“I didn’t want to make things more complicated,” is his response.
I shake my head; guys can be so dense.
“And now?”I challenge him.
He shrugs out of his coat and dumps it on the couch too.
“Now I’m wondering how much groveling you’re gonna make me do before I can take you upstairs.”
Instead of answering, I move to the stairs.The boys are at one end of the landing and my bedroom is at the other, so I’m not worried about waking them.
“Turn off the coffeepot and the lights, will you?”I toss over my shoulder as I head up.
I’m in my bathroom, putting my night cream on, when I catch sight of him in the mirror, leaning against the doorframe.He’s checking me out unapologetically.From my loose hair to the one sexy nightie I own—but have never had the occasion to wear—and down my bare legs, only to come back up to lock his blazing eyes on me.
Goosebumps break out all over my skin at the intensity of his expression when I slowly turn around to face him.
It’s a silent standoff, pheromones and heat making the air between us heavy with electricity.I watch his fists clench by his side in his attempt to hold on to his control.I recognize the invitation to take the lead, which I do by pulling up the hem of my silky nightie and lifting it over my head.
For a moment Clem goes rigid, and for the first time I worry the state of my body—after losing a significant amount of weight over the past couple of years—is a turnoff to him.But the next moment he’s rushing toward me, his arms locking around me as his mouth plunders mine in a raw explosion of passion.
I moan at the friction of his jeans against my bare legs and the way my nipples brush the flannel of his shirt.I’m in sensory overload, with his hands all over my backside and his front almost fused with mine.Even the slight pinch on my scalp when he fists one of his hands in my hair at the back of my neck elicits a flush of heat, aiming straight for the apex between my thighs.
He growls into my mouth, pressing my ass against the cold vanity as he grinds his erection into me.
“Bed,” he mumbles, pulling his head back.
I reluctantly slide from his arms and dart around him, aiming for the king-sized Helix Midnight mattress I invested in when I moved here.I’m already slipping between the sheets when he follows, his clothes flying left, right, and center as he strips.Then I notice the condom he must’ve pulled from his pocket, held between his teeth as he tears off the wrapper, and rolls it over his erection.
And fuck, do I like what I see.
He doesn’t hesitate and moves right between the legs I spread for him.His cock feels hot and heavy as he slides his length along my slit, teasing me.I don’t need much encouragement and grab his ass firmly, tilting my hips so I can feel the tip poised at my entrance.
He freezes and locks his eyes on mine.
“Tessa,” he whispers.
Then with one forceful surge of his hips, he plants himself deep inside me.
Chapter18
Tessa
“There’s stillsomething he’s not telling me.”
My eyes dart to the stairs Remi just stormed up.Then I look at Jason Mancuso.
He’d shown up earlier, just as I got out of the shower.Clem had taken off fifteen minutes prior, trying to avoid the boys who’d still been sleeping at the time.As soon as I opened the door to the FBI agent, the rosy morning-afterglow Clem had left me with paled at the serious expression on Mancuso’s face.
He needed to talk to Remi and suggested I wake him up.I felt uneasy right away, which didn’t improve when I finally got my kid out of bed and downstairs, and the agent asked his first question.
How well did my son know Ryan Wells?
Remi insisted he only knew the dead boy from sight, but had never talked to him.Mancuso didn’t appear to believe him, his line of questioning suggested something made him think my son might be lying about a connection to Ryan.
He pushed Remi hard about the other boy, about the attack on him, and about his involvement with this gang.There were moments I was battling an internal struggle between the mom and the detective in me.At the same time I wanted to protect and defend my child, I also wanted answers.
Because I noticed my child’s body language, the way he reacted uncomfortably to the pressure the agent was putting on him.I saw the way he avoided eye contact with me, the way he’s always done when he tries to hide something from me.
