WHISPERS TO THE HEART

by Kimberley Reeves

  “My heart is still trying to hammer its way out of my chest,” he said a few minutes later.

  Rennie turned to him, nestling her head on his shoulder and pressing herself snuggly against his side. “That was…spectacular.”

  “Yes, it was. I’m just sorry I couldn’t make it last longer.”

  “Luckily, I’m a forgiving woman and am willing to give you a chance to make it up to me.”

  “Like do overs, you mean?”

  “Exactly!”

  “I’m going to hold you to that, Miss O’Neal.” Mac brushed the damp hair from her forehead, his voice as tender as his touch. “Do you feel up to talking about what happened today?”

  “I’m not sure I know myself. I was listening to the messages on the phone and there was one from him.”

  Mac’s body instantly tensed. “Dalton?”

  “Yes. He said some vile things and told me not to worry, that we would be together soon. It wasn’t like the other times when I linked with someone. I was being sucked down into a dark pool with nothing to grab onto. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life.”

  “It’s okay, baby, you’re safe now.”

  She felt safe too. Somehow, being with Mac kept Dalton’s evilness from touching her.

  “I lost all concept of time. There was so much pain there, Mac, and the fear those women experienced at his hands was beyond anything I could even imagine. And then the voices stopped and I…I felt him. It was like being plunged into an Arctic wasteland where everything is frozen solid and nothing good or beautiful can ever grow.” Rennie pulled away from him and sat up. “It gives me the creeps just thinking about it.”

  Mac sat up too and switched on the light. “I know this is difficult, but there might be something you remember that could lead us to Dalton.” He leaned back against the headboard. “Scoot over here so I can hold you.”

  Rennie inched her way back and tucked herself up under one arm. “It wasn’t exactly like I knew what he was thinking but I could feel his anger, his rage. He’s not stupid, Mac. He’s cold and calculating and very, very methodical in the way he does things. I told you before that his victims were faceless to him, but that’s not exactly true.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to study the cases of the other women we suspect he killed,” Mac told her, “but I imagine they’re all very similar to Angel’s. Not that she was promiscuous, but Ryan said her friends described her as flirtatious and somewhat of a tease.”

  “She won’t be any more,” Rennie said wistfully. “I think you’re right about the type of women he targets though. He watches them for a while before approaching them to see how they react towards him. He hasn’t gone to the other campus yet, but his desire is strong. Mac...I think maybe he knew I was there.”

  “What do you mean he knew? Did he try to communicate with you in some way?”

  “No, it was more like…like the feeling you get when you think someone is watching you. It made him uptight, anxious. I felt the change in his mood.”

  Mac was alarmed by what she’d said, but was careful to keep his tone even. “What makes you think it was anything more than that?”

  “Because he was uneasy at first, and then his mood suddenly shifted and became almost…triumphant. That’s when I started to feel him pulling me down. It was almost as if he figured out I was with him and wanted me to know all the horrible things he had done. He started reliving it in his mind; each attack, the torture he put them through, and then the actual murders. He was consciously holding onto me, I’m almost sure of it, and he was using my fear to keep me bound to him. It was terrifying, and the whole time he felt proud, boastful.”

  Seeing how much it upset her, Mac steered the conversation in a different direction. “I still don’t understand something. If you were only unconscious, why couldn’t we find a pulse?”

  “I think Doctor Switzer’s wife was at least partially correct about it being some form of Catalepsy. With Catalepsy, the individual doesn’t respond to outside stimulus. You could have cut me with a knife and I wouldn’t have known it. The breathing is shallow and the heartbeat so weak it can’t be detected. But with Catalepsy, I wouldn’t have lost my body warmth.”

  Mac looked down at her, chilled to the bone. “You seem to know an awful lot about it. Please tell me this hasn’t happened to you before.”

  “Certainly not to that extent, but I was curious about what happened to my body during the trance-like states when I link with someone. During my research, I ran across information on conditions that simulate death. Usually, I’m caught between both worlds. I can hear and feel things on both sides, but it wasn’t like that when I connected with Dalton. That’s what scared me the most, and I think it was my fear that was keeping me imprisoned there. I wasn’t strong enough to bring myself back.”

  “You really believe it was the sound of my voice that helped break the trance or whatever it was?”

  Rennie had no doubts and told him so. “Obviously, because nothing else had broken through. I didn’t hear or feel a thing until you started talking to me. So how does it feel to be a genuine knight in shining armor?”

  Mac grinned. “Pretty damn good, actually. I just wish we had a better understanding about what happened. I mean, if we knew how you got shanghaied into linking with Dalton and why you weren’t able to break it when you wanted to, we would be able to prevent it from happening again. I’ve got to tell you, honey, it scares the hell out of me that you weren’t able to control it.”

  Rennie swallowed hard. How long before he got tired of all the strange things that went on in her life? It was all new and intriguing right now, but what about later when they were out in public and she started picking up on some tragedy that had occurred there? He had been extremely patient and accepting so far, but she could tell the strain on him had been enormous.

  Mac openly admitted he’d had no interest in having a long standing relationship with any women in the past, and that was with women who were normal. If he thought they were too high maintenance, what must be going through his mind about her?

  “Rennie, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, it’s just…I want you to know I understand if you don’t want to stick around. You shouldn’t feel obligated just because…”

  “Obligated? You honestly think that’s why I’m with you tonight?”

  Rennie flinched at the harsh tone of his voice. “I’m not sure. I know you must care for me a little but you can’t tell me you’re not having second thoughts about being with me after what happened.”

  Mac shook with anger. “Do you have any idea what I went through tonight? You think you were lost? At least you knew there was a chance you could get back. I had nothing, Rennie, because I thought you were dead, for God’s sake! When I saw you lying there, it felt like my heart had been ripped out, and then at the morgue…”

  Mac stopped and tried to rein in his temper. Beside him, Rennie was shaking like a leaf. He cupped her chin and tilted her head back, willing her to see the truth in his eyes.

  “You’re so good at reading other people’s emotions, why is it you can’t read mine? You said you could hear me talking to you. Think about it, honey. Why would I be talking to a woman I thought had died three hours earlier? Weren’t you listening to the words? Couldn’t you feel what I was going through?”

  He was right. She was so intent on following the sound of his voice that she hadn’t heard what he was saying. She had felt his pain, his overwhelming sorrow, but her own elation at being freed from Dalton’s clutches had clouded everything else. She knew there was something more, something so powerful it was able to break the chains that bound her to the darkness but couldn’t quite wrap her mind around what it was.

  “You were sad,” she finally said.

  Mac sighed in exasperation. “I wasn’t sad, Rennie. I was devastated. I lost you before I’d ever really had you, and the worst part was I thought you died without knowing how I felt. That’s when I picked you up a
nd held you. I told you all the things I should have said when you were alive.”

  Rennie’s heart surged. “I’m listening now, Mac. Tell me what you said.”

  He started to repeat what he’d said to her in the morgue but changed his mind. He had another idea that would squash any doubts she had about him wanting to be with her.

  “No,” he said firmly, “that would be too easy. I want you to do something for me first.”

  “And then you’ll tell me?”

  “Then I’ll tell you.”

  "What is it you want me to do?”

  “Link with me, Rennie.”

  For a moment she was too stunned to say anything. “Mac, you don’t know what you’re asking. I can’t control what I pick up from you.”

  “I do know what I’m asking, and I also know I’m taking a big risk by allowing you to do it. I’m certainly no saint, honey, and maybe you won’t like some of the things you see, but at least you’ll know what is in my heart.”

  “You really want to do this?”

  “Yeah, I really do.”

  Rennie drew in a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll do it, but I want to get dressed first.”

  Mac’s eyes danced with amusement. “I’ve seen every inch of your beautiful body, up close as well as in some very interesting positions, why all the modesty now?”

  In answer to his question, she threw back the sheet and maneuvered herself in front of him and straddled his thighs. His response was instant and extremely inviting. It was also predictable, considering her position. Rennie leaned forward, pressing her naked breasts against his chest.

  “As you can see, it’s very distracting.”

  “You’re right,” he said in a tone that was both thick and gravely. “I’ll grab something for both of us.”

  Rennie slid away from him, quite pleased with how well she had made her point, although she sorely regretted making him cover up his magnificent body. He disappeared into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later in a white terrycloth robe.

  “That was an evil thing to do,” he said as he took her hands and pulled her into his arms. “And in case there’s any question, I fully intend to repay you for it.”

  She tipped her head back, all wide-eyed and innocent. “I was merely demonstrating why it was necessary to put clothes on when I tried to link with you.”

  “Yes, and you had fun doing it.”

  He gave her a quick kiss and told her to wait there while he went to find something for her to wear. Rennie heard him open a door down the hallway, followed by the sound of bare feet against the hardwood floor as he made his way back to the bedroom.

  “This should fit,” Mac said, handing her the black silk robe he’d retrieved.

  She held it in her hands, a slight frown forming on her face as her fingers closed around the silken material. Her eyes moved around the room, comprehension slowly taking hold. The woman who owned the robe had a vivacious personality as well as an enormous love for Mac. She was comfortable here and considered it a safe haven. Rennie looked at Mac, her throat so constricted she could barely speak.

  “This is your house, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I suppose I should have told you…”

  She held the robe out to him, shards of white hot pain slicing through her chest. “I don’t want another woman’s clothes, especially from one who l-loves you as much as she does. I’m not naïve enough to think you haven’t had numerous women in your bed, but I think it’s callous of you to bring me something one of them left behind.”

  Mac crossed his arms, ignoring her outstretched hand. “First of all, I’ve never brought another woman to my house before, which means no one except me has ever slept in that bed. As for the robe, it belongs to my sister. When Tia breezes through town, occasionally she spends the night. For convenience sake, she has several changes of clothes as well as a spare toothbrush.”

  He took the robe and held it up so she could slip it on, obviously considering the subject closed. Rennie hesitated for a few seconds before letting him help her put it on, lifting her arms obediently so he could tie the silk belt around her waist. He didn’t look angry, but she asked if he was upset with her anyway. Mac finished tying the belt and gave her a tender kiss.

  “Actually, I think I like the idea that you were bothered by it. It means you’re not just using me for my body.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “If you’re quite finished, can we get this show on the road?”

  “Ready when you are. Just tell me what to do.”

  She sat on the edge of the bed and asked him to bring a chair over and place it in front of her. Once he was seated, she took his hands in hers.

  “This might not work,” she warned, but even as she said it, Rennie’s fingertips begin to tingle. “I’m going to…” she inhaled sharply at the charge of electricity that zipped up her arms and spread quickly to the rest of her body.

  She wasn’t prepared for how swiftly it hit her, or for the magnitude of the connection. It was so much stronger than anything she had ever experienced before, even more powerful than the connection with Dalton. But where the link with Dalton had been dark and sinister, linking with Mac bathed her in a warm, glowing light.

  Rennie was so used to linking with people whose last few minutes of life consisted of fear and pain, their minds a jumbled mess of confusion and tumultuous emotions, it seemed alien to find none of those things within Mac. His strength of both mind and body was a welcome change, and if he carried any deep, dark secrets inside, she certainly didn’t sense them. Gradually, she allowed herself to sink into him.

  A slow heat began to radiate from her chest. His heart became hers, and she was instantly aware of how rapidly it was beating. He was a passionate man; she had known that from the moment he first kissed her, but Rennie realized now that Mac hadn’t even begun to unleash the full power of it on her. He had guarded his emotions fiercely in the past; never giving up anything to the other women he’d been with. But it was different with her, and he had known it right from the start.

  She was stunned by the impression that she belonged to him, that he believed she was a part of him. His feelings for her ran deep and they enveloped her now, consuming her with a relentless intensity that was as exciting as it was frightening. It was a wildfire burning out of control, and the heat of it spread from her chest to every nerve and fiber until she was trembling before its infinite power.

  I love you.

  Rennie’s eyes snapped open. Had that come from him, or was she merely honing in on what was in her own heart? Mac’s grip on her hands tightened. I love you, I love you; the words ran through her head on an endless loop until she thought she would burst from the sheer joy of it. She lifted her eyes to his and smiled. It didn’t take a psychic to know what he was feeling; it was written all over his face. Mac stood up and gently pushed her back onto the mattress.

  “Stay with me,” he whispered.

  Rennie held onto the link as he shrugged off his robe and reached for the tie on hers. He entered her slowly and she cried out, overwhelmed by the sensation of being joined both physically and mentally. But it was only the beginning, and the passion that she had barely tapped inside of Mac hit her with the force of a tidal wave.

  If Rennie was surprised by the thunderous storm of sensations that ravaged her body, Mac was doubly shaken by the unexpected awakening of such unbridled passion. His mind was swept away, leaving him with nothing except raw emotions and an uncontrollable need to satiate the hunger burning deep inside of him. He buried himself inside Rennie, each thrust harder and faster than the last, the clenching of her inner muscles almost more than he could bear.

  The tingling current of electricity that passed between them seemed to intensify every pleasurable stroke, every heated kiss, and they strained against each other, desperate to reach that final release. When at last it happened, Mac’s solid belief that there were limits to the pleasure one person could feel was blown to high Heaven.

  Renni
e was certain a demolition crew had planted a monstrous round of explosives throughout her body and then set them off one by one in rapid succession. She clung to Mac’s shoulders in an attempt to anchor herself to something solid, but it was a futile effort because he was faring no better than she was at controlling the violent shudders that wracked his body.

  Inevitably, what goes up must come down. They peaked at the same time, riding the crest of an enormous wave for a few breathless moments before it all came crashing down. Gradually, the rocking of their bodies slowed and then stopped, leaving her in a mindless, boneless state of complete satisfaction.

  Mac had just enough energy to roll away from her and fall onto his back. Inching his hand across the rumpled sheets, he entwined his fingers with hers and waited for the room to stop spinning. He’d wanted Rennie to know what was in his heart, to feel the power of his love for her, but he hadn’t considered the link between them would be as strong as it was.

  He had actually felt her inside of him, as real and solid as any physical contact. He’d absorbed the love she gave him and it had spread through his heart with a scorching heat, threading its way through his bloodstream like a molten river. He was shaken to the core over what had just happened and wondered inanely how he had lived through it.

  Rennie lay beside him, convinced she would never be able to move again. Her heart was pounding erratically while her lungs greedily demanded more air even as she fought to accommodate them. It was quite some time before she was able to turn her head to look at Mac. His skin glistened with moisture, and beyond all reason she felt the stirring of desire rise up inside of her.

  Not that she had the strength to do anything about it, but she did manage to gather enough energy to crawl over next to him and mold herself to his side. There were no words to describe what he had done to her so she didn’t even try.

  “I love you,” she said simply.

  Mac hugged her to him. “I know. It was amazing, Rennie. It was like you were a part of me. I had no idea something like that was even possible. I know you told me you were able to pick up on people’s feelings, but I guess I thought it was more like being on the outside of a window looking in.” He turned on his side so they were facing each other. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love you, but you felt it too, didn’t you?”