by J. E. Taylor
“I love you,” he whispered and shifted, pulling her underneath him.
“I love you, too,” she said and her eyes sparkled with the same intensity he was experiencing.
Every time he made love to Jennifer, it felt like the first time and tonight was no different. But unlike their first wild experience together, he took his time until they were both drenched in sweat and panting from exertion.
He kissed her gently and rolled onto his back, exhausted. The last thing he remembered was sending a smile in her direction and then his eyelids closed. The pull dropped him into a black spiral and when his eyes blinked open, the gray concrete greeted him.
This could very well be my life for the next thirty years.
Reality hit with the force of a neutron bomb, crippling his ability to reason and Steve covered his face, taking a deep breath to keep the crawling despair at bay.
Chapter 42
Tom climbed into the car and glanced at Jennifer.
“I’ve got an audition in Boston and I’m not sure I’ll be back in time to pick you up,” she said. “CJ said he’d bring you home.”
“O’ay,” Tom said.
“If Raven comes over again, I don’t want to find you in the bedroom, you hear?”
Tom’s cheeks heated and he nodded, he dropped his gaze to his backpack, studying the stitched pattern of the logo.
“She’s a nice girl.”
“Yeah,” he said and glanced out the window. Just thinking about her made his heart leap in his chest and he smiled.
“Just don’t play games with this one, okay?”
Tom turned his head, meeting Jennifer’s sharp gaze, pointing at his chest.
“Yes, you,” she said and pulled into the school, shifting the car into park and giving him her full attention.
“I don’t plan on playing games, Jen,” he signed. “This one is different.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You said that about Tanya.”
Tom sat for a moment and began to sign again, but the ankle light started beeping faster, and he slipped out of the car, grabbing his backpack and jogging toward the door before the light went solid red. It switched over to green as soon as he stepped into the school and he gave a wave to Jennifer, watching as she drove off, leaving him to noodle on her last comment.
All doubts regarding his feelings vanished when he turned to see her radiant smile. He scanned her outfit and shoved his hands in his pockets for fear he would rip the clothing off her and nail her right there on the wall. The black fitted skirt reached her knees with a slit that stopped just short of her hip, exposing her creamy thigh with each stride. Her flowing red curls burned brightly against the emerald green satin shirt, framing the nearly unbuttoned front that gave away hints of her black lace bra as she moved.
Heads turned and eyes widened at the transformation from the almost invisible girl to this sexy vixen and Tom knew she was the one he was destined to be with.
“God damn,” CJ said from beside him.
No shit.
Raven reached her arms around Tom’s neck and planted a juicy kiss on his lips.
“Now if you dressed like that the first day you walked into this school, you would have had every guy in this town groveling at your feet,” CJ said.
Tom sent a glare in his direction and wrapped his arms around her waist, laying claim to her for everyone to see.
Raven winked at him and turned to CJ. “I was waiting for the right man to notice me.”
“Well, he certainly can’t help but notice you now,” CJ said and gave Tom a nod before leaving the two of them in the hallway.
“You really think I look good?” she whispered and Tom nodded.
“’eam,” he said.
The single sentiment made her beam and his gaze dropped to her barely concealed cleavage before looking her in the eye.
“You look hungry,” she said and bit her lower lip.
Tom took a step back. “You look like breakfast,” he signed and blush colored her cheeks. He slipped his hand in hers and walked toward English class. When he turned the last corner, he stopped at the sight of the defensive line blocking the hallway.
Bear glared at him and slid his violent stare to Raven.
“I always knew she was a slut,” Bear growled.
Raven clamped down on Tom’s hand in a grip he couldn’t slip out of.
“Back off, Bear,” she snapped.
“Shut up, bitch,” he volleyed back.
Tom pulled his hand out of her grip and walked toward Bear.
Raven grabbed his arm. “He isn’t worth it,” she said.
Tom put his hand up, stopping her with a warning glare before turning toward Bear again. He stepped forward. “You don’t talk to my girlfriend that way,” he signed. “Especially since you were fucking my last girlfriend for what, the last month or two?”
Bear faltered and a couple of the team members exchanged glances.
“What’s he talking about?” Kevin asked from the back.
“Nothing,” Bear snapped and focused on Tom.
“Bear was sleeping with Tanya,” Raven said from behind Tom.
“That’s none of your business, slut,” Bear said, leveling a glare in her direction. “Maybe when I’m done wiping the floor with this pussy, I can show you what a real man is like.”
Tom swung his fist, pulling back at the last second so his knuckles stopped less than a centimeter from Bear’s nose and Bear flinched backwards. Tom smiled in satisfaction and stepped away, taking Raven’s hand and bypassing the rest of the team.
“You scared the shit out of him,” she whispered as they took their seats in English.
Tom shook his head. He knew there would be hell to pay for embarrassing Bear in front of his peeps. But the way the asshole had looked at Raven set his blood roiling in his veins and his skin stung from the burn.
“I’m sorry they spoke to you that way,” he signed.
“I’m used to it, remember?”
“I should have shut him up years ago,” Tom signed. He needed to get a hold on his growing temper and he folded his arms on the desk, lowering his head and closing his eyes. It took him a few minutes to find his concentration and the focus to shut out everything around him and just inhale and exhale until the anger clenching his stomach disappeared.
The rest of the morning went by without incident and when he was done with his history test, he handed it in and collected his things, just waiting for the bell and the empty auditorium.
As soon as the buzzer sounded, Tom took her hand and led her away from the cafeteria, avoiding the chance for a conflict he couldn’t back off from. This time he headed straight for the unlocked door on the far side of the auditorium. He didn’t settle into the front row like they did yesterday, instead, he headed toward the media room in the back.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He reached up and ran his fingers on the doorframe, coming away with the key and he slipped it into the lock, swinging the door open and placing the key back where he found it.
The room was darker than the auditorium and Tom felt around in the dark, finding one of the chairs and taking a seat. He pulled her to him without a word, using his hands to see her in the dark. They skimmed the silk of her shirt, finding and unbuttoning it as his fingers slid down the fabric.
“Tom,” she started.
“Shh,” he purred and kissed her exposed stomach. Her hands threaded into his hair as he kissed the landscape of her belly. Instead of going north, his hands dropped to her exposed knees, sliding up her outer thighs and back to her knees. His right hand moved to her inner thigh, sliding up until it hit the satin of her underwear.
The thrill of the moment captivated him and when she shifted, widening her stance, he nearly yanked her underwear off but he refrained. Focusing on the rich texture, he teased her with his fingers, using the fabric to create heat and friction until her panties were soaked.
He wanted to be inside her, to hea
r her cry his name with that husky sex-laden voice.
Tom pulled his hand from between her legs and stood, kissing her before he turned away with jeans that were uncomfortable over his hardened shaft. When she wrapped her arms around his waist and her hand slid over his hard rod, he groaned.
“Wow,” she whispered, caressing him through his pants.
Insanity took hold and Tom turned, lifting her up and pressing her against the wall, with her legs wrapped around his waist. The way she moved increased his urge to rip her clothing off, but in the back of his mind, he didn’t want this to be their first foray.
He stopped and leaned his forehead against the wall, his breath ragged and clipped with his raw sexual urge. It took him a good five minutes before he slowly put her on her feet and stepped away.
“Are you okay?” her breathless voice echoed in the darkness.
“Yes,” he said and felt the wall for the bank of switches and when he found them, he counted to the third switch, flipping it on. Even the low-level darkroom light seemed bright enough to burn his retinas and he squinted at her.
She was far sexier with the shirt unbuttoned, her hair in disarray and her skirt hiked up than she was when he first saw her this morning and he couldn’t help but smile.
“Why did you stop?” she whispered straightening her skirt and buttoning up her shirt.
“Because this isn’t how I want your first time to go.” He dropped into the chair gripping the armrests in an attempt to slow down the frantic need pumping his heart into overdrive.
“This wouldn’t be my first time,” she whispered and he stared at her.
“Bu?” he hooked his thumb over his shoulder toward the auditorium.
“I said what if I was a virgin, not that I was,” she took a seat in the only other chair in the room. “I don’t dress like this for a reason.”
He blinked at the confusion fogging his mind.
“If my stepfather saw me in this…” she trailed off and dropped her gaze.
“Wha happe,” he asked unsure of whether he really wanted to know.
“Shortly after we got to the states, my mother and stepfather were in a car accident. She died and my stepfather was never the same after that. Before the accident, his aura was dark but he did have some redeeming light woven in but now his aura is almost as black as Tanya’s is, like he lost his soul. And it comes through in his artwork. Before the accident, he prided himself in turning out works of beauty, but now what he creates is just scary as hell, like he wants to destroy anything remotely beautiful and preserve only terror. The pisser is he rarely leaves the house or the studio now,” she said. “I admit he was never a prize to begin with, but after he got back on his feet, he got more insistent than he ever was when my mom was alive.”
“What do you mean insistent?” Tom signed.
She leveled a look in his direction that told him more than he ever wanted to know.
“When my mother was alive, he only fondled me,” she whispered and her cheeks turned red. “Sometimes I wish that was all he did now.”
Tom clenched his teeth and a monster of a beast reared inside him almost taking control of his common sense. His hands squeezed the armrests tighter, each word that tumbled from her mouth brought on a murderous rage inside him.
“And if he catches me in this,” she waved toward the sexy outfit, “he’s going to know there is someone else.” Fear blazed in her eyes and her gaze drifted to his aura.
Tom dipped his chin to his chest and stared at the floor in front of him, his fury rendering him immobile.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and headed for the door.
His paralysis broke and he grabbed her arm. “No ma a ou,” he said holding her in place. He couldn’t let her leave thinking his rage was in any way aimed at her. It was aimed at her stepfather.
“Come over after school,” he signed.
“No. I have to go home and change before he catches me looking like this.”
“E me hewp ou,” he said. Tears filled her eyes and he pulled her into a hug.
“You already have,” she whispered.
“I wo e him huw ou,” he whispered in her ear.
She squeezed him tight, burying her face in his chest before pulling away. “You aren’t the only one who’s damaged.”
Tom blinked the sheen from his eyes, feeling the heat of tears slide down his face. He hadn’t felt this helpless since Georgia, and this time it was accompanied by soul wrenching pain. He couldn’t protect her while he was under house arrest.
“I have to get back to class,” Raven said, peeling out of his arms and meeting his gaze. She turned and left without another word.
Tom stared at the door and slowly sat down in the chair, letting his mind go over every encounter he had with her over the years. The times she flinched away from any contact, the dark glasses, always covered in dark colors that muted her spirit.
Her behavior was the exact opposite of what he had seen these last few days, almost as if interacting with him had breathed a new life into her.
Why didn’t I see it before?
He looked at the ceiling feeling every bit as imprisoned as if he was in a jail cell.
What the hell do I do now?
Chapter 43
CJ glanced at Tom slumped in the front seat, his arms crossed and his expression moody but his mind was like a vice, shut down from CJ’s power of inquiry.
“What’s going on?”
Tom shook his head, still staring out the side window.
“Did you and Raven get into a fight?” CJ asked. He hadn’t seen her at all this afternoon and she didn’t walk Tom out of the school today.
“No,” Tom said.
“Then what is it?”
“I’m worried about her, that’s all,” he signed.
“Why?”
Tom leveled a glare in his direction. “Let it go.”
“Okay, but you know I’m here if you need me.” He took the last turn and his brow creased. Jennifer’s car was in the driveway along with a few others he didn’t recognize. It looked like the media presence had been kicked up again too and he beeped his horn, waiting for the idiots to clear a path.
“Shit,” he muttered as he pulled to a stop.
“Wha?” Tom asked, glancing between CJ and the house.
“They’re here to take me to D.C. to testify against Steve,” CJ said and slammed his palm on the steering wheel before shutting the car off. “And if I don’t go, they’ll revoke your house arrest.” He shook his head, glancing at Tom. “Bastards,” he whispered and got out of the car.
* * * *
Tom stared as CJ stormed into the house, his words still sinking in and Tom got out of the car slowly, crossing to the threshold in time to hear CJ spew curses at Ron Cleary.
“You fucking bastard,” CJ yelled, his hands balled into tight fists. “I told you that in confidence.”
“Settle down,” Sarah said, standing between CJ and Cleary.
“How the hell can you do this to Steve?” Jennifer said, leveling a glare that would kill if she had any power behind it.
“He violated the law,” Cleary said, like that explained everything.
“You betrayed him,” Jennifer growled.
“Jen, I know how pissed you are, but you have to stand down,” Sarah said trying to keep the peace in an explosive situation.
“And what about you?” she turned her glare on Sarah.
Tom leaned on the kitchen counter, observing the dynamics and wondering whether CJ was going to blow or not. If it was him, he would have swung by now, but he stayed out of it, too numb from his day to react.
Sarah met Jennifer’s gaze. “I’m on his side. We’re all on his side.”
“Bullshit,” Jennifer took a threatening step forward.
CJ put his arm out, stopping Jennifer. “I’ll go because I don’t want to see Tom thrown in jail,” he said and met her gaze before swinging it back toward Cleary. “But you better assign a fucking ba
ttalion to this house while I’m gone because I promised Steve I’d be here to protect them in case the Windwalker struck.”
“We have one of our best agents keeping watch.”
“Just one?”
“He’s been instructed to call for reinforcements if he sees anything unusual,” Cleary said. “Now go pack a bag, our flight is leaving from Peas in an hour.”
“Fine,” CJ stomped out of the living room.
“Just one agent?” Jennifer said and met Sarah’s gaze. “That’s all you assigned?” She crossed her arms in defiance, but Tom knew there was an underlying insecurity.
“We will have CJ back here by nine tomorrow night. I promise,” Sarah said.
“And what if the Windwalker decides to strike?”
“You have twenty-four hour surveillance,” Cleary said and his gaze fell on Tom before shifting back to Jennifer.
“Oh, that makes me feel eons better,” Jennifer volleyed.
“Cut the sarcasm,” he glared at her. “This is serious and I’m praying CJ has some nugget of information that can save your husband’s ass. Otherwise, he’s headed for a long stay in a federal penitentiary.”
Jennifer closed her mouth and looked at the floor, stepping back to put more distance between her and the two FBI agents. Tom saw both defeat and fear in her stance and crossed, putting a protective arm around her shoulder. He leveled a glare at Cleary, one that was fueled more by the day’s events than the current situation, but it had the desired effect.
Cleary shifted uncomfortably under Tom’s silent challenge and he traded a glance with Sarah.
CJ came bounding down the stairs, with a duffel bag and his computer bag. “There better be internet service wherever you’re putting me up,” he said and gave Jennifer and Tom a nod as he followed Cleary and Sarah out the front door.
Tom crossed to the window, watching them pull out. A chill skittered down his spine and he turned, glancing at Jennifer.
