Burnt (12 page)

“I wanted tonight to be perfect,” he explained.

“You’ve mastered that part. So far everything tastes awesome. And tonight, well I have a feeling it’ll get even better.”

She lifted her glass and they shared a silent toast as they clanged glasses together.

“It’s so quiet here. I can’t believe we went through the meal without interruptions of any kind,” She noticed, taking another drink.

She put down the glass and wiped her mouth.

“Care to dance?” he asked, standing up.

She stared at him as he walked around to meet her. “I thought you wanted to eat in a hurry for...other fun activities. Now you want to dance?”

Kevin laughed. “Just humor me.”

He reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. As another song started, he wrapped his arms around her and they swayed to the music.

“How could I not know what a great dancer you are, Kev?” she asked, surprised he had such rhythm and a classy flair.

“I guess we never had the pleasure,” was his simple response.

Tara nodded, laying her head on his shoulder. His hands clung to her lower back, keeping her close as his arms wrapped securely around her. She could feel a shallow breath escape his mouth when her hand stroked the nape of his neck. This was nice, just being wrapped up in his arms, but she wanted to get back upstairs and completely get lost in the night with him. Kevin had unleashed a wild sensual beast she didn’t know was trapped inside her. And now that it was out, it kept its needy grip on her. When the song ended, she broke the hold.

“Mr. Crawford,” she said seductively. “Will you do the honors of joining me in the shower?”

He raised his eyebrows at her, making her laugh out loud.

“I take that as a yes?” She asked, ready to start dragging him upstairs.

“Did you even have to ask?” He responded with a chuckle. He walked over and turned off the radio and then glanced at the dishes.

“I can get those tomorrow,” he announced through a wide grin.

He grabbed her hand and they headed upstairs. Clothes were shed from their bodies before they got to the bathroom. Neither of them could wait. Kevin’s lips were on her neck as she pulled back the shower curtain, feeling for the faucet.

“God, I need you,” he whispered in that deep yearning voice she had come to love.

She stepped in the shower and turned to face him. Kevin followed, pushing her gently up against the cold tile and pinning her to the ceramic wall. She moaned as his lips met hers, already aroused by his erection pressing against her.

“I need you too, Kevin,” she whispered, snaking her hand through his hair and pulling him closer.

She let her body take over her mind, allowing a leg to drift up and down his so he could enter her. There was no waiting. Her need had been building up since he kissed her at the door. The meal was more than enough foreplay. All she wanted was for Kevin to ride her to happiness. She ran her fingers from his hair, down to his shoulder blades, and then back up. His tongue danced with hers, enjoying the taste of sweetness.

Tara could feel him supporting her weight against the shower wall, so she wrapped both legs around his hips.

“Please come inside me,” she begged, not able to wait a moment longer.

“God, Tara,” Kevin answered, grasping her waist for leverage.

As he entered her opening, she let out a long sigh. She could feel every inch of him as he buried himself all the way to the root. The warm water rushed over them, muting her squeals of pleasure as his movements picked up a rhythmic speed. He began to tease her, pulling out all the way and then slowly entering, changing the pace as she moaned and begged for more.

“Fuck me hard, Kevin,” she screamed as he intensified each blow, moving in and out in swift motions.

The more fluid his movements became, the more Tara craved him. He lightly cupped her ass in his palms, lifting her up and letting gravity assist his assault on her wet channel. He pounded hard inside her, and she could tell by his animalistic groans that he could come any moment.

“Ugh...Oh. Fuck. Tara.” Kevin shouted, sending her body into a tormented shudder as she climaxed.

The orgasmic ripples inside her made Kevin want her more, giving him an extra jolt of intensity as his thrusts gained speed. She could barely think as her orgasm wracked her body. Her only sensation was how much she fit him like a glove, holding him tight inside of her as her stomach clenched when she came. Before she knew it, her arousal piqued again. Kevin’s quickened pace added to the equation, giving her a burst of need as he slammed deeper and faster.

Her back hit against the wall again and again, but she didn’t feel any pain. Her body was a flame of undulating, seemingly unending feral need.

“Yes...” she moaned.

It was her sensual mantra for him to know how much he satisfied her. Every thrust was now hitting the spot that made her tingle all the way to her toes.

“Don’t stop!” she screamed.

He crossed his hands behind her back and gripped onto her shoulders, burying his cock deeper, harder into her.

“Oh. Fuck...” she pled, wrapping her legs around him and bouncing in time with his thrusts. He continued to hold her in place, searching out her lips, and feverishly pounding her back against the shower wall.

“Ahhhh...” She came so hard she could cry.

As Kevin heard her he, knew she had come again and it put him over the edge. He held one hand against the wall and one arm was wrapped around her waist. “Ugh...ugh...oh God baby...” he moaned, releasing inside her.

His mouth latched on to her neck as he cradled her in place. Their bodies were weak now, but still connected as one. Tara’s raspy breathing was barely audible over the sound of the shower. She rested her head against his, all the energy drained from her body and mind. She relaxed as Kevin lowered her legs to the floor, but kept her pinned to the wall for support. His lips met hers as they tried to regroup. She could only imagine the night getting better. And it had only just begun.

“Let’s dry you off, okay,” he whispered. “You go relax in my room and I’ll put those dishes in the dishwasher and clean up a bit downstairs.

“Okay,” Tara answered. Her mind was still vacant.

“I’ll grab us the extra bottle of wine and two glasses,” he winked. “We’ll continue this celebration in my bedroom.”

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” she said slowly, feeling his hands roaming up and down her wet back.

He smiled. “I can’t imagine what we’d end up doing if I got you drunk. I love what just happened while you’re still sober. Not to worry, I’m just kidding. The wine will just add a nice, relaxing touch.”

“Sounds fun,” she said.

Kevin smiled, leaning forward and shutting off the water. He stepped out of the shower and offered his hand to help once she could move again. She stepped over the tub and stood in the middle of the bathroom. It felt heavenly, allowing him pamper her as he wrapped a towel around her and gently dried her off. He then wrapped another towel around his waist. She admired his ripped body, with muscles still glistening. She sighed. She wanted him all over again.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” he announced. “Don’t get lonely without me.”

She smiled. “I’ll try not to.”

After he left, Tara walked into the hallway and picked up the clothes that were strewn along the way. She threw them in the laundry hamper in his bedroom. A smile rose from her face as she thought of how sweet Kevin had been to offer her a dance after dinner. She was glad she didn’t rush upstairs so quickly as to miss out on such a tender moment. She collapsed on his bed waiting for him, and grabbed his remote to find something relaxing to watch on TV. The news was on the first channel she picked, showing a female news anchor doing another Breaking News story on the screen.

“No...No...” Tara whispered, covering her mouth.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked, walking back into the room. She pointed at the screen as the news anchor continued.

She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks as she turned to Kevin. His eyes met hers and he quickly put the glasses and bottle down. He plucked the remote from her and turned off the television so she wouldn’t have to be more upset. He sat on the edge of his bed and wrapped his arms around her.

“I can’t believe it,” she whimpered, shaking like a leaf. She didn’t want to leave the protection of Kevin’s arms.

“The police will find whoever is behind this,” he said, doing his best to reassure her.

She nodded, but the disbelief didn’t leave her heart. Bodies kept adding up and no suspects were identified. It was starting to look like this person would keep getting away with it. Her mind went back to the conversation she had with Amy. She wondered if her boyfriend had something to do with it. Amy hadn’t told her who her new boyfriend was.

***

K
evin held on to Tara’s hand as they walked into work the next day. He didn’t want her to have to deal with the tragedy alone, so he agreed to take Amy’s shift when their boss phoned. Working the shift would help Tara get through the day. The moment he pulled into the parking lot, he spotted the police cars at the entrance. He glanced at her.

“Are you sure you want to go to work today? It’s going to be difficult. No one would look down on you if you chose to stay home.”

She shook her head. “We’re all going through this. I want to be here.”

They opened their doors and headed up to the entrance. He saw her hesitate as he held the door open for her. They were unable to finish their romantic evening after hearing the news about Amy. All he could do was hold Tara and make sure she felt protected for the rest of the evening. Kevin hoped she would know deep down that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

They walked into the main entrance and immediately, several faces turned to them. Marge, one of their bosses, came over to speak to them before they could clock in.

“I’m sure you heard,” Marge said, glancing around the building.

Tara slowly nodded. “How could we not?”

She nervously looked toward the officers and Kevin could tell she was struggling to tell them something.

“What are they doing here?” Tara asked.

“They want to question everyone. They don’t have any leads and they’re hoping someone here can give them something to go on.” She looked pitifully at them.

“Don’t go far, they’ll be questioning everyone sometime this morning. We closed the office today, so don’t bother clocking in.”

Marge shot them a disheartening smile and then disappeared into the side office.

“Just tell the police officers everything you know,” Kevin said to her. Amy and Tara had talked earlier the previous day, because he remembered seeing them together. Tara didn’t mention what they discussed.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Hey...” Kevin said, turning her to face him. “You have nothing to be scared about. After all, you don’t know what happened. It will be fine. I promise you.”

She took a few deep breaths. She looked exhausted. He could tell she hadn’t slept.

“Kevin Crawford!” Came a booming voice from the end of the hall.

Kevin looked up when he heard his name. He shot a look back at Tara and gave her a smile, hoping it would put her mind at ease.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too” she said, squeezing his hand as he got up and walked away. Kevin needed to remember the words he said to Tara. Tell them what you know and let the officers do their job.

––––––––

K
evin sat on his hands. Whenever he was nervous he tended to talk freely with them. The two officers sat opposite him; one male and the other female.

“Thank you for giving us the time to speak with you today, Mr. Crawford,” the woman said.

“Call me Kevin...please,” he said, knowing his voice was already shaky.

“Kevin...” the female officer started. “I’m Officer Tina Jessup and this is my partner, Officer Roy Grayson. We just have a few questions to ask. We hope to make this as simple as we possibly can.”

He nodded, letting out a breath of air. “I’ll help you with whatever you need.”

“Great,” Officer Jessup said. “How well did you know the victim, Ms. Watters?”

“We didn’t know each other too well. We met when we were hired here at the petting zoo at around the same time. We’ve worked together for a few months.”

“Is it true you and Ms. Watters went on a date?” Officer Grayson asked.

He hadn’t really thought about it. It was only one time and he did it on a whim. He nodded. He was surprised they knew about it.

“It was so long ago and I don’t even know if it would qualify as a date,” he answered. “We did go out once and nothing became of it.”

“Were you ever going to tell us about it?” Officer Jessup asked heatedly.

Kevin hesitated. He had no idea when he would have had another opportunity to talk to them before this.

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, he said with hesitation. “I’m surprised you even know about it. I mean...”

“Were you trying to hide something from us?” she probed, staring intently at him.

He shook his head, wondering if they were playing some kind of good cop-bad cop routine, or if he had just entered the twilight zone.

“No...not at all. I’m sorry,” he offered. “It wasn’t relevant, I don’t think. But sure, I guess I should have told you.”

He sat back in his chair, suddenly flustered, and mostly dissatisfied by the way he was being treated. He wasn’t a criminal, but he felt like one already.

“We find out most facts, eventually. So, it would be best not to withhold any information,” the male officer pointed out.

Kevin nodded and looked down at the desk. “Duly noted.”