“I want you.” She pulled the shirt up and over his head.
He happily lifted his arms to allow her to remove his clothing. “I want you, too.” After pausing to look at the beauty sprawled before him, he lunged forward, hungrily kissing her and pinning her to the mattress The warmth of their flushed skin nearly caused his heart to burst, and he swore he’d never let her go again.
Somewhat helpless in the position Nick had placed her in, Kelsey pawed at his waistband and attempted to slide her hands between their bodies to open his pants. Loving how anxious she was, he intentionally slowed his pace, knowing the teasing would drive her even wilder. He enjoyed it, but he wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
“Patience, Bright Eyes,” he said as he pulled back slightly. “It’ll be worth the wait.”
“I don’t want to wait, baby.” She lifted her head to once again attack his lips with her own. “Take me now.”
He couldn’t hold back his guttural moan when he heard her impassioned plea. Although he’d always casually called women baby, no one had ever called him the same. Hearing it in her sexy voice was nearly his undoing.
“Say that again,” he commanded as he fumbled for the button on her pants.
“Take me now.” She flopped her hands on the mattress and lifted her hips to allow him to remove the last of her clothing.
“Not that part. The other part.” He lay atop her while sliding his fingers between her legs and groaned at the wetness he found.
“Huh? Oh, I don’t want to wait.” She spread her legs wider for him and reached down to open his tight-fitting jeans.
“Baby… Call me baby,” he said through gritted teeth while helping her to remove his pants.
“Oh, baby. Make love to me, baby. Now.”
Barely managing to shake free of his jeans before taking his position between her legs, he thrust himself inside her. Their mutual groans echoed throughout the bedroom. He hovered over her, kissing her as he slowly plunged himself in and out of her welcoming heat.
“Harder, Nick. Harder.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I need more,” Kelsey huffed.
It took all Nick’s strength not to fuck her silly. He wanted so badly to thrust into her, hard and wild, but only a short time ago she was being examined by a doctor. He couldn’t take the chance of hurting her. He’d never do anything to put that expression of pain back on her face.
He regretfully pulled himself from her warmth. She wanted more, but he couldn’t use his cock without losing control. He had a better idea.
“Easy, baby,” he whispered as he dragged his mouth down her body. “Let me take the edge off.”
Still struggling to tame his impulses, he buried his head between her legs. If she wanted it hard and fast, that’s what he’d give her. The way Kelsey ground herself against his lips and tongue was so hot, but when she tossed her legs over his shoulders and pressed his head closer, he hummed his approval. It put her over the edge and she gasped and trembled as she came.
“Oh, Nick. God, that’s good.”
“Liked that, did ya?”
“No one has ever made me feel the way you do.”
“There’s more where that came from.”
Forcing himself to continue his slow pace, he kissed his way up her body and slipped his cock inside her.
They’d had sex, but this felt like the first time he’d ever made love to her. He knew exactly what she liked, exactly what would push her over the edge. He rotated his hips, stroking her in just the right spot, and revelled in her loud moan. He massaged her breast, tweaking the nipple with the perfect amount of pressure and growled when she wrapped her legs around him. But when he leant down and began suckling the pulse point on her neck, never letting up his rhythm, she began a low hum, signalling her impending climax.
“Right there, baby, right there,” she called out then froze as the waves of another orgasm pulsed through her.
“Oh, yeah, baby,” he grunted, “you feel so good when you come.” He stilled his movements, closing his eyes to the pleasure her throbbing pussy gave him.
When her body relaxed, she sighed. “That was incredible.”
“It’s not over yet.” He leered at her as he resumed his thrusts, maintaining his slow, steady pace.
Kelsey’s breathing was ragged. “Oh… My… Oh…”
“You okay?” Nick was unsure whether her noises were those of pleasure or pain.
Instead of answering, she wove her fingers through his hair and pulled him into a searing kiss. He knew then, she was feeling the pleasure just as much as he was.
“Kelsey… Oh, fuck, baby…” he called out when he finally let himself come.
For a few long moments they remained exactly as they had been, focusing on the incredible pleasure mixed with intense emotions. She finally released her hold of his head and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. When he regained control of his breathing, he slid himself to her side, not wanting to crush her with his spent body. “Wow.”
She released a weak laugh. “You can say that again.”
He smiled as he rested his head on her chest and rubbed slow circles on her stomach with his hand. “Wow.”
“Why did I know that was coming?” She tightened her hold of him and rested her cheek on the top of his head.
He placed a gentle kiss just above her breast before lifting his head to look at her. “I’m sorry, Kelsey. For everything.”
“I know.”
“You forgive me?”
“I understand why you did it.”
“But…”
“No, no buts. I do understand. I’ve been around Ronald, Bart and Faith enough to know there are many things involved with police work that have to remain secret. But I don’t exactly like being kept in the dark about so much… Especially information about who you are.”
“I wanted to tell you more, but…”
“I couldn’t,” she said at the same time the words came out of his mouth. Apparently, she'd heard that excuse before.
She smiled at him. “I know, Nick. And I do forgive you. Just promise me something, okay?”
“Anything, Bright Eyes.”
“Don’t hide anything from me again, okay?”
“Never, baby. I promise you that. I’ll never hide anything from you again.”
When he saw the smile on her face, Nick laid his head back down on her chest and listened to her heartbeat. He couldn’t remember a time he’d felt happier, or more content, and he prayed the feeling would last forever.
* * * *
Outside in the darkness, Anthony parked his car across the street. Although the house was dark, he knew the couple he was looking for was camped out inside. He got out of the car and popped open the trunk. With a small arsenal at his disposal and the element of surprise on his side, he was confident of his pending victory.
Jensen and his whore would never know what hit them.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
It was well past ten when Kelsey stirred from her sleep. The only light in the room was provided by the thin stream of moonlight peeking through the bedroom curtains, and the house seemed eerily quiet. It took her a moment to gain her bearings, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so comfortably.
She sighed and spooned closer to the warmth Nick’s body offered. There’d been many nights in the past few weeks she’d dreamt of this very picture, but the image was nothing compared to the real thing. This was something she never wanted to lose, and something she vowed to always cherish.
He tightened his hold, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other firmly around her waist as he nuzzled behind her ear. She couldn’t tell if he’d awakened, but the sensation of his hardening cock pinned against her back aroused her once again.
Kelsey tried to quash it, but grunted slightly when he pressed his hand against her lower abdomen. Nick popped his head up immediately.
&nb
sp; “Kelsey? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No. I’m just a bit sore. I’m fine, really.”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“Nick,” she said as she rolled onto her back to see him better, “I’m fine. The pain is virtually gone. Besides, Mike left me some pills if it flares up again.”
When she’d said the word pills Nick’s face had paled. “Oh, my… Oh, shit, Kelsey. I never… I never thought about it.”
“Shh. What are you talking about?” she asked him with a small chuckle. She’d never seen him so flustered.
“Your pills. You haven’t been taking them and I… We…”
“Oh,” she said while counting days in her head. “You’re worried because we made love without protection?”
“It just never occurred to me. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, Nick, really,” she whispered softly. Although she wasn’t sure, she wasn’t as worried as he obviously was. “I’m sure there’s no reason to worry.”
He turned his head suddenly and scanned the corners of the room. “Shh…”
She watched his face as he strained to listen. “What is it?” she barely whispered.
“Did you hear that?” he whispered in return.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
He continued to look towards the bedroom door. The house was deathly silent, but he seemed to be on high alert.
“Get dressed, baby,” he said firmly as he slid out of bed.
“Nick?” Her fear crept up.
“Just get dressed, quietly, and as fast as you can. I’m right here. I’ll protect you, okay?”
Acting on autopilot, she got out of bed and began dressing. She still hadn’t heard a sound, but Nick seemed so convinced that something was wrong, she believed him. She watched as he pulled out his phone and tapped his thumbs against the keys. When finished, he pulled on his jeans and tucked it into the pocket.
After he had finished dressing, he knelt beside the bed and dragged a long, slender case from beneath it. With a flick of the combination lock, it popped open, revealing an assortment of handguns lined beside a very intimidating rifle. “Come here, baby.”
She sat on the corner of the bed and gasped when he handed her one of the handguns. “You remember how to use this, right?”
She nodded while looking at the weapon in her hand. It was the same type of gun he had taught her to shoot when they’d visited the gun range. Remembering all his instructions, she checked the safety and ejected the magazine.
“You’re fully loaded,” he said while shoving another handgun into the back of his pants and extra ammo in his pockets. He stood to wrap another gun around his lower ankle before finally pulling out the rifle and sitting beside her.
“I don’t… I don’t know if I can use this, Nick.” Paper targets were one thing, but firing at a human being was something she didn’t even want to think about.
“Just in case, Kelsey.” He moved to kneel in front of her, resting the rifle on the floor. “I’ll be with you, okay? You just stay behind me.”
“Then why do I need this? You’ll protect me.” Her voice trembled nearly as much as her hands.
“With my life, baby. But if anything happens, I want you to promise me you’ll shoot first and think about it later, you got that?”
She shook her head slightly. “I don’t know…”
“You promise me, Kelsey,” he said firmly. “I need to know you’ll be okay. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you, you understand me? Just promise me that if it comes down to it, you’ll use it to protect yourself.”
“I’ll try.”
“Don’t try, Bright Eyes,” he said as he cradled her face. “You protect yourself. Please? For me?”
She nodded as tears streamed down her face. He gave her a gentle kiss and a reassuring smile before helping her to stand behind him. She was focused on the rifle hanging by his side, but he got her attention with a finger to his lips, instructing her to be quiet before he opened the bedroom door only wide enough to allow them to exit.
She walked as closely to him as she could without tripping him. They slunk along the wall towards the staircase, her one hand clenched firmly in his and her other on the handgun with a grip that could bend steel. Where he stepped, she stepped, and when he moved, she moved. It wasn’t long until they were on the ground level and heading towards the back of the house.
She inched even closer when he turned a sharp corner and opened the door to the basement. Without the benefit of the small amount of moonlight the night sky provided, they crept down the steps in complete darkness. “Nick,” she whispered as quietly as she could, “why don’t we just get out of the house?”
“I think someone is outside.”
Her fear intensified and she clung to him even closer. When they reached the bottom step he paused, wrapping his free hand around her waist and pulling her to him. “It’s okay, baby,” he whispered very softly against her ear. If he’d been another inch away, she may not have heard him at all. “I want to shut off the power. If someone is here, it’s our best protection.”
They were only steps away from the circuit box when an incredibly loud alarm began to squeal and bright lights illuminated the stairwell from above.
“Shit!” Nick grunted and ran the few steps to the breakers, pulling her along with him. He gave the main breaker a flick, killing the power and blanketing the house in a dark silence once again.
“What happened?” she asked fearfully.
“Someone is in the house.”
Although she was unable to see him, she heard the slight quiver in his voice and felt his grip on her hand tighten. “What are we gonna do?”
“Listen to me, Kelsey.” He grabbed both her arms. “We’re going to go up the steps and head for the sliding glass door on the side of the house. Did you see it earlier?”
“Yes. I remember it.”
“Now, if anything happens or we get separated, I want you to get out of the house as soon as you possibly can and call Tim, okay?”
She couldn’t contain her whimper when he pressed his cell phone in her hand. “I don’t want to leave you. Stay with me, please?”
“I’ll stay with you as long as I can, Kelsey, but if I have to take out Anthony, I want you to promise me you’ll get out of here and as far away from the house as you can. I need to know that you’re safe.”
“But…”
“No!” he whispered forcefully. “I need to know you’re safe. I can’t concentrate on taking Anthony out if I’m looking for you. We’ll both be safer if you just listen to me, okay? You get out of the house and as far away as you can. You promise me!”
“I promise,” she said tearfully and pulled him into a fierce hug. “Please be careful.”
“I will, baby. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing, okay?”
“Okay.” She nodded frantically and gave him a quick but passionate kiss. Reluctantly, she pulled away.
“You ready, Bright Eyes?”
She took a steadying breath. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“That’s my girl. Come on. Let’s go.”
They reached the top of the stairs quickly but quietly, Kelsey acting as a second skin as she moved behind him. Nick stopped, apparently listening for any signs of where the intruder was in the house. A few steps later, he ducked her down and hid them both behind the kitchen island.
He silently motioned to Kelsey, who could see his shadowed figure in the moonlight, and pointed to the glass door he’d referenced.
She looked across the room and nodded, amazed at the shakiness of her hand versus the steady rock of his as their fingers remained firmly intertwined. When he gave a soft kiss to her forehead and released her hand, she watched as he started to crawl towards the entrance to the living room.
Shots rang out, flying through the doorway and striking everywhere around them. Nick jumped back, throwing himself over Kelsey a
s a flurry of gunfire rang above their heads and over the island that sheltered them. Sparks flew as bullets ricocheted off the fridge and stove, while others burrowed themselves in the walls and cabinetry.
The shots stopped suddenly. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Anthony called out.
“You first, asshole!” Nick shouted as he braced himself behind the counter and began firing the rifle.
Kelsey cowered down, her hands over her ears and her knees to her chest. Other than the day they’d visited the gun range, she’d never been this close to real gunfire and it absolutely terrified her.
It didn’t take long for Nick to run out of ammo. He ducked for cover, tossing the rifle aside and pulling the handgun out from the back of his jeans. He gave Kelsey a quick glance and rose to resume firing. The gunfire rained above their heads. Shards of wood and the tile of the countertop littered their bodies along with a blizzard of dust as the bullets seemed to come closer and closer to where they hid. Nick grabbed her to hide beneath him.
The gunfire stopped. In its place was a sound Kelsey recognised. The clicking could only mean Anthony was reloading his weapon. They had a chance.
Nick jumped up and pulled Kelsey with him. He darted through the kitchen opening with his weapon aimed towards Anthony and pushed Kelsey in the direction of the sliding glass door. “Kelsey, go now!”
“Nick!” she screamed, terrified to leave his side.
Both men seemed to recover simultaneously and opened fire once more. Nick dived behind the coffee table while Anthony remained hunched beside the couch.
She was petrified watching the violence unfold before her. It was as if the seconds lasted hours as she contemplated what to do next. Then she remembered her promise.
‘I’ll stay with you as long as I can, Kelsey, but if I have to take out Anthony, I want you to promise me, you’ll get out of here and as far away from the house as you can. I need to know that you’re safe.’
She turned towards the door and threw it open before running into the night. By the time she had reached the neighbour’s yard, she had Nick’s cell phone in her hand and was scrolling through the contacts in a desperate search for Tim’s number.
Unexpected Consequences Page 25
