The Chief gripped his hand congenially. “Will do. You do the same. I’d like to know if you end up catching the guy.”
After assuring him he’d return the favor, Matt took off. All he could do is hope his subconscious would nudge him in the right direction.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Liz trudged up the back steps to her apartment. After the funeral, she’d changed clothes and spent the rest of the afternoon down in the shop. Business was still slow, but she was happy there were a few cars she could work on. Nothing helped clear her mind better than working on a car.
Thinking about the future of her business, she was too preoccupied to notice the man waiting at the top of the landing until she nearly stepped on him. Yelping, she jumped back.
A firm hand held her shoulder, ensuring she wouldn’t fall down the stairs. “Liz.”
“Alex, you scared me! What are you doing waiting here in the dark?” Dammit, that’s not what she’d meant to say. Hi, I’m sorry about your father. How are you holding up? I miss you. Why was it so hard to say what she was feeling with him?
“I saw you this afternoon. You didn’t come to the reception after.”
Liz stuffed her hands in her back pockets. “I just…you were busy and I didn’t want to intrude.” How could she explain how terrible she’d felt about the gulf between them? That she was so damn afraid it was a distance they couldn’t bridge?
Then again, he was here, wasn’t he? Lifting her chin, she gathered her courage. “Alex…” Liz saw his shoulders tense, as if he was expecting another rejection from her. She moved closer and gently put a hand on his chest. “Did you want to come in?”
Reaching up, he traced her bottom lip with his thumb. He leaned in, so close that their mouths were nearly touching. “I’m not interested in playing games with you. If we go in together, I plan on sticking around afterwards. None of the bullshit that happened last time.” He pulled back and pinned her with a look that cut through the twilight. “Can you handle that?”
Her pulse raced as he stared down at her with such intensity. Liz reveled in the hard length of his body, but his hands were gentle as they came up to frame her face. He leaned down, his mouth hovering over hers. His eyes flicked to her lips as they opened to respond. His voice was rough with barely restrained desire. “Can you handle it, Liz?”
“Yes.” The word leapt like a breath from her lips. She strained towards him, aching to feel the press of his mouth to hers.
And then she waited no longer.
His firm lips closed over hers, possessive. His tongue swept in, laying claim. She couldn’t help the groan of satisfaction as he tightened his hold. She loved the feel of his strong fingers as they threaded through her hair, tilting her head up to meet his.
Long minutes passed with nothing but the sound of their breath intermingling. Finally, they pulled apart. “So, are you going to let us in, or are we going to stay out here on the landing?”
“Hmm?” It took another moment for his words to sink in. “Oh! Yeah.” She turned and unlocked the door, barely managing to cross the threshold before he had her back in his arms and pressed against the door. In that moment, there was nobody else in the world but the two of them.
Sensations swirled through her system as he gradually lightened the kiss. She swayed towards him, as if his body had a stronger force of gravity than the world around them. “I’ll be damned if we do this on the couch again.” He took her hand and led her down the hall. “Where’s your bedroom?”
They entered the room together. Liz was surprised to find herself a little nervous. He was the first man she’d ever allowed into her private space and some part of her was eager to see if he liked it.
Pausing in the doorway, he scanned the room. “Nice.” He reached for her, wrapping his hands around her waist. “There are so many aspects of you to discover. Every time I uncover a new layer it feels like I’ve unwrapped a present.”
She liked that he seemed intrigued, but wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. “I’m not that complicated.”
He brushed a finger down the side of her face, then back up to trace the sensitive shell of her ear. “You are, but your layers are subtle. It’s an honor for you to share them with me.”
His touch was sending shivers down her neck, and she could feel her nipples begin to respond. He smiled, knowing the effect he had on her. He followed the long line of her neck down to her collar, teasing the pulse he found there. “I think this afternoon was the first time I’ve ever seen you in a dress.”
“I don’t have a lot of reasons to wear one. My job can get dirty.”
“I do love it when you’re dirty, but you look good cleaned up, too.” The comment seemed to ignite the air between them. Liz reached for him, stroking her hands along his broad shoulders and down his chest. Before she could reach his buckle, he captured her hands in his own.
He took a moment to kiss her palm, making his way to the fine bones of her wrist before sliding up her arm and kissing the inside of her elbow. His tongue darted out, licking the pulse point there. Alex gave a satisfied hum when he felt it jump. “I love the way you respond to me.” He treated her other arm to the same care and attention before deliberately placing them down by her side. “This time it’s my turn to set the pace.”
Liz couldn’t help feeling vulnerable. What if he saw too much of how she was feeling? There was a reason she took control of these situations.
Sensing her hesitancy, he continued. “So exquisite.” His voice was deep and low, almost as if he’d spoken to himself. Alex reached up and traced her bottom lip with his thumb.
“So beautiful.” He leaned forward and kissed the sensitive spot where her neck met her collar bone. Her head fell back, granting him better access.
“So hot.” She gasped as his hands reached around and grabbed her ass. He hoisted her up around his waist and walked her backwards to set her on the edge of the bed. She squirmed as his thumbs teased the flesh just above the waistband of her jeans, sending flutters through her stomach and down between her legs.
Friction from his rough hands sent heat and need streaking throughout her system. His touch was patient as he slowly raised her t-shirt, revealing the silky skin of her torso. He pulled her shirt up and off, leaving her open to his perusal from the waist up. “Ahh, sweet Eliza. No bra?”
“They’re uncomfortable.” She fought the urge to cover herself, instead keeping her arms by her side. Her chin subconsciously went up a notch. “Besides, I’m small. It’s not as if I really need one.”
“Not small. Perfect.” Liz gasped as he leaned in and suckled one sensitive tip, his fingers caressing the other mound. Her head dropped back as she was lost to the sensation of his mouth. Softly, he laved the perky nub, plucking it with his lips. “And, so responsive.”
His hands shook slightly, revealing how much the moment moved him, too. She reveled in the effect she had on him. Satisfied that she wasn’t the only one losing control.
He unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her legs, groaning at the scrap of black lace that was revealed. “If I had known what you had under your jeans…”
Alex settled his weight between her thighs and ground his pelvis into her. She gasped. The rough texture of his jeans sent flickers of heat up along the inside of her thighs until she was writhing beneath him. She curled her legs around his waist and thrust her hips up, letting him know exactly what she wanted.
“Shhh, there’s no need to rush.” He grabbed her arms and held them up above her head, stroking his hand languorously down their length from her wrist, to her shoulder, to her hip, and back up again. Bending down, Alex captured her mouth, drugging her with another kiss. Liz felt her desire stretch into something deeper and warmer. Still hot, but now purring like a fine-tuned engine under masterful hands.
Liz watched as he slid his way back down her body. He pressed his lips to the valley between her breasts, slowly making his way across the smooth expanse of her stomach before dipping his t
ongue into her navel.
There he teased her, sliding his fingertips along her thighs. He thumbed the damp evidence of her desire, the heat and pressure between her thighs building and begging for more.
“Alex, please…” She needed to feel him filling her. Liz never realized just how erotic the sound of a zipper could be until it filled the silence between them. Alex dragged his shirt over his head and then pulled his pants down off his hips. He stood before her, content to let her look at him.
Then he began to pull her panties down. It was the most vulnerable she’d ever felt, splayed out before him as he stood between her legs. He lifted her knees up and bent forward to kiss her thighs before wrapping her legs over his shoulders.
Her sex throbbed with anticipation as his hot breath fell on sensitive skin. He licked his tongue along the crease of her outer lips before dipping it between the folds. His hands came up to grip her hips and keep her positioned for his leisure.
Liz melted, her desire liquefying around his mouth. Her hands clutched the bedspread in a vise grip. Every part of her was focused on that one needy point.
She writhed. Pressure and need built to a fever pitch until she was out of control with want. Desire wound tighter and tighter in her core. And then everything burst in a shower of pleasure so keen she cried out with it.
Liz fell to the mattress panting, her body boneless. Alex looked up at her from between her legs. He shook his head and smiled, his eyes burning with desire. “I’m not finished with you yet.”
She gasped as he grabbed her hips and pulled her off the bed to stand in front of him. His erection was a hard mast against her belly.
Alex turned her around to face the bed and leaned her over. She could feel his tip and spread her legs, silently begging him for more. All thought fled as he gripped her hips and slowly began to enter her.
Oh, yesss, she thought. He was so big. She could feel her most private inner walls stretching to accommodate him until every ounce of her being was filled with his flesh, until he’d fully buried himself in her silky heat. His reached around and lightly fluttered his finger over her sensitive bud.
Instantly, she catapulted to the precipice of another climax. Liz pressed herself back against Alex, silently begging for him to take her back over the edge. Something in him snapped because suddenly he was driving into her, giving her everything he had. He hit her so deeply that she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.
The pace grew frenzied. He grabbed her hands and held them behind her back, using them as reins as he rode her from behind. Liz had given up all semblance of control, her face in the mattress, her ass in the air as he pumped into her.
He controlled every part of her body and filled it with pleasure. So much pleasure Liz was sure she’d burn up in flames. Then her whole world exploded. The orgasm ripped through her, milking him until he gave a shout of his own. Time stopped. Every part of them strained towards each other.
The air was filled with the sounds of them panting, trying to catch their breath from the freefall. Alex ran his hands up Liz’s back, following the line of her spine. He loved the sight of her body beneath him. The long line of her back and waist and the way her hips flared out to such a lush ass.
He grimaced slightly when he saw her hips were red from where he’d held her. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Liz turned her head. She was a little embarrassed to admit how much she’d loved being manhandled. But seeing the concern on his face, she knew she needed to say something. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to do.”
Alex slid from her body, leaving a void behind him. She frowned until he laid down beside her and pulled the covers around them. He wrapped his arms around her and held her nestled against his chest. “Good.”
They dropped off to sleep wrapped in each other’s arms.
Chapter Forty-Nine
It was close to three in the morning when Alex jerked awake. In his dream, there had been unseen eyes everywhere he went, and he could still feel their weight on the back of his neck.
His eyes roved around the shadowy room, his mind not quite ready to give up the last remnants of his dream. Technically, he knew it was a product of recent events, but it had left a dark omen looming in his mind. The fact that they had never caught the person behind Josh and Paul bothered him.
Alex shuddered and huddled deeper into the warmth of the covers, squeezing Liz’s warm body a little closer to him. He’d never known a more passionate lover. It felt right, being there with her. Now that he’d gotten past her barriers, he was eager to see more of her warm, loving side.
His hands slid over her silky skin along the subtle curve of her hip before he wrapped his arms a little tighter around her waist. He let his fingers tease her nipples until they stood at attention, begging for more.
Liz stirred, but didn’t wake. Alex felt his own body grow in response. He didn’t think he could ever get tired of making love to her. He nibbled the back of her neck where he’d discovered she was most sensitive, and was rewarded with a sigh from her parted lips. He drew her out of sleep, letting her mind slip from heated dreams into steamy reality.
She turned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, offering her mouth to him in a long, languorous kiss. Neither of them spoke, but he could see her eyes were open and focused on his as he slipped between her legs.
Love was a long, slow glide that gently swelled between them, lifting them up to a crest before letting them float back down. He could feel her body as it welcomed him, squeezing him from the inside until he had no choice but to give her everything he had.
Including his heart.
The realization struck Alex like a truth that had always been there, as natural as breathing and just as vital. He stroked her cheek as she lay beneath him and caught her breath. Finally, she broke the silence. “I think I like having you in my bed.”
He smiled down at her. “It’s a good thing, since I’m hoping to be here for a long time.” Alex was gratified to see there wasn’t any fear in her eyes at his declaration.
It was hours before either of them woke again. Liz stretched and turned to look at the clock. “Shit!” She bounded from the bed. “The shop was supposed to be open thirty minutes ago.”
Alex admired her backside as she walked to the bathroom. “I think people would understand you taking a day off, considering the terrible ordeal you’ve been through.”
He knew it was futile to suggest it even before she started to shake her head. “No, the sooner I get back to some semblance of normalcy, the better. People need to see that I’m not hiding and I’m not acting guilty.”
“You aren’t guilty.” Alex pointed out.
“I know that. You know that. But the public may not be so sure of that. Think about it. They had over forty-eight hours of the news cycle proclaiming me as a ‘person of interest.’ Which, in the court of public opinion, means “guilty.” The best way I can push back from that is to be the reliable business owner that I’ve always been.”
Alex sighed, knowing she was right. “Okay.” He thought about the events that had brought him to her apartment last night. The loss of his father would sting for a long time. He’d always regret the time squandered between them. “I need to meet with my lawyer about Dad’s estate, anyway. And I have to give Cynthia a call and let her know to put any rental contracts and sales on hold for now.
Liz stopped in her hunt for a pair of jeans and turned to him. “Cynthia?”
“Yeah. Remember? She was my dad’s property manager?”
He saw a look of relief wash over her face and wondered about it. “You didn’t think we were still together, did you? Liz, that was back in high school.” He gave an exaggerated shiver. “Besides, have you seen her? She’s way too high-strung, always stressed and jittery. Makes me anxious just thinking about it.”
She threw her head back and laughed. He loved how relaxed and confident she’d become around him. It was like watching her blossom befor
e his very eyes.
Liz crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Just do me a favor and meet her someplace public. I get the distinct impression she wants to be more than just your father’s property manager.”
He wound his arms around her waist and hugged her a little closer. “You know you can trust me, right? I don’t want Cynthia. Or any other woman, for that matter. I just want you.”
He watched as her cheeks flushed with pleasure before she rolled her eyes and tried to play it off. “Oh geez, we’ve reached the sappy stage.” She kissed him, letting him know she was teasing, then pulled away. “Do what you gotta do, just know I have a very large wrench and I’m not afraid of cracking heads with it.”
“Oh, I’ve seen what you can do with a wrench.” They left the apartment together, taking another moment to share a kiss before saying good-bye. Alex drove away wondering how things had changed so quickly.
He felt on top of the world.
Chapter Fifty
Late summer sun slanted across the front of the restaurant, casting it in a golden glow. Liz stopped to admire the effect and wiped her hands down her dress. If she was this nervous, she could only imagine what Olivia was feeling right now.
The last couple of weeks had been a big push to get everything finished for the grand opening of Eclipse. She and Alex barely saw each other during the day, but they’d made a point of coming together each night.
Liz never expected to find someone she could be so easy with. He wasn’t one to make grand gestures, but she quickly discovered he was full of little surprises. Sometimes that meant stopping by in the afternoon to drop off a latte, or taking her trash out when he left in the morning. Other times, it was the way he reached for her hand when they were walking down the sidewalk.
More surprising was how she was learning what he liked. She knew he preferred raw sugar for his coffee, that he put hot sauce on everything, and that he liked to double knot his shoelaces. She also knew that he had a funny three-note hum when he was feeling particularly content and that there was a sensitive spot just behind his ear that drove him wild.
Secret Need (The Harper Sisters Book 2) Page 23