All This Time: A Billionaire, Bad Boy Romance (Fated Loves Book 3)

by Zee Irwin

  “Lay down on the beanbag. You’ll be more comfortable.”

  “I like your bossy side.” He planted onto the beanbag. “Hm. I still think a small couch might have been more comfortable in this space.”

  I brought his hands above his head and moved on him in the candlelight. Under me, I could feel his pants straining with his hard shaft, readied for me anytime I gave the word.

  After warming the lotion with my hands, I started at his waist, then worked my way up. With fingertips, I gently moved in slow circles. Eventually, he stopped flinching.

  “Good. Relax,” I encouraged in soft whispers. The candlelight with the moon shining through the window cast a warm glow in the room. Heat from his body warmed me plenty as if he had a layer of fur like an animal. Vanilla mixed with his after shave tantalized me into a temptress trance.

  The silence was golden, perfect, so I could hear his breathing and his moaning, which he often let out as my hands worked delicately along his skin. It didn’t feel different from normal skin, maybe softer, and now and then I sensed a ridge of scar tissue. By the time I worked up to his neck, the temperature of his skin was burning.

  “I need you to stop.”

  “Why? Does it hurt?”

  “Not because I don’t like it—I love it. Your hands doing things to me like that? I’m hard as a rock, Flower, and I need to be inside you.”

  I watched while he put a condom on, smoothing the roll down his length. Once back on the beanbag, he placed me on top of him and slid into me, filling me so well. We stayed like that for a moment with him so deep I swear he was touching my soul.

  He planted his feet and revved up into me, making quick work to ramp things up stroke after stroke. In short bursts, we found a fast rhythm, and his cock raged within me. There was so much passion in this man. To get him to let loose inside of me was my only goal. His pleasure was mine.

  He moved hard and fast, with his hands pressing my ass down on him. The pain was in his face as he strained to fight the rush building within. When his tempo changed to long strokes and his growl deepened, I knew he was almost there. His body tensed, his hands tightened on me, and his breathing came out in bursts until he groaned from his release.

  He stayed inside me as our breathing synced to a slower pace, holding me close to his chest. All I could think was how this was everything. I knew nothing other than the emotional connection with him, the physical pleasure of this man inside of me. Was that enough? With him, my world rocked, but I wanted more.

  He chuckled. “You know what? I kind of love this bean bag in your library now.”

  “I told you. It’s perfect for this space.”

  Only for me, the room was no longer my library, but ours.

  16

  Raw Wild Need

  Jace

  Another Prince Street burglary created full pressure coming at me from all sides, from the store owners to the media. Six robberies caused the mayor to call out Cap and the department for running a poor investigation. My blood boiled and Cap insisted we begin midnight stake outs on the street immediately.

  “I want answers, people. And Delfino, we gained fast-tracked approval for more surveillance cameras. Take Miller and get it done.”

  “Cap’s mood is setting a shitty tone around the station lately,” Travis observed.

  “With reason. Hey, let me finish up emails, and then we’ll roll,” I shot back to him.

  Sorting through a few more emails from business owners, I moved them to my leads folder and assigned a few detectives on my team to look into each. An email from Agent Browning came in with a file attached. I opened it, skimming through the details.

  The cold case he wanted me to look into included an insurance scheme. A fake company set up to help people with their insurance claims, but the company ran off with the money instead. It had the same eery undertones as Lily’s case.

  I dug further into the docs and opened a few photos when one jumped out at me. I jerked back in my chair. “Travis, come here. Take a look at these.”

  He hovered over my shoulder and read the name on one. “Bennie Goodson?”

  “He’s suspected of insurance fraud, conning people out of their money. But look at the third photo. Does that look like Frank Betto to you?”

  “The pizza guy?” He squinted, and I zoomed the photo in and out. “It’s too fuzzy to tell.”

  “I swear it’s him, he’s even got a gold watch on, just like Frank did when I met him. The guy bugs the shit out of me, and you know I’m rarely wrong about a person.”

  “Yeah, well, we can look into him later. Right now, Cap keeps glaring our way, a sign we’d better get moving on the camera installs.”

  Before I turned off the computer, I took another look at the photo. He stood with his arm around a shorter, gray-haired man. I wouldn’t mind being right about Frank. It’d give me great satisfaction to lock handcuffs on the guy and turn him over to Agent Browning.

  It was afternoon by the time we arrived at the bookstore with the equipment. Before Lily gave us access to the roof, I stole a few kisses from her.

  Travis and I spent a couple of hours setting cameras up on each corner of her building. We were down to the final connections.

  “I’m taking the kayaks to the river this weekend. Marcie’s mom is in town to see the baby and she’s letting me have a day off to get outdoors. You want to go with me?” Travis had the laptop from work open and attempted to connect with the servers. Once we set up the feed to the station, anyone could keep watch on Lily’s block anytime.

  “Nah. I’ll be installing a bathroom in the basement for Lily.”

  “You’re going all out for her. I hope she appreciates you, and gives you a lot of head.”

  I couldn’t help smiling from ear to ear. “I’m happy to report she’s been keeping me satisfied on a very regular basis.”

  “So, what, like you can’t leave for an afternoon to get out into nature with your best pal? First, I had to tear you away from your books. Now I have to tear you away from your girl? You’ve plunged right into the deep end, haven’t you?”

  “How so?” I paused my work with the wires to take a final swig of my iced coffee.

  “You met her online, you met in person, now you’re joined at the hip, working your ass off on this building remodel for her. You’re so committed, I think you skipped the dating part.”

  His words bugged me at first, but I brushed them off. “The way I see it, we didn’t meet in a conventional way. Things with Lily don’t need to be on any kind of predefined path. We’re fine.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, something glinted on a roof a few buildings away. The outline of a small group of people, maybe four men, was visible. One played with a shiny object in his hands, casting the sunlight in my direction like a laser beam. I could hear laughter on the breeze from the group.

  I counted the buildings and figured it must be the one housing the pizza place. Shielding my eyes from the glare, I strained, believing Frank to be one of them.

  I walked to the edge of Lily’s building to get a closer look. The other guys disappeared through the roof access door, but he stayed. I stared him down. After a minute, he appeared to salute me before turning back to the door.

  “Prick.” If only he was a foot in front of me, I’d dare him to glare the light in my face again. He wouldn’t get far after that.

  Travis had finished making the connections. “Look at this. Perfect views of the block. Thank you, technology.” The installation was complete, and the feed transmitted wirelessly back to the police station where the department’s computer servers recorded and monitored everything.

  As an extra precautionary step, we also installed a small camera outside my apartment window, focused in on the front of the bookshop windows and doors directly below. With a full view of whoever came in and out or nearby, I hoped to protect Lily from any danger. I would let nothing harm her or the shop if I could help it.

  Travis finished the setup, conn
ected through my television, and turned the system on. “Here we go. Let’s see if it works. Yep, there’s a guy walking into the bookstore now.”

  “Shit, that’s Frank.” I leaned in, watching his entry on the camera. “Fucking irks the hell out of me he hangs around Lily. I’m going down.”

  “Jace, come on, don’t go there.” Travis tried to warn me, but I was out the door already, heading down the stairs.

  I entered the shop like a bull, charging through to get to Lily, but the sounds of her laughter and voices stopped me. I saw them before they saw me, so I took advantage and hung back behind a shelf.

  They sat in the tea room across from one another, Lily looking fresh and beautiful as always, wearing a tight blue dress. Damn, why did she have her breasts on display like that in front of him? Sure enough, I saw where Frank’s eyes were lingering.

  If only I could hear what they were saying. He pulled a paper out of his suit pocket for her. She unfolded it and looked it over. Her face brightened. I needed to know what was on that paper.

  “Hey Jace, what are you doing?” I spooked when Simon rolled up behind me, announcing my presence that brought Lily’s and Frank’s eyes directed toward me.

  “Hey, Simon, just, you know, looking for a new book to read.” I grabbed the nearest one and started flipping pages.

  “You’re into The Essentials of Feminism by Gloria Feinsteinem? And you can read upside down?”

  I looked down at the book. Shit. It got shelved quickly just as Lily reached me. “Hey Flower, how are you?” I shot Frank a warning when he came up behind her.

  “Hi. Are you done installing cameras?”

  “Yep, finished. Full view of the street now.”

  Frank butted in. “Cameras? Is that what you were doing up there? Six Prince Street Robberies and the police department’s answer is more cameras?”

  So it was him on the roof. I straightened myself to appear taller. “Number one rule of detective work. Gather data and information. Cameras can’t hurt.” I wanted to divulge how a stake out crew would be on the street starting that very night, but couldn’t.

  “You know what my theory is? Probably just some local kids having a good time.”

  “Oh, that’s your theory, huh? Based on your astute observations and expertise? Why don’t you leave the police work to the professionals?”

  Frank stepped toward me and playground rules of a fight meant I stepped toward him too, puffing out my chest.

  “I would leave it to the professionals. See any around?” He snickered.

  It was a good thing Lily stepped between us with a shrill voice. “Alright, that’s enough testosterone in my bookstore for women. Go to your corners. Frank, go home. Jace, I’ll deal with you later.” Ladies from her afternoon reading group arrived and she huffed away from us to greet them.

  Frank continued to snicker, his eyes only diverting from mine once he was out the door.

  My chest loosened, and I exhaled. One look at Lily’s eyes cast toward me in utter disappointment, and I knew our first quarrel was imminent. With any luck, we’d make it through a fast discussion and get right into our first make up sex.

  Before I headed back upstairs, Simon stopped me. “Jace, wait up. Fucking Frank. Do you think he has anything to do with the robberies?”

  After running a hand through my hair, my blood was still boiling. “I can’t divulge anything about an active case. I don’t like the guy though.”

  “You and me both. I don’t know why my sister has stayed friends with him all these years. He was always in trouble through high school. If it weren’t for Lily covering for his ass all the time, he’d probably have been in worse trouble. When he moved to New York, Lily finally got out from under his thumb. It was good for her; she wisened up. This past year since he’s been back, though, she’s tried keeping him at arm’s length. His attempts at needling his way back in almost wore her down until you showed up. So, I guess I have you to thank for saving my sister.” He held out his hand for a fist bump.

  I bumped his back. “So we’re on the same page about Frank? Maybe you could keep your eyes and ears open for me, and let me know what they talk about if he visits again.”

  “You got it.” He nodded and wheeled away.

  Back upstairs, I found Travis packing up to leave. I got a soda out of the fridge, chugged it, and slammed it down on the counter.

  “Alright, Jace. Are you going to tell me about whatever is bothering you?”

  “Fuck, sometimes I forget how well you know me.”

  “We’re brothers in arms, man. You don’t spend a year in Afghanistan without ending up like two souls joined for life.”

  “In that case, help me figure out how to be a better boyfriend to Lily.”

  “That’s easy, be a better husband.” He winked at me.

  The thought brought a smile at first. “It might head that way one day, if I’m lucky, but right now there’s a minor bump—a hill, actually—that we need to get over and it goes by the name of Frank.”

  “Dude, come on. You’ve got nothing to worry about there. That’s like comparing steak to hot dogs. You’re the steak, of course.”

  “Thanks for clarifying. Only I look more like a mangled, chewed up piece of steak.”

  “Stop that. I’ve told you before. You’re the entire package. This Frank guy keeps coming around? You’re twice the man he is, and if Lily is worth her weight in gold, she’ll stick with you.”

  “Maybe you’re right. Listen, I’ve been thinking, what if we didn’t connect his burglary and fire at all to the others? Simon mentioned Frank had a troubled past. We should look into it. ”

  “Is this fueled by a real hunch or some vendetta against the guy?”

  “This is nothing personal.” I lied. “And I want to be wrong. Maybe the guy is just an asshole. Then again, maybe he’s an ass with a record and some devious motives who hangs around my girlfriend.”

  With the kitchen in Lily’s apartment complete, I saved one thing for last. If we were going to quarrel over Frank after she was off work, then it was time to pull the trigger on my little surprise. I needed all the help I could get.

  I installed the final touches to shelves at the end of the island and chose several of her Pyrex bowls to put on display there. One of my little wooden birds I recently finished, with its wings in the shape of hearts inspired by Lily, perched among them.

  I had flowers and dinner delivered, plus I had candles and bath bubbles ready at the tub. Layered rose petals on the bed—anything I could think of to keep our quarrel short and bring the romance back in. I’d be royally fucked if I lost her now, and all because of that idiot Frank.

  By the time she closed up the shop and made her way upstairs to me, it was late.

  “Hey, Flower.” I judged her face to figure out how mad she still was.

  She kicked off her heels at the door. “Hi. What was all that about earlier?”

  “Frank is an asshole, Lily.” Note for the future: her arguing style was direct and to the point.

  “I know he is. But he’s also a friend. He hasn’t had it easy, and now with his father’s shop burned down, you can’t show him a little compassion?”

  “Compassion? He basically called me unprofessional and told me I wasn’t doing my job. How do you expect me to respond to that?” Simon was right. Lily was completely blind to Frank’s nature.

  “Okay, yes, he verbally attacked you, and that wasn’t right. Oof,” she slapped the counter. “There’s no excuse for the testosterone-filled display that went on between you two in my store.”

  By this time, she was fuming in the kitchen, standing in front of me with her arms crossed. Her eyes would shoot daggers at me if they could.

  “Well, that’s where you’re wrong. We have a perfect excuse—you.” I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her, even if she wasn’t ready to uncross hers yet. “He’s your ex-boyfriend turned friend and I’m the new guy in town taking you away from him. It’s a classic case of j
ealousy.”

  “And both of you are guilty.”

  I cupped her chin. “Damn right. Can you blame me for wanting to protect what’s mine? I told you before, I won’t let go.”

  Her arms relinquished and wrapped around my neck. “I’m not going anywhere. And you need to trust me.”

  “I do, Flower, I do. And I’m sorry it all went down in your shop like that.” I brushed her forehead with a kiss. “One more thing. What was on the piece of paper Frank showed you?”

  “Oh, it was nothing. He’s planning a trip to Paris, taking some time off until his pizza shop gets rebuilt. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to go there so he asked for my opinion on his itinerary.”

  “Paris, huh? Duly noted. One of my newest specialties is making all your dreams come true, you know.” I dipped down to her neck, leaving a trail of kisses up to her earlobe.

  “Is it? Hm. I like the sound of that. Guess this was our first fight?” Her softer side made a reappearance.

  “Yeah. It wasn’t so bad. We survived. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to move things along to the make up part. Do you notice anything different around here?”

  It didn’t take long for her to spy the Pyrex bowls on display on the shelves. She freaked out. “My bowls? And flowers too? You really are amazing.” After she admired the dozen white roses, I grabbed her up, assumed a dancing position, and twirled her around the kitchen while I belted out the first random love song that came to mind. Her laughter filled the apartment, her smile filled my heart, and my soul exploded with all the things I felt for her.

  When my song was over, she bit her lip. “Take me to bed, Jace. I’m ready for makeup sex.”

  I stopped. My hand lifted her face to mine. Was that love I saw mirrored back to me in her blue eyes? “No. This won’t be just any sex, and not fucking either. We’ll be making love all night long. If we’re lucky, we’ll maybe get a few minutes of sleep. Because I love you, Lily. I think I’ve been falling for you all this time, and I’m ready to admit it. Only there’s no more falling; I’ve arrived at the exact place I need to be with you.”