by Jill Winters
Dappaport said, "Ever since I acquired the gallery this past spring, I've been looking for something that will just make it pop. But I was waiting to be hit with a bolt of inspiration, and then when I saw those cakes of yours—so ornate, so intricate, so fresh—I knew I'd found my artist."
Billy's face flushed with heat, and her chest swelled with pride. How could cakes have made such an impression? Even if Dappaport was a little quirky, there had to be something truly special about them... didn't there?
After they discussed details—like materials, hours, and, of course, money—Billy thanked him again for the opportunity, promised she wouldn't let him down, and prayed she could keep her promise. She agreed to start as soon as possible, and only as she was heading to the door did she remember the rest of her mission in Churchill today.
"Oh, Mr. Dappaport?"
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me where the sheriff's office is?"
"The sheriff's?" he echoed, looking surprised.
"I just want to say hi," she improvised. "Old friend of my family's." A lie of course; she wanted to stop by and see what she could find out about Ted Schneider's death. The sheriff probably wouldn't tell her anything, but hey, it wouldn't hurt to inquire.
"I see. Well, regrettably, Sheriff Mueller is still on vacation in Marblehead. His office is across town, near the library. I believe Deputy Trellis is filling in."
"Oh, okay. Well, thanks again," she said, and left the gallery. She practically floated up the street, elated by this new job, this new development in her life, and it was in this hazy state of fulfillment that she literally ran into Seth.
"Oh!" she said, jumping back. "I'm sorry, I—Seth!"
"Hey," he said, sounding very pleasantly surprised. "What's up? What are you doing here?" After she explained about the streetscape project, he congratulated her.
"That's great; you must be psyched. You're going to take the job, right?"
"Definitely."
"Good, then I guess I'll see you around town more often, huh?"
Nodding, Billy felt a golf ball take shape in her throat. "So... how are the home repairs going?" she asked.
"Not bad. I'm on my way to the hardware store now for some paint. Listen, if you get a chance, you should stop by and see how the place is coming along."
No, she should not stop by. After they'd almost kissed at the Dessert Jubilee, and after the simmering, erotic tension at lunch the other day, Billy knew that being around Seth was not a particularly sane idea.
Then again...
If she went over to Seth's, she might learn more about Ted Schneider. Living in such a small town, even temporarily, had to yield its fair share of information. Not to mention that Seth's friend Sally seemed acutely plugged in; surely she would know some local gossip that might be useful.
Once that comfortable rationalization was in place, Billy said, "Okay, I will."
"Great," Seth said. "Let me give you directions in case you forgot."
A few minutes later, after they said good-bye, Billy turned to watch Seth walking away. Biting her lip, she admired his sexy butt moving like the rest of him: with unassuming charm. She sighed, almost wistfully, thinking about how freaking hot Seth was, and then forced her mind to focus.
The case. Her mission was to find out who killed Ted, and she didn't want to get distracted. No matter how potent Seth's presence was, no matter how good he smelled, and no matter what dirty thoughts ran through her less-than-Catholic mind.
Chapter 15
After an hour at Marie's Cafe, where Billy had jotted down ideas for the streetscape (and had a piece of lemon pie), she walked across town to the sheriff's office, where she found a Gone Fishing sign posted on the door. Deputy Trellis was obviously working hard.
Next she headed to Seth's, referring to the directions he'd given her. It was getting close to five—soon it would be dark out. As of now, the sky had a grayish-blue tint, almost like twilight.
As she approached the Lannigans' beach house, memories came skittering back, reminding her of the brief time she'd shared here with Seth. One weekend in particular stood out. They'd house-sat for Seth's mom, and spent three sultry, unforgettable nights together down by the water.
How they'd never consummated their relationship during one of their late-night swims Billy would never know. She could still remember Seth's steel-hard erection, the way it pulsed when she touched him underwater. She remembered the hungry, intense expression on his face, the restraint it had taken not to shove the crotch of her bathing suit to the side and let him slide inside her....
Now she dashed up the front steps and knocked on Seth's front door. She waited and knocked again. Still no answer. Suddenly she heard banging coming from the back, so she wound around the side of the house, hearing leaves crackle beneath her feet. And then she saw him. He was down on one knee, hammering the floor of the gazebo that sat above a stone wall in the enclosed backyard.
God... he was beautiful without his shirt on. Biting her lip, Billy watched him work—watched the muscles in his sleek, smooth back flex. Heat seeped into her bones and thrummed between her legs, and she let out a breathy sigh of frustration.
He must've felt her burning gaze, because he turned around and caught her staring. In that moment she wished more than anything that she could simply go to him—climb onto him, press her mouth to his hot, smooth skin. Wished that she could feel his warm hands under her sweater, beneath her bra, stroking her bare breasts.
Now, instead of waving hello, Seth let his eyes bore into her, then quickly scanned her body. Even though she wasn't wearing anything alluring, the intensity of his scrutiny made her feel exposed, nearly naked, and only vaguely aware of the chill in the air. Which reminded her... if Seth had his shirt off in this weather, he must've really been working up a sweat. Wow... The thought of Seth sweaty was really a turn-on.
Finally he came to his feet and walked closer to her. She met him halfway. "Hey," he said, in a low, almost husky voice. "I didn't expect you till later..." he added—explained, really, as if he were apologizing for being only half-dressed. What was he, crazy? Up close his body was the stuff of fantasies. His chest was strong and powerful, with light brown hair that trailed sexily down to the waist of his jeans. His arms had subtle but mouthwatering curves of muscle, and there was no doubt: The yum factor was in full, screaming effect.
"I'm sorry," Billy mumbled absently. "Is now a bad time?"
"No, no," he said quickly, coming right in front of her, towering over her, close enough to reach out and touch, and Billy swallowed hard, averting her eyes to clear her head. Not her brightest move, considering that her eyes fell to his stomach, which was thrillingly close to a six-pack. Smooth, soft flesh covering solid strength—she wet her lips as her mouth ran dry and heavy arousal pooled between her legs.
"I'm glad you're here," he added as he led her onto the deck and through the sliding glass doors to the kitchen. Suddenly Billy was hit by a memory: cooking dinner for Seth on their house-sitting weekend. She'd accidentally undercooked the fish, and joked that her special was "baked sushi."
"What are you smiling at?" Seth asked her now.
"Oh, nothing," Billy replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
"Can I get you a drink?" he asked as he neared the fridge. Billy said no. It was almost evening, so a glass of wine might be nice, but in Seth's presence she couldn't afford to relax her impulses. Besides, she might as well keep her wits about her if she was going to try to get information about Ted Schneider's murder. That was her purpose for being there—the half-naked-hottie factor was just a frustrating plus.
Seth poured a glass of water for himself, then set another one in front of her. "Just in case."
"Thanks. By the way, have you heard anything about that guy who died at the jubilee?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
Seth shrugged as he pulled out the chair across from her and took a seat. "No, not really, why?"
"Just curious." She paused, runnin
g her thumb carelessly up and down over the condensation on her glass. "So Sally and her friends really didn't like him too much, huh?"
Seth shrugged. "I guess he didn't fit in enough," he said dryly. "But Sally mentioned that she ran into Deputy Trellis yesterday, and he said that Bob closed the case on it right away—which is always great with Trellis, who rarely handles anything more taxing than kitten rescue."
"Who's Bob?" Billy asked.
"Medical examiner."
"Oh."
"Not that there was anything to close, really. It was obviously just a terrible accident."
"I doubt that," Billy mumbled.
"What?" Seth said, tilting his head, confused.
"Nothing," Billy said quickly.
Slanting his eyebrows, Seth said, "You don't think it was an accident?"
"No, no, I mean... I'm just saying, it's easier for Deputy Trellis to assume it was an accident than to try to figure out if something else might have happened."
"Like what?" Seth said skeptically.
Billy shrugged and toyed with the wet rim of her glass. "I just think it's strange that Ted would eat something with nuts in it when he'd just finished asking half the bakery staff what foods he should avoid."
"Yeah, but you said he'd been drinking, right? So he was drunk, confused."
"Hmm..."
"What other explanation could there be?"
Billy deflected the conversation a little by asking, "Do you know if Ted had problems with anyone in town? Anybody specific?"
"I don't really know," Seth replied, leaning back in his chair. "According to Sally, nobody in Churchill really even knew him that well."
"How does Sally know so much?" Billy asked, genuinely curious.
With a laugh, Seth said, "Excellent question. I've stopped trying to understand that. But somehow she's got her finger on the pulse of everything that happens in this town—not to mention everything that could happen, and everything that didn't happen but almost did."
"Oh, I see. So nobody really knew Ted, yet Sally and her friends disliked him enough to make that comment about killing him," Billy said, remembering the joke about slipping Ted something with nuts.
Seth let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Oh, come on, they were only kidding! Granted, it wasn't remotely funny." Looking sincerely at her, he softened his voice. "Billy. Seriously, what's going on? Where is all this coming from?"
"I'm just curious, that's all."
"Oh, really?" Seth said, curving his mouth into a grin, as if amused by her attempt at secrecy—as if he knew when she was lying. Shaking his head, he absently rumpled his hair with his fingers. (Billy recognized the adorably scruffy habit, but tried not to dwell on it.) "C'mon, really. Do you honestly think the guy was murdered?"
Although she'd had the best intention to keep a low profile—really, she did—when Seth's hazel eyes stared her down, the effect was like truth serum, and before she knew it she was spilling everything she knew about Aunt Penelope's relationship with Ted, and what he'd told her about someone being after him.
"And that's why I think there could've been foul play," she continued. "And I'm thinking that maybe the someone from his past—the someone who was after him—finally got him."
Seth hesitated, as though searching for the most diplomatic way to phrase his next question—though there was really no need, because Billy could guess what it was. "Is it possible he was just portraying something to your aunt... you know, giving himself an out?"
"Well, anything's possible," Billy remarked with admitted triteness. "Maybe it wasn't someone from his past. Maybe it was someone in town with a whole different agenda, but it wasn't an accident, and I'm gonna prove it."
"Uh-huh—whoa, wait a minute here. What do you mean, 'prove it'?" Seth asked warily. "What do you plan on doing?"
"Nothing," Billy replied quickly. "Just... trying to piece things together for myself, that's all." It was true to a point; that was her overall plan. But it was subject to adjustment if an actual lead fell her way.
"I'm sure if there was anything suspicious, there would've been an investigation."
"But you said yourself, Deputy Trellis is totally inexperienced."
"Did I say inexperienced?" Seth remarked. "I meant to say dumb. But anyway, Bob examined the body; it was obviously all routine."
"I agree that it looks that way," Billy conceded. "Do they at least know what, exactly, Ted ate that triggered the fatal reaction?"
"Well, Sally said he was cremated."
"Already?"
Seth held up his hand. "I know how it sounds, but apparently Trellis found Ted's will on his boat; it specified that Ted wanted to be cremated right away in the case of his death. I guess he had a thing about having his body lying dead, something about not wanting to decompose. I'm not sure; I was only half listening when Sally was telling me all this. Anyway, since he had no family to speak of, and there wasn't going to be an investigation, the sheriff's office and the coroner didn't see any reason to wait."
"Convenient," Billy mumbled, more to herself. Seth just squinted, a little intrigued, a little bemused, as though not sure what to make of her and her theory at the moment. "I know it might sound weird, but I still want to see what I can find out. Something seems off here. Oh, but don't mention this to anyone, okay? For real." She knew he wouldn't if she asked him not to—not even busybody Sally would get it out of him.
"I won't," Seth said, still looking skeptical. Billy knew he didn't agree that it had been murder, but he let it drop for now.
"Thanks." As Billy lifted her glass of water, another pain shot up her arm. "Ow," she whispered, and rubbed her triceps.
"What's wrong?" Seth asked, and leaned forward with concern.
"Oh, it's nothing. I think I just pulled a muscle or something carrying that tray around at the jubilee." Then, with a self-deprecating grin, she added, "I'm at the top of my game these days; can't you tell?"
When she winced again, Seth came to his feet and walked behind her chair. "Here..." he said, and set his hands on her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" she asked, hearing her voice almost crack at the contact. Seth's hands were on her—powerful and warm—and melting her into a weak, spineless puddle.
"Hold on..." he said, as he gently massaged her shoulders. His hands thoroughly worked her muscles, rubbing her shoulders down to her upper arms. Oh... it was too good. Soon Billy's heart shot up to Olympic speed, and perspiration seeped into her palms, which were clutching the fabric of her pants. She needed to calm down, but she couldn't. The way Seth's fingers dug soothingly into her flesh was intoxicating... drugging... especially now that he was working his way back up and sliding his warm palm underneath her hair.
"Um... thanks, that feels better," she said weakly, nearly moaning as Seth used two fingers to knead the back of her neck. It wasn't just the sensuality of his movements—it was Seth himself. He'd always emanated a potent physical energy, and now the scant space between their bodies felt charged with it. The air was thick with suffocating heat, reducing Billy's breath to short, shallow puffs, and her body to liquid flames.
As he deepened his massage, she bit her lip, fighting the urge to drop her head back. God, she was ridiculous; he was trying to work a kink out from her very out-of-shape body, and she was turning it into foreplay. His hands were so strong, his fingers so warm, and it felt so good, she didn't want him to stop. That was normal.
But was it normal not to want him to stop ever?
Suddenly she heard him breathing, and knew he'd leaned down and gotten closer. His breath fell deeply and heavily, so she knew he was turned on, too. Instinctively she squeezed her legs together, because her muscles were throbbing and her thighs were trembling, and suddenly she felt his lips on her ear. "W-what are you doing?" she asked brokenly.
"I don't know," Seth replied softly—roughly—and licked inside her ear.
Fire raged between her legs, and before she could even think straight, Seth was rubbing her shoulde
rs again and sucking hard on her earlobe. The sensation of his hot, wet mouth tugging on her ear and his roughened cheek against her neck was all too much, and Billy's head lolled back just as strong hands slid under her arms, urging her out of her chair and turning her around. Instantly, Seth's mouth descended on hers, capturing her in a gentle but possessive kiss. It didn't take long, though, for the kiss to deepen—turning wet, urgent, and unbelievably sexy.
"Oh, God," she whispered when their lips parted. Seth groaned huskily, tilted his head, and sank deeper into their next kiss, which became almost endless.
With her breasts crushed against his ribs, and her body arching and straining to relieve its sexual hunger, Billy was slightly losing her mind. Seth's sexy gruffness was all coming back to her as he tightened his embrace and whispered huskily about how good she felt.
Billy slid her hands up his bare chest, getting more turned on by the feel of his naked flesh, and then coiled her arms around his neck as she kissed him back with fierce hunger. She'd temporarily lost reason and good sense, but she just didn't care, because Seth's licking into her mouth was the most thrilling thing that had happened to her in so long.
She could feel the dampness between her legs, the stickiness of her panties against her flesh—the near pain of wanting sex so much. Not flowers or sweetness, not right now. Just sex with Seth. Seth's cock, hard and pumping inside her.
Suddenly she felt his erection. It was straining the fly of his jeans. As Billy assailed Seth's mouth, she undulated against his pelvis, trying to align his crotch with hers, to fit their lower bodies together like puzzle pieces. Groaning, Seth kissed her harder and slid his hands down her back to cup her bottom. In one sharp motion he squeezed her and pulled her up against him.
"Ohh..." she moaned, rubbing against the hardness, and breaking the kiss to get her breath back.
"Oh, Jesus." Seth groaned, moving them back until Billy's butt hit the kitchen table. And then she was flat on her back, and Seth was spreading her legs wide before he climbed on top of her. In a matter of seconds he was lying on her, rubbing her breasts and burying his face in between while he ground his erection into her aching crotch. Each push of his hips was punctuated with a sharp, lusty moan from her—one that implicitly begged for more.