Page 47 of The Editor’s Choice

Slowly, I move up and down, adjusting to his width as well as length. It takes several minutes of slow movements to accommodate myself, but the pleasure takes over soon as I ride him.

His hands on my hips, he sets the pace while allowing me to move in whatever way feels best for me. “God, you look incredible,” he says, eyes lust-filled.

“You feel incredible,” I fire back, relishing the feeling of him as it leaves me breathless. Every movement hits a different spot, all of them bringing me closer to tumbling over the edge. It feels like every nerve in my body is on fire.

Before I’m able to comprehend what’s happening, I’m on my back with Roman above me. Legs wrapped around him, he slowly enters me again. Kissing me deeply once again, his fingers pressing into my hips as he thrusts into me.

Leaning back, he takes one leg in each hand, placing my feet on his shoulders as he picks up his pace, effectively taking my breath.

“Fuck,” he groans, doing his best to keep steady. “Come with me,” he demands, hips stuttering as he fights his release, waiting for me.

That simple command sends me into a spiral. I come undone around him as he pumps into me a final time, following me over the edge.

Rolling to the side, he collapses beside me, breathing heavily. His eyes are hooded with exhaustion now but he looks completely satisfied as he runs his fingertips up and down my stomach slowly. It was in that tender moment I knew things would never be the same. There was no going back.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Roman

I got the info you asked for.

Scrubbing my eyes and squinting against the harsh light, I reread the message from Sara. I had messaged her last night to see what she could come up with as far as the police’s developments on our case.

Groaning, I slide my arm out from under Jade’s still sleeping body. Grinning as I look down at her finally looking at peace, I force myself up off the bed. If I keep looking at her, I’ll end up right back beside her, the world outside be damned.

Unfortunately, there’s too much at stake here. She’s at stake here to be exact. And as much as I’d love to lounge around with her, I have to be proactive at keeping this whole mess at bay until we can start working on our plan to move forward.

After looking through a bit more of Emily’s texts with Cain last night, we discovered that the situation was actually far worse than we had originally thought. We knew she had mentioned trading Jade as payment when her body failed to pay off the debt in full. What we didn’t know was Emily had already set that in motion by giving him Jade’s information and helping him make a plan to abduct her. A plan Emily had full intentions of being involved in.

She was going to tell Jade they were going to swing by a friend’s house on the way to their regular Saturday evening dinner. They went to dinner every other Saturday for a girl’s night out, so this wouldn’t have raised any red flags.

At this friend’s house, everything would seem normal. Emily would hand over some cash for some ‘makeup’, hug, say their goodbyes, and head out to dinner. In reality, the whole thing was a charade. It would allow Cain to get a look at Jade, mentally note what she was wearing, and catalog that for later when he would spike her drink at dinner.

Jade would ask to leave due to not feeling so well. Emily, the ever-concerned best friend would help her outside where a group of Cain’s men would be waiting next to her car.

They would grab her, and we all know the rest of the story from there. It’s a gruesome one at best.

The fact that Emily had made this plan herself with full intention to participate made it that much more repulsive. The shit Cain does, what all the men in this world do, is bad enough on its own without involving people who are supposed to have your back.

With that being said, we now had a potentially bigger problem than the police. If he had all that information at hand, deal already made, there’s nothing to say he wouldn’t try to take Jade regardless of the fact that Emily was dead and the debt should’ve been wiped clean the second she stopped breathing.

“Talk to me,” I say as soon as she answers. Sara’s normally calm voice has an eerie edge to it when she speaks. It sends sparks of electricity through my veins as each word passes her lips.

“I’ve been up all night trying to get some answers,” she yawns. “It’s not good news, but not the worst I’ve ever delivered either. Not by a long shot.” She pauses with that, no doubt cycling through the memories of the times that have been worse news. “Anyway. The cops aren’t too far off from figuring it out. They’ve got the video but haven’t been able to piece together the part that was cut. They’ve also tried to get Emily’s phone records but haven’t been able to persuade the phone company just yet. Apparently, they don’t know how to sweet talk,” she says, a smile evident in her voice.

I chuckle at that. Sara’s definitely a smooth talker when she needs to be. I’m beyond thankful to Patty for putting me in touch with her. She’s been extremely valuable to have on my side. Hopefully she still feels the same when she finds out the full truth about Jade and the new direction we’re heading.

“That’s not terrible news,” I start, breathing a hesitant sigh of relief. At least one problem off my shoulders for right now. “What about the rest?”

“Ah. That’s where the ‘not good’ news come into play,” she begins, taking her time. “Cain is a terrible fuck. Like God awful waste of space kind of human. Do you know some of the shit he’s done?! It’s literally insane. He makes Bundy look like a nice guy.” I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. I know the guy. Fuck, I helped train the guy before he decided to go at it on his own when James felt he was out of control.

“I do. Continue please.” My patience is already wearing thin this morning.

“Alright, alright. So the best I can figure, he’s still interested in taking her. I haven’t seen anything definite of course. They’re not going to say that right out in a text. But there’s been a few texts that would cause me to think she’s not out of danger when it comes to him.” As she relays the information, I can feel the tension building in the back of my neck. Pent up frustration from the past few weeks ready to boil over.

“Keep tabs on him for me? Let me know if anything interesting pops up. And Sara? We need to meet up this afternoon. There’s been some changes that need to be discussed. Meet me here sometime after 6 this evening.” Without waiting for a response, I hang up the phone and slip it back into my pocket.

Exhaustion racks my body as I push up from my seat on the couch and head to the kitchen, needing some caffeine if I’m going to have any chance of making it through the day.