I didn’t even remember him carrying me from the foyer to his bedroom, but suddenly, we were at his door. He paused there to press me back against the wall. He yanked my t-shirt up, shoving it up until it was twisted under my arms. He yanked the cups of my bra down and lifted my breasts out. While he teased one nipple into taut firmness with his thumb and forefinger, he used teeth and tongue on the other, until I was whimpering and rocking against him.
Then he was moving again, taking me the couple extra feet into his room, where, for one unimaginable second, he stopped touching me. It was only for a moment, though.
“I need you.” He cupped my face as he stared down into my face. “I need you so much.”
Desire coiled tight in my belly. “Then take me.”
He growled as he claimed my mouth, his fingers tearing at the button of my jeans. I pulled at his shirt, just as desperate to feel him as he was me. This wasn't going to be slow, and I was just fine with that.
I needed him.
He groaned as my nails raked down his chest. As he broke the kiss, he spun me around. He pushed my pants down to my knees as his other hand put pressure between my shoulder blades, bending me toward the bed.
A moment later, he drove inside me, hard and fast. I wailed, pain and pleasure spiking through me. I wasn't wet, wasn't ready, but I wanted him, wanted more. My hands twisted in the raw silk of his comforter, seeking purchase as I pushed back against him.
He withdrew and surged deep again, the friction rough enough to make me whimper. His body curled over mine as he thrust into me, each stroke rubbing against that spot inside me as his hands slid up under my t-shirt. His fingers rolled and tugged on my nipples, sending jolts of pleasure that helped slick his way.
“I love you, Toni,” he said, his voice raw and molten.
The sound made something break open inside me, something that fed my need until it was nearly unbearable. I lifted my hips as best as I could, taking his cock as he rode me with quick, short digs.
It was hot, and raw, and he came almost immediately after I did, our bodies left shaking and trembling as we slumped onto the bed. He twisted us around into a relatively more comfortable position and tucked me against his chest. He pressed his lips against my temple.
Neither one of us spoke, but I didn't need him to say anything right now. We had issues we'd need to deal with, decisions to make. But that could wait. For now, I just wanted to fall asleep in the arms of the man I loved.
After the shitstorm the last few weeks of my life had been, I felt like I deserved it.
Chapter 14
Ash
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Are you okay?”
Toni took my hand as we sat in the courthouse.
Daniel Trask had just been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping Isadora as well as the first-degree murders of our parents. And the second-degree murder of his step-daughter, Lily. They’d found her remains buried in the community garden next to the apartment. Forensics put her death at around the same time she'd originally disappeared. When Trask took his plea deal, he confessed to having killed her shortly after she'd refused to help him extort money from me.
My gut churned just thinking about it.
Our mysterious ghost had been one of Trask's accessories...and apparently the smartest one of the bunch. Less than an hour after his arrest, he’d rolled on Trask and everyone else involved, singing like the proverbial canary. He was doing a shorter sentence thanks to his cooperation. It wasn’t good enough, not for me, but it meant that Trask had taken a plea deal and saved my sister the pain of having to testify. It had taken two months to put it together, and it had been hellish to listen to the allocution, but it was finally over.
“Ash?” Toni squeezed my hand again.
“I’m...processing.” I rubbed my thumb over the back of her hand.
A man turned toward us, nodding when he caught my gaze. Jefferson Sinclair had handled the case personally, never passing us off to assistants or refusing to take our calls. And I knew it wasn't just because of our name or our money. Sinclair was one of the good guys. I liked him and had to admit, if I'd been a criminal, the man would have made me leery, because he was an absolute shark.
Toni leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder. “Let’s get out of here,” she said softly. “All of us.”
I caught Isadora’s eye, and she nodded. She was leaning on Colton, and I could tell how much this had taken out of her. My eyes met his and we exchanged an understanding look. My respect for him had just kept growing over the past couple months. He'd been there for Isadora, night and day, whatever she needed. I was still an overprotective big brother who scowled at the thought of them sleeping together, but I'd seen in him what Isadora had seen.
If any man was worthy of my sister, it was him.
As we stood up, I automatically patted the pocket of my suit jacket. Isadora saw me and managed a smile. We’d talked before coming to court today. I hadn’t wanted to do this until this was over.
“It feels kind of empty, doesn’t it?” Isadora said as we started toward the door. “I guess I wanted to face him, yell at him or something.”
“Even that wouldn’t have done any good,” Toni said, coming in between us and hooking her arms through both of ours. “The idea of closure is all well and good, but now you all have to figure out how to accept not just that it’s over, but the things you thought were the truth weren’t. That takes a little more time.”
I nodded. Toni and I'd had this talk before. One thing I'd discovered about dating a psychologist: I'd never get away with not talking about my feelings again.
Isadora was quiet. I suspected she and Toni had been talking too. I hadn't asked though. I trusted Toni not only with my life and my heart, I trusted her with the most precious thing I had. My sister.
My heart gave a wild thump. In the last couple months, I'd come far from the man I was. I knew I had a long way to go yet, but I was hoping Toni would help navigate me through it.
Whether it was by mutual unspoken agreement, or just getting out of the somber setting of the courtroom, when we emerged from the car several minutes later, we all seemed to breathe a little easier and move a little lighter.
Isadora was laughing up at Colton, and Toni took my hand, swinging them back and forth, giving me that brilliant smile of hers that made my heart clench tight.
It was hard to believe that I’d once thought I didn’t want her in my life. Now I couldn’t imagine it without her.
The maître d’ saw Isadora before me, and smiled broadly at the sight of her. News of her kidnapping had gone public after the fact, and for a few days, she’d been a minor celebrity. She’d handled it with her natural grace, and had then quietly retired from the spotlight. She and Colton were still trying to find a place, but they hadn't wanted to move until everything was settled. She was also looking at going back to school. She wanted to be a victim’s advocate. When I'd found her poring over college catalogs, she told me that this had been a wake-up call for her, that she wanted her life to mean something.
Everything was changing.
I was thinking about change all throughout the meal, and about the next one – or what I hoped would be the next one.
When the server brought out champagne, and then left us alone, Isadora linked her hand with Colton’s and leaned against him. Her poker face was shit, and she couldn't keep her eyes from sparkling or her lips from curving into a smile.