Oracle Rising (43 page)

There was a good reason.

His ex-wife called him a monster. When he was wild, free, and didn't hold back, he wasn’t a gentleman.

No woman liked that.

Now this one had baited him.

She was about to see the worst side of him.

Yanking his pants down, he stood there, naked and hard as steel. Her eyes traveled the full length of his body, stopping at his erection.

“I want you,” she murmured. “All of you.”

He was going to give her that and so much more.

Diving onto her body, he pinned her arms at her sides. With his mouth, he drove her wild, starting at her breasts and heading lower. When his mouth found her clit, she moaned in pleasure.

He wanted more.

Rhett devoured her.

There was no way he could stop.

The sweet taste of this woman coated his tongue, making him hungrier and hungrier. He was going to starve if he stopped, so instead, he took it out on her.

He punished her, taking her to the pinnacle and then over the edge into the pleasure. When she begged and gasped, he didn't stop. Rhett continued through her orgasm, forcing her to see what was in him.

He couldn’t stop.

He wouldn’t.

At that moment, he wanted her wet, worn down, and ready for what was to come. He was going to take her. He was going to ride her body until she begged and screamed.

God forgive him, but he was going to steal her very breath.

As she came again and again, he still didn't stop.

Her breathless moans only made him more and more hungry. While he could have given her a break, he loved how she shook and quivered beneath him.

She had to be sore from the continual punishment his mouth was inflicting on her, but he couldn’t end it.

He never wanted this moment to stop.

She was his.

In that moment, Juliett belonged to him.

As she arched into his mouth, her body shaking from the next orgasm, he nipped her.

She came, and hard, tumbling over the edge.

He wanted to feel it in the worst way. Sliding up her body, as she was lost in the throes of orgasm, he spread her legs and slid home.

It was hard.

It was rough.

It was heaven.

She opened her eyes and gasped.

The startled look on her face said it all. She had never seen it coming. He began thrusting into her body, keeping the woman trapped beneath him.

“You said fuck you, Juliett. I’m giving you what you wanted. I told you to leave. I begged you to go.”

She could see the demons in his eyes.

This was the hottest sex she’d ever had in her life. There was no doubt in her mind that they were melting the paint off the walls.

As he pumped himself into her body, offering her so much pleasure, she knew he was going to hate himself in the end.

So, she had to do something.

“Stop, Rhett. Please stop.”

He froze.

Jesus, God, and Mary.

What had he done?

He pulled off her, moving away from her body. “Juliett, I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have…”

She didn't wait. “Shhhh, Rhett, I’m good. I just want to be on top. I want to ride you. I want to stare down into your amazing eyes as we fall together.”

It took a few seconds to figure out what she was saying. He hadn’t hurt her.

She just wanted to be part of this storm.

Crawling into his lap, she slid him home.

They both moaned.

He was back in control. When he thought she was hurt, it calmed him. Rhett would never hurt her. It wasn’t in his power, but she could definitely destroy him.

With her hands on his shoulders, his on her hips, the ride began. As she bounced in his lap, he watched her with lust and need. She ground down on him, giving him that light kiss of pain that he obviously needed to forget what was really hurting him.

He moaned. “Yes, please,” he whispered.

She rode him hard.

From the look on his face, it was exactly what he needed to be who he was. The harder she bounced, the more pleasure he got from it.

When he was shaking beneath her, Juliett pulled his mouth to hers and added a punishing kiss. The second his thumb wandered lower, rubbing roughly against her clit, they both knew the truth.

It was time to fall.

He came hard, harder than he had in his entire sexual history. Part of it was because he was madly in love, and the rest because she understood him.

Without words, she knew.

The orgasm tore through him, and he poured hotly, wave after wave, into her body. It drained him, sucking away the pain, frustration, and anger.

She broke apart again, for what seemed like the hundredth time. There was no other place she’d ever want to be.

She was home in his arms.

Her decision was made.

As they both breathed heavily, Rhett leaning against the headboard, and her leaning against his chest, he couldn’t think straight.

“Mmmmm, babe, that was the best sex ever,” she whispered. “Please tell me we can do that again and again.”

He relaxed.

She wasn’t upset.

Juliett got him. She really saw the man beneath.

“I didn't scare or hurt you, did I?”

She laughed. “Uh, no. I may walk funny, but that’s the cross I’ll have to bear,” Juliett teased.

He wrapped his arms around her. In that moment, there was so much peace.

There was no doubt that Rhett found someone who he could spend the rest of his life with.

She wouldn’t fear him.

Hurt him.

Or run from him.

“Juliett?” he whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

He was about to risk it all. In the next few seconds, she’d have the power to break him. Before he told her the words on the tip of his tongue, he needed to know she wouldn’t destroy him.

He’d been down that road before.

“When this is over…?”

“Yes, Rhett?” She lifted her head and gazed into his beautiful blue eyes.

“Will you stay?”

Her heart skipped. “As in Crosspointe?” she asked.

He licked his lips.

Rhett Longfellow was stripped bare—his soul, his heart, and his body.

“Yes, but more importantly, will you stay with me? Here in this cabin. Will you make it your home too?”

Her heart pounded, and she could barely breathe. This was something she thought she was going to have to fight harder to get, and here he was, offering it to her.

“I’m asking you to move here permanently and live with me. I know you have a career and life in Laramie, but I want you to stay.”

“Rhett, I’ll have to go back.”

His face showed the pain. He began closing down. Rhett had obviously moved too fast. She was going to leave, and for the second time in his life, he was going to be alone.

Lost.

Unloved.

“Okay. I just thought I’d ask. I understand that you can’t be here with me.”

He tried to move her off his body.

“Rhett, it’s you who doesn’t understand. I have to go back to sell my house, pack up, and quit my job. As soon as I do, I’ll come back. I’ll move here for you, and for us.”

He stared at her. “You’ll move here? You won’t hate it?”

She smiled, bringing her lips to his. “It has one amazing feature my town doesn’t have.”

“And that is?”

“You, Rhett. It doesn’t have you.”

It was her declaration of love. She only hoped he got it. Without saying the words, she needed him to understand that she wasn’t his ex.

She wasn’t going to bail.

She was in for the long haul.

“Oh, Juliett. I promise you’ll be happy here. I swear I’ll give you anything you want.”

He was already more than she ever expected.

“I hope I’m not moving too fast for you,” he offered.

“You’re moving just fast enough, Rhett.”

Juliett only wanted one thing from him.

His heart.

Chapter TWENTY-THREE

Sunday Morning

Three A.M

It was happening again.

The nightmare had hold of her, and it wouldn’t let go. Juliett could see him burning someone. The cabin was going up in flames, and there was sick laughter.

Only, this time, it was different.

It felt familiar.

She didn't understand it.

Then, he began talking to her. It was directly to her, and it scared her.

‘I know who you are, Juliett. I’ve found you,’
he whispered in her dream.
‘You thought you could hide, but I know everything about you.’

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to break free, only she couldn’t. He had a hold of her, and he wasn’t letting go.

‘I’m going to take you. I’m going to hurt you like I hurt them. Before it’s over, I’m going to make you suffer. You’re sleeping with the sheriff, and now you have to pay. You both do!’

She gasped for breath, as she swore his hands were around her throat, closing it off.

‘He can’t save you, Juliett. Romeo will not be able to stop me. I’m going to make sure of that.’

There was laughter in her mind.

Only it began to morph. Gone was the roughness, and it changed into something soft, gentle, and familiar. The hate began ebbing away. When she looked down, it was at his hands. There were snowflakes falling around them.

They coated him, the floor of the burning cabin, and her face.

It offered her peace.

‘Come back!’
he screamed in rage.
‘You can’t have her. She’s mine! She’s mine to destroy!’

She was torn. There were two forces pulling at her. One was fire. One was ice.

She didn't know what to do. Finally, the soft voice spoke in her dream, comforting her.
‘Juliett, he can’t keep you. Come back to us. Fight him, and I’ll keep you safe.’

He roared in anger.

She laughed in amusement.

Juliett was torn.

Literally
.

They were pulling her apart.

When he woke, it was because he swore someone was standing beside his bed. He sat up fast, and there were two people there.

It took a second to recognize Nate and Avalon.

“She’s having another nightmare,” Nate stated. “Avalon is trying to save her. He’s found her.”

Those words terrified him. Rhett stared down at the woman beside him. She was silently sleeping.

“She looks…”

“She’s not peaceful. Her screams woke Avalon. She’s in there trying to play with the madman for Juliett’s life.”

“Oh God!”

“He was trying to kill her in her sleep.”

Rhett began praying as he took her hand in his and gently kissed her fingers. “Please come back to me,” he willed. “Don’t let him win, Juliett. Fight for us!”

Glancing over at Avalon, she stood there in a long white flowy dress. She looked pale, like this was killing her too.

When her body wavered, Nate braced her against his chest, holding her up.

“You can do this, Avi. Come one, honey. He’s not as strong as you are. You’re Oracle. You can kick his ass,” Nate encouraged, praying they didn't lose both women.

There were beads of perspiration on her forehead.

The same were on Juliett’s.

Both men were scared shitless.

Then Avalon gasped, opening her eyes, right before collapsing into Nate’s strong arms.

“She’s back,” she whispered, before closing her eyes. “God!! My head hurts!”

Juliett sat up, grabbing her head too. The tears came.

Rhett pulled her into his lap and held her. “Jesus! What happened?” he asked.

“He’s killed again. He wanted me there. He made me watch the whole thing, and then he tried to suffocate me. He wasn’t going to let me wake up.”

“Avi, honey, are you okay?” Nate whispered.

“Need to sleep. My head feels like someone is stabbing it with a knife.”

“I’ll be right back. I have to get her into bed.” Nate carried his fiancée away, leaving the couple alone.

He was rattled, so he knew the sheriff would be too.

“She saved me. Rhett, I wasn’t coming back, and Avalon saved me. I could hear her.”

He owed the woman more than he could ever repay her. “Thank God for that.”

She wanted to lay down. “I don’t feel so well. My head is pounding. I can’t think straight. I may be sick.”

Rhett didn't feel well either. He placed kisses all over her face. “We’ll thank her later. I’m going to tuck you in, so you can sleep. Okay, Juliett?”

She nodded. “Please.”

He did just that, and as he was lovingly leaving kisses on her face, Luke stuck his head in the door. “We have to go. We just got the call on your police scanner. There’s a fire.”

“Where?” he asked.

“Juliett’s rented cabin. They’re putting it out right now. They managed to get there fast. Someone driving by called it in.”

He grabbed his jeans and pulled them over his boxers. “Is someone going to be here to watch Avalon and Juliett?”

“Yeah. Jagger is outside hiding out. He’s got eyes on the house while we work, and Maura will be on the inside watching them up too.”

That made leaving that much easier. The last thing he wanted was to leave the two women alone.

“We have to hustle.”

He grabbed his shirt and gun, and headed out.

Downstairs, Maura, Luke, and Nate were waiting.

“Let’s get there and get it over with,” Rhett stated, then he stared at Maura. “Please keep her safe. I can’t lose her.”

She nodded, patting the Glock on her hip.

As they headed out, Rhett couldn’t help but feel like something was off. As he glanced back at his cabin, in the rear-view mirror, his heart skipped.

Surely, she’d be safe.

Right?

He had to push it aside.

They had a job to do.

As he pulled up to the cabin, it wasn’t as badly destroyed as the other place. Fortunately for Juliett, Jagger had picked up her things for her. They weren’t destroyed by the killer.

When he hopped out, he saw Trent Calvin writing up a report.

“What do we have?”

“There were two partially burned bodies in the fire. The ME just left with them. He wanted to get a jump on it.”

That didn't sound like the man.

“Okay, and?”

“Someone drove by and saw the house on fire. I heard it on the scanner and raced over here. I’m off today. I tried to get in to see who was here, but I couldn’t.”

“Are we sure there were two bodies?”

“I saw them being loaded up. They were burned from the top of their heads to their torsos.”

Nate was right there. “Was there any ID on the victims, like a purse or a wallet?”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, there was. The ME saw it and took them back with him. If you want to see them, you’ll have to head there. He didn't release any information. You know how he gets close lipped.”

Rhett wasn’t in the mood to be away from the house. “Okay, that’s fine. Can you get any evidence sent right to my office? Do we know what started the fire?”

“We found a bottle of top shelf
Patrón
. It was empty, and there were matches.”

“Get them shipped to me. I want them personally brought in.”

“I can do that as soon as I’m done with my report and the ME’s office finishes with taking pictures.”

“Thanks.”

As they headed away, they began breaking it down.

“He screwed up,” Nate said. “He was so focused on Juliett, and Avalon, that he didn't get the fire hot enough.”

Luke was glad. “Maybe he left us something to finally work with.”

Rhett hoped so. “Do you find it odd that the ME got the hell out of here fast? Normally, he likes giving me shitty comments, or riding my ass. He bagged those people really quickly.”

That worried all of them.

“Is he from around here?” Nate asked.

The man shook his head. “He’s a transplant. I don’t know much about him.”

Nate signaled Luke. “I’ll drive, sheriff you follow, and Luke, why don’t you dig into the good doctor’s past?”

“I can do that,” he offered.

“See you there.”

As they all pulled out, Rhett looked back at the scene. They had to be missing something. It felt like it was right there, and they weren’t putting it together.

But what?

What didn't they have all the details on?

He was getting edgy. Someone tried to kill the woman he loved, and that had to stop. Rhett knew that one way or another, it ended here.

Soon.

He wasn’t going to let this madman get her.

Over his dead body.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

Rhett’s Cabin

She needed to get some pain meds. Her brain was mush, and her body was feeling it too.

Juliett didn't want to play this game anymore, but she had no choice. If she ran, Rhett was all alone, so she had to let it play out.

She thought about what she had seen when he had her trapped. There was music, dancing, a bottle of expensive tequila, and then death.

Her head ached as she tried to go deeper.

As she stumbled down the stairs, Maura was there having coffee at the island. When she looked up, there was sympathy in her eyes.

“You look like hell, Juliett.”

“I feel like someone hit me with a concrete truck.”

She sympathized. “I once had to fight these three guerrillas.”

“Where did you find gorillas?”

She laughed. “No, not that kind. I was talking about the ones in third world nations. You know, hired guns. I had to take them out, and when it was done, my head felt like it had been rattled around for a few days.”

She smiled, and even that hurt.

“What did you see in the dream?”

Juliett told her everything. As she spoke, Maura typed it into a text message to send to Luke. Who knew what would help? At this point, they needed a break.

Something there might do it.

“You had to be afraid.”

“I was.”

“I would be too.”

She laughed, and then grabbed her head. “Pills please. We both know you’re not afraid of anything.”

Maura shrugged, handing the aspirin over. “Sure I am. I fear Luke getting hurt, or Avalon getting taken. I’m human. I’m not Wonder Woman, although my husband would dig that costume.”

“Please stop making me laugh.”

She grinned. “Sure thing. Why don’t you go crash on the couch? I have to go check on Avalon soon.”

“You don’t mind?” she asked.

“Nope. I’ve got the easier of the two jobs. Jagger was bitching that his crotch was covered in something sticky, and not in a good way. Man, he hates tree sap.”

She laughed again.

“Maura! You said you’d stop.”

Just then, there was a thud upstairs.

“Crap! I hope Avalon didn't fall. I’ll be right back. Hang in there, okay?”

The woman practically crawled onto the couch, praying that her head would stop pounding.

As she closed her eyes, the pain continued.

It was going to be a long day.

Juliett couldn’t wait until Rhett got home. She missed him, and he would definitely make her feel better.

All over.

Upstairs, Maura checked on the woman in the bed. As soon as she made sure Avalon was safe, she headed back down the hall to the stairs.

As she walked past the master bedroom, she saw motion from the corner of her eye. That wasn’t right. The only person who could be in the house was Jagger, and he wouldn’t break his stakeout without warning.