning sunshine.”
“Morning,” she answered, rolling towards him.
“I need to get moving.” He glanced at the clock, sitting and rubbing his face. “We need to be in the student center pub at noon on Friday.” He threw his legs over the side of the bed.
“Why?”
“My boss wants to meet you.” He gathered the clothing on the floor. He hated to put her on the spot, but he knew Murphy. “I need you there at noon sharp,” he said, “Otherwise Murphy will haul both our asses in.” He pulled his shirt on.
Jennifer sat on the edge of the bed and glanced over her shoulder at him. “You told your boss about me?”
“Yes, it’s relevant to the case.” He offered her a shrug.
“Ah.” She grabbed her bathrobe out of the closet. “I’ll be right back.” She headed to the bathroom, relieving herself, splashing water on her face, and brushing her teeth. Stopping and opening the pantry on her way out, she scanned the contents and grabbed one of the extra toothbrushes, heading back to the bedroom. “Here,” she said, handing it to Steve.
“Thanks.” Steve plucked it out of her hand, heading to the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later and wrapped his arms around her, planting a minty kiss.
“Want some coffee?” Jennifer asked.
“That would be great.” He let go and followed her into the kitchen.
Jennifer started a pot of coffee and tossed Steve an apple. She shined hers on her bathrobe and took a bite.
“I thought I smelled coffee,” Tracy muttered, interrupting their quiet morning together.
Steve’s gaze shot from Tracy to Jennifer, then down at the counter. He didn’t seem to know where to look now that Tracy was in the room.
Jennifer noticed his sudden nervous energy and started to laugh.
Steve shot his eyes in her direction.
“Tracy, you didn’t,” Jennifer said, looking at her roommate.
“Yeah, I did. And he passed,” she said, pulling a second cup down and putting it on the counter. She smiled and turned toward him. “Sorry, but I had to make sure you were for real.”
Tracy grabbed an apple and tossed it in the air before she shined it on the lapel of her bathrobe. “You hurt her and you will have to answer to me.” She leaned against the counter, crossed her legs, and took a crisp bite of the granny smith apple. “Understand?”
Steve let out a little laugh, looking between the two women. “You freaked me out last night,” he said to Tracy.
“And yet you didn’t say anything to Jen.” She took another bite.
He didn’t meet Jennifer’s eyes right away. “Yeah, well, I couldn’t figure out how to tell her that her best friend came on to me.” He shrugged. “If you’d done it a second time, I would have said something.” He watched Jennifer pour two cups of coffee, handing one to Tracy and bringing the other to him. “How many have you done that to?” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder.
Tracy smiled. “Quite a few, including Tom. He was the only other one who passed the test.” She sipped her coffee. “You see, I protect my friends.”
Steve nodded. “You don’t have to worry about Jen. I’ll be there to protect her.”
Tracy sipped her coffee. “You’d better.” She kept eye contact with him, daring him to look away first.
“I will.” He stared her down.
Tracy crumbled under the intense stare and turned to Jennifer. “He is hot, though. Eye candy.” She smiled at him and headed out of the kitchen.
Heat filled his cheeks and he studied his coffee. A quick glance at his watch told him he had to hustle. “I have to go, Jen.” He still needed to clean up and get his stuff for class. “We can talk after class?”
* * * *
Jennifer nodded and walked him to the door, kissing him and watching until the elevator closed. She shut the door and walked to Tracy’s room. Without knocking, she threw the door open. “I can’t believe you did that again.”
“Don’t worry; he didn’t even give me a second look.” Tracy peeked out of her closet carrying an outfit in her hand. “I had to make sure he wasn’t just blowing smoke to get you into bed.” She held up the dress and looked in the mirror. “Aren’t you glad you know?”
