Redemption’s Inferno (Inferno #3)

Chapter 12

T hey were just sitting down to supper when there was a light knock on the kitchen door and Nate came in. Dolores got up and accepted a kiss on the cheek before pulling out another plate and silverware for him .

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, dropping into a chair. “But I have information and thought we should talk about…things.” He glanced at Chains and then at Emilie .

“What kind of information?” she asked slowly, setting down her fork .

“You’re going to ruin dinner!” Dolores protested .

“That’s all right, I need to hear it,” Emilie said quietly .

“I saw the autopsy,” Nate said. “Adam Brown died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. His death was almost instant and even if you’d been there, he still would have died long before help could have arrived .”

“I-I don’t understand…” Emilie felt tears puddling in her eyes and she blinked rapidly to keep them from falling as she struggled to process what he’d just said .

“It wasn’t your fault, love.” Chains instantly leaned over to wrap his arms around her trembling body. Again. It was getting to be a habit but he hadn’t even hesitated .

“It’s a disease that hits young men and women under 30,” Nate continued. “It’s some sort of thickening of the muscles in the heart and sometimes it just comes on suddenly—no warning, no symptoms, just instant death. From what it said in the report, he would have died even if it had happened in a hospital. They closed the case because it was obvious whomever had been with him had panicked and ran, thinking they might have been in trouble, but that’s not the case. This wasn’t your fault, Emilie .”

Big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks and she hung her head, shoulders heaving as she sobbed. Chains pulled her close and her tears soaked into his shirt as her fingers gripped his biceps .

“If you’re still determined to turn yourself in,” Nate said after a moment. “I can help you with that, but I have a suggestion that might suit your needs better .”

Emilie took the tissues Chains proffered and blew her nose, wiping her face and finally looking up. “Sorry, I guess that was a long time coming .”

“All right, love?” Chains leaned over and pressed a light kiss on her cheek, keeping his arm around her as she tried to compose herself .

“Yes, thank you.” She gave him a grateful look, squeezing his knee under the table and smiling at him .

“Adam’s parents still live up in Ashbourne, not too far from here. If you’d like me to call a colleague over there, I could probably arrange to have you talk with them. Perhaps that would give you the relief you seek without having to go through the police. Leaving a dead body behind…could be a mess of paperwork, but at this point, I can’t imagine getting more than some sort of community service or probation .”

“His parents live nearby? Here?” She stared at him .

“If you’d like, I can make some calls, see if I can arrange a meeting.” He paused, cocking his head. “There’s nothing you could have done. Terrible tragedy, but those types of things happen and you were young and scared. There’s no point in going to the police. They’ll be forced to reopen the case and—” He held out a file folder. “The autopsy report is here. He died in less than a minute. Apparently, no one knew he had this condition, so he was a walking time bomb. Let it go, Emilie .”

“I want to talk to his parents,” she said, clearing her throat. “Tell them what I’ve done. If they want me to turn myself in, I will. If they don’t, if they’re comfortable with the story of what happened, I’ll let it go .”

Nate nodded. “All right then. I’ll make the call tomorrow .”

“That means we can’t leave just yet,” Chains reminded her .

“I know.” She nodded. “It’s okay. At least now I know what happened.” She stood up and looked at Dolores. “Please excuse me for a few minutes—I need to gather my thoughts .”

“Take your time, dear.” Dolores nodded .

“Call down if you need me, yeah?” Chains met her gaze, hoping the look in his eyes told her he was there for her. He had no idea what she was feeling right now, but if the intensity he felt was even half of what she felt, she had to be overwhelmed .

“Thanks.” She squeezed his hand and disappeared up the stairs .

“Go after her,” Dolores murmured once she was gone. “She needs you, no matter what she says .”

Chains arched a brow. “You’ve got us for at least one more day,” he replied. “Give the matchmaking a break and let her have a good cry in private. I’ll go check on her once she’s got it out of her system. She needs to be alone right now .”

Nate nodded. “I think he’s right on this one, love. Give her a few moments to process everything. If she’s been carrying around guilt all this time, she’ll want time to herself .”

W hen Chains checked on her a couple of hours later, Emilie was asleep on the bed, curled in a fetal position, her phone in her hand. Gently prying it from her fingers, he could see she’d been talking with her twin, Sebastian. It was in Swedish, and his grasp of the language was minimal, but he was glad she’d reached out to him .

He put her phone on the nightstand and was about to tiptoe out again when he heard a whisper in the darkened room. “Stay with me. Please .”

“Whatever you need, love.” He slid onto the bed and pulled her close, letting her snuggle against him .

“Touch me. Will you…touch me? Not…sex… I just need to feel alive. I’m so…cold on the inside .”

“I can do that, yeah.” He ran one hand up her forearm and across her shoulders, slowly but with enough pressure to let her know he was there. He used his thumb to trace along the line of her jaw, back in the other direction and then along the sensitive spots behind her ear. With his other hand, he moved under her shirt and splayed his fingers on her back, moving from the base of her spine up over her bra strap and towards her shoulders. Hesitantly, he dipped back to her bra strap and deftly unhooked it, letting the two sides come apart so he could move up and down her back uninhibited. A little sigh escaped her and he used both hands to stroke her skin, touching everything exposed; her back, her arms, her neck and face, and finally her legs. Keeping his touch firmer than a romantic caress, but gentle enough to be soothing, he continued to move from top to bottom, until he was positive he was going to explode if he didn’t kiss her. He couldn’t though. Not tonight. If she wanted him, she had to come to him. She was emotional and vulnerable; it would be twenty kinds of wrong if he enticed her at a time like this .

“Oh!” Her whimper of distress when he pulled away nearly made him groan aloud .

“Baby, I can’t keep touching you without…” He put his big hands on either side of her face, looking down into eyes that sparkled blue even with nothing but moonlight to illuminate them. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and I’m only human, Em .”

“Kiss me,” she whispered, meeting his gaze with a look that could only be described as longing. “I need you .”

He swallowed, bending his head to brush his lips across hers, letting them linger for barely a heartbeat before moving away slightly. “What, exactly, do you need, love ?”

“I…” Her voice trailed off as she looked at him, more aware of him than she’d ever been before. His steely gray eyes, the deep cleft in his chin, and a mouth that made her shudder with desire. Until now she hadn’t been able to think of sex as anything but a way to get release; the intensity in Chains’ eyes told her this would be something very, very different .

“I, I don’t know what I need,” she admitted. “Except you…this… It’s been there, simmering just under the surface, but I couldn’t… It wouldn’t have been right to be together when I had nothing to give you .”

“And now?” His chest tightened at the pleasure her words brought him, even though the thought of being with her terrified him .

“I’m divorced, and I didn’t kill that boy. Now there’s nothing ugly inside of me …”

“There was never anything ugly inside of you,” he whispered, pulling her astride him and letting his hands move to her hips. “You were young and foolish, but there was no malice in your heart; you’re beautiful inside and out, Em.” His lips found hers with passion he’d been holding in check for what seemed like forever. He pressed his tongue between them and the first touch was scorching. Though desperate to consume her, he took his time, letting her guide their first kiss so he could follow her signals. She seemed content to take it slow, however, and eased against him as their lips nipped and explored every crevice of each other’s mouths .

She was even sweeter than he’d imagined, tasting of toothpaste mingled with remnants of the wine she’d had at dinner. When he finally tore his mouth away so he could feast on her skin, it was even better than her lips. The faint scent of whatever soap she’d used when she’d showered still lingered, but when mixed with the natural saltiness of her skin and the musty scent of her arousal, it was an overwhelming barrage to his senses. Lifting himself into a sitting position, he kept her on his lap, one of her legs on either side of him. Now that he knew he was going to have her, he went back to touching her, using his hands to explore her body step by step, inch by inch. He would know all of it tonight, and he gently tugged at her shirt, waiting until she lifted her arms so he could take it off .

The already unhooked bra slipped off as well, so he pulled her against him, flattening her small, round breasts against his chest. The sensation made him grip her tighter, sliding one hand into her shorts and cupping the soft, round ass he’d thought about sinking his teeth into many times. With a sigh of total satisfaction, he bent his head and used firm lips to suck one of her nipples into his mouth. She moaned, her head falling back and that mane of glorious, silky blond hair trailing down her back and onto the tops of his thighs .

“Someday I’m going to wrap those beautiful locks in my fist while I fuck you,” he growled against her chest .

Her answering whimper told him the idea turned her on and he smiled. “But not tonight. Tonight…I think you want to be loved. Don’t you, Emilie? You want me to love you ?”

She swallowed hard but nodded slowly .

“When was the last time someone made you come without restraints or a paddle or anything except his cock ?”

She licked her lips and sucked in a tiny breath. “I-I can’t remember. Maybe never .”

“No one’s ever made love to you?” he asked in confusion, his eyes meeting hers .

“Well, yes, of course…but I, I don’t get off that way .”

Challenge accepted . He slid his hands down her sides and used one of them to unbutton her shorts. “Take them off, love .”

She did as he asked, leaning back and raising her hips so he could pull them free of her legs. He desperately wanted to rip off her panties as well, but opted to wait. He knew her well enough to know she was neither shy nor na?ve, but after the week she’d had he wanted to work his way up to each new step they took. He also wanted to get her worked up; the idea she could only get off if she was restrained or involved in some other variation of kinky sex bothered him. He enjoyed kink as well, and had played in BDSM clubs all over the world, but those times when he enjoyed the simple pleasure of making love were magnificent too. Just two mouths and bodies intertwined, lost in each other, immersed in the feeling of being skin on skin, mouth to mouth, fingers gripped tightly together. How could she have gone so many years without experiencing the pleasure of that kind of sex as well? It was erotic and primal to get a woman off with nothing but his cock and his kisses .

When he gave her his tongue he was gratified she immediately sucked it deep into her mouth. He could kiss her for an eternity and he desperately needed to know she felt the same. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind he became aware he had no condoms nearby and he hissed in frustration .

“What is it?” she asked .

“Condoms are in my bag in the loo,” he muttered .

“Go on then,” she teased, running a hand over the erection pushing through his shorts. “Before you hurt yourself .”

He snorted, pressing a quick kiss to her lips as he moved away from her and slipped down the hall to grab the single condom in his bag. He hadn’t planned on having sex while at his mother’s house, so that was all he had with him. One wouldn’t be nearly enough, he thought with a grimace, but it would have to do for tonight. Tomorrow he would—he shook his head abruptly, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. Tomorrow they would hopefully meet with Adam Brown’s parents and then this would be over and they could get back to Las Vegas, where they were just friends. Another few days of this pretend romance and there would be nothing fake about it .

He stepped back into the bedroom and paused as he gazed at her. She’d removed her panties and was on her back, her naked body beckoning to him like a lighthouse in a storm. He’d never wanted a woman so much he couldn’t think straight, but that’s what was happening now. She wasn’t doing a damned thing but waiting for him and she all but had him under a spell. Control , he thought with a wry smile. It was her specialty, yet she wasn’t even aware she was doing it .

He got back on the bed after eliminating his shorts and boxers, pulling her soft, silken body against his. His lips took possession of hers now, his tongue hot and demanding. She moaned into his mouth, fingers digging into his dreads. Women often annoyed him when they tugged on them, but not Emilie. Her grip was sensual but she wasn’t pulling; she was holding on for dear life and he could feel his cock switch into overdrive. He deepened his kiss and reached between her legs, cupping her mound so he could feel her arousal on his fingers. She was so wet and ready, he pushed a finger into her vagina and closed his eyes as she clenched around the invasion. He could feel her trembling with need and he flicked his finger out to rub it up and over her clitoris. She jerked against him, her hips arching forward as he began to stroke her .

“Oh, please…” she whispered .

He ignored her pleas, moving his finger over the sensitive nub until he’d spread her slickness between her folds and she began to pant with need. With his middle finger sliding in and out of her pulsing entrance, he used his thumb to continue tormenting her clit. She moved her hips in time to his strokes, her mouth falling open as she tried to breathe through her muffled cries .

Without warning he removed his hand, leaving her heaving with frustration. He ripped open the condom wrapper with his teeth and slid its contents over his throbbing cock. He needed her like he needed blood in his veins, and he hovered over her. One hand moved to the side of her face as he took her lips yet again, and the other slid under her backside, lifting her just enough for her hips to meet his .

“When I make love to you,” he whispered as he nibbled her ear, “it’s Darryl. When you come, it’s Darryl .”

He paused at the slight wariness in her eyes and he ran a tender thumb across her cheek. “Is it a problem to call me by my given name ?”

“No.” Her voice cracked slightly. “I just…I’ve never come like this before. I don’t want to… disappoint .”

“I’m not your master and this isn’t a sex club—it’s not possible for you to disappoint me. Mutual pleasure and…” He slid his fingers through her wet core once again. “Based on how wet you are, no one is going to be disappointed.” Without waiting, he snapped his hips forward and sheathed himself in one hard thrust. Her breath left her in a rush and she moaned at the intrusion .

Nothing had prepared him for Emilie. Being inside of her was hot and wet and so damn intoxicating he wasn’t sure he could breathe for a minute. He closed his eyes, willing himself not to lose control. She was so tight—it was hard to believe she’d had a baby just over a year ago—he could feel every flutter, every ripple, every damn time her pussy clenched around him. This, he thought briefly, was going to be much, much more than a little holiday romance to get her through a crisis. She wasn’t some charity case he could walk away from without a backward glance—she was absolute perfection. The way her body moved with his could only be described as flawless. She’d adjusted to the way he filled her and now had wrapped one long leg around his back, arching up so she could take him deeper. It was heavenly .