Wine and Roses Page 8

  “Your flowers are beautiful. The garden is very lush and the colors so bright. Even the wild flowers we saw on the hike don’t compare to the vibrancy of these. How do you manage to take care of them if you’re never here?”

  “Blood will do wonders for color. And there is someone who takes care of the place, cutting the grass and seeing to the exterior.”

  “Did you say blood?”

  ***

  He’d burnt the old storage shed to the ground after being released from the juvenile detention center. It remained a black spot on the land until the groundskeeper he’d hired asked if he could plant flowers there. Simon could not say no to having flowers placed over his mother’s place of death and agreed to the man’s request. He never regretted that decision, but Eboni’s questions and observations were killing him. He should never have brought her here. Another mistake.

  “Don’t mind me,” he said when she frowned at him. He did not intend to explain his remarks. “How about tomorrow we take a boat trip down river. You’ll love it.” He knew he’d been an ass the last week. It’s because he wanted her so damn bad. He understood what she needed from him but couldn’t give it to her. Not his past. Not to anyone. He wanted her, and he was done keeping his distance.

  ***

  Okay, she hated the way he changed the subject. Not the first time he’d clammed up on her questions. He put a verbal wall up anytime she asked him anything a little personal. Even his body became tense. She got the hints. They were sharing each other’s bodies not each other’s lives. Frankly, not even much of that. But she didn’t want it that way. She needed more from him. She knew he wanted her each night that bone poked her in the back, but he’d be gone by the time she woke up each morning, and every so often she’d catch him staring in her direction.

  They finished eating dinner, and he’d gone outside, he said to check the boat for their trip. Alone in the house, she wandered into the living room. She smiled as she glanced around. She enjoyed the room the most, like rest of the house, comfortable, but still not quite a home. For all its furnishings, it seemed empty. Waiting for the family who lived there to return and reclaim it. If Simon grew up here, she could see no evidence of it. Actually, nothing remained whatsoever of the people who once lived in the house. There were no photographs of him or his parents on display anywhere. Did he even have siblings? Nothing even resembling personal mementos lay around. Even the Afghans were store bought. They had brand name tags, and the books on the small bookshelf only held books about hiking and fishing. It reminded her of a beach rental her parents used to take them to when they were younger. Comfortable but no one actually lived there.

  At the bottom of the bookcase something stuck out of line with the books. Bending down, she pulled at it. The edge of a box indicated some kind of game. Pulling it all the way out, she saw she had an old-fashioned Battleship board game in her hand. She smiled. She and her sister, Shanna, used to love to play the game.

  The banging of the kitchen door caused her to stand up with the game in her hand. Gunner came running in first and jumped up on the sofa, circled a few times before curling up in the corner near his chew toy. By the time Simon walked into the living room, the dog had settled down.

  “What’s that?” Simon asked.

  “A game. You wanna play?”

  He came over to her and looked at what she held in her hand. His lips curved into a smile. “Sure. Why not.”

  “Great.” They moved over to the other sofa so as not to disturb Gunner, gnawing on a plastic gun. Shaking her head at Simon’s choice in toys for the dog. Simon pulled the coffee table closer, and she placed the game on it. She sat on the sofa, and he sat on the floor.

  Eboni opened up the box. “Looks like all of the pieces are here.”

  “Great.” He rubbed his hands together and removed his shades placing them on the table.

  This time she remembered to keep most of the lights to a minimum. He’d turned off the one in the kitchen. She’d left the curtains open in the living room, but it was pretty dark out, so only a lamp in a far corner behind him provided light, casting them both in shadow while still giving the room a nice warm glow. Enough she could see the game pieces.

  “Okay, do you remember how to play?” She removed the game pieces and placed them on the table between them.

  “Yes, but I actually learned a different way to play.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him. “Different? I know you can play it electronically now. But this is the old-fashioned one where we have to be honest and tell each other if we have a hit or not. My sister always used to cheat.”

  He grinned again and shifted so one leg stretched out on the floor, and the other folded in front of him. His shirt and jeans pulled taunt to showcase his slender yet muscled frame. She wanted to lick every delectable inch of him and wished he’d lean over the table and pull her down on the floor with him. But he hadn’t attempted to make love to her or even kiss her again since the first night they’d arrived. And lord help her, she wanted him, too. If she only had the nerve to make the first move. She was falling in love with this man who she didn’t really know. Except he protected her, and he loved his dog. Could he love her?

  “Well, this way even if you cheat, which you can by the way, no one loses.”

  His words snapped her out of her thoughts. “Did you just say cheating is allowed?”

  He nodded. “Yep.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “And encouraged.”

  She snorted. “Okay, you got me there. What is this a new way?”

  “First of all it’s called Strip My Battleship.”

  “What?...Oh.” This time she grinned.

  “The rules are simple.”

  His eyes positively twinkled with mischief. She loved this side of him. “So what are these rules?”

  “The same rules except, like I said, it is worth your while to cheat. You see, if I hit one of your ships, you take off a piece of clothing.” His eyes left hers and traveled to her chest then paused at her legs. She sat on the sofa with her knees together. The moment his gaze stopped there she opened her legs for him. She wore shorts but could feel herself wetting her underwear from his gaze alone. “Mmmm.” He purred. “Yeah, stay like that for me.”

  “And if I do, what do I get out of it?” She teased back.

  His gaze shifted to her eyes. “I promise to cheat my ass off. Literally.” And then he grinned. “Now back to the rules. If I miss, and oh babe I’m begging you, let me miss, I take off a piece.”

  “Begging huh?” She placed one finger at the side of her face like she thought about what he’d just said. Not even. “Now that sounds interesting, but wait, don’t I get to put something back on if you miss?”

  He frowned. “Hey, okay, only if you want to. But here’s the good part.”

  “Okay, waiting a little breathless here.”

  “Don’t worry, I will take care of you. If I sink one of your ships, you sink down on me.”

  “Mmm…interesting, but what happens if I sink one of yours?”

  “Oh sweetheart,” he groaned. “I’m going to cheat to see that you do. See this is why no one loses with my way. If you sink me then,” he paused and licked his lips. “I sink down on you.”

  Her own mouth fell open, and her chest rose and fell to keep pushing air to her brain.

  “Shall we play?” he asked grinning. “My way?”

  “Oh baby, yes.” She didn’t even try to be coy.

  “And just to help things along.” He pulled off his shirt.

  “Hell, yes. But if you think I’m going to reciprocate think again.” Then she laughed. Last week had been a nightmare for her. This week between them had been tension filled. And here, in this moment, Simon made her laugh again. “Thank you,” she said. “Now, let’s see who sinks on who first.”

  “B Ten,” he said.

  “Miss!” she yelled.

  He grinned, stood up, and removed his jeans. His underwear tented and even through the flimsy
material of the cloth every full heavy inch of him laid outlined for her.

  He sat back down. “Your turn.”

  “Huh? Oh, a…D 4.”

  Without looking at the game piece in front of him, he said, “Miss.”

  She smiled. This was her kind of game. It didn’t take them long before they were both sinking on each other. He grabbed one of the quilts off the sofa, and they rested on it. Or rather, she lay on it while he kneeled above her with his face buried between her legs as her mouth sucked on his balls. The man shaved, and she could not resist his smooth warm skin. He shifted, letting his sex brush against her lips. She knew what he wanted but wasn’t quite ready to give it to him. When he added a finger with his tongue to her core, she arched up more for him and grabbing his sex, took him deep into her mouth. He groaned against her nether lips, before licking along her clit while pumping himself up and down into her parted lips. Until she held onto his ass cheeks, stilling him so she could suck him dry.

  The explosion happened for them at the same time. Eboni filled his mouth as he filled hers. When their bodies stopped spasming, he lifted off her and twisted around lying down beside her. Simon kissed her, sharing her own essence with her as she shared his. Mixing them together in their mouths. It was the most erotic kiss she’d ever exchanged. Pulling away, he turned her so her back rested against his front, and he wrapped his arm around her waist resting his leg over her. “Give me five. And then I’ll fuck you good.”

  She turned her head around to stare at him. “And that was bad.”

  “Shhh, rest.”

  But apparently he didn’t need much rest. The bone poking her rear told her as much. He raised her leg and slid right inside her already slick heat.

  “Relax, babe, this one’s for you. You don’t have to do a thing but let me.”

  So she did. At first his movements in her channel were slow, leisurely, seemingly in no rush as his flesh glided in and out of hers, while his hands circled the nipple of one breast. Building the inferno between them again until she could stay still no longer and pushed back against him in her frenzy to get more of him inside her. At last, he turned her over and did as he’d promised to do. His movements were neither slow nor leisurely this time, but hard and rushed, progressing like the river he lived beside during a flood. He raced to bring them to release, and when it came, hurled them over the edge.

  ***

  Bennis didn’t know how much longer before the feds caught up to him. He didn’t trust the pansy ass detective. If the dickhead got caught, he’d be giving up Bennis’s name quick fast and in a hurry along with the destination to save his own sorry hide. And the woman cop still lived. Bitch should be dead. She’d screwed up. Everything about this job had gone wrong from the beginning. Including the fact the courier wasn’t where he was supposed to have been for the hit. Unfortunately, he’d been on the clock and rushing. The information he needed to get in the briefcase had a time sensitive limit of an hour. After which, it became meaningless numbers to his employer, and they would not have liked that. He saw a chance and took the courier out and got the documents. Good thing; it kept his employers off his back.

  Now he needed to tidy up this loose end. The fact he’d take out a prick too just added to the fun. He arrived in Bitterroot in early afternoon. Not quite as small town as he’d first thought it would be. Oh still small all right, with its one lane main road. A tourist place, so lots of people about, people who liked to fish. Shit, if it ain’t on a plate in front of him, he had no use for fishing, but in his jeans, T-shirt, and baseball cap he should fit right in. Using the navigation system in the rental, he tried to find the damn address he’d been given. Even called the detective back to verify it. After an hour he’d given up and driven back the twenty minutes to the main road through town. He didn’t want to be there any longer than necessary and booked a late night flight out, leaving him only a few hours to get the job done and get out. Might be cutting it close. So he called the airlines and changed the flight to the morning. Then he searched around for some place to eat, sleep, and maybe get some better directions.

  On his first drive through town, he spotted a little hole in the wall restaurant. Kap something, he’d seen a bunch of people going in and out. Looked as good as anything else around there. After parking the car, he made his way back to the place and walked over to the counter. He glanced around. Seemed like a mixture of locals and tourists to him.

  After the waitress brought him his order, he held out his hand to stop her before she moved off. “Darlin’, can you help me with some directions?”

  “Sure. Whaddayas need?” About middle-age, but still well put together with shiny brown hair pulled into a ponytail resting over one shoulder. Her eyes sparkled in a pretty face. If he had more time, he’d so hit that. And judging from the smile and once over she gave him, she’d be happy if he did. He sighed, business first. He’d find someone to play with him after he’d left the country.

  He pulled out his cell phone and read her the address. Won’t matter if she remembered him or not. Didn’t pin anything on him.

  “My nav keeps leading me to dead ends.”

  “Hmm…not familiar with the address. But some of these places are hidden off the main roads. Your nav is probably right, just can’t find the right road to get you there. Happens to me sometimes. Best thing to do is follow the directions but look for dirt roads or graveled roads that look like driveways. Anything where there’s a break in the trees wide enough for a truck to go through. Some might have a route number on them, most don’t round here.”

  Sure as shit, she was right. The nav system displayed a dot in the middle of what looked like the river, which was why he ignored it the first time, besides there weren’t any roads to the place. Still he let it guide him following the blue line until it told him to take a left. Yet no road sat where the map said it should, only bushes. This time he drove more slowly, looking for anything resembling a road or a trail like the waitress described. Bingo, he found it.

  Nothing more than a one lane graveled trail rather than a road, with maybe enough room to pull over into the high grass so another car could barely pass. He drove down it, passing two houses along the way until he came to what looked like the end but there, another path. If he’d blinked, he’d miss it. Less of a road than the one he’d been on, just ahead. The little dot on the nav showed him that’s exactly the direction he needed to go. Taking a chance, he got out of the car and footed it up the trail. Stopping, he hid behind some foliage. He arrived in time to see Simon Blackcat taking the cover off a boat, hanging out there for a while, and then returning to the house located beside the river.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Grrrr.”

  Eboni remembered why the floor was not a comfortable place to sleep, even when nestled within the arms of warm steel, which she could have sworn were wrapped around her earlier. The sound of the little dog growling low in his throat woke Eboni up fully. She opened her eyes to see Simon standing naked staring out the window into the darkened night. Damn, he looked divine from the rear, too. An ass you could bounce a quarter off.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  Simon turned around and came back to her. She sat up as he sat down beside her, wrapping her in the Afghan they’d managed to kick off. “No everything is fine. I think Gunner here smelled an animal outside, or something.

  “Oh.” She yawned.

  “Let’s get you to bed.” Shifting to a squatting position, he slid his hands under her butt and waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he stood with her in his arms. Gunner continued to growl watching the front door.

  “It’s okay boy,” Simon said. He walked her down to the bedroom and put her on the bed. Instead of joining her there, he straightened up and opened a drawer taking out a pair of sweats.

  She frowned, although he couldn’t see her since he didn’t face her. “What’s with the sweats?”

  “I’m just going to take Gunner for a short walk
, and check and make sure there aren’t any bears around.” He stuck his feet in a pair of sneakers by the closet.

  “Bears! Is that a good idea to have Gunner with you then? For that matter, is it a good idea for you to be out if there is one?”

  He came back to the bed and sat down beside her. With the back of his hand, he caressed the side of her face. “He’ll be fine. He heeds me. I’ll tell him to stay at my side, and I’ll be fine. Bears are more wary of humans than we are of them.” He bent down and gave her a quick kiss before straightening up and standing. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back to finish it.”

  She lay back on the bed and sighed. Damn it, she’d promised herself not to get mixed up with him, again. Yeah, right. How could she not! But she still knew next to nothing about him. Eboni didn’t have the nerve to ask him about his background. Time and time again she’d stopped herself, knowing he probably would react like other times and change the subject. Like the time she’d asked about his parents, he’d totally clammed up. Hell, she didn’t even know if he had any siblings. For some reason, she thought perhaps he did. She’d been in all of the rooms of the house. The room at the end could have belonged to a sibling, or it could have been a guest room. She had no clue. She saw absolutely no evidence of the family who once lived there. The house didn’t have a lot of space to hide things either. There weren’t even any trunks in the bedrooms. She’d checked, as well as the closets those held nothing but empty hangers and cedar rods.