Unfiltered & Unhinged

by Payge Galvin

  “I need,” she gasped, writhing against his hands, “I need a break.” Cass felt like she’d been torn open but in a good way. She usually needed time between orgasms, needed space to pull back into herself, but Dev was having none of it.

  He hooked his fingers inside of her, brushing over that spot that made her scream in pleasure. She tightened around his hand, every muscle in her body quivering with the force of her orgasm.

  Cass dropped back down on the bed, dazed. Her thoughts came sluggish and slow, and she briefly wondered if Dev might have broken her brain. She was dimly aware that he was sliding up her body, his chest pressing against hers. Her nipples hardened against the friction of his skin and she tossed her head on the pillows.

  Dev put a hand to her cheek, pulling her face around so their eyes met. He had a smug look on his face. “Cass,” he said, dipping his head so he could lick a line of heat up her neck. “We’re not done.”

  She stared at him, saw that he was already wearing a condom. When had he put that on? Dev really had broken her brain. “Can I,” she swallowed, mouth dry, “can I move my hands?”

  He laced his fingers with hers, drawing her arms up to drape over his shoulders. “Hang on,” he whispered.

  Then he was inside of her, filling her so completely that she cried out again. Cass pulled herself up, legs wrapped tightly around him. Their hips moved in time, finding a rhythm that threatened to break her apart all over again. He bit at her shoulder as he sped up, slamming into her. Cass matched him, rocking against his hips to take him even deeper. She locked her arms around him, trying to erase any space at all between them.

  Dev kissed her deeply, his tongue moving into her mouth in time with his thrusts. She felt his fingers rub against her clit, still teasing her as he approached his own climax. It wasn’t long before she came again, her body clenching all around him. He swallowed her scream, licking at her lips.

  “Cass, baby,” he muttered as her walls gripped him tight. “Love you, gorgeous.”

  Cass opened her mouth to say the words back to him, but he slammed into her one last time, a harsh cry dying on his lips as he fell forward, driving them both onto the mattress.

  Dev brushed hair out of her flushed face. Cass felt like all of her bones had liquefied, like she couldn’t move even if she wanted to. His weight pressed her down, but she didn’t mind, especially when he began to kiss her. They were slow and clumsy things, a little uncoordinated, but Cass relished them. She held his body against hers as their mouths lazily warred, feeling happy and sated.

  “You too,” she murmured.

  With a sleepy rumble, he slid out of her. Cass made a sound of disappointment, drawing another tired chuckle from Dev. He disposed of the condom and then came back to bed, wrapping them in her comforter.

  “What did you say?” he asked.

  “Same thing you did,” she admitted quietly.

  He pulled her into his arms. They stayed that way, wrapped up and content, for a few minutes. Then Dev told her, “I had really only planned to talk to you about last night.”

  “We see how well that worked out,” Cass noted, snuggling against him. “That explains the condom.”

  He nuzzled her cheek with his nose. “I was a Boy Scout. I believe in being prepared.”

  She reached up and traced his jaw with her fingertip. “Remind me to buy their popcorn the next time it’s on sale. I should really support future generations.”

  He laughed softly, his hands tightening around her waist. “You never told me how things ended with Wrex.”

  Cass arched an eyebrow at him. “As far as post-coital topics go, a psycho one night stand is not the best subject matter.” She poked him in the chest with her index finger.

  Dev’s lips brushed hers. “I just want to know you’re okay.”

  “I’m okay.” She took his face in both hands. “I’m better than okay. He’s going to leave me and Liam alone. I’m in bed with an amazing guy who is able to give me orgasms as if they were candy. And I’m going to have my bike back soon.” She kissed his chin. “I can’t think of anything else that I could possibly want.”

  “I’m really am sorry I left last night.” Dev pressed his forehead against hers.

  “Apology accepted.” Cass closed her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the deal I made.”

  “No, you were right. It wasn’t any of my business.” His hand cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers. “But going forward, you tell me these things, okay?”

  Cass caught her lower lip between her teeth. How could her body be responding to him again? She wriggled her leg free, then lifted it so her knee was resting against his hip. “Okay.”

  He nodded. “Good. Now, let me make it up to you.”

  As he captured her mouth once more, she didn’t have breath or thought left to argue.

  Chapter 19

  “What are you going to do with your Ducati?” Dev asked over coffee.

  They’d managed to get vertical after several hours of aborted attempts that always led to more naked times. They’d finally made it into the shower, and now sat on her couch getting properly caffeinated.

  Cass wrapped her hands around her mug and looked into the murky liquid, as if she could divine answers in it. “Not sure,” she said. “I guess I could sell it. You know, after you finish fixing my Superhawk.” She shrugged.

  “Or you could just scrap the other one and keep the Ducati.” He set his mug down on the table.

  “Shut your mouth,” she joked, nudging him with her elbow. “That’s my baby you’re talking about.”

  “I know, I know.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and Cass leaned into him. “I just worry about the money. I mean, how are you paying for all this, Cass? I know your new rig had to cost at least thirty K with all of the modifications you put on it.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “You can’t be making that much bank at Lucky’s.”

  Cass went still. She was hoping, stupidly, that Dev wouldn’t notice how much cash she was throwing around. She should have known he’d be too smart to not notice.

  “I’m not trying to pry, babe,” he continued, rubbing circles against her shoulder blade. “But if you need help, you can let me know.”

  “There’s something I need to show you,” she said, making her decision. She knew that she’d made a promise never to speak about that night at The Coffee Cave, but Dev could be trusted. And she couldn’t keep this to herself any longer.

  Setting her cup next to Dev’s, Cass went into her room. She came out a few minutes later carrying her old backpack. She set it down on the couch between them and gestured for Dev to open it. She watched him carefully as he unzipped the main compartment and spread it wide.

  “Holy shit,” he breathed, pulling out a stack of bills. “Cass…what is this?”

  She folded her hands in her lap. “I used to work at The Coffee Cave. And one night, this guy came in and started roughing up one of the baristas for no reason. I didn’t see what happened—I was in the back—but the guy wound up shot.”

  Dev dropped the cash he was holding and took her hands in his. “Okay.” He laced his fingers in hers. “But I’m still not seeing where the money comes in.”

  “I’m getting to that part.” Cass ducked her head, afraid of what came next. “Everyone in the shop decided it was better not to call the cops, and we made a deal never to tell anyone what happened. But when we went to the guy’s car, we found all of this. So we split it and got rid of the body.”

  “Why didn’t you guys call the cops? If the shooting was an accident, then it wouldn’t have been a problem, right?” Dev kept hold of her hands, rubbing his thumb along the back of hers.

  Cass blinked, unsure how to tell him the rest. That it had been her idea to get rid of the body. “Everyone had their reasons,” was all she could think to say.

  “Including you?” He put a finger under her chin, forcing her head up so he could see her face.

  She nodded. �
��Wrex. I couldn’t take the chance of him hearing I had anything to do with the police. I was afraid of what he’d do to Liam if he thought I was going to the cops about the betting.” Cass searched his face, looking for anything in it that would let her know he understood. “I know it makes me a horrible person, but I couldn’t risk Liam.”

  “You’re not a horrible person.” Dev stroked her cheek. “You could never be a horrible person.”

  “I tried to pay off Liam’s debt with this.” Cass gestured to the bag. “But Wrex wouldn’t take it. So I kept it—I didn’t know what else to do with it.” She sighed, pressing her face into his palm. “But I don’t want it anymore.”

  “Okay.” Dev tilted her head up so he could press a kiss to her lips. “We’ll figure out what to do with it.”

  “Together?” She stared into his eyes, seeing everything she could ever hope for in them.

  He nodded, pushing his forehead into hers.

  “Together.”

  —◊—

  A Note From Payge:

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for reading Unfiltered & Unhinged! I hope you love what you’ve seen so far. There’s so much more to come! Next is Unfiltered & Undone on May 1, 2014 followed quickly by Unfiltered & Unraveled on May 14, 2014.

  Already in love with UNFILTERED? Drop by our website and sign up for our newsletter to keep up on all things Rio Verde. We promise not to spam you, but there just might be some sneak peeks and bonus content!

  If you swooned for this book, the best way to help us keep our series alive is to review it. Anywhere! Even a few words are so appreciated! It makes a bigger difference than you think.

  Lastly, with so many co-authors, there’s always something fun to read online! Please go to our website (www.UnfilteredBooks.com) to find our Twitter handles, Tumblrs, and personal websites.

  Thanks Again!

  Payge

  —◊—

  Keep reading for a preview of Unfiltered & Undone by Payge Galvin & Kasey Wolfe, the fifth installment of the UNFILTERED series. For more on the Unfiltered Books, the rest of the series authors, or on Payge Galvin and Jane Lukas, please visit us online:

  www.UnfilteredBooks.com | Twitter: @PaygeGalvin, @Jane_Lukas.

  —◊—

  READ THE REST OF THE UNFILTERED SERIES:

  Unfiltered & Unlawful

  Unfiltered & Unknown

  Unfiltered & Unsaved

  A SNEAK PEEK OF

  UNFILTERED & UNDONE

  Book five of

  the Unfiltered Series

  ~ Payge Galvin & Kasey Wolfe ~

  COMING May 1, 2014

  —◊—

  From the back cover of UNFILTERED & Undone

  After a night-shift shooting of a drug dealer in The Coffee Cave, twelve strangers each walk out with more than $100,000 in dirty money, a pact never to meet again, and the chance to start over…

  Immunobiology student Jess Devereaux is a girl with a plan — shake loose from her stalker ex, gain her independence from her over-controlling family and, most important for her immediate happiness, seduce her sexy shooting instructor into the wild, raunchy, no-strings-attached fling she’s been dreaming of.

  Gun-club owner Declan Cavanagh is a guy with a plan — do whatever it takes to gain custody of his young half-brother from his violent, drunken stepfather, even if it means making cash fast in the bloody cage matches he thought he’d left behind. And he’s been doing some dreaming of his own about sweet, smart, sultry Jess.

  Then came the gun. The blood. The body on the coffee shop floor, a whole lot of drugs and money, and a pact between strangers to cover up a crime that sees Jess go from college student to killer with the squeeze of a trigger. But someone else knows Jess’s secret and is determined to make her pay.

  Declan’s always been a fighter. Jess is in trouble, and he won’t take no for an answer about helping her. Or having her.

  —◊—

  Jess

  “Hey, baby,” the husky voice said as Jess answered her phone. “How are you doing tonight?”

  Jess hurried across the path in front of a cyclist. “Better soon, I hope.”

  “Mmm, I hope so, too. So, what are you wearing, gorgeous?”

  “Clothing.”

  “Tell me everything. In detail. Start at the bottom.”

  “Boots. They’re black. Or they were when I started out. They’re gray now, from the dust on this path. Deserts are not made for black footwear. I really should have stuck to the road but—”

  “By bottom, I mean under the clothing.” Samantha’s deep, put-upon sigh hissed across the phone as her sex-line operator voice vanished. “You really suck at this, Jess.”

  “Sorry, I need more motivation. Like a guy on the other end of the line.” Jess stumbled. “Damn it. I shouldn’t have bought three-inch heels. If I make it to the gun club without falling on my face, it’ll be a miracle.”

  “I thought we agreed on the four-inchers?”

  “Did I mention the falling on my face thing? Really not a good look for me. Blood, dirt, an extra bump on my nose. Mmm, sexy.”

  “You never know. Declan might like a little blood and dirt.”

  Jess laughed. As she did, a guy walking ahead of her turned… and did a double-take. “Hey, Jess.”

  “Who’s that?” Sami asked.

  “Hey,” Jess said back. She had no idea who he was. Presumably a classmate but…

  “Trent,” he said. “From Advanced Immunobio last term.”

  “Right.”

  “Still have no idea, do you?” Sami whispered on the other end of the line.

  “You going somewhere?” he said. “Let me walk you. It’s not safe out here, especially after dark.”

  It was barely dusk. And there were a half-dozen other students on the path.

  “Someone must look good tonight,” Sami said. “Not that she needs the extra help, Miss Cute Little Blond with double-D—”

  “C,” Jess whispered.

  “Only if you squeeze them in—”

  Jess cleared her throat—loudly—and put the phone on mute while she thanked Trent for his concern but assured him she was fine and would see him around. He left with some reluctance, and she un-muted Sami.

  “Is Trent-from-Advanced-Blah-Blah hot?” was the first thing her friend said. “Normally, I shouldn’t need to ask that, because if a classmate is cute, a girl should notice, but we are talking about you.”

  “We are.”

  “Which makes it all the more imperative that Declan-the-Shooting-Instructor—aka, the first guy I’ve ever known you to get hot and bothered over—goes down tonight. Figuratively speaking. Or, well, no. If you could really get him to go down on a first date…”

  “It’s not a date.”

  “She says, otherwise ignoring my comment altogether.”

  “I wasn’t ignoring it. If he wanted to go down? Hell, yes, and please.”

  Sami sputtered with laughter. “You really are serious about getting some, aren’t you?”

  “Um, yeah. If I haven’t made that clear, you haven’t been listening. I want sex. Fun, satisfying sex with a hot guy, no strings attached, because after twenty-one years of waiting for Mr. Right and getting Mr. Asshole Chandler, I’m not waiting again. I’m going to have a fling. One really good, really hot, really satisfying fling.”

  “And Declan-the-Shooting-Instructor is it, right?”

  Jess deflated a little. “In my dreams, sure. In reality? I’m not sure I’m his type or—”

  “Stop.”

  “I just mean—”

  “Stop. Failure is not an option. You’re hot. He’s hot. You’re single. He’s single. You’re horny. He’s a guy.”

  Jess snorted.

  “It will work,” Sami said. “Just stay positive. Tell me what you’re wearing, and this time, make it sexy.”

  ‡

  Jess took a deep breath outside the campus gun club. When she adjusted her skirt, her hands were shaking.
She glanced at her reflection in the glass door. Was the miniskirt too much? Too short? She tugged at it, but that didn’t help.

  “Does it cover your ass?” Sami had asked when Jess bought it.

  “Yes, but—”

  “Then it’s too long. Take it back.”

  She’d laughed at that, and felt a pang of loneliness, wishing Sami was here in Arizona with her, not two thousand miles away in Rhode Island. They’d been freshman roommates here at ASU Rio Verde. The first time Jess saw Sami—crashed on Jess’s bed, half-dressed, freshly blue hair leaving dye on her pillow, Fuck You tattooed on her shoulder blade—she’d thought, “This is so not going to work.” But it did. It really did.

  The tattoo had turned out to be marker ink, written on by someone at a party the night before. Crashing in the wrong bed was an innocent mistake. Sami wasn’t even drunk, just exhausted after accepting a party invitation following a cross-country flight. The blue hair was all Sami, though. She was a visual arts student, an amazing artist who’d been accepted at the Rhode Island School of Design last summer. Hence the separation.

  It’d been a crappy year for Jess.

  Her best friend across the country.

  Cramming courses in so she could graduate early.

  Preparing the application for her dream Master’s program in Atlanta, the one that came with the CDC work-study option.

  Her parents pestering her about applying for med school until she lied and said she was, just to get them to shut up about it.

  And Chandler Walker, of course. Chandler, the perfect boyfriend who’d turned out to be a perfect asshole and, worse, an asshole she couldn’t get rid of. He’d been harassing her since their breakup a couple of months ago—calling her, following her, hassling her friends. Even calling the campus cops had only convinced him he had to work harder to get her back.

  She needed a break. She needed fun. She needed release. She needed sex. And while it was, she supposed, easy enough to get on a college campus, she had her heart—okay, other body parts—set on one particular guy. Who was right through that door.