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“Listen, it’s all right,” the driver called. “I’m…”
But she didn’t wait to hear who or what he was or to get a better look. Fueled by a surge of adrenaline, she cut to the right and ran around the end of his truck. She headed through the yards of her unknown neighbors, knowing the truck couldn’t follow her there and hoping no one would think she was up to no good and shoot her.
He won’t get out of the truck and follow me on foot, will he? Faster, Dana. Run Faster.
Fear made her stride lengthen and her arms pump harder.
A giant streak of lightning split the sky, and thunder rumbled as if it were right beside her as she reached her back porch. Fishing the key from her waterlogged shorts, she shoved her door open and fell into the utility room. Slamming the door shut, she sagged against the wall, every muscle in her body trembling. Her pulse was racing, and she thought her lungs would never get enough air again.
I got away, I got away, I got away.
Over and over, like a litany, the words reverberated in her mind as they tried to convince her that she was once again safe.
Safe. What a joke. No place is safe.
Finally, aware that she was standing in a widening puddle, she pulled off her soaked clothing and tossed it into the laundry sink.
She hurried to her bedroom and yanked her robe from the bed where she’d tossed it earlier, pulling it on and yanking the belt tight. Still shaking, she moved through the house, slamming shut the windows she’d opened, checking deadbolts and window locks until she was satisfied she was as secure as she could make herself. Safe enough at any rate to take a hot shower and chase the chill away.
When she’d caught her breath, she searched in the utility room and found a mop, using it to clean up the rain that had come in through the open windows. As she moved mechanically through the chore, images from her past clashed with those created by the articles she’d read today. She had to get this done before she turned into a complete basket case.
Tonight, she’d force herself to read again everything she’d brought home from the newspaper. Tomorrow she’d hit the sheriff’s office and request copies of the files of those old cases. She just hoped she could get through all the explicit details without getting sick again.
Leaving the mop to dry, she headed into her bathroom and turned on the shower full force. With the hot water beating down on her, the tightness around her chest finally loosened and her pulse rate slowed. Leaning against the tiled wall, she willed the water to wash away both the memories and the ever-present dread.
Later, dried and wrapped in her sleep shirt, she managed to get down a bowl of soup. Finally, she crawled into the strange bed and tried to empty her mind. She closed her eyes, but the image of the ominous black truck wouldn’t go away. Others might say, in a small town like High Ridge, the man was just being neighborly. He was harmless. What could happen in a nice town like this?
Dana knew. Oh, yes. She knew all too well. So she’d run, just as she always had. Old habits definitely died hard.
And fear never went away.
Chapter Three
He’d had a busy day, taking care of his public business so he could take care of his private activities tonight. In town, he’d heard all about the famous Dana Moretti, best-selling true crime author, who had descended on his small town. Gossip had her digging up old ghosts, but that didn’t worry him. Still, it wouldn’t hurt for him to check her out. Get a handle on her.
Meanwhile, he had things to do that required his attention. Things that satisfied his needs. He looked at the small prepubescent girl in front of him, barely able to stop from smacking his lips.
“Well,” he drawled, “aren’t you just the sweetest little morsel. We’re going to have us some fun.”
Watching her cowering in fear only ramped up the lust blazing through him. When she cried and tried to pull away, he just laughed.
“That’s it,” he crooned. “You go ahead and cry. I love it when they cry.” Then he began to sing. “There was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead…”
Chapter Four
Her hair was spread out on his pillow like a silken fall, the low lamplight catching the golden streaks. He could still feel the anxiety running like a stream beneath her arousal, but the heat in her eyes told him she wanted this. God, he hoped he didn’t fuck it up.
He brushed his mouth over hers then traced the outline of it with his tongue, licking the softness of her lips. When she parted them just slightly, he eased his tongue inside and glided it over the slick inner surface. Her small tongue danced with his, tentatively at first, then exploding like a banked flame.
His cock was so hard he had to grit his teeth to keep from ramming into her. Easy, easy, easy. This is a frightened bird you’ve got here. Don’t attack like some berserker.
He kissed her cheeks, the line of her jaw, licked the soft spot behind her ear before trailing his tongue down the slender column of her neck. Her skin was like the softest satin, so smooth against his tongue. She moaned beneath him, delicious little sounds that made his balls ache.
Her hands fluttered against his back, then clutched at his muscles as his mouth found one stiff nipple. He sucked it, hard, pulling it into his mouth. Scraping it with his teeth. Nibbling then licking it to soothe the ache. When he had the one fully swollen and pebbled, he turned his attention to the other.
Beneath him, she moved restlessly, her thighs bracketing his, her body trembling as he teased and aroused her. He wanted her more than ready when he finally entered her. This would be it. The thrust that broke down all the walls. The moment that chased whatever demons kept her emotionally locked up.
In slow increments, he worked his way down her body, licking the soft flesh of her tummy, tracing the whole of her navel, until he reached the soft nest of pubic curls. He tugged them lightly with his teeth before moving lower and taking one long, slow lick of her slit.
