Deadly Storm (7 page)

“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”

“Me, too, baby. Me, too.”

Ally dropped her purse on the sofa table, jerking in surprise when Jake materialized out of nowhere. He had a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a soft smile on his face.

“You scared me,” Ally said, holding her hand to her heart. “You’re quiet like a cat sometimes.”

Jake mock meowed and pressed the flowers into Ally’s hand.

“These are beautiful,” Ally said, inhaling heavily as she lowered her face to the lilies. “What did you do?”

Jake frowned. “What makes you think I did something?”

“You only bring me flowers when you want to make me feel better,” Ally said, kicking off her shoes. “Sometimes I’ve screwed up and you want me to know it’s okay and not to dwell on it. Other times you’ve screwed up and you know I’m a sucker for lilies.

“I know I haven’t screwed up today,” she continued. “That means you did.”

Despite the accusation, Jake couldn’t hide his grin. “I love the way your mind works.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I didn’t do anything, angel,” Jake said, leaning over so he could kiss Ally’s soft cheek. “I just wanted to buy you some flowers.”

Ally narrowed her dark eyes, suspicious. “Tell me what’s really going on … but let me put these in water so they don’t wilt.”

Jake followed Ally into the kitchen, settling on one of the stools next to the counter and watching her open the flowers and arrange them in a vase. “What makes you think something is going on?”

“You have a look on your face,” Ally said.

“Maybe I just love you.”

“I love you, too,” Ally said, not missing a beat. “I still want to know what’s going on.”

Jake sighed, running a hand through his dark hair as he regarded the woman who changed his world in the best way possible. “You’re not … bored with me, are you?”

Ally made an incredulous face. “Excuse me?”

“It’s just … James has been having a mini meltdown the past few days because he thinks Mandy is bored,” Jake said. “He’s really worried. I thought he was overreacting, but I can’t help but wonder if maybe he’s right. If he’s worried about Mandy being bored, and those two are always so in sync, what does that mean for us?”

“Jake, every day is an adventure with you,” Ally said. “Every day is … amazing with you. If you doubt how happy I am, I think we have a few problems that flowers aren’t going to solve.”

“I want you to be happy,” Jake said. “I just … when I look at Mandy and James, I think they’re one of the happiest couples I know. Your brother is miserable right now. He’s convinced Mandy is taking this cooking class because she’s bored with him.”

“Let me tell you something about my brother and Mandy,” Ally said. “They’re their own worst enemies. Neither one of them is bored. They just like to amp up the drama from time to time because they get off on freaking each other out.”

“I … that sounds odd.”

“It does,” Ally agreed. “Mandy flips her own world every few months because she spent the bulk of her life wanting James. It was one of those dreams she never thought would come true. Now that it has, she’s convinced she doesn’t deserve him and that he’s going to go away. Flip.”

“Okay, I guess I can buy that,” Jake said. “What about your brother? He hasn’t carried a torch for Mandy for fifteen years. Why would he be plagued with doubts?”

“James never loved anyone until Mandy came along,” Ally said. “When she did, it was like lightning struck. I can’t explain it. I didn’t see their first meeting after all those years apart, but Grady and Finn said it was like the air was on fire.

“James was not looking for someone to love,” she continued. “In fact, he was perfectly happy running away from love. Mandy threw him.”

“I didn’t meet your brother until after he was already in love with Mandy,” Jake said. “My first glimpse of the two of them was when Grady took me to their apartment. They were on the couch. James was on his back and Mandy was on top of him – literally on top of him – and she was sleeping. She was still recovering from the explosion.

“I remember looking at them and thinking that I hoped I could find someone to be that content with,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for anyone either, and it was just a split second of … I don’t know … hope. They were so touching together.”

“They’re still touching together,” Ally said. “If you ask me, Mandy has caused this flip again. She’s gotten it into her head that James needs a perfect wife. She’s convinced a perfect wife cooks. What she seems to forget is that James already has his perfect wife. He doesn’t want anything that he doesn’t already have.”

“When will they flip back?”

Ally’s smile was enigmatic. “They can’t stay away from one another, even if they’re in a funk. I’m betting they’ll be back to their lovey-dovey utopia in less than twenty-four hours.”

Jake returned the smile. “Ally, just so you know, you’re already my perfect everything. I don’t ever want you to change.”

After dropping the last bloom in the vase, Ally skirted around the end of the counter and slipped between Jake’s knees. He wrapped his arms around her as she kissed him, splaying his fingers across her back as he pressed her as close to him as humanly possible.

“I don’t want you to ever change either,” Ally whispered before extending her tongue and licking his ear.

Jake shuddered. “Angel, how about we order some pizza and spend the rest of our night in bed?”

“How about we go to bed first and then take a break for pizza later?” Ally countered.

“And that’s why I love you,” Jake murmured, grazing his teeth against Ally’s vulnerable throat.

“And you thought I would get bored.”

Ally squealed as Jake hoisted her over his shoulder and started swaggering down the hallway toward their bedroom. “Put your seatbelt on, angel. I can pretty much promise you’re not going to be bored for the rest of our lives.”

JAMES
and Mandy were a tangle of frantic tongues and fervent fingers when they met at the front door of their house. James barely held on to his senses long enough to shove their dinner into the refrigerator so they would have something to eat later before lifting Mandy onto the table in the kitchen nook.

He tilted her head back, deepening the kiss to obscene levels before pulling back far enough to strip her gauzy peasant blouse over her head. He practically growled when he saw the tank top underneath.

“Why are you wearing so many clothes?”

“If it’s any consolation, the bra is built into the tank top so you won’t have any clasps to fumble with,” Mandy teased.

“Good to know,” James mumbled as he tugged the tank over her head, freeing her breasts. He raised his hands, cupping them reverently, and then kissed her again. “You’d better get ready, because this is going to be a really long night. I … need you.”

Mandy gripped the back of his hair, holding his head steady before he could go south. “You will always have me for as long as you want me. I promise.”

James’ eyes softened slightly, and then they slid to almost black as lust took back over. “I’ll always want you. Just you.” He kissed her softly, putting every ounce of love he had into his lips, and then he tipped Mandy over onto her back.

His smile was devilish as he unbuttoned her cargo pants and stripped them from her thighs, taking her flip flops with them and tossing them on the ceramic tiled floor without a backward glance. “You weren’t lying about not wearing underwear,” he said, running his hands up and down the inside of her thighs. “Good girl.”

“It’s more comfortable in a skirt.”

“You’re going to be really comfortable in a second. Don’t worry about that.”

James moved to lower himself on top of Mandy, but she stilled him with a hand on his chest. “Take your shirt off. I want to feel your skin.”

James acquiesced, holding still so Mandy could run her warm fingertips down his chiseled abdomen. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, and as eager as James was to consummate their reconciliation, he had no intention of hurrying her.

Mandy pushed herself to a sitting position and reached for James’ jeans, unbuttoning them and slipping her hand inside so she could rub his impressive length, causing him to groan. “Oh, baby.”

Raspy breathing gave way to a nip of teeth against James’ chin as Mandy continued to massage him with one hand and rub his chest with the other. “I love you so much it hurts sometimes.”

James groaned as she squeezed him. “You’re going to end our first round before it even gets started if you’re not careful.”

“I can live with that.”

“I can’t.” James pulled her hand out of his pants. “That’s not how I saw this going. I think you’re underestimating just how much I want you right now.”

Mandy arched a playful eyebrow. “Just right now?”

She was back to being her seductive self, and James didn’t think it was possible to be happier. “Always. Now, lean back on the table.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Enjoy my dinner,” James said, a lazy grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Let me be the boss for the next few minutes. If you do, I’ll let you be the boss for the second go around.”

“Who’s going to be the boss for the third go around?”

“We’ll share.” James kissed her one more time and then lowered her back to the table. He leaned over, licking her neck and rutting his face in the hollow between her collarbone and jaw. He kissed his way lower, cupping her breasts and flicking his thumbs over her rigid nipples.

He sucked one pink bud into his warm mouth, rolling his tongue over it and causing her to squirm. “James,” she muttered.

He turned his attention to her other nipple, laving it while sliding his hand between her legs and spreading her thighs wider. He trailed a series of breathy kisses down her flat abdomen, using his hands to spread her thighs as wide as they would go so she was open for him when he slipped his ready tongue between her fiery folds.

“Oh, my.” Mandy bucked at the first tactile sensation.

James loved the power he had over her in situations like this. She didn’t yield to him often, not that he wanted her to, but this was the one time he needed her to give in and let him love her. He flattened his tongue and licked her up and down, enjoying the catlike sounds ripping from her throat.

He moved his tongue around, being sure to stay away from the spot she was desperate for him to land on, and sensuously tortured her.

“James.” She was begging now.

James pulled his face away long enough to blow a gush of air on her sensitive nerve bundle, forcing her to wait a little longer, and then he attacked her with gusto. Mandy’s hands were busy in his hair as he sucked and gently bit her. He could feel her orgasm building when her thighs started to tense.

“Oh!”

James didn’t move his mouth, even as the orgasm shook her. He kept licking, moving slightly away for a second until the convulsions subsided, and then he returned to his task.

She was already sensitive, so when he attacked her again it didn’t take much to tip her over again in a matter of seconds.

“Omigod!”

Her thighs were shaking when James finally moved his face up. Her eyes were closed, so she didn’t see him strip out of his own pants. He leaned over her, cupping the back of her head and nuzzling her neck. He lulled her into a false sense of rest before surging inside of her.

Mandy bolted upright, James catching her as she did. He remained buried inside of her and pulled her closer to the edge of the table so he could stroke deeper while kissing her.

James was excited, what felt like hours of foreplay fueling him. He tempered himself, though. He wanted to make this part of their night as memorable as possible. “I love you, Mandy.”

Her fingers dug into his muscled back as she urged him to move faster, but he fought her pace. Instead, he kissed her neck and gripped her rounded rear so he could hold her steady. He ground himself into her in a circular motion, stimulating her again. He was so close to the edge he almost couldn’t stand it, and when Mandy started trembling in his arms, he knew it was time.

He increased his pace, pounding into her with abandon now. This time, when she careened over the pleasure abyss, he took the ride with her. The orgasm was almost blinding when he exploded inside of her.

They moved together as the tingling waves washed over them, and then finally James lowered her back to the table and collapsed on top of her. “You’re my whole world, baby,” he whispered in her ear. “You’re my perfect everything … including wife. Please don’t doubt that. Please.”

“I love you,” Mandy whispered, her fingers tangled in his hair as she kissed him. “I love you. I love you.”

“I love you,” James murmured. “I … baby … I love you.”

In the back of her mind, Mandy knew she was caught in a dream. The dark corridor she found herself walking through had a hazy quality not present in real life unless something was about to burn. Still, even though her mind kept telling her she was in a dream – and she didn’t like it – she couldn’t wake up.

She sucked in a breath and calmed herself. Wherever she was may be dark, but she was alone. She wasn’t in danger. This wasn’t real. That’s what she kept telling herself, anyway. She mostly believed it.

Turn around.

Mandy shifted quickly, the voice a whisper in her mind instead of something she actually heard with her ears. There was a shadow stalking her, and even though she couldn’t see it, she could feel it.

Come this way.

Mandy didn’t know a lot about dream voices, but she had a feeling listening to one was a bad idea. That was a one-trip to Camp Crystal Lake, and Jason Voorhees was bound to be waiting for her if she hopped that train.

Here.

“There has to be a way out of here,” Mandy muttered. She turned, scanning the dark hallway and trying to soak in her surroundings. She wasn’t in a normal hallway. In fact, if she had to guess, she would wager she was in the building where her cooking class was held. Maybe now that James had reassured her regarding their life together the big, bad cooking monster was coming to get her. It was a funny idea, and yet Mandy was still scared. She didn’t know why.

The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to swivel, and as a hand reached out from the oppressive dark and grabbed her, she opened her mouth to scream … and bolted to an upright sitting position in her bed.

“James!”

“Baby.” James sleepily reached for her, his naked body warm underneath the sheet that covered both of their waists as they snuggled together. “What’s wrong?”

Mandy’s heart pounded as she tried to tamp down her fear. It was a dream, she told herself. She’d known it was a dream all along. Still … . “I just had a nightmare,” she murmured.

“Come here,” James said, drawing her into his arms and resting her head against his chest. “I have you. No one can get you while I’m here.”

Mandy nodded, pressing a brief kiss to his chest. He would drift off again in a few moments. She wasn’t sure if that was in the cards for her, though.

James must have sensed her unease because he wrenched his eyes open. Hours of lovemaking, talking, laughing, and eating had left them both satiated. He was exhausted, but he was also tuned into his wife’s moods. “Tell me.”

“It was nothing,” Mandy said. “I just … I was alone in a hallway. I think I was in the building where my cooking class is. Someone was there. They grabbed me.”

“Is that why you called for me?”

“I … I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have woken you up.”

“That’s what I’m here for, wife,” James said, kissing her forehead to soothe her. “I’m right here, though. No one can get through me.”

“I know.” Mandy pressed her ear to his heart, closing her eyes as its steady beat started to lull her.

James stroked the back of her head. “Sleep, my baby.”

“IT
looks like you two made up,” Grady said, breezing into James and Mandy’s kitchen the following morning.

“Do you knock?” James asked dryly, pushing a mug of coffee across the counter in Mandy’s direction.

“I’m just glad you’re dressed.” Grady looked them up and down, taking in James’ low-riding boxer shorts and Mandy’s tank top and camisole bottoms. “Barely.”

“Why are you here so early?” James asked. “I left word at the office and said I would be in later. Mandy doesn’t have to go in until after lunch because of a judges’ meeting. We’re spending the morning together, and our activities don’t include you.”

“You’re sick little sex fiends,” Grady said, grabbing a piece of bacon from Mandy’s plate. She slapped his hand.

“I’m hungry. Give it back.”

“Did you two work up an appetite?” Grady asked, winking.

“Yes, we did,” James replied, nonplussed. “We’re going to work up another one in a little bit, and I don’t care if you’re here to watch or not.”

“Sick!”

“What do you want?” James asked.

“I wanted to give you a heads up that a student at the community college was found dead last night,” Grady said. “Sophie got called out on the story.”

“Why do I care about that?” James asked. “I mean, I’m not happy that someone died, but I’m not sure why it’s our concern.” He slid one of the slices of bacon from his plate to Mandy’s to replace the piece Grady pilfered.

“Oh, you two are so sweet right now I want to puke,” Grady said, grabbing the bacon before Mandy could.

“Put that back on her plate or I will thump you,” James threatened.

“He can keep it,” Mandy said, sighing. “I don’t want it after he’s had his grubby fingers on it. We both know where his fingers have probably been.”

James grinned. “I’ll make some more.”

“I’m actually full,” Mandy said. “We’ve done nothing but eat and … um … sleep since last night.”

“You’re such a bad liar,” Grady teased.

“Go back to the dead person,” James said. “Who was it?”

“It was a woman named Julie Nichols,” Grady said. “She was a single woman in her mid-twenties. She was stabbed, and it looks like she was sexually assaulted – although they have to wait for labs to come back before they can be sure of that.”

James pursed his lips. “How do you know all of this?”

“I went with Sophie.”

“Sick,” Mandy said, wrinkling her nose. “You’re so lovesick you couldn’t stand to be away from your girlfriend for even a couple of hours. Gross. Omigod.”

James pursed his lips to keep from laughing, but Mandy was so adorable in her animated state it didn’t work. “I love you, baby.”

“That is not what happened,” Grady countered. “I … we … it was late. It was almost two in the morning when she got the call. It’s not safe for a woman to be out at that time of night.”

“Oh, grow up,” Mandy said. “Women are just as capable as men.”

Grady stuck his tongue out. “I didn’t say they weren’t.”

“You did so.”

“I did not.”

“Knock it off,” James ordered.

“See, you’re bugging your husband,” Grady said.

“I was talking to you,” James countered. “While my wife likes making fun of you, I understand why you went with Sophie. If it had been me, I would’ve done the same thing for Mandy. I still don’t understand what this death has to do with us – or why you’re here interrupting my morning delight with my soon-to-be naked wife.”

“Sick, sick, sick.”

“I’m going to beat you.”

“Fine.” Grady blew out a dramatic sigh. “You guys don’t have much of a sense of humor this morning.”

“If you want us to laugh you should take your pants off,” Mandy suggested.

James made a face. “Baby, don’t tell another man to take his pants off in front of me. I don’t like it.”

“You’ll live. Go back to your story, Grady. Why do we care about Julie Nichols, other than the obvious, I mean?”

“Well, while Sophie was questioning the cops, I started running information from my laptop in the car,” Grady said. “I was bored and curious. It’s not every day that a young woman gets raped and murdered on a community college campus. It’s not like it’s a big school.”

“It’s well lit, too,” James said.

“How do you know?”

“I was there last night. I picked Mandy up from her class. I made sure I looked around while I was there. I don’t want my wife walking in a dangerous parking lot after dark.”

“Because you want to keep her safe,” Grady said, winking at Mandy.

“I always want her safe,” James said. “Go back to Julie. What did you find out?”

“Well, she’s only registered for one class at MCC.”

“How do you know that?”

“Maverick was up late and when he saw I was active he started instant messaging me,” Grady said, referring to the young computer genius Hardy Brothers Security often utilized. “He wanted me to play some game with him online, but when I told him I was busy he wanted to help. I asked him to see what he could find out about Julie Nichols. Don’t look at me like that. I was really bored, and Sophie made me promise I wouldn’t hover and cramp her style.”

James smirked. “Poor, Grady.”

“What did Maverick find out?” Mandy asked, interested despite herself. “What class was this woman enrolled in?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Grady said, shifting his gaze to Mandy. “She’s in your cooking class.”

James stilled. “Seriously?”

“It looks like she was probably attacked about an hour after the class let out, although no one knows why she was there that late or what she was doing on campus at that hour,” Grady said. “Her car was in the parking lot.”

“What about security cameras?” James asked.

Grady shrugged. “The cops aren’t saying anything.”

“Maverick?”

“He’s looking to see what he can find,” Grady said. “That’s all I have right now.”

“Well … you’re done with the class,” James said.

“I told you I wanted to finish the class,” Mandy protested.

“That was before someone from your class died,” James said, choosing his words carefully. “I … baby, you don’t need to take that class. We went over all of this last night.”

“I know,” Mandy said, her blue eyes serious. “I still want to finish it. We’re talking about one class. We don’t know that this woman was killed because of the class. What are the odds of that?”

“She has a point,” Grady said. “Class was over for a decent amount of time before Julie was killed. I didn’t come here to ruin your happy morning. I really didn’t. I just … I thought you would want to know.”

“I do want to know,” James said. “I … .” He rubbed his stubbled chin, conflicted. The last thing he wanted was to fight. He was happy. His wife was happy. He didn’t want to rock the boat. “When is your next class?”

“Tomorrow.” Mandy’s shoulders were squared, and James knew that meant she was ready for a fight. He didn’t want it to come to that.

“Would you let me drive you to and from class?”

“No.”

James scowled. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not in any danger,” Mandy replied. “A random woman ending up dead on campus does not mean I’m in danger. You know that. I know you do.”

“I
do
know that,” James conceded. “I also know that if something bad is going to happen and you’re in the general vicinity, it’s going to happen to you.”

“You don’t know that,” Mandy countered.

“Grady, give her the list,” James said.

Grady started ticking items off on his fingers. “You’ve been stalked twice, blown up, shot at, kidnapped, and almost eaten by alligators.”

“You butt out,” Mandy ordered.

“I need you to be safe, baby,” James said.

“I will be safe. It’s a cooking class. The only thing in danger is going to be your stomach. I promise.”

She was so earnest James couldn’t help but give in. “You don’t walk back to your car alone. Promise me.”

Mandy’s face split with a wide smile. “I promise.”

“You also don’t poison me with whatever it is you’re insisting on cooking,” he added.

“Agreed.”

“You also need to get naked,” he said. “We have two hours before we have to get into the shower so you can get to work on time. We’re burning important minutes here, wife.”

“And that’s my cue to go,” Grady said, getting to his feet. “I’ll keep you updated when I get more information on Julie. Mandy is right, though. The odds of her death having anything to do with that class are probably low.”

“That would be a nice change of pace,” James said. “Now get out of my house. You have exactly twenty seconds.” His hands were already on the waist of his boxer shorts.

“You two really are sick.”