She could feel his erection weighing heavily on her belly. There was a thrilling sensation coursing through her but also apprehension. Would it hurt as it had with James? Certainly not. Sex wasn’t supposed to hurt. James had made sure it hurt. She knew that Brian would be gentle.
“I’m going to guide my cock slowly into your pussy,” he told her softly. “Let me know if it’s too much.”
Freya felt the tip of his penis at her entrance and stiffened in anticipation.
“Relax,” he reassured her.
Slowly but surely, he entered her, inch by inch. Freya closed her eyes and concentrated on not freaking out on him, but she actually found the sensation pleasurable. She felt full and as close to him as she could possibly get—the ultimate act of intimacy.
When he was fully inside of her, he told her, “Open your eyes, baby.”
She did as she was told and peered up into his sexy gray eyes. There was a look of concern shown across them.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Okay. Good.”
Then, he began moving inside of her. They were slow and gentle strokes, and they felt rather nice. This was nothing like what James had done to her. This was lovemaking. This was true intimacy.
She moaned as he moved a bit faster. Pressure was building in her clit, and she realized that if Brian kept going like this, she would orgasm.
“Are you still with me?” Brian asked, grunting a bit as he moved inside of her.
“Yes,” she panted, grinding her clit against his pelvis as he moved.
Brian continued to quicken his pace until she could feel that blissful burst of pleasure. He held his position while she rode out wave after wave until she was spent. Then, he began again, quickly this time, pounding into her, giving her new sensations until his body stiffened, and he shuddered.
Collapsing on top of her, sweat dripping across his chest, Brian lay heavily upon her. It hurt to breathe a bit, but she didn’t want to protest or move. His weight made her feel safe.
Brian finally withdrew from her and rolled off her. He looked over at her and grinned. She smiled back.
“That was perfect,” she whispered.
“Good. I was hoping it would be.”
Then, she looked at him and blurted out, “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
Chapter 19
Thursday, June 11
1:01 PM
Howard slowly pulled his vehicle up to a small house in east Charlotte. Alexis sat beside him, tapping her foot nervously. He knew that this visit to Samantha Clark was going to be the most important of the investigation yet, and if she cooperated, they would have their best evidence yet—enough that they may be able to get a warrant for Chief Johnson.
Maybe.
Howard had picked Alexis up on her lunch break, and they had limited time, so he immediately asked her, “Are you ready?”
“Yes. Let’s get this done.”
He smiled. She had spent the night at his place again, and they had had another round of sex. He was liking where this was going, though he knew he needed to keep focused on the task at hand. If Samantha Clark was on James’s side, it could get ugly fast.
They walked to the door of the ranch-style house, which had seen better days, and rang the doorbell.
They waited.
At first, Howard assumed no one was home or Ms. Clark was simply ignoring the door. However, after a few tense moments, he could hear movement from inside the house. The door opened slowly to reveal a tired-looking woman probably in her early fifties with graying hair and a body that was overweight by twenty or thirty pounds. She stared at them through weary eyes.
“Can I help you?” She asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Howard said. “I’m Detective Howard Greene. This is Assistant District Attorney Alexis Montgomery. We’re here to talk to you about your son if you have a moment.
“What did James do now?” Clark demanded.
“Well, that’s what we’re trying to figure out, ma’am,” Howard told her. “May we come in and talk?”
“Yes, certainly,” Clark said, opening the door a little wider so that Alexis and Howard could shuffle in the house.
Everything about the inside of the house was shabby from the furniture to the curtains and even the old wallpaper, which desperately needed to be replaced. Howard felt sorry for the woman. Here was another female Chief Johnson had screwed over and left in poor conditions.
They sat down in a small living room, and Howard noted that there was a broken spring in the couch that was nailing him in the ass something fierce. He tried to ignore it and started on the questions.
“So, we’re here because we suspect your son of a brutal sexual assault against a young woman about six months ago. The case went cold, but we’re trying to reopen it. We’d like your help in getting justice.”
Clark sighed and said, “Why do you think my son was involved?”
“We followed a very loose trail of evidence that led to the attack of my colleague, Ms. Montgomery, by James. We need to find him as soon as possible, or I’m afraid he’ll strike again.”
Clark squinted at Alexis, and then her eyes went wide.
“I saw you in the paper the other day! You were attacked at knifepoint in your apartment. You poor thing. I’m glad you’re okay. You think it was James? It certainly sounds like it. He had this thing about knives. Killed a couple of neighborhood pets by cutting them up. Of course, his father covered for him. Andrew always covers for him. They were so close. In fact, they still are as far as I know. I haven’t talked to Andrew in years after he dumped me. The bastard.”
“Are you still in contact with your son, Ms. Clark?” Alexis asked.
Clark shook her head and said, “No. Not anymore. He stopped talking to me after he dropped out of MIT even after I begged him not to. Had a full ride and everything. That boy said they were too dumb for him there, and he’d be better off doing his own thing. The boy is a genius, you know. Had him tested and everything.”
Howard and Alexis exchanged glances.
MIT? That explained how James seemed to be able to get into anything and everything. The killing of animals suggested that he was indeed a violent sociopath.
“So, he was a troubled child but a genius. Probably too smart for his own good. Am I getting this right?”
Clark nodded and added, “He was also…overly sexual. Got a girl pregnant in high school. Everyone kept it on the down-low. She committed suicide halfway through her pregnancy. The baby didn’t make it. Poor soul. Everyone suspected she was depressed because she was pregnant and in high school, but I think it was because James bullied her to the point that she couldn’t take it any longer.”
Alexis and Howard exchanged glances.
What a sicko, he thought as he shook his head.
“Look at me. I’m rambling,” Clark continued. “It sounds like James is out of control. What can I do to help?”
Howard dug in his pocket and pulled out a DNA cheek swab kit. He showed it to Clark.
“I’d like to get a sample of your DNA to compare it to the rape kit we got. That way, we’ll know for sure whether this is your son or not. Do you consent to do a quick cheek swab?”
Clark stared at the kit for a moment before finally nodding.
“If it stops James, then I’ll do it,” she told them.
Howard breathed a small sigh of relief as he administered the swab. He had a friend over in the crime lab who would fast-track the results, so it wouldn’t take long, though he wasn’t sure of the next steps if their hunch turned out to be correct and James was indeed Clark and Johnson’s son.
When they left, Alexis squeezed Howard’s arm and said, “We’re going to get this guy. I can feel it. We’re close.”
Howard nodded and said, “I hope the hell that you’re right.”
2:34 PM
The sound of heavy machinery drowned out Freya and Brian’s peace and
quiet that afternoon. Brian had ordered in some guys to come and level the guesthouse and take away the debris. It would be an all-day job, so any kind of relaxing day was blown.
Still, last night had been amazing, and it had continued into this morning for another round of mind-blowing sex. Only this time, Freya was less timid and seemed to enjoy herself even more. Meanwhile, Brian was mellow as hell. This was the first time he had had sex with a woman he loved, and the experience was surreal. He had woken up the next morning practically giddy with joy.
Brian watched Freya as she peeked through the curtains, watching the heavy machinery work on the remains of the guesthouse. He knew that she got nervous every time she saw the wreckage. It was a reminder that she could have been in that house when it had collapsed under those trees.
It was not lost on Brian that if that event had not happened, Freya would not have learned to trust him as she had. It had been the catalyst for their relationship, so he didn’t mind a bit of debris in the yard if it meant that he got to have Freya.
“I wish I could go out,” she told him. “The weather’s warmed up so much. I miss our walks together.”
“Me too,” he admitted. “How’s your foot doing? Maybe we could go out for a little bit? You can sit and watch me do yard clean up.”
“It’s getting better. I bet I can help a little bit.”
“Don’t push it,” he warned.
“I won’t,” she promised.
They made their way outside. Both were just wearing t-shirts and jeans. Brian was surprised that Freya didn’t try to cover up her wrists in front of the workers. She was making so much progress in just a small amount of time.
Brian put on work gloves and grabbed some yard bags. He had been meaning to go out and clean out the yard debris from the mulch beds, but he had been distracted by a certain beautiful woman.
“I’ll supervise,” Freya said, laughing as she sat in a chair on the front porch.
“Thanks,” Brian called and smiled.
Everything was going great—almost too great. They still hadn’t talked about what would happen after the summer was over. If James was still on the loose, that would make things more difficult. However, Brian would prefer if Freya stayed with him permanently.
He spent time working on the flower beds around the house and then moved on to the ones farther away that lined the driveway. There was a row of hedges that needed to be trimmed. He noted that for later and continued to clear branches and leaves.
After a few minutes, he paused when he saw something odd around the mulch. Between two of the hedges, some of the mulch was pressed in as if something had been sitting in it. An animal, perhaps? Or a person? Brian’s sniper perception found it to be a good place to spy on the house without being seen, though maybe he was being paranoid. It could be paparazzi. That wouldn’t surprise him. After his time dating Sydney Grace, he had been front and center in the tabloids, though his mountain home was remote for someone to track him down just for pictures.
Regardless, he made a note of it in the back of his mind. Perhaps he should start carrying a gun with him around the house?
7:05 PM
Freya sat at the formal dining table, completely stuffed. Brian had just wowed her with one of his best meals yet: homemade spaghetti noodles with a made from scratch meat sauce. He had been working on it all evening and had wanted to make things special by eating in the dining room.
This was the first time she had gone in this particular room of the house and was amazed by the crystal chandelier and tasteful landscape pictures on the walls. It might be over the top, but it made for a very special date. Brian had even lit candles and had brought wine for the occasion.
She had been able to tolerate more alcohol now that she had cut down on the amount of as-needed anxiety medication she had been taking. When she was with Brian, she felt like she didn’t need it. Her father had sent her prescriptions the other day, but she hadn’t even touched the benzodiazepines. In turn, she felt more alert and awake during the day. She felt better than she had in a long time.
“I take it you liked dinner?” Brian asked with a grin on his face.
He knew he did good, and she had to chuckle.
“Yes. That was excellent. What did I do to deserve all of this? Well, besides the sex last night and this morning.”
Brian laughed.
“I just wanted to do something nice. I know it’s gotten a bit monotonous here, especially with you having to stay off your foot.”
“It’s not monotonous if we keep doing what we did last night,” she countered.
“True,” Brian noted. “Though I will have to say that there was an ulterior motive for all of this. I wanted to ask you something, and I guess I wanted to butter you up first.”
“Butter me up for what exactly?” She asked.
“Well, as you know, this summer isn’t going to last forever.”
Freya’s breath caught in her chest. He wasn’t going to dump her after all of this, was he? No. That didn’t make any sense. Not after last night.
“No, it isn’t,” she said.
Brian scratched his head and said, “Well, what I wanted to ask was that if you wanted to…stay with me after this summer comes to an end?”
Her heart leaped.
“Stay…with you?”
“Yeah. How does that sound?”
“Where would we go?”
“My home down in Tampa until I finish this book, and then I’ll take you on tour with me when the fourth book comes out.”
Freya’s eyes widened.
“Seriously?”
“Dead serious.”
“What would I do? It sounds like I’d be in the way.”
“You wouldn’t,” he reassured her. “And you can do anything you’d like. Find a new passion. You told me you wouldn’t go back to teaching, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t find something else. It would give you some time to find whatever you’d want to do, and more importantly, you’d be safe with me.”
Freya sat there, stunned. Brian was asking her to live with him on a full-time basis. That was a huge step for their relationship, but it was one that she had been secretly hoping for.
Smiling, she told him, “Yes!”
He blew out a deep breath and told her, “Oh, good. You have no idea how nervous I was about asking you. I guess I shouldn’t have been, knowing how you feel about me, but I’ve never gone this far with a woman before. To be honest, I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.”
Freya stood from the table and hobbled over to him. She sat on his lap and kissed him.
“How about we take this upstairs?” She asked, feeling a grin spread across her face.
“Ah, hell. I do need to put the leftovers away,” Brian said, looking at the pots and pans on the table. “But…I can always get them later.”
He winked and carried her upstairs to the bedroom.
11:54 PM
James sat in the bushes and waited patiently for all the lights to go out in the huge mountain home before he decided to make his move. He was done fucking around with the Morgan girl. Tonight, he would snatch her up and finish her off as he had planned to all those months ago. He had his plan, and he would follow through with it. He didn’t care that there was another man in the house. All he had to do was get her alone for a moment, and it would be easy to snatch her up. If that didn’t work, he could always slit the other man’s throat in his sleep.
He slowly crept toward the house. There was a cool breeze to the night. James could feel it through his all-black ensemble. He didn’t bother with a ski mask. He wanted Freya to know who was kidnapping her. James took great pleasure in making her scared.
When he got to the front door, he chuckled at the alarm system that he had disabled only a few moments earlier. It had been child’s play. People thought they were safe with their stupid alarms, but James could get anyone at any time.
The lock took a bit longer to pick, especially since he had to get bo
th the deadbolt and the regular door lock. Once those were done, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside. The house was dark, and it would take him a moment to get his bearings and figure out the floor plan. Still, he was very much looking forward to this day, and there was no one to stop him. His father could go fuck himself.
Chapter 20
Friday, June 12
12:02 AM
Freya turned to Brian and sighed. She had forgotten her water bottle downstairs and was thirsty after their last round of lovemaking. Figuring she wouldn’t be able to sleep without a drink, she sat up and got out of bed.
“You okay?” Brian asked from his spot on the bed.
“Yeah,” Freya told him, pulling on a nightie. They were both naked.
“I just want to get my water. I’ll be right back.”
“Need company?” He asked.
“No. I’ll be fine. I’ll be right back.”
“Alright. Hurry back. I need someone to keep my bed warm.” Then he paused. “I should say ‘our bed.’” He corrected himself.
She smiled and slowly limped out. Her foot was getting better. The doctor was probably right when he said it was just a sprain. She still wished it had never happened. Freya desperately missed her and Brian’s walks together, though they had now found a new way to spend time together: having a lot of sex.
The steps creaked as she hobbled down them and to the hallway below. She went to the kitchen and felt around the wall for a light switch. One came on above the kitchen sink, and she was able to see her water bottle sitting on the counter next to it. Limping over to it, she picked it up and took a swig.
It was then that a dark figure came out of nowhere and grabbed her. The water bottle dropped from her hands and rattled to the floor. She let out a yelp, but a hand clamped over her mouth while something sharp fell to her neck.
“Don’t make a fucking sound,” the low voice of James Walker told her as he grabbed her from behind. It felt like there was a knife to her throat.
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