Kisses and Revenge (9 page)

Leslie shook her head. Sharron sounded like she was trying to put her together with Warren, and maybe she was. Sharron was a bit of a flirty woman and probably thought if Leslie had someone to distract her she would feel better. Maybe she would. Maybe that was just what she needed. It sounded crazy, but sometimes the best way to get used to the cold water was to dive in. Leslie was afraid of life without Adam. It stood to reason that in order to get over her fears she would need to find a new life without him.

Chapter Twelve

Warren picked her up just after lunch the next day to take her to her first appointment with Dr. Halbert, the psychologist he had told her about. Nervousness surged through her body at the thought of talking to some stranger about what was going on in her head. Dr. Halbert, she was sure, was nice, but she didn't like the idea of feeling crazy, much less actually being crazy. Shifting in her seat, she looked out the window of Warren's car, trying not to let her nervousness show too much.

"Sit still, Leslie, I promise it isn't going to be horrible. Dr. Halbert is awesome and will make sure you feel really comfortable. He talks to you like a friend, not like you are some weirdo. I promise." Warren kept his eyes on the road, but a soft smile spread over his face.

Leslie loved that he was soft with her. She had heard rumors that he could be a hard ass with a lot of other people and often was more direct with the ladies. Of course, she was sure he didn't see her the same way he looked at other girls. "I know, but it is still hard. I have never been like this before, and it is weird to go and admit it to someone I don't even know."

"He is in the business of listening to people admit things they wouldn't normally. It is what he does," Warren explained as he pulled into the parking lot of what looked like an old house. It was a strange place to have a doctor's office, but it seemed like a relaxing place to have their meeting.

Breathing in and out deeply a couple of times, Leslie looked over to Warren and gave him the best smile she could muster. "I know. I am going to try. Will you wait for me, or are you going to come back and pick me up?"

"I told you I would be with you, and that is my plan. I will walk you in and stay with you as long as you want me to. If you want me to leave, then I will. It is all up to you, dear. Now come on, we are going to be late if we stay in the car." Warren smiled, leaned over, kissed her cheek, and got out of the car.

Taking her hand, they made their way to the door, and Warren reached out to open it. The scent of some sort of tropical air freshener wafted out to them, and Leslie relaxed a bit more. The inside of the office was set up to look like a beach cottage rather than a doctor's office, giving off a more relaxed sensation than usual. Looking around, Leslie decided that if the doctor was as comforting as the environment he created, then she would do well being his patient.

Behind a desk was a small, slender woman dressed in a skirt and blouse with her hair pulled up in an artful bun. She looked up from her paperwork and smiled, standing to greet them as Warren led them to the desk. "Hello, do you have an appointment?"

"Yes, this is Leslie Finn; she is here to see Dr. Halbert. We made the appointment yesterday," Warren answered, picking up a pen and writing her name on a register log.

"Oh, yes, I remember. It is nice to meet you, Leslie, please take a few moments to fill out this paperwork, and Dr. Halbert will be with you shortly," the receptionist said, handing over a clipboard with a small stack of paper on it. For a few moments, she went about answering all the questions and then jumped when someone called her name. Looking across the room, she saw a man in his mid-forties, dressed in slacks and a collared shirt, standing at the open door. With her eyes growing a bit wide in worry, she looked over to Warren then back to the doctor before standing to walk toward him.

Warren followed her, keeping a hand on her back much the way Adam would when they walked through a room. A soft smile graced her lips at the thought, but her mind grew sad, missing her husband more and more. When she got to the door, she gave the man the paperwork and shook his hand. "Hello, I'm Leslie. It is nice to meet you."

"It is nice to meet you as well. Warren, good to see you again. Come on in and make yourselves at home. I am Dr. Halbert, and Warren tells me you are having some troubles with grief." The doctor waited for them to enter before coming in and closing the door.

Inside his actual office was one of those nice wicker patio sets. The table had a tray on it with a tea set and two vases of flowers on either side. The back wall was nothing but windows and showed the brightness of the day. It was too far from the beach to have a beach view, but there was a small park to look at. On one wall there were bookshelves filled with books and a small desk holding a laptop. Leslie took a seat in one of the wicker chairs, and Warren took the seat next to her. Across from them, the doctor took a seat and picked up a notepad, setting the clipboard next to him to look at later.

"Well, the way I do things here is pretty simple. You have an hour, and in that time you can talk as much or as little as you would like. Now and then I will ask you questions about how you are feeling or things you have mentioned, but for the most part, I want you to talk about what you are comfortable talking about. At the end of each session, I will give you some ideas of what I think might help, or even a homework assignment to work on until the next time we meet. Once we have developed a good relationship, I will start going more deeply into the problems you wish to work on. I want you to understand, I am not here to judge you and truly do wish to help you. When you leave today, Reese will give you one of my cards. If you need me at any time, you can call the number and I can be reached. If for some reason I'm not available, I will have a close friend and associate on call for me. They won't have access to your file but can help talk you through something if you are in need. How does all of this sound to you, Mrs. Finn?" Dr. Halbert explained calmly and with a smile on his face.

Leslie could feel the honesty in his words. She wasn't sure she could open up right away, but she was willing to try. "That sounds like something I can do. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I am sure you will do all you can."

"That is good. I do wish to try my best. So, how about you tell me a little about yourself," the doctor encouraged, leaning back and getting comfortable while waiting for her to begin speaking.

Leslie's nerves began to spark to life, fear and worry grating at her. She licked her lips and squirmed a bit, unable to figure out where to start. It seemed so easy when he was explaining what they would do; it was quite another challenge now that she was supposed to talk. Taking a few deep breaths, she looked over to Warren, and he squeezed her hand to encourage her. "Well, I had a fairly normal life. I grew up, went to school, things like that. In high school, I met Warren and Adam. They quickly became two of my closest friends. We did a lot of stuff together, along with my best friend, Sharron. We were in college when Adam asked me to marry him. I don't know, I guess we just had a normal life. We bought a house, he worked for his parents. Everything was nice. I have never had anything happen that made me feel this way."

"And how is it that you feel?" Dr. Halbert asked, uncrossing and recrossing his legs, ankle over knee.

"I don't feel like myself. It is as if my life has just stopped. Since we got married, my life was with Adam. Now I feel like I don't know how to do anything." Leslie couldn't believe she had said it that way, but it was the truth. Adam had taken care of everything, and all she had to do was make sure the house was nice and parties were taken care of. She was a perfect little housewife.

"That is understandable. A good marriage will do that. How long were the two of you married?" the doctor went on to ask.

She tensed up for a moment, memories starting to flash into her mind. Tears came, and she was forced to breathe slowly in order to calm back down. "Nearly six years. We were planning to have a baby. We had gone on a trip to try and get pregnant. It didn't work though."

The tears came harder and faster, but it was actually nice to talk about it. Over the next hour, she began to explain how she had felt the last few months, not going into any details about exactly what had happened. She didn't talk about finding Adam and the blood. Nor did she speak about the few strange things she had done like passing out in the closet or the dream that preluded her period. However, it was nice to start talking about it. Even with how mild the conversation was, it seemed to go by quickly, and the session was over before she knew it.

"Thank you for being so open with me. I can see why you miss your husband. I think this week, I would like you to try and find things you feel comfortable doing on your own that once you did together. I know it will be hard, but if you can find at least one thing, it will help you a lot." Dr. Halbert stood and began to walk toward the door.

Looking to Warren first, Leslie then got up to leave, Warren trailing close behind her. They all exchanged pleasantries and goodbyes before Warren led her to the car. Once inside, they sat there for a few moments, letting the air conditioning cool off the inside.

"So, what did you think?" Warren asked, reaching over and patting her knee.

It took a moment for her to keep her breath from shaking and her body to calm. "He was nice. Thank you for coming with me. I think after a while it will all get a little easier. For now, I think I did well."

"Yes, it will. I'm sure that you will grow more comfortable with each session. So, how about we go and get some lunch, and then I can take you home. You need to start eating more." There was a hint of laughter in his voice as he backed out of the parking spot and merged onto the road.

"I will give it a try, but I make no promises. Eating has not done well for me lately," she answered, but she felt calmer than she had in a long time.

"Well, trying is always good. If you don't manage to eat, I am sure I can find room to finish your plate." This time Warren did laugh, and surprisingly, Leslie managed to laugh with him.

By the time they got to the restaurant, they were both happy and laughing. Warren chose a small place that served fish and light food. Inside he made sure to order them both some wine. She couldn't help but wonder if he ordered it to make sure she loosened up enough to eat. They sat near the window so the light could shine in to them. Warren was good at picking places for them to go that she felt comfortable at. "This is nice. Thank you."

"I didn't figure you would want a crowded bar, but I figured a glass of wine before we ate might make your lunch a bit easier to get down." Warren wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"How do you do that?" she asked, shifting as the wine was poured for them.

"How do I do what?" Warren asked, taking his first sip of the dry red.

"How do you put such a smile on your face or laughter in your voice? I have no idea how to do that anymore." Leslie tried the wine as well before crossing her long legs.

"You do know how. I had you laughing in the car. I honestly think the only time you don't feel that way is when you think too much. You have been alone too much, so I'm going to try and spend more time with you. If you could take your mind off of things more, then maybe you will start to find those happy moments again. Adam would want you happy, you know that, right?" His words seemed so simple, so real, yet she couldn't see this future he spoke about. Sure she had laughed a moment in the car, but those moments seemed to be very few and far between.

"I don't know. I feel so much better than I did this morning, but I still don't feel like I will ever be happy again," Leslie answered, finishing off her whole glass of wine in one gulp.

"You will, I promise you, you will."

Chapter Thirteen

Over the next couple of weeks, Warren lived up to his promise of coming over as much as he could without missing out too much on work. With Adam gone, Warren was left with a lot of responsibility he wasn't necessarily ready for. Leslie was proud of how hard Warren worked to prove himself. She was just finishing getting the kitchen clean and setting out some glasses for drinks for Warren’s arrival later when a loud knock came to the door. For a moment her heart stopped. The sound of knocking still frightened her from time to time. No matter how much she tried to get better, the fear was still there. Someone had killed her husband, and one day she worried they would come back for her.

Walking to answer the door, she peeked through the peephole and saw one of the police officers who had been out investigating her husband's case. Officer Marker had always been very nice to her when he visited and asked questions. Clicking the lock free, she opened the door. "Hello, Officer Marker. It is nice to see you again. To what do I owe the honor of this visit? Good news, I hope?"

The tall, dark man gave her a wry smile, removing his hat from his head. "It is good to see you in better spirits. May I come in?"

"Sure, I was just about to make me a glass of ice water. Would you care for a glass?" Leslie answered, leading him back to the kitchen.

"Mrs. Finn, I'm afraid I don't have very good news for you. I'm sorry, but we have done everything we can. We won't stop looking, but we have done all we could. Everything leads us to a dead end. I'm sorry, Leslie, but we don't know what else to do."

The words ripped through Leslie's heart and had her sagging against the counter. How could they just give up? Her husband deserved justice, and it appeared he was never going to get it. "I will call or come by if anything comes up, but for right now, there isn't much I can do. Again, I am so sorry."

Pain ripped through her, but she held it in as best she could until she had managed to walk the officer out of the house. Once the door was closed, she broke down screaming. Managing to make it to the kitchen, she stumbled into the counter, knocking one of the glasses from the counter and sending it crashing to the ground. Glass went everywhere, and Leslie rushed to get a towel to clean it up. Kneeling down, she carefully picked up the shards, tears making it difficult for her to see. She couldn't believe they were just giving up on Adam like that.

As she stood to throw the glass in the trash, a shard sliced open part of her palm. Tossing the broken glass, she went to the sink to clean the cut. Her thoughts were racing as she cleansed the cut with soap and warm water, making her jump when the doorbell rang. Part of her wasn't sure she could handle any more news today, much less seeing people. Wrapping a towel around her hand, she went to see who was there and breathed a sigh of relief to see Warren on the other side of the door.

"I saw the cops leaving when I pulled up. How did it go?" Warren asked as he made his way into the house. He carried in his hands a bag of takeout and a bottle of wine.

"It went the same as every other time, only this time they said they weren't sure there was anything they could do. That bastard is going to get away with this, and the cops don't even care." Leslie tried to keep her composure, but the anger and frustration were too much for her to handle this time.

To Warren's credit, he didn't make a big deal about her crying and sharp words. Instead he set down the food and grabbed a tissue for her to wipe her face with. "The scene is cold, so are the leads. I miss my brother like crazy, but the cops can't go around chasing a ghost. Everyone I have talked to said they have no idea who would have done this."

More pain ripped through Leslie's heart at those words. It wasn't fair. Adam had never done anything to anyone. 

"Come on, Leslie. You need to eat and get some sleep. You are killing yourself over this, and that isn't what Adam would want. He told me once if anything ever happened to him that he wanted me to help take care of you, and that is what I plan to do. So let's eat, and I will put on a movie to help take your mind off of things." Warren encouraged her, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her into the kitchen so they could eat at the small table there. Once he had dinner laid out, he sat down and began to tell her about how things were going at work.

"I don't think I have ever thanked you for coming over so much. He was your brother longer than he was my husband. I still don't know how you are keeping it all together," Leslie whispered, pushing her food around on her plate so he wouldn't notice her not eating. She had made a lot of progress, but today was like crashing back to the bottom.

"Honestly, it's a mask. I'm hiding behind being okay then drinking and fucking a lot at night when I leave here so I don't have to think about it. I figure if I drink enough and get lost in a woman, by the end of the night, I will be too drunk and tired to think anymore, and then I can sleep," Warren answered, taking a big bite of food. This was the first time Warren didn't try to hide behind a mask of happy go lucky. For the first time since Adam's death, she swore she saw pain and longing in his eyes.

Leslie blushed hearing him talk about sex and women that way, though. He had never spoken to her about his personal life, especially not in such a straightforward manner. Heat washed over her, and for a moment, she wondered just how good it would feel to forget her pain, even for just a moment. How nice would it be to lay back and let a man take all of her tension and stress away? Blushing harder at the thought, she took a drink of her wine, hoping Warren wouldn't notice.

Or did she want him to notice?

Looking up from her glass, she saw those piercing blue eyes staring at her, and it made her body feel things she wasn't used to feeling, at least not for other men. There was a tightening down low, and a rush of hot blood pounded deep inside of her. Trying to compose herself, she took another drink of wine and coughed a bit hoping to clear her head. "I don't think I am as brave as you. I can't even put the mask on."

"Maybe you are just wearing another mask. We all do." Reaching out, Warren took her hand. For a moment she thought to pull away but then decided not to. It felt nice to have him hold her hand. With her free hand, she finished off her wine, licking the remains of the sweet liquid from her lips.

"I don't wear a mask," she whispered, her voice sounding deeper as she tried to ignore the throbbing ache in her body. Would Adam hate her if she slept with his brother? Fuck, where did that idea even come from? She could never do that to her husband.

For several moments, the two of them stared at each other, heat and tension building higher and higher between them. Then, without warning, Warren pulled away, refilled their glasses, and went back to his meal. Leslie felt her head spin at the sudden change and took another drink. Tonight she wanted to forget her pain.  Downing the second glass of wine in one gulp, she reached out for the bottle to pour what was left in her glass.

"Leslie ..." she heard Warren whisper, and she turned toward him. His eyes held concern for her, but that wasn't what she wanted from him.

The wine quickly began to cloud her mind, and she reached up to pull the pin from her hair, releasing her bun so her soft waves would flow around her face. "Help me forget, Warren. Please, I need to forget, for just a moment."

Her heart thundered in her chest as she stared at her friend, her brother-in-law, the man who had sworn to take care of her if anything ever happened to Adam. She watched as the worry in his eyes sank to the background, replaced by heat and desire. Her breath caught, and she was trapped by that look. Neither of them moved for several moments, and then it all happened all at once.

Warren reached over and pulled her into him as he stood. His strong hands gripped her ass, lifting her to the table and sending food and glass crashing to the floor. Their lips smashed together as heat and passion exploded between them. She could feel him already growing hard as he pressed tightly between her legs. Wandering hands made their way up her back to sink deeply into her hair, and she moaned at how good it felt to be touched in such a way again.

Leslie arched back, her legs rising higher on his waist as his lips made a scorching trail down her neck. "I need to get you to a bed, you deserve better than to be fucked on a kitchen table like this."

Her heart jumped for a moment, and she froze. Warren's eyes rolled up to look at her, and she felt him start to pull away. "No, this is what I want. I don't want something sweet and pretty. Fuck me here, please. I need this."

The look of hunger in Warren's eyes was breathtaking as he pressed himself against her once more. She moved her hands between them to start working at the belt of his pants. They were wearing far too much clothing for what she had in mind for them. Pushing him back, he nearly stumbled as he slammed against the kitchen counter. Leslie jumped from the table and came toward him. His shirt was torn as she pulled it from him a moment before she fell to her knees. No, she didn't want to make love. Tonight was all about animalistic urges.

Warren helped her get his pants open, and she yanked them down, along with his boxers, to reveal the part of him she craved most. She wasted no time gripping his hard shaft and giving it a few pumps. A deep sound emanated from his chest, and she rolled her eyes up to look at him. She smiled a moment before she swallowed him down. His back arched, and his fingers gripped into her hair as she began to take him hard and fast into her mouth.

"Fuck, Leslie! You feel so good." Warren groaned, and his hips started to thrust forward on their own accord.

Her frenzy took control, and she gripped into his tight ass, her nails clinging the flesh as she worked him faster and faster, relentless to bring about his release. She felt him stumble and heard the sound of his hand slapping against the counter. Looking up, she saw him gripping on to it, holding on as if his life depended on it. It gave her a sense of pride to know she could do this to a man she knew had so much experience. Moaning, she gave it her all, and he finally rewarded her with his release.

Barely giving her the time to clean him off, he lifted her again and tossed her up onto the counter. She landed with a thump and leaned back as he set about stripping her clothing. Her body was throbbing and soaking wet for him, and when she spread her legs a little to offer herself to him, his eyes filled with hunger.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to have a taste?" Leslie asked, letting her fingers spread her body open and tease her sensitive flesh for him. She had no idea where this bravado came from, but it felt good and sexy to be this way.

"Gladly," Warren moaned, gripping her hips and lifting them from the counter, sending her falling back on the cold marble. Warren gave the center of her body one nice, long lick, moaning deeply before he looked up to her. "You have the sweetest taste. I think I am going to enjoy my dessert tonight."

He managed to make a purring noise as he moved in to devour her. The vibration shot right through her body, and she cried out reaching back to hold the other edge of the counter. Warren's tongue was magic on her body, each swipe sending another burst of electric heat through her veins. Her hips rolled against him, begging him for more, anything that would ease the ever-growing pressure his skillful tongue was building.

"Warren, please! Fuck, I need more than this!" she begged, her words coming out breathy as she panted and moaned for her new lover.

He chuckled against her and then gave her another of those delicious long strokes. "You want more? Mmmm, I like that you so sweetly beg for it, baby."

He went back to his torture of her, licking, sucking, and even nibbling on her sensitive flesh. His tongue delved deep into her body, giving her a preview of what she was sure would happen next. He didn't make her wait long to find out either. Keeping to his careful ministrations to her body, he brought her right to the edge of her sanity, and when the levee broke and she screamed out, he stood up and slammed his hard cock into her. He filled her to perfection, stretching her in only the most delicious of ways.

Gripping her hips, he lifted her and carried her toward the living room, but he never stopped pumping in and out of her body. How he managed to walk and fuck her all at once was baffling, but she was not in the right head space to ask. Leslie found herself lying over the arm of the couch with her legs propped up on Warren's hard chest.  Leaning forward, he had her nearly bent in half as he began to pound into her body as if he were trying to fuck her through the couch.

"You are so beautiful. You know I have always wanted you, Leslie. I have always cared about you. Fuck, you have no idea how bad I have wanted to feel you like this," Warren moaned, kissing his way up her body. She rolled her hips with him, matching him stroke for stroke as he sucked and licked her skin, stopping to savor her nipples. The tingling sensation shot straight down to her core and combined with the expert way he was working her body. She exploded once more, his name screaming out of her as she writhed with orgasm.

"That's it, baby. Oh, my name on your lips is so fucking sexy. How about you do that for me again?" He pulled away long enough to flip her over and take her from behind. Just the sensation of him entering her again made her body shiver in pleasure. From this angle, he hit deeper inside of her and moved even harder. Her nails scraped into the suede of the couch, and she thrust her body back to meet him, squeezing tightly with every pass.