Raw Desire (23 page)

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Authors: Kate Pearce

BOOK: Raw Desire
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“Thanks, Sheriff. Let me know when you need me.”
“Ally . . .”
She manufactured a bright smile. “I promise I'll call if I'm the slightest bit worried, okay?” She gently pushed him out the door and shut it in his face. She pressed her hand to her heart, which seemed to be aching, which was quite ridiculous.
It seemed to take forever for Rob to start his engine and pull off the drive. Ally waited until she was sure he was gone and then walked back down to the kitchen. She'd make herself some hot chocolate, finish reading Ruth's journal, and put herself to bed.
 
Ally yawned and glanced at her bedside clock. It was past eleven, and she had to work in the morning. She put her empty mug on the nightstand and set her alarm. She'd almost finished the last journal. Ruth's struggle to accept that she was dying had kept Ally's attention despite herself, and she felt even more sympathy for her mom.
Just as she switched off her lamp, she heard a crash that seemed to come from the rear of the house. With shaking hands, she wiggled back into her shorts and shoved her feet into her flip-flops. She checked the pockets. Where the hell was her cell phone? She could only find her front door keys. Had she left it in the kitchen to recharge? There was no way she was heading back there to find out.
Ally tried to calm her panic and rationalize her actions. Yeah, she was scared, but no one could get in, could they? She had new locks on her doors. But what if someone had broken the glass and gotten in through the window? That thought was enough to propel her out of bed and to the door of her room, where she crouched down to listen.
She couldn't hear anyone, but that didn't mean there wasn't anyone there. She opened the door a crack and peered down the hallway toward the kitchen. Moonlight caught shards of glass glinting on the floor, and Ally's stomach did a peculiar flip. She definitely wasn't stupid enough to wander on down to the kitchen. She would do what any regular woman would do and run like hell.
She crawled on her hands and knees in the opposite direction toward the front door and knelt up to open the latch. She half turned her head so that she could still see down the hallway, and something skittered across her vision. The door latch clicked as she opened it, but she didn't care. As it swung back into its lock, she sprinted away from the house and headed for Rob's. There was no logic to her decision; she just knew she had to get to him and Jackson.
It seemed to take forever to get there and bang on the back door. Jackson opened up and she fell into his arms.
“Ally, what the hell?”
She let him guide her farther into the house, heading for the only lit room. She hesitated as she saw Rob sitting up in Jackson's bed, his hair disheveled, his skin gleaming with exertion. Ally inhaled the scent of sex and clung on to the door frame as her world took yet another crazy swing.
“I didn't mean to interrupt anything.”
Jackson put his hands on her shoulders and brought her firmly into the room. “You're not interrupting. Now, what's going on?”
Jackson's calm voice steadied Ally. “I think someone was trying to break into my house.” She laughed hysterically. “What a night. And here you two are, sharing a bed. Am I supposed to scream at
you
now, Rob? Or will you tell me it was all Jackson's idea?”
Rob reached out and drew her into his lap. She could smell Jackson on him, and the musky scent of come. “Ally, we'll get to that in a moment. Now tell me what happened.”
She leaned into him as he stroked her back. “I was just going to bed when I heard something that sounded like glass breaking at the back of my house.”
Rob looked up at Jackson. “Call Jeff. He's out on patrol. Ask him to take a look and report back.”
Jackson disappeared, and she heard him talking on the radio. Suddenly she felt so tired that she couldn't even pull free of Rob's comforting grasp. She closed her eyes as he stroked her hair back from her face.
“You did the right thing by getting out of there, honey.”
“I'm not one of those stupid chicks in the movies who just has to go and check out the cellar, you know.”
His quiet chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I know that. I'm just glad you're okay.”
Jackson reappeared, his expression grim. “Jeff says the kitchen window is broken, but there's no sign of entry. He's going to stick a piece of plywood over the hole so everything's secured, and he'll keep an eye on the place for the rest of the night.”
“Don't I need to go and check it out?” Ally asked.
“You're in shock, honey. You'd better stay with us and we'll all take a look in the morning.”
Ally started to pull away from Rob's hold. “No, it's okay. I don't want to be in the way.”
Jackson appeared on her other side, effectively blocking off her exit. “You're staying right here between us, where you belong.”
God, she didn't have the strength to argue anymore, because he was right. At this moment, there was no other place she would rather be. Jackson got into the bed, and Rob drew the covers up over them all. Ally lay on her back between the two men, who both had an arm around her. She felt her eyelids begin to droop as their combined warmth and solidly reassuring presence surrounded her. But it was no good.
“Can we talk about this?”
“Don't you just want to sleep?” Jackson murmured.
Rob groaned. “She's a woman, Jackson. She won't sleep until everything has been sorted out to her satisfaction.”
Ally put her hand on Rob's chest. “When did you two get together?”
“When Jackson finally got over himself and begged me to fuck him.”
“I didn't beg.”
“Yeah, you did. You wanted it real bad.”
“Sure, I wanted you, but I wasn't that desperate.”
Ally put her other hand on Jackson's chest. “I'm not surprised that it happened. I'm just wondering
when
it happened.”
Rob shifted his weight, and Ally became aware of his erection prodding her hip. “Recently. Which is why Jackson can't keep his hands off me.”
“Like you're any better.”
Ally realized Jackson was also erect. She resisted the temptation to slide her hands lower and squeeze both of their cocks so hard that they stopped all the man talk and gave her the truth. She struggled to sit up.
“I want to go home.”
Both the men went still. Rob recovered his voice first. “You can't, honey. It's not safe.”
“Then I want to sleep by myself. I can use your room, Rob, seeing as you've moved in here.” She shot Jackson a look. “Perhaps Jane had it right after all and you really do want Rob all to yourself.”
Jackson's face went blank. “That's not what I want, Ally. I want you both—I swear it.”
Ally managed to scramble out of the bed. “Good night, guys. See you in the morning.”
Rob started after her. “Ally, don't do this.”
She held up a hand to stop him. “You were the one who said we should leave all the personal stuff alone until we solved this case. So let's do that, shall we?”
She made her way to Rob's bed and cuddled up in his lemon-scented sheets. She couldn't deal with all this right now; her mind seemed to be spiraling out of her control as if she were looking down on herself from a great distance. She hugged Rob's pillow and stared into the darkness as shivers racked her body. She couldn't believe how much she wanted to crawl back into bed with Jackson and Rob. Had they decided she wasn't worth the risk and consoled each other? She shied away from the thought that they didn't need her anymore and were just being kind. She just couldn't deal with it.
 
Rob lay back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. “Well, fuck.”
Jackson sat on the side of the bed, his expression unreadable. He smoothed the rumpled bedsheets with his long fingers. “If you want to go to her, I'm okay with it.”
Rob scowled. “No, we've already been through this. We're all in this together. Ally's just had one too many shocks in one night.”
“And what if she doesn't get over it, Rob? What do we do then?”
Rob understood the tension in Jackson's voice all too well. He knew how hard it had been for Jackson to finally give in to his desire for him. “She'll get over it. She loves us both.” He patted the sheets. “Now get into bed and let's try and get some sleep.”
 
He woke up suddenly in complete darkness and heard the faint sounds of Ally crying. He got out of bed and went to her, picked her up, and brought her back into Jackson's bed. She didn't seem to be quite awake, so he kissed her and soothed her with his mouth and hands until she started to kiss him back, her mouth hot and desperate against his, her fingernails scraping at his flesh.
“Honey, it's okay. Just go to sleep, all right?”
“But I want . . .”
God, Rob wanted it, too, but this wasn't the right moment. They'd be taking advantage of her whether she realized it or not. He kissed her forehead and guided her back down onto the pillows. “Just sleep, okay?”
She murmured his name, turned her face against his shoulder, and started to relax. He could feel the wetness of her tears against his chest, and it made him want to forget all his obligations to keep citizens safe and rip apart whoever was hurting Ally with his bare hands.
Much later he woke up to see slivers of light coming through the blinds. Ally was touching him again, and his cock was already responding. He couldn't stop her this time; he just couldn't. He sensed Jackson waking up, too, and guided his friend's hands and mouth onto Ally as well. She seemed to welcome the urgency they felt and grabbed Jackson's hand and pressed it between her legs. She began to move against him. Rob kissed her neck and then moved lower to her breasts, tugging hard on her nipples as Jackson buried his face between her legs and licked and suckled her there.
Rob closed his eyes to experience everything better, the wet sounds of Jackson sucking Ally's cunt, her moans and soft cries as Rob teased her breasts. He dragged her hand down to his cock and then wrapped his fingers around Jackson's. They all moved together as if they'd practiced such erotic exercises countless times.
God, he wanted to fuck them both, wanted them both to fuck him so badly. Ally tugged on his cock, and he fell forward until she took him deep into her mouth. Jackson moved as well and slid his cock inside Ally. When Jackson made her climax for the third time, Rob touched Jackson's shoulder and they changed places, Rob now inside Ally's sex and Jackson in her mouth. Hot and wet and gripping him like a fist. Rob luxuriated in the feel of Ally's sheath, and he drove into her.
And then they moved again. Jackson was now on his back with Ally straddling him. Rob groaned when Jackson grabbed him by the dick and licked the crown of his cock. He groaned even harder when Jackson twisted around to take him fully into his mouth. Rob felt Ally watching him and kissed her, connecting them all, making them all scream together when they climaxed.
And then Ally settled between them, her body boneless with pleasure, and that, perhaps, was the best thing of all. Rob's arm crossed over her hips, and he could still touch Jackson. And Jackson did the same. Rob let his eyes start to close. Ally was safe—at least for the next few hours. He'd worry about all the other stuff in the morning.
21
E
ven though she was sandwiched between Jackson and Rob, Ally managed to wiggle out of the bed and head for the bathroom in Rob's part of the house. She studied her ravaged and swollen face in the mirror and wanted to groan. She also surveyed her clothes. How the hell could she go straight to work wearing a pair of shorts and a thin top with no bra?
She shut the door to the bathroom and turned on the shower, waited until the water ran hot, and stepped inside. How she had ended up back in Jackson's bed with both men making love to her was still a mystery. The last thing she remembered was trying to sleep and fighting off the desire to crawl back to the guys. Maybe that was what she'd done? But, no, she had a faint memory of Rob carrying her, his voice soothing as he kissed away her tears.
Ally closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the wall, letting the water stream down her back. She'd woken up from a hot dream of them fucking her and just carried the dream into reality. Their lovemaking had been as fierce and raunchy as she wanted, both men responding to her desire to blot out the fear and take her to another place where all she'd been able to think about was what they were doing to her.
Someone tapped on the glass door, and she jumped and spluttered in the water.
“Ally, you okay?”
It was Rob. He was naked and tousled, his blue eyes full of concern as he studied her.
“I'm fine.”
He nodded and pressed his palm against the glass as if he wished it weren't separating them. “I'll take you home so you can check out the damage, okay?”
She nodded at him, too overwhelmed to speak, and for once he didn't press her. Ally finished her shower and got dressed in the only clothes she had. When she reached the kitchen, Rob was making breakfast. He pointed at a seat at the table.
“Eat.”
Ally sat and he put a mug of coffee and a piece of brown toast in front of her. She concentrated on forcing the toast down while Rob took another mug of coffee that she assumed was for Jackson back through the house. She swallowed hard. Jackson probably didn't want to see her after the awful thing she'd said about him last night.
Rob came back in and buckled on his heavy belt. “You ready to go?”
Ally managed to speak. “I'm supposed to be at work.”
“I know. Jackson's going to talk to Lauren before he clocks in for his shift.”
Ally stood up and looked uncertainly down the hallway. “Is Jackson okay?”
“He'll get over himself.”
“I didn't mean what I said,” Ally blurted out.
“I'm sure he knows that, honey.” Rob held the back door open. “Are you coming?”
There was nothing else to do but follow Rob out into the bright morning sunshine and get into his truck. Ally huddled down in the seat and watched the houses pass by. Someone in Spring Falls didn't want her there, and it could be anyone. A rock could come right through Rob's windshield at any moment.
Ally shivered and Rob's narrowed gaze flicked over her again. “You cold?”
“A little.” She tried to smile. “I'll need to get some clean clothes before I go on to work.”
“Sure.”
Ally tensed as they pulled into her driveway. From the front, the house looked its normal shabby self. Rob shut off the engine and walked around to open her door.
“Do you want to stay in the truck? I can check out the damage and get you some clothes if you give me your new keys.”
Ally fished out her keys. “Oh, God, Rob, we changed the locks. That's why the person couldn't get in and smashed the glass instead.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” Rob held out his hand. “You coming?”
Ally took a deep breath. She refused to let this beat her. She took Rob's proffered hand and he smiled.
“Good girl.”
She ignored him and went toward the side gate, her fingers entwined with his, her heart beating erratically. She could hardly bear to look.
“Yeah,” Rob said. “Someone couldn't get in and pitched a hissy fit all right.” He walked closer and removed the plywood that was duct-taped over the gaping hole in the back door's glass panel. “Threw one of your plant pots right through the glass to try and get to the new lock.”
Ally peered over his shoulder. “At least the damage isn't too bad.”
“It isn't. You'll be fine once you've cleaned up a bit and I fit the new glass.” Rob nodded at the door. “Why don't you open up so that we can see the damage?”
With shaking hands, Ally unlocked the back door and let it swing open. Rob touched her arm. “Let me go in first. I've got boots on. I'll get the vacuum and brushes, okay?”
Ally let him crunch through the broken glass to her storage cupboard and waited until he returned with the cleaning stuff. She moved forward to help, and he held up his hand. “Look, let me do this while you go get dressed.”
“Are you sure?”
His smile made her heart turn over. “It's the least I can do.”
“Are you going to check for fingerprints or anything?”
Rob was crouched down on his haunches, the dustpan and brush in his hand. “Jeff checked the outside last night before he boarded it up, but I'll see if there are any fragments of the flower pot big enough to dust.” He cleared his throat. “Trouble is, there's soil on everything and it's extremely hard to get prints off terra-cotta anyway.”
Ally inched past him and headed to her bedroom. As she changed, she could hear the sounds of Rob clearing up, the clattering of glass, the low hum of the ancient vacuum cleaner. She repaired her face as best she could and brushed out her hair before braiding it again. She put on her jeans and a stouter pair of shoes and went back to join Rob in the kitchen.
He looked up at her from his position on the floor. “You got any gallon-size ziplock bags, Ally?”
“Sure.” She maneuvered around him to the right drawer and handed him the box, noticing that he'd pulled on a thick pair of gloves he must have gotten from his truck. “What did you find?”
“A few big fragments of clay pot. They might yield nothing, but at least we can have a look.”
The kitchen clock chimed seven times, and Ally winced. She was almost two hours late for her shift, and Lauren was not the most forgiving of employers.
“Ally, why don't you go on in to work? Take my truck. I'll finish up here and bring your keys back to the diner.”
She spun around to stare at Rob. Sometimes it seemed he could read her mind. “Thanks, but it's okay. You'll need your truck. I can walk in.”
He frowned. “Are you sure, honey? I could ask one of the guys to drive by and pick you up.”
She met his stare head-on. “I think I'd like to walk. It's only ten minutes. I can't hide forever.”
Rob stood up and walked across to her. “You're a brave woman, Ms. Kendal.”
“No, I'm not. Look what I did last night, running to you and Jackson like a screeching baby.”
He kissed her nose. “I'm glad you came to me and so is Jackson.”
Ally hesitated. “Look, if there really is something serious going on between you guys, I'm okay with it. Jackson's always wanted you, and I'm kind of glad that he's finally getting what he wants.”
A smile kicked up the corner of Rob's mouth. “I'm kind of glad too.”
Ally patted his smooth cheek. “To be honest, I never thought you'd go for it.”
Rob shrugged. “Jackson's a special case. I guess I knew what he wanted all along, but I could never get my head around it until you came back.” He paused. “It's like something inside me knew it would work if we were all together again.”
“That's great.” Ally tried to keep her voice from trembling. She would be glad for them, she
would.
“I realized a lot of things.” He lightly kissed her lips. “We'll be talking about some of them as soon as this case is cleared up, so don't even think about leaving town.”
“But if I went, you and Jackson could be happy together.”
“Yeah, right.” Rob's faint smile died. “We'll talk about it, okay? Now get to work before Lauren gets on my ass.”
Ally stood on tiptoe to kiss him and then turned away, her thoughts in turmoil, her emotions completely gutted. Could she really walk away and leave Rob and Jackson to their happy ever after? She put on her sunglasses and walked down to the corner of the street.
She should leave. Maybe her presence in Spring Falls had done some good after all. But what about her? Where would she go, and what did she have to look forward to? Ally swallowed a lump in her throat and looked resolutely toward the town center. She had friends. She had a place at college, and she would make damn sure she passed every single exam and aced every paper to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher.
Jill would welcome her back to New York with open arms and put her up for as long as she needed. She could even look up Dave and go backpacking around the country. Surely after facing Spring Falls, she could face anything?
By the time she reached the diner, she was way too hot and glad to duck inside the kitchen, which was hot in a different way, but at least had some air-conditioning. Fig waved his spatula at her, his face flushed as he flipped half a dozen pancakes.
Ally put her apron on and headed for the front of the diner. She hated how vulnerable she suddenly felt, like any of the folks eating their breakfast might jump up and try to throttle her.
“Everything all right, Ally?”
Ally almost jumped out of her skin as Lauren came up behind her. “I'm sorry I'm late.”
Lauren frowned. “Jackson said someone smashed your kitchen window in.” She touched Ally's shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Ally blinked at Lauren. “I'm . . . fine, thanks. I can work the two extra hours after the end of my shift.”
Lauren waved a hand. “There's no need. You go home and rest up, okay?”
Ally stared after her boss. What had just happened? Had Lauren actually been pleasant to her? She grabbed her spray bottle and hurried toward the first booth.
“Good morning, Ally.” She turned to see an elderly couple who lived down the street from her ensconced in the next booth. They came in every weekday morning to take advantage of the senior specials. “You're late today. Did you have an appointment?”
“Morning, Mr. and Mrs. Ford.” Ally smiled. Living in a small town meant any changes in your routine were always noted and commented upon. “Just a problem with some broken glass I had to clean up before I left the house.”
Mrs. Ford nudged her husband in the ribs. “I told you I heard something last night. I thought about calling that nice sheriff. Did you get burgled, dear?”
“No, thank goodness. I had new locks installed last week.”
“Now that's an excellent idea.” Mrs. Ford nodded and poked her husband again. “We should do that, George.” Mr. Ford grunted something and returned his attention to his eggs. “Well, I'm glad that you're okay, Ally dear. We wouldn't want anything to hurt you. It's always a treat to see your smiling face.”
Ally turned back to her work, aware all at once that no one in New York would ever notice or care if she came into work on time or not. Spring Falls had its downside, but perhaps everyone wasn't out to get her after all.
 
Ally left work around one and walked back through the mainly deserted streets. It was approaching ninety-five degrees, and most sensible folks had retreated into their air-conditioned homes and cars. She couldn't begin to imagine how anyone had survived out here back in the gold rush days of the last century.
Rob had left word with Lauren that it was all clear to go home, although he hadn't left her back door keys. As she walked up the street, she studied the bland façade of the ranch house. Did it feel like a home? She felt as unsafe and unsettled there as she had when she was a kid.
Outside
the actual house, there had been good times with Rob, Jackson, and Lauren. She'd been lucky to have them as friends. They'd been her family, and they'd made her life far more bearable. Ally gripped her keys in her fist and approached the peeling cream paint on the front door. The door opened easily, and she went into the cool darkness of the hallway.
The house would have to go.
The thought crystallized in Ally's brain, and she let out her breath. Even if she kept a base in Spring Falls, she couldn't live here. With the money her mom had left her in the bank, she could put the house on the market and take the best offer available without worrying about every cent. It was time to call a Realtor and talk about putting it on the market.

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