I raised my eyebrows. “Where’d you come from?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “I was lurking in the shadows when I heard the cry from a damsel in distress.”
I smiled. “You goof.”
He handed the pizza man a twenty and told him to keep the change.”
“Thank you,” I said after the young man left. “I’ll pay you back, later.”
His eyes twinkled. “You know how I prefer my payments.”
I frowned. “Jake...”
He chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn’t’ resist.”
“Well, thanks,” I said. “I’d ask you to join us, but it’s not a good time.”
“That’s okay, I was just leaving.”
He was dressed in black jeans and a black sweatshirt. Not his normal work attire.
“You working?”
“Something like that.”
From the look on his face, I wondered if it had to do with my stalker situation. I shivered at the thought. “Oh.”
“Well, have a good night,” he said.
“Be careful. Please.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
I looked down at his hand, the bandage was gone. “Your hand must be doing better?”
He raised it in the air and nodded. “It’s okay.”
I grimaced. “Are those teeth marks?”
He shrugged.
I sighed. “Please come back unscathed.”
Jake smiled and then looked beyond my shoulder. “Hey, Jeremy.”
“Hi, Jake,” said Jeremy. “Mom, come on, we’re starving in here.”
“Sorry. Well, thanks again, Jake. I’ll pay you back as soon as possible.”
A smile curled on one side of his mouth. “Oh, I know you will.”
I felt a rush of heat at the way he was staring at me and groaned inwardly. My body, as usual, was my own worst enemy. “Goodbye, Jake,” I said.
“See you later,” he answered as I shut the door.
I brought the pizza to the kitchen just as my cell phone started to ring.
My mother.
“Hi.”
“I’m on my way to your place now from the airport,” she answered. “I just rented a car and should be there in about a half hour. Do you need anything?”
I licked my some tomato a sauce from my finger. “No thanks, mom. We just had a pizza delivered; I’ll try and save you some.”
She snorted. “Good grief, my acid reflux won’t be able to handle that. I’ll find something else.”
I smiled. “Okay, see you soon.”
“Grandma’s in town?” asked Regan after I hung up.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Awesome,” she replied. “I’ve missed her so much.”
“I do too, honey.”
I dished out the pizza and we ate in silence. When we were finished, I turned on the radio and began loading the dishwasher.
“Mom, you have a phone call,” said Regan, walking into the kitchen.
I dried my hands off. “I didn’t even hear it ring.”
She sighed. “That’s because I was on the phone when they beeped in. Anyway, the man said it couldn’t wait and that he just had to talk to you, now. Let me know when you’re done so I can call my friend back.”
“Why can’t you use your cell phone?”
“Because, I don’t want to waste my minutes.”
“Okay,” I said, taking the cordless phone from her. “Hello?”
“Stupid bitch – I told you to keep your mouth shut,” rasped a familiar deep voice. “The next time you open it, I’m going to murder your kids while you watch, and then fuck you until you beg for death.”
He hung up and I stared at the phone in horror.
Chapter Twenty-four
“Mom, what is it?” asked Regan.
“I…um…it’s nothing,” I said, trying to remain calm, although my hands were shaking when I handed her back the phone.
Regan frowned. “Was it something about dad?”
Unable to look her directly in the eye, I shook my head and walked away. “No. I’ll be right back.”
“But…”
I left the kitchen, grabbed my cell phone from my purse, and called Jake. Now that my suspicions were confirmed, I was more terrified than ever. Unfortunately, he didn’t answer.
“Hi, it’s Lindsey. Please call me as soon as you can,” I said, leaving a message.
“Mom, grandma’s here!” yelled Regan.
I took a deep breath and tried to collect myself as I walked into the living room.
“Lindsey,” sighed my mother, taking me in her arms. “My poor baby.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled her familiar vanilla scent. “Hi, mom,” I murmured.
She took a step back and stared at me. “Well, you certainly look good. I see you’ve lost some weight and had your hair done?”
I sighed. “The weight wasn’t on purpose but the hair was.”
“Well, stress becomes you, dear.”
“Gee, thanks,” I snorted.
“Jeremy, can you help me with my bags?” she asked as he entered the living room.
He sighed. “Sure.”
“Regan can you help your brother?” I asked.
“Fine,” she grumbled.
“Typical teenagers,” said my mother as they trudged out the door. “Any kind of physical labor just about kills them.”
“You look good,” I said to her.
She patted her short red hair and smiled. “Thanks, I had my hair done, too.”
You could definitely tell she and I were mother and daughter, except for our body types. She was rail thin where my curves were still borderline chubby, even after losing ten pounds these last couple of weeks.
“Have you talked to your sister?” she asked.
I sighed. “No, I didn’t want to bother her with any of this. But now that Scott’s dead, I suppose I should call her.”
“Well, I can certainly call her for you,” she said. “In fact, why don’t you go lie down and I’ll get everyone settled for the night?”
“Actually, I’m going to go for a drive,” I said. “I just need to get out of the house for a little while. I won’t be gone long; then we can talk.”
She nodded. “Okay. I guess I can understand that.”
The truth of the matter was I wanted to drive by Tina’s place to see if anything was going on. I’d avoided driving by that area ever since the threats had started.
I tried calling Jake again as I drove off in the SUV, but there was still no answer, which started to worry me. What if something horrible had happened to him? He was obviously placing himself in a lot of danger.
For me.
I left him another message. “Please call me. I’m getting worried.”
Sighing, I turned towards Tina’s home and then was surprised to see a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. As I slowed down, my phone began to ring.
“Jake,” I said.
“Missed me?”
“I received a phone call from the guy who’s been threatening me,” I said. “He made it pretty clear that he was the one who killed Scott.”
Jake swore. “I was afraid of that.”
“What am I going to do? I’m so scared.”
“I just got home. Can you come over and we’ll talk?”
I sighed. “I’m driving around at the moment.”
He was silent.
“Jake?”
“Where are you?”
“I just passed Tina’s home. Did you know they have their house up for sale?”
“I just found out myself. They’ve already moved out.”
“Did you find them?” I asked.
“We’ll talk about it when you get back here.”
“Okay. I have to check back in with my mom first, she’s staying with me.”
“Okay.”
I hung up and headed home. When I arrived back at the house, my mom was in her nightgown and yawning.
“Honey, I’m just exhau
sted. I shouldn’t have stayed up drinking last night. I don’t know what I was thinking. Would you mind if we talked tomorrow?”
“No, that’s fine. I’m going over to the neighbor’s house for a little while, anyway.”
She raised her eyebrows. “The neighbor?”
I nodded. “He’s a police officer and is trying to help with the case.”
She walked over and gave me a hug. “Okay, dear. Don’t stay up too late.”
“I won’t.”
After she went to bed, I went upstairs and checked on the kids, who were thankfully both sleeping. Then I walked over to Jake’s.
“Hey,” he said, holding the door open for me. I could hear Bob Seger playing in the background and there were two empty beer bottles on the hardwood floor, next to his sofa.
“So, what’s going on?” I asked as we stood in the living room, staring at each other.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll get to that in a second. Would you like a beer or glass of wine? I picked some up at the liquor store.”
“Sure, what kind of wine do you have?”
“A Merlot or Moscato?”
“I’ll take a glass of the Moscato. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Sit down and make yourself at home,” he said, walking towards the kitchen looking sexy as always, this time in a tight grey Harley T-shirt and faded blue jeans.
I sank into the sofa and closed my eyes as another song started. Two minutes later, Jake walked out of the kitchen with a tall goblet of white wine and another beer for himself.
I smiled as he handed me the wine. “This is a pretty big glass. You’re not trying to get me drunk, are you, Detective Sharp?”
He sat down next to me and put his feet up on the coffee table. “That depends on if it makes you easy.”
I laughed. “You just don’t give up, do you?”
He chuckled. “Now that I’ve had a taste, I want more. What can I say?”
Remembering our interlude in the kitchen, I felt my cheeks heat up. “Would you just stop?”
“You’re no fun,” he pouted.
I took a sip of my wine. “Did you find out anything?”
He took a swig of his beer and nodded. “Yeah, I found Tina and her husband.”
My eyes widened. “And..?”
He’s in the hospital.”
“Oh, my God – did you put him there?”
He laughed. “Unfortunately, no, he’s been in the hospital for a couple of days. Appendicitis.”
I released a heavy sigh. “So, he’s not the one who killed Scott?”
“No. But I did talk to Tina.”
“What did she have to say?”
He rubbed his chin. “Not much.”
I closed my eyes and groaned.
“Hey,” he said. “It’s okay. I didn’t think she would anyway. But don’t worry, I found what I needed on my own.”
My eyebrows shot up. “How?”
He smiled. “It’s a secret. If I told you, I’d have to…”
“Kill me?” I interrupted, taking another sip of the sweet wine.
“No,” he replied, with a cocky grin. “I’d have to fuck you so hard, you’d forget.”
His words, the memories of earlier, and the heat of the wine had an immediate effect. Before I could stop myself, I set my glass down and put a hand on his chest. “In that case, you’d better tell me.”
He groaned and pulled me onto his lap. “Woman, you’re not making this easy on me. How am I supposed to back off when you tease me like that?”
I lowered my eyes, wondering what the hell I was doing myself. I’d planned on keeping my distance but I just couldn’t resist the man. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure what I’m doing.”
He lifted my chin and we stared into each other’s eyes. “I swear to you, Lindsey, I won’t fuck with your head.”
I slipped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine. “I know,” I whispered into his mouth.
He slid his hands over my hips and pushed me against his hardness. “You sure about this?”
I wasn’t.
But, I closed my eyes and pressed against him, enjoying the sensation. “Yes,” I breathed as his lips moved to my neck.
He stood up with my legs wrapped around his waist and carried me down the hall to his bedroom. I glanced around and noted that it was also relatively simple, save for the luxurious king-sized bed and another large television mounted to the wall.
I sighed in pleasure when he dropped me onto the plush mattress. “Mm… I love your bed.
“Far as I’m concerned, a man’s bed is just as important as his television. Now, last chance to back out – once I get you naked, I’m not stopping,” he said, crawling towards me on the bed.
“I wouldn’t want you to.”
He stared into my eyes and touched my cheek. “Lindsey, do you trust me?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
He leaned over me and pulled out something from his nightstand.
My eyes widened at the sight of handcuffs. “Oh…um, maybe we should use those another time?”
He smiled. “You said you trusted me.”
“Yes, but…”
“No buts,” he said, straddling my waist with his thighs. The next thing I knew, he had my arms above my head and they were handcuffed to the brushed metal headboard.
“I don’t know about this,” I whispered against his mouth as he began kissing me.
He raised his head and brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. “Relax.”
I closed my eyes and sighed as his lips moved to my neck and his hands to my breasts.
“Now you’re all mine,” he said, unbuttoning my top and then removing my bra.
I moaned as his mouth found my nipples, licking and sucking the tips, causing a delicious ache below.
“Screw this, just let me touch you,” I begged.
“You need to learn patience,” he whispered, flicking and twirling his tongue around my nipple.
“Right,” I breathed as his other hand slid down to my jeans and began unbuttoning them.
He chuckled. “I promise it’ll be worth it.”
“You’re already driving me crazy,” I whispered as he slipped a hand into my jeans.
“I’ve only started,” he replied with a seductive smile. Then he lowered his face to my navel and began making a trail with his tongue towards the top of my panties.
“Oh, God…” I squeaked, wanting so badly to run my fingers through his hair.
“Let’s get these out of the way,” he whispered, tugging at my jeans. The next thing I knew they were off and I had nothing but my panties left.
“What about you?” I whispered.
“All in good time,” he said, moving his hands to my thighs and separating them.
I closed my eyes and let out a ragged breath as his fingers slid under the cotton.
“See, I knew you’d enjoy this,” he whispered, rubbing my sweet spot.
“Oh…I…Jesus…” I breathed as he buried his face between my legs and began pleasuring me. I arched my back as his strokes grew even wilder, feeling both torture and pleasure at being so vulnerable.
“Let’s see if this makes it better,” he whispered, sliding two fingers inside of me. Then his tongue moved back, licking me in a delicious frenzy and it took no time before my hips were bucking and an orgasm slammed through my body like a massive tidal wave.
“Yes…OhmyGod…Yes…” I gasped, wanting so badly to touch him. “Please!”
“Please what?” he asked, sliding his tongue back up towards my belly button.
“Take them off,” I demanded, motioning towards the handcuffs.
He lifted his head and smiled. “I don’t know. Maybe I should keep you forever as my fiery red-haired sex slave.”
“Jake.”
He stood up and removed his shirt, exposing his smooth, muscular chest. He tilted his head. “I could fuck you whenever I wanted.”
“Jake…”
“Eat you whenever I wanted.”
Okay, that made me blush.
He removed his belt buckle and snapped it. “And spank your beautiful ass whenever it was required.”
My eyebrows shot up.
He chuckled and dropped the belt. “Or not.”
“Please, take these off so that I can touch you,” I begged.
“You really don’t have much patience, do you?” he said, unbuttoning his jeans.
“Not when I want something this badly,” I said, staring at his boxers. I could see a hint of the scar that led underneath the white fabric.
He pushed his boxers down and my eyes widened in pleasure at the size of him. I licked my lips. “Now you have to let me touch that.”
“Oh, I do, huh?” he said, crawling between my legs.
“Yes.” The tip of his penis touched my opening and I spread my legs wider, already anticipating the way he’d fill me. “Please.”
He smiled wickedly. “Please what?”
“Release these cuffs or fuck me,” I demanded, getting frustrated.
He grabbed the back of my hair and wound it around his hand. “Oh, I like that. Tell me to fuck you again.”
“Fuck me.”
He pulled my hair tighter and stared into my eyes. “I don’t know if I believe that you want it badly enough. Tell me again and this time, make it believable.”
“Fuck me, Jake. Fuck me hard,” I growled.
He raised my thighs and then began to enter me slowly.
“Uh…” I gasped, not having anticipated the actual size of him, even when he’d stood before naked.
“Is this what you wanted?” he whispered huskily as he plunged inside of me.
“Yes,” I breathed, feeling him move out and then back in, ever so slowly. Only having been with Scott, I’d never considered anything this dense inside of me.
“You want it harder or faster?”
Oh God.
“Both…” I pleaded.
He picked up speed and I gasped in pleasure as I watched his perfectly sculpted body above me, driving me crazy with every thrust. Then, just when I thought I could actually handle the pressure of his movements, he raised my legs over his shoulders and began driving into me even harder.
“Fuck, you’re so tight,” he groaned through clenched teeth.
I closed my eyes and moaned as he moved deeper with every movement, creating more pleasure in places I’d never felt before. “Jake, dammit, remove these cuffs,” I demanded.
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