Chapter Nine
“What a beautiful dress,” Satyanna said, fixing the short veil.
Camila couldn’t have agreed more—the white gown outlined Erika’s slight curves. Sheer organza snugged her top then dropped at the waist with layers of feathery ruffles.
“Do you think I’m showing?” Erika asked, smoothing her hand over her belly.
Satyanna, Addie, and Camila, the three bridesmaids, looked at one another in shock. Camila loved interacting with the little ones and knowing their family grew. Her parents would have been happy to know most of them made their own families. Maybe one day it’d happen for her, too. Just not with Jaeger.
“Congratulations. That’s so exciting.” Addie gave Erika a hug. “Are you guys waiting to make the news public?”
Erika nodded. “We wanted to make our wedding day about us, since from now on it won’t be just us anymore. I promised Emanuel I’d wait, but it’s so damn hard to keep this a secret.”
Someone knocked on the door.
“Maybe it’s the wedding planner,” Satyanna said. For the past few hours, Erika’s suite had been a revolving door of stylists, makeup artists, and other employees. Even though the wedding wasn’t anything huge—only one hundred guests or so—Erika had made sure it would be every bit the fairy tale wedding she’d imagined.
“I’ll open the door,” Camila said. God, she loved weddings. Another piece of information she’d better not discuss in front of Jaeger to keep things from getting awkward. Why would he care anyway? Once he found whoever wanted to hurt her, he’d be out of her life. How ironic—she’d experience relief and heartbreak simultaneously.
Heartbreak? No. My heart can’t be involved, she thought. She opened the door and the maid handed her a beautiful bouquet of flowers. She inhaled them, the combination of daisies, lilies, and white roses an intoxicating mix. Maybe a guest who couldn’t make it to the wedding sent them.
Satyanna whistled. “They’re gorgeous.”
“Who are they from?” Addie chimed.
Erika took the envelope from the bouquet. “Oh. They’re for you,” she said, giving Camila the small square envelope.
“For me?” Camila frowned. She opened the envelope and read the message written in cursive handwriting: Not far enough. A cold shiver ran down her spine, and she parted her lips but hesitated to speak.
“So? Who sent them?” Addie asked, sniffing the flowers.
“Jaeger.” Camila hoped her voice sounded enthusiastic enough. How could she reveal she had a stalker now? When this nightmare ended, she’d share the news with her family, but today was Erika and Emanuel’s day. Hell, Erika had kept her own pregnancy a secret to enjoy this special day. There was nothing her siblings could do that she wasn’t already doing—hiring the best person to protect her and find the person guilty of threatening her.
“Niiice.” Erika whistled.
“I-I need to get some air. Is that okay?” Camila asked.
“Sure. Whatever he wrote on that note got you all flustered,” Addie said, chuckling.
The other women laughed, too, and murmured something Camila didn’t hear. She hoped they just assumed she was too shy to read a sexy note out loud. Her heart slammed against her rib cage as she walked out of the room, her pace quickening until she ran to the suite she occupied with Jaeger.
When she opened the door and slammed it behind her, Jaeger turned. He’d just put on his suit, and man, didn’t he look good enough to eat with the dark gray jacket and pants, crisp white shirt, and silky red tie. Maybe she’d eat him, if her stomach weren’t churning.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, picking up her nervous energy instantly. Over the last few days she had spent more time with him, he’d come to know her better than most people. Jaeger excelled at reading people, which sucked for her—she also had done a crappy job hiding her growing passion for him.
She showed him the note, her fingers still shaky and palm cold. “I just received some flowers and this note came with them. I didn’t tell anyone; they think it’s from you.”
He nodded, but she didn’t miss the vein flickering in his neck. “Stay here.”
Her stomach dropped to the floor. “What? Where are you going?”
“I’ll go to the flower shop and figure out who sent these to you. It’s a local store. I’ll be back in time for the wedding,” he said, after a glance at his watch.
“What do I tell people if they ask?”
“Tell them I got my clothes messed up and went to rent a suit. It’s crazy down there. I’ll doubt they’ll miss me.”
I’ll miss you. The words dangled at the tip of her tongue. Don’t do this to yourself, Camila. Don’t encourage this fascination for Jaeger. He’s made sure you know this…fling won’t go far. “Okay.”
“I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry,” he said before he closed the door behind him.
Don’t worry? Her heart throbbed at the base of her throat. The criminal knew where she was and still wanted to scare her off. Maybe I should take this as a warning and leave. Sure, she wouldn’t finish her internship and would dearly miss her friends and new life in the Big Apple. But she’d survive, and she had the support of her family in Brazil.
Camila shook her head. No. If she left, her stalker would win. She’d already lost her beloved dog and her sense of security. Why would she part with her internship? She’d worked so hard to graduate and perfect her English. She’d applied to various places until Hatch offered her the coveted position. Walking away meant shutting down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She returned to Erika’s suite and plastered a smile on her face, glad everyone had been too busy before to notice anything. The makeup artist started the finishing touches, and she stayed still.
For the next hour, she went through the motions, doing her dutiful bridesmaid job, for the first time in her life. In Brazil, instead of adult bridesmaids, children strolled down the aisle before the bride. Had she not been tense and wondering about Jaeger until halfway into the ceremony—when he finally showed up quietly and took a seat at the back of the room—she’d have enjoyed her part more.
Emanuel gave Erika a kiss a tad longer than what was probably socially acceptable during these things, and a dramatic Valentino dip, which got the guests cheering and clapping. When the pastor gave them their blessing to leave as a married couple, Camila sighed. Tears brimmed her eyes.
Weddings had an invisible way of reaching down her throat and clutching her heart. Her parents had not formally married; neither of them could afford it. They just moved in together and made the best of it until many decades later, before her mother died. Her father then had been fortunate to receive financial help from his sons. They held a small event at a church her mother used to go to when she’d felt less ill; it had been short so as to not flare up her lupus and other health issues. Yet those hours had stayed in Camila’s mind forever. The loving way her father glanced at her mother—much like Emanuel did to Erika, and her other brothers did to their wives.
Much like she’d like a man to look at her someday.
“Camila,” Addie whispered, and Camila shook her head, willing those memories away. Addie gestured with her hand and Camila understood the cue to go down the aisle after the couple. The professional photographer followed them, and a few guests also snapped pictures with their smartphones.
Camila followed along, and for the next thirty minutes, paid all her bridesmaid dues: took pictures with and without the newlyweds, smiled, asked the others if they needed anything. The official toast wouldn’t happen for another hour at least.
“Camila,” Jaeger called out to her, and she recognized the raspy sound before she even turned to face it.
“Yes. Sorry, it’s been crazy. What happened?”
He touched her elbow and nudged her away from the crowd, behind a tall tree decorated with several candles of different sizes. “I visited the shop. It’s linked to a website so they wouldn’t tell me who sent them, because they don’t know. I called Tony and asked him to hack into their system to find out.”
“And?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Someone used a fake name and credit card to pay for it.”
“We don’t know who that is?”
“Not yet. He’s trying to get to the source, but it’s ten times harder. It’s a thing now…people can buy fake IDs and credit card numbers from online dealers. This way, they don’t get traced when they’re looking at illegal stuff. I decided to go to the flower shop on the off chance the sender would have followed us here. To make sure that hadn’t been the case and cover all bases.”
She let out a long sigh, unable to keep her shoulders straight any longer. Jaeger pulled her into a hug, and she rested her face on his shoulder. That was the first time he gave her a public display of affection when they were outside the bedroom. Sure, he’d try little touches here and there, but mostly when others were around so she believed his affection wasn’t organic. This seemed…real.
“Who knew about this wedding, and that you’d be here?” he asked.
“Your aunt knows, because she did my hair. I told Lee about the wedding a couple of weeks ago. I must have mentioned it to the neighbors, but that was a few weeks ago, when I asked them for pet sitter referrals. And I mentioned it to Zoe when I emailed her, just in case she comes back into town.” Zoe was out of town, and the neighbors had no real reason to want her out. Sure, real estate was hard these days, but to kill a dog and send out threats for it? “You’re not thinking someone wants my apartment, right? When the realtor said it was to die for, I never imagined she could mean it literally.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said, and squeezed her against his chest, and a foolish happiness invaded her being.
…
Jaeger swallowed. The quick tap on her back he meant to give turned into an intimate embrace, and for a moment, he let his guard down. She rested her face on his shoulder, and he resisted the urge to kiss the top of her head. He did, however, hold her tight against him. She didn’t return the hug, which relieved him.
His insides burned with need, and his fingers tingled to touch her hair, massage her neck, cup her beautiful face—all distractions he didn’t need to keep her safe and alive. For the past couple of days, they’d enjoyed each other’s bodies while following his rules—she restrained and he, in control. Camila never complained about the arrangement, and he decided not to dwell on bedding a client. He’d worry about it after she left his life. Until then, he’d have to fucking multitask.
But how to stop touching her outside the bedroom? She rested her hands on his waist, then lifted them to his chest, placing them between herself and his body. She grabbed his tie, pulling him down for a kiss.
No. He jerked away, wishing he had done so more smoothly when her jaw dropped. “I’m sorry.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I…I can’t.”
Camila nodded, but couldn’t disguise the sadness in her eyes. God. What was he doing? Thousands of men—any rational man—would love to be the object of her affection. “I’m just shaken, that’s all,” she said.
Me too. He’d never admit to it out loud, but a side of him worried about losing her more than he would a regular client. The idea that someone knew of her location, knew exactly where she was…he curled his fingers into a ball. Jaeger couldn’t wait to knock all the teeth out of that bastard’s mouth. “Listen…let’s enjoy the wedding. Tomorrow we’ll go back first thing in the morning. I want you to continue staying at my place.”
“Can’t I be watched at my place?”
“Yes, but what if your roommate comes back? It’ll be harder to control who comes in and out. If you’d rather stay at a hotel, you can, but there’s also a lot of movement and it’ll make you more vulnerable.” Apprehension moved through him, and he hoped she wouldn’t notice he actually wanted her to stay at his place. Their business agreement made it all possible—he enjoyed the coziness of having her at his side without having to worry about much else, emotionally wise.
“Well, I don’t want to be more vulnerable than I already am. You’re right…let’s go back to the wedding so I can fulfill the rest of my bridesmaid duties.”
He contemplated the cobalt dress covering her beautiful body, and his cock stirred in his pants. The silky dress had some ruffles and reached down to her ankles. He imagined it tossed on the floor or over the chair in their suite. And that image brought a wicked smile to his lips.
Jaeger locked the bedroom door behind them with a click. The day had been long and the night, longer. Having to talk to her brothers and family, pretending all was well, took a toll on him. Usually, he didn’t care about deceiving people as long as that was part of the job. But her brothers truly cared about her, and her sisters-in-law treated Camila like a younger sibling. That tipped the scale for sure.
He rubbed the back of his neck while she took off her dress and hung it in the closet. In a few minutes, he heard the shower running in the bathroom, and a cloud of steam escaped the door. He could join her, of course. His fingers tingled for him to walk up to the bathroom and twist that stainless steel door handle.
Restraining her in the bathroom would be more difficult, and slippery with the water. Certainly didn’t fit the mood. He removed his suit jacket, then loosened his tie and took it off. Should he not restrain her this time?
He’d already done more for her than anyone else. He’d not only suggested, but asked her, to move in with him while he cracked the case. He’d met her family and pretended they were a loving couple. He’d even talked to her after sex and no longer slept on the couch, but next to her.
Jaeger pulled down his pants and boxers and tossed them in his open suitcase. Join her in the shower. The idea seduced him with the persistence of a drug addict bargaining his last belonging for one more fix. He fumbled inside his suitcase and retrieved the pair of handcuffs he’d bought after the visit to the flower shop. Turned out a hip, tasteful adult store stood in the same upscale shopping area, and he had gone in and out quickly. Now he smiled at the purchase. Maybe she’d freak out.
His cock hardened. Camila had been so open minded and flexible from the start, why would she say no now?
“What’s that?” she asked, coming out of the bathroom wrapped in a white, fluffy towel.
He lifted the cuffs and shot her a grin. “An alternative to ties.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “No kidding. What if I say no?”
He sighed. “No means no.” But he sincerely hoped that wouldn’t be the case.
She walked up to him. “I’ll do something for you if you do something for me.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to taste you,” she said, her sexy accent cutting through the air.
God. He sucked in a breath so deep by the time he released it a heady sensation filled him. Blood rushed madly to the one part of him that disagreed with common sense wherever she was concerned. He heard the thumps of his heart louder each time she took a step in his direction. His buttocks tightened, his back stiffened. Letting her have control, even for a short amount of time, was an exception that could bring troubling consequences. “That’d go against my rules.” He didn’t want to cuff her yet. If she was to pleasure him orally, he wanted to feel her hands around his shaft, her fingers playing with his tip.
“Tough luck. Once won’t kill you.”
“You taste me, then I handcuff you,” he said, desperate to cling to any kind of limits to keep from yielding completely.
“Lie down on the bed,” she said.
“I sit,” he said, then headed to the edge of the bed and sat, naked. Lying in the center of the bed would give her more power over him.
She shrugged her shoulders then leaned in front of him. The whole thing would be sterile and distant, but his heart flipped once, twice, when she ran her fingers along his shaft.
He groaned, revealing his arousal. Well, verbally. Was there a way to hide his erection from her? Nope. She palmed his cock, while her other hand cupped his throbbing balls. Shouldn’t he stop her? No. They didn’t elaborate on how long she would taste him, but having her fingers tease him felt…too damn good. His body roared, recognizing a need he hadn’t fulfilled in a long time.
When was the last time he’d been touched with abandon? The day Ellen and Trevor died. That morning he’d made love to his wife to appease her after an argument, and he’d ended up late for work. He fell behind on his assignment, which was why he’d ended up missing the lunch date he’d arranged with her. If only he’d been on time…
“Everything okay?” she asked, as if he were some damn virgin and not an experienced man in his thirties.
“Yes.”
“Talk to me. Do you like what I’m doing?” she asked, her hand palming him up and down. Slowly, at first. Then he hissed out and she stroked him a tad faster.
Didn’t she know by now he was a man of few words? How more uncomfortable did she want him to be? “Enough,” he said, holding her wrists and throwing her on the bed. All he wanted to do was plunge into her, fuck her, and forget about everything else.
“No.” She splayed her hand on his chest and shoved him out of her way, rolling him on the bed. “You gave me your word. I haven’t tasted you yet.”
Shit. She wasn’t going to let go. “Just be quick,” he said, not sure he really meant it. If she provoked him like he had done her when they had sex, he wouldn’t make it.
“You’re probably the first man in the universe to say that before receiving oral sex.”
He sank on the bed, momentarily defeated. She said something in Portuguese and flashed him a mischievous smile that could change a man’s principles. Trying to keep his stance, he glanced at the ceiling, burying the back of his head into the pillow.
She nipped his thigh, and a shot of arousal surged through him like he had just inhaled a powerful drug. Her cheeks rubbed against his pubic hair, a prickle of awareness electrifying his flesh. She continued to speak in Portuguese, and whatever she said sounded erotic as fuck.
He opened his mouth to ask what she was saying but hesitated because he knew she would translate it. And it’d only serve to put him even more under her spell, a spell that would have an expiration date if he had any say in it. Hell, just as her hands brushed his cock he realized he didn’t have a say on a lot anymore, but he’d gain control. After this, he’d regain—
“Wow. You may play hard to get all you want, but there’s a part of you that’s my number one fan,” she said, running her fingers on his shaft.
“If you continue to treat me well, maybe other parts will join,” he said. Unable to fight the impulse, he thrust his fingers into her textured hair. She took him into her mouth at last and a guttural sound escaped his lips. She moaned, too, and that only added to his desire.
God. What did this woman do to him? “Camila,” he said, his voice hoarse.
He wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. She swirled her tongue around him, her hand stroking him up and down. His hips rocked into her, as he urged for more of that sinful connection. What he really wanted was to shove his cock deep in her throat until he spilled into her and end the nonsense.
She licked the tip of his cock, her tongue fetching the warm liquid. “You taste wonderful, Jaeger, and I’m hungry for more.”
He gritted his teeth, desperate to hold his release. She dipped her head down between his legs, sucking him with more intensity. Her hand squeezed his balls gently, while her glorious tongue reverenced his dick like it was a freaking king. He massaged her scalp, knowing he wouldn’t be able to wait much longer.
“Let it go, Jaeger. Give yourself to me,” she said, the last words he comprehended. She put most of him into her mouth, whatever she managed to fit, and he rocked his cock into her. Once. Twice. On the third time…an enormous current of heat washed over him, impacting his every cell.
He let go of her hair and propped himself on his elbows to watch her. Maybe sensing he searched for more, she raised her eyes to his, and that did it. The moment he saw her ravish his dick, and the naughty, but honest, glint flickering in her gorgeous brown eyes, he conceded to the spasms driving him.
Without breaking the stare, she swallowed his warm load. His body felt tired, and he wanted to slump on the bed and close his eyes. His mind raced, emotions filling up his chest. The only face he saw was hers, and for the first time, he didn’t need anything else. And that was a big fucking problem.