Page 16

CHAPTER 16

H aving Sephie bent over the hot tub while he plowed into her had been next level. She had an ass that’d bring any guy to his knees and a pussy that nearly fucking broke him.

Sex would never be the same.

She’d ruined him.

Listening to her scream and wither while her insides contracted around him was something he could get used to. He continued to move in and out. His member was swollen and ready to burst, but he didn’t want it to end.

Her legs trembled, and he suspected she was no longer comfortable. Staying buried inside her, he eased her arms off the deck and held her so she was bent a little at the waist. “Too much?” he asked, as he kissed her shoulder.

Her soft, broken panting assured him she was still reeling. “Too... good,” she breathed.

“Ha.” He kissed her again. “No such thing.” Slowly, he separated their bodies then turned her in his arms. Her muscles were slack, her eyes heavy-lidded. Small curls danced around her face, where her hair had gotten a steam bath.

“I feel like mush,” she said sleepily.

He bent to taste her neck.

“ Oh .” She surged in his arms, belying her statement.

Which was a damn good thing because he was nowhere near done. He sat on the edge of the hot tub and pulled her against him. “On top of me again, please.”

She slid over his lap, her glistening sex ready and waiting for him. She dropped onto him, and the connection sent his head back to gaze at the dark sky. “Jesus.”

Her slick heat on his, flesh to flesh, was his goddamn kryptonite. Guilt struck him. Hell, he shouldn’t be going bareback. He brought his head to her shoulder. He’d fucked up, but cutting off his own arm with a butter knife would be easier than pulling out of her right now.

Her fingers tangled in his hair. “What’s wrong?”

“Condom,” he whispered.

Silence. He raised his head to meet her stare. “Are you on birth control?”

Tension crinkled the skin around her eyes, and she bit her lip. She rocked her hips, sucking the air right from his lungs. “No.” The single syllable cut through him .

He caught her hips to lift her off. There was a condom inside, but it’d feel like a fucking grocery bag over his dick after what he’d just experienced.

Sephie pressed her hands on his forearms, stopping him. “It’s okay.” She kissed him. “I’m outside my ovulation window.”

He chortled. “I’m not sure—”

“I’m not worried if you aren’t.”

Her hips rolled, and his grip went from hesitant to urgent, as if his hands had a mind of their own. Reason told him not to risk it. “I never do this. Never have sex without a condom. So you don’t have to worry...”

She went for his mouth again. “Neither do you.” She lifted her hips and plopped back down.

Any self-control he’d possessed vanished.

Clasping her, his hands covered her from her hip bones to the small of her back. So damn perfect.

She pulled at her bathing suit top and tossed the thing into the water, leaving her full breasts bare. He lowered his head to suck on one of her pointed nipples. The action tightened her insides around his cock even more, and her fingers clenched the back of his neck.

“Taschen,” she cried. “More.”

They rocked together, and in minutes her body convulsed in his arms once again. Her throbbing folds and wilted moans told him she’d come hard. He thrust into her, and the pressure hitting his core finally released.

Every delicious ridge of her flesh rubbed against his nerve endings, and he pulsed his seed into her, not regretting it for a fucking second, fate be damned.

She dropped her head to his shoulder at the same time as his soul came crashing back into his body. Her hot, rapid breath hit his throat. He brought his hand to her hair then dragged it over her neck and down her arched spine.

There were a million things he wanted to say, assurances he wanted to make, but right now, he couldn’t do more than just be.

Wrapping his arms around her slight ribs, he kissed her delicate neck. They might have crossed a line, but it was one he’d planned to erase anyway because when this was all done, he’d move heaven and earth to have her stay with him.

For good.

***

No condom. She’d never before had sex without protection. With anyone. But she’d also never been ready to. Sephie slipped off Taschen’s lap and reached for the towel behind his back. He gripped her elbow to steady her while she stepped onto the slick deck.

She wrapped the towel around her chest. Uncertainty clouded her senses. But not because they’d pulled the goalie. Oddly, she felt at peace with that. No, the doubt curdling her belly was tied to worry about Taschen’s feelings. She’d taken a huge leap, and her heart was definitely in this—but was his?

He pulled up his shorts then fished her bathing suit top and bottom out of the water and passed them to her. She waited while he closed the hot tub. Kevin rose and stretched sleepily, as if he hadn’t just watched her do the dirty for all of the forest critters to see.

Taschen’s hand went to her hip, and he urged her across the wood and into the house, whistling for Kevin as he went. The air was several degrees cooler inside, and the lights sharp against her eyes.

He edged her down the hall to the bathroom. He cranked on the shower then stepped out of his shorts. Her desire now abated, Sephie could study his perfect body without her brain short-circuiting with need.

Tattoos decorated his biceps and forearms, and there was one on his chest as well. The markings reminded her of his background, and the scars of his roughness.

Taschen was like a diamond. His outer layer was rough and marred, like coal, but inside... God, he was breathtaking both inside and out. He might look like a gang member turned soldier, but he was as cuddly as a teddy bear. As harmless as—

He hooked an eyebrow. “Like what you see?” He smirked and moved the shower curtain to get beneath the water. Holding out the material, he jerked his head, motioning for her to join.

She hid her grin, dropped her towel, and stepped in next to him. “You know I do.”

“Good. The feeling’s mutual.” He steered her body so the spray hit her chest. Then he gently tugged her head back with his fingers beneath her chin.

His hands gently moved up and down her arms, but not in a sexual, I-want-to-turn-you-on way. More of a you-mean-a-lot-to-me way. “Wanna talk about what happened in the hot tub?”

She turned her head and glanced up at him, but at this close range, only part of his profile was visible. “We had sex.”

“Yeah-huh. Awesome sex.” He swiped a rivulet of water from his five-o’clock shadow. “I just don’t want to put you in a tough position.”

She mentally counted back to the first day of her last period. If she was accurate, her cycle would begin again in a week. Which meant they should be okay. “If pregnancy is our only concern, then I think we’re in the clear.”

He turned her around abruptly and held her elbows. “You don’t have to worry about STDs. Like I said, I don’t have unprotected sex, and I sure as hell wouldn’t endanger you if I thought I was carrying something.”

She rested the back of her hand on his cheek. “ Taschen, I’m not worried. I was just clarifying that we can pretty much rule out pregnancy.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Pretty much?”

She tsked. “I don’t think anything’s surefire.”

“Right,” he said, his tone returning to normal. “We’ll be more careful going forward.”

She slid out from under the spray so he could have a turn. A yawn broke through her lips as she reached for a bar of soap and began scrubbing the chlorine off her skin. When she was done, they switched again. Once her body was free of suds, she stepped out and onto the bath mat.

She dried off with a fresh towel. As Sephie brushed her teeth at the sink, Taschen got out and secured a towel around his hips. He reached for his toothbrush.

“I know it’s early,” she said, yawning again, “but I’m heading to bed.”

He spit some foam in the sink. “Go ahead, honey. I’ll come say good night in a minute. I’m going to stay up for a bit and talk with the guys.”

“’Kay.” She popped open the bathroom door and was struck with cool air as she left their steam room behind.

She put on a pair of underwear and a tank top, not wanting any heavy layers on her tonight, and peeled back the comforter. Her head hit the pillow and sleep crashed against her eyelids.

She was barely aware of Taschen kissing her temple and then shutting off the light. Darkness hit her like a ton of bricks, and her lights went out.

** *

Taschen stood in the kitchen and downed a glass of water. After sitting in the hot tub then fucking his brains out, he was depleted of hydration. He gasped, so damn thirsty, as he polished off the drink. He refilled his glass and sipped it slowly as he made his way to the living room.

Opening the Backcountry group chat, he saw that Brick had asked him to call. He tapped his friend’s icon and brought the phone to his ear as it rang.

“Hey,” Brick answered. “Thanks for calling. Sorry to interrupt your honeymoon.”

Taschen scoffed. “I’d hardly call burying Sephie’s best friend and seeing her other friend murdered this morning a honeymoon.”

Brick grunted. “Sorry. But don’t act like things aren’t getting cozy over there. I saw how glued to her you were in the vehicle yesterday.”

“None of your business.” Dropping into the couch, he brought his ankle to rest on his knee. Kevin slept on the floor near his feet. Exhaustion clung to his bones, but his brain was wired as fuck. “Remember I mentioned meeting that guy tomorrow? I might need a hand with Sephie.”

“Right. How’d you find him again?”

“Pippa wrote a letter to Yvette. In it, she mentioned a guy named Jack. Said if the letter reached Yvette, then Jack needed to come forward with his information.”

“Who the hell is he?”

“Get this. He was the cameraman from the show Sera and Me . Jack Gardner.”

Brick let out a low whistle. “Holy shit.”

“I know. Dude’s gotta know something.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, hating that this was Sephie’s life. Hating how cruel and unfair the universe had been to her. “Can you do some digging? Find out everything you can about the guy.”

“Absolutely. I’ll work on it tonight. I find it interesting he agreed to meet you.”

“I don’t think he’s happy about it. I might have mildly threatened him with the FBI.”

Brick snort-laughed.

“We’ll head into town in the morning. If you’re free, I was hoping you and one of the others could stay with Sephie while I chat with Jack.”

Memories hit him like a whip. Only months ago, he’d been in the same position, protecting Gigi while August went on a manhunt. He brushed his fingers over the scar that ate at his hairline. That hadn’t worked out well.

Just the idea of leaving Sephie alone with anyone other than him—even his more-than-capable team—made his gut clench. Resistance buzzed through him, but what choice did he have?

“Sure. I think Toth or Rami’s free. You want to bring her by the office? ”

He grunted. She’d have Kevin with her, and if Micha, Rami’s dog, was there, like she usually was the pit bull might be too interested in the Frenchie. “Maybe not. My place will be more comfortable for her if that’s cool.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Plus, he wanted her in his space. The thought of her in his home, tucked in his quiet little neighborhood, using his things and eating what little food he had, made his heart twang.

The plan was to return to the cabin tomorrow night, but if he ended up meeting Jack later than expected, they could always just stay at his house. He’d make sure Sephie packed a bag just in case.

“By the way, we’re still working on getting into the hotel cameras to see who visited Yvette last.”

Taschen rocked forward to lean his elbows on his knees. “What about the funeral? Any footage there?”

“Last I spoke to Toth, he was still on it a couple hours ago. You’ll hear from him soon. He’ll get into the hotel cameras for sure—it’s just a matter of whether or not we can get an ID on the perp.”

Kevin got up from the rug and wagged his tail while moving around Taschen’s leg. He bent down to pet the pup.

Kevin lifted his front paws and Taschen pulled him onto his lap. “We need that soon.” The reality of what Sephie was going through hit him all over again .

It wasn’t fair for her to keep running. To hide from this cocksucker. He’d pull Raymond Schaffer from the bowels of hell with his bare hands if necessary.

“I know. Shit’s getting crazy. Text me tomorrow and let me know what time you need us at your place.”

“Thanks. Will do.” He disconnected and scrubbed his hand over Kevin’s back. The dog stretched and snorted then stood and did a little dance on the cushion next to him. “Do you need to go outside, buddy?”

He shook his head and tiny gray hairs spiraled in the air.

“All right. Sounds like a yes.”

Kevin leapt to the floor and ran to the back door. Taschen let him outside. Moments later the dog returned.

With the house locked up and the lights out, he made his way to the hall. He paused, looking at Sephie’s partially closed door and then his wide open one.

He hadn’t asked her if she wanted to share a bed. After they’d had sex at the hotel, they’d slept in the same bed, but there’d been only one.

Now, though, would she be surprised if he snuck in beside her? Kevin didn’t wait for him to come to a conclusion. He nudged the door open with his snout and trotted into the bedroom.

Ah, well. If the way she’d kissed and pressed her body to his earlier was any indication of where she wanted him to sleep, then he belonged right next to her.

Belonged .

He tsked inaudibly and pushed open the bedroom door the rest of the way. Sephie lay on her side, exactly where he’d left her. Muted light spilling in from the hall cast a gray glow over her face. Her dark lashes rested in beautifully shaped crescents, her full lips were pressed together, and she inhaled and exhaled softly through her nose.

He made his way to the opposite side, stripped down to his briefs, and slid beneath the covers.

Sephie moaned and turned to face him, her hand instantly finding and resting on his chest. Her cheek snuggled into his shoulder and her leg curled over his thigh.

Body language said a lot, so he was damn certain she wanted him with her as much as he wanted to be there.

Covering her thigh with his hand and inhaling her relaxing, sweet scent, he closed his eyes. Sleep sucked him into a black hole of comforting bliss.