CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Geez, you make more noise when you’re trying to be quiet than you do in broad daylight,” Lance muttered, not surprised when Brynn’s laughter bubbled over in the darkness. He shifted so that she had room to crawl into bed with him. “I thought you were staying at your apartment tonight.”
Thursday nights were rather busy at the bar, especially now that things were somewhat returning to normal. Calvin had made it through the first twenty-four hours after having open heart surgery, but his recovery would still be a long process. Lance’s dad had driven to the hospital and spent some time with Blyth Lake’s resident fisherman. He’d make it through his surgical post-op just fine, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have to make some life changes.
As for things on the investigative front, Detective Kendrick had also taken Miles Schaeffer and Harlan Whitmore into the station for formal questioning. Nothing had come out of either interrogation, but it had effectively shaken up the town. People were second-guessing the relationships they had established with the townsfolk they had known for their entire lives.
“I was going to stay at my apartment, but I heard congratulations were in order. I thought it would be better done in person, though,” Brynn whispered seductively, climbing in under the sheet Lance had lifted for her. Her naked form melded into his, and he hardened in reaction. “I can’t believe you and your dad didn’t stop by the bar to celebrate.”
Lance groaned in frustration at the town’s ability to spread news as if the apocalypse was upon them. He pulled her on top of him and kissed her thoroughly without answering. Her breasts pressed against his chest, her knees fell on either side of his hips, and the heat from her core foretold him of pleasurable things to come. How did she expect him to do anything else when her touch and subtle fragrance made everything else fade away?
“Congratulations.” Brynn was a bit out of breath, so she rested her elbows on the pillow underneath his head. There was enough moonlight coming in the windows that he was able to see her beautiful features clearly. “I know this is what you wanted more than anything.”
She’d be wrong on that last account, but that didn’t mean Lance wasn’t honored to drive up his dad’s driveway to find a sign hanging outside the workshop that read Kendall & Son’s Handcrafted Furniture Shop. It was what he wanted for his future, but it wasn’t nearly what he wanted more than anything.
That would currently be the woman lying in his arms.
Lance reached up and gathered her blonde hair, pulling the thick strands over her right shoulder. The cords in her neck were tempting to nibble on, but one taste would lead to hours of lovemaking without having the conversation she wanted in order to hear about the big news.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t play with his hands in the meantime.
“You’d have to ask Noah, but I’m pretty sure Reese used her phone to videotape me pulling up outside Dad’s workshop.”
Lance moved the sheet so that it fell below the delicious curve of her buttocks. He then took two fingers on each hand and lightly drew them down her back, not stopping when he reached her arch.
“You were expecting him to ask you, though, right?” Brynn practically moaned that last word as he brought the back of his fingers up to caress the side of her breasts. She reached down and grabbed ahold of his right hand, clutching it underneath her chin. “I wish I could have been there.”
“Honestly, I don’t think he was expecting me until tomorrow.” Lance still had the use of his left hand, which he happily utilized to bring her right leg higher than she had it positioned next to him. This way, he had easier access to her folds. “I’d gone into the city to pick up the painting supplies I needed, plus put in the order for the granite countertops we chose out of those samples.”
Lance paused, wondering if she caught the use of the word we in that sentence. It was becoming a habit lately, but he didn’t mind the implication in the least. It honestly wouldn’t surprise him if by the end of the year they’d moved in together.
Whatever was between them started back when they were teenagers, and their connection certainly hadn’t been severed by his time in the service.
“What then?” Brynn bowed her head so that her forehead now rested on his shoulder. He continued to use his fingers to pleasure her, sliding them through her center to find her sweet spot slick with her cream. “Did you…”
Brynn’s voice trailed off as he began to draw concentric circles around her clitoris.
“I was on the phone with Noah when I decided to stop by Dad’s before seeing you, but Noah kept trying to wave me off.” Lance smiled when her grip on his wrist loosened, allowing him to shift the two of them so that she was positioned firmly underneath him. He now had full access to her body. “I knew something was in the wind, so I drove straight there.”
Brynn’s lips parted in pleasure as he slowly slid his middle finger inside of her, taking his time before adding a second. Her heated gaze was focused on his face, though it was hard to see the caramel highlights he loved so much. Her eyes were rather dark with lust in the moonlight.
“Noah must have told Reese that I wasn’t listening to a word he said.” Lance pressed his thumb on her swollen nub to manipulate the sensitive tissue to add to her rising arousal. “If I’m being honest, it took a few minutes for me to notice that the sign outside my dad’s workshop had been switched out for a new one.”
Lance began to leisurely and gently thrust two fingers inside of her, loving the snug responsiveness of her sheath. Her breathing had become rather uneven, and her fingers were now clutching the pillow underneath her hair. The slow journey to her release sure as hell was something to watch and would remain etched in his memory.
“I’m sure my shock showed, but I was also overcome with emotion. I know my dad, and he would never have done something so meaningful if he didn’t believe I was talented with my hands.”
“Oh, you’re talented, alright,” Brynn managed to say as she arched her back and widened her legs even farther apart than before. “Please stop talking. I don’t want to think about your—”
“Only me,” Lance whispered, done playing around. He’d given enough information to satisfy her need to know what had happened this evening, but now it was time to satisfy her in another more meaningful way. He curved his fingers so that he was able to stroke that specific area that would have her seeing fireworks. Her scream that followed told him nothing else existed but him. “Think only of me, blondie.”
*
“Did you think of me today?” Lance asked with a smile, knowing full well it would take Brynn back a week to when she’d crawled into his bed last Thursday. He pulled her down onto his knee, though she wouldn’t sit still for long. Now that Calvin was home from the hospital and no new developments had seen the light of day on the investigation, Blyth Lake was slowly returning to its daily routine. At least, it seemed that way. “Seriously, I missed you.”
Lance rested a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back so that he could kiss her cheek. She’d turned fast enough to receive his offering on her lips before connecting gazes and shifting so that she was no longer on his knee. She was, however, leaning over him in a way that made him wish they weren’t in the bar.
“You’ll have to show me later,” Brynn whispered into his ear, the warmth of her breath sending arousing shivers to all the right places.
Lance was left alone with his brother, Reese, and a few friends he hadn’t seen in years. That didn’t stop him from watching Brynn walk away with a graceful sway that had him craving more than a kiss. Apparently, he wasn’t the only observant one.
“Shouldn’t Warner be at the station?” Lance reached for a peanut out of the bowl in the middle of the table. It was best he cracked the shell instead of the deputy’s skull. “Detective Kendrick might be the lead on this investigation on a state level, but Byron still has responsibilities.”
“Responsibilities he doesn’t want,” Noah stressed, most likely accurate in his assessment. “He as much as said so at the town hall meeting, but it’s not like he has much of a choice. The department only has one elected sheriff, along with three deputy positions.”
“Don’t forget Patty,” Beth Ann chimed in after finishing off the last of her beer. She pointed the empty bottle in the direction of the station down on Main Street. “She doubles as the dispatcher and the administrative assistant to the sheriff. I swear she’s the only person keeping that office afloat right now. I heard that Byron has pushed so much onto her this past month, and that’s so unfair. She isn’t being paid to do his job.”
“Oh, Byron’s not that bad,” Jack said, appearing rather uncomfortable having this conversation. He was the son of Molly, one of the waitresses at the diner. Had Lance spoken out of turn? He’d been friends with Beth Ann since high school, but he didn’t know Jack all that well. The man was older than Mitch by a few years, but rumor had it that Beth Ann was waiting for Jack to propose. “Byron’s just in over his head, that’s all.”
“And you’re only saying that because he’s your second cousin,” Beth Ann clarified with a slight roll of her eyes, confirming that Lance should have kept his mouth shut. “Or is it third cousin, once removed?”
Lance breathed a sigh of relief when Reese smoothed over the conversation, but the topic of discussion somehow veered right back to the fact that it was her cousin that had been forgotten in that wall for eleven years.
“You worked the camp that year, Jack. Do you remember anything unusual happening with either Sophia or Emma?”
Lance shared a curious glance with Noah when Jack didn’t reply right away, but rather took a long draw on his beer. He set down the bottle and twisted it around until the label was facing toward him. With a smack of his lips, he leaned back in his chair and zeroed his gaze on Beth Ann. She appeared confused, and she wasn’t the only one.
“Crap,” Noah muttered, causing everyone at the table to see what had caught his attention. The legs of his chair scraped the floor as he stood, motioning for Lance to do the same. “It looks as if we’re going to have to step in for Chad.”
Lance wasn’t ready to let Jack off the hook from whatever he’d been about to say regarding Sophia and Emma, but it wasn’t as if he had a choice. A fight was brewing near the bar and everybody was giving Clayton and Wes Schaeffer a wide berth. Chad was usually the peacemaker of the family, but he wasn’t around tonight. Neither was Miles, for that matter.
“So much for unity.” Lance fell into step behind Noah, allowing his brother to take the lead on this. They shouldn’t have to clean up family squabbles, especially between these two Schaeffer boys. “We could always let Warner handle this. Maybe he can do his job for once. Hey, Warner! You want to—”
“…you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Clay practically spit the tail end of his question. He swung his head to the side, taking with it the long strands that hadn’t seen scissors in quite some time. His dark gaze narrowed in on his middle sibling. “Well, fuck you! I’ll take care of it myself.”
Clay abruptly turned, shoving Warner out of the way who’d finally stepped up to the plate. Byron muttered something of a warning, but it most likely fell on deaf ears. Clay stormed out of the bar and left the patrons with something else to talk about than the murder investigation hanging over this town.
“Wes, you alright?”
Wes was shaking his head at his brother’s behavior, his eyes glued to the door in what looked to be concern more than anything else. He was also rubbing his chest where Clay had gotten in a good throw in an attempt to make his point…whatever that might have been.
“Yeah,” Wes said with a nod and a look of disappointment. He tried to brush off what happened with the typical excuse, but something told Lance it was more than just arguing over the family business. “The usual, you know?”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out Clay had somehow heard about the lunch Wes had with his dad today. Everyone in town was aware that it was Clay who’d wanted to break out from underneath their father’s thumb. It was the reason he’d started a similar business in the city. Taking Wes had been the icing on the cake.
“Wes, sit,” Brynn called out, tapping the counter with a sympathetic hand. Lance figured the man had brought it on himself to be used as a pawn between father and son, but maybe Wes was finally growing a pair. “Calm down and finish your beer.”
Everyone began to settle back in place, which was usual after these types of altercations. Normally, it was Tiny’s presence alone that kept bar fights from breaking out. With him only here half the time, maybe Brynn should think about getting a bouncer on the weekends.
“I heard your oldest brother is thinking of running for sheriff.”
Lance closed his eyes and willed himself some patience before addressing the statement. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk to Byron Warner, especially after constantly catching him watching Brynn from afar. The man still had a thing for her, and that could potentially be a problem.
“Oh, you know how it is,” Lance began to smooth things over, noticing that Noah had already joined Reese back at the table. He always did manage to leave Lance holding the bag. “I think Dad likes the idea, but Mitch is still processing out. I doubt he’s even had time to consider what he wants to do when he gets home.”
“Well, Mitch would have my support,” Warner replied, surprising Lance with his honesty. To say Mitch was the complete opposite of Percy in every aspect as a man was an understatement. “The department hasn’t seen justice done for this town in a lot of years, and I’m just not cut out for the bureaucracy between agencies. I’d rather stick to the job I signed up for and clock out at the end of my shift.”
Lance wasn’t sure what he could say as a follow-up to that admission. It turned out he didn’t have to say a word, because Warner changed the subject to the one that was off limits. At least, from Lance’s standpoint.
“Brynn is one of the sweetest women in this town.” Warner shifted his weight to his left leg, giving him the leverage he needed to peer around Billy Stanton and Julie Brigham. The blonde was doing her best to bring Brynn into whatever conversation was going on between the couple, but it was a useless endeavor. It just so happened that Warner’s description of Brynn told Lance all he needed to know. “It’s good to see her happy.”
“I appreciate that, Warner,” Lance conveyed honestly, though he did need to clarify something. “You should know that Brynn isn’t sweet. She’s fiercely loyal, has no problem telling someone the brutal truth, and would hunt you down to the ends of the earth if she thought you so much as pulled a strand of hair out of one of her family members’ heads. She’s not sweet, Warner. But she is mine.”
Lance clapped Warner on the shoulder good-naturedly, fully understanding where Byron went wrong in his pursuit of Brynn. Warner was a good enough guy, but not for Brynn. Unfortunately, he had a soft side that triumphed over the part he needed to have in order to manage people in an effective way. His compassion made him a great deputy, but he had none of the leadership skills needed in order to control and direct those underneath him or work his way around the politics of the job.
“No word on finding Whitney’s body?” Lance asked, having caught sight of Jeremy Bell’s empty seat.
The man had become such a fixture of this place that no one wanted to disrespect him by sitting in his stool. Somehow, that considerate gesture told everyone just how much the Bells were part of this community, regardless that Jeremy wasn’t the most beloved resident in town.
“Detective Kendrick has been giving me updates on the investigation, but he’s not having any luck on locating where Whitney might be.” Byron shifted his weight on the work boots he hadn’t changed out of at the end of his shift, though the gesture and the way he’d said the detective’s name hadn’t been made out of nervousness. If Lance wasn’t mistaken, there was criticism in Warner’s tone. “Kendrick doesn’t seem to understand that the townsfolk respond better to a kind word than the stick.”
Hell, maybe Lance was wrong. Warner could very well learn how to do the sheriff’s job if he truly wanted all the responsibilities that came with the position.
“I’ve got to say, I was surprised myself that Kendrick would pull Calvin and Miles in for questioning, as well as Harlan and a few of the other adults who’d been up at camp that year.”
“Kendrick won’t get any useful information if he continues down that particular road, that I’m certain of. If anything, the person responsible for killing and abducting those girls for the last twelve years might actually lose whatever control he had over his urges.” Warner glanced back at the group he’d been sitting with earlier, holding up his hand to catch their attention. It was clear this conversation had left a bad taste in his mouth. “Listen, I’ve got to be in the office bright and early. I’m calling it a night. Have a good one.”
Lance sought out Brynn, who had already poured Wes a drink. People tended to tell all their troubles to the person with the bottle in their hand. Would Kendrick target Tiny? Bridges had already started to burn, but that didn’t mean the whole town should be reduced to ashes.
It was understandable that Kendrick wanted to unnerve the killer into thinking the police were closer than they actually were in terms of an arrest.
But at what cost?
Would the good people of Blyth Lake implode under the pressure?