Raspberry Crush (19 page)

"What are you smiling at?" Seth asked her now.

"Oh, nothing," Billy replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked as he neared the fridge. Billy said no. It was almost evening, so a glass of wine might be nice, but in Seth's presence she couldn't afford to relax her impulses. Besides, she might as well keep her wits about her if she was going to try to get information about Ted Schneider's murder. That
was
her purpose for being there—the half-naked-hottie factor was just a frustrating plus.

Seth poured a glass of water for himself, then set another one in front of her. "Just in case."

"Thanks. By the way, have you heard anything about that guy who died at the jubilee?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Seth shrugged as he pulled out the chair across from her and took a seat. "No, not really, why?"

"Just curious." She paused, running her thumb carelessly up and down over the condensation on her glass. "So Sally and her friends really didn't like him too much, huh?"

Seth shrugged. "I guess he didn't fit in enough," he said dryly. "But Sally mentioned that she ran into Deputy Trellis yesterday, and he said that Bob closed the case on it right away—which is always great with Trellis, who rarely handles anything more taxing than kitten rescue."

"Who's Bob?" Billy asked.

"Medical examiner."

"Oh."

"Not that there was anything to close, really. It was obviously just a terrible accident."

"I doubt that," Billy mumbled.

"What?" Seth said, tilting his head, confused.

"Nothing," Billy said quickly.

Slanting his eyebrows, Seth said, "You don't think it was an accident?"

"No, no, I mean... I'm just saying, it's easier for Deputy Trellis to assume it was an accident than to try to figure out if something else might have happened."

"Like what?" Seth said skeptically.

Billy shrugged and toyed with the wet rim of her glass. "I just think it's strange that Ted would eat something with nuts in it when he'd just finished asking half the bakery staff what foods he should avoid."

"Yeah, but you said he'd been drinking, right? So he was drunk, confused."

"Hmm..."

"What other explanation could there be?"

Billy deflected the conversation a little by asking, "Do you know if Ted had problems with anyone in town? Anybody specific?"

"I don't really know," Seth replied, leaning back in his chair. "According to Sally, nobody in Churchill really even knew him that well."

"How does Sally know so much?" Billy asked, genuinely curious.

With a laugh, Seth said, "Excellent question. I've stopped trying to understand that. But somehow she's got her finger on the pulse of everything that happens in this town—not to mention everything that
could
happen, and everything that didn't happen but almost did."

"Oh, I see. So nobody really knew Ted, yet Sally and her friends disliked him enough to make that comment about killing him," Billy said, remembering the joke about slipping Ted something with nuts.

Seth let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Oh, come on, they were only kidding! Granted, it wasn't remotely funny." Looking sincerely at her, he softened his voice. "Billy. Seriously, what's going on? Where is all this coming from?"

"I'm just curious, that's all."

"Oh, really?" Seth said, curving his mouth into a grin, as if amused by her attempt at secrecy—as if he
knew
when she was lying. Shaking his head, he absently rumpled his hair with his fingers. (Billy recognized the adorably scruffy habit, but tried not to dwell on it.) "C'mon, really. Do you honestly think the guy was murdered?"

Although she'd had the best intention to keep a low profile—really, she did—when Seth's hazel eyes stared her down, the effect was like truth serum, and before she knew it she was spilling everything she knew about Aunt Penelope's relationship with Ted, and what he'd told her about someone being after him.

"And that's why I think there could've been foul play," she continued. "And I'm thinking that maybe the someone from his past—the someone who was after him—finally got him."

Seth hesitated, as though searching for the most diplomatic way to phrase his next question—though there was really no need, because Billy could guess what it was. "Is it possible he was just portraying something to your aunt... you know, giving himself an out?"

"Well, anything's possible," Billy remarked with admitted triteness. "Maybe it wasn't someone from his past. Maybe it was someone in town with a whole different agenda, but it wasn't an accident, and I'm gonna prove it."

"Uh-huh—whoa, wait a minute here. What do you mean, 'prove it'?" Seth asked warily. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Nothing," Billy replied quickly. "Just... trying to piece things together for myself, that's all." It was true to a point; that
was
her overall plan. But it was subject to adjustment if an actual lead fell her way.

"I'm sure if there was anything suspicious, there would've been an investigation."

"But you said yourself, Deputy Trellis is totally inexperienced."

"Did I say inexperienced?" Seth remarked. "I meant to say
dumb.
But anyway, Bob examined the body; it was obviously all routine."

"I agree that it
looks
that way," Billy conceded. "Do they at least know what, exactly, Ted ate that triggered the fatal reaction?"

"Well, Sally said he was cremated."

"Already?"

Seth held up his hand. "I know how it sounds, but apparently Trellis found Ted's will on his boat; it specified that Ted wanted to be cremated right away in the case of his death. I guess he had a thing about having his body lying dead, something about not wanting to decompose. I'm not sure; I was only half listening when Sally was telling me all this. Anyway, since he had no family to speak of, and there wasn't going to be an investigation, the sheriff's office and the coroner didn't see any reason to wait."

"Convenient," Billy mumbled, more to herself. Seth just squinted, a little intrigued, a little bemused, as though not sure what to make of her and her theory at the moment. "I know it might sound weird, but I still want to see what I can find out. Something seems off here. Oh, but don't mention this to anyone, okay? For real." She knew he wouldn't if she asked him not to—not even busybody Sally would get it out of him.

"I won't," Seth said, still looking skeptical. Billy knew he didn't agree that it had been murder, but he let it drop for now.

"Thanks." As Billy lifted her glass of water, another pain shot up her arm. "Ow," she whispered, and rubbed her triceps.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked, and leaned forward with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing. I think I just pulled a muscle or something carrying that tray around at the jubilee." Then, with a self-deprecating grin, she added, "I'm at the top of my game these days; can't you tell?"

When she winced again, Seth came to his feet and walked behind her chair. "Here..." he said, and set his hands on her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" she asked, hearing her voice almost crack at the contact. Seth's hands were on her—powerful and warm—and melting her into a weak, spineless puddle.

"Hold on..." he said, as he gently massaged her shoulders. His hands thoroughly worked her muscles, rubbing her shoulders down to her upper arms.
Oh... it was too good.
Soon Billy's heart shot up to Olympic speed, and perspiration seeped into her palms, which were clutching the fabric of her pants. She needed to calm down, but she couldn't. The way Seth's fingers dug soothingly into her flesh was intoxicating... drugging... especially now that he was working his way back up and sliding his warm palm underneath her hair.

"Um... thanks, that feels better," she said weakly, nearly moaning as Seth used two fingers to knead the back of her neck. It wasn't just the sensuality of his movements—it was Seth himself. He'd always emanated a potent physical energy, and now the scant space between their bodies felt charged with it. The air was thick with suffocating heat, reducing Billy's breath to short, shallow puffs, and her body to liquid flames.

As he deepened his massage, she bit her lip, fighting the urge to drop her head back. God, she was ridiculous; he was trying to work a kink out from her very out-of-shape body, and she was turning it into foreplay. His hands were so strong, his fingers so warm, and it felt so good, she didn't want him to stop. That was normal.

But was it normal not to want him to stop
ever?

Suddenly she heard him breathing, and knew he'd leaned down and gotten closer. His breath fell deeply and heavily, so she knew he was turned on, too. Instinctively she squeezed her legs together, because her muscles were throbbing and her thighs were trembling, and suddenly she felt his lips on her ear. "W-what are you doing?" she asked brokenly.

"I don't know," Seth replied softly—roughly—and licked inside her ear.

Fire raged between her legs, and before she could even think straight, Seth was rubbing her shoulders again and sucking hard on her earlobe. The sensation of his hot, wet mouth tugging on her ear and his roughened cheek against her neck was all too much, and Billy's head lolled back just as strong hands slid under her arms, urging her out of her chair and turning her around. Instantly, Seth's mouth descended on hers, capturing her in a gentle but possessive kiss. It didn't take long, though, for the kiss to deepen—turning wet, urgent, and unbelievably sexy
.

"Oh, God," she whispered when their lips parted. Seth groaned huskily, tilted his head, and sank deeper into their next kiss, which became almost endless.

With her breasts crushed against his ribs, and her body arching and straining to relieve its sexual hunger, Billy was slightly losing her mind. Seth's sexy gruffness was all coming back to her as he tightened his embrace and whispered huskily about how good she felt.

Billy slid her hands up his bare chest, getting more turned on by the feel of his naked flesh, and then coiled her arms around his neck as she kissed him back with fierce hunger. She'd temporarily lost reason and good sense, but she just didn't care, because Seth's licking into her mouth was the most thrilling thing that had happened to her in so long.

She could feel the dampness between her legs, the stickiness of her panties against her flesh—the near pain of wanting sex so much. Not flowers or sweetness, not right now. Just sex with Seth. Seth's cock, hard and pumping inside her.

Suddenly she felt his erection. It was straining the fly of his jeans. As Billy assailed Seth's mouth, she undulated against his pelvis, trying to align his crotch with hers, to fit their lower bodies together like puzzle pieces. Groaning, Seth kissed her harder and slid his hands down her back to cup her bottom. In one sharp motion he squeezed her and pulled her up against him.

"Ohh..." she moaned, rubbing against the hardness, and breaking the kiss to get her breath back.

"Oh, Jesus." Seth groaned, moving them back until Billy's butt hit the kitchen table. And then she was flat on her back, and Seth was spreading her legs wide before he climbed on top of her. In a matter of seconds he was lying on her, rubbing her breasts and burying his face in between while he ground his erection into her aching crotch. Each push of his hips was punctuated with a sharp, lusty moan from her—one that implicitly begged for more.

How had she gotten here? she wondered hazily, lifting her pelvis off the table in rhythmic motions, totally succumbing to lust, grinding hard with Seth, and practically having sex through their clothes. How would it feel
without
clothes? If he yanked her jeans down now, would she even try to stop him?

They were both nearly panting; it seemed inconceivable that a kiss had gotten so out of control so fast. Make that a shoulder massage. Make that stopping by to investigate the death of... What was his name again? Oh, who cared?

Seth tore his mouth off hers and lifted himself up on his hands. As he rocked his body against hers, he whispered raggedly about how good she felt, how much he wanted her, how she drove him crazy... but Billy could barely hear over the blood thundering in her veins and her heart pounding like a bass drum in her ears. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so excited—not with her ex-boyfriend Ryan, and so far, not with Mark.

Mark!

Oh, Christ—she'd forgotten all about him! She was totally betraying him, even if they weren't officially exclusive yet.

Abruptly, then, she pushed on Seth's shoulders to move him off of her. But he was so turned on, he didn't seem to realize what was happening. An anguished-looking expression crossed over his face as he continued to pant and pump his hips.

Then he leaned down to kiss her, but Billy turned her head... leaving Seth to trail kisses across her cheek and down her neck.

"Ohhhh..." she moaned traitorously again as Seth licked her pulse point.

But somehow she shook herself back to reality. "Seth, wait," she said, and gave his arms another shove.

"Wha...?" he said, pulling back, confused.

"Wait,"
she said again, and started to sit up.

Seth rolled off her and onto his feet, his blond hair rumpled, his face flushed, and his expression dazed. "What's wrong?" he asked huskily, plowing his hand through his hair.

For the first time Billy could feel the flaming heat on her face and the pull of her inner thigh muscles, which were definitely not used to that kind of stretching. "I'm sorry; I can't do this," she said, and climbed down from the table. Her tailbone was a little sore, too, but that was probably a good thing. Knowing that this encounter hadn't been
all
ecstasy-filled rapture might help ease her guilty conscience later. A girl could hope, anyway.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked again, his voice gravelly. "What is it—that other guy?"

"Yeah," she replied. Of
course
it was. Mark wasn't actually her boyfriend yet, but that appeared to be where they were headed, so how could she have simply forgotten his existence, even for a few moments? She was a grown woman; there was no excuse for this kind of impulsiveness. And when she thought about the way Mark's huge and ecstatic default grin would falter if he knew she'd made out with her ex-boyfriend, her heart just sank. "I'm sorry; I never should've let this happen," she said, straightening her sweater, which had gotten twisted, and brushing some hair out of her eyes. "I've got to go."