Once Bitten, Twice Dead Page 14

  With numb fingers, she reached for the envelope, examining it carefully before removing it from the wall. Thankfully, it wasn’t booby-trapped.

  “Sarah, I’m coming in,” Xavier called out as he reentered the house.

  “I’m back here,” she yelled back. “You’d better see this.”

  “What have you got?” He moved quickly to her side.

  “Somebody left this taped to the wall.” She pointed to where the tape hung from the sheetrock, then held up the envelope so he could read the writing.

  “Damn.” His lips compressed into a thin, angry line. “Did you find anything else?”

  “Not yet. There’s only one room left to check, right next door.”

  He led the way to the next room and they quickly discovered it was as empty as the rest of the house. All they’d found on initial inspection was the disc addressed to Sarah. What it might mean, she had no idea, but somebody was definitely playing games with them.

  “Another bread crumb?” Sarah asked as they contemplated the disc.

  “I have no idea if the other two were left deliberately, but this one sure as hell was. Take anything on there with a grain of salt and an extra ammo clip.”

  She smiled at his soldier humor. “So what now?”

  “We need to know what’s on the disc.” He shouldered his weapon. “We also need to restock and reload. We used more ammo than I expected. By the time we do that, it’ll be too close to dawn and our quarry will be going to ground for the day. We might as well go back to base.”

  “Base?” She shot him an amused glance.

  “Your place,” he clarified with a grin. “Our base of operations for now, right?”

  “Right.” She smiled back as she headed toward the door.

  Chapter Eight

  They backtracked off the property. Luckily, there were no more surprises waiting for them. Sarah didn’t think she could take dealing with any more of the creatures just then. Although she’d acquitted herself well and hadn’t lost her nerve, she would be glad to have this portion of the evening over.

  And that disc was eating away at her last nerve. She wanted to know what was on it and who had left it so blatantly for her. Until those mysteries were solved, she wasn’t going to be able to rest.

  “Do you want to use my computer at the station to check out the DVD?”

  Xavier didn’t seem in the mood to answer questions and she was too tired to pry it out of him. Maybe, though, that was it. Maybe he was too tired to deal with the curious stares and questioning looks they’d received in the station the night before. Heaven knew she was just as glad to not have to spend any longer there than the time it took to return the patrol car and climb into Xavier’s Hummer. They’d had a bizarre and scary night. They’d done battle. It wasn’t something Sarah was used to.

  Most of her shifts were spent rather uneventfully. There might be a traffic accident or maybe a break-in, sure. A report of disorderly conduct or a domestic incident. All that she could handle. Battling zombies and turning them into piles of goo while they tried their best to surround you so they could eat your face off was something way more difficult to deal with.

  They arrived back at Sarah’s home in the wee hours of the morning. They still had some time until dawn, but Sarah was tired. Xavier had been giving her time to acclimate to the nighttime schedule, but she wasn’t quite there yet, as her bone-popping yawns testified.

  Xavier fetched the ultrathin laptop from his vehicle and set it up on the coffee table while she started making a pot of coffee. By the time she got back to the living room, he was ready to begin.

  She sat next to Xavier on the couch as the boot menu of the DVD came up.

  “He customized this,” Xavier observed, pointing to the screen.

  “Tells me that he or someone working with him has some technical knowledge.”

  The screen displayed a menu that had two selections. The first read simply “Watch Me” and the second was titled “Maps.”

  “So do we follow his instructions and watch the video first?”

  “I’ll play his game…to a point. Let’s see what this clown wants to show us.” Xavier clicked on the video option.

  After the disc whirred up, a picture came into view. A man stood in shadow in a stark room full of angles and planes of light. She could make out his shape but not his face. Then, over the tiny speakers in the laptop he began to speak.

  “Forgive me for not showing my face, but I have altered my appearance since visiting you in the hospital and there’s no sense in giving my new identity away.” Sellars’s voice was smug and condescending. “I have a proposition for you, Officer Petit. Or perhaps I should call you Sarah. After all, I hope to be working closely with you in the near future.”

  “Fat chance,” she scoffed under her breath. Xavier put a hand over hers, offering silent support.

  “Since you’re watching this, I surmise you got past my little greeting party. Did you enjoy your time with them, Sarah? Did your military escort notice how much improved they are over the initial versions? My new experiments are capable of working as a group when given specific instruction and are more impervious to the toxin we developed at the military’s insistence—before those sanctimonious bastards shut down the project and kicked us all to the curb. They’ll regret banishing me and you can tell that to your military friends with my blessing.”

  “He doesn’t know who you are, Xavier. He’s just assuming I’ll have military protection.”

  “I noticed.” Xavier nodded. “Unless he’s playing more games. This guy is loony tunes.”

  “My proposition is this, Sarah,” the oily voice continued. “I want you to come to me. I promise you will come to no harm, though you will be forcibly detained. I need samples, you see. I need to know how and why your body is immune to my experiment. Without that vital bit of information, my work is incomplete and the weapon cannot be used.”

  “Weapon?” Sarah was aghast. The crazy son of a bitch intended to sell the contagion as a weapon. With the knowledge of how to inoculate people against it, any rogue power or terrorist group could unleash it on the world and keep themselves safe from its effects.

  “I’ll be in touch shortly for your answer, Sarah,” Sellars went on. “Oh, and one more thing. You might be asking yourself why in the world would you voluntarily turn yourself over to my care? The answer is simple. If you don’t, I’ll unleash my creations on the university campus. There are lots of secluded, wooded areas on that campus and lots of stupid young coeds.” He chuckled darkly. “In fact, I may have already lost track of one of my little friends over there. Silly me.”

  “Good Lord.” Sarah sat back in her chair, appalled by the idea.

  Xavier hit the button to stop the recording. “If anyone on the campus has been infected, they won’t come out into the open before nightfall. It’s too late for us to do anything over there tonight.”

  “With all the buildings and dorms over there, we couldn’t do much good even if we did a room-to-room search,” she added. “We’d only alarm everyone.”

  “Not a good idea if we want to keep this thing top secret.”

  “Do you think we’ll be able to? I mean, if Sellars lets those things loose on the campus, the cat will be out of the bag.”

  “Which is why we have to stop the sick bastard before we get to that point.”

  She looked at him with shock. “You want me to—”

  He stopped her, tugging her into his arms and tucking her head under his chin. “No, Sarah. I’d never turn you over to that psycho. Never.”

  She felt the strength in his embrace and the power of his conviction. It calmed her and soothed her shattered nerves.

  “Then what are we going to do?” She didn’t want to move out of his arms yet. It felt too good to be held, just for a little while.

  “We’ll think of something.” One of Xavier’s hands rubbed over her back with soothing motions, while the other circled her waist. His grip tightened, d
rawing her closer as his lips descended to nuzzle the crown of her head.

  “Xavier…” Her words trailed off as his head dipped lower.

  He kissed her, capturing her lips in a caress that was gentle at first, exploring her mouth with his own and discovering a passion that matched and mingled in exciting ways. He deepened the kiss and she went with him, eager for more. Her fingers caressed the hard muscle of his arms, shoulders and chest as his hands pulled her closer. He leaned back on the couch, allowing her to lie against him slightly, fitting her body to his.

  Suddenly, her desire flamed to vibrant life. She wanted him, and it was becoming pretty clear he wanted her just as badly. The hard bar in the front of his pants pressed into her, making her yearn. She wanted that thick rod inside her, making her come.

  Sarah didn’t want to wait. She tugged at the buttons of his shirt, fighting with them at times until they all came loose. Tugging the tails of the shirt out of his pants, she swept it off over his shoulders as he did the same to her.

  Their arms tangled, but never did they let go of each other or break the kiss that grew hotter and bolder the more they touched. Sarah felt the slightly chill air of the room brush over her back as Xavier succeeded in pushing off her uniform blouse. All she wore beneath was a lacy white bra. Xavier tugged her closer, his fingers finding and releasing the catch at her back with deft movements. He lowered the straps and she let the bra fall forward as he ended their kiss so he could look at the bounty he’d revealed.

  An appreciative growl rumbled in his throat as he reached out to cup her breasts in his hands. In that moment, Sarah felt like the most desirable woman in the world. The look on his face spoke of fascination and true appreciation. It turned her on.

  Never before had she felt so in tune with the wants and needs of her body or with the man who would soon be her lover. She wasn’t sure where this was going but the time for dithering was over. She was beyond rational thought. Her body had taken the lead and it wanted Xavier and all he could give her.

  She wanted his hard body, his big, capable hands and his uninterrupted attention. At least for the next few hours. After that, she might—just might—be willing to let him go.

  If he lived up to her expectations. From the feel of his hands taking their time caressing her nipples with just the right amount of pressure, he was already exceeding any expectations that may have formed in her mind about Xavier as a lover.

  He pinched the tips of her breasts again, making her squeak in appreciation. His concentration on the task was near total. She liked the way he looked at her, the way he touched her. Hell, she liked everything about him so far. From the way he handled his weapon to the way he handled her. Now, she’d learn if he handled the weapon in his trousers as well as he did everything else. She didn’t think she’d be disappointed.

  But he still had that darn olive-drab T-shirt on. It molded every sexy ripple of his abdomen and chest, but she wanted to see him naked. She didn’t want any barrier between her questing hands and his skin. Sarah tugged at the hem of the T-shirt, wanting the offending garment gone.

  Xavier took pity on her and pulled the shirt off with one arm. She watched in awe as his torso was exposed, all that tanned flesh and hard muscles with just a smattering of silky brown hair across his pecs and in a tight arrow down to his belt buckle. The belt had to go. That’s all there was to it. She wanted to see where that intriguing trail of hair led. She wanted to see what she had only felt before—the hard cock that she wanted so desperately to feel inside her.

  Just the thought made her mouth water in anticipation as Xavier’s light, musky aroma made her insides clench. He smelled delicious. Good enough to eat. They’d barely done more than kiss and she was already wet and wanting, squirming in her perch on the couch.

  “Xavier, I don’t want to wait.”

  “You’re sure about this, Sarah? Once I have you, there’s no going back for either of us. I’ll want you again and I’ll do my best to keep you under me as often as possible while we’re not on duty.” His voice dropped as he touched his forehead to hers, holding her gaze. “I’m a starving man, desperate for you, Sarah.”

  The harshness of his tone touched a chord deep inside her. She felt the reverberations right through her midsection and down into the part of her that wanted to feel his possession so desperately.

  “I want you, Xavier. And if you live up to your advertising”—she felt confident enough to tease him—“I’ll be happy to go along with those plans. Eager, even.”

  She smiled at him and he grinned back. They’d come to an understanding. Xavier reached for her, flipping her over and laying her down on the wide, overstuffed couch. He stripped off her pants and panties. She’d kicked off her shoes when they’d entered her home, so they weren’t a hindrance, unlike his boots, which would take a few minutes to unlace enough to get off. Precious minutes she didn’t want to waste.

  When she was naked, he spread her legs, lifting one to the back of the couch with her full cooperation. Her other foot was planted on the floor in front of the couch, giving her a little leverage. He paused at the sight of the big gauze bandage on her thigh. The muscle had almost finished regenerating, but the skin was still tight.

  “Does it hurt?” he asked in a gentle voice.

  “Not much. It’s almost healed. Just a little scab left.”

  He traced the edges of the bandage with light fingers. “I’ll be careful, Sarah, but let me know if I hurt you. I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

  Their eyes met and she saw tenderness in his gaze she hadn’t really expected. Throat tight with emotion, she nodded and he seemed satisfied. The heat flared in his gaze as his attention turned to the object of his desire.

  Xavier’s fingers toyed with her exposed flesh as he looked his fill. He had talented fingers that really knew their way around a woman’s body. When he parted the soft curls at the juncture of her thighs, she gasped.

  “You’re wet, Sarah.” He smiled with satisfaction as her gaze met his. “I’m flattered.”

  “Don’t make me wait, Xavier. I need…” She trailed off with a gasp as one of his thick, strong fingers slid up her channel with little warning. Oh, yeah, that’s what she needed. More of that.

  “You’re tight, sweetheart. It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it.” The question was spoken as a statement and he didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he started moving that finger of his in a methodical, maddening motion, thrusting into her and withdrawing only to thrust higher and more forcefully. “Don’t worry, Sarah. I’ll take care of you. I’ll always take care of you.”

  The light in his eyes was beautiful to behold as he learned her body, playing it like a master. She was reduced to incoherent moans as he drove her pleasure even higher. She’d thought she was ready before. Now he was driving her to the edge of madness and he hadn’t even unzipped his pants yet. She wanted cock. Not his finger. No matter how good he was with his hands, she wanted the real deal and she wanted it now.

  Sarah reached out to cup him through his pants. He was hard as a rock and ready, if she was any judge. He was also huge. She remembered that from their earlier encounter. She’d tossed and turned thinking about the width and length of him in her hand. She wanted that cock inside her. She’d wanted it from almost the first time she’d seen him and now was her moment. She didn’t want to wait.

  “Please, Xavier,” she gasped, squeezing him through the fabric separating them.

  He paused, seeming to deliberate. Then he withdrew that finger from her, only to come back with two. Stretching her, he drove her crazy with the almost painful penetration.

  “You’re wet, but I’m too big for you, Sarah.” He nearly cringed as he said it, rotating his fingers inside her.

  “No. I felt you. I want you, Xavier. I want you now.”

  He seemed uncertain but a teasing light entered his eyes. “Not that I don’t love hearing you beg for my cock, but I want to make this first time as easy as possible for you, chère. Giv
e me un moment.”

  His sexy accent seemed to grow thicker, and she reacted with a little tingle in her tummy as his fingers worked their magic in her pussy. Xavier bent low over her body, using his free hand to cup one breast, capturing the other breast in his mouth.

  She tensed as her body tightened in a small release. The warmth of his mouth tugging insistently on her nipple and his hands working their magic on her skin and inside her body sent shockwaves of sensation throughout her being. She’d never been this hot for any of her past lovers, few as they had been. She’d never felt this needy, this excited, and still he pushed her higher.

  Xavier demanded more and, somehow, she gave it to him. He switched to suck her other breast, using his teeth this time, gently showing her the exciting feel of putting herself utterly at his mercy. It shocked her to realize how fully she trusted Xavier Beauvoir after knowing him only a few days. She’d already trusted him with her life. It was only a short leap to trust him with her body…and with her pleasure.

  She cried out as another small climax hit her, this one higher than the one before. Already, he’d shown her more pleasure than she’d felt in a long time. And he wasn’t done yet.

  She hoped she lived through it.

  He drew away from her breasts, trailing his lips up her neck to hover over her cheek.

  “You’re nice and slick for me now, chère. I like the way you respond to me, Sarah. You make me want to fuck you long and slow, but I have a feeling this first time is going to be hard and fast. You okay with that, sweetheart?”

  “Yes, Xavier. Yes.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.”

  She could feel the upturn of his mouth against her skin. His hands left her body, and a moment later she heard the rasp of his zipper. He moved back for a minute and she opened her eyes to see him ripping open a foil wrapper with his teeth. He rolled a condom over the biggest erection she’d ever had the good fortune to behold, then moved over her, settling between her thighs.