by Bell, Shanna
“Remember those layers of nerves I was telling you about?” Her wet finger circled his ass, slightly dipping at the corners of his anus.
“Fuck!”
His abdomen rippled from the strength it took to keep himself at bay.
“Apparently men have them right… here.” The second she ended her sentence, she started rimming him.
“Oh hell!” This time, he did jump up. He looked at her helplessly, his cheeks flushed, eyes wild, then he dropped back on the bed. “Maybe we should talk about this first.”
“Sure, you talk while I lick.”
Then he started praying, or talking nonsense, she wasn’t sure what words he croaked. What she was sure about, however, was that she loved his taste and moreover, he loved her every touch.
So, this is what sexual power feels like.
Why hadn’t anyone told her this before? That you could reduce a strong man into a babbling mess by just kissing his dick and licking him below his balls? It was amazing. She felt like she’d discovered the Holy Grail of sex. Someone should notify all women. First thing in the morning, she was going to email her new favorite author and thank him. Then, she was going to order all of his books. Who knew what other pearls of sexual wisdom she could find in them?
Luca kept talking to her, every now and then giving her directions. All the while, she kept licking him. Eyes closed, just doing what she felt like, following her desire to give him pleasure. He tasted so nice. Should she tell him? Was that even allowed? She wasn’t sure.
“What’s with the frown, beautiful?”
“I was thinking that you smell and taste really nice. I wasn’t sure if I should tell you.”
He hauled her forward and cupped her cheek. “You never hold back your words, why start now?”
Wasn’t it obvious? “Because we’re having sex.”
“So?” There was a smile in his eyes that even his long downcast eyelashes couldn’t hide. Seeing that somehow relaxed her.
“It just seems a bit weird talking during sex.”
His lips went to her ears. “Let me tell you a little secret. Just in case no one has told you before. You, Tess Gibson? You are weird.”
When he started laughing, she thumped his shoulder. This broke him into an even bigger laugh.
“You are such a jerk.”
“Yeah, but tonight, I’m your jerk.”
That he was. And she knew exactly how to turn the tables. After all, he’d given her ammunition just by the way he reacted.
She pushed him until once again he lay on his back. “You’re right. I am weird. And I do like speaking my mind. In fact, I think I’m going to be talking your head off all night.”
“I can live with that.” There was a strain to his voice when she licked the head of his dick.
“Good. I’m glad you can live with it. After all”—she pumped him a few times—“this wouldn’t work if you weren’t alive, now would it?”
“Yeah…”
“I like licking you.” She instantly put her words into action. “Sucking you.” He immediately took advantage of the situation by moving his hips, getting deeper and making her gag.
“I like deep throating you too, baby.” He winked.
Oh, it was on. “I’m going to lick your most sensitive spot. I’m going to love on those tiny hidden nerves until you beg me to stop. Until you bite the cushion, so your neighbors won’t hear you scream.”
He made her feel bold, brave, and a little bad.
Luca placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He was right, no more words were needed.
CHAPTER 19
TESS
She woke up plastered all over Luca’s chest. He was still deep asleep. A faint light was already pouring through the curtains. Morning had come, and so had her time to make a decision. To go after Cruz or not to go after Cruz, that was the question. Though, deep in her heart, she already knew the answer.
Her finger trailed over his jaw. This confident and stubborn, yet so supportive, man had given her so much in such a short timeframe. And all she’d given him were lies by omission. Technically, one big lie, but it was the lie of a lifetime.
With a heavy heart, she got out of bed and hopped into the shower.
She’d taken the lead last night in bed like she never had before. It had been the most amazing experience of her life. The way she had lost control over her body, how she kept riding him, and how he had finished, screaming her name. Oh, the power, and the thrill. There weren’t enough expletives to describe the feelings he’d awoken in her. There was also no way she was going to let him go after Cruz. And then there was also Onyx she’d have to deal with. Ugh. Even thinking of that name gave her hives.
According to her research, Cruz was staying in an abandoned office downtown. The building was scheduled for demolition. She didn’t understand why the man hadn’t left San Francisco yet. After all, he knew Luca was after him. He’d even killed Grace to cover his tracks, so why remain in Luca’s hometown? It didn’t make any sense. The proof was there though, in the cam feeds she’d found. She had to go look for herself before she told Luca. She couldn’t be responsible for him walking into a trap. Not again.
She finished her shower and put on her usual outfit—jeans, a tank top, and her pointy biker boots that could turn a man into a eunuch with one good kick.
Before she walked into the office complex Cruz was squatting in, she sent Luca a message with her whereabouts. If something went awry, she wanted him to know about Cruz.
A trail of papers littered the floor of the long hallway and led to a row of offices and cubicles. One of the middle offices wasn’t empty. It had a person sitting on an office chair in front of it. That person waiting wasn’t Cruz though. It wasn’t even a man, but a woman around her age, with dreadlocks and sporting a crimson leather jacket. She had creamy, mocha skin, and for some reason, familiar hazel cat eyes.
Tess looked around, to see if she could spot anyone else. Other than office supplies littered on the floor and a couple of chairs, the bullpen was abandoned.
“Who are you? And where is Cruz?”
The woman pushed up from the chair and slowly walked over to her. Her heels clicked over the concrete floor, making an echo in the mostly empty space.
“Obviously, he’s not here. You were told to back off. Stop the search.”
She’d been right. This was a trap, set up by Onyx.
“I’m not very good with following orders.”
For some reason, this made the woman smile. “Guess we have that in common.”
“I’m not here for small talk or to make friends. Tell me where Cruz is. And if you can’t, then call your boss.” It was time for her to face her demons.
“My boss?”
“Yes. Onyx? Where is he?”
Her answer was an exasperated sigh. “What makes you think Onyx is a guy?”
“I—”
“You’re such a girl, Tess. And a sheep, like most people. Whenever someone anonymous excels at something, it has to be a man, right? Morons.”
Crap on a stick. “Onyx?” she asked.
“Bingo.”
Then another thought hit her. “Is this an ‘I’ve told you my secret identity so now I have to kill you’ moment?” That would suck.
“If I’d wanted you dead, you would already be dust in the wind.”
She imagined that to be true. There was a certain kind of crazy in Onyx’s eyes. Also, something very familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Then why would you come out now? Tell me who you are?” It didn’t make any sense.
“Because I needed to meet you in person. I always resented you. Believed he chose to be with you and not me.”
“He?”
“The sperm donor. Your dad. Then I learned he sold you out to the Irish. It wasn’t the first time you had to clean up his mess either, was it? And afterwards, when you once again got him out of trouble, he didn’t even call you to check up on you, di
d he?”
A hard knot of shame lodged in her throat. There were no words to defend her father. But why did Onyx—
Oh no.
No, no, no, no.
Those eyes, the slightly too-big bottom lip, it was almost like looking into a mirror. How had she not seen it before? Suddenly, everything made sense.
“All of this. It’s personal, isn’t it? But how? I mean, I would’ve known if… He would’ve told me if…”
“If he had another daughter?” Onyx snorted. “Our dear old dad hooked up with my mom when your mother got diagnosed with cancer. He was such a hero, going after a nurse between visiting the hospital to see his wife.”
“That’s it,” Tess whispered, everything crystal clear now. “The reason you’ve been following me online.”
“Duh.” Onyx rolled her eyes. “You didn’t really think it was a coincidence that I found you, did you?”
Actually, she had. “This explains so much. Why you are out to get me. It’s not just rivalry.”
Onyx cocked a dainty brow. “What rivalry? I could make you spin circles, sis.”
Tess snorted. “As if.”
Then Onyx got serious again. “My mother was right. The sperm donor isn’t capable of love. It was a waste setting up an opportunity to meet him. I always wondered why he didn’t love me. Now I know. He doesn’t love you either.”
She wished those words didn’t lodge into her heart like little needles. No, her father didn’t care much for her. The man was a con artist who used people. Still, he was her dad. A part of her would always wait until he would show her love. Obviously, Onyx didn’t have any such hope.
“So, now you know,” she said softly. “You have absolutely no reason for resentment. Does this make you feel better?”
“I wish it did, but it doesn’t. Only makes me miss my mother more.”
Tess had a feeling they were getting to the crux of the problem. “What happened to her?”
“She died.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
There was a fire in Onyx’s eyes similar to the one in Luca’s when he talked about revenge. Whoever it was her newly-found sister was after, Tess didn’t envy them.
“You need to leave,” Onyx said.
“Can’t. I need you to hand over Cruz to me.”
“No.” The fire in her voice had turned into boredom. She even had the audacity to check on her phone, as if Tess was merely a pesky problem she had to deal with.
Nope. They weren’t having any sister spa days anytime soon.
“I need to bring Cruz in,” she repeated. “If I don’t, Luca will kill him, and I can’t live with him going to jail again.”
“You mean, like the last time, when you sent me the list with his name on it?”
“I didn’t know!” Tess snapped. “I didn’t know what would happen with that list. I thought you were just gonna expose those investors for supporting a research that killed people. Just like I couldn’t imagine you would go after the pharmaceutical companies’ factory and blow it up. I didn’t know.”
Onyx put her phone back in her pocket. “I know you didn’t. And you should stop feeling guilty about that. They had it a long time coming.”
“An innocent man died!”
“There’s no such thing as an innocent man.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” It was like talking to a wall. “Why are you doing this? What’s your interest in Cruz?”
“He knows how to get to them.”
“Them? Who is them?”
“Vil Corp.”
Tess couldn’t hold in a gasp. The poor girl had obviously lost her marbles. “I think I’m in need of a hearing aid, ‘cause I think I just heard you say Vil Corp.”
Her sister scowled. “You’ve heard me right.”
“Vil Corp is a myth. There’s no such thing as a global Big Pharma conglomerate ruling the pharmaceutical world. Believing in them is like believing in one government that rules all of humanity.”
“Think what you will. I’m on their trail and I will find them. They took my mom from me, so I will make them pay.”
“You want revenge.” It was like talking to a real-life Count of Monte Cristo. “Even if they did exist, which is a big if, you can’t take on a gigantic corporation all by yourself. Don’t ruin your life with an endless quest. Please.”
“No, you will get yourself hurt, if you don’t back off. Cruz already killed one woman to cover his tracks. You don't want to be the next.”
This time, her threatening tone couldn’t be missed. “You can’t go on like this. One day, someone better than you, with more extraordinary skills, will cross your path.”
“Doubt it. Also, don’t really care. As long as Cruz gets me what I want, I’m okay with the aftermath. I wasn’t planning on retiring to some beach, to sip Mai Tais all day long anyway.”
Tess tensed when Onyx’s eyes went to a place behind her. She turned, only to find herself face to face with a seething Luca.
“Luca… I…”
“Save it.” He stepped back, as if the mere sight of her repelled him.
“I’m so sorry, Luca. Please, let me explain.” She took a step toward him, to only find him walking backward.
“Not. Good. Enough. You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie. I just…”
“You just forgot to tell me the truth?”
“I…”
“I trusted you!” he roared. “You have any idea how difficult that was? It was the biggest fucking gamble of my life. I thought I knew betrayal, but as it turns out, I know nothing. But most of all? I don’t want to know you anymore.”
Had it been possible to wither and die on the spot, she would have chosen that option, no questions asked. Instead, she froze, her limbs refusing to move, staring at the spot Luca had just vacated.
Her eyes went to Onyx, who’d just grabbed her bag from the floor.
When she passed Tess, she put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I let that happen to you, but I needed to get you off my back.”
“You’ve succeeded,” she said, deflated.
It was all over. Luca hated her. She had kept the truth from the one man who had truly accepted her as she was. The betrayal on his face had been worse than the words he spewed in her direction. She didn’t even know where to go from here.
Onyx let her go and went for the door.
Then Tess heard a sudden thud. When she turned around, her sister was lying on the floor, passed out.
A man was standing over her, holding a gun.
CHAPTER 20
LUCA
Luca chugged down another drink. He’d barely finished it when Angel signaled the waiter to keep them coming. Being at his friends’ club had its benefits. Such as not having to ask for anything. Not even having to talk, just wallow in your misery.
How could he have been this fucking blind? It had been her. All along, it had been her, the reason why he was even targeted and ended up in jail. He wouldn’t have blinked an eye as he popped Cruz in the head, but how was he supposed to point the trigger at Tess, let alone put a bullet in her.
Fuck my life.
He couldn’t do it, because he was in love with geeky, weird-as-hell Tess Gibson. And didn’t that make this whole fucked-up situation sad?
In hindsight, she had tried to warn him. The story about her mom, the dead guard, everything made sense now. He understood that she hadn't meant to send his ass to jail. Thing was, even after everything they had been through, she hadn’t come clean. And he didn’t know how to get past that.
At the other end of the table, Damon was frowning at him. “So, let me get this straight. After turning San Fran upside down for weeks to find Jamie, you’ve decided to call it quits?”
Right, he was giving an update on the fucker that might be after Tess. Except, he didn’t care anymore. He was done with her.
“She betrayed me.”
“And? That’s no reason for letting this guy go. A guy who knows you
’re after him. You should finish the job and not get complacent.”
“Complacent,” Angel repeated. “Wasn’t that yesterday’s Word of the Day?”
“It was.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Luca argued. “We’ve been looking for Mick’s brother for over a week. He must be long gone. I don’t think he’s a threat to Tess any longer.” And even if he were, she was no longer his problem. She’d fucking lied to him. For weeks.
“I don’t think you get what I’m saying,” Damon stressed. “Regardless of whether he’s after your girl—”
“Ex girl.”
“Guess that means the wedding isn’t happening. I can take her out then?”
Fuck. He hadn’t even thought of Damon’s demand.
“Not tonight, D. Not fucking tonight." He still had time to find Cruz and make him confess to killing Grace. And he was going to find him. With or without Tess.
“Fine. That doesn’t make the Irish issue go away, though. Jamie knows you’re after him. If I were him, I’d take you out first.”
Ah, yes, that was the Damon he knew. Always planning three steps ahead. Thing was, Luca didn’t want to plan anything right now. He was tired of plotting and planning. He was done. Or maybe it was the alcohol speaking, though he’d only had one drink so far. Perhaps that was the problem; he wasn’t intoxicated enough.
“We should order a bottle,” he suggested.
“We’ve got something new from St. Petersburg. It will blow your head off. Unless you’re Russian, of course.”
“Shut up, you pricks. You ain’t Russian.” He wasn’t sure what they were, but they sure as hell weren’t from Mother Russia.
Angel cocked a brow. “If we say we are, then we are. We can be anything we want, comrade.”
“Ah, hell, not the comrade talk again.”
“You Americans are so fixated on creed.”
“I bet you two are bloody American too,” Luca disputed.
“Only our mom,” Angel said. “And even she had a hint of Mohican in her.”
