by Tia Siren
I slammed the door behind me and ran to my purse, dumping out all its contents onto the table. I picked up the brown journal I’d found in his home, and I ripped it open to one of its pages. When I began to read its contents, I knew I’d fucked up.
This journal housed entries Leo had personally written in his spare time about his parents. They were memories and arguments he could remember having. Things he wished he’d said to them and vacations they took that he loved. He had written letters to them he couldn’t mail off and created bucket lists of things to do in honor of the things they never did when they were alive, and my heart plummeted to my toes while my body filled with endless guilt.
This journal was his own personal memory of his deceased parents, and I had stolen it from him.
Fuck.
11
Leo
I couldn’t get this woman off my mind. She was beautiful, intelligent, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her soft sounds in bed. The way she moved against my body and the way her cries seemed to simply settle in my ears was nothing short of intoxicating, and her voice rang in my head every time someone said something that reminded me of her.
Honestly? I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. I mean, she was just another woman. Another soft body to sink myself into after wining and dining. Just another person to talk mindlessly with before we fell into bed together and forgot the world outside. But, the moment I found myself outside of her home after I went on my bike ride told me differently. She wasn’t just any other woman. It was like my body and mind naturally gravitated toward her.
And I was guarding my heart with everything I had.
Emotions were running high between both of us. My study was on the brink. We still had no answers as to why his chip had been dug out of his body, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought there was foul play involved.
“Hey there, Leo. We gotta talk, man.”
I was ripped from my trance at the sound of Obi’s voice. He’d been the reasonable one throughout this entire thing, and I was glad when he decided to keep his mouth shut about Claire and me. He knew what was going on, and I was thankful he kept his opinions to himself.
“I wanted to let you know I spoke with the detective. They brought in another detective who could be a little more unbiased, and because of that, they still haven’t ruled out foul play.”
“Good, because I don’t think our implant killed Patrick,” I said. “Did they ever figure out if his neighbor played any sort of part in it?”
“Nope. Just a lonely woman who wanted to get laid,” Obi said. “And I’m glad your conscience has finally accepted that our implant had nothing to do with all this bullshit.”
“But who the hell would kill Patrick? Did he have issues with anyone at work?” I asked.
“So far, from what the detective has found, nope. I got shit squared away with accounting and stuff. Apparently, he’s got no living family except one sister, so the money will be legally sent to her to help out with stuff. Should I send flowers or something?”
“Let’s hold off on that. I’ll personally deliver them when everything is wrapped up. I want her to know how sorry I am and how sorry this company is,” I said.
“Sounds good to me,” Obi said.
“And who the hell would just murder a person? I mean, if they dug the implant out of his neck, then maybe they’re trying to make me look bad? Make it look like the chip had something to do with it?”
“You’re gettin’ ahead of yourself, Leo. Let the detectives do their thing. This new detective is on it, and he’s floating all these ideas, too,” Obi said.
“All right, well, it’s almost the end of the day. If you wanna take off, I’ve just got some shit to clear up here.”
“You gonna be all right? I can hang out if you feel weird or something.”
“Why would I feel weird?” I asked.
“Well, if someone killed Patrick to make you look bad, maybe they’ll come after you.”
“Now, I feel weird. Thanks,” I said.
“You want me to stay?” he asked again.
“Nah. Go on home. I’ll be done in a few minutes. Especially after that theory.”
“All right. Don’t work too hard. Have a good night, man.”
“You, too, Obi.”
I sat down at my desk and put my face in my hands. Jesus, that really was a plausible thing. If someone wanted to ruin my company, sabotaging this project would be it. Obi had my mind racing, and it was hard to concentrate on the paperwork in front of me. But, a knock came at the door that caught my attention.
When I looked up, I was surprised—and relieved—to see Claire’s beautiful face.
“Knock, knock,” she said with a smile.
“Hey there. What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I just wanted to drop by and see you. I’m still technically on vacation, and the last time we saw each other was a bit heavy.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I said.
“Please, don’t be. It’s the first time I’ve felt close to someone since, well . . .”
“Would you like to come in and sit down?”
“Sure. I’d love to see your office. I didn’t really get a good look at it the first time I barged in here,” she said with a smile. God, her smile lit up a room whenever she was in it.
“Well, there’s not much to see. I’ve got a nice couch, a big desk with lots of pointless stuff in it, a bookshelf that isn’t nearly as packed as it should be for a successful owner of a company, and then, there are the windows that look out over the city.”
“It’s an incredible view,” she said.
“It is.”
I couldn’t keep my eyes off her while she looked out over the city below us. The sun was approaching the horizon, and we only had a couple more hours of daylight, and there was something tugging in my gut. I wanted her to stay awhile, just to be here with me, and that was a feeling I wasn’t used to.
“May I be honest?”
“I prefer it that way,” she said.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you lately.”
“Oh, really? And why is that?”
“Because I think you’re incredible. The way you’ve handled all this and kept your composure and somehow found a way to separate yourself emotionally from it long enough to step into this building, much less this office, is astounding.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that,” she said.
“I do.”
She looked out over the city, and I could tell something was on her mind. I figured she came to talk, to see if I had heard anything about the case, but all she did was cross her arms over her chest. She looked beautiful in her faded jeans and her simple T-shirt. Was this how she dressed every day? I found I enjoyed her more casual like this.
She felt comfortable walking into my office looking the way she did right now, and something about that comforted my own raging nerves. The sun cascaded through the tendrils of her hair that I desperately wanted to run my fingers through. Her skin glowed with a sun-kissed hue that was probably from our bike ride, and I wanted to take her on more just to feel her arms wrapped around me.
She had messed me up completely, and I was enjoying being dragged to my knees because of her.
Her gaze panned toward me, and I felt that same tug in my gut. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and when her body was flush against mine, I leaned in.
“I’m so glad you came to see me,” I said hotly.
“Me, too.”
And then, our lips connected. The sun barreled down through the windows of my office, but her body heat is what warmed my bones. I dipped her back with my arms, and her hands gripped my collar, wanting me closer and closer with every swipe of my tongue in her mouth. She tasted of tea and honey, a concoction I would forever associate with the taste of her.
“Leo,” she whispered against my lips.
“Yes?”
I broke the kiss and looked deep into
her eyes, and what I saw there was a battle. A battle between what she wanted and what she felt was right. A raging mixture of primal desire and conscious thought.
But, before she could answer me, she pulled me back into her, and her back knocked heavily against the glass window.
I planted my palms beside her head while my tongue devoured hers.
12
Claire
His hands braced next to my head, and my hands were clamped around his collar. I’d come to his office to see if he’d heard anything about the case, but when I’d seen him sitting at his desk, I was taken aback by how handsome he looked. His admission that he couldn’t get his mind off me was reeling, but I couldn’t say it wasn’t reciprocated. Though I’d taken something of his that was personal and precious, I really did enjoy the bike ride we had gone on.
His tongue raked along the inside of my cheeks as he pinned my body to the window. I ran my hands up his broad chest before I gripped his shoulders, and just as I did that, his hands dropped to my waist. His body heat radiated against mine, pulsing beneath my skin and rushing the blood through my ears. His tongue was addicting, and when I broke the kiss, I began to trail my lips over to his ear.
“I really like these windows,” I whispered.
“I really enjoy the view,” he said.
He took my lips just as his hand cradled the back of my head. I started to work off his tie, and before I knew it, he was bare and against me. My hands roamed every single dip of his sculpted muscles. He was raw and strong, every ounce a man as his hands slid down to the band of my pants. The button of my jeans popped before my zipper gave way, and it took me no time to toe off my shoes and peel the rest of my clothes off.
“You’re beautiful,” he said against my skin.
He picked me up, took me to his couch, and laid me down upon it. I watched the colors of the sunset over the city dance along his skin, and I knew in that very moment, I’d have him every which way he’d let me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him back to my lips. His kiss was heavy with want while my feet worked his boxers off his body.
“I need to feel you,” I said breathlessly.
And he gave me my wish.
I felt his raging cock pulsing at my entrance, and without a single word, he slid deep into me. My body was electrified at his touch as he sheathed himself into my pussy, shaking and writhing with every thrust he took. His head was deep in the crook of my neck, and my fingertips dug into the thick meat of his back, and all I could do was hang on while his pace slowly picked up.
“Jesus, Leo. Oh, God. You feel so good.”
He answered me with a groan just as the last of the sun trickled below the outline of the city. Darkness slowly began to drape his office, and when our bodies were slapping against one another, I could feel his pounding heartbeat against my naked chest.
“Come here,” he said with a grunt.
His arm shoved itself behind my back, and suddenly, I was upright and in his lap. He grasped my hips and helped me roll them just how he liked it, and when his hands rounded down to my ass, my fingertips rushed to his hair. I thrust my lips back onto his while my pussy sheathed him. A light sheen of sweat began to gather on my skin, and as I lobbed my head back in utter ecstasy, Leo came forward and nipped at my pulse points.
“Please, Leo. God—”
“What do you want?” he asked.
“What?”
I stopped my movements and sat staked to his lap. My eyes searched his while his chest heaved for air, and suddenly he lifted me walked me to his desk.
“What. Do you want?” he asked again.
“I—”
I wasn’t honestly sure why he was asking me this question. My mind couldn’t rip away from how wonderful his strong body felt against mine, and when my ass sat onto his desk, he leaned me back while shoving everything he could off the surface. He climbed up and threw the crooks of my legs over his shoulders. My clit pulsed with anticipation when his fingertips parted my wet folds.
“Tell me,” he commanded.
“I want you,” I answered. “I want you and everything you do to my body.”
Something flashed across his eyes, and suddenly, he began to pound into me mercilessly. Our skin slapped together, and his balls clapped my ass. His fingertips began to circle my aching clit. My sweat-slicked back suctioned to his desk, and I couldn’t move, so I simply dug my fingernails into the thick strength of his thighs while he completely assaulted my body.
“Oh, my God. Yes, Leo. Oh, fuck!”
His hips snapped against mine while sweat trickled down his chiseled chest, and when it ricocheted down his sculpted abdomen all I wanted to do was lick it off. He raised something in me I’d never felt before, but when he pressed his thumb into my clit, my mind suddenly went blank.
“Cum for me, Claire,” Leo said. “Say my name.”
“Leo. Jesus, Leo. Oh . . . oh, God—”
My inner walls fluttered around him as my body slowly climbed to the top. My juices were dripping down his balls, and the wetness smacked against my ass with each thrust. I felt his cock twitch inside of me, and his hips began to jerk, and just as he buried himself as deep as he could get in me, he bent down and crashed his lips onto mine.
My orgasm rushed over me while his cock marked me as his, and every groan that spewed forth from my lips was swallowed by his wanton kiss. Our bodies were sweating, and darkness had shrouded his office completely. When he was done, he slowly slid from between my legs and ran his fingers through my hair.
“Oh, Claire,” he said through his panting.
I caught my breath before he slowly helped me up from his desk, and I sat there dizzied and disoriented while he cleaned up the desk and between my legs. He brought me a bottled water out of nowhere, and I was thankful for the cool drink cascading down my dry throat.
“Well,” Leo said. “That was something.”
“It was more than something,” I said through a smirk.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m more than all right, though that wasn’t why I came by.”
“Everything all right?” he asked. He stood naked in between my legs while I steadied my body on the edge of his desk, and there was a certain amount of familiarity and comfort between us I’d never experienced with another man before.
Leo could get me into trouble if I wasn’t careful.
“I actually came by to see if you’d heard anything else about the case. I’m not going to lie, it’s been on my mind. Especially after our bike ride.”
“Ah, well. I figured,” he said. “And I’d be more than willing to tell you if you did something for me. After all, I know you’ve got a curious mind.”
“Having sex with you wasn’t enough for information?” I said, giggling.
“I was hoping more that you’d accompany me somewhere Saturday. I’d really enjoy taking you out again, Claire, if you’d let me.”
“Well, I don’t know . . .”
His face sank, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his neck before he finally got the joke.
“I’d love to go out with you Saturday evening.”
“Well, let’s get your clothes on and we can talk,” he said.
I knew Leo was a genuinely nice guy, and I was certain he had nothing to do with my brother’s death. But, I was still very skeptical about his friend Obi. I’d encountered him when I was coming into the building, and he was less than thrilled to see me again. He was big, he was strong, he was guarded, and I knew he had a temper about him.
I could ask Leo about him a bit while we talked about the latest information he had on the case. I couldn’t see Leo hurting anyone, but I had a feeling Obi could and probably had.
13
Leo
“Hey there, handsome.”
I looked up from my conversation with Obi and recognized the woman behind the counter. It was the same woman I’d hooked up with a little while ago, and I was hon
estly shocked to see her there. She hadn’t worked in the mornings since my ex had cornered me in the coffee shop, and when her smile finally registered, I realized what she was doing.
“Hello,” I said. “I’d like a strong iced black coffee with room for cream and sugar, please.”
“I could put the cream and sugar in for you just right, if you’d like,” she said. I knew exactly what was behind her eyes when she said that, and in any other circumstance, I would’ve turned on the charm. Old Leo would have smoothed things over with her long enough to take her out to dinner, and then Old Leo would’ve turned on the charm and gotten her in bed. The old me would’ve showed her a fun time before I dodged her phone calls and text messages, but this Leo had nothing on his mind but Claire.
I looked into her eyes and evaluated her smile and realized they didn’t glow as much as Claire’s did. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes like Claire’s did, and her skin wasn’t as smooth as Claire’s was. Her hair wasn’t as glossy, and her eyes weren’t as striking, and somehow, her curves just weren’t as enticing as Claire’s were.
She wasn’t Claire, and therefore, I’d lost interest in her innuendos.
“No need to worry with that, I’ll do it over at the bar before I leave,” I said.
“Are you sure? I’ve got just what you need back here.”
“Nope, I’m good,” I said. I dipped my head back into my conversation with Obi, and I could feel her disappointment radiating toward me. I told him I’d be in the office soon, and he shot me a last-minute coffee order. When I repeated it for the woman making my cup, all she did was answer me with a grunt.
