Chapter 18

The phone beside her rang again. “Hello.”

“Hi, sweetheart, how are you doing?”

This was the fourth time Chris had called today. “Fine. I’ve been telling everyone that. Everyone has called me all day. Cora’s called twice, Rachel once, Leena once. Dade sends me text messages, in case I’m resting, so the phone doesn’t ring and disturb me. Owen offered to come over and sit with me.” She laughed. “Doc called to see if I’m drinking enough and of course to see if I’m going to the bathroom often enough. I’m ready to scream, Chris!”

“I know. I would have stayed home if I could have. I couldn’t postpone this court date without notice. Have you been resting, though?”

Kasey sighed. “I passed out in the car last night and don’t remember anything until you kissed me good-bye this morning. I’ve rested enough.”

“Where are you?”

She looked around guiltily. “Downstairs in the living room.”

He cleared his throat. “I thought we agreed you would stay in bed all day?”

Kasey laughed. “No, you decided I would. I didn’t agree to that... request. I was going stir-crazy there in your dark lair, Chris. So, I grabbed my laptop, and I’m slumming in the living room now.”

He let out a loud breath. “Just don’t rush it, Kasey. You were gone far too long last night.”

“I’m okay, Chris. I’ve done rejuvenating baths, and drank all the tea Leena gave me,”

“Have you eaten? I should have thought to have something delivered.”

“I’m fine. Just finish what you have to do and come home.” She lowered her voice. “I’m bored and lonely.”

“I’ll be there in about an hour. Try to have a nap. Everyone is going to be coming over after dinner tonight to see you.”

“Oh. Okay, I’ll behave and rest.”

“Good. Kasey?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

She smiled into the phone. “That’s just what I needed to hear. I love you too, Chris, now get back to work.”

“I will. See you later.”

“Bye.” She set the phone down and turned to scowl back at the lists on her laptop. With over forty pages, it had taken her almost two hours, between phone calls of concern, to highlight all the names with Lawrence or a first name with the initial L in them, all the names with C, and any last names with the first two letters being Pr.

She pouted. I had to lose it before I got the last name, didn’t I? Now what was she supposed to do with the twenty-eight highlighted names? Chris would know.

Chris came through the door dropping his jacket and briefcase on the floor much like Kasey did every time she entered the house. He walked quickly to the living room to see her. She wasn’t there. Maybe she was lying down upstairs again. He turned around and headed back towards the stairs.

“I’m in the kitchen,” she called out to him.

He turned around again. “How are you resting if you’re…” He stopped and stood in the door. Kasey sat perched on the counter with her legs crossed. Wearing only the anklet and little fairy he’d given her.

“I thought about making dinner, and then realized I wasn’t hungry for food.”

His eyes drifted over her slowly. He should be angry she wasn’t resting, but his heart began beating very loudly in his chest, distracting him. “No?” Walking towards her, he grinned. “Other appetites?” She nodded and reached to circle her arms around his neck. “What are you hungry for?” he asked against her neck.

“You.”

He kissed her shoulder gently. “Feeling better then?”

“Mmm.” Her lips brushed over his throat as she pulled his tie off. “Uncomfortably so.” Uncrossing her legs, she pulled his hand from her hip and placed it between her legs. “See?”

He’d never gotten so hard this quickly in his life. Just feeling the heat between her legs had him hissing out a breath. “I could hurt you this way.”

She pushed his shirt down his arms, cuff links hitting the floor as it went over his hands. She ran her hands down his chest roughly, stopping when she reached for his belt. “Let’s try and see.” She licked one of his nipples. “I missed you today.”

Chris waited for her to push his pants over his hips, then gripped her hips tightly. Lowering his head until he reached her breast, he bit it gently. “I thought I’d lost you...” He moved his lips over and sucked the other nipple greedily. “I need you so fuckin’ much, Kassandra. Don’t ever do that to me again.” His voice was low.

Kasey pulled his mouth up to hers as her small hand closed around him. “Show me.” She bit his bottom lip. “Now.”

He was vibrating with needing her as she stroked the hard length of him. Briefly he thought of how he’d almost lost her as he pulled her hips to the edge of the counter. He held her there as he reached down and aligned their bodies. Grasping her under the knees, he thrust into her without warning. He shuddered from how wet she was. As she threw her head back and moaned, he lost all reasoning he was struggling to hang on to.

“Yes,” she growled.

He thrust into her harder, groaning as her muscles clenched around him. Thrusting faster, he lowered his mouth to pull her nipple with his teeth. She cried out and grasped his head. He pulled her harder to meet each thrust. She groaned and bit into his arm as she came violently.

Panting to breathe, he kept thrusting into her, holding her still, until he shuddered and hissed as he came so hard it almost hurt.

Pulling her damp body tight against him, he took a deep breath and waited until he could speak again. “Did I hurt you?” He panted against her neck.

She licked his shoulder. “In a very delicious way,” she gasped.

He pulled back to look at her heavy green eyes. “I think I’ve created a very wanton little witch.”

She smiled and ran her tongue over his lips. “Is that bad?”

Chris pulled her from the counter, still inside her, and carried her on shaky legs towards the stairs. “Oh no, that’s very good.” He kissed her roughly. “I have six years of fantasies to act out.”

Kasey chuckled against his shoulder. “Do any of them involve my mouth? Because I’d really like to try that again.” He groaned and started walking up the stairs faster.

After everyone arrived and she had assured each one she was completely fine, she settled in Chris’s lap. “So, I had lots of time today to...” She looked around the living room before remembering she’d taken her laptop upstairs. She jumped up from Chris’s lap so fast she teetered for a second before she literally ran out of the room. “Be right back,” she called over her shoulder.

Dade laughed and looked at Chris. “Well she didn’t stay down long.”

Chris grinned. “No.” He looked around. “We have about a minute before she flies back in. Would anyone like a beer or wine?”

“I’ll help,” Dade said, getting up.

Steven grabbed Chris’s arm on the way by and looked at the marks on his bicep. “You should put something on this, you can die from human bites.”

Chris grinned. “But what a great way to go.”

Dade grabbed the beer while Chris poured the wine. Chris stood for a moment looking at the counter.

“Larkin? You okay?”

Chris turned. “What? Oh, fine, just got lost for a minute there.” He patted the countertop. “I love this counter.” He grinned at Dade.

Dade looked at him curiously, and then at the counter, and sighed. “Please. Teeth marks, counter obsessions, I can’t bear to know.”

Chris laughed and walked out carrying the tray of glasses. Grabbing the beer, Dade followed him. Just before he reached the living room, he stopped and held out a glass. Dade stopped abruptly behind him.

Kasey flew around the corner with a handful of papers. “Oh!” She stopped and took the glass from him, then reached up and kissed him. “Thanks.” She smiled and walked in to join the others.

Dade chuckled, following behind.

“Okay.” Setting the wineglass down before she spilled it, Kasey sat on the floor. “I was bored silly this afternoon, so I went over those lists again.”

She hopped back up to her feet. “I highlighted all the names with Lawrence or L and with C as an initial, same for the last names beginning with Pr.” She paced, flipping through the pages. “That gives us twenty-eight possibilities instead of six miles of names.”

Chris reached out and pulled her, with the pages, onto his lap. “This is great.” He looked through a few pages. “I can see if we can dig up anything on these.” He grinned at her. “And we’ll send them to Patrick.” Passing them to Owen, he looked around the room. “Have we reached any decisions about Lammas?”

Cora looked around at the men. “What do you mean?”

Steven lowered the beer from his mouth. “He means are we going? Do we really want to place any of the four of you women in danger again?”

Leena looked at Owen for a moment. “Couldn’t we have been involved in this discussion also?”

Steven opened his mouth, then closed it and looked at Dade.

Dade shrugged and was about to speak when he turned and Cora glared at him. “I just spoke to Gwen today. We are going to Lammas, and that sick man will not hurt another woman!”

Dade closed his mouth.

Kasey squirmed off of Chris’s lap and picked up her wine to sip. “I agree.” She looked at Chris with that look that dared him to defy her decision.

He glanced at the four women. Sighing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Justin said there’s a cottage on the site large enough for the eight of us.”

Steven ran his hand over his face and looked over at Rachel. “Who is going to make the shopping list?”

Cora smiled sweetly at Dade. “Have any of you made a decision on how and when we’re getting to the location Rhonda is at this weekend?”

Dade lifted a hand toward Chris.

Chris shook his head. “We’ll be going in four different cars, all taking different routes. Patrick is going to call me with the rest of the details Friday night.”

Kasey rested against his legs. “Has he said how she’s doing?”

Chris smirked. “Yes. He said she was easier to watch over when she was unconscious.”

All the men laughed into their drinks, earning several scowls.