“Then why?” she demanded, her voice raising. “Why would you need to see that, Clay?”
Dropping the pictures in his hand, he walked toward her, grabbing hold of the back of her head, their faces only inches apart. “Because I thought it would give me a reason not to do this.” With that, he pressed his mouth onto hers, his whole body igniting. She dropped her stack of pictures, wrapping her arms around him with passion. He lifted her up, forcing her legs around his waist and pressed her against the door. It slammed backwards, causing him to stumble forward, but they didn’t miss a beat. He ran kisses from her lips to her jawline before venturing to her neck, biting her gently.
“We should stop,” she whispered breathlessly.
“Yeah, we should,” he said in between kisses, moving back up to her mouth. He stepped back from the door, lifting her up to get a better grip. He glanced at her then, her cheeks red, hair wild, sexy as hell. She leaned back in, kissing him again, running her long fingers over his scalp.
He carried her down the hallway, his footsteps heavy. “We shouldn’t do this,” she said again, though that didn’t stop her from moving her kisses down his collarbone. She moved her hands to the buttons on his shirt, trying to open it. “You could get in trouble.”
“Yeah, I could,” he said, pushing her bedroom door open and locking eyes on her bed. The moonlight danced on the bed as her curtains swayed.
“Are we stopping?” she asked, hopping down from his arms and continuing to unbutton his shirt.
“Not a chance,” he said, his voice a low growl as he grabbed hold of her robe and ripped it open. He stared at her, the light barely highlighting her curves. She pulled his shirt off and they fell into the bed at once, his whole body aching for her. She was his. He ran kisses all down her body, exploring every part of her. She groaned with each move he made, pure ecstasy on her face.
As he slipped off his pants, keeping one hand on her breast, he kissed her again, aching to fill her. He’d had three jobs: find out the truth about the murder, catch the killer, and leave Peighton Claiborne the hell alone. As he climbed on top of her, his skin on fire, he cursed himself. Well, hell, two out of three.
Eleven
FRANK, 2016
Frank looked up from his desk just as the front door to his office opened. A woman walked in, she was dressed in a dark gray pant suit, a wide brim hat, and sunglasses on her head. She shut the door behind her, looking directly at him. She reached up, pulling her sunglasses and hat off and stuffing them in her oversized bag.
“Hello,” Frank greeted her, standing up from his desk. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, I hope so.” She approached his desk and held out her hand. “I’m looking for a private investigator. Your sign says security. I was hoping you could help or at least point me in the right direction.”
He nodded, gesturing for her to take a seat before he did. “I’m Frank,” he said. “I run this company. I have experience in all things security, including private investigation, but I’m guessing you knew that.”
She smiled at him slyly, not completely confirming what he already knew.
“Who sent you?” he asked.
“A good friend of mine. She said you’re the best.”
“She’d be right about that,” he told her, leaning back in his chair. “What’s your name?”
“Do I have to give you that?” she asked, a worried look on her face.
“Well, it’d be nice to have something to call you, Miss…?”
When she didn’t answer, he lowered his voice. “What kind of investigation is this?” he asked. “Nothing illegal?”
“No,” she assured him, “not illegal, just embarrassing. I don’t want anyone to know that I’m here. Or why I’m here. I need your utmost discretion. I’m willing to pay whatever you’ll charge.” She reached in her purse, pulling out a white envelope and sliding it across his desk.
Frank took hold of it, opening it cautiously while keeping an eye on her. He sucked in a breath as he realized the envelope was full of cash, mostly hundreds. He smiled, sticking it in his desk drawer and placing his folded hands on his desk. “All right, Miss Doe, what can I do for you today?”
She pulled out a picture of a man and slid it across his desk. He looked vaguely familiar, but Frank couldn’t put his finger on why. “I need to know if my husband is having an affair.” It was then that she leaned back, unbuttoning the oversized jacket she wore, allowing the small bump to protrude from under her shirt. She placed her hand on her stomach, looking down at it and then back up to Frank. “And I need to know soon.”
Twelve
PEIGHTON
When Peighton awoke, she was surprised to feel someone beside her. She rolled over with a jolt, only slightly relieved when she saw Clay lying there. She pulled the sheet up from under his arm, trying to cover herself more. He rolled over, stretching across the bed. He lifted his head up, readjusting the pillow and flopping back down.
“Well, it’s a little late to cover up now, Ace.”
“I can’t believe we did that,” she admitted, pulling the sheet to her chin.
He rubbed his hand over his bare stomach, yawning. “Yeah, not our smartest move.”
She let out a snort, biting her lip. “Not by far.” They laid in silence for a while, both staring at each other. “So, you should probably go, right?” she asked awkwardly.
He propped himself up on his side, his head resting in his palm, a grin on his face. “Are you kicking me out?”
“I mean, I just thought you’d have work to do or something. Plus, I have a few errands to run later so I won’t be around much.”
“And you don’t want me to be around when your son or your housekeeper get here, right?” He smirked. “Throw me my shirt, will ya?”
She threw it to him. “No. They can’t see you, especially Kyle. He can’t know about this, not right now. He’d never forgive me.”
“Say no more,” he said, standing up and looking around for the bottom half of his clothes. She looked away, trying the cover the blush she felt warming her cheeks. “I didn’t say you can’t look.” She giggled.
“Oh, just put your pants on, you big show-off.” She grabbed them from the floor and tossed them to him, holding the sheet tight around her. He caught them with one hand, pulling them on. She bent over her nightstand, pulling a pair of shorts out of a drawer and slipping them on under her sheet. She then let the sheet fall, turning her back to him and pulling her shirt over her head. He walked around the bed to face her.
“Don’t worry about anyone finding out, okay? We both have a lot to lose if that were to happen. So, I think we can just agree that this was a one-time thing, a slightly stupid, yet fun, lapse in judgement, and we don’t have to ever speak of it again.”
She nodded. “I think that’s for the best.”
He bent down, touching her chin. “Just one last thing before we go back to being strangers again.” His lips brushed her forehead before moving to her mouth. It was over before she was ready. She sighed quietly as he made his way to the door, pulling it open.
They walked down the hallway quietly, their socked feet swishing on the carpet as they made their way onto the staircase. “Will you be back?” she asked.
“If the investigation warrants it,” he said. “Unless you’d rather me not. I can send another officer if you’d be more comfortable that way.”
They walked into the living room before she could answer and she stopped dead in her tracks. “Kyle?” she asked, staring into the kitchen at her son. The toast he had been eating fell to the floor.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” he screamed. “I wasn’t gone for a day, Mom, not even a day and you’ve already found someone new to shack up with.”
“Oh, wait, Kyle, this isn’t what it looks like,” Clay tried to defend her, holding up his hand, but Kyle wasn’t listening.