Set Me Free (22 page)

"Oh yeah, yeah, me too." He grinned nervously, running his hands up my thighs.

I got off him, straightening my dress and forgiving him with a flirty smile. "Well, I better go make sure my man isn't looking for me."

He tried to stand up, but flopped back onto his elbow, feeling woozy.

"Let's make sure this stays our little secret. I don't want him finding out just how good you are." I looked around the room, biting my lip. "And I'm sure you don't want your dad to know we did it in his office." I giggled. "Even though we didn't make it to his desk. Something to aim for next time" I winked. Reaching for the doorknob, I wrapped my fingers around it and grinned. "See you around, Billy."

He raised his hand in farewell as I snuck out the door, checking both ways to make sure no one was watching. Knowing people would have seen us go upstairs, I made sure I swanned my way back down, shooting bashful, flirty looks at Billy's friends as I left.

They were all awestruck, their gaze flicking up the stairs as they waited for their friend to appear. He would no doubt regale them with some bullshit story about what he got up to, but how could he? Surely he'd figure out the lie. All I'd done was unzip his fly. It's not like his pants had ended up around his ankles. Surely he'd figure out he hadn't actually done it. I never had and I was pretty sure my body would feel it afterwards.

My step faltered as I glimpsed some movement up the stairs. What if he'd already worked it out? My heart scampered through my body, making a beeline for my feet.

Clutching the wall, I squeezed past a group of revelers and lurched for the door. Stumbling down the driveway, the full force of what I'd just done caught up to me in a torrent. My body acted before my mind could stop me. Whipping off my shoes, my feet hit the pavement and I made a run for it, sprinting into the night at break neck speed.

Chapter 25

ZACH

Zach spotted Lucy sprinting towards him. She looked petrified, which put him on high alert. Was she being chased? He looked over her shoulder, but couldn't spot any shadows or hear any yelling.

Stepping into her path, he stopped her frantic run. She crashed into him, gasping for air.

"It's me. It's just me." Zach's smooth tone extinguished her scream. She swallowed it down as he grabbed her arms to stop her from falling and pulled her against him. "It's over."

Her head bobbed against his chest as a near hysterical laugh burst from her lips.

"It's over," he whispered again, running a soothing hand down her back.

He wasn't exactly right. It wasn't really over, but at least tonight was. They had something from the case. Something that would hopefully be a lead. It was a step in the right direction and if it wasn't for the fact that his girlfriend had been making out with a murderer's son, he'd probably be feeling really triumphant.

"Come on, let's go." Zach opened the passenger door, wanting to tuck her safely away for the night.

He'd hidden the bag of potential gold behind the driver's seat. He'd felt pretty conspicuous sneaking out of the office with it bunched in his hand and he hadn't been able to find a back exit that wouldn't have him jumping a story to the ground. In the end, he'd rushed down the stairs, looking pissed off, hoping it would draw attention away from the bag in his hand. People had seemed to assume that his girlfriend had gone off with Billy and that's why he was leaving in a huff. No one chased him and he made it to the car without any hassle.

Pulling away from the curb, Zach drove east towards Danville, gripping the steering wheel and trying not to think about how wrong tonight could have gone. Billy was not supposed to wake until after they'd left. He wanted to ask Lucy how she made it out of there, but her pale complexion kept his lips tightly sealed.

How far had she gone to sell her lies? How pretend had her play really been?

His knuckles turned white as he steered his way over the bridge and up the hill.

She suddenly let out a breathy laugh and shook her head. "I can't believe he bought into my lie about doing it."

"What'd you say to him?"

"I just pretended like I'd just had the best sex of my life, and he agreed with me. What kind moron doesn't question that? He just bought into my breathy giggles and...and..." She bent over in her seat, her breaths punching out in rapid succession. "That could have gone so wrong." She ran her fingers into her hair.

"But it didn't." He rubbed her back, a little surprised by her sudden reaction. Wasn't she used to conning people?

"I was in his house, Zach. I let his son kiss me and touch my body." She shivered. "Tenner's son. A part of him." Her shoulders quivered beneath his hand.

"It's over now. You never have to do that again." He kept his voice as steady and smooth as he could manage, trying to shunt aside the images of his girlfriend pawing another guy. He'd wanted to break Billy's neck when he put that gauze over his face. Feeling his body go slack and fall to the ground had been oh so satisfying. "Never again," he repeated.

"I know." She breathed in. "I know." She closed her eyes, sitting back and resting her head against the seat. "I just want to be home and go to bed and fall asleep in your arms. I just need to erase this night from my mind."

Zach grinned, pressing the accelerator and getting her there as fast as he could manage.

*****

The garage door whirred shut and Zach held the interior door open for Lucy. She eased past him, her shoes dangling from her fingers and clunking together. The bag was clutched in his hands, curiosity tugging at him as he placed it on the dining room table. He dumped his keys beside it and looked at her.

"You want to go through it now?"

Her gaze was frozen on the bag, her blue eyes looking a little wild. Finally she shook her head. "You know what, I don't. I don't want to know if we haven't pulled it off. I mean what if everything inside is worthless?

"It won't be."

Her sharp nose crinkled. "I just want to get clean. I feel so filthy, you know what I mean?"

He nodded, images assaulting him again. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he tried to hide his disappoint. He was desperate to tear those files apart, but he wouldn't do it without Lucy.

"I'm just gonna take a shower."

"Okay." He forced a smile.

Her lips looked sweet as they curved at the corners, before she dipped her head. Her tongue skimmed her lower lip and she looked up at him. "Do you want to join me?"

He glanced up, surprised. Her intense gaze pulsed with such pure yearning he couldn't have turned her down if he'd wanted to. Not that he wanted to!

Without saying a word, he walked towards her outstretched hand and gently clasped it. She led him up to the bathroom, leaning behind the curtain and turning on the shower before facing him.

The water hit the tub, a pattering rhythm that was somehow soothing. The room began to fill with steam. Lucy swallowed, her eyes not leaving his as she reached behind her neck and unclasped her dress. Zach's eyes followed the fall of the fabric drinking in her naked torso and skimpy knickers. He wanted to touch her so badly, but curbed the urge, instead unbuttoning his shirt and letting it slide off his shoulders.

Her enamored smile captured him as she slid off her panties and let him drink her in. With a wink, she stepped into the shower, disappearing behind the curtain. Zach joined her a moment later, his heart catching in his throat as he gazed at her. She was standing under the showerhead, her eyes closed, her head leaned back into the spray. Zach placed his hand lightly on her hips and moved beneath the hot water, pressing his chest against her slick body. The hot water combined with her soft skin made his flesh tingle. He reached for her neck with his mouth, gliding his tongue over her silky white skin, slowly exploring every inch of her as the water soaked into their bodies.

Their breathing increased with each touch, each kiss, their fervent desire mounting by the second. He pressed her against the tiles, melding their naked bodies against one another. He wanted her, that was more than obvious, but had she planned to go all the way tonight? He didn't want to assume a thing.

What if it was her first time?

This would only be his second. The title was stripped from him in a chaotic moment that was closer to a car wreck than a real experience.

As he trailed his lips over Lucy's cheek and kissed her soft mouth, he knew this would be entirely different.

"I want you." She touched him, making his brain short circuit.

His vision blurred as he sucked in a breath. "Are you sure?"

She opened her eyes and looked straight at him, the water trickling down her face like tears. "Yes. So sure." She smiled. "You're the one, Zach. My one and only."

His heart spasmed before taking off. Pressing his body against her, he flicked off the shower and mumbled against her lips. "We need a little something from my bedside table."

Her grin turned into a giggle as Zach stepped out of the shower, nearly slipping on the floor. She grabbed his arm and pulled him against her, their lips locking together as they stumbled across the bathroom floor.

They left a crooked line of wet footprints in their wake as they kissed their way to Zach's room and both made love for the first time.

Chapter 26

LUCY

I squeezed my eyes tight then slowly let them crack open. My brain did a little spasm as I took in the line of light stretching across the floor. It was morning...and I hadn't been woken by a nightmare.

Shifting my head on the human pillow beneath me, a luxurious smile stretched over my lips. I ran my hand across Zach's bare chest and took a quick peek under the sheet. Yep, still naked.

Every nerve in my body sizzled as the very idea of him touching me again sent spikes of desire shooting through my core. I shifted my knee over his legs so I could press my body against him.

My first time had been different to what I expected. I'd heard girls talk at school, I had an idea of how it all went, but I never imagined it would be so intimate and mind blowing. Zach had taken it slow, touching every inch of my skin. His lips and fingers had worked some kind of magic until my back had arched and my legs were a shaking mess. Then with a slow, lazy smile he'd become a part of me. Once again, he'd taken it slow, knowing it could hurt me. He obviously knew what he was doing. The fact he had condoms in his bedside drawers made me wonder how experienced he was, but then it suddenly didn't matter.

He'd filled me, he'd kissed me, watched me with an awestruck gleam in his eye. He kept checking to see if I was okay and then he told me he loved me. Hearing him whisper those words in my ear while he moved inside of me nearly made my heart explode.

After we'd finished and we could actually move our limbs again, he'd dragged me back to the shower and I couldn't help spending that time pleasuring him, which then led to him touching me and sending my senses hurtling to Mars all over again. I could have gone like that all night, but when he finally tucked me under his shoulder, I felt so secure I didn't want to move. Sleep had captured me in spite of my efforts to fight it, and now it was morning.