by Jessie Cooke
Beck was standing in front of Jace when she made the veiled little threat and Collin watched Jace’s big arm slide around his old lady’s slim waist. He pulled her back into his chest and Collin watched as Jace rested his lips on top of her head and then took a deep breath, like he was inhaling the scent of her hair. Jace had a serious face most of the time, but with Beck in his arms, his features practically glowed.
That was touching, but when Beck looked up at her old man, Collin found himself in a state of awe. He had never been in a long-term relationship, nor had he ever thought he wanted to be. But suddenly something inside of him felt a craving…or maybe it was a desire. Either way Collin suddenly knew that was the other thing missing from his life…a woman who looked at him the way Beck was looking up at her old man. He could almost feel the love and respect in her blue eyes from across the room. Maybe the MC was the first step toward changing his life and being happy…and maybe finding a woman that looked at him like that would be the second.
22
“It’s been a week, Mr. Campbell.”
Noah felt like shit, to put it bluntly. He hadn’t slept in three days and the woman in front of him was giving him a headache. “I understand your frustration,” he said, thinking that so far he sounded sincere. “I have a good idea who your husband is cheating with but my wife and I do have other cases and we just haven’t had the opportunity to get photos or video…”
“Tell her I’ll give her ten thousand dollars if she’ll talk to my lawyer.”
“I’m sorry…who?”
“The woman he’s fucking. Tell her that I’ll give her ten grand if she’s willing to testify against him.”
“If his attorney finds out that you paid her to say so, he can use that against you in court.”
“I’m not paying her to say anything that isn’t true. I want her to tell the truth.”
“I understand that, but depending on how good his attorney is, they can turn that right back around on you. Let me talk to her. I get the feeling that he’s used her job as a bargaining chip to get her into bed. Maybe she’d be willing to file sexual harassment charges against him if you and your father would be willing to guarantee her job is safe.”
“She works for us?”
“Yes.”
“That bastard! Yes. Tell her I will put it in writing. She won’t lose her job and I’ll pay for her attorney if she wants to sue him for damages. How is that?”
“That’s good. I will try to talk to her today.”
She made a face. “Try?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Noah stood up to signal to her that they were finished. He had a hundred things to do that day and her screwed-up love life was low on his list of priorities. “I will try. I’ll call you soon.”
“I’m sorry if I seem pushy,” she said, still sitting down. Noah walked around the desk and perched on the edge of it.
“You don’t seem pushy. I understand how upsetting this must be to you and I promise you we’re taking your case very seriously.”
“I loved him.” Her eyes were filled with tears. Shit. Noah hated when his clients cried. He never knew what to do. Should he put a hand on her shoulder? Hand her a Kleenex?
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“I knew he married me for my money but I thought he’d grow to love me. All I ever wanted was a man who looks at me the way you look at your wife. She’s a lucky woman.”
Noah was ready to make the “wife” thing official, but he’d been waiting for the timing to be just right. Maybe he needed to stop waiting and just do it already. He was pretty sure that Ava would say yes. Her parents were already disappointed in her for living with him, unmarried, and he knew it went against her beliefs as well. But when Aiden came into their lives, the relationship was just beginning, and even Ava understood they all needed time to adjust to each other. He smiled at his client and said, “I’m the lucky one and don’t give up, okay? You still have plenty of time to find what you’re looking for. Just remember not to settle next time.”
She smiled and stood up and he thought, Ava was right, sometimes it does help to be nice. “Thank you, Mr. Campbell. I’ll wait to hear from you.” He watched her leave and was about to pick up the phone when Ava walked in.
“Hey, I saw Gail leaving. Was she angry that we haven’t got her anything yet?”
“She wasn’t happy, but I think I smoothed it over. I need to get over to his office today. I wish he hadn’t seen you at the bowling alley. I’d like to have my ‘secretary’ with me.”
“You could take Kendra.”
Kendra was the new secretary that Ava hired to replace herself when she became Noah’s official partner. Noah didn’t like her. He wrinkled his nose and said, “It’s her day off and besides, I don’t think she’s ready for that. What’s Keira doing today?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Didn’t you say you told him your secretary had red hair?”
“I did. You think she would dye it?”
She laughed. “I doubt that. Sean would be pissed at us anyway if we talked her into that. He loves her hair.”
“Don’t they have temporary dye that washes out?”
She looked at the clock. It was early for her to be in the office. Noah had showered when he got home from looking for Ciara that morning but Ava was already up so he didn’t see the point in going back to bed. He came in right after dropping Aiden at school. His teacher wouldn’t even make eye contact with Noah and he still hadn’t told Ava that her brother was screwing her son’s fifth grade teacher. Finding out he was joining a motorcycle club had upset her enough. Sometimes Noah wished that he and Ava had both been only children.
“I guess it won’t hurt to ask her. She might have class today. What time are you going over there?”
“As soon as she can be ready. I’m finished with this case. I want it to be over and done with.”
“I’m sorry about the pictures.” Ava had followed the old cheater to his lover’s house the night before. The only clear photo she got was of him standing in the doorway with his back to the camera. The rest were just shadows through the bedroom curtains.
“It’s not your fault. Pictures never hold up that well anyway. Gail says she’ll guarantee this girl’s job if she is willing to talk to the lawyer about their affair. I think that’ll probably work best anyway. Call Keira for me?”
Ava came around the desk and pressed her lips into his. “Yes, I’ll call her. I have something else to tell you.”
“What’s that?”
“Hayden came by last night.”
“Fuck! Why didn’t he call me?”
“He just wanted to tell you that Ciara’s fingerprints were in the house.”
“So he thinks it’s possible the hair was there already and has nothing to do with the Valentine Killer, right?”
“He said that’s a possibility that needs to be considered.”
“This guy left me notes last year, Ava. It’s not a stretch to think he did something to my sister. She’s just his type.” Noah’s head felt like it wanted to explode again.
“You’re right,” she said, putting her arms around him from behind, “but at least consider that Hayden could be right too.” Ava wanted him to believe Ciara had just been squatting in that house instead of believing that sick bastard had her somewhere. He desperately wanted to believe that but his gut told him otherwise.
“Okay, baby, I’ll try.” He didn’t lie to her often but in this case it would make her feel better.
She hugged him and said, “I missed you in bed last night.”
Noah said, “I missed you too. Collin and his friend Finn went out with me last night. It’s really nice of them all to help me. I offered to pay Jace for his men’s time, but he won’t take any money. I just hope they know how much I appreciate the help.”
“I’m sure they do. Collin seems really taken with this Jace…he gets a look of hero worship in his eyes when he talks about him. I’m beginning to see why…I guess. Did you guys find
anything or hear anything?”
“Not really. Street people aren’t really known for being forthcoming. It’s why I’ve had so much trouble finding her every time she disappeared on me over the years.”
“I’m praying for her and you.”
Noah smiled at her and said, “Thank you, baby, we both need it.” She left the room to call Keira, and Noah pushed the things on his desk out of the way and lay his head down on his arms. He just needed to close his eyes for five minutes. He wasn’t sure how much time passed before he woke up to the feel of Ava’s soft hands rubbing my shoulders. “Hey, gorgeous. I must have drifted off.”
“Mm-hmm, you poor thing. I don’t know how you keep going on no sleep.”
“I’ll be okay. Is Keira going to go with me?”
“Yeah, she’ll be here in a couple of hours.”
“Mm.” Her hands felt good massaging down his back. “Maybe we could do this naked since we seem to have so much time.”
She giggled. “Right here in the office? Why, sir, what kind of woman do you think I am?”
Noah stood up and grabbed her. She let out a little yelp but he stopped it with his mouth. Her sexy mouth opened eagerly and welcomed his tongue. They played against each other’s tongues as he pushed her up against the desk. He pushed the rest of the things on top of it out of the way and put his mouth on her neck. She hyperextended it to give him full access. Noah loved how responsive she was to him. He planted kisses across her long sexy neck and buried his face in her hair. She smelled so fucking good. He stood up, leaving her lying back against the desk, and slid his hands up her smooth thighs and underneath her dress. When he reached the tops of her thighs she scooted her butt up on the desk and parted her legs. Noah lifted her dress up so he could see her pretty lace panties and let his thumbs run across the crotch of them and watched her body quiver.
“Your man must not be keeping you satisfied at home. You’re so wet.”
“He’s just been busy and not home a lot lately at night.”
“He’s an idiot. You’re a fucking sex goddess. He should be in bed with you every chance he gets.” Noah let his thumb slide underneath the elastic at the top of her thighs. He slid it over her slippery, wet lips and once again reminded himself how damned lucky he was. He slid his middle finger underneath the panties and found her clit. He pressed down on it and ran his finger over it in gentle circles and listened to her moan. “You’re so sexy, baby. I hope your man never forgets how fucking lucky he is to have you.”
Breathlessly she said, “If he does, I’ll remind him.”
Noah knelt down and pulled her panties over to the side. Her pretty pink lips were glistening and he replaced his finger with his tongue. God, she’s sweet. Noah lifted her legs and put them up on his shoulders and buried his face in her sweetness. He pulled her clit into his mouth and began to assault it with his tongue. Her hands were in his hair and she was pressing his head into her tighter as his tongue traveled down lower and he slipped it up inside of her. She raised her hips up to meet his mouth and he slipped his tongue in and out of her quickly and as deeply as he could go while pressing his face into her swollen clit. She ground herself into him and moaned out his name. He could tell she was close so he slid two fingers up inside of her and twisted and flicked them around while sucking on her clit. He felt her body begin to shake and she cried out his name again as the orgasm ripped through her tiny body in wave after wave. Noah continued to lick softly until she finally grabbed both sides of his face and pulled him up to her lips. She kissed him and licked his lips and face.
“I love the way I taste on you,” she said.
“I love the way you taste everywhere,” he told her. His cock was threatening to tear through the front of his pants. It had been four days since he had his gorgeous woman and he was on very edge of a massive explosion. He pushed all the way up to his feet and pulled her up to hers. He kissed her again and felt her hands go to his hips. She pushed against him, leading him around the desk and to the big leather swivel chair on the other side of it. She nudged him back and he sat down. His cock was doing cartwheels in his pants in anticipation of what was to come. God, he loved her.
Noah looked up at the little red-haired minx standing over him and said, “You know when I first met you I had you pegged for the champagne and four star hotel kind of girl.”
“Really?” she said, straddling my legs and taking a seat. She rubbed her still bare pussy into his crotch and he groaned. “I had you pegged as a player.”
Noah laughed. “You were right, but that was before you laid claim to me.”
“Hmm, don’t you ever miss the variety?” She slithered her little body down so she was kneeling down between his legs.
“Never, there is nothing hotter than you, baby.”
She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and he felt her little hand reach into his shorts and pull out his throbbing cock. He pressed his head back into the chair and felt his eyes rolling back in his head as she ran her tongue from the tip to the base and back up again. She leaned forward and ran her tongue around the head and across the tip and then suddenly she sucked it all into her mouth. “Ah fuck, Ava,” he hissed out between clenched teeth. He reached for her hair and wrapped his hands up in it, moving it back away from her face so she could look up at him with her sexy jade green eyes while she sucked on his cock. She ran her tongue along the underside and back up to the head before slipping her full, sweet lips back over and down the shaft. He couldn’t stand it any longer, he was going to explode right there in her mouth. He used his grip on her hair to pull her up off of him and back up to his lips.
“Stop, baby, I need to be inside of you.” He reached down and grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up off her. Then he pushed down his pants and shorts and stepped out of them. He reached over behind her and unhooked her bra and she let it fall down off her arms. Noah got to feast his eyes on her luscious white breasts and large, hard red nipples. “Panties too,” he croaked out. He watched her peel them off and once she stepped out of them she took a step towards him and ran her hands up and cupped her own breasts, pushing them together and running her thumbs across the nipples.
That caused something in him to snap and he grabbed her and pulled her into him roughly, using her hair to tip her head back. He then used his teeth to bite down on her throat. He heard her moan and that just drove him even harder. He walked her across the room and pushed her into the wall. “Put your arms up.” She did as he asked and he leaned down and sucked one of the hard nipples into his mouth. While he let his tongue roll across it and play with it, he dropped his hand down between her legs and slid his fingers up into her soaking wet pussy. He started fucking her with his fingers while he sucked, licked, and bit her nipples.
“Noah,” she croaked out.
“Yeah, baby?” He spoke into the soft flesh of her breast.
“Please fuck me. Put your big cock inside of me…”
She stopped talking as he spun her around to face the wall. He pushed her legs apart with his own leg and reached around and grabbed a breast in each hand. She pushed her hips back into him and while he pulled and pinched and twisted her nipples, he entered that sweet, wet, tight pussy from behind.
Noah didn’t hold anything back. He pounded into her with all the frustration that had built up all week, slamming her tiny body into the wall and listening to the sexy sounds she was making. Jesus Christ. He had no idea how he got so lucky but he thought maybe he should really go to church more and thank somebody for it.
“You okay, baby?”
She nodded, groaned, and said, “More…harder…”
Noah didn’t hesitate to give her what she wanted. Within seconds her body was convulsing with another orgasm and his swiftly followed. It took him a long time, but when he finally finished he turned her back around to face him and kissed her hard on the mouth. “Jesus, baby…God, I love you. Marry me, Ava.”
She smiled up at me him and opened her green eyes. They
were filled with tears.. “I love you too,” she said in a husky voice. “Was that a real proposal, or post-coital bliss?”
Noah smiled down at her. “I’m so glad you’re mine. I don’t think I tell you that enough. I’m so fucking glad you love me. It was completely real. I’m sorry I didn’t do it right, on bended knee…”
“Oh please, you know I don’t go in for that corny stuff. Yes, Noah, I would love nothing more than to be your wife.”
Noah pulled her into him, hard, and said, “Thank you. Please don’t ever leave me, Ava.”
“I won’t.”
“Even if I’m an asshole?”
“I knew what an asshole you were a long time ago, and here I am, accepting a marriage proposal.” Noah laughed again. God, he loved her.
23
After Ava and Noah cleaned up, he called the number on the card Curt had given him at the bowling alley a few days before. When he told him who he was Curt said:
“I’ll be damned, I thought since you never showed up that you had chickened out.”
Noah laughed. “Well, I hate to admit it but I almost did…and then I finally took that sweet little redhead in the supply closet and now there’s just no turning back. I can’t take the chance on fucking her here where I’m being watched like a hawk every day. If I have to live with the old hag…” Ava popped him upside the back of his head, “the least I can do is not put up with her family all day too. You know, sometimes I wonder if there’s a little inbreeding in their history.” He got another, harder, smack for that. He was trying not to laugh and waving her off as Curt was saying:
“I think the same thing about mine. Damn if we ain’t kindred spirits, Bob. I got some time about two if you wanna come by.”