Deadly Shadows (33 page)

* * * *

“Mr. Kinncaid, sir.” The blonde desk clerk, waved at him. Aiden ignored her, turned his gaze back to T.J. “When did you see Jesslyn?”

He had to find her.

“In the bathroom, it was only about five or ten minutes or so ago,” her eyes looked around the room and he saw relief trickle through the pale depths. He quickly looked over his shoulder.

Tim walked towards them.

“What’s going on?” Tim asked

“We’re looking for Jesslyn.” Aiden told his friend.

Chief Garrison held up his hand, “I’m sure she’s around somewhere. Let’s not panic.”

“Search the hotel.” Litton advised.

Aiden nodded. “I’ll have her paged.”

He hurried to the front desk. “Page Ms. Jesslyn Black for me. Now.” His palm slapped on the cool marble top.

“But Mr. Kinncaid….” she started.

“Now,” he repeated.

Her small jaw firmed. “She went to your office. Another gentleman was with her. That was about….” Aiden didn’t wait for her to finish.

His stride lengthened and he shoved through the door.

“Kinncaid, wait,” John said.

Wait hell. Aiden sprinted down the hallway. Hurry. He had to hurry. He’d promised to keep her safe. His hands shook.

He heard footfalls down the hall behind him.

The door stood closed. Aiden grabbed the handle. Locked.

He slapped his pockets. Where the hell was his key?

“Jesslyn!” He beat on the door. “Jesslyn!”

* * * *

David’s head whirled at the shout, at the pounding, shaking the door. Jesslyn took her chance and his distraction. One step. She planted her feet and swung the poker with all her might.

His arm shot up, blocked her blow from crashing into his head. He grabbed the poker and tried to wrestle it from her. “You bitch. I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

Anger flamed through her, for herself, for all the innocent victims he’d claimed. For Maddy. For Tammy.

“Better a bitch than a soulless monster who believes he’s doing God’s will,” she furiously said between her teeth. “You’re pathetic. And evil.” She spat in his face.

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David roared, let go of the poker and struck her across the face. Pain sang up her knees as she hit the floor.

“It is my righteous duty to protect!” David screamed. He ripped the poker from her hands, the curved end tearing across her palm. David flung it aside. The poker landed by the door. “Jesslyn!” She heard Aiden yell before something pinged against the metal doorknob.

Jesslyn tried to crawl back towards the door. Towards the poker. David whirled. The knife hung in his hand.

She kicked at his knee and he screamed.

“Jesslyn!” Aiden yelled. Something kicked the door, and she tried to get to her feet.

David grabbed her hair, shoving her down, even as she tried to fight him off, to twist away. She fell back. His strong thighs locked against her torso as he straddled her. He gasped as she brought her knees up hard against his back, his hold only tightened.

“It’s too bad you couldn’t mind your own business, but you’re like the rest, aren’t you?”

This man she didn’t know--had never known. His eyes burned with a black and unholy fire. His chest heaved up and down.

Jesslyn fisted her hands and rammed them up against his sternum. David grunted.

More splinters from the door. With one hand he tried to hold her still.

“It’s time to meet the rest in hell.” He raised the knife above his head, even as she tried to twist to the side.

“Aiden!” she screamed.

A whoosh through the air followed by a string of pinging gunshots jerked her.

Blood poured over her. The coppery smell filled her nose, the metallic flavor coated the back of her throat.

David’s flat eyes went blank. The knife fell from his hands as his arms dropped to the side. Jesslyn couldn’t move. A trickle of blood ran down from the hole in the center of his forehead, two in his chest, the poker a grotesque stake through the center of him.

Her breath broken and jagged panted out. David started to fall forwards.

Hands gripped her under her arms and jerked her up and back from the grisly scene.

Aiden clasped Jessie to him. Sweet Mother of God. Tremors shook them both as he buried her head against his shoulder.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re okay.” Her chest rose and fell, quick and hurried, matching his. He could feel their hearts racing.

Jessie pulled back. She was covered in blood. Streaks of red marred her pale face and her white shirt was crimson. God had he been too late? His hands hurried over her, ripped her shirt apart to see her flat smooth belly, her chest untouched by the knife. It was a good thing they were sitting on the floor, or his knees would have given out. Her faint one-sided grin took him by surprise. “I’m glad you made it.”

From somewhere deep inside him, laughter rumbled out. He framed that long heart shaped face that had become so dear to him. When he’d fallen through the door and seen David Hewett poised above her, he hadn’t even thought, just picked up the poker and lanced it through the air. Aiden didn’t realize John had shot the bastard until he started to get up and saw the man lower his gun.

“I swear I am never, never,
never
letting you out of my sight, woman.” He leaned

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forward and kissed her with all the emotions raging with in him. And felt them answered in the return of love between their lips and tongues.

The kiss broke. “That’s fine with me,” she whispered against his mouth.

Garrison laid a hand on his shoulder, jerked his head towards the door, “Get her out of here. We’ll be by later to get her statement.”

Aiden nodded and helped Jesslyn to her feet. He leaned down and swept her up in his arms. “I am perfectly capable of walking, you know.” Her arms twined around his neck and he felt her fingers tickling the ends of his hair.

“I know, but you’re not.” Without a backward glance, Aiden carried her through the door and out into the outer office. There he took the private exit and let the fresh air soothe them both.

* * * *

The shower felt good. It washed away the blood, the fears, and the horror. Jesslyn’s arms wrapped around his neck, her muscular legs around his waist, as he drove into her. So hot, so right. Her back arched against the tiles. He leaned forwards and kissed the smooth column of her neck, arched her more and pulled her breast into his mouth, her moan driving him on.

She was his, and she was alive. The need to confirm their love, their breath, their beating hearts raged through him.

Her moan bounced off the walls. He loved the sounds she made in the back of her throat when they made love.

Jesslyn speared her fingers through his hair, jerking his head to hers and kissed him with all the happiness, joy and love she could. Her teeth bit at his lips, pressed against his. She raked her nails across his shoulders and smiled when he squeezed her hips even tighter.

He was driving her wild. Water sluiced over them, carried the terror of the past few weeks away down the drain. Her tongue countered his, danced to the age-old tune of love. Her body tightened, coiled.

Aiden pumped into her, deeper and deeper still. “Jesslyn….”

She shattered. He pulsed within her.

He felt like his self had just been ripped from him, given to another.

Somehow, without too much trouble, he got them out of the shower and into the bed.

The sheets were cool and dampened where their wet bodies melded. Jesslyn was beautiful. Her small, toned and pale body glistened with moisture. She tasted sweet as nectar.

Never before had he met a woman he needed as he did this one, like water to a thirsting man.

Aiden rose over her, claimed her mouth in a possessive kiss, even as he slowly claimed her body. First with his fingers, roaming, caressing, branding where he chose and she let him.

Then he conquered her slowly with his mouth, bit by bit, inch by inch until she sobbed his name.

The hunger and need in him roared through his veins, fought for urgency. But he held back.

Aiden stripped away ever layer she had until all that was left was raw nerves. Their kisses and caresses were hurried, demanding, driven out of the need to reassure, to confirm. He was moving so torturously slow, and the contrast between their wants and Aiden’s control was too much. Their hands clasped, fingers entwined and held fast.

He looked at her, his features hard, his eyes dark. “You’re mine.”

Slowly, he slid into her and she sighed watched as his eyes slid closed and a muscle bunched in his jaw.

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Aiden loved her slow and deep, his strokes measured and controlled until she couldn’t stand it any more. Treasured and cherished. Sobbing, Jesslyn spiraled towards the stars, towards the sun, towards life. Aiden thrust deep and she cried out, flying….

Aiden threw his head back, groaned his release as he gave his soul to her.

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

“I love you too.”

Their hearts beat as one, melded, bonded, promised.

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Austin, Texas

Aiden rubbed his hand over his wife’s distended stomach. At eight an half months pregnant, Jesslyn tired easily. Tomorrow they were going in for her cesarean section to take the twins out.

He smiled into the darkness and wrapped his arms around her. Things were perfect. It had taken them a long time to get here, but they were perfect.

After the nightmare in Colorado, he’d proposed to Jesslyn only to have her reject him and leave for Texas where she wouldn’t talk with him for almost six weeks.

Longest damn six weeks of his life.

Then one day she called, in tears.

Idiot woman had needed to settle her past. He understood that. What he still didn’t understand was why she’d never mentioned her chance of not having children before. She thought that would change his mind about their relationship.

It didn’t. God, he’d been so enraged at her shouldering all her worries alone. Again. He had of course, called the airport and had been in Austin that night at her hotel learning everything. How she had been scared she couldn’t have kids because she’d been pregnant in the accident and there had been scarring to her uterus. How she’d wanted to know for certain before she accepted his proposal.

He’d wanted to strangle her. Instead he’d listened to how she’d learned instead at her doctor’s visit that she was pregnant with twins and extremely high risk.

The months had worn on her. But she’d finally stopped worrying. Bed rest and no excitement.

No sex on their wedding night. No traveling and the list went on.

But he didn’t care. He had the woman he loved safe in his arms and she was happy and finally at peace.

“I love you,” she said, turning.

“I love you, too.” He kissed her softly. “Go to sleep, tomorrow will be a big a day.”

She laughed. “I know, but I’m not tired. I can’t wait to hold our boys, Aiden.”

He grinned down into her eyes and knew again how lucky he really was.

DEADLY TIES

by

202

Some bonds are love, and some bonds are deadly—Taylor Reese is done with men, except for her son, Ryan, and Dr. Gavin Kinncaid realizes Ms. Reese is the only woman he’s ever wanted to strangle, but fate and passion soon twist their feelings into something other than antagonism, first into passion and then into a committed love while someone plots to rip this new happy family apart.

An unedited excerpt from DEADLY TIES, coming June 2004 from NCP:

“What the hell happened?” Aiden asked.

“That woman ran off the road,” Gavin said, pointing to his car, where he saw Taylor sat half in, half out of the open passenger door talking to one of the uniformed officers.

“That woman?” Aiden drawled, a grin hinting.

“Yeah, and the idiot then decided to wave a car down in the middle of the damn road.”

The more he thought about it, the madder he was getting again. At her.

“And may I ask what that woman’s name is?” Aiden crossed his arms over his chest.

“Taylor. Taylor Reese. Contrary, incompetent, and annoying.”

Gavin stood staring as the medic turned Ryan’s arm one way, then lifted it higher, holding the shoulder. Another EMT moved the officer away and checked Taylor. He was turning Taylor’s face one way, then the other.

“Interesting,” Aiden drawled again.

Gavin ignored him and walked to the car.

“I don’t know what happened. We were going about fifty, probably closer to forty-five because I’d just slowed down to a crawl to look at the map. Anyway, we took the curve and the next thing I knew, I couldn’t control the car and it was just flying off the road,” Taylor said.

He saw then the shadow darkening the left side of her face. Had she hit the steering wheel? The window? Why the hell hadn’t he noticed it before?

“I thought you said you were fine,” he barked, all but shoving the medic out of the way.

One eyebrow cocked.

He reached out, but she pulled back, her brown eyes dark in the low light, the freckles on her face standing out.

Taylor leaned away from his hand, awareness tingling through her at his nearness.

“I am fine,” she told him, tired.

“You look it, too.” His sarcasm was not lost on her.

She glanced at his left hand, and saw there was no ring.

“You’re not married, are you?” she asked. “No wife could put up with your do-as-I-say attitude.”

His eyes left the side of her face and zeroed in on hers. “What a subtle come on.”

Taylor snorted. “That wasn’t a come on. You are the most arrogant man I have ever had the misfortune to meet.”

He tsked. “You’ve already told me that.” He held up a finger. “Watch my finger.”

“Is it going somewhere?” She huffed out a breath. The man was impossible. “The medic has already done that, thank you very much. I don’t have a concussion or anything else, so just stop being all… all…”

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“My finger.”

She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. This close to him, his scent, some expensive outdoor cologne and rain, wafted between them.

Deciding it took more energy to fight the man than give in on this, she watched as his long, blunt-tipped finger went one way then the other.

“Anything else, Doc?” she asked.

“Yeah, how did you get this?” His brows furrowed as his fingers grazed her cheek. She pulled away, startled at the shock his touch sent through her.

Taylor stared at him, saw the way the soft rain glistened on his dark hair in the lights of the other cars. His square jaw was shadowed with stubble, sprinkled with moisture. For some absurd reason she actually wanted to reach out and touch his cheek.

Which was stupid and just went to show that she must have hit her head, or that Mr.

Gibbons had scrambled her brains.

“What happened?” he asked quietly, his voice low and deep like beckoning thunder.

“N-nothing.”

One brow cocked. “It looks like nothing.”

His finger touched it, pressed.

“Ouch.”

“What happened? Looks like someone punched you.”

“Someone did,” Ryan said, standing beside Gavin.

Both black brows rose, then immediately beetled on a frown.

“Who?” Gavin asked her.

Taylor rolled her eyes and glared at her son. “It’s nothing.”

“Who hit your mom?” Gavin asked, partially turning to Ryan.

“A man.”

“What man?”

She was seriously going to have to talk to her son about loyalty. He liked new words, she’d have to teach him that one.

“Mr. Gibbons,” she all but sighed out. “It was Mr. Gibbons.”

Gavin turned back to her, his head cocked. “The father of the girl who died?”

“Yep,” Ryan said. “Knocked her right out of the chair.”

Gavin’s eyes narrowed, the blue hardened, iced. “Out of your chair?” he asked quietly.

Taylor looked to her son. “How do you know that?”

“I heard you talking on the phone to Mrs. Jenkins before we left. You said, ‘Well, yeah, when the man knocks you out of the chair, it tends to hurt.’.” Her son’s small shoulders shrugged.

“Look up eavesdropping when we find a dictionary,” she said.

The two males, one who must be in his thirties and the other eight, were not related, but the angry expressions, fierce eyes and tense jaws were identical. She couldn’t help it, she laughed.“I’m fine you two. Quit frowning.” To her son, she said, “You know it sometimes happens with what I do.”

His set expression didn’t change. “That doesn’t mean I can’t get mad about it.”

True.

“What were you doing with the man?” Gavin asked.

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She sighed. “Is it really that important?”

“Humor me,” he muttered, while his fingers pressed around her eye, felt her cheekbone.

Trying not to wince, let alone shove his hand away, she said, “It was a legal meeting.

Social Services, lawyers. The cop was outside the door.” She shrugged. “Man just moved really quick.”Gavin grunted.

What did that mean? Her stomach tensed when his fingertip grazed her hairline near her ear.

“Did you have this checked out? X-rayed?”

The man was a doctor. And a bossy one at that, even if he did smell good.

Taylor made to stand, but he didn’t move.

“Did you?” he asked again.

She glared at him. “I. Am. Fine. It’s only a bruise. They go away.”

He pulled back a fraction and simply stared at her with such an intense expression, she shifted.“What?” she asked.

“They go away?” He stood, shoved a hand through his damp hair.

What was with this guy? One minute he was snapping at her and the next he seemed upset because she had a bruise.