What Echoes Render Page 19

  The kiss was as tempered as their first and he knew this was like the first few steps into the building. He knew what he was doing and where he was going, but the heat—the explosion—would come in its own time, at its own pace.

  He felt her fingertips, then her hands, against his stomach. They lingered there for a moment, tentative. Then she slid them up his chest, over his shoulders, and sank her nails into his hair.

  Suddenly, the explosion was there.

  He wrapped his other arm around her, grabbing a handful of her dress, and tugged her against him. Her arms came down around his shoulders, pressing her flush against him, and he felt one of her legs come up toward his hip.

  He dropped his hand and wrapped it around her thigh, pulling it higher, pulling her tighter against him. Her head fell back and he lowered his mouth to her exposed neck.

  “David,” she murmured.

  Feeling the smoothness of her skin under his calloused fingers, he ran his hand up her thigh, taking the hem of her dress with it. When he reached her backside, she lowered her leg and moved back just enough to let him know she wanted the dress gone.

  More than happy to comply, without a word and without taking his eyes off her, he pulled the silky, green gown over her head and dropped it onto the chair beside his jacket. She wore a cream lace strapless bra and matching underwear he was pretty sure were called boyshorts, though there was nothing boyish about them, especially not on her curves.

  Looking at her, he clenched his jaw and forced himself to take a step back. It was either that or push her up against the wall and finish them both off in less than five minutes—it was a hard call, but he had enough presence of mind to recognize that this was their first time and he ought to try to make it more memorable than that.

  She reached for his belt buckle and his stomach jumped. Without taking her eyes off his, she unbuckled it, released the button on his pants, and lowered his zipper. Stepping closer to him, she slid her hands down over his hips and to his thighs, taking his pants and boxers down with them.

  Stepping out of his clothes, he then pulled off his shirt. For a moment, they simply stared at each other. It was possible she was taking him in as much as he was taking her in, but as far as he was concerned, his view of her standing there in her fancy underwear and heels, was much, much better than her view of him.

  Unable to wait any longer, he reached his arms around her, unclasped her bra, and let it fall to the floor. She made an instinctive move to cover herself, but he caught her wrist in his hand and forced it back to her side. With his other hand he reached up and touched her, cupped her breast in his hand. When his thumb brushed over her nipple, she made a small sound that went straight to his groin.

  Keeping hold of her wrist with his other hand, he wrapped his arm around her, taking her arm with his, and placed it against the small of her back, pulling her toward him, arching her up. He dipped his knees, lowered his head, and, still holding her breast, took her nipple in his mouth. She uttered a quiet curse as the fingers of her free hand tangled in his hair, holding him in place, then pulling him to her.

  “David.” It was a plea, nothing less than that. He let go of her wrist and soon she had both hands in his hair, holding him, guiding him, showing him exactly what she wanted. He hoped to god she did the same when he finally had the opportunity to taste her.

  Her legs gave a slight tremble and her grip slackened. He wanted to spend all night doing this, but knew neither of them were going to hold out much longer, at least not this first time. He looked up at her and that was all it took.

  In a flash they were on the bed, her heels and underwear discarded on the floor. She lay on her back while he kneeled between her legs. Running a hand up her thigh, he slid a single finger inside her, testing her, even as he reached for a condom.

  She made a small, needy sound as he pulled his finger out, then slid it back in. Her legs fell open as he tore the condom wrapper using his teeth and his free hand, then rolled it on. He thought about asking her to do it, knowing he’d enjoy the sight of her small hands on him, but seeing her spread out, waiting for him, he decided that could wait for another time.

  Still teasing her with his fingers, he leaned down over her.

  Her hands came up and cupped his face. “Now, David. Please.”

  He positioned himself, and with one last look before her eyes shut and his rolled into the back of his head, he slid inside.

  ***

  Jesse awoke in the morning, naked and just a little bit sore. David was curled behind her, an arm draped over her waist. Her eyes found the clock and she wasn’t at all surprised to see it was past ten in the morning. They’d been up most of the night, exploring each other, enjoying each other. She hadn’t had a night like that in, well, forever, if she was honest. Of course, she and Mark had had their fair share of good times, but she had a different kind of confidence now than she did in her younger years with Mark, and those younger years had seemed to set the tone of their sex life. With David, it was all new, for good and for bad, and there was none of the baggage or expectations.

  He stirred behind her and she craned her head to see if he was awake.

  “I’m only half awake. In fact, how long did you book this room ’cause I might not move for another day or so.” His voice was slurred with sleep, but as if to prove his statement wrong, a certain part of his anatomy stirred against her backside.

  “Okay, maybe I’m a little more awake than I led you to believe.”

  She laughed softly and turned on her back.

  His eyes popped open. “How are you feeling?” His hand came up and stroked her cheek.

  In retrospect, it may not have been such a good idea to tell him he was her third lover ever, but it was sweet that he was concerned about her.

  She smiled. “I’m sore, in a good way, and feeling more relaxed than I have in a long time.”

  A grin spread across his face. “You and me both.” He lifted his head to look at the clock. “How much longer do we have here?”

  “Checkout is at eleven, unfortunately.”

  “Hmm,” his head hit the pillow and his eyes drifted closed again as his fingers made their way into her hair. “When do the boys get back?”

  “Matt gets home Wednesday. James isn’t home until Thursday.”

  His eyes opened again. “I don’t have to work again until Thursday.”

  “Come to my place today.” She hadn’t thought twice before she’d asked. Maybe she should have been more subtle, but the thought of spending the day with him—lounging around her house, cooking a leisurely meal, maybe watching a movie—appealed to her and she didn’t want to second-guess it.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She didn’t hesitate. It was what she wanted. If he didn’t want the same thing, he would need to say so.

  One side of his mouth quirked into a smile. “Then that sounds good to me.”

  CHAPTER 13

  IT TOOK EXACTLY TWENTY MINUTES from when she walked into her office for the glow of her weekend to wear off. She and David had spent Sunday doing exactly what they wanted—watching movies, strolling around her property, cooking, and of course, spending a good deal of time in bed.

  But by nine thirty Monday morning, the sense of satisfaction and relaxation was gone, completely.

  “Are you sure the lawyers signed off on all this?” Ed Greely, one of the hospital board members asked. For the third time.

  “Of course they did, Ed,” interjected Lucy Cantor, another board member. “What we should be worried about isn’t the legal issues, but Jesse’s safety, and that of our entire staff.”

  Jesse had set up this series of meetings to keep her board informed about Ian’s investigation and this was the third conference call of its kind. The primary issue of the investigation was her safety, but because the hospital was involved, she had wanted to keep the board informed.

  “Do the authorities think there might be a risk to anyone other than Jesse?”
Ed asked.

  Jesse sighed and took her phone off mute so she could talk. “At this point, they are fairly certain it is just me.” Which felt just about as good as it sounded. “But we have taken extra precautions around the hospital and the regional clinics, just in case.”

  “And how much is that costing us?” Ed’s question sparked another round of comments from the other board members on the call and she hit her mute button again. She knew this was par for the course. Some of them actually had constructive things to say. Others simply needed to talk. Half listening to the conversation on the phone, her head shot up when she heard Kayla’s voice, much louder than usual, just outside her closed office door.

  She frowned. She couldn’t make out what her assistant was saying, but it wasn’t like Kayla to raise her voice. Then Jesse heard Kayla’s voice, loud and firm once again, followed by something bumping against the door, making her jump.

  She took her phone off mute again. “I’m sorry everyone,” she interrupted. “I have another meeting I need to get to. If you have any additional concerns, please let Kayla know and she’ll schedule the time on my calendar. But between now and our next call, I’ll send you regular updates every few days.”

  There was a bit of grumbling, but everyone hung up and in a flash she was up and opening her door.

  “I don’t care who you are, Mr. Forrester, you will sit down until I have the opportunity to ask Ms. Baker if she has the time to see you.”

  From her position in the doorway, Jesse could see that her assistant was doing a good job of holding her ground. She could also see Caleb towering over Kayla, attempting to intimidate her. When Kayla didn’t back down, he muttered a not-so-silent curse, backed up a few steps, and sat down. A movement to Jesse’s right caught her attention. She turned to find Ian, already seated, clearly enjoying the show.

  She cleared her throat. Kayla spun around, and both Ian and Caleb stood.

  “I’m sorry, Jesse. I tried to keep him out until you were done,” Kayla said, glaring at Caleb.

  “And it looks like you did a good job. I’m not sure Caleb is a man who’s ever been put in his place before.” She grinned at him as he glared back at her assistant.

  “Ian.” She turned in greeting. “Have you met Caleb Forrester, Kit’s brother?”

  Ian nodded a greeting to Caleb but neither man offered to shake hands.

  “So, who was here first?” Jesse asked, looking to Kayla for direction.

  “Sheriff MacAllister.”

  “Caleb, will you give us a few moments, please?” He was going to protest, she knew he would, so before he had the chance, she ushered Ian into her office and closed the door.

  “Interesting guy,” Ian said with a nod toward the door.

  “Like Kit, in some ways.”

  “And not at all in others,” he smiled. “So, I have some updates, not much, but I thought I would stop in and run them by you.”

  And for the next ten minutes he did. They’d eliminated two of the people they were looking into, which in some ways made her feel better, but since they were no closer to finding out who they were actually looking for, it also didn’t go far. When Ian finished, she thanked him and walked him to the door.

  Caleb was sitting in the same spot, still eyeing Kayla, who was doing a fine job of ignoring him. Jesse said good-bye to Ian and motioned Caleb inside. He gave a huff, which Kayla also ignored, and walked toward Jesse.

  “Oh, Jesse,” Kayla spoke as if Caleb didn’t exist. “Ed Greely wants to have lunch on Wednesday and do you still want to go to that dinner on Thursday?”

  “Go ahead and book the lunch with Ed and cancel the dinner. James is coming home Thursday. And while I’m sure he’ll want to hang out with his friends, on the off chance he wants to have dinner at home, I’d like to be there.”

  Kayla nodded and Jesse followed Caleb into her office.

  “I don’t think I impressed her,” he said, taking an uninvited seat.

  “I don’t know why. I’m sure you were polite and civilized and everything.” She arched a brow at him when his eyes narrowed at her. She held his gaze as she sat.

  “Your boyfriend was investigated for starting a fire back in California,” he said.

  She blinked. “Excuse me.”

  “Your boyfriend, David Hathaway. There was a complaint filed against him and he was investigated for starting a fire at a private home.”

  “It wasn’t him.” Of that she was certain. What she wasn’t certain of was just how Caleb knew her relationship with David was more than what she had intimated when she’d spoken about him at brunch that day.

  “Might I suggest you’re biased?” Sarcasm laced Caleb’s voice.

  “Of course you can and you’d be right. But it still wasn’t him.”

  He seemed a little startled by her certainty. But then again, if he did live in the shadow world, he probably never ran into anyone who could say anything with certainty.

  “What was the outcome of the investigation?” she prompted.

  “No charges were filed. The fire was arson, but they never caught who did it.”

  “And David’s involvement?” she pressed.

  “He was cleared.” Caleb all but bit the words out.

  “So I’m not the only one who knows he wasn’t involved.”

  “Or he was just very careful.”

  She drummed her fingers on her desk and rested her chin in her hand. She appreciated his concern, she really did. But he was barking up the wrong tree. “When was this?”

  “Three years ago.”

  “And was anyone hurt?”

  His gaze slid to the side. “A young woman. She lived but suffered third-degree burns on about 20 percent of her body.”

  Jesse’s heart lurched. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I think you should know about the man you’re spending time with.”

  She studied his eyes, and for a moment, he looked uncomfortable but he didn’t look away. She thought about asking how he knew she and David were spending time together, but decided that would sound too defensive. If he was guessing and she asked, it would confirm his belief.

  “Thank you for telling me, but I know he wasn’t involved. If you have information that is relevant to the case, though, you should be telling Ian, or even Vivi, his wife.”

  She saw his jaw tick and his mouth tighten, but he stood. She did the same.

  “Be careful, Jesse. You have a lot of good things in your life, don’t do anything stupid to put them in jeopardy.”

  She moved from behind her desk and stood in front of him, wondering again, what kind of man he was, or rather, what kind of life he led.

  “I’m not a stupid woman, Caleb. I drive carefully, I use my alarm, I even carry pepper spray. But I work in a hospital. No one knows better than I do that sometimes shit just happens to good people and there isn’t anything in the world we can do to stop or change it. I appreciate your concern, I really do. And I will be careful, because you’re right, there are too many good things in my life to take dumb chances. But maybe, maybe while you’re out there looking for answers, to my situation or any other, you should remember that—that sometimes it’s just not anyone’s fault.” She believed in what she was saying, but even as the words were leaving her mouth, she wasn’t sure why she felt the need to say them. There was someone after her—a very real person out there who was to blame.

  But Caleb had demons, of that she was also certain, and having seen the same look in many a doctor’s eyes, she knew he was blaming himself for something—something he thought he could have done better, something he thought he could have prevented, something he thought he could have changed but didn’t. Maybe it was true.

  But in her experience, more often than people wanted to admit—especially people like Caleb or the doctors in her hospital—even doing everything right wasn’t a guarantee. The fact of that uncertainty was a burden to bear and everyone who worked with her had to shoulder it. She suspected Cal
eb did, too. And he was fighting it every step of the way.

  “I’ll be going then.” He stepped away.

  “Next time, stop by with some good news, or even no news, and we can just go grab a drink somewhere.” She extended the offer as he reached the door. He looked at her over his shoulder, then gave a nod and left. She didn’t worry that he’d taken her invitation the wrong way, but she did worry that he hadn’t taken her seriously. If anyone looked like they needed a friend to just sit with, it was Caleb.

  ***

  Time seemed to move at warp speed after that first weekend with David, with the exception of the investigation.

  With no new leads, the investigations—the police’s, Ian’s, and hers—had slowed to almost nothing. David had concluded his findings about the explosive in Julie’s shop and then turned everything over to the Windsor Police. Marcus and Carly hadn’t been able to do anything with his report yet, since they had no leads. The patients and letters Ian had been looking into had come up blank, although there was still one more to look into—a man who would be out of town for the remainder of the summer. As for her own investigation into what exactly Mark had been looking into before he died—when she’d closed up the last box without finding anything, she’d almost convinced herself that he must have just simply forgotten to tell her.

  On the one hand, it was frustrating not finding anything, not knowing anything more about any of the investigations. But the good news was, there had been no more “accidents,” no more destruction of people, namely herself, or property, so she couldn’t complain too much.

  But while the investigations had slowed, the rest of the summer had flown by and it was with some surprise that Jesse found herself standing at the open trunk of her new Subaru—her little black one had turned out to be unsalvageable after the accident—looking at boxes packed full of Matt’s things. With dismay.

  “Come on, Mom. It’s not like you didn’t know this day was coming.” Her son gave her an indulgent smile. She really couldn’t believe he was headed off to college today. Classes didn’t start for two weeks, but athletes had to check in early. Both her car and his were packed with his things; the plan was to drive into Boston and get him set up. Both she and James were going—she was going to drop her younger son off with Naomi and Brian for a two-week visit and spend a few days shopping in Boston on her own, before heading back home.