Wicked Bad Boys (25 page)

T
ara turned the television off
. She couldn’t believe another murder had been committed so soon. Their small town had rarely experienced any violent crimes in the twenty-two years she had grown up there. In fact, she couldn’t recall a time there was ever a killing. She heard the doorbell and got up to answer it. When she opened up the door, Kevin stood gawking at her. He looked her up and down.

“It doesn’t appear you are ready to go to the movies.”

“Didn’t you get the message? I’m not going. I sent you a text,” she replied, moving away from the door.

He stepped into the house. “I got your message, but I didn’t think you were being serious. I know how much you want to go to this movie. It’s a romantic comedy…isn’t it?”

She heaved a sigh. “Yes, but…”

“You have no reason not to go.” Again he looked her up and down. “Other than the fact you’re dressed for bed. But you can fix that quickly. Come on, I want to take you out.”

Tara groaned, frustrated. “Whatever,” she said. “Give me ten minutes.” She hurried up the stairs and into her bedroom to look for something to wear. She finally settled on a simple
University of Alaska
t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. She put some lipstick and mascara on, brushed her hair quickly, and headed back downstairs.

“So how was your date yesterday?” she asked with some sarcasm.

Kevin laughed, turning to her before opening the front door. “Tell me the truth. It really bothered you, didn’t it?”

Tara was a little thrown by his question. She figured he’d leave well enough alone. She looked at him in mild disdain, rolling her eyes as she searched for an answer.

“It didn’t bother me. I just…” She paused, knowing she wasn’t telling him the truth. “Maybe it bothered me a little bit.” She hesitated. “But, just a little bit.”

He laughed. “I’ll take that.”

He waited on the porch for her to lock up, and put his arm over her shoulders as they headed to his car.

“Let’s just put it this way. After yesterday, I’m sure Amy knows where we stand.” He opened the door for her and she met his eyes.

“How so?” she asked, smiling.

“It’s possible I might have mentioned your name a couple of times during the conversation.”

“A couple?”

“Five…six times max, but that’s all.”

She snickered, getting into the car. She felt relieved, but all the more curious to hear how it went.

S
itting
in the theatre next to Tara, Kevin found it difficult to ignore his feelings for her. He regretted not telling her how he felt. It probably wasn’t a good idea to go to a romantic comedy movie with her. As the actor and actress were making out on the big screen, he pictured them as the two in the starring roles. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and he could see she was probably uncomfortable as well.

At one point, he could swear she groaned next to him. Kevin perked up, and was more aware of his erection pressing against his zipper. He shifted his body in his chair, but nothing seemed to help. He reached his hand into the popcorn container, trying to take his mind off of it. That didn’t help. His hand grazed across Tara’s. He froze for a moment and then allowed his fingers to slowly stroke hers. He was longing to touch her and he hoped she felt the same way.

His fingers traced hers up and down and when he looked over at her, their eyes met. The moment their eyes connected, she was torn from the trance. She pulled her hand out of the bucket and turned back to the movie screen. The moment was lost.

He tried to turn back to the screen and watch what was going on, but the couple on the screen was now doing a lot more than kissing. He moaned as he saw their foreplay, knowing a sex scene was imminent. This was going to be too much to take. He just knew it. He shifted again in his seat, accidentally brushing her leg. His hand trailed down her bare leg and instead of quickly pulling away, he allowed it to linger. What was even more of a shock was she didn’t try to move away.

As his hand slid back up her leg, he let his fingers slip past the seam of her shorts, gently grazing her thigh. Their eyes met and she made no attempt to stop him. He drifted up a tad more, feeling the silk of her panties and then falling back. His hand pulled out from under her shorts and he felt himself getting nervous. They never looked away from each other. He watched her with shock and pleasure as she moved her hand toward him and then rubbed over his throbbing hardness. He moaned, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He opened his eyes to find her staring at him. She appeared lost in the moment as was he.

His eyes widened as she gently ran her hand against him. He took a chance, moving closer to her. They were only inches from kissing, but he wasn’t sure how she would react. She turned and leaned closer to him, welcoming him in. He still hesitated, because there was so much uncertainty. He didn’t want to hurt their friendship. Her hand had released his erection, but he held on to the vivid memory of her hand stroking him through his jeans.

Her breathing was heavy as he got closer. Suddenly, nothing seemed to matter more than connecting his lips to hers. His right arm wrapped around her, pulling her to him, and his left hand lifted the cup holder between them. She shifted her body, moving closer to him as he ran his hand down her back. His tongue dove into her mouth, grazing over hers. His heart was beating so loudly. He had held off on showing her how he felt for too long. He pulled away slightly, but continued to gently nibble at her lower lip. He didn’t want the moment to end and he had no intention of parting from their embrace.

Kevin felt Tara’s nails dig into his back and it drove him wild. He slid his tongue in and out of her mouth, claiming her in the dark theatre. He could hear the sound of the actors making love on the movie screen, but he couldn’t tear himself away from her. This embrace was everything he had been waiting for.

T
ara was nervous
, but relieved Kevin had finally made the first move. His touch along her leg had sent a wave of pent up desire through her body, and his kiss took her breath away. As he pulled from the kiss to nibble on her lip, she still wanted more. She let her tongue trail over his lips and then slipped back inside.

A gentle moan escaped her, causing him to intensify the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she slipped her hands up under his t-shirt. She dug her nails into his back, causing him to wince with pleasure and desire.

She could barely think, but her feelings were mile high. She reveled in his sensuous kiss, and couldn’t believe how much his touch drove her wild. Their embrace was a long time coming. She wished she had let him show his feelings and explore her body sooner.

H
idden
in the last row of the movie theatre, a pair of eyes was trained on them. He couldn’t believe they were making out where everyone could see them. He was disgusted by their blatant disregard for his feelings. He groaned, agitated they could betray him like this.

Anger darkened his eyes. He was the guy for Tara and the sooner she figured it out, the better off everyone would be. He stood up, unable to watch any more of their charade. It was a spectacle he wanted nothing to do with. Tara was his, and he swore he would make them both pay.

T
ara felt
his hands caressing her naked body while they continued their embrace.

“We were meant to be together, Tara,” Kevin said between passionate kisses.

She couldn’t believe it was happening. He moved gently, entering her opening with such tenderness. She was wet for him and there was no denying she wanted it, too. “Deeper…” she moaned, pulling him closer to her. Their hips rocked in synchrony, making their union all the more intense. Her lips reconnected to his as his tongue slowly maneuvered in and out of her mouth.

“Hmm…” she groaned, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her body tighter to his. Her lips left his and his mouth went to her neck, where he tenderly kissed her skin. She could feel her body shaking and knew her orgasm would soon follow.

“Oh God yes…”

“Fuck!” she cried out. She sat up, panting for air. She reached her hand to her forehead, feeling beads of sweat. “It’s just a dream,” she said aloud, breathless, and collapsed back into bed.

Since the night they made out near the back of the theatre, Tara could think of little else. What was more confusing was Kevin hadn’t made another advance since that night, and didn’t talk about it either. It was like it had never happened, or worse, like it meant nothing.
Did it mean nothing to him?
she asked herself numerous times and didn’t know the answer.

She shook her head, looking over at the clock. It was time to get up. They had made a study date for Saturday and he would be there to pick her up in a couple of hours. She got out of bed, heading to her dresser drawer to pick out something to wear. It was going to be hard to face Kevin if all he would do was skirt the topic of what had happened. She walked into the bathroom, turning the shower to the coldest setting. As she let her clothes fall to the ground and stepped into the cold shower, she shivered. She hoped it was enough to get her mind off of her heated dreams.

Tara couldn’t stay under the ice cold water for too long, so she quickly washed up. Every time her eyes closed, images of Kevin kissing her flooded back in.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” she mumbled.

Tara had gone years without a single fantasy of Kevin, and after one passionate but fleeting make out session, she could think of nothing else. She shook her head and got out of the shower. Stepping onto the cold linoleum was a rude awakening to her feet. She brushed her teeth and then combed and blow-dried her hair. That simple act made her remember Kevin saying how much he liked the way her hair fell around her face. She wished she could stop thinking about him long enough to clear her head.

She left the bathroom wearing a towel and grabbed her dirty clothes, tossing them in her bedroom hamper. As she got dressed, the only thoughts flooding into her mind were of Kevin. She headed out of her room and down the stairs. The house was quiet. She entered the kitchen and found a note from her mom on the table.

Went out for a walk. Don’t know when I’ll be home.

It wasn’t even signed. “What a shocker,” Tara mumbled. She peered in the refrigerator and grabbed the milk and then pulled a box of cereal from the cabinet. She sat at the table and ate her cereal slowly. She caught a glimpse of the front page of the daily newspaper. The large heading read
“Five Killed”
. Tara pulled it across the table to read. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Police sources have confirmed that Gregory Prescott was found dead in his bed. His throat had been slit and there was a burn mark on his chest. They believe the burn mark is from a cigarette. No word if it’s in connection with the other murders around town. However, this brings the death count to five.

Gregory Prescott…
she thought as she reread the article. The name seemed so familiar.

She pushed the paper away, tired of reading only bad news lately. As she picked up her dirty dishes and took them to the sink, the doorbell rang. It was Kevin. He was smiling as she answered the door.

“Hey, Kevin.” She stepped back so he could come in. Her mind went back to the article. The name seemed so familiar. “Did you see the article in the paper?” she asked, grabbing her purse and heading back to him.

He shook his head. “I didn’t read the paper today. Jake needed it for some reason. What’s up?”

“Another murder,” she replied. “Gregory Prescott.” She paused. “Ring a…”

Before she could finish her question, she saw the expression on his face. “Greg Prescott? Do you think it’s the same one?”

She stared at him for a moment. She still couldn’t place him.

“I’m not following.”

He rolled his eyes. “Seriously? How could you forget him? Greg Prescott was the new kid in town when we were in sixth grade. He was horrible to you. How could you not remember him?”

She tried to think back and when the name connected with the face, she gasped.

“Wow….I guess I blocked him from my memory.” She couldn’t imagine two guys by that name in their town.

“We haven’t seen him since graduation,” Kevin said. “It has to be him. If I remember correctly, I was always there to defend you when he picked on you.”

Tara could barely remember.

“Maybe that’s why I kept you around,” she teased.

He laughed. “Whatever it takes.” He paused then and snickered. “I used to think maybe he had a crush on you. It would explain why he picked on you so much. Wow, if that’s him…I can’t believe he was murdered.”

“Yeah…” she admitted, hoping he would change the subject. She definitely needed something to take her mind off of what was going on in town. It was gruesome.

“So where do you want to go to study?” Tara asked.

“How about the park? Good place to start, right?” Kevin suggested.

“Sounds good,” she replied.

They walked out the front door and Tara locked up before getting in the car. As they drove toward the park, the conversation went back to middle school and Gregory Prescott’s murder.

“I wonder if it was a robbery gone wrong or if he knew the killer?” Kevin asked.

Tara looked out the window, still in disbelief over the news. “Well, like you said…maybe he wasn’t the nicest guy. Maybe he had enemies.”

She turned back to him and he nodded.

“It was a long time ago, Tara,” he noted. “Who knows what really happened. No one deserves to have their throat slit like that.”

“Let’s not talk about it anymore,” she replied, feeling sick to her stomach over it. “It’s too early in the day to be talking about this gruesome stuff.”

“Agreed,” he answered.

“So how’s your brother been?” she asked.

He laughed. “That
is
changing the subject.” He glanced at her. “Sometimes he seems fine and other times…a little off.”

“I haven’t seen him much since we’ve been back in town. I was just thinking about him.”

He smiled. “Nice. I’ll let him know you asked about him. He’ll appreciate it.”

She smiled. She didn’t know a lot about Jake, and had not interacted with him much over the years. The few times they had talked when she was over at their house, Jake wouldn’t make eye contact and was shy to make conversation with her. Kevin’s family had a hard time dealing with him. He had been diagnosed with a mental illness and it’s all she was ever told. It seemed their whole family was saddened by it, including Kevin.

Kevin parked the car and they got out. He grabbed his books from the backseat and she took a blanket. They both headed in the direction of a large tree. It gave enough shade they would be comfortable. She laid out the blanket and they sat down to get started. Their study routine was more or less fine-tuned. He would read, make long notes, and then summarize them on index cards. She would knit and crochet while he took notes, and would stop to quiz him from the index cards. They settled nicely into study mode.

H
alfway
through their park study session, Kevin nonchalantly looked up at Tara as she rattled off another term. He tried to think of the answer, but his eyes fell to her sexy long legs stretched out beside him. He groaned, hoping not to have another slip up like what happened at the movies the previous week. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her lips were delicious, her body was succulent, and the way she melted against him when their bodies were pressed together was like nothing else.

“Kevin?” she called out. He hung onto his name on her lips, until he realized she was actually speaking to him. “Earth to Kevin…”

“Huh?” He quickly snapped back to reality.

“You zoned out for a minute there,” she replied with a grin.

He wanted to point out he couldn’t focus because she took his mind to places he never thought he would go, but couldn’t say it. He didn’t think she would understand. He tried to explain away in his mind what happened at the movie was simply a lapse in judgment. He was sure it had meant nothing to her, and he was trying to come to terms with it.

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” he asked, putting himself back in the moment.

“I was asking you to give me everything you know about Iron Horse State Park, Kevin.” She lifted her head to look at him, and smiled.

Just hearing the name brought back old memories.

“I don’t believe it’s anywhere in my books.” He laughed, lifting himself up so he could look at the pages.

She held the book back.

“Maybe it’s not, but you have been studying so hard. I thought maybe I could ask about something else. So…tell me what you know about it.”

He leaned back against the tree, resting his legs close to hers. “I know it has provided hours of entertainment and it has given me some of my greatest memories.”

She smiled. “That’s a good start.”

Kevin’s mind wandered back to their camping trips to the park. After they had passed their driving tests and got their parents’ old cars to drive, it had not taken either of them long to escape for weekend camping trips together. They spent a lot of time at the Iron Horse State Park, which was just over an hour’s drive away.

“Well,” he started, “you can go biking, hiking, horseback riding, and spend countless hours in front of the fire. You can even go rappelling down a mountain, if you’re the adventurous type.” He winked at her, knowing it was not something she would ever want to do. He couldn’t count the times he tried to convince her.

“It’s the best place to view wildlife,” he continued, feeling nostalgic. As he processed the information, a smile crossed his face.

“I have the perfect idea.”

She closed the book and looked at him. “I’m listening.”

“Well, what do you say we go next weekend?” He couldn’t imagine being more excited. He was like a little boy on Christmas morning.

“Go where?” she asked.

He sighed. “Go to Iron Horse. It’s only an hour drive and we have a three day weekend coming up. We can bring the books along and we’ll be in the headquarters of wildlife. Besides, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t like to get out of town for a little bit. Leave on Friday and come back on Sunday. What do you say?”

Tara was hesitant about the idea. “I don’t know…” she replied suddenly.

“Tara, we used to go there several times a year and take a tent and just enjoy the outdoors. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t enjoy it.”

“True, but…”

He moved closer to her, placing his hand on hers. A confused look arose on her face. He could see it, but didn’t want to pull his hand away.

“Do you have better plans for the weekend?”

She slowly shook her head.

“Good, then it’s settled. Next weekend we’re going to have a mini vacation like the ones we had always planned. You won’t regret it.”

She finally smiled, nodding.

“You’re right. I could use this.” She frowned. “I just hope I can find my tent.”

“We’ll be fine with one,” he answered. “I’ll use my dad’s old two-room tent.”

As much as Kevin daydreamed about being close to Tara again, he had to keep things on a friendship level. They were going to study and enjoy camping in nature. Nothing else was in the cards.

T
ara wondered
why she had agreed to go camping with Kevin. Deep down, she felt they were about to make a big mistake. As the week wore on, she rounded up supplies to take along, wondering if she should cancel. They were being foolish if they thought they could spend a platonic weekend camping together. The sexual tension had been building between them.

“I can’t do it,” she said aloud, and sighed. “He’ll understand.” She stared at herself in the mirror the morning before they were supposed to leave. She needed to tell him at work today, but didn’t know how she would broach the subject.
I think I’m coming down with something. The cold air won’t be too good for my lungs. I don’t want to get you sick.
Each excuse she came up with made her feel worse. He was so excited about going, which made the thought of ruining his plans agonizing. Still, she had to be honest with herself. She grabbed her stuff and headed toward the door. “Mom, I’m going to work,” she called out.

“Bye,” her mother called back. She ended up telling her mother what she was doing for the long weekend, because she was frantically looking everywhere for the tent. Tara wondered if she could just go hide out at a hotel, as her mom knew she wouldn’t be home anyway. This way she could still enjoy a mini vacation.

She slammed the door behind her and got into her car. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she started the car and thought,
He’ll understand. He just has to.
The short drive to the petting zoo was no less worrisome. As she arrived and parked, she saw he had not arrived yet. It was only temporary relief. She would have to deal with it on their break or after work. She walked toward the building, nearly running into Amy at the main doors.

“Oh, sorry.” Amy laughed. It was another awkward moment between the two. Although it had been a couple weeks since the date between Amy and Kevin, she couldn’t help but notice Amy was doing everything to avoid her.

Tara smiled, and started to move past her.