by Tami Lund
Less than ten minutes later, they were stumbling up the stairs to his apartment, hand in hand, stopping every few steps to kiss. Damn, she was a great kisser.
At the door, he fumbled with his keys while Margot chuckled and grabbed his ass. “Not helping,” he muttered as he took another stab at getting the bit of metal into the lock.
“Maybe not, but it’s fun,” she replied.
“You are fun,” he said, when the door finally swung open. “Now, let’s get inside and continue these kisses.”
“I like that idea.” He pushed the door shut and a moment later, his back was pressed against the wall. Her arms slid around his neck and she leaned against him, lifting one leg to twine it around his calf.
God bless women who know what they want and aren’t afraid to take it.
“Are you warm?” he asked. She leaned back to give him a questioning look, he began unhooking the buttons on her dress.
She chuckled. “Quite, actually.”
“Here, let me see if I can cool you off.” He pushed the garment off her shoulders, exposing a pale pink, lacy bra with a tiny satin rose right between her breasts.
“The way you’re looking at me is making me hotter.”
“The way you look is making me hotter. Christ, you’re beautiful.”
Her cheeks turned rosy and her smile damn near blinded him. “Kiss me,” she demanded, her hand cupping his neck, pulling him forward.
“Anything you want.”
As soon as his lips touched hers, they parted, and her tongue thrust out, swirling, teasing, taunting him. He cupped one of her breasts, kneading it when she moaned into his mouth. She bit his lower lip as he slipped his thumb under the fabric of her bra to brush against her diamond-hard nipple. He gave it a little pinch and she grabbed his ass, dragging him closer and rubbing against his erection.
“We need to get to the bedroom,” he mumbled against her lips.
“We don’t have to.”
His hips bucked. “Yeah, we do. I don’t keep stashes of condoms anywhere else in the apartment. Although after tonight, I damn well might start.”
She snorted out a laugh and then hopped into his arms, and he carried her through the living room and down the short hall to the master bedroom. He dropped her onto the bed on her back and tugged her dress over her hips and tossed it to the floor. She lay there, propped on her elbows, wearing that cute pink bra and matching panties, a pair of high-heeled sandals, and the sexiest come hither look he’d ever seen in his damn life.
He sent up a quick prayer as he opened the drawer on the bedside table. Oh, thank Christ, he did have condoms in here.
Whew.
Standing next to the bed, between her legs, he unbuttoned his shirt and sent it to the floor with her dress. He pulled his gun out of the holster on his hip and popped it into the drawer from which he’d just extracted the condoms, noting she eyed the weapon curiously but didn’t look frightened by it. Yet another positive sign about this budding relationship. He’d dated women who freaked when they found out he carried a gun at all times, a reaction he’d always thought was a bit weird considering he was a cop.
Her gaze drifted down to his groin, and he quickly shucked his pants, leaving the boxers to hopefully help contain his excitement a little longer. He wanted to get acquainted with her body before they got to the main act.
Placing his hands on her thighs, he smoothed them down her legs to her ankles. Then he lifted the right foot, dropped a kiss on her ankle, then another and another as he made his way up to the pot of gold between her thighs. By the time he reached his goal, her entire body was quivering. Hopefully from anticipation.
Glancing up, he caught her watching him. Holding eye contact, he lowered his face and gave her a quick lick, and she threw her head back and cried out.
So he did it again, using his fingers to spread her lips so he could lave his tongue over every sensitive nerve ending until her hips bucked as she came apart for him, her hands twisted in the comforter, her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth partially open, while her inner muscles contracted over and over again.
He snagged a tissue from the bedside table and wiped his mouth, then placed a featherlight kiss to her abdomen before nibbling and kissing his way up to her lips.
“Condom,” she said, clasping his face in her hands. “I need to feel you inside me.”
“If there’s one thing I’m happy to do,” he said, rolling off her and getting rid of his boxers before grabbing a rubber, “it’s obeying a lady’s instructions when we’re in bed.”
“Good. Now hurry up.” They both chuckled while he rolled the latex over his erection.
As soon as it was in place, she climbed on top of him, sinking onto his cock and sitting there, unmoving, her inner muscles flexing so firmly and steadily, he might freaking lose his shit without doing a damn thing but lay here.
Her lids were lowered so her eyes were mere slits, and her lips were pursed like she wanted another kiss, and, God almighty, he wanted to take a damn picture so he could savor this moment forever.
And then she traced the line of muscles over his hips and began moving, slowly, rotating her pelvis and pushing down before lifting herself slightly and doing it again and again. He groaned and palmed her breasts. She leaned forward into his touch and kept coming until her lips reached his. They parted as her tongue darted out to play.
He couldn’t take anymore. Grabbing the back of her head with one hand, he cupped her ass with the other and flipped them both over so that he towered over her. She arched up as his fingers dug into her hip while he pounded into her, then she reached up and squeezed his butt cheek. It was his undoing. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and came so hard he was lightheaded for a few seconds.
With a gusty sigh, he rolled to the side to lie next to her. She propped her head in her hand and traced patterns on his chest while he worked to get his heart rate back under control.
“So,” she said, “how much recovery time do you need before we can do that again?”
4
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
It was almost 3:00 a.m. when RJ dropped Margot off at the curb in front of her house. “I really wish you’d spent the night,” he said between kisses. “We could’ve had another replay in a couple hours. I’m particularly fond of morning sex.”
She grasped his shirt in her fist even as she leaned away to stop the series of kisses. “I want to be home before Nina wakes up. I’m not ready to explain the concept of overnight dates just yet.”
“I suppose that’s fair,” he said with obvious reluctance in his voice. He cupped her cheek. “Can we do this again sometime? Soon?”
There goes the theory that this might be a one-night stand. “Um, I need to check my calendar.”
“Hillary’s with her mom until Thursday, so you pick the day,” he added.
“I’ll text you later.”
“It’s a date.”
Crap. Margot peeled herself away and hurried up the steps to the front porch, slipping into the house and closing the door before leaning against it, her palms pressed to the wood while her heart raced like it was attempting to beat out of her chest.
What was I thinking?
“Hey,” Phoebe said, climbing down the stairs as she tied the ribbons on her thin cotton robe. “That was a late date.” She peered at Margot’s face in the dim light shining from the porch. “O-o-oh, you got laid tonight!”
“Shhh.” Margot darted a glance up the stairs, but Phoebe waved away her concern.
“They’re both sound asleep. So, what was it like?”
Margot looked longingly at the arched entry leading to the kitchen. “I think I need a drink.”
“Well, come on.” Margot reluctantly followed. Not that she’d suddenly changed her mind about that drink, but she was still trying to wrap her head around everything that happened tonight, so how the heck was she supposed to explain to Phoebe?
After she splashed wine into two glasses, Phoebe ha
nded one to Margot and sat at the cushioned bench next to the kitchen table. “So? Was it good?”
Margot barked out a laugh. Was it good? Yeah, right. “It was amazing. He’s amazing.”
Phoebe squealed and clapped enthusiastically.
“Which is the problem.”
“Wait. What? I’m not following.”
Instead of sitting, Margot paced over to her friend. Who, by the way, RJ believed was her sister. Even though Nina resembled Antonio. If for no other reason, she should end this relationship before it got started just so she didn’t get caught in her little white lie.
“I really like him.” She sighed. “But I convinced myself this date would be a disaster and I’d lose interest and we’d part ways and everything would go back to normal. Instead, I ended up jumping his bones. Twice.”
“The first time I ever had sex twice in one night was with Antonio.”
“Okay, not a fact I needed to know. He’s practically my brother.”
“If that’s the case, why’d you tell your hot date I am your sister?”
“It was an accident. It just sort of slipped out. I was so worried that he’d figure out I’m connected to Gino, I went with a diversion tactic.”
Phoebe shook her head. “He isn’t ever going to make that connection. You need to stop being paranoid.”
She stared at her wine for a few moments. “He used to be an FBI agent.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose that’s a little unnerving. They are definitely more aware of issues happening outside of their small town.”
“He’s been a local detective for ten years, so I’m sure what happened in Detroit two years ago is not even remotely on his radar, but still.”
“But still, nothing.” Phoebe climbed out of her seat and came over to stand next to her. “Let’s focus on the fact that you enjoyed yourself tonight. You went on a date that obviously went well enough to go back to his place for not one but two rounds of a damn good time.”
“And he wants to do it again. As soon as I’m available.”
Phoebe blew out a breath and placed her hand on Margot’s arm. “Look, I understand your fear of Gino. I’m afraid of him, too.”
“You are?” Duh. Of course she was. Gino Sarvilli was a scary individual, and Phoebe had seen firsthand what he was capable of.
She nodded. “I’m scared to death he’s going to show up and kill Antonio. I have nightmares about it.”
“I didn’t realize.”
“I know. I’ve never told you because I know he’s your demon, too, and it’s so much worse for you because you were married to him and Nina’s his child. That’s a lot of worry for one person.”
Margot didn’t say anything.
“But you can’t let him have power over your life. Not anymore. That’s the very reason we left and settled here. So you could be free of his control. Which isn’t going to ever happen if you let your fear of him dictate your happiness.”
Margot arched her brow and smiled. “I sure am lucky you were persistent enough to become my closest and dearest friend.”
“Lobster?” Margot was seated on the counter next to the sink in RJ’s apartment. He’d started a pot of boiling water, added a bunch of herbs and spices, and finally revealed the main course: two live lobsters, which he was about to dunk in the seasoned, hot water.
“I kind of counted on you being impressed, since you haven’t lived on the East Coast your entire life.”
“You’re right. I’m impressed.” She lifted her foot and rubbed it against the front of his khakis.
“Hey, keep doing that and we’re going to end up having dessert first. Or, at least, I will.”
“Oh?” She did it again. “And what’s dessert?”
“You.” Abandoning the lobsters, he grasped her hips and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter, then pushed her skirt up to her waist to reveal the turquoise-colored thong she’d deliberately purchased the day before, for exactly this scenario.
Okay, maybe she hadn’t quite expected that he’d use his tongue and fingers to bring her to orgasm while she was seated on his kitchen counter. Although, hot damn, the man knew his way around a woman’s erogenous zones. She scrabbled at the tiles, finally settling on clinging to his hair as he took her to heights she was pretty sure she’d never reached before in her life. And when she was wrung out, her entire body sparking like he’d lit her on fire, he carried her to a kitchen chair, seating himself before arranging her on his lap.
“Check it out,” he said, extracting a condom from his pocket.
“Smart man,” she said, opening the foil wrapper while he wiggled out of his jeans. After she sheathed him, she sank onto his shaft with a satisfied groan.
“I like this,” he said while he cupped her waist and guided her into a rhythm that rekindled the spark that was her body. “We should do it as frequently as possible.”
“Mmm mmm” was her reply, and then they didn’t speak again until they both shouted as they orgasmed almost simultaneously. She draped herself across his chest, enjoying the way his heart pitter-pattered.
Just like mine.
Yeah, her heart was pitter-pattering, all right. Maybe a little too much. She was still telling herself this was nothing but a good time, but after almost a month of seeing each other pretty much any time he didn’t have his daughter, it was clear it was far more than that for RJ.
And for her.
Which was scary as hell.
“Hungry now?” he asked, breaking through her tumultuous thoughts.
She smiled. “Starving.”
“Good.” He lifted her off his lap, disposed of the condom, then pulled up his pants and washed his hands before preparing to drop the lobsters into the boiling water.
“I’m going to run to the bathroom. I’ve heard they scream, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that.” His chuckles chased her down the hall, until closing the bathroom door cut them off.
Over dinner, they talked about their daughters.
“Hill keeps saying Nina is the sister she always wanted,” RJ said. “I’m sure you understand.”
She canted her head and blinked owlishly. “Huh?”
“Having a sister. You and Phoebe don’t look too far apart in age. You probably grew up playing together like Nina and Hill do now.”
“Oh.” She laughed nervously. “Actually, Phoebe’s eight years younger than me, so thank you for the compliment.”
He whistled. “I never would have guessed. You could easily pass for late twenties.”
“I’m liking you more and more with each passing minute.”
He chuckled. “Anyway, I’ve been trying to keep our relationship a secret from her, but kids are smart, and I think she’s figured out something’s going on.”
Margot nodded and sipped her wine. “That’s probably my fault. Nina caught me sneaking into the house last week, that day I didn’t leave here until almost seven in the morning. She asked a million questions, and I stumbled over my answers. Then Antonio came out into the hall and started teasing me, and like you said, kids are smart.”
“Oh yeah? What did he say?”
She sighed. Weeks after she’d started seeing RJ and nothing at all had happened—well, except for mind-blowing sex and stimulating conversation and more belly laughs than Margot could recall ever experiencing in her life. Yet she still couldn’t relax over the fact that RJ not only was a cop but once upon a time had been an FBI agent. The sort of profession where one was trained to find and expose people like her.
Technically, she hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, except for the new IDs; it was illegal to take on a false identity.
But Antonio had not only laundered Gino’s illegal earnings for two decades, he’d then stolen all that money and was keeping it hidden from Gino and the authorities—not to mention the IRS. And she knew about it, which probably meant she was aiding and abetting, right?
Since she didn’t want Antonio to go to prison nor did she want to go there herself, well,
that meant she was ten times a fool for carrying on this relationship with RJ, no matter what Phoebe and Antonio said.
“Oh, just the usual brother-in-law taunts. You know, if he were fifteen instead of mid-thirties.”
“Mid-thirties? So you and he are closer in age than you and Phoebe?”
She nodded. “Yep. He’s a year older than me. She actually met him through me.” Sort of.
“Uh-oh, nothing I need to be jealous of, is it? You guys didn’t date first, did you?”
She snorted. “Oh God, no. He’s always been like a brother to me.” She hesitated. Eh, a little more truth wouldn’t hurt. “I actually dated his brother. That’s how he and I became friends.”
RJ lifted his glass in mock toast. “Lucky me that his brother apparently isn’t as good a guy as Antonio is.”
She swallowed. Lucky wasn’t exactly the word she’d use.
“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” he said. “I feel like you know way more about me.”
That’s because you wouldn’t like me if you knew. “Um, what do you want to know?”
He cracked open a claw, dipped the chunk of lobster meat into a bowl of melted herbed butter, and offered it to her. “Tell me about your childhood.”
She hesitated and then wrapped her lips around the succulent seafood and chewed slowly while she mentally worked out what to say.
“My parents were both doctors. They were also adventure junkies. So they combined the two passions and traveled to third world countries to help tend to people who otherwise didn’t have access to medical care.”
“Admirable.”
“Sure. Anyway, they never intended to have kids. They were both in their late forties when my mom discovered she was pregnant with me. She thought she was going through menopause, so they’d stopped using protection. And surprise.”
“Wow. If you and Phoebe are eight years apart, they had her really late in life.”
