“When can we get them back?” Julie interrupted.
The sheriff turned to look at her. “As long as it takes to examine them and find the son of a bitch who did this.”
“But—”
“Ms. Brewer, please let us do our job.” Then, just like that, he dismissed her by turning his back on her and addressing his men once more. “I want this entire house searched, dusted and printed, and get him,” he jabbed a finger towards Shaun, “to submit his fingerprints. If he resists, arrest him.”
Having said what needed to be said, the sheriff left his officers to get to work as he stalked through the backdoor and moved effortlessly to the basketball court, now void of a body. The officers moved to the front door, pulling out their phones, and Julie had a feeling they were about to get very crowded.
“I have to call Maureen,” she said. “She won’t like it, but she has to come get the kids. I don’t want them here another night.”
Leaving the men behind, Julie stormed from the kitchen and hurried to the stairs. She caught sight of the officers standing on the porch, ordering someone to come tow the cars away, and prayed they got their job done quickly. The thought of them remaining there for longer than necessary made her want to weep.
In the seclusion of her room, she marched to the phone on the nightstand and phoned Maureen.
“Julie, is something wrong?” the question was asked around a loud yawn.
“Hello Maureen,” Julie said calmly. “The kids are fine, but there was another incident today.”
She told Maureen about the body and needing her to come down and get the children.
“I can’t,” Maureen said before Julie could finish. “I have appointments all this week.”
Julie ignored the tickle of impatience. “They can’t stay here, Maureen. It’s too dangerous.”
Maureen sighed. “I’ll call Dean. Maybe he can swing by to get them. He’s telling his lawyers that I’m not giving him enough time with them.”
Having had a long day and in no mood for bullshit, Julie growled deep in her throat. “Maureen, I don’t care who gets the kids so long as they’re not here.”
“Julie?” Maureen hesitated. “This has nothing to do with you wanting to spend time with Mason, is it?”
For a whole second, Julie had absolutely nothing to say to that. It was so ludicrous that for a moment, she didn’t event to justify it with an answer.
“Julie?”
“No!” she shot back. “Of course not. This is about the children and keeping them safe.”
“All right, but if it is, you can tell me.”
Julie pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s not. Do you want me to call Dean?”
“Yes, that might be a good idea. I’m not allowed to call him without my lawyer.”
Needing to set a plan into motion, Julie hung up with Maureen and called her soon to be ex-husband. Dean, unlike his wife, was more concerned about the children spending the night.
“I’ll be there first thing in the morning.”
True to his word, he arrived at the crack of dawn the next day. Julie was already awake and the children were dressed and ready in the sitting room. Dustin seemed to be the only one happy about being sent home. Wendy and Rick had thrown tantrums unlike anything Julie had ever witnessed. They didn’t understand why they were being sent home after only a week of vacation.
“Is this because of the carnival?” Wendy whined. “Because I didn’t listen?”
“No, of course not,” Julie tried to reassure her, but it was a tricky matter when she couldn’t tell them why they were leaving, only that their father was on his way to get them.
It had been nearly impossible to console the pair, even with bribery. It wasn’t until Mason stumbled downstairs, rubbing at his sleepy eyes that they quieted.
“What is all the racket?” He yawned loudly.
“Julie is sending us home,” Rick said at once.
“Tell her not to, Mason,” Wendy pleaded.
Mason squinted at the figures in the room. “Don’t you want to spend time with your dad?”
“But we like it here!” Wendy said.
“It’s still summer,” Rick added.
Mason listened and nodded, but his attention was caught by Dustin, who sat at the counter, elbows on the table with his head bent over his game system. He hadn’t said a word since the news.
“Hey.” Mason went over and ruffled Dustin’s hair. “Where do you stand on all this?”
Dustin shrugged. “I hate it here.”
“Then maybe you can talk to your siblings,” Mason suggested.
“Why?” Dustin looked up at him. “It’s not like they have a choice.”
Mason smacked him on the shoulder. “True, but as an older brother it’s your job to comfort them and keep them safe.”
Dustin’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he tried to understand the logic behind the words. “What if I don’t want to?”
Biting the inside of her cheek, Julie watched as Mason fumbled with a response. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to think of one.
The front door opened and a moment later, Dean Vance strode into the room as though he were entering a court room. His suit was crisp and as dark as his wavy locks, which were swept back from a strong brow. Warm, brown eyes swept over the room. They lit up when they landed on the children.
“Hey guys!”
Wendy and Rick continued to sulk. Dustin just stared with absolute blankness for someone anxious to leave.
Julie quickly stepped forward. “Mr. Vance, you made it. Hello.”
Dean looked away from his kids to smile kindly at her. “Hello Julie. I hope I’m not late.”
Shaking her head, Julie motioned him deeper into the kitchen. “No, you’re right on time. I have everything packed and the kids have been fed...” She glanced at the kids in question. “Why don’t you guys use the bathroom before you leave?”
No one moved.
“Dad, do we have to go?” Wendy whined. “Why can’t we stay?”
Dean stole a glance towards Julie before facing his daughter. “Because I thought we could do some stuff together.”
“Like what?” Rick prodded, not convinced.
“Well, if I tell you that then what will happen to the surprise I have planned?”
Wendy and Rick exchanged glances with a mixture of suspicion and barely concealed excitement.
“So why don’t you hit the bathroom and we can get on the way?” Dean suggested when no further arguments were made.
“Okay, but it better be a really good surprise,” Wendy warned as she hurried after Rick to the door.
“Dust?” Dean glanced at his eldest. “Need the can?”
“Nope,” Dustin replied without glancing up from his game.
Nodding, Dean turned to Julie and Mason. “Why don’t you two help me get the bags into the car?”
Knowing an excuse when she saw one, Julie followed without comment. They stepped into the foyer and each grabbed a duffle.
“So I know we discussed what was happening over the phone, but I just want to be clear.” Dean popped the trunk on his Range Rover and stuffed one of the bags inside. “The police have no leads?”
Mason passed his uncle the bag in his hand. “No, but they want us to stick around in case they have any more questions.”
“Plus they took our cars so we can’t even go to the store if we need to,” Julie added.
Dean shook his head. “I just can’t believe someone would do something like this.” He took the duffle from Julie’s hand. “It’s seems so fictional.”
“And yet...” Mason mumbled.
Head still rocking steadily from side to side, Dean dumped both bags into the trunk next to the first and slammed the door shut. He turned to them.
“Will you guys be all right up here alone?” He glanced from Mason to Julie, his expression endearingly concerned. “I don’t like leaving, knowing some psycho is leaving bodies in my backyard.”
<
br /> “We’ll be fine,” Mason assured him almost immediately.
“Actually,” Julie interjected. “You’re a criminal lawyer, Mr. Vance. Do you think you could talk to the law enforcement here and see if they’ve learned anything new and ask when we can get our cars back and go home?”
Dean glanced between them again. “Of course,” he said at last. “I’ll swing by on my way out of town and call the house if I learn anything. I have a few other cases on my plate, plus the children now, but I will try to stay on top of this.”
Thanking him, Julie went inside to round up the kids. Dustin was already on his way out. Rick and Wendy were a little trickier. They couldn’t decide who sat on which side of the car. It didn’t seem to matter that there was no difference.
Finally, after what felt like ages, Dean pulled away and they watched his taillights fade into the distance. But it wasn’t until the crunch of tires on gravel melted away that Mason turned his attention towards Julie. He gave her a crooked grin that dripped sexual appeal and sent the butterflies in her stomach tumbling.
“Well, it’s just you and me now, Jewels.” He bit his lip and took a dangerous step closer, invading all her space. “Scared?”
Terrified.
Chapter Thirteen
With the children gone, the house seemed vastly too large and too quiet. Julie had far too much time on her hands and not enough books to keep her occupied. She spent the majority of the time locked in her room trying to finish a book she was definitely no longer interested in, or cleaning. Even with the kids gone, it was as though they had never left and while every instinct in her body told her to let Shaun clean up after himself, she knew he wouldn’t and she didn’t want to live in a house filled with flies.
Luis helped her, occasionally running the vacuum, or sweeping the floor. He tried doing the dishes once, but Julie begged him not to do it again when half of them had to be redone. It made her wonder what their apartment back home looked like, but every time she thought about it, she cringed.
Then there was Mason. The guy had made it his mission to go out of his way to unnerve her. Simply by walking into the room, he managed to set all the alarm bells off in her head. His easy grins and the not so accidental brush of his fingers along the curve of her spine and lengths of her arms had the flames in the pit of her stomach leaping. He was driving her insane and he knew it.
But while he taunted her, he never took the leap. The touches, the deep, hungry survey of his eyes, and the way he always came just a little too close, but not close enough, always ended with him pulling back. It drove her insane, which, she was sure, was his plan.
“Hey, Martha, when’s supper?”
Perched on her bed, book in hand, Julie looked up when Shaun stalked into her room unannounced and loomed over her.
“Excuse me?”
Still lost in the pages of her book, in the coil of words muddling her brain, Julie wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
“It’s after six,” he said and glanced at his watch to confirm. “We’re starving.”
So she had heard him right.
Julie laughed, short and filled with disbelief outrage. She closed her book and set it down on the mattress.
“There are three of you,” she said slowly. “Three grown men who live without a woman.” She squinted at him. “How did you survive before me?”
Shaun scowled, which had become a common thing between them. Honestly, Julie didn’t care. His thoughts and feelings meant shit to her.
“We survived just fine, but it’s after six and you always make supper.”
Evidently, she was to blame.
“So because I made dinner a few times, you think I am now you’re personal chef?”
His eyes only seemed to narrow further. “Are you going to make food or not?”
It had been on her list, just as soon as she finished the chapter, but now she was just annoyed.
“Nope.” She plucked up her book and flipped it open. “I think I’m going to leave dinner making to the men tonight.”
“Seriously?”
Leaning back against the headboard and crossed one ankle over the other, Julie shrugged. “Yup.”
She pressed her nose into the folds of her book and pretended not to hear Shaun when he muttered a curse and stormed out. She was still smirking when another figure stepped into the room. But she sensed him even before the door closed with a muffled click. Her heart leapt as she lowered the book to keep him from seeing her fingers trembling.
“You shouldn’t be in here,” she murmured.
Mason grinned. “Don’t trust yourself alone with me?”
Setting her book down and getting to her feet, Julie met his gaze squarely. “Are you here to get me all hot and bothered and then leave again? Because I have to be honest, I will probably dropkick you.”
His smile broadened, wide and breathtaking. He was in front of her now, tall and imposing in the dwindling daylight filtering through the sheer curtains. The golden hue spilled through his hair and down the perfectly defined ridges of his face. They traced the lush arch of his mouth and reflected in the blue of his eyes, and she imagined that was how the ocean looked with the sun leaking its rays over the gleaming surface.
The eyes she’d been scrutinizing darkened. They were so close, she could see the irises expand as heat and hunger collided. She should have been immune to that look and yet it never failed to sear through her like lightening. “You know, it’s very hard for a guy to be noble when you say things like that.”
She hadn’t realized she’d been staring at his mouth until his lips moved, forming the words that took a moment to register. She blinked and looked away.
“Maybe I’m tired of you being noble,” she heard herself murmur.
He made a sound that could have been a chuckle if it hadn’t been self-deprecating. “Fuck, baby...” His fingers closed around her chin and she was forced to face the fire behind his eyes. The rough pad of his thumb glided over the curve of her mouth. “That’s not fair.”
“What are you waiting for, Mason?”
His fingers tightened on her face. She was drawn closer. Her front came up flush against his. The crack of his heart beat against hers. His breath mingled with hers. His heat engulfed her.
“Are you sure you want to know?” His fingers glided back through her hair to cup the base of her skull. “Because once I tell you I’m going to kiss you and I might not be able to stop.”
How was she supposed to resist that when the pit of her stomach had all but melted into a puddle of aroused goo that was tightening her nipples and dampening the fabric of her panties? Damn, the guy didn’t play fair.
“Yes.”
His fingers tightened in her hair. His breathing was ragged, scraping against her cheeks. His heart rocketed against the hands she had no memory of raising, never mind planting against his chest. He pulled her still closer by the arm anchored around her middle.
He lowered his head and she caught her breath, expecting him to kiss her. Instead, he stopped inches from his mark.
“I’ve been waiting for you to want me half as badly as I want you.”
She made a sound between a laugh and a choke. “You know I want you.”
He gave a short shake of his head. “I knew you did once, but I needed to be sure you still did.”
“Are you always this cautious?” she wondered breathlessly.
Mason chuckled. “Only when it’s something that really matters to me.” His smile faded. His expression grew serious, giving weight to the words he spoke next. “You matter to me, Jewels. I told myself long ago that if I ever got this chance with you, I would do it right.”
It was impossible not to fall in love with him all over again after that, not that she had ever not been in love with him. Even when she had told herself she hated him, a part of her had still wanted, needed, and loved him.
“Is that it?” she whispered. “Is that everything you had to tell me?”
He gave a nod and rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “Pretty much. Yeah.”
“Good.” She curved the full length of her front into his, raised her arms and folded them around the width of his shoulders. Her pulse spiked when his eyes darkened and his heart gave a hard thump against hers. “You promised me a kiss, Brody. You owe me a kiss.”
He was breathing as hard and fast as she was. The heat in his eyes mirrored the hunger gnawing at her insides. She was ready for this. She had dreamt of that moment for so long that it almost felt surreal. Any moment, she expected to wake up and find herself in bed.
When his head lowered, Julie caught her breath, holding it tight in her lungs in fear of shattering that moment. Her heart hammered as her nerves jittered. Her lashes swept closed the exact moment his lips brushed hers.
It was no more than a flutter. Barely a breath. Yet it struck her square in the gut with a white hot surge of desire. Her gasp parted her lips, leaving his path clear to deepen the kiss with an agile sweep of his tongue.
Julie moaned. She melted against him. Her fingers tightened in his hair as she opened for more. Need propelled her tongue out to meet his, to caress the velvety length of his. The hands gripping her turned bruising at her waist. Against the soft planes of her abdomen, the proof of his need lengthened, burning through fabric to further fan the fire raging through her. The very notion that he craved for her half as much as she yearned for him ignited a fresh wave of delirium. Places that hadn’t felt a man’s touch in a damn long time pulsed. Her skin prickled with a desperation that could only be sated by his hands. Against the material of her camisole, her nipples swelled, pushing against the firm span of his chest for attention and teasing the sensitive peaks.
Her low whimper was met by the hands that roamed down to anchor her backside through her thin shorts. She was lifted and her legs wasted no time coiling around his lean hips. His growl vibrated against her mouth when she rested perfectly over the straining erection pushing up against his sweat shorts. But all Julie could focus on was how moving against it calmed some of the pressure building between her thighs.
“Jewels...” Her name tore out of him in a sound between a snarl and a plea. His fingers bit into the curves of her backside, urging her harder against him.
Kissing Trouble Page 20
