Feel the Heat (13 page)

“It probably would have been a better idea if we’d done this separately,” she laughed as Troy slid his soapy hands over her body. But she was nervous about meeting Mia Romeo, and Troy was certainly doing his best to distract her.

“You know what they say.” His deep voice rumbled in her ear. “Save water, shower with a friend.”

“So this is strictly an environmental thing?” She clung to his shoulders as his lathered hands moved effortlessly over her skin and down to cup her ass.

“Not quite.” He nipped the lobe of one ear. “It gives me another chance to get my hands on you everywhere.” His tongue traced a soft line around the shell of her ear. “And I mean everywhere.”

He slid his fingers into the crevice between the globes of her buttocks. When he touched the puckered rim of her anus, a delicious shiver skated over Lauren’s soap-slicked skin and she tightened her muscles around him.

“Like that, sugar?”

The deep tenor of his voice rumbled through her. She nodded, clutching his shoulders to keep her balance.

“Anyone ever take you here, Lauren? Ever slip his cock into this hot, dark tunnel?”

She shook her head.

“Good. I want to be the only one.” He pressed the tip of one finger against the opening, just breaching it, before he moved his hands away and turned her around.

She looked down and saw that his cock was definitely standing at attention, the head a dark plum. Almost automatically she reached for it, closed her fingers around it and stroked slowly up and down. She heard the hiss of his indrawn breath, saw the tightening of the muscles in his body.

“You’re playing with fire here, sugar,” he warned.

“Maybe I’m finding out I like the danger of fire.” She tightened her hold on him just a fraction. Lust whipped through her at the sound of his groan.

“You sure you want to get burned?” His hands had come up to cradle her face, tilt it up to him so he could look in her eyes.

“I think I can handle it.” Was that really her talking? What happened to her firm resolution not to get involved again? To avoid all those pitfalls?

Troy Arsenault is what happened. Please don’t let me be making another huge mistake.

The thing was, he wasn’t handing her a polished line. There was definitely something that exploded between them, hot and instantaneous. Like him, she couldn’t turn away from it. And also like him, she wanted to see where they could take it.

And right now where she wanted to take it was to bring him to a climax right here in her shower. In her hand, so she could feel the warm semen spilling over it.

Gaze locked with his, she increased the pace of her strokes, now and then rubbing her finger on the wet velvety head. He flexed beneath her touch, bracing himself against the wall with his hands on either side of her head. When she slipped her other hand between his thighs to cup his balls, squeezing them gently, he rocked his hips into her touch.

She felt power, a new and unusual sensation for her as far as sex was concerned, and it thrilled her. She worked him harder and faster, her gaze still never leaving his. The ropy vein that lay on the underside of his shaft pulsed with blood. Lauren knew when he was getting closer, saw the muscles in his body tense even more, felt his shaft swell incredibly in her grip.

And then he was over, his eyes closed tightly, her name rising roughly from his throat. He jerked in her hand once, twice, as the thick, warm liquid spilled from him. Then he was still, drawing in deep breaths, trying to steady himself.

When she lifted her hand and slowly licked his cum from her skin with slow sweeps of her tongue, his eyes darkened. His fingers threaded through the wet strands of her hair.

“Your turn.”

And that thick coil of lust swirled through her body again.

Jesus!

She just did it to him.
Really
did it to him.

The last thing he’d expected when he told the Hallorans he’d help their friend was this explosive sexual chemistry with a woman who was so far from his usual type. Lauren Cahill was earthy but with an ethereal quality about her. He suspected it came from the psychic gifts that had been passed on to her.

The first time they’d made love—even someone who’d become as jaded as he was knew the difference between having sex and making love—he’d realized this could be something very special. Every hour they spent together, despite the stress and anguish, reinforced that feeling.

He knew the force of what they had scared her. Life hadn’t handed her the best of experience. It thrilled him to see her take the lead, be bold. Want to give him pleasure.

And now he was going to return the favor.

Capturing her breasts in his palms, he rasped his thumbs over the hard, pebbled tips, loving her sudden intake of breath and the way her teeth bit down on her full lower lip. Bending his head, he traced the outline of her mouth with his tongue and when she opened for him thrust his tongue deep inside.

Holy shit, she tasted good. She still had traces of his liquid on her tongue mingled with her own unique spicy flavor. He drank her in, sucked her tongue into his mouth, his hands squeezing her breasts.

When she tried to scrape her fingernails over his nipples, he captured both her wrists in one hand and held them over her head against the tiled shower wall. That left his other hand free to roam her body, sliding over all those sexy hollows and dips and curves. He cupped her pussy with his hand, her curls wet against his palm, her inner lips slippery with the water from the shower, the lather he’d scooped from her body and her natural liquid.

He found the tight knot of her clitoris and pressed the tip of one finger against it, teasing it, feeling it swell beneath his touch. Troy was glad she’d worked him to his release before, or he wasn’t sure he could take the time he needed for what he was doing. Usually just touching her made him instantly hard. He worked her clit, pinching it lightly between thumb and forefinger before sliding his fingers lower and into her pussy.

Her inner muscles tightened around him and her body stiffened. He still had her mouth captured with his, his tongue dueling with hers. As he added a third finger he used his leg to move her thighs farther apart. The delicious little groans of pleasure she emitted thrilled him.

She arched to him, rocking her hips. Knowing she was close, he moved his fingers faster and faster, his thumb working her clit, until…there! She was there, her pussy muscles contracting hard against his fingers, her body shuddering with the force of her climax. His mouth never left hers as spasm after spasm wracked her. Finally she stilled, limp, his body and his grip on her wrists the only things holding her up.

He lifted his lips away from hers and eased his fingers from her body. Releasing her wrists, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his body, murmuring softly in her ear as the shower continued to rain down on them.

“This showering with a friend thing is a pretty good idea.” She gave a shaky little laugh. “We’ll have to try it again.”

Troy moved one hand to tilt her face up to him. “Count on it.”

She let out a huge sigh. “But now I guess we’d better get out of here before we use up all the water. And get dressed before your friends show up.”

He chuckled. “Spoilsport.”

He made sure all the soap was rinsed from both of them, turned off the shower and grabbed the two big towels he had waiting. They were both still a little shaky but managed to get their clothes on. Lauren brushed her hair back and gathered it in a clip then added the minimal makeup she wore. He watched her fasten gold hoops in her ears, then turn for his inspection.

“Well?” She did a little twirl. “Think I’ll pass inspection for your friends?”

“Sugar, you’ll pass it for anyone. You look great.” He took her hands in his. “You’ve already met Dan, and Mia’s a real sweetheart. They’re just ordinary people like you and me.”

Another shaky laugh. “Troy, there’s nothing ordinary about you. Or your partners.”

“Sure there is.” He kissed her lightly. “You’re the extraordinary one. Now come on. Let’s go downstairs and make some coffee. I’m sure we’ll all need it.”

* * * * *

The Cleaner opened his eyes, sat up and rubbed his face. Exhaustion had finally claimed him and for a few blessed hours he’d slept and been free of the headache. But now, as soon as he was able to focus, it began to creep up on him again.

It was that damned she-devil. Apparently he didn’t even have to be anywhere near her to feel the effects of her black magic. He was sure she’d sent some kind of spell his way to drive him insane with pain.

But he wouldn’t let her win. He’d get to erase her existence. That was his endgame. Then she couldn’t ever damage another family again. He just had to figure out how. He’d stopped sending the letters awhile ago. Each time she stopped he was sure she was through practicing her black arts. But then she’d taken another so-called patient, so he began calling her. He was sure when she heard his voice and what he had to say she’d finally stop. He could say more, let her know he saw what was directly in her black heart.

But then she’d taken this latest patient, and now he didn’t even have that tool anymore. The bastard who was in her house had stopped her from answering her phone. So the only thing left for him was to confront her in person. And that would be tricky. She had that guy in her house and another car parked down the street. Oh they thought they’d been so slick but he’d spotted it on one of his drive-bys.

He had to be careful with those too. Didn’t want to show up too often and call attention to himself, even though it seemed half the world passed by, stopping to stare at the house with avid curiosity. He’d taken the time to drive around the block and scoped out the scene from all sides. Her house had a big yard in the back but it wasn’t fenced, so easy access. He was sure by now she had a security system but he’d spent a lot of time—of which he had an abundance—studying even the most sophisticated and learned there were ways to fool them electronically.

He obviously would have to wait for the latest media crowd to finally dwindle to nothing. Then he could make his move.

In the meantime, he just wished he could get rid of the fucking headache.

* * * * *

The opening notes of
War Machine
sounded on Troy’s cell and he pulled it out of his pocket. Lauren watched him as he listened, spoke briefly then disconnected.

“Mia and Dan,” he explained. “They’re five minutes out. I‘m going to turn off the front sensors just long enough to get them inside.”

A few minutes later the doorbell rang and Dan and Mia slipped easily inside.

Lauren stared with curiosity at the woman Dan Romeo had married. They seemed such a physical contrast, the tall, dark, muscular man and the petite woman with her brown hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. The woman stepped forward immediately, hand extended.

“Hi. I’m Mia Romeo. Thanks for letting us barge in.”

Her smile was warm and genuine as was her handshake. The moment their hands touched Lauren felt herself relax. She’d been told often enough by Nonnie that people with psychic abilities often had instant recognition with others. It had been that way with her and Faith. Now she sensed it with Mia.

“No barging indicated,” she told the other woman. “I’m actually grateful that you think you might help. I’d like to be able to get rid of at least one part of this nightmare. Come on into the kitchen. I made fresh coffee.”

When they were seated at the kitchen table, Mia took a sip of her coffee and leaned back in her chair.

“I imagine all this is a nightmare for you, Lauren. I had a similar situation myself when I met Dan and the Carpenter Techtronics case blew up in our faces. I’m fortunate that mine didn’t become a regular occurrence, and I completely sympathize with you.”

“Usually it’s not as bad as this,” Lauren told her. “And after a couple of days, the media disappears. For some reason this time the crowd is at least four times larger than usual and not about to go away.”

“I did notice they’ve dwindled down to a determined few,” Dan told them. “I’d say by tomorrow they might even be gone. A new week, new assignments.”

“Lord, I hope so.”

“But even when they’re gone,” Troy put in, “the other problem still remains. I listen to the calls every night so I can pull off the messages for Lauren that she needs and get a feel for where this guy is. I’m telling you, he’s escalating. His messages are getting angrier and more vicious.”

Dan nodded. “It won’t be too long before he decides he needs to confront you, Lauren. That’s why even when the media’s gone, we’re keeping the security in place.”

“Including me,” Troy told her. He took her free hand and laced his fingers through hers. “I’m here for the duration.”

Lauren wished she knew exactly what “the duration” meant and she felt her cheeks heat when she saw Mia and Dan exchange glances.

Mia cleared her throat. “In any event, I told Dan I’d like to help identify this guy, if possible. I’m not promising anything but I’ll give it a shot.”

“Troy explained a little bit of your abilities to me. And I’ve tried to learn about different psi abilities other than my own. Just to kind of get a feel for the whole environment.”

“Then you know I see things in bits and pieces and often have to interpret them. With Chase Carpenter’s gizmo, we were looking for the place where it might be hidden. I got images of a boat, blocks with numbers on them and something that identified the marina. I wish I could control it better, but I work with what I have.”

“So what can I do to give you whatever you need in my situation?”

“Tell me all about your stalker.” Mia took another sip of coffee. “When he first started, how long this has been going on. How he contacts you. And Troy? I’ll want to hear some of those calls.”

Lauren watched Troy and Dan exchange a glance.

“I know those calls aren’t pleasant,” she said. “Haven’t I heard enough of them? But if it gives Mia a sense of this guy, enough that precognitive abilities can latch on to something, we need to do it.”