We ate in silence, my eyes on her, her eyes anywhere but on me.
She cleared the table when we finished, and again, I didn’t lift a finger to help. I was determined to sit here until she gave me something.
She came back after cleaning up, hovering close to the side of my chair.
I could smell her, mixed with cinnamon. I could feel the heat of her, even when we weren’t touching.
We were waging a silent war, and we both knew she was winning.
“How can I trust you, if you don’t share anything with me?” I asked, voice low and hoarse.
A last-ditch effort.
Finally, she gave me something.
“My life is very messy.” Her voice caught, and that caught me.
I turned in my chair to stare up at her.
I had the sudden and gripping realization that she was scared.
“Are you in some kind of trouble now?”
Her mouth twisted into a rather bitter smile, which turned into a short unhappy laugh. “Yes, you could say that.”
Something tight clasped my chest. “Are you in danger?”
Again that short, bitter laugh. “Yes, Dair, I’m in danger.”
I was pulling her down onto my lap in a flash, stroking her shoulders, her hair, her face, frantic at the thought.
I couldn’t stand it, didn’t know what to do with myself if someone hurt her. “Let me help you. I can help. Tell me what’s going on, and I’ll fix it for you.”
Her face softened, and she leaned into me, nourished with our proximity—a flower basking in the sun. “Oh, Dair. You’re everything I could have hoped for. Just the best.”
“Tell me what I can do. Please. Anything you need.”
She kissed me, her lips soft and hot, her little tongue playing at my lips, her expert hand snaking between our bodies, going for my cock.
I stopped the hand and pulled away from her lips.
I was too worried to go there just then. I needed to start planning the course of action that would get my beautiful Iris out of trouble.
“We need to talk about this. Tell me what kind of trouble you’re in. We need to figure out how to get you out of danger. How can I become involved?”
She tried to kiss me again, and when I held her back, her hands went to the bottom of her shirt, peeling it off, topless for me between one second and the next. “Let’s not talk about this now. I need you.” She moved to straddle me.
I held her off with a few deep breaths for self-control and firm hands on her shoulders.
But she was determined, and I was, as always when it came to her, outclassed. My eyes were on her hands, which were overflowing with her own flesh, kneading at it, plucking at her ni**les as she tried to seat herself properly. Still, I put up a good fight, for a time.
She moved off me, peeling down her shorts and panties, ass facing me for the perfect view.
“Iris, please, tell me how I can help you.”
She moved to straddle me again.
My hands went to her hips, my eyes pleading with hers.
“Dair, you can’t. I can’t even help myself. All you can do is go down with me, and I would never let that happen. Never. Let’s not waste our time together fighting about it.” I knew that tone, her immovable one. I was all too familiar with it.
She didn’t undress me, just shifted my shorts down, freeing my length. She moved flush against me, working herself onto my cock.
I cupped the sides of her br**sts, pushing them together.
I bent down, folding my torso to bury my face there, nuzzling and then licking my way to a nipple. I sucked it hard as she impaled herself enthusiastically, again and again, riding me roughly.
Her cool, damp hair brushed against me with every jarring bounce; her sweet breath puffing out to mingle with mine.
She started chanting my name as she got close.
I decided that was my favorite thing.
Ever.
She squeezed me hard as she came, and I let loose, gripping her h*ps to slam her harder against me, loud slapping noises filling the huge space.
I came, balls deep and stayed there.
We were clutching each other, panting, mouths to the other’s ear, still recovering, when I found the breath to speak again.
“I want to help you,” I rasped. “Please. I need to save you from whatever it is you’re running from.”
Her voice was unsteady, but her arms weren’t. They were wrapped around me like she was holding on for dear life. “You’ve already saved me, Dair. More than you’ll ever know.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
It was just two days after she’d left my house when I got another call from an unknown number.
I answered, this time with a clue who was on the other end, and praying I was right.
“Dair,” Iris breathed into my ear.
“Iris,” I said evenly. “Where are you?”
“I called to tell you that, actually.” There was a smile in her voice. “Are you busy?”
I shut my laptop. “Not anymore. Where are you?”
“Can you come meet me somewhere?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Where?”
“I’ll tell you, but I need you to do something for me when you come. It’s very important.”
“Anything.”
Fool that I was, I meant it.
“Wear a baseball cap and dark shades, and don’t bring your car. Take a taxi. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.” It was all bizarre, but that was Iris for you. “T-shirt and cargo shorts okay?”
“Yes, that’s perfect. And, this is important, make sure you keep your head angled down, so no one can ID you on camera. Do you understand?”
“Sure,” I said slowly, wondering if this was some kind of a prank. “Where?”
“The Cavendish Resort. Meet me at the casino valet entrance. Like I said, keep your head down.”
“When?”
“Now.”
I took a deep breath, then another.
When had I become such a damned hedonist?
A slave to sensation.
A glutton for punishment.
Ridiculous as it was, I lived for these crazy rides she took me on.
“On my way. Do you have a room for us?”
“Yes. Hurry, baby.”
I hurried.
She was there and waiting for me as I stepped out of the taxi and up to the curb, though her appearance was drastically altered. I recognized her body first. She couldn’t hide those curves, not from me.
I had them memorized.
She had on a hot pink wig, cut into a bob, and dark shades. Her lips painted cotton candy pink.
She was hovering by the doors, wringing her hands, bouncing a little in her excitement.