Chapter 4: Darek - Pisces

Darek rolled over and felt the warm body of someone next to him. He opened his eyes and realized that Lizzy had fallen asleep, too, and the movie they’d found on cable was long over. He glanced at the clock and couldn’t believe it was just midnight. It felt like he’d been asleep for hours, more than the two since he’d crashed.

Lizzy had been in a bad mood for at least an hour after the encounter with the manager at what was now Gas and Guzzle. When they go to their reserved room, they unloaded their stuff and settled in to discuss what had happened.

She was most upset about the fire at Camp V and that no one had even told her about it. Even though Darek wanted the trip to fail, he felt horrible for her.

It was hard to live this lie, but it was all he could do. He had to do his job, he had to protect her, and most of all, he had to support her while steering her away from anything concrete that would reveal his secret connection to the camp. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like someone had already taken care of the evidence by burning down the Camp, but he would find out more about that in the morning.

He moved closer to Lizzy, knowing he should be a gentleman and get the fuck up and move to the other bed, but he didn’t want to. He was content to hold her for a moment and pretend he was someone else with a different life.

She stirred a little and then sat straight up in the bed. “Shit, did I fall asleep?”

“We both did.” He sat up and grabbed his pillow. “I should go to my own bed.”

“Only if you want to.”

He knew things couldn’t get too heated with the fucking brand on his shoulder, but then she leaned over and turned off the lamp.

“Are you sure?” The last time they got this close, they nearly let things go too far, but she nodded.

She rested on her side. “It’s not like we can’t control ourselves, and besides, we’ve already slept this long together. Why move now? Housekeeping will thank you.”

“Fine, but I can’t promise I’ll stay on my own side.” Darek planned on lying as close as possible, and he wasn’t going to apologize if his hard-on offended her.

“You’re good. Trust me. I think it would be nice to have someone hold me. I haven’t spooned much since my divorce.” She blushed, and he reached up and pushed a stray hair behind her ear.

“I didn’t spoon much since I got married.”

“Your ex sounds like an ice-cold bitch.” She covered her mouth and smiled. “Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t say everything I think.”

“Yeah, that sums it up.” He laughed and rolled over on his back to stare at the ceiling. “And don’t worry about it. You’re absolutely right. She’s an ice queen.”

“At least she didn’t fight you in the end and gave you your house back.” Lizzy fluffed her pillow and eased closer.

“It’s the only decent thing she’s done.”

“Was that really true about the kissing?” Lizzy asked. “Or were you just kidding around?”

“Sadly, it was true. I thought I’d forgotten how for a while there.” It was the truth, and he remembered months and months where he hadn’t gotten more than a peck on the lips or cheeks. No deep kisses, no making out, and only a few small pecks when he left for work. A person would give a pet more fucking affection.

“I don’t understand it,” Lizzy said. “You’re really sexy and a great kisser. Is she mentally unstable?”

“You think I’m sexy?” He turned his head toward her, and she giggled in a way he’d never heard before. She sounded ten years younger and was suddenly acting bashful. “Since when do you blush?”

He turned his body to face her, lying on his right side in case she wanted to make out, his branded shoulder would get far less attention.

“Am I?” she asked. “I guess you do that to me. Or maybe because it’s been a while. My ex was like an overgrown child at times, and it was hard to get him to show me affection, too. He just wanted to get down to business, so to speak.”

Darek only wished he had that problem. He couldn’t even let Lizzy see him with his shirt off, but maybe taking it slow was the way to her heart. “I’d want to savor every minute.”

She moved closer. “Would you?”

“Yeah, at the right time. I mean, we are partners. Coworkers. You’re my superior, so to speak. Things could get complicated, you know? Then comes regrets.”

She let out a sigh as he ticked off the reasons they shouldn’t. “You sound like you don’t really want to.”

Darek reached out and rested his arm on her hip, and then he leaned forward to kiss her. The kiss was deep and lingering, languid and sultry. She moved her hips forward and hitched her leg up over his. The two fell comfortably against one another as if that was the way they were meant to be, and when he pulled away, he looked into her eyes. “Do you still think I don’t want to?”

“Then what’s keeping you?”

“Maybe I think good things come to those who wait.” He shrugged.

“Do you?”

“Yeah, I think what we have is worth more, and I want to make sure it’s the right time so I don’t lose you. I don’t want any room for regret. Besides, you putting in a word for me might go a little further if we’re not sleeping together.”

She laughed and rolled away from him. “I should have known. Are you worried about your promotion? Well, at least that makes sense.” She sat up and grabbed her fluffy pillow, but he took her arm and pulled her down to his chest.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’m just being honest. I want you, Lizzy. More than anyone ever.”

“Then prove it,” she said.

“Lay down and I will.” He was hard as a rock for her, and as she moved back against him, he knew there was no way she didn’t feel his hard length pressing against her ass. But just in case she missed it, he pressed it against her and heard her breath hitch. “Does that prove it to you?”

She moved her ass against him and moaned. “Yes.”

She gave a little cry as he nuzzled his nose against her neck and breathed warm air that gave her chills. He felt them rise on her arms, and he reached up to cup her breasts. Soon, his hand was down the front of her panties, his fingers searching for her clit.

When he found it, he pressed hard, and she moved between his fingers and his thick cock. She came, and he pulled his fingers free and, with a moan, licked them clean.

“Let me help you.” She reached back and took his cock into her grip and rubbed him up and down her ass, her hand jerking him in a steady rhythm that had him on the edge of orgasm before he knew it.

“I’m close.”

“Come for me, Darek.” She met his eyes. Suddenly, her grip tightened, and his load splashed her hand.

She brought a taste to her lips, and he thought he was going to pass out he was so lightheaded. She was overwhelming, and he couldn’t believe the two of them were so hot for each other. The irony was almost too much for him, and as much as he wanted to be closer to her, he couldn’t blow his cover.

“I need to wash my hands, but I’ll bring back a towel.” She got up and went to the bathroom. While she was gone, he wasn’t sure what to fucking think about what just happened. So much for being careful and not throwing caution to the wind. He knew that any act of intimacy was only going to make things harder for him, but he couldn’t help but be head over heels for Lizzy.

She came back to the bed, and once he cleaned up and righted his shorts, they curled up together.

“Maybe we should get a little practice spooning,” she said with laughter in her voice.

“I’m all for that.” He pulled her closer.

“I’m anxious for tomorrow. Isn’t it exciting that we’ll get to go to the camp?” She reminded him of a kid on Christmas Eve, with a gleam in her eyes and the hope for the morning to come.

“Yeah, I can’t wait. I always wanted to go to summer camp when I was a kid.” Darek didn’t find it exciting in the same way she did. The kind of excitement he had was going to give him an ulcer if he wasn’t careful. If he didn’t have one already.

His job was high stress enough without all of this, but at least he could try and do some good to help the other guys, who were not only targets now but who had moved on with their lives and repented in their own ways. He wasn’t sure that they weren’t about to blow the lid off the Zodiacs and the fact that he was a part of the group, but he knew he had to make arrangements to disassociate himself from them as soon as possible. The first thing he was going to do when he got back home was figure out how to do it. There had to be a way to get rid of the mark, even if he had to take matters into his own hands.