Closing The Gap (Dangerous Pasts, #1) (16 page)

He’d stopped touching her so her eyes flew open.  Her gaze touched his and he saw the need reflected there. 

“First, I’m going to touch you and see how hot and wet you are for me.”

Just as he put his fingers in the string of her panties, he noticed a long, jagged white scar that marred her otherwise perfect abdomen.  It looked like a knife wound.  He reached his hand out and traced it.  She brought her arms and hands down to try to cover it but he grabbed both her wrists in his palm and held her still while he put his mouth there to kiss and lick around the edges.

“It’s a part of you so it’s beautiful, just like you are.  Don’t ever try to hide any of yourself from me.  I want all of you.  When you are comfortable enough to tell me what happened to you in the accident, I will know that you trust me.  I’m going to wait patiently for that day.”

“Josh, I’m not ready.  Someday, but not now.  Please, don’t remind me of my scar.  I don’t welcome any thoughts in my head tonight that don’t involve you.”

“I’ll stop since you’re asking me to but you need to know how desirable you are.  I have too many scars to count from my years in the NHL.  They don’t define me.”

The words calmed her so she settled back into the sofa and her eyelids fluttered closed again.  He wondered if she would ever be comfortable enough to vocalize her desires and watch him.  Recognizing he wanted her expressive eyes to follow his every move, for now, Josh was satisfied she’d let him have his wicked way with her body.  Lake giving him complete freedom to caress her with his hands and mouth represented a small triumph for him and their new relationship.  The moment he’d told her he hadn’t been with anyone else in months, he’d committed to only her.  Hell, he hadn’t thought about anyone else since months before he met her.  Now, the constant visions of her alone, consumed him.

He ran his hand down over her scar and lightly fingered the white edges as he slid his fingers into the string of her bikini panties.  Josh pulled them down and swept them off her legs in a single movement.  God, she turned him on so much.  When he saw her silky smooth skin, everywhere, it shocked him again how this woman forever surprised him, in the best ways.  Tasting her felt like a compulsion.  That would have to wait.  His instincts were always dead on in the bedroom.  She wouldn’t welcome that intimate of a move this soon.  He slid his fingers down further and lightly caressed her.  Christ Jesus, the heat and wetness were incredible.  He’d never felt anything like it.  He needed his pants off.  Now.

****

O
n fire with need, Lake possessed a vague notion of Josh pulling her panties over her thighs, knees and ankles, tossing them to the side.  She looked at him through veiled lids so she could watch his movements undetected.  Panic shot through her when he noticed her scar but it didn’t faze him in the least so she found it easy to calm herself.  His tender words and touch made her even more breathless with desire for him.  He didn’t seem repulsed or disappointed with any part of her.

She felt his hands nudge her legs apart and then those incredible, long fingers touched her core, softly, but with deliberate intent.  She wondered what he’d first thought when he’d seen she’d had all her body hair lasered.  God almighty, he knew exactly what to do.  What she needed before she even did.  She wanted his hands on her in a way she had never even dreamt of prior to this moment.  To this man.

The pressure and speed were exquisite.  If he continued, she’d come apart under his hands in mere seconds.  He’d unlocked something deep inside her, the place where her most secret fantasies had been ferreted away, never to be shared.  But now, she’d met this man who seemed able to tear apart her carefully erected defenses with a single word.  A single touch.  Finding the source of her pleasure, he used his thumb to rub in small, circular motions while he slid his middle finger deep inside of her.  His other hand caressed her left breast, pinched the nipple into hardness and then soothed the ache he had created with his tongue.

“Oh, my God.”  The blasphemous epithet escaped her lips as she arched her body further up into his hands.  The positioning propelled her closer but not quite close enough.  So drunk with lust, she had no recollection of her exact words, even if she made sense.  She’d been robbed of sense, of will.  The only thing she knew for sure is that she wanted more from him.  So much more.

“That’s my girl.  Do you like that?  You’re so hot and wet, Lake.  Is that what I do to you?”  A slight nod of her head was the only acknowledgement she managed, coherent words no longer possible.  Lake began to see stars as her breath became shallow and fast.  She couldn’t believe this was happening.  She was going to come all over him.

“That’s it baby.  Please let go.  Come for me.”

His explicit words didn’t feel dirty, they were raw and right and she couldn’t hold back any longer.  Release appeared just beyond her reach, just a few more seconds.  Through the thick fog of her desire, Lake heard Chad’s voice on the intercom.  It sounded small and very far away.  He never bothered her unless he found something during final barn check before he went to sleep.

“Lake, are you and Summer out on the patio?  I saw her car in the drive so I rang the bell but the front door is locked.  Lake, its Lily!  She’s down in her stall and it doesn’t look good.  Lake?  Lake, please answer!  Are you there?”

Lake froze at Chad’s frantic tone and never doubted him for a moment.  Chad never raised his voice.  His words pummeled through her haze of passion.  Lake flung herself up and grabbed her dress from the outdoor carpet as she pulled it over her head and hips and sprinted barefoot towards the barn.

“S
he had a rough go of it but she’s going to make it.” 

Lake sagged back against Josh with extreme relief as they stood outside the stall and talked to Lily’s vet, Dr. Amy Baskett.  A great vet and a kind woman, she’d been on call since Lake had relocated her farm from Minnesota to Arizona.

Josh had been a pillar of support and Lake didn’t know what she would have done without him.  For three days and three nights, they’d kept vigil with Lily and tended to her every need.  Lake felt Lily’s pain and suffering as if it were her own.  When Lake collapsed with exhaustion, Josh took over for her.  His knowledge of horses limited, he still did everything he could.  Learning as he went, he’d get Chad’s input when Lake found herself too battle worn to even keep her eyes open.  Gratitude coursed through Lake’s body.  Without the second chance she’d offered just a few short weeks ago he wouldn’t be here now, a man who under-promised and over-delivered.

“Lake, the test results came back from the lab and we found something confusing.  Has Lily been on any calming supplements in the past thirty days?”  Dr. Baskett’s mouth fell in concern.

“No, the only thing she takes on a regular basis is a joint supplement and Adequan.  What did the blood work reveal?”  Lake’s mind raced as she catalogued each item she’d fed Lily over the past month.  She’d never forgive herself if she’d caused the illness without her knowledge.  She turned her head and looked to Chad for validation.

Chad shook his head.  “Besides what Lake just mentioned, I can verify this mare hasn’t been fed anything but grain, hay and the normal horse treats in the past thirty days.”

Dr. Baskett glanced between them both.  “There were high levels of magnesium in Lily’s blood indicative of a calming supplement.  It’s normally used to improve the performance of western show horses that tend to be high strung and nervous before they go into the ring.  If high enough doses are given, it can prove fatal.  Since we caught it in time and were able to give intravenous fluids to Lily so she didn’t de-hydrate, we got lucky.  Had it been much longer, she could have gone into kidney failure and we’d be facing euthanization.”

Lake clamped her eyes shut as she considered the horrific possibility of life without Lily.  How had this happened?  Lake had always considered security on the farm to be a top priority.  The only thing that made logical sense was a trespasser or vandal.  She attended the HFH board meeting with Chuck each Wednesday, the only night that Maria and Juan performed the final barn inspection since it was Chad’s night off.  The possibility existed that someone had broken through security without triggering the alarm and given Lily the overdose of magnesium between ten and the time she got home around midnight.

A sickening dread took hold of Lake’s body in an uncomfortable grip as an idea took hold.  No, it couldn’t be him.  He was locked up in the secured psychiatric hospital in St. Peter.  A court order required the on call doctor to notify her if he left the premises.  She hadn’t received any news of him in months.

Who could hate her that much that they’d try to kill a defenseless animal?  She supposed it might be competitors, jealous of her breeding success.  She began taking inventory of her horse colleagues and came up empty.  Jealousy and politics might run rampant in her industry but it also boasted an underlying commitment to and love of the animal that was undeniable.

Josh stood beside her and rubbed her back through her thin cotton shirt.  She must look like death warmed over.  This had turned out to be a horrible vacation for him thus far and she planned to make it up to him before he left for Vegas next weekend.  For right now though, her bed called to her since she knew Lily would make it.  She felt like sleeping for three days straight.  The last time she had glanced in the mirror when she had been inside the house to grab clean clothes and snacks, she didn’t even recognize the reflection due to her gaunt face and red eyes.  This had been an ordeal but he didn’t even seem the worse for wear.

“I have to let you get back to your dad’s house and get some rest.” 

“Totally.  I feel like I’ve been squashed by a truck.  However, I’d take an eighteen wheeler for you.”

Lake smiled at the reference.  “I’ll drive you back to your dad’s.”

“No way.  The last thing we need is to get in a wreck caused by a drowsy driver.  I’ll call my dad right now and have him run over here.  It’s just a few minutes away.  Let’s both get some sleep and touch base tomorrow.  Besides, I got you a gift and I want him to bring it.  You can’t open it until I’m with you though so I can see your face.”  He looked content and she wondered why he felt like he needed to get her something.  Maybe he meant it as a peace offering much like the one she’d extended and he’d taken with both hands.  “I’m so glad everything is going to be alright with Lily.”

“I can’t even tell you how much your support meant to me during this, Josh.  I’m feeling really blessed to have you here.”

“My pleasure.  Why don’t you say goodbye to Dr. Baskett and see if she has any final instructions and I’ll see if my dad’s home to come over and give me a lift.”  Josh stepped out of the barn into the sunlight where reception was better and she saw him talking so he and Chuck must have connected.

Dr. Baskett gave her final thoughts for Chad to keep Lily comfortable as she continued to improve and told Lake to consider the possibility that someone wanted to harm her horses.  Perhaps she could strengthen security around the farm?  Lake thanked her with sincere gratitude for getting to the farm quickly as she walked towards Josh.  The thermometer hovered around one hundred degrees again today.  The barn and covered arena had a cooling and misting system but that didn’t transfer out into the full Arizona sun.

“Dad’s going to be here in a few.”  Josh grabbed her by the hands and pulled her forward for a goodbye kiss.  “I’ll call you tomorrow morning.  You should sleep until then and make sure you eat something.  You look like you need carbs, scrawny.  Let Lance and Maria take care of you.”

Lake slid her palms on both sides of his face and leaned in to kiss him back.  She didn’t want to go another day without being able to look at that face.  It felt like coming home.

“Thanks for being here for me.”

“Of course, where else would I be?”  He gave her a playful swat to her rump and pushed her towards the house.  “Go to bed pretty lady.  I wish I could come with you, but we need sleep and the only way we’re going to get rest is if we’re alone.”

“I
still can’t figure out how this happened and who could have done it.”

Summer had been to the farm to retrieve her Mustang but she’d come each day since to check on Lily.  They sat in Lake’s kitchen the following morning where Summer looked confused, and pissed.

“I’ve run the facts through my mind hundreds of times and I can’t figure it out either.  The only thing we know for sure is it had to be deliberate.  Dr. Baskett advised there isn’t a common substance that can cause that type of reaction.  The blood test confirmed that Lily had toxic levels of magnesium in her body.  When I think about what could have happened, I get nauseous.  My entire breeding program could have been destroyed Wednesday night.”

“I can’t imagine anyone we’ve known over the years would intend to harm a horse.”  Summer paused and became lost in thought.  “You haven’t had any word from St. Peter, have you?”

“I have to admit that it crossed my mind yesterday when I found out that security had been breached.  I haven’t heard from them but I plan to call there sometime today so I can put my mind at ease.  I admit it.  I can’t stop the irrational thoughts in my head.”

As she glanced around the kitchen and clenched her coffee mug, Summer noticed the present wrapped in brown packing paper that rested on top of the buffet.

“What is that?”  A tapered finger pointed in its direction.