by Eva Luxe
“Paige, are you all right?”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve called.”
She walked back toward the door, but my hand caught her around her wrist. I yanked her toward me, and she turned around, her eyes wild and her hair fluttering around her shoulders. It was then her eyes connected with my nearly-naked body, roaming along my tattoos and taking in the loose towel around my waist.
She swallowed thickly as my hand fell from her wrist.
“Talk to me,” I said. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t really know.”
“Did everything go all right with your boss?” I watched her tense, her eyes setting into stone as she looked away from my body. “Did someone hurt you?”
“No, nothing like that,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t really wanna talk about it.”
I could get behind something like that because I was a shit person when it came to advice.
“I’m sorry for bothering you,” Paige said. “I know it’s late.”
I stepped toward her. “You’re not a bother, but you are flustered. How long have you been on the road?”
Her eyes welled with tears, and she turned back toward the door. “I should go get a hotel.”
“You can worry about that tomorrow. You’re exhausted, Paige. It’s not safe for you to be driving.”
“I can’t just barge in on you like this,” she said. “Not when everything is so…”
It was right there on the tip of her tongue. She was milliseconds away from spilling it all. The only problem was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. I didn’t know what was about to fly out of her mouth, but I had a feeling it was going to destroy this picture we’d been painting together.
I grabbed her wrist again and pulled her into me. Our lips collided before she could speak any further.
She sighed at my touch, and her hands trailed over my naked skin, caressing my twitching muscles. The shower continued to pour steam into my cabin, and I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up off her feet.
Our tongues danced together as I took her into the bathroom, and just as we crossed the threshold, my towel fell to the floor. It was the only piece of fabric separating my skin from hers, and now, it was time to remove her barriers.
If only so I could help her forget.
Chapter 27
Paige
His lips were hot, and his touch was electric. Steam poured over our bodies as he undressed me, tossing my clothes aside as he revealed my body to his hungry gaze. His lips were everywhere, exploring my curves and tracing the indentations of my skin while his hands wandered. I shivered at his touch.
He led me into the shower. The hot water poured over our bodies. That, combined with his warm embrace, soothed my troubled spirit. I lost myself in his arms and melted into him.
He knelt before me, and I smiled as his fingers slowly parted my pussy lips. He hummed into me as his lips wrapped around my clit, and I was transported to another realm as he hiked my leg over his shoulder.
I wound my hands into his jet-black hair, and I ground into his lips. I felt him slide a thick finger inside me, and he crooked it behind that sweet little spot that made my mind go blank. I could feel the temperature rising in the piping hot shower. Zach was so intoxicating, and his scent filled my nostrils.
He massaged my other thigh, coaxing it off the floor. My eyes widened, and I looked down at him. He gazed up at me with a devious expression, and I felt him grin into my pussy.
He balanced me against the shower wall as he slowly inched my other leg over his shoulder, holding me up with his thick, strong muscles as he pinned me to the wall. My pussy throbbed, and I felt that coil tightening as his tongue lapped and sucked and flicked. His hands cupped my ass and drew me closer toward him.
“Holy fuck, Zach. What are you doing to me?”
I arched into him, bucking my hips wildly as he lapped me up. My body craved more of him as the water barreled down our bodies. My pussy throbbed, and my clit was swollen, and everything I had racing through my mind came to a halt.
The darkness of that carnal precipice overtook me as his tongue pressed deep into my body.
Over the edge I went, careening toward the jagged rocks as I came on his lips. I coated him in my arousal, feeling the thick fluids cascade over his face. I shook until I cramped. Then he slowly slid me down to the shower floor. The hot water poured over my body as I trembled and shook, my chest panting for the steaming air around me just before his lips collided into mine.
My shaking hand came up to cup his cheek as he pulled me onto his lap.
“You’re so gorgeous,” he said. “I want to be inside you.”
His hands guided my hips. He hurried to put a condom on. His cock slid into me, causing a moan to migrate from between my lips as he pushed against my walls. Our foreheads connected as his hands slid up and down my back.
We breathed each other’s air as our eyes slowly opened.
Zach’s hand came into view just before he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His sky-blue eyes were kind, and his smile was gentle. I could feel every single rippling muscle bracing against me, even as his eyes opened his soul up for me to see. My hands gripped his shoulders as I kissed his lips, a softness pervading both of us as his hands cupped my ass.
Then, I began to move.
“That feels so fucking good,” he moaned. “I love the way you move your pussy all over my cock.”
Faster and faster I rolled into him, craving his body while his lips devoured mine. He peppered my neck with kisses and nibbled at my breasts, raising bruises upon my skin I would love and hate in the morning. My back arched, and his hands rose to support me, my body open for the taking as he pounded into my pussy. I could feel myself dripping down his throbbing shaft, his balls covered in my juices as our scented mixture swirled around our heads.
I lost myself in the strength of his body and the beauty of his lips.
He pressed his face into my tits as his moves became ragged. I rose up and wrapped my arms around him, matching his movement as my pussy coaxed him to his end. I could feel him growing against me as he began to pant, his teeth biting down on his lower lip as he grunted. His face scrunched in pleasure, and his cock grew bigger, threatening to spew everywhere as I ripped myself from his body.
I quickly ripped off the condom and slid his cock down my throat, pressing him back as far as I could get him as he moaned my name into the shower.
“What the fuck? Paige. Holy hell, Paige.”
His legs quivered, and his muscles shook. His cock spilled down my throat, and I swallowed every drop with a smile on my face. His hands wrapped tightly in my hair, holding my face down onto his cock as he came down my throat.
I reduced the big, bad Zach Harte to nothing more than a whimper and a prayer.
I cleaned him up with my tongue before I slid him from my throat. He was panting against the wall, gasping for air as I curled up into his lap. I laid my head against his cheek, and his arm draped around me, lazily pulling me closer to him as my knees planted onto the shower floor. The water felt so good falling around our bodies that we stayed there until it ran cold.
Then, we dried ourselves off before he led me to his bed.
I laid there listening to him lightly snore, and I knew I was in trouble. I had shown up at his cabin to tell him why I had been in town. The conversation with my boss couldn’t have been more volatile, and the talk with Mr. Kent couldn’t have been more degrading.
My boss wanted me to find pieces to tape together in order to make something stick because he was inundated with cases that needed attention. Mr. Kent was less than satisfied with the surveillance information I had given him. I was overwhelmed and confused. I was questioning my own skills and wondering what the fuck I should do.
The one thing I knew I wanted was to be honest with Zach. I almost told him everything. I would have if he hadn’t kissed me.
Telling him would risk everything. If he was innocent, I’d l
ose the only way to prove that. And if he was guilty, I risked putting myself in danger and tarnishing my agency’s reputation. I sighed as Zach continued to snore. Then a thought crossed my mind.
I figured it couldn’t hurt to check again.
Slipping from underneath the covers, I slipped downstairs and found my way to his computer corner. I toggled his mouse just to see. His computer came alive with a screen I didn’t recognize, and then a feeling of panic jump started in my gut. I sat down at his chair and began studying the screen, trying to convince myself I wasn’t seeing what I was.
Zach had multiple files about Kent Enterprises, including background information on Mr. Kent himself, a sprawling history on the company, and information pertaining to his employees. The company website was pulled up, and Mr. Kent’s itinerary was somehow on the screen.
I flipped through pages of information Zach shouldn’t have, and tears welled in my eyes.
It couldn’t be. This couldn’t be right. Zach was innocent. I knew he was. I didn’t trust much in my life, but I did trust my gut. I trusted my instincts when it came to unfamiliar scenarios, and I trusted my gut when it came to analyzing people.
My gut told me to trust Zach just as much as it told me not to trust Mr. Kent.
But now, I didn’t know if I could prove it. Zach had information about Kent Enterprises on his computer that he could have only gotten from hacking or knowing someone on the inside. While I didn’t see anything pertaining to bank accounts, he did have a great deal on Mr. Kent’s whereabouts, who we fraternized with, and where he was on vacation.
I was more confused than ever, and I needed some time to think. Time to sort this all out and put some pieces together. I knew enough about Zach, but I didn’t know nearly enough about Mr. Kent. If there was any time to risk those red flags, now was the time.
Because I had no other options if it meant helping Zach.
Chapter 28
Zach
I woke up that morning and stretched. I had no idea what time it was, and I didn’t know how long I’d slept, but I felt better than I had in years.
I knew who to attribute that to. I had a beautiful woman in my bed, with golden blonde hair and mesmerizing green eyes, whom I needed to thank. I thought about all the things I could make her for breakfast before settling on taking her out. We could get some breakfast at this diner I knew that made everything from scratch before taking another bike ride up the coast.
Maybe we could cross into Washington and go apple picking or some shit.
Holy shit. Who had I turned into? I didn’t let women stay for breakfast, let alone have a daytime date the next day. What had this woman done to me?
I rolled over to see if she was still sleeping, and I found my bed empty. There was no sign of her except for a few wispy strands of blonde hair. I sighed.
She had shown up the night before, distracted and bothered, but whatever the hell happened must’ve really pissed her off. She didn’t strike me as the type of girl to just up and leave after fucking someone like she did last night.
We connected in the shower. I knew we did.
My phone ringing ripped me from my thoughts, and I dug through my jeans on the floor to find it.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Mr. Harte? It’s Derek.”
“When are you gonna just start calling me Zach?” I asked.
“When I’m not calling about work. Can you come in today?”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Sure. Can you give me an hour to get over there?”
“Yeah. It’s a long shift. You won’t get off until eight tonight, but it’ll give you some decent overtime.”
“Too much work or too many people called out sick?” I asked.
“I don’t fucking know anymore,” he said. “Thanks for agreeing to come in. See you in an hour?”
“I’ll be there.”
Groaning, I raked my hands through my hair. Work would help me get my mind off the fact that Paige was no longer here, but I found myself wondering if she was okay. She seemed like she wanted to talk about something last night, and I felt bad for cutting her off.
Something in the back of my mind told me it was important, and important always meant change. A dynamic shift or a directional turn. I was happy with the way things were going with Paige, and I wasn’t ready for that to change.
Maybe my unwillingness to listen to her caused her to leave.
Whatever the fucking case was, now I had work. I took a quick shower and scrubbed her scent off me, but I could still smell her as I got into my car. I tried clearing my mind on the off-chance that Caden was working.
If I came in with this on my mind, he would sniff it out in a heartbeat, and I didn’t feel like talking about this. Not yet. Not until I knew what the hell was going on and how I felt about this whole situation.
The moment I got off my motorcycle, Caden caw me and flagged me down. “They called you in, too, huh?”
“Yeah, I was supposed to be off, but it’s no big deal. Overtime always looks nice on my paycheck.”
“Yeah, well, I could’ve used more sleep after how long I stayed at your place.”
I answered him with a grunt, and I knew that was a wrong move. Caden looked at me, grinning as his eyes began to twinkle. He was already sniffing me out, clocking my every move, and watching the expressions change on my face. I tried to still my mind and keep my face as stoic as possible, but the bigger his damn grin grew, the more agitated I became with him.
“What?” I asked.
“She’s back, isn’t she?” Caden asked.
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
To his credit, Caden looked concerned. “Trouble in paradise? What happened, man? Did she show up after I left? Is that why you have those massive bags under your eyes and those hickies on your neck?”
My hand flew to my neck. “I’ve got fucking hickies?”
“Busted! So, she did come over!”
I couldn’t believe I fell for that pathetic little ploy of his. “You should’ve been a woman.”
“What happened this morning? You kick her out?”
“No,” I said. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“Do you have blue balls or something? Because you’re pissed.”
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s a lie,” he said. “Talk to me, dude. No jokes. What happened?”
“No jokes?”
“On my life,” he said.
“She came over about thirty minutes after you left. She was distraught, I gave her a distraction, I fell asleep with her, but then I woke up alone.”
I could see the jokes brewing behind his eyes. He was trying to hold them back. It was painful to watch him flounder with all the things he wanted to throw at me, but I expected him to keep his word. I wasn’t in the mood for any of his fucking jokes.
“Just one joke?” he asked.
“Caden…”
“Sorry, dude, but she Zach’ed you.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked.
“She Zach’ed you. You know, left you high and dry. Wanting more. Shut you down. Closed that door. Kicked you out.”
“She can’t kick me out. We weren’t at her place.”
He shrugged. “She may not be able to kick you out of your own cabin, but she sure did kick you out of that pussy. That’s for sure. Oh shit. Maybe she’s stealing from you. You check your good shit?”
“I don’t have any good shit.”
“I bet she’s on the run from someone. An old flame or a husband she’s robbing. Oh, maybe she’s an outlaw and thought you were a criminal too until she found out you drink tea. Did you tell her you drink tea?”
I shot him a look, and Caden started laughing. “I bet she left because your tattooed ass drinks tea.”
“I thought you said one joke?” I asked.
“It’s a run-on joke. You know, like a joke without punctuation.”
“I hate you.”
“Bu
t you can’t live without me. Either way, dude, it’s her loss. You’re a good catch, and any woman that can’t see that doesn’t deserve you.”
I rolled my eyes, but I still appreciated the reassurance. Caden could be an ass, but he always had my back.
We walked to the vending machines in front of the main warehouse. Today, we’d both be splitting smoothed lumber into fourths and hauling it onto trucks. It was going to be a long day of back-breaking work, but the paycheck would be worth it.
If nothing else, it would help me get my mind off Paige.
I opened a bottle of water and tipped it back. I wanted to text Paige and make sure she was all right, but I also didn’t want to smother her. If she needed her space, I wanted to give that to her. But I knew that as of last night, she hadn’t checked into a hotel just yet.
So, where the hell had she gone?
“Look at what we got here,” Caden said.
“What?” I asked.
“That damn car’s back.”
My eyes scanned the road in front of us, and sure enough, that white car with the missing hubcap was back. The dent and the paint had been fixed, but the car was still recognizable. I studied the woman driving the car, our eyes connecting as she passed by.
“What the fuck is up with that person?” Caden asked. “I really think we should tell the boss.”
“Fine, you do that.”
“What?” he asked.
“Get the license plate of the car and tell the boss about it. But I don’t think the woman driving the car is hostile.”
“How do you know?”
“For a guy who understands people inwardly, you’re shit at looking at the basics. Yes. It’s a woman driving a car with a kid in the back.”
“Maybe she wants this dick?” he suggested.
“Let’s get one thing clear. No woman wants your dick so badly that they’d stalk you at work.”
Caden pulled his shoulders back and stood up straighter. “How do you know? Maybe I slay all the pussy at night while you’re curled up alone with your thoughts and your empty bed.”
“Doubt it. You hate going out without me. It’s the woman in you. Always gotta do something in a pack.”