Chapter 18 #2
“You’re welcome.” Obviously, whatever secret he’s holding means a lot to him.
I don’t want to pry. I don’t want to outright ask him.
I know even if I do, he will not tell me, but I hope that at some point, he’ll feel comfortable enough to tell me the secret.
And it’s not even because of the article.
It’s because I genuinely want to know. My moral compass feels like whatever he tells me as part of our friendship should be kept secret.
But the other part of me feels like that’s the whole reason I’m here: to gain his trust and to find out the answers.
If I want to save my job at the Whisper Cove Guardian, I need to stop focusing on the budding relationship between us.
“Stop,” I mutter under my breath.
“What?” he says, looking at me. “I didn’t hear what you said.”
“Nothing. Sorry,” I blurt out quickly. I’m mad at myself. I can’t believe that it’s eating me up inside this much that now I’m speaking to myself in front of him.“Do you want to look at some of those photo albums when we get back?” I ask him.
“The photo albums?” He sounds confused.
“Of your grandparents. When I was interviewing them earlier today, I was taken aback by something they both said.”
“What was that?”
“So I was asking them about when they first met, and I’ve been speaking to them separately now because that just seems to be more efficient.”
“I get it.” He laughs.
“Well, they both mentioned the same party, which was great, but then something that your grandma said made me think that part of the story is not as it seems.”
“What do you mean?”
“So your granddad was like, ‘As soon as I saw Enid across the room, I was taken aback by her beauty,’ and your grandma said, ‘As soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted him.’”
“Sorry, I’m not getting your point,” he says as he pulls up to the private driveway that leads to the Waverly Estate.
“Well, he said as soon as he saw her—”
“Yeah, he was taken away by her beauty. I heard that.”
“And she said, ‘As soon as I saw them.’ But who is them?”
“Him and his friends, right?”
“I don’t know. It was just weird how she said it.
‘As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to have him.’” I shrug.
“I just want to see if I can find any photos. They said they’ve been documenting everything since they were young, and maybe there’ll be some photos from the party.
And I mean, we can also continue down the list of suspects to see if we have any culprits. ”
“You know what I was thinking?” he says as he parks.
“No. What?”
“I was thinking that you said Patrick was in the house.”
“He was.”
“And he was in the house when you arrived.”
“He was.”
“And obviously, I’m guessing you didn’t give him a key or let him in.”
“No. I already told you that.”
“No need to get an attitude, Gina. So then, who let him in?”
“Honestly, that’s what I’ve been wondering myself.” I stare at him and nod slowly.
“If we can figure out who let him in, we may figure out who the thief is.”
“You think?”
“Well, he was there for one of two reasons. One: he was there to woo you—”
“Or he also could have been there to meet with your grandparents to try and get them to buy into one of his stupid business plans.”
“True. Or he was working with someone.”
“So then, if we find who he knows in the house, then we find the thief.” I nod slowly.
“Exactly.”
“So you believe it’s not me.”
“I mean… I hope it’s not you,” he whispers.
“Yeah. I hope it’s not me, as well,” I say, laughing and then shaking my head. “I mean, I know it’s not me.” I glare at him. “Sorry, I’ve had too many glasses of wine.”
“It’s okay,” he says as he jumps out of the car and then opens my door and lets me out. He takes my hand and walks me up to the front. “Can I walk you to your room?”
“You don’t have to do that. It’s not like—”
“Do you want to walk me to my room?” he says, cutting me off.
“You live in a cabin, and that’s far.”
“So what?” he says as he runs his fingers down the side of my face.
“I just think—”
“You just think what?” Before I can finish, he presses his lips against mine and presses me up against the facade of the house. The stone is cold against my back, but I don’t care. As he’s kissing me, I run my fingers down the front of his chest, and I can feel that he’s breathing rapidly, as well.
“Come on, then,” I say, grabbing his hand, and we enter the house furtively, like schoolkids sneaking back in after a late night out. He looks at me with a question in his eyes, and I know I can’t deny this man.
“You can’t stay the night, though,” I say, winking at him.
“If you don’t want me to stay the night, I don’t have to stay the night,” he says, grinning as we run up the stairs like schoolkids.
“I don’t want to wake your grandparents.” Nor do I want them seeing him sneaking out of my room in the morning. I do not want those questions whatsoever. Even though a part of me wants him to spend the night. Badly.
“We don’t have to, and I won’t,” he laughs as he goes to pick me up, but I pull away from him.
“Wait,” I say, “I thought we were going to go to the library and look at the photo albums.”
“Not right now,” he says, grabbing my head.
We’re both giddy and excited as we hurry into my bedroom.
He slams the door behind him, and I gasp at the noise.
“Oops.” I watch as he unbuttons his shirt and then takes a step towards me.
“I’ve been wanting to rip that dress off of you all night.
” His face is illuminated by the light and he looks deliciously handsome.
I stare at his chest and admire his muscles.
The man has a body most men would be envious of and I kept help but stare at his abs.
“Oh, yeah?” I lick my lips slowly and step towards the bed. I love playing a game of cat and mouse. I am ready to capitulate for him, but I want to make sure he has a bit of a challenge as well.
“Oh, yeah. Raise your hands,” he demands, and he reaches down and pulls the dress off me.
I stand there in just my bra and panties, and he lets out a low whistle.
“You’re sexier than I even imagined,” he growls.
He steps forward and gazes at me in such intensity that I feel like my underwear might fall off under his gaze.
“You imagined me in my underwear?” I smile the most seductive smile that I can and slowly pull down one side of my bra. His eyes watch my every move.
“Multiple times, Gina,” he says as he pushes me onto the bed.
He kisses my shoulder softly and grabs my bra strap with his teeth, pulling it down slowly.
His chin rubs against my skin and I shiver at his touch.
I reach up and pull his shirt off, marveling at his chest. He’s not as muscular as I had initially assumed, from seeing him far off, but he’s still got an amazing body.
I run my fingers down the front of his chest, playing with his nipples before tracing his muscles.
“Leaner than I thought.” I whisper to myself as I lean over and kiss his chest.
He stills, his eyes flashing as he gazes at me. There’s a hint of something I don’t recognize in his gaze. “Is that a problem that I’m not super muscular?”
“No, of course not. I mean, you still have an amazing body.” I lick his nipple, flicking it between my teeth and he grunts.
“And I’m super sexy,” he says, cocking his head to the side as he pulls down my other bra strap.
“I wouldn’t say that.” I gasp and cry out loud as he flicks my nipples and then leans down to suck on them. “Oooh.” I moan loudly, my panties growing even wetter.
“Okay.” He runs his fingers down my stomach, and I gasp slightly as he stops right above my panty line.
“What are you hoping for right now?” he says as he presses his lips against my neck, his fingers running down the smooth material and lightly pressing into me.
I swallow hard, wanting to feel his touch more intimately.
“I don’t know. What are you hoping for?”
“This,” he says. He kisses down between the valley of my breasts, and I feel his hands yanking my bra off completely.
I feel his tongue licking across my nipple, and I moan out loud as I run my fingers down his skin, scratching his back.
He growls as he continues kissing down my body, licking and sucking on my skin.
I feel his teeth on my panties. He pulls them down, and I moan as he nuzzles his nose between my legs.
It grazes my clit and I cry out. He laughs roughly, before licking my clit and then sucking on it.
My entire body is now in-tune with all of his movements.
“Oh my gosh,” I cry as my neck arches back, and I close my eyes.
He grabs my panties and pulls them all the way off, and I reach down to unbuckle him.
He shifts to the side and takes off his belt and then his pants so that he’s now just in his boxers.
I lick my lips as I see the outline of his cock in the thin material.
“Fuck.” He looks like he’s very well proportioned.
I giggle slightly, and he raises an eyebrow as I just stare at his cock. Large, hard, proud and waiting.
“You like what you see and feel?”
“Well, I haven’t felt it inside me yet,” I whisper.
“Inside your pussy, you mean.” He winks before se jumps up and pulls his briefs off, and I watch as his cock springs free. He has to be at least eight inches, and he’s thick, and I reach over and touch him. He moans slightly, and then I feel him pulling my bra completely off.
We’re both naked now. I swallow hard as I gaze up at him.