“Oh, God! Derek, don’t stop.”
“Not a fucking chance in hell.”
I fucked her over and over with my tongue until she was on the verge of coming. I slid my finger out of her pussy and back to her other hole, sliding it deep inside. She came seconds later, squeezing around my finger. Tremors wracked her body as she fell apart with my finger inside her. Damn, that was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. And she thought she wouldn’t like it. I grinned as she laid her head down on the bed, blushing from what I had just done to her. I crawled up her body and laid over her, trying not to put my full weight on top of her.
“That was the fucking sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Now that I know how much you like it, you can be sure we’ll be doing it again.” She blushed even harder, but didn’t say a word. “I’m going to go make us breakfast. The chickens can wait today.”
I smacked her ass and pulled on some pants, making my way to the kitchen. I hadn’t been able to make her breakfast in bed yet and I really wanted to. I didn’t want to tell her that she should put her old man in a home, but part of me was selfish and wanted all of her whenever I could get her. He really was going downhill and as much as I didn’t want to see her hurting from how bad he was getting, I also didn’t want to see her giving up her whole life to take care of someone that she couldn’t really care for any more. I knew she was running herself ragged trying to keep up with everything and I didn’t really know what I could do to help. Her dad didn’t know me and didn’t recognize me when I came over. Claire told me it was probably best if I didn’t come over because he would just get confused.
I was just about to start breakfast when someone knocked at my door. I made my way over and groaned when I saw that Pappy was standing on the other side. I really didn’t want to deal with him when Claire was still in my bed. I flung the door open and glared at him.
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Good morning to you, too, Sunshine. Is Claire bear here?”
“What?”
“Claire bear. That’s what Lucy calls her.”
“To you, she’s just Claire. You don’t need a pet name for her.”
“Aww. Is someone jealous? Still got that stick up your ass from when she went drinking with me?”
“Shut up, fucker.”
He grinned and went into the kitchen, taking a banana and peeling it like it was his house. I stood there watching him with my arms crossed over my chest, wondering what the hell he wanted. When he turned to me, he smiled as he slowly chewed his banana.
“Did you come here for something or did you just come to show me how much you like eating dick?”
He looked at the banana and grinned. “I’ve never tried it. You want a trial run with me?”
“You’re a sick mother fucker.”
He laughed and threw the peel away. “I just came to tell you that Knight wants to have the teams drill today. We’re up at nine on the dot.”
“You could have sent a fucking text.”
“But then I wouldn’t have gotten to see Claire bear.”
“You’re still not going to get to see her.”
“Aw, don’t be like that. She’s like a sister to me. A very hot step-sister that I wouldn’t mind fucking if you weren’t in the picture.”
“Are you just trying to piss me off?” I asked, trying not to smile. I knew Hunter would never move in on my girl. He was trying to get a rise out of me and I wasn’t going to give it to him.
“Seriously, though. Is everything good between you two?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
“No reason, but Knight is flipping the fuck out. He’s worried that you’re not being careful enough with her. She can’t ever know all the secrets we’re trying to keep from everyone.”
CHAPTER NINE
Claire
SHIT. I STAYED as still as I could as I listened from the hall. The secrets they were keeping. I kept telling myself that I was making it all up in my head. There was no such thing as special powers or superheroes. They were just extraordinary men. They were really good at what they did. Although, if that was true, why would Knight feel the need to eliminate me? It just didn’t make sense. And by the way Hunter was talking, it wasn’t just Knight that was part of this whole thing. If they were all in on it, what was Derek hiding from me?
“Look, we have more to worry about with Cap and you than the rest of us,” Derek said. “If word ever got out, you and Cap would be the first ones we had to worry about. Knight knows how to disappear better than anyone. You’d better make sure you have a backup plan. Have you talked to the guys from your old unit?”
“No. I thought I’d keep it a secret unless I absolutely had to. They don’t need to know that he’s alive.”
“At some point, Knight’s going to do something stupid and then the whole world will know about him.”
Oh, God. This was worse than I thought. Knight must be the one that had all the power. Maybe the others just had minimal powers in comparison. But if Knight did something stupid, Derek would be exposed also. I didn’t want that to happen. Whatever it was he was hiding from me, I wanted to be sure that no one ever found out. I liked Derek a lot. He was the first man that ever really got me and all my quirkiness. I had been able to relax around him. He made things easier the more time that went on. Whatever it took, I would make sure that Derek’s secret never got out. I would do my part and protect them all in any way I could.
“He’s not going to fuck up,” Hunter said emphatically. “He wouldn’t risk losing Kate for anything. We’ve got nothing to worry about. Just make sure that however much your girl knows, she also knows that it would be a very bad thing if it got out.”
“She knows, but I can’t keep bringing it up to her. The more we talk about it, the bigger the chance that something will be said that would implicate all of us. For now, she knows that Knight would be very displeased if she said anything. I think that’s enough to scare her into staying quiet.”
“You’re okay with her being scared of Knight? She’s your girl.”
“She is and I’ll do anything to keep her safe, but this isn’t just about me. This is about all of you and if keeping her scared of Knight helps to convince her to stay quiet, I’ll allow it for now.”
“That’s kind of harsh, but I respect where you’re coming from. We’ll see you at the gym. Nine o’clock. I’m not running extra drills because you were getting pussy.”
I slid back into the bedroom and locked myself in the bathroom as Hunter left. I needed to take a few minutes to calm down and really think about everything that was going on. I jumped when Derek knocked on the door, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Yes,” I croaked out.
“Everything okay, Claire?”
“Uh, yes. Everything’s just wonderful. Great. I just came in here to use the bathroom. You know, just…pooping.” Shit. After he just licked my ass, I told him I was pooping.
“Okay,” he chuckled. “I’ll be in the kitchen. Take your time and use the Febreze under the sink.”
“Alright,” I shouted. God that was so embarrassing. I waited another five minutes for the embarrassment to die down, but then realized that the longer I stayed, the more it seemed like I was having bowel issues. I quickly got dressed and grabbed my stuff, determined to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“Where you going?” Derek asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Uh, home. Chickens. You know, have to feed them and water. Lots and lots of water. And chicken feed. And cleaning the coop,” I said as I walked backwards, trying my best not to sound like an idiot, but failing miserably. “Off to feed those chickens.” I jerked my thumb toward the door and made a clucking sound.
He stalked toward me with a devilish grin. “Right. You said that already. What are you really running from? Was that too weird this morning?”
“Running? I’m not running. And that,” I pointed to the bedroom, “in there wasn’t weird. It was perfectly norm
al and satisfying. Totally not weird at all. It was pleasant and…fulfilling.”
“Fulfilling.”
“Yes. Very good job. Well done.” I slugged him in the arm and then cringed at my idiocy.
“Claire, it’s alright to do what we did this morning. If it makes you uncomfortable, we won’t do it again.”
I cleared my throat, uncertain what to say. I still had mixed feelings about what happened, but that wasn’t the reason I was freaking out. I had to get out of here.
“Right. Well, I’m glad it was good for you too. Tasty…and all.” Shoot me now. I spun and ran out the door to the sound of Derek’s laughter. I was so fucked when it came to him.
✯✯✯✯✯
I hurried through my chores at home and quickly ran upstairs to shower. I was getting dressed when Lucy came into my room with a smirk on her face.
“So, Hunter tells me that you’ve been spending quite a lot of time with Derek.”
“Well, that was kind of the point of having him help me.”
“No, he was helping you pick up random men. He told me that Derek dragged you out of the bar that night.”
“Okay, fine. He dragged me out of the bar. What does it matter?” I asked as I hurried around the room. “I’m dating again, which was the whole point.”
“Not really. You’re screwing him. That’s not the same thing.”
I pulled on my shoes and grabbed my keys off my nightstand. “Look, a few weeks ago, I wasn’t with anyone. We’re still seeing where this is going, and I’m fine with that. I don’t need everything all mapped out right now. I just need…”
“His dick?”
“If you must know, yes. That’s exactly what I need right now. And not that it’s any of your business, but he makes me less nervous. I’m able to act like a somewhat normal person, which I’m taking as a good sign.”
“Sure. It’s always good to act like a normal person around the person you’re fucking,” she mocked me.
“Laugh at me all you want, but this is the best I’ve felt about myself in years. I’m finally happy and I don’t care right now if it’s not a forever thing. I’m just happy to not feel like such a loser all the time.”
“Claire bear, you’re not a loser. You’re just…”
“So socially awkward that I scare away any man that comes near me? I know that, but thank you for clarifying it for me. Look, I have to get to work. Can we talk about this later?”
“Wait. Before you go, we need to talk about Dad.”
I paused in the doorway and looked at her with worry. “Is he okay?”
“He’s…This week hasn’t been good for him. He’s been really confused. I think we need to really consider what we’re going to do with him soon. I start teaching in the fall and I won’t be able to be here with him as much. You’re already stretched pretty thin, and now that you’re dating-”
“I’ll be home more.”
“No, Claire, you shouldn’t have to give up any more of your life. You’re twenty-seven years old. You’ve been taking care of Dad for years.”
“We both have,” I insisted.
“Yeah, we have. But we can’t keep doing it. We’re just not enough anymore. He needs more help than we can give him. I know that you don’t want to take him away from his home, but it’s not safe for him to be home alone any more.”
I knew she was right, but it made me angry that she could come to this decision so easily. I just wasn’t ready. I needed more time with him. Once he was in some home, I was afraid I would lose the last piece of him that I had left. What if he didn’t remember me at all? What if he got so lost in his mind that I ceased to exist any more?
“Look, I’m just not ready for this. If you don’t want to take care of him any more, I’ll make sure that I’m home to be with him. I can’t do this right now. I have to get to work.”
“Just think about it.”
“No. I’m not ripping him away from everything he knows until we absolutely have to.”
I stormed downstairs and out the door. I just couldn’t deal with any more of this shit right now. I needed to escape my reality and there was only one place I knew to do that, in a good book at the library.
✯✯✯✯✯
I shoved my glasses up my nose for the tenth time in the last two minutes. It was hotter than blue blazes in the library today and the building was old and didn’t have air conditioning. My sleeveless blouse was clinging to me and my pants were sticking to my thighs to the point that when I stood up, I thought I would have a wet spot. I maneuvered the fan yet again and hoped this time I would get more relief from the air flow. No such luck. Sighing, I went back to reading my book. It was slow today and I had already shelved all the books that had been returned and reorganized all the paperwork that had to be filed for the week. There was nothing left for me to do and the library didn’t close for another two hours.
I was reading a mystery book that had me so wrapped up in it that I completely missed the men that entered fifteen minutes later. I looked up from my book and saw them sitting at a table, realizing that I had completely zoned out. I made my way over to them and smiled at them as I approached.
“Good evening. Are you finding everything you need?”
One of the men looked me up and down like I was some kind of meat. The other glanced at me as if he didn’t have the time of day for me.
“Were fine,” the second one said dismissively.
“Okay, well,” I glanced down at the books they were looking at and my eyes grew wide. They were looking at books about unique locks and keys. There was a book about safes as well. “If you need anything else, just let me know. The library will be closing in a little over an hour and a half. These particular books aren’t allowed to be checked out, though.”
The second man furrowed his brows and then gave me an assessing look. “We’re not seeing exactly what we need. Maybe you could direct us towards what we’re looking for?”
“Of course,” I said with as much nonchalance as I could muster. “Are you looking for something in particular?”
The second man looked at the first and gave a slight nod. The first man smiled wide at me. “You know, we’re really interested in historical artifacts and such. We’ve been looking into some ancient locks and haven’t been able to figure out quite how they work.”
I nodded eagerly, “Sure, I love history too. So, are you looking for any book in particular?”
“Actually, there is one that we’d really like to see, but it’s no longer in print.” The first man was doing his best to be charming and I used it to my advantage.
“You know, I can look up the book and see if I can find it for you. I have access to book dealers and collections that aren’t easily accessible. I could look into it for you. All I would need is the book title and the author, if you have it.”
The second man slid a piece of paper across the table to me and gripped my hand. I was a little alarmed by his tight grip, but tried not to let it show. “It wouldn’t be so good if anyone knew we were looking for this. You know, other historians vying for the same information.”
“Of course. You’ll have my utmost discretion. I’ll start looking into this right away and I’ll let you know as soon as I find something, Mr..”
“Smith,” the first man said. “John Smith.”
“Mr. Smith. I’ll just need a number to reach you at.”
He scribbled a number down on a piece of paper and handed it over to me. I smiled as charmingly as I could and gave the first man a wink. “I’ll get started right away. It was nice to meet you both.”
The men stood up and walked out of the library, leaving their books on the table. I gathered them up and took them to the counter, then opened the paper and pulled out my phone.
“Hey, Claire,” Derek’s voice rang through the phone. “I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you after you ran out of my house this morning.”
“Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I have some information that mig
ht be useful to you.”
“Information about what?”
“There were two men that were in here a few minutes ago. They were looking up old locks and keys. They weren’t finding what they were looking for and they asked me to find a book for them that’s out of print.”
“Okay…”
“I thought this might have something to do with the bank robbery.”
“Claire, you shouldn’t go digging into this stuff. Sebastian has a handle on things.”
“I’m not digging. I told the men that I would look into it and asked for a number to reach them at. I thought you might be able to use the number to track them or something.”
He sighed into the phone and I got the distinct feeling that I was annoying him. “Claire, we contacted Nathan Kent and found out that the key that was in his box didn’t go to anything. It’s a key his grandfather had and the only thing that he had left from him. He was just keeping it safe while he was overseas.”
“You don’t seriously believe that, do you? That’s the worst story I’ve ever heard. I mean, I would think a man in the military could come up with a more believable story than that. Besides, if they wanted into that box so bad, it obviously went to something.”
“Claire,” he barked at me. “I told you to fucking leave it alone. Tell the men that you couldn’t find the book anywhere and leave it at that. Don’t start getting involved in things that don’t concern you.”
Irish: A Reed Security Romance (Reed Security Series Book 5) Page 12