Killing Me Softly (21 page)

He stopped for a moment when she stiffened from the initial pain. Bending, he kissed her, allowing her to get used to the sensation of him filling her. Then he began to move.

She quickly caught his rhythm, meeting him stroke for stroke, beat for beat.

They were creating music of a different sort.

That music played in her body and in her head, building and building until she could hear no more, feel only the thrumming and pulsing, the crescendo of wave after wave, the purest sound, until there was a white flash of pleasure and vibration and perfection as she came and felt him do the same.

He collapsed on her and then rolled, pulling her into his side, kissing her brow, stroking her back.

Curling into his arms, warm and sated, she smiled as, for the first time in years, she fell into a deep and simple sleep.

Lexi tossed in her sleep.

The darkness. She had to get out of the darkness. It was suffocating her. She’d been fighting it – had come into the light so many times, only to be pulled back .

Fear surrounded her. But there was love, too. Laughter. Familiar voices. Gentle touches. Beckoning, wonderful smells.

A deep, male voice was there, too. He spoke to her constantly; a voice that made her feel things she wanted to explore.

And those feelings had deepened tonight. They’d dug into her, bringing the light among the dark. She saw the threads of light, reached for them, allowed them to pull her up, up . . .

‘Lexi?’

Lexi sat upright in bed, looking around with wide eyes. Who had said her name?

She turned to look at Daemon. He was sound asleep. Maybe he’d murmured her name in his sleep. She smiled, wanting to touch him, and reached out.

A noise at the door grabbed her attention. A figure was silhouetted in the moonlight that flooded in through the window at the end of the hall.

Fear gripped her throat. ‘Who’s there?’

‘Lexi?’

The voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but she recognised it.

‘Cat?’

She scrambled out of bed, turned on the light.

Cat blinked and stumbled into the room, reaching out to touch Lexi’s face. ‘What happened to you?’ Cat said, her gaze skimming past her sister’s face. ‘Your hair! What have you done to your hair?’

A sound like a whimper escaped Lexi.

Cat touched her own hair, brushing her fingers through the length of it, holding a hank up in front of her face. ‘When did I go all Frankenstein’s bride?’ she asked, staring at the section of white mixed with the auburn.

‘Cat? You’re awake.’

Cat looked at her. ‘Of course I’m awake. And you’re naked.’ She leaned forward to whisper in Lexi’s ear. ‘Did you know there’s a man in your bed? Did you have sex? You better not let Mum and Dad catch him here.’

Lexi blinked, then choked on a laugh and pulled Cat into a hug, her hands stroking Cat’s hair, down her back. ‘Oh, Cat. Oh, Cat.’ She pulled back, held her twin’s face between her hands. ‘You can hear me. You can see me?’

‘What kind of a dumb question is that?’ Cat rasped.

Lexi laughed, bright, sharp, the joy almost too much to bear. ‘Cat.’

Behind Lexi, Daemon sat up in bed, blinking. ‘Alexia? Come back to bed.’

Lexi pulled back from Cat, turned around to face him, to share her joy, tears spilling down her cheeks. ‘Look Daemon. Cat’s awake.’

His gaze fluttered sleepily to Cat, who stood slightly behind Lexi, and then widened with shock.

‘What’s going on?’ Cat asked, her voice thick with confusion.

Lexi swiped at the tears, trying to rein in her seesawing emotions. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Of course, you want answers.’ She didn’t know what to say.

‘Have I been sick? Is that why you’re surprised I’m awake?’ She looked around her, seeming to register the room for the first time. ‘And where are we, by the way? This isn’t home, yet it’s kind of familiar.’

Lexi touched Cat’s face. ‘You don’t remember?’

Cat shuddered, frowned. ‘Remember what?’

Lexi looked at Daemon, worry and joy a sickening mix inside her.

He seemed to understand though. Nodding, he hopped out of bed, pulling the sheet around him. ‘I’ll go and get Billy.’ He grabbed his jeans and left the room.

Lexi turned grabbed some clothes off the chair in the corner and pulled them on quickly. She turned back to Cat, eyes widening at the look on her sister’s face. ‘Cat, it’s going to be all right.’

‘What is? What’s going on? I am sick, aren’t I? Am I going to die? Where are Mum and Dad?’

Lexi sat, gently pulling on Cat’s arm.

Cat sat on the bed next to her. ‘Lexi. Please answer me. You’re scaring me.’

‘Sorry. I don’t mean to . . . It’s just . . . ’ She shook her head. Swallowed. Tried to compose her thoughts. ‘You’re not dying, although you have been sick. You were . . . in an accident.’

‘An accident?’

‘Yes. You were in hospital for quite some time.’

Cat frowned, scrunching up her nose. ‘A hospital . . . I remember . . . I remember the smell of bleach and gravy. The walls were green. There was a nice man . . . I remember his round face, his glasses on his head. He kept forgetting he’d put them there.’

‘Yes, Cat. That was Doctor Carlton. He’s your doctor.’

She opened her mouth to say something, but Billy exploded into the room. He came to an abrupt halt, staring at her.

‘Cat?’

‘Billy?’

‘You’re awake?’

‘Why do people keep saying that? Of course I’m awake. I’m talking to you, aren’t I?’ She frowned as her gaze raked over him, taking in his naked chest, his blue-and-grey striped pyjama pants. ‘You’re . . . you’ve got muscles, Billy. And hair.’ She gestured at the sprinkle of chest hair that arrowed down his stomach and disappeared into his pyjama bottoms. ‘You’re hot.’

‘Cat?’

She blinked. ‘What’s going on? Why are you all older? Where are we?’

Billy walked over, his expression still dazed. He touched her face with such gentle care it made Lexi’s heart lurch.

Cat looked between him and Lexi. ‘Why aren’t you saying anything? Why won’t you tell me?’ Her voice was husky as a tear ran down her face.

Billy brushed it away and then wrapped his arms around her. ‘Oh, God, Cat. Cat.’ He kissed her head, held her tighter.

Lexi wanted to weep when her sister began to sob in Billy’s arms, watching the tender expression on his face, the tempered joy as he stroked her hair and held her close.

Cat clung to him, her fingernails making marks on his bare skin. He didn’t seem to notice. He just held her, rocking, his hand stroking her back, his lips kissing her brow, murmuring words of reassurance into her hair.

Finally she settled against Billy, the sobs fading to nothing. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from.’ Her voice was muffled against Billy’s tear-slicked shoulder. She looked up at him, her lashes heavy with tears. ‘Billy? Why are you here? Mum and Dad won’t like it. You know they don’t like us to have boys in our rooms.’ She looked around again, her eyes coming to rest on Daemon who’d followed Billy in and was standing next to Lexi, massaging her shoulders.

‘I know you.’

He nodded. ‘I’m Daemon.’

She swallowed. ‘You’re a singer. You’re in that new band with Craig. I like your new single. Lexi thinks you’re going to make it big.’

Billy glanced at Lexi. Squeezing her hand, he stood up. ‘I think I should take Cat into her room. See if she remembers anything. Perhaps you could go and call Doctor Carlton?’

Lexi nodded, understanding his reticence to say anything. Cat didn’t remember anything of the past eleven years. They didn’t want to remind her of too much too quickly, which might make her sink back into her PTSD-driven state of catatonia.

Lexi cupped Cat’s face, kissed her on the forehead. ‘I’ll be back up in a minute.’

‘Aren’t you going to tell me what’s going on?’

She shook her head. ‘I need to talk to your doctor first. You’ve been ill for a long time. I just need to make sure we don’t do or say anything that will make you worse. Go with Billy. Explore your room. Some of your old stuff is in there, it should spark some memories. I’ll come back as quickly as I can and then we’ll see if we can answer your questions.’

Cat swallowed hard, her expression saying quite clearly that she didn’t like it, but she nodded.

Lexi had to smile as Billy took Cat’s hand and led her out of the bedroom. She knew that determined look on her sister’s face. Cat wasn’t going to be put off for long.

Lexi turned, saw Daemon, tried to smile.

He reached forward and cupped her face. ‘You don’t have to pretend with me. You’re worried.’

‘She doesn’t remember.’

‘Maybe it’s better she doesn’t.’

She nodded. She had to agree, but, at the same time, she didn’t want her sister to not know anything. That wouldn’t be healthy. ‘I don’t know what to do.’

He looked at her. ‘Who said you have to have all the answers? Call her doctor. Go from there.’

Daemon was right. She couldn’t give in to her emotions right now. Cat needed her to remain steady. ‘I’ll ask him to come up. He probably won’t be able to get here for a day or so, but I expect he’ll tell us what to do in the meantime.’ She bit her lip. ‘I just wish he wasn’t so far away.’

‘I might have an idea about that.’ He pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket and dialled, holding his finger up to still her questions as a sleepy voice answered on the other end.

‘Nigel . . . Oh, Lyall. Is Nigel there? He’s what? No, no, that’s fine. Don’t do that. You can organise what I want anyway. Alexia’s sister has woken up and we need her doctor brought up here ASAP. Can you organise to get him up on the chopper this morning? Of course. Yes. His name is Doctor Carlton. I’ll get Alexia to give him a call with your number and you can arrange it with him directly . . . You’re the man, Lyall. Thanks.’

He hung up. ‘Right, that’s all organised. Lyall’s going to organise the chopper to bring the good doctor up here, so all you need to do is call him and let him know. Lyall will wait for his call.’

Lexi threw her arms around him impulsively and kissed him. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘I’m so glad you’re here.’

He returned her kiss before pulling away reluctantly. ‘You’d better call Doctor Carlton. Here’s Lyall’s number.’ He pulled out his wallet and gave her a card. ‘Nigel’s is on there, too. Lyall will answer either. Nigel apparently left his phone at the office – again.’

‘Okay,’ she said, breathless. ‘Are you coming?’

He picked up his tattered shirt. ‘I think I’d better run down to the Dower House quickly and put something on.’ He kissed her. ‘Where will you be?’

‘I’ll make the call from the study downstairs. I don’t want Cat overhearing me if she and Billy come out of her room.’

They headed downstairs, hand in hand. He kissed her at the kitchen before he headed back outside.

She stood there, smiling dumbly for a moment at the closed door, before pulling herself together and heading for the study.

What a night.

Feeling a little as if her world had just tilted completely off its axis, she walked into the study and was halfway across the room when she noticed the letter propped against the vase on the side table. The spiky script was instantly recognisable.

Nausea rode over her like a wave.
Not now.
Please, not now
.

She squeezed her eyes closed, hoping she was dreaming. But she wasn’t. There it was, white against Wedgwood blue. She could feel malevolence coming off it in waves. A frisson of fear tingled down her spine. The mail hadn’t been collected today.

She looked around as if she could see the hand that had put it there. Had he been in her house? He couldn’t have. Someone would have noticed. Bev must have found the letter and put it there. Lexi would have to ask her later without raising her suspicions.

Edging closer to the table she reached out a trembling hand. She didn’t want to look but found herself pulling out the sheet within as if she had no will to stop.

She read the words and wished she hadn’t.

Filth and hatred spilled across the page. But she was almost used to it by now. No, what frightened her was the intimate knowledge of her activities and the goings-on of the farm. He had said he knew where she lived and now this was undeniable proof that he did, that he’d been watching her, watching all of them.

Fear clawed at her throat and she wanted nothing more than to run to Daemon, into his protective, warm and comforting arms and tell him, let him take care of it for her the way he’d taken care of getting Doctor Carlton here quickly. But she couldn’t do that. Wasn’t it enough that he had to deal with Cat’s awakening? This certainly wouldn’t have been what he expected of the morning after. She’d already cried in front of him more than she’d cried in front of anyone. She didn’t want him to think her weak, incapable. She wasn’t that person. She wouldn’t become that person.

No. She’d stood alone for a long time. She didn’t need him involved. This was
her
problem,
her
stalker. She would send the letter to the police as she’d done with the others. She didn’t want Daemon wasting his time, his energy or his resources, or endangering himself as she knew he would. Let the police deal with it. That’s what Karl had said. He’d also said he wanted to call his buddy from the army who now owned a security company. She’d been reluctant to have more strangers around Cat but, after receiving this letter she knew she didn’t have a choice. Besides, maybe the police would be able to do something now the stalker had stepped up his campaign of terror.

With a shaking hand, she wrote a hasty cover letter explaining to Detective Fox when and where she’d found the letter, placed the two sheets of paper on the fax machine and dialled.

She would talk to Karl in the morning and ask him to call his friend.

There was nothing else she could do until then.

For now, she had to call Doctor Carlton.

‘What a night,’ Daemon muttered, shaking his head as he entered the Dower House and made his way to his bedroom.

He picked up a clean shirt and put it on then grabbed a soft woollen jumper – it was that cold time just before dawn. Smoothing his hair with his hand, he decided to take the time to clean his teeth and splash some cold water on his face.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he couldn’t stop from grinning as he noticed the lovebite on his neck.

Things changed so quickly. Only a few months ago he’d been a miserable bastard. But somehow, despite what she’d been through, Alexia had seen through all his bullshit and had let him in.

Sharing their music had been the key. They were two people who’d been taught by the circumstances of their pasts not to trust, not to open up to others, but through their passion for music, they had shared more than they’d meant to, more than they’d been aware of. They’d given who they were to the music and through it had told the other all they needed to know.

A little tremor of guilt assailed him. He had to tell Alexia he’d looked into her past. He should have told her before now. He only hoped she’d understand why he’d done it.