by Lisa Lace
I finally turned to face her and stepped forward to wrap one arm around her waist and hold her in a deep, loving kiss.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” I told her.
She smiled. “Me, too. I’ve missed you.”
“How has everything been?”
“It’s all fine. Kacey’s a saint. She’s been so good to me.”
I nodded. “She’s always been good in rough times.”
“I just can’t believe how much she’s done for me. How much you’ve all done for me. I mean, I just drop into this town out of nowhere, bringing all my baggage…and you all just come to my rescue. One day, I’ll find a way to repay you all.”
“No repayment necessary. Your safety is all we want.”
She smiled softly. “He’s nowhere to be seen.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not around.”
“How was work today?”
“Fine.”
It had been hard going back to work when my mind was still on Jenna. My work required utter focus. It was a dangerous profession where you needed your wits about you, and the last few days, I’d been completely preoccupied with worrying about Jenna, and being as vigilant as I could. Since the fire, I’d found myself scanning the face of every stranger that passed me in the crowd, looking over my shoulder after every few steps to try and catch the stalker in his path, and combing through the details of the debrief from the apartment building fire for clues that might help the police do their work.
So far, I’d had no luck. I’d not seen anyone that looked like Victor. Just the same friendly faces of the same old locals I’d known for years. Nobody new. Nobody suspicious.
It should have been a relief, but instead, it was frustrating as hell because I knew; I knew that Victor was still around somewhere. I just didn’t believe that he’d done what he’d set out to do. I didn’t think his goal was to frighten Jenna; I believed his goal was to punish her. To make her pay. Had he done that with the fire? Getting into the mind of a maniac was hard.
“How’s your arm?”
Jenna’s arm was already out of its dressing, and, aside from looking a little pink, it didn’t look too bad. She rubbed the injury with her palm and nodded. “It’s fine. It was never that serious in the first place.”
“And how’s your breathing?”
“My throat’s a little sore, but my lungs are fine.” She smiled at me. “Seriously, Nate, I’ve had a lucky escape.”
I took Jenna to the kitchen. The coffee maker was full of fresh coffee, and I poured us both a mug. We sat at the dining table on the other side of the counter, side by side, and continued to talk about everything that had happened since the fire.
“How are you getting on with replacing your things?”
Jenna sighed, then forced a smile. “I’m getting there. I’ve arranged to replace all my bank cards. They should be posted out soon. The new cell is working fine. I’ve closed my PO box. I’ve ordered some new clothes. Kacey’s given me a few things to borrow in the meantime.”
“Good.” I put my arm around her. “It sounds like you’re picking yourself back up. I’m proud of you.”
She let out a hollow laugh. “I don’t have much choice, do I? I’ve got nothing left.”
“It’ll come together.”
“It will.” She smiled again, but it was forced.
I had to admire Jenna’s strength and endurance through all this. Since the fire, she’d worked tirelessly to piece her life back together. She’d lost everything in the fire; all those little touches to make her apartment feel like home. She’d lost all her textbooks and favorite novels, and all her plants. She’d lost the decorative candle she’d been so excited to show me because it was just like the one Carla had. She’d lost all her new clothes and the cherished letters from her sister.
“We’ll replace all your stuff.”
Jenna’s little shrug showed a wealth of resilience. “They’re just things.”
They were “just things,” but I also knew they were so much more than that to Jenna. All those little touches had been proof of her accomplishments; a testament to her freedom. Now it was all gone, and she was back at square one. Yet she was being incredibly brave, patient, and strong. More proof that she was an incredible woman.
“Have you heard from Mrs. Gatsby?”
“She’s told me to take as much time as I need. She offered me boxes of her old bedsheets. She was so eager to help out that I took them. Didn’t have the heart to tell her I don’t have a bed anymore.”
“She’s a sweet lady.”
“Everybody here is sweet. I feel like I’m bad news. Everybody just got along before I came here.”
“Victor’s bad news. Not you.”
“I guess.”
“Have you heard anything more from the police about their investigation?”
“Nothing to report. They’re looking for him. Every time I call to check in, it’s the same thing: We’re looking for him.”
“Have they issued a warrant for his arrest?”
“Not yet. I don’t think they’ve got enough to go on. I think the official line is ‘he’s wanted for questioning.’”
“It’s not good enough.”
She shrugged. “I knew it would be like this. It was last time.”
“Don’t let it get you down, Jenna. They have protocols to follow. It’s a whole system. If they don’t follow the protocols, an otherwise solid conviction might not hold up in court. If they do it right, he’s got nowhere to hide.”
“He seems to be pretty good at hiding.”
Jenna was trying to be strong, but I could hear the strain in her voice, and see how exhausted she was. She was pale and had large, dark circles under her eyes. She was yawning every few minutes and kept resting her head on her hand.
“Keep your head up, Jenna. You’ve still got a lot to look forward to.”
“I have?”
“Of course. What about your degree?”
She perked up slightly and smiled. “That’s true. My sister’s coming to visit, too.”
“She is?”
Jenna nodded. “It’s not like I still have to worry about her leading Victor here, is it? It’s too late for that.”
“I guess not.”
“It’ll just be her. No kids.”
“Her husband?”
“No, he’ll be staying in Johnstone.”
“Well, that’s something to look forward to then, right?”
“I can’t wait. She’s going to stay in that motel and drive in to visit. It’s been so hard holding her at arm’s length all this time. We were always joined at the hip. It’s going to be so good to see her.”
“Have you told her what happened?”
“I told her there was a fire, and she guessed the rest. She said she got suspicious as soon as Victor went quiet for a while.”
“You’ve spoken on the phone, then? No more letters?”
“What’s the point? He already knows where I am. I’ve given her my new number.” She glanced up at me, and quickly added, “But I haven’t given her Kacey’s address. I’m still taking precautions.”
“Hopefully not for much longer.”
“I hope not.”
I moved closer to Jenna and leaned in to kiss her softly. After, I caught her eyes. “Everything will be okay.”
She smiled. “I believe you.”
Jenna leaned in to return my kiss with another. She rested her hand on my cheek as she pressed her lips against mine. It felt so good to feel her tender touch again. All the time together lately had been spent recovering from the fire and looking over our shoulders.
I parted her lips with mine and deepened the kiss. She let out a soft little moan and moved from her chair to sit on my lap, straddling me, so we were face to face.
She threaded her arms around my neck and caught my eye. “I’ve really missed you. If it wasn’t for you, I think I’d have left again. But I don’t want to leave you.”
�
��I don’t want you to leave.”
For a moment, Jenna just stayed still and looked into my eyes. It was a sweet moment of stillness after days of chaos. I didn’t realize just how quickly the earth had been spinning until Jenna’s kiss brought it all back into focus, and she rooted me in that one moment with her gaze. “I love you, Nate Blaze.”
“I love you, too.”
I put my arms under her. She wrapped her legs around me, and I carried her to the bedroom. It was a school day, and Harriet was in class. Jenna and I were alone.
Jenna kissed me as I carried her. Her kiss was soft and sweet and wanting. I was gentle with the kiss I gave back to her. She held onto me tighter.
Once in the bedroom, I laid her on the bed, and Jenna lay back to wait for me. I lingered above her for a moment, letting my eyes wander over her, still fully-dressed, appreciating the strength and tenacity of her.
Her hands tugged at the bottom of my shirt, and I pulled it off for her. Her hands ran down my abdomen, and she bit down on her lip. I smiled—she was still Jenna.
She was wearing a buttoned blouse, which I slowly undid. I threw the blouse to the floor, followed by the plain green cotton bra that she was wearing. Jenna’s clothes were different, but her body was the same.
I leaned down to kiss her familiar breasts, and she lifted herself to kiss my forehead when I did. She placed a hand beneath my chin and lead my lips to hers again. She kissed me deeply, and with sincere, true affection.
I wrapped my arm around her waist to hold her body against mine, and then we rolled so that she was on top of me. She took off her jeans and threw them aside. Then she reached for the buttons of mine, and I readily took them off, followed by my boxers.
I was completely naked; she, in her panties.
Her expression looked wondrous as her eyes roamed over my body, and I was filled with equal admiration for her pert breasts above me. I let my palms trace the hourglass curve of her waist.
She removed her panties, and I pressed my fingers between her legs. Jenna let out a soft sigh and leaned into my touch. She was wet.
I slowly stroked her clitoris in soft circles, taking my time. Jenna let out small sounds of appreciation and rocked her hips against my fingers. I rubbed her clit slowly, softly, steadily, until Jenna’s soft sighs became moans, and then I applied more pressure.
“Oh, Nate…”
I loved the sound of my name from her lips. I massaged her clit until she orgasmed, and then I pinned her to me and rolled us again so that she was lying on the bed and I was above her. Her fingers trailed longingly down my cock, and I entered her.
The fucking that followed was gentle and slow. I didn’t thrust, but rocked into her, letting our climax build gradually, savoring each sensation before orgasm. The sounds Jenna made turned me on, and every time she bit down on her lip in pleasure, I felt another surge.
Her moans became gasps and she came. Then, I continued; just as slow, just as gentle. We fucked like bunnies for hours.
When we were both done, I held her and felt relieved when I heard her breaths become slow and rhythmic. I realized she was asleep. I didn’t dare move a muscle, then; too scared to wake her. After all she’d been through, she deserved to have sweet dreams.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jenna
It felt good to smell the familiar scent of coffee when I walked into Carla’s coffee shop a few days later. It had been a week since the fire, and apart from a couple of visits to Nate, I hadn’t left the townhouse.
I couldn’t relax. I constantly felt on edge. I just had this feeling that Victor wasn’t done with me, and it was keeping me from getting on with my life again. My physical injuries had been few, and I’d recovered from those, but the emotional trauma was harder to overcome. I was growing more paranoid by the day.
One day, I knew, Victor would turn up again, but I didn’t know where, and I didn’t know when. It meant that every single moment of my life was spent in terror. Every little movement out of the corner of my eye made me jump. I kept waking in the night thinking that I could smell smoke. My whole life had become nothing more than looking over my shoulder.
At least Carla’s coffee shop was somewhere familiar and safe where I could rest a while. Carla greeted me when I arrived with a huge, warm hug. I couldn’t believe how supportive she was being, considering all that had happened and all that she’d lost.
“How you doing?” Carla asked me. “You’re looking better!”
“Thanks. I’m feeling better.”
“How’s Kacey?”
“Ssh!” I looked around the shop warily and lowered my voice. “Just in case Victor has anyone listening.”
Carla gave me a concerned look. “Oh Jenna, sweetie, you’re going to drive yourself mad if you’re thinking like that.”
“I have to be on my guard. I know now what he’s capable of.”
“Let’s sit down.”
We headed to our usual table and sat down together, clasping hands on the surface of the table.
“How are you doing?” I asked her. “How are things with Sam?”
Carla smiled. “They’re fine. I’m fine. Sam’s been so sweet about the whole thing. He cleared out some space in his closet for me. I bought a whole load of new clothes. The insurance is sorting out the rest.”
“I’m glad that things haven’t been too terrible for you. You have no idea how guilty I feel.”
“I know exactly how guilty you feel! Every time I speak to you on the phone, you’re apologizing, and I’ve already told you that this wasn’t your fault. The important thing is that everyone got out safe. That’s all I care about.” She accepted our lattes from her assistant who had just bought them over and slid one across to me. “Besides, it’s looking like maybe I won’t return to the apartment at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I think maybe Sam and I living together might become a permanent thing.”
I smiled. “Really? That’s great.”
Carla grinned from ear to ear. “I’d wanted to move in with him for a while, but I didn’t want him to feel like I was moving too fast, so I held off. But he’s been so happy to have me there. We’re getting along amazingly. It feels like home. You know, I never thought I was the type to settle down, but I adore Sam, and we’re happy together.”
“If you’re happy, then I’m happy. I’m just relieved this hasn’t ruined your life.”
“Don’t be silly. Yes, it’s not ideal, but it’s nothing that can’t be sorted with time. Sam’s taking really good care of me.” She smiled at me kindly. “Is Nate taking good care of you?”
“Of course he is. I mean, we’re keeping our distance a little, for obvious reasons, but he’s doing the best he can. In fact, I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“I told you he was a good one.”
“Your sister came to visit, didn’t she? How did that go?”
I smiled. “It was so good to see her.” Then, I sighed, and looked out the window across at the station. “She wants me to go back to Pennsylvania. She was begging me to come home.”
I remembered the conversation we’d had in the motel.
“Please, Jenna,” Charlotte had pleaded, “come with me when I go. You can stay with Dave and I. We’ll get you back on your feet again.”
I’d squeezed her hand in gratitude but shook my head. “I’ve found my feet. I’m happy here.”
“You should be with family. Especially at a time like this.”
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been torn at that moment. Charlotte had been there for me through all the years of Victor’s violence and mind games. She’d helped me get away, and picked me up time and time again after he knocked me down. She’d been a rock for me, and it felt like a betrayal to reject her help now.
“I’m so tired of starting again, Charlotte. You know how much it took for me to tear myself away from you and mom and dad, and Becky and Dylan, to come this far away from you all. But, until Victor f
ound me, I was doing really well. I was happy.”
Charlotte’s expression had faltered then. I knew that she missed me and wanted me home. I knew that she worried about me when I was so far away, and Victor was prowling. I knew that this situation was hard for her too; she was powerless to help me when I was in Indiana, and she was in Pennsylvania.
“Is it because of Nate?”
Charlotte knew about him. I’d told her everything as soon as I’d had the chance. She’d listened, and she’d worried. The only man she’d ever seen me date was Victor, and that had been chaos from day one.
I’d nodded. “I love him.”
Her face had creased with concern and mixed emotions. “Does he treat you well?”
“He’s wonderful, Charlotte. Honestly. He’s nothing like Victor. He’s just a good, honest man.”
“I’d just hate to see you cut yourself off from everyone who loves you to be with a man you’ve just met.”
I understood why she was worried; I’d had the same fears myself. It was why I’d first pushed Nate away; why it had taken us so long to build something between us. But, I’d overcome those fears, and I’d felt real happiness for the first time in years.
“I think this will pass, Charlotte. A lot of people are on my side here. I have some really good friends. I just have to stand my ground until he gets caught.”
Charlotte’s eyes had filled with tears. “But anything could happen before then.”
I don’t think anything I’d said during her visit had really made her feel better, and she’d hugged me long and hard before she set off again at the end of her stay, tears glistening in her eyes. It had broken my heart not to jump in with her and drive back to everything I had left behind all those weeks ago. But it would also break my heart to leave Nate, and Harriet, and Carla, and Kacey, and the preschool, and everyone else who meant something to me here.
Carla was waiting for me to answer her. I snapped back to the present.
“Your sister wants you to go back?”
“We were always really close. I moved to get away from Victor, not my family. As far as she’s concerned, if he’s found me anyway, then I might as well be at home with my family. She says they’ll look after me.”