Make Me Scream (14 page)

After they’d cleaned up the kitchen, she gave him another reward. Gratitude sex may be pathetic, but it was very…gratifying.

D
evon stretched and rolled to his back on Jamie’s bed, smiling at her. “Thanks, I needed that.”

In response, she grinned and snuggled close to his heart, her arm slung over his chest. “No problem.”

After some quiet snuggling, she said, “Do you think it was Fred again?”

He thought about pretending he didn’t know what she meant for about two seconds and then decided they needed to be truthful with each other.

“I don’t know, Jamie. You were the one who saw him. Do you think it was him?” He held up a chunk of her hair and watched it curl around his finger.

“I thought so at first, but now I’m not so sure. I don’t want to be a fraidy cat, seeing bogeymen around every corner. For instance, Fred always gave me a yellow rose after we fought. I hated seeing those dang roses almost as much as I hated being so afraid.” She shuddered. “I don’t know, maybe it was because I knew what was coming. He’d always give me the rose and then expect makeup sex. Then when I found a yellow rose at my door yesterday, I freaked. It may or may not have been from him, but it brought back all my old fears.” She kissed his shoulder. “But Fred is real, and what he did to me was real. I have a darn good reason to be afraid of him.”

He held her closer, enjoying the fresh citrus scent of her hair, tamping down guilt for not telling her he’d left the rose. “Of course you do. And I promise I’ll do my best to try to protect you.” Since he was part of her fear, it was only fair to vow his protection. He’d tell her about the rose in a few minutes.

She stretched to kiss his jaw. “Thanks, I know you will.”

Now he knew how the Grinch felt when his heart expanded. With a start, he realized he’d spoken the truth. He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

Wow. He sure hoped it didn’t involve danger to life or limb.

Beside him, Jamie was wiggling in a most interesting manner. Her hand stroked him to instant hardness.

“Devon?”

“Hmmm?” He reciprocated by outlining her breast with the tip of his index finger. Funny, now that they had been intimate a few times, her breasts didn’t seem nearly as full as when he’d first met her. Must be because he was used to seeing and touching them.

“Remember that song, ‘Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy’?” She was up on her knees now, beside him.

Damn. He had thought he was going to get lucky again. Why was she wanting to talk about songs?

“Yeah, but why—”

His question was short-circuited along with his thought processes when she climbed on top and straddled him. His erection slipped home, and they both sighed.

Their gazes met.

“Giddyup, cowboy,” she said with a grin.

And their third wild ride of the night began.

Several hours later, Devon stepped into the courtyard and shut Jamie’s door.

The men were congregated around the fire pit, but he was not in the mood for bullshit tonight. Skirting around in the shadows, he took a circuitous route to his apartment, not taking a deep breath until he’d gained the sanctuary of his home.

“’Bout time you got back.” Francyne sat in his recliner, the TV on mute. She stood, stretched and then yawned. “I took both dogs for a walk and then dropped Petunia off so she could get some sleep. Killer finally gave up on you and fell asleep a few minutes ago.” She came to a stop in front of him. “You look like you had a nice time tonight.”

He grinned. “I had a great time. Thanks for asking. And thanks for taking care of things.”

“My pleasure, pumpkin. Say, why don’t you take the day off tomorrow, too, and go do something with Jamie? I don’t mind watching the place again. I’ve been worried about her. She’s skittish as a cat, worried about running into that Neanderthal she used to date. And nothing takes your mind off a man like getting it on with another one.”

“Francyne! Too much information there.”

“Oh, horsefeathers! You young people didn’t invent sex, you know. Don’t be such a prude.”

“I’ll check with Jamie tomorrow and let you know. Thanks again. Oh, and Francyne?”

“Hmmm?” She paused in the open door.

“Thanks, too, for calling Todd to bail us out. I really appreciate it. Did you call him because he has connections in the police department?”

“Um, yeah. Something like that. You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”

After he shut the door, it hit him. He’d forgotten to tell Jamie about the rose. He’d meant to tell her, but the sex thing had wiped out pretty much every other thought from his brain.

“Todd?” Francyne called from her doorway. “Could you come here for a minute, please?”

Todd set his bottle of beer on the cement next to his chair and got up. He said something to his friend with the dark hair and then ambled over.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I need some help reaching something. Come on in for a sec, would you?”

As soon as she closed the door, she wheeled on him. “What did you tell Devon? Why does he think I called you to bail him out?”

“Francyne, I thought we went through all this before.” He shifted his stance and stared at the ceiling a second before meeting her gaze. “I was at the station when he and Jamie came out to collect their stuff. They thought you called me. I just let them think it. Then I gave them a ride home.”

“Your car wasn’t parked in the police lot? How’d you manage that?”

“Yeah, but I had them wait and drove around the block to pick them up.”

“And they bought that you were just there for them?”

“Seemed to. Am I right in my guess that you paid their bail?”

“Who the hell else would do it? I swear, I think all that hair dye has leached into your brain.”

“Aw, c’mon, Francyne, you know you love me.” He grinned and patted her on top of the head.

“Cut that out, you’ll ruin my do!” She swatted at him and stepped out of reach. “I saw Rick is back. I take it he didn’t turn up anything new?”

“Nope.” He shook his head. “It’s like she’s fallen off the face of the Earth.”

Francyne touched his arm. “Sweetie, maybe it’s time to face the fact your baby sister may not still be alive. I know, I know, you don’t want to believe it. But she always talked highly of you. She loved you. I can’t help but think if Alexis was still alive out there somewhere, she would’ve contacted you by now. That’s all I’m saying. And I think she would want you to get on with your life.”

He forked his fingers through his hair and stalked to the end of her living room and back. “No! She’s out there, I know it. That’s why I’m staying here. This was her last address. If she’s alive, I know sooner or later she will come back here.”

A knock sounded.

They looked at each other.

“Are you expecting anyone?” Todd stepped back behind the door.

Francyne shook her head and shuffled to the door. “It’s Jamie,” she whispered after looking through the peephole.

“Get rid of her. I don’t want her to see me here. She ran into Rick at my apartment today. She’s not stupid. It wouldn’t take much more before she put two and two together.”

“And that would be bad because?”

“Duh. If everyone knows I’m undercover, don’t you think it might mess things up a tad?”

“Oh. Good point. I’ll get rid of her.”

Francyne cracked open the door. “Oh, hi, Jamie. I was just fixin’ to go to bed. Is there something you need?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was. I was going to do some laundry, and there’s a sign on Devon’s door saying to come here for the tickets. But I can come back tomorrow if—”

“No, that’s okay. I was watching the office today and forgot to take down the sign. Just give me a sec to find them.” She reached into a bowl by the door and handed a pile to Jamie. “Here you go.”

Jamie stepped closer, and Francyne held the door to prevent her from entering.

“Francyne, is that a fireplace?”

“Um…” She looked back at Todd, who made the sign to speed things up. “Yes, I guess it is.”

“I didn’t know any of the apartments had fireplaces.”

“Mine is the only unit with one. The builder decided it wasn’t a good idea.”

“Do you mind if I take a look?”

“No! I mean, I was just about to go to bed. Come back tomorrow.” She closed the door and glared at Todd. “I hope you’re happy. I probably scarred that poor child for life. She probably thinks I don’t like her now.”

“Can’t be helped. I just need you to keep your mouth shut a little while longer. Can you do that? You’re the only one here who really knew Alexis. You were probably the last one to see her.”

“Actually I think Devon was the last one to see her. According to him, she came in, all upset, and broke her lease. He had enough petty cash to give her the deposit back, but the rent refund is still lying in a bowl on his desk. I saw it the other night.”

“Has he ever said anything else about her?”

“We’ve been over and over this. No, he did not. Now get on out of here so I can get my beauty sleep.”

Petunia came shuffling out after the door shut. She yawned and stretched and then looked at her bowl expectantly.

“Forget it. You’re on a diet, remember?” Francyne turned the dead bolt and paused. “I wonder if I should have mentioned Devon saw Alexis get in the car with a man the day she disappeared?”

B
right and early the following morning, Devon knocked on Jamie’s door.

“Hey,” he said when she opened the door for him. “It’s going to be a great day. Want to try the beach again?”

She pursed her lips and shook her head.

“No? How about the pool? When I checked the chemicals earlier, there was no one there. We could have it to ourselves.”

“The pool sounds nice. But no funny stuff, okay? I’ve had enough embarrassment for a while.”

“No funny stuff. Just two people enjoying the day and the pool.”

“Okay. Let me put on my suit.”

“Don’t do it on my account,” he said with a grin and then held up his hands. “Just kidding. No funny stuff. Got it. Stop begging, woman, and go get your suit on. We’re wasting sunshine.”

Jamie pulled up the straps of one of the bikinis she’d bought at Play It Again, Ma’am and then adjusted her gel packs.

“I sure hope these puppies don’t melt,” she muttered, turning to check the fit of the suit. Satisfied, she slipped an oversize T-shirt over her head and grabbed a towel on her way out of the bathroom.

The pool was located by going through the hall between the buildings on the other side of the laundry room. Next to the back parking lot, it was secluded by a lattice fence. The corners of the pool area had large palm trees. Planter boxes along the side fences overflowed with an abundance of blooming tropical plants.

Jamie stopped inside the gate and pulled her shirt over her head and then stuffed it in the canvas bag she carried. She paused to sniff a potted honeysuckle.

Devon almost tripped over his own feet, struck by how hot she looked in her barely there, orange hibiscus print suit.

He watched the golden globes of her breasts rise and fall above the tiny triangles covering her nipples and felt his cock swell.

Down, boy. We promised no funny stuff
. He discreetly rearranged his package. Trailing behind her, he watched her select a chaise, spread a threadbare beach towel and lie down.

Shielding her eyes, she squinted up at him. “Aren’t you going to find a chair?”

“Sure.” He grabbed the one next to hers and plopped down on the ancient webbing…which immediately gave with his weight, causing a ripping sound to echo within the pool area.

“Shit!”

“Devon, are you okay?” Jamie hopped up and grasped his arm while he struggled to extract his behind from the shredded webbing with as little loss of skin as possible.

“Wait!” He licked his lips and eyed the cleavage so close to his face he could probably touch it with his tongue. He would have tried, except he’d promised no funny stuff. Unable to totally resist, he leaned forward and brushed a kiss on the top of each breast. “You need to remove these—”

“What!” She looked so freaked out it would have been funny had he not been so turned on.

“I meant you need to not get them so close to my mouth unless you mean business.” He smiled at her shocked expression. “I know I promised to be good, but you’re making it very difficult.” He waggled his eyebrows and said, “Notice I didn’t say ‘hard’? See, I’m abiding by your wishes.”

She thumped his forehead and then straddled the broken chair and gripped his upper arms. “We need to get you out of here. When I pull, you push yourself up as far as possible. Ready?”

“Did I ever tell you my fantasy about having sex on a chaise longue?”

“Devon, keep your mind on the problem at hand.” She giggled. “And technically, you’re
in
a chaise, not
on
one.”

“Okay, did I ever tell you my fantasy about having sex
in
a chaise longue?”

She sighed and put her fists on her hips. “Okay, if it will make you move, tell me your fantasy so we can get you out of this thing.”

“Well…” he began, running the tip of his index fingers up the insides of her thighs and along the elastic leg of her bikini bottom. “Actually, my fantasy involves you on the chaise, on your hands and knees, sans bottom, and me behind the chair. The only way to get to you is by pushing my cock through the squares in the webbing.” He dipped his fingers beneath the elastic to slip up and down her slick folds.

She shuddered and moved a little closer, eyes shut.

Mr. Happy did a little dance of joy within the liner of his trunks.

“O-oh?” She licked her lips, her breathing shallow.

“Uh-huh. But now that I can feel how scratchy the webbing is, I’m a little worried about penal lacerations.” He dipped into her and was rewarded with a little moan. He thought she was the one who’d moaned but wasn’t totally sure about it.

Her hand squeezed him through the fabric of his bathing suit and then pulled the elastic down to let Mr. Happy get a tan.

This time, he definitely knew he was the one doing the moaning.

She drew a little circle around his engorged head, spreading the telltale drop of excitement around. “Too bad. Maybe we can think of a way to improvise?”

His heart rate jumped to warp speed. Mr. Happy was developing a headache.

“You said no funny stuff. Sweetheart, right now, I can’t think of anything more fun to do.”

Glancing around, she leaned closer and whispered, “I just don’t want to get caught again.”

Inspiration licked.