Page 27 of Loving Lex

And when she sheathed me, and I entered her warm, willing, and perfect body in one smooth stroke, I knew my life was changed forever.

We made lovefor hours. At least it felt like that.

She eventually fell asleep in my arms, curled up against my side, her warm breath soft on my chest.

I didn’t sleep. I simply inhaled the sugary sweet scent of her shampoo, absorbed the warm curves of her body next to mine, and listened to the rain pat gently against the window as dawn rolled in.

Don’t ever, ever lie to me. Please. I don’t care what it is or how bad. Just always be honest.

Her words haunted me.

I hadn’t lied to her, but I hadn’t exactly been honest with her either. I’d told her about Stone, but not everything. There was still time, I reasoned. But I knew that wasn’t it. I hadn’t wanted to ruin the mood, sure, but I’d also held back because that was my M.O. I was a man of action, not emotion.

Across the room, my phone buzzed quietly from the pocket of my jeans. I frowned, wondering who’d be texting or calling at this hour. The options were limited to a very few.

I glanced at Shay, but she hadn’t moved. Pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, I gently rolled out from under her and out of the bed, tucking her under the covers. She flopped to her belly in my empty spot and nestled her head into my vacated pillow.

I shook my head with a half-smile and padded over to yank out my phone, glancing down at the screen.

Lucky:You up, man?

Me:I am now. What’s up?

Lucky:Sorry for the early text. Couldn’t sleep, so kept digging and found some info for you.

My heart began to pound. I glanced back at Shay. She hadn’t moved a muscle.

Me:What’s that?

Lucky:I think your instincts were right on, my friend. There was definitely some shady stuff going on at Cameo during the time your brother was killed. Besides the documented Lady Killer murders, turns out there were a few other people who went “missing” or died suspiciously like Stone. Some from other mafia organizations, one was a retired professor named Bob Theiss. Weird shit...

Me:Anything point to Stone’s death?

Lucky:Not yet, but we’ll keep digging. Just wanted to let you know and to tell you to watch your six.

Me:Thanks, man. I appreciate it.

Lucky:No problem.

Lucky:Hey, one more thing... the wife and I were talking about taking a second honeymoon to Vegas soon. I was thinking I might see if any of my teammates were up for the trip to get some extra eyes on this there on the ground. What do you think?

Me:You think they’d do that?

Lucky:I know they would. They’re brothers... Plus I’ve read up on Cameo. What red-blooded American man wouldn’t want to check it out?

I stifled a laugh at that.

Me:Sure, I’ll take all the help I can get if you don’t mind.

Lucky:I’ll take care of it and be in touch soon.

Me:OK. Thanks again.

Behind me, Shay began to rustle. “Lex?” she said, her voice sleepy.

“Yeah.” I tucked my phone away and climbed back into bed with her.

She immediately snuggled back into me, melting my heart. “You’re so warm.”

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