by Reina Torres
Shit.
“They found what?”
His vision went dark for a second and came back slowly.
“We found out that they have a book you scribbled in. Where was that book, Joe? How did they get their hands on it?”
He knew exactly how. He’d lost the book but he’d thought it was dropped somewhere random where no one could make a connection between it and him.
The car.
It must have been in the car.
“Anne.”
“That’s right, Joseph. You left it with a woman.”
There was no use in arguing with the man. He wanted something, and Joe knew he had to give it to him.
“How do I fix this?” He tried to look at the man out of the corner of his eye, but the man kept his face out of sight. “I’ll do anything.”
“Yes,” he heard the deadly calm in the man’s voice, “you will.”
He let up on Joe’s neck just enough that Joe didn’t have to work all that hard to pull air into his lungs. It was the first indication that he might actually make it out of this.
“Now, listen up, Joseph. You’re going to have to follow instructions, without writing them down. And all you need to know is the expense that the boss is going through to get you out of here, so you need to make sure it’s all worth it, or you’re going to know what suffering really feels like.”
Joe didn’t have a choice. If he wanted to live, he had to make it work.
“Okay, tell me.”
“In a couple of days when you’re scheduled for your pre-trial hearing, they’re going to take you out of here and that’s when shit’s really going to get interesting.”
Hildie woke up in heaven.
The light coming through the curtains made the whole room look like a Maxfield Parrish painting. Peaches, pinks, purples… they were all over the walls and her bed.
And there were hands, really strong hands, massaging her back.
“Oh, that’s good. Right there.”
Jake laughed, and the chuckle came from deep in his throat. Like Josh Turner’s amazing singing voice, it sent chills along her skin. “I know where you like my hands, Hill.”
“Oh, you talk a big game, Jake, but the best thing is… you deliver.”
She wrapped her arms around her pillow and hugged it close as Jake drew his hands down an inch lower.
Ever since that day in court, her life had been a roller coaster, but not the scary Final Destination kind of coaster. No. Her life had been the thrills and chills kind of coaster with a big ol’ loop or two in the center, pull your cheeks back kind of excitement.
And Jake made it all possible.
She was living finally. It wasn’t just work and all of the emergencies that came with it. The time she spent with Jake was the whole caramel sundae.
He took a hold of her hips with his hands and lifted her up.
“Tuck your legs under, Hill.”
She didn’t need him to tell her what was going to come next, but she loved it when he told her what he was going to do. Tucking her legs under her, she pulled her knees together.
He pinched the curve of her ass.
“Knees apart, babe. You know the drill.”
“Drill?” She turned her head to look at him. “Is that what you’re going to use? I’d much rather have your-”
She sucked in a breath when she felt the sting across her butt cheek. “Oh, that is so going to get you on my list. Just you-”
The sharp sound that ricocheted off the walls felt like an echo to the sting across her skin. A moment later she felt him kiss the same spot and work his tongue over the heat.
“Oh… You’re just lucky that I like that.”
“Little did I know that one playful swat was going to make you moan.” Working her knees apart, she kept her face against her pillow so he wouldn’t see the smirk on her lips.
“It never has before. Just with you.”
When she had her knees almost shoulder width apart, Jake’s fingers were suddenly sliding between her folds, stealing her breath.
“Almost,” his voice sounded like a caress. “You’re almost ready for me.”
Again, his finger slipped through the very edge of her sex and she felt the rough scrape of calluses against her tender flesh and pressed herself against his searching touch.
The additional friction had her moaning, and she wasn’t just wet, she was aching for more.
His fingers trailed through her heat, and she leaned back into the sensation.
“You like that?”
She shook her head and bit into her pillow for a moment before she answered him. “I want more, Jake. I want to feel full. Complete.”
His groan made her feel so good.
“I can do that, Hill. I can fill you up.”
She heard the tear of the plastic as he tore open a condom packet, and she could hear the soft sound the condom made as he rolled it down his erection.
“You know,” she sighed as his fingers trailed over her back in a long winding path, “I’m looking forward to when we can get rid of that.”
“The condom?”
She wiggled her hips and grinned as he mumbled under his breath.
“There are other options,” she rushed out the words, “blood tests, implants, of course nothing is fool proof.”
He slipped two fingers inside of her and she canted forward, opening herself up to him.
“Sure, except not being inside of you and that isn’t going to happen.” His fingers slipped out and in again, reaching deeper into her body.
“I agree,” she hissed in a breath when she felt the back of his hand pressed against her.
“But I wouldn’t worry about fool proof,” his fingers managed to get deeper in on the next thrust and she saw stars in the darkness of her closed eyes. “I know what I feel for you, Hill. This isn’t just fooling around or a phase. I want you, not just for now, but for the rest of my life.”
He pushed his fingers deeper and she leaned harder into the bed to give him more access.
Jake turned his hand, and the tips of his fingers brushed that perfect little spot with just the right amount of pressure. He drew his fingers out again, she was struggling to catch her breath.
“I know I should have gotten you flowers or made you dinner, Hill. Something romantic, but I need you to know that I’m going to put a ring on your finger, Hildie Faraday, because I love you. Every inch of me loves every inch of you and-”
“Who cares about flowers,” she panted against her pillow, “and I’ll cook you dinner if you want, but please, Jake. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
She felt the bed shift, and a moment later she felt him touch the tip of his cock to the tender spot at the apex of her thighs.
If she’d thought to look into the mirror, she would have seen the perfection of his body rise and sink inside of her, but all she could do was hug her pillow and enjoy. He went in, in one long sweeping thrust, rocking her at the end.
“Yes,” she laughed into the ridiculously soft cotton pillowcase, “just like that.”
Again.
And again.
He pushed in between her legs, hard and heavy against her smaller form.
As he picked up speed, she encouraged him to do it. Let go. Don’t hold back. She felt the resulting shudder like waves in the ocean, building in power with the approaching storm.
He pressed closer, lowering his weight on her, pushing her hips lower toward the bed. Hildie was almost sure he was going to fall atop her and crush the air out of her lungs, but she wasn’t going to complain. What a way to go.
But he didn’t put all his weight on her.
No. He laid her out beneath him and braced his hands on the bed on either side of her body. With their legs stretched out behind them, he seemed to find just the perfect angle to reach all of the right bits and then some.
A few moments later, Jake added sparks to the glowing colors of dawn spilling into her bedroom and sent electricity da
ncing across every inch of her skin. By the time her body let her relax into the cool cotton sheets under her, Jake lowered himself beside her on the bed and gathered her close. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled a light sheet over their bodies.
“Jake?”
She could see the warmth in his eyes as he looked back at her.
“What is it, babe?”
Hildie took a moment to look at him, taking in all of the perfectly imperfect features of his handsome face. By the time she was ready to talk, she knew exactly what she wanted to say.
“I know where I want this to go, too. I know what I want, and that’s as much time with you as possible, but I don’t know if I’m ready for what Sloane has.
“She’s so ready to be a mama. She’s going to be so perfect, but I think I’m still becoming the person I’m meant to be, and the last thing I want to do is make mistakes that could scar someone for life. Lord knows it’s all I can do to take care of things at the center and help where I can. But as long as you want to love me, you’ve got me, Jake. And I’m sorry, but I love you too. I should want you to find someone better. Someone more put together with less baggage, but I’m not going to let you go that easily. Not when I’ve just found you. You’re stuck with me, Jake and-”
He gave her a quick kiss and tucked her head under his chin. “Hill?”
“Hmm?”
“There’s no one better than you.”
She almost laughed out loud. “Jake.”
“Hildie!” He ran his hands down her back and grabbed a hold of her backside. “Now let me hold you before we have to get up and go back into the world.”
She wiggled closer. “Bossy.”
He laughed and held her tight. “When it comes to keeping you in my life? Damn straight.”
Anne wasn’t about to the leave the house. She’d handed over the notebook, not just because it was the right thing to do, but because it meant that he was likely to get a higher sentence. The more stuff he’d done, the more years he’d be locked up.
So no, it wasn’t just ‘civic duty.’ Yes, she wanted him gone for a long, long time.
After Hildie and her guy had left her in the house she’d tried to keep herself busy. She’d started and abandoned a half-dozen cleaning projects. She’d started to cook a good healthy meal like they taught them at the Helping Hearts Community Center, but she’d quickly given up on that idea and put a pizza in the microwave.
It might have tasted like crap, but that’s just how she felt.
She’d just about thrown the remote at the television from boredom when the phone rang.
Oh, thank heaven! She needed something to occupy her time.
Reaching over the armrest of the sofa she picked up her phone and swiped to accept the call.
“Hey, baby.”
She froze and then dropped her chin down to her chest to look at the screen.
CALLER ID BLOCK
How had she not noticed that?
“Joe?”
“That’s right.” His laugh made her teeth grind noisily together. “But if you’re making it a question, I have to know… who did you think it was on the phone? It better not be another man, Anne.”
“No, no it’s not.” She’d rushed out the words because it was the truth, but even more so the longer she had to think about it, the more trouble she would be in. “There’s no one… but you, Joe. No one.”
She heard him grunt into the phone.
“But since you were surprised, maybe it was that society bitch you’ve been hanging around.”
“Who? What? No.” Yes, she thought. Exactly that. “I just didn’t think you had phone privileges… you don’t, do you?”
“Nope.” He laughed. “At least you’re not as stupid as you make yourself out to be.”
“Look,” she stood a little taller as she spoke into the phone, “you can’t call me like this. You’re supposed to stay away!”
“I’m in jail, baby. How much farther away can I be?”
Oh, she had an idea but she wasn’t going to tell him ‘six feet under.’
“Look, Joe. You need to leave me alone. We’re done.”
“Done?” His laughter was so cold she shivered. “How can we be done when you’re trying to get me killed?”
She didn’t know what to say to that.
“There’s a grapevine in prison. We hear what’s going on outside. And a little birdie told me you sold me out, Anne. You found something of mine, didn’t you?”
She shook her head. How could he know?
“Just stop calling me, Joe. Stop thinking about me.”
“You can’t just say something like that. Not to me, but I’ll give you one thing you didn’t give me when you sold me up the river, baby. I’m going to give you a warning. Don’t think you’re safe from me because we have steel bars and concrete between us. If I want to get to you, I will.”
“Don’t… don’t threaten me! You’re supposed to stay away. You can’t hurt me from behind bars.” The same phrases that she’d repeated to herself over and over again. She just had to keep saying it until it was true. “I’m safe. The police-”
“Well, honey, shows what you know. The police. When are you going to learn? The police answer to bosses, just like I do. Underpaid, and overworked. Maybe you should worry that some of those people you trust so much work for the same men I do. Learn your lesson, baby. Shut your yap and maybe I’ll let you come back to me when this is all over. Or keep talking, and I’ll shut your mouth for you.”
Chapter 11
As they were finishing up their desserts, Jake and Hildie thanked Vicente and Sloane for inviting them over for dinner. Jake took the opportunity to rib his friend.
“Next Law Enforcement picnic I’m going to volunteer you to man the grill. You’ve been hiding your skills from us.”
“You know law enforcement agencies; we hide things from each other.”
“Ah, like secret weapons.” Jake nodded and liked the way Hildie and her friend rolled their eyes at the conversation.
“More like protecting our assets from rival agencies.” Vicente gave him a knowing look. “I hear you’re pretty good too. You should show off your skills for Hildie.”
Jake waved off the compliment. “I’m okay, but it’s nothing to write home about.”
Hildie nudged him with her foot. He’d already cooked for her a few times, and she was probably wondering why he wasn’t saying anything.
Vicente draped his arm over the back of Sloane‘s chair. “It’s a real test of a relationship, you know. If she can stand your cooking. So, if you have any doubts about your skill…”
“Ha!” Sloane waggled her ice cream spoon at him. “The first meal we had were quesadillas, and it was delicious even if we went to a drive through to get it.” She turned to Jake. “The real test is if she’ll like the same ‘greasy spoons’ that you do. If you’re compatible over a little grease and paper napkins, that’s the kind of woman,” she turned back to Hildie with a brazen wink, “you need to grab and keep a hold of.”
Jake looked over at Hildie and she met his laughing eyes. “I think we’re just fine on that.”
“Good.” Sloane picked up another spoonful of butter pecan and slipped it past her lips. “Oh, so good.” She didn’t just eat the ice cream off the spoon, she held the bowl of the spoon between her lips.
An odd silence descended in the room and Vicente ended it by clearing his throat. “Uh, Sloane?”
“Mmmhmm?” She sighed, closing her eyes as she pulled the spoon out with a flourish.
“Honey, take it easy on that spoon before it melts.”
Sloane opened her eyes, and Jake saw the look that passed between the two. It was electric.
“You’re just jealous of the spoon.” With a wink she scooped up another bite from the bowl.
Jake turned to look at Hildie. If the room was going to spontaneously combust, he wanted to have one more look at the woman beside him.
But Hildie was all bu
t laughing at him. She waved a dismissive hand at her friends. “It started during her second trimester. It’s like being pregnant supercharged her sex drive. She was climbing him like a tree whenever they were alone.” She waved her own spoon in their direction. “There were days I had to run out of here before the heat in the room sent me up in literal flames.”
Sloane gave her best friend a loving glare. “He hasn’t let me climb anything for a while. This ‘rest’ thing is a pain.”
Vicente sighed, an exasperated sound passing his lips, but his eyes were full of amusement and love. “Can I help it that I like taking care of you? You’ll have a lot to do soon enough. Enjoy being off your feet.”
Jake reached out his hand under the table and gave Hildie’s hand a squeeze. “Sloane, if you’re anything like Hildie, I bet the ‘rest’ is what’s getting to you. You’re probably going stir crazy.”
Sloane lit up like a Christmas tree and turned to look at her husband. “See? He gets it!”
Hildie was almost vibrating from laughter. “Stepped in it big time, Jake.”
Vicente’s eyes promised pain if he ever got Jake alone. “Thanks for taking her side.”
“Side?” Jake couldn’t quite manage to stifle a laugh. “I was just saying that it probably goes against everything that she is just to sit around.”
“MmmHmm. See?”
Hildie leaned her arm against the table and turned to murmur at him out of the corner of her mouth. “Ixnay on the elpinghay…”
“But I-”
“It’s okay, Jake,” Sloane gave him a smile as she set her spoon down in the bowl, the metal clattering against the empty bottom, “Vicente would understand, but he’s been a little cranky since I’m cuddling up to the new pillow that his mom got me.”
“Oh,” Hildie leaned closer, her curiosity piqued, “is that the ‘boyfriend’ pillow? The one that makes you look like you’re wrapped around someone in bed?”
Sloane’s eyebrows raised and lowered with a smirk on her lips. “Yes… and it makes hubby a little jealous.”
“See?” Jake sat back in his chair. “I don’t understand that thing. Why can’t you just hug the guy you’re with?”
