I’LL BE WATCHING YOU Page 25

  ‘My guess is that they won’t find anything.’ Webb paced back and forth on the patio. ‘I’d say my dogs ate all the evidence.’

  ‘Poisoned meat.’ Frank nodded. ‘Easiest way to kill an animal. But dammit all, Webb, who’d kill a man’s hunting dogs?’

  ‘Someone who hated him. Someone who wanted to hurt him.’

  ‘You’re thinking Reed Conway, and I’m telling you that there’s no way I can accuse the man of this crime without some evidence.’ Frank removed his hat and scratched his head. ‘I’ve come darn close to harassing Reed more than once these past few weeks. If I step over the line again, he’ll be bringing me up on charges.’

  ‘Then it’s time I had a talk with Reed,’ Webb said. ‘I’ve a good mind to go over to Judy’s right now and have it out with him.’

  ‘Now, don’t you go doing something you’re going to regret,’ Frank told him. ‘Remember, you’re a senator and whatever you do can wind up front page headlines. Besides, Reed isn’t living with his mama anymore. He’s moved into the room above Conway’s garage.’

  Webb slammed his right fist into the palm of his left hand. The smack reverberated in the night-time stillness. Ella jumped. Her father was fighting mad, and all his anger was directed at Reed. As much as she wanted to believe Reed incapable of such an inhumane act, she, like her father, could think of no one else who truly hated her family, and Webb in particular. Had Reed’s years in prison dehumanized him to the extent that he could ruthlessly murder innocent dogs?

  Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She remembered Stonewall, Lee and Beau as pups: boisterous, rambunctious, yelping and playing. And the first time her father had taken them hunting, he’d come back with tales of what fine beasts he’d raised.

  ‘As soon as Doc Hambry finishes up those autopsies, I want my animals back,’ Webb said. ‘I plan on burying them in the coon dog cemetery. They were fine hunting dogs. They deserve a place of honor for their final rest.’

  Ella heard the slight catch in her father’s voice and noted the fine mist covering his eyes. She could still see the image of him hunkered down over Stonewall, his favorite of the three, stroking the dead dog’s slightly swollen body. Tears had trickled down his cheeks, but he’d wiped them away quickly before he stood and moved on to check Lee and Beau.

  ‘You and Ella might as well go on to bed,’ Frank said. ‘Nothing else y’all can do tonight. I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning if we find anything out here. And I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back from Doc Hambry.’

  Webb nodded. ‘Yeah, I suppose you’re right.’ He glanced at Ella. ‘You ready to go in, princess?’

  ‘You go ahead, Daddy. I think I’ll stay out here for a while. I couldn’t sleep even if I went to bed.’

  ‘I’m going inside to pour myself some bourbon and toast those three fine animals.’ Webb grabbed Ella around the shoulders and hugged her to his side. ‘Don’t stay out too long.’ He glanced up at the night sky. Streaks of summer lightning drew closer and closer.

  ‘I’ll come in before it starts raining,’ she promised.

  The moment her father was out of earshot, Frank Nelson said, ‘Webb sure did think a heap of those animals, didn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, he did.’

  ‘Miss Ella, do you believe Reed Conway poisoned your daddy’s hounds?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘The way I look at it, if Reed’s the one behind your harassment and behind the break-in and now killing Webb’s dogs, then it’s only a matter of time before he targets one of y’all for some real harm. You. Your daddy. Your mama.’

  Ella shivered. ‘No, I … I can’t believe that. You’re saying he’ll kill again, aren’t you? Do you think he truly hates my father that much, that he’d risk spending the rest of his life in prison? He keeps professing that he didn’t murder Junior Blalock, that all he wants is to prove who the real killer is and clear his name. If that’s true—’

  ‘You shouldn’t be listening to anything Reed Conway has to say. Nothing would please him more than for you and your daddy to be on opposite sides, you believing Reed innocent after your daddy prosecuted him for murder.’

  Ella didn’t know how to respond, so she said nothing. Frank tipped his hat and went to catch up with the two men inspecting the kennels. She glanced up at her mother’s room and wondered if Carolyn was asleep. She hoped so. The last thing her mother needed was to be upset more than she already was. And what about her father? He might have let things go for tonight, but come morning, he might confront Reed. She couldn’t let him do that. There was no telling what her father might do. Or what Reed might do.

  And just who are you worried about, your father or Reed?

  There was only one way to prevent a confrontation between the two men. She had to see Reed herself. If he had been the one to slaughter her father’s hunting dogs, she would know the truth the moment she looked into those cold blue eyes of his.

  Having satisfactorily rationalized her behavior to herself, Ella went upstairs, changed from her navy linen dress to a casual cotton dress and replaced her heels with sandals. She grabbed her purse, picked up her car keys and slipped down the back stairs. Her mother’s bedroom door had been closed and so had her father’s, so neither had any idea that she wasn’t safe and sound in her bed. She hoped that if anyone heard the roar of the Jag’s motor, they would think it came from next door or across the street.

  The trip to Conway’s Garage took all of ten minutes. She eased her car around to the back of the building, killed the engine and got out. Was she crazy for coming here? Was she asking for trouble? What if Reed was as bad as people thought he was? What if he was a murderer? He could snap her neck like a twig with his big, brutal hands.

  A shiver of apprehension zinged up her spine. She glanced at the wooden stairs that led up to the second floor. Only a dim light shone through the window that she could see from this angle. Did that mean Reed was still awake? Of course, there was a chance he wasn’t even home, that this trip had been for nothing.

  A jagged streak of heat lightning crackled across the sky, followed by a loud boom of thunder. The storm was getting closer. She took a deep breath, garnered her courage and started climbing the outside staircase. When she reached the halfway point, she heard the soft, sweet strands of a mellow jazz tune. Her heart skipped a beat. Reed was home. He was listening to music.

  Another blaze of lightning flashed. An earth-shattering rumble of thunder announced that the storm was fast approaching. Ella hesitated when she reached the door. Either you confront Reed or your father will.

  She lifted her hand and knocked. No reply. She knocked again. Harder. Repeatedly. Suddenly the door swung open. There stood Reed. Big and broad, his shoulders filling the doorway. His blond hair was tousled, as if he’d been raking his fingers through it. She surveyed him and noted he was barefoot and wore nothing but a pair of jeans, his top button unfastened. He stared at her, narrowing his gaze until his eyes were mere slits. Ella swallowed her fear.

  ‘As I live and breathe, if it isn’t Judge Eleanor Porter come knocking at my door.’ Reed’s mouth curved into the cocky grin that was capable of turning her stomach inside out. ‘What are you doing here, babe? Come for some more of what I gave you this afternoon?’

  Without any conscious thought, acting purely on instinct, Ella drew back her hand and slapped Reed’s face. She gasped when she realized what she’d done. She’d never struck another person in her entire life.

  Still grinning, Reed rubbed his cheek. That deadly stare of his pinned her to the spot. Run, damn it, run! she told herself. Reed grabbed her wrist and jerked her up against him. For just a second she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t respond. When she finally tried to pull free, he held fast.

  Placing his mouth over her ear, he whispered, ‘I’m going to give you what you came here for.’

  21

  Reed hauled her into his apartment, kicked the door shut with his bare foot and gripped the b
ack of her neck with his big hand. Fear raced through her body, like the white streaks of lightning racing across the black sky that she could see through the windows facing the alley. Her heartbeat accelerated alarmingly. Perspiration trickled down her spine and between her breasts. The room was warm and humid, like the weather outside. An ancient ceiling fan spun overhead, creaking with each rotation as it blew the tepid air around the room. Even if consciously Ella didn’t realize that Reed’s place had no air conditioning, her damp, flushed body recognized the fact.

  The scent of a man permeated the air. Remnants of cleanliness left by an unscented soap. Heat-induced perspiration. A unique muskiness, as personally identifiable as fingerprints. She could not only see Reed, rawly masculine and sexy as hell, but she could smell him, smell the very essence of his masculinity. Her fingers itched to touch him, to comb over his chest, to tease and tempt and entice. Powerless to resist, she gave in to the urge to look him over from head to toe. Her gaze traveled the length of his six-three body, lingering over the wide shoulders and powerful, deeply tanned arms. His jeans were undone and the zipper only halfway up, revealing the tautness of his belly and exposing the pencil-thin line of brown hair that disappeared behind the closure of the zipper. His growing erection swelled, telling her without words that simply touching her turned him on.

  The mournful saxophone wail wove around Ella, like unseen, sensual hands caressing her. The cool jazz melody whispered with bass and drums and piano, but gave center stage to the provocative sax. She felt the heat within her as well as the sweltering external temperature that embedded itself in Spring Creek every summer.

  Bringing her inspection upward, her glare met Reed’s – the determined, daring gazes of two strong-willed people, neither willing to give an inch. She tried to twist her neck and free herself from his hold. He refused to release her. Her breathing quickened. Reed’s gaze dropped to her breasts, compelling her to watch the rapid rise and fall of her chest – and the peaks of her tight nipples pressing against the cotton dress. Realizing how he was looking at her, and why he was staring so intently, stimulated clenching sensations between her thighs, in the very core of her body.

  I don’t want to feel this way. How is it possible that every time I’m near Reed Conway, I get hot and bothered? Why do I want this man in a way I’ve never wanted another?

  With his hand secure at the nape of her neck, he drew her toward him, slowly, taking his time, never breaking eye contact, as if their melded gazes connected them physically and emotionally. His cold blue eyes no longer appeared so cold. A white heat burned in their depths.

  Don’t be fooled, she cautioned herself. You know Reed isn’t emotionally involved. It’s only sex for him. Nothing more. He wants you the way he’d want any other willing female.

  Damn! Was he right? Had she actually come here to see if they could repeat this afternoon’s incredible experience? Had she persuaded herself that she’d come here to demand the truth – had he or had he not poisoned her father’s hunting dogs? – when all along she’d come to him for more earth-shattering sex? What sort of woman was she that she had allowed Reed to reduce her to a smoldering mass of sexual needs?

  Reeling her in, he snaked out his other hand and grasped the side of her waist; then when the gap between their bodies closed, he wrapped his arm around her. She knew she should struggle more, try harder to get away from him, but she didn’t. When her breasts pressed against his bare chest, he speared his fingers into her hair and jerked her head back, preparing her for his attack.

  ‘Noooo …’ she moaned as his mouth covered hers.

  The moment their lips touched, she was lost and she knew it. There was a brutality about him that wasn’t akin to cruelty. He was primitive man driven by basic needs. And he made her feel those same primeval desires. Nothing mattered except appeasing those hungers. He didn’t push for entry, instead he ravaged first the upper lip and then the lower. And all the while one of his massive hands held her head in place while the other clutched one of her buttocks. His actions claimed her, a preliminary possession that informed her without words that she was his.

  With a desperation felt deep inside, she tried to resist, pleaded with herself to stop before things got completely out of hand. Remember why you came here. If Reed killed Daddy’s dogs … But he didn’t. Somehow she knew he hadn’t harmed Beau and Stonewall and Lee. And if you’re wrong? she asked herself.

  Suddenly, when she felt his stiff erection throbbing against her thighs, rational thought ceased to exist. Her body recalled the pleasure of being with this man. And it wanted more. His mouth moved over her chin and down her throat. She gulped in deep breaths. He buried his face against her neck and licked softly. Tiny flicks, damp and arousing, sending shivers dancing throughout her body.

  Don’t touch him! Keep your hands off him and maybe you can still resist. But it was already too late. Her arms lifted up, up, up … Her hands curved over his wide, muscular shoulders. She sighed. Ah, the feel of him.

  His hand on her butt pushed her harder and harder against him, until she whimpered and automatically rubbed her mound against his sex. She clamped her hands tighter on his shoulders, her short nails biting into his naked flesh. He groaned, then suddenly released his hold on her head to seek the zipper at the back of her dress. Before she realized what was happening, Reed undid the zipper and lifted her arms to free the dress. The cotton garment slid over her hips, down her legs, and pooled around her feet. She stood before him in only her pink floral panties. As his gaze scorched her bare breasts, she knew why she hadn’t bothered to put on her bra when she’d changed clothes. Heaven help her, she had come to Reed for this. Her father’s dead hunting dogs had been nothing but the feeble excuse she’d given herself for doing what she’d longed to do. Go to Reed.

  When he grabbed her, the sensation of hard bare chest against naked feminine breasts took her breath away. At that very moment, she felt as if she’d been born for this. Born to be Reed Conway’s woman. Who he was and who she was didn’t matter. Whatever past history existed between their families was unimportant. Any shame or scandal that resulted from their affair seemed a small price to pay for such indescribable ecstasy.

  Reed walked her slowly backward as he kissed her. She made no attempt to resist. The back of her legs encountered the edge of the bed. They ended the kiss. Breathlessly, they stared at each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck. With a gentle shove, he toppled her onto the rumpled bed, and with her arms clinging to him, she brought him down with her. He was big and heavy at first, but he quickly braced himself with his elbows and straddled her, stationing his knees on either side of her hips.

  ‘What the hell is it about you, Ella Porter? I can’t seem to keep my hands off you.’

  His hot gaze traveled from her face to her breasts, then lingered. Her nipples tightened even more. The bluesy moan of trumpet and the tinkling chime of the piano played around inside her head, lulling her, seducing her as surely as Reed’s passionate inspection.

  He lifted her hand to his crotch and laid it over his erection. She knew what he wanted. While looking at him point-blank, she finished unzipping his jeans and in the process dragged them down his hips just a fraction. His sex sprang free. Impressively large. Undeniably rock hard. He was fully aroused and ready.

  ‘This time I want us both naked,’ he said as he proceeded to remove his jeans.

  He hovered over her for just a moment before he reached down and grasped the waistband of her panties. She lifted her hips to help him remove the scanty garment. As she lay beneath him, totally naked, every inch of her body revealed to him, her insecurities came into play. Would he find her unattractive? She wasn’t a small, slender woman, no delicate hothouse flower. Would he find her full curves uninviting? Would he think her fat? It had never mattered this much that a man think she was beautiful.

  He eased downward, setting one knee between hers to urge her legs apart. She held her breath as he lowered his body by slow degrees until h
is penis rubbed against the thatch of dark hair that covered her mound. He lowered his lips to her breasts, his breath warm and stimulating against her already pebble-hard nipples. Touch me there, she pleaded silently, but he seemed in no hurry to do as she wished. He rubbed against her, sending waves of longing through her; then, before she had a chance to pull him completely down on top of her, he slid to her side and flipped her over and onto her stomach. She gasped in surprise, completely startled by his actions. When she tried to turn over, he laid his hand in the center of her back and held her in place.

  ‘I want to look at you … all over,’ he said, his voice a raspy whisper. ‘And then I want to touch you and kiss you and lick you until you think you’ll go mad if I don’t take you. I want you begging for it.’

  I’m close to that point right now, she felt like shouting. But instead she lay there … waiting. His calloused hands began a sensual survey, caressing her from neck to heels, then returning to cup and fondle her buttocks. While his hand slipped between her legs, he lowered his mouth to her shoulders, his lips warm and tender, his tongue wet. His teeth nipped, then his tongue soothed. She moaned with pleasure. But then he moved his attention to her hips, to her butt and, just when she thought she couldn’t bear anymore, he moved down the back of her legs and on to her feet.

  His fingers sought and found her core, then began a repetitive stroking that soon produced a flood of moisture. Preparation for when he fulfilled his promise to take her. But only after you’re begging for it, she reminded herself. Her feminine lips swelled, folding around his fingers, as if trying to trap the feel of him.

  ‘Please, Reed,’ she whimpered.

  ‘Please what?’ He taunted her with his question, and by suddenly withholding his touch as he eased away from her.

  She lay on her stomach, her cheek resting against the pillow. He was going to make her say it. Damn him! She turned over, her movements deliberately leisurely, as if an urgent sexual fire weren’t burning her alive. Avoiding any eye contact with Reed, she lifted her arms over her head and rested them on the pillow, the act thrusting her breasts forward. In her peripheral vision she noted that he watched her like a hawk circling its prey, ready to pounce when the time was right.