Page 72 of Blackmailing the Bad Girl

Summer got up first, brushing herself down while casting sneaky glances at Nik. She didn’t look happy to see him, her brows drawn together, her mouth in a tight line. She held out a hand to the other woman, who took it and pulled herself up.

“I never thought Summer Delaney would ever manage to knock me on my ass,” she muttered as she eyed Nik up and down. “Nik Masterton, I presume.” She let go of Summer and took a step toward him, holding out her hand.

So he wasn’t seen as the total enemy then. He shook hands while she studied him, though he could read nothing from her face. She was beautiful in a…frightening sort of way. She looked tough. He was glad Summer had someone like this on her side. “I’m Darcy Butler,” she said. “Summer’s friend. But I’m guessing you want to talk to Summer alone.”

“Darcy—” Summer interrupted, but Darcy waved her down.

“Stop running away,” she said. “Or at least stop running so fast. Maybe you need to tell him, Summer.”

She shrugged almost helplessly.

“Time to learn to trust your instincts. I’m going to stay down here so you can have the apartment to yourselves. But you”—she took a step closer to Nik and stabbed him in the chest with her finger—“be nice.”

…

They didn’t speak as Summer led him through the building to the door at the back that opened onto the stairs to the apartment. She ushered him up in front of her, trying to get a grip on her feelings.

She’d had such big plans. To change her life, to help others, make a difference… Now none of that was going to happen. She’d convinced Regan and Darcy that her new plan was the only one. She was just going to disappear. She’d be breaking her parole, which meant she’d be back inside if they caught her anyway. But when it all quieted down, maybe in a few years, then she could set things up on a more permanent basis. Danny would help her with a new identity, but right now, things were just too messy, and she wouldn’t have Danny tied to her more than necessary.

She was using her alias from her first time at Masterton. Because the crime had never been reported, there was a good chance that no one would be looking for Sarah Daniels. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a passport, which meant she couldn’t disappear abroad. So she was going to head up north, to Scotland. When Trenton remembered who she was, he’d no doubt come straight to Nik to warn him of what sort of evil felon he’d been harboring. Nik would tell him she’d vanished, and that would be it. There was no reason to look further, or to link her to the woman who’d had an accident in his factory all those years ago. Her mother would be safe.

She’d drawn what little money she had out of the bank. It would be enough to keep her going until she could find some sort of job. It would be hard, but she would manage. And it was better than staying and ending up back in prison. A shudder ran through her.

But while Regan and Darcy hadn’t been able to come up with a better idea, they’d both been insistent that she go and talk to Nik before she did her disappearing act. She couldn’t face it. In the end, she’d promised to leave him a note explaining why she had to go and asking him not to look for her.

Yet here he was. They halted by the door to the apartment, and she opened it, her fingers fumbling a little with the key. She had no clue what he was thinking. Was he angry with her?

As she stepped through the door, he followed her close behind. She opened her mouth to say something—she wasn’t even sure what—when he slammed the door behind her, took hold of her shoulders, lowered his head, and kissed her.

Her mouth, already open, was instantly filled with the taste of him, heat and spice, sending her thoughts swirling. He hauled her closer so she was plastered against the length of him. Her hands gripped his shoulders, and she came up on tiptoe, desperate to get closer. He was already hard against her, and she was melting inside.

Finally, they had to come up for air. Both were breathing hard. She opened her mouth, and he kissed her again. A quick kiss, but enough to stop the words from tumbling out. Once she had said them, there would be no going back.

He raised his head. “No,” he muttered. “Not yet. Just give me this. Just because we both want to, and it feels right and…”

He trailed off, not saying what they both knew to be true. That it might never happen again. She swallowed and allowed the fear to drain out of her. Whatever happened, she would have this. She leaned back and looked into his beautiful face, ran her hand over his shadowed jawline, feeling the roughness of his skin. She was hot and sweaty from trying to work off her fears with Darcy, but she didn’t think Nik would mind.

He was nuzzling her neck now, his tongue lapping at her skin, his teeth nipping at the soft spot where her shoulder met her throat. His hands slid down her back, and he scooped her up, held her against his chest. “Where?”

She nodded to her bedroom door, and he headed over, kicking it open and then lowering her to the mattress. There was no time for more thoughts as he came over her, cupping her face, kissing her mouth, her eyes. With his free hand, he tugged up her tank top and pulled it over her head. Her sports bra zipped up the front, and he lowered the zipper, his head nuzzling her breasts as soon as they sprang free. He licked her nipples, then sucked one into his hot mouth, rolling it against his tongue, and pleasure darted from the tip of her breast, down through her belly, to settle between her thighs. A pulse beat there, growing insistent.

One hand slid down the waistband of her sweats, inside her panties, finding her unerringly, his fingers gliding between the slippery folds. She went still.

His touch, so firm and knowing, went to the exact spot. Softly, he circled her clit, and her hips lifted from the bed. He stopped moving, and she opened her eyes and found him watching her.

“I want to see you come apart for me,” he murmured. “I’ve been dreaming about that since the last time.”

A finger pushed inside her, his knuckle pressing, rubbing against her inner walls, as his thumb played over her clit, massaging softly, then harder as she pushed up against his touch.

The pleasure was building, swelling, her whole body tightening, then he moved his finger faster and finally she splintered and broke for him, as waves of pleasure washed through her, pulling her under.

When she came back to herself, he was still watching, balanced on one elbow, leaning over her. He was still fully dressed, and she wanted him naked.

“Take your clothes off,” she ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.” As he got to his feet, he was already stripping off his shirt, baring a broad expanse of muscled chest, a lean belly that made her insides flutter. He kicked off his shoes as he unzipped his pants, pushing them down over his legs, and just like that, he was breathtakingly naked.

Her breath literally caught in her throat. He was already fully erect, his cock a vertical line, pale against his belly. Without taking her gaze from him, she pushed her own sweats and panties down, kicking them off. She wanted nothing between them this time.

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