by Amber Malloy
“What did that dirty boy want back at the resort?”
Cayden took in the usually crowded shopping area. It appeared bare. “You mean soon-to-be Mayor Dale Newman?”
“Real estate con artist, never-going-to-be mayor, or better yet, all-time creeper Dale Newman … take your pick.”
“Hicktey heck, Lydia! Where did you get creeper from?”
“Hmmm, I think it may have been from the redhead you had over that one time. I overheard her talking to Levi and the term seemed to fit.” Lydia waved at the air with her hand. “Dale’s always been too slick and arrogant for my taste.”
They walked in comfortable familiarity on their way past the ritzy shops. Big chain stores had a hard time getting the stamp of approval from the administrative board and that was exactly how the folks of St. Geneva liked it.
Locally owned specialty boutiques ruled the town, which made Dale’s presence a surprise. As an implant to St. Geneva, the real estate developer shouldn’t have won the bid to expand the downtown area. The quilting club circulated a petition around town to withdraw his approval, which meant others probably felt the same way.
“Not that I don’t love seeing you, my dear…”
“But?”
“This new book, it feels … wrong.”
“Shana deserves justice,” Cayden repeated for the hundredth time, not really wanting to get into this with Lydia again.
“No one’s disputing that, but it doesn’t have to be you to give to her.” She held her tighter in a way only a mother could, not that hers ever did. “After you finish one of your murder books, you have a hard go of it, and I’m afraid this one is simply too personal.”
She considered Lydia’s words. The Scott family and Shana’s cold case were the last things keeping her connected to Goosebay Lake.
“What if I promise to be careful?”
“I’d tell you it still wouldn’t be enough.” Lydia stopped in front of the ice cream shop and opened the door. “Come on, stubborn child, let’s go get some dessert.
Chapter Eight
Cayden went through the dresses in front of her.
“We have more to choose from,” Katie called out, rolling another rack into the ballroom.
“Purple, size four.” She snagged the shiny number and handed it to the tween girl.
“Thank you, Ms. Young.”
They usually used the huge space for weddings, reunions, and the occasional retirement party, but tonight the girls took over the hall. Goosebay Lake hosted sleepover camp for the local orphanage.
It was a seasonal program that took years for them to get off the ground. At first, the resort could only get a couple of organizations to participate. Even though the camp started out slow, it had turned into such a big success other businesses showed interest in sponsoring the camp.
“Everyone who has a dress, are you happy with your pick?”
“Yes!” Tween squeals filled the room.
“Follow Katie to try them on and meet back here in ten minutes. For everyone else, hang back with me. I know we’ll get you something.”
Fifteen girls made a mad dash to the entrance, while Cayden rearranged the racks. Various vendors would donate merchandise, which helped ease the financial burden off of Goosebay Lake. When the high-energy chatter grew low with appreciative ooohs and ahhhs, Cayden glanced up.
Her stomach did a crazy somersault at the sight of him. “Ladies,” Levi called out to teenage giggles. Dressed in a tux, he approached her, rocking only a slight shadow of a beard. The dark contrast with his eyes made the blue gems sparkle.
“This looks familiar.” He touched the tiara on top of her head. It put the cherry on top of her fancy tank and leggings.
“I’ve decided this and a curtsy will be written into the employee rule book. You look handsome, Mr. Scott. Just like a real-life Ken doll.”
“That’s not a compliment,” he whispered close to her face.
“I know,” she said with a wink. “Where are you off to on this fine fall evening?” Cayden hadn’t seen Levi much. Positive he wanted to avoid her, she decided to give him the space he wanted.
“To accept an award for Goosebay Lake … a job my partner should be doing.”
“And ruin my rep?” she replied. “I’m getting good at this shallow and spoiled gig.”
“There you are, Scott. Hey, Cayden, thanks for the call.” Greg strolled into the ballroom, dressed to the nines with a face that could mirror Tom Cruise’s.
“Sorry, Greg, I’ve been swamped.”
“I can tell.” He laughed with no humor, while she combed the rack for the shy girl’s dress. Cayden grabbed a poofy ice-blue number and signaled for her to come over. The tween shuffled toward her without any eye contact, barely holding out her hand to reach for the fabric.
“Blue’s my favorite color,” Levi told her, before she could run off to catch up with the others.
On her way past, Cayden caught a tiny sliver of the girl’s smile.
“Cupcakes?” One of the resort servers came by with a tray of delicious desserts for the kids.
Greg went for a red velvet treat before he quickly withdrew his hand. “Are those nuts?” A light dusting of pecans covered the top of each treat.
“Yes, sir,” the server told him.
“In that case, no.” He frowned. “I’m allergic.”
“The meter’s running on the limo, guys. Oh, hi.” Taylor was dressed in a long black number that reeked of good girl desperation. “Nice tiara.” She chuckled as she joined them.
“It would go great with that dress. It’s too bad you don’t have one.” Cayden poked her.
“Pass, but thanks.”
The awkwardness between Levi and Taylor hurt to witness. If she meant anything to Levi, Cayden would have been bothered by her. Even if he had stuck his dick in the Assistant DA at one point, he no longer seemed interested. Apparently, Taylor didn’t get that memo.
“Ms. Young”—the smallest girl of the bunch tugged at her shirt—“can I try the green one?”
“Coming right up.”
“We have to go. Do you want to try for coffee sometime?” Greg gave her a boyish smile that probably won him many cases with the elderly bunch. Cute bordering on handsome, she didn’t take him seriously. Most of the men in St. Geneva wanted to cross her off some high school list of conquests.
“Sure,” she lied. “You guys have fun.” Cayden snagged the green dress from the rack, figuring they could take it in if it didn’t fit. As they left, she caught Taylor linking her arms with the men.
“He is more beautiful than Hercules,” the girl mooned before the trio left the ball room.
Cayden didn’t bother to ask which one since she already knew.
Chapter Nine
A nice gesture in theory, the award’s ceremony turned out to be unnecessary. More self-aggrandizing than it had any right to be, Levi cut his evening short. Giving the excuse of a bad headache, he left early, hoping to find solace in a six pack of beer and Sports Center.
For two weeks, he managed to accomplish no contact with his business partner. Executing a schedule that kept him busy down to the minute made him ultimately figure out that he missed Cayden. Once he got home, he knew his resolve was gone.
The kitchen light shone brightly above the oven. Considering he turned it off before he left, Levi quickly figured out the culprit. Water from his brand-new spa shower resonated from the floor above. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and went to the sitting area. Unlike every other room in his house, this one remained formal. It became a foothold and his mother needed to claim the place for herself somehow.
Since the third step always creaked under foot, he counted to ten before he flipped on the lamp and loosened his tie.
“Holy shit, Levi! What the hell?” She jumped while he bit back a chuckle.
“Isn’t that my line?” Beads of water from her shower gathered on her skin. She wore a pair of barely-there yoga shorts, and Levi could see straight t
hrough her tank top. Round, full breasts were easy to make out beneath her stretched-too-thin material.
“There’s no way that event ended this early,” she scolded him.
“Forgive me for ruining your heist … should I leave and come back to let you finish?” Everything about the woman turned him on, starting with her messy bun and black-framed glasses.
No rich-girl representative or spoiled brat came to steal time in his shower spa. Instead, the real girl next door stood in front of him. “My shower was one thing, Ms. Young, but my last bottle of wine?”
She held onto a bottle of Riesling, shipped from the Italian vineyard that wanted the resort to use them exclusively. “Do you not remember telling me to stop taking wine from the resort?”
“There’s this thing called inventory, and if a bottle is missing,” he spoke slowly as if talking with a child, “it is considered stolen. Much like what you’re doing right now.” He pointed to the contraband in her hand.
“I beg to differ. You don’t even like Riesling, Mr. Scott.” She smiled innocently. “So what happened? Did you forget something?”
“Now that you mention it…” Taking off his tux jacket, he threw it off to the side. “What do you think about this couch?”
Cayden shook her head, probably not following his line of questioning. “Heirloom? It doesn’t really go with the décor.”
“Exactly! I worked my ass off to make this place look … what’s the word?”
“Modern,” she offered.
“Manly. But we’ll go with your term. Look at this craftsmanship … dark, hardwood floors, straight lines, and that kitchen is a work of art. I made that farmhouse table by hand,” he bragged, glad she didn’t interrupt. “Then there’s this monstrosity … a red velvet Victorian. And let’s not forget the piano. No one plays that shit. Why the hell do we even have it? My mother claims it’s too valuable to put in storage, so she leaves this crap here.”
“I’m guessing you want to get rid of it?”
“Of course, but you know Lydia’s weapon of choice is guilt,” he complained while rolling up his sleeves. “I was thinking if I changed or altered it in some way, then maybe I could tolerate it.”
“Hmmm.” She tilted her head to the side while she relaxed her stance. “What do you have in mind?”
“For starters, I’m going to put you on top of it, and eat your pussy until your head explodes. After that, we can wing it.” Levi didn’t know if she would accept his proposition, but he didn’t anticipate the smile that slowly graced her pretty lips.
Chapter Ten
After spending the day with the camp girls, Cayden wanted nothing less than a hot shower and a glass or two of liquor. Since Lydia told her all about Levi’s spa, she decided to try it out. Considering charity functions took hours, she should’ve had plenty of time before he came back.
Stealing his Riesling became one of many crimes that night. Breaking and entering probably topped the list. However, Levi didn’t care for dry white, so she knew he wouldn’t miss the bottle. Close to a clean getaway, she nearly dropped the wine onto the floor when he turned the light on. She may not have expected him home so early, but the real surprise came with his offer to eat her out.
He most likely believed she would shy away from his request, forget their history, or be a prude about it. Maybe they would sit and talk about their past problems, but she had no intention of weeding through that pile of crap. Besides, his dick would be a great stress reliever. With a lopsided grin, the blond beauty waited for her to respond.
“You really should have started with that,” she chastised him. Setting the bottle of wine down, she faced him straight on.
“Take off your tank,” he demanded. “Slowly.”
They stared at one another across the room before Cayden reached for the bottom and pulled it over her head without hesitation. “What’s next?”
Most likely contemplating his next move, he answered her with a quirk of his eyebrow.
“Glasses?” she asked when it took him a little too long.
“Nope.”
“Hair?”
“Nah.” He chuckled while she went down the list of what he wanted her to lose next.
“Shorts?”
“Uh huh.” Levi rubbed the corner of his mouth with his thumb. “I’ll get those.”
“Who knew you had a hot-for-teacher fetish, Mr. Scott?” she joked at his obvious attraction for her glasses and high bun.
“It’s more like a sexy librarian hard-on. Now get your beautiful ass over her.”
Semi-nude and vulnerable, Cayden approached him with measured steps across the cold wood floor. With the understanding that this may be a mistake, she stopped directly in front of him. They hadn’t been on good terms for a long time, but no matter the distance, she never stopped wanting Levi Scott.
“Piano or couch?” In one swift move, he lifted her off the floor. “Couch it is,” he muttered. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, he took her lips into his and sucked. Levi prodded her mouth open with his tongue.
They attacked each other with burning need, and he cupped her left breast in his palm. Hefting her higher, Levi licked her nipple into a hard bud. Unwilling to wait a minute longer, Cayden unhooked her legs from around his waist and slid down his body.
Comfortable within their bubble of silence, they didn’t ruin it with words. Reaching over, Levi pulled the hair sticks out of her bun. While her curly waves fell past her shoulders, he kissed his way down her chest. Sweet at first, his tender pecks turned more insistent, and he opened his mouth wide to suck her tit. Moving from the left to the right, the sexy man obviously wanted to show them the same amount of attention.
Anxious to feel his cock inside of her, she groaned in frustration.
The rumble of his laughter vibrated through her chest.
“Nothing ever changes. You’re still impatient.” He grabbed the side of her shorts and yanked them down. “And already wet.”
Teasing her with his mouth, he kissed his way to her stomach. He stopped at her pussy and took a deep breath. Beyond the point of no return, she waited for him to make contact with her clit. A low tremble of butterflies started in her stomach. Pushing her on to the couch, he chuckled.
“That was sexy,” she muttered.
Levi grabbed her right leg and shoved it up. “This is killing you, isn’t it?” He left her exposed as he unbuttoned his shirt. “The gorgeous brat usually gets everything she wants.”
Fully on display, she quivered with anticipation. “Is that what you think?”
When he reached over and touched her clit with his finger, she drew in a jagged breath.
“Tell me…” Kissing the inside of her thigh, he held her at bay. “Do you believe you get what you deserve?” Anger and desire seemed to simmer underneath his words. At any other time, she would have gotten up and left. However, she needed his tongue buried deep inside of her.
Without breaking eye contact, he went straight to the bud of her pussy. As he dragged his tongue through her slit, Cayden’s insides warmed at his long, slow strokes. Clearly Levi wanted to torture her. He licked from the center up to her nub.
“Hmmm.” Wiggling the tip of his tongue into her slit, he opened his mouth wide while he covered her breast with his hand.
Allowing him to attack her pussy, she grabbed a tuft of his hair. As he licked and sucked her nub, manipulating her nipple with his finger, he twisted his tongue into her core.
“Mmmh,” he groaned.
Unable to control herself, she humped his face while he tickled, licked, and slurped her box. Fighting back the hot heat that overwhelmed her every sense, she screamed.
“Don’t move.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his arm.
Out of breath, she witnessed his blue eyes turn darker. Quick to unbuckle his tuxedo pants, he shoved them down only low enough to unleash his cock.
Muscled abs showed through the opening of his shirt, leading the way toward the blond tuft of hai
r to his crotch. Still out of her head, Levi moved fast. While he toyed with the mouth of her pussy, he latched onto her nipple and sucked. His massive rod poked at her opening.
She leaned further back into the tacky couch to brace herself. After the third time he tried to push his tip into her folds, he growled in frustration and gave her one big thrust.
“Shit.” Cayden gritted her teeth as he filled her with his rod.
Levi moaned, moving inside of her with slow strokes. Loosening her up enough to increase his speed, he muttered while he worked his cock inside of her. Another explosion took a hold while Levi captured her mouth. They moved together in unison. Suddenly, he bucked wildly and expelled a guttural groan.
“Still on the pill?” he huffed, falling on top of her in a lump.
“Fine time for you to ask.”
****
They lay limp on the wood floor, intertwined together. With no words between them for at least a good twenty minutes, he rolled on his side toward her.
“You’re crazy tight … it’s been a while, huh?”
Guilt probably ate at him. He’d promised to never touch her again. Cayden made no plans to answer his question.
Levi wanted to fight.
She reached over and used her finger to smooth the three angry lines on his brow, explaining to him without words she knew where he wanted to go with this.
“What, are you shy all of the sudden?” He wrestled his pants all the way off and kicked them to the side. “Fine, I’ll go.” He turned his body toward her. “Around six months back, when Taylor got to town, we had a few dates. Nothing much really came of it, friends with benefits at the most. Before her there was a veterinarian over in Charlestown … she helped me get over that whole Sarah situation.”
A pit of a fire flamed in her stomach, but she knew not to flinch. Levi always pushed until he got the answers he wanted, and if it led to a knock-down, drag-out fight, he didn’t care. Considering they were no longer teenagers, he would have to try a lot harder than that.
