by Jen Talty
“I know.”
“I’m going to have to go back. I realize that running away won’t solve my problems.”
“I’m glad you finally get that.” The bed rumpled beneath her as he flipped over, placing his head in her lap.
She smiled, running her fingers through his long, dark hair. She wanted to start over with him. Begin a fresh, new life. “He knows where I am. That means he knows who is important to me. He wants me, and it won’t matter who he kills in the process.”
“Coming after a cop tends to piss people off.”
“He might not come after you, but those you love,” she said with a shaky breath. “Emma’s going to help me, but I get the feeling that my days here are numbered. I’ve got a lot of stuff on Nino.” She placed her finger on his lips. “While I’m gone, would you take care of the house for me?”
“Do you plan on coming back?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t have any idea what will be expected of me when I turn over what I’ve found. I don’t know if what I did will be used against me or forgotten.”
He closed his eyes. “Your life will belong to the government until they’re done with you. It could take months, even years.”
“Blaine, open your eyes and look at me.”
His eyelids fluttered open.
“For the first time in years, I feel like I could do something good with my life. Do the right thing. I have to do this.”
“I know,” he admitted. “And I’m proud of you.”
The pounding of her pulse quickened. “Thank you,” she said softly. “That means a lot to me.”
“I’ll take care of this place, but I won’t own it. You understand?” He sat up, cupping her chin. “This is your home.”
“Home? I don’t know about that.” Even if she could free herself from the mess she’d created in Chicago, would she come home to this house? To Blaine? “Can we visit Deslin’s grave after church tomorrow? I haven’t been there since I got back.”
“I’d like that,” he pulled her head toward his and brushed his lips against hers.
“Wait.”
“What now?” he said impatiently.
“Nothing.” She wanted him; he wanted her. For this moment, that was all that mattered.
Blaine could feel Kaylee give in to the moment. He had no idea if it would last, and frankly, he didn’t care. Kaylee was going to have a long road ahead of her. And even with immunity, it would be a long time before Kaylee could do anything but focus on fixing her life.
Hopefully when it was all said and done, he’d be more than just a part of her past, but perhaps a part of her future.
His tongue swirled inside her mouth. She tasted like fresh cantaloupe. Smelled like a warm summer night.
Kaylee wasn’t running anymore. At least not from her mistakes.
But for now, her body molded against his. She responded to his touch with soft moans and gentle tugs at his clothes, pulling his shirt out of his jeans. She’d always been a passionate woman, even their first time together. He knew then it would never get any better than her. He’d never been able to find a woman quite like Kaylee. No one ever loved him the way she did. “You’re amazing,” he said as he nibbled at her stomach, lifting her shirt over her head. “So perfect, so beautiful.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.” She smiled at him while managing to remove his shirt and then started on the button at the top of his pants. He rocked back on his heels. “Take off your bra.”
She found the front clasp, opening it slowly as she rolled it off her shoulders, then held it up, dangling it in front of him.
He snagged the lacy fabric and tossed it to the floor.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re a tease?” He rubbed his forefinger with his thumb in anticipation of squeezing her nipple until her eyes rolled with pure pleasure.
“Yeah,” she said. “You. Every time I did this.” She leaned forward, her lips so close to his, he felt her hot breath on his skin. Then she dipped her head, licking his nipple. Her hand rested on his stomach, her fingers barely caressing his skin.
He groaned as she continued to toy with him. Kissing his neck. Biting at his earlobe. Her hands all over his chest and back. She traced his lips with her tongue.
“I can think of better things to do with your tongue.” He quickly cupped the back of her head and shoved his tongue into her mouth, their lips rubbing against each other so hard, they’d be swollen. He grabbed her by the thighs and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his body as he pushed her back onto the bed. He pried his lips from hers, only to seek out her breasts. She arched her back, guiding his lips to her soft, full mounds. His hands pulled at her sweat pants and panties, yanking them to her knees, before adjusting his body so he could pull them all the way off.
He sat between her legs as she let her knees fall to the sides, giving him a birds-eye view. Her fingers made small circles around her nipples.
“You really are a tease.” He gently touched the inside of her thigh, just above her knee. “You’re killing me,” he said, gliding his finger up her soft skin, watching her hands dance across her breasts in slow, delicate strokes. She moaned as he inserted his fingers. She was moist, hot, and ready. He watched his fingers glide in and out of her, her head rolling from side to side. All he wanted to do was please her and not just sexually. He wanted to give her the world. She deserved it.
He raised his fingers to his mouth, tasting her, then began undoing his pants.
“No,” she said, raising her head up.
“No, what?”
“You don’t get to do that.”
He smiled. “Don’t like being teased?”
“I don’t mind that you stopped.” She scooted to her knees. “You don’t get to take your pants off.”
She reached out and cupped him.
“And…why…” he panted. “Not?”
“Because that’s my job.”
He cupped her face, dropping his head to her forehead. “Then what are you waiting for?”
“Lay down,” she whispered, squeezing a little harder.
He wasn’t about to argue with that. He crawled toward the headboard and rolled to his back. She straddled him just below his knees and started unbuttoning his pants. He put his hands behind his head and just watched as she lowered his zipper, then tugged at his pants and boxers, successfully gliding them all the way to his feet.
“Like I said.” She smiled as she dropped his pants to the floor. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He groaned as she cupped him with one hand, while the other rolled across the tip. “You keep teasing me like this…”
Her mouth covered him. “Christ,” he whispered, reaching down, brushing her hair out of the way. There wasn’t any other woman who could make him feel the way she did. Her hands and mouth moved over him in an erotic dance. He would forever be lost in her.
He lifted his upper body off the bed, cupping her face, pulling her off him. “Come here.”
She kissed her way up his torso, her hand still stroking him, bringing pleasure she could only deliver. Her hands were pure magic. Their mouths met in a sloppy, but purposeful kiss. He pressed her back to the bed. “I need my wallet,” he whispered as he quickly stepped from the bed, finding his jeans, his wallet, and then the condom. As he slid into the bed next to her, she took the foil from his hand, held it up in the air, and stared at it.
“He was only with us for a short time,” she said. “But he was loved.”
Blaine lay on his side, his hand resting on her flat stomach. If he could take away all their pain, he would. “I think of him…and you…every day.”
She turned her head. “Every day?”
He nodded. “I often think about what he might look like today. I can see the three of us walking together along the side of the lake. Or going for a canoe ride.”
“I often imagine what it would have been like at our house…just you and me…and Deslin…on Christmas.”
&n
bsp; “That’s a sweet thought.” He took the condom from her hand and tore it open, then wrapped himself in the latex. He didn’t want the barrier, but they couldn’t bring Deslin back. “You’re a good mother.”
“I wasn’t a mother very long,” she whispered.
“Doesn’t matter. For his short time with us, he had the best mother in the world.” He ran his fingers across her cheek. “I still love you, Kaylee.”
“I love you too,” she said. “I never stopped.”
He rolled over on top of her, spreading her legs. His arms held his upper body over hers as he pushed slowly into her. “I’ll always love you.”
“Put your weight on me.”
“I’ll hurt your back.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “I need to feel you. Hold you. Don’t make me beg.”
He raised his hips, then plunged into her. She arched her back, her hands digging into his shoulders, trying to pull him closer.
He went from resting on his hands, to lowering himself to his elbows, his hips thrusting gently in and out. “I don’t want to ever hurt you again.”
She ground against him, her breath labored. Soft moans echoed as she rolled her head side to side.
“Look at me,” he said.
She ran her hands up his back, across his neck, and through his hair before she opened her eyes. “I need you.”
“Keep your eyes open,” he whispered, doing his best to control himself. He could easily pound himself into her over and over again until he reached his own climax, but this wasn’t just about him. About his need to be with her again. She needed strength and support. She needed to know that someone was on her side and would stay there no matter what.
He could give her that, even if meant he had to let her go.
“Never forget this,” he whispered, burying himself deep inside her. “Remember I’ve always loved you.” He kept the pace slow, and she kept her eyes focused on him, even as her body rocked with pleasure, bucking beneath him. He grunted, trying desperately not to slam himself inside her, but she wrapped her legs around him, her heels digging into his ass. He could only hope he wasn’t hurting her as his own climax built around her convulsing body.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “Lay on top of me like you used to. Let me hold you. Rub your back. Let me remember.”
Slowly, he put his full weight on top of her, his face nuzzled in her neck.
He could feel her heartbeat, and he never wanted to let go. They shared pain. They shared love. Now he wanted to share a life. He could only hope that would be possible some day.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m perfect.”
He lay on top of her for a short time before rolling to his side and taking in her beauty once again. “I meant everything I said.”
She propped herself up on her elbow, her hand holding up her head. She’d never been shy about her body, and thankfully, she still wasn’t. “I know.” She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. “I might have a world of regret. But I don’t regret being with you. Ever.”
“You’re going to get me all hot and bothered again.”
“Not hard to do,” she said. “Do you hear something?”
“No,” he said, but lifted his head from the pillow. “Why?”
“I thought I heard someone.”
Blaine turned his head to the side. “I do hear footsteps.”
“Yo, Dark Man,” Toby’s voice rattled as did the door.
“You open the door, and you’re a dead man, “ Blaine said.
“You shouldn’t say shit like that to me. You know that just makes me want to open the door more.”
“Just give us a couple of minutes,” Blaine said, covering Kaylee’s beautiful body with the sheet.
“Well, hurry up. I think I found something you two might want to see,” Toby said.
“Relax.” Blaine shifted to the side of the bed.
“Oh, no, you’re not going to let him in here. I’m naked.”
“So am I, and he already knows what we were doing.”
“That is so not the point.” She pulled the covers up to her chin.
Blaine let out a slight chuckle and found his pants, hiking them to his waist. “You can come in now,” he called, running both hands through his hair.
“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” Toby said.
“What do you want?” Blaine asked.
“We found the secret room.”
Blaine stuck a finger in his ear. “Come again?”
“You found the room?” Kaylee sat up, holding the covers to her chin.
“Hi, Kaylee.” Toby smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“If you value your life, you will move,” Blaine said.
“Sorry.” Toby stood up and threw his hands wide. “Geez.”
“Cut the crap. Where’s the room?” Kaylee said.
“Emma was going over some of those documents Kaylee gave her and decided to fire up Rutherford’s computer. The first thing that came up was a web cam of the perimeter of the house.”
Blaine glanced at Kaylee, her eyes wide. “This could tell us who killed him.”
“If there are tapes,” Toby said. “So far, all we’ve got is live footage.”
“I lied to you, Blaine,” Kaylee said.
“What? When?”
“I hid some documents in a secret compartment of the safe.”
“I know,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “Emma told me. But she didn’t tell what the documents said. Anything else I should know?”
She shook her head, and that was good enough for him. He looked at Toby. “Mind letting us get dressed?”
“I’m not stopping you.”
“Get the hell out.” Blaine reached behind him, grabbed a pillow, and tossed it at Toby. “We’ll meet you…”
“Rutherford’s office,” Toby said. He turned and closed the door behind him.
“I can’t believe that room exists, and that Dad might have had this house bugged. Oh, God.” Her eyes went wider as she pulled the covers tight and glanced around the room.
Blaine wanted the house to be under major surveillance. It certainly would make his job a whole lot easier, but he didn’t want his or Kaylee’s private moments, or anyone else’s for that matter, caught on tape. “Don’t worry. If there’s a tape of what just happened, I’ll take care of it.”
“That’s so embarrassing. Would you give me my clothes, please?”
Rutherford was a paranoid man, always thinking people were out to get him and his millions. He never believed that anyone did anything without motive. Blaine believed that too, but love could certainly be a powerful motive.
He found her clothes and handed them to her. “Did your father have girlfriends that you know of after your mother died? While they were married?”
She shook her head. “You’d probably know more about his life than I do, since you lived here and spoke with him.”
Blaine raked his hand through his hair. “He was acting kind of weird the last few months.”
“What do you mean?” She ripped back the covers, exposing her fully clothed body.
“I don’t know. He was more paranoid than ever.”
“Now that is odd,” she agreed. “I want to know what happened to him and Reverend Hicks. They were like brothers. Always golfing and hunting together.”
“I think Jack was having an affair with your mother.”
Kaylee’s beautiful face scowled. “You know Jack accused me of being just like Mom when I found out I was pregnant. Then after you and I got divorced, he had the nerve to say, ‘I told you so.’ For some reason, he doesn’t like me much.”
“I think he might be your father.”
Her already porcelain skin turned paler as the color drained from her face. Her body trembled when he held her by the arms for support. He hadn’t meant to spring it on her like that, but if there were tapes, she might see something totally shocking, and he wanted her to be prepared.
“I don’t
want him to be my father.”
“There are worse things than that, Kaylee.”
“I suppose.” Water welled in her crystal-blue eyes. “But even if the Reverend Hicks slept with my mother, so did half the town. Honestly, I could belong to the toothless man who waters the plants in front of the general store.”
13
Standing at the entryway of her father’s office, a flood of memories crashed in Kaylee’s mind. She could hear the arguments he’d have with business associates on the phone. She could feel the wood floor vibrate when he paced back and forth, phone to his ear, papers in hand. He lived for his company.
But she also remembered the tender touch of his fingers brushing back her hair when he tucked her in at night. He’d tell her not to worry about her mother and that he’d take care of everything. To let him worry, and for most of Kaylee’s childhood, she’d done just that. Until her mother took a turn for the worse, and Kaylee started thinking independently.
She swallowed. The room that looked exactly as she’d remembered, except for one thing. A picture of Deslin stood proudly on his desk. She stepped into the office and picked up the picture, sucking in a breath.
“I can’t believe he kept that,” Blaine said.
Toby and Emma stood on the other side of the desk, remaining silent.
“You gave this to him?” She glanced over her shoulder.
“Right before I left for the city. I thought he might change his mind and tell me where you were. I left the picture on the table in the front hallway, reminding him that Deslin was his grandson.” Blaine’s fingers pressed into her back as if he was leaning on her for support.
“I believed he…I didn’t think he cared.”
Blaine reached for the other picture on Rutherford’s desk. “Holy shit.”
“What?”
“It’s our wedding picture.”
“He didn’t even give me away.” Kaylee glanced at Blaine. “He didn’t come to the wedding.”
“He was a stubborn man,” Blaine said.
Stubborn and foolishly proud. When Kaylee had given birth, she’d lost a lot of blood. There were times she couldn’t open her eyes, but she could hear the people around her talking. She heard her father tell someone that if they ever mentioned Kaylee’s paternity, he’d make sure that person paid for their betrayal. She’d also heard Blaine and her father go at it about money, among other things.
