His Secretive Lover (The Thorpe Brothers) (7 page)

Cricket felt like she was showered in waves of pleasure so intense, she saw spots and lights and stars.  When it was all over, she fell back against her quilt, feeling boneless.  She felt him move, but she couldn’t figure out why or what he might be doing.  He came back from the bathroom and curled up behind her, pulling her close while he kissed her shoulder and neck. 

She sighed with happiness as Ryker’s fingers skimmed along her hip, tickling her waist.  She laughed when he started to move
higher, grabbing his fingers and looked over her shoulder at him.  He was propped up on his elbow, looking down at her and she blushed at the look in his eyes. 

“You think that’s going to stop me?” he asked, his hand moving around to her stomach and pulling her more tig
htly against his chest, her bottom snuggled against his groin. 

“No,” she smiled and wiggled her
derriere.

She felt a sharp sting when his hand smacked her bottom lightly.  It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but it was surprising and she looked over her shoulder at him inquiringly.

“You’re trying to tempt me into doing everything once more but I need nourishment if you want to ravish me again.”

She laughed
happily, but her body was tingling from that touch and the look in his eyes.  “I think we need to determine who ravished whom tonight,” she said, feeling cold when he stood up from her bed.  She pulled the soft comforter over her nakedness, but fully admired his own muscular body as he walked into her bathroom. 

“I have frozen dinners in the freezer if you’re hungry,” she said, pushing the pillows behind her so she could sit up and have a better view. 

He came back into her bedroom, amused with her modesty.  “I actually brought Chinese food with me,” he said.

She was surprised.
  And tempted!  “You did?” she asked.  “Where is it?”

Ryker put his hands on his hips and shook his head, apparently just a
s confused as she was.  “I believe it’s still on your foyer floor.  I think I dropped it when you attacked me as I entered your house a few hours ago.”

“I attacked you?” she gasped, holding the blanket over her breasts but her hunger suddenly resurfaced. 
Then she leaned back against her pillow again, a twinkle entering her eyes.  “I hope my dog didn’t eat the food,” she teased.

Ryker
froze and looked back at her, surprised.  “You have a dog?” He was immediately moving towards the door and stairs but he glanced back, saw the mischief in her eyes and stopped. 

Cricket couldn’t stop the laughter at his surprised, confused expression.  “No.  But I had you fooled for a moment, didn’t I?”

Ryker wasn’t going to take that. He might have chuckled, but he also stormed right back to her bed and pulled the blanket off of her.  “You’re going to pay for that,” he said a moment before his hand grabbed her ankle as she tried to laughingly get away from him.  It was no contest and a moment later, she was right back in his arms, his mouth covering hers and that now familiar but still shocking tidal wave of desire came over her, swamping her senses.  She lifted her arms, wrapping them around his neck as she gave in to the storm. 

Another hour and an invigorating shower later, and they were sitting at her kitchen table eating re-heated Chinese food directly out of the containers, arguing about one thing after another.  She pushed the chicken and broccoli away from her, wrinkling her nose when he stabbed a broccoli stalk and offered it to her.  He laughed and caught her foot with both of his
as she tried to push his chair farther away. 

“So you don’t like broccoli,” he said and popped the vegetable into his mouth with a wink in her direction. 
“And you’ve never had sex before today.  You’re still embarrassed to be naked around me,” he teased as he snuck a peek down the loose neck of the robe she’d pulled on after their shower, “and you don’t have a dog.  What else don’t I know about you?” he asked.

Cricket thought about her parents but then pushed them out of her mind.  Ryker didn’t want to know her whole history.  “I hate grocery stores, I hate to cook and I’m afraid of spiders.  What more do you want to know?”

He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her, feeding himself from behind her while she rested her back against his chest, feeding herself except for the times when he stole whatever chunk she was about to eat herself.  All the while, they talked about themselves, learning all those things that should have been discussed before they’d had sex.  It was sweet and wonderful, even if Cricket sometimes worried that her father might be outside watching her. 

And when they’d filled themselves with Chinese food, he picked her up into his arms and carried her back to her bedroom to make love to her throughout the night. 

A long time later, when they were snuggled underneath her flowered quilt and their bodies barely able to move any more, she heard him say, “Come to Paris with me.”

She’d been
half asleep but had woken when he had a moment ago although she still felt like snuggling into her pillow with him curled up behind her.  She opened one eye, trying to determine if he was serious.  The look in those blue eyes told her that he was completely serious and she rolled over, completely awake now.  “I can’t go to Paris with you,” she answered, surprised but feeling wonderful that he’d asked. 

Ryker shifted their positions so she was underneath him.  “Of course you can.  Just call your boss and tell him you need some personal days,” he said, kissing her shoulder, her arm.  When his mouth took her finger and started sucking, the jolt went straight to her core and she gasped. 

“No Paris,” she struggled to say, all the while shifting her body underneath his better so she could get what she wanted, which was him, inside her and moving in that magical way that destroyed her control and made her feel like she was floating among the stars. 

“Why not?” he asked, sliding into her heat and watching her face,
his body actually becoming harder when her mouth fell open and her eyes closed, sheer bliss on her beautiful, makeup free face.  Her blond curls were spread out on the pillow and her body was gorgeously naked and moving against his instinctively.  Ryker could honestly say that he’d never had a more incredibly sexual experience with another woman.  And he didn’t want it to stop despite the fact that he had an important meeting in Paris the next day.  “It will be for just three days and we can be together.”

“Sounds perfect,” she replied, her hands clenching his shoulders.  “
But if you could just…concentrate on the here and now,” she said, lifting her hips, silently begging him to move faster, press deeper. 

After hours of making love to this woman, he knew exactly what she wanted but he didn’t give it to her.  He held back even though his own body was clamoring for him to give in and just enjoy the incredible feel of her, he wanted this to go on longer.  Forever possibly.

“Agree to come to Paris then.”

Cricket was ready to scream, needing him to just… “Paris is too far away.”

“I can get you there in six hours,” he said, shifting just the way she liked him to move.

“Can’t!” she groaned and moved herself, knowing that he liked that
…yep, just like that, she smiled when he groaned himself. 

“You can,” he whispered back. 

In response, she moved her hand down his back, her fingers trailing against his skin and she almost laughed out loud when she won the argument and he gave both of them what they desperately needed. 

Cricket smiled as she let herself into her house, thinking about Ryker’s request this morning for her to travel with him to Paris.  What a romantic!

It was quiet
now that he was gone and she lugged her groceries into the kitchen.  She knew her father had stocked her fridge, but he hadn’t loaded it with appropriate levels of carbs and fats.  She’d bought ice cream and potato chips along with some chicken breasts and a few things that would make a good dinner.  In her mind, she was planning a romantic meal with Ryker when he returned from Paris in three days.  He said he would call and let her know when he was landing and she’d loved the way he’d said goodbye to her this morning.

“Wipe that silly smile off of your face!”

Cricket yelped and jumped at least a foot in the air, dropping both bags of groceries onto the floor which then scattered their contents everywhere, including the ice cream which exploded in every direction on impact. 

Cricket looked at the mess, then glanced up, her face still shocked.  “Dad!  What are you doing in my house!” she exclaimed angrily. 

Her father was one of those extremely handsome, dangerously charming and irritatingly good thieves.  To date, there wasn’t a lock he couldn’t pick or a safe he couldn’t open.  In his mind, security systems were more of an amusement to him than a hindrance. 

“Do I need an excuse to come visit my favorite daughter?” he joked.

Cricket wasn’t in the mood to be teased.  “I’m your only daughter!  And yes, you should wait for an invitation before letting yourself in.”  She grabbed the broom and started sweeping up the spilled cereal and broken cookies.  “Did you at least use the key I gave you or did you pick my lock?”

“Of course I didn’t use a key!” he scoffed.  He stood there while she swept up the mess, shaking his head as if he were shocked by her groceries.  “Why did you even need to go shopping?  I bought you everything you need just the other day.”

She dumped the first load into the trashcan.  “You know I don’t like broccoli, Dad,” she said and picked up what remained of her ice cream, sighing when she accepted that it was a total loss before dumping it too into the trash can.  “Why couldn’t you have let me know you were here at least?”

He crossed his arms over his chest
, glaring at her with admonishment.  “I didn’t want to run into anyone I wasn’t supposed to run into.” 

Cricket looked up at him, suddenly wary.  “About that,” she started to say.

“You’re still seeing him!” her father roared, throwing his arms up in the air with profound exasperation. “Even after I told you to stop seeing him, he was in this house, wasn’t he?”

Cricket refused to be intimidated by her father’s anger.  This was her house and he had no business trying to tell her who could and couldn’t come into her own home. 
“How do you know I’m still seeing him?” she yelled right back at him, undaunted since she knew that his bark was much worse than his bite. The man was a pussy cat, actually.  Some people might be frightened of him, but she knew he wouldn’t hurt her in any way.  Except to drive her crazy sometimes.  And continue in a career that scared the bejeezus out of her for fear of losing him to prison. 

“Are you kidding me?” he demanded, standing over her and trying to make her feel his wrath.  “The man was here all last night!  He even came downstairs with
...”

“Don’t say it!” she
told him, covering his mouth with her open palm.  “Don’t you dare say it because then I’ll know you were spying on me last night and I would consider that a huge violation of the trust I thought we shared together.”

Edward
Fairchild grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his mouth.  “All trust issues are null and void when you start sleeping with the enemy,” he told her. 

She couldn’t believe he was saying things like that! 
“Ryker Thorpe is not the enemy.  He is a very nice man.”

Edward
waited for her to continue, but when she hesitated, he rolled his eyes.  “Do
not
tell me that you’re falling in love with a lawyer.  You know what that would do to your mother!”

Cricket pulled back, horrified at what might happen.  “What’s wrong with Mom?” she asked, instantly worried.

Her father continued to glower at her, but seeing the worry in her eyes, he relented slightly.  “Nothing.  Yet.  But if she found out that you were sleeping around, she’d be very, very upset!”

Cricket swallowed painfully, trying not to let her father know how much that hurt.  “Is Mom here?” she asked, hiding her face from his view.

Edward stared down at the back of his daughter’s head, knowing she was close to tears.  “She’s in Rome right now, shopping I think.”

Cricket’s whole body froze and she looked up at her father, anxiety showing in the green depths.  “Shopping-shopping?  Or
shopping for something…in particular that might not be…”

“She’s just spending money, honey.  Nothing nefarious.”  He pushed away from the counter and took her hands, lifting her up and giving her a gentle hug.  “Don’t worry about your Momma,” he told her softly.  “But don’t put her in jeopardy by continuing to see this man.  He’s bad news.  I can feel it in my bones.”

Cricket felt like her heart was breaking.  She wanted so desperately to tell her father that she would continue to see Ryker.  She wanted him to understand that the man made her feel special and pretty, feminine.  And the way he touched her!  She’d never felt anything like this with another man.  Even beyond the physical side of their relationship, she loved just talking to him.

But how could she be happy when that very happiness put her parents in danger?  “He’s a very nice man, Dad,” she said with hope that he would understand.

His face was implacable.  “He’s part of the system.  We’ve already had this conversation.”

“You could stop stealing stuff,” she offered
hopefully.  “Then it wouldn’t be a problem for me to see Ryker.”  She would love it if her parents would change their occupation, or even just retire!  What would be the harm in them stopping their projects? 

Her dad pulled back and shook his head.  “
Gotta go, my love.  I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Cricket watched with growing resentment as her father walked out of her house.  At least he unlocked the door this time.  That was something. 
That’s what she told herself anyway but it didn’t soothe her aching heart at the thought of not seeing Ryker again. 

She bent down to clean up the rest of the
trashed groceries from the floor, salvaging what she could.  And then, because she was so depressed about her father’s demands, she took the saved box of Oreo cookies, plunked herself down in her favorite chair and ate cookies for lunch, ignoring all the healthy fruit and vegetables he’d provided for her.  It was a petty, childish backlash, but it made her feel somewhat in control of her life. 

When a whole line of Oreos were gone and she still didn’t feel better, she knew there was only one thing she could do.  It would help her get out of her
doldrums and would clear her mind.  With a smile of anticipation, she hurried up the stairs to her room and pulled on her “going out” clothes, then her jeans and sweatshirt over top of that.  It was a cool evening and it would be an even colder night.  Perfect for going out.

This was one reason she didn’t condemn her parents so completely for their lifestyle.  She knew the thrill of success and the excitement of planning.  She stopped at the hardware store and got all of the equipment she would need, then hit the dollar store to get wrapping paper.  The cashier looked at her somewhat strangely when she came up to the cash register with twenty rolls of various w
rapping paper, but when she said, “It’s a surprise for my boss,” the cashier just smiled and rung up the various items. 

She ran from store to store, gathering the other items she would need
, careful to only spend cash and also to not buy too much in one place.  The dollar store was the only exception and she knew that would be okay since people bought strange things from that place all the time for projects and parties and such. 

She was humming
as she strolled down the street, feeling like a normal person and hoping she looked like one.  But inside, her mind was going through all the minute details, anticipating whatever new security Jason might have installed and going over the information she knew about the security guards’ routines.  She almost giggled out loud in anticipation!

It was finally dark enough for her exploration.  She worked her way up the building, coming in from a different route this time.  She looked around, her eyes surveying the equipment in place.  There was a heat sensor installed now. 
That was pretty good, she thought.  Heat sensors were very difficult to even perceive, much less circumvent, since their alarm was triggered when the heat in the room rose in any way.  Normally, they were set to adjust for the thermostat’s inability to keep the area at a constant temperature. 

With shining eyes, she disabled the sensor and patched in a software program that would keep the alarm system from realizing that the sensors were down.  Scooting forward, she disabled two more issues
, and then looked around for any other issues. 

When she felt safe enough, she went to work.  It took her over an hour to accomplish everything but by the time she was slithering out, again on a different route from her entrance, and re-enabling all of
the security systems, she felt enormously better.