Blood Kiss (Savage Security Series Book 1) Read online

  Pacey turned the corner and walked down the sidewalk that ran along Alisha’s house. When he came to the tree protection area beside her backyard, he stepped into the woods and essentially disappeared. He went to his hiding spot and popped another Tic Tac into his mouth.

  He looked around, assessing the area and looking for neighbors. All seemed quiet, so he walked, hidden by the privacy hedge. When he came to the fence, he gripped the top and hefted his body over the top, then jumped to the ground. He snuck quickly up to the door on her patio. He glanced around and noticed that his note to her in the soil was gone. She’d cleaned it up. He hated that he broke one of her pots last night, but accidents happen. He figured he might as well make lemonade out of lemons, or something like that, so he’d left her a message in the soil. Pacey wondered how she felt when she read it. Did she feel guilty for cheating on him with the dumb oaf? Had she wondered how he’d known?

  He scrunched down and cursed. He shuffled his feet as he tried to peer into her house through the window. She’d started keeping her blinds drawn at all times, and it really pissed him off. This made it nearly impossible for him to catch a glimpse of her in the evening as she roamed about.

  Pacey tapped on the glass and listened. Forrest barked from a distance. He waited to see if the barking got louder. He tapped again, this time with a little more force. Forrest’s yipping bark answered, but did not come closer. Forrest was in his crate.

  Pacey didn’t understand how Alisha could crate Forrest all day. Didn’t she know that was caging him? Restraining him like a prisoner? Pacey’s heart rate increased as his thoughts turned angrier. His mother had essentially caged him in his developmental years, not allowing anything she disapproved of into his world.

  He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Alisha only crated Forrest when she had to, when she wasn’t home. He could forgive her for trying to stay safe. But Pacey knew that if Forrest was crated, it meant the house was empty and the motion detectors were activated.

  Pacey took a deep breath and thought about his predicament. He had to get inside. He wanted to see what was going on in her life. Had that dumb oaf been there? She’d never be able to defend herself against a brute like him.

  Pacey glanced around and noticed the wrought iron potting bench with three shelves. He studied the shelves, placing his hand on them and jiggling them. They were sturdy. If he stood on the top shelf, he could be at her bedroom window. He hadn’t noticed motion detectors upstairs.

  He moved a few pots from the shelves and placed them on the patio table. Then he sat on the potting cart and twisted around until he was on his knees. His heart raced with adrenaline. He didn’t want to look down and psych himself out, so he focused on the shelves before him. He gripped an edge of the shelf and pulled himself to standing.

  Nerves jittered through him as he realized what a foolish plan this was, but nothing was going to stop him. He gripped the top of the potting cart and stepped onto a shelf. Doubt nearly delayed him when the potting bench shifted slightly. His muscles bunched as he gripped the shelves. Sweat beaded along his forehead. He’d never been allowed to climb trees as a child because it was too dangerous. He chuckled at the thought of Mother seeing him now. She’d burst a vein.

  He stretched and managed to grasp the gutter. He was a man. He could conquer his fears. As long as he didn’t put too much pressure on the gutter, it would hold and he wouldn’t fall. He used the gutter for stability and stepped up another shelf. From this height, he could peer into her bedroom. Her queen-sized bed was neatly made and no clothes littered the floor. He appreciated that. She would make a good housekeeper.

  He gripped the window sill and tried to push up the window. He cursed under his breath when the window didn’t move. He didn’t risk his life climbing up the potting cart to fail. After several moments of jimmying it, the window moved. A tiny slit formed between the window and the window sill. He nudged his fingers into the opening. He grunted and pushed the window up, inhaling slowly as he focused on the task at hand. He stretched his arms and gripped the window frame, then slid one foot to the sill. He refused to look down. Instead, he chanted “Alisha” in his head. Then he moved his body so that his foot went inside and he straddled the window frame, one leg in and one leg out. He exhaled and rested his head on the frame, thankful that he hadn’t fallen.

  He slid inside the room and stretched. His sense of accomplishment bolstered him as he wandered happily through her bedroom. Forrest made a racket from the first floor, but the dog would not be a problem.

  Pacey stepped up to her dresser drawers and pulled open a drawer. He was disappointed when he saw t-shirts. He wanted the good stuff. He closed that drawer and pulled open another one. He was rewarded and felt his blood rush south. Fancy bras with perky cups lined the drawer. He lifted out a black one with sheer lace and tiny beadwork. He rubbed it against his cheek. Her pink nipples would look amazing wrapped in this package of lace and beads. He gently folded the bra together, stuffing one cup into the other, and shoved it into his jacket pocket. He had plans for that piece of lingerie.

  He opened the drawer below the bras and found the panties. He caressed the lingerie. Those tiny articles of clothing had been more intimate with her than he had. Pacey planned on changing that. His heart raced as he imagined her sprawled out on his bed with him sliding the sexy panties slowly down her legs. He felt woozy, imagining their first time. His blood truly had headed south, and he pressed his erection against the drawer. The sweet pressure had him moaning when he noticed a lacey pair of black undies. They matched the bra. He gripped the undies in his hand and rubbed them over his crotch. His heart thundered in his chest, and he needed to lie down. He plopped onto her bed, his head landing in the pile of decorative pillows. He pressed the undies against his erection and started rubbing with enthusiasm. The pleasure and excitement of being in her room and on her bed was too much. He blew his wad within seconds. He’d have to work on that if he wanted to please her. He would need to take his time so she could enjoy him as much as he enjoyed her.

  He stood up from the bed and looked in the mirror that hung above her dresser. He was flush from the afterglow of his orgasm and he was proud of himself. He gave himself a Cheshire cat smile. It took some real stones to climb that potting bench, and he’d done it. He’d do it again for a little taste of her life. He shoved the black undies into the pocket with the bra. He’d hold onto them so she could model them for him when they were finally together.

  Pacey wandered into her bathroom. Everything was nice and neat. Did women realize what a turn-on that was?

  He couldn’t help himself. He opened her medicine cabinet. The typical medicine cabinet stuff was in there: Band-Aids, ibuprofen, contact lens stuff, and a round, plastic container. He grabbed the pink container and flipped open the lid. Tiny, numbered pills formed a circle in the round container.

  A pang of disappointment gripped him as he realized what he was holding. “Birth control,” he muttered to himself. Rage simmered in his heart. With each heartbeat the rage intensified and traveled through his body until his fingers twitched and his feet jittered as he paced in a circle. Was she fucking the dumb oaf?

  Pacey gripped the pink container in his hand, trying to crush it the way it crushed his heart. He roared when it failed to crumple in his hand, so he pulled off the lid and threw both pieces at the mirror. They bounced back and landed on the floor. In a rage he grabbed the perfume bottle from the counter and hurled it at mirror. The mirror cracked. Lines splintered out from the point of impact.

  He stalked off to the dresser drawers that contained her bras and undies. In his rage induced fit, he tossed the lingerie around the room in a frenzied haze. He screamed and pressed his hands to his temples, then bent at the waist and burst into tears. His pure Alisha wasn’t pure. Someone had surely spoiled her, but he tried to collect himself. He tried to rein in his emotions and calm his thundering heart. He could forgive her for her transgressions. She hadn’t realized that he was her
beloved.

  Pacey stood straight again and looked in the mirror above the dresser. He hated what he saw in the reflection. He despised his receding hairline and was disgusted by the beginning of a spare tire around his waist. How would he stack up against her other lovers? His shoulders heaved as his tears flowed again. He told himself that they could work through this. He just had to have faith.

  When his emotions cooled, he glanced around at the mess he’d made. In a rush, he grabbed the lingerie and shoved everything back into the drawers. She’d never have to know about his interlude here. But he realized now that his original timeline was out of the question. She’d forced his hand with her lascivious lifestyle. He needed to rescue her from herself.

  He trudged to the window and looked one last time around her bedroom. He had to go home and plan. Everything had to be just right.

  15

  Mike brought the target down the lane and winked at Alisha. After several boxes of ammo she’d finally started to get most of her shots inside the black silhouette. He figured as long as she could hit the guy she’d be golden. A gunshot anywhere on one’s body hurt like hell and was a great deterrent for continued aggression.

  Confidence swelled in Alisha as she studied the target. Most of her shots were belly shots, but a few were even in the vicinity of the heart. That thrilled her. She didn’t need to tap anyone between the eyes. She just wanted to stop whoever was stalking her. “That’s right,” she tilted her chin in arrogance and pointed at the silhouette, “I’m a badass.”

  “No kidding,” Mike said. “I was standing right behind you the whole time and I was terrified.”

  She shoved his abdomen and was impressed by the wall of muscle that met her blow. “Watch it,” she teased. “Or I may have to unleash my wrath upon you.”

  “I’d love to see that,” he laughed. That would be like a Chihuahua taking on a pit bull. “For some reason I don’t think you could be very terrifying. You’re too cute.” Mike loved her smile. It may sound corny, but rays of happiness seemed to shoot from her eyes and zero in on his heart.

  “Did you just call me cute?” she asked, flirtatiously biting her lower lip.

  “I thought that was obvious.” Mike slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest. She wrapped an arm around him and gently stroked his back. His lips found hers and he breathed her in. The paper target crinkled between them as they kissed and a sharp corner poked her chin. She laughed and pulled away.

  “Hey, we’re messing up my awesomeness.” She pressed the target against her chest and tried to straighten it. “Now look what we’ve done. We’ve damaged the proof of my badassness.”

  “Badassness?” Mike questioned. “I think you made that up.”

  Alisha shrugged and said, “It works. You know exactly what I mean. So yes, my badassness.”

  “I like it,” Mike repeated with a smile. He wanted to take her home and spend more time with her in private. He hated that their day was coming to an end. They’d spent a long time at Savage Securities trying to get some information on her stalker, and then they’d had their late lunch or early dinner. He wasn’t sure which.

  It would be dark soon. He couldn’t help but wonder what was up with her stalker. If the guy had been at her house last night, he’d probably stop by again tonight, which meant that Mike needed to get himself invited to spend the night at Alisha’s. There was no way he was leaving her unattended, and he really didn’t want to sit in the bushes all night either.

  “What are you thinking?” Alisha asked, pulling away from their embrace so she could look into his face more easily. “I lost you for a second.”

  He caressed her cheek and enjoyed the softness of her skin against his calloused palm. She leaned into his caress, grabbed his hand, and kissed his fingers. “Let’s go back to your place,” Mike said. “Maybe we could cuddle on the sofa and watch a movie?”

  Alisha raised her eyebrows and a blush brightened her cheeks. “That sounds perfect.” Was it too much to hope that a repeat of their make-out session on the sofa earlier would occur again this evening? She wasn’t sure she wanted much more than that tonight. She was pretty conservative when it came to sex. She didn’t do one-night stands or meaningless flings. She was a relationship girl, and she really wanted a relationship with Mike.

  Mike took the target from Alisha and rolled it up. “We’re keeping this as proof of your badassness,” he said with a wink.

  “I like how you think,” Alisha replied as they gathered their stuff. They said goodbye to some of Mike’s acquaintances as they headed out the door of Iron Sights.

  Alisha sang along with the radio, doing her best to tamp down the tension simmering in her core. She eyed Mike as he drove with one hand on the wheel and an elbow chilling on the door. She liked being in his presence. He gave her security, but she knew that the security was only temporary. Everything would go back to normal tomorrow. She’d have to go back to school and wait for something to happen. Would it be a bizarre note at school, or something even creepier at home?

  “Hey,” Mike placed his hand on her knee. “What’s wrong? You stopped singing.”

  Alisha slid her fingers in between his and looked at him. “I’ve had a great day with you.” She smiled, and he looked back at the road. “Actually, I’ve had a great two days with you,” she added cheerfully, trying to dispel her concerns.

  Mike reconsidered inviting himself over for a sleepover. He could hear the hesitation in her voice and felt the clamminess of her hands. She was scared, even if she didn’t want to admit it to him. “I’m sorry that we met under these circumstances, but I’ve really enjoyed being with you,” he said, and he gave her hand a little squeeze.

  “Thanks for being here.”

  “Of course,” he replied. He’d carried the burden of guilt for Amy’s death for too long. Was it selfish to want to redeem himself through Alisha? Probably, but he needed to let the pain go. The weight was killing him. Besides, Amy wouldn’t want him to mourn her passing all of his life. Amy was selfless and caring, which was exactly why she never mentioned the problem with her ex-boyfriend to Mike. She hadn’t wanted him to worry, and that left her defenseless. Mike gripped the steering wheel tighter as he thought about the terror Rob had inflicted upon Amy and Julia. He was glad Rob was dead. He wasn’t worth keeping alive in prison.

  Mike pulled into Alisha’s driveway. He scanned the area and pointed to the tree by the garage. “That needs to go. It’s a threat.”

  “A tree’s a threat?” She’d wondered about that tree before. Could someone hide behind it?

  “You know what I mean.” His eyes locked on hers.

  “Yeah, I do. But I planted that tree with my mother when I was younger. When all this started I debated cutting it down, but I just couldn’t.” She rested her elbow on the car door and propped her head in her hand.

  “Then it stays.” Mike nodded. He understood the sentimentality of objects. Trivial things became priceless when lives were lost. “Besides, you may have a hard time getting rid of me. I’ll keep you safe,” he said as if he was joking, but he knew he spoke the truth. He had no intention of leaving her anytime soon, and part of him wanted her to know that.

  Alisha slowly slid her gaze over his body. He felt the heat from her eyes and focused on keeping his breathing even, but she was firing him up on the inside. “I guess you’ll do,” she taunted and sent him a seductive smile that went straight to his groin.

  Mike couldn’t wait to get her on the sofa and pull her onto his lap. He wanted her sassy mouth against his and to feel her skin heat at his touch. She was just as hot for him as he was for her. And that was a little nugget of truth that he planned on taking advantage of. He watched her get out of the truck, his eyes glued to her backside. He couldn’t wait to feel her ass in his hands.

  Alisha disarmed the system and headed straight for Forrest. “Hey, little guy,” she cooed, kneeling down to open the crate. He sprang out and ran in circles around her, jumping up and
rubbing his front paws against her legs. “Did you miss Mommy?” she said and picked him up, laughing as he slobbered her with his wet kisses.

  Mike set the guns on the counter and said, “You actually let that thing lick your lips?” He smiled at her as he leaned casually against the doorjamb.

  Alisha shot a cold gaze at him. “Did you just refer to Forrest as a ‘thing’?”

  He held his hands up in defense. “My bad, but you do know where his mouth has been, right?” He laughed and crossed his arms over his chest.

  She shook her head back and forth. “Forrest doesn’t do that,” she stated as she set her furry protector down. “See? He keeps his mouth off of his privates.”

  Mike slowly nodded, his face lit by a mischievous smile. He knew it was just a matter of time. The dog was male after all.

  “Oh, I have a question for you,” Alisha said, changing the subject. She headed towards the kitchen. “Where do you think I should keep my safe? Upstairs seems impractical when I’m on the first floor most of the time. I mean,” she hesitated, “if I need it, I don’t want it locked away in another part of the house.”

  He hated that she even needed to ask that question. “First floor may be best. If you have a nightstand, you can keep the gun there when we go to bed.”

  She stopped and turned to face him. She couldn’t help but smile at his Freudian slip. “Did you just say ‘when we go to bed’?”

  Mike pulled his eyebrows together and thought about it. Had he slipped like that? If he had, he was losing his touch. He shook his head. “No,” he denied. “I definitely said when you go to bed.”

  She eyed him. He did look good, broad chest, muscled arms. Him in her bed had crossed her mind. “I think you’re counting your chickens before they hatch, Mr. Lewis.” She figured if their relationship continued at this pace that it was only a matter of days until he slipped into her bed.