by KB Winters
Chapter 11
Tate
Teddy was shaken, she had to be given what we’d stood there watching for going on forty minutes, but to look at her, you’d never know. A close inspection would reveal tension around her eyes that were now blank, and her curiously straight mouth. Her shoulders were stiff as she stared at the flames licking up from the yard posing a mild threat to the rest of her small home.
She hadn’t cried but she’d let out a mighty impressive string of expletives. “Fucking cocksucking motherfucker! When I find this piece of shit I’m nailing his balls to the table and setting the whole fucking thing on fire!”
I bit back a laugh, knowing she might test her torture out on me if I didn’t. “Come on Teddy, we don’t need to be here.” I tried to pull her away, but she shrugged off my touch, turning to me with hell in her eyes.
“My house is burning down, Tate. I’m not going any goddamn where!”
I understood that but standing there and watching her use every ounce of energy and control to keep her emotions in check. And it made me feel damn helpless. I vowed never to feel helpless again so that made me fucking angry because I wanted to do something to help her. I needed to or the anger I worked so hard to keep to a simmer just might boil over and fuck up everything. “I know, Teddy. I’m sorry this happened.”
“My house,” she whimpered and I put my hands on her because I had to. One on her lower back and the other on her shoulder, to soothe her as much as me.
“It’s fine, see?” I pointed to where three firefighters still gathered, dousing the last of the flames. No more orange and yellow in sight. Thank fuck. “Me and the guys can take care of that porch in a weekend. Maybe two.”
She turned a shaky smile up at me, big blue eyes slick with unshed tears. “Thank you, Tate.”
“None necessary, Cover Girl.” I wanted to say more, but two plain-clothes officers headed our way. The same fucking detectives from before. Were there no other cops in this whole fucking town?
“Ms. Quinton, we have a few questions,” the older detective, Haynes, said and then launched into a dozen questions I was pretty sure they already had the answers to. “Any more ideas on who’d want to hurt you?”
She shook her head, hands trembling. “I honestly have no idea and I wish I did, because this shit just got scary. Well, scarier,” she added in an attempt at levity. Teddy ran a shaky hand through her long red hair to steady herself. The woman continued to impress me with her control.
“And you,” the younger detective added with a sneer meant to let me know exactly what he thought about me.
“What about me?” I stood taller, using my height advantage to let him know I wasn’t scared.
“Where were you when this happened?”
Teddy opened her mouth but I spoke over her. “Since I don’t know when it happened and neither do you, I couldn’t tell you. But I can tell you that I’ve been with Teddy since early this morning and had fuck all to do with this.”
This fucker reminded me of the cops who put me in prison. They had their minds made up and nothing I said would change their fucking opinions.
“You sure about that?” He whipped out his small black notepad as if that shit was supposed to intimidate me.
“I don’t need to be sure. You do.” I stared at the rookie, so eager to look competent he didn’t realize what an incompetent prick he seemed to both me and his partner.
“I’m watching you,” he threatened.
I smiled. “You wouldn’t be the first. Men hit on me all the time, but given the situation we find ourselves in, it’s a tad inappropriate don’t you think?”
That pissed him off good if that strange shade of pink his face had was any indication.
He screwed his face into what he probably thought was a tough guy sneer. “You little—”
But then his partner butted in. “Dodds, go talk to the woman who called it in. Take a detailed statement,” he ordered, turning his back to the little fucker before he could voice a complaint. Haynes turned to me, his eyes shrewd but not suspicious. “You looking out for her?”
“Yeah, that’s why she’s with me until you figure out who’s doing this.”
“Any ideas?” He seemed to genuinely want to know but Teddy was drawing a blank.
“She used to be a pretty famous model, so it could be anyone, but—”
“That was a lifetime ago,” Teddy cut in with ice in her voice, probably tired of the men talking about her like she wasn’t there. She glared up at me and I smiled. “Detective, I wish I could give you some names but my life is boring. I hang out with my best friend who works from home, I keep my customers happy and I don’t really date.”
“Really?” He meant no disrespect, but a woman as beautiful as Teddy was expected to date nonstop, to use her beauty to land a rich and successful husband.
“Yes, really. And the guys I shoot down have no clue where I live.”
“But they could find out. Anyone stick out as not being able to take no for answer?”
She let out a bitter laugh. “You know men, they all think ‘no’ is a starting off point in negotiations. If I’m not interested, I say so. If they don’t get it, I say it clearer, so yeah, I’ve pissed off a few guys but I’m sure they found someone more willing to take home that night.”
Shit. Was that what she dealt with when she went out? I couldn’t even imagine having to deal with that and it pissed me off that she had to deal with it. “That’s fucked up.”
She laughed again. “That’s called being a woman.”
“Any angry girlfriends?”
“I don’t fuck other people’s men, detective.”
Haynes held his hands up. “I meant no disrespect, Ms. Quinton.”
She shook her head to brush off his apology. “If I did it was unknowingly, and it would’ve only been for a night, maybe two. And certainly not at my home.”
His green eyes flashed but he quickly got it. “Thank you. I’ll let you know what’s going on, but you’re free to go.”
She nodded and turned to me as I wrapped my arm around her slender shoulders. “Thank you,” she mumbled and I led her away.
“Come on Cover Girl, let’s get you out of here.” I planned to take her home and get her mind off this mess, at least until morning.
***
“I can’t believe you chose tonight to work out the details of the engagement party.” Shaking my head in disbelief at all the shit she’d laid out on the dining room table.
Teddy laughed. “Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad. Besides I needed a non-naked distraction for at least a few hours,” she said but those blue eyes burned white hot as they landed on my mouth. Teddy had been insatiable over the past couple days, reaching out to me in her sleep, in the middle of a movie, or hell, even in the middle of dinner.
I knew what it was, too. Every time she got that faraway look and she wanted to banish it, she turned to me. And I didn’t mind, not one damn bit, that a beautiful woman wanted me to make her forget some pretty awful shit. She did the same for me.
“It wasn’t bad, just surprising. Whatever works, right?”
“Exactly. But now that we’ve got everything settled with the engagement party, maybe you can be what works?”
Her gaze darkened and she licked her lips, carefully setting aside lists, both handwritten and digital, and leaning her elbows on the table.
I nodded. “So you want to use me for my body?”
She nodded. “And your skills, but the good news is you can use me for my body.”
And if that wasn’t the kind of offer a man waited his whole life to hear, no one passed the message along to my cock because he was already twitching, hardening beneath the table. “And what a mighty fine body it is.” Especially the way she looked right now, no makeup and her hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail. Fresh-faced and sexy as fuck.
“Bringing out the charm?” she asked as she stood and slowly walked around the table to straddle my lap. “I appreciat
e it. Besides,” she licked up my neck and nibbled my ear, “you look really hot when you’re charming.”
I didn’t know what to say but she didn’t give me a chance, capturing my mouth in a scorching kiss that had me clawing at her back, squeezing her ass to get as much friction as we both wanted.
She drove me mad as she kissed me with a wild fever unlike any kiss we’ve shared, down my throat as her hands grabbed the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it up and off. Again, she licked her lips as she took in my body, even harder and more sculpted from six years of nonstop weight training.
“Like what you see, Cover Girl?”
She nodded, gaze darkening to damn near black. “Damn straight.” Before I knew it, she was off my lap and on the floor between my thighs, tugging down my zipper to set my cock free. “This,” she said with a breathless hunger that made my cock twitch. My hips lifted on their own and she pulled my pants down to my ankles, biting the tip of her tongue in anticipation before she licked my cock, over the head and up, down and all around my shaft.
“Teddy.” Her name was ripped from my lips by pleasure, by the feel of her hot, wet mouth, the slide of her tongue licking from my sac to the head of my cock. “Fuck.”
Her laughter vibrated through my dick, bringing me closer to the edge. She licked and sucked, taking me deep and pulling out until the cool air hit me and made my hips buck.
“Mmm,” she moaned and I lost it.
“Oh fuck. Teddy!” She tugged on my balls and took me deep, so deep I could feel the back of her throat squeezing the tip of my cock. “Teddy,” I warned again but she only moaned deeper and practically ate my cock as I came down her throat, my body jerked as her throat constricted around me. “Ah, fuck!”
I watched her head bob up and down, ponytail bouncing as she used her lips and tongue to bring me back to earth. “That’s next.” She stood and peeled off her shirt just as my phone rang and she froze. “Dammit.”
With a laugh, I picked up my phone. “Yeah, what’s up Max?” I listened to him talk, my hand roaming up and down the silky skin of her midsection, grazing a hard nipple. She gasped and my cock, still leaking, twitched. “Fine. We’ll be there.”
“No,” she groaned. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Jana is freaking out so we’ve been summoned for dinner.” That was putting it mildly since Max’s words were, “Get the fuck over here and calm my girl down.”
“Oh shit!” Teddy grabbed her shirt and ran to the bedroom we’d been sharing since we first slept together. “I totally forgot to call her after the fire. She’s probably freaking out.” I found her in the bedroom shimmying into a pair of jeans and a bluish-green tunic that made her eyes pop. “Why are you just standing there? Let’s get a move on.”
With a smile I wiped off my cock and changed clothes. “Ready.”
With a grunt she marched out of the house to the passenger side of her car, tossing me the keys. “And you so owe me when we get back tonight.”
I turned over the engine and backed out of the driveway. “When we get back. You’re mine.”
“I’m holding you to that,” she said, then blasted the radio and rapped along to some shit I’d never heard before.
By the time we pulled up to Max and Jana’s, I’d gotten to hear her skills as a rapper. “Thanks for the concert.”
She rolled her eyes, took a deep breath for strength, and slid from the car. At the door she was met with a very angry and emotional best friend. “Hey babe, looking good. And a little flushed.”
I would’ve laughed if it didn’t look like Jana might kill her. “Flushed? I drove by your house on the way back from the store, Teddy, and imagine my surprise to see your whole front yard and half your house black from fire. Fucking fire, Teddy!”
Teddy opened her mouth to protest, to explain or something. Whatever it was, Jana cut her off. “No. No excuses, Theodora! I was terrified that I lost you,” she said, sniffling and exhibiting all the warning signs that tears were imminent. “Because that was the only reason I could think of why you didn’t call me to tell me what had happened.”
“Shit, Jana.” Teddy wrapped her arms around Jana, looking a little bit guilty and a little bit weary. I was damned impressed by her, comforting someone else when just twenty-four hours ago she had been the one standing there traumatized, watching her house burn. “In my defense, I was a little shaken by watching my house go up in smoke so I went home and crashed. Besides you’re pregnant and easily excitable.”
“And?” she pulled back and asked indignantly.
“And your job is to keep that little peach safe, and I’m not letting my shit interfere with that. Deal with it.” Her arms crossed and a defiant tilt of her chin dared her friend to say anything.
But Jana was emotional as hell, and clearly still upset by what she’d seen. “And how do you think I would feel if something happened to you?” She turned to me, green eyes flaring with accusations. “And you, Tate. Why didn’t you fucking call me?”
I held my arms up and took a step back, right into Max. “I was more worried about her, honestly. She was kind of in shock after watching her house burn.”
I would’ve apologized but Jana had sucked in a shocked breath and wrapped her arms even tighter around Teddy. “Shit, I’m sorry. That must have been terrible for you, Teddy!”
Max groaned and loudly clapped his hands. Right by my ears. “All right ladies, let’s dry those tears and fill our bellies.”
And just like that, the emotions had been diffused and we sat down to a fucking feast, but all I could think about was the feast I would have later. Between Teddy’s long, silky legs.
Chapter 12
Teddy
“Thank you so much, Teddy! This day was perfect, just how I wanted.” Gillian’s eyes welled with tears that she kept expertly perched on the edge of her eyes, right where she wanted them. It was an impressive trick and I was sure it would look beautiful on camera. “This was...everything.”
“I’m happy that everything was to your liking, Gillian. You’re a gorgeous bride.” She flushed prettily and ran off to join Kip, playing the role of besotted groom to a tee. Hell, he might actually love Gillian, I didn’t know. And now that the wedding and reception were behind me, I didn’t particularly give a damn, though I was sure cameras would follow them around during their first year of marriage. Not my circus, not my monkeys. The final check had been cut and the caterers were cleaning up while the camera crews broke down their lights and other equipment.
By the time I left the ballroom, the casino sounds were just obnoxiously loud and I picked up the pace as I headed out into the chilly night air. I couldn’t stop yawning, but luckily the drive home would take less than twenty minutes with weekend traffic. But as I drew closer, I spotted a familiar figure leaning against my car. I smiled and yelled, “Hey! Get your ass off my car!”
Tate wore a mile-wide grin and pushed off the front, giving me a spectacular view of his ass while he walked around the car and pulled open the driver side door. “This ass goes where it wants. Mind if I drive?”
I slid over to the passenger side. When he was close enough, I gave those tight buns a squeeze and then I froze, looking around over my right shoulder and then my left. I had the feeling someone was watching me, but everywhere I looked revealed nothing. No faces or suspicious shadows. “Let’s get out of here.”
Tate frowned and raked a hand through his long hair. “What’s up? Didn’t tonight go well?”
“Oh, it went amazing,” I told him as he put the car in gear. “It went fantastic and I was foolishly about to say how a few days had passed since the fire and there haven’t been any incidents.”
“And now?”
I looked to him and then my gaze darted to the side mirror. Still nothing. “Now, I just had a feeling someone was watching us.” I knew it sounded crazy. I shook my head and let my gaze blur against the stop and go traffic.
“Hey, I believe you. I didn’t see anyone but I know that feeling.
It’s saved my life a few times.”
I wanted to ask more, but I hated thinking about the hell he lived in for six years. “I appreciate that, but I didn’t see anyone. It was just a feeling.” I’d hoped that maybe the silence over the past few days meant they’d scared me enough, but like Tate said, that feeling is there for a reason.
“I don’t want to shit all over your good mood but usually these guys take a break before they escalate.” His white-knuckle grip on the wheel told me he hated saying it, but probably not as much as I hated hearing it.
“And you know this how?”
He shrugged. “I shared a cell with a man who stalked two ex-wives and an ex-girlfriend before he killed them all in the same night. He was able to do it by backing off for a few weeks, making them lower their defenses. When they did, he pounced.”
That sounded terrible. “They couldn’t have put you with someone normal? Just a serial killer?”
He barked out a laugh that surprised the hell out of me. He chuckled and smiled, but those bone-deep laughs were rare. And I loved the sound of them. “Since I wasn’t a woman who’d rejected him, he was a pretty nice guy. I learned a lot about a lot of shit I never wanted to know about, though.”
“Well,” I laughed because this was the most ridiculous conversation I’d ever had. “I appreciate the lesson he passed on to you. Really.” I looked around and realized we weren’t headed to his house. “Where are we going?”
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “We’re going to celebrate another successful event. Another week survived. And morning head,” he said, teasing me about the treat I’d given him before he’d barely opened his eyes.
“So, we’re celebrating the fact that you woke up with your dick in my mouth with a steak dinner?”
“I’m a simple man.”
At that I had to laugh. “You are a lot of things, Golden Boy, but simple ain’t one of them.” He was complicated as they came, but not in a bad way. “You say what you mean and you show what you feel, but there’s so much under the surface that you don’t reveal. That, my friend, is the definition of complicated.”