| |
* * *
Lucy lay beside Leonard in bed, her eyes refusing to stay shut. She kept listening to his breath, taking comfort in the steady rhythm of it as he slept. He had acted strangely these last couple of days, ever since dinner with Decker. It was as though he no longer trusted her. She was afraid that Decker had gotten to him.
If Leonard was now on Decker’s side, then she really had to get out of Elmwood, and fast. She could not risk staying here another day, let alone another week.
Still... She turned her head towards him, watching him in the moonlight and finding him as irresistible as ever. His skin took on an almost erotic glow in the pale moonlight streaming in through the window. She reached out one hand and touched his cheek, letting her fingertips trail along his skin, moving them to his jawline.
His eyes fluttered open and she gasped, feeling like she’d been caught in some sort of trap. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He looked at her as she pulled her hand away from his face. “Can’t you sleep?” he asked in a whisper. She shook her head.
He hesitated, then pulled her into the crook of his arm so that her head lay partly on his shoulder, partly on his chest. “Close your eyes,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.
She did as instructed, closing her eyes. She felt his hot breath blowing lightly against her scalp. Her tension began to relax even as her body began to warm. She ran one finger up over his bare chest, caressing him lightly. He let out a soft sigh and took her finger, raising it to his lips.
“Do you love me?” he asked her.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him. “Of course I do,” she said.
“Then stop hiding things from me.”
She wanted to tell him she wasn’t hiding anything. That he knew everything about her. That her life was an open book. Instead, she kissed his chest. A ripple of pleasure ran across his abdomen, his muscles contracting as another sigh, heavier this time, escaped his lips.
“I can’t protect you if you won’t talk to me,” he said.
“What is it you think I’m hiding?” she asked, playing dumb and hoping he would go along with it.
“Lucy...” he muttered.
Her neck craned back and she looked at him, their eyes locking together. His mouth was just inches from hers. She kissed him, and when their lips touched she felt his moist skin burn against her. Her body shuddered, wanting to touch every inch of him, not just his mouth. It didn’t matter that she was lying and that he knew it, all that mattered was the way their bodies felt moving together.
A sudden banging came from their front door. She sat up too quickly and her head got dizzy.
“Stay here,” he said, quickly dressing and taking his gun from his dresser. He hurried to the door, leaving her alone. She dressed as well, worried it was Marshal Decker here to arrest her. But the voice she heard was not a man’s.
Lucille moved quicker, hurrying from their bedroom in her bare feet. “Irene!” she said. “What’s wrong?” Her friend was in tears, her face pale and her limbs trembling.
“S-S-Someone broke into my house,” she said.
Leonard moved Irene to the couch before she could collapse. “Get her some brandy,” he said.
Even though Leonard rarely drank, they kept a few bottles of alcohol around for guests who might like a drink or two. Irene quickly poured a little into a glass for her friend and handed it to her. Irene drank it swiftly down.
“Were you hurt?” Leonard asked her, and she shook her head. “How many were there?”
“Two,” she said. “At least, I think there were two. I could have sworn I heard them whispering to each other, but I didn’t get a good look at either of them.”
“Never you worry about that,” said Lucille. “The important thing is that you got out and weren’t hurt.”
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” said Irene. “At first I thought it was Theodore home early from his trip. I was getting out of bed to go and welcome him home when I heard one of the men start to curse, and Theodore never curses.”
A small cry escaped her throat. Irene was tough and seeing her like this unsettled Lucille more than she could have imagined. Even during the robberies they’d committed together, she’d never once seen Irene crumble under pressure. It must have been the fact she was alone at the house in the dark when the men entered, surprising her.
“They were men?” Leonard asked her. “You’re sure of that?”
Irene nodded. “Yes. Well... I was sure. Now I don’t know. I mean, I never saw them, and their voices were whispers. They were in the guest room when I made my escape. I don’t think they saw me leave, though they must have heard me. I’m afraid I made an awful racket about it when I opened the front door.”
Leonard looked at Lucille, and her heart thudded in her chest. “Stay here,” he told her and started for the door.
“Where are you going?” she called after him.
“To Irene’s.”
“But it could be dangerous,” she said.
“I’ll get Amos first,” he told her. That did little to ease her worries. “Just stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He exited the house and left them alone then. Lucille had a bad feeling and wished they were still snuggling together in bed where, for a brief moment, despite everything that was going on in her life right now, she had felt loved and protected. As worried as she was about Leonard, she realized there was no way she could ever leave him. She loved him too much to just run away. She didn’t know what was going to happen in the future, but she’d just have to stick around and find out.
* * *
