Make Me Scream

by P. J. Mellor

  She hooked her feet behind his knees for more leverage, her soles pushing on his calf muscles.

  He pushed up on his hands, looking down at her, while he reached down to massage her mons.

  Her back arched as wave after wave of release washed over her.

  Devon seized the opportunity to tickle her nipples with the tips of his teeth. Rhythmically he sucked and laved each nipple. Before she realized it, she was ready to climax again, her hips pumping vigorously along with his.

  He reached beneath her shoulders, gathering her close while he increased the speed of his thrusts.

  “Yes, that’s it,” he whispered in her ear, his breath harsh against her heated skin, “come for me again, baby. That’s right, just like that. I love—”

  “What the hell is going on here?” a deep voice boomed.

  Devon strained to look back over his shoulder, careful to shield Jamie from view. “Hello, officer.”

  23

  “That had to be the most embarrassing thing in my life,” Jamie muttered as she and Devon made their way toward the exit of the Surfside police station. Her steps faltered. “Hey, is that Todd?”

  Devon, who had been schlepping along beside her, looked up. Sure enough, there was their neighbor. He increased his pace. “Todd?”

  Todd looked up from a clipboard he’d been reading. For an instant, Jamie got the impression he was just as surprised to see them.

  “Hey, you two.” Todd set the clipboard aside and walked toward them.

  “What are you doing here?” Jamie stepped forward and grasped his hand. “Are you the one who bailed us out?”

  He grinned down at her, blue eyes twinkling. “Well, someone had to do it.”

  “Thank you,” she said in a strangled whisper, blinking back tears. “I’ve never been so humiliated! The policeman wouldn’t even allow me to get dressed.”

  Todd’s smile disappeared. “What? Which one brought you in? That’s against the rules to—”

  “Well, he did let me pull on Devon’s shirt,” she amended, “and he was allowed to pull on his swim trunks.”

  Todd’s eyes narrowed. “Just what was it, exactly, you two were brought in for?”

  Devon mumbled and shuffled his feet.

  “Say what? I didn’t hear you.” Todd stepped closer.

  “I said, lewd and lascivious conduct on a public beach.”

  Todd’s lips tightened, and he looked suspiciously like he was trying not to laugh. “I see,” he finally said in a curt voice.

  “I’m just thankful to be out of here and going home!” Jamie walked to the window marked PROPERTIES and rang the bell.

  A woman who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else trudged up to the window. “Name? Last name first, first name last,” she said in a tinny drone through the little stainless-steel speaker in the thick window.

  “Jamie. Jamie Cartright.”

  “I said, last name first, first name last.”

  “Oh, sorry.” She repeated, this time in the correct order.

  “And McCloud, Devon,” he said, leaning over Jamie’s shoulder.

  “Sir, step back behind the line. I can help only one person at a time.” She blinked drowsy looking, mud-brown eyes at him until he complied. Her gaze shifted to Todd, standing a bit behind Devon. She blinked again. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m with them,” Todd replied. “I don’t need anything, but thanks. I’m just giving them a ride home.”

  “Uh-huh.” She stared for a while and then turned and made slow progress. Then she disappeared into the labyrinth of shelving behind her.

  Forty-five excruciatingly long minutes later, they’d signed for their belongings, dressed and exited the station, Todd in tow.

  “Wow. It’s dark already. I guess I kind of lost track of time. Where are you parked?” Devon looked up and down the deserted street.

  “I had to park a ways out. Wait here and I’ll come around and pick you up.” Before they could respond, he took off at a fast jog.

  “I’m sorry,” Devon whispered, close to her ear, while they waited.

  After a moment, she sighed and looked up at him. “It’s not your fault. Well, not entirely. I’m an adult. I should have known better than to get carried away like that in public. We’re both to blame.”

  Standing in silence, she thought about her actions and subsequent arrest. Talk about reality slapping you in the face. But in the grand scheme of things, although it was an embarrassment, getting arrested was nothing compared to what might have happened if Fred had been the one to walk up on them. For that, she was profoundly grateful.

  “Yeah,” Devon was saying next to her, “but I’m the one who kept assuring you it was okay, that no one would see us.” He shifted and looked down the street. “I still don’t know how he saw us. I’ve lived in this area all my life and know for a fact that area of the beach is secluded, hidden from view from just about every angle.”

  “Well, if you knew it, don’t you think other people—like policemen—might also know it?” She tightened the grip on the bag on her shoulder. “Is that Todd?”

  He looked in the direction she pointed. “Yeah, that’s his red truck.”

  Todd squealed to a stop at the curb, causing them to hop back. The door locks clicked.

  Devon opened the door and helped Jamie up into the cab. “Thanks again, Todd, for coming to our rescue. But how did you know we were here? I just called Francyne a few minutes ago.”

  “I was out, so when she called my cell, I just hightailed it on over.”

  “Well, it’s lucky for us you were in the neighborhood and available.” Devon settled Jamie against his hip and held her in place with his arm slung over her shoulder.

  “Yeah.” Todd put on his signal and merged onto the highway.

  The air-conditioned cab was cool, making Jamie grateful for the warmth of Devon’s body next to hers on the saddle leather seat.

  She watched Todd’s face, bathed in the light from the dash. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn’t telling them something. Maybe he’d been there looking for his sister and Devon didn’t know about her. That must have been it. Since Todd was alone and looking none too happy, it was a safe bet his sister was still missing. Poor guy.

  The passing lights mesmerized her, and the next thing she knew, Devon was shaking her shoulder.

  “Jamie? Jamie, we’re here. Wake up.”

  “I’m awake.” She stretched and reached for the door handle.

  The door opened, and Todd reached in to lift her from the cab, not releasing her when her feet touched the pavement of the apartment parking lot. “Are you staying with me again tonight?”

  “I—”

  “Not necessary,” Devon said, tugging Jamie in the direction of the building. “Francyne said the glass people came and replaced Jamie’s window this afternoon. I’ll just walk her home and make sure everything is okay before I leave. Thanks again for picking us up. Oh, wait. How much do I owe you?”

  “Owe me?” Todd stood like a deer in the headlights.

  “Yeah, you know, for bailing us out.”

  “Oh! Right.” Todd avoided eye contact. “Here’s the thing. I have some friends on the force, and I, well, I got the charges dropped. So you don’t owe me anything.”

  “Oh, man, that’s awesome. Thanks! We both really appreciate it. Don’t we, Jamie?”

  “Hmmm? Oh, yes, thanks.” Funny, Todd had the same look her students used to get when they were lying. But why would he lie about something like bailing them out? It didn’t make sense.

  24

  Jamie stepped into her apartment and looked around. All the glass had been cleaned from her carpeting, and the new window was sparkling clean. So clean, in fact, it would be like living in a fish bowl, with anyone who desired being able to look right in at her.

  She strode to the curtains and jerked them closed. Next she did the same with the other window, not stopping until every curtain in the apartment w
as snuggly closed.

  “You know,” Devon told her, “you don’t have to stay here tonight if you’re uncomfortable.”

  A denial was on the tip of her tongue. Her shoulders slumped. Who was she trying to kid? The idea of spending the night in her apartment again was definitely unappealing.

  “I don’t have anywhere else to stay.” She held up her hand to stop whatever he was about to say. “And before you say it, no, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay with you.” A quick smile flashed across her face. “Too much temptation. That’s already gotten us into enough trouble lately.”

  He gave a slow nod and wry grin. “Much as it pains me to suggest this, maybe you should stay another night at Todd’s.” He glanced back at the door. “Meanwhile, I’ll get someone out here to install a new lock and dead bolt.”

  Jamie hummed and carried her second cup of coffee into the bathroom the next morning. Devon was right. Spending another night at Todd’s was exactly what she needed. The morning sunshine had woken her with new hope for the day, and she was anxious to get back to her little apartment and begin making it her home.

  After her shower, she wiped the steam from the mirror and inserted her contacts and then brushed her teeth.

  Towels around her torso and head, the empty cup in her hand, she opened the bathroom door only to come to an abrupt halt.

  An impressive backside, encased in worn denim, faced her as its owner bent to look in the refrigerator.

  “About damn time you got out of the shower, princess,” the deep voice said from within the interior of the fridge. “Man, Todd, don’t you ever eat anything that’s not healthy? I feel like I should be grazing or something.” The man shoved stuff around on the shelves. “I just got back to town about an hour ago and came straight here after checking in. Sorry, bro, it was another dead end. Hey, how old is this pizza in the back?”

  He straightened and turned. Dark hair framed a face made for magazine covers. His front was even more impressive than his back. He was holding a withered-looking piece of partially tin-foil-wrapped pizza. His eyes widened. “Whoops. Didn’t know Todd had company. Who are you?”

  “Jamie.” She edged toward the door of her temporary room. “I live downstairs. Todd let me stay here while my apartment was being repaired.” She reached the edge of the study and gauged the distance to her cell phone. “Who are you, and how did you get in? The door was locked. I checked it twice before I went to take my shower.”

  “Oh, man, I’m sorry—Jamie, was it?” She nodded. “Todd and I have keys to each other’s places. Since I’ve been out of town, I came over here to grab something to eat before I crashed. Didn’t feel like stopping for supplies on my way home. I didn’t realize anyone was here. When I heard the shower, I assumed it was Todd. I didn’t mean to scare you. Oh, yeah.” He wiped his hand on the leg of his jeans and took a few steps toward her, hand extended. “My name’s Rick. I live downstairs on the other side of the laundry room. Todd and I work together.”

  She stared at his hand until he dropped it to his side.

  “You’re a dancer, too?” she asked.

  A strange look passed over his face, almost a wince, but it was gone so quickly she didn’t have a chance to decide.

  “Ah, no.” He turned to lay the pizza on the counter. “Did I say we worked together?” He gave a short bark of a laugh. “I meant we used to work together.” He shrugged. “I guess I’m still not used to the idea of him being a stripper.”

  “Well, it was nice meeting you, Rick.” Clutching her towel to her chest, she backed toward the door to the study. “I’ll tell Todd you stopped by. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get dressed and go home.” The apartment was suddenly crowded.

  Safely behind the closed door, she paused, willing her heart rate to slow down. With his shiny black hair and deep turquoise eyes, Rick was even better looking, if that was possible, than Todd.

  After throwing on a pair of white denim shorts and a tank top, she shoved the remaining clothes in her beach bag and headed for the bathroom for her shampoo and toothpaste. To her relief, Rick was nowhere to be seen.

  She hurried and stripped the bed. A cursory look turned up no clean sheets, so she scribbled a note telling Todd she’d wash and return the bedding.

  With a last look around, she stepped into the sunshine and locked the door.

  Devon stared at the blinking cursor. “C’mon, Mac, you can do this. You know you can.” Trent had just had his big love scene, and the girl was putting her clothes on. Unbidden, his mind pictured Jamie, sexily rumpled as she pulled on her clothing. What kind of underwear would she have on?

  With a sigh, he rocked back in his desk chair and swiveled to look out across the courtyard. If he leaned just so, he could see her door.

  Funny, she never mentioned the rose he’d left on her mat. Maybe she didn’t like roses. Maybe someone else had walked by and taken it before she found it. It could happen.

  Leaving a rose was kind of a sappy thing to do, but his budding relationship with Jamie had put him in a sappy kind of mood.

  A trip to the kitchen failed to yield anything of interest, so he returned to his chair. Jamie should be home by now. Maybe he should go see if she needed anything.

  Decision made, he saved what few words he’d written and shut down his computer.

  Jamie bumped the oven door shut with her hip and set the cake on the stovetop to cool. Inhaling the warm, lush scent of homemade pineapple upside-down cake filled her with a sense of well-being she hadn’t felt in quite a while.

  A knock sounded. With a glance back at the cooling cake, she made her way to check the peephole and then opened the door to Devon.

  “Hey, wow! Is that pineapple upside-down cake I smell?” He bussed her cheek on his way to the kitchen. “When can we have a piece?”

  She laughed. “Not until it cools a little. Is does smell good, doesn’t it?”

  He nodded and drew her into his arms, nuzzling her neck. “So do you,” he said against her skin, sending goosebumps down her arms. “I can think of a great way to pass our time while we wait for the cake to cool.”

  He bumped her with his pelvis, taking playful nips of her neck.

  Instead of reciprocating, she stepped out of his loose embrace. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

  “Really? ’Cause I think it’s one of my more brilliant ones.” He ran the tip of his finger along the caramelized edge of the baking dish and then licked it clean. “Mmm. This is seriously good cake. And I can tell it’s from scratch. You bake a lot?”

  “Whenever I can.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s my version of stress relief.”

  Finger in his mouth, he stopped and looked at her and then slowly dropped his hand. “Really? So do I.”

  “No way.”

  “Yes, way. I started baking when I was in college. Before long, I noticed I baked when I was stressed. I also noticed it helped, so I ignored my friends razzing me. And they didn’t have a problem with eating the bounty, so eventually they got used to it.”

  “My grandmother loved to bake. She always said troubles lessened when her hands were busy. I guess that’s why I started baking more and more as my relationship with Fred deteriorated.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Oh…yeah. But I don’t want to talk about it. The sun is shining, and I’m finally settling into my new place. For an old oven, this one cooks great. I think if Fred will just drop off the face of the Earth, I could like living here.”

  The haunted look in her eyes was not masked by her bright smile, so he had no choice. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her. The mercy kiss deepened until they were both breathing hard.

  Jamie did a little shimmy that made his blood boil.

  “How long does the cake need to cool?” Nipping kisses took him up her neck to lick her earlobe. A graze of his teeth had her grinding against his erection. “I could probably come up with something for us to do to pass the time.” He snaked his hand
under her top to tweak her hard nipples.

  Within two minutes, he had her naked.

  “Oh…yes,” she whispered, widening her stance, while his fingers did wicked things to her.

  Hooking her thumbs in the waistband of his shorts, she tugged until they and his boxers fell to his ankles. His polo shirt joined them, to be kicked aside with his sandals.

  “You’re all I’ve been able to think about,” he said in a husky whisper, running his hands all over her body. “I missed you. Missed this.”

  Holding her high against his chest, his fingers still working their magic deep within her, he staggered in the direction of the bedroom.

  “Can’t. Wait,” he said, panting, while he let her slide to her feet. “I can’t make it to the bedroom. Would it be okay if we did it here?”

  While he talked, his hands remained busy, sliding over her skin, squeezing her breasts, lightly pinching her nipples.

  It wasn’t enough.

  Hand in hand, she led him to the dining room table.

  But instead of climbing up with her, as she’d envisioned, he pushed against her until she lay sprawled before him, her legs dangling on either side of his hips.

  The look of intensity on his stubbled face took her breath. With a gentle touch, he parted her, running the pad of his thumbs in slow motion over her wet, swollen folds.

  “So pretty,” he whispered, petting and probing. “Lush is the only word I can think of to describe it. Maybe delicious.” He bent, his breath hot against her weeping flesh, and then swiped his tongue in a long, languid movement up and down. Down and up. Only occasionally varying by pausing to suck her swollen nub or insert the tip of his tongue in the spot begging for him.

  The cool, hard surface of the table bit into her spine while she writhed, vacillating between clutching his hair to pull him closer for more and wanting to drag him up for a kiss that would align the parts for the perfect penetration she knew was imminent.