Torched (3 page)

“So, what happened?” she whispered.

“Let’s get out of here.” He needed to be alone with her and the sooner they could get out of the police station, the better.

***

T
ara didn’t know where they were going, until they turned down Kevin’s road. “What are you going to tell your parents?” she asked.

“I have to tell them the truth.”

She could tell he dreaded having to face them. She reached across and touched his hand as they drove the rest of the way in silence. When they turned into his driveway, she noticed his parents’ car was gone.

“Doesn’t look like you’ll have to talk to them right away.”

“They’re out again,” he mumbled. He turned to her when he parked. “I can either take you home or you can stay here for a little while.”

For a moment, she was petrified.
What if Jake came back to the house? What would happen?
Then she reminded herself it would probably be the last place Jake would visit. He was a fugitive and he’d expect the police to monitor his home in case he returned. Plus, she didn’t really want to go home.

“Let’s stay here. At least for a little while.”

He smiled, but it was weak. They got out of the car and headed up to the front door. He had not talked much about the interrogation, only mentioning they needed to stay in town. She had expected he would be pensive. She didn’t want to pry. It was best to be supportive and let him talk if he needed to.

He held the door open for her, and she entered the house. It seemed eerily quiet. They both took off their coats, while he looked around the foyer. He then reached for her hand and led her up the stairs, neither one saying a word. When they arrived at Jake’s bedroom, he stopped. They walked into the room to discover drawers had been left open. His brother had departed in a hurry.

“Do you think...” she began, but her words halted when Kevin opened the closet. It was empty, without a single piece of clothing left behind. Jake had definitely taken off. She approached Kevin with caution.

“I’m so sorry, Kev,” she whispered against his ear.

He stood motionless, then slowly turned to her. “It’s probably for the best.”

It was true; with Jake out of town, he would probably be smart enough not to carry out any more murders. Yet, if he was gone, it could cast more suspicion on Kevin and Tara. The cops would assume they knew where Jake was. He closed the closet door.

“Do you think you should call your parents?” she asked.

He turned to her and shrugged. “Why spoil their fun? They’ll be back, and we can explain then.” He grabbed her hand again, intertwining his fingers with hers. “I’m glad it’s just the two of us.”

She smiled. They left Jake’s room, and he closed the door behind him, as if to shut out the memories. She started to lead them downstairs, but he stopped and pulled her toward his room. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“In case my parents come home, I don’t want to be interrupted. I thought we could talk.”

Talk?
The word concerned her. She did want to talk to him, but she worried where the conversation would go.

“Sure. Sounds great.” She was less than enthusiastic.

They walked over to the bed and sat down. She felt her pulse quicken.

“I need to fill you in on what happened at the police station.”

“You really don’t have to,” she argued.

“Yes...I do.” His brown eyes seemed to take on a different, darker shade. “It went as we expected. They asked if I knew where Jake was. They asked if I was the anonymous caller.”

“Did you admit to it?”

“Not fully,” he answered. “However, by the end of the conversation I think they were well aware it was me. I admitted it was Jake’s hat.”

She soothingly caressed his hand, thinking about how difficult that must have been for him.

“I felt I had no other alternative.” He hesitated, looking down at their intertwined fingers. “They inquired about Jake’s initial alibi.”

“We expected they would ask,” she pointed out. “What did you say?”

“I told the truth. I explained I wanted to protect Jake, and at the time, I didn’t think he could possibly have anything to do with the murders.”

She couldn’t believe they’d accept such an answer. “Then what?”

“Jessup gave me the line about how we could be in serious trouble. I asked them to go easy on us, especially you, and suggested they focus on finding Jake. That’s when they told me we need to stay in town.”

He looked away from her eyes, but not fast enough for Tara to miss the sadness that suddenly came over him.

“I love my brother, but I do believe the best thing for him and for us is if he’d just turn himself in...or at least stay away.”

Tara took in every word as he spoke. She wanted to take away his pain, but she didn’t know how. She reached up and touched his face to lift his gaze back to hers.

“I’m here for you, Kevin. Don’t forget it.”

“I know you are,” he said, leaning in and brushing a kiss against her lips. It didn’t last much longer than their previous encounters since hearing the news.

“You need rest,” she told him. It was the truth, but she felt a heaviness in her chest. She wished they could return to their intimate connection. It just wasn’t there.

“You’re right.” He kicked his shoes off and then removed his socks. He scooted himself up to the pillow and held out his arm. She stepped out of her slip-on shoes and crawled up to him, cuddling against him.

His hand rested on her shoulder and she felt his soft breath against her skin. It didn’t take long before she heard the muffled sound of him snoring. She listened for a moment, relieved he could fall asleep so easily. Her eyes closed and she joined him.

***

K
evin jerked out of a nightmare, as Jake’s image faded away. His ragged breathing was intensified by the pounding of his heart. He turned to where Tara was still sleeping. She was tucked in his arms, and looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to move. This madness couldn’t be easy for her, despite her efforts to appear strong.

He had put her through too much.
I should have insisted that you go to Montana without me.
If he had just passed his exams, she wouldn’t have had to deal with any of this. Would Jake have gone off the deep end with these murders if they had gone to Montana as planned?

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, igniting movement beside him. She mumbled something softly, too quiet for him to make out. Her eyes opened and a faint smile crossed her lips.

“Hello,” she whispered.

“Hello,” he answered.

She shifted her body and lifted her head.

“How’d you sleep?” she asked. Her eyes intently surveyed his.

The memory of Jake in his dream flashed through his mind. In it, Tara had chosen sides and decided to go with Jake. Kevin knew it would never happen, but his heart still tightened at the idea of Tara being with his brother...or anyone else.

“Not the greatest,” he admitted. “But I don’t want to talk about it. I want to talk about you and how I love you so much. Don’t ever forget it, okay?”

She smiled, and it reached her eyes. “I love you, too, baby.”

“I want us to get back to our plans before all this chaos began. It won’t be easy, but we have to.”

There was only one week left before the petting zoo would be closed for the winter. After that time, they wouldn’t have jobs or anything else to keep them from going to Montana.

She nodded. “I want the same thing.”

He leaned over and kissed her, gently massaging her shoulder. “I need you,” he whispered softly, intensifying the kiss. His tongue moved in, invading her mouth and grazing over hers. She abruptly pulled from him.

He stared at her. “Where...” he began, as she rolled off of the bed.

She walked to the door and closed it.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby,” she reassured him. “I just want us to have a little privacy in case your parents come home.”

As she moved back to the bed, she pulled him toward her and began to remove his shirt. He matched her movements and went for her sweater. Soon, they were both free of their clothes and standing in each other’s arms, wearing only underwear. He took the opportunity to unclasp her bra, and allowed it to fall behind her. He caressed her face in his palm and lifted her into his arms to kiss her sensuous lips. His mouth never left hers as he lowered her onto the bed and slid beside her. He hungered for her and wanted to forget everything else. He reached down to her silk panties, gliding them off her body and tossing them across the room.

He pulled her close, rubbing her back while she yanked on his boxers. He wiggled out of them, but kept their connection. His hardness pressed against her, urging her to invite him in. As if she’d read his mind, she lifted herself up and straddled him. Kevin couldn’t wait. He grasped her and pulled her down with a force that buried his shaft in her channel, all the way to the root.

“God, Kevin,” she moaned, already rocking her hips.

“I can’t get enough of you, Tara,” he whispered against her lips, biting down softly. Her body reacted to his words. He could feel her breasts hard on his chest as she rocked against his manhood.

“Ahhh,” he groaned, lifting her slight weight to slide in and out of her. His pressure built as he braced himself for an explosive climax. As much as he wanted to come, he enjoyed it more when he could drive Tara over the edge first. “Yes, baby,” he moaned. “I want you to come for me, Tara.”

His thrusts grew more frantic and anxious, and he felt her body stiffen as her climax released. Tara’s wild orgasmic whimpers were music to his ears. She crashed on top of him when she came, kissing him so hard it hurt. Her legs remained at his side as he continued pulling her down at the hips. It was pure joy to feel her body completely yield and become one with his. He moved deeper inside her each time, pounding in with more force.

“Ahhh...oh God, Kevin,” she cried.

Tara shook on top of him as he unleashed another level of her climax. Her movements were enough to send him on his own ride to ecstasy.

“Fuck!” he shouted, welcoming the heady high as his exhaustion took hold of his body at the same time.

He ran his fingers through her hair and sucked tenderly at her neck, as they remained locked together. Her back arched slightly as she stretched out her legs.

“God, I needed this,” she whispered. Their lips reconnected and he held her to him. She had no idea how much he needed it, too.

T
ara opened her eyes to find moonlight shining through the window. She groaned. So much time had passed. She turned and saw Kevin staring at her, smiling. “What time is it?” she asked, stretching.

“Nearly ten o’clock.”

“Kevin, we’ve practically been in bed all day.” She started to pull herself up, but fell back down to the mattress. She was sore, yet found she still wanted him again. She laughed, looking back at him. “You really know how to make up for lost time.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” he replied, snickering. He pulled himself on top of her and started kissing her again. Her stomach growled, interrupting the mood. He laughed, pulling from the kiss and looking down at her. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

She chuckled. “I’m a little bit hungry. We haven’t eaten all day.”

They hadn’t bothered eating and while she wasn’t complaining, because she enjoyed being in his bed much more, her body reacted due to the hunger. “If you insist on eating,” he teased. “I’ll go grab us a snack.”

Tara positioned herself on her elbows and watched him pull on some lounge pants and leave his room. Adoring his rock hard body could easily become her favorite pastime. She rolled onto her back when he left, still tingling from the feral need that had been building up inside. It was something she didn’t think she could get used to quite yet. And although she didn’t want to push Kevin when they made love, she needed him beyond words, and was glad whenever he didn’t hold back.

As she stared at the ceiling, she couldn’t stop her thoughts from returning to Jake.

Was he sleeping in the cold? Was he still watching them? Was he even in Washington State?
She never thought of him as a vicious person. Maybe he was simply confused. She wondered if it all stemmed from his schizophrenia diagnosis.

When Kevin returned, all thoughts of Jake vanished. He held a tray with two plates on it and her eyes widened.

“Nice! You thought of it all,” she replied with a laugh as he set the tray down in front of her. He had brought a sandwich, chips, two slices of apple pie and a can of whipped cream.

“What’s the whipped cream for?” she asked coyly, beaming as all the hot and heavy uses for it came to mind.

“Um...the pie,” he said, and caught on when he saw the gleam in her eye. “You naughty, naughty girl.”

She pressed her hand to her chest. “I was simply asking you an innocent question.”

“Right!” He snickered. “There was nothing innocent about that question, and maybe if you play your cards right, we can come up with some more uses for it.”

He winked at her and joined her on the bed. Instantly, Tara felt her face flush and her stomach clench, already anticipating what was to come.

“Are your parents home?” she asked, changing the subject.

“I don’t think so,” he replied, taking a bite of his sandwich. “Did you need to call your mom?”

“Nope. She’ll figure I’m here with you.”

She sprayed some whipped cream from the can onto both pieces of pie, and neither of them could help but giggle.

“Save some of that for later,” he said with a teasing grin on his lips.

Placing the can to the side, she quickly ate her pie. She couldn’t wait to see what he had in mind. When she finished, Kevin removed the tray from the bed. When he returned, she pulled herself up and grasped his lounge pants, slowly pulling them from his body. His raging erection showed he was ready to pick up where they’d left off. He grabbed the can of whipped cream.

“Lay down so I can make you scream,” he ordered.

She spread out on the bed, and already, her clit throbbed with need. She trembled when he shook the can of whipped cream and lowered it to her breasts, spraying some on each nipple. She cringed at how cold it felt, but quickly changed her mind when his lips covered one of her taut nipples and devotedly cleaning the whipped cream right off. The heat pooled between her legs, and all she could do was writhe under his attacking lips and grab hold of his head. She massaged his scalp, holding him to her chest as her eyes rolled back into her head from sheer pleasure.