Double Shot to the Heart (Brewed Moon Book 2)

by Critch, J. Margot

  His groans were loud in her ear and she echoed them with cries of her own. She grasped his forearm across her chest, and held him tightly, as if he was the only thing holding her to the bed. And he was, she was certain she would fly away completely if he let her go. She felt the tingle of another orgasm building low in her stomach, and she threw her head back to rest on his shoulder. His open mouth found her jawline and she turned her head, allowing him access to her mouth. Pleasure waved throughout her, and with his mouth still fused with his, she came again, crying into his mouth. His own movements became strained and more frantic, and he soon finished with a low growl that emanated from his throat.

  He lowered her gently back to the bed, and Juliana noticed that her blindfold had shifted, and she saw the shadow of his back as he walked away from the bed to dispose of the condom. She could see the muscles of his back bulge, and the firm, round curve of his ass. He looked great from the back, and she thought about how easy it would be completely drop the blindfold to see who he was. But instead she fastened it. This was anonymous. That was their arrangement.

  “To steal a line I said to you once before, Mr. Fox,” she said as she lazily stretched on the bed. “That was fantastic.”

  “You weren’t so bad yourself, Kitty Cat,” he returned, his voice still a whisper. But she was starting to get used to the way he spoke to her. His lowered voice was almost familiar. The mechanical vibration of a cell phone filled the room. It must have been his.

  After a few seconds, she heard him curse under his breath. “Goddammit,” he muttered. “Shit. I’ve got to go, Kitty Cat. I’ve got to work.”

  She frowned, disappointment and confusion filled her. What kind of work would this man possibly have to do that late at night? She took a chance. “Why don’t we do this again?” she suggested, rising on her elbows, as she heard the shuffling of his clothing as he dressed.

  “I’d like that,” he said. “Why don’t you go set it up with the concierge?”

  “I will before I leave.”

  He surprised her by rushing back to her and kissing her full on the mouth, his tongue finding hers for a sweet, brief moment before he pulled away with a curse. I’ll see you next time, and I promise I’ll leave my cell phone in the car,” he said before she heard him open and close the door.

  And then, Juliana was alone.

  Mitch Swanson left Leather & Lace quickly and sat behind the wheel of his truck. He scrubbed his hands over his face, and realized that he could still smell Juliana, as if he’d absorbed her into his skin. What had started as a chance encounter on Halloween, when he’d gone to Leather & Lace to investigate a rash of deaths from a deadly drug being dealt from the inside, had apparently been blown into a secret anonymous affair. Well, it was not so secret on his end - he’d known the woman was Juliana since the day after Halloween, their first time together, when he’d seen the cat mask in her office at Brewed Moon.

  Months later he’d gotten a message from the club’s concierge saying that a woman wanted to meet him. There had been no doubt in his mind who the woman was, and he jumped at the chance to be with her again. He’d meant to tell her. He really did. But when he’d opened the door and saw her sitting on the bed, in that dress and blindfold, beautiful and vulnerable, he’d said nothing. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. What a goddamn mess.

  Mitch pulled out his cell phone again, checking the message that had come from Peter, telling him that there’d been a murder, a mob hit, in the city. It was one of many in recent days, and his team needed him to join them at the station as soon as possible. Mitch sighed, and tried not to picture Juliana, still naked and lying on the bed. He had to get to work.

  Chapter 2

  Two months later…

  Juliana lifted her wine glass to her lips, and took in the scene in front of her. Erica and Peter had wanted to host a party, and in attendance were herself and Azura, and Peter’s team, consisting of Steve, Joe, and of course, Mitch Swanson. With the relationship between Erica and Peter getting more and more serious, it seemed that her social group had grown to include the four gorgeous, hunky, detectives. She’d been apprehensive about it at first, but as she got to know the men, she realized that they weren’t so bad.

  Erica walked out of the kitchen holding a bowl of guacamole that Juliana knew was made from scratch, and her mouth watered as she remembered that she’d skipped lunch. She hugged her friend briefly before dragging a tortilla chip through the dip and scooped out a healthy amount. She looked to Erica. “How do you always make it so good,” she said after she chewed and swallowed.

  “Actually, I didn’t make it,” Erica giggled. “That was all Peter,” she said, blowing a kiss across the room, to the man, who’d turned upon hearing his name. He winked and turned back to his conversation with his older brother, Mitch.

  “No way,” Juliana said, not believing her.

  “It’s true. The man knows how to rock out with his guac out,” Erica giggled again.

  Juliana laughed. “How many of those have you had?” she asked, gesturing to Erica’s wine glass.

  “Not enough!” Azura proclaimed instead, coming up behind them, holding another drink for each of them.

  The women laughed, and Juliana smiled at her best friends. It had been far too long since they’d all been in the same room together, especially since Erica had stopped working at Brewed Moon. “It feels like I never see you anymore,” she said to Erica. “How is everything?”

  Erica smiled. “Fantastic. The burlesque studio’s doing really well. Things with Peter are great. Like, it’s crazy. I feel like I’m living the dream, and that’s weird and scary, you know? After everything Peter and I have gone through, I keep wondering when the other shoe is going to drop.”

  “You know, sometimes life is just that good,” Juliana explained. “Not every good thing has to be a set up for disappointment.”

  “Thanks,” Erica replied.

  “That’s awesome,” Azura grinned. “I’m so glad you’re so happy. But I sure do miss you at our apartment I miss having you as my roomie.”

  “I miss you too, honey, but there are some things that only a big, strapping man can do for a woman like me. You just can’t fill that role.”

  “Speaking of,” Azura said. “How are things with Peter?”

  Erica shivered in place. “Girls, that man… There aren’t any words.”

  “What about you, Jules?” Azura asked, draining her glass.

  “I’m great. Brewed Moon is doing really well,” she started.

  “No Jules,” Azura interrupted her. “How about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “It’s been a while since we’ve had this kind of conversation. Do you have any man-related news to share?”

  Juliana blinked quickly. Part of her wanted to tell her friends about her secret affair with her mystery man. They knew about her membership at Leather & Lace, and they always wanted details, which she wasn’t normally shy about divulging, but it felt like her anonymous lover was her secret. It was something that was just hers. They’d met up several times, since January – including an amazing meeting the night before, and each encounter was better than the last. Just thinking about him made her blood rush throughout her system and she flushed, and just thinking about him was enough to make her feel her as if her mystery lover in the room with her. “Man-related news?” she asked them. “No. None.”

  Azura and Erica watched her, as if they could see Mr. Fox in her eyes. “Well, look at you,” Azura said, watching Juliana over the rim of her glass.

  “What?”

  “What, what? You’re over there with that dreamy look on your face. What’s up?”

  “Nothing,” Juliana tried to shrug them off.

  Azura leaned in and studied Juliana’s face. “You had sex last night.”

  “What?”

  “Your skin is bright, you look relaxed, and I’ll bet that if I moved those scarves, I would definitely see at least one hickey. You’re getting
some on the reg,” she accused. “And don’t lie to me. I can tell. Come on Jules, dish. Who’s the guy?”

  Juliana adjusted her scarves, and tried to make herself impassive. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She looked away from them, and her eyes locked solidly on Mitch’s across the room. She found it impossible to pull her gaze away from him. There was something about those blue eyes. Like the colour of steel, but deep and entrancing. He was gorgeous, strong, but also so serious and rigid, and in complete control, as if he had no idea how to cut loose.

  She emerged from her trance and looked back to her friends, but their conversation, and her interrogation, was miraculously cut short when Peter came over and put his arm around Erica. “How about now?” he asked her, kissing her affectionately on the forehead.

  Erica smiled up at him. “Let’s do it.”

  Juliana didn’t miss how Peter looked down at her best friend. His gaze, and the one Erica returned was so full of love, happiness, and heat that it made her melt. They moved away from their group to the center of the room.

  “Guys,” Peter called out, as they made their way to the center of the room. The conversation in the room died as everyone turned to the couple. “Can we have your attention for a second?”

  “You’re probably wondering why we all invited you here tonight,” Erica continued. “It wasn’t just for a dinner party. But we wanted all of our favourite people to be here in one room, because we have a little bit of news.” Her smile was huge as she looked around the room. “We’re engaged!”

  Their apartment erupted into cheers, and everyone converged on the couple to offer their hugs, handshakes and congratulations, and as Juliana moved in and pulled Erica in for a hug, she looked over her shoulder, and she saw Mitch, watching her.

  As the celebration continued, Mitch made his way from the small party to clear his mind., He quietly opened the sliding glass door to the balcony and stepped outside, hoping no one noticed him duck away. He wanted to be alone. It was a mild winter night, mid-March, and he was warm enough in a t-shirt and sweater, and didn’t need his jacket. Beer bottle in hand, he walked to the railing and leaned his forearms on the cool metal, looking out over the lights of the city.

  He drank from his bottle. Of course, Mitch was happy for his younger brother, he’d found a wonderful woman in Erica, and now he was about to commit the rest of his life to her. Good for him. But Mitch couldn’t stop the twinge of melancholy that sat deep in his chest. He and Peter were always a team, and now his younger brother was moving on with his life. Mitch considered his own life, and how far he was from anything resembling a normal adult relationship. Oh, excluding his affair with Juliana, and she didn’t even know he was the man who made her moan and cry out with bliss. Quite a dysfunctional relationship. But who was he kidding, it wasn’t a relationship. It was pre-arranged sex involving mutually agreed-upon terms. He sighed and took another mouthful of beer.

  They’d met up five times since their first rendezvous at Leather & Lace on Halloween. Each encounter was set up by a concierge at the club, at Juliana’s request. The entire meeting was cloaked in anonymity, a practice that extended to the bedroom with the use of masks, blindfolds, or, in last night’s very memorable encounter, a pitch-black room. And each time he saw her he swore to himself that he would tell her, going in each time with the best intentions. But in the end, he never did. He told himself that he was keeping the secret for her sake. That she needed the anonymity. But Honestly, he was a selfish motherfucker and he liked meeting her, and looked forward to the release from their encounters just as much as she did.

  He drank quietly, considering his dysfunctional non-relationship with the sexy café owner, until he heard the slow slide of the balcony door. He turned around and was surprised to see Juliana standing behind him. Speak of the devil.

  “Is there room for one more?”

  “Of course.” He smiled and gestured to the place on the railing next to him.

  “You’re quiet out here. What, are you planning the bachelor party already?”

  Mitch laughed. “Yeah, something like that.”

  A silence descended over them as they both sipped from their drinks and watched the lights of the city. She stood close to him, her forearm against his, and he didn’t think he imagined the way she tensed a little when their arms touched.

  When he had first met her, he’d believed that Brewed Moon, the café she’d owned and worked so hard to build and make successful, was operating under a mafia umbrella. She’d rented the space from Irish mob kingpin, Dylan O’Connell, and it was a slim lead at best. She hadn’t taken kindly to the implication, of course. During his investigation, he learned that he’d been wrong, and despite how hard it was to admit that, he’d apologized.

  They’d gotten to know each other casually, he didn’t know much about her, but he liked what he did. They were building a friendship, and because of Peter and Erica’s relationship, they were spending more and more time together. And while she was funny, kind and smart. He also knew her sensual side. He’d been inside of her, spent hours eliciting blissful cries from between those full lips. He turned to face her, and saw that she was wearing what looked like two different scarves layered together. No doubt hiding the marks his lips and teeth left there the night before, or the left-over redness, the burn from his beard scraping across her delicate skin.

  Juliana looked at him. She cocked her head to the side and watched him quietly. His more paranoid side wondered if he saw recognition flicker in her hazel eyes. Her pink-hued lips parted, as if she was about to say something, and he held his breath, waiting for her to drop the bomb, to say she knew that he was her anonymous lover. He raised his beer bottle to his mouth and drank, letting the silence hang and linger. But instead she shivered. “Brrr, you must be frozen stiff out here. I’m going to head back in. Want to come with me?”

  Mitch almost choked on the beer at the unexpected suggestion. More than you know, he thought. But he only responded with a nod and a “yeah, I’ll be in in a minute.”

  Chapter 3

  The sun was barely up when Juliana got out of her car and walked to the door of Brewed Moon. She stooped to pick up the plastic-wrapped newspapers that had been carelessly tossed into a puddle of dirty, slushy snow just outside the store, and she sighed with her attempt to brush the plastic bag clean.

  “Just great,” she muttered, when she saw that some water has seeped inside, soaking the newsprint. She wiped her hand in her jacket and retrieved her keys from her pocket. Unlocking the door, she smiled as the deeply satisfying click of the turning lock signalled the start of her day. She turned around before entering the store, lifting her head to face the orange glow of the sun rising above the ocean, the sky red over the Southside Hills across the harbour. It was bound to be beautiful, if not chilly, morning in St. John’s.

  As Juliana walked into her café, she inhaled deeply and the scent of the coffee beans in their bins invaded her senses, immediately waking her up, invigorating her, as her mouth watered at the prospect of her first coffee of the day. It was something she looked forward to even before she went to bed the night before. It didn’t help that she’d stayed up late the previous two nights. Last night she’d been at Erica’s for what had turned into her friend’s engagement party. But the night before that, she’d gone to Leather & Lace again for a meeting with Mr. Fox. Her mystery lover. She was certain that she still carried his brand, burned on her body, and checked her reflection in the shiny window. The way he’d made her feel still caused a shiver to travel up her spine. She shook herself free of her memories, and made a mental note to set up another meeting, the time between their hook-ups had somehow become shorter and shorter, and she let herself reflect for a moment on the way he’d made her feel every time - fulfilled, satiated, but somehow, he still always left her wanting more. She shook her head, pulling her from her thoughts. She had to start her day.

  Juliana forced herself back to work, opening the blinds that cover
ed the large front windows to let the orange light of the sun pour in, instantly warming the interior of the café. Despite the frigid air outside, Brewed Moon was warm and toasty, and Julianna shrugged off her jacket. She walked over to the satellite radio and selected a station with upbeat music. At this hour of the morning she needed every ounce of energy she could muster, and energetic music lent a helpful tempo to her movements, no matter how tired she was.

  When she opened Brewed Moon five years ago, she’d managed to lease the space for a steal, which was good because when she’d walked into the building she was so captivated by the view that she almost made an offer without even seeing the rest of the place, or thinking about the price. The café, situated at the perfect angle and elevation, had large front windows, that looked over the Narrows, a small opening created from the rocky cliffs jutting out of the ocean that formed the mouth of St. John’s harbour. She was so lucky that her little cafe possessed one of the best views in the city, and was one of St. John’s best-kept secrets. The majestic natural beauty of the place always made her breath catch in her throat, and she smiled again. As a Newfoundlander, born and bred, Julianna always considered a perfect, unobstructed view of the ocean to be her God-given right. The wild North Atlantic Ocean - so free, so powerful, so majestic, she often found herself caught up in it to the point she sometimes found it difficult to look away. With The Narrows providing a spectacular backdrop, she managed to tear her gaze away from the view and start her morning tasks.

  Almost ready to open, Juliana went back to her office to grab her apron, drop her purse in its usual spot under her desk, and psyche herself up to start her day. On her way back to the café she stopped in place in the middle of the narrow hallway which lead from the storefront to the back, where her office and stock room were located, which also featured an exterior door facing the alley behind the building, where she received deliveries.