by Honey Jans
Shit, they weren't going to listen to her. She knew Trevor in all his black heart and soul. Somehow the bastard has realized that she was with Crispin, and it pushed him over the edge. Maybe Trevor had a psychic edge and had figured out who she was. If so, he knew what a threat she was to him. “Could he suddenly develop psychic power?” she messaged to Max.
“We all have intuition, which is psychic energy,” Max responded promptly, as if he were keeping close watch over her. “Sometimes humans tune into that energy after a lifetime of not knowing it was there.”
Haley was used to Max's non-answers that she had to interpret. Still, it was frustrating. “Trevor is an evil soul. Even evil souls can have psychic powers?”
“Sometimes, babe, the darkest souls have uncanny intuition. If you're asking me if Trevor figured out who you are, or if he somehow knows, you'll have to ask the one with the most knowledge about that: you.”
“Helpful as always.”
“I have a new arrival to meet. I'm sure your instincts will guide you well. Remember, love is all you need.” His presence was gone.
Haley cursed Max in her head; then her body sagged. Why blame Max? He was right; her intuition was good, and she knew what she had to do, even if it broke the rules. There was only one way out. She'd have to tell Crispin the truth to protect him, no matter what the consequences. After all, she loved him.
* * * * *
Crispin walked Harry to the door of the hotel suite while Haley sat there frowning at them. He knew she was mad as hell that Harry had downplayed her suggestions, but they could talk about that later. His main aim was to keep her safe. He guessed that was Harry's goal also. And if it took keeping her out of the loop, so be it.
He stepped out into the hallway with Harry. The two junior agents were standing there. “What's your next move?” he asked Harry.
Harry gave the junior agents a look, and they moved off toward the end of the hall, away from earshot. “I'll check out her angle, even though it doesn't fit the unsub's MO,” he said.
“So you think she's right,” Crispin said grimly, feeling ice chill his veins. He was still affected by the jolt of energy he'd felt when he'd touched his doorknob. If the killer took another shot at her, he was a dead man.
“I don't know, and that's what's got me worried. She's hiding something.”
Tell me something I don't know. “Maybe,” he said with a shrug, ignoring Harry's glower.
“You're in over your head with this filly,” Harry said.
“Why don't you let me worry about that?” Crispin said.
“It's not like you to fall head over heels for a dame like this,” Harry said, scowling. “You thought rightly that women were trouble, minus the sex.”
It was true, or it had been. But Haley wasn't like any other woman he'd ever met. She was his, and he was keeping her.
“I'll keep the other agents posted,” Harry said, his voice softer. “One outside your door and one down the hall by the elevator. If anyone makes a move toward you, they'll stop them. In the meantime, keep her safe.”
“That's my plan. Keep me posted.” He closed the door and then turned to look at Haley. Haley sat there with a troubled look on her face. “We need to talk,” he said, stalking up to her. “I need to hear all your secrets, sweetheart.”
She took a look at him, her eyes widening, but she didn't back down. “I know.”
Her words and her attitude told him he wasn't going to like what she said. But her frightened expression made him want to hold her. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms and felt her tremble and lean into him. She'd been through a hell of a lot in the last two days. She was entitled to a few secrets and fears. He swept her up and carried her into the bedroom. He set her down on her feet in front of the bed, his body hardening with need, his hands shaking a little. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his collarbone. He groaned, his cock twitching. If she kept leaning against him, he wouldn't last long.
He had all night to learn Haley's secrets, and the best way to get close to her was in bed. Right now they both had an itch that needed to be scratched, and he couldn't help sensing her deep, feminine, desire. He knew the post-adrenaline stress could be channeled sexually. And he really didn't mind being used by her, he decided with a wry smile. She shivered against him. Knowing he was a lust-drunk fool, he tested his stiff cock against her soft, womanly, body again.
Haley whimpered, rubbing her hard nipples against his chest, and he forgot all about the secrets and danger. He needed her in more ways than just sex, but he wanted to show her his love by driving her wild. He didn't know if he could say the words, since he had no idea if she'd want to hear them. When he reached behind her to pull down her zipper and let her dress tumble to the floor, she smiled. “You in a particular hurry, stud?”
“For you, always,” he growled, stripping her fast. If he slowed down now, his damned cock would burst.
“Me too,” she said, reaching for his buttons.
When her hands shook just like his, he helped her finish the job and then tumbled her into bed. He gazed down at her, a hand running down her voluptuous body. Would she really give up her modeling career for him? Why? Don't question your luck, stupid. Just take what she's offering. Haley arched like a cat against his caressing hand and looked him straight in the eye. “I want you.”
“Show me,” he said. It was pure torture to let her set the pace, but he sensed that it was the right move to make. Her big blue eyes widened in surprise, and he watched, bemused, as a blush spread from her face to her delectably curved ass. He had plans for that saucy bottom tonight, and every other inch of her too.
“You asked for it,” she said with a gleeful smile.
He nodded quickly, knowing he'd unleashed the deliciously wicked woman inside her. He gazed at her through a haze of desire, his cock hard and already filled. She wriggled against him, and he bit back a moan as it grew even harder.
“Oh Lord, did I hurt you?” she cried out.
“You just might kill me if you don't finish me.” He pulled her closer, looping an arm around her waist when she tried to move away. He saw a flush of pleasure light her face and was glad that he'd put it there. Then she gently moved on him again, and he gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to grab her and take her. And then she eased down his body, licking her way there, and his eyes rolled back in his head. She dipped her tongue inside his navel, and heat scalded through him like a red haze covering him as he lost all rational thought.
“Yummy,” she said, swirling her tongue faster, over and inside his navel. Then she left his belly with a kiss to slip down even lower, between his thighs.
He froze a moment before her hot tongue flicked out to taste his cock. He muttered to himself, his body jerking in response. She licked the throbbing head of his cock like it was a lollipop. He lay back for a moment, reveling in the sensation of being taken by Haley as she opened up and took him as deep into her mouth as she could. His cock pulsed as she drew on him and then pulled back to tease the stiff vein under his cockhead. He let out a growl, his cock twitching as his balls tightened and his body prepared to explode.
Knowing he couldn't last much longer before the bewitching woman unmanned him, he reached down for her. “Enough,” he commanded. She gave him a moue of disappointment, her sultry lips still wrapped around him, and he lost a little piece of his heart. She was his, if only temporarily. His very own love slave. He needed to be inside her now. “Give it up, or I'll paddle your sweet ass,” he demanded, flashing her an imperious look.
“So the Dom has returned,” she said, letting him go.
“And you wouldn't want it any other way,” he said, seeing the excitement in her eyes. The minx wanted to be disciplined by him again, and he'd be happy to oblige her later. It made his cock even harder. He pulled her up his body, and they both hissed with pleasure as she rubbed sensually against him.
“Are you going to spank me now?” she asked, sounding delighted.
He smiled, shakin
g his head. “No, bad girl. I'm going to make you wait for it,” he said, watching a telling blush turn Haley a delightful rosy color. He grabbed her hips and slid her up and down and up his body, making her squirm with need. When her dangling, generous breasts hung over him like ripe fruit, his eyes crossed. Instead of tasting them, he deliberately rubbed his erection against her mound, making her gasp and quiver against him. He could feel the heat in her creamy mound. He flicked his tongue out to taste one of Haley's sweet strawberry peaks, and her nipple puckered, turning hard as a ruby under his tongue.
She cried out, “Crispin.”
Needing no further encouragement, he sucked her nipple into his mouth, rolling it around his tongue, nipping it, making her quiver and cry out as he tested his cock against the soft, wet heat of the curls shielding her feminine secrets. He let out a growl and captured her other tit in his mouth as she frantically rubbed her mound against him, trying to hurry him. But he had no intention of rushing; he wanted to enjoy her. He drew back one hand to give her sexy ass a smack, making her squeal. “Behave yourself.”
“No,” she said, her eyes twinkling as she rubbed against him again.
He gave her another spank, making them both moan as his balls tightened and his cock bucked against her. So much for his futile attempts to slow things down; they were both too hungry to wait. He slid between the folds of her creamy sex, wetting the head of his prick on her nectar and watching her blue eyes grow soft with passion. “Do you want this, Haley?”
“More than you could possibly know.”
Her honey-voiced surrender succeeded in pushing him over the edge. “Oh, I think I've got a good idea,” he said with a growl as he pressed against the entrance to her cunt. With a groan of need, he pressed against her creamy barrier, and it gave way as he began to enter her tight, wet sheath. Her sex spasmed in reaction to his invasion, clamping down on him, forcing him to gasp with pleasure.
“Oh yes,” she said with a cry, going still beneath him.
Feeling her shut down below him fucked with his mind, but he strove to be calm and reassuring, even though he felt consumed with fear. That she'd reject him, that the killer would take her from him, that she'd never truly be his. Somehow I know I've been waiting my whole life for her. How do I know this? His hand slid down between their bodies to find and play with her stiff little clit. She jerked as if a live wire had touched her, and shuddered as her cunt relaxed around him and her juices coated him. Gasping at the hot, velvety cage she made around him, he thrust the rest of the way inside her warmth until she took him all and they were both trembling.
“That's it,” he praised, his cock throbbing as her sheath rippled over him, threatening to end him before it had even started. It was a perfect fit; the fates had chosen well to make her his woman. It was almost enough to make him believe in her psychic claims.
Gripping her hips, he pulled halfway out of her to thrust up into her hard, making her cry out beneath him as kittenish noises poured out of her mouth. He gazed at her in wonder, stunned that he'd finally found her, that she was real. A wave of tenderness came over him as he looked at her slightly crooked smile, her wide-set cat's eyes, her lush curves. Then her sheath rippled on his cock, and he forgot all about thinking as he fucked her harder. “Ride me, my bad girl,” he demanded as he urged her to sit astride him.
Without any more urging, she ground against him, moaning.
Crispin's hands tightened on her sexy hips as he pulsed inside her, thrusting deeper until they were both panting. Knowing he couldn't hang on much longer, he arched his thrust to brush against her G-spot while reaching for the responsive nub of her clit. She came apart in his hands, screaming out his name; and then he jerked, joining her in bliss as he came against her cervix.
Wave after wave of cum poured out of him as she milked at him, her blissful cries music to his ears. It was oh so satisfying to know that she was with him all the way. When it was over and he was finally sated, he pulled her down on top of him, the intimate skin-on-skin contact almost as satisfying as the sex. He reveled in the sensation as her scent wrapped around him. The room smelled like sex, like her, and he knew he'd never forget this moment. She settled against him with a sigh of pleasure, and he held her tight, knowing he'd found a treasure.
Cradling her in his arms, Crispin held her as if he never wanted to let her go, savoring the stolen moment of bliss. If history repeated itself, the killer would come after them, and he'd have to be ready. It was only a matter of time. But this time would be different, he vowed. After following his research, he knew the bastard had a weakness, and it would be his downfall.
Haley felt Crispin go stiff below her, and she lifted her head off his chest to look at him. “What's wrong?” His closed expression told her he didn't want her to ask. That was tough. They were both involved.
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, right. You were thinking about him, weren't you?” He rubbed a hand down her back as if to soothe her, and it almost worked as she melted against him. Sprawled across his hunky body, she felt his muscles tense, and she let out a gasp when he rolled her over, reversing their positions so that she was lying on her back.
“I don't want you to worry about it. Harry is on the job, and there are two agents stationed in the hotel. You're safe.”
“Yes, but what about you?” she said with a frown as he tried to sex her into distraction. “I've got something to tell you, and you may want to brace yourself.”
“Go on.”
“Well, the first thing is, I know who the killer is.”
When he just gave her a watchful look, she knew her deceptions had never worked. “It's Trevor—the one who used to work at the newspaper and tried to kill Kiera and Jaden.”
“Wait a minute. You're saying he tried to kill them? That never made it into the police reports.”
“At first he was clever, and nobody suspected him. He's a very good psychopath.” She spoke in a grim voice.
“But what about the confessed killer?”
“He was a crazy copycat who thought he did it, so he killed himself. The cops went into his mobile home and saw all sorts of horrific, violent porn and newspaper stories of the murders. They thought he'd been the Scarlet A Killer. But they were wrong. They botched it.”
“And you know all this, how?”
“I was there, kind of,” she said with a wince, seeing his disbelief.
“You said you'd never met him before.”
She took a deep breath. “Just listen and don't interrupt. I saw it from up above. I'm Haley Forkus reincarnated.” Flustered, she quickly rushed on. “Before you say anything, hear me out.”
The tension on his face eased, and he firmed his lips, nodding. “I'm listening.”
She could see he was calmer, ready to listen to her story, so she went on. “My guardian angel, Max, let me come back to right old wrongs, bust Trevor without affecting fate, and save my soul mate,” she added under her breath. “I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but I'm not. And I knew I needed to warn you, because you're in danger. If anything should happen to me that I can't control, take the cops to a condemned home at Twenty-Four Hundred Stanton Avenue. It's a run-down trailer, and nobody lives around it. Trevor stores his sick trophies there, such as the women's underwear.” Seeing his wrinkled forehead, she said desperately, “Don't you believe me?”
“I believe that you really believe what you're saying.”
“Well, believe this. I've broken Max's strictest rule by telling you this, so I could be recalled at any minute. Just in case, I want to tell you that nobody else has ever meant this much to me. Not in either of my two lives.” She wanted to cry but smiled for his sake, seeing the pain on his face. “I love you, Crispin.”
“I'm not letting you go,” he said, covering her.
She gazed up into his eyes as he pressed her into the mattress, and saw the love he had for her, even if he didn't say the words. “I'd never leave you willingly. You know that, don't you?”
> He shook his head. “This can't be real. It's just too far-out.”
Haley felt every molecule in her body tingling, and in a moment she felt herself whooshing through the familiar dark tunnel to a distant plane. When she landed, her feet were planted firmly on a cloud. A warm breeze wafted by her, reminding her that she had been naked when poofed away. Blushing, she glanced down, praying that she wasn't naked. She saw that Max had dressed her in a frilly sundress and Mary Janes, as if she were a child. She supposed in some ways she had been, but she'd been growing up fast. She smelled cotton candy, looked up, and saw Max leaning up against a carnival wall. He loved to hang out in this otherworldly amusement park. “Why did you do that? I was just making progress.” His sad smile told her that he had mixed feelings about recalling her, but he'd done it just the same.
Crispin collapsed flat on the bed as Haley simply vanished from under him. One moment he'd been pressed against her warm body, trying not to hurt her feelings as he refuted her crazy story, and the next she was gone and he was lying against sheets still carrying her warmth and scent. His mind reeled as he sat on the edge of the bed. She'd been recalled just like she'd claimed, and he hadn't believed her, damn it all. His gut twisted while his heart shattered. He couldn't lose her, not like this. She'd made the supreme sacrifice to save his worthless ass, and he'd never asked her to. That's why it meant all the more, he knew. Cursing himself, he hung his head. There had to be some way to fix this. Looking up into the heavens, he shouted, “Max, send her back to me, and I'll do any damned thing you want.” He waited breathlessly for something to happen, some sign that he'd been heard. He remembered the hazy sensation that had seemed to travel between Haley's body and his the moment before she'd vanished, but nothing similar happened.
It wasn't going to be that easy. But he could have the balls to follow Haley's example and risk it all for her. He might not be able to fight heaven and earth for her, but he could drop the collar on Trevor so he never hurt a woman like Haley again. Decision made, he reached for his phone and punched in Harry's number on speed dial. He should've guessed that Trevor was involved. The creepy man had given off degenerate vibes, but there'd been nothing to link him to the crimes. Now there was. Haley had told him where Trevor hid his souvenirs from the killings. Once they had the evidence, along with his DNA, he was dead meat.
