Through His Heart (Mind's Eye Book 3)

by Deborah Camp

  “You knew you were blocking her?”

  “No. Not consciously. My subconscious blocked her. It took Gregory to finally bring her through to me and he wouldn’t do it until he was certain I was psychologically equipped to handle it.”

  “After the day you had, I’m surprised by his timing.”

  “Actually, it’s perfect timing. I’m closing that chapter. No more Becky Landers hanging over my soul like a shadow. I thought that once you knew about her, you’d have second thoughts about being with me.” His gaze swept to hers and then away. “And I wouldn’t blame you. But you’ve had time to process it and you’re still here.”

  She smiled at him. “Why would I leave you because you helped the police find a child’s murderer when you were a child yourself?”

  He shrugged. “That’s not the way I saw it.”

  “I understand, Levi.” She dipped her head a little to make him look at her again. “You were sent away after that and it was drummed into you that something was wrong with you, that you couldn’t be trusted, that you were bad. No one could emerge from that unfazed. For all your self-assurance and arrogance, there is a big part of you that believes they were right. That they might have seen something in you – something evil. I suppose this is a subject you and Dr. McLain discuss at length and often.”

  A slightly crooked grin claimed his mouth. “Yes, it’s one of our favorite topics. How can I be sure that I’m not permanently damaged and that I won’t be overtaken one day by the monster inside me – by my own Mr. Hyde? And how could I ever visit that on an innocent, young woman?”

  Witnessing the darkening of his eyes with worry, Trudy placed her hand against the side of his face and swept her thumb across his lips. “I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered. “Nothing you’ve told me has given me even a moment’s doubt in you. I trust you with my heart and my life.”

  He leaned his face into her hand and closed his eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”

  “Levi, you wouldn’t say that if you had any idea how much you’ve brought to my life.” When he opened his eyes in surprise, she smiled tenderly at him. “You make me feel pretty and sexy and you love me as I am. You give me the courage to explore my abilities. You know how scared you were of Becky? Well, most of my life, I’ve been that scared about being psychic. It’s always made me feel out of control and just shy of being insane. Quintara helped me gain some control over it, but you’ve shown me how to live with it, how to be at peace with it. Believe me, what we have is a symbiotic relationship.”

  He raised his brows. “Watch it. You’re sounding like a psychologist.”

  She grinned at him.

  “And, just to set the record straight . . .” He captured her hand and kissed her fingers, one by one, his gaze locked on her mouth. “Not to be all self-important and arrogant, but I happen to have been with quite a few pretty and sexy women and none of them could rival you in those departments, Miss Tucker. You have no idea how many times I’ve seen men stare at your mouth and almost drool or turn around and watch you walk away so that they could eye-bang your butt. It makes me want to beat my chest and roar at them that you belong to me! Only to me!”

  She stared at him, dumbfounded and delighted by his growling declaration. “Eye-bang? Really?” Smiling, she leaned toward him for a quick kiss. “You Tarzan and I’m your Jane.”

  With a wicked grin, he grabbed her hands, stood, and pulled her to her feet. “I hope to God you’re not wearing anything under that robe.”

  “And if I am?”

  “You won’t be wearing it for long.” He started walking toward the bedroom, still holding her hands so that she walked backward.

  “I thought you were exhausted.”

  “So did I.” They stopped next to the bed and he let go of her hands to untie the belt at her waist. “Read my thoughts, Miss Tucker.”

  She laughed, lightly. “You’re transparent right now, Mr. Wolfe.”

  He parted her robe and stepped back to feast on the sight of her. She felt herself blush under his ardent scrutiny. When she dropped her gaze, she saw the imprint of his erection in his sleep pants. She inched closer and slid her hands down his belly and inside his waistband. Her fingers encountered his silky, hot, hardness and he sipped in a breath as his eyes heated. He gripped her wrist, halting her exploration, and shook his head.

  Surprised, she sent him a questioning look.

  “Allow me,” he whispered, dipping his head to kiss her cheek, her eyelids, the side of her neck. “Let me worship you, Trudy. You’re my temple. My soul’s salvation. My goddess.” He punctuated with slow kisses down her neck, in the dip at her throat, and between her breasts.

  His sweet, sincere words sent her into his arms. She held his head between her hands and kissed him. His tongue painted her lips and then teased her with licking caresses as he pushed the robe off her shoulders. It fell and pooled at her feet. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he lifted her and laid her down on the bed. The bedroom lamp was on, casting golden light across his broad shoulders. He removed his t-shirt and tossed it aside. She gasped when she realized that the dark blotches around his ribcage weren’t shadows.

  “Those bruises look really bad, Levi.” She propped herself up on her elbows.

  “Nothing’s broken.” He shucked his pants and joined her on the bed, running the flat of his hand along her waist, over her stomach, and between her thighs. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “But, I—“

  “Shhhh,” he hushed her and then his lips closed on her clitoris, silencing her.

  Trudy tipped back her head as ecstasy billowed through her. His mouth osculated on her and he held her firmly in place, his hands on her thighs, pressing them against the sheet. Still, she squirmed as her feelings careened from simmering to roiling passion. Her orgasm was on her before she could even draw a decent breath and she called out his name as her body shuddered and her mind shut down.

  His mouth gentled on her and he kissed her tenderly, then kissed her inner thighs and the backs of her knees. “You’re so perfect. So pretty.” He captured her wrists and brought her arms up over her head, holding them there.

  She knew his ploy. He didn’t want any interference from her. He wanted her his way, so she relaxed, giving herself to him. His lips skimmed up her stomach and waist and circled one pebbled nipple. He pulled on it, his teeth giving it a little nip before he moved to the other. Pleasure swirled through her, unfurling from the peaks of her breasts down to coil in her stomach and then pooling in the apex between her thighs.

  Oh, how she loved the way he made her feel with every inch of her body, every corner of her heart. He still held her wrists in one hand while his free hand and his mouth found erogenous patches of her skin, caressing, licking, and sucking. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut as he worked his magic on her, bringing her to a fever pitch again.

  “Levi, please,” she panted.

  He planted his elbows near her head and stared down into her eyes. “Have I ever told you how wonderful you feel, Tru? All warm and wet and clinging.”

  She felt him rub against her opening and she arched her hips, inviting him in. “I want you,” she whispered, holding his gaze. “I don’t want to come again without you inside of me.”

  “Listen to you,” he said, nuzzling the side of her neck. “Bossing me around and telling me what you want and how you want it. Not too long ago, you blushed every time I said ‘cock.’”

  She smiled. “I still do.”

  “Yeah, you do.” He smiled, too, but it was fleeting. His face tightened with intensity as he rubbed against her again. With a slight adjustment, he penetrated her, moving into her slowly. He released a long moan of appreciation and his eyes actually rolled back in his head before he closed them. “Ahhh, Trudy. Soooo good. So fucking incredible.”

  He began rocking in and out of her, hitting all the right places, stroking her, stoking her. As he increased the tempo, he increased the energy behind each drive into her.
His grip on her wrists tightened as he surged into her. She felt him thicken and knew he was close even before she saw the tell-tale gritting of his teeth as he rested his forehead against hers and emptied into her.

  Her own passion peaked and exploded. Hooking her ankles on his muscled thighs, she shoved up against him, wanting to claim every bit of him. Even after what he’d been through today, even battered and bruised, he was a consummate, considerate lover.

  Moaning against her skin, he relaxed against her, his grip loosening on her wrists. His fingertips smoothed down her arms and he lifted his head to look into her eyes.

  “What you do to me,” he rasped, moving to his side with a satisfied sigh.

  She snuggled against him, careful not to touch the blue and purple bruises around his middle, and rested her head on his shoulder. “I never understood what the big deal was about sex until you.”

  He was still for a few moments. “Seriously?”

  She smiled at the incredulity in his voice. “Seriously.” She raised her head to see his cocky grin. She swatted his shoulder, playfully, before using it as a pillow again.

  “Trudy?”

  “Hmmm?” Sleep was already tiptoeing toward her.

  “Thanks for not leaving.”

  She wiggled closer to him, breathing in the lemony-lime scent of him. “Thanks for dropping your shields and letting me in.”

  ###

  “Want to come inside with me?” Trudy asked as Levi parked the Corvette in front of the Comfort Ministries building.

  “I’ll pass,” he answered, drolly. “I’ll go across the street to the park and get some work done.” He tapped his jacket where he kept his cellphone in the inside pocket.

  “How are things at Wolfe Enterprises?”

  “Perking right along. You’re stalling. Why?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t want to see your father.”

  “Your meeting is with AmyLynn, right?”

  “She’s the one who called me this morning and asked if I would stop by before we head back home, but you know he’s in the building. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s part of this meeting, too.”

  “If you want me to come inside with you –.”

  “No.” She laid a hand on his sleeve. “It’s okay.”

  He checked the side mirror before opening the driver’s door. “Keep your cute tuchis in that seat and let me get the door for you.”

  She watched him walk with easy grace around the front of the Corvette. He was wearing his favorite color combination – black on black on black. Black leather jacket, black shirt, black jeans, black boots. The flesh-colored butterfly bandage on his forehead made him look even more dashing and dangerously handsome. He opened her door with a flourish and reached for her hand. Helping her out of the low-slung car, he grinned when she shook her head at him.

  “You don’t approve of manners, Miss Tucker?”

  “Oh, I approve. I just have to get used to it.”

  He leaned close, sniffed appreciatively at the scent of her perfume, and whispered, “One of the many things you’re going to have to get used to.” Stepping back from her, he ran a hand over her hair and kissed her cheek before shutting the car door.

  She eyed him warily as he jogged across the street to the park. Get used to what other things? Trudging up the steps, she entered the foyer, eager to meet with AmyLynn and finish the job. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and she’d be in Tulsa with her family and Levi. After the New Year, she would move to Atlanta and blend her life more completely with his. Better days were definitely ahead of her.

  Paula Shulter started to offer up her usual beaming smile as a greeting, but when she realized the visitor was Trudy she couldn’t quite manage it. Her face tightened and her lips froze into a half-smile that was more like a grimace.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Shulter.” Trudy stopped before her desk. “I have an appointment with AmyLynn.”

  She gave a little sniff and picked up the phone receiver. Punching a number, she turned slightly away from Trudy and spoke in a near-whisper. “Trudy Tucker is here for AmyLynn. What should I do?” She listened, nodded, and replaced the receiver. “Have a seat, please.”

  Trudy took a step or two away from the woman’s desk, but didn’t sit in one of the chairs she’d indicated. Glancing at her wristwatch, she noted that it was eight-fifty-six and AmyLynn had asked to meet her at nine o’clock. She wasn’t going to cool her heels for long in this place where she was obviously not wanted. For all she knew, Mrs. Shulter had phoned the sheriff’s office just now! Wouldn’t put it past her.

  She looked toward the stairs that led to the second floor offices and saw Michael Poe. Oh, no. Not him. Steeling herself for his condescending attitude, she didn’t even bother to smile at him.

  “Miss Tucker, I’m told you’re here to see AmyLynn,” he said in his usual rat-a-tat way of speaking.

  “Yes. She asked me to come by.”

  “And this meeting is pertaining to what, exactly?” He stopped in front of her, legs apart, hands on his hips in a Superman pose.

  It was everything she could do not to laugh in his face. “It’s AmyLynn’s meeting. Ask her.”

  “I’m asking you.”

  Trudy kept her gaze locked on his. Time ticked by, each second strengthening her resolve. “Get out of my way, Poe,” she said, quietly but firmly. She refused to look away or even blink. His eyes narrowed fractionally and he rolled his thin lips between his teeth as if he were damming up the vile names he wanted to hurl at her.

  “Trudy!” AmyLynn called from the top of the stairs.

  Trudy stepped around him and headed for the stairs. AmyLynn was radiant in a bright pink dress with a big white and pink polka dot bow at the waist. Her smile lit up her face and made her eyes sparkle. But her smile waned slightly when she focused on Michael Poe.

  “Something wrong, Michael?”

  Pausing, Trudy glanced over her shoulder at him, raising a brow and smirking.

  “No,” he said, tersely. “We just have a very tight schedule today.”

  “We always do,” AmyLynn rejoined and there was a decidedly cool note in her voice. “You must have forgotten that I’m not working until after New Year’s Day. I’m celebrating the blessed birth of our savior with my family and rejoicing in the homecoming of our Rachel.” Her smile regained its brightness and she motioned Trudy to join her. “Come here, Trudy. I want to hug your neck.”

  And she did just that as soon as Trudy was on the landing. Hugging her tightly, AmyLynn laughed and then escorted Trudy to her office. A coffee tray awaited them. Trudy sat with AmyLynn on the sofa and accepted a cup of the brew.

  “I wanted to thank you,” AmyLynn said, placing a hand between her bodacious breasts. The white doves were back on her hot pink fingernails again. “From the bottom of my heart, I’m so grateful to you for helping to find Rachel. The sheriff told us that the FBI already had the Harts under surveillance, but I wanted to hear your account.”

  Trudy almost choked on the coffee. She set the cup and saucer down on the tray. “Is that what they told you? Well, they’re lying. They didn’t have the Harts under surveillance until I sent them a report about Rachel thinking she knew the kidnapper, but it turned out to be someone who looked very much like a person she trusted. I put them on the Moses’ trail.”

  AmyLynn sighed. “That sounds more like it. I mean, they told me that they thought my ex-husband’s brother kidnapped her.”

  “That was a diversionary tactic. They wanted to be sure the Harts wouldn’t be tipped off by someone in the Ministry.”

  AmyLynn’s brown eyes widened. “Really? Sam didn’t know a thing about it. He’s completely devastated by it all. His mama always favored Moses. Sam was real close to his father, but he died when Sam was only eleven years old. After that, from what he’s told me, he felt excluded. That’s why he loves working here. We’re all close-knit, like a family.”

  “What about your mother? Did she know that Mrs. Hart had Rachel?”


  “Mama?” AmyLynn’s pink mouth went limp with shock. “No! She’d never –.” She shook her head and seemed flustered. “Mama’s just sick about it. She and Mrs. Hart have known each other since girlhood, but Mrs. Hart’s not right in the head these days.”

  “Apparently, neither is Moses.”

  AmyLynn’s face paled under her makeup. “Yes. He thinks God told him to take Rachel from us.”

  “To be their servant,” Trudy tacked on.

  “Yes.” AmyLynn drank some coffee and her hands trembled. “My poor baby. She was so scared. So alone. And they told her that I didn’t want her anymore.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Mama might have told them about my struggle.” She sighed and set down the cup and saucer. “Mama didn’t want me to marry Caleb, but I was headstrong and I was in love. Or so I thought. When the marriage fell apart and I finally left him, it about killed Mama. Mine was the first divorce in our family and Mama was ashamed. She sure didn’t want me to marry again. She said I should concentrate on raising my girls and forget men.” She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous notion. “But Mama rejoiced when I told her that I’d fallen in love with John and that God had called on me to stay by John’s side and help spread the Gospel. She’d had the same vision for me!” Her eyes rounded with amazement. “That’s when I knew for certain that this was the marriage God had meant for me all along.”

  “You mentioned a struggle,” Trudy said, more interested in that part of her revelations. She wondered idly if AmyLynn always brushed unpleasant parts of this story under the proverbial rug. No mention of the fact that her marriage counselor had been the man she married a few months after her divorce. How convenient!