Perfectly Seduced Read online

  Of course I couldn’t rub the cream into her ass now. We were dressed, in a public place and not on a nude beach. But when alone, all bets were off. My hands would end up rubbing that ass of hers before the end of the night.

  “Hold that thought for later, then. Maybe I can moisturize those spots when we’re alone.”

  Her cheeks flushed pink as she licked her lower lip, driving me crazy with her wicked tongue. Whenever I saw her lips I thought about them around my cock. At this rate I’d need to visit the bathroom soon, but I’d much rather April relieved the pressure when we got home.

  “How are you adjusting to living in Pinehurst?”

  “It’s going well. It’s definitely a change, but a good change.”

  “Why did you move?” While I had my suspicions on this answer, I wondered what she’d tell me.

  “Charlotte was a reminder of Parker’s dad’s death. I think I mentioned Simon committed suicide.” April’s gaze shifted to the ground.

  Yes, that was the official report. I’d seen it and read it countless times. What I wanted to know, though, was the unofficial answer. We leaned against the wooden log separating us from the lion enclosure. I could have been in Jurassic Park at this moment and would not have noticed a raptor. All I wanted to do was to look at April. Learn about her not only for my job, but also for myself.

  “We lived in a wealthy neighborhood. Not as luxurious as your home, but close to it. After Simon’s death, I cashed in the little retirement savings I had, and that was enough to last a couple of years. But even with my career, there was no way I could maintain the kind of lifestyle Simon’s job supported. Honestly, we should have moved sooner. I thought it would be good for Parker to be with old friends and have the same schedule and pattern, but it didn’t help. He had nightmares for a long time. It wasn’t until I mentioned moving and saw Parker’s joy at the suggestion that I realized we had to leave our life behind. Most of it, at least. I still have the same job and the commute is a bit longer, but I think it was a good decision. I can already see the difference in Parker. The funny thing is that I don’t miss it at all. My only regret is cutting the funds we used to donate to the foster home. Maybe one day...”

  She broke off and nodded to the kids who were admiring the leopards. They were getting along as if they’d been best friends for years, not hours.

  “Couldn’t have been easy. It sounds like Simon provided a good home for you. Parker mentioned he worked in finances. Wouldn’t his insurance be sufficient to let you leave your job and spend the time with Parker?”

  Her brows narrowed. Yes, I was digging, but I had to. Her answer would determine my next step.

  “That’s the thing. You’d think someone as smart as Simon would have thought about life insurance, but he didn’t.”

  So she was either hiding the fact that fifty million in death benefits had been collected, or she was telling me the truth and someone else had taken the money — which would definitely put a kink in the case. April was one of the more difficult ones to crack. She was different and I was certain that she wasn’t the criminal I’d been advised she was. The feeling that I’d need to protect her from those who hired me to get rid of her grew stronger. Just the thought of hurting her in any way made me sick to my stomach.

  “Was that how you got your home? From insurance money, or a lawsuit?” She stumped me.

  I had dug this hole myself, but hopefully by the time I was out, she would still trust me. “Let’s not talk about that until tonight.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t wait that long.” She turned her body toward me with the most professional stance I’d seen. She was acting more like a detective than a forensics expert.

  “So I see. What I told you before is true. It’s from money I earned.”

  “In a previous career?” April had flipped the tables on me so swiftly; she was doubtless one of the best forensic analysts out there. Her intelligence made me want her more. Why would her husband have shot himself? If there was one thing I couldn’t figure out, it was why any man would want to leave this beautiful woman. Not a million reasons in this world could have made me pull that trigger.

  I sighed, giving in, “No, in my current career.”

  “A teacher?”

  I took a deep breath in before releasing it. This was it. She’d either leave me here, or trust me. At this point, I hadn’t given her much to go on, and I had a fifty-fifty chance of her believing in me. Fuck, it was more like ninety-ten that she’d run and never look back. And that wasn’t enough. Nothing would be. I needed a guarantee that I wouldn’t lose this woman because of stupid job formalities.

  “My job—”

  “—Daddy, look at the monkeys!”

  Charlie was pointing with her finger to two adult chimps, one humping the other like the wild animal it was. We’d had the birds and the bees talk a long time ago, but there was nothing better than seeing nature take its course in real life. Parker just stood there, completely mesmerized, watching the scene unfold. Maybe his father had never gotten the chance to talk to him.

  “A bit of sex education at the zoo?” April asked, with a cute little chuckle.

  “I’ll show you sex education when we get back home.”

  April thought for a moment, as if debating whether to continue. “I’m pretty sure I got an A in that department.”

  There she was! That resilient woman I’d met in Hawaii was slowly coming out of her shell. Maybe my chances at keeping her once my secret was revealed were a bit higher?

  “And I’m pretty sure there are things I can still teach you to earn that A plus.”

  She hesitated for a moment. “And how many students do you have in that class?”

  “At this moment, just one. And hopefully she’s an eager learner.”

  April’s cheeks turned crimson, and I knew I had her. She couldn’t resist. Her brave personality was shining more and more each minute we spoke. She scanned me from the bottom to the top, licking her lip again. That tongue of hers wouldn’t give my dick rest anytime soon, would it?

  “If the teacher looks anything like you, then I’d like to sign up for a full semester.”

  “The teacher is me, gorgeous.” The chimps stopped their encounter, and our kids moved on to the next exhibit. I seized the opportunity when they were watching the black bears: took her by her hips and brought her against me, the pressure in my shorts digging into her stomach. “I wouldn’t let another man touch you or teach you, April. Because you’re mine.”

  A soft whimper escaped her mouth, and I silenced it with a quick kiss. She pulled away reluctantly.

  “What if the kids see?” she asked.

  “I’m sure they understand way more than what a kiss is.”

  “You’re Parker’s teacher. I don’t want to confuse him.”

  “All right, then maybe we should have a talk with them when we get home.”

  “You mean about us?”

  “No, I mean about the chimps. Yes, of course about us. I don’t want to hide what I’m feeling for you.”

  Her gaze dropped to the bulge in my shorts. It was a good thing it was morning and there weren’t too many visitors at the zoo. I looked around and noticed a man standing by the monkey exhibit, his eyes scanning the rocks and then returning to the zoo map he was holding in his hands. Except he had the pages flipped to a completely different continent. There was another family closer to the Asia exhibit we were heading to, but they all seemed to be lost in conversation.

  “Ahm, I have more questions.” April drew my attention back to her.

  “I know you do. And I promise to give you all the answers before the end of the day. Let’s just enjoy this, please? Believe it or not, I don’t have many calm days like these in my life.” I interlaced our fingers as I took her hand into mine. This felt more right than wrong; and honestly, I wanted our kids to see us like this. I wanted April to know that I wasn’t ashamed of our relationship, whatever it was, and that I was serious about her. Thankfully, she
didn’t pull away.

  “All right. But you promise to give me some answers?”

  “I promise.”

  We walked around until lunch time and ate take-out at a picnic table in the park. Most had already been filled by families enjoying their lunches. A few yards over that same man I’d seen by the monkey exhibit bit into his burger. I took out my phone and snapped a few pictures of Charlie and Parker, making sure the stranger was captured in one of the shots. I quickly sent them to my office—and not the one at school.

  “Will you email those to me?” April asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you for inviting us to the zoo. I wasn’t sure about the day, but it turned out well.”

  “It’s my pleasure spending time with you. And I promise you, the day’s not yet over.”

  She looked up into the darkening sky before adding, “Looks like it may rain after all.”

  “Are you afraid of some rain?”

  “No, but if I get soaked… well, let’s just say that you won’t be the only one privy to seeing through my shirt.” She winked. I adored it when she flirted. We didn’t need any rain to make my heart feel like it was a puddle. April was doing a good job of that herself.

  “I will not let that happen.”

  She chuckled, “You’re growling.”

  Am I?

  The kids seemed to be enjoying the afternoon. They ate at lightning speed before running around the park. At one point, Parker climbed a tree and started impersonating one of the monkeys by swinging on a branch. My daughter joined him on one of the lower branches. April asked him to be careful, but she didn’t seem too concerned. “I told you he’s different out of school. Nature’s his element.”

  “I remember nature being your element as well.”

  She shook her head. “It was the atmosphere. I was only flirting and wanted an adventure. I didn’t expect to want you again after… you know… we had sex.” She whispered.

  “You were planning to use me?” I said with a fake shocked face.

  She punched me on my arm. “Ouch.” I rubbed the spot as if she’d actually hurt me.

  “No, I wasn’t planning anything. I guess at the time I did need an outlet, but you were more than just a one-night stand.”

  “That’s a good thing, because you were more than that as well.”

  She had no idea what her affirmation meant to me. Hopefully she’d still feel that way about me once she knew the truth.

  “You’re looking at me funny,” she said.

  “I’m looking at you because you take my breath away.”

  “Sean, what are you expecting from this? From us?”

  I leaned into her. “I’m definitely expecting to be between your legs before the end of the day.”

  She blushed. More clouds hovered above our head, shading her beautiful face. The first drops of warm rain fell from the sky, but April didn’t seem to notice.

  “Come on. I’m serious.”

  “So am I. Except not only today, but tomorrow morning as well. And hopefully I’m lucky enough that you’ll want to see me again. I don’t know where this is going, but it feels good and right.”

  “It’s getting wet,” she said. But her attention was not on the sprinkle of rain. Her gaze was fixed on me, almost begging.

  “Then we’ll need to do something about that.”

  At that point, Charlie and Parker came running up to the bench.

  “Mom, it’s raining.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Dad, are we waiting for that darker cloud?” my daughter asked. “It looks like there could be lighting, and you’re sitting on a bench under a tree.”

  “Ahm, no. I guess we should be getting back, shouldn’t we?”

  “Sometimes we need to be the adults,” Parker whispered to Charlie.

  “All right, you two, be the adults. Lead us back to the parking lot,” April laughed.

  I loved it when she was so carefree and when she wasn’t over-thinking everything.

  We were one of the last to leave the park area, along with the strange man who had seemed to be following us throughout the day. By the time we got back to the car, we were all soaked, and I loved every minute of April’s shirt clinging to her body. Unfortunately, I had to cover myself with the bag of souvenirs we’d purchased in the zoo gift shop to hide the way my shorts were snuggling against my erection. I laid out a few towels I’d brought along for just such an emergency then drove home. April had what looked like a permanent smile on her face. Hopefully I’d be able to make that smile last for a long time.

  Chapter 11

  April

  We arrived at Sean’s house in the late afternoon. The drive back home had passed much more quickly as Sean sped on the highway and swerved on the roads. At one moment I was sure we’d taken a different route, one I wasn’t familiar with. I wondered whether he was trying to show off his driving skills, but from the look of concentration in his eyes and the lack of conversation, it seemed that he had other things on his mind. The rain was pounding against the ground when Lily greeted us at the door with fresh towels.

  “I hope you’re all hungry,” she announced. “I made spaghetti and meatballs.”

  Parker stood beside me, not moving.

  “I know we said we’d stay for dinner, but we’re soaked, and I didn’t bring a change of clothes.”

  “Here.” Sean pulled out a bag from within a bag full of what I thought to only be our souvenirs, and handed it to me. “I’m not letting you go when you’re this wet.”

  For a moment the mention of wetness heated my cheeks. If Sean caught onto my thoughts, he didn’t say anything, but the small curve at the side of his mouth made me wonder whether his thoughts had traveled in the same direction. I reached into the bag and pulled out a boy’s t-shirt and shorts, as well as swim trunks.

  “They’re for Parker,” Sean said. “You can use my robe while your clothes dry, and maybe the kids can have fun in the pool.”

  “It’s raining.”

  “It’s indoors.”

  Right.

  “I don’t know.”

  “April, please stay. My mom has probably cooked enough for an army anyway.”

  “I wouldn’t call it an army,” Lily said. “But I would hate to waste the food. And I’m sure Parker wouldn’t mind checking out some of the pinball games in the basement.”

  Parker’s face lit up. “Can we, Mom?”

  Of course a bribe of games for a seven-year-old would work. Besides, how could I say no to that pleading face and those puppy-dog eyes?

  Charlie pulled on Parker’s hand, saying, “Come on. I’ll show you where to change before she says no.”

  Charlie and Parker wrapped themselves up in the towels and rushed inside the house.

  “You’re going to leave prints,” I yelled out after Parker.

  “Don’t worry about it. They’re just kids.” Lily went back in to the kitchen, leaving me alone with Sean.

  “Thank you. You shouldn’t have.”

  “Of course I should have. If I hadn’t, you’d leave, and then I couldn’t check just how wet you got out in that rain.”

  I knew he had dirty thoughts.

  He reached for my hand and kissed its top like a gentleman. His eyes were full of lust and sin. Sean’s level of seduction as his gaze focused on me, smoldering under those lazy lids, was reaching perfection. After Parker, he was definitely the second man in my life to whom saying no was becoming more difficult each time.

  “Come, let me show you where you can change.”

  Sean led me upstairs to his ginormous bedroom, complete with a fireplace and a sitting area. Each time I looked at the luxury of his home, I wondered where it all came from. I felt his gentle touch on my lower back as he led me into the marble bathroom.

  “You can use my robe.” My skin sprinkled with goosebumps at his husky voice. I had that funny feeling in my stomach, the same one I’d had in Hawaii when he was so dangerously close to me and
showed no sign of backing away. The same one I’d had on the hilltop that made me anxious and excited at the same time.

  “Thank you.”

  Sean turned on the shower. The water fell from the faucet like the rain this afternoon. Its continuous flow camouflaged any outside noises. The sound of the lock clicking on the door echoed and I whipped my body around, feeling my mouth fall open as Sean removed the wet shirt from his torso and put it on the counter. He flicked the button on his shorts and lowered the zipper. My gaze followed his fingers. I couldn’t stop staring. The shorts fell to the ground. I wanted to ask him what he was doing, but that would have been a stupid question; and honestly, I didn’t want him to stop. He was almost naked and just as beautiful as I remembered and definitely as hard as stone—from his chest all the way down to that triangular path leading to his ever-growing erection.

  My thighs tensed. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew this wasn’t the right time to be stuck naked in a bathroom, but I couldn’t collect the words to ask him to stop.

  Then off came his boxer briefs, freeing him. His cock stood high and firm, waiting for me.

  My tongue swept over my bottom lip on its own and he growled, taking a step toward me, opening my strapless bra at the back with one flick of his fingers. It was now only held by the fabric of my dress.

  “The kids,” I whispered. It must have been some kind of an instinct for me to be able to speak at all.

  “My mom will keep them busy.”

  “She’ll know.”

  “She already knows how much you mean to me. It’s just us, April.”

  The straps of my dress loosened over my shoulders as Sean undid the buttons until it freely fell to my hips, my bra dropping to the tiles. He slowly lowered himself to the ground and removed the dress completely, the tip of his nose skimming over the fabric of my panties. He closed his eyes as he inhaled my essence. That alone got my skin tingling with all kinds of wonderful sensations my brain was struggling to comprehend. Why was I still second-guessing this?