Clean Lines (Cedar Tree #4)

by Freya Barker

  "It's not her," he says quietly from behind me freezing me in place.

  "What do you mean?"

  "The tat. The initials. They aren't her. I had it done after I found out she'd gotten rid of our baby. Never even got a chance to grow, but I didn't want to forget, so I had the baby tattooed on me. She may have been able to rid herself of it easily, but I never would."

  I sit quietly, taking in the deep-rooted pain he just shared with me. B M; baby Morris. I turn my body so I can stroke his face, trailing my fingers down to his chest where I trace the letters. Leaning down, I kiss the center of his chest before getting up.

  "You coming back?"

  "I might," I tease, intending to get some coffee going first. I really need my hit in the morning and I need a minute to gather myself.

  After I do my business in the bathroom, I slip down the hall to the kitchen and get my coffee fix going.

  Waiting for my brew to stop sputtering, I lean on the sink and look out over the fields in the back. Most of the remainder of corn has come down in the past week and the view goes on forever now. The coffeepot lets out a few last burps and I can already start inhaling the first hints of caffeine when a very warm and solid body braces me against the sink from behind.

  "You're taking too long," Joe says softly in my ear. "Although I much appreciate the naked-in-the-kitchen look. I'm thinking we should make it a daily rule."

  A shiver runs down my spine at the warm breath dancing over my skin. Never really considered being naked. Somewhere along the line, I appear to have lost all inhibitions around this man. Or maybe...maybe this is exactly what I had hoped.

  I can feel myself already wet in anticipation as Joe's hands start skimming the skin of my shoulders and down my arms, never moving his body back from mine. We're plastered together and I can feel the ridge of his hard cock against my ass. When his hands slide to the front, rubbing his palms over my protruding nipples, the sensation shoots right down to my core and I drop my head back against his shoulder on a moan. My own hands reach back and find his strong thighs keeping me captured against the edge of the counter. The coarse bristle of the hair under my fingers getting sparse as I slide my hands up to find the hard clenched muscles of his ass. I can't help myself—I squeeze, causing Joe to hiss in my ear. "I need my breakfast." Before turning me around to face him, his hands on my waist.

  "Up you go, beautiful," he says, trying to lift me on the counter, but I stop him; a smile on my face.

  "First dibs." I sink on my knees in front of him closing my hand around his glorious cock, eyes trained on his. "After all, I made the coffee," I say right before I slip the tip in my mouth, taking in the taste of him. My tongue teases the crown, running the tip along the small slit and around the flanged rim. When I reach the underside, I press up with the flat of my tongue and suck hard.

  "Jesus, babe..."

  Those clear blue eyes on me are on fire, his hands tangle in my hair and I love that I can have this effect on him. With one hand guiding his cock in my mouth and the other clasping his ass, I can feel the flexing of his muscles underneath my hand. Fucking amazing. Joe is intoxicating. The combination of his taste, his scent, his response to me and the lust in his eyes is setting me on fire and I moan around his length, shifting my hand from his ass to tug lightly on his balls. I want to make him lose all control, I want him to lose it all in me. Working his cock deep I can feel him struggle to keep from fucking my mouth, when suddenly he pulls back from between my lips with a pop.

  "You owe me breakfast, baby, but I need in your pussy. Right now," he growls

  Hauling me up, he turns me around and has me facing the kitchen window again, except this time he lifts one of my legs and rests it with my knee on the counter so I'm standing on one leg, spread wide open.

  "Fucking gorgeous. Stay like that. Don't move."

  I try to look over my shoulder and just see him dip down on his knees behind me, holding my ass in his hands. Then I feel his mouth on me. Holy motherfucking hell. The slow, deep, firm stroke of his tongue catches me from my clit to the base of my spine, causing every synapse to stand up and cheer in its wake. Again he laps at me, before sucking my clit hard into his mouth, making my one standing knee buckle.

  "Holy crap, Joe..." I barely breathe out, overwhelmed by sensation.

  "Was hungry," he chuckles as I can feel him get up behind me, lining his cock up with my drenched opening teasing the head along my super sensitive clit.

  "Please honey," I moan.

  "You want this?"

  "Fuck yes!"

  In one hard stroke he fills me completely, the sensation unlike anything I've experienced, with the way I'm spread out. His body bends over mine, his teeth are in my shoulder, grunts filling my ears, and his hips are fucking me with fierce thrusts, balls slapping against my detonation button. And I'm close to detonating.

  "Coming... Joe, please, I..."

  All it takes is the lightest touch of his finger over my clit and I'm bursting apart in an eruption of pleasure that temporarily blinds me, taking my breath. My body is still convulsing around him in climax when I feel Joe go rigid behind me and bury himself so deep inside, he lifts me completely off the ground, moaning my name.

  "Mercy," he whispers against the skin of my back, making me giggle. Mercy indeed.

  "Mom? When can I get this thing off?"

  Fox is standing by the counter in Emma's kitchen where we find him and Neil scarfing down breakfast. Naomi walks over and ruffles his hair, ignoring the cast he is waving in her face.

  "Your appointment with Dean isn't until next week some time. I have it written somewhere, I think it's on Thursday. No guarantee it'll come off though. It all depends on how it's healed and you better remember there's a good chance those metal plates and screws are gonna have to come out at some point."

  "But he's not gonna do that right away, right?"

  "Not likely. He'll want the bone to grow stronger first, which is why you shouldn't be in such a hurry to get that cast off in the first place," she looks at him sternly but all she gets in return is a roll of his eyes. Fox turns and walks down the hallway to the washroom, but before he goes in he looks over his shoulder at Naomi with a mischievous smirk on his face.

  "Can't wait to use both hands take a piss, Mom. The load's getting too heavy to carry with one." With a big grin he pulls the door shut behind him, leaving Naomi slack-jawed. The rest of us burst out laughing.

  "Fox Miller!"

  "Erm, Doc," Neil's amused voice stops her. "I'm thinking he just got you back for having to stand on the front step of the guesthouse, listening to his mother go at it in what sounded to be the kitchen."

  Naomi's hands fly to her mouth and her face turns beat red as her eyes find mine. All I can do is shrug. I mean really, I'm not going to apologize for what happened. Not cool that the kid had to hear it, but I'd be lying if I said that memory doesn't stir me right back up again. Emma and Gus just chuckle along with Neil, until he slams the palm of his hand on the counter startling all of us.

  "And can someone tell me what the fuck the deal is with kitchen counters??"

  It's kind of funny to watch Naomi try to talk to Fox about what he almost walked in on. He keeps walking away with his hands in the air, warding her off.

  "Ma, I don't wanna hear. Please can you just drop it so I can attempt to erase it from my memory completely?"

  Dejectedly she finally leaves him sitting on the couch, walks up to where I'm sitting on a stool and leans her head on my chest.

  "I fucked my kid up, Joe. I've scarred him for life. I'm a horrible parent."

  I pull her between my legs and rest my cheek on her head.

  "A bit more X-rated than necessary, sure. But you figure maybe with all the nightmares he's been through lately, getting the message that life and love go on regardless, is a good thing. As for parenting, I don't claim to know much about it, never had the chance, but I'd say you show him what it means to survive, sustain and stand strong just about ever
y day. Today you showed him how to savor, and trust me." I drop my voice even lower. "That particular talent of yours, I won't forget easily either."

  "Joe." She turns around in my arms and slings her arms around my neck, standing up on tiptoes to kiss my mouth sweetly.

  "Enough already," comes from the peanut gallery on the couch.

  Leaving Fox in front of the TV and Naomi chatting with Emma over coffee in the kitchen, I follow Gus into his office, Neil right behind us.

  "What've you got?" I ask Gus as soon as the door closes behind us.

  "Bancroft was picked up early this morning. They're working on getting a search warrant for his office and house right now, but the feds are right on top of this thing. Neil tried to work with that message you sent through. The message itself came from a pay as you go number. Burner phone most likely. But the perp wasn't so smart when it came to the image. It was shot on a camera phone, but not the same phone the message came from. He took the picture with one phone, attached it to a message and sent it to the burner phone, downloaded the image onto that phone and sent it as an attachment to yours. Probably thought he'd have eliminated all links, forgetting the original information would be embedded in the image. It links back to an account in the name of a Guy Rush. Neil's putting a trace on it now. Digging some more."

  "Did you talk to Dooley?"

  "He's the one who told me about Bancroft, but I didn't get a chance yet to pass on the information on Guy Rush. Doing that as soon as we're done here. You know Clint's going to be at the Parker place at nine thirty this morning, right?"

  "Yeah, you told me last night. I'll go over and take Naomi and Fox with me; see if we can do a bit of clean up inside while they put the doors back in place. Windows coming later this morning you mentioned?"

  Gus nods and indicates toward Neil, who's already been typing away at the computer on the conference table. "Once windows and doors are in, Neil can come back and make sure the alarm is hooked back up and working. Mal is tackling motels, hotels, boarding houses; pounding the pavement already trying to see if we can get any information to float up. I'm gonna try and trace the C-4, but I'm afraid the relatively small amount will likely make it impossible to pin down the source. Still, won't hurt to try."

  "Okay, well I'm off then. Don't forget to call Dooley and I'll check in later."

  Naomi's new place looks pretty beat up on the outside. Police tape is still wrapped around the porch and big sheets of plywood cover what's left of the windows and the front door. Some of the siding is scorched as is the porch, and there is still some debris left from my truck. The big pieces have been hauled off to the Cortez PD shop, where the feds are going over it with a fine toothcomb. Luckily Naomi's truck was still at Gus and Emma's, so between the two of us we have wheels. Gonna have to pick up something else to drive this afternoon when I have a chance.

  "Holy shitballs," Fox exclaims. "That's better than Grand Theft Auto."

  "Bub! It wasn't that much fun being inside when that thing exploded, you know." Naomi throws a stern glance over her shoulder and Fox is wise enough to zip it with a grimace. "Besides, I hate that damn game. I can't believe you snuck that back in from Phoenix. You know I didn't want it in my house."

  I have to back my chuckle, because I know Fox is trying to disappear into the upholstery right now, wishing he never would've brought it up. I decide to help him out by distracting Naomi.

  "Let's grab the gear Emma loaded us up with and do this thing, guys. Clint should be here soon."

  Ripping the yellow tape down, I use the crowbar I tossed in the back of the Denali to loosen the board closing off the entrance.

  "Grab the other side, Bud, so it doesn't come back down on me when I pull it back."

  With Fox on the other end, we manage to pull the sheet away from the doorway and carry it down the porch. In the hallway, Naomi stands and surveys the damage.

  "Lucky I didn't have anything hanging on the walls yet," she deadpans, looking at the huge gauge in the wall between the mudroom and the hallway where the front door had been wedged.

  "First let's just pull out whatever loose material we can find and be careful of glass. Emma put some heavy gloves in those buckets." The doctor is in the house, and I'm more than happy to let her take charge. I'd been worried coming back here might have triggered something for her, but that was apparently for nothing, because she just ploughs right in as if I didn't find her bloodied and curled in a ball behind the toilet last night. The memory of that vision will haunt me for a long time to come.

  After Fox and I drag out the mangled front door and toss it over the side of the porch, I grab a bucket and head into the living area, where the remnants of our dinner still sit on the kitchen counter. Glass first. The window closest to where my truck had been parked had literally been blown to smithereens. Doc's gonna need a new couch. Aside from being torn up by the bigger shards, this one is full of slivers and there's no way I'll ever sit my ass down on it again.

  "Fox! Wanna give me a hand hauling this couch out? It's a total loss." Against Naomi's protestations and with a bit of nifty manoeuvring we manage to slide it through the hole where the window used to be. Outside, we lob it over the porch railing onto the parking and are about to pull it out of the way to the back of the house, when Clint's truck pulls in. He's got just one other guy with him and waves as they start pulling tools out of the bed of the truck, taking them inside.

  I'm about to walk inside behind Fox when my phone rings.

  "Joe, it's Caleb. I can't get hold of Naomi. She with you?" There's an edge to his voice I haven't heard before.

  "Yeah. We're cleaning up at the Parker house. Hang on, let me get her. Everything ok?" I ask, walking over to where Naomi is shaking hands with Clint and his helper.

  "Not sure. Mattias is sick."

  I put my hand on Naomi's shoulder and hold out the phone. "Baby’s sick. It’s Caleb for you."

  Clint and the other guy have moved into the living room to take stock of the damage there. Doesn't look nearly as bad with all the debris gone.

  "Did you check for fever?" I hear Naomi ask. "So how long has it been since he's kept anything down? Okay. I'll be right over, but you tell Katie for me that if that boy is in danger of dehydration, I'll be the one calling the ambulance myself. Okay. Soon." She turns to hand me my phone back.

  "So sorry, but I've got to pop over to check on Mattias. Don't want to take a risk with a little baby and Katie would rather not take him to the hospital if it isn't serious for risk of infection there. Caleb doesn't agree," she chuckles, "I'm afraid I have to side with Katie on this one. We should only bring him in if it's serious. People get sick in hospitals. Can I have the keys? I won't be long."

  Like hell.

  "I'll drive you."

  "But what about Fox? He just slipped downstairs, probably to play some games in his 'man cave,' as he calls it."

  I walk to the basement door and holler downstairs. "Hey Bud? Your mom's gotta go check on the baby real quick, let's go!"

  "I'll just stay here. Clint's here right? Not like I'll be alone," he yells back.

  I turn to look at Naomi who shrugs her shoulders. "Okay fine, they're barely five minutes away, but I'll drop you off and am coming straight back here. You can call when you're ready or have Caleb drop you off."

  Ducking my head in the living room, I give Clint a head's up and ask if he can keep an eye on Fox.

  "Yeah. No problem. We'll be fine." With a wave of his hand he turns back to scraping the remaining shards off the window frame.

  I hop out and pull Naomi's bag out of the back for her when we arrive at Caleb’s just under five minutes later. She's about to run inside when I grab her by the arm and spin her around.

  "One second," I mumble against her lips before taking her mouth deep, swiping my tongue along hers and tasting her thoroughly. When I let her go, she smiles and takes a step back.

  "What was that?"

  "Don't know. I just needed it. Don't like the idea of leav
ing you here, but I don't like leaving Fox alone either. Now I can take your taste with me."

  A soft smile settles on her face as she steps up to me again, reaching out to swipe her thumb over my lips.

  "Sometimes you surprise me. I love you, Joe."

  "Ditto, beautiful."

  I watch her go inside before getting back in the car. Just then my phone goes off in my pocket. A quick glance at the screen identifies Gus.

  "Talk to me."

  "Where are you?"

  "Just dropped off Naomi to check on Mattias. On my way back to the Parker house now, why?"

  "Thank God. Mal found a short-term furnished rental just on the far side of Cortez in the name of Guy Rush. Paid cash for a month, couple of weeks ago. Talked to the neighbors who say he got picked up a few times by a work truck in the mornings. One of them remembers seeing the name Mason Brothers on the side. Whatever you do, don't go back to the house. Clint's not answering. We're on our way."

  My blood freezes in my veins and my foot slams down on the accelerator as I bite out, "Like fucking hell! Fox is at the house!"

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  "Hey little man. What are you doing spitting up all over the place? You've got your daddy worried sick."

  I've just finished unwrapping little Mattias who looks a little flushed, but barely spikes a fever. He does seem a little lethargic though and when I palpate his stomach he scrunches up his little face and starts screaming loudly. Katie is calm enough sitting on the bed beside me, but Caleb is a wreck pacing back and forth across the upstairs landing of their home.

  "Tummy ache, huh? Let's figure this out." I undo his diaper and notice a urine stain. Should be clear as water if he was drinking properly. Nothing else seems to be amiss. When I put my pinkie finger in his mouth though, he starts up his wailing again and a little light-bulb goes off.

  "How has he been feeding?" I ask Katie.

  "Not well the last twenty-four hours or so. I thought it was a phase and every time he would latch on enthusiastically enough, but as soon as he starts sucking he pops off and screams. I don't think he's managed to get a whole lot in. We even tried pumping and giving him the bottle, thinking it might be easier for him, but it doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference."