As her dreams unfolded, she could have sworn she heard the ocean and felt the tropical heat. But it wasn’t the tropical heat. It was Beck’s heat. The same heat that had set her dreams on fire was setting her body ablaze.
She was lost in a whirlpool of desire and want. Not want…it was need. A need which, turned into a craving as his tongue dipped into her navel and drew circles around her belly button. She opened herself to him and he smiled at the bold invitation. A smile that made promises she couldn’t wait for him to fulfill. And when he did, she thought for sure the windows would shatter around her when a scream on a note she never thought she could hit tore from her lips leaving her throat dry.
In the distance she heard Beck’s laughter as he rose up from the bed to discard his jeans. The boxers followed adding to the pile on the floor, but he kept on his tank top then settled on top of her again.
“Take it off,” she said breathless, pushing the top up over his chest. He rose up and knelt on the bed, his weight sinking into the mattress. She pushed at the top again and saw the scars on his stomach. He grabbed her hands and held them together, but she pulled her hands from his grip.
“No. The scars—”
“Yes,” she said licking her lips. “I want to see you.”
He shook his head. “I had to be cut out of the car. It was—”
“I want to see all of you,” she whispered, touching his face. His jaw tensed. His eyes burned into hers. She saw uncertainty.
Beck pulled the tank top over his head and kept it clenched in his fist close to his leg. He didn’t touch her…just knelt there watching her face as she stared at him. The scars started at mid waist then up to his collarbone and ended at the base of his neck.
He looked like a warrior, strong and masculine and she wanted him to touch her. Yet, he made no move to do so. Then it occurred to her that whatever words she uttered next would decide how the night would turn out. But there was only one thing to say.
“You’re beautiful.” Running her hands up his chest, she felt the texture of his scars beneath her fingers and pulled him towards her.
The uncertainty vanished from his eyes as a million dollar smiled spread across his face. There was something primal about him. He was all male. Hot and sexy. She loved everything about him. The way he kissed her as if he couldn’t get enough of her. The way he touched her with such care as though she was fragile.
He was strong and beautiful and tonight he was hers. She would enjoy him. She started with his nipples as she teased, caressed and tasted.
“No,” she cried when Beck pulled away.
“Shh.” He silenced her cry with a kiss then reached over to the drawer of the nightstand for a condom keeping his promise to take care of her in every way.
They came together in an explosion of need meeting need. Both clinging to each other and riding the wave to a climax that had her once again singing a high-pitched note that left him laughing.
Beck rolled over on his back taking her with him nestled in his arms. She kissed his chest sliding her arm across his waist. He lifted his head turning towards the wall of windows his eyes filled with concern. The windows were bare. They were high enough that she didn’t have to worry about the rest of the world.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought you may have shattered the glass,” he said with a lazy chuckle.
She pinched him playfully on the arm and he caught her hand kissing her open palm.
“She’s not only a screamer, she pinches too. Sexy.”
He pulled her closer and she felt his warm breath on her cheek. Moments later he drifted off into sleep.
Markie watched Beck as he slept looking peaceful. Sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. She shouldn’t have come. Sleeping with Beck would only complicate things between them. Her focus should be on Sydney.
Guilt ate at her.
She felt Becks hand tightened around her waist. His breathing soft and low as his hand caressed her stomach in his sleep.
Fear consumed her. Sydney could be hurt. She should be doing more to find her sister.
• • •
Beck knew before he opened his eyes Marklynn had left the bed. Turning his head towards the dent in the empty pillow, memories of last night played out in his mind as he looked down at the scars on his chest that had haunted him since the accident.
Monika wouldn’t touch him after the car accident and he assumed it was because of the scars. Their marriage was already in trouble before the accident, but he had wanted to make it work. After the accident, they both stopped trying.
Marklynn told him he was beautiful. She’d kissed every scar chasing away all the insecurities about his body he had kept buried since the accident.
Marklynn Brooks was a special lady and he was falling in love with her. He didn’t think she was ready to hear his declaration of love just yet.
Her focus was on Sydney. If he wanted her undivided attention, Sydney had to be found. Until then, he would be there for her to love her and care for her.
Beck tossed back the covers and got up. Their clothes were neatly folded at the end of the bed. Reaching for his boxers, he stepped into them and out of an old habit grabbed the tank top. Then he left it where it was on the bed and went in search of the woman that turned his world upside down last night.
He found her on the balcony dressed in her white shirt, her legs bare, the wind blowing her hair across her face. Her arms were wrapped around her body as if she was holding herself together. He stood at the door watching her. She was a million miles away.
Last night she came to him, but this morning she was probably wondering what she’d done. By the stiffness in her body it looked as though she was ready to bolt. He could sense it, but he was having none of that. He stepped out onto the balcony.
“Good morning.” Slipping his hands around her waist holding her from behind, he kissed the back of her neck.
She jumped.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay. I was lost in thought.”
“Mmm you smell nice.”
“You have quite the selection of Victoria’s Secret body washes in the guest washroom,” she said in a nonchalant way.
Was it jealousy he detected in her voice, he wasn’t quite sure. He didn’t want her thinking there was anyone else. Their relationship was still new and he wanted to explore it and every inch of her body.
“You can thank my stepmother for that along with my interior design,” he said nodding towards the living room.
“That explains the Greek columns.”
“She missed the mark with the Greek columns, but she was right about Victoria’s Secret. Which one did you use? I want to stock up for you.”
“The one in the purple bottle,” she replied and pulled out of his arms moving closer to the railing.
Beck moved next to Marklynn with his back against the railing, but he didn’t touch her even though he wanted to. His eyes settled on the throbbing pulse at the base of her neck.
“You’re not having second thoughts about last night, are you?”
“No. I’m just a little preoccupied this morning that’s all. Given the circumstances anyone would be. I’ve a meeting in a couple of hours. I need to go home and change to meet Jamie in Jamaica Plains.”
She turned away from the railing and he grasped her arm then loosened his grip. The wind blew her hair across her face and he swept his hand gently across her face tucking the wayward strand behind her ear. “Don’t push me away.”
“You’re not going to get all touchy feely on me are you?” She attempted a smile that landed somewhere between scared and terrified.
“I’m a touchy feely kind of guy. I thought I showed you that last night, sweetheart.” Then she smiled. A smile that did things to him. He wanted to drag her back off to bed. “If you want another demonstration, I’ll be happy to oblige.”
Leaning her forehead on his chest, she breathed in through her nose an
d let the air out slowly through her mouth. She was trembling and it was the middle of summer.
“What is it? Talk to me.”
“There’s a lot going on right now. Sydney…I can’t… Can we take this slow?”
Holding on to her he thanked the heavens for this gift that was in his arms. He would give her all the time she needed.
“You set the pace and I’ll follow.” He kissed her forehead. “I make a mean omelet. I call it the Beck’s Special.”
“Should I ask what you put in it?”
“Nope.”
• • •
Beck’s kitchen was no ordinary kitchen. It was straight out of an interior design magazine. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen with a deep sink surrounded by a dark stone counter top. A gas stove was centered against one wall. Over the stove a large hood fan hung from the ceiling.
On either side of the stove there were stainless steel and walnut cabinets mounted on the walls. Double ovens were mounted on the wall and the refrigerator, also stainless steel, completed the dream kitchen.
From where Markie sat on a stainless steel stool at the island, she had a perfect view into the living room. It wasn’t the view into the living room that caught her attention. It was the man himself. She wondered what would happen if she allowed herself to take a chance on him and let what was happening between them unfold.
When she’d dressed and returned from the bedroom, he was in blue jeans and a black T-shirt whistling while cooking up a storm. The Beck’s Special, his signature dish, had everything. It included all the leftovers in the fridge tossed into the omelet. For someone who worked 24/7 he sure had a lot of food in his fridge. It made her wonder who was stocking his refrigerator then came to the conclusion it was his stepmother as she was responsible for stocking the guest bathroom.
Marklynn wasn’t big on breakfast. To her it wasn’t the most important meal of the day. But the aroma from the eggs with all the ingredients added made her mouth water. When he placed a plate piled high in front of her with the eggs, chunks of red pepper and meat, she ate as if she hadn’t been fed in years.
“Mmm,” she said when she placed a fork full into her mouth savoring every delicious bite. The man can cook in the bedroom and the kitchen. “I had my doubts when I saw you putting all that stuff into the omelet including the Italian sausage, but it’s rather good.”
“Thank you.” Beck sat down beside her and started eating. “If you’re impressed with my breakfast culinary skills, you’ll be blown away with what I can do for dinner. You can come right after work.”
“No.” Marklynn shook her head and she saw disappointment reflected in his eyes.
She should be out trying to find her sister. It had been five days since her sister’s disappearance and not a word. Sydney was out there alone, afraid or even hurt. How could she push Sydney from her mind again?
“You’re doing all you can, Marklynn,” he said reassuring her. His hand covered hers. “Just because you’ve taken some time to regroup doesn’t mean you don’t care about your sister.”
“Is that what last night was? Regrouping?” The guilt she’d felt earlier rose up in her and made her angry. She was itching for a fight to create distance between them. He knew it too and didn’t rise to the bait.
“If you change your mind about dinner, let me know.” He took up their empty plates and placed them in the sink. “I’ll take you downstairs when you’re ready to go.”
That was her way out and she took it. She’d been ready to go since she’d gotten up out of his bed. For some reason her heart and her feet weren’t on the same page. Beck’s condo was comfortable and she felt right at home. She could get used to it and him. Yet, she didn’t want to get use to it or him. She was afraid to.
“Let me brush my teeth and we can go.”
“There are several packages of toothbrushes in a small basket on the sink,” he said watching her as she slid off the stool making her way to the bathroom.
“I know. I opened one. I’ll be right back.”
Marklynn thought he would bring up dinner again when she returned a few minutes later, but he didn’t. He slipped his hand in hers. T hey left his condo and rode down to the under parking garage in silence. When they reached her 4Runner, he opened the door for her then his lips brushed the palm of her hand just before she slid into the driver’s seat and he waited until she drove away.
He was giving her the space she needed. So, why wasn’t she jumping for joy she asked herself as she exited the underground parking lot? Because she had no intention of going down the aisle with Beck. He wanted that. She could sense it and it was far more than she was willing to give.
Could she walk away from Beck when it was all over? That was the question she had on her mind when she arrived at her house, changed and headed out to meet Jamie in Jamaica Plains.
• • •
Beck pulled into the parking lot of the café located a block from his company. He was late for his meeting with O’Malley. When he returned to the condo after Marklynn left, all he could think about was last night. He couldn’t get her out of his mind or the look in her eyes when she’d driven off.
She was afraid. Yes, Sydney was still missing and that was weighing on her mind but he had to wonder where her ex fit in. Did he have something to do with the distance she had put between them after breakfast?
He was so wrapped up in trying to figure out Marklynn that he’d almost missed the voice message from O’Malley. The message was very short and abrupt ordering him to meet O’Malley at 9:00 a.m. sharp.
The smell of coffee and cinnamon greeted him when he opened the glass door of the café. The loud chatter drowned out the music playing in the background. Oversized chairs in a wide array of colors cluttered the room.
O’Malley was sitting at a table in the corner reading the newspaper. There were already three empty cups pushed to the corner of the table and one in front of him untouched.
“That can’t be good,” Beck said as he sat down eyeing the black liquid in the cup.
“What?”
“You’re on your fourth cup.”
“You’re late,” O’Malley grunted.
“It couldn’t be helped given the short notice.”
“I didn’t get permission to reopen your ex-wife’s case.” O’Malley folded the paper pushing it aside. “I didn’t think I would.”
“You could’ve told me that on the phone.”
O’Malley pushed out a breath, looking around before he spoke. He picked up the coffee cup and drank.
“There are some things you need to know,” he said then drained his coffee cup setting it carefully on the table. “When I got your ex-wife’s case, I was coming back from a dark place in my life. I’d just come off a drug bust that went south, took a bullet in the thigh and got hooked on painkillers.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want you to know what happened.”
O’Malley had that same tone in his voice as his father did when he had sat him down for a talk. Beck knew it was bad news. Then it came. His mother was dying and there was nothing else the doctors could do. He’d never forgotten the look on his father’s face or the sound of his voice.
“What is it?”
“I want you to know I started out doing my job,” O’Malley said looking towards the door when a woman carrying a dog in her purse entered the café. “I thought for sure you killed Monika or you had something to do with it. You didn’t pan out. Then there was another lead. I didn’t follow through on because I was told not to.”
“What?”
Beck couldn’t believe what he was hearing. For months his life was turned upside down while the police conducted their investigation. They interviewed his parents and his friends. His home and office were both searched and now O’Malley was telling him it was all for nothing.
“What do you mean? Who told you not to follow up on the other lead?”
“I can’t tell you t
hat yet.” His eyes finally met Beck’s gaze.
“The hell you can’t. What about this other lead?”
“I’m following up on it. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
“That’s not good enough! You dragged me through hell and back four years ago because you thought I killed my ex-wife. I can’t believe you had another suspect and did nothing.”
If O’Malley was the least bit sorry for his oversight he showed no outward emotion. He sat across from Beck like a stone.
“I couldn’t do anything. Monika came from money and her parents wanted someone to pay and you were the fall guy. I wanted to save my job. I was in no position at the time to stick my neck out for you.”
“You’re a cop. That’s your job!” Beck slammed his fist on the table rattling the contents. Heads turned towards the table, but he didn’t care. It was either that or reaching over the table and shoving the coffee cup down O’Malley’s throat.
“I don’t need you or anyone to tell me what my job is,” O’Malley hissed. “What I did was wrong and I’ll make it right.”
“Where does that leave me?”
Beck slumped back in his chair, tired and on edge. For the past three months he’d been fighting to hold on to his company. He’d told himself it was a battle he was going to win.
Marklynn Brooks crossed his path. He didn’t set out to fall in love with her but somehow, in all of this mess he had. His relationship with her was a struggle as well. It seemed as if she was holding on to a past she was not ready to let go of. But he was not going to give up on her either.
If Monika was still alive, then what? It didn’t matter because they were divorced he reminded himself. That may be the case, but if she was responsible for Sydney’s abduction or worse if she died…
“Is Monika dead?” He had to know. If she wasn’t, where has she been all these years and why come back now?
“I’m looking into it. I believe what’s going on at your company is somehow connected with Monika’s death.”
“How? She’s supposed to be dead.”
“She may have faked her own death.”
Chapter Nine
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