“He mentioned that.”
“He seems to think he can get it back for me, but he wants to wait it out a bit.” I settled my head in my palm, my energy fading. “I’m nervous Steven will hide the money again.”
Elliot shook his head. “I think he’s too arrogant to believe he’ll ever actually get caught.”
“There is that,” I agreed. “Why would Dad buy policies on us, do you think?”
“He did it right when he became commissioner.” Elliot sipped his beer. “Do you remember Gene Rivers?”
“Dad’s old friend from the high school?”
Elliot nodded. “Yeah, he’s the one who sold him the policy.”
“But he died ten years ago.”
“I know, but his son Bobby took over his insurance business. Guess who’s Bobby’s brother-in-law?”
I shrugged.
“Steven.”
“What?” I squeaked.
“Steven’s sister is married to Bobby.”
“Wow,” I whispered.
When Steven and I had met and started dating, he’d said his family lived out of the state… Vermont to be exact, and it would be impossible for us to meet right away. He’d made a big show… all lies… of “planning” a trip over Thanksgiving, but he’d walked away with all my money a week before the big holiday and I hadn’t seen or heard from him again. His phone was a burner that he’d destroyed and I’d found out the last name he’d given me was a fake. He’d said it was Arnold, but my sister had uncovered the truth. Unfortunately, not soon enough to find all of my money. She was only able to find the credit card fraud and that’s ultimately what he was prosecuted for.
“This is bigger than we originally thought,” Elliot said.
“Sounds like it.” I yawned. “Sorry.”
“I think you should go back to bed,” Austin said, and set a mug of hot tea on the table beside me.
“Nope, I’m good,” I said right before a coughing fit.
He frowned, handing me some cold meds and a glass of water. “Take these.”
I did as he instructed and wrapped my hands around the mug of tea, sipping it carefully, the heat of the liquid soothing my sore throat. Austin sat beside me and I carefully folded myself into his side, trying not to spill my tea. He wrapped an arm around me and gave me a gentle squeeze.
“What does your father say about all of this?” Austin asked.
“I haven’t spoken to him at length,” Elliot said. “We’ll talk more tonight. But he’s gathering all the paperwork he has on file and I’m going to talk to my brother-in-law at length about how to best protect the family. Emily’s not an easy mark.”
“She’s kind of a gun-carrying, badass, with a black belt, so she can defend herself,” I piped in.
Elliot nodded. “But that doesn’t mean Mitch isn’t gonna want in on this. He’ll also have a game plan.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Yeah, I get it. It’s all alpha male all the time in her world.”
Elliot chuckled. “Shocking that you’ve found one of your own.”
I smiled up at Austin. “Austin’s not an alpha male. He’s totally meek and easy to deal with. I make all of my own decisions and he just lets me do whatever I feel is best. Why, he tells me everything that’s going on in his life, down to the minute detail and he never makes a move on anything without first discussing it with me. He’s the best boyfriend ever.” I yawned, suddenly finding my eyes difficult to keep open. “I can’t seem to stay awake.”
“That’s because I gave you the night time cold meds,” Austin revealed.
“What?” I blinked up at him.
Elliot laughed. “You were saying, little sister?”
Austin smiled and took my mug from me. “You’re gonna lose your fight to stay awake soon, baby. Just remember that I’m the best boyfriend ever.”
“I hate you so bad right now.”
“I know. Sleep, sweetheart.”
I did.
* * *
Wednesday night I was back at my place and trying to find the will to walk from the living room to the kitchen for some kind of food. It was my first day back at work and I was still a little under the weather, but I always felt guilty taking sick time since I got summers and holidays off.
Austin was at church, which he explained meant club meeting, so I was on my own for the moment. Well, alone meaning I had a recruit on me. Buzz was currently sitting in his truck downstairs watching my door. Austin was still concerned there was a threat to me, but since my sleep was a major priority to me, I wanted to be close to school so I didn’t have to wake up as early in the morning. Hence the decision to let me be back at my place with the caveat of having someone watch me.
Depending on how late the meeting went, I may or may not see Austin, and since I didn’t think I could find enough energy to care one way or the other, I vegged under a blanket with HGTV on low volume.
My phone buzzed and I answered it without looking at the screen. “Hello?”
“You sound terrible, honey,” Kim said.
“I know. But I really do feel better. Just tired from wrangling five year olds.”
She giggled. “I bet.”
“What’s up? I kind of miss your face.”
“Me too, Dani. That’s what I’m calling about. I don’t have to work tomorrow night, so wanted to see if you wanted to go shopping with me. Maybe grab dinner after?”
“Yes, please,” I answered immediately.
“We’ll make it an early night so you can get your beauty sleep, but why don’t I pick you up at five and we’ll head to the mall.”
“Perfect.”
“No conflict with your man?”
“I see him every day, Kimmie. You I get when I get you, so you’re the priority.”
She laughed. “This is why you’re my favorite. Okay, gotta get back to work. See you tomorrow.”
“’Bye.” I hung up and set my phone on the coffee table.
I heard the locks in my front door turn and then Austin was walking into the room. He frowned as he sat on the coffee table facing me. “You still sick?”
“Just tired. Why are you here so early?”
“Not a whole lot of business. It only took an hour.”
I smiled. “I like it when you’re early.”
He leaned down and kissed me quickly. “Did you eat?”
“I haven’t left the sofa since I got home.”
Austin stroked my cheek. “You hungry?”
I nodded. “Starved.”
“How hungry?”
“I could eat a cow.”
“Okay, I’ll run and grab burgers.”
“My hero.” I grinned up at him. “Onion rings too, please.”
He rose to his feet. “You got it, babe.”
After he left, I took a few minutes to freshen up a little and then resumed my place on the sofa. The tickle of his stubble woke me and I smiled as I opened my eyes. “You were quick.”
He chuckled. “Been back for almost an hour.”
I frowned. “Really? Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You needed to sleep. Come eat, babe. Then you should go to bed.”
“Are you staying?”
“Yeah, baby, I’m staying.”
I smiled again and forced myself to get off the sofa and eat. I went to bed without Austin, but woke in the night and found him curled around me. There was nothing better in the world than having him close to me. It was something I was quickly getting used to, and I loved every minute of it.
* * *
The next evening, Kim picked me up at five as promised and we headed into Portland to shop. We decided to hit the stores at Jantzen Beach since it was just over the bridge from Vancouver and we could take advantage of no sales tax.
“How long’s your muscle going to be around?” she asked.
I glanced behind her and smiled at Buzz who was far enough behind us to not hear our conversation, but kept me within his sights at all time.
“Until Au
stin feels this stupid threat is no longer a threat.”
“It’s weird, but I kind of like that he’s protective.”
I giggled. “Yeah, he’s both protective and weird.”
We strolled through my favorite discount megastore, not really looking for anything in particular, but coming across something that jogged my memory a bit. I grabbed a package of white thigh highs and then headed to the accessories department.
“I’m not going to ask,” Kim said with a giggle. “But I’m so glad you’re finding your sex kitten side.”
I blushed, but managed to keep my head up. “What else should I get?”
“Seriously?” Kim asked, her expression one of excitement.
“Load me up, baby.”
Kim clapped her hands and took control of the shopping cart. By the time we waded through the check-out line, I had another pair of thigh-highs, black fishnet this time, three bra and matching panty sets, two strands of faux pearls, and some personal products that apparently made your body feel amazing when applied… they were also edible. I’m pretty sure the cashier blushed almost as red as I did, but she didn’t comment and I was grateful. Buzz was already out front smoking a cigarette, so, far enough away that he couldn’t see my purchases.
We decided to head over the bridge for dinner and made our way to Beaches, a kickass restaurant and bar on the Columbia River that was a personal favorite of ours.
We sat in a booth that gave us a perfect view of the water and ordered margaritas and calamari, and then sat back and looked at the menu. I ordered a burger for Buzz and asked the waitress to take it to him in the car.
“Tell me about your night with Mack,” I said.
Kim smiled and closed her menu. “Nothing happened.”
“Really? That’s so unlike you.”
Kim giggled. “I know. We decided that since we’d probably have to see each other on a regular basis if this thing with our two best friends became permanent, it was best to keep it platonic. Damn, he’s hot, though.”
I nodded. “He’s really sweet too. Doesn’t talk much, but neither does Austin when he’s with his brothers. At least, he doesn’t talk about anything of importance. We have our in-depth life-altering conversations in bed.”
“Those are the best kind.”
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”
“True, but it sounds like you have a good one now, even if he’s kind of bossy.”
I snorted. “Bossy doesn’t even begin.”
“I get the impression Mack’s like that too, although, he was pretty chill with me. But he did open the door and show that chivalry isn’t entirely dead, even amongst the bad-ass motorcycle club sect.”
I giggled. “You’re not wrong.”
“So, have you exchanged keys?”
“Yes.” I looked at my watch. “He’s probably at my place already. We try to spend weeknights at my place, weekends at his.”
“You said his place is amazing.”
“It’s gorgeous. I’ll suggest dinner sometime soon. I’ll cook. Maybe Mack can come as well.”
“Perfect,” Kim said.
We caught up on what little we hadn’t covered… it was rare we didn’t talk at least every other day, and if we had something to share, we never waited.
I arrived home to find Booker’s bike parked in front and a thrill shot down my spine as I hugged Kim, grabbed my purchases, and headed upstairs to my apartment. I waved to Kim as she pulled out of my parking lot.
“Want help, Dani?” Buzz called.
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Thanks for the burger, by the way.”
I grinned. “You’re welcome.” Dropping an armload of bags on the ground, I unlocked my door and pushed it open. “Honey, you close?”
“Yeah, babe,” Austin called, and then he was walking toward me.
“I need some help.”
“Looks like it.” He chuckled, leaned down to kiss me, and took my burdens from me. “Did you leave anything in the store?”
“Not much,” I retorted. “Can you dump everything on my bed and then leave me alone for a bit, please? I have a surprise for you.”
“As long as it ends with us in bed, sure thing.”
I grinned. “I think it will start with us there.”
“Even better.” He dumped the bags on my bed and left me to do my thing.
I slid on the white lacy thigh-highs, a pair of white lace panties, and the pearls. I pulled on my robe and then headed into the living room.
Austin’s eyes were glued to the television, but he focused on me with a curious smile. “So?” I opened my robe and he hissed. “Fuck me, baby.”
I giggled. “That’s the plan.”
He was off the couch in less than a second and then my robe was yanked from my shoulders, and I was lifted and carried to the bed. He didn’t even wait to get all his clothes off before he tore open a condom packet and slid my panties aside so he could slip inside of me.
I gasped, his girth filling me without warning.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes.” I grinned. “Harder.”
He braced his arm on the bed beside me and pushed my leg up to my chest. It left me open and exposed in a way that made me hot, but what made me hotter was the fact that he held me so tight I had no control over that leg… other than to push against his hand, which assisted in him going deeper. I dropped my head back, arching my chest and within seconds screamed his name as my orgasm hit.
He surged forward a few more times and then shuddered as he collapsed on top of me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed his temple. “I forgot the glasses.”
He dropped his forehead to mine. “Huh?”
“I still have my contacts in.”
Austin laughed. “That’s okay. We’ll do it again and you can take them out.”
“So, this works for you, then?”
“Yeah, babe. It fuckin’ works.”
“Can’t wait to show you what else I have, then.”
He met my eyes. “You have more?”
“I do. But you’ll just have to wait for those. Can’t show you all my secrets at once.”
“Yeah, babe, you can.”
I giggled. “You need to learn patience. Consider me your teacher.”
“As long as you’re sexy, dirty teacher, you got it.”
“Whatever you want, honey.”
He kissed my neck, then my lips and smiled. “Love you, babe.”
“Love you too.” I stroked his cheek. “So… can you go get naked now? I’d like to do that again with the glasses.”
Austin laughed and did as I requested.
ANOTHER SATURDAY ROLLED around again and I was at Austin’s for the weekend. It was almost two weeks since my weekend of death, eight days since my start of the pill and his clear blood test, and our first night with no condoms. I’m pretty sure I was currently dead or in some sex-induced coma. I would never have guessed sex could be any better than it had been.
Tonight was another club get-together, but it would be a strictly family party. No one who wasn’t attached to someone was invited. I still had Cassidy bugging me to invite her sometime, so I promised to let her know when the next pig roast was.
For the moment, I was sprawled across Austin, naked and sated, our lovemaking on an off throughout the night. His hand ran absently up and down my back, but when his phone rang, it settled on my bottom with a satisfying gentle smack.
“Yo.” Austin’s voice went from happy and relaxed to irritated in a matter of seconds. “What the fuck?” He frowned, before unwinding himself from me and leaving the bed.
I watched him leave the room, the sight of his perfect ass almost as satisfying as his front, and took a moment to freshen up. I was standing at the mirror brushing out my hair when Austin slid his hands to my breasts from behind and caught my eye with a grin. “I’ve figured out what my dream job would be.”
“You have?”
He nodded and kissed my
shoulder.
“And what would that be?” I asked, setting my brush on the counter.
“Your bra.”
I giggled. “It’s a heavy job.”
He gave my breasts a gentle squeeze. “Seriously, babe. You have the best tits. If I could find a way to preserve them forever, I would.”
I dropped my head back onto his shoulder as he worked my nipples with his fingers. “They are at your disposal whenever you need them.”
He splayed his palm across my belly as he slid his other hand between my legs. “So fuckin’ ready.”
I licked my lips and moaned as he fingered my wetness and then slid two fingers inside of me. Keeping his fingers inside of me, he pressed gently on my back. “Brace on the counter, baby.”
I leaned forward and did as he directed, smiling as he slid into me from behind. “Lower.”
I shivered. “The granite’s cold.”
“It’ll add to the sensation, baby. Trust me.”
I touched my breasts to the stone and my breath left my body. He was right. It felt amazing.
“Eyes, Dani.”
I met his in the mirror and I was suddenly transported into another world as he never took his gaze from me and still managed to give me an orgasm while I was standing there. God, he was the master.
He gripped my hips and pulled out slightly, surging back into me, and braced again as he continued to thrust faster and faster. I dropped my head, my body having a difficult time staying upright.
“Eyes,” Austin demanded, and I met his again.
His hand slid to my clit again and I cried out as my orgasm hit me. He wasn’t far behind and covered my back with his body as he pulsed inside of me.
“Can’t breathe,” I rasped.
He stood immediately and slid out of me. “Sorry, baby.”
I stayed braced on the counter, my shaky arms the only thing keeping me upright, as he wrapped his arms around me again. “Bed.”
“I can’t move.”
He grinned. “I’ll help you.”
I giggled as we climbed back into my bed and faced each other, heads on our own pillows. “Who was on the phone?”
Austin frowned. “Annie.”
“Bad news?”
“She’s having trouble with her old man.”
I slid my hand under my cheek. “What kind of trouble?”
Road to Desire Page 14