Killing Lucas Read online

  “Go to hell, Luc.” She shoved him and was shocked when he took a step back. He must have realized his last comment had hit below the belt, because the anger seemed to drain out of him.

  “I’ve been in hell for years, Kil.”

  “I understand, and I take the blame for that as well. You’re right, I should have told you but I knew you would give all this macho man shit and you wouldn’t have taken the threat seriously. I made a mistake I handled it poorly and I am sorry, a thousand times sorry, but…”

  Turning away from her, he said, “No buts. You will never know what would have truly happened, because you made decisions that affected us both and never gave me a fucking say in how to handle it. You just decided for me. Pushed me away. Well guess what, that’s something you will have to live with. But I promise you this: I am going to find this asshole and he is going to pay for what he has done.”

  He stormed out of the room, leaving Kiloran shaking where she stood until all she could do was slide to the floor, silent tears slid down her face as the sound of the shower echoed in the room.

  Why did it matter? Lucas thought as he leaned against the hallway wall. Why did anything other than catching this madman matter? He banged his head against the wall for good measure. All he wanted to do was go back into that room, pull Kiloran into his arms, and make love to her until he couldn’t think anymore.

  Sex with her had been just as amazing as he remembered, even better since… “Oh shit.” Lucas hit his head again and again. He’d forgotten a condom. Granted, Lucas hadn’t slept with anyone since Kiloran, but what about her? Maybe she was on the pill. She hadn’t mentioned the lack of condom and with her job and the situation they were in she certainly wouldn’t want to bring a baby into this environment. “Idiot.”

  “Are you talking to me?” Trenton called from the landing below.

  “No.” Lucas ran a hand through his hair. Perhaps they could get some of the equipment set up so he could release some of his aggression. Pushing off the wall, he refocused his attention on the plan at hand. He walked out the front door to find Trenton’s truck empty and nothing on the lawn. He didn’t think it was possible Trent could have unloaded the items by himself and a feeling of foreboding came over him as he heard muffled voices downstairs.

  Taking the stairs to the basement quicker than he should have, Lucas fully expected to see more than one Sherman in the basement. He certainly wouldn’t put it past them. Prepared to kick everyone out, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Agent Vassar helping Trenton hang the punching bag instead.

  “Are you going to stand there, or are you going to help?” Trenton tightened the clamp on the naked beam of the ceiling.

  “You seem to be doing a fine job without me.”

  “Jackass.”

  Lucas helped lift the bag to relax the ropes. “Thanks for helping unload everything.”

  “My pleasure. I didn’t have anything else to do while you were—occupied,” Agent Vassar said with a smirk.

  “You mean while the two of them did the freakin’ horizontal tango, leaving me with a puppy and a whole lot of crap in a house not my own. Do you have any idea how many doors there are downstairs? Why does anyone need that many closets?” Trenton made one jolting move with a wrench, then smiled. “Done. Now if it’s all the same to you both, I’m going to head upstairs and get a shower. I ran across a room on the first floor with a full bathroom that will keep me far enough away from you two to actually get some sleep.”

  Agent Vassar threw Lucas the gloves from one of the tables. “Let’s test this bag out.”

  Lucas nodded put on the gloves did a little stretching and hit at the bag, left right. One, two. Over and over. It felt good to hit something. He hit the bag over and over, occasionally stepping back to give it a kick.

  Vassar spoke from behind the bag, “This stalker is someone who works for the movie crew. We know that much for certain.”

  Lucas nodded but didn’t pause, just doubled up his hits. He already had come to that conclusion and assumed Agent Vassar had as well. After all, anyone Hunter Brooks respected and recommended so highly had to have a good head on their shoulders. Lucas’s brother-in-law didn’t suffer idiots. Which had always lead Lucas to believe Hunter saw something in Tony that none of the family did. The two of them had been best friends for a decade. Something had to be there.

  “You don’t seem surprised by that.”

  “I’m not.” Lucas stopped and stared at the bag, thinking about what he needed to say. “Someone had to be able to slip in with that hive. There is only one door to that trailer, so it had to be someone who blends in, who knows the schedules and break times. He also had to be familiar enough to be able to go into the parking lot without being detected.”

  “And they would have to know when you two would be gone so they could get in here while Ms. O’Connor was on set.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Lucas punched the bag again.

  “It’s unfortunate for Ms. April that she was running errands and returned back to the set early.”

  Lucas shuddered. If not for Nancy, it would have been Kiloran. “How is Nancy?”

  “Resting, last I heard. They had her sedated. Of course, with the amount of Benadryl they were pumping into her, I’m sure she won’t wake for a week. There are agents at the hospital waiting to talk to her when she does.”

  “You’ll let us know when she does so we can visit?”

  “Of course.” Agent Vassar walked around the bag. “I think the wasps were meant for Kiloran and the car for you. You need to be extra careful. I think this guy is about to crack.”

  “I think he’s already cracked.”

  “I hope for both your and Kiloran’s sake he hasn’t, because when he does no one in his path will be safe. Least of all her.”

  “Do you think we should leave?” Kiloran was sitting on the stairs, quiet and unassuming. That she’d sneaked up on both of them was a testament to her ability to creep. “Should the two of us just disappear for a while?”

  “Aside from the fact that I know Lucas can’t up and leave, taking off won’t stop this person. He’ll hunt down people you know and love until you come out of hiding. You’re dealing with a psychopath. “

  Lucas threw off his gloves and walked to Kiloran. Her wet hair and face, clear of all the makeup from the day, made her look so very young. She looked pale and fragile. “I thought you were getting some sleep.”

  “I wanted to know how Nancy was doing. Trent told me you two were down here. He’s upstairs destroying the kitchen, by the way.”

  He grabbed her hand and looked at Agent Vassar. “So we stay.”

  “For the time being, this is a good place. We know the lay of the land.”

  Squeezing his hand, Kiloran managed a weak smile. “We stay.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Shut up. Just shut up and kiss me.”—Kiloran to Lucas

  Dinner was one of those affairs that had someone not known what was going on, he never would have realized it wasn’t just an ordinary meal between friends and family. Trenton cooked a surprisingly good chicken potpie with leftovers from the refrigerator and, for a few short hours, Kiloran felt normal.

  She was so wrapped up in Trenton’s humorous tales of near disaster, it was easy to forget that years had been lost for Kiloran and Lucas. Just pretending to be normal for a few hours was food for her soul. Lucas, ever attentive, touched and kissed her on regular basis, and it felt good. It felt safe. She felt like she could be loved. And for the first time in longer than she could remember, Kiloran thought maybe she deserved to be loved, just a little.

  Agent Vassar excused himself, saying that although he would love to stay he needed to get into that trailer in the morning. The FBI had been still working on it when the accident had happened, and getting the car out of
the tree had been a higher priority than sitting around waiting for exterminators to deal with wasps. Safer, too. He promised to call if anything came up, or if Nancy woke.

  Trent yawned and stretched—a transparent attempt to get away before he became even more of a third wheel. Not that he needed to. Lucas was making no secret about where he was heading and sleep was not first thing on his list.

  “There are tons of movies in the living room,” Kiloran said as she trailed behind Lucas up the stairs.

  “Nah, I’ll take Fenway—“

  “It’s not Fenway.”

  “—outside for a quick walk while I make some phone calls. And it’s been about a week since I slept in a real bed, so sleep sounds really good about now.”

  “Tell Tony to mind his own business.”

  “I’m not calling Tony.”

  “Liar.” Lucas didn’t wait for Trenton to answer. He grabbed Kiloran’s hand and led her the rest of the way up the stairs and down the hall to their room. “Do you want me in here? Just say the word and I’ll leave you for the night.”

  “Stay, please.”

  “I’d hoped you’d say that.” He went in to kiss her, but stopped. “I didn’t use a condom the last time. I want you to know there hasn’t been anyone since you.”

  Oh crap. Here it came: this was the moment where everything would go to hell in a hand basket. She could say she hadn’t been with anyone since, either, but he wouldn’t believe that. Trying to convince him of her innocence had gotten her nowhere but him angry so she wasn’t ready to go down that road again. “I haven’t been with anyone in long time. I’m clean—but I’m not on any birth control either.”

  “What?”

  “Lucas, I swear I didn’t plan this afternoon I didn’t try to trick you into getting me pregnant.” Wringing her fingers, she waited for his anger.

  When he grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him, she was shocked to see confusion on his face instead of anger. “I was just as in the moment this afternoon as you were. I have never forgotten to wear a condom before in my life. But all I could think was I had to be inside you.”

  “You’re not angry?”

  “How can I blame you for something that was equally my fault? I might be a great many things, but hypocrite I am not.” He kissed her just for the briefest of moments before pulling back. “Just out of curiosity, where are you in your cycle?”

  “I’m pretty much at my most fertile.”

  “I see.”

  “Look, if I’m pregnant I don’t expect anything from you…”

  “Hold on a second, if you’re pregnant, I’ll be right there with my child. But let’s hope that isn’t the case. We aren’t stable, this situation isn’t stable, and Lord knows your stalker isn’t stable. So bringing a baby into our world doesn’t make a damned bit of sense.”

  Smiling, Kiloran swallowed down her disappointment. Logically, it didn’t make sense; she knew that. Her brain told her all the reasons why having a baby with Lucas right now made no sense. Least of all the fact that he might not be in her life in a week, forget the stalker issue. But her heart, the part that had never let her forget what they’d had, bled for what might have been or could be. She still hoped there was a baby. As selfish as that was, she couldn’t prevent this need to have something of him she could hold on to, carry, and nurture. The disappointment, though legitimate and expected, that Lucas’s words brought washed over her like a bucket of cold water.

  “Do you have any condoms?” She tried to make her voice sound optimistic but knew she failed at it.

  “I do but…baby, look at me. Just because we have them doesn’t mean we have to use them. We don’t have to have sex tonight. It’s been a long, emotional day.”

  Now she was even more confused. Years ago he couldn’t have gone a night without making love to her, and now he said they didn’t have to have sex. “So you’re tired and want to sleep?”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “But you…”

  Spinning away from her, he yanked his hand through his hair. “We’re walking on eggshells, and it’s making me crazy. I want, need even, to have sex tonight. And to be clear, that’s with you. Not just anyone. But you have had to deal with a lot of stuff today and if you aren’t up to it if you need to—” his faced scrunched into a grimace “—cuddle, then I’m man enough to hold my needs at bay and—”

  “Shut up. Just shut up and kiss me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Lucas’s strong and rough hands sent chills through Kiloran as he reached up her T-shirt to touch her bare skin. She moaned into his mouth, rubbing her body against his. Hating the clothing between them, she pushed at him. When he looked at her in confusion, she started stripping and, never slow on the uptake, he did the same. As he was about to push her on the bed she stopped him. “Not this time. This time I want to ride you.”

  “Who am I to say no? But first…” He reached down into his discarded pants pocket to remove two condom packets and placed them on the side table. “I got them from Trenton just after dinner while you were clearing the table.”

  The look of discomfort on his face had her hiding a chuckle. “Really?”

  “Yes, and it’s not something I want to repeat.”

  “Ah, poor baby. Now get in bed.”

  Lucas climbed into bed, lying on his back with one arm over his head the other over his tight abs. She could stare at him like this for hours. How no one saw in him what Kiloran did, she would never understand. He was so much more. Lucas wasn’t the most handsome Sherman, nor the tallest, and he certainly wasn’t the most well-spoken or romantic. But to her, he was perfection.

  Climbing up his body, she let her hair trail across his skin, smiling when she saw the goose bumps in her wake. She kissed his stomach and moved up his body to his pecs and then over his collarbone. His hands moved up her thighs to rest on her hips and ass. He didn’t guide her, which for Lucas was amazing. When it came to sex, he had always been in charge and she had been happy to let him. But tonight, she needed to be in control of something, even for just a few moments.

  She reached over to the nightstand, grabbed the condom, ripped the foil wrapper with her teeth, and eased down his body again. She worked his cock with one hand, rubbing the precome over the red, angry head and then down the shaft. He moaned and pushed his hips up, forcing his cock further into her hand. He was so hard and ready. And if what Lucas said was true, that he hadn’t been with anyone since her, Kiloran was about to kick his dormant libido into full active status. She smiled and rubbed her thumb over his tip before lowering her mouth to taste him. He shuddered.

  Rolling the condom over the head and down his cock, Kiloran brought it to the base and palmed his balls for a few seconds before he sat up, hands wrapped around her waist, and pulled her up to him so they were face to face. “Minx. Are you trying to torture me?”

  Lucas kissed her deep, cutting off whatever she might have said. She took his cock in hand once more, this time leading it to the opening at her apex, lowering herself inch by agonizing inch, until he was deep inside her. They stayed still for a few moments, just looking at each other, until he reached up and kissed her soft and slow. He caressed her back gently. For a long moment they just lay like that, connected, enjoying the feel of each other.

  Kiloran grabbed the headboard for leverage and rotated her hips, finding just the right spot and angle. Only then did she start moving, lifting her hips so he was right at her entrance before lowering again and again until neither could stand it any longer. He helped her keep rhythm with his gentle kneading as he sucked and paid homage to her breasts. Driven mad with desire, within moments Kiloran felt the sparks form deep in her belly, spreading out to her limbs until her orgasm overcame her. The pleasure was so overwhelming.

  Sweaty and exhausted, she co
llapsed on top of him. She only moved when the sensation of his cock still within her became too much. Rolling to the side, she let the air chill her overheated skin. Lucas got up only long enough to discard the used condom. Once back in bed, he pulled her up against him and ran his fingers through her hair, making her feel cherished, if not loved.

  She lay there, not moving, until the sounds of his soft snores filled the room. Only then did she allow the quiet tears to fall. So much had been lost and she knew she had precious little time to get it back. But the gentle lover he had just been reminded her of that Lucas he once was, and for the first time Kiloran let herself hope that in the deep recesses of his soul, there was still a spark, something not sexual that drew him to her.

  Pushing herself up so she could see his face, she smiled. Although the years had given a few lines and the slightest hint of gray hair, when at rest he looked so peaceful none of the tight hostility he showed her or the world was present. Leaning over she brushed her lips against his. Softly so not to wake him, but loud enough to own the words, she whispered, “I love you, Lucas Sherman, and I always will.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “I just want you happy again. I just want Luc back.”—Trenton to Lucas

  Trenton was up to something. Lucas could feel it in his bones.

  Lucas had left Kiloran still sleeping and come down stairs to let the puppy out. He would be damned if he gave in yet on the stupid name, no matter how perfect it was. When he went into the kitchen he found the crate empty. Looking out the window into the back yard, Lucas saw Trenton walking the tree line with the puppy, pointing every now and then at a tree as if the dog could understand him.

  He was just about to turn around when he noticed that Trenton wasn’t talking to the dog at all but on his cell phone, and he would bet his entire year’s salary that Trent was talking with Tony. A leopard just didn’t change his spots easily and now Tony had learned to hide his protective streak from his wife too.