by Cat Schield
Lani had never considered Billy as a suspect because he hadn’t had access to the festival accounts. But she remembered Kingston Blue’s theory that Ross was involved. Could they be in on it together?
If so, why did it upset Billy that Ross and Rusty seemed to be getting along?
* * *
They spent another hour reviewing footage, but nothing else jumped out. Nevertheless Lani asked Abby for copies of whatever she had featuring the Edmond family and Billy, including the individual interviews with the Edmonds.
Following the meeting with Abby Carmichael, Lani was in a thoughtful mood as they headed back to Elegance Ranch. Asher was wondering if he was being too optimistic to think that he was starting to see cracks forming in the thick wall of doubt Lani had constructed to keep him at bay.
“Weird about the way Billy was glaring at Ross and Rusty,” he muttered as his curiosity grew too overwhelming to bear in silence. “What do you suppose that means?”
She took one hand off the steering wheel and rubbed her temple as if trying to alleviate pain. “I don’t know.”
But by watching her, seeing the telltale tightening of her lips and a slight indent between her brows, she obviously did know, and whatever was bothering her had caused some sort of shift in perception. Hope blared in him like a car alarm. Could she be coming around to believing that he hadn’t stolen the money?
“I had no idea Billy was the one spreading word of missing funds,” Asher said, continuing to chew on one of the many disturbing things he’d discovered today. “I mean, what did he think he was doing? He had to know the news would hurt our family.”
“Explain to me again about Billy’s relationship with Ross and how he came to be living in one of the guesthouses on the estate.”
“He and Ross were good buds in college,” Asher told her. “He showed up in Royal a couple years ago. As to why he’s living in the guesthouse...” He thought back. “Rusty took to him right away.” He made no effort to hide the bitterness in his voice. “I guess all it takes to get on Rusty’s good side is to kiss his ass twenty-four/seven. Billy’s an expert at that.”
“You don’t like him.”
Asher had a ready answer. “Do I sound like a jerk if I admit that it bugs me that this guy comes out of nowhere and gets my dad to like him when I’ve spent my whole life waiting for Rusty to acknowledge me for doing a good job at anything?”
“I think you are justified to want Rusty’s attention. He’s the only father you’ve ever known. It makes sense that you want him to be proud of you.”
Venting about being slighted by his father left Asher feel like he’d been kicked in the gut. Sharing that hadn’t been easy and he appreciated Lani’s empathic response. They didn’t talk until she stopped the SUV behind the barn.
Asher turned to her as something electric and powerful sizzled in the air between them. “Are you heading back to Dallas right away or can you stay for dinner?”
The festival case wasn’t the only one she was working. Lani was helping several clients.
“I have time for dinner.”
Five words that flooded him with excitement. “Great.”
She preceded him up the stairs to his apartment and keyed in the code. At her urging, he’d started locking his door. Until she came along, he hadn’t considered that his stuff or his person could be in danger and her insistence on security was adorable. He didn’t want her to think he wasn’t taking her seriously, but the truth was, the only thing of value worth locking up was his heart and the more time he spent with her, the less confident he was at being able to keep it safe.
“Pour me a shot of whiskey,” she said, setting down her laptop and slipping her blazer off her shoulders. “I’ll be right back.”
Asher did as she asked and then began hunting in his refrigerator for what he could use to put together a meal. He had steak and pasta. She liked Gorgonzola cheese. Would she remember the recipe they’d made on the boat that summer?
It wasn’t until ten minutes passed that he noticed the water running in the bathroom. She was in the shower, probably thinking through what they’d learned that day. While he waited for her to reemerge, he sipped at his whiskey and stared in the direction of the guesthouse where Billy Holmes stayed.
“Is this mine?”
The sound of her voice broke Asher out of his thoughts. He turned around and the sight of her made the room tilt.
He blinked.
She wore a large blue button-down shirt that had definitely come out of his closet and nothing else. The sight of her pale bare legs and unbound silky black hair made his chest seize. As he stared at her in astonishment, she tipped the crystal tumbler and tossed back the entire contents. He watched her throat as she swallowed the whiskey and savored the widening of her eyes at the impact of the fiery liquid.
Asher wasn’t sure if the intensity of his gaze or the liquor put color in her cheeks, but two bright patches appeared over her cheekbones.
“I hope you don’t mind but I borrowed one of your shirts,” she said. “I jumped into the shower before remembering that I didn’t have any clean clothes. I tossed my things in the washer. They’ll be clean and dry by the time we’re done with dinner.”
She was naked underneath his shirt? Damn it. Now he was the one with fire raging in his veins.
“I’m afraid I can’t have you wearing my clothes,” he joked, somehow managing to maintain a humorous demeanor despite the hunger clawing at him. “Take it off.”
He definitely succeeded in surprising her because her lips parted in a soft O. It took him a second to realize she didn’t intend to complain. Instead her eyebrows rose boldly in answer to his challenge.
She set her hands on her hips. “Did you miss the part where I have nothing else to wear?”
“Don’t you think it’s rude to take things without asking permission?” he countered, advancing in her direction.
A smile played around her lips, sizzling sweet as she methodically backpedaled toward the hall that led to the bedrooms. His gaze followed the trail of her hand as she slipped one button after another free, baring more creamy skin with each step. She was taunting him, daring him to catch her before she reached the guest bedroom. But he could move faster. That is, until his shirt smacked him in the face, blinding him just long enough for her to disappear.
Instinct took over. He tossed the shirt aside and charged after her. Three enormous strides and he closed in on her. Snatching her around the waist, he lifted her off her feet, intending to haul her into his bedroom. He had to find a bed. Now. While her passions were all lit up. Before her brain kicked in.
But the instant her naked body careened against his, he found the first solid surface available and set her back against the wall beside the door leading to the master bedroom.
Sliding one hand under her round butt cheek, he sank his fingers into her soft flesh and lifted her. She latched her arms around his shoulders, encircled his waist with her thighs and flicked her tongue into the sensitive skin beneath. His shoulder muscles bunched as a tsunami of arousal pounded through him.
“I need you to take me right here.” She purred the demand against his skin, nipping his neck for emphasis, knowing it would drive him crazy. “Right now.”
“Hell, yeah.”
Her mouth bashed into his, lips parting, tongue searching. He dove straight into the hungry assault, sucking, kissing, erasing their years spent apart. Her skin grew slick as the tempest burned hot between them. He pulled back, determined to shift them to the bed in his room, but her thighs tightened around him.
“Here and now, frat boy,” she taunted, rocking her hips and grinding against his arousal, making him moan.
He lost the will to argue with her. If she wanted it hard and fast up against the wall, he would give it to her. Later he could spend lazy hours chasing her curves with his fingers and lips, but
for now he thought he’d die if he couldn’t bury himself in her hot tight heat.
Sliding his hand over her rib cage, he cupped her breast, grazing her tight nipple with his thumb. Her breath grew ragged as he leaned forward, kissing her soft skin where shoulder met neck and trailing his tongue into the hollow of her collarbone. She ground against him, her muscles flexing in a familiar rhythm. He longed to be moving with her, in her. She was an addiction he’d never recovered from.
He reached down to unfasten the button holding his jeans closed and slid down the zipper. Her fervent arousal called to him as his dick sprang free. She gyrated wildly, bringing her slick heat into contact with his erection. He was an instant away from plunging into her when the need for protection struck him.
What was he doing? He’d dreamed about a moment like this for nearly five years. Why was he rushing? With her thighs clamped around his body, he spun them both and moved toward the bed. Before they went any further, he needed to get as naked as she was and to make sure she was safe.
She seemed to understand what drove him because as soon as her back touched the mattress, she sat up and began to tear at his shirt. While she stripped it off, he strained toward the nightstand drawer. To his relief, his fingers located a condom on the first try. Skimming off his jeans and boxers, he tore open the wrapper and sheathed himself.
Then he was on her, lips seeking hers, legs tangling, fingers splayed over her lower back to bring their naked skin together. Her lips were designed for his kisses. He’d memorized every curve until all he had to do was close his eyes and let his imagination run riot.
He nuzzled his lips into her neck as she pushed her bare breasts against his chest. A delicate mewling sound came from her throat as he eased his hand over the gorgeous curve of the nearest one and scraped his fingertips over her tight nipple. His mind was already fast-forwarding to how she would writhe as his mouth closed over the sensitive peak, feeling it turn into a hard pebble as he applied suction. With her slender leg trapped between his, she clung to him, purring with delight as he turned his attention to the other breast.
Her hands moved lazily over his shoulders, palms drifted up his neck before she tunneled her fingers into his hair. He trailed his fingers along her abdomen, letting the tips tickle over her belly in a way that made her squirm. Her thighs parted to let him glide along the crease that hid her sex. He dipped into her slippery wetness, lightly stroked her until she cried out, and then withdrew to circle her clit. Her body quaked as he toyed and teased before retreating. Lost in her pleasure, she trembled and bucked her hips, chanting his name. With each second he grew impossibly harder, but refused to stop what he was doing until she came for him.
“That feels incredible,” she murmured, her chest heaving. “I’m so close...”
As if that triggered her, Lani threw her head back and howled. She climaxed in a rush. Her muscles tensing. Nails biting into his shoulders. He rubbed himself against her hip, caught up in her pleasure. The explosion that ripped through her was almost strong enough to take him with her.
He wanted to laugh at the sheer perfection of it, of her, but he needed her to experience even more. He slid his finger into her and pressed the heel of his palm against her clit. Legs spread wide, she thrashed her head from side to side, drove her mound hard against him and cried out for more.
Oh. Hell. Yes! This is what he’d missed. His senses magnified each harsh rasp of her ragged breath, the scent of her musk mingling with the delicious earthiness of her spicy perfume. Asher smiled as their tongues danced, the taste of whiskey invigorating his nerve endings. And the way her thighs clamped around him as she strained toward another orgasm, her smoky gaze locked with his, set him on fire.
Settling between her thighs in the welcoming cradle that had always felt like coming home, he waited for her to wrap her arms around his neck before pulling his head down to hers. He had to focus hard on not slamming into her. Despite her obvious burning need to meet her body with his, he wanted to remind himself of the texture of her skin, get his mouth on her breasts and glide his fingers over her tantalizing curves.
“Asher.” His name was an urgent plea.
“Easy,” he coaxed. “Let me take care of you.”
“I love it when you say that,” she whispered fiercely.
Her nails scraped down his spine and sank into his butt muscles. A curse escaped his lips when she barely paused before reaching between them. She latched her fingers onto his aching erection and drew him into contact with her hot, wet arousal.
“Now, Asher. I need you now.”
He needed her, as well. More than needed. He’d craved this for five long years. Having her beneath him on his bed was a dream come true. The moment deserved as much smoldering all-in passion as he could produce. But the heat between them had a mind of its own and all too soon the head of his shaft was pressed against her tight entrance while she panted inarticulate words of encouragement between breaths. Heavenly voices sang in his head as he thrust into her searing heat. He groaned at the firm clasp of her inner muscles around him and lost himself in the homecoming that was Lani Li.
With the magic of the moment consuming his soul, he began to move inside her. Fanning his fingers and gathering her butt in his palm, he began a slow withdrawal, culminating with a teasing hesitation to drive up anticipation. He waited for her to open her eyes and meet his. She always did this. Every time.
When her lashes lifted, baring her mink-brown gaze, her pure, unapologetic joy was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He dusted a kiss across her forehead, before he lowered his chin and grazed her lips with his.
“I’ve missed this,” he whispered. “You have no idea how much.”
Her tremulous sigh tickled his jaw. “So have I.”
What she did to him was unique and one-of-a-kind. He was on fire and she was the gasoline that turned him into a raging inferno. They moaned together as he plunged into her once again, rejoicing as she took all of him. Stroke after stoke, he dove deep, thrusting smoothly while hoarse, hungry cries emanated from her throat.
Shudders slammed through him as desire wrestled for control of his muscles. He struggled to stay present and hold off, fighting to withstand the orgasm bent on claiming him. He needed her to come a second time. He moved harder, changed the angle of his deepening thrusts and watched her strain for her release, her rocking hips driving him mad.
She must’ve known what he wanted for her because she lifted her head and sank her white teeth into his earlobe. The painful nip sent lightning streaking straight to his groin and shattered his willpower.
“More,” she commanded, meeting every one of his nearly frantic thrusts with equally reckless abandon.
This wasn’t the Lani Li he knew from these last few weeks. This was a return to the wild, wanton woman he’d known that smoking hot, oh-so-memorable summer. Sex with her had ruined him for anyone else. No one matched her curiosity or her focus. She’d investigated his body and discovered all his pleasure spots with the same level of curiosity she’d shown while attacking the embezzlement case.
Pleasure drove him on. The air around them seemed to waver from the heat pouring off their bodies. He struggled for breath that wasn’t there. Still, he persisted. The pounding rhythm of her pants pushing him harder. She thrashed her head from side to side, long hair tangling on her sweaty shoulders. Her legs tightened around him, the strength of the vise letting him know she was close.
Her back arched, head rolling back, baring her throat. “Come with me.” The guttural order spilled from her parted lips.
She possessed just enough air to call his name before her muscles went taut, the rhythmic pulse of her release triggering his own. He wanted to hold off, to push her harder, give her more, but her power over him was too potent. There would be plenty of time later to take her past the fiery edge of satisfaction. Right now it was more important for them to be together in th
is momentous rejoining of body and soul.
He’d love to say he let himself go, but the truth was she grabbed hold of him and yanked him hard into a bone-jarring, roaring avalanche of satisfaction and unending joy. She did this to him. She made him crazy and so incredibly happy.
He collapsed into her arms and caught sight of her blissful smile before he entwined their sated bodies. As their skin cooled in the aftermath, Asher stroked back the hair from her face and let his lips drift over her damp shoulder. He hooked the comforter over both of them and grinned as she snuggled her nose into his throat.
When it was just the two of them like this, he could imagine everything would be okay. He’d just stay focused on that for tonight and enjoy that for a little while his life made sense again.
Seven
With her favorite Lowercase album pouring from Asher’s Bluetooth speakers, Lani pushed back from her laptop and rubbed her tired, dry eyes. Over the past week, one lead after another had dried up, including any connection between Ross and the missing funds. Faced with a plethora of dead ends, she’d become aware of a growing panic. Was Asher guilty? Lani hoped not. She wouldn’t have renewed their physical relationship if she didn’t question the validity of the evidence stacked against him. At least she hoped not. She would hate it if she on the verge of making a colossal mistake.
Between long hours at her computer and late nights in bed with Asher, making up for lost time, she’d been lost in a bubble of work and sex. And Lani couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy.
“Come on,” Asher coaxed, his hands sweeping her long hair away from her neck so he could glide his lips over her skin. “You’ve done enough work for one day. I think you should take a break.”