Indecent Proposal, page 14
A soft cry fell from her lips as I stretched her full, and I groaned as her pussy engulfed my cock, so deliciously tight and irresistible. And the way she fell onto her elbows, her eyes rolling back as she gasped and panted like my cock was something magical, was hot as fuck.
I didn’t hesitate, didn’t even pause, just began fucking her while she moaned my name over and over. My shirt fell completely open so that I could watch her breasts bounce each time I slammed into her, and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to hold back for long, so thank God Claire was also riled up and ready to go. She squirmed on my cock, shoving her hips down as I pounded her into the table, making the whole thing shake each time I drove deep inside her pussy.
“Yeah, that’s a good girl,” I said, my voice gravelly. “That’s a good fucking girl. You want me to just be able to take you like this whenever I want? You’re gonna be my good little submissive and bend over for me whenever I tell you to? You’re going to let me fuck you, and you’re going to come all over my cock, as many times as I demand, aren’t you?”
Claire shuddered, her internal muscles constricting around my dick with each word I spoke. “Oh my God. Yes, yes, yes!”
I worried I was going a little far with the dirty talk, but Claire just ate it up, going absolutely wild for it. I braced my hands on the table next to her hips, folding her legs back even more so that I could get better leverage and kept at it, rutting into her harder, faster, as Claire moaned and bucked and begged me—
She screamed my name and it was pure madness the way her pussy clamped down on my cock in a series of rippling sensation as she came hard, slicking the length of my shaft with her orgasm. There was no way I could hold back after that, nor did I want to. With a deep, guttural grunt, I let loose, my entire body jerking erratically as I rode the high of my climax.
I stayed inside her for a moment as we came down, trying to regulate our heavy breathing, and then Claire gently placed her hands on my face and brought my mouth to hers. She kissed me, slow and deep, introducing the kind of after sex intimacy I’d always avoided with other women, but felt so damn right with her.
When our lips finally parted, she rested her forehead against mine. “Thank you,” she whispered, sounding vulnerable in a way I never would have expected. “For showing me just how good sex can be. For protecting me when no one else would. For just . . . being you and accepting me for who I am.”
I felt something basic and essential soften inside me at her sincere words. I wasn’t sure what to do with any of that, so like an idiot I said, “You’re welcome,” then placed a soft kiss on her lips as I separated our bodies and added, more as a way to give myself time and space to get my shit together, “Why don’t you take a shower, I’ll clean up breakfast, and we can watch a movie?”
She nodded, and smiled oh-so-sweetly, giving me another sucker punch of emotion to the chest. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
CHAPTER 15
Claire
The hot, steamy shower did wonders for my body and sore muscles, although I almost wished that Vaughn was in here with me. The man made breakfast, cleaned it up, and gave me several earth-shattering orgasms. How was I supposed to give him up after this issue with Richard was resolved?
Sure, there was still a lot I had to learn about him, but the prospect of peeling back Vaughn’s layers intrigued me. I wanted to keep exploring this thing between us, and I wanted to keep exploring myself, too. What I wanted in bed, who I could be with someone like Vaughn who didn’t judge me, or expected me to be something I wasn’t.
It wasn’t lost on me that even though I was trapped in this cabin I felt freer and more open than I ever had before. Like I had been breathing stale air in the same room for years and now I was stepping outside and inhaling deeply and filling my lungs with a fresh, crisp breeze.
I just hoped that once I left this place that I’d be able to feel the same way, that I could find the same courage with others that I seemed to have with Vaughn. From the start I had no problem telling him what was on my mind, and fighting him on things, even if I ultimately wanted him to win. But in the rest of my life I conformed to what others expected of me, and it was time to change that.
In the safety and privacy of the bathroom shower, I vowed to myself that I would work to be better. That I wouldn’t waste my life again on something I didn’t want. I would stand up for myself, the way that I did with Vaughn.
When I got out of the shower, Vaughn had changed back into his sweatpants and was relaxing on the sofa in front of the fireplace. He had the laptop in his lap and was scrolling through movies.
God, he was handsome. He looked completely in his element like this, all brawny strength and long, clean lines. His hair glowed a little, going from dark brunette to golden brown in the light from the fire he’d started. His furrowed brow and his scruffy beard made him look fierce, dangerous almost, but I felt nothing but safe and secure with him.
He looked up as I entered the room, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around my body.
He gave me a mock glare. “You’re not making me want to just watch a movie.”
“When I said I’d be a good girl and submit to you, I never said I wouldn’t ever tease you anymore,” I volleyed back with a sassy smile.
I walked over to the drawers and pulled out some sweats that were too big for me and another of Vaughn’s shirt. I put them on, rolling the waist and the cuffs on the sweats before walking over to join him at the couch.
“You and my clothes,” he murmured, though he no longer sounded annoyed by me wearing them. In fact, the appreciative gleam in his eyes said just the opposite, that he liked me in his things.
“They’re comfy,” I said with a shrug. “And I look good in them.”
He replied with a noncommittal grunt that made me grin.
That was the whole thing about this… thing between us, wasn’t it? He was learning my weaknesses. But I was learning his, as well. He liked it when I orgasmed while he had his cock inside of me. He liked it when I was a little sassy and made him earn my submission. And he liked it when I wore his clothes, whether he’d outwardly admit it, or not.
I plopped down next to him on the couch. “So, what are we watching?”
“I was thinking something a bit mindless,” he said, pointing to one of the movies on his screen. “Action or spy movie okay?”
“Yeah, I like explosions.” I paused, giving him an impish look. “And I, uh, always had a bit of a thing for—you know when the guy’s really good at what he does? Like he disarms the bombs, kicks the bad guy’s ass, and neutralizes all the threats—”
Vaughn glanced at me with a sexy smirk. “You have a competency kink.”
“Maybe,” I admitted, which was probably why I was so damn attracted to him.
Vaughn chuckled a bit too knowingly, picked a movie, and hit play, then set the laptop on the small coffee table in front of the sofa so we could both easily watch the show.
At first, I really did try to pay attention to the movie. I wasn’t a teenager just discovering sex for the first time. I could relax and watch a feature film with a man and not jump his bones every second. So, I focused on the storyline, and on the warmth of Vaughn next to me.
After a while, he put his arm around my shoulders and I let myself snuggle in closer. When he shifted and leaned against the side of the couch, I tucked myself up against his side, as if it were the most natural thing to do. Honestly, I felt… comfortable and content.
When was the last time I’d curled up on the couch with Richard and just watched a show? It had felt like he’d been all work, work, work. When he wasn’t holed up at the office, our lives had consisted of attending corporate functions, socializing with his friends and colleagues, or taking me to some fancy dinner.
I’d never cared about going out, or being seen, or hitting up this or that person’s cocktail gathering. All those superficial things had mattered to Richard, with the excuse that he had to do it for work, or for networking, but to be fair—if he’d asked me to relax and watch a movie with him, would I have been able to?
The line between what he had never asked of me, and what I wouldn’t have wanted to do with him, felt so blurred.
But maybe it didn’t matter. I was doing it now, with Vaughn, and I was enjoying the moment. I felt no need to break the silence. I was hyperaware of his body, the firmness and warmth of him, the smell of him, but I didn’t feel awkward or on alert. I just liked… being next to him.
Vaughn had already established that he wasn’t someone who really liked people—which explained his gruff and somewhat grumpy personality when he had to deal with the human race—which, admittedly, I was beginning to find more amusing, than annoying. But only now did I really think about how that meant he was probably very quiet on his own time, enjoying pastimes that didn’t require a lot of social engagement.
“Do you do this often?” I asked softly, when there was a lull of action in the movie. “Come up here just to watch a movie and get away from everything?”
“I do more than watch a movie,” Vaughn replied, but for once his voice wasn’t cocky or smug. It didn’t feel like he was correcting me, just sharing. “I do some hiking, a little fishing. I read. I sleep in.”
God, that sounded nice. I could feel myself relaxing into him even more just imagining that. “I’d like to get out and really see what’s around here.”
“Trust me, this place isn’t usually a prison.” Vaughn sounded almost sad, like he really was frustrated that I had to stay in this cabin the entire time.
I glanced up at him. “Maybe you could show me what it’s like when it’s not,” I suggested, feeling bold.
A barely perceptible smile touched his lips, something softer and more intimate than any smile he’d given me before. “Sure, if you’re up for it.”
“I am,” I said, feeling as though we’d just made some kind of tentative pact between us, one that went beyond him just finding out what had happened to Richard, and who was after me now.
We focused back on the movie, and the more I paid attention to the plot, I started to think about what the spy/mercenary in the movie was doing. The expert reloading of the gun and hitting his target just about every time. The way he could take a hit and keep on going. How he could outsmart the bad guys and used ingenuity to evade or capture them.
“Can you do any of that?” I asked.
Vaughn glanced at me with what I now considered his trademark smirk. “I can do a lot more than all of that.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think your humility is what I like best about you.”
He chuckled, his fingers lazily sifting through my hair. “Face it, sweetheart, you like my cockiness, because you know I can deliver.”
“Mmm,” I said, refusing to admit that he was right, and give him that satisfaction.
I knew that Vaughn could handle himself, having been trained in the military. He’d literally felt that bullet coming for me. He was a security expert for a reason, but I hadn’t seen him in action, exactly, and the idea of witnessing him doing all these things on screen instead of the actor and stunt doubles…I shivered at the thought, because it was sexy as hell.
The movie ended a while later, and Vaughn took me off guard by burying his face against my neck, holding me a bit tighter instead of letting me go.
“You okay?” I asked, surprised by that gesture.
Vaughn sighed, his warm breath caressing my skin. “Everything’s fine.” There was a long, suspicious pause, then… “I just haven’t had this in years, if ever. You know, just sharing non-sexual time with a woman . . . and enjoying it.”
I nodded, understanding in my own way, and secretly smiled at the fact that he’d just admitted enjoying his time with me. I had the feeling that there was something missing for Vaughn, too . . . and it made me wonder if maybe we could give each other the things that were missing from each other’s lives once things returned to normal.
“As nice as this is, I have to leave in the morning, probably before you get up,” he said, shattering that quiet tranquility we’d slipped into. “Our tech guys should be finished looking at everything I gave to them and will hopefully have some answers for me.”
“But you can stay the night?” I asked, wanting that more than anything.
“Yeah.” I could feel Vaughn’s smile against my temple. “I can stay the night.”
That was good enough for me.
CHAPTER 16
Vaughn
I slipped out of bed as dawn was barely creeping over the horizon. That part wasn’t difficult or new for me. After all of my tours in the military, I was used to waking up with the sun, if not before, to prepare for battle.
What was hard was leaving Claire. I was surprised how hard it was, actually.
She looked soft and worn out and mine, wearing one of my shirts that was big enough on her to come halfway down her thighs (and nothing else), her strawberry blonde hair spread out across the pillow. She looked completely peaceful, and it made me smile.
I wanted to stay and make her breakfast, have her wake up to the smell of bacon and toast. I wanted to take her on a walk around the area—show her my favorite hiking trail and the spectacular view from one of my favorite cliffs.
But I had work to do. And that work would keep her safe, which was all that mattered to me.
I wasn’t used to feeling this way, so protective of a woman that I wanted to keep her safe at my side, at all times. I had plenty of fun with women but I kept it simple and short, ready to move on after a brief while. I wasn’t exactly looking to settle down with anyone. I had always figured, well . . .I’d wait until I really felt something. There was no rush after all, and I was used to be alone.
Now it looked like that ‘really feeling something’ moment had arrived. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to label it yet, but I knew that hanging out with Claire, watching movies, making breakfast, talking about anything and everything, was more fun than I’d had with any other woman. For all that she came at me like an alley cat, when she relaxed I found myself relaxing with her, feeling comfortable even in the silence.
I hadn’t ever had a serious relationship. Why the hell would I want one? I was a busy man. I had plenty of women I could have fun with when I wanted to, but my job had kept me occupied, and my work in the military had kept me more than busy before that. Starting up and running a security business hadn’t left me much time to date or cultivate anything more intimate, even though I knew it was something I might want, somewhere, at some point.
Now… it looked like I’d kind of stumbled into that. Or at least the potential for it. And I didn’t want to leave her . . . but to protect her, I had to.
I didn’t want her thinking I didn’t care, though, so I did put together ingredients for shakshuka and popped it into a pan, then slid the pan in the oven. It would cook slowly and the smell would wake her up for the day.
Driving back down the mountain, I felt good. Not just good, but content.
That feeling didn’t last.
I arrived at the office to check in with the tech team to see what they’d found. What they’d discovered, it turned out, was a whole lot of nothing.
“How could you possibly have found nothing in all the files that I downloaded?” I asked, my tone filled with frustration.
Was the one person whose computer I hadn’t been able to access—the CEO—the person I should’ve nailed? Was he the one with whatever stank at Hardman Holdings? I knew there was something going on, and it was like a damn itch in the middle of my back that I couldn’t scratch.
“That’s the whole point,” replied Paul, one of the IT guys on our team. He wore glasses and a beanie, like a typical hipster. “Sometimes it’s not about what you find. It’s about what isn’t there that should be.”
That brought me up short. “Elaborate.”
“The files here look… tidied up,” Paul explained.
“Usually we get a whole lot of mess,” one of our other guys chimed in. “People all label files differently. There’s changeover. You get doubles of documents, that kind of thing.”
“Typical human error,” Paul summarized. “Even the most well-organized company’s going to have a little of that disorganization. Especially since they tend to recycle computers. They’ll wipe a computer and give it to the next person who fills the spot, but sometimes they choose not to wipe it since there’s important info on there the next person might need—so the cycle continues because the new guy labels things differently.”
Paul glanced back at his computer screen. “But these files are all way too orderly and precise, and there’s too few of them. It’s like turning in a math quiz with only the answers to the questions, and none of the equations written out.”
“Yeah, my teacher would get pissed at me when I’d do that,” I said.
“Because your teacher needed to see your thought process,” Paul replied. “To make sure you understood how to get to the right answer. Companies do the same thing. I need receipts, I need email chains, I need drafts one and two and three. Instead, here, we’re only getting the finished product. The final reports.”
I frowned. “Sounds like someone went in and cleaned things up for everyone.”
“Exactly.” The entire tech team nodded.
“So you’re guessing some important files were deleted?” I asked, trying to make sense of everything, since all this IT mumbo jumbo was more Seth’s thing, than mine.
“Oh, definitely.”
“Any way I can retrieve them?”
“I doubt it. Unless you can bring us the computer itself and we can see what we can do…”
Yeah, no way that was happening. Shit.
“Thanks, guys,” I said, trying not to feel defeated, since I’d ended up with zilch information. “I appreciate the work.”
