by Chiah Wilder
“You’re so sexy and beautiful,” he whispered as his fingers teased her breast, cupping the weight while his thumb flicked over her nipple.
Scarlett moaned and leaned further back into him, grinding her ass against his erection. Shadow let out a low growl. “Fuck, babe.” He kissed and bit her neck, then spun her around and claimed her lips.
Circling her arms around his neck, she buried her fingers into his thick hair and parted her lips, welcoming him inside. As they kissed, Shadow lightly touched the side of her face, and she panted and pulled him in closer. Then he was everywhere—up her back and over her arms, squeezing her ass and kissing her harder, deeper, more urgently. Scarlett’s body responded, fervently urging him on, and suddenly she realized that no one had ever kissed her like that before and that she’d never have enough.
She clawed at his chest with an overwhelming desire to mark him. He pulled away and looked at her with lust-filled eyes. She moved in and bit him on the neck while she rubbed against his hard dick until he grabbed the hem of her top and yanked it over her head.
“Fuck, baby,” he growled before tearing off her bra and lavishing kisses and bites to her breasts.
Scarlett threw her head back and groaned when his hot mouth slipped over her nipple. He sucked and nipped it hard, making it stiffen and ache. Burning desire consumed her: searing flames that melted her bones and scorched her skin.
“You like that?” he said against her skin as he pushed her shorts and panties down over her hips, past her thighs and knees.
She stepped out of them then pulled him close to her and felt the cold of his buckle against her skin. With trembling fingers, she fumbled to undo it, the palm of her hands skimming over his hardness.
A chuckle rolled from Shadow’s chest, and he helped her undo his jeans. He took out a packet from one of the pockets before pushing down his pants and boxers. For a split second, Scarlett wondered why he had a condom with him while he was at work, but she quickly pushed the thought away as her eyes feasted on his thick, long dick.
She waited in anticipation as he ripped the foil packet with his teeth and deftly rolled on the sheath in one quick movement. Tugging her to him, Shadow kissed her deeply once more; then, he shoved her over to the table, turned her around, and bent her forward.
“Tits flat on the table, legs spread, ass in the air,” he directed.
Shadow’s command shivered down her body and landed at her core, and she readily obeyed him. The thought that her mother might walk in at any minute tugged at Scarlett, but the way his calloused hands electrified her made her feel daring and wanton. The only thing that mattered at that moment was having Shadow inside her. When he buried his finger between her wet folds, she jerked and cried out.
“Feels good, huh, baby,” he rasped as his thumb played with her clit while he buried two fingers inside her, as deep as they would go.
“Yeah … fuck.” Scarlett’s voice was so hoarse, she didn’t even recognize it herself.
“I fuckin’ love the way your pussy’s so damn wet and ready.” He pulled his fingers out then shoved them back in.
She squirmed against his hand and a sharp crack on her ass made her cry out. Holy shit!
“No moving, got it?” Shadow’s voice was stern and it turned her on in the worst way.
She pushed up a bit and looked over her shoulder at him. His heated gaze locked on to hers, and she watched as he leaned down and kissed her stinging butt cheek, his eyes never wavering from hers.
That is so damn sexy. And the filthy things he says turn me on so much.
Another smack on the behind. “Turn around and spread your legs wider. I want that pretty ass of yours up higher.”
If he keeps this up I’m going to orgasm. I’ve never felt this way with any man.
He withdrew his fingers and before she could react, he thrust into her.
“Oh, shit,” she cried out and gasped as she stretched her arms out and gripped the edge of the table.
Shadow let out a harsh groan, pushing into her two more times before his hands slid from their grip on her hips. Scarlett felt the weight of him against her as he leaned over and kissed her back and the nape of her neck. It was an intimate gesture she hadn’t expected.
“You feel so good, baby,” he said, his hands covered hers and their fingers entwined as he drove inside her.
“I want it harder.” She moaned.
He moved his hands away and placed one on Scarlett’s back, further flattening her against the table. She moved her hips, trying to push back to meet his thrusts. The collective sounds of pants and groans filled the room as Shadow pounded into her. The edge of the table rubbed against Scarlett’s sweet spot with every thrust, and the pressure inside of her mounted until it exploded.
“Oh, shit!” she cried out as a fierce orgasm ripped through her. Her legs shook and she feared they were going to give out.
“Fuck!” Shadow’s fingers dug painfully into her skin as he stiffened then collapsed against her. His labored pants told her that his climax was as volatile as her own.
After several minutes, he moved away and helped her up from the table; then, he drew her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. Scarlett wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. Content to stay like that forever, panic quickly set in when she heard the garage door open.
“My mom’s home. Shit!” Scarlett broke away from him and scrambled to throw on her clothes. When she glanced at him, an amused smile tugged at his lips. “This isn’t funny. You have to pull up your jeans and get out of here … like now.”
Shadow shrugged and slowly raised his pants then buckled his belt. “Your hair’s all messed up. You better comb it.” He chuckled.
Panic spread across her face. “You don’t know my parents. My mom will tell my dad and … I don’t even want to go there.” She frantically searched through the drawers for a brush, and then finger-combed her hair when she couldn’t find one. “How’s that?” she asked.
“Not bad.” He pulled her to him. “Damn, you’re really stressed out about this, baby.” He kissed her gently. “Better?”
The door to the house opened. Scarlett pulled away. “Not really.”
“Scarlett? Who are you talking to?” Her mother stopped short in the doorway to the kitchen, and her eyes widened as they darted to Shadow and then back to Scarlett. “Who is this?” she asked in a tight voice.
Shadow took a couple of steps forward. “I’m working on the indoor tennis court.”
“Oh.” A frown replaced the surprise on her mom’s face.
“He wanted a glass of water. It’s been so hot today. The men enjoyed the lemonade. How was your lunch?” Scarlett rambled on.
“Fine. I bumped into Warren and he asked about you. He’s going to come around in a little bit.”
Scarlett folded her arms and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I’m meeting up with Kiara tonight.”
“You can tell her that you’ll be late.” There was an edge to her mom’s voice.
“I gotta get going,” Shadow said as he moved toward the back door. Looking at Scarlett, his mouth quirked up on one side, then he pushed open the screen.
Through the mesh, she watched him stroll down the walkway with that rolling swagger that made her want to chase him down, tackle him to the ground, and pepper kisses all over his hard, sexy body.
“Scarlett! Close the door—you’re letting all the hot air in here,” her mother said.
After she turned the lock, she swiveled around. Her mother’s blue eyes were dark with worry in her pinched face.
“That was foolish to let a worker into the house, especially since you were all alone. Who knows what was going through his mind.”
“You always think the worst of everyone, Mom. He’s fine.”
“You don’t know that. He’s not from your class and you have no idea what people like him think.” She ran her hands up and down her arms. “I do,” she whispered.
&nbs
p; “There are plenty of guys from my class who I wouldn’t trust to be alone with.” Scarlett laughed.
“It’s not funny. You can joke about these things because you had an easy life.”
Scarlett shook her head. “You’re not going to tell me again how you fought to get to where you are today, are you?”
“You really are a spoiled princess.” Bitterness laced her mother’s voice. “Just don’t invite any of the workers into my home again.” She turned around and stalked out of the room.
Scarlett heard the clack of her mom’s heels on the stairs. She crossed over to the window and watched the butterflies flit from flower to flower as thoughts of Shadow filled her mind.
Scarlett was inexplicably drawn to him, and she felt this tremendous sense of chemistry she’d never experienced before with any man. Scarlett knew all the reasons she should stay away from Shadow, but she wasn’t able to do it.
“I’m playing with fire, but I’m so attracted to him, just like a damn moth to a flame,” she muttered under her breath.
And if she wasn’t careful, her desire for him would destroy her.
Chapter Six
The room reeked of cleaning products despite the whirring from the iron fan set on top of the filing cabinets. Shadow sat on a faux leather chair, his legs stretched out in front of him, and watched the second hand of the wall clock.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Detective McCue said, then sank down into the chair behind the desk. “It’s been crazy all day today. It must be the weather. Heat makes people angry and on edge.” He picked up a scratched-up decanter and poured some water into a coffee mug. “You want something to drink?”
Shadow shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “Is my mom’s case still open?”
McCue grabbed a wad of tissues and mopped his forehead and neck, then threw it in the trash can. “It’s so damn hot in here.”
“Is it open or what?” Shadow straightened up and leaned forward. “What the fuck are you”—he waved his hand—“or this damn department doing about finding the sonofabitch who murdered my mother?”
The detective took a gulp of water then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “It’s still open, but not active. We got our hands full here and we haven’t gotten a new lead in over a year.”
“Is the rich bastard paying someone off?” Shadow narrowed his eyes. “Maybe you?”
“No one’s paying me shit. I thought you and I had come to an understanding over all these years.”
“Find the rich fucker she was dating and you’ve got your killer. It’s so damn simple.”
McCue sighed and fixed his gaze on Shadow’s. “I don’t know if he’s who killed her and neither do you. We’ve had a lot of crazies in Pinewood. Just a while back we had that nutcase who was stalking women on that dating app.” He splayed his hands on the desk. “Look, I know how hard this is for you. I wish I could tell you that we’ll find whoever did this, but I can’t. All I can tell you is that I’ll keep working the case until I retire. A lot of cold cases get solved, more than you think.”
“There’re only three in the county and you fuckin’ badges haven’t solved any of them.”
Shadow jumped to his feet and stormed out, blocking out whatever it was McCue was saying.
A tornado of rage swirled around inside him, and he kicked the front of the building. “Fuckin’ assholes!” he yelled, slamming his fist into the brickwork with a painful force.
Blood trickled down his hand and dripped onto the pavement. He leaned against the wall, glaring at the people passing by. Pulsating and throbbing anger mixed with guilt. I should’ve been home that night. I could’ve stopped the fuckin’ bastard. The memories were always there, as if lying in wait.
After several minutes, he stalked over to his bike and hopped on. A fast ride would calm him down—it usually did. The motorcycle roared to life, and he revved the engine to the maximum and sped off, leaving a trail of exhaust fumes and deafening noise.
* * *
One evening the following week when Smokey entered the clubhouse, Shadow lifted his chin and saw the way his buddy glared at him. He didn’t blame Smokey one bit for being mad as hell at him. That day, he’d dropped the ball and never showed up to work on the damn tennis house.
“What the fuck?” Smokey said when he came over to the table. “Where the hell were you today, asshole?” He gripped the top of a chair and pushed it hard. It toppled over and Smokey kicked it aside, a string of cuss words spilling out of his mouth.
“I fucked up, man. Sorry,” Shadow said as he picked up his beer bottle and took a long drink.
“Sorry? That shit doesn’t cut it. If you don’t want the job, man the fuck up and tell me, but don’t pull pussy bullshit on me. If you were any of the other workers, I’d throw your ass out.”
Shadow didn’t respond. He just sat there drinking his beer, pissed at himself that he let a brother down because he couldn’t get his shit together. The truth was that for the past several days, he and Scarlett had been going at it whenever they could: during his lunch break, in the guest house after work, even a couple of times in the kitchen when her bitchy mom wasn’t around. A headache inched its way up his neck and he pressed his thumbs against his temples.
“So, do you want the fuckin’ job or not?” Smokey’s voice sliced into his thoughts.
Shadow looked up and nodded.
“Then take this as your one and only chance. Next time you pull that shit, you’re out.” He kicked the fallen chair, then stomped over to Charlotte and yanked her to him.
Shadow turned away and rested his elbows on his knees then placed his throbbing head in his hands. He had to stay away from Scarlett. She was doing shit to him that he didn’t understand or want. Each time he pushed inside her, inch by inch, he became more mesmerized by her. For some damn reason, the intensity of being with her jolted his senses like a power surge; he was hooked and it fucking pissed him off.
There was a scrape of chair legs across the floor.
“Did Smokey kick your ass?” Rags asked.
Shadow raised his head just as the biker plopped down.
“He was so fuckin’ pissed at you. He came in during the day looking for you.”
“I went for a ride,” Shadow said as he leaned back, snapped his fingers, then stretched out his legs.
Wendy rushed over. “What is it, honey? You need some loving?” She inadvertently glanced over at Smokey, then back at Shadow.
“I need three aspirin, please.”
She ran her nails through his hair and lightly massaged his temples. “Okay, honey.” She sashayed away.
“What’s going on with you?” Rags asked.
“He’s got the hots for the rich bitch in the castle,” Helm said as he swung his leg over the chair and sat down.
Shadow narrowed his eyes. “I’m not in the mood to kick your ass, so keep your fuckin’ thoughts to yourself.”
A low whistle escaped through Rags’ teeth. “Damn. You hate those rich assholes. I never figured you’d go for one of the princesses.”
“You want a problem with me too?” Shadow growled as he tossed the aspirin in his mouth and took the glass of water from Wendy. “Thanks.” He winked at her and she leaned down and kissed his cheek.
“Anytime you need me, you got me.” She squeezed his bicep. “But you already know that.” Giggling, she smiled at the men and walked slowly away.
“The way her hips sway and her ass bounces when she walks gives me a fuckin’ hard-on,” Rags said.
“Everything gives you a hard-on,” Throttle said as he joined the group. Shadow and Helm laughed.
“Fuck off,” Rags said, a tinge of amusement lacing his voice.
“How was work today?” Helm asked as he scooped up a handful of nuts from the bowl on the table.
“Brutal. It’s too fuckin’ hot out there. We sent two of our guys home today ’cause they looked like they were gonna pass out or something,” Throttle replied.
“Heat stroke is a real serious thing. There are a number of symptoms you can look out for to tell if it’s that or maybe heat exhaustion,” Helm said.
“Did you watch a documentary on this?” Rags asked.
“I just know shit,” Helm said before popping some more nuts into his mouth.
“It may have been something like that, but I didn’t wanna take any chances, so I sent them home and told them to see a doctor or something.” Throttle looked over at Shadow. “Smokey’s madder than fuck at you, dude. He said you blew off work.”
“I guess everyone in the damn club knows about it, huh?” Shadow replied.
“Yep, pretty much,” Helm answered.
“That’s not cool, dude.” Throttle took a swig of his beer.
“Smokey and me already sorted it out, so it’s old news now.” Shadow folded his arms across his chest.
“He says you’re acting like a fuckin’ asshole with”—Throttle snapped his fingers—“Some chick who lives there. Hell, I don’t remember what the fuck he told me.”
“Then you shouldn’t be opening your fuckin’ mouth,” Shadow gritted.
Throttle pushed the table forward and jumped out of his chair. “You wanna do something about that?” His body was as rigid as an arrow.
Searing pain sliced through Shadow’s head when he stood up. “I’m ready if you are.”
“Both of you sit the fuck down,” Rags said. “You”—he pointed at Throttle—“didn’t know what the fuck you were saying, so you shouldn’t have said shit, and”—he glanced over at Shadow—“you either like this rich chick more than you want to admit, or you’re just in a fuckin’ bad mood today. So both of you sit your asses down.”
Throttle laughed as he sank back down. “That’s it—Smokey said you had a hard cock for the chick who lives there. She’s Mr. Mansfield’s daughter. Damn, dude, you of all people? You hate rich folks.”
Shadow resumed his seat and motioned for the prospect to bring him another glass of water. “I do, so you can see why the shit Smokey’s saying is fuckin’ ridiculous.”