I Know What You Read (9 page)

He gave her a softer smile, “What’s up?”

She didn’t want to tell him the truth—she already felt like such a slut for begging an intruder in the night to sleep with her.  “I called an alarm company to install a security system, but they can’t get to me until Monday.”

“Why?  I thought you said you had a pretty good neighborhood?”

“I do, but,” she took a deep breath, “I had a visitor last night.”

“Someone was in your house?”

“I can’t figure out how he got in, but it was definitely my blackmailer.”

He sat very still, apparently choosing his words carefully, “Are you okay?”

“You know,” she said, trying to stifle a sob, “I don’t want you to think I’m a terrible person.”

“I’d never think that about you, Jade.  I’m afraid I know you too well to ever believe anything bad.”

“Well, I’m going to blow the hell out of that because I—I liked what he did.”  She watched his eyebrows rise.  She looked away. “We didn’t have sex,” she added quickly.  “He tied me up, but the only thing physical that really happened was he kissed me before he left.  The problem is that it freaked me out, and as bad as it sounds, I’m not afraid of him, but if one person got in my house that easily then someone else could, too.”  She kept her gaze on the croissant in her lap.  “I’m awful, right?  I should have called the cops.  I should have been angry.  I—”

“Stay with me and Julian—just until the alarm is installed.”

“Oh, I couldn’t, Ethan,” she said, suddenly looking up, “I didn’t mean for you to think—”

“You can stay with us or we can stay with you, but either way you shouldn’t be alone.  You decide.  I’ll drive you back to your place right now and you grab an overnight bag, or we drive to my place and I grab a bag.”

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.  She felt a kiss on her ear as he pulled her in tightly to his body.  God, he felt good.  She was holding on longer than she should, but she sensed he was okay with it.  “If you don’t think Julian will mind, I’ll stay with you guys, but you don’t have to drive me home.  If you’ll take me back to the garage, I’ll get my car and—”

He released her from the hug, “I won’t let you go alone.  You can get your car
after
you get your bag.”

It was so wonderful to have Ethan for a friend.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“All that—
just for a kiss?”

An hour later, she was standing in their adorable apartment. “This is cute,” she said as she looked out the second story balcony to the lake behind the complex.  She watched him disappear into another room as she tossed her bag onto the sofa.  “Does this pull out?”

He walked back out to where she stood.  He was carrying his toothbrush and deodorant.  “Yes, but you aren’t sleeping there; you’ll be in my room.”

“Your room?  Don’t you and Julian share a room?”

He grinned then walked to the other side of the apartment and opened the opposing door.  “You’ve got to stop thinking so traditionally, Jade.  We each like our privacy.  This isn’t like a marriage where I cook him breakfast and serve him in the bedroom.”

She giggled, “Actually, that sounds sweet.  So,” she paused wondering how to broach the subject.

“What?”

“Which one of you is the…  I mean, is there like a dominant and a…  Which one of you is the—”

“The girl?” he said with a little laugh.

She nodded.

“Julian is definitely the feminine one.”

“Somehow I can’t picture either one of you as feminine.”

He grinned.  “I’ve got a photo shoot at 12:30 at the mall for the Project Runway knock-off they’re doing.  Will you be okay by yourself?  You can come with me if you like.”

“Actually, I’m exhausted.  I’ve been up since two and I need a nap before I fall over.”

He took her arm and guided her into his room.  His bedding was all over-stuffed black satin, and he had a ton of pillows. 

“Wow!” she remarked, “I could get lost in there.”

It was the strangest sensation as he cupped her face in his hands, pulled her in close, and put a slow kiss on her cheek.  “Get lost,” he quietly offered.

His words sent a shiver straight through her.  He was the sexiest man she knew, and he could make her pulse flutter without even trying.  “I can see why you’re the male,” she returned the hug around his muscled waist.  “You almost make me wish I was a gay guy,” she giggled.

He pulled back slightly, “Jade, you’re perfect—as a female.”

“Thanks,” she said as she took one last squeeze.  She turned and plowed into the pillows, stretching out, tummy-side down on his comfortable bed.  “Women just don’t know what they’re missing with you!” she said somewhat muffled with her face buried in the blackness.

“Jade,” he said softly. 

She rolled over and raised her head from the pile, noticing he was out the doorway, but peeking around the corner, “Yeah?”

“I like the way you look in my bed—and I have slept with women before.”

He was gone before the word, “Oh,” came out of her mouth.  She was in stunned surprise for several moments as she wondered how could she fall asleep after a remark like that?  But, the longer she lay there thinking about it, the drowsier and more comfortable she became.  She slowly lowered her head to the pillow and drifted off.

A half an hour later, she woke to the sound of a door slamming against the bedroom wall as Julian burst into the room.

“Just what the hell were you—” His angry question paused and his tanned face lost all color as she raised her head to look at him. His mouth was open, but nothing was coming out.

“Julian, you scared the crap out of me!” Jade stated, pressing her palm over her heart.

“
I scared you? What are you doing here…in Ethan’s bed?!”
he added.

She sat up trying to clear the sleep from her brain and consider his question.  Why was she here?  It only took a moment to remember how she ended up where she was at.  “Ethan offered to let me stay with you guys until Monday.”

“Why?” he asked, still sounding utterly confused.

“Last night, at my house—”

He didn’t even let her finish.

His reaction was completely unexpected as he slammed his open palm against the wall then stormed out of the room swearing like a sailor.  Evidently, Julian had a BIG jealous streak…and she was in
his
boyfriend’s bed.

She stumbled from the tangled bedding to go after him.  “I’m sorry, Julian.  Nothing happened between me and Ethan, honest.”

He was halfway across the living room when he turned.  One hand went to his hip.  “Did he fuck you?!”

She didn’t expect him to be
that
blunt. She couldn’t stop the forming tears, “No, I’m just too scared to go home.  I’m sorry, I’ll get a motel.”

He looked utterly confused.  “Wait a minute.  Tell me this again. Why were you in his bed?”

She was bawling by this point, “My blackmailer broke into my house and tied me up! The alarm company can’t get to me until Monday, and I’m—I’m scared.”

“Whoa, Jade. Whoa, baby.  I’m sorry.  Don’t cry, please,” he said, closing the distance between them and taking her into his arms.  “You don’t know who broke into your house?”

“I know it was whoever is blackmailing me, but he whispered the whole time and I couldn’t make out the voice,” she snuffled, trying to stop the tears.

He tipped her chin up and studied her tear stained face, then he spoke very cautiously, “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head no. 

“No sex?” he added, still trying to be gentle.

“No.  Whoever he was he didn’t plan to hurt me.  He scared me shitless, but the only thing he did was kiss me.”

“All that—
just for a kiss
?”

“I know it sounds crazy.  He asked for sex, but when I said no he didn’t try to force me into anything.”

“And you couldn’t tell who it was by his voice?” he continued, sounding doubtful.

“Julian, he was so quiet—but he did sound familiar.”

“And so Sir Galahad invites you to stay here, huh?”

She cracked a tiny smile, “Sorry. I didn’t know you had such a jealous streak or I’d have taken my nap on the couch.”

Julian rolled his eyes, “I’m not jealous.  I don’t give a fuck what he does anymore, but if he hurts you—”

“Julian,” she scolded, pulling away, “He’s been nothing more than a great friend to me, just like you.”

“Not quite just like me,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, I know.  He told me before he left that he’s been with a woman before,” she said, but couldn’t control the blush to her cheeks. Since she knew their history and that they had been ‘together’ since tenth grade that meant Ethan cheated on Julian.  She figured it must be a pretty big insult for a gay partner to cheat in that sense.

“Jade,” he began, but then seemed to hesitate.

“Yeah?”

He took a deep breath and then said never mind.

The remainder of the weekend was a little strained.  It was obvious that Julian was upset with Ethan, but they both proved to be good hosts.  It did get a little awkward Saturday night when Ethan knocked on her door and asked if she was decent.  She had just settled under the covers, so she said yes.  The shock was watching a nearly naked Ethan enter the room with a towel around his waist.

“I refuse to use his shower,” he grumbled.  “Sorry,” he chuckled as he passed by, “I didn’t plan on pulling a Noah on you.”

She laughed, but holy Toledo! She thought he was a hunk with his clothes on, but without clothes?  “You should have been a model, Ethan,” she said as she watched his tan, trim, and sculpted body head for the bathroom.  She wasn’t positive, but she was pretty sure he had a big grin on his face.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The one who knows what you read.

Monday morning she had interviews and stories lined up, but she would take her lunch break around one to meet the alarm installers at her house.  Noah came in early, unshaven and looking the way she felt on Saturday.  She had to know if he was okay.

“Didn’t you hear?” he asked incredulously.

“Hear what?”

“Yvette went into labor Saturday afternoon.”

“Oh my God!  Wasn’t she early?”

“Yeah, but just by a couple weeks.  She and Loran are fine.”

“A girl?” she questioned.  He told her during their dinner date they were expecting a boy.

“No.  Loran is Irish.  He’s named after my grandfather on my mother’s side, Loran O’Shane.  Loran Shane Taylor.” He smiled as the sleepy-fog seemed to lift from his expression.  “He’s beautiful.  Wanna see?” he asked, holding up his phone.

Of course she wanted to see.  The baby was beautiful—the perfect replica of his father.  “He looks just like you,” she stated, and then watched the pride wash all over Noah.  He was actually getting teary eyed as he stared at the pic.  She put her arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

He wiped his eyes before the tears could spill onto his cheeks, “He’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever experienced—even better than the day the Yanks called and asked me to pitch for them.”  He looked up and took in a cleansing breath.  “But man that little bugger doesn’t like to sleep!” he chuckled. 

“You’ve already brought him home?”

“Yeah.  Yvette was only in labor for four hours, and Sunday morning they checked us out to go home.  He was awake half the night last night.  Damn, I’m tired.”

“Does she have someone to help her?”

“Her mom is flying in this afternoon,” he stated with a little groan.

“Don’t like the mother-in-law, huh?” she teased.

“She’s all right, I guess, but the problem is her mom is only two years older than me—and she likes me.”

Jade was a blank.

“I mean she
really
likes me
,” he emphasized.

“Oh,” she said as the light bulb turned on. “Not your type?”

His brow furrowed, “She’s hot as hell, but I’m not a cretin, Jade.  I can understand why you have a bad impression of me, but I don’t normally chase women; and certainly not a woman who my son is going to call grandma.”

“But—”

“You were different,” he interrupted, “and you still are, but I have to tell you that after watching Yvette bring my son into the world… Well, let’s just say I’m going to be a good husband for a while.  She was pretty amazing,” he added with a sweet smile.

“You know something, Noah, I think I really misjudged you.”  But then a thought hit her, “Let me see your left arm.”

He had a puzzled expression, but he complied.

She immediately rolled it over and exposed his bird tattoo, “Is that real?”

“Of course it’s real,” he said sounding a little defensive.

Then she did something that surprised them both.  She licked her finger and tried to vigorously rub the tattoo off!

“Shit!” Noah snapped, pulling his arm away.  “What the hell has gotten into you, Jade?”

She thought he was mad at her at first, but then he started to laugh.

“Damn, girl!  I said I was going to
try
to be a good husband but if you keep licking and rubbing stuff on me, my honest streak isn’t going to last too long!”

She realized it was pretty funny, so she began laughing too, “Sorry—I just had to make sure it was real.”

She finished her first two interviews of the morning by ten then returned to the office.  She was supposed to hookup with Angie before the next interview at eleven-thirty.  She had about an hour to get some writing finished, but when she walked into her office an old familiar panic speared her: there was an envelope on her desk.

She opened it with trembling fingers, and pulled out the contents.  It was another chapter to the paranormal story.  A note on the top simply said, “Enjoy the sex.”  She flipped through the pages, but then went to the last page.  As she suspected, there was an additional note from the blackmailer.  This one was rather long.

I want you.  I want all of you.  I want to tie you down and strip you bare, and then kiss and massage every inch of your voluptuous body.  I want your warm breasts in my mouth.  I want to tease your nipples with my tongue.  I want to know what you taste like, my beautiful Jade.  I want to run my tongue inside your pink heaven and then suck on your clit until you come so strong that your thighs tremble and you whimper in absolute bliss.  I want to spread your legs apart and rub the head of my hard, hot cock in your pussy while I decide if I want to bury it deep inside you, or simply make you wish I would.