She grew quiet, I could see the wheels turning. Her eyes closed and, seconds later, popped back open. A curse followed. This time, I had a feeling the anger wasn’t geared at me, but rather at her ex.
“I guess that means I need to do some digging of my own,” she mumbled, uncrossing her arms before letting them dangle at her sides, a ghost of a smile coming to her lips. “Oh, and Evan, I’m still not yours.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I muttered as I set my coffee down a little too hard, causing the top to pop off the cheap plastic travel cup. “Shit!”
“You having a tough one already?” Avery asked with a chuckle as she entered the kitchen. “It’s only seven o’clock and you’re already swearing like a sailor.”
Shaking my head as I reached for a napkin to clean up my mess, I motioned to the magazine on the table. I had been up since five, had a run, checked in on Evan’s house, showered, and stopped by the local chain coffee shop. My nerves of being back in Maine had kept me from sleeping, and when I saw the magazine on the doorstep when I returned, I had gone from uneasy to pissed.
“What the hell?” she mumbled, absently rubbing her very pregnant belly while she read the article.
“Evan didn’t do that,” I told her defiantly while I put the cover back on my coffee.
“Honey, I know that,” she soothed, looking at me with understanding in her eyes.
“Sorry, I know you do,” I apologized. “I just don’t understand what Ryan thinks he stands to get out of all this.”
“You,” she says simply. “He wants you back.”
“For what?!” I questioned, standing back up to pace. “He didn’t want me when he was banging his secretary.”
“Have you heard from Evan, Maggie, or Tracey?” she asked. “Did they find anything?”
“Not yet.” I shook my head, stopping to sip my fuel. “I think it’s time to make some phone calls.”
“Well, let’s get going then,” she agreed, getting up and heading back toward her bedroom to get ready to go to the office.
Watching her, I smiled. Evan and I still had a lot to work out, but Avery had welcomed me back with open arms. She didn’t question why I had put the distance between us, just teared up when she opened the door for me, and hugged me as best her belly would allow. Ave knew my history, knew me, and got me better than anyone else in my life. Probably because she was the only one I let in, other than Evan. Lexie, on the other hand, had gone up one side of me and down the other before she had hugged me and called it good. I was one lucky woman to have the two of them.
Less than a half hour later, we were headed for our Maine office. It felt good to be back. With my friend and co-owner nearing her due date, I was needed here to make sure the new office was running smoothly and that Avery was taken care of. Her pregnancy was going fantastically, but the fact that Cooper was gone was definitely taking its toll.
“Are you all set to handle the meeting with Stilpen?” I asked, as we pulled to a stop in the parking lot and I turned off my car.
“Yep, it’s just a check-in to make sure that they are happy with how things are going, and to answer any questions,” she reminded me. “They are still nervous about having swapped to us after being with their original management company for ten years.”
“I know how that is,” I said, climbing out and then reaching into the back for my bags. “If you need anything, just buzz me. I’m going to make a couple personal calls before my lunch meeting with Jennifer.”
“Will do, boss lady,” Avery retorted with a grin.
I rolled my eyes at her and held the door open for her. I couldn’t contain the smile that escaped at the name. Evan hadn’t made a secret of calling me that in front of everyone, and each time he did, a tingle would run through me. I wasn’t ready to hand my heart back to him just yet though.
Making my way past the receptionist, I sent her a wave since she was on the phone and headed to my office. While she wasn’t Kelly, Nicole was very capable and was a quick learner. I was crossing my fingers and toes between her and the new staff we would be okay with Avery out on maternity leave.
Putting my bags down by the small conference table, I closed my door, signaling I was not to be disturbed. I pulled my computer out, setting it on my desk, and plugged it in while it booted up. I was going to need the battery power today. Reaching for my cell phone, I nearly jumped out of my skin when there was a quiet knock on the door. It opened and Lexie poked her head around it. I waved her in.
“I take it you already saw it?” she questioned, putting her briefcase on the table and setting down a copy of the magazine I had seen this morning.
“It was on the doorstep when I got back from grabbing coffee,” I told her as I scrolled through the numbers in my contact list. “He didn’t do it.”
“Jules, you don’t need to tell me that,” she assured.
I rubbed my forehead and smiled sheepishly at her. I knew I didn’t need to defend him to the people that knew him, but it was a knee-jerk reaction. The negative media attention was making me mad. Finding the number I was looking for, I hit send and motioned for her to sit.
In black dress slacks and a three-quarter cut length olive green shirt that brought out her skin tone beautifully, she lowered herself into one of the comfortable leather chairs in front of my desk while I paced behind it. While Lexie didn’t work, per se, she kept herself busy doing odd jobs. Whether it be helping Maggie with stuff for the band or helping me in the office, she was turning out to be quite the asset.
“Eric,” I greeted. “How are you?”
My professional yet business tone told the man on the other end that this wasn’t a social call. I needed answers, and I was going to get them. Eric Witherall worked under the umbrella company that my ex did, Dawson & Associates. They didn’t work in the same office, but the company wasn’t so big that he didn’t know him. Eric and I had clicked from day one of meeting, and often worked together when I had been in Massachusetts. His office was in New York; however, he often traveled to Boston for meetings. He was an amazing financial analyst, twice the one that Ryan was.
“Good to hear,” I told him when he told me he had met a new woman and was happy for the first time in a long time. “I was wondering if you could do some research for me?”
Fifteen minutes later, I was off the phone and Lex and I were sitting at the table, her computer between us. Maggie had sent over some financials she had found and I was going through them with a fine-tooth comb. They belonged to Colbourne Enterprises. It was company owned by my ex-father-in-law, yet was run solely by Ryan when he wasn’t working for Dawson. Something about the whole thing just didn’t seem right. The magazine at my elbow caught my attention again, pulling me away from the numbers. I sighed when I took it in.
There was a picture on the cover of Ryan, clad with a black eye, swollen almost shut, and a fat lip. He looked like he had taken quite the beating. The title made my temper flare: Dark Roads’ Foster Sends Message to Girlfriend’s Ex. Inside was an article about how Evan had confronted him at my office, and that once the two were alone in the parking lot, he had beat Ryan up without just cause. Even though I knew none of that had happened, as did those who knew Evan personally, the damage to Dark Roads career could be detrimental.
I knew, without a doubt now, that Ryan was fueling this fire, and I would get to the bottom of it one way or another. Focusing back on the numbers, I suddenly saw something that jumped out at me. Actually, two somethings. Those descriptions didn’t quite fit the type of business this was supposed to be.
“Are you ladies going to Willie’s tonight for the Halloween party?” I heard Lex asked, my brain barely registering what she said as it hummed with information.
“Yep,” I replied, short and curt. “Where is the detail to these accounts?”
“Umm…” I saw her out of the corner of my eye going through files. “Right here.”
She handed it to me with a questioning look. I grabbed it, ne
arly dropping it in my haste to see it. Feeling a hand on my arm, I looked up. Lexie smiled and moved her free hand to signal that I needed to slow down. I took a deep breath and opened the file. Flipping through the hundreds of pages, I finally found one of the accounts I was looking for. Revenue. Money coming from the unknown parent company of the magazine releasing the articles. Bingo. Pulling those aside to give to Lex, I kept going. Expenses. Money paid to Barbara Smith, large chunks, all just before the articles came out. A common name. Who was she?
“Who is Barbara Smith?” I asked, bringing my eyes up to meet my friend’s.
“I’m not sure,” she said, her brow furrowing in confusion.
I turned the paper her way and pointed my finger at the numbers. Her eyes grew large and her mouth opened in a perfect O. Her fingers quickly moved to her phone and I heard the tell-tale ringing, signaling a FaceTime session with someone. Maggie answered with a professional hello.
“Hey, Mags, I’m with Julie, and she came across something,” she told her, turning the phone slightly so that her wife could see both of us.
“What’s that?” Maggie asked, moving so that she could put her phone down and have her hands ready to type on her computer if she needed to.
“Who is Barbara Smith?” I questioned.
Her face showed a look of confusion at first. I saw her type something slowly. Eventually, her fingers were clicking away at a high speed and a grin was growing on her face. Lexie and I exchanged looks, her shoulders going up in a shrug. I looked back at the screen. Maggie was moving her mouse around and seemed to find what she was looking for. An ah-ha expression came over her face before she moved the computer so we could see what she found.
“Barbara Smith aka Barbara Foster is Evan’s mother,” she said with glee.
“Yes!” we cheered, me and Lexie’s hands meeting in a high five.
The dots were all being connected and everything was coming together. Just as my friend got up to scan the documents back to Maggie, so she could do her part with them, my phone rang. When I saw it was Eric, my heart started to race.
“Hello,” I greeted, getting up to stretch my legs and work off some of the adrenaline coursing through me. “You did? He does?”
The smile on my face grew as his voice filled my ear with the knowledge of what he had uncovered. I was dancing on my toes by the time Lexie returned from the scanner, and she gripped my hands without knowing what I was so happy about. Squeezing hers, I tried to focus on what Eric was saying.
“No wonder he has been fighting the divorce,” I murmured, sobering a bit. “That’s exactly what I needed to know. I can’t thank you enough, Eric. Can you send that information over as soon as possible?”
The plane ride seemed to take forever. It was almost two in the morning when I stumbled up the steps of my new house in Maine, fumbling with the lock. I couldn’t even appreciate how far it had come since the last time I had seen it. Rubbing my eyes and using my phone as a flashlight, I made my way to rear of the house and the master bedroom. The house was cool since it was late October, and the heat was only on enough to keep things from freezing. I just about tripped over some tools left out in the hallway and cursed when my elbow connected with the beam in the wall rather than a finished product.
I had asked the contractor to make sure the kitchen, my bedroom, and a bathroom were done first, in case I came home before it was complete. I didn’t want to have to stay with Cooper and Avery any longer since they were almost ready to welcome a new baby into their lives. I reached my destination and let out a sigh. The door was shut and not thinking anything of it, I opened it, almost letting it bang with my haste. That’s when I saw the outline of someone curled under the blankets on my bed. The edge of the light beam from my flashlight didn’t tell me who it was, but I knew. Her smell told me.
My cock rose to attention. We hadn’t talked much in the last month since I had been home last, but her sleeping in my bed had to be a good sign. She and Avery hadn’t known that Coop and I were coming home. The other man had been itching to see his very pregnant wife, so I had offered to come with him. It would only be for a couple of days, but it was better than nothing.
Setting my bags down, I quietly did a scan of the room, keeping my light down so I didn’t wake her. The new furniture had been brought in and was exactly where I would have put it. My bed was in the center and was placed so that it faced the French doors that led out to what would be the wrap around porch, the bureau was on the left and shared a wall with the master bath, and my TV had been mounted in the corner on the back wall as well. Moving slightly, I noticed my recliner was on the other side of the bed, along with the second bureau and an armoire. Julie didn’t know it yet, but those pieces were for her.
Not wanting to crawl into bed smelling like I did, I made my way to the bathroom with my bag in my hand. I shut the door behind me before reaching for the switch. It was set on a dimmer, so I turned it up only part way. The two sinks were on the left and between them was a small window that looked into the backyard. A shower large enough for two was on the right, along with a toilet and a corner tub. A small shelving system, that was already filled with towels and toiletries, was in the opposite corner. She had thought of everything.
Putting my bag down, I turned on the water in the shower and put it on as hot as I could handle. Stripping out of my clothes in one motion, I grabbed a towel from the shelf and hung it on the hook before climbing in. The glass steamed up immediately. Bracing my hands on the wall under the stream, I closed my eyes and hung my head to let the water cascade over my tired body.
My muscles slowly started to relax, all except my dick that couldn’t stop thinking about Julie’s soft, warm body that was in my bed waiting. I took one hand from the wall and gripped myself gently, moving my hand up and down in slow strokes. I couldn’t climb into bed this hard or I would never get to sleep. Running my finger over the tip, I used the precum and the water flowing down my body as lubrication to continue. Picturing my woman’s face behind my closed lids, I pretended my hand was hers. My need for her was so strong I could smell the vanilla stronger than I could before and I swore her smaller hands were smoothing over my hips and covering my larger one on my straining erection. I imagined her wet breasts pressed against my back and her nest brushing against my backside as she melded her body to mine.
“Boss lady,” I groaned on a whisper.
“Handsome,” I heard her return.
Snapping my eyes open, I looked down. I hadn’t been dreaming. Her small, delicate, yet capable, hands were wrapped around my cock and her nails every so often would catch the skin lightly, causing me to twitch. I took my hand off the wall and reached around to grip her ass and pull her leg up to wrap around my hip. The motion caused her hands to move to my sides to keep from falling, but I didn’t care. I needed to feel her. Her wetness met my back, and I leaned my head against her shoulder with a low groan. I was so hard, it fucking hurt. I wanted her.
Julie ran her hands up from my lower stomach to my belly button and across each plain of my abs. She rocked against my back and took the opportunity to kiss and nip along my neck while I still rested against her. A slight purr in my ear was my undoing. I dropped her leg and spun around to pin her against the wall, our eyes meeting for the first time.
“I need to be inside you,” I growled, my dick pushing against her belly.
“So what are you waiting for?” she asked with a sultry smile, her arms circling my neck and her leg again coming up to wrap around to my ass.
“Are you sure?” I asked in a strained voice as I ran one hand from her ass cheek up her thigh, and bucked my hips against her.
“Yes,” she breathed, closing her eyes.
Moving my other hand to her other leg, she hopped, and I picked her up. Julie’s feet immediately dug into my lower back and I quickly lined up with her center before I shoved into her hard. I felt myself pulse the minute I was inside, and I had to still to keep from coming like a high schooler. I
rested my forehead against hers and heard her whimper.
“It’s going to be over before it begins if you don’t stop moving,” I warned with a hiss.
“Please,” she pleaded.
I opened my eyes again and found her looking at me with unshed tears. The emotions rolling in her eyes had my heart breaking. This woman was going to be the death of me. I needed her like I needed air. She completed me and damn, if three little words weren’t on the tip of my tongue to say to her, with the look she was giving me. I refused to do it during sex though, and instead brought my mouth down to give her the sweetest and gentlest kiss I could. My mouth showed her the love I couldn’t yet confess.
With her tongue circling mine slowly, lazily, and her hands buried in my hair, I shifted and started to rock her gently up and down on my shaft. Our languid movements didn’t take away from the intensity of the moment. Our eyes remained open, watching each other and taking everything in. When I felt her inner walls tighten as I was lifting her up, I pulled my lips from hers and watched her face. I wanted to see her as she came, as I took her over like no other man had.
Bottoming back out in her womb, the orgasm hit her like a tidal wave. She tightened on my cock so much, so quick, that the tingle in my back was a mere thought as I emptied into her. I continued to move us at a slow pace, drawing it out for both of us. Her face was tilted back against the tile and her mouth was open on a long low wail that had me gripping her ass hard enough to leave bruises later. Her nails dug into my shoulders and flexed with each stroke.
Just because I didn’t want it to end, I reached down with one hand to gently caress her clit. Her body clenched around me like a vice and the tingle in my back came back. That couldn’t be possible. The muscles in my legs started to shake from the strain. Moving us so that I sat on the floor of the shower with her straddling me, never disconnecting our bodies, she started to ride me. Hard and fast. Slow and steady was gone; now, we chased a second set of orgasms that had us both crying out when they hit simultaneously.
The Unknown (The Comeback Series Bonus Book Book 2) Page 10