Cast the Cards (12 page)

By
the time she came back he had
things
under control.

“I’m
ready.”

“Good,
let’s go.”
 Before I embarrass myself.

Chapter
Seven

Savannah
pressed the cold glass of iced tea to her neck. It was a sweltering summer, and
her parents’ air conditioner was on the fritz. Which chased her over to Carey’s
while they worked on their case after hours.
 I wonder if Clark has
something to do with that.
The case had become an all-consuming driving
force for both of them.

Frustrated
by their inability to move forward they’d opted to take a break.

“When
are your parents going to get the air fixed… not that I mind.” His gaze raked
over her. “I like the view.”

“Flirt.
I just spent the drive over here sweating like a pig. I doubt I’m much to look
at.”

“Don’t
underestimate your appeal.” The gravelly quality of his voice touched her in
places long unattended. Clearing her throat, she attempted to refocus her
attention on anything other than the sexy man who sat across from her in a
white tank top and a pair of sweats. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t
keep her gaze from his tats.

“Okay,
I have to ask. What do the tattoos mean?”

“Aaah.
The million dollar question.”

“Is
it a secret?” Intrigued, she sat up straight.

“No,
just personal.” Red appeared in his cheeks. “It’s a memorial.”

“That
makes perfect sense. Why are you embarrassed?”  She arched an eyebrow.

“It’s
for the three of us… I sort of felt like we died with Clark.”   He placed his
hand on his arm. “The rose in the Rosary represents you.”

“I’m
on your arm?” she whispered. Touched, she covered her mouth.

“I
couldn’t do the piece without you. It didn’t feel right. When I first started
work on this I knew I wanted us all on a rosary, connected despite everything
that went down.”

“Carey.”
Unable to find the right words, she shook her head.

“See,
this is why I didn’t want to talk about it.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“What
have you been telling people all this time?”

“That
it’s a memorial tat for my twin brother. They don’t ask for more detail after
that.”

“Am
I the only one who knows?”

“Yeah.”
His jaw was tensed. He refused to meet her gaze.  Setting her drink on the
table, she walked over to him and sank onto the arm of his chair. She traced
the rosary that faded into the background of the brightly-colored, old school
sailor designs that surrounded it. There were red stars, a red and blue swallow,
and a set of dice.

“Thank
you,” she whispered.  

He
tilted his head up. Their gazes locked.

“Want
to hear something funny?”

“Sure.”
He nodded, his voice equally soft.

Stepping
back, she pulled up the hem of her tank top and lowered the top of her cutoff
shorts.  A delicate brown branch with three blossoms, black, red, and pink,
graced the curve of her hip.

“For
us?”

She
nodded. A slow smile erased the pinched, austere expression he’d held moments
earlier.  He extended a finger and traced over the pattern. She sucked in a
breath.  A searing heat spread through her body. Her pulse kicked into
overdrive and her muscles tensed. His finger crept lower, brushing the top of
her shorts. Holding her breath in anticipation of more, she watched him through
half closed lids.

“Savannah?”
Raspy and uncertain, his question asked for permission.

“Y-yes.”
The words were out before she could overthink them. His head dipped and his
tongue shot out and caressed the path his digit had traced.

“Oh.” 
Her nipples hardened and her pussy grew moist. Years of neglect combined
together to overthrow her objections. Desire exploded inside her like a bomb,
superseding her common sense. Latching her fingers onto his shoulde,r she allowed
her head to fall back, enjoying the feel of his mouth. He nipped her skin,
moving across her waist. The stubble on his chin tickled where it grazed her
delicate skin. He paused at her belly button and dipped his tongue inside. Her
stomach muscles quivered, and her toes curled in her flip-flops.  He pulled back,
blowing on her wet skin.

“Carey.”The
wobbly words made him look up.

“Do
you want me to stop, Vannah?”

 “N-no.”

Holding
her stare, he brought his hand up and cupped her pussy. She gasped.

“Still
okay?”

Unable
to speak, she nodded. He began a massage.

“Oooh.”
In need of relief from the pounding rhythm of need emitting from her core she
spread her legs to allow him more room to play.

“That’s
it, baby, open up for me.”  Her legs trembled. The rough material pressed into
her cleft. She rocked her hips against him. Needy mewls slipped from her mouth.

“It
feels so good,” she moaned.

“Are
you going to come for me, Vannah/”

“Y-yes.”

“Mmm.
I can feel the heat from your pussy through your shorts. Are you going to let
me taste you after I make you come?”

The
erotic image of his head between her legs sent her hurtling up the precipice
she’d climbed to at the speed of light.

The
sound of a zipper being pulled down brought her back to the present. He parted
the miniscule piece of fabric and worked it down her hip, stopping to kiss the
new patch of skin revealed to his hungry gaze. Shoving the shorts to her ankles,
he hovered in front of her moist center.

“I
can smell how badly you want me, Vannah.” He ran his fingers along the side of
her boy-cut black briefs, and she trembled.  His finger slipped inside and
caressed her swollen clit. She purred.

“I
like that sound. I want to hear you make it again.”  He circled her swollen nub
a few more times and dipped into her entrance. “You’re so hot and tight.”

“Carey.”
Whimpering, she begged him for release with her eyes.

“I
always was a sucker for those eyes.” Removing his hand, he slipped his fingers
into his mouth and moaned. “You’re delicious. I think I need a better taste.”

He
pushed down her underwear and latched his mouth onto her pussy in one swift
swoop.

“Oh
God!”

Sucking
her clit into his mouth, he hummed, inserting a finger, and began to thrust.
She buried her fingers into his soft hair and writhed. The pressure began to
build. Her walls quivered. He pulled away.

“No!”

“I
want to be inside you when you come. Buried so deep neither of us can remember
all the fucked-up shit going on around us.”

The
raw honesty behind his words killed herfaster than any prettied words would
have.

“Yes.”

“Thank
God.” His mumbled words made her smirk. Kicking off her flip flops, she stepped
from the material encasing her ankles.

He
stood, shoving his sweatpants and boxers down around his ankles as he sat back
down on the chair. His cock sprang free. Ten inches of quivering male seeped
milky white fluid. A vein ran on the underside of his girth. There would be no
bed, dim lighting, or whispers. This was release and comfort. A moment of
blissful peace during the constant barrage of pain they’d been forced into at
every turn with this case.

“Protection?”

Swiveling
his chair he rummaged in the desk drawer and turned back around with a reflective
square in his hand.  She snatched it from his fingertips and grinned.

“I
believe it’s my turn.”

With
a firm grip on his cock she bent and flicked the vein that stood out in his
swollen member. He jerked and grunted. The guttural sound made her pussy gush
liquid that spilled onto her upper thighs.

“Vannah.”
Pulling back, she stroked him until iridescent beads of liquid flowed in a
steady stream. Licking her hand clean she opened the square and rolled the
condom down on his rock-hard shaft. She climbed onto his lap.

“Guide
yourself in, Carey.”

When
he grasped the base of his cock, she eased down onto him. Her fingers dug into
his shoulders as he spread her walls. Flexing around him, she moaned. His
masculine grunt joined her as she stretched to accommodate him inch by inch.

When
she was fully seated she nodded.  He grasped her hips, lifted her up, and
brought her down in smooth strokes that made her cry out. Their gazes were like
lasers locked onto a target. There were no words. The sound of lovemaking and
rapid breathing filled the room.

Her
muscles clamped down on him. A miniature earthquake swept through her body. White
light flooded behind her eyelids. Pumping faster, he rode through the
explosion, joining her a few moments later. His harsh, strangled cry echoed in
her ears.

Spent,
she draped herself over him. Their sweat-slickened bodies molded together as
they came down.

***

“Wow
seems like an underwhelming word, but it’s all I got.”

She
laughed and he breathed a mental sigh of relief.
We’re going to be okay.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

“No,
I’d say that about sums it up.”

“Good.”
Brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, he offered up a genuine smile.
“Thank you, Savannah.”

“You’re
welcome.” They leaned in as one, lips connecting, and throwing sparks very
different from the ones that had led them into this position.

“Thank
you.” The words whispered against his lips did funny things to his stomach.
Girly things he didn’t dare thinkg too hard on. Alarm bells rang and red flags
waved.
 I can’t afford to do this. She’s my partner. Right now this case is
all that matters. Oh God… Clark. 
His ardor quickly became cooled.
How
am I going to explain this? I just did the one thing he’ll never be able to.
Guilt
rushed in like a flash flood, clogging his throat and making it hard to
breathe.

“We
should get cleaned up, huh?” He feigned normalcy, hoping she wouldn’t pick up
on his unease.

“Yeah.
I have to say this wasn’t the cool-down method I had in mind when I came over.”
Her wry delivery made him snort.

“No?
And here I thought you’d been planning this for weeks.”

“Oh,
you got me, Carey.” Her high-pitched mockery moved them into more familiar
territory. She drew back and stood. “I’m going to shower in the guest room.” He
nodded. “Meet you out here in fifteen?”

“Sounds
good.”

Despite
the nudity they’d slipped back into their partner roles. They both knew this
case was too big to blow over feelings, sexual or other. 
Jesus, when I dig
a hole, I dig it deep.
Lost in his musings, he disposed the condom in the
master bathroom.

The
hot shower rinsed away the dirt and majority of the guilt. Dry, he redressed in
a light blue polo and a pair of khaki cargo shorts. Barefoot and refreshed, he
turned to head for the door and came up short. Clark stood in front of the
door, an odd expression on his face.
He knows!

“I
wanted this to happen. At least… I thought I did. But I never imagined it’d be
this fast.” His voice was thoughtful. He glanced up, his eyes unnaturally
bright with pain and anger. It sent a shiver skittering down Carey’s spine.

 “Clark…
it’s not … we’re not in a relationship.” At a loss for word,s Carey shook his head.

“Yet…
but you will be.”

Carey’s
attempt to placate was batted away like a cat with a ball of yarn. “That’s a
lot of assumptions.”

“Can
you honestly tell me you aren’t looking at her now wondering what-if?” Clark
growled.

“Wondering
and doing are two different things, and you know it.”