Beautiful Dreamer Read online

  “Oh, yeah, but you have to promise me something, Detective.”

  “Anything,” he agreed with a moan as she unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his chest.

  “Well, the thing is,” she purred as she nipped his jaw, “I’m pretty sure some of the things I want to do are illegal. Feel like breaking the law?”

  “Only for you,” he vowed, and it was so much like when they’d met, he almost choked on emotion.

  She kissed him, taking them both over the edge as their passion ignited. They moved together, shedding clothes and inhibitions as they suited actions to words. She tasted his skin, kissing and licking her way down his chest and abdomen until her chin bumped the damp head of his erection. He hissed out a breath between clenched teeth as he watched her.

  Holding his gaze, she shifted, opening her mouth wide and sucking him in. She fed from him, suckling and tasting until he gripped her and pulled her up to straddle his thighs while he quickly donned a condom.

  “Now, Ace,” he commanded, rocking up into her.

  She used one hand to position his shaft then slid down on him. They both groaned as he sank deep, her channel clenching around him.

  “Take me,” he offered. “Make love to me.”

  “I love you,” she whispered, and his reply was lost in a groan of pleasure as she began to move. She rode him slow and easy, then fast and hard, then gentled off as she came with abandon. He flipped them over, rising above her and pounding deep until he followed her into orgasm. They were both breathing hard, flesh sliding against flesh, when he finally shifted off her.

  He lazily rose to discard the condom and clean up then brought a damp cloth back to cleanse her as well. He slid back on the bed and loved the way she automatically turned to him.

  “I’m not sure any of that was illegal,” he said.

  “Maybe, we should try again,” she offered with a giggle, and his heart clenched at the sound.

  “I like the way you think,” he murmured and bent to take her lips once more.

  It was hours before she cuddled close and fell asleep, the sound of her soft breathing the only lullaby he needed.

  Chapter Five

  “Lauren is going to meet me here,” Chase said as soon as Phillip got out of the shower the next morning.

  “I thought we’d decided to meet her there,” he countered.

  She shook her head. “You decided.” She softened the rebuke with a kiss. “Lauren and I need to do this by ourselves. She’ll pick me up here then drop me off here again. We’ll be together the whole time. Promise.”

  “God,” he grunted. “I hate the thought of you out of my sight, even for a moment.”

  “I know,” she soothed. “I don’t like it, either. We both have to realize it’s inevitable. You go back to work Monday, and I’ll have to head back soon, as well. The school gave me temporary leave while I recover, but I need to get back to some type of normalcy. We both need that. I can’t live the rest of my life afraid to leave your side, and you can’t live that way, either.”

  “I know,” he agreed, wrapping her in his arms. “Keep your phone on you, and I mean on your person. Not in the car or in your purse or inside anything else unless it’s a pocket on your clothing.”

  “I will,” she vowed.

  “Call me for anything. If you feel like someone’s watching you or something is off, you call me, immediately.”

  “I will. I will,” she promised. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Yeah,” he whispered, but she heard uncertainty and fear in his voice.

  “I’m scared, too,” she told him.

  “I know,” he said. “I’d like to tell you not to be, that you’re safe, but we both know that’d be a lie. You won’t be safe until we find whoever did this and put them away where they can’t ever hurt you again.”

  He held her close, both of them giving and taking comfort from each other.

  “Come on,” she said, pulling away. “I’ve got breakfast ready. Let’s eat before your eggs get cold.”

  His phone went off at the table, and he glanced down, sighing before answering.

  “Wade,” he grunted into the phone then listened to whatever the caller said. “I’m on leave,” he replied. After another moment, he glanced over at Chase. “Yeah. All right. Give me fifteen.”

  “Going in today?” Chase asked, but she already knew he was.

  “There’s been a break on a case Burt and I have been working. He’s out on another call, and they need me to stop in for a sec to take care of this one.”

  She smiled. “You’ll be there all day, and you know it.”

  He shook his head then sighed. “They’ll try, but I’m not staying.”

  She reached across and took his hand. “You love your job, Phillip. I understand that because I love my job, too.”

  “You don’t need to rush getting back to work. No one will say a word if you take more time off,” he told her.

  “I can’t just stay home and sponge off you,” she said with a shake of her head.

  He got a funny look on his face, but it was there and gone before she could comment on it.

  “You’ve always wanted to write. Why not take some extra time and start? It’s almost the end of February. There are only three months left in this school year. Let the substitute finish, and if things don’t work out, you can always go back to teaching in the fall.”

  She wanted to jump on the idea but couldn’t help questioning her motives. Would staying home be hiding?

  “Just think about it. You don’t have to decide anything today,” he said as he stood, taking his plate around the bar to the kitchen. “Promise me you’ll think about it. Really think about it,” he urged, coming back to pull her into a hug.

  “I promise,” she said.

  He dropped a soft kiss on her lips then held her close for a long moment before easing away.

  “So, out with Lauren then straight back here? Or do you want to meet me at the station?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No way. I’ll have Lauren drop me off here so I can start dinner while I wait.”

  “Call me as soon as you get home,” he ordered.

  “I promise,” she assured him.

  “What’s for dinner?” he murmured.

  “I’m thinking Mexican,” she said.

  “Mmm, sounds good,” he groaned in her ear. “I’ll pick up dessert on the way home.”

  “Okay.”

  He dropped a kiss on her lips. Then another and another, until she clung to him, breathless and aroused. He grabbed her hips and lifted her into his erection, rubbing against her and making her moan with need.

  “I swear you make me feel like a randy teenager all over again,” he murmured in her ear before nipping it with his teeth.

  She was contemplating dragging him back into the bedroom when there was a knock at the door. Phillip’s body tensed as reality crashed back over both of them.

  “More than likely, it’s Lauren,” she whispered and felt him slowly relax.

  He dropped another kiss on her lips before moving to glance through the peephole on the door.

  “It’s her,” he said. He turned, and she found her gaze drawn to the sight of his blatant arousal where it pressed against his pants. Under other circumstances, it would have been enough of a distraction to make her giggle, but there was no humor now.

  “Give me a few to cool down. Don’t leave before I return. I’ll walk you both out,” he said as he passed her, giving her hand a squeeze of encouragement before heading toward the bedroom.

  She nodded and turned back to the entryway when Lauren knocked again. She opened the door, and both she and Lauren stood there, staring at one another, for the longest time before Lauren finally moved forward with a sob and wrapped Chase in a tight hug.

  “It’s so good to see you,” Lauren said.

  “I’m so sorry,” Chase said at the same time.

  “Don’t,” Lauren admonished, pulling back. “Don�
�t be sorry you survived. Jocelyn wouldn’t want that.”

  Chase nodded then turned to shut the door, giving herself a second to collect her emotions. She’d been on a roller coaster since she’d woken from the coma. She bounced between moments of extreme joy, when she and Phillip were lost in each other, and moments of extreme sorrow, when she thought of Jocelyn. The added terror of not knowing who had done this to them, or why, or if that person planned to come back to finish the job had Chase on emotional overload.

  “I see you’re back with Phillip,” Lauren whispered when Chase turned back to her. “Jocelyn would be so happy. She always said you two were meant for each other.”

  Chase nodded. “He’s taken great care of me.”

  “He was at the hospital every day,” Lauren stated. “He’s a good guy.”

  “The best,” Chase agreed.

  “So…” Lauren took a deep breath and let it out.

  “Let’s sit for a minute,” Chase said and led her over to the couch.

  “What… What do you remember about that night?” Lauren asked.

  Chase shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “Phillip said you didn’t remember anything, but I wasn’t sure if that meant in general or what.”

  “The last thing I remember for sure is kissing Phillip goodbye and him heading off to work. We narrowed it down to a few weeks before the attack. I didn’t even remember I’d broken things off with him until he told me,” Chase admitted.

  “Wow,” Lauren said. “So, you have no idea who attacked you or why?”

  “I don’t,” Chase confirmed. “I feel like I’m letting Jocelyn down.”

  Lauren shook her head and clasped Chase’s hands with hers. “No, I don’t think so. Seth said… It was bad, what was done to you and Jocelyn. They wouldn’t let me see her. Seth saw her. Then my dad went to officially identify her when he and mom got home.”

  “Phillip told me,” Chase said.

  “Seth’s leaving Chicago,” Lauren said. “I don’t think he can handle staying here without her.”

  “I know. I don’t blame him,” Chase replied.

  “What am I going to do without Jocelyn?” Lauren asked and bit her lip as if trying to hold back her grief.

  Chase wrapped her arms around Lauren and pulled her into a tight hug. They clung to each other, crying over the loss of sister and best friend. Chase vowed she would step in as much as Lauren allowed and be the sister Jocelyn would have wanted her to be. They might not have Jocelyn anymore, but they had each other.

  “I want you to call me,” Chase said, easing back from the hug and looking into Lauren’s eyes. “Anytime, day or night. No matter what. I’ll be here for you.”

  “Same goes,” Lauren said. “I’m not Jocelyn, and I can’t take her place. But I’m here for you.”

  “Oh, Lauren.” Chase squeezed her close again.

  She heard Phillip enter and glanced up to see him looking at her with worried eyes. Lauren moved back and ran her gloved hands over her face.

  “Are you going with us?” she asked Phillip.

  “No, he has to go into the station for a bit today,” Chase answered before he could. It would be just like him to come with her first then go to the station.

  He threw a glance her way, and she knew he was still debating whether or not he should let her go without him.

  “We’ll be fine,” she said, coming to her feet and walking to him. “We’re going to the graveyard and nowhere else. I’ll get back home while you’re still at work.”

  “Stay together,” he commanded both of them. “Text me immediately with any change in plans. Even if it’s just going out for coffee.”

  “Okay,” she promised.

  “I mean it,” he ordered.

  “I will,” Chase agreed.

  “I won’t let her out of my sight,” Lauren vowed as she stood.

  “I’ll be fine,” Chase tried to assure him.

  Finally, he nodded. “I’ll get your coat then walk you two down.”

  Lauren nudged Chase’s shoulder and smiled when Chase turned to her. “Can’t believe you thought about calling things off with him,” she whispered.

  Chase agreed. She had no intention of ever giving Phillip up. She loved him, hoped to get married one day and have children with him. Maybe, he’d want the same thing, eventually.

  He came back with his coat already on, hers tossed over his arm. He bundled her into it then handed her a scarf, gloves and hat. She felt like a child until he dropped a kiss on her lips that warmed her more than any of the other things he’d given her.

  He ushered them out the door, pulling it closed behind them and tugging on his gloves as they headed out. A cold blast of air hit them, and Chase was grateful he’d been so thoughtful with her winter gear. He walked them to Lauren’s car and held the passenger door open for her while Lauren went around to the driver’s side.

  “Be careful. Anything makes you feel uneasy, you call me,” he warned her again.

  “I will. Try not to worry about me,” she urged, knowing it was a fruitless request even when she made it.

  “I love you,” he whispered and bent down to drop another kiss on her lips.

  “I love you,” she murmured when he pulled away.

  “I’ll see you when I get home,” he promised, but he stayed on the sidewalk and watched as Lauren put the car in gear and pulled away.

  “That man has it bad,” Lauren said.

  “We both do,” Chase agreed, only moving her gaze from the window when Lauren turned the corner and Phillip wasn’t visible anymore.

  They were both silent on the drive out of town. The cemetery where Jocelyn had been laid to rest was just outside Chicago, in the suburb they’d all grown up in. Jocelyn had lived there, and Lauren still did. Both of them had chosen to commute into the city, while Chase lived there with Phillip. Jocelyn had been talking about moving in with Seth. Chase wished her friend could have done that.

  “How’re your parents?” she asked to fill the silence.

  “Okay,” Lauren mumbled then shook her head. “That’s a lie. Mom’s a mess. Dad’s trying to be strong for all of us, but I’ve overheard him crying in his office.”

  Chase nodded, not sure what to say.

  “I’m moving back home,” Lauren added after a few minutes. “Just for a little bit. My lease is up, and I think they need me there.”

  “What about you?” Chase asked.

  “I need it, too,” Lauren confessed.

  “I’m not sure what I would have done if Phillip hadn’t taken me back,” Chase admitted. “There’s no way I’d want to be alone right now. I’m guessing I was staying with Jocelyn,” she said, and Lauren nodded. “I figured. She wouldn’t have allowed me to go anywhere else. Eventually, I’ll have to see what I left there, take it back home.”

  “I’ve been packing things up at the house. I’ve got your stuff all gathered and boxed up for you,” Lauren said.

  “Thank you. I should have been there helping you.”

  “You’ve been recovering. Mentally and emotionally as well as physically, I bet. No one blames you for that.”

  Chase nodded. It was good to hear, especially when she still had moments where she felt guilty.

  “Seeing you and Phillip together was nice,” Lauren said, tossing Chase a brief glance, a soft smile on her face. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “We love each other. He said I ended things because I was afraid of being with a cop,” Chase said. “I don’t understand that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I do, but I don’t. If that makes any sense.”

  “Perfect,” Lauren said with a laugh.

  “I worry about him constantly. I think it comes with the package of dating a police officer. Part of me will always be terrified of that knock on the door to let me know he’s hurt or—God forbid—dead.”

  “That makes perfect sense,” Lauren agreed.

  “I was already living with that, thou
gh. I’m not sure why it suddenly became something I couldn’t deal with, especially with how much I love him.”

  Lauren shrugged. “I don’t know, and I’m guessing you don’t remember.”

  “No.”

  “Maybe, it had something to do with the two cops killed in the line of duty recently?” Lauren suggested. “Something like that would give anyone pause.”

  “Phillip said the same thing, but I don’t remember that,” Chase said. Had the officers been people she’d met? Surely, Phillip would have mentioned if the officers had been friends. She’d have to ask him later just to be sure.

  “More importantly, do you feel that way now? That you can’t handle the worry?” Lauren asked.

  “No,” Chase stated emphatically. “I don’t want to think of my life without him in it.”

  “Then don’t worry about it. Leave the past in the past, and focus on now.” Lauren pulled over and put the car in park. “We’re here,” she said.

  They both looked out the windshield at the rows of stones etched with the names and dates of those who were no longer with them. Somewhere out there was a grave for Jocelyn.

  “Ready?” Lauren asked, and Chase nodded.

  It was a lie, though. Despite how long it had taken her to get here, she still wasn’t ready.

  Chapter Six

  They stood side by side as they faced the cold slab of marble. A name, dates and scattered words would never be enough to sum up the life of a person. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Jocelyn was so much more than those things.

  “I’m going to walk over to the other family plot,” Lauren said. “Give you a few minutes alone. Just don’t tell your boyfriend.”

  “I won’t,” Chase said. “Thanks, Lauren.”

  “I understand needing a few minutes alone to say goodbye,” Lauren stated simply then turned to head a short distance away.

  Chase stood there for a long moment just staring down at the marble.

  “I remember the first day I met you,” she whispered, leaning down to touch the stone. “You told me we were going to be best friends, and we were. My life was so much more because you were in it.” Tears slipped from her eyes, but she didn’t bother wiping them. There’d just be more to take their place.