Stalked In Conard County (Conard County: The Next Generation Book 41) Read online

  “I love you.” She whispered the words then realized she had actually said them. Her head snapped up to find Roger staring at her.

  “I don’t think that was meant for me,” he said after a moment. “You turned so blue all of sudden. Worried about your friend?”

  “Actually, I was thinking about what it’s like in a busy ER. And how often the last words people say are I love you. That speaks volumes, Roger. However they got there, no matter what they’ve done in their lives, they want to tell someone that they love them.”

  “Wow. That’s kind of beautiful in a way.”

  “Yeah, it is. It sure as hell says something about what’s important when we’re dying. Maybe a good thing to keep in mind.”

  “And that was making you feel blue?”

  “I guess it showed, huh? While I was thinking about the ER back home, I thought of how unfair life is. None of those people deserved to be there. It’s amazingly random.”

  “I’m not sure everyone would agree.”

  “Probably not. It’s different when you’re actually dealing with the shattered bodies, though. Does anyone deserve that? I don’t think so.”

  He nodded slowly then said, “I once heard someone say that if we got what we really deserved, we’d hate it.”

  It worked. He instantly lightened her mood. “Good point. One to keep in mind. But just another way of saying life is unfair.”

  “Is that what started you off?”

  “I guess. I’m not used to thinking in terms of fairness.”

  “Left you at a young age, huh?”

  “Guess so.” She shrugged a shoulder and resumed eating her pie. “Maude either deserves a medal for this or she needs to be locked away. I haven’t eaten this much pie in years, and this one is wonderful.”

  “So enjoy and don’t feel guilty. Afterward, wanna go sit in the living room? Better than this table.”

  She nodded. “We do seem to spend a lot of time right here.”

  “Close to the coffeepot for addicts like me. Anyway, it should do you some good to get back home with your friends, and maybe in the meantime we can take care of the peeper.”

  “Oh, I’d love that.” She was, however, determined not to let that fear override taking pleasure in Roger’s company. Most of her time with him had been spent dealing with old fears and new fears. Surely he must be getting tired of it, though he indicated that in no way.

  Yet each day reminded her of why she had enjoyed his company so much all those years ago when she came to visit her grandmother. A boy his age shouldn’t have enjoyed the company of a girl so much younger. But he’d certainly seemed to, seeking her out with ideas about how to spend lazy summer afternoons.

  As they entered the living room, she said, “Remember that time we rode our bikes out past the edge of town, near the train tracks?”

  “And waited forever for a train that never came. Sort of like showing you my favorite fishing hole.”

  She laughed. “Yeah. And the next day we heard the train come through.”

  “Missed it by about twenty-six hours. Close, very close.”

  He chose the love seat that didn’t match the ancient sofa, then patted the seat beside him invitingly.

  So close, but with miles yet between them. Nevertheless, she sat, getting a whiff of man-scent and something more. Leather? He sure did smell good, whatever it was.

  His nearness on the couch had a strong effect on her. Her heart began beating faster, and an aching hope arose in her. Hope that he would put his arm around her, hug her. Just a hug. Man, she needed that contact, especially with him. It was a long way to come from childhood.

  But she was a woman now, with basic needs, and he was a man. Things had changed, shifted. She just hoped he felt it, too, and didn’t have her categorized as a child after all these years.

  He spoke. “Tomorrow night is my usual night to go to Mahoney’s to play darts and have a few beers with my friends. Wanna go with me?”

  Darts and beer. She liked the sound of that. She knew nothing about darts but she could cheer from the sidelines. Besides, it would put Roger in a different context, among his friends, rather than just with her. She wanted to see that. “Sure.”

  “Good.” Then he astonished and gratified her by wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders and drawing her close to his side. The storm still raged outside, and she couldn’t tell if the rain had lightened any, but the wind and thunder still made the house shake a little.

  “It’s fierce out there.”

  “Yeah,” he answered. “If this keeps up, our dry streambeds won’t be dry at all anymore, and they might rise over their banks.”

  “Will that be a problem?” God, he felt so warm and his arm around her felt like shelter. But it was awakening stronger feelings in her, feelings that made her want to turn to him and demand a kiss, a touch, and eventual consummation. When was the last time that desire had pounded in her blood like this? His nearness was making it impossible to remember.

  Her universe had narrowed to Roger, his touch, his heat. Everything else slipped away as she slid into a different world, one where nothing could touch her.

  “Not usually. Most of the ranches aren’t that close to the creeks for that very reason. It’s not easy to drain water when the ground is fairly flat, and it’s not good for livestock to stand in water for long. Troughs are the usual answer. Or ponds sometimes. But most keep their houses and barns away from danger and running water.”

  “Interesting.” It was. She hadn’t thought about any of this. “Is there higher ground the cows and sheep can get to?”

  “In a lot of places, yes.”

  “Good.” But the word emerged almost breathlessly because he was turning to her and his arm was drawing her closer. Oh, man, hope bloomed in her like an opening rosebud.

  Chapter 8

  Roger wasn’t sure this was wise, but he couldn’t resist any longer. He wanted her, and he saw flashes in her eyes that seemed to answer his desire with her own.

  He might be all wet. But he promised himself that the instant he felt any reluctance from Haley, he’d pull back. This woman was skittish, with every right to be. He’d seen her childhood nightmare spring to life because of that creep at her window, and whether the guy was like her abductor or not, he’d invaded her life in one of the worst ways possible.

  Now she had two things that filled her with fear, and he couldn’t blame her. Although he’d said nothing about it, it had horrified him to read how often a Peeping Tom moved on to violent action of some kind. Keeping her windows covered and locked would be no protection against someone who truly wanted to mess with her.

  Her fear didn’t seem trivial to him. He didn’t think she was overreacting in the least, but now he had to hope that he didn’t add to her discomfort. He’d been talking himself out of this for days now, and it seemed foolhardy to make a move right before she returned to Baltimore. What if she didn’t come back because he’d made her so uncomfortable?

  But to be brutally honest with himself, he admitted that he needed to know. He couldn’t stand being on tenterhooks much longer. If she didn’t return...well, he had his answer.

  In the meantime, he was determined to do everything in his power to track down this voyeur who had troubled her. She deserved to know she was safe in her own grandmother’s house even if she only came to visit a few times a year.

  So he tugged her gently and was pleased at how easily she let him draw her close. Not an ounce of resistance. She seemed to melt into him, and not passively. No, she raised an arm and slipped it around his waist, pulling them together even more closely.

  She murmured his name, barely a breath, but it felt as if it exploded inside his head. No rejection. None. He hadn’t read her wrong, although it seemed amazing to him that after the emotional wringer she’d been going through that she could be willing.
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  Or maybe she was willing because she needed the escape. Or needed to reaffirm life in a glorious way. Whatever, he supposed time would answer those questions. The questions were sliding away on the drumbeat of his blood anyway.

  Nothing mattered except Haley and how positively wonderful her curves felt against him. When he lifted a hand and tipped her face upward, her mouth was ready for him. Warm and soft, she welcomed him inside, tasting delightfully of chocolate and a hint of coffee. Practically a dessert.

  A small, husky laugh escaped him as he pulled back an inch.

  “What?” she asked drowsily.

  “You taste like dessert.”

  Her smile had turned sleepy. “I like that,” she whispered. “So do you.”

  Then the capacity for words almost totally escaped him. He dived into her mouth again, this time more strongly, encouraging her with his tongue along her lips, then inside her mouth, tracing the soft sides of her cheeks, tangling with her tongue and falling into a rhythm that mimicked sex.

  When thunder boomed hollowly again, he barely heard it. If the windows rattled, it must have been the earthquake she created inside him.

  Such moments should be savored. Every detail should be etched in the mind as if in crystal. Instead, everything blurred into a world of panting, tearing at clothes, at feeling the marvel of skin on skin.

  He tried to slow down, to taste her breasts until that touch alone made her cry out. Instead, with her hands on his hips, on a couch that was too short, causing him to bend his legs up and her to fold her knees to welcome him, he found his way into her and his groans joined her moans.

  Quick, hot as lava, sweeping them away on a tide of racing fire. When he exploded into her, and heard her answering cry, the world seemed to go black.

  But neither of them had a thought left for the man who was plotting Haley’s death only a short distance away.

  * * *

  “Holy cow,” Roger muttered into her neck. They were sticky, sweat drenched, and now he felt both exhilarated and embarrassed. He had more finesse in him than that, but it had sure escaped him. He hoped Haley didn’t hate him.

  But her hands told a different story, running up and down his back, her body still quivering. “Roger,” she whispered. “Oh, Roger...”

  He needed to roll off her, he thought dimly. His weight must be crushing her. But there was only one way to roll, and that was onto the floor. A truly romantic ending to the best sex of his life.

  “Damn,” he mumbled.

  “What?” she asked weakly.

  “I’m too heavy. I need to move. Anyway, this love seat is barely big enough...”

  “I don’t want you to move. You’re a perfect fit.”

  Those words sent another wave crashing through him. A perfect fit. Well, she had her knees pulled up. His feet, still in socks, were dangling off the arm of the love seat. Ha! He could just imagine the picture of them tangled like this.

  “How did we get our clothes off?” she asked after a bit.

  “Damned if I can remember.”

  A smoky laugh escaped her. “Me, either. It was like riding a whirlwind.”

  At the very least. Maybe a rocket to the outer reaches of the galaxy. Falling into the heart of an exploding star. And what poet had just lodged in his ordinarily prosaic head?

  “This ain’t gonna be pretty,” he said finally. “But you need to breathe sooner or later.”

  Then, before she could argue, he rolled off her and hit the floor. Next thing he knew she was looking down at him from the couch. Her gaze wandered over him.

  “Pretty might not be the right word,” she said, “but gorgeous? Absolutely.”

  “You’re the gorgeous one.” Reaching up, he tugged her down until she fell on top of him. Ah, now it was right. They didn’t just fit together but they fit together just so. The way they should. His manhood reacted to having her between his legs and he was sure she must feel it. Her face settled into the hollow of his shoulder but he could still hear her when she said, “Rerun?”

  “You bet. Not on this darn rug, though. A cat might be happy sprawled on it, but I’m not.”

  “I’ve got a bed,” she offered. “Several of them.”

  A low laugh rumbled in his belly, shaking them both. He ran his hands over her back. “You’re starting to feel chilly. The storm has dropped the temperature, I guess. Want me to turn on the heat?”

  It was her turn to laugh quietly, even as she snuggled closer into his shoulder. “You just want to try out that new ducting you worked so hard on.”

  He grinned into the very dim light. “Maybe. But actually, darlin’, I’m worried about keeping you warm. Heat?”

  “I seem to recall a very nice comforter in my room. Most nights, it’s been too warm. But tonight, to snuggle up with you in there? Sounds fabulous.”

  It did to him, too. He helped her up off the floor, then, almost like little kids, they hurried down the short hallway and into the bedroom. Haley pointed to the comforter folded on the chest at the end of the bed and, with a flap, he spread it out. Moments later, he dived in with her, and they cuddled, laughing.

  This was the Haley he remembered from childhood. Despite her kidnapping, when they’d gotten together over those summers, she had been irrepressible. Whatever trauma she’d endured, she’d put it behind her, at least when she was with him.

  He hoped she would be able to do that again, soon. He hated catching glimpses of the fear she was fighting and often trying to hide, the way her eyes appeared pinched so often.

  Somehow, he and the cops had to catch the creep who had restored terror to her soul. He vowed to himself that, while she was in Baltimore, he was going to make time to keep an eye out. He knew the cops were trying, but there were only so many of them, and a guy ducking around in the dark could be hard to spot.

  It did seem strange that there had been no other reports, though.

  He banished the thought for now. He was curled up with Haley, temperatures were rising beneath the covers, feeling like a warm refuge against the world.

  He also owed her something after that amazingly fast coupling in the living room. A slower, more delicious experience. Time to explore her until delight filled her every cell. Time for her to explore him, too, because he was certain the touch of her hands would drive him nuts with pleasure.

  He began tracing her, first with his fingertips then with his palms. Her skin felt so silky and smooth, igniting a slow fire in him. But this time he wanted to luxuriate, to enjoy a lengthy chance to bring them to a fever pitch. With each pass of his hand, he felt a little responsive quiver run through her.

  She was so perfectly shaped, he thought. Narrow waist, flaring hips, a nicely rounded rump. And her breasts...perfectly fit to his hand as if designed for his touch. Her nipples pebbled instantly and he brushed his palms repeatedly over them, listening to little moans emerge from her throat. Exquisite.

  But she was unwilling to lie back and let him do all the exploring. Her hand began to wander over him, testing his back, his chest and belly, teasingly approaching his growing erection then pulling back.

  When she found the small nipples on his chest, she made a sound of delight and began to tease him, first with her palms then with her fingers. An electric shock ran through him at her touches. He’d never felt that before. His lovers, a small sample to be sure, had been inclined to be passive. Maybe as a result of upbringing. But not Haley. She acted like a fully equal partner and it felt wonderful. When her teeth found one of his nipples, he reached his breaking point.

  There’d be time later. Now he was so hot he felt he might explode. Lifting her beneath the covers, he settled her on top of him. As he filled her, she reared back, exposing her breasts to his conquest.

  It was dark in this room, darker under the coverlet. Hands found all that eyes could not see. With him holding her breasts, ma
ssaging them in ways that caused her to sharply draw in breaths, he felt her begin to rock on him, never letting their hips separate, but pulling him with her on her journey.

  Slowly this time, they climbed the mountain of satisfaction until they reached the very pinnacle. There, he teetered with her, hanging on to the last strand of his willpower, waiting to feel her moment of completion.

  When she reached it, a cry escaped her—all the signal he needed. With a strong thrust, he buried himself as deeply as he could. Shudders racked him as her core tightened around him, claiming him as he was claiming her.

  Then the night burst into a shower of fireworks.

  Please, don’t ever let this end.

  It almost didn’t. Waves rolled through him like breakers on the shore, again and again.

  Then he relaxed into bliss.

  * * *

  They dozed together like spoons. Haley woke occasionally and savored the weight of Roger’s arm around her middle, the warmth of his breath against her neck. She couldn’t remember having felt this secure, if she ever had. Wrapped in his strength, remembering the lovemaking they’d shared...well, he was making her feel precious. And that was something she couldn’t remember feeling since early childhood, before the kidnapping, before her mother had ripped her from her father because she hated the oil fields.

  Her mother had probably also hated a lot of the men working in them. Even after all this time, young as she had been, Haley could recall the wolf whistles and comments her mother had endured whenever she went out. Grocery shopping had seemed like a chore to her, and while the young Haley didn’t understand what was happening, she had felt her mother’s tension. It started growing from the moment she said they needed to go to the store, strengthening the whole time they were out and relaxing only when they got home again.

  She remembered the doors were always locked, the curtains often drawn to prevent passersby from looking in.

  God, Haley thought suddenly, I’m becoming my mother. Buttoned up and fearing the outside world.