Escalation

by Tessa Teevan

  “Fuck,” I groan as the tip is covered with her silky wetness. She really does want this, me, this way.

  “Precisely,” she whispers, and I’m a fucking goner.

  When I push my hips forward and rock into her, she fists her hands in my hair, doing just that.

  Fucking.

  Echoes of my name swirl in the air around us as her pussy clenches my cock, bringing on my own release. It is the purest fucking sound I’ve ever heard, and the desire to kill the motherfuckers who nearly stole her from me is so overwhelming that I can barely think straight. I have to shift my focus onto her to remain calm.

  Her eyes are closed, her bottom lip sucked into her mouth. Her hands are still tangled in my hair, and I nearly go hard again at the sight of her tilting her head back as pure ecstasy washes over her.

  “Look at me,” I growl, low and vicious, the effects of my anger and desire combating within me.

  Slowly, her gorgeous eyes flutter open and she lowers her chin to look directly at me. They’re hazy, full of lust, and a small smile forms on her lips.

  “I’ve been wanting to say this for so long… I just wasn’t sure you were ready to hear it. “

  Her eyes widen, and the haziness washes away. “Rafe… I—”

  I place a finger over her lips. “Make no mistake, Gabriella Latham,” I whisper. “You’re mine. Always. I’m never letting you go. I can’t. Especially not now.”

  She nods, and I lean down, kissing her moist lips. Her hips push up, and I sink deeper inside her, loving the feel of her hot, wet pussy clenching around my dick as if it’s taking ownership. I’d gladly be its captive for all of eternity, if that’s how long she’ll have me.

  As I pull back, deliberately sliding out of her, my beautiful woman writhes in the throes of ecstasy. Her head falls back then to the side as her eyes, dark with lust, tear from mine and flutter.

  With my hand, I grasp her chin and force her to look at me as I slam back into her—possessive, brutal, and now, taking her harder than ever before. Fucking her the way I’ve always wanted to.

  And fuck me if she doesn’t love it.

  She screams as I drive into her, faster, deeper, and with purpose as I mark her as mine, both inside and out. Her hands slide up my back. The sting of her nails biting into my skin goes nothing to tamper my desire for her. The harder I thrust, the harder she digs, which encourages me to keep up my relentless pace. Our bodies are pressed together as if we can’t stand any distance—and that’s exactly what this is. I want absolutely nothing between us as I make her unequivocally mine.

  “Whose are you?” I growl, burying myself inside her over and over again, marking every inch of her beautiful depth.

  “Yours. I’m yours, Rafe. Always,” she answers breathlessly and without hesitation. Her eyes dance, swirling with desire and possession. “And whose are you?”

  A barking laugh escapes me. As if there could be any question.

  I push forward, bottoming out deep inside her, and cup her jaw. “I am and always will only ever be yours.”

  Her answering smile is one of pure satisfaction. She wraps her legs around my waist, thrusting her hips up to match my rhythm until we’re moving in perfect union, as if we were made for each other.

  As her wicked orgasm unleashes and racks her body, her hands trail up and down my back, raking the skin. Primal satisfaction courses through my veins as she screams my name, and with one final thrust, I echo the sound of her name and spill into her—bare and it feels so fucking perfect.

  “Rafe!” she gasps one last time as I collapse on top of her, my chest gliding along hers, our sweat mingling.

  I brush the hair from her face and prop myself up on my other elbow. Then I look down at this beautiful woman in my bed, hoping she never leaves. Her pretty eyes stare back at me, full of question and wonderment. There’s so much I want to say. But I don’t know where to start. I want to tell her everything. I need to…but how can I bare it all when it could put her further in danger?

  “Brie,” I manage, but it sounds forced as I struggle to find my voice. The emotion of this day has finally caught up with me, and I’m overwhelmed by this woman.

  She caresses the skin on my back, and I briefly close my eyes, savoring the fact that, even after everything, she’s still touching me. Not slapping, scratching, or clawing. No, she’s caressing. And suddenly, I know exactly what to say.

  I open my eyes and peer down at her, my lips mere centimeters from hers. “Thank you.”

  Her hand stills, the smile on her face widening as her eyes dance with amusement. She’s never looked more beautiful than she does right now. Cheeks flushed pink. Hair damp with sweat. The sated look on her face from being freshly and thoroughly fucked.

  Her beautiful lips twist into a smirk, and a perfectly arched eyebrow rises. “I feel like I should be thanking you after that. That…was incredible. I can’t believe you’ve been holding back all this time.”

  A soft chuckle rumbles through my chest where my heart pounds against hers. “I know. It’s just… I wanted to be the opposite of him,” I admit, letting out a deep breath. Pissed that I’m bringing him into our bed but wanting to be completely honest with her. As much as I can be.

  “Rafe,” she says softly. “How many times do I have to say it? You’re nothing alike.”

  “I know.” I pause to exhale and run a hand through my hair. “I know. And that’s why I’m thanking you. For accepting all of me. Even if I get a little over-the-top possessive and protective, I’ll always have your best interests at heart. I’m not trying to control or own you. I never will.” I lift up slightly and slide my hand between us, resting it on her belly. “I may be even worse now that there are two of you to watch over.”

  She smiles warmly. Then it falters marginally as her eyes swim with tears. “Please, just don’t ever lie to me again,” she whispers.

  I wince, and she sighs. Her eyes close tightly, and the noose around my heart tightens right along with them.

  “I’ll accept it when it comes to your career. I understand that you have a job to do, and I’ll never stand in the way of that. But when it comes to us, I need complete honesty if this relationship is going to work. That’s the only way that it can.”

  “Brie—” I protest, but she holds a finger up to my lips.

  “Time, Rafe. I need time.”

  Easier said than done.

  But I nod and press a kiss to her lips, ready to make her a promise I hope like hell I can keep. One I’ll work like hell to keep.

  Just as I’m about to lift up and say those words out loud, my phone buzzes on the nightstand beside us. She frowns against my lips, playfully whimpering when I pull away.

  “Who the hell could that be?” she asks as I grab the offending cell.

  I groan when I read the text and then hold it out for her to see. “Agent Howard. He’s given us this much time, waited as long as he could, but he wants you down at the station.”

  She sighs, sitting up and holding the sheet to her chest. “I guess it was too much to ask to stay in this cocoon for much longer.”

  I take her hand, squeezing reassuringly—as if that could possibly be enough. “I’ll be there with you the whole time. I swear to you, Brie, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I’d kick your ass if you did.”

  And just like that, everything’s right in my world.

  Well, almost everything.

  Everything that can be right is.

  For now, that’ll have to do.

  AS WE RIDE TO the station, a comfortable silence settles over us. I’m grateful for the time to gather my thoughts.

  An internal battle is waging in my mind over what the hell I’m doing. I’m probably letting Rafe off too easy, but I have to look at the bigger picture.

  Did he lie to me? Yes.

  Do I still trust him?

  Absolutely.

  Is that completely and utterly idiotic?

  Most likely.

  But it s
eems unfair to hold his lies against him when he was doing his job. Don’t get me wrong. When he finished his confessions, my blood was boiling. My mind was racing. My heart was being pulled in two diverging directions. Breaking because I had no idea who he was, yet warming to the concept he had gone outside the scope of his job to be completely honest with me when I’d needed it. What did he call it? A paradox? That’s exactly what I felt he was. As much as I didn’t know about the man, I was confident I knew the man.

  Ever since I left the hospital with him, I’ve wondered what the hell I was thinking. Why hadn’t I run screaming in the opposite direction or asked Agent Howard to get him away from me? The parallels of the situations with both Rafe and Adrian are astounding, and they probably should be scary. But as similar as they could seem, there’s one glaring difference. That difference is the man, and that means everything.

  Adrian lied to me for God knows what reason. Rafe, however, was only keeping his cover. Part of me wants to trust him without hesitation, even though the logical portion of my brain is telling me I have to proceed with caution. And as I glance over to him, I catch his tense jaw, the way his hands grip the steering wheel, and how’s he’s going exactly the speed limit as if he’s trying to protect me. I don’t know what to make of it, but I do know one thing. He would never truly hurt me, and for now, that’s all I need.

  Not to mention, the revelations about my dad. I’ve barely had time to wrap my brain around it. I have even more questions now than I did before? Why was he killed? Had he finally found something? Did Mom know what he was doing? Was Adrian’s dad really the one who had my parents killed? And why me? What could Adrian possibly have wanted with me? How are he and I all connected in all of this?

  Just as the questions start to become unbearable, Rafe pulls into the parking lot and turns his car off, but he makes no move to leave. Instead, he turns to me and grabs my hand, his warm thumb stroking it.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asks, his eyes searching mine.

  If I said no, I’m almost positive he’d take me as far away from the station as he could.

  I release a slow breath while tightening my hand around his hand. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I have so many questions, and I want answers—sooner rather than later.”

  Goose bumps pebble my arms the moment I step into the station. It’s cold and sterile, causing me to shiver. The woman behind the desk is the opposite, giving me a warm smile as she informs me that Agent Howard will be out in a moment.

  “Ms. Latham.” Agent Howards nods as he steps into the waiting room, his smile friendly. It disappears entirely when he sees Rafe. “Matthews. It’s unnecessary for you to be here. We have your statement.”

  Rafe tenses beside me, but I clench my grip on his hand and give the brooding agent a smile.

  “It’s okay. I asked him to come. I’m…I’m not quite ready to be on my own yet. Not after everything that’s happened. I would feel more comfortable if he were with me.”

  It’s obvious the agent doesn’t like it, but he gives a terse nod in agreement. “Understandable. If you’ll follow me.” He turns on his heel and walks down a long hallway.

  With a shrug to Rafe, I follow, dragging him along. I’ll question the tension between them later, once we’re beyond these walls.

  The room he enters is small, with a rectangular table in the middle of it. A tape recorder, a pad of paper, and a couple of pens sit on it as well as a bottle of water. Agent Howard sits then gestures for me to take the seat across from him. Rafe gives me one more reassuring squeeze before dropping my hand and leaning against the wall behind me. I pull the chair out and sit, nerves fluttering in my belly.

  “Have you found him?” I ask, my voice rattling.

  “Morningstar?” Agent Howard asks, an eyebrow raised. “No. But I assure you, Ms. Latham, we’re doing everything we can to track him down.”

  “So you’re sure he didn’t drown?” The question comes from Rafe, and Howard throws him a disapproving glare.

  “A body hasn’t been found. That’s all I can say on that,” he informs us cryptically. Without missing a beat, his frown turns into a smile and he asks if I’m ready. I nod, even though I feel anything but ready.

  He goes through the standard rundown of legalities that I assume come with the territory of this type of interview. I turn back to look at Rafe every so often, and he nods each time. Once Agent Howard is finished with his spiel, his finger hovers over the record button.

  “Are you ready, Ms. Latham?” he asks.

  I nod. “I…I think so.”

  And so it begins.

  Expecting him to ask about the night Adrian forced me into the trunk, I’m surprised when he starts with how Adrian and I met.

  Rafe pushes off the wall growls. “None of that matters, Howard. That’s my case and you know it. Anything you need to know about their past history, you can come to me.”

  Howard leans back in his chair and sighs. He folds his arms over his chest and shoots Rafe an impatient, irritated glare. “Matthews, if you are going to disrupt me every time I ask a question of which you disapprove, there’s the door,” he says coolly, his eyes flicking to the door before glancing back to me, softening just a little. “You see, Ms. Latham, I have to be thorough if I’m going to piece together Morningstar’s intentions. I want to start at the beginning to have the full picture here. This may not be part of my case, but if I am to track this man down and figure this case out, I need to know everything. His motivations must be clear, and your past is what will lead me to them.”

  I crane my neck and give Rafe a small smile. “It’s fine. I promise.”

  His expression is one of annoyance and disbelief, but he goes back to his place at the wall.

  “Sorry. He’s a little…protective. So, where should I start?”

  “How about at the beginning?”

  And that’s how I spend the rest of the day. From start to finish, I detail my entire relationship with Adrian Morningstar for Agent Howard. More than once, a blush creeps onto my neck as I sense Rafe’s anger rising. No, I don’t want him to hear the sordid details, the ones I left out before when I told him about Adrian, but I want and need his support more. Even as I relay the story, I try to look for clues, but I come up empty.

  Agent Howard leans back in his chair and twirls his pen in his fingers. “Tell me about the day he took you.”

  Chills run down my spine as I recount walking into the kitchen and finding Adrian waiting for me in the dining room. Agent Howard asks several questions about my father, all of which I can’t answer. His curiosity is unnerving, especially when Rafe’s low growl sounds from behind me whenever the agent brings up my dad’s name. Just what in the hell is going on between these two?

  By the time we’re finished, the sun has set and I’m exhausted. All I want is a hot shower and to crawl into bed with Rafe—wrap myself up in him and forget the rest of the world. And then my stomach growls, causing my interrogator to smile.

  “I’ve kept you long enough. Thank you, Ms. Latham. I’ll keep you apprised of any developments in the case, and if you can think of anything else, please, don’t hesitate to call.” Agent Howard clicks the tape recorder off and sets his elbows on the table. “I advise you to be cautious. Be vigilant. We have no idea where this man is or what kind of a threat he presents to you.”

  “She’ll be safe.” Rafe’s been quiet for most of the interview, so his gruff voice startles me. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”

  Agent Howard nods and scoots back. “I’ll be in touch.”

  As he leaves the room, Rafe’s cool hand comes down on the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. He bends, his warm breath leaving his lips and tickling my ear.

  “If your stomach hadn’t just growled and the circles under your eyes weren’t so dark, I’d have half a mind to fuck you right here on that table.”

  I shiver, arousal flowing through veins and pooling between my legs as I meet his heated gaze. After havin
g listened to me speak of my relationship with Adrian for hours, he’s ready to take me back to bed and claim me. It’s something I’m more than okay with. In fact, it’s all I can think about now.

  A loud voice crackles over the PA system, and I remember where I am.

  “I like this side of you… So much so that I’m going to ignore you just insulted my appearance,” I tell him with mock insult.

  “Come on, baby. You’re famished and exhausted. Let me take care of you.” He holds his hand out.

  I place mine in it, accepting his offering. He pulls me up from my chair then settles an arm around my waist. I peer up at him, and just like at the hospital, I’m once again thankful I don’t have to do this alone.

  “Rafe?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Let’s go home.”

  His face breaks out into a panty-melting smile, relief flooding his eyes. He loves the way I call it home. Though I shouldn’t, I’m beginning to love it, too.

  “Let’s go home,” he echoes.

  As soon as we’re home, Rafe leads me to the bathroom and draws a bubble bath. He takes his time undressing me before lifting me into his arms and setting me in the warm water. I try to grasp his arm so he’ll join me, but he just laughs and kisses my forehead.

  “Relax, baby,” he orders gently then pushes up from the tub.

  He walks across the room and presses play on the wall stereo. I smile as the sounds of “If That’s What It Takes” by Tank fills the bathroom. His soulful crooning coupled with the sweet sincerity of his words is the perfect mood music, and I love that it was Rafe’s choice.

  The setting is romantic, and I wonder why we’ve never taken advantage of it before. All I need is some candlelight, a bottle of champagne—or sparkling cider for me—and a very naked Rafe joining me in the bathtub to make this complete.

  I slide down in the tub until the bubbles cover my breasts. “Sure you don’t want to join me?” I ask in my best Marilyn Monroe impression. I must not sound as sultry or seductive as I planned, because Rafe laughs and just shakes his head. I splash him in return. “Hey! It wasn’t that bad.”