by Nikki Rose
“I have two sisters. I get it.” He shrugged and led me toward the front door.
O'Neill called to inform my dad of our outing on the drive to the store. After a quick junk food run, we pulled up to Amanda’s little ranch style house.
I jumped out of the car and Amanda ran out to greet us.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed my best friend.” She nearly crushed my neck with her hug while O'Neill got the groceries from the car.
“I missed you t—”
“Oh my gosh. Who is the eye candy?”
I laughed at my friend’s short attention span. “That’s O'Neill. Chris’s stand-in for the day.”
“Wow. How do you get all the luck?”
“Oh yeah. I’m practically under house arrest while they try to hunt down some crazy people trying to get to me. What more could I ask for?”
“I’d gladly be under house arrest with him.”
“You rebound quickly.” I teased.
“What can I say? I’m resilient.” Amanda pushed passed me and stalked over to O'Neill who looked like a poor gazelle being stalked by the vicious - albeit tiny - lion.
“Hi. I’m Amanda.”
“O'Neill.”
“O'Neill? You got a first name?” Amanda fiddled with her hair. Always the flirt.
“Finn.”
“Well, it is very nice to meet you, Finn. Please, come in. Make yourself at home.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed when Amanda glanced back at me and we all went inside.
Amanda led us into the kitchen and O’Neill—Finn put the groceries on the counter.
“What is all this?” Amanda peeked into one of the bags while I unpacked the other.
“I got all the good breakup foods. Ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, cookie dough, and wine.”
“You are the perfect best friend. I take back all the horrible things I say about you behind your back.” Amanda teased and Finn looked a little uncomfortable like he didn’t know how to react.
I just laughed and playfully elbowed Amanda’s arm. “So, what do you want to watch first?”
“I don’t know. Let’s take all this into the den and see what’s available.” Amanda grabbed the bowls and spoons while I grabbed the bags of goodies.
“Perfect.”
Finn drove the car back to the house and I relaxed in the passenger seat. After watching two movies and downing half the junk food, it was time for us to head home. I’d had a great time with Amanda and she was definitely seeing the light at the end of her breakup tunnel by the time we left. I hadn’t missed it when she slipped her number into Finn’s hand as she walked us to the door. I also hadn’t missed the grin that stretched over his face when he stuck it into his pocket.
I missed Chris. I was glad for the day I’d had but it would have been nice to have spent the time with him too. Halfway through the second movie, Finn had gotten a check in call from Chris letting him know that he was home but my dad would probably be gone at the office all night. Finn was to drop me off at home and report back to my dad whenever he needed an escort back home since he was secure at the office.
We pulled through the gate just as the last of the sun’s red and orange hues faded into the dark. Chris met us at the front porch and Finn passed me back to him before climbing back into his black SUV.
“Welcome home.” Chris smiled down at me and led me into the house.
“Thanks.”
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah. We ate junk food, drank wine, and watched old movies.”
“Sounds like a good day.”
“It was but I didn’t eat any real food all day. Did Mrs. James cook?”
“No. Your dad won’t be home until tomorrow morning so I told her not to worry about it. I’m handling dinner tonight.”
“You cook?”
“I grill.”
“Oh. A grill master, huh?”
“You could say that.” Chris smirked and led me on through the house to the kitchen. “I was just about to put the steaks on and I got stuff to make a salad to go with them.”
“That sounds amazing right now. Want me to throw together the salad?”
“If you want. Thanks.” I started pulling out everything I’d need to make a great salad and Chris grabbed the steaks.
He was almost out the back door when he turned back. “How do you like your steak cooked?”
“Medium.”
“You got it.”
Once the salad was made, I tucked a bottle of wine under one arm, grabbed a couple glasses in one hand, and carried the plastic salad bowl out back. I sat everything on the table and flipped on the small white twinkly lights that lit up the patio with a soft white glow. Chris worked on the steaks but smiled back at me from the grill when he heard me come out.
“How’s it going?”
“This grill is a dream compared to mine.” He looked like a kid in the candy store as he rattled off several features but I wasn’t paying attention. I was lost in his smile, in the excitement and contentment in his eyes. There was something in that moment that felt—right.
I poured us each a glass of red wine and carried them over to him.
“This is nice.” I stood beside him, resting my head on his shoulder while he cooked.
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head, his voice taking on a dreamy tone, “Yeah, it is.”
We stayed like that for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence. Neither of us needed to say anything. We were just lost in the moment, soaking it up, hoping we could hold onto it forever.
“I think the steaks are done,” Chris announced, suddenly breaking the silence. He plated one for each of us and pulled out my chair when I went to sit at the patio table.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It really is beautiful out here.”
Chris rounded the table and took his seat across from me. I took a sip of my wine and began serving the salad but Chris sat still, watching me.
“This might sound strange but...” He stopped and my curiosity took over.
“But?”
“I missed you today.” His voice sounded uncertain but the look he gave me was sure.
“I missed you too. It’s just not the same not having you around.”
“But O'Neill was okay, right?”
“Oh yeah. Finn is great—”
“Finn? No one calls him that.”
“Amanda and I do.” I shrugged and took a bite of my salad.
“I see.”
“Are you jealous?”
Chris scoffed. “Of Finn? No.”
He cut into his steak and took a big bite.
“Yes, you are. You’re jealous because another guy was with me all day?”
“Maybe a little, but not because it's him or because you call him Finn. I’m jealous that he got your time and I was stuck working. If it were up to me, we’d spend more of our time together like this.”
“We practically spend every waking moment together.” I chuckled and took another bite.
“Yeah, around your dad or Mrs. James, pretending there’s nothing between us. You don’t know how hard it is to be around you and not be able to really be with you. It's a constant struggle not to touch you, kiss you, to brush that one strand of hair away that always falls in your face.” He leaned over the table and brushed the hair from my cheek, tucking it behind my ear before pulling me closer over the table and gently pressing his lips to mine.
The kiss only strengthened that magnetic pull I always felt when I was near Chris. It was never enough and more than I could handle all at one time when I was with him.
He pried his lips from mine and gazed into my eyes. “Dance with me.” His voice was nothing more than a raspy whisper.
“But, there’s no music.” I smiled up at him and he guided me around the table, pulling me to him.
Chris removed his hand from my waist and pulled his phone from his pocket. Within moments, smooth, sensual m
usic surrounded us and he laid the phone on the table. “Better?”
“Much.”
He slipped his hand around my waist, resting it on the small of my back while holding up my right hand and guiding me into a spin before pulling me closer against his chest as I returned to him.
Chris could dance—really dance. Another piece to the Chris puzzle fit into place, adding more to the picture of who he really was.
He swayed me slowly to the music, our bodies close, brushing up against one another and the feeling shifted the longer I was near him. He spun me again, pulling me back to him with my back to his front. His strong arms wrapped around me and I closed my eyes as a feeling of complete security surrounded me. I’d never felt so safe as I did in his arms. It was like I could handle anything—take on the whole world as long as I had his arms around me.
As I swayed my hips, brushing my ass against him, he ran his hands along the curves of my hips, down my thighs and back up again studying each curve of my body and burning a trail of desire in his path.
His lips found my neck and slowly kissed down the entire column to the crook of my shoulder letting his teeth nip and his tongue tease little circles on my skin. He kissed all the way to my shoulder and back up again. He found that sensitive little spot behind my ear. I shivered and giggled.
I needed to taste his lips again. I turned in his arms and he pulled me against his chiseled chest. I tilted my face up to him and he lowered his lips onto mine. Excitement and desire crashed over me and our kiss intensified. Our tongues danced a sensual, needy dance together. My breath was ragged, my hands clutching to him like my life depended on it.
I wasn’t sure how we managed to make it over to one of the padded lounge chairs without parting our lips or tripping over a planter but before I knew it Chris lowered me slowly onto the soft cushions, bringing his body over mine so that our lips never parted.
He kissed me so deeply I could feel it in my chest, in my belly, and in my core. He let his hands roam over each curve of my body, our lips parting only long enough for him to slip my shirt over my head. The times before had been fast, rough, and desperate—which I loved—but this time he was taking his time.
Chris kissed down my neck and to the crook where my neck met my shoulder which made me shiver. He slowly stripped me of every scrap of clothing and I helped him get undressed too.
When he finally slipped inside me, my back arched and I cried out. It was the most delicious feeling of satisfaction I’d ever felt. With him inside me I felt complete. I felt whole, like a piece was missing without him there.
Every kiss and every touch were deliberate. We weren’t fucking. We weren’t having sex. We were worshiping each other.
CHAPTER 15
Caroline
I lounged on the couch watching television to pass the time while Chris was working in the study with my father. They’d been in there since before breakfast talking about some case that they assured me had nothing to do with the threat to me or my dad. I didn’t watch T.V. often and like usual there was nothing good on.
I flipped through the channels until Chris’s playful whisper drew my attention to the doorway. “Psst. Caroline.”
I laughed as he peeked in. “What is it?”
“Your dad just left for the office.”
“Oh, he did?” I feigned surprise and gave him a coy smile.
“Yeah” Chris flashed me that sexy smile that made me melt and I couldn’t help but grin. “Feel like hitting the gym for some training?”
My smile dropped into a pout. “That's not exactly what I thought you had in mind.”
Chris and I had decided to continue the way we had, stealing moments together when my dad wasn’t around which was often, thank goodness, since neither of us could keep our hands off of each other. We’d come to the conclusion that there was no reason to fight it. We might as well enjoy each other while we could and figure the rest out later. Until then, we just had to keep it a secret.
Chris smirked and swaggered into the den. “Maybe we can squeeze that in too if you do really well with your training.” He’d been pushing my training more ever since the incident in the park, insisting that I needed to know how to protect myself in case he couldn’t but I didn’t mind. It gave him a better sense of security and I enjoyed learning how to take care of myself. Not to mention the chance to get close to him any way I could.
“Bribing me with sex now?”
“I like to look at it as incentivizing.”
“Oh, is that what we are calling it now?”
“Come on. What do you say?” He stood over me, holding out his hand and when he grinned there was no way I could say no.
“Okay. But, only because you’re so good at incentivizing.” I put my hand in his and that familiar warmth washed over me.
Chris gripped my hand and tugged me up from the couch with enough force that I stumbled right into his chest. The air seemed thicker when I was close to him and my breath caught. He leaned in. His lips only a breath away from mine and my heart raced at the close proximity.
Chris lowered his voice to a husky whisper that sounded somewhere between a threat and a delicious promise I prayed he’d keep. “Oh, I’ll show you just how good I can be at incentivizing once we’re done. Let's go.”
He kept hold of my hand and drug me from the room, down the hall toward the home gym.
“In such a hurry for me to beat you up again?” We rounded the corner in the hall at a determined pace.
“In your dreams, princess.”
We peeked into the gym to make sure the coast was clear then closed ourselves inside. My dad was gone but there were still others who could find out about our training and tell him.
I glanced back at Chris while walking toward the middle of the sparring mat. “Trust me, when I dream about you, it is not about our spars in the gym.”
Chris grabbed hold of my hand again and tugged me back to him. “Oh? Then tell me what kind of dreams you’re having of me.”
“No way.” I laughed and turned away from him to start my stretches.
“Tell me.”
“A girl has to have some secrets, you know.”
“No, she doesn’t. Now tell me, or I’ll make you tell me.”
I turned back to him with an incredulous look. “Like you could.” And those words were my mistake.
Chris pounced. He pinned me against the gym wall by my throat and held me there. He didn’t apply enough pressure to cut off my airway, just enough to let me know he had me. But he’d trained me too well. I lifted my right arm up, gripping my fist with my left hand. I twisted my body, bringing my elbow down on his arm, forcing his hand from my throat. I elbowed him in the stomach and turned around, lifting my knee as if I was going to knee him in the groin like he’d taught me to do.
“Very good.” He let me go just like an attacker would if I had actually kicked him in the balls.
I turned to run away from him but he grabbed me by the hair to pull me back. I covered his hands with mine, pinching my elbows together to protect my face and ducked, twisting behind him so that his arm was awkwardly twisted at his back. Once his hand released my hair, I pushed his arm up slightly just enough to let him know I had him and could have dislocated his shoulder just like he’d taught me. I released his arm and he turned to face me.
“You’re getting pretty good at that.”
“Thanks. I’ve had a good teacher.” I beamed at him.
“But what happens if you are overpowered?”
“I won’t be.”
“You can’t be sure of that. There are always unforeseen factors that can come up. A distraction, a minor slip up. You always have to account for human error.”
He pounced on me again, this time using moves I wasn’t ready for. He moved so fast and before I knew what was happening, he had me pinned against the wall, one hand around my throat and the other holding one wrist up over my head.
His body pressed hard against mine and I had no room t
o move my legs to kick. I was stuck and had no idea how to get away. My heart raced in my chest pumping adrenaline through my body.
“Now what? What do you do, Caroline?” His voice was urgent and demanding.
“I don’t know.” He hadn’t prepared me for this and I was frustrated at not only him but myself as well for being so weak.
His voice calmed, turning gentle. “You surrender.”
“What?” I couldn’t believe he’d tell me to just surrender. “You want me to just give up?”
“I didn’t say that. You surrender. You make yourself appear compliant. Relax your body.”
I tried to relax but it was a struggle not to resist.
“Always my little fighter.” He smiled at me with such affection that I relaxed instantly.
“There you go. Just like that. Steady your breathing and just take a moment to relax. If you let him think he’s won, and you are giving up, he will relax and eventually let his guard down. Then, you can make your move when you get the opportunity. The most important lesson I can give you is to keep your cool, relax and think things through.”
I relaxed like he said, waited for him to relax too, then tried to make my move but it failed. I almost got away but Chris countered, slamming me into the padded gym wall. He held me there, and our eyes locked on one another, both panting from our sparring. I let out a heavy breath, feeling the air in the room change.
The next thing I knew, Chris pounced again, his lips crashed into mine with bruising force. His tongue forced my lips apart and plunged into my mouth, battling, dancing and teasing my tongue with his. His hand slipped down my extended arm, down to my breast. He kneaded the tender flesh but it wasn’t enough. He roughly pulled my shirt up over my head and tossed it to the floor before returning his hand to me. He teased my nipple into a hard peek and I moaned into his mouth.
My back arched, pushing my breast farther into his hand. I pushed my hips forward toward him, grinding against the bulge in his shorts. I needed the beautiful friction that brought me such pleasure but he was playing hard to get, pulling his hips away from me. He couldn’t keep up the teasing for too long though, he needed me as much as I needed him.
