Desperate (Cunningham Security Series Book 3)

by A. K. Evans

  “You know that I’ve always been a reader, but it dawned on me tonight how reading has impacted my life. When I was younger, and I read, I thought it was an escape from my life and my situation. Now that I’m older, I see it for what it really was. Reading only took me farther into my life. It showed me the reality of my own and what I didn’t have.”

  “Money and things aren’t everything,” he declared.

  I took in a deep breath and blew it out. “I know that, but love and a sense of belonging are. And I didn’t have that. I’ve never had that from anyone other than Ms. Grace. You have the most amazing family. Seeing you and all of them today just showed me how much I missed out on. I’m not feeling sorry for myself; I’m just really happy you’ve had that in your life.”

  Dom’s arms tightened around me. “I am, too.”

  “I do wish, though, that I had someone in mine. I had it briefly with Ms. Grace, but then it was just loneliness. I would have given anything to not have to feel that.”

  “You’ve got me now, sugar.”

  The moment I heard him say those words, I felt myself melt farther into him. I pressed a kiss to his chest and whispered, “I know, baby. I’m trying to get used to this feeling.”

  “Take all the time you need; I’m not going anywhere.”

  I gave Dom another kiss. My hands began roaming over him and I made it very clear what I needed from him. Seconds later, he took over and made it so I didn’t regret missing the chance to visit with his friends.

  “I just got in my car,” I said to Dom as I held my phone between my ear and shoulder. I was sliding my hands back and forth trying to warm them while I waited for my car to heat up.

  “Okay. I’m finishing up a few things here at the office and then I’ll be leaving,” he replied. “I’ll meet you at my place. I should be there not too long after you get there.”

  “Alright. I’m going to take a shower when I get there and then I’ll start something for dinner.”

  “Sounds good. See you soon.”

  Dom and I disconnected. The temperature gauge on my dash had barely moved and I was freezing. I couldn’t wait to get in Dom’s shower and warm up. I put the car in drive and pulled out of the lot.

  It was just after four o’clock on Monday and I was getting my first day off since Thanksgiving. This was one of those oddball years that had five Thursdays in November instead of the usual four, which was precisely why I worked at the diner today instead of having my first day at the library. The days that followed the holiday were incredibly busy at the diner. I worked all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I was in early today for another shift but thankfully was done for the next day and a half. I didn’t have to go back to work until Wednesday afternoon, and then I’d just need to work every day until Saturday. My last shift at the diner was scheduled to start on Saturday morning and end just before the lunch shift. Then, I’d start my new job next Monday. I couldn’t wait.

  Not long after I got off the phone with Dom, I was pulling into his driveway. When I got out of the car, I was surprised to see George, one of my regulars from the diner, walking by.

  “George?” I called. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hey, Ekko. I’m just out for a little exercise. I live in the neighborhood, a couple doors down,” he answered as he pointed in the opposite direction. He took a minute to think and his expression changed. “Do you live here?”

  I shook my head. “No. My boyfriend lives here. It’s date night, I guess you could say. I missed seeing you this week since we were closed on Thursday.”

  He held his hands up and waved them in front of his chest. “I do not go out in this holiday shopping madness. More often than not, I’m a grumpy old man. Dealing with droves of holiday shoppers and the hustle and bustle of the season is more than this cranky man can handle.”

  I offered a friendly smile and urged, “Well I hope you’ll stop in this week because it’s my last week at the diner.”

  “No kidding?”

  “I got a new job at the Windsor Public Library. I start next Monday,” I explained.

  George let out a chuckle and said, “I stop in to the library every now and then. I’ll still see you around occasionally.”

  A shiver ran through me the longer I stood in the cold. “That’s perfect. I’ve been a bit bummed that I won’t see my co-workers and regulars at the diner anymore, so I’m happy to hear I’ll still be able to see you.”

  He offered a friendly smile in return.

  “I better go in and you better get home. It’s so cold out here.”

  “And it’s only going to get colder,” George added as he gave me a nod and took off down the sidewalk.

  I grabbed my bags out of my car and ran inside to get out of the cold.

  Once inside, I wasted no time in moving up the stairs to take a shower. I hopped in and did my business quickly, but stood there enjoying the warmth from the water. After giving myself ample time, and finally having the feeling back in my limbs, I turned off the water and got out.

  Just as I wrapped the towel around me, I heard a knock on the bathroom door followed by Dom’s voice, “Ekko?”

  It startled me, but I recovered and answered, “Yeah?”

  Dom didn’t respond. Instead, he opened the door and came inside.

  “Hey, baby,” I greeted him, sliding my hands up his chest and around his neck.

  Dom wrapped his arms around my waist, pulled me close, and kissed me. “Missed you, sugar,” he shared when he pulled his mouth from mine.

  While we had spoken to each other every day since then, we hadn’t seen one another since we woke up on Friday morning and I took off to work.

  “I thought you were going to be downstairs when I got back,” he remarked. “Did something happen on the way home?”

  “No, sorry. I saw one of my regulars from the diner walking by when I got here, so I chatted with him. That delayed me a bit. But then I got in the shower and was still too cold to get out when I finished so I stayed in a little longer.”

  The next thing I knew, I heard the thud of shoes and the clanging of his belt on the tile floor. After he pulled his shirt over his head, he asked, “Are you still cold?”

  I wasn’t, but I could certainly play the part. “Maybe a little,” I teased, tipping my head back and pressing up on my toes.

  Dom lowered his head and brought his mouth to mine. His hands went to the top of the towel, pulled it apart, and let it fall to the floor. Seconds later, with his mouth still connected to mine, he was carrying me to the bed.

  His body hovered over mine as his hands caressed the skin up and down the sides of my body. When his lips left mine, I nearly cried at the loss. But Dom had plans. Plans that involved trailing kisses down my throat and chest, where he cupped my breasts in his hands before sucking one nipple in his mouth.

  A shot of desire ran through me and landed right between my legs. My back arched as I let out a moan. My response to his touch and teasing only served to motivate him. He worked that much harder to please me. Dom kissed his way down my body, his mouth eventually finding its way between my thighs. One lick through my wetness and I was gone.

  “Baby,” I rasped as my hands fisted the sheets.

  One of Dom’s hands was splayed across my belly, the other at my hip, as he continued to lick and suck—as he continued to devour me. It didn’t take long for Dom to work me up, but just before he sent me soaring, I lost his mouth.

  When I groaned and whimpered, clearly indicating my displeasure with his decision not to see me through, he gave me his most reassuring tone. “Patience, Ekko. I’d never leave you like this.”

  I watched as he removed his boxer briefs and hastily slid on a condom. Then, it was nothing but urgent need between us. Dom’s body came over mine as he slid inside and filled me. My hips lifted and lowered to match and meet his thrusts. Since I’d been so close to the edge moments before it didn’t take long for the splintering sparks of pleasure to travel through every inch
of my body. My eyes closed as I moaned, “Baby.”

  I barely had a second to come down from my orgasm when Dom lifted my legs at my knees and drove himself in deeper and faster.

  A feeling of awe swept through me.

  His strength.

  And power.

  And control.

  I could feel the urgent and desperate need he had for me with the way he moved and the sounds he made. Seeing it sent another thrill of desire flooding through me. Instantly, I felt the sensations building again and I needed more.

  “Harder, Dom. Please,” I begged.

  His pace picked up, his thrusts grew stronger, and his voice was a low growl when he got out, “Beautiful…so damn gorgeous.”

  He continued to work me until my orgasm slammed into me, causing a scream to escape. I’d never been a loud lover, but there was something about him that forced the sound to leak from deep in my lungs.

  A deep roar filled the room as Dom found his release and buried himself to the root of his cock inside me. I watched as it tore through him, saw the beauty of it, and knew I’d never want to live without him in my life.

  It wasn’t until an hour later when Dom and I were downstairs preparing dinner together. We had cuddled a bit after our rendezvous before Dom got up to shower while I got dressed and started some prep work on dinner. He had joined me in the kitchen a few minutes ago and we were preparing some chicken noodle soup.

  When I mentioned something to him yesterday about how cold it was outside, he suggested that we have chicken noodle soup tonight. It had been a long time since I’d had it, but I couldn’t hold on to those memories forever. I decided to put my negative thoughts aside for him and agreed.

  We sat down to eat and, after getting several warm bites of the delicious soup in my belly, I blurted it out.

  “The last time I had chicken noodle soup, it was cold, and I was eating it out of a can.”

  Dom’s spoon clattered on the bowl as it fell from his hand. “What?” he asked.

  I told him the story about being a hungry fifteen-year-old girl sitting on the tattered mattress on the floor of her dirty apartment trying to ration the food in that can so it would last another day. I also explained how that same girl had a plan to do something more for herself, but that plan was blown to bits when she ended up in foster care three days later.

  “Christ, Ekko. I knew you had it rough when you told me about Ms. Grace, but I never realized just how bad it was for you.”

  I shook my head, hating that I’d made him upset. “I didn’t intend to ruin your night tonight, Dom. I haphazardly made that declaration because I was comparing those two situations in my head. I’m grateful I’ve got a much better experience with chicken noodle soup now. That’s all.”

  His hand wrapped around his spoon again before he shared, “You didn’t ruin my night. You’re here with me and we’re both happy. There’s not much that can ruin that.”

  I leaned toward him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and whispered, “Thank you, baby.”

  Dom and I finished our dinner in a comfortable silence, content to just be in each other’s presence. There was no need for us to fill the time with conversation. We seemed to be able to easily sit there with each other and just enjoy having the company of one another.

  After dinner, Dom and I moved to his living room, where he turned on the television. We were on the chaise portion of his massive sectional. Dom’s legs were outstretched, and my body was pressed against the length of him with my head resting on his abdomen. Dom asked if I would mind watching a hockey game. Lorenzo, who was one of Dom’s co-workers, had a brother who played for the NHL and his team was playing. I didn’t much care what we watched and told him that. I was happy just being warm, curled up next to him.

  When the game ended around nine-thirty, Dom switched off the television. He didn’t say anything, but I didn’t mind. I was enjoying the feel of his fingers alternating between scratching my head and running through the strands of my hair.

  “That feels nice,” I hummed with my eyes closed. My voice was a mix of complete bliss and sleepiness.

  Dom didn’t respond. He just kept doing what he had been doing until he shifted one of his legs underneath my body. My head was still resting on his abdomen with my arms wrapped around his waist, but my body was now between his legs.

  Dom moved his hands to my shoulders and began massaging. I couldn’t stop the sound that escaped my lips, my moan indicating just how much I enjoyed what he was doing. When he’d sufficiently loosened up my shoulders, he announced, “I can’t wait for you to start working at the library. I hate how demanding the work at the diner is on your body. Lift up a second so I can get out from under you. I’ll give you a full-body massage.”

  I lifted my head and asked, “Really? It would be awfully unkind of you to tease me with that.”

  He grinned at me and assured, “I wouldn’t tease you about that. That would be cruel.”

  I lifted my body a bit so Dom could slide out from underneath me. I fell back to my belly on the sofa while Dom went in search of some lotion. When he came back, he lifted my shirt over my head and pulled my pants down my legs, leaving me there in just a pair of panties. Then, he settled his body on top of my booty and was careful to not crush me with his weight.

  As he worked the muscles in my back and my arms I was reminded of the sheer power he had. I could feel the strength in his hands and loved how great he was making me feel. I hadn’t really realized just how much a toll constantly working like I had been was taking on my body until he reached my lower back. He alternated between using the heels of his palms and his thumbs to work my lower back and the top part of my ass.

  “This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt,” I groaned.

  Dom chuckled as he got up off my body. “I think you’re telling me a story now.”

  “I’m serious,” I insisted. “I’ve never felt this good in all my life.” Dom’s hands began moving down my legs and I let out another groan. “Yep,” I went on. “There’s definitely nothing better than this.”

  “We’ll have to see about that,” Dom challenged. “I’m not sure how it’s possible that you forgot so soon, but maybe I’ll have to remind you just how good I can make your body feel.”

  “No, no, no,” I protested. “This is perfect. I’m not complaining.”

  His hands moved in long, delightful strokes up and down each of my legs. With each caress, I found myself drifting closer and closer to sleep. Just before I completely drifted, he stopped rubbing my legs and held my feet in his hands.

  Oh. My. Goodness.

  My feet.

  My poor battered feet hadn’t ever been massaged.

  “I lied,” I spoke up.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “This. Just this. You could rub my feet from now until forever and I’d never want another thing. Holy cow, that feels amazing.”

  The strength of his hands on my clearly tired and worn out feet was like nothing I could have imagined. I couldn’t begin to comprehend how his hands weren’t feeling sore after he’d been so generous with his massage, but he’d given my feet just as much attention as he did my shoulders and back. In fact, my feet may have been given a dose of extra special treatment.

  When he finished with my feet, Dom trailed his fingers up the backs of my calves and over my thighs with a feather-light touch. Two fingers landed in the spot right between my legs. Thoughts of sleep had vanished and my eyes shot open. Dom must have seen this because there was an edge of humor in his voice when he gently rubbed his fingers over me and teased, “Are you sure I can’t make your body feel better than I just did?”

  “Hmm?”

  That was the only response I could formulate.

  “I feel like you’ve given me a challenge, fun size,” he joked, finding and circling my clit.

  I bit my lip, trying to fight the urge to moan.

  Suddenly, he flipped me to my back. The heat and desire in both of our eyes was undeniab
le. His fingers slipped underneath the waistband of my panties. Once they’d reached their destination, his mouth descended on my breasts. I couldn’t take it.

  “Okay,” I breathed. “You win. This is better. Way better.”

  He smiled against my nipple before sucking it in once more. Then, he lifted his head and looked at me.

  “I was sure I’d get you to see this my way,” he taunted me, his dimples on display, clearly proud of himself.

  Seconds later, my panties ceased to exist, and Dom proved to me just how wrong I’d been. Afterward, he carried me upstairs and tucked me close to him. Despite my lack of clothes and the cold temperatures outside, I’d never felt warmer.

  I heard her whimpers and my eyes shot open. It was still dark, so I knew it was sometime in the middle of the night. I glanced over at the nightstand and saw it was just after two in the morning.

  She groaned again.

  “Ekko?” I called, nudging her shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to wake you,” she replied.

  “What’s wrong, sugar?”

  Her body tensed and she remained quiet. I lifted up on my side, my right arm holding me up. My eyes adjusted enough to the dark that I could make out her features. Those alone told me enough. Ekko was in pain.

  Instinctively, my hand reached over and cupped the side of her face, where my thumb stroked back and forth across her cheek. “Talk to me,” I urged her.

  She hesitated a beat and finally answered, “It’s just stomach cramps.”

  Cramps?

  Had it been a month since I first brought her back here?

  “Your period?” I wondered.

  She shook her head. “Not yet, but once I start feeling like this, I know it’s coming in the next few days.”

  “Have you taken anything?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “I’ll get you something,” I stated as I rolled out of the bed and went downstairs to grab her some water and painkillers. Before I went back to the bedroom, I grabbed the heating pad.

  When I walked back into the room, I flipped on the light on my nightstand. Her eyes squeezed shut briefly and she slowly opened them again.