by Meghan March
He pulled away and shook his head. “Nah. I know exactly how this is going down. I’ve been dying to fuck you bent over this island since the morning you made me breakfast after I kissed you for the first time.”
“I wish you would’ve.”
His grin was wicked, but I only caught a glimpse before he spun me around and yanked up my skirt, baring my thong to the empty room.
Rhett’s hand cupped my ass and squeezed. “Every time you walk away from me, I can’t get enough of this sweetness. Makes me wonder what my handprint would look like on it.”
A shiver rippled through me. Spanking was definitely on my must try list.
“Possibly even better than your cock in my mouth.”
A growl filled the kitchen before his palm landed on my cheek with a sharp smack. The burn stung, but morphed into heat when he massaged it.
“You like that, Red? Because it’s turning the prettiest pink, just like your cheeks when you blush.”
My panties were officially toast. “Then you better make them match.”
He released his grip and his hand swung again, his palm connecting with my other cheek in a delicious burn. I moaned and arched into his touch.
He landed two more sharp strikes and then tucked a finger under the back of my thong. He pulled it away from my crack, sliding a finger all the way down until . . .
“Fuck, you’re soaked.” His finger dipped inside me, teasing me with shallow thrusts.
Was that moan bouncing off the walls mine? Why, yes. Yes, it was.
I parted my legs and Rhett plunged a second finger inside, dragging me closer to the edge. He moved behind me, and the hiss of his zipper met my ears.
He reached for the waistband of my thong and tugged it down my legs before stepping between them, his powerful thighs spreading mine further. I turned my head to the side, intending to lift and look back at him, but Rhett stopped me by snatching the pen from my bun and grasping my messy tresses in a strong grip.
“You’re going to take everything I give you, aren’t you, Red?”
Oh sweet Jesus. The feel of his fingers digging into my scalp sent me soaring as he notched his cock against me from behind.
When I didn’t respond verbally, he clutched my hair tighter. “Tell me you want this as fucking bad as I do, Ari.”
“I want it all.” I meant every word of it. I wanted this man, this flesh-and-blood imperfect man who was perfect for me.
He plunged inside, pinning me to the counter. Something about his dominant hold on me lit every nerve aflame, and I was consumed.
As he powered into me over and over, he kept his fingers buried in my hair, sending shock waves of sensation through every cell. When he reached around and strummed my clit, I detonated. Writhing against the kitchen island, I let out a harsh sob as I came over and over. Rhett fucked me like I’d always wanted to be taken, but had never known what to ask for.
Reality rocked.
47
Rhett
We moved our laptops to the bedroom and set up on the king-sized bed to keep working the next day. The way that Ari shifted seamlessly between sex kitten and determined partner was refreshing and amazing. I could imagine doing this for years to come and never getting bored.
I thought more about her idea about finding missing people when this was all over, and it felt right. But first, I needed closure.
I looked over at Ari, her fingers moving so damned fast, I didn’t know how she hit the right keys half the time. “What are you digging into now? Do we need to discuss not breaking federal law?”
She smiled my way. “Don’t worry your pretty head about it, Rhett. I swear it’s for a good cause.”
Anyone else who’d said something along those lines would earn a killing glare, but coming from Ari, it made me laugh. “That means you’re seven layers deep in NASA, doesn’t it?”
Her face twisted into a moue of annoyance. “NASA’s pointless. And no, I decided to go back to the beginning to figure out how all the pieces fit together.”
The humor seeped out of my body like water through a handful of sand. “Back to the beginning of what?”
She looked at me again. “Everything. There’s gotta be a connection somewhere. I met Carlos a year and a half ago at a cocktail party that Esme made me go to with a bunch of Silicon Valley CEO types. Basically, a revenge of the filthy-rich nerds get-together.”
As much as I didn’t want to hear about the guy, I was curious about her life. “And how did it start?”
“That’s what I was thinking about. We were introduced by another CEO I was friends with. He was into nanotechnology, and I was trying to find worthy startups to take equity stakes in while I messed around with my facial-recognition project.”
For some reason, listening to her talk business was sexy as hell.
“I thought that’s why he was bringing Carlos over, because he was a protégé who needed capital.”
“But he wasn’t?”
She shook her head. “No. He was a very random introduction that night, and I couldn’t figure out why he was there. He clearly had money, but he wasn’t a geek who’d made good like the rest of us. We talked for a bit and that was it. He didn’t hit on me or anything. Actually, he left with my friend to have another round of drinks elsewhere, and I passed and went home to work some more.”
I pictured the scenario playing out in my head. “When did you see him again?”
She looked at the ceiling for a minute, as if sorting through that filing cabinet in her head. “A week or so later. I was leaving the gym and literally bumped into him on the sidewalk on the way to my car. I dropped my protein shake and it splattered everywhere.”
Textbook move. “So he’d been doing his recon and figured out where you would be to stage a casual second meeting.”
She stiffened. “You think?”
“Did he take you somewhere to replace your protein shake as an apology, then strike up a conversation and leave after having secured a date?”
Ari’s eyes went big. “Yeah. That’s exactly what he did.”
I finally said what I’d been thinking. “Textbook. If I’d been in his shoes and trying to infiltrate your life, that’s exactly what I would’ve done.”
“Infiltrate? That sounds so deliberate. You think it was planned from the beginning?”
I threaded my fingers through hers. “You were a target. He followed a set MO that worked the way it was supposed to. None of that is something you could have foreseen.” I paused, something else occurring to me. “Did your nanotechnology friend know about the facial-rec software project?”
Ari bit her lip as she considered. “Yeah, he did. We’d talked about applications and how to create an interface that could be used for public safety.” She turned toward me. “How did I not see this? He must have told someone, and Carlos swooped in and played me like a complete idiot.”
I plucked her laptop off her lap and pulled her into my side. “It’s not your fault. This isn’t something you should’ve or would’ve seen coming. There’s too much good in you to recognize motives like that in people who come across as straightforward.”
She craned her neck to look at me. “Says the former cop to the hacker. Don’t you think I should’ve suspected?”
“No. Why would you?”
“Because I didn’t have a lot of guys coming around trying to take me out on dates. After the first one, he got a little more aggressive, making sure he could fit into my schedule.” She shook her head. “I thought it was just the cultural difference, but now I realize it was all motivated by something completely different. And then he’d disappear for a while and pop back in, checking on my progress by casually bringing it up on another date. Gah, it makes me feel so stupid.”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “There’s no reason to feel stupid. None.”
She stiffened. “I wonder if he’s behind the hacking attempts? It would be logical. Shit. What if he was trying to get his hands on the software before
I figured it out?”
“Were the attempts successful?”
Ari shook her head. “No, but they were aggressive, smart, and targeted. God, it makes total sense now.” She grabbed her laptop and resettled into her position, her fingers flying. “Now I’m even more determined to figure out what this asshole is up to. He’s not going to take my technology and turn it against the people I created it to help. No way in hell.”
For Ari’s sake, I hoped he didn’t have the chance, but there was no telling what the cartel could accomplish in that short time.
With her lost down the rabbit hole of cyberspace, I thought back to when everything happened with my brother Robin. He was killed in the line of duty, and when the department said he was dirty, my father retired from the force rather than fight to find out what really happened.
Then I went digging, even though they wanted me gone. That’s when I found out, just over a year ago, that my father had let Robin take the fall for his actions.
Or so I’d thought. Could Robin have been dirty too?
It seemed like a twisted and knotted mess that was impossible to untangle. What was the truth? Why did they do it? With both Robin and Dad gone, I couldn’t ask them.
When I pushed off the bed, Ari glanced up. “What are you doing?”
“Going to call my mom on the secure line in the panic room. See how she’s doing.”
She smiled. “Tell her I said hi.”
I smiled back, but it didn’t remove the rock from the pit of my stomach. What does Mom know?
I left the bedroom and headed for the closet where the panic room door remained open. I picked up the landline and dialed my mom’s cell number, kicking myself for not thinking ahead and giving her a burner phone.
She answered on the third ring.
“Hey, Ma.”
“While I live and breathe, it’s my son calling.”
“How’s Vail treating you?”
“Oh, you know, just staring at the mountains and contemplating the meaning of life while I drink coffee and wish I had some answers.”
I huffed out a forced chuckle. “Sounds a little like what I’m doing.”
“Any news? What should I do with the house?”
“I’ve already got a line on a cleanup crew to remove the rubble soon. There wasn’t much that could be salvaged.”
“I figured as much.” Her tone was quiet and resigned.
“I know, but at least insurance is taking care of that part of things so you don’t have to worry about the cost.”
“That’s a relief at least.” She paused. “How are you doing, Rhett? I know being back there can’t be easy after . . .”
Some things moms just know. “It’s not bad. I’m . . . dealing with things.”
“You know, when you left, part of me was happy that you were getting out. Breaking the mold. I didn’t want to take the chance that I’d lose another son.”
It surprised me to hear her say it, especially when I didn’t just leave, I cut my family out of my life for a solid year.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have turned my back on you and Dad. I couldn’t—”
“You don’t have to say it. I understand. Your father had to know that by going down that path, it would cost him, even if he didn’t see it when he started.”
My mother’s words made me wonder again if she knew more than what she was saying. “What happened? Do you know? Did he tell you?”
Her end of the line went quiet for several moments. “I don’t know much. He shielded me, or at least he tried. But there were things that didn’t make sense. Money that would magically show up and I was expected not to ask questions, so I didn’t. Rhett, as much as I wish you could uncover evidence showing this was all a setup, I think the further you dig into this, the more you’re going to find that isn’t true.”
I attempted to swallow over the lump in my throat. My father’s image had already been tarnished by the evidence, but hearing it come from my mother was a sucker punch to the gut. “What money?”
“I know I should’ve told you, but . . . we were having some hard conversations. How he was going to be able to afford to retire with the pensions getting sliced to practically nothing. Then a downturn in the market took out half our retirement savings. We weren’t smart, Rhett. We didn’t plan right. Your father was angry, furious that he’d worked for years for promises that kept changing. I worried that he would do something rash, but I didn’t ask questions. I didn’t want to know. That was my fault. I should’ve gotten a job, or—”
“Mom, stop. It’s okay. You didn’t do this. He did.”
Bile rose in my throat as my mother confirmed my worst fears. My father had a motive. Resentment. I understood it, but I hated to think that it could have been something so simple that would have caused him to betray everything he stood for. Everything he’d raised my brothers and me to stand for.
“It’s not okay. If I’d stopped him, maybe we wouldn’t have lost you for a year. Maybe he could’ve found some way to make it right.”
“You didn’t lose me. I’m right here. And we’re going to figure this out and make sure you have everything you need so you can come home as soon as I get your place rebuilt.”
She laughed, but it was without humor. “I’m not coming back to Louisiana, Rhett. I can’t. I’m notorious there. I don’t want to be an old lady who can’t face her neighbors because of the shame. Here, I’m someone completely different. No one knows my past. No one looks down on me with judgment. I’ll be able to make friends, start a new life. Maybe you should think about doing the same.”
Her words ripped through me with a force I didn’t expect. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. In fact, if you’ll help me, I’d like to take the insurance payout without rebuilding. I’ll sell the lot. Someone else can build something good over all this bad, and maybe, just maybe, the Lord will forgive us all someday.”
Resignation settled in my bones. “If that’s what you want, Mom, I’ll make sure it happens.”
“You’ve always been a good boy, Rhett. You need to let go of the past and focus on the future. Find your own happiness. Have you taken my advice? Are you going after the life you want?”
“I’m working on it.” I glanced toward the bedroom. “And Ari says hi as well.”
“Tell her I’m sending my love all the way from Colorado. I always adored that girl. She’s something special, Rhett. You could do worse than to keep her by your side for the rest of your life.”
And . . . that was my mother. Jumping to forever in a single sentence. But if I had a choice, forever was on the table as an option. “I know, Mom. We’re testing the waters.”
“Make sure you treat her right. She’s a grown woman. Wine and dine her. If you need any suggestions—”
“Thanks, but I got this.”
“I’m sure you do. Take care, and don’t forget about me all the way up here in the mountains.”
“Never. Talk to you soon, Mom.”
I hung up the phone with mixed emotions, but the primary one was despair.
Mom knew something was going on and she never said anything. Did that make her guilty? No, I refused to believe that. But her admissions were a crushing blow to the last shred of hope I had that this could have been a setup. Now, I had to face the fact that things were, at least to a certain extent, exactly what they’d seemed.
My dad was a dirty cop, and someone took him out before he could go down for good and possibly talk.
There were so many more questions I wish I would have asked my mom, but I wasn’t going to drag her down that path again.
I made my way back to the bedroom and glanced through the doorway at Ari braiding her red hair around the side of her neck. She tilted her head one way and then the other as she read what was on her screen, and then looked up at me with a smile on her face.
“How’s your mama? Did you tell her that Team Awesome is going to get to the bottom of this mess, and she’ll never have to wor
ry about anything ever again?”
Team Awesome.
A smile fought through the darkness in my head and tugged at my lips. I thought about what Mom had said about Ari. You could do worse . . .
She missed the mark there.
I would never find anyone better.
48
Ariel
Rhett was quiet for a while after he got off the phone with his mom, and then he disappeared outside to talk to the new security team Carver had been able to put together in a matter of hours.
I’d met the linebacker-sized guys, but in the craziness, their names hadn’t stuck with me. I never wanted to be that asshole client who didn’t think of service providers by their names, but I thought I deserved a pass on this one. Besides, Rhett was covering that side of things. After I jokingly called us Team Awesome, I decided I wasn’t kidding. We could be a powerhouse duo. Before I could let my imagination wander, my cell rang through a secure phone line app that I’d gone back to using.
Esme and Erik.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“We’re holding down the fort. So far, so good.” This came from Erik.
“That’s good. No sign of the zero?” I asked. Erik had taken to calling Carlos “the zero” because he was on a World War II kick right now.
“Nope. Nothing. We’ve upped security protocol, and the critical team has been alerted that all precautions should be taken. The building isn’t admitting anyone who isn’t on the employee roster without heavy advanced screening.”
I didn’t like the idea of my company running like a prison, but in this case, I was happy to take the better safe than sorry route. After all, it wasn’t every day I got on the wrong side of a Mexican drug cartel.
“Anything else new?”
“Not much. We were more calling to get an update on how it’s going in lockdown land with the sexy Rhett Hennessy. Did ya get some?” Esme was shameless.
“As your boss, I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that question.”
“Ohhh, you know that means she did! Score, girl!”