WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers (78 page)

“I know that.  That’s not what it’s about.”  He
recoiled from her touch, his eyes dark, tortured and guarded.

“I’d give up everything to be with you,” Claire said,
gesturing to the website.  She gulped, instantly realising what horrors
could have slipped out.  She gently touched his hand.  “You’ve had
such a rough day.  I can make you feel better.”

“Claire... I... the thing is...”  He glanced down at
the laptop, a thoughtful, faraway look in his eyes.

Let me soothe you. 
“I know how much you want
your own family.  I can give that to you.”  She looked longingly at
him, then flattened her palm on his partly open shirt and ran her hand down the
rest of the buttons.

He glanced down.  “Claire.  What are you doing?”

“I know girls like Christa, scratch the surface and all
kinds of horrors pop up.  Forget about her.  I’m here for you. 
I can take care of you, and I know what you need.”  Her eyes drifted to
his lips, desperate to kiss them.  The invisible line connecting them
started twisting back together, hard as a whipcord. 

Brian captured the left side of her jaw in his hand. 
He narrowed his eyes, gazing as though weighing up his options. 
“No.  I’m sorry, but-“

“Hush.”  Claire pushed up on tiptoes and crushed her
lips onto his. 

Brian flinched.  “Whoa!”

Claire slithered a hand around his neck and held him in
place.  She kissed him again, trying to prise his lips apart with her
tongue. 

Brian turned away.  “No, Claire.”   A look of
discomfort flashed across his face and he nudged her hips away with both
hands.  “I don’t want to upset you, but this isn’t right.”

“The hell it isn’t.”  She pulled his head down again
and kissed him.  “I want you.  Now,” she whispered into his mouth,
then tugged his shirt out of his trousers.  While Brian stood rigid, she
kissed his neck, trailing her lips right down to where the open buttons exposed
a few hairs on his chest.  Then, noticing he’d scrunched his eyes closed,
clearly fighting against loving her touch, she slowly ran her fingernails up
and down his back, just how he liked it.

His chest heaved beneath her lips and he put his hands on
her shoulders.  “Don’t, Claire.  We can’t.”

Claire rubbed a light hand over his groin and then moved up
to kiss him on the mouth.

Abruptly, Brian’s demeanor changed.  Eyes glinting, he
wrapped his hand around Claire’s waist, pulling her hips against his
thighs.  They deepened the kiss, tongues twirling in a passionate
dance. 

All the pain in her heart fizzled away.  She had him!

Brian moved his hands down her back.  He hitched her
skirt up above her hips, exposing her panties, and cupped her bottom.  He
lifted Claire up.  “Put your legs around my waist.”  Gladly, she did,
and then he carried her across the room to the back wall. 

Sandwiched between Brian and the wall at the side of the
fireplace, Claire, riotously happy, let her lips melt around his.  A soft,
low moan escaped her throat as she writhed under his touch.  God, it felt
soooo incredibly good to be in his arms and Claire ached to have his fullness
inside her. 

Her spine tingled, every follicle on her body stood to
attention as Brian moved his lips south, nibbling and kissing his way down her
throat to her cleavage.  Lost in the tickly shiver from his touch, totally
vulnerable to him, Claire’s dark world and all its spinning shit fell
away. 

Only their frantic breath disturbed the silence.  Hot
and sweet anticipation spiralled through her body and pooled between her open
thighs.  She pressed her sex hard against the rise in his trousers, tipped
her head back against the wall and groaned while he nuzzled her breasts. 
If he didn’t rip her panties off and enter her this minute, she’d surely
burst.  “I love you, Brian.” 

Claire’s mobile started barking from atop the fireplace,
startling them both.  From the melody, she knew it was Dale.   
Fuck. 
Not now. 
The barks continued.  Hell, if she didn‘t answer it he
might drive over.  Brian might mention the website and...  Her mind
and heart wrestled.  Shit!  “Brian, I have to answer it.”

His lips left her skin.  He looked at her and suddenly
thawed, his eyes traumatised, his spine rigid.  “Oh, sh-shit...  I’m
sorry, Claire... I...”  He lowered her to her feet.

Claire looked from the phone to Brian and raised her index
finger.  “Don’t move.  Just give me one minute.”  She snatched
up the phone and glanced at it.  Yes.  Her brother.  Rotten
timing.

Brian wiped his mouth and backed away.  “This...
this... I don’t know what came over me.”

“What?  No!  Oh, Brian, please...”  With her
free hand, Claire whipped her panties down and stepped out of them.  She
stuffed them into Brian’s pocket, grabbed his belt, undid it then yanked the
zip down on his trousers while he stood in a state of shock.  “You won’t
be needing these again tonight.”

“I can’t do this.”  He brushed her hand away.

“You can.”  She grunted at the phone which still barked
in her hand. 
Dale, I’m so mad with you right now.

“I’m sorry.”  Brian closed his eyes, turned and
stumbled over to the window as though drugged.

Claire’s mobile stopped, then started barking again. 
Fucking
hell, Dale!

Brian leaned a hand on the windowsill and bowed his head,
looking severely troubled.  “Go ahead.  Answer it.”

Ahr!
  “Screw the phone.”  She chucked it
onto the sofa.  “Get back here.”

He shook his head.  “I need to use the bathroom.” 
He raced out of the room.

“Good idea.  Go and get undressed,” she said
cynically.  “I’ll be right here waiting for ya.”  Claire turned and
booted the wall.  With a low groan, she picked up the phone and accepted
the call, putting it to her ear just as the bathroom door slammed shut. 
“What?” she snapped.

“You watching this?”

“Huh?”  She stared into the hall, aching for Brian to
dash out and ravish her.

“The website!  I’m sitting here with the guys, watching
it.  Claire, are you listening?”

Oh, not you, too.
  “Y... yeah, I heard ya. 
Can we talk about this later?”  Her body still hummed with hunger for
Brian, her skin tingled from his kisses.

“Christa’s getting nearly as many hits as that overweight
couple who’re making out on the sofa.”

“She’s really not that interesting, Dale.”

“I can see right through her panties.  Her nipples are
like bullets.  This is good for business.”  A wolf whistle came
through the phone, followed by the background hum of laughter.  No doubt
Dale was drinking with a bunch of the guys, feet up, enjoying the show. 
It made Claire go cold.

“Wonderful,” she mumbled, gritting her teeth.  On
hearing water flow in the bathroom, she grabbed the whisky and raced into the
kitchen so Brian wouldn’t overhear her when he came out.  “That bitch
normally can’t dance to save her life.”

“Jealous?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“Yeah.  Definitely jealous.”  Dale paused. 
“If I’d known she’d keep the viewers
this
happy, I’d have offed her
husband long ago.”  Someone laughed in the background again.

“Dale!  You shouldn’t joke about this stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah.  Lighten up, sis.”

“And what’s with winding me up?  I thought you were on
my side?” 

Silence rode the phone line.  Dale was intoxicated for
sure, or he wouldn’t have teased her.

“So anyway,” Dale said.  “I haven’t seen much of Nicola
this evening.  Any idea where she is?  If she’d join Christa in the
shower then... my God.  Think Richard here would blow a gasket.”

Tsk!  “Whatever.  Get a life.”  Claire only
half-listened to the rest.  The bathroom door clicked open and Brian
crossed the hall to the lounge.  Claire’s heart clenched.  How could
she turn this awkwardness around?  She padded along the hall and poked her
head around the lounge door to spy, while Dale mumbled something about
Nicola. 

Brian was kneeling in front of the laptop, intent on the
screen.  “This isn’t like you, Christa.  Why would you do this?” he
mumbled.

I hate her!
  Brian is mine.  Claire only
answered the phone to prevent Dale driving round and killing Brian if he found
out he’d seen the website.  And now Brian was giving Claire the cold
shoulder, and glued to Christa on the screen with no clue that
she
was
trying to save his ass.  Claire tiptoed back into the kitchen.  But
for Dale phoning, Brian would have been slamming her, hard and dirty on the rug
right now, just how Claire liked it.  “No.  It’s not like her,” she
mumbled to herself.  Bitch.

“It’s not?” Dale replied.  “But hell, I prefer this
version.”

A ball of jealousy grew inside her.  “I-I... gonna kill
her.”

“I thought you just said don’t joke about stuff like that.”

“I did.”  Claire deepened her voice.  “And I’m
not.”

“You being serious, sis?”

“Damn right, I am.”

“But the ratings...  Things with Christa are only just
hotting up.”

“I’m your sister,” Claire said, firmly.  “You told me you’d
do anything for me.”

“The others will go mental, especially Henry.”

“Since when do you care what anyone else thinks?”

After a long pause, Dale said, “Okay, sis.  You’re sure
this is what you want?”

Claire clenched her teeth.  “Yes.  Get rid of
her.  Tonight.”

“And Nicola?  She’s in the house too, somewhere. 
I’d have killed her last night if it weren’t for you-know-who having a
thing
for her.”

“Does he really?”

“Yep.  I’ve been trying to convince him that it’s only
a matter of time before she breaks down and blows everything.  She’s a
ticking bomb.”

Claire racked her brain for another reason why Dale should
off Christa.  “Those two are like us, they tell each other
everything.  I bet Christa knows what’s going on.”

“D’ya think?  We shook her up pretty bad.”

“Is it worth the risk?”

Dale paused a beat.  “Damn.  You’re right. 
We’ve been putting the pressure on a bit tonight, letting her know we’re
watching, but I knew it was stupid to trust her.  The other guys are too
soft.  I should have known better than to go along with them.  Jeez,
I don’t know what they’d do without me to clean up their messes.”

“Exactly.  You’re the man, Dale.  The others are
too weak and blind.  Go sort it out.”

An engine revved and a horn beeped outside Claire’s
house. 

Claire’s brain, sloshing and stirring like the contents of a
cocktail shaker, prevented her thinking straight.  She had to keep Brian
in her house.

“My lift’s here,” Brian shouted from the lounge. 
“Thanks for everything.  And again, I’m really sorry.  I just hope that... 
I’ll be seeing ya.”

“Who’s with you?” Dale asked.

Oh, shit.

“Is that Brian?”  Dale’s voice climbed two
octaves.  “Brian’s in your house and you’ve been watching the bloody
website?”

“No....  I... Dale, just wait a minute.”

“Has he seen it?” Dale shouted.

“No, just me.”  Claire gulped around the lie. 
“Forget about him.”  She downed another mouthful of whisky, stared into
space and then...  Her pills!  She grabbed a sleeping pill from the
cupboard, crushed half of it between two spoons and stirred it into a glass of
whisky.   Yes.  That should do the trick.  It wouldn’t
knock him out, but he’d be drowsy for several hours, giving her time to erase
the website from the laptop and seduce him.

“So,” Dale said.  “What’s it to be?  If I do this,
we’ll have to remove all the cameras, all trace.”

Claire’s steeliness didn’t slip.  So long as Christa
was breathing, Brian would never be Claire’s.  “Yes.  Do it. 
Kill her.  Or I’ll do it myself.”

“No, sis.  You leave it to me.  And you can watch
me.  Literally.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll wink at you on camera.”  Dale hung up. 

Claire raced into the lounge, spiked whisky in hand. 
Brian turned and slung the laptop bag over his shoulder.  “Thanks for
everything, Claire.”  He gave her a small, appreciative smile.

She offered him the whisky.  “Stay and have another.”

He planted a light kiss on her cheek.  “I’m sorry
things didn’t work out between us.” 

Instinctively, Claire raised her hand and fingered his hair,
but he pulled away and stepped into the hall.

“Where are you going?” Claire chased him to the front
door.  She had to get that laptop off him.

He stepped outside, waved to Marcus who was sitting on a
motorbike with his engine revving, then turned back to Claire.  “Straight
to the source.”

“Christa’s house?” she choked out.

“Yep.”

“You can’t.”  Her voice gushed out louder than she
wished.  “You’re too emotional.  Come inside and let’s talk.”

He shook his head.  “I know your version of talk.”

“Please, Brian.  Christa doesn’t love you.  She
doesn’t know what she wants, hell, a woman who fiddles the books, listens to
your loopy sister about the birds and the bees and...”  Oh, heck. 
Claire pressed a hand over her mouth.  She’d said way too much.

“Listens about what?”

“C-Christa doesn’t... k-know her own arsehole from her
elbow!” she stumbled over her words.

“This...”  He circled his finger at Claire.  “Is
exactly why I can’t be with you.  This... dark streak of yours.  It’s
not attractive.”  He waved her away and increased his pace to the
street.  “Go back inside.”

Claire ran barefoot out of the house, her feet stinging in
the snow.  Panic flared anew as the ramifications of him going to
Christa’s house rattled around in her head.  “B-but... the roads are still
icy!”  She chased him to the street.  “It’s too dangerous. 
Please, just wait here with me.”

Marcus handed Brian a helmet.  “He’s in safe
hands.  Don’t worry, most roads have been gritted now and I’ll ride real
slow.”