Unmarked Graves
Page 17
Something in the tense set of her shoulders seemed to relax slightly, and she even managed a small smile. “Coffee would be great.”
They went into the kitchen, and he got out the bag of French roast from the cupboard and started a pot brewing, while Rosemary leaned up against the counter and watched him. Some rosiness had returned to her cheeks, and she looked somehow simultaneously beautiful and simply adorable, with the clean, perfect lines of her delicate features surrounded by that halo of wild hair. Will thought of how he would love to have her like this with him every morning, starting off their day with coffee and some shared time together.
Of course, it would be preferable if their morning conversation didn’t have to involve a murder investigation, but he figured they would just take it one step at a time.
While they were waiting for the coffee, he got some water for the two of them. Rosemary accepted the glass he handed her with a look of gratitude on her face, and she drank almost a third of it before she put the tumbler down on the counter. “Thanks,” she said. “I guess I didn’t realize how thirsty I was.”
“Well, we did a lot of running around last night and then didn’t stop to hydrate before we went to sleep.” Her comment prompted Will to take a few healthy swallows of water from his own glass. “So…who else do you think would be looking for the footage?”
“I have no idea,” she confessed. “It’s just that someone killed Caleb, and it sure as hell wasn’t either one of us. What motive would they have for murdering him if it wasn’t that damn footage?”
“There could be a lot of reasons,” Will replied, turning over possibilities in his mind. “Maybe he interrupted an intruder — ”
She lifted an eyebrow at that suggestion, and he had to admit to himself that it sounded fairly weak. No ordinary human could have overpowered Caleb, so anyone intent on casual burglary would have had a nasty surprise if they tried to take him on. Which seemed to indicate his killer had to be another demon — or part-demon. Were they quarreling amongst themselves? Maybe there was one faction that wanted to save the footage but then doctor it somehow, while yet another simply wanted it destroyed outright. He said as much to Rosemary as he went over to fetch them a couple of mugs, and she was silent for a moment as she mulled over that particular possibility.
“I can see how that might make sense,” she said at length. “After all, we don’t know anything about these part-demons except that they all have human blood mixed in, to varying degrees. But, judging by the way Caleb acted when we surprised him at the house, I think we can safely say that none of them are probably very nice people.”
“No, probably not,” Will observed. Maybe there were one or two whose demon blood hadn’t bred true, but he guessed that was probably a long shot, and certainly nothing they should count on. “Which possibly means they’re already prone to quarreling amongst themselves. But that mystery is something the police can figure out on their own.”
“Do you think they even will?” Rosemary asked. She took the mug of coffee he handed her and gave him a smile, one that sent a certain heat to several portions of his anatomy he probably should have been ignoring for at least another day or so. “Track down Caleb’s killer, I mean.”
About all he could do was shrug. “I have no idea. Honestly, I’m not even sure if they’ll be able to positively identify the body.”
“I thought I already did that.”
“Well, you confirmed his identity to a point, but I think they’d still need to check dental records or DNA or something along those lines.”
Her expression turned thoughtful. “Right. Well, if the demons in Greencastle are doing their best to blend in with their neighbors, then I assume they’d go to the dentist occasionally, if only to keep up appearances. There probably are records somewhere.”
“That might or might not be accessible. For all we know, the local dentist is also a demon.”
Rosemary sipped her coffee, then grinned. “Considering some of the experiences I’ve had at the dentist, I could totally believe that.”
Will chuckled, and went over so he could stand next to her. Almost at once, she leaned her head against his shoulder, and again a warm flush went through him. Not so much of desire this time, but of what he realized was pure happiness. It felt so good to have her this close to him, to be able to breathe in the soft scent of her hair and know that she wanted to be here with him just as much as he wanted her here. He honestly had never thought he would be this comfortable with a woman again. Yes, his head still ached slightly and they were about to fly two thousand miles to drop into a town infested with part-demon adversaries, and yet he still didn’t think he would have traded places with anyone in the world.
She spoke then, her voice not much more than a murmur. “I wish we didn’t have to go. I wish we could just be here together and do something fun.”
“Like what?” he asked, thinking it might be enjoyable to indulge the fantasy for a little while. Besides, he really did want to know what she considered a fun pastime.
“Mmm….” She trailed off there as she seemed to consider his question. “I don’t know. Go to a pumpkin patch and pick out some pumpkins for your front porch. This house really needs some Halloween decorations.”
Will couldn’t help smiling a little at her criticism. “Oh, it does?”
“Yes. Didn’t you know it’s a crime to have a house with a front porch this nice and not have Halloween decorations on it?”
“Well, tell you what.” He shifted his position slightly so he could face her, and she shot him an inquiring look, obviously wondering why he would move away when they were being so cozy. That was an easy question to answer, though.
He wanted to see her lovely face.
After taking a quick sip of coffee, he went on, “When we get back from Indiana, we’ll decorate the front porch. Just nothing too gruesome — this neighborhood has some fairly small children.”
“Yes, Father Gordon,” she said demurely, a wicked glint in her blue eyes.
Oh, to hell with self-control. He set down his coffee mug and bent so he could kiss her, could taste the warm savor of French roast on her beautiful mouth. Her arms went around him, and they held on to one another for a long moment, bodies pressed together. She wasn’t wearing a bra underneath the oversized T-shirt she had on, and he could feel her breasts, warm and full.
Almost at once, he hardened, although he tried to push the desire away. Oh, he wanted her. That was as much a given as the sun rising in the east each morning. However, while they still had a few hours before they had to leave for the airport, he realized that their time wasn’t unlimited.
And neither was his strength. They had a long flight ahead of them, a flight that would take them into the utter unknown. He needed to save his energy.
But as they both came up for air and her eyes met his, he realized those were specious arguments. He needed this — and if the look on her face was any indication, she needed it as badly as he did.
Her hands reached for his. “I can wait for breakfast,” she said, her voice husky.
“So can I,” he replied. “But I can’t wait a second longer to be with you.”
Their mouths met again, and again he marveled at how well they seemed to fit, how there was no awkwardness in their kisses, no clumsy attempts to find exactly the right angle. His fingers still entwined with hers, Will led Rosemary out of the kitchen and down the hall to his bedroom. He’d pulled up the covers but hadn’t really made the bed.
Maybe he’d had a psychic flash of his own.
Her fingers found the edge of his T-shirt and pulled it up over his head. For a second, he experienced a flicker of self-consciousness. After all, it had been a very long time since he’d been with a woman, and he wasn’t in his twenties anymore.
Rosemary didn’t seem to notice anything wrong with his physique, though. Her hands trailed up his arms and across his bare chest, and he forgot about the ache in his head, the worry that he wouldn’t be enough
for her. In this moment, she was the only thing that mattered.
And he would do whatever it took to prove that to her.
The baggy T-shirt Will had been wearing had hidden a very impressive chest and stomach. Not super-defined, just solid and masculine and pretty much perfect in every way. Rosemary ran her fingers over his skin, feeling how smooth and warm it was, how the faint dusting of dark hair on his chest tickled against her fingertips. She pressed her mouth against his flesh and kissed him, tasted the faint flavor of salt on his skin. He released a breath, and in the next moment, they were falling onto the bed, his hands eagerly reaching for her own shirt so he could pull it over her head.
No time to worry about what he thought of her — too thin, breasts too small — because as soon as she was free of the T-shirt, he lowered his head and ran his tongue over her nipple. She moaned out loud, wondering how he’d been able to figure out how sensitive she was there, how a man’s mouth on her breast was guaranteed to send waves of delicious pleasure flooding through her body.
Maybe he was psychic, too. Or maybe he simply was paying attention to her reactions.
Whatever the reason, he also seemed to realize this was the time to slide his hand under the waistband of the leggings she wore, moving lower so his fingers could slip underneath her panties and then into her, stroking gently, almost teasing, as if he wanted to make sure she was truly ready for him.
Oh, she was ready. More than ready, really. Impatiently, she grabbed hold of her leggings and underwear and pulled them off, then threw them over the side of the bed so they’d land more or less in the same spot where her T-shirt already lay. Will made a low, growling sound deep in his throat, fingers moving lower still so he could push them deep inside her.
Rosemary arched her back, tremors going all through her body. It was so good, so very good….
However, he paused then, shifting so he could leave a trail of kisses down her stomach, moving ever lower until his tongue slipped into her and she cried aloud, a little glad that the previous night had been cold enough for them to leave the windows all closed. After that random thought, however, she couldn’t think of anything else except the sensation of his tongue moving against her, slowly as though savoring her taste, his thick, heavy hair brushing against the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.
It was building in her now, and she knew it wouldn’t be very long, wouldn’t be very long at all….
Once again, she cried out, her fingers clutching the sheets as the orgasm shuddered its way through her body. It had been a while for her, and yet she was pretty sure that wasn’t why the climax had hit her with the force of a speeding train. No, that was all due to Will Gordon and the way he’d made love to her with his tongue. Although she’d allowed herself a few fantasies about him, she honestly hadn’t expected a man of the cloth to be so, well, skilled.
But she didn’t have time to ponder that conundrum, because he was moving, getting up on his knees so he could remove his sweatpants and the dark blue boxer briefs he wore underneath. It seemed corny to think of a man as magnificent, but that was how he appeared to her then, his erection impressively large, his legs sturdy and tanned, as though he spent more time outside than she’d imagined.
His eyes met hers, and she saw the need in them…but also the hesitation.
“I think I have some condoms in the nightstand,” he said, his voice husky with passion. “But if I don’t — ”
“I have an IUD,” she told him, hating how clinical the term sounded — but also knowing they needed to have this discussion. “And I don’t know about you, but it’s been almost a year for me. I know I’m fine.”
Will shot her a rueful grin. “And a bit longer than that for me. I have a clean bill of health, I mean.”
“Good,” Rosemary said, and lay down against the pillows, her gaze still holding his. “Then there’s no reason to stop, is there?”
“None at all.”
He moved closer to her, reached down and pulled her against him. For a moment, their mouths met, and she could taste her musk on his lips. But then he pushed her back down, his erection pushing against her…
…and then he was inside, and she gasped again, wrapping her legs around him so she could draw him deeper into her, so she could make sure they were locked together in a moment of intimacy she’d hoped for but had somehow thought might never happen. He began to move in and out, slowly and surely, while she clung to him and wondered if it had ever felt like this with anyone else, to be so close, so perfectly tuned to the other person’s movements, to every breath and thrust and sigh.
She didn’t think so. It was as if she had only been practicing with those other men, had only played at lovemaking because her heart and mind had never been fully engaged. As she felt Will move within her, she knew she had never loved anyone before him, had kept her heart locked away because she knew that to give it was to risk what she was feeling now, that he had somehow become the whole world to her…and she didn’t quite know how that had happened.
Yes, she loved Will Gordon, and her world would never be the same again.
Another orgasm rushed through her, and her legs locked around him, holding him in place as the climax hit him as well. He moaned, and she could feel him spill into her, could feel his heat and his need and his passion — and yes, his love — in that single shimmering moment.
Somehow, he retained enough control to lower himself gently onto her, although she could feel the way his heart pounded within his chest, the heat of his breath against her cheek. She held on to him and waited as he returned to himself, to her and the room that had been their universe for the past half hour, or however long it had been.
At long last, he raised himself slightly and stared down into her eyes. A faint sheen of perspiration gleamed on his forehead, and color flared in his cheeks. She thought she’d never seen anyone so amazingly handsome in all her life.
One hand cupped her cheek. “I love you,” he said simply.
“I love you, too,” she replied, knowing there was no longer any reason to hide from this. She trusted Will, knew he would never do anything to abuse her heart or her trust. A smile touched her mouth, and she added,
“Now, let’s go get some demons.”
Chapter 14
Greencastle, Indiana, was the sort of picture-perfect place that looked as though it should have been the backdrop for a bunch of Hallmark Channel holiday romances. Rosemary thought the downtown section of Glendora where her store was located had its fair share of small-town charm, but — at first glance, at least — Greencastle could run rings around Glendora when it came to being adorably cozy.
“Not the sort of place I’d expect to see a bunch of demons hiding out,” she said under her breath as she and Will emerged from their hotel that morning to get their bearings.
Despite their early morning activities at his house the day before, they’d managed to catch their plane at Ontario International with no delays and a minimum of fuss. Unfortunately, when they’d landed in Dallas Fort Worth for their layover, they’d ended up spending almost three hours there instead of the hour and some change they’d been promised, and so they hadn’t rolled into Greencastle until after midnight. By that point, they were both so exhausted they fell into bed without doing much more than brushing their teeth and getting out of their travel clothes, although Rosemary had summoned just enough energy to cast a warding spell on their hotel room. She might have been tired, but she wasn’t so tired that she was about to sleep in the heart of the demons’ stronghold without some protection.
Whether it was the wards, or whether the descendants of the Underhill Trust demons hadn’t yet discovered they had interlopers in their midst, Rosemary and Will slept soundly that night. He’d gotten a room with two queen beds, but of course there hadn’t been any question of them sleeping separately. No, she’d curled up next to him as if she’d done that very same thing hundreds of times before, and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Will looked down at his phone; he’d brought up the Yelp app to hopefully guide them someplace where they could get breakfast. “That way,” he said, pointing down the street. “It looks like there’s a restaurant serving breakfast a few blocks down.”
“Lead on,” Rosemary replied, and hoped she sounded lighthearted and like a casual tourist, not someone who’d come here specifically to find footage that proved the existence of demons…and therefore the existence of Heaven and Hell.
Will reached over to clasp her fingers with his free hand, and they began to walk toward their destination. It was too bad that she couldn’t allow herself to relax and enjoy the walk, because the day was a lovely one, sunny but cool, the trees here showing autumn finery of yellow and red and gold that wouldn’t appear in Southern California for another month. In some ways, though, the town appeared alien to her, just because she wasn’t used to seeing so many brick buildings. In earthquake-prone California, brick structures were a rarity, whereas here they seemed to predominate.
But she did take some pleasure from the sensation of Will’s hand encircling hers, the feeling of closeness even that casual touch awoke within her. Everything had been happening so quickly, she had to consciously remind herself that he’d told her he loved her just the day before. Their relationship had taken a quantum leap that morning, and yet she hadn’t had much time to savor the moment, to realize that she wouldn’t have to face the demons alone.