Negotiation Tactics (Sutton Capital Series Contemporary Romance)

by Lori Ryan

  Chad gradually pushed her shirt up, taking his time to reach the bottom slope of her breasts. He kissed and nuzzled, letting his lips trail over the lace of her bra, teasing and taunting until she thought she would scream. Every inch of her body tingled now, as if it cried out for more from him and Jennie knew she’d be reduced to begging if he kept up this maddeningly slow pace.

  His mouth was hot when it closed around one nipple as his hand teased her other breast. Jennie couldn’t believe how incredibly turned on she was and she didn’t even have her clothes off yet. Chad sat Jennie up and slipped her shirt over her head. He kissed the inside of her wrist, the curve at the inside of her elbow, then her shoulder. Each kiss ratcheted Jennie’s body to new heights of arousal.

  He laid her back on the bed and began to remove her yoga pants, sliding them down her hips and thighs at a painfully tortuous pace. Each inch of skin he revealed was laced with kisses or nips or soft breaths of hot air before he continued. Each inch of skin he revealed was set on fire.

  When Jennie’s yoga pants landed on the chair, he sat on the edge of the bed and took one of her feet into his lap. His fingers grazed over her ankles as he slipped her sock off. One hand slid up her leg, caressing, sending her body trembling. The other hand took hold of her other foot and slipped the sock off.

  Jennie watched in awe. How did he make removing her socks so incredibly sensual? And how did he have the control to do this? Her body shook with need as Chad slipped his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her hips, settling his mouth between her legs. She knew she was already swollen, slick, and wet when his tongue touched her. Chad circled and swirled, teasing her, building pleasure with every second.

  “Chad,” Jennie whispered on a moan.

  “Mmm hmm?” Chad murmured, his lips against her labia, driving her wild.

  “I need…”

  “Mmmmmm?” Chad murmured against her hot flesh, almost sending Jennie flying. “What is it that you need, Jen?”

  “To feel…to feel you, Chad. To feel everything,” Jennie said.

  Chad slid two fingers inside her in answer and Jennie felt her muscles clench around him, pulsating and tight. He slipped them out then pressed in again, sending her over the edge. He drew out her orgasm, letting her feel every sensation, every emotion, every sensual delight he brought upon her. Jennie didn’t think she’d ever come down from the sheer pleasure. It felt like she was floating on a cloud as Chad’s fingers played over her body, sending her to heights she’d never imagined.

  ***

  Chad called on every ounce of self-control. Just hearing Jennie say she wanted to feel instead of forget meant she wanted to be here with him, in this moment. She wasn’t trying to forget her pain or pretend she was back in Kyle’s arms. She was here with Chad.

  And, he would make sure he gave her everything she needed, more if he could. He’d felt a shift in her since she had told her family about the guilt she’d been carrying over Kyle’s death. He still knew she didn’t love him the way he loved her. But for now, knowing she wanted to be here in this moment with him was enough.

  As Chad felt the orgasm race through Jennie’s body, he pulled back. He watched in amazement as her face reflected what her body was feeling. She was stunning. There just weren’t any words for the beauty Chad saw in Jennie. When she began to come back to him, he gently licked and teased, coming close to where she needed to be touched, but knowing she’d be too sensitive there right now. He slowly swirled and circled around her clitoris, not touching yet.

  He gradually wound her back up again as she twisted, pleading, beneath his mouth and hands. And when she was ready, he slipped his fingers into her and closed his mouth over her while she moaned and called out his name.

  Chad loved the sight of Jennie naked and pulsing with need beneath him. He could watch her come apart over and over and never tire of it. He slowly lowered his head again, but kept his eyes on her face. He captured her clit with his mouth and sucked hard as she spiraled off into an orgasm again. He’d never get enough of that.

  The sounds of her sweet, raspy release were mesmerizing. The way her body glistened with a thin layer of perspiration. The way she thrashed beneath him, moaning and gasping. The look of sheer joy on her face. The way her body pulsated around his fingers, swollen and wet and hot. He could do this again and again for the rest of their lives. If only she’d let him.

  Chad reached into the nightstand by the bed for a condom.

  Chad kept his eyes on Jennie’s as he came back to the bed with her. He lowered himself over her, then captured her mouth with his. God, how he loved this woman.

  “Jennie,” Chad said, his lips still against hers.

  Gently, Chad entered her, barely suppressing a groan at the feel of his hard length gripped by her. He held still for a minute, regaining control. He wanted this to last longer than the thirty seconds it was looking like it would be right then.

  “I won’t ever get enough of this feeling, Jen.”

  Jennie’s arms wrapped around his neck, her legs around his waist. He didn’t break the contact with her mouth as he drew out slowly, then plunged back in. Deep, long, slow.

  He didn’t let himself go like he would have liked. If Jennie wasn’t pregnant, he’d be driving into her hard and fast and deep over and over again until they were both spinning out of control. Instead, he moved slowly, drawing back until only the head of him was barely inside her before plunging equally slowly back in again.

  Jennie’s soft mewls were low and pleading, driving him to insanity as his body wound closer and closer to orgasm. Chad broke from Jennie’s mouth and lowered his head to her breast. The feel of her pebbled nipple against his tongue was decadent and sensual. Chad closed his mouth around her breast as he pushed into her sweet, wet folds with one last, deep thrust.

  He felt her orgasm as she tightened around him and cried out. And he followed her, finally, letting himself go. Letting himself get lost in her, knowing he wouldn’t be able to turn back now. Whether she ever returned his love or not, he would love this woman for the rest of his life.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Jennie and Chad slept through much of the day, trying to catch up on sleep they’d missed the night before. They woke in the early evening to a call from Mike.

  “What’s up?” Chad asked as Jennie sat up beside him in bed, one hand resting on his back.

  Chad wrapped his arm around Jennie, pulling her close as he listened to Mike. The thought that something might happen to Jennie now, after all they’d been though, made Chad sick. He needed to end this. He needed to find a way to keep her safe.

  “There’s been a delay in getting Burke’s phone messages. Some kind of technical glitch, supposedly. I don’t know how soon we’ll get the records, but I’ve been in touch with Burke’s supervisor. He wants us to go ahead with the meeting with Burke,” Mike said.

  Chad cursed under his breath. “Okay. Set it up,” he said.

  “I want you to go in with a decoy. I’ve got an undercover agent we can pass off as Jennie, but I want you to be there to fill in any details or answer any questions she may not have answers to. I’ve briefed her on everything Jennie saw and heard and she’ll be ready to go by the time we meet, but I want you there as backup.”

  Chad hesitated. If he was at the meeting, he couldn’t be with Jennie. He couldn’t be by her side, keeping her safe. But, he also knew they’d never be able to stop running if he didn’t flush out Bandon and anyone else who was helping Bandon. Chad’s eyes caught Jennie’s and he knew she couldn’t keep living on the run. No one, other than him and Mike, Burke’s supervisor and the attorney assigned to the case would know she was here and security in his building was tight. He decided he could leave her here safely.

  Mike and Chad chose a time and location for the following day. With any luck, they’d draw Bandon out of hiding, prove Burke was guilty of leaking information – at the very least – and most likely of accepting bribes that could have the case tied up witho
ut Jennie’s testimony, by the following day.

  ***

  Jennie watched Chad talk on the phone and tried to make sense of the emotions swirling around in her head and her heart. This was only the second time that Jennie had slept in Chad’s arms, despite the fact that they’d lived together for a month.

  The first time, in Florida, Jennie had been hiding from her feelings. Today, she still couldn’t say she was completely open to her feelings for Chad, but she was a lot more open to them than she had been a few days earlier.

  Jennie was beginning to accept how much she cared for him. He’d been her friend for so long. Her support in so many ways. He protected her. He cared for her without question whenever she needed him.

  But there was more than that. He made her feel special. Cherished. He made her laugh and he held her when she cried. So many men would have walked away from her a long time ago, considering what she’d put him through. She knew it would never have crossed Chad’s mind to do that.

  Chad hung up the phone and turned to Jennie. Before she could speak, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her slowly, deeply. Jennie felt herself relax into him. He felt so…right. But a small part of Jennie still panicked at what that might mean.

  Chad pulled back. “You okay?”

  Jennie nodded, forcing herself to breathe deeply. She needed to put the past behind her and let herself see where things could go with Chad. She owed herself that. More than that, she owed Chad that much.

  “I’m good. Hungry,” she said, patting her tummy. As if on cue, her stomach growled.

  With a laugh, Chad stood and put his hand out to pull Jennie up with him.

  If she weren’t pregnant and very much in need of food, the sight of Chad without anything on would have sent her tumbling right back into bed. She would never get over the sight of him like that. Jennie thought she could spend hours learning every inch of his body, exploring every muscle, memorizing each taut line and every scar from his days in the military.

  “Keep looking at me like that and we’re not getting food any time soon,” Chad said, eyes ablaze as they took her in.

  “Sorry, baby needs food,” Jennie answered, with one hand on her stomach again.

  Chad dropped a kiss to her mouth then pulled on a pair of boxers and a shirt.

  “Why don’t you get dressed? I’ll see if there’s anything to eat in the kitchen. There won’t be anything fresh but I might have some frozen bread I can toast to tide us over.”

  Jennie’s repertoire of foods she could eat was still a bit limited. They walked down the hall together with Chad breaking off to turn toward the kitchen and Jennie heading into the guest room to get her clothes. She pulled on a sundress then sat staring at her purse for a few minutes. She knew what she needed to do.

  She took a deep breath and went to the small zippered pocket of her purse. The envelope she withdrew was soft with age. Some of the seams were threatening to give up. It was still sealed. In all these years, she’d transferred it from purse to purse, never opening it.

  Kyle had told her to open it when she was ready. She never had been.

  She wasn’t ready now, but she knew she had to get there. It was time for her to put the past behind her. Jennie sat on the edge of the bed for a long time before she slipped a finger under the flap, tearing along the well-worn seam. Her hands shook as she unfolded the single sheet of paper.

  Jennie laughed through her tears as she read the first sentence.

  How many years did it take, Jennie? One? Two? I hope not more than that, Bugsy.

  Jennie had no idea how Kyle had come up with the nickname ‘Bugsy’ for her, but he had. And, it had stuck.

  I thought I could beat this thing, but I waited too long. I thought there was so much time, but it turns out I was wrong about that. I wanted so many more years with you. I wanted a lifetime to make you happy. To make you laugh. To raise babies with you and see what an amazing mom you would be. I wanted all of that and I’m so sorry I couldn’t give that to you. I’m so sorry.

  I know it’s cliché but I want you to fall in love again, Jennie. I know you. You’ll resist it. You’ll fight to hold on to what we had. But I need you not to do that – for me. I need to know you’ll be happy again someday.

  I can’t stand the thought of you going through life without really smiling. Really laughing. Without being held and loved and cherished.

  Tears fell in large droplets onto the paper, smudging the ink as Jennie read. There wasn’t any reining them in. Jennie swiped at the tears with the back of her hands but more just followed.

  It kills me to think of someone else holding you, but this is one time I can’t be selfish. I don’t want you to be alone. So pick a man who makes you smile. Who makes you laugh. Who loves everything right in your world. Promise me, Bugsy. Move on.

  And every once in a while, look up to the sky and let me see your gorgeous face. Your funny lopsided smile and your beautiful cinnamon eyes.

  And for heaven’s sake, if it took you longer than two years to open this letter, find him quickly! You’ve wasted enough time.

  I’ll love you always and forever,

  Kyle

  Jennie was laughing and crying when she heard the door open behind her. Chad sat quietly on the bed next to her without saying a word. He reached for a tissue and wiped her face for her, then passed her a plate of toast.

  “Eat.”

  Without a word, Jennie took the plate and handed the letter to Chad. He looked at it and looked back at her.

  “Where’d this come from?” he asked.

  “I’ve been carrying it around in my purse.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You just opened it now?”

  Jennie laughed and brushed at her tears with the back of her hand. “I’m slow. But apparently he knew that.”

  She nodded at the letter. Chad looked at her for a second but then began to read.

  “Bugsy?” he asked with a smile.

  Jennie smiled and nodded, biting into the hot toast as Chad continued to read.

  “He was a smart man,” Chad said when he finished the letter. “You should listen to him.”

  Jennie laughed and they sat quietly while Jennie ate and Chad waited. When she finished, Chad took the plate from her hands and set it on the table next to the bed. He pulled Jennie onto his lap and held her tight. She wasn’t crying anymore. She held onto Chad and let all the heartache and pain she’d been holding in for so long seep from her body. She’d never felt more emotionally drained. But, she also felt better than she had in a long time. She felt lighter, as if she’d finally lost a great load she’d carried for far too long.

  She knew it was time to let Kyle go. And, she didn’t need Kyle to tell her to fall in love with Chad. She’d fallen in love with him a long time ago. She had just needed Kyle to tell her it was okay to feel that way. To let Chad all the way in.

  “I love you, Chad,” Jennie said. “I think I always have.”

  She felt his head nuzzle her neck and he held her even tighter but didn’t say anything for a long time. Just when she thought he wasn’t going to say anything at all, he finally spoke.

  “I’ve loved you forever, Jen. I always have and I always will,” Chad said.

  “You’re gonna marry me, right Chad?” Jennie asked.

  This got a bark of laughter from Chad.

  “No.”

  “What?” Jennie asked. She sat up and put both hands on his face, pulling his head up to face her. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re not allowed to propose to me, Jennie. That’s my job. Besides, you did it wrong. You don’t have a ring or anything. You’re supposed to be down on one knee with a ring when you propose.”

  “I’d look silly if I did that.” Jennie leaned back and looked at Chad. “You chauvinist pig. That’s, that’s… You can’t do that. You’re turning me down? You’re not going to marry me?”

  “Nope.” Chad smiled and touched her lips with his finger, gently. He brushed his lips to h
ers. “I’m turning you down.”

  “What! You can’t do that. You love me. I’m having your baby. You have to marry me!”

  Chad grinned and shook his head.

  “I’ll let you help me name the baby if you marry me,” Jennie said, opening the negotiations.

  Chad laughed and flipped Jennie under him, coming down on top of her. He kissed her long and hard, erasing her indignation. Erasing all thoughts from her head, ending all negotiations. Chad quickly stripped Jennie of her clothes, following with his own. He turned her on her side and lay next to her, slipping easily into her folds, plunging slowly but deeply into her. He drew gasp after gasp of pure pleasure from Jennie as he took them both to climax in the gentlest lovemaking Jennie had ever felt.

  And, Jennie felt whole again. The pieces of her life that had been so torn apart had been put back together. The end product didn’t look the same as it once had, but that was okay. Jennie knew she would love this life as much as she’d loved her life with Kyle. And she knew Kyle would want it that way.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Jennie watched Chad get ready for the fake meeting with Burke and Mike. After hearing about the arson attempt, Agent Burke told Chad he planned to fly up and take Jennie’s statement personally. Chad and Mike weren’t sure whether that made him seem more or less guilty. It was possible he wanted to be here to make sure his witness was safe or it could mean he wanted to be here to be sure Bandon got the job done and took Jennie out.

  Either way, they decided not to take any chances. Jennie would be nowhere near the meeting. She’d stay locked away at Chad’s condo while they went to see Burke. They considered moving her to a hotel, but Chad’s condo had doormen on twenty-four-seven who wouldn’t let a soul up into the condo without his or Jennie’s permission, and none of the stairwells or elevators could be accessed without an electronic keycode. It would be much harder for anyone to access than a hotel where people could come and go and blend in with ease.