Part 16 (1/2)
MITCH GLANCED AT THE CLOCK and frowned. Kelsey was late. She usually arrived home at around two forty-five and it was already past three. He couldn't help worrying. It was bad enough that her job was so provocative. The fact that she had to drive home alone in the middle of the night made it that much worse. and frowned. Kelsey was late. She usually arrived home at around two forty-five and it was already past three. He couldn't help worrying. It was bad enough that her job was so provocative. The fact that she had to drive home alone in the middle of the night made it that much worse.
He saw headlights swing into the driveway and breathed a sigh of relief. He walked into the foyer just as Kelsey came in the front door.
”You're late,” he said as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. ”I was getting worried. Hey, your pants are wet!”
”I'm sorry,” she said breathlessly. ”I had car trouble and had to get a ride home from someone. I slipped in a puddle. Klutz, huh?”
Mitch saw a car back out of the driveway and pull away up the street. ”Who was that? Brian?”
”No, it was Edgar. I don't think you've met him.”
”Edgar, hmm? Should I be jealous?”
Kelsey giggled. ”Baby, you'd have no reason to be jealous if Leonardo DiCaprio drove me home. I am all yours.”
He kissed her neck, liking her words. She was all his.
”Prove it,” he challenged as he drew her into his living room.
”That sounds like an order,” she murmured as she let her jacket fall off her shoulders onto the floor.
”I'd never dream of ordering you to do anything you didn't want to do,” he said as he began sliding the b.u.t.tons of her blouse open, one by one. Then he c.o.c.ked a sly grin. ”I prefer to use gentle persuasion.”
He whispered a suggestion in her ear and heard her moan deep in her throat. She rolled her head to the side and let her blouse fall off her shoulders. Mitch followed the fine curve of her neck and shoulder with his tongue as he unzipped her slacks and let them slide, along with her underclothes, down her legs. He kissed a path down her body, pausing for a delectable moment or two to taste her b.r.e.a.s.t.s before dropping to his knees on the floor in front of her. He was glad he reached his arms behind her legs and held her thighs steady because when he began intimately caressing her with his mouth, her knees nearly buckled.
”Gentle persuasion works,” she muttered while she was still somewhat coherent.
Mitch barely heard her.
SOMETHING WOKE HIM EARLY the following morning. Mitch glanced at Kelsey, sleeping soundly beside him, then saw the clock. It was just past eight. Very early, considering they hadn't gone to sleep until after four that morning. A languorous smile crossed his lips when he remembered how she'd kept him awake to try some gentle persuasion of her own after they'd moved to the bedroom. Lady Love's mouth was absolutely amazing even when she didn't say a word, he thought. the following morning. Mitch glanced at Kelsey, sleeping soundly beside him, then saw the clock. It was just past eight. Very early, considering they hadn't gone to sleep until after four that morning. A languorous smile crossed his lips when he remembered how she'd kept him awake to try some gentle persuasion of her own after they'd moved to the bedroom. Lady Love's mouth was absolutely amazing even when she didn't say a word, he thought.
Mitch heard another noise coming from the front of the house.
Quickly getting out of bed, he pulled a pair of sweatpants over his naked body. He didn't know what the noise had been, maybe a car pa.s.sing close to the house, possibly a horn blown nearby. But the creak had seemed close, and familiar.
Walking through the living room into the foyer, he saw a box and a piece of paper lying on the floor by the front door. He immediately realized what he'd heard creaking: the mail slot.
Kelsey realized she was alone when she started to feel cold. She s.h.i.+fted over in her sleep, seeking Mitch's warm body, but found his side of the bed empty. She sat up with a start.
”Mitch?”
He didn't answer. Curious, she got out of bed, slipped on one of his s.h.i.+rts over her head and walked toward the front of the house.
The door between the living room and foyer was slightly ajar. Kelsey walked to it and gingerly pushed it open. ”Mitch? What's wrong?”
She saw him squatting in the foyer, holding a long, thin box covered with gold foil that looked as if it contained expensive candy. Mitch rose to his feet, staring steadily at her. He slowly extended his arm, offering her the box.
”Mitch? What is it?”
He narrowed his eyes and held out his other hand. Kelsey recognized the pale-blue-colored stationery he held. She winced.
”Who the h.e.l.l is 'Your Knight'?”
Kelsey grimaced, then squared her shoulders. ”Let's go sit down and I'll tell you all about it.”
Mitch didn't appear to want to move, but finally he dropped the box and followed her into his living room.
After she'd told him the entire story, he stared at her in consternation for several seconds before speaking, ”So, someone's been hara.s.sing you for weeks, and you never once even bothered to mention mention it to me?” it to me?”
Kelsey ran a weary hand over her eyes. What she really wanted was a strong cup of coffee or a few more hours' sleep. He seemed intent on arguing. ”Mitch, please, don't get upset.”
”Upset?” he said with a bitter laugh. ”That doesn't quite describe what I'm feeling, Kelsey.”
She cringed.
He paced back and forth across the wood floor. His bare feet struck the surface hard enough to make thudding noises. ”I'm angry and I'm hurt by this,” he explained. Kelsey heard the emotion in his voice as he continued. ”Why didn't you tell me? What on earth made you feel you couldn't trust me enough to share what you were going through?”
”Mitch, of course I trust you. I just didn't want to bother you with this.”
”Bother me?” he replied as he stopped pacing and stared into her face, his eyes widening in disbelief. ”You think telling me someone's stalking you is going to bother bother me? Good grief, Kelsey, I might be me? Good grief, Kelsey, I might be bothered bothered if you said you didn't get a raise you wanted, or were concerned about your ratings. This goes way beyond if you said you didn't get a raise you wanted, or were concerned about your ratings. This goes way beyond bothered bothered!”
Kelsey shrank back in her seat at the outright anger in his voice. She hadn't seen him this furious in a long time. She hated that she was the one who'd caused it.
”I thought you and I had something kind of meaningful building here,” he muttered bitterly.
”We do!”
”Obviously, we don't,” he retorted. ”People in a relations.h.i.+p don't lie and keep secrets because they fear they'll bother bother the other person.” the other person.”
”I didn't lie.”
”A technicality,” he snapped. ”Maybe you never came out and said, 'No, Mitch, no one has been writing me dozens of love letters, staking out the station and leaving me mystery gifts in my car,' but there were plenty of times when we talked about your job that you could have come clean. And you didn't. You kept your mouth shut, figuring I wouldn't like it and you didn't want to have to deal with that. Well, you know what? I don't don't like it, and you like it, and you do do have to deal with it!” have to deal with it!”
Kelsey took a deep breath and considered her words, wondering how she could make him understand. ”Mitch, look, bother bother is the wrong word. It's just...I know how you feel about my job. I know you worry about me anyway. I didn't want to make you feel worse. Things are going so well for us-I wanted to keep it perfect for as long as possible.” is the wrong word. It's just...I know how you feel about my job. I know you worry about me anyway. I didn't want to make you feel worse. Things are going so well for us-I wanted to keep it perfect for as long as possible.”
He didn't soften one bit. ”Gee, it really paid off, didn't it? Now on top of worrying about some wacko stalking you, I have to wonder if there's anything else going on that you haven't told me about because you want to 'keep things perfect' between us.”
Kelsey bit her lip and shook her head vehemently. ”No, Mitch. You know everything. And don't make it sound worse than it is. I'm not being stalked. It's not that terrible. I mean, I certainly don't feel threatened, just a little uncomfortable.”
”You should feel threatened! What if when you opened your car door the other night you'd found some nut with a knife instead of just some balloons? He's been watching you, knows which one's your car, what you look like. And he has obviously followed you home, because he now knows where you live! That doesn't sound like normal behavior to me, Kelsey. Whoever's doing this has got a screw loose somewhere.”
Mitch threw himself down in an armchair. Kelsey wished he'd sat beside her on the couch. She wanted him close. He obviously wanted some distance. She blinked rapidly to hold back tears.
”Mitch, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I should have come to you and told you about it. But can you honestly say that you would have been able to deal with it logically? To just sit back and wait for something to happen, for this guy to get caught or to stop? Because that's really all we can do.”