With a growl, he reached for her, but she was still beyond his reach. “Come to me.”
She didn’t answer. Instead, her tongue slid across her ruby-red lips, and she smiled. Pure sex. Damn, he needed her. Now. If his erection got any bigger, he’d bust through his pants. He was sure of that.
Finally, she was in front of him. He reached for her, but she batted his hands away. Yup, she was trying to kill him. Her fingers slid over his erection, taunting him, and he got even harder. Just when he thought he couldn’t take anymore, she unbuttoned and unzipped his fly, releasing him. All eight inches of hot, thick, male twitched under her gaze, and as she licked her lips again a little bead of moisture formed at the tip. He couldn’t hold back his groan, and he’d tried.
He wanted control, and she denied it. He’d never been so turned on. Desperate to touch her, taste her, take her into his arms and fill her full. “Don’t make me beg.”
“Mmmm, I think that’s a great idea. You deserve it after making me wait.” Her words said one thing, but her fingers slid up and down his length and rubbed the moisture into this skin. He was trying to hold back, but it had been so long since he’d felt her skin on his, her touch. It was taking all of his willpower not to lose control.
“Baby, please. I can’t hold on much longer.” He hoped she’d give in. Let him feel her too. Instead, she kneeled and slowly took him between those bright red lips. It was too much. He tried to pull away, but she held on tight. One hand fondled his balls while the other held the base of his shaft as she worked her magic, taking him deep.
He struggled to hold on, it was too fast, he wanted to please her. It should be her not him finding release.
“Oh, baby. If you don’t want it, you need to stop now. I can’t. Oh God.”
But she wouldn’t stop, and with one more squeeze, he lost control, shooting down her throat. He watched the muscles of her neck work as she swallowed every bit, and then she licked him clean.
It was impossible, but somehow, he was still hard. Is this what abstinence did to him? Shit. He throbbed. He wanted to get up out of the chair and toss her onto the couch. To make long slow love to her until she screamed his name.
“I see you’re ready for more.” He couldn’t deny it; the proof was standing straight up in his lap. This hadn’t happened since he was in his early twenties, but he wasn’t going to complain. He wanted her. Needed to be buried deep inside her.
“Haven’t you tortured me enough? I need to touch you.” He didn’t think she’d give in, but then she hopped up onto the arms of the wheelchair and balanced her legs over the sides. Her hot center hovered over him. If he could just thrust, he could get inside her. But she pressed down on his shoulders and slid her heat along his hardness covering him in her juices. That’s when he realized her panties were crotchless. Holy fuckin’ mother of God. She was killing him but what a way to go.
Reaching around her back, he unhooked her bra and let her beautiful breasts free. He cupped one in his hand and tweaked her hard nipple. Now it was her turn to groan, as she wriggled against his hard cock.
“Oh, babe. I’ve missed you.”
“I know. I’m sorry, my love. You deserve…”
“Shhh…” She cut him off with her lips. His tongue pushed into her mouth, dueling with hers. He could taste himself, but it didn’t bother him. She was his, all his. He’d been stupid, but he’d make it up to her.
Lifting her breast, he bent his head and took her rose-colored nipple between his lips and sucked. She squirmed. He sucked harder. Her juices dripped onto him, and he couldn’t wait. He had to have her.
She must have read his mind because she readjusted her legs on the arms of the wheelchair and lowered herself over him. He leaned back and watched as her body sucked him in just as she’d done with her lips. Fuck.
He tilted his hips, not much, but enough to hit the spot he knew would send her over the edge. His balls tightened, and he wouldn’t be able to hold off for long. Her rhythm grew choppy as he lifted enough so each time she came down on him, he hit her G-spot.
Her muscles clenched around him, her breathing grew ragged. Their combined juices slid down his shaft. A few more thrusts. She was so close. He tightened his hips and thrust up once, and again.
She screamed his name. Her body quivering against his, tears in her eyes. “I love you, Alex. You are my world.”
“You reminded me what it means to be alive. You are and always will be the love of my life. Thank you, baby.”
Chapter Nine
They’d planned to go to the Eagle Security & Protection Agency offices after breakfast. While they had their coffee, Lily got a strange email from Enid Mercier, Walcott’s assistant. There was no message, only an attachment, and he wouldn’t let her open it. He didn’t want her to take any chances. It also ensured they’d be visiting ESP first thing. He called Cage and let him know he might be late for his training session with Hunter.
Neither of them discussed the night before, but for the first time since coming back home he didn’t feel anxious, and he hadn’t had a nightmare either. He’d woken up refreshed, even though they’d only had a few hours of sleep. She’d even slept in his bed. He figured Hunter was jealous since somewhere in the middle of the night he’d been growling. But eventually, he settled down.
It gave him hope for the future and how they’d deal with things if he couldn’t walk again. Maybe it wouldn’t be as black as he’d thought. And thanks to Chase there was the possibility of a job outside of the Army. Something he’d never contemplated before.
As they drank their coffee, he questioned her about the Walcott project. She didn’t know as much as he’d hoped. She’d only been involved for a week. Construction was mostly done, only finishing touches on the fitness center and decorating of the restaurant and spa were still needed. Which is why Walcott needed Lily. She was the best at what she did, even if it wasn’t well known. He also asked her to describe the guys in the parking lot who’d been with Chandler. He wanted a good idea of what they looked like so he could watch for them. He didn’t believe they wouldn’t try something, not after going through the effort to send the pictures. They meant business. But so did he. There was no way they’d touch a hair on his wife’s head.
After they had finished their coffee, Lily went upstairs to pack her notes and get the laptop. He took Hunter outside for a quick walk in the backyard, then walked around to the front of the house to wait near the car for her. That’s when he noticed all four tires on their card had been slashed. Fuck. They weren’t going anywhere in that now. He didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out who was behind it. Now Hunter’s growling in the middle of the night made a lot more sense. “Thanks, buddy. I should have listened better. I’m sorry.” The dog woofed and rubbed against him as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed nine-one-one.
The kitchen door opened, and Lily stepped onto the driveway as he disconnected his call. She was more observant than him and noticed the tires right away. He hadn’t seen them until he’d rolled up to the passenger door.
“What the fuck happened?”
“My guess is we had a visit from your ‘thugs.’”
“Dammit.”
“It’s okay. I called the police, and they’re on their way. It helps when you have friends in the department. I also called Chase. He’s coming too.”
“This screws with everything.”
“It’ll be fine. Seriously.” He wheeled toward her as the surprise turned to anger and then fear. “Lilybee, look at me. Baby.” Finally, she stopped staring at the car and met his eyes. “You’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I don’t understand any of this. It’s a freaking design job. How can that make someone so upset that they threaten us?”
“I don’t know. But we’re going to find out. Why don’t you go inside and see if you can do some work? Or call Chloe. But try to get your mind off this. I’ll wait out here for the police and Chase.”
&nb
sp; “Okay.” He lifted her hand and kissed her palm. She smiled and leaned down to kiss him. If they hadn’t been on the driveway, he’d have pulled her into his lap and kissed her senseless.
“Hey, get a room you two.” And this is why a driveway seduction is never a good idea.
“Shit, Chase, how did you get here so fast?”
“That’s my secret.”
“Hi, Chase. I bet you didn’t expect this.” Chase was smart and observant and picked up on Lily’s fear right away.
“Nope but it’s not the worst way to start a week. I love a mystery. But I’d love a cup of coffee if you could manage it. I didn’t have a chance to stop yet.”
“Oh sure. Alex, would you like one too?”
“Yes, thanks.” After she’d gone back inside, Chase started his questions.
“Don’t you want to wait for the cops?”
“Nope. They’ll be looking for the perps who did this, we’re looking for the why behind it.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. Lily is a graphic designer and marketing specialist. Why the hell would that trigger this shit?”
“I don’t know, but I’d say somehow your wife is in the middle of something much bigger.”
“Yeah, no shit Sherlock. That’s the understatement of the year.”
“I like you more and more, Alex. I think you’ll make a good addition to the team. I really hope you’ll consider my offer.”
“I am. At least it’ll be more interesting than pushing papers behind a desk for the Army. I’m sure as hell not into teaching like Logan’s doing. He can keep that shit.”
Chase laughed. “I hear that.” He took out his phone and snapped some pictures of the car from all sides, and a couple of close-ups of the slashes in the tires. He was finishing up when Lily was back with two steaming mugs of coffee. A car pulled up, and Ethan and Steele climbed out. The police had arrived.
“Nice way to start a Monday, huh?” Ethan said as he walked around the car. Steele shook hands with Alex.
“You think this is connected to what we were talking about last night?”
“Hell yeah.” Then Alex looked up and saw Lily getting that scared rabbit look again. “Hey baby, I’ll take that coffee now.”
“Oh shit. Sorry. I didn’t realize…” Her words trailed off, but he knew she was beating herself up for something. Typical Lilybee.
“No worries. It won’t be too hot to drink now.”
“Jerk.” Good, the response he was looking for.
“You guys want some coffee?”
“No thanks, I’m good. Ethan?”
“Thanks anyway, but I had half a pot already. Some of us work for a living.”
“You’re a funny guy, Ethan. Good thing you’re my brother’s partner or I might have to kick your ass and show you how the SEALs do it. I already ran ten miles this morning and spent an hour in the gym. Once a SEAL always a SEAL.”
“If y’all are done with your pissing contest and don’t need me anymore, I’m going inside. I have work to do, at least until something else happens.”
“Sorry, Lily.”
“It’s okay. I know you’re not serious and would give up your lives for each other in a heartbeat.”
“Damn straight. Chloe, Anna, Beth, and Julie too. Once you’re with one of us you’re with all of us.”
Alex spewed his coffee across the driveway.
Lily laughed too. “I know you don’t mean that the way it sounded. And thank you. You all rock. Let me know if you need anything.”
After she had gone back inside, Alex looked Chase up and down. “You really ran ten miles this morning?”
“Every day. I might not be active duty, but I can’t seem to break the habit. Too many years. Besides, it keeps me ready for whatever comes up, and we’ve had a few cases that were just as dangerous as a mission. Ask Cage about Costa Rica some time. He’ll tell you.”
“Okay, so how do you want to handle this?” Steele asked. As he snapped a couple of pictures. Between all of them, there was no way they’d missed a thing. Gotta love technology.
“You guys file the police report. Unless there is something here that leads us back to Harrison Chandler, we can’t pin it on him. I’ll go back to the office and see what kind of dirt I can dig up on him and Walcott for that matter.”
“Oh yeah, this morning his assistant sent Lily a file attachment. No message just the file. I wouldn’t let her open it.”
“Good idea. You guys finish up here, and I’ll go in and see what’s on that file.”
“You’re not our boss or CO, dick. We know how to do our jobs.”
“Then why are you standing there?”
“Fucking family,” Steele grumbled, but his words were softened by the grin on his face. “We’ll be done in a few.”
Alex and Hunter, who’d been laying on the driveway by his side through all of the commotion, went inside with Chase. Lily was sitting at the kitchen table on her laptop with another cup of coffee. Her gaze was transfixed on the screen. He had a bad feeling. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he wheeled closer to look over his wife’s shoulder.
Instead of going up to her office, Lily set the laptop on the kitchen table and got another cup of coffee. Coffee was the one constant in her life, a soothing elixir of yummy. Her go to cup of comfort no matter what. In college, it had been wine, but now she’d rather drink a pot of coffee than a bottle of wine. Her father had been an alcoholic. Remembering him hiding in the garage with his bottle of whiskey was a big deterrent to drinking alone, and since Alex was gone more than home she was happy to stick to her coffee high.
As usual, the first thing she did was check her email. It was another habit. Without thinking, she clicked on the email from Enid and opened the attachment. Cringing when she remembered she’d promised Alex she wouldn’t open it. A video started loading, still on autopilot, she raised the volume. What she saw next took her breath away.
When it finished buffering the screen was almost black. She could just make out a shadowed figure. Then she heard the voice. It wasn’t Chandler either. This was menacing and raised goosebumps on her arms.
“This is what happens to people who don’t mind their own business. Or get involved in something they shouldn’t. You didn’t listen. You’re next, bitch!” The camera moved and focused on a slumped figure tied to a chair.
Alex touched her shoulder. She screeched and nearly jumped out of her chair. “Holy shit, you scared the crap out of me.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to open that file?”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“Sure.” While they were talking, she’d never taken her eyes off the screen. As the person came into focus, she realized it was Enid Mercier. “Oh my God. Fuck, it’s Enid.” Alex wheeled closer and put his arm around her.
She wanted to look away from the screen but she couldn’t. It was like driving past a train wreck and not stopping to look. Was she still alive? Could they save her?
“I don’t know.” Lily didn’t realize she’d asked the question out loud. “Chase, what do you think?”
“I can’t tell, he’s not close enough. Let’s go to my office. We can analyze it on the high-tech equipment we have there.”
The entire time the camera was focused on Enid she hadn’t made a sound, hadn’t moved. What looked like blood was pooled at her feet. Then the shadowed figure walked into the frame and pulled her head up by her hair. She’d been beaten. Although the word beaten wasn’t even close to describing what happened to the poor woman. Lily barely recognized her. She’d been so perfect when she’d seen her on Friday. One of her eyes was swollen closed, her face covered with blood and black bruises. Her clothes had been sliced open, and bloody wounds covered her chest. But what scared Lily the most was the one eye that stared into the camera—unseeing. She had her answer. Enid Mercier was dead. His words echoed in her brain. They were coming for her next.
The room started to spin, and she couldn’t catch her breath.
> “Baby. Lily, look at me,” Alex pleaded. But she couldn’t stop staring at the laptop screen. A hand reached past her face and shut the lid. Even when she closed her eyes, she couldn’t get the sight out of her mind. Would she ever? Then she remembered the old saying, “what is seen cannot be unseen.” It couldn’t be real, could it?
“Lily!” Alex’s voice sounded desperate through the fog of her brain. Then he shook her, at least she thought it was him. Slowly she turned to face him. “There you are. Listen to me. This could all just be a set up to scare you.”
“You think so?” She hoped and prayed. But deep in her gut, she knew it was all too real, and Enid Mercier wouldn’t see another day.
“I hate to ask this, Lily, but does that room look familiar to you at all?” She’d forgotten Chase was there. Apparently at some point during the video, Ethan and Steele had come in too.
“No, not really. But it is dark. I’m sorry.”
Chase turned to Ethan. “I’m going to take them back to the office. I’ll send you a copy of the video when we get there. If it is what I think it is, it’s a crime scene.” Apparently, Chase thought it was real too. It didn’t make her feel any better. She didn’t even realize she was crying until Alex wiped her cheek. She didn’t know much about Enid. Did she have a husband? Children? Was someone missing her right now?
“We’ll find out, Lily. I promise you. We’ll find the people responsible too.” Lily was surprised she’d spoken her thoughts out loud again. Her inner dialogue must be broken.
“C’mon let’s get you out of here.”
“We’ll let you know if we find anything,” Steele said as he and Ethan headed out the door. That’s when she noticed that Hunter was pacing back and forth across the kitchen. He must have been picking up on their stress.
“Hunter. C’mere, boy.” She wasn’t sure he’d come to her. He wasn’t her dog after all. But he did and even laid his head in her lap. Running her fingers through his fluffy hair was more soothing than she’d expected. It made Alex’s changes since getting Hunter even more understandable.
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