Premonition

by Lynn LaFleur

  “Liked that wild ride, huh?”

  “Mmm, yes.” Her hand slid lower, brushing over his stomach. “You’re an amazing lover.”

  “So are you.”

  He interlaced their fingers as he kissed her. Now that his internal caveman had been temporarily sated, Slade wanted to savor Kari, maybe spoil her a bit. “Still up for the hot tub?”

  “Only if I can get my legs to work.”

  “A shower will revive you. I’ll even wash your back.”

  “I can’t turn down an offer like that.”

  Slade stood and reached out a hand to help her stand. “Do you want me to carry you over my shoulder again?”

  “I’ll walk, thanks. But hold that thought.”

  A flick of Slade’s wrist and water flowed from the six jets in his shower. Once he was satisfied with the temperature, he stood back and let Kari enter the stall first. She tilted her head back and let the water flow over her face and down her body.

  “Now this is decadent.” She stretched her arms over her head. “It feels like my whole body is being caressed.”

  Slade’s gaze slowly traveled over her. He liked that she wasn’t modest with him, that she’d let him look at her as much as he wanted. With her arms over her head and her breasts lifted, he couldn’t resist the temptation to touch her. He stepped behind her and splayed his hands across her stomach. “I’ll be happy to help with the caressing.”

  Kari leaned back into him. “You did mention washing my back.”

  “So I did. I forgot to get a wash cloth.” He slid his hands up to cover her breasts. “Guess I’ll have to use my hands.”

  “That isn’t my back you’re fondling.”

  “Details.” He lifted and squeezed her breasts. “You want to get clean everywhere, don’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  Picking up the bottle of liquid soap from the corner shelf, Slade squeezed a generous amount on Kari’s breasts. He ran his hands over her flesh, working up a thick lather. Each time he passed over her nipples, he gave them a gentle tug.

  Her breath hitched. “You’re making extra sure my nipples are clean.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He nipped her earlobe as one hand traveled down her body. “And this delicious pussy.” He cupped her mound, his fingers dancing over her labia. “God, you’re sweet here.”

  She spread her legs a few more inches. “You have magic fingers, Slade.”

  “I like touching you.” One fingertip brushed her clit. “I want you to come again.”

  Her bark of laughter made him smile. “You don’t want to come again?”

  “Slade, I can’t. Trust me.”

  “I’ll bet you can. I’m willing to touch you until you do.” His tongue traced the curve of her ear. “Or lick you.” He pressed his hardening cock between her buttocks. “Or fuck you.”

  “Or all three?”

  “Works for me.”

  “I like how agreeable you are.” Kari stepped out of his arms and turned to face him. “But I think it’s time I washed you.”

  The feel of Kari’s lather-coated hands gliding over his flesh was sweet torture. Slade closed his eyes and savored her touch on his shoulders, chest, stomach, thighs. He couldn’t help but notice she bypassed his cock. It jutted out from his body, begging for attention, so she must have seen it. The little vixen was purposely trying to drive him crazy.

  He opened his eyes when she asked him to turn around. Propping his hands on the wall, he lowered his head and waited for her to touch him again.

  He jerked in surprise when her soap-slick finger caressed his anus. Then he groaned in ecstasy.

  She pressed her breasts against his back. “Do you like that?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her caress became firmer, her finger moving in a circle on the sensitive area. Slade pushed his buttocks back at her, searching for even more of the delicious sensation.

  He released a guttural growl when she pushed that finger into his ass.

  “Jesus, Kari!”

  “You said you like it.” Her other hand gripped his shaft and began to pump it. “How about if I do this too?”

  Slade couldn’t answer her question because his tongue wouldn’t work. Kari turned his brain to mush so he couldn’t think…he could only feel. Her finger was doing luscious things inside him, giving him pleasure he hadn’t realized he could experience.

  He hadn’t lacked for lovers in his life. None of them had made his desire burn as hotly as Kari.

  With his orgasm mere seconds away, Slade grabbed both her wrists and dragged her hands away from him. “Enough!”

  She nibbled his shoulder blade. “Why did you stop me?”

  “You know exactly why I stopped you.” He turned to face her, pushing her to the wall with her hands over her head. “I come inside you or not at all. Got it?”

  “Got it,” she whispered. She lifted her chin and gave him a sultry smile. “Then come inside me.”

  The caveman roared back to life. Slade devoured Kari’s mouth in a tongue-dueling kiss before turning off the water. Grabbing two thick towels from the cabinet, he tossed one to her and quickly swiped his own over his body. He dropped the towel on the floor and scooped up Kari in his arms while she was still drying her hair.

  She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m not dry yet.”

  “Neither am I.” He laid her diagonally on his bed and followed her down, covering her body with his. “I can’t wait any longer to be inside you again.”

  Kari arched her back when Slade cradled her breast and began to suck her nipple. She slid her fingers into his wet hair and held his head so he wouldn’t move. He laved at the areola, lapped at her nipple, sucked again, then switched to her other nipple.

  While his mouth did amazing things to her breasts, his fingers played with her pussy. Kari spread her legs as wide as she could. Her body grew warmer, her channel slicker, with each pass of his fingertips over her clit. She couldn’t come again. It wasn’t physically possible for her to come again. Her body wasn’t capable of more than four orgasms in one night.

  He pushed two fingers inside her and pressed upward into her G-spot, stroking, caressing. Kari shattered.

  The bed dipped. A drawer slid open. Plastic tore. Kari managed to open her eyes when Slade’s thighs brushed the inside of hers. She looked into his eyes as he slid into her body. Entwining his fingers with hers, he held her hands next to her head while moving into her.

  “I love how wet you are,” he said before kissing her.

  Kari parted her lips and touched Slade’s tongue with her own. She wrapped her legs around his waist and accepted his easy thrusts. He pumped slowly, as if he had all night to love her.

  “Hold on to me. I’m going to roll us over.”

  The next moment, Kari sat astride Slade, his cock buried all the way inside her. She propped her hands on his chest and continued the slow, easy movements…lifting until he almost slipped out of her, then lowering herself and completely taking him again.

  He ran his hands over her breasts, her waist, between her thighs. “Damn, Kari, you feel good. Keep moving like that. Yeah, just like that.”

  “How about this?” Kari tightened her internal muscles. Slade growled low in his throat. She grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “You’re evil, do you know that?”

  She leaned forward and swept her breasts over his chest. “I like to be evil.”

  One quick flip and Kari found herself on her back again. Slade hooked one of her legs over his arm and drove his shaft deep.

  “I can be evil too.”

  He varied his movements as he fucked her. Thrust, circle, thrust, circle. Each circle of his hips brushed her clit. Kari clutched his biceps and threw her head back, moaning loudly as another orgasm gripped her.

  Another thrust, another circle, and Slade trembled.

  Slade’s warm body covered hers, his slick skin sticking to hers. Kari didn’t care. She lay still, too exhausted to ev
en wiggle her toes.

  Seconds passed, perhaps minutes, before he stirred. He kissed her shoulder, her neck, her jaw. “Told you I could make you come again.”

  Exhaustion didn’t keep Kari from laughing at the smug tone of his voice. “Yes, you did.”

  He raised up on his elbows. “I hope you don’t want me to move, because I don’t think I can. My legs are dead.”

  “As well as every other part of you.”

  He chuckled. “That’s true. At least for a while.” He kissed her softly. “But watch out when I get my strength back.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  Slade enjoyed her taste so much, he kissed her again. He liked the way she responded to his kisses, his caresses…as if she couldn’t get enough of him. She obviously loved sex. Right now, even when they were both too tired to consider making love again, she returned his kiss with a passion he’d rarely experienced in a woman.

  He hadn’t thought he’d ever lose his heart to a woman again. He was close to doing that very thing with Kari.

  Her fingers skittered up and down his spine. “We aren’t ever going to make it to the hot tub, are we?”

  “Doesn’t look that way. I’ll turn off the jets while you get in bed.”

  Slade returned to the bedroom to find Kari lying on her side beneath the covers, facing him. His heart clenched at the sight of her hair spread out over the pillow. He could easily imagine having her in his bed every night.

  “Comfortable?”

  She burrowed her head into her pillow. “Very.”

  Her sapphire eyes lit up when she smiled. Slade couldn’t resist kissing her again. He leaned over and dropped a gentle peck on her lips. “I’m going to check the thermostat. I didn’t adjust it when we got here and it’s supposed to get down close to freezing tonight. Be right back.”

  Slade expected to find Kari still bundled beneath the covers. Instead, she sat with a pillow propped behind her back, leaning against the headboard. The light had disappeared from her eyes, to be replaced with concern. “What’s wrong?”

  “How cold is it supposed to get tonight?”

  “Mid thirties. There’s a chance of snow tomorrow.” He slid into bed next to her, using his own pillow to support his back. “I replaced the heating unit first thing. We’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not worried about us. I’m worried about Brenda. She’ll be out there with no protection.”

  “Kari, I told you—“

  “You told me Brenda was kidnapped. I know. But I can’t help feeling she’s in trouble. Yes, being kidnapped is trouble, but it’s more than that. I believe she’s hurt, or she’s going to be hurt soon.” She shifted on the bed, turning to face him. “I don’t understand how the visions I’ve had of Brenda could be wrong. That’s never happened to me.”

  “Couldn’t there be a first time?”

  “I suppose, but it’s strange. I saw her so clearly. And that wolf wall. I saw it in my mind as if I were standing in front of it.”

  Slade didn’t think Brenda was anywhere near the wall. He and Meka both believed she’d been kidnapped. The kidnapper wouldn’t put Brenda into any kind of danger because he wanted to collect the ransom. She’d be giving the jerk hell, but she’d be safe.

  “Kari, I don’t believe Brenda is in physical danger. If I did believe that, I’d be out there combing every inch of wilderness until I found her. She can be a pain in the ass, but she’s my sister and I adore her.” He stroked her hair, sifting the strands through his fingers. “My friend Meka has worked a lot of kidnapping cases. He believes that’s what happened to Brenda. I have to trust he knows what he’s doing.”

  “He could be wrong.”

  “Yes, he could. I don’t think he is.”

  Worry still creased Kari’s forehead. Wanting to erase the concern from her eyes, he tipped up her chin and kissed her softly. “Tell you what. We’ll go back to the wall after breakfast and take another look. We’ll stay as long as you want. How’s that?”

  Her eyes lit up again with her smile. “Thank you, Slade.”

  He turned off the lamp, slid beneath the covers and drew Kari close to him. She lay with her head on his shoulder, her arm around his waist. Her warm breath caressed his chest.

  He closed his eyes, feeling more content than he had in a long time.

  Chapter Eight

  The sky began to lighten with the early signs of dawn. Brenda stood at the kitchen window, staring at the dark clouds moving in. It would snow soon. She knew that from all the lessons Slade had given her on how to read the clouds, the trees, the wildlife. He’d always told her she could learn a lot from nature if she’d simply pay attention to it. He’d taught her so many things, been so patient with her…even when she’d been a brat and a pest.

  She knew she excelled at being a brat and a pest.

  Turning away from the window, Brenda opened each of the three cupboards. She’d looked in them last night and hadn’t found any food, but she looked again anyway.

  Nothing.

  Her empty stomach growled. It had been doing that since yesterday afternoon. She had never been hungry for this long. A call to the hotel’s kitchen had always provided her with whatever she wanted to eat in twenty minutes or less.

  There certainly wasn’t any room service here.

  Leaving the cupboards standing open, Brenda returned to the small living room. A violent sneeze shook her entire body. She picked up the quilt from the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. She’d never been so cold in her life. Her toes were completely numb. She’d slept no more than two hours last night for she kept waking up from the cold.

  She was hungry, thirsty, dirty and scared. She wanted something to eat and drink, a shower, clean clothes. She wanted to be in her room at the hotel, all safe and warm, with her parents and Slade surrounding her. Instead, she stood in the middle of a run-down cabin with holes in the walls big enough to drive her vintage Corvette through.

  How could he have left her here?

  Brenda knew she had no choice. She had to get out of here, now, before the snow started falling and it got even colder. She opened the front door. The wind hit her directly in the face. Tears stung her eyes and she sneezed again. She didn’t know which way to go. He’d brought her here three days ago, but she hadn’t paid attention to how they got here.

  Think, Brenda! Remember what Slade taught you about finding your way in the wilderness.

  She had no choice but to pick a direction and go.

  Tightening her hold on the filthy quilt, Brenda started walking.

  *

  Slade rolled over and bumped up against Kari’s back. Her skin felt warm and smooth. His cock immediately woke up and grew hard, ready for a repeat of last night’s incredible sex.

  Knowing this wasn’t the time for sex, Slade ran his hand over her shoulder instead. “Hey, sleeping beauty. It’s almost nine.”

  She snuggled into her pillow. “Don’t care.”

  “We’re going back to the wall, remember?”

  She rolled to her back and blinked sleepily at him. “The wall?”

  “Yeah. I promised I’d take you there this morning.” He chuckled at the blank look in her eyes. “You aren’t a morning person, are you?”

  “No. If you say you are, I may have to hurt you.”

  “Would coffee help?”

  “Definitely.” She smacked her lips and grimaced. “And a toothbrush.”

  “New one under the sink. Help yourself. I’ll start coffee while you dress.”

  After donning a thick robe, Slade padded to the kitchen. Humming under his breath, he made the coffee preparations. It was amazing how good a guy could feel after a night of hot sex.

  He’d pressed the button on the coffee maker to start it brewing when the telephone rang. Meka’s number showed on the display. “Hey, man.”

  “Hey, back. And before you ask, I don’t have any news on Brenda.”

  “Damn. My dad has to be climbing the walls.”

  �
��He’s not exactly a happy camper. I spoke with him a few minutes ago.”

  “I’ll call him later. I have something to do this morning.”

  “Does that something have anything to do with Kari Winchester?”

  Slade crossed to the refrigerator and removed a container of liquid creamer. “How do you know about Kari?”

  “Your dad told me while we were talking.”

  Taking two thick mugs from the cabinet, Slade set them next to the coffee maker. “So?”

  “So it made me uncomfortable for a stranger to show up claiming she knew something about your sister so soon after Brenda’s disappearance. I ran a check on her.”

  Slade froze with his hand on the coffeepot’s handle. “You did what?”

  “You won’t be upset when I tell you what I learned. Are you aware Kari Winchester is over seventy-eight thousand dollars in debt?”

  “Seventy-eight…” Stunned, Slade couldn’t say anything else for several moments. “Are you sure?”

  “Very sure. And that doesn’t include a mortgage. She has a loan through her bank and is almost to her limit on five credit cards. She makes a decent salary, but not enough to keep her from almost drowning in debt. That probably doesn’t seem like a lot of money to you, but it’s a lot to a normal person who didn’t grow up with money.”

  Tiny snowflakes began to fall outside the kitchen window. Slade stared at them as he tried to digest what his friend had told him. Kari was drowning in debt. He knew from years on the force that a person would often do something totally out of character when desperate. Seventy-eight thousand dollars in debt had to make Kari desperate.

  He wondered if it was enough to make her kidnap Brenda.

  “Is she with you?” Meka asked.

  “She’s getting dressed.”

  “Sounds like she moved fast. Got you in bed in one day.”

  “I didn’t exactly fight her.” He rubbed his forehead and blew out a breath. “Kari couldn’t have had anything to do with Brenda’s disappearance.”

  “How can you be sure?”