The doorbell rung at ten-thirty exactly and he knew who it was. He dimmed all the lights and lit the fireplace. This time he didn’t use the potion in her wine. He didn’t pour the wine at all, wanting to do so after what he planned tonight.
Slowly opening the door trying to control his eagerness to grab her in his arms and kiss her all over, his eyes noted every detail of her face and knew it was his Skye. Dressed in a flowing silk shoulder-less lavender gown that accentuated the color in her dancing eyes, she gave him the most radiating smile when he opened the door. Jasmine filled his nostrils as he pulled her in his arms, resisting the urge to kiss her, knowing if he did, he would lose what little control he possessed.
His eyes needed more of the vision of loveliness he held.
She blushed. “I’m dreaming again, aren’t I?” she asked.
“No,” he whispered gruffly through his pent up passion.
Her arms circled his neck and her fingers caressed the nape. “No?” she asked amused. “I find it highly impossible to have the most gorgeous man looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” he hungered to know.
“You want me. You want to make love to me. I can see it in those sensuous expressive eyes of yours, Thaddeus, but I want you to know exactly how much I want you too.”
Her saying his name was his undoing. His lips melted together like hot molten lava. Her moist tongue entered his mouth and he accepted it willingly, voraciously needing her sweetness to fill him. Her hands moved down to his shirt and in her passionate haste she ripped the shirt opened. He didn’t give her a chance to apologize as he yanked her away from the door while kicking it closed.
Ripping the rest of the shirt off of him in one quick motion, he pulled her back in his arms and made an oral assault on her mouth that consumed her. Her fingers moved down to his pants and he helped her get past the belt and the zipper. It seemed choreographed as they moved around the room leaving a trail of clothes until they ended up on the rug in front of the fireplace where she finished undressing him. This was a unique experience for him. No woman had ever undressed him or been so dominant.
He couldn’t believe this was his Skye, yet he knew it was and couldn’t stop her if he tried. Be damn his conscious, he wanted her with all his mind, body, and soul. He had resisted it because he was unsure of his feelings until now.
She pushed away suddenly from his kiss and held him at arms length. Even when he tried to yank her back, she resisted. “I need you as much as you need me right now, Thaddeus, but I intend to remember this night. It won’t be pieces of a puzzle, it will be an entire dream from front to back.”
Her hands began to roam over his body slowly. “I want you to feel my wantonness, Thaddeus.” What made this truly erotic was her lips followed the soft fingertips planting various kisses, licks, and nibbles all over his body.
Before he could think of the trail she blazed all over his body, he felt himself being engulfed deeply into her oral cavity. His legs swayed unsteadily and she placed a hand on his thigh as if to hold him. She took him to the edge of orgasm, but ceased his flow just as he was about to release.
Her hands massaged, stroked, and fondled so affectionately, he cried out her name several times begging for release. She guided him down to his knees until they were eye to eye.
Cupping his face, steering his eyes to meet hers, she smiled seeing the want in his eyes. “I want you as much as you want me, Thaddeus. Did I make you feel it?”
He nodded.
“Know this is how I will always feel for you. Remember it.”
She lightly kissed his brow, then his two eyelids.
He was speechless. This was a dream come true for him. Knowing she wanted him this much threw whatever sense of morality out the window. He gently pulled the straps off her shoulders and laid her down under him on the soft rug in front of the fire. The kiss he bestowed upon her now, was filled with gentleness and understanding. She wanted this night to be remembered and he would acquiesce to her needs and desires despite his own thirst to take her.
Their tongues explored one another with deep realization that this was not just sex, but lovemaking on a level higher than the world around them.
Entering her was pure heaven, and bringing her to pleasure with him, was a pinnacle of enjoyment. She held him so closely and gently bit down on his shoulder near a burn scar in the shape of a strawberry below his collarbone. She didn’t know why this was so significant, as her tongue traced the shape around the edges of the scar.
He sighed in pleasure turning his lips to her ear. “You are wonderful, Skye.”
She giggled knowingly. “You aren’t so bad yourself.”
Thaddeus smiled knowing this was the real Skye speaking.
She was accepting the dream as it was: just a dream.
He whispered, remembering the microphone was on. “If this was real would you still have me as a friend?”
She shook her head and as if knowing he wanted this only for her ears, whispered back, “I would have you as a lover.”
“And if you knew in reality I wanted you as much as I have shown in this dream what would you do?”
She paused a little hesitant, then whispered back, “Cry, cause I wouldn’t know what to do with you.”
He chuckled deeply and she gasped feeling vibrating tingles in her belly. He was still embedded to the hilt in her and unquestionable firm even though he spent himself, but his body was still aroused from their joining and ‘pillow talk.’ “You could just love me.”
“Ah, but would you love someone as plain as me this much forever?” She asked not really expecting an answer.
He moved up until he could look in her eyes. “You are not plain Skye. You are the most extraordinary woman I have ever met. Yes, I could love you much more.”
Skye smiled not expecting that answer, but adoring the answer. She pulled him down to kiss him briefly, then smiled wickedly. “Show me again and maybe I will believe it when I wake up alone in my bed.”
That was all the encouragement he needed, to begin another round of lovemaking that lasted until the early morning.
Chapter 18
Skye wasn’t sure but she swore she was still in his arms. She couldn’t be absolutely sure, yet she didn’t want to open her eyes to disappointment.
Taking a check on all her body parts, she realized she was naked under the covers. She never slept naked! She also realized if she didn’t make love last night, then why did every muscle in her body hurt like hell.
Finally she lifted her eyelids to disappointment. She was in her room, in her bed, alone. “Show me again and maybe I will believe it when I wake up alone in my bed.” Those words rang aloud in her head like a bell.
Sitting up, her body gasped as memories flooded. She remembered!
She remembered so vividly, she could have passed out from embarrassment. The only thing confusing her was, even though she remembered calling his name, she couldn’t remember his face. It was a blur. Even when she fudged through breakfast racking her mind over it, she couldn’t really come up with a definite picture in her mind. Was it a dream or reality? If it was a dream, why was she feeling it now, and if it was reality, why couldn’t she remember the details?
It made no sense and she would go crazy if she racked her brain anymore. Taking a long shower, she decided to go to the grocery store to take her mind off of it all, she needed some fresh air. Before leaving she went over to the fax machine, because she heard it go off. It was from John Dandridge. Eager to know what he was talking about, yet wanting to hurry and get out the door, she decided to stick the fax in her back pants pocket and read it while at the grocery store.
Before leaving out the house, she found an old army knife with a belt and wrapped it around her ankle using her loose pants to cover this up. If she was going in public she wanted to make sure she had a weapon of some kind.
As she parked at the shopping strip where she had first met Thaddeus Newman, she convinced herself it was a d
ream. Talking to Thaddeus these past two days had just made her hallucinations stronger to the point that her mind was affecting her body. It would be impossible for her to have made love to him because she was certain they had not made love at her home.
The place she’d dreamed of was much too expensive, and she had not driven her car last night, because the odometer was in the same place she had left it yesterday. Although there was the question of her pajamas being at the foot of her bed, she could have easily kicked them off since the dream was so intense. Maybe her period was coming, she concluded. Her body always acted strange when her period came on, although the birth control had immediately began to work on cutting down her flow.
So if Thaddeus called her today? She would just pretend like the hallucination never happened. It never happened so why should she feel embarrassed about it. She would act normal when she spoke to him, but she would let him know of the medical center.
He might know someone privately on the police force that could assist her. When she thought about just walking into a police station, she thought about the articles she had found in the library about two cops beating a witness who was part of Trevor Coleman’s case the police were forming against the crime boss. The cops mysteriously received five thousand dollars that could not be traced to any one or any business. Internal Affairs suspected the money had come from ‘an illegal source.’ She did not want to be beaten half to death and left in a coma for the rest of her life, like the other victims. Regular cops could not be trusted when it came to Trevor Coleman.
Getting out the car, and grabbing a buggy, she went inside the grocery store for an uneventful time.
Going to the vegetable aisle first, she picked out a nice cantaloupe. There was a specialty oil rack nearby and for some reason she was drawn to it. Not only did it have cooking oils, but potpourri oils as well. Her fingers clearly weeded out all other bottles and went straight for what her senses were picking up on.
Pulling the bottle off the shelf, she immediately drew it to her nose and closed her eyes.
Behind her a deep voice said near her ear, “jasmine.”
Warm shivers went down her spine, and then she opened her eyes telling herself she was not hallucinating. Turning around abruptly, her eyes went wide as she met those beautiful dancing cinnamon eyes and jumped back from his propinquity. In her haste she knocked over the specialty rack and a table of onions that were behind the rack. She stumbled back and fell hard on her butt under more onions.
Skye was embarrassed beyond belief and buried her face in her hands not believing the reality of this moment.
Others gathered around her, but all she could hear was her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Closing her eyes tightly she forced herself to take control of her emotions and not act like a ninny around him. His attention was still new to her and she wondered would she ever get use to this man and what he did to her equilibrium.
Composing herself, she took a deep breath and put her hands down. A clerk asked her if she was all right and she nodded.
Thaddeus still stood above her looking concerned. Of course he was, she had just behaved like a ninny. Skye told herself she must get over her nervousness around him.
“May I help you up?” the clerk asked.
“I’ll do it,” Thaddeus growled giving the clerk a heated glare of jealousy.
The clerk saw the intensity in his eyes and backed away.
Thaddeus outstretched his hand to her and she took it hoping her palms didn’t sweat as he gently pulled her up. She almost slipped again on an onion, but he used his other arm to quickly come around her and steady her against him.
Their bodies were pressed against each other and she looked up into his gaze. He was searching for something with his eyes. What?
She quickly lowered her eyes to his neck, and when she still felt uncomfortable, her eyes lowered to his partially opened shirt where she was looking directly at his collarbone.
Her breathing stopped and her mouth dropped open. She wanted to scream, she wanted to faint, she wanted to shake, but her body nor mind would not move or respond to anything she wanted to do. Instead her hands gripped his arms harder until her nails dug in his skin, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was still watching her.
Her eyes would not let go of the strawberry shaped burn scar under his collarbone. She wrenched her hands free from his arms and moved it up to his shirt. Before he could stop her she tore open the shirt revealing the think brawny chest. The crowd that had gathered around them, gasped, but Thaddeus didn’t move as her eyes slowly engulfed the scar then slowly moved over to his shoulder, where he still bore the love bite she had put on him last night.
Tears of realization filled those beautiful lavender eyes, as they slowly moved up his neck, over his tight lips, his flaring nose and to those expressive eyes. Eyes that told her what they had shared was the truth. All if it!
‘It was no dream!’ her mind screamed.
With all the strength, confusion, and disgust inside of her, she bawled her fist up and connected it to his face. The crowd gasped louder.
He still didn’t move or respond.
“YOU... STAY AWAY... F-FROM ME!” she screamed backing away sobbing with every word, gasping for every breath. The blackness tried to engulf her, but she shook it away, grasping at her inner strength, pushing her consciousness to not give in to the panic attack that was blanketing her being.
He could see she was fighting herself not to fall to pieces.
Damn, what had he done? Damn, Damn, his selfishness. Thaddeus tried to repair the damage and explain. “I didn’t know it was you until last night. I didn’t know for sure until you showed up at the door.” He tried to grab her, but she jerked away.
“DON’T TOUCH ME,” she seethed through clenched teeth.
There were too many emotions grabbling inside of her making it difficult to speak, to think, to breathe.
“Please don’t do this,” he begged. “I thought-” He couldn’t finish because the tears from her eyes flowed too heavily. This was affecting her more than he thought. He hadn’t thought this through carefully. Damn, Damn, Damn!
Gathering her strength like a robe to enshroud her soul, she ran out the store not stopping until she reached her car.
He followed her, but she had pulled off before he reached the little black Escort. He cared little about anything else. Her mind was not stable and he needed to make sure.
Calling Craig he admitted everything. He even admitted being a selfish bastard. “I don’t care what you have to do, we have to find her. She looked ready to crack. Please Craig, help me.”
“I’ll see what I can do. What time does your flight leave?”
“Fuck that! I won’t leave until I know she is all right. Come get me.” He would just call Thomas to let him know to go to Chicago without him to meet Detective Heart about the daughter.
“I’ll be there in an hour and we’ll go by her place.”
* * *
When she arrived home, she almost turned into the driveway, but saw the front door opened and pulled away slowly not attracting attention to her car. Going to a nearby party store she pulled her car into the parking lot. Walking around the block down the alleyway, she went back to her house from behind. Peering over the fence of her backyard, she recognized Alan and Dr. Ryan Carter standing on the back porch having a cigarette. They were in deep frustrated discussion.
“...should haven taken the drug away from them then, Rye and not waited for them to find out so much. How the hell could you not know they’ve been out the country since yesterday? I told you to keep tabs on them. They probably told her everything.”
“If they told her everything, she would have been at the nearest police station last night not up at the River Place with Newman. She probably doesn’t realize a damn thing. I find her very naïve and readily acceptable to the situation. That’s why she was the perfect candidate,” Dr. Carter defended himself.
“Naïve? That
bitch has got evidence that connects us to the center.” He shook a hand full of papers. “All my pop needs to know is that you let her go and you’re toast Ryan. You’re gonna end up just like your partners—dead.”
Other noises could be heard from inside the house, and Alan angrily called in from the back door, “Stop making all that fucking noise for the police come.”
She ducked down the alley again and waited in an unknown backyard storage shed until nightfall. Waiting gave her time to sort out her thoughts and feelings about Thaddeus Newman. As she relaxed and concentrated more, her thoughts made the strawberry shaped scar more evident in her mind and what she had done last night. The love they made had not been given from a man with lustful intentions and as she remembered how wanton she had behaved the end results was bound to happen, yet he still could have stopped her. He must have known she wasn’t in her right mind. ‘He must have!’ she repeatedly tried to convince herself.
Feeling herself becoming frustrated about this matter, she turned her thoughts to how she had gotten in this situation. She had always been a person who didn’t trust anyone, so how had she allowed this drug to come into her life.
The only way she could reason everything was that, Dr. Himes was a doctor. She had always been close to Dr. Welch and moving to the big city all alone away from Dr. Welch had probably shifted her trust over to these doctors. These doctors weren’t really there to help people, but to hurt them, caring not whom they killed to get their stupid research to work.
When the coast was clear at her home and all was quiet, she jumped over the fence going straight to the doghouse. Dr. Carter and Alan now knew how much information on them she knew and she didn’t want to die. Now the police needed to know and she needed to enlist the help of the only person she trusted at this moment—Thaddeus.
Dreams of Reality Page 16