Overboard (A Crow's Nest Novel Book 2) Read online

  “I want you.” Her head leaned back against the wall, eyes half-lidded with desire.

  “To do what?”

  She flushed. “To…”

  When she trailed off, he moved his cock over her pussy, but didn’t enter her. No, she would say it. “Tell me.”

  She cried out, gripping his shoulders, nails digging into his flesh. “Please! I need you inside me!”

  Claiming her lips once more, he slid inside her, nearly spilling himself as her tight pussy clenched around him. He moaned into her mouth, and she arched her hips, letting him go balls deep.

  So shy, but instinct always wins.

  Cassidy had no idea what was going on. Her mind had switched off somewhere around the time Miguel brought her so close to orgasm while he’d been eating her out. All that was left was primal desire and a need for a release. After everything over the past few days, she really needed it.

  Miguel was buried deep inside of her, his thick cock stretching her, filling her so much Cassidy thought she might burst. She thought she’d been with guys who were big before, but they didn’t compare to Miguel, or to the way he drove her wild. No man had made her feel like this, had been so attentive to her needs.

  He moved his hips, just slightly. She cried out, digging her nails into his shoulders. Fast, slow, Cassidy didn’t care. She needed him to move in her, build the pleasure until she went falling off the edge. She moved against him and he slapped her ass lightly.

  Jerking, her eyes widened. No one had ever spanked her before, but it felt good. Not hard enough to hurt, just a light tap that left a stinging sensation that somehow enhanced everything else. He pulled back enough to watch her and chuckled before pulling out, nearly to the tip.

  She held her breath, waiting for him to plunge back in. He didn’t let her down. He thrust hard and deep, enough that the boat rocked under the force of it. Cassidy let out a soft sound.

  He groaned as she wiggled against him, and Cassidy liked it. It turned her on more, knowing that she could make him feel good too. “Please, Miguel.” It came out breathy in a tone she didn’t recognize.

  “Hold on, Sirena.” He said in a husky voice.

  Sliding a hand into her hair, he jerked her head back. The mixture of pain and pleasure coursed through her as her heart raced, needing everything he was giving.

  Leaning forward he looked her lower lip. “I’m not going to go easy on you.”

  She didn’t want him to.

  This time he didn’t pause, didn’t slow. Each thrust came as hard, if not harder than the last. He drove so deep into her that, for a moment, there was a mild flash of pain that mixed with the pleasure. She cried out, surprised at how loud she was. Her fingers dug into his skin, raking down his shoulders, even as he jerked harder against her hair. Later, Cassidy knew she would be bruised, but in a feel-good sort of way. Right now, all she could think about was the pleasure mounting between her legs.

  “Yes, Miguel! Yes!”

  He cried out, her urging somehow making him harder inside her. The length and thickness filled her so well, so completely, and suddenly she was there, her body bucking back against him as the orgasm burst over her. She didn’t want him to stop as the wave rolled over her, carrying her along with it. Each thrust heightened the orgasm, bringing her to a state of ecstasy she never felt. Just when she didn’t think she could take anymore, Miguel gave a primal sound, and thrust deep into her, holding himself against her body as he came.

  Cassidy held onto him with a tight grip, heart pounding in her chest. At some point the rainwater had mixed with sweat and she felt hot with him pressed up against her. He’d rested his forehead on her shoulder as he caught his breath. His lips were warm as he kissed her shoulder.

  Sliding his hands around her back, Miguel pulled himself out of her, and carried her to the bed, laying her down gently. Such a contrast to the primal man he’d been a few moments ago.

  Still, somewhere in the euphoria of it, Cassidy realized what she had just done, what she must have sounded like. Embarrassment reared its ugly head, but the blush was most likely hidden by the flush that still made her whole body pink. She never screamed like that during sex, but when Miguel had been taking her, nothing else mattered.

  He kissed the top of her knee and grinned. “I’ll be right back.”

  He walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, and Cassidy covered her head with a pillow. He probably thought she was such an idiot. Her chest constricted at the thought. The more time she spent with Miguel the more she liked him, and she didn’t want him to think any less of her. She couldn’t be any more stupid. Pulling the pillow away, she took a deep breath. She’d have to face the music. It had happened. She’d wanted it to happen, but she didn’t want to be a notch on his belt either. Squaring her shoulders, Cassidy stood up and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself. She needed a shower, some clean clothes, and some dignity.

  Not necessarily in that order.

  Miguel walked out of the bathroom, still naked. She flushed and averted her gaze, licking her lips and trying very hard not to look again.

  A chuckle rumbled from his chest. “We just had amazing sex, Sirena, and you’re still shy about it?”

  “I…” She didn’t know what to say, so instead she clamped her mouth shut and walked past him into the bathroom. He caught the door when she went to shut it.

  Concern welled in his dark brown eyes. “Cassidy? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing…” Not like he thought anyway. The sex had been amazing, just like he said. Better, actually, then any sex she’d had before.

  The bravado she felt a moment ago fizzled and she dipped her gaze to the floor. He put a hand on her chin and tilted her head back up to look at him.

  “What is it?”

  “We just had sex,” she said.

  “I’m aware.”

  She huffed. “That changes things.”

  “What things?”

  She frowned. “Us…I mean…I know how guys are after they sleep with a woman they barely know.”

  He held up his hands. “Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Let’s back up, Sirena. What exactly is it that you think is going to happen?”

  What did she think was going to happen? That was a good question. Honestly, she didn’t know. Cassidy had never had a one-night stand before. She flushed and turned away from him. “I should shower.”

  “Cassidy…” He took her elbow, his grip firm but gentle. Heat zipped through her, but she kept her gaze fixated on the threshold between the soft carpet of the room and the tile of the bathroom.

  “We had sex,” he said. “It was amazing, but whatever bad thing you think is going to happen, it’s not. Do you really think I’m some asshole that’s going to say fuck it, I’m not helping her anymore, or I don’t know, talk about you to all my friends?”

  There was a touch of hurt in his voice and it made her wince.

  “That’s how it was with Meredith,” she told him. “She’d sleep with guys and they’d call her a whore or laugh at her behind her back.”

  “This isn’t high school.” He rubbed his thumb over her forearm.

  She turned on him. “I’m not talking about high school. I mean sure, it started there, but it’s how her life was.”

  “You aren’t your sister.”

  Anger coursed through her and she jerked her arm away, turning on him. “No. I’m not. Meredith is dead and her killer is still on the street. What do I do? I go and have a one-night stand. I’ve never done that. Ever!”

  He raised his brows in surprise.

  Tears stung her eyes, but she didn’t want Miguel to see her cry. Throwing her hands up in frustration, she walked into the bathroom slamming the door behind her.

  Chapter Eleven

  While Cassidy was in the shower, Miguel opted to distract himself by figuring out what was on the flash drive. Sure, he knew she was shy, but never having had a one-night stand? It made him wonder just how inexperienced she was. Most of the women he
slept with knew exactly what they were getting into, but clearly that hadn’t been the case with Cassidy. The aftermath of highly intense situations often left people craving contact. Had he misread her signals? She’d said she wanted him. He shook his head. Cassidy wasn’t like any of the other women he’d been with. Miguel knew that. When she got out of the shower, they’d talk. Until then, he still had to figure out how to keep Ivanov off her tail.

  Now dressed in cargo shorts and a tank top, Miguel grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat at the small kitchen table. He fired up his laptop and stuck the drive in. A screen popped up and he sighed. Password protected. A hacker he was not. In any sense of the word. Sure, he could read files, check email, and all that other stuff, but cracking into a thumb drive—especially when he didn’t know the woman, was going to be hard. Cassidy might know it. If not, he’d have to get it to Honey. No doubt she’d be able to figure out what’s on it.

  The soft pad of footsteps alerted him to Cassidy’s presence. She’d put on a pair of shorts and a red shirt. Her long blond hair hung loose and wet over her shoulders. When she reached the last step she paused, a sheepish expression on her face.

  “Hey...”

  “Hey.” He set his beer on the table and leaned back in the booth. Damn it all to hell if he didn’t find her adorable as hell, even as she moved her knee back and forth, her hand tight around the banister.

  “I…owe you an apology.” She let out a breath. “I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that.”

  “Care to tell me why you did?” he asked.

  Flustered she leaned against the fridge and sighed as she played with her fingertips. “I’m embarrassed and a horrible person.”

  Frowning, Miguel tilted his head down, gaze darkening. “Sirena, you are many things. Brave, smart, persistent, damn good at sex—but you are not a horrible person. Not in the slightest.

  Tilting her chin down, Cassidy wrapped her arms around her belly. The demureness turned him on, and Miguel just wanted to turn her around, bend her over the counter, and take her roughly from behind.

  “I was screaming like…”

  “Like what?” He tilted his head, now amused. “Like you felt good? There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  She swallowed so thickly he heard the gulp. “And I’m having sex when Kendra just…”

  Now he understood. She felt guilty because while her friend was being processed by the police, Cassidy was having sex. A combination of embarrassment over having never lost control, and guilt over the things she couldn’t control.

  Getting up, he walked over to her. Slipping a finger under her chin, he lifted her gaze to his. “There is no shame in sex. Nor is there anything wrong with having it when you need comfort or to feel alive when so much around you has gone to shit.”

  Miguel should know. He’d buried himself in at least a dozen women to forget the past. Sex kept the demons at bay—but with Cassidy, he didn’t want her to just pack up and go. He wanted to have her again and again—until her throat was raw from screaming and she was walking bow-legged the next morning.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right. I’ve just never…”

  “Don’t worry about it, Sirena.” He nodded to her leg, having noticed the exposed stitches when he stood up. “Where’s the bandage?”

  At least they hadn’t popped any while we were rocking the boat—literally.

  “I wanted to let it air. It’s kinda sore now. Funny I didn’t notice it before.”

  His lips turned up in a grin and she flushed.

  “We shouldn’t do that again,” she said. “We should be focusing on Ivanov.”

  Miguel wanted to do it again. Being inside of Cassidy had felt…like perfection. He’d never climaxed that hard. Never felt like his body fit so well with another woman. That in itself was enough to make him agree with her. Long term relationships—they were hard. He had a lot of baggage, a lot of scars, and no one deserved to have to carry them. The darkness inside of him didn’t bother Miguel, but a woman shouldn’t have to deal with it.

  Cassidy brought sense back to him—even as he wanted to ignore what she said and kiss her.

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “You’re right.” Sitting back down, he turned the laptop toward her. “Your friend password protected the drive. Don’t suppose you’d know what it is.”

  Cassidy frowned and walked over. She had a noticeable limp. Miguel internally cringed. He should have been more careful of her injury. Mentioning the thumb drive must have driven away the awkward because she sat next to him with no problem, her long delicate fingers sliding over the keys without any trouble. She tried several times but only got ‘password incorrect’ messages. She huffed and poked her tongue out of the corner of her mouth.

  Too damn sexy.

  “No luck, I guess?”

  “No. Kendra wouldn’t have made it anything that would revert back to her. Probably a string of digits and letters. Fluffy27 would be too easy for someone to hack.” She dropped her hands into her laps. “Damn it, we have to do something! What if Ivanov has another woman? We don’t even know what he’s doing to them!”

  “He isn’t going to make a move until all of this settles down,” he said.

  Ivanov would be an idiot to draw attention to himself. Right now, the hit man couldn’t be traced back to him. If Detective Wallace found any information in regard to that, she’d let Cap know. Until then, as far as anyone knew, Cassidy was just some insane woman telling tall tales. Unless, of course, something came to light to show otherwise. No, Ivanov wouldn’t kill another woman until the rumors died down.

  “He’s smug,” she said.

  Miguel nodded. “Yes, but he isn’t stupid. As long as you’re alive and as long as the media is looking at him, any other woman he might have taken are safe. What we need to figure out is where he’s taking them to kill them. If we can find the location, then we can probably find some damning evidence. Unless it’s on his boat.”

  Cassidy shook her head. “No. Too many witnesses. Not all the women go missing, just the ones Ivanov thinks no one will care about.”

  “But people will be looking for them now,” he pointed out. “People will dig. I’m assuming that Kendra found something pretty damning.”

  “The only problem is we can’t get it off the stupid flash drive.” She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.

  “No,” he said. “Honey will be able to though.”

  “You think so?”

  “Trust me.” He slid out from the booth. “No one is better at hacking than Honey. She derives nothing but pure pleasure from it.”

  Sort of like Miguel when it came speeding across the water. He needed to get to the ocean open soon.

  “I’ll call ahead,” he said. “Make sure they’re not under surveillance.”

  “Why would they be…” She trailed off and pursed her lips together. “Because I was last seen with you. The cops are probably after you too.”

  “Not bad investigative journalist.” He grinned and winked at her. “Don’t go getting all guilty on me though. Not the first time the cops have looked my way. I doubt it will be the last.”

  A long time ago, before Miguel got his shit under control, the police had shown up on his property more than once. His mother and sister had gone through some long nights during that time. Drinking had never been a problem. He hadn’t done it drown his sorrows. It wasn’t sorrows he ever had to worry about, but the anger he hadn’t been able to simmer at the time.

  It was one of the reasons he opted to move away from everyone. Someplace isolated, where if he did have an episode no one got caught in the cross-hairs. Well maybe a gator or two, but if he wound up shooting in his sleep, nothing human would be in the line of fire.

  Cassidy ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. “Yeah, all right.”

  Despite agreeing with her that they shouldn’t sleep together again, Miguel walked over and cupped her face in his hands. “Listen, Sirena. I don’t know what’s happen
ed in your past, but what I do know is that I’m not going to ditch you, or make you feel less. The sex was amazing, and you are beautiful. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”

  He felt her cheeks warm beneath his hands. God, he loved making her do that.

  She stepped back from him and cleared her throat. “You… uh. You should call the marina. I’ll wait outside for you.”

  Before he could say anything, she crossed the small area onto the forward deck. He smirked and shook his head, before pulling out his cell.

  Cassidy was still in awe of this tight knit group of people. Sure, it was a marina, but it was also so much more. She didn’t understand the dynamic between them, but so far, from what she could tell, it was like some sort of brotherhood. These men had all gone through something. Her investigative journalist instincts told her that much. If she had to guess, she’d say former military, considering the tattoos she’d seen on some of them. It made her wonder what their stories were. Especially Miguel's. She still wondered about the scars as she sat in the rear of the boat, warm water spraying on her face. She had a view of his back and backside, and as nice as the latter was, her curiosity kept making her look higher.

  Considering the way she’d treated him after they’d had sex, she didn’t think that she had any right to ask.

  Miguel killed the engine as they came to the slip at the Crow’s Nest. The boat floated against the dock and he pulled them over, wrapping the lines around the cleats. Once it was secure, he easily hopped out, and held his hand down to Cassidy. She took it, the boat shifting under her foot as she pushed off with her sore leg. Hissing, she stumbled. Miguel caught her, his warm, sun kissed arms wrapping around her.

  “Easy,” he said. “I gotcha.”

  She looked up into his deep brown eyes. Something flickered, his body tensing, before he pulled away, though he stayed close. She gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  The pain in her leg dulled. It had been doing that progressively. So long as she didn’t exert herself too much, the pain was manageable without meds. If she wound up trying to run from one of Ivanov’s goons, she was screwed for sure.