Strangers in the Night

“Okay, I want you to stay near the gate. Call me if you see any headlights approaching, and then take off towards the car. I just want to see how quickly I can scale the wall and get a look at the layout of the inside.”

Patrice studied him in the half-light, her artist’s eye finding beauty in the not-quite-symmetry of his face. He was an attractive man, with dark hair that was a little overlong, and a hungry, intense look in his blue eyes. His bone structure alone caught her attention, his jaw, brow and cheekbones all beautifully defined. And, with his arm loosely around her, she could feel the heat of his body. She rested a hand against his chest. There, she felt strength, and her body clamored to experience that. When she touched him, his eyes glittered in the moonlight.

It was her lucky night. On her way back from teaching an evening art class, she’d been wishing that she had a man to go home to. Then she’d seen him standing alongside the lane.

“Let’s do it,” he said and paused to kiss her quickly on the mouth before heading off.

Patrice followed, sauntering along with her hands in her pockets. She felt like a decoy, standing in the light by the gates while he scaled the wall in the darkness. An accomplice, that’s what she was. It was exciting, and it was making her horny.

Beyond the light cast by the security lamp, the forest had an inky darkness about it, and she kept glancing at the sky, watching as the sun moved lower over the distant hills. She thought she heard a sound and peered into the gloom where Ben had gone. She could just about make out his figure, squatting on top of the wall. It was maybe a foot higher than he was. He’d scaled much higher on the TV show, and he sometimes wore a camera as he did so, making it very real for the viewer. Patrice often felt as if she were there, climbing with him.

It was just then, while she was admiring him in her own private show, that she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, what are you up to?”

Spinning on the spot, she found herself staring at a man all dressed in black, a baseball cap covering his hair and shielding his eyes from her view. In one hand he held a large metal object, a torch, she hoped, although it wasn’t on. Her heart beat hard in her chest. “Oh, hello, am I glad to see you! I got lost on the lane. I’m looking for Graleston; I’m visiting a friend in the village. I was hoping for directions.”

The tension in the man dissipated marginally. “Oh, right.”

She realized how important it was to keep his attention, and she turned toward the security light, so that the man had his back to the place where Ben was. Putting one hand up against the wall, she smiled and gave him a deliberate appraisal. “I’m so glad to find you here. I was beginning to think I was never going to find anyone who could point me in the right direction.”

Behind his head, she could see Ben’s crouching figure. He was making his way along the wall in the opposite direction, glancing back occasionally as he went.

“Is it far to the village?”

“No, just about a half a mile that way.” He gestured beyond the place where her car was parked, and then pushed his cap back on his head. She saw bushy eyebrows and deep-set eyes. He smiled at her, and she realized she’d got his attention.

She rested her back against the wall and lifted her foot against it, rubbing her knee and the bare skin of her thigh. The man looked down at her legs. She risked a glance in Ben’s direction. He was watching too. That made her pulse race ever faster, and she lifted her chin, aware of two men’s scrutiny on her. The danger was thoroughly exhilarating. “Do you live here in this estate?”

“No, I just keep an eye on the place for a friend.”

“Shame, it looks like it must be a big old house, judging from the size of the wall.”

“Derelict,” the man said, gruffly.

She saw Ben’s shadow move and his hand lifted in her direction as he jumped lithely down into the forest. She cleared her throat. “Okay, thanks for the directions. I better get back to my car and head on to my friend’s place, it’s getting late.”

She didn’t catch his reply.

She forced herself to walk at first, but when she grew accustomed to the limited light among the trees and knew she was out of view of the old farm, she broke into a jog. She felt positively high, and couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Ben was waiting up ahead. Darting past the place where he stood, she laughed aloud when he grabbed her into his arms, holding her close against him. His body felt good. Hard, and eager to hold on to her.

“You’re crazy, you should have just taken off.” Concern marked his expression.

“I thought I handled him well.”

“You did.”

Admiration shone in his eyes, and it made her proud.

“Glad to have you safe,” he admitted. “But, I have to say, I was getting jealous of the guy, you were practically flirting with him.”

She reached around to clasp his buttocks in her hands, pressing him even closer against her. “No need to be jealous. I was thinking of you, honey, honest.”

He laughed, and it was a deep and sexy sound that rumbled in his chest. Then he ducked down and kissed her, his mouth demanding in a way that stimulated all her senses, hard and soft, all at once. Her sex ached to have him, and when she moved up and down against him, she found an equally vibrant response. It had been a while, and she didn’t want to stop and think about it, she wanted to go with the flow of the moment.

“The adrenaline rush,” she admitted, rubbing up against him. “I’m really horny.” She laughed, kind of embarrassed.

“You’re not the only one, having a woman with me is doing weird stuff to me.” He leaned into her, his hands meshing in her hair as he drew her in to kiss her again.