“What a bastard.”
“Everyone heard him too. I heard they got married and moved. I wonder if he’ll cheat on her as well.”
He held me tight. “You didn’t deserve that, Raven. But I’m glad you didn’t marry him.” He lifted my chin, meeting my eyes. “I would never cheat on you. Ever. I meant what I said last night.”
It was impossible to look away from his intense gaze. Truth blazed from his eyes.
“I know,” I said quietly. I patted his arm. “But we’re okay, um, coverage-wise. I won’t get pregnant or anything.”
“I’ll keep using a condom until you tell me not to.”
His declaration made me smile.
“I need a shower,” I whispered. “I’m covered in you.”
He chuckled. “I like you covered in me.” But he threw back the covers, getting out of bed. He held out his hand. “Come with me, Raven. I’ll clean you up.” He winked as he pulled me from the bed.
“For now.”
The shower was long, hot, and we somehow got messy again and had to start all over. I tried not to giggle as Damien aimed the showerhead at the tile wall, washing away the evidence. After we got out, I tried not to ogle him as he moved around, a towel tucked at his waist, his broad shoulders and well-toned torso still glistening with water from the shower. He caught me eyeing him up and stopped in the process of pulling a T-shirt out of the dresser. He lifted one eyebrow, teasing and confident.
“See something you like?”
I shrugged. “Meh.”
He laughed and advanced toward me, looking dangerous and far too sexy after what had occurred in the shower. And the bed. And last night. I backed away, realizing my mistake as my legs hit the mattress and I fell backward. Instantly, he was over me, his smile wide.
“I like what I see,” he murmured, tugging on the towel wrapped around me. “Even if you’re hiding it.” He traced his finger along my collarbone. “Not meh at all.” His gaze darkened. “Sexiest damn thing I have ever encountered.”
Our eyes locked and held. My breath stuttered in my throat. He began to lower his face to mine when his phone rang out. It was a familiar ringtone, and I lifted my eyebrow. “Is that ‘Eye of the Tiger’?”
He chuckled. “Egan. He’s fixated on Rocky.” He stood, looking regretful. “And if he’s calling, I need to take it.”
I nodded. The moment had passed. It was fine—I was already feeling the effects of him having had me so many times. My lady bits could use a rest.
He wrapped his hands around my shoulders, pulling me into a sitting position. He bent and kissed me. Long, slow, sensuous. I felt it in every molecule of my body. Even my lady bits woke up, deciding they weren’t that sore after all. He gazed down at me in wonder. “You bewitch me, Ravenna Jade.”
“I like how you say my name.”
“I like saying it.”
“You’re pretty addictive yourself.”
He kissed me again, a fast, hard press of his mouth on mine. “Good.”
He picked up his phone. “I need to go downstairs and see Egan. You okay here?”
“You said I was.”
“I meant it. The building is secure. So is the rooftop if you want to go sit in the sun for a while.”
“I might. I’ll be outside a lot soon. Might as well get used to it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“School is out soon. I work at a day camp in July. Well, three weeks of July, with a friend of mine.”
“You don’t take the summer off?”
“No. I enjoy being with the kids. We have lots of fun. Deb and I did the Easter break one, and we got along well. So, I agreed to do the July one. The pay is decent, and I still have all August off.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“We’ll discuss this when I get back. Relax and enjoy some downtime. Keep your phone beside you, and if something feels off or you get nervous…”
“I’ll call.”
“I won’t be too long, I hope. I’m just downstairs in Egan’s apartment.”
“Okay.”
He disappeared into the walk-in closet and emerged in shorts, grabbing the shirt he’d taken from the drawer earlier. He pulled it over his head and ran a hand through his short, dark hair. He held up a pass. “Use this to open the door for upstairs and swipe it to get back into the apartment.”
“What about you?”
“I got this one for you last night. I have my own.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Anything. You call. Don’t hesitate.”
“I will.”
He studied me and then, as if liking my response, nodded. I heard his footsteps head down the hall and the door close behind him.
“Good thing I hadn’t planned on leaving the building,” I muttered, then shook my head. I was being petulant. I had zero interest in leaving the safety of the building or being far from Damien right now. The garden upstairs called my name, and I dressed, put on some sunblock, found a baseball hat of his to use, my Kindle, and a bottle of water. I put everything in my satchel and headed upstairs, sighing in pleasure when I got to the roof. It was sunny and warm, but there was a nice breeze, and the high walls gave a sense of privacy. I headed to the gazebo and sat in a lounger, looking around. It was a lovely space, and I could smell the flowers and even the fragrance of some of the herbs growing in the pots. I settled back and opened my Kindle, deciding, of all the places I could be today, this might be my favorite spot.
DAMIEN
I looked at Egan, shaking my head. “Nothing? At all?”
“No,” he huffed out. “Nothing. It’s like he’s invisible. The sketch didn’t get a hit in any of the databases. I searched other dating sites, although I’m not done yet.” He looked at me in wonder. “Do you have any idea how many there are?”
“I know. It’s a different world.”
He snorted. “The firewalls on some of them are so simple to get through. People have no idea how easily they could be compromised.”
I frowned. “I wonder if he only creates a profile once he zeroes in on a target. Maybe he hacks into these sites, finds his targets, and then builds a profile to match it.”
Egan nodded slowly, pursing his lips. “Have you considered this is possibly the first time he’s done this? Maybe it is an attraction gone awry on his part?”
“I had, before the rock through the window. The smashed daisy. I saw the crazed look in his eyes. I recognize it.”
He held up his hands. “Just checking, Watcher.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I think you may be onto something, though,” Egan mused. “We need to come at this from a different angle. Instead of searching the actual site, we need to dig into the back end. See if he left a trail.”
“If he’s as clever as we think, he’s probably rerouted through a ghost VPN.”
Egan smirked. “Even the cleverest people make mistakes.”
“I’m going to use the Hidden Justice software and search police records. See if anyone filed a report against this fictitious Andy Smith, or someone with the same MO.”