Free Her Secret by Tara Fox Hall Page B

Terian’s?
    Brian was back in a few moments. “I’m going
to watch from the window here,” he said, handing me the mail.
    “Thanks,” I said civilly. “I’m heading to
bed.”
    I braced myself for some comment about dreams
of Devlin as I walked away, but there wasn’t one.
    * * * *
    When I got up at six the next morning, Theo
hadn’t returned. I put on a robe, and went out to see Brian. He was
still in position near the window.
    “Good morning,” he said politely.
    “You can get some sleep if you want. I’m
going to stay up.”
    “Thanks,” he said, rising stiffly from his
chair. “I’m exhausted.”
    “I’ll let you know if anyone shows up, or if
someone calls for you.”
    “No need for the latter,” he called back,
heading downstairs. “I have my cell on.”
    Relieved there would be no awkward
discussions this morning, I went about my day. After taking care of
the dogs and cats, I showered and set about baking apple pies: one
for Brian to take home in thanks, and the other for Theo. I was
just removing them from the oven when Theo called.
    “I got him, Sar,” he murmured, tired but
contented.
    Twin waves of relief hit me that Theo was
okay, and Manir was dead. “Where are you?”
    “Right outside,” he said. “I’m messy, though.
I need you to put some towels down.”
    I knew what he wanted. “Okay. Bye.”
    Hastening to the front door, I laid down two
layers worth of towels that were usually for wiping the dogs’ feet.
Then I opened the door. Theo stood there looking as if he had come
from a slaughterhouse. There was blood in spatters, splashes and
huge patches in his hair, on his face, and even in his
eyelashes.
    I let him inside, closed the door, then held
out my hands. “Give me your clothes.”
    He took them off and handed them to me,
including his sneakers. “You can try washing them, but they might
have to be thrown out. Where is Brian?”
    “Downstairs sleeping. He just went down about
a half hour ago.”
    He nodded once. “Good. I’m going to
shower.”
    “Is your truck a mess?”
    “No, I put down a plastic sheet on the seat
before I got in, and wiped my hands off with some wet naps. If the
bastard hadn’t been in an abandoned house, I’d have washed up
before leaving. I don’t like you seeing me like this.”
    “This isn’t the first time,” I replied,
taking his clothes, the towels, and his sneakers into the laundry
room. I sprayed the bloodstains liberally with stain remover, then
set everything to washing.
    A strange mood abruptly came over me; I
decided to join Theo in the shower. With all the blood on him, he’d
likely welcome a little help getting it off...
    Quickly, I shed my clothes and then hurried
into the bathroom. “Want some company?”
    “You have to ask?”
    I slid back the curtain, and got in. Theo
turned to me, shampoo still in his hair, and gave me a hungry look.
Then he wrapped me in his arms, and kissed me. I ran my hands over
the wet skin of his hard shoulders and biceps, then back up his
chest, pulling some of the hair. He growled softly, moving his
kissed to my neck. I threw my head back, pulling his head down to
me tightly. Abruptly, he jerked backward. I was thrown off balance,
but steadied myself.
    “Sorry, shampoo in the eyes.” He washed his
face, then got the rest of the shampoo out.
    “That’s okay,” I said teasingly. “I only came
in to help you clean off.”
    “Then help, wife,” he replied, smiling
enticingly.
    “You help first.”
    “Sure. Come here.”
    As I shampooed my hair, Theo soaped up my
body, caressing me as he rubbed my skin gently. After I rinsed off,
I put conditioner on, then rubbed some into his hair, too. Theo
began to soap me up again.
    “Hey, you got me clean already—” I began.
    “I missed a few spots.” He gave a wide smile.
“That means I have to start all over.”
    I laughed, then leaned into his hands, loving
the feel of them sliding over my body. We stood together in the
spray of the shower