Troubled Hearts

by Jolie Cain

  Clay glanced down at his notebook. “Right. I’ll check him out. Also your partner.”

  “Oh, I don’t think you really need to worry about Jonas. He’s not the type.”

  Clay shook his head at her. “You ought to know better than that. There is no ‘type.’ Anyone could potentially be your stalker. I’m not going to let any possible lead slip by.” When Katherine agreed, he continued, “Now, is there anyone else you can think of, anyone at all who seems abnormally interested in you?”

  Katherine couldn’t think of anyone in particular.

  “What about a patient?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, I deal with people every day who have issues. I even volunteer at the local free clinic occasionally. But I can’t imagine that any of them would…”

  She quit talking at the look Clay gave her. “All right, all right. I know that men can develop fixations on women for any variety of reasons. I just can’t stand the thought of someone I know and like doing these things to me.”

  Beau’s arm tightened around her shoulders. “That’s perfectly natural, kitten. But we’ve got to cover all bases.”

  Clay agreed. “No matter what your personal feelings are in this matter, you’ve got to let me do my job. And that means checking out any possible lead. I’ll hold off on your patient list until I’ve checked these others first. And I understand your reluctance. I really do. But I want you to start making a list of anyone that you think might be a possibility. Okay?”

  Reluctantly she nodded.

  He stood up. “It should be easy enough to get one of my associates to check out these men. If they’re still in Jackson, that will make our job easier. We can eliminate anyone who has obviously not been out of town. I’ll get started on this right away.”

  “Ah, guys, there’s something I just want to say. I’m not asking you to lie or anything, but can we not tell Abby or Jack about this? I don’t want them to have to worry about it while they’re planning the wedding. Okay?”

  Clay and Beau exchanged looks, and then Clay nodded. “That’s fine. I don’t see any reason why they should have to know—yet. But…” he warned, “if I think they need to know, I will not hesitate to tell them. Wedding or not. All right?”

  Katherine reluctantly agreed.

  After a few more questions, Clay got ready to leave. Beau stood to show Clay out. Beau shook his hand. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have you helping out, Clay.”

  “No problem. I’m glad to do it. Abby means a lot to me, and that means her sister does, too.” Clay smiled down at Katherine with an expression in his eyes that she had a hard time deciphering.

  Beau just grinned knowingly. “Look, I’ve got to go on a dive job tomorrow morning. Would it be possible for you to hang out with Katherine for a few hours at my house while I’m gone?”

  “Sure. I’ll be there.” Beau moved to walk Clay out and Katherine sank back down on the seat. She was still there, staring pensively off into space when Beau returned. He tugged her up.

  “You all right?”

  “Yeah. You know, I feel good, like we’re actually doing something about this situation. I prefer that to just sitting and wondering what’s going to happen next. And having you here with me makes everything a lot better.”

  “I’m glad. Now,” he pushed back. “I’m going to cast off and we’re going to take this baby for a spin. How about that?”

  “It sounds great.”

  Within minutes, Beau had maneuvered the boat out into the channel and was heading her out into the Gulf. When they reached a good distance from shore, he turned off the motor and began raising the sails. It had been a while since Katherine had been sailing, but she found it all coming back to her as she helped Beau. Just being back on the water was soothing, the brilliant light of the sun reflecting on the crystal clear waters, gulls circling and calling above, and the feel of the salty sea-spray all reminded Katherine of how much she had loved spending time on the ocean. And how much she had missed by not returning home before now.

  *

  After a while, Beau dropped anchor. He made his way to where Katherine lounged on deck soaking up the rays of the sun in a nearly-there black bikini and thong. She had slathered herself with sunblock to protect her fair skin, and the sight of those pale ass checks split by that bit of black fabric tightened his balls and made his cock twitch. He reached over into the ice chest and snagged a cube of ice. Touching it lightly against her back, he watched her jump at the unexpected contact.

  “Hey…” She lifted her head and glared at him through her sunglasses.

  He pressed his hand to her back and pushed her back to the deck. “Shh, sweetheart. Don't move. Just let me play a little.”

  After a lingering stare she allowed him to push her back down. Reaching out again, he trailed the ice cube down the center of her back, smiling as she shivered at the contrast between her sun warmed flesh and the cold ice. He trailed lazy meandering lines around her back and over her buttocks, her squirming hips drawing his fascinated gaze. “Be still, baby,” he ordered and she immediately stilled. Satisfied with her obedience, he continued, grabbing another ice cube to replace the one in his hand that was almost completely melted. He moved it to the top of one leg, dragging it slowly down and then up the other side. As he neared the apex of her thighs, her legs dropped apart to encourage his touch in that most sensitive area. “I said don’t move, baby.”

  She moaned and burrowed her head under her arms, stilling the movement of her limbs. He sat up and looked at her. Hooking his fingers under the sides of her thong, he began tugging the bottoms down. “Raise up,” he commanded. Katherine complied, lifting herself and allowing him to dispense with the scrap of fabric. He pulled her up to kneel and untied the top as well, tossing it carelessly to the side. Turning her over, he pushed her back to the deck and took a moment to just take in the gloriously sensual feast before him. Katherine’s red hair was caught into a ponytail and trailed across the white deck. Her pale skin gleamed in the sunlight and her pale pink nipples rose to hard peaks. Her stomach muscles trembled as his eyes moved across them and down to the bare mound which leaked moisture to trickle down a parted thigh.

  “Beau, please,” her eyes pleaded with him to touch her. Ignoring her request, he grabbed her wrists and pressed them down above her head. “Don’t move them.” He then moved to spread her thighs wider, pushing her legs up and apart until her feet lay flat against the deck and her wet cunt glistened in the bright light. “Oh, baby, I want to eat that pussy until you flood my mouth with your juices. Would you like that?”

  Small whimpers came from her mouth. “Yes, yes, please.”

  He smiled. “Good answer. But, baby, I don’t want you to move. Not even a little bit, do you understand me? And you can’t cum until I tell you. Okay?”

  She bit her lip. “Beau? I don’t think I can…”

  “I mean it, kitten. If you cum before I tell you, I’ll have to punish you.” She whimpered again and then nodded her head. He reached in and got another piece of ice, which he then trailed up the inside of her thigh. He felt her let twitch slightly and bit back a grin of satisfaction at the involuntary reaction. He danced the cube around on one leg before crossing to the other. Then he trailed it delicately over the quivering lips of her cunt, just brushing across the inner lips. A strangled whimper emerged from Katherine. He touched the cube to her clit and she jumped. He pulled back and looked up at her. “Kitten…” His voice rose in warning.

  “Please, Beau,” she pleaded.

  “This is your last warning, baby.” She nodded and closed her eyes.

  Before returning to his task, he stripped his swim trunks off. This time when he touched her clit she held herself perfectly still. “Good girl, sweetheart.” He circled around and around the hard nub and finally held it still for several seconds, allowing the flesh beneath to just edge toward pain. When he pulled it off told her, “Cum for me, kitten,” before fastening his hot mouth over the cold skin o
f her clit. With a loud cry she did, arching up into his mouth as he lapped up her juices as they streamed from her. He continued licking and sucking until she collapsed onto the warm deck. Then he rose above her and thrust inside, his cock long and hard with arousal. He began pumping inside her tight channel, pulling her legs up higher so he could thrust deeper and deeper. Hard and fast, he pummeled into her until he exploded with a low roar of satisfaction. Rolling to one side, he pulled her with him, his cock still deeply embedded in her warmth. Nothing, he vowed to himself, nothing was going to harm one hair on her head. His arms tightened around her as they lay exhausted beneath the soothing rays of the sun.

  * * * *

  It was much later that afternoon that Katherine and Beau headed the boat back in to the marina. As Beau was tending to the details of getting the boat tied up and locked for the night, Katherine heard her cell phone begin to ring in her beach bag. She checked the caller ID, but the readout showed the caller as unknown. Hesitantly she flipped the phone open and raised it to her ear. “Hello?”

  Nothing. Just the melody of a familiar song.

  Abby lost it. She began screaming, “Quit calling me! I mean it. Stop! Oh, God, why can’t you just leave me the hell alone?” Abby closed the phone with a snap and then reached back and threw it as hard as she could. As it arced overhead and dropped into the water, Beau came up behind her and encircled her in his arms.

  “Was it him?” he whispered against her ear.

  She nodded, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. She would not allow him to make her cry. Pressing harder back against Beau, she craved the warm comfort he provided.

  “Do you want to tell me about it?” he asked.

  She just shook her head. “Not right now, please. I’ll tell you later.”

  He squeezed her shoulders and then turned her to face him. “All right. But we’ll have to tell Clay.”

  She acquiesced. “Okay.”

  He dug in his pack for his own cell and keyed in Clay’s cell number. After speaking quietly to him for a few moments, he hung up. He looked at Katherine as she stood in the same spot staring at the water where the phone had dropped. He reached down to grasp her hand. “Come on, baby. Let’s go home.”

  As they made their way hand in hand to the parking area, Katherine kept her eyes alert for any sign of anyone who seemed out of place or familiar to her, but she saw nothing. Her shoulders slumped dejectedly as she waited for Beau to stow their gear in the back of his truck. When he joined her, he sat for a few minutes studying the marina and the few people who were scattered around. He looked at her and shook his head at her questioning glance. “I don’t know, baby. I just don’t know.” He cranked the truck and pulled out of the parking spot.

  Chapter Eleven

  Early the next morning, Beau opened the door of his home to admit Clay. An unexpected figure followed Clay into the foyer, and when Beau saw who it was, he speared Clay with an accusing glare. Clay shrugged as if to say, “It wasn’t my fault.” At that moment Katherine emerged from the kitchen area where they had been having breakfast. As soon she caught sight of the woman standing next to Clay, she groaned. “Damn you, Clay, what have you done?”

  Abby took a deep breath, put her hands on her hips and practically yelled, “Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t you even think of blaming Clay. Dammit, Katherine, why in the hell didn’t you tell me what was going on? I have to overhear a private phone conversation between Clay and one of his agents before I find out the news that my sister is being stalked by some nutcase?” She stomped over to where Katherine stood and reached out to throw her arms around her sister and hug her tight. “My God, do you know how pissed off I am at you right now? Huh?” Even as she spoke, she tightened her arms around Katherine protectively.

  Katherine couldn’t help but hug her sister back. Over Abby’s shoulder she could see Beau and Clay smiling in male bewilderment at one another before they walked off into the living room. Katherine pulled herself out of Abby’s arms. When she met her eyes, she couldn’t help but feel guilty at the obvious concern and love that were reflected there. “Don’t look at me like that, Abby. I know you’re mad…”

  “Mad? You think I’m mad? I’m so much more than mad I can’t even begin to tell you. Didn’t you trust me to handle this news? Why on earth wouldn’t you tell me?”

  “Oh, hell, Abby. It’s not that I didn’t trust you. I just didn’t want to spoil your wedding. Really. I wanted it to be perfect for you, not overshadowed by this … problem.”

  Abby snorted. “Problem? I’d say it’s a bit more than a problem. And screw the wedding. Nothing is going to stop Jack and me from getting married. That goes without saying. But that doesn’t mean that I have to be treated like a child who is too young to handle disturbing news. I’m all grown up now, Katherine. Don’t treat me like a baby.”

  Katherine smiled. “Is that what I’m doing? I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s hard for me to realize just how grown up you are now.” She reached out to cup her sister’s face, almost on a level with her own. “I know I haven’t been much of a sister to you these last few years, and I just didn’t want to be the one to spoil such a special time for you. Forgive me?”

  Abby reached out to grab her in another tight hug. “You’re the best sister. You haven’t had it very easy yourself. I know that. Now quit trying to make up for past mistakes and just move forward, please.”

  Katherine agreed. “All right. No more hiding things from my not-so-little sister any more.”

  “So, tell me everything. Clay clammed up on me after he found out I had eavesdropped on his phone call.”

  Katherine shook her head at her sister’s audacity. She led Abby into the kitchen and poured them both a cup of coffee. Taking a deep breath, she filled Abby in on everything, starting with the first phone call and ending with the one she had gotten on Beau’s boat. When she finished Abby just sat there for several minutes, just starring into her coffee cup. “God,” she finally said, “this shit sounds so familiar. I know just how you feel, the denial, the not knowing when enough is enough.” She met Katherine’s gaze with a frank stare. “But you’ve got Beau now. He’ll take care of you. And Clay. You listen to him and do just what he says. He knows what he’s doing. We’ll get through this. Now,” she stood, “let’s join the guys.”

  When they went into the living room, they found Clay and Beau discussing the results of his agent’s investigations into the men whose names Katherine had given them. “Jonas Albritton was easy to find. My man went to his office to interview him. He’s very concerned about Katherine, but he is obviously not our guy. He hasn’t been out of Jackson. No criminal background. Nothing. The night of the engagement party, he attended a ballet performance in Jackson with a close friend—a male friend.” He stressed the word male. “They spent the night together.”

  Katherine’s just nodded, already privy to Jonas’ sexual inclinations. “I knew Jonas was not the one.”

  Clay just replied, “We have to check everyone, even the long shots, just to rule out any possibility. Now, as for Harper Hunt, he seems to have disappeared from Jackson. No one’s heard from him in several days … not his office, his family. My gut tells me he’s involved in this.”

  “So what do we do now?” Beau wanted to know.

  “Pretty much we’ve been doing. We’ll stick close to Katherine. No one will get near. We’ve contacted the police again about the new phone call, and they’ve agreed to have patrols circle through the area more often. Luckily, Ono Island is pretty secure already. And the police have an APB out for his car.”

  “Man, this is so damn frustrating. I hate leaving you alone today, Katherine. I have a good mind to cancel this job.”

  She shook her head and said, “I’m hardly alone, Beau. Now, I know you need to go. We can’t put our lives on hold for this. Who knows when he’ll be caught? I’ll be safe and sound here with Abby and Clay.”

  “She’s right, Beau,” Clay agreed. “There’s nothing you can
do here. We’ll hang out, maybe play a little strip poker,” Clay laughed when Beau shot him a “Go to hell” look. After reassuring himself one more time that Katherine would be safe, he walked out of the room with Clay following him. Abby moved over to sit on the sofa next to Katherine. She reached across and clasped her hand around Katherine’s. “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I brought some wedding hairstyle books and some samples of different nail polishes. I thought we could pick some out for the ceremony.” Abby couldn’t contain her glee.

  Katherine couldn’t contain her grimace. “Greaat!”

  Abby just laughed.

  The morning passed with the girls pouring over makeup samples and magazines and Clay working on his laptop. By the time lunchtime rolled around, Katherine was ready for a break from Misty Pink nail polish, and upsweeps or naturally falling curls. She offered to fix something for lunch and excused herself to go to the kitchen. She put together some quick ham and cheese sandwiches, and went into the living room to tell Abby and Clay that the food was ready. Pausing in the doorway, she peeped in and saw them sitting closely together on the couch, Clay’s arm wrapped around Abby in what seemed to be more than a casual embrace.

  “God, babe, you smell good.” He leaned closer. “I’ve sure missed you. Maybe when you get back from your honeymoon, we can get together again. What do you say?”

  “I think I’d like that, Clay. You know how much I enjoyed it the last time.” Abby’s soft voice whispered back.

  Katherine backed down the hallway and turned into the kitchen, her hands running through her hair over and over again. My God. Clay and Abby? What about Jack? She seemed so in love with him. But Katherine knew what she had heard. There was no mistake. Dear Lord, how could she ever face any of them? She never would have believed it of Abby.

  “Sis? Food ready?”

  Abby’s voice behind her surprised her. She froze, unable to move or speak. Damn.

  Abby came around and caught her by the arms. “Are you all right, Katherine? You look like you’ve seen a ghost? Did you get another phone call? I didn’t hear anything. What is it?”