All Messed Up: Windy City Kink, Book 2 (15 page)

He didn’t know much about the business world, but even he could see that Mallory was facing a hopeless situation. Whatever she did was not going to be easy.

But since he couldn’t fix it for her, especially not right at that moment, he could look after her the only way he could. So he pressed her into the bed and covered her mouth with his in a fierce, heartfelt kiss.

He loved the taste of her mouth, the sweep of her little tongue against his, the soft pleasure sounds she made. He loved her body, softly curved and smooth-skinned, her breasts full and firm, nipples plump and tawny, and between her legs the sweetest heat and softest heaven.

He settled between her spread thighs, kissing her mouth, her cheek, her jaw. He caught her ear lobe between his lips and gently tugged. Her hands moved over his back then down to his ass, where they grabbed on. Heat rushed through him.

Even more than her body, he was attracted to what was inside her—intelligence, humor and a desire for adventure that matched his own. He felt a connection with her that was more than just carnal. Now she’d unloaded the deplorable dilemma she faced, he was even more drawn to her. Clearly she was a person with a strong sense of honor and ethics. She wanted to do the right thing—except she didn’t know what that was.

And neither did he, goddammit.

It was still a problem to be solved, but it couldn’t be solved at that moment. At the moment the problem that could be solved was getting inside her and making her come. He could do that. He was the man for that.

He kissed his way down her body, lingering on the soft curves of her breasts, licking over them, tugging gently on her nipples with his lips. Her soft sounds encouraged him, and he licked and nuzzled his way down over her stomach, pausing to take the little barbell that pierced her navel between his teeth and gently tug.

“I want to suck you,” she whispered.

He lifted his head. “Yeah?”

She gave a tiny nod. He was down with that, no question, so he moved up over her, straddling her, his cock lengthening and thickening. He took it in his hand and rubbed the head over her lips. Her eyes gazed back at him, dark and hazy, and her top lip separated from the plump bottom one invitingly. The engorged crest of his dick throbbed and excitement raced through him.

He pushed into her mouth, so soft and warm, not too far, taking care to go slowly. Her tongue swirled around him with delicious friction, and her lips closed over his flesh and sucked. So beautiful. He reached out with his other hand and touched her cheek. He began to thrust into her mouth. She tipped her chin up to take him deeper, all the while watching him with hot eyes. Her hands came up to his thighs, spread wide on either side of her, and he fucked her mouth with careful strokes, going deeper little by little.

“Goddamn, that’s hot,” he whispered, watching his cock disappear into her wet mouth. Tingles simmered at the base of his spine and he slowly withdrew all the way, lifting his shaft up and presenting his balls.

“Mmm.” Her little tongue came out to lick over his swollen testicles.

“Sweet Jesus,” he groaned as they tightened even more at her delicate touch. She sucked one testicle into her mouth and released it, then the other. His seed began to boil there, heat racing up his spine and exploding his brain. She licked all around the heavy sac, down to his perineum. He remembered her playing there, how fucking unbelievable that had felt, and his cock jerked in his hand.

“Here, baby,” he muttered, tapping her lips with the head. “Suck my dick again. That feels so good.” He pushed into her mouth and she eagerly drew him in as if hungry for him. “You like that, don’t you?”

She gave another little nod, sucking on his cock. Her hands slid around to grip his ass.

“So good.” He let out a long groan. “Oh yeah.” He urged his cock farther into her mouth, then out again and when her teeth caught the rim he hissed. Electric sensation zapped over his nerve endings. The prickling at the base of his spine built and his movements quickened. “Love fucking your mouth…like this…fucking love it.”

She made a sound of agreement that vibrated deep into his balls. Her fingers slipped between his ass cheeks to rub and Christ, as one finger pushed inside him, fire spread and he couldn’t stop the orgasm that slammed into him. His cock jerked with each spasm and he had to fight hard to keep from ramming himself right down her throat, somewhere way back in his consciousness aware that her small jaw and mouth couldn’t take that much. Pleasure wracked him, spreading through his body, muscles jumping and tensing as he came hard in her mouth.

Eventually he slid out, his heart thundering and his breathing uneven. “Whoa,” he managed to say. “I did not plan for that to happen. That was supposed to be about making you feel better.”

He collapsed onto the bed beside her.

“Oh you did,” she murmured, reaching for him. “You totally did.”

Chapter Fifteen

Mallory felt the tension when she arrived home the next morning. Her mom was in the kitchen cleaning up. Dad had already left for work. Mom shot her a quick sideways glance, not making eye contact as she wiped the counter. “You’re back.”

“I am.”

The air thickened a little as silence stretched out.

“Any coffee?” Mallory asked.

“Yes. There’s some in the pot. Help yourself.”

“We had a nice dinner,” Mallory said. “At Emilio’s. The food was amazing.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of it.”

And now what? The sex was amazing? Nah. Probably not. “So. What’s up today?” Mallory leaned against the counter and cupped her hands around the mug of coffee.

“I wasn’t sure when you’d be back. I haven’t got anything planned. I have some work to do in the yard, but I can do that some other time if you want to go out somewhere.”

Mallory shook her head. “I’d just like to hang out here. I could help you in the yard.”

“That would be nice. It’s a beautiful day.”

The stilted conversation was becoming painful. “Mom. Are you angry because I went out last night? You said it was okay.”

Mom sighed. “I’m not angry, honey. I guess I’m…concerned.”

“I’m an adult now, remember? And…” They didn’t talk about the past much. “I don’t know what you’re concerned about.”

“It just doesn’t seem like you…to spend the night with a man you hardly know.”

Mallory nodded. “It’s not that big a deal, Mom.” She took a breath. “Look. I know you’re worried that I’m going to get into trouble again. But that was a long time ago. I was a kid.”

“I’m not…” Mom stopped then grimaced. “Okay, maybe I am.” She met Mallory’s eyes. “I’m sorry, honey.”

“It’s okay.”

Mallory was a little worried about herself and why she was doing the things she’d done the last few days. But she wasn’t going to admit that to her mother.

Maybe she could distract her mother by really giving her something to worry about.

“I have a problem at work.”

“Oh.” Mom’s forehead creased. “That’s right. You mentioned that the other night.”

She knew she’d have to tell the whole story to her dad later, but she told her mom anyway, repeating most of the same things she’d told Joe and finishing, “So I don’t know what to do.”

“Holy shit,” Mom said.

“I know.”

“Do you want advice?” Mom asked carefully. “Or do you just want to talk about it?”

“I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “But I do know that I don’t want you to tell me what to do.”

“We wouldn’t do that.” Mom gave her a hurt look.

Mallory smiled. “Okay, sorry.”

“Why don’t we talk to your dad about it later?” Mom said slowly. “People come to him for guidance all the time, and he helps them work through things, but he doesn’t tell people what to do.”

“He’s going to ask me if I’ve prayed.”

Mom laughed. “True. But prayer never does any harm.”

Mallory wished God could solve her problem for her. But somehow she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

She spent the day doing things around the house with her mom, catching up on news about friends and family, and then when Dad got home that evening they decided to go out for dinner. It wasn’t elegant cuisine like last night, just a fun casual place, but it was nice. Over dinner Mallory and her mother together related her work story.

“And I know I don’t have to tell you this,” Mallory said. “But this is all confidential, right?”

Her father looked pained. “Mallory. People come to me with the most personal, confidential problems you can imagine. How can you even think I would talk about this to someone else?”

She bit her lip. “Sorry, Dad. I know that. It’s just…I shouldn’t be revealing confidential information from the company to anyone. They could fire me for that alone.” And she’d also told Joe. But even though she’d mentioned confidentiality, she knew deep inside that the three people she’d told were completely trustworthy. How she knew that so certainly about Joe, who’d she’d only met days ago, she had no idea. But she did trust him.

They went over the options, basically the same ones that she and Joe had talked about, and yeah, Dad did ask if she’d prayed for guidance, and it was true that sharing the problem with others did make it seem less terrifying.

Still a huge fucking mess though.

“So you can see why I don’t know what to do,” she finished with a sigh.

“People might be dying,” Dad said, meeting her eyes.

“Yes. Although…I have no proof of that. I know of one death and the autopsy did not conclude that Felisse was what caused her death. I’m worried there may be others that we don’t even know about, or other deaths that could happen.”

Dad nodded slowly. Sure, Dad wasn’t telling her what to do, but from his questions and where his focus had been, she knew exactly what he wanted her to do.

Always do the right thing.

But in this case, what was right? He clearly thought she should blow the whistle, but there were so many different ways people could be impacted by this. “Thanks for listening,” she said to her parents as they left the restaurant a long time later. “It helps to talk it out. I know I have to figure it out on my own. I really just wanted to come here and get away from it all for a week and see if I gain some perspective on things.”

“Well, then that’s what you do,” Mom said, giving her a quick one-armed hug. “You relax and have fun for the rest of the week and let your subconscious work on things.”

“If there’s anything at all we can do though, we will,” Dad said. “We can help find you a good lawyer.”

“You can pray for me,” she suggested with a smile.

He smiled back, the lines around his eyes fanning out. “Yeah. We can do that.”

Mallory’s mom went back to work on Wednesday.

“I feel bad leaving you all on your own,” she said. “We only had a couple of days together.”

“I know. Partly because I should have been here Saturday and didn’t get here until Sunday. But don’t worry, Mom, I’m fine on my own. I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Maybe lie out in the sun with a book or a magazine.”

Which was what she did. After taking her mom’s bike for a ride, stopping at a Starbucks and sitting in the sun drinking coffee, she returned home. She made herself a sandwich for lunch then carried her e-reader and her cell phone and some sunscreen outside. Mom’s love of gardening had created a lovely backyard oasis, with the pool and patio and lots of pretty flowers and shrubs. But her mind kept drifting from her book to Joe. And the things they’d done in bed.

They were extremely sexually compatible, there was no denying that. He was kinky and made no apologies about it, encouraging her to try new things that she had to admit she loved. At least they’d been in a bed, in a private room. But even thinking about the things they’d done in the airport gave her a heated little rush.

She had to put that out of her mind though. She was here to mull over a serious matter, something that could affect many people. The potential for this to impact the company’s very existence was real, and that meant thousands of jobs. This was not something to take lightly.

She should be focusing on that and what she was going to do once she was back in Chicago. God. She leaned her head back into the lounge chair cushion and closed her eyes against the bright sunshine. She loved Chicago and she was growing to love her life there—her job, her apartment, her new friends and all the city had to offer. But going back filled her with a sense of dread at what she was facing.

She wanted Joe. She wanted him there to talk to her, maybe even distract her with sex. Hot, dirty sex. She cracked an eye open and eyed her cell phone on the patio table. She could call him. That would be crazy.

She hadn’t heard from him yesterday, after she’d reluctantly left his hotel room mid-morning. What was he doing? He’d talked about doing a bunch of touristy things like amusement parks, including Disneyland, which was practically around the corner from her. Her eyes widened.

That could be a reason to call him. She knew Disneyland like the back of her hand, having grown up so close. She could offer to take him there and show him around, maybe tomorrow or Friday. He said he’d been to Disneyworld, but not Disneyland.

She reached out and picked up the phone. Biting her lip, she studied the screen. What the hell. Nothing to lose. She was sitting around doing not much and would be for the rest of the week. So she called his number.

He answered right away. “Mallory. Hi.”

“Hi yourself. How are you?”

“Great.”

Except, she knew he wasn’t. Already she could sense the slight edge in his voice that he probably didn’t even realize was there. He was still pissed about what had happened with his dad.

Actually, she suspected it was more like hurt. He’d come all this way to see him and then to have the door slammed in his face like that without even a chance to talk or get to know each other a little bit, had to sting. But he’d never admit that.

She’d admired that carefree attitude when they’d first met, but as she spent more time with him, she suspected there was a lot more beneath the surface than he liked to let on. The night he’d gotten drunk, some of that had come out and she knew he’d hated that. Although he’d still invited her out for dinner. He could have been so embarrassed he never wanted to see her again, and he never would have had to.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m in Hollywood.”

“Cool. So listen. I know you said you wanted to go to Disneyland while you’re here. And I practically live next door to it. I was thinking I could take you there and show you around.”

After a beat of silence, he said, “That would be awesome. Today?”

“I was thinking tomorrow.” Regret pinched that she wouldn’t see him today. “We could make an early start and spend the day there. If you don’t have other plans.”

He gave a dry laugh. “Nah, I don’t have other plans.”

“You haven’t decided to go home sooner?”

“Not yet. So tomorrow, then?”

She smiled. “Okay. I’ll give you my address and you can come pick me up.”

“Hopefully I can find my way there. Good thing I have GPS.”

She laughed. “It’s not hard to find.” She gave him the address and a few simple directions. “Great. The park opens at ten, so maybe get here around nine.”

“Sure. Sounds good.” He paused. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

But neither of them said goodbye or hung up.

“How’s your visit with your parents going?” he asked.

“Okay.” She sighed. “I told them about my work problem last night.”

“That’s good.”

“Eh.”

“And how did they take that?” His voice gentled. “I know you were worried about it.”

She twisted a piece of hair between her fingers. “They were okay. I mean, they’re concerned about it. They didn’t try to tell me what to do.”

He laughed softly. “That’s good.”

“Maybe. I’m pretty sure I know what they think I should do. Not sure if I agree. They did say they’ll do whatever they can to help me.”

“You know you have to figure this out yourself.”

“I know.” She sighed again.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help too,” he said quietly. “I know there really isn’t anything, but even if you want to talk more about it, I’m here, babe.”

Her heart warmed. “Thank you. I was trying to go over it in my head lying here…”

“Where are you?” he interrupted.

“At home. Outside, by the pool.”

“Ah.” After a short pause he said, “In a bikini?”

“No.” Her lips curved. “Shorts and a tank top.”

“Oh.” She heard his long exhalation. “That sounds good too. Sorry, I interrupted. Just needed a visual.”

She licked her bottom lip. “That’s okay. I was trying to sort things out. I was thinking about potentially how many people could be affected if this went wrong. Like, if the company went under because of it. Thousands of people could be out of jobs. People could be without all the good, helpful drugs we manufacture. I wouldn’t want that to happen.”

“No. That would be a disaster.”

“And that could happen whether I do something or not. So then I was thinking, maybe it’s better to blow the whistle sooner rather than later, and maybe it wouldn’t be so huge.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But I still don’t know. And honestly…I was having trouble concentrating. I kept thinking about…you.”

“Oh yeah?” His voice deepened. “Well, that’s funny because I keep thinking about you. I keep thinking about fucking your mouth and how hot that was and how sexy your feet are wrapped around my dick.”

“You are a dirty man,” she whispered.

“Yep. Never even tried to deny that.”

“True. And I like that about you.”

“You do, huh? Damn, babe, you’re getting me hard again. And we’re too far apart to do anything about it.”

“Well, I could do something about it.” She cast her eyes around the yard. She was in a private area, shielded from the neighbors’ view by a lattice panel and some palm trees.

“Know what?” he drawled. “You’re a dirty girl.”

“I most certainly am not.”

He snorted. “Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, gorgeous. Right now you’re thinking about slipping your hand inside your shorts, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.” Her voice went breathy and heat pooled between her thighs. “But you’re in a public place.”

“I can be in my car in two minutes.”

“Oh that’s a nice image. You jerking off in a parking lot somewhere. You could get arrested for that.”

“I think we’ve done a few things we could get arrested for.”

She laughed, heat flushing over her skin from head to toe, and not from the sun. “True.”

“I like that about you,” he said deliberately.

She drew in a shaky breath. “This is crazy, Joe.”

“Yeah. But we’ll see each other tomorrow. Can’t wait.”

“Me either.” She hesitated to admit it to him, but hell, she was the one who’d picked up the phone and invited him.

“You have a computer?” he asked abruptly.

“Yeah. My laptop.”

“Internet access?”

“Yes.”

“How about I come over and we do some research into whistleblower cases?”