Forbidden Secrets Read online

  Then he was done.

  His mission in life would be complete, and he could move on. Once she was with the dead, he could enjoy that he’d served revenge to the most powerful family in the town.

  Also the most corrupt.

  Vile.

  Dirty.

  Yeah, he needed to stop them from walking the Earth. No one knew what they had really been like, and once they were gone, the truth would come out.

  Secrets could hurt you.

  Theirs certainly had.

  As he thought about his plan, he could see the lone guard in the little structure by the gate. He was reading a book, and in order for him really to draw attention to the family, blood—innocent blood—had to be spilled.

  A part of him felt sorry for the lamb about to be offered up for the slaughter, but this was life. In order to get what was well deserved, he’d have to hurt some innocents.

  Just like the Eastons had so many years ago.

  Well, it began now.

  When he was done, he was going to prepare for the celebration that was coming.

  He was coming out with the truth.

  In the end, no one would forgive them for being disgusting animals. Justice would be served.

  And the Easton family would be nothing but a memory.

  And that was a damn good thing.

  Chapter Six

  After eating, the team retired to their rooms. Julian and Tori had a beautiful room with a giant bed. It was big enough to sleep about five people comfortably—or one pregnant woman who liked her space.

  After they unpacked, Tori took a hot bath and crawled into the bed with her notes. Julian was already reading, since he’d opted for a quick shower. It looked like he was in the mood to work a little more.

  Only Tori wasn’t.

  She needed a break from their day. Being pregnant was really hard. That said a lot. She’d been a soldier carrying a forty-pound rucksack uphill in a monsoon, and she’d done it with ease.

  Growing a baby?

  It was brutal work.

  “What do you have?” she asked, knowing he would need to get the work thing out of his system. Julian liked to start and end his days with a ‘meeting’ of sorts. It helped him close it down for the day, and then start it up again in the morning.

  “The team is a little behind with the checks, but I have a couple things that we can go over. They’ve promised to have some information for us first thing in the morning. I can’t wait until Christina is back. She’s hell on research.”

  “She was trained under Ethan and Elizabeth Blackhawk. When they wanted details, they didn’t care if you were bleeding. It was top priority.”

  Julian laughed. “I need to implement that policy in the office. It just may get results.”

  She snorted at the mere idea that he’d go there. “Yeah, I see a mutiny on the horizon.”

  He did too.

  Julian could see that his wife was tired. She looked worn down. It had been a long day for him, so that meant she had to be exhausted. In fact, she looked like something was on her mind.

  “Are you feeling okay, honey? You look off your game, and that’s a rarity.”

  Oh, she was definitely having an internal battle. She was feeling guilty about what she’d done behind his back, and she was afraid of what was coming. This spirit was powerful. It had drained two ghosts in a matter of a minute. Tori knew she couldn’t pull off what was coming alone.

  It was time to let him into the game, and she had to pray he didn’t flip his shit.

  “We need to talk.”

  He didn’t like the sound of that at all.

  They were the most dreaded words a woman could say to a man in a sentence. They never ended up with a good outcome. In fact, it was generally a divorce looming on the horizon.

  “What did you do? No, wait. What did I do?” There were only two possibilities, and it had to be one of them.

  He’d been down this road before.

  She didn’t even laugh, and that made him more nervous. When Tori didn’t say something sarcastic, he needed to be worried. He knew his wife.

  “I took a little trip to see Bethany while you were out with Hart talking to the sheriff.”

  He stared at her.

  Julian was praying that he’d heard her wrong. There was no way Tori would do that. He needed to make sure he wasn’t losing his hearing.

  “You did that without me?”

  “Yes.”

  Shit!

  He liked it better when he thought he was going deaf.

  “Why?”

  “You tend to stress, and I didn’t want to worry you about it. I had it under control, and Lennox had my back. In fact, she recorded it in case you want to…”

  He cut her off.

  “No. I don’t want to see it. I’m very familiar with what it looks like. I get a ringside seat to the circus all the time.”

  That said it all.

  Then again, why did she ask?

  She didn’t think he would want to relive it. Tori waited to see if he lost it or said something else. She really couldn’t blame him either way.

  Still, Julian didn’t say anything.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He wasn’t.

  Something wasn’t adding up.

  “If you didn’t want to worry me, then why are you telling me now?”

  “We have a huge issue.”

  Shit!

  He really hated the dead.

  Since his wife had been given this gift, it had been one hell of a rollercoaster ride—uphill, off a cliff, and without a harness to hold you in. He hated not knowing what was going to happen next. The prospects were scary.

  “What?”

  She told him what happened. Tori didn’t leave a single thing out. From the look on his face, she knew he was going to lose his damn mind. When she was done, he got off the bed, went to his travel bag and pulled out a pack of gum.

  Tori watched him.

  This was new.

  Julian shoved it, and two other pieces into his mouth. Then he began chewing like a fiend.

  “Uh, Jules?”

  He held up his hand and closed his eyes. A minute went by before he focused on his wife. “I read an article about replacing anger with coping mechanisms. This is my new one.”

  She started laughing.

  How could she not?

  Her husband was mainlining gum.

  “I don’t think this is amusing, Victoria. In fact, you knew I’d be pissed. Plus, add to it that you just told me we have a new creepy ghost lurking that sucked your spirits dry. That can’t be good. I’m new to this, but even I know that we’re screwed seven ways to Sunday.”

  Tori got it.

  She was worried too.

  “I’ve been stressing this all day. When I came back from my talk with Bethany and Trey, I knew I had to be honest with you. I just didn’t think you’d shove a whole pack of gum into your mouth. That’s some funny shit, Julian.”

  He moved toward her.

  “I’m glad my irritation amuses you.”

  She could see that he was stirred up. She knew what her husband needed. Reaching up, she tugged him down to the bed before she rolled.

  “If you think sex will make me forget that you did something that makes me angry, you’re sadly mistaken. I’m not happy, Victoria.”

  She was aware.

  Still…

  Tori tugged on his pajama bottoms until his dick sprang free. While his mouth was yapping about being pissed, his erection told an entirely different tale.

  Someone wasn’t too angry.

  Well, maybe he was angry, but he was also horny too, and she’d take her chances with that any day.

  There was a chance to calm him down by stirring him up. That worked for her. She needed to clear her mind.

  “We have to have trust,” he began, trying not to look down his body. He was pissed, but he was now thinking about his wife and her mouth.

  Jesus!
<
br />   He should be ashamed of himself.

  Julian was letting men down everywhere. Still, his wife was his wife, and it was his duty to supply her needs…right?

  Yeah, that was a good defense to explain his lack of ability to say no.

  As Tori worked him in and out of her mouth, she used her teeth to scrape up and down his erection. She knew how to make Julian forget, and this wasn’t only her plan, but she wanted it too.

  Today had been a long day, and Tori liked nothing more than sitting back, having a bath, and then a long ride with her sexy Native man.

  As she began to use her hand to stroke his dick, Julian moaned in pleasure. She didn’t let up. Tori knew her husband well enough to know when he was going to cum.

  In fact…

  Maybe she should really push him hard.

  Julian was close.

  So close that he actually swallowed his gum and nearly choked on it.

  It was hard not to laugh.

  As she worked him in and out of her mouth, Julian couldn’t even think anymore. Thank God that breathing was automatic, or he’d be dead. Tori’s mouth was tearing his control apart, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to last that much longer.

  “Victoria, this isn’t fair,” he muttered, trying to voice his displeasure over the situation, but it was falling on deaf ears. His wife was hell bent on torturing him.

  If she was using sex to make him forget, it was working. Julian wasn’t proud.

  But he was easy.

  Tori ignored everything he was saying. She was focusing on something far more important. With the tip of her tongue, she ran it around the head of his erection, giving him a second to breathe. This was a sexy game of cat and mouse, and she knew what would happen.

  That was the best part.

  Tori knew her husband wouldn’t stay angry long, but what it would do is make him incredibly wild. Tori wanted to be on her back, legs spread, and Julian making her cum over and over again. She was afraid, and she needed that comfort with him.

  It gave her stability.

  It gave her strength.

  It made her feel like she wasn’t alone.

  If she tormented him enough, he’d return the favor.

  So it began.

  As she worked him hard, giving his balls an intimate squeeze, Julian began begging for mercy.

  Tori opted to ignore that too.

  Instead, she drove him down her throat until she could kiss the base of him with her mouth.

  “Jesus! I’m cumming,” he moaned, as he couldn’t hold back any longer. She continued sucking and stroking until Julian was spent.

  Tori licked her lips and straddled his hips.

  “Did I win?”

  He stared up at her.

  He wasn’t sure if she was serious.

  “Tori…”

  She rubbed against him, and he noticed the glint in her eyes. Oh, he knew what his wife was up to, and it had nothing to do with earlier.

  She was horny and needed some lovin’.

  That would explain why she got him off.

  She wanted the same pleasure trip. He’d noticed that in the year they were married, Tori wouldn’t just come out and ask for sex.

  It wasn’t how she rolled.

  It embarrassed her to need something from another person. His wife was independent, strong, and hated to show weakness.

  It was clear what she was doing.

  Well, it was time to play along.

  He rolled, and she looked giddy. That’s when he pushed off the bed.

  “I’m going to brush my teeth.”

  She stared at him.

  What the bloody hell?

  Did he just leave their bed?

  How had this backfired on her?

  This was not the response she’d been expecting from her husband. Tori had never been denied sex before, and now all of a sudden, he was walking away.

  Tori watched him close the door between them, and it was more than she could take.

  That’s when the tears came.

  She couldn’t help it.

  Despite her most valiant effort, they pooled in her eyes and began falling down her cheeks. She was hurt, horrified, and scared. Julian had just left her hanging.

  That had to be bad.

  Julian heard her quiet sobs and immediately, he opened the door to stare at his wife. His heart started pounding in his chest as soon as he realized she wasn’t screwing around.

  She was actually crying.

  “Victoria! What’s wrong?” he asked, worried about her. He raced toward the bed, unsure if she was okay, having a breakdown, or really angry.

  Tori didn’t do tears.

  That wasn’t her thing.

  “You don’t want me anymore because I’m getting fat!” she said through the tears. “You would never walk away from me in the middle of sex. You can’t stand to be with me.”

  Jesus!

  What the hell kind of hormonal rollercoaster was this?

  He stared at her.

  “Tori!”

  “I’m not sexy anymore. I’m big, wobbly, and a mess,” she said, trying to stop the emotion, but it was out of her control.

  He climbed onto the bed beside her.

  Tori cried more.

  He did what he could to calm her down. Taking her hand in his, he tried to rationalize with a pregnant woman.

  Yeah, this was going to go well.

  “Honey, you’re very sexy. I knew what you were doing. I was going to assault you when you followed me into the bathroom—I swear!”

  She cried even harder.

  Julian was ready to panic.

  He’d never seen this magnitude of meltdown before. Tori wasn’t one to weep over anything. He knew for a fact that crying wasn’t a good thing.

  Not like this!

  “Honey,” he said, curling against her body. “I swear to God I was waiting for you.”

  She was still sobbing.

  Julian knew he needed to calm her down or Tori was going to make herself sick. Gently, he began kissing her neck. Moving to her ear, he began nibbling on it.

  Tori held onto her husband in hopes that he could help her beat back all of this emotion.

  Yeah, being pregnant sucked.

  Here was more proof.

  When Julian began whispering in her ear, she listened to the love in his words. They calmed her.

  “You will always be the most beautiful woman in the world. No, you’re not the same as before, but you’re even better. You’re going to be the mother of our child. That’s the sexiest thing ever. Let me show you.”

  He slowly moved down her body, pushing her shirt out of the way. When he got to his child, resting peacefully in his wife’s belly, he ran his fingers over her.

  The emotion came out.

  “How you could ever think I don’t find you sexy is beyond me, Victoria.”

  His eyes filled with tears.

  “You’re all I’ve ever wanted in my life and I know that you’re more than I deserve. You’re not plain old sexy. You’re amazing and the most gorgeous redhead in the world. You think you’re fat and wobbly, but I think you’re glowing and beautiful.”

  “I feel like a house.”

  “You’re growing our child, honey. Honestly, you’re underweight. You’re not fat. From behind, you don’t look pregnant. Veronica is little. For almost nine months pregnant, she’s tiny.”

  “I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered.

  Now he got it.

  This wasn’t about him.

  This wasn’t about the case.

  This was about Tori getting close to the inevitable—motherhood.

  “You can do anything you put your mind to, Victoria. I’ve learned that about you over the last year. You’ve overcome everything. Pregnancy is nothing. You’re going to deliver our child, be a great mother, and then be back at work before you know it. You aren’t a mere woman. You’re my super woman.”

  More tears filled her eyes a
s he shared his heart with her. Julian didn’t lie. He hated them, so she had to believe what he was saying was true.

  “Let me show you how much I love you,” he said softly, leaving a trail across her belly, to her hip, and then lower down her body. “I’m sorry I teased you and left our bed. I’ll never do it again. I didn’t think it would hurt you.”

  She sniffled. “It’s okay, Julian.”

  No, it really wasn’t. He hated hurting her. She was his only reason to live, and she was giving him the greatest gift ever.

  A child.

  Tugging down her panties, he reveled in the amazing gift he’d found in her.

  Tori was a treasure, and now he was going to prove it to her. With his mouth, he sought her clit. The second he made contact, his wife gasped. As his mouth made love to her, licking, teasing, and sucking, Julian enjoyed the way she whispered his name.

  Yeah, this was what he’d planned.

  This moment between them was supposed to happen on the counter of the bathroom, but here was just as amazing. He wouldn’t jump out and assault her, having his wicked way with his wife. She needed tenderness, and Julian didn’t mind. He loved showing Tori how much she meant to him.

  She was everything.

  She was all.

  Before her, he was lost. With her, he was found.

  Eagerly, he drove her up, making sure she crested and tumbled off the edge. He wanted his name on her lips for the rest of his life. Julian wanted to die with his woman in bed, her telling him she loved him.

  It would be enough.

  It would a precious gift as he left this world to head to the Happy Hunting Grounds. Once there, he’d wait for her. There would only be one woman in his life, and she was it.

  Tori was his soulmate and nothing could keep them apart.

  As soon as she caught her breath, he pushed her back to the top, and then slowed down. His mouth teased her to the release as he enjoyed the way her legs shook beside his head.

  There was no faking this.

  His wife wanted him as much as he wanted her. Julian prayed that would never end. As long as he had Tori, he was complete.

  As she came again, thanks to his oral skills, Julian let her enjoy the fall. Sliding up her body, he found himself braced above her. He loved looking down at the love of his life.

  It was all that red hair.