Lacey Temptations [Crave 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Amy J. Hawthorn

  And even more devastating was how he always knew what she needed to hear.

  Having Ryan’s cock so deep inside only intensified the feeling of fullness and the burning pressure from the plug. And having the plug in her ass only made the sensations of Ryan’s cock thrusting into her over and over again that much more powerful.

  Each pump of his hips spurred her closer to the edge of ecstasy. One hand left its nipple and found its way down to her clit. Ryan brushed light strokes over the swollen nub alternating the strokes with the hard thrusts of his cock ensuring that at no point was she without stimulation. A tireless assault on her senses, his touch, and control of her body pushed her closer to the edge.

  “Lacey, baby, I’m almost there. Fuck yeah, take me deeper.” One of Parker’s hands fisted in her hair and the other held her cheek. His hips jumped up, pushing his cock deeper into her mouth. On a harsh groan, he erupted into her mouth. Hot, salty, and male, it was all Parker. Gently grasping her head he pulled her from his cock and stroked a soft caress over her cheek.

  “Hold her, I’m almost there.” As if there were some hidden meaning behind Ryan’s words, Parker guided her to rest her head on his upper thigh and he put his hands on her shoulders. Immediately, Ryan increased his pace. He powered into her with hard, rapid thrusts and with Parker restraining her shoulders, she absorbed his every motion into her body.

  Again and again in a ruthless rhythm he gave her no mercy. The pleasure inside expanded with each push, winding her senses tighter until she couldn’t breathe for the bliss inside her.

  “Come, Lacey. Come.” Little more than a low, guttural growl, those simple little words had a devastating impact. In a final hard arch of his body, he drove into her and held himself still. He bit her shoulder on a growl, pinched her clit with one hand, and smacked her ass with the other.

  It was the smack that did it. Like a balloon she popped in a great rush of ecstasy. Each cell in her body contracted and released in a sigh of blessed relief. Two sets of hands stroked over her soothing her shaky muscles. Low murmurs praised her as her heart settled its rhythm.

  Ryan pulled out of her body and as a quivering, boneless mess, she sank to sit on the floor at Parker’s feet. Ryan stooped, picked her up, and set her on Parker’s lap. He brushed her hair out of her face and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

  “Parker. I know what you’re doing and it won’t work. This is only temporary. She knew that going into this.” Ryan’s voice sounded weary.

  Confused and exhausted, she curled deeper into Parker and his arms surrounded her.

  “You were supposed to give her what she needed. You are her ideal man. She’s the perfect woman for you. Ryan, why didn’t you give her what she asked for? Would it have been that hard to be kind?”

  “You don’t get it. I did acknowledge her desires. I answered her with the dominance she needs, not pretty words. You can’t give that to her and she’ll walk all over you, so you keep pushing her at me. Maybe I don’t want someone who pretends to be a shy sub. I’ve yet to meet a woman who doesn’t have some sort of ulterior motive. I’m not sure the real deal even exists. I can be damn sure that a true friend wouldn’t keep shoving something in my face that I don’t want. Quit putting your shortcomings on me.”

  “There’s not a selfish bone in her body. She’s not Lisa.”

  The door to Ryan’s bedroom shut with a quiet click.

  “Lacey, you have him scared shitless.”

  Chapter 20

  The words on the ancient computer monitor in front of him began to blur. He leaned back and rubbed his eyes and reached for the bottle of water on his desk. What a complete mess. Rob, or Dr. Robert Wilton, was nothing more than the pompous asshole Ryan had said he was. At the end of his shift, Parker stayed over at the station digging for dirt on Lacey’s ex.

  He’d found nothing and didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad one.

  “How long have you been at it today, man?” And having his partner sneak up behind him was another sign of his exhaustion. Dean was a big man and Parker always sensed his presence. Well, almost always.

  “Probably about fourteen hours. My morning started early. I had to leave Ryan’s cabin before daylight to make it in on time.” Not to mention he got next to no sleep the previous night. His worry over leaving things in a mess with Ryan and Lacey hadn’t set well. He’d finally decided that the sooner he solved this case, the better and hopefully the one on one time would help them work things out. Ryan was the best. He just needed to get his head out of his ass.

  He hated to admit exactly how exhausted this case had made him but Dean would see right through his bullshit. If he wasn’t so damn tired he might have laughed at the six-foot-three-inch detective giving him the mother hen routine.

  “About fourteen. I admit it. I’m dead on my feet.”

  “You know you’re not doing anyone any good if you fall asleep behind the wheel of your car, right? I know your heart’s in this case man, and I get that. I really do, but you’ve been working double shifts for over a week now. Does Ryan know this?”

  “No. You damn tattletale. I don’t report my hours to anyone. I work on salary, same as you.”

  “That doesn’t mean you have an infinite number of hours to burn.”

  “Dean, man, I know what you’re saying, but I’ve got to get this case wrapped up quick. It’s too important.” Twin demons of fear and guilt rode him hard but insuring Ryan and Lacey’s safety could have no higher priority. Even if he’d been at home, snug in his own bed last night, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep.

  “I understand, Parker, I really do. But you’re going to run yourself into the ground at this rate. Give me the file and I’ll go over it with a fresh set of eyes while you go home and get some rest.”

  “My brain’s toast at this point. I think I’m going to crash at Ryan’s place since he only lives a few minutes from here.”

  “Good. I’ll keep digging and you have to know I’ll call you immediately if I find the smallest thing.”

  “All right. Hey, will you be handling any of the follow-up interviews?”

  “I was going to try and go by the hospital again tomorrow and maybe Crave, if there’s time. There’s something up with the store’s manager, Tara. I don’t think it’s related to our case but she’s got that look of someone who’s been watching over their shoulder for too long. Makes me wonder what kind of skeletons she’s hiding in her closet.”

  “If anyone can shake it out, you can. Keep me updated on her, too.”

  “Will do, man. Now go get some sleep.”

  Parker planned on it, but not before he laid the bait for his trap.

  * * * *

  The quiet, almost silent thud sent Parker’s senses jumping from sleep to sixty in one point three seconds. And really, it was a miracle that the quiet disturbance registered at all. His tension level had been ridiculously high the entire week. Between expending extra energy with Ryan and Lacey, the long drive to and from the cabin, and splitting his time between two brutal cases, he was seriously low on fuel. He hadn’t fallen asleep until sometime after three a.m. Now the clock on the wall above Lacey’s TV read five in the morning.

  He’d intentionally left her back door unlocked. He had also, after a brief, tense phone call to check in with Lacey and Ryan, parked his truck in the garage and parked her car out front. Lacey had answered the phone and she’d sounded tired. Worried. Ryan hadn’t been around to talk and he couldn’t make himself ask Lacey to take the phone to him in his room where he was no doubt brooding.

  If the stalker drove by, he hoped that seeing her car alone in her driveway would be a big enough temptation to draw them in. In a small way he was glad he hadn’t spoken with Ryan. If his friend knew exactly what lengths he had gone to draw this creep in, he would have objected, but it was past time for these cat and mouse games to end. If the stalker showed, he wanted to make sure that they were caught red-handed.

  Though there was little do
ubt someone was here now. He eased off the couch and grabbed his gun from where he’d hid it under the couch’s edge. Impatience filled him as he edged toward the door at a snail’s pace. Easing into the dark hallway, the hairs at the back of his neck stood on end. Something was wrong.

  He caught the faint scent of smoke and cursed. A crash sounded in the back of the house and a few moments later a car close by started.

  “Damn it!” The chickenshit creep was going to get away. He picked up his pace and followed the growing smell of smoke to its source.

  He found it outside. Someone had started a fire in the trash can beside the garage. Why in the world would they do that? Lacey’s small house was brick. It would take forever for the fire to catch. The smoke would be discovered long before the fire actually spread to anywhere effective.

  He had to be thankful for inept criminals, though. First, what could have been a deadly shot had only mildly injured Lacey and now this pitiful attempt at arson. Clearly they were looking for an idiot.

  He bent to pick the lid up from the ground to cover the fire. If he could find her hose he should be able to extinguish it himself before it spread. Straightening, he caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye.

  Excruciating pain blinded him and dropped him to his knees. As his vision dimmed, he realized his mistake. He prayed Ryan and Lacey didn’t pay for it.

  Chapter 21

  The morning was crisp and cool, drawing Lacey to the front porch. She sighed and stretched. She’d grab a cup of coffee and make a morning out of it. Maybe the peace would help her foul mood.

  Movement in her periphery caught her attention. A doe stood not thirty feet from the porch. She twitched her ears and bounded off leaving Lacey alone. She resisted the urge to smell under her arms. Somehow she’d sent everyone running in the less than twenty-four hours.

  Apparently, she wasn’t fit company for woodland creatures or frustrating, blockheaded, sexy-as-sin men. Parker had left well before daylight the day prior to get back to work and she already missed his easygoing smile and warmth. This morning would have been the perfect time to curl up into his chest and sleep the worries away.

  Ryan had avoided her the entire evening before and she didn’t expect today would be any different. He’d gone from screwing her brains out as if the end of the world was near to avoiding her as if she’d become the plague in about two seconds flat.

  In the late hours of night she’d decided that if he didn’t want her by his side, then it was time to end things and that meant leaving. She’d enjoyed her time here at the cabin and at Ryan’s mercy but if he truly thought she’d played a game then she didn’t want anything to do with him. Life was too short and complicated. She didn’t need to add to her burdens, even if said burden made her blood burn hot with desire. She couldn’t let him matter even if his dominance filled a need she hadn’t known existed until they’d met.

  The loss would hurt, but with time she could move on. If only her brother were home. She’d be safe with him and she could avoid all the male drama. The stalker would probably be thrilled to know how badly their lives had been disrupted.

  She went inside to pour herself a cup of coffee and heard Ryan’s shower start. All the more reason to sit outside. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with his avoidance. She wished she could say it didn’t hurt, but it did. A lot.

  She opened the door to go back out to the porch and the world stopped turning. A strange dark-headed man stood at the base of the steps. Cold, heartless eyes greeted her. A nasty-looking handgun trembled in his right hand. Though it was small and compact, she didn’t dare underestimate its deadly potential. The round, waxy features of his face smirked and the gun pointed straight at her chest.

  Her ribs felt as if they tightened around her lungs, squeezing until she couldn’t draw a full breath. Her hands grew cold, yet they were sweating. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears so loudly it she wondered how she could hear him speak over the loud drumbeat.

  “You must be Lacey. I’m Derrick. I wish I could say that it’s a pleasure to meet you but it’s not.” The slow, slurred cadence of his speech made Lacey’s skin crawl. She could almost see the hate seething behind his dark eyes. Malice twisted his features. “Come on out here and shut the door.

  “I have to say, you work fast. It wasn’t very long ago that I looked in on Ryan and he didn’t have a woman anywhere. He was alone and unhappy, exactly the way I like him. Miserable.”

  “Actually, I only met him a few days ago, the very same day that you took the pictures of us outside Crave. Your actions at the hospital pushed us together. If it hadn’t been for you, he never would have found me. He didn’t even know my name until you gave it to him with the pictures.”

  “You lie.” His face twisted in an ugly snarl and his right hand shook harder. He used his left hand to brace it.

  “Why do you hate Ryan so much? He’s a good guy.” Was she really having this conversation? What choice did she have? Talk to the lunatic or die? So talk it was. If things went bad she prayed Ryan wouldn’t blame himself but it was a wasted thought. There was no question, despite whatever drove this man to madness, Ryan would blame himself for her death. So would Parker. Her brother would grieve for her. So would her friend Carrie.

  The thought of all their anguish made her nauseous. And angry. She didn’t want to die. Her belly churned with upset.

  “Ryan’s an asshole. He ruined my life. As long as he was alone and miserable, I could tolerate him but there’s no way I’m going to watch him rake in the big bucks writing porn and get the girl, too. He’s scum.” Derrick was stone-cold serious. A hard light glinted in his eyes and for a moment his hands steadied enough to level the gun directly at her heart.

  “How did Ryan ruin your life?” She’d talk until she turned blue in the face if it distracted him. She just regretted that her final few minutes would be spent at this asshole’s mercy.

  “He took everything from me so I’m going to take everything from him. Now, come on out here and wait. And shut up. I want to see the look on his face when you die. Then I can get rid of him. It’s too bad I had to kill Parker. He should have had to suffer and see your death, too, but you can’t have everything now, can you?”

  The nausea churning in her belly intensified until she feared she couldn’t contain it. Her throat swelled tight with misery. He had to be wrong. There was no way he could have pulled something over on Parker. Parker was smart. Big. Strong. Vital. The gentleness in his blue eyes as he tried to make her smile would always stay with her.

  Oh, dear God. Ryan would be devastated, utterly crippled by the loss. He’d never forgive himself. Maybe, she had to hope, that maybe it wasn’t too late. Could they get help to him in time? She refused to believe he was gone. He was too damn important to her. She lov—she loved Parker. It had to be love. The only other time she felt something so strong for another man was Ryan. Son of a bitch.

  Now? She had to discover this now when it could be too late? How would she get out of this?

  His hand trembled again. Ryan should be out of the shower soon. How could she get the gun away from him before then? She took a small step forward.

  The gun in his hand steadied.

  She stopped. And tried to stall. “I don’t understand. How did Ryan ruin your life? He’s one of the best men I’ve ever met. Maybe you have him confused with someone else.” She lifted her foot to move inches closer.

  “No way. I know exactly who that asshole is. And trust me, he ruined my career and my life. He deserves this.”

  “No one deserves to watch someone they care for die.”

  “Nice try, but it’s not working. The whys don’t matter. Quit stalling. I can always drop you where you stand and enjoy the sight of Ryan’s face when he comes running out and sees you dead on the porch. Either way, I’ll be happy.”

  “You missed me with your shaky hands last time. Should I really be worried?” What did she have to lose by taunting him?

  Derri
ck snarled and pointed the gun at the floor about two feet away from where Lacey stood. He fired and the floor shook as a small hole appeared in the wood. The deafening thunder pounded in her ears, shaking her.

  “I think you should be worried, I’m done playing games. Move.”

  With her body frozen in shock, she couldn’t breathe. In an odd paradox, her heart had stopped, yet she could hear its echo in her ears. The breeze was cool on her skin, but she’d begun to sweat from head to toe.

  She couldn’t let this asshole scare her into inaction. There was no question Ryan would have heard that cannon blast. He’d be coming and coming fast.

  Derrick’s hand trembled again and this time it was much worse.

  Abruptly, with a sudden burst of confidence, she decided that it was now or never. She was in no mood to be a victim. She had to take matters into her own hands. If Ryan came bursting through that door, he could become the target. She threw her mug of coffee at Derrick’s face, ran, and leapt over the porch railing. The wound in her side screamed and burned.

  She fell to her knees, hopped up, and ran as if the hounds of hell chased her. Derrick howled and cursed. Another shot thundered and she refused to turn and look. Ignoring the pain in her old injury, she ran around the corner of the cabin and hit a tall, warm chest. Ryan. He thrust her behind him. “Go in the back door and call for help.”

  He held a gun of his own in one hand and wore a menacing look she didn’t dare defy. “Go.” As she ran to obey, her heart broke in two when she realized he hadn’t told her to call Parker.

  * * * *

  If he’d thought he’d been scared at the hospital when Lacey had been shot, that morning’s fear had been nothing compared to today’s when he’d realized what was happening outside. Thank God she was okay. He didn’t think he’d survive the heartache if she were hurt or worse.