My breasts feel heavy, my body lights up with sensitivity as I grind myself against him, rubbing my clit along the hardness of his body. I tuck my feet against his thighs, getting leverage. I move harder and faster. Pleasure sweeps me away as I take what I need to take from him. What I’ve always wanted to take from him.
I want him to be mine.
His low groan tightens my nipples and I feel the quiver deep within begin to flutter, as my rhythm speeds up even faster, breath growing heavier. I drag my nails across his chest and begin rising up and down, skin smacking against skin, my wet warmth to his hardness, the perfect combination to take me over the edge.
But…just as my body begins to tremble, my moans getting closer and closer together, I stop.
He grasps my hips and growls, “Take what you need.”
Breathless and trembling with my refused orgasm, I lean down, my soft breasts to his hard chest. “Do you know what I thought about whenever I got to this moment?”
I’m not sure what he hears in my voice or sees in my expression, but soon, I find myself beneath him, instead of on top of him. One arm is around my shoulders, holding me to him, while the other is pushing my thigh back against the mattress, and he’s savagely driving himself into me. His heavy weight rests against me but it’s invitingly warm and safe, and I want to stay there forever.
His head is buried in my neck and I dig my fingernails into his back as he rips the orgasm right out of my body. His hard cock, thick body, woodsy scent…all drive me to that place where reality fades away, and we become something more. My mind no longer belongs to me as wave after wave of pleasure crashes into me. I vaguely feel him bucking and jerking and grunting atop me, but I’m lost…lost to him.
It’s only when I feel the cool void of his body leaving mine that any sort of coherent thinking returns.
He flops onto his back, breathless. “Did I get your thought right?”
I roll onto my side, snuggling into him, and as he wraps his arm around me, pulling me in close, I reply, “You made Dream You look inadequate.”
He chuckles and slaps my ass. “Good.”
Chapter 9
Ryder
Early Sunday morning, a knock on the door takes me away from the steaming hot cup of coffee awaiting me on the counter. With Hadley in the bathroom getting ready for the day, I move to the door, and when I open it, I wish I hadn’t.
Senator Winters’s eyebrows wing up, two paper coffee cups in his hands. “Well then, I suppose everything makes sense now.” He steps into the condo and hands me the coffee cups before pulling out a piece of printer paper from the inside of his jacket pocket.
I set the coffees down on the table by the doorway then take the paper from him. Instantly, I regret that move, too. I don’t doubt the article is from the tabloid Gotcha! The photograph is of Hadley and me, clearly in an intimate moment from last night, with her in only a blanket and me in only my pants on her patio. My lips are pressed to her shoulder, and a clear look of pleasure is on her face. That’s about the only thing I don’t regret. “Where did you get this article?” I ask her father.
He doesn’t look particularly annoyed with me. I take that to be a good sign.
The senator picks up the coffees again and moves past me, entering the living room. “Hadley’s mother saw it on the Internet this morning and sent it to me. Sadly, she’s a fan of those grocery store tabloids.”
I frown at the article. Someone is still following Hadley. Logic tells me that the person behind this has a motion sensor camera set up to take photographs whenever there’s movement in her condo. I’m only too glad now that when we had sex last night, a wall had been blocking the view from the window. Determined to get ahead of this, I shut the door and enter the living room, fully believing this article enforces my idea that there has to be more going on here than a grocery store tabloid hunting down a story.
The senator places one of the coffees down on the end table, then lifts the other to his lips and smiles at me over the rim. “I take it this is a new development since the last time we talked?”
That smile is part friendly, part protective father. “It is” is the only reply that I’m prepared to give him. Father or not, discussing Hadley’s love life is for her to decide, not me.
“Is that so…” is the senator’s careful reply. He takes a seat on the couch, and truth be told, I can’t quite get a read if he’s pissed about my staying here last night with her or not. He finally asks, “Will your relationship pose any problems for us?”
Before I can answer, Hadley calls out from the hallway, “I was thinking maybe we could grab some lunch—” She enters the room and glances from her father to me and then back again, and nervous laughter spills from her lips. “Oh, hi, Dad.” She moves to him and kisses him on the cheek. “I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.”
When she looks at me, I see the apology in her eyes, but it’s unnecessary.
Her father reaches for her coffee cup and hands it to her. “The visit was somewhat unexpected.”
Her eyes begin to flick between her father and me, as she opens the cup and takes a sip. To stall for time, that much is clear to me.
I fight my smile and move to her, handing her the paper. “Your father brought this by. I guess your mother saw it on the Internet this morning.”
She takes the paper and nearly spits her coffee out, coughing wildly.
I take the cup from her before she burns herself and place it on the coffee table. “Probably best to leave this here for a bit,” I suggest.
The senator laughs.
Hadley doesn’t. She wipes her mouth and then stands still, staring at the article, like she’s unsure what to do or say with her father here.
Luckily, she’s got me for this. “As I was going to say to your father, no, I don’t think this tabloid article is going to be a problem for him.”
Hadley whips her head around to her father and glares. “A problem for you? Why on earth would this be a problem for you?”
He leans back on the couch, and replies, cool and collected as always, “Because when you’re a senator, the things your daughter does can cause ripples.”
I watch the way Hadley flinches, and I know where her mind is: the video. Which is something that doesn’t stray far from her mind, I’m sure. I note the guilt in her eyes and feel for her. Most women can live their lives without having to worry how their actions will affect their father’s career. She’d been smart about joining the club and she’d taken every precaution to keep her secrets private. The fault for all this falls on the blackmailer’s shoulders, not hers.
Regardless, that darkness in her expression brings out my desire to protect her from it all. If that video gets out, lives will be destroyed. Her reputation will be forever ruined, but so will the senator’s. Because if one thing is true, the public has a long memory, and the senator will always be known as the father of the girl with the raunchy sex tape.
Obviously Hadley doesn’t want to think too much about her guilt, because she shifts the conversation back to me and gives me a sly smirk. “Didn’t you say that you had the tabloids under control?”
That’s what I was thinking, too, but that only confirms my suspicions. “When it is about me and my life, yes, I have the tabloids under control.” I take the paper back from her and study the picture again, seeing from the angle that it’s very likely someone took the photo from somewhere by the bridge. The chance of finding the exact location is slim. “Seeing that clearly someone is keeping such close tabs on Hadley, considering how personal this photo is, and then selling that photo to the tabloids, I don’t believe this is about me.”
“Then who would it be about?” the senator asks.
“You.”
His brows shoot up. “Me?”
“This corruption you spoke of has followed you home,” I explain.
The senator places his coffee down and rises from the couch, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Explain.”
I sigh, glancing down at the paper in my hand. “There’s nothing new in this article from what was written before.” I silently read it again to spare Hadley’s embarrassment and the senator’s discomfort: Wedding bells for the gorgeous bodyguard and the senator’s daughter? Our sources say yes! I scrunch the paper in my hand and toss it onto the coffee table. “Whenever something is leaked about me or my friends, it’s always something personal and something new, a fresh story.”
Hadley catches on quickly. “And this is simply a new photo, with basically the same story as the last article about us?”
I nod. “Exactly. It’s almost like the photo was delivered and the tabloids simply had to come up with something to write. They’ve already said we were a couple in previous articles. This isn’t new. But the photo is scandalous enough they couldn’t not print it.”
The senator cocks his head. “And is that what you are? A couple?”
Hadley looks to me for help, but I stay silent. My body. My rules. That’s what she told me. She can’t have it both ways.
Obviously seeing that I have no intention of helping her, she finally turns to her father. “This is…we are…it’s new.”
“That’s what Ryder said,” her father comments dryly.
“Well, he’s right,” Hadley confirms, glancing at me. Clearly done with that line of questioning, she adds, “So, what do you think this all means then?”
I give her the grin she deserves. If her father wasn’t here, I would’ve kissed her, right then and there, for being so damn ballsy. “I think this all comes back to you,” I say to the senator. “And I think that because Hadley received an email.”
“What kind of email?” he asks, frowning.
“The email threatened her that if you don’t give up your senate seat, trouble would come your way.” I feel the chill in the air, and when I look at Hadley, I see the slight worry in her eyes. “It’s a threat we need to take seriously,” I gently remind her.
The senator moves a little closer to Hadley. That desire to protect her is something I completely understand.
Her father asks her gently, “When did you get this email?”
“Just recently.”
I fight my smile. She might get away with that indirect talk with her father but she’d never with me.
The senator turns to me, his expression twisted with worry. “Is Hadley in any kind of danger?”
“Not at this moment,” I tell him honestly. “If that changes, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Okay, okay.” Her father runs a hand through his hair, hanging his head. “That’s good. That’s good.” When he looks at her again, his expression softens and he wraps his arms around her. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, sweetheart. Dirty bastards, they’ll stop at nothing to get their way.”
Hadley leans away. “I’m fine, honestly. But do you know anyone who would do this to you or why they would want you to step down?”
The senator moves back, folds his arms. “There’s nothing specific that comes to mind. The corruption is about bills getting passed and the usual, but to go as far as to threaten you?” He pauses, lips thin, and then he shakes his head. “No, I can’t imagine why anyone would do this.”
I watch the conversation with interest. I care for the senator, but I study his body language, looking for any signs that he might be lying. His shoulders are relaxed, breathing normal, skin not flushed. Not finding any deceit, I ask him, “There’s no one who seemed more determined than anyone else to change your mind on something?”
“No.”
Which is what worries me the most. That means this is a lot more complicated than some hot feelings over a current issue. And it’s obviously a shared worry since silence descends on the room.
Hadley finally breaks the heavy quiet and leaves for a moment, entering the kitchen. When she returns, she hands me my coffee that I forgot about. “Thanks,” I tell her, giving her the smile she deserves, then I focus on the senator again. “Is there anyone who rubs you the wrong way? Anyone who seems more interested in you lately?”
The senator gives a dry laugh. “Would it help if I said everyone?”
Hadley drops down onto the couch, holding her paper cup on her lap. “This is personal, though, Dad. Someone wants you out of office. It’s hard to believe there hasn’t been someone who’s been pushier than the others or anything like that.”
“I’m afraid, Hadley, that I’m telling you the truth,” the senator responds, taking a seat next to her. “People in politics are passionate. If motivated, I could see anyone being driven to extreme measures to get what they want.”
Hadley sighs, looking at me. “Well, that isn’t going to help us any.”
“No, it’s not.” I move to the chair opposite them and sit against the armrest, staring out at the cloudy sky through the windows behind them before returning my attention back to the senator. “Sadly, there’s not much we can do until they make their next move.” Which, of course, is a lie to protect Hadley. I won’t let anyone make another move, because if they do that would be publishing the video. But the senator doesn’t need to know that.
The senator studies me, then he agrees with a nod. “I need to travel to Washington tomorrow morning. I take it, with this worry on your mind, you’ll be sending other team members along with me.”
Usually, I travel to Washington alongside the senator, but he’s right. “I think it’s best I stay close to Hadley until I ensure this threat isn’t a danger to her.”
“Yes, I think that’s best, too.” The senator rises and kisses Hadley on the forehead. “Do you mind sending next week’s schedule to my email for someone in the Washington office to print?”
Hadley grabs her cell off the coffee table, clicks a few buttons, and smiles. “Done. Have a safe trip, Dad.”
I follow the senator to the door. Once he steps into the hallway, he turns back to me, expression stern. “You’ll contact me right away if she’s in any danger?”
“Of course,” I reassure him.
“Good.” He slaps a hand on my shoulder and gives a small smile. “So, tell me, is it time I tell the missus that Hadley has a new someone in her life?”
He could, but…“Sir, if your wife is anything like your daughter, I would suggest you not speak for Hadley or it might not end well for you.”
The senator barks a laugh. “Touché, Blackwood. Touché.”
Hadley
Less than an hour after Dad left, my phone began ringing and it didn’t stop until I picked it up. I drop down onto the couch and pull my legs underneath me, a bit sad that I can’t see out my windows anymore. Ryder lowered all the blinds, and I miss my view of the city already, even if I agreed with his suggestion. The thought of anyone watching me gives me the full-on creeps. Though I also have other concerns now, and I quickly realize my father’s questions earlier were nothing in comparison to the current interrogation. “No, Mom, Ryder’s not my boyfriend,” I say into the phone for the thousandth time. “We’re just seeing each other, that’s all.” I instantly regret what I’ve said.
“When someone sees you in nothing but a blanket that is more than just seeing them,” Mom states. “Are you being safe?”
“Yes, I’m being safe.”
“How safe?”
“Oh, my God, Mother, can’t I just see someone and not be grilled about it?” I drop my head onto my hand and absentmindedly begin to respond, “Yes, I like him…Yes, he is cute…Yes, he’s very nice to me…Yes, he does have a sweet smile.”
It’s at that moment, my front door opens and Ryder enters the room with Alex trailing behind him. Obviously hearing what I’ve said, he gives me a good look at that sweet smile and a sexy wink, too.
My body warms, just that easily. I’m not sure how anyone has that much power over me to control my body’s reactions, but it’s true nonetheless. “Mom, I have to go…Yes, I love you…Yes, I’ll call you and tell you if we become exclusive…No, you won’t hear about my life after the world does. Ok
ay, okay, Mom…” I lean away from the phone. “Bye. Love you. Bye.” I sigh and press end, then toss my phone onto the couch. “I love that woman, but she seriously can talk like nobody’s business.”
Ryder shuts the front door then turns back to me. “Well, you must get it from somewhere.” I pick up the decorative pillow beside me and throw it at him, and of course, he catches it easily. “And she must have a violent side, too.” He smirks.
“Well-deserved violence.” I smile back, grabbing another pillow and making myself comfortable again.
He chuckles before his expression and voice become serious. “Is your mother handling this news all right?”
“Of course she is,” I reply. “You’re like a mom’s dream come true.”
“Yeah, right.” Alex barks a loud laugh, taking a seat in the chair next to me and placing her laptop on her knees.
“The laughing really isn’t necessary,” Ryder says with a glare, and then glances at me with a smile and winks again.
As he heads off to the kitchen, I glance back at Alex. This visit is a surprise and sets off all my alarms. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, Alex, but I can only assume you have something for me.”
Her eyes stay fixated on the screen and her fingers fly across the keyboard. “You’re right, I do.”
I pause, hearing some clanging going on in the kitchen, and wait for Alex to continue. She doesn’t, but then I spot Ryder returning from the kitchen with a coffee cup in his hand. “So…does anyone want to let me in on the secret?” I inquire.
Ryder drops down next to me. “She’s got some news for us.” He takes a sip from his mug.
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