Still Into You: A Novel (Better Than Series Book 3) (9 page)

Second, is setting the trap.

“Dealing with a pervert stalker like Randall is like playing a giant live-action version of Whack-A-Mole.  They disappear for an undeterminable amount of time.  Like Randall. We haven’t had a whiff of him in years and now BAM, he pops up. And that’s the thing, you never know how long they’re going to pop up.  Just like Whack-A-Mole. It could be a long time OR it could be for a microsecond.”

I interrupt, “Why now?”

“Who knows? It could be any number of things – money, you looked more accessible, he’d gone too long without a hit.

Now, it’s Davis that interrupts, “A hit. A hit of what?”

Donovan turns his gaze toward me and up-nods.  “Just what you think.” 

I inhale audibly.  “I… I’m a hit?”

“To a stalker, the person they are stalking is a drug.  And just like an addict, they can be ‘clean’ for a while, but the temptation to use, or in this case… obsess, is always there.”

I don’t know why I’m not freaking out, but I’m not.  Right now, I want more information.  I want to know what I’m up against.

“Eventually a pattern appears.  One the ‘mole’ isn’t even aware of.  But the people watching, waiting… us, the police, finally see it and ‘Whack!’ the mole is trapped. Randall is just such a rodent.”

Jake Gianni has been sitting quietly in our living room this whole time.  Listening.

Davis turns his attention from Donnie Garrett.  He diagonally nods his head upward in the direction of Jake’s position on the couch. “So what’s HE doing here?”  He doesn’t acknowledge Jake by his name or condescend to give him eye contact.  It could take forever for Davis to forgive Jake for hurting me in college.  Even though I already have.

“Jake?”  Donnie asks.

Davis nods once.

“He’s here to break up your marriage.”

***

Jake and Donnie stand to leave.  It’s already six p.m.  We’ve been strategizing all day.  I’ve come to the stark realization in the past few hours that pretty soon, like in a day, my life will not be my own.  At least for a while.  I have tonight and tomorrow to be alone with Davis.  After that, I’ll be with him, but playing a role.

The only loose end in our operation is Randall Ireland. Like Carmen San Diego, we need to know where in the world he is.  He was in Destin, Florida last night, and we presume this morning, but who knows.

The detective and Jake are practically to the door when my phone rings Boxwood’s brand new hit.  It’s Charlie. 

“Hey, Charlie Boxwood!” I answer brightly.

Charlie’s greeting is less “greeting-y,” “He’s still here.  Randall. Ireland.”

I hold a finger up to Donnie, then cover the mouthpiece and whisper shout to him, “Randall’s still in Florida.”  This brings both of the guys immediately back into the main seating area and Davis to my side.

I take my hand down, just as Davis asks, “How does he know for sure?”

Charlie hears Davis and I switch the phone to speaker and put it down on the coffee table, just as he answers.  I can hear music in the background and lots of voices.  “Jules had this idea.  We threw sort of this impromptu pool party at the resort.  You know how good Jules is at planning and publicizing events.”

“Yeah.”  I say anxiously, wishing Charlie would move faster with his explanation.

“As soon as you left, she turned to me and said we needed to help you.  Try to keep track of Randall.  So she planned this party.  We had the Georgia guys running all over the strip and mall and at every bar at lunch time handing out flyers advertising Boxwood doing an acoustic set here, at The Grand Jetty.  Colin, Ian and Simon came down on the tour bus, after I called them.  Anyway, long story short – we were playing and I saw him.  He was on the other side of the pool enclosure scanning the crowd.  It was so fucking strange, ‘cause at first, I thought it was Davis.  His hair is like Davis’, except not as dark and he was wearing a GOOGLE shirt.  I don’t know anyone else with a GOOGLE shirt.  Then I realized it was him.  I think he was looking for you, Biz, because after about 15 minutes, he left.  I saw him look at me and then find Jules and then he was gone.  He knows you’re not here anymore.”

We – Davis, Jake, Donnie and I – are all leaning in, staring at the phone on the table.  All of us, except the detective, with our hands steepled over our lips.  I sense myself rocking at bit, but not frantically.  Donnie has been listening intently and taking notes on his iPhone.  He yells toward the phone, “When’s the last time you saw him?”

Charlie says, “Uhm, about 30 minutes ago.  We were in the middle of a set and I thought it would look weird if I just stopped.”

Donnie looks at his watch, “That would have been a little after 5:30.  Destin’s in the same time zone, right?”

Having just been there, Davis and I simultaneously answer, “Yes, Central.”

Donnie yells to Charlie on the phone again, “Thanks, Charlie.  Tell your wife, tell Jules, she did good.  This is good info.  We can use this.”

“Good.  Glad it helped.”  Charlie replies. 

I hear a movement on the other end and then my best friend’s voice.  She must have taken the phone from Charlie. “Biz, we’re coming home tomorrow.  We’ll be there by evening.  You okay?”

“I… you know… I think I’m as good as I can be.  I’m really sort of surprising myself.  Usually, with all that’s been going on I would have had multiple meltdowns by now.  But I… I just don’t want to.  It’s so weird.  Really... I’m just super, super tired.”  Upon hearing that, Davis moves closer to me on the couch and rubs my back gently and evenly.

“Get some rest?” Jules commands.

I tilt and turn my head to the right to make eye contact with Davis.  I give him a tired smile.  He reciprocates with his own and then runs his free hand through his hair.  He’s tired and worried, too.  But still my gorgeous Mavis.

“K,” I answer. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight. See you soon.  Love you.”

“Love you, too.” And with that Jules and Charlie hang up.

Donnie has gotten up since asking Charlie his last question and is walking in circles around the seating area, tapping out something on his phone.  We just watch him take a couple of turns, before he stops and announces, “If Randall left Florida immediately, depending on flights, he could be here as early as 10, 10:30.  And by here, I mean here, at your door, not just in the city.”

I stand up quickly, “You’re kidding, right?”

“I wish I was.  I don’t think he could get here that fast.  I’m checking flights now.  There are no direct flights from that area, so that gives us more time.  And best of all, he isn’t in the vicinity now.  Which means he hasn’t seen Jake, or me.  Which means he has no idea we’ve met.  I think we have the jump on him.”  Donovan Garrett seems almost giddy.  As giddy as a no-nonsense detective can get. “We’re gonna get out of here, right Gianni?”  Donovan addresses Jake.

“Yeah, I think it’s time to get out of your hair, Biz… Davis.”  Jakes acknowledges each of us individually, “I’ll see you Tuesday for lunch, Biz.”

I wave and say, “Tuesday” to confirm.

Jake Gianni.  My cover for this whole charade.  And until recently, the last person I’d ever think of to ask for help.

And then something I never would have expected occurs, Davis moves from my side and walks the other two men to the door.  Donnie walks out, but Davis stops Jake with some words I can’t hear, leans in and says something more and then they shake hands.  They actually shake hands and look, well, friendly.  I’ll have to ask Davis later what he said.

***

Davis and I are finally
completely
alone for the first time in two weeks.

“I thought we were going to have a movie night. Have popcorn,” I warmly husk into Davis’ ear, after he pulls me off from the couch and presses all of him against all of me.  I wrap my arms around his neck by first slowly sliding them over his hard, muscular shoulders and then crossing them, so I can feel his delicious back with my hands.  Davis responds by slipping his own arms slowly down the sides of my waist to settle at my lower back.   He runs his thumbs under the waistband of the yoga pants I’ve traveled home in, and my panties.

“Isn’t that what you used to always say your dorm room smelled like?  Microwave popcorn?”  Davis laughs with deep resonance into my shoulder.  He kisses across my shoulder until he reaches my neck and then licks right up to my ear.  A shiver runs down my spine and then a warming sensation overtakes me from the waist down and I feel my core flood in response. 

I give a single low chuckle and tease back, “Until I found you, after that it smelled like sex and microwave popcorn.”

Davis suddenly grabs my ass, lifts me up, and wraps my legs around his hips.  I’m positioned perfectly on his hardness. 

“Fuck the popcorn.” Davis thrusts into me.  I adore the feeling of his erection through the roughness of his jeans and the thin fabric of my yoga pants.  I tilt my pelvis to ask for more. “And fuck the movie.”

Davis takes a few long strides toward our bedroom with me as his enthralled passenger.  With each step there is a stroke and release against my now pulsing clit.  I thought I was too tired for any of this, but that’s obviously not the case.

He moves us through the bedroom doors and I expect him to take me straight to our bed, but he doesn’t.  Davis turns and pushes my back against the wall just inside our bedroom door.  One of his hands goes to my hip and he hikes me up and then grinds himself down my core vertically.  I grind right back.  His other palm slaps against the wall by my head.  I am being held up only by the wall and one of his arms.  His power to control me ignites the burning that’s been kindling and I thrust my hands into his hair, pulling him into me.  I want his mouth on mine.  I want to consume him.  It is not gentle.  It is frantic.  My lips open at the same moment as his and I pull his tongue into my mouth.  I suck it with my lips and stroke it like I would his cock.  I feel him harden further between my legs. 

Still keeping me pinned securely to the wall with the force of his body and my legs like a vice around his hips, both of Davis’ hands dive under my layered t-shirt and tank.  They are peeled over my torso and I raise my arms quickly, grab the shirts with my hand and launch them over Davis’ shoulder.  He has flipped the cup down on one side of my bra and his mouth is on my nipple before I hear the shirts hit the floor.  One of Davis’ hands is back on my ass tugging me into… onto him and the other is cupping and massaging the breast he is suckling.  I feel a jolt of what feels like pain, but also pleasure with each deep suckle and I groan.  His suckles become lapping and then circular.  I can feel them not only on my breast but lower, deeper.  I sense my chest flush and both my nipples squeeze tightly and harden.  Davis has worked the straps of my bra down and unfastened it.  He slides it off one of my arms, then the other, all the while never allowing his lips to leave my body for more than a second. 

As Davis ducks his head and pulls my other nipple deep into his mouth, I push into him and release my legs one at a time from around his hips. I slide myself down him, grasping at his powerful back and taking my time to drag my soaking self over him.  I desperately need to have his pants off and have my hands on him.  Once my feet hit the floor and I don’t need to hold onto him so tightly, my hands fly to the buttons of his jeans.  The pressure built against them from the strain of his imprisoned cock help me to pop them open with very little effort.  As I push both this jeans and boxers down, he springs free. 

Davis’ mouth leaves my body and he takes a quick step back to free his feet from his jeans.  He’s about to lean forward to kiss me, but when he does, I take a quick lick of his lips and then drop to my knees.  One of Davis’ hands runs through my hair as I admire his rigid, throbbing cock right before my eyes.  I stroke one of my cheeks and then the other against it, nuzzling and taking in the warm, earthy scent of Davis.  Davis’ hand moves to my chin and tilts my face up.  I look up at him, smirk and raise my eyebrows.  I lick my lips slowly and say, “Good idea… Fuck the popcorn,” and then I dip my head for a more delicious snack.  Davis’ hands are in my hair, gently pressing my head toward him and away for awhile, but as I suck and stroke, moving from his thickened base up to the tip and then swirling back down, I feel his hands leave and slap against the wall in front of him.  He is bracing himself.  I feel the underside of his cock pulse between my lips.  Davis is close. 

As I increase the suction a bit more and drag my lips up to suck on the notch of his crest, Davis pushes off the wall, grabs my shoulders and brings me up so that I am face to face with him.  Before I know what is happening, why he stopped me, Davis has thrown me across the bed and torn my yoga pants from my legs.  I don’t see any of it, rather just feel it since my head is hanging over the edge of the bed.  My view is of my bedroom, upside down. I moan a bit and thrust up when two of Davis’ long fingers enter me and his thumb pushes and then rotates on my clit.  The “come here” stroke of his fingers on my G-spot is beckoning my release.  I clench slightly, and when I release, Davis’ fingers are gone, only to be replaced by his tongue taking the place of his thumb on my needy, ready, near-to-exploding clit.  He licks me with a long deep stroke and then suckles and swirls, suckles and swirls.  I feel my back begin to arch and my abdominals tighten.  NO!  If he can hold off so can I!

In a movement akin to doing a crunch, I sit up and pull Davis’ head from between my legs.  I push at his shoulders and position him on his back.  Then I straddle him.  I straddling his pulsing, rigid hardness and all the air escapes my lungs at once. “Aaaaaaah!”  He feels so good inside me.