Jerking my hand back, I put the knife back on the table and stood. “It was less than a week. And now it’s over.” Pain radiated through my chest, but I kept it together. “Now I just want to find out who the fuck is messing with me and why.”
I started to go, but then I remembered and stepped back, fishing in my pocket for my cash. Nikki’s lips were pursed as she watched me toss a couple twenties on the table. She didn’t say anything, but I had a pretty good idea what she was thinking—like it mattered.
“See you back at the office.”
The wind outside had picked up, and damp air hit me straight in the face. It looked like a storm was rolling in, but I didn’t mind. I actually hoped it would rain. Lately, I’d sought out all sorts of unpleasant feelings, anything to match or block out the raging noise in my chest. A storm felt exactly right at this moment.
* * *
Two more days of studying URLs and the whois database compiling locations for the phishing scam went by. Two more days of scrolling through endless mugshots from all over the New Jersey area trying to find that face went by. Time was passing, but nothing inside me was changing. I searched for Star obsessively, but mugshot after mugshot was blurring my memory of her. It wasn’t like I’d gotten a long look at her before we started drinking anyway, and I was losing my motivation to find her. I was losing my motivation to do anything. Elaine’s face was all I could see.
By Friday afternoon, I was sitting behind my desk feeling like I was going crazy when my phone rang. I picked it up without even looking at the face. “Hello?” I heard my tone—impatient, tense, frustrated. Then I heard the voice that took my breath away.
“Patrick?” Her voice was high, and it sounded slightly nervous.
Every muscle down to my core tightened at the sound. “Elaine?” I wasn’t sure what to say next. She’d called me. “How are you?”
Her throat cleared, and my eyes closed. I could see her perfectly in my mind.
“I, um…” Her voice became quiet. “I…” A sound like something covering the phone filled my ear. I couldn’t make out what was happening.
“Elaine?” I repeated, my whole body tense. “Is everything okay?”
A sharp sniff and my chest clutched. Was she crying?
“I’m sorry,” she said, clearing her throat again, but I heard the smallest tremor as she spoke. That’s when I knew she was struggling for control.
Another sniffle, and I couldn’t take it anymore. “What’s wrong, baby?” My voice was now gentle.
“Oh, Patrick.” At that she completely broke down. “I miss you so much.”
Emotion flooded my limbs, making me temporarily weak. In an instant, I was on my feet, grabbing my keys and wallet. “I’ll be there in six hours.”
“No,” she sniffed, her voice tenuous. “I can’t let you do that.”
I was unable to stop the smile crossing my face. “You couldn’t stop me if you tried.”
“Oh, god,” she breathed. “Patrick…” From her tone, I could see her beautiful eyes close, the
smile on her lips. “It’ll take longer than six hours. I checked.”
“I’m walking out the door now,” I said, giving Nikki a brief wave as I pushed through the main glass entrance. “I’m not stopping until you’re in my arms.”
A little laugh met my ears, and my heart felt like it flew out of my chest to where she was. “Please be safe,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry.”
Chapter 13 – Reunited This Way
Elaine was in my arms, her hands in my hair, her legs around my waist before my knuckles ever made contact with the door of her condo. The last week, the pain, everything dissolved in the rush of our lips struggling to find each other’s. The moment they met, rough against soft, determined and insistent, the dry, twisting ache in the center of my chest released.
I carried her inside, our mouths never parting, all the way to her bedroom. The fever dream that had been my drive from Princeton to Wilmington was swept away in my haste to remove shirts, shoes, jeans, bras, panties—all barriers to our bodies’ union. We moved as if burning need would consume us both if we took longer than absolutely necessary.
My mouth searched for every part of her I could find, her hands and lips moving equally fast. Little noises came from both of us. We were a tangle of touching and stretching and reaching and doing our best to hold each other while fumbling onto the bed. Clothes off, condom on, and I pushed inside her, groaning in relief.
I couldn’t decide if we were making love so much as fulfilling a basic need like eating or breathing. Having her again was like taking a cool drink of water after a hot day in the sun. We had to come together this way. I held her face, smoothing back her hair as I rocked into her body. Tears were in her eyes, but I kissed them away. Tears were in my eyes, but I closed them and kissed her more. All I knew was her. Her, me, passion, need, fulfillment, relief. It was amazing.
My hands moved from her face and hair to her breasts, which I pulled together to cover with my mouth, first one then the other as she sighed in response. My hands moved lower, cupping her ass, rocking her, as the tension between us grew tighter. Her hands caught my cheeks, lifting my hungry mouth to hers again. As soon as our lips met, she pushed my shoulder, and I rolled onto my back, her over me in a straddle, her hips rocking faster in her own rhythm.