Mystery: Family Ties: Mystery and Suspense

by James Kipling

He kissed her again and slowly removed her shirt, and debated taking off the jeans. Asa didn’t stop him and that encouraged the man to remove them too, leaving her standing just in her underwear.

  “Your turn,” the woman said boldly, although her hands shook when she tried to undress him.

  “Let me help,” the man muttered, sliding his hand down her back and over her bottom. It took a lot of him to let go of her and undress quickly, never really looking anywhere else but at her. Then Gabriel was kissing her again, until they both ran out of breath and he lifted his face and looked at her. Asa’s face was flushed and her lips were swollen, but she was smiling, so everything was okay.

  Gabriel wasn’t used to dealing with women like her. Usually the women in his bed were local girls, nothing like the confident, beautiful Asa. Gabriel was tired of all those other women, who wanted only his money and never really cared about him.

  Chapter 21

  Gabriel kissed Asa again, sucking at her lower lip and tugging it between his own. Then he slanted his mouth over hers and cupped her jaw, arranging her face the way he wanted it. With every passing minute the kisses grew more intense, as their mutual desire for each other was becoming stronger. Moaning breathlessly, Gabriel moved his lips down, along her neck and started painting her skin with soft kisses.

  The woman responded by running her hands over his shoulders and throwing her head back. The sight of Asa, almost naked, with light playing across her skin, the burning heat in her eyes, and the desire for him, had Gabriel stopping for a moment. “God!” he breathed softly, caressing her body with trembling hands.

  Asa smiled at the adoration she saw in his eyes and slowly lowered her head to his chest. It was exciting to taste his hot skin, so she continued to kiss and lick hot paths along his body. Each soft sound coming out of Gabriel’s lips made her body jump in excitement. Asa could barely believe what she was feeling, how badly she wanted to be in his arms.

  Gabriel tried to get his breathing under control, because they had barely started and he was already hard and ready. The woman was sweet and inexperienced, but her enthusiasm was making up for it. Refusing to let her have the upper hand, Gabriel lowered Asa to the bed and proceeded to explore her body with lips and hands. His body was so excited that for the first time in his life, Gabriel found it difficult to open a woman’s bra. Asa laughed at his clumsiness, but her laugh died quickly, when the man lowered his lips over her hard nipples. The man curled his tongue over each one of them, while massaging her hips and moving his leg up and down between her thighs.

  “If I knew that I will meet someone as hot as you in here, I would have prepared better,” Gabriel breathed against her skin. The woman moaned with pleasure, mouth open wide, fighting for air.

  “I think that you are more than ready…” she said after a while. Her eyelashes fluttered open and she searched for his eyes. “What more do you want?”

  “Ha,” the man let out and continued to explore her skin, quickly reaching the elastic of her panties. “For example, I would have shaved.” He was kneeling between her thighs now and running his hands up and down her legs.

  Asa tensed, unsure what to expect next. The man smiled and then felt her relaxing. Gabriel leaned in, finding her lips again and kissing her gently. His lips lingered over hers for long moments, giving Asa the chance to relax again. His hands used the distraction to remove the last piece of her underwear, leaving her naked under him.

  Gabriel couldn’t help, but look at her beautiful body and for who knows which time that night, Asa felt heat crawling up her face. “You are beautiful… beautiful…” the man kept repeating, but by that time Asa couldn’t care less.

  Abruptly, the man lowered himself above her belly and raised her legs over his shoulders. The new position was too exposed for Asa’s liking, but she didn’t have the strength to protest. Slowly, the man descended to her center and started kissing it the same way he kissed her lips a moment before. Asa cried out at the first contact of his lips on her most secret place, but Gabriel didn’t let go.

  “Relax,” he muttered. “Just relax…”

  He liked her innocence, combined with confidence. Asa was a wonderful woman, who wasn’t faking her response to his attention. Every touch, kiss and word he uttered were welcomed with an open mind and genuine joy. Gabriel knew that he would not be able to wait much longer and used one of his hands to lower his underwear. His own feelings distracted him and he almost missed the hand that was tugging at his hair.

  “Stop, stop,” Asa was repeating. “I want to… stop…”

  Gabriel lifted his head, surprised by her words and actions, but Asa quickly reassured him. “I want to try something… please…” He smiled at her words and moved up, giving her the freedom to do whatever she wanted. “Lie down…” she whispered and the man obeyed.

  It was Asa’s turn to look at his naked body, as she arranged her limbs and sat between his legs. Gabriel’s member was hard and thick, bigger than anything she had seen before. Asa touched it tentatively and watched how Gabriel’s body trembled with excitement. The woman was shy, but she didn’t make him wait long, before lowering her head and kissing the head of his member.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Gabriel said, although it cost him a lot.

  “I know, but I want to…” Asa answered, her lips still close to his most sensitive skin. It didn’t take long for Gabriel to reach the point of no return, so he sat up and turned their positions once again. Asa smiled from under him and Gabriel didn’t lose any more time and slowly lowered his body over hers. The feeling of fullness was unexpected to her, but she liked it and wanted nothing more than to stay like that forever.

  “Slowly,” the man muttered. “Let me do the work.”

  Asa gasped at the new sensation and Gabriel claimed her lips in another passionate kiss. She could feel the urgency with which he was moving against her and answered by locking her legs around his middle. Completely focused on Asa’s reactions, Gabriel made sure to give her as much pleasure as he knew how. Starting slowly and then gaining speed to the point of lifting them off the ground.

  The man changed their position and without disconnecting them, leaned against the bed, keeping Asa in his lap. Now it was her turn to move and Asa lifted and lowered her body in an unsteady rhythm. She felt exposed and vulnerable, completely at his mercy and yet she felt powerful and in control… because he gave it to her.

  Impressed by her quick adaptation to the new position, Gabriel used it to bring their bodies closer and to start exploring her neck. Asa’s fingers were digging into his shoulders, while she could feel the approach of her orgasm. “I’m… I’m going to…” she muttered desperately.

  “I know, I know…” the man answered. “Just let it go.”

  The woman was perfect, sensitive, sweet, loving. Her moans of pleasure were filling the room, augmenting Gabriel’s pleasure and adding to the heat in the room. “Now, now…” he cried out. “Let go now.”

  They reached orgasm together, gasping for breath and searching for support in each other. Asa almost fainted with the force of the orgasm, while Gabriel managed to keep his mind open and alert to every sensation rushing through his body. It took them long minutes to catch their breaths, but no one complained. It was really nice to stay like that, tied together and embracing each other.

  “We should wash and get dressed,” Gabriel whispered, unwilling to end the moment.

  Asa silently agreed and followed him to the small hotel bathroom. They washed each other silently, continuing to explore the other’s body, but this time without the sexual heat from before. Gabriel acted as the perfect gentleman and helped her out of the shower and wrapped her in a clean towel.

  In the bedroom, he watched her dress in clean underwear and a shirt. During all that time, the man was covered with only a towel tied up on his hips, hiding nothing of his gorgeous body.

  Asa returned to the bed, leaving Gabriel alone to finish dressing himself. She expected to feel uneasy and mayb
e even ashamed of what she had just done, but nothing similar happened. On the contrary, Asa felt alive and full of joy, wishing only to relive the moment again and again.

  Gabriel came out of the bathroom and made coffee for both of them, bringing them to the bed and offering one to Asa. “Thank you,” she smiled at him and sipped from the steaming cup.

  The man sat down beside her and ran his hand over her knee. “It was amazing,” Gabriel said softly. “You are amazing…”

  Asa raised her vulnerable eyes to look at him and said nothing, preferring to lean her head to his shoulder and arrange her legs, so that they were off the floor. “I have never felt this way,” she confessed after a while.

  “Okay,” Gabriel confirmed. “But, it wasn’t just me. You were the one who made all this so amazing. You inspired me.”

  Asa turned her head and placed a slow, wonderful kiss on his lips. The man's satisfied sigh said more than all the words in the world and Asa moved back to her previous place. “I always dreamed of meeting Prince Charming.” She said in an ironic tone of voice. “But, I never thought of actually meeting him.”

  Gabriel laughed softly and kissed her on the top of the head. “So, are you saying that I’m Prince Charming?”

  “Yes, you don’t believe me, but you will if you look at it as I do,” Asa said seriously.

  “You most certainly know how to turn things around so that they work for you,” he wormed his hand around her and let it lie on her stomach. “But, I very much doubt it that the rest of the women will agree with your description of the prince.”

  “Oh, but we women are very practical,” Asa disagreed with him. “We all know that the perfect Prince Charming is different for each one of us.”

  The rest of the night, Asa and Gabriel talked a lot, laughing at each other's jokes and using every possible opportunity to touch and kiss. They talked a lot, but still managed to avoid everything related to the outside world. Gabriel told her about his dreams to change his life and become a better person, while Asa confided in him that she missed her family and wanted everything to be as before. They continued to sit on the comfortable bed, changing their position from time to time and kissing with renewed candor.

  Gabriel left the hotel room in the early hours of the morning, leaving Asa asleep in the bed.

  Chapter 22

  Asa woke up in the morning and immediately turned around to find her bed empty and cold. She felt disappointed, but quickly let the feeling go, especially when she saw that there was a message waiting for her on her phone. Gabriel had left her a sweet message about seeing her later that same day and Asa smiled the whole time she washed, dressed and ran down the stairs.

  The world looked amazing to her that morning and Asa smiled at the people she met at the diner and then on the way to the office. She reported to the FBI field office just in time, but was surprised to find it almost deserted. Agent Gibson’s office was empty and most of the desks were also missing their occupants. The woman on the front desk was busy talking on the phone with someone, who sounded like one of those fanatics, who saw something bad in everything, so Asa went to look for someone else to talk to. Ann was sitting behind her desk and going through some paperwork, but as soon as she saw Asa, she jumped up and gestured her to follow her into the empty office of Gibson.

  “Where is everyone?” Asa asked when Ann closed the door behind her. “Is something going on?”

  “You have no idea,” Ann said excited. “Agent Gibson went to the airport, because some high level agent from Salt Lake City is coming to town.” Ann said in a loud whisper. “One of the analysts told me that it had to do with your case. According to him, the bosses weren’t happy with how the case had been handled and are coming down here to shake things up.”

  “Do you know who is coming?” Asa asked, already suspecting, who it might be.

  “I am not sure, but it must be someone big, because Gibson almost ran to meet him,” Ann commented. “I thought that he called you, by the way?”

  “No, but it is okay, we will see who it is shortly,” Asa tried to hide her displeasure and worry about the situation. With a final thank you, she walked out of the FBI office, just in time to see agent Todd Gibson’s truck pulling up in front of it. Beside him in the truck was sitting the Deputy Director Jennifer Shepherd looking very business-like and probably coming here to oversee the investigation and to keep a closer eye on her.

  “Shit,” Asa muttered and waited for them to climb down from the car and come closer. The Deputy Director spotted her almost immediately, while Gibson took his time closing the car and shutting down windows.

  “Agent Clark,” the Deputy Director greeted her.

  “Deputy Director,” Asa answered and stepped aside, so that the other woman could walk inside. Clark spared a last glance to Gibson telling him silently what she thought about him talking behind her back and followed Shepherd inside.

  The Deputy Director had already walked into Gibson’s office and was sitting behind his desk, when Clark, followed closely by Gibson entered the room and closed the door. Shepherd looked at them both and nodded to them to sit down.

  “So, what can you tell me about this case of ours, which seems to be in a ditch right now?” She asked no one of particular.

  “I am sure that agent Gibson has been keeping you well informed, sir,” Asa said bitterly, already knowing that Gibson has been keeping a close eye on her already.

  “That is part of your work, Agent Clark. You are supposed to report to your supervisors. But, let’s let that slide and tell me about the case.”

  Asa cleared her throat and for a few moments she stood silent. “I have been following the steps of agents Smith and Holliday and during the last few days I visited most of the farms in the area and talked with the owners. Most of them confirmed that they had been visited by the two agents, while others say that they have never come to their farm or ranch.”

  “What information were you able to gather?” The Deputy Director asked again.

  “There is a pattern in what the two agents had been doing,” Agent Clark explained. “But, I am still unsure what it is. However, it seems that they have been visiting certain places, while avoiding others. I am not sure which of them were those under suspicion – the ones they visited or the ones they didn’t.”

  “In other words, you don’t have anything solid?” Shepherd asked coldly. “Is there something else you can add?”

  “I have found a lead based on the soil samples we recovered from the automobile pedals,” Agent Gibson quickly stepped in. “I have been going around and taking soil samples. According to the lab, the closest sample of dirt to that particular soil type is found near the Kimble ranch.”

  Asa Clark visibly cringed at the mentioning of the Kimble’s name and looked sharply at Gibson. Shepherd, however, was looking at her expectantly and just shook her head at the shocked expression in Asa’s eyes.

  “What else Agent Gibson?” Shepherd asked the man and silently ordered Asa to keep silent.

  “Agent Clark has been spending some quality time with one of the Kimble brothers,” Gibson said carefully, showing that he was feeling uncomfortable with the whole situation.

  “Okay, I heard enough, Agent Clark, you will stop seeing the man immediately and will take a harder look at that family and their doing. Agent Gibson, you will help her and will report to me about every step the two of you take. Now, agent Gibson, will you excuse us? I need to talk to Agent Clark in private.”

  Gibson exited his own office without another word and Asa was left to face the Deputy Director alone. Shepherd didn’t speak for a long moment, watching Asa wiggle on her chair and looking uncomfortable.

  “How did that happen, Clark?” She asked directly.

  “I met him in a bar, before I was even aware of how the ranchers could be connected to the case,” she answered honestly. “And now…”

  “What now?” Shepherd looked angry, the warning clear in her stance.

  “Now,
I will keep my distance,” Asa answered what the Deputy Director was expecting her to say.

  “Fine, now go back to work…”

  Chapter 23

  At the same time outside the FBI office, David Kimble watched Todd Gibson leave the building and walk back to his truck. David had already witnessed the arrival of the man together with a woman and their short conversation with Asa Clark. The girl his brother was falling in love with had acted as if she was someone of importance and by the looks of it, Todd Gibson was taking orders from her.

  David Kimble had come to town for supplies and it was by chance that he passed in front of the FBI office and recognized Asa Clark. Feeling betrayed and mostly angry, the man climbed back into his truck and headed towards his ranch. There were things he needed to do and preparations to make.

  Back at the Kimble ranch, Gabriel was working in the barn while Jane prepared the lunch. David arrived just in time to see how his brother was looking at the horizon, obviously dreaming about something. The older brother could imagine about who Gabriel was dreaming about and that only made him angrier.

  “Gabriel,” he called from the veranda. “Could you come in? I need to talk to you.”

  Gabriel walked back to the house quickly, thinking that it must be something important for his brother to call him so urgently. He was still smiling, when he stepped inside the kitchen, where his brother and Jane were sitting on the table.

  “What it is?” Gabriel asked, looking from one to the other. “Did something happened in town?”

  “Sit down, Gabriel, we need to talk,” David used his father tone of voice and pointed at the seat that was putting Gabriel in front of both of them.

  “Why do I feel as if I am being judged?” The young man tried to joke.

  “Listen, we think you should stop seeing that Clark woman,” Jane spoke before her husband and then went silent.

  “Gabriel,” David started again. “Asa is not the one for you. We have been watching her closely and now we know for sure that she is an FBI agent.”