With one finger, I pushed it a bit wider. She stood in front of the window looking out. Soft piano music filled the room from her laptop set on the table next to her. “Jacquelyn?”
She spun at the sound of my voice. She was wearing the same thing she had worn to bed last night, the blue camisole and pale pink pants. The pain that squeezed my chest all day vanished as I soaked up her image. Yes, Troy was dead, but I was alive, and so was Jackie. I stepped into the room.
She regarded me as I took three steps. Her face heated as she explored the length of my body with her eyes. It was like her hands were caressing me instead of her gaze, and I felt my body flood with heat.
When she met my stare, a look of determination filled the blue depths. What was she thinking?
She came to me, but instead of stopping in front, she walked past and closed the door. I waited, not sure what to do, afraid that if I moved, it would spook her.
The door clicked softly, and she moved to stand behind me, sliding her hands around my waist. I put one hand on her arm as it encircled me. Her cheek leaned against my back, and my heart began to gallop.
She placed her lips on my back lightly. I pulled her hands off my waist and all but dragged her around in front of me. She stood with her mouth slightly parted, and her eyes glittered with passion and vitality. The skin on her face was flush as she stood on her toes and brought her face closer to mine. I leaned the last inch and took her mouth with mine.
There was nothing soft about this kiss. It was hot, and wanting, promising passionate things to come. Both of her hands wrapped around my neck and held me close.
I gasped and groaned in the same breath as she nipped at my bottom lip. My hands grew hungrier as did my mouth, and I ravished her with a new energy. Gone were the thoughts of losing her; she had come to me, and now was my time to show her how much I cared about her.
I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to the bed. I laid her as carefully as I could without letting her go. I wasn’t going to give her a chance to back out now. With my body half sprawled over her, I allowed my hands to wander along the side of her body.
She arched into me as I caressed her breasts, and moaned gently deep within her throat as I touched her. Her hands rubbed their way down my back and tugged on my shirt. I took my hand away only long enough to help her pull it over my head and returned my hand to her hip, pulling her against me so that she would see how much she affected me.
I gazed down into her face, memorizing every detail of her beauty. Our eyes met, and all the feelings I had for her rushed to the surface.
“Jackie,” I started to speak, but she put her fingertips over my lips to shush me.
She whispered, “No words, Ryan. Make love to me, show me.”
And I did.
For hours, we shared an intimacy that I had never imagined I could have with another person. No words were ever needed to tell each other what we wanted, or how to please. Our bodies spoke to one another all on their own.
We fell asleep late that night, sated and content, our legs, bodies, and arms tangled together. I had never felt so much for any person in my life. I knew that I loved her more than I could have ever imagined loving another person.
She did not have to speak the words either. I saw it in her gaze, tasted it on the salty tears she briefly shed, felt it from every inch of her body.
I slept dreamlessly that night and awoke to a beautiful sunrise streaming in through her window. A ray of sunlight highlighted her blond hair as it fell over my chest. Golden, rich, soft, her hair looked like an extension of the sunbeam, and I suddenly felt like I had been touched from above. Had Troy sent the sunbeam to me to say he approved? I’d like to think so.
A soft foot moved up my leg an inch or two, and I felt her coming out of her deep slumber. A moment of panic filled me as I wondered if she would regret what we did once she saw the light of day.
A humming nose came from her throat as she stretched like a cat. Her body became more taut than it usually was and a grin spread over her face as she blinked a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes.
She raised her arms over her head as she woke her muscles up, and she allowed her hand to fall on my cheek as I watched her. There was no regret in her face as she continued to grin.
“Good morning, handsome.” Her voice was deep and sultry and made my groin go to attention immediately.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I responded, and her eyes crinkled around the sides as her smile grew wider. She rubbed my jaw line, and I absently wondered what she thought of the stubble on my face.
Her short manicured nails scraped over the whiskers causing my body to twitch in all the right places. “If you keep that up, you aren’t getting out of bed anytime soon.”
She raised her eyebrows playfully, “My thoughts exactly.”
That was all the invitation I needed to twist in the bed so that she was now under me, and I kissed her until both our heads spun. Like last night, our loving was gentle and unrushed. It spoke the words that our lips did not and we lay happily spent on the mattress when we were done.
I felt her lift her arm up, my head rested on her shoulder this time. “Oh wow, it’s after nine. We need to get up.”
“Not yet,” I mumbled into her neck and kissed the soft skin.
She laughed. “We have people coming in a little while; we need to get up and get dressed.”
The words she spoke brought back the horrible memories of the last two days and I felt as if cold water had been thrown on me.
I sat up and pushed a pillow against the wooden headboard to lean against it. “Who’s coming over?”
She sat up on one of her elbows, pulling the sheet over her chest. “I called a meeting with some of your team.”
I wondered why she would do that, and out of the blue remembered the look on her face when she had joined me on the set before the horrific incident. “Did you find out who was threatening me?”
Suddenly, I realized that I didn’t want to know, because if she knew, then the chances that she would leave me grew tenfold.
She was regarding me with a closed expression, was she thinking the same thing?
“Yes, I did.” After she released the words, I looked away from her, trying not to let the panic I felt show on my face.
“Let’s get dressed, and then I’ll explain.” Her voice no longer held a sweet loving tone. It had changed to her professional business voice, and I hated it at that moment.
I flipped the sheet back and climbed out of bed, grabbing my jeans and pulling them on.
“Ryan.” I saw her sit up, but I didn’t turn to her, I just held my hand up.
“I’ll meet you downstairs.” I grabbed my T-shirt and shoes off the floor and left the bedroom without another word.
Why I fled without allowing her to speak, even I couldn’t understand. I just knew that I had to get away before I started begging her to stay.
The fear that she would be gone from my life filled me to the point that my muscles tensed, and my stomach rolled.
I got dressed and made my way downstairs all while trying to push the fear of losing her from my mind and my heart.
Roseanne was sitting in the kitchen. Dark clouds rolled in, and I stared at them wondering if they were an omen of things to come.
I no longer cared who threatened me. I wanted to know who killed Troy and had tried to kill Jackie and me. Why had they escalated from notes and bad pranks to deadly events? Could someone have gotten so drastic that quickly? Or were they different?
“Morning, Ryan.” Rose looked up from the paper she was reading.
I pulled a coffee mug down. “Morning, Rose.” I poured the coffee and sat down across from her, returning my contemplation to the stormy clouds moving in from the horizon.
“Did you know about the meeting today?” I asked her as the clouds swirled outside the window.
“Yeah, Jackie asked me to get in touch with several people and bring them in.” I peered over at
her, but she was staring at the newspaper.
“You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?” I glared at her, but she never lifted her head, shaking it side to side instead.
I grunted just as Jackie walked into the room. The sweet gentle woman I made love to and held in my arms all night was gone. In her place was the closed off, professional police officer I had hired to do a job, one that she had evidently completed.
The coffee suddenly tasted bitter on my tongue, and I set down my mug.
She got her own coffee cup out and poured herself some. Drew walked into the room rubbing his eyes, obviously having just rolled out of bed. His shirt was wrinkled as if he’d picked up yesterday’s throw away and pulled it back on.
I heard the front door close as Jackie walked over to the table. “Why don’t we take this to the family room?” Roseanne peeked up at her, folded the paper, and stood, following behind Jackie as she left the room.
I heard a yawn come from behind me and turned to see Drew closing his mouth while he tried to pour his coffee into his cup. A few drops spilled over the edge, but he didn’t seem to notice.
He left the room without a word. My shoulders were rigid with tension as I sat there trying to find the courage to walk into the other room. The front door opened and closed again.
I slammed my eyes shut, clenching them as I tried to inhale enough air to help me relax. I rolled my shoulders and stood up, moving to the family room.
When I entered, I was surprised to find quite a few people. Of course, Jackie, Roseanne, and Drew were there. But Jackie wasn’t the only police officer; Jim was there too, along with a woman I didn’t know, though she looked familiar.
Jim was in slacks and a button-up shirt, while the woman was in full uniform. Did Jackie have them here because someone was going to be arrested?
Jim and I glared at one another, and I wondered if he had ever slept with Jackie. The thought of him touching her pissed me off; I clenched my jaw and walked further into the room.
In one of the armchairs, Markus watched everyone closely and looked uncomfortable as hell. So did he have something to do with this? I gave him the same glare I gave Jim, and he looked away from me.
Marie sat on the couch attempting to look uncomfortable, but she did not achieve the look. Not Marie! She couldn’t have anything to do with this. I gaped at her, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
I sat down slowly; beyond surprised that Marie could have anything to do with this, until I started to remember her chastising me for spending so much time with Jackie. But why? What did she have to gain from this?
Jackie was talking with Jim and the other woman quietly over in the corner. I heard the woman’s radio crackle to life, and she put her hand on a knob turning the volume down without missing a beat in the conversation she was having.
When someone else walked into the room, I was shocked to see her here. She searched the room, and her eyes landed on me. A huge smile spread over her face as she all but ran to me. I stood up as she got closer, confused as to why she was in my house.
She threw her arms around my neck, and I put my hands on her hips to push her away. I searched out Jackie, she watched carefully, but she wasn’t looking at me, she was watching Markus and Marie react.
I scrutinized both of them in a matter of a few seconds. Marie hung her head lower, and Markus rolled his eyes and got even more uncomfortable.
“Ryan, I’m so glad you wanted me back!” Monique squeaked loudly in my ear as she continued to crush herself against me.
“Excuse me?” I said and grabbed her by the arms to physically remove her from my neck.
“I got your message. I knew things wouldn’t work with that other woman.”
I gaped at her. “What the hell are you talking about?” I turned to stare at Jackie. “What the hell is she talking about?”
Jackie stepped closer to the couch. “Ryan, I’d like you to meet, Lucinda, but you probably know her as Monique. Markus knows her as LaLa, his little sister.”
I glared at Markus, while Jackie continued to talk.
“And of course, Marie knows her as her daughter.” She crossed her arms over her chest while I digested her words.
I pushed Monique away from me and spun on Marie. “Marie, what’s going on?”
She shook her head, staring at her hands as she held a wadded up tissue in them.
“Marie?”
She finally lifted her head, and while it was obvious she was frightened, she also had a defiant look set into her hazel eyes. “I just wanted you to be with Monique. She is the one who is right for you, not that,” she threw her chin in Jackie’s direction, “that blue collar working girl.”
Anger bubbled under my skin. I encompassed them all with a look. “You were all in on it?”
They all had the decency to look away, but Monique came back to me to plead.
“Ryan, I love you. We were meant to be together. Why did you call me if you didn’t want me?”
I shoved her away. “I didn’t call you!”
“He’s right; he didn’t call you. Drew did,” Jackie answered when I couldn’t give her an answer.
Monique’s resentful look shot knives at Jackie, and she made a move toward her, but Jim stepped in front of her and took her by the arm. The female officer stepped around her and placed her hands in cuffs.
Jim moved toward Markus and motioned for him to stand up. Markus mumbled something under his breath, but did what he was told. Jackie went around the back of the couch and took Marie by the arm, forcing her to her feet. Jackie pulled a pair of handcuffs from her pocket and slipped them on Marie as I stood there in shock.
I had never even thought that Monique would do something like this, or Marie for that matter. I followed behind them as they marched the three out of the house.
Just before they put them into the two police cars that were parked out front, I found my voice.
“Wait!” They all stopped and turned to me. “Are they the ones responsible for killing Troy?” My voice cracked on the last two words.
A voice piped up from a man I hadn’t even realized was there. Everyone turned their attention to the side of the driveway where a police SUV was parked. RJ stood there.
“No, they had nothing to do with it,” he said as he looked me straight in the eye. “But, I know who did.” He looked away then and focused on Jackie.
“Jackie, we need to talk.” RJ’s voice was dead serious.
I followed his line of vision and saw Jackie’s face pale at his words.
Her voice was deadpan as she barely whispered, “No, please tell me no.”
Chapter 30
Jacquelyn
The phone call was from Rebecca, and we spent a few minutes talking about what was going to happen the next day. I would expose the three people involved with Ryan’s threats. Then, my part of this undercover investigation would be over.
After tomorrow morning, I’ll have fulfilled my part of the investigation, and would be free to go home and back to my life and my job. What kind of a life would it be now without Ryan in it? The thought depressed me, and instead of joining Ryan and Tony outback, I made my way to my room.
I changed out of my clothes and into my pajamas and stood at the window looking out at the officers who were patrolling the grounds.
I wasn’t sure if these same three people were involved in the explosion. Markus had enough technology knowledge that he could probably figure it out. There were enough websites that explained how to make a car bomb.
A niggling doubt sat in the back of my mind. What if it wasn’t them, but someone else was trying to get to Ryan? Could I walk away from him knowing that he could still be in danger?
A tremor raced down my spine like an electrical shock, making me weak. What if they tried to get to him as they had my parents and Logan? I would never be able to stop them. This whole farce of me being his girlfriend might have put his life in more jeopardy than it was before, and that would be my fault.
I crossed the room and bypassed him to close the door. My heart tripped over itself as it beat hard and fast in my chest. I took in his wide shoulders and his thin waist, and my arms wrapped around it without further thought. I rested my cheek on his back, the sound of his heart so powerful that I wanted to weep for what I might have done to him.
He snagged my hand from his waist and pulled me around so that I faced him. I didn’t want to think about death, or pain, or being alone. I only wanted to feel. To feel Ryan and the love I had for him. Yes, I knew I loved him.
He carried me to the bed, a scene to rival any movie that depicted such an event. When he went to speak, I hushed him. I could not bear to hear him express his feelings, not now. Not when I knew I was leaving tomorrow.
Tonight, I wanted to love him and have him love me in the simplest and most intimate way.
And I was.
I still carried the heady feeling of a happy woman the next morning, and for just a little while longer, I wanted to bask in that glow and feel his love one last time.
The mood changed completely when I spoke of the meeting. Ryan appeared to close up, and while it hurt deep inside my heart, I knew that it was for the best.
I showered and dressed, replaying the moments of our glorious night together in my mind. At one point, I wanted to cry as the water ran over my head, but I didn’t. I forced myself to push the memories into the back of my mind and pull forward what I needed to do today.
We barely acknowledged each other downstairs, and I met Jimmy and Rebecca in the atrium as they arrived right on time.
Rebecca gave me a hug and inspected every inch of the house that she could see, her jaw hung slack as we entered the family room. Jim gave me an abrupt nod of the head. I knew it was hard for him to be here, but I trusted him and knew that, while he might not like Ryan or my feelings for him, he was a professional, like me.
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