A guilty feeling washed over Donna as they approached the garage door to Sir Richard’s guest house. Jared was on the other side of the Atlantic. From what he’d told her, his ability to communicate with her telepathically was limited. On occasion, when she’d been in Shreveport, Jared had been able to reach her from as far away as Arizona; a little over a thousand miles. Corbridge, UK was over five thousand miles from Wickenburg or Shreveport. Why did she still sense his presence, as if he were there with her? Jared shouldn’t be able to touch her from that distance. Had he lied to her?
Sam pulled his red BMW inside the two-car garage. The motion sensored LED lights started getting brighter. Sam shut off the engine. Donna glanced over her shoulder and watched the garage door slowly drop. Sam touched her arm, and she jumped. He frowned. “Sweetheart, are you OK? You seem anxious.”
“I’m fine,” she lied. “I’m still dealing with my claustrophobia.” Donna swallowed hard and got out of the car. She could almost feel the heat from Jared’s accusing crimson eyes. He’d left her. He didn’t want her. Had he been so upset with her that he would make her miserable for the rest of her days? If she couldn’t shake this feeling, how was she ever going to have any kind of life with anyone?
Sam met her at the back of the car and took her hand. He pulled her close, kissed her temple and held her. “I’ll help you get over your phobias,” he whispered, burying his face in her hair.
Donna sighed deeply and clung to Sam, breathing his masculine scent into her lungs. That’s when it hit her. Sam wore the same cologne as Jared. Maybe that was why Donna felt guilty. She loved that smell. The differences in their chemistry altered it slightly, but it was comforting to her, nonetheless. If she couldn’t have Jared, maybe she could have the next best thing. She breathed deeply again and shoved her foreboding aside, allowing the physical attraction between them to take over. She pulled back, lifted her face and kissed him fervently, melding their lips together.
Sam’s body responded instantly to hers. He slid his hands down to the small of her back, palming her bottom and pressing her into his throbbing groin. Donna’s blood thrummed in her ears. A familiar need started building deep inside. She gave in to those feelings; her automatic barrier to temporarily numb the ache that wouldn’t go away. She threaded her fingers through his black hair, holding him in place while her probing tongue tangled with his.
Donna locked her eyes with his. “I think we should get inside, don’t you?”
Sam’s breath caught. She was as eager as he was. He swept Donna into his arms. He motioned to his shirt pocket. “Grab the security card before I strip you and take you here,” he huffed.
Donna used the card and unlocked the door, flipping the light switch on as Sam closed the door. The outside lock automatically set, sealing them away from the world. Sam grinned and set her on her feet. “At least we made it across the threshold.”
“Barely,” she gasped, unbuckled his belt and reached for the button on his jeans.
Sam peeled her T-shirt off and slung it over his shoulder. Donna unfastened her bra and threw it on the floor. She kissed him as she hastily unbuttoned his shirt. Sam made light of her jeans and underwear and then stripped out of his. He pulled her into his arms, pressing their naked bodies tightly together, kissing her again. Donna breathed her hot breath into his mouth, and Sam’s body shuddered. “Counter… couch… bed… or floor?” he murmured as he kissed his way down the side of her neck to her breast, teasing her nipple between his teeth.
Donna cradled his head and drew in a quick breath. She closed her eyes, threw her head back and wrapped a leg around his, rubbing herself against his hard arousal. “I don’t care – take your pick…” she panted, “…but please… decide now!”
Sam lowered her to the softly carpeted floor. Donna’s body hungrily rose to meet his. She moaned into his mouth as he thrust into her, lustfully grinding her pelvis against his as they rapidly pushed toward their peaks. Sam groaned as Donna’s nails bit into his skin, the pleasure pain feeding the fire inside him, urging him on, lifting her body and meeting his thrust for thrust. Sweat trickled down her temples and the back of her neck as she felt her release coming. Donna forced her breath out, allowing the wave to take her.
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Gary parked his car and went inside. From the entrance hall, he could see a dim light. He followed it to Sir Richard’s office. He tapped on the door a couple of times. “Sir Richard, are you in there?”
“Come in Gary,” a familiar voice replied.
Sir Richard was sitting at his desk working on his laptop. He glanced up as Gary entered the room and waved him to a chair. “Has Donna gone to bed?”
Sir Richard softly smiled. “I wouldn’t know. They haven’t come back from the guest house.”
Gary slowly sank into the cold leather chair. “They?” he prompted.
“Sam is moving into the guest house with Donna. They went to see it a couple of hours ago, and I haven’t heard from them since.”
“Was this your idea?”
“Partly. Donna was going to move into Sam’s penthouse. That wouldn’t have been safe. I suggested Sam move into her room with her, but Donna wasn’t keen on that idea. Apparently Ricky and Sam have been competing for Donna’s attention.”
“Yeah, I know. She told me about it when we went riding earlier this afternoon. I’m not surprised.”
Sir Richard sighed. “Neither am I. You can’t blame them. Donna is a beautiful and desirous woman. I think Ricky’s been keen on her since he was a teenager, long before we left Shreveport.”
“Then why in the hell did he wait until now to do something about it?”
“Why does anybody wait, Gary? I don’t know. Anyway, I couldn’t let Donna move in with Sam. Sooner or later Forrest will make another move. I’m a bit surprised he hasn’t already. I’m not particularly fond of Sam living here, either, but at least this way, I can keep an eye on them. John is upgrading Sam’s classification at the Centre and bringing his car up to scratch.”
Gary sighed. “I can’t believe she’s getting over Jared this easily – I mean – don’t get me wrong – I’m glad she’s moving on. I’m just not sure Sam is a long-term solution for Donna.”
“He accepted Donna’s conditions.”
“What conditions?”
“Donna is not committing to Sam. If she decides she doesn’t want this arrangement any longer, trust me, Sam will be moving out. As to her being over Jared, I don’t think she is, and neither does John. I think Donna is using Sam as a distraction. I’d lay odds if Jared showed up; Sam wouldn’t know which way Donna went.”
Gary chuckled. “It’s about time somebody gave Sam a little of his own medicine. I just hope Donna doesn’t slip too deeply and end up hurt again.”
“It’s not our choice, Gary,” Sir Richard responded.
Gary motioned to Sir Richard’s laptop. “What are you working on?”
“Presentation for a meeting about our project in Ecuador. I have to meet with the Chancellor and the Foreign Secretary first thing Monday. Dependent on how long that takes, I may have to go to the Isle of Wight, and then there’s the meeting in Kent that afternoon with The Order.” Sir Richard groaned. “The speaker called an emergency meeting. I’ve got a full weekend planned. We’re leaving first thing in the morning.”
“Is this meeting with The Order about Donna and the project?”
“Probably – the speaker didn’t give me a reason. If it’s concerning Donna, I have a feeling I’m wasting my time. I’m sure the majority of the members will lean toward Forrest’s side. I hope he won’t attend. I don’t feel like another shouting match. I can usually keep the peace, but our last meeting ended in angry words. The Russian and Chinese representatives don’t think we should consider Donna’s feelings on the matter. On the scope of things, they don’t believe she should have a say.”
Gary scoffed. “Why should they? She’s just a woman and under contract with Triplet International.”
“And…” Sir Richard added, “…since Triplet International is inevitably tied by the code of The Order, they believe I should hold her to her contract – force her – as Forrest did. I don’t see it that way, and I’ll fight them if I have to.”
“Sir Richard, you can’t take on The Order alone.”
Sir Richard exhaled and closed his laptop. “I’m hoping I won’t be alone,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I’m hoping I still have allies who will stand with me, but even if they don’t…” he broke off. “We have another slight problem, as far as Donna is concerned.”
Gary slid to the edge of his seat. “What?” he asked, attention peaked.
“She wants me to use my resources and help her find your Aunt Marie.”
Gary’s eyes widened; his mouth gaped. “Aunt Marie is dead, Sir Richard. Donna knows that.”
“I know Gary, and I don’t have much hope of success, but I’m going to help her, nonetheless. Donna needs closure, as far as her mother is concerned.”
Gary furrowed his brow. “Sir Richard, I’m curious. Donna didn’t mention anything about Uncle Ken?”
Sir Richard pressed his lips into a thin line. “The way Donna explained it to me; she senses her father is dead. She senses her grandparents are dead, as well, but she doesn’t sense her mother is dead. She says she doesn’t feel her mother’s resting spirit when she visits her grave. She does sense the others. I don’t fully understand what she’s talking about, but then I’m not psychic.”
“How did you know Donna was psychic?”
“She told me.”
“Do you believe her?”
“Oddly enough, yes, I do. Her mother was psychic. Her grandmother was psychic. Who am I to say? If being psychic is genetic, then I would say Donna stands a good chance of carrying that gene.” Sir Richard scratched his chin, mulling that over. “Perhaps we should consider looking deeper into that possibility. Maybe there’s a scientific explanation for it.” Sir Richard stood and put his laptop in its case. “At any rate, you won’t have to deal with Ricky and Sam coming to blows, until Monday afternoon.”
Gary stood. “When do you plan to tell Richard about Sam and Donna moving into the guest house?”
“I’ll tell him sometimes tomorrow. I figured it would be better. With a few miles between him and them, maybe by the time we get back, he’ll be cooled off. I don’t expect him to take this well. That’s one of the reasons I’m taking him with me – assuming he comes home in time to get enough sleep to co-pilot the helicopter. Besides, I figured now that Donna is here, and Sam will be helping with the project, you don’t really need Ricky in your hair. Do you?”
“No Sir…” Gary answered slowly, “…but Richard is an important part of my genetics team. We’ve been working on this project together.”
Sir Richard chuckled. “Don’t worry. He’ll be back. He hates administrative work. I just thought it would give you a break. Despite what Ricky says, I don’t think he’ll give Donna up without a fight.”
“As far as Donna is concerned, I don’t think it would matter. She seems pretty taken with Sam.”
“Since both Ricky and John will be with me, I want you to keep an eye on things, Gary. I’ve already talked to Donna about this. She was a little reluctant, but she understands more about what’s going on, now. Her curiosity is as active as it ever was. Jason and Jaime have been assigned as their bodyguards, so wherever Sam and Donna go, they go. After Monday, it won’t matter, as far as Sam’s car is concerned, but they’ll need to ride to the Centre with you. Over the weekend, if they just want to go for a drive, they can use one of our cars.”
“I doubt Richard will appreciate Sam using his car, especially to take Donna out.”
“Yeah, well, there’s more at stake here than his and Sam’s hormones. Ricky will get over it. If they’re uncomfortable using his, then they are welcome to mine. Try to keep them here at the Hall if you can, but give them some space. That’s another reason I offered the guest house.”
“I’ll do what I can, Sir Richard.” Gary turned to leave. “I’m going to shower and head up to bed.”
“One other thing before you go!”
Gary stopped, hand resting on the door handle, waiting.
“You and Donna did discuss the death gene project while you were out riding didn’t you?”
Gary sighed, swallowed hard and turned. “Ah – No Sir – we didn’t.”
Sir Richard raised an eyebrow and laced his fingers in front of him. “Why not?”
“The subject didn’t come up.”
“Gary… you have to tell her.”
“I know,” he groaned. “I’m just not looking forward to it. I’ll… talk to her on Monday. Maybe Sam can help calm her down.”
As soon as Gary closed the door, Sir Richard took out the folder on Donna’s mother and started going through the information again. He lovingly gazed at her photograph. The surface had a few scratches, but the smile was still the same. His eyes glossed. “If only things had worked out differently,” he mused.
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When Donna woke, she was still wrapped tightly in Sam’s arms, on the floor of the guest house lounge. She lifted her head from off his shoulder and grinned. Their clothes were scattered everywhere. Sighing deeply, she propped on her elbow and studied Sam’s face. Despite his shorter hair, Donna found him incredibly handsome. She trailed her eyes down Sam’s body. Like Jared, Sam was toned and fit and had obviously taken good care of his body. He certainly knew how to use it. That part of their relationship was perfect, and right now, that’s what Donna needed – pleasure to block out the pain. “I wish I could forget,” she whispered and planted a tender kiss on Sam’s lips. “It would be so easy to fall for you.”
Sam roused and pulled her on top of him, kissing her. He felt her arousal pressed against his growing erection. One slight move and he would be inside her again. He grinned. “So, did I get any more stripes?”
Donna softly chuckled. “Probably.”
Sam lifted his hips, brushing against her moist entrance. “Want to try again?”
Donna closed her eyes and moaned. “Tempting…” she gasped, “very… tempting, but I think we should take a look around the place.”
“I don’t need to look around. As long as I’m with you, I wouldn’t care if we lived in a cardboard box, but I suppose you’re right. We should at least see how the shower works and take a look at the bedroom.”
“Bedrooms,” Donna corrected and grinned. “It has three.”
“In that case, we may have to try out each one to see which is more suitable for our purposes.”
“And you called me insatiable,” Donna laughed. Her body deliciously vibrated against Sam’s erection.
“I love your laugh,” he groaned. “Especially when you’re sitting where you are… right now.”
Donna bent down and kissed him, brushing the tips of her aroused nipples against the matt of hair on Sam’s chest. “Yes, and if we don’t get off this floor now, we’re not going to make it to the shower,” she said, standing. “I have work clothes for Monday, but you don’t. We’ll probably need to pick up a few groceries for the fridge. I doubt Sir Richard’s staff will have our unique taste in food.”
Sam grabbed her around the waist in a bear hug and growled. “I can’t wait to see you in a set of scrubs,” he murmured against the skin of her shoulder as he nibbled it.
“Stop it Sam!” she giggled. “That tickles. We should probably go back to your apartment and get a few things.”
“I intend to spend as much time with you as I can over the weekend,” he smiled and consulted his watch. “It’s back to the grinding stone on Monday.”
Donna softly smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Actually, I am too, now that I’ll be working beside a hot sheila like you,” he growled and nibbled her shoulder again.
“Sam!” she squealed. “Behave.” She peeped through a crack in the drapes and unlocked her cell phone. “I can’t tell whether there’s a light on at the Hall, but I’m going to chance it. Sir Richard is a night owl. Sir Richard, it’s Donna.”
“Hi petal. I was wondering when I would hear from you. Everything all right with the guest house?”
Donna studied Sam’s eyes and blushed. “It’s perfect, Sir Richard. Thank you. What I called about. Sam needs to get some clothes from his apartment, and we’d like to pick up some food for the fridge, so we’re making a fast trip to Whitley Bay. I wouldn’t have disturbed you, but after our talk, I figured I might better tell you first.”
“I’m glad you did, petal. Hang on a second,” he said and pressed mute. “I need you to take Sam and Donna to Whitley Bay, so they can get some things from his apartment. They also want to pick up some food, so take the Escalade. I don’t want Donna going anywhere in Sam’s car until after Monday. Even after you’ve done the security upgrade, if they go out, I still want Jason and Jaime with them. Gary and I have talked. He’s going to keep an eye on things while we’re gone.” John nodded and headed for the garage. Sir Richard took his cell phone off mute. “Petal, are you still there?”
“Yes, Sir Richard.”
“John will be there in a couple of minutes. I’ve told him what we talked about, so you and Sam will have your first self-defence lesson on Monday evening. He’s also going to teach you about firearm safety and how to use a Taser.”
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“Sir Richard, is all of this necessary?”
“Yes, Donna, it is. Someone in Louisiana was trying to kill you. I want you to be able to protect yourself if it happens again. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”
Donna groaned. “OK, fine. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my research. I like to work long hours, sometimes, especially if I’m on to something.”
Sir Richard chuckled. “So I’ve been told. See you Monday afternoon.”
“You won’t be at the Centre on Monday?”
“No, petal. I’ve got business in London and Kent. Richard and John are going with me, so please; do as I’ve asked you. I’ll expect some good news about our projects when I get back.”
Donna chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do for you, Sir Richard, and thanks again.”
“Goodnight, petal….”
Donna locked her cell phone and started scrambling for her clothes. “What’s up sweetheart?”
“Get dressed – fast! We’ll shower when we get back. John is on his way to take us to Whitley Bay.”
“Shit!” Sam’s eyes widened in surprise. He started jumping into his underwear and reaching for his jeans. “Where are my socks?”
Donna frowned, searching the room with her eyes. “Where’s my bra?” She zipped up her jeans and shoved her T-shirt over her head.
“Here. Turn around and I’ll fasten it for you.”
The doorbell rang. “You get that while I do this!” She gave him a peck on the lips and ran for the downstairs toilet.
Sam buttoned the last two buttons on his shirt, raked his fingers through his tousled hair and reached for the door handle. Donna appeared behind him.
“Are you two ready to…” John glanced at Donna, looked down at his feet and started laughing.
“Oops!” Sam grinned, stifling a laugh. “Sweetheart, you’d better check your shirt.”
Donna looked down at her inside-out T-shirt. “Damn!” Her face turned crimson. “I’ll be right back.”
John chuckled. “Having… fun, Sam?”
Sam grinned. “More than I’ve ever had. She’s something else!”
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Two men in a white van watched as a black Escalade pulled into the car park behind Sam’s building and backed into his reserved space. They watched as Sam and Donna, and a strange man got out, taking the back entrance to the apartment complex.
“That’s Dr. Kaliea and Dr. Rigden, but who’s the man with them?”
The driver frowned. “Probably one of Triplet’s bodyguards, no doubt.” He opened his cell phone and pushed a speed number. “It’s me. They’re at his apartment again, but they didn’t come alone. It looks like Sir Richard sent one of his bodyguards with them.”
“In Sam’s red sports car? That thing only has two seats! It must not be them.”
The man shone a penlight on the snapshots of Sam and Donna he’d taken while they were standing in the queue at Pantrini’s. “No, there’s no doubt. It’s them, but they’re not in his BMW. They’re in a black Escalade, and it looks like they’re loading something in the back.”
“He probably sent John Sherriff, with them. Damn him! He always has to make things difficult.”
“With a bodyguard with them, I can’t guarantee the girl’s safety. She may get caught in the crossfire. What do you want us to do?”
“Nothing – for now. Leave them alone. We’ll have to set something else up at a later date.”
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Richard pulled in the garage at Triplet Hall and got out of his car. He was pleased no one was up, especially Gary or Sir Richard. He closed the garage door and leaned his back against it for a few seconds, shoving both hands through his hair. He shook his head and blinked a couple of times, then pushed away from the door and headed for the lounge. He poured a shot of scotch and tipped the tumbler to his lips, trying to clear the fuzz from his head. He furrowed his brow in confusion. “What the bloody hell was I thinking?”
Richard finished his drink, poured another one and headed up the stairs. He paused briefly at Donna’s bedroom door, took another sip of scotch, shook his head and wandered on down the landing. “This wasn’t supposed to happen!” he groaned as he closed his bedroom door. He set his drink on the bedside table, sipping on it while he packed for the trip and then took a quick shower. Sitting on the side of the bed, he finished his scotch and switched off the bedside lamp. He turned over on his side, staring into the darkness. “Did I just… sleep with Joyce?”