***
Neil
Neil opened his email and downloaded the file. As his printer began spitting out pages of information, he started to read. Foster care. Foster mother accused of killing a woman who wanted her children back. Never convicted. Questioned by the police in Germany for the disappearance of a local man he was friends with. No evidence to arrest him. Shit. Is this guy a serial killer?
Neil waited for Kate’s call, busying himself with the work piled up on his desk. He had several cases to prepare for.
His phone buzzed. “Baby, where are you right now?”
“I’m on my way home. Dr. Cox’s office is only a few miles away from my place.”
“You said Roger talks to you all the time. Does that mean he might be home right now?”
“He’s most likely working right now. Why?”
“Roger has been questioned in Germany for the disappearance of a man. There was no evidence to arrest him,” Neil said with a worried tone in his voice.
Kate gasped. “The mother of Roger’s son, Jacob, is from Germany. I don’t know how they met. Maybe he was living there. Oh, I remember him saying he was stationed in Germany when he was in the Army. This isn’t good. Neil, this feels very bad.”
“Roger’s foster mother was also questioned in the disappearance of a woman years ago. He might have been involved or maybe he saw her kill the woman. This is a very dangerous situation. I’m coming over as soon as I can. Text me your address.”
“Okay, I’ll see you when you get here.”
***
Kate
She pulled up and parked. Thankfully, Roger’s car wasn’t there. She knew she could get into her apartment without having to talk to him, which was such a relief. Once inside her apartment, she pulled a chair over from the dining room and wedged it under the door handle. That gave her a little peace of mind. She tried to study while waiting for Neil or Charlie to arrive. But it was useless. Her mind was preoccupied with the possible serial killer next door. Time seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace. When would Neil get here? She busied herself with mundane chores like emptying the dishwasher and dusting the furniture.
There was a knock at the door. “Kate, it’s me,” she heard Neil’s voice calling out to her.
Thank God. She raced to the door and opened it to let him in. As soon as she closed it behind him, he pulled her into his arms and held on to her tightly. They stood like that for a long time, holding each other. He began to kiss her neck and face.
“Baby, I can’t take this. I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, but I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you. You have awakened feelings in me I buried long ago. I’ve fallen for you.” With that pronouncement, his mouth found hers. He began ravaging her, his tongue possessing hers. His hands reached down and cupped her firm ass. “Where’s your bedroom? I need you so much. Now.”
“I need you too,” she murmured, leading the way to her room. He shut the door once they were inside. When she turned to face him, he’d already taken off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. She helped him remove his tie and placed his jacket and tie on the chair at her desk. His shirt was almost off by the time she turned around. She finished unbuttoning it for him and slid it off of his broad shoulders. He undid his belt and unzipped his pants at the same time. She slid his pants down his sexy hips. All he had on now were his boxers. She gazed at him with admiration. He was a glorious sight to behold.
“Take your clothes off,” he directed, his eyes wild with passion. She lifted her shirt over her head and slipped off her flip-flops. She was standing before him in her bra and denim shorts. Neil came at her, pulling the fabric of her bra under her breasts, effectively thrusting her breasts forward.
“Kate, you’re so beautiful.” He began licking the nipple of one breast while gently pulling the other. While he did this, she unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts and scooted them down her curvy hips. They fell to the floor. He started trailing kisses down her abs until he was kneeling on the floor to help her lift her feet out from under her shorts. There she was with this Greek god staring up at her, his eyes raging with desire. He unhooked her bra and slipped it down her arms. His breathing escalated. He practically charged her and threw her down on the bed. He took off her lacy black thong and found her bare bundle.
“Mm,” he said, looking at her. He slid his finger into her and then pulled it up to her clit. He started rubbing her clit with her own sticky juices. “Oh, Kate! You’re always so wet for me,” he said, breathing heavily. “Play with your breasts. I want to see you make your nipples hard.”
She began touching and squeezing her nipples.
“Oh, yeah! That’s it!”
Then he spread her apart and placed his beautiful mouth on her, his tongue swirling around in circles. He slipped two fingers inside her and slowly moved them in and out, over and over again. She squirmed under his intense onslaught until it became too much and she had an earth-shattering orgasm. She screamed loudly, calling out his name. Neil quickly went to his pants pocket and took out a condom.
“I wish you were on the pill. I don’t want anything to be between us.”
“Well, actually, I am on the pill. I got on it a few years back when David and I…” She trailed off.
“You’re still on it?” he asked, his voice filled with hope.
“Yes, it became a habit and I kept taking it. I thought it was a good idea for us to use condoms since we don’t know each other that well.”
“Baby, I’ve used condoms faithfully ever since I became sexually active. The only woman I ever didn’t wear one with was Elizabeth. I think it’s safe to say we can ditch the condoms. Is that okay with you?” he asked.
“Yes.” Was there anything she wouldn’t do for him?
Neil didn’t say another word. He didn’t have to. The elation on his face said it all. He got on the bed and moved her on top of him. She took a hold of his shaft and slipped him deep into her sopping wet slit. She began moving up and down and his hips met her with great force. “Oh, God, you feel…so unbelievably…amazing. It’s so much better without a condom.” She could tell he enjoyed the view as she slid him in and out of her. She loved to be on top, being in control. She was riding him hard. Watching her breasts bounce up and down seemed to be a huge turn on for him. He pulled on her nipples while she rubbed her clit. The pleasure was incredible. She knew she’d come this way—between the pounding of his hardness, the squeezing of her nipples, and the stroking of her clit, it was the perfect recipe for a mind-blowing orgasm. It didn’t take long. The pressure began to mount and she screamed out his name.
When it came time to explode inside of her, he flipped her around so he could be on top. He knew how she liked it, sliding in and out while sucking and biting her nipples. He made her come a couple of more times in that position, making sure she was completely overwhelmed by him every time they made love. He picked up speed and kissed her furiously until he erupted inside of her.
As he finished, she heard Charlie and Mitch come home. They were in the living room talking. “Kate, are you here?” Charlie called out, obviously seeing her door was closed.
“Yeah, we’ll be right out,” she called back.
“We,” Mitch said. “It sounds like our little Katie is entertaining in her bedroom. Maybe we should barge in and see what they’re up to.”
“Oh, Mitch, you’re terrible,” Charlie said, but her voice was flirtatious.
“Sweetie, don’t start something you can’t finish right now,” he said. “You know what that does to me!”
“Yeah, baby, I know,” Charlie said.
Kate could hear everything they said to each other, so she knew they could hear her and Neil as well. They dressed quickly. She emerged from her bedroom with Neil following. It was not hard to tell what they had been doing behind closed doors, besides the fact she wobbled while she walked from Neil’s sensational lovemaking. God, the man is hot.
“Neil, this is my best fr
iend Charlie and her boyfriend Mitch. Charlie, Mitch, this is my…” She didn’t know what to call him. They hadn’t discussed it.
Neil cleared his throat. “I’m her boyfriend, Neil. It’s good to meet both of you. Kate has told me all about you.”
Mitch stuck out his hand to shake Neil’s. “Well, we’ve heard about you as well. You better take good care of our Katie,” Mitch stated with a serious stare.
“I intend to. She has become very special to me. She’s safe with me,” Neil retorted, wrapping an arm around Kate.
“Neil, you’ll have to forgive my boyfriend’s rudeness. He’s very protective of Kate. You see, Mitch and David were best friends…” Charlie trailed off.
“No problem. You can never have too many people in your life looking out for you,” Neil said.
“Speaking of people looking out for me, things have escalated with Roger,” Kate said.
“What’s going on?” Charlie asked.
“When he didn’t see me come home last night, he texted me. He was worried about me.”
“What? That goes way beyond a crush,” Charlie said, growing angry. “Did you text him back, ‘it’s none of your business’?”
“Well, I sent a text that I was fine. I didn’t feel it was a good idea to upset him. He seems obsessed with me and I really don’t want to piss him off because I don’t know what he’s capable of doing. Here, let’s all sit down. We have quite a bit to talk about,” Kate said, motioning everyone to the living room. The hallway was way too crowded with all four of them standing there. Charlie and Mitch sat together on the loveseat and Kate and Neil took the sofa.
“I had a thorough background check done on Roger,” Neil said. “It turns out he’s the primary suspect in the disappearance of Rick Holloway. Rick was Roger’s best friend and Roger was having an affair with his wife. He was also questioned by police in Germany for the disappearance of a man there. It sounds like he could be very dangerous,” Neil said, putting his arm around Kate.
“What the hell!” Charlie said. “This is crazy. I thought he had a raging crush on you. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it could be anything like this.”
“I know. We need to come up with a plan,” Kate said emphatically.
“I already have a plan. You should move in with me,” Neil said forcefully. “You’re not going to be safe until you’re away from him.”
“Yeah, but he knows where I work and go to school. Moving’s one thing, but I have to work and I want to get my degree. I can’t give him this much power over my life.”
“I’ll move in with the girls,” Mitch said. “I think it’s the best solution right now. I already stay over a couple of nights a week anyway. Plus, Charlie and I have been talking about taking the next step, so this is a win-win,” he said, planting a kiss on Charlie’s hand.
Kate could tell Neil wasn’t thrilled with this suggestion, but it was the one she’d choose. She knew he wanted her to be with him, that he wanted to be her protector. She liked these ideas, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to move so fast.
“That’s a great idea,” Kate and Charlie said together.
“Great minds think alike,” Mitch said.
“Okay, well I guess this is a good short-term plan we can all live with,” Neil said. “Kate, you can stay over at my place any time you want. But, for the long term, you’re probably going to have to move. Your presence here is an encouragement to him. He’s not going to stop if he’s obsessed with you.”
Neil’s words hung in the air for a moment. This could have a very tragic ending if she didn’t do things the right way.
“You have a good point, Neil. Let’s see what happens with Mitch moving in and go from there. I can always move out and tell Roger that Charlie and Mitch wanted their privacy. I don’t know.”
***
Neil
Neil realized he had his work cut out for him if he was going to convince Kate to move in with him. He knew it was way too soon, but he’d already fallen in love with her. Now, with this whole Roger thing, he was going to have to be patient and not push her too hard. But he wanted her in his bed every night. He wanted all sorts of things from her. These thoughts surprised him a little.
“You’re looking quite weary, my beauty. Let’s all go out and get something to eat and have a couple of glasses of wine. What do you say?” Neil said, beginning to stand. He felt a strong desire to get in control of their evening.
“Sounds great. I need a minute to change clothes,” Kate said. “Charlie, would you help me pick out something to wear?”
“Sure, hon.”
The two girls went to Kate’s room, leaving Neil and Mitch alone.
“This gives us a chance to talk,” Mitch said, sizing Neil up. “If you make her cry again, I’m going to pummel you, dude. Kate’s been through too much already.”
“I know. I felt terrible about what happened. Fortunately the situation created an atmosphere of openness and trust because we had to be real with each other. We’ve both lost someone we loved very much. Being able to share with each other has created a strong bond between us.”
Mitch rubbed his forehead. “Man, I’m sorry. Who did you lose, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I lost my wife. We’d been together for years, but she died only a few weeks after we were married. She had cancer.”
“Wow, man, shit. That’s tough. It seems you and Kate finding each other is just what the doctor ordered. She’s a great woman. I know she made David very happy, and she’s such an amazing friend to both me and Charlie.”
“Sounds like you and David were very close.”
Mitch nodded. “He was my best friend since we were in the fourth grade. We lived next door to each other. Losing him was quite a blow for all of us. He was so young.” He sighed. “It made me realize how short life really is. I’ve watched Kate barely exist over the last couple of years. With you, she seems alive again, like her old self. It’s great to see her this way. She deserves to be happy.”
“Believe me, I want her to be happy. She’s brought me back to life too.”
Kate and Charlie came back in the living room laughing. “We’re ready to go,” Kate announced.
“Great! What’s good around here?” Neil asked.
“Marco’s is delicious. I think we could use some good old-fashioned Italian comfort food. What do you say?”
Everyone agreed. Charlie and Mitch rode together in his car and Kate and Neil took his. On the drive over, Neil had an idea. “Baby, why don’t you spend the next few nights at my place? You or Charlie can tell Roger your mom needed you and you’re staying with her a few days.”
Kate thought for a moment. “I love it. Great idea. I like how you think, counselor,” she said, suggestively rubbing his thigh with her hand.
Neil was so distracted he nearly rear-ended the car in front of them. “Baby, I need to concentrate on the road, although I love the direction you were headed in.”
“I’m sorry, counselor. Turn left up ahead on 55th. Marco’s is around the corner.”
Neil was quite satisfied with himself that he’d gotten his way. Perhaps he could convince her to stay longer than a couple of days once they were together back at his place. He was willing to pull out all of the stops. Not having her in his life wasn’t an option.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking, counselor,” Kate said. “I know you’re working at getting your way and having me move in with you. I’m beginning to realize how your mind works.”
Neil’s huge smile reached his eyes. “If you only knew, baby. If you only knew.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kate
Kate stayed at Neil’s house for three nights. She noticed Mark wasn’t in class Wednesday or Thursday. On Friday, the police were on campus. Mark’s family had filed a missing person report. No one had seen him since Tuesday after class. The detective went to both of the classes she shared with Mark and asked if anyone knew of his whereabouts. At first it
didn’t register with her she could’ve been the last person to see Mark, but when she heard Officer Segura’s questions during her second class, she decided to follow him out and talk to him.
“Officer Segura, my name’s Kate Simmons,” she said, putting her hand out to shake his.
“What can I do for you, Miss Simmons? Do you have some information about Mark?”
“Yes, I do. Mark came over to my apartment after class on Tuesday. We spoke for a few minutes and he left. That was the last I saw him. It dawned on me I might be one of the last people to see him before he disappeared.”
“I see. What was your relationship with Mark?”
“We were classmates and friends.”
“Why did he go to your apartment on Tuesday?”
“Well, actually, he followed me home without my knowledge. He was upset I’m dating someone he knows and he wanted to warn me. We talked briefly and he left.”
“Did you see anyone else talk to him or follow him?”
“The only person I can think of is my next-door neighbor, Roger Wilkins. They met each other when we were walking up the stairs.”
“Roger Wilkins, you said?” Officer Segura asked, writing down the name.
“Yes, Roger Wilkins,” she said, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.
“Okay, I need you to write down your name, address, and phone number right here,” he said, handing Kate his clipboard. “We’ll be in touch. I’d like for you to come to the station in the next day or so to give a formal statement. Is there anything else you can remember?”
“No, but I do have one more piece of potentially relevant information. I think Roger might be obsessed with me. He knows my comings and goings. His door’s open all the time and he’s always trying to get me to come in and have a drink with him. One night, when I didn’t come home, he texted me to see if I was okay. He questions me a lot about what I am doing and with whom I’m doing it.”
Fallen For You (Killer Next Door #1) Page 16
