by L. A. Fiore
“Me?” Surprise and pleasure weaved through that word.
“The day in the market with the celery.”
There was a touch of embarrassment in her expression now, which surprised me since I’d tasted every inch of her body, knew her as intimately as a person could, and still she could feel embarrassed with me. I’d have to work on that, even while finding the flushing of her cheeks endearing. “I can only imagine what you thought of me.”
“I thought you were adorable and sexy as hell.”
“Right. Swatting tea boxes off the shelf with celery is really sexy.”
Setting my beer on the counter, I pulled her to me. “When you do it, fuck yeah, it’s sexy.” Brushing my thumb over her cheek, I didn’t like the dark circles under her eyes. “You’re tired.”
“I don’t want to be, but I am.”
My dick hardened, even knowing I wouldn’t be enjoying her body tonight, the disappointment in her voice over that fact was like a fucking aphrodisiac. “There’s always the morning.”
“I like the way your mind works.”
Placing my bottle in the sink, I took her hand and led her to the bedroom. Loki was already there, at the foot of the bed, snoring. She climbed under the covers as I stripped. Her gaze on me as I did, turned me rock hard. Knowing the effect she had on me, she smiled coyly. Joining her, I pulled her to me, her head coming to rest on my shoulder. She was sound asleep a few seconds later.
In the morning when I woke, Avery wasn’t in bed, a fact I planned on rectifying. Detouring to the bathroom, I then went on the hunt. Found her in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee as she looked outside. Hearing me, she turned in my direction as her lips curved into a welcoming smile.
“Morning.”
“It’d be a better one if you were still in my bed.”
“I had a thought for a recipe, wanted to write it down before I forgot. The smell of the coffee was too enticing.”
She was too enticing, sitting there in her over-sized sleep shirt, her legs curled up under her, her hair down around her shoulders. Moving closer, I touched her chin to lift her lips to mine, catching her slight gasp of surprise, my tongue taking the advantage to sweep her mouth which tasted like coffee. The sexy purr that came from the back of her throat was all it took to turn the morning kiss into something more. Reaching for the mug, I set it on the table before lifting her into my arms. She giggled.
“I love that you can lift me like I weigh next to nothing.”
“You do weigh next to nothing.”
“Not with this ass I don’t.”
Tossing her on the bed, she laughed as I stripped out of my sweat pants and pounced. Her laughter died, desire replacing it.
“I love your ass. If you lose even one pound, I’ll insist you gain it back.”
Her eyes were glazing over, a sure sign that she had skipped ahead in her mind. Confirmed when she replied to my ridiculous comment with, “Okay.”
Closing my mouth over hers, I savored her flavor, savored the feel of her breasts pressing against my chest, her hips moving into me, her delicate hands running over my back as if she was memorizing me. Moving her shirt up and over her head, my gaze moved to her breasts, her nipples were hard and awaiting my attention. Touching her with just the tip of my tongue, I felt her body jerk, watched as she arched her back like an offering. I played, teasing that tight bud, while watching her body writhe in pleasure. Her nails scored down my back, her legs spread wider, her pussy rubbing against my cock and already she was wet and ready. Pulling her breast deep, fucking loving how sweet she tasted, my fingers moved to between her legs, searching and finding her, pushing in and feeling as her body trembled. My mouth joined my fingers and as soon as my tongue pressed on her clit, she flew apart, my name ripping from her throat as the orgasm crashed over her. Reaching for the bedside table, I grabbed a condom, rolled it on before lifting her hips higher and slamming into her. She was still coming down from the last orgasm; she flew right back over again. Never had I had someone so responsive. Watching the place where we were connected, feeling her tight, wet body taking me deep, holding me…I blew like an adolescent as intense pleasure rolled through me.
Catching her eye, she grinned. “Again.”
Rolling her so she sat astride me, I shifted my hips. “Give me a few minutes.”
Pressing down on me, she lowered her mouth to mine. “Take all the time you need.”
Round two commenced five minutes later.
“Hey, Mom. I’m on my way to work. Can I call you back during my dinner break?”
“Tell me that little trollop did not attempt to use you and your new job to get her baby shower at Clover.” With all that was happening between Rafe and me, I had completely forgotten about Dad and that lunch.
“How did you hear about it?”
“Your father called, upset over the argument you had. When he explained why he went to see you, I think I turned him deaf with how loud I screamed. That oblivious man didn’t even realize how what he was asking of you would hurt you. He knows now, not only did I give it to him but Harold gave him what for too.”
“No, he didn’t.” Harold was a very laid-back man; he rarely got upset over anything. In fact in all the years I’d known him, I had never heard him raise his voice.
“He called your father a blind fool for not seeing the manipulation of his wife and her horrible treatment of you and Nat. I swear I kissed the man’s face off while he was still on the phone with your father.”
An involuntary shiver went through me even as a giggle burned up my throat. “We’re getting dangerously close to you sharing too much information.”
“Your father may have a mind for business, but his people skills suck.”
“Truer words.”
“Are you okay? I know how much that had to have hurt. And don’t try and be brave. Tell me the truth.”
“It hurt, it gutted. Why the man thinks he’ll be any better the second time around when he failed so miserably the first time baffles me. How he could step all over my feelings. That he’s unable to see how not only his request, but also the fact that he talks so blasé about having another kid would affect me. Yeah, I had a good cry, but then I went back to my awesome job and came home to a killer omelet made for me by my fantastic landlord. That helped a lot in soothing the hurt.”
“I’m sorry, Avery.”
“I’m okay, but I got to ask. What was it that attracted you to him because I honestly don’t see it?”
Her exhale was loud enough for me to hear. “He was very charismatic, your father. And when he talked about his job, there was such passion and since we were talking about insurance, I assumed he was just a passionate man. After we’d been together for a while, the charisma faded and I discovered that his only passion was his work.”
“That had to be lonely for you.”
“I had you and Nat. I wasn’t lonely at all. And now I have Harold whose passion is me. He knows how I take my coffee. I never told him, he’s just so in tuned to me that he knows everything there is to know about me. We’ve been together for eleven years. Your father and I were together for twenty-three and that man doesn’t even know what my favorite color is. Enough about me, tell me about this Rafe.”
It was my turn to exhale on a sigh. “He’s incredible. Hot, yes, but thoughtful, hardworking, funny. He wanted to know why I was here alone, where my friends were, where you were. I explained you and Harold and Dad and how I never had many friends I’d be willing to help with burying the body. I told him I’d help him bury one, he said he’d help me too.”
“Ah, bonding over a felony. That’s adorable.”
I laughed; my mom was a goof. I guess that’s where I got it. The thought warmed me.
“I’m in love with him.”
“I can tell.” Mom’s voice was very soft. “I want to meet him.”
“I’d like that, but not yet. We’ve only just started and having you and Harold driving up in your RV would be weird.”
>
“All right. We’ll wait a little bit.” Her voice turned questioning. “Are you really okay with the way things were left with your dad?”
“Yeah, I’ve finally reached my limit with him. He wants to be in my life, he needs to make the effort.”
“Fair enough. We’ll talk soon. Love you, Avery.”
“Love you.”
Stepping in the café near Clover, the line wasn’t as crazy as usual. I understood why the place was always packed. The coffee was great, but it was the sandwiches that were inspired; my favorite, the roasted turkey, goat cheese, avocado and lime on twelve-grain bread. Yum.
Rafe’s dad was coming to dinner tomorrow night, Rafe had called earlier asking if I’d join them. His first dinner with his father in his home was a big deal and he wanted to share it with me. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.
While I stood in line, I noticed Melody just off to the side of it. I’m pretty sure I made some type of animal noise, since several people in the line were giving me strange looks. It wasn’t a surprise to see her at this eatery—it was a very popular lunch spot—but the idea of interacting with her on any level was taking away my appetite.
It was while I stared at her wishing she’d vanish into thin air—where was that fairy godmother when you needed her—I noticed the man next to her. It was the manner in which he stood with her that gained my full attention. He was completely in her space and though she was very pretty and likely had people in her space often, she didn’t look happy to have him there. Concerned, despite myself, I wondered if I should get closer to assess the situation.
As I debated on my course of action, I kept my focus on her on the off chance she’d see me and signal if she needed help. But as I watched, she never glanced over. I was beginning to think he was her new love interest, a thought I could wholeheartedly get behind, and she was just pulling her usual shenanigans when he grabbed her by the upper arm hard enough she not only winced in pain, but cried out. Several men in line started toward her because it was clear now, whatever was happening was happening without her consent. The man leaned in, said something that had her flinch, before he made his leave of her. When I got my first good look at him, my breath caught because despite being older, he was beautiful. He moved through the tables with grace; his suit exquisitely hung from his frame—a build that would make men twenty years younger jealous. And even as handsome as he was, his eyes were vacant. A chill went through me when he passed by me because he gave off some seriously dark energy.
Turning back to Melody, she was staring right at me, but instead of the malevolence I was usually treated to, she looked rattled.
Despite myself, I joined her. “Are you okay?”
“No.” She wasn’t just rattled; she was actually shaking.
“Who was that?”
“Not a good man.”
“I could see that in the way he grabbed you. How do you know him?”
She didn’t answer. Her silence not so much from fear now—she was bouncing back from the encounter—but intentional as she worked the angles. I shouldn’t have gotten out of line.
“I need to talk to Rafe. He’ll know what to do.”
Despite the fact that I didn’t like the woman, her scheming even less, that man hadn’t been playing. Whether she knew it or not, she was in trouble.
“Melody, who was that man?”
Gone was the frightened woman, to be replaced with the bitch I had come to know. “It’s none of your business. This is between Rafe and me.”
Rafe? How the hell had that scene been about Rafe? It was pointless, me asking that, but I did anyway.
Her reply, “You’re still here?”
I had never wanted to punch someone as badly as I wanted to punch her. Moving closer to her, there was no question what emotion fueled my next words. “Listen clearly you stupid bitch. I don’t know what the hell kind of game you’re playing, but I do know that man who just left gave off some seriously dangerous energy. You might not realize this because what you got in looks you seriously lack in brains, but that man meant business.”
Maybe she wasn’t as dumb as she looked because that got through. Fear shadowed her expression. Her next words did not at all clarify the situation. “I did something.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t think it was a big deal, I was mad…”
Warning lit down my spine. “What wasn’t a big deal?”
For a second I thought she was going to share, but instead she only further confused me. “That man is seriously unhinged. I need to warn Rafe.”
“That man has an interest in Rafe?”
“Yeah.”
Before I could press her for more, she walked around me. “I have to go.”
And then she was gone. I just stood there like an idiot and watched her walk away because there was enough truth in what she said, and how she acted, that had me worried.
Reaching for my phone, I called Rafe.
“Hey babe, what’s up?”
“I just saw Melody. Something is up with her. There was a man. He looked like a very bad man. He manhandled her, right in the café with plenty of witnesses. He didn’t seem to care in the least. When I pressed her about it, she mentioned he was interested in you.”
“Goddamn it.”
“She’s going to try to spin it, but whatever is going on, the man looked dangerous.”
“I’ll take care of it. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just concerned for you.”
His voice warmed, I hadn’t realized how cold it had turned. “Don’t worry about me, but I like that you are.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Talk to her. If I’m going to be late, I’ll call.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“Later, babe.”
Returning to work, my thoughts were on Rafe and how for the first time since I started my job, I wanted my shift over because I was worried…downright scared.
Dialing Melody, I didn’t even let her speak.
“Are you home yet?”
“Rafe, I’m so glad you called.”
“Cut the shit. Are you home?”
“Almost.”
“I’m on my way.”
A half an hour later, Melody opened her door for me. A big smile on her face like this was a social call.
“Who was the man Avery saw you with?”
“Nice greeting.”
Even now, she was still playing her games. I didn’t hide my fury when I got right up into her face. “Who the fuck was the man?”
She pulled a hand through her hair. I had never seen her do that. She was nervous, or scared, under the makeup and practiced look she so carefully put together. Good.
“I was mad at you, wanted to hurt you like you had me.”
“What did you do?”
“That man, he approached me a few weeks ago, knew about us—more to the point us breaking up—and asked me to help with providing him information on you.”
I didn’t like where this was going. “Come again?”
“I shared your schedule with him.”
“My schedule?”
“Yeah, your schedule, that of Avery’s and your alarm codes.”
Rage, sharp and potent, slammed into me. Avery wasn’t just on his radar; he’d likely been tracking her. “That’s why you wanted the codes from Avery?”
“He wanted into your house. You have something he wants. My job was to tell him when you weren’t home so his guy could get in.”
Despite the fury at having my home invaded at the hand of someone I once cared for, apprehension straightened my spine too. “Are you telling me someone has been in my home?”
“Yeah, but only twice.”
Even as rage had my hands curling into fists, my stomach dropped. Thank God Loki had taken to staying in the carriage house, but he’d have sensed them. He would have known someone was trespassing and wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing about it.
�
�Why did the man seek you out today?”
“You changed the alarm codes, he wanted the new codes and I wasn’t getting them fast enough.”
Son of a bitch. “What are they looking for?”
“A disc, like an old compact disc or something.”
“And why the hell does this man think I have this disc?”
“It has something to do with your dad. He didn’t go into detail.”
Even suspecting this linked to Dad, it still rocked me. Someone was still interested in the robbery, enough that they were willing to commit a felony. Searching my place for something of Dad’s made sense with him in prison, I’d be the one who had his stuff. A disc—that was likely what Lucas had been after. It certainly would fit in a security box, and compact discs were the popular storage method for electronic data in the early 90s—definitely not a coincidence. “What’s supposed to be on it?”
“I’ve no idea.”
There was a sour taste in my mouth at how blinded I had been by a pretty face. “You invaded my privacy, put Avery and me at risk and all because you were pissed that I ended us and not you? And you claim to love me. You don’t know shit about love.”
It was likely just another of her games, but those words seemed to have hit home. Her eyes grew bright, but I didn’t give a shit. “If these people are the same people I think they are, they have a tendency to kill those who come back empty-handed.”
She paled; even under her makeup I saw that. At least her head was no longer up her ass. “You should be scared. Go to the police. Tell them what you know. I’ll take you if you want.”
“You would do that? Why?”
“Because people have died in whatever shit you’ve gotten yourself caught up in. And I might not like you, but I don’t want to see you dead.”
Her fear was easy to see now. She was playing with the big boys and had no idea just how dangerous a game she was playing. This afternoon gave her a taste and she clearly didn’t like it. “I can’t tell them much.”
“Tell them what you told me, but we need to report it because these people have killed before. And since they haven’t gotten what they seek, they’re likely to do so again.”
