Page 60 of Easton’s Claim

As expected, the Feds took the lead in the investigation, splitting everyone up to get their individual stories while officers and agents combed the property. By the time they were done with him, it was two in the morning and he still had to drive back to Alexandria before he could get some sleep.

Charlie was talking with her dad and her brothers on the couch in front of the fireplace, her head resting on her father’s shoulder. The sight made Jamie’s heart squeeze.

He was on his way to the front door with his duffel when Charlie came out of the dining room. “You leaving?” she asked.

He turned to face her. “Yeah.”

Her eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “So you were just going to leave without saying goodbye?”

“You were busy with your family and I didn’t want to take you away from them.”

She searched his eyes. “Were you going to call me at least?”

“Yeah, I was. I need to go now, though.” Nothing more was going to happen between them, at least not tonight and not here, in her father’s house.

But he knew this was far from over between them and it was only a matter of time until she wound up underneath him. If they took things farther after this…

“Wait,” she exclaimed, and rushed over to him. He stopped, tensed as she drew near, those dark eyes locked with his. She stood a foot away from him, her sugary-sweet scent wrapping around him. “When will I see you again?”

“Depends.”

She raised an eyebrow. “On?”

“On what you’re willing to give. Because if you want to see me again, there’s something you should know.”

Her eyes gleamed with interest and she folded her arms across her chest, deliberately bringing his gaze to her luscious breasts. His lips quirked. “And what’s that?” she asked, the hint of a taunt in her voice.

He stared into her eyes as he answered, convinced he’d read her right. She wanted a challenge. Well, he was that and more. “I play for keeps.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips across her cheek. “See you later, Trouble,” he murmured. “Say goodbye to your family for me.” Then he picked up his bag and walked out into the cold night air.

****

Pinned and helpless beneath the hot, hard male body on top of her in the darkness, Piper had never felt so free. Or more alive.

The last few hours had passed in a complete blur of questioning and interviews by both the police and FBI. Then the medical examiner had come to take Greg’s body to the morgue.

Easton had pulled her into his lap on the easy chair next to the fire and cuddled her while everyone filed out of the house at last. Charlie and Mr. C had both stopped to rub her back and offer their condolences before heading upstairs. In the quiet that followed, she’d finally allowed the tears she’d been holding back to fall.

It didn’t matter that she’d already grieved for Greg once before, after their marriage had ended and she’d walked out. She’d never imagined being there at the end to hold his hand and watch him die right in front of her while she sat next to him, helpless.

Thankfully Easton had seemed to understand. He’d sat with her like that until the logs in the grate burned down to glowing embers, then smoothed the hair back from her face and kissed her gently. She’d cupped his bearded cheek and kissed him with all the love and need in her heart, desperate to feel the magic of their connection, to chase away the sadness and the horror with the tenderness and joy that could only come from making love with him.

I want inside you, he’d whispered, then picked her up and carried her into the cabin, straight to this bed, where he’d laid her down and undressed her in the darkness.

Now there was nothing but the feel of him anchoring her to the bed, the slam of her heart against her ribs and the rush of her uneven breaths in her ears as she waited for him to push inside her and soothe the empty ache he’d created.

Easton’s hand firmed on her hip, holding her in place while the other wound in her hair. She trembled at the intensity of the moment, the intimate quiet surrounding them magnifying the electric anticipation. Even with her eyes closed she could feel the way he watched her, all his focus and control centered on her and her pleasure.

“Ah!” She gasped and arched beneath him as he buried himself deep inside her with one slow thrust, trapping a throttled cry in her throat. Shuddering in his arms, she forced her eyes open to look up at him through the haze of sensation.

Weak light heralding the approaching dawn streamed through the edges of the blinds in the cabin’s bedroom, giving just enough illumination for her to see his face as he loomed above her, his weight now propped up on his elbows. Rain pattered on the roof in a soothing rhythm overhead, adding to the cozy, intimate atmosphere.

A whimper tore from her lips as he watched her face. He was so thick and hard inside her, the angle of his thrust so perfect, her aching clit pressed against his pelvis. She spread her thighs wider apart, desperate for more.

The strong hand on her hip squeezed tight, stilling her. “Don’t move,” he whispered, his mouth inches from her lips as he stared down at her.

She closed her eyes and shuddered. It was too intimate, felt too good. She was so close already, just another few strokes and she’d come. “I…have to,” she cried, her entire body tensing. The muscles in her thighs and belly trembled, the pleasure swelling inside her. Unbearable.

“Don’t,” he said, his quiet voice barely carrying. “Just stay still and look at me.”

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