by Lacey Silks
“Fine, but you have to promise me something.”
I remained silent, waiting for whatever bomb of caution Millie was about to drop on me.
“If anything goes wrong, you call Dave and me.”
Oh, that was different.
“I will. And Millie, if anything goes wrong, you take care of Parker.”
“Don’t talk like you’re about to die.”
“Just promise me you will.”
“I promise.”
I heard a sniffle on the other side of the phone. “And don’t act like I’m going to a death sentence.”
“I’m sorry. I just… you know, love you.”
“I love you too. You’re the sister I never had.”
After we hung up, I swallowed past the lump in my throat and dialed my brother’s number.
“Whoever you’re hanging out with, I want to meet him.” Dave’s greeting didn’t exactly surprise me. Once he’d come up empty on Sean Gordon, I’d asked him to dig up anything he could on Sean Marks. Despite beginning to trust Sean again, I still had too many questions. It was a precaution.
“What did you find?”
“He’s trained in everything a dangerous man should be and has contacts way above my pay-grade. Used to work for the FBI, then the CIA, and then he disappeared. There’s no record of any jobs or any kind of employment in the past seven years. And I had to dig pretty deep to get this information of nothing. No address, credit cards, no ID of any kind. In fact, there’s a mention of an accident seven years ago that supposedly left him dead. He’s supposed to be buried at the same cemetery Simon is, and if I were to bet, I’d say that you have a pretty good chance of finding a gravestone with his name on it. Now, are you going to tell me why you need all this information?”
“I was moving some boxes to the attic and his name came up as one of Simon’s contacts, so I was curious.”
“So he’s not the man you’re seeing?”
Millie had a big mouth!
“Dave, please don’t ask me questions I’m not ready to answer. I need you to trust me,” I deflected. If Dave had an inkling of a quarter of the mess my life was in right now, he would have found me, and it wouldn’t have mattered where I was hiding.
“Are you going to introduce me to the man you’re seeing? Dad says he met him.”
Great. He’d already gotten the scoop from Dad.
“Soon. Listen, I’m taking a trip with Parker to a cabin in the mountains.”
“But the school year just started.”
“I know. He’s getting his homework and taking a lot of science experiments, so he won’t fall behind. I just need to get away.”
“Is he coming?”
“Yes. He is coming. I’m telling you this so you’re not worried. We won’t be alone, but I’m not sure what the cell reception will be like up in the mountains if you call.”
After a reluctant sigh, he said, “Okay, just call me when you get back. And I hope to meet this mysterious man. Stay safe, April.”
I imagined Dave pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I promise you I will. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
If I didn’t finish the conversation quickly, he’d insist on coming over to say goodbye. And then I’d be cooked. Dave was too smart. Way smarter than me. In fact, I was sure he’d known that Sean was the man I was seeing before I called.
I went into the kitchen to clean up the remaining dishes from dinner. The kids were sitting at the dining room table, both doing their homework. Sean was in his office. It was one of the rooms I hadn’t been in yet, and I wasn’t sure why. Not that it was locked; at least, not that I knew of. Sean had never forbidden me to go there either. It was me. I was more afraid of what I’d find there… or maybe not find there.
After my conversation with Dave, I half-expected Sean to have a display of countless monitors, maps of exotic locations, and folders stamped TOP SECRET. Either way, it seemed like it was more of a personal space for him, and I wasn’t ready to invade it. We’d been in this mansion for five days now, and Sean hadn’t touched me since the night in his bedroom, which made me feel somewhat rejected. He’d kept to the bedroom down the hall and opted to use a different bathroom. Maybe the distance between us was good, though. In three days, we were leaving our kids to go to Switzerland, and I knew this adventure wasn’t going to be as leisurely as the one we’d had in Hawaii.
Lily came from behind me, saying, “Sean would like you to come into his office.”
“Okay, thank you.”
I knocked on the door before opening it. Sean sat behind a mahogany desk, leaning forward. His hands were clasped together on the desk’s surface. Veins swelled over the skin up his arms, and he didn’t look happy. The room was as dark as I’d imagined, with bookshelves lining one wall and a curved chaise on one side of the room, right next to an aquarium with exotic fish. It had everything I imagined except the computers, maps, and surveys.
“Sit.” His lips formed a straight line.
I didn’t like his tone, but took the seat.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“We’re leaving in three days. When are you going to trust me?”
“I already do. Is that why you’re avoiding me?”
He leaned back against the leather chair, and I somewhat relaxed. I could tell he was struggling with something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. He finally let out a long held breath and leaned forward again, staring into my eyes with an intensity that could have knocked me off my feet. It was a good thing that I was sitting after all.
“I told you my name. My real name. I don’t disclose that information to many people, yet you still chose to go behind my back to try to find information about me. If you have a question to ask me, then ask. Don’t go to your brother, who, without knowing it, is raising flags all over the country. It makes my job of protecting you that much more difficult.”
Oh, he was upset. Actually, more like mad. The anger hardened his jaw. Every muscle in his body was stiff and hard; and oddly, I liked it more than I should have. I pressed my thighs closer together before leaning over his desk, meeting him halfway. Getting information had nothing to do with trust.
“You’re forgetting that I’ve only known you for a little over a month. I wouldn’t be here with my son if I didn’t trust you with not only my life, but also his. And I wanted to know more about you. You’re not exactly a man who’s sharing information about himself willingly.”
“When have I not answered your questions? And I don’t care how long you’ve known me. I already told you that you know much more than many people do. And I sure as hell know you.”
“You don’t know shit!” I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest.
“I know you’re still hiding something from me. I also know that you’re a witty woman and a goddamn amazing forensic analyst. You also make me hard every time I look at you. Keeping my distance from you is not easy. I think about burying myself deep inside you every second thought. Do you know how much restraint and effort it takes not to touch you when only a few feet separate us? This cannot go on for much longer. Keeping away from you is as easy as swimming across the ocean in one breath.”
I gasped as he cocked his head to the side. Had he been thinking about me this entire time? Yes, I had my secrets, but I wasn’t willing to share those with anyone – but that had nothing to do with how much I wanted him all the time as well, or how much I trusted him. I acted on facts, and the fact was that Sean was a naturally mysterious man I was about to fly halfway around the world with.
“What? You don’t know what you do to me? How much I want you day and night? Every minute of every hour? Yet I’m not sure you want the same, because you won’t ask me the things you want to know and are curious about. The moment I told you my name, I thought it was clear that I was like an open book specifically written for you.”
He stood up from behind the desk and walked around it with so much confidence,
it almost seemed in slow motion. I never imagined he’d look so damn sexy when furious. I licked my lips. As he neared me, his heat poured over my skin like a waterfall. My thoughts dissolved into invisible dust. He was behind me now, his fingers brushing against my neck as he swept my hair to the side. Sean leaned in from behind and whispered into my ear. “What will it be, April? Full trust? Or punishment for your doubts?”
Punishment, I thought.
“Trust. I do trust you.”
“But you want to be punished.”
I didn’t want him to torture me in the ways he had his other victims. But I did feel the need to be teased beyond the norm. I wanted him. I needed him to control my body. With all the things I had to keep straight in my head, I was desperate to give myself to him so that I could stop thinking.
“Not in the way you’re thinking.” My voice was low and heavy. I could barely find enough air to feed my lungs.
His hand slid down my chest and underneath my bra. He pinched my hard nipple with so much force I cried out. The pain turned into a pleasing zap that flew right between my legs, making me wet.
“Which way is that?” His ragged voice did things to my body I couldn’t explain. “Do you not want this?”
“I do.”
He pinched again, leaving me aching for more. Sean swept his arm over his desk, clearing it. The papers flew slowly through the air, as if swimming, landing on the soft rug that was spread over the hardwood floor. He then turned around and sat on the surface, right in front of me, beckoning me with his finger.
“The walls in this office are sound proof, April, and I want to hear you scream.”
I stood up. Even with him sitting on the desk, his height and broad shoulders overwhelmed me.
“Take off your dress,” he ordered.
This was different. And hot. I liked listening to his instructions. It meant that I didn’t have to think. I lowered the straps, and the fabric slid down my body and down to the floor, leaving me in my bra, one boob uncovered, and panties. Thankfully I had worn a loose-fitting dress.
Sean took me by my arms and quickly swiveled on his feet, giving me no chance to compose a coherent sentence. And I was down on the desk, my back pressing against the cold surface and my knees bent over the edge. My chest was rising up and down faster. I heard the metal of the buckle of his shorts click and a soft swoosh. I looked up. Sean was still wearing his shirt.
Take it off.
But my mind went haywire when his firm cock slapped down against my knee. He crawled up my body, his soft lips trailing along my skin. Stopping at my breasts, he lowered the other cup of my bra and concentrated on my nipples. His tongue trailed around the defined rim before he took it between his lips, pinched on my other side with even more intensity than before, and I let out a scream.
Jesus, that was amazing.
He knew exactly what he was doing, and I wanted more – and much quicker. I could feel the sweat dripping down my back and collecting on the desk. His lips and hands were everywhere, in slow pursuit to get lower and lower, the tip of his tongue licking over my skin, his lips kissing me until I could barely stay still and then touching that white mark below my pelvis.
He stopped.
No, don’t stop!
I heard his breathing change as he examined my scar and dragged his finger over it. Fortunately he continued the downward path until he reached my panties. He grasped at the edge of the fabric and moved it to the side. When his lips touched my flesh and his tongue pulled through the folds, I thought I’d lose my mind. I was ready to come right then. I could already feel the oncoming rapture.
“Sean!”
I grabbed his head and pressed it harder against my skin, likely depriving him of air. Two more strokes and I was done. Somewhere in the distance I heard a buzzing sound, but I couldn’t concentrate. He flicked his tongue and sucked me so hard that I could no longer bear the pressure of his mouth. Dazed, I didn’t even notice when he picked up his phone. Spent, I remained on the desk, faintly hearing Sean saying something about needing to take a call.
Chapter 18
Sean
The next three days were a complete disaster. I not only stayed hard for most of the time, but also worked on two-to-three-hour-a-night sleeps. Too exhausted to join her in bed at night, I fell asleep in my office or in the family room, sifting through papers, maps, and addresses, cross-referencing a shitload of info Gord had sent me. I’d finally been able to smooth out all the questions the senior directors at the FBI and CIA had been asking me. I was supposed to stay incognito, and with Dave’s prodding, that was a bit difficult. If he continued this (which April promised he wouldn’t), I’d need to disappear all over again.
Sitting next to April on the plane was excruciatingly difficult. So close, yet so far away. The moment the slit of her floor-length skirt opened up at the side and she crossed her long legs, I regretted taking a regular flight instead of a private jet. But at least we were in business class, so I could catch up on my sleep.
And now we were checked into the cabin in the mountains. A few minutes out of the city from where the money had been withdrawn, it was the perfect location. April appeared reserved, keeping her distance, and I could only blame myself. So even though my sack was full and near exploding, I felt like a ball-less man. I should have found the time to give her the attention she deserved, but I hadn’t.
Fucking asshole.
Maybe I could use tonight to make up for lost time. She was unpacking the bag in the room next to mine. I should have just gone in there and taken her.
I had to figure out how to make things right again so that April wouldn’t be uptight about me not touching her for the past three days.
Tight. Yeah, she was definitely that.
Shit! If I didn’t stop this now, I’d be carrying blue-balls the size of a moon all night. I decided to settle into the room beside hers, take a cold shower and shave, then with a fresh mind I joined April in the kitchen. My stomach grumbled with hunger. It managed to take my attention away from her tank top and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra for only two seconds.
Maybe I should skip cooking?
She sat at the kitchen counter, flipping through a magazine and holding a glass of wine. When she saw me, she poured me the empty glass beside hers, saying, “I thought you’d go to sleep.”
“I think I made up for that on our flight. Aren’t you going to have dinner?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Nonsense.” I grasped her by her wrist and guided her down to the plush seat in the family room. “You relax and wait. It won’t be longer than half an hour.”
I took a sip of my wine and went back to the kitchen. Minutes later the chicken was marinating in jerk sauce as I sliced the mango, apple, and green parsley, making a chutney for our wraps. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught April smiling once every few minutes and biting her lip. That mouth of hers would one day be the death of me.
Once the chicken was grilled, I smeared the chili and garlic mayo into the pitas and stuffed them with lettuce, chutney, and meat. Her brows rose higher when I called her over. For that look of pride and surprise on her face, I was willing to cook every day.
“I didn’t know you had extensive culinary skills.”
“There’s still much you don’t know about me. Eat.”
She bit into the wrap, moaning. Jesus, this girl would make me come in my pants if she kept this up.
“I must say I owe this to my mother. It’s her recipe.”
“It’s delicious,” she said with her mouth full. I wiped the dripping sauce at the side of her mouth with my finger and licked it clean. She froze momentarily, but relaxed when I continued with my food.
“You’re uptight, April. Why?”
“I feel like I’m out of my comfort zone with you. It’s just been so long since I’ve had someone else in my life, sharing the same quarters. I’m finding it difficult to figure out what I’m supposed to do.”
“You�
�re overthinking. Stop trying to figure things out, gorgeous. Let me take care of you.”
She smiled. “It takes some getting used to when a man cares.”
My balls tightened. Of course I cared.
“I may not show it, but I do trust you. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” she added.
While I already knew she did, I appreciated her confirmation.
“Good. Because no matter what may happen in the next few days, I want you to know that I have your best interests in mind.”
“What exactly should happen?”
Was she ready for this? Maybe it was time to let her in on the plan. But not tonight.
“Just do as I say, and hopefully we’ll get back home in one piece.”
I saw goosebumps cover her arms and her gaze lower. I hadn’t meant to scare her.
“April, look at me. I will die before I let anyone harm you; but let’s leave the details until tomorrow. Tonight, I’d like to relax.”
She nodded. “So, does your mom have any recipes for dessert?”
“Not the kind of dessert I have in mind.”
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she bit that lip again.
Come on, take the bait. Ask me.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’m planning on laying you down on that rug there, making sweet love to you, and enjoying the sound of your orgasmic screams.”
“Oh,” she gasped. “I was beginning to think I’d done something wrong.”
“Why?”
“I shouldn’t have. I know you’ve been busy.”
I leaned forward, resting most of my weight on my elbows. “I’m never too busy for you, sweets.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you like annoying me?”
“Love it. It brings your guard down.”