Through His Touch (Mind's Eye Book 2)

by Deborah Camp

  “And I suppose she took no blame?”

  “Hell, no. She said I hadn’t told her not to tell anyone, so I should get over it. She never did get why I took it so hard and why I stopped sleeping with her or even talking to her if I could avoid it.” His face hardened and malice glittered in his eyes. “I was a laughingstock that semester. I swore then that I’d never again give anyone that kind of power to destroy me.”

  Ah! So she also had Lizzie to thank for his fear of trusting anyone. She’d suspected as much. “And yet you still helped her when she called on you.”

  He shut his eyes for a few seconds. “I know,” he said, almost groaning. “Turning her away when I felt she had no one else . . . I couldn’t do it. I don’t even fully understand it myself. I guess I kept hoping she’d hit bottom and was ready to get well. Wes, Gonzo, Dr. McLain, even Darla told me to ignore her. But this time is too much. I’m done.” He held her gaze. “You’re right. She’s a user.”

  Trudy brushed hair back from his forehead, feeling a profound tenderness toward him. He really was soft-hearted, although he’d never agree with that. “You know what your problem is?”

  He blinked at her and then one side of his mouth kicked up. “Please, Miss Know-it-all, do enlighten me.”

  She wrinkled her nose at his sarcasm. “I’m serious.” She took a deep breath and then spoke from her heart. “Your problem – at least back then and probably now, too – is that you feel things so very deeply.” She pressed her fist to the center of her chest. “You bring them to the deepest part of you. It’s all or nothing with you, and so you take a much greater risk of being mortally wounded. You don’t just hurt. Something dies inside of you when you’re betrayed or cast aside.” She touched her lips to his and drew back to look into his eyes. “But you’re not eternally broken, Levi. Your wounds take longer to heal because they’re soul deep. But they will heal. You will mend and be whole again.”

  She held his achingly handsome face between her hands and stared into his eyes, wondering what he was feeling and if she’d gotten through to him at all. Or was she a fool to spout such theories to him? He had a master’s in psychology! He probably was thinking hers was about as profound as advice from a fortune cookie. But then his expression changed. Something tender and warm and . . . and rare glimmered in his blue eyes. His breath hitched.

  “My God,” he whispered. “I love you.”

  Her heart stopped. Simply stopped. Right along with her breathing. Everything went perfectly still in Trudy as his words echoed through her mind. Then she sucked in a breath, relieving her burning lungs, and her heart kicked into double-time.

  “What did you say?” she asked when she could speak again.

  “I love you. I fucking love you.” Wonderment colored his voice and lit his eyes. Then his mouth swooped to hers and his fingers tangled in her hair. He slanted his mouth one way and then another, kissing her, nipping at her lips, suckling, teasing her with the tip of his tongue, and moaning her name and that word – that fabulous, awesome, stupendous word – love.

  Her mind reeling, she realized that he’d stood up with her cradled in his arms. He took her down the hall and into the master suite. He kicked the door shut and laid her on the bed, his body covering hers as his kisses covered her face and her neck.

  “Levi, I love you,” she told him as a carousel of feelings circled inside her.

  “I know, I know. Oh, Jesus, I know,” he murmured against her skin as he pulled her sweater up and over her head. “And you’re crazy to love me. Crazy, brave, beautiful girl.” He unfastened her bra and flung it aside. His mouth closed on one of her nipples and his tongue made love to it and then to the other one. “I don’t deserve you. I know I don’t. But, goddamn it, you make me believe. You give me hope.”

  Feeling as if she were floating in a haze of hot emotions, Trudy managed to pull off his knit shirt and unfasten his belt. Within minutes, they had removed the rest of their clothing while they kissed and caressed and whispered quick commands, gentle directions, and grateful encouragement to each other.

  When he joined his body to hers, Trudy arched into him. He pulled her up so that she was sitting, straddling him, facing him. For a long minute, they were lost in each other’s eyes as they relished the connection of their bodies and the searing fusion of their feelings for each other.

  Slowly, with his hands bracing her back, he lowered her to the bed again, his gaze never letting go of hers. His big, warm hand wound down her neck, across her breasts in a wide S and smoothed along her stomach.

  “You . . . are . . . so . . . beautiful,” he rasped, stopping between each word to kiss a patch of her skin. “From the moment I looked into those bewitching green eyes of yours, I was lost in you. Lost and found.”

  He was still inside of her, filling her. Trudy shifted her hips, silently urging him to move. Placing sweet, stirring kisses on her mouth, he thrust in and out, slowly and confidently, gradually increasing the pace, letting the fire in her burn hotter until it was out of control.

  “Levi!” His name burst forth as the world exploded around her. She shuddered and clutched at him as her climax peaked, leaving her panting and dazed. He nuzzled her neck and his fingertips teased her nipples. His lips sandwiched one and his teeth closed on it for a hot second.

  “Did you come?” he asked against her breast, and she could hear the grin in his voice.

  She slapped his shoulder. “Funny.” Craning her neck, she caught the mischief in his expression. Okay. She could play that game. “You’re not still inside me, are you?”

  He narrowed his eyes and rocked his hips, driving deeper into her. “Funny.”

  She sucked in her breath, the long hardness of him stretching her to touch that place that always sent her over the edge of desire. She’d come to think of it as Levi’s Sweet Spot because he was the first to have found it and he was a master at knowing what to do with it.

  His hand closed on one of her shoulders and the other gripped her hip. He turned her onto her side, still staying deep inside her, and scissored his legs with hers. One arm pillowed her head and his other supported her leg at the knee, holding her limb up so that he had room to plunge in and out of her. The position allowed him to bury himself to the root while she stared into his smoldering eyes. He knitted his brows as she moaned and he groaned with her when she began panting again, her muscles tightening, her core melting.

  “That’s it, baby. Oh, yes, angel baby,” he crooned to her. “Wait for me. I’m almost there. Right behind you. Yeah, I’m coming. Ah, ah, ah, oh, holy fuck,” he growled, pressing his face to the side of her neck. His hand moved up to caress her throat as he exploded inside of her. “Love you, love you, love you. My Tru.”

  The words she’d yearned for circled and settled upon her heart like a garland of the sweetest, softest petals.

  Chapter 16

  Saturday began with slow, sleepy love-making. Levi crawled out of bed first to take a quick shower before checking on their guest. Trudy took her time showering and then shampooing and blow-drying her hair, her thoughts drifting to the thrill of hearing Levi declare his love for her.

  It almost felt like a dream. A cherished, treasured dream. But it was real. He had opened up to her and told her what she already knew – that he loved her! She was having difficulty not grinning from ear to ear like the village idiot.

  Sighing, she stood by the window and watched sheets of rain fall from the silver sky. If it was raining here, was it sleeting or snowing in Tulsa? A pang of homesickness wiped the grin off her face. Come hell or high water, she would spend Christmas in Tulsa, she vowed, then the smile was back as she imagined the holiday with Levi and her family. They would finally meet him and he would meet them! She swallowed hard as nerves tightened her throat.

  She pulled on a pair of black corduroy slacks and a light-weight, off-white sweater. She tugged on black leather ankle boots, applied a touch of mascara and lipstick, and then told herself to get it over with. Time to face Li
zzie. Squaring her shoulders, she left the privacy of the master suite and made her way to the dining room and kitchen. All empty except for Mouse, who came scampering out of the laundry room.

  “I suppose you’ve been sleeping in the dirty clothes hamper again, huh?” Trudy asked the Chihuahua. Turning around, she sniffed and smelled coffee. Bless Levi! The carafe was full of hot, black coffee. She poured herself a cup and added half-and-half, then sat at the kitchen island to enjoy it. The rumble of voices floated to her from downstairs. Easing off the stool, she moved quietly to the staircase. Levi’s voice lifted to her from the study.

  “. . . could talk to them and see if they’d let you back in there.”

  “Why wouldn’t they?” Lizzie asked.

  “Because you walked out of the program, that’s why.”

  “There are other places I could go. Somewhere around here, perhaps.”

  “Dr. McLain will make inquiries. But wherever you go, you need to stay put. You were barely in that program before you split.”

  “Taser came for me.”

  “How did he know where to find you?”

  “I’m not at all certain.”

  “Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining. We both know you sent word to him to come get you.”

  Smiling to herself, Trudy edged away from the stairs. She finished the cup of coffee and went into the laundry room. Wes would do their laundry, but she didn’t mind throwing in a load every few days.

  Humming a love song, she tossed her soiled clothing into the washer and then added a few of Levi’s to make a load. After measuring detergent and fabric softener, she pressed a button and the machine took over.

  Time for more coffee and some breakfast, she decided. She entered the dining room and saw movement in the kitchen. Looking up, she smothered a groan when she saw Lizzie seated at the island. Levi was nowhere in sight.

  “Oh, hello,” Trudy said. “Where’s Levi?”

  “He said he had to pop next door for something or other. Does he work every weekend?”

  “No, but he does work entirely too much.” Trudy walked up the steps to the kitchen. “I’m in the mood for scrambled eggs and bacon. Would you like some, too?”

  Lizzie bobbed one shoulder. “I guess.”

  Trudy removed the ingredients she needed from the fridge, feeling Lizzie’s gaze follow her every move. Glancing around, she could tell that Levi hadn’t eaten anything. No cereal bowl, glass, or cup in the sink. No toast crumbs on the countertop. She’d fix enough for him, too. She doubted that he went to the office to fetch something. He was probably going over “the Lizzie plan” with Gonzo and the police.

  “How long have you known Levi?” Lizzie asked after a few minutes.

  “I met him about a year ago,” Trudy said, arranging strips of bacon into a skillet. She reached sideways and turned on the oven. Levi loved biscuits, so she decided to bake some for him.

  “So, you’re psychic, too?”

  “I am.” Trudy glanced over her shoulder to catch Lizzie’s reaction to that, but Lizzie had her back to her. She sat facing the windows. “Are you?”

  “Am I . . . oh, psychic? No. I am highly intuitive though. And I have dreams that have come to fruition.”

  Trudy resisted the urge to scoff. Who hadn’t dreamed something that eventually came true or seemed prophetic? She remembered Levi telling her that Lizzie was into ghosts and séances. “Are you still involved in ghost hunting?”

  “Levi told you about that, did he? No, not so much anymore. I don’t have time for it.”

  Ah, yes. Busy, busy Lizzie. Did she even have a job?

  “Must be nice living here,” Lizzie mused.

  “Yes, I suppose so. My home, actually, is in Tulsa.”

  Lizzie swiveled around to face her again. “Levi said you live with him.”

  “We’ve decided to live together, but I still consider my home to be Tulsa.”

  “You have a flat there?”

  “I have a house there.”

  “Oh. You rent a house, do you?”

  “No, I own a house.” She shrugged. “Me and the bank. I’m buying it, anyway.”

  “All by yourself?”

  Trudy smiled at the lilting way Lizzie had said that. So British. “Yes. All by myself. Why does that surprise you?”

  “I don’t know.” She tugged at the hem of her sweater. “It sounds so permanent.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m a permanent kind of person.” She arranged biscuits in a tin and popped them into the hot oven. “Levi is, too, I suppose. He owns this building and the one next door.”

  “He’s always struck me as footloose and fancy free. You’ve latched onto a rich one for now, haven’t you?”

  Before she could answer, she heard the front door open and close.

  “Lucy! I’m home!” Levi sang out, teasing a giggle from Trudy.

  She beamed at him when he strode into the dining room. Dressed in ebony slacks and an ebony sweater, raindrops sparkling in his black hair, he looked darkly, dangerously sexy.

  “Smells like bacon and eggs,” he said, bounding up the steps to her. He sniffed at the sizzling bacon and slipped an arm around her waist. Glancing at the oven, he grinned. “Biscuits!” He kissed her cheek. “You temptress, you.”

  “Quite the domestic, isn’t she?” Lizzie drawled.

  He sent her a smile that was as cool as ice. “She’s a woman of many talents. Lucky, aren’t I?” Not waiting for an answer, or maybe not needing one, he grabbed a couple of cups. “Want some coffee, Lizzie?”

  “Do you have tea?”

  “Uh . . . yes – somewhere.” He looked to Trudy for help.

  She laughed under her breath at him. “Earl Gray, Jasmine, or Orange Blossom?”

  “Earl Gray, please,” Lizzie said.

  Trudy set the kettle on to boil and finished preparing the breakfast. Lizzie went up to the roof for a smoke. Levi helped Trudy place everything on the table. Within minutes, they were all seated at the table and diving into the meal, keeping conversation to a minimum. Afterward, Levi cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher while Trudy checked on her laundry and Lizzie went to the roof again with her cigarettes.

  Trudy was about to leave the laundry room when Levi stepped in with her. He leaned close to her ear.

  “I locked up all the booze and meds early this morning. They’re in the safe.”

  She nodded.

  “Everything’s set with Gonzo. He’s keeping the police updated on everything. Lizzie’s already getting anxious.”

  “Is she?”

  He nodded. “Keep out of her way as much as possible and let me deal with her. The longer she goes without pills, the meaner she’ll get.”

  “Okay.”

  He dropped a kiss onto her lips and smiled. His hand moved along her hip and around to her backside. He palmed her and gave her a squeeze. “You look and feel sexy in these cords. I could fuck you right here. In fact, I could hit a homerun with my cock, it’s so hard.”

  “Sssstop,” she hissed, even as she gripped handfuls of his hair and pulled his mouth to hers. She painted his sculpted lips with the tip of her tongue and then captured his upper lip between hers. He kneaded her buttocks, pressing her tight against his erection. “You’re incorrigible,” she murmured.

  “You love it.” He kissed her neck and then bit the top of her ear before he danced backward away from her, mischief leaping in his eyes. “And you love me.”

  “That I do, Mr. Wolfe.” she said, but he was already gone.

  ###

  Lizzie paced and smoked through Saturday and suffered and complained through Sunday. By Sunday evening, Trudy’s nerves twanged like taut guitar strings. She had slept fitfully Saturday night and her eyes burned and felt gritty. Setting aside the novel she’d been reading, she switched off the lamp and closed her eyes. She relaxed, enjoying the privacy and quiet alone in the downstairs study. From her favorite place, the rattan chair suspended from the ceiling beam, she could hear th
e television upstairs where Levi was watching a football game. Lizzie had said she was going to nap and maybe take a long bath later. Would she make a run for it tonight? That’s what Levi expected would happen, but would it? Or would Lizzie remain their uninvited guest for another day or two or three?

  Stifling a groan, Trudy just hoped that Gonzo’s guys and the police were ready to rumble. This had to go smoothly. Lizzie would lead them to Taser and they’d arrest him. The nightmare would be over. The days of being followed everywhere by a big guy in a suit would end!

  Darkness edged into her mind and she didn’t fight it because she knew in a flash that it was him. Taser. His thoughts were restless, spurred by spikes of anger, resentment, jealousy, confusion, and above all else, hatred.

  Oh, how he hated Levi Wolfe. Any man that pretty had to be a fag. Yeah, he had Liz fooled, but he knew better. Pretty puss was a cock-gobbler. When he got his hands on him, he’d strap him down, shove a big, thick dildo up his ass, and flog him until his flesh hung in tatters. He’d show him domination at its finest! Fucking freak.

  A light flicked on. At first, she thought that someone had switched on a lamp in the room she was in, but then she realized she was seeing another place . . . the place he was in. He’d been in the dark before. Now she could see that he was sitting in a van and it was parked inside a building. Beside the van was a motorcycle and she could see cabinets and boxes and tires stacked everywhere. She found herself staring through the windshield at a big X on a wall . . . a St. Andrew’s Cross? Where . . ?

  The sounds of pounding feet and shouting shattered the scene in her mind. She jerked so violently that she fell out of the chair onto her knees.