Dangerous Lies(36)

“Hey, when my best friend needs something, I go balls to the wall.”

I smirked, pulling out Shepley’s food from the microwave and setting it on the ground. “More like going balls deep.”

“Whatever works.” We both laughed.

“On a serious note though, he was agitated. Asked me if my calendar was open. Said he might need my services.”

My brows narrowed. “Did he say anything else?”

“No, not yet. Told him to call me, though. I’ll keep you posted.”

I clenched my jaw. At least I knew he was still in Chicago. “Sounds good, mate. Later.”

Hanging up the phone, I looked out the window, noticing Cora had switched positions. She must have been lying on the couch, because I could only see the tip of her laptop and her ponytail on the armrest. Leaving Shepley to his food, I grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and went out the slider door.

The stars were shining bright tonight, not a cloud in the sky. I tugged on her bun gently, then felt bad when I saw her face. Her eyes were closed, hands still on the keyboard. She was mid-sentence and fell asleep.

My grin spread wide at her peaceful state. Carefully taking the laptop from her stomach, I set it on the table underneath the awning, then began covering her with the blanket. It wasn’t terribly chilly, but by how she hugged herself and curled to her side made me think otherwise. I wished like hell there was room for both of us on the couch so I could snuggle in beside her, but instead, I went to my knees and tugged the blanket to her shoulders. She sighed, a content smile on her face.

“Are you feeling neglected?” She whispered, her eyes remaining closed.

My hand ran along her hip overtop the blanket. “Maybe a touch.”

Her eyelids fluttered open. They were soft and at ease, nothing like the wavering stare of uncertainty they held when I picked her up from the airport. “I’ll pay attention to you more tomorrow.”

I smirked. “I’ve been a lonely bloke for a while, a few more days won’t kill me.”

She untangled her arms from under the blanket and wrapped them around my neck. “It might kill me.” Her voice was sultry, pulling me under her spell.

My lips found hers, granting them a chaste kiss. My hat tipped up as she deepened it, running a hand underneath it until it fell to the floor. “Why are you always wearing a hat?” She asked between kisses.

“I’m too lazy to do my hair.”

She laughed against my lips, rotating to her back and pulling me on top of her, kicking the blanket down so only our clothing would be between us.

“How many words did you get in?” I asked, wedging myself between her legs and finding a place for my forearms on either side of her shoulders.

She trailed her hands up and down my spine. It felt absolutely amazing. I had craved her touch like a starved man all day.

“I broke my record for words written in a day,” she smiled.

I raised a brow. “Wow. That many?”

She nodded and bit her lip. “Seems I just need the right distraction to get my brain going again.”

My heart hammered. Was that all I was? A distraction? Pushing aside the blow, I threw on a smile. “Happy to help.”

She took in a deep breath, searching my face. “What did you do all day?”

“Oh, you know, shot the shit with Shepley, slaved in the kitchen, did some marketing, wrote some words.”

“Just a typical day in the life of Jake Cooper?” She grinned.

I forced my smile again, ignoring the pit forming in my stomach. I needed to start opening up to her and stop hiding behind my sarcasm, otherwise she’d catch on to who I really was, and the fantasy I’d been living in with her would come to an ugly head.

“Missing a few aspects. Didn’t get a chance to hit the trails.”

“I’ve got a trail for you.” Her hands tugged on the back of my shirt, finding the warmth of my skin. I sucked in a breath from how cold they were.

“Sorry.” She pulled my shirt back down.

I laughed. “No, please, warm them on me, and I’d love to take a ride on your trail.”

Letting some of my weight relax on her hips, my quickly hardening cock pressed against her pelvis. She let out a soft moan, her eyes fluttering closed.

I kissed her neck. “How about I explore your trail, and you tell me about all those sexy words you’ve written.”

She hummed as my tongue traveled down her neck, my hand finding the zipper of her hoodie and undoing it.

“I don’t like to write and tell until I’ve had it critiqued.”

I nipped where her neck met her shoulder. “Who the hell do you think I am?”

She giggled, massaging my scalp while I gently kissed the tender spot I’d just bitten.

“It’s about an Aussie with a big ego,” she grinned.

Her sweater was opened now, my hand cupping her breast. A low growl emerged from my throat when I realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.

I tweaked her nipple over top the fabric. “No such thing.”

She bit her lip and closed her eyes from my touch. “There is in my book. He’s cocky and arrogant, thinks he’s the shit.”

My mouth wrapped around the perky bud, wetting it overtop the cotton. She arched her back, shoving her breast into my face. “But, he saves the main character.”