The Innocent Liar (10 page)

Chapter Eighteen

F
iona wore the skirt again on Wednesday, but she paired it with a button-up, perfectly tailored, white dress shirt. It was a bit ridiculous how fucking hot she looked in that damn skirt.

“Too much?” She looked horribly self-conscious standing in front of Eli as he placed his designs for the Cody project in a large portfolio bag.

“That skirt is never too much.” He looked at her devilishly, and she blushed crimson like her shoes. It was six thirty in the morning, and they were the only ones in the shop at this hour. After a quick stop at the coffee shop, they were northbound toward Yellowstone. She’d never been to either Yellowstone or Cody, and he wished they could have more time than just this day. He’d love to show her Yellowstone in the spring, or drag her sweet little ass to a rodeo in Cody. Instead it was a purely
business
business trip, and he’d have to be happy to just have her by his side. In that skirt, who wouldn’t be happy?

She was silent for over an hour. Her eyes took in everything. The scenery was beautiful. It was the Tetons, and when they entered Yellowstone, her face was practically glued to the passenger window. The roads were fortunately clear, and the traffic low, so they made good time. By the time they reached Yellowstone Lake, snow was coming down lightly. She looked like a child visiting an amusement park for the first time ever, and he kept smiling.

“It’s
beautiful
here.” She turned to him, smiling broadly. He smiled then, and it seemed to make hers even bigger. He chuckled as her eyes returned to the view, and when they finally reached Cody, he groaned inwardly. He liked Cody just fine. He just wasn’t ready to give up their alone time. The developer who had built the cabins had recommended his work to the vacation rental company who now owned them, and they were going to meet the father and son duo for an early lunch before going over to the cabins that were outside of Cody by about ten miles.

By the time they were shown to the table, his groin was throbbing. They’d parked a block away from the restaurant that was downtown, and watching her ass in that damn skirt was killing him. He wasn’t the only one to notice. As they were led back to the table, men stared after her, following her every move. He introduced her to the men. Jesse, the son, was polite and actually didn’t eye her like she was food, which was good since such things tended to make Eli want to punch something. John, the father, was equally polite. John had always reminded Eli of Mike in some sense. He was just kind and good natured. They’d been his dream clients, and he wished all clients could be so easy to work with. They signed their paperwork over dessert, and Fiona looked on with interest.

Most of the restaurant was still studying her. Of course they were. She was hot as hell, and they had him to thank for the eye candy. She made him look good, and he found out she had impeccable manners too, which always impressed him. He also loved the way she ignored the attention of every other man who happened to check her out but still blushed every time she caught him looking at her.

She followed him around the cabins afterward. It was something of a pointless trip for sure. The contracts were now signed, and as interesting as the damn cabins were, he didn’t much care what they looked like—not when the snow was picking up and the clouds over the mountains were starting to look dark and ominous. They needed to get back on the road if they were going to be home by six. He caught her looking out one of the cabin windows at the sky and quickly building snow. He walked up behind her, rested a gentle hand on her waist, and squeezed softly. He probably shouldn’t—strike that—he
definitely
shouldn’t touch her in such a way. There was really little reason to, but something about being too close to her and being too damn attracted to her, and all he wanted to do was touch. She didn’t appear to mind in the least, and she leaned slightly back toward him.

“Didn’t know for sure if you two were a couple or not, but I’m glad to see you are. Sure do look nice together,” John said.

“No, we’re not.” Eli pulled his hand from her waist, and the man watched them curiously with a smile on his lips that said he didn’t believe Eli.

“Roads through Yellowstone just closed down. I’m afraid you folks are stuck here for the night. We have another vacation cabin open a few miles from here, and we’ll gladly put you up there for the night.”

“Thanks. We appreciate it.” He looked down at her, and she nodded.

They were settled into a small one bedroom cabin out in the middle of nowhere within thirty minutes, and Fiona eyed the large king-size bed as Eli watched her.

“Sorry. It’s only one bedroom, but the couch is comfy, and it’s a pullout.” John was apologizing profusely. They were trying to be as accommodating as possible under the circumstances.

“It’s no problem. I can take the couch.” Eli did his best to reassure him. They said their good nights, and he ordered takeout Chinese after that, worried he wouldn’t get there if they waited much later. When he returned, she was in the bath. He listened to the water splash as she moved, and he imagined how she looked. He knew her body. He’d not forgotten a single inch of what he’d seen. He ran out to his SUV, grabbing his gym bag that fortunately had clean clothes in it, and when she peeked out to the living room redressed in her skirt and shirt, he held up a T-shirt for her. She took it, disappearing for a minute, and reemerged in nothing more than his shirt.

He jumped in the shower too, and when he came out in his running shorts, she choked on the Chinese she’d just put in her mouth. His shirt was on her, and she apparently had no idea how to feel about the fact he was shirtless. He’d seen her naked, and she was acting as though he was at the moment. She cleared her throat, sucking back a big drink of beer, something he’d thought to pick up on the way back, and then she calmed down. Her eyes didn’t though. As he sat on the other end of the couch, she looked at him, or better stated, his body.

“What are you looking at?” He was in the mood for some fun.

“You.” Her voice was quiet.

“Seems a bit inappropriate.” He watched her coolly.

“Well, you look at me whenever you want.”

He laughed then. She had him on that one. “I enjoy looking at you.”

She stared for a moment, and as he watched her face fell. “I need to make a call.” She looked nervous, and he couldn’t begin to guess why.

“Who do you need to call?” He asked as he grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table.

“Jake.” She watched him, and her eyes looked wide and worried as she waited for him to respond.

He handed her the phone, failing pathetically to be nonchalant. His guts were twisting painfully. He stood and walked to the fridge as he listened. He focused on her as he opened his beer, and her eyes furtively found his.

“Hi. I’m going to have to cancel tonight. I’m stuck in Cody.”

Stuck. Here he was thinking he’d rather be nowhere else, and she felt stuck. He didn’t want to get angry. He was angry too much of the time as it was, but as he leaned up against the kitchen counter, sipping a beer and watching her, the irritation was unavoidable. Her eyes kept glancing to him nervously, and when she hung up, she swallowed over a lump in her throat.

“Thought you weren’t dating him.”

“I’m not.”

“Really? Does he know that?” He walked from the room then to the bedroom. There was really nowhere else to go. He couldn’t seem to quiet the fury. He paced until there was no more pacing to be done, and then he sat on the side of the large bed. When she walked in, he glared at her. He didn’t need to see his own face to know it was harsh, and it was unfair to her.

She walked to him, standing in front of him. “There’s nothing going on with him. I can’t date Jake.”

“Why?”

She studied him for a moment, looking as vulnerable as he felt. “Because I can’t stop thinking about you.” Her eyes were glossed over when he looked up at her, and he suddenly couldn’t remember how to swallow.

Her hands trembled, and he reached for one, pulling it to his mouth. He understood that tremble very well. It was what he felt running through his body, even if she couldn’t see it or sense it. He kissed her palm, and he listened to the quiet moan it incited, and then he spoke against her skin. “I don’t want you to.”

There was no pushing her away anymore. He couldn’t do it, and he knew she couldn’t either. It didn’t have to be a good idea, and it likely wasn’t. He was giving in to a woman whose name he didn’t even know and whose life was a complete mystery to him. For a man who trusted few in the world, it was like giving her the power to destroy him. God help him if she destroyed him.

Chapter Nineteen

W
hen Eli let go of Fiona’s hand, he peered up to her. His eyes were their searing dark color and as serious as ever. How could a harsh, serious man be so fucking sexy to her? She wasn’t one to crave a mean man in her life—she’d had plenty of those already, but for some reason, she needed this. He wasn’t mean, though he knew how to be if he wanted to, but he was a man with power, imperfections, and pains. She needed to know he was capable of hurting her to truly understand how much it meant that he wouldn’t. Sounded a bit fucked up even to think it, but then, so was her life.

He clasped her waist with his large hands and let his head sink to her stomach. She’d almost choked when she saw him without a shirt on. He was far stronger than she’d initially thought, not that she’d questioned he was fit and toned, but he was chiseled in that perfect sort of way. He wasn’t bulky, just defined—and defined well. He was at least six foot tall with an extra inch or two added on perhaps, but there was nothing gangly about his build, and as he sat on the side of the bed, it brought his eyes nearly to her chest as she stood before him.

His hands didn’t remain at her waist nor did his head stay nuzzled against her stomach. He ran his palms around to her lower back, letting them glide gently down over her bottom. They trailed their way down to the back of her thighs, and he gripped her leg muscles, pulling her closer to him. She was still trembling, and his hands on the back of her legs weren’t helping that any. When he ran them back up under the hem of the T-shirt, she sucked in a quick breath as he peered up to her.

He didn’t look away as his palms found her naked cheeks, and he almost smirked as he realized she’d not put her underwear back on. He gripped the roundness, and she groaned. He let his fingers graze between her buttocks, and as he squeezed, he pulled her cheeks apart, and his fingers delved as his eyes dared her to stop him.

“Take your shirt off.” His voice was husky as he spoke, and when she lifted the shirt over her head, she watched as he swallowed. His fingers twitched and trembled against her bottom. His gaze moved over her breasts and down to her sex. She could feel the moisture building and hadn’t a clue if he could see it. She watched as he leaned to her chest, gently biting the flesh on the side of her breast. She arched her back as he clamped down, and she cried out quietly. His hands gripped her backside as he once again pulled her closer.

She was standing between his legs, and he had her body held snuggly against the front side of his. His mouth moved to her nipple, pulling it between his lips as she watched. She ran her fingers through his perfectly tussled dark hair. His attention moved up to her eyes as he sucked, and she gripped his hair. He moaned, sending vibrating warmth out from her nipple, and his hands squeezed tighter on her bottom.

When he released her nipple, he licked his lips and finally let go of his hold on her buttocks. “Are you wet?”

She couldn’t get over how warm his voice could sound and just what that did to her. She nodded.

“Show me.”

She’d been put in plenty of compromising positions before and asked, hell told, to do all manner of humiliating and degrading things for the gratification of men, but this was different. The position was certainly compromising, and it was most definitely for his gratification, but there was nothing humiliating or degrading about it. That didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous as hell, not to mention confused at exactly what his expectations were.

“Come on. Use your fingers and spread your lips.” He must have seen the nervousness—she was doing little to hide it. He leaned to her stomach and kissed light warm trails across her skin as she flushed. “Now.” His voice was controlled as he let his lips tickle against her belly, but there was little question he expected to get his way.

Her fingers trembled as she touched herself. He leaned back again, watching as she slipped her index finger and middle finger between her lips and parted them for him. He studied her, and his nostrils flared as he did.

“Are you going to stop me this time?” He looked up to her eyes quickly, and she shook her head. “Why did you last time?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. She could barely look at him as her entire body started to shake and vibrate. This was exposure if nothing else. She was physically vulnerable standing in front of him with the most intimate part of her body displayed for him to look at. His questions were forcing her to be emotionally vulnerable too. It was a bad combination. It was also quite a rush.

“Yes, you do. Was it because you wanted a different man?”

“No.” She couldn’t imagine wanting a different man than this.

“Is it because you didn’t want me?”

“No.” Her teeth were practically chattering as she stood shaking. He looked down to her exposed vagina, licking his lips, and then his focus was on her face again—studying, gauging, judging her every word.

“Was it because you were angry with me?”

She whimpered as her eyes started to warm and gloss over. She shook her head. It was nerve-racking being grilled by him, but she was so aroused she could hardly stand it. She was two seconds away from crying, but it wasn’t pain, it wasn’t sadness, or any other awful emotion. It was absolute intensity. Every nerve in her body was on fire, and all she wanted was his touch, which he was conveniently withholding.

“Was it because you were afraid?”

Her breath lurched on a quiet sob, and then a tear did trickle down her cheek. “Yes.”

It came out on a stuttering breath of air, and he stood then, lunging at her lips. He kissed her, tugging on her lips and biting gently on her lower one. She reached for his waist, gripping his sides, and he held her closer to his body. He was aroused and hard against her stomach. He kissed his way down her neck, finally stopping at her ear.

“I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

She nodded, and he pulled back from her. He sat again, and this time he touched her. He ran his fingers over her pussy lips and trailed wetness over her skin. He watched everything he did, and when he parted her lips, she groaned. He brushed the pad of his thumb over the swollen peak of her clitoris. She cried out as her knees started to shake. He leaned to her, and she held her breath as he glanced up to her before flicking his tongue across her skin. Her clitoris was throbbing and when the warmth of his tongue connected with the super-heated pulsing nerves, she squealed.

His tongue started laving and licking, and his hands moved back to grip her bottom, sealing her pussy to his mouth as he sucked her clit between his lips. He didn’t pull back or break the suction until he’d released one hand from its grip on her buttocks, and his fingers were lightly playing with and tickling the skin between her legs. He pushed his finger slowly up into her as he watched. He released his other hand from her bottom, parting the lips of her sex as his finger moved deeper. His mouth dropped open as he took in the sight.

He focused on nothing but fingering her, watching every penetration with interest. He pushed a second finger in with the first and groaned as she tightened around him. He started thrusting harder, sinking knuckle deep every time he pushed up into her, and she gripped his shoulders as her body was jolted upward with every swift thrust. He suddenly pulled her down onto the bed and climbed up her body. His tongue pushed between her lips and into her mouth, and then he was slowly descending along her body, biting her skin gently everywhere he stopped.

He pushed her legs out wide, forcing her thighs back, and then his fingers were in her again, pushing, pulling, fucking, and invading her. Every penetration was deep, and he studied the movement of his fingers. Her stomach muscles started clenching and releasing, and as they did, she constricted around him. He used his free hand to rest on her stomach, feeling the ripple of her lurching muscles beneath his palm.

He studied her as he invaded her body. She propped herself up on her elbows, taking in every move he made. She trembled as she focused on the sight of his thick masculine fingers pushing into her. They disappeared in her body, and she let the sensation of that breadth distending and moving gently inside her consume her arousal. When he latched his mouth to her again, she lost focus, and her head dropped back as her eyes closed. He licked and ran his tongue over and around her clit as she gasped for breath. She was falling apart, and when he shoved his tongue up under her clit, forcing it back and exposing the most sensitive of nerves to the wet lashing movement, she came, collapsing to the bed as her muscles convulsed and clenched underneath him.

The moan he emitted tickled her as her release tried to calm, and her body shuddered again as the pleasure was reinvigorated. He chuckled at every jolt her muscles made, and when she thought the best of it had passed, he licked slowly. He let the tip of his tongue trail over the inside lips of her sex. He held her open with his fingers as he slowly explored, tasted, and dipped his tongue into her body. There was no relaxing against the touch. She couldn’t seem to stop twitching every time his tongue touched in just the right place or in just the right way, and since he seemed exceptionally good at this, she was practically having seizures. All she could do was run her hands through his hair and watch as he took his time.

He finally sat up and watched her. Her tremors were gone, and she could relax without fear that he’d send her body into more spasms. He leaned down to her, his lips glistening, and then he kissed her. He pushed past her lips, and he licked her tongue as he moaned into her mouth. Then he nibbled his way along her jawline to her ear.

“Your pussy is just as soft and silky as your mouth, though ten times tighter.” He pulled back looking down at her.

“I’m not sure what part of my anatomy you’re paying a compliment to. My pussy for being tight or my mouth for being loose.”

He chuckled then. “I do love your sarcasm.” He kissed her quickly before he pushed off the bed and headed for the door, but he paused there, turning back to her. “But it’s your tight pussy I need tonight.” He winked and left the room. She took a deep and steadying breath. She was actually quite nervous, but she was too exhilarated to care. It was hard to even remember a time when she’d wanted a man like this. She didn’t really think she’d feel it again, yet here she was with Eli Hunter, the man who made her cry the first time she met him, who could be mean and intimidating when he wanted to, and all she could think about was just how much she wanted him and none other.