Page 16 of Defending Love
Chapter Fifteen
Eli
D ani stepped back as I took a picture of the first page. The cursive writing was faded by time. There were few words. Mostly the text consisted of lines of letters and numbers.
“Those are chemical compounds,” I said.
Dani leaned closer. “Formulas.” She winked. “Basically, the same thing.”
“When it comes to science, I bow to your superior knowledge.”
Dani grinned. “When it comes to almost everything else, you win.”
It was my turn to wink. “I was hoping you were going to tell me you’d bow.”
Her cheeks filled with pink. “Back to the issue at hand.” She began to read the first one aloud. “C257H383N65077S6.” Her blue eyes met mine. “That’s Sinclair’s formula for insulin.”
“Did Sinclair have any involvement with its invention?”
“No,” she answered quickly. “It was discovered by three Canadian scientists. In 1923, they sold their patent to the University of Toronto for only a Canadian dollar apiece. Lilly was granted exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute.” Dani flipped through the pages.
“It will take a while to read through all of these, especially if they’re formulas.
They’re not all familiar. I’ll need to research the chemical composition.
” She shook her head. “I definitely don’t know all of these. ”
“Your father was a scientist like you?”
She laughed. “Dad was a businessman. Grandpa Sinclair was a scientist. My great-grandfather who founded Sinclair Pharmaceuticals did so by opportunity. Dad used to say the science gene skipped a generation.”
“Why would Derek keep all these formulas if he didn’t understand them?”
“Maybe because they were Grandpa’s?” She closed the journal and stacked it with the others. “I’ll take these up to my room and read while you’re working on those computers.”
I had a few programs running as we spoke.
According to the Villages community website, pickleball was played every Monday and Wednesday morning at eight a.m. They probably wanted to get it done before the Florida sun scorched the courts.
Pickleball lasted an hour, and the location of the courts was close enough to the Sinclairs’ home for Carol to either walk or ride her bike.
Even if she drove her golf cart, it was still a short trip.
Based on that primary data, Carol returned to her home after nine in the morning to find people coming to and going from the Sinclairs’ home. Interestingly, there was no activity on the Sinclairs’ camera doorbell.
It didn’t take me long to learn the doorbell companies representing the neighbors.
My current search was working to find the necessary codes to hack into each of the closest neighbor’s database.
The incident was recent enough that assuming not all the doorbells were scrambled, we should have more information.
I reached for the photo album. “Do you want to look through this?”
Dani exhaled and nodded again, wrapping her arms around her midsection.
“Are you all right?”
“Cold.”
I picked up the photo album and reached for her hand. After a puzzled look, she stood as I led her into the living room. “Here.” I motioned toward the couch, and she sat. I sat beside her, laying the closed album on her lap.
When Dani shivered, I laid my arm around her shoulders.
Dani stiffened.
“I wanted to help you warm up.” I started to move my arm. “But I don’t?—”
She snuggled against my side. “I don’t want you to move your arm.” Her navy-blue stare peered upward. “I’m just unsure of where we are in this rule-breaking journey.”
“Fuck if I know.”
That made her grin.
“This is new territory for me too.” Running my thumb over her cheek, I gently pinched her chin, lifting it until I was again staring into her gaze.
“Since your comment about fucking, it’s taken every ounce of my self-control to not throw you over my shoulder like some caveman and carry you upstairs.
” I scoffed. “I’ve also imagined bending you over that kitchen table. ”
“Yet, somehow you’ve refrained.”
I tipped my chin toward the album. “If we have answers here, we need to find them.”
Dani reached for the album and moved it to the coffee table. “I want answers.”
“You need them to get your life back.”
She shimmied closer. “I know you have work to do.” Her eyes were back on mine. “I’m tired of navigating all of this alone.”
Pulling her closer still, I kissed her pert nose. “You’re not alone any longer.”
Her eyes hooded.
“Talk to me.”
Dani shook her head. “The practical part of me, the part that manages all aspects of my life, has a million questions. I’m not alone—but for how long? What will happen when we find the killer?”
I started to speak, but she laid her finger on my lips.
“I don’t want answers, Eli. I want to step away, even for a short time, from my crushing solitude. I don’t want to think. I want to feel.”
Solitude.
Alone was how I’d lived most of my life.
I knew exactly what she was talking about.
There was that sensation that even amongst a crowd, I was truly by myself.
That was the world I’d created for myself, and I did it well.
It was why my bank accounts runneth over.
It was why Ben always had a new job waiting for me.
I’d traveled the world and yet none of it was particularly memorable. It was simply my job.
The money and the sights were background noise.
I didn’t deserve to have more than that, but here she was—the gorgeous woman who had been living in my head for the last year. She was real and within my reach.
“Come here,” I said, my timbre slowing.
When Dani looked puzzled, I reached for her waist and lifted her over my lap. After squirming, she wrapped her sexy legs around my waist. My cock grew with the knowledge her pussy was hovering inches away, separated only by our clothing.
Holding Dani’s waist in place, I met her gaze. “Tell me to stop, because if you don’t, I’m going to begin to do all the things I’ve thought of doing to you.”
“You’ve thought about me?”
Reaching for the hem of her sweatshirt, I pulled it over her nearly dry hair and found a light green tank top beneath. “Every fucking day since the first time I saw you in Damien’s office.” My lips curled. “You were wearing a white lab coat.”
“Oh, so sexy.”
“Made me hard.”
“You’re lying.”
I shook my head. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Dani. You’re making me hard right now.”
She wiggled her pussy against my growing erection. “I know you’re telling the truth now.”
“Last chance, tell me to stop.”
“Don’t stop.”
Splaying my fingers beneath the fabric of her top, I caressed the soft skin above her waist. Dani arched her back, pushing her breasts against me.
Our lips came together as they had earlier in the day.
She fucking tasted like sunshine and clouds.
My goal was to wipe away those clouds so she could shine her blinding glow.
My tongue teased the seam of her lips. Without hesitation, she allowed me entry. Our faces moved, our tongues danced, and the air filled with erotic sounds.
Again, I reached for the hem of her top, pulling it over her head.
A growl slipped from my lips at the sight of her heavy breasts, her deep-red areolas, and her tight nipples.
A dip of my head and I seized one nipple between my lips.
Dani squealed as I nipped the hard bud with my teeth.
My assault moved from one breast to the other, over and over, until her fingers were woven through my hair and her breathing was erratic.
The idea of carrying her over my shoulder was appealing, but since I’d determined that the living room was free from monitoring, I did the next best thing, lifting her off my lap and placing her onto the couch.
In one swift move, I snagged the waistband of her shorts and then her panties, pulling them both down past her ankles.
The sweet scent of her essence filled my senses as I lowered my kisses—beyond her breasts, down over her stomach, over the swell between her hips.
“Eli.”
My name echoed throughout the villa as I buried my face between her legs. She was so fucking wet as I lapped her sweet cum.
Her hips bucked as I teased her clit.
I wasn’t sure when it happened, but my hair was no longer gathered at my neck, but hanging free as I lapped and teased.
Dani pulled away and reached for the buttons on my shirt. “I want a more even playing field.”
The desperation and desire in her tone was as erotic as the sweet taste of her pussy. I sat back as we both fumbled with the small buttons. She splayed her fingers over my chest. It was as I was about to remove the sleeves from my shoulders that the doorbell rang.
Dani’s wide eyes met mine. “Who is it?”