“I can’t take it anymore,” he said. His strength easily allowed him to extract Josie from her loving worship and place her on her back.
It took no more than a couple of seconds to slide on the condom; but before he bulldozed his way into her, he reminded himself to take his time, to extend the pleasure for as long as he could.
But he wanted to take her now. While his needs and his wants warred within him, it was Josie who made the final decision. “I need you,” she whispered. He thanked her by claiming her soft lips for another deep and intimate kiss...and, simultaneously, eased into her moist cave.
Josie tore her mouth away to gasp at just how well and perfect he fit. When he rocked slowly inside of her, she lifted and locked her legs around his hips. In no time, they found their own rhythm and lost themselves in the splendor of the other.
She was the first to utter a strangled exclamation as she was pulled into a vortex of euphoria.
Feeling her body tense around him, William picked up his tempo and coaxed her with erotic talk to give in to her building climax.
This time as she cried out her release, it felt as if she’d shattered into a million pieces, but then just as suddenly she was more whole than she had ever been.
Moments later, a strong force gripped William and extracted a roar from him that undoubtedly filled the entire house.
Josie wrapped her arms lovingly around him as if sensing his moment of vulnerability. For a few seconds, his body quaked with aftershocks while their hearts thundered against one another.
They held each other, enjoying their quiet intimacy and treasuring it like a precious jewel.
All too soon the real world, complete with its problems, started to creep back into Josie’s thoughts. What in the hell was she doing?
As if he’d heard her thoughts, William turned his head and peppered the side of her face with light kisses. Gradually, she became aware of the strain in her splayed thighs. Lord, was she ready for another round? Despite his growing erection, he seemed to be content to kiss, cuddle, and wipe every bad thought from her head. And thank goodness, it was working.
In some strange way, Josie found that being in William’s arms erased the past sixteen years. Their bodies welcomed each other home like the separation had been no longer than a few hours. Josie wondered how that was possible. “I never thought I would have the chance to hold you like this again,” William whispered. “You feel so good.” “I’m having a hard time believing this night as well,” she said. He leaned over onto an elbow. He stared down at her face, which was bathed in moonlight. “Any regrets?” “Plenty.” William frowned.
A slow sardonic smile curved Josie’s lips. “But none about tonight,” she added, and then watched him visibly relax. “I guess I don’t have to ask you the same question?” “No regrets.” He kissed her. “Tonight was perfect. And it’s just beginning.” She chuckled. “How is it that you just happen to have condoms with you?” “What can I say? I’m a boy scout through and through. We’re always prepared.” Laughing, she accepted another kiss from him, and then snuggled closer. “I love you, Josie,” he confessed out of the blue. “I always have and I always will.”
Josie closed her eyes and became alarmingly still in his arms. Making love was one thing, but opening her heart was another. Love meant trust and how could she trust anyone again?
“I know that you love me, too,” he said, as if he didn’t notice the change in her body. “You might not be able to say the words, but I felt how your body responded to me.”
He kissed the lobe of her ear and chipped at the wall she was already beginning to rebuild. “The body never lies,” he murmured, and lifted his head. “And neither do your eyes.”
She met his gaze and was propelled to a new level of defenselessness. She forced herself to look away, but could only do so for a few seconds before her gaze returned to his magnetic presence.
Slowly, his head descended. Both kept their eyes opened as their lips met.
“Say it,” he urged, lifting his head once again. “Say you love me.”
Don’t you dare! His head dipped again, but this time his soft lips drew a taut nipple into his mouth. She felt the playful flick of his tongue and her insides melted instantly. “I’m still waiting,” he said, moving to the other breast.
Don’t say it.
“You’re not going to tell me anything I don’t already know,” he said.
She shook her head as tears swelled in her eyes.
William inched lower, igniting fires within as he went. “I love you, Josie,” he whispered and kissed her abdomen. “I love you, Josie.” He kissed her belly button.
Don’t say it!
“I love you, Josie.” He nudged her legs open.
Don’t! “I love you, Josie.” He kissed her inner thighs. Tears slid from her eyes while her lips trembled. “I love you, Josie,” he said, locking his arms around her hips and sinking his tongue deep within her.
She gasped as she arched her body and was once again thrown back into that new world of pleasure. For hours, William wore down her defenses, and she was mindless to everything else around her. By the time dawn approached, Josie feared that her heart had finally returned to its rightful owner.
Chapter 25
Ming felt terrible that she’d fallen asleep during her husband’s hot-oil body rub. Its dual purpose was to relax her and initiate foreplay. Well, one out of two wasn’t too bad, she thought.
Like most mornings, she woke to the rich aroma of fresh, brewed coffee and the sizzle of turkey bacon. Lord, where would she be without her domestic husband?
Climbing out of bed, Ming shivered in the room’s cool air. It would’ve been okay if she’d slept in her thermal underwear like she’d wanted to, but since she’d planned to have sex, she was stuck in some useless satin garb that made her colder than the room itself.
“The things women do for men.”
Once beneath the shower’s blast of hot water, Ming’s thoughts returned to her work; particularly to Michelle Andrews and how the woman had her hands in quite a few cookie jars.
Andrews was Daniel Thornton’s last known girlfriend and she was also a longtime mistress of Dr. Ambrose Turner. Both men were dead.
And where was the real Josephine Ferrell?
She probably needed to face the fact that there was a strong chance they wouldn’t find Josephine. Ming exhaled and dipped her head into the steaming water.
So far, the likely scenario was either Andrews or Dr. Turner killed Thornton, Bancroft, and Ferrell. With Ferrell gone, Andrews could switch identities with her reclusive sister without anyone being the wiser.
The plan had a few sparks of brilliance, but the execution was entirely too sloppy. Of course, at the moment, she couldn’t prove any of it.
Ming reached for her half-empty bottle of Herbal Essence and wondered how she was going to paste this puzzle together. She squeezed a quarter of shampoo into her hand and gently worked her hair into a thick lather.
“Fingerprints,” she whispered. Somehow, she needed to get Michelle’s fingerprints. “Oh, that should be easy,” she said sarcastically.
She wasn’t crazy to think that Andrews would simply invite the police back into her home. Ming definitely wasn’t going to convince her superiors to haul Michelle’s butt in without any proof of her theory. She mulled everything over through her rinse cycle and was just applying conditioner when a new idea hit.
#
William woke up still joined to Josie. The fantasy of being able to do this every morning planted hope in his heart. More than ever, he was committed to protect the woman he loved, but he realized that he needed a plan to do just that.
Gazing at her angelic face, he remembered her confession of love and couldn’t help but lean in and capture a kiss. Admitting their feelings was half the battle, he believed, and reclaiming her life would be the other.
Carefully and with great reluctance, he withdrew from her and the bed. While he was in the shower, he
couldn’t help but relive the previous night’s events.
Josie poked her head around the shower curtain. “Any room in there for me?”
A wide smile eased across William’s face. “There’s always room for you.” He slid the curtain back and offered her a hand to step inside. “It’s been a while since we’ve done this.”
Boldly, she stood beneath the showerhead and pressed her nude body against his.
He kissed her and slid his wet, soapy hands down the curves of her butt. When he squeezed, she emitted a soft moan against his lips, and he loved its sound.
He deserted her mouth to make a trail of tiny, biting kisses down the column of her neck and against the curve of her shoulders.
Josie’s moans turned into husky sighs, but it was the gentle way her breasts rubbed against his chest that destroyed his concentration. Her hands began their exploration, and he sucked in a shuttering breath when her soft fingers closed around his throbbing shaft.
He ached against her hand, tormented by a touch that was too light and too knowing. In retaliation, he drew one of her taut nipples through his teeth and then it with lazy strokes of his tongue.
Josie gasped with pleasure. Nobody knew her body the way William did. He stroked, kissed, and loved her the right way.
It wasn’t long before the lover returned soaking wet to the bedroom, and Josie was lost in the rhythm of his caress.
Her hips soon moved against his hand with a sinuous demand that shredded his control. He needed to be inside of her. William slid on another condom and sank gently into her slick passage. When he moved inside her, he did so with slow, deep strokes. It should be a crime for a woman to feel this good.
Josie moaned his name while she kneaded his back with her nails, and her hips matched his grind stroke for stroke. He wanted the moment last forever, but then he felt his control ebb away.
He clasped her waist tightly and accelerated to a faster, wilder ride. William felt her body’s orgasm a fraction before she cried out his name. The passion behind her cry was just enough to pitch him over the edge. His body tensed, and then exploded in ecstasy. When they began, each was on a mission to explore new heights of passion...and they succeeded.
A few hours later, William woke up again and took another shower. He stole another kiss, and then scrambled down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. However, no sooner had he started cleaning up last night’s dinner, than his cell phone rang from a charger off the kitchen counter.
When he scanned the name of the ID screen, he was surprised to read Marcus Hines’s name. Immediately, his heart racked his chest as an endless series of possibilities scrolled through his head. Finally, he shook them away and answered. “Hello.” “Oh, thank goodness I found you.” Relief filled Marcus’s voice. “Please say that you’re still in town.” William hesitated. “I haven’t left the state, if that’s what you mean.” “Perfect. I need another favor.” “Sure, if I can.” It didn’t sound like he was in any sort of trouble. At least Marcus hadn’t started hurling accusations. “We have another situation.” William frowned. “What do you mean?” “Ambrose was killed yesterday. I need you to cut your vacation short and come back to work.” Stunned, William leaned back against the counter. “What happened?” “I’m not sure. They found him and his car in some lake. He’d been shot.” “Shot?” William didn’t understand. Two of their doctors murdered within a week?
“On top of that, Bancroft’s funeral is set for later this week, most of the staff wants to attend, its crazy around here. The only good news is that Brian Bancroft has been stabilized and returned home.”
“That is good news, but back up. What do you mean he was found at the bottom of a lake? How did he get there?”
“No clue, but the police have been combing the place again.”
William struggled to wrap his brain around this new development. “They think that someone at Keystone has something to do with it?”
“I don’t know what they think. I just know I’m on the edge of a heart attack trying to deal with all this. So, can you come in?” “Today?” He moved from the counter and paced the linoleum floor. “If not, at the very least tomorrow?” “Umm...” “I’m begging you, Will. Please do this for me.” “All right,” he said, and then grinded his teeth in regret. “Great. I need you to cover mid-shift. So I’ll see you around noon.” William disconnected the call and cursed under his breath. “Problem?” Josie asked. She was wrapped in a white robe and wore a wide smile as she leaned against the kitchen’s island.
“Hey, you.” The very sight of her lifted his spirits. He returned the cell phone to the charger, and then crossed over to her.
She slid willingly into his arms, and her lips landed warmly on his. Moaning, she glided her arms possessively around his neck and drew him closer.
When their lips at last parted, she remained locked in his embrace. “So who upset you on the phone?”
He hesitated. It suddenly occurred to William that he hadn’t told Josie about the other events that happened the night he’d taken her from Keystone. He hadn’t even told her how he’d orchestrated her kidnapping. “We need to talk.” His arms fell away from her body. Maybe I should put on some coffee.” “Okay.” She frowned and followed him over to the coffeemaker. “Something tells me I need to sit down.” “That might be a good idea.” “That bad?” He retrieved a red can of Folgers from the cabinet. “Yeah.” Suddenly cautious, Josie folded her arms and stepped back. “All right. Let me hear it.” William glanced at her, drew in a breath, and started from the beginning.
She listened, pleased that he’d recognized her the moment he’d laid eyes on her. He recanted how he approached a Dr. Bancroft with his suspicions. “She told you that she’d treated Michelle before?” “Yep. It’s in Michelle’s chart, too, if you still want to take a look at it.” Josie nodded, but urged him to continue.
“Well, I noticed one morning how the cleaning crew seemed to move about the institution without drawing anyone’s attention. It’s like they’re invisible to staff or something.” He finished preparing her coffee the way she liked it and handed it to her. “Anyway, one day I had to take my SUV in for some minor repairs. One of the doctors recommended a shop not too far from the institute. While I was there, I also noticed a few vans belonging to the same cleaning company that did our office. And just like that, I had an idea.”
Josie sipped her coffee as she listened to the rest of the story. But then her heart dropped when she heard about what happened to Dr. Bancroft. “Murdered?”
“Yeah.” He took the first sip of his coffee and exhaled. “I still can’t believe it.”
“It’s kind of an eerie coincidence, don’t you think?” She set down her cup and brushed down the tiny hairs of alarm on her arms. “And now another doctor is dead?” He nodded. “Yeah.” “Do you think that the deaths are connected?” she finally asked. He hesitated again; he even entertained the thought of lying.
“I’m going to take that as a yes,” she answered for him. “It has to be Michelle, surely she knew it was just a matter of time before the doctor realized that I wasn’t her.”
“She seemed pretty convinced when I talked with her.”
“Michelle wouldn’t have known that.”
Suddenly the scars on her wrists itched. “Those guys at the cabin,” she said, meeting his eyes. We know they were sent by Michelle.” “What is she going to do, systematically kill everyone that works at the institute? That’s crazy.” “That’s what we’re dealing with.” He released a hard laugh, but it failed to sound genuine.
Josie didn’t find it so funny. “Look what she’s already done.” She thrust out her wrists. “I’ll sure as hell never underestimate her again.” The color drained from William’s face. He took her hands and caressed her scars. “So, it wasn’t a suicide attempt?” “I might not have liked how my career had turned out, but I never been suicidal.” She pulled back her hands. “Then that settles it,” William said, crossing his arms. “We’re going
to the police.”
Chapter 26
Ming kissed her husband, grabbed some toast and a cup of coffee, and then raced out of the house. In her car, she dialed Tyrese and spilled the beans before he finished saying hello.
“Surveillance duty. You have to be kidding me?” Tyrese laughed.
“Afraid not.” She shifted gears and adjusted her cell phone simultaneously. “We need proof that Andrews is masquerading as Josephine. After our visit yesterday, she’s probably going to try to leave town. With Josephine’s money it won’t be too hard to do.” “Maybe you shouldn’t have exposed your hand,” he admonished. “I always said that women shouldn’t play poker.” “No one likes a Monday morning quarterback,” she retorted. “I need you on her tail to make sure she doesn’t skip out.” “And what will you be working on while I’m doing all the grunt work?” “A little entrapment project.” “Hey, hey. Careful with the E word,” he warned. “The lines on these things aren’t exactly secure, you know.” “Good point.” Ming chuckled. “I have a few places I need to hit: Turner’s residence and Keystone.” “Keystone again?” “We need fingerprints,” she said. “Did I miss something?” Realizing she’d left out vital information, she laughed again, and then filled Tyrese in on her clever plan.
# “The police?” Josie repeated, slowly thawing off her stiff movements. “Today?” William nodded. “I don’t see where we have a choice. If Michelle is behind three murders…” “Three?”
“Well, possibly three. Dr. Bancroft mentioned to me that the police wanted to question you…well, Michelle, regarding her boyfriend’s homicide. I’m only guessing, here. But I don’t think it’s too far out the realm of possibility.” Josie swallowed her surprise. “The police?” “Yeah, but I don’t know any details.” She fought a wave of panic. “Won’t you get into a lot of trouble if we go to the authorities?”
“Initially...but I didn’t kill anyone. They’re not going to be able to pin Bancroft’s murder on me. I don’t even own a gun.” “I’m not going to the police,” she said stubbornly. “Besides, how do I prove any of this? William frowned. “Let’s just wait until we receive my medical records,” Josie decided. “Better yet, my dental records.” “Well, surely she’s not fluent in French or can play the piano…?”
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