Dave watched her lips as she ate and talked, remembering the taste of her. “The whole dinner was great, Tory. Would you like more wine?”
“Sure, I could drink a little more,” Tory answered as she once again ran her hands through her hair.
Dave helped Tory clean up the dishes after dinner, and even cleaned the grill.
After dinner, they relaxed on the sofa.
“Why do you think these murders are happening?” Tory asked.
“I don’t know. Since you have some knowledge of both the victims, can you think of anything they had in common, like did they both belong to the same club, drive the same kind of car, or frequent the same restaurant? Anything at all?”
“The only things I can think of that they had in common was that I found them and they were both on Braedden Properties.” Her voice quivered. “And to top it off, I think the police suspect me as the murderer.”
“That’s nonsense. The Chief never mentioned anything like that,” he said as he moved over closer to her, picked up her hand and rubbed her fingers. “I’m more concerned about you. We both know that can’t be true. When we finish the investigation and put all the facts together, we’ll find the real murderer. In the meantime, we should forget about all that. We need to relax and enjoy each other.”
* * * *
Dave moved in closer to her and picked up her hand. He kissed her every finger. “I care for you, Tory. I’ll take care of you. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Dave kissed her lips and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. Dave wanted to console her. He had a hint of remorse about everything she was feeling bad about. He wanted her to be sure about him, to trust him, be strong for him, and know he would protect her in any way possible.
He deepened the kiss. Her fiery response surprised him. He forced open her mouth and put his tongue inside. He savored the taste of her, the taste only she had. He pulled her close, wrapping one hand around her neck to pull her closer and the other around her waist. She responded by wrapping her arms around his waist and shoulders, pulling him closer.
He kept his eyes tightly closed. In the absolute darkness, she was all heat and sensation to him, her lips a source of cool fire that burned everything they touched, spawning jolts of desire that spiked through his body, leaving him mindless and weak. He kissed her earlobe and tear-stained cheeks, making her gasp. He slowly pushed her down onto the sofa, making her draw in her breath sharply.
He kissed his way to her earlobe and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. She put both her hands on each side of his face, looked into his eyes.
He kissed her as he gently lay on top of her.
She arched her pelvis against him, her nipples already hard and erect. She tensed with anticipation and moaned. Her breathing heavy. She unzipped his pants and ran her hand over his erection, squeezing as she stroked it up and down, up and down. Dave writhed beneath her ministrations, and she didn’t want to stop.
Dave groaned as he slipped her bra off her soft, smooth shoulders. He rubbed his fingers across her nipples, sending a quiver through her body.
Suddenly his mouth closed around her nipple. She gulped for air, a flabbergasted sound of pleasure. He licked her.
* * * *
She wanted to thrash and gyrate and beg for more. Her nails dug into the cushions. He found her other nipple and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, with just enough force to make her abandon all effort at quietness. She moaned out loud.
She murmured while he kissed her neck and shoulders, “Dave, oh, Dave. We shouldn’t do this. I’m not that kind of woman. I don’t want to get involved in another relationship right now.”
“Tell me to stop and I will,” he said just as he slid his hand up her velvet thigh to her wet-for-him panties. He moved her panties to one side and began gently stroking her outer lips. She was so hot and wet. He used one finger and entered her. She arched her back toward him.
She wanted more of him. No, she wanted all of him. She continued to stroke his penis, rubbing the moist droplets around the head.
He stood and quickly removed his pants and shirt while she removed her remaining clothes. When he lay beside her again on the couch, he kissed her and began moving his hands all over her soft and smooth body. He caressed her breasts then replaced his hand with his lips, suckling like a baby. His hands continued to roam over her body, under her arms, down her stomach, up her thighs until he reached her hot, wet spot. He again entered her with one finger, then two fingers. She tried to move closer to him to take more but couldn’t. She moaned and rolled her head to the left and right in sexual frustration.
Dave removed his fingers and moved his body on top of her. His shaft was ready to enter her when she reached down and touched it, rubbing the velvety soft head with her fingers, smoothing the lubricant all over. She directed it to her opening and Dave thrust into her.
* * * *
He groaned. She was so hot and wet inside, he was on fire. As he thrust in and out of her, she quickly matched his rhythm, arching into him to take all of him.
“Dave, oh my god, it feels so good.”
A deep guttural moan came from within Dave.
Tory was breathless as she pulled Dave’s mouth down to hers. He kissed her lips, and then moved to her neck and ears, reaching even lower to suckle her breast one more time. Tory couldn’t hold out anymore. She let all her inner inhibitions go and soon found herself in ecstasy. She closed her eyes and saw stars, the world spinning around.
Dave called her name, “Tory, Tory.” She soon felt his hot, liquid seed spilling into her.
He kissed her as he gently lay beside her.
Both full of wonderment, disbelief, and bliss.
Both content.
Chapter 26
The following morning was cool and rainy. Neither Dave nor Tory wanted to leave the warm comfort of each other’s arms, let alone the bed they had shared all night.
“Hummm nice,” Tory murmured as Dave caressed her breasts.
“See why I like your place better?” Dave asked with a smile as he kissed Tory good morning. He still hadn’t decided which town house or apartment he liked best but enjoyed staying at Tory’s.
“Hmmm, I like my place better too,” she answered with a kiss, snuggling closer to him.
“You do know I have to go to work today, don’t you?” Tory reminded Dave with another kiss.
“I know. And I need to get to work, too. Let’s take a shower together for a good morning send off,” Dave said as he yanked the covers off of both of them at the same time, pulled Tory gently to the edge of the bed, took her hand, and escorted her to the bathroom.
They walked hand in hand into the bathroom. Tory turned on the water in the oversized shower and got clean towels out of the closet while Dave adjusted the water temperature and jumped in the shower.
“Come on in, the water’s great,” Dave said with a smile.
Tory stepped into the shower and was quickly grabbed by Dave and pulled under the shower’s spray. Water sluiced over both of them as he quickly plundered her mouth. His hands caressed her breasts with soap, along with her stomach all the way down to her feminine curls. Tory took the hint and soaped up her hands and massaged Dave’s entire body with a thick, soapy lather.
Their bodies burned where they touched, locked together nipples to knees. Dave’s erection throbbed between Tory’s thighs.
She slowly opened her legs to him. His arms went around her and lifted her up by her hips as she wrapped her legs around him. He pushed her back against the wall as he slowly entered her. He started moving in and out of her, taking her breath away. She moaned and muttered, “Dave, oh, Dave.” She knew as soon as he reached his climax because he pulled her tight to him, held his breath as he filled her with his seed. They held each other close until they could control their breathing.
* * * *
Tory had a job to do and quickly found herself dressed and at her desk. Mid-morning, Tory left the office to drop so
me papers off to one of their tenants about a rental increase. When she reached the cottage-like house, she parked her car along the sidewalk. She got out of the car, walked up the driveway past a parked car and onto the porch. She knocked on the door two or three times. That’s odd. I just spoke to her a couple of hours ago and she was expecting me. She was going to take a relaxing bath and said to “come on over.”
The hair on the back of Tory’s neck bristled as it had before when she felt someone was watching her. She didn’t know what to do. Should she call the police? Should she go inside? Or should she call Dave since he had been elected lead detective on the murder cases? She called Dave for advice.
“Just sit tight. I’ll call the police and be there in a few minutes.”
Dave got there before the police and attempted to calm Tory down. There was no reason for Tory to be alarmed. They had no reason to think the worst, that she would find another body. He kept Tory occupied outside by their cars until the police arrived on the scene. He explained the expected procedure to her, different now since there had been two murders. State officers were now involved, all reporting their findings to Dave.
After no response through open windows, three local police officers broke down the front door to get into the house. Shortly thereafter, the area was secured with yellow crime scene tape and a flurry of police officers scurried throughout the house and yard. Dave had briefly looked at the body and recognized it for what it was—a murder.
Outside, Dave reminded the attending officers that no one was allowed inside the house or across the crime scene lines unless they were a part of the forensics team, then the area was truly secured until the forensics team arrived.
Chief Carr was assigned to guard the scene.
Once the death was labeled a murder, local and state police began to gather at the scene. So within about ninety minutes of the first request for an ambulance, five police officers, two state and three local police officers, were on the scene. A member of the County Attorney’s Office and the county medical examiner were there as well. Neighbors started showing up, coming out of their houses to see what was going on, and were able to identify the victim. Her name was Ellen Wells.
* * * *
Chief Carr soon met with Dave who then explained the routine to him for complete clarity.
“We found the body of a young woman, assumed to be the tenant, Ellen Wells. She was naked, lying in the bathtub, the water having slowly drained out, looks like an accidental drowning.”
“Oh, my god,” Tory said as she turned her face toward Dave. “I just spoke with her on the phone a few hours ago. How can this be happening? This town is my home, yet everywhere I go there’s death.”
“Tory, when was the last time you met with Ms. Wells?”
“I, I’ve never met her,” she said through quivering lips. “As I said, I spoke with her on the phone a few hours ago about signing the papers I brought with me about a rent increase. She was fine. She said to come over anytime today, she was going to take a long soak in the tub.”
“Was there anyone here when you arrived?”
“No, just the car in the driveway. I assumed it was hers.”
“When you knocked on the door did you hear anything strange, like someone moving around inside, running or slamming or closing a door?”
“No, I can’t recall any of those things.”
“Did you smell anything or see anyone leaving the area when you got here?”
“No, I don’t recall either. I waited on the porch until Dave got here then we waited in the car.”
“What about you Dave? Have you ever met Ms. Wells?”
When Dave shook his head Chief Carr put his hat back on and sighed loudly. Dave turned and hollered to one of the local officers to start canvassing the neighborhood, door to door questioning for anything or anyone they saw in the area, anything out of the ordinary. Then he headed back into the house.
Tory turned around and ran into Laura Peterson, the librarian.
“Hi, Laura. What brings you to this part of town?”
“Just trying to figure out what’s going on. Do you know anything yet?” Laura asked.
“No, we’re waiting to hear something just like everyone else. I can’t imagine what happened, can you?” Tory asked Laura.
“No, but a lot has been happening in this town, so I’m not surprised,” Laura said with a smirk.
“We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”
“Yes, poor Ellen though, I wonder if she felt any pain?” Laura said as she slowly walked away.
Dave came back from the house and looked at Tory who was looking behind her to where Laura had been standing. She was gone, lost in the crowd that had gathered waiting for word of what happened.
“Why would she wonder about Ellen, if it was an accidental drowning?” Tory asked Dave, who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as Tory turned again to search the area for Laura.
Dave followed Tory home after the county medical examiner left with the body.
“I need to spend the night with my parents. They’ve been a little concerned about me. Are you sure you’ll be all right tonight by yourself? You remember the rules, right? Don’t answer the door to anyone except me and keep all the doors and windows locked with the poles in place.”
“I understand. But I’m going to miss you tonight. You’re becoming a habit I don’t want to give up.” Tory giggled shyly.
Dave chuckled. “I’ll see you tomorrow and I’ll even call you later and check on you, okay?”
“Of course, but not too late,” Tory said as he walked her to her car. He opened her door for her and helped her inside. He kissed her gently once on the lips. He put his hands around her neck and plunged into her mouth, sticking his tongue in, touching her. Tasting her. He snagged her tongue and sucked it into his mouth. Tory laid her hand on the side of Dave’s face. When they finally came apart, they were both breathing heavily, another quick kiss good night, and Dave closed her door.
He returned the wave from her and walked to his own car. He still had a lot of work to do and knew he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.
Chapter 27
Dave and Chief Carr met early the next morning at the police station to discuss the surveillance operation as well as the hanging victim, identified as Carolyn Robison.
“This is what we know so far. She was an employee of Ted’s Pizza but was last seen at Red’s Hideaway Lounge with Matt Wilson and some of his buddies. She was a former girlfriend of Matt’s. The murderer used the same MO as before—set up to look like a suicide. However, the coroner found rope fibers on her slacks as well as rope burns on her wrists. If you recall, we didn’t find a rope at the murder scene.” Dave leaned back in his chair with the murder file open in front of him rereading the notes.
“But the one thing that bothers me, Chief, is the placement of the chair. It wasn’t under her to be kicked away by the victim. It was off to the side and upright. Something else someone wouldn’t be able to do is push the chair out from under them and have it remain upright. So was she dead before she was hanged and it was only made to look like a hanging?” He rubbed his face with his hands and ran his fingers through his windblown hair.
“I agree that it doesn’t make sense. The chair was needed for the victim to stand on before the hanging, unless like you say she was dead before hanging. Maybe the murderer was cleaning it of prints and accidentally put it back in the wrong place.”
“We’ll have to wait on the autopsy report for this one, I think, Chief.”
“Waiting is tough.” Dave stood, shook his hand, and waved as he went out the door.
* * * *
Tory awoke slowly, reveling in the warmth of the bed, her eyes shut, listening to the sounds of the house. She remembered how uninhibited she was last night and how good she felt this morning. Ashamed of herself, she wasn’t quite sure how to face Dave. Will he think I’m a slut? She peeked out under closed lids to where he had slept last
night, holding her in his arms. His side of the bed was empty again.
She sat up quickly. Maybe he was making breakfast or taking a shower. She didn’t hear the water running or even smell coffee brewing. He hadn’t spent the night with her last night. He spent it with his parents. She looked at the time. Crap.
It was after nine o’clock. She never slept this late. Not even on weekends. What’s wrong with me? She quickly ran to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. She had to get to work. She had an appointment at ten o’clock.
She quickly dressed in casual slacks, a silk blouse, and sandals. As she fixed her hair she heard a key in the door.
Dave soon rounded the corner into the bedroom, saw the empty bed, and immediately looked toward the bathroom.
“Tory, there you are.” He walked to her, leaned down, and gave her a kiss.
She was so relieved to see him and his reaction to her.
“Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?” Dave asked as he pulled them apart to look into her eyes.
“I did. It was very warm an–an–and peaceful. How about you?” Tory stuttered as she stepped back from him, releasing her hold on him.
“The best night of sleep I’ve had in some time. I’m an early riser and had some things I needed to get done.”
She wanted to tell him how afraid she was when she woke and he wasn’t there anymore and how relieved she was when he came back. But she didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t sound clingy.
“I made coffee. Let’s get a cup and we can talk. Okay?” Dave asked as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Was he agitated with her?
Then she remembered how rushed she was and looked at the clock. It was already after ten o’clock. She needed to call Trevor and see if he could take her appointment. She picked up the phone and dialed the office number. Trevor answered on the second ring.
Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Revenge (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 12