Her other arm was braced against the wall. Lexie tilted her head back so Josh could kiss her throat.
‘Come on, baby,’ he breathed in her ear. ‘Your pleasure is my pleasure.’
Josh increased the pressure of his fingers. The tension continued to build, climbing higher and higher until she was lifted over the edge. A guttural scream broke from her lips as a series of explosions rocketed from her core outwards. The waves of pleasure radiating throughout her body left Lexie shaking and clinging to Josh for support.
Catching her breath, Lexie somehow found enough strength to turn towards him. She looked at his gorgeous face.
‘Wow,’ was all she could think to say.
‘Wow is right,’ Josh replied, his eyes bright with passion. ‘You are one hell of a sexy girl, Lexie Rogers.’
He claimed her lips. His mouth was hot and eager on hers.
‘Oh God, Lex,’ he moaned.
Closing his eyes, he grabbed Lexie’s hips and drew her even closer towards him until they were completely seamless, skin to skin, limb to limb, no gaps left between them.
His hardness pushed into Lexie’s stomach. They both looked down at the same time and laughed. By unspoken consent, they stepped out of the shower and, not bothering to dry off, hurried into the bedroom.
Pushing Lexie back onto the mattress, Josh fell on top of her. She welcomed his weight, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist.
‘Is that an invitation?’ Josh asked between kisses. ‘Because I can’t wait much longer, Lex.’ Pulling back so he could stare straight into her eyes, he whispered, ‘I love you.’
What Lexie felt for Josh right at this moment was so intense it was almost a physical pain.
‘I love you, too.’
With his hot gaze locked on hers, Josh entered her gently, plunging slowly into her until he penetrated her deeply, to her very core. The pleasure of that first thrust had Lexie clinging to his shoulders and moaning out his name.
‘Oh Josh. That . . . is . . . so . . .’
Burying his face in her neck, he let out a raspy growl that vibrated around the room. Slowly he rotated his hips, then pulled back. Pausing at the point of entry, he slowly pushed himself back into her.
Oh wow.
‘That is so good,’ Lexie whispered as Josh repeated the action.
Pulling her knees back to allow him deeper access, she tilted her hips to meet his. Damp from the shower, their wet skin pressed together as he increased the pace. Josh inhaled sharply and let out a pained moan as he drove himself into her hard and deep, over and over again. Then, swivelling his hips in a circular motion, he eased the pace.
Lexie knew this was Josh’s way of staying in control, making it last. But it wasn’t long before his rhythm intensified, his movements becoming more urgent.
‘You feel soooo good,’ Josh said, nibbling on her ear and breathing hard. ‘I could do this forever.’
The hairs on his chest rubbed against her nipples. He stopped moving, stayed completely still, kissing her deeply, exploring her mouth with his tongue. She loved the way Josh kissed. He was so skilled, so passionate. His lips drove her crazy with desire, making her feel that if he were to stop she might die from wanting him.
Josh was the first to break the kiss. Panting as though he had run a marathon, he straightened his arms and balanced above her. Arching her back, Lexie pulled at his hips, yanked them towards her, trying to get him to move. Josh quivered.
‘You drive me crazy.’
His voice was thick with desire. He was dragging this out. Trying to make it last.
The feeling of Josh motionless, yet pulsing inside her, had Lexie senseless with desire. She clenched around him. Josh felt the sensation and growled. Staring straight at him, Lexie could see his face was flushed with lust, his beautiful features vulnerable with emotion.
Slowly Josh began rocking against her.
The electricity generated between their bodies was so extreme, so uncontained, she felt her insides tighten and quiver. He moved faster, harder. Then, before she knew it, another explosion was upon her. Lexie screamed out, unable to stop herself as blind sensation shot through her.
Her pleasure was contagious. Trembling, Josh inhaled a sharp raspy breath as he pumped his hips against hers. She watched his face, felt the unmistakable throbbing from deep inside. Throwing his head back, he let out a primitive moan. His body froze and then shuddered with a force that shocked them both.
‘Oh, Lex,’ Josh cried out. ‘Oh my God.’
Still trembling and breathing hard, Josh fell onto Lexie’s chest.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said between inhaling lungfuls of air. ‘We were supposed to go straight to bed, to sleep.’
‘It’s okay. I’ll forgive you,’ Lexie told him, breathlessly.
Josh rolled off her and onto the bed.
‘Now you need to go to sleep.’
She didn’t need to be told twice. The last thing Lexie remembered was Josh smoothing her damp hair off her face and pulling the doona up under her chin. Totally spent, she promptly fell into a deep, exhausted and dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER 41
It was 5.00 am and Rod Bream was wide awake. Having tossed and turned all night, he had hardly slept a wink. His body was exhausted, but his mind was functioning on overdrive. Too many thoughts were swimming around his head, all competing for first place at the forefront of his brain.
For hours he had been deliberating, agonising and mulling over everything that had happened yesterday. He replayed the interview with Lexie, like a scratched record, over and over again. Yet he was unable to fathom the prospect that he was considered a suspect in a murder investigation. It was too ludicrous to get his head around. However, the facts were the facts. And even he could see what it clearly looked like to the police; all lines of inquiry seemed to lead straight back to him.
Who would do this? Who hated him so much that they would go to such lengths to set him up?
Rod had never hurt a living thing in his life. Even as a kid he’d had trouble killing spiders. He’d bandaged his dog Honey’s paw when she had stepped on a rose thorn. He had nursed her when she had contracted kennel cough. Once he had even tried to breathe life into a dead cat he’d found on the side of the road. Any animal Rod found injured he had brought home and played doctor to until it either healed or died. Becoming a doctor, devoting his professional life to helping the sick, had been a no-brainer. It was the only thing he had ever wanted to do. The thought that he could kill someone was completely preposterous.
Giving up hope of catching any sleep, Rod kicked off the doona and padded completely naked into the bathroom. Leaving the heating on all night meant his electricity bill would be through the roof, but at least his apartment was warm. Splashing water on his face, Rod admired his reflection in the mirror.
He had been extremely lucky; genetically blessed, in fact. He was tall and lean. His muscles were well toned. His sun-kissed hair fell perfectly in place without any effort. His blue eyes were bright. His lips were full, sensual, and his mouth was saved from being too feminine by his angular jaw.
But not only did Rod have the looks. He had the smarts as well. Breezing through medical school like a kite in the wind, he had sometimes worried that everything came a little too easy to him. Even his upbringing was privileged. He had grown up in a beautiful home overlooking the water at Mosman, with wealthy parents who had encouraged him to succeed.
Again, this made him think: could someone be so jealous of him as to attempt to destroy what they perceived to be a perfect life, to kill innocent people to get to him? He shuddered at the thought.
Sure, girls and women had been throwing themselves at him since he was a teenager. And maybe that had made him a bit cocky. Rod tried to see himself objectively. Yes, he could definitely be cocky and a touch arrogant at times. He had also played around with many different women. Some of whom, thinking back, he might not have treated very respectfully.
Ric
h and famous people had stalkers. Some had been assassinated, killed for nothing more than being a public figure. Rod was neither rich, nor famous, but did that really make a difference? Could he be a target for some nut case who despised success in any form?
In the bedroom, Rod stepped into a pair of boxer shorts and made his way to the kitchen. He flicked the kettle on to make a coffee and stared through the window over the sink that, in the daylight hours, gave him a clear view of Coogee Beach and one-half of Wedding Cake Island.
God, he hated to think what Lexie must think of him. He shook his head, not for the first time disgusted with himself. Lexie knew he had played up on her friend; not just once, with Melissa, but also with Jenna. It made him look very bad. There had also been others, but he had been discreet. Luckily, Lexie was none the wiser about the extent of his bedroom antics. If she knew how many women he’d been with, even in the past month, it would destroy any chance of him and Dani getting back together.
Rod thought about this concept for a minute. Was he seriously ready to commit to Dani? For the first time, Rod thought about her feelings. It was not fair to lead her on. She was a nice girl and deserved better. And who was he kidding, anyway? He was nowhere near ready to be exclusive. If he promised Dani he would be faithful, he would be lying. There were too many women out there to limit himself to one. Was it his fault that they fell at his feet?
You are an arrogant prick.
Oh well, at least you can admit it.
The kettle squealed and Rod poured the boiling water into his mug.
Dani had been the first girl in a long time, since Rachel, for whom he’d felt anything. It wasn’t love. He knew that. But it was something. Then he’d met Jenna. His attraction to Jenna had made him question his feelings towards Dani. The two women were very different and he had been drawn to each of them for different reasons. Dani was cute, lively, fun to be with, strong and independent. Jenna had been so beautiful, wounded, damaged and vulnerable and he had thought he could fix her. But that hadn’t happened. Tragically, history had repeated itself – or so he had thought.
Jenna and Dani had not been merely conquests like so many others. He had felt genuinely for both of them, in different ways. Dani he admired and respected. Jenna he had wanted to nurture and protect.
By contrast, Melissa had meant nothing. She was just an easy lay who had pounced on him at a drunken and weak moment. He was not good at saying no to women. He hardly remembered the experience. Having been so drunk, he hadn’t considered using protection – a fact that disgusted him. And then, weeks later, when he had found out that Melissa had herpes – he had wanted to kill her. Figuratively speaking, that is.
Thankfully, the blood results had come back clear, but those weeks of worry had taken years off his life. He had vowed never to be so stupid again.
Rod finished making his coffee and carried it into his living room. Sitting on his leather lounge, he attempted to still the commotion in his mind.
Think . . . there has to be a reason behind all this . . .
Suddenly, a picture of a rose flashed before his eyes. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Rachel was found clutching a rose. So were Melissa and Jenna. Rachel had stolen prescription medication from the hospital and injected herself with OxyContin – or had someone made it look that way? Melissa and Jenna overdosed on OxyContin. Did they do it themselves? It seemed very unlikely. Jenna hated needles. Their injection sites were the same; in the neck. Not usually indicative of a suicide.
Oh God. There was too much to think about.
His thoughts jumped. What was with the prescriptions – in his name? He groaned, sipped on his coffee and pushed out a long deep breath. He was missing something. Something lay just beyond his awareness and he felt totally inadequate because of it.
Think like a detective . . .
Lexie had got him thinking about not only the women he’d been previously involved with or even fleetingly intimate with, but also every friend or associate he’d ever had.
Out of nowhere, an idea struck him.
He sat bolt upright. Placing the coffee on the table next to him, Rod moved quickly to the cabinet underneath the television set. Pulling out a pile of photo albums, he sat cross-legged on the rug and began to flick through the pages of his life.
Rod wasn’t sure what he was looking for, he only hoped something of importance would jump out at him. He paused at the images of him growing up – school and sporting shots, as a toddler sitting on Santa’s lap, at the beach with his mum, dad and brother.
He put that album away and read the dates marked on the front covers of the other albums. He skimmed over the photographs from his teenage years, paid a bit more attention to those taken in medical school, then slowed his examination considerably when he reached the period of his life when he had been a country resident doctor at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.
There were so many photos of doctor and nurses – some people’s names he had already forgotten – out to dinner and at backyard parties. He flicked through the pages, slowly searching for something he couldn’t put a name to; a trigger, a memory . . .
Then a single picture that had come loose from one of the pages fell onto the floor. Rod picked it up. As he studied it, his heart began to pound violently in his chest.
Holy shit. He couldn’t believe it.
He looked at the picture for a long time, memories spinning in his head. Things started to come together. Rod checked the time. It was 6.12 am. It was still early, but this was important. Lexie would want to know. He picked up his phone and dialled her number.
CHAPTER 42
MONDAY
Lexie opened the door of her flat to let Rod Bream in.
‘I didn’t want to talk about this over the phone,’ Rod told her by way of explanation for insisting he see her right away.
‘You remember Josh.’
Lexie thought Rod looked surprised.
‘Of course,’ Rod said.
Whether she thought Rod guilty or not, there was no way she would have let him into her flat if she had been alone . . . or without her firearm in her purse. Past experience had taught her you could never be too careful.
The two men shook hands somewhat tensely. Rod Bream had been sleeping with Josh’s sister. God knows what Josh was thinking, Lexie reflected.
They moved towards the lounge. Lexie gestured for Bream to take a seat. Just before Rod sat down, he handed Lexie a photograph.
‘I’ve been up all night thinking . . . thinking about how I could be linked to all of this. I went through some old photographs and . . .’
His voice trailed off for a moment.
‘I found this.’
Lexie took the picture and gasped. Her stomach flipped and her heart took off at a gallop all at once. Oh, my God.
The photograph was of Rod standing between two women, both of whom Lexie recognised. He had his arms draped around their shoulders. They each had one arm wrapped around his waist. All three were smiling widely at the camera. The two women were each holding a single red rose.
Lexie passed the photograph on to Josh, who sat beside her and looked at Rod. He didn’t need prompting.
‘That was my girlfriend, Rachel, on the right. The other woman was Rachel’s friend.’
Lexie recognised Rachel West from the crime scene photographs she’d seen of her.
‘I was never intimate with her; Rachel’s friend, that is. However, she did have a bit of a crush on me; tried to kiss me one night – that night, actually.’
Lexie nodded, said nothing. She let Rod talk. Josh studied the photograph.
‘We had been out to dinner, a big group of us from the hospital. A woman walked through the restaurant with a basket of red roses. I bought one for Rachel. Then, feeling sorry for her single friend, I bought another one for her. I thought nothing of it. Later that night a small group of us ended up back at Rachel’s place, playing cards and drinking games. Rachel turned in early with a headache. Everyone left shortly after
that except her.’
It seemed Rod couldn’t even say her name.
‘What happened?’ Lexie asked, somewhat fearing the answer.
‘She came on to me, tried to kiss me, took her top off. Did her best, you know? But I wasn’t intimate with her. Nothing happened.’
Yeah, right. Lexie gave him a doubtful glance.
‘Seriously; nothing happened. I’ll admit I was tempted but Rachel was in the next room. I do have some scruples, you know.’
He paused and waited for Lexie to say something. When she didn’t, he continued.
‘I let her down gently; didn’t want to embarrass her in case she told Rachel it was the other way around. That I’d come on to her. So I told her that I was attracted to her but the timing was all wrong; I was with Rachel. Maybe if we had met first things might have been different . . . bullshit, bullshit. I was trying to get out of a sticky situation.’
‘How did she react?’ Lexie inquired, trying to remain removed, to keep her face a mask of professionalism.
‘She seemed to take it well; said she understood. But what if she took my words literally? What if she thought by getting rid of Rachel we could be together?’
Lexie didn’t answer. Instead she asked a question of her own.
‘What happened after Rachel died?’
‘She tried to console me. She went to kiss me again one night, only days after Rachel’s funeral, and I pushed her away. Told her it was too soon. I kept away from her after that. I put in for some leave, took time off and applied for a position at the Prince of Wales. I was lucky I got a spot almost straight away. I wanted to get out of Wagga; too many bad memories.’
‘Did she contact you at all?’
‘No. I didn’t see her again until she turned up for work in the emergency department one day. She was friendly, but distant. Apparently she was no longer interested in me. I was relieved. But now that I think about it, Rachel died two years ago. This woman turned up in Sydney only six months after her death, not long after I left Wagga Wagga.’
‘So you think she might have followed you? Has anything happened recently, or since you have both been in Sydney?’
Deadly Obsession Page 33