Nautier and Wilder (24 page)

But he was going to need a few minutes until he was ready for that, which didn’t mean
he couldn’t get her ready.

He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her, tasting his salty come on her lips and
tongue. He licked her lips, then dove inside for a deeper taste of her. He kissed
her jaw, licking along the column of her throat.

“Jed,” was all she said.

He bent her back, holding her with his arm across her back while he took a nipple
in his mouth, flicking it hard with his tongue, then sucking it deeper between his
lips.

Elena let out a soft cry and reached for his arms, digging her nails into his skin
as he moved from one nipple to the other to suck them.

She liked to have her nipples sucked, the harder the better. His dick began to stir
to life again. No surprise, since she was so responsive to everything he did.

He slipped his hand under her butt, lifted her and swapped positions with her, leaning
her back against the chaise. He draped her legs on either side of the chair, spread
her out, then sat back and stared at her.

He could take a picture of her like this, her legs open, her nipples still wet from
his mouth, and her eyes half-hooded, watching him. She tucked her bottom lip between
her teeth and he smiled up at her.

“Now I’m going to lick your pussy and make you scream.”

Her eyes opened. “Are you sure there’s no one else around?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care. Either way, it’s a little late to be worried
about that, don’t you think?”

She let out a soft laugh. “I guess you’re right.”

He rolled over to his stomach and fit himself between her legs. He swept his thumbs
over her inner thighs and felt her tremble.

“Easy, baby.” He reached up and untied one of the strings on the side of her bikini
bottoms and pulled it away, revealing her sex. He breathed in the honeyed scent of
her, rich with her desire. He rubbed his fingertips over her plump pussy lips. The
way she arched toward his touch told him exactly how ready she was for him, so he
slid his thumb inside her pussy and gently fucked her with it.

She was wet, and he was hard again, ready to be inside her. He could already imagine
her tight walls squeezing his cock.

He twisted his thumb around her pussy, leaned in and licked around her clit.

“Oh, God, that’s so good,” she said.

He pulled his thumb out and slid two fingers inside her, fucking her while he sucked
her clit.

She gasped and shoved her pussy at his face.

“Ohhhh. Yes, Jed. More, just like that.”

He loved a responsive, communicative woman. He gave her what she asked for, pumping
his fingers inside her, swirling his tongue over the tight knot of flesh until she
squirmed against him.

“Jed, that’s going to make me come.”

Exactly what he wanted from her. Her pussy squeezed his fingers and he gave her more
of the same. She lifted her butt, driving against him, pulling his fingers deeper
inside. He put his mouth over her clit and sucked, and she cried out. She raised her
head and looked down at him, reaching for his hand.

“Jed.”

He held onto her as she climaxed, watching her as she let go. The intensity of emotions
crossing her face as she gave him her body was amazing.

And when he felt the pulses ease, he withdrew his fingers and scooped her up in his
arms. She straddled his waist and held on as he grabbed his phone and carried her
inside to his bedroom.

She kept her gaze on his as he walked the long hallway.

“Tired of the great outdoors?” she asked as he pushed the door open.

“No, but the condoms are in here.”

She laughed.

He set her on the bed, fished the box of condoms out of the bathroom and came back
to her. He dropped his shorts while she untied the other side of her bikini and removed
it, leaving her naked.

He got the condom on in record time and climbed onto the bed, drawing Elena next to
him. She threaded her fingers through his hair and he took a moment to just breathe.

Which was all she gave him, because she reached for his cock, caressing him with full,
measured strokes. His breathing quickened. He raised her leg and placed it over his
hip, then entered her with a quick thrust.

Her eyes widened, then seemed to melt as her heat surrounded him. He paused, feeling
her body tighten and pulse, wanting to savor the sensation. But he couldn’t hold back
the need to move inside her, so he pulled back and drove deep.

She gasped, reaching for him to hold on as he powered inside her.

She pushed at him, so he rolled onto his back, letting her take the lead. She climbed
onto him, straddling him.

Oh, yeah. Nothing he loved more than a beautiful woman on top. Her breasts spilled
toward him when she leaned forward, giving him access to touch her as he pleased.
And he did, reaching for her nipples, plucking them until she moaned.

She laid her hands on his chest and rolled against him, giving them both exactly what
they needed. She rocked his world by rising up, then sliding ever so slowly back down
onto his dick.

“This is slow torture,” he said.

She smiled at him, then surged forward, arching her back and giving him an excellent
view of her pussy. He swept his thumb over her clit and she hissed, lifting just enough
so he could watch where they were connected, could see her pussy gripping him as she
slid back down onto him, his cock disappearing inside her.

Then she increased the tempo, her body tightening around him as she bent over him.
His balls tightened—he was close, and so was she. He grasped her hips and began to
lift her up and down on his shaft, their gazes locked.

She dug her nails into his shoulders. “Jed.”

“Yeah. Come on my dick, Elena. Squeeze me with your pussy and make me come, too.”

She was panting, her breath against his face, her lips parted. Their bodies slid together
in a sweat-soaked union until Elena laid herself fully on top of him. She pounded
his balls as she fought for her orgasm by grinding against him. He gritted his teeth
while holding on, wanting her to go first.

Damn, she was beautiful, her face flushed, her breasts thrust forward as she moved
against him. His balls tightened and he held onto her hips, rolling her clit against
him.

Her lips parted and she met his gaze, her eyes widening as she came. Her pussy squeezed
his cock and he let out a yell as she tore his orgasm from him. He felt it come at
him from the top of his spine all the way through every nerve ending as he emptied
inside her while she bucked against him and cried out, shoving her pussy onto his
dick.

She fell forward and lay on top of him when it was over.

Christ, she’d shattered him. Limp and sweaty, all he could do was hold her, stroke
her back and listen to her breathe. He sure as hell couldn’t move and didn’t even
want to. Elena didn’t seem to want to move, either.

Fine with him, because that had been intense. He’d had great sex before, but something
more than just great sex had passed between them.

He lifted her, swept her damp hair away from her face. She looked down at him, not
smiling, just studying his face. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing.

What had just happened between them?

“Elena.” He rubbed his thumb over her lip.

His cell phone rang.

Shit.

He reached over and grabbed it. “Yeah.”

“It’s Grange. We got nowhere here. We’re going to need Elena’s help to find her mother.
We’ll be back to pick you up in an hour.”

“Got it. We’ll be ready.”

He clicked off, turned his attention back to her. Whatever had been between them,
that look in her eyes, was gone now.

“Did they find anything?” she asked.

“No. They need your help.”

She smiled. “I told them.”

They climbed out of bed.

“I’ll go take a shower. When will they be here?”

“About an hour.”

She nodded and started to leave. Jed grasped her hand and pulled her against him,
wrapping her in his arms for a deep kiss that lasted way longer than it should, considering
Grange and Pete were already on the way.

He pulled back and studied her, wishing they hadn’t lost that moment.

“One of these days we’ll get to stay in bed without being interrupted.”

She gave him a curious look. “I’d like that.”

TWELVE

E
lena took a shower, dried her hair and dressed in some of the clothes that had been
left for her in the bedroom—a pair of capri pants and a T-shirt, along with some canvas
shoes, which suited her just fine. It was a little creepy they had clothes for her,
but whatever. Maybe they belonged to a relative or friend of Pete’s. Either way, they
fit.

Jed was already in the living room when she came out. He was dressed in dark cargo
pants and a sleeveless shirt that showed off his tanned muscles and made her want
to lick her lips. Or lick him. And despite having just had sex with him—she wanted
to have sex with him.

Again.

What they’d just shared had seemed like more than sex. Afterward, he’d looked at her
as if he’d wanted to say something. But then the phone had rung and they’d been interrupted.
She wished it hadn’t, but that was her being selfish. Finding her mother had to be
first priority, not whatever was going on between her and Jed—which was likely nothing
other than just really hot sex.

She heard the helicopter coming in.

“Let’s go. We’ll meet them at the beach,” Jed said, sliding his gun into his pants.

She followed him down the path to the beach, climbed into the helicopter and they
took off again.

They didn’t talk until they landed again at the same spot where they’d taken off in
the middle of the night. A beat-up, older-model, four-door sedan was waiting for them.

“Where’s my Chevelle?”

“It’s been garaged and is taken care of,” Grange said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“And what about my shop? And Marco?” She’d been so wrapped up in her own issues and
her mother, she’d totally forgotten about her business and her closest friend.

“We let Marco know—to the extent we can—what’s going on,” Grange said. “He’s taking
care of running the shop in your absence. We also have protection there in case someone
comes in there looking for you and causes trouble.”

She nodded, relieved she wouldn’t have to worry about Marco’s safety. “Okay. Thank
you.”

“Now we need your help with your mother’s friends,” Pete said. “I’ve been in intelligence
my entire life, and I’ve never not been able to gather information.”

“Until now,” Grange said with a smirk.

“I told you they wouldn’t tell you anything. My mother’s friends are very loyal and
they don’t trust strangers. They must have sensed you were feds.”

“Loyal my ass,” Pete said. “Paranoid is more like it.”

She leaned back and rested her head against the seat. “Same thing.”

“Okay, so we’ll hit all these locations again,” Pete started.

“Wait.” Elena topped him. “If they see me coming with you, they might not even talk
to me. I need to go in alone.”

Grange shook his head. “Not going to let you go anywhere alone. That makes you vulnerable
to whoever has your mother. If they grab you, we’re fucked.”

She sighed. “Well, you two sure can’t go with me.”

“I’ll go with her,” Jed said. “Since you’ve both already been to those places, these
people might not say anything, even in front of Elena. I’ll be her boyfriend helping
to find her mom.”

Elena lifted her gaze to Jed. His expression revealed nothing.

“That’ll work,” Grange said. He looked at Elena.

She shrugged. “I guess so.”

They dropped Grange and Pete off at a coffee shop. Jed took the car and they drove
to the trailer park where Paco, one of her mother’s oldest friends, lived. It was
even more run down than the last time she’d been here trying to find her mother, which
admittedly had been about five years ago.

Junked-out cars littered the landscape, along with bicycles and more kids and dogs
than Elena could count. A few chickens squawked and ran across the gravel road where
Jed parked.

“We walk from here,” she said.

She started, but Jed grasped her hand.

“I’m supposed to be your boyfriend, remember? We need to look the part.”

She looked down at his hand, then up at him. “Right.”

He swirled his thumb over her hand. Goose bumps skittered up her arm.

“Stop that.”

“You like it.”

“I do.” She kept walking, ignoring the stares they got as they made their way to Paco’s
trailer.

“They don’t like strangers here, do they?” Jed asked.

“They grow weed in the woods back there. Of course they don’t like strangers. Try
not to look so much like a federal agent.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I’ll try.”

They finally reached the trailer. Graffiti marked up the sides of the small single
wide, mostly written in Spanish and various gang symbols. The screen door hung precariously
to the side and there were what appeared to be bullet holes above the windows.

Elena couldn’t believe her mother had stayed here.

A rough-looking kid about sixteen leaned against the open door of the trailer, making
no attempt to hide the gun tucked in the front of his low-riding pants.

She felt the tension run all the way through Jed’s body. She squeezed his hand and
hoped he read her signal to stay calm. She’d hate for him to shoot this kid. She knew
kids like him. They were more bravado than skill.

“Whatchootwowant?” he asked, a cigarette dangling from his lower lip.

“Paco around?”

“Who wants to know?”

“Tell him it’s Elena, Carla Madison’s daughter.”

The kid threw a sneer at Jed. “Stay right there. You move, someone around here might
kill you.”

The kid disappeared inside.

“That boy has a bright future ahead of him.”

Elena sighed. “I’m afraid not.”

A man appeared at the entrance to the trailer, a trail of smoke and the distinct odor
of pot wafting from the end of the joint he smoked. He was skinnier than she remembered,
his dark pants hanging off him now. His white tank top hung loosely on his skeletal
frame, and his dark greasy hair reached to his shoulders. He also appeared to be missing
a few teeth as he grinned at her.

“Elena! It’s been a long time,
chica
.
Como estas?
”

Elena grinned. “
Bueno
, Paco. How are you?”

He nodded. “Pretty fucking good. Who’s the guy?”

“This is my boyfriend, Jed. He’s cool. Jed, this is Paco.”

Jed nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

Paco nodded back. “He looks like a fed.”

Jed coughed. “I get that a lot. My mom makes me cut my hair.”

Paco laughed. “Ah. I understand. Must please the mamas, no?”

“What can you do?”

Jed was good at this.

“What can I do for you, Elena?”

“I’m out of touch with my mother. I was wondering if she’d passed by this way lately.”

Paco frowned. “No, baby, I haven’t seen your mama in a long time. Last time she was
here was—hmmm, let me think—probably six months or so. Said she was going legit. Can
you believe that shit?”

“No. I can’t. What did she mean by that?”

“No idea. Said something about wanting to go back to school to finally finish up that
degree she’d started. You know me, I’m always half buzzed anyway, so in one ear and
out the other. But I haven’t seen her since.”

She couldn’t help being disappointed, but Paco had no reason to lie to her. At least
she hoped not. “Okay. Thanks, Paco. If you see her, could you tell her to call me?”

“You know I will. But you know what else, two jokers who also looked like feds stopped
by here today looking for her.”

She feigned surprise. “Really? What did they look like?”

Paco spat on the ground. “Tried to look like tourists, but I can spot a fed a hundred
yards away. I sent them packing. They were lucky I didn’t shoot them.”

“I wonder why they would be looking for her?”

He shrugged. “No clue, baby girl. I hope your mama isn’t in any trouble.”

“God, I hope not, either. I guess I’ll have to find her before they do.”

“You do that. And if you need any help, you come get me. We’ll get a posse out looking
for her.”

She climbed up the stairs and kissed his cheek. “
Gracias
, Paco. You take care of yourself.”

“You, too,
chica
.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jed said with a nod.

“Take care of this lady,” Paco said. “She’s special.”

Jed slung his arm around Elena. “I know she is. And I will.”

They headed back to the car. Now that they had Paco’s approval, no one watched them.

As they drove toward the next destination, Elena was silent, thinking about what Paco
had said.

“What’s wrong?” Jed asked.

“Paco said my mother was thinking of going back to school. I never knew she was in
a degree program. She never told me about it.”

“Maybe she didn’t want you to know.”

“It’s possible. She rarely finished anything she started. And who knows, maybe it
was just one of those bucket list items. You know, before I die, I want to climb Mount
Everest, go to Italy, get a degree, et cetera, et cetera?”

“Or maybe she had a goal in mind and wanted to change her life.”

Elena stared out the window. “Maybe.”

An hour later they were in Cocoa Beach, in a completely different environment than
the first location. Mitzie Winfield was a rich woman who’d lived a solitary existence
since her third husband died in the eighties. Elena never quite understood how Mitzie
and her mother got to be friends since Carla Madison was a no-material-things love
child and as far removed from wealth and society as one could get.

But Mitzie and her mother were friends, and occasionally her mom would stay over at
Mitzie’s posh private home on the beach. They’d play cards and spend time on Mitzie’s
yacht and shop and go to all these parties. Her mother would tell her stories about
spending a few weeks with Mitzie and all the wonderful adventures she had. For a while,
Elena thought her mother was full of shit, but Carla took her daughter once to meet
Mitzie, and Elena had been stunned to find out it was all true.

Mitzie loved Carla, and Elena figured it was the simplicity of her mother’s existence
that Mitzie appreciated. Or maybe because her mother didn’t want anything from Mitzie
other than her company. Even when they went shopping, Mitzie bought things for herself
but her mom never let Mitzie buy anything for her other than lunch.

They arrived at the coral beach house and parked in front. Elena rang the doorbell.
A waft of perfume greeted her.

Mitzie, well tanned, her makeup done to perfection as always, was dressed in a flowing
beach dress.

“Can I help you?”

“Mitzie, I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Elena Madison, Carla’s daughter.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, of course. Elena. Gosh, I haven’t seen you in so long.” She
grasped Elena’s hands in hers. “Where are my manners? Come in, dear.”

Her kitten heels clapped across the polished floor as she led them into the sunken
living room. Elena felt like she should take off her shoes when she sank into Mitzie’s
carpet, which matched her shoulder-length white hair.

She turned and smiled.

“So tell me, who’s your friend?”

“Mitzie Winfield, this is my boyfriend, Jed Templeton.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Jed said, shaking her hand.

“Aren’t you a handsome devil? Nice catch, Elena.”

Elena couldn’t hold back the warm blush staining her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“I just made some tea. Would you like some?”

“We’d love some,” Elena said.

“I’ll just be a moment. It’s a lovely day outside. We’ll have it on the terrace. Go
have a seat out there.”

Elena led Jed outside to the terrace.

“Nice view,” he said.

“Yes, it is.” She took a seat in one of the cushioned chairs.

Mitzi showed up a few minutes later with a tray.

“Let me help you with that,” Jed said, standing to take the tray from her and set
it on the table.

“Oh, and he has manners, too,” Mitzi said, watching as Jed poured the tea and served
it to them. “I like this young man.”

Elena took the glass from Jed, her body heating as their gazes met. “I do, too.”

She took a sip of the tea. “This is wonderful, tea, Mitzie. Thank you.”

“I’m so glad you like it. So tell me what brings you here. How’s your mother?”

“That’s why I’m here. I was wondering if you’d seen her lately.”

“No, I haven’t. I was hoping she’d get in touch but I haven’t seen her in about six
months.”

“I see.”

Mitzi laid her hand over Elena’s. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m just out of touch with her and hoping to reconnect.”

Mitzi waved her hand in the air. “Well, you know how your mother is. Always off on
one adventure or another. And she’s terrible about checking in. I always admonish
her about that when she comes to see me. I try to call my friends once a week, just
to chat. I wish your mother and I could do that.”

“That would be nice.”

“I even invited her to move in with me, you know.”

Now that was a shocker. “You did? When?”

“Last time she was here. I told here she was getting too old to wander around like
a vagabond. She needed to set down some roots, and I offered my home here as a place
to plant her flag. God knows I have more space here than I know what to do with. And
since I never had children, I have no grandchildren to come visit, so it’s just me,
all alone here in this rambling house on the beach. Your mother loves the water. I
figured it would be a perfect place for her to settle, since she and I get along so
well.”

Elena leaned back in the chair with her glass. “And what did she say to that?”

“She thanked me profusely, of course. Your mother is always so incredibly polite.
She said she’d give it some thought, but she was considering making other permanent
plans with her life.”

Again, more secrets. “Did she mention what those permanent plans were?”

Mitzie laughed. “No, she didn’t. And despite my pressing her, she said she didn’t
have everything in place yet, but when she had it all figured out, she’d be sure to
come by and tell me all about it. And that was the last time I saw her, the little
devil. I’ve been dying of curiosity ever since.”