Behind the Lens (Home in Carson Book 1) Read online

  “I want to taste you,” Cliff growled against her mouth, but she shook her head slightly. “Later, I need you inside me right now.”

  With one strong arm, Cliff wrapped it entirely around her waist and lifted her slightly. The tip of his cock slipped along the wetness of and sex. As she hovered above him, she rocked her hips as she had done against his hand, her body growing wetter with each pass.

  Through clenched teeth, Cliff asked, “How long has it been?”

  “Too long,” she admitted, not telling him it had been over six years. They’ll have time for that discussion at a later date, all Alexis was concerned with was finding her next release.

  “Go slow, baby,” he told her as he loosened his hold on her waist. Immediately she reached out and settled her hands on his shoulders, taking care not to rest any weight on her wounded arm.

  Cliff aligned himself at her hot entrance and Alexis slowly lowered herself onto his dick. Inch by agonizing inch. She knew it would hurt as he stretched her body to accommodate his size, but as she continued to take him in, she found herself holding back gasps of pain.

  Sensing her change of mood, Cliff slipped his hand between her legs and gently began to rub her clit again. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It will feel good in a minute.” Her body began to relax as the pleasure built slowly.

  Finally, after what felt like hours, her thighs touched his as she completely seated herself on his shaft.

  “Fuck, nothing had ever felt this good. This perfect.”

  And she felt the same. Despite the pressure, Cliff made her body feel alive in a way it never had before.

  Alexis lifted up just a few inches to relieve the ache building between her legs only to have Cliff grip her waist, holding her in place.

  “I need just a minute; otherwise, I’ll explode right now.”

  She tried to hide her smirk, knowing she had this effect on him, that she could bring him to his knees.

  “I need to move, Cliff.”

  Alexis didn’t wait for him to respond, the desire overpowering everything else. With slow, steady movements, she raised then lowered herself on his cock, adding a swirl in her hips as she picked up speed.

  It was not long before her moves became sporadic and wild, she threw her head back as her body took over.

  “Oh, god,” she called out as the familiar sensation came into reach. Alexis knew she was just seconds away from going over the edge. “I’m so close.”

  “Fuck,” Cliff growled. He grabbed her hips to hold her in place, then began to thrust upward at an alarming speed.

  “Yes. Yes. Yes!” Alexis cried out as an orgasm soared through her, limbs shaking at the onslaught of pleasure. But Cliff’s pounding never wavered. He continued to drive into her body over and over until his cock somehow grew even larger before releasing himself deep inside her channel.

  She collapsed against him as he fell against the couch, their heavy breaths swirling together. Sweat-soaked bodies slid across each other as they heaved for air in unison.

  They stayed silent for a few minutes, allowing themselves to cool down. Cliff ran his fingers through the messy waves of her hair, Alexis didn’t even care as he snagged a few tangles. She hadn’t felt this free and spent in a long time and she wanted to savor every second.

  “Definitely not tired now,” she said with her lips pressed against his shoulder, causing him to chuckle.

  “Well, what do you want to do, pretty girl?”

  Leaning away from his body, Alexis smiled wickedly at the man that had completely entranced her.

  “I’d love to take a dip in the lake to cool off.”

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, Cliff drew her breast toward his mouth.

  “Do you now?”

  “Yeah,” she said breathily. “It would be a way to cool off. And no one will find us there.”

  “Think you can be quiet?”

  Bringing her hand from his shoulders to his face, she pulls him toward her, their lips brushing. “I’m sure you could find a way to keep me quiet.”

  Chapter Six

  A week had passed since Alexis and Cliff gave in to their attraction. Since then, he had spent every night, and some mornings, in bed with her. And with Logan giving her the go ahead to return to normal activity, they had been insatiable. But Cliff worried that the longer that Alexis stayed with him the more emotions he hadn’t felt in years would begin to bloom inside him. And those kinds of feelings would make it difficult for him to focus when he needed to protect her.

  He had little doubt that her father was coming. Lev wasn’t a man that responded spontaneously. No, he would strike with a plan in place, which meant Cliff and the town needed a plan in place too. So far, all the group had decided was to keep an eye on Alexis twenty-four seven.

  But it was quiet. Too quiet. And Cliff had been on edge wobbling in the breeze.

  The past Tuesday, his new receptionist quit on her second day because he snapped at her while explaining how to add new products into their inventory system. She had duplicated an entry, which Cliff himself had done numerous times, but with his mind elsewhere, he couldn’t contain his anger.

  Thank goodness for Alexis offering to do the job in the meantime. She claimed to be bored and no surprise quickly picked up the systems.

  Wade, his new seasonal artist, had been fitting in well with the shop. He was quiet for the most part and kept to himself, much as Cliff had when he first moved to town. He suspected that the Lady Busy Bees would be cornering him soon to get Wade’s life story, whatever hadn’t been pulled in his background check. Somehow those ladies got wind of everything.

  “You have an appointment in fifteen minutes,” Alexis called out as she leaned around the ledge separating his section.

  “Tattoo or piercing?”

  “Navel piercing.”

  Sauntering farther into the room, Cliff watched the gentle sway of her hips as she moved to stand in front of him. Damn, he had it bad for this woman. This insatiable hunger for her that couldn’t seem to be quenched.

  “You know, I thought belly button rings went out of style. Maybe I’m just getting old,” she joked.

  “Naw, we get them pretty frequently. It’s an easy piercing. You know what that means?”

  Reaching out, he gripped her hip, tugging her close until she straddled his legs on the chair. Her skirt flounced around them, draping across their laps like a blanket. The heat between her thighs rubbed against his straining cock aching behind his cargo shorts.

  “No, what does that mean?

  “It means that I don’t have to spend these fifteen minutes prepping anything.”

  Leaning forward, Alexis moved closer until her lips rub against the edge of his ear. Cliff’s hands slithered up her skirt until they landed on the globes of her ass.

  “What should we do during that time?” Her voice grew husky with each word.

  Slipping his fingers beneath the center of her panties, Cliff replied, “I’m sure we can come up with something interesting.”

  Twenty minutes later, Cliff watched a frazzled Alexis run her fingers through her hair, resetting the ponytail he had gripped as she rode him on the chair. He was pretty sure that the smirk on his face gave them away as they moved out to the waiting area. Alexis doing so at a quick apologetic pace while he sauntered in like he owns the place, because he did and didn’t care if everyone knew that he was fucking the life out of Alexis in the back room.

  The young woman startled from her perch against the desk where Wade stood keeping her occupied.

  “Thanks, man,” Cliff acknowledged with a friendly slap on the back. “I’ll buy your lunch today.”

  “Thanks,” Wade grunted then moved away from the desk as Alexis skirted behind it.

  At first, Cliff thought that he was going to have an issue with Wade being around Alexis. His new hire had this particular look about him whenever she was near, but as the days went on the look drifted away. Now, he barely made any eye contact with her, or with a
nyone.

  “Okay, Dominque, I hear you want a navel ring?”

  The barely-an-adult- woman clapped her hands gleefully as she nodded. “Yes! It is my eighteenth birthday present to myself. I promised my mom it wouldn’t be a tattoo yet, but my cousin, Tamara, and I are working on her. Tamara said you are the very best and if someone is going to shove a needle through my skin, I want the very best,” the woman said in one breath.

  Tamara was the pharmacy technician working down the street at Everleigh Connelly’s pharmacy. She’d been coming in for years to add to a design she had wrapped around her ribs. He was pretty proud of the piece.

  “Sure, now while I set up the booth, Alexis here is going to go over the aftercare paperwork. It will be just a minute and I’m sorry about the wait.”

  “Thanks! And no apologies. Sometimes love takes us over,” she said with a wistful expression.

  It wasn’t love, but lust had the same effect.

  Just as Cliff finished pulling the equipment from the autoclave, Wade peeked his head into the booth. “Hey, I need to take a phone call. I’ll be out back.”

  “Sure.”

  Cliff didn’t feel the need to micromanage the seasonal staff. They were more than just temporary help; they were valuable to his business.

  After setting up the tray with sterilized equipment, Cliff returned to the waiting area and motioned for Dominique to follow him back. Her dark brown skin was a stark contrast to the silver clamp. It was a beautiful shade that he may try to replicate by mixing ink colors later.

  “Alright, you’re going to take a deep breath, then when I tell you to, you’ll release it at the same time I set the piercing. Sound good?”

  “Yes, Mr. Walker.”

  “You can call me Cliff, sweetheart,” he said with a smirk.

  “Oh, that must be the smile Tamara was talking about. Said you could melt panties off a nun.”

  Well, that was an unexpected compliment.

  Ignoring her statement, Cliff instructed her to take a deep breath, then at the release, he pierced the needle through the skin. A small hook piercing followed the needle and in two minutes, Dominique’s birthday present was complete.

  “Wow, that didn’t hurt at all. You’re really good, Cliff. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m going to clean up here and Alexis will ring you out upfront. And make sure you come to me when you and Tamara convince your mom for that tattoo.”

  The thin woman swung her legs off the table. “Would do.” As she waved goodbye Cliff began to clean up his station. He knew that after lunch he had two tattoo appointments. Luckily, they were both small and common designs by new clients.

  Grabbing his phone, he sent a text to Harlan and Ryker Connelly to see if either of them wanted anything added to their pieces. He had an itch to design, and though he drew during his downtime, he liked it when it had a purpose and didn’t just sit in his portfolio.

  Back out front, he watched Alexis wave goodbye to Dominique before turning her gaze toward him. His heart started pounding in his chest as she smiled as if he was the sunlight during a storm.

  “When was your birthday?” Cliff randomly asked, earning himself a confused gaze and tilt of her head.

  “Um, November seventeenth. Yours?”

  “April fourth.”

  “What is this? Twenty questions?”

  “No, just curious,” he pointed out. Stepping up behind her, Cliff placed his hands on either side of her body on the desk. Rubbing his nose along her neck, he asked, “Do you have anything against tattoos?”

  Her voice was breathy as she replied, “No.”

  Pressing his lips against the skin where her neck met her shoulders, he licked and nipped along the exposed skin just above her shirt, moving to the other side. Anger burst inside him as he took in the red and purple wound braising her shoulder, the dark lines of her sutures still visible. This was one of the first days she’d been able to go without a dressing on it.

  “You have beautiful skin,” Cliff told her, though his eyes remained on the nasty scar that she will eventually have. Though, to him, the injury would only make her more beautiful.

  “Thanks. I just never know what to get, it was not that I never wanted one.”

  “You’d probably want to start with something small first, but I’d love to put feathers along your shoulder blades.”

  “Feathers? Why?” she asked curiously.

  “To show that you have risen above it all.” He peppered one last kiss on her shoulder then stood straighter, twisting her in his arms.

  “That sounds nice.” She smiled up at him, her arms wrapping around his waist.

  Cliff bent forward and kissed her softly. “Can I take you to lunch today?”

  “I thought you were going with Wade,” she responded, her lips moving against his.

  “I’m sure that I can make it up to him. I’d rather have your company.”

  Pulling back, Alexis’ smile widened as if he’d fixed all that was wrong in the world. Damn, he loved it.

  “I’d love to join you.”

  “Good. I’ll just let Wade know.”

  Cliff hurried to the back of the shop and opened the door. Whatever Wade had been discussing on the phone ended abruptly. Cliff couldn’t pinpoint it, but something about Wade staring at the ground had his hackles rising.

  “Hey, I’m going to take Alexis to lunch, can we postpone?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Cliff took a heavy breath and the scent of marijuana lingered in the air. Now, the secretive conversation made sense. “Wade, I have a zero-tolerance policy with drugs. If I catch you using or selling, I’ll have to let you go.”

  “Sorry, boss. Just letting off some steam. Got into it with my girl this morning.”

  Something about his explanation seemed fishy, but what did Cliff know about girl problems? He and Alexis had moved from barely acquaintances to whatever they were doing. Were they in a relationship? Was she just biding her time with him until she could return to her home?

  The back door closed behind Cliff as he turned back around. Now that the questions were in his mind, he couldn’t seem to shake them free.

  “Cliff, are you ready?” Alexis asked, standing at the end of the hallway, her beautiful smile beckoning him forward.

  Yeah, he was ready; he’d take whatever he could with her.

  With his hand wrapped around hers, they walked down Main Street. Alexis being here with him was right, he just hated the circumstances that brought her back to Carson.

  As they approached the diner, Austin and Nikki exited with their toddler Grace in toe. They swung her in the air as she took a leap off the sidewalk. Cliff never imagined having children, he always felt that he had seen too much hatred in the world. How could he possibly give someone all of the love and care that they deserved? It was the same reason why he wasn’t sure where this thing with Alexis may go.

  “Hey, guys,” Austin waved as they stepped closer on the sidewalk. Cliff and Alexis replied in the same manner.

  “I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you’re in, Alexis. Please let us knew what we can do to help. With all you’ve done for our family we’ve claimed you as our own,” Nikki said, her hand gently reaching out to clasp Alexis’. Cliff looked over and swore that he saw tears in Alexis’ eyes. He would hate for Nikki to upset her, but the Connelly’s had always been the kind to bend over backward to help someone.

  But Alexis surprised him as she released his hand and wrapped Nikki in a hug. The women stood together in their embrace for a few minutes leaving Cliff and Austin staring at each other awkwardly. It was not that Cliff didn’t like Austin; he just didn’t know him very well.

  “So, uh. . .do you need any help renovating your cabin?” the man asked as he lifted his daughter into his arms.

  “Actually, I need to look at replacing the siding. I wanted the shingles to last as long as possible, but last year’s snowstorm took its toll on them.”

  “Sure, ju
st call my office and we can set something up. I’d love to come check it out. Last time I was out that way, Nikki and I used the lake-” A nudge in Austin’s ribs left him sputtering. Cliff didn’t imagine what those two were doing at his lake. It was no secret what a lot of people did in the back of his property. Thankfully that stopped when he purchased the land and added the no trespassing signs. He hadn’t caught anyone there since.

  “Sorry,” Nikki said, “We just came to meet Austin for lunch. Grace and I have a playdate with Aunt Avery scheduled.”

  “Good to see you.”

  Cliff held open the door to Angie’s diner for Alexis to enter then followed her inside, watching in amazement as everyone turned in their seats to stare at them. Not a peep came from a single customer. He had heard of this happening when newcomers came into the diner, but he had never experienced it for himself. His first time had been with Mrs. Connelly and no one asked questions when she was around.

  A rush of people moved toward the entrance at an alarming rate, shoving him out of the way to get to Alexis, but he held her hand firmly. Shirley and Temple Fitzgerald were the first to encase Alexis in their arms, quickly followed by the rest of the Lady Busy Bees. The elderly women moved at a speed that surprised him. Glancing around the room he noticed the center tables pushed together to create one long table down the middle of the diner. They must have been having a meeting.

  He looked over to Alexis surprised to find her smiling down at the older women as they regale her with stories and promise to brush up on their shooting skills to help keep her safe. Cliff wasn’t sure if the women having firearms was safer or more of a problem.

  “Sorry ‘bout that,” a voice spoke next to him and Cliff turned to find Angie standing at the front of one of the booths. “This booth work for you?”

  Releasing his hold of Alexis, Cliff nodded at Angie and slipped onto the vinyl seat. Typically, he’d go for the back booth to keep an eye on the place, but right now, he’d take what he could get. He didn’t think Alexis would like being paraded down the aisle for everyone to stare at.