by Claire Adams
I never should have let Mason handle things, but honestly, I’d been in such a fog that I couldn’t think straight. It hadn’t happened too often in my life, but now it was time to buck up and get past it.
I fast-forwarded through some of the footage before I found something that looked familiar. It was Luna, her hair paled in the black and white footage, losing its gradient, but she was still beautiful. Her hips swayed and she had a bounce in her step that tilted my head to get a better look, even on the small screen. There we were, the two of us, together in stride and making our way through the crowd and to the bar.
I paused the video to search the faces of the crowd around us, but came up short. I didn’t recognize any of them, and so I continued on. Now and then I’d pause and search, and always when I recognized Luna and me, I switched back and forth through the files, searching other viewpoints to get a better idea of things.
An hour had passed and my eyes were already paying the price, but then I froze when Stacey appeared. Seeing her recharged me, and I stopped the frame and searched the people’s faces around her. No one looked familiar.
I stared at her tiny image, and for a brief moment, I remembered the stubborn girl who loved to push my buttons. She had, too – many times. Though things hadn’t worked out, I had no ill feelings and seeing her made my heart ache. I hadn’t loved her, but she had such a craving for life that I couldn’t imagine her dead and gone from the world.
I forwarded through, determined to find out who did this to her and Cindy. Both deserved better, and panic shot through me knowing that whoever it was could go after Luna. If I were sent away, she’d be alone and vulnerable. I couldn’t trust some other man, whoever she’d end up with, to keep her safe.
My jaw clenched tight and my teeth ground together, making an awful sound that snapped me back to the task at hand.
And as it did, I found Cindy. She was hanging out in the casino with one of the staffers and something about the two made me think there was something intimate between them. Was this the other lead the police were chasing?
I made a note of the timestamp and moved along, having yet another face to look for. Sure enough, hours later I saw the same man pacing back and forth in the hallway outside a room. Checking the location and time, I realized it was hours before the murder. He didn’t look happy as he took off in a hurry toward the elevator.
“Nervous little shit.” My voice was no more than a whisper, but Luna reacted.
“Excuse me?” I glanced up to see her standing across the room at the coffee maker.
I sat up straight, my back screaming from hours at the makeshift desk, and stretched my arms up over my head. I’d wondered if she would shut me out forever and decided that if she were talking, I’d make conversation.
“This man, he looks nervous. He’s lurking around the halls where the murder took place and something seems to spook him. He takes off running. He worked there.”
“Sounds like you have another suspect. Congratulations. Maybe you should call Mason.” With that, she retreated to the room and shut the door.
So much for not shutting me out.
After stretching my legs and pouring my own cup, I returned to my search. Once I found the staffer acting even more suspicious in the front lobby right outside of the casino, I decided it was time to call Mason.
I dialed him up and told him my suspicions, knowing he wasn’t going to be happy.
“Jesus, Gabriel. You should have told me you were going to get the footage. I could have gone about it differently, petitioned to see it. They have to do that, you know.”
“I’m aware. I’m also aware that doing it that way, I’d only get what they wanted me to see. I’m looking for anyone that I recognize from the time I checked in until I left.”
“The entire Serendipity Hotel?”
“Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but dammit, who else could I trust but myself? I’m sitting here waiting for them to get their shit straight when I could be looking it over myself.
“What else have I got to do? The company is in working order, I’ve taken an extended leave, and I’ve got a wife in the other room who isn’t speaking to me. Not to mention this damned coffee table that’s booking a date with my chiropractor.”
“And, don’t forget your sparkling personality. Look, Gabe, I get it. I guess I’d do the same thing, truth be known. I’ll come over in a few; we’ll look at your findings and I’ll have someone check into it. Maybe it’s time we hire our own PI?”
That was more like it. I could get on board with a private investigator. “Thanks. I’ll buy you lunch.”
I hung up with him and searched the video again. I found the staffer and paused the video on him. Something was off about the guy, but I couldn’t place it.
I left it up and went to the bedroom door. I raised my hand to knock but decided against it. Why should I knock? This was my room and my wife on the other side of the door.
I turned the knob and pushed the thing wide. “Mason’s on his way. I’m ordering lunch soon, if you’re so inclined.”
She dropped her book to her chest and peered up at me with sleepy eyes. “Sure.”
“So, you slept, grabbed a quick shower and a cup of coffee, and got back into bed to read? That’s a hell of a vacation.”
“I was going to take a shower, but… I decided against it. I realized the beautiful tub was going to waste. Did you know it has jets?” She cocked her eyebrow but her mouth was still set in a tight line. “I was pruning before I got out. Then I called my friend, and now I’m passing the time.” I guessed she hadn’t wanted to be in the shower after our one together, and I supposed I couldn’t blame her.
She’d been holed up in the room, passing time and avoiding me. “Haven’t you already read that book?”
Her shoulder lifted casually and she turned another page. “Yeah, this is the third time. If I had known I’d be here this long, I’d have brought more than four.”
“How about I look for another room? Something else might be available by now. Or maybe I could find us a nice townhouse or condominium to buy? When we booked this place, it was all there was.”
“It’s fine. Stuck here, stuck there, it’s all the same. Besides, there’s no need to go through the trouble.” She glanced back down at the book and shook her head. “I can’t believe you offered to buy a house.”
I guess it did seem rather absurd, but I was only trying to make things better. We’d been cooped up too long and had started to wear on each other’s nerves. She’d been angry with me since refusing her, and once Mason left, we needed to talk.
“I’ll be out in a bit,” she said, as if it were a vow. Without further encouragement, I shut the door behind me.
Minutes later, Mason arrived. The guy strolled in dressed for court, and I wondered if he ever left the suit behind. “Nice threads.”
“So glad it meets your approval. I wasn’t sure what one wears to stare at a screen all day, but figured I may as well be ready to work in case we find anything.”
“Right, cause being comfortable never crossed your mind.” Not a day in his life. He’d always been perfectly tailored to the point I had often questioned the guy’s sexuality, but then his lust for women snuffed that suspicion.
“I am comfortable. Now, show me this suspect.” He crossed the room and lowered himself to the couch and leaned back as I stepped around the table to join him.
“There he is. There’s something off about the guy. I can’t place it, but you can tell he’s staff. Look at that vest.” All the staff wore the same red vest and bowtie.
“Look at the vest? I’m looking at the shoes; pants, too. Those aren’t standard issue. I used to work in a hotel years ago and the staff all had to wear the same clothes. I know for a fact that the standard dress there was black pants and shoes. His are jeans and those are some kind of work boots. Combat maybe?”
“That’s it. That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. He could have thrown on the rest hopin
g no one would have noticed.” We were on to something. Had to be.
He leaned in to get a closer look. “Let’s call Detective Hatcher and see if this guy is already on their watch list.”
It would have been good to celebrate, but I wasn’t sure this was our guy. Whoever was doing this had to be someone I knew. “I wish I could make out his face better, but I don’t think I know him.”
Mason took out his phone. “Maybe you don’t. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know you.”
Chapter Seventeen
Luna
Mason had been around all night, and he and Gabriel were busy searching for theories in the other room. I’d long settled into bed when Gabriel opened the door. I turned over to face the wall and keep the light out of my eyes, and as suspected, he crossed the room and retreated into the bathroom.
The sound of the shower put me in a foul mood, remembering his rejection. If only I’d made a move to show him I was ready. I’d not deliberately held back, but I guess my lack of experience had done me in.
I’d imagined he was used to the kind of women who threw themselves at him, and the more I thought about it, maybe that’s what he thought he was marrying. I had let loose with the lap dance, and I wondered if it would take liquid courage to lose my virginity. No, that hadn’t worked so far. If anything, it made me look like a fool and led to misconceptions about my experience.
He opened the door minutes later, and I glanced over my shoulder as he eased himself down on the bed. The light from the bathroom spilled into the room, and I could see that his expression was grim. “We need to talk.”
“About?”
His frustration sounded with a deep groan. “What happened between us.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I pulled the covers up over my shoulder and expected him to leave.
To my surprise, he turned down the covers and slipped between them. “Fine, then you can lay there and listen to what I have to say.” He paused, as if waiting for an argument.
“First of all, I can tell you’re angry about what happened. You haven’t come out of this room since. Look, Luna, I was trying to do the right thing. You deserve better than someone who would try to take advantage even though your head wasn’t in it.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I wasn’t out of my head and that perhaps I was hoping for a little guidance, seeing as I’d never done any of that before? And, you want to lay there acting like you’re protecting me, spouting off about what’s in my head. What about my heart? What about what my body craves, what it aches for every time you lay near me?” There, I’d said it, and his eyes flashed at the admittance and he closed the distance between us.
“I wanted it, too. But you should be made love to the first time, by someone who deserves you.”
I sat up and spun around to face him. “Cut the crap, Gabriel. What if I want to be fucked? Have you even considered that? What I might want?” I pushed at his chest. “Did you deny all of the other women in your bed because of what they deserved? I don’t think you ever have. I don’t want to be treated with kid gloves. I want to be taken like a woman who is wanted – like one who is desired.”
He gripped my wrists and pulled me down closer above him. His eyes pegged me with a feral gleam. “Be careful what you ask for.” He pushed his hips into me, letting me feel his erection, and I yanked my arm free and snaked my hand down to feel it through his soft cotton pants.
“Is that what you wanted? The other night when you wanted me to touch you? Like this?” His response came when his cock twitched in my grip, and I slipped my hand into his pants to stroke the hard length.
He pulled a breath through his teeth and gripped my shoulders. Then in one quick motion, rolled me to my back and captured my mouth. His lips were welcomed against mine as they mingled, sucked, and pulled. He trailed his way down and stopped.
“Undress for me.” He rolled up on his knees and watched as I slipped off my silk camisole. As my fingers tugged the strings of my panties, he licked his lips. Heat throbbed deep in my core, and the slow ache of my tender bud bloomed. I pulled the lace down and he took over the task once they were at my knees.
I wanted his mouth on me. He rose up on his knees, stroking his erection as he came closer. Then he dipped down and disappeared between my thighs, his tongue penetrating my folds in long, lapping licks. The moan that ripped from my throat and through the room only encouraged him more, and he closed his mouth on my clit and sucked it hard, as if he longed to hear that sound again.
I was breaking apart, shattering like glass and melting into liquid all at once.
He slipped a finger inside me and stroked me, coaxing me to release. I clenched tight and couldn’t control the delicious pulsing deep inside of me. It overtook me, rolling across in waves. My hips bucked greedily, wanting more, wanting any motion that would make the pleasure continue, no matter the damage.
“That’s it,” he whispered, his warm breath licking my slit. “Come for me. I need you ready for it.”
His mouth continued relentlessly until I exploded. I realized then that I’d been missing something in life – something big.
It was only the beginning. He rose up on his knees, and I thought he was pulling away to stop again. Before I could protest, he kissed me, the taste of me still on his lips. My whole body tingled, and I wanted to give him the same feeling. I wondered if it were the same for him.
I took his cock in my hand and whispered against his neck as he kissed his way below my ear. “I want to taste you, as well.”
He met my eyes, his still fierce with passion. He sat back and stood his shaft straight up as he stroked it. I shifted to my knees, and he placed his hand around my neck and guided me to it.
I licked his head, letting my tongue flick and tease his tip before closing my mouth around him. My hand worked his shaft as I lowered myself, taking in more of it, which spread my lips tight. I relaxed as he pushed and eased inside my throat, and as I neared his base, he hitched a breath.
“Fuck yeah.” The words escaped his mouth like a prayer, and as I bobbed my head to work him, he pumped his hips against me, fucking my throat.
He moaned and wove his fingers into my hair, his grip tugging me back. “I want inside you. Are you ready for me?” His palm cupped my pussy and slipped a finger inside, stroking me.
“Yes.” The word croaked from me in a desperate sound and had him crossing the room to his wallet on the dresser. He hurried back to the bed, and I lay back as he lowered himself over me, his cock brushing against me as he sheathed himself and tossed the foil wrapper to the bedside table.
“No holding back. That’s how you want it, right?” The words were intimidating, and I nodded in response as I took a deep breath to calm myself. I was worked up and anxious, craving more attention at my core.
His hips moved forward slowly, and his head pressed against my slick opening. I spread around it and adjusted quickly to the penetration. But then as he inched deeper, his girth stretched me even wider around his thick base.
I winced as he shattered my virginity, but luckily the slow burn eased as he stroked himself inside me, and soon enough we were moving in time together, the building pleasure taking away any sense of pain.
He pulled back and thrusted hard, and his heavy sac slapped against my ass, creating another unexpectedly welcomed sensation that sent a moan from my throat.
I liked it when he did that and loved that he hadn’t held back. I’d no doubt be sore after, but it was worth it. I drank him in as he lifted my legs over his shoulder and thrusted, the head of his cock retreating, but always returning where I wanted it.
I shifted my legs down to grip his ass and pull him tighter against me.
He lowered himself to my lips and kissed me like he was starved for more. He trailed his lips down and captured my nipple into his mouth and suckled, causing the pressure to build inside my core around his thrusts. He cupped my breast as his other hand twisted in my hair as he cradled my head.
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He was strong, yet gentle, and no matter the outcome, I’d have no regrets. I couldn’t imagine having this with anyone else, and not only because of the marriage.
Gabriel was a good man. A strange pride welled up in my heart as he moaned and worked me eagerly. I had the feeling he was enjoying it as much as I was.
Another hungry moan escaped, much deeper than my own, and he pulled out and quickly rolled me over. His arm snaked around my hips, and he hiked me up to my knees to ease his cock back inside my silky, wet folds. It didn’t take him long to work up another steady rhythm, and with each slap of his hips against my ass, I panted as a pinch deep inside me grew.
Then he stood me up, bringing my back to his chest. “You feel amazing on me. You’re going to make me come so good, Luna.”
My name from his lips as he buried inside me was what sent me over the edge, and I burst apart all over again as his slick sex worked me deeply.
He held on to me and stayed buried as he turned around lowered himself to the bed. “Spin around.”
I did as requested and spun around to straddle him. He caressed my breasts as I bounced, milking his cock with my body. His eyes lingered on mine, as if he could see through me. It felt like pure exposure. Some part of me loved it.
He sat forward and pulled me down hard onto his cock, filling me up completely. As his cock jerked his release deep inside of me, he kissed me intensely, passionately.
Soon our bodies stilled, and I collapsed against him. He held me as he stroked my hair and kissed my temple. I pulled back and captured his face in my hands. “That was so worth waiting for.”
Chapter Eighteen
Gabriel
The next day, with the reporters giving up hope of us providing statements, I’d asked Joe to come in for a visit. I knew he liked to stay to himself for the most part, but Luna and I needed a break from the monotony of the honeymoon suite.