Afterward, they lay naked, limbs tangled, and drank the rest of the champagne straight from the bottle.
‘We’re all class,’ Jess smirked up at him. Theo pressed his lips to hers.
‘You could never be anything else…and F.Y.I., being greeted by you in that get-up? Best welcome ever.’
She grinned. ‘I found it today…you know we have a whole box of fun toys we haven’t even used yet?’
Theo shook his head and sighed in mock-regret. ‘What have I turned you into?’
She pulled his lips down for another kiss. ‘Someone who loves and is loved, trusts and is trusted.’
‘Mushy.’
‘You bet your sweet ass. Now, Storm, fuck me again.’
Later, he was about to fall asleep when his phone beeped. Theo stole a look at Jess, sleeping on her stomach, her head on the pillow turned towards him. For a second he watched as she breathed, the silky skin of her back glowing in the dim light of his reading lamp.
His phone beeped again. Max. Call me now. Urgent. Keep it quiet.
Theo eased out of bed and padded down to his study, closing the door behind him. Max answered on the first ring.
‘We need to meet. Now. Tonight. Drive to the ferry terminal. Alan is waiting. ‘
‘What the hell, Max?’
Max took a deep breath in. ‘We’ve got Malcolm.’
He hated, hated, leaving Jess alone in the house, waking up the security guard outside the house to make sure he was alert but this could mean the difference between Jess being safe for the rest of her life – or not. If Malcolm knew where Gachet was…Theo and Max had talked around the subject for so long and now it was within reach. No, they wouldn’t bring the police in – Theo wanted to end it. For good. When Max asked him, point blank, if he would cross that line, Theo had met his gaze evenly.
‘For her? No question.’
Alan was waiting at the ferry terminal in a black-out sedan that he didn’t recognize. He slipped inside.
‘Max says to stay inside until he opens the door. Plausible deniability and all that.’
Shit. Max was taking a lot of the weight of this when maybe he didn’t need to. Now Alan was involved too. Theo’s face must have registered his frustration because Alan turned around in his seat.
‘Boss…whatever you’re thinking…we’re grown men and we’re just as invested. We all love Miss Wood, you know.’
Theo smiled tightly and nodded. ‘You’re a good man, Alan.’
Two hours later, Max opened the car door. As Theo got out, he saw they were in abandoned junk yard. Max nodded silently to an empty barn and Theo followed him in. Inside, a bare lightbulb lit the vast, echoing space. Malcolm was tied to a chair, his eyes wheeling around in his head, a bloody welt above his eye. Max just shrugged when Theo looked at him questioningly.
Malcolm focused on Theo. ‘Well, look who it is. Mr. Billionaire. How’s the fiancé? Can she still fuck as well after her little accident?’
Theo’s response was purely physical. His fist connected with Malcolm’s jaw so fast the other man’s head snapped back. Spitting blood, Malcolm cursed at him. Theo bent down and got in his face.
‘Where is Julien Gachet?’
Malcolm merely smirked. Theo repeated the question, calmly but with enough menace that the bound man’s eyes became wary.
‘How should I know? I’m not his keeper.’
Theo and Max just looked at each other and Malcolm found his smile again.
‘Wherever he is…he’s probably just working out how he’s going to finish what he started.’
Max’s head dipped just a little then Alan, unseen behind Malcolm, wrapped a chain around Malcolm’s neck and began to squeeze. Shocked, Malcolm choked. ‘Fuck you, fuck you all. That little whore’s not worth jail time.’
Theo stepped towards him. ‘You don’t speak about her again. Do you understand me?’
Malcolm smirked. ‘My pleasure. I don’t waste my time on trashy little cunts like Jessica Wood.’
Theo launched himself at him, raining blows, wild, uncontrolled, frenzied blows. Max and Alan dragged him away. Malcolm’s face was a bloody pulp, his nose, gushing blood, was bent at an impossible angle.
‘You fucker, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you…’ he raged at Theo, held back now by his friends. Theo spat in the man’s face.
‘Tell me where he is!’ Theo’s voice was a roar, his whole body tensed to spring again. Max narrowed his eyes at Malcolm.
‘Tell us or we’ll let him have you.’
Malcolm started to laugh, his mouth a tangled mess of broken teeth and blood. ‘He’s going to kill her, you know. You can’t stop him.’
Theo suddenly went very still. His friends, taken aback, let him go. Malcolm grinned at him. ‘Don’t blame him. If I had a chance to gut that fucking beautiful bitch, I’d do her myself.’
In one fluid movement, before anyone could stop him, Theo stepped towards the laughing man, and with a violent jerk of his head, broke his neck.
Run With Me Part 8
Stormfronts
By Michelle Love
Jess stirred as Theo slipped back in the bed and snuggled into his arms, her eyes still closed.
‘Cold,’ she complained at the touch of his cool skin. Theo wrapped his arms around her, needing her warmth, her hot blood to try to help the frozen heart of him.
He was a murderer. A killer.
The way Max had stared at him after he’d snapped Malcolm’s neck was something he’d never forget. He knew it reflected his own emotions. When Malcolm had threatened Jess – again – he’d exploded, all the pain, the loss, the terror of losing her overwhelmed him. Only one course of action had seemed possible in that moment.
Afterward, he’d tried to calm himself, dragging lungfuls of air into his body. Alan stayed back, letting the two friends adjust. Max had put a tentative a hand on his shoulder.
‘Theo…’ The love in his friend’s voice had broken the final wall and Theo bent over and sobbed.
‘Jesus, Max….what have I done?’
Max couldn’t answer him, just hugged his friend. After Theo had calmed down, he turned back to Malcolm’s body. ‘No-one knows. No one except you, me and Alan. Let’s keep it that way. We’ll get rid of the body – no-one except Jules will miss this asshole anyway. He deserved what he got.’
Theo looked at Max, the hardness in his friend something he’d never seen. ‘Max…I can’t do that, I have to tell the police.’
‘Not an option.’ Alan spoke up and his voice was firm. ‘Listen, I’ll bring the car around.’
Max nodded. ‘Good, Theo, you’re going home. Alan and I will deal with this.’
Theo almost laughed. ‘Are you kidding me? This is my responsibility.’
Max stared at him. ‘Theo…if this had been Jules instead if Malcolm, would you be feeling this way?’
Theo slowly shook his head. ‘I guess not. But still, we’ve no idea where Gachet is and I hate that.’
Max sighed. ‘There’s something else. If Malcolm was in contact with him, Julien will know something has happened. It could make him angrier, more vengeful.’
‘I think ‘vengeful’ was over a long time ago. He’s psychotic. He won’t stop until he’s killed Jess.’
Max rubbed his eyes, looked back at Malcolm’s corpse. ‘Look, go home to Jess. Remind yourself why this..’ He kicked the dead man’s leg. ‘is no great loss to anyone. Yeah, Jules will know but it might just flush him out. Just make sure Jess is fully protected. If I’ve learned one thing about Jules is that he’s a coward. He won’t try to get to her through a damn army.’
Alan had driven Theo back to the office and Theo grabbed a pool car from the parking garage, drove to the ferry. He couldn’t get Malcolm’s dead face out of his head. He’d seen two women he loved, one dead, one dying, and both had seemed more human than the wide stare of the dead man. Maybe it was because, in his mind, Malcolm was merely an extension of Jules – and Jules was a monster.
&n
bsp; Now, with Jess in his arms, the frozen heart of him began to thaw. She nuzzled his neck, pressing her lips against his throat.
‘I’m sorry I had to go out, baby…’ he murmured into her hair then as she opened her eyes wide and smiled at him, kissed her , his lips firm against hers. She reached down to stroke his cock and he felt it jerk to life under her gentle touch. Adrenaline coursed through his veins then and he pushed her onto her back and covered her body with his hitching her legs around his hips. He took first one then the other nipple into his mouth teasing them until they peaked up, hard and sensitive. Jess sighed happily, pressing her groin against the hot length of his cock and then gave a surprised squeak as he rammed the entire length of it into her, clamping her hands roughly to the bed and grinding his mouth onto hers so ferociously he could taste blood. He just wanted to consume her, possess her, fucking nail her to the bed. His cock, ramrod hard and relentless, pounded into her and he could see by the excitement in her eyes that she was feeling it too.
They hadn’t fucked like this since before she had been stabbed and the wild abandon of it absolved every other thought from his mind. This was what he lived for, being with her, looking at her as her lovely face shone with sweat, flushed a perfect scarlet, her pink mouth open and moaning for him, calling his name. Her sleek thighs moved against his waist, the soft flesh belying the strength of the muscles clamped around him. Her tight little cunt flexing and welcoming his cock, her gently undulating belly against his, her nipples brushing his chest. He breathed in every part of her, her clean, soap-and-gardenia perfume mixing with the heady scent of their lovemaking. His brains was a flash flood of emotion, love, rage, pain, hurt, desire, Jess, Jess, Jess….
She cried out as she came, her body vibrating and quivering, her legs wrapped around him pulling him deeper. Theo nearly growled with his need to keep driving himself into her ferociously. He never wanted to stop but when at last, he peaked with a carnal roar, his semen pumping violently into her, he collapsed down onto her and she wrapped her arm around his neck.
‘Theo, Theo, Theo…’ Her voice was a whisper, breathy and a balm to his bruised senses. She was the only thing that made any sense in his world, the only thing…
Half a world away, Jules Gachet called Malcolm’s cell for the twelfth time. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
Jess woke a little after eleven a.m. The sun streamed in through the window and soaked the bed in a blissful warmth. She stretched out her naked body and felt her muscles ache pleasantly. She had been thoroughly and expertly fucked last night and she felt glorious. Theo hadn’t let her go, giving her orgasm after orgasm and exhausting her until she fell asleep wrapped in his arms.
Now she was alone in the bed and wondered where he’d gone. After brushing her teeth, she padded through the house, downstairs and eventually found him out on the deck, sipping coffee, an uneaten bagel in front of him.
She bent to kiss him and he pulled her onto his lap. He kissed her and she ran her hands through his hair, studying his face, the dark circles under his eyes, the strange look in his eyes. She frowned. ‘What is it, Theo?’
Theo stared back at her, seeming to struggle what to say then he smiled ruefully. ‘Nothing to worry about. Hey, how about we take a break? Get away from the city for a while. We both could do with that.’
Jess half-smiled but wasn’t fooled by his change of demeanor. ‘Okay…but why now? Haven’t we got a lot of work on? What about the Freeman commission?’
‘That’s why I hire excellent staff,’ he said lightly but she narrowed her eyes at him.
‘I know you, Theo, what’s going on?’ Then she paled. ‘Is…he…in the city? Is that why you’re keen to get away?’
Theo shook his head. ‘No, I promise, Jules is nowhere near here – he steps back into the country, we’ll know about it.’
She didn’t entirely believe that – she knew how tricky Jules could be when he wanted – but she didn’t want to argue with him. She snuggled into his chest so he couldn’t see her eyes. ‘Where were you thinking of going?’
‘Wherever you want, beautiful.’
She kissed his neck. ‘Anywhere?’
‘Anywhere.’
‘Mmm that’s quite an offer, might take a bit of thinking…but I know where I’d like to go right now…’ She slid her hands down the front of his pants and cupped his cock, grinning when she felt it respond. Theo chuckled and kissed her temple.
‘I clearly did not exhaust you enough last night, you wanton hussy.’
She giggled and pressed her lips to his ear. ‘You see those security guards over there by the fence?’
‘Yeah, I see them,’ he looked bemused. She smiled and her eyes were heavy with desire.
‘Remember that time in the club, when we fucked in that booth…?’
Theo grinned, understanding. ‘You are quite the exhibitionist, Miss Wood…’ But his hand were sliding under her robe, and he slipped a finger inside her. ‘Man, you’re wet, baby.’
She drew in a shaky breath. ‘I want your cock inside me, Theo.’
He wrapped his huge arms around her tiny waist and lifted her onto his rigid cock, both sighing as it sank deep into her. Theo caressed her clit, rocking her back and forth so his cock slid in and out, the friction making them both crazy. They locked eyes and when they heard the crackle of a radio, the monotone of a guard reporting back to his boss, they grinned at each other. This was such a rush, the imminent threat of discovery.
Jess nibbled at his ear. ‘Come in me, Theo, I want to feel your seed inside me…’ Her voice was a low whisper, but deep, gruff, the sound of it made the blood rush to his head and he did as she asked, grunting softly into her hair. Jess tensed her muscles around his cock, closing her eyes as a mellow climax shuddered through her body. They stayed connected for a few moments, reveling in their closeness, the intimacy of their lovemaking.
Upstairs they showered together and as they dressed, Theo couldn’t take his eyes from her delicious body, the curves of her, the way her breasts trembled as she towel-dried her hair. She grinned at him.
‘Like what you see, sailor?’
‘Hell yes. You didn’t answer my question so let’s do this…clear your mind and when I say go, name the first place you’ve always wanted to go to.’
She chuckled and nodded. ‘Okay…ready.’
‘Three…two…one…go.’
‘The Maldives…oh, that was unexpected. I was going to suggest…oh, to hell with it, The Maldives, please. One of those little huts on the ocean.’ She looked like an excited kid.
Theo grinned. ‘You got it, beautiful.’
She hugged him, kissing him quickly. ‘Think of all that private time…’
His hold on her tightened. ‘We should take that box of toys you say we haven’t used yet.’
‘Oh, you are a genius, Theodore Storm.’ She grinned then laughed as her stomach growled. ‘Yep, I need food. Brunch? I could make some omelets?’
‘Sounds good to me.’
When she’d disappeared downstairs, Theo sat on the edge of the bed and finally let himself drop the happy act. Not that Jess wasn’t the best distraction but…Malcolm’s face kept coming bac to him.
The idea to go away had come to him when he’d awoken. Turning to stare at Jess’s peaceful, sleeping face, he knew he wanted to wake up to that face forever, to have her look that relaxed, carefree forever. And the truth was…he wanted to run – not from the police, he had no worries about that, but from worrying what Gachet would do next. Being a billionaire had its perks. He would tell Max and Alan to take a long vacation while they were away. He grinned wryly to himself – he knew Max would never leave the business while Theo was out of contact. When he and Jess returned then maybe he could persuade him to take a break. He owed Max. Big.
Jess called up to him and he went down to see her flipping a perfectly cooked omelet onto a plate. She looked so happy – happier than he’d seen in a month now that he couldn’t bear to ruin it.
He, Max and Alan had vowed not to tell her about Malcolm but Theo had harbored doubts – he didn’t want any secrets from Jess.
He just didn’t want to see the look in her eye when she realized the man she loved was a murderer.
It had been two weeks now and no Malcolm. Jules had no doubt what had happened – Storm had gotten to him, had probably killed him. Damn. This changed everything. He would have to go back to the States now, do his own spying. He’d had it all planned: Malcolm would report on her every movement, see the weak spots in the protection Storm had set up, found the opportunity. Then if he could, Jules would return, kill her and Storm and flee down to South America. If not, Malcolm, a trained sniper, would take Jessica out with a bullet, Storm too. Quick, easy but not nearly the drawn out agonizing death she deserved.
Now, he had to do it all himself. Fuck. Malcolm had put him in touch with some people who could get him travel documents, passports, but there was no-one he could talk to, no-one who would understand his passion for killing Jessica. Malcolm had understood.
The Parisian spring was leeching into summer and endless tourists filled the streets. Maybe it was time to go. Jules starts to smile. I’m coming for you, Jessica.
By the next day a blonde and bearded Jules – or rather Patrick Moreau according to the flawlessly produced passport – was on the way back to the States.
The flowing, delicate white dress Jess wore fell gently to the floor as Theo ran his fingers under the tiny straps and slid them down her slender arms. He cupped her full, ripe breasts as she tilted her head up for a kiss. His thumbs stroked a maddeningly erotic rhythm over her nipples as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. The heat was tamed by a breeze from the ocean that swirled clear and blue underneath their private villa.
Mallory Page 54