“Fuck,” he said eloquently. Sierra tried to agree, but she was breathless from the feel of him filling her, stretching her.
He paused, seated deep inside her, allowing both of them a moment to collect themselves. Their gazes locked. Then, he began to move with long, sure strokes. She gasped, flexing her hips to give him a better angle.
He continued to pump into her at a steady pace, setting a rhythm that built a slow fire in her veins. With every thrust, it grew, like logs to a campfire.
Soon, it edged on unbearable, the exquisite pleasure tightening her skin all over. Blake’s arm shook, his entire body covered in a glistening sheen at the effort to keep himself upright and going a steady pace.
Sierra wrapped her legs tight around him. She reached out, digging her fingers into his butt, urging him to go faster. With a capitulatory groan, he did, loosening his control and slamming into her with a forceful thrust.
Sierra cried out, again and again as he pounded into her. She was close, so close, to the precipice. With her free hand, she found her clit, rubbing it in time to his forceful rhythm. His eyes followed her hand, watching himself pump in and out of her, and Sierra pleasuring herself.
That seemed to send him over the edge; his thrusts became wild, uneven. Sierra’s orgasm slammed into her, racing through her like lightning in a storm.
Blake groaned as she contracted around him. With a few more final thrusts, he came hard, pushing deep within her to the hilt.
He collapsed over her as Sierra felt the energy drain out of her. As her heartbeat slowed, she drifted off into a deep, sated sleep.
Chapter 20
What an absolute dumbfuck he was.
Blake couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid. He was never one to be led by his dick instead of his brain, but here he was, the morning after getting down and dirty with his client. His vulnerable, important, client.
He couldn’t even do the professional thing and bow out of the job. If he did, he’d be leaving her unprotected. No matter his own stupidity and lack of professionalism, he wouldn’t do that to her.
Self-disgust slid through his veins, collecting in his gut like sludge at the bottom of a pool. The intense ache in his shoulder from the workout of the night before didn’t even approach the level of punishment he’d earned. He was better than this. And Sierra deserved better.
He had to think of what to say to her. The Portsboro cityscape he currently stared at through her lounge room window offered him no answers.
The worst of it was, a large part of him didn’t regret it. It had been a magical, world-rocking night. If he wasn’t stuck doing this job, he’d still be curled up in bed with her, anticipating another round, and another, well into the future.
And why wouldn’t he? She was beautiful, intelligent, generous, and spunky. Just his goddamn type.
Fuck.
He’d really stuck himself in it this time. His reckless stupidity had been bound to get him in trouble eventually, but he hadn’t really been prepared for the consequences.
A soft pair of hands slid over his stomach as Sierra wrapped her arms around him from behind. It was a testament to his own distraction that he hadn’t noticed her approach. At least he’d had the foresight to put on a shirt.
“Hey,” she murmured, as she pressed her lips against his shoulder.
Blake squeezed his eyes shut against the yearning that welled within him. It could have been simple, perfect. If he’d waited until after her case was over, it might have been.
Perhaps he could still salvage this.
He disengaged her arms from around his waist and turned. She was soft and sleepy, her hair mussed from their night of passion and her eyes heavy-lidded with satisfaction. She was again wrapped in that sinfully short dressing gown. The yearning grew worse, shifted and changed into a deep craving.
“Hi,” he replied.
Something in his voice—or maybe it was his expression—must have given him away. A frown flickered over her brow. A wariness entered her eyes and he hated himself for putting it there.
“We should sit down.”
Now, she was really worried.
He led her over to the couch without a word of protest from her, heaviness dragging at him.
He sat. She perched herself on the armchair out of his reach. Probably a wise move. He couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t reach for her.
“Last night shouldn’t have happened.”
Her eyes narrowed. “At least you didn’t go with, ‘it was a mistake.’” Her voice was harsh, pointed. She wasn’t going to make this easy.
It was, but he didn’t think it would help the situation for her to hear it.
“You are my client. And what we did… well, no surprises that it isn’t in the handbook for acceptable behaviour.”
“Well, now it’s done. No harm, no foul. So what’s the issue?”
“The issue is that I broke all the rules. Rightfully, I should be off the job. If the situation were any different, I would have walked away this morning.”
“But it’s happened now. You can’t go back and change everything. So why does it make any difference whatsoever if we keep sleeping together?”
“I can’t protect you if I am distracted by you.”
Sierra rolled her eyes. “Right.”
He knew he was going to be distracted by her, regardless, but he needed to retain some shred of professional dignity.
“Look, we can’t deny it happened, it’s true. But it can’t happen again.”
“Well, if you can shut out everything that happened last night, keep it professional, so can I.” She kept her back straight, her nose in the air. Strangely enough, he was proud of her for keeping it together. It made him admire her all the more.
“Good.”
He was weary, hurting in both body and spirit. He leaved himself into a standing position, and the ache in his shoulder flared painfully, reminding him of his transgression with every move.
“I should also tell Duncan.”
She froze halfway to standing. “You can’t be serious.”
“He’s my boss. He should know that I’m compromised.”
“Compromised?” she scoffed. “You aren’t a spy.” She set her jaw, her eyes mutinous.
“He should be the one to make the final call. My ability to do my job affects him, too.”
“This is bullshit,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “How about Mandy? It’s her company, as well.”
Blake shrugged. “She doesn’t really deal with the team much. She’s more on the client side of things.”
“Well, good. Because I’m the client. If you insist that someone knows, I’ll call Mandy and tell her what happened and she can decide.”
It was a fair enough compromise. But Blake knew Duncan, knew how he’d react. Mandy was more of a wildcard.
“All right,” he told her. “But if you don’t tell her within the next few hours, I have to tell Duncan.”
Sierra’s eyes flashed fire. She gave a single sharp nod, then stormed into her room and slammed the door shut.
The dreadful anticipation of a long, difficult day loomed over him.
Chapter 21
Unprofessional her ass.
She’d been right from the very beginning—Blake was a player through and through. One night, and he was done, dropping her like a hot brick. To make it a thousand times worse, he now insisted that his bosses know all about it.
How humiliating.
How could she have gotten herself into this mess? She’d suspected what he was and she’d slept with him anyway. She’d thought he was different to the flirtatious persona he presented to the world, and she’d needed distraction and comfort last night. But it turned out it had been just sex for him. A mistake, whether or not he actually said the word. Not that ‘just sex’ was bad thing in itself, but the fact that she’d been stupid enough to think it might mean more…
The day had started off so well. She’d been happy. Sated. Ant
icipating what was to come.
But all that had come crashing down when she realised that Blake had just used her, and now fully intended to be done with her. Asshole.
They were silent on the car ride into work. Blake had attempted to start a few conversations about mundane things, but she’d ignored him. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. If he wanted her to ease his guilt, or pretend she wasn’t pissed, he was sadly mistaken.
As they walked into her building, it appeared that even Blake’s perpetually charming nature was no match for her foul mood. He didn’t even give his usual wink to the security guards as they passed. Good. If she was going to be miserable, he could damn well be miserable with her.
She stood on the opposite side of the elevator to him, allowing all the suits to cram between them. He tried to catch her eye above their heads but she stared resolutely forward.
When they finally made it to her floor, she slipped out of the elevator and strode towards her office while he got trapped behind the stragglers in the elevator. He caught up to her halfway down the hall, grabbing her arm and spinning her around.
“Hey!” she cried in surprise.
His eyes were twin flames of fury. “I understand you’re mad at me right now, but you’re well aware you have to stay close to me. Don’t be stupid and endanger your life for a grudge.”
She shook him off. “Don’t call me stupid.” She leaned forward, eyes narrow. “And don’t make me out to be petty.”
He blinked, taken aback. “I do understand why you’re angry at me. You have a right to be. And you’re not stupid, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make dumb decisions out of that anger. However, your safety is the most important thing. Despite what’s happening between us, I need you to trust me to keep you safe.”
The reminder of her situation hit Sierra full force. Someone was after her. Stalking her. And if she wasn’t careful, they might do to her what they did those other women. Murder.
Sierra took a deep breath, some of her anger draining out of her. It was still there, simmering at the edges of her mind. But the hot flames had died, allowing her rational thought to peek through.
“Okay,” she told him.
Blake grinned. He took a breath to reply, but they were interrupted by the last person that she wanted to see at that moment.
“Lover’s tiff?” asked Percy, a sly smile on his face as he sidled up to them.
Sierra turned towards him with a glare. “Oh, go screw a drain pipe,” she spat, unable to deal with his bullshit today.
She tried to move past him, but he manoeuvred to block her path. “You’re a fucking hypocrite,” he hissed. Wariness crept over her at the vitriol in his voice.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“Don’t deny that you’ve been the one sending in complaints to HR about me. And here you are bringing your lover to work with you. Do you really think yourself so above the rest of us?” He raised a smug brow. He was enjoying this.
Sierra gasped, outrage flooding her. “How dare you?” But her face heated as she remembered last night, Blake’s clever tongue and the way he filled her so completely. Her insides melted, putting paid to the lie.
Percy raised his brows, gloating. “Sure. So that’s why Loverboy here is wearing the same clothes as yesterday and you two were getting so cosy a minute ago. You’re a terrible liar, Livingston.”
“Let it go, Percy,” Blake growled at her shoulder, stepping forward toward Percy. Sierra shot him a glare to silence him, but it was too late. Percy’s triumphant grin told her that his suspicions had just been confirmed.
“It’s not what you think,” she tried, loath to explain herself to Percy, but seeing no other choice. The respect she was afforded at the company came in large part from the fact that she was unimpeachable. She knew this mistake could undo all the good work that she’d clawed her way through.
Percy backed away. “I’m going to tell your father all about this, Sierra, and then you’ll get what’s coming to you. You’ve finally shown your true colours. And I, for one, will take full advantage.”
He turned, the feral delight on his face slipping out of view as he ducked into his office. Shame sliced through her. She may have just ruined her career, and, worse, lost the trust of all the women in the office. If Percy abided by his word, her reputation would be destroyed by the end of the day.
“Shit,” she muttered.
“You’ve got to tell everyone about the stalker. It’s the only way.” Blake hovered at her shoulder.
“Who’d believe me now?” she asked faintly.
“It’s still worth a shot. There more people to protect you, the better.” He was determined.
“You mean, the more people who will see me as a victim?” she shot back. Sierra paused, biting back any more words she might have said, trying to think through the situation. Eventually, she sighed. “The worst of it is, Percy is absolutely right.”
With that, she strode towards her office, knowing that the usual calm it gave her would prove to be elusive.
Sierra allowed Blake to sweep the office and then locked him out so she could call Mandy. She was no longer thinking of her bargain with Blake. She just needed a friend.
“I screwed up,” she said as her friend answered. She paced a circuit around her office, panic giving her a restless energy.
“Well, you’re not dead, so how bad can it be?”
“I slept with Blake and may have just tanked my career.”
Mandy was silent for a long moment. “All right, that’s up there. I’m sure your career is fine. But you and Blake?”
“This is a disaster.” Sierra kicked off her heels so that she could pace faster.
“He was that bad?” Mandy mused.
“No,” Sierra replied. “He was… fine.” Spectacular. Mind-blowing. Earth-shattering.
Mandy laughed. “Okay, I see how it is.”
“You aren’t taking this seriously enough,” she admonished.
She could still sense Mandy’s amusement. The curse of knowing someone almost telepathically well.
“Okay, I’m sorry. You better start from the beginning,” Mandy told her.
It all came pouring out. Destiny telling her about the other women her stalker had targeted, her need for distraction and comfort, the night with Blake, the argument that morning, and finally the encounter with Percy.
By the time she’d finished, Mandy had sobered. “Oh my God! Your stalker is a serial killer? And with you and Blake… I just… so much has happened since we last spoke.”
“I know. I have no idea what to think or feel. It’s all a jumble.” She rubbed her eyes, exhaustion creeping upon her.
“Are you okay?” Mandy asked. Her voice was soft and familiar. All Sierra wanted to do was sink into its offered comfort. “Did you manage to get any sleep last night?”
Sierra’s cheeks heated at the memory of what she’d been doing instead of sleeping last night. She’d been far too busy being worshipped to bother with sleep. “Not much.” She managed to sound casual.
“I completely understand. I’m so sorry. You must be terrified.”
“Only a little,” Sierra told her. Truthfully, she hadn’t thought much about her stalker upgrading to serial killer, since she’d been so focused on Blake and what had happened between them.
Mandy made a sympathetic noise. Silence settled into the conversation, and Sierra felt the restlessness and panic seep out of her. She threw herself into her black leather office chair and swung back and forth.
“I wonder who they were,” she mused into the quiet. “The other women he targeted, I mean.”
“Those poor women.” Mandy sighed.
“I know. I keep thinking about them, wondering how we’re connected. If I knew them at all.” She ran her index finger over the polished varnish of her desk. Sierra’s imagination conjured images of the women, and what might have happened in their final moments. The pain. The fear.
The fact that she might be ne
xt.
Mandy interrupted her thoughts with a reassuring voice. “Well, Destiny’s a good cop. And she knows people. If anyone can solve this, it’s her.”
“I feel like I am too passive in all this. Destiny and Blake are doing all the work and I’m not doing anything to help.” Sudden frustration lashed through her. She was a sitting duck, just waiting to be plucked. Surely there was a more active role she could take.
“What can you do? It’s hardly your area of expertise.” Mandy’s voice was soothing. “Blake and Destiny are good at what they do. It’s better just to stay out of their way.”
Sierra ignored her. “There has to be something. Maybe I can lure him out? Be bait?”
“Don’t you dare!” Mandy sounded outraged.
“I wouldn’t be unsafe about it. It would take planning, and the assistance of more Soldiering On people, but it might help get this over with.” She picked up a pen and tapped it against her lips in thought.
“Nope, I veto that.” Mandy was firm.
Sierra gasped. “You can’t veto me!”
“I can and I will. This is my company, remember. I get half-say on what missions we do.” She sounded so smug.
Sierra narrowed her eyes. “You’re pulling rank on me?”
“Yes. Shamelessly. Your safety is way more important to me.” The sincerity in Mandy’s voice melted her. She couldn’t argue with that.
“Fine,” she replied. “But I will find another way to contribute.”
“And you’re welcome to. As long as you are safe.”
Sierra was about to say her goodbyes, feeling infinitely better, when Mandy interrupted. “So, tell me, how was Blake really? I need deets.”
“You are not getting a blow by blow account.” Sierra tried to sound haughty, but the effect was ruined by her affectionate smile.
“So there was blowing?”
She laughed. “Mandy, get your mind out of the gutter!”
“I am living vicariously, so don’t blame me.” The woman was absolutely unrepentant.
“Look, it was… great. Honestly. Until he ruined it all.”
Guarding Sierra: (Soldiering On #2) Page 11
