Unnatural Relations (Lust and Lies Series, Book 1)

by Marilyn Campbell

  Matt tilted his head up at Kyle. "You're pretty smart, aren't you?"

  Kyle became very serious and shook his head. "Not always. I've made some really bad mistakes and there are a lot of things I don't understand. Like why two incredibly terrific people like you and your mother have had such a tough time of it."

  "Okay," Matt said simply.

  "Okay?"

  "We can try teaming up... for a while. But you're gonna have to learn all the signals and codes and swear to keep them a secret."

  Kyle solemnly agreed and Matt proceeded to fill him in on the special language only he and his mother had previously shared.

  When they returned to the kitchen, Kyle could see that Barbara was dying to know how the discussion went, but he figured he'd leave it up to Matt to decide what to tell her. Meanwhile, he had questions of his own. As soon as they sat down to eat, he began. "Matt said Russ paid you a visit at work this morning."

  "Yes, but the bank guard helped get rid of him."

  That wasn't exactly what Kyle needed to know. "Did he have, um, anything in particular to say?"

  Barbara glanced at Matt then shook her head. "No. Same old, same old. I let him know I filed a restraining order against him, but he hasn't been served yet."

  Kyle was certain there was more, something she didn't want to say in front of Matt, but whatever it was, she wasn't angry at him because of it and that was all he cared about. "And what about the man who was in your bedroom?"

  Barbara arched an eyebrow at him then laughed when she remembered Matt's earlier comment. "He was taking fingerprints. Dani sent him by after I told her I thought an intruder had been in the house this morning. Which reminds me, do you know if your prints are on file anywhere? If not, they might need you to go down to the station and have them taken to compare with what they picked up."

  Kyle felt the egg foo yung turn into cactus on its way down his throat. He tried to keep it moving, but only ended up choking. After some vigorous back-pounding from Matt and several sips of water, he finally got it under control, but it was another minute before he could speak.

  Fingerprints. Not only would his real name be revealed, but his arrest record along with it. His voice had a croaking quality when he finally responded. "I've been fingerprinted before, for a, uh, job application. Did they say how long it would take to identify the prints?"

  "The technician said about a week," Barbara said, watching him closely. "Are you sure you're all right?"

  He patted his chest. "Fine now. Must have gone down the wrong pipe." About a week. It was far less than he'd counted on. He would just have to move up his timetable. "Would the two of you mind if I stayed on your couch tonight? With everything that's happened around here in two days, I'd be too worried to sleep anywhere else, except maybe in my car in your driveway."

  Barbara almost said yes without thinking then looked to Matt for his decision.

  "Sure," he said. "Or you could have my room and I could sleep on the couch."

  Barbara winked at him. "Nice try, kiddo, and while we're asleep, you'd stay up and watch television all night. I don't think so."

  Rather than admit that she was right, he changed the subject. "Can we play Monopoly tonight?"

  "If you agree to a two-hour time limit," she returned. "You can set up the game while I put away the leftovers."

  "I'll help," Kyle said, closing a container.

  She noticed a glint in his eye and guessed at what he was thinking. "It will be faster without your help." His phony pout proved her intuition was right.

  "Fine. Then I'll just go bring in my suitcase."

  Since it took at least ten minutes for Barbara to put the kitchen back in order, she was surprised to discover that Kyle hadn't come back in from going to get his bag.

  From the front window she could see him sitting in his car with the interior light on. Concerned that something might be wrong, she went out to check on him. As she drew closer, she realized that he was talking on his cell with his attention on the seat beside him. Only when she was right beside him did he notice her.

  He smiled, ended the call, hurriedly pushed some papers back into his open briefcase then closed it. Barbara thought his smile looked a little shaky as he climbed out of the car, phone in hand.

  "I forgot I left my phone in my briefcase," he said as he got his bag out of the back seat. "And of course, there were three messages from my office. I just figured I'd get that call over with before we start our evening."

  She accepted his hand as they walked back to the house, but the little voice in her head was yammering at her. They were alone outside, but he didn't jump at the opportunity to take her in his arms, as he had seemed to want to do in the kitchen. He was nervous, as if she had caught him at something. He gave too many unnecessary details. He was talking to a girlfriend, or worse yet, a wife that he had denied having.

  She found it nearly impossible to keep up a happy front for the entire two hours while they played Monopoly and as soon as Matt was securely bedded down, Kyle let her know that he wasn't fooled.

  "I've never been very good at reading women's minds," he said when she sat on the sofa a good two feet away from him. "But I'm better than average at analyzing facts. Despite everything that's happened, you were happy to see me and in a fairly up mood... until you saw me on the phone." She didn't bother to deny that. "I see. Well, the only thing I can say in my own defense is that I'm really trying to break the habit."

  Barbara's mouth fell open. "I beg your pardon?"

  "I told you when we first met that I'm a workaholic. Every woman I ever dated complained about it. But I swear, since I met you, I've cut my hours in half."

  "Wait a minute. Are you saying that you were embarrassed that I caught you making a business call in your car instead of helping Matt set up the Monopoly board? And you figured I'd resent that?" His guilty expression was her answer. "Then you weren't talking to..." she had to make sure, "another woman?"

  He let out a laugh and quickly covered his mouth for fear he'd wake Matt. "You thought... Oh god, Barbara, I can't tell you how happy that makes me." He closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her hard then held her away so that he could see her eyes. "You love me. You may not have said the words, but this proves it."

  "Kyle..."

  "Admit it. You were upset because you thought there was someone else."

  "Well, maybe a little."

  He kissed her hard on the mouth. "There is no other woman in the world for me but you." He kissed her again, a little softer, a little slower. "There has never been another woman in my life who meant anything to me." His third kiss was long, lingering and thoroughly seductive. And when he spoke again, he was on his back and she was on top of him, moving with the need he made her feel. "There will never be another woman in my life but you. I love you and now, whether you're ready to say the words or not, I'm satisfied that you love me too. Unfortunately, if you keep squirming like that, I'll forget who's sleeping down the hall and—"

  "Oh!" Barbara squeaked and brought them both upright again. "I don't believe how easily you can do that to me. That kind of power should be illegal."

  He touched her chin with his finger and gave her the lightest possible kiss on her nose. "The only power I have is the power of love and you're the one who activated it."

  "And that's another thing. How do you manage to say things like that without sounding corny?"

  The corners of his eyes crinkled with laughter, but he held back the sound this time. "Things like that only sound corny when they're lies. Now, in order to save my sanity, I'm going to suggest we do the last thing I actually want to do. You'll probably deny this too, but you're exhausted. Let's watch the news and go to sleep—in separate rooms."

  Barbara thought there was very little chance of her falling asleep with him so close by, but she must have, for when she heard a high-pitched ring, it took her a moment to figure out that it was neither her telephone nor the alarm. She squinted at
the illuminated digits on her clock. It was only twelve-thirty. What had awakened her?

  She told herself it was a dream and rolled over, but a man's voice came to her from a distance. She sat up and listened with both ears.

  "Tough... more complicated than... power of persuasion... no, no... a hundred sixty-five million..."

  Barbara strained her ears, but she couldn't hear anything else. Kyle was definitely talking business rather than romance, but why would a sales manager get a call so late at night? She tried to make sense of the words she'd heard, but they didn't fit into the context of his job as she understood it to be. In spite of the confusing questions in her mind, though, she was asleep again minutes later.

  * * *

  "Did you get a call last night?" Barbara asked Kyle over breakfast.

  Before answering, Kyle washed down a bite of toast with a gulp of orange juice. "Yes. I couldn't believe it. A wrong number in the middle of the night. I was hoping you hadn't been awakened by it. Sorry."

  "It's okay. I went right back to sleep." Barbara couldn't remember exactly what she'd heard him saying, but she hadn't thought it sounded like the response to a wrong number. Considering how quickly she fell back to sleep, however, there was a good chance she'd been dreaming.

  "Are you sure you and Matt should go to work and school today?" Kyle asked with a worried look.

  "Yeah, Maw," Matt quickly added. "I probably oughta stay home today."

  Barbara smirked at him then said to Kyle, "Yes, I'm sure. Whenever possible, we try not to let Russ stop us from living somewhat normal lives. Anyway, both the bank guard and school officials are looking out for him, so we should be okay."

  Kyle didn't look convinced, but a phone call kept him from debating the point. Barbara let Matt answer it, since he moved first, but it was Dani calling for her.

  "I have semi-good news. That disturbance yesterday did involve Russ Latham and some hooker. He got thrown out of that motel, but rather than moving to another one, he went north, out of Virginia. I've left word with the front desk of every motel and hotel in the area to notify me if anyone checks in matching his description or with his vehicle and so far, there's no sign that he's returned. I wouldn't suggest a celebration quite yet, but I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that he's given up."

  Barbara took a deep breath. "Thanks, Dani. I just wish there was something I could do to repay you for all your help."

  Dani chuckled. "Maybe you'll pack me another lunch someday. In the meantime, the biggest thing you can do for me is to find yourself some happiness."

  Barbara relayed the news to Kyle and Matt with her own warning to Matt not to let his guard down yet.

  "Semi-good news demands a semi-celebration," Kyle said. "How about dinner and a movie tonight? An early one, of course."

  Matt and Barbara accepted his invitation, but as they were all leaving the house, she wondered if she should have clarified the matter of where Kyle was planning to spend the night.

  The day was blissfully uneventful for Barbara and Matt, until the doorbell rang while they were getting ready to go out with Kyle.

  "It's Tammy," Matt exclaimed after looking out the window.

  Since Barbara had told Kyle about the girl's last visit, he completely understood the unhappy expression on her face. However, Tammy seemed to be back to her old, bubbly self, as she greeted all three with superficial cheek kisses.

  "Before anyone says a word, I want to apologize for my mega-boring bad mood the other night. You were absolutely right, Barb. I got a better job this morning, and I already met several fascinating prospects. So I came to take you and Matt out to dinner to celebrate." She looked at Kyle as though she just realized he was there. "Oh! I'm interrupting something, aren't I?" Her lively expression died in two blinks of her big blue eyes.

  "Maw?" Matt tugged on her sweater and looked up at her pleadingly, but Kyle replied before she could.

  "Please join us. We weren't planning anything special."

  Tammy instantly became animated again. "I've got a better idea. Let me take Matt out and you two can have the evening to yourselves. Or the two of us could stay here and order pizza and play video games. Your choice, Matt."

  "Pizza and games here!" he declared without hesitation.

  The change of plans had occurred so swiftly, Barbara felt a little dizzy. "Are you sure?" She felt Kyle's fingers scratch her back three times and glanced at him curiously. He had just used one of her and Matt's signals for "run as fast as you can."

  "Absolutely," Tammy stated firmly.

  "Positively!" Matt seconded.

  She went through all the pre-departure reminders twice as she put on her coat and checked her purse for her keys. "Are you absolutely positive—"

  "Out," Tammy ordered Barbara with a dramatic wave of her arm.

  "Yeah, Maw," Matt said, laughing. "Get out before we have to throw you out."

  Kyle tugged on her arm. "I think they want to be alone."

  "All right, all right," Barbara said, shaking her head. "But if anything happens, you call me right—"

  "Is she always like this?" Tammy asked Matt and he rolled his eyes.

  Barbara knew when she was hopelessly outnumbered. After one more hug for Matt, she and Kyle finally left the house. When he opened the passenger door of his car for her, he had to move his briefcase before she could sit down.

  "What kind of leather is this?" she asked, running her hand over the slick black finish as he lifted it out.

  "Eel skin. It doesn't get ruined if it gets wet." He waited for her to get situated then hurriedly put the briefcase in the trunk and got behind the wheel.

  As he was backing out of the driveway, she asked, "What does the H stand for?"

  He quickly glanced at her and continued out into the street. "The what?"

  "The H of HKT... the initials on your briefcase. My goodness, Kyle, you're blushing. Is it that awful?"

  "I think so. Why don't you guess?"

  "Harold? Hector? Harvey? Herbert?" He shook his head and his smile widened with each of her guesses. "I've got it—Horatio!" She just prayed it wasn't Howard.

  "You're not even close."

  "Okay, let's see. Harrison? Homer? What are you doing?" She couldn't imagine why he pulled into the parking lot of the first shopping strip they came to. As he brought the car to a stop a good distance from any stores or restaurants, her curiosity rose.

  Kyle answered her unspoken question by drawing her into his arms and pressing his lips to hers. With each heartbeat, the kiss went from saying hello to I missed you terribly, to I need you, to I don't want to wait until we're somewhere more private, the back seat will be just fine.

  They were moments away from mindlessly following through with their urgent desire when a blast from a car horn jolted them to their senses.

  Kyle grinned at her. "I guess that pretty much sums up what I've been thinking about all day." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. "Where would you like to have dinner?"

  She angled her head to inhale the cologne on his neck, then kissed his earlobe and whispered, "How does room service sound?"

  He grinned. "Do we need to stop at a drug store first?"

  "Nope," she said patting her purse. "I was pretty sure you'd go along with my suggestion so I came prepared."

  He responded to her with a low growl and another long, hungry kiss.

  "Kyle?"

  "Hmmm?"

  "What's your first name?"

  "Ha—Hannibal."

  "Hannibal? As in Missouri?"

  Kyle made a face. "As in the man with the army of elephants. My father was a history buff."

  Rather than drive all the way to his hotel room in Richmond, he decided to head toward Washington and take advantage of the first decent-looking place they came to. It still took them nearly a half hour, with every stoplight offering an excuse to touch and taste a little more. By the time they got inside a private room with a king-size bed, the foreplay had already gone on muc
h longer than either of them could stand.

  The French twist she had so painstakingly forced her hair into came undone in seconds. Kyle barely noticed the new sexy lingerie in his rush to get it off her body. His neatly pressed shirt and slacks were carelessly dropped to the floor.

  Unable to tolerate any more delays, he lifted her and joined their bodies where they stood. She welcomed him with a sigh of relief, but as he raised and lowered her hips, her relief was replaced by another building need. He quickly brought them both to climax, yet neither was fully satisfied. Without separating their bodies, he moved to the bed and resumed the rhythmic demonstration of his deep love for her.

  That second release relaxed them both sufficiently to think about ordering food, but once dinner was finished, Kyle carried her back to bed again.

  After a soul-wrenching kiss, he asked, "What time does Matt get up for school in the morning?"

  "About six a—" She gasped as his mouth closed over her nipple and sucked.

  He lifted his head to see the clock on the nightstand. "Six, huh? That gives us another eight hours before we have to get home."

  "That's not fair to Tammy. Remember, she just started a new job."

  He made a face at her. "All right. We'll get home by midnight. She wouldn't expect us to be back before then." Before she could voice another objection to staying a little longer, his extremely skilled tongue went to work on her other breast.

  It was the first time all over again as he slowly aroused every nerve in her body until there wasn't a thought in her mind, only physical sensation. Each time she began to peak, however, he moved his attentions to a less sensitive area. She tried enticing him in return, but he had been so well sated, he wasn't having any problem controlling his response. Pleading failed as well. She finally resorted to threats to get him to stop teasing her.