Layers Crossed (24 page)

Her back
arched and she reached back for my jeans. I helped her pull them
off my hips. Thank God I’d worn the loose ones, as I wasn’t sure
that with my straining erection she could have completed the task
otherwise. Trailing my mouth to her shoulder blade, I kissed her
upper back, feeling my cock rest against her perfect round ass. She
leaned back again, kissing me, breathing seductively into my mouth,
“Fuck me, Eric. I need you to fuck me here.”

I claimed her
lips and thrust into her slick opening with ease, jutting her
forward.

“Ah!” she
screamed.

“Too hard?” I
asked, knowing so well that it wasn’t enough for what we both
needed.

“No.” She
shook her head as I plunged in again, feeling her full depth.

“Emma, you’re
so wet, baby.”

“Aha.” Her
soft moan floated into my lungs as I pushed my hips in and out of
her, feeling her squeeze around me and take me deeper as her back
arched lower pushing her ass up. She grasped the blanket at the
front, holding on for her life as I pounded into her over and over
again, thinking,
You’re mine, Emma. Forever.

My hand drew
down her hip and to her front, rubbing her swelling clit. The
dampness squishing out of her lubricated both me and her. I flicked
her nub, making a note to taste it afterward. There was nothing
better than feeling her blood-infused flesh in my mouth, cramping
and spasming until she found her release. I could already tell she
was close from her body language, heavy breaths and the
F
uck
and
Please
that left her mouth every few
seconds.

“I’m gonna
cum, Emma.”

She whispered,
“Yes.” And with her permission I spilled insider her, just as her
body began shaking underneath me while bending over more to ensure
I could drain myself fully at the sight of her giving her entire
body to me. She was so beautiful.

When we both
finally stopped moving, she breathed out, “Unbelievable.”

“Not yet,” I
said, slipping out of her and flipping her onto her back and
spreading her knees apart.

“What are you
doing?” she laughed.

“We’re not
done yet, baby. Didn’t anyone tell you that you’re not coming out
of here until the sun sets?”

“Well, then, I
should have started this the moment it rose,” she said. “You have
some catching up to do.”

“Exactly.”
With that last word, I dove into her still swollen pussy, tasting
us both on her flesh.

“Oh, God!” she
screamed.

I drew my
tongue from the bottom up, all along her wetness, until I reached
her pulsing tip and closed my lips around her. I could already feel
her ass tightening in my palms as I held her steady.

Sucking on her
flavors, I slid my fingers inside her, hooking them and rubbing her
inner wall until her hips flew forward and she fully pressed
herself to me. I flicked my tongue back and forth on the growing
nub in my mouth, my saliva and her fluids all over my chin and
around my lips, devouring her whole. Her hands grasped my hair,
holding on. The spasm came quickly as her legs straightened and she
let out a scream. “Eric!”

After a few
more licks I pulled away, her spent body falling down onto the
bale. Lifting her into my arms I carried her half-naked body out of
the barn, unconcerned that I was wearing my birthday suit as
well.

“I thought you
said we’d be here until sunset,” she breathed against my chest, and
I stopped.

“You’re the
lady of this house from now on, Emma. You make the rules, and I’m
pretty sure you’d prefer the bed over the barn. Your choice.”

She looked up
into my eyes and said, “Bed, please.”

She snuggled
back into my arms. There was no better feeling than having a woman
I wanted to spend the rest of my life with so satisfied. And I
could only hope she’d feel the same way after I told her the truth
about why she happened to get my case.

C
HAPTER
22

Emma

I’d kept Eric
away from his chores for most of the day as we made love throughout
the house, each time choosing a different room. By the time evening
came, my stomach was grumbling.

“Where did you
get those muffins?” I asked.

“Claire
brought them over. I have a feeling you may have met my ex in
town.”

“Aha, I met
her, all right.”

“So I see she
got to you?”

I shook my
head. “No, she didn’t get to me. But she did make a point of saying
that I wouldn’t last here much longer.”

Eric took me
onto his lap. Because he was wearing only his boxers, I could feel
his legs underneath my ass. My panties and his over-sized shirt on
my body didn’t provide much of a barrier between us.

“Emma, I want
you to stay with me. I mean it. But I know how much your job and
your family mean to you. I could never ask you to leave that
behind.”

“Why?” I
asked.

“Well, because
I’ve met them, and you’re so good at what you do.”

“No, I mean,
why do you want me to stay?” I whispered, wondering if it was at
all possible that Eric had fallen for me as hard as I had for him.
It wasn’t until I spoke with Mrs. Gladden in town that I realized I
was feeling so guilty over David because my feelings for Eric had
grown to the enormity of what I’d felt for my first boyfriend – and
even beyond.

“I… I just do.
I want you with me, at this ranch. What I feel for you is nothing
I’ve had before. Never. You’re my woman. You’re my everything.”

Why couldn’t
he say it? Was it so difficult for him to say he loved me? What if
he didn’t? What if I had fallen for a man who couldn’t reciprocate
what I felt for him?

“Do you trust
me?” he asked.

“Aah, I guess
I do.”

“You
guess?”

“I do. I trust
you.”

Eric reached
to the couch where I’d left my scarf and with a smug grin said,
“It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“And how do
you know what I’m thinking?”

“Because I
know you. But we can postpone that thought for another time, I
promise.”

I sighed,
wondering what he’d planned now and noting how swiftly he had
changed the topic.

“Close your
eyes.”

I obeyed as he
tied the silk around my eyes, reducing the room to darkness. As
soon as my sight was taken away, all my other senses heightened.
The crackling fireplace echoed as if it had been burning for hours,
not minutes, consuming much more space than the pit. The smell of
the bubbling dinner still in the crock pot filled my nostrils, and
Eric’s touch on my hand warmed my entire body in an instant. When
he gently leaned over and I felt his breath on my face, I couldn’t
help but smile. He lowered his lips to mine, kissing me ever so
gently. I tasted the remnants of wine on his lips as my body
yielded to him, letting him embrace me tighter and hold me. His
shaft hardened underneath me as I wiggled my ass.

“I like where
this is going,” I whispered.

“It doesn’t
take much to please you, does it?”

I
shrugged.

“There’s a
part of this home I haven’t shown you yet, and I’d love to do so
now.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s a
hidden gem. Come.” He lifted me off him but held me tightly around
my waist.

I leaned into
him, letting him guide me with small steps, trusting his hold.
“There’s a table on your left. Be careful. Right there, that’s it.
You’re doing great, Emma,” he cooed into my ear as he led me.

Few moments
later a light squeak of hinges resonated from above and I heard
Eric’s strained breath as he seemed to reach for something. A
rolling noise was next, and it sounded like the entire ceiling fell
off right onto the floor, which of course I knew couldn’t have
happened. A slight smell of dust and wood intensified, camouflaged
by an odd freshness.

“You’re going
to take twelve steps up. They’re very steep. I’ll hold onto you
from behind so you don’t fall.”

“You just want
to look at my ass.”

“That too,” he
laughed. “I guess some responsibilities come with an advantage.”
Eric gently slapped my backside, whispering into my ear, “First
step right in front of you.”

“I didn’t know
this house had a staircase.”

“I wouldn’t
call it a staircase.”

“Which must
mean we’re going to the attic.”

“Perceptive,
but no. Up you go.”

What?

I took my
second step and Eric was correct. They were quite high. He held
onto my hips from behind, steadying my stance. His warm breath
caressed my lower back. I tried to reach to the side but there was
nothing to grasp and I lost my balance for a moment.

“I’ve got you.
You’re okay, Emma. Three more to go.”

A floral scent
with a hint of dust filled me.

“Last one, and
then you can walk forward.”

I listened to
his instructions, feeling the surface underneath my feet change
when I reached the top of wherever we were going. I was still
convinced we were in an attic, but when the fresh country air
slammed into me, as if I were outside, I gasped. Where were we? I
knew there were no balconies on the house.

“OK, are you
ready?”

“Yes,” I said
with anticipation.

Eric removed
the scarf from my eyes, and I couldn’t believe where he’d taken me.
At first, it was difficult to get my bearings. We stood at what
seemed like the top of the roof. The dark night was illuminated by
the twinkling universe above. My head jolted up, taking in the
millions of stars in the sky, which looked close enough to fall on
us, as if we’d lifted off Earth and traveled at least half way
through our atmosphere.

“Eric, this is
beautiful.” I turned back to see that there was, in fact, an attic
behind us. We were at the edge of a huge gap which opened up to the
roof. The flaps had been flipped onto the shingles on the side.
Eric guided me a step further.

“OK, be
careful, but if you go over the hump, there will be a more level
area there.”

He guided me
toward a landing of sorts, slightly tilted to let the water run
off. The willow tree in the back obscured the view of this secret
hideaway. I sat down on the ready blanket, crossing my legs and
leaning on my hands. My head tilted back, and I looked up to the
sky above us. This view was breathtaking. Millions of stars above
us and the universe what seemed like within reach.

“You said you
were hungry.” Eric began unloading food from a basket at the
side.

“When did you
get this ready?”

“While you
were in the shower.”

“I was
wondering why you didn’t jump in.” It was rare that Eric could
resist joining me while I bathed.

“Now you’re
making me wish I had.” I saw him adjust his straining boxers. His
scarred brow lifted, adding a spark of hunger to his eyes.

“The night is
young,” I laughed digging into the delicious stew he’d
prepared.

“And your
spirit is contagious. Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asked.

“I hope so.
Should I be expecting Claire to make a claim on you?”

“I’m already
spoken for, but yes, I wouldn’t put it past her to try to get under
your skin.”

“She’s already
said you had her in the barn.”

“Oh, Emma. Is
that why you… today?” He sat there with his mouth open.

“Partly. I
guess I was jealous. I’m sorry. But I still wanted you there. Are
you mad?” Sometimes, placing so much emphasis onto the barn sex, I
thought I sounded silly. After all, there were much more
comfortable places to make love than that.

“No, of course
not. There is no one else in the world I wanted to share this with.
I’m just sorry you had to listen to her lying mouth. Yes, I’d had
her in
a
barn when we dated, but not
that
one. For
her to say that… I swear I’m gonna…”

“You’re not
going to do anything. I don’t blame any woman who swoons over you.
It’s your own fault for being so sexy and giving.”

“Sexy?” He
tackled me to the floor of the roof, kissing me.

Our bodies
entwined with each other, his thigh resting comfortably in the apex
of my crotch, gently pressing in, lifting me into his arms. His
warmth penetrated my skin, reviving my need. I grasped his arms,
holding on, savoring his mouth, feeling like I could kiss him like
this until sunrise.

“I visited
Mrs. Gladden today,” I said, pulling away.

He regarded me
from above. “That’s a big step, Em.”

“Yeah, it
helped. She helped. You know, the people in this town, for the most
part, are lovely.”

“They really
are.”

“I’m also done
my work here.”

I felt Eric
still above me before he rolled to the side.

“All right,
what does that mean?”

“It means that
until I get a new ping on Huntz, I’m pretty free.”

“Ping?” he
asked.

“My assistant
is tracking his banking activity and credit movement. He operates
with cash, for the most part, withdrawing and depositing money
every few months.”

“What will you
do if you get it?”

“I’ll go find
him.” I raised my finger. “And before you argue against it, I’ll
take Hunter.”

I saw Eric
flinch when I mentioned Grace’s boyfriend.

“He works
undercover at Cross Enterprises and does some computer forensics.
And he’s dating my best friend, so you have nothing to worry about.
I actually set them up together. Grace texted me that his workload
has eased, and he’d be perfect to come with me. Don’t worry. He’s
quite capable of handling bad guys, Eric.”

“Maybe you
should drop the case, Emma,” he said, lowering his head.

“No way. I can
feel I’m getting closer. It’s an instinct. I can’t explain it.”

“That worries
me.”

“Yeah, but
Huntz has no clue who I am. There’s no reason why he’d go after
me.”