by Zara Chase
“Fuck it, Jack, I don’t believe what you’re doing to me.”
The sharp, tangible need his own pleasure created within her sensitized body resulted in another orgasm chasing on the heels on the one that was just fading. Her hips rose to meet him. Bathed in perspiration, she gasped for air, stunned by the deep intensity of the pleasure that swamped her reason and messed with her mind as she came right along with him.
Chapter Nine
Jack withdrew from Chelsea and rolled onto his back, exhausted by the intensity of his orgasm, still reeling from the way Chelsea had taken to being Dominated.
“Oh, darlin’!” he said, grinning like a moron.
“What just happened?” she asked, blinking up at him in dazed disbelief.
“Welcome to my world, sweetheart.”
It was tempting to pull her into his arms and fall asleep with her wrapped around him. They were both boneless, breathless…everything less, but they needed to get clean and then Chelsea would probably have a ton of questions. He leaned up on one elbow and removed the clamps, kissing each nipple back to life as the blood flowed freely again. She mumbled something incoherent, turned on her side, and tried to snuggle up to him.
“Uh-huh, not yet.”
She’d exposed her backside so he took the opportunity to remove the plug. It slid out with a slick popping sound. This time she definitely mumbled a protest.
“I take it you’re a convert.”
“It’s mine. Want to back. Don’t take my plug away,” she muttered. “Not fair.”
Jack chuckled, thoroughly pleased with himself. He levered himself from the bed, removed the cock ring, and headed for the bathroom to set the shower running. When he returned to the bedroom, Chelsea appeared to be sound asleep. She looked so damned cute, spread naked across his bed, her hair tangled over the pillows, her body…well, he didn’t need to dwell upon those particular delights or he’d be ready for a repeat performance. He was ready but Chelsea wasn’t experienced enough to go another round quite yet.
“Come on, sleepyhead.”
He ignored her mumbled protests as he swept her into his arms and carried her straight into the shower stall. The water brought her awake as he placed her on her feet, supported her with one arm and started soaping her body with his free hand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and seemed content to let him get on with it, which he was more than happy to do. His cock was rigid again and Chelsea came to life when she felt it press against her hip. She dropped one hand and grasped it firmly, grinning at him expectantly.
“You want more?” she asked. “I’ve always wanted to do it in a shower.”
“Later.” He shut off the water. “Come on, let’s get you dry. Then you can sleep or we could eat.”
“Hungry,” she said decisively.
“Okay, we’ll eat then.”
He left her wrapped in a towel, brushing out her wet hair while he pulled on a pair of jeans and went downstairs barefoot to see what Tyrell could offer them by way of a takeout. But first he detoured into Leo’s office to see how he’d gotten along with Padron.
“The visit to the dungeon went well, then?” Leo said, glancing at Jack’s naked chest and chuckling. "I was obviously right about Chelsea.”
“She just got her first proper lesson upstairs. Took to it like a native, but she’s a bit negative about appearing in the dungeon.”
“Give her time to get used to the idea,” Leo said. “I’m glad you guys have kissed and made up.”
“How did Padron take the news?”
“Incredulously. He’s steaming mad, trying to think how the Garcia family could have pinned this on us.”
“They’re not exactly upstanding citizens but I doubt they know anything about it.”
“Yeah, that’s what I told Padron. Anyway, he’d coming over in the morning. Wants to meet Chelsea and talk it through with her.”
“I have to work. With the Darwin Valley chopper out of service, we’re picking up the slack.”
“It’s okay. I’ll do the honors.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“I’ve already thought of a few ideas on how to outsmart the Dutch.”
“Let’s hear them.”
Fifteen minutes later, Jack returned to his rooms bearing a tray loaded with Tyrell’s finest cuisine and a decent bottle of red. Chelsea was curled up in one of the chairs in the sitting room, flipping through the pages of an aviation magazine, still wearing just a towel—and his collar. He grinned. A towel was good. It meant she was already feeling less embarrassed about being naked in front of him. Naked was how he planned for her to be when in these rooms, unless he dreamed up something else for her to wear. The collar was even better. It told him all he needed to know about her reaction to their games and her willingness to keep right on playing them.
“Sorry I was so long. Got caught up with Leo.”
“Oh. What did he say?”
“I’ll tell you in a moment. Let’s eat first.”
Chelsea gracefully uncurled her feet from beneath her and moved across to the small table beneath the window, where Jack deposited the food. He found silverware and glasses and popped the cork on the wine bottle.
“Sit down, ma’am,” he said, bowing theatrically. “Dinner is served.”
“I’m starved.”
“Sex makes you hungry, huh? I’m not surprised. Orgasms can be draining.”
She giggled. “Especially when you have three in one session. I really did think all that talk about multiple orgasms was a load of baloney. Now I know better.” She took a bite of Tyrell’s succulent roasted lamb shoulder and closed her eyes in appreciation. “Wow!”
“How’s your ass?”
“A little sore but I really got off on what you did to me.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked across the table at him. “Who knew?”
“That was nothing,” Jack replied, finding it hard to conceal his pleasure at just how candid she was willing to be. Getting caught up in the excitement was one thing, but talking without embarrassment about it when the heady rush of passion had faded was a major obstacle Jack had imagined they would need to overcome. Obviously not in Chelsea’s case. “It gets way better than that.”
Her eyes widened. “You mean I get to have more than three orgasms in one session?”
“How many would you like to have?”
She sucked a finger into her mouth and sent him a sexy smile. “What’s your personal best?”
“Aw now, darlin’, I never kiss and tell.” He wagged his fork at her and blew her a kiss. “But I think I can safely promise complete satisfaction.”
“No complaints on that score so far.”
They ate mostly in silence after that. Jack thought she’d never looked lovelier than with lips swollen from his kisses, a disheveled “just fucked” look that suited her and a newfound awareness that warned him she was going to be a handful to control. Jack figured he wouldn’t have to talk her into anything from then on in. She was more than ready to try everything on offer—except perhaps visiting the dungeon and doing it in front of others. She’d still had hang-ups over that but Jack would get her past them.
He watched with amusement as she scraped up every last piece of the cheesecake that Tyrell had supplied for their dessert. She licked her lips, patted her stomach through the towel, and leaned back in her chair.
“I can’t remember the last time I ate so much.”
Jack laughed as he collected up the dishes and dashed them back down to the kitchen. When he returned to his rooms, she was curled up in the same chair she’d occupied before. Jack lifted her from it, sat in it himself, and settled her on his lap, pulling off her towel and throwing it aside as he did so.
“That’s better,” he said. “I like looking at you and you sure don’t have any reason to cover yourself up.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I could get used to this,” she said softly.
“Tell me why it’s so important for you to cra
ck this case.” Jack kissed the end of her nose. “Is it because of Rob?”
“Partly, but it’s more a case of needing the money.”
“You haven’t been earning much since you lost your full-time job?”
“Well, I have, but I need to support my grandmother and that’s expensive.”
“I don’t get it.”
“She raised me—”
“After your parents died?”
“And before. Mum and Dad were great. I loved them to bits but they weren’t the most responsible parents on the planet. They were always off somewhere or other, promoting the ice show Mum produced, or Dad sometimes did commentary on skiing, stuff like that. I got to go with them on the holidays, which is how I learned to ski, but during school time, I lived with Gran. She was my rock, and now she has Alzheimer’s and the local authority wanted to put her in a council-run home. One of those places…well, it was just awful. Underfunded and inefficiently run. I couldn’t bear to see her go there and be neglected so I pay the extra for her to be in the best place available. It’s what she deserves and it’s where she’ll live for the rest of her days. At least I know she gets proper care there.”
“Your parents didn’t leave any money?”
Chelsea’s laugh was mirthless. “No. There was no sponsorship for winter sports in their day and what they did earn, they spent on their harebrained schemes to make a fortune. Practicality wasn’t in their natures. Anyway, after they died, Gran and I helped each other through the grieving process and gradually, over the years, as Gran’s cognitive powers lessened, it became my turn to look after her. I owe her that and won’t let her down,” she said fiercely. “If I can just catch these guys and recover the diamonds, her future will be guaranteed.”
“We’ll get ’em. I have to work in the morning but Padron wants to meet you. Leo will be here to see you through it and he has some suggestions to put to you. I’ve just run through them with him and I think they might work, but let’s see what Padron says first. He’s the boss and Leo won’t move on this one without his agreement.”
“Let’s hope he agrees then,” Chelsea replied, jutting her chin pugnaciously. “Because I’m not bound by loyalty to him and I fully intend to get a result, with or without his help.”
“Because you don’t want Rob to steal the glory?”
“That’s only part of it.”
“How do you get to be a loss adjuster’s investigator? Is there an exam you have to sit?”
“It’s not like the States where they have exams for everything.” She smiled. “I actually did start life working for them as a clerk—”
“That choice had to be influenced by what happened to your parents.”
“Yeah, I did all the paperwork for the other investigators. Then one of them got sick and Rob invited me to go out on a job with him.” She shrugged. “It went on from there.”
Jack dropped his head and kissed her softly, moved by her determination. “You’ll get there with this one but you can’t do it alone and you know that.”
She sighed. “But you’ll help me, won’t you, Jack?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in his hair. “I’ll do anything you want me to in return.”
“Yeah, you will.” His laugh developed a wicked edge when he contemplated some of the things he’d have her do. “But you would have done anyway because you enjoyed what we did just now a bit too much and what to know what comes next.”
She pouted. “Am I that transparent?”
Jack grinned. “You haven’t learned to control your responses yet, which is pretty cute but it doesn’t make you hard to read.”
“You can teach me a thing or two about being a man of mystery,” she said, tossing her head. “You know all my secrets but I know nothing at all about your past.”
She was talking about the gun, about his lack of personal bits, and pieces in his living space. About his reasons for hiding away in Nevella. He never talked about any of that stuff. No one except Leo knew it all. But the urge to bare his soul to Chelsea, to return her candor with a little direct talking of his own, overwhelmed him.
“Her name is Alison,” he said after a prolonged pause.
“Whose name is Alison?”
“My wife’s,” Jack said, watching her closely.
“Your what!” Her arms abruptly left his neck and she jerked upright on his lap, fury written across her face. “You’re married and only just thought to mention it.”
She attempted to climb from his lap but his arms, circling her waist, easily kept her right where she was, her ass agitating his cock every time she tried to move. It was the sweetest agony. “Yeah, I’m still married but only because she won’t give me a divorce.”
“That’s why you’ve run away to Europe, I suppose,” she said grudgingly, clearly interested but trying to maintain her indignation.
“Look, this isn’t easy for me to talk about.” Jack ran a hand through his hair, wondering why he was even bothering to try. “Alison and I were high school sweethearts.”
“Let me guess,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “She was a cheerleader and you were the school’s football team quarterback.”
“Actually I was a wide receiver.”
“You were the star of the team because of your looks?”
“And my skill, baby, and my skill.” His self-depreciating smile faded. “Alison was a real princess from a wealthy family and her daddy had great plans for her. But she was also spoiled and indulged, although I didn’t know to what extent until it was too late.” Jack sighed. “Anyway, she wanted us to get married as soon as we graduated. I was crazy in love, young and stupid. I thought love would overcome all obstacles. It didn’t matter that she was an heiress and I was a guy from the wrong side of the tracks. “Her bit of rough,” as her father called me to my face.”
“He did not say that!”
“That and much worse, but Alison could wrap him around her little finger. She told him I was signing on with the forces and that I’d finish up being a wing commander, blah, blah.” Jack took a sip of wine, lost in the past. “Eventually she got her way and we married. I figured her old man thought she was young enough to start again when it went wrong. I went off to do basic flight training and to start with we were the picture-perfect couple.”
“But she didn’t take to being a military wife?”
“Everything has to be about Alison. If she’s not the center of attention then she pouts, or worse. But I was determined to show her old man I had what it took to keep her happy and make a success of my life. What I didn’t know was that he was actively working to undermine me. He understood what made his only child tick so much better than I did. He played on her feelings of neglect and introduced her to all sorts of guys he thought were more suitable than me. Whether they liked Alison or not, I couldn’t say. Most probably did. She’s something else to look at and can be a lot of fun all the time things are going her way. But most of the guys would be keener to cultivate her father’s good opinion. He’s a partner in a major Boston investment firm and has more money than God.”
“And let me guess, because he worked so hard, he compensated his daughter for the lack of time he spent with her by indulging her every whim.”
“Right.”
“Where was her mother?”
“They divorced when Alison was little and she stayed with her dad, raised by a series of housekeepers and her father’s live-in girlfriends. She never saw her mother after the divorce. I always thought the father paid her to stay away.”
“Not a very stable background.”
“A real gilded cage. Anyway, I was devastated when I found out she was having an affair with one of the guys her father thought “suitable.” Alison blamed me for neglecting her and I accepted the blame, fool that I was. If I’d called it a day then, but…well, I didn’t. Instead I threw myself at her feet, promised her just about anything she wanted if she’d give the guy up.” Jack shook his head. “I was dumb. I really s
hould have told her to take a hike but my damned pride got in the way.”
“What happened?” she asked softly when Jack’s words stalled.
“The guy she was seeing turned up dead.” Chelsea gasped. “Murdered. A knife between his shoulder blades. My knife, to be precise.”
“Oh shit!”
Jack flexed a brow. “That about covers it.”
“You must have been questioned.”
“For two days, until the cops could verify the fact that I was two hundred miles away, with a dozen witnesses to vouch for it. I ought to have been in Boston at the time but my leave was cancelled at the last minute, thank God.”
“Someone set you up?”
“Yeah. Alison had an affair with the guy but I subsequently discovered she’s refused to leave me for him.”
“Her father,” Chelsea said softly. “He couldn’t separate you and Alison so he tried to have you convicted of murder.” She puffed out her chest. “How could he do that to the man his daughter loved?”
Jack shot her a look. “Men with money and influence tend to think they can do what they like and get away with it. Well, in this case, he did. Oh, I wasn’t charged with murder but he did get away with having the guy killed.”
“I know how that feels,” she said softly, and Jack figured she had to be thinking about her parents’ unexplained death. “What happened then?”
“Her father got his way. I woke up and saw Alison for what she was. Spoiled, manipulative, damaged. She didn’t give a shit that her lover had been killed. She almost certainly knew her father was responsible for making it happen but that made her feel important.”
“Because she’d gotten her father’s attention and still had you.”
“Except I’d had enough and wanted out of the marriage.” Jack sighed. “Which is when my nightmare really started. You must have heard the phrase ‘a woman scorned’?” Chelsea nodded. “Well, it could have been invented for Alison. I moved full-time onto the base but she stalked me there. Sweet-talked the brass, who thought she was just about the sweetest wife a guy could have and I was the unreasonable one for walking out on her. She turned up in the mess all the time. If I dated another woman, she somehow put the kibosh on it. And then, when it finally occurred to her that I really wasn’t going back to her, she got really nasty and actually tried to have me killed.”
