by J. E. Taylor
Chris shared the same look of alarm that flowed through him and he clenched his jaw. You’d better goddamn well fix this mess, understand?
“I’ll figure out a way,” Chris said and his image faded.
Tom reached out and pulled her to him, feeling her resist at first and then give in allowing him to wrap his arms securely around her. “Don’t ever do that again. Ever.” She shook in his arms and the terror that gripped him when he couldn’t get into the guest room faded. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything had happened to you, Jess,” he said into her hair.
She broke his grasp and turned on the shower, stepping in with a warning glance. It was not a look of invitation and he turned, sitting in the chair in the bedroom waiting for his turn in the shower.
The last few weeks flowed through his mind and he looked toward the bathroom as things began to click in his head. He slowly got up and walked in, opening the shower door. “How many times have you talked to him like that?” He pointed over his shoulder at the mirror.
Jessica didn’t answer, she just looked at him, the anger still radiating off her, but it had been tempered by the hot shower.
“How many times?” he yelled at her, his anger brewing for different reasons.
“Back off,” she shot back, glaring her warning.
He blinked at her. “What?”
“Back off.”
He stepped into the shower with his clothes on and cornered her. “I will not back off. You are still my wife.” He leaned his arms on the wall next to her, fire flaring. “I don’t like this at all, Jess. You’d better damn well remember who you’re married to other wise you’ll be out on your ass so fast it will make your head spin,” he growled low and stormed out of the shower, leaving her shaking against the wall.
Tom sat in the chair in his dripping clothes, fury churning in his belly and he glared at her when she stepped into the bedroom wrapped in a towel. “You never answered my question.”
She took a deep breath. “Let it go.”
He shook his head in response. “Not in a million years,” he said, using her words against her.
Jessica winced and took a step backwards.
He stood up and started toward her, peeling off his wet shirt. He threw it on the floor and grazed her from head to toe with his eyes. “You’re my wife. Mine, not his. Understand?”
She nodded and put her hands on his chest to keep him at bay but he wasn’t in the mood to be denied. He yanked her closer. “If you ever cross that line with him, you can kiss this goodbye.”
Crushing her lips with his, he kissed her passionately, stripping the towel off her and guiding her to the bed, hell bent on making sure she knew what she’d be losing. He threw the covers back and swept her onto the mattress. Every stroke of his hands, every swipe of his tongue, every whisper from his lips a deliberate act to bring her to a level she hadn’t been before with him.
Teasing her, he ran his tongue slowly down the side of her neck from her ear to the nape, listening to her suck the air in as goose bumps appeared and she shivered. He smiled wickedly and met her gaze, taking her breast in his mouth and rolling his tongue around her hard nipple, suckling, nibbling until she moaned his name.
His fingers caressed her clit, slow enough for her to add her own hip circles to his touch. Anger and desire fueled him, creating a sensation of heat that he didn’t think possible and he trailed his lips down her stomach, lingering at her belly button, discovering its depth and breadth with his tongue.
He kissed her inner thigh, sucking, creating a small hickey before sliding his lips over her clit, blowing a small stream of air and she whispered his name again. Moving onto her other thigh, he made a matching hickey, making his claim known in the marks on her skin.
Slowly, he licked the length of her vulva, parting her with his tongue, exploring, tasting until she arched into his mouth, the air sucking into her lungs each time he passed over her clit.
“What do you want, Jess?” He rolled his tongue around her clit. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes, oh my God yes,” she gasped.
Flicking his tongue over her clitoris and slowly penetrating her with his fingers, both motions in complete contradiction and she moaned, her muscles wrapping around his fingers and a rush of slick cum lined her pussy, but he wanted her dripping and begging. Chuckling, he met her intense gaze and continued, alternating between flicking her clit and sucking it.
“Oh, God, please Tom, I want you.”
He smiled and continued his quest to make her want him more than anyone on earth. With her hand laced in his hair, she writhed under him, her hips matching the movement of his hand and she arched with each orgasm. A healthy sheen of sweat covered her skin, mingling with the salty taste of her cum.
“Please, Tom, oh, God, please fuck me,” she gasped after the fourth orgasm and he moved his mouth from between her legs to her breasts and then her lips, covering her moans and plunging deep into her soaking pussy.
They moved together, the kiss blending with their frantic heartbeats and he pulled away, slowing down, gaining control again as the reason for this ecstasy session surfaced. He ground his hips into hers, pulling his length out and equally as slowly sliding in balls-deep.
“Jesus, Tom!”
He smiled and raised his eyebrow. The next round he slammed his hips into her and stopped, grinning as she arched and called his name. She wanted him to move faster and he slowed down, relishing her pleas and her half closed eyes glazed with rapture.
The fire inside him flashed to an all consuming inferno and he could no longer control his passion. He sped up, the volcano churning in his belly and finally exploding inside her. Every muscle seized at the strength of his orgasm and he groaned her name, pressing the length of his throbbing cock inside her. After shocks gorged him, setting his arms into trembling risers and he rolled, pulling her on top and collapsing beneath her, his arms lying out by his sides like lead weights.
Air rushed in and out of his lungs, fueling the exertion and sending oxygen to the far reaches of his trembling flesh. He couldn’t think of another time that even came close to matching this sweet satiation and he met her gaze. “I love you, Jess.”
She smiled. “Thomas William Whitman you sure know how to make the earth move.”
Tom laughed. “We both need a shower now.”
“MMMM,” she said and rotated her hips in a slow circle, grinding his groin. “Not yet.” She kissed his sweaty chest.
“Do you want to kill me?”
“No, I want to fuck you,” she whispered slyly and he responded, hardening again under her hip gyration.
“You have the energy?”
She nodded. “I’m the Energizer Bunny, remember.”
God, how could he ever forget that. She ran them ragged day after day in the complex, better than any personal trainer he ever had. He ran his hands up her thighs and hips to her waist, sliding along her sweat slick skin, fueling his need for her.
“God, Jess.” His anger lost in the lust in her eyes and she ran her fingers gently over his chest causing a shiver to ripple through him. His gaze traveled from her face, down the front of her landing on the hint of a scar in her side and he traced it with his fingertips before looking back into her eyes. The magnitude of the stunt she pulled today crashed down.
“You scared me today.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and the playful glint in her eyes turned serious.
He sat up, kissing her, his tongue exploring the depths of her mouth, a content groan rumbled in his chest under the sweetness of it and he broke the kiss, lying back and letting her set the pace.
Rolling her hips, she slowly made love to him, alternating between kissing his lips and sucking his earlobes and his bright blue eyes kept watch, studying her, memorizing the intensity of the moment. When he couldn’t stand her slow seduction any longer, he sat up, wrapping her legs around him and slammed his length in her over and over, watching her eyes roll back in her h
ead with each arch.
They came together, fingers digging into flesh and cries of released passion mingling on the air.
Tom fell back on the bed, drained of all energy and she, she laughed, energized by the activity. “Jeesh, doesn’t anything tire you out?”
Jessica laughed. “Nope. Want to go again?”
Tom laughed. “I don’t think I can.”
“Awwww, are you tired?” she asked and rolled on her side.
“Very.” He smiled and pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. “Nap time, then I’ll think about it,” he said and closed his eyes again. Sleep dragged him into darkness within seconds.
* * * *
His light snore signaled to Jessica that he was asleep and she slipped out of his grasp, coving him with the sheet before she headed to clean up. Her eyes lingered on the mirror and she chastised herself, after the amazing sex she just had with her husband, Chris should be the furthest thing from her mind. But he wasn’t. He was there, lurking in the shadows, tainting the pleasure.
Tom was right, she had never let go and with the warm water cascading down her skin, she began to wonder if that was possible or if their fates were entwined to the point of no return. The connection certainly was undeniable.
“Damn it!” She shook her head angrily. There he was again. Why couldn’t she just erase the history, the need, the love. Her nails dug into her scalp as she lathered her hair, scratching relentlessly, trying to wash him from her thoughts.
Tom might forgive her for the beach because she had been drunk, but there was no excuse for what happened at Chris’s house, and if he ever found out, she would lose him. She wouldn’t make that mistake again. The warm water did nothing to wash away the guilt in her soul, that was something she would have to carry around forever, whether she liked it or not.
Finally, she turned the water off and stepped out, reaching for the towel with fingers that looked like prunes. Thick steam filled the bathroom and she wiped a swatch from the mirror. It took a second for her to realize the eyes looking back weren’t hers.
“Are you okay now?” Chris asked.
Jessica nodded. “You have to go. We’ll talk at the restaurant.”
Chris sighed. “I’ve never seen you like that, you really lost it there.”
“He hurt my babies.”
Chris nodded. “But you put yourself in a position where Frank could have killed you. Then who would keep your kids safe?
“You,” Jessica said without hesitation. “You would keep them safe.”
Chapter 63
The phone rang and Tom reached over, grabbing it off the hook. “Hello?”
“Is Jess there?”
Tom held the phone out, his sleepy eyes meeting hers as she crossed from the bathroom. “It’s Dan.”
“How’s Eric?” she asked.
“He’s in his room right now. What the hell is going on?”
“You shouldn’t punish them,” Jessica said.
“So LeAnn tells me but I still don’t understand what the hell she was babbling about.”
“Danny, I can’t really explain...”
“—Did you know the hospital gave me the third degree?”
Jessica closed her eyes. She could imagine the questioning he had to endure if they thought foul play had occurred.
“They said it was a clean slice, not something that would happen with the explanation he gave. I’ve been through the wringer today Jessica and this ‘I can’t really explain’ shit isn’t going to fly.”
“It wasn’t their fault. It was mine.”
He laughed on the other end of the phone. “Yours? How, Jess?”
“I can’t explain, but they aren’t safe if there are mirrors in their rooms,” Jessica replied, knowing she sounded crazy.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Tom sat up and held out his hand for the phone.
Jessica relinquished the handset to Tom, a rarity for her but she was tapped out. She couldn’t listen to Daniel reaming her after the day they had.
“Dan,” Tom interrupted. “Just hold your horses.” He listened, keeping eye contact with Jessica. “I know you’re upset and you have every right to be...”
Daniel cut him off.
“But you need to understand.”
He was cut off again.
“I know, but...” Tom closed his eyes and his teeth clacked together in frustration.
“Dan, just shut up a second,” he finally snapped and took the opportunity to fill the silence with what he wanted to say. “Your kids are great kids, so cut them some slack. What happened today was not remotely their fault and I understand the need to have boundaries, but in this case, it doesn’t apply.” He took a breath and let that sit out there.
“And what Jess told LeAnn about mirrors is extremely important.” He waited. “I know, it doesn’t make sense, but it still is important.” He laughed a little at the response. “We’ll fill you in someday when this is all over.” He nodded and handed the phone back to Jessica.
She took the phone. “We’ll be by in a little while to see him, okay?” She hung up, focusing on Tom. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I’m not completely useless.” He smiled and rolled out of bed, heading for the bathroom.
Jessica waited on the deck for him, scanning the ocean and concentrating on not swinging her gaze to the south. Toward him. But her thoughts went there anyway, falling back on the nightmare she had the other day. She shivered and rubbed her arms.
“You all right?” Tom asked from the doorway.
Jessica turned, watching while he folded up the sleeves to his neatly pressed gray oxford. “I should have called earlier.”
“You were a little preoccupied.”
Heat filled her cheeks and she smiled, approaching him and wrapping her arms around his waist, rising up on her toes to catch a kiss. “Let’s go.”
“Do you mind walking?”
“Not at all.”
It was only a couple miles from their place down to Daniel and LeAnn’s cottage. Jessica and Tom held hands, listening to the sounds of the ocean, walking along the ridge of sand just shy of the high tide line.
“I need to say something,” Tom interrupted the comfortable silence. He looked out at the water and stopped, letting go of her hand.
“What is it?”
Tom took a deep breath and locked his gaze with hers. “I was serious earlier.”
“I know you were.”
“I just wanted to make sure you understood the consequences.”
“I do.”
He held her gaze. “Just so we are perfectly clear. If you ever give in to him, I will file for divorce.”
The pounding of her heart in her throat made it difficult to swallow and she nodded. “I understand.”
They walked the rest of the way in silence.
* * * *
Eric sat on the front stoop waiting for them.
Jessica looked at his bandaged hand and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry, baby.” She took his hand and went to kiss it, but Eric pulled it away.
“No, Mom, you’re going to need everything you have to save you and Chris.” He looked at his mother and then up at Tom and smiled awkwardly.
“It’s all right,” Tom replied, although it was anything but all right.
Eric held his gaze. “It really isn’t good to hold onto that kind of hatred.”
Tom looked away.
“He only wants to help us,” Eric added.
Tom’s gaze snapped back to Eric and his jaw tightened. That’s not all he wants.
Eric didn’t respond to Tom’s last thought because he was right. “Really, Mom, I will be just fine.”
Jessica looked up at Tom. “Can you check on Emily?”
He nodded and stepped into the house.
“Chris said you stopped Frank from killing Emily.” Jessica sat down next to Eric and put her arm around his shoulders.
“I did,” Eric replied
.
“You surprised the hell out of him.”
“I know.”
“How do you know?”
Eric smiled and looked at her. “Mom, I know a lot more about you and Ty than either one of you knows.” His eyes bore into her. “I can get into your heads anytime I feel like it.”
Jessica’s mouth dropped.
“You really shouldn’t have done what you did. That was dumb. You can’t fight Frank without him, Mom. He has to actually be there, not just a reflection in the mirror.” He paused and inhaled. “You can’t stop Frank alone, he will kill you.”
“You know how we can stop him?”
Eric nodded. “Ty does too. He has for a while.”
Anger welled up inside her and her hands balled into fists. Chris knows how to stop Frank and he hasn’t yet?
“Don’t be angry with him. It’s dangerous and he doesn’t want to put you in the position he needs to,” Eric said. “I don’t want to see you hurt either, but it’s the only way.”
Jessica closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“You were meant to be with him.”
“No, Eric. I was never meant to be with a killer.”
Eric laughed. He looked at her long and hard, the colors in his eyes swirled slowly. “You are the only one who can save him from himself and he is the only one who can save you from Frank.”
Jessica glanced at her hands and then off toward the south where his house was.
“Besides, you love each other.”
“Eric, I love Tom,” she clarified, but deep down, he struck a chord.
“You think you do, but it’s not the same and you know it.”
“Eric, I’m not discussing this with you.” She gently touched the bandages on his hand.
“Don’t worry, it will heal just fine.”
“How did you get to be so grown up?”
He leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek. “I’m not grown up, Mom.” He looked away. “I just happened to have the curse of seeing bits of the future along with the other things I can do.” He glanced at her. “I suppose that’s part of what I inherited from you.”