Page 253 of Under Her Skin
‘Sweetheart…’ He came to her immediately but she backed away, his eyes full ofpain.
‘What did you do, Theo? Tellme.’
She gazed up at the man she loved and waited for him to break herheart…
Love With Me PartNine
Seconds felt like hours.
Theo Storm watched Jess’s face as she took in what he had told her. ‘I killed Malcolm. I broke his neck. We covered it up’. Eleven words. Eleven words that could finally, inexorably rip themapart.
For the first time, he wished Jess’s eyes weren’t such a deep, deep brown. He couldn’t read them. Jess turned to look at Max, who gave a short nod, unsmiling, obviously worried about her reaction. Jess turned back toTheo.
‘I would have done thesame.’
Theo had to grab the top of a chair to stop his legs collapsing with relief. Relief and astonishment. He saw Max’s whole body slump. Jess reached out and put her hands on hisface.
‘I love you and I know you. Malcolm was a monster, as much as Jules is. He gave Jules an alibi for Josh’s murder – that, or he was the one who killed him. I’m glad he’s dead. I’m fucking over-the-moon he’s dead. I wish you had told me sooner, is all, but I get why youdidn’t.’
He couldn’t help himself then and pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Max put his hand on his heart, smile and then slip out. Jess started to giggle as the kiss went on and finally they brokeapart.
‘Dude, just sometimes, I do needoxygen.’
He grinned down at her, so lovely in the gold dress which clung to her soft curves, molded to her high, rounded breasts. ‘Damn, Jess, how’d I get so lucky to findyou?’
She answered him by pressing her body into his, cupping his cock through his trousers. At her touch, it responded immediately and then he was lifting her onto the desk, pushing the silk of her dress up to her waist as she unzipped his pants. She pulled his shirt open and teased his nipples with her tongue as he tugged her legs around his waist and plunged into her, lifting her easily into his arms. Jess shook her hair back from her face and grinned athim.
‘You wanna fuck against the bookcase, bigboy?’
God, he loved it when she was playful. He felt his cock thicken inside her, her soft vagina clenching around him, urging him on. He pressed her back against the books and thrust harder, finding the rhythm as they kissed, and bit, and sucked at each other. Jess dug her nails into his butt as she came, muffling her cries by burying her face in his neck. Theo came and came, his entire groin jerking hard as his semen pumped intoher.
Catching their breath, they kissed tenderly but didn’t speak. There was no need. Tidying themselves up, smoothing down their clothes, Jess giggling while she shoved a handful of tissue between her legs, they kissed again and nodded. ‘Time to get back to the party,beautiful.’
He held the door open and as she passed, he ran a fingertip gently down her bare back. She shivered with pleasure and turned to smile at him. Something had changed in that room. A deeper connection had beenforged.
Theo couldn’t help but feel good aboutthat.
The party had goneon until the early hours and the sun was coming up when Theo and Jess finally made their way home. It was another hour until they made it to the bedroom and then they fell onto the bed, exhausted, exhilarated and slept, locked in each other’sarms.
Jess moved through the house,ethereal and weightless in her wedding gown, her long hair tumbling to the center of her back. Every room was bathed in a soft, gold glow and she drifted through the house, calling for Theo. She wanted to see him, touch him, see his face when he saw her in the dress, and know she was his for alltime…
Then he was there, at the end of the hallway, smiling at her. She moved toward him only to realize he wasn’t smiling… it was a rictus, there were too many teeth and his face wasn’t Theo’s handsome face but a contorted parody ofit.
‘Come here, Jessica.’ Jules. It was Jules. She tried to turn away but the Theo/Jules monster was pulling her to him, closer, closer, his hands were metal, his fingers knives and he slashed at her, spattering hot blood across the dress, cutting her open and the pain, thepain…
Jess woke up,shaking. Theo slept beside her, his own face creased with stress. She moved closer to him and he stirred and locked his arms around her. She lay there, unable to sleep. A plan was forming in her mind. Something she in her life would never have dreamed she would haveconsidered.
Killing another humanbeing.
‘Hey, Mrs. Storm.’
Amelia turned and smiled. She really was a stunning woman, graceful, patrician. Her hair hung in a smooth bob around her face, a face untouched by a plasticsurgeon.
‘Clem! How many times have I asked you to call me Amelia? Good to seeyou.’
She kissed him on the cheek and Jules felt his junk tighten. Really, dude? They were standing at the edge of the harbor, watching the ferries slink in and out of the terminus. It was a clear Washington day and Mt. Rainier rose over the Evergreen state. The weather was warm as Jules and Amelia walked slowly back intotown.
‘I’ve got a lead on those champagnes you wanted for your son’s wedding,’ Jules mentioned casually and Amelia grasped hisarm.
