by SUE FINEMAN
Grandma had a stroke and died after Baylee started her second year of college. Baylee went to the funeral, and her grandfather had no kind words then either. He said she’d be better off working as a whore than spending all that money on college. It was the last time she’d seen him alive.
Her family now consisted of her friends and co-workers. She didn’t need anyone else.
Not even Chance Gregory.
<>
Over the next two days, Chance and Baylee formed an uneasy truce. They shared motel rooms and ate meals together. Some mornings, they swam in the motel pool or worked out in the gym together. They didn’t argue, but they didn’t share anything personal. During those two days, Chance called his kids, and Baylee e-mailed her columns in, but Jack Blackburn didn’t call.
That evening, Chance’s cell phone rang. He shot a look at Baylee before answering, “Gregory.”
“Call off the witch or someone will die.”
“I can’t call her off or I would have done it years ago. Who will die, and why?”
“None of your damn business.”
Baylee snatched the phone from Chance’s hand. In a whispery voice, she said, “If you kill again, your balls will dry up, Jack. They’ll shrivel and burn like they’re on fire, and you won’t be able to sleep. You’ll have to sit on an ice pack, if you can sit at all. You’ll have to cut them off to stop the burning.”
She pulled the phone away from her ear. “He hung up.”
Chance immediately called McBride. It took a few minutes to explain how Baylee had made Jack Blackburn think she was Emma, the witch come back from the dead. McBride burst out laughing. “I knew he was superstitious, but I didn’t think anyone could pull that off.”
“Yeah, I didn’t either, but Blackburn just called again. He wants her to call off the spell or he’ll kill again. Baylee told him his balls would shrivel and burn if he did, and he’d have to cut them off to stop the burning.”
“Did he say who he’d kill?”
“No, he wouldn’t tell me.”
“Damn!”
“He may end up seeking medical help. If he does, it’ll probably be in the middle of the night, and there may or may not be another body.”
“Damn fucking bastard. I’ll notify the hospitals and put the department on full alert. If he calls again—”
“If he calls again, Baylee can handle him.”
Chance ended the call and set the phone in the charger.
All the color had drained from Baylee’s face. “If he kills again, it’ll be my fault.”
“No, it won’t. The guy’s a loose cannon.”
“And I—”
“Don’t do that to yourself, Baylee. The guy is nuts, a psychopathic predator. A killer. You didn’t make him that way. He killed two people before he talked with Emma the witch. If anything, this little scam of yours may stop him from killing again.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
No, he wouldn’t count on it either.
He squeezed her hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. She gazed at him with a mixture of longing and confusion, and he knew just how she felt, because she confused the hell out of him.
Baylee pulled away to check her e-mail and found a message from her editor. Her aunt’s assistant had called, looking for her. She’d left a name and phone number, so Baylee used her cell phone to make the call. “This is Baylee Patterson. Did you call me?”
“Yes, I did. Bay is in the hospital, and she’s asking to see you.”
“Is it serious?”
“Yes, it’s quite serious. Can you get away for a few days? I can send you a plane ticket, or—”
“Actually, I’m on my way to Texas now. Hold on a minute.”
Chance stood beside the bed, hands on his hips, eyebrows raised in an unspoken question. She said, “My aunt is in the hospital and wants to see me. She’s in Houston. Are we going near there?”
“Tell her we’ll be there tomorrow night,” said Chance. “Get the hospital name and address and we’ll get a map off the Internet.”
She got the information and then ended the call. “I wonder why she wants to see me. I haven’t seen her in over twenty years.”
Chance shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out when we get there.”
“Are you sure you want to—”
“My kids can wait another day. This sounds urgent.”
She handed him an address. “This is the hospital. She said she’d make a reservation at the Hilton in downtown Houston. I have that address, too.”
Chance powered up his PC and got directions to the hotel and the hospital in Houston.
<>
Baylee slept restlessly and woke early the next morning. She showered and dressed in the bathroom so she didn’t wake Chance, but when she came out, he was wide awake. He wore those knit boxers and nothing else, and he looked warm and sleepy and sexy as hell. She fought the urge to take him back to bed and have her way with him. The look in his sleepy eyes said he wouldn’t complain if she did.
He took a shower and came out with a towel wrapped around him. “Forgot my clothes.” He turned away and dropped his towel. She couldn’t look away. His backside was as well toned as his chest and shoulders, and his legs, long and roped with muscle, matched the rest of his body. What was she doing, pushing him away, when that wasn’t what she wanted?
Without turning around, he asked, “Did you see enough, or do you want me to turn around?”
“Smart-ass lawyer.”
“That’s me.”
While he dressed, she packed her suitcase and carried it out to the car. He could have taken his clothes in the bathroom and dressed in there, but no, he had to stand in front of her stark naked. And she wasn’t supposed to look?
A minute later, he came out with his bag. “I shouldn’t have said that,” he said quietly.
“And I shouldn’t have looked.”
His eyes sparkled. “Look all you want, honey.”
Before she knew what happened, he had one hand behind her head and the other on her behind, and he pulled her in for a kiss. He tasted like toothpaste and smelled like the shampoo she’d used in the shower. She couldn’t pull away, even when his cell phone rang. “Chance, your phone.”
“Let it ring,” he whispered, and kissed her again.
The ringing stopped and a minute later started again. This time he went inside and answered it. He paced with the phone at his ear, but Baylee couldn’t hear his conversation. Finally, he called, “Baylee, McBride needs to speak with you.”
She walked inside, where Chance said, “Blackburn tried to rape a prostitute last night. When he couldn’t, he beat her.”
“Is she—”
“She’ll be all right.”
She took the phone and talked with McBride. “He attacked another woman?”
“Yes, but she survived. The victim said she thought he was going to kill her, but he stopped hitting her and grabbed himself. Then he ran off. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. He didn’t leave a card last night, but there’s no doubt about his identity. The victim ID’d his picture.”
“What’s the victim’s name?”
“She calls herself Rosie Rottencrotch. I think he was testing last night to see how far he could go without hurting himself. When he calls again, tell him you know what he did to Rosie, and say you’re watching him, and if he hurts anyone else, you’ll set another spell.”
“Okay, I can do that.”
“You saved her life, because he was afraid to kill her. He’s not behind bars yet, so it’s all we have to work with right now. Keep the phone charged and keep planting thoughts in his head. It could keep him from killing again.”
“Okay.” She closed the phone and handed it to Chance. “I wish I knew how to hypnotize. Jack Blackburn has to be the most suggestible man on the planet.”
“I don’t want to hypnotize him,” said Chance. “I want to put him on death row.”
Chapter Five
Tra
ffic in and around the city of Houston reminded Baylee of rush hour in Seattle. It was definitely the wrong time of day to drive into a strange city, but it couldn’t be helped. They couldn’t get here any sooner.
Bay’s assistant had pre-paid the hotel bill and left a message at the hotel desk for Baylee to meet her in the hospital cafeteria at nine the next morning.
Chance carried their bags into the room and tossed them on the king-size bed. The room had a recliner on one side. “I can sleep in the recliner if you want.”
“No, you’ve been driving all day. You need to sleep.”
After Chance went downstairs to check out the hotel gym, Baylee ran a bath and slid into the hot water. She leaned her head back and tried to relax, but one question kept running through her mind. Why did Bay want to see her after all these years? She’d never shown any interest before.
“Baylee?”
“I’m in the tub, Chance.”
He opened the bathroom door. “There’s a nice restaurant downstairs and another one upstairs, or would you rather order room service?”
“I don’t especially want to go out. Go ahead and eat. I’ll get something later.” She was more tired than hungry. They’d been on the road for at least twelve hours.
He disappeared and returned with the room service menu. Having him in the bathroom while she soaked in the tub felt intimate and a little naughty. Although he’d already seen her naked, she pulled the shower curtain over a little more while he sat on the toilet lid.
“I won’t attack you in the bathroom, Baylee.”
No, he wouldn’t attack her anywhere. Chance Gregory was too much of a gentleman for that.
Examining the wrinkles on her hand, she decided it was time to get out of the water before she turned into a prune. While he read the menu to her, she flipped the drain lever with her toe and stood. She dried her body and listened to the water gurgle down the drain.
“Chance, would you look the other way for a minute?”
She stepped out and slipped her kimono on. And then she saw him watching her in the mirror. “That’s cheating, counselor.”
“I feel more like Superman tonight, Lois.” His voice, smooth and sexy, sent tingles racing over her skin. She knew what he had in mind, and if he touched her tonight, she wouldn’t be able to turn him away.
While Chance waited for room service to bring their dinner, he took a quick shower and ran a razor over his face. Tonight, he was sleeping with a sexy blonde, and if he had his way, they’d make love. His seduction skills were a little rusty these days, but spending every day and every night with her without touching her tore at him.
When he finished in the bathroom, Baylee was sitting in the recliner, working on her laptop. Anyone else would have taken some time off work, but she wrote every day. She’d never shown him her columns, and he hadn’t seen a Tacoma News Tribune since they’d left Tacoma. What did she have to write about this far from home?
Their dinner arrived minutes later. The waiter uncorked the wine and poured, and Chance and Baylee sat down to eat.
Chance left the dessert covered until after they ate their salad and shrimp linguini. He stacked their dirty plates and set them aside and then uncovered the single dessert and put it in the middle of the table. Baylee’s eyes widened as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I didn’t know you ordered dessert.”
He took the fork and cut off a bite, then held it in front of Baylee’s mouth. “It’s chocolate brownie cheesecake. Taste it.”
She opened her mouth and took the bite. Closing her eyes to savor the flavor, she licked her lips and groaned. “Mmm, this is fantastic. Cheesecake and chocolate, my two favorite foods.”
Watching her lick her lips kicked his raging libido into overdrive, but this seduction couldn’t be rushed. He took a bite himself. “Mmm, it is good. Rich.”
Chance slowly filled the fork again and offered it to her. She shook her head. “I shouldn’t. This thing probably has a thousand calories per bite.”
“Eat. According to my sister, chocolate is one of the five major food groups.”
She smiled. “What are the others?”
“Sugar, salt, fat, and preservatives.”
“True.” She took the bite, closed her eyes and groaned. “This is fantastic. You’re spoiling me.”
“I hope so,” he said softly. He wanted to spoil her so much she couldn’t resist him tonight. Their time together would end soon, and he wanted to build a memory to last him through the long, lonely nights ahead.
The last time they slept together, she made the first move. This time he would.
While Baylee finished the last two bites of cheesecake, he turned on the radio and fiddled with it until he found the perfect music for slow dancing. Bowing, he reached for her hand. “May I have this dance?”
“Dance?”
He cocked his head. “You don’t like to dance?”
“I love to dance, but here?”
“Would you rather go out?”
“No,” she whispered.
He pulled her into his arms and against his aroused body. The silky kimono she wore didn’t mask the lush breasts behind the thin fabric. He lay his cheek against hers and danced around the room with her in his arms, moving and swaying with the music, until Baylee snuggled in closer, and he knew she’d be his tonight.
When the song ended, she pulled her head back to gaze into his eyes, and he kissed her lightly. “More,” she whispered, and he gave her more and more, and she returned his kisses with passion. Finally, he opened her kimono and sat on the bed to nuzzle into her pale breasts and suckle a pink nipple. She cradled his head there and whispered, “Chance. Oh, Chance.” He didn’t ask if this was what she wanted. Gazing into her eyes, he knew.
She tugged his shirt over his head and he stood to unfasten his jeans. He was already aroused. He’d been that way since he’d touched her, and his erection had grown so long and thick and hard it was almost painful. She ran her fingers over it. “Did Superman have one of these? I don’t remember seeing one of these in the comic book or in the movie.”
“Maybe that’s because he didn’t have you standing in front of him.” Rubbing his hand lightly over her nipples, he felt the little nubs grow harder.
She turned down the bed while he turned off the light over the table, and a minute later, he scooped her into his arms and set her on the bed. His lips sought hers as her gentle hands ran across his shoulders and around his neck in a loving embrace.
“About those condoms,” she said. “I had a test after my last lover, so if birth control isn’t a problem, we don’t need to use one.”
“You remembered.” He knew she would.
He threaded his fingers through her curls and pulled her in for another kiss. Her gentle hands slid over his chest and shoulders, and she flicked his nipples with her fingernails. He growled and rolled her down on the bed, nipping at her earlobes and exploring her body with his hands. She wasn’t small and delicate like Emma. Baylee’s body was full and lush and healthy. Perfect for loving.
Ready to explode from wanting her so much, Chance forced himself to go slowly, to play her body until she was ready. With every sweet caress from her gentle hands, he grew harder, until he said, “I can’t wait any longer, honey. I need you.”
“And I need you,” she whispered. “Please, Chance.”
He pushed inside her quickly and then held still until she writhed under him and whispered, “Don’t stop, Chance. Please don’t stop.” And then he began to move, pounding inside her over and over again until he felt her tighten around him, until he heard her soft moans, until she clutched his shoulders and held on tightly. Only then did he let himself go.
“Baylee,” he whispered. “I love being with you like this.”
Her warm breath brushed his cheek. “My Superman.”
“I feel like Superman when I’m with you.”
<>
Baylee fell asleep in Chance’s arms that night and woke with his body curl
ed around hers, like two spoons in a drawer. He had an erection again, and she rubbed her fanny against it. His hand came around to play with her breasts, and she stretched back into him. A second later, he shoved his knee between her legs and then pushed inside her. With one hand on her breasts and the other on another nub, he started to move, and the warm, sleepy man holding her brought her quickly to a powerful climax.
He nuzzled into the back of her neck and kissed her there while her racing heart slowed. Why had she spent the past few days avoiding this man, when what she really wanted was for him to hold her and love her like this?
They could never go back to their tentative friendship after this, but forming an emotional attachment now would be foolish. She had a job in Tacoma, and he planned to make a new home in Texas.
He held her tightly for a minute and then released her. “We can stay here and make love all day.”
“No, we can’t. I have to go see my aunt.”
Chance rolled over and looked at the clock. “It’s almost seven. Do you want to hit the gym before we have breakfast?”
“You mean we didn’t get enough exercise last night and this morning?”
His sexy laughter followed her into the bathroom. “You want to start over?” he called.
She didn’t answer. If they started over, they’d never get to the hospital by nine.
<>
Anne Smith met Baylee and Chance in the hospital cafeteria at nine. Over coffee and herbal tea, Anne told Baylee about Bay’s condition. “She’s been depressed since her long-time companion died five years ago, and now her body is failing. She had hepatitis years ago and it caused permanent damage to her liver, and she had a mild heart attack yesterday afternoon. The doctor could operate on her heart, but if she survived the heart surgery, she’d still need a new liver, and she doesn’t qualify for a transplant. Bay wouldn’t do it anyway. She’d say to give the liver to someone else. I wanted to warn you before you saw her. Prepare yourself for a shock.”
Stunned by the news that her aunt was dying, Baylee rode the elevator upstairs and followed Anne down the hallway to a private room. Baylee stared at the emaciated woman with the bloated stomach lying on the bed. She wouldn’t have recognized her. Yellow skin hung off her skinny bones. Tubes and wires snaked from under the sheets, connected to bags and monitors. She didn’t look like she’d survive until this afternoon.
