Her slippery flesh trembles under my fingers as I tease her slick channel. Slowly, I slide two fingers in, up to the first knuckle, then the second. She lets out a sigh and spreads her thighs wider, welcoming me. With a growl, I spear my fingers deep in her while I duck my head to lap at her clit with my tongue.
“Oh, god!” she shrieks, her hands diving into my hair. Fuck, I know this won’t take long with all the time I spent stroking and kissing her. She’s already pouring into my mouth, her inner muscles clenching hard around my fingers. Her thighs hug my head tight, and I can practically feel our hearts pumping in time with each other.
I lick her little clit relentlessly, soaking up the cries falling from her mouth. The smell and feel of her surrounds me until it feels like I’m drowning in her musky jasmine scent. The flat of my tongue presses hard against her as I wait for that final, delicious sound of her screaming my name as she comes.
“James!” she shrieks. Her hands yank at my hair for purchase as she comes all over my mouth for a long, perfect moment. I close my eyes, memorizing the taste and feel of her. I don’t know how many more peaceful afternoons we’ll get before the baby comes.
Maura’s eyes are half-lidded when I raise my head. “Let me draw you a bath,” I say.
She shakes her head. “What about you?”
“I’m extremely fucking satisfied right now that I’ve watched you come so prettily for me.” I kiss her thigh, then her hipbone. “Besides, you took my cock perfectly this morning. I don’t want to get too greedy.”
Before she can argue with me, I roll out of bed and stroll to the bathroom. I can feel the heat of Maura’s eyes on my back and shoulders, and I can’t help flexing my muscles a bit to improve her view.
It only takes five minutes for me to fill Maura’s bath. It’s lucky, since she often falls asleep so quickly these days, if it took me any longer, I’d find her snoozing.
“The bath’s ready!” I call.
When she opens the door, the scent of jasmine drifts out, along with warm steam. The lights are dimmed, and I’ve lit a scented pillar candle. Her lips curl into a satisfied smile. “Oh, James, this is exactly what I needed. How did you know?”
I hold her hand to help her balance as she steps out of them. I don’t let go of it until she’s safely settled in the tub.
“How’s the water temperature?”
“Perfect,” she moans. “I swear, you somehow crawled right into my head and figured out exactly what I like.”
Luckily, it’s also what’s safe for the baby.
I pull over a stool to sit beside her and take her hand. Over the past few months, I've mastered the art of massaging Maura’s hands. She's been working so much, her fingers are often exhausted from crushing stones. I know exactly how much pressure she likes.
Maura sinks back, her eyes fluttering closed as the warm water soothes her muscles. She looks so lovely at rest, when all the tension seeps away from her muscles. I should draw a bath for her more often.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and Maura stirs.
“You should get that,” she says, not opening her eyes.
“They’re just work emails. They can wait.”
She snorts. “James, I know you’re dying to look. You have absolutely spoiled me, and I’d be happy to sit here and luxuriate while you doyourform of relaxation.”
“I’ll just skim the subjects,” I promise her.
The top email is from my PR woman, Sharmi.
Subject: Peppermint – Possible ID.
My heartbeat slows to a dull thud. We’ve been chasing Peppermint for so long, I’d started to think they were unfindable. I’ve started to wonder whether it was a ghost. Even the possibility of finding them is more than I expected.
“Actually, I better take a look at this,” I tell Maura.
She waves her hand. “Go. Let me soak. My muscles are happy.”
With a final kiss on her temple, I head to my office and open my laptop. I didn’t want to read this in front of Maura. I don’t want her worrying about anything right now. This is my problem to solve, whoever Peppermint is. Taking a breath, I open the email.
Our PI has finally narrowed down the people we believe might be behind the Peppermint persona. One name jumped out to me, since I believe she’s a friend of your wife—Brinley Windsor. We were able to hack through the Tea’s IP address, and it matches her apartment building. It could be another residence, or someone planting a false lead. What do you think? Could it be her?
I reread the email twice as a deep pit grows in my stomach.
