by Tory Baker
“Leo,” I hear whispered into the room. My mind must be playing tricks on me. “Leo.” My shoulder is pushed and I’m up in a flash.
“What’s wrong?” I dart up, the covers falling to my hips. This not getting much sleep is kicking my ass.
“I woke up and walked into the sitting area to the mini fridge, you know, because I was thirsty. The door was wide open. I shut and locked it when you left.” I can hear the sincerity in her voice.
“Stay here. I’m going to check it out, and Tinsley?” I state.
“Yes, Leo?” Her teeth are worrying her bottom lip.
“Lock the door. My phone is on the nightstand. If anything happens, call Slade or Drake, okay?” I do something I shouldn’t. I squeeze her hip before kissing her collarbone, feeling her body relax for me. I hate like hell that I’m leaving her, but there’s no way I can’t investigate it. That door was locked when I left, and although I’ve only known Tinsley a few weeks, I know she doesn’t lie.
It takes me no time to stalk down the hallway. I turn the lights on, check everything out, and notice nothing is out of place. I stalk back to the door, look at the handle and lock, and see there are scratches by the deadbolt.
“Motherfucker,” I grunt out. There’s no way she’ll be sleeping in this room tonight, which only leads to one option until Slade calls Robert Sutton. There’s no way I’ll be able to keep my damn hands off Tinsley, not by a mile. I hope she’s prepared for what she’s opened earlier this evening because all bets are off now that she’s given me the all-clear. Client or not, I want Tinsley more than I ever wanted that high of being in the ring, and that’s saying something.
I make my way back to my room. It’s more opulent than I would ever care to have, but it’s what they gave me. The one thing I wouldn’t budge on was being too far away from her in case something popped up. Little did I know it would happen this soon.
“Is everything okay?” Tinsley is sitting on the edge of my bed.
“No one was there or around this wing, but someone definitely jimmied the locks. You’re stuck with me for tonight. There’s no way I can lock your door now that the person destroyed the tumbler inside it.” She stands up, her arms wrapping around my waist, and hugs me while she says, “Thank you, Leo.” That’s all she says, three words with her scent surrounding me, and it has me hard as fucking nails. This is going to be a long-as-fuck night.
“Climb in bed. I’m going to shower.” I watch as she gets on what is my side of the bed, her ass up in the air, giving me another view that I shouldn’t be staring at so intently. I shake my head to clear thoughts of coming up behind her, pulling that poor excuse for shorts down to her thighs, and feasting on her pussy. Damn it, this woman is trying to kill me, and not in the she’s-got-a-crazy-stalker sort of way. Oh no, it’s in the way her body moves so effortlessly.
I make my way into the bathroom, knowing I need to be fast about this, not wanting my eyes off her for a second. It would have made sense to leave right away, but in the back of my brain I know Slade needs to handle Sutton first, and if we left right now, in the middle of the night, what’s to say the person after Tinsley isn’t here and watching? If we can make it appear as if she’s leaving for class and everything is golden, it’ll give us more of an opportunity to come up with a better game plan.
Fuck, this is going to be a long night with no sleep again.
Four
Tinsley
The heat surrounding me is something I’m not used to. I usually wake up cold, my feet freezing, trying to get more blankets on top of me. That’s not what’s happening today. My arms are wrapped around a warm, firm body, my hand slowly moving from the solid chest down to Leo’s chiseled abdomen. I don’t know if this is a dream or if it’s really happening. All I do know is that I don’t want this to end.
“Beautiful.” Leo’s voice is husky in my ear, causing me to shift my body, attempting to get as close to his voice and body as possible. His hand sinks into my lower back, massaging it. My fingertips are at the edge of his pants, ready to delve further and feel all of him. That’s when I’m flipped onto my back, legs spread wide, and what I thought was a dream is a real-life version of Leo hovering above my body. Leo’s face is soft with sleep. He’s bare chested, showing off his body, a body that I practically laid on top of all night long. He rocks his hips, my core tightening in response when I feel just how hard he is, and I swear to all that is holy I can feel him completely. His cotton shorts along with my silk sleep shorts give both of us a tease of what’s beneath, in this case I know what I’m not wearing, and with the outline of his cock I can guarantee both of us would be completely bare if we slid our bottoms off.
“Leo.” My hands move to his shoulders, my legs wrap around his trim waist, wanting to feel more.
“As much as I want this to happen, we have a few obstacles to get through before it can.” He grinds his hips down, punctuating with every thrust what he’s talking about. My fingers grip him harder, my head tipping back on a moan. I want to rock into him. Instead, I hold myself steady.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe out as my eyes meet Leo’s.
“No, don’t apologize, but shit has gone down, and I need to call Slade. We have to come up with a new plan. One that doesn’t have you in this place. I’m only one person, and there’s no way I can protect you in a damn mini McMansion.” Leo’s warmth leaves my body as he stands up, his hand reaching out for mine to help me out of bed. The only thing it does is put my face close to Leo’s length.
“Fuck, don’t look at me like that. Not right now. I’m not strong enough.” He rubs his hand down his face. I take my eyes off his cock. My ears no doubt burning with the tinges of redness from blushing for getting caught.
“Um, I’ll go get a shower and throw on some clothes while you deal with that?” I offer, trying to stop my wayward thoughts.
“Let me get dressed, grab my phone, and we’ll go to your room. You can get ready, but we’re leaving as soon as Slade gives me the okay,” he states. I nod my head and stand up. There’s barely an inch between us once again, and I’m finding I love it, probably more than I should.
“Okay, I only need my laptop bag for school. Do you think we’ll be able to stay at my place?” I ask.
“More than likely. Slade and I touched on the subject already.” His voice is low, making me realize he’s worried about more than what happened to my door.
“Okay, I’ll be ready when you are,” I tell him. Leo doesn’t do what I’m expecting him to do, which is throw some clothes on and grab his own bag. Nope, he does the unexpected. I’m molded to the front of his body more so now. His hand lands on my lower back. The warmth I’m feeling there is instantaneous.
“Yeah, you will.” He squeezes my hand, dips his head. I think he’ll kiss me this time. Instead, he goes to that same area he did last night, he licks my collarbone before placing a kiss there and saying, “The first time I have your lips, I’m not going to want to leave them. We have too much shit to do for that to happen right now.” Leo has no idea he just left me in the biggest daze I could ever be in, though my eyes never leave his body. His boxer briefs are molded to his ass, one that I know is as firm as the rest of him. I watch as he steps into his cargo pants and pulls a shirt over his head. Leo finishes doing what else he needs to before turning around, and I’m grieving the loss of seeing him without clothes on, but boy does he still look as hot as ever while wearing his uniform.
“Ready?” he asks, while placing his phone in his pocket and grabbing his duffle bag. Apparently, he packs light while on assignment.
“Yeah, are you calling Slade while we’re in my room?” I reply. Leo nods his head before he places a warm hand on my back while escorting me to the room.
It doesn’t take us long to arrive there. The door is open slightly. I guess there’s nothing you can do about that when it’s in the middle of the night, but I’m glad he’s here with me just the same.
“Stay here. I’ll check everything out,
then you can take a shower.” He’s in work mode, and I know there’s no way to lure him into the shower with me. Talk about being forward, Tinsley. Leo makes it back in a few moments. “It’s all safe. I’ll be here when you’re ready. Pack as light as you can.” His lips are against my ear, causing a full-body shiver.
“Okay.” I reluctantly leave Leo, not because I’m scared. He makes me feel safe. Leo is fast becoming my safe harbor in a storm that’s rolling through with the rain and wind surrounding us.
Five
Leo
I watch as Tinsley heads to her bedroom, waiting until I hear the water turn on before I walk to her balcony. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but something is going down. My thoughts are ranging from video feeds to a bug being placed where I can’t see anything, and let’s face it, I don’t have the luxury of Nighthawk Security around the corner.
The balcony is probably the safer of the two compared to the bedroom when it comes to listening devices. I call Slade knowing we’re hours behind him, but I’m hoping he talked to Tinsley’s dad.
The phone rings twice before I hear Slade let out a breath. “You never call me this much. Do you miss me?”
“You fucking wish. You talk to Sutton?” I counter.
“Just got off the phone with that jackwagon. Things are changing. He’s cancelling the contract. He said it was a mole inside his company sending the threats.” Slade isn’t buying whatever it is that Robert Sutton is selling him.
“That’s interesting. I walked Tinsley back to her room about two o’clock this morning. I was barely in my room long enough to sleep before she was coming through my door letting me know her door was open, and I know for a fact it was fucking locked when I left. Turns out someone was trying to get inside. The tumbler is broken, and the key area is scratched to hell. I’m thinking your client is full of shit.” I grunt.
“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” Slade’s voice is showing his annoyance.
“Yep, I’m not leaving, and if I do, she’s coming with me,” I tell him. Even if I need to take time off. I have more paid time off coming than the rest of the guys as it is.
“It’s like that, is it?”
“Yep.” I don’t elaborate. He gets what I’m not saying.
“Where you going? I wouldn’t suggest her apartment. Her folks pay for that. You want to come back here or get a place somewhere else?”
“Somewhere else. Let me get her out of here, round some things up, then I’ll call you back.” I don’t want us saying too much over the phone. Who the hell knows what’s going on here, but shit is not adding up.
“Gotcha, keep me posted.”
“Will do.” We hang up, and I walk back inside to wait for Tinsley. This shit is giving me the creepy fucking crawlies.
“Hey, are you okay?” Tinsley comes out of the bathroom. I’m standing at the door to her bedroom, my arms crossed over my chest.
“Yeah, can you be ready in ten minutes or so for your class?” I wink, getting her to play along.
“Of course.” She nods. Her hair is up in a clip, soft tendrils falling down around her face, highlighting her delicate features. The white oversized sweater covers her shapely legs that are wrapped in black leggings. I had them wrapped around my body and had to stop her from going further, those soft fingertips of hers so close to the waistband of my shorts, my cock hard as nails. If we were anywhere but here, I never would have stopped her. We would have ended up in a sweaty tangle of limbs. Yeah, I’m definitely going after Tinsley. There’s no way around it.
She turns around. That ass of hers, even with the sweater covering her, it still highlights her curvaceous body. I watch her the entire time as she packs her purse and laptop bag. I’m really fucking thankful she understood what I said between the lines, or this could have blown up before I got a chance to talk to her.
“I’m ready.” She appears with her laptop strapped to her back, purse in her hand. My hand molds to her lower back as we head for the door, end in sight of getting us out of here unseen and unheard. That’s all I would need—Robert Sutton to appear. That or Dumb and Dumber. It wouldn’t shock me if those two idiots played some kind of part in this. Shit just isn’t adding up in my eyes.
“Are we okay?” Tinsley whispers the moment we make it into my rented Suburban. As soon as I landed, Slade procured the wheels for me, knowing full well I wasn’t going to use a client’s vehicle.
“We will be. I’m going to take you to your place, have you pack a weeks’ worth of clothes, and go from there. I promise everything’s going to be okay though.” My hand finds hers on the center console. I hold it in my hand, not letting her go as I drive to her place.
The traffic in the state of Washington is a nightmare on its slow days. I miss the ease of the backwoods of Lodgeview the longer I’m away. A part of me wonders if she’d be interested in going back home to Virginia with me. Maybe she could take her courses online for the time being.
“I believe you, Leo.” She shocks the shit out of me while I’m pulling into the parking lot of her apartment. You’d think for the amount of cash her parents doled out for this place, the parking would be more secure. It’s another fucking thing I don’t understand.
“Thanks, beautiful. You ready to rock and roll? This will have to be quick. Slade is going to have a place for us by this afternoon, but we need to get on the road soon.”
“Yeah, am I coming back?” she questions.
“That’s up to you.” I barely conceal my need to say, “No, I won’t ever allow you to step back into the hell you’re in right now,” but I don’t. Tinsley doesn’t say anything. I know I’ll need to tell her everything and bare my soul in the process, but for the first time in a long time I feel at peace. I’m settled, not chasing after what comes next in life.
Six
Tinsley
It took us no more than thirty minutes for me to pack up what I needed. We were in and out of my apartment that fast. I grew up realizing things are materialistic, and I’d rather have less things and more memories to make than the latest fashion trends or the newest handbag. Basically, I’m nothing like my parents. It often makes me wonder if I was adopted. That’s how night and day we are.
The weirdest thing is though, I’m not upset even knowing that Leo hasn’t told me everything that is going down. I trust him as much as I trust my granddaddy. He and Leo are the only ones I’ve ever felt who had my best interest at heart. The way his jaw was set, the firmness in his tone, the clenching and unclenching of his fist that was slung over the steering wheel, I knew Leo didn’t like what Slade had to say when he called earlier.
“Can we talk now?” I ask now that we’re back on the road. I’ve long since kicked off my shoes, and my legs are folded beneath me while his tires eat up the highway.
“Yeah.” Leo’s hand finds mine, holding it in his. “When I called Slade to tell him about your door, he told me your dad cancelled the security contract. His company had a mole, supposedly. I’m not sure I believe that at all. In fact, my gut is telling me something bad is happening behind the scenes. So, Slade told him I was taking you to your place before class this morning. This is where shit gets dicey. Are you able to get a hold of your professors and move your schedule around or do things remotely? Slade wants us to either get home to Virginia or go to a safe house he has set up.”
I close my eyes, tilt my head up, and let out a deep breath. What Leo is saying, it’s so plausible. Things are not adding up.
“I can take all of my classes remotely. All of my professors are laid back. I say we go wherever we need to. I only ask that you keep me informed. Don’t keep me out of the loop, okay?” I tell him. Allowing him to make these decisions isn’t something I’m taking lightly. Things could go from bad to worse, but I know from the very depth of my being that Leo isn’t like my father. Thinking about him causes me to shiver. Robert Sutton has his own agenda—he always has. My mother is just along for the ride, the financial ride, that is. Which doesn’t shock
me because my grandparents left everything they owned to me. I have one more year until I’m able to access my inheritance. Being at my parents’ mercy really does suck. The saving grace is college. I busted my tail to get there, and it wasn’t because my parents donated a left arm to get me in.
“Tinsley, sweetheart, I know shit is happening fast. I’m not going to let anything happen to you and me, and I for damn sure won’t leave you out in the wind with no shelter. We’re in this together. Now, Slade is going to do some digging. While he’s doing that, we need to ditch your phone, nix using any credit cards from both of us, and figure out where you want to land.”
“My phone is turned off, but you can have it and do with it what you will. My credit cards aren’t a problem. I have cash put away in case I ever needed it.” Leo arches his eyebrow. We’re stopped at a red light and he’s looking at me.
“What? I’m always prepared. I was planning on leaving once I graduated in two years. This just moved things up a bit.” I shrug my shoulders in response.
“I can dig that. It’s up to you where we land,” Leo lets me know.
“Where’s the safe house?” I know Virginia is an option and is clear across the country, which would be amazing to experience for a road trip but would probably wear Leo out too.
“North Dakota,” Leo grunts.
“No, no, no. As if Washington isn’t cold enough, the safe house is in below frigid temperatures. I’m choosing Virginia.” I sit back and cross my arms across my chest, like a petulant child.