Wet Work: A Dark Bad Boy Romance Read online

  I took my cock in my hand and pushed it against her ass, moving it up and down. She gasped in anticipation. I found her entrance, dripping wet and open for me, and I pushed slowly into her. She moaned all the way in to the hilt.

  Her breathing was hard. I pulled out again and pushed back in. The friction was fantastic. I pushed in harder, pulled out faster. She cried out in rhythm with my pumping; her ass jiggled, and her breasts swung back and forth. It was the stuff of pornos, and it was all mine, right here in my own living room.

  It didn’t take me long before I was ready to come. I slowed down a bit, changed my pace, and tried to stretch it out for as long as I could.

  Which wasn’t very long at all—it’s hard to last when you’re busy doing what might be the hottest woman in town.

  I came soon after that, the orgasm building and then flooding through me, filling her up. She cried out when I did, making me think she’d orgasmed again, and her body contracted and convulsed around my cock, confirming that suspicion for me.

  I kept fucking her, grunting in pleasure, until I started getting soft. Leah was still bracing herself against the couch, with her head hanging down. She was a sight to behold, bent over like that, naked and spent. Her thighs glistened with our sex, and she was breathing hard, making her breasts sway over so slightly. I helped her straighten out and turned her around so that she faced me. Her eyes were glazed over, and she had a lazy smile on her lips.

  “That was just what I needed,” she said softly.

  I leaned forward and kissed her again, and she melted into my arms. For a moment, the thought took shape in my mind that maybe I was getting in too deep. I couldn’t afford for her to get attached when I was going to get rid of her. But then she broke the kiss.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I came here to… use you.”

  I frowned, unable not to smile at the same time. “What are you talking about? If that’s you using me, honey, you can come every day.”

  She giggled and blushed, showing a glimmer of the shy, self-conscious Leah I’d seen before today. It didn’t quite add up with her standing naked and sexed up in front of me.

  “I can’t stay long,” she said, after we stood together in awkward silence for a minute, and then started getting dressed.

  I watched her as she moved around, finding her clothes and pulling them on one by one as if she had a set order. She was leaving so soon? I couldn’t remember the last time a girl had been the one to run after sex. If this is what Leah was about then her and I were going to get along a lot better than I initially thought. This was a whole different side of her; a side I hadn’t even dreamed would exist.

  One thing was for sure, though. I was relieved she was in this only for the sex. I needed her to be detached that way. If she could be as detached and self-centered as I was, it would make my job much easier. It was best that she didn’t care for me because the truth was I didn’t care for her.

  And a girl like the one I knew now was safe. The girl from before… well, an innocent woman like that shouldn’t be with a monster like me.

  I smiled as she shrugged into her shirt and flicked her hair. “Leah, I need—” I began. She was happy and strong, and now was the time to get what I wanted from her.

  “Shhh…” she whispered as she touched my lips with a finger. “Don’t ruin it.”

  She removed her finger and replaced it with her lips, then pulled back, smiled, and walked out without a backward glance.

  I watched her go, blinking, and unable to wrap my mind around what had just happened.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I left after sex. I didn’t usually do a hit and run like that, but the truth was I felt embarrassed. Embarrassed and scared.

  Not due to Pax, of course. He was everything I could have wished for—giving me exactly what I needed and nothing else. I hadn’t wanted something emotional, something sensual, or to talk. I’d wanted dirty sex to help me forget, and he’d given it to me without making me feel like a whore.

  Still, afterward, I felt like an idiot. I felt like I’d pushed something too far. There was a time when I used sex to forget about the things that were wrong in my life. Sex with anyone willing, usually strangers, made me feel good about myself. I was sexy and beautiful, and I could control what I was going to get even when the world around me was slipping through my fingers. It was afterward, though, that I always felt like I’d done something wrong.

  I didn’t exactly regret fucking Pax because it had been fantastic and it had done exactly what I needed it to do. I just regretted that I was slipping back into my old ways. At least I thought I had. It turned out I was wrong.

  The upside was the fact that Pax wasn’t too much of stranger anymore. I knew a hell of a lot more about him than some of the other men I’d slept with, and I was sure there was a lot he knew about me. This was more along the lines of friends with benefits, and it was the only reason I felt like I could forgive myself.

  There seemed to be a kind of caring between us, even when it wasn’t a hundred percent romantic. Pax had given me what I’d needed tonight, but he’d been so attentive the other times we were together. I was sure it wasn’t just all about sex for him.

  Rationalizing it made me feel better. He’d been willing to be there for me in so many ways. Tonight, he hadn’t rejected me, even though he could have. He could have been the gentleman I knew he was, but instead, he’d played along and allowed me to use him for my own needs. Maybe I could rely on him to get me through this rough patch. He cared enough for that. The moment I’d walked into the apartment I could tell he was turned on by the way he’d looked at me. When I’d kissed him, he’d taken charge, and fixed everything that was wrong.

  By the time I got home I was on top of things again and ready to take on my life. I didn’t feel down and depressed like when I’d left. I got into the shower and as I washed, my hands gliding over my body, I remembered the evening, and it aroused me. My nipples tightened, and I could feel heat that had nothing to do with the water. I put my hands between my legs and, in the soap and wetness, I relived the night, my fingers busy until another orgasm rocked through me. I stood, allowing the water to pour over me until my strength returned, did a final rinse, then stepped out of the shower.

  I got dressed in my favorite pajamas, the dark blue ones dotted with cartoon whales, dried my hair, and then padded down the steps to fix dinner.

  I moved about the kitchen, throwing together a stir-fry as my body throbbed with the echoes of what Pax had done to me, and I smiled. I knew I was playing with fire. This was a very dark, very dangerous road. A road I had traveled before.

  I flopped onto my couch and turned on the television, flipping through Netflix until I found something interesting to watch while I ate. As talking animals frolicked on the screen, I played around with my food. I felt okay, and so long as I didn’t lose myself like I had before, I wouldn’t spin completely out of control. With Pax here to help, I didn’t have to keep running.

  I finished eating and watched the rest of the movie, then cleaned up the kitchen. It was still early, just past eight, but I could feel sleep tugging at me. I was relaxed, happy, and well fucked. I trotted back up the steps and brushed my teeth before tumbling into bed, dragging my Kindle onto my lap for a little night time reading. I closed out the book I had been reading, a little something I sometimes read when I needed to scratch an itch so I could sleep, and opened the Grafton I was also reading. I’d already had my itch scratched tonight.

  The next morning, when I awoke, things were better. It was Wednesday, which meant I had to go out on the water, and that improved my mood even more. I was beginning to cope. Even when I walked past where I found the body, and the horror nibbled at the back of my mind as I passed, by the time I’d reached the lab it was forgotten again. My nerves were righting themselves, and it had taken less than a week.

  I was under no illusion that it was because of anything but Pax. He’d been there for me when I’d needed him in every way
. First, he’d been a shoulder to cry on. Then he’d been just a friend, and then he’d fucked me good when I’d just needed to take my mind off of things. I didn’t know how he knew, but somehow, he always gave me exactly what I needed. And he didn’t seem to mind doing it, especially the fucking part. I smiled at my own little joke and began to set up my sample run.

  By the time my workday was done, I was in such a good mood, that I called Abby to see if she wanted to meet after work. She’d seemed pleased that I asked, and commented on the cheer in my voice. I smiled as we agreed to meet at a coffee shop we liked for coffee and pastries. Fuck the calories, I was celebrating my return to normalcy.

  She was already there when I walked through the door and waved at me. I smiled, waved back, and made my way between the little tables.

  “Have you been waiting long?” I asked as I sat down.

  “I was just catching up with the news,” she said, putting her cell down on the table. Her tone seemed a little odd, but I ignored it. I barely followed the news because it was all so depressing. Why can’t they report good news? Abby leaned back in her seat, and when a waiter came we both ordered coffee, and I added a sweet gibanica that I knew from experience was to die for.

  “God, what a day,” I said after the waitress left. “Work gets crazy, but lately it just feels like so much more.”

  Abby nodded and smiled. “I bet. You’ve had a lot on your plate.”

  I shrugged. I knew she was talking about the body I’d found but the whole thing was blissfully in the background and that’s where I wanted to keep it.

  “Have you seen Pax again?” she asked after a moment of silence. I looked up at her and smiled.

  “Yeah,” I drawled out, a smile coming easily to my lips.

  She studied my face for a moment. “You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s not a crime to sleep with someone.”

  “Sleeping. As in you’re continuously doing it.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you involved with him?”

  I shook my head. The waitress returned with two cups of coffee and my pastry. I waited until she was gone again before I answered.

  “I’m not involved with him. We’re just… friends with benefits.”

  Abby snorted. “Yeah, because that works out so well for all parties involved, right?”

  I shrugged, tracing the hot rim of my coffee cup with my finger. I knew what she was getting at. Usually, the woman got hurt in situations like this, but this wasn’t like that. Pax was different. He cared for me in a way no one had cared for me before. And what harm could a little bit of innocent fun do? Besides, I needed it. It kept the darkness at bay.

  “I’m worried about you,” she said. “Are you sure you’re doing okay? I mean after everything.”

  I nodded. “Everything’s fine. I don’t know how to put it, but… it’s like Pax distracts me.”

  It was the wrong thing to say, of course. Abby raised her eyebrows. “Relationships like this never last. You know that, right?”

  I laughed, and it felt good to break the tension. “It’s not a relationship. We’re just friends.”

  “With benefits. You said.”

  I could tell she didn’t approve, but I didn’t care. She didn’t know what I needed.

  “We talk too, you know? And we get along. He’s sweet and sensitive, and he knows how to read me. It’s not just sex.”

  Abby looked incredulous, but I didn’t have to justify my actions to her. I was a grown woman, and I could make my own decisions. Granted they weren’t always the best decisions, but I wasn’t in bad hands with Pax. He wasn’t the type of guy that would just exploit a woman, no matter how rough he looked.

  “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  I grinned at her as I popped a bite of pastry into my mouth. Abby was a good friend, and she worried about me. “I’m doing fine, in fact, better than fine.”

  Abby smiled back. “Good. Did I tell you I was flying down to LA?”

  “No. Really?” I asked, glad to have something to talk about other than me.

  We talked for a while as she told me she was interviewing for a position with a modeling firm. We talked and giggled over our coffees, and it was like old times. We were sipping in companionable silence when the conversation of two older ladies, who were sitting at the next table, carried over to us.

  “They found another dead body,” one said. “Can you believe it? I don’t know what this place is coming too!”

  I continued to sip the hot black liquid, giving no indication that I’d heard, but I was listening to their conversation now.

  “I saw that! Found him at the gas station just around the corner, right?” The second woman shook her head in sorrow. “Can you imagine, getting killed in a gas station bathroom.”

  “Leah?” Abby said. “You okay?”

  I sat my cup in the saucer, and it rattled slightly as my hands shook. “What?”

  “Are you okay? You suddenly went pale. What’s wrong?”

  “Did you know they found another head body?” I asked softly.

  Abby’s face became cloudy. “Yeah. This morning. But that has nothing to do with you,” she hissed urgently. “People get killed all the time. I bet dozens of people are murdered every day in a big city.”

  “This isn’t a big city, Abby. This is Coquille, Oregon, population, what, twenty-five thousand?”

  “So?”

  “So, two murders in a week?”

  “So? It has nothing to do with you! Stop it!”

  I stared at her a moment then turned to my purse and pulled out a ten and dropped it on the table as I rose.

  “Where’re you going?”

  “Home.”

  “Leah!” Abby cried as she grasped my hand. “Don’t do this.”

  I pulled my hand out of hers. “I’m okay, but I have to go. Thanks for meeting me.”

  I walked away. Abby called after me, but I kept going, struggling to bite back the tears. I knew I was being rude, but I couldn’t have a breakdown in the shop or around her. I had to be on top of things. I looked over my shoulder as I stepped outside. Abby sat in her seat, her arms folded over her chest in a defensive pose, her face a mixture of fear and annoyance.

  I barely made it to my car before I started crying. I didn’t know why it was getting to me so badly. Abby was right; it had nothing to do with me. I hadn’t even seen the second body, but death seemed to follow me. I couldn’t escape it. It had lost me for a while, but it had found me again.

  I managed to drive home, and when I got there, I tried to distract myself. I turned on the television only to turn it off again. I picked up my phone to call someone, anyone, but put it down again. I couldn’t see anyone. Not Abby, not even Pax, not this time.

  I heard the rumble of a motorcycle passing, then a moment later, the doorbell rang, and I looked up, ripped out of my world of misery. Abby had come to check on me. She wasn’t stupid. No matter how hard I pretended to be okay, she knew better. She’d seen me like this before. I was relieved and horrified that she’d come. I didn’t want her to see me like this, but I didn’t want to be alone. Not now. I walked to the front door and opened it.

  Pax stood in front of me. He was smiling, but then his face fell. “Are you alright?” He sounded genuinely concerned.

  “Perfectly fine,” I lied. My makeup was smudged into big black circles, with streaks down my cheeks.

  He stepped into the house without me inviting him in. “What’s wrong?”

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. I was being rude, but I didn’t care.

  “I wanted to spend some time with you. I was going to ask you something. What happened?”

  I started crying again. I couldn’t hold it back, and it made me feel like shit, but there was nothing to be done. Pax pulled me against him, rubbing my back like the saint I knew he was deep down inside.

  “I’m sorry.” I sniffed as the tears dried. “I’m a mess right now.”
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  He held me at arm’s length and nodded. “I see that. Here, sit down.” He guided me toward the couch, and I did as I was told.

  Then he moved to the kitchen and began digging through my cabinets and pantry, finding what he needed to start the coffee. He took care of me the way you took care of someone that mattered. I mattered to him. I sat, staring at the floor, seeing my dad and the body wrapped in plastic where they weren’t, lost in my thoughts until he handed me a mug. It was warm when I wrapped my fingers around it, and it leached a bit of the cold from me.