The Stranger Next Door (12 page)

Chapter Fourteen

“Are you sure?”

Gazing at the captain, Tess couldn’t contain the rush of relief coursing through her veins.

“Yep. It’s been two weeks, and there’ve been no more attempts to kidnap or harm you. So, we’ve decided you were right and there wasn’t a connection between Melanie’s death or your attacks.”

“What a relief,” she said with a shake of her head.

“I imagine so.”

Danny had come to the house with the captain to relay the news. So far, neither he nor she had mentioned his being in the airport, or what he’d been doing there. To her, it’d looked rather nefarious, but if he was undercover as she suspected he was, that’s exactly how he was supposed to look.

“I bet you're ready to get back to your own life, Jack,” Danny said lightly.

Looking to where Jack sat next to her, Tess couldn’t miss the grim expression clouding Jack’s handsome features.

“Actually, Tess has kept me quite busy, and I’ll be here just as often until the house is finished. I honestly can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”

Tess felt her heart stutter in her chest at his kind words. Over the last two weeks, Jack had done his best to steal more than a kiss or two from her, but she was afraid. What if someone was after her and took him in an attempt to hurt her? It was a chance she couldn’t take, so she pushed him away before things got too hot and heavy. It pained her, as a heavy ache had settled between her thighs and stayed there no matter what she did.

“Well, isn’t that nice?” Danny grumbled.

She frowned. Both men were currently engaged in a stare-down that the captain seemed impervious to. Gently, Jack reached out and snared her hand in his, and Danny quickly looked away, but not before she was able to catch a look of disdain upon his face.

Danny had asked her out countless times before, but she wasn’t interested. When she finally landed herself in a relationship, she wanted it to be real and for the long haul. Danny was a ladies’ man, much like Robbie, and Tess had no interest in being someone’s wife for the night.
Unless, of course, that person was Jack, and it was for more than one night.

The thought startled her, and she jerked as the captain began speaking once again.

“We dug around as much as we could but found nothing suggesting Melanie’s death and your kidnapping had anything to do with each other. There are so many things like this that happen all over the city. It’s nearly impossible to solve them all, you know that. But I’m confident you’ll be fine now. I’ll order a car to patrol your place for a few days just in case, but other than that, I think you're in the clear. Now, we gotta get going. Call if you need anything.”

Tess stood and thanked the captain and Danny as they moved toward the door.

Once the men were out of the house and climbing into their car, Jack’s voice sounded behind her.

“Do you think they’re right?”

Turning, she came face-to-face with him.

“You heard the man. There’s nothing to connect the murder to my attempted kidnapping, and there haven’t been any more attacks on me. So, yeah, I think it’s all right.”

Jack reached out and snared a piece of her hair between two fingers.

“I guess that means I’ll be moving back to my place now.”

Leaning forward, he brushed his lips across hers.

“I guess so,” she purred at his touch.

Walking forward, Jack pressed her against the door.

“Of course, you could stay one more night, just in case.”

Jack smiled and kissed her again, this time with ferocity.

Clutching his shoulders, she fought the questions filling her passion-fogged mind.

All this time she’d been pushing him away, despite her decision to go with the flow. The danger looming over her had prevented her from taking all he had to offer and giving him what she possessed in return. But that danger was gone now. There was nothing stopping her from taking what she so desperately wanted.

Raising his hand, Jack cupped her breast and squeezed. Gasping into his mouth, she arched into the caress brazenly before his hands lowered to grasp her ass and lift her. Instantly, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and the hard bulge pressing incessantly against her already wet center sent her desire into overdrive.

Tightening her legs, she pressed against him suggestively. She grinned as he growled low in his throat.

Turning, Jack had started toward the stairs, still holding her against him when, suddenly, the door swung open and Patrice entered, hands loaded with paint supplies.

“Tess, delivery guys just pulled in behind me and—Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” she said in a rush as Jack dropped Tess back to her feet.

Tess could feel the blush that burned her cheeks but fought to tamp it down.

“I’ll just come back later. I’m so sorry; I should have knocked,” Patrice said in a ramble.

Gathering her wits, Tess rushed forward to grab Patrice’s arm. “Jesus, Patrice, it’s not like we’re naked. It’s all right,” she soothed. “I’d forgotten they were coming today. Come on in and I’ll fix us something to eat.”

Taking some of the supplies from Patrice’s hands, she ushered her toward the kitchen.

Jack smiled and moved forward. “No, you two go take care of the paint, and I’ll fix us some lunch.”

The smile that covered Jack’s face sent a pang of pleasure straight to her heart. She’d feared that this interruption would finally be the one that would push him over the edge, but it wasn’t. Jack didn’t seem any more distraught by this interruption than any of the previous ones.

As she followed Patrice into the living area to sort through the paint supplies, Jack grasped her arm and pulled her to him for a final quick kiss.

“Better luck next time,” he whispered, and she smiled.

“Will there be a next time?” she teased.

“You better believe it.”

* * * *

Rinsing the soap from his hair, Jack hoped he’d been able to get all of the paint out of it. After Patrice had interrupted them earlier, he’d been able to do nothing but think of Tess pinned beneath him as he drove her wild. He was certain this time she wouldn’t be pushing him away. She’d certainly welcomed his advances earlier in the day. He would be packing up and moving back into his home in the morning. If he was going to make his move, now was the time.

Tomorrow night, he’d be back in that house across the street, living the same bachelor life as before. The only difference would be Robbie’s temporary presence, and even that wasn’t out of the ordinary. Shaking his head, Jack ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He’d never realized just how lonely his life was until coming to live with Tess. She made life interesting. There was never a lull in conversation, and she was funny, witty, and smart. She made him think and learn and discover feelings he’d never experienced before without even trying. Tess was an amazing woman, and he had the feeling that whether or not he was ready, she was the one for him.

Yes, he lived right across the street and would continue to help her throughout the days until the house was finished, but his moving back into his house would definitely limit the time he had with her. There would be no more dinners or late-night chats.

Now was his chance. The house was quiet, and they were finally alone. There was no chance of interruption, and at this point, he feared nothing could stop him once he had his hands on her.

Decision made, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. Tonight would be a night neither one of them would forget. He needed to feel Tess all around him, needed to hear her scream out his name in ecstasy as he drove into her again and again. Wandering back into the bedroom, he stopped abruptly as he discovered he wasn’t alone.

* * * *

She had no idea what she was doing, but she couldn’t wait a moment longer.

Jack had been in her home, driving her wild with his sensually erotic kisses and caresses for the last two weeks. Every moment she was near him she found herself wrapped in the deep blue pools of his eyes and the soft, yet firm, press of his lips. Even though she’d been dead set on not having a relationship with Jack in the beginning, those thoughts were long behind her now. She couldn’t let what they could have together pass her by. Their earlier encounter had held her on edge all day. She’d been more than ready to give herself to him right there in the entryway of her house where anyone could have walked in, just as Patrice had.

Jack was kind and considerate, always looking out for her well being. He stirred her desires like no man ever had. He was the one good thing that had happened to her since her partner’s death. What kind of fool would she be to let him go without at least trying to grasp what they could have together?

On many a night, she’d wanted to sneak into his room and seduce him. She imagined herself screaming out in pleasure as he drove her over the edge with his skilled caresses, but she’d never dared act on her imagination. Danger still lurked around the corner, and she would do whatever she could to keep him safe.

But now that danger was long gone, and her desire was permanently set to overdrive. Her need for Jack was at an all-time high. She wanted him unlike any man she’d known before.

Every time he’d pressed his lips to hers or lifted her against the wall to hold her there with his body, she’d gone to him willingly and with enthusiasm. After the episode in the entryway today, she’d decided it was time to take matters into her own hands.

If she wanted this relationship to finally hit the next level, she was going to have to take it there herself. Jack had been a gentleman and accepted her pushing him away day after day, but now, she had no intention to continuing to do so. Looking out into the darkness of night, she’d watched as Robbie crossed the street to let himself into Jack’s house. Robbie was a sweetheart. He had many of the same characteristics as Jack, and yet, even though he was exceptionally handsome and charming, she only had eyes for Jack.

Watching a moment longer, she then turned from the window and strode to the full-length mirror to check her appearance.

Checking the pins holding her hair into place, she adjusted the form-fitting bodice of the baby-doll camisole she’d chosen to wear and grinned. It was light pink and so sheer it was nearly transparent. She could clearly see the outline of the tiny matching thong covering her most intimate area.

She only hoped Jack liked this sort of thing and wouldn’t consider her a tramp upon finding her in his bed dressed so provocatively.

Thanks to her placing Jack in the guestroom right next to hers, she was able to hear the shower start and know the perfect time to make her entrance.

Gathering every ounce of courage she possessed, she gave herself one final glance in the mirror and tiptoed out into the hallway.

Gripping the doorknob to Jack’s room, she paused and took a deep breath. This was it.

Twisting the knob, she grinned at finding it unlocked and pushed it open slowly. Sticking her head in, she peered about the room cautiously. When she spotted the bathroom door slightly ajar, she knew she’d be able to slip in unseen.

Twisting the dimmer switch to lower the lights in the room, she hurried over to the bed and halted abruptly.

Images of her and Jack rolling around on that bed had been the fodder for the seemingly never-ending erotic dreams that had plagued her since meeting Jack. Now she was about to live out one of those scintillating dreams. The thought left her slightly breathless.

As the sound of the shower shutting off reached her ears, she grabbed the indecently short hem of her camisole and crawled onto the enormous bed, settling herself in the center.

She didn’t know what had gotten into her, but as Jack came out of the bathroom covered in nothing but a towel, his broad, muscular chest and shoulders shimmering with small droplets of water and his hair dripping slightly onto said chest and shoulders, she was more than happy it had.

*

Jack stopped abruptly and gaped most inelegantly at the woman seated so provocatively on his bed.

For a long moment he stood as still as a statue, afraid that if he moved, the image before him would waver and disappear like a thin fog.
How many times had he dreamed of this very thing happening?
Immediately he felt himself harden as he took in her scantily clad body. The sheer pink material of her top clung to her dewy skin intoxicatingly as he peered at the tightly budded nipples pressing against the fine material.

Her hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders and trailed lovingly to the middle of her back.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He’d never seen anything as beautiful as the woman seated before him. The urge to race forward and throw himself upon her pressed against him heavily.

“Is something the matter?”

Blinking, he forced himself to meet her inquiring gaze. “What are you doing here?”

He knew it wasn’t the best thing to say at the moment, but the sight of her sitting in the middle of his bed, so sensual and alluring, caused a major malfunction in his brain. He was lucky he could even get that short sentence out.

An expression of uncertainty crossed her delicate features as she regarded him warily, then she shifted slightly as though to get off the bed. “I just thought … p-perhaps I should go.” Clutching her chest with shaking hands, she slid off the side of the bed and started quickly toward the door.

She was getting away. This was the chance he’d been waiting for, and he was letting her get away.

“No, wait!” he shrieked as he raced forward, catching her wrist just as she grasped the doorknob.

She looked at him.

“I didn’t mean for you to go,” he said.

“No, really.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have come. This was a mistake.”

He didn’t know if she was trying to convince him or herself, but either way, it wasn’t working. Color rose to her cheeks as she tried fruitlessly to pull her wrist free of his gentle hold, and the quickening of her breath as he moved closer to her told him as much.

Lifting her hand to his lips, he pressed a gentle kiss to her palm and smiled as he watched goose bumps dot her skin