“To what?”
“Nothing. Just know nothing is going to happen to you. I won’t let it.”
“Liam, we’re not talking about me. This is about your company. Someone killed your employee. The same person may be trying to steal money or secrets or something from your business.”
“But someone is targeting you, aren’t they? Someone connected to this case?”
I stood, stunned. I wondered how he had put it together. I never told anyone about Ghost or whomever it was that apparently wanted me dead.
“You’re not the only one who can read others. I know you. I could tell you were holding something back from the start of this case.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried to deflect, but should have known better.
In two long strides, Liam was right in my face. “So, this is how you want to play it? You’re going to pretend like I’m making shit up? Fine. You’ll keep working to find out who is doing this, but now you’ll have two bodyguards on you at all times.”
“Have you lost your damn mind? I’ve been doing this too long to be followed by some incompetent bodyguards. Besides, it looks like most of the damn problems are coming from your security staff anyway. How do we know the leak about my hotel suite didn’t come from one of them? How do you know any of them can be trusted?”
For the first time since this conversation began, Liam’s face relaxed into his usual arrogant expression. “Already thought of, Sweetheart. I’ve personally vetted Mitch, which was why he was with you earlier today, and Brian agreed to take a short leave from his position to act as a temporary bodyguard.”
“You can’t be se—”
“Hey Bennett,” Brian interrupted as he entered Liam’s office.
The frown on my face deepened as the men exchanged greetings. I stood akimbo, glaring at both of them. “Brian, I don’t know what this…” I paused pointing at Li, “asshole told you, but there is no need for you to follow me around like some damn lost puppy.”
Brian began laughing, which only spiked my anger.
“The hell is so damn funny?” I demanded.
“I told you she’d be livid about this.”
I turned as another familiar deep voice entered the conversation. Jeremy came strolling in the office.
“You’re goddamn right I’m livid. Didn’t you bring me here to find out what was going on? Why am I being treated like the damn case instead of the security consultant you hired?!” My voice rose with anger as I pointed at Jeremy. I couldn’t even look at Liam, who I knew was responsible for all of this.
“Coral, I know you don’t want this, but it was the only way that he,” Jeremy motioned to Liam, “would agree to keep you on this case and not locked up in his house. I’ve already fired the head of my hotel’s security for that shit in your suite, and if I didn’t have to travel so much for work, I would be the one on your detail, but I can’t.”
I stared into Jeremy’s forest green eyes and saw he meant every word. He looked like he belonged on the pages of a GQ Magazine bad boy issue with his long dark hair pulled into a low ponytail, and the neck tattoo peeking out from under his collar. But I also knew Jeremy was as deadly as anyone in this room. I looked around at all three of the stern faces in the office. Of course, Liam’s was the sternest of them all; although each one of their faces the same thing—they were not letting this go.
“I’m not letting this drop so you might as well forget it.” His tone was rigid.
“Whatever,” I said like some petulant teenager who hadn’t gotten their way. I stormed out of Liam’s office with Brian right behind me as we headed toward the elevator. “I’m going to look through a few more of these interviews, and then I’m going for a run,” I told Brian over my shoulder as we entered the open elevator doors.
“Liam already told me you like to go for a run to blow off steam, so my gym bag is packed and in the car.”
I raised an eyebrow curiously.
“What you think I can’t keep up?” he asked, jokingly.
“I don’t know,” I responded with a shrug. “Maybe civilian life had made you soft.” I teased.
“Or my injury?”
At that, I shrugged again.
He lifted his right pants leg a few inches, and I saw the titanium and aluminum metals that were now a substitute for his missing leg. “Lightweight and fits like a glove. Don’t worry about my ability to keep up. I run up to seventy miles a week, and I missed my run this morning,” he winked and lowered his pant leg.
I smiled at that. “Good. Let’s go,” I called over my shoulder as we exited the elevator.
Chapter Thirteen
Liam
I knew that assigning bodyguards to Coral would tick her off. It’d been a week, and she was still barely speaking to me. The only time she said more than two words to me was at night when we were home with Laura. Those two had practically been stuck at the hip every night for the last week. Hell, Laura even asked Coral to read her bedtime stories at night instead of me. When Coral realized Laura’s bedtime story was actually Tasha’s latest book, I could see the expression on her face soften. Ever since, they’d spent at least a half an hour reading to one another about a little girl saving the planet from foreign and alien invaders. I would be jealous, but I was secretly terrified of how these two would get along. I should have known better. I mean, not only was Coral a natural caretaker, she had always had a special affinity for kids. I even saw it in Iraq when she once intervened in a domestic dispute when a local father attempted to beat his young daughter. Our whole squad was horrified at the scene, but Coral was on her feet and in the guy’s face before we could blink. From then on, while we remained stationed there, she did her best to check in on the little girl.
It was Friday and Laura was going to her grandparents’ house for the weekend. Michele’s parents made it a point to take Laura every other weekend. They were good people, and I still hurt for them over the loss of their daughter.
“Okay, promise you’ll wait until I get back to read,” Laura demanded of Coral.
“Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye,” Coral said, making a cross over her heart with her hand. She held up three fingers as if she’s really pledging. This caused Laura to giggle.
“Alright, Princess, I think grandma and grandpa are outside waiting for you,” I interrupted, scooping Laura in my arms.
“Yay!” Laura yelled as I carried her and her bags out of the room. “Bye!” she gave a final wave to Coral.
“See ya later, Princess,” Coral called, and my chest tightened at the natural bond they seemed to have established.
“It’s really great that Michele’s parents spend so much time with her,” Coral said a few minutes later, once everyone had left.
Besides the security I had around the clock, it was just us two at the house. I was scheduled to leave for Austin in the morning. But before leaving, I was determined to break this little ice that had developed between us. I’d already decided I was not letting this woman walk away from me after the case was over. I’d spent too many years without her. I wouldn’t make that same mistake twice. It was time to make my play for my Queen.
“Want to play a game of chess?”
“What?” Her eyes widened as she looked at me, surprised.
“Chess? You know the board game with a sixty-four square board and sixteen pieces?”
“Haha. Very funny,” she retorted, giving me a deadpan expression.
“Come on; it’s not like you were doing anything anyway, besides going up to your room to try and ignore me for the rest of the night.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Li. Sure, let’s play.”
“I have a board set up in my game room,” I explained, placing my hand on the small of her back and guiding her down the hall to the huge den I referred to as my game room. In addition to my chessboard, I also had a huge flat screen with a gaming console, foosball table, and air hockey table. It was the only room
in the house Laura wasn’t allowed to play in. This was daddy’s kingdom. I pulled out the chessboard that had the pieces already arranged. I turned to look over my shoulder to see Coral staring at a picture on the wall.
“Why do you have this here?” Her voice was low, contemplative.
I had a number of pictures hanging on the wall from my military days. Many were with the guys in our squad. Brian and Ron were even in a couple. But the biggest picture was of me and Coral. It was a picture from Afghanistan. We were just goofing around, playing a game of pickup basketball on base. Out of nowhere, Coral jumped on my back to try and get the ball, and I started cracking up. Someone in our brigade snapped the picture and later gave it to me.
“It’s one of my favorites of us.” I ran my finger along the backside of her arm as she stood with her back to me still facing the picture.
She sighed heavily and lowered her head. “I don’t get you,” she nearly whispered. “I thought I knew everything about you, but I don’t.” Her voice trailed off.
“You do,” I said fiercely. I gripped her by the arms and spun her around, so she was facing me. “You know me better than anyone in this world.”
She shook her head cutting me off. “Don’t.” She stepped back. “Let’s just play chess.” She moved around me and went to sit at the table where I’d set up the game.
I lowered my head in defeat. I wanted to tell her so much, but I just couldn’t right now. I moved to the table to sit. Per tradition, Coral made the first move as we prepared to play. I smiled at the memory of the first time we played.
“Remember the first time I taught you chess?” I questioned as I moved my first pawn.
Her lips curled into a nostalgic smile. “I had no idea what I was doing.”
“But you were a fast learner, as always.”
We continued to reminisce. We talked about all types of memories from college and beyond. I remembered back to the night that I made the decision to officially join the military. Although I was in ROTC, I still had until the end of my sophomore year to decide whether or not I wanted to continue through the rest of my college career, which meant I would join the Army after graduating. At first, I just thought I’d do the first two years and leave it at that. But after meeting Coral and learning she had no choice but to join if she wanted to keep her scholarship, it made me consider signing on more seriously. By the end of our second year in college, we were already well into war in Afghanistan and war in Iraq was inevitable. I knew Coral would be heading there soon after we graduated and I wanted to be right by her side. It wasn’t the burning desire to fight for my country that made me sign up. It was instinctive, to protect this woman. It’s the same reason I left her side five years ago.
Her soft voice broke into my thoughts. “What are you thinking about?”
“You.” I didn’t hesitate answering her question. “How are Stacey and Tasha?” I asked, changing the subject.
A look of pride overcame her face and she sat back in her chair. “They’re really good. Stace is married to—”
“Andre Collins,” I answered.
Tilting her head to the side and staring at me she asked, “How’d you know?”
“The same way I know Tasha is living in Vermont and working on book number four. I had people watching them over the years.”
Her eyes widened as she sat up in her chair. “Why would you do that?”
At that point I could’ve made something up or go with the truth. Fuck it.
“I told you I looked for you for the last five years. When I couldn’t find a trace of you on your own, I knew the two people you’d never not keep in contact with were Stacey and Tasha.”
“And what’d you find?”
I let out a huff. “Nothing at first, but then about a year after you disappeared and Stacey relocated to Atlanta, one of my guys caught a glimpse of you before you left again. I didn’t do any serious tapping, I just kept track of them to be in the know in case anything happened to you and especially to look after Tasha. I know she hasn’t met the rest of your family still.”
Coral simply stared at me for a long time. I knew she’s trying to figure something out. Trying to figure out why someone who left her the way I did would go to such lengths to then keep tabs on her.
“Then why…” her question was cut off by her ringing phone. She stood to retrieve it from the other side of the room.
I tracked her movements and saw her look at the caller and hit ignore. My mouth turned downward into a frown. Given that it was a Friday night, I knew it was most likely not anything work-related or else she would have answered it. I also knew it probably wasn’t Stacey or Tasha because she would have answered those calls immediately. Over the past week, I’d seen her do this a couple of times when she didn’t think I was paying attention. Other times, I’d seen her smile a little too wide as she exchanged text messages. My gut told me who was on the other end of those messages and the thought had my fingers itching to hit something.
“Tell Nathaniel I said hello,” I called over to her. I knew it was petty, but oh well. The thought of him holding any of her attention brought out my jealousy.
“What are you king about?” she said, placing her phone back on the table and sitting on the couch. “Let’s watch a movie.”
I decided to go along with her little deflection for now. “How about the latest X-Men movie.” I suggested knowing she appreciated action films as much as I did.
“Sounds good to me.”
I turned on the TV and pulled up the movie as I slid into the seat next to her. Without giving it a second thought, I pulled Coral into my side as the opening credits started, and to my satisfaction, she didn’t resist. We spent the next two hours in that position, her head leaning on my chest, my arm wrapped around her shoulder. I swear this woman was made just for me. She fit me perfectly. I began stroking her arm as the end credits rolled.
“It’s been so long since I’ve sat and watched a movie,” she sighed.
“Same here. Well, any movie that’s not animated that involves a talking fish or other animal.” We both laughed.
“Laura’s a real character. I bet she keeps you on your toes,” she sat up and smiled at me.
I groaned. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“She loves you. You’re a good dad.” Her voice was full of reverence that I felt unworthy of. She made a face that I couldn’t quite read and looked down at her hands.
At that moment, she appeared so vulnerable.
So innocent and soft.
I had to touch her.
I pulled her face down crushing her lips to mine. I probed her lips to open with my tongue. When they parted, I wasted little time savoring her unique taste. I rose up, pushing her down onto her back so I could climb on top of her. Her hands wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me in closer. My erection started to grow painful against the crotch of my jeans. I moved from her mouth and trailed kisses along her jawline, nipping at her skin with my teeth and soothing the small bites with my tongue. She let out a loud moan when I reached the sweet spot on her neck. In the distance, I heard some sort of buzzing or beeping, but I ignored it needing to feel more of Coral’s skin.
“Li, wait,” Coral panted as she shifted underneath me.
I finally came to my senses enough to realize she was trying to reach her phone. I sat up enough to let her reach her phone. She glanced at the screen and quickly glanced at me. I crinkled my brows knowing who it is. Out of pure jealousy, I reached for her phone to look at the screen. The name “Senator Nathaniel Roberts” flashed across the screen before Coral snatched the phone from my hand.
“Hey beautiful,” I mocked, repeating the text message he just sent. “Why is he still calling and texting you?” My tone was low, almost deadly.
“Leave it alone,” Coral told me but that was not happening.
“Leave it alone?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Li, he’s just a friend.”
“A friend you’ve fucke
d. A friend who obviously wants more than to be just friends.”
At this accusation, Coral pushed me fully off of her and sat up. “I don’t have to explain any of my relationships to you,” she pointed an accusatory finger at me.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I growled and pulled her mouth to mine once again. I refused to release her lips as I stood us both up and back her towards the elevator. “He can’t have you,” I said in between the kisses I peppered along her lips and down her neck.
I pushed her back against the wall of the elevator, and with my free hand, I pressed the button for the second floor. I captured her lips again and moved my hand down to unbutton her jeans.
“Spread your legs,” I commanded once I got the button undone. A small piece of me felt vindicated when she listened and did as I requested. I moved my hand inside her silky thong underwear to feel her already wet for me. “Does he make you wet like this?” I questioned, bringing my soaking wet finger up for her to see.
“What are you…?” she panted.
“Does he make you wet like this?” I barked out again at the same time I shoved my hand back into her wetness. With my mouth, I sucked on the side of her neck eliciting another moan. Her hips began to move against my hand. “That’s it, CeCe. Ride my fingers,” I encouraged as I flicked my index and middle fingers over her bulging clit. Moving lower, I let my fingers sink into her drenched pussy. Moving in and out, I spread her wetness all over her labia. Coral’s hips began moving erratically, and I knew her orgasm was within reach.
“Come on, CeCe. Come for me,” I whispered in her ear and just like that she did. She came all over my hand. Those hazel eyes stared at me in wonder and satisfaction. But we were far from done. By the end of the night, this woman would know who she belonged to.
****
Coral
“Daamn,” I purred as I glanced down at his dark head bobbing up and down between my legs that were now spread eagle on his huge sleigh bed. Liam was clearly not playing games tonight. It took him precisely thirty seconds to strip both of us out of our clothes once we exited the elevator.
This Is Where I Sleep Page 12
