Spotlight, page 7
“Oh, I have several ideas of things we can do.”
“With our clothes on,” she countered.
“Damn.” I chuckled. “I will figure something out.”
“Do you see now that it’s Melody in danger, not me?”
“Nope,” I said.
“You’re not a very good FBI person, FYI.”
“You don’t think?” I asked, heading to the kitchen for a beer.
“You can’t see the evidence right in front of you.”
I smiled. “I’m a big enough man to admit when I’m wrong, Rufus, but in this case, I’m confident I’ll be proven right.”
“Rufus?”
“I was hoping if I used the naked mole rat’s name, it would encourage you to get naked.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not opposed to the idea, but I’d like more wine and the chance to get my heartbeat back to normal.”
I frowned. “You still freaked?”
“A little bit, yes.”
Setting my beer on the counter, I stepped around the island and pulled her into my arms. She slid her arms around my waist and leaned heavily against me.
* * *
Harmony
I knew I’d been scared, but I didn’t realize the extent of it until I was against his body and in the safety of his beefy arms. “Who is doing this?”
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out, Harmony. I promise.”
“I just don’t understand people, you know?” I continued. “We’ve met some of the nicest people on the planet, but on the flipside of that are some of the worst. I just don’t get it.”
“I hear you,” he said, giving me a gentle squeeze.
“I think I’m just going to go home when all of this is over and maybe set myself up in a little beach house on Tybee Island.”
“That sounds perfect,” he whispered.
“I’ll probably dye my hair...maybe red, I’ve always liked red, so no one will recognize me,” I rambled.
“Don’t do that, baby. How will I find you in a crowd?”
“There won’t be any crowds. I’ll be alone.” I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing back tears. “This will all be over, Jaxon. You’ll go back to your life and I’ll go back to mine.”
He lifted my chin and kissed me gently. “Let’s make a deal. No talking about going back to our lives, separately, until we have to do that, okay? I’d like to pretend we’re in a little happy bubble for a few days.”
I stared up at him through watery eyes. “Are you always this much of a bleeding heart?”
He grinned. “Pretty much.”
“I kind of like it,” I admitted.
“Good. Just don’t tell anyone. I’ve worked to maintain a standoffish image.”
“Secret’s safe with me,” I said.
He kissed me quickly and headed back to the kitchen. “You promised to sing for me, so that’s gonna happen tomorrow.”
“We agreed on a duet situation, here,” I reminded him. “Deal breaker for me, buddy.”
“Okay, Rufus, but not until tomorrow,” he said, handing me a glass of wine.
I smiled and took a long sip.
* * *
I sat up with a start, a little disoriented and unclear as to where I was. Then I remembered. I’d gone to bed alone. Because I’d said I wanted to go to bed alone. But now, I was sitting in the dark, my heart racing, and I no longer wanted to be alone.
I tiptoed out of the bedroom and down the short hall into the living room. Jaxon was sound asleep on the sofa, the blanket at his waist, his bare chest on display and I seriously wanted to lick every inch of it.
He shifted and I suddenly found his eyes on me. “You okay?” I shook my head and he sat up. “What’s wrong?”
I bit my lip. “Bad dream.”
Pushing the blankets off, he stood, and made his way to me. “Come on.”
He took my hand and led me back to bed, climbing in beside me, and pulling me close. I slid my hand across his stomach and snuggled close.
“Do you remember your dream?” he asked.
“No. Just the terror.”
“I hate that,” he said, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“I’m sorry I shut you out.”
“Don’t be sorry.”
“Well, it’s hard for me not to be.”
He ran his fingers up my back. “Yeah?”
“Can I confess something? Partly because I’m punch drunk tired, but mostly because I trust you more than anyone I’ve ever known?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, baby, confess away.”
“I guess I already confessed it. I feel like we’ve had twenty-five years of trust built up in a matter of days. Is that weird?”
“Yes, I guess in theory. But I feel the same way about you.”
“Is this transference?” I asked.
Jaxon chuckled. “Possibly.” He rolled me so he hovered over me and stroked my cheek. “You willing to stick around for a bit once all this shit’s over and get to know me in a real world setting?”
“Yes.”
He grinned, leaning down to kiss me and I slid my hands under the waistband of his boxer briefs, pushing them off. He slid my tank top up and over my tits, drawing a nipple into his mouth and biting down gently. I mewed as the sensation zipped all the way to my clit.
He kissed his way down my belly, tugging my panties off and covering my mound with his mouth. I wove my fingers into his hair and gripped his scalp as his tongue dipped into my pussy and then ran between my folds and to my clit.
“Fuck,” he breathed out and I heard the tearing of foil, then he was inside of me and all was right with the world.
He kissed me as he dragged my hands above my head and kept them anchored to the bed as he buried himself inside of me over and over again. I wrapped my legs around his waist, unable to do anything else as he fucked me senseless. I cried out his name as a climax washed over me, and he covered my mouth with his as his dick pulsed inside of me.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, Harmony,” he whispered, kissing me again, then he took care of the condom and pulled me over his chest.
“I love sex with you,” I whispered, kissing his chest.
He smiled. “Ditto.”
“Can I ask you a personal question?” I whispered.
“Yep.”
“How many people have you slept with?”
“Not a fan of bringing past partners into bed, Harmony,” he said. “I’ll answer your question, but tomorrow and somewhere else.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I’m gonna ask you the same thing, Rufus.”
I sighed. “Mine’s easy. There were two.”
“If I don’t want to talk about my past in this bed, I sure as hell don’t want to talk about yours.”
I bit back a smile. “Well, I just wanted you to know. Only two. Neither of which were any good.”
“We can drill down on that tomorrow.”
“I’d like you to drill down on me tonight, if you don’t mind.”
“I can do that,” he said with a chuckle. “On your knees.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, baby, gonna show you something amazing.”
I rolled over and sat up on my knees. Jaxon knelt behind me, kissed my shoulder, and guided me onto my hands, then I heard the tear of foil and he was entering me from behind. Oh, my god, it was amazing indeed.
“You okay?” he asked, kissing the rise of my ass and sliding deeper.
“God, yes.” I dropped my head back and pressed my butt against him. “Harder.”
“Jesus,” he hissed and gripped my hips, slamming into me faster and faster.
“Jax!” I screamed. “Now!”
My body shook as an orgasm covered me and Jaxon fell with me onto the mattress, spooning me and continuing to thrust into me. He built me up again and I slid my hand between my legs, unable to stop myself.
“Yeah, baby, that’s right. Touch yourself,” he prodded and I moved my finger faster and faster, matching the rhythm of his hips, arching my back as another orgasm slammed into me.
I felt his dick pulse as his arms wrapped around me and he kissed my shoulder. “Jesus, that was hot.”
“Seriously,” I agreed, still trying to catch my breath. “You’re going to ruin me for anyone else, you realize that.”
“That’s my plan,” he retorted, and a thrill hit my heart, followed by a stab of fear. “Whoa,” he said. “What just happened?”
“Nothing,” I lied, breaking our connection and rushing to the bathroom. I closed the door and locked it, flipping on the shower so he wouldn’t hear me cry.
“Rufus,” Jaxon said, from right behind me.
I let out a quiet squeak as I spun to face him.
He frowned. “Shit, why are you crying?”
“Because I’m a girl.”
His eyes got soft and he smiled gently, sliding his hand to my neck. “Hey. Why are you crying?”
“I don’t know, honestly. I just felt like this was all going to go to shit and it freaked me out.”
“Why do you think it’s gonna go to shit?”
“Because I’m Harmony Morgan and that’s how it goes in my world.”
He stroked my cheek and kissed me quickly. “Not anymore, it doesn’t.”
“I think you’re underestimating the power of the Harmony Morgan world. It’s formidable.”
He chuckled, lifting me into the shower, then stepping in himself. “Didn’t you know that in the Jaxon Quinn world, you’re always protected?”
“Yes, but I’m just visiting your world, so it won’t last long.”
“Okay, we’re gonna stop all definitive statements until all this shit’s dealt with, hear?” he said. “I like where we’re at, and I plan to stay here as long as I can. Are you with me?”
I bit my lip, then nodded. “What the hell. Let’s throw caution to the wind.”
He laughed and kissed me, then guided me under the water. I dipped my head back, closing my eyes and letting the spray wash away my doubts. At least for the moment.
Jaxon
Harmony and I stayed in our love bubble for two days and then it was time to get back to the real world and to say I was a little nervous about that was an understatement. She and I had spent hours singing and generally messing around musically, and even managed to write a song together. She was talented and gorgeous, and I wanted more.
We were currently heading back to Portland; Brock and Dallas confident they’d identified the stalker and had him locked up where he couldn’t touch the Morgan sisters for the moment.
I was still restless, though. Harmony didn’t recognize Joey Walters, the young kid found lurking outside the hotel suite, and there was never any surveillance of him anywhere near the hotel until last night. He swore he was innocent, which every suspect did, but in this case, I was leaning toward believing him and I couldn’t put my finger on why.
This gorgeous woman sitting next to me was under my skin in a beautiful way, but the closer we got to ‘home,’ the more she retreated. Both physically and emotionally. I reached over and took her hand again, and she held it, but just for a few minutes before pulling away and staring out the window.
I didn’t push. I left her alone with her thoughts but I wasn’t going to leave her there for long. I was falling for her, hard.
Instead of taking her back to the hotel, I pulled up to my home in North Portland. Harmony glanced at me, then back out the window. “Where are we?”
“My place.”
“You mean, your home?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Why?”
“Because I figured you might need a day before jumping back into the mess.”
“Really?” She looked at me with watery eyes. Damn, she was cute. Not a lick of makeup meant her freckles were on display, and her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun with a few tendrils falling down her cheeks.
I frowned. “Unless you want to go back to the hotel?”
She shook her head. “No. I really, really don’t.”
I grinned. “Okay, then come inside and we’ll figure out a game plan going forward.”
She climbed out of my truck faster than I could, and leaned back inside. “Hurry up, slowpoke. I want to see how the great Jaxon Quinn lives.”
Her joy was contagious and I slid out of the driver’s seat and led her to the front door, stepping back so she could precede me inside, grateful my cleaning lady had come yesterday.
* * *
Harmony
I walked into the foyer and smiled. His home was clean, in fact, it was newly cleaned, and although it was sparse furniture-wise, it was really nice. The foyer opened up to a spacious living room, a granite peninsula separating the room from the semi-galley kitchen, and a small round dining room table sat in front of a bay window overlooking an atrium of sorts.
“Wow, Jax, this is really cute.”
He grinned, closing and locking the door behind him after he reset the alarm. “Yeah?”
“Whoever decorated did a really good job.”
“Cassidy helped out a bit, but it was mostly me.” He cocked his head. “Actually, if you like it, it was her. If you don’t, it was me.”
I chuckled. “Cassidy’s married to...?”
“Carter. Ace.”
“Right. I will never remember that,” I admitted.
“Once you meet them, you’ll remember.”
“I get to meet them?”
“Yeah, this is day one of us getting to know each other in the real world.”
I turned away from him and bit back tears. God, I wish I could believe that.
“Nope,” he said, and took my hand, spinning me to face him again. “We’re not doing that.”
“Jax,” I said with a sigh.
“Lean in, Rufus, we’re doing this.”
“I’m not good at leaning in.”
“No shit?” he deadpanned.
I rolled my eyes.
“How about you just relax and let me do the figurin’?”
I looped my arms around his neck. “Okay, Gazzo.”
“Shit, you know Gazzo?”
“I happen to love the entire Rocky franchise.”
“See? I knew you were perfect,” he said, leaning down to kiss me.
I broke the kiss and stroked his cheek. “You really want me to be all in?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not always in this good of a mood. Sometimes I’m difficult.”
He grinned. “I already figured that out.”
“You just lost points, buddy. You’re supposed to tell me I’m never difficult.”
“If you really were never difficult, then you’d never be any fun, and I didn’t sign up for boring.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? You signed up?”
“Sure did.”
“How come I didn’t get the chance to do that?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Because you’re not always in a good mood and difficult.”
I burst out laughing, dropping my head to his chest. “Oh, my god.”
He gave me a gentle squeeze and kissed me again. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Let me see what’s in my fridge. We might need to go out.”
“Or we can run to the store and I can cook.”
He grinned. “Yeah, baby, I’m all over you cooking.”
“You’re ridiculously easy to please.”
“Am I?”
“It certainly seems that way, but it could also be good timing.” I nodded. “I love to cook and never get the chance, so it’s a win-win.”
“I’ll check the fridge and see what we need,” he said. “Make yourself at home.”
I took a little stroll through his house, peeking into rooms and ‘making myself at home.’ He had three bedrooms, one filled with gym equipment, and having investigated every inch of his body, I was fairly confident he used all of it. The other spare bedroom was filled with some of the most gorgeous guitars I’d ever seen. This was obviously where he made music, because there was a drum set against the wall with the window, a desk in the corner with a laptop on it, and microphone stands scattered in various places, some with mics on them, some without. There was a gorgeous upright piano in front of the window and I couldn’t help but sit down and play a little before snooping further.
I walked back into the hall and found a bathroom and a laundry room across from the bedrooms, then made my way to the master at the end of the hall. I walked into the room and smiled. It was so, I don’t know, very much him. The headboard of the bed looked like it was made out of reclaimed wood, but the bedding looked super chic. White on white with pops of blue, so I could only assume this was Cassidy’s doing. I could see a bathroom and closet on the west wall, and a huge window that overlooked tall trees which provided privacy and something pretty to look at.
“You like?”
I jumped in fright, spinning to find Jaxon leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed, and looking edible.
“I love,” I said. “It’s very you.”
“Did I hear you playing my piano?”
I chuckled. “Guilty.”
“I can’t wait to hear more.” He closed the distance between us. “I like you in my space, Harmony.”
“You do?”
“Very much.” He smiled, settling his hands on my hips. “I’d actually like to see you naked in my space.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What about the store?”
“I’ve got everything we need. We don’t need to go to the store.”
I twirled my finger toward him. “Strip.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You heard me. Strip. Slowly.”
His mouth twitched and he pulled his T-shirt over his head. Good lord, his chest should be deemed illegal. I bit my lip and forced myself not to help him.
“Slower,” I directed as his hands went to the waistband of his jeans.
He slid his jeans down his legs and threw them in the corner. He was barefoot which was sexy as hell, and I could see the evidence of his arousal under his boxer briefs.
“Your turn,” he said.
“Are you naked?” I challenged, and he grinned.
“You gotta give me something, Rufus.”
I reached under my T-shirt and removed my bra, dropping it on the floor.
