Dream Man

by Linda Howard

  “You feel it the same way I do,” he continued relentlessly. “You’re attracted to me, and it scares the hell out of you, because of Gleen.”

  Her face closed up. “I don’t want to talk about Gleen.”

  “That’s understandable, but I’m not going to let you hold him between us. The bastard’s dead; he can’t ever hurt you again. There’s too much pleasure in life to turn your back on it.”

  “And you’re just the man who can show me what I’m missing, right?” she asked with heavy sarcasm. “Bet on it, babe.”

  She crossed her arms and leaned back against the cabinet, holding herself away from him. “I’ve always hated being called babe or baby,” she observed.

  “Fine. I’ll call you whatever you like.”

  “I don’t want you to call me anything. Can’t you get it through your thick head, Detective? There can’t be anything between us, full stop, period.”

  He grinned suddenly, and her heart gave a thump at the miracle it worked on his harsh features. “There already is something between us. Can you think of anyone else who makes you as angry as I do?”

  “Not right offhand,” she admitted.

  “See? I’ve been the same way. Since I saw you Monday morning, I’ve been in a hell of a mood, mad at you for being a suspect, mad at myself for being so attracted to you in spite of it.”

  “Maybe we just intensely dislike each other,” she suggested.

  “I don’t think so.” He glanced swiftly downward. “There’s evidence to the contrary.”

  Marlie fiercely controlled the impulse to let her own gaze drift downward. After what she had felt yesterday morning on the porch, she was fairly certain what she would see. Despite herself, she was charmed by his air of slight bemusement at his body’s response, and it took all of her willpower not to let it show. It just wouldn’t do. He was going to be difficult enough to discourage as it was, without letting him see how very much she wished things could be different. She had always longed for a normal relationship, but she had always been set apart, first by her own talents, then by Gleen.

  “It won’t work,” she said aloud.

  He looked downward again. “You think so? I dunno,” he said doubtfully, “it looks like it will work pretty well to me.”

  Startled, she laughed aloud, and quickly clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. He grinned at her again, making her heart do acrobatics even as she tried to control herself. He was far more dangerous than she had feared; he could make her laugh.

  “I can’t,” she said, sobering quickly. Her voice was soft, with an undertone of regret that she couldn’t hide. “Gleen—”

  With two long steps he reached her, closing his hands on her waist. The humor fled his face as if it had never existed. “Gleen is dead. The only way he can hurt you anymore is if you let him.”

  “Do you think it’s that easy?”

  “Hell, no, I don’t think it’s easy. I’m a cop, remember. I’ve seen what rape victims go through.”

  “I wasn’t—”

  “Technically raped? I know. But he tried, and beat the hell out of you because he couldn’t. Your reaction probably isn’t any different than if he had been able to penetrate.”

  She laughed again, but this time the sound was harsh, tearing. “It’s a little different. I wish he had raped me. I lie awake at night and know that if he’d been able to get an erection, maybe if I hadn’t fought him so hard, that little boy would still be alive! But he got more and more frenzied, and I kept struggling, and all of a sudden he left me and attacked the little boy.” She was silent for a minute. “His name was Dustin,” she said. “His parents called him Dusty.”

  Dane’s hands tightened convulsively on her waist, then relaxed. “It wasn’t your fault; no one can predict what a madman will do. But that’s a bad thing to have to deal with,” he said quietly. His chest was tight with suppressed emotion. Gently he smoothed her hair, then slid his fingers under the warm, silky weight to cup her head in his big hand. “Have you ever told anyone everything that happened that night?”

  She shook her head. “Not everything. Not the details. It was too… ugly.”

  “Have you ever told anyone else what you just told me?”

  “No.” She looked up, confusion in her eyes. “I don’t know why I did.”

  “Because there’s something between us, and you can’t deny it any more than I can. We aren’t comfortable with each other yet, but one day it will be okay. I can wait. And I can wait until you’re ready to make love, too.”

  Frustrated at his stubbornness, at her inability to convince him, she shook her head. She didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. “You’re so damn sure of yourself.”

  “Trust me,” he murmured. His hard fingers massaged her skull, relieving tension she hadn’t even been aware of. “You’ll think about it now, and the more you think about it, the more used to the idea you’ll get. Then you’ll start getting curious, wondering about how we would be together. You’ve done a good job putting your life back together, but you’re too smart not to know that until you can trust a man in bed again, you’re still letting Gleen have a hold over you. The next step is obvious. And I can promise you one thing: If anyone gets in bed with you, it’s going to be me.”

  Before she could think of a response to that supremely self-confident statement, he took her by the hand and led her back into the living room. His palm was callused, his fingers hard and warm. His touch was consciously gentle, that of a man who was very aware of his own strength and was careful not to squeeze. There was something beguiling about his hand linked with hers, a subtle asking for, and reassurance of, trust. She felt oddly safe with him, though not safe from him.

  “Let’s sit down,” he said, urging her toward the couch. Belatedly she tried to detour to a chair, but he tugged her to the couch and pulled her down beside him. He kept her hand folded in his as he settled back with a sigh of relief, stretching his long, muscular legs out before him. “Airplane seats aren’t made for anyone over five and a half feet tall. I still feel cramped.”

  “Why don’t you go home,” she said tiredly. “It’s late.”

  “Because we still need to talk.”

  She shook her head and tried to tug her hand free. It was a useless effort. “We don’t have anything to talk about.”

  “I’ve got some more questions about what you saw Friday night.”

  She stiffened. She couldn’t help it; every time she was reminded of that evil, something inside her froze. “I’ve already told you everything. Tomorrow’s a workday, and I’d like to get some sleep.”

  “Just a few minutes,” he coaxed, smiling at her. That little crook of his mouth caused another disruption in her cardiac rhythm, and she quickly looked away. Whoever would have thought that such a roughhewn face could produce such a charming smile? He shouldn’t be allowed to do anything except frown, for her own protection.

  “I kept thinking about it on the plane,” he said, taking her silence for acquiescence. “You aren’t a suspect, you’re a witness. In fact, you’re the only witness we have. We have no leads, no evidence, no idea who we’re looking for. Two earlier possibilities turned out to be dead ends. I’m not saying I buy into this paranormal stuff, but I’m willing to investigate any leads you can give me. For instance, can you give me a description of the guy?”

  She shook her head, ignoring the dismissive way he said “this paranormal stuff.”

  “Nothing at all? C’mon. You described the murder scene down to the smallest detail.”

  “But I saw it from his eyes. I saw… everything else. Not him.”

  “Did you see his hands?”

  A memory swam into focus, that of a hand reaching for a knife, holding the knife, slashing—

  “Yes.” The word was a whisper of sound.

  “Good.” Her eyes had gone slightly unfocused. Dane made his voice as soothing as he could, not wanting to startle her. “What color was his skin? Light or dark?”
r />   “I don’t know.”

  “Think, Marlie.”

  “I don’t know! He was wearing gloves. Surgical gloves. And he had long sleeves.” She paused, looking inward again. “His clothes were dark.”

  “He didn’t pull off the gloves even when he raped her?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, then let’s work on his height. We know how tall Mrs. Vinick was; how tall was he in comparison?”

  Marlie silently marveled at how his cop’s brain worked; she hadn’t thought of height at all. Her head tilted in concentration as she tried to focus the mental images.

  “When he first grabs her, in the kitchen, he holds her close, with one hand over her mouth and the other holding the knife.” Marlie lifted her hands into the positions she described, pantomiming the action. “The hand over her mouth is … like this. Even with his shoulder.”

  “So that’s the level of her mouth. That puts him around six feet. We can’t know how long his neck is—he may be an inch shorter or taller—but at least that’s something. What about his voice? Do you remember anything about it?”

  She closed her eyes. “Nothing that stands out. It was just a man’s voice, not particularly deep or high.” His actual voice hadn’t mattered; it had been overwhelmed by the raging violence, the hatred, of his emotions.

  “How about an accent? Can you distinguish an accent?”

  “Not southern,” she said promptly, opening her eyes. “Big deal. This is Orlando; half the population, including me, is from somewhere else.”

  “Can you narrow it down any more than that? There are a lot of distinctive accents: New York, Boston, Ohio, Chicago, Minnesota, the western accents.”

  She was shaking her head even as he rattled them off. “Nothing that I can pin down. He didn’t actually say that much, or maybe I didn’t pick it up.”

  “Then let’s move on to something else. Did you get an impression of his body?”

  Utter revulsion crossed her face.

  “I mean his weight,” Dane said hastily. “Was he thin, average, or heavy?”

  She gave him a dirty look. “Average, I think. And strong. Very strong. Maybe it was anger, or the adrenaline, but she was helpless against him. He gloated about it. He loved it.”

  She leaned back, suddenly very tired, and discovered that sometime during their conversation he had draped his arm behind her, so that when she sat back she was all but in his arms. She bolted forward, only to find that heavy arm around her shoulders and herself being urged back once more, and his face was very close to hers.

  “Shhh, don’t panic,” he murmured in a dark, soft voice. “You’re still holding my hand, and the other one’s behind you. You’re okay.”

  She glared at him. “I am not holding your hand,” she snapped. “You’re holding mine!”

  “Minor detail. I’m going to kiss you, Marlie—”

  “I’ll bite you again,” she swiftly warned.

  He shrugged. “I always have had more guts than sense,” he said, and very gently brushed her mouth with his.

  It was only a fleeting contact, lighter than a whisper, but laden with a tantalizing hint of his taste. Her pulse leaped again, but he was drawing back before the expected fear could materialize. A tiny frown drew her brows together.

  He released her hand, finally, and cupped her chin in his palm. The rough pad of his thumb traced the fullness of her lower lip, his gaze focused on the movement.

  “Any bad thoughts?” he asked. His voice was even darker, softer.

  “No.” Her response was a whisper.

  “In that case…”

  This time his mouth lingered. He wasn’t holding her; she didn’t feel constrained, but was somehow helpless to move away. His lips were firm and warm, but tender in their pressure even as they moved, and shaped her own lips to accommodate him. Marlie closed both hands around his thick wrist, and her eyes fluttered shut.

  The gentle pleasure of the kiss made her dizzy. She hadn’t expected such tender consideration from him, or the flood of sensation that rushed through her. She made a little sound of confusion, and he lifted his head immediately.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Y-Yes,” she stammered, her eyes blinking open.

  “Good.” He bent his head to her again, and resumed the kiss. His tongue slipped into her mouth, not thrusting deep but inviting her to taste him. Marlie didn’t know what to do; what was happening was so opposite to what she had expected that she couldn’t think. The most stunning fact was that she wasn’t afraid. This was nothing like—no, she wouldn’t even think his name. The shimmering pleasure she was feeling was too precious to destroy.

  Hesitantly, trusting a long-unused instinct, she accepted the invitation and sucked lightly at his tongue. Instantly a shudder ran through his big body, astonishing her. She did it again, and he groaned aloud, a deep sound that reverberated through his chest. Delight in this newfound sensual power shyly bloomed inside her.

  He suddenly released her mouth and sat back. His skin was flushed, and pulled taut across his cheekbones. “That’s enough. That’s almost too much. I’m going to leave now, before I try to push you too far.”

  She blinked at him, her eyes languorous and dazed, as if she wasn’t quite certain what had happened. He wasn’t too sure himself. He hadn’t been that turned on by a simple kiss since he’d been fifteen, and lost his virginity under the stadium bleachers with a seventeen-year-old cheerleader.

  He forced himself to stand up before he made a big mistake and changed his mind about leaving. He had kissed her; that wasn’t enough for him, but it was probably as much as she could stand. All in all, he was extremely pleased with the evening.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said as he walked to the door. She followed him, the awareness rushing back into her eyes. He winked at her. “Your sexy voice turns me on even over the telephone.”

  Like a light blinking off, all of the softness vanished from her expression. “I’m glad you like it,” she said flatly. “I screamed so much when Gleen was butchering the little boy that my voice broke. It hasn’t been the same since then.”

  9

  HE WAS SO ALIVE THAT IT WAS ALMOST PAINFUL. CARROLL Janes could feel the anticipation pooling in him, the power gathering, until it felt as if he should be glowing. He was always amazed that people couldn’t see the power, but then most people really were extraordinarily stupid.

  It would be tonight. It was unusual that only a week had passed since the one last Friday, but this was so easy, there was no point in putting it off. And it was pleasant, this buildup of power almost as soon as the glow had faded from before. Of course, he couldn’t count on this occurring every week; the really rude ones didn’t happen all that often. And he normally liked to draw it out much longer, maybe even as long as a month, but that was because there were almost always difficulties to be overcome, complications to solve. Jacqueline Sheets had none. She lived alone, and her routine was suffocating in its rigidity. No, there was no reason to wait.

  It was odd that it was almost always women who were rude, though there had been a man once or twice whom he had been obliged to punish. He didn’t like it when it was a man. It wasn’t that a man’s strength made it more difficult; he was contemptuous of that concept. He was strong enough to handle almost anyone, and religiously worked out to maintain that strength. Men simply didn’t offer the pleasure, the opportunity for prolonged teasing while the power built. Men were almost boring. And of course, he wasn’t queer, so at least half the fun was missing. No way would he screw a man. If he was sometimes a bit more lenient with a man’s rudeness—well, it was his decision to make, after all, not anyone else’s. If he preferred women, that was no one’s business but his own.

  He hummed all day, causing Annette to remark that he was certainly in a good mood. “You must have big plans for the weekend,” she said, and he heard the unconscious note of jealousy in her voice. He liked that. Of course, he had been aware that Annette yearned for him, for
all the good it would do her. She simply wasn’t his type.

  “A hot date,” he replied, not caring if she heard the quivering anticipation in the words. It might liven up her fantasies.

  He thought of Jacqueline Sheets waiting for him. He had been inside her house, and could picture the scene exactly. He knew where she sat while watching television—which was about all she did. He knew how her bedroom looked, what she wore to sleep in: utilitarian pajamas. He hadn’t been surprised. He preferred nightgowns, but pajama bottoms weren’t a problem. She would pull them off for him; they all did, with a blade shining in their faces.

  He had checked out the kitchen. Her knives had been in disappointing shape, with dulled edges barely capable of slicing a banana. She was obviously not a very good cook, or her knives would have been in better condition. He had selected a filleting knife and carried it home, where he had spent the past two nights painstakingly putting a razor edge on the blade. He hated having to work with inferior tools.

  He could barely wait for the night, when the ritual would begin, as his father had taught him. When you are rude, you are punished.

  Dane had called Marlie at seven that morning, just to say hello and ask if she’d slept well, and the irritation in her voice had made him chuckle. She was still resisting him mentally, but physically it had gone much better than he had ever hoped. He had kissed her, and she not only hadn’t been afraid, she had enjoyed it. Considering her background, that was a giant stride forward.

  He grinned like an idiot all the way to work. He had kissed her! So what if it had been a kiss that would make the average teenage stud roll his eyes in boredom? What did teenage studs know? They weren’t interested in anything but squeezing breasts and a few quick thrusts. He was old enough, thank God, to know that the slower it was, the better it was. He might be crazy with frustration by the time Marlie came to him, but after last night he had no doubt that it would happen. He was dizzy with delight, anticipation fizzing in him like champagne bubbles.

  Trammell was already there when Dane walked in, his dark eyes sleepy as he leaned back in his chair and watched Dane approach. People moved around them, talking and swearing; telephones rang incessantly, the fax machine and photocopier hummed almost without pause. A typical day, but Dane didn’t feel typical. He was still smiling as he went to the coffee machine and poured two cups of coffee. He sipped one as he returned to his desk, and gave Trammell the other. “You look like you need it. Bad night?”