Authors: Carrigan Fox
“What do you want?” Will asked only a moment before realizing that the man had poisoned him.
“We want you dead, Dr. Archer. Nothing personal. We just need to make sure that your firstborn child is never born.”
“True apothecary, thy drugs are quick,” he muttered wondering how Shakespeare’s words could spring to mind so clearly even while h
is tongue thickened and could not form the questions that crawled around his mind. His entire world now seemed to move in slow motion.
“We can’t allow him to defeat us.”
Will wasn’t certain he had heard the man correctly. A deep resounding boom filled the room, and the blurry bearded man seemed to convulse. Will couldn’t see clearly enough to know if he was still smirking, but he heard Jac calling out to him as the man fell to the ground. She suddenly appeared at his side but then stepped over him instead of kneeling to help him. He heard her voice, telling someone to come quickly. She said something about him being dead.
And then he saw and heard nothing.
“His name was Ray Walker. Does the name mean anything to you?”
She looked across the table into the apologetic eyes of Detective Wilson. “Nothing.”
“You’re certain?”
She fixed her eyes on his so that he could read the genuine truth behind her words. “I have never heard of Ray Walker. Can you tell me what you know about him?” She looked down at her small hands folded together on the table in the police department in an effort to make herself appear more harmless. She would find out who had sent Roy Walker and see that he paid for hurting Will.
The detective licked his lips nervously and glanced around the room, as though unsure of whether or not he should share any information with Jaclyn MaCall. “He has a record, I can tell you that much. In the past, he’s been linked up with a local militant organization. They’ve attempted to take responsibility for acts of terror in the state in the past. But as far as we can tell, he doesn’t appear to be on any federal watch lists. This means he isn’t perceived as a serious threat. Wasn’t,” Wilson corrected.
“I wonder if Dianne Huntley would have agreed.”
“Did the assistant district attorney speak with you already?”
Jac nodded. “After I answered the homicide detective’s questions, the ADA stopped in to tell me that they wouldn’t be prosecuting me. It was clear self defense, of course.” She shrugged. “Or defense of Will. Same thing.”
“Dr. Archer was lucky you were there and so quick to respond.” There wasn’t a question in his tone…not exactly.
“I was there to protect him until MSC got a security detail assigned to him. But yes, I’m also glad I was there. Have you talked to the hospital? Did they determine what Walker injected in Will’s neck?”
“Sodium Pentothal.”
“Truth serum?”
Detective Wilson’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly in surprise at her knowledge.
They always seemed surprised by the depth of her knowledge. “Of sorts.”
“And he considers himself a professional? It’s fairly well known that Sodium Pentothal isn’t effective as a truth serum.”
The detective nodded. “Yes, but Dr. Archer isn’t exactly a well-trained covert spy. At least I don’t think he is. It probably wouldn’t take much to convince him that his life depended on sharing some information with Walker. I think it’s likely that Walker has some connection with one of Dr. Archer’s patients.”
Jac eyed him thoughtfully.
“You disagree?”
She smiled to herself, acknowledging the detective’s intuition.
“What’s your theory?”
“Theory?” she shook her head. “Walker was interested in the name of a woman who he believed was sleeping with Will and might be pregnant with his child.”
He looked doubtful when he asked, “What is the significance of this woman?”
“The million dollar question, Detective.
I’ve talked to Will about it, but he assures me that he hasn’t been involved with anyone in a long time. It seems a fruitless search.”
“And only Ray Walker knows why it was suc
h an important search,” the detective concluded.
“That’s not entirely true. He wasn’t working alone. He was working with a young blond man. He had white
blond hair. The two of them may or may not have been working with others. But if Ray Walker was a card-carrying member of a militia, it stands to reason that the entire organization may be involved.”
Detective Wilson frowned. “
How do you know about this blond man? Was he at Archer’s house?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then where have you seen this blond man.”
Rather than answer, Jac smiled sweetly at the detective. He got the message.
“I hope for Dr. Archer’s sake that Walker was working alone or with only this blond man. Not even MSC can ward off an entire militia.”
“Getting me a list of the membership would be a start in the right direction,” she suggested.
“I’ll talk to my boss and see what we can do.”
***
Inhaling deeply, Jac focused on sitting tall and stacking her vertebrae so that even her grandmother would have been proud of her posture. Almost immediately, she began to feel her muscles relax. In the background, the gentle sound of the ocean waves filled the room but went unnoticed by the sole inhabitant. She breathed out and made a conscious effort to focus on relaxing the muscles in her shoulder and her face.
When Will Archer’s bruised face entered her mind, she allowed herself the luxury of losing herself in his eyes and remembering when he had kissed her outside of his house. She smiled to herself and then pushed him away, deliberately making her mind blank and relaxing her facial muscles as well. Instead of allowing Will’s emerald eyes in her mind, she visualized a lush green grass
y yard. She imagined lying in the grass and staring into the blue skies with the lazily drifting white clouds. She took a moment to re-think her visual. Instead of lying in the grass, she was lying on a hammock strung between two large oak trees in front of Will Archer’s home. She studied the canopy of oak leaves over her head that allowed beams of sunlight and patches of blue sky to filter through as a breeze occasionally stirred the leaves. She continued breathing deeply and soon felt her heart rate begin to slow.
And now the
leaves and hammock were also gone. The slow and deep rhythm of her heart filled her ears and her body. She felt as though her body were floating in a decadently warm pool of silk. She didn’t emerge until the ringing of her phone brought her back to the meditation room in the back of her shop. Typically, she would have turned off the phone, but she was waiting for calls from Will, Taryn, and Detective Wilson. She couldn’t afford to check out for too long.
Will had been released from the hospital only twenty-four hours after being brought in. And before he had been released, Taryn had issued the orders for the new security detail. It was both a relief and a cause of stress for Jaclyn, who wanted Will to remain safe and sound but didn’t trust anyone else to take appropriate care of him. No amount of security training would have prepared an MSC employee to handle Ray Walker. Jac’s visions alone had allowed her to save Will. And while she was a split second too late to stop Walker from injecting the Sodium Pentothal into Will’s body, she did still manage to eliminate the threat and get her client to the hospital for treatment. He was now on the mend and resting comfortably at home.
Detective Wilson greeted her when she answered the phone.
“I have received the authority to provide a list of names for those we believe are affiliated with the militia to MaCall Securities Consulting. The expectation is clear, however, that the list goes to Dr. Archer’s security detail.”
“Where else would it go?” Jac asked, feigning confusion.
“Jac, I’ve known you since you came home from college. I’ve worked with you on more than one case for clients you represented with MSC. Don’t bullshit me. I know that you will take it upon yourself to investigate every person on that list in an effort to find out
his interest in Dr. Archer,” he accused.
She laughed playfully. “Things have changed, Detective. I’m no longer an employee of MSC.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Jac,” he only repeated.
“I wouldn’t dare.” She grinned to herself while he agreed to messenger a copy of the list to her sister’s office
to be copied and distributed to Will’s security detail. After some additional charm and encouragement, Detective Wilson even agreed to have a second copy dropped off at Triskele, as well.
She hung up the phone and laughed, feeling quite proud of herself for her accomplishments. Her father had always teased her about being manipulative, but she had always cringed at his use of that word. It always sounded so devious and underhanded. She preferred to think of herself as
charmingly persuasive.
***
“Have you ever done this before?”
Will looked at her as if she had just asked the most moronic question ever.
“It’s really not too difficult. It’s all about persistence and stamina.” She smiled smugly at her deliberate innuendo as she walked behind him and trailed her fingertips across his shoulders.
“Isn’t it too soon for this kind of thing? I don’t want to make an ass of myself.”
“As long as you’re worrying about things like that, this will never work.”
“I never took you for a wham, bam, thank you ma’am kind of woman, Jac MaCall.”
She tugged on a lock of slightly curled hair above his ear. “Now you ruined the double entendre. There is no whamming and bamming in meditation, Dr. Archer. Now relax and follow my instructions.”
She had never enjoyed herself more thoroughly as she had since Will Archer walked through the front door of Triskele. She had made the suggestion for the location of their second date. Mostly, she wanted something that wouldn’t be physically stressful on him since he was still recovering from the attacks. But a small part of her wanted to pull him out of his comfort zone. And
she held back a giggle as she watched him walk into her shop, glancing at the crystal displays but walking with a single mindedness toward her in the back of the shop.
Now they sat on the floor in the meditation room with her
favorite classical music CD playing softly in the background. On her knees behind him, she gently ran her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp.
“Who does this for you when you’re meditating alone?”
“Unfortunately, nobody does,” she laughed.
“You think I need the extra help relaxing,” he accused.
She nodded and added, “Plus I wanted to get my hands on you.”
He chuckled and rolled his head around his shoulders, stretching his neck and attempting to loosen up without displacing her hands. “You don’t need to make an excuse to put your hands on me. Not ever.”
“Are you ready?”
“I was born ready,” he assured her naughtily.
“For meditation,” she persisted.
“Oh, that. Sure. Ready when you are.”
She took a moment to rub the knots out of his muscular shoulders and neck before sitting opposite him with her legs crossed in front of her. She studied him for a moment, noting that he also sat cross legged with his palms face-up on his knees and his fingers drawn together. She snorted and took his hands in hers.
“There isn’t any particular technique that is required for this. It’s simply about being silent, focusing internally, and allowing yourself to regulate your own body to soothe and rejuvenate your body, mind, and soul.”
“Piece of cake.”
“Stop talking.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m going to talk you through it. I need you to remain silent and focused on my voice. Take some time to breathe deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Good. Now slow it down a bit.”
She lifted her eyes from their joined hands to his face and was startled to find that he was watching her intently, his green gaze boring into her soul. God she adored this man. Keeping her eyes on his, she continued breathing.
“Now I want you to think of something that is beautiful and mesmerizing, something that can capture and hold your attention. I like to imagine floating in a hammock or on a wave. Lying comfortably and staring up at the leaves overhead or the clouds.”
His nod was barely perceptible as his attention drifted to her moving lips and then back to her eyes. He imagined swimming in a warm pool of lavender oil, surrounded by her peach scent while her lips trailed kisses over his neck, shoulders, and chest.
“Close your eyes,” she instructed, relieved to not have his disconcerting eyes on hers. “Continue breathing and visualizing.”
He seemed to be visualizing, but she heard a slight hitch to his breathing.
“Now slowly let yourself sink down, down, deeper, until you feel yourself grounded.”
He felt his pulse quicken as he visualized lowering himself onto her deliciously naked body and sank himself deep into her. Her warm, liquid silkiness surrounded him, and he breathed deeply through is nose, catching the scent of their musky love-making.
“Listen to the steady rhythm of your heart, pumping life through your body.”
His heart pounded as he moved in a steady rhythm with her. He had never felt more alive.
“Breathe in slowly, deeply. And now release, feeling the air flow gently over your lips.”
His breath caught in his throat as he took in her exquisite beauty. He lowered his lips to hers.
“Now your visualization should begin to fade. All that will remain will be the sound of your heartbeat and the feel of air filling your lungs. Allow yourself those sensations.”
He closed his eyes and reveled in the sensation of moving inside of her.
She continued breathing deeply, her own eyes closed and relaxed. And then his hands tightened on hers and he groaned slightly, bringing her back to the meditation room. Her eyes snapped open and she studied Will’s face. What was that look? He looked almost…aroused.
“Will,” she barked, slightly amused at his male predictability.
His eyes opened guiltily, bearing a slight mistiness of arousal.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Getting lost in my happy place,” he admitted. He
watched her lips curl into a knowing grin before giving in to his urge. He slipped his hands behind her calves and pulled her closer to him, gently tugging and placing her legs beside his own. He then put his hands around her tiny waist and lifted her into his lap.
She gasped in surprise at the feel of his arousal and curled her legs
around his body instinctively. He caressed the sides of her neck possessively and pulled her face down to his, taking possession of those lips he had imagined drifting over his body.
Thrilled with her instantaneous response, he tasted her lips and took satisfaction in hearing her gasp for breath even as she moved her body in his lap to brush against him seductively.
“Damn, woman, I want you.”
She pulled back from him a moment and looked into his face. “I want you, too, Will. But I d
on’t want to risk hurting you.”
She saw disappoint
ment and frustration in his eyes, but he nodded in agreement. “Then we wait. But I don’t want you to stop on my account. You say the word when you’re ready, and I’ll make it work,” he assured her.
She laughed at his sweet assurance and kissed him again as she climbed to her feet.
He pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the pain in his ribs and his own physical discomfort from his arousal. “Will I look like a cad if I call this date a success and head home? I’m thinking I will get some work done and turn in early.”
Smiling in sweet understanding and sympathy for his pain and suffering, she sent him off with a chaste kiss and a swat on the ass.
***
“It seems you’re one of those people who
are not affected by meditation,” she had told him as he walked out the door. She now sat in her meditation room, trying to calm herself and come back down off of the buzz that Will Archer had created in her. Regardless of her efforts, however, he seemed to be fixed in her mind.
“Not affected?”
“It just doesn’t work with some people,” she had shrugged.
“I wouldn’t say that it didn’t work. It’s a great tool for foreplay.”
She had snorted. “I suspect that it doesn’t take much to rev your engine, Dr. Archer.”
“That’s only because you’re always on my mind.”
“Charming,” she had laughed.
Breathing deeply, she shook her head, telling herself that she had done the right thing by putting a stop to their frisky behavior. Wanting Will had never been an issue. But she had waited this long to give herself to a man, and she wanted to be certain that he was the right man.
She envisioned her hammock and stared up at the oak leaves, breathing deeply through her nose.
And then she was in Will’s office, pressed between him and his desk.
“I never was one of those girls who wanted a fairy tale ending with Prince Charming. And yet, here I am,” she declared to him.
Will smiled down at her
, his bright eyes twinkling, as she twined her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. He indulged briefly before strolling to his office door, closing it and walking back to her side. He pressed her back against his desk and dipped his head for a kiss.
“What are you doing?
You’re in the middle of business hours and I imagine you have patients coming.” She pointed a finger into his chest playfully. He bent lower to nip her earlobe.
“
I don’t see anyone for another hour. I didn’t want to be interrupted in the middle of my marriage proposal,” he answered, trailing moist kisses across her jawbone and to her chin before claiming her mouth again with his own.
Relishing the sensations of arousal, pride, and love, Jac admitted to herself that he was ten times the partner that Prince Charming would have been. She could not have done better than to get herself saddled with Dr. Will Archer.
“Holy crap,” she muttered when she looked around and found herself still sitting in her meditation room alone. Her cell phone was still resting in her hand. She knew she adored Will Archer, but she was stunned to realize that she would fall in love with him. And after another moment of reflection, she confessed to herself that she wasn’t actually stunned at all. She had been falling in love with him from the moment he had stuffily pointed out to her that she was seven minutes late. As it turned out, she’d been right. Seven had definitely been her lucky number that day.
Picking up her phone, she punched in a text message to the ever-impressive Dr. Archer.
Are you feeling better?
She sat on the floor fidgeting, the calmness she had
been trying to achieve a moment ago through meditation now out the window. Within a matter of minutes, her phone buzzed, alerting her to a new message.
Well enough to visit or share a meal? Definitely. Well enough to skydive? Give me another day or two.
She laughed giddily and sent another message back.
Well enough to let a woman bring you dinner and attempt to
get you into bed?
She bit the corner of her lip nervously, wondering how he was reacting to that particular message. Taryn had teased her once about being more subtle and playing a bit harder to get where men were concerned. But Jac had never been a big fan of playing games. She said what she felt when she felt it. She relied heavily on her intuition to guide her in her romantic relationships. And the moment she realized that she had no romantic future with a man, she had always ended the relationship
as gently as possible.
But Will Archer was different. Will Archer was the man she was going to marry. Her phone buzzed again.
You make that sound much more exciting than you probably intended.
She grinned to herself as she typed,
I actually intend it to be much more exciting than it sounds.
She should feel nervous or unsure of herself. But Jac was, if nothing else, a woman ruled by her passions. If she had chosen not to be with a man before, it was because she knew that the romance would not be as fulfilling as it would be with a man who truly mattered to her.
After a few more minutes passed, she began to wonder if Dr. Archer was backing out. And then her phone buzzed one last time. His message had her grinning like a fool.
Do you have any roller skates? I have a thing for women in roller skates.
“Did you bring your gun?” he greeted as he swung open the door.
She tilted her head in the image of a 1980s airhead and argued, “My gun totally doesn’t color coordinate with my roller skates.”
“Hmm,” he grinned.
“I always have my gun with me. But no, I don’t have any roller skates.”
“Pity,” he replied with a shrug as he held the door open wider for her to enter.
Now that she was here, she wasn’t quite certain of how to proceed. Should she grab him and force him against the wall before planting a passionate kiss on his mouth? Or should she do a slow strip tease? She’d considered the sexy lingerie under the trench coat, but it seemed a bit too cliché. She could light candles and offer him a sexy massage, but that didn’t seem her style either. When it came to seduction, Jaclyn MaCall was simply out of her element. She shared her thoughts and feelings openly, and seduction involved a bit of teasing and game-playing that were not a part of her repertoire.
He watched her eyes flit around his tidy living room, clearly unsure of how to make her move. For the first time, he saw a lack of certainty in her eyes, and it made him want her even more. He loved that she could kick ass and take names one minute and then stand hopelessly unsure of herself the next. She was so perfectly imperfect. And he knew in that moment that once he possessed her, he would never want to let her go.
“Can I get you a drink?” he suggested.
“Maybe two,” she nodded.
Smiling to himself, he left her alone as he moved into the kitchen to prepare her a drink. He opened his fridge, as well, to see what he might make for dinner. He hadn’t expected company and his heart had been racing since she’d sent the first text message about getting him into bed. He’d first thought that she meant she intended to tuck him in and see that he was getting some sleep. Then she’d sent the second message, and he’d nearly wet himself.
“Can I help?” He
stood up quickly, startled by her sudden appearance, and smacked his head on the freezer door above him. She chuckled softly and patted him on the back. “Let’s try to keep head injuries to a minimum, shall we, Dr. Archer?”
“Ha ha. Are you hungry?”
“For some Pie a la Will, perhaps,” she suggested with a cheesy grin.
How quickly she was always able to regain the upper hand. She reached for him and took the package of eggs out of his hand, placing it on the counter behind him.
She put her hands on him and enjoyed the sound of air rushing out of his lungs as she ran her hands up over his chest and shoulders. Leaning in to him, she lifted her face and placed a string of gentle kisses along his collarbone.
He moaned softly, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her snug against his body. Even before he lowered his mouth to hers, he was becoming aroused and the movement of her tongue against his only further inflamed his desire.
She moved onto her tiptoes to deepen the kiss, and he growled at the sensation of her body moving against his erotically. He had wanted women before, but he was consumed with this one. He hoped she had her belly button ring in and then began wondering what other surprises he might find on her delicious naked body.
His hands were on her hips fumbling at the bottom hem of her blouse, a soft lavender silk that matched her
captivating eyes. She felt his hands, cooled from the refrigerator, resting on her side briefly before one reached up to caress her warm back. She opened her eyes briefly to watch as she pulled back and unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his bare chest and washboard abs. Trailing a single fingernail down the center of his chest, she smiled when he shuddered and then tested him further by looping that finger in the waistband of his pants. She considered loosening the button, but she didn’t want to rush this first time.
He watched her eyes mist over with passion and nipped her full bottom lip that now bore a bit of swollen redness from brushing his beard. He hadn’t shaved that morning, and his face definitely bore a five o’clock shadow. He wished he’d had the foresight to shave before she arrived, but she didn’t seem to be complaining.
Instead, she reached a hand up and caressed his cheek, purring in approval.
He responded by running his hands up her sides as he closed his eyes again and sank himself into another drugging kiss. She sighed into his mouth
while his fingertips caressed the underside of her breast through lace and satin. And with no necessary invitation, his hands shifted to cover her full breast. He muffled her gasps of delight with his lips as he pushed aside her bra straps and ran the pad of his thumb over her most sensitive spots. She arched her body against his, pressing him against the countertop while she grinded against him, teasing them both in this realm somewhere between pleasure and pain. She had been attracted to men before, but she had never felt this desire to possess a man before. Dr. Will Archer, it seemed, was in her blood.
She watched him painstakingly take his time unbuttoning her blouse
before pushing it off of her shoulders. With a quick embrace, he had reversed their positions and pinned her against the refrigerator he had opened only moments before. He stopped suddenly, pausing to admire the pale yellow satin and lace before reaching behind her to unclasp the delicious fabric that covered the skin he craved. When he had successfully bared her breasts, he traced the tan line around her breasts before dipping his head to taste her.