Vinny: Alvarez Security Series (18 page)

“But if the drugs were in Easnadh’s case, why did they trash my apartment?” she asked.

“Well, Ms. O’Brian—”

“Please call me Annalissa,” she interrupted shyly.

Tony nodded before continuing. “Annalissa, we are considering that whoever was supposed to get the drugs on this end may not have realized right away that your plane was delayed. They may have thought that they missed you and went to see if you were home with your harp.”

“So…someone broke into my house? But what if I had been there? What if we had taken another flight and I’d…I’d been home?” she asked, her voice rising.

Silence met her for a moment, so she jerked her head around. “Vinny?”

With one arm around her shoulder, he moved his other hand to cup her face. “That didn’t happen and baby, it’s not gonna happen.”

She looked around the room at the fierce looks from all of the men and the determined expressions on the faces of the women. Licking her lips, she said, “I…I don’t know what to do with all of this.”

Once again Tony nodded. “That’s why we’re here, Annalissa. Our job is to keep you safe and work with DEA and the police. We also have to assume that you were the specific target for carrying the drugs. Which,” he continued as he watched her carefully, “means that you have probably been used to carry drugs before.”

At this proclamation, Vinny cursed as she visibly paled.

“Who would do that?”

“Whoever it was has resources. This isn’t just someone who wanted an easy way to get drugs through security. This is someone with the ability to find out what hotel you were at, what rental car you had, and could get someone on the road following you.”

Matt said, “Annalissa, we’re going to need to have a long interview with you, but we can wait a day. We know you’re exhausted right now, but we’d like you back here tomorrow. We can do our interviewing here so that Tony’s group will be involved. Jack’s DEA contact will be here as well.”

She only nodded, not knowing what else to do. Everyone stood up, the women coming over to offer hugs and assurances that they would see her soon. As they filed out with calls of seeing them tomorrow, she turned to Vinny. “I don’t have a way home. Can you take me?”

He held her gaze for a moment, a strange look in his eyes. Slowly nodding, he just smiled. “Yeah, I’m taking you home.”

Lifting her chin slightly, she forced a smile. Hearing Tony call out her name, she turned to him.

“I know this is hard for you, but everyone you know right now is suspect. Your manager and agent have been calling. We’ve told them nothing about where you were or what was happening. Your father knows only what we had you tell him and that your harp was picked up by one of us. At this point he assumes that you have the harp.”

“Yes, well Easnadh is very important to him…although I actually own it.” Seeing Tony and Vinny’s look of surprise, she added, “He enjoys the notoriety from having the antique harp played at the symphony and loves for me to travel with it. It gives him something else to have Todd release to the press when I am playing.”

She walked over to grab her purse and backpack missing the look shared by the others.

The words she just said swirled around their heads:
he wants me to keep traveling…
Perhaps, her father may need to move up to the top of the list of suspects.

*

Annalissa was quiet
once she and Vinny were in his truck leaving Alvarez Security. Her mind was filled with thoughts that swirled around until she was exhausted. Not noticing where he was driving, she was surprised when he pulled into another parking garage and turned off the truck.

Before she could question where they were, he turned to face her. “Babe, we’re home. My home.”

“But…why are we here? What about my home?”

“Right now, your home is still trashed and until I can go with you, I’m not having you there by yourself. And…I want you with me.”

Biting her lip in indecision, she quickly realized that he was right.
Where else am I going to go right now? Not dad’s.
Sucking in a deep breath, she agreed. “Okay, but just for tonight.”

Grinning, he moved to her door and assisted her out of his truck. Tagging her hand, he led her through an impressive lobby, greeting the concierge, and into the elevator. Seeing her face, he laughed. “Yeah, I live here. Gabe used to also, but he and Jennifer and her little brother live in a house now. Jobe still lives here. There’s a gym and an indoor pool. Which by the way, we’re going to start using. I owe you swim lessons.”

By the time he finished his explanations, they were on the fourth floor and at his door. Stepping in, she was stunned. She had expected a bachelor pad, complete with beer cans in the window sill, pizza boxes on the counter and a guitar on the sofa. She gazed around the room, seeing the large open floor plan with the living room flowing into the dining room. He had decorated in dark tones with a few accents of bold color. The gray L-shaped sofa was big enough to hold several of his friends, all as large as him. Two leather recliners flanked the sofa and faced a wide screen TV. The rug and lamps were in a dark green.

The dining room furniture was dark wood with green chair cushions and his kitchen had stainless steel appliances with green accents on the walls. She turned to him, curiosity written on her face. “Did you…decorate this place?”

Laughing, he said, “I’m not a complete Neanderthal.” She giggled and the sound hit him in the gut.
I want to hear that sound every day for the rest of my life.
Taking her hand he gave her a quick tour. The second bedroom was set up as a study and she wondered where she would sleep. Before they could move down the hall further his phone rang.

Looking down, rolled his eyes and said, “I gotta take this. It’s mom and I’m sure she’s been blowing up Gabe’s phone for three days.”

She let go of his hand and watched him move to the balcony to talk. Suddenly, every ounce of energy drained from her and she knew she was crashing. The events of past days overwhelmed her as she walked to his sofa. Lying down, she watched him laugh while on the phone with his mom.
I could so love that man.
That was the last thought that floated through her mind before completely shutting down.

Five minutes later as Vinny came inside, he saw her asleep on his sofa. Completely out. He stood there for a moment staring into the face he had grown to know so well. Thick dark hair, now shiny and curling on the pillow. Her pale face now sun-kissed, with freckles across her nose. She looked like a china doll. One that his mother had on her nightstand that had been given to her by her mother many years before.

Her slim body was familiar to him, each curve noted and longed for. All the other women he had ever been with, slid from his mind. Only she filled his vision and his heart.

Bending down, he gently scooped her up from the sofa and carried her to his bed where he lay her down on the soft sheets. He slid her yoga pants down her legs and pulled the covers up some. Then he slid her t-shirt off and unsnapped her bra, sliding it off as well. Determined to be a gentleman, he pulled one of his t-shirts over her head and covered her beautiful breasts. Then he pulled the covers up to her chin.

Within a few minutes, he stripped to his boxers and joined her on the bed. Rolling over to her, he pulled her unconscious body into his, wrapping himself around her protectively. He had never brought another woman to his apartment. To his house. Never. Until Annalissa.

Nothing’s ever felt so right.

T
he sun began
peeking through the slats of the vertical blinds that covered Vinny’s tall bedroom windows. Annalissa blinked, trying to recognize her surroundings. A heavy arm lay across her stomach and a tree-trunk leg rested over hers. And something, hard and prodding, was pressed into her ass. Her eyes flew open as she jerked her head around, seeing the smiling face of Vinny.
I’m in his bed? We slept like this?

Before she could question, he saw the look of surprise on her face.
And the look of interest in her eyes.
“Mornin’ beautiful,” he greeted, leaning over to kiss her. The kiss started slow. A greeting. Then morphed into something more. Passion. Heat. Desire. Angling his head to control the intensity, he slid his tongue into her warm mouth, exploring every crevice. Tasting her. Memorizing her essence.

He swallowed her moan as she twisted her body around to face his and he pulled her tightly into him. His massive erection was painfully pressed between their bodies. One hand slid down to her firm ass, massaging the globes, while his other hand stayed tangled in her silky hair.

She began to move her hips as she slid one leg over his, pressing her core against his cock.
Please don’t turn me away,
she thought, knowing this was the man she wanted. Needed. Trusted.

He leaned back peering into her eyes, looking for permission, seeing nothing but passion and acceptance. Smiling, he moved back in, his tongue sliding from her lips to her neck as he tasted and kissed her smooth skin. Gently sucking the dip where her pulse beat erratically, he latched on leaving his mark as she scored his back with her nails.

Suddenly at a loss, he wondered what to do.
Never made love to a virgin. Hell, never had a virgin. Nor made love to anyone. All others were just a fuck and move on. This? Jesus, what the hell do I do?

She sensed his reticence and was determined to not let him talk himself out of what she wanted to happen. Sliding her hand down between their bodies and into his boxers, she wrapped it around his cock. The skin was soft over the steel core and she felt it jump in her hands. He was much larger than the few experiences she had in college, but she instinctively moved her hand up and down.

“Baby?” he rasped, voice like gravel. “Are you sure?”

“Mmmmm,” was the only answer he received, her lips traveling along his jaw, licking the morning stubble.

Pulling back away from her, he repeated, “Baby girl, I’ve got to hear it.”

Her eyes, still filled with passion, cleared as she smiled at him. “Yes. I want this. With you. And only you.”

“Thank fuck,” he groaned, continuing to kiss her as he slowly slid his hand into her panties, finding her folds slick and ready.
A virgin. A virgin,
kept rolling through his mind.
She’s got to be ready.

He maneuvered her up just long enough to pull off her t-shirt, freeing her body to his perusal. Jerking off his boxers his cock stood at attention, already leaning toward her with a mind of its own.
Gotta wait, boy. Gotta take this slow and make it perfect for her.

Lying back down, he slowly inserted one finger into her tight channel, fingering her gently to bring her pleasure without pain. Crooking his finger deep inside, he hit the spot he wanted to find as her moans increased. Lowering his head he pulled one taut nipple into his mouth, sucking hard. Giving it a nip before soothing with his tongue, he felt her juices increase against his finger.

She felt every nerve. Every tingle. Every caress and suckle. And thought she would die with need.
This feels like flying. Hurling toward the end of the runway, knowing that you’ll soon take off.
With one last tweak of his finger her core, tightly coiled, burst with electricity pulsating in all direction. He sucked her nipple as her head fell back against the pillow, a moan filling the spinning room.

He felt her inner walls grab his finger and his cock jumped again.
God, I want that on my dick
. He watched her pant through her orgasm and realized he had never seen anything as beautiful as a woman he cared about being pleasured.
’Cause I never cared about anyone before.

She lifted her head as her eyes shimmered, watching him watch her. “Please, Vinny,” she begged softly. “Make love to me.”

Smiling, he brushed her hair back away from her face, kissing her lips gently. “Anything for you, baby,” he promised. Letting go of her just long enough to roll on a condom, he moved back over her body. With her legs spread for him, he stared down at her glistening pussy and seated himself at her entrance.

Uncertainty filled his expression. “I…I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I don’t know that we can help that,” she replied nervously.

“I’ll go slow.” He began to push his way in.
Oh, damn, she’s tight.
Her inner walls squeezed as he pressed in. While his dick was reveling in the feeling, he was terrified of hurting her.

Never having known a feeling of such fullness, she tried to breathe to ease the passing.
Lamaze, right? That’s what they do, I think.
While the feeling of gentle pressure was building, she realized it was not painful as she attempted to relax.

Aware of the tumultuous thoughts flying through her head as he watched her face carefully, he willed his dick to move slowly. Torturously slow.

“Just do it,” she panted.

Nodding, he forced his erection to the hilt, stopping as her sudden gasp met his ears. Her face, slightly contorted in discomfort, stilled him immediately.
What the fuck do I do now?

“Go,” she begged. “Do something.”