PassionsPoison (18 page)

Kayla sat up. “I don’t think so. Bea, you’re too damn sweet.
I’m hornier than hell now.”

Bea watched as Zach perused Kayla’s body. He turned around
and headed for the bathroom. “Hold that thought.”

“Will do.” Kayla left the bed. “More wine?”

Bea pulled herself up to sit against the headboard. “No thanks.”

“Well, I will. I worked up a real thirst. Oh, stop blushing,
I’m sure he’s done that to you before.”

Bea nodded shyly. It was strange and yet liberating to be
completely naked and chatting with Kayla.

Zach strode back in and Bea couldn’t help but admire his
taut strength. His cock was still hard as it angled away from his body, his
balls up tight. “I think I need to give you girls some attention. What do you
think?”

Kayla took a large gulp of wine.

Bea purred. “I think.”

Now she could focus on him. There was no reason for Zach to
experience any of her poisons with Kayla there.

He jumped on the bed and lay on his back, spreading his
arms, one hand resting on her thigh. “I’m all yours.”

She caught Kayla’s attention and motioned with her head
toward Zach, then knelt on all fours next to him and licked his earlobe. He
turned his head and captured her lips with his.

She melted at the invasion of his tongue before she sidled
away. Bea ran her fingertip along the length of Zach’s cock. “See, Kayla, I was
truthful about how handsome his cock is, wasn’t I?”

Kayla moved to kneel between Zach’s legs. “I’m not sure. I
need to make a closer inspection.”

“Please do. I want my man’s handsomeness confirmed.”

Zach chuckled and his cock jumped.

Kayla took Zach’s cock into her hands and stroked down to
hold it tight at the base while Bea stared, fascinated. Kayla’s tongue darted
out and flicked across the top. Bea shivered. A strange excitement whirled
through her body like a waterspout as Kayla’s mouth slipped down her man’s
cock.

Bea glanced at Zach and found his eyes on her, his
expression worried. He stroked her back in reassurance. She smiled
mischievously and lowered her head to his chest. He may be concerned she’d be
jealous, but she was too happy she could please him, and not poison him, to
worry about Kayla. Besides, it was hot watching and having sex at the same
time.

She darted her tongue across his nipple, mimicking what
Kayla did to his cock, and his hand moved from her back to her hair. She
glanced down to see Kayla licking the underside of his penis and Bea swirled
her tongue around each nipple until they were as hard as his cock.

When Kayla sucked Zach in earnest, Bea’s pussy swelled and
she changed from licking to sucking his hardened nipples. His tense body
strained toward her and the hand at the back of her head became insistent.
Nibbling at a hard nub, Bea ran her hand into Zach’s hair, unable to stop the
moan that rose from her throat.

Abruptly, she found herself lifted.

Zach growled. “Sit on my face. I want to taste you.”

More than willing, she positioned herself above his mouth so
she faced Kayla. She wouldn’t have believed it, but she enjoyed watching
Kayla’s tongue on Zach’s cock.

His own talented tongue shot out and encircled her clit as
she had done his nipple, dividing her attention. The sharp spasms of excitement
had her heart beating erratically.

Kayla sat up. “Oh Bea, I have to have him inside me now.”

Bea nodded her permission, unable to talk for the lightning
buzzing through her veins.

“Do you have a condom?”

Zach’s groan against her clit vibrated every nerve, but his
message was clear. She shook her head at Kayla. Would they have to stop?

“Good thing I come prepared.” Kayla hopped off the bed and
rummaged in her purse. Bea watched as her friend ripped open a packet to expose
a florescent-pink condom.

“Pink?”

Kayla wiggled her eyebrows. “Hey, if I’m providing the
protection, I get to choose the color.”

She grew hotter as Kayla sheathed Zach in hot pink while his
tongue continued its homage to her clit.

The sight of Kayla impaling herself on Zach had Bea’s hips
moving in response. But Zach held her still, where he wanted her. She licked
her lips as Kayla lifted herself, clear liquid coating Zach’s cock.

Kayla caught her gaze. “Oh girl, you’re going to love this.”
She took Bea’s nipples between her thumbs and forefingers and held on.

Bea’s full pussy quivered at the contact. She grasped
Kayla’s nipples in the same way.

Kayla panted as she moved herself up and down along Zach’s
length, her juices making him shine a bright pink. “Holy crow, but you two are
good.”

Watching Kayla’s excitement, feeling her hard nubs at the
same time Kayla’s hands were upon her own nipples and Zach’s tongue on her clit
brought Bea to the edge. Kayla’s breath hitched as Bea pinched her nipples.
Excited by her power over the other woman and unable to resist Kayla’s growing
pleasure, Bea let go of her friend’s breasts and grabbed her head. Without
thought, she thrust her tongue into Kayla’s mouth. The forbidden taste spiked
her own need to an overwhelming pitch.

Kayla came. Moaning deep inside Bea’s mouth, she crushed Bea
against her, breasts smashing breasts, tilting Bea’s pelvis against Zach’s
mouth. As Kayla shuddered, Bea’s pussy tightened, almost hurt, desperate for
release.

Zach’s own growl vibrated against her clit. Without warning,
he thrust two fingers inside her, pushed through the suction of her pussy and
penetrated her taut euphoria. Her world exploded.

“Bea.”

The soft female whisper dragged Bea from her sound sleep and
she struggled to wake up.

“I’m leaving.”

She cracked one eye open to see Kayla crouched next to the
bed. Why was Kayla in her… Realization dawned as embarrassment swept through
her. She wanted to close her eyes and pretend it had all been a dream, but the
persistent whisper wouldn’t let her.

“I have today off and I want to make the most of it. I
wanted to thank you for inviting me. Zach is a definite keeper.” Kayla smiled,
her lips spreading from ear to ear, the same lips that had brought so much
pleasure.

Bea opened her other eye and kept her voice low. “I know
he’s wonderful, but I—” This wasn’t the time to talk about her silly
insecurities.

“You what?” Kayla looked at Zach. His breathing remained
steady. “He isn’t listening.”

She took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to keep a man.”

Kayla raised her brow. “Last night was a good start. Think
of him as your best friend and lover and you’ll be fine. Did you tell him about
the strange letters you’ve been receiving?”

“No. Why would I?”

“Because if he’s your best friend, you should ask his
advice, don’t you think?”

Bea sighed. “I don’t know.”

Kayla rolled her eyes. “Trust me. Tell him. I gotta go…
‘Beautiful’.”

“Please don’t call me that. I’ll wear a permanent blush.”

Kayla smirked then leaned forward and kissed her on the
lips. “But red becomes you.”

Surprised by the tingle of excitement at Kayla’s touch, she
remained motionless while she watched her friend’s thin figure leave the room.
The door closed with a soft click.

She glanced at the clock. Five fifteen. After last night,
she definitely needed more sleep. Rolling over to face the man in bed with her,
she found him wide awake, if the lowered brows and tense jaw were any
indication.

Uh-oh, maybe he didn’t like Kayla kissing her goodbye? “Good
morning.” She gave him a tentative smile.

Though she could tell he wasn’t happy, his growl surprised
her. “What letters?”

She shrugged. “Kayla’s making more out of it than it really
is. I’ve been receiving letters from an anonymous person, but they don’t say
much. It’s not a big deal.”

He sat up and his tone took on a warning note. “Tell me
about the letters. Why are they strange? How many have you received?”

Pulling the blankets with her, Bea sat to face him. “All
right. They’re strange because they aren’t going through the mail. They are
addressed with just my name and dropped off here at the inn, but no one has
seen who’s been leaving them. I’ve only received three.”

Zach threw the covers off and stood to glare at the woman in
the bed. Could she be that naïve or was she hiding something? He tamped down
the hurt permeating his gut. “So, you’ve received three strange letters and you
weren’t going to tell me? Exactly how long has this been going on?”

Bea lowered her gaze and fiddled with the blanket. “It
started two weeks ago, after I met you. The only person I can think of who
might want to send them is Jim, one of my six fathers. He always resented Mom
keeping multiple men. I figure he discovered I was with you and wanted to keep
me from a serious relationship.” She looked him in the eyes. “Because you’re
the first relationship I’ve had since high school.”

He folded his arms. That he was her first relationship
explained why she hadn’t told him about the letters, but it didn’t explain the
crazy protectiveness he felt for someone he planned not to see again. However,
her theory about the dad was farfetched. “And who else knows about these
letters besides Kayla?”

She hesitated to answer. “Really, Zach, they aren’t that
important.”

“Bea.” He kept his tone firm, not willing to let his
frustration at her evasiveness be revealed by raising his voice.

She refused to meet his gaze and fisted the blankets in her
hands, her agitation obvious. “I gave the first one to Chris. He’s a police
officer, after all. I thought he’d be able to figure out who sent them.”

“Fuck.” Zach turned away from the bed and strode to the bar.
Grabbing the champagne bottle from the mini-fridge he tipped it up and took a
swallow. The woman drove him to drink! He spun to find her staring at him in
shock. He lifted the bottle in salute before he took another gulp. Hell, he
didn’t even like the stuff. He set it back on the bar, hard.

She jumped.

Her nervous gaze made him grit his teeth in an effort to
control his rising temper. “Didn’t you think Chris might be the one who sent
the letters?”

She shook her head in disbelief, her dark eyes wide. “I
can’t believe that.”

He took a deep breath. “Think about it. Who else knows we’re
seeing each other and wouldn’t want us to? I doubt very much your estranged dad
would suddenly take an interest in your love life, but Chris wants to fuck you
in the worst way. What better way to send you into his arms than with
threatening letters?”

“I don’t think he would… I mean why…oh. I never would have
thought of him.”

Though she finally saw what he saw, the slump of her
shoulders made him feel as if he’d just told her Santa Claus wasn’t real. Could
this mature woman be that idealistic? He strode to the bed and sat, taking her
in his arms. She melted into him. “I don’t know if he’s your secret admirer or
not, but this is serious stuff. What do the letters say?”

She tensed. “They only have one sentence on them. It doesn’t
make any sense.”

“Let me see them.”

She pulled away. “I told you, I gave one to Chris and the other
is in my apartment.”

He held her by the shoulders. “And the third one?”

She looked away.

He forced her chin up. “Bea?”

She glanced at the stuffed chair in the room, but pursed her
lips.

He let her go and strode to the chair.

“No!” She jumped from the bed, bringing the sheet with her,
and pulled at his arm as he reached for her purse.

He grabbed it and gave it to her. “Let me see the letter.”

She shook her head and looked down.

“Listen, you can give it to me, read it to me, tell me what
it says, or I can take it from you. Your choice.”

She stared at him, desperation clear in her beautiful brown
eyes.

He pulled her into his embrace. Her fear of his reading the
letter’s message cut a hole the size of Golden Pond in his ego. If she was in
danger he had to protect her. Usually he broke it off with women to protect
them, but he couldn’t leave her yet. “I just want to keep you safe. Can’t you
at least trust me?”

He could feel her soften against him as she squeezed him
hard. She nodded.

He set her back so he could see her face and kissed away the
single tear that rolled down her cheek.

She stared at him for the longest time then opened her purse
and gave him the letter.

He couldn’t have explained the feeling that rose inside him
at that moment, but his protective instincts went into overdrive.

He led her back to the bed and sat with her. The typewritten
envelope told him nothing except the person knew how to spell “Rappaccini”. He
opened the letter.

Does he know about the other men?

Zach stared at the question. Jesus Christ. A kick in the gut
from a moose would have been preferable to reading those seven words. The paper
crinkled as his hand formed a fist of its own accord. He struggled to control
his breathing as pain, betrayal and fury washed over him. Did he have the word
“sucker” tattooed on his back? He must have missed it last time he looked in
the mirror.

“Zach?” Bea’s soft whisper claimed his attention. Her
wrinkled brow and worried eyes reminded him of his own damning words,
trust
me.

He dropped the crumpled paper, stood and grabbed the
champagne bottle off the bar. After finishing off the contents, he threw it in
the trash, thankful for the artificial relaxant to his muscles despite the
churning acid of his stomach. He leaned against the bar, crossed his arms over
his chest and chanced looking at her again.

Bea’s hair was messed from their night of play and her hands
clutched the sheet above her breasts to cover her exquisite beauty. But her
eyes reminded him of a flying squirrel’s, wide and afraid. He stared at her,
cutting himself slack for falling for her vulnerable act. He should’ve known,
the speed of their relationship, the intensity of the sex. But he wasn’t made
of steel and doubted any man could have resisted any of it.

Bea didn’t drop her gaze in shame. In fact, she lifted her
chin before she spoke. “You said I could trust you, so I have. Do you trust me?
Do you believe me when I say I haven’t been with another man since I met you?”

Zach pushed away from the bar and strode to the sliding
door, whipping the curtains open. He needed the outdoors, to take a break from
the closed room. The sky was still dark with but a hint of whitening across the
lake. The water’s calm surface did nothing to quiet his racing thoughts or
relieve the tightness in his gut.

He spoke to the glass. “Explain.”

Her voice high, the words rolled out in an anxious rush. “I
can’t. That’s just it. I don’t understand these letters any more than you do.
Yes, I’ve been with other men before you, just as you’ve been with other women,
but I haven’t had sex with anyone since we met. I don’t know if the writer has
followed me and mixed up his timeline or if he’s an ex-lover who’s angry, or if
it’s someone like you said, who wants to keep us apart. But if he wanted to do
that, then why not send the letter to you instead of me? The letters don’t even
tell me what he wants.”

At the mention of someone following her, Zach’s protective
instincts overlaid all his other emotions and despite himself, he couldn’t help
but remember the night the cop had followed them and stayed parked outside.
Could it be that simple? Or was he looking for a way to make her innocent when
she wasn’t? It didn’t matter. He’d told her to trust him and she had. He had no
choice but to accept her word and shield her from the cop or whoever was
stalking her.

How ironic. He’d gone out of his way for years to avoid
staying with a woman too long, so she wouldn’t end up dead thanks to his
twisted fate, and here he was having to stay with Bea to protect her from
whoever sent the letters. The question was, what would keep her from the same
fate as his early fiancées?

Zach opened the sliding-glass door and let the cold morning
air bathe his naked body. It helped clear his mind and settle his knotted
stomach. Her life could be in danger either way. He had no choice but to try to
keep her safe.

He sensed her behind him before she laid a delicate hand on
his arm. “Zach?”

He took a deep breath of the fresh air, filling his lungs
and soothing his quandary. Studying her long fingers as they rested on his
biceps, his gut tightened. He had to protect her, no matter what. She trusted
him.

Moving his arm from beneath her hand, he turned and brought
her into his embrace. Her shudder of relief filled him with resolve. He held
her, stroked her hair and warmed to the need building inside him. The faith she
had in him humbled him, but doubt for her safety remained.

Bea could feel her heart paste itself back together. When
had she fallen in love with this man? She would have to tell him about the
poisons running through her body, but she had no idea how to broach that
subject. Her mom must have done pretty well with all her fathers. Four of the
original six still in her life wasn’t bad, but Bea would be damned if she’d ask
her mom. She didn’t want to mess this up. She couldn’t bear to lose Zach now.

She hugged him harder before she lifted her face to look at
him. He met her gaze with a warm one of his own before his lips found hers. The
heat of her desire for him was tempered with a new tenderness that made her
feel vulnerable and…cold?

She pulled away. “Could we close the door?”

He sighed. Turning them both so he could reach the slider,
he pulled it closed. “Don’t you have faith in my ability to keep you warm?”

She gazed up at him. “I have complete faith, but a short
memory. Maybe you should remind me.”

He took her face in his hands. “I’d be happy to.”

As his lips touched hers, her phone rang. He ignored it,
pulling her hips against him to tease her with his hardness. She reveled in his
need as he crushed her to him, his mouth devouring hers, causing warmth to
spread everywhere.

Her phone rang again.

He pulled away. “I think someone is looking for you.”

She turned her head toward her purse on the bed and waited.
The ringing stopped.

She returned her attention to him and the ringing started
again. “Oh damn.” She fumbled in her purse to find the phone. Grabbing it, she
flicked it open. “Yes?”

“Bea, this is Chris. Sorry to call so early, but I just
finished my shift and wanted to let you know what I’ve found out about the
letter. Can I meet you somewhere?”

She moved next to Zach and pointed to the phone. “I guess,
Chris. Does it have to be now?”

Zach’s expression turned hard.

She angled the phone so he could hear.

“I’m afraid so because I need to get some sleep.”

Bea glanced at Zach. He pointed to the room.

“Okay, can you come to the Lakeside? I’m at work.”

The other end was silent for a minute. “You’re at work?”

She shivered as the implication became clear. She had walked
to work yesterday and left her car parked outside her apartment. Was Chris
surprised she was at work because he was outside her place? “Yes, I’m at the
Lakeside. I’ll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes. Can you make it here
by then?”

Zach’s nod of approval gave her a little confidence.