Audrey sighed. “Look—”
“Why the hell didn’t you mention the mask earlier?” he interrupted.
She glanced sideways at him. “I also didn’t mention the license plate. Besides, we were a little preoccupied, or have you forgotten already?”
Simon cracked a hint of a smile and softened a little. “No. I haven’t. You’re right, we didn’t really talk about what actually happened.” He reached for her hand and twined his fingers with hers. “I just saw you bleeding and wanted to take care of that first.”
Audrey felt the warmth of his skin, and ran her thumb over the back of his hand, stroking the fine hairs. She had the urge to nibble on one of his fingertips, but this was not the time or the place. Maybe later. Hopefully. Charlie’s warning whispered in her mind and she shoved it back.
They rode in silence, more comfortable now that tension had eased. Within minutes, Simon was pulling up to the gate.
The duo found that shift change had ended just before they arrived, but the officer in charge was still there. He’d remembered seeing a car similar to the one that Audrey described but couldn’t give a solid identification. Just another vehicle on a busy military installation.
They walked out of his office and back to the front desk. The MPs and contractors were talking about the hit and run that morning. One of the young troops commented that she thought it was a rumor.
Audrey turned toward her. “It isn’t a rumor. It happened to me this morning, and it wasn’t an accident.”
One of the civilian guards asked about the vehicle.
“Vehicle was probably a rental,” she said. “It was a later model grey Camry, or something similar. Nondescript.”
“It isn’t going to be the same car that the person normally drives, which will make it almost impossible to identify who did it,” Simon said. “If anyone asks odd questions about the agents, get that information to us.” He got a few nods of acknowledgment from the people on duty, and sighed internally. He’d just have to trust that they did the right thing.
Before they left, he grabbed the stack of logs from the printer, and tucked them into a canvas bag he’d brought. Time to get busy.
***
Audrey took off to go shower and change. The hot water did a lot to ease her exhaustion and clear her mind, and she felt mostly human as she walked back to work.
Voices, and the smell of food, carried down the hallway as she entered the building. Her stomach reminded her she hadn’t eaten since last night. She rounded the corner and entered the conference room at the back of the building.
First Sergeant had ordered pizza, and they gathered in the conference room. The three men started working backwards through the time charts, in the event they had multiple entrances by one or more people.
She grabbed a couple slices of pizza and the top sheet off the pile, wincing a little as she sat, sore after her acrobatics.
Randall watched her. “You might wanna take something for the pain,” he said.
“Already did. I’m fine, just a little stiff.”
“Do you think this has anything to do with your last assignment?”
She thought for a moment, chewing. After she swallowed, she said, “I don’t think so. The stuff they were looking for was pretty low level, and you know they took care of the people involved. I doubt they’d spend the time or money to come find me.”
Simon turned. “How did they take care of the people?”
“They won’t be talking to anyone soon.”
He frowned at her. “You know we have to at least consider that shit. Maybe you need to remember that there’s a team here working on this. You’re not in the field.” He turned back toward the board, his shoulders stiff.
“I’ll get the file,” Randall said, turning toward his office.
Audrey looked around the room. The white board was full of dates, times, places, all revolving around her travel. There were boxes on the table, filled with the reports they’d gathered that morning and who knows what else. It was only a matter of time before Simon and the rest of them found out about her father.
She looked at him. He was sitting at his computer, focused on one monitor. His shoulders and jaw were tight, and he was studiously not looking at her. He’d asked about her family, but hadn’t pried when she didn’t go into detail beyond her father not being in the picture. She knew she should tell him before he found out on his own, but every time she thought about it, she choked.
After work, she decided. She’d go talk to him after work.
CHAPTER NINE
The group got no further that afternoon with the investigation. They had made a dent in the visitor logs but had a considerable way to go when Randall pushed away from the table and told them all to get lost.
Simon slipped out to make some copies, and by the time he made it back to his desk, Audrey had gone. He wanted to catch her and talk in the office, since it was neutral ground. His gut told him she still hadn’t told him the whole story, that there were details she was hiding. She’d been quiet all afternoon, and he understood, but he needed to know what was going on. The team needed to know, he thought. Part of this was the investigation, and part of this was his personal attachment. After her initial call that morning, Simon had realized he needed to reign in his emotions. Keep them locked down. He also needed an outlet.
He went to the gym.
As he lifted weights and made his circuits, he ran over the events in his mind. It still bothered the hell out of him that Audrey wouldn’t confide in him, and it bothered him even more that she had affected him like this. She had every right to her privacy and didn’t owe him anything, except that her keeping that information quiet stung after their morning.
Once his muscles were screaming, the thoughts in his head leveled off. She was her own person. Besides, it’s not like they were an item. He shook his head. One kiss doesn’t make a relationship, no matter how hot that kiss was.
By the time he finished punishing himself, his muscles were shaking and sweat was dripping off of him. He racked all of his weights and wiped down the equipment before he left.
It was well after dark, and the street lamps glowed. As he approached the complex, he scanned for her truck and grew annoyed with himself for doing so. Still, it was there, but Charlie’s car wasn’t. He looked at her window, but couldn’t tell if there were any lights on.
Simon showered and pulled on a t-shirt and shorts. He went into his kitchen area and yanked open the fridge, rummaging through until he’d gathered up a beer and a sandwich he had made from the night before. As he was settling on the couch and reaching for the remote, he heard Audrey call out, “See ya later!” and footsteps approached.
He took a long pull on the bottle and listened as heavy things dropped on the concrete landing. He hit the power button on the remote, and the TV sprung to life. Repeats. No matter, it was all for distraction anyway. His nerves were still tingling, and he was alert, too alert. He made a mental note to take a long run in the morning. Hell, if he kept up this level of frustration, he’d be in amazing shape in no time. Clunking and banging echoed from next door. He ignored it. Or pretended to.
As he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, he wiped his mouth and picked stray crumbs off of his shirt. Simon drained his beer, and got up to throw everything away. He debated on having another, but decided on a glass of water instead. As he was filling up the glass, there was a knock on his door.
He froze.
The knock sounded again. This time, he answered.
Audrey was still in her work clothes, but barefoot. She looked up at him. He stared back, choking on his frustration and the desire to crush her to him.
A small, nervous smile played on her lips. “Er, sorry I bailed so quick. Had some stuff to do.”
Simon opened his mouth to speak, but she continued, “And well, I think we have some things to talk about.”
He stepped aside to let her in and closed the door behind her. His hands were shaking, a
nd he balled them into fists and shook them out. When he looked up, she was staring at him.
“Simon, are you okay?”
He cleared his throat. “Did you want to talk about the case?” His frustration, her secrecy, the danger of the morning, and her proximity to him in his space closed in on him, winding tight and threatening to make him lose his cool. The logical thing would be to ask her to leave, but he wasn’t interested in logic. Not by a long shot.
She licked her lips. “No.” Her eyes locked on his mouth. Slowly, she raised them to meet his.
The blood rushed through his ears in time with his heartbeat. He raised his eyebrow and looked at her, stepping around her to grab his glass of water from the table. He drained it in one go, willing to calm his nerves.
“This morning . . .” she began, her head turned to the side.
The teasing over the past weeks and that morning’s kiss washed over him and he was done holding back.
Simon stepped up behind Audrey. “I told you we were going to revisit this morning,” he murmured low in her ear. He trailed his left hand up her arm and felt the fine hairs raise up as his fingers passed over. Her breathing was shallow. He could smell the clove and cinnamon of the body oil she wore, and there was something else. Arousal.
“Unless you are having second thoughts about that,” he continued. She gasped and shook her head.
Simon laughed, soft and low, and dipped his head to her neck, breathing deeply. She shuddered and swayed.
“Is that no, you’re not having second thoughts, or no, you want me to stop?” he asked.
She responded by leaning back against him. Her whispered, “Don’t stop,” was so faint, he’d have missed it if she weren’t so close.
He ran the tip of his tongue around the outer shell of her ear and gently bit her earlobe.
“I didn’t hear you.” He ran his tongue up her neck.
She moaned softly and every nerve in him twitched with the sound. As she moved her head to give him better access, her long braid slid along his arm. Simon ran his left hand up to the base of the braid at the nape of her neck, grasped it, and pulled her head back.
“Simon.” She moaned and tugged against him slightly. He pulled her hair with more force and she gasped out, “Please!”
She reached behind her, one hand clawing into his thigh, and the other pulling his hips to her ass. She was swaying against him and the pressure of her body rubbing against him electrified his already sensitive nerves.
He skimmed his free hand under her shirt and her muscles tightened. Her breathing stopped completely as he grazed his palm over her breast. As he moved his hand back down, he slid his fingers under her bra and rolled them over her nipple, feeling the skin pucker. He tugged slightly and heard her sharp intake of breath. Her hand, the one on his thigh, moved upward.
When her hand made it to his cock, the room tipped sideways. He dropped her braid and grabbed her hip, spinning her around and pulling her toward him. He kissed her hard, forcing her lips apart with his tongue. She met him eagerly. Their hands battled for the little of space between them, him fumbling over her buttons and her trying to pull his shirt up.
Simon stepped back, grabbed Audrey’s shirt around the hem and whipped it up and over her head. Before he could reach her, she’d unhooked her bra and flung it to the floor. Her skin flickered and gleamed in the changing lights from the television.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he said. He crushed her to him and her hands grasped at his shoulders and neck, pulling him closer to her. Her lips were demanding, and he challenged her with his own frustration. When she sucked on his tongue, he played his fingers over one of her nipples again, twisting it just hard enough for her to whimper and dig her nails into his shoulders.
He ran his hands down her sides and cupped her ass, lifting her up without breaking the kiss. She locked her legs around his waist and he felt her heat right where he wanted desperately to be. He moved toward his bedroom, stopping to prop her against the door frame. With her back braced, she moved her hips, and he met her frantic rhythm. His control was taut as a wire, and fraying rapidly. If he didn’t get a handle on the situation fast, he was going to lose it and that was unacceptable.
He pulled her away from the door frame and carried her to the bed. Without warning, he broke the kiss with a smirk and dropped her unceremoniously on the bed. Audrey laughed, her voice husky. Simon leaned down and grabbed the waistband of her pants. She lifted her hips off the bed to help him, wiggling as he tugged them down her hips and over her knees. He turned to put them across the back of a chair.
As he turned back toward her, he tugged his t-shirt over his head. As he looked down, he froze, and the t-shirt dropped to the floor.
Before him, Audrey lay fully naked in the dim light. She’d let her legs fall open. She was watching him and she undulated her hips. Simon groaned and took in the view. She started running her hands over her breasts, stopping to pinch her nipples, down her sides, and in between her legs. When her fingers started dancing around her inner thighs, he growled low in his throat, and dropped to his knees.
“As much as I’d love to watch,” he said, “I have other plans.”
He hooked his forearms around her thighs, pulled her ass to the edge of the bed, and buried his head between her legs. He moaned as she arched her back and cried out. She smelled like spices and tasted salty and tangy. And wet, so wet. Simon ached with the thought of sinking into her. She was perfect.
He continued stroking her up and down a few times until she was tossing her head back and forth and crying out with each swipe of his tongue. On the last pass, he circled in and focused on all of her movements. He groaned a little when her hands clamped down on the sides of his head. He began to move faster and faster, and tightened his grip when her legs began to tremble. As soon as she set her nails in his scalp, he zeroed in on her clit and began to suck. Audrey inhaled sharply and held her breath. Simon held on for dear life as she bucked her hips against him. He stayed with her as wave after wave of her orgasm rocketed through her. When she calmed, he slowly backed away, kissing his way across her thighs.
As he rocked back on his feet, she sat up with him. She moved back on the bed, never breaking eye contact. “More. Now.”
He stood and hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts. He pulled them down and his cock sprang free. Audrey looked down and licked her lips. In response, he grabbed his shaft and stroked slowly. He was still on edge, but getting her off had given him a chance to collect himself.
“More what, Audrey?”
Her eyes scanned up his body as she moved her hands down hers. “More of you, Simon.”
He ran his fingers around the head of his cock. “More of my mouth?” He smiled as her eyelids fluttered and her breathing hitched. Her fingers were playing over her breasts.
“No.”
“Do you want to watch me?”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Maybe later.” Audrey skated her hand lower. “I want you, in me, now.”
He would not pass up that invitation.
Simon made the slow crawl, kissing his way up her body. He lingered at the soft spot where her leg met pelvis until she gasped and pushed his head away. He nipped at her waist and then continued up her ribcage. Her hands wound in his hair, and he ran the tip of his tongue under her right breast before swirling around her nipple. The way she squirmed toward him was endearing, as were the soft sounds she made when he found the spots she liked the most.
He reached out and flipped the switch on his bedside lamp. Little tendrils of hair were coming out of her braid, her cheeks were flushed, and her lower lip was swollen and bruised from where she’d bitten it. His cock twitched and he reached into the drawer of the nightstand, fumbling around until he found the box he’d stashed there weeks prior. He pulled out a small foil packet and ripped it open, trying to focus on smoothing the latex over himself while Audrey ran her hands up and down his chest. She slid her legs around his and raked her
fingernails over his nipples, and he exhaled sharply through his teeth.
“Wench,” he ground out, grabbing her wrists and pushing her back onto the bed.
She grinned at him and nipped at his chin and as he bucked toward her, locked her legs around his knees, keeping him pressed against her center.
He could feel her heat and slowly moved his hips. She was so slick, it made him dizzy.
It was a battle for his control, and Audrey was quickly winning. He moved forward an inch more and the head of his cock was poised right at her entrance. He looked into her eyes and groaned, “I’m too far gone to be gentle.”
“Good.” She ran her tongue up his chin, over the juices she had left there, and licked his lips.
That’s all it took. He rocked his pelvis forward, hard, at the same time Audrey locked her legs around his waist and drove herself up to meet him. Goddamnit, she was tight around him. He kissed her bruised lips and sucked on her tongue as he buried himself deep inside of her over and over. She met him thrust for thrust, digging her nails into his sides. He felt her tighten around him and knew she was close, so he shifted upwards to hit her clit with each thrust.
She began to quiver and once she fell over the edge and he was lost. He joined her, giving up any pretense of control. Her name was a chanted whisper on his lips. She was all around him, her scent, her hands, her hair. She enveloped him, and he pulled her closer as they rode out their orgasms together.
When their breathing had settled, Simon lifted himself up on his elbows and looked down at Audrey. A fine sheen of sweat shone across her forehead, and little tendrils of hair were stuck there, curling. She was smiling up at him, a drowsy look in her eyes. He kissed her quickly and reached to where they were still joined, causing her to shudder at the movement. He gently withdrew from her and left the bed.
Wayward (A Soldier's Heart Book 1) Page 7
