Velvet Shadows

by Aubrey Rose

  The last of her resistance disintegrated beneath the heat of his gaze. “I suppose we have.”

  Trevor slipped her top button from its loop, and pulled back the collar of her blouse, revealing the delicate indentation where her neck met her shoulder. “You don’t sound sure. Do I need to convince you?”

  “Yes, convince me.”

  His lips pressed against her skin, his tongue traced the protrusion of her collarbone. Velvet shivered. With taunting slowness, he turned his attention back to her buttons. The warmth of his fingers made her skin tingle.

  Breathless with anticipation, Velvet watched Trevor’s eyes. Her hands rested on his shoulders, her fingers squeezing the firm muscles. His gaze moved hungrily over her features, then dropped to the shadowed cleavage revealed by her gaping blouse.

  Gently, using only his fingertips, Trevor parted her blouse, framing her lace-clad breasts. The dark rose lace left her nipples visible. He traced one with the tip of his finger. Then his palm cupped her breast and his thumb passed lightly across the crest.

  Velvet tugged on the material of his T-shirt, un-tucking it from his jeans. She went right on tugging until he raised his arms and she pulled it off over his head. He hadn’t undressed in Jamie’s apartment. The sculpted perfection of his torso caused her breath to hitch. She ran her hands from his shoulders to his waist and back, fascinated by the strength so obvious in his build. She squeezed his shoulders and explored his thick biceps until Trevor groaned.

  “My turn.” He guided her wandering hands back to his shoulders.

  He repeated his teasing caress against her nipples and then unfastened the front clasp of the bra. Flashing her an appreciative smile, Trevor pressed both hands over her breasts. She arched into the warm caress, closing her eyes.

  He slipped one arm around her back and gently lowered her to the sofa, shifting her legs to straddle his hips. He pressed his cock insistently against her mound. With a ragged sigh, she shoved her fingers into his thick hair and brought his mouth down to hers.

  Her mouth opened eagerly, anticipating the demanding penetration of his tongue. He merely sealed his lips over hers, then pulled away. Growling deep in her throat, Velvet kissed the corner of his lips. She traced his lower lip with the tip of her tongue. He chuckled softly and finally kissed her.

  Their lips rubbed, clung, caressed. She curled her tongue around his as he delved into her mouth. He tasted of coffee and something sweet. Following his retreat, she explored his mouth with bold thrusts of her tongue. Her head spun and her core ripened, throbbing impatiently.

  He extended his arms, pushing away from her slightly. Pushing aside her loosened clothing, he uncovered her breasts. They had been in such a hurry before; their mutual need bordered on desperation. This time he tormented her with patience, building her arousal gradually. She’d never experienced the torturous pleasure of expectation.

  Dipping his head, he captured her aching nipple between his teeth. Velvet gasped as his tongue roughly stroked the tip while he maintained a steady pressure, sending tremors of sensation throughout her torso.

  He moved from one breast to the other, leisurely exploring. He kissed and licked his way from her throat to the waistband of her shorts, tantalizing every inch of her tingling skin. Pausing to appreciate the silky underside of her breasts, he meandered down to her navel. When he reached her waist, he hesitated for a moment. Then, in an urgent rush, he unfastened her shorts and pulled them down as far as her prone position would allow. He nuzzled her belly, licking his way along the lace edge of her panties.

  Velvet squirmed, raking her fingers through his dark hair. Her abdomen quivered and jumped as his mouth explored. Throbbing desire unfurled within her pussy. Each brush of his fingertips accelerated her restlessness. His fingers curved around the waistband of her shorts and Velvet raised her bottom. He pulled her shorts off, leaving only her lace trimmed satin panties.

  “Very nice.” His gaze devoured the sexy cut of her lingerie. His warm hands stroked from her waist to her knees and up the inside of her thighs, gently spreading her legs as he went.

  Velvet shook visibly. Her arousal soaked her panties, displaying how desperately she wanted him. His hands curved over her inner thighs, inches from her mons, but not touching. He didn’t move. He waited until she met his gaze, then he eased both thumbs under her slick panties, brushing against her silken folds.

  For a second his eyes closed and his expression revealed the pleasure he found just touching her. It was humbling. It was exhilarating.

  With one hand he sank between the swollen lips of her sex and into the very core of her femininity. The other found her clit and gently circled it again and again. She tried to relax, to allow the orgasm to build; still, the intensity overwhelmed her. She trembled and panted, clutching his shoulders.

  The tension built to the point of pain and he stopped. Velvet cried out and Trevor chuckled. Anger intensified the heat sizzling across her skin. She tried to draw her legs together. He was firmly wedged between her thighs.

  “If you liked that, sweetheart, you’ll love this.”

  His thumbs resumed their tender assault. He stroked her gently, delving beneath her panties again, not penetrating her throbbing cunt. He waited until she squirmed, then gently parted her swollen folds. Using one thumb to draw her panties aside and the other to hold her open, he exposed her vulnerable clit. Velvet was afraid to move, afraid to breathe, afraid her over stimulated senses would shatter her mind.

  The heat of his breath caressed her first, then the very tip of his tongue strummed across her. Velvet jerked her hips, tangling her fingers in his hair. He touched her again and she gasped. Circling that exquisitely sensitive knot with just the tip of his tongue, he drove her higher.

  Heat gathered throughout her abdomen. Her hands and feet tingled. Pleasure vibrated from her breasts to her clit and back again. She trembled and arched. When he carefully sucked her into his mouth, she screamed.

  The powerful orgasm sputtered out suddenly as the phone interrupted their love play. “Shit,” Velvet whimpered, her fingers releasing his hair. Her body tightened with hollow aftershocks of the half-formed climax.

  “Ignore it,” Trevor ordered, flicking his tongue over her insistently.

  She heard Elliot’s mechanical greeting and realized the answering machine had responded to the ring. Trevor raised his head, his expression a mixture of desire and fury. Evidently he sensed her distraction, her emotional withdrawal.

  “Ignore it,” he said again, his voice softer. But his hands slipped out from underneath her panties and came to rest against her waist.

  He was waiting for her to relax and refocus, and she was prepared to do just that, until she heard Elliot’s voice again.

  “Velvet, pick up if you’re there. I have the information you requested.”

  With a tortured groan, she wiggled out from under Trevor, pulling her blouse closed across her bosom as she flew across the room. “Damn it,” she hissed as she rushed for the phone. “I’m here,” she said into the telephone, panting softly.

  “What have you been doing, you sound out of breath?”

  Her cheeks burned as she pictured his reaction to the truth. “I was out on the beach. I thought it might be you, so I ran for the phone.” She clutched the blouse with one hand, very aware that her shorts were on the floor at Trevor’s feet.

  “Well, you may wish you hadn’t bothered. We came up empty. Depalma is clean, both the agency and the man. There’s no evidence of impropriety, at least on the surface.”

  “I see.” She expelled her disappointment in a long sigh. “Well, thanks. I appreciate your time.” She glanced across at Trevor, who was watching her carefully. Had he guessed what the conversation was about?

  “Sure.” Elliot paused and then added, “Did you hear about that photographer?”

  “What photographer?” For just an instant Velvet wondered if this was the beginning of a bad joke, then she reminded she was talking to Elliot.

/>   “The guy who trained you. Mike or Mitch.”

  “Micah?”

  “Yes. He was mugged this afternoon.”

  “Mugged? What are you talking about?”

  “Brian said he heard a couple of his officers taking about the Depalma Agency photographer who’d been mugged. It shook him up for a minute because he thought they were talking about you.”

  “What happened? Is Micah all right?” She glanced again at Trevor. He had risen from the couch and was walking slowly toward her, his expression concerned.

  The long pause that followed her barrage of questions only frightened Velvet further. She was about to repeat the last question when Elliot finally replied.

  “He was DOA. I’m sorry.”

  “My God,” she whispered. “Do they have any suspects?”

  “Brian only said Micah resisted his attacker and was stabbed.”

  “Okay.” In a numbed sort of haze, Velvet hung up the telephone, not even realizing she hadn’t said goodbye.

  Trevor’s arms enfolded her the instant after she released the phone. She was trembling, but she didn’t cry. She’d been with Micah mere hours before. “It was Depalma,” she whispered. “I know it was. Micah defied him, and Anthony killed him, or had him killed.”

  “Tell me what happened.” Trevor prompted. “Why was Elliot investigating Micah?”

  “Elliot has a friend at the LAPD. I asked him to run a background check on Depalma. I thought maybe Brian could turn up something you’d missed. I didn’t realize you had inside sources too. Brian wasn’t able to discover anything except what happened to Micah.”

  Trevor’s hand stroked slowly down the back of her hair. His embrace was light, supportive. “I’m so sorry.”

  Sighing, Velvet rested her forehead against his shoulder. She didn’t want to think about all of the horrible things that had been crammed into this one day. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t know what she wanted.

  “Is there any proof Depalma was involved?”

  She pushed away from him slightly and looked up into his eyes. “I don’t know. It’s just too convenient. Micah decides to disassociate himself from Depalma and suddenly he turns up dead.”

  “That would certainly promote employee loyalty.” Trevor’s voice was dry, his fingers caught momentarily in the thickness of her hair.

  “I’m scared, Trevor. I’m really scared.”

  “I know you are. I wish I could say that there’s no reason to be. Unfortunately that would be more dangerous than going into this with our eyes open.” He squeezed her gently, pulling her fully against his chest, urging her head down onto his shoulder. “The closer we get to the truth, the more dangerous this will get.”

  And if Jamie was already dead, then the risk wasn’t worth it. But Velvet’s heart instantly rebelled against the pessimistic thought. She couldn’t allow herself to think that way. “None of it seemed real until today. We spoke of disappearances and suspicions. It wasn’t until I glimpsed the other side of Anthony Depalma that I realized how serious this situation is.” Her breath heated his neck as she spoke and the warmth was reflected back against her own lips.

  “I should go,” he mumbled. His arms tightened around her in silent contradiction of his words.

  “You should go,” she agreed, but she didn’t leave the comfort of his embrace.

  “Tell me to go.” Before she could answer, his mouth covered hers, his tongue sweeping in to capture her soft whimper. “Or ask me to stay.”

  A spark of indignation made her step away. “That’s so unfair. I will not take sole responsibility for us sleeping together.”

  He laughed, apparently thinking she was still teasing him. “Then I’ll take sole responsibility for us sleeping together. May I please stay the night? I want very much to make love to you.”

  Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach and she shook her head. “I can’t. Not after everything that’s happened. It’s just too much for one night.”

  After forcing her to endure the intensity of his unwavering gaze for a long moment, Trevor finally relented. “Fine. We won’t make love. But I’m not leaving you alone here, either.”

  “You can sleep in Dillon’s room,” she replied mechanically.

  Chapter Nine

  Trevor stood at the window in Dillon’s bedroom staring out into the night. The master bathroom shared a wall with the bedroom allowing him to hear the soft rush of the shower. His imagination happily supplied vivid images of Velvet standing naked beneath the spray.

  Why was she doing this? Why deny them both what they wanted ‑‑ no, needed?

  She responded without reservation when he touched her, but the slightest distraction sent her scurrying for the security of her emotional barricade. She was hiding from herself, and driving him crazy in the process.

  Their conversation in the restaurant echoed through his mind. How would she react if he brought the pirate out to play? He didn’t want to frighten her; still, enough was enough. He had to push her beyond this emotional reserve if they ever hoped to develop a relationship. And whether she believed it or not, this wasn’t just about sex.

  Tearing his shirt off over his head, he unbuttoned the top of his jeans, allowing them to settle low on his hips. He messed up his hair and strode down the hall. If the bedroom door was locked he’d know she meant business.

  The lever rotated smoothly and he swung the door open. Oh, Velvet, you little tease. She wanted him, there was no doubt about it. She just wasn’t ready to take responsibility for her desire. He could live with that.

  A sliver of light spilled across the carpeting, guiding him toward the bathroom. Captain Jack? No, he had a better idea.

  He banged the door open, causing her to gasp and blink the water from her eyes.

  “What are you doing in here?” She covered her breasts with her arms, her eyes wide.

  Stalking across the tiles, he pulled the glass door open and turned off the shower. “I don’t want to hurt you, lady, but I haven’t had a woman in eleven years.”

  A nervous little laugh escaped her. “Is that so? Eleven years is a long time.”

  “I just made parole and your husband was the son of a bitch who put me away, so I thought this was only fair.”

  “Elliot and I are divorced, so it’s a little late for revenge.”

  He stepped into the shower stall, forcing her back. “I don’t mind. Knowing you used to belong to him is good enough for me, but I am going to fuck you.”

  She started to protest. He silenced her with his mouth. Pressing her against the wet tiles, he ravished her mouth. She hesitated for only a moment, then opened her mouth for his tongue.

  Her surrender fueled Trevor’s aggression. The role he’d chosen called to him; still, he paused before submerging himself completely. “Do you trust me?” He whispered the words against her parted lips.

  She looked into his eyes and nodded. “I trust you.”

  Releasing the last hold on his civility, Trevor abandoned himself to their game. He tangled his fist in her wet hair and angled her face for the demanding penetration of his tongue. “Oh God, it’s been so long.”

  He cupped her breast, abrading her nipple with the pad of his thumb. She tore her mouth away. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

  Laughing, he rolled her nipple and moved his mouth to the side of her throat. “Are you that anxious to feel my cock inside you?”

  “No. I’m cold.”

  “That’s too bad.” He bent over her breasts, licking and suckling. Her nipples puckered and flushed. He sucked harder, plucking one while laving the other.

  He unzipped his jeans and stripped them off, pausing while her heated gaze devoured his body. His cock bucked and throbbed, demanding immediate attention. “I don’t want this over too soon. Eleven years is a long time to wait.” He took her hand and wrapped her fingers around his aching shaft, showing her how to move, how firmly to press. Her fingers continued to work even after he moved his hand. “That’s right. Ju
st like that.”

  He pushed his middle finger between her thighs, sinking into her feminine folds, not entering her core. Her fist squeezed harder, moved faster. He slid his finger back and forth, mimicking the speed of her hand.

  “Have you ever had a man come in your mouth?” he whispered roughly.

  “Is that what you want me to do?”

  “Not right now. Have you?”

  “No.”

  Her hand moved steadily. Trevor’s balls tightened, gathered, preparing to release. He covered her hand with his again, his hips rocking into each stroke. His buttocks clenched, his legs trembled and he came in hard, jerking spasms.

  Velvet watched his seed splash the shower tiles, helplessly fascinated. She’d never seen a man come before. Passing her thumb over the head of his penis, she felt the silky substance.

  He pulled her hand away. “Now we go to the bedroom.”

  She hesitated. There was no real reason to object. She wanted this desperately. But the stage he’d set called for drama. Resistance! “Please, just leave. I won’t call the police.”

  “Move.”

  “I can’t let you --”

  “You’re not letting me do anything. You don’t have a choice.” His hand wrapped around her upper arm and he pulled her from the shower stall. Snatching his jeans off the floor, he led her into the bedroom.

  His grasp was firm, not hurtful, reminding her that this was only a game. Do you trust me? The key to her sexual fantasies. He’d asked permission before he began.

  She tugged against his hold, digging her heels into the carpet. “This isn’t right. You can’t really mean to ‑‑ fuck me.” She stumbled over the word, feeling naughty just saying it out loud.

  “Oh, we’ll fuck, eventually. But there are lots of other things I intend to do first. Where do you keep your vibrator?”

  “I don’t have a vibrator.”

  “Bullshit. Get it or I’ll fuck your ass.” A staggering wave of heat spiraled though her at the crude threat. Her face burned and her nipples hardened. He laughed. “Is that what you want? You look way too uptight for something that kinky.”