Fearless

by Marlie May

  He climbed off the bed and went around to my nightstand for a condom. With one eyebrow lifted, he crooked his finger. “Come over to the edge of the bed, sweetheart.”

  I’d dive off a cliff to give in to his call.

  I scooted over and sat. His body called to me, straining my way. So gorgeous. A drop of fluid glistened on the tip of his erection. I took him in hand and slid my fingers along his length from the base to the tip and back again. Eyes closed, he tipped his head back and leaned against the wall. He groaned. Beyond tempted, I repeated the action with my mouth, my tongue swirling, tasting, flicking.

  I needed to show him everything trapped inside me. He always gave of himself, making sure he met my needs before considering his own. The thought that he’d sacrifice like that solely for me squeezed my chest tight. Taking was enhanced by giving, and I wanted to show him I could give, too.

  With tilted head, I watched the urgent lines on his face deepen, shouting out his satisfaction. His lungs heaved. He groaned and strained. His muscles stood out in rigid, sharp definition.

  He cupped my head and stroked my hair back then gently braced me while he pumped, his body tightening, laboring. A pearl of sweat trickled down his brow. His body shook. Creases filled his face and he gasped, a harsh, guttural sound of pleasure.

  He shuddered while he strove for control, and he pulled out of my mouth. “Hell, Ginny. I’ve gotta be inside you.”

  When his eyes met mine, I saw myself there. Us. The world.

  With trembling hands, I pulled my dress over my head and flung it on the floor.

  He encased himself with the condom. “Lean back,” he said hoarsely.

  I moved my butt to the edge and he lifted my thighs, his fingers sinking, gripping tight.

  Watching my face, he slid himself inside, all the way to the hilt. “Ahh. You feel…”

  Unable to think, focusing only on the sensation of him filling me, I moaned. I braced my heels on the wall and strained toward him. He pulled out, slid back inside, and then took on a slow, languid rhythm that drove me insane.

  While rubbing between my legs, he chased me ever higher. I closed my eyes and thrust up to meet him. My heart thrashed, and my panting breaths echoed around us, fusing with his.

  He groaned and drove me on, maintaining his exquisitely slow pace, his pumps pinning me to the bed. As if he sensed I was close, his fingers moved up my belly to stroke my breasts. Each pinch of my nipples sent heady spasms through my limbs. I climbed the peak. My body thrilled, high-strung and tense.

  “Cooper. I’m gonna…”

  “I’m with you.”

  With his arms braced on either side of me, he moved in and out, smacking us together. His muscles bulged. His eyes slid closed. And his body convulsed.

  We plunged over the top and tumbled down the other side together.

  I lay across Cooper’s body, my legs entwined with his. His arms held me close, and his breath sighed against my hair. Nothing could get better than this.

  I loved him.

  And I wanted to tell him. But we only had a few more days left together. Did I dare risk driving him away by sharing my feelings?

  His fingertips swirled on my back in soft patterns.

  It might be best to wait to speak and savor each moment like it was my last. But if the right time came, I’d tell him, because I wanted him to know even if nothing ever came of it.

  “I’ll be finished at my dad’s house soon,” he said. “You said you were free Saturday?”

  I tilted my head and looked up at him. “Can we spend it together?”

  His eyes stroked my face. “I want that.”

  So did I. “What should we do?”

  “Let’s think on it. We can decide over the next few days. All I know is that I need to spend every minute with you.”

  “Me, too.”

  His belly groaned. “Hey, you hungry?”

  “Famished. I’d say you are, too.” I smoothed my fingertips across his abs, and he huffed out a laugh. Ticklish, eh? What a nice surprise.

  His fingers wove through my hair. “I feel like I’m always starving you. Let me cook.”

  “I’ll help.” I started to rise.

  He stilled my movement with a caress to my side. “Nope. Totally my treat tonight.”

  Every second with him was a treat.

  He shifted out from underneath me. Staring down, his eyelids hooded as his gaze slid along my body. “Stay naked for me, would you?” The husky need in his voice called to me. If he used that tone all the time, I’d crawl through molten lava to reach him.

  Whistling through his teeth, he left the room. Bangs rang out in my kitchen, leading me to believe he was concocting a four-course meal.

  I curled my back, savoring the stroke of the sheet on my bare skin, and stretched like a well-sated cat. My limbs ached but in all the right ways.

  He appeared in the doorway wearing only a ruffled apron and a grin, holding up two glasses of iced tea with lime which he placed on each nightstand. Humming, he sashayed out of the room, his bare butt wagging behind him. He was so cute, I was sure he’d be the death of me.

  He returned with a tray. “Dinner is served, my lady.” He climbed onto the bed and settled beside me before lowering the tray in front of us.

  Oh, yum.

  He’d hollowed out a round loaf of bread and stuffed it with slabs of cheese, sliced avocado, red peppers, lettuce, and turkey before replacing the top. The sandwich was sliced into pie wedges. Bowls on the tray held grapes, fresh pineapple, and double stuffed Oreo cookies. Cooper knew me too well.

  With a grin, he laid a napkin on my lap and swept his hand toward the tray. “Dig in.”

  I popped a grape into my mouth and munched, savoring the sweet, juicy flavors bursting on my tongue.

  He hefted one of the sandwich chunks and bit into it with gusto. His eyelids slid shut as he chewed. “Mmm. Mmm.”

  Fine cuisine had nothing on a meal prepared by Cooper. The sharp cheese and rich avocado complimented the peppers, and the crunchy-chewy bread was delicious enough it could be enjoyed all on its own. We divided the mega-sandwich and devoured it down to crumbs which Cooper eyed as if he wanted to lick them off the plate.

  No need to be civilized on my behalf.

  I thoroughly enjoyed caveman.

  Eli called the next morning after Cooper had left for his dad’s house.

  “I need a favor,” he said.

  I sipped my coffee. With only fifteen minutes before my first corporate client came knocking, with her hair sprayed well enough to survive a hurricane and a business suit in hand, I’d need the caffeine. “Is this more of that you’re a female thing?”

  Silence in the airways suggested this might not be the time for joking. I leaned forward. “What’s happening? Are you okay?”

  “My Jeep’s in the garage in town, and I’m stuck here.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Weirdest thing. When I arrived, there wasn’t anyone here. I couldn’t reach Jefferson to find out what was going on. Since I went hunting up here with Jefferson a few times back in high school, I knew where he hid the key and let myself in. Spent the night, but my Jeep wouldn’t start this morning. I need to get back as soon as possible. My boss said he’d cover until I can get there. A garage hauled my Jeep into town, but it needs a carburetor and they won’t get one in for a day or two. I’ll have to come back up later in the week when it’s done.” He paused. “I hate to ask but can you come get me?”

  In Allagash. I’d have to leave my apartment and drive alone for hours.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “But the sheriff said Tom’s in Massachusetts.”

  Which did little for my anxiety. I could only hope Tom remained in Massachusetts for the rest of his life. “I have work lined up for today, but I can call everyone and reschedule.”

  “Normally, I’d call Mom or Steve, but you know Mom’s still out of town and Steve’s hurt. And Coop’s time is limited here. I hate pulling
him away.”

  “I can do it,” I said, my voice growing stronger. “I should be there in, well, you know, six hours or so. I’ll make those phone calls and head out right away.”

  “Thanks.”

  I grabbed a pen and paper. “Give me the address so I can plug it into my GPS.” The last thing I needed was to get lost trying to find Jefferson’s place after a long drive. I repeated it aloud to make sure I hadn’t messed up the street number before I hung up.

  A shifting sound on my deck drew my attention and I spun, staring toward where I’d cracked my French door to let in the breeze. My pulse thumped in my throat, and my hand compressed the paper with the address. Was someone out there?

  I crept forward, skirting around floorboards that creaked. With my back hugging the wall, I peered outside but saw nothing moving.

  My breath whooshed out. The sound must’ve been the wind fluttering the deck umbrella I’d left up. My gaze skimmed over my storage shed sitting at the back of my lawn, and I blinked. My heart stilled. I’d shut the door after putting my camping things away days ago. But now, the door stood open.

  “It’s nothing,” I whispered. “The wind blew it open.”

  But I was convinced I’d dropped the bar to secure the door.

  Maybe Cooper put the croquet set away inside before he left earlier but didn’t secure it well enough. He’d said he wasn’t taking the set with him.

  Go out there, close it, and make those phone calls.

  “It’s just a shed door.” It was broad daylight. With Tom out of town, no one could harm me.

  Just in case, I grabbed a kitchen knife before I slipped out onto my back deck. I paused, listening. As if winter plunged down on me, my skin pebbled with gooseflesh. But only trees shifting in the wind reached my ears. Damn wind.

  Creeping down the back stairs, my pulse chugging like a freight train in my throat, I reached the lawn. Yesterday, when Cooper and I played croquet, my backyard had been a happy place. Now, the isolation chilled me to the bone.

  I could call Cooper. Without question, he’d come over and shut my shed door. But jeez, was I really that much of a coward?

  I’d handle this on my own. Chin lifted, I strode across the lawn, my flip flops smacking my heels. Announcing my presence. Crap. I slipped out of my sandals, abandoning them, and continued toward the shed barefoot.

  Panic spiraled inside me, but I shoved it away.

  A cavern of darkness waited for me inside the shed. I stood a short distance away from the opening, my sweaty hand barely holding onto my knife. My lungs hauled in air and rasped it back out so fast my head spun.

  Did I dare peek inside?

  In the scary movies I’d watched as a kid, nothing good ever came from being a nosy woman. I had no interest in repeating their mistakes, but it would be silly not to make sure everything inside was secure. What if I’d been robbed? I not only kept my camping gear here but odd treasures I’d picked up through my travels and hadn’t had the chance to sort through yet.

  I inched forward until I stood in the doorway.

  Utterly black. Still, too. My eyes slowly adjusted. Had the boxes along the back wall been moved? If so, why would anyone bother?

  Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the gloom. Cool metal seeped up from the floor as I moved forward. It sank into my bare feet and made me shiver. But other than the boxes looking slightly out of place, nothing appeared missing. I’d been in a hurry to put my camping things away the other day. I must’ve hit the boxes when I dropped my gear.

  That was it. No one was here and no one had been inside my shed outside of me. I turned to leave.

  The door slammed closed, trapping me alone in the dark. My heart jolted against my ribs, and the nightmare of the snake dropping inside the campground bathroom rushed through me. My skin prickled, and I whimpered. I shoved the door, and it flew open, banging against the outside wall. On the lawn, the turkey flock scattered like I’d created a shockwave, squawking and flying into the woods with their necks outstretched.

  The knife slipped from my hand, and I groaned and rubbed my face. A sob caught in my throat, but I lowered my arms and sputtered. My shaky laughter burst out. Damn freakin’ turkeys.

  Back inside my apartment, my pulse finally slowed. I shut and locked the French door and curled up on the sofa to regroup. I needed to reschedule today’s clients for next week, but I couldn’t stop trembling. And hysterical laughter kept leaking through, because I’d taken on a shed, plus a flock of turkeys today, and come up the victor.

  Leaning forward, I scooped up my phone from the coffee table and made the calls.

  Before I left my apartment, I called Cooper and explained about the shed, proudly telling him about my turkey rout. I laughed so hard along with him, tears filled my eyes. It felt good to find humor in everyday things again like I’d done before my life fell apart. Maybe I was finally coming back together.

  Purse in hand, I locked my front door and started down the steps. If I timed it right, I could reach Eli by late afternoon. While my butt would protest getting back in the car, I’d make the long trip home immediately to get back to my apartment by midnight. Cooper had a key and said he’d come over the minute I got back.

  When I jumped into my car, something hard poked my side. Leaning over, I fished out the object—another painted tile. This one showed a large river surrounded by an evergreen forest. I didn’t recognize the scene.

  Had Eli left it for me before he went to Allagash?

  Wait. That wasn’t possible. I always locked my car.

  My shoulders tightened, and a skitter of awareness chased down my spine. Peering around, I didn’t see anything but trees swaying in the wind and a few butterflies flitting across the wildflowers overrunning my lawn.

  These tiny paintings…I’d assumed they came from Eli, but we hadn’t specifically talked about them. What if my brother hadn’t left them for me?

  I flipped the tile over, expecting to find the same scrolling swirl I’d seen on the other but instead found a distinct letter A.

  Cold sweat broke out on my body. I didn’t want to know what this meant, did I?

  I raced back up to my apartment and approached the mantel where the other four tiles were displayed in the center. With trembling hands, I scooped the tiles up and sat on the sofa, chucking them onto the coffee table as if they were bugs squirming across skin. They skidded, and one flipped over.

  Not a scroll. The letter L.

  Don’t look at them. Throw them away.

  I couldn’t do it, because ignoring this meant I chose hiding. I had to know if this was my imagination or something more sinister.

  With infinite care, I turned each tile over, laying them in a line in the order I’d received them.

  LAURA

  I gasped, and my heart fluttered in my chest. Tom’s dead wife’s name. He said Laura had looked exactly like me.

  Revulsion churned through my belly, rising up into my throat. Tom had been giving me pieces of his and Laura’s past in painted form as if he thought I’d treasure them. I never should’ve assumed they were from Eli.

  I flung my arm out, scattering the tiles. As if messing up the name would make it go away.

  Tom was never going to go away.

  Pulling my phone, I dialed Cooper’s number, but he didn’t pick up. And this wasn’t a message I could send in a text.

  I pressed my fist against my lips hard enough I winced and squinted around my apartment—the place where I’d felt safe since returning from Istanbul. My security system was infallible, wasn’t it?

  I’d left my bottle of Xanax on the coffee table after bringing it inside. Opening it, I poured the pills into my palm. Six. Not the nine that should be left after I took one of the original ten. Someone had been inside my apartment and they’d stolen my Xanax, only to force feed it to me after.

  Not someone. Tom.

  My stomach dropped through the floor, and I shot my gaze around the room but only silence greeted me.

>   Standing, I swept up the tiles and stomped to my kitchen, where I tossed them into a drawer. While I wanted to throw them away, they were evidence. I dumped the rest of the Xanax down the drain and ran the garbage disposal. Then I ran to my bathroom and threw up.

  My car bumped around the last corner of the shady lane leading to Jefferson’s camp late that evening. While I’d been tempted to remain in my apartment after discovering the meaning of the tiles, Eli needed me.

  And I was done cowering. It was time to fight back. No, to take back my life.

  It figured I’d get a flat tire along the way here, though. Fortunately, a woman stopped and helped me change it. Eli and I would have to get back on the road, and not just because he was needed at work. Each second with Cooper could be my last.

  I shut off the engine and staring at the rustic log cabin sitting on a grassy knoll ahead of me. Other than the small clearing surrounding the building, dense woods spread out in all directions. From my GPS, I knew the lake sat beyond the house, but I couldn’t see it from here. No Eli around, but I hadn’t expected him to be waiting outside when I arrived.

  I got out of the car, locked it, and squinted toward the house. Keychain in hand, I started forward, my shoes nearly silent on the pine-needle covered drive.

  Dull thuds sounded behind me, making me skitter forward a few steps. Fear crawled up my back but before I could turn, someone shoved me hard. I cried out and stumbled, nearly falling. The person kicked me, and my right knee gave way. Arms splaying wide, I barely caught myself again before I fell on the ground.

  Shrieking, I flailed out, trying to hit the person behind me.

  An arm snaked around my neck and clenched tight. I clawed at the arm, and a man grunted and yanked me against him. His arm tightened, putting me in an inescapable chokehold.

  Tom growled near my ear. “It’s over, Laura.”

  26

  Cooper

  After finishing the basement, I dragged myself upstairs to complete my final chore, my father’s bedroom. I’d put it off until last because I dreaded entering the space my father had claimed for his own after Mom died.