Her fingers tightened in my hair, and I cupped her breast, rolling her nipple through the fabric of her bra. She gasped then ground harder against me, and I swear I saw stars from the waves of pleasure having her in my arms gave me.
I could have taken her there and then. It wasn’t the time. She was worth waiting for.
Breaking the kiss, I rested my forehead against hers, holding her hips in place so she couldn’t move, as our labored breaths gradually regulated.
It took a few minutes for me to gain a semblance of control. “I want you. Just not like this. Not after what you just learned.”
When her body relaxed, I pulled her into my embrace. It was late, and we both needed sleep. I stood with her in my arms, and her legs slid down until her feet dangled. As I lowered her, I cursed the way my body raged for every inch of hers. It was going to be a long night.
She wouldn’t have said it, but I knew she didn’t want to be alone. With her hand in mine, I lead her to my bedroom. “Stay with me. Nothing has to happen. I just want to hold you in my arms tonight.”
At her nod, she left to change into clothes to sleep in, and I stripped down to my black boxer briefs. When she returned, I pulled back the covers, and we climbed in. I drew her close, and she snuggled against me. With her head on my shoulder, I stroked her back in a slow circular motion. Her body was relaxed, but knowing her mind, it was nothing but chaos over the news of her stepfather plotting her murder.
“We’ll find out who did this”—her body shuddered in my arms—“and if you want, I’ll make whoever did pay.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
HAILEY
Several days later…
After that first night, I never went back to my bed. Trey and I hadn’t had sex yet, but neither of us could resist much longer. And while I appreciated the fact that he didn’t take advantage of my messed-up state of mind the other night, I didn’t want to wait. I was ready.
For the first time, I trusted a man to want me for myself and not to use me for his agenda. I still needed to get my own place, though, and I’d tried to bring it up to Trey several times, but he’d changed the subject.
I wasn’t sure why he thought someone would be after me. That Guido guy was back in New York, and from what Trey had said, he shouldn’t be a problem any longer. Part of me wanted to let it go and just stay with him, but we hadn’t defined our relationship. And because of that, I wasn’t entertaining the idea of living there long term. Things would blow over. They had to. I couldn’t fathom any more life-shattering events occurring.
I blew on my coffee and grinned at Trey, who took my empty plate from the island, rinsed it, and put it in the dishwasher. We’d just had breakfast together. I’d cooked, and he insisted on cleaning up while I drank another cup of coffee. He looked incredible in a charcoal-gray cashmere sweater and black pants. His hair was messily rumpled from when I’d run my fingers through it while he’d kissed me senseless. The only reason we’d stopped was that the bacon was burning. It was crispier than I liked but a worthy sacrifice.
Trey’s phone buzzed next to me with an incoming text, and I leaned over to peek at the screen. “Sofia’s coming up.”
He finished putting everything back the way it was in the kitchen then got another cup of coffee for himself as well. “So much for a lazy morning.” He followed his words with a wink.
There was no mistaking how close they were. Sofia was a blast. I was curious why she was stopping by, but I hoped it would drag us out of the condo. I could use a distraction from wanting to jump Trey while I knew he was trying to give me space. The funny thing was, I didn’t need it. My head was fine, at least as much as it could be after learning Allen wanted to kill me.
I swiped the screen on my phone, revealing the message I’d gotten. Nico had texted. The account of Allen’s that we’d watched had been drained right before closing yesterday. All in cash.What is Allen planning?
The elevator doors opened with a soft swoosh, and Sofia stepped out, decked in knee-high brown leather boots, tight black pants, and a luxurious-looking tan sweater. She looked gorgeous. “Hey, guys. I came to brighten your day.”
Trey got up and hugged her just as my phone rang. It was my mother. I’d given her assistant my new contact info the other day. Mom’s PA, Joselyn, managed everything for her, from adding and deleting new contacts into her phone to RSVPing to all the functions she went to and everything in between. I reluctantly accepted the call. Mom calling wasn’t usually anything good—usually a demand or a guilt trip to attend whatever charity function she was spearheading.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Hailey.” Her voice was unusually pitched, and my body automatically went on alert. “Allen is dead.”
“What? How could that be?” A flash of when I’d learned my dad and sister had died in a fatal car crash invaded my mind, and pain knifed through my chest, making it difficult to breathe. “What happened?” My voice sounded strained and breathy, and dark spots swam at the edge of my vision.Please let it have been a heart attack. As weird as that was, I didn’t think I could handle another death by car accident.
Trey was at my side, his fingers curling around mine, but I shook him off.It’s Mom, I mouthed, leaning away so I could focus, though his proximity managed to clear the dark spots threatening unconsciousness. I was fully alert once more.
“He was found in his car.”
My heart skipped a beat then raced frantically. “An accident?”
“An exhaust leak.”
“Wait. That doesn’t make sense. He had a new Audi.”
Mom huffed. “I can’t be bothered with the details. There was a hole somewhere, and it leaked into the car. He died in the parking lot at the hospital this morning.”