by Sage Burnett
This morning at Dot's Nick had stated his intentions clearly. He wanted back into her bed. He even volunteered to let her tie him up again. Not that she was into bondage. She'd only proposed that idea because she knew it was the only way to get the upper hand on him.
As she moved to the next shelf and took down the handmade items so she could clean, she kept wondering how he really felt about her. Was he soured on relationships after his failed marriage? Or, was he the consummate playboy who had only given marriage a try out of curiosity? That theory didn't jell with her. He must have cared about his ex-wife or he wouldn't have gotten married in the first place.
Sighing, Chloe wiped off the shelf, working to untangle her extremely tangled emotions concerning Nick.
* * * *
Pacing in front of his desk, Nick plowed one hand through his hair. It appeared he had Chloe-itis ... No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the woman out of his mind. His lunch sat untouched on his desk. Not in a sociable mood, he'd skipped lunch at Dot's and ordered in.
Chloe had been a virgin. Those words had rolled around his head like a pinball in a machine the past couple of days. If she'd given herself to him that easily, she'd obviously had feelings for him. He knew he hadn't gotten his signals crossed that night. When he'd kissed her, her arms had immediately wrapped around his neck. And when he'd slid his hand under her tee shirt to fondle her breast, she had moaned into his mouth and arched her back.
"Dammit.” Scrubbing a hand down his face, he angled around his desk and sat down. Unable to concentrate on the few cases he needed to prepare for court, he stared at the stack of papers in front him.
Things were different now. They were both older and hopefully wiser. It was now obvious to him that Chloe regretted her impulsiveness that night by the river. Being a normal horny teenager, he'd been straining at the bit to lose his virginity, but he'd learned over the years that women were different when it came to sex.
He picked up the stack of papers off his desk and forced himself to concentrate.
Nick looked up when he heard Tracey knock on the door. “Come on in."
"Tom stopped by. He said he wanted to shoot the bull for a few minutes if you're not busy."
He needed a distraction and bad. “Send him in. And thanks."
Tracey smiled and walked out of his office. Tom sauntered in, dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt.
"Hey, buddy, what's going on? Have a seat."
Tom sat down in the chair across from his desk. “I thought you might be at Dot's for lunch. It's my day off, so I stopped by there."
"I had some paperwork to catch up on, so I ordered in."
"Did you and Chloe mend your fences?” Tom asked. “Not that it's any of my business, mind you."
Tom had been an average guy back in school, second string on the football team, although he'd never groused about it. Rumor had it he was one of the best cops the town had ever employed. “I wouldn't say that."
Tom hooked his hands behind his head. “Is she playing hard to get?"
Oh yeah. For a moment, Nick wondered if that was another game on her part. No, she'd been upset when he'd joined her uninvited for breakfast yesterday morning. Maybe now that she'd paid him back, she didn't want any more to do with him. “Not really. Things are sort of complicated between us."
Tom smirked. “Things are always complicated when it comes to a woman. Hell, Sara and I have been married for ten years now, have two kids and I swear things get more complicated as time passes."
"You told me the other day at lunch that you're happily married."
"Damned straight, but I don't always get things right with Sara.” He chuckled. “She's good at reminding me, though. According to her, I am more sensitive than when were first married. Women like sensitive men."
Sensitive. Hell, he hadn't been sensitive yesterday at the café. It had been all about the sex for him. Shit. Did he have something to prove to Chloe since she'd set him up for a fall?
"You might try flowers,” Tom suggested.
"Not a bad idea.” Although, he doubted flowers would make up for his insensitivity yesterday. On the other hand, it might be worth a try.
"You can't order them."
"Pardon me?"
"You gotta go to the florist shop so you can sign the card in your own handwriting."
How many times had he picked up the phone and ordered flowers for women in his life? Come to think of it, he didn't remember ever driving to a florist and picking out the flowers himself, not even for his ex. As he listened to Tom, he realized his sensitivity rating dropped lower and lower. “Good advice."
"It's also important if you know her favorite kind. Sara loves pink carnations. Good thing she doesn't love roses because they're damned expensive, especially for Valentine's Day."
Christ, he had no idea what Chloe's favorite flowers were? “I'll have to wing it on that one. I have no idea what she likes."
Tom dropped his hands. “So you're a gambling man?"
Nick rubbed his forehead. He'd never given this much thought to pulling his credit card out of his wallet and ordering flowers. “What kind do you think she likes?"
"Hey, Nick. I'm a cop, not a male hairdresser."
"Humor me. Take a wild guess."
"Holy crap, you really are desperate."
By the humorous twinkle in his friend's eyes, it was clear Tom was enjoying his flower dilemma. “I don't see how you can go wrong with roses."
Tom scratched his jaw. “Chloe lived in a big city for a long time. She's probably got tons of roses. You need to be more creative."
Good God. Buying flowers for a woman should be simple, not this damn complicated. He frowned at the stack of papers on his desk.
"Go down to Penny's shop and she'll fix you up,” Tom said.
Maybe he should just skip the flowers, but he needed to do something for Chloe to get back in her good graces. All he had to do was put more thought into buying them and he should be good to go.
"Thanks,” Nick said.
* * * *
Chloe stared at the lovely arrangement of flowers sitting on the counter inside the shop. “Hmmm..."
An assortment of mums, sunny yellow, white, deep red and pale orange were clustered together in a tall crystal vase. So far she hadn't read the card. She supposed they might be from Dot to cheer her up, but she didn't think so. Plucking the tiny boxy envelope from its perch inside the stems, she noticed that her hands shook slightly as she opened it.
Nick. Her heart fluttered.
Oh ... dear, not good. And why had he sent her flowers? She's the one who had pulled that low down stunt on him, which she regretted more and more with each passing day.
Her lame attempt to stop mooning over him proved hopeless. He consumed her waking thoughts and slithered into her dreams every night. She wanted and needed to get on with her life. She'd made her point and now it was time to move on.
She supposed he deserved a thank you for his thoughtfulness.
She picked up the phone and dialed his office. And why did she want to hear his voice so much? Another bad sign. When his secretary answered, she told Chloe he was out for awhile. A mixture of relief and disappointed trickled through her.
"Ah ... can I leave a message for him?"
"Would you like his voice mail?"
"Yes, thank you."
Now that she had the impersonal machine waiting for her to speak, she found herself at a loss for words. Keep it simple, polite and to the point. “Hi, it's Chloe. I just received the flowers. Thanks, they're lovely.” She paused and then decided against saying anything more. She hit the off button on the cordless phone and battled to calm her emotions.
Chloe picked up the vase and carried it into the office. Old friends and neighbors had been popping in over the past couple of days to say hi and welcome her back to town. The last thing she needed was to have to explain the flowers, especially to the ladies that dropped by. Women always went ga-ga over flowers.
&nb
sp; She had thanked Nick and that was end of that.
Chapter Seven
Nick bounced around on the balls of his feet. The impatience rumbling around inside his body made it hard to stand still. He fisted his hand and knocked on the door. The flowers he'd sent to Chloe had generated a message from her on his voice mail. Nothing more. He knew it wasn't her fault, he'd been out when she called.
Chloe finally opened the door and looked at him with both a surprised and suspicious expression. She immediately crossed her arms over her chest which in turn hiked up the short blue tee she wore. That creamy white patch of skin above the waistband of her jeans stirred his blood. “Hi."
"Hello, Mr. Logan."
Okay, the welcome committee must be out to lunch. “Come on, Chloe. Can I come in?"
"Um ... I'm busy."
An unexpected wave of jealousy rolled through him. He looked over her shoulder, and hoped like hell there wasn't another man in her house. “Company?"
Chewing on her bottom lip, she shook her head.
Begging wasn't his style. She either wanted to talk to him or not. “You can't spare a few minutes to talk?"
She lifted one shoulder like she didn't have a care in the world. “I suppose."
Nothing like a woman showing her enthusiasm at seeing him. Nick walked inside and waited for her to close the door.
His silver coated tongue had always served him well in the courtroom. Now, looking into Chloe's guarded eyes, the right words escaped him. If this woman could make him speechless then he was in more trouble than he first thought. “We need to talk. It's been a week now, so we've both had time to think about things."
"I suppose you're right."
Again her lack of enthusiasm jerked his chain. The unbelievable urge to kiss her had him moving closer to her.
Chloe stopped him with a hand on his chest. “You said you came to talk.” Her voice quivered.
"Ah ... yeah, right."
Crossing her arms across her chest again, she leaned back against the door. So she wasn't going to invite him to sit down and offer him a beer or a cup of coffee. At least, he was in. “I was pretty damned pissed when I left here last week. You threw a curve ball at me."
When her tongue traced her lips, his dick sprang to life. Jesus. What kind of power did she hold over him? He wanted to skip the talking and go straight for the good stuff. Fucking both their brains out. “I don't blame you for what you did to me last week."
Chloe pushed away from the door and brushed past him. He circled around, but she had her back to him as she combed her fingers through her dark hair. He clenched his fists at his sides, to keep from reaching out and grabbing her ass.
Spinning around to face him, she blew out a long breath. “It was childish and I guess I could say mean."
"Oh yeah, it was mean. I stormed out of here with the hard-on of the century."
A delicate hint of pink colored her cheeks which just made him want her more.
"Okay,” she said. “You made your point. I'm sorry. Can we just bury the hatchet and ... just be friends."
Just being friends wasn't good enough for him. Nick shook his head. “I don't think we can just be friends as you put it."
"Why can't we?"
"Because there's more to us than the platonic side."
She lifted her chin. “Speak for yourself. I'm more than willing to be platonic friends."
"I think you're willing to take it beyond platonic only you won't admit it."
Chloe held both hands up in front of her. “Sorry, but the sexual part of our relationship is over."
"Say it like you mean it, Chloe."
Her tongue flicked out again and ran across her top lip. Nick grasped her hand, and hauled her up against his chest. He ignored her shocked expression as he slanted his head. It wasn't a gentle, sweet kiss. He pushed his tongue deep into her mouth, and then gathered her flush against his body.
The last thing he wanted to do was talk, although that had been his intention when he'd arrived. He hadn't been able to think straight for the past week. A strong, carnal need burned inside his body, a need he had fought to control without much success.
She pushed against his chest, but she opened wide for him, as tiny moans slipped from her. Breaking the kiss, he whispered in her ear. “Don't fight it, Chloe."
She drew back and stared at him, her face flushed with desire, her breathing erratic. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for another kiss. Feeding off each other's lips, they tore at each other's clothes. Her top came off, followed by his shirt. Chloe skimmed her fingernails down his bare chest, then bent and flicked her tongue over one of his nipples.
A deep groan tore from him as he swiftly unclasped her blue lace bra, dropping it between their feet. Before touching her, he gazed at her plump breasts. The rosy pink of her nipples made him harder.
Cupping both of her breasts in his hands, he lowered his head, sucking one nipple between his lips. Her back arched as she dug her fingers into his hair, her hands holding his head him in place. As he gently tugged on one taut nipple, he listened to her moans of pleasure with a great feeling of satisfaction.
And then she was fumbling with the snap on his jeans, the zipper sliding down. Her hand slipped into his boxers. When Chloe's hand sheathed his cock, Nick groaned again, tugging harder on her nipple. He squeezed her breasts as her hand worked his throbbing cock.
What he needed was to be inside her wet pussy. He knew she was ready without even having touched her sex. Nick stopped caressing her breasts, to get her jeans and panties off. When she stood naked in front of him, her nipples pointy and hard, he palmed her pussy, feeling the slick dew on his hand. He tangled his fingertips into the black crisp pubic curls. Then he lowered the palm of his hand to her clit. She gasped as he pressed firmly against it.
Nick stepped back to strip off his clothes, quickly undressing while he kept his eyes locked on hers. She started to reach for him, but he dropped to his knees in front of her and pressed his face against her musky heat. He loved the scent of her arousal.
"Nick..."
Slowly he raked his tongue over her clit, feeling her hips start a slow, seductive gyration. His hands cupped her ass, as he stroked her slowly with his tongue. He found that he savored each stroke of his tongue as it glided over her. Nick quickened his strokes, wanting her to come in his face. Her hips gyrating against him which made him fight to keep his control.
A sharp, little scream tore from Chloe as her pussy convulsed against his face. He leaned back and looked up at her. Her eyes were closed as her fingers slowly trailed across her pussy where his head had just been seconds before. Nick stood up, and French kissed her. He hoped like hell he could keep it together long enough to pleasure both of them. The taste of her, the taste of the two them...
He rubbed his cock against her wet sex, knowing he couldn't hold out much longer.
When he drew back and looked into her eyes, what he saw only made him hotter, needier, and more lusty. Nick spun her around and nipped her shoulder. “I love your ass.” He massaged a soft, firm cheek with each of his hands.
Chloe moaned as she raised her arms, spreading her palms against the door. He wedged his cock between her legs. He spread her soft cheeks with his hands, and then drove himself into her. When her mysterious heat surrounded him, he bit her shoulder again. She shuddered and moaned.
He trailed the tip of his tongue up her neck to her earlobe. “How do you like it, Chloe?” Pumping himself slowly in and out of her, he circled her lobe with his tongue. “Do you like it hard and fast, rough? Or slow and easy?"
Sliding his hand around her he tugged on a nipple. “Tell me."
Her sharp intake of breath had him gritting his teeth together.
"Hard,” she murmured.
"Do you want me to fuck you hard and fast?"
She was silent for a few moments before she whispered. “Yes."
That's exactly how he wanted to take her. Hard, fast,
and rough. Nick slowly pulled out of her, then with a powerful thrust entered her again. Another sharp intake of her breath and he repeated his hard rough plunge deep into her. “Did you like that?"
"Oh ... oh ... yes."
Nick lowered his hands, and placed one on her clit, while he trailed his fingers of his other between her cheeks as he pounded himself up into her. Chloe pushed her butt tight against his groin as he roughly pumped his cock into her.
After he gently pinched her clit, he removed his hand and spread her cheeks. He fondled her crack with his hand until he quickly pushed a finger into her ass.
Her deep, throaty scream of pleasure almost made him come right then and there. Slowly he pushed his finger deeper into her, her hips responding with quick movements. She pressed her ass against him, while she clenched herself tight around his middle finger.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, as he took her with his cock and his finger.
"Oh, Nick. Make me come,” she begged.
Abruptly, Chloe's body shuddered against him, her throaty moans echoing in his ears. He was a goner and he knew it. With one final hard lunge into her dark, wet heat, Nick came.
* * * *
Chloe leaned her forehead against the door, and clawed her way back to reality. How in the blazes had Nick known how she liked her sex? A bud of panic formed inside of her because she realized he had too much control over her. His cheek nuzzled her neck, but she found herself stiffening.
This had been about payback. Losing her virginity to him at the young age of eighteen had always been a thorn in her side. Now that she had opened herself up to him once again like a foolish woman, she'd placed herself in a vulnerable position. Her heart was on the line here.
"Chloe, honey. What gives?"
She waited several moments for her breathing to settle down before she turned to face him. When he leaned in for a kiss, she turned her head slightly, causing him to just catch the corner of her lips.
A frown furrowed his brows together. “Hey, what's going on?"
"This was mistake."
"What?” He blinked as a look of shock spread across his face. “What the hell?"
"This shouldn't have happened. Just like it shouldn't have happened the first time."
