by Amber Malloy
Mist from the ocean water molded her robe around the contours of her sexy body. No bra, check. Dewy skin, check, check. Walker’s gaze ultimately landed on the woman’s ridiculously gorgeous face. The last of his flimsy resolve unraveled.
Positive that he should allow sleeping dogs to lie, he took a shot anyway and shared his true feelings. Of course, the last thing he’d anticipated was laughter.
“This is great for my ego,” he muttered.
“Sorry,” Ashe said. “I thought you wanted…” She started up again, laughing herself into hiccups.
“Maybe we’re looking at this a bit differently. I can no longer protect you because I—”
“Want to?” she poked at him.
“Huh? I never said—” Stunned at how fast he’d become snared in her lawyerly web, he stood in front of her, speechless.
“Do what to me?” she asked while inching her way closer to him.
“Um, uh… Shit.” Caught between that gray area of regret and cards on the table, he took in her light scent of honey and cream. Unable to resist his attraction for a second longer, he closed the space left between them. “Everything. I want to do everything to you. But once again it’s a conflict of interest for us to go forward with—”
The sweet feel of her lips moving against his instantly silenced his words. He grabbed her waist and pulled her to his body, mildly annoyed that he hadn’t kissed her first. Sucking on her lower lip, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that this couldn’t satisfy him.
Ashe leaned away from their embrace. The absence of her beautiful lips forced out a groan.
“We’re adults, Walker Knight, and at the present moment, I see no danger. If staying among the retired seniors until we solve the mystery of my partner’s death is the best we can do, then I’ll take it.”
“Don’t forget someone is still hunting you, counselor. I’d like to keep your pretty little neck safe.”
“So you can do what to it?” This time she teased him with a playful smile.
“Exactly what I told you before,” Walker whispered close to her mouth. He picked her up and set her down on the rock-and-roll table. “Everything.” Her slip of a robe hiked farther up her leg.
Since he wanted to explore every part of her, he started with the smooth skin on her thigh and worked his way under the silk fabric.
“You’re so beautiful.” He moaned. Walker sought out her tongue and moved his hand onto her hip, surprised to find that she was wearing nothing under the silky fabric. “Ms. Fancy Pants lawyer wears none.” He nipped at her lower lip before she burst into a peal of laughter.
“It’s late and I was just— Oh hell, panties are uncomfortable.”
As he cupped her ass, he pulled her into the hard bulge in the front of his pants. “I think that’s about the sexiest thing anybody has ever told me.” Working his way around to the front of her robe, he sought out her pussy lips. He needed to touch her breasts and feast on her, but something in him wanted to keep her off balance.
Walker moved his hand to her clit but kept his focus on her face. When he touched her, she took a sharp breath. He wanted to lose himself in the feel of her full lips. However, he needed to see her face before he dipped inside her.
Wet and sexy. Tapping her clit, he slipped into her pussy with his middle finger. He kept the same rhythm until he felt her contract around him. Only after she dropped her head back with a moan did he feel he’d achieved his goal.
He took in the pretty picture of Ashe Marcille, legs splayed and out of breath. Untying her robe, he exposed her full, round breasts, and the throb in his pants became ten times worse. Walker thumbed her nipples and took possession of her lips. He basked in that touchdown moment as if he’d scored the head cheerleader.
“I wanted to do this the first time I saw you,” he huffed into her mouth.
“Undress me on top of a priceless work of art?”
“Exactly.” He ducked his head to suck her perfect nipple. Before Walker made fast friends with her right breast, he tickled the bud of her left with his tongue. Undone by her moans, he struggled with the button on his pants. She helped him to push them past his ass.
He took his pulsating cock in hand, shoving it into her with a grunt.
“Fuuuck!” she screamed.
Walker drove in and out of Ashe’s pussy. Her walls choked his cock. He palmed her breast and teased her beautiful lips. Increasing his speed slightly, he paced himself. For over a month he hadn’t been able to think about anything else but her. Thrusting into Ashe, he waited for her breath to grow shallow.
A little pant turned into a moan then a full-out ragged squeal. As she dropped her head back, he sucked on her neck and finally let himself go.
* * * *
The temperature dropped enough for Walker to build a fire. They sat in relative silence on the floor across from one another. Wrapped in a sheet, Ashe enjoyed the heat from the crackling orange flames.
“Roger Corman movies 1960s pinup,” he said while he massaged her foot.
Her partner had had different descriptions for the male species. In a lame attempt to soften her image, her partner C.T. had tried to tone down her fierce reputation by calling them by candy names. Of course, reducing men to Willy Wonka treats did nothing for her partner’s domineering reputation.
To Ashe’s delight, she’d found the perfect M&M Peanut in the form of Walker Knight. Hard on the outside, deliciously sweet on the inside. “What?”
“The way you look. When we first met, it was sexy Wall Street powerhouse,” he admitted.
“And now?”
“Barbarella bad ass.”
“Color me surprised.” She laughed. “I thought you were the strong, silent type.”
“And now?”
“Hot nerd.” When he locked eyes with her, Ashe’s heart beat faster. He kissed the top of her foot.
“I think my partners, Chad and Dan, are up to something.” There was a quick shift in his mood. The dreamy softness didn’t totally vanish, but it changed his already-chiseled features. “They took a contract with your firm.”
“Coincidence?” she asked, biting back a moan. He’d hit the point in her foot that damn near made her come for the third time that night.
He winked at her and continued his sweet torture on her body. “No. I think it’s more sinister than that. My silent partner—”
“Whoa! Another partner and he’s silent, which means the other two probably don’t know about him.”
Walker chuckled. “The company would be dissolved instantly if they did. Tank bought majority shares years ago. He thinks it would be a good idea for us to hold an engagement dinner to feel the other two out.”
“Seems dicey.”
“We don’t have much to go on. Maybe this will be a ‘cards on the table’ type of moment.”
With a small smile, he set her foot down and made his way towards her waist. Slipping the sheet off her, he kissed a trail to her stomach and stopped at her breast.
“What happened between you and J8?” she asked.
“I don’t work with people I don’t trust,” he murmured before he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked, then released it and said, “Plain and simple.”
“But your partners at WLK—”
“Are stupid, which is different. J8 is dangerous.”
Distracted by the tingles of heat that worked throughout her body, she noted how he hadn’t really answered the question. Focused on her third orgasm of the day, she decided to table the discussion for later.
Chapter Ten
Sun beamed through the slats of the blinds. Walker rolled away from the harsh rays to pull Ashe closer but found no sign of her. Somewhere around 4:00 a.m. they’d conked out in the master bedroom.
As he tried to shake off the needle of doubt that slipped into his thoughts, he got out of bed. Having been sober at the time he’d made his move, he couldn’t blame his impulsiveness on alcohol.
Walker put on a pair of shorts and went
downstairs to search for her. After Raven, he shouldn’t have crossed that line with Ashe. Maybe they could chalk the whole thing up to one and done…except they’d had a lot of sex, and every time had been more amazing than the last.
Walker headed downstairs. Morty greeted him in the kitchen with a fierce death glare. The monster pawed at its empty bowl without breaking eye contact or even blinking, for that matter.
“What? You can’t feed yourself? But you’re Morty the Wonder Cat,” he openly mocked him before he turned to the refrigerator and opened the door. Starved, he popped the top on a fruit tray and shoved chunks of pineapple and strawberries into his mouth.
While he searched the fully stocked fridge for more options, he heard the front door.
“There’s my sweetie.”
Ashe’s smooth voice instantly splashed warm lust all over him. She walked into the room. Instead of exploring his instant reaction, he hurried to squelch the fire it stirred.
School-boy crush or something bigger?
“I wanted to talk to you about last night.” He shut the door to the fridge.
Loud purrs filled the air. She stepped past him and crouched down in front of the mini tiger to caress his chin.
“We can still go to the agency if you feel uncomfortable,” he offered.
Ashe kept stroking the cat, not paying the least bit of attention to him. Walker quickly tucked away the irrational jealously he felt toward the monster.
“I mean, a relationship might get in the way of finding out who’s after you. Trust me. I have experience on that front. Whatever you want to do, I’m open.”
Ashe glanced over her shoulder. “Hey there.” The cocoa stunner pulled out her earbuds and stood up. “Undercover nerd has a dirty mouth. ‘This pussy is soooo tight. Mhhhm, love how wet you get… So damn good.’” She advanced on him. “I would have never pegged you as a talker.”
Splitting a grin from ear to ear, he wiped the sweet fruit juice from his mouth with the back of his hand. It dawned on him that she hadn’t heard a word he’d said.
“Just to make sure, though, we’re going to have to go for another round.” Grabbing her by the waist he bit softly on her lower lip. “After all, I want to be accurate about how awesome your pussy is. Good morning, Ashe.”
He pulled her close before parting her beautiful lips with his tongue.
* * * *
The soothing sounds of the Cape eased the colliding thoughts in her head. Since Ashe hadn’t expected to have this reaction to Walker, she would have to either tell him everything or allow J8 to hide her. Her anxiety attacks were less frequent here in retiree heaven, but her past was still driving her.
Decisions, decisions.
“Kitchen is all clean,” Walker said.
As she stared at the full moon above, Ashe reclined on the lounge chair. “I could have helped.”
He sat in the matching seat next to her. “My grandmother didn’t raise a slacker, and since you won’t let me cook…”
Ashe turned her head in his direction and shared a good chuckle with him. After the last time he’d tried, she’d made sure to keep him out of the kitchen.
“Offer still stands,” he said. “You can go with J8 and be safe.”
Devilishly handsome, he seemed more at peace than he had been when he’d arrived the previous day. However, something calculating appeared to simmer underneath his cool demeanor.
“Like I said, you saved me. Why would I want to go with someone else?”
“Did I?” Walker met her stare. The smile that played on his lips never reached his eyes. “If I remember correctly, you saved yourself.”
A slight shift in his expression put her on alert, but maybe she’d read him wrong.
“Lucky, I guess,” Ashe muttered. Trust had never come easy for Ashe. Although Walker was amazing in bed, she honestly didn’t know where things could lead with him.
“Those were expert moves. Your stance was flawless, not to mention your ability to anticipate your assailant’s next move.” Reaching over, Walker offered his hand. She hesitated before she placed her palm inside his warm grip. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you’d had professional training,” he said.
Walker caressed his index finger over her wrist. Ashe smiled at his attempt to monitor her pulse. “Kickboxing at the YMCA. It’s been a real-life saver,” she lied.
He continued to keep his eyes on her.
“Who knew lawyers had it so bad.” His chuckle sounded hollow.
While Ashe held her hopefully sweet smile in place, she tried her best not to be offended. After all, he did have a right to be suspicious. “Don’t tell me you’ve never met a lawyer who you wanted to at least punch in the face.”
“Maybe one or two.” This time Walker’s good humor reached his eyes. “But I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt you.” He moved his finger off her wrist. Interrogation over, she figured she must have passed his human lie-detector test.
“Look… I’ll understand if I’ve worn out my welcome. I don’t want to—” she began.
He cut her off by kissing her before she could finish. Easing his fingers into the curls of her hair, he intensified his grip. Ashe couldn’t help but moan. He kissed her dizzy before letting go.
“Just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. It can’t be easy for a big city lawyer to get used to the pace of the Cape.”
Caressing her hand down his cheek, Ashe pecked his lips before she settled back in the patio chair. Walker threw her a genuine smile, leaving her with the sincere impression that he didn’t believe a word that she’d said.
Chapter Eleven
Two weeks later
Walker snatched his workout gear from the car and waved at the neighbors. It was a balmy summer day, the type where kids rode their bikes up and down the streets while the adults cut the grass.
“You gotta set up shop before the Chads get here,” he told Tank over the phone. He’d made it back to the Cape hours before the dinner with his partners, in case Ashe needed help.
“Don’t worry. I got it covered. I heard the idiots are trying to make a weekend out of it. They usually can’t stand to be around their own wives for more than five seconds.”
“Yeah, I thought the same thing myself. You’ve got to wonder what they’re up to,” Walker said.
“We’re going to have to talk about what to do with the business,” Tank said.
Walker noticed Tom watering his rose bushes, pretending not to see him. “Just make it before 7:00 p.m. and we’ll hash things out.” He wanted to go straight into the house but knew he had to speak to the nosey man.
“Will do, boss.” Tank knew he hated to be called that. Walker hung up on his grating laugh.
“Hey, Tom,” he called out, “the flowers look good.”
“Eyyye.” The old man tossed him a stale wave without really acknowledging him.
“We’re having my partners over for dinner. Maybe after, we can catch the game on the big-screen downstairs.”
Tom turned around at the mention of the Mets and Oakland As. “Well, if it’s not too late. I like to catch Anderson Cooper before I go to bed,” he muttered.
“No problem. I’ll give you a call when they’re gone.” Since Ashe had to deal with him on a daily basis, he’d decided to be the bigger man and invite Tom over. Hopefully, that would be enough to make amends with the old perv.
When he opened the front door to the house, Cajun spices tickled his nose. The two Chads had boring cheeseburger palates. He didn’t know how well they would receive the excellence of Ashe’s jambalaya.
“It smells great, but you didn’t have to—” In a fraction of a second a chill shot through his system. “Honey?” She didn’t turn around. Instead, she continued to slowly stir the contents in the pot. At her feet, the beast of a cat yowled his head off. “Ashe?”
As he drew close, Walker reached
“Dammit,” he said. Her eyes rolled back in her head for her arm. She was clammy to the touch w
hen he pulled her around to face him. Glassy-eyed and sweaty, she didn’t seem to register him at all. before she went limp.
Although he was used to tense situations, his mind hit a speed bump.
If they had been in an ambush with gunners at their backs, he would know what to do, but seeing Ashe this way… After flipping off the burners, he gathered her into his arms and rushed them out of the front door.
* * * *
Ashe tried to sit up, but her whole body revolted against her effort. Racked with pain, she groaned.
“Don’t,” Walker said. He gently pushed her back with the palm of his hand.
She opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. “Not the hospital,” she croaked with a scratchy throat.
“Someone has one of the worst cases of appendicitis these doctors have ever seen.”
“Surely these rookies don’t know any better.” She tried to sit up for the second time and he gently pushed her back down again. “I’m going to need another opinion.”
“Open wide.”
“What? Here, now? That seems tacky and yet sexy at the same time.” She choked at her lame attempt at a joke.
“That’s what you get.” Walker threw her a lopsided grin before he put the spoon to her lips. She accepted the ice chunks into her mouth and sucked. “You now no longer have a choice.”
“Surgery?” She allowed the water from the ice to slide down her throat.
“Yep.”
“Dinner?” she asked about his party with his partners.
“Canceled.” Walker caressed her cheek. “Go back to sleep, and when you wake up—”
“No appendix,” she muttered. With her body heavy, she began slipping into oblivion. “Be here when I wake up?”
“Where would I go?” he answered.
She felt the soft brush of his lips against hers before she slipped into dreamland.
Walker held her hand until she went back to sleep. The heaviness in his chest had lightened a bit now that she was safe. Only after her surgery would he allow himself to breathe easy.