Mystery Lover Read online

  When she came out of the courthouse some time later, Jennifer felt as though she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs. She felt as she had as a child when she had ridden the carousel—no matter how tightly she hung on, they were going around so fast she could scarcely catch her breath.

  Once again they got into the car, only to drive a few short blocks. They pulled up in front of the Golden Nugget casino and hotel. The marble and gold trim glistened in the sun. She looked at Chad in total bewilderment. He assisted her from the car and handed the keys to the waiting attendant.

  Once inside Jennifer stared around the lobby in awe. The place looked like her idea of a palace. Chad had gone over to the reservation desk, where he signed in and was handed a room key.

  He took her arm and escorted her to the elevator.

  When they reached their floor and started down the hallway Jennifer began to fully realize what had just happened. She and Chad were now married, and like any eager bridegroom he was rushing her to a hotel room.

  Chad, rushing to get her in bed?

  She glanced up at him but as usual could read nothing from his expression.

  Chad? Not by a flicker of an eyelash did he betray that he heard her. Instead, he opened the door and motioned for her to precede him. The room was large and exquisitely decorated. Jennifer walked over to the window and peeked out. She heard the door close with a soft but definite thud and turned around.

  Chad shoved the bolt through the door, then turned around. He reached up and began to loosen his tie as he slowly and deliberately paced toward her.

  “Now, then. You may have to help refresh my memory as to what it is you want me to do to you.” His coat came off and was tossed onto a chair. His tie soon followed and he started on the buttons of his shirt. “I believe the first thing was for us to be without any clothes, in the daylight, with no covers.. . so we could enjoy the sight of each other.”

  Jennifer felt a sudden need to retreat. Unfortunately her position by the windows precluded that, unless she wanted to be so undignified as to try to crawl out the window. With her luck, it was probably sealed. She put up her hands in a calming gesture. “W-wait a minute, Chad. I think we should talk about this.”

  “Talk? Haven’t we done enough of that over the past.. . how many weeks has it been now? I can’t remember when my sleep started to become interrupted with graphic descriptions of what you and I should do in bed together.” He sat down on the side of the bed and quickly removed his socks and shoes. Standing once again, he unfastened his belt, unzipped his trousers and stepped out of them.

  Jennifer could only stare at the man in front of her. Of course she had seen men stripped down to the barest of essentials. She’d been raised in Southern California, after all, and had spent much of her youth on the beach. But she had never seen C. W. Cameron in that condition. He could easily have caused quite a commotion on any beach.

  Once stripped of the civilized clothing, Chad looked like a warrior. There wasn’t an ounce of unwanted flesh on him. His broad shoulders and chest rippled with well-trained muscles. The navy-blue briefs he wore couldn’t disguise his masculinity nor the well-developed muscles in his thighs.

  Jennifer could only stare at him.

  Barefoot, he padded over to her, reminiscent of some jungle cat silently stalking its prey. She took a deep breath and tried to release her tension along with the air. The exercise had worked in her aerobics class. She was willing to try anything at this point.

  He paused in front of her, then began to systematically remove her clothes. Her hands came up to stop him.

  “Is there something wrong?” he asked blandly.

  “I just think we need to—”

  “So do I. But it’s more fun not to have clothes in the way.”

  “I mean, I think—”

  “Ah, but this isn’t the time to think, Sunshine. This is the time to feel, to enjoy, to experience.” He tilted his head slightly, looking for the fastener on her skirt. He smiled when he found it and watched with enjoyment as her skirt fell to her ankles, leaving her standing in her teddy, hose and heels.

  “Not bad at all,” he commented. “I should have remembered my camera.” He shrugged, “Can’t remember everything, I suppose.”

  He took her by the hand and led her to the bed. Gently pushing, he lowered her to the bed and began to remove her hose.

  Jennifer pushed his hand away. “I’ll do it!” She removed her shoes and hose and she sat there, staring at Chad with something close to fear on her face.

  Reaching behind her, he pulled down the covers to the bottom of the bed. Then he scooped her up and laid her on one of the pillows.

  Chad stretched out beside her, turned on his side so that he faced her and propped himself up on his elbow.

  “Now, then, it looks to me as if we still have on too many clothes, but I suppose they will take care of themselves.”

  Jennifer had always thought the teddy she wore to be feminine and dainty. She had never noticed how little the lace bodice actually concealed. There was more flesh than lace.

  The same with the bottom half. Cut high on her thighs the silk and lace did more revealing than concealing. She must have leaped several inches when Chad rested his large hand on her abdomen.

  “Why don’t you just relax now? This is what you’ve been dreaming of and talking about for weeks now. Like Cinderella, your dreams are now coming true.”

  “Uh, Chad, before we go any further—”

  He jackknifed up in bed. “You’re absolutely right. It just isn’t the same, is it? You kept insisting we would do this without any clothes.” He reached over and slipped the tiny straps of her teddy off her shoulders and quickly pulled it down over her waist and thighs, knees and ankles.

  Jennifer frantically felt around for the covers.

  “No, no. None of that now,” he said, smoothly sliding his briefs off his hips.

  Jennifer quickly averted her eyes from his body. Her gaze met his and she saw the heated look of desire shining from his eyes. She blinked. He might be making a game of this, but there was no mistaking that his intentions were serious.

  Closing her eyes, Jennifer tried to think, but it was no use. He was too close. She could feet his heated body brushing against her, smell that tangy after-shave that he wore, and when he leaned over and lightly touched his lips to her, she could still taste the flavor of his favorite mints.

  This, then, was exactly what she had fantasized all these weeks. With her eyes still closed Jennifer tentatively reached out and touched his face, her palm resting on his cheek. He quickly turned his head and placed a kiss in her palm.

  She slid her hand up through his hair. Jennifer loved the feel of his hair—the clean crispness that still had a faint scent of the herbal shampoo he used. Blindly she lifted her mouth to his. He accepted her offering with a gentleness that eased the constriction that had been in her chest since she had first awakened that morning.

  This was Chad—Chad who had spent a lifetime teasing and provoking her, Chad who knew her better than anyone else in the world, Chad who had taught her so much—who was about to take the next step in her education.

  Somehow his knee seemed to belong there between her thighs. It rested very comfortably there, and Jennifer became used to its solid weight pressing her gently into the soft mattress.

  There was so much she wanted to learn about him. Jennifer began to trace the line of his shoulders and arms with her fingertips, barely grazing the surface. She felt a chill run over his skin where she had touched. She smiled.

  Later her fingers tangled in the soft hair on his chest, and she explored the path of curls as they nestled enticingly around his nipples. Feeling bold and venturesome, Jennifer placed her lips on one of his nipples and felt the jolt to his body.

  Following the path of hair on his chest, she noted that it narrowed at his waist and swirled around his navel. She touched her tongue lightly to the slight indentation there and once again felt his body respond.r />
  She continued her exploration by running her fingertips down his thighs, feeling the hard muscles lightly covered by a dusting of blond hair. He had such a beautiful body. She felt as though she had been invited to feast at a sumptuous banquet and wasn’t sure where to start.

  Before she could decide, Chad seemed to have other ideas. He pulled her back down beside him and he began to kiss her—long, mind-drugging, consciousness-removing kisses. No longer tentative, they made a claim on her, coaxing and beguiling her to follow his lead.

  Jennifer idly noted that her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, holding him as securely as he held her. Her hands could not stay still. They roamed restlessly across his broad shoulders, following the slight indentation of his spine as it made its way down his back. He felt wonderful.

  When Chad’s mouth finally slipped away from hers, Jennifer drew in some much needed air. She felt as though she were about to faint from excitement. Then she discovered why his mouth had slowly made a path of kisses down her neck. He was inching closer to her breast, which was cupped in his large hand.

  His tongue darted out and touched the pink tip, causing it to contract and harden. Then his lips slowly surrounded it. Jennifer had never felt such a sensation in her life. Her whole body seemed somehow to be connected with that small, dainty tip. She felt an inner tugging, deep inside, as though a dam had been opened, and moist, hot sensations leaped and swirled in her depths. Her bones and muscles seemed to liquefy, and she had a sudden picture of herself, lying on the bed beside Chad, turned into melted honey.

  Taking his time, Chad eventually moved slightly so that his mouth could taste the other breast. His fingers lightly played with the tip of the one he’d just abandoned as though to soothe it while he was gone.

  Jennifer discovered she was gasping as though there weren’t enough oxygen in the room. Her skin seemed to have a life all its own as it rippled under his touch.

  Time and place seemed to disappear. They had drifted into an uncharted world with no landmarks for Jennifer to grasp and identify. Surprisingly enough, she wasn’t afraid because Chad was right there with her, every step of the way. He led her, yet he never rushed. He introduced her to new sensations, but never coerced. And by the time he shifted his weight so that he was above her, Chad filled her vision and her mind with his presence.

  Here was the culmination of everything she had hoped for, everything she had dreamed of. Chad was offering his love, his very being to her.

  She accepted his gift as she accepted his body, so that they could share this ultimate union—the one final but necessary step to complete all that they were to each other.

  Jennifer realized that they had shared this ecstasy before, many times—the intermingling of their thoughts and feelings and their love. Only now they were allowing their bodies to express themselves in a similar fashion.

  The act of love. What an appropriate name for such a beautiful commingling of bodies, minds and spirits. To be able to express oneself in this most intimate of ways seemed to be the ultimate blessing given to human beings. They became one in the most literal sense of the word; whole, complete and perfect in their union.

  Jennifer didn’t remember falling asleep, but when she woke up hours later the room was dark and the covers were pulled up around them both.

  She lay in the curl of Chad’s body, while his arm and leg effectively held her closely to his side. Well, that answered another question about how they would sleep, Jennifer decided with a grin.

  There was no reason to get up, although she recognized that she was a little hungry. Chad slept heavily beside her. Her mind flitted back over the past several hours. She still couldn’t believe it. She and Chad were married. She was now Jennifer Cameron. Mrs. C. W. Cameron.

  Of course Chad wasn’t his real name. She had seen his legal signature, many times. Charles Winston Cameron. He would always be Chad to her.

  Jennifer wondered what all of this would mean when they returned to Los Angeles. They had never talked about marriage before. She had no idea where he lived, nor if he had family living. She knew his father was dead. Did he have any brothers or sisters?

  Her eyes widened when she thought about her mother. Although they talked on the phone on a regular basis, she didn’t see her mother as often as she’d like. Now she was going to have to come up with some way to explain her sudden marriage to her boss.

  That was going to take some fast talking, she knew. Her mother had been full of questions when Jennifer was first promoted, no doubt hoping that something might come of the closer association with an eligible bachelor. Jennifer had wasted no time in setting her mother straight. Her description of C. W. Cameron had caused them some hilarious moments.

  Now she had to find a way to explain to her mother. She wondered if she could start out with, “Say, Mom, do you remember my invisible friend, Chad, I used to have when I was a child? Well, I married him.”

  Somehow that didn’t have the right ring to it. How about, “Say, Mom. A funny thing happened at the office the other day. I looked up at cool, aloof Mr. Cameron and fell madly in love with him. He admitted he felt the same way, so we—”

  Nope. That didn’t really get it, either.

  Maybe—, “Mom, I met this tall, good-looking stranger one weekend when I was in Las Vegas. No, Mom, I don’t go to Las Vegas as a rule. Honest, Mom, I’d never been there before in my life. Really, Mom—” So much for that idea. She’d never get past the first sentence.

  “You know, Mom, love is a funny thing. You never know when it’s going to hit you. It’s kind of like a disease. That’s it, an incurable disease. And you look at a person and see them totally different. Well, one morning when I went to work I looked up and there was Mr. Cameron and I discovered the love of my life.”

  The trouble with anything she might say was that no matter how she explained that she had suddenly married her boss she knew her mother would immediately suspect Jennifer was on drugs.

  She sighed. No doubt she’d come up with something when the time came. Her eyes drifted shut. She really was tired. She couldn’t remember the last good night’s sleep she’d had. Jennifer smiled, thinking of the nights she had pretended that Chad was curled up to her back, holding her close. Her imagination hadn’t been able to come close to provoking this sense of total bliss.. . .

  The next time Jennifer awoke, she was more aware of Chad’s touch than anything else. He must have awakened and found her in his arms. His mouth seemed to be quickly memorizing her body and his hands were doing things to her that must be banned in Boston.

  Jennifer responded with the newfound knowledge she’d discovered about herself—she enjoyed, very much, the physical side of their relationship. And she was learning something new all the time.

  For the next two and a half days the newlyweds didn’t leave their room. Food was delivered and quickly consumed. When they weren’t eating or sharing a friendly shower, they were in bed—either asleep or making love.

  There was very little conversation that weekend.

  Chapter Ten

  Contents - Prev / Next All good things have to end sometime. Jennifer had heard that phrase all of her life, but to tell the truth, she’d never given it much thought. Since there hadn’t been many good things that had happened to Jennifer, she’d never learned how and when they ended.

  Her brief honeymoon was different. If she could have wrapped the memories and taken them home with her, she would have, to savor and enjoy over and over down through the years. Unfortunately, life didn’t work that way.

  They caught an evening flight back to Los Angeles. Jennifer had long since let go of her need to ask questions. She was quite content to follow Chad’s lead at the moment. She’d found nothing to complain about so far in his plans. Adopting a wait-and-see attitude was not only different for her, but fun as well.

  C. W. Cameron had never been one for small talk, so she wasn’t surprised that he had little to say to her now. He could no longer hide the
possessive gleam in his eye when he looked at her. She rather liked that possessive gleam. Jennifer had a hunch that if she took the time to look in a mirror she’d see a similar gleam looking back at her.

  What a weekend. Chad had requested toothbrushes—everything else had been provided by the hotel when they got there. Obviously clothes had not been a problem. They merely put on what they had worn on Friday. Luckily Jennifer had had the foresight to hang up their clothes so that they didn’t look too wrinkled.

  Her hair had been something of a problem. Without a drier it had dried naturally, allowing the natural wave to have its way. She had managed to subdue it with some pins she had in her purse. Anyone looking at the two of them in their sober suits would assume they were business associates returning from a meeting.

  And what a meeting that had been!

  Jennifer glanced down at her bare hands. He hadn’t given her a ring. When had he had time to get one? She wasn’t sure when he’d made up his mind to marry her, but had a hunch it was during the last sleepless night they had both spent when she’d been so explicit in her fantasies.

  He had an amazing memory, come to that. He had done everything she had ever suggested in her wildest fantasies, plus some things she had never read about in Masters and Johnson. No wonder he could say he hadn’t slept with very many women. When did they have time to sleep?

  Jennifer glanced at Chad from the corner of her eye and noted a slight grimness around his mouth. Perhaps it was normally there but she hadn’t noticed it during the past two days. His lips had been anything but grim.

  After arriving back in Los Angeles Chad guided her to where they had left the car. His experience at airports and in airport parking lots was understandable—and welcome.

  Jennifer was curious to know where he intended them to spend the night. She would need to go home and feed Sam. Poor Sam. She’d also need clothes for work tomorrow. However, he might prefer staying at his place. She would wait and see what he suggested.

  However, his suggestion was the last thing she expected.