by Dena Christy
She drew back and looked up at him. He offered her a sad smile, and in that moment, she realized that the feelings she’d had for him a year ago hadn’t died. They were still alive and well inside her, and this time together only made them stronger. She looked over at her phone, knowing she should tell him that she’d contacted Dany again. Secrets had no place between them, and what they were rebuilding was still too fragile to withstand any more omissions. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. He would only try to stop her from connecting with Dany, and she couldn’t let him do that. She’d seen how much working for the Order meant to him, and she knew that he would turn his back on all that if he had to.
“What is it?” he asked as he brushed his thumb against her cheek.
“I’m sorry,” she said, knowing he would think it was about what happened that afternoon but it was really about what she continued to hide from him.
“So am I,” he said as he leaned forward to kiss her. “I was terrified when I saw what was in that bottle. What if you’d taken it and I’d lost you again. I don’t know what I would have done. I couldn’t go through that, especially not since I’ve only just found you. I’ll help you get through this in any way I can. Promise me you won’t do anything like that without talking to me.”
“I promise,” she said as she rested her cheek against his chest where she could hear the steady beat of his heart. She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his smooth skin. If he hadn’t come home when he had, who knows what would have happened. It frightened her how close she’d come to losing everything.
“Love me, Lee,” she said as she drew back and pulled his head down toward herself. “Please love me.”
“I will,” he promised as he scooped her up in his arms.
Simone looked up at Lee as he gently laid her on the bed. He removed the towel from his waist and tossed it aside. She lifted her arms to him, welcoming him to her and he took his place beside her on the bed.
“What if I’d lost you?” he whispered as he gathered her to him, his lips pressing small kisses against her neck.
“You didn’t,” she answered, taking his face in her hands so she could look him in the eyes. “I’m right here.”
“Thank God,” he said as he took her mouth with his. He kissed her for long moments as if he was savoring every second with her. She wanted more. Shifting away from him, she got off the bed.
She slowly stripped off her clothes, never taking her eyes from him. His gaze grew hot as more and more of her flesh was exposed. She stood before him, complete in her nakedness, and she felt a vulnerability with him that she’d never experienced before. He must have realized it because his eyes softened as he held his hand out to her.
“Come here,” he said as he gently drew her to him. “I want you, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else. You’re perfect exactly as you are.”
She kissed him before he could make her cry again. He felt so good with his warm skin pressed against hers.
“You’re perfect too,” she said when she came up for air. “I always want you, and it’s been like that from the moment I met you.”
He kissed her again, a little fiercer this time. He rolled her onto her back, and his lips moved down her throat. His hands came up to cradle her breasts, and she arched her back slightly, offering them up to him. Her eyes drifted shut when he took a nipple into his mouth, and he sucked gently on her flesh. She speared her fingers through his hair, cupping the back of his head. He gave her other breast the same attention as the first and she opened her eyes to look at him. He met her eyes as he abandoned her breasts in favor of the flesh of her stomach.
She bit her bottom lip when he made his way down to the inside of her thighs. He pressed brief kisses on her flesh until he finally took her in the most intimate of kisses. She let out a long, low moan as he built the pleasure inside her. He loved her with his mouth until she flew apart and her orgasm flooded every part of her body. She called his name, and he made his way up her body. She could taste herself on his lips as he slid inside her, filling her.
He moved inside her, and she moved her hips in time with his. She looked into his deep blue eyes and felt herself drowning in them as her pleasure built again.
“Oh Lee,” she said as she clung to him. His movements picked up speed, and she rode the crest of another orgasm. Her body trembled with it, and she heard his low groan when he too joined her in pleasure.
He lay on top of her and when he moved to get off her, she tightened her grip.
“Don’t go,” she whispered. He looked at her, kissed her mouth gently. He shifted down so she wouldn’t have to bear all his weight, and he lay his head back down on her chest. She stroked his hair and wished that this moment could last forever. She wished they could block out the outside world and remain like this. It wasn’t possible, but she was going to enjoy this time with him for as long as it lasted.
* * *
Simone’s eyes drifted open at the sound of her phone buzzing on the table beside the bed. Full wakefulness jolted through her as she realized what that meant. She glanced at Lee sprawled on his back, sound asleep beside her. He didn’t stir as she edged away from him.
Grabbing the phone, she pressed the button at the bottom and the screen lit up. She’d received a message from Dany. He was demanding a meeting within the next half hour. He’d provided an address, and instructions on how to get there. She stared at the message for a long time, debating on what to do. She longed to reach for Lee, tell him that she was supposed to meet his father. He would do his best to talk her out of it, and she knew he could if she let him. Cadric expected her to hold up her end of the bargain, and she didn’t think that Lee’s objections would do much to stop that.
She set the phone back on the bedside table, and slowly inched away from Lee, and quietly sat at the edge of the bed. Keeping her movements as quiet as possible, she quickly dressed. Once she was fully clothed, she walked as close to the bed as she dared. She stood staring down at Lee’s silhouette, illuminated by the weak light coming from the window. He looked so peaceful lying there, and she was half tempted to undress and lay back down beside him. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves. She needed to do this. Dany needed to be stopped, and up until a few days ago she’d been determined to be the one who stopped him. Nothing had changed, except she’d spent time with Lee. Dany was still evil, and he’d still destroyed her life.
She loosened her shoulders and turned her heel, silently opening Lee’s bedroom door and closing it behind her. The kitchen was between her and the front door, and she pulled a knife out of the block sitting on the counter. She ran her thumb along the edge of the blade and winced as she made a shallow cut in her skin. At least the knife was sharp. Whether it would do her any good to take it remained to be seen, but at least she wasn’t meeting Dany weaponless.
She walked on silent feet out the front door. Lee’s car sat in the driveway, and she was tempted to take it, but where Dany wanted to meet wasn’t far from here. She needed every bit of time she could get to steel herself to do what she had to.
Turning to look at Lee’s house once last time, she wished for a moment that she’d had more time with him. She may well never see him again after this. She was under no illusions that she was a spectacular fighter, and Dany had killed people while she had not. Sheer desire wouldn’t win this fight, and as nerves twisted her stomach, she reached for the pocket of her pants where she usually slipped her phone. It wasn’t there, she’d forgotten it beside the bed. Perhaps it was a sign that she was in this on her own.
Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and made her way down Lee’s driveway. She was committed to this and would follow through with it. She had no choice. She only hoped she survived the night, and made her way back to Lee, somehow.
* * *
Lee’s hand tracked across the mattress, as his half asleep self longed to pull Simone close to him. Cold sheets and empty air was all the greeted his questing hand. He bolte
d upright in the bed and looked around. The bedroom was encased in shadows, and he was in it alone.
“Simone,” he called and utter silence greeted him. His heart thudded heavily in his chest as he shoved the covers aside and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He called her name again, with the same results as the first time.
Where the hell was she? He grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and quickly put them on. A quick search of the house netted nothing, and he came back to his bedroom. He sank onto the edge to the bed and tried to think of where she’d gone. Perhaps she’d left him a note, and he looked on every horizontal surface, but could find no word from her. It was like she’d vanish in thin air.
He spied her phone sitting on the bedside table, and the muscle twitched in his jaw. Invading her privacy was the last thing he would consider doing under normal circumstances, but he had to know if she was safe. He grabbed the phone off the table and depressed the button on the bottom of the screen, and it lit up. His heart dropped like a stone into his stomach when he saw the last text message she’d received. Dany was demanding a meeting, and she’d gone. The message had been sent twenty minutes ago, so he’d only just missed her. If only he had woken up when she’d gotten out of bed, he might have nipped this reckless notion in the bud.
He made a mental note of where this meeting would take place, grateful that it wasn’t that far. He raced to the front door, stopping only long enough to put on a pair of shoes. His car keys sat on the counter next to the knife block, and as he scooped them up he noticed one knife was missing. She must have taken it. He closed his eyes for a second at the thought of her facing off against his father with only a kitchen knife in her possession.
The front door slammed behind him as he flew out of the house. He locked the door, although he didn’t know why he bothered. If someone wanted to come in and rob him blind, he didn’t care. His one thought was to get to Simone before his father could kill her. Simone was no match for his father, especially in a knife fight. As he raced his car down the street, Lee silently prayed that he wasn’t too late. Let him get to her on time and save her from his father.
Chapter 12
The secluded park Dany had instructed her to go to was silent when Simone arrived. Perspiration dotted her brow, and she couldn’t say for sure that it resulted from the exertion to get here. A slight breeze stirred the surrounding trees, and a shiver tracked its way down her spine. Why had she thought she could do this alone? She should have told Lee, should have called Cadric as he’d expected her to. She looked down at the knife in her hand and realized how foolish she’d been. Dany would annihilate her.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself. She was here now, and she’d nursed her idea of revenge for so long, she couldn’t let a case of nerves stop her. She’d focused on it to the exclusion of everything else, had taken part in a program that had gone against her morals, all in the name of extracting vengeance from Dany Cavanaugh. All her efforts would be a waste if she backed out now.
A twig snapped beside her, and her heart pounded in her chest as she turned, bringing the knife up defensively in front of her. A tall shadowy figure loomed in front of her, and she took a step back as she squinted her eyes.
“Put the knife down, Simone,” the figure said as he stepped out of the shadows. She sagged with relief when she realized Lee stood in front of her. Her relief only lasted for a second before the hard edge of anger slammed through her.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice a harsh whisper. Dany could arrive here at any moment, and she didn’t know what he’d do if he caught a glimpse of Lee with her.
“Stoping you from killing yourself, again,” he said, his voice rough and low, and she could hear the anger vibrating through it.
“Thanks for throwing the silver nitrate in my face,” she said, hurt going through her that he would bring that up again, even in a subtle way. How many times would she have to explain her mistake? “Okay, you found me and I’m not dead, so why don’t you go.”
“I have no intention of leaving you here to wait for my father alone. He’s too dangerous and unpredictable.”
She looked up at him, and by the stubborn set of his jaw she knew there would be no making him leave. “Well, at least step in behind the trees so he can’t see you. And try to angle yourself down wind so he won’t smell you.”
The muscle in his jaw tightened, and for a second she thought he wouldn’t budge. He gave a curt nod of his head and blended into the trees so well that she had no clue where he went. She knew he wasn’t far and turned back around to scan the area. Nothing had changed from when Lee arrived until now. She glanced down at her watch. Dany was already a few minutes late.
She stood there, staring into the night, as her hope that Dany would arrive dwindled with every second that passed. How would she explain to Cadric that she’d set up a meeting and Dany hadn’t shown? How many chances did she have before he threw her back in the cell? Her watch said that another ten minutes has passed, and the sick tension in her stomach grew stronger.
“He’s not coming,” Lee said as he stepped out of the trees. “If he was, he would be here by now. If he gave you a specific time to meet, he would be here at the exact time, not one minute sooner or later. Punctuality is very important to my father.”
“What am I going to do?” Simone said, as she shook inside. At the very least Cadric would be angry at what he saw as her failure. She didn’t know how many more chances she was going to get.
“Why don’t we go home,” Lee said as he put his hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from him.
“I suppose you’re happy about all this,” she said as she turned and stomped down the path she’d taken to the park. “You did this on purpose.”
“I could hardly come to the park by accident, now could I?” Lee muttered as he walked beside her.
“You know what I mean. You didn’t want me doing this at all, and now you’ve ruined it,” she said as her anger took on a life of its own. Her panic over what Cadric would do, and her frustration at not being able to move forward with her life needed an outlet, and unfortunately for Lee he was the only target in front of her.
“Look, why don’t you calm down,” Lee said as the muscle jumped in his jaw. They’d reached his car, and he opened the passenger side door and held it open for her. She stared at it, tempted to tell him to shove his car ride up his ass and walk home. He must have seen something to that effect in her face because his eyes developed tawny rims around his irises and she could see he held onto some anger of his own. “Just get in the car.”
She complied and put on her seatbelt. He got in the car, slammed his door harder than necessary and started the engine. The car purred to life, and he slammed it into gear and took off down the street, his tires squealing as he pulled away. It didn’t take long to get back to his house, and she jumped out of the car before he’d come to a full stop. Her notion of storming into the house and slamming the door in his face was ruined because he’d locked the front door before he left and she didn't have the key.
He unlocked the door and opened it. She walked past him into the house and went to the kitchen. She deliberately put the knife back into the block on the counter. She turned and went down the hall, intent on going to the guest room.
“Where are you going, we need to talk about this,” he said as he came down the hall behind her.
“What’s to talk about? You got your way. I’m sure Dany was there, and he saw you and now he will never believe that I want to help him because I believe so much in his cause. Hope you know that Cadric will be pissed about this.”
“I don’t give a shit about Cadric,” he shouted. “I care about you. Which is a lot more than I can say for Cadric. Besides even if you met with Dany, he’d be pissed anyway because I distinctly recall that you were supposed to let him know your every move, and I doubt you did, since there wasn’t a single agent with you to capture my f
ather.”
“I had it under control,” she said, although in the back of her head she knew that she hadn’t. She felt like everything was spinning out of control, and she was set on a course that she couldn’t get off. What had seemed like the perfect plan while sitting in the cell, wasn’t turning out the way she thought. At this point she wanted to get it over with. What little chance she’d had of ending all this tonight was ruined, and she didn’t think she’d get another opportunity.
“Bullshit. You were there with a kitchen knife in your hand, and I snuck up on you,” Lee growled.
“You underestimate me, Cadric does too, and I’m sure Dany would. I could have used that to my advantage, but now I’ll never know because you took that chance away from me. I wanted to do this my way, because what he did, he did to me. I wanted to be the one to make it right,” she said, her anger lessening and she could see that in a way he was right. She had been ill prepared, but the phone call from Cadric had panicked her. She wanted this whole thing over with, and when Dany suggested they meet she knew she couldn’t tell Lee because he would never have let her out the door.
She turned away from him and went to the guest room door. He put his hand on her arm, and she stood very still, but made no move to shake off his hold.
“Talk to me, Simone,” he said, his voice quieter than it had been.
“You got your way,” she said, just as quiet. “Chances are very slim that Dany will ever set up another meeting with me now. What else is there to say?”
“I did it to protect you,” he said, but she’d stopped listening. She knew very well why he’d done it. She could only blame herself for what happened tonight. She’d left her phone by his bed, and she couldn’t even be sure anymore if it was an oversight or her subconscious mind intervening on her behalf. It didn’t matter. An entire year of her life had come to nothing, and the anger inside slowly burned itself out. All she felt now was tired.
