Page 62 of Sinful Beauty

Entranced, I do as he says, the unforgiving marble hard on my elbows, but the pleasure of drizzled honey over my bare skin, lapped with heat from his tongue, and the skin sucked and nibbled conquers any discomfort.

“God I love your scent.”

Heat envelopes me. It’s a heady mix of desire and need.

He drizzles honey over me and licks.

My clit pulses in time with my heart.

And then his mouth claims me. Bringing me to the brink, edging me close, and then breaking away to kiss my thighs, to drizzle honey, jam, dragging cheese across me. Feeding me, and then himself. The only pleasure I give him might be my fingers in his hair, scraping his scalp. But my pleasure is his pleasure. The realization pushes me closer to the brink, but then he pulls back, once again.

We go through this routine as bit by bit, my body is a live wire of need, so close to release, teased and toyed.

“Please.”

He smooths his lips against my inner thigh, and his teeth clench on sensitized skin. Goose bumps line my body. I’m soaked. Desperate.

“Please what?”

“Fuck me.”

The sexy as fuck sly grin is my only warning. His head dips, and his teeth graze my swollen clit, and the blinding orgasm that erupts has me mindlessly shouting, body curling, muscles a fury of contraction.

The world blacks out as my body quivers, and the next thing I know, he’s on me. Plates clatter, china shatters, my backs flat on the island and he’s over me, thrusting inside, drawing out my orgasm. And when I don’t think I can take any more, I’m lifted to the sofa, where he somehow gives me another orgasm. It’s later, in the soaking tub, beneath the glow of the fire and held by his arms, that I’m lazily aware I’ve slipped. I let him claim my heart.

Chapter23

Tristan

It’s been two days since the charcuterie incident. I’m not sure I’ll ever dip cheese into honey without thinking of Lucia on my kitchen island.

It’s good luck her phone rang when it did. If she’d opened that office door, the night would have traveled a different path.

My gaze falls on Lucia’s vacant desk and concern churns. She wasn’t feeling well this morning, but Jack Sullivan called before I could ask about her symptoms. I slipped into another room to take his call, and when we finished, she was gone. And now she’s not at the office.

Ryan’s contact within the LAPD shared Dr. Dolsten was driven off the road. Reports originally presumed a drunk driver and hit-and-run situation. However, forensics identified tracks on the pavement that prove Dr. Dolsten slammed his brakes and skidded through the guardrail. The LAPD opened a homicide investigation, but they have no leads. In such a case, police would typically contact family and acquaintances, but Dr. Dolsten lived in Sweden.

Dr. Dolsten left Lumina International almost eighteen months ago, but somehow, someone knew Interpol contacted him. It’s the only explanation. Or, it’s just pure luck. Someone is clearing loose ends without any idea that we’re reaching out to these contacts.

Dr. Dolsten divorced ten years, so we don’t expect his ex will be a source of information. But he has a daughter and, based on her social media posts, it appears they were close. It’s a long shot, but Jack is sending someone to meet with her. At the very least, he may have shared something with her.

Dr. Dolsten reported directly to Peltz. Interestingly, when Dolsten left Lumina, William Salo was being considered for a promotion. Both men are now dead.

On paper, Peltz is clean as a whistle. No suspicious banking activity. No off shore accounts we’ve located. He uses the same phone for work and personal use, which made accessing his accounts particularly easy. While I didn’t go through the sad sacks correspondence over the last three years, our team did, and they assure me nothing is out of place. Expense reports in order. No affair. Nothing. Perhaps it’s all too clean.

Another possibility is that Saint’s source is wrong, and all the strings are being pulled from the client side. Perhaps a pharmaceutical executive was aware, and is cleansing those involved to ensure the unethical project is never exposed. There may be no one still employed by Lumina who is even aware of what occurred.

That would be good for our family. If that’s the case, I have half a mind to let this case go unsolved. If no one here is actively taking part in unethical testing, then it’s no longer personal. It’s still within the realm of Interpol’s interest, but investigating corporate crime is something we leave to the local districts.

Peltz’s office door opens and I watch as he strides past Lucia’s desk. He pauses outside my office and addresses me from the hall.

“Lucia’s not coming in today. Can you join me at the advisory meeting?”

“Certainly. When is it?”

“Now.”

I grab my suit coat and mobile. There’s no response from Lucia. I texted her two hours earlier asking if she needed anything.

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