Clint was back behind the bar when they left for the motel but he motioned for her to come over.
“Logan called this afternoon to tell me what you’ve found. I’m gonna hunt with him tonight, chere. I think two of us working together can spot more things. Frayne will close up again.”
Did that mean he wouldn’t be by to see her first? She tried to conceal her disappointment.
“But I plan on a quick stop with my favorite woman first,” he grinned. “Be ready. Now I gotta get back to work.”
At eight o’clock Logan knocked on her door to tell her Ric was at the Northern Maine Regional Airport with the helicopter.
“He’s getting something to eat in the coffee shop there. He’ll hang out for a while then spend some time flying over the area. I emailed him copies of the maps we’re working with. This way he’ll get a feel for the spots we’re focusing on.”
“Are you getting him a room here? He can’t sleep at the airport.”
“Already taken care of. Tell Clint I’ll be ready when he is.”
“Tell Clint?”
“No secrets in our little family,” he chuckled as he left.
Apparently not.
At eight thirty Clint was the one knocking on her door.
“I have to meet Logan pretty soon,” he told her, “but I can’t go out in the night air without tastin’ my sweet Sophia.”
“People will start asking you where you’re going so early on weekend nights,” she said, sinking into his tight embrace.
“It’s none of their damn business,” he told her, his voice muffled against her hair. “They’ll keep their questions to themselves if they know what’s good for them.”
Sophia tilted her head back. “If you’re worried about me, don’t be. I don’t mind if the world knows.”
“I just don’t want to do anything to compromise the job you came here to do,” he told her.
Sophia snorted. “I think the CID is doing that without any help from you.” Then she shook her head. “That’s not fair. Our boss got us inserted into this investigation by using his considerable influence. I should have known, however, the attitude about the Chupacabra wouldn’t be any different than it was when my nephews were killed.”
Clint rubbed his hands up and down her back then stepped away. “Let me get out of my clothes, chere. I brought the cold in with me.” He grinned. “Besides. I want to be naked with you as quick as possible.”
In seconds they were both under the covers, on their sides skin to skin, Clint’s hands touching her here, there, everywhere.
“I like it better when I can take my time with you,” he told her, desire edging his voice. “But this is better than nothing at all.”
“I agree.” She slid a hand between them and reached for his cock, finding it hot, hard and ready. “Maybe I can help speed things up.”
Clint gave a guttural laugh. “If you speed it up any more, it’ll be over before it starts.” He gently moved her hand away. “Let me help you catch up.”
He had learned the map of her body over the past few nights so he knew exactly where and how to touch her. His mouth was hard against hers, his tongue probing and arousing as it danced with her own. His kisses were powerful, lighting up the nerves in her body, kicking open the gates of desire as his hands wandered everywhere.
His lean fingers, still slightly chilled from the night air, woke up the nerves in her breasts as he cupped each in turn, thumbs brushing the stiffened nipples, fingers pinching and tugging. Every pull on the taut peaks sent arrows of shimmering heat straight to her pussy, releasing a fresh spate of cream.
His mouth never left hers as his hand continued down the curves and swells of her body. Lightly brushing the soft skin of her tummy, drifting past the curls on her mound to stroke her inner thighs. She parted her legs for him, so hot for him she wanted him inside her at once. But even with limited time available tonight it seemed Clint was determined to go at his own pace.
His tongue continued to probe her mouth as his fingers drifted lightly and teasingly up and down her inner thighs. A voluptuous heat suffused her, like an erotic mist settling on her skin, and every pulse point thrummed insistently. Sophia ran her fingers through the silk of his hair, clasping his head to her, stroking his tongue with hers voraciously, as if she’d never get enough of the taste of him.
Fingers probed at her wet folds and when Clint’s thumb scraped over her clit she moaned into his mouth. He lifted one of her legs and draped it over his, opening her to him. Strong fingers massaged her labia, circling her opening but never…quite…there.
She pulled her mouth away from his, gasping with need.
“Please. I need…I need…”
“Need what, bebe?” His voice was rough with hunger.
“I need…you!”
Two fingers slid inside her. “Like this?” He wiggled them, scraping her sensitive vaginal walls. “And this?” He moved his head to capture one taut nipple in his mouth, gently biting down on it.
“Yes,” she whimpered. “Yes. More.”
He slipped his fingers from her cunt and stroked back on the sensitive skin from her pussy to the puckered opening of her anus. “And this?” One finger thrust slowly inside her ass.
“Want…to touch you,” she begged. “Please. Let…me touch you. Your cock.”
Clint rolled her to her back. “How about if you touch me with your pussy.”
He shifted enough to reach the condom he’d dropped on the nightstand, expertly rolled it on with one hand and spread Sophia’s thighs wide. His eyes were hot lights boring into her own. The message completely clear. I am going to fuck you like mad. Get ready.
“Take me,” she whispered.
One strong push with his hips and he was completely inside her, tight pussy walls clasping him and pulling at him It was easier for her to take him now, her body more accustomed to his size and girth. He filled every inch of her, sensation like molten lava flowing through her veins.
“Here we go,” he growled.
And he began to move. Slow, slow. Then faster and faster until he was pounding into her, his cock filling every inch of her, his eyes never leaving her. She couldn’t tell anymore where she stopped and he began.
The climax unspooled from deep inside her, rushing through her like a locomotive.
“Now, bebe.” His voice was harsh. “Come for me now.”
The tremors began and as soon as they did his body tensed, he threw his head back and howled her name. They hit the edge of the cliff together and dropped over, clutched in the fist of an orgasm more powerful than a tidal wave.
Once, as a child, Sophia had ridden the parachute drop at the county fair. Now she had that same feeling, a whooshing through her body as she dropped in free fall and smacked into an unstoppable force.
Clint lowered himself onto her, dragging air into his lungs, his body still hot and shaking.
“You’re gonna kill me,” he chuckled when he could speak.
“Same goes,” she breathed. Running her hands over his sweat-slicked back, feeling the bunch and release of muscles beneath the taut skin.
A good five minutes ticked by on the clock before Clint roused himself and slid from her body. Sophia lay exhausted on the pillows, the covers pulled up to her chin, eyes closed so she could recapture those last moments one more time. She heard Clint in the bathroom, the running of water, then he was back in the room. The soft whisper of fabric told her he was putting on his clothes so she opened her eyes.
“Be careful out there, Clint. Please.”
He came to the bed and bent down to brush a kiss over her lips. “Always, chere. Look what I have to come back to.”
“Are you…” She wet her lips. “Are you going to come by…afterward?”
“If you want me to.”
“Take my key card.” She pointed. “It’s on the dresser.”
“Okay. And you keep your gun beside you. Just in case.”
She stared at him. “Surely you
don’t think the beast will show up here. It sticks to isolated locations.”
“There’s more than one kind of beast out there. I just want you safe.” He kissed her again. “Later.” He grinned. “Keep the bed warm for me, okay?”
Then he was gone. Sophia climbed out of the bed long enough to get her Glock from the dresser and put it on the nightstand. Then she huddled under the covers again, pulling them close to her so she could inhale Clint’s lingering scent.
* * * * *
Why do I feel that I’ve covered the entire state of Maine?
Logan’s wolf lips were pulled back in a replica of a grin.
They had stopped in a small clearing among a towering stand of blue spruce to regroup and reorient. They had been running for close to six hours, working their way out and then back toward the motel. Logan had shown Clint the snow cave, which showed no signs of being used in the past twenty-four hours, and they scoped out some likely spots for the beast to hide and attack.
They had not seen any sign of the devil beast or any indication it was out hunting tonight. Silently they shared an uneasy feeling, as if they were missing something.
Wimp! Clint gave a silent laugh. You should ask the CID to warn these particular folks again, and be sure the sheriff’s patrols pay careful attention to these areas.
I just have the feeling we’re missing something.
Clint stared at him through his wolf eyes. I think we’ve done all we can for tonight. Let’s get back to the motel.
All right. We can talk about this in the morning. See if we can narrow the area even more.
They rose to all fours, scoped out the area around them once more and took off. They used trees to conceal themselves as much as possible until they finally reached the place where they’d stashed their clothes.
“I have a bad feeling I can’t get rid of,” Logan said, zipping up his parka.
“I hate to say it, but I share the feeling,” Clint agreed.
“Are you going home?” Logan asked carefully.
Clint shrugged. “Not much use, as close to morning as it is.”
“Clint?”
“Yeah?” He turned to face the other man, his stance slightly belligerent.
“I just wanted to say that I’m glad you and Sophia have something going. She’s…” he searched for words, “a tightly contained person. Her entire focus is the job. It’s good to see her let down a little.”
Clint studied him for a moment. “You should know I have strong feelings for her.”
“And you should know that I think you’re very good for her. I hope the two of you can work things out between you.”
“Thanks.” He held out his hand and Logan shook it.
“All right. Let’s go before someone sees us and wonders what two men are doing wandering around out here at this hour.”
* * * * *
Chuck Whittaker thought long and hard before making the offer to the stranger he’d picked up. The man had spent what little light remained working on one of the cabins before coming in to wash up and share a simple meal. The man—Fred—was certainly weird looking and Chuck was irritated by that strange odor of turpentine that clung to him. Still, he was quiet and didn’t seem like a troublemaker. And he’d cut and stacked the wood that Chuck hadn’t gotten to and was working his way through a list of minor repairs.
And there was still a lot of work to do. Chuck and his wife had kicked around the idea of hiring someone laid off work for the winter months but Fred had popped up and he took it as an omen.
They ate supper without much conversation then Fred prepared to bed down in one of the cabins. But the outbuildings weren’t heated and all the space heaters used during hunting season had been serviced and were packed away until spring. He could almost hear Loraine’s voice telling him he was talking a foolish chance but he liked to think he was a fair judge of people, so he made the man an offer.
“You’ll probably freeze to death in one of those cabins,” he said. “We’ve got a room off the kitchen over there that the wife uses for sewing and stuff. It’s got a couch in it she says isn’t too bad, if you’d like to bed down there.”
“Are you sure?” Fred asked in his weird voice.
“Absolutely.” Chuck pulled out a grin. “Can’t have you freeze to death before the work gets finished, right?”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.”
Chuck found a pillow and blankets for the man and showed him the downstairs washroom.
“Hope you don’t mind but I’ll be getting you up pretty early in the morning so we can get at it.”
Fred just nodded and headed into the room.
Chuck climbed the stairs to his bedroom and dug out his flannel pajamas. Once in bed, the covers pulled up, he turned on the television he and Loraine kept in there and flipped through the channels to see if there was anything he wanted to watch. But today had been a long one for him so he turned it off along with the lamp and burrowed beneath the covers. Sleep came easily to him.
When the noise woke him he blinked his eyes, startled out of sleep. Looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was four in the morning. What had awakened him? Then he heard it again, a loud thump from downstairs, as if something large had bumped into the wall.
Jesus! Had Fred gotten up in the middle of the night? What could he possibly be doing down there?
Chuck climbed out of bed, stuck his feet into his slippers and reached for the robe he kept at the foot of the bed. He was just fastening the tie at the waist when his bedroom door flew open, slamming against the wall with a loud crack! Chuck’s eyes widened and his heart almost stopped beating at the apparition standing in his bedroom doorway.
He stumbled backward then tried to get to his closet to get his shotgun. He only made it two steps before the creature was upon him. A searing pain as he was ripped open from neck to groin was the last thing he ever felt.
* * * * *
Once again Logan, Clint and Sophia were having coffee in her room but this morning they were joined by Ric Garza. Sophia had swallowed a smile when she introduced Ric and Clint and they circled each other momentarily like two junkyard dogs. But as soon as Ric realized Clint was on board with what they were doing and was helping, and Clint realized Ric wasn’t poaching on what he considered his territory, they settled down to hash out details.
Logan made an early trip to the drive-through fast-food place for breakfast sandwiches and they ate them while going over what he and Clint had learned—or not—on their run the night before. Sophia was making notes on a small pad of paper when her cell phone rang. She recognized the readout as Bobby’s cell.
“What’s up?”
“You’d better get your partner and come on out to where I am.” His voice sounded tired and strained as he rattled off an address.
“What’s going on, Bobby?”
“We’ve got another body.”
Sweet Jesus, was all she could think. “Who is it?”
“Man named Chuck Whittaker. Owns a hunting and fishing camp. His wife’s in Boston with the daughter and her new baby. Tried to call him at seven this morning on the landline and his cell. No answer either place. Says if he’s not home he’s always got that cell with him.” Bobby sighed heavily. “She called the sheriff who sent someone out on a welfare call. Deputies found the body and the sheriff called me.”
“I’m guessing since you called me that it’s like the others?”
“Yes.” He sounded tired and stressed. “I think we really need your input on this, Soph. Much as I hate to admit it, there’s some aspects to these kills that indicate something not quite human. And not like any of the animals we’re used to around here.”
“We’re on our way.” She clicked off and repeated everything to the men.
“I’ll get going, then.” Clint drained his coffee cup and rose from the chair.
“I’m going to take the helo up,” Ric told them. “Scope out the area in daylight. You don’t need to be dragging yet another
person along to this.”
“I’ll call you when we know more about what’s happening,” Sophia told him as they exited the room.
She and Logan were quiet with their own thoughts until they finally reached the Whittaker place. Just as at the Warrens, the driveway was lined with Maine State Police vehicles. This time, however, the activity seemed to be inside. Two troopers stood guard on the front porch but the door was open.
When they showed their identification one of the troopers jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
“Upstairs. Detective Lacroix’s waiting for you.” The man looked a little pale.
“Have you been up there?” Sophia asked.
He swallowed. “Yes ma’am. It’s, uh, pretty bad.”
They followed the sounds of activity to an upstairs bedroom. Scott Mooney was standing in the doorway, his face drawn.
“This is the worst one,” he told them. “It’s…like something out of a nightmare.”
He stepped aside to let them enter. Bobby turned when he heard them.
“Whatever or whoever this is, things are getting worse. Escalating.” He moved to the side so they could get closer to the body.
Even Sophia paled when she saw it. The beast must have been enraged or at the height of its lust, because instead of one slice from neck to groin the body was actually ripped open, the organs torn out and ravaged. And the two puncture wounds looked as if they’d been made by repeated stabbings.
And like Darrell Franklin every bit of the blood had been drained.
“Even removing Elaine Warren and Bradley Howard from the equation,” Bobby went on, “we’re still dealing with someone not quite right in the head. I’ve contacted the border patrol but if someone’s already here there’s not much they can do until we catch him.”
Logan walked carefully around the body. “It’s angry,” he observed. “I’d have to say its lust is boiling over. Maybe because there’s been almost a week since its last kill.”
“Okay,” Bobby said, barely hiding his irritation, “if this is some creature I’m not familiar with, as you keep saying, how did it get into the house? Tell me that. Chuck Whittaker wouldn’t just open his door and let a feral animal in.”
LustUndone Page 19