by Alexa Riley
“Code, Zoey. I’m not joking anymore. We signed a contract.”
“Okay, okay. I can have it all wrapped up in a few hours. It’s all done. I just want to run a few more tests on it.”
“Thank you.”
“When I’m done, do you want to start planning our double wedding? I found these board things that you pin stuff to online called Pinterest. WeddingMama1245 told me all the good places to find stuff to pin.”
“WeddingMama1245?” Elle says, laughing.
“She’s no joke. Don’t let the name fool you,” I say. I only tried to question WeddingMama1245 on something the other day and she snapped at me, saying she wasn’t going to give me links anymore. I thought about just hacking her and seeing what she was looking at, but I just said sorry instead. I didn’t want to lose my WeddingMama1245 connection.
“I wasn’t done with you.” I hear a growl and turn to see Pink standing in the doorway wearing only a pair of shorts. He looks like he just got out of the shower.
“You’re such a caveman. You don’t dismiss me,” Elle retorts.
“I’ll show you caveman when I get that baby planted in you.”
“I can’t believe you just said that.” Elle’s words come out all breathy. The same way mine do when Drake gives me his predatory eyes that I know are going to have me flat on my back in about two seconds.
“You’re right. It might already be in there.” Pink smiles at the statement, seeming to like the idea. A lot. Then he’s grabbing for her. She doesn’t even try to dodge him. She just lets him pick her up and rolls her eyes as he carries her out.
Drake shuts the door behind them, locking it.
“Pink always like that?” I ask, wondering about what he just said. Implying he was trying to impregnate my sister.
“Fuck no.” Drake points to the door. “That, I’ve never seen before. He’s done.”
“How do you know?” I push, wanting confirmation that Pink is good for my sister.
“I know the look, cupcake. See it every time I look in the mirror. He’s in love with her, and he’s making sure she can never leave him.”
I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly.
“You start that and your sister will be back here in a few hours asking if you got your stuff done.”
I lean back and look up at him.
“Fine, fine, fine. I’ll do it. But when I’m done, you’re mine for the night.”
“I’m always yours, cupcake.” He kisses me on the nose. “Go get your stuff and meet me in the office. We’ll both knock out some work. I’ve got some things I need to go over.”
I just nod and pull away. I don’t ask what it is he has to go over. If he doesn’t tell me, then it’s mostly my case. I wish we could just find the stupid stalker already. I know it’s driving him crazy and making him edgy. To top it off, I’m starting to get cabin fever. I didn’t even know that was possible because I love staying in, but two weeks of not going outside is starting to wear on me. I don’t even ask Drake if he’ll take me out because he would, but I know it would stress him out and ruin the trip.
I go to our bedroom and grab my laptop and a few folders before making my way back to his office. Drake is sitting in his big chair and going through paperwork. He glances up. “Sit anywhere you want, cupcake,” he says, then goes back to his papers.
I make my way over to him, crawling into his lap and opening up my laptop. I push a few of his papers to the side before I set it down on the desk in front of me.
“Comfy?” he laughs.
“You said anywhere, and this looked like the best spot to me.”
He wraps one arm around my waist, pulling me back a little and adjusting my position slightly.
“That I did.” He picks up another paper with his free hand, and we both get back to work.
14
Drake
As the sun sets and Zoey finishes her coding, she shuts her laptop with a satisfied sigh. I finished my work a little bit ago, but I just kept my arms wrapped around her while she worked. She got so consumed with her project I didn’t want to disturb her, and I know she needed to work.
“All finished?” I ask, leaning in and kissing her neck. Her sweet honeysuckle smell fills my lungs, and I close my eyes as I press my nose against her soft skin.
“All finished,” she confirms.
Before she can say anything else, I scoop her up and carry her out of the office.
“Orgasms?” she asks brightly on the way to the bedroom, and I smile back at her, knowing she was going to ask that.
“Orgasms,” I answer, always giving her what she wants.
Laying her down on the bed, I strip off her loose top and leggings. She’s completely naked underneath, and it takes me only a second to kick off my T-shirt and shorts. Being able to laze around the house all day with Zoey, even while working, has been wonderful. Being able to sneak my hand up her shirt any time I want to get a handful of her breasts is heaven.
Once I’ve got us undressed, I lean down and kiss her belly and across her hips. Her legs fall open, and she puts her hands behind her head, just waiting on me to pleasure her. Smiling against her skin, I do what she wants, kissing her soft belly and curvy hips.
Reaching down to her thighs, I grab the thick flesh there and dig my fingers in. The little dimples on the backs of her legs are adorable, and I move down to bite her there.
She giggles as I run my tongue along her legs, not leaving an inch untouched.
“I love you, Zoey,” I whisper to her calf as I throw it over my shoulder and kiss her there.
Not waiting for her response, I press my cock to her opening and thrust all the way inside her. I grind against her, rubbing her clit, and she lets out a long moan of pleasure.
She’s on her back with one leg down on the bed and one over my shoulder. I hold myself inside her, just grinding down on her clit while my cock throbs inside of her.
“I love you, too, Drake,” she breathes out, clutching the sheets beside her.
Long gone is the look of relaxed pleasure on her face. Now she’s tense with need and getting closer to the edge.
I lean forward a little, putting more pressure on her clit and opening her up further, her leg still draped over my shoulder.
As I rub the base of my cock right against her clit, she mewls with want, inching towards her peak. My dick is being squeezed by her sweet pussy pulses, and it’s all I can do to hold on to my cum. I need her to go first, and then I’ll follow her.
I move my hips against her, not pulling out or inching away. Just back and forth, rubbing her hard nub in perfect pulses.
“That’s it. Cum for me, cupcake. Cum all over my cock while lying still, just like this.” Her pussy clenches, and I feel her peak is close. “That’s it, almost there.” I pulse my cock inside her, letting her feel just how hard I am while rubbing back and forth just a few more times.
“So beautiful,” I whisper as she hits her climax and her back bows off the bed. Her orgasm takes over, and she cums hard on my cock. Her pussy clamps down on me, and I follow her over, spilling my seed deep inside her as we both find our pinnacles of pleasure.
I gently bring her leg down from my shoulder and lie on top of her body. It’s then I start to lazily thrust in and out of her, feeling the wetness of our combined passion spread between us.
We both came from my just being inside her. Our slow, easy love-making sets a perfect pace, and it’s welcomed after our hard orgasms. Neither of us is in a hurry to end the night now. It’s only the beginning.
* * *
I look down at the scars covering various parts of my skin, my tatted-up arms wrapped around her as her flawless body lays draped over me. We’re so different when I lay my skin against hers, but we couldn’t possibly fit together any better. If you’d have told me a month ago I’d be this wrapped up in a woman, that I didn’t think I’d be able to breathe without one, I would’ve laughed.
The soft sweet girls like Zoey never hit on
me. It was always the ones who looked a little rough around the edges. Maybe they thought I’d dish out a little pain with what they wanted. To have someone like Zoey wrapped around me feels like coming home every morning. Waking to find her pressed against me like a second skin is bliss.
I fucking love it. I don’t think I could ever live without it now that I’ve had a taste of her. To have a little family of my own and belong to someone. That’s why I have to get this stalker shit dealt with. More emails have come, but Zoey doesn’t know about them. Her sister is getting even more freaked out, and I don’t blame her because of the rate at which the stalker is accelerating. She’s calling me about three times a day. Luckily, we’re on the same page, and we don’t want to stress Zoey out, so we leave her in the dark. I actually think she thinks the threat is gone because I don’t bring it up. I don’t want to bring it up because I don’t want that shit touching her. I thank fuck that Pink has seemed to be able to keep Elle calmed down about it all. The emails have started getting to an extreme sexual level that makes me want to paint the walls in the blood of whoever this fuck is. He seems to be freaking out that he can’t have eyes on Zoey now that she is locked away safe in our home. He’s even started mentioning me in his little fucked-up love notes. He is getting sloppy, which is good news for me. Sloppy gets caught. I just don’t want that slop touching my girl.
She’s so soft and sweet and coated with an innocence I don’t want her to lose. I will be the hard to her soft. If something needs to hit us, it’ll hit me alone. I want to be her shield.
I know this shit has something to do with her work, and the stalker’s obsession with her has started to morph into some fucked-up crush or adoration for her. I can’t blame the guy for wanting her, but she’s mine and nothing will take her from me. I want this shit squashed. I knew I could only keep her locked up in this condo so long, and the days are ticking by. Luckily, her sister is close and that’s helping keep her sweet ass planted at home.
Slowly, I unwrap myself from her body, sliding out from under her and pulling myself from the bed. Leaning down, I kiss her bare back before brushing the hair out of her face. I can’t help but stare at her. I keep thinking this driving need to touch her and be close to her will fade, but it doesn’t. In fact, I think it’s getting worse.
I shake my head at all these sappy feelings I seem to have all the time nowadays. I make my way to the bathroom, stopping to pick up littered clothes and random things Zoey seems to throw around. That’s something else I oddly like. I get off on seeing her shit all over the place, and I get off even more on putting it back where it belongs because it means she lives here. Her stuff belongs with mine.
Making quick work in the bathroom, I slip on some workout clothes before heading to the kitchen. I grab a banana and text one of my men to come stand at the door while I go for a run. I write Zoey a quick note about going to the office we have in the building, even though I’ll likely be back before she wakes up. As I slip out the door, I come face to face with Pink.
“Got a lead you’re going to want to see.” He holds up a file, and I snatch it from him.
I open it up and read the name of a company I’ve never even heard of before: Green Shore. “Who is this? This name hasn’t come up in anything.”
One of the first things we did when we took on the job was look into anyone who might be after the company she is currently consulting for. This company isn’t in competition with Ensore.
“Brand new. They’re going after some government contract that Ensore has tied up. It’s not really a competition for them. Unless they fuck something up.”
I flip through the folder before heading for the elevator. Pink follows me. I hit the button for the bottom floor and keep reading over everything.
“She’s the easiest target. That’s how I look at it. She’s the easiest to get to. She’s just creating the encryption software for a new round of satellites that are being launched midsummer. If the encryption is messed up, no way will Ensore get the project. They’d be done for,” Pink says.
I shut the folder when the elevator hits the ground floor, trying to process everything.
“And I’m sure Green Shore already has their own system set up. They’ll pitch that when Ensore fails,” I say, looking over to Pink.
“From what I gathered, yes. All they need is an invitation to pitch it.”
“So what are we thinking here? Green Shore hired someone to break into Zoey’s and get their hands on whatever it is she’s doing? Either fuck it up or find a way to fuck it up later?”
“In the simplest terms, yeah. I don’t understand half the shit.”
“Me neither,” I say, making my way down the hallway before opening the door to our offices. I’m thankfulthat I’d chosen to turn one of the condos in the building into our offices. Now I’d always be close to home, where Zoey would be since she worked from home mainly. Or maybe I could put her a desk in my office down here for her. I really liked that idea. I’d watched Zoey work last night, and I couldn’t make head or tail of anything she was doing. All I saw were lines and lines of numbers, but she could easily do that down here in my office. Our office.
Sherrie pops up from behind her desk as we enter the offices.
“I need a list of all employees at a company called Green Shore.” I hand her the folder. “I also want a list of their family members and close friends. Look hard into anyone with a criminal past, no matter how small. I even want to know if they have sealed records from when they were snot-nosed kids, and I want those records unsealed. Call in favors, I don’t give a shit.”
“How fast you want it?” she asks, dropping the folder on her desk and sitting down.
“Call a few of your sisters to help, and use any of the men if you need leg work.” I hear Pink sigh behind me. He hates when his sisters come in to help out. They might run their mouths a lot when they’re in here, but they get shit done. No one multi-tasks like a woman.
“So…yesterday.”
“Yeah,” I confirm because whoever they hired to get what they wanted from Zoey has lost control of that person. Things are bound to be sloppy, and it’s going to make it a whole lot easier to figure out who it is.
15
Zoey
I open one eye to see Elle lying in bed with me.
“You’re naked,” she says, and I bury my head back in my pillow, feeling the bed shake as she laughs.
“What are you doing?” I ask, pulling the covers fully over myself while rolling to my side to look at her. She’s completely made up in a gray pencil skirt and pink silk blouse. She has on make-up and her hair is styled. I’m surprised she isn’t worried about wrinkling her outfit. She must have a meeting or something today.
“How’s this place so clean with you living in it?” Elle rolls to her side, too, looking at me and ignoring my question.
“Is it?” I lean up and look around the room. I hadn’t really noticed, but it’s oddly clean for a space that I’ve been living in.
“He cleans, too? You hit the man jackpot.” She reaches out and tucks my hair behind my ear.
“He really is perfect, isn’t he?” I can’t help but agree with her. Because Drake is perfect. Perfect for me. It’s like we’re made for each other, and he likes all my odd little quirks. In fact, they seem to turn him on.
“They are something,” she agrees, dropping back down on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. She’s finally admitting her feelings for Pink.
“So you admit it.” I smile at her, making her roll her eyes, but I see right through her. “Why are you denying it so much?” I don’t get it. I wanted Drake and I just went for it. Seems like the logical thing to me.
“Because I didn’t want it at first. The attraction was fast, and I’d never felt anything like it before. I’ve been burned a few times with guys who didn't have good intentions.”
I knew she had been. It’s why she stopped even trying with guys anymore. Elle always wanted a big family with a white picket
fence and a house full of babies. A big family. It’s something I’m sure Pink could give her if she let him. He’s got family popping out from everywhere.
“But I like him teasing me. I know I can be a little much with how I like things done and everything in order. Initially, I thought my personally would drive him away, but he just kind of steamrolls over me, and I like it when he does. Is that stupid?” She throws one arm over her eyes “Grr. I don’t know.”
I just laugh. I’ve never seen Elle so out of sorts before. I like it, too.
“I don’t really think it matters what you do at this point. I’m pretty sure he’s said over and over that you’re his and you’re not going anywhere. Soooo…” I shrug.
She just smiles.
“Never thought I’d see the day we fell for a couple of friends.”
“Double wedding,” I say again. I want to ask her about the comment Pink made about knocking her up, but I don’t want to push it.
She rolls out of the bed and brushes her hands over her clothes.
“You have to personally deliver the package to Ensore. They want it straight from your hands to theirs.”
I let out a sigh. I figured that was probably the case, especially when no one came for it yesterday.
“I’m giving them the whole laptop, but I haven’t left this place in over two weeks. I’ll need to talk to Drake.”
I roll over and grab my phone from the side table.
“There’s a note in the kitchen that says he was going for a run.”
I look at the clock and know he should be back by now.
I slide my finger across the screen and read the text
Hulk: Have to work, cupcake. I’ll see you tonight.
“He’s working,” I inform Elle, who’s now slipping on her heels.