27. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
B rody
I bury my face in the curve Ivy’s neck, shuddering as the last drops of cum leak out of me. Her hands are wrapped around my neck and her legs are knotted around my waist. I’m wedged in, unable to leave. But I’d rather be here than anywhere else. She whimpers as my cock ticks inside her, the tight clasps of her pussy easing into gentle tremors.
I cup her cheek and lift my head to her face. Her eyes are heavy-lidded and her lips are parted, exhaling soft breaths that tickle my nostrils. I lean in and give her a quick peck. She’s too supple, too sweet. I intertwine our lips and take more. Her tongue brushes over the spot she bit and my cock throbs, ready to go again.
“Stop.” She shoves my shoulder with a giggle.
“I’m not doing it. You are.” I let her lips go with a smack and look into her eyes. At least she’s no longer so mad she’s trying to claw my skin off. Even though I want to remain here, her legs must be aching being held up this way.
I ease back and out of her pussy and she lets out a sigh. “You good?”
She nods, hands braced on my shoulders.
I let her down slowly and her hands slide down my chest. Her knees buckle and I catch her by the waist. “Need help?”
She shakes her head. “Just unsteady.” But she lets me hold her for a few seconds until she stands without the risk of toppling over.
I let go and step away. My cock is still out and covered in both our juices and her pussy lips are still on display as her skirt is bunched around her hips. It should be awkward but it’s not. Hell, I want to get her naked and into bed.
As I’m still contemplating this, my phone rings. I have to wrangle the jeans that’s down my mid-thighs and fish the phone out. The screen flashes with a name. Such bad timing.
“Who is it?” she asks.
“Callum.”
“Callum?” Her eyebrows lift to her hairline, the sex kitten look wiped off her face. We’re back to business mode. “What are you waiting for? Pick up. He may have heard something.”
“It’s a video call,” I say drily.
Her mouth forms an O. Then quickly, “Tuck yourself in and pick up. Just keep me out of the frame.”
I set up the phone on the reading table and tuck myself back in my briefs, cum and all. I zip up and buckle my belt. Ivy’s off to the side, wrestling her sweater into some semblance of decency. Her nipples stand out. Nothing can be done about that now since my tongue worked them into tight, firm points.
She meets my eyes and urges me to take the call with wild gestures.
Yes. That . I answer the call and Callum’s face comes on.
“Hey, man.”
“Hey. I just left the guys…” My gaze slides off to the side as Ivy lifts her skirt and looks down. Her panties cling to her swollen pussy lips. My cock jerks. I force my eyes back to the screen. “Just left a meeting with the guys about what happened. We’re looking at ways to find who is still after the sisters.”
“Yeah. After the perp confessed to the break-in, I thought we’d manage to wrap everything up nicely. This new curveball is unfortunate. We’re running through a few theories ourselves…”
His words fade to the background as I’m distracted by Ivy once more. She runs her hand down the center of her thighs, lifts her hand to her face and curses. Our combined juices drip down her legs. I’ve never seen anything hotter.
“Hey, is this a bad time?” Callum’s concerned tone drags me back to the call.
“No, not at all.” When I look back at Ivy, she’s on her way to the bathroom, her ass dancing in her little skirt. “You can go on,” I tell him.
“It’s not often that you’d have a suspect in jail and then the victim gets targeted again in a more violent way than the last.”
I rub my forehead, trying to get that thought out. I can’t let anything happen to Ivy. “Yes, it’s unfortunate.”
Ivy comes out of the bathroom looking put together. The only signs she engaged in a vigorous activity minutes ago are her flushed cheeks and slightly mussed hair.
“So, how is Iris? Ivy told us that she’s with you.”
Ivy abandons the sleeves of her sweater to put her hands together in a thank you gesture.
A line indents the middle of Callum’s brows. I recognize that look. It’s similar to how I feel when Ivy and this dastardly situation comes to mind.
“She’s alright,” he says. “She was pretty shaken up when she heard what happened but she’s holding it together just fine.”
I nod. “She’s a tough one.”
Callum smiles slightly. “Yes, she is.”
Ivy appears over my shoulder. “Hi, Callum.”
“Ivy.” His brows lift. “I had no idea you were there.”
“Oh, I am.” She moves past that observation quickly. “Where’s Iris?”
“She’s at my house. She’s safe. No one knows she’s there apart from the sergeant keeping an eye on her.”
“Good.” Ivy nods. “Crams?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” She drags a chair over and places it next to mine, taking a seat. “What happened with the shooter? Was he found?”
“No, unfortunately, he was long gone by the time the cops got there. They tried to ask around but his trail was cold.”
Ivy sighs, her shoulders sinking. I wish it were that easy too. I wrap an arm around her shoulder and give it a quick rub. Callum’s gaze shifts and I realize he’s looking at where I’m touching her. I have no urge to back down.
He blinks and refocuses on our faces. “Not to worry. They were able to take the bullets back to ballistics and run some tests. They came from a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm.”
“How does that help us?” I frown.
Ivy turns to me. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“An M&P 9 is a very common gun. Any Tom, Dick, and Harry can get their hand on it. A rarer, more sophisticated brand would be easier to track.” I turn to Callum. “So it doesn’t help our investigation now, does it?”
“Sure, anyone can get it, but it lets us know we’re dealing with an amateur.” He pauses. “A better trained shooter with a better gun wouldn’t have missed, Brody.”
That’s true. I didn’t consider that. All I thought about was finding the shooter and closing down on this as fast as possible. “You’re right. It’s a good thing then that they were lacking.”
“Uh-huh,” he says. “The fact that he only fired two shots is also suspect.” He addresses Ivy. “You said you locked the door after you entered your apartment and he didn’t come after you again, right?”
“Right,” she says.
“Why did he stop?” Callum says.
“Maybe something spooked him,” I say.
Ivy glances at my profile before looking at Callum. “If the bullet was lodged in the door, maybe he saw that he couldn’t get in and it would be pointless trying.”
“Or maybe he could have actually taken the shot and he was just trying to scare you.” Callum rubs a thoughtful finger on his chin. “Anyway,” he snaps out of that thought, “we are not sure yet. After canvassing the area and trying to track where he came through and how he got into the building, we have a theory.”
“Let’s hear it.” I sit forward.
“We don’t think Iris is the only target.”
His words ring in my head. I slowly turn to Ivy. With her dark green eyes and lush brown hair. This shooter is after her life, too?
“How…” I clear my throat. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
“If this person wanted to get to Iris, why wait until after she left?” Callum says.
As I’m still considering this, Ivy speaks up. Her voice is unsteady. “Could it be that they just got there? Iris and I take walks to the diner in the evening sometimes. They may have assumed we’d be going together.”
“Someone who’s coming with the intent to kill must have been staking out the place. A neighbor from across the road thought they’d seen a man walk down the street a number of times that day.”
Ivy looks at me with wide eyes, hugging her arms around herself.
“If he was there for Iris, he wouldn’t have waited until she left,” Callum says. “I know it’s tough to hear this, but we think they’re after you too.”
“But why?” Her voice breaks. “I’m not a megastar or anyone special.”
“That’s the thing.” Callum hesitates. “We don’t think this is about Iris’s stardom any longer.”
The suspense is killing me. I tighten the arm around Ivy, willing him to get on with it. It’s clear they have a suspect. If we know who this person is, then it’ll help our investigation move faster.
“It may be a family thing,” he says. “We think your father is after you both.”
She buries her face in her hands and releases a shuddering breath.
“I’m sorry.” I rub both hands down her trembling shoulders.
I never knew my father and often wish I did. If I had the option to choose between never knowing and the menace that is Luke Ross, I know I’m picking the former. Hell, my dad died a hero but theirs is trying to take them out. How sick is that?
“It’s okay.” My voice sounds hollow with the empty platitudes. There’s nothing to say that’d make it less horrifying.
But she nods vigorously, drawing deep breaths, gathering strength. When she looks back up, her gaze is hawk-like. What is she thinking? The news must devastate her, but she’s not breaking down. Her spine is straighter and her features are set in a determined line.
Her eyes are dead set when she finally speaks. “If there’s a reasonable suspicion that Luke is behind this, I know how we can trap him.”