“Yeah. I know.” He drew her down into a kiss. “We can go slow.”
Gradually, through their combined efforts, she stretched until she was able to sink all the way onto him.
“There are no words for how good this feels,” Leon murmured.
Flora’s response was a soft moan. For a minute or two, they remained still, exchanging long, slow kisses, adjusting to a storm of emotion that threatened to overwhelm them. Leon knew that, if he started to move, it would be out of control. Instead, he wanted to let Flora set the pace. Slowly, she straightened. Raising her hips, she lifted up and pushed back down.
Leon groaned and strained upward to meet her. “So close already.”
“Me, too,” she gasped.
Her movements sped up. At the same time, Leon raised on his elbows until he could cover one of her nipples with his lips. His tongue circled the hardened tip and he felt Flora’s thigh muscles begin to quiver.
It was like their rhythm was in time with the beat of his heart. Darts of pleasure danced up his spine and spread along his nerve endings. His connection to Flora went beyond the onslaught of passion that was tearing him apart. She had saved him, brought him back to life, and she was in his soul. Those things took their bond to another level.
The physical sensations were incredible, but it was the emotions that drove him toward a climax so intense it was savage. As the pressure inside him reached boiling point, he felt Flora begin to spasm around him.
Gripping her hips, he held her tight and surged deeper. They rocked together as the explosions overtook them. Leon was overwhelmed by closeness, warmth, and euphoria. As he coasted down, his uppermost feeling was one of security. With Flora, he could let go of everything except this. Her. Them. Here and now.
After a moment, she started to move away, but Leon tightened his arms around her. “Not yet.”
She nuzzled into his neck. “I don’t want to squash you.”
“You won’t. I like it.” The truth was he was reluctant to break the connection.
Eventually, Flora raised her head. “Seriously, I’m losing the feeling in my legs.”
He laughed, tipping her carefully to one side. Sliding from the bed, he went to the bathroom to take care of the condom. When he returned, he wrapped his arms around Flora.
“Now...sleep.”
She snuggled close. “Okay. If you insist.”
The following morning, Leon suggested they should take advantage of the fine weather and head out onto the Stillwater Trail. The lower part of the trail was popular with tourists, while higher up was for serious hikers and hunters. Starting out in town at the edge of the Ryerson River, it wound inland and upward until it reached the highest point in the county, the treacherous climb known as the Devil’s Peak.
Although the path started out deceptively flat, as it approached the first expanse of water known as Tenderness Lake, it grew steeper. By the time the trail reached mountain-encircled Wilderness Lake, the gradient was punishing.
“What do you think?” he asked Flora. “Will Stevie and Frankie be able to manage to hike as far as Tenderness Lake?”
“They are quite good at walking, but they often tire on the way back,” Flora said. “I have a pull-along wagon at my place. I bought it last year, but the twins were getting a little heavy for me to manage on my own. Between us, we should be able to handle them easily.”
When they arrived at her house, and he saw the look of apprehension cross her face, Leon felt his anger levels rise. Who was doing this? Was Flora being deliberately targeted? It looked that way, but was it still possible the murders would turn out to be unrelated to the harassment? Laurie was certain the killings and harassment weren’t random, so what was the reason behind them?
“Is there something else that links them?” He spoke his thoughts out loud.
“Like the Stillwater Dozen?” Flora asked.
He shifted in his seat, turning to face her. “You mean the baking club?”
“Joy and Lilith founded it, remember? It was how they became friends,” she reminded him. “It’s another connection between the two women, although I’m not sure how Jennifer would fit into that picture.”
“I’m sure Laurie has looked into it, but it might be worth reminding her.” He viewed the front of the house. “Do you want me to go in there?”
She gave him a grateful glance. “Yes, please. I know I have to do it again sometime, just as I have to get the repairs organized. But...”
He placed a hand on her knee. “You don’t have to explain it to me.”
It was true. She didn’t have to tell him how she was feeling. The ease with which they had slipped into understanding each other felt natural and unhurried. He guessed that, at some point, they would need to take stock. Everything had happened so fast, and the circumstances were far from normal. Right now, it felt okay to just enjoy being together. There was no pressure to force a discussion about where this was going.
Flora explained that he would find the folding wagon under one of the beds in the boys’ room. As he entered the house using her keys, sadness gripped him. All the hard work Flora had put into building her little home had been destroyed by a malicious act.
Why?
As he mounted the stairs, his eyes were drawn to the kitchen window. It still bothered him to think that, as he had drawn Flora into his arms that night, someone could have been outside, dragging Jennifer’s body into the shed.
If they had been able to see out into the darkness, they might have glimpsed what was going on. It was a foolish notion, though. The optics worked the other way around. The person on the outside would have been able to see in. Whoever was out there in the darkness would have had a clear
