The coldness hurt her, and Tori wasn’t willing to let it damage them anymore. Yes, they needed to live with what happened, but this was her life and husband. Tori wanted him and was willing to fight to keep him in her life.
If what happened was indeed the ‘Singing Woman’, then she crossed a line and violated them both, but marriage meant something.
They meant something.
As he watched her warily, she knew the words that would offer him reassurance, and she took the chance that there might be rejection.
“I love you, Jules. Let me help you forget what she did to us,” she whispered softly. Immediately, she saw the fear in his eyes vanish, and the man who she loved was back.
“I love you, Victoria,” he replied, running the pad of his thumb over her lower lip. “Heal us both, honey.”
Tori took that as her invitation and began working her magic. While ghosts may chase them, love could offer them a safe harbor to hide.
Leaving little openmouthed kisses across his chest and the tattoo of her name, she also used her hands to soothe and give peace.
Even lower she slid, running her mouth across the sleek, muscle corded abs and hips, until she reached the tie on his pajama pants. With a tug, they opened and Tori continued seeking her prize. With her lips, she offered the love that had been missing the last time, when this sacred rite was violated.
Now, it was back and there was only them.
Julian and Tori.
Husband and wife.
When her mouth found him and began worshiping his body, he couldn’t help but want more. Placing his hands in her hair, he fought to not push up into her very eager mouth. Tori was trying to offer them a road back, and he was grateful. Had Julian known that making love to her would fix them, he would have done it much sooner. When she teased him with the tip of her tongue, he shook.
“God, Tori!” he exclaimed, as she began stroking him with mouth, tongue, and hand. It was heaven, and it was bringing him very close to the edge. If she continued, he was going to shatter into a million pieces.
When Tori could feel him vibrating beneath her, she slowly released him. The hiss from Julian almost made her smile as she made the journey back up his torso. Straddling him, Tori buried him in her body and began riding the man she loved.
It was slow.
It was steady.
It spoke of everything that lived in her.
Julian was her true love, and there wouldn’t be anyone who could ever take his place in her life. The ‘Singing Woman’ wouldn’t tear them down, but would make them stronger.
They were unbreakable.
As his hands went to her hips, the ride became more enthusiastic. Julian wanted to weep with the joy that he was finding once more in her body. Yesterday had shaken him to the core, and here the woman he loved was offering him solace.
His wife was his miracle.
Rolling, he wanted to stare down into her beautiful face as he gave her some of the pleasure back.
Driving into her, gold flecked eyes met stormy blue ones. “I will never love another woman but you, Victoria. You’re my whole world.”
Her eyes filled with tears at his words.
“I love you so much, Julian. When I think that I can’t possibly love more, you prove me wrong.”
As he moved into his wife, they both relished the feel and pace. When Tori was making breathy little noises beneath him, Julian knew that he wouldn’t last much longer.
He wanted his woman and needed this moment with her.
Driving into her one last time, the world exploded around him. At the shout of her name, he started falling and could tell she was with him for the ride. As always, they tumbled together as one.
As he floated in the darkness, he could smell her perfume and feel her hands on his back, over the scratches previously left there. Through it all, he could feel the peace as it wrapped around them.
She had set out to heal the wounds that were formed and did just that. The love of his woman was more than just the Band-Aid to all the hurt in his life. She was the medicine which he needed to survive.
Tori surfaced first, finding the need to leave kisses across his throat. “Are we better now, Julian?” she asked softly.
Pushing up onto his elbows, he stared down into her eyes. “We were good before, honey. Nothing will hurt us if we stick together,” he promised.
Tori liked the sound of that.
“I was scared,” she admitted, knowing that if she needed to, Julian would offer her a safe place to go when fear overtook her.
“So was I,” he freely admitted. “I can’t lose you, Victoria. If I did, I wouldn’t last long. When you ran from me, I nearly died. To know I had you and lost what we built would be ten times as hard. I need my wife for the rest of my life.”
Tori was touched. “She needs you too, Jules. Without a doubt, she needs you in her life. Stay with me forever.”
In that moment, he would have vowed anything she asked for. How could he not?
What they had was true love.
It was what Joseph Hesser was dying to find in his journal. Where he sought it in the arms of another woman, Julian wouldn’t need to take that route. His heart would forever be safe as long as he clung to his wife.
“I’m a lucky man, Victoria.”
And he was. Here was his wife, partner, and best friend, all wrapped into one.
“I’m just as lucky,” she reassured. “You’re a good man, Julian, and I’m proud to be yours. I wouldn’t want to belong to anyone else in the entire world.”
That touched him especially since before her, he searched to find this kind of peace and never found it. Now, it was his, and he needed to protect it at all costs.
No man, ghost, or anything else would take it away.
Ever!
“I love you, Mr. Littlemoon,” Tori whispered, so only he would hear her using their name.
Instead of saying it back, Julian decided to do the next best thing.
He was going to show her.
After all, he had always been a hands on kind of guy. Now more so than ever.
And it was all because of Tori.
The love of his life.
Chapter Twelve
Thursday Morning
After making love, Julian and Tori curled around each other, not wanting to ever be apart. While she would leave kisses on his neck, Julian would run his hand reassuringly up and down her back, relishing the feel of his wife.
These moments mattered dearly to him, especially after what had happened yesterday. That fear was still there, and Julian wanted to believe that if he held onto her, nothing could hurt them. It wasn’t so much his life that he was worried about, but hers. Tori had always been his to protect.
He had known that the second he met her.
She was all that mattered to him. If push came to shove, he would call this job off and run for the hills. When it came to masculine pride, he wasn’t willing to risk his wife. His ego would always come second to the woman in his arms.
“Mmmmmm. Do we have to get out of bed?” she asked, cuddling closer.
Julian wished that they didn't. “I can go down and tell Lorelei that you’re still upset over yesterday and cancel the riding plans.”
“No,” she murmured. “I need to go. We have a job to do. She’s starting to like me, and that means I can ask her more personal questions.”
She was right about that.
“What do you want to do after the ride?” Tori asked.
“I think we need to sit down and get some of that journal hammered out. Tomorrow night is the big formal party, and I’d like to search a few more rooms while everyone is busy.”
“Works for me,” she replied. When her hand wandered, it pulled a low growl from the man beside her.
“Behave. You have to go riding and working me up before you leave isn’t fair,” he teased.
Tori snickered, unable to help herself. “Come with me,” she offered. “I love riding wh
en you’re with me.”
Julian had planned on snooping around, but if Tori was asking for him to stick close by, he wasn’t going to say no. His girl was tough, and this worried him.
In this case, he would listen to her gut instinct.
“Okay,” he offered, throwing the blankets off them. “Let’s shower and get moving. Frankly, Mrs. Wilshire,” he began, just in case they were being watched, “you’re a mess. You look like you spent the night carousing with some wild Native.”
Tori laughed as her husband got out of bed. “I was, and my husband is a sex fiend.”
Julian held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. As he pulled her from the bed, his arm went around her protectively. “Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet, Victoria, that I can promise you.”
It was hard not to be grateful for that statement alone. “Do your worst, husband. I love an adventure.”
* * *
It didn't take long to win that round, and Julian was having a hard time not looking incredibly smug. As they walked down from their room, Bruce Smithe was waiting for them with travel mugs full of coffee.
“Madam will be with you in a minute,” he stated. “She needed to make a phone call prior to the ride.”
Tori and Julian were grateful for the caffeine. As they stood there, more people began assembling. Lawson West arrived, chipper as usual, and Katy Snyder wasn’t far behind. Her face was carefully blank as she watched the people in their group.
After brief greetings, Lorelei wandered out of her office. “I’m sorry, but I had to take that call,” she apologized. Glancing at Bruce, she patted him on the shoulder. “If you see my father, can you tell him that the groundskeeper is looking for him? It seems that he missed a meeting this morning. He’s probably off tending to the horse.”
“Yes, madam,” he said, offering her a cup of coffee to take with her.
Lorelei focused on the people waiting for her. “Good morning! I hope you’re all ready for a long ride. I want to take a look at the property on the west side of the estate. There are some excellent jumps out there to exercise the horses,” she stated, leading them to the door.
Tori couldn’t wait. One of her favorite things was jumping the horses at home. It was an adrenaline rush.
As they walked toward the barn, there was pleasant chitchat among all of them. Lorelei asked if they were all ready for the meet and greet the following day.
To Tori it wasn’t really her cup of tea, since it was a formal function but alas, when in Rome…. If she could get a good ride in with Knight, it really wouldn’t matter. She’d suck it up.
Julian took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles. Already, he could tell by the horrified look on his wife’s face that she wasn’t looking forward to playing dress up.
He was.
How could he not be when his woman was going to be all sexified for the night? Yes, they had work to do, but he couldn’t help but go there.
As his wife stared at him, Julian wiped the grin off his face. It was hard to do, since she almost started laughing. Having a partner to share things with was pretty spectacular.
Once inside the barn, both Tori and Julian could detect it. There was the distinct odor of copper pennies permeating the air.
“Stop,” stated Tori.
When everyone looked at her, she continued, “I smell something.”
Lawson simply scoffed. “We’re in a barn. You should smell a whole lot of something.”
Lorelei glanced over at her. “What do you smell?”
She only hoped this didn't blow their cover. “Blood.”
Now, they all looked at each other as if Tori was trying to be funny. Each person slowly realized, by the look on her face, that she wasn’t kidding.
Julian jumped into action and began looking over the gates into each stall. When finally, all of them were clear, there was only one place left to look.
The tack shed.
Opening the door, his hand paused as he saw the legs.
“Someone call an ambulance,” he stated.
Immediately, Lorelei rushed past him to see who he had found. Once inside, she couldn’t believe her eyes. “Dad?” she called.
When he didn't answer, she simply screamed in horror. “Dad!” Lorelei didn't hesitate. She ran right toward him. It was probably the worst thing she could do. The full magnitude of the situation hit her full force.
“Oh my God,” she muttered, as the room swam around her. “I can’t…”
Julian caught her before she could hit the ground.
When Tori raced to help her husband, she scanned the scene. There was Jonathan Hesser, and the entire back of his head was matted with blood. As he laid face down, it was obvious what had happened.
Someone had clocked him from behind.
Julian and Tori exchanged a look.
This had just escalated.
* * *
When the sheriff arrived, along with the paramedics, he waited until they loaded the man up before he approached them.
Dropping his voice to a whisper, he stared at them. “You find two bodies in two days?” he asked incredulously.
Tori just shrugged. “Mr. Hesser isn’t technically a body. He’s still alive.”
Yeah, just barely…
The man narrowed his eyes. “Let me put this out there, and before you try to lie and cover your asses, I know who you aren’t. I did a little search on you, and a funny thing happened,” he whispered.
Julian didn't like the sound of this.
“You’re not the Wilshires. Yesterday, I thought you looked familiar,” he stated, pointing at Tori. “Then, when your husband arrived, I was sure I had seen you both before.”
Neither spoke.
“Last night as I was lying in bed, it hit me. I had seen you both on TV. You were plastered all over the news all across the country.”
Oh shit!
The jig was up.
“You’re the Littlemoons, and you just wrapped up a huge case. In fact, you were being called heroes.”
Still, neither spoke but this time, they glanced at each other. Now, they had a conundrum.
“Spill it, or I’ll start tossing the truth around, and everyone here will find out that you’re big fat liars.”
Julian let out the breath he was holding. It looked like they really didn't have a choice in this one. The sheriff wasn’t going to buy some load of crap, and he looked serious enough that he would blow their cover.
That couldn’t happen.
“You’re right, but we’re not liars,” Julian offered.
Tori held his hand and went next, “We were hired to find the family Bible that went missing one hundred years ago.” She didn't reveal their client, hoping that the man would let it go.
“That’s all?”
Julian continued, “Yeah, but as you can see, something bigger than that is going on here.” What choice did they have but to trust the man? “Someone is playing an ugly game here, and where we were just looking for a book, we’re caught in the middle of it.”
“Yeah, I can see that. So, are you telling me that my ME was wrong to call William Macavoy’s death an accident?”
Tori nodded and whispered, “He was getting information on the book and family for us. We just spoke to him and the next day, he’s dead. That’s a little odd, isn't it?”
Sheriff Beckett Rand rubbed his eyes. “This is going to be a mess and land all over me.”
They both glanced at each other once more. It was time to see if they could trust the man.
“Are you afraid of pissing off the Hessers?” Tori asked softly.
He got angry and had to fight to not raise his voice. “Hell no! I’m not in anyone’s pocket,” he hissed, not liking what they were implying. “You have some nerve,” he began, and was immediately shut down by Tori.
She was accustomed to dealing with irate police.
“Listen, we have something big going on here,” she offered, and then continued, “We think that it�
��s more than just this book. When we arrived, one of our team was shoved off a balcony, and we don’t think it’s the ghost doing it.”
“You can trust me,” he said, leading them further away from the crowd that was beginning to form. Unfortunately, his outburst drew some attention. “If something’s going on here, you need to tell me. This is my town, and I’m responsible for these people.”
They were going to go all in on this one.
“We were hired by Jamie Montgomery. She believes that she’s heir to a portion of the fortune. We were called in because she needs a little proof, and it’s hidden in the family Bible.”
They went on to tell him about her great grandfather and the note left with the adoption file. The man didn't interrupt and kept listening intently.
“When we arrived, we encountered a problem. As we said, someone tried to push someone on our team over the balcony to her death.”
Beckett Rand scanned the people around the area. He immediately picked up two others not far away, trying to blend in. Pointing, he was dead right. “Them?”
Julian assumed it was because two Native men on a luxury estate screamed abnormal to him. It wasn’t like he could blame him. Didn't Kane say the same thing before they arrived?
“Yeah, Christina was shoved,” Tori offered. “Then, we found a secret passage in their room and peepholes. Someone is watching us.”
The man was trying to absorb it all but in the back of his mind, he was still thinking about the murdered man. Was it really homicide? If so, they nearly missed it.
This was either sheer luck or a wakeup call on his part.
“We then have the town historian, who was helping us, murdered the day after, and now one of the Hessers is found with his skull cracked open.”
Julian dropped his voice. “Something bad is going on here.”
He had to agree.
“Okay, if I promise to keep your identity quiet, I expect you to let me in on this.”
The Littlemoons were torn. The more people who knew why they were there, the more likely their cover would be blown. Then again, it also meant they could utilize the police.
Lost & Broken (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 2) Page 19