by Jill Sanders
He nodded, his eyes moving across the darkness as the waves softly crashed onto the sand below them.
“When I was fifteen. Actually, it was on my fifteenth birthday.”
“What happened?”
“I ended up in juvie.”
“What?” She sat up and turned towards him. “You told someone about your abusive father, and they locked you up?”
He nodded again. “My father was a very influential man. When I made my claims, he not only disputed them but made a few of his own. He claimed I’d stolen some of his important files and some cash, and had taken the car for a joyride and crashed it into our mailbox.”
“Did you do any of that?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“No. He’d come home that night, drunk, and had hit the mailbox with his car. When he came in, he’d taken it out on me after I complained about him missing my birthday dinner.”
She was silent for a moment. “What happened next?”
“I spent two months in juvie.”
“Two months!” Her hand tightened in his.
“I learned my lesson. I never told anyone again after that.” He took their joined hands up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. “Until now.”
“When was the last time he touched you?” She couldn’t imagine that the man sitting in front of her now would allow anyone to raise a hand to him.
“Shortly after that I grew taller and started working out.”
Her eyes ran over his arms and chest and instantly knew that’s why he stayed in such good shape. No one was going to push Blaine Fisher around anymore.
“He found other ways to get to me, though,” he added.
“Such as?”
“Keeping me poor. Holding money over my head. Verbal abuse along with a good dose of guilt.” He shrugged. “Other things. He paid for my first year of school because it was expected of him. After that, I was cut off completely, until…”
“Until?” she asked when he remained silent.
“Until the trust fund from my mother was finally released.”
“Is that when you got the boat?” She thought back to how he’d changed in the past few months.
“My twenty-fifth birthday. I hadn’t even known about it until I got the call from a lawyer. I don’t even think my father knew about it.” He shook his head.
“So, I paid off my college debt and put money down on my boat. I’m even buying the condo I’m in.” He smiled.
Her eyebrows shot up. She’d overheard Rafe and Emily talking about it recently.
“I stuck the rest of it in stocks,” he added.
“When was the last time you saw your father?” she asked, shifting to her side so she could get a better look at him.
“Four years ago,” he answered quickly. Then he turned to her. “Enough about my past. Want another drink?” he asked, getting up.
“Sure.” She followed him back inside, and he made her a strawberry daiquiri, heavy on the rum.
“I did a little research,” he said, over the sound of the blender.
“About?”
“Your… situation.”
Her entire body tensed. “What kind of research?” she asked after he’d handed her the drink and she’d taken a swallow.
“I was trying to find out the laws, and I wanted to see if a missing person’s report was ever filed.”
“It wasn’t.” She closed her eyes as the sugar and rum flooded her system. “I’ve been watching out myself.”
“The law…” When he didn’t continue, she opened her eyes again and watched him struggle with what to say. “It’s very clear. Since you didn’t report it…”
“I could go to jail.” She nodded, knowing it herself. “I’ve known this. It was stupid of me.” She walked over to the windows and looked out into the darkness.
He moved behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t kick myself for not reporting it.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I was too afraid they’d find something else in my blood. I couldn’t remember if I’d taken something before going to the club that night.”
He turned her around. “Why?” He shook his head. “Why do you do this to yourself? You know the side effects. You know what could happen—”
She pushed away from him and set her drink down. She poured a shot of rum and downed it quickly, hoping the liquor would dull the ache of her past stupidity.
“You didn’t bring me out here to lecture me on my party habits.”
“How do you know what I brought you out here for?” He looked at her from across the room.
She raised her chin slightly and ran her eyes over him. “We’ve been skirting around each other for a while. Only, now, things have changed.”
“Yes, they have,” he agreed.
“So?” She moved across the room and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, needing to change the way things were going. “The only question left is, what are you going to do about it?”
Chapter Ten
Blaine was struggling between letting his heart or his dick take control. His dick won out when Jamie pressed her sexy body next to his.
The white material of her dress was see-through enough that he could see every curve underneath. Her nipples had puckered the material all the way through dinner, and he’d found it so hard to look at anything else all night.
Now, as her mouth fused to his and her body plastered against him, he doubted his heart or mind could break through the amount of lust she’d injected into his system.
He held back for as long as he could, but when she ripped open his shirt, sending the buttons scattering across the floor, he lost his last hold.
Gathering her, he carried her up the stairs and kicked open the first bedroom door. They hit the bed, their mouths never leaving one another. He hiked up her skirt and, when his skin touched hers, he moaned at the softness.
“Touch me,” she cried out. “More.” She wrapped her legs around his waist. “I need more this time.”
He growled as her nails scraped up his back. He pushed the dress completely aside and took her erect nipple into his mouth. Her fingers dug deep into his hair, holding him as he enjoyed himself.
She arched for him, moaned for him, and yet he still demanded more. She reached down and undid his shorts, slowly pulling them off his hips. Her fingers ran up his sides and when he was finally freed, she wrapped them around his cock and had him groaning again. He was trying so hard not to come as she moved her hand up and down him, exploring him as if he were made of glass.
The white panties she’d worn were nothing more than a scrap of silk. He pulled those aside and found her hot and wet, waiting for him. His dick jumped when his fingers touched her, spread her. Dipping one finger in, he closed his eyes and tried to hold himself in check.
“Blaine, I need… I can’t…” she said between uneven breaths.
Looking down at her, he realized she was just as affected as he was. She was on the verge of coming and he’d barely touched her. This time, he wanted to see her as she fell over the edge.
“Look at me.” He almost growled it out, and her eyes slid open. Her pupils went wide as he moved his fingers inside her. His thumb brushed her clit, and he felt her body tense around him. Her back arched as he played his thumb over the tender spot.
“Come for me,” he demanded. “I want to watch you explode.” He leaned up slightly and watched her bite her bottom lip.
“I need you. I want you.” She reached for him, only to have him back away further.
“After,” he promised. “Now, I want to watch you when I make you come. Then I’ll watch your eyes as I slide my cock deep into you.”
Her eyes heated as he moved his thumb again. When he pushed another finger inside, her lids closed. His free hand ran up her waist, slowly covering her breast and pinching her nipple between his thumb and finger.
She cried out as her nails dug into
his shoulders, and he watched the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life.
Slowly removing his fingers, he pulled a condom from the shorts he’d been wearing, which hung on his knees. He kicked them to the floor, then covered her once more before she had time to recover completely.
Her eyes went wide as he slid into her slowly, and he burned for her even more. He marveled in the feeling as her legs wrapped around his hips when he jerked forward, settling fully into her softness.
Their eyes locked as he started to move in her.
“You’re so damn perfect for me,” he growled out. He realized it was the truth as he covered her lips with his.
He took the kiss as deep as he filled her. Her hips moved with his as he ran his hands over her body. Her hips jerked off the bed, and he knew that she was close to the edge again.
Hoisting her knee up, he tucked it under his arm and moved deeper inside her. If he stopped to think about how wonderful she felt next to him, he wouldn’t last long. Instead, he focused on waiting, watching, until he saw her own pleasure spike.
When her eyes slid closed and she bit her bottom lip in pure delight, only then did he allow himself to fall. He bent down and kissed her as he let loose everything that he’d held for her for years.
Blaine woke a few hours later when Jamie shifted out of the bed.
“Hmm.” He reached for her. “Where are you going?”
“I need some water.” She kept her face turned away from him. “Be back soon.”
He rolled over and watched her walk into the bathroom, her soft ass swaying with each step.
He wondered why she’d felt the need to lie to him now, after everything they’d done and been to each other. He could hear it in her voice. He heard the lighter and smelled the cigarette in the next room. He lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, waiting for her to come back to bed.
When she didn’t, he thought to go in after her. Then he heard the shower running and relaxed.
Glancing at his watch, he realized it was a quarter to one. Did she always have this tough of a time sleeping?
Getting up, he walked into the bathroom to join her in the shower.
When he saw her huddled in the corner of the shower, her face red from tears, he quickly entered and gathered her up in his arms.
“What’s all this?” he asked, holding her close.
“I…” She shook her head and laid it against his chest. “It was just a nightmare.”
Pulling back, he looked down at her face and turned slightly so that the water wouldn’t hit her full force. “Do you have them often?”
“Every night.” She watched him.
“Every…” He shook his head in disbelief.
“Every night when I don’t…” She closed her eyes. “If I don’t use Molly.”
His fingers tightened on her shoulders. “You’re telling me you’ve been using Molly to get rid of nightmares?” He shook his head. “There are other ways.”
“What?” She jerked her shoulders away. “I’ve tried everything. It’s the only thing that keeps them at bay.”
“Molly doesn’t… that’s not one of the side effects.” He shook his head, trying to remember everything he’d read about the drug.
“Well, it is for me.” She shut the water off, then climbed out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around her, she glanced back at him. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” Her eyes ran over him slowly.
He climbed out of the shower and, without grabbing a towel, wrapped his arms around her once more.
“There are other ways to stop the nightmares,” he said softly. “Counseling, prescription pills, telling someone.” He listed items off.
“What? Like, turning myself in?” She jerked away. “Is that what you really want for me?”
“No.” He shook his head. “But sometimes people have nightmares because things are unsettled.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around herself. “Unsettled.” She shook her head and walked into the bedroom. “Yes, things are definitely unsettled.”
“Jamie.” He moved over to her, still completely naked. “Let me help you.”
“What can you do?” She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. Her damp hair lay against her back as his hands moved over her.
“I can think of a million ways to get your mind off your nightmares.” His hands nudged the towel down. When it hit the ground, he picked her up easily in his arms and carried her back to bed.
This time, the pace was slow as they chased her nightmares away, together.
In the morning, she looked more relaxed than when they’d arrived. She sat in the kitchen dressed in a white tank top and red shorts as he cooked breakfast. Her hair was tied up in her signature twin buns on top of her head with an added blue bandana. He liked the almost-classic look.
They took the breakfast out onto the back deck, and he figured he could tell her the rest of his story. The part he’d promised he would never tell anyone else, ever.
“I think my father killed my mother,” he said out of the blue after she had finished her food and nudged the empty plate aside.
She glanced up at him, her eyes going huge. “For real?”
He nodded, then took another drink of his mimosa, wishing it was something stronger. But he knew they had a two-hour trip back to Miami in a few hours. He downed the rest of the sweet drink instead.
“What makes you think that?” She leaned forward.
He glanced around. He didn’t think he could talk about it, here, in the home his father had built for his mother. “Let’s take another walk.”
She stood up and took his hand as they headed down the stairs.
They both toed off their sandals as they hit the sand. This time, they headed away from the stone seawall, towards the docks almost two miles down the beach.
“So?” she asked after a moment of silence. “Why do you think your father was behind your mother’s murder? I thought you said they caught the murderer?”
“They caught the man who stabbed her seventeen times.”
“But?” she asked, searching his eyes.
“He was one of my father’s employees. That led me to believe, years later, that my father had paid the man to break into our house that day and kill her.”
“Why? Why would he…” Her question fell away. “Did he abuse her?”
“Not that I remember. I can recall some fights. Shouting mostly, but I was too focused on my video games.” He dropped her hand and sat down in the soft sand and watched the waves.
“Why would you think that after all these years?” she asked, sitting next to him.
“There was a large sum of insurance money. From a new policy he’d taken out on her in the months before her death.” He rested his elbows on his knees. “That and… my mother’s family owned Regal Pharmaceuticals.”
Jamie shook her head in question.
“One of Seattle’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Well, at least they were back then. After my mother passed, my grandfather sold it.”
“You think your father killed your mother to profit from the business?” she asked.
“Maybe, I don’t think it was all about money.” His eyes searched the horizon. “Besides, my grandfather has mentioned to me several times that my dad didn’t see a dime of his money after my mother’s death. I don’t know if my father knew about that stipulation prior to my mother’s death though.”
“What then?”
“Power,” he said with a shrug after turning to her.
“Have you asked him?” she said. “I may not have the best relationship with my parents, but if I thought that they had murdered someone… I don’t think I could…” Her words fell away and the color drained from her face. “Shit,” she groaned.
He couldn’t help it. He chuckled a little as he took her hand in his. “It’s okay.” He raised it up to his lips. “Backed yourself into a corner?”
She nodded with a sigh. “Okay, so no, you didn�
��t talk to him.” She leaned back in the sand. “I hadn’t thought about it, I guess. What am I going to say to my parents?”
“Until we know our next move, nothing.”
“We?” she asked, glancing sideways at him.
“Whether or not you like it, we’re in this together.” He took her hand again and pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
“If your dad did kill your mother, wouldn’t there be some sort of trail?” she asked after he pulled back.
“Like?” he asked.
“Money? If he planned it out, paid the guy who killed your mother, the key word is paid. I was thrown in the situation and only did what I did to save my life. And I was lucky and saw my purse and phone on the floorboard in the front seat. Not everyone’s trail is so easily erased.”
He thought about it. “I mean… wouldn’t the cops have thought of that?”
“Maybe they did. Or maybe your dad was good at convincing them he wasn’t involved.” She shrugged. “Either way, it’s worth looking into, don’t you think?”
He nodded as his mind swirled with new possibilities. It wouldn’t hurt to look into his father and see if there was a money trail when he got back in town.
“Thanks.” He stood suddenly and pulled her up with him. “We’d better head back if you want to get to class on time.”
Chapter Eleven
Jamie was struggling to stay awake in class later that evening. The professor droned on and on about the effects of carbon monoxide, and she was so drowsy, she felt like she was suffering the effects herself. She was bored out of her mind and, because of all the fun she and Blaine had had last night, dog tired.
She wasn’t even interested in learning the effects of gasses on the body at this point. Why had she even taken this chemistry class in the first place?
Then the professor turned around and she got a glimpse of the man’s ass and smiled. Oh yeah, now she remembered. She had the hots for Professor John Holden, who was just as hot as Harrison Ford had been when he’d been a young Indiana Jones. Most of the students in the class were young women just wanting to watch the man move.