The Sex On Beach Book Club (12 page)

Shit.

“What is this?” Wes lifted his mouth from hers.

Holly met his gaze. “It's an old scar. Just ignore it.” She used the back of her knuckles to stroke across the head of his penis. A shiver rocked him.

But Wes clamped down on her hand, holding her in place while he stepped back. He dropped his stare down her stomach to the scar that ran across her lower abdomen and into her pubic hair, under her panties. He fingered the scar.

She hadn't thought about her scar since it didn't usually bother men. But now she was acutely conscious of it. Damn it, his scar didn't bother her. “I don't have time for squeamishness. Do you want to do it or not?”

Snapping his head up, he pulled her against him. “Don't be an idiot.” Lifting his hand from the scar, he laid it against her cheek. “What happened?”

“A knife happened. I was a cop, it's a hazard of the job. And let me just say, Brockman, that you are the biggest mood killer I have ever had sex with.” She wanted to look away from those green eyes boring into her. It was easier to have him look at her scar than to let him study her face and eyes. “Let go of me.”

Very softly, he answered, “I'm not done with you.”

She hated feeling this vulnerable, this exposed. “Wes, the moment is over. Don't make me hurt you.” She sucked in a breath.

“Hill
baby
.” He lowered his head to breathe against her face. “We are going to do something about that chip on your shoulder.” Before she could react, he pushed her back on the bed.

She fell flat on her back and bounced once.

Wes pulled her panties off of her, stepped between her legs, and dropped to his knees. “Still want to argue?” He slid his hands under her butt and tugged her toward him.

Not so much
, Holly thought as her lower body clenched in anticipation. His hot breath teased her thighs. Her muscles contracted while her clit swelled and ached. When he brought his mouth down on her, she raised her hips, going wild. He squeezed her ass, holding her to him while tonguing her—dipping inside of her, then swirling around her clit. No longer caring about anything but the pleasure rolling through her, she grabbed handfuls of his comforter and fought to climax. He kept her just at the edge, and in torment.

He chuckled lightly, then raised his head. “Say please, Hill
baby
.”

God, he was annoying. Lifting her head, she looked down at his sizzling green eyes and the wicked grin on his wet mouth. “Payback's a bitch, Brockman. Remember that,
please.
”

He laughed, then lowered his head, sucking her into his mouth and lightly running his teeth over her clit at the same time that he penetrated her with two fingers.

Her orgasm blasted over her and she stopped thinking under the waves of intense pleasure. Before she could catch her breath, he lifted her hips and thrust his dick into her. Her body clamped down around him. He leaned over her, covering her body with his, and demanded, “Take me, Holly.”

His jaw was tight, his body gleaming with the sweat of blazing hunger. He held himself up on his elbows, and drove his hips into her with a hard, primal rhythm. Her body responded, as pleasure shivers raced through her, building higher with every thrust. “More.” She wanted it all.

He plunged deeper and harder. “Say my name.” Then he pulled out and thrust back into her, his entire body bowing as he climaxed.

She lost control, wrapped her arms around him to get closer as another orgasm rocked her. “Wes,” she said into the curve of his neck and shoulder.

Wes rolled off her and onto his side. Holly lay still on the bed.
Damn.
That was…
damn.
“You have control issues, Brockman.”

Rising up on his elbow, he looked down at her. “Because I didn't let you take charge of the sex?”

It took a little work to get her defenses up. “Not every woman likes the forceful caveman approach.”

He brushed her hair back from her face, then skimmed his fingers over her cheek and down her jaw. “I don't like half-assed sex and neither do you, so cut the crap.” Sliding his hand lower, he settled it over her right breast.

“Whatever.” Holly lifted his hand off of her breast to roll off the bed.

He caught her, pulling her back against his chest. “I make you nervous, why?”

His strength kept surprising her. But he was gentle as he placed one arm under her to pillow her head, and curled the other arm possessively around her waist. The answer came to her fast and easy—because he didn't give a shit for her boundaries. She explained, “Wes, this is about lust. Danger and fear ramp up lust. Both of us are highly sexual people. This is a side effect.”

She could feel his chest expand against her back as he breathed. Then he said, “It's a hell of a bonus, this side effect.”

She relaxed a little. “Bonus. Right. Temporary bonus.”

His hand drifted lower to trace her scar. “It's been a long time since I've been able to tell someone the truth about who I am.”

Looking down, she watched his finger etch over the scar. That felt more intimate than when he'd had his fingers inside of her. Holly tried to reestablish her boundaries. “As long as we're on the same page, book boy. It's just sex.”

T
he ring of the phone cut through his sleep. He must have dozed off. After frowning at the empty space next to him where Holly had been, Wes glanced at the bedside clock to see it was after seven and grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

“Wes, it's Jodi.”

He sat up. “Hi, Jodi. Are you back in town?”

“No. We're still in Ventura. We had an accident and—”

Getting off the bed, he grabbed his boxers and pants. “How bad? Is Kelly hurt? You?”

“We're okay, Wes. Kelly's right here talking to a cop. A guy in a white truck hit us and we went off the freeway into an embankment. Hit and run.”

His gut went cold. Leaving his pants undone, he said, “Are you sure you're okay? Did you get a license plate?” Had someone tried to kill them? Because they worked for him? He had to get them somewhere safe.

“I'm sure we're okay but we didn't get a license plate number. It's going to be a while before we get home.”

“Listen, Jodi. I don't want you to come back here. I'll put you and Kelly up in a hotel there in Ventura until I figure out what is going on.”

“Why? Wes, I thought the police wanted to talk to us?”

His gut twisted at the uncertainty in her voice. Jodi was twenty, and Kelly was nineteen. Just kids. Good kids in college. Their respective parents sent them to the University of Santa Barbara and both girls had part-time jobs to help pay expenses. They were good students, nice kids.

And he might be putting them in danger.

Holly walked in while he said, “Jodi, I'll handle the police here. They can go talk to you at the hotel. But with Cullen's murder in the bookstore, I'm not going to take any chances with you or Kelly. I'll cover getting your hotel room, and you two can put food and anything else you need on the room. In fact”—he looked at Holly—“I'll drive up tonight to see you. I'll get whatever you girls need from your apartment. I don't want you two to worry about anything.” They rented an off-campus apartment with two other girls.

Jodi answered, “You're really serious about this, aren't you?”

“I'm not taking chances with you and Kelly. I'll find a hotel, book a room, and call you back. How bad is the car? Do you need a rental car?”

“I don't know. The car is in the ditch, they have to tow it out.”

He could hear tiredness in her voice. “Honey, it's okay. It was probably just an accident and I'm being a cautious old man.”

Holly sat on the bed next to him. “Ask her to let me talk to the investigating officer.”

Wes relayed the message then gave Holly the phone. In two minutes, she had established that the car was not drivable and that the cop would make sure Jodi and Kelly got safely to the Holiday Inn Ventura Beach Resort. She even had a phone number so Wes could make a reservation for the girls.

He quickly made the reservation and arranged to have a rental car delivered to the hotel for them. Then he looked at Holly. “I need to leave as soon as I grab a quick shower.” Remembering he had a dog to think of now, he added, “Can you watch Monty while I'm gone?”

She made a rude noise. “I'm not a dog-sitter. Besides, I'm going with you. Pick me up at my house.” She stood up and looked down at him. “I'll call Rodgers and let her know the situation.”

“My neighbor will take care of Monty.” Rising, he added, “You don't think it was an accident, do you?”

Although she had dressed, Holly had left her hair down and it swept her shoulders as she shook her head. “I don't like coincidences. I think you're the target of a seriously pissed-off killer.”

 

“It was intentional.” Kelly's blonde hair was wet from the shower. She wore a pair of gray sweatpants and a green T-shirt.

Wes could feel her anxiety and put his arm around her. The two of them sat on one of the two double beds in the room. Holly sat across from them, and Jodi was perched a few feet away at a pressboard writing table.

Holly had a pad of paper on her lap. “What exactly did you see, Kelly?”

“I saw him following us in the rearview mirror for miles. I don't know how long. I moved over to the far right lane 'cause Jodi and I were going to get off and find a Starbucks. The truck moved to the second lane next to us. Then he just suddenly veered right and slammed into us. I lost control of the car and we ended up in the ditch.”

Jodi set a bottle of water down on the writing table. She had on a dark blue pair of loose-fitting shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt. “A witness told the police it looked intentional. And that once the guy straightened out his truck, he sped away.” She shook her head in frustration. “I didn't see anything. I was navigating because I thought I remembered a Starbucks in the area.” She reached back and rubbed her neck.

Wes narrowed his gaze. “Sore?”

She smiled weakly. “The cops said we'd be sore but we're not hurt.”

“Maybe we should have you two looked at anyway.” Wes didn't want to take any chances.

Holly said, “I think they'll be okay, Wes. They just need to take some Advil or Tylenol and get a good night's sleep.” She turned back to Kelly. “Detective Rodgers will call the two of you in the morning. She said she may be able to get what she needs from you over the phone.”

Kelly looked up sharply. “What kind of questions will she ask?”

Wes rubbed Kelly's shoulder to reassure her.

Holly answered, “She's trying to find out how the killer or victim got into the locked bookstore. Since you two both have keys, she'll ask if you've given the key to anyone.”

Kelly shook her head hard enough for Wes to get a mouthful of her wet hair. “I don't give the key to anyone.”

“Neither do I,” Jodi added.

He started to reassure them but Holly cut him off. “That's exactly what you need to tell her. Then she'll probably ask you to think about who might have access to the key. We know you are both very careful, but maybe there's something that you were sure was harmless? Like maybe you had to make a class so Cullen stayed behind to lock up for you?”

“No.” Jodi had dark hair and very expressive eyes. “Wes warned us about Cullen. He didn't want us in the bookstore alone with him, or to let him give us rides home or anything like that.”

Kelly nodded her agreement.

Holly looked at him.

He shrugged, a little embarrassed. “The girls tease me about being overprotective. But I worry about them. I rarely let them stay alone in the store at night, that kind of thing.” He couldn't help it, he had a little sister. That kind of protectiveness was in his DNA.

Jodi cracked a smile. “When my parents call the store and I'm not there, Wes gives them an update on my life. I think they call him to check up on me.”

“Mine, too,” Kelly said with a sigh.

Wes grinned. “You both asked me to talk to your parents about this trip to San Diego and the concert. They weren't too sure about it. Who talked them into it?”

Kelly sighed. “Yeah, well, they only let us because you promised our parents you'd make us call you every day.”

He looked at Holly and winked. “There are worse things then having parents who love you.”

“So you've told us.” Jodi rolled her eyes. “So how long should we stay here? We have classes next week.”

He needed to keep them safe, but they needed to get back to school. “I know. I'll figure something out.”

Holly said, “They can stay with me.”

Wes cut his gaze to Holly.

She went on. “We'll figure it all out. But my brothers can hang around if I can't. Between all of us, we'll make sure nothing happens to them.”

Kelly turned her body so she was facing him. “What about you, Wes? Are you in danger?”

He could see she was tired. They were both worn out from the combination of the trip and the shock and fright of the accident. “I don't want you worrying about me. I'm paying my PI to do that.” He glanced over at Holly, then at Jodi. “You girls get some sleep.”

Holly stood up. “We'll stay the night then take you back to Goleta in the morning. We can get whatever you need at your apartment, then set you up at my house. And tomorrow, after you've gotten some rest, think about how someone might have gotten the key and alarm code to the bookstore.”

Wes hugged both girls and they left.

In the hallway, he looked at Holly. She had worn her usual jeans and tank top, but she had added a brown suede jacket. When he'd shown up at her condo, her hair had been wet from the shower. Once it dried on the drive, she'd clipped it up and out of her face. “Thank you for letting the girls stay at your condo. You didn't have to do that.”

She turned away and walked toward the elevator. “You're paying for it. Just like you're paying for a couple more rooms tonight.”

She was playing hard-ass again. His PI didn't want his thanks, she wanted those girls safe. Admiration for her welled up in his chest. He knew she wouldn't want that either, so he stopped beside her at the elevator and said, “One room with a king-sized bed.”

The doors to the elevator slid open. Holly went in and said, “Are you cheap or horny?”

 

Wes had refused to answer Holly until they were inside the room. Another thing he liked about her—she wasn't a hypocrite. She didn't once say that she couldn't sleep with him. Or that it wouldn't look right. Or that she needed her space.

She was honest about sex. She liked it, wanted it. She just didn't want him getting too close to her emotionally.

While Holly dumped her suitcase and went in the bathroom, he looked around the room. Big king-sized bed in the middle of the room with a muddy green spread. Same color drapes, but they were open to reveal the lights of the city through the beige sheers. There was a low dresser with a TV on top and two nightstands. The usual generic hotel room. He took off his shoes and put them in the mirrored closet by the door and across from the bathroom.

The bathroom door opened just as Wes shut the closet. When he looked into the mirror, he saw Holly's image. “Holy Christ.”

She leaned against the door frame wearing another bra and panty set. This woman had some serious underwear issues. This set was red.

Jesus.
He swallowed.

He couldn't look away from the red triangle over her mound attached to red strings that arced over her hips. He was fairly sure that if she turned around, he'd see that red strip disappear into her ass and he'd probably drool. Her puckered nipples showed through her red bra—hell, it set him on fire. All the skin in between drove him crazy. Finally he was able to drag his gaze from the mirror long enough to turn around and face her. Even better.

She said, “Cheap or horny?”

His dick was so hard he wasn't sure he'd be able to get his zipper down. There was no way he could look casual with a straining hard-on, but he made the attempt. “Haven't decided.” He brought his hand up, stuck out his index finger, and drew a circle. “Turn around.”

Her blue eyes dropped to his bulge. Her smile reminded him of a cat. But she turned around.

Wes forgot to breath. There was a strip of red across her toned back from her bra. Below that, her back narrowed to her waist, then flared to her full hips, where her thong slid between her two rounded butt cheeks. He moved up behind her, put his hands on her shoulders, then slid them all the way down her back to cup her ass. Leaning close to her ear, he said, “Horny.” Her skin was smooth, firm, and God, he wanted to bury himself inside of her. Her shampoo smelled of some kind of tropical fruit.

She moved into the bathroom and said, “I can feel that, book boy. Take off your clothes and we'll discuss solutions to your horniness.”

Wes looked past her to the mirror on the wall of the bathroom. It was a large, floor-length vanity mirror. To the right was the long counter with the mirror over that. He ignored the toilet and shower to his left. “Is this about me taking control of sex earlier?”

“You make it sound like a power struggle.” She smiled, then ran her hands from the undersides of her breasts over her flat belly.

“I'm inclined to let you win.” His voice sounded hoarse in his own ears. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it toward the bedroom.

Holly had moved a few steps into the bathroom while he stood just outside the door. She ordered, “Pants.”

He looked up at her. A light flush stained her nose and cheeks, and spread over her chest. He wasn't the only one who was horny. Keeping his eyes on her, he unbuttoned his pants and said, “See how hard I am for you? Are you wet enough to take me?” He slid his pants and boxers down his hips.

Her flush deepened and she moved toward him. “I'll need a closer look.”

Wes kicked his pants away and forced himself to stand perfectly still. He'd let her think she was in control.

For a while.