Читать книгу Tempest Court - Jan Walters - Страница 20

Chapter 14

Brett hung up the phone. Kevin invited them to dinner tonight. He quickly called Lisa and found out she had to work overtime. Since he didn’t necessarily want to eat alone, he agreed to meet them.

Kevin and Layla were already seated when he arrived at the restaurant. He slid into the booth and motioned for the waitress.

“Thanks, guys, for inviting me. You saved me from eating a frozen dinner.” Brett grinned.

Kevin’s arm draped over Layla’s shoulder. The pair looked cozy. Kevin’s blue eyes studied her face. Layla gazed up at Kevin as if he were a Viking god. Geez! Maybe he should have stayed home.

“So how’s the exhibition going, Layla?”

“Brett, I’m so overwhelmed with the turnout. It’s much higher than projected. You can’t believe the number of people, including school kids, who come through every day.”

“I wish they would have had stuff like this when I was a kid.” Kevin grinned. “Especially the mummy part.”

Brett nodded. “Yeah. Have you ever seen Abbot and Costello’s Meet the Mummy?”

Kevin and Layla shook their heads. Brett groaned. “You’ve got to go online and find it. My mom loves those old movies. She made me watch it with her when I was a teenager. Surprisingly, it’s pretty funny.”

Layla’s brow drew together. “How can a mummy movie be funny?”

Kevin smirked. “Yeah, dude.”

Brett kicked Kevin underneath the table. “I find the idea of a man wrapped up in gauze, who can barely move, by the way, chasing people very funny.”

“Yeah, especially when the mummy has one outstretched arm and moans constantly.” Kevin’s eyes lit up mischievously.

“Oh, stop it, you guys.” Layla tweaked Kevin’s cheek. “We don’t have to worry about a mummy chasing anyone. They’re dead.” Layla paused before adding, “Although a young schoolgirl came to my office today. She thought she saw the mummy move a finger. Can you imagine that?”

Brett’s laughter faded. What the heck? “What did you say?”

Layla ran a hand through her loose black hair and shrugged. “I know it didn’t happen, but it’s strange. No one has ever said that to me before. It was a little unsettling.” She took a deep breath, biting her lower lip. “We’ve had the mummy in our possession for months now, and nothing suspicious has ever happened.”

“So did you go look at the mummy?” Brett straightened.

Kevin’s eyes narrowed on him. “O’Shea, why are you so interested?”

“No reason. Just curious to see if Layla went and checked.”

Layla glanced at both men. “Of course, I did. I stood there for a half hour. There was nothing strange or unusual. I felt like an idiot for even giving credence that the mummy could move.”

“Trust me, better safe than sorry,” Brett muttered.

“What’s that mean?” Layla cast him a suspicious glance.

Kevin clapped his hands, startling Brett. “Okay, no more talk of mummies. We all agree they can’t move. Done.”

With a tight smile, Brett let it go. But the seed was planted in his head. What did the child see? Did the mummy move, or was it the kid’s imagination? He mentally shook his head. Nope, not going there!

As he rose to leave, Layla touched his hand. “I should have some information next week on the canopic jar that you brought in.”

He nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate your help.”

As he drove home, strange thoughts filled his head. Layla was an expert in Egyptian mythology. She wasn’t alarmed or worried about the mummy, so why was he? Just because there had been two horrific paranormal cases in the past couple of years didn’t mean all his cases would continue like that. Maybe those cases were just flukes. Or was Chief Anders right about him being a “shit magnet.” He laughed out loud, ignoring the strange looks from people in the car next to him at a red light. He was just a normal detective.

Pulling into his driveway, he locked the car and entered the kitchen. Sounds from the TV came from the bedroom. Lisa called out to him. All thoughts of the mummy quickly faded. He felt a sudden need for Lisa.

He stood in the bedroom doorway, unbuttoning his shirt as he studied Lisa—her blond curls loosely pinned on the top of her head. One single strand had escaped and caressed her cheek—something he would be doing shortly. Her pert upturned nose wrinkled as she turned the page of her book. She looked so engrossed with whatever she was reading.

He dropped the shirt to the floor and kicked off his shoes. The breath caught in his chest as Lisa’s T-shirt dipped lower, revealing tempting mounds. He silently padded across the floor. He leaned down, slipping the book from her hands.

Her eyes widened as she glanced upward. Her look of surprise quickly turned into one of desire. Her tongue darted out, skimming her plump pink lips.

“Hey…what are you doing?” Laughter laced her voice.

Without answering, he tossed the book to the floor and yanked the sheet off Lisa. He stood there assessing, taking in every curve and dip of her lithe body. His erection lengthened. She turned toward him. The oversized shirt gaped open. Her breasts jutted forward, waiting for his touch. The rose-colored nipples puckered and hardened as he stared at them. He reached out his hand to touch and squeeze, yet his hand fell to his side. At that moment, he realized his feelings were more than any physical attraction. Every day they spent together was a day he realized that he didn’t want to be without her.

She tentatively reached out and ran a finger around the top of his trousers. His stomach clenched as her finger dipped down the front of his pants. Her finger rubbed the tip of his penis. His unrelenting gaze captured hers. A moan escaped his tight lips. A slight smile curved her lips. Witch! She knew he was in agony.

He dropped to his knees, grasping her hand in his. He lifted her hand to his mouth, gently sucking each finger, pulling in and out. Lisa’s eyes smoldered. He reached out and ripped her T-shirt in two, right down the middle.

He smothered her gasp with his mouth. Hot. Plundering. He wouldn’t give any quarter. His emotions ran rampant—something he’d never experienced with her before.

He rose, tearing off the rest of his clothes. He straddled her body and yanked her downward so that he could sink inside of Lisa. Her hands wrapped about his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. As their tongues dueled, the fire within him grew. His skin crawled with heat. He was combustible. With a growl, he gripped her hands and pinned them above her head.

He sank between her legs, groaning as she wrapped her ankles behind him. Pressure mounted. Faster, he pounded. The roaring in his ears blocked out any other sound. A sheen of sweat covered his body. She stiffened and convulsed beneath him. Her cries shattered any remaining control he had. His roar filled the room. His body shuttered with release. He pulled her to him, drawing her closer. Then it dawned on him. Damn! He was in love.

Wrapped in each other’s arms, he lost track of time. When his heart slowed to a normal pace, he slowly let go and rolled next to Lisa.

Her hand was resting over her closed eyes. Had he hurt her?

With a slight nudge, he asked, “Are you okay?”

Silence. Now he was worried. “Lisa, I didn’t mean…”

She scrambled across the bed and pounced on his stomach. Her blue eyes narrowed.

“What was that all about, O’Shea?”

Crap! He’d been too aggressive. “I don’t know. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Her brows drew together. “Hurt me?” she whispered. “Brett, you didn’t hurt me.”

Relief flooded him. “I didn’t?”

“No. It was the best climax-jolting sex I’ve ever had.” Her eyes twinkled at him.

“It was good, wasn’t it?”

She nodded. “You can go all Tarzan-like anytime you want, lover boy.”

He pulled up the blanket and wrapped his arm about Lisa. Within minutes, Lisa fell asleep. Sex always made him fall asleep, except for tonight.

Tonight, his thoughts drifted back to Layla’s comment about the little girl. It still bothered him. There were too many things going on that seemed to tie back to the Egyptian exhibit. Was Michael’s precognition ability transferring to him? He hoped not. He didn’t want to know what was going to happen in the future. It would be a surefire formula for nightmares.