The Unblocked Collection (61 page)

DEREK

“IT’S DONE,” SHE SAID,
her lips meeting mine as her body fell into my hands, “Reed won’t be bothering us again.” She didn’t taste like wine or tears. She tasted like coconut and amber and desire. She reached beneath my shirt and clutched my skin. If there had been more room in our booth at The Hole, I had a feeling she would have tried to do more.

My cock hardened at the thought of it.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine.” She paused, smiling as she rubbed her ass over my lap. “And it went as well as expected.”

She’d texted me on her way to meet him. I didn’t like the idea of it any more than I had when I was in her office. But I hadn’t stopped her, or even tried to. It was her closure, and she needed it. I was just glad she’d gotten it over with and had returned safely.

I searched her eyes. There was something she wasn’t telling me. By not giving me any details, it made me wonder what the motherfucker had said to her. “He tried to get you back, didn’t he?”

“He said he wanted me back, but he didn’t act on it.”

I couldn’t stop my teeth from grinding. “What else do I need to know?”

She got up from my lap and moved to the other side of the booth. “He might have told me he loved me.”

“Frankie—”

“Don’t. Please don’t.” She took a drink from the wine I’d ordered her. “It’s over with. He won’t be bothering us anymore. I really don’t want to keep thinking about it.”

If he contacted her again, then this wouldn’t be over. Until that happened, I’d respect her wishes and I wouldn’t bring him up. I knew dealing with Reed so soon after Anna couldn’t have been easy.

“But you’re okay?” I confirmed.

“Yes, Derek, I’m okay. I actually feel a lot better.” She grabbed my hand. “How’d things go with Hayden?”

“She says they’re close to pressing charges, but they still have a few more victims to interview. They want to build the case as solid as they can in hopes that the judge will deny bail. They’re also hoping to have enough evidence to prove financial fraud, which could possibly get his passport revoked in case bail is granted.”

“Wow. How much longer, then?”

“Not much. That’s the only answer I got…and I’m not fucking happy about it.” I brushed my thumb over her wrist. She was wearing the bracelet I loved. I wanted to flick my tongue across it, then run my teeth over the softest, most sensitive part of her flesh. “You look delicious right now.”

“Then why are we here and not home where you could be tasting me?”

So goddamn insatiable. My cock twitched inside my jeans, pressing so hard against my zipper it was starting to ache.

“We can go, but I have to tell you something first.”

She drained the rest of her wine and called the waitress over.

“Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked.

“Just the bill,” Frankie said.

“How about one more round?” I suggested.

Frankie looked at me. My eyes told her it’s what we both needed, and she didn’t argue.

“One more round, coming up,” the waitress said.

Frankie waited for her to leave our table before she spoke. “Something tells me I’m not going to like what you’re about to say.”

I had talked to Hayden about my idea just to get a second opinion. After everything that had happened, she agreed it was necessary. I had no idea how Frankie was going to react.

“Until Randy is behind bars and I know he can’t hurt you, you’re going to have a bodyguard.”

She tilted her head back and laughed. “You’re funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No way. Not going to happen. That’s completely crazy talk.”

“It is going to happen, Frankie. You won’t be going anywhere without him. His name is Dale, and he’ll be at your condo tomorrow morning to escort you to work.”

“Derek, what the hell is going on?”

My teeth were grinding again. “I don’t trust the motherfucker.” I checked to make sure no one was listening; I was speaking louder than I’d intended. “I can’t predict what he’s going to do, and I can’t protect you when I’m not with you. Randy isn’t going to touch you. I’m going to make sure of that.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

She was right. But there was no way I was going to tell her what Randy had said on the phone. It would scare her and I didn’t need that. I just needed her safe and protected and I was ensuring both.

“Promise me you’ll play nice with Dale? You’ll follow his instructions and you won’t go anywhere without him?”

“Is he coming to California with us?”

“No. I’ll be in California. You won’t need him then.”

“So you’ve talked to Randy?”

“We talked, yes.”

The waitress delivered our second round and I gripped the cold beer between both hands.

“What does he want from you?”

“An answer.”

“So give him one.”

I stared at the amber liquid that swirled around the top of the glass. “Tell him I’m trying to take him down? That my sister is building a case against him?”

“Tell him anything you want. Lie if you have to. Just get him to stop.”

She was so sweet, so naïve when it came to this kind of life. She’d seen dark, but she hadn’t seen criminal. Lying wouldn’t make him go away. It would only make him dig harder. “Nothing will stop him, Frankie—not even an answer from me—because he doesn’t know what he’s looking for. He just knows he’ll keep searching until he’s satisfied and that probably won’t happen until he takes me down.”

“Block Development, you mean?”

“That…and me.”

“Oh my God.”

I grabbed her hand again. I’d gone too far; I realized that now. I had to make this better, and then I had to take her to California so she could get her mind off everything. “There’s nothing to worry about. Dale is going to keep you protected and I’m going to stay far away from Randy.”

“You’re getting a bodyguard, too, aren’t you?”

I smiled. Her mouth was so passionate, so full of worry. My tongue needed to be inside it. “Come kiss me.”

“Derek, I don’t like this at all.”

Neither did I. I hated that I couldn’t control Randy’s next move. The bastard needed a leash around his neck while I held the other end.

“It’s going to be fine.” I pulled at her hand. “Kiss me. Now.” She walked over to my side of the table and I shifted my legs out of the booth so she could sit on my lap. “Let me do the worrying, okay? I don’t want you thinking about any of this.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It’s not. I’ve got it handled. Now fucking kiss me.”

She was reluctant, but her mouth eventually found mine. I could feel in her kiss that I hadn’t even come close to persuading her. She was worried about me. I was worried about her. And I had no answer from Hayden about how long this was going to last.

FRANKIE

“WE’RE HERE,”
Derek said, turning at the small wooden sign. The hotel wasn’t a name I recognized, and most of the chains I’d stayed at didn’t end with the word “Inn.” Leaving the wide street, we were now on a narrow, hilly path surrounded by olive trees. As we moved up the hill, the trees got denser, making it difficult to see the road below or what was ahead. After several minutes of climbing, he stopped at an old but well-maintained farm and shifted into park. “I’ll be right back.”

Having hit thick city traffic as soon as we left the airport, it took us almost two hours to drive to Napa from San Francisco. I hadn’t checked my phone since we’d taxied to the gate. Now that I was alone, I pulled it out. A text from Brea filled the screen:

Brea:
It was a fantastic sales day. No, I’m not emailing you the closing numbers or the amount of units under contract. I’m telling you to go have fun. I know you landed already so I expect you to have a glass of wine in one hand and a dick in the other. Yes, I really did just type that.

Me:
The only thing in my hands is this phone.

Brea:
What the hell are you waiting for?

Me:
We’re parked outside a farm. He’s inside checking in, I think, and I’m outside texting you.

Brea:
A…farm? Oh God.

Me:
My thoughts exactly.

Brea:
This is Derek we’re talking about. Don’t doubt the man.

Me:
He is kind of perfect, isn’t he?

Brea:
Text me later—after the wine and in between rounds of dick.

I laughed just as Derek walked past the front of the rented SUV.

I stashed the phone in my purse and popped the door open for him. He held two glasses of red wine and handed me one as he slid into the driver’s seat. “Cheers.” He clinked his glass against mine.

“Cheers,” I echoed. It was a rich pinot noir, full of blackberry and chocolate notes. “This is delicious.”

“It’s their house wine. Award-winning, from what I’ve read.”

“You’ve read about their wine?”

He smiled as we meandered through the narrow street, the olive trees feeling even denser the higher we got. “I studied up on the property, yes.”

I was impressed. I figured Will had booked this trip, and I still believed that. But Derek had taken the time to learn about the property and the wine they produced. He didn’t enjoy wine nearly as much as I did, so I knew he was doing this all for me. He had his flaws, his secrets, a past that was dark and painful, but he truly was perfect for me.

I reached for his thigh and held it as he turned at the fork and parked in front of a small, private cottage at the end of the road. It had light-blue siding and a porch. There were chairs near the front door that faced the olive trees.

I felt his eyes run over my face as I took in the details of the home. “Not what you were expecting?” he asked.

“It’s quaint.” And extremely antique looking, quite the opposite of the contemporary high-rises I was used to staying in. Those generally featured electronic curtains and televisions in the bathroom. I wasn’t familiar with the accommodations in this town; my only other visit to Napa had been a day trip. This just didn’t seem like a place I would have chosen for us. I was surprised Derek had.

“My pink ivory…” He laughed before coming around to help me out of the SUV. When we reached the front door, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gently kissed me, his lips tasting of wine. The flavor was so much richer as it mixed with the taste of him. I leaned into his body, feeling the hardness of his chest against my skin. I wanted more. As I deepened our kiss, he pulled away. “Are you ready for this?”

“I’m not sure.” I unwrapped myself from him and lowered my heels back to the ground. “I’ve done the camping thing before and I’m not so great at it.”

He laughed so hard, he almost spilled the wine over my shoulder. “That’s what you think this is?”

My stare darted to the house. “Isn’t it?”

His eyes traced my lips. “That spicy fucking mouth.” He then pushed open the door and flipped on the light.

I was stunned. Speechless. It was one of the most gorgeous interiors I had ever seen: a small modern home that had a hint of rustic-chic like Derek’s house in Portsmouth. There were beautiful coffered ceilings and a lush marble fireplace; the furnishings were inviting, with stylish cuts and warm tones. A sliding glass door ran the whole length of the kitchen and living room, showing a massive patio that had a built-in fire pit, wet bar, and Jacuzzi. There was a small wooden section in the back of the patio that was blocked from our view…

“It’s an outdoor shower,” he said, his eyes meeting mine, reading my thoughts as usual. “So what do you think of our campsite?” His voice dripped with sarcasm, and a smile filled his sexy, bearded face.

“You’re funny.”

He leaned forward and bit my bottom lip. “No really, what do you think?”

“I think this place is absolutely amazing.”

“I know. It really is.”

“In my defense, the exterior is very deceiving.”

He set the wine on a side table and wrapped his hands around my waist. “Did you really think I’d take you across the country to go camping? I think I know my pink ivory a little better than that.”

“You could have corrected me.”

“It was more fun this way.”

I wiggled out of his grip and wandered around the kitchen, running my fingers over the granite, taking in the design of the cabinets and the molding that surrounded them. The chandelier that hung over the dining room table looked like candles floating in balloons of glass; inside the fireplace, gas flames licked up from a bed of white rocks. The bedroom was off the kitchen, the king-size mattress covered in the lightest blue spread that appeared as soft and fluffy as a cloud. Sheer panels hung over the windows, behind the bed, and across each wall, creating the most romantic setting I’d ever seen. A large bathroom finished off the room with a massive tub and walk-in shower, the walls and flooring done in small tiles that gave it a spa feel.

As I moved the sheer panels to look out the bedroom window, Derek’s hands wrapped around my navel. His beard brushed against the base of my neck. The view showed hill upon hill of grape vines, with light dirt paths between each row. It went as far as I could see.