“One more thing,” I said roughly, close to losing it. My cock jerked with impatience, the top of the condom filling with pre-come.
She groaned, then cut off the sound when I picked up a plum and positioned it against the pucker of her ass.
Her gaze widened, her lips falling open, but before she had time to protest, I drove forward, pulling her hips toward me at the same time so I filled her, the tops of my thighs pressing the plum against her ring.
Her eyes closed, then. “Again,” she demanded, wriggling against me.
I pulled my hips back until my cock was almost all the way out, then drove back into the warm grasp of her pussy. A groan built in my chest, catching in my throat at the sensation of seeing my cock buried to the hilt inside her, her glistening wetness coating my length.
Pleasure crackled up my spine, and I gripped the edges of the table on each side, using it for leverage to push farther. Deeper. She felt so fucking good. The skin on the plum split, pulpy flesh smearing over my legs, around her ass, making us look like a chaotic, beautiful mess that made my blood thud faster. I flicked the pit out of the way, not wanting to hurt her.
She reached down to finger her clit, and I gritted my teeth, so damn close to breaking. I pounded into her, unrelenting, eating up every little moan and gasp of air, the pressure building inside me like a giant ball of heat, waiting to explode. Her brows drew together and she trembled, her pussy clenching around my cock. One last stroke and she tipped over the edge, bucking against me, sending me crashing with her into wave after wave of pleasure.
The plum was a mess of pulp and skin, smeared over my thighs and Lila’s ass. When I could move, I went into the kitchen and grabbed the dishcloth from the counter. I wiped at the sticky mess on my legs as I walked back to Lila, then handed her the cloth.
She dropped it on the floor along with her clothes. “I’ll clean up after a shower,” she said, then looked at me slyly. “Want to join me?”
“Yes. But—” I glanced at the clock, seeing how late I was. “I should get to work,” I said, more out of habit than because I actually wanted to go. “Why don’t you come with me? Maybe take a look around. I know you won’t work for me, but I have contacts. It might be good to remind yourself of what work looks like.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No thanks. I have cleaning to do. But for the record, that was hands down the best breakfast experience ever.” Her eyes sparkled, and it was hard not to forgive her quick dismissal of my invitation. “We should open a restaurant,” she said, making me laugh out loud.
“I’m glad you moved here, Lila,” I said. And I meant it. I dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You’re good for Mia. And you’re damn good for me, too.”
She glanced up at me. Winked. “Nutritious and delicious.”
“Finger lickin’ good.”
She reached up to brush my lips with hers, lingering over my bottom one. I made a grab for her but she ducked out of my way, pushing me toward the foyer. “I have to take a shower. Seriously, I have peach juice in my butt crack that’s performing a Brazilian as we speak.”
“I can help you with that,” I offered.
“No, you really can’t.” She shut the door on my laughter.
I walked away feeling better than I had in a long time. I’d always enjoyed work, and today would be no different, but if I could have given it up for more time with Lila, I would have. Her damn ex played on my mind. Even though I didn’t like what she had told me about her past, I was pleased she’d trusted me enough to share the details. Her story put another spin on how I thought about her. She was not as light and carefree as she would have me believe. No, this dude—Austin, had shown her a darker side to life. I wanted to kick him square in the ass. Who the fuck was he?
When I got to my office, I tapped the keyboard to bring my computer to life. But then I thought better of doing a search on him. If I ever ran across the dickwad, I would deck him. Or worse.
I leaned back in my desk chair, staring sightlessly across my quiet office. The Lila she’d described this morning wasn’t anything like the woman I’d had spread out on the table and eaten for breakfast. How could someone knowingly try to strip that part of her away? Her vibrancy. She was so full of life, and I couldn’t imagine anyone pinning her down. Making her weak.
A shudder ran down my spine. My mother had been weak, alcohol eroding her away to nothing, until all she had left to turn to was the very thing that had broken her. I hadn’t been able to help her. She’d rejected every attempt to pull her back into life. Lila wasn’t like that, but I worried about Mia sometimes. More so now that Declan had left and responsibility for her lay on me. Regardless of what Lila said, I wouldn’t stand back and watch if I had real concerns about Mia and her job. Restraint wasn’t in my nature, and I refused to let someone else I cared for take the wrong path in life.
Which reminded me… I hadn’t talked to Declan in a couple of days. He was worried about Mia, too, although I wondered if it was more that he missed being in Wellsford. Having his family close by.
“Have you seen Mia?” was his first question when he picked up.
“Yeah. Everything’s all right.”
“You sure? I just tried calling her again, and it went straight to voicemail.”
“I saw her this morning,” I assured him. “And I’ve been talking to the roommate. She’ll tell me if Mia’s not okay.”
“The roommate. Lila, isn’t it? I don’t remember a Lila. Have we ever met her?” Declan asked.
“She and Mia are old summer camp buddies. She’s not someone you have to worry about. The opposite, in fact. Lila’s strong. And smart.”
“And pretty?” he asked dryly.
I snorted. “I haven’t noticed.”
“Bullshit.” He called me on the lie. “You’ve never referred to a woman as strong.” He sniggered. “Almost sounds like you like her or something.”
“Or something,” I agreed, although I still wasn’t exactly sure how to categorize my feelings about her. Untamed. Sexy. Infuriating.
But Declan was right. I’d spent my life looking out for others, and I tended to seek out the weak spot first, so I knew where they would fail. Lila was a wild card. Impetuous. I never knew what she was going to do next, but whatever it was, I knew I’d like it. She kept me guessing, and I was under no illusion that she could look after herself. I trusted her.
The realization hit me like a jolt of warmth through my chest. As crazy and out of control as she was, every word she spoke was the truth, unsweetened and straight as an arrow.
”Look, don’t worry about Mia,” I reassured him. “We have it covered. Believe me, dude, if I thought she was in trouble, you’d be the first to know.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just going a little out of my mind out here.”
“Is it just Mia, or is there something else you’re not telling me?” I asked. Yeah, Declan loved his sister, but his interest seemed a little out of whack for the reality of the situation. Mia was an adult now. She was proving she could look after herself. Mostly.
He laughed off my concern. “Just settling-in troubles. You know, there’s always churn.”
“What about Piper? Have you heard from her?” I threw out the question casually. Piper had been Declan’s boss in Wellsford. She was the reason he’d moved to L.A. Some may have called it a well-earned promotion, others might have speculated it was Piper getting rid of temptation. I suspected it was a little of both.
“She’s flown out once since I started but kept a wide berth. Fine with me.” Nothing in his voice pointed to the situation being fine. But he obviously didn’t want to talk about it.
“Anyway. Mia’s good. I’ll keep you posted. You know I’m here for you, whatever it is. Mia. Work.” I paused. “Piper…”
“There are no fucking issues with Piper.” Declan huffed a breath down the line.
“Well, it looks like I’ll be in L.A. before the end of next week,” I told him. “We can catch up then.�
� I rubbed at my chin. “If I come on a Friday, I could try and get Mia to come with me. Maybe she’ll like L.A. enough to stay on for a few days.”
“That’d be great.” Declan perked up a little, sounding more like his old self.
“Lila could come, too. So you can meet her,” I added, warming to the idea. I liked the thought of a few nights alone in a hotel room with Lila. Unhindered. Unfettered. And it would be a chance for her to visit the L.A. office, maybe meet Mason. She wouldn’t work for me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t introduce them. I instinctively felt they had the potential to come up with something together that would blow my mind.
“See what you can do. I don’t care who comes, as long as someone does,” Declan said, definitely sounding happier than he had at the start of the call.
I hung up. Blew out another breath. Something was up with the Bancroft siblings, and there was fuck all I could do about it. I dragged a hand through my hair. The best plan of attack was to spend the next few days concentrating on clearing my desk. By then Lila would be eager to see me, making it easier to talk her—and by extension Mia—into taking a trip to L.A.
Killing all my birds with one flight.
Chapter Ten
LILA
It’d been two days since I’d heard from Blake. We’d done the whole breakfast thing, he’d left, and I’d been moping around the apartment ever since. It dawned on me that I was waiting for him to call, just as I used to wait for Austin. The thought made me feel sick, and I couldn’t stand the idea of spending another minute in the apartment.
“I’m heading out,” I yelled to Mia who was banging around in her bedroom. We still hadn’t managed to have our girls’ night in yet. She’d worked late every night this week and was gone before I got up most mornings.
I really needed to get a job—or to design another app. Something to keep me occupied. And it had to be sooner rather than later. I didn’t want months to slip by and end up penniless, slinking back home to my parents with my tail between my legs. My mother still hadn’t given up on the idea of me getting back with Austin. She was like Blake. A bulldozer. Unrelenting. Every time I called her, I had to listen to the long list of attributes of my ex according to Mom and Dad. They thought the sun shone out his ass, and he shat unicorns and rainbows.
I took a walk along the river, enjoying the city in full spring bloom. Summer sat just around the corner, with only the shadows clinging to the last of the winter chill. Wellsford was a beautiful city, and it showed on the faces of everyone I passed. Joggers, toddlers in strollers, cyclists. Nearly everyone returned my smile or nodded a greeting when I said hello. I saw a future for myself here. I could picture Blake—or someone suspiciously like him—spending lazy Sunday afternoons walking along the river or cycling through the park.
I wandered along, making a list of all the things I should be doing to make my life better. Naturally, I got lost. I was geographically impaired and had a shocking sense of direction, so my little trip through the city took two hours instead of one. I’d ventured south instead of east, north instead of west. By the time I got home, my feet were a hot, aching mess. I limped into the apartment, looking for solace and a bit of sympathy.
I was in luck. Mia was still home. I hadn’t seen her around in daylight hours for ages. I popped my head into her bedroom on my way past and stopped dead.
She had a suitcase open on her bed. The drawers of her bureau had been pulled out, the contents gathered up and taken. Her closet door stood open, empty hangers clumped around a solitary dress. Her makeup collection was nothing more than imprints left in powder dust.
I opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish out of water and stepped all the way into the room. “God. You’re not moving out, are you?”
“Nope. I’m going to New Zealand.” She grinned.
I froze. “What?”
“There’s been an accident. On the shoot. God, I know I’m horrible because I can’t stop smiling and really it isn’t funny at all, but my boss has been hurt and I’ve been called up to go and take her place.” Mia laughed, then slapped her hand over her mouth.
My jaw dropped farther. Not because of her news, which was pretty stunning, to be fair, but because this was the Mia I used to know. Upbeat and excited, her words running together because she couldn’t keep up with them.
“You’re going to New Zealand? Damn, girl. When?”
“In about ten minutes.” She slammed her luggage shut.
I plopped myself down on the bed, trying to take it all in.
“You can’t go. I’ve barely moved in here and we haven’t done half the things we did at camp. Sitting up eating s’mores ’til midnight or stealing Jenny’s bra and throwing it into the boys’ bunkroom.”
Mia snorted with laughter. “Oh my God, do you remember the look on her face?”
I started laughing, too. “Or the boys, when they realized the bra they’d pinned on the wall belonged to Jenghis Khan.” Then I sighed. “Is your boss okay?” It seemed prudent to ask.
Mia smiled tightly. “I guess so. They haven’t really said much, other than that she and two of the contestants are out of the show. I have to meet one of the replacements at the airport and babysit him on the trip.” She made a face. “Apparently, he’s a real asshole.”
“I’m going to miss you,” I said, meaning every word.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Blake will look after you, and I shouldn’t be gone more than a month or so.”
“A month?” I squeaked. “Shit, what about Blake and your brother? Have you told them you’re leaving?”
Her expression told me the answer. “I was hoping you might tell them for me,” she said, yanking her baggage up so it stood on its wheels. “My cab will be here in a minute.”
“Oh no. No, no. You are so not leaving it to me to tell them.” I blocked her path to stop her from exiting the room.
“Why not? If you hadn’t come home right now, you wouldn’t have known until tomorrow, either. Pretty please? I have to meet the new contestant in half an hour, and I need time to clear my head on the cab ride, not spend it arguing with Declan.”
I pushed out a long breath. “Okay, fine.” I let her pass me. “But if they kick me out of the apartment, I’ll track you down and make you pay.” I whirled around and crossed my arms. “Where the hell is New Zealand, anyway?”
She laughed. “Look it up. And be nice to Blake. I think he might like you,” she called out as she bulldozed her way out of the apartment with her suitcase, throwing a kiss over her shoulder. The door closed and I was left staring at it, wondering what in the hell had just happened.
I waited a couple of hours before calling Blake, giving her time to flee the country. I would’ve loved to bypass him and go straight to Mia’s brother, Declan, only I didn’t have his number.
When I couldn’t stand the prod of guilt every time I looked down the corridor to Mia’s open doorway, I picked up my phone.
“Lila,” Blake answered warmly. “Nice to hear from you.”
Not for long. I swallowed. “Uh, hi. Just calling to let you know Mia has gone to New Zealand.” I closed my eyes.
“Wait. What?”
“Her boss was in an accident, so she’s flying to New Zealand to cover for her.”
“Like hell she is!” Blake’s voice was tight. “When is she leaving?”
“Already gone.” I winced, glad I wasn’t in the same room as him. “She flew out half an hour ago.” I’d checked. Just in case.
“And when did you find out?” he asked silkily.
“A few hours ago. She asked me to wait to break the news.” I swallowed as his breath hissed down the line. “To be fair, I’m Mia’s friend first,” I said. “You shouldn’t be getting angry at me. For that matter, why are you getting angry?”
“You’ve just told me that the equivalent of my little sister is flying to a foreign country on the other side of the world, and she’s going because there has already been one accident.” His voice wa
s rising by the syllable. “How long will she be gone?”
“She doesn’t really know. Maybe a month?”
“Damn it, Lila. You should have called me earlier.” He cursed again. “I thought we had a relationship.”
“Why, because we’ve fucked a few times?” I choked back the ball of annoyance in my chest. “I’m beginning to think Mia was the only reason you kept coming back to see me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he cut in. “And don’t cloud the issue. I have a right to be upset that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about this sooner.”
“And I have the right to be angry, too. You act as if I don’t care about Mia.” I took a breath, trying to stem my growing anger. “And speaking of trust…maybe you should be asking yourself why Mia didn’t contact you or Declan, herself…”
Blake didn’t reply, and I didn’t have anything to add. The silence built up between us. My thumb hovered over the disconnect button.
This was a mistake.
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said before I could follow through on the impulse to hang up. “Mia leaving the country took me by surprise, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Fuck. Declan is going to flip his shit.”
“I’ll tell him.” I lifted my chin. “I’m just following Mia’s instructions. I have nothing to hide.”
“Except Declan may kick you out,” Blake said dryly.
“Why? She’ll be back in a month,” I reminded him.
“He can be hotheaded at times.”
“Fine. If he asks me to leave his apartment, I’ll go. I can take the heat.” Hell, maybe it was time to blow this town, anyway. There was nothing really keeping me here. No Mia. No job.
Blake? I wasn’t sure what Blake was, but his reaction just now had stung. I had been stuck between Mia and Blake since the moment I’d met him, but today he’d shown me clearly where his priorities lay, and they weren’t with me. Which hurt more than I’d thought it would.
“No doubt you can. But you’re not going anywhere,” Blake growled. “I’ll take care of it.”
Out of Control Page 9
