Lethal Affair (31 page)

She expected him to kiss her. Instead
he remained inches away, waiting with unnerving calm for her to
react, to decide. His greenhouse had been defiled, his sense of
security challenged because of her involvement with a monster. Yet
here he was, unwilling to bow out.

When she remained silent he began to
pull back. She yanked him back in. “I'm sorry. Not because I think
we should part ways but because I suggested it in the first
place.”

A moment as he digested that. Then the
feast began, a melding of lips, tongues, teeth, hands moving
everywhere. Things went from warm to hot in two seconds flat. Tea
and whiskey forgotten, Will asked her with his eyes how far she
wanted to take it.

She answered by taking his hand and
leading him to his bedroom where a soft lamp glowed by the bedside,
leaving the rest of the room in shadows. The curtains were open
with silver moonlight pouring onto the bed but Will wasn't taking
chances on peeping Toms. He shut them with a flourish, then turned
to Kylie and simply devoured.

They rolled onto the bed shedding
shoes, clothes, inhibitions. Naked and intertwined, they became a
tangle of limbs where desire hummed along nerves, igniting
previously dormant sensations. Will sank into her, his roaming
hands seeking out and finding hot spots to explore with lips and
tongue. Silken and firm, her flesh yielded beneath his mouth and
she surged up for more. On small gasps of pleasure her fingertips
bore into his hair, urging him on. He felt it coming, an exquisite
crescendo just before a glorious release that left her puddled on
the bed.

Kylie peaked as she rode over the
crest in wave upon wave. Oh God, but this had been a long time
coming. She knew it wasn't so much technique as it was trust. She
trusted Will, knew that she could let go and be safe in doing
so.

How does a heart know such a thing,
she wondered briefly, then flipped him over and got busy returning
the favor.

Watching her, what she was doing to
him, Will bit down on his lip in an effort to prolong the fuse that
might run out too soon. He wanted, needed to meld with
her.

“
Wait,” he whispered, and
twisting around pulled a condom from a drawer on the nightstand. He
gave it to her. “Put this on me.”

“
But... we don't
need...”

“
Until you get a green light
from your doctor, I think it's a good idea,” he told
her.

That clinched it. His concern for the
delicacy of her condition tore her heart open wide, and she let him
in. This wasn't just sex to purge, but lovemaking in every sense of
the word.

He pulled her on top of him and let
her set the pace. Watching her slender body gyrate as she lost
herself in pleasure, he ran his hands up her burgeoning stomach to
mold her breasts and tried to divert his thoughts from the
inevitable explosion that might detonate at any moment. She seemed
ethereal, her pale skin glowing softly in the dim light, unaware of
her own inner strength.

Will's body was solid, exciting her
beyond thought and reason. She was there again, in the sweet spot
where her body eradicated logic and reached for what it craved.
Blind with it, she climbed the rise to the apex and teetered there
for a few blessed moments, then came tumbling down into
breathlessness, and felt with a woman's triumph Will's own
tumultuous finale.

They lay side by side, rivulets of
sweat cooling quickly now as reality replaced the surreal. Will
gathered her close and held on tight, pulling the sheets over
them.

Breathing, calming,
nestling, they lay face to face, eye to eye. And there it was.
The
click
. It was
so simple yet clearly defined, that moment in time when you know
this is the person you've been waiting for. Kylie's heart filled
with it, and she could only hope it was mutual.

She laughed. “I think I pulled a
muscle in my butt. That was some work out.”

“
You ain't seen nothing
yet,” Will murmured, his eyes glowing softly.

He proceeded to show her.

* * * *

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jolene lay in Lyle's arms and asked him
the question she'd been holding in.

“
How did you come to rescue
Dino?”

Half asleep, Lyle grunted,
“Hmpf?”

“
I heard you tell... tell
Lillian that the rescue was mutual. That he saved you too. What's
the story?”

Lyle opened one eye. “You been
listening around corners?”

“
I couldn't help it. She was
hitting on you. I have a right to defend what's mine.”

His lips curved. “Surprisingly that
doesn't phase me one bit. We're in love, baby. Feels good, doesn't
it?”

“
There's nothing better. Now
tell me about Dino.”

Lyle stared at the ceiling, tapping
his memory. “I had a gorgeous bulldog named Dina. She was my
constant companion, loved the hell out of her. Dogs have a way of
centering you, of keeping it real. They give unconditional love in
ways that take you outside of yourself, make you humble. Problem
is, they live short lives. Maybe that's why they're so noble and
fun loving. Dina reached her time and passed away, and I was
devastated.”

Jolene squeezed his hand.

“
I was lost for a while. Me
and Will were working the construction gig, saving our pennies,
hatching our plans, but when Dina passed I just couldn't function.
I hadn't realized how deeply I'd loved her 'til then.”

“
Oh baby, that you can love
that deeply is a gift. Tell me how Dino came into the
picture.”

“
Dino was abandoned as a pup
at one of the construction sites we worked at. Will found him. He
was starved, infested, barely alive. He'd crawled into a cement
mixer and thank God Will saw him before it got cranked up. He got
him out and brought him straight to me. At first I said no, I
couldn't put myself through that again. But Will, he knew it was
just what I needed and told me he wouldn't take my no for an
answer. I took him in, nursed him back to health and we've been
together ever since. Dino is six years old now. I've been giving
him all the love he deserves.”

Jolene's eyes had teared up. “Why
don't we find Dino a lady friend? Plenty of dogs in the shelter
here.”

Lyle grinned at her, his melancholy
evaporating. “Having a dog is a lifetime commitment. Their
lifetime, that is. You up for that?”

“
I'm up for that and your
lifetime too. Thought about that at all?”

Lyle laughed, enjoying himself. “I've
been getting some real insights lately about that. All I can say
is, they're weighing in your favor. Stay tuned.”

“
Okay. Good enough. For
now.”

*

“
Police Probe Possible Lead
in Village Murders!” Lyle boomed as he quoted the headlines,
slapping his newspaper onto Will's desk. “Why the hell didn't you
call me last night when it happened?”

“
What purpose would it have
served? Your whole evening would have gone down the
toilet.”

“
What if Rosemary Meesler
hadn't seen that guy go into your yard? You'd be sitting in jail
right now, that's what!”

“
And you'd be bailing me
out. Calm down. I know I dodged a bullet and believe me, the relief
is huge.”

Will's desk phone rang. “Village
Diner, Will Delaney speaking.”

“
Crane here. After taking
your neighbor's statement this morning we got the necessary
paperwork and moved to pick up Hammond right away. When our team
got to his apartment he'd bolted. Didn't show for work either.
We've got a BOLO out on him and his vehicle. Just a matter of time
before we locate him.”

That didn't sit well. “You mean he's
on the loose, doing who knows what?”

“
His father claims he
doesn't know where he is but I'm not buying it. We're putting
together enough physical evidence to charge him. By running off
he's thumbing his nose at us. Which works against him of course. It
might just cement his guilt.”

“
Lovely. Please keep me up
to date, Detective.”

“
I repeat, keep that lady of
yours close, Mr. Delaney.”

“
She insisted on going to
work today and I'm counting on your police protection while she's
there.”

“
We're on it. Patrol car
followed her to work, they'll stay put until her shift is over,
follow her home, stay outside her apartment. They're checking in
with me every thirty minutes.”

Will hung up and filled in
Lyle.

“
Maybe you should take Kylie
away somewhere. I can handle things here. I'll have Jolene stay
with me.”

“
Sounds like a plan. Just
one snag. Kylie will never go for it. She feels like she's bringing
bad karma our way just by being with me. It would be a hard
sell.”

“
You can convince her. Turn
up the charm.”

That earned him a smirk. “Just so you
know, Kylie and me, we've taken a step in the right direction.
Thought I'd tell you before you hear it from Jolene. Roommates and
all.”

“
Well okay then. Glad to
hear it. Congratulations. Now go and figure out how to spring Kylie
from her boss for a few days. You could take her to that cabin at
Shawnigan Lake, hole up for a bit. Max would like that. You could
take Dino too.”

“
Hammond followed us without
us knowing the other day, so what's to stop him from following us
there? It's a much more vulnerable spot than right
here.”

“
Shit. Guess things will
have to play out here in real life after all.”

“
No fairy tale intermissions
I'm afraid.”

*

Drew was sick of people telling him
what to do.

His father for one, giving him orders
disguised as advice. He was smarter. Dad wanted him to go to their
property up-island, but he knew the cops would track him there in
no time at all. He had his own plans, and they didn't involve
sneaking off with his tail between his legs.

The cops hadn't arrested Delaney. The
jerk must have had a rock solid alibi for the night he'd used the
gloves. Either that or some neighborhood snitch had seen him go
into Delaney's yard. Maybe a combo of both. Had the cops put things
together? Would they come for him? He wasn't going to play their
game of legalities, rotting in a jail cell, living under their
invasive, watchful eyes until a court date came up.

No sir, he was above all of that. His
life was going to change. He was trading in spending his days
counting other people's money for pursuing his own kind of
fulfillment. He'd been keeping it in check, but now it was off the
leash in this dog-eat-dog world. He would become the ultimate lone
wolf.

He'd given the unborn brat some
thought.

Did he really want to raise some
snotty kid who would get in the way of his lifestyle? It was a
question that chased its tail in his brain. Raise the kid, or end
the kid's life along with hers?

He decided he'd cross that bridge when
he got to it. He wanted Kylie alone; he could come up with all
kinds of ways to make their time together interesting.

They'd put police protection on her. A
cruiser with two cops who followed her everywhere. Right now they
were parked in the lot out front of Valley Farms. He wouldn't get
to her by going in. But there were ways to lure her out and he was
about to put step one into action.

Ahead of him in light traffic through
the Colwood area was a car with three occupants. He gave them his
full attention, following at a discreet distance in his newly
acquired soccer Mom van. Perfect for what he had in
mind.

*

Rosemary Meesler pulled into the large
grassy parking area and tucked her car under the shade of an elm
tree near the entrance to the park's trail. As promised, she'd
brought her son Bobby and his friend Max for a hike to Witty's
Lagoon in the outlying community of Metchosin where they would
while away the afternoon on the beach.

The day was warm with a light breeze,
the sky overhead blindingly white, saturated with sunshine. The
boys spilled out from the car and ran excitedly to a big sign
mapping the trail through the woods past the bird sanctuary to the
beach. It was a twenty to thirty minute hike depending on the pace
that held surprises like a wildflower meadow and a narrow bridge
made of timber, just before dipping downward to the log strewn
beach. If they were lucky the tide would be out and they could dig
for clams.

Rosemary pulled out her cell and
punched in Will's number. He answered immediately.

“
We're here. No silver
sports car in sight. There's one car here, it's an SUV. Other than
that we're the only ones. Mid week you know. Most people are at
work.”

“
Okay Rosemary. I don't have
to tell you to be extra careful, do I?”

“
Not after spending this
morning with that Crane character. He's got a way of instilling
caution. I'll be on my toes, Will.”