Morgan leaned back on the conference table with a mischievous smile, watching as River quickly rushed over to her door and flipped the lock. This was the moment they’d both been waiting for. She’d tried denying herself and running from her feelings, but it was clear that River wasn’t going to let her avoid it any longer. The only thing to do was give in to what they both wanted, and she knew she could do it in a way that kept any questions at bay.
Her office was private and separated from the other Steele executives on the top floor. Her calendar was clear for the rest of the afternoon and her assistant was gone for the day. The only windows overlooked downtown, with no way for anyone to see what was about to happen in her corner office. It was the perfect place to indulge at last.
When he returned, he stopped just short of her and let his gaze dip down to study her body. She was still leaning against the conference table and she had no intention of moving. It was solid oak and just what they needed. For this first time at least, she wanted to take the edge off, not curl up together in bed and have pillow talk.
She hadn’t planned for any of this to happen today, but her slinky pencil skirt and silk blouse would be perfect to unbutton and slide out of the way, and help hide any areas she didn’t want River to see. His gaze moved over her thoughtfully, likely thinking the same thing as he planned his move.
River seemed either hesitant to reach for her or he wasn’t in a rush. Morgan could understand that she’d jerked him around enough that he’d be waiting for her to change her mind. But not now. Not again. She needed to make sure he understood that. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She looked up at him with a sly smirk curling her burgundy-painted lips.
“I want you, River. Right now. Right here.”
That was enough to dash away his last concerns. Now River snapped into action. Leaning past her with a quick slide of his arm, he moved a stack of papers and an arrangement of silk flowers on the table out of their way. Then he encircled her waist with his hands and lifted her up to sit at the edge of the smooth wood as though she weighed ten pounds. She closed her eyes and drank in the sensation as his palms slid up the silky length of her legs, pushing at the hem of her skirt. The fabric moved out of the way, allowing her to spread her thighs so River could find a home between them.
“Is this what you had in mind?” he asked, gripping her rear end and tugging her tight against the throbbing erection pressing against his trousers.
Morgan groaned softly, and then wrapped her legs around his waist. “Even better.”
She leaned in to kiss River and the moment they touched, it was as though the floodgates had been opened. They’d been holding back for so long. This time there would be no interruption, no second thoughts. All the emotion and need that had built up over the last few weeks—and even the last ten years—came rushing forward at once. Their hands moved in a frenzy over each other’s bodies, fighting with buttons and fasteners, tugging aside cotton and silk until they finally made contact with the bare skin underneath.
Morgan couldn’t get enough of River. The warm woodsy scent of his skin. The searing heat of his hands gliding over her body, the low groans of pleasure against her lips... It all brought back a rush of memories that made her skin flush hot. Memories of their nights together. Of how much she needed him then, and now. It almost scared her how easily it came back after years of suppressing it. It made her worry that the temporary nature of their agreement might be harder to keep to as well. She wanted River, yes, but she couldn’t let herself love him again. Not when he didn’t know the truth.
Their lips didn’t part until she felt him push her skirt up to her waist. “That should be enough,” she whispered against his mouth. “For here.” She added the last part, as though her hesitation was being naked at work where they might be caught, when in truth it was to keep as much of her body hidden from him as possible in the bright, late afternoon sunlight.
River nodded. Leaving her skirt where it was, he sought out her panties instead. His fingers hooked around the sides and tugged them down, slipping them past her patent leather heels and letting them fall to the floor like nothing more than the thin scrap of black lace they were.
He groaned aloud as he caught a glimpse of her bare flesh when he stood back up. She was quite disheveled with her blouse unbuttoned, her bra exposed and her skirt hiked up around her hips. Judging by his intense gaze and flexed jaw, he seemed to think she was the greatest thing he’d ever laid eyes on.
It made her feel sexy and desirable in a way that she rarely identified with. It had been a long time since someone had looked at her with such naked desire in his eyes. Since she’d allowed someone to look at her that way. The walls she built around herself after everything that had happened were high. Even with the anticipated prize of the Steele heiress on the other side, few men had tried to breach her protective barricades. Those who tried usually gave up before they reached her. And she was okay with that. It saved her the disappointment of finding they were just after her money.
River hadn’t even thought twice about it before he’d scaled her walls, and there was a part of her that loved him for his reckless bravery where she was concerned.
But now his hesitation was starting to worry her. She’d expected him to dive back into devouring her, but he stopped, just looking at her. “I haven’t changed my mind, River. I’m ready.”
He nodded and smiled. Leaning in, he gave her a soft kiss and pulled back. “I’m ready, too. More than ready. That was just a sight I wanted to commit to memory. And now, first things first.”
Morgan watched as he shuffled out of his suit coat and reached into his breast pocket for his wallet. He set it on the table and tossed the coat across the back of a nearby chair. He opened the wallet, pulling out a single condom before he cast the rest of it aside.
Of course, he would remember them this time. On their wedding night, he’d forgotten to buy some. They’d been so excited to steal away on their adventure that some of the details had been missed. Since they were technically married and holed up in their honeymoon cabin for the night, they decided that it was okay without them this one time. That ended up being a mistake. Morgan had had an IUD put in not long after Dawn passed away. She wasn’t about to be caught in that position again.
River didn’t know any of that. He just knew to plan better this time. Stepping back between her thighs, he put a condom on the table beside her bare hip. Then he wrapped one arm around her back and eased her backward until she was lying across the conference table. He leaned over her and unbuttoned the rest of her blouse. Running his hands over her breasts and down her rib cage, he stopped long enough to press a searing kiss on her sternum. The warmth of his touch against her skin heated her blood and ran through her veins as quickly as her racing heart could move it.
Morgan gasped and squirmed against the cold table. She longed to be enveloped by River’s warmth, to chase away the chill, and he seemed content to tease her instead. When his hand sought out the moist heat between her thighs, she forgot about anything else. Her mind went blank to everything but the waves of pleasure that pulsated through her body. Her back arched off the table, her hands clawing futilely at the slick polished wood. There could be no question of her wanting him this time. Her body had given her away. He had her on the edge of climax and he’d barely touched her.
Then he pulled away again. She heard the clinking of River’s belt and opened her eyes to see him undoing his zipper. Slipping on the condom, River gripped her hips and with his gaze fixed on hers, entered her in one slow stroke. Feeling the hard heat of him sinking into her welcoming body was a pleasure she’d missed for so long. She almost couldn’t believe it was really happening. How many nights had she lain alone, wishing for one more kiss, one more embrace and then hating herself for still loving the man who had betrayed her and walked away? She wanted to pinch herself so she knew this was real.
Morgan pushed herself up upright, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She wanted to be as close to him as she could in this moment. Pressing her satin-covered breasts against the wall of his chest, she leaned in to whisper into his ear how much she needed him and nipped gently at his earlobe.
River shuddered then, gritting his teeth as he seemed to fight for control. It was a losing battle for them both. They’d both waited too long for this to take their time. He gripped at her back and pulled her so close to the edge she might have fallen without his support. Then he stopped holding back and gave her what she’d asked for. He filled her again and again, pounding hard into her willing body.
He seemed to know exactly what she needed from him and once again, she was on the edge of coming apart. She clung to him, gasping and whispering words of encouragement against his throat. “Please,” she cried out as she neared her release, and he responded.
He pressed his fingers into the ample flesh of her hips and thrust until his legs began to shake. Morgan tensed and fell apart, shattering into her climax. It was only River that held her together, holding her tight until the last shudder rocked her body. It was then, with her cries finally silent, that River let go. He thrust hard and finished with a deep growl of satisfaction. Then, completely spent, he pulled them both down to the floor. Morgan fell to her knees straddling him as they collapsed into an exhausted, satiated pile on the expensive imported rug.
* * *
“So...” The younger man spun in his chair to face his webcam, a piece of licorice hanging out of the side of his mouth like a floppy red cigar. “I’ve got good news and bad news for you, Mr. Dalton.”
Jade squeezed Harley’s forearm a little tighter as they sat together in front of his laptop. She could tell he was getting irritated with his tech support team back in Virginia. He preferred to interface with his deputy of sorts, Isaiah Fuller, but he was tied up on another case the company was working. That meant the buffer between Harley and his team of geeks was gone.
They were supposed to be the best of the best, and yet it had taken them longer than he’d expected to run the backgrounds on his two primary suspects—Gregory Crowley and Robert “Buster” Hodges. Now that they had the information he needed, they seemed to be dragging it out.
Harley pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just tell me what you have, Eddie. I’m not in the mood for theatrics today.”
The grin on the computer geek’s face faded and he quickly plucked the candy from his mouth and set it aside. “Yes, so at first glance, there wasn’t much to look at. I’ve emailed you both their background checks, which came back pretty clean, all things considered. Not many leads there. The problem is that both of your guys have fallen off the face of the earth since the kidnapping. Neither are at their last known addresses with the DMV. They don’t seem to be employed anywhere with any federal withholdings. If they are working, it’s under the table.”
“If we’re on the right track, and I think we are, they have ten million dollars of mine and Steele’s money. Why would they be working after a payday like that? How about their financial records? Any leads there?” Harley pressed. Jade watched as he reached for his phone and pulled up the background checks to scroll through while his employee reported his other findings.
“Not for Crowley. His only checking account was closed as overdrawn not long after the kidnapping. He doesn’t have any credit cards or loans under his social security number. He’s either living off the cash from the kidnapping, bought a new identity off the dark web or he’s blown it all and is couch surfing somewhere.”
“But you found something for Hodges?” Jade asked, hoping to turn the conversation toward better news. He had promised good news along with the bad after all.
“Yes, I did,” Eddie continued. “There hasn’t been any activity lately, but there was a purchase for an airline ticket a few days before the kidnapping. I figured that was him getting ready to run if all went well.”
Jade felt her heart leap in her chest. This was the first real lead they’d had in a while and she was excited to hear the news. Being with Harley made her feel safer than she ever had before, but she had to admit that it was unnerving to know that her kidnappers were still on the loose.
“Were you able to get any details on the ticket?” Harley asked.
“It took a little digging, but yeah. According to the airline records, he bought a one-way ticket to Roatán, Honduras. He left the day after the ransom was paid, and then the credit card was paid off and the account was closed. The trail goes cold there.”
Jade turned to Harley. “That’s a start,” she said hopefully, but the frown on Harley’s face dashed her optimism a bit.
“It’s a start, but with ten million dollars at their disposal, it’s going to be hard to get much further. Like Eddie said, they could be under assumed names, living off cash. A couple fake ID’s is all they would need. I’ll have to see if I have any contacts in Central America that can help us out with the local authorities down there. It’s a popular area for expatriates, so I’m not sure an older American would stand out much. But even if we find him, that only leads us to Buster.”
“You don’t think they’re together?” Jade asked.
Harley shrugged. “Who knows? If it were me, I’d take my half and get as far away from the other guy as possible. Buster made the mistake of buying his ticket on his credit card, but Greg could’ve bought a bus ticket with cash going the other direction. Finding one doesn’t mean we’ll find the other.”
Harley turned back to the webcam. “See if you can find any travel records for Greg. Even if he paid with cash, the airlines would have a record on their manifest. Check the trains and buses, too, just in case we get lucky. Whatever he could hop on and disappear. And also get me information on their families. Looking at their background checks shows they both have family living in the area, so get me their contact information. I find it hard to believe they’d both disappear without someone knowing where they are.”
Eddie took a note down and nodded. “Will do, sir. Anything else?”
“Not for now.”
The screen blacked out and Eddie’s virtual presence in the room disappeared. Alone, Jade turned to Harley. “This is a real breakthrough, honey. I think we’re on the right track.”
He just sighed and leaned in to press a protective kiss on her forehead. “We’re getting there. Slowly but surely. The people that hurt you can run, but they can’t hide from me forever.”
* * *
“Where are we going?” Morgan asked for maybe the tenth time since he picked her up from the office.
River smiled and kept his gaze fixed on the highway. “I told you when I asked you to pack a bag—and every time you’ve asked since then—away.”
“Away isn’t very helpful. I only packed a weekend bag. We aren’t going far, are we? We’re in the middle of a project, you know. It’s not the best time for a spontaneous vacation.”
He chuckled and kept driving, much to her continued irritation. “I’m aware of our responsibilities. But it’s a Friday afternoon before Labor Day weekend and no one is doing anything on the housing project until Tuesday, including you and me. So we’re going to my beach house for the long weekend and making the most of the time we have left together.”
She turned to him with confusion etched between her eyebrows. “I didn’t even know you had a beach house. I thought you just had the apartment in town.”
“It’s one thing to ask you to pack a bag to stay at my apartment for the weekend, but why would I go to the trouble of keeping the location a secret?”
“I don’t know. You’re complicated.” She shrugged and looked out the window. “Where is your house?”
“You’ll see.” His response was answered with a groan from Morgan’s side of the car.
Since their first sexual encounter in her office a few weeks prior, they’d met at his apartment every day for a long lunch of takeout and lovemaking. As he’d agreed to keep their relationship a secret, that didn’t leave a lot of options for going out in public. His apartment was nearby and fine for what they needed most afternoons—he couldn’t complain—but that wasn’t what he had in mind for the long weekend.
No, he wanted to get Morgan away. Away from anything and everything that could distract her from enjoying herself—namely work and family. And then he was going to indulge at last.
For some reason, Morgan didn’t seem to be interested in leisurely sex. Under the circumstances, a quick afternoon tryst made sense, but that was all she offered. Lunch was the only time she would agree to during the week, going back to her parents’ mansion at night and always having things to do during the weekends, like gatherings with the Nolans or with Jade to catch up on the investigation. He didn’t begrudge her spending time with her family, but even when she did agree to come at lunch, she wanted him quickly and in dim lighting. Sometimes all the clothes came off, sometimes they didn’t. But as soon as it was over, she was clothed and heading back to the office again.
He wasn’t sure if she’d gotten more self-conscious about her body over the years, but he was tired of all that. From what he’d seen, there wasn’t a thing to be embarrassed over.
If there was one thing his beach house offered, it was privacy. Even though his bedroom had a wall of windows overlooking the marshlands, there wasn’t a neighbor in sight. They could make love on the beach, on the deck, in the pool, anywhere they liked without interruption. That was what he needed. This weekend he wanted to take his time, to worship her body and to become fully reacquainted with every inch of it. The weeks had gone by faster than he’d expected and he had a limited window of opportunity left with Morgan. The key ceremony was right around the corner. He intended to make the most of the time he had.
“The apartment is nice enough and close to work, but it’s not exactly my idea of a real retreat. I only stay there when I’m working. With the traffic, going all the way to the beach and back can be a pain during the week. When I go out there, I want to stay for a while.”
“I have to admit, a weekend at a beach house sounds lovely. I can’t tell you the last time I did something like that. Probably last summer before Hurricane Florence hit. Did you have any damage from that?” she asked.
The storm had been a big scare for the Charleston area, bringing up fears of a repeat of the catastrophic Hurricane Hugo, but then Florence turned away and hit North Carolina instead. As a builder, he’d worried about the projects he had going on in the area, but when they were spared the worst of it, he sent some of his guys north to help with the cleanup efforts.
“Nothing too serious, thankfully. I knew what the risks were building on the coast here, so I designed the house specifically to withstand high winds and water surges. You can’t live on the coast of the Carolinas without worrying about storms each season. Florence was its first real test and I’d say it passed with flying colors. I had to get some new patio furniture. That ended up who-knows-where. And I had to get the pool drained and cleaned. It was filled with mud and salt water and dead fish. That was a pretty big mess. But everything is back to normal now.”
“It must’ve been fun to design and build a house just the way you wanted it.”
Spying the sign for his turn, River got off the highway and headed toward Kiawah Island. “It was. That’s what I’ve come to enjoy about construction. For the most part, I get to be in charge and things happen just the way I want them to.”
Looking over at the beautiful woman in the car beside him, River wished he had that kind of oversight into every aspect of his life. The clock was ticking down on his time with Morgan. He didn’t want to walk away from her this time with a single regret. He wasn’t certain he would get his way, though.