Page 12 of Dead and a Best Friend
Of course, I didn't listen. I opened my mouth, sucked him inside, and murmured in delight at how full I was, his taste on my tongue.
"Fucking hell, Tallulah!" He arched his back, shoving himself down my throat. I swallowed, and an explicit tirade burst out of his mouth as he pulled me off. A deep red flush covered his cheekbones, and his body shuddered.
I was flipped onto my back and my panties were torn off mere seconds before his mouth landed between my legs. I gasped and arched my back, pushing my breasts into his hands. He consumed me all at once. I was already wet from what I hadbeen doing to him, but now I was seconds from exploding with total bliss.
A whimper burst from my lips at the pleasure he gave me. All sensation centered between my legs while heat coiled in my stomach. Carlisle quickly hovered over me, wrapped his arms tightly around my body, and entered me with one hard thrust. His mouth found mine, swallowing my moans, and he moved with a primal urgency that matched my own. Our bodies moved together in perfect rhythm. The kiss only broke when we both cried out in completion.
His warm semen splashed inside me as I pulsed with intense pleasure. I squeezed him tightly with each flutter of delight. He buried his face in my neck, and his heavy breathing struggled to settle as much as mine did. I clung to him, not wanting him to move or tell me that it was a mistake. He had held back before for a reason, and I feared what he would say now that we had been intimate.
He rolled onto his back and took me with him. I ended up sprawled on top of his sexy body. "I've wanted you for longer than I should have," he said seriously. He gently captured my chin with his hand and tilted my face up to his. "I didn't lie to you about that. Nor did I lie," he smiled softly. "When I told you that I love you, I meant it." He brushed a kiss over my lips. "I'd do anything to keep you safe. You know that, right?"
"Yes," I whispered.
"Don't look so worried. Nothing is coming at you, or at me for that matter. At least, nothing that I know of. I just wanted you to know. You've always been mine, Talla. Now you know that, too."
"You don't regret what we just did?"
"What the fuck?! I sure as hell do not!" He roared in insult.
"I'm not used to this new you, you know? You spent so long pushing me away. Then, when you finally got me in your bed, you wouldn't touch me.”
"I held you every night."
"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" I snapped.
He pressed his lips to mine, his hands slipping onto my bottom and squeezing. "I've wanted you for a long time. I kept my distance to keep you safe. When everything went wrong, I wanted you to be safe, but I also didn't want to take advantage of you."
I snorted. "Seriously? It would've been me taking advantage of you if you'd given me half a chance."
"I'm aware." He grinned. "You were worth the wait."
He rolled us over again, and I ended up on my back. Our bodies touched everywhere as he lowered his forehead to mine and held my gaze. "I'm going to make love to you again." His mouth covered mine, and all thoughts disappeared.
I slappeda hand over my mouth to hide another yawn that slipped out. Bernie noticed, of course. She raised a brow in inquiry, which I chose to ignore. "When Pen arrives, could you please have her come upstairs? I want to make sure she's okay without an audience."
“Sure. Would you like me to bring up a couple raspberry scones when they’re out of the oven?”
"Oh, that would be amazing! Thanks, Bernie."
In no time at all, I was sitting on my sofa waiting for Pen to arrive. Carlisle had wanted me to stay and have breakfast with him, but he immediately understood when I explained that I wanted to check on Pen.
I'd forgotten about all my troubles while I was with Carlisle. I just wished they hadn't all rushed back into my head this morning. I could have done without that. I concluded that, after Pen told me what was going on, we would discuss DetectiveRiley's death. I couldn't help but ponder whether Pen and Riley's deaths were connected. I'd never experienced double vision before, which made the idea of a connection more plausible. Although, I suppose I did see the mayor and Tate dead. I wasn’t sure about seeing the mayor though. Nothing happened to him.
When I heard the clunk of Pen's booted feet on the stairs, I jumped up and went to greet her at the door. Her complexion was pale, and when she met my gaze, I had to fight to hide my sorrow. I gave up, and pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly. Seconds later, her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. She clung to me, and I clung to her. Bernie started up the stairs but backed away when she realized what was happening.
I moved further into the apartment and kicked the door closed. I helped Pen to the sofa, then rushed back to the door and locked it. "There will be no interruptions," I thought as I sat in my favorite chair. The armchair by the window. Today, my focus wasn't on the town square, but on my best friend. "Talk to me, Pen. I want to help you."
She kicked off her boots and curled her legs under her before finally meeting my gaze. "I screwed up, Talla." She blew out a breath. "My only excuse is that I was angry with Aiden. Very angry. To be honest, my marriage had been over for a long time, and I had started the process of getting a divorce. But knowing that I had been married to someone who raped and killed Monica turned my stomach."
I reached for a tissue and wiped my cheeks and eyes. As I listened to Pen, I realized that in my own grief over the loss of my brother, Tate, I hadn't realized just how badly Pen suffered.
"There was a small mortgage on the house, so over the past few months, I've been paying nine thousand dollars. I'm debt-free. Then I went and spent the rest on useless crap, to be honest. I just wanted all the money gone. Now it is. He sent word through a creepy guy that he wanted his money back. I'mguessing the guy checked the car and realized I'd found it." Pen cried into a tissue, and it took all my strength not to rush over to her. When she was upset, she always needed her own space. It was difficult for me, though.
"Oh God, Talla, the money wasn't Aiden's. I don't know who it belongs to, but I'm in trouble. My house is bugged because the creepy guy told me so. He said they'd know if I breathed a word about them to anyone, especially Jessop Hallen. I'm supposed to keep the Hallen brothers out of it, or people are going to get hurt. I don't have the money to give back to them."
"Oh." I gave up and rushed over to my friend. I kicked off my shoes and curled up with her. We didn't say anything while I let her cry. A good cry always did me a world of good. Other than going to Carlisle and Jessop to help, I didn't know what else we could do. What was I thinking?!
"Pen, I have the money. It'll take some talking, but I have it. We'll tell the creepy guy to come get it."
