Page 47 of Allison

Allison is still spread out on display for him. He pauses, staring down at the evidence of their activities between her thighs. She reaches for the cloth, but he pulls it back. “Let me?” She stares at him for a beat, but then nods her consent.

He takes his time, cleaning her up, while wondering if he has ruined their night. He doesn’t have another condom. She likely won’t be interested in another round without one, even though she’s planning on taking the pill in the morning.

When he’s sure she’s clean, he returns the cloth to the bathroom. He walks back to the bed, taking a seat next to her. Allison looks up at him, expectantly. “Do you want me to leave?” he manages to ask, hearing the longing in his own voice, dreading her telling him to leave.

“No.” She reaches for him, pulling him down to her and kissing him aggressively. She suddenly breaks the kiss, pulling back to look at him. “Do you want to leave?” Now she is the one with hesitation in her voice.

“No, I want to fuck you again, but I don’t have another condom. Are you okay with that?” She gives him a sultry smile.

“Yeah, I’m okay with it.”

“Good, because I’ve not had nearly enough of you, sugar.” Russell rolls her back onto the bed to devour her. He takes his time, exploring her curvy body, teasing, and working her up. Allison takes her time exploring him, too. They spend several hours, pleasuring one another, until, at last, they fall into an exhausted sleep.

31

ALLISON

Allison wakes with a start. Her phone is vibrating on the nightstand. She grabs it, silencing it so it doesn’t wake Russell who is out like a light. He must be as tired as she is after all the delicious sex they’d had before falling asleep. Looking at her phone, she sees Butch,her street contact, is calling. The man is really good at getting her information for various stories from time to time. He’s been digging into the kidnappings but hasn’t been able to give her much of anything so far.

“Hello?” Allison whispers, slipping from the bed and heading into the bathroom. She quickly closes the door and flips on the light.

“Hey, got a lead for you,” Butch begins without preamble. “I got an informant who says she knows who is behind the kidnappings and where the girls are being held, but she will only talk to you in person.” Allison considers this, working out the logistics in her head. Getting back to Nashville and an earlier flight to San Diego.

“Okay, great,” Allison answers, her mind still racing with everything she’ll need to do.

“Meet me in an hour at our usual spot. I’ll take you to her,” Butch says in a demanding tone. Butch has always been an in-your-face kind of guy, but he is being a bit over the top tonight.

“I’m out of the state at the moment,” Allison answers. “I can’t meet you in an hour. Can we meet tomorrow?”

“No!” Butch grumbles, “She is skittish as hell. I don’t know how long she’ll be available.”

“I’ll head back now, but it’s going to take me a long while. I’m in Tennessee.”

“Tennessee? What the hell are you doing so far away, girl?” Butch sounds irritated. “You find a lead that took you all the way out there?”

“No, it’s a family thing,” Allison informs him, but she isn’t going to tell him all the details. While she trusts Butch to a point, he is a gang banger who could easily turn on her for the right price. She isn’t going to give him anything he could use against her later. “I’ll text you when I get into town.”

He makes an annoyed sound. “Hang on,” he growls. A shuffling sound comes over the line, like he has covered the phone with his hand. After a long pause, the muffling of background noise fades, and he continues, “All right, just don’t take too long. Safe travels. I’ll see you soon.” Butch ends the call without another word.Weird!

Allison uses the facilities, noting the soreness between her legs. She can’t keep the smile off her face when she remembers how good Russell had made her feel. He’d been the perfect combination of bossy and demanding but also thoughtful and sweet. It’s a good thing she’s heading home because she could see herself falling for a man like him.Oh, hell! Who am I kidding? I’ve definitely already begun to fall.

With a heavy sigh, she exits the bathroom and hurries to pack her things, making sure to be as quiet as possible so she doesn’t wake Russell. She doesn’t want to have to explain to him why she has to leave so quickly. She has the feeling he wouldn’t like knowing she is going to meet up with a gang banger and some unknown person.

Emma is going to be upset with her for leaving before the good-bye brunch, but this lead is too important. It’s just the thing she’s been looking for. It has become obvious the police aren’t going to do anything about the missing kids or involve the FBI. Allison has lost a lot of sleep worrying about what the poor kids are going through. She has to find them.

Once she has her things packed, she pauses, looking at Russell’s sleeping form. He is gorgeous even in sleep. She resists the urge to touch or kiss him one last time. She scribbles down a quick note with her cell number, leaving it on the nightstand under Russell’s phone.

Using an Uber, she heads to a car rental place that’s open all night. During the drive, she finalizes her flight plans from Nashville to San Diego. Thoughts of Russell keep creeping in, but she pushes them away. Those missing kids are depending on her.

Worm

Worm jerks awake.His arms are empty, no warm, soft body cuddled up next to him any longer. Throwing off the cover, he sits up knowing immediately Allison is gone. Taking a look around, there aren’t any clothes scattered around like there had been when they’d fallen into bed.

He grabs his phone checking the time. A slip of paper catches his eye as it flutters to the floor. He snatches it up. It’s a note from Allison.

Something urgent came up, and I had to head back early. Thanks for a great night! Call me sometime 619-555-0518. Ali

Worm stares at the words, disappointment running through him. He knew going in this was a one-week deal, yet the feelings rolling through him…hurt, disappointment, and longing won’t calm. He shoves off the bed, heading into the bathroom. He uses the facilities then dresses and grabs his phone off the nightstand. It’s five in the morning. He stares at it, debating.Should he put her number in his phone?

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