Killing Me Softly (18 page)

‘Some day you will.’

She shook her head. ‘Even if Cat gets well, things will never be the same.’ She paused, put her cup down, leaned back against him. The sound of his heartbeat was comforting. He was solid and warm and real. She clung to those things, trying to banish the past with its painful memories. She took a deep breath, filling herself with his warmth and the comforting musky smell of man that clung to his skin. Closing her eyes she sighed. ‘Tell me some more about the naughty things you did when you were a boy.’

‘Okay.’

As he spoke, his voice a bass buzz in her ear, she slowly drifted to sleep.

Daemon felt her relax against him, her breathing deepening into the slow rhythm of sleep. He shifted down in the couch, laying his head back against the cushions, trying to make himself more comfortable. Which was nearly impossible, the way her breast pressed against his chest and her breath fluttered over the V of skin bared by his sweater.

He cursed silently as he felt himself harden.

That she could turn him on with so slight a thing was a promise of the passion to come. But he wasn’t going to take advantage of their positions tonight.

She trusted him. Enough to fall asleep in his arms, even after waking from a nightmare. He knew enough about waking from nightmares to recognise the fear that had played in her eyes when he’d entered the kitchen.

He swore if Lyndon wasn’t already dead, he’d have hunted him down, castrated him and then gutted him. The bastard deserved no less.

She moved, her knee sliding up to lie over his legs, coming precariously close to his raging hard-on. He gritted his teeth and tried to relax.

Count to ten.

Count sheep.

Count something.

Anything to stop him from doing what he had longed to do ever since he’d first seen her standing on the steps of her home, green eyes challenging him in a way that had made him feel more alive than he’d felt in a long time.

It took counting two hundred sheep, but finally, he relaxed.

There. That was better.

Her hand shifted, her fingers brushing his nipple through the soft wool of his thin sweater.

He jerked, fire cutting a jagged line from his nipple, along his belly to his desire-thickened erection.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph
. He was about to explode and he hadn’t even got her naked.

He blew out a long breath, trying to regain control. He wasn’t an inexperienced youth ready to blow at the drop of a hat. Nor was he a caveman, ready to throw her onto her back, tear the soft Bugs Bunny pyjama bottoms from her luscious legs and plant himself deep inside her while she was still asleep.

Part of him wished he was, though. He wanted to plunge into her and lose himself to the sweet oblivion he knew her body would bring to him.

He groaned.

What the fuck was he doing? Don’t think about sex. Don’t think about sex.

Keeping as still as possible, muscles quivering, he tried to ignore the pain of the erection pressing against his jeans. And slowly, slowly, he began to relax again. He was still as hard and thick as a stallion in heat, but he would not be led around by his cock.

Not with her.

She moved again. He swore.

This was going to be a long night.

But he wouldn’t move for the world.

The fire crackled softly, the warm glow steady and sure. As dawn lightened the room, his eyes drifted closed and he slept with Alexia cradled against his side, his feet propped on the coffee table and his dark head resting against the plump cushions.

Daemon woke to the sound of birds chirping in the plum trees in the nearby orchard and the kettle whistling. The scent of toast and bacon drifted on the air. Alexia was curled up next to him, sound asleep, her head on his chest, her arm flung around him. He stroked her hair, finding incredible pleasure in the action.

A door opened and closed upstairs, followed by the sound of the pipes groaning as a shower was turned on. Billy must be up and he would be down soon with Cat in tow.

Beneath his hand, Alexia stirred.

‘Shh, go back to sleep.’

She stretched and rubbed her eyes. ‘Mm. What time is it?’

He looked around for a clock but couldn’t see one. ‘I don’t know, but Bev is making breakfast.’

‘Mm. I thought I could smell something wonderful.’ Her voice was husky with sleep. ‘I dreamt I was in a wood, surrounded by trees that seemed to be made out of coffee and beneath my feet the earth became wobbly poached eggs. My stomach began to growl.’ She put her hand over her stomach as it did just that. ‘I think it woke me up.’

She sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching.

He watched her. The sun filtering through the lace curtains created a most marvellous silhouette of her figure.

She smiled sleepily. ‘I feel wonderful. I don’t think I’ve slept that well for ages.’

‘Me too.’ Daemon sat up and stretched his neck; it cracked in complaint.

‘Liar.’

Their eyes met. Sleep slowly crept away, replaced by an increasing awareness of his closeness, of the fact she’d slept the night at his side. As she held his gaze, she felt the world tilt, the hairs on her arms standing up as if the air was filled with cracking electricity. Without thinking, she leaned forward, her lips brushing his. The tight control of the breath hissing out of his lips made her bolder. She brushed her tongue along the crease between his lips and felt him shudder.

‘You’re playing with fire, Alexia.’

‘I know.’ She licked his lips again. He crushed her to him in response, his mouth hot and hard on hers, and she was lost. He pulled her down, flipping over, his body pressing her into the soft cushions of the couch. Her head swam, her body electrified as she felt his whole length lined up along hers. She clutched at his back, pulling him closer, but couldn’t get close enough, no matter how hard she pressed against him.

‘Eh-hem. Sorry to interrupt, but Bev told me to tell you that breakfast was ready. There’s plenty for Daemon, too.’

Lexi came out of her daze to realise Daemon had sat up and was looking past her to where Karl stood at the door to the lounge room, feet shuffling and looking both embarrassed and amused. Flushing, she pushed away from Daemon and leaped to her feet, feeling as if she’d just been caught by her dad. Trying to recover her composure – not helped by the Bugs Bunny pyjamas she wore – she said, ‘Thanks Karl. Tell Bev I just need to shower and change first.’

Karl waved his hand at her in a dismissive gesture. ‘Don’t worry about that. You don’t want to miss out on hot bacon and eggs, do you?’

‘I know I sure don’t,’ Daemon said, standing up and taking her hand, ignoring her protests about not being dressed.

Billy and Cat were sitting at the kitchen table. He smiled as she entered with Daemon.

‘Nice to see you made the effort to get dressed, Lexi.’

‘Oh, shut up.’ The tone of her voice and the smile on her lips belied the terseness of her words. She crossed the kitchen, giving Cat a kiss on the top of her head, before taking a seat. Daemon sat down next to her.

Billy was still smiling. ‘How come you’re so chipper this morning?’ His expression conveyed a wealth of meaning.

‘Can’t a person wake up in a good mood for no particular reason?’

His brows rose. ‘I suppose they can.’

Bev put a plate piled with toast on the table, and another with bacon and poached eggs. They helped themselves. Lexi – truly hungry for the first time in ages – tucked in, waiting for Billy to ask Daemon why he was here this morning. He didn’t, though. She did catch him glancing between them.

Ignoring him, she turned to Bev, asking what she planned on doing that day.

‘I thought I’d head over to help Stan finalise plans for the funeral.’

‘Do you need anyone to come with you?’

Bev patted Lexi’s shoulder as she sat next to her. ‘Thanks for the offer, love, but I’ll be fine. The shock’s worn off and there’s nothing better than to keep busy helping others. I’ll be happy when this is all behind us and the police have found the murdering bastard.’ Her mouth trembled and she clapped a hand over her lips. ‘I’m sorry. Being upset is no excuse for swearing.’

Lexi simply leaned over and gave her a hug. Bev took in a deep breath, smiled gratefully, then picked up her mug of coffee and took a sip of the strong brew. After that they ate in silence, the thought of Jenny’s death a heavy weight in the room.

Unwilling to succumb to the pull of depressing thoughts, Lexi swallowed down her coffee and then stood up. ‘I’m going to have a shower and get changed. Do you want any help with Cat this morning?’

Billy shook his head. ‘No thanks. I’ll be right. You have the morning off as you’d planned.’

‘Why don’t you and Daemon come down and help me with the horses this morning?’ Karl suggested. ‘I’m checking on the mares in foal and I’m going to give Viking and a few of the others a good curry and check their shoes. Jimbo threw a shoe on me yesterday when we were at a full gallop and I almost got thrown. I thought I’d better check the others.’

‘I’ll be in for that,’ Daemon said, rubbing his hands together.

‘Are you sure?’ Lexi asked. ‘It can be pretty dirty, backbreaking work.’

‘I know. I used to do it all the time as a lad.’ He laughed at her look of incredulity. ‘Da’s customers were all farmers. I spent many of my holidays earning extra money doing all sorts of odd jobs.’

Karl smiled. ‘It sounds like you’re an old hand. I’ll be glad of the help.’

Daemon held up his hands. ‘They might look soft, but these hands have seen plenty of hard work in their life. I’ll be happy for the physical labour.’ He looked at Lexi meaningfully. She couldn’t help but blush.

Karl finished his last bit of egg and stood, kissed Bev on the cheek. ‘I’ll see you in about half an hour then?’ Daemon nodded, his mouth full, and Karl wished the others good morning and headed out of the kitchen.

‘We might come down and watch you with the horses, if that’s all right?’ Billy asked Lexi.

Lexi nodded enthusiastically. ‘Maybe we could even get Cat up on Kelsey. Lead her around the yard and into the paddock?’

‘That would be great. Did I tell you she picked up an apple in the barn yesterday and fed it to Kelsey?’

‘No.’ She sat forward, excited.

‘I think I even saw her mouth Kelsey’s name, and then she leaned her head against Kelsey’s face and closed her eyes. I couldn’t move.’

‘Did she respond to you?’

He shook his head. ‘When I managed to choke out her name, she opened her eyes, stared at me for a few seconds then moved back from Kelsey. But I swear, for a moment, she was there with me. The old, horse-loving Cat.’

‘Oh, God. That’s so wonderful.’

‘You should try music therapy with her too and bring her down to sit in on the band playing. She seemed to be really into the music at the dance the other night.’ Daemon offered.

Billy nodded. ‘You noticed that? I thought so, too.’ He clapped his hands together. ‘This is great. So much to try. Something’s bound to break through.’

Lexi stood and gripped his shoulder. ‘I think you’re right. Let’s give the horses a go today and then tomorrow you can bring her down to sit in on a recording session. One thing at a time for now.’

Billy nodded and pushed away from the table, making his way around to where Cat was sitting, having polished off her breakfast while they were talking. ‘I’ll just go and get us both ready.’

‘I’ll give you a hand with Cat, shall I?’ Bev offered.

Together they herded Cat out of the kitchen.

Lexi turned to Daemon, realising they were suddenly alone again. ‘I’ll just go and get changed,’ she managed, stepping away from the table.

‘I need to change, too,’ Daemon said, pushing out of his chair and walking over to her.

She stepped into his arms as he reached for her. Their lips met, followed by their bodies, chest to chest, stomach to stomach, her leg slipping between his, hands splayed, feeling warmth and tensile strength under cloth, longing to feel so much more.

Breathless, he pulled away. ‘I’ll see you down at the stable.’

She grinned up at him, lips puffy and glistening from the kiss. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do.’

‘I bet you are.’ His grin was cocky and made her laugh.

With some difficulty, she pulled out of his arms and hurried upstairs to get changed. She felt more lighthearted than she had for a very long time. Actually, she couldn’t remember when she’d last felt this good. She was happy. Cat had shown good progress; the recordings the band had done so far were coming along and, for the first time ever, there was the promise of a lover if she wanted one – someone who didn’t want more of her than she felt capable of giving.

It could be perfect.

Singing lightly under her breath she brushed her teeth and hair, threw some clothes on and practically skipped down the stairs and outside to the stables. For the first time in eleven years, Lexi was looking forward to what the future would bring.

Melissa swore as the Rover’s tyres spun in the mud. The back of the car fishtailed out behind her as she turned from the lane that led to StormHaven Manor and out onto the narrow road. Nervously, she clutched at the wheel. The rain they’d had in the past two days made the lane impassable for her little Audi, so AJ had lent her the four-wheel drive. The Range Rover was great at dealing with the mud and crater-sized potholes, but Melissa wasn’t. A New Yorker through and through, she knew how to drive but rarely did so.

She was relieved to be off the lane – not that the road was much better. At least on a road this narrow, she didn’t have to worry about remembering to drive on the left until she got to a proper, two-lane road.

Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled slowly. ‘Relax,’ she told herself, loosening her death grip on the wheel. ‘Try to enjoy the drive.’

After the rains, the grass in the fields was deeply green. Heather and tiny white daisies grew along the roadside and right up to the stone wall that lined the road.

If she had time after visiting Carlisle, she might go and look at Hadrian’s Wall. Phil said it was worth a look.

Melissa wound down the window, feeling her tension dissolve the further she drove. This was the first time Phil had agreed to let her go on a little shopping and sightseeing jaunt by herself.

He was so protective. But as she’d said to him over and over, she was pregnant, not sick! He’d finally got that through his thick skull and realised she needed to go into town. By herself. AJ had volunteered to come with her, but she really needed some time alone. She was making a point to Phil, after all. She needed to blow off the cobwebs that had been growing on her through lack of activity. She loved him dearly and didn’t mind living wherever he was, but if she had to spend one more day on the farm doing nothing, she was going to lose her mind.

Besides, she wanted to buy a few things for the baby. She touched her stomach, a smile blooming on her lips.

An old Elvis Presley number flowed out of the speakers and she began to sing along, enjoying the drive and the stunning countryside. She didn’t notice the other car until it slammed into her.

He couldn’t believe his luck when the shiny black Range Rover sped past. He couldn’t see clearly through the darkened windows, but he was sure only one person sat inside the Rover and the shape was too slight to be Billy. That meant one thing.

She
was in the car.

Alone.

He’d been trying to think of a way to get her on her own the whole drive back from London. He should be tired, after driving all day yesterday, breaking into the Irish bastard’s home last night, trashing the place and then driving back so no-one would be suspicious. But he wasn’t tired. Not now. He was exhilarated.

The timing was perfect. He’d never been able to get her alone before. She was always surrounded by people on the blasted farm. Now, here she was, handing him the opportunity on a silver platter – a big, shiny, black, hulking, Rover-shaped platter.

He turned into the narrow road behind the Rover and sped up. If he rammed her, he could force her to stop, or better yet, have an accident. Unconscious, she would be easy pickings. He could do what he liked with her.

Licking his lips, he hit the accelerator.

Her scream flew back at him as his grey jeep smashed into the back of her Rover. He smiled, excited. Ignoring the tightness of his erection thickening against the wool of his pants, he sped up, laughing as she tried wildly to avoid the collision. The grinding of metal on metal combined with the sound of her screams almost made him come in his pants. But he held on.

He had something far better to do with his seed.

He sped up again, hitting the Rover, thankful he’d bought this refurbished ex-army jeep. The wet roads and the power of the jeep made the whole thing too easy. He rammed into her again.

The Rover skidded sideways, lost traction on the muddy grass verge, hit the stone wall and flipped, rolling through the field, leaving a muddy groove in its wake. He slammed on his breaks just as the Rover smashed into a tumble of rocks in the middle of the field. The sound of tearing metal and broken glass sang in the air as the car came to a final, groaning stop.

He jumped out of his jeep and walked across the field to revel in the glory of what he had done. His pleasure when he’d taken that slut up against the tree last weekend felt like nothing compared to this.

They said in the newspapers he had killed her. He couldn’t exactly remember killing her, but she was dead, so it must be true. But they’d made
him
sound like the bad one.
She
was the one who opened her legs to him without even knowing his name. Slut! A better end than she deserved.

His erection was almost painful now. He’d drag his brother’s whore out of the car and make her relieve him of the pressure immediately. The least she could do.

The car was upside down, cradled by the tumbling outcropping of stone. She didn’t deserve the beauty of such an image.

A hank of strawberry-blond hair hid her profile as he looked through the frame of the window. A feeling of dread settled over him.

Oh sweet Lord. No.

He reached out and shoved the hair aside.

Blood was oozing from the large gash on her forehead plastering her hair to her face. Her eye and cheek were swelling where she had hit her head against the steering wheel. Even so, her sweet face was recognisable.

Melissa!

What was she doing in
her
car? He had never meant to hurt Melissa. He liked her. Besides, she was pregnant! She was the bearer of one of God’s most sacred duties.

Panic rose in him.

What was he to do? If she was dead he had committed a horrific sin. He touched her neck, feeling for a pulse.

She groaned.

Thank the Messiah! She was alive.

He couldn’t leave her here though. He became aware of the squawking voice coming somewhere from inside the car. ‘Can you hear me? What happened? Are you all right?’

A mobile phone! She had rung someone. The police! He had to get out of here but not before he made sure she would be taken care of. He reached in and grabbed the phone.

‘Send an ambulance. There’s been an accident.’

‘Who am I speaking to?’

‘Send an ambulance.’

He gave the location before cutting the connection, wiped the phone over with a handkerchief then ran back across the field. He would have liked to stay, pretend he’d come across the wreckage, but the damage on the army jeep would be a dead giveaway. He’d have to get rid of it. If he was caught now, he could not complete the work.

The work was everything.

He swung into the jeep, adrenaline rushing through him. Was that the sound of a siren he could hear in the distance? The wheels squealed as he took to the narrow road. The police would be coming from Fellhaven. He was heading in the opposite direction. He would be safe.

His heart thudded sickeningly.

His exhilaration fled in the face of his shame. He would never have knowingly hurt Melissa and her baby. But he hadn’t known. How could he?
She
had tricked him. The blame lay at
her
feet! She couldn’t get away with being responsible for hurting another innocent. He would have vengeance – for this and for so much more.

He was the Angel of Death sent to strike down the unrighteous.

The thought made him smile.