A Familiar Star (Romance Mystery) (12 page)

There was no doubt he was serious.
She looked into his deep brown eyes. “What do you care?”

“I care very much,” he softened his voice.
“If you tell me you’re not with Max, I care even more.”

“Well I’m
not; I haven’t been with anyone in years.”  Her lips tightened as the statement she made resonated in her ears.

Paul kind of smirked then let go of her.
He realized she was embarrassed but couldn’t help staring at her. She looked so sexy, so vulnerable. He felt his manhood stiffen, an automatic response from thinking about her all week long.

“You’re sure you’re not with him, because I saw the two of you on the dance floor tonight
?  You looked pretty friendly to me.” He added.

“You heard me.”
She said frantically, her breath ragged.  “He wants me, but all he wants is sex. Now he knows I want you, and he thinks he’s in love with me.  I think he’s confused.” She was rambling and had already said too much. She dabbed wetness away from the corner of her eyes with the tips of her fingers then crossed her arms.

“He knows you want what?”
He said arrogantly.

She turned to leave.
Suddenly she despised him.

He wasn’t going to let her go that easy.
He needed her and now she wanted him. No matter how hard he tried to put her out of his mind he couldn’t, and if she was telling the truth, he was going to make her his, if it was the last thing he did.

He grabbed her waist this time then pulled her to his chest.
She looked surprised, but didn’t resist until his lips came down on hers. Forcing her mouth opened with his tongue, he stroked roughly inside. She struggled to get away but he held her tight, twisting her dress out of shape. The strength and determination in his kiss made her knees go weak. She began to feel her resistance wither away but something wasn’t right, so she arched her back and broke away.

He examined her and saw the excitement in her eyes.
He felt out of control and pulled her back to him.

“You do
want me.”  He said in a hoarse whisper.

Kylie didn’t blink.
She wanted him to let her go. She felt her blood rising like the mercury in a thermometer.  Her face so hot, it burned.

Pau
l fell silent and his hands dropped to his sides.

The young couple was whispering and giggling to themselves.
Kylie looked over at them but was glad to see they had started necking again.

She glared at Paul then stepped around him and walked out.
She felt as though she was leaving a trail of fire behind her. He touched her hand gently when they reached the family room but she pulled back.

“I need something to
drink and a little time to recover from whatever that was.”  She said wearily.

“I’m
so
sorry, Kylie, I don’t know what got into me,” he stammered.  “I’ll get you something to drink if that’s alright.”

Kylie nodded
, trying to readjust the seams down the side of her dress.

Paul went to the bar and Kylie stood there
. For an instant she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to cry or leave but then he might come after her again.  Maybe they should talk and get it over with.  As she debated on what to do, she noticed Mrs. Troy sitting on the sofa talking to an elderly gentleman.  The old woman saw her and gestured that she join them.  Kylie decided to go over, talk to Mrs. Troy then go home.

“Hello my dear, how are you?”

Kylie sniffed then tried to clear her throat. “Oh, fine thank you.” Her voice cracked from tension.

“You look a little tussled
dear; your lipstick is a bit messy too. Did you have an encounter with one of the local fellows?”  She looked concerned.

Kylie couldn’t help but
smiled. The old woman was obviously tipsy and feeling no pain. Her words were noticeably slurred but she still sensed how Kylie was feeling.

“
Do you remember the other day Mrs. Troy, in my sister’s hairdressing shop; you said you had something to tell me?”

“I remember
,” she pulled Kylie close to her then whispered in her ear. “You want to know who the killer is, don’t you my dear?” She said rather portentously.

“Yes I do.”
Kylie answered, hardly able to contain herself. If she could only get a lead then coming here tonight wouldn’t have been a waste after all.

“It’s Jeffery Williams of course.”
She sputtered the words.

“Why do you think it’s him?”
Kylie was shocked.

“Because he’s a lunatic and always has been.
I’ve always known what was going on over there. They were always up to no good. I knew he’d do anything for her!” Her voice rose louder and louder.

Kylie looked around the room.
People were inspecting them but didn’t hear what they were saying.  Paul was standing at the bar staring at them, but she pretended she didn’t see him.

She turned back to Mrs. Troy but the o
ld woman had turned away, engaged in conversation with her gentleman friend once again.  She seemed to have forgotten that Kylie was even there.

Kylie
replayed her words, “they were always up to no good and that he’d do anything for her.”  Her mind leaped back and forth.  She considered what Max had said, “just because he’s different doesn’t mean he’s a psychopathic killer. It occurred to her that maybe the old woman didn’t have all her wits about her. She was also extremely intoxicated and therefore might not even know what she was saying.

Kylie got up to leave and Paul slipped across the room and met her half way.

“How about we try that again?”

“Try w
hat?” Kylie said with wide eyes.

“Getting to know each other I mean, start over again.
I don’t know what got into me back there, I’m really sorry.”

Kylie felt reli
eved but still unsure. It was a bit crazy but she didn’t feel the way she thought she should. Considering the fact that he was willing to try, and he wasn’t upset about what happened, she should probably give this another chance.  After all, a week ago she thought he was the one. Didn’t she?

Paul offered his hand.
“Deal?”

“All right, deal.”
She shook his hand, giving him a weak smile as he handed her a drink.

“Let
’s get some air.” She said.

The terrace was fully loaded with people.
The Hamilton’s youngest son Shaun was ready to start the fireworks and everyone was eager to watch.

Paul led Kylie into a
gazebo that was partially covered by vines and pulled her close.

“I’m so happy we’re frie
nds again,” he said, stroking her back.

“You’re
becoming quite a good friend aren’t you?”

“I would like too.”
He pulled her towards him when she pulled away.

“First I have something important to ask you
.” She said seriously.

“I have something to ask you too.”
He interrupted.

“Ok
ay, you first”

“Be my girlfriend and only mine so I can get on with this case.”

Kylie didn’t know what to think. Did she even want to be his girlfriend, they had only dated once? It seemed like they were moving too fast again. On the other hand, she had to take a gamble in order to see if it was ever going to work out between them.

“Am I ever going to see you?”

“I have the weekend off. You can be my assistant detective and help me unravel my thoughts.” He winked.

That sounded interesting,
Kylie thought. She was still a little uncertain, but he was trying so hard.  She wrapped her arms around him.

“I accept.
I love detective work.”

Just then the fireworks began.
Kylie turned to face the water and Paul spooned her from behind, his arms wrapping around her tight. He looked down at her and was in awe.  Had he drank too much or was she the most beautiful woman in the world? And she wanted him, a country boy.  Fantasies were consuming his mind. He shifted a little in discomfort.

Kylie
gazed up at him and gave him a sweet smile, he was nice, she decided, but she still felt strange. She put it out of her mind and looked up at the sky. The fireworks were beautiful; they took her back to her childhood. The loud booming, skittering and sizzling sounds made her hair stand on end.  All at once there was screaming and howling coming from a group of teenagers on the lawn.  Kylie peered down at them and laughed.

Over the lake
, the brilliant colors exploded wildly, spurting out like shooting stars. Stars…made her think of Max. She thought he would have come looking for her by now. She scanned the poolside quickly.  She saw him standing there with Leslie then suddenly they were kissing. It couldn’t be. She narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out who was kissing whom. Perhaps it was one sided. He hadn’t wrapped his arms around her.  Surely it wasn’t what he wanted, it wasn’t possible, but then maybe he’d changed his mind. She felt sick to her stomach and turned away.

What was going on with her, she should be saying good riddance but inst
ead she wanted to run up and separate them!

“Are you alright?”
Paul asked her.

“Yes, I’m fine.”
  Kylie lied, feeling as though she’d just lost her best friend.

The fireworks picked up speed
until they exploded into an outstanding finally.  Kylie searched the poolside again but they were gone.  She watched as the crowd broke off into separate elements, some gliding through the torch light, others floating on the dance once more.

She mo
ved away from Paul and sat down, wrapping her arms around her midsection as if it hurt.

For a second he stared at her
, confusion clouded suspicious eyes.  Then he decided that the change in her was due to all the excitement this evening.  He pulled up a seat next to her and began to talk about Frank and Lucy, a conversation that would soon interest her.

When Kylie and Paul finally left t
he gazebo the party was winding down. The stragglers, however, were either dancing or getting extremely drunk. Kylie was happy she had all her senses intact. This wasn’t the place to make a fool of yourself.

She saw Max dancing and laughing with an older woman.
The woman was three times his age and could hardly move. He winked at her as she past him by. Now what was he up too? He didn’t seem to look upset that she was with Paul, and Leslie was nowhere in sight, so why was Max still here?

“Come on, let’s dance.”
Paul pulled her up to the dance floor.

The night air had become extremely hot and balmy.
A heavy mist covered the surface of the lake making it wonderfully eerie. Chinese lanterns, suspended on an invisible grid, hung over their heads, casting a warm glow on the people around her.

And P
aul and Kylie swayed to the soft music while the crickets played harmony in the background. It was one of the most beautiful nights Kylie had ever seen but something was wrong. She just couldn’t relax and Paul sensed it.

“Is he on your mind?”
Paul asked seriously.

“No! No of course not… you know what?”
She changed the subject.

“What?”

“The killer could be among us tonight.”

Paul laughed.
“Why do you think I’m here?”

“You’re
working?”  She frowned.

“That’s why I brought you into the gazebo.”
Paul looked over at Max thinking there was actually another reason.

“Roscoe’s here somewhere and if he finds me I’m his.

Kylie giggled. “Wouldn’t want that.”

Paul bent his head and kissed her silky lips pausing there for a moment.

Kylie pulled back as nonchalantly as possible and turned to see if Max was looking. He was staring right at her and her stomach flip-flopped nervously. They’re eyes locked for a minute and Kylie was brought back to the night they almost made love. It was a night like this, hot and balmy. He couldn’t love her, could he?

“You ne
ver asked me what you wanted to.” Paul broke the spell.

“When was that?
” Kylie looked up at him trying to concentrate on what he was saying.

“A couple of hours ago, you said
you had something important to ask me.  Do you remember what it was?”

Kylie slowed to a near stop.
“Well this might sound crazy but I was talking to Mrs. Troy, and she said she thought the killer was Jeffery Williams.”

“Poor Jeffery.”
Paul said sympathetically.

“Why do you say that?”