God!
It was arousing.
Grabbing a change of clothing, and some sleep pants, she headed back to her room. Laying them on the bed, she waited. As Claire could hear the water, she visualized him naked in the shower.
She could almost see the ripple of toned flesh, the long lean lines of a truly sexy man. Then she pictured herself licking the tiny droplets of water from his body.
She must have slipped into the daydream, because the sound of her bathroom door opening startled her.
“Thank you for the use of your shower and getting my things,” Beckett offered, noticing that she had laid them on the bed.
“You’re very welcome,” she said, motioning toward the big old bed. It was damn hard to concentrate with a towel slung dangerously low on his hips.
Claire began praying it would slip.
Her blood pressure shot up.
Beckett glanced at the bed. He wasn’t feeling anything off, so he figured it was safe to approach it. “It’s your turn,” he offered, trying to be a gentleman.
She grabbed her things and raced for the room.
“I’ll wait for you here. We should grab something to eat,” he stated.
The door closed with a thud and Beckett grinned. It was petty of him to wear the towel out into her room, but he needed to see if she wanted him like he desired her.
Obviously, Claire did.
Cautiously, he touched the bed, hoping nothing would happen. When it didn’t, he relaxed. Sitting, he slipped into his pajama pants.
Then, he did something unthinkable.
He got comfortable on the bed. Beckett knew that was a damn bad idea. It smelled like Claire, and he hadn’t slept well the last few nights. The second his head touched the pillow, he was screwed.
Fighting sleep, he slowly succumbed.
The bed was too comfortable.
The peace was overwhelming.
Claire was…
And he was gone.
She took her time showering. Claire wanted to make sure she primped and got ready for the night ahead. Thinking back to that passageway, she wanted to revisit being pressed against the man.
Yeah, that was her plan.
As she lathered up, her mind wandered. While she rinsed off, her libido surged. Claire was appalled that at some point, she actually giggled.
Jesus!
What had happened to her?
Oh yeah…she’d been Becketted.
Turning off the water, she dried off. Claire excitedly dressed as she prepared to find him in her bed. As she opened the door, part of her previous fantasy was right.
He was in her bed, all right.
Passed out.
Despite this being a big blow to her plans, she really didn't mind. Claire knew he was exhausted. She could see it by the stress lines that had etched into his face. Moving toward him, Claire pulled the blanket over him.
When he didn't even flinch, she tucked him in. Gently, she placed a kiss on his lips before slipping beneath the blankets herself. Part of her was screaming to sleep in the other room, but the rest of her wanted to be right there.
That part won.
Thankfully…
As she stayed very still beside him, lost in the scent of his cologne, Claire let sleep take her too. Yes, she was disappointed, but life would go on.
And she’d bide her time.
* * *
He was pissed.
They weren’t supposed to be looking for the dead! They were supposed to be looking for the treasure!
He needed it!
This was all wrong.
Anger filled him, as he wondered how the hell he was going to make them refocus.
If they switched it up, searching for the idiots who had failed the last one hundred years, he would never get what he needed from them.
They were his last hope.
He was perplexed.
Then, it hit him.
There was one way to get them to do what he wanted.
He was going to force their hand.
By the end of it all, the Littlemoons would have to do his bidding, or they would pay the ultimate cost.
He sat back, laughing as his plan came together in his mind.
That gold was his.
It was only a matter of time.
* * *
Julian relaxed on their bed as his wife showered. His plan was to curl up with her as they got some sleep. She had to be exhausted, since he was.
How Tori managed to keep going astound him. It was like she wasn’t even pregnant. His wife was definitely a trooper. As he thought about her all naked and soapy, his phone rang.
Glancing down, he saw his brother’s number.
“Are you okay?” he asked, picking up the phone. It was late, and he shouldn’t be calling.
“Are you alone?” Justin asked.
“Yeah, why?”
He told him everything.
Julian’s eyes went big, and he knew this was going to be a huge problem. Once Tori found out, she was going to be hurt. There was going to be no way around this.
“I’m heading there with her brother.”
Julian hesitated. “Do you want me to take over on this?” he asked. His brother shouldn’t have to carry this. It was his duty as Tori’s husband.
“I have it. I just wanted you to know what was going on. I’ve thought long and hard, and it’s best we do it there, Jules. When Tori comes home, she can feel safe.”
He agreed. Julian also felt a tension headache brewing.
“What’s your plan, Justin? I know you have to have one. You’re usually prepared.”
He was.
Justin told him what he wanted to do.
Julian whistled. A part of him didn't want any of this to go down, but he knew the truth. Tori needed her family, and now more than ever.
“What do you think?” Justin asked.
“She’s going to die inside.”
The man was aware. That’s why he hoped this all worked out. Neither man wanted to see her hurt. They both loved her.
“Do what you have to. I have a mess here. I’ll make sure I hold her up when it all goes down.”
That made it easier. Justin knew his brother would die before letting anything happen to Tori.
“I’ll check in later.”
With that, the call ended, and Julian’s hell began. The guilt swamped him as he struggled to bury this deep. The last thing he needed was Tori focused on this and hurting.
This would be like a band-aid. Tori would need it ripped off fast, and then he would tend to the wounds.
Julian closed his eyes and prayed for a sign that this was the right thing to do.
Nothing came.
It was a bad sign all around.
* * *
The motion in the bed beside him was what eventually pulled him from sleep. He could feel someone lying against him, and it momentarily scared him.
Then, he realized who it was.
Slowly, he rolled to his side, taking in her form in the moonlight. He was in bed with Claire, and she was sound asleep.
Holy shit!
Could this actually be happening?
Beckett wanted to pinch himself to make sure, but he was afraid to move. If this was a dream, it was a pretty damn good one.
As he stared down at her body, artfully draped beneath the sheet, he wanted her. His body began aching to touch, taste, and feel her against him. He was only human, and today, being pressed against her in the passageway, had started his libido. Now, he was in bed with her, and she was only inches from his lips.
What was he to do?
Pretend that he wasn’t hard, wild, and needing to bury himself in her?
Beckett couldn’t even muster up the attempt to be valiant. He wanted her, plain and simple.
Lowering his mouth to her shoulder, he began leaving delicate kisses across her flesh. Claire was warm, sweet, and called to him on some deeply masculine level.
It was time to wake
what lived in him, and only she could bring it out. It was time for Beckett Rand to claim what he wanted.
In fact, it was way past due.
She could feel lips moving across her flesh.
Then, she could smell him. He was right there, trying to wake her with mouth and gentle fingertips.
Her body immediately reacted, answering his call. She got warm, wet, and needy.
When she opened her eyes, Claire was thrilled that she wasn’t dreaming. Not that the man wasn’t racing thought her nighttime fantasies, because he was. Now he was poised above her, staring down into her eyes.
“Claire,” he whispered, his breath warm and heated across her flesh.
She couldn’t speak.
“Tell me to leave and I will. If you want me to go back to my room, I’ll go right now.”
Staring down into her eyes, Beckett prayed for a miracle. Since he’d had his heart broken, he’d put this part of him away, high up on the shelf.
Now, he wanted to share it.
With her.
“Stay, Beckett. Please don’t leave.”
Her words reverberated through him, giving him hope. Just the knowledge that she wanted him warmed his soul. Claire was like that charmed talisman that would keep him safe.
He had to believe it.
Bringing his mouth down to hers, the kiss they shared was full of heat. Tongues tangled, lips slid across each other, and they began that exquisite mating dance.
It was burned into both of them from the beginning of their lives. Here was their other half, simply waiting to be claimed.
He knew it.
She knew it.
Now it was a matter of making it happen.
As she lay trapped beneath him on the mattress, Claire couldn’t think. Her body was on autopilot. What she wanted was to feel him buried deep within her body. She never wanted him to leave.
Slowly, he moved against her, his mouth never breaking from hers. As her hands ran up and down his back, stroking heating flesh, Beckett believed this was what heaven had to be like.
This was perfection.
She was more than he ever believed that he deserved.
Shifting down her torso, he tugged the tiny straps from her shoulders to finally see all of her. When her breasts were freed, he began feasting on them. With tongue and gentle nipping of teeth, he drove her to the edge of need and madness.
“Oh, Beck,” she moaned, her body bowing up as it begged wantonly for more. Nothing in all her life had ever felt like this.
It was pleasure beyond her wildest dreams.
As he sucked, nipped, and teased, she buried her hands in his hair, holding him to her body. As she shook, he tugged down the shorts covering her lower body.
His prize was waiting, and he couldn’t abstain anymore. What he longed for was to taste Claire so intimately, that she’d never want anyone to touch her like this again. Beckett was going to brand her with mouth and tongue, until she fell into the sweet release.
“Beck, please,” she murmured, as he teased around her navel with his tongue. All the while, his fingers stroked through her wetness.
“So amazing,” he replied, his mouth dipping lower, past hips and to the junction that he couldn’t wait to explore with his lips and erection.
Beckett couldn’t wait to claim his prize.
When he lapped at her wetness, she shuddered beneath him. It called to Beckett, making him even harder, if that was indeed possible.
His body ached, but he forced himself to take his time. This would be their first time, and by God, it would be memorable.
With each lap, she shook.
When his fingers tormented, joining in his feast, Claire whimpered in absolute pleasure.
It fueled him on, making Beckett want to drive her up and over into the pleasure. With the need growing in him, his mouth became hungrier, needier, and wilder.
The gentle laps became devouring nips.
The easy stroking tormented her more, pushing her closer.
“Oh God!” she whispered, his mouth undoing her.
When he nipped her, she shattered apart beneath him. Beckett was breathing heavy as he paused to watch the pleasure flitter across her features. She called to him, and he was helpless to it.
She had the power to break him, and he risked it all.
As Claire’s eyes opened, his met hers. “My turn,” she murmured, sitting up. Now it was her mouth that moved from his throat to his well-defined chest.
Beckett leaned back, bracing himself for the onslaught of what he knew was coming. This was going to be a wild storm, and he was destined to be helpless.
Lower she moved, over abs and finally to her focus. Beckett was amazing. Running her warm palm over his erection, he shook. He was silky, smooth, and built.
Claire was giddy with how amazing he was going to feel buried in her body, but first, she needed to taste him.
Teasing the head of his erection, his moans filled the silence of the room. When she couldn’t wait any longer, she slid him deep into the welcoming warmth of her mouth.
Here the fun began.
Claire not only got to worship the man she had secretly fallen for, but she could show him that pleasure didn't always lead to pain.
As she worked him eagerly with her mouth, his body fought the need to wildly buck beneath her lips. What Beckett wanted was to bury himself deep within the heat.
It had been a long five years, and he was desperate. As he could feel his body tightening, his pleading became louder.
“Please, Claire, God! I can’t,” he hissed, as she stroked him with lips, tongue, and her hand. She was pushing him past his control, and it was slipping through his fingers.
“Stop! Please stop!” he begged. While his body didn't want her to, his brain was fighting for control. He wanted to end this ride in her body. That was his one and only goal. Beckett wanted to feel the hot silky slide as he took her.
Hearing his torment, she broke away, licking her lips. “Yes, Beck,” she offered, moving against his torso. When his arms came around her, they tumbled back to the mattress.
Hands stroked, lips mated, and finally he pushed away from her. “I need to get naked,” he muttered, practically tearing his sleepwear from his body.
Claire wasn’t far behind him. She stripped and rested back on the bed, waiting in the moonlight like some prize on a pagan altar.
His blood surged at the vision. She was tan, sleek, and had gorgeous curves that he planned on worshipping later. Now, his Native Goddess was going to feel him taking what he wanted.
Her.
He was making his claim, staking it here and now, and she was never leaving his life. This was the one woman he could trust, and he would.
Crossing the bed, he poised himself above her. Instinctually, Claire wrapped her legs around his hips.
“I won’t hurt you,” he promised, nudging himself into the slick wetness.
She moaned as he pressed against her, trying to find his way home. He was larger than she thought and filled all the emptiness that had once been inside her.
“Please,” she whispered, only to have him stop. “No! God! More!” she begged, realizing that he thought he’d hurt her. With her legs, she pulled him near, burying him to the hilt deep within her body.
They both moaned as Beckett struggled not to erupt right there. It wasn’t easy. It had been too long, and now he was buried in something so perfect that it called to him.
“I need you,” she whispered. “I want you, Beck.”
He felt the same. With her words, the ride began. Slowly, achingly so, until they were both flushed with so much heat. As the pace quickened, so did their breath. It was now filling the room, along with the moans of pleasure, and kiss of flesh slapping against flesh.
“Oh, God!” Beckett hissed, his body tightening as it prepared for release.
Claire struggled to catch her breath as he buried himself repeatedly in her body. Beckett was filling her to capacity, and nothing
had ever felt like this before.
This was love.
“I’m close, baby. God! I’m so damn close,” he muttered, reaching down between them to stroke her. The second his finger touched her sensitive flesh, she ruptured apart in a dizzying orgasm.
“Beck!” she called, her nails digging into his shoulders as her hips pumped wildly, trying to take more and more of him in.
As she tumbled, Beckett had no choice but to fall with her. His heart already had, and now his body was right behind. The heat bubbled up, pouring from him in wave after wave of pleasure.
Together they came, tumbled, and drifted in the pleasure of their union.
Beckett was pretty sure that what he had experienced would be his pinnacle. Claire was the top of the mountain, and no one could ever match what she had just given him.
“Mmmmm,” she murmured, as he pressed her into the mattress. “That was amazing,” she whispered, running her fingers up and down his back as she basked in the amazing afterglow.
He laughed. “I can’t think.”
It was enough for her. Moving her head, she stared into his green eyes in the moonlit room. “Then don’t think, Beckett. Instead, only feel.”
His heart skipped.
For once, he was going to gamble in the game of love as he bet it all on one woman.
Claire Littlemoon was going to be his prize or his downfall.
He was well aware of it.
~ Chapter Ten ~
Monday Pre-dawn
There was a buzzing going on in her head, and she was pretty sure that she was being called to from the great beyond. Granted, Bethany told her she didn't have to pull her into a blackout to talk to her, but this was making her insane.
If these were her only two options, she’d take the blackout, hands down. This irritating sound was making her crazy.
Just as she was about to pull the pillow back over her head, the flashes started.
Unthinkable Games (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 3) Page 16