Chapter 9

Jason

O nce Lily is asleep, I leave Rita in charge while I drive back to Audrey's place. It's past midnight, and the streets are mostly clear. I like the city when it's dark; there's barely a soul around, and it's quiet other than the occasional car or taxicab rushing by.

I'm alone with my thoughts as I try to figure out what it is that has me so bound to Audrey in the first place.

I don't get easily attached, yet I am slowly becoming addicted to her.

I don't mind it. I find I rather enjoy the feeling, but it makes me feel vulnerable. I haven't felt that way in a long time, and it's usually accompanied by hurt. Lily and I have been fine on our own, dealing with everything together, one day and one step at a time. We've made it work, especially with Rita's help. It's a formula that has made sense for nearly five years now, and I don't want to spoil it. I don't want to destroy this subtle balance.

But after seeing Audrey earlier, I'm worried about her.

I pull up outside her building, observing it for a while before I get out of my car. Audrey's living room and bedroom window face the street, and I can see the lights are still on. I glance up and down the road and see nothing but an endless row of parked cars, most of them black and expensive. It's a prosperous neighborhood. It's always been a place for the crème de la crème of Chicago to live, and it's a shame the previous owners of The Emerald didn't have a clue about how to keep up this once-illustrious property.

It still needs more work, but I think it will start paying for itself in a couple of years. I'm a patient man in terms of business. Where Audrey is concerned, however, I feel restless, so I go into the building, using my skeleton key to enter. To my astonishment, when I reach Audrey's apartment, she is sneakily stepping out with a large suitcase in tow.

"What the…?" I mutter and startle her so much that she jumps.

"For fuck's sake!" she snaps as her hand goes to her chest, then instantly cools down as she recognizes me. "You scared the crap out of me, Jason. What are you doing here?"

"I think the better question is, what are you doing?"

She's dressed like an undercover cop: she's bare-faced, her blonde hair is tucked under a grey ballcap, and she's wearing a heavy overcoat over a black tracksuit. And then there's the large suitcase she's lugging. She could fit a good part of her wardrobe in there, and I see a couple more bags waiting just inside the door.

She's leaving.

The thought of it hits me like a ton of bricks. My chest hurts, and I need to catch my breath before I say anything.

"I'm going away for a couple of days," Audrey mumbles, averting her eyes.

"Is that so?"

She gives me a sour look. "It's not like I owe you an explanation, Jason. It's my life, and it's my business."

"I never said it wasn't. But you seem to forget who you're talking to, Audrey. I think I deserve a little more credit because I'm not buying what you're trying to sell me here, honey."

For the longest minute, Audrey's gaze drops into what I can only interpret as a painful combination of fear and shame as she struggles with the decision to tell me the truth. She knows I won't settle for anything less.

The mere fact that she's literally about to skip town tells me there's a side of Audrey I've yet to see, which only intrigues me further. And seeing her like this only makes my desire to protect her grow stronger by a thousandfold. Something has scared her badly enough to push her into packing her bags and leaving town in the middle of the night.

"I'm sorry," Audrey says as she finally looks up at me, her eyes filled with tears. "I've been trying to keep it together, to work it out on my own. I don't think the building manager took my emails seriously."

"I certainly did. They added more security staff to the nighttime shifts," I tell her.

"It's not just that. Men are watching this place, going up and down each floor. One of them knocked on my door the other night. They were persistent. I can feel their eyes on me whenever I come in and out of the building, and I don't want to be paranoid, but I simply don't feel safe anymore, Jason. I don't know what else to do except to get away from here for a few days."

I take it all in, quietly paying attention not only to what Audrey is telling me but also to what she isn't telling me. Because I can sense she's leaving important details out of her story. There is definitely a secret that she's working hard to protect, but I don't want to yank it out of her. I need Audrey to feel comfortable enough to tell me without any pressure or coercion.

"Can you describe these men?" I ask. "Are they the same guys every time? I can have my security team comb through the CCTV footage."

"Yeah, I can describe three of them. There may be more. Mrs. Ashel said she saw a couple of them, too, on different days. But she carries a mace spray in her purse and walks around with the confidence of a UFC fighter."

"Audrey, starting tomorrow, I'm going to add more security measures to the building," I tell her. "Whatever I can get my hands on that is sold on the civilian market, that is. Biometric identification technology, special access codes, anything and everything until you feel safe in your own home again."

"But that will be a huge expense for you," Audrey mutters. "What's the point of buying a building if it brings more costs than profits in the long term?"

"Actually, the expense itself is a short-term issue. Long term means I have happy and comfortable residents who want to stay longer, especially in the leased units," I shoot back with a confident smile, already doing the math in my head about how I'm going to flip certain funds around in order to cover such an upgrade. It's worth it, though. If it brings Audrey some peace, it's worth it. "That being said, you're not going anywhere."

Audrey gives me a startled look. "I am. I'm not staying here tonight."

"Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. You're not going anywhere on your own. You're coming home with me."

"What? No, I don't want to impose. Jason, I'll be fine."

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Oh, for—"

"Out of the question," I insist with a playful smile. "Spend the night with me. Lily's already asleep. You'll be somewhere safe. You'll be with me."

"Jason …"

"I'm not asking you to move in with me."

It's not exactly the worst idea I've had since I met her. I'm not the type to rush into anything, but there's something about this woman that beckons me to do more, to work harder, to be better than I was before.

"Just for tonight. Maybe tomorrow night, too, or until we figure out who these men are and what business they have here. That's all."

For a split second, I notice a fleeting twinkle of fear in Audrey's blue eyes. It's different from before, and it resonates with something inside of me, a suspicion that I've had for a while that's been lying dormant in the back of my head, a suspicion that Audrey is afraid I'll find out something about her past, something she doesn't want anyone to know.

Whatever it is that she's holding back, it could connect to this stalker issue.

"Fine," Audrey finally concedes. "I'll spend the night if it'll shut you up."

"There are other ways for you to shut me up, babe," I shoot back with a chuckle.

She playfully smacks me over the shoulder. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"That's hard to do when I'm around you."

And just like that, a resolution has been reached, albeit temporarily. The uneasiness lingers in my chest, but at least she's not running away to an unknown location. At least I get to keep her close and figure out what it is that's got her wound up so tightly.

Besides, the more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that whatever this is between us, it's growing, fast and steady, smooth and organic. There's no pressure, no label, no expectation on either side, yet we are growing closer. Our bond gets stronger with each passing day.

I don't know what to make of it, but I do know that I don't want it to end.

Once we're back at my place, I give Audrey some room to unpack a few of her things so she can make herself as comfortable as possible. Fortunately, this penthouse is huge, and the master bedroom alone is the equivalent of half of her apartment. There's room for everyone and everything.

I check on Lily in the meantime, content to find her asleep. I am thankful that Rita agreed to stay the night.

After gently kissing my little girl and pulling the covers over her, I move into the kitchen and open a bottle of wine to serve next to a hastily prepared cheese platter. Not that I'm particularly hungry, but judging by the faint shadows under Audrey's eyes, I'm guessing she's been too nervous to eat properly over the past few days.

She's just coming out of the shower by the time I bring the platter and the wine back to her bedroom. She stops in the en suite bath's doorway, wrapped in a plush green towel, her blonde hair pulled up in a loose bun on the top of her head, her eyes wide as she stares at me.

I only glance at her, too busy keeping an eye on the tray and the wine until I reach the small round table by the window. I set everything down and breathe out a genuine sigh of relief.

"Wine and cheese," Audrey says with an appreciative smile. "You sure know how to impress a girl, Mr. Winchester."

"If I told you that all I did was grab some stuff out of the fridge and set it onto the plate, would you be as impressed?" I reply. "I shouldn't even admit this, but I grabbed the first bottle of wine that I saw in the cooler. I have no idea what it is."

"Oh, that's right, you're not much of a wine drinker," she giggles.

I have a hard time looking away from her. I love the way she moves. Those long legs with thick thighs, toes sinking in with every step that she takes across the fluffy carpet. Her gaze turns curious as it wanders over the cheese plate, and when hunger glistens in her eyes, I know I hit the right spot with this move.

We sit down to eat and enjoy a glass of crisp California Rosé.

"I may not be much of a wine drinker, but I have to admit, this is a fine bottle," I say after the first sip. "I keep a few bottles in the cooler for any guests who might fancy it, but that's about it. Oh, and Rita uses some of it for cooking."

"Rita is pretty much a staple around this place, isn't she?" Audrey asks as she gets busy with a piece of mature cheddar. I watch as she dips it into a small porcelain bowl filled with chili honey before popping it into her mouth, but my attention is soon distracted by the smooth curves of her shoulders and the way in which her breasts struggle against the wraparound towel. "Nanny, chef … what else?"

"Honestly, Rita has been like a second mother to both Lily and me. Of course, she is compensated accordingly. I never skimp on the bonuses, either. She's a loner by nature, though, and so she enjoys spending time with us. She's close to retirement, but she doesn't want to ever stop working."

"I think I can relate to that. I love what I do, too, and hardly see myself retiring from it."

I nod once. "Rita's the same. She loves Lily like her own daughter, and she's been with us through thick and thin. I do a lot of the cooking, too, but there are certain dishes that Rita enjoys making for us. I have a maid service for the cleaning, however. I want Rita to focus on Lily, first and foremost."

"It's very sweet and kind of her," Audrey muses, her gaze briefly lost somewhere over the Chicago skyline. "Devoting so much of her time, so much of her life to you and your daughter. Doesn't she have a family of her own?"

"Her husband, Marvin, and I were in the service together," I say. "He was my commanding officer, actually."

"What happened?"

"He was killed in action," I say slowly. "I couldn't save him. He sacrificed himself so the rest of us could escape an ambush on the outskirts of Kabul. We were lured there. It was a mess. When I got back, I felt compelled to do everything in my power to make sure Rita was well taken care of."

"So, you brought her to work for you," Audrey replies.

"Yes. Marvin's pension barely covered the mortgage and monthly utilities," I say. "While Ramona and I were married, Rita had a full-time job looking after the house and making sure Ramona didn't get into too much trouble, but that was an impossible mission."

Audrey knows the story or the gist of it anyway. I never share too many details about Lily's mother because I hate putting any more energy into that woman and her selfish ways than I need to. She broke my heart, and I thought I'd never be able to love anyone ever again. She left me with a daughter to raise and then dared to sue for custody. We settled for supervised visits twice a year, given her unsavory history and on-and-off relationship with narcotics.

"I'm glad you had someone like Rita looking out for you and Lily when things got rough," Audrey says and exhales sharply. "And honestly, I'm impressed by how gracious you are when you mention your ex-wife, especially after the troubles she caused."

"I'm more concerned about taking care of the people who chose to stay in my life than worrying about someone who ran out of it. I'm too busy raising my daughter and making sure she'll grow up to be a better human than most of us," I reply and refill my glass.

"That's a healthy mindset," she says.

The conversation delves into various other aspects of my life since she won't tell me much about hers, not without a poke or a prod from me. But I'm content to see her calm and relaxed as opposed to the gunpowder keg I stumbled upon earlier.

The wine is working its magic, and the cheese platter is a decisive knockout to the point where Audrey's gaze softens as she leans back in her chair, satiated.

"Thank you, Jason," she says after a long silence.

"For what?"

"For all of this, for just being you," she replies, half-smiling. "For not asking too many questions, for giving me room to breathe, for … making me feel safe again."

Ah, the magic words that every man wishes to hear from the lips of his woman. It fills me with a different kind of energy, strength surging through every fiber of my body as I get up from the table and take her in my arms. Audrey surrenders instantly, melting in my embrace as I kiss her lips softly.

"You're going to have to tell me everything at some point," I tell her in between tender pecks. "You can't keep me in the dark forever."

"I know. I need a bit more time to find the right words to explain," she sighs. "Not tonight, though."

"No, not tonight. Tonight, I'm making love to you."

She looks up, losing herself in my eyes for a while. "Making love?" Her voice is but a whisper fluttering in the dim bedroom lights. An echo wedged between our fastening heartbeats.

"You have to admit it, Audrey. This thing we've got going on, it's not strictly physical, is it?" I ask, already seeing the answer deep in her gaze. "It's something else, it's something more. I'm okay with not rushing into anything, but I can't lie to myself, and I don't want you lying to yourself, either. Whatever happens next, it's going to be the two of us together. As long as you'll have me, anyway." I pause and kiss her cheek. "Will you have me, Audrey?"

"Oh, yes," she replies without hesitation.

My mind unravels as I let her take over. We kiss hungrily, ravenously, desperately clawing at one another. Our hands roam up and down, feeling and touching and squeezing everything in their path. Her towel is the first thing to land on the floor while she manages to get me out of my shirt before I start trailing wet kisses down the side of her neck.

I take my sweet time kneading and kissing her breasts, reveling in the smooth firmness of her flesh as I close my lips around her nipples, suckling and licking each until all I can hear are her gasps of raw pleasure. I bite into one, my teeth nipping tightly enough to tear a whimper from her throat, then decide it's time to take things to the next level.

"Do you trust me, Audrey?" I ask, peering into her hazy eyes.

She's so hot, so turned on, she'll let me do whatever I want as long as I give her that sweet and devastating release. I've come to know her so well; it's as if I'm rereading my favorite book, one page at a time, dissolving into the story all over again.

"Yes," she says. "I trust you, Jason."

"Good. Come here," I say and guide her over to the four-poster bed that dominates the room. I sit her down for a moment and ask her to wait while I fetch a pair of fuzzy cuffs and slim, velvety ropes from the closet in my master bedroom. I return to the room, quietly closing the door behind me and locking it. She watches me with a mixture of concern and curiosity, making me laugh. "It's for your pleasure, I promise. We'll stop if you want to stop, Audrey. You're in control. You will always be in control."

She nods slowly. With gentle motions, I cuff her wrists and loop the ropes through before tying them to the bed posts, making sure her arms are comfortably loose and stretched out. I take a moment to admire her gorgeous, naked body. Those nipples perk up under my gaze, and it makes my pants feel a lot tighter, but I'm determined to make her crumble tonight in the best and most decadent way possible.

"This is weird," she says.

"Are you okay, though?"

"Yes."

"Good," I reply and lean in from the side of the bed to kiss her.

Our tongues play, joyfully swirling before I go back to teasing her breasts some more. I listen to her ragged moans as I gradually shift my attention downward. She's helpless. She can't touch me, and it's tormenting her, but I make up for it by kissing every inch of her creamy skin, squeezing and pinching along the way until I settle between her parted legs.

"Oh, Jason!" she groans as I slide my tongue over her swollen clit.

She's wet and more than ready for me, her pussy glazed with glistening arousal. I lick her folds and suck on her nub, feeling it grow in my mouth while I insert one, then two, fingers inside her. Audrey loses control when I slip in a third, her hips swaying as a rhythm is built between my hand and her pussy.

"That's it," I growl, my cock twitching painfully against the fabric of my pants as I finger-fuck my woman out of this world. "Come for me. Give me everything you've got."

"Fucking hell!" she whimpers as I press my tongue onto her clit.

I can feel the pulsating ripples as she explodes, my fingers curling with each retreating motion. I feel her clenching tightly before she lets go of herself, wholly and completely, writhing in the sweetest agony. Her whole body shudders under the sudden release, the throes of ecstasy making her come hard.

"That's it, baby," I coax her, finger-fucking her even harder as I tease her clit even more, with greater intensity and without a shred of mercy.

Audrey lets out a muffled cry, clearly aware that we are not alone in the penthouse. She is struggling and falling apart at the same time, unable to stop herself from riding an unending wave. She comes again mere moments after the first climax, every muscle taut and stretched as I work her into a mindless frenzy.

"Oh, fuck, oh, fuck!" she moans as I drink her whole.

She's at my mercy, coming and trembling and losing her mind, her pussy trickling sweet juices. Little does she know this is just the beginning.

I pause, and Audrey gives me a confused look as she watches me get up and pull back. I slowly take the rest of my clothes off, one item at a time, and I can tell she's getting anxious, in desperate need of more of me, for all of me. I place an object I had hidden in my back pocket on the bed out of her line of sight.

Her pussy is ready, her lips parted as she licks them, hunger glowing in her blue eyes. Audrey can't stop herself from smiling. "I need you to fuck me as you've never fucked me before."

I love this dirty mind of hers. I love to see her inhibitions fly out the window as soon as I put my hands on her. I love how she brings out the beast in me, never afraid, never concerned, but always eager to figure out where her limits are. And I'm always delighted when she's able to meet me on the threshold between sanity and madness.

Without hesitation, I climb on the bed and spear her with my full length.

"Oh my God!" Audrey gasps.

I am still, my cock throbbing as it's wrapped in her warm wetness. I want to enjoy every second of this, though I'm not sure how long I can hold back.

"Wrap your legs around me," I command her.

"Yes, sir," she replies and promptly locks her ankles behind my back. "Oh, wow, that feels so good."

I move, ever so slightly, into a first thrust. Her eyes widen when I reach behind me to retrieve the small, ring-shaped vibrator. "You didn't think I was going to let you off easy tonight, did you?" I chuckle softly.

"Make me come again then," she replies, equally excited.

Slowly but surely, we build ourselves into a frenzy. I keep the vibrator on my left thumb and pressed against her clit as I slide in and out of her. I feel my cock in its wonderful torment, registering every inch of her tender pussy as I fuck her harder, deeper, faster. I feel her tightening, clenching as the vibrator does its job.

"Look me in the eyes," I tell her, and our gazes become locked as I continue to pound into her.

She takes it like a good girl, moaning and writhing under my body, the vibrator wedged between us as I bring her closer and closer to the edge of sanity. I lose myself, fucking her as she requested, until she explodes all over me, and I completely let go.

I fill her with my seed, each thrust deeper, and she welcomes all of it, quivering and quietly moaning.

Eventually, I release her wrists, and she embraces me, kissing my face and running her fingers through my hair while I lay on top of her, not wanting this perfect moment to end. Her body is soft, her thighs still firmly wrapped around me.

"We're not done yet," I casually tell her.

There's something about this woman that revs my engines in record time. I'm already getting hard, eager to get lost inside her again. But the look she gives me, along with the low tone of her voice, dripping with arousal, is what sets me on fire.

"Cuff me again, Jason. But this time, take me from behind," she tells me.

"Fucking hell, you're growing into this, aren't you?"

She likes this darker side of me. It turns her on, and she is able to lose control, to abandon herself to me simply because she can, because I make her feel safe enough for her to release every wild dream, every forbidden fantasy.

"Fuck me hard, Jason."

Jesus, this woman is going to be the death of me.