The Chase

by Shayla Black

  “Me, too,” Beck admitted.

  “Can I meet you guys in the restaurant? I want to clean up a bit. I feel like I’m covered in dust and cobwebs.”

  “Sure. Let’s grab your suitcase from the car.” Seth turned to Beck. “Can you get us a table and order me a beer, man? I’ll meet you there in a few.”

  He nodded. “Got a preference on brews?”

  “I’ll take anything as long as it’s not as dark as the furniture.”

  “Got it.” He leaned in and gave Heavenly a soft kiss. “Don’t be too long.”

  “I won’t.”

  Ignoring the innkeeper’s curious stare, Beck asked to be seated. As he followed the woman into the dining room, he heard Seth teasing Heavenly about her choice of motel while they meandered outside.

  Moments later, he was seated at a linen-covered table near a window overlooking the wide porch with quaint wicker chairs and a cozy swing positioned to take advantage of the full-frontal views of the serene blue lake.

  While he waited, he texted Gloria updates and promised he’d holler when they needed a ride home—no idea yet if they’d need three seats. She only replied with a thumbs-up emoji, which told Beck she was busy doing something, probably Buddy.

  Then a young waitress who introduced herself as Tisha dropped off a basket of bread and took their drink order. Beck scored Seth a pale craft beer, ordered himself a good Scotch, and guessed Heavenly would welcome a white wine.

  “Would you like to order appetizers or wait for the rest of your party?”

  Beck glanced at the menu. “Why don’t you bring us some potato skins, shrimp cocktail, and…cheese curds.”

  The last dish was a Wisconsin tradition and a favorite of Heavenly’s. He’d never tasted them, but he hoped they would cheer her up.

  “Of course.” She jotted down his order. “Can I get you anything else for now?”

  “I’m good.” Beck turned his attention to his phone and tapped out a message to Seth.

  You better not be up there macking on our girl without me.

  Seth strolled into the room with a laugh just then, pocketing his phone. “Keep your panties on. I just helped Heavenly with the zipper on her duffel bag. I’d have loved to watch her change, but…”

  Beck sent him a dry stare. “You were hoping to get lucky.”

  “Damn right I was.”

  “You think she’s in that mood?”

  Seth shrugged. “Who knows? Her head is all over the place.”

  “It is. I’m trying not to get my hopes up. We both know there’s a difference between needing someone in the moment and wanting them forever. She might wake up tomorrow and tell us she’s leaving to see the world or whatever. That shit is killing me.”

  “Yeah, but at least we know we’re not losing her to Bayfield. And she reached out to us. I’m taking that a good sign.”

  “Absolutely. After today, I’m less convinced she wants to go her own way. Did you notice that once she had our approval to spread her father’s ashes, she seemed a lot more at peace?”

  Seth leaned in. “That’s the submissive in her. You and I both know how good we’ll be with and to her. Not sure she knows that.”

  Beck shrugged. “After she gets a good night’s sleep, we’ll ask her how she feels about coming home.”

  “What if she’s already decided to ‘explore’ by then?”

  “Good point. I hate to grill her tonight, but…”

  A crafty grin spread across Seth’s face. “I’ve always said we can make her love us more by making love to her more. Sex can be pretty damn cathartic, and she did say she wanted to think about something else…”

  After death, people tried to feel alive in all sorts of ways. Some gorged. Some drank. A lot of them fucked.

  “Hey, I’m more than willing to try, if that’s what she wants.” Beck gave a wry chuff. “Damn, we sound like Hammer and Liam, making ‘plans.’”

  “We’re not as clueless as they were.”

  “And we won’t beat the shit out of each other.”

  “Unless you hire Zelda and Clovis the sex donkey to knock on my door again.” Seth laughed as the waitress delivered their drinks and rushed away.

  “I wish I could have seen your face.”

  “Dude, you’re fucking sick.”

  “Blame Pike. It was his idea.”

  “He’s a total freak, no doubt, but you actually paid that woman.”

  “Since it kept you from taking Heavenly to bed, I considered that money well spent.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “And you, too.”

  As they raised their glasses and toasted with a laugh, Beck caught a flash of blond curls. He turned to see Heavenly descending the stairs wearing a new red sheath that hugged every one of her curves.

  His smile froze. His eyes bulged. His cock thickened.

  Seth let loose a low wolf whistle. “Wow. Are those the shoes you bought her?”

  When Beck dragged his stare down to the sexy, black-spiked stilettos, he almost swallowed his tongue. “Yeah.”

  “They’re sexy as fuck. Got any guesses why she wore them tonight?” The innuendo in Seth’s voice was clear.

  “A few. Are you really hungry for dinner?”

  “I could wait an hour or two. Or four. Hell, breakfast would be fine.”

  As Heavenly drew closer, he and Seth stood and each rounded the table to take her hands.

  “You look beautiful.” The big PI brushed his lips against her temple. “And those shoes on you…”

  She met their stares with a hint of a blush. “Thanks.”

  Beck saw more sparkle in her eyes than he had in a week. Obviously, she wasn’t done grieving, but now that she’d put her father to rest, maybe she’d let him and Seth remind her that she was still very much alive…so they could persuade her not to leave come morning.

  “If you’re not careful, little girl, those shoes could get you in trouble,” Beck teased to test the waters.

  She cocked her head, lashes half-lowered. “A little…or a lot?”

  Their girl was flirting. Softly. Subtly. He’d bet she wanted more than their gentle consolation.

  “Maybe we should show you.” Seth planted his lips on her collarbone.

  “Then you can be the judge.” Beck smoothed a hand down her hip.

  She didn’t put distance between them. No. She closed her eyes, lips parted, and tipped her head back in welcome.

  Not giving two shits about the nearby diners or whatever rosy-berry shade Heavenly wore on her lips, Beck covered her mouth with his. As she melted against him, he teased her lips open, so relieved when she kissed him in return.

  He was already gauging the distance from here to their bed when someone nearby cleared their throat with a disapproving bark.

  Heavenly tore away and avoided looking at the older couple across the room as she scurried to the table and sat. “Is that wine for me?”

  Beck shot the couple a glower before sitting beside Heavenly. “It is, but you don’t have to drink it. Or eat anything. Or even sit down. If you want, we could order room service later.”

  Seth nodded as he slid into his seat. “Much later.”

  Her lashes fluttered onto her cheeks before her soft gaze bounced up to them. “You two aren’t hungry anymore?”

  Her artless flirtation unleashed something feral inside him. “Oh, we are.”

  “Me, too. In fact, I’m famished.”

  For food…or something else? Beck didn’t know. But he stifled his impatience since she actually needed to eat. So he buttered a piece of sourdough and fed her while Seth pressed the wine into her hand. “I’ve ordered appetizers.”

  “We’ll have a nice dinner,” Seth promised before a sly smile spread across his face. “After that…let’s see how you feel about dessert.”

  “Are we having something special?”

  The big PI leaned in with a wolfish grin. “We’d like to have you.”

  She bit her lip softly, shyly. But he
r eyes were hungry and begged them to fuck her.

  Beck was all too happy to deliver.

  He plucked the napkin from her plate and draped it over her lap. As he pulled away, he purposely dragged his arm across her beaded nipples.

  Heavenly froze. A tremor slid through her as she darted a sidelong glance his way. A pretty flush spread over her cheeks before she took a huge gulp of wine and set the stem down.

  Seth raised a brow. “Are her nipples hard?”

  “Like gumdrops.”

  Heavenly sucked in a breath.

  A predatory smile stretched across Seth’s face. “I bet that wine would taste even sweeter if we sipped it off her tits.”

  “Like sugar. And imagine it from her pussy.”

  She tossed a quick stare to the older couple, then yanked open her menu. “They have butter-poached lobster and scallops. Yum!”

  Beck leaned closer. “Order both. Seth and I will spend dinner talking about how sweet you’re going to taste on our tongues.”

  “Those people can hear us,” she whispered in chiding tones.

  That was her only objection? “No, they can’t.”

  “And who cares? I’m way more interested in ordering a bottle of wine to test Beck’s theory in our room.”

  “Like you said, man, dessert.”

  “You two are…” She trailed off as Beck lifted the tablecloth to peer at her legs. “What are you doing?”

  “Admiring you in those shoes.”

  Seth shoved the linen aside and peeked under the table. “So fucking sexy.”

  She sent the older couple glaring their way a stilted smile. “Shh.”

  “I’m not going to shut up for them, so how about I fix this problem?” Beck stood and approached the nosy pair lingering over after-dinner coffee—and the show. “Hi, folks. You seem like a great couple. My friend and I will be happy to buy your dinner if you’ll leave the dining room right now so we can be alone with our girl.”

  The older man stood. “Let’s go, Gladys.”

  “I wasn’t done.”

  “You are now. Dinner is free, and we have coffee at home.” Her husband tugged her to her feet.

  “Thank you.” Beck nodded. “Have a nice night.”

  The man stroked his gray beard and glanced at Seth, who had thrown a possessive arm around Heavenly’s shoulders and now skimmed his fingertips over her goosefleshed skin. “Um…you, too.”

  As the couple exited, the woman looked down her nose at Heavenly. Beck didn’t waste his energy on her, just plucked the bill off their table and made his way back to his own with a satisfied smile. “Now we’re alone.”

  She gaped at him. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “They were making you uncomfortable.”

  “And now they’re not.” Seth reached up to high-five him. “Good job.”

  Heavenly rolled her eyes, but he saw amusement light up her face. “You’re both crazy.”

  “About you, yes,” Beck returned. “Now let me see the shoes.”

  She shifted slightly to face him, one knee crossed over the other. Her skirt rode high on her thighs as she dangled her top leg. “Happy?”

  “We will be if you let us take you to bed while you’re wearing nothing but these.” Beck cupped her stiletto in his hand.

  “Amen.” Seth cradled her hip and kissed his way up her nape.

  “You’re both incorrigible.” She shivered…but she didn’t object.

  “And proud of it. You like it, too, don’t you?” Beck feathered his lips up her thigh.

  She closed her eyes and exhaled, head tipping back.

  “We’ll take that as a yes,” Seth murmured in her ear.

  The waitress approached, juggling a trio of plates and wearing a too-bright smile. “Here are your appetizers.” She set them down, then refilled their water glasses from a pitcher on a nearby sideboard. “Would you like to order now?”

  So they could keep the distractions to a minimum, absolutely. “She’ll have the lobster and scallops. I’ll take the filet, medium rare. Baked potato loaded.”

  “I’ll have what he’s having.” And by Seth’s leer at Heavenly, he clearly didn’t just mean the food.

  Tisha’s eyes held a speculative gleam, but she said nothing. “Of course. Anything else?”

  “Privacy.” Seth smiled politely, but his voice held sharp authority.

  “Of course.” The woman left immediately.

  Heavenly didn’t notice anything except the steaming hot cheese curds. “You remembered!”

  “I remember everything you say.” Beck smiled.

  She plucked one off the plate, then turned his way. “Should that flatter or worry me?”

  Seth laughed as he reached for a breaded bite and popped one in his mouth. “Both.”

  Heavenly dipped hers in ranch, then ate it with a decidedly sensual moan. “Oh, that’s so good. Hmm…”

  “And if you keep moaning like that, you’ll find out how dangerous it is,” he warned.

  She blushed, and they dug in. Beck was hungrier than he’d realized, and the cheese curds were pretty damn tasty.

  Over the next ten minutes, they chatted. He and Seth kept things intentionally light while she ate. Heavenly was subdued but warmed to the casual conversation about everything from Raine’s pregnancy to River’s manwhore ways.

  “So get this…” Beck drawled. “Hammer told me Pike has a girl.”

  “You mean a sub?” Seth asked.

  “Maybe. But no one has seen this girl at Shadows, and I hear he’s awfully attached to her.”

  Heavenly frowned. “I like to see the best in everyone, but what kind of woman would date him?”

  “An emotional masochist,” Seth quipped.

  “He’s not that bad. Well, not all the time,” Beck said. “He’s got some issues to work out.”

  Seth rolled his eyes. “Since you’re a doctor, you know the average man’s life expectancy. Pike will need way longer than that to get over himself.”

  Beck laughed. “He’s even worse since he found out this girl had a one-night stand with River a few weeks before they met. And you know River…”

  “He’s needling the shit out of Pike?”

  “Yep. According to Hammer, they’re fighting over her like cats and dogs. I need a ringside seat for that.”

  “Hell, yes. We should place our bets now.”

  “That’s horrible,” Heavenly scolded.

  “But funny.” Beck grinned.

  As they finished the appetizers, Tisha dropped off their dinner and left quickly.

  The aroma wafting from the perfectly cooked filet tempted Beck—but not as much as Heavenly dipping a scallop into the garlic-butter and tasting it with a moan.

  Fuck, everything about her called to the man in him.

  He plucked the fork from her fingers and speared another bite from her plate. After swirling the delicate seafood in the golden sauce, he lifted it to her. Their eyes locked. She parted her lips. He set the morsel on her tongue, watching juice drip down her chin. Beck swiped it up as she swallowed, then he laid his mouth over hers and devoured her, reveling in the buttery velvet of her tongue sliding against his.

  Breathing hard, he finally released her—and spied Seth watching raptly. Cupping her nape, he turned her head the PI’s way and bent to her ear. “He wants to feed you, too.”

  Hunger flickered in Seth’s eyes as he nodded. “Open.”

  She blinked, swiped her tongue across her pouty lower lip, then dutifully complied.

  As Seth lifted a bite of meat onto her tongue, she wrapped her lips around the fork. Beck ached to demand she wrap her pretty mouth around his cock. But tonight was for Heavenly.

  Back and forth, they took turns feeding their girl and feasting on her soft sounds of delight. When Beck wasn’t forking bites into her mouth, he shoveled a few in his own…in between nibbling on her neck and caressing her thighs. Seth was all over her too, until the air was thick with their arousal and her sweet surren
der. By the time they’d made a significant dent in their food, Beck was exercising all of his will to ignore his angry, weeping cock.

  With brisk efficiency, the waitress picked up their dirty plates. “Can I get you dessert?”

  “We already have ours.” Seth squeezed Heavenly’s thigh under the table, looking ready to strip her bare. “But we’d like a bottle of Pinot Grigio for our room.”

  Beck tossed his arm around Heavenly’s shoulders and whispered, “We’re dying to take you upstairs and put our mouths all over you. Would you like that?”

  Breathlessly, she grabbed her purse and stood. “Please.”

  Seth’s grin was smug. “We’ll be right up, angel.”

  “We won’t keep you waiting.”

  “Yeah. Thanks.” Heavenly walked away, hips swaying, the new red soles of her Louboutins flashing like a beacon in her wake. He watched, mouth watering.

  Seth tore his gaze from their girl’s ass just long enough to tell Tisha, “There’s an extra fifty bucks for you if you can bring me that bottle and a corkscrew in less than two minutes.”

  “And close out our check, along with this one.” Beck shoved the couple’s bill and his credit card in her hand.

  The woman blinked. “You don’t want to look over your check first?”

  “No. We’re in a hurry.”

  She tried not to smile. “Of course. Lucky girl…”

  Then Tisha took off running. One minute forty-six seconds later, she returned. Beck signed the slip and tossed down the pen.

  Seth grabbed the bottle and pocketed the corkscrew. “Let’s go. Our dessert is waiting.”

  Beside the PI, Beck took the stairs two at a time. They were both out of breath when they entered their suite. The trek up three flights wasn’t the only reason.

  Behind them, Seth slammed the door. Beck caught sight of Heavenly and raked his hot stare over her.

  She approached, hands outstretched, and settled a palm on each of their chests, her touch like a brand. But when she darted a regretful glance their way, dread gonged in Beck’s brain.

  “I want what’s about to happen,” she panted. “I need to get out of my head and feel alive.”

  “We can do that for you.” Seth moved in to kiss her.

  She dodged him. “Even if it’s just sex, not a promise I’ll return to LA? I still don’t know where I’m going next.”