by Rose Nickol
He’d had women, some for only a night, some for longer, but no one had ever attracted him the way Nicole did. There was something about her that drew him. Her scent, the twinkle of her eyes, her laughter, her shy smile, all the things that made her who she was.
Watching her with the children in the shelter, he’d seen how she was as a mother. How warm and caring she’d been helping a smaller child who’d fallen and explaining to one of the young girls how to help with the baby that was there.
She treated every person with respect and honor, not caring if they were young or old.
His hand continued to move up and down, pulling his shaft until the warm spurts of cum covered his fist and the blanket he had lying beside him. With one more glance up at Nicole, he rolled over to his side and closed his eyes.
5
Nicole lay for a minute trying to figure out where she was. She wasn’t in bed. Why had she fallen asleep on the couch? Then she remembered. She’d been watching a movie with Paul. She must have dozed off while he was rubbing her feet.
Her eyes popped open. Had anything else happened? No, she was crazy. Paul would never. But, did she know him well enough to say that? She caught her breath and glanced around the room. Where was he? Had he slept in her bed?
Her coffee table had been moved to the side of the room and there stood Paul in the middle of the room. He was stretching and reaching his arms and legs in what appeared to be some kind of choreographed movement. It was soothing to watch.
She shifted to her side to have a better view as the fluid movements rolled from his shoulders through his arms. His hands grasping and pulling, his body constantly in motion. He’d step forward with one leg, back with the other. It was like a wave rolling across his body.
He’d removed his shirt and there was a fine sheen of sweat covering his chiseled tattooed chest. As a nurse she’d seen many human forms, but nothing as sculpted as this man.
His skin was bronzed, and she could see the muscles ripple as he moved. Each movement was timed and flowed perfectly into the next. If she tried to do something like that, she’d end up looking like a spastic elephant, although she had to admit it appeared very relaxing.
She’d tried yoga once. After she pried her fat ass up off the tiny mat, they suggested she used, she’d been sweating like a pig. Not a good look. After the first session, she didn’t sign up again.
“Good morning,” Paul’s deep voice broke into her thoughts. She refocused her gaze from his magnificent chest to his face. His dark eyes were focused on her and she suddenly felt very self-conscious at being caught watching him.
“How are you this morning?” he asked continuing his routine.
“I’m good. Sorry, I fell asleep on you last night,” she said, blushing a little at the implication of her words.
“I’m sure you needed it. I didn’t mind.” He lifted his arms over his head, the muscles in his chest rippling as he stretched.
“Did you sleep?” She hoped he’d volunteer the answer to where and she wouldn’t have to ask.
“I caught a few hours. I’m an early riser. I hope I didn’t wake you. There are some pastries on the table. I got them when I went for my run.” Paul picked up a towel off the floor and began wiping his face and chest with it.
Nicole’s hands itched to take the towel from him and replace it with her hands and tongue. Her breath quickened as she continued to watch him.
“You’ve been on a run already?” What kind of fitness routine did this man have? Climbing up the flight of stairs to her apartment was about all she did.
“Yes. I do ten miles a day. I threw the blankets I used last night in the washer downstairs. They should be dry now. I’ll be right back.”
“Oh, okay.” Nicole watched him leave. He must have either slept in her bed or found her spare blankets and slept on the floor.
She rushed to her room, but as far as she could tell it was the same way she’d left it when she got out of it yesterday morning. She ran her tongue over her teeth, ugh. She’d fallen asleep last night without doing her bedtime routine and needed to brush her teeth and take a quick shower.
Too bad she hadn’t been awake when Paul took his run. That would have been the perfect time to shower and get her thoughts together.
She heard the door open and ran a hand through her hair. “Nicole,” she heard him call out.
“In here,” she answered. He came into her bedroom carrying a pile of folded blankets and towels. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“My mother taught me how to be a good houseguest.” He moved over to the window and examined the lock, taking a picture of it with his phone. “I’m going to run down to the hardware store to get a replacement for this.
“Won’t the maintenance people take care of it?”
“They will, but the locks they use are all pretty flimsy. I want to get some better ones that won’t be as easy to break. Once Neptune gets here then we’ll install a security system, so you don’t have to worry about anyone else getting in. Bruce and Ryan are in the parking lot and will be there until I get back.”
Nicole nodded. It was something she’d been thinking about doing. She just hadn’t taken time to do it and wasn’t sure of the expense since she wasn’t going to stay there permanently. Now that she knew how easy it had been for Huang’s man to get in, she fully agreed that she needed to do something.
“Okay. They were at the meeting yesterday?” When Paul nodded, she continued. “I’ll be fine alone. I’m going to take a shower and clean up a little. I’ll be fine,” Nicole said, relieved to get a few minutes to herself. She didn’t know whether Paul could tell she needed a few minutes or not but didn’t care as long as she got what she needed to do done.
She followed him to the door and locked it behind him. She glanced out the door, and down to the parking lot, but didn’t notice anything different. Not that they would be very good security guards if she could spot them. Now for her shower and a little time to sort out the thoughts running through her mind.
Paul couldn’t help but notice the looks he was getting from Nicole. If he was reading her right, she was as interested in him as he was in her. Could anything come of their mutual attraction? Should he even be considering it?
Her actions and reactions confirmed his suspicion that she was a submissive. Did she know it though? Was she interested in the lifestyle? He’d done some snooping while she was still sleeping and found her stash of books. Several were by a very popular author who also wrote stories about BDSM.
Was it something she would be willing to try, with him? She was a client. Should he even be considering spending time with her? Should he wait until the case was over? His mind was running in so many directions, but it all narrowed down to the fact that he was interested in her and wanted to see where things would go.
Maybe this time if he started things in the beginning of the relationship, he wouldn’t scare her off. When Paul had tried dating women who weren’t in the lifestyle before, he’d noticed that they often ran scared when they found out what he needed to make his life complete. Vanilla sex was fine, but after a while it was boring, and he needed more to keep himself happy. He needed to be in charge. In the bedroom at least. In other areas of his life, he could use a partner, but in the bedroom, it was his way or no way.
The trip to the hardware store was quick and easy. Something was off though. He wasn’t sure what it was, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. His intuition had never failed him so far and he wasn’t going to ignore it this time.
“Neptune, man, tell me you’re close to the Swafford place,” he said into his phone as he strolled out of the large store into the bright Florida sunlight
“ETA in less than ten. What’s up?” Monty answered, talking briskly into the phone.
“Not sure. My instinct’s freaking and I don’t know what’s off.” Paul answered, his head on a constant swivel as he made his way through the parking lot to his rental.
“Go
tcha. Want back up or do you want me to head to the target area?”
“Target. If I need backup, I’ll call one of the guys. You get to Nicole and make sure she’s okay. I know Bruce and Ryan are there, but she doesn’t know them like she does you.” Paul thought Nicole would be more comfortable with Monty. She hadn’t met Bruce or Ryan except for at the meeting yesterday. At least she would recognize Monty. He picked up his pace and headed to his truck at a half jog.
“Ten four. I’ll send you a text when I’m there. I’m sending Bruce and Ryan a heads up now. Be safe Brain.” Paul disconnected the call and kept moving.
“Roger. Brain out.” Even though they were all out of active duty, old habits died hard and the communication patterns stuck.
Paul kept his eyes moving as he got closer to his truck. He did a quick tour around it. Nothing seemed out of place. As he started to open the door, he heard a voice calling him.
“Young man. Young man,” the elderly voice called. He peered around and found an older lady leaning against her car.
He quickly moved towards her asking, “how can I help you ma’am?” while he was moving.
“I dropped my keys and they went underneath. My arthritis won’t let me bend down to get them. If I get down there I’ll never get up.”
Paul dropped to one knee to look under the car quickly locating the elderly lady’s keys. “There you go,” he said placing them in her hand and stepping back to allow her to open the door.
“Thank you so much,” she said as she fumbled in her purse. “Let me give you something for your troubles.”
“That’s not necessary ma’am. Please be safe on your travels.” Paul took the hand she offered and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. “I hope you have a wonderful day.” He headed back to his truck.
As he got ready to get into the vehicle, he noticed a white piece of paper stuck under the windshield wiper. He assumed it was a flyer of some sort and didn’t look at it until he’d gotten in and started the engine.
“LEAVE THE WOMAN ALONE,” was printed on it in large block letters. Paul grabbed one of the plastic bags he always kept in his glove compartment and slid the paper in before jumping out of his truck and peering around.
None of the other cars around had anything on them and no one appeared out of place. Although he’d only been a few minutes helping the elderly lady it could have been anyone that left the note on his truck.
“Damn it!” he said out loud as he got in the truck and slammed his hands on the steering wheel. Activating the phone feature, he said, “Call Neptune.” While the call was connecting, he pulled out of the parking space and headed towards Nicole’s place.
“Go for Neptune,” Monty answered the phone.
“Tell me you’re with Nicole,” Paul said, listing all the things he needed to do in his head.
“I’m here at the apartment, but she’s not answering the door. I’ve been knocking and calling for a good two minutes. I was just about ready to force entry.”
“Do that. I’m on my way back. Do you have your kit with you?” Monty had a duffle he always carried with a fingerprint kit and all kinds of goodies.
“You know I do.”
“Good. I’ll explain when I get there. ETA less than fifteen.” Paul disconnected the call and immediately said, “Call Big Dog.” Big Dog was the handle Darrall Forrest had been given when he was with the Army Rangers and it fitted him well. Not only was he a huge man, but he could be like a dog with a bone when he was after something. Tenacious was a mild word to describe him.
“This better be good,” Darrall answered the phone.
“Things are getting real. I found a note on my car,” Paul explained.
“Where and when?” Darrall asked.
Paul could tell he’d taken the phone off speaker and was moving. He explained what had happened and Darrall agreed to meet him at Nicole’s. Time to find a safe house. Quickly.
If whoever was after Nicole knew she had protection, things could escalate quickly, and he knew Darrall wouldn’t want to take any chances. He didn’t know if it was only Huang Peng that was watching her or someone else, but they were going to find out.
6
Nicole stood in the shower and let the hot water run over her. Watching Paul doing his workout had stirred feelings she hadn’t felt in years. She’d never felt the attraction to Jin that she was feeling towards Paul.
Her hand crept down between her legs to find her clit ready and waiting. That hadn’t happened in the longest time. At first, she and Jin had a healthy sex life, but as the years went on things had slowed down. She’d thought it was normal and the way most marriages went.
She closed her eyes and it was Paul’s hand between her legs touching her as she ran her tongue over the ridges and landscape of his chiseled abs. His head would follow his hand down her body until it was his mouth covering her sex, licking and nipping.
Would he want to restrain her like the men Kristen wrote about in her books? Would he spank her for being bad? He hadn’t said anything, but Nicole could sense the dominance radiating from him.
What would it be like to be in a relationship with a man like him? Maybe he’d take her to a club and display her body for all to see. What would that feel like?
As her mind went through all the scenarios her body ramped up and her fingers moved faster until she was moaning and leaning against the shower wall.
The water had run cold and she quickly finished her shower. She shut off the water and heard someone calling her name. From inside her house?
Nicole grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, screaming as the bathroom door flew open.
“What the hell?” she screamed staring at the man. “Mr. Hardgrove?”
“You weren’t answering the door. Paul and I were worried about you,” Monty said, taking a step back.
“Oh. I was in the shower. Why are you here?” Nicole gripped the towel tighter.
Monty held up the large box he was carrying. “Paul and I are going to fix your window and install a security system.”
“I’m not really sure that’s necessary,” Nicole protested again.
“I am,” Darrall answered, coming up behind Monty.
“Big Dog, Brain called you?” Monty asked, putting the box he was carrying on the foot of Nicole’s bed.
“Yes, with the new development we need to talk with Ms. Swafford and rethink our strategy.”
“Wait. What? New development? What are you talking about?” Nicole looked at both men as if they were a little crazy.
“Something happened while Paul was out. I’ll explain it to you as soon as you get dressed. Then you need to pack a bag. We’re moving you to a safe house until we figure this out. I think there’s more going on here than meets the eye.”
“What’s going on here?” Paul pushed his way between the two men into the room.
Great! Now she had three sexy men in her bedroom, and she was still wrapped in a towel.
“We were just going out into the other room so Ms. Swafford can get dressed. Brain, Neptune this way.” Darrall led the other two men out of the room.
Nicole followed and was about to shut the door when Paul turned, and his eyes met hers. The look of heat in his eyes had her knees shaking. She wasn’t the only one who felt it.
He stepped into the room and kicked the door shut behind him. Then he wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him taking her lips in a hard kiss that went straight to her core.
When he released her, the intensity of his gaze had her willing to take anything he wanted to give. “Don’t think this is over. I will finish this later. Now get dressed.”
He turned and went out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Nicole dropped to the bed and took a deep breath.
Her mind didn’t know what to think. Part of her was focused on the kiss and all the things it could mean. Part of her wondered what Darrall had meant by new development. And part of her worr
ied about Cliff and how all this would affect her getting him back.
After sitting a minute to get her head together, she stood and grabbed some clothes to put on. Not trusting that the men wouldn’t come to see what was taking her so long, she locked herself in the bathroom.
Sure enough, she’d just started getting dressed after drying her long black hair when she heard a pounding at her bedroom door and shortly after that the handle for the bathroom door rattled.
She took a deep breath and opened the door stepping right into Paul’s arms. He held her close for a minute before letting her go and taking a step back.
“Big Dog wants to have a sitrep. Are you ready?” he asked, giving her a long glance up and down.
“Sitrep? What’s that?” Nicole pushed around him and moved over to where she’d left her shoes.
“Situation report. It’s a military term.” Paul placed his hand in the middle of her back to point her towards the door.
“He was in the military?” She slid her feet in her shoes and let Paul guide her.
“We all were in one form or another. I’ll tell you more about it later. Darrall and Monty are waiting.” His hand on her back pressed a little more firmly.
“Oh. Okay.” Nicole let him guide her out of the bedroom and towards the living room.
As she entered the room, she saw that both men were standing by the kitchen window and had moved all of her plants to the counter. There were also two more men standing in the room.
“I’m not sure you remember. This is Bruce Phantom Henderson and Ryan Knight Pickerson. They were at the meeting yesterday and have been outside watching your six all night.”
Nicole nodded to acknowledge both of the men. “Thank you for all your assistance.”
Both men nodded and smiled at her.
“Ms. Swafford.” Darrall turned to address all of them. “Neptune and I were just discussing your security. Please have a seat.” He gestured towards her couch.
