Wicked Shadows (Steele Security Book 5) Read online

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “Not wasting any time, are you?”

  “Not one minute.”

  The following morning came both too soon and not fast enough. Devon kept his arm draped over Elle all night, his front to her back. Though, he didn’t sleep much, with his desire for her trying to take control of his willpower. But the last idea he wanted to reinforce in her mind was the assumption he only wanted to claim his property. Much more was at stake than his ego or pride. Their two weeks in a private island retreat would provide ample time to show her how he felt about her.

  Before the sun rose, Devon was up and showered, ready to depart on their early-morning flight. Elle soon joined him in the living room, the tension between them still thick with uncertainty for the future.

  “You still haven’t told me exactly where we’re going.” Elle broke the heavy silence between them by focusing on the positive aspect of the situation.

  “It’s a secret. I can’t tell you until we get there.” He winked at her and smiled broadly, clearly pleased with himself.

  Elle fought to tamp down the mistrust and stabbing pain in her heart from having one more secret between them. Even one she should appreciate—like a two-week exotic vacation.

  “There are people who need to know where I am and when I’ll return, Devon. There are contract clauses I’m required to honor, last-minute engagements that may come up, and someone will need to provide a statement for my absence. Even if I wanted to escape from everyone and everything, I wouldn’t shirk my responsibilities and just disappear off the face of the earth. Other people depend on me to uphold my commitments.”

  The more she talked, the angrier she became that she even had to explain those simple facts to him. Facts that anyone else who had spent time in her life would already know about her. Yet the very man she’d devoted years to loving didn’t give a second thought to the career she’d worked hard to build.

  “We’re going to St. Lucia. We’re staying at Jade Mountain. Do you need to leave the number to the hotel with anyone? Beth, or your parents?” He gave her a card he retrieved from his shirt pocket. It contained all the information anyone would need to know about their location. Flight numbers, times, phone numbers, and the dates they’d be away.

  “You knew I’d ask for this.”

  “Of course. You don’t think I’d need to leave the same information with others, too?”

  “I’m sorry. I obviously wasn’t thinking straight. This is all happening so fast, and I still don’t know what to make of it.”

  “We’ll slow down to island time when we get there. Can we call a truce for now? When we land and you see it for yourself, you can decide if you want to be trapped in a tropical paradise with me for two weeks.”

  “Truce.”

  Island time sounded perfect to Elle. She slowed her racing thoughts long enough to study Devon intentionally for the first time in many months. She memorized every feature and expression that crossed his face. She began to realize his outward actions didn’t always reflect what his eyes revealed to her. An odd thought popped into her mind from nowhere.

  He is actually a very skilled actor. The only people he can’t fool are those who know him best.

  She suspected those people were few and far between, and she questioned if even she fell into that category.

  I suppose I’ll know for sure two weeks from today.

  She rose and left a note for Beth on the kitchen counter, instructing her to share Elle’s whereabouts with her assistant and her agent. Devon waited at the door until she’d finished, then carried their bags down to the waiting taxi.

  Once they were in the air, she expressed her delight over flying first class. “You keep spoiling me like this, I’ll start to expect it all the time.”

  “This is nothing compared to what awaits you, darlin’. You’ll never want to leave once you see it.”

  “You know, it just occurred to me you flew across the country to my apartment, only to fly east again to the island. That’s a lot of time in the air.”

  “You’re worth every second of it. I’ve already told you there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. All you have to do is say the word.”

  “That’s it? Just say the word, and it’s mine?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “What is the secret word that unlocks this magical treasure trove?”

  “It’s no secret, Elle. You own my heart. Whatever you need from me is yours, whenever you need it.”

  There, in his eyes, was the truth that matched his words. He’d never actually said the words “I love you,” but she couldn’t deny she’d always loved him. And she always would. Time and distance hadn’t diminished her feelings in the least. She leaned over and placed a long kiss on his lips, savoring the moment of truth and the time they had to spend together.

  12

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The resort was more magnificent than she could’ve imagined in her most luxurious dreams. The sweeping mountainside suites featured a wall completely open to the elements and provided a stunning view of the twin volcanic peaks and the Caribbean Sea. At the edge of the open-air suite sanctuary was a private infinity pool, providing the guests an incredible sense of floating out into nature.

  When Elle entered their expansive suite, she was instantly awestruck. One room flowed directly into another, so the panoramic view was never obscured. Entering that room felt as if she were entering an entirely new world. The sparkling water, the lush green trees, and the steep peaks of the mountains transported her to a place where stress and worries couldn’t exist.

  “Devon, this is…beyond words. There’s no way I’ll want to leave after being here for two weeks. I don’t want to leave after being here for two seconds. Can we get lost in the jungle and stay here forever?”

  “The rain forest is amazing. Forget the real world exists. Erase any memory of responsibilities waiting for us back home. Spend every day right here on this amazing island, exploring every inch of it and each other. Making love at all hours of the day and night. Having you all to myself and never sharing you with anyone else.”

  “The same goes for you,” she retorted. “No more disappearing on me. By my side every day and night.”

  “You’d get tired of me real fast.”

  She looked over her shoulder, meeting his gaze. “Never.”

  They reached for each other at the same time. Arms encircled, lips clashed, and tongues demanded entrance. Hands moved with fluid precision, shedding clothes with no regard to where they landed. The urgency to have, hold, and feel each other commanded them, demanding their submission.

  His arms slid down her back, and his hands cupped her ass and lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on to him, their mouths fused together in an erotic union while he moved to the wall. With her back pushed against it and her legs tight around him, he freed one hand and reached down between her legs. His fingers, long and deft, found her wet center and gently pushed inside. The whimper that escaped her throat urged him on until her soft moans became cries of ardent passion.

  “I love the fucking sexy sounds you make when you come. They’re music to my ears, and this song will be on repeat all night.”

  He moved to the bed and set her down on the edge. On his knees in front of her, he buried his face between her legs. His warm, wet tongue licked up her slit before pushing inside to taste her fully. On cue, her eyes closed and her head dropped back. He wrapped his arms around her legs, his fingers gripped her thighs, and he pushed them up and farther apart. Her arms folded, and she gently fell backward until she lay flat on the bed.

  His tongue circled and tantalized her clit while one hand traced her entrance, teasing her pussy until she’d coated his fingers with her desire. When he forcefully sucked her clit into his mouth, he thrust his fingers deep inside her waiting channel. She gripped his hair tightly, instinctively drawing him closer to her. He increased the tempo and pressure of his dual assaul
t until her screams filled the air. When he’d lapped up every bit of her ecstasy, he raised his eyes and met hers.

  A slow, sexy smile spread across his handsome face. His eyes were so dark blue, they looked almost black. Knowing he’d only begun and had so many more plans for ravaging her body made the butterflies in her stomach turn somersaults.

  “Fuck, that is the best sound in the world. I need to record that and listen to it while we have phone sex.”

  “As long as no one else hears it.”

  “My thoughts exactly. I’d kill a man for less than that.”

  His words should’ve given her pause, but when he lowered his head and began again, all logical thought and reasoning left her faculties. The feel of his mouth on her, so intimate yet so intense, rendered her speechless and incoherent. The orgasm built in increasing levels until it ripped through her with an unstoppable ferocity. The swirling and thrusting of his tongue mixed with the filling and stretching sensation of his fingers was too much to handle. The addictive part was that every time with Devon was equally as thrilling and pleasing. Every time, her body was left spent and satisfied. Every time was better than the last.

  “Mmm, you taste so good.” His lips brushed against her pussy as he spoke. His deep voice reverberated against her thighs, sending chills up her spine.

  “You’ve set my body on fire. I don’t think I can bear for you to touch me right now.” Her words came out in a breathy staccato. “That was intense.”

  “I’m just getting warmed up. That was my appetizer.”

  “Now it’s time for mine,” she replied. She tugged on his hand lightly, and he let her pull him onto the bed beside her. She moved down his muscular chest and rippled stomach, leaving a wet, open mouthed swath of kisses until she reached his cock. It was standing at attention, hard and proud, when she wrapped her fingers around it. She slid her hand up and down the shaft while circling the head with her tongue, simultaneously teasing and pleasing.

  Without warning, she took him deep into her mouth. The tip of his cock hit the back of her throat repeatedly while she worked him into a frenzy. Her head bobbed up and down, matching the speed of her hand. His fingers threaded through her hair, holding on while her soft, wet mouth worked wonders on his control.

  “Elle, if you keep doing that, I’m going to come.”

  His warning was an aphrodisiac to her. Being the one who made him give up his control and give in to her ministrations made her feel emboldened, empowered. His release came soon after she increased her fervor, intent to see it through to the end. When she’d taken the very last drop, she swallowed it down and looked up at him through her lashes.

  “You know, the noises you make when I make you come are pretty damn sexy too.”

  He smirked in reply, his smug smile sexy as sin on his handsome face. Then he reached under her arms and pulled her back up beside him. In one swift move, he rolled over on top of her and thrust his thick cock inside her to the hilt. She cried out in pleasure. The sweet burn of his cock stretching her only added to the intense pleasure. He pushed forward and arched back over and over again. His mouth covered the beaded tip of her nipple, laving her skin with his wet tongue. Each thrust became harder. Every sensation became stronger.

  “You are mine, Elle,” he stated definitively. “No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be free of me.”

  “I don’t want to be. I’ve never wanted that.”

  He stopped abruptly and stood beside the bed. Then he positioned her in front of him, bent over with her chest on the mattress. “I want you in every way imaginable.” He ran his finger down the ridge of her spine, along the crack of her ass, and brushed against the puckered rosebud of her virgin ass. “This, one day soon, will be mine. There’s no part of you I’d share with another man, Elle. Your every first will be with me.”

  “Yes.” A one-word reply was all she could manage. Yes—to everything he wanted, anything he wanted.

  He held his cock in his hand and rubbed it up and down her center, coating the head with the wetness pooled between her legs. He suddenly pushed inside her, his fingers gripped her hips, and he drove relentlessly until neither of them could wait another second. When she screamed his name, her body locked down around him and forced his tumble over the edge in concert with hers.

  After they’d cleaned up, they slipped into their private infinity pool. The healing touch of the cool water soothed her delicate skin. Wrapped in each other’s embrace, they shared no less intimacy while talking about their hopes and dreams for the future than while in the throes of passion just moments before. Elle felt as if she’d met a new side of Devon. For the first time in several years, she thought they might actually have a shot at a happily-ever-after story of their own.

  “Are you ready to go explore the island?” he asked.

  “Yes, I can’t wait to see everything this place has to offer.”

  They changed into shorts and sandals before leaving the suite, and the tension and doubts that hung between them only hours before had disappeared. Hand in hand, they strode through the hillside terraces of the resort, excited about the plentiful activities their vacation destination would provide.

  The luxurious spa and raving reviews over the couple’s massage caught Elle’s attention immediately. Devon insisted on booking the zip line tour of the rain forest for them both. Just off the beach at the bottom of the multilevel terraces and winding staircase was a shallow coral reef where they could relive their first date. They wound down the sweeping steps until they reached the beach below.

  “We can’t miss the tour of the volcanoes while we’re here.” Elle bounced on her toes in excitement while taking in the grandeur around her.

  “If we have time in between our indoor activities,” Devon teased. “We may not have time to put clothes on again after today.”

  “Then we’ll go naked and really cause a stir around here.” The spark of defiance in her eyes made Devon narrow his in return.

  “If you think I’d let another man see you naked, you’ve got another thing coming.”

  “You know it turns me on when you go all Neanderthal man on me. Just no pissing on my leg to mark your territory. I have to draw the line there.”

  His steps were casual, but his gaze held a playful warning. His advance toward Elle was slow but calculated, forcing her to back up in an automatic, self-preservation response. “Elle, you’re the only person who’s gotten away with mocking me more than once. The bodies of the other unfortunate people will never be found. Don’t make me have to take you and hide you away, too.”

  “That depends. Where would you hide me? Is it as beautiful a place as this island? If so, I’ll be sure to mock you again so we can stay. You’d have to stay with me to make sure I don’t escape, of course.” She smiled from ear to ear while she attempted to see how far she could push his ultra-controlled demeanor before he revealed more of his true self to her.

  “It’s not punishment if you like it and want it. I’m afraid you’re not leaving me much choice.”

  Her watchful eyes never left him, waiting for him to made a sudden move on her, but she didn’t see him move until she was already in his grasp. His speed was unbelievable, putting him on top of her before her brain even comprehended he’d made a move. She was in his arms and tossed over his shoulder in the blink of an eye.

  He charged toward the water and dove in, turning on his back and positioning her on top of him at the last moment. Submerged in the aqua blue waters of the Caribbean, he pushed up and they surfaced with sputtering and hysterical laughter.

  “You were getting a little hotheaded. I thought you could use some cooling off,” he explained.

  “Is that so?” She laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He supported her in the water with his strong, muscular arms. “Always looking out for my well-being, aren’t you?”

  “Always have. Always will.”

  The following day, he woke her early for their zip l
ine tour of the rain forest. High in the canopy of the lush green trees, she stood on a platform with nothing but a harness and a line stretched through the trees to keep her from plunging to her death on the forest floor.

  “I think I’m going to be sick.” She peered over the edge of the platform and quickly retreated when she saw the dizzying height.

  He wrapped his arms around her from behind to make her feel more secure. “When the fear is too much and you feel like it’s overtaking you, close your eyes. Feel me with you. Remember how this feels in my arms and let it calm you. I’m your shadow, Elle. I’m always with you.”

  “Next,” the tour guide called out.

  Elle opened her eyes and stepped out of Devon’s embrace, her courage renewed. The guide connected her harness to the line and gave her a reminder demonstration of what to do.

  “Now, just sit down in your harness, and simply let go. Soar through the trees and have the time of your life. There’s nothing to fear.”

  She did as he said, keeping Devon’s encouragement close to her heart. In an instant, she was zipping through the canopy. Amazing sights and beauty she’d never seen before quickly made her forget about her fears. The tree height became her friend, introducing her to new and wonderful experiences she never would’ve risked on her own. Her squeals of delight rang through the trees, quickly followed by Devon’s laughter.

  “I’m so glad you made me do this!” She jumped into his arms as soon as he landed on the next stop. “This is so much fun. Makes me wish I had a video camera on my helmet so I could watch it over and over again.”

  When they’d finished flying through the trees, Devon pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I’m proud of you. Even though you were scared out of your mind, you handled it like a pro.”

  “I did what you told me to do. When I felt your arms around me, I felt safe and protected. You didn’t seem to have any problem jumping off that platform at all.”