Electrified (33 page)

“I really wish I could stay and work from here, but I can’t. I’m going to try and wrap this up as quickly as I can, and then come back and spend a whole month with you. Wouldn’t that be fun?” He slid behind her, placing their mugs down on the ground, forcing them to look out at the rocky terrain, then wound his arms tight around her middle while leaning over her side to plant a kiss on her cheek.

While her heart sank knowing she wouldn’t be here for that, Sienna couldn’t let on about her plan. She leaned back into his embrace and lifted her arms behind her, sifting her fingers through his hair. It was a quiet and contemplative moment between a man and woman considering what may or may not lie ahead of them.

After they finished their brief solace, Carson swiftly lifted Sienna and flung her over his shoulders. “Let’s go back to bed and stay there until you have to go to the Tunnel. I want to soak up my fill of you.”

Me, too. If that’s possible.

Unable to speak, Sienna enjoyed the view of Carson’s ass from her vantage point and let him carry her caveman style to her bedroom. Once inside, the pair abandoned any serious conversation and allowed passion to take over the hours before she had to go back to work.

It felt like minutes.

Time wasn’t on Sienna’s side. She felt it slipping away as she started to doze in Carson’s arms in the early-afternoon light. She woke to Carson pulling her closer to him, his arms reaching for her as though he hadn’t had her twice hours earlier.

She didn’t care. When it came to Carson, she was as insatiable as he obviously was.

Suddenly, Sienna was fully awake and sliding one of her legs over Carson’s hip, giving his fingers easy access to touch her. She was a little tender, but in a delicious way—a reminder of how intimate they’d been earlier into the wee hours of the morning. Sienna ran her fingers down his muscled abs, dropping lower to wrap around him. She began to stroke him evenly, smoothing her thumb over his tip, wetting the rest of him while they made pillow talk, sharing secrets that would stay inside the four walls of her bedroom.

Never the selfish lover, Carson slid his finger deeper into Sienna while she continued to work his length. He added another finger, taking her right to the crest before gently flipping her on her back and sliding his tongue down the whole length of her body. Then he spent a little time biting her nipples, sucking, nipping, and cooling each one with his breath before dipping down to her belly button, and then lower. He didn’t tease her like he did that morning when he ran his tongue along the crease in her thigh, hinting at what might come next. This time, Carson went straight to her heat, a quick learner, picking up on what she liked the most.

Sienna burst into hot chills with only a few licks of Carson’s tongue. Tiny waves rippled through her whole body as he continued to lightly massage his tongue over her core. Never had she felt more heated for someone or something in her life. As the orgasm rode through her body and she shuddered with pleasure and passion, she felt him holding on to her hips, steadying her while she fell into the black hole of pleasure known as Carson Graham.

He smoothed his finger over her scar, the one from the candleholder piercing her body. The same one she expertly hid behind lotions when naked onstage. She didn’t want his hand there. Not because she didn’t want to talk about it; she could easily make up a small fib as to where it came from.

She knew it was unfounded, but she felt like his hand being there brought him together with Elon, and the two of them couldn’t be farther apart in looks, hearts, or minds. She wanted him to move. She didn’t want him to even breathe the same airspace that Elon once occupied with his iron fist. Sienna grasped at Carson’s broad shoulders, pulling him toward her.

“I want you,” she whispered.

“You don’t even have to ask, love.”

With those words, Carson was once again buried deep inside Sienna, and she never wanted him to leave.

The problem was, she had to go.

W
HILE
S
IENNA
napped, Carson pondered going back east, which he wanted to do about as much as he wanted to blow his foot off. He had to put this whole thing to rest, and prove he was wrong. Sienna wasn’t the woman he’d been looking for over the last few months. He was letting his mind run away with him.

Either way, he had to get himself off this case.

Perhaps he could have Alex refer someone else. There were too many unknowns with the current information he’d been handed, and he knew that the miserable family was full of shit. There was a reason why the parents weren’t the slightest bit forthcoming. In fact, he’d bet money they were withholding information. But why?

If they really wanted their daughter back, why were they paying him to go on a wild-goose chase? He didn’t need the money, and they clearly did, so why were they wasting the cash?

One thing was clear—they wanted their daughter less than they desperately wanted their in-laws back. Geez, they were so messed up. To love indifferent in-laws more than their own child was a crime. Was it that crucial they be related to these people in their community?

Carson had a number of stones to uncover as soon as he touched down in New York, but first and foremost, he wanted to assure himself he was wrong about everything regarding the case and its potential connection to Sienna. Then he wanted to get the hell back to her on the first plane to Vegas.

He could pick up several lucrative government contracts, spend his free time watching Sienna dance, and end his nights in her bed. Sounded like fucking perfection. He needed to be rid of this awful case, and fast.

Carson couldn’t reveal any of this to Sienna, nor could he let on he noticed a strange expression pass over her face in the morning. It was when she told him to do “what he needed to do” in discussing him going back east. What was it about? Did she not believe him that he had to leave? Was she making her own secret plans?

He pretended to not see her indecision, but planned to ask her about it and look fully into it later.

No way I’m losing her.

At the moment, he was rubbing Sienna’s back and wanted to let her continue to doze. Her sleeping in his arms had suddenly become his favorite way to pass idle time. However, suddenly he was in no mood to be idle.

He nuzzled Sienna’s neck, breathing in her scent, allowing her hair to tickle his nose while his hands traveled around front, making their way south.

“Mmm, Carson,” she said as she scooted back even closer, her tight ass grazing his dick as she turned and threw her leg over his hip.

“Nothing better than hearing you say my name, baby.”

“Carson.”

He smiled. He knew she couldn’t see it because his face was buried in her mass of blonde hair, inhaling her scent, but still he smiled to himself.

“I like hearing you say mine, too,” Sienna admitted to him.

Sometimes she was so open with her thoughts, and he liked that. Were there no games because she had never learned to play them in the first place? He found it hard to believe, but it seemed as though she was the real deal, telling the truth when she claimed to be inexperienced with dating.

“Good, baby. I like saying it, especially when I’m deep inside you.”

Something else altogether took over Carson in that moment, and he spoke without thinking. “I never asked, is Sienna your real name or a stage name? Your secret is safe with me, if you care to share,” he said with a wink.

Carson realized he was only half-joking.

Shit, I just put my foot in my mouth.

He expected Sienna to stiffen and pull away. What happened next stunned him.

Sienna continued to touch him, stroking his abs while obviously reveling in his touching of her when she said, “Lila. Sienna’s been my name for so long, and everyone calls me that. I barely remember my birth name, but Lila, that’s what it was.”

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Carson knew with certainty that the woman he was falling in love with was the missing woman from Brooklyn he’d been chasing. Not wanting to spark fear in Sienna, or Lila, Carson didn’t give up what he figured out. Struggling to keep his breathing steady, he continued to kiss Sienna’s neck and played the whole thing off like the pillow talk it appeared to be.

He reminded himself of his first priority: To keep her safe. He would figure out the ghastly reason why she ran, and then decide how to deceive his client. For the first time ever.

“Lila, it’s a beautiful name,” he said. “Suits you, but so does Sienna. Your beauty runs so deep, I don’t think it matters what your name is or what anyone calls you. Everything anyone needs to know is in your smile, your eyes, the way you listen intently.”

He pulled her up so they were eye to eye. Keeping her close, kissing the top of her head, he vowed to himself to protect her, even if it went against his work ethics.

Carson made love to Sienna one more time, memorizing her body and how it felt when joined with his as one, before driving her to the Electric Tunnel. Since it was Sunday, she only danced once, so Carson stayed and watched.

He couldn’t help but get the feeling that this was his last time watching her for a while, and he hated it. He didn’t know why he felt that way, other than he had a crazy work situation staring him in the face.

Oh, and I’m in love with the very missing person I’m supposed to be handing over to whom I now consider the enemy.

When Sienna was done for the night, Carson drove her back to her place, tucked her in, and waited until she fell asleep to leave. He went back to his hotel in order to pack and prepare for something he never had to do in his career so far. Lie to a client, break a contract, and admit to himself he got emotionally involved in a case.

Carson denied himself staying at Sienna’s because he knew if he spent one more night, he would never leave. Then he’d never get closure on this fucking hell of a situation, and he just wanted it to be resolved, and done for good.

So he could get back to Sienna and never fucking go anywhere else.

Monday

D
EEP LONELINESS
set in like a dark cloud when Sienna woke up in her bed without Carson. She knew he wasn’t going to be there, but still caught herself reaching for him.

Reaching for and missing a man who as of a few weeks ago wasn’t even part of my life or plan?

This wasn’t what she bargained for when she decided to let herself have a little fun. Funny that now thoughts and visions of love were consuming her, debilitating her thought process when it came to trying to simply survive.

Shoving all thoughts of happily-ever-after to the back of her mind in favor of dirtier ideas, Sienna dragged herself from bed, made coffee, and was deep in thought when her doorbell rang. Immediately, the back of her neck tingled with nerves. She didn’t know if they were good or bad ones; no one ever rang her doorbell. Asher typically just walked in after keying in the code on the security keypad, and Petal and Sydney texted first.

Could it be Carson? He usually knocks, but who knows?

Despite knowing somewhere deep inside it wasn’t Carson, Sienna couldn’t help the little jolt of excitement flowing through her, so she cracked the door open without asking who was there.

An arm reached out and pushed the door open the rest of the way, slamming Sienna into the entryway table. Her hip dug sharply into the corner of the table and she winced in pain. The unwelcome intruder kicked the door shut with his foot and started walking toward her.

Stunned, it took her a moment to stand back up and take stock of what was happening. When Sienna finally righted herself and looked up, Sam Charles, minus his cowboy hat, was standing over her, holding a gun pointed at her forehead.

How did he get back here to my carriage house without being spotted? This is why love is bad. I’ve been in love for all of forty-eight hours, and now I open the door without checking to a complete crazy person with a gun.

“Come on, missy,” he said roughly. “I’ve wasted enough time chasing your ass around this town for my insane employers. I’m ready to get the hell out of here and you’re coming with me.”

“W-what do you want with me?” she stammered. “Who are you?”

“Sam Charles, adult movie producer extraordinaire in the flesh, and
you
are my very next star,” he said in the cockiest tone Sienna had ever heard.

Anger slammed through her entire body, giving her courage. “No. Asher won’t let you leave this property with me. He’s probably calling the authorities and the bouncers as we speak.” She stood up and braced herself on the same side table she’d slammed into as the man moved with her, keeping the gun trained on her face.

Sienna did her best to remain calm and appear as though she held on to some type of control. Although calm was absolutely the last emotion she felt as she was being held hostage by a fucking nut job who wanted to take her back to wherever he was from…to make porn.

He shook his head. “Nope, sorry, honey. Been watching Asher, he got called away late last night to deal with a problem with that whore, Natalie. He’s busy with her and couldn’t care less about you right now. Not a soul knows I’m here, not even your detective boyfriend. What a dumb shit he was. Dropped you off all alone last night and jumped on an early flight back home, leaving you here totally alone.” He flashed her a shit-eating grin.