The Illicit Revealed (The Illicit Series Book 2)

by Brittani Marí

  “What am I worth to you?” she whispered, allowing me to pull her closer. “How far would you go to protect me?” Her brows furrowed and she slowly looked away. “How far would you go to help me?”

  I paused. I knew she felt the way I stiffened. My short intake of breath as I mentally processed her questions.

  “What am I worth to you? How far would you go to protect me?”

  Those questions were easy as hell to answer. Her worth was far beyond what it should’ve been to me. It exceeded any other woman before her, even my former fiancée. Mia was worth my destruction. The length I would go to protect her was far beyond what I considered possible. Still, the question that made me pause was the last.

  “How far would you go to help me?”

  I gently pushed her away, holding her at arm’s length, studying her. I couldn’t focus with her being that close, and her question required my undivided attention. She wanted my help, unaware I was the root cause of her pain. Unfortunately, a confession of my faults didn’t have a place in our world, not even with our current positions. I had to play the role I was raised for, but her spell on me nearly made me lose that focus. I wanted honesty between us, but the only thing I could provide was empty promises. How could I help her when I was the villain? Or at least one of them.

  The words leaving my lips pained me. Each lie. Each promise.

  “What do you need, Mia?” I swallowed. “Of course, I’ll do everything within my power to protect you…”

  She gave a weak smile, stepping into my embrace. I cherished the feeling of her body against mine. The scent of my body wash on her petite frame. The ease of us together, even though we both kept so much from each other. Even though we both knew the glimpse of happiness was just a tease.

  I groaned when she shifted, her teeth grazing my neck. Her lips slowly trailed their way to my own. She paused before slipping her tongue inside, teasing me with what I already had a taste for. I allowed her to set the pace as we devoured each other, hungry for what we both knew was unattainable. We desired much more than what was available to us.

  I growled as her kiss grew more hungry, accepting everything she was willing to give. Did that make me a selfish man? Was indulging in her desperate plea for a distraction wrong?

  I considered this as we moved farther into the living room. I backed her against the cushion of the couch, gently pushing her down onto it. She gazed up at me as I dropped to my knees, proving my devotion. I wasn’t a weak man, but for some reason, this woman brought me to my knees–literally.

  I started undoing the button of her fitted jeans, then helped her out of them. She lifted her ass of the couch, her eyes growing more heated by the second. I didn’t miss the slight concern in them. I chose to ignore it for the time being. The chaos coming our way was closer than I thought, possibly right outside the door, but I knew he wasn’t bold enough to interrupt or attempt to walk inside. He knew his place, just like I knew mine.

  I threw her jeans to the floor and reached for her shirt, swiftly ripping that over her head. I leaned back on my heels and admired her for a moment. Her seductive eyes. Her long, dark hair that cascaded over her shoulders and partially covered her lace bra.

  I motioned for her to remove it. She smiled, undoing it and handing it over, doing the same with her matching lace panties. Instead of placing them with her clothes, I stuffed them into my pocket.

  I leaned closer to her, caressing her breast, trailing my fingers down to her pussy, gently pulling her legs apart. She was so wet. I trailed my finger up her slit and coated her sensitive nub. She bucked against my hand, so I placed my palm on her mid-section, holding her in place as I slid two fingers inside her.

  “You’re a mess, Mia,” I whispered. “It angers me that the whole time I’ve been gone today, you’ve been here like this.”

  I worked her harder, increasing my speed. When she was almost there, I pulled my hand away, my tongue taking the place of my fingers. Her back arched off the couch as I devoured her, my tongue circling her clit, my teeth grazing her just right. Her head thrashed back and forth while she moaned.

  Sensing she was close, I moved away, her taste still fresh on my tongue. When I finally allowed her to come, the only place she would do it was on my cock.

  I stood, undoing my shirt. It quickly joined her clothes on the floor. I started working on my pants when I felt her small hands cover mine.

  “Let me,” she whispered seductively, biting her lip. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.”

  Falling to her knees in front of me, she undid my belt and slowly unzipped my pants. She attempted to pull them down, but after her failed attempt, I helped her by stepping out of them.

  “Slow down, beautiful.” I looked down at her. “There’s no rush.”

  With Michael outside the door, though, urgency should’ve been my main concern. We were defiantly limited on time. The revolver stored safely in the penthouse gave me some sense of protection.

  I caressed her face as she wrapped her hand around my cock. It was hard the moment I stepped inside the door, yet it grew harder as she gently gripped it. She looked up at me as she swirled her tongue around the tip, expertly massaging the base at the same time. I ran my hands through her hair when she finally took me into her mouth. As she sucked me skillfully, I forced myself not to think about her doing the same to Alek. I didn’t want to imagine her on her knees in front of him in such a submissive position.

  I gripped her hair as she took me deeper, cursing when I felt myself touch the back of her throat. She didn’t choke or gag. Just released me with a pop, a smug grin on her face. She reached for me again, but I pushed her hands away. I was too close to my release, and regardless of how soft her lips were or how warm her mouth was, I knew it would only take one more lick, one more feel of her tongue swirling for me to combust.

  “That’s enough of that,” I said hoarsely, trying to gain control. “Get back on the couch.”

  She smiled, making her way back over. She was barely on the couch when I slowly dropped to my knees in front of her, aligning my cock with her wet entrance, expertly pulling her onto me. It was slow and measured at first, but once I was completely inside her, I pulled out, reentering her with a hard thrust.

  “You don’t know what you do to me, Mia,” I confessed, keeping the same pace. “I’m not good for you. You should’ve never walked up to me in the club. You should’ve never agreed to come into my office.”

  She looked at me, moaning in ecstasy, considering my words for a split second. The truth behind them. The admission. The advice.

  I rocked into her harder, attempting to erase the words that poured out of my mouth, but it was too late and we were both too far gone.

  I lowered myself closer to her, driving as deeply as I could into her welcoming channel, eventually rotating her sideways and laying her down, remembering the first night we were together. The simplicity of us not knowing that one night was the beginning of so much more to come. So much turmoil.

  Lifting her hands above her head, I started thrusting into her slowly, like a man making love. Like a man cherishing something he’d finally attained after a lifetime of imagining. Her legs gripped my waist and she dug her feet into my ass while I gave her every inch of me.

  The lies and secrets were all put on pause as we enjoyed each other without worry, but like they said, everything good must come to an end. That was proven moments after she bucked against me, riding out her orgasm, and I emptied myself inside her.

  As we settled on the couch, trying to catch our breath, she sighed.

  “His name is Stinson,” she whispered, looking up at me, snuggling against my bare chest. “I don’t know too much about my past, but I know he knew someone very important to me.” She swallowed. “If I find out more about him, even a last name, I can go from there.”

  She pressed against me, not an ounce of regret in her words. “Judging from all the wealth around you, I know you can help me, Wesley. The connec
tions. The guards. I can forgive you of all of this...” She gestured around, “if you help me with that one request.”

  I looked down at her. Bringing her to the condo was a mistake. It only brought her closer to the truth. The answers she was seeking. It only caused her to question something that had been fairly distant from her. Unless I put a stop to it, Mia would soon be playing the game. She was currently just guessing, but after so many guesses, people eventually stumbled across the right answer.

  I pulled her as close as I could, taking in her scent and kissing the top of her head. “Of course, my shy girl. I’ll do whatever you need.”

  As I leaned back against the couch with her against me, trying to decide how best to handle her request, I heard my cell buzz in my pants on the floor. I reached for them, pulling my phone out. The text from Calvin reminded me of everything at stake, but also confirmed what I already knew.

  I did some digging and learned that Michael’s been on Stinson’s payroll for quite a while. Watch your back.

  I dropped my phone back onto the floor and looked over at the desk in the corner, my revolver stored inside one of the drawers. I pulled Mia closer. Our time was quickly running out.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mia

  THEY SAID TO NEVER sell your soul to the devil. I was guilty of doing just that years before I even realized I had made the mistake. I lived a lavish lifestyle, oblivious to the fact that it was all part of his scheme. His way of pulling me closer, hiding the truth behind a beautiful distraction.

  I went on exotic trips in the company of my adoring husband, who was quite a few years older but still a magnificent catch other woman envied. I saw this in their expressions when I accompanied him to parties. I felt it every time I offered them a practiced smile.

  In the beginning, this was my truth. I felt lucky to be married to a man like Alek…until the real truth started to show itself. Everything I believed, everything I envisioned for our future suddenly turned gray, lifeless. My ignorant desires turned to ash, just like my previous life.

  Alek and I came to an understanding. I was his wife. He was the provider. My only job was to portray what other women envied. Speak when I was spoken to. Voice opinions only when he asked. Fuck him whenever he desired. If I followed all the rules, I was perfect. The perfect wife to disguise a ruthless man. The eye candy the public expected to be on his arm. To some women, it might have been tolerable. But it only gave me time to think. About every move he made. Every phone call he took in a separate room. The distance. The late nights. The solitude.

  All this brought me back to my father. The way he treated my mother. How she never questioned him or asked him why. She just accepted who he was.

  I stayed because I thought, deep down, I was like my mother, but I quickly learned that wasn’t the reason at all. It was because of fate, just like Detective Anderson stated at the coffee shop. He didn’t have to beat around the bush. I knew what he meant. All the clues and hints he gave led me to believe one thing. Alek was either solely responsible for my mother’s death or he knew who was.

  Now I was offering myself to someone with the same characteristics. Handsome. Wealthy. Charming. Someone with the world at his fingertips. Power. Control. Capable of taking what he wanted. He took me without a care in the world. No remorse. No apology. No explanation that made sense. I knew I was delusional for entertaining the idea that his actions were okay. For asking him for a favor that I promised would make up for everything he had done, everything he had put me through. In my heart, I wanted to believe this man was an exception to what I knew. However, my sense of danger told me something completely different. It urged me to run, escape. Avery’s previous warnings clarified that my gut was right. In the end, Wesley Black would only bring me pain.

  Still, I snuggled closer to him, expecting the protection of his embrace, the warmth of his body next to mine, hoping that regardless of everything that stood between us, he could help me figure out the truth behind my past. The one thing I tried to tell myself I didn’t care about anymore. The feeling of revenge hadn’t waned. It had only grown stronger each day.

  ***

  I felt Wesley stiffen against me. His response to my question about how far he’d go to help me made me realize what we shared was far more than sex. Yes, it was intense and dangerous, but it was also real, which I couldn’t say about my marriage. At least I knew where Wesley and I stood. Both hungry for completion of our desired task. Both aware what we shared was in no way love. I didn’t even have a word to describe it. It was that toxic, that unique.

  He ran his hand along my shoulder, my ribs, the curve of my hip, giving me chills and causing me to press back into him. I felt his cock grow hard against my back.

  “What are you thinking?” I whispered, turning to face him on the couch. His gray eyes were heavy with arousal, but I knew he was deflecting on what was bothering him. “Who was on the phone?”

  He took a measured breath, pulling my leg over his hip, effortlessly dragging me closer. He grazed his hand over my thigh, stopping when he reached my ass, gripping it hard enough I was sure he’d leave a mark. He focused his attention there, not on my face.

  I grasped his hand, forcing him to look at me. What I saw in his gaze frightened me. I’d never seen anger so deep, accompanied with the agitation radiating off his body. I looked away, feeling like I’d run across something personal, something I didn’t have permission to see.

  “I’m sorry—” I started, but my sentence was cut short when his lips crashed onto mine, silencing me. The distraction made me believe I imagined it. Maybe I didn’t see the type of anger that would make even the toughest man cower under his power.

  I wondered what would cause a person to develop that type of rage. It wasn’t directed toward me, but it didn’t mean I didn’t feel it. The raw, animalistic behavior only men who lived certain lives could deliver.

  I allowed him to kiss me breathless as I trailed my hands over his biceps and circled his neck. He was thirsty for me, and I allowed him to take every drop as he found my entrance and pushed back inside. The anger in his eyes faded as he thrust into me repeatedly. I knew he was trying to distract himself. What turned the man I thought I knew into someone else?

  His fast pace slowed, and I relished in the feel of his mouth as it left my lips to trail over my nose, my eyelids, eventually coming back to my lips. His eyes still seemed distant, delivering a faint warning. I thought about the things he whispered to me before.

  “You should’ve never walked up to me. You should’ve never agreed to come into my office.”

  It was his way of admitting he knew what we were doing was wrong, but it didn’t matter anymore. What good was dwelling on your past if you couldn’t change it? The only thing we could do was move forward and work together to right a wrong I had the means to fix. I had him, his power, his connections. All he had to do was ask a few questions and the answers would come to him. I knew this man had respect from the people around him. I knew we came across each other for a reason.

  He didn’t speak until we both found our release. I kept my legs wrapped around him, slowly loosening my grip as he spoke.

  “We have to go,” he said hoarsely against my chest, then lifted his body off me. “We don’t have much time.”

  I looked up at him as he stood from the couch. The corded muscles throughout his body only magnified his power. He picked up our clothes, handing me mine.

  “I’m going to shower. You’re welcome to join me.”

  I followed without a second thought, my clothes dangling in my hand. My eyes focused on his backside as he walked into the decorative bathroom and turned on the shower. The steam quickly filled the room as we both dropped our clothes to the floor. While I stepped in, he stood patiently to the side, his palm pressed against the wall.

  Once inside the large shower, I began to wash, soon feeling his presence behind me. He kissed the top of my head and started to wash, but I remembered the anger that clouded his eye
s before. The warning when I questioned him about the text. Maybe I stepped over a line, or maybe I made him remember something he was trying to forget.

  After we both showered and dressed, things began to move quickly. I packed what I could, which wasn’t anything more than the clothes I had on my back when I got here and the bag of clothes the woman brought me. Wesley was on edge, looking over his shoulder constantly as he talked on his cell phone, delivering commands and making vague arrangements. Every now and then, he glanced at me. I’d smile, but my nerves were shot. I mentally prepared myself for something to come along to disrupt our peace. I sensed it gaining momentum, and the way Wesley was acting caused me to assume whatever it was had to be bad. Maybe even deadly.

  It took us about ten minutes to get ready. He grabbed a gun from the desk drawer before opening the front door. Once he cautiously looked up and down the hallway, he motioned for me to step out. I hesitated, realizing my ignorance.

  Why didn’t I snoop around? I was in the condo alone for hours. If I had, I might have found the gun and could’ve used it to escape. Instead, I gave up, like I’d done so many times before.

  When I didn’t move, he tucked the gun securely into the back of his jeans. “Mia, we have to go.”

  I took one final glance around the condo and stepped over the threshold into what appeared to be a private hallway. This was where he had removed the blindfold and revealed himself to me. The moment I realized he was much more than I would’ve ever imagined he would be. Kidnapping the infamous Alek Johnson’s wife was a move many people wouldn’t dare make, but this man did without hesitation or concern for what would happen next.

  We took the few steps toward the waiting elevator. I stepped on first. Wesley looked around one more time, then followed. When the doors closed, we were both silent, even though we’d explored each other’s bodies in more ways the one. I could still hear the soothing words he whispered as he thrust inside me.