Clothes came off. He threw hers away and kicked away his own. Soon, her naked skin was burning under the tips of his finger. This was love, and there wasn’t anything else that he wanted. It felt good to have her body vibrate under his. Nothing else was more important. Nothing else mattered. This was heaven, and he belonged here.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Tania never gave too much thought to her future. Marriage and kids were a distant possibility if she ever found the right guy and, frankly, she didn’t even think too much about it even when things heated up with Riley, but now he was the one who brought up the topic. It gave her a shock to hear him say that, but when she considered the idea, it sounded perfect.
Eventually was a long time away, or, perhaps, it could be near. They would figure it out as time passed. Right now all she could focus on his naked, sexy body that moved hers. Making love with Riley was always a heady experience. She ran her hands up his taut stomach to his wide chest and rested her fingers on his shoulders. Her lips met his and clung while sensations, hot and violent, stormed through her in waves. He alone had the power to drive her to the edge of insanity. He alone held the key to her heart.
His hands rested on her breasts, squeezing them while she buckled under him. His fingers flicked over her nipples and a low gasp escaped her lips. The tingling sensations increased to a new crescendo until she couldn’t think of anything other than the way he made her feel. His lips trailed down her throat and then latched on one sensitive bud. She squealed as he ran his tongue over it, tugging and sucking. Her fingers slipped up the nape of his neck until she curled her hand into his silky hair.
He moved on the other breast and, once more, the battle for control started. He sure knew which buttons to push to make her ready for what lay ahead. Moisture leaked down her thighs as she rubbed her legs together in an effort to curb the need that coiled in her gut. Her nerves were on fire, and she felt as if she would combust if she didn’t stop this flow of desire that careened through her veins.
But the storm picked up as he licked the underside of her breasts. He inhaled deeply as if to take in the scent of her body before slithering down until he reached the velvety mound that hid the sensitive nub. It was already wet and slippery. His finger slid inside with ease and she jerked under him. In and out, he moved and the tempest that was already swelling inside her picked up speed. She writhed under him. She didn’t have any control over the way she felt. Tania gave over to the sensations that gripped her. There was no time to think, to plan.
Instead, she was a mass of muscles and he could do whatever the hell he wanted with her. When he pushed his thumb on the sensitive nub, she let out a loud scream as the orgasm undulated inside her. Her toes curled and her body bucked. Pulling out his finger, he licked it while his gaze remained on her face. When she opened her eyes, he joined her on the bed. His lips caught her in a kiss that showed her how much he loved her. Words were not necessary.
Bending his head, he nuzzled at her throat and then kissed her shoulders. He’d long ago discovered that it was an erogenous zone and took full advantage of that knowledge whenever he could. The desire built once more inside her and she made no attempt to fight it.
Tania skipped over his torso, reaching down until she felt his cock. It was hard and ready, but she was now in the mood to take it slow. She pressed her finger on the tip and relished in the way it throbbed in her hand. She twisted her fingers around it and pumped. He groaned. With her hand on his shoulder, she forced him to lay down on the bed while she climbed over him. Her lips trailed a line of kisses down his chest and his narrow waist before she reached her desired destination.
His penis throbbed as she licked it. With her fingers, she cupped his balls and rubbed them; it was his turn to sweat under her. She nibbled her way up and down until he clamped his hand on her hair, forcing her to remain still. Taking the cue from his silent command, she took him deep into her throat. Her tongue twisted around his cock, licked and fondled, until he began to gasp out loud. He was about to come. He tugged at her hair and she understood what he wanted.
Tania rose up above him and positioned herself carefully on his cock. With one hard thrust, she drove it inside her body. For a moment, they were joined together while his penis rested deep within her muscles. Slowly, she rose up again, and then came down. It was good to control the rhythm. She leaned down and pressed one breast on his mouth. He took her nipple in between his lips and sucked while she jerked her hips up and down.
She allowed him to caress her breast for a while and then offered the other. Tania had enough; she wanted more. She rose and picked up the rhythm. The sweet, tangy need that spiraled in her gut spread to the rest of her body. The craving for release was strong, relentless. In and out, up and down, she moved at a crazy speed – and then suddenly, without warning, the orgasm ripped through her and she let out a wild cry.
Without pause, Riley flipped her over and drove his cock deep into her until she shuddered, still in the throes of passion. In and out, he did it so fast, so hard, that the orgasm stretched until she thought that it was better to be dead than to experience this exhilarating pleasure. He exploded inside her, and she lay down flat on the bed as he collapsed on top of her. He rolled off her, held her hand, and took deep breaths.
“It just keeps getting better and better,” he muttered as if he couldn’t believe it.
She didn’t have the energy to move. It felt like too much of an effort. She shifted until she covered her body with the blanket and then fell into a deep sleep. Dimly, she was aware that he snuggled closer and put his hand on her stomach, but she was too drained to think too much.
The next day, she was up bright and early. She was filled with newfound energy. It wasn’t just the lovemaking last night that did it, but, rather, the entire package: the conversation, the win of another deal, and of course, his skilled hands that always made her purr.
When Riley stumbled out of the room, she was making pancakes. Tania hadn’t much been into cooking but Riley was, and she’d ended up learning a lot from him. He sniffed and then took a stool. “What’s gotten into you?”
“You got into me last night, and that has put me in a good mood.”
“Good; I should do it every night.”
She laughed and passed him a plate of pancakes, doused with maple syrup, just the way he liked it. It was amazing how much one could learn about a man in a short while. It was only five months since they met, but it seemed like a lifetime. “Here you go. So what’s on our agenda today?”
“I have to meet a client and show him three prospective residences. Then I have to file the paperwork for the previous deal, and then there is the corporate client, Rosen, whom we have to meet together at four in the evening.”
“Is the presentation for the meeting prepared?”
“Done.”
She sighed. “I’ve got another client in the morning and then there are the mounds of paperwork, so once we deal with all that, we can meet at three thirty and leave for the meeting.”
“Sounds like a plan. What about dinner?”
She shook her head. “We’ve not even finished breakfast, and you’re thinking of dinner already?”
“I thought we might go to downtown tonight. A friend of mine has opened a new restaurant, and he has been pestering me to come and check it.”
It sounded so normal, so ordinary, but life was full of such events and moments that brought meaning. She smiled. “Sure. We can do that after the meeting.”
“And don’t forget we have to pack my apartment over the weekend,” he reminded her as she sauntered into the bedroom to collect her jacket.
Tania wore the jacket, checked her reflection in the mirror, and walked out. She picked up her purse and checked that everything she required for the day was already inside. Satisfied, she zipped it close. “Am eagerly looking forward to it,” she muttered.
He finished his pancakes, downed the coffee, and stood. Walking over to the sink, he rinsed his pl
ate and mug and put them in the dishwater. After drying his hands, he walked over to her and drew her in his arms. “From that tone and sound, I can guess that you’re being sarcastic.”
She grinned. “How did you guess?”
“Maybe I could just hire a moving company?”
“You would still have to take of the pesky details like where the furniture is going to go, and stuff like that, so let’s just do it together. And also, don’t forget, I’ve seen your cupboards and there are no more than six plates, six cups, six bowls, and six spoons in there.”
“Don’t forget the six knives and six forks,” he reminded her. And then pressed his lips on hers ever so lightly so as not to spoil her lip gloss.
He picked up his jacket, patted his trousers to make sure he’d put in his wallet, and then they were off. “Keys,” she reminded him.
“Already in my jacket.”
Although they came and went together, she preferred he keep his own set of keys, just so if they needed to come and go and different timings. Of course, Riley was now so paranoid after the incident with Raymond that he hardly left her alone. Perhaps they could come back to their earlier routine now. She didn’t need a bodyguard all the time. Of course, she felt safe when he was around.
Tania drove her car out. He closed the gate and then sat back inside. “What about your bike?”
“The tires have to be changed so it’s gonna take a while. Oh, that reminds me that we were supposed to check out your bike today. Maybe we can do that on the way to the restaurant?”
She was excited about it – her first bike! It would be amazing to own a ride. “Sure. I look forward to it.”
They reached the office, parked the car, and got in. Tania wondered if every day was going to be as full of possibilities as this one as. With Riley, she enjoyed doing the mundane things that she never thought too much before. It was heady to share a life with him and put their own stamp on it. She loved it. Now that they were a team and not working against each other, the friction was gone and they could enjoy each other even more than ever before.
As they went to the door, the first thing Tania noticed was the broken handle on the floor. Fear glided into her veins. “Shit! What the hell happened here?”
Riley tugged her away from the door. He pushed it open and peeked inside. “Damn it.”
“What, what, what?” She didn’t wait for him to reply and instead pushed past him. Tania’s hand went to her mouth to stop the scream that rose to her lips. “Oh my God!”
He put a hand on her shoulder as they surveyed the damage. Someone had written obscenities on the walls, put spray paint on the chairs, and cabinets. Luckily, the client files were safe, which was the first thing Tania checked as she rushed inside. The vandals weren’t able to open the two safes that sat in their separate offices.
“We need to call the police,” said Riley.
“But the clients…we’re supposed to meet them.”
He checked the time. “We’ll make it.”
Tania sat on her desk and pulled out the paperwork. She was trying hard not to cry. There was no sense in doing so. This was another nightmare, and they would see it through. “I’m just going to wrap this up until the police get here.”
“Tania, we’ll see it through,” he promised in a firm voice, but she didn’t glance up.
If she looked into his face, she would break down, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Their beautiful office, which they decorated with such care, was the target of a hate crime. Why? They never did anything bad to anyone in the building. This couldn’t be the work of kids. What the hell was going on?
By the time the police arrived, she’d finished her work and rescheduled her meeting with the client. Now, she was free to answer their questions. The police officers took notes and pictures. “Do you have any suspects in mind?”
Before she could answer, Riley told them about the ongoing case against Raymond and the Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood. “But I don’t know if it’s their work,” he said. “With Raymond and a few other key players already behind bars, I’m not sure if they would’ve planned this.”
“Anyone else?”
He exchanged a glance with Tania and she nodded. “Her ex-boss Brin stopped by last night, and there was an altercation.” Riley repeated the incident. “Frankly, I don’t think he has the balls to do this.”
Another police officer had arrived by that point, and he began to check for fingerprints. Theirs were taken to eliminate those from the prints that they picked up, but he didn’t look hopeful. “I believe that the vandals must’ve worn gloves because they might’ve gotten the spray on their hands otherwise, but we could try. Who knows? Some of these people are real dumb.”
Tania wasn’t hopeful at all. Whoever did this was quick and thorough. It was a good thing neither of them was in the habit of leaving their laptops on the desks or else they might’ve been destroyed or stolen. At this stage of their career, they couldn’t afford to spend a lot of money replacing these things. As it was, it would take them a while to repaint the office and to wash the chairs and couches.
“It seems like a personal attack to me,” said the police officer as he stood. “It could be your ex-boss, and we’ll have a talk with him to see if he has an alibi for last night. We’ll also look into this Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood and figure out if any of their members are still running free.”
“Thank you,” said Tania.
“Have you experienced any other incidents?”
“No,” said Riley.
Tania slapped a hand on her forehead. “Wait. What about your bike? The tires were slashed last night.”
“Kids,” he said.
The officers looked at her, and she explained what happened the night before. “It could be related. We’ll look into this, ma’am, sir.”
Riley led them out. “Thank you for your time.”
After he came back, he sat next to Tania and held her hands. “Be brave. I’ve called the locksmith. He’s coming to put in a new lock.”
She nodded, trying to force back the tears that sprang to her eyes. Even though her heart was breaking, she was determined to not fall into pieces. It was important to remain strong, for herself and for Riley. “When will this nightmare come to an end? We’ve moved on but someone is hell bent on destroying our lives.”
“And they can only do that if we allow them, but we won’t give way. It doesn’t matter. We’re going to put security cameras in the office, and we’ll clean up this mess, make it whole again. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
“I’m not worried.” She looked into his eyes. “I’m just…”
She couldn’t complete her sentence and sensing her need, he drew her in his arms. For some time, she sat there, listening to his heart thump under her head. It felt good to be cocooned in those muscled arms. Riley always protected her. He would keep her safe, but she needed to be strong. They had been through so much together, and it was now time to be even braver than ever before. They sat together for a while and then heard the door open.
“It must be the locksmith,” said Riley. “I’ll go and see.”
She drew away. “I’ve got an appointment – told my client I would meet him an hour later than originally planned, so I’ve got to hustle.”
“Be careful.” He was clearly torn between the desire to go with her, the old protective instincts surfacing again after this new attack, and his need to be here to supervise the locksmith. Finally, he stood. “After the lock is fixed, I’ll also go out. Call me when you’re done, and grab one of the new keys before you leave.”
“I’ll call the cleaners on the way out,” she announced. “They can wash the couches and the chairs tomorrow and we can have the painters over day after tomorrow to fix the walls.”
He kissed her lightly on the lips before they both departed. Just like that, they were back in control again. They had a plan and they would recover fast, but Tania had a nasty feeling that this wasn’t finished as yet. F
or now, however, she was willing to concentrate on her work. The future would take care of itself.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Three days after the attack, things were back to normal – or the new normal. Of course, her paranoia was back along with a healthy dose of fear for their safety. It seemed that Riley was also thinking along the same lines because he wouldn’t leave her alone for extended periods of time, felt the urge to call her whenever she was out of office, and didn’t feel like going out much. But the truth was, they had to live and sitting in the office or the house wasn’t going to achieve that.
The police had assured them that Raymond, Charlie, and six other men were still in jail as they were unable to meet the terms of their bail. So it couldn’t be them. So who was this new threat? The police suspected Tania’s ex-boss who didn’t have the alibi for the evening and night during which the vandalism took place, but Tania didn’t think Brin had the guts to take such a risk. The man was scared of Riley and didn’t have the nerve to carry though such an operation.
This Savage Love: A Bad Boy Romance Boxed Set Page 118
