Page 20 of Betting Blind

Not that I had any words to respond with. My brain just short-circuited thinking about bananas and blowjobs. “Fuck,” I mutter under my breath and drop my head, resting my forehead on the granite. It’s not like I’m trying to cool my flaming hot face from inappropriate images of one of my closest friends.

I sit back up and down what remains of my coffee, nearly scorching my throat in the process. I need a distraction to get my mind back on the right train of thought and away from Silas and provocative fruit, and I know just where to find it. A dark grin stretches across my face as I push away from the island, leaving my coffee mug behind, and head back to my bedroom. My current obsession is beckoning me, and who am I to ignore the siren’s call?

My computer screen casts a blue light in my otherwise dark room as I power up the surveillance cameras that I spent the day placing around The Black Crown and the obscure cottage house listed to belong to Em. It is out of the way and discreet and does not look anything like what a man of his stature would choose to live in, but that is why it drew my attention. It was probably an old safehouse or storage property. My mouse hovers over the file of still images that I had saved throughout the day, but as I hesitate something draws my attention.

There is movement on the camera in the cottage. My eyes narrow as the screens light up one after another. First the kitchen, then the hallway, then the bedroom, and lastly the ensuite bathroom. I click on the thumbnail of the last room and inhale sharply. My mind flips through several possible scenarios as I watch the figure on the screen move around with a distinct familiarity of the layout.

“What are you playing at, Emelia?” I ask the screen as I lean closer. “Are you truly that cliche? Are you sleeping with your boss?” Her head whips around as if she can hear my voice, but that’s not possible because these cameras have no audio. I watch her eyes narrow before she moves slowly to the closed door and locks not one but two deadbolts. My interest peaks at a whole new level. What is she afraid of? Does she feel my eyes on her, like a ghost watching in the shadows?

I watch in silent awe as she turns the tap on and starts running a steaming hot bath. She pulls the zipper of her dress down her back and the fabric ripples and pools at her feet. A quiet groan leaves my throat before I can stop it. She has a dagger strapped to her right calf, a pistol strapped to her left thigh, and a longer dagger strapped on her back between her shoulder blades. She’s a walking fucking weapons arsenal and I can’t tell if that’s what makes me so hard or if it’s the fact that she’s completely naked, aside from the weapons and a lacy thong. Her back is to the camera so I can only see the sinful curve of her ass as she leans close to the mirror and removes a pair of contacts.

The weapons slip off her legs with exaggerated slowness, like she’s also taking the opportunity to stretch sore muscles. My cock throbs painfully in my pants as I watch her straighten and turn, catching a glimpse of her breasts, and unclip theharness holding the knife to her back. It hits the floor, followed by her thong and then she is gloriously naked before me. The breath in my lungs stills and it feels like for a brief moment, we are suspended in time. My muscles refuse to work, to focus on anything other than the goddess on my screen.

If I were a decent man, I would let her soak without prying eyes and find a good porn video, but I have never claimed to be that, so I set the computer on the pillow next to me and get comfortable. Emelia dips her head back, letting her hair spill over the outside of the tub, and sinks down until the water is almost up to her chin. I can’t really make out the details of her body from the angle of the camera and the bubbles in the tub, but her face is all I need.

Her eyes are closed, and her lips are slightly parted. I let my imagination run wild as I pull out my cock and give it a few languid strokes. It throbs heavily against my palm. My mind races through scenario after scenario that I want to find myself in with her as I watch her relax further into the water. I can’t help but wonder what sounds are coming from that room. Is there music playing softly in the background? Is she jamming to rock music? Or is it a quiet stillness that is only broken by her deep sighing breaths?

My lower abdomen tenses as I rub my thumb over the head of my cock, and I shudder in pleasure. Emelia turns her head to the side, and I catch a glimpse of her lips moving. She isn’t alone? Despite her conversation, the bathroom door never opens, and she sinks down until she is completely submerged. She resurfaces a few seconds later and my eyes are drawn to the water droplets that cascade down her nose and lips. Thank fuck for this HD security camera feed.

Emelia settles back against the tub, and I inhale sharply. She looks so perfect, so angelic lounging with her arms draped along the edges of the clawfoot tub, but I know the truth. There’s a demon hiding under that flawless skin. Just like mine. I watch, enthralled, as she closes her eyes and bobs her head, mouth moving to what I assume is music playing in the background at this point. Hair slicked back, skin speckled with water droplets and remnants of bubbles, and weapons littering the floor; she looks like my perfect nightmare. Her head drops back again, and I can’t stop the images that assault my brain.

“Oh fuck,” I groan, the sound low in my throat as I start up a steady pace. I imagine her lips curling into a wicked smirk as her tongue flicks across the head of my aching cock. I imagine her head tilting back with my lips on the pulse point of her throat as I sink deep inside her. I imagine her moaning my name as I wrap my hand around her throat and slowly slide in and out from behind. My hips jerk forward violently as I continue to increase my speed. My palm is sticky from precum, and I know that I’m not going to make it much longer with my imagination running this wild.

I tilt my head back and rest it against the wall as I thrust upward into my palm, panting softly. My spine tingles and my stomach flutters before the muscles clench tight. I close my eyes and give into the fantasy of Emelia. Her hand pumping me instead of mine. Her lips on my skin. Her tongue teasing me. Her breathy moans. My cock starts to throb consistently, and my panting becomes erratic. The last thing I see in my mind’s eye before I tip over the edge with a low growl is Emelia on her hands and knees, with my hands in her hair and tears streaming down her face as I fuck her mouth in a brutal pace.

My entire body shudders and my back arches as I push into my palm one final time, coating my hand and stomach. I have to let go almost immediately because my cock is so sensitive to the touch that I might come again just by cleaning myself. “Oh fuck,” I whisper again and close my laptop. I can’t look at the screen because if I do then I’ll be doing this the rest of the night, and I have other shit to do.

The clock on my nightstand glows with a dim red light. Three o’clock in the morning. I shrug out of my wet shirt and head over to the bench press in the corner of my room. I’ve got time for a workout and a shower, and maybe even another cardio session in the shower given how my cock is still riding at half-mast. Fucking woman. Fucking gorgeous, deadly woman.

*****

Declan scowls in my general direction as the three of us sit down in the small conference room across from Tobias Emerson. My eyes are glued to the object of my current obsession. Emelia is sitting at a small desk along a wall of windows, typing away on her double screens and expertly ignoring the men in the room. I keep willing her to look over at me. I want to see those pretty green eyes narrow in on me. I want her to know that she has invaded every one of my thoughts.

Tobias follows my gaze, and his lips tighten. “Emelia has signed an NDA. She conducts note-taking for all my meetings. You can speak freely within these walls, but she will not be leaving this room. So, if you are uncomfortable with that, we should just wrap up now.” His hard tone holds a note of finality.

“It’s fine,” Silas says when Declan looks at him. This is his meeting after all. “So, Em, I’ve been made to understand that you have a network security breach that needs to be addressed?”

Tobias nods slowly and leans back in his chair with his fingers steepled in front of him. “We’ve been experiencing several hits throughout our firewall, but our digital security team can’t pinpoint a specific server. There’s no rhyme or reason to the hits.”

“It’s quite annoying,” Emelia mumbles from her desk. Em shoots her a glare which she returns with a hard press of her lips and a shrug. “Sorry.”

Em rolls his eyes and picks up his cellphone to check the screen. His brows knit together as his thumbs glide across the screen. “She’s right. Rude.” He shoots her another glare and she grins. My heart clenches in my chest when her eyes slide to mine, and she winks. “But right. We need someone who is able to bend the rules and isn’t afraid to get dirty to eliminate this problem. I’ve been told that you have quickly become the entity to beat.”

Silas nods slowly and rubs the back of his knuckles across his bottom lip. “I won’t disagree.” His smile is slow and devious. I catch Emelia staring at him with an odd expression, but she looks away as soon as I turn to face her. Her teeth worry her bottom lip as she continues typing furiously. “I must admit, I am intrigued with your predicament.”

Declan shifts in his seat and folds his arms across his chest. “So…” He trails off and looks between Em and Silas. “Shall we get down to brass tacks?”

Chapter 13

Declan

Six years ago

Seoul, South Korea

“Kennedy. Sullivan.” The voice crackles over the earpiece in my right ear. “This is surveillance only. Disengage,” the voice commands sharply.

I watch Hayden’s shoulders stiffen and his guns lower to his sides. “Don’t do it, Hayden.” My voice is barely a whisper in the shadows of our hiding spot.

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