Layers Deep (13 page)

Tristan
ignited my skin. The life of ecstasy flew through me. The bopping
head spared no moment of rest. He didn’t tease or stop; Tristan
went for it with his entire force. He sucked on my swollen lips and
flicked my clit so fast, ramming his fingers in and out. What did
he do inside me? I could feel my outer walls contract and close
around his digits, tightening to feel the way he hooked the tip,
pressing against a spot that sent a signal to my front where he ate
me out. It electrified my skin, and I felt my open mouth curve in
happiness over what was about to happen. The laugh came out deep
from my belly as the inflamed tingles spread in bunched-up jitters.
I grabbed his head, pressing him into me, and Tristan flicked and
sucked with a relentless urge, letting my bliss explode through my
shaking body.

If I hadn’t
pulled him away, he’d have kept going, but I needed the support of
his arms, and when he stood up I fell into his body, all my limbs
limp and muscles aching from contracting.

Never in my
life had I been so willing. I was a strong woman. For God’s sake, I
was a police officer! I couldn’t let my guard down. But in
Tristan’s presence, I wanted him to take control. I needed him to
take command of my body and my needs. And boy, did he ever do that!
Except with Tristan it was more. I couldn’t shut down my emotions
even if I wanted to. The physical contact unlocked my heart. And
how many men in the world put a woman’s needs before theirs?

Washed and
sated, Tristan handed me his bathrobe and a towel. I wrapped the
cloth around my hair. The fabric smelled of Tristan, and I could
swear even though he hadn’t had a drink, that hint of scotch and
oak lingered on my body. I didn’t think I’d ever again drink a
scotch without thinking about him.

“Why did you
want to leave this morning?”

“I didn’t want
to wake you,” I lied. The truth was, what had happened last night
took me by surprise. I’d given myself to him like I never had
before. He was supposed to be my boss. But since that day on the
hill, when Tristan had held me there as my tears spilled, I knew he
meant more to me than a normal boss should. And that scared me.

And last
night... I didn’t want to get the job on those kinds of merits,
even if otherwise I would do anything and everything to get it.
Because I knew I’d scar him even deeper than the wound on his
chest. I would find a way. I always did with men, whether leaving
them in the middle of the night or making an excuse for them to
leave my house after sex. I couldn’t commit. My life had been too
complicated. Except now, thanks to Tristan, it wasn’t. He had
simplified it for me by taking care of Wright and keeping my mother
safe.

“You know,
I’ve never had a woman leave my bed willingly.”

I didn’t doubt
that. I also didn’t doubt there’d been quite a few women here
before me, and that I wouldn’t be the last one.

He dropped the
towel off his waist and pulled on a pair of sweats. No underwear! I
found that way too damn sexy.

“Tristan, what
happened yesterday was a mistake.” I crossed my arms at my
chest.

“The sounds
that came out of your mouth sounded pretty honest to me.”

He was as good
an observer as he was a giver.

“I don’t want
to jeopardize my job,” I said.

“Aha, sleeping
with the boss. Right? I think we’re beyond that, don’t you? From
now on, you can’t think about me as your boss. I’m your partner,
and you’re mine. Your life depends on me, and mine depends on you,”
he said in a funny voice.

I did depend
on him the way he said I should. Even if I didn’t want to, I
couldn’t deny I depended on Tristan for everything now, including
my family’s safety.

“Come.” He
took my hand and led me through the hall into the living room and
the kitchen. Now that I had my mind back on, not filled with all
his sexiness, I could appreciate the luxury of his home. I didn’t
remember any of it from last night.

White and
brown tones contrasted the light furniture against the dark walls.
The home’s open concept gave the illusion of more space than there
was – not that it was small. In fact, the living room alone was
larger than my entire apartment. Decorative sheers hung down to the
ground, fluttering in the air-conditioned breeze. The sun blazed
through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Beyond was a breathtaking
view of Central Park, seemingly its full length and width, and
Tristan’s penthouse smack in the middle. This place must have cost
a fortune.

“If there’s a
way to impress a girl, I think this is it.” I stared out the
window.

“I’m glad you
like it, because this is where you’ll live now.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I may
have forgotten to mention that part of the job.”

“Conveniently
enough.” But I didn’t mind. Oddly, I felt at home here. “I’m
assuming this would be a temporary perk of the job?”

“We’ll see,”
he shrugged. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.
If I’m going to work for you, I need to send in my resignation from
the force.”

“Didn’t I say
you’ve been hired already?” He pressed a button on the elegant
machine which began grounding fresh beans.

“But...”

“It’s all
taken care of, Allie. You’re on payroll as of” – he looked at his
watch – “now. I wouldn’t want you to think you were on payroll last
night, and this morning,” he grinned.

“Are you
forgetting the two thousand dollars you gave me?”

“You can keep
the change.”

I was glad I
wasn’t drinking the coffee just yet, because I would have spat it
out. “So about last night...” I started.

“Don’t
overthink it, Allie. We’re two consenting adults having a good
time,” he said nonchalantly.

“Good. I
wouldn’t want you to think I slept with you to get the job.”

“I’m glad you
feel that way, because I wouldn’t mind if we consented to good
fucking once in a while, would you?”

Cross’s
bluntness and dirty mouth rekindled a swirling desire deep in my
belly.

How could I
say no to that?! It wasn’t exactly my style to have sex with a man
I barely knew, but Cross Enterprises was trustworthy and so was
Tristan—that much I could read from a person. And the way he spoke
revived the ache between my legs every time.

“But I’m
already hired.”

“The
difference is, for this position you need to know me and trust me
beyond what your mind will tell you, Allie. And if I say you need
to fuck me, then you need to fuck me as if your life depended on
it. Besides, I’m the boss.”

“Well, Mr.
Boss, Sir, that’s the only way I fuck.”

“Well, then, I
guess I hired the right girl, didn’t I?”

We both burst
out laughing.

“Seriously,
Allie. I wouldn’t want you to think that’s why I hired you.”

“I don’t. And
I thoroughly enjoyed last night. And this morning, for that
matter.”

“Me too. It
was... ...special.” His soft tone surprised me.

Cross was the
first person with whom I could let my guard down when intimate. He
could have called it fucking, shagging, banging, or anything else
he wanted, but I knew what last night meant to both of us. A
perfect fit, both physically and emotionally, was rare to find. And
we fit like a fish in the ocean.

“So, why don’t
you give me some details on this job?”

“You’ll live
with me now, and we’ll rehearse the auction day. You’ll change the
way you breathe, walk, and talk. All your expenses will be paid. If
that’s all right with you?”

For the first
time, Tristan was asking me how I felt about the job, and I
appreciated that.

“Yes, that’s
fine.”

Tristan slid
his cell on the counter and punched in a few numbers, mumbling
under his breath. “36 C...”, then he looked me over as if I was an
item in a grocery store.

“30, 36, 8.5,”
he continued.

“What are you
doing?” I asked, intrigued.

“Unless you
want to wear my shirt and pants, or that fucking hot outfit you
wore last night, out in public, I’m getting you some clothes.”

“On the
phone?”

“One of the
perks,” he shrugged.

“And where in
the public are we going out to?” I asked.

“My parents’
house for brunch.”

I gasped.

The scent of a
chocolate-vanilla brew wafted toward my nose.

“Is this part
of the job?” I narrowed my brows.

“No, but I’m
sure you’d like to visit your mom. I need you not to be worrying
about anything, Allie, besides the job. And you won’t focus unless
you see her and relax for the afternoon. And there’s some business
we can take care of as well.”

Everything
inside me melted into one big puddle of
you’re so caring
.
Mr. Impossibly Hot could not only make me swoon in bed, but also in
his kitchen. I rushed around the marble counter and threw my arms
around his neck.

“Thank you,
Tristan,” I whispered, taking his face between my palms and kissing
him.

“You’re
welcome. When we return you will have a new wardrobe, be on a
twenty-four-seven schedule, and always at my disposal.” Both his
brows rose suggestively.

“Okay, not
that I mind being at your disposal,” – I hooked my finger into his
sweats – “but new wardrobe? What’s wrong with my old one?”

“The people
we’ll be dealing with cater to the wealthy and disturbed. Some
things you’ll be wearing just aren’t available at a regular store.
Besides, I like doing things for you, and I don’t want you to go
home.”

He pulled out
a stool from under the counter and motioned for me to sit. I
watched Tristan move around the kitchen like a pro, and for a
moment I thought he’d missed his calling. The fridge, three times
the size of the one I had in my apartment, held stacked containers,
nicely labeled and dated.

He opened a
drawer with vegetables, pulling out red peppers, sweet onions, and
cheese. Tristan balanced on one foot, holding the door partially
open while bending awkwardly toward the counter to set the
ingredients aside, and then went back in to gather eggs and
milk.

“I hardly get
the time to cook.”

“Looks like
it’s something you enjoy.”

A quiet beep
sounded from the coffee machine as the last drops trickled into the
pot. He finally let the fridge go. It shut closed, sucking around
the seal. Tristan poured two cups of coffee and set them on the
counter. I poured the milk in and sipped. There was nothing better
than the first sip of morning coffee. Okay, perhaps there was, and
Tristan had proved it last night and this morning, but that first
sip came pretty damn close.

He shuffled
his bare feet toward me and pulled out a paper from a drawer. “We
may as well do the paperwork here. Read it over and sign.”

“You had an
extra copy in your kitchen drawer?”

A smug grin
stretched across his face. “I like to be prepared.”

I sat at the
kitchen counter looking over the agreement. The coffee tasted
delicious this morning, but perhaps it was my company.

“No sexual
harassment clause?” I asked.

“No. I can
harass you anytime I want. Will that be a problem?”

The only
problem I could see was my heart shattered to pieces. How would I
tell whether his actions were to harass and stimulate me, or part
of the act?

“No problem,”
I said, lowering my gaze back to the agreement.

Tristan pulled
out a stool to sit beside me. My knees pressed together as he
shifted my body, the stool resisting against the tiled floor. His
legs spread apart and hugged the sides of mine. He took my hands
into his and his face became as serious as I’d seen it yet. His
hazels darkened and their depth hid gruesome secrets I wasn’t sure
I wanted to hear.

“Allie, the
job will be dangerous.” He wrapped his arms around me. I leaned
forward and glued my face to his naked chest.

“I
understand,” I said against his skin. “And I’m not afraid,
Tristan.”

He took a long
breath in and slowly released it, my head rising and falling along
with his inhale.

“You should
be. A bit of fear is good for everyone. It’ll keep you on guard.
The dogs we’ll be dealing with can smell a scam from a mile away.
And the girl you’ll be posing as needs to be afraid of what’s
waiting for her. Here.”

I looked up to
the counter where Tristan clicked his phone. He swiped his finger
across the screen a few times before stopping on a photo of a
beautiful girl. Late afternoon sun lightened the side of her
bronzed face as she held her arm up to remove her blowing auburn
hair from the view. The photo was carefree: a snapshot of a stolen
moment in life. Gosh, she could have been a model. I thought I’d
seen a picture of her somewhere before; perhaps when I’d googled
Tristan? Yes, that’s where I’d remembered her from. And at that
moment I’d realized this job Tristan hired me for was more than
just another case. It was personal.

“This is
Kendra. We need to find her.”

“She’s
gorgeous.”

He reached to
the same drawer he’d stored the agreement in, pulled out a file
folder, and handed it to me.

I flipped
through the papers, scanning every page, making mental notes of
some details and the fact that I’d study these until my brain bled.
The pieces of information brought back the cop in me. A small rush
of adrenaline flowed through my veins, and my mind began its
intricate work. I’d need to look over the details a bit longer, but
for now, some words stood out more than others, and I cringed.
Kendra was a sex slave, and she was about to become the commodity
of one man who would sell her over and over again.

“She’s been
missing for three weeks now, and it’s possible she looks different.
My sources tell me she’s still alive. She’ll be sold at one of the
auctions.”