“They all died in the explosion at Miltronics. But there’s Spalding. If word got out as to what your uncle has...” John’s gray eyes darkened to almost black, and his voice thickened and deepened with urgency. “The demand for it would be astronomical. We’re not only talking performance enhancement for professional sports or the Olympics. We’re talking warfare in our streets through organized crime or internationally by some crazed dictator or faction. It’s a lethal weapon in the wrong hands.”
“And my uncle happens to have this in his hands?”
“I’m not sure. I thought I destroyed everything before I left Boston, but I didn’t realize how closely I was being watched. Spalding might have had someone copy all my work. Then again, I’m hoping the fire destroyed the lab and everything in it, because Spalding’s dangerous. He can’t see past its profit potential—the perfect means to fund his research on immortality. He’s obsessed. More so since he learned a team in Scotland discovered the key gene that keeps embryonic stem cells in a state of immortality. He’s so fixated on prolonging life that he doesn’t care about the ramifications or the loss of life.”
“I think it has something to do with the death of his wife. I know he was never the same after.”
“Well, he’s unbalanced and dangerous.”
“But he’s just a man,” Katherine insisted, not knowing whether she was trying to convince John or herself. “Someone the both of us can pull down if we put our minds to it. It’s not like he has the same powers as you...”
John must have heard the question in her voice, because he shook his head. “Not at all.”
“Thank goodness. At least you’ve the advantage on that...” Katherine trailed to a halt, realizing John never thought of his powers as an advantage. “But what about you’re powers? Do you have them for the rest of your life or are they temporary?”
“I don’t know. We’d formulated the serum as a permanent enhancement.” He grimaced. “So far, I haven’t seen my strength or sight diminish. But I guess only time will really give me the answer on—”
Suddenly, unexpectedly, a loud and sharp bang from outside resounded through the walls of the townhouse and into Katherine’s small kitchen. Both of them jumped and stared across the table at each other.
Chapter 28
John rushed from the room, turning off the lights in his wake. Katherine quickly followed, but by the time she ran into the living room, he already stood by the front window. The drapes were pulled back and revealed a moonlit night.
“Do you see anything?”
Katherine’s whisper broke into the room’s eerie silence. She edged forward, but John raised an arm to stop her from moving closer to the window.
“Be careful,” John said in an equally hushed tone. “Someone might have their sights on this townhouse.”
She glanced out the window to the snow-covered front yard and the parking lot beyond. Even though the moon and streetlights illuminated many open places, too many shadows clung beneath the trees, by building corners and alongside parked cars. An intruder might easily hide in any one of them. They might even have a gun aimed at the house right this minute.
“The noise was a car backfiring. Completely harmless. But still. I don’t think— I’ve got this feeling. I’ll be right back.” He closed the drapes. “Don’t move. I want you inside and safe.”
“Oh, no you don’t—”
But Katherine stood talking to a closed front door—John having already disappeared into the night. Frustrated, Katherine grabbed a jacket and slipped out the front door after him.
As she stepped into the shadows alongside her townhouse, a shiver—more from fear than the cold air—raced up her body, and her breath fogged out in front of her. She peered into the dark night for signs of John. Nothing. Or for that matter—no one. The area seemed unnaturally quiet, unnaturally still.
Okay. She was not going to wimp out here. She hadn’t caved in yet to all the things thrown her way, and she wasn’t going to start now.
With a palm against the brick wall, she edged slowly, carefully along the building only to snag a pant leg on a bush. Swearing silently to herself, Katherine bent down and pulled the jean from a thorn. She rose. Suddenly, a huge, black shadow loomed in front of her. She gulped in a lungful of air to scream.
A hand clamped over her mouth.
“You know, this is becoming a habit I don’t like.”
At John’s baritone, Katherine’s body trembled wildly with relief. Before her legs gave out from under her, she grabbed the wall with one hand, and with the other, she yanked off John’s hand.
“Will you stop that!” She got the words out on a wobbly whisper. “Just because you can move super fast doesn’t mean you have to scare the daylights out of me. I wasn’t afraid until you jumped out at me like that,” she lied on the last.
“See? That’s the problem. On some things being fearless is fine, but on others, it can be damn dangerous. Katherine, we’re dealing with killers. Even though he’s your uncle, it doesn’t mean you’re safe.”
“I know that.” She glanced over the parking lot, the street and surrounding townhouses. Just the idea of having a family member willing to kill—never mind willing to murder his own flesh and blood—made her flesh crawl. “Did you find anything?”
“No. It must have been my imagination.”
“Better that than the reality of getting shot at again. I guess we need to be careful about everything we do,” Katherine hated to admit as she turned back the way she came and hit a leg against the same bush. This time the thing stabbed through her pant leg, bit into her skin, and wouldn’t let go. Muttering, she jerked her leg twice to get the blasted thing off her jeans before walking over to her front porch.
“Careful?” John asked from behind her. Disbelief dripped from the one word. “You weren’t acting careful two seconds ago, running over bushes and standing out so much so that even a myopic person could recognize you.”
Biting back a snappy retort, Katherine opened the front door to her townhouse and let John inside. She turned on the hall light, locked the door, put her jacket away in the nearby closet, and eyed his rugged good looks only a few feet away. He looked far too cool and controlled, which frustrated her that much more.
“Sorry you’re disappointed, but I’m not about to sit around and do nothing while you run off and save the day. I want to help. No. I need to help. Those are my kids at the shelter. I’m responsible for their well-being. And—and you can’t stop me.”
Katherine knew the last sounded childish, but at the same time, she meant every single word. No one was going to stand in the way of her protecting her kids.
“But I can try,” John argued. A flush stained his prominent cheekbones, while the stubborn thrust of his jaw looked suddenly darn right mulish. John didn’t look so coolly in control now. “I don’t want anyone near you unless I know they’re safe. One funny look from anyone—friend, family member, you name it—and they’re history. I’m not going to ask questions, and I don’t care if I break someone else’s arm. Yes, I’m sorry about Ethan, but I’m not going to take any risks when your welfare comes into play. You’re too important to me. Don’t you see? I can’t have anything happen to you. There’s no way I can handle—”
“It’s okay.” Katherine saw how truly upset he was and softened. “Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
She ran the tips of her fingers over the rough skin of his jaw and met the intensity in his gaze. He had beautiful gray eyes, filled with such strength and passion.
Yes, John made mistakes, some of which she knew he was deeply ashamed of, but what she found admirable was that he had every intention of making amends for those same mistakes.
Inching closer, Katherine trailed a thumb along his lower lip. She heard and felt his quick intake of breath and saw his eyes darken with a different passion, one of longing and desire. Her body instantly reacted with a need of her own.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” she
whispered, the sudden fear of moments ago stoked a craving for the feel of his lips on her own, and so much more.
Suddenly the expression in his eyes shifted and changed. The look of hunger dissolved into a dark gray, expressionless void. With sure, abrupt movements, he pushed her hand away and stepped back.
Katherine hitched her chin upward. Okay. That hurt. “You’re doing it again. Avoiding my touch.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Katherine snorted. “Don’t play dumb. Every time I lay a finger on you...” To prove her point, she reached over to place a hand on his chest, which he predictably dodged. “...you jump.”
“It’s your imagination.”
“Come off it. Don’t treat me like I’m stupid.” Then a new idea formed. And she hated it. “Are you married? Is that it?”
He laughed but the sound lacked any humor. “No. Never even came close. Work was my be-all and end-all. Real stupid when I think about it now.”
Relieved John didn’t have anyone waiting for him in another city or state, Katherine grabbed onto his sweater and tugged. When he didn’t budge, she dug her fingers deeper into the wool and edged closer. John didn’t say a word, but she felt the tension in the corded muscles of his chest, sensed it in the way he held his body, and saw it in the ridged cast of his jaw.
“Was the sex between us that bad?”
Katherine didn’t know how she managed to voice the question when she absolutely loathed the possible answer.
John closed his eyes briefly as if the question hurt. This time when he looked down at her, he didn’t shield the expression in his eyes. Anguish, stark and vivid, lay exposed for her to read. Katherine’s hold on his sweater tightened. She swallowed, the pressure against her chest almost unbearable.
“Don’t ever think that.” He lifted a hand as if to touch her face but dropped it back to his side. “I can’t get over this fear of hurting you. One wrong move on my part and I can cause you irreparable damage. I can’t risk that.”
Katherine exhaled. Until now, she never realized how crushed she’d be by John’s rejection. Because in all honesty, she hadn’t been asking about their sexual compatibility; she’d been thinking beyond the physical act to a far deeper emotional tie.
John still avoided her touch for fear of physically hurting her. Which was so like John. And why she loved every blessed facet of him.
She seized his hand and rubbed his knuckles against her cheek. “I thought you understood these fears of yours are groundless and pure conjecture.” She opened his hand and placed a light kiss on his palm. “We made love the other night, and in the heat of passion you lost control—we both did—and you didn’t hurt me. That surely says something.”
Katherine let go of his hand and rose on her toes to cup his face in both of her palms. She brushed her lips over his unmoving mouth again and again, urging a response from him. She felt his body shudder before his lips parted on a sigh.
“Don’t,” John whispered against her mouth as he rubbed a thumb along the line of her jaw. “I can’t think when you—”
“Then don’t think.”
Katherine eased back on her heels and searched his face. The look of longing and mind-shattering hunger in his eyes gave her the courage to take his hand and urge it lower, over her neck and collar bone. The heat of his palm, fingers splayed, burned through the fabric of her blouse. Awareness flamed across her skin, her breasts, her belly, while her breathing turned shallow and ragged.
Her gaze locked with John’s, she continued to slowly, ever so slowly lower his palm until she pressed his hand against her breast. “I won’t break. You can touch me.”
Katherine heard his quick intake of breath while his hand shook beneath her own. At the feel of his fingers, strong and masculine, cupping her breast, she felt equally rattled. Her legs barely managed to keep her upright, while desire, almost painful in its intensity, clenched at her belly.
She watched John’s pupils dilate yet further as he rubbed a thumb over the tip of her breast and lowered his head until their lips were mere centimeters from touching.
“Do something, John.” Her lips grazed his as their breath merged into one deep sigh of anticipation and hunger. “Do something, before I go stark raving mad. That, or use every trick I can think of to get you in my bed—naked.”
~~*~~
Stunned, he looked down at Katherine. Her words sent his blood roaring and evoked the wild image of her naked, astride his hips and riding him mercilessly. But it was the passion and love in her large, brown eyes that did him in.
With his memory restored, John understood why he found Katherine’s face familiar. While asking questions at the shelter and aiding Luke’s escape, he’d spotted her numerous times—always from a distance. But because of his inordinate sight, he’d caught and captured her features and found himself mesmerized by her beauty. The flawless skin, the huge brown eyes, the inner warmth, and energy that radiated from her every movement. He’d wanted to walk up to her, capture her attention...touch her.
The urge to touch her had only intensified after coming to know and love her. He’d tried hard to keep his hands off her, but now John didn’t care. Not when Katherine pulled his head down and nipped gently on his lower lip, not when she arched against him and pushed her breast deeper into his palm, not when her feminine scent wrapped around him and—
Katherine’s fingers burned through the fabric of his jeans as she pressed a hand against his erection.
“Jesus!”
He jerked against her palm. Swallowing, John closed his eyes while sweat formed on his brow. He grappled for control. But by sliding both of her hands under his sweater to explore his stomach, his chest, she sure as hell wasn’t making it easier.
Okay. Enough. He needed to focus. Slow and gentle. Calm but with purpose. If he got rough, he was liable to hurt her. Plus, he wasn’t that big of an ass. Katherine deserved better than a quick fuck.
Ever so gently, he kissed her upturned mouth, skimmed lightly over her full lower lip and the delicate line of her jaw. He glided a finger along her hairline, from her temple to her ear, and followed the same path with his mouth. He loved how she shivered in his arms as he nibbled her lobe and ran his tongue along its outer curve. Conscious of the power in his hands, he trailed them over the indentation of her spine, the curve along the small of her back. John found himself returning to the petal softness of her mouth, unable to keep away from the taste and feel of those luscious lips.
Abruptly, Katherine turned her head aside, and he kissed her cheek instead.
“Stop it!”
John lurched backward. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
“Of course not!” Katherine looked completely frustrated.
John straightened. “Then what’s wrong?”
“You’re holding back and treating me like glass. I told you I won’t break. Do you know how completely frustrating that is sexually?” She bit her lip. “Sorry. I’m just— It’s just that I want you so much.”
Suddenly she stepped back, unbuttoned her blouse and shrugged out of the sleeves until the garment dropped to the floor. The hall light illuminated skin so silken, so beautiful. Her perfectly sized breasts, covered in a little lacy, red bra, begged for his touch.
“I know exactly what to do so you won’t worry about being too rough.”
“And what’s that?”
Katherine gave him a seductive little smile, which sent his blood pounding that much more. “Now that’s something I’ll have to show you.”
She turned around, fiddled with her bra and tossed it behind her shoulder. Catching it in midair, he watched the sway of her hips and butt in her tight jeans and followed her into her bedroom. She disappeared into the adjoining bathroom and reappeared with several condom packages in her hands. With a smile more wicked than the last, she fanned them in the air and tossed them on the bed.
While John pulled off his sweater, she slipped into her walk-in closet and two seconds later ca
me out with a belt in each hand. He stopped abruptly and took in her lithe frame. There was something mind-blowing about a woman in tight, faded jeans, with a mane of long tousled hair and naked from the waist up.
She ran a hand along the length of one thick, black belt. “It’s really simple. We’ll tie you up.”
Chapter 29
Katherine saw John swallow. She’d shocked him. Actually, she’d shocked herself. But the idea was perfect.
John raised a brow. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, I beg to differ.” She gave him a confident smile. “I think it’s a perfect idea. You can’t get very physical this way. If you struggle to get loose, you’re forewarned.”
“Then you’ll be the one with all the power.”
“But I’ll be gentle.”
He chucked his pants and underwear and tossed them on the floor with her bra and his sweater. “Is that a promise?”
When he straightened and she got an eyeful of his hard, naked body, Katherine lost her smile along with her ability to think of a coherent reply. To her dismay, she realized John was actually the one with all the control.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered, sounding as hungry as he looked.
Growling deep in his throat, John caught her up in his arms and kissed her, deeply, slowly. By the time he drew away, she was panting. Next, he unsnapped her jeans and peeled them from her hips, thighs and legs. As she bent down to help him get them off from around her ankles, he ran a hand over butt, then trailed his fingers lower to dip between her legs.
Oh, God.
Someone groaned. Then Katherine realized it was herself as John dropped to his knees and nudged her legs apart. He ran both thumbs along the seams of her legs, and then brushed the crotch of her panties to one side to play with her clitoris. Katherine latched onto his shoulders with both hands.
Duplicity--A Tale of Murder, Mystery and Romance Page 23