Second Chances (29 page)

From his toes, feet and calves, then on up to the ropes of lean muscles on his thighs, her fingers explored, her palms caressed, her tongue tasted and her lips kissed. It hadn't taken long for parts of him to come fully awake. His erection stood before her majestically, waiting for her undivided attention. She teased and tormented her way along its length with feather-light touches, using her fingertips, lips, and even pieces of her hair. Next, she imitated the sex act, plunging and retreating, dipping and tasting, loving the feel of his muscles tightening and awakening in anticipation.

This was an incredibly erotic experience, and one she was determined to make the most of. She gave her hands license to do as they willed. Using her hair, she stroked every part of him that she could reach. Kissing a path upward, her lips searched for and found his nipples buried in the curly hair on his chest. His firm, silky arousal pushed against her belly, bringing a sensual smile to her face as she continued to sway back and forth, touching and retreating, and continuing to tease.

Finally, she straddled his thighs, waiting.

Tiny butterfly kisses on his eyes and cheeks and sweet nothings whispered in his ears gently woke him. Brian moaned, a rich erotic sound like pure black velvet, as his hips surged upwards, searching for her. "Witch!"

Karina smiled triumphantly. God, she loved the stifled groans emanating from his mouth.

"I want to hear your pleasure," she whispered into the velvet night. "I need to know that you're enjoying this."

Brian didn't answer, as if still caught between dreams and reality, and not yet fully aware that they were now one. His hips lifted, pleading for more of her.

Karina laughed joyfully. How wonderful to have the man of your dreams lie before you, content to await your pleasure. Comfortable enough in his skin to allow her to freely express her femininity.

Taking her time, she teased, stroked and explored. She used his moans to encourage her and his whispered prayers to guide her.

His fingers spread out, grasping frantically at the rumpled sheets for strength, muscles tightening and relaxing in the search for control. A fine sheen of perspiration covered his body and a faint musk radiated off him, mixing with her own scent. Together it was an unforgettable combination.

"Take me sweetheart. Get on and ride for both of us," his whiskey-smooth voice pleaded in the dark.

Slowly, she lowered herself, taking him deep into the heart of her. His hands surged up to hold her in place and convulsively he arched, pushing deeper.

At his urging, she rode in a steadily building rhythm. Moving slowly at first, she drew out their passion, until even that was no longer enough. Their pace became aggressive, demanding a harder and faster give-and-take, until tremors began to ripple from Karina's center and ecstasy wracked her soul with shudders of fulfillment. She cried out with her release.

She could feel Brian holding on, wanting to enjoy her climax for as long as possible, until he too surged upward, surrendering to his own eruption.

Karina, lying on his sweat-slicked body, smiled in tired satisfaction. She'd brought him this.

After that, with the last remnant of uncertainty dispelled, the hot sexual night was endless.

They woke each other repeatedly, taking one another from hot dreams to passionate reality. Karina was no longer sure where one started and one stopped. The two melded and blended into a haze of heat that consumed her. She'd never known anything like it and knew this couldn't exist with anyone but him. He was her mate, the other half of her soul. She accepted her fate and surrendered completely to her nature and his.

Exhaustion took over and as the sky began to turn the palest shades of gray in the east she finally collapsed, smiling, into a dreamless sleep.

***

Brian woke early, his body unwilling to move. His heart was so full, his body so satisfied. It had never been like this before. He didn't think it could be this way again—with anyone else.

Karina. He rolled over and kissed the bare shoulder beside him. He pushed up onto his elbows in order to kiss her again, and noticed tracks of dried blood on her back.

His breath caught in his throat, the disbelief turning to anger. He wanted to rage, but the only one to rage at was himself. Her wound looked angry, puffy, the bandage pulled loose. And he wasn't entirely sure but it looked like maybe one, if not two, stitches had pulled free. There wasn't a lot of blood, but every drop was a reminder that they'd gone too far, too fast.

She hadn't been ready.

Guilt tore at him.

He couldn't stay there looking at the evidence of his actions any longer. She needed her rest, now more than ever. When she woke he'd take to back to the doctor.

He slid from the bed, dressed quickly and left. He walked right out of the house and down to the beach. The ocean waves bashed against the sandy shore, a tempest brewing out on the horizon, matching the torment of Brian's soul.

Maybe the storm outside would wash away the storm raging in his heart. An hour passed as he strode in the heavy winds. Ocean spray covered him from head to toe. Droplets ran in rivulets over his coat and pants. His every step squelched. Yet, Brian barely heard or felt anything.

Ever since Karina had stormed into his world, he'd been off balance. He loved her more than anything on Earth. Yet no matter what he did, he seemed to only hurt her more.

Depressed, Brian finally returned to the house and stripped out of his wet clothes in the mudroom, leaving them in a heap on the floor. He pulled shorts and a T-shirt out of a laundry basket filled with clean laundry and quickly donned the items. He headed to his office and lit a fire in the tiny fireplace. It was small comfort for the cold inside him. He sat there staring at the flames for a long moment, then picked up the phone.

Marly's voice on the other end unleashed something deep inside. The words tumbled, unbidden, from his lips. "Damn it Marly, everything I do is wrong."

Warm laughter echoed through the line. "Brian, stop being so hard on yourself. Even the police couldn't protect Karina from Ian. You did everything you could. Don't let your mind dwell on the 'what ifs.' You know how defeating that is. Be grateful you had a chance to get her out of the house."

"But she was running out to warn
me
!"

"Good. It shows how much she cares. She also kept her head in a difficult situation. She wouldn't have wanted to go through this alone. Don't forget, everything is easier if it's shared. Isn't that why you're calling me?"

"I didn't know who else to talk to. Mark would probably tell me to get over it and just love her," he said, his voice harder than was perhaps necessary.

Marly laughed again. "That makes perfect sense to me."

It did to him too, only he wasn't sure that he deserved to do that. These last few weeks had been a nightmare full of confusion and doubt. According to his standards, he hadn't done well by her. And she'd changed him in ways he still didn't understand. That weekend at Saltspring had shaken him to the core. He was still reeling from his new truths.

For the first time, Brian didn't feel worthy. He'd distanced himself physically, determined to show her that there was more to their relationship than the physical, except that he hadn't explained his actions. Karina had then taken it upon herself to bridge the growing distance between, once again reaching out and coming to him in the night. Only she'd gotten so much more. She'd gotten hurt once again.

He hated himself for that.

If only he hadn't been so hungry for her. Maybe then he could have controlled himself and loved her just a single time during the night, instead of getting carried away and hurting her. She'd been everything he could want in a lover, that and so much more. He'd taken his cue from her and they'd reveled in their loving.

Until he'd woken in the morning, aroused and ready. His hands already smoothing over a body he knew as well as his own. With his lips trailing over her nape and his arousal demanding more, he'd come fully awake in a haze of building lust.

Only to see her bloody shoulder. Instead of stitches and pale-pink, healing skin, the tender flesh was puckered and jagged. Reinjured.

He'd run then. From his bed, from her and even the house—but there was no outrunning himself.

***

Tense anticipation threaded knots throughout Ian's nerves as he waited for his transfer to the jail.

It was time. Time to finish what he'd started. He'd even figured out where to go afterwards. He could head south to Mexico. He had friends down there. Way back when, he'd planned to go with his wife on a repeat trip this year, but now he'd go alone.

Soon.

"Okay, Ian. Now that you're dressed, we're taking you out in a wheelchair. Through to the back way to minimize the impact on the other patients, considering it's visiting hours."

Back way? Even better. Inside, he smiled. Outside he gave a subdued nod to the guard. Bob was his name. Had a fiancée and was planning to get married in September. Not that Ian planned on Bob making that date.

He shuffled to the wheelchair and collapsed into it, feigning weakness. He reached across and tugged the loose blanket over his body, trying to hide his hands and make it look like he was too cold and feeble to do anything. They handcuffed his hands together. Child's play that was. His hands were free before they turned into the hallway.

Bob helped tuck the blanket in around him. "Okay, let's get him moved."

Two officers flanked him as the nurse wheeled Ian down the hallway to the service elevator. Ian gave her a pathetic look of thanks as she backed out of the elevator, leaving him alone with the two officers.

Perfect.

Before the door clinked shut, Ian jumped from the chair, spun around and drove his fist into the throat of the closest man. He snatched the officer's gun free and spun around firing off one shot. Bob gave a startled cry, and fell backwards. The officer struggled to wrap his arms around Ian. Ian gave a coarse laugh as he drove his elbow back into the man's ribs, then spun and kicked, dropping him to his knees. Quickly, Ian grabbed his head with both hands and smashed it against the wall—hard.

When he let go, the officer collapsed to the floor…out cold.

Ian smiled. That was the hard part. The rest would be even easier. He took two steps to the door and pushed the elevator button to take him to the basement.

I
t was mid-morning when Karina awoke, alone.

Still drowsy, she automatically reached for Brian. He wasn't there. She had no idea what time it was. It was too much work to roll over and look at the clock. She wasn't worried, though. He was around, somewhere. She drifted back to sleep, taking with her a dreamy sense of satisfaction about her world.

When she woke the second time, it was late. She sat up, grimacing with the new aches and pains pounding her body. Her shoulder throbbed. In truth, it wasn't just a throb. Needle-sharp pains radiated outward from the wound site. It definitely needed more healing time. She groaned loudly on her way to the bathroom.

Maybe she'd pushed it last night. She instantly rejected that thought. Last night had bridged the coolness between them. That alone was worth any small aches and pains this morning. Besides, finally knowing the identity of her fantasy man made them all fade away in significance. There was such a sense of peace and wellbeing to her world today.

With hot water sluicing over her sore body, she wondered again where Brian was. She hated waking up alone.

For the first time in days, she took her pain medication. Without it, she wouldn't make it through the morning. She hoped there was no major damage. Carefully, she dressed her wounds, doing the best she could by herself. It would have to do until she could get Brian's help.

She dressed warmly. The day looked stormy and cold and her tired body shivered just from the strain of getting dressed.

The kitchen was empty. She put on fresh coffee and went in search of Brian.

Just then, the office door opened and Brian walked toward her.

"Brian?" she asked, confused by the withdrawn look on his face. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

He raked his fingers through his air, and then appeared to make a decision. "I'm fine. Good, you made coffee. I could use a cup before we go." He walked back into the kitchen, leaving her to stare at his back in astonishment. Apparently, the warm lover from last night had disappeared. Confused, she waited for him to return.

"Go where?"

He stopped and looked at her carefully.

She stared back at him in total mystification. His next question surprised her.

"How are you feeling this morning? You look tired and sore."

Karina stared at him in astonishment. "I'm fine. Yes, I'm a little sore, but not too bad. What's this all about?"