by J. L. Drake
His hands traveled up my behind and unzipped my skirt. I pulled back, my chest heaving as the lust burned through my veins. Then I smiled slightly as I stood and let my skirt drop to the floor, pooling at my ankles. His hands ran up the backs of my legs as he stood slowly; he towered over me. His nails raked up my back, up my neck, until his hands cupped my cheeks. He stared into my eyes a moment and then leaned in and gave me a closed-lip kiss.
One of his hands found mine, and he suddenly pulled away. He tugged on our entwined fingers and led me up the stairs to my room. My heart raced to keep up.
He kicked the door shut, one hand on the back of my head and the other hooked around my back, locking me to him as his kiss became intense. My fingers fumbled at his belt buckle and finally managed to undo it. He pulled off my shirt and tossed it on a chair. He turned the covers back and pushed me on the bed, then crawled over me as I shifted. His lean arm muscles flexed as he prowled toward me, his eyes locked with mine and held me in his gaze. “I’ve tried so hard not to touch you, but I can’t…”
“Good,” I whispered. I wanted this just as badly as he did. My body arched upward, to feel him. I ached with the need for contact. He bent down and kissed my stomach and up between my breasts to my bra strap. He pulled it down as his lips found my neck. Then he pulled the other strap down too. I sat up and undid the bra from the back, letting it spring forward.
Seth let out a small whimper as he tossed it out of his way. He gently palmed my breasts as if he had been waiting a lifetime to do this. His hands were hot, which made me that much more aroused. He shifted his weight onto one arm and removed my thong. Then he moved back up and nipped at my chin playfully.
I reached down for him, and my heart leapt. He was just as ready as I was. His eyes closed as my fingers wrapped around him, and a gasp left his lips. I knew this was going to be a tight squeeze. Christ, he might not be able to fit.
It was a good thing I was ready, because with one quick, shifting motion, he was inside me. I moaned as he filled me, my eyes growing wider as he pushed even further.
“You okay?” he asked softly. His voice was tense. I nodded, enjoying the sensations that were taking me over. I pushed against him. “Jesus, baby,” he moaned. He reached down, rubbing my breasts gently, and then stilled when he was all the way in. “I wanted to do this at the station the moment I saw you there today.”
“That can be arranged,” I smirked. He thrust a little, and my breathing hitched. The feeling was incredible. “I’m sure the guys would enjoy the show,” I teased when I found my voice again.
He glared down at me. “Never.” His voice was hard, but I could still hear a smile in it. “This…” his eyes ran down me, “this is for me, and I don’t share.” I loved his jealous side.
He shoved into me, back and forth, harder and harder. He leaned back, lifting my hips and changing the angle slightly. My fingers clawed at the sheets. He pushed on until I couldn’t take it anymore. My body gave in to one of the most mind-blowing orgasms I’d ever had. He joined me a few moments later, and called out my name as he filled me.
He leaned his forehead to mine and gave me a breathless smile. He kissed the tip of my nose before he rolled off to one side and broke our contact. We both panted hard. He leaned over and pulled the sheet over us with one hand, and my sensitive skin welcomed the cool cotton. He kissed my neck with a satisfied sigh. “You don’t understand how long I’ve wanted you,” he murmured.
My eyes met his. “Yes, I think I do.”
Chapter 5
I woke up to the sun shining brightly on the bed. Seth’s arm was wrapped around me, and I smiled, as I felt rested and nightmare-free. It was amazing how he chased the bad dreams away from me. I carefully moved off the bed and ran water for a shower, then hopped in and got cleaned up. I put a towel around me, walked over to my dresser, and slipped on some yoga shorts and a tank top. Then I grabbed my phone and headphones, and I found I had an extra spring in my step as I hurried downstairs. I found Garrett at the table, a cup of coffee in hand. He had just ended his call with his youngest brother Phillip.
“Morning,” he said. “Where are you going?”
I took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “I was going to go for a run.” He looked at me. I paused and let reality hit me. Crap!
“Travis is out there. I wasn’t going to be alone.”
Garrett laughed. “Emily, you don’t even know him.”
This sucks. “Fine.” I set my bottle on the counter and looked outside.
He handed me a cup of coffee. “You seemed to make quite the impression last night.”
“They all seemed like nice guys.”
Garrett nodded. “Yeah, they are. It was kinda fun watching Seth squirm.”
“Yes, it was.” I laughed then took a jump. “I saw the picture of us that he keeps in his bag.”
Garrett looked at his coffee cup. “Yeah, well, we’re his family.” I guessed he’d seen it too.
I shrugged, not sure if I should ask any questions. “Does he ever talk to you about his family?”
He cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable. I had obviously crossed the no-go area. “Not really. Just that his dad is a lawyer and they don’t see eye to eye on much. They try to avoid each other, other than when they have to. His mom and sister don’t live too far from here. He visits sometimes, but it’s hard on his mom that they all don’t get along. I know his mom is throwing a big party for his dad’s law firm in a bit, so I bet he’ll be in a fine mood about that.”
“Oh, joy,” I said, as my sympathy poured out for Garrett’s pain on that one. Seth was already so shut down about his personal life that I couldn’t imagine what he’d be like when his father was in town. I thought about all the times when Seth had been in an especially bad mood and wondered if his father had been in town on those days too. We sat in silence for a few moments.
***
“Lorie Marshall.” Professor Dean flashed a photo of a young girl wearing a white, torn dress. She was tied to a tree, slumped over, colorless. “At age twenty-two, she, like five other girls, was being stalked by the same man, Alexander White.” He switched the photo on the screen to that of a middle-aged man in a suit. “Lorie Marshall was the last of his victims, before he finally killed himself in his home. Some say he did it out of guilt. Others say he was just crazy. Let’s look at the facts and come up with our own conclusion.”
I felt like the walls were about to close in around me. My throat swelled shut and my hands went clammy. The professor began to disclose the details on where the man would watch the women and how he chose them. I zoned out for a few minutes and recalled my own attack and the events that led up to my being right here. Maybe taking this course was a bad idea.
“If only they could have caught him sooner. Sadly, ‘if’ is always the hardest word to swallow when stuff like this happens.” The professor’s words hit me hard. Before I knew what I was doing, I tossed my bag over my shoulder and headed down the steps to the door.
“Where’s the fire?” Professor Dean said, catching me off guard. I felt my face flush in front of sixty students.
“I’m sorry. I…I just remembered I had to be somewhere.” I was a terrible liar.
He looked at me, puzzled, but then nodded and went back to teaching.
I flagged down a cab. “Orange PD, please,” I said to the driver. I once again went over the hundred and one possibilities of things that this two-hundred-and-fifty-pound cabbie could do to me. I tried to concentrate on something else, anything else.
I looked out the window and tried to act normal, but I caught him looking at me in the rearview mirror. I forced a smile, nonchalantly reached for my cell, and hovered my thumb over Seth’s number. Oh Lord, Emily, get a grip. I rubbed my head with my free hand. I had never been this paranoid in my life; this had to stop.
When my heels hit the pavement and the station steps were in view, I found myself relaxed. I quickly made my way inside. Lou greeted me with a warm s
mile and checked me in. I was about to pin my ID badge on when I walked right into Davis’s open arms.
“Hey, Emily, how are you?”
“Oh! Hi, I-I’m okay.” I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans once he released me.
“You here to see Seth?”
I hated to lie to him, but I couldn’t risk Seth bombarding my plan—well, not until I pitched it, at least. Seth was going to flip when he found out what I was up to. I lowered my voice. “Yes, but first can you point me in the direction of the detective who’s working my case?”
Davis gave me a funny look. “That’s Detective Michaels. I’ll show you where he is.” I followed him back, keeping my head down and hoping no would call out my name. After a short walk past a few officers I didn’t recognize, we stopped at a gray door with the detective’s name written in black print over the window. The door had the OPD logo beneath it.
Davis knocked on his door and went in. “Detective, do you have a moment? There’s someone who would like to speak with you.”
I stepped forward and started to feel nervous all of a sudden “Hi, I’m Emily McPhee.” Wow, where did my voice go?
The detective looked surprised to see me. “Um…hi. Please come in.”
I turned to Davis. “Thank you.” He smiled, patting my arm, and closed the door behind him.
Michaels motioned for me to sit as he rose politely. “I have to say, Emily, I’m surprised to see you.”
I nodded and guessed I should hurry this conversation along before the guys found out I was there. I cleared my throat. “Um…about a week ago, I had a beach party at my house. When a friend and I went back up to the house to grab something, we heard a noise.”
He nodded, as he followed.
“Footsteps,” I continued. “I sent her back to find Seth and Garrett, and then I…uh…I went and checked it out.”
“By yourself?” he asked, wide-eyed.
“The guys showed up moments later and did a sweep of the house, but they couldn’t find anyone. But there was definitely someone in my room.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Why do you think that?”
“Because I think they took a pair of my panties.” I felt my face grow hot.
He took a moment, thinking. “Are you sure you didn’t misplace them? Maybe you forgot and put them in your laundry room?”
I really didn’t want to let him know where the creep took them from but I wanted to give as much information as possible. “No. I had just worn them the day before, and I tossed them in my usual spot in front of my dresser. Later I checked, and I noticed they were gone. I searched everywhere. They’re a distinctive color, Detective, hot pink with little black VS’s all over them. Hard to miss. I know it sounds crazy, but I really think someone took them.”
“Is it possible someone from your party took them, and maybe you heard something else that day? Being in your situation could make anyone hear things.”
“Huh.” I shook my head. “I knew this was stupid.” I bent down to pick up my bags.
“Please wait, I’m sorry. That was rude of me to imply that…But it’s my job to look at everything from all angles.”
I hesitated for a moment, and then let go of my bags and let them slump back down to the floor.
He ran his hand over his face, leaned back, and looked out his office window. “Do Connors and O’Brian know you’re here?”
I huffed. “No, not yet, but I’m guessing Davis will tell them.”
He thought for a moment.
I felt like this was my last chance at trying to help myself. I sat up straighter and planted my hands firmly on my lap. “Detective, the one thing you should know about me is I’ve been through a lot in my life, and I’m only twenty-two. I’ve been on my own since I was fourteen. I can handle a lot. I’m a fighter, and I want to get this guy before I’m found tied to a tree in the middle of the woods somewhere.” Here went nothing. “I was thinking that maybe I could contact him and get him to meet me somewhere. Then you guys could grab him.”
He looked at me, shocked again, as he leaned forward with a heavy thud. “You’re offering yourself up as bait?”
I nodded.
He laughed slightly. “Well, this is a first for me.” He tossed his pen up in the air, letting it hit and roll off a fan that sat on his desk.
I jumped at a knock.
“You’ve been found,” Michaels said dryly.
I stiffened as he waved for Seth to come in.
“Emily!” Seth came like a bullet into the office. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I said quietly.
Michaels shook his head. “You’ve got a brave one on your hands, Connors.”
Seth looked from me to him. “What do you mean?” I looked down. I knew he was about to blow. I felt like I was holding a ticking time bomb and it had about three seconds left on it.
“Please sit,” Michaels said. Seth cautiously sat next to me. Michaels folded his long fingers together on top of his desk. “Emily here wants to use herself as bait to lure out the guy who has been stalking her.”
I held my breath. Three…two…one.
Seth whipped his head over to look at me. “No! No way!” Boom. “She hasn’t had much sleep. She’s not thinking clearly. She—”
I put my unsteady hand on his leg. “Seth, it’s all right. I can do this.”
He shook his head. “This guy is too good. Look what he’s already done to you!” He appealed to Michaels. “Fuck, he’ll get her and then he’ll kill her!”
Michaels looked at me. “If he can get into your house and steal something from your room, Emily—”
“Wait! What? When?” Seth’s face was pale.
“Beach party,” I whispered. “He took my Victoria’s Secret panties.”
“Are you sure? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I think so. I was going to yesterday, but we…got sidetracked.”
Seth shot up so fast it was a blur. “I’m going to kill this—” He stopped to calm himself.
Michaels’s cell rang, and he answered it quickly. He probably welcomed the interruption. He stood up, excusing himself. I noticed he closed the door on the way out. Great, just me and one pissed-off Seth alone in an office.
Seth ran his hands through his hair. He turned to look at me. “Emily, please, you can’t do this.”
I moved to stand in front of him and kissed him softly. He didn’t kiss me back.
Oh please, Seth, why can’t you understand? I hated to see him hurt, and it pissed me off to know I was the one doing it.
“I can’t keep looking over my shoulder,” I tried to explain. “I’m always paranoid that he’ll be waiting for me. I will not end up six feet under. I need to do this.”
He stepped back out of my hold to put some distance between us.
“Okay, so where are we?” Michaels said as he came back in.
“I want to help catch this guy,” I said quietly.
Seth’s face was…indescribable. It made my heart ache. He muttered as he left the office.
***
Lasko
I sat in my car, watching Emily and Seth walk to theirs. Seth looked angry with her. Huh. She stopped and tossed her ID badge in a trash can. I reached over for my camera and snapped a few photos of them. I ran my free hand over my lip and squeezed my chin. “They never listen.”
***
Emily
I had dinner alone, and I felt a little lost. I went up to my room to get ready for tomorrow. I could hear the dumbbells clacking together, so I knew Seth was in his workout room with the door closed. I thought maybe he needed some time to process his anger, so I let him be. The one thing my mother did teach me was men needed time and space to get through their feelings. Unlike women, who needed to talk things through until we were blue in the face. Christ, men were frustrating!
I opened my bag, plugged in my laptop, and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. I lay across the foot of my bed and watched a little TV. The fan bl
ew a nice breeze as I tried to push the day’s events out of my mind.
My eyes popped open and I glanced at the clock. 3:30 a.m. I jumped when I heard it again. What was that? My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as I peeled myself off the bed. I looked out my door and quietly walked to Seth’s room. The door was open, but he wasn’t there.
I went into his closet and grabbed his bat. I headed down the stairs, my fingers flexing nervously on the rail. My eyes immediately focused on the front door. It was unlocked, and the security system was unarmed. I pulled the door open and stepped outside, hearing the roar of the ocean. My eyes caught sight of Seth on a patio chair in the front yard.
When I got closer, I saw a bunch of beer cans around him. I moved in front of him, still holding the bat, ready to swing. “Seth?” He looked up at me with heavy eyes. He was drunk. Seth didn’t get drunk. Buzzed, maybe, but never drunk. “What are you doing?”
He took another drink of his beer and then tossed it on the ground next to my feet. I’d never seen him act this way before.
I knelt carefully to avoid the cans. “Hey.” I kept my voice low as I placed my hand over his. “You wanna come to bed with me, baby?”
He leaned to his right and reached for another beer out of a cooler. He took his hand from under mine and cracked it open. I knew he was angry at me for not talking to him first.
“I didn’t mean to go behind your back to Michaels. I just think it’s my only option.”
His eyes flickered at me as he took a drink.
“Seth, please say something.” I felt tears prickle in my eyes. I was trying to hold it together, but he frightened me like this. He shifted his eyes and looked over my shoulder. “Okay,” I whispered, then stood.
He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. His eyes dropped to the ground before he cleared his throat. “I knew I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you.” His words slashed me like a belt breaking the surface of the skin. I looked down. He must have been able to tell by my face that I had passed my breaking point. I took a shaky step back and then turned on my heel.