She shook her head. “You’re Loch. Of course, you set out to be the best. You might not have thought you were doing it, but you don’t like to lose, and you don’t like to be second-best to even yourself. You put everything you have into whatever you’re doing.”
He snorted, giving her hand a squeeze. “That’s true, though, in the end, I didn’t want what Jason had. Yet Jason didn’t agree, and Riker resented that. I’m no longer part of that life, even though I still have a few contacts. My life is now my family. My daughter. My work.” He paused. “You.”
She warmed from the inside but didn’t say anything, knowing there was still more to come.
“Riker never understood that, but while he was always in the back of my mind, I moved on. I didn’t want to be part of that life anymore, and I didn’t let myself be. I figured Riker could have the company if he wanted. I told Jason my concerns, but my old mentor told me that everything would be okay. In the end, the only way to make that work for him was to, apparently, give me the fucking company.”
Ainsley blinked. “What…what are you talking about?”
“Jason’s dead,” Loch said bluntly. “Didn’t find out until I got a letter from a lawyer saying I now own the company and have some funds I didn’t have before.” He pinched the bridge of his nose again, and Ainsley moved closer so they were touching each other. His body radiated tension, and all she wanted to do was hold him and make everything better. But this was the real world, and that wasn’t how things truly worked.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She hadn’t known about the man, Jason, before tonight, but Loch had called him a mentor. And from the pain in his voice, he was also a friend, and Loch grieved for the man. With everything else going on around them, however, she wasn’t sure how much time he’d actually given himself to acknowledge that grief—if he had at all.
“I’m sorry, too.” He lifted his arm, and she sank into him when he pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sorry he’s dead, and I’m sorry I don’t know why. I called guys I know up there, and they thought it was natural causes. And as much as I want to believe that, there’s some part of me that can’t quite do that when Riker’s in the picture.”
She sighed. “Tell me.”
“I don’t know what happened to Jason, but I’ll find out. I’ve talked to the authorities there, as well, but it’ll take time. Until then? I have to figure out what to do with the company and the money I now have. I don’t want any of it, Ainsley. Why didn’t the man see that? Why didn’t he see what I wanted when I left it all behind? Now, he’s put it all on my shoulders when I never wanted any of it to begin with.”
“What are you going to do?” She didn’t know what owning a company like that entailed, but she figured it was a lot of work and that nothing good could come of it. It didn’t help that she had no idea what the company, as he called it, actually did. He was still being vague, but in a sense, she understood. Some things didn’t need to have every detail laid out until it was absolutely necessary. The fact that he was talking about it now, even in some detail, meant that it was important.
“I’m going to dismantle and sell the damn thing. Close it. Whatever legally has to be done so it’s not in my name and won’t hurt anyone. Because while we might have done a lot of good, that kind of information—information that included the personal details and secrets of high-ranking people—in the wrong hands, in Riker’s hands, could do a whole lot of bad. Someone could use Jason’s good name to do some terrible things that I don’t even want to think of. But, right now, I’m the owner, and I’m not dealing with it. Not yet. Because, first, I need to deal with what’s going on in Whiskey.”
She swallowed hard. “You’re talking about Dennis.” Somehow, she’d known all of it was connected.
He nodded. “The night I got the notice about the company, I also got a note I couldn’t trace telling me that I needed to watch my back and that: it will be mine. As there’s only one thing in my life right now that those words could allude to, I immediately thought of Riker. And as the investigation with Dennis continued, it started to point to that Riker was connected to that, as well. And then the call came in.”
Ainsley sat up straighter. “You’re saying Riker had something to do with Dennis’s death? And that, what? He’s framing you?”
“I don’t know if Riker killed Dennis himself or if he’s just using the other man’s death to get at me. But, at first, I thought he had to have something to do with it. And after his phone call today? I know it.”
“What did he want?”
“To tell me that he’s watching me.” He paused. “And that I know what he wants. I’m guessing the company…something I’m not going to give him.”
“So that’s why you pushed me away?” she asked. “Why Misty is with her grandparents? Because you’re afraid of what Riker might do?”
He gave her a tight nod. “Misty is in a house I put the best security on. It’s even better than mine because of the design of the house itself. She’s safer there until I figure out what’s going on. As for you. Hell, Ainsley, I thought if you weren’t near me, you wouldn’t be a target, but you’re part of my life in every way. There’s not much I can do to make it look like you aren’t a part of me. And, yeah, there’s a lot of other shit that we need to deal with between us, but I pushed you away because of Riker. I might be paranoid, but I want you safe.”
“It’s not being paranoid if they really are out to get you.” She’d known there was a reason he’d hurt her, but he wasn’t exactly forgiven yet. They had much more to talk about outside of what they had so far, but the fact that he’d trusted her with this much had to mean something.
Of course, it meant something.
She just had to protect her heart even as she fell just a little bit more for her best friend.
He kissed her then, making her toes curl.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next. But I need you safe.”
“If you need me safe, I need to not be in my head all the time, wondering what the fuck we're doing. So that might have to be something we actually talk about. Eventually.” She hated even asking, but communication was key, and she wasn’t about to be patted on the head and told that everything was okay.
“If I knew that, Ainsley, I wouldn't be as growly as I am.”
She snorted. “You're always growly. So that's saying something. But, really, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to kiss you.”
Her skin heated. “Loch.”
He let out a long breath. “I’m going to talk to the detectives again, tell them what might be happening, even though it’s all far-fetched and doesn’t make any sense. I didn’t say anything before the call because it was all just conjecture. But, now? Well, it’s still that, but now I have more in my mind saying it’s connected. As for you? Hell, Ainsley, I couldn’t walk away from you. I never could. I don’t know what’s going to happen next between us, but I can’t stay away. So, if you’ll have me, I’ll try not to fuck things up more than I already have.”
And when he kissed her again, she knew it was enough.
He was enough.
She just hoped she was, as well.
Chapter 12
Loch held Ainsley close, his body fully awake even if his mind was just starting to wake up. It wasn’t yet morning, not even close since he and Ainsley had just gone to bed, but she must have moved closer to him in the middle of the night, waking up a very important part of him.
A storm raged outside, lightning sparking across the sky with rain and snow pounding the windows. The fact that it was winter didn’t mean anything, Thundersnow was a thing. Every once in a while, thunder boomed outside, and he would wake up, only to tug Ainsley tighter to his side. He hadn’t realized how much he apparently needed her in his sleep, but then again, he’d told himself for so long that he didn’t need her beyond what they had. Maybe he should have known this all along.
After he and Ainsley had ta
lked, they’d gone to bed without dinner, just lying there talking about everything else they hadn’t said to each other before. They’d checked in with Misty and her grandparents again, though his daughter had already gone to bed before he called. Loch missed his daughter so damn much, and he had a feeling he’d be going to pick her up soon, no matter the deal he made with Marnie’s parents. Ainsley was already deeply embedded into his life, and Riker, if he were truly watching as he’d said, would have already seen her. As for his daughter, she might be safer where she was, but damn it, he missed her.
Thunder rocked the house again. Ainsley moved even closer, and all thoughts of Riker and everything else fled Loch’s mind. Instead, he slid his hand down and cupped the woman in his arms between her legs.
Ainsley moaned, and Loch gently bit down on her shoulder.
They were silent as he pulled her pants down, then his so they were skin-to-skin, his cock pressing against her ass. When she wiggled slightly, he grinned, moving his hands from her pussy to between them, his thumb sliding along her crease, dipping in to tease her ass. She froze, then looked over her shoulder.
“Loch?” she whispered.
“Next time.” He wanted that ass of hers, and if she were willing, he’d get it.
She snorted. “Sure, honey.”
He grinned, then bit down on her shoulder again before pulling back to rid her of the rest of her clothing. He slowly raised her leg over his, his dick sliding along her wet heat. She was already soaking for him, ready. He had one hand around her front, cupping her breast, while the other was between her legs, playing with her clit as he slowly worked inside her, then out again, taking his time as they pleasured each other, getting to know one another in the dark—softly this time, rather than the heated and harder times of before.
When he pulled out of her fully, he moved her to her back, then slid inside again as she spread her legs. This way, he had more access to her mouth, her breasts, her.
They came together on a slow build, her breaths quickening as she came on him, and his seed filled her until they were both shaking, catching their breaths, and sweaty.
This was what Loch needed, what he wanted.
He’d wasted so much time being afraid to look at Ainsley this way, even a fraction.
He kissed her thoroughly, his softening cock still inside her as she pulled him against her, her breasts pressing against his chest when she wrapped her arms around him, her hands stroking lazily down his back.
He didn’t want to waste any more time. He couldn’t. Not when Ainsley was in his arms.
In his bed.
In his life.
Just…in him.
* * *
Another lightning strike lit up the room and, this time, the thunder followed straight after. The room shook, and then the hall nightlight Loch had for Misty went out, the rest of the house going dark immediately after, and the heat shutting off with a bang as a loud-as-hell sound came from the backyard, like something had exploded right next to his damn house.
“Damn it,” Loch growled, pushing from the bed. Another streak of lightning hit the sky, and he looked down at Ainsley, the look in her wide eyes causing his chest to tighten.
“What was that?”
“I think the storm blew a transformer. I have a generator, but I need to go out and deal with it all. Jesus, I didn’t realize the storm was going to be this bad.” It was Pennsylvania, and where they were on the lower edge of the state, storms often passed over them even if the forecasters called for a blizzard. Sometimes, they stalled thanks to coastal winds and other crap and Loch ended up with a blown-out transformer and a dark house.
And possibly without security.
Fuck.
“I need to check the security system.” He leaned down, kissed her hard on the mouth, and pulled on his jeans that he’d tossed on the chair next to the bed before he and Ainsley had gotten under the sheets. “Stay here with the door locked.”
If possible, her eyes widened even more. “You don’t think Riker has anything to do with this?”
Loch shook his head. “No, but I wouldn’t put it past him to use it to his advantage. Stay here. Stay safe. I’ll be right back.” He kissed her again, then headed out of his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Ainsley wouldn’t do anything stupid. She might be bullheaded just like he was, but when it came to something important, she did the right thing.
The generator didn’t start up, and that worried him since key parts of the house were connected to it, as well as his security system. He knew that Riker hadn’t drummed up the storm as that was impossible and bordering on paranoia, but that didn’t mean the other man hadn’t done something to sabotage Loch’s backup plans. Loch had been so distracted by dealing with everything the night before, he hadn’t double-checked everything like he usually did. He’d made sure the alarm was set, but not his backup. Careless because he’d been wrung out, and Ainsley had needed to lie down, and he wanted to make sure she was safe and warm.
Fuck a dick. He hoped to hell and back that his distraction hadn’t cost him anything because this was not the time to be lazy about the important things—including the safety of the woman he thought he might love more than just a friend.
Loch crept down his stairs, listening for anything out of the ordinary, but with the storm raging, he knew he’d be hard-pressed to hear anything out of place. It was probably something far less sinister than he was making it out to be, but it was the middle of the night, a storm was raging outside, seemingly trying to knock down the house, and a very warm and willing woman was up in his bed, probably scared out of her mind because Loch was overreacting.
Get a grip, he told himself. He didn’t say it aloud in case his worries weren’t, in fact, far-fetched. But, seriously, he just needed to get back upstairs to Ainsley, get a couple of more hours of sleep, then go and pick up Misty. The cops would be able to figure everything out with Dennis and whatever the hell had been going on around him, and he knew he was probably making things a far bigger deal than they needed to be. So what if Riker called and sent a note? That didn’t make the man a murderer. It made him a pest that Loch would ignore as he got rid of his newly acquired company. Things weren’t as dire as his bad feelings made them out to be.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the sound of a window breaking in the living room hit his ears, and Loch whirled around, certain that it wasn’t a branch that had done it. No, he knew he wasn’t alone in the room, but it was too dark to see anything. Damn it. Arms out, body relaxed even though he was tense inside, he calmed his breathing and listened.
There.
He ducked as a fist came at him in the dark, punching out with his own to get the attacker in the gut. He ascertained that the person was a man thanks to the size of the barely perceptible shadow and the masculine groan when Loch made contact. Loch moved to the side as the intruder came at him again, this time catching Loch in the jaw. The guy was well trained, but from the size of the shadow and the skill of his moves, it wasn’t Riker. It was someone else Loch knew from a distant past.
Chris.
Riker’s second. Another asshole.
Chris bent low, going for Loch’s knees, but Loch was faster. He shifted out of the way, knocking Chris down to the ground. Unfortunately for them both, the coffee table was in the way. Another loud crack filled the air as the wood top snapped in two, the weight of Chris’s body too much for it to withstand since Loch had tossed him pretty hard.
Chris rolled to his feet and came at Loch again. This time, the moonlight barely peeking through the clouds and blinds glinted off something metal.
Fuck, the other man had a knife, and Loch wasn’t armed since it was his own damn house and there wasn’t supposed to be an intruder in the place.
Loch lunged out of the way as Chris moved forward, knife held out before him. From what Loch could remember, Chris was even more skilled with blades than he was, and time had seemed to only improve the other man’s abilities. However, Loch wo
uld always be better at hand-to-hand than Chris. He’d need to remember that in order to get out of this alive.
Jesus. Had it been Chris all along with Riker just calling to make it sound like it was him? Or were the two working together? Loch didn’t know, and he’d have time to think about it later. For now, he had to try and get out of this alive and make sure no one went up to find Ainsley. Fuck, he hoped to hell Riker wasn’t with Chris now, somehow going upstairs to where Ainsley was. Or even at Marnie’s parents’, trying to get at Misty.
A cold wash of fear and anger settled over Loch at that scenario, and then Loch wasn’t thinking about what-ifs anymore. Instead, he became the man he used to be, the fighter he used to be, and he moved.
A hit to his side, a slice across his arm, a grunt, a scream, and then Chris was down on the floor, the knife skittering across the hardwood that led from Loch’s living room to the kitchen. He hit Chris on the head, and the other man passed out. Loch searched the remnants of his broken coffee table for the zip ties he kept in a compartment that Misty never went into. He was always prepared just in case his past came back to haunt him.
And haunt him it did.
Sirens and lights blared in front of the house in the next instant, and Loch let out a breath, knowing that Ainsley had called the cops when she heard the sounds down below. Then he looked up and saw her at the top of the stairs in his shirt and her jeans, holding the baseball bat that he kept in his closet. Seven years of softball meant his best friend and lover knew how to use it. He was just a little pissed off that she’d come out of the bedroom at all. Not that he’d have been able to stay locked away during all of the noise and fighting either.
“Loch?” Ainsley’s voice shook, but she still sounded strong. Ready.
Was it any wonder he loved her?
He’d think about that thought later. First, he needed to make sure his woman and his daughter were safe.
Whiskey Undone Page 12
