She rested her forearm against the column and studied the glorious bed. She debated then on giving Sophia a call to cancel meeting up with her in the morning. After breakfast, the girls were going to explore the various coves and bays in and around the island. The plan was to take a day cruise aboard the Idella until lunchtime. Still eyeing the bed, Paula was sure she’d only just be turning over around lunchtime.
Once again, sleep was the only thing on her radar, and once again sleep took a back seat. This time, the reason was for something even more delicious than enjoying her very own pool.
She moaned, the sound wavering and muffled against her forearm. “L,” she sobbed.
“Shh...easy,” he urged.
“How—” Paula winced, every part of her riddled with shivers of pleasure “—how’d you get in?”
Linus smirked even as he nipped her shoulder. “It’s all in the wrist.” Her flesh was still cool and damp from her dip in the pool. He provided an example of his words by driving his middle finger high into the gripping sheath of her core. The driving rotations joined the gentle brush of his thumb over her clit while his free hand clutched her thigh, keeping her spread for his play.
Paula clutched at the column, hugging it to her as she rocked back against Linus’s unyielding frame. She relished the feel of his bare chest at her back. “You can’t be here...” She bit her lip as renewed sensation claimed her.
Linus chuckled. “Guess you should’ve packed your security.”
“I’m capable—” she managed the boast amid a sharp gasp “—capable of handling unwanted visitors.”
“Unwanted, huh?” He smiled as her moisture coated his fingers. “Doesn’t feel like that pertains to me.” To emphasize his point, he transferred her creamy need from his fingers to her thigh and filled her with his middle fingers until she stood on her toes and cried out her approval.
It was no surprise that he knew just how far to drive her before she reached that final elated peak. Paula moaned her disapproval when she felt the delicious pressure ease. Linus took her with only one finger then while pulling a condom from the back of his denim shorts and tearing into it with his teeth. Soon after, the denim pooled at his ankles. He wore nothing beneath, and smoothly set the protection in place.
Paula barely had time to register the fact that he was as naked as she. Moreover, he was dark and chiseled, like something untamed and lethal. Again, his fingers were at her sex. With sultry expertise, they massaged her honey-toned folds before he palmed her upper thighs and spread them to accommodate his thick erection. It nudged her bottom before smoothly occupying the portal it sought.
Paula hugged the column ever more tightly, as eager for release as she was for the prolonged pleasure he was so capable of. Relentlessly, his hips slammed against hers. Pumping his shaft deep, he stretched her deliciously and coaxed an orgasm-inducing pleasure that Paula was all too eager to welcome.
Unfortunately, Linus was ahead of her on that score. He’d come there that night intent on being selfish and driven to take what he wanted, and then leave her unsatisfied and feverish for him. He wanted her to need him until she couldn’t think—until all she cared about was having him. All else would be secondary, unimportant. She wouldn’t care about the past then, and he could have her back without ever sharing the complete and humiliating story behind his loss of control.
Hungrily, his hands roamed her body, squeezing her hips before cupping her belly and then her breasts. He fondled them mercilessly until her head tipped back to bring her earlobe within reach of his seeking lips. He sucked the plump lobe hard and ravenously while claiming her with ever-more-vigorous strokes that took him to the brink and pushed him over.
Linus clutched the column then too, having traded his fondling grasp on her breast for it. He erupted, strongly and generously. Paula released a throaty gasp when the heavy surge of his seed met the condom’s thin casing. Linus savored every aspect of his climax, even the sweet squeeze of her intimate muscles around his shaft. She was still in the throes of being pleasured—not quite ready to ascend to her own peak just then.
Linus didn’t plan on giving her the chance. Her next gasp was mixed with surprise and confusion when she felt him leave her.
“Linus?” She turned to find him fixing his shorts.
“Miss me,” he simply commanded. Following a kiss to her jaw, he left her at the column where he’d found her.
Chapter 8
“Bitches,” Paula seethed when she arrived at the dock the next morning. Despite her certainty that she’d still be snuggled in bed at that time, she had experienced just the opposite. No surprise, given her state of mind when she’d hit the sheets.
It had been hours before she’d finally drifted off. When she had, her slumber had been a restless one. She had been barely unconscious, her body still uncomfortably hot and aching with unsatisfied need.
“Damn him,” she said of Linus as she watched the yacht getting smaller as it cruised deeper into the bay without her. The girls had made plans for a day of sightseeing. Though she’d been uncertain about joining in, Linus’s impromptu visit the night before had quickly changed her mind. What happened had been no accident. He’d come to her room with plans to accomplish precisely what he had. He’d satisfied himself and left her unfulfilled and craving more.
She’d wanted more. How she’d wanted more. Something else weighed in over her physical wants, however. She wanted the explanation he hadn’t seemed ready to fully provide.
“Ready.” She considered the word.
Ready indicated it was only a matter of time. Linus’s words indicated that the time would never arrive. That was good, wasn’t it? She didn’t want the full truth, did she? She thought she didn’t before...and now—
“Tough break.”
Paula whirled to find Linus standing just a few feet behind her. His molten chocolate stare appeared more vibrant against the tropical morning sun as he too stared at the Idella disappearing around a bend in the bay.
“Guess they thought you wouldn’t make it,” he said.
“Wonder what would’ve given them that idea?”
Linus barely shrugged in response. Paula rolled her eyes as she resumed her study of the quiet waters.
“If you’re bummed about it,” he said, moving closer, “I’m sure we could arrange something.”
The offer made Paula smile. “I’m sure we could.” She averted her face so he couldn’t see her lashes flutter when he moved close to cup her hips.
“I’m not going to bed with you, L.” She swallowed around the ball of need, suddenly occupying her throat.
“That’s the great thing about a place like this.” He didn’t seem discouraged by her decision. “There are all sorts of places we could substitute for a bed.”
Paula resisted letting her head fall back to his shoulder when his fingers found their way beneath the short wrap skirt that shielded her bikini. He began to stroke the crotch of the shimmering lavender material, and the swollen needy flesh beneath all but screamed for more. Still, she resisted. Her stubbornness refused to let him have his way.
“Don’t.” She felt the faint tremors from his body against hers when he chuckled.
“Alright.”
He stopped, and Paula felt like she’d been left to drop to the ground without a parachute. His intention wasn’t to leave her quite so coldly though. Hands at her waist again, he turned her to face him and took her mouth before she could think to verbalize a response.
Paula knew her only response would’ve been to tell him to give her more. Need had her gripping his T-shirt as the material rippled gently against the breeze. His tongue launched a possessive invasion, sliding, exploring, occupying every hidden crevice of her mouth. She reciprocated the erotic act. Fingers curling more tightly into his shirt, she drew him closer. She only needed to balance slightly on her toes to comfortably r
each his mouth. Linus made it even easier for her, firming up his hold at her hips to hoist her higher against his tall frame.
Warning bells sounded in the far corners of Paula’s mind, telling her that this moment had the makings of an ending with her still writhing, unsatisfied and pleasure-stricken. A few more encounters like the one last night, and she’d be little more than a mindless walking shell.
The distinctive pop and clatter of a bottle cap hit the air. The sound served to anchor Paula to her sanity as she recognized the notification chime from her phone. She broke the kiss, thankful for the excuse to do so. If not for the warning alarm, she would’ve allowed the embrace to draw her deeper into desire’s abyss, whether satisfaction awaited her there or not.
“My phone.” She was already reaching for the device tucked into a hidden pocket along her skirt. Linus eased his grip and let her slide down the length of him. Paula turned to check the notification that could’ve waited.
She’d left her business phone in the suite. Her staff knew to only contact her personal line if there was a real emergency. The notification was from Miranda Bormann; it was an email with an attachment.
“Looks like you were right,” she told Linus once she’d reviewed the brief message with the vague subject line entitled PART 1. More to come, was all the message read.
“JPEGs,” she announced, noting the large file attachment of photographs.
“The evidence she spoke of,” Linus added.
“Looks like it,” Paula confirmed, still frowning over the images she studied. “Guess I would’ve had to cancel with Sophie after all.” She sent Linus a resigned smile. “I think I should talk to your partners, unless you’ve all got other plans?”
Linus commended himself on keeping his bristling veiled. He’d worked closely with Sophia and the others to square away time with Paula during the trip. Of course, everyone was delighted to help, but Linus had overlooked the wild card in the plan: the situation with Miranda Bormann.
He’d been an idiot to think it wouldn’t follow them there. He’d known it would. Whatever the mystery, it needed to be solved. None of this sat well with him, Eli or Tig, to know such a shadow loomed over their business. Nevertheless, his time with Paula was precious to him. When he returned to Philadelphia, he wanted Paula Starker on his arm the way she should’ve always been.
“Linus?” Paula was watching him expectantly.
“What do you need?” He gave himself a mental shake.
“Thirty minutes, forty-five at the most,” she said. “The file’s pretty large. We won’t get through it all in one sitting, but since there’s more to come and this is only part one, we should delve in as soon as possible.” She shrugged then and gave another look toward the phone. “Maybe we’ll get lucky with this first batch and come across a project that matches one of yours.”
Linus couldn’t deny the plan’s logic. Besides, Eli and Tig had already reserved the day to get a little work done anyway. The info he’d already shared with Paula via the flash drive was supplied with a healthy stash of images. Of course, they were of little use without an anchor. Finding a match in Miranda Bormann’s files could be the break they needed.
With any luck, they might actually solve the mystery sooner rather than later. That bit of luck would leave him the chance to focus on how he really wanted to be spending his time.
“L?”
He hedged then, somewhat annoyed by her eagerness to work and his lingering eagerness to play.
“It’s kind of short notice, Paula.”
“Is that right?” Her gaze narrowed and her smile was playfully wicked once the distance between them closed. She patted his cheek, refusing to be sidetracked by how flawless his skin felt next to her palm. “I’m sure we can arrange something.”
Linus acknowledged her play on his earlier words. Paula left him with a smile before she sauntered off.
* * *
“Going the wrong way on a day like this, aren’t you?”
Paula slowed her stride toward the cabana, where she’d been asked to meet with the Joss partners later that morning.
“Off the record?” she asked Barker, whom she had met as he was on his way down the stone walkway leading to the beach.
Barker pretended to be offended. “We just spent the night under the same roof. Surely we can both be trusted?”
Paula laughed. “Well, I’m still sorry for ruining your guys’ day.”
“Aw.” Barker waved her apology away. “It was just gonna be me and Rook for most of it anyway. We’re going into Nassau to scout clubs for later.” He waved again, that time toward a sleek dark speedboat waiting along the shore.
“Nice.” Paula’s smile was a knowing one. “The cushy life seems to agree with you. You should watch that, or it might try to hold on to you.”
Barker’s smile turned dry, his dark stare scanning the shoreline. “Looks like the powers-that-be are already trying to make that a reality.”
“Sounds mysterious. Are the powers-that-be your employers? Are the rumors going around true?”
Barker grinned, casting his gaze to the ground momentarily. “Off the record, Madam Prosecutor?”
“Of course.”
Barker’s grin grew wider. “They’re trying to get me to take a desk job.”
“Right.” Paula nodded. “I heard the new chair of WPXI’s programming board was trying to shake things up over there.”
Barker didn’t look too pleased by the tip.
Paula read his expression easily. “You should be honored and excited, you know? In the driver’s seat, you could get some real information flowing to the people that certain powers-that-be might prefer to remain hidden.”
“Or it could just be an elaborate way of distracting me from a story that they would prefer remain hidden.”
A measure of seriousness took its place in Paula’s eyes. “Is there anything my office needs to know?”
“In time.” Barker folded his arms over his chest. “Right now, I’m just trying to get folks to talk to me.”
“And are these ‘folks’ suspected of criminal activity?” Paula put her Joss meeting concerns to the back burner.
Barker shook his head. “But there’s a chance they know things it’d be smarter to keep quiet about.” Again, he shook his head as though to clear it. “Didn’t mean to hold your ears hostage, DA Starker. Thanks for listening, and I promise to clue you in when the time is right.”
“Don’t take too long, alright? I’m about to vacate my seat and I can’t promise that my successor will be as helpful.”
“What was it you said about rumors being true?” Barker seemed newly engaged in the conversation.
“Off the record, Mr. Grant?”
Barker chuckled. “We’re gonna have to work on our trust issues.”
Laughter surged on both sides then. Soon though, Barker was nodding toward the cabana.
“Have fun in there,” he said. “They don’t seem too happy today.”
“Yeah.” Paula studied the cabana as well. “I kind of figured that.”
* * *
“How much access does her nephew have to her assets?” Eli asked while the slide show played out on the room’s far wall.
The beach cabana was located a short walk from the villa. A sturdy Spanish tiled roof topped a spacious stone structure that consisted of one room that accommodated a kitchen, bath area and sunken seating that faced the beach. A drop-down viewing screen could be activated by remote. It blocked a portion of the area and was handy for an entertaining night in or out of doors. Yet the stone-faced group seated before it didn’t appear at all entertained.
Paula had logged into the cabana’s Wi-Fi from her phone and opened Miranda Bormann’s email in order to view the JPEGs via the screen. She, Eli, Linus and Santigo had been reviewing the images for the past ten minutes. This fol
lowed a brief chat regarding the projects that had so far captured their attention.
“According to Miranda Bormann,” Paula told Eli, “her nephew’s had his hands in every part of this, which is why she was hesitant to go to anyone else in the family.”
“And this is part one,” Tig noted, “of Henry Bormann’s vast holdings. It stands to reason that Hayden Bormann would think he could make moves and go unnoticed.”
“He still took enough precautions to make sure his visits went unnoticed, right?” Linus asked Paula.
She nodded. “The PI Professor Bormann hired found no evidence—at least photographic evidence—of him meeting with anyone they could label as a client except Joss. You in particular,” she said to Linus.
“It was dumb luck the PI tailed Bormann going into Joss,” she added. “The fact that you’re the guy to see puts you in the hot seat, I’m afraid.”
Appearing to consider that, Linus pushed up from the oversized snow-white sectional that claimed most of the room and surrounded a wide, glass coffee table.
Paula guessed she’d said enough and began to collect her things. “I forwarded the attachment to you all. If anything looks strange, we can discuss it. I talked to Professor Bormann this morning, and she’s got the PI’s staff scanning the photos as fast as she can uncover them.”
“And what are these again?” Eli asked.
“Boxes of old family photos. Some of them are of places the Bormanns would meet for family gatherings. Professor Bormann’s husband was real big on them being a tight-knit group.”
Tig snorted. “That can be hard to do when there’s money like this involved.”
Linus’s heavy sigh caught everyone’s ear. The sound mixed with something that carried an unmistakable guttural noise. Eli and Tig traded looks. They knew very well the kinds of displays that tended to follow that sound.
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