CHAPTER Thirty Five
Both Ross and Camille had never been so eager to get to work, finish a shift, and get back to the boathouse. With the sexual tension hanging in the air, their four-hour shift seemed like an eternity. And as usual, Ross finished first and went to the bar for a beer as he waited for Camille.
As promised, Ike had stopped in and offered Ross the seat next to him. Although it made Camille feel a bit weird, Ross and Ike actually liked each other and seemed to get along great.
Before Camille could get free, Ross had another text from Janelle. She was at St. Louis Lambert Airport and needed a ride.
“Shit!” Ross said, placing his phone on the bar a little too forcefully. “What’s wrong, man?” Ike asked.
Ross couldn’t supply all the details, such as how he had to drive all the way to St. Louis and pick up his ex when all he had been dreaming of the past few hours was fucking Ike’s ex. Aside from that, Ross found the situation miserably humorous.
“My ex is moving closer to us because she’s a little spooked with Simpson still out there. She’s at the airport in St. Louis and needs someone to pick her up, and I guess that would be me.” Ross’s sarcasm was followed by a laborious sigh.
“I take it driving to St. Louis and back tonight was not in your plans?”
Ike said with a grin. “Not exactly.”
If Ross didn’t know better, he would say Ike knew precisely why he was so disappointed, and that was just weird.
“I’ll go get her,” Ike said casually, shrugging his shoulders. Camille had walked up behind them and heard Ike’s offer. “Go get who?” she asked.
“His ex needs a ride from Lambert. I said I’ll go get her.”
“Are you sure?” Ross asked. “That’s five hours total on the road this evening.”
“The roads are clear, and this is my first beer, so I’m good. Why not? I’d just be sittin’ here all night, gettin’ drunk, probably bein’ a pain in your ass,” Ike said, laughing a little.
“Do you think Janelle will be upset with you sending someone she doesn’t even know to pick her up?” Camille said, a little leery.
“Let’s find out,” Ross said, dialing her on FaceTime.
When Janelle picked up, Ross didn’t ask her opinion on the matter.
He explained that Ike would be picking her up, then turned the phone to show his face.
Ike waved and said hi, and Ross really gave her no choice.
He wasn’t going to fuck up his incredible luck getting Ike to make the trip to St. Louis for him.
After they hung up, Camille was curious about where Janelle was staying, hoping she didn’t expect to bunk with them.
“Where is she staying?”
Ross had not thought about it, and like Camille, didn’t want to entertain his ex-wife at their place.
“Drop her off at a motel in Marion. We’ll go see her tomorrow,” Ross said hastily. This was too much to think about. He was growing impatient, wanting to get back to the boathouse with Camille.
“Give me her number so I can call her when I get there,” Ike answered, digging for his wallet to pay for his beer.
“No, man. I got this,” Ross said, throwing a ten on the bar. In the next moment, Ross grabbed Camille’s arm and headed out the door.
“I’ll text you when she’s safe and sound in a motel,” Ike said, smiling. He knew that look in Ross’s eyes, and he really couldn’t blame him for being in such a hurry.
Ike was more than happy to make this trip.
He had heard all about Janelle’s harrowing experience with Simpson, and there was nothing more important to him than making sure she was safe.
He knew firsthand the emotional damage that an encounter with Shane Simpson inflicted.
So, for the next five hours or so, Janelle Paine was Ike’s top priority, and he took the responsibility seriously.
Back at the boathouse, Ross had his shirt off and was unbuckling his pants before Camille even walked through the door. She was so amused. She couldn’t resist being a bit of a tease.
“Oh, Ross, I’m just too tired. I’m sorry.” Her coy smile gave her away.
She was a horrible actress.
Ross had no time to entertain her foolish games.
His response was to pull her sweater over her head, pick her up, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her to the bedroom, which Camille thought was outrageously hot.
When he tossed her down onto the bed, he straddled her and held her arms above her head, leaned down, and began kissing her neck, making that sexy, clinching feeling pulse between her legs.
Ross knew that look Camille gave when she was turned on, and there was no way she could convince him she was too tired to fuck.
“Still too tired?” he asked mockingly, as one hand kept her arms secure, and the other was lightly rubbing her breast through the sheer fabric of her bra, making her nipple hard. Camille sighed and gave him that desperate look Ross knew he could fix.
“Miraculously, I’m wide awake,” she said, smiling.
Ross watched as she hastily removed her bra. Ross had been thinking of this moment all day, and the anticipation was killing him. There was no time to take things slow.
Ross pulled Camille to him and took turns first kissing one breast and then the other. He swirled her tight nipple with his tongue, stopping only to suck lightly. Camille writhed and moaned as she slipped out of her jeans.
Ross slipped his hand down the front of her panties, swirling his fingers over the top of her smoothness, making her release that sexy, little whimper that Ross fucking loved.
“That little noise you make. Damn, if you only knew what that does to me.” His lips grazed her neck, and Camille moved her head to guide his kisses.
When Ross’s lips landed their first kiss on her neck, Camille melted into him. And when he slipped two fingers inside her, Camille was nearly out of her mind.
“I want you, Ross,” she said, aching to have him. When Ross saw her face, so needy, so aroused, he knew their foreplay had lasted an entire shift, so there was nothing left to do but make love to her.
Ross put one of her legs up onto his shoulder and wasted no time giving a single bold thrust that he held deep.
He watched as she pleasured herself— her face, her eyes, her mouth.
He watched how they all responded. He was stroking in and out now, and when he felt the onset of his climax, he had to close his eyes and absorb all the pleasure of the moment.
The anticipation, the fury, and the rawness made his buildup quick but intense.
And when he felt Camille’s release, Ross had no choice but to climax with her.
Camille pushed up into him and held herself there, off the bed, feeling Ross’s throbbing release deep inside her.
“Oh, fuck, Ross.”
“Shit! That’s it, baby.” His moan was deep and sexy. “You’re gripping me so tight.”
There was silence as they let their pleasure run its course, and then they both collapsed back onto the bed.
The lovers lay there in each other’s arms, neither one needing words.
It was perfect. Their moment was perfect.
Their silence was understood and not awkward, but peaceful and reassuring.
Their lives were amid dangerous chaos, and this moment together gave them the hope and strength to look with clarity to the uncertain days ahead.
Friday would bring unimaginable danger and suspense, but here, in each other’s arms, they felt the weight of their lives lift, and they had the unmistakable belief that together they could do anything.
Their calm peacefulness continued into the rest of the evening and night as they spent some time cooking dinner and drinking a new beer, Camille’s dad was extra proud to perfect. And then Ross got a text.
IKE: Janelle is safe and sound in my truck.
I’ll let you know when we get back to the area.
“What was that all about?” Camille asked, hearing Ross’s phone ping. “It was Ike. He just picked up Janelle.”
Camille was a little confused.
“Since when does Ike have your number?” Camille questioned. “Are you jealous?” he said with a smirk.
Camille supposed she should be over-the-moon excited that her ex and her current boyfriend were getting so chummy, but she still thought it was a little weird.
“No,” she laughed, “but things might get really weird around here with both our exes hanging around.”
Ross couldn’t disagree. He had been thinking the same thing.
“The part that I hate is I’m afraid to be myself around you when Janelle is with us,” Ross admitted.
“I completely understand, like at the bar before. I would have wrapped my arms around you and kissed you, but Ike was there, so I didn’t.”
“Well, if those two hang around very long, we’ll just have to get over it and get on with our lives,” Ross said sternly.
“So, you mean if you’re with Ike and I want to do this,” Camille said, running her palm down the length of his bare chest and hooking her fingers in his briefs, “I should just do it?”
Ross was caught off guard at first, but now he thought he’d play along.
“Definitely! And if Janelle is around and I want to do this,” he said, running his hands up under her t-shirt, along her sides, and then sliding them over enough to cup and squeeze her bare breasts, “I have full permission?”
His gaze was tantalizing and sexy, and even though Camille knew damn good and well Ross would never do such a thing in front of his ex-wife, she decided to play the game by arching her back to meet every firm squeeze.
“Yes! Just like that, for sure,” she answered, closing her eyes. But it was when she bit her bottom lip that Ross felt an arousing tingle that could have heated things up again.
RING!!
His phone startled them both.
Ross looked at a random number on the screen.
This time it wasn’t Janelle or Ike. When he answered, there was an eerie hollowness from the other end, and Ross bristled.
He knew exactly who it was, and his sexy moment with his love was over when Shane Simpson spoke.
His voice was an intimidating growl that Ross would never forget.
“Good evening, Ross.”
The way Simpson said Ross’s name was both sarcastic and terrifyingly mocking.
Ross remained silent.
“Having a nice time at the brewery? Nice place, for sure. I checked it out the other day. It was a shame you and Camille were gone. I was hoping to catch up a bit. Camille’s mom is nice, though. Marla? Right?”
Ross’s anger piqued. He couldn’t help himself, and he played right into Simpson’s mind game. “You son of a bitch!”
Simpson laughed, knowing his comment hit home, and he hung up, leaving Ross both furious and completely freaked out.
Camille could tell by Ross’s expression that it was Simpson, and she suddenly had an empty, dead feeling inside.
Their romantic, playful night was spoiled by their dreadful reality—Shane Simpson was after them, and they both knew he was a ruthless killer who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
Ross immediately called Ike. There was no way he wanted the two of them anywhere near the area with Simpson’s eyes all over the place. Janelle was moving closer for safety. The last thing in the world he wanted was to expose her to more danger.
“Hey, Ike, I can’t explain right now, but don’t bring Janelle back to this area. I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you just stop somewhere and stay the night, and I’ll call you in the morning?”
Ross tried to sound casual, but his tone was obvious, and Ike knew better than to question him.
Ike and Janelle were about forty miles west of Mt.
Vernon, so Ike stopped at the first motel he saw, trying not to alarm Janelle, but she had heard the entire conversation over the speaker in his truck anyway.
She heard the same urgency and fear from Ross that Ike did, and she was terrified.
Despite Ike’s own fear, he knew he had to keep her calm and safe, so assuming this responsibility gave him focus.
“We’re gonna be okay, Janelle. Ross called to protect us. We just need to stay away from the area right now,” he repeated. “Everything will be okay in the morning.”
After hanging up with Ike, Ross was pacing the length of the boathouse. Now, all of the images of his dream were vivid in his mind, and the plan they’d hatched with the feds seemed futile. Simpson had the upper hand in this battle, and Ross just didn’t know how to change that.
Camille was getting nervous watching Ross pace and had a more practical and productive solution.
She called Agent Brawn and gave her an update.
Camille’s most urgent worry was her parents.
Ross told her about Shane’s reference to her mother, and the thought of such a depraved killer setting his sights on her parents was chilling.
Protecting them was her top priority. If something happened to them, she could not live with herself.
“Can you send a squad car out here or something?”
“Agent Younger is off for the night, but I’ll head that way,” Agent Brawn replied. “Stay put in the boathouse until I get there.”
“I want to go check on my folks.” Camille was adamant. “I suggest you stay put, but if you leave, take a gun.”