Chapter Eight

C ori

As the poker game concluded for the night, Cori found herself sitting across from Blackwell, who seemed surprisingly cheerful for a man who had just lost ten million dollars, especially since the last time he lost five million to her, he basically put a hit out on her. They had been encouraged by the dealer to stay and enjoy a few drinks in the private VIP room, before he had left. They would reconvene tomorrow afternoon for another game, and Cori would have another chance to get Blackwell to incriminate himself.

"Have you thought more about my offer?" Damien asked, after flicking a sour look at Remy. No doubt, he had hoped she'd send him off on an errand. But as he still had his two goons with him, fat chance of that.

"I have." Her voice was steady despite the nerves fluttering in her stomach. "I'm in. But I need more details."

Blackwell leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes studying her intently. Cori fought the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. She could feel Remy's presence behind her, a silent support that gave her the strength to push forward.

"Of course, Syndi," Blackwell said. "I'm a businessman, after all. I wouldn't expect you to make a decision without fully understanding the scope of our operation."

Cori nodded, her heart pounding as she sensed an opening. "What's the product? How much of it do you want to move? And what's my time frame?"

Blackwell's eyes narrowed slightly, and Cori held her breath, wondering if she had pushed too far. But then he chuckled, a low, dark sound that sent a chill down her spine. "You don't waste time, do you?"

Not when she wanted to get this business over with as soon as possible.

Blackwell's smile turned predatory, and Cori fought the urge to recoil. "I'll be in touch, soon. Once I do a deeper dive on your background."

Cori sat back, her mind racing as she tried to find the right response. And what would his contacts in law enforcement find? That she was a grifter suspected of a bunch of jobs, or that she was now working with the FBI to save her skin. "I understand."

He got up and cupped her cheek in his hand. She tried not to clench her jaw. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Then he and his goons left, taking most of the air in the room with them.

***

R EMY

Remy sat at the small dining table in their opulent casino hotel room, his gaze fixed on Cori as she picked at her dinner. The room service had arrived a few minutes earlier, but neither of them seemed to have much of an appetite. The weight of everything that happened hung heavily in the air.

"Do you remember that night on the rooftop of your old apartment building? It was just a few weeks before everything went to shit?"

A wistful smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "How could I forget? I still had hope that my mother would pull through. I thought that you and I were unstoppable."

Remy's heart swelled with emotion as the memory washed over him. He could almost feel the warm summer breeze on his skin, the rough concrete of the rooftop beneath his hands. They had been so young then, so full of hope and determination.

"I remember telling you that I wanted to make a difference," Remy said, his voice low and pensive. "That I wanted to be a cop that helped people who couldn't help themselves."

"That's part of the reason why I left," Cori said. "I was going to go to a dark place where you couldn't follow.

Remy reached across the table, taking Cori's hand in his own. Her skin was soft and warm, just as it had been all those years ago. "I would have followed."

She shook her head. "I couldn't let you. I was willing to ruin myself, but you were too important. Too precious to me to let you give up your dreams."

"I was so blind," he murmured, his thumb tracing gentle circles on the back of her hand. "I thought we had all the time in the world."

Cori squeezed his hand, her touch a silent acknowledgment of the bond they shared. "We were young and in love," she said softly. "We believed anything was possible, until it wasn't."

Remy's heart ached with the weight of all that had happened since that night on the rooftop. The choices they had made, the paths they had taken. It had all led them to this moment, to a love that had endured despite the odds.

"I never stopped loving you, even when I was mad as hell at you."

"I never stopped loving you either. I never dreamed we would have this second chance. I thought I'd be alone forever. I thought that's what I wanted, what I deserved." Cori looked away. "And for a while, my revenge was worth it."

Remy's heart ached at the pain in her voice. He knew all too well the desperate lengths people could go to when faced with the failings of the system. "I understand why you did what you did, Cori. But I wish you had come to me. We could have found another way."

Cori shook her head. "I couldn't put that burden on you, Remy. You were a police officer, bound by the law. I didn't want to jeopardize your career or your own sense of right and wrong."

Remy sighed, his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand. "And look where that got us. You disappeared without a word, and I spent years wondering what happened to you. When I finally found out you had become a con artist like your father, I didn't know what to think."

Cori met his gaze, her eyes filled with a mix of regret and determination. "I did what I had to do, Remy. I couldn't stand by and watch as the corrupt and greedy took advantage of people like my mother. I had to fight back in my own way. I had to at least try to make a difference."

Remy leaned back in his chair, his mind whirling with the implications of her words. "But at what cost, Cori? You're constantly on the run, never able to settle down or build a life. And now, with Blackwell ..."

Cori's grip on his hand tightened. "I know it's dangerous. But I'm so close to getting the evidence I need to take him down. I can't back out now."

Remy's jaw clenched, a wave of protectiveness surging through him. "I don't like it. Blackwell is a dangerous man. I think you should break off any ties with him, take your chances with going to court to answer any charges the FBI might bring against you."

Cori let out a soft laugh, but there was no humor in it. "You know me, Remy. I've always been a risk-taker. But going to court? That's a sucker's bet. I'm positive that one more meeting with Blackwell will be enough to get what they need so that they honor the deal to let me go."

Remy closed his eyes briefly, wrestling with his own fears and desires. He wanted nothing more than to keep Cori safe, to shield her from the dangers of the world. But he also knew that she was a force to be reckoned with.

"Okay," he said at last, his voice rough with emotion. "We'll do this your way, Cori. But promise me you'll be careful. I can't lose you again."

Cori stood up from the table, moving to sit in his lap. She cupped his face in her hands, her eyes searching his. "Careful is my middle name."

"No, it's not. It's Esther."

Their lips met like two magnets drawn together. As their tongues intertwined, he gently opened the white plush robe she wore, exposing her soft skin to his touch. His fingers teased her nipples, feeling them harden under his touch. She squirmed on his lap, pressing her ass against his growing erection. Remy bit back a moan and allowed his hand to wander down between her legs, his fingers teasing her clit with skilled precision. She was so incredibly wet.

"Feel what you do to me," Remy said.

She responded with an impish smile before her fingers flew to the buttons of his shirt, ripping them open in her haste to rid him of the garment. As the fabric fell away, their tongues continued their sensual duel, fighting for control over the heated exchange. Remy's fingers delved deeper, exploring her folds and driving her further towards the brink of ecstasy.

Remy began to fuck her with his fingers, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she arched into his touch. He watched her face, memorizing every detail of her pleasure as she came apart in his arms.

"Remy ... oh God, don't stop!" Cori cried out.

He felt the pressure building within her, her body tensing up in anticipation of the climax that awaited her. With a final thrust of his fingers, he sent her spiraling over the edge, her scream of pleasure muffled by their still-locked lips.

As Cori trembled from the aftershocks of her orgasm, Remy held her close. Her eyes, darkened with lust, met his as she reached for his belt, expertly unbuckling it and sliding it free.

"Where are the condoms?" Cori asked, her voice breathy from their earlier exertions.

"Check my pocket."

She dug into his pants pocket and triumphantly produced the square foil packet. Sliding off his lap, she knelt before him and took him in her mouth. As her quick little tongue swirled around the head of his cock, Remy struggled to maintain control. The sensation of her warm, wet mouth enveloping him threatened to send him over the edge far too soon. He fumbled with the condom wrapper, finally managing to tear it open.

"That's it," he encouraged. One of her hands gently cradling his balls while the other stroked his shaft in sync with her bobbing head.

Remy entwined his fingers in her hair, guiding her movements as he allowed himself to indulge in the moment, thrusting ever so slightly into her welcoming mouth. But recognizing the danger of losing himself completely, he pulled her head back by her hair, giving her a moment to gasp for air.

With practiced precision, Remy rolled the condom onto his throbbing erection.

With a soft exhale, Cori shrugged out of her plush white robe, revealing the captivating curves that Remy craved. She straddled him eagerly, guiding his cock inside her with an irresistible smile. The sensation of her warm, wet embrace enveloping him sent shivers through Remy's body.

"You feel so good," Cori crooned as Remy went deep, his hands lightly holding her hips in place.

"You feel like heaven," he said, struggling to maintain control as she writhed on top of him.

Cori pressed her breasts against his face, and Remy took the invitation, alternating between sucking each of her nipples in turn. The taste of her skin was intoxicating, and her moans only fueled his desire.

"Kiss me," she demanded, her voice breathless and urgent.

Remy reclaimed her mouth, their tongues dancing together in a passionate frenzy. His hands gripped the supple flesh of her ass. It fit so perfectly in his palms. The feeling of her hot, tight body surrounding him, threatened to push him over the edge any moment. He needed to make her to come first.

"Yes." Cori threw her head back, granting him access to the graceful curve of her neck.

With one smooth motion, he scooped her up, still buried deep inside her. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him, her fingers gripping his shoulders for support as he carried her over to the bed. The sensation of her body pressed against his, the warmth of her breath on his neck, only heightened his urgency.

Remy laid her down gently, taking a moment to drink in the sight of her beneath him—hair splayed across the pillow, lips parted, and full breasts heaving with each ragged breath. In that instant, he realized just how much he wanted to make her scream his name.

He began to thrust into her, hard and fast, driven by a primal need to claim her completely. Cori's moans elevated into cries of pleasure, her nails digging into his back as she clung to him.

"God, Remy, yes!" she screamed, her body convulsing around him.

The tightening grip of her pussy pushed him past the point of no return, and he surrendered himself to the overwhelming sensations coursing through him, joining her in the throes of ecstasy.

As they both trembled from their shared climax, Remy slowly slipped out of her, leaving a trail of kisses down her flushed torso. He found himself inexplicably drawn to her clit, fingers tracing delicate circles around the sensitive bud until she gasped for air.

"Please ... don't stop," she begged, her voice hoarse from her earlier screams.

He couldn't deny her anything. Remy continued his ministrations, his fingers working in tandem with his tongue, until she shuddered violently in his arms once more.

"You're incredible," he said. Snuggling up next to her, he kissed her on the temple.

"You're not so bad yourself."

They held each other tight, their bodies entwined, as sleep claimed them both.