“Playing fair isn’t in my nature. I play to win.” Neil trailed kisses down her neck, and her breathing hitched. He pulled her off of the barstool, tilted her head back, and engulfed her mouth with his, ravaging her. His hands roamed her body freely. She could feel her desire for him rising. The intensity of his kiss swept her off her feet.
“I’ll stay,” she whispered in his ear before she bit his earlobe. So much for slowing down.
***
Kate woke up feeling overheated; Neil had his arm and leg draped over her. She gently moved him off of her and got up to go to the bathroom, and he rolled over. A glance at the clock revealed it was close to six o’clock, when she usually woke up. She felt a little guilty about playing hooky from school, but at least she didn’t have to work today. In some ways, she was grateful to be able to avoid Mark for another day, but she was going to have to see him tomorrow. Well, she’d think about that then.
She went downstairs to get something to drink. The sun was coming up, and the terrace was beginning to light up with the brilliant colors radiating from the sunrise. Famished, she decided to start some coffee and see what Neil had on hand for breakfast. Looking through the fridge, she found eggs, pepper jack cheese, red bell pepper, and mushrooms—all excellent ingredients for an omelet. She also found a loaf of sourdough bread in the breadbasket.
Before starting breakfast, she decided to check her phone for messages. She’d texted Charlie last night to let her know she wasn’t coming home, so she expected to have a reply from her, which she did.
But she didn’t expect the text she read after Charlie’s.
Roger Wilkins: Where r you? I am worried sick. Pls call me. Roger
She stood there, frozen, staring at her phone. How in the hell did he know she wasn’t home? What made him think she’d have to check in with him? She was so engrossed with her thoughts, she barely heard Neil as he approached. She looked up at him with disbelief in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning.
“I read an unsettling text.”
“Did Mark have the nerve to text you?”
“No, it’s from my apartment building manager, Roger.”
“What? Why would Roger be texting you? Has he ever texted you before?”
“No. Never. His text said he’s worried I didn’t come home.”
“Are you two good friends or something?”
“Not really. He lives right across from us, and his door’s always open. He talks to me every day when I come home. I’m beginning to feel like he’s monitoring me. When he saw me with the flowers you sent me, he questioned me about them. He was waiting for me when I came home from our date on Friday night. I saw him last night, too, when I got home. It seems like he’s always there, watching for me. I thought he was being friendly, but this goes way beyond friendly.”
Neil scowled. “I don’t like this guy observing you. I’ve seen this before in stalker cases…” He hesitated, but Kate could fill in the blanks. She had heard the stories too. Obsessed men who carried around pictures of their victims. Victims they claimed to love, but eventually killed out of their own confused passion and immense desire to control and possess. She shivered. “It sounds like I need to meet this guy,” he growled. “I don’t like that he’s so interested in you.”
“Neither do I. He’s creeping me out. Do you think I should text him back?”
“Yes, you’re going to have to text him to lower his defenses. If he’s obsessed with you, then he could become dangerous. We’ll have to make it a point to spend some time at your place this week. I’m sure I can discourage him.” Neil wrapped his hands around her shoulders. His voice full of false cheer, he said, “You’re looking mighty fine this morning.”
She had slipped on his white shirt before going downstairs, while he was wearing nothing but his silky black boxers. She gazed at his powerfully built body. He probably only had five percent body fat. He was beyond exquisite, with defined muscles that she hadn’t even known existed. He had a gleam in his eye as he looked down at her. She smiled up at him. She could see his desire for her mounting in his boxers.
“Thank you. You’re looking quite fine yourself,” she said, putting her hands on his bare chest. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Oh, I’m hungry, my beauty,” he said with a lascivious smile. “But it’s too early for food. You’re the only sustenance I want or need.” He pulled her close, her body melding with his. He took her cell phone out of her hands and placed it on the counter. “We can talk more about this later. Right now, I want to take you upstairs and forget all about communicating with the outside world. The only communication I want is with you.” He took her hand and led her upstairs.
***
Kate had started breakfast before texting Roger. Her fingers shook as she pressed the buttons on her cell phone to text him back. Careful wording was critical for this text. She realized setting him off could be a mistake of epic proportions. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she pushed the send button. Goosebumps appeared on her arms. Her heart pounded ferociously as if it’d burst through her chest and land on the granite countertop. How was she going to handle him? This was obviously more than a crush. News stories about stalking victims flooded her mind. All of a sudden, she looked down and realized she was beginning to burn the omelets. She turned the heat down on the stove.
Her phone lit up with a response to her text.
Roger Wilkins: Glad u r ok. Where r u?
Kate decided the best thing to do was lie. She didn’t want him to know her business.
Kate Simmons: At my mom’s. She’s sick.
Roger Wilkins: Hope she feels better. When r u coming home?
Kate Simmons: Tonight. See you then. Gotta go.
Her heart had jumped up into her throat and she began shaking. She didn’t understand why he was so interested in her. She hadn’t flirted with him or given him any reason to think she liked him.
Neil was making a phone call from his office. It was mid-morning. They had spent a couple of hours “communicating” in bed and had fallen back asleep. “What’s Roger’s last name?” he called to her.
“Wilkins,” she yelled back, wondering who he was talking to.
“Get me everything on Roger Wilkins…good.” He ended his call and came into the great room. “Did you text him back?”
“Yes. He had the nerve to ask me where I am. I told him I stayed at my mom’s house.”
“Damn, he’s really nosy. I don’t want you to worry. Trust me, I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he said, pulling her close.
Kate looked into Neil’s eyes and knew he meant it. “Thank you, Neil. He has a girlfriend. I don’t know what he wants with me.”
“If he’s obsessed with you, there’s no method to his madness. Let’s have some food and try to relax.”
“Good idea. Breakfast is ready,” she said, nuzzling his neck.
“It smells amazing. I am famished from all of our communicating,” he said with a devilish smile.
“Well, I must say you’re an expert communicator,” she said, blushing.
“Well, good communication is very important, my beauty.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” She laughed.
She handed him a plate with an omelet and toast on it. He motioned toward the terrace. She’d poured them each a cup of coffee. They carried their food and coffee out to eat in the warmth of the day. His view of the Pacific Ocean was spectacular. The sky was so clear Kate felt like she could see forever.
“Why did you want Roger’s last name?”
“I’m having Jack from the office do a background check on him. I want to know more about this guy who’s so interested in my girl.”
“Mitch, Charlie’s boyfriend, already did a background check on him. Nothing unusual came up.” She took a bite of her omelet and moaned. The cheese complemented the vegetables perfectly.
“Well, I have access to sources the average person doesn’t have,
” Neil said, spreading butter on his toast.
“Sounds intriguing, Neil. Did you do a background check on me?” she asked.
“Of course not, baby. I didn’t want to use a computer to check you out. I wanted to use these bad boys,” he said, showing her his hands. They both laughed.
“Ah, well, you seem to have done an explicit background and front ground check on me,” she said, winking and smiling.
“Well, trust me, I’m not done yet. I need to gather much more intelligence on you.” He kissed her on the neck.
Shivers ran down her spine. She felt happy, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. They continued eating breakfast and enjoying each other’s company. When they were done, they brought their plates into the kitchen.
“So, what’s this surprise you have planned?” she asked, her eyes lit with anticipation.
“Follow me. It’s downstairs in my storage unit next to the garage,” he said, taking her hand. Kate followed Neil to the garage. Her interest was piqued. She couldn’t wait to see what this sexy man had planned for her. This was shaping up to be an interesting day. They walked through the hallway to the storage units. Neil took out his key and unlocked the door. He opened it, revealing two kayaks and paddles.
“When you told me you kayaked, I bought these thinking we could do it together,” he said, looking as excited as a child on Christmas morning. Kate stood there, staring at the kayaks. The last time she’d been in one—she shuddered at the thought. How was she going to get out of this without telling Neil about that terrible day? He’d most likely think she was crazy and never want to see her again. She started to back away from the kayaks and Neil.
A puzzled look came over his face. “Baby, what’s wrong? I thought this would make you happy. You said you enjoyed kayaking.”
“I used to, but not anymore.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Can we go back upstairs?”
“Sure, but I need you to tell me what’s going on. Why are you so upset? I’m at a loss here. Don’t shut me out again.”
“I’ll explain upstairs.” Their elevator ride was silent. Neil’s furrowed brow indicated he was racking his brain in an effort to figure out how this had gone sideways. She needed to give him an explanation. They entered his apartment and sat down on the sectional facing each other.
He took her hand. He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “You can trust me,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m here for you. I want more than to be inside your beautiful body. I want you to let me inside of your heart.”
Kate looked into his big, gorgeous eyes. “It’s hard to explain. Only my family and very closest friends know. It’s so painful…” She stopped herself mid-sentence. He stroked her hair with his hand, waiting patiently.
“Kate, we’ve both been through hard times. That’s part of being human. No one makes it through life unscathed. Please let me in. Tell me why you’re so upset.” He kissed her softly on the lips.
“I’m afraid telling you is going to ruin everything,” she said, sighing heavily.
“That’s impossible. Can’t you tell I’m crazy about you? There’s nothing you can say that’s going to change my feelings. Just tell me. I need you to tell me,” he pleaded, a little frustration seeping into his tone.
“Well, David’s mom blamed me for his death and wouldn’t let me attend his funeral.” She stopped for a moment, feeling the tears well up.
“That was so unfair of her,” he said tenderly.
“Well, the day he was going to be lowered into the ground, I took my kayak out. David and I went kayaking every chance we could. It made me feel close to him to kayak. But I kept paddling farther and farther out. I was a mess, crying and yelling at God for taking David away from me. I paddled for what seemed like hours. When I was in the middle of nowhere, and certain no one would find me, I decided I was going to join David. I didn’t want to live in a world where he no longer existed—especially when it was my fault he was dead.”
Tears spilled out of her eyes. It was way too soon to be telling him this, but here she was sitting on his lap, sharing her darkest secret.
“Please go on,” he said, his eyes soft and gentle.
“I was resigned to die out in the ocean. Then I saw a fin emerge from the water. It was off in the distance. I thought it might be a shark at first, but it wasn’t. It was a dolphin. David and I always talked about how seeing a dolphin out in the wild was a good omen, a lucky sign; at least it was to us. The dolphin swam right up to the kayak. It stuck its head out of the water and started making noises. In that moment, it felt like David had sent the dolphin to me to tell me not to give up.”
“Wow,” Neil said, nuzzling her neck. “Thank God for dolphins. Then what happened?”
“I realized what I was doing was irrational and I’d be hurting a lot of people, like people were hurting over losing David. So I turned the kayak around and started paddling. But I was so far out and I was exhausted from my physical exertion and my emotional state. I hadn’t brought my phone, so I had no way to communicate with anyone. I paddled until my arms felt like jelly, but I was still really far from shore.” She took in a deep breath. He was still holding her and she felt safe in his arms.
“Off in the distance, I saw the Coast Guard. They were heading toward me. A fisherman had seen me from his boat and thought it was strange I was so far out so he radioed them. The Coast Guard rescued me. I was sunburned and dehydrated. The paramedics took me to the hospital and my mom was called. She was really distraught, but she didn’t want to talk about the specifics of what happened. She kept telling me over and over how selfish I was for doing such a stupid thing.” She felt exhausted talking about this. She put her head on his shoulder. He kept holding her.
“I haven’t gone kayaking since. My mom got rid of my kayak while I was in the hospital. I stayed in the psychiatric wing for a few days. They wanted to make sure I was stable. That’s where I met Dr. Cox. He’s helped me over the last couple of years to process and grieve. I was seeing him once a week, but recently I’ve been able to cut back to every other week.”
Neither of them said anything for a long moment. He held her, gently stroking her hair. Then he picked her up and placed her on the sectional so he could look into her eyes.
“Kate, you were struck with grief. It’s understandable you did what you did. I’m so grateful you’re okay. You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said, caressing her face with his hand. “Grief’s a very powerful emotion, and it affects everyone differently. Plus, you had the added guilt from David’s mother. She was wrong to blame you. What happened was an accident. It was completely out of your control. You have to believe that. It’s not your fault. Tell me you believe it’s not your fault.”
Kate looked down at her hands. In a soft voice, she said, “It’s taken the last two and a half years meeting with Dr. Cox and working on myself for me to accept it was an accident. But there’s still a part of me that feels responsible. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to shake it. I’ve realized this has dramatically shaped my life. It seems I’ve been frozen, going through the motions of living to get by. That’s why I dropped out of college. I couldn’t handle everything. I also avoided men like the plague. It was way too much to even consider having someone in my life.”
Neil sat there caressing her hand. He stayed quiet for several moments. “Do you feel you’re ready to have someone in your life now?” he finally asked.
Kate looked into his eyes. She smiled up at him through her lashes. “I wasn’t sure if I was ready until I met you.”
The look in his eyes suddenly blazed with intense desire. “That’s what I wanted to hear.” He sighed. Moving toward her on the sectional, he covered her body like a blanket. His mouth devoured hers, his tongue stroking hers while his hand made its way to the apex of her thighs. He slipped his hand inside her panties and began rubbing the folds of tender flesh he’d become so acquainted with over the past couple of days. His finger made its way inside her
. “Oh, you’re so wet for me. I love how you feel. Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to make love to me right here, right now.” Her voice was breathy and uneven.
“Your wish is my command,” he said as he slipped down to the floor and spread her legs apart. He smelled her first and groaned. “You smell delicious.” Then his tongue was on her clit. Kate tried to squirm under the intensity of the pleasure, but his forearms were resting on her thighs, holding her legs open. His tongue was relentless, circling around her clit over and over and over. The pressure deep down was mounting as his talented tongue made her riper for his invasion. He inserted a finger into her. She let out a moan. “Neil,” she said with anguish in her voice.
“I know, baby. I’m right here and I’m all yours. Give me what I want,” he commanded as he continued swirling his tongue around and around while his finger slid slowly in and out.
With those words, Kate came hard and loud, stuttering his name. Her orgasm happened so suddenly and she was lost in the decadence of this man between her legs. She vaguely heard him open the drawer to the coffee table. He took out a foil packet, tore it open and unrolled it over himself.
Neil pulled her hips down toward the end of the cushion. “Baby, I can’t wait. I need to be inside of you,” he said as he filled her, stretching her. She let out a moan. “God! You feel so good. I want you so badly. Tell me what I want to hear.” He slid in and out of her sweet slit.
“I’m all yours, Neil. I only want you.” Kate stared intently into his eyes.
“Yeah. That’s right. You belong to me and I’m never letting you go. Tell me again that you’re mine.”
“I’m yours, baby.”
Neil came hard, releasing every drop he’d stored up.
***
The early afternoon sun shone through the terrace doors, filling the great room with a warm yellow glow. It was already two o’clock. Kate was utterly exhausted from all the sharing and unbelievable sex over the last two days. In the downstairs bathroom, she stared at herself in the mirror. Somehow, she felt changed. She felt different about herself and her life. Being with Neil had sparked feelings she didn’t know existed. She wrapped her arms around herself momentarily, feeling giddy she’d met such an incredible man. So far, she loved everything about him. Am I in love with him? It sure feels like it. The thought sent sparks throughout her body. She’d been in love before with David, but it was a love that had simmered over time. What was happening with Neil had nothing to do with simmering. It was a blazing inferno. Its heat and intensity consumed her, making her surrender to him.
Fallen For You (Killer Next Door #1) Page 14
