Pulling away from her luscious breasts reluctantly, Gareth wanted to see all of her. Standing, he reached for her pants and unzipped them before sliding them down her legs, snagging her panties along the way. With a quick toss, the rest of her clothes lay on the floor and her body was presented to him.
His breath hitched once more as he viewed her lying on the bed with the lace-filtered moonlight creating patterns across her pale skin. Her dark hair spread across the comforter underneath her and the slight light allowed him to see her dark blue eyes carefully observing him as well. Her kiss-swollen lips curved into a smile as her arms lifted to beckon him.
Meeting her smile with one of his own, he crossed his arms in front of him grabbing the bottom of his t-shirt. Pulling it over his head, he allowed it to join the pile of discarded clothing on the floor. Pulling a condom out of his wallet before tossing it to the nightstand, he toed off his boots before unzipping his jeans over his erection.
Leaning up on the bed, resting on her elbows, Katelyn watched the play of muscles in the moonlight as Gareth stripped for her. His body, honed to perfection, held her gaze.
As his jeans slid to the floor along with his boxers, his erection sprang free, capturing her complete attention. He stroked himself, smiling at her, his cock eager to seek her warmth. But not yet…this is about her.
Bending, he placed whisper soft kisses along her calves, over her knees, and up the sensitive skin of her thighs. His nostrils filled with the scent of her arousal as he placed his lips on her wet folds. Licking his way toward her clit, he slid his shoulders between her thighs, opening her legs up wider.
Katelyn’s head fell back to the bed, the sight and feel of Gareth between her legs almost causing her to erupt immediately. She did not want to think of how long it had been since she had had sex—she did not want to think of anything other than the man with her right at this moment, giving her all he had to give.
With only a few nips on her clit, she came undone, her orgasm overtaking her, causing a gasp to slip out as the electricity shot from her core outward in all directions.
As Gareth continued to kiss his way up her body, over her tummy to each breast, she clapped her hands over her face. He paused, saying, “Katelyn? Babe? Are you all right?”
Lowering her hands slowly, she peered into his crystal blue eyes, swallowing audibly as a tear slid from the corner of her eye, landing on the comforter. Before he had a chance to ask, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “I’m sorry,” she cried.
“Shhh, don’t apologize,” he whispered. “What’s wrong, please, tell me.”
She looked at his anguished expression and gushed, “No, no, nothing’s wrong. I’m just…it’s just that it’s been…I don’t know. I was suddenly overwhelmed.”
He rested his weight on his forearms, planted on the mattress, as he cupped her face. “I want you to feel nothing but good, right now, sweetheart. So we can go slow and we can stop now. I’m fine with that—”
“No,” she hurried to interrupt. “I want this. I want you.” Sucking in a deep breath, she added, “I was just overcome. It’s been a long time since…well…since. And it all felt so right. So perfect.”
“I want you, too. Not just this,” he said pressing his erection against her stomach, “but all of you. Your spirit, your life, your everything.”
As she smiled once more, he captured her lips with his, his tongue delving to taste her essence. Sitting up just long enough to snag the condom packet from the nightstand, he ripped the foil and covered his cock. Placing the head at her entrance, it took all his might to hold still, his gaze seeking her permission one last time.
Grabbing his shoulders, she pulled him into her as her legs wrapped around his waist. The sense of fullness had her digging her fingers into his back as he moved slowly until fully seated.
Trying to go slow, sweat popped out on his forehead, as he gave her tight channel a chance to acclimate. His voice, gravel rough, barely managed to form words. “You okay?”
“Yes, please, please,” she begged, not sure what she was begging for. She just knew her body was screaming for more. More movement…more fullness…more friction. Desperate for another orgasm, this time with him buried deep inside, she thrust her hips up hoping to get him moving.
Chuckling, he said, “You got it,” and began to thrust, slowly at first and then harder and faster as she urged him on.
The friction she sought began to build until her mind was no longer cognizant of anything other than his body joining with hers. The muscles in his back rippled with each movement, her feet resting on his firm ass. Soon, her inner walls grabbed at his cock as she was rocked once more with an orgasm.
The feel of her tight, slick core pulling against him had Gareth flying along with her. His lower back tightened as his balls drew up, finally thrusting inside a few more times until he emptied himself inside. Continuing to move through his orgasm, all thoughts left other than this woman underneath him and in his heart. Crashing down on her, he barely had the presence of mind to roll slightly to the side. Keeping his arms around her, he pulled her forward until she was resting, draped halfway over his body.
Neither spoke for several minutes as their bodies slowly cooled and their heavy breathing began to slow. Resting her head on his chest, her fingers splayed over his heart, she felt the comforting sensation of it beating for her.
For a second, Gareth wondered what she expected. Should I offer to leave? Does she want me to stay?
As though she could hear his thoughts, she raised her head to smile down at him. “Please, stay. I really want you to stay.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” he vowed. “Give me just a minute and I’ll be back.” With that, he stalked to the bathroom to take care of the condom. Coming back into the bedroom, he saw her raised up on her elbow, head in hand, staring at him.
Before he could ask, she said, “You’re gorgeous.”
Climbing into bed, he jerked the covers over their bodies, pulling her soft curves tightly against him. “I think you must be looking into a mirror, ‘cause those were the exact words I was going to say about you.”
Sated, satisfied, and smiling, Katelyn closed her eyes as his warmth enveloped her.
Chapter Fourteen
“George! Where are you?”
The shout came from one of the groups playing golf at The Dunes. A golf tournament was to be held the next day and the grounds crew were busy. A local group of townies were playing regardless of the hustle and bustle of the landscapers.
Roger Thorpe, The Dunes general manager, drove around on his golf cart, overseeing the work. Hearing the shout from one of the golfers, he observed as another man used his club to whack a path through the azaleas. Lips pinched in irritation, he turned and drove quickly over the cart path to where they were.
Hoping out of his cart, he approached the three men standing nearby. “What the hell is George doing?” he barked.
One of the men shook his head, saying, “Sorry, Roger. His ball went in there and he’s determined to find it.”
“Idiot! He’s ruining the landscape!” Marching toward the now still golfer, he approached him from the back. “George, this is your warning. One more infraction and your club privileges will be revoked—”
Coming to the side of George who was staring down at the ground, he halted at the sight now before him. “Oh, Jesus…oh, Jesus.”
One week. Katelyn knew it had been one week since Eleanor had seen Walter. She tried to keep her mind on the task of delving through Walter’s finances, but her night with Gareth kept slipping into her thoughts. Grinning to herself, she forced her eyes back to the pages of numbers.
Viewing an unusual withdrawal, she went back to look at it again. It was buried amongst a lot of other mundane office withdrawals, but the abbreviation C Col caught her attention. The withdrawal was only for a thousand dollars, but as she flipped through several more months, she discovered it there again. Not trained in the comp
uter programs Gareth had at his disposal, she grunted in frustration as she shoved the papers into the file and headed back to his office.
Rounding the corner, she came to a halt as his head lifted and his warm eyes landed on hers. Memories of their lovemaking the night before filled her mind as all other thoughts fled.
“Hey,” he greeted, grinning at her rooted stance and unabashed stare. When she did not speak, his gaze dropped to the files in her hand. “You got something for me?”
Blinking out of her lust-filled musings, she blurted, “I need your Superman computer programs to figure out something.”
“My Superman computer programs?” he laughed.
“You know, the ones where you can be a spy and find out all sorts of things,” she huffed, hurrying over and placing the file on top of the open one on his desk. “How do we find out what C Col is? Walter made seven months of payments and this is the only notation he used for it. They are a thousand dollars each. And what’s weird, they’re buried in the business accounts, but only by him…not Beth. Do you think he was paying blackmail money?”
“Hold your horses,” Gareth chuckled, enjoying her enthusiasm. His eyes raked over her face, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. His voice dropped as he lifted his hand to touch her warm cheek. “Are you all right this morning?”
Smiling, she pressed her lips against his while mumbling, “Oh, yeah. More than all right.”
Holding each other’s gaze for a moment, they slowly pulled back and he said, “Okay…work…”
Laughing, Katelyn pulled a chair up to his side of the desk so she could see his screen. Frustrated at how fast his fingers flew over the keys, she grumbled, “You’ll have to teach me how to work these programs soon.”
Nodding his agreement while he continued to probe, he said, “Okay, looks like I’ve found the actual money trace. The payments went to Virginia Beach Community College.”
“Huh? For him? Is he taking some kind of class when he already has an MBA?”
“Let’s see if I can find an account associated with the payments.” It took Gareth a while to search and Katelyn’s leg bounced continuously next to his. Clamping his hand down on her knee, he said, “Be still. You’re breaking my concentration.”
“Sorry, I’m just nervous.” Seeing his eyebrow lift, she explained, “I want so much to find something that will lead us to Walter but hate like hell having to find anything negative that we have to tell Eleanor.”
“Can’t have it both ways when investigating.”
“I know, but—”
“Got it!” He clicked once more as she leaned over. Both stared at the screen as the account owner popped up. Carrie Reynolds.
Turning, they looked at each other in silence for a second before Katelyn burst out, “He’s paying Carrie’s college tuition?”
Both leaned back heavily in their chairs, air leaving their lungs in a whoosh. Gareth silently checked a few more screens before nodding. “Yep…the money’s been paying Carrie Reynolds’ college tuition for months.”
“Do you think there’s something else going on between them? I know she’s got light blonde hair, but she could have worn a wig to the motel.”
“Don’t know and at this point, we don’t have enough information to make any kind of conjectures,” he warned. “And I need to have you keep searching.”
Nodding, she leaned over to snag the file off his desk when she found her cheeks captured in his hands. His kiss was soft at first and then nipped at her lips, causing her to groan into his mouth.
Losening his hold, he mumbled, “That was a bad idea. Now all I want to do is take you upstairs to my apartment.”
Laughing, she pushed back, “Not now. I’ve got to figure out where else he was spending his money…and maybe his time!”
Back at her desk, she was now fully focused on what other secrets Walter Berry held.
Turning into the Berry’s driveway, Katelyn pulled up to the front of their house, appreciating the landscaping that surrounded the bayside home. In a neighborhood on the waterfront, the Berry’s impressive home was modest compared to a few of the others, but Katelyn knew the true value was in the land.
Answering the door, Eleanor pushed her hair back from her pale face, dark circles clearly visible underneath her eyes. “Please, come in, Katelyn. I’d love the company and to hear anything you might have found.”
The two women settled, Eleanor on the sofa with Katelyn in a comfortable chair facing her. Deciding to stall no longer, Katelyn waded in. “Eleanor, we have found some movements in money that Walter controlled and I want to ask you about them.”
“Okay,” Eleanor said slowly, sucking in her lips.
“I know you have looked through the personal accounts that you and Walter share and we have gone through the firm’s recent books. We have discovered that Walter has another account set up in the firm’s name and he is the only one who has access to it. It does not go through the other accountants.”
Eyes wide, Eleanor shook her head. “I had no idea.”
“We assumed you didn’t. It appears to be a petty-cash type of account with the withdrawals only being for a few items.”
Hesitating, Katelyn watched as Eleanor’s face morphed from surprise to anger. Lips pinched, Eleanor said, “And what has he been spending on from that account?”
Clearing her throat, Katelyn said, “Well, because the money has come out as cash, it is hard to say where he has been spending, but we did manage to find a notation that we then could trace.” Sucking in a fortifying breath, she continued, “It appears he has been paying the college tuition for Carrie Reynolds.”
“Carrie? His receptionist, Carrie?”
Nodding, Katelyn bit her lip, watching the other woman carefully. Eleanor blinked, her face a mask of confusion. “But…why would he…I mean…what…” Taking a deep breath, she shook her head slightly, her eyes staring at Katelyn unfocused.
“Are they particularly close?” Katelyn prodded gently.
“No,” Eleanor responded just before doubt clouded her eyes. “I…well, I don’t think so. But…” Her voice tapered off as she shook her head.
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you,” Katelyn offered, reaching over to clasp Eleanor’s hand. “And don’t read any more into it than what we know right now.”
“I…I suppose the firm could have decided to assist her…I really don’t know.” Looking back up into Katelyn’s eyes, she added, “But will you continue to see what you can find out?”
Nodding, Katelyn agreed. “Of course, we’ll keep investigating until we find him and know what has happened.”
Driving back to the office, Katelyn hoped she would be able to keep that promise.
Chapter Fifteen
Katelyn paced the office, unable to settle the unease filtering through her mind. Gareth was not in, having gotten a call from Mitch. She checked her phone to see if she had missed a message, but it was as silent as the office. Sighing, she leaned back and squeezed her eyes shut, tired from looking at bank statements.
Jumping when her phone’s ring sounded out in the quiet, she grabbed it, pleased to see Gareth’s number. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Katelyn, I’ve been at The Dunes golf course with the police. An early morning golfer found a body. There’s been no official identification, but I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“Oh, shit,” she breathed, her mind racing to Eleanor. “What can I do?”
“I would have you come here but, honestly, it’s a zoo. Zac’s here with the ambulance to take the body in. The county coroner has been here. The whole area is now off limits as a crime site—”
“Who’s yelling in the background?”
“Roger Thorpe is having a shit-fit because the golf tournament tomorrow will have to be cancelled.”
Thinking of The Dunes’ manager, Katelyn knew he would be purple with frustration. Before she could ask anymore, Gareth said, “There’s really nothing to do except stay in the office and take care of things
there. And keep going over Walter’s books. If this body is his, I’d like to have something to go on before it all ends up with the police, although I know Mitch’ll work well with us.”
“Okay, Gareth. I’ll take care of the office.”
“Thanks. And Katelyn? I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?” she asked in confusion.
“I would have preferred to spend time after our first night together with you and not on a golf course with a dead man.”
Unable to stop the smile that curved her lips, Katelyn agreed. “Well, for the record, I’d rather be with you also. I’ll see you when you get back.” With that, they disconnected and her momentary mirth fled in the face of Eleanor possibly getting worse news than her husband was on a trip with a mistress.
Gareth stood to the side as Mitch and the rest of the Bayside Police Department moved about the area. Ginny walked over and stood next to him as the medical examiner gave Zac the okay to move the body.
“You think it’s Walter Berry?” she asked.
“From the pictures I’ve seen, I’d say yes.” Sucking in a deep breath, he shook his head. “God, I hate for his wife to have to come in to identify the body.”
“What do you think of her?” Ginny asked.
“Seems strong…and fragile all at the same time.”
Nodding, Ginny said, “Well, let’s hope the strong side comes out now.” Moving away, Gareth watched her make her way back over to the officers then he turned as more vehicles came into the area. Colt and another deputy from the North Heron Sheriff’s Department alighted from their SUVs and, with a nod to Gareth, headed to Mitch. Several minutes later Mitch and Colt walked over to Gareth.
“We’re fairly sure the body was Walter Berry but I’ll be going out to pick up his wife to take her for the identification,” Mitch said. Looking over, he added, “Do you want to be there also?”
Rubbing his chin, Gareth said, “I’m thinking yes, but Katelyn might be a better support for her.”
Clues of the Heart: Baytown Boys Series Page 12