STEAL (Right Men Series Book 2)

by Mayra Statham

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  VALERIE

  My legs shook. My heart raced at an unnatural rate.

  Spread out for him, I should have felt vulnerable or at the very least exposed. But I didn’t. Nothing about the sexual things we did left me feeling that way. If anything, it was the opposite. I felt adored, cared for, appreciated, and protected. How the hell that was possible, I had no idea. It was what he did for me. How he made me feel. And I was done questioning it. I was determined to let it ride for however long it would last.

  His thumb skimmed my slit, and I stopped thinking. Instead, my body bucked, my ass lifting from the counter, trying to gain more of his touch. His deep chuckle told me he wasn’t going to let me have my way.

  “Still,” he ordered deeply. I wanted to scream. Beg for more. If I didn’t do as he wanted, I knew he would tease me until I went crazy. With a deep cleansing breath, I stilled as much as I could, my thighs trembling, my teeth biting my lip, my fists clenching together.

  “Good girl,” his deep voice hummed against my thigh, his nose skimming my skin, making my eyes flutter shut. “Look at me, Val.” Opening my eyes, I swallowed hard, more than enjoying the view.

  His dark, slightly too long hair was disheveled, his grey-blue eyes fixed on me as he kissed my inner thigh.

  “You have a beauty mark right here,” he mumbled. Breathing felt close to impossible as his lips kissed the spot he was talking about so damn tenderly it made my eyes water.

  “So fucking pretty. It’s like a starburst or a sun. Fucking love it.” His lips lifted off my skin, moving right to where I wanted him, where I was dying to feel him.

  With our eyes on each other, his tongue touched my flesh. My eyes almost shut, my head falling back slightly. Fighting the need to close my eyes, I watched while he ate me. Everything around us fading from my vision, only Bryan in my line of sight. The air grew warmer and warmer. A light sheen of sweat formed on the back of my neck and forehead. When two of his thick fingers entered me, I gasped in pleasure, but I didn’t look away from him. As he filled and stretched me, I had no idea where the sounds I was making were coming from. I probably rivaled any porn star. But at that moment, I couldn’t get myself to care. If anything, it turned me on further.

  “You like that, baby?” His voice was tight, and all I could do was nod, my legs weak, my breathing off. I wanted him to take me over the edge so I could fly. “Tell me, baby,” he coaxed, drizzling chocolate over my mound.

  “Yes. Bryan… fuck. More,” I begged incoherently, my voice raspy with need.

  “Shit,” he hissed. “So damn greedy.”

  “For you.”

  “Fuck, yeah, for me. Mine!” His mouth came down on me, while his fingers worked me in and out, his tongue licking the swollen pearl of nerves. It was too much.

  I didn’t fly.

  I soared.

  BRYAN

  He was lying down in his bed, Valerie’s sexy-as-sin body draped over his, and all he could do was breathe in deeply while stroking her hair. After making her come on the counter, he took her, burying his dick so deep inside her that even hours later he could feel her.

  After he had made her come two more times, he let himself go then somehow rallied his last shred of energy to carry her back to his bed. She stirred, and he looked down at her. Unable to get sleep, he’d just enjoyed having her in his arms. She kissed the skin above his pec before looking at him.

  “Hey,” she breathed in, and he looked at her warmly.

  “Hey.”

  “You’re not sleeping,” she mumbled sleepily.

  “I love you.” The need to tell her those words were completely overpowering. He waited for her to respond, and maybe it was the sleep she was trying to brush away, but she didn’t say a thing. He watched her stare at him and blink, and he kept running his mouth like some kind of love-sick puppy. “I love you. This is new between us. I know that and you know that. We both don’t think we’re good at this stuff, but I need you to know I love you.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly, shifting so that they were at eye level and on their sides. “What’s going on in that head of yours, handsome?”

  “You’re mine.” Her lips twitched at his announcement.

  “Handsome—” She was going to say something smart, but he stopped her.

  “You’re my woman. My girlfriend. Whatever the fuck you wanna call it, you are it. Don’t ask me how I know, but I do.”

  “Baby—“

  “This is the one and only time I will ever bring her up in our bed—“

  “Your bed,” she corrected, but he shook his head.

  “Our bed. Because whatever the hell I have is yours. That makes it ours,” he told her and kept going. “I didn’t know with her. Not like this. With you, Val, what we have, this is on a whole other level, Blondie. I’m not playing around and I need you to know.”

  “Are you trying to state your intentions?”

  “Fuck, yeah.” He grinned, kissing her lightly. “My intention is to never let you go.”

  “Never, huh?

  “Never ever.”

  “That’s a little backwards, handsome.” Her eyebrow rose, and he shrugged.

  “I know what I want.”

  “Well… thank you,” she told him, her face serious, which was not at all the reaction he had been expecting

  “Thank you?”

  “Yeah. Thank you for letting me know your intentions. I’ll sleep on it and get back to you.” He saw the twinkle in her eyes and knew she was fucking with him.

  “Get back to me, huh?”

  “Well, a girl always has to see what other offers come in.” Her lips twitched, and he shook his head.

  “Other… oh, hell, no.” He pounced on her playfully.

  Their laughter rang in the air as he tickled her. She squealed until she called uncle and he stopped.

  “I love you. I don’t want you to let go of me, either,” she whispered. He kissed her hard.

  “Sleep. We gotta work.”

  “I’m not the one doing middle-of-the-night hearts and flowers, Bryan.”

  “Shut up.” He chuckled, settling her against his side. His mind clearer than ever as he drifted off to sleep with his world in his arms.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  BRYAN

  “Hey, babe.” Her sweet voice soothed him even though he only heard it on the other end of the phone.

  “How’s my girl?” he asked, leaning against his car, waiting for Tyler to get his damn coffee from a shop he insisted on going to every damn day.

  “Good. I just had this cute kid deliver me food.”

  “Cute kid, huh?” he muttered, enjoying her giggle. “I’m going to tell them to send an old fart next time.”

  “Will you be sending me lunch again?”

  “If you’re a good girl when we play, fuck, yeah, I am.”

  “You’re horrible. Please tell me Tyler isn’t next to you.”

  “Na, he’s getting coffee.”

  “Mmm, the magical drink.”

  “You’re a nut.”

  “You’re the one in love with me, so really, who is worse off on the crazy meter?” He shook his head as he grinned.

  “I called, because I have bad news.”

  “Why do I think I’m not going to like this.”

  “I’ll probably be late tonight.”

  “Yeah, that sucks,” she whispered. He knew what she meant.

  “Sleep in bed with me tonight, though.”

  “You think you’re going to be that late?”

  “No matter how late I am, I want you there,” he shared and heard her soft laugh.

  “Bossy.”

  “You like it.”

  “Whatever.” He could imagine her rolling her eyes. “I gotta go eat my yummy-looking food.”

  “Alright, babe.”

  “Love you, handsome.”

  “Love you, too, Blondie.” He ended the call, only to look at Tyler staring at him, slightly dumbfo
unded. Ty’s eyes were wide and obviously surprised, but Bryan shook his head.

  “Don’t start,” he warned his partner, but the shocked look on Tyler’s face told Bryan he wasn’t about to listen.

  “Don’t start? Are you shitting me?”

  “Ty…”

  “Man, you just said the L word.”

  “L word? What are you? Sixteen? Can’t say ‘love’?”

  “It’s that serious?” Tyler asked. Bryan realized his partner wasn’t teasing him. Hell, if he were a betting man, he would guess Ty was genuinely interested.

  “It is.” Bryan cleared his throat. “It’s serious.”

  “You two just met.”

  “Don’t matter,” Bryan confidently answered, because it really didn’t. He knew she was his. He might have fought it, but he was done with that shit. She was his.

  Tyler looked at him, and Bryan could tell he was thinking something. About to ask, he didn’t when Tyler finally spoke. “Let me ask you something.”

  “What?”

  “What made you decide to take the leap?” He sounded like he genuinely wanted to know.

  “I didn’t. It just happened,” he said, walking over to the driver’s side of the car, and looked at his buddy staring into the coffee shop.

  “I was afraid you were going to say that.” Bryan thought he heard Tyler say but shook it off and got into the car.

  ***

  Pulling into the driveway, he noticed an old silver Honda Civic parked at the curb with a man inside. Stepping out, he watched as the door opened and the man got out and walked into the glow of the streetlight. He immediately recognized him.

  “What the fuck do you want?” he asked, his eyes never leaving Victor.

  “I needed to talk to you,” Victor rumbled, approaching slowly, his hands out as if trying to let Bryan know he wasn’t a threat.

  “So, you thought staking out my place in the middle of the night would be a good idea?” Bryan asked, never taking his eyes off the man.

  “Look, I don’t know what that bitch—“

  “You better watch your mouth. Val’s my woman and you’ll show her respect,” Bryan growled.

  “I know you.” Victor smirked.

  “You don’t.”

  “I know your ex.” Fucking Courtney. She had been blowing up his phone until he simply blocked her number. “Man, that bitch. Fuck. Sucks like a fucking hoover giving head.” What the hell has Courtney gotten herself into?

  “Bitch is chatty, too.”

  “What do you want?” he asked, glancing toward the house.

  “She says there’s still shit between you two. She wanted me to deliver a message.”

  “Courtney and I have been done for years. Whatever she has to say, man, let me tell you, it’s probably full of shit.”

  “Bitch gives great head and pays even better, so I couldn’t care less.”

  “What?”

  “She said things aren’t done with you two.” Victor rolled his eyes, looking bored.

  “Look—“

  “Night, Detective.” Victor saluted before turning back and getting into his car. Bryan stood watching him leave. He turned once the asshole disappeared from sight. A sick feeling sinking into the pit of his stomach.

  “Bryan?” Val called out. He turned to see her body standing at the front door, the soft light from inside making her almost a shadow.

  “Bry?” she called out again, and he walked toward her wondering if she had seen Victor and if he should share.

  Reaching her, he pulled her into his arms. She was in her short shorts and tank top, tons of warm skin exposed.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Victor was here,” he shared. He wasn’t going to keep shit from her. He knew better.

  “What?” she asked softly. The hairs at his neck stood on end.

  “I got home, he was parked across the street. I’m not home before you go to bed, you make sure to activate the alarm.”

  “We don’t have an ala—“

  “We’re getting one.”

  “Handsome—“

  “I’m not budging on this, so don’t give me any lip about it.”

  “You’re just renting here, Bryan! You can’t just—“

  “I can and I will,” he announced, not liking that his woman was in bed, dressed like she was, with that asshole just outside. “And in the meantime, you make sure every door is freaking locked.”

  “Okay, baby,” she gave in, putting her hand on his chest. “What did Victor want?”

  “He somehow met and hooked up with Courtney.”

  “What?” Her eyes widened.

  “Yeah. She paid him to deliver a message.”

  “How would their paths even cross?”

  “No clue.” They both stepped into the house, and he closed the door behind him, sure to lock it. Making a mental note to stop and get new locks and a latch for the door.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, worry in her eyes.

  “I’m fine, babe. Court’s crazy ass needs to realize there is nothing between her and me.”

  “What I don’t understand is, she lied to you and thinks she can just come back, and what? Pick up where you two left off?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t care.” He grabbed her into his arms. “All I care is who is in front of me right now.”

  “Are you upset about her hooking up with—“

  “She’s not mine.”

  “But—“ He knew what she was trying to ask, but he needed to put a stop to it.

  “She’s not mine,” he repeated, not blinking away from her. “I am completely gone for you, and when I say that I love you, Blondie, I mean it in a way I only observed with those around me. I didn’t think it was possible for me. Fuck, I envied it, because I knew I didn’t have that. Not ever. I saw it with Marc and Grace, and I saw it every day with my parents growing up.”

  “I love you.”

  “And I thank God you do, babe.” He kissed her forehead and felt her soften in his arms. “Come on, it’s been a long fucking day and we gotta work tomorrow.”

  “Bry—“

  “Come on.” He led her to their bedroom and he liked watching her settle into their bed. He wanted a lifetime of simple moments like the one unfolding before him. Curves he had memorized with his hands, her silky skin hidden away from him, he hurried to join her. Taking off his clothes, he dumped them into the hamper and slid in behind her.

  “Mmm,” she moaned, her ass settling into his crotch. His hands wrapped her up tightly, her back flush with his front. “I love being in bed with you.”

  “Glad, baby.”

  “I wish we could stay in bed for, like, a week.” She sighed, and he nuzzled her ear with his nose, breathing in her perfume. “I thought you said you were tired,” she murmured, and his own lips lifted upward.

  “I said we should get to bed,” he clarified, breathing her in and exhaling slowly, his eyes pinned to the bare skin of her shoulders and the goose bumps that appeared on her soft skin.

  “Do you think we should worry about Victor and Courtney?” she asked. He tightened his embrace, leaning his head forward to kiss her shoulder.

  “You’re my girl, right?”

  “You know I am,” Val sighed with a smart-ass undertone, and Bryan fought from laughing at how adorable she was when she was feeling sassy.

  “Then as mine, you have nothing to worry about,” he vowed.

  “Are you?” she asked cautiously.

  “No,” he answered, hoping he was right.

  VALERIE

  Opening my eyes slowly, I realized I was alone in bed, Bryan no longer lying next to me. At a glance at the alarm clock, I couldn’t help but groan. I only had ten more minutes before I had to wake up, and I still felt exhausted. Instead of staying in bed like I wanted, I got up, used the facilities, and headed to the kitchen in search of Bryan.

  “You need to stop with this shit, Courtney. I’m not kidding,” I watched him growl, running his ha
nd through his hair right before his eyes met mine. “We are done. We have nothing else to say to each other,” he bit out sternly, then pressed end on his cell and clenched the device in his hand like he was trying to stop himself from throwing it across the room.

  Without thinking, my feet took me right to him, not afraid of him in the least. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I took his cell phone away and put it on the kitchen table next to us.

  “Hi,” I whispered against his lips and felt his hands at the back of my head stroking my hair.

  “Hey, baby. You sleep okay?”

  “I’m guessing that I slept better than you did.” I took in the heaviness in his eyes and wondered if I should worry about his crazy ex.

  “I told her not to call again,” he shared, even though he knew I’d heard. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything at all. “She will see that whatever she thinks can’t happen, won’t.”

  I opened my mouth to reassure he was probably right when his phone started to beep. One after another, texts blew up his phone, but I didn’t move my eyes toward it. I stared at him. His eyes were pinned to me, so I moved my hands to his face.

  “It’s you and me, right?” I asked. He opened his mouth, and his phone rang. His jaw twitched. I could feel the anxiousness that radiated off him.

  “We should get ready for the day,” he gruffed, and I stilled. He hadn’t reassured me. He had ignored my comment completely. I wondered if it meant something. Swallowing, I stepped away and gave him what I hoped would pass for a smile.

  “Sounds good, handsome.” Running my fingers through my hair, ignoring the incessant beeps chiming from his phone, I straightened and looked at him. “Go shower. I’ll make breakfast,” I suggested, because he didn’t need to be right next to his phone every time his crazy ex-wife messaged him.

  “You don’t have to do that, Val, I can—“

  “You can get your hot ass in the shower and after, eat the breakfast I’m about to make you,” I pressed on, and his eyes finally warmed, the air around us not as tense as it was.

  “You’re too good to me.” His hands cradled my face, and I playfully rolled my eyes.

  “Probably.” Then with a wink, I stepped away from his touch and started breakfast.