Beyond the Shadows

by LaVerne Clark

  Her fingers curled around his palms and brought them down to her breasts. “Touch me.”

  He inhaled sharply at the feel of her soft flesh under his hands and his body surged.

  “I don’t care if you can only give me short term. I need you, now. I’m numb and I desperately need to feel alive.”

  Her whispered plea rocked him to the core and stole his breath. Shock rendered him immobile. He must have taken too long to answer and she backed away, a sob escaping before she bit her lip and averted her gaze, but he caught the fathomless pain in them. She thought he was rejecting her. Again.

  He snagged her waist and tugged her back against his aching body where she belonged. “You only had to ask, sweetheart.” He closed his eyes momentarily at the pleasure of her arms winding around his neck and her breasts pressing against his chest before he needed more. He splayed one hand over her back, the other her bottom and pulled her in close. Blue eyes widened at the contact. He rocked his hips and her eyes slid to half-mast. When he lowered his head, her lips parted on a sigh.

  The first touch of her mouth was pure torture. Struggling to rein himself in, he kept the pressure light, his hands still, not wanting to scare her off with his wild need. But, God she tasted good. Hands raked into his hair and fisted into handfuls, greedily deepening the kiss and he gave up the struggle. The feel of her tongue slipping along the corners of his mouth sent fire straight to his groin. He groaned. She took advantage and slipped inside, her tongue exploring him without restraint and his own fled.

  He let the growl erupt this time, cupped her buttocks and lifted her off her feet.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” he instructed when she broke off to protest.

  “I’m too heavy. I’ll hurt you.”

  “Believe me baby, you’ll hurt me worse if you don’t,” he argued and waited until she did as he asked. Long, leanly muscled legs wrapped around his waist as if made for him and his throat went dry. Sudden fantasies of taking her against the door threatened his control and the heat at the juncture of her thighs threatened his sanity as she pressed snugly against him.

  With his jaw tense, he strode to his bedroom and lay her down on the mattress. No matter how often he’d pictured this very scene in his head, it paled in comparison to the reality. Kiss-swollen lips parted slightly, and her heavy-lidded eyes tracked his every move. The expression in them promised to fulfill his deepest fantasies. Her hair fanned out over the dark cover of the bed, glinting gold and silver in the soft morning light. Leaning over, he took the time to brush a strand off her cheek. His fingers rested at the pulse point on her neck, thrilling at the wild beat that matched the pounding of blood in his own veins.

  “Are you sure about this Kelly? I’ve gotta warn you, once I start, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop. I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

  “That’s good,” came her smoky response, “because I don’t want you to stop. I need you now, Nate.”

  “Thank God,” he murmured under his breath. His hands shook as he traced an imaginary line from her temple, down her neck and followed the outside curve of a breast until reaching her navel. She lifted her hips in invitation. Hooking his fingers into the waistband of her shorts, he peeled them down and off her legs. His eyes travelled a path back up smooth limbs before his heart stuttered at the scrap of lilac satin and lace covering her from his sight. Feral hunger raged through him. He had to touch, to brand her as his.

  Pink spots of color sat high on her cheekbones and her chest rose and fell rapidly as he kissed his way back up her body fueling his desire. Taking care to savor the moment he’d fantasized about for so long, he moved slowly, drawing out the pleasure of discovery for them both. Reverently, he reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted and Kelly rose up to allow him to pull it over her head.

  His breath caught. A matching bra cupped her breasts, showing off a cleavage he desperately wanted to trace with his tongue. Leaning forward, he ducked his head and did just that making her squeak in surprise. He grinned up at her then released the clasp at her back and grew impossibly harder. He’d never thought of himself as a breast man, but the sight of hers made him change his mind. Gently pushing her back down to the mattress, he leaned over and looked his fill.

  “Christ, you’re beautiful,” he murmured in a voice thick with longing. Dipping his head, he took one pouting nipple in his mouth and suckled, caressing the other with his palm in lazy circles. Her head rolled on the pillow, and she buried her hands in his hair, holding him in place. He trapped her nipple between his teeth, flicking the tip with his tongue and she cried out, her back arching off the bed. Grinning like a pirate, he ran a hand down her body to find the treasure.

  “Nate,” she breathed when he cupped her heat through the material. “Stop teasing me, damn you. I need you now.”

  Dipping a finger under the elastic, he stroked her damp folds then found her entrance. Working her a few times, he retreated and slipped up to tease her clit.

  “Nate!” Her back bowed as if she’d been electrocuted, and her eyes rolled back in her head. Her reaction to his touch made him pulse with need. He wanted to sheathe himself to the hilt in her tight, wet body, to lose himself in the pleasure of her body’s grip, but he reminded himself this time was all about her.

  “I don’t think I’ll stop teasing you just yet,” he rasped in her ear, not letting up on his ministrations. “You’re too much fun to watch.”

  “Oh, God, please!”

  “You like that, huh? I’m not done, yet. This is just the beginning.” Desperate to taste her, his hands left her body to tug at her briefs. “Lift for me.” He raked them down her legs leaving her gloriously naked before him. The only thing covering her very center from his gaze now was a small nest of blonde curls. It became difficult to move, he grew so hard. But he was determined that for this brief moment in time she forgot everything except how he made her feel.

  “Spread your legs, sweetheart,” he murmured. She blindly started to comply then raised her head sharply as he lowered his.

  “What are y—ahh, Nate!”

  Her shriek turned quickly to sighs and moans. Her thighs separated, and he grinned against her as she gave herself up to him. He alternated between long, languid strokes of his tongue and short, darting flicks. Wanting to prolong the sweet agony, he built her up slowly before allowing her to explode. He throbbed in time to her escalating moans and cries.

  “Nate, stop,” she panted. “I can’t take it.” She clutched fistfuls of his hair and tugged weakly.

  “You can, and you will,” he growled against her and slipped a couple of fingers inside her wet heat. He wanted to feel her convulse around him. Spreading her folds, he focused his mouth on the hard nub begging for attention. Her hips rolled as she ground down on his fingers with a sob, her inner muscles greedily clutching at him.

  “Oh, God!” Her hips rocked again and her hands changed direction, pulling him closer.

  He shook with desire. With her exotic taste coating his tongue, he didn’t think he could go on much more before he exploded. He groaned long and loud against her and her reaction was instantaneous.

  “Nate, ahh!” Her back arched off the mattress and she let out a strangled scream, clutching the cover on the bed for all she was worth. Her walls squeezed and released around his fingers as she rode out the sensations. Only when she went limp did he lift his head and ease out of her.

  He crawled back up, using his teeth and tongue in a thorough journey. As he reached for his bedside drawer, the subtle sound of a zipper being lowered jerked his gaze downward. He thought she’d been spent, but she’d scooted down the bed until his hips were level with her mouth. She sent him a feline smile, her eyes hazy with satisfaction.

  “Your turn,” she purred and wrapped her hand around him.

  His hips jerked reflexively and he let out a startled grunt. Braced over her, his elbows locked, he was at her mercy. “Condom,” he rasped, “I need a condom.”

  “You nee
d to relax and enjoy,” she countered, one hand sliding up and down his erection, holding him captive, while the other pushed his shorts and underwear over his hips to his knees. “Lift for me,” she parroted his instruction back at him, and pushed the clothes the rest of the way with her foot when he complied. “Mmm, that’s better. God you’re gorgeous,” she sighed allowing a hand to stroke over the hard planes of his body and traced his tattoo. The other continued its languid pace on his throbbing flesh. “I need to see if you taste as good as you look. Fair’s fair.”

  With one herculean effort, Nate reached the drawer and pulled out the box of condoms. In his haste, the foil packets scattered over the bed. Her mouth closed over him and all thought fled.

  “Ah, shit.” It felt like all the blood in his system pooled between his legs at her suction. His eyes closed in ecstasy against his will and his elbows shook with the effort to hold himself up. His hips pumped a couple of times, losing himself in the pleasure before he realized what he did. This wasn’t how he’d imagined his orgasm with her. He needed to be joined with her, giving as much pleasure as he received.

  “Stop, Kelly,” he pleaded and pulled away out of reach. She smiled up at him, her mouth swollen and wet, her eyes glittering under heavy-lidded eyes. Graceless, he fumbled for a condom, ripped the package open with his teeth and smoothed it on in record time.

  He rolled to his back and pulled her up his body, crushing her lips in a devouring kiss. Lying over him, her breasts flattened against his chest. Her fingers curled in his chest hair and raked over his nipples that peaked under the touch. He felt her smile against his mouth.

  “I can do that too,” he growled and reached between them, flicking a nail gently over her tender flesh. He laughed at her gasp. The laughter died when she sat up and straddled him. His cock strained to reach her. Poised above, she stared down into his eyes.

  “How much do you want me Nate?”

  Underneath her teasing question lay a layer of self-doubt. He heard it tremble at the end of his name on her tongue. It hurt to know he’d been the one responsible for it. The only way to banish her vulnerability was to lay himself bare. She deserved no less.

  He reached up and traced her full bottom lip before placing his hands at her thighs allowing her complete control. “More than I ever imagined,” he answered softly, his gaze burning into hers.

  A beautiful smile broke out and she lowered herself bit by bit until he filled her completely. Nate gritted his teeth at the pleasure of her tight heat encompassing him. Determined to let her make the pace, sweat prickled on his top lip as he fought to keep his hips still. Kelly leaned over to kiss him and the sudden change in direction had him groaning out loud.

  “You like that huh?” she teased breathlessly, her own voice strained beyond recognition. The rocking of her hips sent liquid fire shooting straight to his balls.

  “Screw this,” he rasped and jackknifed, turning her underneath him.

  She chuckled. “I thought that’s what we were doing—oh!” He pulled out and returned on a long stroke, burying himself as deep as he could go. “Oh, God—do that again.”

  Happy to oblige, Nate set up a steady pace until he felt his balls draw up and he knew he was close to release. “I’m not going to last much longer,” he warned and tried to slow the tempo.

  “Uh, uh.” She tightened her legs around his hips and gripped his ass, urging him on. “I don’t care. I want to feel you explode in me.”

  He thought he’d gone as deep as he could, but she widened her thighs and tilted her hips up with every stroke. Internal muscles clenched him with every retreat and his orgasm rushed at him like a freight train.

  Not normally vocal during sex, Nate couldn’t prevent the primal yell as it ripped from his throat. Kelly continued to grip and release him until every last drop had been wrung from him and his arms collapsed. Panting heavily and with his ears still ringing, he pulled her with him onto their sides, his arms wrapped around her waist to keep her close.

  After a minute, she stirred and he tightened his hold. “Not just yet,” he murmured, kissing her temple. He inhaled deeply. The scent of vanilla would forever remind him of this moment, this woman. “You feel so good. I just want a few minutes more.”

  Her answer was to lift her chin and kiss his jaw. “I can do that.”

  She didn’t say anything else but lay within his embrace, running her fingertips up and down his spine. Finally, with a sigh of reluctance, he gently disentangled his arms and rose to dispose of the condom. When he came back, she’d wrapped the sheet around herself.

  “That’s not allowed in my bed.” He tugged it away to reveal her delicious curves, grinning at her mock shriek of outrage. “I want to be able to gaze at you. Imprint every detail in my head so I can visualize what’s underneath next time you’re in uniform.”

  Instantly, her eyes lost their sparkle and he cursed as his reminder of work brought fear back into them.

  “Why me Nate?”

  She’d drawn her knees up to her chest and laid her cheek on one, looking at him with her direct gaze. Ready to comfort her, it took him a moment to realize she didn’t expect sympathy with her question. She was in police mode—analyzing.

  “We know he sees the cross around his intended victim’s neck, drawing him to her,” she stroked the bare hollow at her neck. “But why me? When did I fall under his radar? Surely I would have noticed someone staring at me with such evil intent?”

  Nate nodded thoughtfully. He placed the duvet cover over her knees, pulled on his discarded shorts and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What if the shadow appears the same time our guy decides on his next victim? And it disappears once I’ve seen it,” he pondered aloud. “If you remember, when I noticed the shadow for the first time hanging over the reporter, it wasn’t there again when I rewound for a second look.” He slid a glance and found only a frown of concentration on her face. Encouraged, he continued. “Since this communing with death and ghosts seems connected with only this case, there must be a reason for it. It started after I’d been shot. I can’t help thinking I’ve been given a chance to atone for my mistakes.”

  “That makes sense,” she started then gave a short bark of laugher. “I can’t believe I’m calling communing with the afterworld sensible—but there it is.” Sighing, she reached for the pile of clothes he’d flung aside earlier and dressed. “We’ve got some brainstorming to do. I don’t want this guy getting any closer without me knowing more about him.”

  “Believe me—it will be over my dead body,” he responded grimly and stood. With a regretful sigh and a last glance at the bed, he turned and followed her out.

  Chapter Ten

  The man cruised past the small, modest home owned by his next assignment. Set in a street full of similar looking bungalows, the only difference was the lack of care taken in the front garden. Neighbor’s homes stood surrounded by manicured lawns and shrubbery pruned to within an inch of their lives. Constable Appleton’s on the other hand, looked a good couple of weeks past a mow, with weeds choking the flowerbeds lining the path.

  Taking care not to draw any unwanted attention, he kept his speed steady and his gaze on the road ahead. He scanned the streets for neighborhood activity with his peripheral vision. They were empty of traffic, and it looked as if people were yet to arrive home from work. He’d timed it well.

  “Perfect,” he murmured and drove off, turning onto another street. It boasted a children’s playground at the end with a parking lot in front. Pulling into a spot, he got out and pocketed his keys. He strode along the footpath as if he belonged there, quickly locating the house he’d noted that backed up to Kelly’s house. With a measured step, he walked casually up the path, knocked on the door and waited. Adrenaline fizzled beneath his skin. When there was no answer, he swallowed the disappointment. God had obviously not meant for this person to die at his hands. Who was he to argue?

  He went back to the path, wound his way to the side of the house,
and on to the back. Kelly’s backyard was separated from him by a waist-high wooden fence lined with trees. Peering over, he ignored his initial disgust at the unkempt backyard. It would make wonderful cover to help him reach the back door unseen. He leapt the fence, dropped over the other side, and stood at the door, all within a few seconds. With an ear pressed to the door, he listened hard for movement inside. When all he heard was silence, he was pleased. He pulled out a set of keys, found one that worked, and eased his way in.

  “No burglar alarm,” he chided softly shaking his head. “A policewoman should know better.”

  Once he’d explored the interior and made sure he was alone, he moved freely. Perusing the items she deemed important enough to surround herself with, he started to build a sense of the person behind the face.

  Comfortable but scruffy furniture adorned the house suggesting she wasn’t a spendthrift. An old but serviceable computer and desk stood in a nook beside the lounge area—shelves filled with books in height order sat above. He smiled with approval. He ran his finger over the shelf and brought it closer to inspect. A thin layer of dust coated his gloved finger and his mouth tightened.

  He wandered into the kitchen and noted the clean orderliness of the room. The same applied to the lounge. Apart from the surface dust, she seemed to adhere to his views of how a good God-fearing woman should treat her surroundings. He frowned. For the first time, he worried he might have misinterpreted God’s wishes.

  The hall led to her bedroom and he sat down on the edge of her bed to study it. Simple, but elegant furnishings summed up the woman he’d started to get a mental picture of. It seemed she also had a love of retro knick-knacks too judging by the alarm clock on one bedside table. Doilies prevented scuffing of the wooden furniture where objects sat proudly displayed on top. Seventies-fringed lamps and Disney snow-globes sat incongruously next to modern wrought-iron sculptures, but the strange grouping brought a smile to his face. It was fun and unexpected, and he suspected much like the woman he was about to meet.