by J. E. Taylor
Figures he’d use my name as his password.
She closed her eyes for a moment and drove in.
At the front door, she reached for the doorbell and stopped. Instinctively she knew it was unlocked and she opened the door and stepped inside. She heard the television and walked into the family room.
An empty bottle of vodka sat on the coffee table and Chris continued to intently stare at the screen. She followed his gaze and gasped when she saw what was playing. It was her and Ty a lifetime ago.
Chris turned and shot to his feet. “Jess.” He pushed the stop button on the video and the screen went dark. He scanned her from head to her beige flip flops and back with glossy eyes and took a couple of unsteady steps in her direction.
“You’re drunk.”
“Yessiree.” He grinned and continued his zig-zag path across the room approaching her.
His eyes hungered for her, turning the deep blue like a clear late afternoon sky and she instantly regretted not ringing the doorbell.
“You look hot today,” he added.
She found herself pinned to the wall by an invisible force and her heart thundered in her chest with his every step.
“Ty, please.”
He smiled. “Please what?” he purred and leaned in to kiss her.
The moment his hands landed on the curve of her waist and his lips pressed against hers, her purpose for coming was lost and only the need consumed her.
He broke the kiss and stepped back, scanning her again and with a slight cock of his head, her shirt tore open, the buttons pinging on the floor as they rolled away. He closed the distance, his lips drinking in her neck, his tongue tickling her skin and she remained pinned to the wall.
“Please. Let me go.”
A sound so unlike him welled up from his chest and he giggled, his hands sliding under the hem of her skirt, flowing up her legs like hot oil until his fingers found her underwear. In a grand flourish, he tore them off and tossed them over his shoulder.
Her shirt peeled off and flew to another corner of the room along with her bra and she stood, half naked and trembling against the invisible hold, his hands traveling over her skin, his lips finding the curves of her breasts feeding the frenzy gripping her. “Let me go.”
He smiled and released her from his mental hold, but his exploration of her body continued. The seduction of his lips, his tongue sliding down her stomach kept her in place. His silken hands left trails of heat behind their caress, almost burning her skin with desire.
He dropped to his knees and yanked the skirt around her ankles, and when she stepped out of it, he tossed it over his shoulder, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
One lick of her pussy was enough to drive her over the edge and she tilted her head back into the wall, letting a soft moan escape. Her hands laced into his thick hair, pulling him closer, spreading her legs wider for him.
He rolled his tongue around her clit, toying with her, bringing her to the brink and slowing down enough to sustain the plateau. His fingers teased with their slow penetration and her pussy wrapped around them, each stroke producing a delicious tingle and her body burned for him, each touch, each flick of his tongue, each press of his lips fanned her passion.
He broke his mesmerizing hold, working his way up her abdomen, his lips trailing over her breasts and up her neck until they covered her mouth in an exquisite tongue dance that left her breathless.
“Tell me you want me,” Chris whispered in that smooth sexy voice she couldn’t deny.
He set her body on fire, rendering her helpless and the words tumbled out. “I want you.”
Chris pulled away and looked at her for a moment, smiling. His clothing came off in a flurry of fabric and he was against her, skin on skin, throbbing hearts in sync, his mouth on hers and the kiss, the kiss insistent and flaming.
Jessica wrapped her leg around him and he hiked her up against the wall, his hard cock sliding into her wet pussy, deliciously stroking with each twirl of his hips. The kiss broke and he met her gaze with a smile that seared her soul.
“God help me, I do want you.”
The kiss began again and time stopped. Slow and seductive, he moved his tongue in lazy circles, mingling with hers, mimicking the motion of his hips and she moaned under the exquisite ecstasy he created.
He swiveled with her in his arms and crossed to the couch, sitting down with her on top, giving her the control to set the pace.
She straddled him, continuing his slow lazy rhythm.
“Tell me you love me,” she whispered in his ear, moving her pussy up and down the length of his shaft.
He groaned, the sound rumbling in his chest and his half mast gaze met hers. “I love you Jessie,” he whispered. “I’ve always loved you.”
With the words came the release and her body trembled with the power of it, his name flowing over her lips in a rush that matched the cum lining her pussy.
He found her mouth again and wrapped his arms around her, maneuvering so she was underneath him on the couch. He ran his hand up her cheek and into her hair and kissed her, his hips moving slowly. “Jessie,” he purred in her ear.
“Ty!” she called out as the next orgasm ripped through her.
* * * *
Chris couldn’t hold on any longer, he quickened his pace, his breath matching the frantic pounding of his heart and he looked into her swirling irises losing himself in the desire there. “Tell me.” He needed the words as much as he needed her.
“Oh God!”
She arched into him, her eyes rolling back in their sockets, pure pleasure drenched her features and he lost it, pressing his full length inside her, calling her name as the explosive orgasm rocked him. He collapsed on her, aftershocks racking his body and the giggles welled up again. He propped himself on his elbows grinning down at her, the alcohol still lacing his thoughts and his chest rising and falling in short bursts from the exertion.
A single tear slipped from her eye and the flurry of her thoughts accosted him, seizing his muscles in place. “Don’t go,” he whispered and traced her lips with his fingertips. “Don’t go to California.”
“Ty. I came to say goodbye.”
Chris’s breath hitched in his chest, the words sharper than a knife cutting his flesh. Tears sprang, blurring his vision and he buried his head into her neck. She couldn’t leave, not now, not after today.
“No.” He shook his head like a five-year-old refusing punishment. “No.”
“Yes,” Jessica said and another tear slipped out. “You have to let me go.”
“Eric told me I had to save you,” Chris said. “So you can’t say goodbye just yet.”
Jessica put her hands on his face. “I’m not coming back from L.A.”
“Just twist the knife in my chest a little more, why don’t you.” Chris got up and walked across the living room; snatching his clothes off the floor and sliding them back on in silence.
He swiped her clothes off the dark wood and carried them back to her, turning away as she dressed. The quiet sob brought his attention back to her and she held the edges of the button down shirt in her hands, tears cascading down her cheeks. “The buttons are gone.”
Chris inhaled and hung his head, the anger decreasing a notch, replaced by a bleak despair that blanketed him, leaving his skin cold and his heart guarded. He raised his gaze back to hers. The panic he saw grilled his nerves. “How can you leave after today?”
“Because I’m married,” she sighed.
“I can take care of that.”
“Don’t you dare,” she growled and shot to her feet.
Chris willed her to sit down and she did.
Jessica dropped her gaze to her shirt. “How the hell am I going to explain this?” She lifted the empty edge, showing only little tendrils of thread where the buttons had once been. Slow tracks of tears ran down her cheeks again.
Goddamnit! He hated when she cried; it always tugged at his heartstrings and this time was no different. Stepping for
ward, he knelt in front of her taking her hands in his. He bent over, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on her knees, concentrating, willing the buttons back to their original origin. The exertion and the reason behind it dragged hot tears from his eyes, burning his throat and dampening a spot on her skirt. The power inside increased a notch and he trembled trying to contain it.
Her not so silent sob yanked his head up and he stared at the perfectly buttoned shirt before bringing his bleary gaze to hers.
“You have to let me go.”
“I did that once. I can’t do it a second time,” he replied, wiping his face with his sleeve.
“You have to.” Jessica put her hand on his cheek.
“Why? Why am I always the one that has to give up what I want?”
“Stop that.” She tried to get up, but he wasn’t letting her.
Chris stood and took a step away from her. “So this really was goodbye?” He waved at the room, the anger ebbing back, sobering him up. “What if I don’t want to say goodbye?”
She closed her eyes. “I don’t want to be angry with you.”
“You’re angry?”
“I don’t want to be, but if you keep acting like a child...”
He raised his eyebrows and then turned away, biting down his own furious retaliation. He crossed to the slider and stood with his arms crossed, debating, reflecting on what they had done today, on how many times she asked him to let her go and he closed his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered after a few minutes of silence settled between them.
“For what?”
“For not stopping.”
“I never asked you to stop. I asked you to let me go.”
Chris slowly turned, not understanding the difference.
“Chris, you didn’t do anything here today that I didn’t want but I need you to let go.”
“I can’t let go. Not until I know you’re safe.” He paused. “Not until you, Eric and Emily are safe.” He clarified thinking of his conversation on the beach.
“I think we’ll be fine in California.” Jessica stood.
“He found you in Connecticut, why do you think he won’t find you in California?”
She shrugged and smiled a little. “One can hope?”
“Eric said that if I didn’t take care of this, Frank would kill all four of us.” He saw the crease appear between her eyebrows. “You, me, Emily and Eric.”
Her eyes narrowed. “When did you talk to Eric?”
“This morning on the beach. That’s what prompted this.” He picked up the empty bottle and set it back on the table. “He said I knew how to get rid of Frank, but Jess, it scares the shit out of me.”
“You know how?”
“I think I do, but I’m not sure I can do it.” He took a deep breath. “Maybe California isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe he won’t find you there.”
She crossed, giving him a hug.
He smelled her hair, clean with a hint of coconut. Closing his eyes, he catalogued the scent so it would always bring back the feel of her in his arms.
“Thank you,” she said against his neck.
“For what?”
“For letting me go.” Jessica pulled away and walked out of his house.
Chapter 30
Jessica blinked back the tears, wiping her eyes with the hem of her sleeve and driving to the store to grab a couple items she forgot yesterday. Tossing the items in her cart, she checked out. Moments later, she turned on the ignition of her car and her cell phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered, pulling out of the parking space.
“Where are you?” Tom asked.
“At the store,” she answered and heard him suck his breath in. “I took a drive into Kittery and looked for a couple outfits before I stopped at the grocery store.”
“Find anything?”
“Nothing I wanted,” she replied. Liar! The guilt encompassed her. This time she didn’t have any excuse, she had given in to her feelings today without the aid of alcohol.
“Uhu,” Tom grunted. “Sure about that, Jess?”
Jessica glanced in her rearview mirror and her eyes went wide. His truck was on her tail, following her out of the parking lot and he flipped his phone closed, glaring at her frazzled gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Shit.” Her mouth went dry and her blood hammered in her chest. Excuses whirled in her mind, all of them tossed out as callously as she had tossed the phone into the passenger seat.
When she pulled into the garage, she grabbed the bags, trying to get into the house as quickly as possible, to the safety of the kids and the opportunity to avoid this fight until her heart settled down and she could think clearly.
“Hello,” she yelled.
No answer.
Tom came in and slammed the door behind him. “I called Dan and asked him to come get the kids because we had some things to discuss and it would be better if the kids weren’t here to witness it,” he growled and threw his keys on the table.
Jessica had never seen him this angry and she shrank against the wall.
“I assume that house is his?”
“You followed me?”
“You bet your ass I did.” He pushed her against the wall. “What were you doing, Jess?” The anger seethed from him.
“Telling him he needed to let go. I was saying goodbye,” she said and met his fury filled baby blues.
“You sure took your sweet time.”
“He didn’t like it when I told him I was staying in Los Angeles with you.”
Tom’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed.
“So help me, if he laid a hand on you...”
Swallowing, she shook her head. “He’s worried about Frank’s ghost.” Jessica sidestepped the accusation with partial truth.
Tom inhaled and blinked taking a step back. “You told him you were staying in L.A.?”
She nodded and the anger in his eyes diffused.
“You seriously want to stay in L.A.?”
No. The thought leaped into her brain but she had the presence of mind not to let it escape. “Yes. It’s your home.”
“This is my home,” Tom said looking down at her. “Wherever you are is my home. Why did you lie to me?”
“Would you have let me go see him alone?”
Tom laughed. “Not on your life.”
She raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “That’s why and it was something I had to do. I already hurt you enough this morning and I didn’t want to make you angry.”
“I’m still pissed, Jess.” He walked into the living room.
She didn’t like lying to Tom. She didn’t like it at all. “I’m sorry,” she said and sat next to him on the couch.
Tom took her hand in his. “Sometimes loving you is hard.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jess, I knew when I married you. I knew you loved him and I never really understood why, not with everything he did.” Tom shifted, keeping eye contact. “I completely understood why Ty fell in love with you, because it happened to me as well.” He took a deep breath. “But until last week, I believed he was dead. That’s the only way I could deal with knowing you loved him. And now that I know he’s not...” He drifted off. “It’s just hard Jess.”
“Does it change the way you feel about me?”
“No. But I’m afraid I’m going to lose this time.”
“It’s not a competition.”
He cocked his head and pressed his lips together. “Look, he’d kill for you in an instant, and he was willing to lay his life on the line for you five years ago. I have no doubt that he’d do the same today if that’s what it took to keep you safe.”
Jessica picked at her nail trying to read between the words into his heart. “You think I’d choose him over you?”
He shrugged and looked away.
“I married you.” She poked his chest. “And I love you.”
“I know you do. But you love him too.” He uttered a slight laugh. “Hell
, you protected him for five years.”
Tears brimmed and she couldn’t deny what he said, instead she wiped her face. “I’m not as gentle and sweet as you think I am. I killed Marian.” Her eyes wandered out the window. “And I helped kill Frank.”
“Ty killed Frank. He just used you as the vessel.”
“I’m not so sure.”
Tom pulled her chin so she was looking at him. “Jessica, I was there, remember?”
Jessica nodded. “But I wanted him dead,” she whispered. “I set Ty free. I made sure you didn’t die in that electric chair. I blew the doors off the hinges, every last one of them in that place and I killed Marian.”
“I could have gotten out of that chair if I really wanted to, but I wanted him to suffer and die just as much as Ty did,” she whispered, shaking her head. She looked into his eyes.
“We all wanted him dead Jess. I saw the tapes; I saw what he did to you.” He shuddered. “He got what he deserved.”
“But now he’s back and looking for revenge and neither of us can stop him this time.”
Tom sat back and looked at her. “You can’t?”
She shook her head. “I no longer have that power. Ty has it now.”
Tom raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“I guess when he transferred the healing power to me the other day I transferred the other side to him.” She paused. “So, I can heal every time he stabs me but I can’t stop him.”
“So until Frank is gone, Ty is in our lives?” Tom leaned back in the chair and looked at the ceiling.
“I’m hoping that moving to Los Angeles does the trick.” Jessica leaned into the nook of his shoulder.
He put his arm around her and kissed her hair. “I hope you’re right.”
Chapter 31
Chris sat on the couch with his head in his hands for a while after Jessica left, feeling empty and hollow without her. His mood darkened and a flash of power escaped. The empty bottle shattered.
Frustrated, he walked to the rock wall, scanning the marina.
“I can’t believe I let her go again. I can’t fucking believe it!”
He turned back and looked at the house he had bought to be near her, his pathetic attempt to woo her, to capture the dream and his fury stepped up a notch. Chris slammed his cast on the rock wall, pain reverberating all the way up his arm and he glanced in the direction of her house.