The Body

by Arabella Abbing

  “Dale doesn’t want me staying in a hotel. Says it’ll be too difficult to keep an eye out for him.”

  Mom nodded in agreement. “Makes sense. But I don’t want you staying here.”

  “Mom, I—”

  “This is the first place that your father will come to look for you—assuming he hasn’t been lurking around already. And...” she trailed off for a moment, surprising me yet again with another moment of brutal honesty. “And I can’t have you here for the next few days. I need to get up with Kyle and find a way to move his stash out without attracting the attention of whoever’s watching. If we get caught and you’re here...”

  “It’ll be the end of my career,” I finished for her. “But Sammy won’t be back for a few more days.”

  I frowned when she suddenly started grinning and held up a single finger in the air. When I gave her a questioning look, she turned it horizontally—pointing towards the wall in the direction of the living room.

  “No. Seriously. I am not dragging her into this.”

  “Dragging her into what? You’ll be safer staying with her than Sammy. Your father has met Sammy, remember? He knows him. But neither he nor I know where Brianna lives. If he... If he gets to me and asks where you are, I won’t be able to tell him anything because I won’t know.”

  What she was saying made complete sense, which just pissed me off more. The idea of staying with Brianna wasn’t unappealing in the slightest—quite the opposite—but having to explain to her why I was staying with her? That sounded about as much fun as catching my mom and Kyle fucking.

  I shuddered hard at the imagery and felt my eyes go wide with panic when my mom abruptly shouted, “Brianna!”

  “What are you doing?” I hissed, but I was too late. Brianna had already made her way into the room and was nervously twisting her hands together as she looked at my mom with raised eyebrows.

  “Dear, would you mind terribly if Adam stayed with you for a few days?” she asked, shooting me a dark look when I attempted to interrupt her. “I know it’s last minute, but it looks like I’ll be having company over for a few days and I really need Adam’s room.”

  “Feel free to say no,” I chimed in quickly, ignoring Mom and the irritated expression she shot me. “I can find somewhere else to stay.”

  “No, no. That would be fine with me. I mean—if you want to stay with me, that is,” Brianna said. She looked completely flabbergasted by the request, but she still gave me a small smile as a light blush rose to her cheeks. “I don’t mind.”

  To my horror, I realized that while I had a million reasons not to want to do this, my dick was one-hundred percent on board with the idea. After all, there was no doubt in my mind of what we’d be doing to pass the time.

  “Then it’s settled,” Mom said smugly. “You two go on. You got everything you need out of your room, right?”

  “Yeah,” I confirmed, easily catching on to the double meaning of her words. Which was pretty ridiculous considering she knew that I hadn’t had a stash of drugs in my room for many years. “You’ll call me when your guests leave?”

  “Of course. You keep in touch, Adam. Let me know you’re safe.”

  We were exchanging pointed looks when I noticed that Brianna was frowning as she rapidly looked between us. Fucking smart-ass Brianna, already sensing that something was very amiss here and churning it over in her pretty little head in an attempt to figure it out.

  I knew I would owe her at least a partial explanation in exchange for her letting me stay at her place, but I needed some time to figure out how much—or how little—I wanted to tell her.

  Mom stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, giving me a tight hug as she whispered, “If you speak to Dale or anything happens—call me immediately.”

  “Promise me you’ll stay sober,” I whispered back. “Just until this is over. You have to keep your guard up.”

  “I promise.”

  It didn’t have the sincerity of some of the things she had said to me earlier, but I didn’t have a chance to call her out on it because she was already pulling away and waving her hand towards the door.

  “Have fun,” she said with a wink. “It was nice to meet you, Brianna.”

  “It was nice to meet you too, Mrs. Reed.”

  “Ms. Reed. But I prefer Linda.”

  Brianna smiled kindly. “Linda it is.”

  “We should get going,” I said as I reached for Brianna’s hand. “I’m starving.”

  After a final goodbye to my mom, I led Brianna outside. I intertwined our fingers together as we made our way to the car, reluctantly letting go of her hand so I could open the passenger door for her.

  She had one foot in when she put her hands on top of the door and raised an eyebrow at me as she dryly asked, “You going to tell me what’s really going on here?”

  I met her gaze and swallowed hard before I nodded.

  “Not right away—but yeah. I’ll tell you everything.”

  I let the ‘you need to know’ part left unsaid.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brianna

  The last time I was in the car with Adam—not even a full day ago—I couldn’t stop being distracted by his body and his cock. This time, though?

  This time was way different.

  “Are you aware that there’s a car following us?”

  Adam’s eyes darted up to the rearview mirror as he hesitantly said, “Yes.”

  “Is it a cop?”

  He told me he wasn’t going to share the details right away, but there were a few things I felt that I needed—and deserved—to know before I brought him to the apartment. After all, if he was in some sort of trouble, I wanted to make sure Stacy wasn’t going to be around for it.

  “It is,” he confirmed, side-eying me with a small smile. “Good guess.”

  I shrugged. “Well, it was either a cop or a member of the mafia. I was hoping for the best.”

  Adam laughed and I chuckled along with him, but still felt a nagging paranoia when I looked back up to the mirror and saw the black car switch lanes to take the same turn that we were about to take.

  “Why’s he following us?”

  “He’s just keeping an eye on me.”

  “Am I putting myself in danger by letting you stay with me?”

  Adam half-shrugged. “I honestly don’t think you have any reason to worry. Someone’s looking for me, but he has no idea where you live or who you are. But if the guy somehow manages to find out and shows up—the detective who’s following us will stop him.”

  I was fairly certain that most normal people in my position would have felt a sense of dread or panic set in after hearing Adam admit that somebody was after him. But something in my gut told me to trust his judgement when he said he didn’t believe that I was in any danger.

  So I chose to believe him. Maybe that made me an idiot.

  If it did, at least I was a happy idiot who got to spend a few days alone with Adam Reed.

  “You all right?” he asked, looking over at me with a concerned frown.

  I only needed a brief moment to think about my answer, my eyes darting between him and the mirror where the cop lingered a few car lengths behind us.

  “Yeah. I’m good.”

  Adam stood awkwardly in the doorway of my apartment and let the duffel bag slip down his shoulder to grasp the strap in his hand as he hesitantly asked, “Is your roommate here?”

  “She should be. If you don’t mind, I need to talk to her alone for a minute.”

  “That’s fine. Should I wait in your room or...?”

  “That’d be great,” I said, relieved that he didn’t seem to mind that I wanted time to tell Stacy the very little I knew by myself. “I assume you remember the way?”

  Adam smirked as he said, “Kind of hard to forget.”

  I waited until he walked away and I heard the telltale sound of my door opening and closing before I rushed down to Stacy’s room and barged in. She was sitting at her de
sk with her headphones on, but she pulled them off and frowned when she saw me rush in with wide eyes.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Adam’s here,” I whispered.

  “No shit?” she asked, lowering the volume of her voice to match mine. “So it went well?”

  I shook my head and stepped further into the room—going right to her closet and pulling down her suitcase.

  “Something bad is going on, Stace. He’s going to be staying here for a few days and I’d feel a lot better if you stayed with Lexie or your mom for a few days.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the fuck up,” she demanded, rising from her desk chair and raising her voice. “What do you mean something bad is going on and how the hell are you involved?”

  “I’m not. Well—not directly, anyways. I’m just giving him somewhere to sleep. But I’m not in any danger. Adam kind of is—but I’m not.”

  “Bri, stop,” she whispered as I reached for her messenger bag. “Talk to me. Tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “I can’t.”

  She gave me a look a betrayal before she said, “You know you can tell me anything. I won’t tell a soul.”

  “No, I literally can’t. Adam promised to give me details soon, but as of right now? I know practically nothing.”

  “Practically nothing? Well, what do you know?”

  “I know that there’s a detective parked somewhere in the lot who is watching Adam. I know his mom claims that she needs his bedroom for guests, so he needs somewhere to sleep. I know that the detective can’t properly watch him if he stays in a hotel. I know—”

  “Stop! Just... all right. I’ll go stay with Lexie if you swear to keep me updated,” she tiredly agreed, although the look in her eyes was frightened. “Bri, are you sure this is a good idea? Are you sure that you aren’t somehow putting yourself at risk?”

  I nodded rapidly. I wasn’t sure how I knew—but I did.

  “I’m sure. I’ll pass along any details I get and you have my word that if it starts looking like I’m putting myself in any danger—I’ll send him on his way.”

  Stacy let out a resigned sigh and shortly after, she began to shove more clothes into her bag. I placed her messenger bag on the bed and packed up her laptop, making sure to grab the charger for it along with her cell phone charger.

  “I want you to call me every day so I know you’re okay.”

  “I will. And he’ll be going to stay with his friend once the guy gets back into town, so he’ll only be staying for a few days at most.”

  She huffed as she continued to shove various things in her bag and walked over to her dresser to do the same. I helped her fold as she grabbed enough clothing for a few days, saying that she’d either borrow from Lexie or come back for more if she needed to.

  I tried not to rush her, but I was slightly concerned about what Adam was doing in my bedroom to amuse himself. He didn’t seem like the nosy type, but I really didn’t know him well enough to say that for certain.

  I hoped that by the time everything settled down, I could say that I did know him. I hoped I could say that I knew him better than anyone else.

  “Be safe,” Stacy said seriously before giving me a hug. “I’m taking the car since Adam’s going to be here. What are you going to do about work tomorrow?”

  I had completely forgotten about my upcoming shifts at the coffee shop. My internship had thankfully been placed on hold for a few weeks while the owner of the company was out of the country, but my part-time job still expected me in.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said with a wide smile, waving off her concern. “Adam can give me a ride and find something to entertain himself with for a few hours. It’s not a big deal.”

  She was placated by my response, which just made me feel all the more guilty about that fact that I was already thinking up excuses to give to my boss about why I wouldn’t be going to work.

  Because I wasn’t passing up the chance to spend time with Adam. Not for a job I loathed.

  “All right, I’m good for a few days. Talk tonight?”

  I nodded and hugged her tightly. “I’ll call you.”

  “Love you, girl. And since you’ll have him all to yourself for a few days—try to have a little fun.”

  “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

  I saw Stacy to the door and locked it behind her before I moved over to the window in our living room to watch her leave. My paranoia was running a little high, so when I actually watched our shared car back out of the spot and leave without issue, I felt a whole lot better.

  Of course, Adam choosing that moment to scare the shit out of me did not make me feel better.

  “Your roommate left?”

  “Jesus!” I shouted, clutching my heart as I spun around to face him. “How the hell are you so sneaky? These floors creak like crazy!”

  I guess he took my total lack of response to his question as a yes because he smiled saucily and stepped forward into my personal space. I was a little taller than the average woman, but his presence alone was enough to make me feel dwarfed in comparison.

  “Sorry for scaring you,” Adam said softly as he reached to stroke my cheek. “But she’s gone, right?”

  “Yes. Does that mean I get an explanation about what the hell is going on now?” I asked, ignoring the way his touch was making me shiver and trying to look stern as I propped my hands on my hips.

  Adam chuckled. “How about after?”

  “After wh—ooph!”

  He lifted me into the air and put me over his shoulder like a caveman, patting me on the ass as he casually strolled to my bedroom. I almost yelled at him to put me down until I thought about the fact that we had plenty of time to go over the details and we also had a round of sex to make up for that we missed after falling asleep the night before.

  When he gently slid me down his body and placed me on my feet, I gave him a mock scowl and said, “I’m only agreeing to this because our nap last night turned into sleep. But afterwards—”

  “I’ll tell you everything you need to know,” he easily agreed while his hands tugged my shirt up and over my head. “Assuming we don’t fall asleep again.”

  I rolled my eyes, but they slid closed the moment he brought our lips together and kissed me so passionately that I was left breathless. He was panting hard when he pulled away, the hungry look on his face as he pushed me towards the bed and guided me to lie down, making me gulp.

  “You still feel me here?” he asked, rubbing his fingers gently over the crotch of my jeans.

  “Y-Yes,” I gasped when he suddenly ground his palm hard against my clothed center.

  “But you want more?”

  “Please.”

  Adam backed away and rapidly undid my jeans, tugging them down my hips along with my panties before gesturing at me to climb up on the bed. He jogged to his duffel bag and dug out the box of condoms from the night before, tossing them onto the mattress before climbing up to crawl between my legs and wickedly grin at me.

  “Your wish is my command, gorgeous,” he lazily drawled right before he shoved two fingers into my already wet opening.

  “Oh my—”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Adam

  “—God, Adam!” Brianna screamed when I twisted my fingers and curled them upwards to hit her g-spot dead-on.

  I had honestly intended to go slower, but the moment I felt how slick she was just from undressing her and a little bit of dirty talk, I completely lost control.

  Losing control seemed to be a regular occurrence around Brianna. Not that I really had enough experience with her to say it with certainty, but I could already foresee it.

  It was both exciting and terrifying all at the same damn time.

  “More,” she brokenly begged, the husky sound of her voice making my cock throb with need.

  I cursed under my breath as I began to pump two fingers in and out of her greedy pussy while also trying to undress with one hand. I knew it wa
s a battle I couldn’t win, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from Brianna. Not until I had her totally desperate for it.

  Desperate for me.

  So I unbuttoned my pants and lowered the zipper before giving her my full attention once more. I used my free hand to tease her clit and the ministrations sent her into a frenzy. She writhed around helplessly as she chanted my name—already on the edge of her first orgasm of the day.

  Which is exactly where I intended to stop.

  She let out a broken moan when I pulled my fingers out and quickly licked her juices off before I reached down to finish pulling off the rest of my clothes. I pulled her up enough to slide a hand around her back and unclasp her bra before letting her lie back so I could drink in the sight of her body for a long moment.

  Once I got my fill of the delicious sight of her sprawled out before me, I moved to reach for the box of condoms but Brianna sat up and put her hand on my shoulder to stop me. A slow smile spread across her lips as she guided me to lie down and I felt my own lips curling up in response.

  Even with as badly as I wanted to fuck her, I sure as hell wasn’t going to deny a blowjob if she was offering. And if I had to judge based on the little moan she let out before her tongue swiped across the head of my cock—she really wanted to give me one.

  I hissed when her lips wrapped around the head and began to slide down, reaching out to tug gently at the clip in her hair and let it loose. I buried my fingers in her brown locks and tried to fight the way my instincts wanted to set the pace.

  As she took more of my cock between her lips, the groans that spilled out of my mouth got louder. I didn’t bother trying to stifle them, not when she seemed so damn pleased every time I made a sound.