Knock, knock...

by Dale Mayer

  ***

  Once Stefan was back in bed, he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. He'd seen a lot of death. He'd seen people before death, after, even during the process. He'd yet to see this sad, lingering, letting go. As if life wasn't precious enough to fight for or to believe in.

  Stefan had seen suicidal people who cared more than Marie had. Often a suicidal person changed their mind when it was too late. Marie didn't seem to care either way. He didn't understand it. Had that other energy put thoughts of despair in her head, been so pervasive that Marie felt she had no choice but to let go? As if only darkness remained for her if she stayed.

  Shay had experienced something similar a year ago. With Darren.

  He thought about that. What would be required to do that?

  He couldn't fathom the answer. As someone who walked on both sides of the veil between life and death, he'd yet to see this. It bothered him. If they had a new type of predator, he needed to know.

  He'd done his best, but sometimes unforeseen things...happened. Like now.

  He didn't want to think that an old adversary could have survived, but what if he had?

  He’d spoken with a psychic friend who’d been locked in the ice palace in her mind. She’d told him the longer she was there the more she wallowed, just didn’t care.

  But the energy inside this poor woman's mind had such a different feel. Like she had no thoughts whatsoever. And it had all been an illusion that disappeared when that realization took hold.

  Stefan let out a sigh of relief. So it didn’t sound like Darren after all. Thank heavens for that.

  And this energy only seemed to dissipate because it was old. He thought about that difference for a moment longer. It appeared his attacker could mask energy. Their own, and that of others, so they hide their identity within another person. And that person could look normal to everyone, but on the inside, this psychic controlled the other person without the awareness of the other person. Sounds like another asshole who needed to be eliminated.

  Oh, if only the ones that died…would stay dead.

  ***

  Knock, knock…

  Yup me again. Shay, you still don't get it, do you?

  I heard you went to the hospital to see your long-lost cousin. Why though? She didn't even remember you. And I asked her long and hard.

  Too bad. All that and still she wasn't much help.

  Of course, I'd hoped for a closer connection between the two of you. But it wasn't to be.

  I guess I'll have to go back to your grandfather after all. He is all alone in the hospital...

  Easy.

  Maybe too easy.

  I could go after some of your best friends first.

  Oh, but maybe you don't have any.

  Bernice is dead. That wasn't much fun either. And in no way did it have the intended impact. I wanted you devastated. She was a surrogate mother to you. You should have been hurt by her passing. Instead all you did was gain from it. Maybe you even wanted the old bag to die so you'd get her money.

  And your friend Tabitha is dead, but that caused hardly a ripple in your world. Sigh.

  I was hoping to toy with you. But this is damn boring.

  Isn't there anyone else in your life who you care about?

  God you live like a nun.

  With all that money, too.

  What a waste.

  That's all right. I'll see what I can do about relieving you of some of that money.

  Then I'll take care of you.

  ***

  Tuesday morning…dawn

  Shay? Call Ronin. He doesn't want to wake you.

  Sleepily, Shay blinked several times, trying to sort out Stefan's whisper through her mind. And adjust to her surroundings. She was home in her own bed. But she'd only been there for a few hours. Damn. She glanced beside her. Alone. Double damn.

  Focus. This is important. It's about Darren. You don't have a problem calling Ronin, do you?

  No.

  Now she was awake. Talk about a subject guaranteed to keep sweet dreams a long way away.

  She reached for her phone. Stefan, do you know what's going on?

  Yes. But not all of it. I asked Ronin to search out more family members of Darren's. Just in case there is someone else with the ability to do what he did.

  And of course family members have the closest chance. She held the phone up to her ear, her heart pounding nervously in her chest. Darren had told her that he had no family. But then he'd lied about everything else, so...

  "Shay. Glad you called." Ronin sounded too perky for this time at night.

  While Shay listened, trying to shake the sleepy cobwebs from her mind, Ronin gave it to her, short and succinct. There was nothing sweet about it.

  "He had a twin? A twin brother?" Shay shook her head, slumping back against her headboard. "Not possible."

  "Not only possible, but definite, at least according to his foster care history. The brother's name is Danny."

  She didn't know what to say. "Wait – did Darren even know him?"

  "It's hard to say. We're looking for him right now. But there's no proof to say they'd actually hooked up."

  "So it could be that the twin wasn’t in contact with Darren or even know that Darren existed?"

  "Absolutely. Both were in dozens of foster homes before they hit fourteen. Darren ran away several times and ended back in the system and the inevitable round of homes. His brother Danny ran away at seventeen and dropped out of sight. We're investigating the possibility that the brothers found each other…somehow…but I don't know how."

  Their abilities would have drawn them together, Stefan murmured. They wouldn't have been able to resist the pull of another like themselves.

  "But he's alive?"

  "No reason to believe he isn't. Like I said, we're looking for him."

  Stefan's thoughts whispered through her mind again. Make sure he lets you know as soon as he finds out.

  "Thanks Ronin. Please keep me in the loop. Oh, and did you ever go through the personnel files I gave you?"

  "First thing. They both check out, so do the staff at Folgrent Foundation. No worries there. And I'll call if I find out anything."

  She hung up the phone slowly. "Damn it, Darren. When will you leave me in peace?"

  Soon. Stefan murmured comfortingly in her head.

  I hope so.

  "Darren? Your ex-fiancé? What's going on, Shay?"

  Oh shit.

  Yeah, that's my call to leave. With a chuckle, Stefan disappeared.

  She glanced at her doorway. And gave a start. Roman, bare-chested and looking lethal as hell, slouched against the entrance to her room, his hands shoved into jeans riding dangerous low. She swallowed. Just now realizing how little clothing she had on herself. A white cotton cami and matching boy panties.

  She'd forgotten he was sleeping in her spare room.

  How had the temperature in the room risen so quickly?

  This man was dangerous – in so many ways.

  Taking a deep breath, she tried to collect her thoughts and said, "That was Ronin. Apparently Darren had a twin brother."

  Those dark eyes burned with a fire inside. "And you are thinking this twin had something to do with these attacks?"

  She nodded warily, took a deep breath and explained what Darren had done. "Ronin is trying to find him now."

  He'd straightened at her explanation but had let her get it out. He sauntered a few steps closer, his gaze holding hers so tightly she could barely breathe.

  The room seemed hotter with his every step closer. She had a dozen reasons why she needed him to leave. Why she needed sleep tonight. Although to be honest, the night was mostly done. But now, all thoughts of sleep fled. And they were replaced with thoughts of being with him in bed.

  Even as the dangers registered, her skin warmed, her nipples tightened, and she struggled to take her eyes off him.

  She didn't think she was ready for this. But her body was screaming for him. It had
been a year. A long, lonely year of sleeping alone, of never being held, hugged or touched with caring. Without love.

  Dare she trust Roman? Dare she trust her own emotions? Her own body? She'd been so wrong before. She couldn't stand to be wrong again.

  Roman sat down on the bed beside her.

  "Does Darren have anything to with this?" His voice flowed over her like liquid heat.

  She swallowed. This? "No, he has nothing to do with anything, including us."

  "And he's gone from your heart and mind?"

  "Heart, definitely. That happened a long time ago. From my mind?" She'd answer if she could think straight, but his nearness and intensity were doing things to her insides along with that blatant look that said he wanted her any way he could get her.

  And damn it if she didn't want him too.

  "Yes," she said simply.

  "Good."

  In a last-ditch effort to find some measure of control, she summoned up the courage to challenge him. "And your model? Is she an issue here?"

  Her gaze locked on his lips. He smiled, a slow, long movement that made her heart race. Mentally, she could barely function at all.

  "She was never an issue. She's an important part of my life. Then, so are you."

  "So you aren't lovers?"

  Dark secrets lit the depths of his gaze. Still, for all that she saw and all that she could sense, there wasn't anything malicious in him. Stefan would have warned her if there had been. Roman was entitled to his privacy. God knew she needed hers too.

  "No. We've never been lovers."

  And his energy wasn't lying. Streaks of gold slid toward her, reached for her. Waited for her. She hesitated, searching to maintain her sanity. Then she realized some of those waves of color were coming from his heart chakra. This wasn't just lust or a need to be slaked. It was obvious this was more. So much more.

  He wanted her.

  Relief blossomed inside. She smiled.

  She didn't know how much she wanted him either, but maybe, just maybe, they could give it a try and find out.

  ***

  Roman watched her awareness of him grow, and along with that, the unmistakable bloom of sexual longing in her gaze. He saw the almost imperceptible shiver whispering across her skin as she gazed at him. Good. He'd better not be the only one going crazy in this relationship. Despite the words of caution she wanted him too...yet he felt like he had to move slowly. As if any sudden move could have her changing her mind. And then she'd bolt.

  With wide eyes, she stared at him. He glanced over her – enough to realize she wore only a thin cami – make that a transparent cami - and forced himself to look away.

  He'd wanted her for such a long time. Too long. He didn't want just one night. He needed more.

  He didn't know how much more, but if he could get her to take this step with him, they'd both find out.

  Passion shimmered through his body. Lust heated his loins and fired his gaze. He tried to pull back and like a doe trembling in the headlights, she waited for his next move.

  He leaned forward and gently stroked her plump lower lip. Her mouth opened, her tongue slipped out and stroked the pad on his finger. He stopped, then leaned forward and gently placed his lips against hers.

  She didn't withdraw, nor did she throw her arms around him. She waited, tasting, testing the feel of him against her skin. So honest. So captivating. So sexy.

  Just that bit of experimenting, that willingness to give this a try, sent shivers down his spine. God, he wanted her. He deepened the kiss.

  She stiffened slightly, and then relaxed.

  He withdrew slightly and she whimpered so he tugged her into his arms and kissed her as he'd been wanting to kiss her since forever.

  Chapter 20

  Shay lost herself in his heat. It warmed her from the inside as he surrounded her with his caring.

  She'd forgotten the joy of being in a relationship. For all her time with Darren, she'd never experienced this specialness, this sense of being a part of a private twosome. Or realized how much being held mattered.

  Only now. Only with Roman.

  Her lips parted under his assault and she couldn't think.

  There was something important happening here, but somehow even finding out what that was didn’t matter. At the moment, it seemed that nothing else would ever matter again – except that he never let her go.

  She closed her eyes and let the tidal wave carry her off. And gave herself over to his care. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed sweetly. She wanted this. Wanted him.

  He didn't disappoint. Holding her gently, carefully, as if she was delicate china, he deepened the kiss and held her captive in his embrace until she sagged into his arms, unable to think. Only feeling. And that was what she needed. What they both needed. To be together, just the two of them.

  He lifted his head and held her close. "I've been waiting for this." He dropped tiny kisses along her cheek to her ear. "I've needed this…" He whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "For so long."

  She turned her head, her hands moving to hold him so she could recapture those wandering lips with her own. She kissed him long and hard.

  Pulling back slightly she said, "So have I." She smiled. "So how about a little less talk and a little more action?"

  He froze, momentarily. She'd caught him off guard. He'd been gentle and caring and considerate. Worried about her. But as well as that she wanted his passionate heat and to experience his real need, to experience his passion.

  And match it with her own.

  A glint of lust glowed deep in his blue eyes. "Your wish is my command." And he lowered his head, taking her on a glorious ride of abandonment. Her cami disappeared under his expert actions. Her panties were tossed to one side. Before she really understood what was happening to her, she lay completely naked in front of him.

  Instead of feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable, she felt sexy and desired. The blatant appreciation in his eyes raised her temperature even more, but she hated that he still had clothes on.

  But she could take care of that.

  She scrambled to her knees and moved his fingers away from his belt. With his hands out of the way, she quickly opened his belt and the top button of his jeans, unzipping the fly just enough to thrust her fingers inside.

  "Jesus," he roared, grabbing for her hands. "Slowly. We don't want this over with before it's even begun."

  She laughed.

  He grinned, and raised her arms above her head and pushed her gently backwards. She stretched sinuously up, her breasts stroking against his bare chest. He groaned and lowered his weight to rest gently on her.

  Heat raced across her chest as skin burned against skin.

  Wanting the freedom to touch him, she twisted beneath him, trying to free her hands.

  "Oh, no. Not so fast." He shifted up onto his knees. Holding both of her wrists in one hand, he awkwardly pulled off his remaining clothes.

  She laughed. "It would be so much easier if you let me do that."

  But he was already done. He released her hands and shifted so he straddled her lower legs, pinning her in place. Then slowly he stroked up her body. She murmured and shifted under his expert touch as he caressed her, feeding the heat building between.

  She wanted, no, needed to touch him as he was touching her. She sat up in a smooth movement and wrapped her arms around him. With her face against his neck, their bodies were flush with each other’s, his erection captured between them. Slowly, smoothly, she slid to one side, then just as slowly back to the other. Letting her hardened nipples stroke across his chest, she tilted her head and nipped at his chin.

  He lowered his face, and she kissed the corner of his mouth, his lips, and then kissed him – hard.

  He responded with deep, drugging kisses, and she reacted mindlessly, helplessly. Going where he led and happy to follow. When he pulled her up and reversed positions, she barely noticed. Except for the sheer expanse of male in front of
her, available to her.

  She straddled his body, her core perfectly positioned to rest on his hips. She reached down to grasp him in her hand. His groans were music to her ears as she caressed and stroked, squeezed and teased – it was his turn to thrash on the bed.

  He reached up to pull her down, but she resisted. Changing her position slightly, she rose up high enough to take him inside. Slowly, very slowly, she sank down until he was fully sheathed within. She gasped and stilled, feeling the sensation of fullness. She let her body adjust while he lay shuddering in place.