Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

There I was standing with Aria on her porch waiting for her to unlock her front door, with my gut in a tight ball of defeat.

My fuck-up had put Aria in danger.

Story of my life where a woman's concerned—always making the wrong decision.

Her situation had escalated before we'd been able to figure out what the situation actually was. Instead of getting a jump start and looking into the old owners of the Grasonville house where the letters were being sent I'd pissed away my weekend watching Aria's YouTube channel. Which I told myself was research when in reality I just wanted to see her even if that was only on a screen.

Huge screw up.

As soon as she unlocked and pushed the door open, I expected her to enter. Instead, she whirled on me.

"I'm sorry and thank you," she said in a whoosh of breath while waving me inside. "I could've handled that better. And I was until it hit me I was really being followed, then I kinda panicked."

I'd seen plenty of men and women panic over the years. Aria needing me to stay on the phone with her didn't touch the surface of panic. She'd handled the situation exactly as I needed her to.

"You kept your cool," I reminded her.

"Yeah, because you stayed on the phone with me until we pulled into my driveway."

That hour and a half on the phone with her had proven to be problematic. I'd already liked the look of her and the limited time I'd spent with her had me playing mental gymnastics—she was off-limits, however I'd come up with a plethora of reasons why she wasn't. Getting to know her during the phone call only made my determination not to touch the woman dissolve further. I was for sure going to fuck her. But unlike any woman in a decade and a half I was also going to get to know her better.

"No, Aria, you kept your cool. That's all that matters."

"Right," she mumbled, not sounding convinced. "Since I've ruined your Sunday the least I could do is offer to make you dinner for your trouble, but I haven't been to the store so we'll have to settle on Libbey's unless you don't like the best seafood on the Eastern shore. Then we can go to Rams Head Shore House."

I liked that she didn't ask. I also liked that she was straightforward and didn't play coy.

"Libbey's. Rams Head puts jalapenos in their crab dip."

We hadn't even made it out of her living room and she was already smiling at me in a way that was so damn cute I had to fight against kissing it off her lips.

"You don't like spicy?"

"No, I love spicy, just not in my crab dip that should only be spiced up with Old Bay."

That smile got bigger.

"I can't say you're wrong about that."

"Of course you can't because I'm right."

"Libbey's it is then," she asserted. "Let me toss my bag in my room and change, then we can go. Unless you want a beer or…something before we leave."

Or something.

I could think of a lot of ‘or somethings' I'd like to do before we left. And with Aria's eyes on me telling me without words how she'd like for this to play out, I felt my dick stir, indicating his preference. Which meant it was time to go to Libbey's where eating her instead of my meal would be frowned upon. Because if we stayed any longer, that was precisely what I was going to do before I did other things besides.

Regrettably I told her, "Go do what you need to do. I'll wait here."

As expected, Aria wasn't put off by my gentle denial. She knew exactly what her offer would bring and she found it amusing.

"Aye-aye…Senior Chief?" She ended her snarky comeback on a question.

"Master Chief," I corrected.

She got a flirty glint in her eyes.

"Of course. So do you prefer master or does chief work for you?"

I was wrong—that wasn't flirtatious, it was a throwdown—one that did more than make my dick stir. Aria had his full attention and he was straining in my jeans to get to her.

"Warning, Aria, you're wading into dangerous territory."

"How dangerous?" she pushed.

"I think you know just how dangerous. Normal circumstances, I'd catch your play and have you naked with my face between your thighs, my tongue buried up your cunt, and you begging. But I think you get me when I tell you, that wouldn't be smart."

"You've already said that."

"I have. The ice we're skating on is so thin it's nearly transparent. I can think of a hundred ways to make this a good idea, when it's not. So help me out, yeah?"

Some of the playful leaked out of her voice when she said, "If it's my dad you're worried about?—"

"It's more than that," I cut her off. "My boss is good friends with your father. Good enough that when your dad called, Zane pulled me from an important case and put me on you. It's also you. I don't do long-term relationships."

"Well that's a relief. It makes for a clean break when neither party has expectations."

I wanted to believe her assertion, however, Aria didn't strike me as a no-strings kind of woman. Not because she wasn't capable of having those kinds of affairs. It would be the man in that scenario who would tie himself to her. And I had no business tying myself to any woman, most especially to someone as sweet as Aria. I'd suck that fun, bubbly personality right out of her. I'd take all the beauty that was her and possess it until I ruined her.

That was what I did—I destroyed lives.

"I see the way you're looking at me," she continued. "Like you don't believe me. Maybe you're one of those guys who doesn't think a woman has the same needs as a man and is fully capable of finding ways to get those needs met. Or you've got the wrong impression of me personally. So, let me set you straight, Smith. I know what I want. I know what I need. I know how to find it, get it, and move on. I have a business to grow and that is the only commitment I'm willing to make. I'm not looking for long-term. I'm looking for right now. That's all I have to give and I'm honest about it. As far as your boss and my father, I don't know what to say about that other than I don't tell my dad about the men I take to my bed and I'm positive he's grateful."

Aria paused long enough to strut her jeans-clad ass across her living room, delivering her parting shot before she disappeared down the hallway. "I think you get me, but just in case I haven't been clear, me naked with your face between my thighs is exactly what I want. The only modification to your plan is you'd be lying naked in my bed with your dick in my mouth so we could both enjoy the experience simultaneously. Ball's in your court, Sailor."

Jesus, fuck me .

It took every bit of control not to follow her back to her room but that didn't mean I didn't have something to say.

"Aria?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you mention my dick in your mouth, you'll find yourself gagging on it."

"That's not the threat you think it is, Smith," she yelled back.

And, again, Jesus, fuck me I was stupid but I wanted Aria more than what was healthy for either of us. I wanted to test her limits, see if all that bravado was for show or if she was as open and straightforward about sex as she said she was. Clearly she had no issues talking about it, but putting to practice what you proclaimed you wanted were two different things.

Thankfully my phone vibrated against my thigh, ending my moronic thoughts of following her into her bedroom and letting the night play out how we both wanted it to.

I pulled it out, saw Zane's name, and felt relief.

"Yo, Z."

"Kira said it would take until tomorrow to get the footage from the toll plaza." He cut straight to it.

Obviously, I'd texted him while I was on the phone with Aria and he'd been in touch with Kira Cain, our resident computer genius.

"I want Cooper to read in. Him being a former cop, he might have a better insight into a stalker than me."

"I called Jonas back to Maryland. He's your backup. But I agree—tomorrow I'll ask Cooper to join us. How's Aria?"

Driving me wild with her filthy mouth and sexy lips .

"Like nothing happened. We're going to get something to eat now. I'll make sure she's good before I leave."

"Any chance you could talk her around to letting you stay there?"

Not if Zane didn't want my dick to have an accidental slip and fall into the gorgeous woman.

"I checked into her. She's right, there's no trace of her owning this house. The person who was following her peeled off in Galena and no one followed us here. If it'll make you feel better I can stay in my truck tonight, but I don't think that's necessary."

Zane paused before asking, "There a reason you don't want to stay there?"

I was still contemplating how to answer my boss when he read my silence.

"You know her father will happily relieve you of your balls if you touch her."

"Yep."

"Christ," he bit out. "Is there any chance this ends without you doing something stupid?"

"Unlikely."

Zane, as I'd learned, had a creative vocabulary, one that he was right then demonstrating with creativity and flare. Before he finished his tirade he included some frightening threats of bodily harm.

"That was impressive, boss. I've never heard so many cuss words used in a sentence."

"If you fuck this up, we'll see how impressive you think a Big Daddy colonoscopy is."

"I thought we agreed to nix the Big Daddy and instead go with Viper King. I'm not sure Big Daddy lends itself to maintaining your scary-as-fuck reputation."

I heard Zane's exasperated sigh before he issued his warning. "Keep your dick in your pants, Smith."

"I can make no promises."

Another sigh, this one incensed.

"I swear on all things holy…"

I tuned out Zane when Aria came back into the living room. Fuck, she was steal-your-breath beautiful.

"Gotta go," I told Z. "I'll be at the office at eight-hundred."

"If you're gonna be a dumb fuck, don't forget to wrap it?—"

I disconnected the call and pocketed my phone. Aria's gaze followed my movement and lingered in the general vicinity of my crotch.

Time to leave .

"Ready?"

"Was that Zane?" she asked, not lifting her eyes.

"Yep. Ready?"

Her pretty brown eyes danced with humor when they met mine.

"In a hurry, Sailor?"

I didn't know what was with the Sailor nickname and surprisingly I found it cute coming from her. That was to say, if anyone else repeatedly called me ‘Sailor' I'd find it condescending and annoying.

"He wants me to stay the night," I told her and watched her eyes flare. "I'm not going to do that. After you told me the precautions you've taken to bury your address, I checked, and you're right—I couldn't find you using regular internet searches. So I'll tell you the same thing I told Zane—I don't think it's necessary. But if you're worried, I'll stand watch but it'll be outside in my truck."

The teasing slid out of her features and she shook her head.

"I'm not worried. And honestly, as fun as I find this." Aria paused to wave a hand between us. "I'd feel crap if you stayed outside all night for no reason just so I could prance around my house in my jammies with the curtains open so you could watch."

The woman just couldn't help herself.

And, yeah, I liked that, too much. Women who pretended to be coy did nothing for me. Give me an assertive, self-assured woman who gave as good as she got then asked for more and I'd gladly play.

"Then it's a damn good thing I wouldn't be outside. Which means your blinds and curtains will be shut."

"Is this where I'm supposed to salute you as an acknowledgment to your order?"

Jesus fuck .

This woman drove me insane.

"The ice is cracking, Aria," I warned.

She got a cat-got-her-cream smile. The transformation from gorgeous to sexy and beautiful was astounding.

"You're full of surprises, Smith Everette."

No, but she was.

I knew it was a mistake before I asked, but I couldn't stop myself from inquiring, "How's that?"

"You just are." She shrugged. "Easy to rile up but iron control. I like the first part of that but I'm not keen on the last."

She was wrong. There was nothing easy about me.

"Easy?" I drawled. "Wrong, sweetheart, I'm hard. Literally. Which is why we're moving this someplace where I have the threat of arrest for public indecency looming before that iron control you're not fond of slips."

"I could?—"

"March your sweet, tight ass out to my truck so I can feed you," I finished her sentence for her.

"Fine," she huffed. "But only because you think I have a nice ass."

Goddamn, this woman.

She was going to be the death of me.

The pleasure wouldn't be worth the pain I'd leave her with.

Aria would be my demise and I would be her downfall.