His eyes were gleaming. “Really?”
“Yes. Is there someone you wish to resurrect?”
“I kind of wish I hadn’t killed Maddie. She had a nice ass and she was free with it.”
Jillian almost lost her composure. Maddie was dead? This would crush Quinton.
“I saw you flinch.”
“It was your use of crude words. I don’t like to hear a man talk about a woman that way.”
“Oh. I thought maybe…”
“It can also be used to castrate a man without touching him.” She pointed it toward his groin.
“Don’t! Please!” He grabbed his crotch. “Come on. I’ll take you home before they find me.”
When they stepped outside, Jillian realized they were at the old abandoned prison camp that Quinton had mentioned. She hoped her description was enough to make them find the place. She’d been methodical about putting her fingerprints all over the wall and the facilities. She was sure Stan’s were there as well.
As they got into his ten-year-old car, she heard the faint sounds of sirens, and wondered if she should delay their departure. She decided against it when the sirens grew fainter. “We’d better go.” She prodded. “Sounds like they might be closing in. I want to get home so you can get away.”
On the ride to the estate, she convinced him he didn’t need to collect any ransom money. “You won’t need it. You’ll have the sacred stone and that will make money fall into your lap.”
“Oh, yeah.” He grinned. “I’m glad I didn’t try to rape you. No telling what you would’ve done.”
“If you’d tried to rape me I guarantee you wouldn’t have the equipment to rape another woman.”
He shivered and she went on. “Of course now that you’ll have the stone, there’ll be no stopping you. You can have all the women you want.”
He grinned and she added, “But you must be careful. If you try to attack someone like me, the stone can reverse itself.”
“What happens then?”
“I think I mentioned that I made a man’s manhood fall off one time.”
His eyes got big. “Then how will I know a woman isn’t one of you? Is there a way to tell by looking?”
“No, you can’t tell by looking. That’s the chance you take every time you attack a woman.” She looked over at him. “There are a lot more of us around than you realize. Look at me. You thought I was a meek housewife married to a powerful man who had kept women for his own pleasure. Now you’re the only one in the area who knows who I really am, and what I’m capable of doing.”
“What about your husband? Does he know who you are?”
“Of course not. I’m just biding my time with him.” She laughed. “He thought he was so smart keeping those women around.” She reached over and patted his arm. “Just be thankful you’re not him. He’ll pay for it in a way you can never imagine. You can be sure of that.”
He shivered again and pulled up in front of the gate to the Kincade estate. “I’ll let you out here.”
She looked at the long drive. “No. It’s a long walk to the house and I’m not dressed for walking. Take me to the front door.”
“But…”
She held up the sliver of cement and smiled at him.
“I’ll take you to the door.”
When they pulled up to the front door, she leaned over and pressed the piece of cement in his hand. “Good luck with this and remember you must be very careful. One false move and it will bring you down. It can get you arrested and sent to jail for a long time. I won’t be able to help you because I’ve given you the stone. You can never help someone who has one of your personally blessed stones.”
“I’ll be careful, and eternally grateful.” His dark eyes were glowing.
“You should be.” She opened her door. “Now give me a minute and I’ll make sure the front gate is open for you to get out of here.”
He smiled as she went to the door and rang the bell.
A flabbergasted Bertram opened the door. “Mrs. Kincade!”
“Hurry, Bertram. Lock the front gate so my kidnapper can’t get off the grounds.”
“Jillian!” Quinton shouted as he ran into the entry. He swept her up in his arms. “Oh, Darling, I’m so glad to see you.”
“And I’m glad to see you.” She grabbed him around the neck and began kissing the side of his face.
He headed toward the winding stairs.
“Mr. Kincade,” an officer called. “We need to question you, Mrs. Kincade. Please come in here.”
Quinton kept going.
“Sir,” the officer called again.
John put his hand on the officer’s arm. “Let them go. They need to be alone.”
“But Sir…”
“Wait a minute, darling,” Jillian whispered in his ear. He paused and she looked back at the officer. “My kidnapper should be at the front gate by now. If you want to catch him, I suggest you go down there.” She turned back and whispered to Quinton, “You can go on up now.”
“Wait…” The officer started.
Quinton didn’t slow down, but before they reached the top step he whispered in her ear, “I love you, Jillian.”
“Oh, Quinton, I love you, too.” She snuggled her head under his chin and willed him to get to their room in a hurry.
Chapter 33
When he closed the door to their bedroom Jillian whispered, “I feel grimy and dirty. Can we take a shower first thing?”
“I’m glad you said we.”
He sat her down and she tugged at the tail of his shirt, pulling it out of his pants and working quickly with the buttons. There was love in his eyes as she pushed it off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He then untied the sash of her robe and let it fall at her feet, as he walked her slowly toward the bathroom.
As soon as they closed the door, he lifted the gown over her head and dropped it. “You’re so beautiful, Jillian,” he mumbled as he reached for her.
“Slow down, my love,” she whispered.
“I don’t want to slow down.” In a swooping motion he picked her up and sat her inside the double shower and turned on the twin shower heads. Quinton took the body wash, squirted some in his hand and held the tube toward her. She held out her hand and he filled it. He then began to rub it on her shoulders and she did likewise with him. He covered her chest and spent more time than necessary lathering her breasts. She was busy putting the wash on his chest as she played with the hair there.
He pulled her against him and began lathering her back at her neck and ending by putting his hands under her buttocks and pulling her up against him as his mouth and tongue found hers. Jillian let out a little moan as Quinton eased himself down to the built-in seat, pulling her into his lap. They sat there for a long time, holding each other.
After a while she whispered, “I think we should get out of here. We’re going to shrivel up like two old people.”
“If you insist.” He stood and turned off the shower.
Stepping out, he held a big fluffy towel for her. She dried then wrapped herself in it and watched as he looped one around his waist. He picked up a third towel. “Bend over facing me,” he said. “I’ll wrap your hair for you.”
She did then he led her from the bathroom with her lotion in his hand. “I know how you like to put this on after a bath. I thought since you might be tired, I’d help you.”
“Shouldn’t we go and talk with the police?”
“Not yet.”
“Why?” She looked at him.
He gave her a sly grin and pulled the towel from around her body. He then dropped the one around his waist to the floor. “You didn’t think we were through, did you?”
She couldn’t help whispering, “I hoped not.”
He grinned, picked her up and put her on the bed. “This time I won’t rush you.”
Jillian knew there was nowhere in the world she’d rather be than right here with the man she loved. To have him love her back was a bonus.
> Before the afternoon was over, they slipped into their night clothes and called Melba.
“Would you mind slipping up the back stairs to the balcony with something for us to eat?” Quinton asked.
Melba was delighted. She served a scrumptious shrimp dinner with slices of roast and a selection of vegetables on the side. As she placed it on the balcony table, she said, “The officers are still waiting downstairs to talk with Mrs. Kincade, but don’t worry about me saying anything. Gloria is guarding the door and nobody saw me come up here.”
“Thank you, Melba. I knew we could count on you.” Quinton smiled at her.
“Well, I figured you two needed to take your time and enjoy being together again.”
“We’re going to do that,” Jillian said. “Aren’t we, honey?”
“Good. If you want anything else, just let me know.” Melba turned and headed down the steps.
When they finished eating, Quinton dropped his napkin, reached across the table and touched Jillian’s cheek. “We’ll use the glider when it gets dark.”
“Should I ask what for?” She batted her eyes at him.
“I think you know, my love.” He stood and took her hand as she got up.
“That sounds wonderful.” She cuddled against him. “Should we get dressed and go talk with the police now. The sooner we get it over with, the sooner they’ll leave our home.”
“We’ll go talk with them, but we’re not getting dressed. We’ll let them use their own imaginations of why we’re dressed ready for bed.”
She giggled.
After a discussion with the police, they went back upstairs and spent a long time discussing her kidnapping. He wanted to know every detail. By ten o’clock, the police and their surveillance equipment were gone. John and Marilyn and the staff spent time with Jillian, welcoming her home. Alone again at last, Quinton led her to the balcony glider. A bottle of chilled wine was waiting. They recognized Gloria’s handiwork.
Quinton put his arm around her and told her for at least the hundredth time, “I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Isn’t it wonderful to be together again?” Jillian held him close.
“I can’t imagine life without you, Jillian.”
“You don’t have to. I’m here and I’m going to stay.” She gave him a coy smile. “You’re not going to try to get rid of me when our year is up are you? You do want me to stay, don’t you?”
“Now, Jillian, I know you’re not dense. Anyone who can pretend to be a voodoo witch has to be smart enough to figure out what all this hugging and kissing and love-making have been about.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you’re just one of those horny middle-aged men who wants to have a lot of sex because they’re getting older.”
“Well, let me inform the lady that I am a horny middle-aged man who intends to have a lot of sex now, and when he’s so old it takes a while to walk from the bathroom to the bed. And may I also inform her that he intends to have that sex with her, and only her, for the next forty or fifty years.”
“Do you realize how old we’d be?”
“Doesn’t matter. They say ninety year olds are slipping into each other’s rooms in rest homes. As long as we can toddle, we’re going to be making love, my dear Jillian. I told you when we met that I couldn’t stay in the room with you and live like a monk.”
“I’m so glad you can’t, because I can’t live like a nun either.” She laughed and pulled him to her. “I think I’ve told you, but I love you, Quinton Kincade. I think I fell in love with you the moment I set eyes on you in that interview room in Memphis. Otherwise, I don’t think I would’ve married you. Not even for the money.”
“I thought you might have had an interest in me then. The first thing you looked at when you came in for the interview was my crotch.”
“I hoped you didn’t notice that.”
“I noticed.”
She swatted him playfully. “So that’s why you decided to choose me out of all those women.”
“Of course. I figured if you had an interest in my manhood, we’d get along fine.”
“So what interested you about me? I saw you and John pass notes.”
“Those notes were about the size of your boobs. John wondered if they were real. I told him I’d let him know.”
She chuckled. “Did you ever tell him that they are all mine?”
“Sure. I was proud to brag about them. Besides they’re not just yours any longer. They belong to me, too.” He reached down and cupped one in his hand.
“They’re getting a little saggy.”
“They’re perfect for me.”
“You do know how to charm your wife, don’t you?” He kissed her and she added, “No kidding, what else, if anything made me attractive to you?”
“As I think back, it was when I saw you get in the limo for our flight that I realized you were special, and I was going to have to handle this marriage with care. Then when you came out in that yellow wedding dress my heart was stirred. You really intrigued me when you gave that woman your bouquet to hold at her wedding.” He tightened his arms around her. “But it was when we went to bed that things changed in me. I was determined to have sex with you and get my stores secure then get back to my life of one woman after another as soon as I could. Then I touched you and there was no turning back. The seal on the deal was when you told me you had your first orgasm. Though I was flabbergasted, I felt like a pirate who had just discovered a treasure chest of gold. A treasure he never intended for anyone else to see. One he had to keep only for himself.”
They were silent for a few minutes. She broke it. “John told me you paid for Maddie’s funeral. I think that was sweet of you.”
“He shouldn’t have told you. That part of my life is over.”
“I know. I still think it was sweet of you to do it.”
“Her mother didn’t want her body sent back to Nevada. Norman was dead and after Stan Willoby was arrested, the girl had no one left.”
“Except you.”
He sighed. “Yeah, except me. The poor thing would still be alive if I’d left her in Las Vegas.”
“That’s not true, Quinton. You now know Norman had sent her word that you were going to be there. They planned for you to bring her here. They wanted to set some kind of trap to get your money.”
“I know, but…”
“No, buts. I won’t let you take the blame for her death. That was Stan Willoby. Nobody else. She didn’t have to take up with him after she got here, but she was captivated by his exotic charm.”
“I’m glad you weren’t captivated by him.”
“How could I be? You’d already charmed me.”
He laughed. “It’s a good thing that teenager peeped in on Maddie and Stan. It put him there at the exact time she was killed and I’m glad the police had sense enough to see you didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Of course I didn’t.” She giggled. “I’d have had to cast one of my voodoo spells if I’d been arrested.”
“I almost wish I’d been at the gate when they arrested Stan. John said he kept waving that piece of cement and telling them he was casting a spell with a sacred stone. Marilyn said she almost doubled over when he told John he was going to make his penis fall off if he didn’t back away.” He chuckled. “I bet Marilyn would’ve killed you if it had worked.”
She giggled. “Speaking of that, I hear something about you failed the first night you went to see Maddie after our wedding.”
“She must have told you on your little visit to her, huh?”
“Yes. She didn’t know she was giving me good news, but I couldn’t resist telling her it didn’t fail when we were together the same night.” She cocked her eye at him. “Maybe I am a voodoo witch and you don’t know it.”
“Maybe you are.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Did you know I pretended to have the same failure problem the second time I went to see her?”
“I learned that later, but maybe my spell made t
hat happen, too.”
He raised his head and looked at her. “If it’s a spell, keep me under it.” He whispered then kissed her neck and her shoulder.
She drew her hand upward and began to play with the hair on his chest. “I think you have me under one,” she muttered. “I’ll surrender anything to you when you kiss me like this.”
“Good, because I have a question Marilyn wouldn’t answer.”
He nipped her lip and she whispered, “I’ll tell you anything.”
“How did you know about Maddie from the beginning?”
“I didn’t know who she was. I just knew she existed.”
“How?”
“It’s simple, my love. I smelled her perfume on you.”
He raised his head and smiled at her. “Damn, you’re smart.”
“Don’t think you can get away with washing it off if someone like her comes along again. There are a lot of other tricks a wife knows. That’s the only reason I told you this one.”
His hand slid down her side, caressed her waist and then moved down her hip. “There’s never going to be a next time. It’s just you and me together forever.”
“I know,” she whispered and then fell silent as their passion grew.
Chapter 34
Four months after the kidnapping Quinton and Jillian kicked the snow off their boots, entered the medical building and pushed the up button on the elevator. It arrived and the doors opened almost immediately. They stepped inside.
“I’m scared, Quinton.” Jillian watched the floor numbers click off as the elevator started its climb. She clung to his hand.
“I know you are, darling. I’m scared, too.”
“You haven’t told anyone what could be happening to me, have you?”
“No, Jillian. It’s been hard not to unburden myself, but you know I wouldn’t tell something you asked me not to tell.”
“No matter how dire the results are, I want us to face this together with nobody else.”
“I know.” He squeezed her hand as the door opened and they stepped out on the sixth floor. “Keep your chin up. I know you’re going to like Aunt Lillian. She’s a good doctor and no matter what’s wrong with you, she’ll find the answer for us.”
A Bought Bride Page 18