The Sex On Beach Book Club

by Jennifer Apodaca

  He opened his beer and drank it. Life was ironic. The reason Wes had contacted the DEA about the doping death of Conrad Nader was because he didn’t trust cops.

  He didn’t like cops.

  Now he had a serious case of the hots for an ex-cop who came from a family of cops. And they were all discussing his case.

  The irony was that these cops cared about their jobs like his dad had cared about exposing corruption in those who were supposed to protect and serve the public. Wes and his sister had grown up seeing the dark side of the thin blue line.

  It turned out that maybe Wes had missed the point—that most cops cared about the job and really did want to make a difference. Holly had given him the gift of that knowledge. He turned his attention to her father.

  Eric Hillbay sat with his arms linked behind his head, leaning back in his chair with his legs stretched toward the fire pit. The flames flickered over his face. Finally he unlinked his hands and sat forward. “What’s your next move, Holly?”

  She looked around the table. “Nora tried to call Wes a couple times, and we’re pretty sure she wanted to talk. But when we saw her, she seemed scared. I think she’s our weak link. In fact, I think she wants to tell what she knows, but she’s scared.”

  Her dad said, “Of what?”

  Holly started to answer, but Wes jumped in because he’d been thinking about this exact question. “She has a son, Ryan. She’d do anything to protect Ryan. So she might be afraid that she’ll go to jail and Ryan will have no one. Or she might be afraid someone will hurt Ryan.”

  Eric studied him. “You don’t think she killed Cullen? Or was part of it?

  He shook his head. “No. The Nora I know could not have shot Cullen twice unless her son was in danger. Nothing we’ve found on Cullen suggests that he was threatening her son. And I doubt she has the skill to shoot George from a distance as someone did today.”

  Joe twisted off the cap of his beer. “Not bad, Brockman. But she’s part of the alibi. In fact, they were all supposed to be at her house when the murder occurred.”

  He nodded. “I know. And she appears to have gotten the key and alarm code.” He had to be clear about this. “Let’s look at facts. Her husband was embezzling and she didn’t know. She’s naïve, she’s trusting, or used to be. My gut, the same gut that made me rich doing deals for baseball players, tells me Nora trusted the wrong people and got pulled into a nightmare she doesn’t know how to get out of.”

  Holly nodded. “So she might have gotten the key thinking that one of them was going to meet Cullen at Wes’s bookstore for a reason other than murder. Actually, I don’t think Nora was at the bookstore at all when Cullen was murdered. I think she stayed home and made it look like all three of the women were there so her neighbors would confirm the alibi.”

  Wes looked at her. The firelight played off her dark hair, catching the blond highlights. She had it twisted up again. He was starting to realize she wore it that way as part of her effort to keep herself tough and distant. Quietly, he asked, “You think Nora was used?”

  Holly met his gaze. “And now she’s trapped. That’s the only way I can make it work. I think one of the other two went to the bookstore to meet Cullen, maybe to distract him while the third one went to his boat to steal the laptop.”

  “Where they thought their real names were linked with the nicknames on the Web site.” He thought it over, seeing it line up to a point. “But why was Cullen murdered?”

  Holly paused, then said, “Because one of the women had an agenda the other two knew nothing about. Getting revenge on you. And once Cullen was murdered, she controlled the other two by pointing out that they were accomplices to the crime.”

  The silence was broken by the waves pounding the surf and the fire crackling in the pit. Someone had been coming to his book club and cooking up ways to destroy his life. Who did he know who was that manipulative and cold? “Maggie or Helene?”

  Holly said, “I think so. What we have to do is use Nora to find out which one. Once we get Nora to break the alibi, and find out which woman went to the bookstore, the police can take it from there.”

  Eric asked, “How do you plan to use Nora?”

  She folded her hands around her bottle of beer. “Wes and I can’t get close to Nora, or Maggie or Helene, thanks to Brad.” She picked up her beer and took a quick drink.

  Wes could feel her anger, maybe pain. He watched her for a few seconds, cognizant that her family gave her the same courtesy. Given that her brothers liked to torment her on a regular basis, he knew he was right. Brad had hurt Holly and it went deeper than money. The very fact that his kick-ass PI hadn’t gone after Brad to extract revenge or justice in some way told him a great deal. He also remembered Holly telling him that Seth had gone after Brad.

  Wes liked her brother even more. He hoped Seth had done the job right.

  Holly set her beer down and said, “We can’t talk to Nora, but Seth can.” She looked at her brother. “I think you should use your dubious charm and see if you can get Nora to trust you. Get her to tell you whatever you can. Find out if she has Cullen’s laptop or knows where it is. Anything that will help us.”

  Seth leaned forward. “What kind of woman is Nora?”

  Holly made a face. “Much as I hate to say this, I’m going to borrow the O’Man’s description. She’s the Invisible Woman. No one really notices her. She wants it that way, because of her ex-husband’s embezzling conviction. That was enough negative attention for her. But she’s still a woman. And Cullen was able to pinpoint the loneliness and need in her then exploit it. It’s on his Web site, The O’Man. He made her feel singled out, like he could see something special about her that everyone else was missing.”

  Seth nodded. “I can do that.”

  Joe said, “I’ll snoop around the other two, see what I can come up with.”

  Holly nodded. “The name Hillbay will tip them off, so maybe you should…”

  Joe grinned at her. “Lie?”

  Seth slapped him on the back. “Give it a try, Joe. The truth hasn’t been working for you.”

  Holly snorted. “Shut up, both of you. I don’t know what women see in you two. You’re both ugly and dumb as bricks.”

  Eric broke up the bickering by saying, “I’ll go by in the morning and see all my old friends at the station. Find out what the scuttlebutt is on this case.” He stood up and looked at his sons. “We’re leaving.”

  To Wes’s surprise, Joe and Seth both got up and followed their dad out.

  A half hour later, Wes finished loading the dishes into the dishwasher. The girls were asleep. Holly was making notes and working in the living room. He shut the dishwasher and went in to coax her to bed. He was glad she was staying the night. People he cared about were developing a nasty habit of getting hurt.

  He walked past his fish tank and turned toward the couch. Then he smiled. She was sound asleep, her files and yellow tablets spread out over her lap. She had taken out her hair clip and hooked it on the edge of one of the tablets. She’d been sitting straight up, but her head had fallen to the back of the couch. He walked over and picked up her notes, papers, and pictures, and put them in a neat stack.

  He looked down at her. He’d never forget the protective stance she’d taken over George once he’d been shot. She was not going to let the shooter get a second chance. Beautiful and street smart, she had a heart of gold that someone had cut deeply. It made his gut turn over. Reaching down, he lifted her into his arms.

  “Hey.” She tried to force her eyes open. “I’m awake.”

  He laughed. “Go back to sleep, Hillbaby. I’ve got you.” He took her across the living room, and turned down the hall into his room, which faced the beach. After laying her on the bed, he took off her shoes. Then he reached for her pants.

  “I can do it.”

  He looked up at her sleepy eyes. “I know.” He tugged her jeans down and caught sight of her green panties. Ignoring his dick’s reaction, he pulled her to a sit
ting position to strip off her top and bra. Then he pulled the covers back, lifted her up and set her on his sheets. “Go back to sleep.” He covered her up, kissed her forehead, and headed into the bathroom. By the time he came out, she was asleep again.

  Wes didn’t mind. He got under the covers, pulled her into his arms, and closed his eyes.

  The feel of someone stroking his cock made him rock hard. He woke up instantly. It was still dark, early morning, but there was just enough light for him to see Holly sliding down his chest. Her warm hand was wrapped around the base of his dick.

  Either he was having a sizzling sex dream, or he’d just woken up to a fantasy come to life. Her hair was spread out on his belly as she scooted lower. He touched the back of her head. “Holly?”

  “Hmm?” She flicked her thumb over the sensitive tip of his penis.

  He jerked and felt the rush of hot sperm flood his balls. He looked down at her, at the slope of her shoulder, the curve of her back, the fall of the one breast that he could see, and further down to her butt, barely covered in green panties. Was she horny? Deciding to get him so hot that he wouldn’t demand so much from her? Trying to get his brain to work, he said, “You could just ask if you want sex.”

  Her warm breath teased his dick. Then she said, “I’m taking what I want, Brockman.” She leaned her head lower and licked him. Then she said, “Unless you object?”

  His cock screamed at him to lie down and shut the hell up. “No objections.”

  She cupped his balls and covered him with her mouth. The combination of the warm, wet pull of her sucking and her tongue sliding along him drained any blood left from his brain. Pleasure raced through him. He ran his hand over her hair and any place he could reach just to touch her. Her clever mouth worked his dick while her hands fondled his balls.

  He grabbed a handful of the sheet and moved against her. Lifting his head, he saw her taking him, suckling him. Then she raised her blue eyes, dark with need and something else.

  Something sweet and giving.

  Heat gripped from his lower back, raced down his balls, and he exploded into a climax.

  Holly loved the feel of Wes in her mouth, of his hand stroking her head. He never pushed her head, the way men did to control a woman. Instead he stroked her, touching her face, moving over her shoulder and back to her hair.

  Like he just wanted to touch her.

  She’d woken up this morning and seen him sprawled naked on his back with a morning erection bringing him to half mast. And she’d felt that odd catch in her chest. She didn’t want to identify her feelings. She just wanted Wes for the short time they had left. She knew she was getting close to breaking the case.

  She decided she’d have him for the little time they had together. He seemed to accept her as she was, flaws and all, and she wanted to give him something back. His life had been ripped apart, his best friend shot, and Wes still worried about others, like Kelly’s feelings. He cared about others besides himself.

  She could give him this. A pleasant morning wake-up, and maybe a good memory of her.

  Wes tugged at her arm, got his hands under her shoulders, and pulled her up to him.

  She looked at him and grinned. “Now you can go back to sleep.”

  He stroked his hand over her hair and down her back. “Why would I want to do that, Holly?”

  She laughed. “Every man does.”

  “You think so?” He kept touching her. “What if I have a burning question that keeps me from being able to go back to sleep?”

  She relaxed against him. “Do I know the answer?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  She’d play along. “What’s your question?”

  He brought his hand around to cup the side of her face. Even in the dim light, she could see the intensity of his green eyes. “Did sucking me make you wet? Horny? If I touch you, am I going to feel your creamy excitement?”

  She shivered. She hadn’t expected this. “I wanted to do it.”

  He smiled. “I believe you. I asked you if it made you hot.”

  “Do you have a problem with early morning gifts, book boy?”

  He looked startled. “No. God, no. Holly, I loved it.” He lifted his head to kiss her. “But I still want to know.”

  Yes, damn it. And he was making her hotter now. “Yes. It made me so hot, my panties are probably soaked. Is that what you wanted to know?”

  He seemed to miss a breath. “Damn right.” He swallowed. “Show me.”

  “Show you what?” What was this between her and Wes? How did he touch something so deep inside of her?

  He held her gaze. “Give me your panties.”

  “And then?”

  He arched both eyebrows. “Did I stop you from taking what you wanted?”

  She shifted and wiggled until she’d slid her panties off and handed them to him.

  He tossed them aside and kissed her. Driving his tongue in deep, sweeping over the roof of her mouth, playing with her tongue. He held her mouth to his, and stroked his free hand down her side, around her hip, then to the front where he pushed apart her legs. Breaking the kiss, he slid his fingers over her folds and inside her. “Mouthwateringly wet. Just the way I like it.” His breath shuddered once as he locked his gaze on her. “Bring it up to me, Holly.”

  She nearly came right then. But Holly waited until he used his mouth to drive her to an incredible release.

  Holly walked into Wes’s kitchen to the smell of coffee but no sign of Wes. She turned and headed down the hallway, stopping first at the third bedroom/office. She quietly edged open the door and saw Jodi and Kelly sound asleep on the double sleeper sofa. Pulling the door closed, she guessed maybe Wes was in George’s room.

  Nope, George was asleep, too.

  Frowning, she headed back to the kitchen when she heard Monty barking. She looked out the sliding glass door, past the deck, down to the sandy beach. Wes bent over, wearing only a pair of shorts, and picked up the ball.

  Monty barked, did a little puppy dance, then stared at the ball.

  Wes drew back his arm and threw the ball.

  Monty dashed after it, his gait strong and his golden ears flopping.

  Wes rotated his arm, stretching the muscles. With the morning sun warming his body, he was fit, tanned, and she could see in him the younger man who had wanted nothing more than to be a baseball player. It had all ended one horrible night with a home invasion robbery.

  Her chest constricted. She blinked, the morning sun making her eyes burn.

  Either that or she was in trouble. Because her feelings for Wes just might be a little stronger than professional. “Shit.” She stood there, frozen to the spot, wondering how she could be so incredibly stupid.

  Monty came bounding back with the ball in his mouth, but Wes turned his head and looked at Holly.

  She felt it right down to her toes.

  Wes reached down and scooped Monty into his arms and headed toward the deck to come inside.

  Holly turned and went to the coffeepot. She found two cups and poured the coffee. She heard the slider open and Wes come inside. She kept her eyes on the coffee.

  What the hell did she do now? The only thing she could do, tell him the truth. End it. She was a PI, a damn good PI. She wasn’t ever going to be a mother or the other half of a partnership and that was fine with her.

  Wes must have put Monty on the floor because the dog bounded over to her. He set the ball down by her foot, then barked softly.

  She looked down at the dog. He had such sweet eyes, and a gentle, intelligent face. Leaving the coffee cups, she bent down to pet him. “Out getting your morning exercise?”

  He bent his nose and pushed the ball toward her.

  Holly laughed. “Hey, I’m not the pitcher around here.”

  “Monty,” Wes said, “come eat.” He poured food in the dog’s dish.

  Monty picked up his ball and trotted over to his food bowl.

  Holly stood up. She took a breath and reached for a cup to hand
it to Wes.

  But he moved up behind her, put one arm around her waist, and used his free hand to move her hair and kiss her neck. “Good morning, Hillbaby. I like your hair down.”

  His bare skin was warm and she could smell his soap. “I like it up.”

  He took the coffee from her hand, set it on the counter, and forced her to turn around. “What’s the matter, Holly? You looked upset when I saw you standing in the window.”

  She lifted her head to stare into his green eyes, and frowned. “You couldn’t possibly have seen my face that clearly.”

  “It’s the way you were standing. Your shoulders were raised and you had a hand on your stomach like you were ill.”

  He knew her that well? “I’m not a morning person. I haven’t had my coffee yet.” And he was distracting her with his naked chest.

  He dropped his hands from her shoulders, reached behind her, and picked up both cups. “Out on the deck, Hillbay.”

  She didn’t move. “Giving orders, Brockman?”

  Holding both cups, his shoulders and neck bulging with tension, he said, “Either out on the deck where no one will wander in and hear us, or right here. But either way, you’re going to tell me what the hell is bugging you.”

  The seconds stretched out as they stared at each other. She could leave, but she’d be leaving Wes and the others unprotected. Okay, she’d be running. Finally, she stalked over to the slider, opened it, and walked out to the table by the cold fire pit. It was surprisingly brisk out there. And quiet, except for the rhythmic crashing of the waves and the occasional call of a bird hunting for breakfast. She heard Wes say something to Monty, slide the door closed, and then he set the coffee down in front of her.

  Wes sat down on the bricked edge of the fire pit with his back to the ocean and his knees touching hers. He sipped his coffee, set it down on the bricks next to him, then looked at her. “You were fine when we were making love this morning, and you were asleep when I got in the shower. So what happened between now and then?”