He’d died and gone to heaven.
Her flavour burst on his tongue as he stroked her, long and deep. Something snapped inside him and like a man starving for a meal, he began devouring her. He clenched his fingers around her thighs, the tips digging into her resilient flesh.
If he’d known what had been waiting for him, there was no way Nick would’ve allowed two years go past. He was addicted. Every reason he had for them not being together no longer relevant. Hell, he couldn’t even remember any of the sorry excuses he’d clung to for so long.
Riley had no idea the power she held over him.
She grabbed his hair, urging him on as he sucked her clit.
“Yes…”
Riley’s breathy voice had him slowing down. He changed his pressure so her racing orgasm dissipated and she voiced her distress.
“Relax, Ri. I’ve been waiting for this too long. We’re going to do this right.”
They had plenty of time. He wasn’t about to rush one second of their lovemaking. By the time he was done, her legs would be quivering and she’d be lucky to remember her own name. But his, oh that she will most definitely remember. His name will be chanted on her lips while she shattered.
She huffed out an agitated breath, her body wound so tight. Her hips moved restlessly on the mattress.
“Just get on with it. I…I can’t take much more.”
“I’ve got you, Ri. You’re always safe with me.”
She stoked a hand down the side of his face as he stared down at her. Beneath the feverish desire, something else shined brightly through—love? It was possible and if so, he’d work damn hard to be worthy of it and not be an idiot like he’d been keeping them apart.
“I know. Now, if you don’t hurry up and fuck me I’m going to go out of my fucking mind.”
He blinked at her profanity. It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard her speak those words before, but he’d never had a visceral response to them. Surprisingly, the zipper of his jeans didn’t burst. He was hard enough that he could probably go all night. Something he looked forward to, despite the major discomfit he found himself in now.
Winking, he slid back down to her pussy with purpose and in seconds she came apart, her body shaking as he held her close to his chest. He rained kisses over her face.
When Riley came back down, her actions turned violent. She yanked at his belt. His body burned at her touch, a need so intense it was all he could do from unravelling right that minute. Her hands worked fast as she unzipped his jeans, her fingers wrapping around him the moment she freed him.
Nick groaned, the sound ripped from his chest like a wild animal and he immediately released Riley. Shoving his pants down, he stood before her in all his naked glory. Her greedy gaze consumed him and she shuffled forward to stoke him. He twitched and cursed. He wasn’t going to last long if she kept that one.
He pushed her onto her back. Her thighs parted and he settled himself comfortably against her. His cock throbbed, hard and heavy. Riley’s touch had him hovering on the edge, already he was too close. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to regain much-needed control. He swallowed, his throat raw, like sandpaper. He fixed Riley with a stare, holding her gaze.
“You are so beautiful Ms. O’Neill.”
Riley panted, her breath robbed from her lungs. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He kissed her once then claimed her. One surge and she was his. Forever and always.
He thrust, finding the right pace that had them both moaning, their bodies slapping together as they met. The pleasure intensified and spots danced in his vision. Nails dug into his back as he pumped his hips into her, her body clasping his snugly. Harder. Deeper. Faster. Each new stroke took them closer. He tensed, his muscles locking as he coiled tighter.
She cried out, his name echoing throughout the semi-darkened room.
Her body contracted and jerked beneath his with fulfilment. He followed her over, jetting himself into her as his orgasm ripped through him without warning. Hot. Intense. Unbelievable.
Nick collapsed on Riley, his breathing harsh, his legs and arms quivering. When he managed to raise his head he kissed her slowly, sweetly on the lips before rolling off and pulled her against his side.
Laying side by side on her mussed sheets, her hand on his chest, his resting on her hip, caressing her silky soft skin, their breathing slowed as they caught their breath.
Moments later, Riley’s soft breathing told him she’d fallen asleep. Life didn’t get any better than it did right now. He allowed himself a few minutes to revel in what he had just experienced with Riley, sensations and pure pleasure like never before and then moved on, cursing himself silently for taking such a risk.
How could he be so stupid, to take her here where they were both vulnerable? Where a mad man had set the scene to take her life? How easy would it have been to sneak up behind them and knock him unconscious when he was obviously otherwise engaged? He’d been too wrapped up in her that he’d forgotten all about the security concerns he’d had in letting Riley come back to her apartment. Although he doubted if he let her do anything. Rather, she’d allowed him to escort her. Raging bulls, a flash flood or even an act of God wouldn’t have stopped her. She’d been damn determined to find the manuscript. Not that he could blame her. If he was in her position, he too would want the man caught just as badly but finding the Novel Killer also meant saying goodbye to Riley O’Neill and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to do that. If he could do that. He’d tried—and failed—to keep Riley at a distance. Now that the barrier had finally been broken he was finding it difficult to feel guilty.
The fears he had were still there. But where he’d been afraid of failing, it only made him want to try harder. Not that losing Riley wasn’t incentive enough.
Riley shifted, her voice husky from sleep. “For a man who just got laid pretty spectacularly, you’re thinking way too hard.”
Had she sensed the shift in his demeanour and woken?
He sorted through his thoughts, wondering how much he should share. While he was thinking, Riley draped her body more over his, a breast flattening against his side. A leg moved over one of his own and her knee came precariously close to his dick which twitched with renewed desire. Clamping his eyes shut, he gritted his teeth at how wonderful it felt to be naked beside her.
“That I’m the worst bodyguard in the history of the world. First, I take you to the very place a man said he was going to kill you. Secondly, I become so preoccupied with making love to you that anyone could’ve come in and done anything they wanted to us and worst yet we’re still here, naked and I’m dying to take you again.”
Riley smiled. “Hmm, I see your point.” She ran her hand over his chest, paying particular attention to his small nipples hidden away in his black chest hair. “But you weren’t the only one preoccupied. All I was doing was thinking how you felt inside me.”
Nick groaned, a combination of her words and the assault on his nipples. “Jesus, Riley. If your new business doesn’t work out you could always try your hand at a 1900 number.”
She lifted herself up on her elbow and stared down at him. “There’s only one man I want to seduce.”
And so she did.
Chapter 30
He moved through the night like the creature he was, slipping past the gated fence and into her backyard with ease. A dog barked in the distance. The light breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees and an eerily quiet filled the street. Silently he made his way to the window and dared one glance inside through the small gap in the blinds. He could see the red haze coming from the digital clock by her bed, highlighting the mound that was the woman, her heavy winter blanket draped over her slight but beautiful form. A cough startled him and he jerked away from the window. That wasn’t a feminine cough. He didn’t need to check the room again, his first look told him she’d been alone in her bedroom—in her bed. Knowing her as he did, he knew he was the only man currently in her life.
So, who had co
ughed? It had sounded too close to be a neighbour. He stepped across her lush green lawn, the early morning dew already seeping through his shoes and dampening his socks. He clung to the security of the house, hugging the bricks as he moved farther into her backyard. He stopped at the corner of the house, where he knew the back door would be. He touched his pocket briefly, assuring himself that the key was still there. The jagged steel outline beneath his fingers told him yes, yes it still was and he smiled into the night. Already his body was hard, desire swilled around his body like a drug, enhancing his sensations.
He made a quick look around the corner. The last time he had been here, he’d unscrewed the bulb in the security light. With any luck, she hadn’t noticed or if she had hadn’t had the time to replace it. She wasn’t a very security conscious woman.
He crept along the wall, using it as a guide. His eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, the dark clouds that threatened to bring rain in the morning blocked out the moonlight and he knew tonight was the night. Everything was perfect.
Another cough stopped him cold. Running water travelled through the piping beside him and he gritted his teeth. She had company. Who was he? Why had she not told him about the man who was at ease in her home? He mentally shrugged. Oh well, never mind, he could use a little danger, an extra zing at snuffing out another life—two in one night. The anticipation almost sent him over the edge but he pulled back just in time. He waited for the dark figure, illuminated only by the green dial on the microwave flick on the kettle and step away.
Obviously, her companion was having trouble sleeping. He soon won’t. When the man was settled, he would strike and he would never know what hit him.
Then he would take his pleasure with the woman, his Addison.
Key in hand, he popped it in the lock and slowly twisted, allowing it to turn in small increments to muffle as much sound as he could. Not for Addison’s sake, the woman slept the sleep of the dead but for the man sitting at her dining table. Why did he not want to turn on a light? Didn’t he know that nothing sort of a meteor crash landing in her bedroom would wake the sleeping woman?
That wasn’t his concern and was in fact to his advantage. He slid the glass door open and stepped inside, closing the door as quickly as he could without risking noise. The slightest temperature change could alert the man but he seemed more interested in whatever was on his phone than what was happening behind him.
Slipping into the kitchen, he opened the pantry door and stepped inside closing it after him. He calmed his breathing, allowing the stillness of the night to wash over him and withdrew his long sharp knife from his its sheath attached to his belt. He gripped the handle hard, positioning it just right in his hand and waited.
The kettle boiled, quickly followed by the soft scrape of the dining chair as the man pushed the chair away from the table and stood. Light footsteps mingled with the sound of boiling water and he heard the sound of a ceramic mug against her kitchen bench. Now was the time to strike, when his movements would not be detected, when the man was preoccupied with making his coffee.
Opening the pantry door, he slipped out behind the man, his back to him as he busied himself at the counter. He brought up his knife, the blade sliding into the man’s back with ease, his free hand covering the man’s involuntary cry of pain. He jerked out the knife and stabbed again, this time nicking the kidney. Warm blood spilled out of the man’s wounds and drenched his fist, the feeling so gloriously wonderful, the copper smell exciting him like no expensive perfume did. If he could, he’d bathe in the red, life-giving liquid.
He twisted the knife in the man’s back, feeling him jerk. A groan sounded out through the quiet house right before the man slumped against him, dead weight.
Removing the knife, he didn’t bother to wipe away the man’s blood as he moved towards her room. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she woke. She would momentarily think he had come to save her but the sight of the crimson-coated blade would soon end that.
He opened the door to her room and crept beside her bed. Using the back of his hand he switched on the small lamp beside her bed, the dim light reaching each corner of the small compact bedroom, just large enough for her bed and wardrobe. He licked his lips. Her firm breasts rose and fell with each breath taken. Enjoy them while you can my love. Because soon they will be your last.
Chapter 31
Riley moaned, her climax nearing. Her assault on his body was enough to send him catapulting over the edge but he held on, dangling precariously over the precipice. She rode him hard and fast, his hands on her hips guiding her, pushing them both higher until she screamed out his name, her body quivering above him, her inner muscles squeezing him tight, milking him as he followed her over the edge, spiralling out of control and into the unknown.
She collapsed on him, her breasts flattened against his chest, her breathing laboured. Perspiration dotted her forehead and several curly strands stuck to her hot face. Her short and quick breaths tickled his chest hair. After the second time at Riley’s apartment they’d dressed quickly and he’d hustled her out of the apartment before either one of them could succumb to the need that rode them both.
After arriving back at his place, they hadn’t even made it past the family room before he had taken her again, up against his couch, her legs wrapped around his waist, his pants hanging around his ankles as he pumped into her. After their simultaneous climaxes, they’d gone into the kitchen and fixed something to eat before falling into bed where they had only left to go to the bathroom and to get more sustenance. It appeared they both wanted to make up for lost time. Hours later, they were sated and exhausted.
Nick kissed Riley’s damp forehead tenderly, the love he had for this woman eclipsing all other emotions. She was it for him. There would be no other woman—had never really been another woman since the day he’d met her.
His arms tightened around her slight yet delectable frame and breathed in their combined scents. He was completely besotted by this red-headed temptress and loved every minute of it. How had he managed to stay away from her for so long?
“If I’d have known it was going to be this good, I’d have lost my resolve long ago.” He stroked Riley’s back, feeling the silky soft skin beneath his fingertips.
Riley let out a contented sigh. “Did you plan on making us both suffer for the rest of our lives?”
Nick gave her question some thought. “I was, yes. Although in my defence I thought it was only affecting me. It would’ve killed me but I felt it necessary.”
He wasn’t even sorry he’d succumbed. Which was crazy for all the effort he’d put in to keep this very thing from happening. He was sure there was a lesson to be learned there and decided he was done fighting—had been the moment his lips touched Riley’s. Whatever happened they were in this together and he couldn’t think of anything better.
“I’m glad it didn’t come to that,” Riley admitted sleepily, much to his delight. Knowing he’d exhausted her stroked his already healthy ego.
Nick murmured his agreement. They certainly would’ve missed out on an amazing experience. Not even his wildest imagination had come close to reality. Even now after only just having Riley his body was readying itself for another round. He was insatiable but only for her—only Riley. She made him feel—everything.
Riley’s head suddenly jerked up off his chest when a constant pounding on his front door penetrated their sexual haze. Nick sat up abruptly and gently removed Riley off him, snatching up his pants as his feet hit the floor.
What the hell?
Riley rolled to the opposite side of the bed and collected his blue shirt from where she’d thrown it in her haste to remove the last piece of material keeping her naked form from his and slipped it over her head. Together they walked down the hall, past the kitchen when finally the pounding stopped and was followed by the sound of steel scraping against steel.
Nick pushed Riley away, telling her silently to stay where she was. Someone was trying to pick
the lock to his apartment. Riley stilled and nodded she understood. She glanced at his right hand where he held his Glock steady and sucked in a deep breath.
After a quick glance through the peep-hole, he opened the door. A man of six-feet and six inches barrelled past him, his blue eyes instantly locking on Riley and accessing her for injury, a look of relief felling over his face just moments before it was wiped away and replaced with a look of irritation. Nick remained vigilant, although the man didn’t appear to be threatening despite the expression on his face, but with the sheer size of his body Nick wasn’t about to take any chances. A sense of recognition tingled in the back of his mind. He should know this man. It hit him as Riley exclaimed, “Declan!” Her blue eyes, identical to her brother’s widened with surprise and a big smile curved her mouth.
She stepped forward to hug him when the behemoth of a man growled, “What in God’s name is going on, Ri?”
Nick moved to stand beside Riley in a protective gesture, an action that made Declan O’Neill narrow his eyes.
Riley, unperturbed by her brother’s tone, placed her hands on her hips and glared right up at him. “What do you mean what is going on? What are you doing here?”
“I heard that you were in some kind of trouble.” He looked her up and down obviously taking in the fact that she wore a man’s shirt that was much too big for her and swamped her tiny frame.
“Trouble? Me? No. And I was talking about Harbour Bay. Don’t dodge the question, Senior Constable O’Neill.”
Declan shrugged his massive shoulders. “I live here now. I wanted it to be a surprise.” He grinned. “Surprise.”
Fatal Fiction (Harbour Bay Book 5) Page 19
