by Dee J. Adams
“Oh.” That jammed a pin in her bubble of love.
His dark brows furrowed together. “But I’ve got a couple hours now and I can come back tonight. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds perfect.” Maybe while he was gone, she might be able to capture some of this emotion and put it to paper.
His breath-stealing smile when he fumbled for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans made her heart ache. He found the condom he was looking for and tossed the wallet behind him. His grin faded when he moved in and kissed her. Casey let all her troubles slip away. She let the sureness of his touch as he skimmed her bare back take her to a heavenly place where nothing mattered but Brendan and the way he treated her. His gentle hands stroked down her arms and back up her ribs to cup her breasts. He made her feel fragile, like she might break if he didn’t take care. He licked one nipple into his mouth as he rolled the other between his fingers, and it was like yanking an invisible line between her legs.
He fumbled with the button on her jeans and she helped him slide them down her legs. His jeans went next and she loved seeing just how much he wanted this moment. Not that she had too many doubts, but the proof was there, jutting out and eager for attention.
“That bad boy is ready to party,” she said around another kiss. The bad boy in question was now pressed tightly against her lower stomach.
Brendan’s answer was to yank the blanket all the way back, lift her and toss her onto the bed.
Casey shrieked and laughed as he pounced on top of her, but in the next second, the serious man returned, kissing her softly, thoroughly, until her need to have him overrode any other thoughts.
He wanted this to last, but she couldn’t wait. Grabbing his good shoulder and anchoring his leg with her own, she flipped him to his back.
He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, his “God, yes,” made her think he was pretty on board with the whole change of scenery.
“Where’d that condom go?” she asked, her breath already coming out in short pants. She’d never wanted anyone this desperately before. Not even in Hawaii had she been this ready to be with a man. Her thighs were slick from her own arousal and he’d barely touched her.
Maybe he understood her need because he ripped the packet open with his teeth and handed it to her. “At your service.”
“I love a man who’s prepared.” She rolled the latex over his erection and he sucked in a breath as she gave him a few extra strokes for good measure. “I know it’s not the same as Hawaii, but…” She straddled him. Before she could adjust herself over him, he pulled her down, kissed her like he might die if he didn’t get her mouth.
“I love you so much, Casey. I love you.”
She kissed him again, with all her heart and soul. She loved the way he palmed her head, the way he stroked his hand down her back and circled that erogenous zone right at the base of her spine. She rubbed against him, slicked them up with her arousal. This time when she adjusted to take him, he was right there, helping her, until the tip of his erection kissed the wet seam of her entrance.
Slowly, inch by inch, she took him in. He stretched her, filled her, made her whole as they became one. Casey sat astride him, didn’t move. She closed her eyes and let the joy of being connected to Brendan heal her. It had been so long. Too long. How could she have gone so many months without this feeling?
His hands caressed her sides, then her ribs until he had each one under her breasts. She arched into his palms as he finally claimed her and that’s when she began moving, taking her time, rising and falling. Each delicious stroke sent fiery pleasure arcing through her.
Finally, she opened her heavy eyes and seeing the love on his face, the desire in his eyes, she knew what love was. It was this. Now. It was Brendan, looking at her exactly like that. It was his touch, his patience, his understanding. Love was the man beneath her, taking her to new heights and new beginnings.
“C’mere.” His voice was rough, full of passion, full of heat. When she lay over him and kissed his lips, her whole world came together in one crystalized moment.
“I love you,” she breathed. “I love you.” She couldn’t stop saying it, over and over between every kiss and with every move that took him deeper inside her. The slow, deep penetration turned into a frantic, almost desperate attempt to bind him to her forever.
She rode that line of pleasure where every move had her balancing on a precipice. Every in and out kept an invisible string taut with need. When he grabbed her ass and squeezed tight, when he thrust up and pushed her down, she went over the edge. A foreign cry sounded in her throat as her internal muscles clenched and waves of bliss rolled in with each rapid heartbeat.
With a final thrust, Brendan froze beneath her. His muscles tightened into rock hard cords as his climax pounded through him. His long hair was as damp as hers when she finally collapsed on top of him, breathing hard, her body limp and sated.
“Holy hell,” he breathed, skimming his fingers along her slick back. She shivered in delight at the caress. “I didn’t think it was possible, but that was better than Hawaii.”
She smiled against his chest, had never felt so free yet so connected with someone. “Told ya so,” she mumbled. She shrieked when he rolled and tickled her, but a minute later his lips met hers again. She hated that he had to go. “Whatever you have to do for Seger, make it fast, okay? I want you back here, just like this later.”
His smile killed her. “Oh you can count on that.” Staring down at her with his long beautiful hair framing his face, he got serious again. “Make no mistake. Tonight there will be no sleeping. Have I made myself clear.”
“Crystal.” She couldn’t have held back a grin if her life depended on it.
Brendan couldn’t remember ever being this happy. Before the kidnapping, he’d had good times, sure, but since the kidnapping, he’d been in a different place, a much darker place. He’d held himself off, become less accessible to strangers and acquaintances. He’d hid behind his hair.
Breaking through Casey’s defenses felt like winning the lottery. Hearing her say the words and back them up simultaneously with her kiss, with her smile and that sparkle in her eyes, freed him of any doubt, any worries that she loved him.
For the first time in years, his ear was a non-issue. He realized he never even thought about it when he was with her because she made him feel whole. For that alone he’d love her until the end of time.
Of all days for Seger to finally need him. Dammit.
Brendan kissed her again, because he couldn’t stop himself. The way she smiled up at him, the joy in her eyes, made him the happiest man on earth. She wove a spell with her tongue as they kissed. Just like Hawaii, being with her reduced everything else to the peripheral. Nothing mattered but her now, and the connection they shared.
Given another few minutes, he could very well show her again how important she was to him, but the job niggled in the back of his brain.
“You should go now so you can get back sooner,” she breathed, spreading kisses along his jaw.
“I was thinking the same thing.” He stroked a lock of long damp hair off her cheek and brushed his lips across hers one last time. “Should I bring back dinner later or should I take you out for a real date.” Something they never even had a chance to do since Hawaii.
She thought about it for a second. “Let’s save the date for another time. I want you to myself tonight.”
“Dinner in then. I’ll surprise you with something delicious.”
“You are my something delicious,” she whispered before lifting her head and kissing him. God, she made it hard to leave. He kissed her again, stroking his tongue along hers, loving the warmth of her mouth and the sweet sigh in her exhale.
“I’m not helping, am I?” she murmured at his lips.
“Not one bit.”
She laughed and pushed him back. “Fine. I can be strong. Go. Do your thing. I’ll see you back here later.”
He gave her one last quick kiss and gently
moved off her, instantly missing her heat and the warmth of her smooth skin against his. After tossing the condom and cleaning up in her bathroom, he returned to find her in a giant white T-shirt and not much else. “Damn, that’s sexy,” he said, wrapping her in his good arm since he had the sling back in place.
“It’s even sexier when I take it off.” She leaned up and kissed him then pulled away. “I’ll see you later?”
“Nothing’s going to keep me away,” he assured her.
She held his hand all the way to the door. “Love you. Drive safe.”
He smiled at the wifely order and nearly choked on the adjective. God, was he so far gone that he was ready to think of her as a wife? It seemed crazy, but not in a bad way…more like an unexpected way. “Lock the door behind me.” It was probably smarter than getting down on one knee and proposing on the spot. That might really freak her out.
“I planned on it,” she said. He liked that even though the trouble was over, she planned to be smart.
“See you later.” He kissed her, one last long deep one for the road. Something to keep him going for the next five hours or so. “Write something pretty,” he said, knowing what the rest of her day would consist of. Then he was out the door, jogging to his truck so he could get back ASAP.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jeff watched St. John drive off and a wave of relief and determination coiled together in his chest. The day was still early and this checked off a giant item on his to do list. Reaching into his glove compartment, he pulled out a small baggie of coke then tapped out a line on his finger. He inhaled, then repeated the process on the other side. It was just the thing he needed to make this party perfect.
“Time for a little reunion, Casey,” he murmured as he exited his rental car and moved down the street. His Hummer was too identifiable in this neighborhood, so he’d been smart and kept it at home. He didn’t need much time here. Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes at the most. Since St. John had been here for a while, there was a good chance he left behind a decent amount of DNA, enough to pin him for murder, especially with the way he hauled ass out of the apartment to his car. The guy had nearly bowled over one of Casey’s neighbors in his rush.
He hadn’t been able to make the Mitch kills Casey plan work, but at least that idiot was gone and one less worry on Jeff’s shoulders. If he set this up right, he could definitely turn an investigation back to St. John. The cops would have to consider the animosity between Casey and St. John with the way things went down with the show.
The idea swirled round in his head as he got closer to her apartment. He checked the area around her complex…no one coming or going, no one watching him as he moved up the sidewalk closer to her door.
His blood pumped faster the way it did when he was about to win something.
Didn’t she understand that he always won? Always. This time was no exception. No one left him or made him look like a fool. If Casey thought to get away with those things, then she was about to be set straight.
Casey breezed back to her bedroom, a silly smile on her face. Nothing…no one made her happier than Brendan. It seemed almost a crime to be so happy, to feel so loved and wanted. Maybe it was the newness of those feelings that had her flying so high.
Taking one look at the wrecked bed made her blush. Then she twirled in her spot, her heart overflowing with love and joy. After her little love dance, she picked up a blanket from the floor and tossed it to the bed. Something dropped on the floor.
Brendan’s wallet. “Uh oh.” She picked it up and set it on the bedside table as she continued making the bed.
Someone knocked on the door a few minutes later and she grinned as she snatched up the wallet and headed through her apartment.
She didn’t bother looking in the peephole, but she kept the chain across the door because she knew if she just opened it, Brendan would pitch a fit. Her heart thumped along wildly. It didn’t matter that he’d be leaving again in five seconds, just the thought of seeing him again so soon made her happy beyond reason.
Opening the door a crack, she held up the wallet. “Forget some—” Her words died on her tongue as Jeff loomed on the other side. Her pulse exploded. She didn’t wait for him to say anything, she just slammed the door closed.
He was too fast. He got his hand inside near the chain and his foot over the step.
Casey lost every bit of spit in her mouth. The wallet bounced out of her hands, forgotten as she repeatedly slammed the door on Jeff, trying to get him back, get him out.
“Open up, baby,” he said, still working his fingers on the chain, using that sickly sweet voice that promised retribution. “I know you miss me.”
“Get out.” It was all she could manage. The oddest sounds came out of her throat as she struggled with the door, a cross between a moan and a scream. He put his shoulder into it and the chain pulled from the door. Sick fear coated Casey’s throat. If he got in here she was dead. The sudden certainty made her sick. With new adrenaline, she pushed the door with her own shoulder and slammed his wrist hard.
“Motherfuck,” he yelled. “You’re going to pay for that, Casey. You’re going to pay hard.” With another solid jolt of his shoulder, the chain popped off the wall, taking bits of wood with it and the door bounced open.
Casey flew back into her apartment and landed on her ass. Jeff stood over her, his face a mask of cold hatred. He slammed the door behind him and glanced around the place. Her limbs shook and sweat prickled along her back.
“Casey, Casey, Casey. Why do you always make life so difficult?” His eyes looked a little wild and wigged out. She didn’t dare ask if he was high on something. As nervous as he made her in the past, she’d never known him to be this violent, this enraged. He advanced on her and Casey scrambled to get her wobbly legs beneath her. Jeff’s brows lifted on his forehead. “Did you think you were going somewhere, baby?” He shook his head. “’Cause you’re not.”
Phone or knife, phone or knife? Casey didn’t know which way to go. The kitchen for a weapon or her bedroom for the phone? Easy choice since she’d never get as far as her bedroom and get a call off before Jeff got his hands on her.
She bolted for the kitchen, keeping the wall that separated it from the den between them, but Jeff quickly cut her off and stood at the opposite end right near her knife block on the counter.
“I can play this game all day, baby.” His smile made her sick. “You know I’m going to win. I always win, Casey. How many years have I been telling you that? I always win.”
“Get out, Jeff.” Casey hated the way her voice shook. Hated how much she feared this man. “Go win somewhere else with someone else.”
He shook his head again. When his gaze trailed from her bare legs up to her eyes, Casey’s skin crawled. “You’ve got that just-fucked look to you, baby. I remember that look. I miss it.” He reached over and pulled a knife from the wooden block. “Were you looking for this?”
Casey scrambled for anything she could think of. “You should leave now, Jeff. Brendan’s on his way back. He’s going to find you.”
“That’s right… Brendan. I forgot his name for a minute.” He twirled the knife in his hand. “I can just set him up the way I did Mitch. That won’t be a problem.”
Casey reeled with that information. “What? What are you talking about?”
“Mitch was easy to manipulate,” Jeff boasted. “He was so fucking eager to take his pound of flesh that he hardly questioned anything when I called him. I saw him take those shots at you. I pretty much had him nailed to the wall. Not that he understood that. Plus he told me he arranged those accidents on the show. He had a friend in the grip department. I thought that was pretty fucking convenient, but we all know it’s a small town, right.” He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “Never thought the guy would end up dead, but it saved me the trouble of doing it. Still, it would’ve been easier if he stuck to the plan and got you out of there. I practically fed you to him on a silver platter and he still couldn
’t get it right.”
Mitch had a made a call after he’d shoved her into the studio. She’d completely forgotten about it. He’d called Jeff. It was too much information for Casey to process under the circumstances. The fact that he was telling her this only made it clearer he planned to use the knife in his hand.
“C’mon, Casey, I thought you knew me better than this.” His gaze settled on hers after another trip up her legs. “I think it’s time we relive some old memories.”
Casey didn’t wait for him to come closer. She ran for her room, a roaring pounded in her head as she heard Jeff closing the distance behind her. Time seemed to slow, then fast forward all in the same breath. One second she was on her feet and the next second, two hundred and twenty pounds of man slammed her to the floor in the hallway.
Air whooshed from her lungs and pain tore through her hands and knees when she landed on the hardwood. She struggled beneath him, trying to get a breath in her parched lungs.
“Don’t move, Casey,” he grunted on top of her. The knife came into her vision, the meaning very clear and she stilled. “That’s my girl,” he said. He pushed his growing erection against her ass, then grabbed her hair and yanked her head up. Tears pricked her eyes. “You think I don’t know you’ve been fucking this loser since Hawaii? Yeah,” he said when he saw her surprise. “I went to Hawaii too. You thought you’d just fly over and enjoy a trip I paid for?” Her scalp burned as he pulled harder. “Remember when your boy nearly took a header in front of a bus? You have me to thank for that. You felt me there, baby. I know you did.”
The surprises kept coming. The more he revealed, the more she understood just how crazy he was. She needed help. Would Brendan realize he forgot his wallet? She couldn’t count on it.
Maybe if she had Jeff believing she’d cooperate she had a shot at freedom. Panting hard, she tried to get a breath. “Put the knife down, Jeff. I’ll do whatever you want. Please, just put the knife down.”