“I’m sorry,” I said, pulling my chair closer to hers. I went to take her hand, then stopped. It was the one the IV was feeding into. She held out the other one and I took it, twining our fingers together. “I’m just worried. We have to find answers, or we're never going to be safe.”
“I know.” She yawned and knuckled at her eyes. “I want them, too.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth, her gaze sliding to the door, to Toni, and then back to me. She appeared to be thinking hard. “The one guy, he...”
My heart lurched, jumped up into my throat. “What?” I forced myself to keep my voice down.
“I don’t know, not exactly. He was always vague and he never really spoke much around me. But once, somebody asked him a question about why this was taking so long. He laughed and said a few days, a week, that wasn’t long. He’d been waiting for years, and he’d keep on waiting if it got him what he wanted. Then he mentioned the wreck and...”
“It was an accident,” I said, my voice wooden. “Dad lost control of the car.”
“Maybe.” Isadora smiled weakly. “Or maybe not. I mean, it was up in no-man’s land, right? The car was destroyed. We couldn’t have an open viewing. It’s not like there was a lot of evidence. Maybe...” She sucked in a breath and then blurted out, “I’ve been thinking about this. A lot. I had to think, focus on something when I was there, or I’d go crazy. But maybe it wasn’t a wreck. Maybe it was staged to look like one by somebody. Somebody so good that the cops didn’t think to look deeper. If all the evidence was destroyed by the car exploding...”
“There’s almost always evidence,” Toni said from behind me.
I shot her a look, eyes narrowed.
She simply stared back for a long moment. Then she looked at Isadora. “The perfect crime is a crock, sweetheart. There's no perfect crime. There's always something, no matter how small, how insignificant. If this was in the middle of nowhere, it’s possible the police department–”
“Sheriff’s,” I corrected. “A sheriff’s department handled all of it.”
“Okay. Then maybe the sheriff’s department went on appearances. They aren’t supposed to, but if your parents didn’t seem to have any reason for somebody to kill them and nothing looked out of place, it seemed like an open and shut case.”
“Our parents were rich.” I laughed bitterly. “Wouldn't that have been reason enough?”
“Loaded or not, they’d only look at the people they saw as possibly benefiting.” She chewed on her lower lip for a second. I could see the mental war waging. Finally, she said, “People like a partner. Or an...heir.”
That caught me off-guard. It also shut me down flat, because I had absolutely no response for it.
A soft, sleepy sigh had me glancing at Isadora instead of trying to figure out what to say to Toni's comment. Her lashes were drifting down over her eyes.
A moment later, she jerked her head up, blinked and refocused. “Toni, if being loaded wasn’t enough, what else...” She yawned again.
“Okay. That’s enough.” Toni stood. “Isadora, you need to get some sleep.”
“But...” She looked over at me.
“Ash, come here a moment.” Toni crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me. I stared back, mostly because that pose did amazing things for her breasts, but after a second, I rose.
She turned away and headed out into the hall. I looked back at Isadora to tell her I’d be right outside, but her head had already slumped. Her breathing was slow and even, her expression more relaxed than I'd seen since she'd first gotten back.
“That girl is exhausted,” Toni said the second I looked at her.
“Are you reading my mind now?” I asked mildly. Leaning my shoulder against the door jam, I let my gaze slide back down to her chest.
Toni snapped her fingers and pointed to her face. “My face is here.”
“I know.” I grinned at her. “It’s a nice one too. There are just other parts of you that are equally as distracting.”
“You’re insane.” She shook her head and laughed softly as she glanced back in at Isadora. “She needs to rest. That was the whole point of bringing her home from the hospital, so she could rest. So...go.”
She made a shooing motion at me.
“Go where?” I raised an eyebrow.
“To bed. Or work. Go running. It doesn’t matter. Just give her some space so she feels like she can rest.”
I reached out and hooked my hand in the front of her pants, drawing her closer. My stomach clenched when I heard her breathing hitch. “I have a better idea.” I lowered my mouth to her ear and murmured, “How about I take you up to my room and bend you over the side of the bed and fuck you until neither of us can think straight?”
She swallowed hard. “I’m supposed to be watching Isadora.”
“She’s sleeping. She doesn’t need watching right now.” I reached down and cupped her, grinding the heel of my palm against her. “I, on the other hand, need you.”
Her lashes fluttered and I rubbed her again, using my body to back her up until she was leaning against the wall with me pressing into her. It never ceased to amaze me how she could be so tiny, so much smaller than me, but I never felt like I could overwhelm her.
“Say yes, Toni.” I added pressure when her breathing went ragged. Fuck, I needed her.
“Yes.” She sighed. “Yes, you bastard. Yes.” Then she pulled away and shot me a dark look. “In a minute.”
I grabbed for her again, but she'd already ducked back through the door. Following her inside, I watched as she moved to the chair and fussed with it, easing the head back until Isadora was mostly reclined. My sister half-woke, muttering something that made Toni smile.
When she came back to me a few minutes later, she had an eyebrow cocked and challenge glinted in her eyes. I suddenly decided the bed wasn’t what I wanted. It was too soft, and right now, I didn't need soft. I needed hard.
Which meant I wanted to keep her in place and I knew the perfect spot to do it.
I took her hand and led her down to my play room. I wasn't going to use toys today, but I did want the bench I had in there. It was exactly the right height and made for what I needed.
Less than two minutes later, Toni was squirming against the weight bench, her naked ass in the air, her breasts pressed flat against the padded leather, her hands bound underneath her.
“At some point,” I said, stroking her hair away from her face. “I’m going to take you to Olympus and get us into one of the VIP rooms. They’ve got toys in there like you wouldn’t believe. Even more than I have here.”
“What, you mean like a hula hoop? A Barbie doll?” she quipped, jerking on the padded cuffs I’d used to restrain her wrists.
“No.” I laughed. “No hula hoops. And the dolls I've heard about aren't really for kids.” I ran my hand down her back and over the curve of her ass. “But they do have canes. I’ve never much been for caning or whipping, but I’d love to see your ass all red and hot for me.”
She sucked in a slow breath and my stomach flipped as I realized it wasn't disgust or rejection.
“That idea excites you, doesn’t it?” My voice was low, gravelly, as I moved behind her, undoing my pants as I went. I shoved them down and kicked them aside.
“Actually, I’m just wondering if you’ll get past the talking stage – ah!”
She cried out as I shoved inside her. Her cunt was hot and wet, squeezing around me. Fisting a hand in her hair, I jerked her head around so I could see her face. “You have no idea how much I love that smart mouth of yours.”
I traced her lips with my fingers. She opened her mouth and I pushed my first two fingers inside. She bit down and I felt it in my balls, like she was licking and biting on my cock instead of my fingers.
“If I shoved my cock in your mouth, would you suck and bite it like that?”
“Yes.” She clamped down on me with the tight muscles of her pussy. “But not yet. You have to make me come first.”
/> It was a challenge, a warning, a dare.
I should have pulled out and spanked her. She didn’t give the orders. I did. If she'd been any other Sub, I would've punished her, then taken my pleasure. I would've left her gasping and wanting. Sent her home without letting her come.
Instead, I accepted the challenge and drove into her hard enough to make her wail.
And then I made her come.
While her pussy was still quivering, I pulled out and walked around to the front of the bench. Tangling one hand in her hair, I held her head steady as I pushed my glistening cock between her lips. Even with her eyes still glazed from her orgasm, she began to work her mouth around me. My hips rocked forward in a non-verbal warning. When her eyes met mine, I saw her consent and began to thrust into her mouth.
It was over too quickly, her mouth too hot, too skilled. I cried out her name as I emptied myself in her mouth and she swallowed every drop, continuing to work her tongue over me until I recovered enough to pull out.
Neither of us spoke as I untied her, rubbing her wrists and arms, then her legs. I'd need to clean up in here, but that would have to wait until later. We needed to sleep more. I hauled her up into my arms and started to walk, still naked, through the house.
She squirmed as soon as I opened the door. “Put me down! I need clothes.”
“Everybody's already asleep. If anybody gets up, they’ll see my ass and not yours as long as you’re still.” I pressed a kiss to her temple. “You’re sleeping with me tonight.”
She went still. “I am?”
“Yes.”
Her body was stiff in my arms, her voice soft. “And are you going to turn asshole on me again?”
“No.” I still wasn’t sure how I felt about what happened, about what any of it meant, or even if I had a name for what I felt. But I did know I liked the feel of her in my arms. That I slept better with her next to me.
And that I didn’t want her leaving.
Ever.
Chapter 10
Toni
A couple of things clued me into the fact that something wasn’t quite right.
The sun was coming in at the wrong angle. The bed was far more comfortable – and bigger – than mine had ever been. And it was quiet. Blissfully, serenely quiet. Also, I felt rested, which was really wrong, because I never felt rested lately, not between working for Isadora, worrying about Isadora and school.
School!
Shit!
I practically flew out of bed and came to a halt when I saw the clock.
“Shit,” I whispered. It was too late. I’d already missed my class.
One of the classes I needed to graduate and that I'd considered myself lucky to get into before this particular professor left on maternity leave – hence the reason for the odd scheduling. She was one of the hardest professors I'd ever had, but she was the best and I wanted to learn from the best.
Groaning, I tried to think as I headed for the shower. With hot clouds of steam and fragrant soap billowing around me, I tried to clear my head of the muddle of sleep.
See if I could find someone who had notes. Copy notes. Get assignments.
Make a sincere apology to the professor and hope she'd still let me stay in her class. I had a reason, of course. And a perfectly valid one at that, but I doubted my professor would see it that way. Only one of the ones whose finals I missed had let me make it up online. The other two had given me zeroes, making me glad I'd spent so much time pushing myself to get the best grades possible. I'd still passed.
But if I got kicked out of this class, I'd have to wait until the fall semester to take it again, and only if I managed to get in. I had to be careful or I was going to screw up everything.
Once I finished in the shower, I puttered around in Ash’s closet for a few pitiful minutes, hoping to find something I could wear.
The discreet knock I heard just as I was pulling on a burgundy button down shirt had me flushing. I had no doubt it was one of the staff, and even less doubt that they knew what had happened between Ash and me.
I didn’t know the woman's name, but she smiled at me as she held out a stack of clothes. “Here you go, Miss Gallagher.”
“Ah...thanks.” Recognizing my jeans and panties from yesterday, I took them gratefully. They smelled like they’d come fresh from the laundry, and I flushed at the thought of how they'd gotten there.
My shirt was in the pile, too but I liked the feel of the burgundy silk so after I put on my bra, I put Ash's shirt back on, tying it into a knot at my waist. After glancing around, I concluded that I’d left my sandals downstairs last night.
Now I had to find them and check on Isadora before trying to fix the mess I'd made of my class.
She wasn’t hard to find.
I just followed the sound of laughter to the kitchen, puzzled by how easy and light she sounded after last night.
When I saw the lean man sitting next to her in the cozy little nook, I realized I should have guessed the reason. Messy bronze hair, dancing hazel eyes...I knew who this was.
Both of them looked at me. The shadows were still in her eyes, but Isadora didn’t look quiet as frail as she had yesterday. I didn't need a doctor to tell me why.
Focusing on the man, I held out a hand. “Colton, I presume?”
“You got it. And I bet you’re Toni.”
We shook and I took the seat opposite Isadora. My belly grumbled demandingly at the smells drifting through the air, and Isadora gave me an understanding smile. “I hear you. They’re making omelets. I convinced them that was on the soft diet.”
“They’ll be fine.” I checked the IV bag. “The nurse has been out.”
“Yep.” She gave me a guileless smile. “I told them that you were taking a shower since you'd been up all night taking care of me.”
Flicking at a damp strand of hair, I shrugged. “I did shower.”
She grinned as she leaned against Colton, her expression telling me that she suspected the real reason why I'd been in the shower. She didn't say anything though. As I watched, her entire body relaxed as soon as she touched him. It was like she could breathe easier, think easier...just be, all because he was there. It made something in me sigh with envy.
“When did you get over here?” I asked.
He rubbed at his neck, eyes squinting. “Three? Isadora woke up and called me. I came right over. I would've come to the hospital...” There was a tightening around his mouth as he said it.
Isadora interrupted, her voice soft. “Don’t be mad, baby.”
“I’m not mad.” He kissed her temple. “I just think your brother is a dick. He could have called me.”
“Ash can be...” She hesitated.
“A dick,” I offered.
She started to laugh. “Well, yeah. Sometimes.” Then she glanced at the shirt I was wearing. “That’s a nice shirt.”
Shit.
“Ah...” I flamed red.
Fortunately, I was saved from an explanation by the timely arrival of food. We spent the next few minutes filling our empty bellies and then Colton stood up. I could read the reluctance in every line of his body.
“I have to go, sweetheart.” Isadora’s face fell, and my heart twisted. He bent over, gently kissing her as he brushed curls away from her face. “The assholes at the plant will fire me if I don’t show up. I’ll come back tonight, Dory. I promise.”
“Okay.” She gave him a game smile.
He caught her hand, kissed her fingers, and then he was gone.
I waited until he was out the door before I spoke, “He seems like a good guy.”
“He is.” Isadora was still looking at the doorway, as if waiting for him to come back. After a long moment, she turned back to me. “He’s definitely not a dick.”
“Ash has his moments.” I wasn't sure why I felt the need to defend him when I'd been the one who'd said it in the first place.
“I assumed you thought so or you wouldn’t be wearing his shirt.” She hesitated before a
sking, “So when did that happen?”
“Hmmm.” Lips pursed, I reached for the bread basket. I wasn't sure I wanted to have this conversation, but I did feel the need to stay at least a little while longer to make sure Isadora was okay. “Well, we were both pretty stressed, you know, when you disappeared and...”
“So you two were just...relieving stress.”
I looked up at her. She had a sunny, open face, but she managed to pack a lot of innuendo into those few words and the look in her eyes was telling.
“Yes...no.” I sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“You had sex with my brother.” She shrugged. “That’s not complicated. He’s a good-looking guy. The complicated part is that you have a thing for him.”
Shit. Was it that obvious?
“You’d rather I didn’t.” I nodded slowly. “Of course. I understand–”
“It’s not that.” Isadora smiled a little sadly. “If I thought it would save you the heartache, I'd lie to you, but I know you're the sort of person who likes honesty, so here it is. Ash doesn’t do commitment. I think you do.”
Well, that was honest. Trying not to let any emotion show on my face, I said, “Why do I get the feeling there’s a story here?”
“Because there is.” Not looking at me, she reached for her cup of tea and sipped. “It’s short, and not very sweet, and it’s probably a lot of why he’s such a dick. He was seeing this girl when our parents died. Lily. Sweet girl. I liked her a lot. She was...well, I thought she was perfect for him. She knew when to push, when to back off, when he needed to take a break. When I needed a break. She helped him get through what happened to Mom and Dad. They were going to get married.”
My heart froze. I must have made some sort of sound or moved – something – because Isadora looked up at me, her gaze solemn.
“About two years after Mom and Dad died, they were going to go on a romantic weekend to the Poconos. He told me he was going to officially propose, give her Mom's engagement ring. Then, the weekend came and he went to go pick her up, but she was gone.”
Blindfold Vol. 4: Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 6
