by Emery Cross
Cade’s Property
Book 3
Emery Cross
Cade’s Property 3
Copyright© 2015 by Emery Cross
Cover Design by: Avanti Graphics
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Other books in the series:
Cade’s Property 1 (Available)
Cade’s Property 2 (Available)
Cade’s Property 3 (Available)
Cade’s Propery 4 (Available)
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
CHAPTER ONE
REMI
After yesterday’s adventure, I turned off my phone and buried it in my purse so I wouldn’t be tempted to start sexting him again. I pressed my fingers to my lips. They still felt swollen from his kisses. What had possessed me to call him Raff as if he were my lover and not my client?
I was determined to come back to reality. I needed to search for a job. I used the phone book to find the local library, which was in walking distance, but the hills I would have to navigate to get there made it next to impossible. Rather than bother Fitch, I called for a taxi.
After spending the day on the computer filling out applications, I called for another cab. Rafferty’s Ferrari roared around us as the ancient cab struggled up the steep hill. I tried to duck out of his line of vision, but he glanced over as he passed.
As he met me on the drive, his dark sunglasses hid the glare I knew he was giving me.
I tried for bright and cheery. “How was your day?”
“Fucking fantastic business wise. But pure shit personally. Why the hell did you ignore my calls?”
I held up my grocery bag filled with the used books I’d bought at the library’s donation center. “I’m sorry. I was at the library.” I dug the phone out of my purse and adjusted the volume. “Had it on vibrate.”
He arched an eyebrow skeptically.
“I found a workbook for the GED. It’s only a couple of years old.”
Looking slightly appeased, he carried my bag of books as we headed around the back.
While I sat myself down at the kitchen table with the workbook, he went downstairs to the gym.
When I saw him next, he was wearing jeans and a threadbare old t-shirt which clung to his shower-dampened skin. The workout had clearly de-stressed him. “What do you say to pizza and a night of watching movies?”
“I can’t think of anything better,” I said and closed the workbook.
Being a carnivore, he wasn’t up for my choice of toppings, jalapenos and pineapple, so he ordered a second pizza for himself.
“Is a scary movie likely to have you crawling into my lap? Or are you one of those women who doesn’t mind a little beheading and flesh ripping?”
“Let me put it this way— the last time my friend, Hannah, and I went to a scary movie, she had to spend the night in my bed because I wouldn’t go into my room alone.” I laughed.
There was a long pause.
I sighed. “You know it is possible for two women to just lie together in the same bed and do nothing but sleep. It’s only you men who imagine all kinds of stuff happening.”
“I guess I’ll withhold my next question about what you were both wearing.”
“T-shirts, pajama bottoms,” I said with a laugh. “Does that help kill the image?”
“Baby, you could wear a burlap sack, and I’d still be hard thinking about you tucked in bed.”
***
Rafferty had had an entire movie theater counter of treats delivered from a local store. I stared at them like an excited kid trying to decide if I should open the chocolate covered peanuts or the licorice first.
He stopped flicking through the on-demand movie choices and watched me struggle to make snack choices. “You biting your lip in indecision has to be the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Open all the boxes and make a mix of everything.”
“Brilliant.” I smiled. “No wonder you’re so successful.” I tapped my chin. “I’m going to need a bowl.”
“I picked a particularly scary flick,” he called to me as I went in search of a bowl. “One that will guarantee to have you squirming in my lap by the first blood curdling scream.”
He watched me stroll back to the couch as I returned with the bowl. I took secret delight in the fact that his eyes never seemed to leave me. I sat down and attended to what I considered to be the extremely important task of mixing my snacks. He pressed a few buttons on the remote. The lights dimmed and the massive television turned on. The glass screened fireplace on the wall adjacent to the couch roared to life.
I gazed over at the flames as they danced in the hearth. “I’ve never sat in front of a fireplace before,” I said. “I always wondered what it would be like.”
I leaned back against the couch with my bowl of goodies, and his arm went around my shoulder. He had the type of arms that could make a girl feel completely safe.
“How is that possible?”
“I grew up in an apartment.” I peered up at him. “Does a trash can filled with burning paper count? Actually, an alarming amount of heat can be produced from balled up newspaper. But the smoke is overwhelming.”
He grew quiet, and I wished I hadn’t brought up my squalid memory of being a street urchin. It was a pathetic attempt to gain sympathy and get him to tighten his protective hold on me. When he drew me in closer, I almost purred with pleasure.
“You ran away from home at fifteen?”
Brian clearly had a mouth to match his enormous size.
“Why?” Rafferty persisted.
“Because my heroin-addicted mother offered me up to my newest ‘stepfather’ in exchange for a fix. I was out that door so damned fast.” I gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I guess I came full circle, considering what I chose to do for a living.”
“You did it to help your sister.” The fierceness in his tone pressed against my chest.
“After I ran away, I called social services and my aunt. Eventually, my aunt got custody.” I instantly felt ashamed. I had no right to defend myself. “Of course, that doesn’t erase the fact that I left my sister behind.”
“Remi, sweetheart, you were a child.” He stroked my arm. “Baby, why didn’t you go to your aunt’s?”
“I worried as a minor the authorities might track me down and haul me back to my mother. Besides, my aunt is a stern woman and I’m a bit—“
“Wild? Rebellious? Stubborn?” His deep voice was tinged with amusement.
“I’m not that stubborn.”
He chucked me gently under the chin. “I’ve never known a more stubborn female.”
I shoved up the sleeve of his t-shirt to uncover his muscular bicep. “Does this tattoo have a meaning?”
He heaved a sigh at my swift change of subject. It was obvious he wanted to dig further into my past.
I
traced the outline of the inked pistols with my finger.
“It’s a military police insignia. I served in the army for a few years.” He took a swig from his beer bottle.
I’d guessed from the beginning that he was so much more than a gorgeous guy with an expensive haircut and a lick-worthy body. “That explains you. I didn’t think they taught badassery in an MBA program.”
He slanted an amused look at me. “It was because of the military that I could afford to get my degree,” he said. “Now you tell me about the tattoo on your neck. Tell me about Sam.”
“Not tonight.” I planned on saying ‘not tonight’ until we ran out of nights.
I could feel him tense at my evasion. I snatched the remote from him and made a fumbling attempt to get the picture started. With a sigh, he took back the remote and clicked the player on.
As the movie started, I hooked my legs over his thigh and snuggled up against his side. Rock music played in the background as two college age males tried to flag a car on a moonlit night. “Jeez. As if this scenario hasn’t been done to death,” I said. “Who the hell hitchhikes on a deserted road in the boondocks?”
“Holy shit, are you one of those people who tries to warn the actors about entering dark attics?”
“Maybe.” I stuck a piece of licorice in between my teeth and tugged at it to break it.
He laughed and pulled me tighter to his chest. “Fine, but we’re going to play a little game. Every time you cover your eyes or yell at the actors, you have to remove a piece of clothing.”
“And you?” I asked. “What rules apply to you in this game of horror movie strip poker?”
“I get to watch.”
“That seems a little one sided.” I took another bite of licorice.
“I bought the candy.”
I glanced at the array of goodies on the table. “That’s true, and you did a splendid job.” I relaxed back again. “I’ll just make sure to not cover my eyes or shout advice at the screen.”
CHAPTER TWO
REMI
I happily chomped through a ridiculous amount of candy as the movie hit all the usual horror tropes.
Of course, several completely inane decisions by the characters in the movie had caused me to lose my shirt and jeans. One particularly gruesome scene where a man was stretched between the bumpers of two trucks prompted me to cover my eyes and my bra was next. I’d moved closer to the fireplace to keep warm and hugged my knees to my chest.
He looked over at me. “Can you believe they are going into that gas station kiosk even though there’s blood splattered on the window? Too bad someone sensible isn’t around to warn them.”
“You won’t be pleased until these panties come off, and I’m sitting completely naked on this couch.”
“True.” He said with a wicked half-smile. He picked up the remote and shut off the movie. Then he slid across the supple leather couch to where I’d tucked myself near the fire. He took hold of my ankles, straightening my legs and draping them across his lap. He smoothed his hands up the length of my legs. His fingers hooked on the waistband of my panties, and he slid them off and twirled them on his finger once before letting them fly.
He leaned up over me and kissed my mouth. Then he stopped and ran his tongue over his lips. “Hmm, licorice and sour gummy bears. Not bad.” His mouth came over mine again, and as he kissed me, his hands caressed my naked skin.
The smart phone he’d given me chimed from inside the pocket of my jeans. He looked annoyed at the disturbance. When he’d said he wanted my undivided attention, he’d meant it.
“Who did you give your number to?”
Guiltily, I snatched up my jeans and dug the phone out of the pocket. “My sister. Hannah. A few potential employers.”
“You’re applying for jobs on my time?”
Seeing the call was from Hannah, I shoved the phone back into the pocket.
He thumped his chest with the flat of his hand. “For two weeks I’m your fucking job.” The fun, date-like quality of the evening was instantly obliterated.
Without warning, he swept me up into his arms and carried me upstairs.
In the quiet of his bedroom, he set me down, my bare feet pressed into the luxurious rug. There was a snap of cold in the vast room, and I drew my arms across my naked breasts for warmth. Another shiver ran through me as Rafferty walked to his closet and selected two ties. I brushed away unnerving thoughts. The movie had made me paranoid.
He returned to where he’d deposited me, the silk ties clutched in his hand. His sudden nearness made me wish to press myself against his heat. He brushed his fingers across my shoulders and a visible frisson of excitement ran through me. As he leaned in to kiss me, I turned my face to the side. The shattered intimacy of the night had made me realize I needed to guard my heart.
He cupped my jaw and his blue eyes stared down into mine. “You’re angry with me?”
I wanted to tell him what a dictatorial bastard he was, but instead, I shook my head, no. “I’d just forgotten for a moment that this was a job.”
“I’m taking my cue from you in that regard, sweetheart. You never allow me to get below the surface. For fuck’s sake, everything I know about you I learned from Brian.”
“I shared things about myself tonight.”
“Fuck. Really? That’s your idea of sharing?”
“You know, you’re right, I actually prefer thinking of this as work.” I lifted my chin a defiant notch. “And I should never have broken my rule not to kiss.”
“But you did break it.” He rubbed his thumb over my pouting bottom lip.
“I’m reinstating it.”
He circled me. The metal buckle of his belt felt cold against my skin. His erection pressed against my bottom through the fabric of his jeans. “I hate being denied.” His tone was raw, darker than I’d ever heard it, and gooseflesh covered my arms. “I don’t think you’re suited for this work.” He bit out the final word. “You’re supposed to be compliant.”
“An obedient fuck toy?”
“Exactly.”
“You can fuck me all you want. Just don’t kiss me.”
He snapped the ties between his hands. “If I tie you up, you won’t have to participate at all.”
“Perfect,” I shot back.
“Get on the bed and hold your wrists together.”
Swallowing a retort, I walked over to the bed and did as he asked. He wrapped one of the ties around my wrists, loosely at first, and then with a tug until my arms were securely fastened together.
“You’ve done this before,” I accused.
One eyebrow lifted in an arrogant arch as he knotted the other end of the tie to the railing on his headboard. I’d never been bound before and my pulse was racing.
He dropped the other tie on the nightstand. The mattress shifted as he moved his weight off the bed, and I waited, half-thrilled, half-terrified of what he would do next.
The only sound I could hear was my heart pounding against my ribs. Restrained as I was, it took effort to crane my neck and even then I only had a limited view. I had no idea if he was near or if he’d left the room.
“Rafferty.” My tiny voice seemed to get lost in the vast room. “Are you still there?” He didn’t answer. I pulled at the bindings on my wrists, but he’d secured them so well they wouldn’t budge. Minutes seemed to pass. I could hear an edge of panic in my voice. “Rafferty. Please—”
“Please, what?” He stepped back into my line of vision. He held a rope in his hands. I’d seen those coils of safety ropes in the corner of the gym. I’d never seen him use them when he climbed.
“Please, what?” he asked again.
“Untie me,” I said, weakly.
He cupped my breast and swirled his thumb over the sensitive nip
ple. “Is that what you really want?”
I shook my head no, and arched my back, pushing my breast further into his hand.
He hooked the rope under my thigh. First one leg and then the other was lifted off the mattress and strung from the headboard. I was spread wide. The air chilled the wetness between my legs. He yanked the t-shirt over his head and shucked the jeans and boxer shorts from his hips. He was all gorgeous, sculpted man, and I was his captive.
He positioned himself at the end of the bed, his head between my legs. The tingle of fear had turned to raw, intense longing. His tongue flicked against my clit in a light teasing manner. I wanted to buck against his open mouth. His hair brushed my inner thighs as his mouth clamped on my pussy. He licked my parted pink folds to the top of my slit before driving his tongue inside me. His five o’clock shadow felt delicious as it rubbed against my inner thighs. By making love to my pussy, he instantly made me crave his long drugging kisses.
His tongue stroked my clit until my sex pulsed deliciously and then his big tongue slid through my slick heat and drove into me, thick and rigid. Every sensation in my body was centered around his mouth. My body dragged against the silk tie on my wrists, and my legs trembled as the climax approached. He scooped his big hands under my bottom and lifted my heated sex so he could plunge his tongue deeper.
He concentrated all his efforts on a hyper-sensitive spot deep inside of me. I screamed out, bucking against his mouth. He growled as I came.
I sagged against my restraints. He slid out from between my legs. I waited for him to untie me, but instead, he knelt between my thighs. As he hovered over me, his knuckles pressed into the bedding on either side of me, his mouth latched onto my nipple. He positioned his thickened cock so it teased my spread pussy as his voracious mouth suckled and nibbled each nipple in turn.