Killing Roses

21__One creepy phone call

The Universe was too cruel. Valerie just felt completely wronged. Why? Why was it that she always embarrassed herself before Roman Parker?!

Rapidly straightening, she stared down at him with wide eyes. “W-what?”

Roman silently followed her with his gaze, his mouth still remembering the caress of her lips.

“Oh, right!” said Valerie, desperately wishing she could disappear into thin air. “M-Michael!”

Cringing from embarrassment, she spun around to walk off, but his hand around her wrist cut off her escape.

Before Valerie could process what was happening, she’d been jerked back and landed right across his lap.

She froze, staring straight ahead with her breath clogged in her lungs. What was happening? What was this?

“Did you…” Roman started, his voice so quiet and intense, it sent shivers across her skin. “Did you do that on purpose?”

Valerie looked at him, her honey-pool brown eyes wide. “What? On purpose?”

Roman’s eyes darkened, making Valerie squirm under his smoldering gaze. His jaw only further clenched when she moved her butt on his lap like that. Realizing it, Valerie froze.

“Uhm… let me just...” Gulping, she tried to get up, gasping when he jerked her back against him and she landed with both hands on his chest.

“Did I say you could get up?” he murmured, his face inches from hers.

Valerie felt her throat dry up as she stared at him, the dark and dominating tone of his voice sending heat flushing through her body.

“That.” Roman said. “Is that what you do whenever someone asks for an exchange?”

When the meaning of his words sunk in, Valerie’s mouth dropped open. “You mean… like do I go around kissing everyone?! No! Of course not, I—”

“Then it’s just me?”

She blinked, the words she’d had to speak withering on her tongue.

He stared at her, his gaze so unmoving it forced Valerie still. She drew in a silent gasp when his fingers suddenly tightened around her waist, pulling her down against him.

“Why?” Roman asked in a low murmur, his mouth nearly brushing hers. He was overcome with the desire to kiss her again. He shouldn’t have been in this position with the target of a killer he’s trying to catch, but damn if he could think straight right now. All he could think of was the honey-brown eyes staring at him with poorly hidden lust, the sweet ice-cream scent he caught on her breath and feel of her chest against his. Valerie Quinn was a temptation far greater than anything he could handle.

“W-why… why what?” she asked, her voice breathy.

His fingers grazed up her back, caressing her skin through the thin material of her t-shirt so that Valerie yearned for them to be on her bare skin.

“Why is it just me?” He asked, a devilishly arrogant glint in his eye and just the beginning of a cocky smirk tugging at his mouth. “Is it because you think of me?”

Valerie bit her lip in silence.

“You think of me... when you read your books and indulge in your dirty little fantasies, don’t you? You think of me in your bed, doing every one of those things to you.” He traced his mouth along her jaw and Valerie felt his breath grow heavier. The thought that his own words were affecting him as much as they were doing to her gave Valerie an even stronger surge of desire. “Where do you think of me dominating you, Valerie? On this table?” He pressed kisses to her neck, slipping his hands underneath her shirt to touch her heated skin. “Do I tie your hands… so you’re helpless while I pound deep inside you?”

She remained silent, but her breath laboring in and out from between her parted lips and the tightening grip of her fingers on his shirt told Roman just how quickly he got her turned on and with his words alone.

Wanting to touch him, she drew her hands further up his chest until she traced her fingers along the smooth skin of his neck and cupped his jaw. Roman drew his face back and Valerie immediately lowered her mouth to his, kissing him with fervent heat.

His hands gripped her waist and, lifting her, sat her astride him so she straddled him. Taking full advantage of the position, Valerie wrapped her arms around him as she ground herself against his hardened groin, drawing a choked groan out of Roman.

His hands lowered to grip her hips, guiding them as they ground against each other, so that he rubbed her in places Valerie had no idea could make her feel so good.

Her hands slid down, ripping off his shirt so she could run her palms over the smooth-skinned ridges of his pecs. Valerie purred in delight. The man had a body formed by the gods. He threw his head back with a groan, baring his neck to her seeking mouth as he let his hands grip her butt, pressing her harder against him as she rocked on him.

The office seemed to get twice as warm, heated by their secret acts of passion. Roman didn’t know how far it would go, how far Valerie would let it go.

As if fate gave them no choice in the matter, the shrill ringing of a phone filled the air.

Both their movements came to an abrupt stop as the realization of their acts filled both their thoughts.

With a gasp, Valerie pushed herself off of him, staring at Roman with eyes wide with shock.

He stared back at her with an unfocused gaze and swollen, running a hand over the back of his neck.

“Uhm…” he said.

Valerie tugged her skirt down, her body tingling where he’d grabbed and kneaded her ass.

“You should… answer the call,” she said, her voice still breathy.

Roman looked at her and then blinked as if just remembering that the phone was ringing. Plucking it up, he put it to his ear just as Val hurried out.

He stared at the closed door for a moment more, attempting to gather his scattered wits. It felt like Valerie was still touching him, the imprints of her hands burning all over his skin.

Clearing his throat, Roman turned his attention to the call.

“Roman Parker speaking.”

The line was silent, with little more than a crackle or two buzzing in his ear.

Roman frowned. “Hello?”

Another sharp crackle and then the silence ensued. He held the device to his ear a moment more, waiting to hear any sort of response. Nothing but buzzing crackles filled his ear. Roman pulled the phone away, glancing at the screen with a frown.

It was a private number. Roman slowly felt his bones turn ice cold in his flesh as he stared at the seconds counting on the silent call.

His body tense in shock, Roman brought the device back to his ear, now fully alert and aware of the situation.

“Who is this?” Roman asked, his voice and tone betraying not an ounce of the anxiousness he felt.

The line remained silent for a moment more, sending eerie chills across the skin of Roman’s arms.

Suddenly, the crackling stopped. The line became as silent as the dead and Roman found himself sitting still, not wanting to be the one to break the silence.

This could be it. He could, at that very moment, be talking to the man who killed Jennifer Crawford.

“Parker…”

The voice had been nothing more than a rasp, but Roman could make out his own name. The hair stood on end along his arms and his jaw clenched.

“Who… is this?” Roman asked again.

The whole universe seemed to stand still, awaiting an answer from the voice on the line. Roman whipped the phone away from his ear and smacked the record button, hoping the caller would say something. Anything to give them a clue on how to catch the bastard.

Bringing the phone back to his ear, he listened carefully.

“Don’t stop searching…” the voice said again.

Roman’s hand fisted. “Searching for what? Who are you?”

There was a moment of silence.

A ragged breath filled his ear and then a few static crackles made him wince.

“Roman Parker… I’ve put you through a lot, haven’t I? First your mother…”

Roman froze.

“And now… Valerie Quinn… so don’t stop searching. Follow my steps… find me.”

There was a sharp click.

Roman sat quieter than a picture, the phone still held to his ear even though the caller had hung up. The moment was overwhelming, his mind spinning with what he'd heard on the phone. The realization that dawned upon him was sickening. It made Roman sick.

The fingers holding the phone tightened even more. Cooper had been right.

The man who killed Jennifer Crawford was the same man who’d killed Roman’s mother.

The Rose Killer was really back.