Keep It Sexy (KIS Series Book 3) (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Christian

“You have to give us something, Christian,” Morse, the greenhorn detective, said after I told him and his partner, O’Neil, that I didn’t have anything new.

I was sitting across from them on a picnic table at a community park two cities away from Denver. They were both dressed in street clothes with jeans and hoodies. Morse was wearing a navy blue baseball hat and O’Neil wore a gray knit beanie over his head. If someone were to walk by, they’d think I was shooting the shit with two of my buddies.

“Want me to lie to you?” I said. “I have nothing for you. I told you this meeting was pointless.”

O’Neil huffed, then leaned in closer. Close enough that I could smell his piney aftershave. It reminded me of a Christmas tree.

“Christian, we let your brother get out early in good faith because he told us you would do this.”

“I could have saved you a lot of time and manpower if you had come to me directly,” I retorted firmly. “I would have told you to fuck off. And I’m sorry, but I find it hard to believe that Roman would think I’d do this for him. The only reason I agreed is for my mother. I don’t want her heart to break again by putting Rome back in jail.”

“Well, if you don’t produce, Christian, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” Morse replied. Apparently, he’d grown some balls.

“You have a week to give us something, or Roman will go back to jail.” O’Neil didn’t even wait for me to reply before he got up and headed for the black sedan they’d come in.

“We’ll be in touch.” Detective Morse sounded almost apologetic—almost.

I came to their meeting in a bad mood and now I was in a worse state. I had left Billie’s apartment mad that she didn’t want to move in with me. She continued to think she had to handle Connor all by herself. I knew I was confusing her. I was giving weird signals, but I couldn’t tell her what I had agreed to, and I didn’t want to be a couple with this secret between us. I hated lying to her, but for now it was necessary.

I tried to shake the feeling away because today I was interviewing for someone to replace Ava. As I finished up interviewing with yet another overly excited girl wearing an excessive amount of makeup, a guy walked in the bar. Actually, he sort of limped inside. He was huge, with a bigger build than mine. From the way he strode in—limp and all—I could tell he carried a sense of pride with him. Instantly, I assumed he was in the armed forces. I stood, shaking the girl’s hand goodbye as he neared me. She was no longer interested in me but in the muscled soldier. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, but he completely ignored her.

“Hey, man, you Christian?” he asked, his voice low and resigned.

“Sure am, what can I help you with?”

“A friend of mine told me you were hiring. I’m sorry, but I don’t have a resume, and I don’t have experience, but I was hoping you’d help me out since we share a few of the same friends.” There was a small amount of humiliation in his tone—not because he was asking for a job, but because he didn’t know the actual job. I could tell this guy was full of pride. And I admired that.

“Which friends?” I asked. His thin lips curved a little.

“The Saint Johns.”

“No shit, Vanessa and Declan?”

He nodded. “That would be them.”

“Small fucking world. What’s your name, bro?” I asked, holding my hand out as he took mine for a shake.

“Talon, Talon Hunter.”

I gave the guy a job on the spot, and told him he’d start tomorrow. I instructed him to dress in black and ask for Jade when he arrived. When he left, I noticed his limp wasn’t as visible, and I wondered if that was going to be a problem if he was standing all night. I felt like an idiot for not even thinking about that when we spoke.

My skin suddenly warmed and I knew that was a symptom of Billie staring at me. I looked over to where she was standing and grinned at her. Her smile wasn’t even a smile; it was like her bottom lip curled over itself, then snapped back into place. She looked away, leaving me with an empty feeling in my chest.

Ever since Roman’s barbeque, she’d been acting distant toward me. She wasn’t smiling at me like she used to, and she hardly wanted to talk. She’d built a wall between us. The thought of her feelings changing was killing me slowly.

So, that night, when Hannah came in with her friend, my first instinct was to test her. It was a dick move, but I was a desperate man and desperate men were known for making stupid, knee-jerk decisions. When Hannah asked me to dance, I wasn’t paying attention to the song that was playing in the background, which was very heartless of me. It was her song, our song, and when I stole a glance from the corner of my eye to see her reaction, my heart split in two. I pulled back from Hannah and tried to turn to Billie, but she stopped me.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going? I finally have you after weeks of you dodging me, so don’t think I’m letting you go that easily.”

My stomach filled with acid, and suddenly I felt disgusted with myself. Wrapping my fingers around her fragile wrists, I slowly tore them off my shirt and tried to smile at her. Hannah hadn’t done anything wrong; she didn’t know I was in love with Billie.

“Hannah, this isn’t going to work out. I’m sorry I led you on tonight and avoided your calls, but I’m interested in someone else.” This didn’t even bother her. She rolled her eyes and sneered.

“You’re an asshole, Christian.” She clomped to her empty seat and grabbed her purse before throwing the front door open, leaving her friend to chase after her.

For the rest of the night, Billie ignored everyone, concentrating on her work. I knew it wasn’t the best time to speak to her, so I decided to wait until closing, and follow her home.

***

I watched as the first floor of her apartment blackened, then the lights in her room turned off. Yet, I could still see her silhouette behind the sheer curtains of her bedroom window. That’s when I decided to park a couple of blocks away from her apartment, just in case she or someone else was watching.

I closed the door softly, then pressed the alarm button to activate it. Jogging quietly toward her house, I avoided the streetlights and headlights of oncoming cars as I moved. Shivering when the cold night hit my bare arms, I was reminded it was the beginning of October and the nights were cooler now. I crossed my arms over my chest in an attempt to get warm, regretting leaving my sweater in the car.

When I neared her apartment, I jumped over the aluminum fence, trying my best not to make it rattle too much. My next obstacle was climbing the decaying tree next to her bedroom window. Glancing up, I hoped the branches wouldn’t break and that her window would be open. I was trying to make a grand gesture by climbing to her window and begging for forgiveness. With my luck, Billie would kick me out—which was understood if not expected—but I still had to try. I knew how to break into houses, and I also knew she didn’t have a security system.

Tempting the strength of the tree, I gripped the thickest branch and pulled it down to make sure it could hold my strength. The wood didn’t even bend and nothing seemed to break off. Inhaling, I said a quick prayer before jumping on the sturdy branch and making my way up to her window. Peering inside, the curtains were closed except for a small sliver. Through it, I could see her tiny frame inside her bed. She was fast asleep. I inspected the window, noticing that it was indeed locked. I chuckled, because this was going to be one hell of a groveling session. Something I’d never done for any other girl before, excluding my ma.

Taking out the switchblade I never left the house without, I worked my experienced thief’s fingers and popped the lock open without making any noise. Gradually, I dragged the window open enough that my body would fit through it. Once inside, I pushed the window down just as carefully, just as slowly. But before I could turn around to face her sleeping body, I froze at the sound of a gun cocking.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Billie

By the time he finished closing the window, I had already jumped out of my bed and gotten my pistol from underneath my mattress.

“You have some nerve breaking into my house after the shit you pulled.”

Christian’s rigid body visually relaxed as his shoulders slumped a little in relief.

“Are you going to shoot me now? Why do you own a gun, anyway?” He turned his head. “And a G19 at that.”

“I lived in Harden, and robbed casinos. What do you think?” I snapped. “And legally, I
can
shoot you. There’s this little law in Colorado called the—”

“Make My Day Law, yes, I am very aware of our laws, but we both know you’re not going to shoot me and I’m not really an intruder, so do us both a favor and put that away before someone gets hurt.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I know how to shoot a gun.” I tightened my grip on the solid black metal.

“I’m sure you do, Billie, but ah…you’re making me a little nervous. So, could you
please
lower the gun?”

I hardened my stare, fully aware he couldn’t see my expression. I was pissed, hurt, and mortified to think I had let him into my life. To think I had finally lowered my guard just a little and convinced myself that I could have a relationship with him.

“Come on, c
hiquita
, you’re making me real nervous.”

The ice around my heart melted a little from the name he only used with me. Letting out a heavy sigh, I slowly lowered the gun, turning it away from Christian and me. I placed the three safeties back on. He turned, slowly eyeing the lowered gun.

“That thing is still loaded.” His voice was edged with anger. Now that I
didn’t
have a gun in my hands, I rolled my eyes.

“It’s empty,” I replied, stepping toward my dresser. I positioned the heavy metal with the barrel facing the wall away from us. “What are you doing here, Christian?” I crossed my arms over my chest, and stepped back, trying my best to get as far away from him in my small room as possible. He smiled boyishly, showing off his dimples, and rubbed the back of his head. He was hard to stay mad at.

“I messed up.”

I closed my eyes for a beat before opening them. Christian was directly in front of me. I didn’t need to look to know he had his knees bent so we were at eye level.

“I’m sorry, Billie,” he whispered, and I felt his warm breath on the side of my face while he rested a portion of his forehead against mine.

The proximity to his lips, to his flawless face, made it hard to breathe. I felt my breath come out in uneven harsh waves when he slowly moved his face away from mine and returned his nearness but this time with his lips only. I felt the vein on the side of my neck pulse when his mouth feathered against mine.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered again.

I was still unable to move, unable to speak, and when his teeth nipped my bottom lip, I could barely think. He pulled my flesh and then took it into his mouth to suck. And I lost it. Feeling the warmth inside of his mouth, feeling the moment his tongue pressed against my lip, made my insides light on fire. I needed more. I needed more of him, because there was a huge possibility that if I didn’t get my hands and lips on him, it would end in my tragic death. As soon as my hands made contact around the sides of his face, he lost control and I let him. I invited him, happily.

Christian pushed his tongue inside my mouth in an effortless rhythmic dance and I followed, just as fluid, just as smooth. We both breathed roughly as the air rushed out of our nostrils. The temperature in the room seemed to have risen. I could have spent the rest of my life attached to his lips the way we were this very second.

I felt his arms circle around me in a tight hold. He held me so tight, it was almost like he was holding me in an effort to keep me from running. Our bodies were pressed together, and I felt him hard against my stomach, and it was then that I released a moan and gripped him tighter. Trying my damnedest to weld my body to his.

Christian groaned in response, then gripped my hips with his hands and before I knew it, my back was pressed against my mattress and his enormous body was on top of mine. Our chests met every time we breathed out and I could have sworn our hearts were beating at one in a frantic rate. Supporting himself on bent arms, Christian looked me in the eyes and grinned.

“Hi,” he said breathlessly. Giggling, I stopped instantly when I felt his erection press against my belly.

“Hi,” I replied, my voice coming out in a husky whisper.

“Am I forgiven?” he asked, while focusing on my lips. And my stomach did this flipping thing and I couldn’t help but move just enough to feel him against me again. This forced a groan out of him.

“Are you purposefully trying to tease me, Sybil?” he asked in a hushed tone. Never in my life have I experienced such an erotic jolt at the sound of my full name. So much so that my eyes rolled back.

“Christian,” I moaned, when he rolled his hips into me. Temptation had reared its head, and honestly this wasn’t the first time that I had fallen under this sort of a predicament, but it was the first I was questioning giving in and finding it hard to hold onto my personal standards. “Christian,” I said again, clearer, but still sounding like I was moaning.

He moved again and this time he nuzzled his head closer to my neck so he could kiss it. Closing my eyes, I relished the feel of his warm lips on my heated skin. I was hungry and needy with months of pent-up sexual frustration; I was battling against it. When my eyes fluttered open, I noticed the patch on my backpack on top of my dresser. Christian didn’t need me to tell him to stop because as soon as the green and black square had caught my attention, my body went rigid.

“Why’d you do it?” I asked, knowing he knew what I meant. Christian let out a long, uneven breath.

“Because I wanted to see if you’d react to it. But to be honest, babe, the song…once I heard which one it was, I pushed her away.”

I frowned. “You wanted to see if I’d react?” I pushed him back and sat up, crossing my legs. Christian sat up and ran his hands over his chest.

“Lately, it feels like…you built a wall around yourself. I feel left out.”

“Because you’re lying,” I whispered without thinking.

Christian straightened his back as his head snapped in my direction. I recovered quickly and continued, “The night of your drunken serenade, you told me you loved me and conveniently you forgot the things you said that night.”

Christian let out what sounded like a relieved breath before crawling over to sit next to me.

“I’m not lying about that, Billie. I
do
love you and I
don’t
remember that I said that. I’m an asshole for saying it to you drunk, but honestly, I don’t remember it. And if I did, I wouldn’t have a problem with telling you that I do love you.” His words held substance, but his actions said an entirely different thing. And I didn’t like that he had to play mind games to reassure himself that I still had feelings for him; he could have asked me. We’d always been honest with each other, although, recently it seemed we were both entangled in a web of lies.

“Billie, look at me.” His finger wrapped around my chin, pulling my attention to his face. “Look at the fire in my eyes, Billie, because this only happens when I see
you
.”

My eyes watered. I tried to look away, but he forced me to stay still.

“Tell me you see it,” he said.

And I could. It was honest and fierce and it burned straight through me. I couldn’t deny that he loved me, like I couldn’t deny that I had fallen in love with him the first time we met. It had taken my brain time to catch up with my heart, but now I didn’t care what was outside these four walls. The mistakes, the words, and the truths we withheld from each other, none of it mattered. Because I loved him, and he loved me, and there was only one thing I wanted to do. Even if tomorrow brought on more difficulties, I knew remembering this night would get us through whatever else was thrown in our direction.

Gripping his hand, I tugged it down slowly, moving my face closer to his. Christian’s eyes grew as his chest extended and fell rapidly. I fanned out my palm on his chest, feeling the hardness underneath his shirt. He was warm and I could feel the cadenced beating of his heart.
Bump. Bump. Bump.

“Billie?” He inhaled. “What are you doing?”

I slid my hands deliberately from his chest to grip the back of his neck. He stiffened against me, but I kept going. I moved to straddle him and like an unspoken command, Christian moved to the middle of the bed. My nose grazed against his neck, causing him to shiver. I took in a deep breath and inhaled his scent, which drove a ball of comfort and want to my core. Giving me the last dose of encouragement I needed.

“I love you,” I whispered against his jaw. “I’m ready.” I kissed his skin, and he hissed, still not moving.

“Are you sure?” he replied. “We can wait, babe.” I grinned, kissing his jaw again and then his neck.

“No more waiting,” I answered.

Christian made a feral noise from deep down in his throat before gripping my hips with his hands. I panted. Feeling his hands on me felt different this time. It sent a wave of fire down to my toes and up to my head. He lifted me, and seconds later I felt the softness of my bed. I was still in my uniform; I hadn’t bothered undressing when I got home. As Christian positioned himself between my legs, my thighs fell to the side on their own accord, exposing the bottom part of me. His hands sunk in my bed as he caged me in with his vast torso and arms.

“You’re mine, and tonight I’m letting your body know who it belongs to,” he whispered slowly as he circled the tip of his nose around mine. My tongue shot out to lick my lips, instantly drawing his attention to my mouth. Was I really going through with this? With shaking hands, I gripped the hem of my shirt and slowly lifted it off my body, giving Christian time to pull back a little to give me room.

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen me shirtless, but the way he was looking at me made it feel like this was the first time our bodies were being introduced. Christian’s stare traveled from my fingertips to my neck, roaming my body as if he was wishing this would make a permanent imprint in his memory. The feeling that was brought on by it fueled my insides, causing me tremble. That alone blew my uncertainty out the window. His finger trailed from my shoulder down my arm, making me shiver.

“Your skin feels like silk,” he said huskily, lowering the strap from my simple black bra down my shoulder. I looked down to see his other hand do the same to the opposite shoulder, and I almost laughed at how apparent our size difference was. His hand completely covered my shoulder and when his palm cradled the side of my cheek it enclosed half my face. “I love you,” he said before kissing me.

He worked my lips until I was breathless and yearning for more. I felt the warmth of his mouth on my neck and then down on my naked shoulder. His teeth nipped my skin, and I arched toward him, begging him for more. I felt his smile against my skin as he trailed lower, down my torso. He kissed the valley between my small breasts as he placed his palm on my chest and gently pushed me down.

Once I was positioned where he wanted me, he roughly gripped the middle of my bra and jerked it down to my stomach, making me gasp. My already hard nipples pebbled harder as the cold air hit them. He pinched one. I cried out, jerking my head to see the blaze of lust in his eyes. I didn’t have a chance to recover and find my voice before he was on his knees, pulling my panties down. Then he had his mouth all over me, licking and lapping my center. I screamed his name when he sucked on my clit and pumped two fingers inside of me. I was losing my mind; I’d never experienced the touch of a man in this way.

I was spiraling out of control, and I needed to hold onto something. As I searched for something to hold, I felt his soft brown waves and gripped them, hard. Christian growled and worked harder to drive me to the edge. My legs shook and muscles constricted as the orgasm tore through me. I threw my head back, screaming his name, almost hitting the wall with the back of my head. He kissed me one last time on my inner thigh before standing. He stretched his hands behind his back and pulled his shirt off. The moonlight illuminated his tattoos, which moved while his arms worked to pull off his belt.

Before dropping his pants and boxers, he pulled out his wallet, retrieving a square wrapper. Once I felt confident enough that my limbs were working, I unhooked my bra and dropped it to the floor beside me. Christian, with his dimpled smile, moved over to me and tightened his hold around the waistband of my skirt. He slid it down my thighs and off my legs. Then I stood, grabbing his shoulders. I pushed him down on my bed, making him laugh.

“I want to ride you,” I said.

Christian groaned as he positioned himself on the bed. “Fuck, that’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

He handed me the condom, and he hissed when I pulled the slippery latex over his shaft. Placing my palm in his, Christian helped me as I straddled him. He pulled me down for a sweet kiss before I lowered myself onto him. I wasn’t down all the way before he sat up and circled an arm around my waist, gripping the back of my neck with his other hand. We moved together, while the intensity bounced between us.