Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  Nine Months Later

  Today, we’re on our way home from the hospital with our son, Cedric Harris Doyle who’s named after his grandfather. I was in labor for almost eighteen hours and never so happy to give birth. The pain was excruciating, and I told Austin it was the last time I was doing this until I saw Ceddy.

  He was beautiful with amber eyes like his father and sparse dark hair on his slightly pointed head. He was perfect and ours. Austin had spent his off hours painting the nursery blue, putting together furniture and being a mother hen each time I coughed or sneezed.

  During my pregnancy, Kat offered me a lesser role than CEO as a vice president in her software company. I knew nothing about software, but it made sense since she was a mother herself. She would understand when I needed to take off time to care for a sick little one. I took it and left the stress of Charge Media behind.

  The case brought by Dirk Benson was dismissed. He clearly was in violation of his contract since he sexually harassed several women. I was amazed that the women finally stepped up to plate in court and spoke their stories. The judge read Dirk the riot act upon dismissing the case.

  I’m sitting in bed breastfeeding Ceddy while Austin hovered nearby. He took a couple of weeks off from NYU to help me.

  I looked over at my husband. “You don’t have to stand over me. It’s nerve-wracking.”

  “I’m sorry. I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

  “I’m fine, and Ceddy is fine. Look, he fell asleep. I think he’s had enough.”

  Austin lifted the baby from my arms and gently placed him in the bassinet near our bed.

  “I can’t get over that we created this little guy. Are you still against having another?”

  “Not entirely, but my body needs a break. I want to go back to work.”

  “Who’s going to take care of Ceddy while you do?”

  “Kat has a daycare center at the company. She just put it into place since several of her employees are mothers. She used to take the children to work with her. Of course, she could get away with that since she’s the boss.”

  Austin stared at Cedric, then came over to the bed to sit with me.

  “Thank you for this.”

  “For what?”

  “Everything. You, our marriage, our son. I have to pinch myself to see if this is real.”

  I smiled, thinking I felt the same way. So much heartache to get to where we were now. A chance meeting brought us together, but love will keep us together forever.

  The End

  About the Author

  MJ Masucci writes steamy romance with a twist. She lives with her husband and two mischievous Siamese cats in Southern New York. Her favorites are iced coffee, football on Sundays and spending time with friends and family. Fun fact: MJ owns over 80 pairs of sneakers.

  Read More from MJ Masucci

  WWW.MJMASUCCI.COM

  Drowning in You

  Amanda Siegrist and Jane Blythe

  Drowning in You © 2019 Amanda Siegrist and Jane Blythe

  * * *

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Created with Vellum

  Drowning in You

  Fear can cripple you, is love enough to empower you?

  * * *

  He has a choice to make. Face his fear ... or watch her die.

  * * *

  For Rose Gowan the death of her best friend means she no longer has a confidante—someone to keep her secrets, someone who knew all her insecurities—and she’s not sure she’s brave enough to let anyone else in. Until she meets the detective working her friend’s case. He gives her hope for a future she had thought she’d never have, but he can be possessive, and she promised her best friend that she would never let anyone control her again.

  * * *

  Death is a part of life. It’s not something Detective Carter Dixson likes to dwell on, but working in the homicide division, he has no choice. He does his job, and he does it well. When his latest case brings Rose into his life, he finally has something other than his pain from his past to focus on. She makes him smile, his heart beat faster, and actually feel happy for the first time since his brother died. He’s not afraid of falling in love too fast. But he is afraid of one thing—losing Rose the same way he lost his brother.

  1

  She wished there was a window.

  It was hard not being able to see the sky; without it, there was no way for her to keep track of time. She was brought meals, she thought three a day, but she wasn’t sure. They came sporadically; it might be five or six hours between meals, or sometimes, it seemed to be barely an hour.

  Not for the first time in her life she wished she wore a watch.

  It wasn't like the ability to tell time would make her situation any better, but for some reason when this basic of everyday life was snatched away, you missed it. Really missed it.

  Evelyn sighed and rolled over on the flimsy frame that passed as her bed. It was the most uncomfortable thing she had ever lay down on, but it was all she had, so she had to make the best of it.

  She was tired, but not sleepy.

  It was an odd feeling.

  She wanted desperately to fall asleep and be transported in her dreams out of this small concrete room she was trapped in. But no matter how long she lay under her scratchy gray blanket with her eyes closed, she just couldn’t turn her mind off enough to sleep. Sometimes her body would hit a brick wall and she would pass out from exhaustion, but that would only last a short time because her stressed out mind would jolt her awake at the slightest noise. Or imagined noise.

  In the days, or weeks, she’d been here she might have slept a couple of hours tops.

  She was pretty sure that if you didn't sleep, you eventually went insane. Evelyn was also pretty sure she was headed down that path. And, unfortunately, that wasn't such a bad option.

  Anything had to be better than this.

  She got to her feet and began to pace the small room like a caged animal.

  She wanted out.

  Her life had fallen apart over one innocent mistake.

  If she could just go back in time, she would never have gone …

  She broke off as she heard the unmistakable sound of a key sliding into a lock.

  The sound chilled her as nothing else could.

  As horrible as it was to be stuck in this dark, dank, windowless room, nothing could compare to this.

  A single light bulb hung in the middle of the room; it didn't provide a lot of light, but enough to be able to make out the features of the man who stepped into the room and locked the door behind him.

  Her skin prickled and her blood turned to ice. Evelyn had to fight her body’s natural instinct to fight or flight. Instead, she did nothing.

  She’d always wondered how people could be conditioned to allow others to do bad things to them, but it turned out it was pretty easy to achieve. You just locked someone away, took away all the basics of life that they were accustomed to, and you made it clear noncompliance resulted in punishments—be they mental or physical. Evelyn had thought she would be too strong to let that kind of thing happen to her. She’d already lived through hell and survived; surely, she could make it through anything.
/>   But she had been wrong.

  “Hi, Evelyn,” the man drawled.

  She shivered.

  As he came closer, she again had to force herself to remain still, perfectly still, statue still.

  His large hands closed over her shoulders and he guided her backward and down onto the mattress. He’d already undone his belt buckle and slid his pants down around his knees, and he made quick work of shoving her tank top up around her shoulders, and her shorts down to her ankles.

  Evelyn bided her time.

  When he settled himself between her legs, she reached her hand under the pillow.

  Her fingers curled around her weapon. It wasn't much, but it was the best she’d been able to come up with.

  Slowly, she pulled the spoon out, and then holding it with the end pointing out, she moved her hand slowly toward her target.

  The man was preoccupied with her breasts, as he always was, and he didn't notice what she was doing.

  When she thought she had the position right, she acted, ramming the handle of the spoon up the man’s backside.

  He screeched in pain, and she took advantage, launching her entire body weight off the bed, taking the man with her, and slammed him into the wall. With him disoriented, she wrapped her hands around his neck and rammed his head into the wall—once, twice, three times and he dropped.

  With no time to waste, she began rummaging through his pockets and located the key.

  Then she ran.

  Out the door, locking it behind her.

  In the hall, she picked a direction and kept running.

  She didn't know where she was going.

  She didn't care.

  All she knew was that she had to get out of here.

  Find a door.

  Get outside.

  Get help.

  It seemed so simple and yet there were so many things that could go wrong.

  Evelyn couldn’t allow herself to think of that.

  Run.

  Just run.

  Up ahead.

  There was a door.

  She was close.

  So close.

  And then it was ripped away.

  Someone grabbed her and threw her into a wall.

  Pain jarred through her weak, battered body.

  Hands curled around her neck, squeezing tighter and tighter. Evelyn tried to suck in air, but she couldn’t. Her nails clawed desperately at those hands wrapped so tightly around her throat.

  The edges of her vision were just starting to blur when abruptly he loosened his grip.

  She sucked in a series of ragged breaths, and when her lungs had reinflated and oxygen flowed through her body again, she looked at the man who’d caught her.

  She couldn’t believe it was really him.

  “Please,” she forced out through her burning throat. “Please. Let me go. I won't tell. I promise. I won't tell anyone. Please.” A single tear slid down her cheek.

  He didn't say anything.

  Just smiled at her.

  Such a wicked smile.

  Then his hands were squeezing again.

  This time there was no reprieve.

  Her lungs screamed for air, but there was none to give them.

  Her limbs began to tingle.

  Her vision began to gray.

  A rushing sound filled her ears.

  Pain and terror.

  Those were her last conscious thoughts.

  He exhaled a slow breath and stopped the vehicle.

  “Seriously? You can park a little closer.”

  Taking the key out of the ignition, he smirked, despite wanting to turn around and drive away. “Walking’s good for you.”

  Rolling her eyes, she chuckled. “Whatever.” Her expression softened. “You’ve been acting strange since we got the call. Is everything okay?”

  “Of course.”

  She held his gaze a moment longer than normal, then nodded and exited the vehicle. Carter knew he needed to follow his partner outside and to the body found by the edge of the lake, but he couldn’t find the energy to grab the door handle. The nerves surrounding every vein in his body were taking control of everything. Immobilizing him. Paralyzing him. He’d be mortified if his partner guessed how much he was struggling to step outside.

  No big deal. He could do this. He could pretend like none of this mattered. Just another dead body that happened to be found by a lake. No. Big. Deal.

  A sharp bang against the window made him jump. “Let’s go. What’s going on, Carter?”

  He offered a forced grin and finally opened the door. “It’s fun to annoy you. I like taking my time.”

  Jade rolled her eyes again and started walking. He slammed his door shut hard and followed her, catching up with her quick pace, even though he hated each step they took across the parking lot and to the trail that would lead them to the lake. He wanted to run back to the vehicle. He wanted to lock himself inside and wait for Jade as she did all the work.

  Except, he wasn’t lazy or someone who pawned his work off on others, especially his partner who he respected.

  As each step took him closer to their destination, he couldn’t stop his gaze. It’s as if the lake hypnotized him. Forced him to look. His eyes connected with the sparkling blue water. It rippled with a steady breeze and shined like a diamond under the warm sun. It looked refreshing—almost inviting.

  He could still remember how it felt.

  Cool, crisp water gliding across his body as he dove in, a little jolt to the system as the cold water hit his skin, then popping up for air and wiping the water from his face. The longer he stood in the fresh water, the warmer and more relaxing it became.

  The urge to flee hit his gut so fierce, he almost fell to the ground in agony.

  “I can see why you look green. She looks … terrible.”

  Carter jerked his gaze away from the water to Jade. Her face had paled, with a sadness coating her eyes he normally didn’t see. She knew what was bothering him? She could see the fear in his face?

  “This is disgusting.” She averted her eyes to the ground as they continued to walk closer to the body.

  Of course. The body.

  Jade was talking about the dead body.

  Another tiny breath escaped as he pushed his nerves to the back of his mind and forced himself into work mode.

  He could do this.

  The woman lying near the edge of the lake didn’t look like a person anymore. Except for her long hair and breasts, he would’ve had a hard time figuring out the gender of the victim. Her face didn’t show a pretty woman. Her body, grotesquely large from being in the water, didn’t show whether she took care of herself by working out, something he enjoyed doing every day. A large gaping hole in her stomach almost made him turn to the side and throw up, and he hadn’t had the urge to puke at a crime scene in the longest time. He couldn’t be sure, unless he stepped closer, but he swore he could see a few rocks. Why would there be rocks in her body?

  “You okay?” Jade whispered.

  Averting his eyes away from the body, he managed a small grin. “Are you?”

  “We haven’t seen anything this bad in a long time. I feel a little ill.”

  He nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with her, then moved closer to Andrew Crocker, the coroner, although everyone called him Crock, and groaned. “Really? How can you eat anything right now?”

  A goofy grin touched Crock’s face as he glanced in his direction, the last bit of red licorice disappearing into his mouth. “Was that an actual question? She doesn’t look pretty, does she? I can’t tell you much right now.”

  Jade pinched the bridge of her nose, then wiggled it. “She looks … can you give us a time of death?”

  Crock’s eyebrow rose. “Was that another serious question? That’s impossible to tell right now. She could’ve been here a few weeks for all I know.” He gestured toward the woman’s stomach. “Whoever killed her didn’t want her to be found. They cut her open, filled her abdominal cavity with ro
cks, then sewed her back up, presumably to weigh her down.”

  Carter took another closer look at the woman, not even hiding the cringe that hit his features. A long, jagged cut slashed from one end of the stomach area to the other, with what looked like thick black nylon yarn weaving in and out of her skin. It clearly broke apart and let some rocks escape. A mixture of different colored rocks coated the top of her stomach. The type of rocks a person might use to decorate the landscaping around their house.

  “Did he cut anything out to make room for the rocks?” He didn’t care to know, but he needed to. Just a part of his job to ask disgusting questions.

  “Don’t know yet. You can join me for the autopsy.” Crock smiled as if that would be the most fun Carter had all week.

  “What can you tell us, Crock? Anything useful?” Carter asked as nicely as possible, even though he could feel himself losing his patience. And why? He rarely lost control at a crime scene, and he definitely didn’t with Crock, who was always in a chipper mood no matter how gruesome a crime scene appeared.

  Who was he kidding? He knew why he was losing his patience, his control, his sanity—slowly and painfully. He’d lose it completely if they didn’t leave soon.

  “Well, I can’t give a positive cause of death, but I think she might have been strangled.” Crock pointed to her neck that looked like a mixture of black and blue and green. Although, that wasn’t helpful to Carter, as most of her naked body looked discolored.

  “Thanks, Crock.” Jade tapped his shoulder and pointed to their left, thankfully, away from the water. “Why don’t we go talk to them? I think it was a couple that found the body.”

  Carter followed her finger that led to an older couple huddling close together talking to an officer. He liked that plan. First, because they wouldn’t have to look at the dead body any longer. Second, most importantly, it would take him farther away from the water. He felt jittery and crazy standing only a few feet away, as if he’d shatter into a million tiny pieces if he didn’t back away soon.