Chapter 18
18
ELLIE
S corching hot palms slid up my naked waist, roughly cupping both breasts and pushing them together. With one hand, he kept them pressed together while the other shoved between them. I gasped at the tug of his skin against my own.
“I want to fuck these later.” I nodded. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, baby? To lick my head as it slipped in and out of these huge-ass tits. Marking you as I exploded coating your neck and face.”
“This is terrible,” I groaned, loving each filthy word.
His dark chuckle drew my focus up to him. “If you think that’s bad, wait until we make it here.” For emphasis, he pressed against my back hole. I arched my back, lifting my ass off the armrest, giving him more access. He tsked. “Not yet, baby. First I’m going to eat you, lick up what’s dripping all over the couch for me.” He released my breasts and gave the hardened nipples a quick pinch. After untying my hands, he secured them in front of my chest. “Play with yourself. My attention will be elsewhere.” He dragged a thumb through my wet slit. On their own, my hands obeyed his command, grasping handfuls of my breasts. “That’s it. Do you play with yourself when you’re alone at night?”
Insecurity tried to sweep in, diminishing the pleasure coursing through me. “No. I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” he asked casually as he continued sweeping that devilish thumb between my lower lips.
“Won’t,” I whimpered. “It’s never enough.”
“What about toys?”
I glared up at him. Why in the hell is he talking? “Where would I get those?”
He nodded. “Good point. Pinch like this.” Bending forward, he pinched a nipple between his thumb and forefinger and tugged, twisting until I cried out. “We might have to get creative later, then.”
Before I could ask what he meant, three fingers edged at my entrance, cutting off all thoughts and words. Again my hips arched off the armrest as his fingers slid easily inside. The tight fit filled me just enough to be a damn tease.
Every thought, every cell zeroed in on his touch and the sparks it sent through my lower belly and beyond. A warm blow of air sent a shiver racing up my spine. Lids hooded, I watched as he blew another soft current of air over my swollen bundle of nerves.
My heels slipped against the side of the couch, desperate for traction but failing.
Blue eyes locked on my own, he flicked the tip of his tongue against my oversensitive clit. I groaned and tugged at the belt, needing to reach up and push his head harder between my thighs, forcing him to apply more pressure.
Over and over he flicked that tongue. I mimicked the move, pinching and teasing my one nipple and then the other until the pain tipped over to pleasure. A scream of ecstasy passed my parted lips when his finally sealed around me and sucked in quick succession. With the pump of his hand and the warmth of his mouth and suction, I shattered.
Back arched off the couch, I flexed my hips as best I could, riding out the most intense orgasm I’d ever had. My breasts jiggled with each of my labored breaths. Still licking, drawing out the aftershocks, his focus was on my swaying breasts.
“More,” I said greedily.
“Yes, ma’am.” He scraped his teeth against my sensitive nub before flattening his tongue and sweeping a long lick from my entrance upward. After the third swipe, his tongue swirled before slipping inside. With his tongue thrusting inside my channel, he flicked a thumb against my clit. Higher and higher I rose, the two too much before I broke again, this time with a full-body shudder that seemed to travel from toe to crown.
Panting, I attempted to back away from him, but a firm grip on my hip bone held me in place.
“One more.” He arched a brow at my whimper. With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he slipped a thumb inside, coating it with my wetness that was no doubt leaving a mark on the couch. Not that I gave two shits. I held in a gasp as he trailed that wet thumb to my back entrance. He swirled the rim, coating it before pressing, demanding entrance. At my squirming, he shushed me. “Relax. You wanted this, remember?”
“Yes, I want it,” I begged.
He tugged me farther forward so the edge of my feet dangled in the air, my core now raised high, giving him full access to all of me. I blew out a harsh breath as his thumb slipped fully inside. I closed my lids, enjoying the burn, relishing the foreign, dirty feeling.
“That’s it.” His lips closed around my clit once again, this time sucking hard, causing more pain than pleasure. My scream turned into a moan as he released and a wave of ecstasy washed through me. Over and over he danced me along the edge of too much pain and rushes of pleasure.
The orgasm consumed me, chasing away any thought other than Chandler.
With zero energy left, I wilted against the couch, attempting to steady my quick breaths. Lids open to thin slits, I watched him stand tall and lick his lips. One by one he worked his way down the buttons of his dress shirt. After tugging the cuffs open, he slipped it from his shoulders and draped it over the back of the couch. Reaching back, he stripped off the white undershirt and tossed it to the floor.
I licked my lips as I visually consumed every bare inch he’d displayed. A narrow, defined chest, lean waist, and rippled stomach. A line of dirty-blond hair trailed down from his belly button, dipping beneath the waistband of his slacks. When I finally dragged my sluggish gaze back up to his, I offered a lazy smile.
“If you’re able to smile, I haven’t done my job right,” he said, casually stroking his hard length over his slacks.
“Well, I guess you better try harder next time,” I teased.
His narrowed eyes were like a lightning strike to my desire, flaring it back into a raging inferno.
“Is that a challenge? I—” He stopped and frowned. Slipping a phone out of his slacks, he cursed when he looked at the screen. “It’s Alec.” A conflicted expression crossed his features.
“Take it. It’s why you’re here, after all.” I didn’t mean for my disappointment to leak through, but the bite in my tone snuck free. His brows furrowed. “I’m serious. But first.” I held up my secured wrists. “Can you untie me?”
Groaning in defeat, Chandler unfastened the belt around my wrists and helped situate me in a more comfortable position along the couch. After answering the still vibrating phone, he pushed it to his ear.
“What?” he growled. I giggled at his obvious frustration at Alec’s timing, which earned me a quick smack to my bare breast. I hissed and grabbed myself, my breasts overflowing in my small hands. Again Chandler groaned, but this time it sounded painful. “Stop that,” he snapped. “No, not you, fucker. What do you want?”
I snuggled against Chandler, savoring the feel of his bare chest against my own. An arm draped over my shoulders, securing me even tighter against his side.
“Okay, well, that puts a new spin on things.” I shifted back to look up at his strong jaw. “It was a hunch, but it might offer a new set of suspects. I’ll ask the FBI analyst at Quantico to run prescriptions for erectile dysfunction in a hundred-mile radius, or organic meds if HIPAA prevents her from seeing prescription records. Then we’ll narrow it down from there based on other parameters we already know.”
I pressed a hand to his hard chest to put some space between us. “What are you talking about?” I asked.
Chandler’s index finger pressed hard against my lips and shook his head. Annoyance had me gritting my teeth and nipping at the pad of the finger he shushed me with. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he slipped that single digit between my lips.
“I’m going tomorrow,” Chandler said into the mouthpiece, but his entire focus was on his finger pumping between my pressed lips. “No, she’s won’t be with me.” I narrowed my eyes and pulled back until his finger popped free. “I’ll work on revising the profile tonight. With the impotence angle, the stabbing could be from sexual frustration, needing to penetrate the victim one last time but frustrated that it can’t be him.” He paused and rolled his eyes. “Yes, you did interrupt something.” Another pause, Alec’s deep muffled voice barely filtering past Chandler’s ear. “No, unfortunately you killed the mood.” He cringed. “Poor choice of words. Great, see you in a few hours.”
Tossing the phone to the floor, he groaned and rested his head against the back of the couch, closing his eyes, but the strain on his features remained.
“You’re going to the compound tomorrow,” I stated after piecing together what I could of the one-sided conversation. “ You think it’s Jacob or someone inside?” Unable to resist, I skimmed a finger along his hard stomach, savoring the way the muscles twitched under my touch.
“No. Yes. Hell.” He groaned and rubbed at his brows. “I don’t know. Everything points to the unsub being from here, but how could someone keep this hidden this long? It’s not like we’re talking about a huge population. Someone would’ve noticed something.”
“Which leads us back to The Church, since they could hide in plain sight there.”
He nodded. “Which is why I’m going to talk to them tomorrow. See if I can secure a meeting with their security team.”
“But the impotence aspect makes you think it’s Brett.”
“Or someone like him. But just because this fucker used objects to assault his victims doesn’t mean he’s impotent. Maybe he does it to not leave evidence.”
“If it was Jacob or Brett,” I whispered, my breath brushing against his pec, “then that message on the body was for me.”
“That saying is very common, and we still don’t know who it was referring to. But there is a chance.” His hand slipped higher and clasped my bare shoulder, holding me tighter. “So far there isn’t anything tying you directly to the case, which is good.”
“But your gut tells you something, doesn’t it?”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “My gut tells me I’m missing something. I just hope like hell it’s not something that ends up putting you in danger.”
“I can protect myself if it comes to that.” There was little conviction in my voice. To be honest, I was worried. There was this ominous weight in the air that seemed to mount with each passing day. At some point, it would erupt, but what did that mean for him? For me? “I haven’t been much help, have I?”
“Sure you have. You’ve offered a different perspective on several aspects, making me question and look deeper. I would’ve never thought to ask about object rape until you mentioned Brett’s limp dick.”
Despite the topic, I grinned. A sudden chill made my shoulders shake. I curled more of my naked body against him for his body heat.
“I should get dressed.” My lips brushed along his sternum as I spoke.
He grunted in annoyed agreement. “Fucking Alec.”
I smiled as I stood and stretched both hands high overhead.
Chandler’s warm palms burned against the skin of my waist, his touch gentle and possessive. He pitched forward to press a single kiss just below my belly button. “We’ll pick this up another time.” Standing, he adjusted himself and bent to retrieve the cell phone he’d tossed. “I need to call the analyst at Quantico and my boss.”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead. I’m going to take a quick shower.”
He smiled and dragged his fingers through my short hair. A deep line appeared between his brows as he played with the ends. “You’re perfection personified, Ellie. Not because of your beautiful body”—he ran a knuckle down my breast for emphasis—“but because of who you are despite the challenges you’ve faced.” His features softened as he cupped my face. “I’m in awe of you.”
“Same,” I whispered.
After a soft kiss, his hand slipped away.
With a sheepish smile, I turned toward the kitchen and grabbed the box my mother left on the counter. Chandler was already talking to whomever as I shut the bedroom door. After tossing the box onto the bed, I made my way to the shower and turned the handle all the way left. Fingers dancing in the cold spray, I waited for the water to warm, staring at myself in the mirror.
The pink highlighting my cheeks, flushed splotched skin, mussed hair. I was anything but beautiful, but I felt like I was. For the first time in my life, I saw past my imperfections in the mirror to the strong, beautiful woman beneath. It was because of him. I was beginning to see myself like he saw me. Unlike with Jacob and Brett, who tore me down until all I saw were my many flaws, Chandler’s words and touch made me feel beautiful, sexy even.
With the water warm, I stepped into the spray. I gasped when I slid a hand over my breast, my abused nipple sore to even the gentlest of touches. Smiling into the spray, I finished rinsing off the soap and shut off the water, knowing it would turn icy cold quickly if I didn’t rush.
Threadbare towel secured around my chest and my spare tied like a turban around my head, I stepped from the bathroom, steam billowing into the bedroom the moment I opened the door. The simple brown box lying in the middle of my bed held my attention, my curiosity growing while I pulled out clean underwear and pajamas. I tossed the clothes onto the bed and sighed.
Might as well go ahead and get this over with.
The soft mattress gave as I kneeled on the bed and stretched, pulling the package closer. No return address was given, or even my own address or name written across the front, meaning someone dropped off the package personally instead of sending it through the mail. Alarm bells rang in the back of my head, but I ignored the warning, ready to open the box and see what was inside. Using the edge of a jagged nail, I sliced through the single layer of clear packing tape securing the top.
I stared at the package, unease making my heart race. Glancing toward the closed bedroom door, I strained to hear Chandler’s voice. Relief settled some of my nerves at his muffled words, knowing he was close if I needed him. But I wouldn’t, because this was nothing. Probably just another ploy by my parents or Jacob to convince me to come home. I was clearly overreacting because of the case. I wasn’t in danger any more than I normally was as a single woman.
And I didn’t need Chandler. I could open this stupid, simple box on my own. I wouldn’t allow myself to depend on him. This would end soon, and I wouldn’t let myself be lost without him once he left. No, I was on my own in life, and I needed to remember that.
I could do this. It was nothing, and I was simply overreacting.
Despite the reassuring thoughts, my fingers trembled as I lifted a hand, giving away to the adrenaline thrumming through me. The edges of the thin cardboard pressed into my fingertips as I peeled apart the top flaps. A foul smell floated up from the inside. Gagging, I smacked a hand over my nose and scurried off the bed, leaving the package in the middle of the mattress.
Turning to call for Chandler, I stopped when his voice drifted from beneath the bedroom door, signaling he was still on the call with Quantico. I shouldn’t distract him.
Pressing my lips into a thin line, I looked back to the bed.
It was fine. Probably something dead that Mom or Dad sacrificed to help atone my sins. Sure, they’d never done that before, but who knew what they were into nowadays?
Using the tips of two fingers, I pulled the half-opened box to the edge of the bed, the smell worsening with each inch it drew closer.
Holding a breath, I again pulled apart the first two flaps and held them open with my wrists as I worked to move the inside two. I squinted at the item nestled in the bottom, not understanding at first. Then relief washed through me when I finally registered what the box held.
A blonde wig. Fucking parents scaring the shit out of me with their fucked-up reminders of the parts of me Jacob loved.
But the smell. That seemed… off.
I frowned and reached inside, pulling the wig out by a chunk of long blonde strands.
When I’d lifted it halfway, the spatter of red on the ends caught my eye first, then the jagged edges along what looked to be pale skin.
A scream lodged in my throat as everything clicked.
Dropping the human hair, I stumbled backward, my back slamming to the wall. Still I tried to retreat, scooting along the wall until I came to the bedroom door. I fumbled with the knob, the metal slipping in my sweat-slick palm. Finally the scream that had been silent erupted in a high-pitched wail, piercing my eardrums.
The floor beneath my bare feet shook before the door slammed open. The force sent me soaring to the opposite wall. Chandler’s eyes widened as I smacked against the drywall and crumbled to the ground.
“Fuck,” he yelled while rushing to my side. “What’s going?—”
Nose twitching, he swiveled on the balls of his feet, scrutinizing every inch of the room. His all-seeing gaze paused at the open box and ball of blonde hair on the bed.
A string of curses fell on deaf ears, the ringing too loud to understand a word he said. Next thing I knew, I was scooped into a strong hold, and we raced from the room. Not stopping, he practically yanked the front door off its hinges as he forced it open, then jogged to the truck. Only after I was nestled against the cold leather seat did awareness settle in.
“I’m in a towel.” My voice sounded odd, distant.
“I’ll grab some clothes and shoes. Ellie—” He cut himself off and looked back to my apartment, his brows furrowed.
“I know,” I whispered and curled my knees to my chest, not caring that I was flashing my lady bits for the world to see.
Heavy silence enveloped us, neither wanting to voice what we were thinking.
The human scalp inside my apartment solidified one thing.
Our hope of me not being tied to this case was gone.
Whether we liked it or not.