His cock jerked inside her and she knew he was coming. His hands tightened almost painfully around her waist as he thrust twice more before slumping forward, burying his face between her breasts.
Contentment and exhaustion flooded over her, as she lay there, covered mostly by his large body. She played with his hair, letting it sift through her fingers. Finally, the chill of the room began to seep into her bones now that the heat of arousal was cooling.
He stirred, sitting back on his heels. “You okay?” he asked as he withdrew from her body, taking care to keep the condom in place since he was only semi-erect now.
“Yeah. You?” She tugged at the covers, but it wasn’t easy with her hands still bound.
He took her hands and gently unwound the pearls, tossing them on the bedside table, before tucking her under the covers. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“First door on the right.” She knew he was looking for the bathroom.
He nodded and padded from the room.
Alicia wasn’t sure what to do now. The enormity of what she’d just done washed over her. She sucked in a deep breath to calm herself. Her nostrils filled with the scent of sex permeating the room. She’d had two orgasms, not counting the first one in the foyer.
Or was it one long orgasm she’d just experienced? She wasn’t certain.
Burying her face in her pillow, she tried to think logically. She’d had a one-night stand. So what? She was an adult. She could do anything she wanted to do. They’d been responsible and used a condom. She didn’t have to worry about disease or pregnancy.
But that wasn’t what was bothering her most. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she was already more deeply involved than was smart. He was leaving, for heaven’s sake. Probably in a day or two. Once he left here tonight, she’d probably never see him again.
The thought depressed her.
She heard him coming and tensed. Would he get dressed and leave? He turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. Alicia blinked several times to help her vision adjust. The mattress shifted as he climbed into bed beside her, pulling her into his arms.
Relief filled her when she realized their time together wasn’t quite done yet.
They didn’t talk, just lay there in the dark. He held her close and she rested her head in the crook of his arm, her hand on his chest.
She must have dozed, but something had awakened her. She lay silently, wondering what it was. That was when she realized he was no longer beside her.
Clothing rustled. He was getting dressed. She didn’t speak. Didn’t know what to say.
She feigned sleep when she felt him approaching the bed. His lips touched her forehead and she heard him sigh. Then he was gone.
She listened, following his footsteps to the foyer. She knew when he put on his boots and coat. The door opened and closed quietly. She could hear the sound of her own breathing above the quiet hum of the heaters. The house felt empty. Lonely.
Alicia rolled over. The bed was still warm where he’d been. She buried her face in the pillow, breathing in his scent—musky male and sandalwood soap. She ignored the first tear as it rolled down her cheek. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to sleep.
Chapter Three
“Jim is not going down without a fight.” Alicia sat across from her client and childhood friend, Elizabeth Brown, who was in the midst of a nasty divorce and custody battle. She hadn’t wanted to call this early morning meeting in her office, but she’d had no choice.
The sitting area in her office might be cozy, but there was no getting away from the fact that this was a lawyer’s office and an official meeting. Jonah Sutter sat next to his sister on the chocolate-colored sofa, looking large and protective as he gently clasped Elizabeth’s hand in his.
Alicia took a deep breath and delivered her bad news. “He’s implying that you’re mentally unstable. But more than that, he’s claiming that you’re not a fit mother for Susie.” Alicia knew that Elizabeth’s six-year-old daughter was the joy of her life and that there was nothing to Jim’s claims.
“That’s crazy,” Jonah protested, leaning forward. “The man is an abusive liar.
Everyone who knows him knows he’s got a hair-trigger temper.” Frustration and anger rolled off the man in waves.
“I know.” Alicia stayed calm, knowing that she had to for her client’s sake. Jim Brown was evil, plain and simple. Professionally, she couldn’t wait to get in court and tear the man’s arguments apart.
She turned her attention to Elizabeth, who sat silently, her eyes averted. This was not the bright-eyed, exuberant girl she’d known in grade school. Life hadn’t been easy for Elizabeth, and it was going to get worse before it got better.
“What do you suggest?” Elizabeth raised her head. She was pale but composed.
“I think we need to hire an investigator to talk to some of Susie’s teachers, your doctor, as well as friends and neighbors. We need more than hearsay to build a case against Jim.” Alicia hated to distress Elizabeth further, but there was no choice. “We talked about this. The fact that you’ve covered up his abuse over the years, lied to your doctors and never filed a complaint with the police, will make this process much harder.”
It had been several weeks since they’d discussed the possibility of having to hire a private investigator. They might not need to call people as witnesses, but Alicia didn’t want to take any chances.
Elizabeth twisted her fingers together in her lap, her voice barely a whisper. “I want to keep Susie out of this.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not possible. The court will appoint a trained counselor to question Susie. They need to know about her relationship with her father and what she saw in your household.” Alicia wished it didn’t have to be that way, but it did.
“Is it really necessary?” She could see the pleading in Elizabeth’s eyes and knew her client would do anything to keep her daughter out of this mess as much as possible.
Alicia sighed, knowing that what she was about to say would hurt her friend.
“Ordinarily, I’d say no. But this is not an ordinary situation. Jim can be an incredibly charming man when he puts his mind to it. His position on the Jamesville town council, and as a respected businessman, gives him credibility. He’s active in the community and has a lot of friends.”
“Unlike me.” Elizabeth’s chin tilted up and Alicia could see a spark of fire in her friend’s eyes.
“That’s not your fault,” Jonah muttered. “That bastard would barely allow you out of the house.”
Alicia knew that Jonah was angry with himself for not seeing his sister’s plight sooner. He’d moved away from Jamesville when he was still in his teens, only returning a few months ago when their father was killed in a car accident. He’d had no idea his sister had been living with mental and physical abuse all these years. No one had known the severity of the situation. But guilt and anger weren’t what Elizabeth needed now. Right now, she needed action.
Elizabeth nodded, picking at a thread dangling from the hem of her blouse. “I understand. Even though I grew up here, most folks don’t know me much anymore.” She dropped the fabric she was shredding with her fingers. “That needs to change.”
“Just the fact that you’re getting out more is a good thing.” That was a plus as far as Alicia was concerned, but they still had to be cautious. She didn’t want Jim Brown getting anywhere near her client.
The only thing in their favor was that Elizabeth and Susie were now living with Jonah. She had no idea what he’d been doing the past fifteen years or so, but he was one tough-looking sonofabitch. Alicia only hoped this situation was resolved without more violence. Jim’s position in the community was important to him and she was hoping that the need to protect that would win out over his need to hurt Elizabeth further. Only time would tell.