Striking Distance: Love Undercover, Book 2

by Shaw, LK

  He pulled away, and I whimpered at the loss of his touch. His chest moved rapidly up and down as he sucked in air. My breathing wasn’t any slower. The air was cold making my nipples pucker. I stood proudly before him. Victor’s eyes drifted downward stopping at my breasts. His brown eyes grew darker and more heated.

  He thumbed the turgid peak. My lids drifted closed at the answering throbbing deep in my belly. It wasn’t enough. I wanted, no, needed more. Boldly, I took the initiative. I reached for Victor’s hand and moved to the bed already turned down for us. I plucked the chocolates off the pillow and tossed them on the nightstand. I turned to face him.

  “Make love to me, please,” I whispered.

  “You never have to ask.”

  His fingers made quick work of my buttons and zipper. He knelt on one knee, and my breath caught. Our eyes locked and ever so slowly, torturously, he tugged my jeans down bringing my underwear with it. Victor was so close to my wet center I could feel his breath hot against my skin. He peppered kisses along my thighs, bypassing where I needed his touch the most.

  He tapped the side of my leg, and I lifted my foot off the ground. My shoe was pulled off, then the other. I stepped out of the clothes piled around my ankles. He took a tiny step back, and my eyes followed his movements. First went the shirt. I’d seen his bare chest before, but it still made my breath catch. A tiny patch of hair gathered in the middle and a thin line of hair began just below his belly button and disappeared behind the waistband of his jeans.

  Things became all too real at the sight of the condom. More wetness coated my lower lips. I plucked the small square from his fingertips. I was desperate, and tired of this slow dance.

  “I need you, Victor. Please.”

  He smiled at my begging. Strong hands gripped my waist, picked me up, and tossed me on the bed. I squeaked as I landed. Before I could catch my breath, his now-naked body covered mine. Lips melded together. Our bodies rubbed together, skin to skin, our flesh heating in the surrounding cool air. Two pairs of hands explored, learning where to touch to give the most satisfaction. Moans of pleasure and purrs of ecstasy echoed throughout the room.

  Victor’s thumb found my clit, and my back arched at the sharp tingle that shot through me. Adept fingers circled my wet entrance, gathering up moisture, before dipping inside. In and out, slow then fast, his fingers thrust, hitting a spot inside that made my toes curl and my legs quiver. My body tightened, and my orgasm tore through me, shards of pleasure splintering into a million pieces through me. I trembled from the release.

  I heard the crinkle of foil and looked down to see him slide the rubber down the length of his cock. My mouth watered in anticipation. My legs spread and he settled into the vee. Victor’s forearms caged my head, and he stared down at me with an intensity in his pitch-black eyes.

  “You’re mine, Estelle. And I’m yours. Forever and always.”

  I blinked back tears at the words that sounded so much like a vow. If I thought that kiss had changed everything, I was about to be proven wrong. A single word sealed our fate.

  “Yes.”

  Ever so slowly, Victor entered me, tiny tremors still vibrating through my center, until he was fully seated. I wrapped my legs around him and thrust upward, trying to generate friction. Answering my call for more, he withdrew and pressed forward, rocking his hips against mine, filling me so full I gasped from the sensation. My nails scored his back, and he groaned.

  Our eyes never left each other’s as our pace increased, the tension building inside me again. Sweat slicked skin slid back and forth, my hair sticking to my damp forehead. Faster and faster we moved, the pressure growing. Victor reached between us and his fingers rubbed the bundle of nerves. With only a few flicks of his digit, my body tightened, and my back arched as the second orgasm ripped through me. I screamed his name. Victor continued his frantic pumping until he went rigid and exploded, the veins in his neck taut. He collapsed on top of me, his weight heavy yet comforting.

  My fingers traced up and down along his back, and I buried my nose in his neck, inhaling the scent of sweat, sex, and musky male. He tried to withdraw, but I tightened my legs around him.

  “Not yet. Just stay right there for another minute. Please.”

  Victor remained still but took some of the burden of his weight off me. Finally, I could feel his muscles straining, and I released my grip on him. He rolled to the side, but pulled me with him. He turned his head and pressed his lips to my forehead.

  “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

  Victor took care of the condom and slid back into the bed, cradling me in his arms. I needed to get up as well and use the bathroom, but I wasn’t ready to move quite yet. I wanted to savor this feeling of utter wholeness being in his arms. Over the course of the last twenty minutes, the entire foundation of the wall I’d built around my heart finally crumbled and the whole thing had come tumbling down. It lay in a pile of ash and dust within the walls of my chest, and I was coming to terms with what that meant.

  Victor tipped my chin up, and I met his gaze. I swallowed at the emotion I saw shining back at me. I was a coward, because I wasn’t ready to hear what he had to say. He opened his mouth and closed it again. He opened it a second time. “I—I hope that was the icing on top of the birthday cake.”

  I let out a shaky exhale. My heart ached, because deep down, I knew that wasn’t what he’d been about to say. Tears burned behind my eyes. I blinked them back and smiled instead. “It was the chocolate icing on top of a chocolate cake surrounded by scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream.”

  His lips turned up in one corner. “I know how much you love mint chocolate chip ice cream.”

  I swallowed. “I really do love it.”

  Neither of us were talking about ice cream.

  Chapter 22

  I’d just reached the time clock to punch out for the night when I heard someone call my name. “Yo, Victor.”

  My eyes scanned the room and landed on Gladstone leaning back in his office chair. He waved me over.

  I dropped into my chair on the opposite side of the desk we shared. “What you got?”

  His too tight uniform pulled across his shoulders as he crossed his arms looking fully relaxed, if not smug. It was his favorite position. I kept waiting for the day his seams split apart. “I got some news on our friend, Álvarez?”

  I jerked forward. “What? Why didn’t you call me?”

  His calm down gesture pissed me off. I’d been waiting almost two weeks for this information. This was fucking important.

  “I just learned it myself. I knew you were on your way. Nothing was going to change in the ten minutes it took you to get here.”

  “That’s not the fucking point, Jonathan. What’s the news?”

  “Álvarez has been found in Mexico. It looks like the Feds extradited him back here to stand trial. From the sounds of it, he hasn’t set foot on American soil in the last six months. It looks like your friend’s snatch and grab attempt a couple weeks ago might have been some random thing.”

  My mind raced with the implications. I stared my partner down. “Are you sure?”

  Somehow, in the disorganized mess on his desk, Gladstone located a sheet of paper. His eyes scanned the page while he read. “Some D.E.A. agent by the name of”—he squinted—“shit, I can’t make it out. Anyway, an agent who’s actually working in Mexico, apparently inside the Sinaloa Cartel, said that he’d been taken into custody.”

  “Aren’t they rivals? And why would an undercover agent be calling us?” I kept trying to make the pieces of this puzzle fit together, but nothing was making sense.

  “There’ve been rumors that there’s a traitor in their midst, and it’s not the agent. Someone scorned who’d been making new deals with Álvarez. Supplying him with more drugs to sell and making him a fuck ton of money. Someone with a grudge against Salazar had apparently opened up shop down there, and Álvarez was his biggest customer. Salazar found out and reported his whereabouts to th
e Feds. Eliminate the competition once and for all, I guess.”

  Christ. I didn’t know what to believe. If this were all true, then the chances of Estelle being Álvarez’s target had just been shot down. It most likely was a random incident. I was relieved, of course. This meant she didn’t need to stay at the house any longer. She could go back to her own place. After her birthday, things between us had changed. We’d become so much closer. More intimate. I was scared that her leaving would add distance between us. A distance we just closed.

  “Earth to Victor. You listening? Your girl is safe, man. This should make you happy.”

  Pasting a smile on my face, I nodded. “I am happy. Like you said, it’s great news.”

  I reluctantly rose, no longer quite so eager to leave. Estelle was no doubt asleep, but the morning would be here soon enough, and I’d have to tell her.

  * * *

  “Morning.” She strolled in and headed straight to the coffee maker.

  “Morning,” I mumbled.

  As always, she was beautiful. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail that bounced as she walked. Her ass was the perfect peach. She moved around the kitchen, graceful and unhurried. It was a sight I’d never grow tired of seeing.

  “You’re staring.”

  I blinked and met her eye. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Her hands wrapped around the coffee mug, holding it against her chest. “I said, you were staring.”

  “Sorry,” I shook of the daydream. “We need to talk.”

  The mug stopped halfway to her lips before she lowered it. Her expression became guarded. I gestured to the table. “Why don’t we sit.”

  “Actually, I’m fine right here, thank you.” She was rigid, as though bracing herself for bad news.

  “Sorry, that sounded ominous didn’t it? I think you’ll be happy with my news. Promise.” I tried to make my smile encouraging, but based on her narrow-eyed gaze, I’m not sure I succeeded.

  “Sit. Please.”

  Slowly, she followed my lead and lowered herself into the chair. She still clutched the coffee mug tightly between her palms.

  “What is this alleged good news you have for me?”

  “I got word last night that Álvarez has been arrested in Mexico. Where he’s been for the last six months.” There, I’d done it. I’d managed to get the words past the knot in my throat.

  Estelle seemed to puzzle their meaning out. I saw the moment it clicked. “Does this mean that it wasn’t Álvarez behind the attack on me? Am I able to go back home then?”

  “It would appear that way. The evidence we have at the moment points to this being a random act. Or, if not random, you were the wrong target in the first place.”

  Her entire body relaxed, and she let out a huge sigh filled with relief. Then Estelle scrunched her face up. “What about the vehicle that crashed into us? Or the one that rammed into us first? What about that?”

  I honestly had no idea. I couldn’t connect the dots.

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense for the incidents to happen so close together, but without a suspect in either case, there’s not much to tie them together.”

  Estelle was silent, thinking, for a minute. Then her gaze bore into mine. “Answer me honestly. Do you really think it’s safe for me to go home?”

  My gut said no, but no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t prove it wasn’t. I could only answer the best way I knew how. “Most likely.”

  “You’re still not sure, are you?” It was a little scary that she could read me so well.

  “Not entirely, no. But since our only potential suspect has just been eliminated, there’s not much else to say.”

  Estelle reached across the table and laid her warm hand on top of mine. “Just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean anything is going to change between us. Other than we won’t have to be quiet at night anymore.”

  I snorted. “I don’t think we’re all that quiet now. I was afraid you were going to wake Pablo up last night. The way you were carrying on.”

  “What? Me?” Estelle shook her head in vehement denial. “You were the one grunting and groaning like you had a bad case of the trots.”

  “The what?” I sputtered. The image was so ludicrous, I could only burst out laughing. I waited until she set her mug down, and then I tugged her arm pulling her out of the chair and onto my lap.

  “Victor,” she squealed.

  She clutched my shoulders on her landing. My grip tightened on her hip to hold her still, mostly because of her ass wiggling against my cock. She froze and stopped moving. I loved the flush that crept up her cheeks as she stared at me.

  “You feel what you do to me? I constantly have a hard-on when you’re near.” I brushed back the few stray strands of hair that framed Estelle’s pink-tinged face. She didn’t glance away. Boldly she locked eyes with me, almost daring me to do something…more.

  “If we weren’t in the middle of the kitchen where my father or brother could come in any second, I might be tempted to show you how irresistible you are.”

  I swear I tasted blood biting back the groan that threatened to escape when she shimmied a little. Her breath was hot against my cheek as she whispered in my ear. “If we weren’t in the middle of the kitchen where your father or brother could come in any second, I might let you.”

  “Good god, will you two give it a rest? I have to listen to you at night. Please don’t make me listen to you at the breakfast table too.” Pablo walked past us and opened the fridge.

  Estelle scrambled off my lap and plopped onto the chair next to me, her face beet red. “Sorry.”

  “Hey,” I grumbled. “Don’t apologize to him. He’s just jealous he doesn’t have a beautiful woman to hold at night.”

  Without skipping a beat or even turning to look, my brother stretched his arm behind him, flipped me the bird, and continued scavenging in the fridge. Despite her embarrassment, Estelle chuckled beside me. It wasn’t long before my dad joined us. I sat there for a minute, watching everyone. This was my family. The people I loved the most.

  I looked at Estelle. She hadn’t been ready for my declaration of love the other night. It shone in her eyes. The hope was there. But so was the fear. Which was why I’d altered my statement. I could wait though. The perfect moment would come, and she’d be ready to hear it. Maybe even say it back. Until then, I’d keep showing her how much I loved her, and that no matter how much it scared her, nothing would change that.

  Chapter 23

  Finally, I was going back to my own house. I was both excited and nervous. I wanted to be back in my own space. Especially if Victor and I were going to continue making love. I most definitely didn’t want another accidental run in with Ernesto. Once had been embarrassing enough. It also made me a little nervous. I was worried that not being in such close quarters anymore, Victor and I wouldn’t keep working so hard on this relationship. Or rather that I wouldn’t. That I’d fall back into old behaviors.

  That was my biggest fear. That instead of growing closer together, we’d grow further apart. Victor would be picking me up soon to take me home, so I needed to grab my things and get going. I quickly finished grading the last few spelling quizzes and then packed up. I waved goodbye to Willie on my way out the door.

  Like always, Victor leaned against his truck. I took him in and my heart raced. Especially seeing that smile. I skipped across the parking lot and threw myself in his arms, slapping a big juicy kiss on his lips.

  “Damn, I could get used to that type of greeting,” he said once I released my hold on him.

  “Well, don’t. I was just feeling sorry for you standing here all alone.”

  He swatted my ass.

  “Ouch, damn it.” I rubbed the stinging spot and stuck my tongue out. Happiness poured over me. I'd forgotten what it felt like.

  “You ready to go home?”

  “Yes.” I almost bounced in the seat.

  “Manuel’s going to meet us at your house. Check and make sure
that no one has been inside and planted any type of surveillance equipment or listening devices while you’ve been staying with us.”

  That threw me for a loop. If the cartel wasn’t responsible for the attempted kidnapping of me, then why would there be anyone spying on me? My excitement dimmed a little. Nervousness returned to take its place. “Do you think someone did?”

  “It’s just a precautionary measure. I know the evidence points away from Álvarez, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t sent someone to spy on you. You can call me paranoid or single-minded, but I’m not taking any chances with your safety. Even if it makes me look crazy.”

  Put that way, it was sweet and lovely. It made my insides dance a little. “Thank you for watching out for me.”

  He threaded his fingers through mine. “Thank you for not fighting me on it. It really does make me feel better. I want to do everything I can to protect you.”

  He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed my knuckles. The spark that was always present every time Victor touched me traveled up my arm and settled deep in my core. This was what had been missing from my life. Someone who truly cared about me. I took this feeling and wrapped myself in its warmth. Then I tucked a little piece of it inside the memory box that grew fuller by the day. The same way my heart was.

  Manuel was already in my driveway by the time Victor and I pulled in. My house was a small, bright yellow bungalow style ranch. The shutters were white and matched the tiny stake fence I had lining the perimeter of my small flower garden bordering my front porch.

  It wasn’t fancy but it was home, and I loved it. I was curious to know what Victor thought of it. He’d never seen the inside. I had a feeling the whole place was going to feel different after he’d been in it. His scent would be in here even if it didn’t linger for long. I’d probably picture him in my space long after he walked back out the front door.