He put his palms on the table and pressed hard as he continued, “But that’s it, man. That’s. It. That’s all he said to me. I don’t know anything else.”
Hayes and I pushed our chairs back and got to our feet. “All right. I believe you,” I stated as I rounded the long metal table.
The guy’s shoulders slumped in relief, and he smiled a dirty, snaggletoothed grin. “Thank god. So I can go?”
“Oh, not a chance.” Hayes pulled his cuffs from the back of his belt and tossed them to me.
I yanked the asshole from his seat and spun him until his back was to me. “You can’t be charged for being a piece of shit, but fortunately we found enough marijuana in your place to charge you with possession with the intent to distribute.”
“What? Oh come on!”
I slapped the cuffs on him and jerked him back around to face me. “We took a look at your jacket, Benny boy. Seems this is your third strike. That’s bad news for you, bud.”
With that, I started leading him from the room while reading him his rights.
* * *
Nona
I’d received a text from Trick fifteen minutes earlier saying he was wrapping things up and leaving the station. I wasn’t sure why it was affecting me now when it hadn’t ever been an issue before, but I hadn’t been able to sleep knowing he was out there late at night, dealing with god only knew what, so I’d decided to curl up on my couch and read a book while Diva snoozed at the other end by my feet.
I had just checked the clock for about the millionth time when I heard the rumble of a big engine coming up the street. Diva’s head came up, and her stumpy tail began to wag. “Looks like your daddy’s back, girl. Why don’t we go say hi?”
Cradling her in my arms, I headed for the front door and pulled it open, keeping the screened one in place while I watched the headlights from Trick’s truck as it turned into my driveway. He killed the engine and climbed out, rounding the hood and heading up the walkway. Diva let out an excited yip at the sight of him, so I opened the storm door to step out onto the front porch and put the squirmy bundle on the ground so she could greet him.
I might have swooned just a little when Trick bent to retrieve the puppy and held her to his chest, scratching behind her ears with his other hand and muttering to her as he reached the porch steps.
It was then I noticed the haggard expression on his face, and my insides twisted in concern. “Hey. You catch the bad guy?”
“We caught a bad guy,” he sighed. “But not the one we were hoping to catch. Just another dead end.”
I moved closer, the need to comfort him taking over. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” I said softly, reaching up to place my hand on his arm. “But at least there’s one less bad guy on the streets.”
Lifting his free hand, he rubbed at his forehead and blew out a frustrated breath. “I guess so.”
“Is there anything I can do? Do you want a beer? Or a cupcake? Or maybe both?”
That got me my desired reaction. The hardness melted from his features, and his eyes glinted with humor. Seeing that, and knowing I was the one who gave it to him, made me feel like David conquering Goliath. That look right there was better than any cake or sweet I could ever bake up.
“You still have cupcakes, sweetheart?”
Taking his hand, I led him into the house and closed the front door behind him. “The rate I was going recently, I’ll probably still have cupcakes a year from now.” I guided him to a stool and he took a seat, putting Diva back down so she could sniff around while I went to the fridge, pulled out a beer, and uncapped it, passing it to Trick. “That’s the best beer you’re ever gonna have. It’s the summer ale from The Tap Room. Rory gave me a sixer at wholesale. And I swore to her that if I ever had another kid, I’d name it after her. It’s that good.”
“Is that something you want?” he asked as I grabbed the last two cupcakes from beneath the glass dome, put them on a plate, and set them on the island in front of him.
“Is what something I want?”
“More kids. Do you want more kids?”
I paused at that question, only considering the answer for the first time in years. “I haven’t really thought about it since Tris was born.” Opening another beer for myself, I took a sip before admitting, “I think a large part of me knew Chris wasn’t going to be forever. I didn’t see it then, but looking back now, there were signs. He wanted more kids. Honestly, I did too. I’d always wanted a big family. But every time he brought it up, I was had a million reasons why we shouldn’t.” My throat was suddenly dry, and I had to take another sip from my beer to combat the scratchiness. “It was self-preservation, I think. I didn’t even realize I’d been holding myself back until it was over.”
Trick’s mercury gaze drilled into mine, his stare holding me captive as he admitted, “I know what you mean. I glorified what I had with Emma right after it ended. I turned her into something she wasn’t, wanting to hold on to those good times.”
The beer in my belly began to churn as acid slowly crept up my throat. I cast my gaze to the side, unable to look at him. “Yeah, well I think it’s easier to hold on to the good memories than the bad. We’re all guilty of that.”
“I guess you’re right.” He lifted the beer bottle to his lips and took a pull. “Damn, baby. You were right. This stuff’s the shit.”
The tension melted from my shoulders as I nodded. “Right?”
The bottle clinked as he placed it back in the counter and went for the cupcakes. I watched his fingers as he peeled back the paper wrapper and brought it to his mouth. Those big full lips parted as he took a bite. I was transfixed, watching his jaw work and his throat bob as he swallowed, and when his tongue peeked out to swipe the leftover icing from his bottom lip, I felt a quiver between my thighs.
A groan of pleasure rumbled from his chest, and I had to brace against the island to keep from melting to the floor. “Christ, I don’t think there’s anything that tastes better than this. Jesus.”
“You like those, you should try my blueberry muffins. I make this brown sugar crumble topping that’s insane. Last time I baked those, it got a little out of hand, and I ended up making about a million.”
“That another bout of the stress baking your kids keep mentioning?”
Embarrassment washed over me, and I let out an awkward, uncomfortable laugh. “Something like that.”
His attention homed in like a laser beam. “You wanna tell me a little more about that?”
I cleared my throat, hoping my face didn’t look as red as it felt. “Uh… I guess you could say I have a habit of baking when things are stressful. A lot of baking.”
“And you’ve been stressed lately.” It wasn’t a question, and I started to grow uncomfortable as he hedged.
“Yeah.”
“Because of me?”
I kept my head bowed, tracing the veins in the marble with my fingertip as I spoke. “Well… yeah.”
“Shit, Nona. I’m sorry.”
My head shot up, and I finally found the nerve to meet his gaze. “I know. You’ve said that, and I believe you. I’ve just….” I pulled in a fortifying breath, needing to get these words out. They’d been leaching their poison inside of me for far too long. I’d said them to my friends, but I knew the only way to dig that poison out by the roots was to say the words to the person at the very center of that pain.
“I’ve liked you for so long, Trick. I think I started falling for you the moment I laid eyes on you. I used to watch you with Emma, and, well...” I shrugged. “I was jealous. She had you, so as far as I was concerned, that meant she had everything. The night of the wedding, the way you looked at me? I’d never had a man look at me like that. And it was you. I felt like maybe I was finally getting what I’d wanted for so long. You came home with me, and it felt like a dream come true. So when you took that away… it hurt,” I finished on a whisper.
Trick came off the stool and rounded the island so fast it nearly gave me whiplash
. “I’m a fucking idiot,” he growled, taking my face in his hands.
“It’s ok—”
“I’m fuckin’ crazy about you, Nona,” All the air expelled from my lungs on a wheeze. “I knew I was making one of the biggest mistakes of my life when I walked away from you that night. I just didn’t realize it as soon as I should have.”
“Trick, you don’t have—”
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that night, and when you froze me out for that month and a half, it was torture, baby.”
My heart was beating so hard I thought it might break through my ribs. Grabbing hold of his waist, I fisted the material of his shirt and dropped my forehead to his chest. “I hated it too.”
“It took me a while to see what’s been in front of me this whole time, but my eyes are open now.” He slid his hands down my shoulders to my arms, pushing me back just enough that he could look in my eyes. “My eyes are open, and all I see is you, Nona.”
Chapter Seventeen
Nona
Letting go of Trick’s sides, I stood on my tiptoes, slid my fingers into his hair, and pulled his head down so I could reach his lips.
The kiss started soft and sweet, a slow exploration full of emotion and passion, but it only took seconds for it to build into something so hot and consuming that I couldn’t stand on my own.
Sinking deeper against him as my knees wobbled, I parted my lips beneath his and let out a needy moan when his tongue dipped inside. I gripped his hair tighter as he wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed.
The need for oxygen forced us apart a minute later, and Trick’s forehead came down to rest against mine.
His voice was hoarse as he said, “It’s late. I should probably go.”
I slid my hands from his head, down the sides of his neck and over his broad shoulders before coming to rest on his strong chest. “Yeah. You probably should,” I replied on a whisper before pulling back to look up at him. “But I want you to stay.”
Fire lit behind the gray in his eyes, making it look like a flash of lightning as he grabbed hold of my hips and squeezed. “You sure?”
One side of my mouth hooked us as I pressed closer. “I’m sure. As long as you don’t mind sneaking out before my kids wake up. At least until they get used to the idea of us being together.”
“Baby,” he rumbled, “it means I get to spend the night next to you, I don’t mind sneaking out at all.”
A shiver worked its way through my body. “Then finish your beer so we can go to bed.”
* * *
My lips parted on a silent moan as I circled my hips. Having to be quiet was so much harder than I thought it would be, but it added a fun, sneaky element to our lovemaking.
“That’s it, baby,” Trick grunted as his hips powered up. Even with me on top, he was in complete control, driving me wild and turning me on as he powered into me. “So fuckin’ hot.”
My eyes went half-mast as Trick dipped his head, lifting my left breast with one hand and sucking my nipple into his mouth. I bit my lip against a whimper as the sharp pull sent a bolt of electricity to my clit. “Trick, honey,” I said on a whisper as I dug my knees deeper into the mattress for better leverage. I lifted up and slammed back down on his thick cock at the same time he snapped his hips up, driving him even deeper.
My nipple popped from his mouth, and he reached up to fist one hand in my hair as he grabbed my ass with the other. “Jesus Christ. You’re so tight. So wet.”
“Baby, harder,” I pleaded as my impending release grew stronger and closer.
“Feels like I’m in Heaven.”
My head fell back on a low groan. My pussy clenched around him, and I felt my insides stringing even tighter. “God, you feel so good,” I panted. “I’m close, Trick. Please.”
He moved quick as a flash, taking me to my back and burying himself deep, grinding the base of his erection into my swollen clit. “You need me to get you there, beautiful?”
I managed a lazy, lust-drunk grin as I looked up at him. “Yeah, handsome. Make me come.”
Trick grabbed my hands, laced our fingers together, and dug them into the pillows above my head as he picked up the pace, pulling out and slamming back in so hard my breasts bounced, scraping my sensitive nipples along the ultra-fine dusting of hair on his chest.
It was sensory overload. My clit, my nipples, and the way the head of his cock brushed against my G-spot made me explode like fireworks on the Fourth of July. My climax was so strong, so overwhelming, that I couldn’t help the noises coming from deep within my chest.
He slammed his mouth down on mine in a brutal, consuming kiss to muffle my whimpers and moans as I came so hard stars burst behind my eyelids. He fucked me through my orgasm, drawing it out as his thrusts became faster and less coordinated. I managed to pull myself together fast enough to focus on his beautiful face just before he buried himself deep and threw his head back on a low, primal groan.
The cords in his neck tensed and bulged as he came long and hard. It was one of the most gorgeous things I’d ever witnessed, and watching him come back down, knowing I was the one who put that look on his face made my insides quiver.
His full weight landed on me a second later and his fingers tensed, squeezing mine before he let go to slip his arms between me and the bed in order to hold me tight.
I wrapped my arms and legs around his big body, holding on while he buried his face in the crook of my neck and fought to regulate his breathing.
“You alive?” I said in a joking tone when he still hadn’t moved a while later.
“Don’t think so,” he mumbled, brushing his lips against my shoulder in a gentle kiss. “Pretty sure you just killed me.”
My whole body shook beneath his as I struggled to keep my laughter silent. “But what a way to go, right?”
He lifted his head and smiled down at me, his expression pleasantly languid. “Baby, you have no idea.” He placed a kiss on my lips before stating, “I was wrong earlier.”
My head tilted to the side in confusion. “About what?”
“When I said I hadn’t tasted anything better than your cupcakes. I was wrong. Just didn’t know it until I got my mouth between your thighs.”
My entire body shivered at the ferocity in his eyes. The moment we’d entered my bedroom, Trick had shoved me to the bed and dropped to his knees. My first and second orgasm of the night had come thanks to his skillful tongue, and I wasn’t liable to forget either of them any time soon.
“Sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted,” he murmured, causing me to clench around him again. He felt me growing hot and needy again and let out a chuckle. “As much as it pains me to say it, beautiful, I’m not as young as I used to be. You want it again, you’re gonna need to give me some recovery time.”
My face drooped into a pout, and Trick shoved his head back into my neck as he burst into laughter. The sound of it washed away any disappointment I might have been feeling, and my limbs clenched around him.
Pulling his arms from around me, he planted his forearms on the bed and lifted up. “Gotta deal with the condom, baby.”
I didn’t want to let him go, but it was a relief to know he was coming back to me. I let my arms and legs fall away, then turned to my side to watch his incredible ass as he walked naked into my bathroom. Once he disappeared from sight, I climbed out of bed and moved to my dresser. Sleeping naked with two kids under the same roof was totally out of the question, so I pulled open my top drawer and rifled around until my fingers landed on a deep turquoise nightie with ivory lace at the hem and the plunging V of the neckline. I had several to choose from, seeing as pretty undergarments and nightgowns were a weakness of mine, but I went with this one because the jewel color worked well with my hair and eyes.
Letting the cool silk fall over my body, I reached back into the drawer for the matching panties when I heard Trick’s husky voice. “Nuh-uh, beautiful. If I can’t have you naked against me, I at least want easy access. No panties
.”
My body shivered involuntarily. Tossing the panties back into the drawer, I slid it closed and moved back to the bed as Trick slipped his boxer briefs back into place.
“Um, what side of the bed do you usually sleep on?” I asked, wringing my hands together. I was suddenly incredibly nervous. This was different from the night of the wedding. That hadn’t been planned or thought out. We’d been acting purely on instinct, going with the flow, and letting our emotions lead the way. The heat of the moment was an amazing thing. It always made everything so much easier. But Trick and I were no longer in the heat of the moment. The moment we were in now had been carefully thought out and planned, and I found I wasn’t anywhere near as prepared as I thought.
“Doesn’t matter to me, seein’ as you’ll be in my arms no matter what side I end up on.”
That was a really good answer, but instead of making me feel better, my stomach twisted into a ball of anxiety.
Trick whipped the covers back and was about to climb in when he noticed I was still frozen in place at the foot of the bed. “Baby, you okay?”
“I don’t know how to do this,” I blurted, my self-consciousness rising to the surface. “I mean, I obviously know how to do this,” I waved my hand between us, “seeing as we just… you know, did it. But I don’t know how to do this part. The whole sleeping together thing. I’ve only ever shared a bed with one other man before. I mean, what if I snore? I don’t think I snore, but I don’t really know, considering I’m asleep, so it would be impossible to tell. I do know I move around a whole lot. I never wake up in the same place, and the sheets are always a disaster in the morning. What if my moving around bugs you and keeps you from sleeping? Chris used to get up and go sleep on the couch because it annoyed him. By the end of our marriage, I didn’t even like him, so I really didn’t care. But I like you. Like, like you. And I don’t want my annoying sleep habits to force you to the couch. And I don’t know—”
The Best of Me: a Hope Valley novel Page 14
