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He took the box from me and removed the beautiful piece of jewelry. He gently clasped it around my neck. “You look like a Scandinavian princess, Melanie. You’re absolutely stunning.”
I gently fingered the piece. I couldn’t even begin to guess how much it had cost. I had been revolted by a seven-hundred-dollar nightgown. I was no doubt wearing a luxury car around my neck.
“Before you start complaining about the cost, you are worth every penny. You’re worth every penny of my fortune. And you’re worth even more than that. You’re priceless to me, Melanie. I love you. And I don’t want to be without you.”
I hurled myself into his arms. “I don’t want to be without you either, Jonah.” And I didn’t. Not ever.
I hoped I could be enough for him. That I could satisfy all his desires. Because I would not ask him to change. Not ever. He likely enjoyed things I had never even thought about and couldn’t comprehend. But I would please him. And God bless him, he was willing to go slowly with me.
He gently laid me down on the bed. “Please, Melanie. I want to feel you next to me. I want to know that you’re mine.”
I sighed against his shoulder, snuggling into him. “I’m yours. For as long as you want me.”
He went rigid for a moment.
“Is anything wrong?”
“I’ll always want you,” he said. “Always.”
* * *
Lucy woke us up with tickles and licks Sunday morning. It was early, only a little after six, and Jonah had to check on some things at the ranch. He kissed me on the forehead. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I still felt good. Better than I had in so long. I trembled a bit at the thought of staying alone for a couple of hours, but he wouldn’t be long. He had to get back and shower, because we needed to be at Talon’s house by ten.
“I’ll be fine. Just hurry back, okay?”
This time he kissed my lips. “I will.” He winked. “And don’t shower until I get back.”
I chuckled as he left. I lay in bed for a few moments, after urging Lucy to join me. I might have dozed off a bit, but then I got up about an hour later. I put on Jonah’s robe, went to the kitchen, and let Lucy out. He had left a pot of coffee on, so I poured myself a cup and then looked around the kitchen until I found the dog food. I made sure Lucy had food and water and then sat down to drink my coffee. I had taken only a few sips when I walked to my guest room.
My folders and papers were still scattered over the floor. I hadn’t heard anything from Officer Lee or anyone from the police department in Grand Junction. Had they questioned Dr. Cates? As far as I knew, Erica Cates was still in the hospital. I decided to call the hospital and check. A quick phone call confirmed that she was still an inpatient in the mental health unit.
If my new theory had merit, perhaps Dr. Cates was not behind the attack on me. After all, if Gina did not commit suicide, but instead had been murdered, the same person who murdered her had probably attacked me.
I doubted that Dr. and Mrs. Cates had killed their own daughter. They might have been neglectful parents, but they didn’t strike me as murderers. Of course, they still could have been behind the attack on me because they still thought their daughter had committed suicide on my watch.
Again, though, they didn’t strike me as murderers. They might hate me, but did
they have the ability to kill me?
I didn’t think so.
But her uncle? The uncle who was supposedly dead? Granted, just because he was a child molester didn’t mean he was capable of murder. But it made it a whole lot more likely.
Dr. Cates had told me that a friend of Gina’s—and I couldn’t remember the name he used—had told him Gina had been in love. At the time, I’d thought Dr. Cates was referring to Gina being in love with me, but now I wasn’t so sure. Just as Gina had given me no indication that she was suicidal or that she had feelings for me, she had also given me no indication that she might be bisexual or gay. Had she been in love with a man? Or had her friend been exaggerating?
I needed to get the name of the friend, and I needed to talk to her.
Dr. and Mrs. Cates would not talk to me. I felt certain of that. So maybe I would take Jonah up on his offer to hire some private investigators to look into this. And maybe one day I would be able to repay him for it. I had gone through life so far without taking anything from anyone, and I didn’t plan to start now.
I didn’t think about my own parents much. They were a lot like Gina’s, truth be told. They had both been professionals and probably should’ve never had a child. They gave me the necessities of life, and I never wanted for anything…except their love and affection.
Funny that they should pop into my mind right now. I hadn’t seen them in nearly ten years, and we rarely communicated. I had put myself through college with scholarships and student loans. My master’s in psychotherapy had been fully funded with a teaching assistantship stipend. I had paid my student loans off quickly and then saved up money for a down payment on my loft. My parents could’ve helped me, but I hadn’t wanted their money.
That was one of the reasons why I had wanted to help Gina so badly. I had come from a home like hers, but of course, I had been much luckier than she had been. While the mental abuse and neglect from my parents had taken its toll, at least I was never physically or sexually abused by anyone.
I walked into my bathroom and shut the door, looking in the full-length mirror. I dropped Jonah’s robe around my shoulders into a puddle of silk on the floor, and then I forced myself to look at my naked body. My ankle was still bruised but wasn’t giving me much trouble as long as I didn’t push it, and my hands were still scratched up but were healing nicely. However, those things were not what drew my gaze.
