“We’ll find it, if there’s anything to be found.”
She frowned at me. “What’s that mean?”
“I’ve had a lot of time to sit around and think today, and I’m worried that we haven’t given Maria enough credit.”
“You think she covered her tracks.”
“It’s very possible.”
“I’m not so sure.” She sipped the wine and tapped on the stack of papers. “Maria’s smart, but she’s also arrogant. I think she covered for herself enough to keep from getting caught if anyone gave a superficial look in her direction, but I don’t think she ever anticipated what we’re doing.”
“I hope you’re right.” I took a pile of papers. “How was the shift, by the way?”
“Busy.” She chewed on her lip absently. “The rumor mill churned hard all day.”
“Yeah? About me?”
“Of course.”
“Nobody has anything better to do.”
I laughed and drank some wine then got to work sifting through the pages.
We spent the next couple hours reading through every piece of paper in there and finished the bottle of wine. We started out at the table, but by the time we were finished, we were sprawled out on the couch and had two main stacks: one of all the papers that were more or less useless, and one of all the papers that might mean something.
I stared at the stacks and let out a breath as I finished off the dregs of the wine. One stack was huge. The other was not.
“I think we’re screwed,” I said.
She sighed and leaned her head back against the cushion. “That’s an understatement. How isn’t there more?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t even understand half this crap.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.” I leaned toward her and she put her head on my shoulder. I shifted my weight, sliding my arms around her, and pulled her against me.
We tipped back and she landed on my chest. I stared into her eyes and she looked back, mildly surprised.
“This is why you had me come over,” she said. “It was your way of seducing me.”
“Nothing more seductive than paperwork.”
“You know exactly what a girl wants.”
I touched her cheek gently. “If you want, we can fill out some forms together.”
“Don’t tease. I can’t handle it.”
I moved forward and pressed my lips against her ear. “I could use some help… filing my taxes.”
She laughed and pushed me back, and I grinned up at her, our lips inches away, her hair spilling down around me. I ran my fingers through that hair, unable to help it—and gripped tight, pulling her down, her lips meeting mine.
I kissed her hard, and she kissed me back. She tasted like wine and cherries, and I let out a soft growl as she shifted her weight, her hips pressing into mine. She was gorgeous, and I hated the way she thought about herself, and wished she could see herself the way I saw her—smart, beautiful, strong, funny. I bit her lip and felt her breasts against my chest, before shifting my weight and turning her over, pinning her back down.
She looked up at me with those wide, big eyes, and I couldn’t help myself. I kissed her neck then pulled her shirt off. She let me, didn’t stop it as I kissed her collarbone, her breasts, and unhooked her bra, letting it spill forward. I licked her nipples, moved back up, kissed her lips, then pulled my own shirt off. Her skin was warm and soft against mine as she moved her hips in slow, rhythmic pulses as we kissed, tongues lingering, lips moving slow, and I felt myself grow stiff, pressing up against her body.
I pulled back and admired her for half a moment, her lips, the long curve of her neck, the arch of her back, her small, firm, pink nipples, and that scar—god, yes, even that scar, even if she hated it so much. I unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them off, and I could tell she was uncomfortable, probably from the way I was looking at her, and I didn’t care. I kissed her belly button as my hand went down between her legs and teased her, made her hips move, a moan escape her lips.
“I love every part of you,” I whispered, kissing along her scar, then back up to her breasts. “I love the taste of all of you. I know you think that can’t be true, but trust me, Fiona. You’re beautiful.”
“I know you mean it,” she said, then gasped as my fingers teased her faster. I pushed her panties aside and felt her slick wet spot. “I know you mean it, but I’m afraid—”
“There’s always a reason to be afraid.” I sank my fingers inside. “But this feels good, doesn’t it?”
“It won’t forever.”
“It can, if you let it.” I bit her bottom lip and teased her again, rolling my finger along her hard little bud. She moaned, her back moving, and I pinned one of her hand above her head. “I can make you feel like this all the time, if you let me. I can do things for you, my Fiona, do things to you that will make you forget everything else.”