“Everything’s fine, ma’am,” he assured her. “But if one of them should phone you again, please tell Nikki I’d like her to get in touch with me.”
That seemed to lessen her anxiety. “Of course, Detective. Thanks for dropping by.”
Thomas inclined his head then left.
“No . . . oh please—noooo!”
“Wake up, Kimmie. Wake up!”
Kim gasped as she bolted upright in the bed, sweat plastering the silk nightgown against her body like a second skin. Panting for air, her eyes wildly darted around the suite until realization dawned and she knew she’d been dreaming.
“Are you okay?” Nikki gently prodded as she brushed Kim’s soaking-wet hair back from her forehead. Her eyes widened. “My God, Kim, you’re in a cold sweat! That must have been one heck of a nightmare.”
“It was,” she admitted shakily, her eyes round as moons. Her breasts rose and fell with her labored breathing. “Damn,” she muttered, briefly closing her eyes.
“Was it about . . . him?” Nikki softly inquired.
Kim nodded. “Yes. It was awful.” Her face scrunched up.
“Awful.”
Nikki sighed but said nothing.
“It was like before,” Kim whispered, her eyes opening, “but worse. A dark space. The scent of water. Rape. Torture. Death. And those eyes . . .” She shivered. “There’s something strange about his eyes. They are so . . .”
“Blue,” Nikki finished for her.
“Yes.” Kim frowned. “Yes. So blue. Almost . . . too blue.”
Nikki bit her lip. That same thought had gone through her mind before, too. Richard’s eyes had seemed almost surreal. Like one of those dogs—Siberian huskies, she thought they were called. Or like a man wearing contacts for Halloween. But it didn’t matter anymore. He was locked away. End of story.
“I don’t like this,” Kim muttered, tearing off the covers. “Something isn’t right.”
“Kimmie,” Nikki gently reminded her as she helped her stand up. “He’s in jail now. We’re both safe. You’ve got to let him go.”
Their gazes met and held. “Yes,” Kim slowly agreed. She sighed. “Of course, you’re right.” She smiled in a self-deprecating manner. “I guess my voodoo hocus-pocus hasn’t figured that out yet, though.”
Nikki chuckled at the reminder of how Detective Ben O’Rourke had referred to Kim’s visions. “Go take a bath, kiddo. I’ll find you a fresh nightie while you’re soaking and bring it in to you in a few.”
“Thanks.” Kim grinned. “I’ve had a really fabulous time so far. Well, right up until that dream.”
“I’ll just bet you have,” Nikki said pointedly. “I’ve seen more horny Amish men this weekend than I care to contemplate. All thanks to you and your ever-so-seductive ankles.”
“Hey, when you’ve got it, might as well flaunt it.”
Nikki laughed at that. “Go take a bath, you hussy. I’ll make us a midnight snack and fetch that nightie.”
“Well?” Priscilla demanded after her father locked the
office door behind them. She smoothed out the flowing silk robe she wore, hating to look a mess even in the middle of the night. “Tell me, please, before I expire of curiosity!”
Maxwell Harrington’s face looked haggard, defeated even. She searched her father’s eyes, knowing no good news would be forthcoming.
“I’ve blown it forever this time, haven’t I?” Priscilla asked fearfully. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I never meant to disappoint you like this.”
“Cilla.” Maxwell sighed. “Get a hold of yourself, sweetheart. You know Daddy won’t let that little toad come between you and reelection.”
Her eyes widened. “You’ve found him, then?” she said hopefully.
He frowned. “I think so, but we don’t know yet. Your secretary and I have got it narrowed down to three.” His eyebrows slowly inched together. “You’ve been keeping that cell phone as well as your private bedroom phone on like I told you to?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” Maxwell inclined his head. “Remember to try to keep him talking as long as you can next time he calls.”
“I will.”
Her father tiredly ran a hand over his cheek. “I need some sleep. Tomorrow morning we all go to church together, smile at the press, etcetera, etcetera. I want you to throw the occasional devoted smile up to Otis, make it look real convincing. You know what I’m talking about.”
The senator nodded.
“Go get some sleep, Cilla,” Maxwell muttered. “You’ve got bags under your eyes and you know how sallow that makes you look on television.”
“I know. It’s just been so difficult to fall asleep, and you know where I stand on sedatives.” The senator stood up on tiptoe to kiss her father’s cheek, then turned to leave the office. “Good night, Daddy.”
Maxwell watched her walk away. “Cilla,” he called out just as she was preparing to open the door. She turned her head to look at him. “Remember that bill you endorsed? The antigun legislation?”
She sighed. “Daddy, I don’t feel like going through this right now. I—”
“I’m proud of you,” he said softly, making her eyes widen. “I’ve never believed in giving any fool with a few bucks the right to own a deadly weapon, either. Difference between us being I never had the guts to say so.” His eyes shone with pride. If she didn’t get out of here soon, she suspected hers would start shining with tears. “You’re a damn good senator, Cilla. I’m proud to call you my daughter.”
Their gazes found each other. “Thank you,” she said a bit shakily. “You don’t know how many years I’ve been waiting to hear you say that.”
“Go to bed before we both start crying like pussies,” Maxwell grumbled.
Cilla smiled tremulously. “Will you still love me if my career goes down faster than the Titanic?” she whispered.
“Of course. You’re my child.” Maxwell shook his head. “Anyway, that won’t happen. We’ll get through this, you and me, just like always.” He walked toward the office’s opposite door. “Just do me a favor after I take care of your little problem?” he threw out over his shoulder.
Cilla’s eyebrows drew together inquiringly.
Maxwell frowned. “Buy a vibrator.”
She coughed into her hand, muttered her agreement, and fled the office.
Chapter 26
Sunday, July 27 8:59 P·M·
Nikki had almost decided to stay the night at Kim’s
house, but a lack of clean clothing had worked as a deterrent. Besides, if she slept over at the Cox residence, she and Kim would end up talking into the wee hours of the morning again and Nikki wouldn’t be sufficiently rested for work tomorrow afternoon.
There was also the issue of Thomas. Megan had informed Nikki upon their return that he wanted to speak with her. At first she had wondered why he hadn’t simply paged her if he wanted to talk, so out of curiosity she’d checked her beeper. A wince and a panic later, she’d realized it had accidentally been powered off.
Nikki could only be grateful the hospital hadn’t tried to contact her while she’d been gone. She never would have forgiven herself had there been an emergency surgery and her O.R. team had unsuccessfully tried to reach her. Not to mention the fact that she probably would have been fired. The only thing she could figure was that the Lucifer situation had rattled her brain a bit loose. Luckily, she was starting to feel like the old Nikki again—in control.
Sinking the key into the lock, Nikki pushed open the door to her apartment with her hip since her arms were full of shopping bags from purchases she’d made in Amish country over the weekend. She didn’t particularly care for the country theme, so hadn’t bought much in the way of decorations, but their food was too good to not bring home bags filled with it. Cheeses, trail bologna, wines, spiced cider, fudge—yum.
“Well look who finally came home,” a male voice drawled.
Nikki yelped, so startled she almost dropped one of her shopping bags. In fact, if Thomas’s reflexes hadn’t been what they were, the wine probably would have crashed to the floor.
“Thomas,” she breathed out as he plucked the wine from her tentative grasp. “My God, you scared me half to death.”
“Good,” he growled. “I say you deserve it for what you’ve put me through.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said as she walked her bags over to the dining room table and set them down. “But I can tell you I’m not in the mood for the third degree.”
He followed hot on her heels. “Where have you been?” he demanded, setting the wine down next to the other bags. His nostrils were flaring. “Who have you been with?”
She looked at him like he’d gone crazy. “What is wrong with you?” Nikki snapped. “I’ve been with Kim!”
His dark eyes narrowed at her. “What happened to all that stuff you said about showing respect to your partner? Leaving me a note when you decide to trot off and all that? I was worried! I haven’t heard a goddamn thing from you since I dropped you off when we left Cincinnati!”
She frowned. He had a point, but she was too angry at the way he was interrogating her to concede to it. “If you want the truth,” she spat, “I didn’t realize I had a partner when I left town!”
“After everything we’ve gone through together?” he snarled. “Yeah, right!” His jaw tightened. “I think you’re
trying
to make me jealous is what’s going on here. Rather than flat-out admit you want attention, you punish me for not automatically giving it. I’d only just found out that my partner murdered my daughter—excuse the piss out of me for not being tuned in to your womanly needs!”
“And excuse me for not always thinking rationally!” she screeched back. “I make mistakes too, you know! Or are you the only one allowed to do that?”
Thomas stilled, but said nothing. His breathing was heavy, anger and jealousy still radiating off of him in waves. Yet somehow Nikki realized he was calming down a bit, too.
“Hell,” he muttered, glancing away.
She was quiet for a moment. “Thomas, I’m sorry,” she said softly. Good god, he had a valid point about trying to make him jealous. She hated admitting it, but it was true. More than once this weekend she’d found herself hoping Thomas had called her apartment only to realize she wasn’t at home—her way of letting him know life could go on without him. “I left town because I was afraid you didn’t want me anymore and I needed to get away and . . .” She sighed. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
His brooding gaze bore into hers. “Me, too,” he rumbled out. He did a little sighing of his own. “I should have just told you I needed to get myself together rather than shutting you out like I did. Hell, I suck at relationships. But I’m trying, Nikki. I promise. I don’t want to lose you.”
“It’s okay,” Nikki assured him. “And I’m sorry about not calling you back. Thomas, I only just realized a few minutes ago that my beeper was accidentally turned off. I swear that’s the truth.”
Silence.
Thomas gently but firmly grabbed her by the shoulders and started backing her toward the sofa. “Just tell me one thing because I need to hear it from you,” he rasped. His gaze was intense, his jaw clenched. “Tell me you didn’t fuck anyone this weekend.
Tell me.
”
“I swear it,” she said quickly. “I don’t want another man touching me.”
He backed her into the arm of the sofa, his erection pressing against her thigh. “If you ever give away my pussy to another man,” he vowed as he ripped open her jeans and pulled them down with her panties, “I swear I’ll kill him.” His nostrils flared. “You hear me?”
“Yes,” Nikki breathed out.
He flipped her over so that her stomach lay across the arm of the sofa. Arousal knotted in her belly as the sound of his zipper coming undone reached her ears. Her jeans were at her ankles, her shirt still on. Only her most intimate part was bared.
“Show me my cunt,” Thomas ordered, his voice thick with arousal. “Spread apart your ass cheeks so I can see everything that belongs to me.”
She blew out a breath, intensely aroused. Her hands a bit shaky, she grabbed her buttocks and spread the cheeks apart as far as she could so that nothing impeded his view of her bared vagina and anus.
“Good girl,” Thomas said thickly. “Now tell Master who this juicy pussy belongs to.”
“To you,” Nikki gasped, so aroused she could barely stand. Feeling his eyes on her submissively bared center was making her belly knot impossibly tighter. “Only to you.”
Thomas stood there for a lingering moment, doing and saying nothing, simply staring at what he’d claimed for his own. The effect was unnerving. Being on sexual display made her nipples harden and her breathing hitch. A few seconds later, Nikki hissed when she felt his index finger slide into her anus.
“I’ve missed you,” she said throatily, wiggling her bottom at him.
“I’ve missed you, too, baby,” Thomas said hoarsely. His index finger slid in and out of her anus, forcing new and pleasurable sensations on her. “One day soon I’m gonna want this ass too. Will you give it to me?”
“Yes.”
“You ever had a man here?” he growled.
“No.”
“Then I’ve definitely got to mark it. It’s mine.”
She swallowed between pants. “Everything is yours.”
Thomas played with her anus for several more moments before withdrawing his index finger. “Later for that,” he rasped. “Right now I need to be inside my pussy.”
“Please,” she whimpered. “Quit teasing. Please take me.”
He gritted his teeth as he guided his cock to her vagina. “I love it when you beg, baby. You know how hard that gets Daddy.”
“Please.”
Sinking into her flesh from behind, he impaled himself to the hilt within her. “Goddamn,” Thomas groaned. “You’re gonna kill me.”
He withdrew slightly and sank into her body again. She moaned, her hands leaving her buttocks to rest before her on the sofa. Thomas immediately began to ride her fast and hard, his hips pistoning back and forth with increasing speed as his cock surged in and out of her.
“Oh, Thomas,” Nikki gasped as he took her hard from behind. She threw her hips back at him, meeting him thrust for thrust. She could hear the sound of her sticky flesh gripping around his cock and sucking him into her with every outstroke. “Oh,” she breathed out, her nipples stabbing out from under her bra.
“Thomas.”