5
“ H ave a drink with me,” I say to Jace as he turns to leave, his fingers already on the door handle after making sure I got back safe.
He pauses and glances over his shoulder at me. “Are you sure?”
I don’t want to be alone just yet; my mind is spinning, and I could use someone to talk to.
“I’m sure.”
Turning, he releases the door and watches as I pour us both a drink. The only thing I have in here is some small bottles of vodka and lemonade, but he seems unbothered when I hand him one. There isn’t a great deal of space in this room, so we have no choice but to sit on the end of the bed.
“Do you think the girl has something to do with me?” I ask, sipping the drink.
Jace glances at me. God he’s handsome, in such a boy next door kind of way. I’m reminded why I was so obsessed with him all those years ago.
“It is weird, I will say, but I don’t know why someone would do that. Is it to make a point? To get you to leave?”
I didn’t think of that, but it is a valid option. “It could be. Harry suggested it could be a copycat. Maybe with me being back in town, and everything being stirred up, someone thought now would be a great time to dive in?”
Jace nods, his face thoughtful. “It’s possible for sure.”
“I just hope it isn’t because of me. I could never live with myself if a girl went missing all because I came back to town.”
Jace turns toward me, reaching over and taking my hand. “You can’t control anyone else’s actions, Mera. You’re a good person; I’ve always believed that. Don’t let them get you down or stand in your way.”
God dammit.
He’s so sweet.
Our eyes remain locked, and the air in the room suddenly grows thick as sexual tension rises. It has been so long since I’ve been with a man, and I’m not going to give up the chance to be with Jace. He’s one of the good ones, and judging by the look he’s giving me, he feels the same.
Before I know it, we’re moving closer, and then his lips are on mine. I whimper as he consumes me with a deep, hot kiss. We quickly become a tangle of arms and legs as he pulls me onto his lap, his rigid cock pressing against my entrance as I grind against him, feeling a tingle of pleasure beginning deep inside. I moan, rocking harder, desperately seeking that release.
The door swings open.
Jerking back, I stumble off Jace’s lap in confusion, spinning around to see Wolfe standing in the doorway, his eyes burning with something I can’t read. Jace launches to his feet, his chest rising and falling as he turns toward the intrusion. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”
“Get out,” Wolfe orders, unbothered.
“I don’t fucking think so,” Jace growls.
Wolfe reaches around behind him, pulling out a gun. I gasp, and Jace takes a step back. “I said fuckin’ get out.”
“It’s okay,” I say to Jace. “Go.”
Giving me a concerned look, he hesitantly leaves the room, clearly not wanting to leave. “Call me, Mera. Soon.”
Wolfe steps aside, keeping the gun trained on him as he leaves, and when he’s gone, he kicks the door shut before turning back to me. I back up until I hit the bed and slowly lower myself down until I’m sitting on the edge. Wolfe, not saying a single word, puts the gun back into his pants and walks toward me. I hold my breath, unsure what his next move is or why he’s even here.
“That guy? And you had the nerve to question my taste in women.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from saying something sarcastic.
“Never heard a moan so fuckin’ fake in all my life.”
The nerve of this man.
“I was enjoying myself until you so rudely interrupted.”
“We both know you weren’t enjoyin’ shit. Would have taken that fucker ten more minutes to get a mild orgasm out of you.”
My mouth drops open. “Oh, okay then. Are you an expert now?”
He leans forward, putting his hands on his knees until our eyes meet. “I could have you moaning my name in less than two minutes.”
I snort.
He lowers down to his knees, taking one of mine in his hand and pushing my legs open until he’s nestled in between them. I open my mouth to argue, but no words come out. His finger trails up the side of my thigh, finding the hem of my skirt. He shoves it up, pushing it around my hips and then his fingers are gliding toward my panties.
“Just help yourself why don’t you,” I say, but my voice is more of a breathy whisper than a retort.
“You can say stop at any point,” he murmurs.
So why aren’t I?
Is it because the hum deep in my groin is so intense that I’m not willing to push it away, or maybe it’s that the man between my legs is so fucking edible that I just want to know how it feels to be touched by him? Some would call this obsession; I call it curiosity.
His fingers slide my panties to the side, exposing me. I bite my lower lip, heart racing as he carefully pushes his fingers between my folds, finding me wet. A low growl leaves his throat as he runs his fingers up and down, before pushing the two middle ones deep inside me. I gasp, reaching back and gripping the sheets as he curls those fingers up while using his thumb to find my clit.
His hand is upside down, and the pressure of his fingers inside me and his thumb on my clit is exhilarating. I gasp as he begins slow circles with his thumb, rubbing it over my already swelling clit. The sensation already building in me far outweighs the one I had with Jace, and I inwardly curse because he’s right.
He can make me cum, and he can do it in minutes.
He fucks me with his fingers, never once taking his eyes off mine. Dragging them in and out, slick with my arousal, he knows I can’t hold on, that I’m getting close, because a slow grin spreads across his face. He just won, and he knows it. I don’t have time to curse at him, because an orgasm washes over me, causing my body to jerk and my moans to fill the room.
God damn him.
He keeps his fingers inside me until I’ve finished shaking, and only then does he pull them out.
“Less than two minutes,” he murmurs, bringing his fingers to his lips and sliding them into his mouth.
Holy shit.
My pussy clenches, wanting more, hating that he has this effect on me.
“He warmed me up,” I throw at him, my voice hoarse. “You just finished me off.”
Pushing to his feet, he keeps the grin.
“Tell yourself whatever you like, Kitten, but we both know you’re thinkin’ about how it would feel to fuck me. Unlucky for you, that’s the only taste you’ll ever get. I am only insulted once.”
Turning, he strides toward the door.
My mouth drops open.
“What makes you think I want more?” I yell.
He glances back at me, gives a small tip of his lips, then he is gone.
Mother fucker.
STARING DOWN AT THE box of things, my heart feels much like it’s lodged in my throat. Harry gave me a small box of things he had taken from the house when it started getting vandalized in hopes that if I ever came back he would have something to give me that belonged to my mother. It warms my heart that he had that thought, but I guess he knew one day I might return looking for answers.
The box is small, but it doesn’t make it any easier to open.
I left with nothing, nothing but memories and trauma. I didn’t take a single item I owned, and I regret that. No matter what my father did, I had treasures that I loved in that house, that I wished I would have taken. I don’t know what this box holds, but I hope it’s something special, something I can hang onto.
Exhaling, I push it open and reveal the contents inside.
The first thing I find is a stuffed bunny sitting on top, its pink matted fur a reminder of just how much it was loved.
Tears spring to my eyes as I lift it, bringing it close and hugging it tight. I got this bunny when I was born, and I slept with it every single night until the night I left. It was one thing I truly struggled without, and holding it now brings a comfort I didn’t realize I needed.
It is in this moment I realize just how alone I have been.
Carefully placing the bunny down, I reach in and pull out a jewelry box. Memories flash through my mind as I remember my mother showing me her treasures and explaining where they all came from. My heart aches as I open it, pulling out a long gold chain with a diamond on the end.
Tears roll down my cheeks, and I move to get comfortable, causing the box to slip off my lap. It falls to the ground, and all the contents fall out. The box itself is that old that it cracks and breaks, falling apart right before my eyes.
“Oh, no,” I cry, frantically reaching for it.
Gathering it up, I carefully pick up all the pieces, and that’s when I see a small, folded piece of paper. It isn’t very big, and I’m not certain where it came from. Frowning, I lift up the box and see that when it fell apart, it revealed a tiny space beneath it that was sealed, or at least, was meant to be secret. Whatever that paper is, my mother had it hidden.
I can’t move quick enough to pick it up, and when I unfold it, I see it’s a letter.
What I read changes absolutely everything.
My love,
I wish things hadn’t ended like this. I would do anything to take my mistake back. I shouldn’t have come to your home, I shouldn’t have risked everything.
I need you to know that I will do anything to get you by my side.
I know he is your husband, and I know that you love your daughter, but I can love you both in a way he never will.
Our love is real, it’s pure, and I know you don’t want to live without it.
I’m so sorry he found out. It is all my fault.
You tell me what you need from me, and I will do it.
Tell me and I will fix it.
Please tell me it isn’t really over.
Tell me that we can be together again.
Please, my sweet, I can’t live without you.
Forever yours,
Paul xo
Wait.
This can’t be right.
My mother was having an affair?
That’s the only thing that makes sense when I read this letter.
My father found out, is that why she suddenly passed away?
When was this letter written?
Who is Paul?
I have so many unanswered questions, but I know for certain a tiny piece of the puzzle has just been put into place, and I need to find out more. Gently placing everything back in the box, I tuck the letter into my pocket and begin the walk to the police station. I need to talk to Harry, maybe he knows something.
This could be a lead.
It could help.
Keeping my head down, I ignore the stares as I hurry to my destination. Once I arrive, as usual, the receptionist calls Harry out without saying a single word to me. She knows by now who I am here to see, and she has made it clear she thinks of me the same way everyone else in this town does.
“Mera, is everything okay?” Harry asks, appearing from the hallway.
“Can I have a word?”
He nods, and I follow him to his office.
As soon as the door is closed, I hand him the letter.
“I found this in my mother’s things. It was hidden.”
Opening the letter, Harry reads the words, his eyes widening. Once he is done, he looks up at me. “Your mother was having an affair?”
I shake my head in confusion. “I don’t know, but that’s what it sounds like, right?”
He nods. “I have to agree.”
“Do you have any idea who this Paul might be? It’s a small town, how many can there be?”
Harry purses his lips. “There is a Paul that comes to mind. He lives two houses down from you, actually. He mostly keeps to himself, but he seems like a kind enough fellow.”
“What’s his last name?”
“I can’t give you that, Mera.”
No, I guess he can’t, but he did just tell me where he lives without thinking.
“I’ll figure it out,” I say, taking the letter back. “Do you think this could be why my father killed her?”
“We don’t have any kind of proof that he did ...”
Harry’s eyes are gentle, but stern. I can see he’s worried about me, that he is scared I am going down a dark hole I can’t escape from, but he has to know that I can’t just let this go. Not now.
“You and I both know that he had something to do with it, one way or another.”
Harry exhales. “I have put forward a request to open the case again, hopefully I will have an answer in the next few days. Until then, try not to let your mind get away from you. I don’t want to see you tangled up in something you can’t control.”
I offer him a smile. “I’ll be careful.”
Finishing up with Harry, I leave the station determined.
Two houses down from my old place.
I’m going to see if I can find Paul.