Unlocking Fear

by Kennedy Layne

  “You are so wet.”

  “I want you,” Reese said, lowering her right arm and resting her hand over his in an attempt to rush things along. He wasn’t having any of it. “Please, Noah.”

  “We have all night.”

  Noah used his finger to breach her entrance, cherishing the gasp that fell from her lips. He withdrew, only to then re-enter her to elicit another alluring reaction. He’d hardened to the point of pain, but the end result would be worth the wait.

  Her dainty toes painted in that pretty pink nail polish curled when he added another finger, rubbing against her sweet spot. The change in her breathing was audible, raising his own need to draw out her orgasm.

  “Noah, I—”

  “Come for me,” Noah requested softly, loving the way her sheath tightened on his fingers upon his wanting appeal. “That’s right, sweetheart. Take what you need.”

  Reese’s hips lifted in response, her release coming in waves as well as the tantalizing whimpers that made him want more. Her grip on the headrest had tilted the seat slightly forward. He showered her shoulder with gentle kisses until she’d regained her composure.

  Her next statement was music to his ears.

  “I want more.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Reese never in a million years would have thought she’d be making love in the cab of a pickup truck at her age. She wasn’t sure what had come over her when Noah had pulled the truck into her driveway. He had a way of making her laugh, causing her frustrations to evaporate, and then a second later make her want him in a way she’d never wanted another man.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want the romance or the comfort of her bed.

  They sure as hell would have been cooler had they taken this into the bedroom with the new AC unit and all.

  But she couldn’t wait.

  She was like a woman in the desert, and she had to have that tall drink of cool water.

  She had to have him, and he didn’t disappoint in any way.

  Noah took his time exploring her body and was an expert on how to bring pleasure to a woman with his hands.

  Now she wanted him.

  Reese lowered her left leg from the dashboard, not so sure she had the strength to shift her body weight. She fought through the overwhelming desire to stay where she was in his embrace. It wasn’t until she was once again straddling him that she found the rest of her voice.

  “Please tell me you have a condom on you.”

  Noah’s smile was her answer as he slightly lifted himself in order to reach his wallet. The movement caused the rough metal zipper of his jeans to brush against her clitoris. She bit her lip and closed her eyes to keep from crying out in a mix of pleasure and pain.

  “I might not have been a Boy Scout, but I always come prepared,” Noah teased, holding up the foiled package in victory. One kiss as a reward was all it took to send the stimulation meter through the roof. “You’re like a sip of fresh lemonade on a sweltering day, Reese Woodward. I just can’t get enough.”

  The cab of the truck was hot, causing their skin to stick together and the humidity to rise. The windows had fogged over long ago, but she didn’t care. Her body wasn’t recognizing anything other than his sensual touch.

  “Here,” Reese murmured, taking the condom and lifting herself up on her knees so that he could push his jeans and briefs down his thighs. He could only manage to get them down so far, but it was more than enough. “I think it’s about to get hotter in here.”

  That was an understatement. His shaft was thick and long, causing her to want to delay the inevitable. She would have loved to have done a little exploration of her own, but he took the decision out of her hands.

  “Another time,” Noah promised, ripping the foil with his teeth before extracting the latex. He covered himself fully and then tossed the empty package to the side. His large hands wrapped around her waist, lifting her up so that his tip was at her entrance. “Take the lead, sweetheart.”

  He didn’t have to encourage her in the least. Reese rested her hands on his wide shoulders, using him as leverage as she slowly lowered herself over him. She once again bit her lip as the intense pleasure of taking him inside of her was overwhelming. It took her a long time to adjust to the sweet burning sensation created by their union.

  “You take my breath away.” Reese would have expressed a similar sentiment, but Noah kissed her thoroughly until he was fully seated inside of her. They both paused to enjoy this moment, their body heat raising the temperature even more. “I’m telling the medics you’re responsible for our deaths.”

  Reese had never laughed during this type of encounter before, but something about this moment was magical. She lifted herself up before slowly taking him back inside of her, doing so over and over again until the physical ache of need became almost unbearable.

  She stared into his blue eyes as they both reached their threshold. The enthralling explosion had them both crying out each other’s names, their cries echoing throughout the cab of his truck. Perspiration made it almost impossible for her to hold onto him, so she slapped one hand against the window and grabbed the back of his seat with the other as pleasure rippled throughout her body.

  Reese couldn’t contain the bubble of laughter.

  “Really?” Noah arched an eyebrow, though it was difficult to see his expression in the dark. The fog that covered the windows had created a barrier between the interior and the light from the moon. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

  “I’m sorry,” Reese said rather breathlessly, still remaining on top of him as she tried to contain her laughter. She wasn’t ready to move and lose their intimate connection. “I was picturing us doing this in the city. It never would have happened.”

  She finally removed her hand from the window, a sliver of light highlighting his smile in response to the image she’d just created.

  “Can we just sleep out here? Better yet, how about in the bed of your truck underneath the stars?” Reese finally shifted to the passenger seat to cool them both down. She brushed her hair out of her face when he didn’t respond in kind. An awkward silence filled the cab. “Noah?”

  Had she done something wrong?

  Reese lifted her shirt to her chest in defense as she tried to figure out what had changed in the last minute.

  “Wallace should have driven past your house at least a dozen times by now.”

  Noah grimaced when he couldn’t pull up his jeans without cleaning himself off. He moved his firearm he’d set on the middle console and rummaged around the inside until he came away with a few napkins.

  “We were a little busy,” Reese reminded him after hesitating just a bit. That didn’t stop her from hastily throwing on her clothes as fast as she could in preparation of what he was about to suggest. It was the right thing to do, even though this wasn’t exactly how she pictured the rest of the night going. “Can’t we call the sheriff’s office? Maybe Deputy Wallace was called away. The sheriff could have told him to stay in front of your farm.”

  Noah surprised her after he’d finished cleaning up, wadding up the napkins, and getting dressed himself. He pulled her close for a kiss, taking his time to let her know that he’d enjoyed the past hour as much as she had.

  “I’ll make this up to you.” Noah put the discarded trash into a bag in the side pocket of his door, starting the engine at the same time. “We’ll call Patty at the station while we driving down that way.”

  Reese ran her hands through her hair, doing her best to look presentable. Chances were they’d find that Deputy Wallace had fallen asleep on his shift. She didn’t want him to draw conclusions based on her rumpled clothes and swollen lips. It dawned on her that yet again they were ending their evening with a police visit.

  “You know, we’re going to get a reputation if we keep ending each outing with the inclusion of local law enforcement.”

  Reese shot Noah a smile as he shifted his truck into reverse. They had to wait a few seconds until
the windows cleared. Who would have thought that this emotional quest she’d taken upon herself would result in a summer liaison? She’d neglected herself for so long that this much fun was well overdue.

  “The Kendalls already have a reputation around these parts,” Noah said with a laugh, though his concern for Deputy Wallace was evident. He pressed his cell phone a little closer to his ear. “Yeah, Patty? This is Noah Kendall. I was wondering if Deputy Wallace was called away from his post. I haven’t seen him drive by Ms. Woodward’s rental since we’ve returned from dinner.”

  The short drive down the rock road toward Noah’s new place was rather eerie. The clouds kept shifting in front of the moon, thus casting darker shadows on the path in front of them. The leaves were no longer moving on the branches above them, signaling that the light breeze from earlier had dissipated.

  “And the sheriff hasn’t checked on him?”

  Noah’s question caught Reese’s attention, and suddenly, the wonderful night ahead of them took a turn for the worse.

  Something was wrong.

  “No, I’m heading that way now,” Noah responded to whatever the dispatcher had inquired. “I’ll let you know what I find, but you might want to send someone else out this way. You can tell the sheriff that this will be addressed at the next town hall meeting.”

  “What happened?” Reese asked after Noah disconnected the line and set his phone in the cup holder. “What will you address at the meeting?”

  “The fact that the sheriff didn’t think it was a problem that Wallace hasn’t called in since his last check-in several hours ago.” His anger and frustration was more than evident. The headlights of the truck led the way to the end of the circle, where the deputy’s police car was parked with the door wide open. “I want you to stay in this truck with the doors locked. Take my phone and redial the last number I called. Tell Patty to get the sheriff’s ass out here now, along with the state police.”

  The euphoria Reese had recently experienced vanished the second she noticed what caused him to request the police. After all, the car door being left open could have signified that Deputy Wallace had entered the woods in search of someone. It also could have simply been the officer’s need to relieve himself. She honestly would have rather caught the deputy with his pants down than to see his body lying prone just outside the beam of the headlights.

  This wasn’t how she’d pictured their night ending.

  Not with them finding another body at Noah’s farm.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “It’s been a little over a week,” Gus pointed out from his location in the kitchen. He had been measuring the dimensions of the far wall for the upper cabinets, as well as the walk-in pantry door he was designing to match. It had to open into the room, but he had enough clearance to design a storage system on the reverse side for a broom, a dustpan with a brush, and a three-step lightweight stepstool. He shifted his worn leather tool belt hanging loosely around his waist as he took a small break and drank some of the sweet iced tea Reese had brought them earlier. “No word from that detective on the DNA results at all? On television, they get the results in a half an hour. What’s with the state’s lab guys?”

  A lot had happened in the eight days since Noah and Reese had discovered Deputy Wallace’s body at the turnaround near the DNR wetlands at the edge of Noah’s property. The man’s funeral had been a couple of days ago, delayed due to the required autopsy by the state investigators. He’d been shot in the chest with a 9mm firearm.

  The governor had sent a special assistant prosecutor from his office to facilitate anything the state’s forensics team needed, considering a county sheriff’s deputy had been murdered. They were moving heaven and earth to see justice done. After all that, the only thing they could say for certain was that Deputy Wallace was dead before he ever hit the ground.

  “I spoke to Detective Kendrick yesterday.” Noah decided he could use a break, as well. He leaned down and used the wall as leverage, taking a seat on the floor. The two additional walls, the carpet, and pretty much the entire kitchen had been gutted. There was nothing left but studs and the wiring for the existing sockets which he would have to change to GFCI due to code changes after they were originally installed. It gave him something to do while waiting for some much-needed answers. “The DNA results aren’t back from the lab. As for Deputy Wallace’s murder, there are no leads at this time. The sheriff had yet to install the dashboard cams that were provided by the state for all marked squad cars last quarter. They sure as hell would have come in handy in this case. I’m telling you, Dad, Sheriff Percy’s job performance leaves a lot to be desired. He’s just plain neglectful.”

  “You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know.” Gus set his glass on the counter, the leftover ice cubes clinking against the sides. “The entire town is up in arms and calling for his immediate resignation.”

  Reese’s laughter drifted through the open door. Rose and Tiny had stopped by with an invitation to the Cavern. They were having a celebration and handing the keys for the place over to Brynn Mercer. The symbolic event had been scheduled a while ago, but they’d postponed it due to the recent funeral, which had the entire town in attendance.

  “She fits in nicely.”

  Noah didn’t have to ask who his dad was referring to in his random declaration to no one in particular.

  “It’s not like that, Dad.” Noah couldn’t stop his thoughts from drifting back to the first moment he’d caught sight of Reese. He’d told himself as she walked through the woods and away from his property that he should keep his distance. He hadn’t realized just how much of a significance those words held until now. “She’s got a life back in Springfield. We’re enjoying each other’s company while she’s here, and we both have an understanding. That’s all.”

  “Has there been any other attempts to warn her to leave town?”

  “I know where you’re going with that topic, and you can stop. You already know the answer to your question.” Noah ran a hand over his face in frustration. It was his mother who used to interfere with his personal life. Not his dad. “I still come home from time to time to get clothes.”

  The past week had passed as if it were any other summer in Blyth Lake. No one had made an attempt to threaten Reese or harm her in any other way. There was still a foreboding air hanging around town ever since Deputy Wallace’s murder, which was the town’s current top subject matter.

  “Look, it’s not like you’re seventeen years old,” Gus pointed out with a bit of humor only he was benefiting from. “You’re a grown man, and she is certainly grown, too. You can sleep with whomever you want, son.”

  Reese mentioned she’d drive over to the diner to pick up some sandwiches, but maybe they were better off cleaning up and going together. Then again, his father might continue this conversation later today as if it had never ended. It was better to take care of this now.

  “I like her, Dad. I like her a lot.” Well, those words weren’t what he’d wanted to say. Noah shot a glance toward the open doorway. “It’s only been around two weeks since I met her. I can’t be asking her opinion on curtains, flooring, or furniture. This is my house. She won’t even be around to see the finished product, though I wish she would be.”

  “Did I ever tell you about the time I met your mother?” Gus folded his arms over his chest and settled in with a smile of remembrance on his rugged face. “Birdie would host these movie nights at the lake once a week back when your mother and I were in high school. I was painting the plywood projection screen to make some money on the side, and up walked the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. And there I was, covered in white paint. I looked like an idiot.”

  Noah had heard this story before, but it had always been in his mother’s point of view. He didn’t know that his dad had been working that day for Birdie. His mom made it sound as if they’d shown up with separate groups of friends when she approached him on a dare.

  “My Mary rested her han
ds on my shoulders and planted a kiss on my right cheek, which was the only spot I hadn’t gotten paint on me. She told me I was taking her to the ice cream parlor after the movie that night.” Gus shook his head in wonderment, his thoughts lost back in time. “I knew better than to argue with a girl as pretty as her, so I spent my whole paycheck I’d earned that day buying both of us a root beer float that very night. She looked me straight in the eyes over that checkered tablecloth and told me that her bridesmaid dresses were going to be the same color blue as my eyes.”

  Noah could still picture his mother laughing as she told that very same story every year on their anniversary. She would fan herself with her hand, as if she couldn’t believe she’d been so bold as to make such a declaration.

  “What I’m saying, son, is that time doesn’t matter as much as you might think. One day, one month, or one year doesn’t change when two people are meant to be with one another.” Gus cleared his throat, almost as if he realized how sentimental he sounded about love. There was also a sadness that the years hadn’t erased at losing the woman he loved more than life itself. “All I’m saying is don’t let something this good slip between your fingers because of how it may look to anyone other than you two.”

  “Hey,” Reese called out a little breathlessly as she leaned around the doorway with a smile on her face. “I’m heading into town to pick up lunch. Is there anything else you two need?”

  “Maybe I should head into town with you,” Noah suggested, not so much to get away from the conversation with his dad anymore, but because of the reminder that the man who’d threatened her was still out there somewhere.

  “Don’t be silly. I can always take my scatter gun.” Reese tossed another smile over her shoulder when the purr of an engine came to life. Her gaze softened in understanding when she turned back around. “I’m following Tiny and Rose into town. Besides, nothing else has happened recently.”