by Ravenna Tate
“You’re changing the subject again.” His voice was raspy, and judging by the way his eyes glazed over, her attempts at distraction were finally working. Rosanna licked his neck, just under his jaw where she knew he loved it. He tasted musky and warm, and her pussy was now soaking wet. She’d been waiting hours for this.
“Am I?” She repositioned herself on his lap so she straddled his thighs, and braced her body, bare feet on the floor, until her groin pushed against the bulge in his pants.
“How about now?” Rosanna moved slowly, tilting her hips up and down in a seductive dance. “Is this an obvious enough change of subject for you, officer?” Her clit throbbed. She moaned slightly as an orgasm began to build.
“You are the sexiest, most beautiful woman I have ever met.” He cupped her face with one hand and covered her left breast with the other. “It’s those eyes. Dark, deep, mysterious.” When he teased her nipple through the silk fabric of her top, Rosanna moaned louder. “And that hair … wild and dark, just like you.” He captured her mouth in a kiss so hot, she expected her kitchen to catch fire.
As his tongue moved inside her mouth, she wrapped her arms around his strong, hard torso and pushed closer, wanting him inside her. The man’s kisses drove her to distraction. She savored the heady sensation of matching her movements to his, loving the way her body tingled at his touch.
He released her mouth and slid his tongue to her neck, planting tiny bites and kisses along her jawline. It made her crazy when he did that, and he knew it. Which was probably why he loved to tease her that way. Shivers ran down her spine as she pushed closer to his body.
“Let’s go into your bedroom.” His breath was hot against her skin, his voice gruff in her ear.
“We could stay here instead.”
“No. Bedroom.” He hated having sex in any room but the bedroom, though he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—say why.
“You still won’t even try in another room?”
Rosanna started to unbutton her top, but he caught her hands in one of his, sending more shivers down her spine with the dominant gesture. “Bedroom, woman. Now.”
Everyone had their odd quirks, after all. She bit back a laugh as she rose and took his hand. “Come on, then, lover. We’re both ready to burst.”
“Hang on a second.” She turned to look into his eyes. “Rosanna, I really care about you. A lot.”
“I care about you, too, Houston.”
The strangest look came over his face as he stood, as though he wasn’t sure she understood his point. He put his arms around her and pulled her close. “I mean it. You’re so easy to be with. You never make demands, you never nag me about work, and I love that we can talk about our jobs to each other.”
“As long as we never use names.”
A smile played over his mouth. “Yeah. No names. But you know what I mean. You understand what I do, and although I wish you worked for a prosecutor instead, I get what you’re saying. Everyone deserves a fair trial, even when they’re guilty as hell.”
“I enjoy being able to talk about work with you, too.” Now, he looked uncomfortable, and she wondered what was really going on. “Did something happen at work?”
“No. Yes.” He gave her a long, searching look. “I don’t want to talk about it. Not yet.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“I’m afraid to say it.”
“You don’t have to be afraid with me. Just spit it out.”
He stared into her eyes for so long, she was certain he wasn’t going to say anything. There were times when it was obvious he needed to talk about a case, but she understood he couldn’t always do so. This looked to be one of those times. As she reached for his hand again, he cleared his throat.
“Rosanna, I’m falling in love with you, and that scares the shit out of me. Not because it’s you. Because I don’t do the whole love thing very well.”
The pounding of her heart nearly made her dizzy. It was so loud, she was sure he could hear it. A huge smile spread over her face. “Houston, I’ve been in love with you since the moment I first looked into your eyes. Being in love is scary shit, but I’m not going to hurt you.”
A look of uncertainty filled his eyes. “I know you won’t. I won’t hurt you either. But I’ve said that before.”
She placed her hands on his face. “Listen to me. You’re a good person. You’re dedicated to your job, and you care about people. There’s nothing scary about that.”
“I fuck things up when I fall in love.”
“Stop placing all the blame on yourself. Relationships are two-way streets. You won’t fuck this up. Neither one of us will.”
“We will if we get married.”
“We don’t have to get married.”
He looked hurt, and she wished she’d thought before blurting that out. “You mean you don’t want to marry me?”
“Houston, I have no clue if I want to marry anyone. I don’t need to be married. I’m happy with what we have right now.”
“You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I meant it as one.”
“Look, what we have is great. It’s fantastic. Let’s run with it and see what happens, okay?”
“And you’re okay with that? Just … doing what we’re doing?”
“I love this. I love you. I love being with you…” Rosanna moved her hands to his crotch, and laughed when he grinned. “And I love fucking you. So let’s stop talking about it and get in there and do it.”
“How could any man not fall head over heels in love with you?”
“I only care that you did.”
Chapter Three
Rosanna loved the way Houston attacked sex like it was a competition and he had to win. Seconds after they entered her bedroom, he was naked and had already removed the condoms and lube from the drawer in her nightstand. She was still dressed.
While he stood there, staring at her with the urgency of a dog in heat plastered on his handsome face, she took her time peeling off first her top and jeans, then her underwear.
“God, babe. Stop torturing me. Get naked.”
“I live to torture you. I love watching that look in your eyes.”
“As if I can help it.” His gaze roamed over her, filled with lust and admiration. That expression never failed to made her pussy wet and her nipples tingle. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
“Thank you.” He made her feel that way every time he looked at her. She’d never asked him how his sex life had been with his three ex-wives, but she had to believe it had been good. Their loss. “You’re not too bad yourself.” Her gaze flitted over all those muscles and rested on his impressive cock. “Especially certain parts of you.”
Houston’s full laugh sent shivers down her spine. He was always so much fun in bed. Completely uninhibited and gruff, but the way he made love filled one of those needs in her she didn’t understand.
As he crossed the room, she stood perfectly still, relishing the anticipation of finally having his hands and mouth on her body. She’d been waiting days to fuck him again. As she’d expected, he grabbed her boobs and made sexy noises in the back of his throat.
“I can’t help it, babe. I’m a tit man. I admit it.”
“I don’t mind.” She certainly didn’t. When he squeezed them, he also rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, which sent tiny contractions to her pussy. She swore if he kept it up long enough she’d come simply from those sensations and nothing else. It aroused her that much.
But when he buried his face between them and made motor boat sounds, she had to stifle a laugh. “I want to get lost in these. I want to fuck them.”
“Oh, that sounds sexy. We haven’t tried it yet.”
His head snapped up, and he looked like he couldn’t believe what she’d said. “Really? You’d let me fuck your tits?”
“Of course. I’d try anything with you.”
Houston released her breast
s and grabbed her face, kissing her roughly. He shoved his tongue into her mouth, and she pushed close to his body until she could feel every hard, sexy inch of him.
When he slid his hands down her back and smacked her ass cheeks, Rosanna was certain she’d go out of her mind with need. She giggled into his open mouth until he released the kiss.
“I should spank that gorgeous ass of yours for real for laughing at me.”
A shudder ran though her as images of exactly that rose up in her mind. He talked about it all the time, but hadn’t yet done more than what had just happened. “I wasn’t laughing at you. You make me so happy I can’t contain it.”
The sweetest expression of tenderness came over his face, and her heart melted. “You make me happy, too, babe.” He stepped back and surveyed her, his head moving slowly up and down as his gaze raked over her naked body. “I can’t decide what I want to do more. Fuck those titties, or put you over my knee.”
“You can do both, you know.”
“Not tonight. I’m too damn tired, but there is no way I’m not going to fuck you before I crash.”
“Awww, Houston. That’s so romantic. You sure know how to make a girl feel all mushy inside.”
He gave her that sexy grin again before stepping forward to close the gap between them. As he scooped her into his arms, she wondered how in the world he could still be awake after all this time, and have enough strength to do this. The man wasn’t human.
After dumping her unceremoniously on the bed, he covered her body with his, scooting down until his head was level with her breasts. A tongue that knew how to lick a woman’s nipples sent her arousal to crazy heights. She shivered as he laved the underside of her breasts, alternating that with flicking his tongue over her nipples, again and again.
Soft moans escaped her throat when he took each nipple into his mouth and sucked, hard. The more she writhed against his touch, the sexier his groans became. By the time he sat up, she was ready to give him anything he wanted.
“Babe, you are so damn sexy.” He reached for the lube and slathered it over her breasts, rubbing it across them gently. Rosanna’s pussy was so wet she could feel the juices on her inner thighs. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” He positioned his cock in between her breasts, and Rosanna squeezed them together as hard as she could stand. When he began to move, his soft moans sent delicious tingles straight to her throbbing clit.
“Oh, babe… Oh, this is fucking heaven!” He thrust slowly, holding his dick in place as he did. “I swear I could come like this, but I’m afraid tonight will be a one and done deal. And I want to come inside your ass.”
“Whatever makes you happy.”
“You make me happy.” He stopped thrusting and leaned over to kiss her, sending shivers down her spine once more. When he straightened up, he moved lower over her body and spread her legs before turning that marvelous tongue loose on her pussy.
“You are soaked.”
“Of course I am.” Rosanna moaned loudly and tangled her fingers in his hair as he flicked his tongue over her clit. When he pushed two fingers into her wetness, she couldn’t hold off the climax any longer. It crashed against her like waves on the rocks, intense and powerful. The sounds of her pleasure mixed with the slurping noises he made as he ate her out.
From the living room, the clock on her fake fireplace mantel chimed midnight, and for reasons she didn’t understand, the combination of her orgasm and that clock made her think of Cinderella. Those fairy tales really should include sex. She giggled again, until his head came up.
“Now what’s so funny?”
“Nothing, lover. Just happy.”
After he sat back on his heels, he reached for the condoms, grunting as he donned one. “Damn things shouldn’t be so hard to put on.”
“You poor baby.” She stretched, basking in the afterglow of a fabulous climax. They were always wonderful, but the ones he gave her with his mouth and fingers were so intimate, she enjoyed them better.
His eyes narrowed eyes. “I might have to hold on long enough to spank you anyway.”
Rosanna didn’t answer. She merely held out her arms. He kissed her again, and she tilted her hips toward him as she reached between their bodies to grasp his dick. After she’d guided it into her pussy, she moved her hand around his ass cheek so she could play with his balls while he fucked her.
“Oh, God!” His mouth found her neck, resting there while he thrust deep and hard. Their bodies were slick with sweat now, and she loved the way they rubbed against each other, hot and raw. She clung to his muscled forearms, letting the sensations wash over her. “Oh, baby … I’m so close.”
“It feels fantastic.”
But before he came, he withdrew abruptly and sat back on his heels once more. “Turn over.”
Delicious tingles covered Rosanna’s body as she flipped onto her stomach. She knew what her man liked, and she welcomed it. He wet his fingers with lube and carefully slid two inside her ass, stretching the walls as he moved them in and out.
“You have such a perfect, tight ass, babe.”
“That feels wonderful.” She’d never had anal sex before the first time she’d had it with Houston, and she had liked it right away.
“This won’t take long. Sorry about that.”
“Please don’t apologize, Houston. It’s not a performance. I love making love to you, no matter how long you last.”
“I don’t deserve you.” He withdrew his fingers and slid his cock into her ass. She moaned loudly again as he began to thrust, and when he slipped a hand underneath to tease her clit, another powerful climax rushed through her.
“Oh fuck!” His thrusting grew quick and deep, and then he cried out and Rosanna knew he’d come. He stopped moving and lay on top of her, waiting until her orgasm finished before withdrawing.
“Oh, babe. Thank you.” Houston tore off his condom and tossed it onto the floor.
After eyeing the used prophylactic, she cut her gaze toward him, and knew he’d be asleep in a few moments. Rosanna leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you. It was wonderful.”
His answer was nothing more than a couple of unintelligible syllables, so she hopped off the bed, picked up the condom, and headed for the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, he sat up and frowned.
“Damn, babe. Didn’t mean for you to clean up my mess.”
“Go back to sleep. You need it more than I do right now.”
“Sleep with me.”
“You know I will.” She crawled in next to him and pulled the comforter on top of them both before snuggling into the crook of his arm, happier than she could ever recall being. This was the part she loved best. Curled up in the arms of her man after hot sex.
“Did I tell you what case kept me so late?”
“You mentioned it was an old one but nothing else.”
“Finally a lead on my first case. Oddest thing, though.”
“Why is it odd?”
“Not sure yet if it will pan out. Some Twitter user names to check out first. I sure hope so. I’d love to see this one resolved.”
She lifted her head far enough to look into his eyes. “A serial killer, I hope?”
“Ha-ha. No. This one really got to me. Classic case of parents who had no clue what their son was up to in college. Or did know and couldn’t face it. What little we were able to get out of anyone at the time indicated he wasn’t a very nice person.” He shook his head. “Typical rich kid away from home for the first time. Playing the field, partying too much, bullying boys and girls alike.”
“He was the victim or the perp?”
“Victim. As far as we could put together, he was killed the same night as a frat party we know he attended. Autopsy found alcohol and drugs on board. And a bruise on his cheek where someone struck him with a purse or a backpack sometime during the same night.”
“That’s what killed him?”
“No. He fell and hit his head on a very big rock. That’s what killed h
im, but not before he dragged himself through a snow-covered field about a quarter of a mile. City workers found him four days later.”
Rosanna stayed perfectly still as the room spun. Closing her eyes made it worse, so she kept them open, but kept her gaze on Houston’s chest instead of his face so he couldn’t see the look in her eyes. Because surely any memories this strong and frightening would be visible, even in the dim light.
He pulled her closer and yawned. “I’m sorry, babe. I’m beat. Can we talk about this later?”
“Sure. Good night.” She forced herself to kiss him before lying back down and praying he wouldn’t feel her pulse racing as he held her close. The minutes dragged while she tried to push the memories back down into their secret place. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, but even once it did, she felt nauseous and cold.
Once she was certain Houston had drifted off to sleep, she extricated herself from his embrace and sat up, hugging her knees. What had set the memories off like this? They had never been this bad.
At least the room was no longer moving.
The images had tried to take shape when she’d closed her eyes earlier. Maybe she should let them? It might help pinpoint what had her so spooked. A quick glance down at Houston reassured her he was out. He’d sleep for hours now. This was a familiar pattern to her already.
After closing her eyes again, she let her thoughts go where they willed. An image of a blond-haired young man was all mixed up with another man. The second one had dark hair and a cruel expression in his eyes. Instead of teasing humor, like Houston’s often held, the eyes of this young man were spiteful and filled with the intent to hurt. He enjoyed hurting others.
She tried to let the two images become clearer, but the harder she concentrated, the quicker they were gone. Like a dream you were desperate to remember, but couldn’t.
The fact that she’d tried to do something about the memories this time, other than push them away, gave her little comfort. She was still left with no explanation for her earlier reaction. Maybe it had been the words themselves, instead of those fuzzy images? She closed her eyes one more time and went over the list in her head.
