Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“ C ome in,” Gavin called out in response to the knock on his door.
As the door opened, he glanced up, and his chest did that squeezing thing when Bean walked in.
She came to a halt just inside the doorway with her hip cocked like she was at the front of a fashion runway. “Well?” she asked, shutting the door behind her.
All he could do was stare. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was supposed to notice, because he noticed every damn thing about her. And every part of her looked amazing.
Her eyebrows rose, and she gestured to her feet.
He jerked. Ah, yes. The shoes. The corners of his lips kicked up. “Very pretty.” He wasn’t lying. Nor was he just talking about her shoes.
He rose, rounded his desk, and leaned back against it, making a swirling motion with his finger.
She rolled her eyes but complied. As she spun, he allowed himself to take her in from head to toe. Yeah. She was so damn gorgeous .
“I take it you like them?” he asked when she faced him again.
“I do. I love them. They’re beautiful and surprisingly comfortable. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, loving how her smile had her eyes twinkling. “Did you try on the hiking boots too?”
“Uh, no.” She chuckled. “These kind of took priority.”
“You’re not going to get any complaints from me, B. They do look amazing on you.” Tilting his head to the side, he eyed her legs appreciatively, not bothering to hide the fact he was doing so. “Though they do look a little higher than the red ones, don’t you think?”
His pulse picked up speed as he straightened and stepped toward her with his hand held out. He had to be closer, was desperate for her touch.
That suspicious smirk lifted her lips, but she placed her hand in his.
Electricity shot through him at her touch, and he didn’t miss how her blue eyes darkened. All his blood rushed south, and his heart thudded hard in his chest. She felt this too.
Pulling her close, he wrapped an arm around her waist and began to sway. There was no music playing, only the quiet hum of his electronics, but it didn’t matter.
“See, I was right,” he said as a blush stole over her cheeks. “These make you a little bit taller than the red ones.”
She leaned closer, and for a split second, fear surged through him. There was no way she could miss the effect she had on him. But then heat and humor colored her expression as she stepped fully into him, pressing herself against his straining erection. “That’s quite observant of you, boss.”
“Well, it is my job to be observant.” With one arm still holding her close, he traced his thumb over her jaw. “And it’s Gavin. You have no idea how much I like hearing you say my name.” God, what he’d do to hear her moaning his name, screaming it...
“Oh, I have a pretty good idea, Gavin,” she whispered, pressing even closer.
Her gaze darted to his mouth, and when the tip of her tongue licked the center of her lower lip, he sucked in a breath.
The smirk she sent him had his blood heating. He needed to taste her.
Lowering his head to hers, he stilled, savoring the warmth of her body pressed tightly against his. She exhaled, and he felt her breath over his lips. Goosebumps tore over his skin.
He’d never wanted another woman as much as he wanted Bean. He physically ached for her. But he had to be sure. She was too damn important...
“Tell me this is a bad idea,” he growled. “Tell me to back off.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
He wasn’t sure if he moved first or she did. It didn’t matter. His lips were on hers and it was fucking glorious. She was soft and sweet and intoxicating. Then she nipped his lower lip, and an inferno engulfed him. Her lips parted, and he sought her tongue with his. Every nerve in his body tingled, and he was hard as steel.
He needed more.
Her fingers snaked into his hair, tugging him closer. The slight sting had him moaning. His hands cruised down her body and hiked up her skirt. Slipping his hands beneath the material, he cupped her ass, squeezing. “Hold on,” he muttered against her lips.
Holy shit, he couldn’t get enough.
She gasped and wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her. With his mouth still fused to hers, he walked her backward until they bumped into his desk. Setting her on the edge, he hiked her thighs higher against his sides, pressing his straining erection into the V of her legs. One hand gripped the back of her neck, while the other clutched her hip, rocking her against him.
“More, Gavin,” she moaned, her head dropping back.
Holy fuck. Yes. His name moaned from her mouth had him growing impossibly harder. Her exposed neck was like a red flag to a bull, and he had to taste her. He licked, nibbled, and feasted on her delicate skin. The sharp tug of her fingers in his hair had him meeting her gaze. Lust, desire, and want stared back at him.
His need for her nearly brought him to his knees. “Holy shit, woman?—”
Her mouth crashed against his and there was only her. Only Bean.
“Less talking,” she muttered when they came up for air. “More?—”
A quick rap on the door was the only warning they had before it swung open. “Hey, man. I have something you need to— Fucking hell!”
Bean yelped and scrambled out from under him, nearly kneeing him in the balls. She was hastily smoothing out her clothes and about to step away from the desk, but Gavin spun and gripped her hips, holding her still. Glancing down at his tented slacks, he positioned her so she stood directly in front of him. Since his hard-on was the very last thing Xander needed to see, Gavin racked his brain for every repulsive thought he could muster.
“Oh, no, you’re fine, Xan,” Bean stammered. “We were just, um, going over some notes and stuff.” She cleared her throat, and her spine straightened as she gestured to the tablet Xander was carrying. “What’s that?”
“Um...” Xander glanced at the device in his hand and cringed when he looked back at them. “It’s kind of important. I was going to call you in too, B.”
With his hands still on Bean’s hips, Gavin dropped his forehead to the back of her head and chuckled. He couldn’t help it. How fucked up was this? He’d acted on impulse—again. And of course they had to get interrupted.
Perhaps it was a good thing, though. Despite how mind-blowing their brief make-out session had been, this wasn’t the time and it most definitely wasn’t the place.
“Sorry, man,” Gavin said, meeting his friend’s gaze. “Give us a couple minutes, would you?”
Xander nodded. “Yeah. Sorry to interrupt that...” He gestured to them and shuddered. “I’ll be back in five. I’ll be sure to knock loudly this time.”
The moment the door closed behind Xander, Gavin turned Bean in his arms. Yeah, it may not be the ideal time and place, but he had to taste her. One more time.
Her mouth parted in question, but before she could say anything, he was kissing her. Her body was tense for a couple seconds before she melted into him. Deeping their kiss, he framed her face in his hands before he pulled away. “We’re not done, okay?”
The corners of her lips twitched. “We better not be done, mister.”
Damn, she was hot. “Yes, ma’am.”
He dropped a quick kiss to her lips, and as much as he didn’t want to, he untangled himself from her arms. Taking her hand, he led them to the couch in his office’s seating area. “I feel like I should apologize for mauling you at work,” he said as he sat and pulled her down next to him.
“Pretty sure it was a mutual mauling. But, yeah, I should have probably locked the door when I first came in to distract you.”
His eyebrows kicked up. “Distract me? ”
She held her leg out and wiggled her foot. “When I came in to thank you for the shoes, I was curious if this was one-sided.”
“This?”
She waved a hand between them. “I’m glad to know it’s not. Who knew you’d be such a great kisser, boss?”
He let out a breath that was more like a growl. “Shit,” he muttered, adjusting his growing erection. “You’re killing me, B.”
There was a loud knock on the door, and she grinned at him and patted his knee as she glanced at his crotch. She handed him a throw pillow and winked. “You should probably keep that on your lap.” Then she called out, “Come in.”
Xander peeked around the door. “Is it safe?”
“You’re fine,” Bean said, rolling her eyes.
“You may be fine, Bean, but Frazier sure as hell isn’t.” Xander smirked at him. “Nice pillow.”
Kill. Me. Now.
“Can we get this over with?” Holy shit, the very last thing Gavin wanted to do was have a conversation with Xander while he was still sporting an uncomfortable boner. The entire situation was so fucking awkward. “What is it you wanted to show us?”
Xander held up a tablet and stepped toward them, then he hesitated.
“Oh, good freaking God,” Bean muttered. “Just sit down already and show us whatever it is you have.”
Taking the seat across from them, he placed the large tablet onto the coffee table that separated them. “As you know, after the kidnapping, Edward McClintock shook up his security teams. While he fired everyone working on the personal security detail for Rita and Anson, he kept Polanski and a small group as his own personal security and to watch their house.” Xander pulled up a collage of photos. “These are stills taken from the exterior security footage along the northern edge of the McClintock property. It’s the public street that leads to their main gate. Cyber went back two full weeks, and there are a number of people who walk this route regularly.”
Gavin glanced at the photos. The majority of the people were dressed in exercise wear. Most were walking dogs, though there were a handful of runners in the mix.
Scrolling through the photos, Xander stopped on one and enlarged it. “This guy started going by on Thursday morning.”
“Thursday,” Bean murmured. “That’s two days after Anson was rescued.”
“And the day after the McClintocks let the majority of their security staff go,” Xander added.
As they spoke, Gavin analyzed the photo. It was of a white male jogging. He was dressed in trackpants and a hooded sweatshirt with a baseball hat pulled down low to shield his face. Gavin estimated the man to be in his late twenties to mid-thirties, probably around one-eighty, and fit.
Shaking his head, he gestured to the photo. “That guy could be anyone. Maybe he’s just starting a new running route. After all, it’s a popular area since there’s not a lot of traffic.”
Xander tapped the screen, and multiple photos populated the display. They all showed the same man mid-jog. “He ran by three times Thursday, three times Friday, once Saturday morning, and again Saturday afternoon. He’s wearing a different outfit each time, even on the same days.”
Part of Gavin wanted to ask Xander if he was certain it was the same man since none of the photos had a clear shot of his face. But when Xander rearranged the photos so they were displayed side by side, there was no doubt it was the same person .
Tapping the screen again, Xander brought up a video and pressed play. “This footage is from this morning. Notice anything different?”
“He’s walking and not running.” Gavin frowned. “But his arms aren’t swaying. He’s favoriting his right arm, like his right shoulder hurts.”
Bean’s eyes narrowed as she leaned closer to the screen. Suddenly, she gasped and turned to him. “You said you got a shot into the car that was chasing us, right? Do you think this could be the shooter?” Before he could respond, she turned to Xander. “Please tell me you were able to get a clear shot of his face. At least a partial.”
Xander winced and pulled up a photo onto the screen. “Kind of.”
Gavin’s frown deepened. It was obviously enlarged from the video feed and was grainy as fuck.
“This was the only shot. Tiny’s doing his thing on it and wanted me to tell you he’s running it through a number of facial-rec programs, yours included.”
Bean glanced up with hopeful eyes. “Any luck?”
Xander shook his head. “He thinks it’ll take a while since the image is shit.”
Raking her fingers through her hair, Bean groaned.
Gavin froze and inappropriate thoughts flooded his mind. Like Bean making that noise under different circumstances. His fingers running through her hair while she was under him and?—
Motherfucking shit! Focus, Frazier! Fucking focus!
He cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, it’s still a waiting game. This is good info, Xan.”
“But we don’t know exactly what the info is,” Bean grumbled.
“True.” Gavin nodded and couldn’t help but smile at her scrunched-up nose. She was so damn cute. “But it’s still more than we had earlier.”
“Maybe I can take this new partial photo and the partial from the car chase and create a different program that will?—”
Gavin reached over and covered her hands with his. “Let’s let the current programs do their thing first, B.”
As much as he wanted to find answers, it was late. The last thing he wanted was Bean to get wrapped up in work. He had other plans for her. For them. Plans that had nothing to do with surveillance footage, Xander, or identifying shooters.
Knowing Xander wasn’t an idiot, and that their friend had seen them making out earlier, Gavin slung his arm around Bean’s slim waist and pulled until she was snug against his side. “We’ll look at this more tomorrow, Xan. By then, maybe Tiny will have generated some matches. Thanks for coming by, but you can leave now. Have a good night.” He gave his friend a pointed look. “And get the door on your way out.”
Xander chuckled as he grabbed the tablet and stood. “Got ya loud and clear, Frazier. Loud and fucking clear. See you guys.”
He waited until Xander left and then locked his office door. Settling back onto the couch, he turned his attention to Bean, who stared at him in disbelief.
“Gavin. Frazier. That was extremely rude. Xander was bringing us informa?—”
His mouth claimed hers and satisfaction surged through him when he swallowed her moan. When they came up for air, they were both breathing hard. “You were saying?”
The dazed look in her eyes had him wanting to pump his fist in the air. “I have no clue. ”
He dropped a kiss on her lips. “No more work tonight.”
“Oh yeah?” Her lips lifted into a mischievous grin.
“Yeah. I have plans for you.” Grabbing her by the hips, he hauled her toward him so she straddled his lap.
“Wait! Xander will know?—”
“Don’t care,” he murmured, nibbling on that perfect spot where her neck and shoulder met. He ran his hands up the smooth skin of her legs, grabbed her ass, and squeezed, grinding her against his rock-hard cock.
Her eyes drifted to half-mast, and she gripped his shoulders for balance. Her mouth opened on a gasp. Yeah, this may not be the most appropriate time or place, but he had to have her. At least a little taste.
Rocking her harder, his fingers traced the edge of her panties.
“Touch me, Gavin,” she moaned, her hips picking up their rhythm.
He grazed the damp material with the pads of his fingers, and she groaned. With one hand, he pulled the material to the side so his fingers could explore her slick folds. His cock twitched violently. She was so fucking wet.
“Gavin, please.” Her breaths came in pants as she writhed atop him.
“Tell me what you want, baby.”
She glared at him, and he chuckled, his fingers still playing between her legs.
“Gavin,” she said, her voice stern.
“You want this?” He dipped his finger between her folds, taking her moisture and rubbing it against her clit.
She threw her head back and groaned. “Yes!”
“You like that?” he growled.
Meeting his gaze, her face was flushed with desire. “More, Gavin. Please. ”
Rubbing her clit with his thumb, he slipped two fingers into her, groaning when she squeezed his fingers tight. “That’s it, B. Your pussy’s so fucking wet for me.” She whimpered as she clenched around his fingers again. He grinned. Someone likes a little dirty talk. Satisfaction and need surged through him. She was so damn sexy. “You like when I finger-fuck you, baby?”
She slammed her mouth to his, shoving her tongue into his mouth. He thrust his fingers in and out of her, the wet noise of her excitement making him painfully hard.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted.
“Look at me,” he demanded as he pinched her clit while fucking her hard with his hand. “Let me see you come all over me.”
A second later, she tensed, her pussy milking his fingers, and she slumped against him.
For a few moments, the only sounds were their heavy breaths.
“Holy shit, that was amazing,” she murmured into his chest.
His fingers were still inside her, and he softly stroked her. His lips lifted into a smile when her body trembled.
“Oh my God, Gavin,” she said on a sigh, pushing up onto his chest to see him. All the while, he continued to lazily finger her, enjoying the renewed flush spreading over her face.
“Bean, honey, I’m so not done with you.” Pulling his hand from her, he held her gaze as he licked his fingers clean. Her tangy and musky taste had his mouth watering.
More.
He was desperate for more.
Her pupils were blown, and before she could take her next breath, he flipped her onto her back. He tossed her skirt up, yanked off her panties, and threw them to the ground. He pushed her thighs wide. Her smooth pussy lips were shiny with her excitement. He licked her from ass to clit, savoring every delectable inch. Her delicious flavor consumed him, and he buried his face between her legs until she was screaming his name.
“Holy crap, Gavin.”
Pride surged through him at the satisfied smile on Bean’s face. He was kneeling on the floor between her spread legs, not giving a shit about the bite of the hardwood on his knees. Her chest was still heaving, and her arms were sprawled out bonelessly beside her, which he was grateful for since she’d grabbed onto his hair so hard he’d been afraid he’d end up with bald patches.
She let out a blissed-out sigh, and he immediately changed his mind. He’d be fine with her grabbing onto his hair any day of the damn week. Eating her out may be his new favorite thing, because, holy shit, when she’d come all over his tongue... His dick pulsed, aching for release.
Sitting up onto her elbows, she crooked a finger at him. “Since you just tried to kill me with two orgasms, I think it’s only fair that I return the favor.”
Not needing a second invitation, he rose and sat beside her on the couch, leaning back into the cushions with his tented slacks on full display. She tossed a throw pillow onto the ground between his spread feet, and his cock throbbed. When she dropped to her knees between his legs, he nearly came in his pants.
“Oh yeah?” He should have been embarrassed by the way his voice cracked, but he didn’t fucking care.
All he could focus on was Bean. On her knees. About to suck him off. It was like his wildest fantasy come to life.
Reaching for his belt buckle, her hands rubbed against his straining cock, and he couldn’t help the groan that escaped. “Holy fuck, B.”
She grinned, licking her lips. “Pretty sure you’re gonna enjoy what I have in mind?—”
They both froze when their phones rang, their ringtones obnoxiously loud in the quiet room.
He groaned, dropping his head to the back of the couch. So damn close...
She chuckled, sitting back on her heels. “You know, I feel like the universe is conspiring against us.”
“Yeah.” Blowing out a breath, he sat up and held a hand out to her. She placed her smaller hand in his, and he helped her onto the couch. As much as he wanted to be with her, be inside her, he needed to slow things down. Needed to remember he was in his damn office.
He wrapped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her to his side. “We have time though. There’s no rush, right?”
“Well...” Giving him a sly grin, she gestured to his erection. “Maybe not a rush rush, but I’d say there’s some urgency. Wouldn’t you?” Before he could respond, she yanked him close for a scorching kiss and then pushed him away. Rising, she grabbed her panties off the floor, shimmied them on, and then smoothed out her skirt and adjusted her blouse. Grabbing her phone from his desk, she glanced at it and her nose scrunched. “MacKay wants a call. Give me five, and we can call him from my office.”
Nodding, he sighed, not wanting his time with her to end. “Go hiking with me tomorrow?” When a look of disbelief crossed her face, he rushed on, hoping to appeal to Bean’s logical side. “We can head over to Jackson Cove State Park around lunchtime, and it’ll have a two-fold purpose. First, you can try out your new hiking boots.”
She snorted, and her blue eyes danced with amusement. “Please tell me your second reason is better. ”
God, he loved her sass. “It’ll give us both a break from work. I’ll pack a lunch for us, and we can get out and stretch our legs. Plus, I want to see you away from all this.” He waved his hand at his office. “I don’t want to wait until after work tomorrow to spend more time with you.”
The humor in her eyes softened, and she nodded. “Next time lead with that.”
As she reached for the doorknob, she glanced back at him—well, at his cock—and licked her lips. Holy shit, if his cock didn’t have a mind of its own. The damn thing strained toward her.
“To be continued, boss man,” she said with a grin before walking out of his office, leaving the door open behind her.
Grabbing the throw pillow that was still on the ground by his feet, he placed it over his lap. The last thing he wanted was someone to walk by and see him in his current condition. Holy fuck. His breath was still ragged, and he could only stare at his empty doorway.
Bean had damn near blown his mind. How had it taken him so long to notice her? Yes, he’d always found her attractive, but now? Now that he’d tasted her, had her explode on his fingers, on his tongue... He wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough of her.
He sure as hell wasn’t going to rub one out before they had to be on a call with MacKay, so he needed to calm the fuck down. Hell, he needed to slow things down between him and Bean. They’d seemingly gone from zero to ninety out of nowhere. As much as he desired her, the last thing he wanted was for their first time to be a quick and frantic fuck in his office. Yeah, he’d hoped they’d do that at some point, but not for their first time.
He had no idea where Bean stood on things, if she even wanted to pursue anything beyond a physical relationship with him. He hoped to hell she did, but he had a feeling her walls were even higher than his.
He was a patient man. Determined. He may not be the best bet, and God knew, she deserved more than him, but he was dead set on making her his. For as long as she’d have him, he’d give her everything he had.