by Peyton Banks
The continued in a comfortable silence and arrived at the main door of the building. He opened the door for her and caught a whiff of her perfume and had to hold back a growl. He entered behind her and couldn’t keep his gaze from dropping down to the swell of her ass.
His cock hardened at the sight, and he knew he couldn’t let her leave without him getting her number or another date.
The foyer had a grand staircase that led up to the second level where offices were located.
“See you around, Declan.” She smiled softly and walked toward the staircase.
He jumped into action and grabbed her arm. “Go out with me again,” he blurted out.
Smooth, man, real smooth.
Her eyes widened as she glanced up at him. He gently caressed her skin and refused to let go of her arm. He glanced down at their connection and loved seeing his lighter skin against her caramel. It was one of the biggest turn ons for him.
He stepped closer to her, and she looked away from him. The bustle of people moving around the first level ignored them. At the moment, he didn’t care who was watching. He needed an answer from her.
“Please.” He moved his fingers down her arm and entwined them with hers. “A lunch date or dinner again. Your choice.”
She studied his eyes, and he waited for her to make her decision.
“But I thought it was to be no strings?”
“Do we ever know what we really want?” He locked his gaze on her.
She seemed to be mulling it over.
He needed her to say yes. “It’s just a date.”
“Yes,” she said with a smile to her lips. She backed away from him, breaking their connection. “I have to go or I’ll be late for my appointment.”
“I need your telephone number,” he announced. For their date, Evie had set up the entire thing, so he hadn’t spoken to Aspen before they’d met. “I don’t think we will be needing Evie to set this one up.”
She chuckled as she came back to him. They exchanged numbers, and he couldn’t keep the smile from his face. She turned away with a wave. He watched her walk up the stairs until he couldn’t see her any longer. He turned and strode down the grand hallway to go have his meeting at the mayor’s office.
A strong sense of déjà vu was settling over Aspen as she sat in the chair across from US Marshal Ball.
“What are you saying?” she asked, unsure of what he was explaining to her.
He took his glasses off, rested them on the table, and stared at her. She bit her lip, apprehension filling her chest. She wanted all of this over with so she could make something out of the life she’d been given. It wasn’t what it was, and according to the man sitting across from her, it wouldn’t ever be.
“The timeline for you to be back in California has moved up. You will be needed to testify earlier than expected.”
“What?” she exclaimed, sitting forward in her chair. She was floored. There was no way she was ready to face him in court. She turned toward the window and took in the beautiful blue sky, the memories of that night surfacing.
Her heels echoed on the marble floors as she made her way toward the executive offices. She braced her evidence against her chest. She was still in disbelief at what she had uncovered.
Her father had been right.
Someone was embezzling money from the company, and it was in the millions.
That someone was none other than her father’s best friend and partner, Ray Acosta. He was like an uncle to her. She’d known him her entire life. He had been with her father since he’d created the company. Her father had brought him in a few years later once the company had got off the ground. He was one of her father’s most trusted associates.
And he had betrayed him.
As a forensic accountant, this was her specialty. Had she not been a specialist, then she may not have caught the disappearance of the money. Someone had been paying contracts to dummy corporations, and she had figured it out. She had yet to contact her father and wanted to confront Ray herself.
It was late in the evening, and the offices were empty, but she was sure he was still in his. She needed to hear why he was stealing from the company before turning all of her evidence over to the authorities in the morning. If he were in trouble, her father would have helped him.
Raised voices traveled down the hallway, and she slowed. Who would be here this late arguing? Her footsteps faltered, then she continued on toward Ray’s office. The voices grew louder once she arrived at his door that was left ajar.
Ray sat behind his desk with a man sitting in the chair in front. Two large men stood behind Ray, shouting at each other.
“I don’t care,” Ray snapped.
“You are getting sloppy,” the man in the chair growled. “I can’t keep covering for you anymore.”
“You aren’t going to do a damn thing but what you’ve been doing.” Ray leaned back in his chair.
Her breath caught in her throat. She knew she should move away from the door, but she was captivated on what was going on before her.
“Ray. I’m done. You don’t pay me enough to take your bullshit.” The man stood suddenly, almost knocking the chair over.
“You don’t have a choice.” Ray’s voice dropped low.
Aspen leaned closer to the door and stifled a gasp. Ray held a gun on the man while the two goons behind him moved forward.
“What are you doing?” the man asked. “You don’t have the fucking balls to pull that trigger. I’ve been doing all your dirty work.”
“Now see, that’s where you’re wrong. I choose when to get my hands dirty.” Ray stood, and she watched in horror as he pulled the trigger.
The sounds of gunfire filled the air. Aspen held her breath. The man’s body jerked a few times, then he stumbled back, falling over his chair and landing on the floor.
“No,” she cried out.
Eyes turned to her. She shook her head and backed away from the door.
“Aspen!” Ray hollered. “Get in here!”
“Oh my God!” Shock overcame her. In a panic, she turned and took off running down the hallway.
“Aspen!”
Chapter 7
Declan took a long sip of his chilled beer, trying to watch the baseball game that was on the television. It was in the tenth inning, looking like it was going into the eleventh. He should have been more enthused about the game, but he just couldn’t get in to it.
Aspen.
She was on his mind, and he didn’t know why he was still contemplating doing a background search on her. He’d done it to everyone who lived in his building and any female he’d fooled around with in the past. Hell, between him and Mac, they’d probably checked out half the city between the two of them.
Being cops made it hard to trust anyone. His experience as a SEAL left him only trusting his men, those he knew had his back. The world was cruel, and he knew it from firsthand experiences.
But with Aspen, there was something deep in her eyes that just didn’t sit well with him.
As if she were haunted by something.
He pushed off the couch and stalked into his home office. He sat at his desk and moved the mouse to awaken his sleeping computer.
He’d run the check.
Then he’d feel better.
It would settle all doubts about her.
Placing his beer on the desk, he logged in to the secure website and paused. The cursor blinked steadily in the blank spot for ‘name’. He blew out a deep breath and typed in hers.
Aspen Hale.
The cursor moved to the slot for ‘address’, and he filled in what he knew. He knew her age but was unaware of her birthdate. He filled in as much of the form as he could with the information he knew about her.
Memories of their date came to mind, and he thought of their conversations. She had been vague on her answers about where she’d grown up and her life. Her answers were almost as if they were scripted.
He held the mouse over the ‘submit’
button and froze. He was unsure why he had a sinking feeling about doing this background on her.
A growl escaped him as he clicked the mouse. He leaned back in his chair, running his hand along his face.
It was a simple background check.
Usually the system took a few minutes to search and compile the data on the target. Tonight, it dinged right away.
“That’s strange,” he murmured, sitting back up and taking in the information on the screen. It confirmed the basic information he had entered.
Aspen Hale, 29 years old
African-American female
Parents: deceased. MVA accident
No siblings
No family
No college
Grew up in Arizona
Odd jobs through the years
He read the rest of the report. She’d moved around after her parents had died when she’d been nineteen. Since their deaths, the report stated she’d lived in a few states and changed location every year or two with the most recent being South Carolina.
Alarms were still blaring in the back of his mind. This information was too cut and dried. He glanced at his phone, wanting to speak to her. He knew it was late but he just wanted to hear the sound of her voice. If he could get her to open up about herself, then maybe he could let this uneasy feeling he had go.
He grabbed his phone and swiped the glass screen. He searched through his contacts, passing numbers of countless women he knew he could call on and they’d be at his apartment within the hour.
But none of them appealed to him.
He wanted Aspen.
He hit her number and put the phone to his ear. The sound of ringing greeted him as he stood from his desk and made his way back to the living room.
“Hello?” her soft voice greeted him.
A small smile graced his lips, and he imagined her lying in her bed.
“Hey,” he murmured, taking a seat on the couch. He stretched out, ignoring the game still playing on the television.
“Declan,” she breathed.
His eyes closed briefly, him loving the sound of his name on her lips. During their night together, she had screamed it quite a few times. He had the sudden urge to want to make her scream it again.
“I hope I’m not waking you.”
“No, you’re not. It’s a little late. You know what they call these type of phone calls?” She chuckled.
His cock stiffened at the husky sound of her laugh.
He grinned, thinking she was right. It was after eleven at night. He wasn’t sure if it was that type of call, but he wouldn’t be opposed to making it one.
Just hearing her voice had the doubts in the back of mind disappearing. He was going crazy.
He could admit it.
He’d never pondered over a woman before.
Usually, the women he messed with knew up front that he wasn’t the committing type. He just wanted a little harmless fun between the sheets.
The vision of Aspen’s face as she climaxed had him wanting more.
He craved her.
“If you want it to be, it can be.”
His heart skipped a beat at her quick intake of breath. Was she thinking about him as he’d been obsessing over her?
“And if I were to say I wanted it to be,” she said, “then what?”
He paused, running a hand across his chest, thinking of an answer. He was sliding down a slope into unknown territory. He had said no strings, and she had agreed.
But the passion between them was too hot to let it fizzle out.
Mac had found the woman for him, maybe this was Declan’s chance to find his. Sarena was good for Mac. Declan had instantly seen the change in his friend. The night she’d disappeared, Mac had just about gone nuts.
Aspen may have agreed to a one-night stand, but deep down he knew that wasn’t the real Aspen.
“Then I would say I know a great all-night diner that has some good food,” he responded, putting his offer on the table. He didn’t have to go in to work tomorrow. He was only on call for any situations that would require SWAT.
He reached down and had to adjust himself. His cock, having a mind of its own, was stiff and straining at his sweatpants. He bit back a groan, knowing it was demanding relief.
“Well then, Sergeant Owen, I would ask how soon until you could get here?”
Nervousness filled Aspen as she waited for Declan to arrive. This was all new territory for her. She’d had relationships in the past, but never just sex.
Never a one-night stand.
She was just going to have to get used to her new life.
Get used to meaningless sex.
But the night with Declan hadn’t been meaningless.
It had meant something to her. She’d keep those feelings close to her. She didn’t know what the future may hold, and if this was all she could have, then she’d grab on to it and never let go of the memories he was giving her.
She laughed at the brazen way she had acted on the phone when he’d called.
“Hussy,” she murmured, running her hand over her hair for the thousandth time. She had chosen a cute skirt and low-cut top for their late date. She picked off a few invisible bits of lint from her skirt.
She knew he had called it a date and going out to eat, but she also knew what would be on the table.
Sex.
Hot, sweaty, life-altering sex.
The kind of sex that left you sore the next day.
She wanted it again, and again and again.
Her nipples pushed painfully at her bra with the memories of the last time she had been with Declan. Her core clenched with just the thought of that man’s tongue on her neck, her nipples, and buried in her pussy.
“Goodness.” She gasped, waving a hand in front of her face. Calm down. She couldn’t answer the door totally aroused so willed herself to regain some control, thinking of anything but Declan, but that was almost impossible since he was currently on his way. “Think of something else, Aspen.”
She reached for the remote and turned the television on to try to distract herself.
It didn’t work.
The beams from headlamps flashed across her front window, highlighting the room.
He was here.
She bit her lip and tried to will her heart to stop racing. She stood from the couch and smoothed down her skirt, hoping she wasn’t too overdressed—there were only so many times she could wear heels. Working in a library sure wasn’t one of them. Restocking returned books and processing new ones that arrived called for comfortable clothes and footwear.
A knock sounded at the side door. She made her way over and brushed the curtain to the side.
Declan.
A smile graced her lips as she opened the door.
“Hey.” She leaned against the jamb, taking him all in. His size would be intimidating, but for her it was a major turn on. Her fingers had discovered every inch of his body, and not an ounce of fat could be found.
“Hey, yourself.” His deep voice sent shivers down her spine.
“Please, come in. I just need to grab my keys and purse.” She waved him inside, shutting the door behind him. She brushed around him and scurried toward the living room. She gasped as his hand clamped down on her wrist.
He forced her body toward his, and she widened her eyes.
He crushed his lips to hers. She groaned, opening her mouth to him, his tongue thrusting forward. His hand gripped her face, anchoring her to him while he thoroughly kissed her.
It was hard and wet.
The evidence of his arousal pressed on her belly. She leaned into him, and his free hand slid along the curve of her back to settle on the swell of her ass.
He reached down and picked her up. Her legs automatically wrapped themselves around his waist, and he carried her toward the living room.
His mouth had yet to leave hers. He maneuvered his way into the dark room, only lit by the light from the television.
She tore her mo
uth from his and opened her eyes, finding his locked on her. Her breaths were coming fast, making it hard for her to form a single word.
He lowered her to the floor without saying a thing. She stood in front of him, still pressed up against him. The feel of his hard body flush to her soft one left her wanting to feel him on her naked. She didn’t want anything to separate the feel of their bodies close to each other.
Her troubles and worries forgotten, she became lost in Declan’s eyes. The feral look in them was proof that they wouldn’t be leaving the house.
At least not for a while.
She couldn’t break the heated stare if someone paid her. His hands slid down and disappeared beneath her skirt. The callouses on his palms gliding along the soft skin of her thighs and hips had her body trembling.
“Declan,” she breathed.
He slid her panties from her body.
Without a word, he slowly disrobed her. Moisture seeped from between her folds as he took his time in taking off her clothes, leaving her to stand in front of him in nothing but her heels.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, taking in her full form.
Her nipples stood at attention, begging for the feel of his mouth and tongue. He leaned forward, putting his face into the crook of her neck. His tongued bathed her skin, burning a trail along her neck toward her shoulders. She gripped his shirt, trying to keep her knees from going out.
He took his time in tasting her, kneeling before her to allow his tongue to make its way to her breasts. She threaded her fingers into his hair as he sucked her breast into his hot mouth. She cried out, wanting to beg him to put her out of her misery.
She needed him deep within her.
Fast and hard.
But by the way he was taking his time, licking and nipping her body, he was about to torture her.
Chapter 8
The moment Aspen had opened the door, all plans of going out to the diner had gone out the window. An animalistic urge filled him.
He had to have her.
He pushed her down onto the couch, needing to taste all of her. Aspen’s soft breasts were a favorite of his. Hell, everything about her was his favorite.