Countermeasure (30 page)

Trevor needed no words to understand what she wanted. He wanted the same. When her hands slid to his ass and her nails dug into his flesh, he could no longer contain himself. In one thrust, he buried himself deep inside her.

They both cried out at the joining of their bodies and held still for a few seconds, enjoying their coming together as one. Trevor raised himself on his hands just enough to lock his eyes with hers. Holding her gaze, he began moving slowly, in and out of her, with a gentle rocking of his hips, rubbing along her clit with each penetration. From inside her he could feel the little shivers running through her, igniting his flame all over again.

He stared deep into her eyes while increasing the speed of his thrusts, drawing moans from her with each deep push. Unable to resist the pull of her swollen lips, he leaned down and took her mouth in another mind-blowing kiss, nipping at her lower lip and licking her lips, mimicking how he had just licked her sex.

A fluid heat enveloped Cassandra and her hands gripped his back tightly, pulling her to him as she rolled her hips in circular motion, increasing the contact and pressure of his pubis against her clit.

Trevor threw his head back and groaned deeply, “You’re killing me, Cassie…”

The sweetness of her childhood nickname spilling from his lips in that moment warmed her, thrilled her. It fit perfectly. She wrapped and tightened her legs around his hips, forcing her own higher, allowing him a deeper thrust. When she clamped her inner muscles around him, he surged, increasing his speed, pumping harder and deeper.

“You feel so good, Cassie…I want to feel you squeezing me when you come.”

His words were sensual, clearly implying he wasn’t finished yet, which shot a twinge of electricity through her. She responded by grinding against him in same cadence of his thrusts, enhancing the contact for both. The first waves of her release washed over her and she knew it would soon consume her.

The telltale signs of her impending orgasm gave her away and Trevor nipped and whispered in her ear, “Come for me, Cassie.”

The simple order took her breath away and she cried out his name when her body followed his command, bursting in an explosive orgasm, rippling around his.

His groans of pleasure joined the echo of his name in the room as he reached his own release, pumping out of control until he no longer could. Spent, he collapsed on top of her. Exhausted and sated they held each other, waiting for their lungs to function again and their breathing to return to normal.

After a few minutes, Trevor rolled them both until he was on his back and she was settled on top of him with his arms wrapped tightly around her. Releasing a deep sigh, Cassandra laid her head on his chest and waited for her heart to slow down, listening to his accelerated heartbeat thrumming fast in his chest, a soothing sound to her ears.

Cassandra closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact with Trevor in a comfortable naked silence. His caress on her back was so familiar, so right, she thought as he turned off the light and gathered her tighter in his arms.

They lay quietly, lost in their own thoughts. Lost in the new revelations their lovemaking had brought and questions they both were unsure they could answer there and then.

****

Trevor was jerked awake by a screeching ring coming from the side table. His hand automatically shot out and reached around for the loud device.

 “Shite! I’m going to kill George,” he mumbled to himself, still not fully awake.

Cassandra groggily groaned and pressed tighter against him, tucking her face in the crook of his neck. Her soft breaths feathered his skin.

 “What!?” Trevor answered in a raspy, sleepy voice.

After a long pause, a male voice came across the line, “Cass?”

Trevor instantly realized his mistake. He had answered Cassandra’s phone and the voice on the other side sounded a lot like Bruce Banner’s. “Hold on.”

Trevor nudged her shoulder gently, shaking her awake. “Cassie, wake up.”

Cassandra hazily opened her eyes and a soft smile formed her lips at his touch until she noticed the backlit screen with the incoming call on her cell. Her eyes widened when she recognized the number.

She took the phone from Trevor and in a resigned voice said, “Nate.”

Silence beat at her from the other end of the line. Then suddenly, Nathan’s voice exploded in her ear, “Tell me that wasn’t Bauer, Cass.”

She squeezed her eyes shut at the pain she heard in his voice and realized he had not taken her at her word when she had told him there was nothing between them.

Sensing Trevor was about to move from the bed, Cassandra reached out and gripped his arm to prevent him from leaving.

“Cass? It is Bauer, isn’t it?” Nathan snapped at her.

She had explained she couldn’t be more than his friend and, by his possessive tone, he had ignored her. She needed to put some distance between them.

“Nathan, it’s the middle of the night. Why have you called?”

“You never said he was there with you—or that the deal involved sharing a bed,” Nathan spit out in rage.

His jealous behavior raked across her nerves and she stiffened. Trevor squeezed her hand as if to let her know he’d heard it all.

Cassandra had had enough. “Nathan, we talked about this already. You and I are just friends. I told you. We never were. We’ll never be. Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“Cass…”

“Good night, Nathan.” She hung up before he could argue any further. Holding her cell to her chest, she tried to gather her thoughts.

Trevor turned to face her. “I’m sorry if I made things difficult for you by answering your phone. I never intended…”

“No. It’s okay. Maybe now he’ll accept that I meant what I said. I would rather he had found out a different way, but what’s done is done.” She sighed, turned away from him, and dropped the cell to the floor.

She needed to think clearly and couldn’t with Trevor so close to her. Shifting, she moved to get out of bed, but this time it was Trevor who pulled her back. Scooting closer, he spooned her, tucked his face in her hair, and wrapped his arm tightly around her.

“Where do you think you are going, lass? Hmm you smell good,” he whispered, inhaling deeply.

She was about to tell him to let her go when his words broke her resolve and put a smile on her lips.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked softly after a few minutes.

“Not really. Just hold me,” she said, snuggling back against him, enjoying the warmth of his body cradling her.

“I will, Cassie. Sleep. We have lots to talk about in the morning.”

“Yes. Morning. Lots to talk…” she mumbled, gripping his hand in hers and tucking it under her chin as she drifted to sleep in the comfort of his arms.

As awareness seeped into Cassandra’s
consciousness, she found herself wrapped in Trevor’s arms. Instantly, their night together played out in fast-forward in her head. Her body betrayed her, longing for more than memories, but apprehension swiftly overtook her. Slowly slipping from Trevor’s arms, she rolled to her side without waking him. The soft rhythm of his breathing as he slept soothed her while she tried to gather her scattered thoughts.

Trevor was different from the men she knew. He wasn’t fluff. He was dependable, steady, a fast thinker, and funny as hell. The surprise had been his tender side—caring, compassionate, thinking of her pleasure before indulging in his. He was a dream come true. Yet she needed to know he was for real.

Needing space and air to breathe, Cassandra was trying to get the nerve to move from the bed and return quietly to her room when Trevor rolled into her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her back tight against his chest. Her breath caught in her throat at the intimate gesture and tears moistened her eyes. It scared her that Trevor’s simple gestures always breached the walls she had built around her heart.

****

Trevor’s eyes slowly opened in the early hours of the morning to find soft warm skin against the length of his body. Memories of the night before unfolded and a small smile spread across his lips as he buried his nose against the nape of Cassandra’s neck and breathed in deeply.

Making love to Cassandra had been amazing and unforgettable. If her reaction was any indication, he’d pleasured her as much as she had him. He tightened his arms, pulling her closer against him, and marveled at how perfectly their bodies fit together—like pieces of a puzzle. Trevor craved her. Now more than ever.

A soft groan slipped past his lips at the feel of his body awakening. His cock, tucked against the crack of her buttocks, twitched to life, and his balls grew tight and heavy. Images of what he wanted to do with her caused his heart to race and lungs to fight for air.

He had known deep down that she was the one. There had been plenty of signs hinting to him that he had met his match in life—her strength, humor, careful outlook in life, and tenacity all had led him to believe they were destined for something more than just workmates sharing a single adventure. He wanted them to be more. He listened to what his heart was telling him and he knew the connection was there, crystal clear. However, it had definitely been their night together that had sealed the deal for him—not only were their personalities complementary, but their physical attraction and compatibility was just as real.
Very real.

“I think someone’s happy to see me,” was the first thing that popped into Cassandra’s head as she woke to the feel of Trevor wrapped around her. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped when she heard her own raspy voice echo in the still of the room. She’d actually said those words out loud. Quickly she turned her head to look at Trevor, but the apology she had on the tip of her tongue was forgotten when his heated eyes locked with hers.

He lowered his eyes to her mouth and whispered, “
Very
happy to see you.” He laid his fingers along her chin and leaned in to kiss her softly—the kiss caused her blood to race in her veins and left her craving more—thwarting the thought of leaving his bed.

The gentle press of skin on skin quickly ignited into a fiery kiss, it flared high and then lowered the two back into the swirl of emotions and desire that had bombarded them the night before. Trevor grinned against her lips as the image of her walking away from the café with her cute Venus dimples peeking out filled his mind, and he gently rolled her over onto her stomach.

“Did I mention I was
very
happy to see you?” He began trailing a path of kisses along her graceful neck, down the line of her spine, to the curve of her lower back, where he began to lick those little dimples, drawing shivers and moans from Cassandra as he acted out his little fantasy.

****

Carl looked down to the hard drive on his desk and smirked.
His ticket to fortune
. He had watched the news and, although he couldn’t understand much of what was being said, he was positive they were talking about Allison. The cameras showed her apartment building surrounded by lights and a cop being interviewed in front of it. The images, clearly taken the night before right after he had been in her apartment, didn’t lie.

His smile faded a little. He had handled his share of dirty jobs in the past. He wasn’t a stranger to spilled blood, but she had been an unplanned development and had become a thorn in his side. He could never have foreseen that such a small woman could fight so dirty.

He gingerly touched his ear at the memory of her bite and walked to the bathroom to inspect the wound, which pulsed as if recalling the pain of that moment. He noticed it still oozed and bled, so he turned the water on to clean it again.

“Fucking bitch was like Mike Tyson,” Carl mumbled to himself as he washed and bandaged the damaged area.

He walked back to the bed, lost in thought. He dreamed of a life in the lap of luxury somewhere comfortable and far from his old life, like Abu Dhabi. He reviewed the list of potential buyers for his newly acquired golden egg and narrowed it to those he believed could make that dream come true. Picking up the phone, he began making the calls. He did it without an ounce of remorse as to how he had gotten where he was, nor any thoughts to the steps he might have to take in order to get where he wanted to be.

A couple of hours had gone by before he was satisfied with the results of his inquires. He had put the word out that he had something of interest to them, confident that within a couple of days the offers would be rolling in from the more serious interested parties. He planned to play them against each other to get the highest bid possible out of the deal. Carl sprawled on the bed with a big satisfied smile and continued his daydreaming where he had left off—Abu Dhabi.

****

A vision of Allison Davis with bloody tears dripping from her accusing eyes jerked him awake. The gruesome image sent a chill up his spine, and the saying
someone just walked over my grave
came to mind. Carl laid his head back on the pillow and tried to push the image from his mind, but the woman wouldn’t let go. Her cries for help had become a constant whisper in his ear, keeping him from sleep. He turned to his side and covered his head with the pillow in an attempt to stifle the eerie whisper and grab a few more hours of sleep so he could move forward with his plan.