Bare Necessities (11 page)

“I like Ava,” he admitted. “I hope, once this is over, I can find out if she likes me, too.”

Kimberly laughed. “Like, my butt. You love her.”

Seth shook his head and chuckled. “Nothing gets past you. If you dare tell anyone, I will…”

“You will what?”

“I’ll figure something out, baby sister.”

After dinner, Seth and his sister walked over to The Cookie Jar. No one in town could beat the delicious desserts served there. At least twice a month after their weekly dinner, Seth and Kimberly ended things at the bakery.

He opened the door for his sister and followed in behind Kimberly. It smelled heavenly inside. A mix of chocolate, cinnamon, and fruit hit his senses, making his mouth water. How the owner of this place stayed so thin was beyond him. If he worked here, he’d be at least three hundred pounds and happy.

He and Kimberly were looking at the fresh-baked items sitting on the counter when his phone rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he recognized Ava’s number.

“Hey,” he said but was answered by a frantic woman on the other side. “Wait, Ava, slow down. I can’t understand you.”

Kimberly flashed him a look of concern. Seth excused himself and stepped outside, but Kimberly trailed after him.

“Slow down. What is going on?” he asked again.

“You need to get over here now. We have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Just come to my cabin now!” Ava demanded.

“Seth, go,” Kimberly interjected.

“Okay, Ava, I’m on my way. Just calm down.” He hung up.

“Any idea what’s going on?” Kimberly asked.

“No, but I guess I should go find out. I really hope nothing else has happened to her shop.”

“Go, Seth. She is your future.”

Seth gazed up at the darkening sky. He didn’t want to leave his sister, but he knew he had to get to Ava.

“Seth, I’m fine. I can take care of myself. Ava needs you.”

He nodded and hugged his sister. After the embrace, he jetted to his car and then high-tailed it to Ava’s.

* * *

Ava stared at the photos in disbelief. This was going way too far. Whoever this sicko was, they needed to be caught and punished. She was through with this. All she wanted to do was live her life, but there was always someone getting in the way.

She should be scared out of her mind, but she wasn’t. She was angry.

Taking out a piece of paper, Ava started a list of all four things that had happened. Something would tell her who it was. There had to be a clue, especially from this last one.

Just as she finished her list, she heard Seth arrive. She opened the door before he had time to knock. Once he was in, she shut the door and locked it then ran around the room, closing all the curtains. Something she should have done earlier.

She picked up a manila envelope, stood before him, and said, “We have a problem.”

“Tell me what is going on.”

She handed him the envelope. “Have a look for yourself.”

She watched as he opened it. His eyes widened as he was faced with dated pictures of them last night in bed.

Chapter Thirteen

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Seth yelled. “Who the hell did this?”

Ava winced. He hadn’t even read the note yet. He finished looking at the pictures then found the sheet of paper that basically said if Ava didn’t leave town, these would be turned over to the police, showing Seth was disobeying the law and could lose his job.

“Someone is playing dirty. This isn’t anyone I know. Ava, it has to be someone you know.” He tossed the folder and pictures down. “You have to tell me now. Is it an ex-lover? What brought you to Brookfield? Because it’s obviously following you.”

Ava’s mouth dropped open. “No one from my past would be doing this. How dare you accuse me? Maybe you don’t know your citizens as well as you think you do.”

“I know nothing about you, Ava. Tell me something, anything, that might give me a clue. Did you run away from anyone to come here?”

“I didn’t run, no.”

“But…”

“I don’t think anyone is after me. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going except my family.”

“And you don’t think any of them are behind it?” he asked.

“No … never.”

“Last boyfriend. Tell me about him.”

“I’d rather not.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t live in the past, and I don’t talk about it either.”

“For some reason, I’m thinking your past holds the clue to solving the case. And as a cop, I start with past lovers, which I hate to think about with you, but why did you and your last boyfriend break up?”

Ava sighed. She didn’t want to talk about this. It was silly. John would never do anything like this, so why bring him up? She didn’t want the police sniffing around anyways. If they did, he would know where she was. Biting her lip, she began to wonder why she so badly didn’t want John to know where she was. Was it just because he had been abusive? In her mind, once someone was an ex, she was done with them. But was there more to it?

“Ava, talk to me,” Seth softly said. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her to him. “I want to help, and I want to catch whoever it is. My gut is telling me it’s someone you know, and my gut isn’t usually wrong.”

She pulled away and paced back and forth. “Fine. My last boyfriend’s name was John Walkins. He’s a rich and successful model. A lot of people know him. We were constantly at parties, and when I was with him, I lived the fancy life. I was well taken care of. There was never anything that I needed. John made sure of it. When I wanted to use his money to open my shop, he laughed at me. He didn’t want me to work, just to be his groupie. I was happy at first, but I still wanted more.”

She paused to take a deep breath.

“You know me. I’m vocal. I begged John to let me open my store. Things changed between us. He got more controlling. It was a sign I should’ve seen. He’s not the first to take control of my life. I seem to keep finding men like him. But he got worse than any other. John hit me.”

“Ava,” Seth gasped.

She held her hand up. “At first, it was just on the arms or legs. Places I could hide the bruises. The next day, he’d take me out and spoil me to apologize. He always blamed it on the alcohol, and I believed it was. But the last time … well, I ended up with a black eye, and I left. I knew I couldn’t stay. He’d kill me eventually. So I moved around several times and finally Julie convinced me to start my life here. She said Brookfield would be the perfect place. Everyone would be so accepting, and I could finally live my dream.”

“John could be behind this then. Does he want you back?”

“No.”

“Has he contacted you since you left?”

“Yeah. He e-mailed me once, but I ignored him. Oh, and he texted me not long ago.”

“Have you told Cody about him?”

Ava shook her head. She had never really considered that John was capable of doing something like this.

Seth pulled out his phone, and she saw him texting someone. She figured who and what is was about. She then picked up the photos and glanced at them. Whoever it was had been at her bedroom window and had taken photos of her and Seth together even in the intimate ways. It made her sick just knowing someone had watched. It must have pushed the creep over the edge, too. Up until now, they had made it look like the offender was Seth. Now they were stooping to a blackmail level. Was John the one? Or was it someone else?

Once Seth was finished texting, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into him, enjoying the feel of his strong arms, and closed her eyes.

“Ava,” he whispered. “I’m not like those other men.”

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to talk. Spinning around, she gazed up into his eyes. “Show me. Make me feel safe, and show me that you’re not like them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Whoever this sicko is, they want us apart. Let’s not let them push as apart. Instead, let’s join together.”

Taking Seth’s hand, she led him back to her bedroom. At first, it was just sweet, simple kisses. Then the passion ignited, and they couldn’t get enough of one another. Seth undressed her and stepped back to take her in. She giggled and then shoved him onto the bed.

She liked being clothed in only her panty set with him fully clothed. It made her feel in charge, and that was important. Most men in bed took charge, and she had done as they wanted, but Seth was different. He knew when she needed to be the one who called the shots.

Ava kissed her way down his body and then unzipped his pants. As she tugged them down, she gazed up at him and asked, “Does it feel good to be free?”

“More than you can imagine. When I’m with you, I’m always hard, and my man down there is always begging to be out.”

She wrapped her fingers around his length and stroked up and down. He groaned. She thought about running her tongue over the head, to see if he tasted as she imagined he would, but not this time. She wanted to make love to him, her way.

Ava straddled his body and looked down into his eyes. She played with her shoulder straps before lowering them down and slipping them off. She then reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. She dropped it to the floor before taking her breasts into her own hands.

“God, Ava.” He moaned as he watched.

“Put your hands on me.”

Letting hers drop, his big palms replaced them, and he kneaded her breasts. Her head dropped back, and she took a moment to enjoy the sensations jolting through her body. Before long, she couldn’t take it any longer, and the wild animal had to be set free. Seth must have felt the same.

They finished removing each other’s clothing in record time. In her nightstand, Ava found a condom and climbed back on top of Seth. He reached out to take the wrapper, but she shook her head. With her mouth, she tore it open and then rolled it onto him.

Positioning herself just right, she grabbed both his wrists and forced them above his head, pinning him in place. Lowering down onto him, she guided him in, filling her completely. With each thrust, she got closer and closer to her release. Gazing down at him, she realized he was watching her.

“You’re beautiful,” he panted.

Smiling, she leaned down and took his lips with a vengeance. She pumped her hips faster, and before she knew it, she was moaning into his mouth as pleasure shot through her entire body. As soon as she released his wrists, his arms wrapped around her, and he pumped hard into her. He cried out as well as he found his own release.

Lying on him, still connected, she tried to catch her breath. Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and she gave in, letting them close. Just before she left for the dream world, Seth spoke.

“Thank you for opening up to me. It means a lot that you shared that.”

“It was nice to finally share. I don’t usually tell anyone about myself. I’m sure you can tell I keep a lot in.”

Seth lifted her so she had to look at him. “I don’t want you to feel that way with me. I want us to share everything. You’re the first woman I ever told about what happened with my sister. I knew, if it was going to work between you and I, you needed to know why I am the way I am. Just like I need to know who you are. Not just who you want me to know, but everything. From all your fears to the silly things you collect.”

Ava giggled and rolled off him. “You want to know what I collect?”

“Of course.”

“Feathers. I love to walk around fields and by lakes, looking for feathers.”

Seth laughed. “I didn’t expect that to be your answer, but it fits. I know the perfect place to take you when this mess is over and we don’t have to sneak around anymore.”

“I think the sneaking is kinda fun, don’t you?” Ava kissed his chest.

Seth groaned and glanced down to his lower body. “I think I agree.” He pushed her onto her back and climbed between her legs, but not before he reached into her nightstand to retrieve another packet. It was going to be a long night. She was glad she had a whole box in there.