‘I need to fuck you again,’ he growled and took her again, pressing her belly-first into the grass as he entered her from behind, her cunt slippery with her arousal. His fingers needed the tight round cheeks of her butt as he plowed into her, pulling them apart so he could see his cock driving into her. ‘Christ, you make me so hard, beautiful…’
Jess’s answering moan was long and shuddering and he felt his cock unbelievably thicken more until it almost hurt, sliding in and out of her silken dampness. He came quickly filling her and immediately plunged into her ass, wanting to possess her in every way this glorious night. Jess, helpless, her limbs liquefying under the assault on her senses, on her body, coming again and again. Theo reached under her body to stroke her hardened clit, feeling it jerk and pulse under his touch and Jess gave a shuddering cry a she came again.
Finally, slippery with rain, sweat and cum, they collapsed together onto the grass, gasping for air and laughing. Theo turned his head to smile at her.
‘You think we’ll ever get tired of doing that?’
Jess grinned, rolling onto her side and propping her head up on her hand. ‘I hope not. I want to still be fucking in the rain when we’re eighty.’
Theo stuck his hand out and she took it. ‘Deal,’ he said and pulled her on top of him again. She smoothed her palms over his face. ‘Have you any idea how much I love you, Theodore Storm?’
He lifted his lips to hers. ‘If it’s the same as how much I love you, then hell, yes.’
Jess smiled at him and then shifted so she was straddling him, her hands wrapped around his stiffening cock. ‘Ready to go again, soldier?’
He watched them roll naked on the grass and to his horror, his cock twitched up. He ignored it, instead fingering the cold metal of the pistol in his hand. God, he wanted to put a bullet into her as she fucked Theo Storm, see it smash into her soft abdomen, see the splash of her blood cover her lover as she bled out in his arms.
A fantasy, though – from this distance, he’d never hit her, he wasn’t a good enough shot and it would blow his cover on the island. Besides, he wanted to be up close and personal when he killed her, wanted her blood on his hands again. Instead, he watched them fucking each other’s brains out and jerked off, watching Jess’s lovely body as she rocked her hips, riding Storm’s cock until they were both coming.
After they dressed slowly, talking and laughing. Jules saw the security guard walk around the corner to speak to Theo. For a second, Jules tensed, wondering if they’d sensed his intrusion but when he saw the men smiling and laughing, he relaxed. Theo and Jess, hand-in-hand, followed him around to the front of the house. Jules watched them leave then turned his attention to the open French windows…and smiled. Quickly, he shifted from his hiding place and darted across the lawn and into the house. The television set was still on, covering his movements as he snuck into the kitchen and down to the basement. He was in. He still didn’t know what he intended to do but just knowing she was sleeping two floors above him, oblivious, made his cock harden.
So close, my Jessica, so close.
Theo woke up on Monday morning with a new sense of optimism. Somehow the interview had felt like a statement of intent – nothing can break us – and what followed, the amazing, sensual fucking in the rain…he had no words for that. He smiled as he shaved. A whole weekend of just being together, talking, having fun. It had been utterly perfect. Friday night’s rain had disappeared and now it was glorious outside. He wondered idly if they could rent a boat, go out on the water, go whale-watching if the weather held to the next weekend.
‘Theo?’
‘Up here, baby.’
Jess came back up the stairs, pale, shaking, and immediately the tension in his chest returned.
‘What is it?’
‘I was just putting some laundry in the machine and…could you come with me please and tell me I’m not crazy?’ She whispered. The tone of her voice alarmed him.
He followed her back down into the basement. She stood in front of the basement’s broken window and wordlessly, pointed at the floor. The bare lightbulb shone down onto the scrubbed floorboards. Glints, sparkles of light. Glass. Broken glass lay on the floor and as he studied it, he realized with a shock that it had been arranged carefully, precisely. They looked at each other in confusion.
The glass was arranged into a single word.
Jess.
‘Look…it’s hardly threatening, is it? Maybe it was one of the twins fooling around.’ Jess was getting annoyed. After her earlier unease, she’d talked herself down and thought Theo would see it more calmly but Theo’s immediate reaction was to call the police, get Mike to increase security. Jess felt all the happiness, the security they’d built back up slip away.
‘I still think we should call the police….’
‘And tell them what?’ She interrupted. ‘Help, come quick, someone’s leaving words in our house?’
‘Don’t be facetious,’ Theo muttered crossly. She put her hand on his arm.
‘I’m sorry but…it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have reacted to it. I honestly think it’s just a prank one of the boys played. That window has been broken for ages.’
‘Mike would have spotted it.’
‘From outside? Not likely, it’s tiny and tucked away. Besides, you need to be a Lilliputian to fit through it so it’s not a big security risk.’ She tugged on his hand. ‘Come on, let’s forget about it. Work’s calling.’
She went back upstairs but Theo stayed, staring at the glass. Maybe she was right; her name was hardly a threat, was it? He reminded himself to text Seb and Tom when he got to work. Theo bent down with the brush to sweep up the glass then stopped himself. Changing his mind, he went to get his camera and quickly snapped off a few shots of the glass. With the dustpan, he carefully scooped up the shards and dropped them into a bag. Instead of throwing them away, he stashed them in a cupboard. Fingerprints.
Paranoia…no way, he told himself crossly, after everything that’s happened, nothing’s too small. Satisfied, he went upstairs to finishing dressing.
Max picked Jess up from work that night. Theo’s meeting was going to run late into the evening and so it was easy for Max and Jess to find an excuse to go home together. As Max pulled his car from the ferry, Jess was getting a little excited about their less-than-legal excursion.
‘What shall we do, wait till he goes out?’
Max shot her a look. ‘Obviously, doofus.’
Jess grinned good-naturedly. ‘Sorry, that was dumb, but all of this is new to me.’
They drove to two blocks away from Clem’s house and parked. It was almost dark so they could slip along the street without being seen.
Clem’s house was in darkness.
‘Ready?’ Max looked at Jess crouched next to him in the alleyway. His gaze drifted downwards to her black top and leggings. She raised her eyebrows at him, amused. Max smirked.
‘Is that your special breaking and entering outfit?’
She looked down. ‘It’s the only black t-shirt I’ve got.’
‘You look like Cat-woman without the mask.’
‘Geek.’
‘Doofus.’
The banter was making her less nervous and she was grateful to Max for making her feel better.
‘I don’t think he’s in…let’s give it a try, huh?’
They moved quickly, keeping to the shadows. At the door to the apartment, Jess reached up over the lintel. She shook her head. Max shrugged and reached into his pocket. Kneeling, he picked the lock.
‘They teach you that at Pony?’ Jess grinned at him.
‘Nope. In high school. Came in handy when we used to break into my dad’s liquor cabinet.’
Jess snorted. Max grinned and, flicking on his flashlight, led her in. They stood in the darkened living room. Jess looked around.
‘I don’t even know where to start.‘
Max swept the flashlight over the room.
‘Drawers, any drawers, boxes, stuff like
that.’
‘Got it.’
After five minutes, Jess hissed in frustration. ‘Damn it. Nothing’
‘Patience. Check the bedroom.’
Jess grimaced but did what he asked. She heard him thumping.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Checking for squeaky floorboards.’
She giggled and went to meet him. ‘I don’t think there’s anything, Max. I know Jules, we’d at least find some exquisitely tailored suits, something that he couldn’t live without, the big asshole. But there’s nothing. This place is steeped in good-old-boy normalcy.’
Max nodded. ‘Yep. The only thing I found is an old newspaper from when you were stabbed. But that could have been here forever.’
‘Suddenly I feel bad,’ Jess admitted. ‘Poor guy. Let’s get out of here.’
They were just about to leave when they heard a truck door slam. Max peeked around the corner.
Shit.’ Max turned and pushed her back inside. ‘Go, go.’
Max dragged her into the kitchen and into the pantry. The space was tight and she was pressed up against him. They listened to Clem enter, throw his keys down and went into the kitchen. Through the slats in the pantry door, they could see him grabbing a beer from the fridge. He leaned against the counter and drank.
Through her fear, Jess was aware of being pressed up against Max. The situation was almost comical. All the terror left her then. Jess felt laughter bubble up inside her and buried her face in his chest to muffle it. Her weight shifted and something moved on the shelf behind her. They froze.
Clem looked over towards the door and Jess stopped breathing. He had blonde hair and blue eyes but those eyes …she shivered. She couldn’t be sure it was Jules but they held all the malevolence of her reviled step-brother. She couldn’t see what Amelia saw in this guy. She began to tremble. Clem opened a drawer, still looking towards the door, and pulled out a kitchen knife. Max reached around his back and slowly pulled out his gun. Jess bugged at him. Max winked at her and mouthed ‘Don’t worry.’
Clem reached over to the fruit bowl and picked up an apple, chopping it in two in one easy movement. He looked back over to the pantry door, took a step towards it.
Max slipped the safety off. Jess started to tremble and he kissed her forehead, never taking his eyes from Clem.
A loud knocking at the door. Clem hesitated for a beat, then strode over to the door and pulled it open
‘Amelia! What a lovely surprise.’
Jess and Max gaped at each other. Amelia was walking into the kitchen with Clem’.
‘I thought I’d just drop your invitation around.’
‘Can I offer you a drink?’
‘Oh no, really, I just stopped by on the off-chance. I’m actually just going to see Jess.’
Jess and Max froze as Clem glanced again at the pantry door. Jess could feel her heart beating out of her chest.
‘Then how could I delay you?’
Amelia and Clem said goodbye and Clem stepped back into the kitchen. Jess and Max stopped breathing as he stood, planted square in his kitchen, staring at the closed pantry door. For a long, eerie, unsettling moment, his eyes seemed to drift in and out of focus. Jess stared at him.
It could be him. It could be him….the disguise was very good if it was Jules. The black hair that he’d prized was shaved almost to nothing and bleached a bright white. The beard – false or not – was bushy, huge, hipster-like and covered more than half of the bottom of his face. The eyes…too blue to be natural. Contacts, Jess thought now, with a growing terror building inside her.
A loud rapping at Clem’s door made them all start.
‘Clem? Let me in.’
Jess and Max gaped at each other. It was a woman from the bar on the island, Caroline. She was snippy redhead who had taken a dislike to Jess on sight. Amelia had told her, discreetly, that Caroline had grown up with Theo, had her sights set on him, even in the face of Theo’s utter ambivalence. Clem strode over to the door and pulled it open. Caroline brushed past him into the room.
‘Thanks for waiting for me.’ Her tone was snippy.
‘You said you’d be on the seven-thirty. I was there at seven-thirty. You were not. Do you want a drink?’
Caroline sat down in the living room. ‘Yes. Scotch. What was so pressing you couldn’t wait an extra thirty minutes?’
Jess and Max watched while Clem handed her a glass.
‘Believe it or not, I’m not inclined nor am I obligated to wait around for you?’
Caroline grunted. ‘I forgive you.’
Clem smiled without humour. ‘What do you want, Caroline?’
‘I want to know why you’re fucking that old woman. Especially her.’
Jess could feel Max tense up, his hand flexing on his gun. She put her hands against his chest, cautioning him, calming him.
‘Ah. How about we not talk about…that…for just this one night?’
Clem put his drink down and pulled Caroline to her feet. ‘I think we can use this time better.’ He kissed her and Caroline responded.
‘I missed you, baby.’ She crooned. Jess wrinkled her nose and made a gagging gesture which made Max grin.
Caroline held out her hand to Clem and led him into the living room. Max waited for a beat and pushed the pantry door open. Taking Jess’s hand, they crept across the door to living room, eyes always on the couple there. They caught a glimpse of Clem’s back, Caroline, on her knees before him. Max turned the handle of the back door and made Jess go out before him. They were almost at the bottom when they heard the door open above them.
‘Go, go, go!’ Max whispered and pushed Jess out of the door. Behind them, they could hear Clem’s heavy footsteps. Max grabbed her hand and they raced through the night, ducking down the alleys behind the apartment until they reached their car, Max throwing it into gear and speeding off into the night.
Jules stood in the doorway. He’d been sure someone was in the house and when the back door had opened, he had darted from the living room, leaving a frustrated Caroline shouting after him. Whoever it was, and he was pretty sure who it was, had disappeared from view just as he reached the door. He swore. It was the fag but he hadn’t been alone. Surely Jess hadn’t been with him? In his house, spying on him. Bitch.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’
He turned. Caroline was standing at wrapped in a sheet. Stupid whore. She was becoming a problem, a risk factor. He would have to get rid of her before she blew his cover.
He smiled at her. ‘Nothing, darling.’ He moved to her side and kissed her.
He would have to make sure her body wasn’t discovered until after Jess was dead. The wedding day was in less than a week.
Theo looked down at his love, her face so relaxed. He lived for these quiet moments, it was if they sunk into each other, the world outside could not touch them. He listened to her breathing as she slept, regular and peaceful. Her left hand rested on the pillow, the white gold band with the diamond on her ring finger. Theo smiled and sighed. They had decided to risk the bad luck (‘Surely we’ve had enough’) and spend the night before the wedding together in his mom’s house. His mom had disapproved but had compromised by making him promise to go home to get ready so he wouldn’t see Jess in her dress. In a few short hours they would be married, she would be his forever. He trailed a finger down her soft cheek, bent over to kiss the smooth pink skin. Jess stirred and murmured, still deep in sleep.
He showered quickly, then stood at the sink while he shaved.
Glancing in the mirror he saw, through the open door to their bedroom, that Jess was awake and watching him. She said nothing but a small smile played on her lips. He smiled back at her reflection and continued to get ready, glancing in the mirror every few seconds at her. She giggled as he raised an eyebrow at her.
When he was dressed he came back into the bedroom. ‘You,’ he bent down and kissed her, ‘are a distraction.’
She cupped his face. ‘Come back to bed.’ Sh
e murmured and he laughed.
‘Bad girl.’ He considered her offer but then looked at the clock and grimaced. ‘I’m kind of late already.’ He laughed at her sulky face and sat on the edge of the bed. ‘I have a very, very bossy best man. I feel sorry for Seth.’
Jess giggled. ‘Can you believe it’s today?’
‘I cannot wait to call you Mrs. Storm.’
‘Okay then, I suppose you can go to your mom’s. She’ll be here in an hour to lever me into my dress.’
He smiled tenderly and covered her belly with his big hand. ‘You and the Bean.’
‘Me and the Bean,’ she agreed, happily.
She sat up and looked out of the window.
‘God, what a beautiful day.’ She grinned at him, excited, looking like a kid. He laughed.
‘Yep, it’s stunning out there.’ He leaned over and kissed her again. ‘Although it’s nothing to what I can see right now.’
She moaned. ‘How am I supposed to let you out of the door when you say things like that?’ She pulled him down and he laughed.
‘Woman, you’re insatiable.’
‘How late did you say you were?’ She whispered as she pressed her body against his. He groaned, covered her mouth with his and started to take off his shirt.
‘Not nearly late enough.’
He stripped the rest of his clothes off in a hurry and slid back into bed with her, kissing her, his tongue caressing hers, exploring her sweet mouth. Her legs twined around his body and he could feel the hot wetness of her sex against his thigh. God, would he ever get enough of her? His cock stood, ramrod straight against his belly and he teased her entrance with the tip of it, as his mouth found her nipple, sucking and biting down on it.
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