by L. P. Dover
“Claire,” he growled. “You’re driving me crazy.”
His hooded eyes were dark and glassed over when he gazed down at me. I licked the tip again while he watched me and replied, “I know, but you haven’t seen anything yet.”
Sliding off the bed, I turned around so my back was to him and reached back to clutch the zipper to my dress. Looking over my shoulder at him, I slowly unzipped my little red dress inch by inch until my bare back was exposed to him. He lifted off his shirt and moved back on the bed so he was propped up on the headboard. Biting my lip, I slid the strap down on my left shoulder and then my right, letting my dress slowly make its way down my body. I hadn’t worn a bra since my dress supported my breasts, so when I slipped out of my dress I took my lacy red underwear with it. Once I was completely undressed, I crawled back on the bed and straddled Mason’s waist. The tip of his cock glistened with his desire, so I swiped it with my thumb and stuck it into my mouth.
Keeping my gaze on him, I sucked my finger and moaned, earning a strangled cry from Mason’s lips in return. “Holy fuck, Claire, if you don’t do something now, I’m going to come all over this damn bed.”
Smirking seductively, I licked my lips and lifted my hips so the tip of his cock grazed my opening. I lowered down about an inch and swirled my hips again, coating him with my own desire. I could feel myself clenching, ready to have him inside me fully. The anticipation of it was what excited me. I loved the feeling of almost losing control and being on the brink of orgasm.
Mason dug his fingers into my hips and pleaded, “Please, baby. I need to feel you … to feel how wet you are inside. I want to know what your love feels like.”
His face was red and his skin felt warm to the touch. I knew I was tormenting and teasing him, but in doing so I was torturing myself. I lowered myself further onto his cock and immediately my clit throbbed with the need for friction. As soon as I completely wrapped him with my body, I clutched his face in my hands and crushed my lips to his, pushing my tongue in with the force of my thrusts. His grip tightened on my waist, and when I broke away from the kiss, he latched onto my swollen nipple, licking and sucking feverishly.
“Fuck, Claire. I’m going to come if you don’t stop riding me so hard,” Mason growled.
He couldn’t see me with his head at my breasts, but I smiled and rode him harder. I heard him hiss under his breath as he exploded inside of me just as I let go and screamed out my orgasm with him. I rode him softly for a couple more strokes to ride out the last tremors until it ebbed completely. Breathing hard, I collapsed onto his chest and listened to the pounding of his heart.
“I love you,” he whispered gruffly. “Damn, do I ever.”
I smiled up at him. “I love you, too. In a way I think I always have, even from the very beginning.”
“So did I, Claire,” he said, placing a gentle kiss to my forehead. “So did I.”
Slowly, I lifted my hips and let him slide out of me before cuddling into his side and wrapping my arm across his stomach. As soon as my heart stopped pounding, my eyes began to lose focus and grow heavy. I breathed in Mason’s familiar scent, all woodsy and spice with the strong hint of pure male, and let it take me away to a place where we were safe … to a place we called home.
Before Claire got up from bed, I decided to call the Chief of Police, Ryan Griffin, to ask him about the investigation he did on Jake Montgomery. Everything seemed too easy and coincidental for it to be Jake, but I’d seen people like him do very stupid things. Mostly they thought they were invincible, above the law, but eventually they would slip up. It was only a matter of time.
“It’s about time I heard from you,” Ryan barked into the phone. “What’s the update? Where are you staying?”
I moved to the far end of the suite and talked as low as I could so I wouldn’t wake up Claire. “I’m staying at the Bellagio. I went to The Labyrinth last night and met a Jake Montgomery. Is he the club owner you spoke about on the phone before I came out here?”
“Yes, he is. Everything checked out with him so we took him off the suspects list. Now, the people who go to his club are a different story. It’s not a secret that he has fights at his club every week, but they are all legal and approved. Even some of my guys like to go and watch them. We’re pretty certain that the person or persons involved in the case go to that club.”
“Okay, I’ll keep my eyes open. I’m actually going to be fighting tomorrow night,” I informed him.
“That’s excellent,” Ryan agreed in amazement. “You got in there fast. I’m going to have a package delivered to the hotel for you with some trackers in it. I want you to keep one on you at all times so we can make sure you’re in a safe location. Also, if I don’t hear from you or if I think something’s wrong then we can find you.”
The thought brought back memories when I put a tracker in my cousin’s watch before she was kidnapped by her husband, Claire’s brother. When I tried to find her she had run away into the woods trying to escape and ended up losing her watch. I thought I was going to find her dead in those woods, except instead it was just her broken clasped watch. One good thing about the trackers was that I could put one on Claire. That way I could keep track of her if something was to go wrong and we were separated.
“I’ll be on the lookout for it,” I remarked.
“Good. I’m also going to send some of my people out to the club to watch the fight. They won’t approach you so don’t worry about that. Good luck, and be careful. Whoever these people are they don’t show mercy.”
As soon as we hung up the phone, Claire slid out of bed, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes half open from waking. “Was that the Chief of Police guy you were talking about last night?”
I nodded and scooped her up in my arms. “Yes, it was. He said Jake was clean and they couldn’t find anything. He’s also going to send me some trackers so he can keep up with me.” Claire blew out a relieved sigh, but I still needed her to be wary of Jake until the whole thing came to an end. Lifting her chin with my fingers, I stared into her eyes, wanting her to see the seriousness in my gaze. “You still need to be careful around him, okay? At least until this case gets solved. Can you do that for me for just a little while? Don’t go anywhere alone with him or anyone else for that matter, got it?”
She saluted me. “Got it, Detective Bradley. No going anywhere alone with anyone other than you.”
Setting her down on the floor, I kissed her quickly and smacked her ass. “All right baby, we need to get busy and get out of here. Your lazy ass slept until lunch time so hurry up and get dressed.”
She rushed off and did her thing, and about twenty minutes later we were ready to go. We grabbed ourselves a quick bite at one of the restaurants in the hotel and then made arrangements to rent a car for the rest of the week. It was a four door, silver Chevy Colorado just like the one I had back home, except mine was much better. This one felt like it had been driven hard and not taken care of, which was common in rental vehicles. In my line of work I’d seen more reckless driving in people when they were in rental vehicles than in their own. It just went to show you that most people didn’t give a shit about other people’s property.
“You need to turn right on the next street,” Claire insisted while pointing toward the road. She had her long, blonde hair pulled high into a ponytail with a light green tank top that hugged her breasts and short, black shorts that showed off her smooth, tanned legs. Thoughts of last night and the way her mouth felt on my dick had me growing rock hard almost instantly.
“Are you okay over there?” Claire asked, trying to hide her smile. She glanced down at my lap and bit her lip before tightening up the laces to her sneakers.
“Sorry, but I was just thinking about your mouth on my cock. I think tonight needs to be my night to show you what love is,” I stated adamantly.
“Well, I’m sure not going to stop you,” she teased, “but you need to calm it down because we’re almost there.”
We were on
our way to the gym so we could meet up with Tyler and I could spar with him. The guy was stout, don’t get me wrong, but I had no doubt in my mind that I could take him. It might have been years since I professionally fought with someone, but it sure as hell hadn’t stopped me from practicing my moves in my line of work. Sometimes it was necessary when dealing with the kind of scumbags I saw in and out every single day of my life: domestic abusers, drug dealers, pedophiles, murderers, rapists. With all the bad shit I’d see every day it almost made me wonder if there was any good in the world. However, gazing over at Claire and seeing her angelic face I knew there was some left … there was still some good.
We were venturing closer to the areas where my friend Austin and the other dead fighters were found, but we were still a few miles away. Maybe Claire and I could drive by when we leave the gym and I could get a look at the surroundings. Surely, there had to be some connection somewhere.
Luckily, we arrived at Rushing’s Gym and Training facility right on time. From the outside it was hard to tell what to expect on the inside, but I was immediately shocked when I walked through the door. The place was much larger than it appeared outside, and everything was up to date and new. The treadmills and weight equipment looked barely used, except that could have been because no one was on them. They were all gathered around the octagon cage off to the left of the gym.
Tyler was in the ring training with a man who was built just like him, but I could tell he was a bit older by the gray hair peeking out of his head gear. “Do you need me to help you wrap your hands up?” Claire asked curiously. “I don’t exactly know how, but I thought I’d ask.”
I smiled at her and shook my head. “No, that’s okay. I’ve done it a million times on my own.”
Claire glanced over at Tyler and then back to me with worried eyes. “Don’t hurt him, okay? He’s a strong guy and I’ve seen him take out numerous drunken idiots at the club, but up against you and your fierceness it kind of scares me. He’s more of a have a good time goofball, whereas you are the serious and focused type.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” I promised. “If anything I’m sure you underestimate him.” His movements were fluid and full of force, but I could see room for improvement. “Who’s that training with him?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s his dad,” Claire informed me. “He’s owned this gym for years. I used to come here with Wade and Ty all the time. There’s a room Ty’s dad used to let me use to practice my dance routines while the guys all stayed out here.”
“I bet they hated that,” I groaned, “especially not being able to watch you in those tiny shorts of yours.”
She smacked me in the arm. “Oh, stop. If Ty’s dad doesn’t mind I’ll probably leave you out here while I go practice. I have two days to make up a routine. So, see, no one will be watching me in my short shorts.”
Reaching behind her, I grabbed her ass and growled, “Good, because you’re mine now, and heaven forbid I don’t know why. You’re too good for me.”
Claire leaned up and kissed me gently on the lips. “I know why, Mason,” she murmured softly. “It’s because you were meant for me; you were meant to be mine as well. I can feel it in here,” she said, placing a hand over her heart.
“Oh, isn’t that sweet,” Tyler teased, coming up behind Claire and putting his arm around her. “Keep softening him up, kitten. The more you do the easier he’ll be to beat down.”
His dad came up beside him and laughed. “Son, I think you have that all wrong. The more you flirt with Claire, the more I think I’ll be scraping your remains off the mat. Now go get the boy some tape and gloves.”
Tyler smirked and winked at me before ambling off toward the back of the gym. He had some balls to keep goading me, but I could tell it was in his nature to flirt, just like Claire said. Claire was mine and at the end of the day she would be going home with me.
“It’s so good to see you again,” Claire squealed, flinging her arms around Tyler’s father’s neck. “How have you been? The gym looks amazing with all the new equipment.”
“It was about time I invested in an improvement with this place. Business has picked up since I did it so I think it was worth it,” he answered. “I heard you were going to dance again at the club. Is that true?”
Claire nodded and shifted on her feet nervously. “Yes, but only for one night. Jake has a way with getting what he wants.”
“That he does, child, and just so you know, the back room is all ready for you if you want to go back there and get started. Ty and I will take care of your man for you.”
She snorted sarcastically. “Yeah, I’m sure you will. You guys have fun.” She smiled at me quickly before rushing off through another door in the back.
Tyler’s father extended his hand to me and introduced himself, “Thank you for coming, Mason. My name’s Stephen Rushing.”
I accepted his hand and shook it firmly. “It’s good to meet you, Stephen. I see you’ve been helping Tyler train. Did you ever compete?”
“Not in the mixed martial arts type of fighting that you and Ty do. That’s why I only really help him with his boxing techniques. I competed for the heavyweight boxing championship in my day, but I never made it. I came close, though.”
Tyler sauntered back into the room and threw a roll of black tape and gloves in my direction, interrupting us. “Here you go, man. Tape up and let’s get started.” He jumped into the cage and grabbed his gloves while I taped up my hands.
“How long are you and Claire going to be in Vegas?” Stephen asked.
I finished taping up my hands and reached for the gloves. Nonchalantly, I shrugged my shoulders and replied, “Probably another week or so. I guess it all depends on how my money supply holds up. My luck with gambling hasn’t been going too well.” It was all a lie, but it was the story I had to stick with.
Stephen chuckled. “Oh, I know how that goes. When my wife and I moved here thirty years ago I was addicted to the casinos. She almost left me because I lost our vacation money one year.”
“I’m waiting,” Ty yelled, waving his arms impatiently in the air. “Get your pansy ass up here.”
Stephen rolled his eyes at his son and sighed. “Yes, get up there and teach my son a lesson. He’s getting on my nerves.”
“I would be glad to,” I remarked happily. It’ll be my pleasure.
Secretly, I watched Mason and Tyler spar for a few minutes while I was hidden behind the door. I wanted to observe Mason, to see what kind of fighter he was. It was amazing to see him move, and the way the muscles worked in his body. He had just lifted off his shirt, showing all of his muscles, including the eagle tattoo on his shoulder and bicep. Back when my brother was married to Melissa they always had a huge annual pool party once every summer. It was the first summer I took notice of Mason, and I suspect the first time he ever paid attention to me.
After everyone had left, he was still sitting by the pool with his shirt off, drinking a beer. I was curious as to why he chose to get an eagle tattoo, and when he explained the reason to me I knew there was a much deeper side to him then what he let on. He may have been drunk, but what came out of his mouth came from his heart.
He told me the eagle stood for honor, strength, and courage. When his mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer he said for the first time he felt alone and scared. He told me the one thing she loved most was her music, and each time she would be sad or in pain he would play her favorite song, “Wind Beneath my Wings” by Bette Midler.
He needed strength to get through her death, and the courage to let her go. She was all he had left other than Melissa. After joining the police force he knew what it felt like to honor the badge and to fight for what was right. The eagle stood for all of that as well. I wasn’t too sure if he remembered telling me the story, but every time I saw his eagle it reminded me of the pain he felt. After we talked that night, I watched him from the guest room in my brother and Melissa’s house; he was just sitting by the pool, staring at t
he water. I cried for him, knowing very well he wouldn’t give in to it. I cried for us both.
Remembering all of that emotion, it gave me an idea. My ability to dance came from inside me and in the way I felt. Mason’s story was inside my heart, and I was going to dance it.
The back room where Stephen let me dance was a quarter of the size of the main room that the guys were in. The flooring was like one huge mat that flexed underneath my feet when I walked on it. It was similar to the flooring a gymnast would use, and it definitely helped when I needed air for my jumps. The wall in front of me was nothing but a huge set of mirrors just like a dance studio. I guess Stephen never found another use for the room.
In thinking up a routine, I always put together the steps and then picked out the music last. I liked the room to be silent when I came up with my dances. I never knew of another dancer who did it that way. Most of them listened to the music and then came up with the steps … I danced to the music in my heart. However, this dance came from Mason’s.
Time must have slipped by because one minute I was dancing my heart out and the next Mason appeared in the doorway, his gaze alit in wonder. I didn’t realize how tired my muscles were until I stopped to catch my breath.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked breathlessly, resting my hands on my knees.
“Long enough to see how beautiful you are when you dance. The look on your face was something I’ve never seen before.”
He handed me the hand towel that was in his hand and I used it to wipe the sweat away from my forehead. “Thank you. Dancing was the only way I could express myself other than words.”