“I’m on it,” he replies, dragging Madeline toward the elevator like a man on a mission, and he better fucking be.
Piper perches on the arm of my chair and smooths down my tug-crazy hair. “Anything I can do to help?”
I run my hand up her smooth thigh and grip her slender waist. “Why don’t you get ready for bed? I need to make a couple of calls, and I’ll be in shortly.”
She palms my cheek, and her dark chocolate eyes pin me to my spot. “I love you, Dante.” She replaces her hand with her lips and then softly skims them to my ear. “Don’t make me wait too long.”
I sit, slack-jawed, and watch her sway across the room, disappearing down the hall. Mother of fuck. A surge of adrenaline spikes through me, and I quickly dig my phone from my inside pocket and pull up Agent Tate’s number.
“Dante,” he answers.
“Cut the broad loose,” I say, quick and to the point. “No charges. As a matter of fact, have her send her resume to Grizzly Armor.”
Henry snorts. “What, you looking to give her a job now?”
“I think I might,” I say thoughtfully. “She could be a good replacement for Madeline in the future. Now that she’s aware of who she’s fucking with, I don’t see her being stupid again.”
“If you think I’m going to just hand her over so you can take care of her, you’ve lost your damn mind,” Henry says incredulously.
“Good old Agent Tate.” I bark a laugh. “I give you my word, she’s in no danger.”
“What in the hell is going on, Dante?” he hisses into the line. “I want answers!”
“We’ll meet next week,” I say, ending the call.
The next call I make is to Parks. During it, I demand he compile all the Miami information he’s collected since I asked him to investigate and get it to me … tomorrow.
Tonight, I have other plans.
I stand and stalk toward the master suite, loosening my tie as I go. My hands are fucking jittery, and my heart is racing inside my goddamn chest. I know an invitation when I hear one, and I’m not about to turn down the opportunity to show Piper everything I feel for her.
We had beautiful once, and I was too fucked up to embrace it, but not this time. It won’t be instant lust in an alley, fucking against a nasty brick wall. It won’t be possessive, angry fucking for all of Chicago to witness. It won’t be a man hiding in dreamland to deny what he feels.
It’ll be pure fucking worship.
As I enter the bedroom, my feet come to a pause. Piper’s clothes are littered across the floor, leading to the open bathroom door, where the sound of running water and the sight of billowy steam beckons. I’m frozen where I stand, digging deep for the courage to follow her lead, and it only takes a handful of seconds.
I strip as I go, dropping my pants and briefs at the threshold and inhaling a huge gust of Piper-scented steam. The vapor turns to water droplets and settles on my tongue, giving me the first taste of her wet skin. My swollen cock throbs, and my hands ache to roam the nude body on the other side of the glass.
Each step is measured as I approach the enclosure, restraining. I know how to fuck, to possess, to make a woman scream my name, but using my body to show her she’s everything is new and foreign. It’s an experiment of the heart, and I don’t want to fuck it up. I can’t fuck it up.
I don’t say anything as I pull open the door to step inside. She doesn’t react to my presence. My eyes burn across her flesh, following the countless rivers that trail down her sinful body. Without a word, I lift the shampoo and squirt some into my hand, motioning for her to turn around. Her ass brushes against my cock and it jumps, seeking her body like a divining rod, but I tamp down the urge to slam her against the wall and take her right fucking here.
As gently as a lamb, I soap her hair, massaging deeply into her scalp and fucking biting my bottom lip at her hums of pleasure. I almost give in to my baser instincts, but sanity prevails, and I push her under the rainfall spray. While she rinses the suds, I wet my hair with one of the side jets and wash it quickly. When she steps away from the spray, the full length of her body comes flush against mine, and I groan before getting myself under control and spinning her again.
This time, it’s conditioner I apply, working it in thoroughly and piling her hair atop her head in a squishy bun. As it sits, I grab her favorite body wash and use my hands to torture her silently. My eyes remain on her face as my hands roam her perfect skin. The bliss reflected there is almost enough to bring me to my knees. Her folds are slick with want and soap, allowing my fingers to glide effortlessly against her. Only enough to entice, never enough to satisfy.
Her thighs tense, warning me of her building ecstasy, and I pull away abruptly, steering her back under the spray. She rinses in dissatisfied bewilderment, and I use the small amount of time to soap my own body as quickly as possible. A hiss escapes as I fist my cock, drawing her eyes to the act, and they become predatory. Knowing playtime is over, I
