“See, not far,” he said with a smile.
“I didn’t even think of that,” she admitted quietly.
“I did, so don’t fret. I’ve been thinking about getting you exactly like this since we woke up together so, I grabbed a couple and pocketed them, just in case,” he said, shrugging.
She chewed on her lip as she looked up at him. “Not sure if I should be upset by that or eternally grateful.”
“Grateful, go with grateful,” he advised, rocking his hips slightly.
“Mm, so grateful,” she said softly. Spreading her legs, she lifted them to hook around his waist, her hot entrance rubbing over his cock. “I’d be even more grateful if you’d do something with that, please.”
“That?” he asked, his lips curling more. “To what that might you be referring to, sweetheart?”
The color in her cheeks was adorable. The squirming she did nearly pulled his mind from his question. Nearly.
Leaning his head closer, he brushed his lips to her cheek. “Mallory, just say what you want. Be blunt, be bold, be dirty,” he encouraged. Trent wasn’t sure she would give in and just tell him to fuck her or not. But he really, really wanted to know.
He could hear her breathing pick up speed. Short, sharp gasps as she curled her fingers deeper into his shoulders.
“All right,” she finally said, her voice very soft.
Surprised, he lifted his head a little to meet her gaze and waited.
She stared at him and then lifted her chin slightly. Licking her lips, she took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it go. “Trent,” she said. “I want you to slide your magnificent cock into my throbbing pussy and fuck me already. Quit teasing and, for the love of God, make me scream.”
Stunned, he blinked down at her.
“Blunt, bold and dirty enough for you?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah, that’ll do,” he said with a grin. Laughing softly, he kissed her, and as she’d demanded, he pressed his cock into her sweet little pussy, enjoying the feel of the hot, wet hug she gave him. “You should really remember that in here, where it’s just us, you can say anything you want.” Nipping at her lip, he pulled out and then thrust hard, enjoying her low moan and the way her eye lids fluttered as she seemed to lose focus on him.
“Anything?” she asked, the word followed by another moan as he thrust in deep.
“Anything at all. No barriers in here,” he said. Pressing kisses down her neck, he sucked lightly at her pulse point. “You have such soft skin.” Rubbing his nose against her shoulder, he pushed his cock into her body with infinite care, enjoying the way she clenched every time he drew out and sighed every time he pushed back in.
“Trent,” she whimpered. Sliding her hands down his back, she clutched at him for a moment.
“What?” he asked, lifting her legs up higher over his waist. The new position let him slide in deeper and had her digging her short little nails into his back harder. The tiny points of pain were fucking sublime.
“Harder, faster,” she said sliding her nails down his back.
Arcing into the sensations, he let out a growl. “Fuck that feels good. Do it again.”
She scraped them very lightly back up to his shoulder, chills breaking out all over his body. Then, when he thought she’d stop, Mallory slid them down hard and grabbed his ass. “Harder, faster, now,” she demanded.
Who the hell was he to argue with a lady? Giving her what she wanted, Trent began to thrust, harder and faster. Slamming his cock into her sweet little pussy over and over. The grip on his ass tightened as she arched to meet each push of his hips.
“So fucking beautiful,” he said through his teeth as he stared down at her.
Her hair was wild and a little tangled, her skin glistened with sweat, and her eyes were wide and meeting his.
“More,” she begged him.
Chapter Seventeen
Boy, oh boy, did she get more. The feel of Trent’s cock stretching her pussy to the limits had Mallory right on edge. But when he got serious about making love to her, all she could do was claw at him in desperation as the pressure in her belly built.
Then, just when she thought he couldn’t do more to her, he rolled his hips. Clutching at him, she arched back and screamed. Her release tore through her, ripping her to shreds before allowing her to be reshaped into a new form. But he wasn’t done with her and her body, apparently, was fully on board. Trent continued to thrust into her body, nipping at her jaw now and again.
“No, no,” she whispered hoarsely, shaking her head desperately. She couldn’t, not another one. She had never had two orgasms in a row, but that didn’t seem to matter to Trent or her traitorous body.
“Yes, yes,” he hissed out through his teeth. Hooking one of her legs over his arm, he opened her up further. All Mallory could do was lay there and take it. Oh, God, it felt so good to just take it.
A low keening filled the room, and it took her a moment to process that the noise came from her. She was having trouble thinking. All she could do was feel.
The wave started again, pulling at her and dragging her in deeper. “Trent!” she screamed his name as she shattered a second time. Thankfully, he wasn’t far behind. A few more deep strokes of his cock into her grasping, weeping pussy and he shuddered, his body tense as he came.
The weight of him over her when he collapsed was perfect. She needed that, needed him to hold her together as she recovered.
Shivering with aftershocks, Mallory slipped her arms around his neck and held him tight. She couldn’t catch her breath, and honestly, she didn’t care if she ever did. She had Trent in her bed, in her arms, and buried deep inside of her. If she could stay like this for the rest of time, she’d be the happiest woman alive.
Which, of course, was the universe’s cue to ruin her day.
A phone was ringing. From the groan Trent gave, she had to guess it was his. He lifted his head as the ringing started again and he frowned. “I’d better grab that.”
She nodded and let him loose. Biting her lip as he pulled his cock from her body she couldn’t contain the whimper. She did not like the sensation of him sliding free.
“I know, Mal,” he said with a small smile. Pressing a kiss to her lips he climbed off the bed and found his phone in his jeans pocket. Answering it, he wandered out, likely to the bathroom, as he talked.
Stretching out, Mallory smiled at the little aches and pains. All good ones, too. The inside of her thighs, her pussy and even her breasts were a little tender. She could totally get used to that, though. On a daily basis, preferably.
She sat up to bend over at the waist and stretch out her back and leg muscles more. Hearing Trent, she lifted her head and pushed her hair back.
His face was a mask of anger.
“Trent?” she whispered, scrambling off the bed to go to him.
He slipped an arm around her and pulled her in close to his side. “We’ll be there as soon as we can. Keep us apprised of any changes,” he said to whomever he was speaking with before he ended the call.
“What?” she asked when he stood there rubbing at the bridge of his nose.
“C&M was attacked. A group of armed men got in and Shawn’s guessing they were there for the drive. There was enough of the security guys there to repel them, but two of our crew were shot.”
“Oh no,” she whispered. Pressing a hand to her mouth, Mallory stared up at him, her stomach churning and her heart pounding. “This is my fault, it’s all my fault.”
“No.” He rounded on her and caught her face in his hands. “This is not your fault. But whoever is behind this drive, and this attack, will pay. They came after us all with this move. It was dumb.”
“But your people,” she said quietly, tears burning her eyes.
“They are going to be fine. One was a through and through on his shoulder, and the other was a ricochet that caught his leg. Some stitches for them both and they’ll be back on the job in no time.”
“Who�
��s doing this, Trent? Why?” Throwing her arms around his neck, she held onto him as he picked her up and moved to sit with her in his lap. She knew he was downplaying what had happened at C&M for her. She also knew there was more to it than what he was telling her, but she wasn’t ready to push, not yet.
“I don’t know,” he said. Rubbing a hand over her leg, he rocked them side to side. “But when we find them, they will pay.”
Mallory shivered at the chill in his words. They were a promise, a deadly and sincere one. For the smallest of moments, she actually felt sorry for those after her. But it was quickly wiped out by the reminder of the attack on her, and the attack on the C&M staff who were just trying to help her.
She let him soothe her for a few minutes more before pulling back. Heaving a breath, she looked up at him as she scraped her hair back off her face. “You need to go and check on them.”
“I do. But you’re coming with me,” he said. “I’m not leaving you alone, not after this, not for a second. These guys are starting to get desperate. Breaking into the C&M office just proves that.”
Not that she wasn’t more than willing to tag along, but Mallory looked at him, worried and uneasy. “Are you sure me going along is a good idea? I’ll just be in the way and I’m sure they don’t want me underfoot.”
“You’re coming with me. I’d be distracted if you weren’t there and therefore useless. Get dressed, sweetheart. We won’t be there long, but I need to see them for myself and to get the rest of the information they weren’t giving me over the phone.”
Knowing she wouldn’t win, Mallory nodded. Wrapping her arms around Trent, she held on a moment before slipping off his lap. Grabbing up some clothing, she went to the bathroom. She’d clean up quickly, dress and then they could be on their way.
In the shower, she scrubbed her hair and her body fast. Mallory stood, face turned up to the fall of water and took a second. Pressing a hand to her forehead, she let out a shaky breath and turned off the water.
She was pissed that her night with Trent was being cut short. She was pissed that someone would hurt his co-workers. And she was extremely pissed at whoever was behind all of it and messing with her life. She wanted it to stop.
Mallory viciously dried her hair with the towel before swiping it over her body. Pulling her clothing on in sharp movements, she ran a brush through her hair as she stared into the mirror.
“Whoever the fuck you are,” she whispered, “you are going to pay. You’ve fucked with me, my life and my man. Enough’s enough, already.”
Yanking open the bathroom door, she blinked up at Trent as he stood there. Her own words came back to her. Her man. He was her man. At least for the moment. Hopefully, when this was all over and the responsible party or parties were in jail, he would still be her man.
“Give me a minute and we can get going,” he told her as they switched places.
“Of course.”
Trent bent down to kiss her.
Laying a hand on his cheek, Mallory closed her eyes to soak everything about him up. If this—whatever it was—between them ended tomorrow, she wasn’t going to regret it. But she was going to take everything she could in the meantime and hold it close to her heart.
Stepping back, she smiled. “I’ll be in the living room when you’re ready.” Turning before she gave into the urge to grab on and never let go, she walked away. Before that moment, she wouldn’t have thought or called herself a clingy woman. With Trent, though, she knew she damn well was.
Chapter Eighteen
Checking the damages inside the building, Trent shook his head. C&M had seen its fair share of attacks, not something he’d mentioned, or ever would mention, to Mallory. This one barely even registered on their scale. Comparatively speaking.
He spotted his boss and one of the two owners talking with some of the staff, so he tugged Mallory with him.
“Shawn,” he said when he was close enough. “Any more news on who did this?” he asked as they shook hands.
Shawn shook his head, his eyes drifting to Mallory and then back to Trent. “No, but Vincent has them looking at everything. He’s seriously pissed they got in here. Which, between what he and the techie’s have done to secure the building, I fully get.”
“Mal, this is my other boss, Shawn Camden. Shawn, this is Mallory Thompson.” Trent knew that Shawn would already know who Mallory was. But he saw more in the man’s eyes as he took in the fact that Trent had his arm around her and was holding her close. The protective stance he had going couldn’t be mistaken as anything but what it was.
“How are you holding up, Ms. Thompson?” Shawn asked quietly after shaking her hand.
“Mallory’s fine,” she said. “I’m getting seriously pissed off with whoever is behind all this. And I still don’t know why.”
Shawn nodded. “I know the feeling. As to the why, we know.”
“They got into the drive?” Trent said in surprise. Their IT guys and gals were some of the best in the world. Hackers one and all, they used their powers for good by working with C&M. Less restrictive than the Feds and yet they were still doing great things with their skills.
“They did, about ten minutes before you showed up,” Shawn told them both. “They were just getting it all sorted before we got to look it over. Apparently, whoever saved everything on the drive wasn’t the overly organized sort, so they are weeding out the crap from the stuff that we actually want to see.”
“Shawn!” a voice yelled from above.
All three of them, as well as several others, looked up. Trent spotted Denise, their head tech guru and hacker extraordinaire, peering over the railing at them. Her face was white.
“We’ve got it.” Denise honestly looked like she was going to be sick. “You need to see this, Shawn. It’s bad, really bad.”
Sharing a look with his boss, Trent grabbed Mallory’s hand and they all raced up to the second floor of C&M and followed Denise into the hackers domain.
****
“Oh God,” Mallory whispered, not for the first time.
Trent echoed that in his head as Shawn let out a stream of much more interesting, if physically impossible, curses. Staring at the group photo, he shook his head. “It fucking explains a lot.”.
Mallory leaned into him further and he rubbed her arm. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he squeezed her closer. He wished she hadn’t seen what the drive contained. But, really, she more than anyone else deserved to know why she’d been attacked.
The vile and disgusting images captured forever on the drive told the reasoning. What still wasn’t clear was how the drive had ended up getting shipped to Carmelo’s.
“I still don’t get why it’s out in the open,” Shawn muttered. His boss and good friend echoed Trent’s own thoughts. “That, right there,” he waved a hand to the screen, “is enough evidence for a military tribunal and court martial. Fuck, that’s enough to have the lot of them put before a firing squad. Why the fuck would any of them let that out of their hands? Why isn’t it locked up somewhere?”
“It probably was,” Vincent said as he joined them. He had an iPad in hand and the screen image before them changed. The photo moved to one side and a bunch of little ones, all of older men, filled up the other side. “Meet the men as they are today.”
He stepped closer to the large screen as he did something on his pad. “Meet Harold van der Witt.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?” Trent asked.
“It should, his family has been in the coffee industry since the beginning of time, it seems. He was part of this unit.” Vincent pointed to the younger version of Harold. “He apparently also had a conscience. From what we’ve seen of the images, he never once took part in anything, was just there to keep watch, but obviously it ate at him. He and his company have given millions of dollars to help war torn and third world countries with things like water, agriculture, and business development so they could thrive on their own. He also just passed away two weeks ago and, a
ccording to the tracking information on the package, it originated at a UPS store two blocks from his house the morning after his death.”
“So he was the keeper of the evidence,” Shawn commented with a frown. “And, as a deathbed confession of sorts, he had the tape sent out. By why to the restaurant?”
“Well, that’s where this shit goes and gets freaky,” Vincent told them with a grimace.
He tapped on his iPad and then jerked his head to the large screen. “Meet Carmela Basso, the woman who married Jordan Carmichael and gave birth to one David Carmichael. Before he went off to war, Harold and Carmela were dating steady and were engaged to be married. But, from what we pieced together, van der Witt senior didn’t like the idea of his son, the heir, marrying some middle class Italian girl, so he shipped his son off to the military and she went on with her life. There are a number of letters, some other correspondence and a few old diary entries that were scanned in and saved as files on the drive. Apparently what no one knew, at the time anyway, was that she was pregnant with Harold’s son.”
“David? My boss, David,” Mallory said, her voice shocked.
“Yup. Carmela knew Jordan Carmichael from school and when they met up, we’re guessing she told him she was pregnant and they got married. Jordan, again from what we can tell, likely had a thing for her back in school before she broke it off to be with Harold. It’s all supposition for the most part, but it seems to jive with what we can find from the time,” Vincent told them. “Jordan gave David his name and they never told him about Harold. But with the connections Harold had, it wouldn’t have been all that hard to figure out that David hadn’t been born early, just right on time for when he’d last been with Carmela. We thought maybe the assistant had goofed on the address or that the person at the UPS store had put it in wrong, but Hank just finished talking to the assistant and he assured us that Harold’s instructions, left as part of his will, were very clear. The assistant also mentioned he’d forgotten to include the note but figured that the recipient would be able to figure out whatever was necessary from what had been supplied.”
Dangerous Secrets Page 9