Atone (Recovered Innocence #2)

Jesus. God. Fuck. Fuck. Fuuuuuck.

My heart is going to jump out of my chest. I rotate my hips into her, wanting to stay buried as deep as possible. She feels so damn good. Soft. Hot. Her fingers massage where she practically ripped my hair out. I don’t care. That was fucking amazing. I kiss her behind her ear and feel her smile.

“Good morning,” I say.

“It certainly is. Do I have a mark on my neck?”

I lean up to see. “A little bit, but it looks like it’ll go away.”

She holds her hand up with strands of my hair between her fingers. I laugh. It was so worth it.

“I’m going to slowly make you bald.”

I catch her hand and slip my fingers between hers. “As long as you like bald men, I don’t care.”

She pulls my arm around her. “I like you any way I can get you.”

“I like you too.”

She looks at the clock beside the bed and groans. “You’re going to be late to work if we don’t get up.”

“No round two?”

“Not today.”

The world creeps in, a slithering reality that totally shits all over my post-sex high. I wish I could keep her in this room forever, happy and safe. I want more mornings like this with her. I want all my mornings to be with her.

I pull out of her slowly. She makes an uhn noise. I know exactly how she feels. I hate being separated from her too. She rolls and gives me a kiss, then gets up to head to the bathroom. Her hips sway seductively. Just before she turns to go in the bathroom she gives me a naughty look over her shoulder like she knew I’d be watching and closes the door. I flip onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. I’m fucking gone over her. That look did it. I’m done.

My phone vibrates next to the empty pizza box. I grab it and look at the display. Cora.

“Hello?”

“Do you need me to swing by and pick you up?”

“No, but could you grab me a clean shirt and some socks and bring them to the office?”

“What about underwear?”

“Don’t own any.”

“Eww. More than I wanted to know. Maybe you should take some of your things to keep over there.” She doesn’t sound happy about trying to be happy for me.

I glance at the bathroom door at the sound of the shower being turned on. “I don’t think we’re there yet.” But I sure as hell want to be.

“I have some news. We got a hit last night. Nolan spied our girl with an older man at that shopping center, coming out of the Starbucks. I’ll text you the photos. He followed them for a while in his car, but they spotted him and then lost him when they ran a red. That asshole now has a face.”

All of the air locks in my lungs. I want to see and yet I don’t. This is it. The beginning of the end with Vera.

“Beau?”

“Don’t send them. We’ll look at them when we get to the office. Don’t mention that you already told me about them.”

She doesn’t say anything for a minute. Then, “Tell me the sex hasn’t fucked you in the head.”

“It’s fucked me in the head and pretty much everywhere else.”

“Goddamn it.”

“If it’s any consolation, I’m about to get my teeth kicked in.”

“It’s not. That’s actually worse. Why are you telling me this shit?”

“You fucking asked.”

“Forget I asked. Just get to the office as soon as you can.”

“Fine. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I jab at the end button and barely resist chucking my phone at the wall. Instead, I set it down and head for the bathroom to try to talk Vera into round two.





Chapter 24


Vera


Something’s up. Beau’s been acting weird since he climbed in the shower with me, got down on his knees, and went to town on me as if it was the last time he was ever going to get to eat me out. Then he bent me over and relentlessly pounded into me, making me come so hard that if he hadn’t been holding me I would’ve fallen on my face in the tub. He keeps touching me and glancing at me. I haven’t been out of his sight once since the shower. I want to ask what happened, but I have a feeling I’m about to find out, whether I want to or not.

We get out of the car at the agency and he’s immediately at my side with his arm around me, holding me tight against him like he’s my bodyguard and we’re under a sniper attack. I come to a stop a couple feet from the door. I have to know what I’m walking into here.

“What?” Beau asks.

“Before we go in, I need to know what I’m up against.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What happened between the time I left you in bed and when you joined me in the shower?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“The fuck you don’t. What happened?”

He glances at the office door, then back at me, and sighs. “Cora called.”

“And?”

“Javier showed up at that shopping center with Marie. Or at least we assume that’s who she was with. We need you to confirm. Nolan took photos.”

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