by Desiree Holt
* * * * *
They woke early the next morning and made lazy love with the colors of dawn slanting in through the blinds. With the first frenzy of need satisfied they took their time exploring each other’s bodies, learning each other’s needs.
Do you like this?
Does it feel good when I touch you here?
When at long last Troy sheathed himself and slid his cock slowly into her body, the walls of her pussy closed so tightly around him it took his breath away. He held himself in place, just enjoying the intensity of the sensation. When he began to move, it was with slow, deliberate strokes. He locked his gaze with hers, watching her, seeing the signs on her face and in her eyes as she moved closer and closer to release. Feeling the slickness of her as her hips moved with him.
When they came together the orgasm rushed through them, both of them shaking, her arms firmly around his neck. Her legs were wrapped around his hips, heels digging into the small of his back to keep him locked to her as tightly as possible. And each throb of pleasure, each spasm rocketed through them as if they were one single unit.
He kissed her softly as they came down from the high, touching her lips, her cheeks, her forehead, before easing from her to dispose of the condom. After that they dozed comfortably in each other’s arms before showering and dressing. Lauren went into the kitchen to start breakfast. Coffee first, to give them both their first caffeine fix for the day. She poured a mug for Troy to take into her office with him while he checked the answering machine and the camera feeds.
There were a number of calls, some from the night before but most from that day.
People get up damn early to start their harassing.
Only a few were from the stalker. He wanted to think maybe the man was winding down again but his experience had taught him better. It was possible he was just getting his second wind. There were a few personal calls that he jotted down to give to Lauren. The rest were from every type of media in existence and they seemed to have overdosed on persistence. He was just about to exchange the SIM card so he could hand it off to Dan later when the doorbell rang
Lauren came out of the kitchen holding a dishtowel, her face lined with tension.
Troy held up his hand. “Let me. You stay where they can’t even get a glimpse of you.”
One of the first things he’d insisted on the day before was closing the shutters in the kitchen so people couldn’t see in. He also closed the door to the tiny mudroom that gave access to the rear entrance. Now he waited until Lauren retreated into the living room before heading to the foyer, the insistent sound of the doorbell clanging in his ears. He checked the feed on the computer and saw only one person standing there. But the cameras also showed a small crowd gathering at the curb again, two news vans and three or four cars. At the moment, no one had emerged from them but Troy was prepared if and when they did.
He left the safety chain on when he opened the door just enough to talk through.
“What?” He made his tone as hostile as possible.
The man standing there in jeans and a button-down shirt held up a business card.
“Dan Jenkins. I’m with a magazine. Psychic Journeys. We’d very much like to do a feature on Miss Cahill.”
“Not interested.”
Troy tried to close the door but the persistent ass had stuck his foot in the opening.
“Someone’s going to do this story,” he said. “And it probably won’t be very flattering. We’d do it with skill and care.”
“The answer’s still no. Miss Cahill won’t be giving any interviews at all. You might want to pass the word. And you’d better get your foot out of the door before it gets broken.”
Jenkins pulled his foot back but he wasn’t happy. Troy pulled his cell from his pocket and pushed the speed dial for Dan.
“Reinforcements,” he said. “Now.”
“On our way,” Dan told him.
“Who was that?” Lauren wanted to know when he walked into the kitchen, her voice firm.
Underneath the fear and apprehension, there was a core of steel that he couldn’t help but admire. His girl was no pushover.
His girl?
Well, yes, dumbass. You certainly staked your claim last night and made no bones about it.
He’d been so footloose where women were concerned that his partners warned him when he fell, it would be hard and instantaneous. They were certainly right about that. He felt as if a truck had rolled over him. But in a good way. And every one of his married partners had somehow conducted their romance in the midst of a dangerous situation. Maybe it was just a pattern for the men of Phoenix.
Even more quickly than Mia and Dan, they had skipped the getting to know you part and gone straight from hello to extraordinary sex. They needed to learn about each other and that might be the tricky part. Troy was not at all used to giving people pieces of himself, except for his partners, and he had the feeling Lauren had the same reticence. He’d have to move even more carefully in this area, but he was determined to know all about her. Everything. Because he knew with an unexpected certainty she was the woman he wanted to share his life with.
Getting there would take a careful touch.
He just hoped in the light of day Lauren didn’t have a change of heart.
Now she studied him, waiting for his answer. He hated the anxiety that lined her face. Hated that she had to go through this at all. What he really wanted to do was scoop her up and take her far away until this died down again but he knew she’d never agree to that. Instead he settled for giving her a quick but hard kiss on the lips.
“A reporter from Psychic Journeys. He wanted to do a story on you.”
Lauren shook her head. “I know the magazine. It has a good reputation, but I don’t want the notoriety. It would be like advertising myself, something I don’t want to do. My clients come to me through referrals or people who know of me and that’s as much as I can handle.”
“Have you ever thought about doing this full-time?”
She shook her head again. “First of all, I’d have to give up my regular business, so I’d have to charge people, which I don’t want to do. Secondly, successful healing takes a lot out of me physically. I don’t think my body could stand it on a regular basis.”
“I’d like to watch you sometime. If you’d let me, that is.”
She smiled at him. “Of course. I want you to see what I do.”
He brushed another kiss over her mouth. “Dan and Mark will be here shortly. The mob outside is smaller today but the day is young and we may need some reinforcements. They’ll assess the situation and see who we need to call in.”
“You mean like guards?” Lauren frowned. “I thought with the security system and cameras and all we wouldn’t need it.”
“And maybe we won’t. But it never hurts to be prepared. Now.” He brushed his knuckle against the soft skin of her cheek. “Is there any more of that really good coffee you made?”
“As much as you want.” She took his mug and turned to fill it from the pot. “Do we have time for breakfast?”
“We’ll make time.”
He took the mug from her, their fingers brushing, and the sparks shot through him more electric than ever. “I’m going to check the video from last night. Everything's saved to a disk, and we can erase whatever is useless.” He needed to have some space from her to get his act together before his partners arrived, although he didn’t know how they could miss what was going on. He was more worried about Mark’s reaction. He and Faith were Lauren’s good friends. Would he approve or think he’d taken advantage?
“I’ll call you when everything’s ready,” Lauren told him.
* * * * *
At the knock on his door, Olberman swiveled in his desk chair.
“Come.”
Reid McFadden, the man some called his chief henchman, walked in and shut the door.
“Vivian said you wanted to see me?”
Olberman nodded. “I have a situation f
or you to check out.” He slid a folder across the desk for the man to pick up. “Take a moment to read this and I’ll explain what I need.”
McFadden sat in one of the big leather chairs facing the desk and read the documents in the folder carefully. When he was finished he looked up.
“Do you want me to check out the woman or the patient in the hospital?”
“The patient first. Vivian tells me he has pneumonia and none of the medications are helping. Complications have developed. His insurance has run out and he and his wife are not sure what they are going to do.”
“And this is important because…”
“Because I want to make sure this Lauren Cahill is the real deal.” He paused to light a cigar then put it in the smokeless ashtray Vivian insisted he use. “I see a good source of income if I can take possession of her.” His smile was more smug than humorous. “Think of all the wealthy people in the world who have incurable diseases, not to mention their families. How much do you think they’d pay for a cure? Millions. Perhaps in some case even billions. But first I want to make sure the stories about her are real.”
He knew there were some who would ask how much money is enough, but for Olberman the answer was…no answer. There would never be enough. Money was power and he ate power like a starved animal.
McFadden lifted an eyebrow. “And I assume this patient…” He looked down at the folder. “Clark Hauser is part of that plan?”
Olberman nodded. “He is. I chose him over others because he’s in a San Antonio hospital. The Cahill woman lives there and rarely travels. This should be convenient for her. I want you to go there. Use one of the jets and take Fred Bonner with you. Contact the wife. Offer her five hundred thousand dollars, no strings attached, if she will call Lauren Cahill and beg her to come heal her husband.”
“Why do we need to offer that much? Or anything? Can’t we just plant the seed and give her the idea to call the woman?”
“No. Vivian says she’s beside herself trying to figure out how to pay her husband’s medical bills. This will take care of that and more. Tell her a benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous wants to help.” He flicked an ash into the receptacle. “But there is to be no mention of this to anyone. And she must ask the Cahill woman to arrive secretly to avoid the media.”
McFadden snorted. “Exactly how is she supposed to do that? From what I saw on television the other day, they’re practically camped out on her lawn.”
“If she’s smart, she’ll find a way. Tell Mrs. Hauser to plead her case successfully if she wants the money.”
“All right.” The other man rose from the chair. “I’ll get hold of Bonner and tell him we’re taking a little trip.”
“I expect you to be successful,” Olberman warned.
McFadden gave him a smile that was definitely not humorous. “Aren’t I always?”
“There will be another nice bonus for you this time, so be sure you succeed.”
“No problem.”
When the door had closed behind him, Olberman turned to look out at the grounds surrounding the house again and the mountains in the distance. Yes, this would be a perfect place to set Lauren Cahill up, for as long as her powers lasted. Out of reach of anyone but those he sold her services to.
Chapter Four
“Geoff, I really appreciate the offer,” she insisted, gripping her cell phone. “Truly I do. And thank Lissa for me too. But I’m perfectly safe here. I have a great security system and someone…helping with the crowd and everything. And I really don’t want to bring the craziness into your home.”
“I want you to know I’m here for you,” he told her.
He hadn’t been too happy about the articles in the papers, online and on television but then she couldn’t blame him. The results of her notoriety couldn’t help but spill over onto the rest of her family. Her mother still refused to accept that she had a special ability, denying her own Cherokee heritage when anyone mentioned it. Her father of course supported her mother and resented the surrounding hoopla. Geoff and Lissa had been neutral, which she supposed was something to be thankful for.
She wanted to tell her brother his timing sucked but she didn’t want to be rude. It was just that today had been a little quieter, with a Phoenix Agency guard keeping things quiet outside and all the phones unplugged from the landline except the one in her office. She wasn’t stupid enough to think it was over but at least she had a few moments of respite.
“I know that and I appreciate it. Really. But I don’t want to bring this craziness to your house. This damn circus will just shift location.”
“I’m not sure you should have a stranger staying there with you,” Geoff went on. “I’m not comfortable with you living with a man you hardly know.”
“Oh for god’s sake, Geoff. I’m not living with him.” Not exactly, she thought, and smiled. “And he’s not exactly a stranger. He’s a very good friend of the Hallorans and a partner in Mark’s business.”
“Oh.” The disdain in the one word sliced through the connection. “So he’s a mercenary.”
“No he’s not.” Damn it. “And we’ve covered this ground before. Listen, thanks for your concern but I’m doing fine.”
“I want to meet him.”
“What?” She held the phone away from her and stared at it. “What did you just say?”
“I said I think I should meet him. Look, I can stop by your house on the way home from the office. I won’t stay long but please do this for me so I’m not going out of my mind imagining all sorts of wild things.”
“Are you going to put on your lawyer suit and cross-examine him?”
Geoff had the good grace to laugh “No, honey, I’m not. I just think he needs to know your family hasn’t dumped you on strangers.” He paused. “At least not all of your family. And that someone’s watching out for you.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “But please don’t grill him. Show up with an open mind. Can you do that for me?”
He chuckled. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
She disconnected the call and shoved the phone in her pocket.
“Problem?”
She hadn’t heard Troy come up behind her and the touch of his hands on her shoulders sent a burst of warmth through her.
“Not really. Just my brother being his usual self. He’s going to stop by for a little bit on his way home from his office.”
“To check out the strange man in your house?”
She relaxed a little when she saw the twinkle in his eye.
“Got it in one. Sorry about that but—” She lifted her hands helplessly and let them fall. “I haven’t really given you the entire lowdown on my family and I suppose I should.”
“If they make you unhappy then damn right I want to know about it. It’s bad enough for you that the bloodsuckers are still camped outside your doorstep and the damn stalker keeps calling. You don’t need added stress. So let’s talk about your family and why they’re giving you a problem.”
Taking her hand, he tugged her over to the big armchair and sat down with her in his lap. Lauren wanted to just sink into him and pretend that nothing else existed. She loved inhaling his male scent and feeling the heat of his body. With his arms around her she could almost pretend the craziness didn’t exist.
“I think it’s always been like this,” she told him, leaning against his shoulder. “Ever since I discovered my…gift. My mother hated it. Hated her mother who also was a healer. She stopped talking to her mother when Nonnie helped me realize the abilities I had.”
“What about your dad?”
She shrugged. “He doesn’t understand it, so he supports my mother. Keeps trying to tell me to stop all this woo-woo stuff.”
“But you’re his daughter,” Troy protested.
“I know, and it hurts. But my mother is his wife.”
His big hand was stroking her back in soothing motions. “And your brother? I gather that was him you were talking to.”
“Yeah. H
e’s okay. He and Lissa, his wife, are really supportive of me but they kind of walk a tightrope between me and our parents. Not a comfortable place to be in.”
“He wanted you to come and stay with him,” Troy guessed.
“He said, but I think he was secretly relieved when I turned him down. They live a very conservative lifestyle, just like my folks. All of this is hard for them to deal with.”
Troy’s hand tightened on her for a moment. “Do they know about your stalker?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t tell them. They’d freak and create an impossible situation.” She gave a nervous laugh. “Anyway, it seems Geoff’s more worried about someone staying here he knows nothing about. He doesn’t know Mark and Faith well. He’s only met them a couple of times, and he’s trying to play parents and big brother at the same time.”
He shifted and his hand came up to cup her chin, turning her face toward him. “And you, Lauren? How do you feel? Am I making you uncomfortable by being here? Are you nervous?”
She smiled at him. “No. At least not now. I admit I was a little at first when you walked in yesterday.” She wet her lips. “Part of it was because I felt such an unexpected connection to you.” She dropped her gaze. “I haven’t had the best luck with men in my life. My family keeps telling me it’s because I make poor choices. That a lot of them are just curious about my gifts.” She made a rude noise. “They come on so nicely, then like to brag about how they…slept with the crazy woman.”
She felt the tension race through his body at her words then slowly relax. “I hope you don’t put me in that category.”
“Oh Troy, no. I haven’t known you long at all but I told you I feel that connection, my inner senses telling me you’re different than all the others. Besides, you said you’d worked with healers before and you know I’m not nuts.”
“It’s a lot more than that, Lauren. Forty-eight hours ago, neither of us even knew the other existed. Now I feel as if we’ve been together forever.” His gaze darkened. “Am I wrong in thinking you feel the same way?”
She shook her head. “I told you. People say danger escalates things, and I think they’re right.”
