IMPOSTER - PART EIGHTEEN

PREVIOUSLY

The next few minutes were like a swirling daydream as she felt his fingers unclasp the last article of clothing left on her upper body. As if held in a trance, she was dimly aware of his hands slowly moving over her and directing her down to the soft blanket matted against the fresh earth -- his long, silky hair brushing lightly against her chest. His full, soft mouth parted in a deep breath as he looked down at her, and a pure, white light shone through his dark eyes as he said with deep, unashamed emotion, "I love you, Tea."

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She reached up to touch his soft, fuzzy beard and rubbed her fingers lovingly across it. How I've wanted to touch you, Todd, and know that you wouldn't flinch or shut down in your heart. This is always what I wanted -- to be as close to you as a man and a woman can get. His utterance of love made her remember his proposal to her, and once more she was overwhelmed that he was finally laying bare his heart for her to do with as she chose. Yes, I chose you, Todd Manning -- a man who committed a heinous act of violence against a woman and a man who never would fit into society's mold. Yet, also a man who had paid over and over again for his sin and would always be torn up with hate for himself for what he had done. I always knew who you were, Todd. I saw past all the layers of concealment you manufactured for the world. You couldn't fool me, Todd...and you even tried to get rid of me so that I would never figure you out.
"Todd, I..." she never finished because his lips smothered hers in a kiss -- a kiss that told her he was ready to be with her -- completely. This kiss possessed her and drew her into a world of unreality as she lay there beneath him. As his lips moved titillatingly against hers and explored the soft, rounded curves of her mouth, she seemed to be drowning in every sensation -- the softness of his lips, the warmth of his cheeks brushing against her face, and the pressure of his long body against hers.
His fingers raked through his long hair falling forward on her face, and he rose up slightly to look at her -- his eyes brimming with barely concealed passion. I want to give so much to you, Tea. I want to make you happy.

A tall, dark-eyed, well-dressed man stepped out of his car and slammed the door pointedly as his eyes turned toward the cabin facing him. Several yards away from him were police cruisers with policemen standing ready and armed. A shorter man ambled over to Llanview's police commissioner and spoke casually to his superior.
"Well?" John Sykes said in a sarcastic manner -- waiting for the other man to give information he wanted to hear.
"No dice, sir. He's not here and neither is she. My bet is he hightailed it out of here and is holed up -- hiding on one of these country roads. The nearest town is about twenty miles away." The short, balding man seemed to want to expound his own opinion and continued to speak. "If you ask me, Commissioner, this Manning is about as sly a fox as you can get. He's not about to set himself up for capture any time soon."
"Thank you for your evaluation, Edwards," he said with a mocking, cold smirk on this face. "Let the men know that I want this entire vicinity combed through completely -- and I mean, every single strand of it!"
"Will do, sir!" Edwards said and watched as his boss stepped back into the long, glossy black Lexus. He rolled his eyes upward thinking that he wished he was calling the shots and getting paid the big bucks. Police commissioners have it made!

The couple hidden away in their wooded enclosure did not know anything of what was now taking place in the surrounding countryside. A swarm of police had descended on the cabin retreat -- searching the wooded area extensively by the cabin road. Edwards had given the order for the branch-out into the rural areas nearby, and roadblocks had been set up at several intersections leading toward and away from Llanview. A police van had also arrived wiith reinforcements -- highly trained police dogs. Everything was being put in place to seal in and block the escape of a very dangerous fugitive and his abducted wife.
Sykes picked up his ringing car phone as he drove down the main road on his way to a waiting roadblock.
"Yes?"
"Edwards here again, sir. The FBI just showed up at the cabin. One of them wants to speak with you -- name's Delgado."
Sykes spoke tonelessly into the phone. "Okay, put him on."
A deep, thick-sounding voice with an accent broke into the line. "Commissioner Sykes."
"Delgado. What can I do for you?"
"I see you have cased the cabin thoroughly, Commissioner. I understand from your man, Edwards, that all points have been covered."
"Yes, they're all covered. It appears he's not far from here. We can handle it from here, Delgado."
The voice seemed to purr into the line with a throaty resonance. "Pardon me, Commissioner, but Todd Manning is still at large and comes under the parameters of an FBI search. We aren't going anywhere."
Sykes's eyelids leveled to a slant as he again spoke, but this time with an an unmistakeable edge to his voice.
"This wouldn't have to do with your own personal interest in this case, now would it, Delgado?"
Delgado did not find his inference amusing, but he maintained his composure. "Whether or not I am related to the abductee or not is immaterial at this point, Commissioner. Todd Manning is still classified under FBI investigation and the FBI will be assisting the local authorities until he is found."
Sykes listened and smiled to himself. You can dredge up any jurisdictional B.S. you want, Delgado, but the truth is she's your sister and you'd probably get the President himself to sign the order for you to be here. Not that I blame you. I'd probably do the same, but I don't want this mess to become more of one with outsiders who play by a different set of rules.
"If you want him to be captured in record time, then your people better not ride roughshod over mine," he issued a warning. "I don't want any foul-ups."
Delgado caught his warning but didn't react negatively to the tone of it. He had heard that John Sykes was a tough, no-nonsense commissioner, but he was well respected in certain inner circles of the FBI. He decided that Sykes was a man with whom he could work if he handled him carefully.
"I see no problem with that, Commissioner. I will make sure my men understand this."
"Good!"
"There is one thing I want to have done right away which I'm sure you had planned to do as soon as you got over here and found Manning still missing."
"And just what is that?" Sykes asked with no attempt to veil his sarcasm and waiting for the ax to fall.
"I want you to get a police helicopter out here -- a police helicopter with infra-red equipment. If you don't have it," he said with an apparent knowledge that the Llanview police department didn't, "...we'll supply it for you."

An invisible current of electricity seemed to hang in the night air as Todd Manning stared at his beautiful wife. I want to feel my skin next to yours. I want to feel your softness touching me...do you know what you do to me? You've always wondered, haven't you? Whatever I couldn't express to you before, I want tonight to be the night you have no doubts of my feelings.
He raised his body up from her and slid off the black leather vest that Pete had worn from his shoulders. Throwing it carelessly to the side, his fingers began unbuttoning the buttons on the silk shirt hanging loosely on his body. He methodically released the buttons -- working his way down the shirt, but her low, quiet voice interrupted him.
"Slower...please."
Todd's eyes glowed with a new awareness of his wife and what she wanted. A silent exchange passed between them as he assented to her wish. With calculated slowness, his fingers moved down to each button. As he lifted the shirt over his broad shoulders, he paused and watched her expression change. Her eyes lit up in appreciation as he continued to remove the shirt.
Tea hungrily took in every aspect of his lean, well-formed shape. She had been deprived of seeing him except as the alter, Pete. Then the association of his body with the evil intent of the alter had prevented her from taking pleasure in what she saw. Now she knew that he was her Todd, and his body was being offered to her -- to look at and touch. He leaned forward and seemed to know that she wanted to look more closely at him. Her eyes roved over his taut, muscular chest and she reached up and passed her hand slowly across his flesh. Each of her fingers tingled as she felt the smooth, rigid musculature of his body. Oh, querido, you are so beautiful -- I can't wait to see all of you.
For a moment all he wanted to do was look at her and appreciate how feminine and soft she looked lying against the blanket. Never had he felt so much like a man -- a man who would be able to give pleasure and fulfill the needs of his wife. There had always been a feeling within him that his past abuse had scarred more than just his face. There were sexual issues that hadn't gone away -- no matter what he had done to put them out of his mind. The splitting of his soul into alters had diminished him in so many ways -- threatening his abilities at every turn. Sometimes he had clung to anything he could to keep from going completely mad. Revenge had been one of his greatest motivations. He had used it as a means to justify himself and to make himself feel as if he even belonged in the world. It had kept him going -- until her.
As her fingers roamed across his chest, the sensation of her touching and exploring him had such a powerful effect on him that he grabbed her fingers without thinking and pressed them to his lips -- taking one of her fingers and drawing it into the moist recess of his mouth.
Tea shuddered with desire as she felt the warm, wetness of his mouth against her skin. Seconds later everything seemed to blur around her into a muted background of watercolor images as his passion consumed him and his eyes burned into hers with an intensity which she had seen only when he was very angry. Looking at the raw power emanating from his dark eyes, her entire body shuddered again as she saw the strangely frightening and intensely sexual nature of Todd Manning emerge. She knew instinctively that this well-hidden side had been subdued and brought under control by him with great effort and for a very long time. This was the side that had fallen victim to the manipulation of a sadistic alter named Pete who had raped a woman. Yet, for some reason, she wasn't afraid anymore. I am seeing all of you, Todd, and I can handle this.
Todd's nostrils flared as he fought to control the raging tempest within him. As he watched her eyes held captive by the fury in his own eyes, he struggled to push out what he had considered an unacceptable, animalistic part of his sexuality. I didn't want this, Tea...I didn't want you to see me like this right away. You will want gentleness and tenderness -- not this!
So Todd, this is where Pete is hiding, isn't he? You said he'd been integrated, and I wondered where he went. In what part of your soul does he reside? I think I know now. I've found him and you have to let me see him. I am in love with all of you, Todd Manning, and I want to know everything -- not just what you decide to show me. He's not a separate alter anymore, but he cannot be ignored or you will never really be a whole man. Let me see him!
Todd's body stiffened with the effort of his inner battle to keep his secrets from her, but she reached up with her arms and pulled hard on his neck -- looking up at him with eyes full of detemination and tilting her chin upwards in defiance as she had done so many times before.
"I want everything, Todd...I am strong, and I'm not afraid...I want all of you!"
The total acceptance of him in her fiery, exciting eyes, and the fierce, unyielding demand in her voice catapulted him into a sea of fire as he lowered his body to hers and unleashed the full measure of the passion he had carefully locked up in a self-imposed prison. There's no turning back now, Tea. I can't stop this! You're going to see the man underneath the one I show to the world -- the real Todd Manning!

~ TO BE CONTINUED ~