FRAUD: An Unfit Hero Novel

by Faiman, Hayley

  “Beau,” she cries softly.

  I love that, too.

  The fact that she doesn’t scream and flail around. Her climaxes, her noises, are slight, soft, and just like everything else about her—gentle. Hutton isn’t a loud woman, though I do think I’ll accept the challenge of making her scream at some point in our relationship.

  “Not yet,” I warn.

  I’m going to have to take another shower this morning. Sweat has gathered on my face, forehead, and chest, but it’s worth every fucking droplet just being inside of her. Hutton mewls, her body shaking slightly as I continue to pound into her.

  “Please,” she begs.

  Sliding my hand from her hip, I touch two fingers to her clit. Her body jerks and I fuck her harder, faster, as my fingers move against her clit. It doesn’t take long, seconds only. She whimpers as her entire body locks up. I don’t stop, drawing out her climax before I bury myself to the hilt as my release takes over my entire body as well.

  She relaxes beneath me, her arms giving out as she slowly sinks down to the floor. I do the same, resting my chest against her back for just a moment before I slide out of her and roll over next to her.

  She turns her head, her hair a tangled mess from last night and this morning. Slowly, her lips turn up into a small lazy smile. I hold my breath as she reaches out, her hand pressing against my chest as her eyes stay focused on mine.

  “When did that get so good?” she asks.

  “What? Doggy style?” I grin.

  Her face turns pink and she shakes her head. “Us. Being with you?”

  I hum, gathering her in my arms and pulling her against my body. “It was good back then, too. It’s just better now because we appreciate one another in a way that we couldn’t ten years ago.”

  Leaning down, I press my mouth to hers. I kiss her so that she can’t say anything—so that she can just feel.

  Chapter Fourteen

  BEAUMONT

  Hutton insisted that I drop her off at the front porch of her house, instead of going inside then fucking her again before taking her to work. Against my personal desires, I did what she asked. I dropped her off and left. But I didn’t go far. Like the fucking creeper that I am, I went and bought her a muffin and coffee, then went to her salon.

  Laurie is already inside, a smile playing on her lips when she sees me with the breakfast and drink.

  “Did she get lucky? Tell me she did,” she snaps.

  Shaking my head, I press my lips together. “Not tellin’,” I state as I walk over to Hutton’s station.

  I set the cup and bag down, then sink down in her chair to wait for her. Leaning my head back, I close my eyes, trying not to think of the way she looked on her knees for me taking my cock between her gorgeous lips, I fucking fail.

  “Well, I’m glad you both got the closure you needed. Now you can move on with your lives,” Laurie says, interrupting my great memories.

  My eyes open and I spin around in the chair to look over at her. “What?” I bark.

  “Closure,” she says slowly as if I’m fucking stupid. “A good last screw to move on. It’s why neither one of you could properly get over one another.”

  I shake my head, standing to my feet. “No way. That’s not what last night was. Hutton knows that…” I start to explain that we’re together now but snap my mouth shut at the risk of sounding like a fucking woman.

  “Why don’t we just ask Hutton?” she asks, arching a brow.

  As if she’s been summoned, Hutton opens the front door. She freezes after only taking one step inside. Her eyes find me and her face pales for a moment before it turns that pretty shade of pink that I love so much.

  “Brought you breakfast and coffee.” I grin, sticking my thumb out and gesturing over my shoulder to the items behind me on the counter.

  Hutton takes another step inside. “Thanks,” she whispers.

  “Darlin’?” I take a step toward her, then another. Her body is frozen, and she looks funny as I wrap my hands around her waist. “What’s wrong?” I whisper.

  She shakes her head. “I’m just tired.”

  Grinning, I dip my chin and touch my mouth to hers. “Tonight, dinner again?” I ask.

  She bites her bottom lip, looking to the side, then back to me. “I shouldn’t…”

  “I’ll come to your place. I’ll bring dinner, too,” I offer.

  Hutton nods once. “Okay.”

  “What time’ll you be done here?”

  She presses her lips together. I can practically see her going over her calendar in her head, then she nods once. “I’ll be home by eight, I have one late client tonight.”

  “I’ll be there, give me a key and I’ll have dinner waiting.”

  “A key?”

  “A key.”

  Laurie clears her throat somewhere next to us in the room. I wait silently, then after about a minute of Hutton contemplating her decision, she reaches into her purse and brings out a handful of keys. I watch as she takes a step back, taking a key off of the keyring then grips it tightly in her palm.

  Hutton’s eyes lift to mine and I see the uncertainty in her gaze, but I know without a doubt that there is none in mine. I want this. Want her. She was always meant to be mine, it just took me a while to get my head out of my ass about her.

  It feels like I’ve won a war when she holds the small metal piece out to me. Taking it in my hand, I shove it in my pocket before I reach out for her.

  Gathering her in my arms, I slant my head and press my lips against hers, sliding my tongue deep inside of her mouth without wasting a second.

  I kiss her, deep and wet, enjoying the way she tastes and knowing that I’ll have more of her in just a few long hours.

  When I’m forced to break the kiss, I press my forehead against hers. “See you tonight, darlin’ girl,” I breathe.

  “See you,” she whispers breathlessly.

  Taking a step back, I lift my hand to Laurie, giving her a small wave and walk out of the salon, knowing without a doubt that both women are watching my retreating form.

  It may take a little time for Hutton to see that I want her, that I need her, that she’s mine. But I have all the time in the world to prove to her that she is exactly who I want. My decision has been made, and she’s it.

  HUTTON

  “Spill,” Laurie demands just as the door closes behind Beaumont’s gorgeous jean-clad ass.

  Walking over to the wall, I reach for my apron and slip it on without saying a word. Then I make my way over to my station. Picking up the coffee, I bring it to my lips and take a long sip as I sink down into my chair.

  I hiss once my ass hits the seat. I’m much more tender than I thought I would be, something I didn’t realize until I showered and started getting dressed this morning.

  “I can’t wait much longer, Hutton,” Laurie snaps.

  Turning my chair toward her, I inhale deeply then let out a sigh. “I don’t know what happened,” I admit. She lifts a brow and I shake my head, my lips twitching. “Well, I mean I was all set to just eat dinner and leave. Tell him how he made me feel and just move on.”

  “But…”

  “He was open, honest. Even if I didn’t necessarily like hearing everything that he said, it was refreshing. He also told me that he wanted us to be together, be committed.”

  “How could he want that? It’s been like, a minute,” she mumbles.

  I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to let her words fill me with doubt, but if I’m being honest, I was already filled with that doubt. I was so stupid this morning and set up a Google Alert for Beaumont’s name.

  Not more than five minutes later I saw a picture of him slipping inside of some fancy house in Los Angeles. The celebrity gossip site said that it was Andi Anderson’s house. My stomach dropped, then flip-flopped. I already knew that they dated a while ago, but they’re always linked together, deemed to be this meant-to-be couple.

  “I don’t know,” I snap. “He just did.”r />
  “What happened?”

  “Google Alerts are dumb,” I grunt, reaching for the small white bakery bag on my station.

  Once I set it down in my lap, I smile as I open it. It’s a muffin, chocolate chip. Taking it out, I peel the paper off slowly then take a big bite. If my mouth is full, then I can’t answer Laurie’s questions.

  “You’re going to have to explain that to me,” she demands.

  Rolling my eyes, I swallow the bite of muffin, then take another drink from my delicious coffee. It’s a large hot dark chocolate mocha, one of my favorites.

  “It just means that less than a week ago there was a picture taken of him going into Andi Anderson’s house. I shouldn’t have even signed up for the stupid alerts. I just…”

  “You’re nervous, scared, and afraid to get hurt again?” she guesses.

  Nodding, I lick my lips, trying not to moan as I taste the delicious chocolate. It’s like he knew exactly what I needed this morning.

  “All of the above,” I admit.

  “Ask him about it. If he’s being honest with you, ask him.”

  “Admit that I have a Google Alert set up for him?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.

  Laurie snorts. “Fuck no. Just tell him that you saw it on your newsfeed or something.”

  I bite the corner of my lip, wondering if it would be considered a lie. I don’t want to lie to him, not ever, especially since he made such a big deal about this being real.

  “That doesn’t seem honest,” I point out.

  Laurie shakes her head. “Listen, he’s famous, he’s going to know that you or your friends will be checking him out online and reading gossip about him, then telling you. That’s just the way of the world.” She shrugs.

  “It feels wrong,” I mutter.

  Laurie laughs as she stands to her feet. “Maybe it is, but he’s a celebrity, babe. He’s used to it. Now, tell me the details, how big is his dick.”

  I can’t hold back my snort. Shaking my head, I stand to my own feet and make my way over to my reception desk. “I’m not telling you any of that.”

  “Oh, Hutton, you don’t have to tell me a damn word.”

  “I don’t?”

  “Nope,” she says, popping the P. “That walk and the way you hiss when your pussy hits the chair says it all.”

  Lifting my eyes to meet hers, my mouth drops open and I’m about to say something when the bell above the door rings and Laurie’s first client of the day walks in. Laurie winks at me, my lips snap closed and I turn to my computer to see who I am working on today.

  The entire time I wonder if it’s that obvious. I mean, I ache in the best way. I know that I hiss when I sit down, but I didn’t think anyone would really be able to tell.

  This is going to be the longest day ever.

  And it is.

  Each client that comes in has somehow heard that I’m affiliated with Beaumont. They all want to know the entire story. I don’t know where they heard it, or how, but when the fourth person asks me about him, I decide that I need to get to the bottom of it.

  “Did you tell anyone anything?” I ask Laurie as soon as the shop is empty of customers.

  “What?” she asks, looking confused.

  Frowning, I tilt my head to the side. Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. “No way, Hutton. I wouldn’t do that to you. What you guys have, that’s yours. I mean, I want to know about Andi and I want all the deets from you, but I’m not going to say shit to anyone. Especially with who he is.”

  “Then who do you think told?” I ask.

  “I don’t know. He did stare at you during that whole show. Maybe someone looked deeper.” She shrugs. “Or maybe he told someone. Hell if I know.”

  Something doesn’t sit right. I trust Laurie, but how do all of my clients know about my relationship with Beaumont when it only really started last night. I don’t even really know what we are, yet my clients want all this information.

  I do a few things on the computer as I wait for my late client. She’s a single mom who works for the county and doesn’t get off until six in the evening. I’ve been doing her hair for a few years. Her name is Lindie. She usually picks her baby up from daycare, then brings her here with her.

  Most of the time I don’t allow kids running around my salon, but this is different. The shop is closed and Lindie has been working so hard as a single mom, she deserves to be able to have her hair done. Laurie usually stays and plays with the baby the entire time so that Lindie can just relax a little.

  “Oh shit,” Laurie hisses. Lifting my gaze, I wait for her to continue. “An anonymous source close to the guitar-slinging recovering alcoholic, says that he has recently reconnected with a long-lost girlfriend who resides near his hometown of Gallup, Texas. Hutton Baker is her name, she’s a blue-collar hair stylist who apparently has had the heart of the infamous Beaumont Griffin for a decade…”

  “Oh my God,” I breathe.

  Lifting my hand to my chest, I try to feel around to see if my heart is still beating. It is, but I don’t know how, because I feel dead. Shaking my head, my eyes find Laurie’s gaze.

  “What am I going to do? He’s going to think I went running to the paparazzi,” I hiss.

  Laurie shakes her head. “No way in hell, if anything, he’ll think it’s me.” She rolls her eyes. “It wasn’t,” she clarifies.

  “I want to crawl into a hole right now. I mean, how. Why?”

  My cell phone rings and I stare at it, seeing Beaumont’s name on the screen. This morning he demanded that he put his number in my phone and I put mine in his too. It felt weirdly right in the moment, now I’m wondering if all of it was just some kind of fantasy and this is the reality and it’s about to explode.

  “Hello?”

  “I don’t want you to freak out,” he begins. “But someone leaked your name to the press. I don’t know who it was, but it doesn’t matter. Really, I just want to make sure you’re going to be okay.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, darlin’ girl. I just want to make sure you’re okay. They put your name and the salon in the article. No pictures yet, but they’re probably coming and they will be terrible, because that’s what these people do.”

  Without thinking, I blurt out my next words and I wish that I didn’t. I wish that I could shove them back in my mouth and swallow them down.

  “You mean like the one of you walking into Andi Anderson’s house a couple days ago?”

  Laurie gasps from across the room. I lift my eyes to hers and her mouth is hanging open in surprise. I’m in shock myself and surprised that I said anything, let alone what I just did.

  “Where’d you see that?”

  “Online. I saw the article too, or Laurie did, she just read it to me. I don’t know, Beaumont, maybe all of this is too much,” I ramble.

  He snorts. “Come home to your place when you’re done with your last appointment.”

  His voice is gentle, too soft, and it makes me think that he’s got some kind of ulterior motive. Before I can ask, he ends the call. Glancing at my cell, I frown when I see that it’s almost time for Lindie to arrive.

  “What’d he say?”

  My frown stays firmly in place, my thoughts spinning with no real direction. “He told me that he knew about the article, but didn’t know who leaked it. He said they would post pictures soon of me and they would be terrible, but that he just wanted to make sure that I was okay.”

  “And when you mentioned Andi?” she asks.

  I shrug. “He told me to just come back to my place after my appointment.”

  “Well, then that’s what you’ll do.” She smiles.

  I nod. It’s what I’ll do because it’s my house. Also, I want this, but I don’t know if I’m at all prepared for what this means. I want him. I want more of the way that he makes me feel. I want more orgasms. I want more of everything, but I’m not sure I can handle the cost. I need to talk to him more, not have sex, but talk.

  Tonight.


  Chapter Fifteen

  BEAUMONT

  Fuck.

  I lift my hand and run my fingers through my hair. Andi. I don’t know who caught me slipping inside of her place, but apparently, it’s all over the internet. The fucking internet, the bane of my goddamn existence.

  Hutton is already skittish as shit, and now this? How do I explain to her that a little over a week ago I was balls deep inside of Andi? Would she buy the fact that I was on edge and needed release? I highly doubt it, because I know that I wouldn’t.

  Climbing into my truck, I decide to check in on Louis. I know that he’s still here, hiding out in his place and trying to take a mental break before his next fight. It only takes me a few minutes to drive out to his place.

  I need to watch the time so that I can make it to the grocery store, then to Hutton’s before she’s off work. I thought about getting dinner somewhere nice, but then I remembered that my girl loves the handmade pizzas from the grocery store in town, so that’s what we’re going to have.

  Louis’ house comes into view and I rev my engine as I pull up his circle drive. I watch as his door opens and he flips me off from right inside before he turns and walks away. Chuckling, I climb down from the pickup and make my way toward his kitchen where I know he’s probably mixing some protein powder bullshit up.

  “What’re doin’ here?” he asks with his back to me.

  I watch him for a moment, then grin as soon as he turns around with a shaker cup in his hand.

  “There was a gossip site that featured a picture of me walking into Andi Anderson’s. Hutton saw it,” I say.

  Louis will get it, he’ll understand more than anyone, because he’s in the media as well. He isn’t followed as much as I am, but paparazzi still keep tabs on him.

  “What’d you tell her?” he asks.

  I shrug. “I’m taking dinner over to her place in a couple of hours, told her we’d talk about it then.”