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"I made love to you?"
Unwilling to trust my voice, I nodded.
"How was it?"
I broke into a huge grin.
Destiny's eyes flashed. "I take it I was a good lover."
"You were the best. Slow, gentle, and passionate."
"And what were you like?"
I cracked a self-conscious smile. "I was confident and sure of
myself. Not nervous at all...and extremely excited."
"Where did we do it?"
"I can't believe I'm telling you this."
"C'mon, Kris, where were we?"
I caught my breath. "Here, actually."
"Not in the mountains, under a big pine tree?"
"I tried to get us outdoors a couple of times, but the logistics
kept interrupting: Could we find level ground? Wouldn't needles
or rocks poke us in the back? What if someone saw us? I tried,
but it never worked."
Destiny laughed. "So we were here?"
I nodded.
"What time of day was it?"
I gave her a sheepish half-smile. "Early evening."
"Who made the first move?" she asked as her hand played with
the cuff of my shorts.
"You did."
"What did I do?"
"You kissed me."
"Like this?" She carefully took off my glasses, leaned over, and
"Like this?" She carefully took off my glasses, leaned over, and
tenderly kissed me. I couldn't believe how good it felt or how
much I wanted her to touch me. I was on the tip of pleasure, and
I wanted to stay there forever. Feeling her body against mine
was like taking a mouthful of something new and luscious and not
wanting to swallow. Ever.
"Mm."
"Or was it more like this?" No sooner had she put her lips to
mine than the phone rang.
I ignored it and instead opened wide to take in her tongue as it
explored the deep recesses of my mouth.
By the twentieth ring, Destiny succumbed to the jarring
interruption and sat up. "Don't you have an answering machine?"
Yeah, but I had to shut it off last night to catch your call."
"Maybe you better get it."
"Nah. They'll call back later."
Thankfully, the ringing stopped, and we resumed our positions.
As we kissed, slowly at first and then more frantically, I caressed
her breasts, and she reached inside my shorts. "God, are you
ready to make love," she whispered. "You're so wet!"
She had just slid two fingers inside my underwear when the
phone rang again.
And it would not stop!
I sighed in frustration. "I'd better get that."
"Don't be long."
I crawled over to the dining room table and picked up the
phone.
"Hello," I said hurriedly as I adjusted the waistband of my shorts.
"Hello," I said hurriedly as I adjusted the waistband of my shorts.
"Kristin, I hate to trouble you," Liz Greaves began. I'm not sure
which was more unnerving: the terror in her voice or her
daughter playfully beckoning from across the room.
"What's wrong?" I smiled faintly at Destiny.
"Something awful has happened! He called me!"
"Who?" I asked, suspecting the answer, but not wanting to blurt
it out.
"Him, Freeman. He said he's met Destiny and wants to see me.
Is it true? Has he contacted my daughter?"
I tried to act unconcerned. "When did he call?"
"Tonight. He called tonight, and he said they're friends Is it true?"
I didn't answer. Every cell in my body was stimulated except the
ones in my brain. I was having trouble thinking up answers that
would be truthful but wouldn't tip off Destiny.
Her shriek pierced my eardrum. "What's happening?! I'm going
crazy! Why won't you talk to me?"
"Ahm, this really isn't a good time. Could I maybe call you
back?"
"I'm falling apart," she labored between coughs and sobs. "I can't
believe he's back again. Please don't hang up, I need to talk to
someone. I beg of you, don't leave me alone."
I abandoned all hope of putting her off until morning. "How
about if I come over later, and we can talk then?"
"Please, but not later. Come now!" she panted.
I covered my eyes with my hand. "I'm on my way." Very
deliberately, I put down the receiver. "I shouldn't have answered
it." The understatement of the decade.
it." The understatement of the decade.
"Is everything all right?"
"Not exactly. I've got to go out, but I won't be long. Will you
wait for me?"
"Where are you going I'll come with you."
"I've got to go alone."
She persisted. "Is someone sick?"
Just me. "No, it's my sister Ann. She had a fight with her
boyfriend, and she's really upset. Will you stay here until I get
back?"
I saw the disappointment in her eyes, but she gamely replied,
"Sure. I'll water the plants while you're gone."
"Promise you won't leave?"
"I promise."
"And when I get back, we'll pick up where we left off?"
"Of course," she said half-heartedly.
Chapter 17
In ten minutes, I was on Liz Greaves' porch, talking to her
through a slightly open door.
"Are you alone? Were you followed?"
"Yes, I'm alone, and nobody followed me. Can I come in?"
Destiny's mother cast a furtive glance at the lawn, driveway, and
street behind me. "Are you sure you weren't followed?"
"Positive."
"Quickly," she hissed and slammed the door as soon as I cleared
the threshold.
Trembling beneath black slacks and a gray blouse, she shuffled
Trembling beneath black slacks and a gray blouse, she shuffled
into the living room, and I followed, sniffing the air. I tried to
identify the strange odor and eventually pinpointed the culprit:
dying floral arrangements scattered around the room.
Looking pale and drawn, as if she had aged ten years since our
last visit, Liz Greaves teetered on the edge of the couch. Her stiff
brown hair was dented in the back, and her eyes were
bloodshot. On the coffee table in front of us rested a half-empty
cup of tea, a small plate with one oatmeal cookie, and a mostly
completed crossword puzzle.
I was posed to comment on the word game when Liz burst into
tears. "What I was afraid of is happening, Kristin. He stalks me,
and I'm helpless to do anything but wait for him to attack again.
It's like it was before, and I'm falling apart. I beg of you, make
him go away!"
"Liz, I can't "
"What if he touches me again? God in heaven, this can't happen!
I'd rather die than survive another attack. I'll never know how I
did it the first time, but I'm not strong enough to do it again."
"Destiny, my only child," she gasped. "He told me she likes him.
Is this true?"
Before I could frame a reply, she screeched a piercing, painful
question. "How? How could she like him? How could anyone
like him?"
"I wouldn't say Destiny exactly "
"All her life, I've tried to protect her, but it's never been safe for
me to love her. How could I when she looked like she did, with
breasts and long legs? I couldn't bear the thought of someone
breasts and long legs? I couldn't bear the thought of someone
touching her."
I felt a pang in my chest and raised a hand to stop the
confession, but she continued. "Everything I've ever worried
about is coming true every single thing. That he'd find me, that
he'd find my daughter. I thought I was safe, but I'm not. I never
have been. I let my guard down, and he's back. What did I do to
deserve this? What did my innocent baby do?"
"Nothing!" I said sharply, trying to squelch the flood of emotions
before they turned infectious. "Listen, you've got to try to calm
down and tell me everything from the beginning. Can you do
that?"
I awkwardly patted her shoulder, and she nodded tentatively.
"He called right before I called you. At first, he was charming."
Her mouth turned in disgust. "He asked how I'd been and said
he heard I had married. Before he could go any further, I told
him, in no uncertain terms, what I thought of him."
"Good for you."
"I'm not so sure it was wise." She sniffled. "He became very [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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"I made love to you?"
Unwilling to trust my voice, I nodded.
"How was it?"
I broke into a huge grin.
Destiny's eyes flashed. "I take it I was a good lover."
"You were the best. Slow, gentle, and passionate."
"And what were you like?"
I cracked a self-conscious smile. "I was confident and sure of
myself. Not nervous at all...and extremely excited."
"Where did we do it?"
"I can't believe I'm telling you this."
"C'mon, Kris, where were we?"
I caught my breath. "Here, actually."
"Not in the mountains, under a big pine tree?"
"I tried to get us outdoors a couple of times, but the logistics
kept interrupting: Could we find level ground? Wouldn't needles
or rocks poke us in the back? What if someone saw us? I tried,
but it never worked."
Destiny laughed. "So we were here?"
I nodded.
"What time of day was it?"
I gave her a sheepish half-smile. "Early evening."
"Who made the first move?" she asked as her hand played with
the cuff of my shorts.
"You did."
"What did I do?"
"You kissed me."
"Like this?" She carefully took off my glasses, leaned over, and
"Like this?" She carefully took off my glasses, leaned over, and
tenderly kissed me. I couldn't believe how good it felt or how
much I wanted her to touch me. I was on the tip of pleasure, and
I wanted to stay there forever. Feeling her body against mine
was like taking a mouthful of something new and luscious and not
wanting to swallow. Ever.
"Mm."
"Or was it more like this?" No sooner had she put her lips to
mine than the phone rang.
I ignored it and instead opened wide to take in her tongue as it
explored the deep recesses of my mouth.
By the twentieth ring, Destiny succumbed to the jarring
interruption and sat up. "Don't you have an answering machine?"
Yeah, but I had to shut it off last night to catch your call."
"Maybe you better get it."
"Nah. They'll call back later."
Thankfully, the ringing stopped, and we resumed our positions.
As we kissed, slowly at first and then more frantically, I caressed
her breasts, and she reached inside my shorts. "God, are you
ready to make love," she whispered. "You're so wet!"
She had just slid two fingers inside my underwear when the
phone rang again.
And it would not stop!
I sighed in frustration. "I'd better get that."
"Don't be long."
I crawled over to the dining room table and picked up the
phone.
"Hello," I said hurriedly as I adjusted the waistband of my shorts.
"Hello," I said hurriedly as I adjusted the waistband of my shorts.
"Kristin, I hate to trouble you," Liz Greaves began. I'm not sure
which was more unnerving: the terror in her voice or her
daughter playfully beckoning from across the room.
"What's wrong?" I smiled faintly at Destiny.
"Something awful has happened! He called me!"
"Who?" I asked, suspecting the answer, but not wanting to blurt
it out.
"Him, Freeman. He said he's met Destiny and wants to see me.
Is it true? Has he contacted my daughter?"
I tried to act unconcerned. "When did he call?"
"Tonight. He called tonight, and he said they're friends Is it true?"
I didn't answer. Every cell in my body was stimulated except the
ones in my brain. I was having trouble thinking up answers that
would be truthful but wouldn't tip off Destiny.
Her shriek pierced my eardrum. "What's happening?! I'm going
crazy! Why won't you talk to me?"
"Ahm, this really isn't a good time. Could I maybe call you
back?"
"I'm falling apart," she labored between coughs and sobs. "I can't
believe he's back again. Please don't hang up, I need to talk to
someone. I beg of you, don't leave me alone."
I abandoned all hope of putting her off until morning. "How
about if I come over later, and we can talk then?"
"Please, but not later. Come now!" she panted.
I covered my eyes with my hand. "I'm on my way." Very
deliberately, I put down the receiver. "I shouldn't have answered
it." The understatement of the decade.
it." The understatement of the decade.
"Is everything all right?"
"Not exactly. I've got to go out, but I won't be long. Will you
wait for me?"
"Where are you going I'll come with you."
"I've got to go alone."
She persisted. "Is someone sick?"
Just me. "No, it's my sister Ann. She had a fight with her
boyfriend, and she's really upset. Will you stay here until I get
back?"
I saw the disappointment in her eyes, but she gamely replied,
"Sure. I'll water the plants while you're gone."
"Promise you won't leave?"
"I promise."
"And when I get back, we'll pick up where we left off?"
"Of course," she said half-heartedly.
Chapter 17
In ten minutes, I was on Liz Greaves' porch, talking to her
through a slightly open door.
"Are you alone? Were you followed?"
"Yes, I'm alone, and nobody followed me. Can I come in?"
Destiny's mother cast a furtive glance at the lawn, driveway, and
street behind me. "Are you sure you weren't followed?"
"Positive."
"Quickly," she hissed and slammed the door as soon as I cleared
the threshold.
Trembling beneath black slacks and a gray blouse, she shuffled
Trembling beneath black slacks and a gray blouse, she shuffled
into the living room, and I followed, sniffing the air. I tried to
identify the strange odor and eventually pinpointed the culprit:
dying floral arrangements scattered around the room.
Looking pale and drawn, as if she had aged ten years since our
last visit, Liz Greaves teetered on the edge of the couch. Her stiff
brown hair was dented in the back, and her eyes were
bloodshot. On the coffee table in front of us rested a half-empty
cup of tea, a small plate with one oatmeal cookie, and a mostly
completed crossword puzzle.
I was posed to comment on the word game when Liz burst into
tears. "What I was afraid of is happening, Kristin. He stalks me,
and I'm helpless to do anything but wait for him to attack again.
It's like it was before, and I'm falling apart. I beg of you, make
him go away!"
"Liz, I can't "
"What if he touches me again? God in heaven, this can't happen!
I'd rather die than survive another attack. I'll never know how I
did it the first time, but I'm not strong enough to do it again."
"Destiny, my only child," she gasped. "He told me she likes him.
Is this true?"
Before I could frame a reply, she screeched a piercing, painful
question. "How? How could she like him? How could anyone
like him?"
"I wouldn't say Destiny exactly "
"All her life, I've tried to protect her, but it's never been safe for
me to love her. How could I when she looked like she did, with
breasts and long legs? I couldn't bear the thought of someone
breasts and long legs? I couldn't bear the thought of someone
touching her."
I felt a pang in my chest and raised a hand to stop the
confession, but she continued. "Everything I've ever worried
about is coming true every single thing. That he'd find me, that
he'd find my daughter. I thought I was safe, but I'm not. I never
have been. I let my guard down, and he's back. What did I do to
deserve this? What did my innocent baby do?"
"Nothing!" I said sharply, trying to squelch the flood of emotions
before they turned infectious. "Listen, you've got to try to calm
down and tell me everything from the beginning. Can you do
that?"
I awkwardly patted her shoulder, and she nodded tentatively.
"He called right before I called you. At first, he was charming."
Her mouth turned in disgust. "He asked how I'd been and said
he heard I had married. Before he could go any further, I told
him, in no uncertain terms, what I thought of him."
"Good for you."
"I'm not so sure it was wise." She sniffled. "He became very [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]