The Score (Massey Security Duet Book 2)

by S. Nelson

  Me.

  “Yes,” I whispered, wishing that time would stop, and we could stay locked in this moment forever, for as clichéd as that sounded.

  “Grip the edge of the counter,” he grunted right before he pushed every thick inch inside me. I tensed up but quickly relaxed. Ford wasn’t a small man, and I needed a moment to allow my body to stretch around him. “Are you okay?” Because he still held me firmly in place, I nodded as best I could.

  A split moment of pleading, patience, and understanding passed between us. A squint of the eyes. A curl of the lip. Parting mouths and a shaky breath. We communicated without a single word, something I’d never had with anyone before him. The pumping of his hips tossed all sentiment aside, and my body was racked with the sweetest torment.

  At first, his movements were slow and controlled. The muscles in his neck strained, and he looked like he barely held on to whatever restraint he had left. I loved that I was the one who drove him crazy, in all ways possible. I’d gotten under his skin in the past, as he had done to me, but when our bodies connected, everything else seemed to fade away.

  He released my hair and rested his right hand on my waist, digging his fingers in to hold me steady. His left skated around my front, then disappeared between my legs. Without warning, he pinched my clit, the feeling similar to when he gently bit the sensitive bundle of nerves. My head would’ve hit the mirror from the jolt had he not held me in place.

  I attempted to stand but failed, the pressure he inflicted on me borderline too much. His hand moved from my hip to my throat, his fingers applying pressure, not enough to scare, but enough to excite me, to give the promise of what I liked.

  “You’ll take everything from me,” he confessed, and I didn’t have time to dissect his words before he pulled back, then slammed into me with as much force as he could muster. My mouth fell open as I sucked in air, but one look in the mirror and I saw the question in his eyes. When I closed mine, I’d given him my answer. He assaulted my body with his, every thrust and prick of pain the sweetest torture.

  I crested the wave of explosion when Ford suddenly removed his hand from my pussy and pulled me back toward him.

  “Why did you stop?” I groaned, frustrated that my impending orgasm had withered away.

  “Take off the rest of your clothes. I want to see all of you while I fuck you.” I found his bluntness sexy, so I complied immediately, pulling my shirt over my head right before I removed my bra. I stood before him completely naked, but there was one problem. He remained fully dressed, which seemed unfair. Even though from the position I was in I couldn’t see him, I wanted to at least feel his skin against mine. I wanted his heat to scorch me.

  “You need to do the same.” The last word barely left my mouth before he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. I regretted my request, however, when he pulled out of me to take off the rest of his clothes.

  “Give me a second and I’ll turn that frown upside down,” he teased, winking at me. He kicked his pants and boxer briefs to the side before he positioned himself behind me again.

  “You’re a goof.”

  “But a goof whose gonna make you scream.” He sheathed himself inside me in the next breath, pushing me forward with the force of his lust.

  Every nerve inside me ached from the potency of him, but I wanted more.

  “Harder,” I cried. “More.”

  He grabbed my waist and anchored me to him, fucking me so fast and hard I barely had time to enjoy the electricity spiraling through me. The buildup to my orgasm was almost as satisfying as the explosion itself. But the way Ford drove into me triggered my body to rush through the sweet anticipation, the sound of my ass slapping against his skin more erotic than I thought possible.

  “Are you close?” he asked, reaching around to pinch my nipple, the erect bud’s sensitivity sending a jolt right to my pussy. I couldn’t speak. Hell, I could barely nod my response before my body locked up. “I can feel your pussy tightening,” he rasped, leaning over me and resting his forehead on my back. “Take everything from me, Cara,” he barked, sinking his teeth into my shoulder. Again with his coded words, but I ignored it all, focusing on the sweet release my body offered.

  His grunts stole my thoughts.

  His body gave mine pleasure.

  His words offered me everything I didn’t know I needed.

  After he finally released himself inside me, and our breathing started to slow, only then did Ford withdraw and turn me around to face him. He said nothing as his lips descended over mine, the tip of his tongue begging for entrance. His kiss captivated me, promised me a future I wasn’t sure I was entitled to.

  The rest of the evening was spent in bed, drifting in and out of sleep. Whatever alcohol we’d drank earlier had dissipated and was replaced with a renewed energy to consume the other.

  Whenever I shifted in my sleep, backing up against him while he cradled me from behind, I’d awake when he would pull my leg back and throw it over his hip, entering me lazily until all I could focus on was the feel of him. Slow and steady, drawing out my pleasure for as long as possible. By the time we fell asleep for good, I ached all over, my pussy swollen and sore. But I’d never been more satisfied in my life.

  * * *

  Ford

  “Ugh… who keeps calling you?” Cara asked, throwing a pillow over her head.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You really need to set specific ringtones for your contacts. That way, you’ll know who’s blowing up your phone without even looking.” Her words were muffled beneath the goose down, but I heard everything she said.

  My cell went quiet, only to ring again seconds later. “Where the hell is it?” I asked, sitting up to look around.

  “It’s on the floor. On my side.” She threw her pillow at me and leaned over the side of the bed, the covers shifting to reveal her plump, bare ass. I reached out to playfully spank her, but stopped when she suddenly twisted back around right before she tossed my phone at me. “It-It’s… him,” she stuttered.

  “Who?” I glanced down at the phone and saw Cal’s name on the screen, one of the guys whom I’d convinced to fake kidnap her, and knew immediately why her complexion had paled. “Fuck, sorry about that.” I lay back down and swiped the screen, already pissed off his call disrupted our morning. “What?” My greeting was none too friendly and certainly abrupt.

  “Hey, sorry to keep calling, but Owen told me what happened. Are you guys okay?”

  Because I wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible, I didn’t hesitate when I answered, “Yeah. Fine.”

  “Good.” He sighed into the phone but stopped speaking. Cal was a great guy. He served with Owen and me, and we’d been close for years, and while he looked scary, the exact reason why I picked him to help me teach Cara a lesson, he was a big softie at heart, if he was on your side. If not, watch out.

  “Was that it?”

  “No. Uh… coincidentally, we have two new clients. So, now that you guys are freed up, when can we expect you back here?”

  “Soon.”

  “How soon, because one of them keeps calling and I—”

  “Cal, I’ll have to call ya back.” I hung up before he could say anything else and tossed my phone on the table next to the bed.

  Cara had drawn the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes. I could only imagine what she was thinking, and now was the perfect time to get something off my chest.

  “Sorry about that,” I repeated. She kept her eyes closed and her lips shut. “Listen, about what happened. Knowing now that you were never in any real danger, I feel awful about what I put you through. I’m really torn up about it.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s over with. No sense in dwelling on it now because I’m not. But I don’t ever want to see that guy in person again because I might just punch him in the balls.” Her lip twitched but never morphed into a smile.

  “I’ll keep you two apart, for his safety.” She finally opene
d her eyes and turned to face me. “Come here.” She moved closer until she snuggled into my side, even though we should’ve been getting up because checkout was in a half hour.

  “What do you think they’re gonna do?” she asked, tracing her finger up and down my chest, making me squirm when she hit my sensitive spot.

  “Who?”

  “Our siblings.”

  “I have no idea. I’m just thankful we don’t have to deal with anything like that.” I kissed her temple before rolling her onto her back. Spreading her thighs with my knee, I lay on top of her, careful to keep my weight from crushing her.

  As I leaned down to kiss her, she said, “Well…” The tone of her voice flattened my expression, and I hopped off the bed so goddamn fast I startled her.

  “What does that mean?” I asked, raking my hand through my hair, glancing over at her every few seconds.

  “Oh my God, Ford. Calm down.” Her hand rested over her belly, but the smile on her face told me she was just kidding. At least, that’s what I thought. “Everything will be fine.”

  “Are you pregnant?”

  “How would you feel if I was?” She sat up and leaned against the headboard, the sheet that had been covering her fell to her waist. Her nakedness should’ve distracted me, but her words took precedence over ogling her tits.

  “Don’t answer my question with another question. Are. You. Pregnant?”

  She leaned forward and squinted her eyes at me, the faintest of smirks hidden on her lips. “It’s way too early to tell.” A tense moment passed before she added, “No. I’m just messing with you.”

  “Christ! Don’t do that.” Anger rolled through me but quickly dissipated when she stood up. Cara wrapped her arms around me and flicked her tongue over my nipple. “No way, woman. Not after that.” She bared her teeth and clamped down. “Ow.” I tried to push her away, but she wouldn’t budge. The bite of pain she’d inflicted on me was a turn-on more than anything, although I continued to play it off as if I was annoyed.

  She finally released me. “That’s for getting so mad.”

  “Can you blame me? We don’t even know what’s going to happen between us. The last thing we need to do is bring a kid into this.” I hadn’t meant to speak the truth right then, but that’s exactly what it was… the truth. Our relationship was complicated, and I didn’t have an answer as to where we would go from here.

  Cara’s smile disappeared as soon as I started on my tirade, and within seconds she walked past me into the bathroom.

  “Cara,” I called after her, following her, but she slammed the door in my face before I reached her. I turned the handle, but she’d locked herself inside. Leaning close, I spoke. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “Then why did you walk away?”

  “Because it’s almost time for check-out and I need to leave.” She turned on the faucet, and as I pressed my ear to the door, I swore I heard her cry, but I could be mistaken. I knocked. Silence. I knocked again. Nothing.

  Five minutes later the door flung open and she stood in front of me, fully dressed. She tried to push past me, but I blocked her way.

  “I need to go.” Her head was down, and she did everything she could not to look at me, which wasn’t too hard to do since I towered over her and she’d have to look up to do so.

  “Look at me.”

  She ignored me.

  “Sweetheart, look at me.” That got her attention because all of a sudden, she whipped her head up and glared at me, placing her hands on my chest and attempting to shove me out of her way.

  “You don’t get to call me that, Ford.”

  Baffled, I asked, “What’s wrong with sweetheart?”

  “That term indicates you care about someone, which you clearly don’t… for me. You’re looking for a way to end things between us. Well, here you go. I’m leaving.”

  I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know why she was saying all this, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t somewhat surprised. We hadn’t discussed how we would move forward after our employment ended, figuring we still had some time to figure it out. But Emily’s confession sped up the timeline, and the future was staring us in the face.

  She pushed me once more but was unsuccessful in moving me. And when she knew I wasn’t going to budge, she sidestepped me, but I grabbed her wrist before she could get very far.

  “What do you want from me?” I asked.

  “Nothing.” Her back was to me, and I doubted she was going to turn to look at me anytime soon.

  “I’m sorry.” I paused to collect my thoughts. “I like you, Cara. A lot. And I wish things were different. I really do. But I just don’t see how this is going to work between us.”

  “Let go of me.”

  “Can you please look at me?”

  “No!” she shouted. “Now let go!” I released her and she dashed around the room collecting her purse and keys right before she hurried to leave.

  I called after her as she dashed into the hallway, and since I was still naked, I couldn’t very well chase after her.

  As the door closed behind her, my eyes connected with Owen’s, who stood just outside my room with Emily at his side. He looked me up and down right before his mouth fell open.

  “Muthafu—” The door clicked shut before he finished cursing me out.

  * * *

  Cara

  I didn’t know what I expected to happen, but hearing Ford tell me all that, even if it was the truth, was hard to swallow. Shoving past Emily and Owen, who no doubt now knew something had happened between us, I ran toward the elevator. My sister had driven us there, so I couldn’t go anywhere without her, but in the meantime, I needed to be alone. Which probably wasn’t the best thing to do since my thoughts were pinging all over the place.

  He told me he liked me. A lot. His words. But he wasn’t willing to even try to make things work between us. I was, though. Or had been, to be more accurate. I would’ve taken turns and traveled back and forth to see him. And even though I envisioned I’d be busy with following my passion, I would’ve carved out time to see Ford, to be with him. Because I liked him. God help me, I liked him, and I think it was more than just a lot.

  But here I found myself. Sitting in the lobby and wondering why in the hell I opened myself up to him in the first place. I wasn’t necessarily upset about sleeping with him, I was more pissed he’d forced me to tell him about my past. Okay, maybe forced was the wrong word to use, but it was the only one that gave me comfort, believing I’d been tricked into revealing my secret.

  “Cara,” Emily shouted as soon as she stepped off the elevator, looking around the lobby until she saw me sitting on one of the sofas. Thankfully, she was alone because the last thing I needed was to be bombarded with a million questions from her and Owen about me and Ford. I was even more thankful Ford wasn’t there because I didn’t have the emotional energy to figure out the crap rumbling around inside my head, yet alone get into it again with him.

  My sister took a seat next to me and nudged my shoulder with hers. The betrayal I felt withered away, and even though it would take me a bit more time to fully forgive her, I loved her dearly for putting her own problems aside to try and help me, even if it was only by listening. The thing was, though, I didn’t know what to say. I was done hiding mine and Ford’s relationship, or whatever the hell I wanted to call what we had, but I couldn’t pick a point to start from.

  “Was that the first time?” she asked, jumping right in.

  I knew what she was referring to, so I didn’t ask her to clarify, or attempt to deny anything. “No.”

  She nodded. “Do you love him?”

  “No,” I rushed to say, although, I wasn’t sure if I had just lied or not.

  Emily flung her arm over my shoulder and pulled me close. “If it makes you feel any better, Owen is up there right now reading him the riot act.”

  “About what?”

  “Ford constantly gave Owen shit for things being
inappropriate between the two of us. It turned out he was right all along, but he still had no right. He’s a hypocrite because, well, you know… he was sleeping with you.”

  “Not the entire time, like you two were. Which, by the way, I’m pissed off about. You told me you were only friends. I can understand Owen lying to his brother because Ford is rather intense, and I wouldn’t want to deal with his mouth either, but why did you lie to me?”

  She released a long sigh. “Owen made me promise not to tell you. He thought that maybe if you knew you’d somehow let it slip to his brother, whether intentional or not, and he didn’t want to take that risk until we knew if it was just a fling or not.”

  “Fair enough.” There was no point in arguing because I completely understood Owen’s logic. There was a good chance I would’ve said something to Ford, to get under his skin in some way, to piss him off. I could’ve done such a thing before.

  Before the fake kidnapping.

  Before I contemplated living for something more than just partying.

  Before I decided to pursue my goal of making clothes.

  Before I realized that the life I led up until recently wasn’t the life I wanted any longer.

  “Can I ask you another question?”

  “Why not.” I may as well tell her what she wanted to know. I’d learned that keeping secrets was exhausting.

  “What happened upstairs?” I had a hunch she was going to ask me that, and while I didn’t want to tell her that Ford basically kicked me to the proverbial curb, I wasn’t going to skirt around and bullshit her either.

  “He said that he likes me a lot but doesn’t see how it’s gonna work out between us.” I moved to the side and Emily removed her arm from around my shoulder. “Whatever. On to the next one, right?” I laughed, but the sound came out pained. “Are we going home now?” We both stood at the same time.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go back up there and talk to him?”

  “Why would I want to do that?” My brows cinched so tightly if I didn’t relax my face, I’d bring on one helluva headache.