Page 244 of Under Her Skin

‘Jesus, Max…. what have Idone?’

Max couldn’t answer him, just hugged his friend. After Theo had calmed down, he turned back to Malcolm’s body. ‘No-one knows. No one except you, me and Alan. Let’s keep it that way. We’ll get rid of the body – no-one except Jules will miss this asshole anyway. He deserved what hegot.’

Theo looked at Max, the hardness in his friend something he’d never seen. ‘Max, I can’t do that, I have to tell thepolice.’

‘Not an option.’ Alan spoke up and his voice was firm. ‘Listen, I’ll bring the cararound.’

Max nodded. ‘Good, Theo, you’re going home. Alan and I will deal withthis.’

Theo almost laughed. ‘Are you kidding me? This is myresponsibility.’

Max stared at him. ‘Theo, if this had been Jules instead if Malcolm, would you be feeling thisway?’

Theo slowly shook his head. ‘I guess not. But still, we’ve no idea where Gachet is and I hatethat.’

Max sighed. ‘There’s something else. If Malcolm was in contact with him, Julien will know something has happened. It could make him angrier, morevengeful.’

‘I think ‘vengeful’ was over a long time ago. He’s psychotic. He won’t stop until he’s killedJess.’

Max rubbed his eyes, looked back at Malcolm’s corpse. ‘Look, go home to Jess. Remind yourself why this…’ He kicked the dead man’s leg. ‘…is no great loss to anyone. Yeah, Jules will know but it might just flush him out. Just make sure Jess is fully protected. If I’ve learned one thing about Jules, it is that he’s a coward. He won’t try to get to her through a damnarmy.’

Alan had driven Theo back to the office and Theo grabbed a pool car from the parking garage, drove to the ferry. He couldn’t get Malcolm’s dead face out of his head. He’d seen two women he loved, one dead, one dying, and both had seemed more human than the wide stare of the dead man. Maybe it was because, in his mind, Malcolm was merely an extension of Jules – and Jules was amonster.

Now, with Jess in his arms, the frozen heart of him began to thaw. She nuzzled his neck, pressing her lips against histhroat.

‘I’m sorry I had to go out, baby…’ he murmured into her hair then as she opened her eyes wide and smiled at him, he kissed her , his lips firm against hers. She reached down to stroke his cock and he felt it jerk to life under her gentle touch. Adrenaline coursed through his veins then and he pushed her onto her back and covered her body with his hitching her legs around his hips. He took first one then the other nipple into his mouth teasing them until they peaked up, hard and sensitive. Jess sighed happily, pressing her groin against the hot length of his cock and then gave a surprised squeak as he rammed the entire length of it into her, clamping her hands roughly to the bed and grinding his mouth onto hers so ferociously he could taste blood. He just wanted to consume her, possess her, fucking nail her to the bed. His cock, ramrod hard and relentless, pounded into her and he could see by the excitement in her eyes that she was feeling ittoo.

They hadn’t fucked like this since before she had been stabbed and the wild abandon of it absolved every other thought from his mind. This was what he lived for, being with her, looking at her as her lovely face shone with sweat, flushed a perfect scarlet, her pink mouth open and moaning for him, calling his name. Her sleek thighs moved against his waist, the soft flesh belying the strength of the muscles clamped around him. Her tight little cunt flexing and welcoming his cock, her gently undulating belly against his, her nipples brushing his chest. He breathed in every part of her, her clean, soap-and-gardenia perfume mixing with the heady scent of their lovemaking. His brains was a flash flood of emotion, love, rage, pain, hurt, desire, Jess, Jess,Jess….

She cried out as she came, her body vibrating and quivering, her legs wrapped around him pulling him deeper. Theo nearly growled with his need to keep driving himself into her ferociously. He never wanted to stop but when at last, he peaked with a carnal roar, his semen pumping violently into her, he collapsed down onto her and she wrapped her arm around hisneck.

‘Theo, Theo, Theo…’ Her voice was a whisper, breathy and a balm to his bruised senses. She was the only thing that made any sense in his world, the onlything…

Half a world away,Jules Gachet called Malcolm’s cell for the twelfth time. Something was wrong. Something was verywrong.

Jess wokea little after eleven a.m. The sun streamed in through the window and soaked the bed in a blissful warmth. She stretched out her naked body and felt her muscles ache pleasantly. She had been thoroughly and expertly fucked last night and she felt glorious. Theo hadn’t let her go, giving her orgasm after orgasm and exhausting her until she fell asleep wrapped in hisarms.

Now she was alone in the bed and wondered where he’d gone. After brushing her teeth, she padded through the house, downstairs and eventually found him out on the deck, sipping coffee, an uneaten bagel in front ofhim.

She bent to kiss him and he pulled her onto his lap. He kissed her and she ran her hands through his hair, studying his face, the dark circles under his eyes and the strange look in his eyes. She frowned. ‘What is it,Theo?’

Theo stared back at her, seeming to struggle what to say then he smiled ruefully. ‘Nothing to worry about. Hey, how about we take a break? Get away from the city for a while. We both could do withthat.’

Jess half-smiled but wasn’t fooled by his change of demeanor. ‘Okay, but why now? Haven’t we got a lot of work on? What about the Freemancommission?’

‘That’s why I hire excellent staff,’ he said lightly but she narrowed her eyes athim.

‘I know you, Theo, what’s going on?’ Then she paled. ‘Is… he… in the city? Is that why you’re keen to getaway?’

Theo shook his head. ‘No, I promise, Jules is nowhere near here. If he steps back into the country, we’ll know aboutit.’

She didn’t entirely believe that. She knew how tricky Jules could be when he wanted, but she didn’t want to argue with him. She snuggled into his chest so he couldn’t see her eyes. ‘Where were you thinking ofgoing?’

‘Wherever you want,beautiful.’

She kissed his neck. ‘Anywhere?’

‘Anywhere.’