Author: Dale Wiley
Category: Thriller
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/dale-wiley/page,10,457982-southern_gothic.html
“I thought you could show me around a little bit. We spent way too much time at dinner talking about me. I have better manners than that. I want to know all about you.”
She didn’t answer for a second.
They strolled away from the river and through the heart of the market. Their walking developed a rhythm over the rough cobblestones.
She squeezed his hand.
He prompted her again. “Meredith?”
She sighed. “Oh, you know. Living out part of my dream with the bookstore but, at the same time, trying to get my feet back under me after my divorce. Sometimes, it feels like the loss from it is greater than anything I can accomplish; other times, I feel like I own the world—or at least Savannah. I always wanted to write about the contradictions women live with—how all the you go, girl stuff coexists with the sad and twisted things we’re taught about ourselves and how we believe it.”
“You should write about it.”
Meredith heard the hint of boredom in his voice.
“I’m hoping this whole experience will let you open yourself to being a more creative being.”
Occasionally, the trees dripped a leftover raindrop on the back of her neck. The clouds parted, and she could see the moon break through—the final piece of a perfect dream.
He seemed to read her mind and used her hand to turn her toward him like an experienced dancer leading his partner. His face lit by the moonlight, she could see the need in his eyes, and she knew he recognized the same in hers. He took his right hand and cradled her cheek, leaned in, and kissed her. She put her hand on his chest and wrapped her other arm around his waist. It was a tender kiss, different than the one at the bar, one that had been evolving over the decades. She drew back to see what he was thinking. His eyes were still closed. She wanted to reach up again, feel his lips on hers again, but he smiled and took her hand, and they continued walking.
Suddenly, Michael stopped her. “I was really interested in your library. I didn’t get to look around much. Could you give me a guided tour?”—a line from his book Cecelia, which led to a sexy scene between the two main characters. He let a grin catch the corner of his mouth.
Meredith returned a knowing smile. “I thought you’d never ask, Mr. Havens.” She squeezed his hand, sure she just passed yet another test, and the two walked back to her place.
RED RIBBON
Chapter Twenty-One
We fell asleep in a lovers’ embrace after that surprising and poignant afternoon. It awoke feelings in me I was sure the winter had crushed. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe my wife had returned. We had met each other’s energy and desire, and then we landed exhausted in each other’s arms.
When I awoke, I gently moved my arm from underneath Leah’s head. She was still asleep, her face serene. I was reluctant to look out the window, not knowing how to fix it, not wanting to short-change Leah even though she had often done that to me. I hoped for a return to normal. I hoped she would be gone for the moment and allow me my dream, but Catherine stood outside, staring up at my window. There were tears streaming down her face. Where I expected anger, there was only sadness.
I quietly ran downstairs. I had to explain. I was done with Leah. I had lost control, succumbed to habit.
By the time I reached the porch, she was gone, running down the road. For fear of waking Leah, I didn’t call to her; instead I watched my lover go, the red ribbon bouncing in her hair.
It felt like hours that I sat frozen in that spot on the porch, the sun gently setting, illuminating the yard in yellows and oranges. The light reminded me of our first day walking the place. My heart broke for the millionth time since I had arrived. When Catherine left, I heard something I had never heard before—a low, constant moaning noise. Perhaps it was there before, but I never noticed it. Now, the low and steady cries were all I heard. The temperature dropped, but I didn’t move, transfixed by the sorrowful sound. I betrayed two women yet again that day. I heard her crying for hours that night, long after I came in the house and shut the natural world out. Even after I returned to bed, the moonlight grazing Leah’s shoulder as she slept, I could still hear it. It seemed to get louder the closer I was to my wife.
Chapter 26
They made it back to her house, somehow still fully clothed.
Inside, as soon as the door closed, they met again. Meredith pulled him to her and lost herself in the kissing. His breath felt hot on her neck, her breasts, her back. Michael unzipped her dress and in one motion undid the clasp of her bra. She made small, yearning sounds as he kissed her again. Then he turned his attention to her neck. She focused as much as possible, trying to enjoy every sliver of this dreamy night. Instead of thinking about what she wished he was doing, as she would have with Lance, she concentrated on how incredible she felt and savored this perfect moment: the way his teeth nibbled her neck, the way his hair brushed across her cheek, the roughness of his hands on her breasts. This man sensed her longing and matched her feelings. He could deftly and confidently make love to her the way she had known only through the pages of books.
She tore at his shirt with a surprising violence, sending buttons flying across the floor. He took her hands and pushed her against the wall, held on, and then kissed her in that spot, biting her lip harder and harder until she moved her head back and came back at him.
She wrenched her hands away and put her palms on his chest. “Take me upstairs—now.”
He kissed her again at the top of the stairs, his hand reaching down and touching between her legs. She didn’t resist. She merely met his eyes and motioned to the room just ahead. He pushed her onto the bed and began to push her dress above her. He kissed her again, hard, and took a second to look at her. Under his gaze, Meredith felt beautiful, sexy, and complete. Yet never before had a man’s look so completely disarmed her. She took his hand and moved it to her breast, her nipple tingling through the fabric of her dress. The way he touched her assured her she didn’t need to worry about him. He was her hero, and he was about to become her lover.
“Can I suggest something you may find odd?” he asked.
She nodded, although she didn’t want to.
He started taking off his clothes, and after a beat, she did the same. He climbed onto the bed and crossed his legs into a lotus position.
“Here, sit on top of me like this.” He moved her so her legs sat on top of his. “Come here close.” He maneuvered them so their foreheads touched. He took her hand and placed it on his chest, on top of where his heart lay. Then he placed his palm in the same place on her, over her heart. “This is a third eye kiss. It connects us—our heads, our hearts, and our bodies.”
She looked deep into his eyes, her breathing slowing to match his, her body calming with every deep breath. This felt so much more intimate than sex. She noticed the way her entire body began to feel the difference. She still longed for his body, but she felt the exercise left other parts of her open. She could imagine a deeper relationship with this man—one she desperately wanted.
“We’re exchanging energy. It’s a powerful thing. It’s not something—”
She cut him off. “I want you to take me,” she said. “I can’t wait any longer.”
“Completely?”
“Completely.”
He eased her off of him and laid her gently on the bed. The moonlight from the window rested softly on her cheeks.
She wanted the moment to extend forever.
He inched down the bed until his head was between her legs. He looked up at her, and their eyes met.
Then she grasped for the sheets.
He had her.
Completely.
RED RIBBON
Chapter Twenty-Five
Oh God. Not again.
Just as I had gotten used to Leah being back—not quite insane but still sucking my joy away moment by moment—and as I lay so close to drifting off in dreams, I heard her. Outside. Yelling.
I wearily rose and walked to the door. I rubbed my eyes a
nd opened them. There, down the path, silhouetted by the moon, I saw Leah.
“I have her!” She screamed at me.
“What are you talking about?” I yelled back. It felt odd even though no one was around.
“Your homewrecker!”
I wanted to scream at her, tell her she was the one who had wrecked our home, but like so many other times, I kept quiet.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your little whore. Catherine I guess is her name.”
I wanted to cut out her tongue for breathing my Catherine’s sacred name. I threw on a pair of pajama pants and the flip-flops I kept by the door. I was thankful for the moonlight as it made it easier to navigate in the night. The crickets and the frogs were unperturbed and filled the air with nighttime sounds.
I started moving toward her. I couldn’t see Catherine but couldn’t take a chance.
“Leah? What’s wrong, honey?”
“Don’t try to lie to me anymore. She comes into my head and tells me what you’re doing.”
Was that true? It couldn’t be. I felt sick.
Leah was enjoying my attention, which I have to admit I regularly withheld. She was ahead of me, half-running, half-dancing, leading me down the hill, away from the house and into what now seemed like her domain.
The moonlight was bright and summer was approaching. I noticed how the light seemed to lay on top of the trees. Had she done something to Catherine? Oh please, God, no.
“Leah? This makes no sense.”
“And you aren’t responding to my accusations!” she said as she danced on ahead. Her voice seemed eerie and free. She was beginning to unnerve me.
She moved behind an old tree, big enough to hide her small body completely behind it. She didn’t reappear.
“Come ... here!” she said.
I still couldn’t see her. “Leah? This is madness. Is everything okay?”
“Come ... here.”
I walked down the path cautiously, searching through the trees for where she might have gone. “Leah?”
I heard the step from behind a moment too late. I turned to face her when I felt a blow to the back of my head. I hit the ground and was out cold.
Chapter 27
At 7:30 the next morning, she awoke, her head on his chest, light flooding through the window. Meredith decided not to play coy. She kissed his neck and put her hands between his legs. She toyed with him, slowly at first, and then looked up at him.
“I’m older than you, you know.” He grinned.
“Well, I can stop any time. Just let me know.”
“Don’t stop,” he said as he closed his eyes.
She played with him for several minutes until he turned the tables and buried his head beneath the sheets.
“I’m not used to this much attention.”
“Lance didn’t know how to do this?”
“I really don’t want to think about Lance right now.” She pushed his head down harder.
* * *
Michael went back to sleep, but Meredith felt restless. Wide awake, she practically pranced through the bedroom totally nude, something she never did. She felt warm inside and out. She wanted him to join her, maybe have an early breakfast or go for a walk down River Street holding hands. Then reality hit again. She wanted to show him off, bring him everywhere with her, but she knew she had to keep him a secret.
She finally returned to bed, cuddling against him while he dozed. Finally, she couldn’t wait any longer. “What are you thinking about?”
“Did you finish the book?”
She shook her head. “I told you I didn’t. Don’t you remember?”
“I was preoccupied with other things last night.”
“I almost forgot how badly I wanted to read it—if you’re done treating me with sexual favors, that is.”
“Enjoy it. Get back to it,” he said. “Maybe I’ll take a long bath in the tub I saw in there—if it’s okay with you, of course.” He motioned to the master bath.
Meredith smiled so wide it felt like her face might break. “Sounds great.”
Michael walked naked to the bathroom.
When she heard the water start running, she grabbed the manuscript on the bedside table and headed back to the story.
RED RIBBON
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When I awoke, Leah stood over me like Florence Nightingale. Matt and Penelope were there as well.
Matt smiled. He was trying too hard. I wondered what she had told them. “That’ll teach you not to go out in the middle of the night with damn flip flops on.”
I hadn’t seen Matt for months. What was this all about? My mind was molasses, but I remembered it slowly. The accusations. The chase. Now why was Leah smiling and cooing and acting like I was the one who needed help?
I wanted to say something but held back. I didn’t know Matt well enough to tell him this crazy story. I was learning I didn’t know any of these people. What had Leah done with Catherine?
“Catherine,” I said, not caring who heard.
“Who’s Catherine?” Penelope asked, perplexed.
“He means me.” Leah beamed. “My middle name is Catherine.”
Of course, it wasn’t.
I glared a hole right through her.
She stared at me, not giving an inch. “Now let me give you some medicine,” she said softly. “You need to go back to sleep.”
My head pounded. I knew I shouldn’t take it, but I did. And it put me out immediately.
Chapter 28
She had nearly finished the book. Michael could wait a while longer. She needed to question herself, make sure her motives were right for following through with this.
Meredith had a great life. She had a great house. She enjoyed her job. She made good money. Hell, she attracted her very own hero into her bed.
Was it crazy to throw it all away for Red Ribbon?
Maybe.
The rational part of her brain reminded her of the creepy way Michael came into her life. What people said about him and his relationships. What he would likely be charged with if he reemerged. She tried to recreate the moment she saw her own number on the caller ID.
But every time those concerns settled in her mind, her yearning to be a writer drowned them out. She thought of the hours and days and months she spent dreaming of what she held in her hands. She thought of last night and the space they shared. The tender way he held her body, the feel of his tongue on her most intimate spaces. The way she felt this morning, alive on every level. Powerful, sexy, smart.
If Meredith had wanted to play it safe, she never should have read the book. She knew what she was doing, and she knew what she wanted. Her thighs quivered with thoughts of last night’s loving. She felt alive again.
RED RIBBON
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The first couple of days, I took the pills. By the way I felt afterwards, I assumed they were heavy sedatives, but I didn’t mind the constant sleep, and I needed the rest. I didn’t know exactly what had happened in the woods, but I knew enough to know I couldn’t lay down forever.
On the fourth day, when she had begun to assume I didn’t understand her role in all of this, I tucked the pill under my tongue, and when she left, I flushed it down the toilet. That afternoon, I almost wished I hadn’t as the pain from the back of my head came back. But I was thankful for the ability to think again.
It was another vibrant summer night, laced with the smells and sounds of the Georgia forest, when I saw her again on the lawn as the sun began to set. She laid out candles on the ground in a circle, talking to herself.
She arranged the candles systematically, lighting them after the last preparations were made. She looked back toward the house once, and I wondered if there was someone else around, maybe the person who had put the gash in my head. I stood by the window, trying to hide and still see what was going on.
I needed to get closer. I needed to hear what she was saying.
Before I ha
d a chance to put on my shoes, I saw her blow out the candles and head back for the house. Had I spooked her? I quickly jumped back in bed and clamped my eyes shut, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
I could hear her. She made small noises, repetitive clicks and trills that made me think she was talking backwards. The sounds scraped against my skull and filled my whole body with dread.
I still had my eyes closed when I sensed she was back in the room. I could only imagine what it would be this time. She waved something over my face, and I didn’t move. She did it one more time for good measure. When she was satisfied I wasn’t going to wake, she whispered. It was not my wife’s voice, and yet it was.
“Two more days. Then they’ll be here. Two more days.”
She noticed I wasn’t stirring, so she said it again. Just a little louder, gloating this time. “Two more days.”
Chapter 29
Michael sat in the tub. He had found a Raymond Chandler novel in a corner of Meredith’s library. He noticed it the first time he made one of his visits into her home, but now he could spend some time with it. He had read it half a dozen times, but in each read, he found something new. The Long Goodbye was about as good of a book as you could find in his estimation. He wondered if she had picked it up after the piece he had written about it for Harper’s many years ago. Of course, she was more well-read than most, so he couldn’t guarantee it, but it seemed like a good bet to him.
He wondered when she would finish Red Ribbon. Would she immediately make the connection? He figured she would; she was a smart cookie. She was a worthy inclusion into his life. He hoped she would understand just how much he was going to mean to her. She would have to let him come and go and let him surprise her from time to time. His current status meant he couldn’t be tied down in any traditional way, and he hoped she could see the freedom that meant for her. She didn’t need to know just yet about how all this tied together; he had the plan, and for it to work, he would have to explain it as time went on.