Hideaway Hill (17 page)

Veronica was surprised the shower lasted as
long as it did. The way Blake looked at her it seemed as if at any
time he was just going to take her. Shutting off the water, he
helped her dry off before drying himself. Blake then led Veronica
back into the bedroom. While lifting the towel from her body, Blake
edged her to the bed. As the back of her legs hit the mattress,
they folded, leaving her seated at the foot of the bed. Blake
didn’t need to speak for her to know that she needed to slide back
on the bed. Veronica moved backwards and Blake slid his body next
to her. She could tell by his movements that he wanted her to
understand what was on his mind. Blake didn’t want to frighten her,
but he also needed her. Her heart raced like she was running a
marathon. As her head hit the pillow, Blake covered her body with
his. Kissing her again, she found it hard to think about breathing
with how good his lips felt on hers. His kisses became more
passionate. Feeling his hands move softly over her body, she
couldn’t control the shiver that came from his touch. She was
surprised that her body didn’t ache as much as it did before they
made their way upstairs. Blake’s lips ventured to her neck, and she
smiled. Her neck had always been one of his favorite places to
kiss. When he gently brushed her hair out of the way, she moaned as
the warmth of his tongue moved across her neck. Veronica’s skin
burned as his tongue glided over her body.

She felt him stop at her lower abdomen. His
finger tenderly moved across her scar before placing small kisses
over the marked skin. Veronica sucked in her bottom lip with worry
that he was going to stop. She fretted that seeing the disfigured
skin would cause him to retreat. She didn’t want him to stop.
Instead, Blake lifted his body bringing them closer. Meeting her
eyes again, he brought his lips back to hers. As they began to make
love, Veronica saw all the hurt and pain she caused him over the
years. She also saw all the love he held for her. They never broke
eye contact. It was like she could see his soul. In that instant,
nothing else in the world mattered. All the bad memories melted
away, and the only people that existed in the world were Blake and
her.

“
You’re crying. Am I
hurting you?”

Blake’s voice came out low and rough. It was
the first time he said anything since they left the living room.
She smiled up at him and felt the tears streaming down her
face.

“
No.”

As he smiled back, Blake tilted his head
slightly to kiss the tears as they ran down her cheeks. Their
bodies, if it was possible, seemed to come closer together. At that
very moment, Veronica knew she would never be able to let Blake go
again. Whatever else came their way, she knew they would take it on
together. She was as much a part of Blake as he was her. She
couldn’t lose him again.

B
lake had no idea what came over him. One minute he was livid
with Veronica, because she had kept so much from him. The next, he
was mourning the death of a child he never knew. He felt ashamed
because he knew deep down that he should’ve given their
relationship another chance. If he would have just let Veronica
speak that day, none of this would have happened. Then she said
those endearing words. He knew they came from the bottom of her
heart, and as they left her soft lips, something inside of him
snapped. Kissing her hadn’t been a part of the plan. The only plan
was to keep her safe. Nonetheless, the moment their lips touched,
he felt something he thought he would never feel again. Not
thinking, he jumped up and carried Veronica up the stairs. Looking
back on it now, as they lay wrapped in each other’s arms, she
hadn’t struggled or tried to fight him.
Is
she feeling the same thing I feel?
Because
the instant he kissed her on the sofa, he knew he would never be
able to let her go again. He had lost her once, and that was the
biggest mistake of his life. When he set her on the bed the first
time, he only had one thought in his mind. When she requested he
stop, he reluctantly obeyed. Blake knew she was just stalling for
time by asking to take a shower. Veronica saw in his eyes what his
intentions were. She had always read him like a book. Blake wasn’t
going to let a shower be the deterring factor. If she wanted a
shower, then they were going to take a shower. After they cleaned
up, the last bit of Blake’s self control went out the window. He
had to have her. He needed to be with her. When their bodies came
together, everything ceased to exist but the beautiful woman that
lay with him in the bed. Years melted away, and Blake was
transported back to the first night they made love on Hideaway
Hill. Thinking again on how amazing that first night was, and how
incredible they were together, Blake pulled his arm tighter around
Veronica.

“
I’ve missed you,
Vee.”

Tilting her head up, she smiled one of her
breathtaking smiles.

“
That’s the first time you
called me that since I’ve come back.”

She kissed him softly on the lips before
repositioning her head back on his shoulder.

“
I’ve missed you, too,” she
said before closing her eyes.

He grinned at the fact that she was right.
It was the first time he had called her by the nickname Parker and
Miller gave her when they were teenagers. His eyes slid shut as he
enjoyed Veronica’s smooth rhythmic breath gliding across his
chest.

Chapter 12

A
rthur couldn’t believe his eyes. That two timing whore had
already shacked up with another man.
How
could I have been so naive to her and her lies?
He knew they had a few things to work out, and he was ready to
sit down and have a grown up talk with Veronica, and explain what
he needed from her. After sneaking back into town, he looked all
over for her. He just happened across this house. He was sure it
was a Darwood house. The rent-a-cop out front was a huge indicator.
He tried to approach the simple-minded officer without being
noticed, but a neighbor’s dog barking caught his attention and the
Barney Fife wannabe turned and spotted him. When he realized it was
Arthur approaching, the dimwitted cop immediately went for his
radio. That gave Arthur little time to react. Moving quickly
towards him, Arthur punched the other man in the face. As he
stepped back from the blow, Arthur put his foot out and tripped
him. Dudley Do-Right fell backwards hitting his head, knocking him
unconscious. Just to make sure the infantile wouldn’t be waking up,
Arthur picked his head up and dropped it back on the pavement
before dragging him off into the bushes. Removing his gun from the
holster, Arthur thought it was funny such a small town would have
officers carry guns. Doing a quick walk around the house, Arthur
saw Deputy Droopy was the only man on guard. That pleased him. He
wasn’t in the mood to take on the whole town’s police department.
While walking the perimeter, he noticed a few of the upstairs
windows were open. One in particular caught his attention. Not only
could he see Veronica in the room with Blake, but the soft moans
being emitted from the upstairs sent him further into a
rage.

Standing there, he wasn’t sure if he wanted
to break down the door or just start shooting through the window as
Veronica laid curled in Darwood’s arms. Having finally gone over
the edge, he began screaming her name. “Veronica! Come out here!”
he bellowed, again and again, his eyes never left the window.
Arthur sneered as she and Darwood jumped from the bed. His breath
was coming up in short pants. His blood was boiling.

He could see Blake looking out the window.
Arthur thought about shooting the arrogant prick right where he
stood, but no, then Veronica wouldn’t see him do it. Darwood was
obscuring her from his view. Arthur wanted Veronica to hurt the way
she made him hurt.

“
Veronica! I know you hear
me! Come out here, now!”

He called her again, and then paused to
listen to pieces of their discussion. Blake wanted her to stay in
the house, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. She was worried
Arthur may set the house on fire like he had to her home. Arthur’s
sight dropped to the front door as Blake’s and Veronica’s voices
faded from the window.

Veronica slowly opened the door. She had put
clothes on. Well, she had put one of Darwood’s tee-shirts on, with
her casted arm still beneath the top. Arthur’s chest ached at the
sight of her.

“
Veronica, how could you? I
thought you loved me,” he whispered. Somehow, he’d lost his
voice.

Arthur was so confused. There stood the
woman of his dreams. The woman he loved and wanted to spend the
rest of his life with. The woman who’d dragged him to this
hole-in-the-wall town so she could reconnect with her high school
sweetheart.

“
Arthur, what are you doing
with a gun? Please put that down.”

Her voice, it was so soft. He loved the
sound of it. Ever since that day in the library, when they first
spoke, he had loved the way her voice echoed in his ears. His heart
leapt, but he needed to remind himself what they were doing
there.

“
Never mind the gun. Tell
me why?” He demanded, “What did I do? Why did you leave
me?”

Standing there gazing back at him, Veronica
seemed speechless. It made him even more upset. She needed to
answer for what she was doing to him.

“
Tell me!” He spat, “What
did I do to deserve any of this?”

Arthur felt like he had a fever. He pulled
on the collar of his shirt. He was having trouble breathing.
Veronica gave him a puzzled stare, and shook her head.

“
Arthur, how can you stand
here and ask me that? You hit me. You promised you would never do
that again. You pulled me down a flight of stairs, and left me
there. You-” She closed her eyes, and leaned her head on the side
of the door. “You burned down our home. The house my parents raised
me in. How could you? I didn’t-I never cheated on you Arthur.
I…”

He listened to her go over
things he didn’t feel he should be held accountable for. She needed
to stop talking. He raised his hand to silence her.
Doesn’t she understand how much I loved
her?
He told her over and over again that
he could never lose her, and still she tested him.

“
Don’t try to blame me, you
lying bitch. I told you more than once that you were mine, and I
wasn’t going to share you with anyone. Everything that happened,
you brought on yourself. And to think I did it all for you. I would
have given you anything to make you happy, and you threw it all
away. Just look what I did for us already. We would have never been
a couple if it was left to your dad.”

Stopping himself from
talking, he closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his
head.
Why am I even bothering to explain
something to someone who apparently doesn’t care about me? She’s so
blinded by her wants. She will never understand all the wonderful
things I’ve done so we could be together.
Veronica gasped and Arthur opened his eyes.

“
Arthur, what are you
talking about? What about my dad? What did you do?”

“
What did I do? I did
nothing but make sure we could be together, always. That’s all I
did!” Spit flew from his mouth as he talked. Arthur reached up and
wiped his chin. “Your dad was way too protective of you anyway. No
one was good enough for his sweet little girl. No matter how good I
was for you, he was never going to see that. I went to him after
you tried to break up with me. I knew you didn’t mean it, and you
were just upset. I wanted to get his blessing to marry you. He told
me flat out ‘no’. He said I was all wrong for you, and that he had
made a mistake before—whatever that meant—but he would never
approve of me marrying you. I couldn’t believe it. You and I are
meant to be together! But I knew you wouldn’t have married me
without his approval.” Shaking his head, Arthur brought his hand
back up to his head. “So that night after he told me ‘no’, I snuck
into the house. Your father didn’t know what hit him! But your
mother, well, she woke up from the noise.” Arthur sighed. He kind
of liked Veronica’s mother. She wouldn’t have stood in the way of
their relationship. “I didn’t want to shoot her, too, but she had
seen my face. Making the murders look like a hate crime came to me
after they were both dead. It was the most logical
idea.”

“
Arthur, no. Please, tell
me you’re lying.”

Veronica’s voice pulled him from the
flashback of that night. She was swaying on the door. She looked
like she was going to be sick. Not thinking, Arthur took a step
towards her.

“
No, stay back.” Her voice
was weak, and she had tears in her eyes.

B
lake had been listening this whole time through the other side
of the door. He didn’t want Veronica out there, but she insisted
she could calm Arthur down, until Blake could get Miller on the
phone. Blake had a sickening feeling that Arthur had done something
to Martin. He knew Martin wouldn’t have left his post otherwise.
His stomach dropped when he heard Veronica ask Arthur why he had a
gun. Instinct told him to pull her back, but Blake knew if Arthur
saw him, it would only enrage him more. Looking through the small
space between the door, Blake watched as Arthur waved the gun
around. Arthur, a few times even hit himself in the head, causing
the skin to break. Blood drip down the side of his face, but Arthur
didn’t seem to notice.

Listening to Veronica and Arthur go back and
forth, Blake continued to try to get a hold of Miller, who wasn’t
answering his cell phone. He worried Arthur had gotten to him too.
He was about to call another number when he was pulled into the
conversation. The bastard admitted to killing Veronica’s parents.
He watched as Veronica began to sag on the door and Blake stepped
forward to pull her back. He didn’t care if Arthur set the house on
fire or if he had a gun. He was positive they would be able to get
out another way in time. He was also sure the neighbors by now,
would have caught wind of the altercation and someone else would be
trying to alert the cops. It was a dumb idea in the first place to
let that creep see her, let alone talk to her. Coming in view of
Arthur, Blake heard a weird noise come from the smaller man. It
sounded more like it came from an animal than a human. Out of the
corner of his eye, Blake saw Arthur bring the gun level with where
he and Veronica were standing.