“Is Heath really on board with this too?”
“Yeah. I mean, he’s so easygoing about everything. Eloping is so much more his style. At first I was kind of upset when he brought up the idea. I wanted him to propose, you know? I wanted the surprise, the fancy diamond, the white dress, and the big reception. All those little things I’d dreamed about forever.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I think I finally realized that life doesn’t always have to go in order. I spent half my life planning the perfect wedding around a person I hadn’t met yet. It’s a little silly to think that we’d automatically want the same things.”
“I’m sure he’d give you the big white wedding if that’s what you wanted.”
“I know he would. But, honestly, the more I think about it, the more it feels right to have it just be us.”
Any doubts I had about their possible elopement swiftly melted. They loved each other, hopefully with the same singular passion that Blake and I shared. Suddenly nothing seemed more romantic than binding that love between them, with only them, the two most important people in the room.
“Sounds really romantic. Alli. Selfishly, I’ll be sad to miss it, but I know it’ll be wonderful.”
She smiled. “We’ll take pictures. Lots of pictures.”
I caught her hand across the table, all the more grateful to have her in my life. When she’d left for New York months ago, I worried that our friendship would wane with distance. Circumstances brought us back together, and now falling in love would keep us in each other’s lives forever. “We’ll be sisters. Can you believe that?”
She squeezed my hand, light in her eyes. “You’ve always felt like a sister to me, so I can only say that having it official will be an added bonus.”
“You’ve always been my family, Alli. Even when I haven’t made it so easy for you.”
She pursed her lips. “You are very temperamental, but I kind of love you for it.”
I sat back and contemplated that assessment. Was I temperamental? I preferred strong-willed , but maybe the hormones taking over my body had shortened my fuse and altered my decision-making. I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I was certain Blake would probably have a lot to say about that, in light of recent events.
“I’m sure Blake would agree, but thankfully he’s as forgiving as you are.”
Her soft expression became more serious. “How did things go when you got home?”
I thought back to the night before. I’d known that coming home and explaining my absence to Blake wasn’t going to be easy, but I’d missed him terribly. We had so much to talk about, so much to work through. My heart broke when I saw him sitting alone at the table. Listless, staring into nothing. Then suddenly he’d come back to life when I came into his view. Remembering him so hurt and tired made my chest ache all over again, and I rubbed at the hurt there.
“Things were intense, as usual. Sometimes it’s not always easy for us to get on the same page, especially when it comes to matters that we both feel strongly about. He’s very stubborn, and, frankly, so am I.”
“Well I’m sure you figured it out, one way or the other. You look like you barely slept.” She winked.
A smile hinted at my lips. “We’re better. We talked the way we should have before I’d left. We… made up.”
“And?” She lifted an eyebrow.
I’d never really talked to Alli about my sex life with Blake, especially after she’d started hooking up with his brother. It seemed… weird. We’d discussed flings in the past, but I’d always been too swept up in my relationship with Blake to really get into the details. Not to mention a lot of the details were probably illegal in some states. I couldn’t take for granted that half the things we did in the bedroom wouldn’t completely terrify my best friend. Maybe today was a day for confidences though.
“I think the whole pregnancy thing has him unnerved. He doesn’t know what to do with me,” I said, hoping to keep it simple.
She hummed and tapped her lips. Mischief sparkled in her eyes. “Maybe he needs motivation.”
“Call me crazy, but you look inspired.” I couldn’t imagine what she was thinking.
“I could be. I think we have a few more stores to hit.”
* * *
BLAKE
I walked into the sports bar a few blocks outside of Fenway and looked around. Dean was at the bar, staring up at the televisions. He’d dressed casually, in jeans and a jersey. A well-worn baseball cap shaded his eyes. I took the stool beside him.
“No suit?”
He glanced over at me. “Casual Saturday. Plus, I’m heading to a game this afternoon with the kids.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cut into your family time.” For probably the first time in my life, I meant it. I’d been notoriously work-driven, especially with any matters that required the expertise of an attorney. But in a few short months, I’d be spending every spare minute with our new little family.
That reality hit me hard. Everything was going to change.
Dean cleared his throat, derailing my thoughts. “I know I’m one of your favorite people and all, but to what do I owe this pleasure?”
I stared up at the televisions broadcasting another game. I wasn’t ready to dive right into the confession I’d kept from him for the past several years. It seemed strange to think, but Dean was one of the closest friends I had. Though we almost never interacted outside of business-related matters, he knew me better than most. Circumstances had demanded it.
“You know something funny? Every time I see you, it’s because something has gone haywire in my life. You’re lucky I don’t hold it against you.”
He laughed. “You’re the one always getting into trouble. Not me.”
“Not this time.”
He glanced down at the bar and spun his coaster in a small circle. “So what’s up? What’s gone haywire now?”
“Is there anything new with Evans?”
I cared about the answer, but I was still buying some time. I hadn’t heard from Dean during Erica’s excursion, not that I would have cared about anything he had to say.
“Not that I can tell. Hopefully between him and the police, they’re stalling out with whatever they’ve found. The Election Commission did a recount though. The governorship is going to Fitzgerald’s opponent. Fitzgerald didn’t make any statements on Friday after they announced it, though. We’ll see what he has to say, if anything, next week.”
Satisfaction coursed through me. I knew Erica would have mixed emotions about the news, but nothing was mixed about my wanting Daniel to feel the weight of that loss. I wanted him to feel it completely and for as long as possible. He didn’t strike me as someone who handled failure well, not unlike myself.
“Probably could use the weekend to let that news settle in,” I finally said.
“No doubt. I’m sure it’s turning his world upside down. Hopefully that doesn’t complicate things for us.”
I couldn’t imagine what Daniel’s next move would be after such an extremely public letdown, but Dean was right to wonder if it would bleed into my current situation.
“I wanted to talk to you about the election actually.”
He responded with a short nod, waiting for another kind of confession, no doubt.
“I know who tampered with the voting machines.”
He shot me a stony look. “Say that again?”
“I can’t exactly prove it’s him, and that’s why I never mentioned it to you earlier.”
He spun on his stool and glowered. “You know the actual person who’s behind this and you never fucking mentioned it?”
I bypassed his reaction and proceeded to detail all of it. From my first brush with the authorities as a kid, most of which he already knew or had heard, through the years of Trevor’s persistent bullshit stunts, to his all-around damaging partnership with Max.
Dean’s expression had turned from agitated to skeptical, a quality I valued and paid him well for.
“Sounds li
ke he has a steady track record of meddling with your software ventures. You really think this kid rigged a state election?”
“When he got bored of messing around with my sites and Erica’s, he partnered up with Max and one of Erica’s former colleagues to create a competing site. Shoddy work, of course. I took it down pretty easily and then he disappeared again. Off the map. Until now. He’s upped his game, it would seem, and he’s making it damn hard for me to look too hard for him because now the feds have their eyes on me.”
“So you’ve been dealing with him for years, for nearly as long as I’ve known you, and you never told me?”
When I’d laid it all out, I couldn’t believe how long I’d really let this go on. Heath was right. Erica too. Trevor needed to be stopped, one way or the other.
“I guess it wasn’t worth the fight until now.”
“Damnit.” He lifted his cap and scrubbed his forehead. “All right. So how do we find him and get Evans off your scent?”
“First I need to prove he did it. Second, I need to find him. He’s anonymous, in every sense of the word.”
“What does that mean? Everyone has a trail.”
“For all intents and purposes, he’s untraceable. Erica found him once, and then he disappeared again.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Erica found him?”
I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t looking for him. She was. I’m sure if I’d given it a little more effort, I could have tracked him down.”
He did a poor job of masking a smirk. “Sure. Anyway, how did she do it?”
“She found out his mother was living in the area. She confronted him—without my permission, I might add—and things got heated. She left, and next thing we know Trevor and his mother up and move with no forwarding address.”
“If we know her identity, that’s something. A start anyway.”
“True. I just need to do some digging.”
Dean’s eyes went wide. “No. No digging, Blake.”
“I have people who might be willing to help. It won’t trace back to me.”
“It better fucking not.” He shook his head. “Christ, you’re going to give me an ulcer.”
“If you don’t already have one, you’re not working hard enough.”
He let out a short laugh, his anxiety fading a bit. “Thrilled to hear my quality of life means that much to you, after a decade of being at your beck and call.” He grabbed his phone and typed in a few notes. “All right. Do your digging, very very carefully. I’ll do mine as well. Let me know what you find, and we can decide how to approach Evans with it. I don’t think that throwing out the name of a virtually unknown assailant is going to do anything more than grind his gears.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
My phone dinged with a text.
E: When can I expect you?
B: Finishing up now. Be home in about an hour.
E: Wait for me in the living room.
I hesitated, spinning over what she could possibly be cooking up for tonight. I hadn’t taken this morning’s teasing banter too seriously. Erica had a reputation for wanting to take charge until I had her begging to be dominated again.
But maybe there was more than play behind her proposition. Maybe she shared my concerns. Maybe she was right to. I was uneasy and aroused all at once.
B: Should I be worried?
I hovered over the send button a minute, not sure if I wanted her to answer that. Finally I sent it. By the time Dean had finished his beer, her reply had come in.
E: Terrified.
Little fucking minx.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ERICA
Blake’s voice echoed through the large foyer. “I’m home!”
My heart beat a dizzying pace. I stretched the second black stocking up my thigh and stepped into my favorite black heels. I fluffed my hair, spread a deep shade of red over my lips, and made a popping sound. Hands on my slanted hips, I assessed my look in the mirror.
Alli had helped me pick out the perfect corset—after she’d chosen another for herself, which should have shocked me until I realized that Heath was likely just as capable as Blake was in the kink department.
The corset’s shiny black leather molded perfectly to my torso, pushing the upper swells of my breasts out of the already low-cut garment that barely covered my nipples. A few popped buttons would bare all, and I was already fantasizing about the ways Blake could do that. I paired the garment with a pair of tiny black panties and sheer black thigh-highs.
As usual, I had no idea what I was doing, but chances were good that I looked the part. Blake would either laugh me out of the room or try to devour me. I picked up the tiny crop that I’d chosen earlier for that very scenario. I felt much better going into this dominant situation with a weapon to reinforce my position.
Heat suffused my cheeks, matching them to the deep red on my lips. I’d known Blake long enough and engaged in all manner of debauchery with him. He knew my body intimately, every part of it. Why this suddenly embarrassed me I couldn’t understand. I took a deep breath and called out to him.
“Coming!”
If all went to plan, I would be… soon.
The first floor of the house was growing dark. Candles that I’d lit earlier flickered from several small tables surrounding the couches. Blake was sprawled out on one, his focus on some invisible point on the ceiling.
“Welcome home.” I sashayed into the room, hoping I sounded more sultry than silly. I was one part insecure, two parts raging with hormone-fueled desire.
Our gazes met in the dusky light. His tracked me as I came closer. I slowed in front of him. My heart raced with anticipation and my head swam with a thousand wild thoughts, but it was the hunger glowing in his eyes that stole my breath.
“You’re taking this dominant thing pretty seriously.” His voice was a dangerously low murmur.
“Would you rather I go change… maybe into something a little more… demure?” I canted my head, taunting him.
“Not a chance.” He reached for me. “Come here.”
Oh, I wanted to, but a little voice spoke up and a surge of courage took over. “I’m in charge tonight, Blake.” I took the edge of the crop to the hem of his T-shirt and lifted. “Take this off.”
A devilish smile crept over his lips. He sat up and removed his shirt slowly. He tossed it to the floor before resting back into his casual pose on the couch. “And I’m supposed to be able to play nice like this for nine months?”
Feeling a little more empowered, I took the space between his knees. “Being in control all the time is hard work. You deserve a break.”
He lifted an eyebrow, trailing a lazy caress along the inside of my thigh. “Is that right?”
My breath caught when the back of his hand came closer to the very tiny patch of fabric covering my sex. I was already wet and envisioning all the amazing ways he could make me feel if the tables were turned. I hoped he wouldn’t notice, but the predatory look in his eye promised that he wasn’t missing any of the signals my body was sending right now. He journeyed higher, tracing the hem of my panties.
I moved his hand and traced the crop along the outline of the insistent erection pressing against his jeans. “I think these need to go, too.”
He stood slowly, inches from me. He shucked his jeans, revealing his tented boxer briefs. I licked my lips. What I wouldn’t do to drop to my knees and paint him red with this ridiculous lipstick. My fingers itched to touch him, tease him. I’d do that later.
I grazed the tip of the crop against the head of his cock through the briefs. “These too.”
“Seems a little one-sided,” he said. Pushing them down, he sprang free.
My gaze was transfixed there. “As it should be.”
He hooked a finger under the thin strap of my panties. “These, I think, we could do without.”
“No touching,” I ordered, not sounding nearly as confident as I should have.
“That’s no fun.” He smirked and re
leased the strap with a snap.
“Your hands can’t be trusted. You can use your mouth, but only when I tell you.”
Dark desire shaded his eyes. “Interesting game.”
I shoved him back down on the couch and waited a moment before straddling his lap. His thick cock was already straining north, all too ready for me. I lowered and brushed my sex against it. A rush of desire arrowed straight to my clit, making me dizzy with want. If my panties went anywhere, he’d be inside me in seconds, and I knew he wasn’t opposed to tearing them off either. Before I convinced myself that was entirely okay, a desirable outcome even, I harnessed my derailed thoughts.
I reached for the top snap that held the corset tight over my breasts and popped it open. My chest swelled against the leather, creating pressure I was eager to relieve. I wanted the girls free as much as I wanted Blake’s mouth on them.
“Open your mouth,” I said.
He smirked. “Only if you promise to put something delicious in it.”
“You talk too much.”
I lifted on my knees and held out the open flap of the corset. He licked his lips before taking the shiny leather with his teeth. He gazed up at me, and I swore in that moment something in his eyes told me I was going to pay for this later. My breasts heaved under uneven breaths. Yeah… I was in way over my head.
“Pull.”
Without a moment’s delay, he twisted and yanked, releasing five snaps at once. Relief and desire met when he leaned in, licking the soft skin between my breasts. I sighed and resisted the urge to lower and grind against his erection. That wouldn’t do much for anyone’s willpower.
“Blake… stop.”
Instead he planted his lips on the inside of my breast, licked and nibbled. I grabbed him by the hair and pushed him back. His eyes went molten. His hands strained in tight fists on either side of us.
“Can we get to the part where I use my tongue, sweetheart… before I tear this corset clean off your body?” He spoke through gritted teeth.
A little too thrilled with his growing frustration, I released him and went for my snaps, freeing them one by one, until I was all but revealed. His focus riveted there.
Hard Love Page 13
