Healing Her Spirit (Serenity Springs Book 2) (6 page)

As Clint gazed down at her face, so full of not only need, but also nervousness, he knew he had to go slow.  This was about more than just a quick fuck.  This was about showing the woman in front of him how much she really meant to him.  That even after everything they had been through, he still wanted to be with her, and only her. 

Placing a soft kiss on her lips, Clint rose and held out his hand to her.  Silently, she took it and they made their way back to his bedroom.  Shutting the door behind them, he stopped by the large king-sized bed and turned Lacey to face him.  Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he closed the distance between their mouths, licking gently at her lips until she opened for him.  God, he loved the way she tasted. 

Groaning softly, he leaned back and slowly undid the buttons of her shirt.  Sliding it off over her shoulders, he bared more of her soft skin to his hungry gaze.  Her breasts were covered in a light pink bra with white lace.  He could just barely see her dark nipples through the thin material.  Placing his lips by her ear, he nipped lightly and then licked and nibbled his way down her neck and over her shoulder, then down lower still.  Stopping just above the curve of her breast, Clint undid the front clasp of her bra and let it fall open, baring her to him.  Cupping one small, perfect globe in his hand, he licked the nipple and then sucked it gently into his mouth.  He grinned when Lacey cried out, panting softly.  “Clint, please,” she moaned softly.

“Please what?” he whispered as he moved over to the next breast, nipping the nipple with his teeth and then licking it.

“I…I don’t know,” Lacey gasped as she arched into his mouth.  “That feels so good,” she moaned as she grasped his head in her hands and held him to her.  “I didn’t know it could feel like this.”

Clint grinned as he knelt down in front of her.  Undoing the button on her jeans, he slowly slid them over her hips and down her smooth legs.  Lifting first one foot and then the other, he removed them before bringing his attention back to the pink silk panties in front of him.  Hooking his fingers into the waistband, he glanced up at Lacey as he eased them down and off.  Lacey’s eyes were wide open and he was suddenly struck by the innocence in them.  Recalling her words just moments before, he asked softly, “Are you okay, Lace?”  She had obviously had sex before.  She had a son.  But looking at her now, the mixture of awe and fear on her face had him guiding her backwards to sit on his bed.  “Talk to me, Lacey,” he ordered softly.  “What’s going on?”

Shrugging, Lacey glanced down in embarrassment.  “I’m just not sure what to do,” she admitted.  “I want this, I want you.  But you have to tell me what to do.”

His eyes narrowing, Clint asked, “Lacey, what are you saying?”

“I’ve only been with one man, and just that one time,” Lacey whispered.  “It hurt, but when I tried to tell him to stop, he wouldn’t.”

That son of a bitch, Clint thought as his hands clutched the bedspread on either side of her hips.  He would fucking kill him if he ever saw him.  “I would never hurt you,” he promised her as he leaned in and gently kissed her lips.  “You never have to worry about that with me.  If you want me to stop, I’ll stop.”

“No,” Lacey protested, shaking her head adamantly.  “I don’t want you to stop.  I know you would never hurt me if you can help it.   I just need you to tell me what to do.”

Clint’s eyes softened as he stroked a loving hand down Lacey’s arm.  “How about I show you instead?” he whispered.  Leaning in, he took her mouth in a gentle kiss, catching the sigh she let loose.  Taking his time, Clint mapped her mouth with his tongue as he slowly eased her back on the bed.  Soon she was laying with her head on the pillows and he leaned back to gaze down her body.  She was so fucking beautiful.  He gently glided his hand down her side, reveling in the feel of her soft skin.  Lacey shivered and let out a low moan.  Sliding his hand over her hip, he slid it down the outside of her leg and then slowly up the inside.  Leaning down, he took her breast in his mouth as his fingers came closer and closer to where he really wanted to be.  Lacey cried out when he slipped a finger over her wet lips and then pushed one inside her heat.  Trailing kisses down her belly, he groaned in pleasure when his rock hard cock rubbed against her leg.  Perspiration beaded on his forehead as he slid another finger inside where he desperately wanted to sink his straining cock.

Hovering over the top of her, Clint looked up into Lacey’s eyes.  They were clouded over with passion and excitement, and she lifted her hips, arching up towards him in anticipation.  Chuckling, Clint lowered his mouth and flicked his tongue over her clit, smiling in satisfaction as she screamed his name.  Moving his fingers in and out of her tight sheath, he sucked on her clit before moving his tongue over it quickly.  Lacey screamed his name as she came hard.

Unable to wait any longer, Clint stood and quickly removed his jeans and briefs.  Lacey’s eyes widened when she took in his length, and Clint laughed.  Reaching down, Clint encircled his cock in his hand.  As he stroked himself slowly, Lacey’s eyes narrowed and she licked her lips.  “Oh no, you don’t,” Clint said as he crawled onto the bed and up her body.  “If you touch me with those lips I’m not going to make it.”  When she would have protested, he shook his head.  “I have waited a long time to be inside of you, Lacey Donovan.  I’m not going to come like a school boy before I get there.” Leaning over her, he opened the bedside table and grabbed a condom.  When she raised her eyebrows, he grinned, “Wishful thinking on my part,” he admitted as he tore open the wrapper and slid the condom into place.

Once again covering her body, he groaned when she wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him into her.  “Shit, Lacey,” he rasped, “I’m not going to last long.”

“Good,” Lacey whispered.  “This is for you, Clint.”  As he stared into her eyes, Clint slowly started to move, trying to hold back.  He didn’t want to do anything to remind her of the asshole she had been with before.  He wanted to make this night special; one she would never forget. 

“You’re so fucking tight, Lace,” he groaned as he finally eased all of the way inside of her.  Clint rested his head in the curve of her neck as he fought for control.  This was going to be over before it even started if he wasn’t careful.

“Please,” Lacey begged as she arched her hips into his. “Move, Clint.  I need more.”

Clint couldn’t hold back any longer.  Bracing himself on his elbows, he began to move inside of her.  He tried to keep it slow, but there was just no way.  Clutching strands of hair in his hands, he picked up the pace and pushed harder and faster.  Knowing he was close, he let go of her hair with one hand and reached between them.  Rubbing her clit with his thumb, he watched her eyes grow big and he yelled his own release as she screamed his name on hers.

After several moments, Clint smiled as he stood and went to the bathroom to get something to clean the both of them up with.  When he was done, he lowered himself to the bed beside her and pulled the comforter over them.  Clint gathered Lacey in his arms and held her close. It had been days since he’d been able to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time, and all of the sudden he could feel it catching up with him.  Sighing in contentment, he nuzzled her cheek as he whispered softly, “Love you, Lace,” before drifting off to sleep.

Lacey watched Clint sleep, his declaration ringing in her ears.  Even after everything she had done to this man, he still loved her.  She had done nothing to deserve his love, but she wanted it.  Kissing him on the chin, she smiled when he started to snore softly.  “I love you too, Clint,” she whispered as she ran a hand over his short hair.

Lacey sighed deeply when she heard her phone vibrating loudly from the pocket of her jeans that were lying somewhere on the floor.  All she wanted to do was snuggle in Clint’s arms all day and forget about the outside world and all of her problems.  Unfortunately, that was not going to be an option.  When her phone buzzed again, Lacey reluctantly slid out from under the covers and off the bed to find it.  Fishing it out of her pocket, she saw she had missed a call from Katy.  Before she could call her back, a text appeared telling her to meet Katy at the police station as soon as possible.  Dread filling her chest, Lacey quickly got dressed and fixed her hair.  Clint was still sleeping, so she left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.  As soon as she was in her car, she tried to call Katy back, but there was no answer.

Somehow, Lacey knew another body had been found.  Her suspicions were confirmed the minute she walked into the police station and saw Creed in a heated discussion with the town mayor.  Clayton stood in front of Creed, his hands on his hips, a scowl on his face.  “You need to catch this fucking lunatic now, Creed.  We can’t have a killer on the loose in our town.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Creed snarled as he got in the mayor’s face.  “I’m trying Clay, but when the bastard leaves no clues, there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.”

“The council is getting upset, Creed.  I don’t know how much longer I can hold them off,” Clay said quietly.

Shaking his head in disgust, Creed replied lowly, “I have interviews with two people next month, until then, I have already deputized Ryder.  Now, if you don’t mind, Mr. Mayor, I have a killer to hunt down.”  Turning to Lacey, Creed said, “Lacey, I’m riding with you this time.  Everyone else is already at the scene.” Ignoring Clay, Creed walked out of the police station, Lacey following closely behind him. 

“Where are we going?” Lacey asked quietly after she got in her van.  Who had the killer gotten to now?

“A house out in the country.  Wesley Wallace’s niece.”  Throwing his Stetson on the dash, Creed said, “Her mother stopped by this morning to visit and drop off some flowers.  She found Lela tied to her bed, her body cut into pieces.”  Slamming a fist into the dash, Creed growled, “I have to find this bastard before he hurts someone else.”

“How did the mayor and city council know about this already if you haven’t even been out to the crime scene?” Lacey asked in confusion as she turned onto the rock road that would take them to Lela’s house.  Lacey had driven by it on her way to the Caldwell ranch just this morning.  

“Because Lela’s mother called Wesley, who called not only the council but also the fucking press before anyone bothered to call the police.  They were all out here before our deputies showed up thirty minutes ago.”  Glancing over at her, he said, “If you had shown up to work today, you would have known all of this already.”

Lacey chose not to respond as she caught sight of the circus up ahead.  The road was lined with news crews and gawkers, several which looked in their direction as she drove past and turned into the driveway.  The van had barely rolled to a stop before Creed was sliding his Stetson back on and getting out.  “Do you need help carrying anything?” he asked.  When she shook her head, he slammed the door shut and quickly made his way across the lawn to talk to Jace and Cody who stood at the bottom of the front porch steps.

Ignoring the stares aimed in her direction, along with the reporters and their cameras, Lacey opened the back of her van and pulled out her coroner’s case.  Wondering why the hell she had decided to become a coroner in the first place, she stalked across the lawn, up the steps, and into the old house.  Katy and Ryan stood at the bottom of the stairs just inside the entryway, somber expressions on their faces.  Gulping, Ryan said, “I think I will wait down here while you do your preliminary exam, if that’s okay, Lacey?” 

“That’s fine,” Lacey replied as she started up the stairs.  “I’ll holler when I am ready for you.”

“I’m coming with you,” Creed said as he entered the front door.  “Jace said as far as he can tell, no one has been in the house besides the mother.  Somehow I don’t believe that with as many people who knew about the situation before they even bothered to contact the law.”

“I’m sure there will be a YouTube video up soon, if it isn’t already,” Katy said sarcastically as she followed them up the stairs.  “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with people these days.”

Lacey agreed silently as she entered Lela’s bedroom.  Seeing the mutilated body on the bed, she was glad she hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning.  Now she understood why Ryan refused to come back into the room.  “This is much different than the last scene,” she said as she moved closer to the bed.  Sitting down her case, Lacey opened it and slipped on a pair of latex gloves.  “He was very angry for some reason this time.  With Sherry, his incisions were small and precise, making me think he has some kind of medical background.  It was planned.  This,” she said motioning toward what was left of Lela, “this was definitely not planned.”

“It happened last night,” Katy told her as she moved up next to the bed.  “She talked to her Mom around 8 and was fine then.  So sometime between 8 last night and 9 this morning, when her mother showed up, he got to her.”

“We are assuming it is the same person,” Jace said from the doorway.  “Why do we automatically think that when the two deaths are so different?  What do they have in common?”

“Both young women, in their twenties,” Creed said as his gaze wandered around the room.  “Both have long, dark hair and are about the same height and build.”

“But that’s it,” Katy muttered as she walked over to the window.  “One lived in a larger neighborhood, one out in the middle of nowhere.  One worked for a law firm, one in bookkeeping.  One loved to go out with friends, one stayed home by herself most of the time.  They have very different personalities.  How do we know it’s him?”

“It’s him,” Lacey said quietly as she leaned over the victim and pulled back the sheet beneath her slightly.  Picking up the bloody scalpel, she turned toward the others.  “He made the incisions on Sherry with a scalpel also.  It’s in my report.  It’s why I believe he is a doctor or a nurse, maybe he works in the ER.  Whoever he is, he knows what he is doing.  He made that clear with the first victim.”

Creed nodded as he stared at the instrument in her hand.  “I read the report several times.  We spent days checking into all the alibis for everyone on staff at the local hospital.  As far as we can tell, everyone passed.  The only one who could not prove where he was that night is Carl Lutton.”

“Carl didn’t do this,” Lacey said as she bagged up the scalpel.  “There is no way in hell.”

“Look, Lacey,” Katy said as she turned away from the window to face her, “I know he is your friend, but you need to be open-minded about this.”

“Really?” Lacey laughed as she shook her head at them.  “Carl is a good man.  He would never do anything like this.”

“Maybe he is upset with you,” Katy responded. 

“What?  Why would he be angry with me?” Lacey asked in bewilderment.  “We are good friends.”  Shaking her head, she went on, “And why would any of this have anything to do with me?  You aren’t making any sense, Katy.”

“Maybe he wants more than you are willing to give,” Katy pressed.  “Think about it, Lace.  Both of these women are similar to you in appearance, especially Sherry.”

“Carl is an x-ray technician,” Lacey said as she turned away from Katy.  “He wouldn’t even know how to wield a scalpel.  Don’t you dare ruin his reputation and life on a witch hunt!”

“What if it isn’t a witch hunt?” Creed asked quietly.  “What if Katy is right and it is Carl.  Are you willing to bet your life on it?”

Turning back around in fury, Lacey ordered, “Get the hell out of here until I’m ready for help.  I don’t need you in here spouting off stupid shit.  Carl did NOT do this.  Now leave and let me do my job!”

Lacey watched as everyone filed out of the room, but Katy turned back right before leaving.  “Don’t close your eyes to what could be happening here, Lacey,” she pressed.  “I know you said you and Carl were just friends, but if you were friends with benefits then he could be very angry that you left him.”

Taking a deep breath, Lacey tried to get control of her emotions.  She knew they were just trying to look out for her, but no one would listen and it was starting to frustrate the hell out of her.  “Not that it is any of your business, Katy,” she spat as she turned back to the bed, “but I have only been with two men in my entire life.  The first was Ethan’s father, the second I left sleeping in his bed to come deal with this bullshit.  So if you don’t mind, I am going to get it done.” 

Not waiting for a response, Lacey leaned forward and began to examine the body.  She would do her job, and then she would go home to her son.  Maybe they would go cook dinner for Clint that night.  Deciding that was a wonderful idea, Lacey tuned out everything around her and concentrated on the task at hand.