Wolfe Watching by Joan Hohl Read Free Book Online Page B

supple in bed.
    A shiver shot down Eric’s spine. His imagination took flight. He could see Tina, feel her, her arms clinging to his shoulders, her legs clasped around his hips, her body moving sinuously beneath him.
    “Damn.” Cursing the near-painful response of his body, Eric twisted the tap, shutting off the gushing flow of water. A frown drew his brows together as he stepped from the tub onto the bath mat and snatched up a towel.
    Last night, raw hunger for her had begun gnawing at him at the sight of her tempting mouth, so close and yet so far away across the table from him. He had fully intended to pull Tina into his arms and taste her luscious mouth when he escorted her to her front door, and he would have, if he hadn’t noticed the fine tremor in her fingers when he took her keys from her. The impetus to hold her, crush her lips beneath his, had been squashed by the protective feeling that had swamped him. Suddenly certain that Tina was fearful of just such a move on her by him, Eric had backed off, leaving her untouched, unkissed—and, in the process, himself frustrated as hell.
    Tossing the towel in the general direction of the hamper, Eric strode into the small bedroom. The visible physical effects of his erotic speculations had dissipated, but his mind had set on a course of action. He needed to work on calming her fear of him; that might be enjoyable. Then he would feed the beast. Sooner or later, one way or another, he was determined to make a feast of Christina Kranas. The sooner the better.
    A short time later, his hair still damp from the shower, his lean cheeks close-shave shiny, his body subdued and dressed in faded jeans, a washed-out gray sweatshirt and his favorite, if scruffy, running shoes, Eric stood at the stove, whistling through his teeth as he scrambled three eggs in a shallow frying pan.
    When it came to feeding, there were beasts, and then there were beasts. His empty stomach was one of them.
    After finishing the meal, Eric took up his position at the window, dividing his attention between the house across the street and the one containing the beautiful object of his increasing interest and desire.
    Quite like the majority of residents in the community, the couple living in the house across the street were in their middle thirties. Robert Freeman and Dawn Klinger were both well educated and career oriented. Although they had been together for seven years, they had never legally tied the relationship knot. There were no children.
    Which was all rather normal by the prevailing societal standards. Bob Freeman was outgoing, easy to get along with, the type commonly referred to as a nice guy. He was a middle-management employee with a medium-size paper products company located on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Dawn Klinger managed the ladies’-wear department of a local discount store. She was described as a quiet homebody type.
    While still married, Tina and Glen Reber had been close friends of Bob and Dawn. And although Tina had withdrawn somewhat after the divorce, her former husband had maintained the friendship, and continued to visit the couple on a fairly regular basis.
    Again, all rather normal sounding.
    But was it? Eric snorted. He was a veteran of over ten years on the force. He had been around the block, and not just jogging, either. If his hunch, along with the information garnered from one of his informants, was on target, Glen Reber and the couple across the street had deviated from the norm by dabbling in the dangerous business of illegal substances, initially as users, and then as dealers.
    And now the word on the street was that there was going to be a very big deal going down soon in the house across the way. Having met Tina, and now wanting her, Eric hoped like hell that she wasn’t involved in the filthy business. But, either way, he had determined to be there for the payoff.
    It proved to be a long and boring morning. The rain continued to pour from the heavy gray sky.