by M. Malone
“I think you’d be worried if you knew some of the things I’ve dreamed about you,” he muttered. Then he leaned down and dragged his teeth over the lace between her legs.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
KAY TENSED AS the first shock of sensation flowed through her. A scream rose then stopped, trapped in her throat as he lapped at the wet satin. She shivered beneath him, the motions of his quick tongue setting off a wave of convulsions. She grabbed at his shoulders, tried to move away, and then tried to move closer. Eli ignored her moans, her cries, and her fingers tugging at his ears. He gripped her thighs, his strength evident in how easily he held her still while she shook and trembled beneath him.
When she could breathe again, Kay looked down and couldn’t believe he was watching her, a look of intense satisfaction on his face. She instantly tensed and tried to cover herself with her hands. Wordlessly, he grabbed her hands and held them out of the way as he dipped his head and licked her again.
“Oh my,” she sighed and allowed her head to fall back.
“Kaylee. I need you to know something.”
“Yes,” she mumbled.
“I want you with an intensity that might be a little frightening. I don’t ever want to do anything that scares you. But when I want something, I take it. And there haven’t been too many things I want the way I want you.”
Kay let out a breath, overwhelmed and overjoyed by his words. “I want this. I want you.”
Her words unleashed something in him, a wildness evident in the unbridled desire in his eyes and the firm grip of his fingers as they tightened on her hips. His thumbs slipped beneath the sides of her panties, and Kay huffed out a shocked breath at the first brush of his fingers on her bare skin.
He pulled back and reached over to where his jeans lay crumpled on the floor. When he pulled the silver packet from his wallet, her heart drummed a sudden insistent rhythm that echoed all the way to her ears. This was it.
He wasn’t going to stop this time.
Their eyes met and he dropped it on the floor next to her. Then his hands were on the sides of her face and his tongue was in her mouth. She wrapped her legs around him, holding his big body against her, reveling in the sensation of all those muscles rubbing against her. He ground his hips between her thighs, getting into a rhythm that had her crying out for him. She needed him inside her, would die if he didn’t soothe the ache he’d created.
He grabbed the foil packet and ripped it open. Then, his eyes holding hers the whole time, he pulled his boxers down. Kay’s breath left her lungs in a soundless huff. She watched, fascinated, as he rolled the protection over his thick shaft.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, stroking a hand gently over her stomach.
At her shaky nod, he flexed his hips, pushing deep. A ragged groan escaped his lips as he slid home until he was so deep that Kay couldn’t feel anything but him. She rubbed her hands over his bald head and arched up against him. He seemed to like that because his fingers tightened on her hips. She thrilled at the thought of making him lose his careful veneer of control and ran her hands over his head and down his shoulders. The movement pushed her breasts against his chest.
He dipped his head and laved a nipple before he took it between his lips. She cried out as he sucked it deep. It was too much, the gentle suction at her breast as he moved inside her. Everything about the way he touched her was so primal and erotic. He pulled things out of her that no one else could see.
Tears sprang to her eyes as her pleasure hit its peak, her body clamping down on him, trying to keep him deep inside her as she came. Long moments later, she realized that he’d stopped moving.
And he was still achingly, breathtakingly hard.
“You aren’t… I mean, you didn’t…” Kay flushed and pushed her hair out of her face. She couldn’t even say it out loud. Had she done something wrong?
“We aren’t done yet, angel.” He kissed her on her right breast and gently helped her turn over.
She flushed at the thought of what the view from behind must be like. But somehow with Eli, even when she was bashful, she never felt like she needed to hide. Maybe it was the way he looked at her or the fact that he’d made a point to tell her that he loved her body just the way it was. Either way, she’d never felt so powerful in her life, knowing that her curves were exactly the kind he preferred.
“I love the way we fit,” Eli whispered. He leaned over her, his chest warming the skin of her back. She purred when he nipped the lobe of her ear just as he slid inside from behind. “Tell me how it feels.”
Kay grabbed at the carpet, her fingers searching for something to hold on to as he used her hips to leverage her back and forth. “Full. Thick. Good.” Her words sounded almost slurred. She was drunk on pleasure.
“Do you want me to tell you what I’m feeling?” Eli asked. When she nodded, he continued. “I feel soft skin. Lush curves.” His hand slipped under her, pulling her upright until she rested against his shoulder, his hand resting lightly at the base of her throat.
“And all of it’s mine. All mine,” he rasped in her ear. His tempo increased until he suddenly stilled, his hands tightening slightly around her waist and her neck.
As his breath came hard and fast in her ear, Kay tumbled over the edge again, feeling every tremor centered in the fingers resting on her collarbone. It was frightening, this hold he had on her. It made her feel like he could make her do anything. Even control her breathing. He’d warned her that he liked things a little rough. That he took what he wanted. Pushed hard and demanded much. She’d thought she was ready. But it couldn’t prepare her for the reality of being held by him.
It couldn’t prepare her for the dark desire unfurling from a place she didn’t recognize. A place that reveled in this frightening loss of control, in the rush of pleasure from being taken by him.
From being his completely.
WAKING WITH AN armful of softness was a new experience. Eli gathered Kay closer, burying his face in her neck. It had been a long time since he’d considered himself green, but the previous night had made him feel like a teenager copping his first feel. After telling her his story, he’d expected sympathy, even a little understanding. What he’d received was complete acceptance. She’d seen him, the good, the bad, and the worse and loved him anyway. Then to have her give herself so completely… His mind was blown. She’d melted beneath his touch and, in doing so, melted his heart.
Afterward, she’d slumped in his arms, boneless and replete. Her complete trust in him to take care of her had been just as fulfilling as the sex. He’d carried her to her bed and then cleaned her up with a warm washcloth. Those intimate moments had humbled him. He’d never particularly liked sharing his bed, but last night, the thought of leaving her alone hadn’t even entered his mind. It was only right that he keep her near while he slept and warm her with his body heat. It was only right to wake up and have her face be the first thing he saw.
Reluctantly, he climbed from the bed, tucking the covers around her so she wouldn’t feel a draft. He’d asked Tank and Matt to both come over so they could compare findings. Matt had been assigned to look over the financial records of Kay’s family and friends. Tank had been busy keeping track of her ex-boyfriend and monitoring the security system at her still-empty apartment in case anyone tried to get in. As he showered, Eli thought of what Tank had mentioned the prior day. If Timothy Banner was planning on cleaning house before he ran for office, why hadn’t he contacted Kay? Wouldn’t it be easier to sweet-talk her into signing an NDA? Or try paying her off before resorting to violence?
The thought bothered him as he went about his morning routine—shaving, dressing, and preparing a quick breakfast of whole-wheat toast and two hard-boiled eggs. He passed the coffeepot and stopped. Although he didn’t drink coffee most of the time, he knew Kay lived and breathed for it in the mornings. Before he could overthink it, he measured out coffee, filled the unit with water, and set it to brew. He was still standing there brooding whe
n Kay found him ten minutes later.
“Good morning.” Kay entered the kitchen hesitantly. When their eyes met, she bit her lip and her hand fluttered to her throat. Eli’s eyes narrowed on the action. She was thinking about last night, remembering the things he’d done. The things they’d done to each other. Just thinking about it made him hot again.
“Good morning. Do you want coffee?”
“Oh yes, please.” She let out a grateful sigh when he pointed to the full carafe he’d brewed for her. She stood on tiptoe to grab a coffee mug, and the hem of her T-shirt rose up, giving him a peek at her panties. When she turned around and saw where his eyes were, she immediately tugged her shirt down lower.
“Hey, you can’t blame a guy for appreciating the view.”
She came over and stood on tiptoe to plant a kiss on his cheek. “After how well you appreciated things last night, I’m not blaming you for anything from now on.”
Eli reached out to grab her when the doorbell rang. “Damn it, the guys are here. I called a status meeting for this morning. I’m going to cancel it.”
Kay kissed him on the nose. “You can’t cancel it.”
He pulled her closer and then ran his hands over her curvy bottom. “Yes, I can. I definitely can.”
“Uh-uh. Don’t you dare.” She danced out of his reach and then poured her coffee. “I’m going to get dressed. Answer the door.”
Eli waited until he heard the guest room door close before he moved. He opened the front door and let Tank and Matt in, then motioned for them to go in the dining room. “We’ll have more room to spread out on this table.”
Matt took the chair at the end and put the stack of folders he held on the tabletop. Tank took a chair in the middle. Eli sat at the other end of the table from Matt.
“All right. Let’s get started. Tank, anything new from our senator-to-be?”
“Yeah. It’s official. He’s running.”
“So, it’s confirmed?”
“It is. He’s having some benefit in a few weeks to raise money for his campaign.”
“Matt what about you? Anything unusual with Kay’s friends?”
Matt opened the first folder. “Her parents just paid off their mortgage, so I did a little digging to see where they got the money. It turns out her mom got a small inheritance from an aunt who just passed away. So that turned out to be completely on the up-and-up.”
Eli’s shoulders sagged. “Good. I would have really hated to tell her someone in her family was dirty.”
“Tell me what? Hey, guys.” Kay appeared in the doorway and they all sat up straighter. Matt closed the file folder.
“Nothing. We’re just going over some strategies for your case,” Eli replied.
She nodded. “Right. Well, I’d love to hear what you come up with.”
Not happening. Eli didn’t want her anywhere near this tangled web of deceit. She didn’t need to hear them debating which one of her acquaintances had sold her out.
A cry in the background had Kay on her feet. “Oh, baby’s awake. I’ll be back.” With a little wave over her shoulder for Tank and Matt, she was gone.
“I’ll talk fast before she comes back. Because I don’t think you’ll want her hearing this next part.” Matt opened his folder again.
“Well, I don’t want her mixed up in any of this. So what did you find?” Eli sat forward.
“It’s about her friend, Sasha. You mentioned her once before as someone who had a possible motive to want to hurt Kay.”
“I think so. She was in the same singing group, and Kay was picked to go solo instead of her. I’d call that a motive for jealousy.”
“It might be a motive to pass along information as well. I started digging into her financials. She has large cash deposits that started last year. They’re never the same amount and there seems to be no pattern to them either. I’ve got one a few days ago for two thousand dollars. That’s a lot of cash for a girl who works as a data-entry clerk in a warehouse.”
“What are you thinking?”
Matt shrugged. “This guy has to be getting his information from somewhere. We’ve been operating under the assumption that he’s in close contact with Kay since he seems to know so much about her, from her daily routine to when she’s going on a date. That got me thinking, what if he doesn’t know her that well, but he’s in contact with someone who does?”
“Aw, hell.” Eli pinched the bridge of his nose. “I really don’t want to tell her that her best friend might be dirty.”
Tank leaned forward. “Maybe you don’t have to. Just give Kay some bogus information and then we’ll wait and see if it gets passed along. Something we can control. Maybe tell her you’re taking her back to her apartment tomorrow and then we can send someone else in disguise. Then we’ll see what happens.”
Eli didn’t like it. The idea of sending his people into what could be a trap felt wrong in every way. However, Tank’s plan made the most sense. It would give them the chance to draw out the danger and keep it contained. Maybe it would be better to force a confrontation now when they were ready for it.
“Let’s see what we can dig up first. Maybe it won’t come to that. But if we can’t rule her out, then we’ll do it. But let’s see what pans out with Banner, first. He seems our most likely suspect.”
Tank flipped a page on his notepad. “This guy is a real piece of work. Typical rich shill who thinks he can buy anything he wants, including a senate seat.”
Eli wondered if this was it. The turning point where things would heat up. Every case seemed to have one, the moment when he knew shit was about to get critical.
“We need to talk to him. Before he goes public.”
Tank made a face. “If we talk to him, we risk tipping our hand. He probably has no idea he’s even on our radar.”
“Yeah, but there’s also the chance he’ll give us something we can work with. Catching him off guard has advantages. People give away so much more when they’re trying to act innocent.”
“When are you going to do this?”
Eli cracked his knuckles and regarded Tank. “I want you to do it.”
The other man couldn’t hide his surprise. Eli knew he had a reputation as a control freak. He liked for things to get done and proper. But in this case, he couldn’t be objective. There was no chance of it. Sitting down and having a civil conversation with the man who’d gotten Kay pregnant and then ditched her was one big journey to never-going-to-happen-land.
“I can’t be objective in this case,” Eli admitted. “And we need him alive after the conversation is over.”
Matt and Tank exchanged glances.
“Of course. Whatever you need,” Tank finally replied. “However, I haven’t even told you the best part yet. Guess what his party platform will be?”
At both of their blank looks, Tank held up a photocopy of a flyer. “Family values.”
Matt scoffed. “An old girlfriend with his illegitimate baby would probably be an inconvenience, wouldn’t you say?”
Tank slapped the flyer down on the table between them. “You said it. This guy is looking dirtier and dirtier by the minute.”
Eli’s eyes locked on the flyer and the black-and-white image of Timothy Banner and his all-American smile. This guy had a track record for lying and hurting Kay. He would probably look at stalking and attempted murder as collateral damage on his way to the top.
“Go find this fool, Tank. Find him and get him to talk. The sooner we can put this to rest, the better.”
TANK MARSHALL LOWERED his binoculars and then stashed them in the center console of his SUV. Timothy Banner was checked into the Ritz-Carlton. He snorted. Of course he was. Guys like him, with more money to spend than brains, tended to stay in flashy places. They liked to see and be seen. Tank preferred to see and remain invisible.
He’d just seen Banner and his mini-entourage walk into the hotel. Now he just had to follow and wait. So much of what he did involved patience. Not unlike his work as a sniper. He
could watch. And wait. Then at the perfect moment, take his shot. He wasn’t taking any chances on screwing up this assignment.
Security wasn’t something he’d have thought would be a great fit, but Eli trusted his guys and gave them the leeway they needed to do their jobs. If he needed equipment, he got it. If he had a hunch, Eli trusted him to follow it.
So if his boss needed him to interview some wannabe politician, he could handle it.
He’d met Elliott Alexander at the gun range. They’d gotten to talking and before he knew what was happening, he’d had himself a job. He’d given ten years to Uncle Sam, and when he got out, he’d had a lot of plans for what he wanted to do. Travel. Spend more time with his family.
Nothing had worked out the way he’d planned.
His mom was still doing drugs and wouldn’t go into rehab. His little brother was in the midst of a deep depression and hadn’t left his apartment more than a handful of times that he knew of in the past year. His life was going to shit and there was nothing he could do about it. Except work.
The job was all he had some days.
He walked through the lobby, his shoes squeaking slightly on the marble floor. Banner and his entourage were about to get on the elevator. He sped up. A couple walked in front of him and he allowed them to get on the elevator first, keeping his head down. The couple exited at the fifth floor and the doors to the elevator slid closed, sealing him in the small space with Banner and his men.
He kept his eyes on the electronic counter which announced each floor. They didn’t seem to notice him. The doors opened with a subdued chime and he turned left, waiting until he heard the group exit and walk in the other direction. He waited a few moments, then turned around and followed.
The door to room 9804 was just closing. Tank glanced around to make sure nobody was in the hall before he knocked on the door.
