Lies (Phoenix Undercover #1) Read online

  “That mouth and that dimple when he grins.” Brooklyn fanned her face, and I turned to see what she was referring to. It was then that I saw Josh smirk and slowly open his eyes.

  “Were you awake this entire time?” I asked as I sat up taller.

  “No, but I think I was around the time she mentioned my hands and arms.” He chuckled.

  I shot a look at Brook, who appeared to be holding back her own laughter. “Wow, you’re as bad as she is,” I told him as I started to get up, but he yanked me back against his side. I squealed when he tickled me and tried to squirm away.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked as he held me against him.

  Our eyes locked, and our mouths were only inches apart. I licked my lips instinctively, and his gaze fell to my mouth.

  “I’m just going to go take a shower and leave you two alone for a little while,” Brook said, but I didn’t even acknowledge her. My heart was racing, and I suddenly felt warm all over.

  “You’re a cuddler,” Josh whispered, and I smiled. “I slept exceptionally well with you pressed against me. Better than I have in a long time.”

  “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  “Me either. I guess it just shows you felt relaxed too.” He inched his mouth just a little closer, and my stomach tightened with anticipation. “It’s Sunday, and I know I said I wanted to spend some time with you on Sunday night. Are we still on?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I usually go to my father’s house for dinner. Would you join me?”

  I was immediately caught off guard. “You want me to go to dinner with you? At your father’s?”

  “Yes,” he whispered against my lips, and the vibrations made the hair on the back of my neck stand. “It can mean whatever you want it to. I just want to spend time with you, Gabby. Things at work are crazy, and they’re about to get even crazier. There will be times when I won’t be able to see or talk to you for days. So right now, I just want to take advantage of the time we do have.”

  I hated how empty the prospect of not talking to him or seeing him made me feel. In a short time, I had already begun to look forward to spending time with him.

  “Okay, I’ll go with you,” I responded just before his mouth covered mine. And when I pressed my tongue against his lips needing more, he reciprocated and gave me just what I craved.

  Chapter 11

  Josh

  I loved Gabby’s confidence. Most women would be nervous at being invited to meet their date’s parent, but not her.

  The moment my father opened the door, he acted as though she had been around for years. “Hello, darling.” He pulled Gabby in for a welcoming hug. “Great to have you here. You sure are a pretty one.” As he led us into the living room, she looked back over her shoulder and winked. My father had taken my girl from me, and all I could do was smile. She sat on the love seat, and I quickly slid in next to her before my dad could even consider it. He was a sneaky old man, and I saw him eyeing the spot.

  He chuckled as he sat down in his favorite brown suede recliner instead. “I’m real happy you could join us, Gabriella. It’s good to see my boy spending his time doing something other than working.”

  And so it begins. “Okay, Dad, that’s enough,” I said in annoyance.

  “It’s nice, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Before the conversation could go any further, there was a knock on the door, which immediately flew open. The loud squeals of laughter grew even louder as my nephew Jonah ran into the room. He skidded to a stop right before Gabby and me, and froze. His eyes locked on Gabby, and he stared up at her in a daze. It was comical to watch his little features change.

  Gabby leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. “Well, hello there, handsome. What’s your name?”

  He didn’t shy away from her, yet he didn’t respond, either. Instead, he continued to stare as if he was seeing some mythical princess.

  “Tell her your name, buddy.” I looked up to see my sister standing in the doorway. She was smiling as she stared at her son.

  “Jo-nah.” It was adorable how he stated his name with a long pause between each syllable.

  “Well, Jonah, I must say that is a very strong name,” Gabby assured him as she pretended to feel his arm muscles, “for a very strong little man.”

  Her words seemed to bring him back to reality, and he beamed back at her, still a little awestruck.

  I scooped him up and placed him on my lap. “I know just how ya feel, bud. She is mesmerizing, isn’t she?”

  Gabby smiled and leaned back against the couch, where she reached out and tickled Jonah’s stomach.

  “Looks like you have some competition, Josh.” I cringed as Greyson’s voice filled the room. He had a tendency to lay the flirting on pretty thick, and I knew he wouldn’t hold back with Gabby. I just wondered how she would handle him being so forward.

  I hadn’t seen Greyson since we left the warehouse last night. He walked into the living room and sat down on the arm of the love seat next to Gabby. She looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow. He had no idea what he was doing; she wasn’t like the other girls he toyed with.

  “Hi, beautiful, I’m Grey. I’m the better-looking, much more skilled agent. If you want me to rescue you from this bore, I would be more than happy to.” He grinned widely and scanned over her appreciatively.

  “I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but if you don’t mind my honesty…” She paused as she looked him over from head to toe. “I would have to disagree. Josh has definitely got you beat.”

  I chuckled, and even my dad got a laugh out of the scene.

  “I can assure you I’m a much better kisser.” Greyson tried once again to redeem his ego.

  “Once again, a matter of opinion,” Gabby said as she stared back at him. “But I’ve heard men that stroke their own ego are compensating for something that is lacking in their life. Is there something you would like to confess to?” She paused for effect. “Maybe we could help you out with your little problem.”

  Greyson’s eyes shifted to mine. He clearly had no idea what to say. I knew he would get nowhere with Gabby. Her attitude was one of the things that had attracted me most to her. She could keep a man on their toes.

  Libby brushed past Greyson and in the process pushed him backward, causing him to fall off the arm of the love seat. “Give it up, Greyson. She will only humiliate you more.” She held her hand out to Gabby. “Hi, I’m Libby, Josh’s sister. You’ll have to ignore Greyson. He’s like a stray dog you fed once who keeps hanging around.”

  “Don’t lie to her, Libs. You love me,” Greyson said from the floor.

  “No, Grey, I feel sorry for you. Don’t mistake that for love.” She kicked at his shoe, and he chuckled.

  “Okay, kids, you’re gonna scare her off,” my dad said, trying to tame the crew, but he couldn’t hide his smile. He enjoyed our banter; he always had.

  ***

  “How did you sleep last night?” Grey asked as he joined me on the back deck after dinner. Libby and Gabby were inside washing dishes, and Dad was playing with Jonah in the living room.

  “It wasn’t easy,” I confessed. “My mind was pretty fucked up. I never thought we would be dealing with that shit. Yeah, maybe after a few interactions, but not on the first night.” My stomach was in knots as I tried to keep my mind from wandering, but visions of those three girls kept flashing through my mind.

  “You do know when word gets back to Frank, he’s gonna flip his shit. No personal involvement, remember?”

  I didn’t reply, and Greyson and I both remained silent as we stared off into the darkness.

  I knew I had compromised our assignment by demanding the girls be exclusively ours. But after what we had been through with them and knowing just how scared they were, I acted without a second thought. I know my plan didn’t guarantee their safety, but it may have bought them just a little more time. And maybe we would be able to get them o
ut of Leo’s clutches before more of their innocence was stolen.

  “I know your heart was in the right place, Josh, but we have a job to do,” Greyson said after a moment. “We have to keep our heads on straight. We knew going in that we may be forced to do things we disagreed with. It was clear.”

  I knew what he was saying, but it didn’t settle my stomach in the slightest. “Yeah, well, violating young girls is something I don’t think I can go through with, no matter what is at stake. I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror after this, Grey.”

  “I know” was all he said, but I knew he felt the same thing. We would just have to keep playing my plan out, hoping it continued to work.

  The sound of the glass door sliding on its track caught our attention, and we turned to find Gabby stepping out onto the back deck.

  “Hey, sweetheart, did you finally come to your senses? You ready to find out who the better kisser is?” Grey was right back to taunting her.

  “Greyson, now that it’s just the three of us, I’ve got to ask.” She looked up at me and winked before turning back to him. She held her hand up and arched her pinky out, wiggling it. “Is there something you’re trying to hide? You shouldn’t feel ashamed about size. Some girls don’t think it matters.”

  Greyson once again had nothing to say. He only shook his head and walked back inside. When he slid the door shut, Gabby and I were alone.

  I gripped her hips and pulled her body against mine as I looked into her big, blue eyes and smiled. “Thank you for coming tonight.”

  “Thank you for inviting me. It was fun. Your family is wonderful.”

  I inched closer, bringing my mouth to hover over hers. “You’re wonderful,” I whispered and placed my lips against hers.

  A kiss that was meant to be gentle quickly deepened as desire gripped us. Gabby slid her hands around my waist and glided them along the flesh just beneath the hem of my shirt. I groaned at the sensations her fingers were causing, and my body came to life even more as she rolled her tongue against mine. When she gently sucked on the tip, my cock twitched in excitement.

  Visions of dropping to my knees and tugging her pants down around her ankles before spreading her legs wide to feast on the sweetness between them rolled through my mind. Gabby was awakening my animal instincts, and I knew we had to stop before we lost all control.

  I pulled back, and she groaned in protest.

  “I know,” I whispered. “I’m so fucking hard right now, I could pound nails, but we are on my dad’s porch. And I have to walk back through the house, and I can’t do that in my current condition.” I looked down toward my zipper, and her gaze followed mine.

  A smile spread across her lips. “I can see how that would be a problem,” she said brightly with a proud gleam in her eyes. She was not sorry in the least.

  ***

  How we got to Gabby’s place was a blur. All I knew was that the sexual tension between Gabby and me was high. It had been since we walked back into my father’s kitchen.

  We said quick good-byes to my family and Greyson, and we’d had to pull ourselves apart three times since then. Once outside my dad’s house, where I caged her against the side of my car. The second was in the parking deck of her apartment building, where somehow she ended up in the driver’s seat, straddling my lap. And the third and final time was in the elevator when we arrived on her floor.

  Now I had her pinned against the inside of her front door with her legs hooked around my waist. I was currently grinding my erection against her and swallowing her moans. I hadn’t even taken into account that her sister may have been behind us watching the whole damn thing, but I no longer cared. I just knew I wanted Gabby; I needed her. I had to feel human again after the fucked-up shit I had seen last night. I wanted something real.

  “Bedroom,” she panted.

  It was all the invitation I needed. I gripped her ass and lifted, and she wrapped her legs even tighter around me.

  I entered her room through the open door and kicked it shut behind me. Once I reached the bed, I lowered her to her feet and stepped back. When she looked at me in confusion, I smirked.

  “I want to watch you,” I said. Her eyebrows scrunched up in uncertainty. “Undress for me, Gabriella. I don’t want to miss even a single inch of you.”

  I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, and I knew she was questioning my request. I had to keep talking, because I was fearful of losing her in her own doubts. I opened the button of her jeans before lowering the zipper ever so slowly. “You are so fucking sexy, and I can’t wait to taste every part of you. But right now if I touch you, I may lose myself, and things will be over a whole lot faster than I want them to be.”

  She smiled, and I could see the temptress within her then as she hooked her thumbs in the sides of her jeans. I lowered my hands and watched in awe as she shimmied them over her hips and down her long, slender legs—legs I could barely wait to have wrapped around me as I drove into her over and over.

  Her blue lace panties left little to the imagination, and I wondered what purpose they truly served. They were as sexy as fuck, yet barely existent. I couldn’t help myself from trailing my finger along the waistband. She bit her lip and immediately grabbed for her shirt, which she lifted up and over her head. Her bra matched her panties and cupped her breasts perfectly, making my cock throb even more.

  I reached into my back pocket, pulled out my wallet, and removed the condom from the inside pocket before tossing my wallet to the floor and undoing my jeans. As Gabby watched me hungrily, my hands began to tremble with need. I couldn’t get my damn clothes off fast enough. With my jeans, boxers, and shoes in a pool at my feet, I removed my shirt and tossed it to the floor as well. I knelt before her and slid my hands between her thighs, parting her legs slightly. She lifted one and hooked it over my left shoulder, bracing herself by placing a hand on my other shoulder. When she was openly exposed, I licked my lips, craving her. She was just about to speak, but I hooked the small piece of lace with my fingers and pulled it to the side. I then placed my mouth over her and began to suck, and any thoughts she may have had quickly faded away.

  Chapter 12

  Gabriella

  I had never in my life felt this alive. I was hanging on the edge of delirium, and my legs were shaking uncontrollably.

  Josh had his face buried against me as he ate at me like I was his last meal. It was the most intense pleasure I had ever felt. I gripped his hair and held his face against me, grinding against him. The moment he slid a thick finger inside me, it was as if a fire had ignited. The heat rushed through my legs and settled deep in my stomach.

  “Oh my God, yes,” I encouraged him, panting. “Right there. Please don’t stop.”

  He added a second finger and curled them as he pumped them inside me, continuing to suck. “Let go, Gabby, come for me.”

  At his words, the orgasm that had been building took over. My legs tightened around him, and I tensed before growing weak with my release.

  “Sexiest fucking thing,” Josh whispered as my body trembled, and he looked up into my eyes, still sliding his fingers in and out of me. He then slowly stood, pulling his fingers from me. He lifted them to my lips and traced his middle finger along my lower lip—the finger he’d just had buried deep within me. “Watching you come undone was unbelievable, and I want to see it again. Only this time, I want to be buried inside you when you lose yourself.”

  Oh my God. I had never thought hearing those words would be such a turn-on, but at this moment I didn’t think Josh could say anything that would make me want him more. He was without a doubt the sexiest, most alluring man I had even been with. Even though I hadn’t had a lot of lovers, Josh was different from all of them. He was vulgar and dirty, he was nasty and domineering, and I loved every fucking minute of it and wanted more. I needed him to take charge and make me scream his name in erotic bliss.

  I took the condom he still held in his free hand, bit the edge of the packet, and tore it open. H
e watched me as I removed it and dropped the foil to the floor. Taking his impressive length in my hand, I then began lowering the condom over him. He never took his gaze from my hands until I was finished. Then he looked up at me, and I slowly backed away before lowering myself to the bed. I unhooked my bra in the center and let it fall away, then parted my legs and relaxed back against the pillows.

  “You look so incredibly sexy right now.” His voice was strained.

  I crooked my finger, indicating I wanted him to join me, and he wasted no time. Once he was positioned between my legs, I felt his cock pressing against my needy center. “I need you inside me,” I whispered, and he groaned in return.

  He lifted his hips just enough to press the head of his cock against my opening before slowly sliding inside me. We moaned in unison, and he flexed his hips forward until he was completely seated. I felt so incredibly full and rocked against him, giving him the go-ahead. I needed him to move.

  Josh covered my mouth with his, pulled back, and began to rock within me over and over. The friction hit just were I needed it, and I knew at this pace it would not be long before I was screaming his name as I came again.

  “You feel amazing, so fucking good,” he groaned into the crook of my neck. “Incredible.” He pumped his hips harder and faster and rotated against me with each thrust, rubbing my clit in the perfect rhythm.

  My legs began to tingle, and his breathing became more ragged. “So close,” he whispered. “So tight, baby. I can’t hold out much longer.”

  I lifted my hips to meet his thrusts and was thrown into the most intense orgasm I had ever felt during intercourse. “Josh, oh yes, oh fuck,” I screamed, and my body quivered and shook with pleasure.

  It was as if I left my mind for a few moments, because when I could focus once again, Josh was slamming into me so hard, the headboard was hitting the wall. In seconds, he was moaning out his own release. The intensity overtook him as he bit down on my shoulder, and I winced. The pain was almost pleasurable.