Split Screen Scream - Debra Parmley Read online

Couldn’t he guess? He had to know how ready she was. She couldn’t bear it if he stopped a second time.

  He entered her slowly, and then slowed again when he realized how snugly they fit together.

  “It’s been a while,” she said.

  His gaze softened as he stared down into her eyes.

  She’d just volunteered the information that there hadn’t been a man in her life who’d been this intimate with her for a while. He seemed pleased and now he moved tentatively, as though afraid he’d hurt her.

  The slow stroking was building her and making her ache for more. “Faster, please,” she said.

  He kissed her lips. “Soon.” Then he continued the slow, sexy thrusts, out and then in again, teasing her.

  “Oh my God, please,” she begged.

  “Please what?” he asked, grinning, making her say it.

  “Please fuck me. Hard.”

  That was all it took for him to increase his rhythm and to stroke her hard until she cried out his name as she came.

  Panting, she opened her eyes. He was still poised over her, still deep, and he was watching her.

  “I loved watching you come. Beautiful.”

  “You took me far. Then farther.” She didn’t say farther than she’d ever been, though it was true.

  “Good.” He smiled. “I’m glad.”

  He kissed her then, and they stayed together kissing for a bit before he rolled off.

  Reed was no quick love maker. Before, during, or after. He took every moment and savored it. This fast-acting Navy SEAL could go very slowly when he wanted to. He was extremely fit and a much better lover than she’d even imagined. She was amazed by their lovemaking and by how good she now felt.

  Lying side by side, he watched her and then took her hand in his. “Happy?” he asked.

  “Oh, very,” she said. “Very, very happy.”

  “Good. Then come here if you want to cuddle.”

  Oh, she did want to cuddle. Smiling, she moved into his arms and snuggled in. His body was hard, his chest not soft like her other boyfriends’ chests had been, but not so muscular as to be uncomfortable.

  He held her for a bit until she dozed off.

  Soon, he was kissing her forehead, waking her. “Baby, I’ve got to be going soon. Have to be ready for work.”

  “Mm,” she said. “I like being awakened with a kiss. That’s nice.” She smiled, still in the happy glow he’d given her.

  “I’ll remember that,” he said. “Kiss me goodbye, before I have to go.”

  With one long deep kiss, she wanted him again, but she knew she couldn’t keep him there. He had work. Of course, he had to go to work. She couldn’t keep him. He had other commitments.

  Once he’d left, she realized that was the new question. How long could the two of them last? What they had was very, very good. But she was afraid to attach too much to it. Or to him.

  Where was this relationship going?

  Now that they’d crossed over into “all the way”, she knew she liked him so very much. In fact, she’d fallen in love. It would hurt if he left. It would hurt really bad.

  She rolled over, hugged her pillow and tried to get back into the happy dreamlike bliss she’d been in before. She had another hour before she had to get up.

  It always happened. Another mission and no time to tell her. Even if there’d been time to call Christie, he couldn’t tell her where he was going or for how long. They had a mission, and he had to go. Now.

  Reed packed his bag and hoped Christie would still be interested in seeing him when he got back.

  It wasn’t easy dating or being in a relationship with a SEAL. And last minute missions like these went with the territory.

  He’d planned to talk about that, now that they’d become intimate, and he knew this was going somewhere. That is, at least if she could handle being with a SEAL. Not every woman could.

  Christie looked at her phone for the fourth time that evening, wishing Reed would call.

  She really wanted to see him again. Didn’t he want to see her? She hadn’t heard from him yet, and it had been two weeks since their last date. Maybe he wasn’t as interested in her as she’d thought. It could be confusing dating some men, but Reed hadn’t seemed like that.

  With a sigh, she put down her book, ignored her phone, and clicked off her lamp before curling over to go to sleep. It wasn’t quite midnight on a Friday night, and here she was at home, lonely and starting to feel sorry for herself. It was easier to just go to sleep than to keep thinking.

  While asleep, she heard a strange noise in the other room, which woke her. She had to lie very still, listening.

  Someone is moving in the other room. Who could it be? The person who’d been breaking into cars in the neighborhood? Oh my God, I bet that’s him. What if he has a knife or a gun?

  She reached for her cellphone and dialed Reed. He didn’t pick up, but his answering message did. She whispered into the phone, “Reed, someone is in my house. In the other room. I don’t know what to do.”

  The sounds were getting nearer. She pulled the phone under the covers and placed it face down so the light wouldn’t show. Turning the phone to mute, it would now be silent, and Reed would be able to hear.

  The door to her room started to open.

  Frozen in her bed, Christie waited for what would happen next. Her heart raced.

  Maybe he’ll think I’m asleep. I just won’t move.

  Just as she closed her eyes, the door to her room started to open.

  Chapter 10

  Not daring to peek, even a little, Christie stayed as still as she could, hoping that the thumping of her heart didn’t give away the fact she was awake.

  The intruder moved to her dresser and opened a drawer. The telltale sound of the drawer scraping as he pulled it open told her what was going on. She tried to control her breathing; sure that he could hear her.

  Rummaging in the drawer, he then moved on to the next one, doing the same.

  Then the sounds stopped. She heard nothing but silence and her own breathing.

  Oh my God. Where was he?

  Her heart thumped doubly loud in her chest, and she prayed he didn’t hear it and guess she was awake.

  Then she heard him breathing. He was standing at the foot of her bed, breathing. Not moving.

  Oh my God. He’s looking at me.

  She felt it. Pinpricks of fear spread across her body, raising goose bumps.

  He stood watching and listening for what felt like forever. And then he moved toward the door.

  Still praying, she waited. And waited. Until her bladder felt like it would burst.

  She dared to look at her phone. Thirty minutes had gone by. His voice mailbox had cut her off at some point. He hadn’t called her back or texted. She laid the phone down again and waited, listening for sounds of the intruder.

  When the house seemed as if it had been silent long enough, and she couldn’t wait any longer, she quietly got up and moved through her house, tiptoeing as she went.

  The house was empty.

  She ran to the bathroom, feeling like she might burst, and once inside, locked the door before she could pee. Shaking, she did her business and then wrapped her arms around herself, feeling much like she had the night of the theater shooting.

  A bad guy was in my house. How did he get in?

  She needed to find out, but she didn’t want to leave the safety of the bathroom. Dialing 911, she decided to wait until the police arrived before coming out.

  Soon, the police arrived and she came out of the bathroom to answer the door. No bad guy would stick around if the police were there. She let the officers in, and a kind officer took her statement.

  They found an open window, with the lock and the glass broken. “I don’t know how I slept through that,” she said.

  “From the pattern of the break and the glass, it may not have made much noise,” the officer said. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. Can you look around and see what’s mis
sing?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said. They went into her bedroom and looked through the drawers. All of her jewelry was gone. It appeared he’d grabbed everything in the jewelry box, costume jewelry and good jewelry.

  She made a list of everything she could remember being in there, and then once the police were done taking her statement and writing down everything she’d told them, they left.

  She went back to bed and tried to sleep, but it was impossible.

  By morning, she’d already looked up places that could come out and repair the glass, and she started calling them as soon as they opened. The sooner she could get the window repaired the better. After she’d found a man who could come out that day to fix it, she hung up and called her best friend.

  “Hey, you’re up early,” Tanya said.

  “Yes. Well, I may never sleep again.”

  “Oh no. Why not?”

  “A burglar broke in last night and stole all my jewelry while I was in bed.”

  “Oh, my God. You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Not kidding. I stayed in bed, not moving, while he robbed me, and then waited until he left and called the police.”

  “Oh, girl, you must’ve been terrified.”

  “I was. Literally could not move. Frozen like an ice sculpture under the covers. And the creepiest scariest part? He stopped at the foot of my bed and watched me.”

  Tanya gasped.

  “I thought he might kill me then. But he watched, probably to make sure I was asleep, and then he left.”

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Tanya said.

  “Me, too.”

  “I’m coming over,” Tanya said. “No arguing with me. It’s what I should’ve done last time. I’ll bring donuts and a great big hug. You make the coffee.”

  “Okay. That sounds good.” Christie wasn’t going to argue with Tanya. She really needed that hug.

  Saturday the window was repaired, and Sunday was just a quiet day, when she stayed in her pajamas and watched old movies. She didn’t feel like going anywhere, but also no longer felt safe in her own home.

  Her phone rang, but it wasn’t Reed, who never had called her back. Something she was trying not to think about because she didn’t understand why he’d gone so silent.

  It was Tanya.

  Christie answered. “Hello?”

  “If you still want a German Shepard puppy, you’d better move fast. I just called the breeders this morning to ask about puppies for you. They have four eight-week-old puppies, and one has already been sold. They sell fast. So, we’d need to go today. Are you ready?”

  “Well, yes,” Christie said.

  “Good. I’ll call them back and tell them we’ll be there in an hour. Throw your shoes on and be ready to go,” Tanya said.

  “Okay.” Christie thought about her plans for the day and mentally went down her list. There was nothing that couldn’t be rescheduled.

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.” Christie hung up the phone and started looking for her shoes as excitement started to run through her.

  I’m going to get a puppy! This is better than Christmas.

  She found her shoes, her purse, and her car keys. Though it sounded like Tanya was driving.

  Christie could hardly wait. She loved animals, dogs especially, and now she’d have one of her own.

  Two hours later, they were home with eight-week-old Lacey. Tanya had put one of her dog crates in the back seat of her car, and the puppy had ridden in it. They’d stopped at the pet store to get food and water bowls, a new collar and leash, doggie shampoo, treats, and several toys. The pet store was one where you could take you dog inside with you. Lacey had wagged her tail at everyone and sniffed nearly everything in the store. Her excitement was contagious.

  Now at home, puppy was free to sniff everything in the house, and the tail wagging and sniffing commenced. Tanya went into the kitchen and came back out with paper towels and cleaning spray. “She’s going to pee all over the place until you get her trained and she settles down. With all this excitement, she’s going to have accidents.”

  “Oh, I know puppies do that.” Christie nodded. “We had a couple of dogs when I was growing up and got them both as puppies. I remember. Oh and I remember they don’t sleep much at night.”

  “No, they don’t. I hope you’re prepared for that tonight.”

  “Well it can’t be any worse than when the burglar broke in. That was nearly as terrifying as the shooting at the theater.”

  “I’ll bet. I’m so glad you decided to get Lacey. She’ll bark and scare any burglars away.”

  “Yes, she will.” Christie smiled. “And she’ll be my constant companion. Except when I’m at work.”

  “Remember what I said about crating her. If you let her have the run of the house, she’ll chew up things while you’re gone. Puppies love to chew.”

  “Yes, I will. Do you think I should look for a pet sitter or a doggie day care? She’ll be home by herself.”

  “Can you come home for lunch to let her out?”

  “I’m pretty sure Mrs. Brown will let me go a few minutes over if I explain what I’m doing. I often stay late when we have big orders, and she knows the work will get done.”

  “Okay, good. Then I don’t think you need a sitter.”

  They played with Lacey for a while, and then Tanya left.

  Christie couldn’t wait to get settled into her new routine, just her and Lacey. Who needed a man, anyway? The two of them would be just fine.

  Reed turned his phone back on after retrieving it from his locker. He saw Christie had left a message for him and smiled. It was the first time she’d called him. Before, it was always him calling and setting up their dates or just chatting with her. Did she miss him?

  He pushed the button to listen to her message, and then frowned. The frown grew deeper the longer he listened.

  Immediately, he dialed her number.

  No answer.

  “Christie are you all right? I just got your message. Damn, I hope you’re okay. Call me.”

  He hung up the phone and scowled. It had been two days since she’d called. Terrified that someone had broken into her house. And then the long pause, and the breathing, and the hang up. Anything could’ve happened. This was not good.

  He was going to find her as soon as he left the base. If she wasn’t at home, he’d try the shop.

  It was dark when he pulled up to her house, and he saw that her lights on. Why hadn’t she called him back?

  He got out, walked to the front door, and knocked.

  Inside, a dog started to bark.

  She opened the door with a German Shepard pup at her feet who was furiously barking.

  Relief flooded through him. She appeared safe. But then she went pale. Was she all right?

  “Come in,” she said, without smiling, her voice brittle, an unspoken anger in her tone. “Meet Lacey.”

  His stomach tightened. This wasn’t the greeting he’d expected. So few words. Not even the trace of a smile. And she was angry.

  They hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Was she even glad he was back? Frustration coursed through him.

  Damn it. He had to fix this.

  “Lacey,” he said as he stepped through the doorway. The puppy barked and jumped around their feet. “Nice dog. When did you get her?”

  “After the break-in.”

  “So you did have an intruder.”

  He closed his eyes for a second. When he looked at her again, he noted that she was watching his face.

  She was so reserved. Had she moved on? Could she see his regret?

  “I got your phone message a couple of hours ago,” he said.

  “Yeah, and I heard yours when I got home from the pet store.”

  He shook his head. “Why didn’t you call me back?”

  She shrugged. “I was going to—after Lacey went out to potty and play. She has to stay in her crate when I’m at work, and it’s not fair to make her wait.”

 
He raked a hand through his hair. “I was worried.”

  Her tone brittle, she said, “Well, you’re a little late to be worried. The break-in was days ago.”

  His shoulders fell. “I was deployed.”

  “And you couldn’t say, ‘Hey Christie, I’ll be away’?”

  “No, this time I couldn’t.” He has to make her understand this. Explain it. “Sometimes…we can’t. The order comes, and there’s no time. We have to go that minute.” He wanted to reach for her, to hold her, but this was important. If she couldn’t accept this part of his life, there wasn’t any point trying. “That’s a SEAL’s life, Christie,” he said, his voice roughening. “Not every woman can handle that. It’s especially hard on wives and children.”

  She was silent for a moment, her narrowed gaze still studying his face. But then she squared her shoulders. “I can handle it. I have a dog now, and I’m going to get a gun. I don’t need a man to protect me.”

  Is she saying she doesn’t need me? Doesn’t want me around? Is it over between us? No. What we have is good. Worth fighting for. He watched her, assessing.

  The defiant way she’d spoken, made him wonder. She wasn’t exactly the fighting type, and she’d had no training, just one visit to a gun range. He noted the way her jaw jutted just a little. Despite what she’d said, it didn’t look like she was handling being a SEAL’s girlfriend very well. She had that ‘my feelings are hurt’ look some women got.

  “Tell me about the break in,” he said, wanting to know and also wanting to straighten this out between them. “You sounded terrified, being in the house with an intruder.”

  “I was. I stayed very still under the covers and hoped he didn’t know I was awake.”

  Froze, he thought. What she did was freeze. He’d seen how she reacted to danger. He could train the freeze out of her… “So you stayed real still. Then what happened?”

  “He stopped at the foot of my bed and watched me.”

  He sucked in a breath. Fought the surge of anger that rose swiftly inside him. “How do you know it was a he? Did you get a good look at him?”

  “No, but most burglars are men.”