Experiment in Terror (Koehler Brothers Book 1)

by Anderson, Alene

  “Soap and shampoo are in the shower,” she said, and left the room.

  Amanda came out of her bedroom later after her own shower dressed in a flowered sundress and sandals. Matt was standing in the kitchen drinking another bottle of water. He was wearing a fresh white knitted short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants.

  “You got some sun today,” she observed. “You are darker than you were this morning.”

  “My skin tans easily. You must have been wearing sunscreen. You look just the same.”

  She smiled and nodded in agreement.

  “Come here,” he said, setting down his empty water bottle and leaning back against the counter.

  “What?”

  “Come here and find out,” he said, his gray eyes twinkling.

  She studied his handsome face for a moment and saw a smoldering flame in his eyes. She knew what he wanted. She had been waiting all afternoon. Ever since they had kissed in the creek. Slowly, she moved toward him, never taking her eyes off his.

  Matt drew her into his arms. “Payback number two,” he whispered as he bent his head.

  Amanda tipped her head back and closed her eyes, waiting to feel his lips on hers.

  “You are so beautiful,” he murmured.

  His warm mouth covered hers as he tightened his arms around her body. His touch aroused feelings in her she had thought were long dead. As a thrill of excitement ran through her, she raised her hands around his neck.

  She wished the kiss could go on forever, but after a few moments, he released her, giving her a smile as he did so.

  Making an attempt at being nonchalant, she said, “I think it’s time to be heading up to my parents’.”

  “Maybe we can continue this when we come back,” he said and his meaning was obvious.

  “Maybe.”

  “I’ll drive,” Matt said.

  She nodded in agreement and went to get her handbag. They walked out to his car together and he swung the passenger door open for her. They drove the short distance to her parents’ house and parked on the street in front of the Barton’s. As they stepped out of the car, the front door swung open and her father stood there with a smile of welcome on his face.

  “You must be Matt,” he said, as they climbed the front steps.

  Matt nodded and shook Mr. Barton’s outstretched hand.

  “Come on in. Dinner’s almost on the table. I hope Amanda warned you it would be leftovers.”

  “She did,” Matt said.

  Before her father could start Matt’s inquisition, Mrs. Barton came into the living room wanting to be introduced. After introductions were made, she went back to the kitchen, but not before instructing Amanda to get the two men’s drink preference.

  “What are you offering?” her dad asked.

  “The usual, wine, Coke, milk, water.”

  “I believe I’ll have a glass of red wine,” her dad said.

  “Make mine water,” Matt said. “I’m still thirsty from that bike ride.”

  Amanda went into the kitchen to report to her mother and when drinks were at everyone’s place, Mrs. Barton called her husband and Matt to the table.

  “Tell us more about your bike ride to Lake of the Pines,” Mrs. Barton said.

  “That ended up being a real treat,” Amanda replied. “Dave and Michelle showed up at the beach in their sailboat and told us to get in. Then Dave took us out to the middle of the lake, let down the sail, and we had lobster dipped in butter, along with a glass of wine.”

  “My goodness, that would be something special,” Mrs. Barton said.

  “Amanda didn’t mention the lobster was fresh and had been overnighted from the East Coast,” Matt said.

  Both the Barton’s were impressed.

  “Matt, what kind of career are you involved in?” Mrs. Barton asked.

  “Matt was the one who caught the Boulder Creek Killer,” Amanda said, proudly.

  “You didn’t tell me that, Matt,” Mr. Barton said. “How were you able to pull that off?”

  Matt proceeded to relate how he had gone undercover as a homeless man and used a policewoman from Denver as a decoy, hoping to avert the possibility of another college girl being raped and killed.

  Amanda could tell her parents were fascinated by Matt and the work he did. He appeared totally at ease as he answered their questions. She was happy she had brought him to dinner.

  “Where did you two meet?” was her mother’s next question. “You’re in totally unrelated fields.”

  Matt looked at Amanda and smiled. She was sure he hated to lie to her parents, but he said, “In her store. I was attracted to your daughter, so I asked her out.”

  “She is pretty special,” Mr. Barton said, giving his daughter a loving look.

  “Tell us about your family,” Mrs. Barton said.

  “Oh, Mom, haven’t you quizzed him enough?” Amanda asked.

  Matt smiled at her and turning to her mother, he told her about his father and his brother being in police work.

  “You and your brother are certainly in an interesting line of work,” her mother said. “Do your parents still live in Los Angeles?”

  “My father was killed in the line of duty when my brother and I were teenagers and my mother passed away a couple of years ago.”

  “I’m sorry,” Mrs. Barton said, and Amanda was relieved when instead of asking more questions, her mother began to clear off the table in preparation for dessert.

  Amanda jumped up to help and when Matt would have done the same, Mrs. Barton told him to stay seated, she and Amanda would take care of it.

  After dessert of chocolate cake and ice cream, while her father and Matt went into the living room, Amanda rinsed off the dishes while her mother put them into the dishwasher.

  “You picked a good one this time,” Mrs. Barton told her. “I can tell your father really likes him and I know I do.”

  Amanda was pleased at her mother’s words. She knew from day one, neither one of her parents had cared for her ex-husband, Eric. The dishes finished, Amanda and her mother went into the living room to join Matt and Mr. Barton. The four of them visited a while longer and then Amanda and Matt prepared to leave when Matt told them he had an early morning appointment.

  “My parents really liked you,” she said, as Matt helped her into the SUV.

  “I’m glad. I liked them, too. You seem very close to them.”

  “I am. Probably comes from being an only child.”

  They drove back to Amanda’s place in a comfortable silence and when they pulled up in front of her house, Matt didn’t offer to come in as she hoped he would.

  “Don’t you want to come in for coffee?” she asked.

  “No, as much as I would like to, I had better get back to Denver. I need to pull some paperwork together for my meeting in the morning.”

  Amanda was disappointed. She felt sad their day was ending. She loved being with him-his sense of humor, his smile, his consideration-all wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

  She had been hoping he would come in and they could continue where they left off as Matt had suggested earlier. But she knew they had stayed at her parents’ much longer than either of them had expected.

  Matt accompanied her to the front door, and when she turned to tell him goodnight, he took her in his arms.

  “I wish I had more time,” he said, looking down into her upturned face. “I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the day. I enjoyed meeting your parents and I loved the biking. Call me when you want to go again.”

  “It has been wonderful, hasn’t it?”

  “Don’t forget to call me in the morning as soon as you check your calendar to see if you are free tomorrow evening.”

  She assured him she
would and waited for his kiss. When his mouth touched hers, it sent shivers of desire racing through her body. Raising his head, he gazed into her eyes for a long moment before he once again reclaimed her lips.

  Amanda called Matt as soon as she checked her calendar the next morning. “I’m free tonight,” she told him.

  “Good. Do you like to dance?”

  “I love to.”

  “Let me pick you up and I’ll take you to the Sundance Pub.”

  “Ooh, that sounds fun. It’s been absolutely years since I’ve gone dancing.”

  Amanda asked how his early morning appointment had gone and after talking for a few minutes, they hung up. Amanda could hardly wait for evening to come.

  Her anxiousness to see Matt that evening made the day drag, but it was finally time to leave work and she hurried home to shower and dress. She debated what to wear.

  She finally settled on a red one-piece dress that fitted snuggly around the waist and then flared out around the knees. She knew it showed off her figure to good advantage and would be great for dancing. She loved to dance and was glad Matt had suggested it.

  After showering and washing her hair, she blew it dry. Putting on moisturizer, she applied a light touch of makeup and was ready to go.

  When the doorbell rang, she hurried to answer it. Matt’s face lit in a smile as it always did when he saw her. He wore a gray suit, white shirt, and gray and red striped tie.

  Each time she saw him, her feelings for him seemed to grow stronger. She felt like a breathless girl of eighteen as she stepped back and motioned him to come inside. “I’ll just be a minute.”

  “Wait.” He stopped her with a hand on her arm. The invitation in his eyes was hard to resist and she moved willingly into his arms.

  They talked nonstop on their way to the restaurant and right through dinner. When they had finished with their meal, Matt asked her if she was ready to get out on the dance floor. She nodded her head eagerly and followed him. When he turned and took her in his arms, she had the strangest feeling, as though she had come home.

  “I’ve always loved to dance,” she murmured, as his arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer.

  They danced to several songs. She felt as though she were floating. She felt him rest his cheek on the top of her head and she wished the music would never stop.

  “One more.” Matt smiled down at her. “And then we need to leave. I have to head for Colorado Springs early in the morning.”

  Amanda tried not to feel disappointed that the evening was about to end. An alto sax moaned out the music, the sound low and sexy, and a warm feeling filled her body, as he pulled her closer.

  Matt leaned to whisper something in her ear. She was startled.

  Had she heard him correctly? Had he said what she thought he had ?

  She couldn’t be sure, so she made no response. The song ended and she followed Matt off the floor. As they left the restaurant, he reached for her hand and wrapped his warm fingers tightly around hers as they strolled to his car.

  They were both quiet as they drove to Amanda’s house. But it was a comfortable silence. When they reached her house, Matt stepped out to walk her to the front door.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” Matt told her as they reached the door.

  “Please, do,” she said as she took out her keys.

  As she turned to thank him for the evening, he gathered her into his arms and lowered his lips to hers. She was shocked at her own eager response.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said again, as he ended the kiss.

  As she readied herself for bed, she mused over Matt’s murmured words on the dance floor. She wished she had heard more clearly. Perhaps, she should have asked him to repeat them.

  She hoped she had heard him correctly. The words seem to repeat over and over in her mind.

  This guy’s in love with you.

  Chapter 13

  Amanda mused over what she was sure Matt had said to her when they were dancing. Was it possible that someone could fall in love that fast? In only a matter of days?

  While she knew she was strongly attracted to him and there appeared to be a strong chemistry between them, she didn’t know if it was love. She had to admit she couldn’t recall ever feeling about someone the way she felt about Matt. Not even in the beginning of her relationship with Eric, her ex-husband.

  She loved his sense of humor, his consideration, and the way his eyes always lit up when he saw her. She couldn’t help but feel relieved that her parents liked him. Their opinion met a lot to her. She never again wanted to feel the estrangement with them she had felt when she was married to Eric.

  As she rode her bike to work, she continued to think about Matt. During the day, she had trouble thinking about anything else and she knew even after being together only a few times, she was going to miss him dreadfully while he was gone.

  She did manage to get Kathy Chambers called and was delighted to hear how excited she was to be coming into Creations For You as an artist. They set a time for Kathy to come in, sign the contract, and see her assigned space, which Amanda told her it would be in one of the jewelry cases.

  Amanda had lunch with Charlie at Paradise but she didn’t tell her what Matt had whispered in her ear and she wondered why. She had told her about everything else. But for some reason, she wanted to keep it to herself until she was sure.

  Charlie detected that Amanda was a little down and commented on it.

  “You’ll probably think I’m being silly,” Amanda said. “But Matt has gone to Colorado Springs for a few days and I’m missing him already.”

  “You’re in love.” Charlie couldn’t help but smile.

  “Oh really, Charlie. Don’t be ridiculous. I hardly know him.”

  Charlie merely raised her eyebrows as she took another bite of her salad.

  “I’m not sure how I feel about him,” Amanda said slowly, and then asked, ”Do you really think it can happen that fast?”

  “With some people it does. Haven’t you heard of love at first sight? With other people it takes longer, like it did with me. In the beginning, I had so much to work through with the bad feelings I had toward Sloan, it took me a little longer. And when it did, it was like a thunderbolt out of the blue. Remember the fashion show he and I took part in? It hit me as we were walking back up the ramp together.”

  Amanda smiled. She remembered talking to her friend when Sloan started pursuing Charlie and knew she had mixed feelings about him. At the time, she had thought Sloan had too much going against him for Charlie to ever fall in love with him. His reputation as a playboy. The fact that he had been her ex-husband’s attorney and had cost her the custody of her four-year-old son. The accident when her ex-husband was killed and her son was injured. But in spite of all that, they had fallen in love and were now happily married.

  When Amanda went back to her office after lunch, Matt called her to tell her he had arrived in Colorado Springs and had finished his first meeting. Now he was going into another one, so he had only a few minutes to talk.

  “I miss you,” he said before he hung up.

  “I’m glad,” she said, not wanting to admit how much she missed him.

  His call cheered her up somewhat. The day passed slowly and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was the way it was going to be the entire time Matt was in Colorado Springs. Disgusted at herself, she went out into the store and finding a few customers browsing, she decided to help out for a few minutes before going home.

  When she had finished with the last customer she went into her office before leaving for the day. Deciding she would listen to music on the way home, she pushed the ear buds into her ears, plugged the other end into her smartphone, and donned her helmet. As she passed through the store, she waved goodbye to the staff on duty
for the evening.

  It didn’t take long to reach the Creek Path. It was starting to get dusk. She hadn’t realized it was so late. But no worry. The Boulder Creek Killer was in jail.

  She had entered a short tunnel that went under one of the streets, when a man stepped out of the shadows. She slammed on her brakes.

  “That was a dangerous thing to do, stepping out like that,” she said as she dismounted from her bike.