by Leslie North
He gave a curt nod and headed inside while she waited thirty seconds before following. The plan was for him to get upstairs while she wandered around down in the atrium as if waiting for a bus or something to arrive. Without being too obvious, she kept an eye on Murphy as he stopped at the security desk, signed in on the visitor list they handed him, then rode the escalators up to the second floor where the energy company offices were located.
She hugged her coat tighter around her and stared out at the bustling crowds. The sun from earlier had disappeared behind frothing gray clouds that threatened more snow. With only a few days left until Christmas now, most people tolerated it good-naturedly, but it was still a pain trying to commute in it. Back home in Al Dar Nasrani, per the weather app on her phone, it was a balmy seventy-five degrees, sunny with a light breeze. If she closed her eyes she could almost hear the gentle lap of the ocean waves against the white-sand shores and taste the sea-salt on her lips.
Shayma hadn’t been lying earlier when she’d told Murphy all those wonderful things about himself. Or about her parents flipping out. They were from a different time, a different generation, and they didn’t always see eye to eye on more modern ways of living. It was part of the reason she loved them so much. It was also part of the reason she wanted to find her own path, her own way in the world.
“Got it,” Murphy said, coming up behind her and taking her by the arm to lead her back outside.
“Already? That was quick.”
“She seemed in a talkative mood. Good idea folding that signing sheet in half. She spotted the senators’ photos right away. I wanted to get out of there before she opened that box and found out it was empty.”
“Which one did she pick?”
“Millford Lawrence, of the great state of Kentucky. He’s the chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.”
Walking fast, they headed back to the uniform rental shop and Murphy changed again. Thankfully, the clerk didn’t ask a lot of questions. Considering it was New York, he probably saw a lot stranger things than them around here.
“The box wasn’t empty, by the way.” Shayma said as they crossed the street and headed back toward the apartment. “I put a nice holiday card and some chocolates in there. Figured Emma deserved that after all she’s put up with working there for the likes of Kent.”
Murphy chuckled and slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. Warm tingles went through her and she couldn’t help smiling. It felt like they were a regular couple, out for a holiday stroll. Times like these with him, she could almost believe it. He was grinning too, as if enjoying himself. Since she’d asked him about his mom earlier, it seemed as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The shadows in his eyes had disappeared and the tension in his shoulders dissipated. Maybe they could have another night together, an extended fling, before they needed to rush back to reality again.
“It’s almost lunch time now. You hungry?” he asked, letting his arm fall away only to take her hand instead. “I know this great little ice cream parlor nearby. Aileen used to love going there when I’d visit. They have sandwiches and stuff too.”
“Sounds perfect.” She snuggled into his side. When he was like this, so open and caring and considerate, she’d follow him to the end of the earth and back. “We need to celebrate anyway.”
“Celebrate what?” he asked, leading her toward a red brick building with a pink and white striped awning outside. Snow had started to fall in big fat flakes and more carolers sang on the street corner ahead.
Shayma walked through the door he held for her and gasped at the cute interior of the shop, all done up in pastel shades with plaster scrollwork on the ceiling. It reminded her of some of the confectionary shops in Paris she’d visited with her parents as a child. “Celebrate getting a new lead on your sister’s case. And to us coming to a truce.”
“A truce, huh?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Yep.” She tugged on his hand and led him over to two empty seats at the dark wood and marble counter. He helped her out of her coat then took off his own before sliding onto the stool beside hers. A waitress brought them waters and menus then left to wait on other customers while they decided. “We work pretty well together.”
He gave her a slow once-over that was so sexy, Shayma was surprised all the ice cream in the shop didn’t melt instantly. “We do a lot of things well together.”
“True,” she managed to squeak out as her cheeks heated and the waitress returned to take their orders—burgers, fries, and chocolate shakes. Once they were alone again, Shayma busied herself with straightening her silverware and folding the paper wrapper her straw had come in. “So, you’ll be glad to get the apartment back to yourself again, huh?”
He frowned and gave her some serious side-eye. “You going somewhere?”
“Mel texted me and said she and Daveed are going back to Heath’s condo tonight. Which means there’s no reason for me to stay with you anymore.” She let her voice trail off, hoping he’d pick up on her hint. When he didn’t, she laid it all out there for him. “Unless you want me to stay with you.”
Murphy paused mid-sip of his shake and stared straight ahead. “Oh, well…”
“I mean, no pressure or anything.” She fumbled her words, feeling like an idiot now for even bringing it up. It had been her, after all, who’d started the whole “fling” thing that morning anyway. For her to turn tail now and all but beg him to ask her to spend the night with him was silly. No matter how badly she wanted him to say it. “In fact, forget I mentioned it. It was stupid of me to—”
“Yeah.”
She rolled her eyes. “Glad we agree on something then.”
He frowned at her. “No, I mean yes. I think you should stay. With me. At the apartment. If you want to.”
Shayma opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
Murphy went back to sipping his shake while she fought to keep her grin inside. He wanted more sex with her. That had to be it. He didn’t do relationships. He’d made that clear. She wasn’t looking for that from him anyway. Was she?
Nope. It would be more sex for them. Nothing else. Red-hot, blazingly passionate, toe-curling, heart-thumping, forget-your-mama’s-name-orgasm-inducing sex. And she couldn’t wait.
They devoured their burgers in record time and they were every bit as delicious as Murphy had promised. As she finished the last of her fries, Murphy paid the bill then helped her back into her coat. He kept her hand in his as they walked back outside again, as if he couldn’t stand not to touch her somehow.
At the corner, she bounced on the balls of her feet to dispel some pent-up adrenaline and tried to think of something intelligent to say to get her mind off pressing him up against the nearest light post and dropping to her knees to take him into her mouth. She remembered the salty taste of his skin from the night before and planned to explore every single inch of him as soon as they were back in the apartment. To distract herself, she focused on Aileen’s case. “So, the senator. Guess you’ll be eager to call the guys with that info, right?”
A furrow formed between his dark brows and he tugged her across the street by his side. “Not this time. I want to talk to this guy by myself first.”
“But you’re a team. Just like you and me. You can’t go rogue on this. It’s too important.”
“Going it alone is what I do, darling.” He hurried down the sidewalk, dodging clusters of holiday shoppers and forcing her to keep up. “Must be that rebellious streak you warned me about before.”
Shayma waited until they reached Aileen’s apartment building before pulling her hand free of his. The thought that he’d leave his friends behind so easily to handle things on his own left her suddenly cold. She shivered in the increasing breeze and frowned. “You need to call Heath and Daveed.”
In response, he swooped down and kissed her so fast that she had no time to prepare for the onslaught of her emotions. He had her
up against the brick wall, his lips hot and soft against hers as he tasted her deeply. By the time he lifted his head, she could barely remember her name, let alone what they’d been talking about. “And you need to get inside, darling. Before I take you right here, right now, up against this wall.”
That actually didn’t sound like a bad idea to her. Then again, she was in enough trouble with her parents back home. The last thing she needed now was to be arrested for public indecency. Giggling, she managed to scoot out from underneath Murphy and take his hand, dragging him inside the lobby then over to the elevators, where they managed to get a car by themselves up to Aileen’s floor.
The minute the doors were closed, Murphy was all over—kissing her, caressing her, sliding his fingers up her thigh until he cupped the heat between her legs through her jeans. Shayma felt boneless, weightless, completely under his spell. It seemed all he had to do was touch her and she would melt into a puddle of goo at his feet.
Heat from their breath and bodies fogged the mirrors on the elevator walls and by the time the bell dinged on the fifth floor, Shayma wasn’t sure her knees would hold her. Luckily, she didn’t have to find out, since Murphy swept her up into his arms and carried her down the hall to the apartment door, ignoring her delighted squeals and the disapproving looks from several of the other tenants.
When he at last put her down, it was only to fish the key from his pocket, and then he still kept her close, his arm around her waist and her hands around his neck. They tumbled inside the place in a tangle of limbs and kisses and passionate sighs.
Shayma honestly didn’t remember getting naked or getting on the bed, but once she was there, she turned the tables on her big, buff, alpha man. The first time they’d made love, he’d been the one in charge and she’d loved every minute of it. But now, she wanted to take the opportunity to taste and explore every inch of him. After all, this might be her last chance, given how adamant he was about going his own way with his case. If he’d turned away from his buddies, leaving her too wouldn’t be far behind. She’d always known developing feelings for a man like Murphy would be risky, she’d just never expected to fall so hard, so fast.
Her heart pinched as she took advantage of his slow perusal of her body to leverage him over onto his back. This beautiful man was all hers right now, and she intended to take full advantage. Thighs straddling his hips, she loomed over him, taking in every line and sinew of his cut torso. She traced her nails lightly over his cheeks, down his neck, over the Navy SEAL tattoo over his heart, then stopped to toy with his small brown nipples. They were so sensitive, he bucked beneath her each time she gently scraped over them. Unable to resist teasing him further, Shayma bent to suckle one, while using her index finger and thumb to tweak the other. Murphy’s hand on her hips gripped tighter, not enough to hurt, just enough to let her know he was enjoying what she was doing. A low, hungry growl escaped from his throat before she silenced him with a kiss.
Straightening, she continued on her journey down his body, tracing the ridges of his taut abdomen and that delectable “V” of muscles near his pelvis that always drove women wild with lust. Finally, her fingers came to rest at the base of his erect cock. Shayma scooted lower down on his legs to allow her better access. He was magnificent, long and proud and not too wide around, with a glistening drop of fluid pearling at his tip. She stroked her thumb through that pre-cum and traced around the sensitive head of his erection before bringing the rest to her lips to taste him—salty and delicious.
Murphy grew restless beneath her once more and tried to roll her beneath him, but she refused to be swayed from her course now. Slowly, her gaze locked with his the entire time, Shayma bent and traced the tip of her tongue around the tip of his cock, once, twice, before sucking an inch or so of him inside her mouth. Murphy slammed his eyes shut and arched his back, his expression full of helpless need as she began a relaxed rhythm of up and down on him. As she pleasured him with her lips and tongue, she used one hand to fondle his balls while the other stroked the base of him. It wasn’t long before his hands, which had been tangled in the sheets beside him, came to rest on her scalp, gently guiding her into what he liked best.
Giving him what he needed was nearly as satisfying to her as having him inside her, but not quite. As much as she wanted to taste his essence in her mouth, she wanted to feel him moving within her even more. So, when his fingers tightened in her hair, signaling his impending orgasm, she backed off.
Murphy fumbled beside him in the nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom packet, which she quickly took from him and opened. Carefully, she put it on him, then positioned herself over his erection so that just his tip was touching her slick folds.
“Is this what you want?” she teased him, flashing him a devious little smile. She’d never really played the vixen in the bedroom before, but Murphy Coen seemed to bring out all her naughtiest sides. She slid him back and forth between her legs, causing them both to moan, before placing his cock at her wet entrance then slowly sliding down until she was completely seated on him. “This is definitely what I want.”
The words emerged as little more than a tumble of sighs as she began rising and falling atop him, tilting her hips slightly for maximum penetration and contact of her swollen clit against his abdomen when they touched. Soon, her head fell back and her eyes closed and she lost herself in sensation. Murphy reached up to play with her taut nipples as she rode him then gave up on submission altogether and sat up, increasing the angle of his cock inside her and taking control of the situation. He took one of her nipples into his mouth, nipping the tender flesh before soothing it with his tongue while reaching between them with the other hand to stroke her clit even more firmly with his fingers and bringing her closer to the edge.
Instead of fighting him, Shayma reveled in his control, arching against him and digging her nails into his shoulders as she slammed herself onto his cock over and over again, each stroke bringing her closer, closer…
“Oh, God,” she cried out, her forehead against his and their eyes locked. “I’m going to…”
“Come for me, darling,” he said, gripping her hips to steady her. “That’s it. Let go for me.”
“I-I…” Shayma sucked in a breath as her world exploded into millions of iridescent shards of light. Her inner walls gripped him tight as Murphy’s steady rhythm of thrusts faltered, harder, harder, until he too threw his head back and groaned, coming so deep inside her she could feel him unraveling at her very core.
With his face buried in the side of her neck and her fingers gently combing through his hair, they sat together, him still inside her as they rocked back and forth for what seemed a small eternity.
They weren’t a couple, weren’t anything formal, really. But when he held her like this and all was quiet and calm, everything in Shayma’s universe felt right. She’d never expected to find her mate so soon after breaking things off with Daveed, but it seemed that was exactly what happened.
Too bad a future between them was impossible.
Slowly, Murphy raised his head and kissed her gently before rolling them down onto the bed and discarding the used condom in the trash bin beside the night stand. He drew the covers up over them and snuggled her close to his side.
“That was incredible,” he said, stroking the damp hair from her forehead. “Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?”
“Once or twice,” she teased, smiling. These moments with him were what she lived for. The moments when she could see past his tough exterior and the walls he’d built around himself and glimpse the scared, abandoned little boy he’d been the day his mother had walked out. The psychologist in her knew that’s where all his bravado and arrogance came from. His rebelliousness too. But when they were like this—alone, unguarded, naked—she could almost imagine a life together with him, a life where he let her inside the fortress of his heart and they could start a family, a home, a life together.
Then her reality came crashing back. Her family wo
uldn’t accept him, wouldn’t accept anyone unless they’d handpicked the guy themselves. Here in New York, she was her own person, the ruler of her own life. An idea struck, crazy at first, but then gaining ground the more she thought about it. Perhaps she didn’t have to return to Al Dar Nasrani, not immediately anyway. Perhaps she could convince Murphy that what they had between them was worth fighting for and exploring more fully. Perhaps they could give things a trial run here in New York, after they found Aileen, and see if this volatile bond between them would grow into more.
Perhaps…
Her heavy eyelids slid closed and her lips curved into a smile as she drifted off into a sated sleep beside the man of her dreams.
6
It was a long while before they were on their feet and dressed again. Well, the on their feet part anyway. Murphy exited the bathroom, a cloud of steam following him from the long shower he and Shayma had just taken together, and strode over to the duffle bag he’d packed for his stay at his sister’s. After pulling on a pair of fresh boxer briefs he headed for the closet and his Navy dress whites uniform he’d always kept here just in case.
His SEAL training had taught him to always be prepared for any contingency and in Manhattan around the holidays, fancy parties were always a possibility. Not that he enjoyed dressing up in a monkey suit and hanging with a bunch of windbag politicians and wealthy elite, but if it would get him closer to finding Aileen, he’d do it.
As he tugged on his crisp white trousers, he glanced at the newspaper on the dresser, opened to the Society pages. Tonight was a huge benefit gala for the local children’s research hospital and most of the area senators would be in attendance, glad-handing and baby-kissing to get that all-important vote the following year. Just so happened Senator Lawrence was in town and a featured speaker at tonight’s event. Turned out his venture capital company had funded a wing at the children’s hospital.
“Aren’t you the sharp dressed man tonight. Going to meet an Admiral or something?” Shayma said, leaning in the bathroom doorway, a short towel that left little to his imagination wrapped around her.
