by A. Hargrove
“It’s more than fair. Some of those chicks you bring home are worthless and only see green. Others are genuinely nice and I want to like them. But if I do, then it’s a loss for me. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah.” He sighed.
“I wish you’d find someone to settle down with.”
“Okay, Mom.”
I laughed. “Shut up.”
“It’s true. Between you two women, I get my share of hounding. Mom, because she wants a few little Lenoxes as she says, and you, because—”
“I want to see you happy. Like Brax is.”
“He’s not happy. He’s disgustingly filled with joy.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“Not a damn thing. I may be slightly jealous. It’s pretty rare to find someone like that.”
“Stop looking.”
“I’m not. They come to me.”
I believed that. With his fame and fortune, he was a magnet for women.
“You can always say you’re not interested.”
“Isla, you know how I hate to lie.”
I detected the laughter behind his statement. “If you were standing next to me, I would beat you with a pillow, smartass.”
“Love you too. I’ll see you tonight.”
After I ended the call, I remembered what he said about the meal. Two beef tenderloins for nine people. Those men sure could eat a lot.
Chapter Twelve
ACER
Everyone was hanging out, sipping on their favorite beverages, and sampling appetizers, when she arrived. Isla walked in and brought the sunlight with her. She wore a red top and black leather pants and I bit my tongue as I gawked at her in awe.
“Baby bro, put your tongue back in your mouth,” Brax whispered as he elbowed me.
I cleared my throat and flipped him off. Hopefully, he was the only one who saw. He chuckled. “You have it bad for her, but you’re going to have to get through Lenox first.”
“Too late for that.”
Brax’s beefy paw landed on my shoulder. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” There was one thing about professional football quarterbacks. They had massive hands. If you ever noticed, that’s one thing they all had in common. The strength behind my brother’s mighty grip, as it clenched my shoulder, made me feel like a football he was getting ready to pass.
“None of your business and can you please let go of me?” I pried his hand off.
Then he spun me around. “One, it is my business as Lenox is my best friend, and two, if you’ve done something to her that’s—”
“That’s what? Do you honestly think I’d do anything to hurt her?”
“Acer, if you do, you’ll have hell to pay. I can promise that.”
“Fine. Now I need to go talk with someone.”
Damn, I never thought for a moment that Brax would give me shit about this.
Reynolds had already taken Isla’s coat when I made it over to her. After all the introductions were made, I asked, “Hey, how about something to drink?”
“Sure. A glass of wine would be great.”
“Red or white?”
“Red.”
“Follow me so you can choose.”
She did and when we were away from all the surrounding nosy ears, I told her about Brax.
“I can only imagine what Len will say. We need to keep some distance between us for a time.”
“Not too long. I refuse to do that.”
She poked me in the chest. “What? Can’t take it?”
“Not after the last couple of days. I’ll see you at your place after the party here.” I poured her a glass of merlot and we joined the others.
Brax and Reynolds kept eyeing the two of us, but we left all conversations casual. As expected, there was a lot of talk about the safe house and what went on. I let Isla handle that part and she did in her professional way.
“Are you two safe now?” my mom asked.
“We are, Mrs. Kent. My boss and his team have determined that there is no threat to either of us now.”
“That’s a relief,” Mom said.
Then Dad asked, “Acer, what about that friend of yours? Paulie?”
“Isla?” I decided to hand everything to her.
“No one has heard a thing from him. We picked up his cell phone and there wasn’t anything on it. Of course, there were calls made to it and we followed up, but they most likely went to burners because we couldn’t track anyone down.”
“What’s next?” Brax asked.
“Since this happened in New York, the office up there will handle that part of the investigation. We’ll still search for those who were involved in the human trafficking.”
This triggered something. “Oh, by the way, everyone. I may have forgotten to mention this with everything going on, but I’ve gotten into the community college here and am signed up for courses to begin the second week in January.”
Mom was the first to congratulate me, followed by everyone else. “That’s absolutely wonderful, Acer. I’m so happy for you.”
“I’m pretty excited myself. I have one semester there, where I’ll get my associates degree and then on to finish my bachelors. I talked with the department that handles transfer students at the local college where I’ll get my bachelors, and with all the credits I have already, I was told I could probably finish in three semesters. I may have to take a few classes over summer, but that’s not too bad.”
“Not at all,” Dad said. “So criminal justice then?”
“That’s right. It’s time to catch some more bad guys.”
Dad grinned at Isla. “You have an excellent role model here.”
“Don’t I? She’s been very helpful.”
Dad kept grinning while Brax glowered. I almost laughed.
An hour later, we were seated at the dining table, eating a dinner fit for a king. The beef was amazing. “Reynolds, my compliments to the chef. This is the best tenderloin ever.”
“Thank you.”
Everyone else joined in and then we toasted to the holidays. Mrs. Chambers’s cake was served for dessert and it was better than the beef. Mom kept asking for the recipe and Dad ate two pieces. Brax and Lenox ate two pieces as well.
“I don’t know the last time I ate this much and such good food too,” I said.
“I take it the food at the safe house wasn’t good,” Mrs. Chambers said.
“Mama, it was nothing but those frozen dinners.”
“Oh, honey, why didn’t you say something? I could’ve brought you some food.”
“Uh, Mama, because no one was supposed to know where we were. That’s why we had to use special phones to call.”
“That’s right. I forgot.”
Brax shooed everyone away to the den and the men cleaned up the dishes. It was something we’d always done for Mom so it was a normal task for us.
Lenox, and his date, left not much longer after that.
Mrs. Chambers clucked her tongue. “That boy of mine. I wish he’d settle down. Not with that girl, mind you, but with someone like you, Reynolds.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Chambers.”
Then Mom and Mrs. Chambers talked about how great Reynolds was, as her face turned the color of Rudolph’s nose. That must’ve been awkward for her. But truth was, Lenox’s date did look like a girl he’d picked up at a strip club. If her dress had been any tighter, her boobs would’ve popped out. I don’t know how she was able to breathe in the thing.
“Brax, you are a lucky man indeed. Your wife would never wear a dress like that woman had on,” Mrs. Chambers went on.
“Okay, Mama, can we talk about something else?” Isla asked.
“That’s a good idea, honey.”
The conversation moved to Christmas Day plans and I discovered for the first time that Isla had to work.
“You have to work? That doesn’t seem fair,” I said.
“I don’t have to go in until noon but I get off around ten.”
“Ouch
.”
“It’s fine. I’ll spend the morning at my mom’s and go in from there.”
Her mom smiled happily but I wanted to pout. Our sexy time would have to wait.
The house cleared out around ten-thirty. After they were gone, I asked Brax where my other two brothers were.
“They'll be here tomorrow. Raiden is coming from Europe and Cruze from Asia. They wanted to rest up a day before they came.”
“That makes sense. How long are they staying?”
“They want to see a game and afterward go back to Denver.”
My two other brothers were older than Brax and me. Raiden was the oldest, and a year later, Cruze was born. Then two years later came Brax, and finally me.
Cruze and Raiden owned a software company in Denver with offices in several other cities, Atlanta being one of them. They’d always been computer geeks as kids and it blossomed into a multimillion-dollar company for them by the time they were out of college. Now, who knew what they were worth? Probably somewhere in the billions. But they paid a price. They were always working and traveling, seeking out new ideas and business, and putting out fires. Every one of their ventures had their signature touches on it, which is why they were so successful.
When everyone headed to bed, I headed to Isla’s.
“Going somewhere?” Brax asked as he found me opening the door.
“I am.”
“Do I have to ask where?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Just be back here by the time we all wake up. I don’t want to have to explain anything to Mom.”
“I will.”
“And if you hurt her, you’ll have Lenox to deal with.”
“If anyone gets hurt, bro, it’ll be me. She’s the tougher of the two of us.”
That much was true, given her work experience. And I had more to lose. Or those were my thoughts anyway.
Chapter Thirteen
ISLA
Acer showed up about thirty minutes after I arrived home. When he entered, Ruffles wouldn’t leave him alone. He sat on the floor with her and showered her with all kinds of attention, until she was happy. Then his gaze settled on me.
His eyes always startled me. Dark as chocolate, but when the light caught them just right, I swore there were hints of yellow striations in them. He rose to his feet, in one long graceful move, and stalked toward me. He reminded me of a panther, with his black hair, and half-lidded stare.
“Acer,” I breathed when we were less than an inch apart. His scent was rolling off him and I inhaled it. Woodsy with a hint of musk. Aroused didn’t come close to the state I was in.
“Kiss me. Kiss me like you mean it.”
My hands went straight to his hair and I touched his lips, gently at first, with mine. Then I dove in, deepening the kiss as he responded. Our tongues tangled and writhed, until we were both breathless.
“You’re perfect in red. My sexy Christmas elf. I want your mouth on me.”
The bulge in his pants told me how much he wanted it. When I unzipped them, he sprang free, ready for me. I fisted him and then dropped to my knees. My tongue swirled around the tip and then I went full-on. As I glanced up at him, he was beautiful with his head thrown back in ecstasy.
“Stop.”
Oddly enough, I didn’t want to. I wanted to finish him off.
“I said, stop.” He pulled me to my feet. I turned toward the bedroom.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bedroom, where else?”
“Who said anything about the bedroom? Bend over the back of the couch.”
I did as he asked.
“Are your sexy pants expensive?”
I laughed at his question. “No, they’re cheap. Why?”
When I heard them tear, I had my answer. “I’m glad you followed my request.”
“Huh?”
“The no panties rule.”
I’d honestly forgotten about that. I hadn’t worn any because I didn’t like the line they left with the leggings. Those thoughts were wiped away when he lifted my hips and his tongue dove inside of me.
What the heck? He was holding me up and working me over like a machine. The biggest orgasm crashed into me without warning. Before it had ended, he lowered my hips and his mouth was replaced with his cock. I moaned, and he rocked into me harder. My legs were dangling and I’d never felt so out of control.
“Don’t fight me, Isla. Go with it.”
“It’s weird. This position.”
“You don’t like it?”
He set my feet on the ground but the angle wasn’t right. He was too tall so that’s why he’d lifted me up.
“I did. Like it.”
Before any other words were spoken, he pushed back inside of me, and said, “Raise up on your toes, feet together.”
All at once, the friction, the pressure, the everything, combined and I was sprinting toward my next orgasm.
“That’s it. Come for me, babe. I want to feel your tight pussy squeeze me.”
I tumbled headfirst and was pretty sure I almost blacked out. “Oh, God.”
He slammed into me a few more times before he got his and when he did, I felt his warmth inside. A warm glow rose over me, blanketing me.
“Damn, you are exquisite.”
The warm glow vanished in a flash when he pulled out and I felt his cum spilling down my thighs.
“Acer, please tell me we did not just have sex without a condom.”
“Oh, fuck. Oh, shit.”
“What were you thinking?”
He gripped my shoulders and said, “Clearly, I wasn’t. I’m sorry. This was an oversight.”
“An oversight? Are you crazy?”
“Yes.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “I am, indeed. I’m crazy about you.”
I smacked his chest. Then I took in the situation and laughed. We were both partially clothed, me wearing my torn up leggings and top, and him with his pants to his knees.
His finger tilted my chin back up. “Eyes up here, please. I know how much you love that savage beast, but I want to say something to you.”
“The savage beast, huh?”
“That he is. And always craving you. But listen. I fucked up and I’m sorry. I’ve never in my life been with anyone without a condom, other than you. I lose my head around you. If anything should come of this, I’ll have your back. I’ll be by your side and stand by you.”
“I appreciate that, but the last thing either of us needs is a baby.”
“Then let’s think about it. What are the chances?”
I figured out where I was in my cycle. He must’ve noticed my expression.
“All righty then. Worst case scenario, we’ll have a little cutie to take care of.”
“Acer…”
“Isla, I won’t walk away from you. I’d marry you. I’d do anything you want, if you’re pregnant.”
“Marry me? Are you out of your mind? We barely know each other.”
“I don’t know about that. We spent three weeks together under some pretty bad circumstances and managed to come out of it like this. I love being with you. When I’m not, you’re all I think about.”
“Acer, it’s the sex.”
“We do manage to have some magic where that’s concerned. But it’s beyond that. Can you honestly say the only thing you like about me is the sex?”
He had me there. My heart stuttered whenever he was near. Was that sexual? I couldn’t answer. I’d never been in love before so I didn’t know how it felt, but I’d always figured it was a slow process. You met someone and you inched toward that emotion.
“No. I like being with you, even without the sex.”
His grin hit me full on. Damn, he was really amazing to look at. I’d seen plenty of handsome guys in my life, but there was something about him that struck me.
“We could do it if we had to. You and I make a great team as it is. Don’t worry, babe. Chances are, you’re not. Think about all those people out there who
try and try. One time won’t get us pregnant.”
His reassurances eased my anxiety. How could we be, right? One time and that was it. To be safe, I’d hit the pharmacy tomorrow for the morning after pill. I shoved all that to the back of my mind and asked, “How about a nap?”
“Not yet. Let’s crawl in bed and talk awhile.”
“Hang on. I need to take Ruffles out one last time.”
“I’ll go with you.”
We bundled up and took the dog out. My nightly routine for her usually consisted of walking her to the end of the street and back, which was only a block. As we neared the turnaround point, there was a car parked there.
“Acer, don’t look now, but after we turn back, check out that car across the street.”
“Okay, what about it?”
“The windows are steamed up.”
“And?” he asked.
“It means someone is inside.”
“Maybe two people are making out.”
“One head.”
“What?”
“I only saw one head.”
“Maybe she’s sucking him off.”
I elbowed him. “Stop. This is serious. Or could be.”
“Babe, your nerves are on edge. It’s nothing.”
“Maybe not. I’m always on high alert, though.”
“Let’s just go home and worry about this in the morning.”
Ruffles decided to do her thing right across from the car, which gave me an opportunity to covertly check it out. There was definitely only one person inside. My guess was a surveillance car. He was facing my house, not very far down.
When we got back inside, I raised my fingers to my lips as I said, “It’s freezing out tonight.” Pulling out a pad of paper, I wrote, “Casual conversation only. No mention of the car.”
Acer nodded and asked, “Hey, where are Ruffles’ treats?”
“Over there.”
I’d begun searching for bugs or even video cameras. I’d been away for so long, it never occurred to me they might break in and tap this place. When I didn’t find anything, I wasn’t satisfied. I didn’t own the equipment to do a thorough search. I went to pull up the video stream on my computer from the camera I’d installed for Ruffles, but I remembered I had the agent shut the camera off since she wouldn’t be at home. Dammit, I wish I hadn’t done that now.