“Lexie,” Rick said through gritted teeth.
She wrapped her fingers around it and caressed. “Happy birthday, honey,” she said, looking up at him sultrily. Then she took him in her mouth.
Rick groaned out loud, raking his fingers through her hair.
Ahh, she missed this, missed him being undone by her.
“Enough,” Rick said suddenly, helping her to her feet before taking his shoes off so he could get rid of all of his clothing. Then he lifted her up onto the dining table, her legs dangling on the side. “Do you know that I hardly had anything to eat tonight,” he murmured as bent down to lick a nipple.
She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning out loud. She was already so aroused it was almost embarrassing.
“It wasn’t that the food wasn’t any good,” Rick continued as he moved to the other bud. “It was just that it wasn’t what I wanted.”
“And what do you want.”
He pulled up a chair and sat in front of her parted legs. “You,” he said, putting his head between her thighs.
This time, Lexie couldn’t stop her lusty moan as Rick flicked his tongue on her sensitised nub.
“Mmm,” he said as his sucked and licked and kissed her most needy part.
She was burning, trying hard not to writhe on the table so Rick’s mouth wouldn’t lose its place or rhythm. Ah, he was so good at this. And it had been so long that she was almost at the crest. The thought of stopping him to prolong this session occurred to her, but she decided against it straight away. Rick would make her come again anyway. He always did.
“Rick,” she panted, her legs starting to quiver.
Rick stood up abruptly, leaving her bereft.
She looked at him in surprise. “Honey,” she said pleadingly.
He smiled, leaning to kiss her on the lips. “You’re so hot,” he murmured. “I want to be inside you when you come.”
Oh. “Yes,” she said wrapping her legs around his waist to bring him closer. “Now.”
He chuckled, rubbing her clit with the head of his erection. “Now, huh?”
Argh, such a tease. She sat up straighter so her face was inches from his. “Yes, now,” she murmured, taking his cock and guiding it to her wet centre.
Rick groaned as he drove in, sheathing himself all the way to the hilt. “Lexie,” he grunted, as if pained, as he thrust into her repeatedly.
With speed she wasn’t expecting, her body started contracting around his hardness.
“Oh, fuck, baby,” Rick whispered, kissing her lips, face and neck as she rode out her orgasm.
Her body was starting to relax when Rick leaned down to lick a nipple as he continued to move in and out of her at a slow pace.
She closed her eyes and abandoned herself to the pleasure he was evoking in her. Soon, she was aroused again, panting out loud and keen for another climax—hopefully with him this time.
Rick pulled up and they stared in each other’s eyes, watching the other approach heights of pleasure that could only be reached by the two of them together.
“I love you,” they said in the exact same moment, and smiled at the perfection of it all.
Rick kissed her lips, his hips rocking against hers faster, his breath getting more laboured.
Ah, she was almost there, too.
Rick reached for her clit, stroking it with his thumb as his erection continued to hit that spot inside of her as he thrust.
“Oh God. Rick...” she gasped before coming hard, her body shaking with the intensity of her climax.
“Lexie!” Rick roared, his own body trembling as he exploded inside her.
*
“You’re wonderful,” Rick murmured, tenderly kissing her face as he helped her off the table.
She smiled, placing her palm on his cheek. She frowned when she saw fear and uncertainty flash in his eyes.
“What is it?” she asked softly.
“I’m afraid,” he whispered.
“Of Betty getting what she wants?”
“No. Of you getting hurt.”
She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
Rick didn’t answer. He picked up their clothes and gave her hers. They dressed in silence, the afterglow from their lovemaking fast disappearing from Rick’s demeanour.
“Please tell me,” she whispered.
He ran a knuckle on her cheek. “It’s not Betty. There are criminals keeping her under duress.”
“What?” she asked in shock.
Rick led her to the couch and told her what had been going on, and why he’d kept her in the dark.
“Oh my God,” she said, covering her mouth, dazed.
“I never meant to push you away, sweetheart,” Rick said. “It just about killed me knowing that you thought I didn’t want you anymore.”
Her eyes watered as the gravity of the situation sank in. “Are the police any closer to catching the culprits?”
“They’re doing their best. There are other victims involved, not just Betty. The perps are highly organised and extremely smart.”
“I can see why you didn’t tell me,” she said. “But, Rick, I can handle this. I’m not some jumpy stress-bucket who’d be constantly looking over her shoulder and acting conspicuous.”
“It’s not that I thought you couldn’t. It was just safer that you didn’t know.”
“And now I do,” she said softly, rubbing his arm comfortingly. “I’ll be fine.”
“I never know if or when someone’s watching me,” he said gravely. “If someone’s out there tonight, they could have seen you come in here.”
“But that doesn’t prove anything. In fact, I can go home right now. We can have a conversation outside about how I’m glad we’re still friends even if you’re not interested in me, or something like that. Maybe they’ll hear if they’re lurking about.”
Rick frowned. “I’m not letting you go home alone in the middle of the night.”
“Rick...”
“I’m going to ask the security detail who’s supposed to be watching the house tonight to follow you home.”
“And who’s gonna watch over you?” she demanded.
“I don’t need protection when I’m inside.”
She scowled. “Can’t I stay?”
Rick gave her a gloomy smile. “I’d love for you to stay, Lex. But it’s better that you don’t.”
“Okay,” she conceded, not wanting to make things more difficult for Rick. “When can we see each other again?”
He exhaled harshly. “That’s the tricky part. I don’t know. We have to figure out a way of getting some alone time without raising undue attention.”
She curled up against him and Rick put his arm around her while he called the security guy. It was hard to accept that they couldn’t even tell when they could spend time with each other again. But as long as Rick and Shelley remained safe—yes, Betty, too—she’d wait for however long it took.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Rick walked Lexie to her car, his hands in his pockets. As planned, they carried on a casual, friendly conversation and acted like they were just two friends saying goodbye to each other after a party.
He waved nonchalantly as Lexie drove off, hoping that the car that turned from the adjacent street and drove towards the direction Lexie was heading was the security detail.
He ambled back to the house, keen to get inside so he could call Lexie and be on the line while she drove home. But he forced himself to act natural.
He pulled out his key to open the front door when the hair behind his neck stood to attention. He thought he heard a soft cough. With heart hammering, he inserted the key into the slot and pushed the door open.
A man jumped out of the shadows, startling him.
“Don’t even think of doing anything stupid, Mr. Donnelly,” the man rasped, pressing something against his lower back.
“Who are you?” Rick asked calmly.
The man pushed him inside and closed the door. It was only then that R
ick noticed the perp wearing a balaclava over his face. Thank God Lexie was gone.
“You people think you could fool us,” the man said. “Acting and hiding and pretending you don’t know what’s going on. Unfortunately, you’re too smart for your own good, Mr. Donnelly.”
“You can’t get away with this,” Rick said in a steady voice.
“Oh, no? I know for a fact that you have security detail for you and your sister. Didn’t you think we’d notice?”
“Well, obviously you have. Then you should also know that someone’s watching this house and therefore—”
The man laughed out loud. “Oh, that security? The one you got to follow your girlfriend home?”
Rick’s heart pounded hard. How did this asshole know about that?
“No one’s here to rescue you, Mr. Donnelly. As for your pretty girlfriend, she won’t have that nice guy following her for long either. Don’t be surprised if you read about a car accident in tomorrow’s paper.”
The blood drained from Rick’s face. “You bastard,” he spat out. “If you hurt Lexie—”
“Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Donnelly,” the man said with derision. “It won’t serve us to hurt your beautiful Lexie. If we kill her, how can we get you to cooperate with us?”
Rick swallowed, his breathing shallowing. He squinted at the man, assessing the bastard’s build and age. He could easily overpower this guy—if only he weren’t pointing a gun at him.
His phone vibrated silently on the coffee table. Shit. That would be Lexie.
“Answer it and tell her you’re going to the toilet to deposit some shit,” the asshole instructed. “Don’t even think of giving her a warning or I’ll blow your brains out.”
“Then you’ll be caught,” he snarled.
The guy chuckled. “Oh, no. I can guarantee you I won’t be. And when you’re dead, your stepmother will be even more scared. It’ll be easier then to get our hands on your sister’s money. I also assume that at this current time, most of your wealth would go to Shelley if you die.”
“Arghhh!” he cried out, taking a step towards the bastard. But the perp waved the gun at him, leaving him no choice but to restrain himself.
“I don’t care if you’re dead or not, Mr. Donnelly. It’s the big boss who thinks it’s less messy if we let you live. But I could always tell him you tried to attack and I had no choice but to shoot. Now answer the fucking phone.”
“No. You put that gun down,” an authoritative voice said.
Rick whirled in the direction of the voice and saw Carter walking out of the kitchen, pointing a gun at the perp. Behind him were two police officers, with guns also drawn. They quickly disarmed the shocked asshole. They handcuffed him and took off his mask before leading him away.
“You okay?” Carter asked Rick, holstering his gun.
“Yeah,” he said, looking at Carter with wide eyes. “You’re a detective?”
“Yes. I’ve been working on this case for a long time.”
“Who’s that perp? Do you know his name?”
“Vince Paul. We believe he’s the one who’s been hassling your stepmother.”
Rick’s shoulders sagged with relief, glad the guy has been caught. “Thank you. By the way, did you pick my lock at the back?”
Carter smirked. “You left a window open. We could have kicked down the door instead, but that would have created too much noise.”
Rick chuckled, then sobered when he remembered something. “Carter, that bastard said someone’s following Lexie and the security detail escorting her home.”
“Yes, we heard him say that. We already have men on it so don’t worry.”
He let out another relieved breath. “So I guess you planted yourself four doors down from me, huh?”
Carter nodded.
“Did you arrange for your sister to be Cassie’s flatmate, too?” he asked with a frown.
“No. That was a coincidence. Imagine my surprise when I found out the connection.”
“So when you went on a blind date with Lexie...”
Carter laughed. “That was personal. I didn’t know about the two of you then. But you don’t have to worry. Any idiot can see it’s you she wants.”
“Thanks, man,” Rick said, clasping Carter’s arm.
“No problem. But remember that this case is far from wrapped up. So continue watching your back. This is just one man in our custody. We need to catch the others, especially the big boss, before you can relax.”
Rick nodded solemnly.
“And Rick, no one else must know that I’m an undercover detective working this case. Even Tash, my sister, doesn’t know that one of my cases involves you guys.”
“Of course,” he said readily. “I understand.”
They shook hands.
Rick noticed his phone vibrating again on his table. “Oh, shit. Lexie would be real worried by now.”
“Go answer that,” Carter said. “I’ll tie up a few things outside.”
He picked up the phone, closing his eyes in gratitude that she hadn’t been here when Vince had decided to make a move. “Hi, babe.”
“Hi. Are you okay? I thought you were going to call me as soon as you got in the house.”
“Yes. I just got sidetracked by something. Where are you now?”
“About five minutes from home.”
“Good. How’s the traffic?”
“Clear, as you would expect at this time of night. Would the security guy want to follow me inside the building?”
“No, unless he has good reason to. Can you see him following you now?”
“I can’t really tell. I can’t make out the car behind me. It’s too dark.”
“Well, if you could tell that you’re being followed, he wouldn’t be doing his job effectively.”
Lexie chuckled. “I’ll call you again when I get home.”
“No. Don’t hang up until you’re inside your apartment.”
“You’re making me nervous,” Lexie said with a sigh.
“Just being extra cautious, babe, that’s all,” he said softly.
“I know.”
Rick continued speaking to Lexie until she was safe inside her own home.
“Okay, I’m happy to hang up now,” he said, feeling the tension leave his body.
“Okay, honey. Have a good night. You had a big day.”
He smiled. She had no idea just how big his day had been.
“I love you, Lexie.”
“I love you, Rick. Happy birthday again.”
They said their goodnights and he waited until she hung up before putting his phone down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the birthday present she’d given him. Maybe it was his lucky charm. He gave it a rub, wishing Vince’s arrest was the beginning of the end for the bad guys.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lexie walked down the stairs of her apartment building, excited about the day ahead. The only thing that marred this special day was that she had to pretend to go to Lucas and Jade’s place for a get-together. From there, she and Rick could sneak out in his car and go on their date. Then he’d take her back to Lucas and Jade’s to pick up her car and go home.
She’d gotten used to this setup. It was far from ideal, but having their closest friends, and even Shelley and Betty, know about their relationship had made the hiding and pretence easier to deal with. For the last month since Rick’s birthday, their family and friends had been helping them cover up their dates. It wasn’t about the contract anymore, it was about making sure she wasn’t on the radar of the criminals.
Besides, Rick told her every single day that he loved her. That more than made up for all this inconvenience.
She stepped out to the parking area and halted in surprise. There was Rick, casually leaning on her car, carrying a big bunch of long stemmed red roses.
Biting her lip to stop herself from grinning too widely, she walked slowly to him. “What are you doing here? I thought I was meeting you at Lucas and Jade’s.”
> “What kind of hello is that?” he asked, walking to her. Then he curved his free arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby,” he murmured, kissing her on the lips.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she said, looking around. It surprised her that Rick dared to be amorous in public. Fortunately, only one of her neighbours was around—a quiet guy who kept to himself.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking her hand and leading her towards the street.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re using my car.”
“Oh, okay. Let me carry those,” she said, reaching for the roses.
Rick held on to them. “Why?” he asked.
“Why? Aren’t they for me?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Who says?”
She pouted.
He laughed, kissing away her pout and handing her the bouquet.
“Why are you so relaxed today?” she asked suspiciously.
“Isn’t it good that I’m relaxed?” he asked innocently. “It’s my first Valentine’s Day with my honey. Why shouldn’t I be happy?”
“I mean, why are you not being your usual cautious self? Aren’t you worried that someone might be watching us?”
Rick smiled rather mysteriously. “Not today,” he said.
She shrugged, enjoying this freedom to indulge in a little bit of public display of affection. If Rick wasn’t worried, then she wouldn’t worry. She trusted that he knew when it was safe or not.
“Where are we going, by the way?” she asked when Rick opened the door of his Porsche for her.
“To our favourite place.”
She frowned as she watched Rick go to the other side of the car. Their favourite place? Where was that?
“Where exactly is our favourite place?” she asked as he slid in behind the wheel.
“You don’t know?” he asked with a mock scowl.
“Well, for me, my favourite place is your house. More specifically, your bedroom.”
Rick grinned. “Really? Unfortunately, that’s not where we’re going. You’ll see soon enough where it is.”
She let it drop and enjoyed the feeling of anticipation.
*
Lexie laughed as Rick drove into the basement parking of their love nest hotel. “We haven’t been here for so long!”
The Unyielding Bachelor Page 16
