A Shiver At Twilight (8 page)

As he’d done so many times this night, he seemed to hear her thoughts. He pulled away and stared deeply into her eyes. Carly felt mesmerized by the swirling golds, greens and browns, by the confusion of emotions she saw warring inside him. She felt like she could see right down to his soul. He was the kind of man who’d stop in the rain to change an old woman’s tire or give his last twenty to the homeless guy on the corner, even if he suspected the man would only use it for booze. Or believe in his brother long after he should . . .

In such a short span of time, she’d come to like JD very much, so much that like seemed a weak word. There’d been a connection she’d felt from the moment he’d walked through the door—as if a part of her had recognized him as the perfect counterbalance to everything that seemed off kilter within herself. Her emotions welled up, powerful, overwhelming. Never had she felt anything like this before and she knew that it went beyond attraction. After just a few hours, she’d fallen a little in love with JD Dover.

“When we get out of here . . .” he began with a quick glance at the hulking shadows.

Then those mesmerizing eyes stared into hers and she saw the same concern—the same fear of the unknown that she felt. This wasn’t the time or place to fall in love. Too many mysteries lurked in every corner and Carly sensed that what unnerved JD the most, was his inability to protect her. Doing the right thing was as much a part of this man as that steady gaze.

Her fear somehow sharpened her awareness—of herself, of JD’s body next to hers. She heard her breath moving in and out of her lungs. She felt his heart, pounding too fast against her own. His hands made a raspy noise as they traveled over her clothes.

Crazy, to feel threatened to her soul and feel that the only path to safety was in this man’s kiss. But she did. In the space of a few hours, her life had become a train wreck, but this, right now, right here in the middle of this awful place, was something good that she was desperate to hold onto for as long as she could.

“Let’s not wait until we get out of here,” she whispered. “I want to be with you. Now.”

JD stiffened in surprise and then he smiled that devastating smile. She melted into him as his tongue teased her lips and his hands roamed her body. She’d never reveled in the taste of a man before, in the warmth and softness of his mouth, the rough and silky velvet of his tongue. JD’s kiss hit her senses like some exotic, potent drink.

She felt every contour, every layer of muscle from his chest, to the lean line of his belly to his long legs. He pushed his thigh between hers and she rocked against it as he shifted to kiss her throat. He was hard, in every way possible, and the knowledge that she’d roused him made her bold. A spiraling tightness turned everything inside her liquid as she opened herself completely to the sensation of his touch.

The contact was like a bursting flame, unbearably hot and uncontrollable, as unexpected as lightning in a still sky. His mouth trailed his hands and then with a groan of frustration he pulled away. She felt the loss immediately as reality rushed at her from all around. But only for an instant. He hauled the sweatshirt up and over her head before tossing it aside. The lifting of that barrier brought with it another need, this one deep and abiding. She pulled at the hem of his shirt and he obliged, tugging it over his chest and shoulders and then dropping it at their feet.

For a moment she could only stare at the sleek muscle, golden brown and gleaming in the firelight. He was layered with sinew and strength, a work of art, rippling and sun-kissed. She laid her hands against the warmth of him and watched with fascination as her touch brought a shiver.

He kissed her again, deeply, possessively. And then moved down her body. His mouth was hot and wet against the silky lace of her bra before he pulled her breasts from the cups and kissed them. She buried her fingers deep in his soft hair, watching as he knelt to press kisses to her stomach, her hips. He reached for the fastening of her jeans, giving her a moment to stop him if she chose. She didn't. He’d managed to block out everything else with the fire he’d started in her. All her worries, all of her fears took backseat to the brush of his lips and the flick of his tongue.

On his knees now, he pulled each button of her jeans loose and then kissed the skin it revealed. Her legs trembled as he dragged the denim down her legs. Then he paused and looked up the length of her body and into her eyes. In that moment, she didn't care where they were or how they’d come to be there. She saw only him.

He slid his hands up the backs of her thighs, slipping his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties as he pulled her hips forward and pressed his mouth against the silk. She braced her hands against his shoulders as his tongue stroked a hot and wet path, his teeth nipping gently until her knees buckled. He caught her in his arms and laid her gently on the blanket. In the next minute, he’d stripped her bare.

She’d never been with a man who made love with such focused attention, such seductive detail. JD didn’t race for the finish line. What he did with his mouth, his tongue, the hot breath he blew across her sensitive skin—it made her arch her back and draw up her knees. It dragged sounds from deep in her throat that she’d never known herself to make. It shocked her, the power of sensation that shuddered through every nerve, every pore, bringing her to release with breathtaking swiftness.

When she could move, she came up on her knees and took a page from his book.

She kissed her way over the rigid lines of his chest then belly, rubbing him through the thickness of his pants as she inched her way down. He was hard and ready, pressing against the fly of his jeans, making them so tight she couldn’t work the button free. Finally, the top one gave and the others followed in a rush, releasing him. He rolled to his back and lifted his hips so she could tug both his jeans and boxers down and off in one determined effort.

Then she took him in her hand, amazed that something so hard could feel so soft, the skin like satin. There were a million things she wanted to do him, with him. She wanted to touch and taste every inch of his golden skin. She wanted to feel him tremble as she drove him crazy with her lips and tongue. She wanted to lie back while he did the same to her.

But there was an urgency within them both that seemed greater than wants or needs. His muscles flexed as he braced his weight over her and slid between her legs. She wanted his whole weight, she wanted to melt against him, to become one. Carefully, he complied with her need until he was bearing down on her and there was only one place they were not connected. He looked into her eyes as he slid inside her. The edge of sanity, of reason came at her with dizzying speed. Before she’d considered what it meant, she was beyond it, engulfed in the passion and sensation of the moment.

JD drove himself into her, fast, then slow, long strokes than short until he’d built that tension again. She gripped him hard with her thighs, matching his rhythm as the feeling of spiraling and twisting grew tighter and tighter. His answer to her silent plea came hard and powerful and suddenly her body clenched in response and then she was gone. She arched her back as release flooded her senses and tightened her muscles around him. She knew the moment he joined her, his body tense and pushing and then rigid with climax. The feel of him letting go brought her to orgasm again and she held onto his shoulders as the unbelievable feeling washed over her once more.

They lay in each other’s arms afterwards, neither of them moving. She wasn’t even sure she could move if she tried. Slowly he rose up on his arms and stared down at her, laughing as he brushed her hair from her face and kissed her.

“Don’t take this wrong,” he said, and for a moment she braced herself. “But I think I could fall in love with you.”

Carly smiled and then she laughed. “I know exactly how you feel,” she said and kissed him again.

Chapter Thirteen

Carly didn't know what time it was when she woke up. She looked around, disoriented, stunned that JD had made her feel safe enough to doze. The fire burned low in the grate and the room was warm. She was dressed again, but for her shoes, lying on the floor by the hearth.

And she was alone.

“JD?” she said softly, sitting up. Panic came on so suddenly, she didn't know how to quell it. “JD?” she shouted.

He didn't answer but behind her, someone took a deep and ragged breath. Carly spun with a gasp, every hair on her body standing on end. A scream had lodged somewhere in her chest and she couldn’t get it out.

The young girl from the photographs—Sissy—stood in the shadows. She wore a smock top with fancy embroidery, the kind they sold in Mexican border towns to American tourists. It dropped from a square neck over swollen breasts to a point just at her hips where her pregnancy pushed against the fabric. The jeans were not so tight now as they’d been in the picture and she wore no makeup at all. Carly felt like she was seeing a hazy reflection of Jillian when she looked at her.

“He doesn’t even know,” Sissy whispered, worrying a wadded up tissue with her hands.

Carly couldn’t make her voice work to ask, who? and what doesn’t he know?

“You can figure it out,” Sissy said, her voice still low and breathless. “Think about the time.” She paused and looked over her shoulder. There was fear in her eyes. Fear, though she couldn’t possibly be real. What did the dead have to fear?

The question made her tremble.

“I thought he loved me,” she whispered, as if the mysterious he might hear. “He used to come to see me in the night. He’d climb the tree, out in back, by my window. We’d sneak up to the attic.” She looked into Carly’s eyes, a faraway glow shining even in the shadows. “And we’d make love. I thought it was real. I thought he was . . . .”

“There’s an attic?” Carly breathed.

“Then he changed. He said he’d kill me if I told anyone about the baby.” Her eyes pleaded, for what Carly didn't know. “He told me to trust him. He’s damned me to hell now.”

Sissy reached out a hand, as if to touch her. Carly braced herself for the feeling of cold nothingness, but it was Sissy’s words that filled her with ice.

“Think about the time,” she repeated. “He’s got her, and he’ll hurt her.”

Sissy’s hand settled over Carly’s heart and the scream that had banked within her throat tore free and burst from her mouth. It was long and harsh, burning as it came out. The front door burst open and footsteps raced at her. But she couldn’t look away from the place where Sissy had stood. She couldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t stop feeling that freezing invasion as Sissy passed her hand right through Carly’s chest.

“Carly,” JD said, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face him. “Christ, I was out getting wood. I heard you scream. What happened? Are you okay?”

He was freezing, wet from the snow outside but she pressed herself to him anyway. A low, tortured sound came from deep in her throat.

“Carly, honey, what happened?”

He pulled her closer still. His hands moved over her back, pressing her into him as if he meant to absorb her completely. She wanted that. She wanted to be a part of him.

“There’s an attic,” she whispered.

Somewhere in the house a clock struck midnight in long, agonized tones.

With each echoing bong, the house began to creak and moan. The sounds came in waves, building with each measure, insidious, pulsating. Carly had been lulled by the silence, the lovemaking, and the connection with JD as she’d lain in his arms. She’d almost managed to convince herself what had happened earlier wasn’t real.

Now she stared at the walls anxiously, watching them vibrate to some mysterious and sinister tempo. The ancient chandelier that hung in what must have been the dining room began to sway back and forth and the panes at the front door rattled. The floor overhead shuddered and dust rained down. The house felt caught in a quake.

A howling groan that sounded more human than possible rose up in crescendo and then the shaking stopped and the wind stilled. It left them with an eerie sense of waiting. Waiting, for something they didn't want to come.

Faintly at first, and then louder with each reiteration, the sound of thumping traveled down the stairs. It came in a desolate rhythm, stopped then repeated. As it had earlier, the sound brought to mind the idea of someone tied up, only able to move their head to beat against the wall. On the heels of the thought, came the memory of Sissy’s warning.

He’s got her and he’ll hurt her . . .

JD stared at the ceiling. She put her hand on his chest, calling him back. “Who would she be talking about?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Who are you talking about?”

In halting, fearful bursts, she explained what she’d seen, what she’d heard.

Upstairs the rhythmic thumping paused and then started again.

“What if it’s Jillian? What if she’s here?”

Carly swallowed her terror and started for the stairs, JD following right behind her. It gave her courage, having him with her. But nothing could quell her fear. Just as she reached the first step, the old man appeared in front of her.