Bone Deep (12 page)

Soon the four of them were in the parking lot with cups of vodka-laced fruit punch. Clusters of people lingered near the door while couples took little walks into the woods or necked in steamy-windowed automobiles. It was peaceful outside after the clamor of music and loud voices within the building.

It didn’t take more than two or three sips of the heavily spiked drink for Sarah’s head to start swimming. She wasn’t used to drinking
these days
.

She decided to fish for information about what the sheriff’s office and people
in general
thought about the tattooed man now that a week had passed. “So, is there any news about this lost guy from the carnival?”

“No one’s seen hide or hair of him,” Grace said. “It’s kind of strange since he isn’t somebody you could miss seeing.”

“Probably long since out of the area,” Mike said.

“Or maybe the carnival owner found him again,” Andrew suggested.

Sarah took a sip of her punch. “Sheriff’s office still looking?”

“I guess so. Why? Are you nervous out on the farm?” Grace asked.

“No, just curious.” Sarah quickly changed the subject, getting Grace fired up about Trixie Ross and the mystery man from
Camden
again.

After a breather, they returned to the dance. They jitterbugged and fox-trotted for several hours, lubricated by a
lot
of punch. By the time her friends dropped her off at home, Sarah was unsteady on her feet
,
not
drunk, just happily tipsy.

Andrew
escorted
her to the front door with
a
hand
on her arm
. “I had a real nice time, Sarah. Hope we can do it again soon.”

“It was fun.” She smiled, but she didn’t ask him to stop by again. “G’night.”

He dipped his head and pressed his lips to her cheek. “Good night.” He turned and walked down the porch steps.

Sarah touched her hand to her cheek, surprised at his boldness after she’d told him she wasn’t interested.
But maybe he’d had a little too much vodka too.

She went inside, closed the door and leaned against it, squeezing her eyes shut then blinking them, trying to drive away the dizziness. Moving to the window beside the door, she watched until Mike and Grace’s car drove away then called, “Tom
.
”

There was no answer. Maybe he was already asleep.

She walked through the hall to the living room and sank down on the sofa with a sigh, kicking off her too-tight high heels and rubbing her ankle. She sat for several minutes, letting the blessed silence soothe her ears.

The front door opened then closed with a quiet click. For a moment
her
heart
raced
and she had visions of killers or that creepy Mr. Reed stalking down the hall.

“Tom?”

“Yes,” he answered softly, coming into the living room.

“Hi. Where were you?”

“Out in the barn.” He stood in the doorway.

She beckoned him over. “Come sit down. It hurts my neck looking at you over my shoulder.”

He walked
over
and stood behind
“
his
”
arm
chair, resting an arm on the back. His eyes widened as he
looked her over
from head to toe.

She realized he hadn’t seen her in anything but
shabby
housedresses or blouse and pants and
she couldn’t help but feel
smug at
the approval in his eyes
. She knew the emerald dress made her auburn hair glow
redder
and enhanced her hazel eyes.

She stood up and twirled around once for him, her head spinning even after her body stopped
moving
. “Fancy, huh? I don’t get much opportunity to dress up these days, but I was quite the fashion plate back in
Chicago
. Was your evening all right?”

“Yes.” His
gaze
dropped from her
s
. “How was your dance?”

“Nice. Too crowded though.”

Again she felt a stab of guilt for having fun with her friends while he was alone here with only the animals to keep him company. She walked over to the radio and switched it on. A swell of orchestral violins filled the living room with
a
smooth, seductive melody.

Sarah held out her hand
to Tom
. “Would you like to dance?”

Slowly he moved around the back of the chair and approached her with his arms down at his sides.

She placed
his left hand
on her waist
and curved hers over
his shoulder. She
clasped
his other hand. “Now, we move around a little. It’s not hard. Hear the beat of the music
, and m
ove your feet with it.”

Together they
shuffled
back and forth. Sarah felt the heat of his skin and the hard muscle and bone through his shirt. She breathed in the sweet
smell
of hay, the earthy musk of farm animals and beneath that his
own
male
scent
. Even though she stood in the same stance as she had with Andrew, this dance
felt
completely different.

She turned her head to the side
and
looked at their linked hands, her pale fingers wrapped around his colorful hand. She moved in closer, not quite resting her head on his chest, but willing to if he drew her nearer yet.

“Do you like that man?” he asked, his voice a quiet rumble.

“What?” She looked up into his eyes
, so
dark
they were almost
navy
rather than
their usual crystal blue.

“That man who kissed you.
I saw from the barn.
”

“Andrew? Oh no! He’s just a friend. Yes, I like him but not
in that way
.” Sarah felt she was back in grade school.
Do you like him? Or do you
like
him like him?

“It was only a friendly kiss,” she explained.

“Am I your friend?” His voice was low and sent a shiver up her spine.

Her tongue darted out to touch her lips. “Yes.” The word came out a whisper.

“Can I kiss you?”

She caught her breath. A dozen logical reasons to say ‘no’ clamored in her mind, beating at the door of her consciousness to be let in. If she opened the door she would have to entertain each one like a bad houseguest.
He’s too
broken
.
You’re too lonely. He’s so different
. But she didn’t want to hear from th
ose logical thoughts
tonight. She didn’t want to invite them in
, so she barricaded the door
and
exhaled, “Yes.”

Tilting her face up, she closed her eyes and parted her lips in anticipation.
After
a moment’s pause
, s
he felt warm lips press quickly against her cheek like the brush of a
moth’s wings
.

Sarah opened her eyes.

Tom stared down at her with his sapphire eyes.

That was all? It wasn’t enough. Since she had
already
given herself permission to accept a kiss, she expected to get one. A real one.

She lifted her hand to stroke his cheek then gently guide
d
his face toward hers.
Tipping
her head to the side so their noses wouldn’t bump,
she
stood on her toes and pressed her lips firmly against his.
A caress of
his jaw
and
then
she
slid her hand around the back of his neck to pull him even closer.

He responded, his lips soft and pliant
and opening for her teasing tongue which licked between them
. Tom followed her lead, sweeping his tongue across her lips. His hand
gripped
her waist
hard, pulling
her tight against him
. S
he
felt
the heat and hardness of
his arousal even through jeans and taffeta.

He
let go of
her hand and
cupped
her
face
as he kissed her more deeply. Moaning quietly, he mashed his mouth
feverishly against hers, desperate for deeper and deeper kisses.

His
quiet moan and intense kisses
spurred Sarah’s desire
. She moved her hand from his neck to his scalp, stroking the soft black fuzz that covered it now.
She
clutched his shirtfront to steady
herself
as the passionate kisses and too much vodka sent her head
whirling
and threatened her balance
.
At last
she had to pull away to breathe.

She dropped down off her toes and gaz
ed
wide-eyed into his face.

Tom frowned and
let go of her as if he’d been burned
. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
—
”

“
No, I want to. I just needed some air.” She fanned her face with a hand. “There! Better now.
Don’t stop!
” She grabbed
his
shirt with both hands
and
pulled him
back to her
.

His hands cautiously went around her waist once more then began moving up her back, feeling her body through the satiny fabric of her bodice. The full taffeta
skirt was crushed between them. T
here was far too much material in the way, binding and hampering their efforts to get
even
closer.
Need raged inside Sarah like a caged beast, roaring to be fed.

She
broke off mid-kiss once more and reached behind herself to pull down the zipper of her dress. The bodice was a little tight and her ribs expand
ed
when the zipper was
open
. She peeled
off
the dress, stepped out of the pool of green,
and
faced
Tom again, clad only in her white slip and underwear.

He stared at her body then
at
her face. He reached out and touched her red-brown hair, smoothing the silky strands. “So bright.”

“Irish,” she explained. “My maiden name’s O’Donnell.”

He looked confused.

“Never mind
.
”
She
stepped back into the circle of his arms
, and t
here was no hesitation in his embrace this time. He
gripped
her
tight and kissed her deeply
, while
violin
s on
the radio filled the room
with
a
sweet
,
soaring
melody
.

Sarah melted against his warmth, feeling soft, small and feminine in his strong arms. With her mouth still pressed to his, she backed him toward the couch. She laughed as he sat down abruptly
,
and she climbed onto his lap, straddling him. She felt giddy and light, free of the weight that had leavened her days during the past year and a half. Desire rushed through her. She wanted him without reservation or doubt, and she would have him.

Her slip was hiked up on her hips and her bare legs hugged his.
T
he hard bulge in his pants rubb
ed
against her crotch through her underwear
and she ground against him, trying to relieve the dull ache
. Sitting on his lap she was
above him
and he
tilted his head back to
gaze
into
her eyes. He looked stunned, as if he couldn’t believe this was happening. His hands bracketed her waist and slid slowly up her sides toward her breasts, but halted short of actually touching them. His gaze dipped to her cleavage and Sarah
could feel how much he ached to touch her
.

She gathered the hem of her slip
,
pulled it over her head
and
cast it
aside
. His eyes riveted on the swell of
her
breast
s
over the lacy cups of her bra. He looked up with questioning eyes.