One to Keep (One to Hold) (16 page)

She caught my cheeks, pulling my mouth to hers, finding my tongue as my dick plunged into her hot opening over and over. Her moans were muffled by our kisses. I broke away, groaning as I sank inside her. Instinct took over, and I went deeper, faster, as she held on, rocking her hips with mine.

Through the haze, I noticed her fingers on my ass, touching, exploring as her mouth burned a trail down my neck, her small tongue tasting before she bit my skin. The small pain registered directly to my cock, prompting more deep thrusts until I was gone, pounding her hard, flooding that condom. My whole body shook until finally I collapsed, spent, breathing hard against her hair, her fingers still moving on my ass.

Finally, I reached back and caught those wrists, holding both her wandering hands together over her head. The position pulled her breasts together in perky rounds beneath me, and I couldn’t help it. I leaned down and caught one in my mouth, giving it a little suck, prompting a moan, before rising up to look at her again.

“What were you doing?”

“Mmm,” she sighed, that little glint in her eye as she grinned up at me. “Playing with you.”

“You bit me.”

A tiny giggle slipped from her throat. “You came hard.”

I kissed her for that. “You’re amazing, and you’re crazy in the sack, and I love it.”

She laughed, that gorgeous sound I hadn’t heard in a week, and lifted her lips to mine again. I released her hands, and she caught my neck, roughly claiming my mouth before breaking away. “Shall I tie you up again?”

My forehead dropped to her shoulder as I laughed. “How about we save that for a night when I’m not so tired.” I might’ve resisted initially, but the memory of that blazing hot fuck was imprinted in my brain. We’d be going down that road again, I was sure of it.

She exhaled a contented sound, pushing me onto my back and resting her head on my shoulder. “I guess you’re right. There’s no point fighting this.”

“That’s my girl,” my hand smoothed her back. “We’ll be together as much as we can, and we’ll work out the distance problem as soon as possible.”

Exhaustion was creeping in, causing my eyes to grow heavy. Releasing a week of painful tension in bed with her after that long drive, all of it was hitting me hard, but I didn’t want to be the dick who fell asleep the minute I got what I wanted.

“How was Back to School?” I said, suppressing a yawn.

Elaine turned, and I saw her covering an enormous yawn of her own. Of course, I laughed.

“Sorry!” she said, shaking her head. “It was fine, but damn, I’m exhausted.”

Warmth flooded the place in my heart that for days had been a cold, dry ache. “Let’s get some sleep then.”

She curled around, pressing her back against my chest, and my arms went tight around her. After all we’d shared, it felt inevitable to have her this way. Her body drew me in until my heart beat with hers, and my soul felt threaded to her very breath. My lips pressed against her neck, then behind her ear. She was amazing.

“I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.” Her voice was growing quieter, and I kissed the top of her shoulder, surrendering to sleep. I was back in heaven, and I wasn’t leaving this place or my angel ever again.

Chapter 14 – Then I Met You

The sound of plates clanging together woke me. I was alone in the bed, and it sounded like Elaine was rearranging the kitchen. A smile immediately curled my lips, and I hopped up, hitting the bathroom to lose the wood before stepping into my jeans and heading to where she was.

“What are you doing in here?” my brow creased as I took in the pots and pans scattered around my lady, who was dressed in a short white gown. It was lacy and showed off her body in the most incredible way. Morning wood returning.

She glanced up and her shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry,” she said, stepping over a pot to kiss my cheek. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I wanted to serve you breakfast in bed, but I can’t find my damn omelet pan.”

Catching her waist, I pulled her closer to me, kissing her temple, the side of her ear before whispering, “I’ll take you out for breakfast.”

Her body relaxed, and I felt her smile. “Have some coffee at least.” She stepped around to pick up a glass pot sitting on the counter as I admired her body under that nearly sheer nightie.

“I’ll just have some juice,” I said, going to the fridge. “Got any?”

“Yeah, help yourself,” she said, distracted as she put the pans back in the cabinet.

My phone buzzed from the center of the bar, and I realized I’d pretty much just walked out of the office yesterday afternoon. Derek probably thought something had happened. I grabbed the OJ and reached for a glass in the rack. Leaning against the sink, my phone buzzed again, and she glanced at it.

“You’re getting a text,” she said, lifting the small coffee pot and pouring the dark brown liquid in her mug.

“Is it Derek?” I took a long drink, not worried. “He probably thinks I had a family emergency or something the way I left yesterday.”

Her brow creased, and she turned her head to read the face. “It’s Kenny. He wants to know if Fatal Attraction got you.” Her green eyes were hesitant as they rose to mine. “What’s that about?”

Fuck. I did not want any of that coming into my space with Elaine. I put the glass down and stepped to the bar, picking up my phone and quickly texting back.
All good. Will catch up ASAP.

“Sorry,” I said, putting the phone back down and reaching for her. But I could tell she was still thinking about it. “It’s stupid bullshit at work. I’m handling it.”

“Fatal Attraction?” her brow arched. “Wasn’t that about an office affair gone psycho?”

She had a right to be worried. I’d been a dick, and I was so lucky I’d met this amazing woman who saved me from myself.

“I called it that, but I was exaggerating. It was just this temp we had weeks ago. She’s gone now.”

“A temp?” Her expression caused the tension to burn in my stomach again. Elaine was so important to me. She was still standing in my arms, and I tightened my hold on her waist.

“I was an idiot,” I said. “Then I met you.”

I wasn’t sure if she would even understand the enormous change those eight words conveyed, but I didn’t know how else to put it. My phone buzzed again, and both our eyes went to it. Kenny.

You were supposed to check in. Asshole.

My lips tightened. I wasn’t sure what to say, but everything changed when Elaine snorted a laugh. “You should at least tell him you’re okay.”

Relief washed over me, and I pulled her close, resting my forehead on hers. “I’d rather be okay with you,” I said, kissing her lightly.

Her arms wrapped around my neck and she kissed me back. “Didn’t you just promise to buy me breakfast?”

“I don’t know if it was a promise. And this little dress you’ve got on is seriously pitching my tent.”

She laughed and kissed me harder. Her response was not cooling my erection, but she let go, skipping back and going to her room. “Then I’d better change because I’m hungry.”

Shaking my head, I picked up my phone and quickly typed back.
My bad. Sorry. Will explain soon.

Returning the phone to the bar, I went to the bedroom. Elaine was already sliding faded jeans over her slim hips. Was it possible that everything this woman did turned me on?

“I need to stop at a drugstore,” I said, picking up my shirt and buttoning it. “I didn’t bring anything with me.”

She turned, now wearing a long-sleeved navy tee with her jeans, and I watched as she shoved her feet into a pair of hot pink Chucks. “We’ll take care of it. First, breakfast!”

I couldn’t stop smiling as she caught my hand, pulling me to the door.

* * *

The weekend was too short. Sitting at my desk in Princeton Monday morning, all I could do was gaze out the window, imagining myself in the car, flying to meet her again.

We’d spent the entire weekend either making love, chatting, eating, or sleeping. We’d told each other everything. I knew all about Brian The Idiot. The complete moron she’d dated five years who was so clueless he’d never proposed. Of course, I wasn’t complaining. And I’d told her about Stacy.

Looking back on those relationships in view of what we shared, it was hard to believe they had ever seemed so important. What was more believable was how easily they ended. Nothing could last that didn’t feel like this.

“I suppose it’s chemistry?” Elaine’s fingers had traced a delicate line along my cheek, down my jaw. I’d held her body tight under mine on the soft bed. It was my all-time favorite way to hold her.

Leaning down to kiss her chin, I answered. “Some people are just meant to be.” I kissed her again, tasting her sweet mouth. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my life.”

Her lips curled into a smile as she wrapped those lovely arms around my neck. “That’s always nice to hear.”

Kisses led to more lovemaking, and when it was time for me to go, it hurt like hell. But it wasn’t devastating. The separation sucked, but everything was right now. I was back at work, smiling in anticipation of seeing her again, and I could actually concentrate on cracking the two cases in front of me while I passed the time.

Turning back to my computer, I began the process—scrolling through face after face, looking for Star’s. I’d spend an hour on this, and if I didn’t find her, I’d switch back to the phishing case for a while. Then I’d return to finding the needle in the haystack.

A cry from the kitchen broke my concentration. “Gross!” It was Nikki, and I was just about to tune her out when her words registered in my brain. “Who put plates and glasses in the dishwasher and didn’t run it? This looks a month old!”

My brow creased. I didn’t even know we had a dishwasher, and I was out of my chair in an instant. Derek wouldn’t have done it—there was only one other possibility between Nikki leaving and coming back…

“Stop!” I shouted, freezing her hand just before it reached one of the glass tumblers I recognized from that Friday afternoon in my office.

Nikki stepped back, and I looked all around the kitchen for anything I could pick it out with. “Hurry up, it stinks!” She was holding her nose.

“Hang on.” I dashed back down the hall to our supply closet. A neglected box of medical gloves was in the back corner, and I shoved my hand inside, pulling one out and snapping it on.

Back in the break room, I reached into the dishwasher, carefully lifting the glass that had remnants of beige lip gloss—and hopefully a decent fingerprint—lightly by the edge.

“Cross your fingers,” I whispered, returning to my office.

Fingerprinting was as basic as addition in our line of work. I hoped to find something useable, and if I did, I hoped it led to answers. I took out the small kit I hadn’t touched in years and dipped the soft brush in the feathery, black powder. It was a pretty old-school technique, and not something I did very often. Dusting all around the edge, several smears readily appeared, but nothing distinct. I kept coating, but still nothing showed up. My chest sank. I was on the verge of quitting, when I took one more pass under the lip gloss smudge. Jackpot. A thumbprint stood out, and I almost shouted. Then I remembered Derek didn’t know I was working on this case, so I stood and crossed my office, shutting the door.

A clear piece of tape over the print, and in moments, I was attaching it to a blank sheet of printer paper. There it was, clear as day. Turning back to my computer, I took the sheet and fed it into our scanner. Once I had the image, all I had to do was submit it to Fieldprint and wait. I’d have the location of Star Brandon in hours. Less time if I was lucky. My chest tightened in anticipation. I couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of this.

Chapter 15 – One to Keep

Star Brandon was not a real name.

No surprises there, even Nikki called that one, but what did surprise me was the only record anybody had of her was as Toni Durango of Raleigh, North Carolina. I shook my head at the additional, obviously fake name, and wondered if the work address, The Skinniflute bar, was equally false.

It was clearly her photo, beside a two-year old arrest record for indecent exposure. Seemed Ms. Durango thought a thong bikini would be acceptable in Myrtle Beach, but the conservative residents thought otherwise. The charges had eventually been dropped, but it gave me a place to start. If that turned up nothing, Tom Brandon was my next search. He’d given her his name and called her, perhaps he was her boss.

My mind scrolled through the possibilities, the most pleasant of which was that I’d have an excuse to be in Elaine’s home state again. I heard Derek’s voice—he said my name loudly, but then it tapered off. Fine with me, I wanted to read every word of the Star/Toni report and note any clues it might give me to her current whereabouts.

The noises out in the hallway grew louder. I glanced at my closed door. A female voice was speaking rapidly, but I didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t Nikki. Star/Toni’s information was still up on my screen, as I slowly stood, finishing the page.

The voice tapered off as I opened my door. That’s when it sounded vaguely familiar. I was out in the hallway just in time to see the front glass doors closing and Derek standing at the entrance to his office looking shell-shocked. He quickly went after whoever that was, but when he went out, the foyer was empty. I followed him.