“What’s happening right now?” she asked.
“This is what we’ve both been wanting, right?” I said, though it wasn’t a question.
“But this isn’t a good idea, is it?”
The words stung, but I knew she was right.
“Maybe it isn’t. But for some reason, Abbie, I don’t care. I want you like crazy.”
She glanced down and bit her lip in a thoughtful way—sexy at the same time.
“Okay. If we do this,” she said, “we do it once. Like, get it out of our system. Because we can’t…”
She trailed off, and I knew exactly what she meant.
“Right,” I said. “Because it’s what we shouldn’t do, which makes us want it even more. So we do it this once and forget about it, go back to normal.”
The words sounded silly as hell coming out of my mouth. What on earth was “normal” between the two of us anyway? We’d gone from “kidnapper and kidnapped” to “man and woman on the run” to…whatever we were now.
But we both knew it was a bad idea, and as the seconds ticked past, I wondered if we were only saying what we needed to in order to let it happen.
I went with it.
“Just the once,” I said. “Then never again.”
“Never again.”
Nothing more needed to be said. We picked up where we’d left off, our kiss even more intense than it had been before our little “agreement.” My hands went back to her body, caressing her soft curves through her shirt.
Never again. The words rang in my mind.
Let’s see if we could stick to it.
Abbie put her hands on my chest, her fingers moving over the outlines of my pecs. She sighed, her way of letting me know she liked what she was feeling.
My touch went down, and I grabbed the hem of her top and lifted it up over her head. Her hair cascaded onto her shoulders, her chest rising and falling so hard her breasts looked on the verge of bursting through her bra.
I reached around and undid the clasp, pulling the straps over her slender, fair shoulders and letting her breasts fall out. They were perfect, just like I’d imagined. Her nipples were small and pink, and I didn’t waste any time taking them into my hands.
More sighs poured from her mouth as I touched her. Abbie returned the favor, yanking off my shirt and then settling her hands onto my crotch, rubbing my erection through my jeans. She teased me like that for a time before undoing the button and zipper, reaching down into my boxer-briefs and wrapping her hand around my member.
I groaned at her touch, the way her fingers moved slowly around my length, pleasure shooting through my body.
I couldn’t believe what was happening. Everything about the last couple of days had been like something out of a dream or a nightmare, and there I was with Abbie, doing something I never would’ve considered.
But it was clear that she didn’t want to stop, and neither did I. Her hand stayed on me, and mine moved down, down between her legs, rubbing her slowly. Abbie moaned, pressing her body against mine, trying to get out every bit of pleasure she could.
When neither of us could take any more teasing, we helped one another out of our pants and underwear. I gently placed my hands on her hips, now moving her body onto the back of the couch. I was solid over the top of her, ready to be inside.
But a sudden realization gave me pause.
“Fuck,” I said. “I don’t have any condoms.”
Abbie bit her lip, then smiled up at me. “I’m clean,” she said, “and I take the pill.”
“Great,” I said, catching her meaning. “I’m clean, too. And you know that I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
A warm smile curled her lips. Her beneath me, naked, her dark hair splayed out around her head—it was about the most heavenly thing I’d ever seen in my life.
“You’re sure this is okay?” I asked.
She quickly nodded. “Don’t make me wait, Tate.”
Nothing more needed to be said. I took hold of myself and placed my end between her lips, and with a slow, deep push, entered her.
Abbie moaned out, her nails digging slightly into the thick, solid muscles of my upper back.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s just…you’re a lot.”
I grinned. “I know. I can stop if you—”
“No, don’t stop,” she cut in. “It feels good. Like, really, really good. But go slow at first, okay?”
“Sure.”
I pulled back and did as she asked, entering her again slowly, giving her time to get used to my size. She grew more aroused by the moment, and each push into her was a little easier than the one before.
She was small and slender, but after we took our time with one another, I was able to fit all of myself into her.
“Oh, God. You feel so good,” she moaned, her eyes on mine. “So good.”
“You’re perfect,” I said. And I meant it. She was perfect wrapped around me, nothing but soft, silky warmth.
Abbie wrapped her legs around my hips, pulling me close to her, our bodies becoming one. And soon we were in a steady rhythm, me entering her again and again. Her breathing grew quicker, shallower, and I could sense by the look on her face she was getting closer and closer to orgasm.
So was I. The pleasure was so damn intense it took every bit of concentration I had to hold myself in check.
I drank in the sight of her underneath me. Her body was perfect, her skin smooth and flawless, her breasts rocking back and forth with the pace of my thrusts. I wanted to burn the image of her into my mind, never to forget it.
And more than that, I wanted her—I wanted to make Abbie mine.
The thought scared me. And I wasn’t the kind of man to scare easily. It was obvious, however, that what was happening between us was more than just a quick fling.
It was something serious. Something real.
I pushed all of that out of my head, not wanting to leave the moment.
When Abbie came, it was powerful, her whole body tightening up underneath me, her legs squeezing my hips as hard as they could. I felt her grip me harder down below, pushing me over the brink.
I came with her, the two of us riding the wave of pleasure together, nothing existing but the two of us in the throes of total passion.
I slowed my thrusting, eventually coming to a stop. I collapsed on top of her body, and Abbie wrapped her arms around me. I felt her take one breath in, then another, both of us struggling to compose ourselves after what had just happened.
“Come here,” she said.
She placed her hands on my shoulders, gently guiding me to her side. Once I was there, I held her tight, holding her close as we said nothing, instead watching the fire crackle in front of us.
“Wow,” she said finally, breaking the silence. “That was amazing, Tate.”
I chuckled lightly. “It sure was.”
“But it can’t ever happen again.”
“No, it can’t.”
“So, let’s just enjoy tonight, right?”
“Sounds about right to me.”
And that’s what we did, the two of us holding one another close, my gaze lost in the flames ahead over the soft curve of her hip.
Chapter 12
Abbie
I knew we’d planned to let last night happen and then put it all behind us. That was the smart thing to do, right? Just give into our passion for one night, and the next day, be grown-ups about it.
But when I woke up in the low light of morning, the sunrise coming in through the east windows over the mountain, Tate sleeping next to me on the couch, I realized just how hard it was going to be.
He opened his gorgeous blue eyes, looking at me in a sleepy, sexy kind of way.
“Morning,” he said with a slight grin.
“Morning,” I said with a smile of my own.
“So, that was something else last night.”
“It sure was,” I said. “Kind of stupid of us to fall asleep right he
re like this…”
His eyes flashed for a moment as he realized what I was saying.
“Shoot, you’re right.” He sat up and began grabbing his clothes.
“How about we go change, and then I’ll put on some coffee?”
“Sounds perfect.”
He stepped into his jeans and hurried upstairs. I grabbed my clothes and snuck up to the bedroom to change. By the time I started back down the stairs, Tate was cleaning up in the living room, dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a form-fitting gray T-shirt.
I glanced down at his body. And I wasn’t simply guessing about how muscular he was—last night I’d had the distinct pleasure of that sculpted, powerful body being right on top of me. In fact, just the sight of him in that tight T-shirt was enough to make me feel ready for another round of lovemaking.
But I had to stop myself. We’d agreed it’d be a one-time thing, and we had to stick to it.
“You going to stare at me all day, or you going to make that coffee?” He grinned again.
“All right, all right. But try not to flex unless you want to rip through that shirt.”
Tate’s eyes were on my body, and as much as I knew it wasn’t a good idea, I loved the feeling of his eyes moving all over me, knowing how it turned him on.
But I couldn’t think about that right now. The sun was getting brighter by the moment, and I’d already learned that Connor was a bright-and-early kind of kid.
Tate nodded toward the kitchen, and I knew what that meant.
The kitchen was a massive room with granite countertops and copper cookware hanging over a kitchen island. I’d figured out how to use the coffee maker the morning before, but just barely. It was more like a supercomputer than any coffee machine I’d used before.
But I got it working again, and soon some fresh coffee was in the process of brewing. Tate went through the cupboard, taking out some oatmeal and setting to work on that.
“Connor will be up soon,” he said. “I remember when I was that age, it took heaven and earth to get me out of bed. No idea why he’s such an early riser.”
I chuckled to myself as I poured us a couple cups of coffee. Once the oatmeal was ready, Tate put the lid on it and let it simmer, keeping it warm until Connor was up. By this point the sun was nearly up, the kitchen still full of golden light.
We sipped our coffee in silence, but it was easy to tell what was on both of our minds.
“Last night,” he said.
“Last night.”
“A one-time thing.”
“That’s right.”
We sipped, but the crackle in the air was impossible to ignore. If Tate were to reach over and put his hand on mine, that would’ve been it. I’d have given myself over to him again right there at the kitchen counter.
Tate sighed, as if about to say something he didn’t know quite how to put into words. “I’m a little older than you, Abbie. Quite a bit older, in fact.”
“Is that right?” I asked. “You know I’m twenty-seven, but I didn’t get the privilege of stalking you.”
He laughed. “I don’t consider it ‘stalking.’ More like recon work.”
I grinned. “Well, let me do some ‘recon work’ of my own. How old are you?”
“Thirty-four.”
It’s about where I would’ve put him based on his appearance. But it was odd—there was something to the way he carried himself that made him seem older, more mature. I realized it was likely because as young as he still was, he’d been through a hell of a lot.
And what I’d gone through in the last couple of days was only a taste of that. Tate had been a career criminal. I figured a life like that had a way of making someone very mature, very quickly.
Or else it would take them down.
“Anyway,” he said. “I’ve been around the block a few times, enough to know that when it comes to matters like this, things aren’t as simple as making agreements.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“But we need to do our best and not make matters complicated. If it were only you and me, well, who knows? But it’s not. I’ve got a little boy up there, and I don’t want to confuse him.”
“That makes sense,” I said. Even as part of me hurt to hear it, I loved hearing him talk about Connor; it was clear nothing in the world mattered to him more than his boy.
“Have you ever dated anyone?” I asked. “I mean, since Connor lost his mother.” My hands shot to my mouth as I realized what a freaking personal question that was. “I’m sorry,” I quickly said. “That’s none of my business.”
He sipped his coffee and stared straight ahead, as if trying to decide whether or not to answer.
“Well, we are somewhat involved. Or were. Either way, I don’t suppose it’s out of line for you to wonder.” He cleared his throat. “I tried. Not because I wanted to, but because I knew I needed to get back out there. And…it never took. Didn’t help matters either that when you’re in the line of work I was, you don’t exactly meet the types of women who have the mothering instinct.”
“And is that what you’re looking for?”
“Not really looking for anything, to be honest. But I only had two options until I got out of my old life—be with a hard woman, or be with a good woman who I’d have to let into a life that might hurt her.”
He turned his blue eyes to me. “Now…now I’ve found you. I don’t know what’s going to happen between me and you, Abbie. But I can promise you this—no matter what the future holds, I’m going to protect you. I won’t let any harm come to you, from Marshall or anyone else. You got that?”
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he meant it. I nodded, feeling warm and safer than I had in days.
He took another sip of his coffee. “Right now, we need to figure out what to do next. Can’t very well spend the rest of our lives out here in the woods.”
“Of course,” I said. “You got anything in mind?”
“Marshall’s powerful—the exact sort of man you don’t want to be on the wrong side of. But he’s a cop, and that makes him vulnerable. More than that, it means he’s got plenty of enemies. There’re lots of other powerful men in Denver, ones who’d love to take him down. And I met more than a few of them when I worked for Marshall.”
“So, we work with them?”
Tate nodded. “I’ve always valued loyalty. Never been one to betray or stab in the back. But right now, I’m not seeing any other option. I might need to work with one of my former enemies to take Marshall down.”
“What about the police?” I asked. “I know Marshall’s part of them, but what about that group that investigates corrupt cops?”
“Internal affairs? It’d be an option, but that’d have its own problems. Marshall’s got men on the inside, and more than a couple in internal affairs. To get in touch with them, we’d have to stick our neck out and potentially let Marshall know where we are. And if he did…”
He shook his head, as if the idea was too much for him to even consider. “Whatever I do, I’ll have to play it smart.”
I put my hand on his. “You’re not in this alone, Tate. I’m here, too.”
“I’m not going to let you risk your life, Abbie. This world…it’s not an easy one. Let me do what I do best.”
I wanted to say something more, but Tate was stubborn, and I could tell there was no talking him out of it when he got a notion into his head.
But he said he’d keep me safe, and I believed him. We went back to our coffee, little footsteps soon coming down the stairs and letting me know the day was ready to begin.
Chapter 13
Abbie
Connor came down for breakfast, and after that, the day went on much like the first. We did his work together, spending most of the afternoon in the library and going out for a nature walk, taking a break for lunch while we were out there.
“How long are we going to be here?” Connor asked as we sat in the shade of one of the trees.
Shoot. I had no i
dea how to answer that question. I’d hoped anything like that would be directed to Tate.
“For a little while. Why? You miss Denver?”
He shrugged, wiping his hands on his jeans. “I don’t know. Not really. I don’t really like school.”
“Why not? We’ve been getting a ton of work done, and you’re really kicking butt at it. I did the math, and if you keep giving me work to turn in like this, you’re going to have nothing but A’s.”
Another shrug. “I mean, school’s easy. But it’s boring. And…”
He trailed off. I was beginning to get an idea of what was going on with Connor. He was smart, that much was clear. And smart kids always ended up feeling bored at school when they had to wait for everyone else to catch up.
“And what else?” I asked.
“It’s Dad. He’s always busy and never has time for me. Well, he has time for me when I get in trouble.”
“So, when you do well in school and play by the rules, you don’t get to see your dad. But when you act up…”
“He actually notices me,” he finished, eyes shining as if he was thrilled I got it. “I mean, sure, he yells and stuff, and I get punished, but at least he says something to me.”
“You know your dad loves you very much, right?”
Connor’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah.”
“And he does everything for you. I bet it’s really hard being a dad on your own like that.”
He picked at the grass in front of him. “I know.”
“So it’s not easy to spend time with you, as much as he might like.”
“Maybe…” said Connor. “Maybe if you lived with us, he’d have more time? Or you could teach me at home?”
I couldn’t help but grin at his suggestion, as unrealistic as it might be. “That might be fun. But you’ll have to go to school when we get back. We can still be friends, of course.”
“Cool. I think I’d like that.”
It was a tough situation. Connor was really struggling without a mother around to help out, and Tate was busting his butt keeping a roof over his son’s head while also shielding him from the life he’d left behind. And the worst part was he couldn’t let Connor know.
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