by Jane Godman
Rylan gave a groan of surrender. His hands worked their way down from her shoulders to cover her breasts over the material of her tank. Taking each nipple between his fingers, he lightly pinched the sensitive buds. Bree murmured her appreciation, changing position until she was straddling his lap.
Face-to-face with him now, she could feel his hardness pressing tight against her core. They continued to kiss as he stroked her breasts and teased her nipples. Overcome with pleasure, Bree ran her nails up and down his back and tugged at his hair.
“Okay. You’ve convinced me that this is not about finding comfort.” Breathing hard, Rylan leaned back to look at her face. “So maybe now would be a good time to lose the clothes and get a condom?”
Bree gazed up at the blue Colorado sky, dotted with fluffy clouds, the mountains with their snowy peaks, the gurgling stream and the clear spring water. She pressed another kiss to Rylan’s lips. “Sounds wonderful.”
While Rylan climbed out of the pool to get the protection from his jeans, Bree tugged off her wet clothes. When he returned, naked, to the pool, he stretched out on the rocky shelf next to her. Lying tight together with the warm water washing over them was a new and pleasant sensation. Rylan’s gaze pierced hers, mirroring the same desire she was experiencing.
Using his fingers, he made lazy circles on the insides of her legs, moving upward in tiny stages. His warm breath caressed the cool skin of one exposed shoulder. Erotic shivers were like an electric charge just beneath the surface of her skin. The connection Bree felt to him transcended anything physical.
The only thing she could compare it to was her art. She could look at a painting with another person and experience a shared moment of enjoyment. But with Rylan it was unique. It was the same deep-seated bond she forged with her own creations. But this was stronger, fiercer, more intimate because she loved him.
When his finger slid inside her, Bree gave a little cry.
“I will never get tired of hearing that sound.” Rylan lowered his head to kiss the sensitive flesh of her neck.
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to last long, Bree reached a hand between their bodies and encircled his erection, her grip tightening around him. She started with soft caresses, her movements becoming bolder as her fingers moved up to stroke his length before gliding back down again. As Rylan began to move his thumb in a relentless circle around her clitoris while pumping his finger in and out of her, her own movements became faster.
“Condom.” There was a hint of desperation about the word as he rose onto his knees and reached onto the rocks above them.
When he was fully sheathed, Rylan kissed Bree deeply as he eased her onto her back. Spreading her legs, he lifted her so that she could wrap them around his hips. Bree pushed up, desperate to feel him. She moved her pelvis against his, offering herself to him. He groaned, then, in one quick thrust, pushed all the way into her. Her heartbeat picked up speed as their bodies rocked together, and soon she was lost to everything but Rylan.
She moaned and arched her back, pressing her breasts to his chest. The difference between his hard muscle and her soft flesh drove the oxygen from her lungs and what was left of any reason from her brain. Grasping her hips firmly, Rylan began to pound hard. It was as if he couldn’t get deep enough inside her, as if he were seeking something more than a physical sensation. She looked into his eyes and knew she could get lost in this new connection between them.
Soft quakes started somewhere in her core and rippled upward and outward. She gripped Rylan’s biceps, holding on to him as she let go, all conscious thought slipping away as searing heat tore through her. A moment later, her body splintered. She felt Rylan swell and pulse inside her and she clenched her muscles hard around him, her body trembling as she held him tight inside her.
Her action drew a growl from somewhere deep in Rylan’s chest. The look of ecstasy in his eyes as he climaxed made her heart pound even more wildly.
He managed to gasp out a few words. “Was this better than a visit to The Chateau?”
“It was certainly different.” She started to giggle. “I can’t imagine what Aunt Mara’s friends would say if this was one of the spa day specials.”
He turned onto his side, curling up close to her. “Who knows? They might be queuing up to try it.”
“No need to brag. Besides...” She tilted her chin to look at him. “They’d have to fight me off first.”
“They would?” She nodded, and he tightened his arms around her. “I’m glad to hear it.” After a few minutes, he squinted up at the sky. “We should probably head back.”
“Do we have to?” Bree pouted.
“Today is your day.” There was a gleam in his eyes as he looked down at her. “Do you have any more special requests?”
She slid a hand down over the muscles of his abdomen, enjoying the way he sucked in a breath. “When you’ve recovered your strength, I can think of a few...”
* * *
Rylan had just started cooking dinner when Trey arrived.
“Tell me you’ve found him?”
Trey shook his head. “Where’s Bree?”
“In the shower.” Rylan had practically carried her home and placed her under the jets of water, joining her briefly to soap off the pool water. He looked up from chopping onions. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“Sounds good.”
Bree wandered into the kitchen a few minutes later. “Kasey’s mom sent me a message to say that the surgery went well.” There was a hint of disappointment in her expression when she saw her brother. “Oh. Hey.”
“Aw, thanks,” Trey said. “I love you too.”
She laughed and moved closer to kiss his cheek. “It’s just... I know you’ll have come here to talk about the case.”
“I have. But before I do, did you know there’s a bat following you?”
Jekyll had been hiding behind Bree’s ankles, and sneaking occasional glances at the intruder. She picked him up and stroked his oversized ears. “Take no notice of the nasty sheriff. The voters of Bradford County would be shocked to learn that this is the man who drew a mustache on my favorite princess doll.”
Trey rolled his eyes. “You make it sound like it happened last week.”
“Do you two want to continue this fascinating discussion while we eat?” Rylan asked.
He placed plates of spinach and ricotta ravioli on the table, together with a platter of garlic bread and a pitcher of iced water.
After eating a few forkfuls of the pasta, Trey looked from Rylan to Bree. “So how did you spend your day?”
The look Bree gave him ignited a series of fireworks at the base of Rylan’s spine. “Uh, we just took it easy,” he said. Bree smirked and lowered her gaze.
Trey, who was focused on his food, appeared not to notice the exchange. “Taking it easy, huh? While you were doing that, I was working. Although we have no information on David’s whereabouts, we’ve been able to access his email accounts. He has two.”
“Let me guess. A regular account, the sort all of us have. And the one he used to contact Bree,” Rylan said.
“Correct.” Trey pointed at him with a piece of bread. “We didn’t find anything suspicious in his day-to-day account. But he only used the other one to contact two people. Bree and someone whose email address was [email protected].”
“Ponr.com?” Rylan frowned. “I thought I knew most of the dodgy email providers, but that’s a new one to me.”
“It’s quite recent. Ponr is short for point of no return. Its big selling attribute is the privacy of its users. Mail is automatically deleted after twenty-four hours,” Trey said. “Of course, our tech wizards were able to restore everything. It was clear from the messages between them that Lone Wolf was the person in charge.”
“Were there any clues to his identity?” Although Bree voiced the question, she wasn’t hopeful about the
answer.
“None. The messages clarified what we had already pieced together. It isn’t clear how Lone Wolf first made contact, but he was preying on David’s resentment toward Bree. They planned a series of attacks on the gallery, together with the threatening emails, to drive her out of the Diamond and back to our parents’ home. After that, they intended to move on and target the Colton family at The Chateau, then The Lodge.”
“And the stash of weapons?” Rylan asked.
“It’s not completely clear whether the plan was a mass shooting at The Lodge or at The Chateau. They discussed both options,” Trey said. “They also considered an attack on the Diamond.”
Bree raised a hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”
“Believe it.” Trey’s expression was grim. “In his emails, David described how he overheard you and Kasey talking about her keeping a set of keys to your apartment. He knew she kept them locked in her desk, but he had the master key to the drawer. He had a copy of your keys made. He boasted to Lone Wolf that he was able to get into your home any time he wanted. That was how he damaged the pipe under your sink, causing the water to flow into the gallery. He figured you would have to come out of your hiding place to authorize the repair work that needed to be done.”
Rylan looked across at Bree to see how she was dealing with that information. Although she bit her lip, she took it well. It wasn’t as if it was news to her. She knew the stalker had been in her apartment several times. The fact that he had his own set of keys? Yeah, that was a new level of disturbing.
“It was all there in the emails. The pornographic leaflets tucked inside the programs, the fake attacker, the chocolate hidden in the ceiling.” Trey scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “But the friendship hit a rocky patch recently when Lone Wolf found out that David had changed his approach to you, Bree.”
Rylan frowned. “How would he know about that if David didn’t tell him?”
Trey shrugged. “Who knows? Somehow, Lone Wolf became aware that his plans were in danger of being derailed by David’s growing obsession. The more recent email exchange is very much a series of lectures from Lone Wolf to get back on track. David’s responses are mostly apologies and promises to put things right. That’s pretty much where we were up to when he lured Bree and Kasey into the basement.”
“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” Bree said. “I can see how Lone Wolf—whoever he is—was able to prey on David’s insecurities and hostility. But what’s in it for David? How was a formerly law-abiding man persuaded into a scheme like this?”
“We don’t know what he was promised,” Rylan pointed out. “If, behind the secret identity, Lone Wolf is a person of influence, he might even have told David he would get his construction firm back.”
“What happens now?” Bree asked wearily.
“We’ll keep looking for David,” Trey said. “He’s the key to all of this. I have no way of discovering Lone Wolf’s identity, or what his motive is, without David. There’s only one thing I know for sure.”
“What? That Lone Wolf hates the Coltons?”
Trey nodded. “Yes. And that he intends to do something about it.”
* * *
Most things in Bree’s life eventually became a comparison with art. It was how she viewed relationships. Many were like a quick sketch. Others represented a more detailed painting, sometimes a puzzling one. Then there were the masterpieces, handed down through generations, their beauty and intricacy evident to everyone who saw them.
Her parents... Now, theirs was an image of true love. Simple, timeless and crafted by a master. Her uncle Russ and aunt Mara? A confusing abstract. The sort of picture several people could view, all walking away with a different opinion of what they’d seen.
She hadn’t stopped to view her own life as a canvas. But she wondered what the future held for her and Rylan. Did they have a future beyond what was happening here and now?
Bree knew he loved her. It was obvious in his body language, and in every look they exchanged. When they made love, and there were no more barriers between them, it was there in the honesty of their bodies.
But did he know he loved her? Had he even admitted it to himself? If he had, Bree knew the next step—telling her—would be the hardest. And she understood why. Anything to make me feel worthless. They were the words he’d used about his father. When Rylan was a boy, the man who should have cared for and protected him had subjected him to unimaginable torture. Knowing he was a sensitive child, his dad had tried to change his personality.
Bree’s heart ached for the boy he had been then, and the man he was now. Because his father hadn’t suppressed who he was. No matter how hard Rylan tried to hide behind his tough guy veneer, the sweet, sensitive person was still there. That was the man she loved.
The problem was that his father had succeeded in another sense. He had convinced Rylan that he was worthless. As a result, Rylan had spent his whole life trying to prove his value to an unworthy parent. But the damage went too deep. Rylan couldn’t get past the belief that he wasn’t good enough.
When it came to their relationship, things became even more complicated. Bree knew he was eaten up with guilt because he’d let her down once. She didn’t like that it had happened, but she understood the circumstances. And while she was willing to give him another chance, he wasn’t prepared to let himself off as lightly.
So where did that leave them? Amazing sex, and then they parted ways when David Swanson was found?
I can’t do that, Rylan. Can you?
* * *
Bree’s thoughts remained troubled as she lay awake. Her mind turned from her romantic woes with Rylan to Trey’s visit and his revelations about David’s emails. Although they had discussed Lone Wolf’s identity, it was impossible to guess who he—or she—might be. The Coltons had plenty of enemies in the business world, and any of the individual family members could have stirred up antagonism in their personal lives. Even so, a threat of this magnitude had the weight of a lot of bitterness behind it.
Had Bree been the starting point because she was seen as the easy target? It was possible that someone looking to cause trouble for the Coltons had learned of David’s hostility toward her and decided to make use of it to launch a wider campaign. Anyone who knew her family would know the special place Bree held within it. Hurt her and everyone would be outraged. She was still the little cousin they all loved to protect. It didn’t matter how hard she fought against it—that was the way it was.
As they’d batted different ideas back and forth, Rylan had come up with a radical new suggestion. What if there was no second person? What if David was the Lone Wolf—the clue was in the name after all—and the email conversations were his way of setting up his defense in advance of committing the crimes? Blame it on the shadowy person in the background.
The bad guy made me do it. It was a different twist on the voices in my head. Could David be that devious? Bree would have said not, but he’d fooled her into believing he was a mild-mannered, kindly man when in reality he was a vengeful stalker with an unhealthy fixation on her family.
Taken to the extreme, it was even feasible that David had a multiple personality disorder. If he was suffering from a mental illness, he may not know that he had created the persona of Lone Wolf and that both personalities resided within him. Until he was captured, all this was pure speculation, but it raised a troubling possibility.
One thing was for sure, whether his partner was real, imaginary or a convenient invention, the Colton family was not safe while David was still at large. Which was why Trey had left after dinner and gone back to his office to check how the investigation was progressing.
Bree checked the time on her cell phone. Four in the morning. She should follow Rylan’s example and get some sleep. A few weeks ago, the biggest thing she had to worry about was the placement of the exhibits in the gallery.
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She curled tight against his body and closed her eyes. Life had sure become complicated, but there were compensations.
Chapter 17
Rylan was woken by the sensation of Bree’s warm lips tickling his stomach. Either that, or he was in the grip of the hottest dream ever. As her butterfly kisses moved lower, his hips jerked.
She looked up with a smile. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“So you decided to wake me?” He gasped as her tongue flicked out, tracing the head of his erection.
“Do you mind?”
“I guess I can live with it.” He caught hold of her hair, pinning it at the nape of her neck and angling his head to get a view of what she was doing.
Bree laughed, then slowly kissed along his iron hard length. With one hand squeezing the base of his shaft, she wrapped her lips around him and started gently sucking. Slow and steady. She might be trying to drive him insane. At the same time, her tongue applied exquisite pressure all along his sensitized flesh.
Rylan stroked Bree’s cheek, wanting to show her the tenderness he felt, even as she was setting his body alight.
“Feels so good.” Rylan’s hips moved in time with her rhythm.
Maintaining eye contact, she gave him an “I know what this is doing to you, and I love it” stare that almost singed his nerve endings.
“Pull my hair.” She lifted her head briefly to gasp out the instruction.
Rylan obeyed immediately, his eyes narrowing as he observed her reaction. Sheer wanton pleasure. Her absolute need for him was apparent in the way her movements kicked into a higher gear and she looked at him like he was the only thing in the world she would ever want. She took him deeper into her mouth, sucking with more force as her head bobbed up and down.