A Duel with Death Read online

  He discarded the stemmed end, and fed her another one. Sharing the dessert in the darkness made the experience even sweeter. They talked in hushed tones.

  The lovemaking that followed was slow and languid, like melted chocolate dripped on a hot body. When he explored the mark from the surgery on the side of her breast, he paid extra special attention to each curve of the scar. It was her battle wound in her fight against the disease. Johnny rubbed a strawberry over her areola, licked the length, and rolled her erect nipples between his fingers. She arched into his touch, begging for more by the moans she made.

  Moving down her body, he ran his tongue along Carmen’s abdomen. She possessed the perfect amount of softness that showed she stayed in shape, but didn’t go overboard.

  “Gorgeous. For a woman who sits behind a desk every day, how do you stay so fit?”

  “I run and swim. There’s nothing better than jogging on the warm sand and then diving into the ocean to cool off.”

  Chills, a premonition, or residual from the dream, came back to him. He shook off the feeling of dread, resolved to stay in the here and now. She wanted this night, and he wouldn’t ruin it for her by focusing on the negative.

  He shifted position and rolled her to her side then settled behind her, his cock between her thighs. She was so wet, it would be so easy to slip inside. Instead, he teased her soft folds, dipping a few fingers in, circling her clit, repeating the soft strokes until she trembled beneath his ministrations.

  She grabbed a condom off the side table, placed it on him. and moved until he was between her legs. Johnny closed his eyes, taking in the sensation of her stroking his cock, and being enveloped. She held onto it, angled her ass back, and guided him into her slick pussy. Once he was nestled inside, they moved in unison, rocking back and forth. He reached over her hip and continued to tease her sex while pumping from behind.

  Carmen tilted her head back and kissed him, their tongues tangling. Passion ratcheted, and the closer his orgasm approached, the closer he came to losing control of his emotions.

  Which one of them needed each other the most? She’d been looking for an escape from the nightmare of day-to-day life, and Johnny needed a kick in the ass from his own waking nightmares. With so much darkness hanging over his head, no wonder Death had found him.

  Their bodies burned so hot from the friction. He closed his eyes, lost in the pleasures of the flesh, and the climax overtook him.

  His heart burst free, bulldozing a path toward love. “Come with me Carmen,” he coaxed. “Let me feel you come around me.”

  Quick, quick, slow, slow, he circled, rubbing her clit until she stilled then shattered in spasms. Her mouth opened against his, and she Oooh, ooh, ooohed with her release.

  “Thank you. That was unforgettable,” she said, snuggling against him.

  She fell asleep, his cock still tucked inside her. Johnny stayed awake, standing guard over the powers that wanted to take her away. Although she remained ever-positive, he knew better; life sometimes rolls over and lets the opponent win. But comfort and post-sex hormones melted his resolve, and he drifted off.

  Chapter Six

  “Johnny, concentrate, my boy. You can break this bond with Death.”

  “Dad?” Johnny sat, as a child sitting on his father’s lap, both of them squeezed into the ugly, old flowered recliner in his mom’s living room. The man’s arm supported his back, and his deep baritone voice read the story of Where the Wild Things Are. When he got to spooky parts, he lifted his opposite arm and made shadow puppets on the wall.

  “I don’t understand what you’re doing here.”

  “You’re in my realm, now,” his father explained. “And I’m going to do whatever I can to help you.”

  Confusion pounded Johnny, as well as heartache at the loss of his father, who he’d tried so hard to live without, to forget about, and didn’t need. Why now?

  His dad looked how Johnny remembered. My psyche must be pulling from fond memories. The shadow of Death faded to the background, but an itch along Johnny’s spine told him he watched and waited.

  His pride flared. “Who says I need your help when you deserted me and Mamá so long ago?”

  His father reached a hand out, caressing the side of Johnny’s face. “My boy. You gotta know I never would leave you alone. I might not have been the best man, but I was never a deadbeat dad.” The phrase he’d used more than once.

  “But you left and never came back.” The minute the accusation left his mouth, his mind supplied the answer. If his father was here, in this world, did that mean he’d died? As if he knew Johnny understood, the man nodded.

  “That’s right. I took a job a few hours away and I was killed in a fight over something stupid. Stabbed in the gut.” He pressed a hand to his belly. “I would have done anything not to lose you, and I’m sorry I couldn’t be there as you grew up. But, look at you now. So handsome and strong. Quite the man you’ve turned into.”

  Johnny’s gut churned as he tried to make sense of the revision of his life. “Have you been watching me all this time?”

  “No. I moved on, but when you came here, into my dimension, recently, I felt you and knew I had to see you.”

  Johnny looked around, not seeing anything of the “realm” his father talked about. A red hazy world? “Where are we?”

  “Right now, we’re in the in-between. Neither alive, nor dead. We must move quickly now. No more chatting. We have no time to lose. Before it’s too late for your lady friend.”

  Carmen and her battle with cancer….was that what the whacked-out dreams were about? But, he’d started having them before he’d met her, before he knew about her or her illness. How could that be possible? Unless…?

  “Unless, this isn’t a dream,” his father said. “Unless, the reality is that you need to fight for your woman’s life. Her future depends upon you, and as you might already know, she’s worth fighting for.”

  Hell, yes, she is. “What can I do?”

  “When the time comes, you will know. You will be prepared, and I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

  Before he realized what was happening, his father stepped forward and embraced Johnny. “You’ve made me proud. Don’t let what happened with me taint your happiness.”

  With a final kiss on Johnny’s forehead, he disappeared, leaving him clinging to nothing but smoke. His heart, though, remained filled with love. He awoke, startled, gasping, but with the warmth of a loving woman beside him.

  Death would put up a fight and Johnny would be ready for it.

  ***

  “It’s gotta be good news if it was mailed, right?” Johnny asked, as they strolled on the beach.

  “Well, I requested contact this way. But, yes, most often they’ll call if it’s something else. I didn’t want the cancer to control my life. I get to make the decision on when to open the envelope, and first I wanted this weekend.”

  “Maybe we should light a bonfire and burn it.” He held her hand, rubbing his thumb over her soft skin. “Do you ever think it’s better not to know?”

  “Sometimes….” Carmen gazed out over the sea, the light playing with the specks of color in her eyes. “But now I have some something more to live for.”

  With a deliberate, slow gaze, she looked at him, from his feet, to his crotch, and finally meeting his eyes. Oh, hell yes, he knew what she meant by wanting the weekend first. And, for sure, they had made some good memories. Lasting ones. He hoped for more of the same.

  She slid her finger under the lip of the envelope and ripped the seal. Unfolding the letter, she read it to herself first.

  He watched her face for signs of the news. Positive or negative? Tears slipped down her cheeks after she finished reading, and the light caught them, casting sparkles. He held his breath, wanting to ask, but ready to give her the necessary time to process whatever was in the letter.

  “I got a clean bill of health,” she breathed, then did a little two-step in the sand.

  “Wh
at?” Without stopping to think, Johnny swung her around in a full circle until her dress billowed. “Tell me. What did the doctor say?”

  “I’m in remission. They got the cancer. The treatment worked. He wants me to come back every six months for testing, but….” Carmen shrugged. “I can’t believe it and I think it has everything to do with you. With us.”

  She felt so right in his arms. “It’s a miracle,” he said.

  “Well, not sure I’d call it a miracle, but almost. I’m one of the lucky ones. I beat it. Not everyone responds the same way.”

  “No matter what you call it, I’m lucky to have you, and for a very long time, it sounds like.”

  She raised on her tiptoes and kissed him, tickling his lower lip with her tongue. Happiness and a sense of hope built before they burst, shooting through the darkest depth of his spirit.

  “I can’t wait for my mom to meet you.” The moment he said it, he knew it was true. His mother might be the same person she’d always been, but he saw her differently now. He didn’t have to agree with all of her choices, but he shouldn’t cut her out of his life.

  Carmen squealed. “Do you mean it?”

  With a nod, he dipped down for another kiss. Clouds drifted overhead, covering the sun and casting shadows. She shivered and Johnny ran his hands along her bare skin, trying to warm her. He couldn’t be too careful with her.

  “Why don’t we get you covered?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. Now? I don’t need to be careful anymore. I’m not going to die. Don’t you understand? I’m going to live!”

  She danced away from his embrace and gazed at the ocean. The sun kissed the horizon, its fiery light casting brilliant colors over the waves. Right when he was going to grab her in another hug, she looked over her shoulder, gave him a wicked smile, and stepped out of her dress. He had only a moment to take in the beauty of her in the one-piece swimsuit, and then she ran into the water. She dove into the next wave and his stomach clenched. How he hated the strength of the ocean.

  “Watch out!” he yelled.

  She laughed off his warning and waved. Behind her, another swell approached.

  “Behind you!”

  Flashing a smile, she turned to push farther and got smacked down. He winced at the impact. Her feet stuck out of the water and he imagined her being swallowed within the belly of the salty wave-beast and sucked into the sea.

  “Carmen!”

  Her arm flung out next.

  The unrelenting surf pummeled her. Johnny ran, kicking sand behind him, and swore an ominous chuckle floated along the killer wave. He hadn’t anted for this game. The stakes were too high. Still, the hand had been played, and he was losing.

  Water swirled around his ankles, caressing his skin, and the sea foam beckoned. Taking another step, his foot landed full force on a sharp bit of shell. He yelled, hopping and holding his foot, blood streaming into the water.

  Hell. The salt water stung twice as much as the cut and he bit back the pain then lunged forward, swimming out to Carmen. Looping his arm under hers, he dragged her toward the shore’s safety.

  “Come on, Carmen. Hold on. We’re almost there.” He laid her out on the blanket. So cold. Her lips were blue. She wasn’t breathing, and he couldn’t find a pulse. Gently, he opened her mouth, and checked for any obstructions. Routinely certified in CPR in case anything happened at the hotel, he could do this. He could save her.

  He started compressions, and called out for help. He cursed that they’d left their cell phones in his apartment. His tears splashed in her hair. He’d waited so long to be open to love and it wasn’t fair to be cheated by Death.

  Death didn’t need her love. He did.

  In such a short amount of time, she’d touched him like no one else. The way laughter lit her eyes and danced across the room. Her appreciation of feta fries, of fresh strawberries, had given him a newfound joy in life.

  He stopped and checked for a pulse. Laid his ear close to her mouth, brushed back her hair, memorizing the arch of her widow’s peak and the curve of her top lip. The lines on her face smoothed out, and her skin took on an ashen tone.

  “No!” He cursed Death. “Goddamn it, you cannot have her. She’s mine. She’s mine!”

  Chapter Seven

  The world twirled, sending her into somersaults. What had she been thinking? She’d never been a first-class swimmer. Never turn your back on Mother Nature. She’s always unpredictable and can kick you in the ass.

  Carmen tried to swim toward the surface, but it took too long and her lungs began to burn. Her eyes begged her to close them from the harsh saltwater. It flooded her mouth and she gagged then inhaled. She made one last effort to reach the surface, her arm hitting the air, but it wasn’t enough. Giving in, she shut her eyes, and sank. With the air in her lungs exhausted, her world turned red.

  A brilliant light flashed, so bright, she cringed at the assault. She stood in a shadowless white room. Memories of tumbling in the ocean came to her and she gasped and looked down, expecting to be standing in a puddle of water. Dry. Head-to-toe dry. She took a deep breath. Never again would she take for granted the simple act of being able to draw air into her lungs.

  What happened? And where was she? Johnny…had he left her? She searched the room, looking for answers and a way out. No windows or doors. Perhaps she was dreaming, or even worse, in a coma. Her mind had to be more creative than that, though.

  A sound like a suction cup popping off the wall broke the silence, and a door on the opposite side of the room opened. In stole a tall, lanky male figure, dressed in gray. Nothing discernable about his characteristics, and if she saw him on the street, she wouldn’t think twice. In fact, she’d never remember him. But she recognized him from somewhere. And there, alone, in the room of white, she’d never forget him.

  His floor-length robes flowed and a hood covered his head and most of his face. He had a shadowed jaw, and a cruel slash of lips.

  “Good for you to join us, Ms. Sanchez.”

  “You have the advantage. You know me. Who are you?”

  “Oh, you would know me by many names. It’s doesn’t matter who I am. It’s more about what I do.”

  His voice. The shadow. Flashes from her nightmares returned.

  “What do you do?” Her throat tightened with fear. Am I awake? Am I alive? I don’t understand what’s happening.

  “I bring death. And you, young lady, have been fighting me for a long time.”

  Sadness filled her. She’d been so close. Hope for a future seeped away, leaving her empty. “But the paper from my doctor…he said I was fine.”

  “Oh, you’re healthy. That doesn’t mean I can’t find another way to take you. Don’t feel bad. For me, it’s a matter of numbers and keeping people in the appropriate boxes. You, your determination, your drive, your will. Valiant effort. You don’t play it safe, and that’s your downfall.”

  His thin wrists escaped from the oversized sleeves, and he clapped slowly, his fingers long and bony. What type of shadow would he cast? That claw-like hand reaching out for the unsuspecting? She shuddered. There were worse things than what haunted a person’s dreams.

  “I don’t want to go. I’ve found someone. I want to spend time with him.”

  “My dear, don’t you think it’s a bit too late? You’ve never expressed a desire for love before.”

  “How would you know that?” Fury raged in her. He had no right to critique her desires.

  “I know things.”

  “Really? So what are you? Some sort of grim reaper or something?”

  “Or something. Did you ever read Stephen King’s Insomnia?”

  What did her reading history have to do with death? That book, though, covered several types of death. “Yes. What are you saying? That’s you?”

  “Just the descriptions. I liked the way he portrayed Death via Purpose or Random. Your battle with cancer would have fallen under Purpose. So young. So beautiful. So vibrant. You would act as a role model fo
r others. A teaching experience.”

  He moved as if to touch her and she stepped back. She had the impression one tap from him and she’d be dead. There would be no other choice. No coming back.

  “And now?”

  “Now, you’re Random. So bittersweet. She fights the disease and finds love, only to die while swimming in the sea, like those newlyweds who die in an accident on their wedding day.” His gravelly voice scratched her psyche. The longer she spent with him, the more her will to fight leaked away. “And your beau, Johnny? Oh, he’s going to give up on love, now.”

  “No! You can’t do that to him.”

  “Watch me.”

  Determination kicked in. She’d come so far, no way in hell she was acquiescing.

  A man appeared in the room then, iridescent, the light emanating from his soul casting everything in a pink glow.

  “You don’t belong here, Interloper,” Death said. “Leave before you lose yourself.”

  “You can’t hurt me, for I fight for the greater good. Carmen, you must return. Johnny’s waiting for you.”

  The face of the man gazing at her looked much like her lover. “I see it,” she said. “I feel it. You’re his father.”

  “Yes. All I want is his happiness and yours.”

  Death snorted. “Happiness. As if that’ll get you far.”

  “It’s all I’ve ever wanted,” Carmen said. “I’m not ready to go. I don’t think you can hurt me.” The realm faded, and everything grew whiter and brighter. “If I’m happy, I have everything. I want to go back.”

  “Say hello to my boy for me,” was the last thing she heard.

  ***

  Johnny grabbed one of the towels they’d brought, bunched it under her head, and stood, then shook a fist toward the sky at the being he now doubted existed who hadn’t listened to his prayers. Maybe he would listen to his curses.

  “She doesn’t deserve this crap. You know how special she is. Let her live!”

  Without much hope, but a whole lot of determination, he knelt and pushed down on her chest, counting compressions. He pinched her nose and blew his will—along with air—into her lungs. What he would give to feel the warmth of her lips. Her soft skin.