“You should have told me to stop,” she said, running her fingers over them.
“Hmm?” He glanced over his shoulders.
“I left gouges earlier.”
“That’s okay. I’m pretty sure your ass is bruised.”
Was it? She hadn’t thought about it.
She ran her hand over her bottom. Chances were she wouldn’t notice until tomorrow, sitting at her desk. Or trying to. Jake was a strong man.
“You missed a spot,” he said.
“I did?” She rolled her eyes.
He turned to face her. “You did.”
“Oh my bad. Let me fix that.” She grasped his cock with one hand and his balls with the other. “Do you mean this spot?”
Jake groaned. “Oh yeah.”
Typical man. One of the many reasons she loved him.
She watched his face as she slowly pumped him. He hissed and slapped one hand against the tile wall and grasped the curtain rod with the other. If the curtain went down or through the wall, it wouldn’t be the first time. His face tensed and lines bracketed his mouth, his eyes closed.
Pushing him like this filled her with giddy joy. She still had the touch to drive him crazy. It hadn’t been lost, just misplaced.
He rocked back into the spray of water and all the little soap bubbles raced each other down his toned abs and thighs until he was just a wet, slick man.
Jake grasped her shoulders and forcibly turned her. Nicole laughed, knowing exactly where this was going. She flattened her hands against the wall at the end of the tub and perched her right foot on the ledge.
He entered her with one hard thrust that drove her breath out of her lungs. He didn’t warn her, but then again she didn’t need it. She closed her eyes and flattened her forearms against the wall, thrusting her hips back toward him.
“You like that, don’t you? My cock inside you?”
“Uh-huh,” she grunted out, unable to form coherent words.
“See how you like this,” he said in a low rumble as he withdrew until only the head of his cock was inside her.
He gathered her damp hair off her shoulders. He thrust and pulled the tail of hair at the same time, forcing her body to arch. She moaned as he pistoned in and out, using her hair as an anchor. His other hand gripped her hip.
“Oh yes, yes, yes,” she chanted, or maybe thought.
The muscles in her abdomen fluttered, warmth pooled in her stomach and her toes would have curled if she weren’t clinging to the ability to remain upright.
“You like it.” He didn’t ask, because he knew.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Her voice rose to a shrill pitch.
He reached around her and thumbed her nipples, first one side, then the other. Her mouth worked silently, wishing for a kiss, but she dared not move. Not when he hit all the right places.
Jake cracked his hand against her ass and her yelp of surprise turned into a scream of release. She dug her nails in between the tiles and flattened her cheek against the wall as her body shuddered and he continued the hard pace in and out of her body. She held on for dear life through the rough, uneven thrusts. Jake’s feet squelched on the bottom of the tub and he leaned forward, covering her body with his, hands over hers.
He kissed her shoulder and sucked in deep breaths.
After a moment he withdrew from her body. She didn’t miss the connection because he wrapped her in his arms, but more than that, she could feel his love.
This could work. They could be together again. She had to surrender to hope and the desire for this man. There was nothing else for her. And she didn’t want anything else.
She turned in his arms and kissed him. Now wasn’t the time to tell him, she needed to sleep on it, but she doubted it would make much difference. She’d made her choice. He was her husband, ’til death did they part.
Jake backed them into the spray of water.
“You need to get out of my way before we use all the hot water.” She pushed at his shoulder after he finished cleaning off for a second time. Her hair would be a wild mess tomorrow but she’d deal.
“Fine, fine. I’ll leave you alone.” He bussed her cheek with a quick kiss and climbed out.
She shook her head and stepped into the water. Her heart was lighter, the night a little less dark. She even felt a little like her old self again, not as much of the bitch she’d become this last year. It was a relief to think things could actually change.
Nicole washed her hair in a dreamlike state, rushing through her normal shower routine. There was still wine, chocolate and a few hours before her alarm would go off. Maybe they could both call in sick and spend the day together. They needed it. One night of sex and being vulnerable was a start, but it wasn’t a fix.
She turned off the water and quickly dried off. She didn’t even bother with putting the t-shirt back on. She stepped into the bedroom and sighed.
Jake was sprawled over more than his fair share of the bed, snoring softly, one hand tossed out on her pillow.
So much for wine and chocolate.
Diego listened to the mattress squeaking below and gritted his teeth.
There’d been no pop of the wine bottle as he’d hoped. Drugging the wine and staging it as if Jake had brought it had been a long shot. Besides, he wasn’t set up to deal with him yet.
Diego wiped his brow. The attic of the little white house was stuffy and bits of the insulation stuck to his clothes, but it would have to do. The neighbors were back so he’d make do here. For now.
Only a few more days, and then Jake Vant would be his.
Chapter Nine
Jake stared at the bottle of wine sitting on the dresser and listened to Nicole getting ready for work. Despite having only a handful of hours to sleep, he was wide awake.
What had she said about chocolates last night?
He rose and went to where the gold-wrapped box and the bottle sat.
He glanced at the bathroom, but Nicole was in a hurry and he knew better than to get in her way. He tiptoed into the kitchen, glancing around for any clue.
The answer was a bit of gold wrapping sticking out of the trash bag hanging off a drawer. He pulled the bag open and studied the contents.
A piece of the gold wrapper had a bit of text scrawled on it, in a marker by the looks of the smudge marks.
To Nicole, with love.
The handwriting looked like his, complete with his lopsided O’s.
Warning bells went off in his head and ice flooded his veins.
He grabbed a paper towel and retrieved the candy wrapper from the trash. Glancing toward the bedroom, he crossed to the other side of the living room to consider what the evidence told him.
Someone who wasn’t him had bought her candy. She’d said something about flowers and chocolates last night, but he hadn’t brought her either in the previous days.
Where had it come from?
The reality of his job meant there were many people who would like to see him dead. In his first few weeks working in narcotics, another officer close to retirement had told him in all seriousness, “You haven’t made it in this department until there are at least ten hits out on your life.” By the time Jake had moved on to SWAT, he’d lost count of the lowlifes who wanted him dead. But Nicole hadn’t been in the picture then. He’d moved to SWAT as soon we he realized their relationship might last.
Or could she be seeing someone else?
He discarded that idea as soon as it entered his mind. She thought he’d brought her the candy and flowers. Now that he thought of it, flowers would have been a good idea. Too bad someone else beat him to the punch.
“Okay, I’m going,” Nicole announced as she walked into the kitchen. There were dark circles under her eyes and tendrils of hair had already escaped from the fancy twist she’d done to save time.
“Can I do anything to help you?” He slid the candy wrapper into his back pocket and leaned against the counter.
“What? Oh no. I just need to get going.” Nico
le pulled the fridge open and placed the bottle of wine on a shelf by itself.
She hoisted her tote up onto her shoulder and paused briefly to give him a too-short kiss.
“Bye.” Her smile put the spark back in her eye.
“Bye.” He had to protect her.
She exited through the garage. He waited, listening to the sounds of her car and the garage door until she was gone. And then he waited a few minutes more. When he was certain she wouldn’t pull back into the driveway for some forgotten item, he began searching the house.
He started in the kitchen, pulling open all the drawers and cabinets, not sure what he was looking for. Anything out of place or odd. He went over the living room before venturing down the hall into the other bedrooms.
The farthest room didn’t seem to be disturbed at all.
The second he made two passes of, but there wasn’t a piece of furniture or anything in the room to study.
His gaze dropped to the carpet, still almost new-looking.
A little bit of dirt and a sandstone like what might get caught in the treads of a shoe were near the wall that backed up against the entry.
He got down on one knee and peered at the sand, but it shared no secrets with him.
Why was there dirt in a room they didn’t use? The cleaning service that came once a month was very thorough. Leaving this didn’t seem like them, and the house had been vacant for more than two months since their last tenants had moved out.
Jake moved on, crossing back to the master suite. Here it was harder to tell what was disturbed and what was simply a mess. Still, he walked through all of it, committing it to memory.
He even went out to the backyard and walked the flowerbeds along the fence. The dirt from inside appeared more sand in comparison to the soil outside.
“Hey, neighbor. Haven’t seen you in a while.”
Great.
Jake glanced up at a man on a ladder at the neighboring house. “Hey. How’s it going?”
“Oh not bad. Just got home from vacation.” He scooped debris out of the gutter and dropped it into a garbage bag hanging on the ladder.
“Yeah? How did that go?”
“Good. Good. Went to see the grandkids. We almost didn’t want to come home, but I’m glad we didn’t stay gone any longer. Looks like raccoons or some other kind of rodent got into our house through the attic. You might want to check yours.”
“I’ll do that, thanks,” Jake replied and headed inside. He wasn’t ready to answer questions about why he was at the house.
Jake went back to the hall and pulled down the ladder to the attic. It slid soundlessly down.
That wasn’t right.
The right-side hinge used to creak to high heaven.
He folded the ladder back and shut the door before opening it again.
Still no sound.
“Huh.”
Maybe a tenant had oiled the hinges? WD-40 had never done the trick before.
Jake pulled his phone out of his pocket and activated the flashlight app. He climbed the stairs into the attic and shined the narrow beam of light around the space. Besides a piece of plywood across the beams, there wasn’t anything there and nothing gave him the impression of rodents.
Whatever he was looking for wasn’t in the house.
He climbed back down the stairs and replaced the ladder.
He was off today, so maybe it was time he did a little surveillance work. Nicole would never know he was there.
Diego watched the house from down the block in the safety of his stolen car. Jake Vant was close enough to snatch out of this life, but that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted the man to suffer, so Diego would wait a while longer still.
He started the engine and pulled out onto the street. As he passed the white house Vant stepped out onto the porch.
Diego didn’t hide. The man would never be able to recognize him anyways. There were too many scars on his face to be the man he’d once been.
Vant held his gaze as he passed, never knowing Diego would be his death. Just a few more days and he’d be ready.
* * * * *
Nicole smiled so hard her face hurt and listened to one of her coworkers talk yet again about her new puppy. Christ on a cracker, Nicole didn’t care about a puppy, she wanted a bed.
Why had she gone out after work again? Last time hadn’t turned out so hot for her.
Oh right. Jake had said he wouldn’t be home until a little later that evening and she hadn’t wanted to be at home by herself. So here she was, a glass in hand she hadn’t even touched.
The coworker leaned forward a little, her gaze over Nicole’s shoulder. “There’s a man over there who won’t stop staring at you.”
“What?” Nicole glanced behind her but saw only more people at pub tables and milling around.
“He just—he was right there,” the woman said, brows drawn down.
“Oh well. Let him look.” What did Nicole care? She was a married woman. Men could look all they wanted but she was off-limits to them.
“Hello, ladies.”
That voice slid over her like oil and she fought the urge to shudder. Hands rested on her hips and she felt the heat of another body behind her.
“Collin, get your hands off me,” she said with as much disgust as she could put into her voice.
“Come on, Nicole. I’ve apologized. Can’t you forgive me?” Collin did not let her go. He invaded her space more by leaning on her shoulder and trying to look her in the face.
“Collin’s just being funny,” another coworker replied.
“Yeah, his jokes are hysterical. It’s not a big deal.”
“Don’t be a spoilsport.”
“Just accept his apology.”
Were these people for real? Something as heinous as that fucking cake was supposed to be swept under the rug? Clearly they were vaginas too interested in a handsome face to realize they were more than just boobs.
“Apology not accepted, Collin.” She picked up one of his wrists and dropped his hand away from her.
Collin grabbed her other arm and turned her in place. Shocked by the forceful act, she stared at him. He glared at her.
“I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me?” His face twisted into an ugly, petulant mask. How had she ever thought he was attractive?
“How about you start with leaving me alone?” She tried to twist out of his hold but he was squeezing too tight.
“That’s not very—”
“The lady said to get your sorry hands off her.”
Nicole knew that voice. Her heart leapt up to her throat and her clit throbbed.
Jake stepped through the crowd, his steely gaze enough to make even her quake in her pumps.
“Who the fuck are you?” Collin sneered.
Nicole planted her hands against his chest and shoved. “He is my husband.”
Collin stumbled back, his gaze bouncing between Nicole and Jake, whose hand settled on her lower back.
“I’d appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself. Didn’t your mamma teach you any manners?” Jake drawled, laying the good ol’ boy act on strong. There was something inherently intimidating about a man of his size with that slow, calculated tone.
“I don’t need this shit,” Collin mumbled and turned into the crowd, pushing his way between people.
The small audience around them became very interested in their drinks.
Nicole peered up at Jake. He held her gaze, offering no explanation for his behavior or presence.
“You ready to get out of here?” he asked just loud enough to be heard over the din of voices.
“Sure.” She set her cup on a table and strode toward the doors.
People paused to glance at them, or more likely Jake, as they passed. She held her head high. Her private life had been on parade this week—from her drunken announcement to the cake and now this bar confrontation, it was more than she’d have ever wanted to share with people she didn’t know.
They walked out to the parking lot in silence, Jake shadowing her the whole way. She spied her little red car at the back of the lot, and next to it was Jake’s big SUV, crammed between the convertible and the wall of another building.
She stopped at the trunk of her car and pivoted to face her husband.
The muscles along his jaw twitched and she could practically hear his teeth grind together. Lovely.
Nicole opened her mouth to speak the moment he closed the short distance between them. He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her as if his life depended on it. He backed her up until they were behind his SUV. Jake pressed her back against the vehicle and pushed his knee between her thighs.
She wanted to slap him and suck him off all at once.
Damn him for whatever stupid reason made him follow her. And damn her for still loving him. He palmed her breast through the thin silk shirt, finding her nipples through the fabric and lace. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and groaned.
Nicole grasped her skirt, flipping it up until she could get her thumbs under the band of her panties and ease them down her thighs, past Jake’s knee until she could kick them off.
If he was going to barge in on her good time, well, he’d have to pay up with an even better one.
She grabbed the front of his jeans and tabbed them open.
“What are you—?”
“Fuck me, Jake. Fuck me right here.” She unzipped his jeans and palmed his cock.
Jake stared at her for a moment, surprise, desire and his inner good boy warring with what he wanted. She smiled and squeezed him.
“Shit,” he muttered, letting his lids drop a bit. His cheeks sunk in and the way he stared at her, she’d pay for this display later. Only she wouldn’t mind one bit paying this fee.
He grew hard in her hand. Watching his features sharpen and his gaze focus so completely on her, feeling the slight movement of his hips he was unable to hide, it gave her a feminine power. She pushed his clothes down to his thighs. This wouldn’t be a long, drawn-out lovemaking. It would be a fast and dirty fucking. Jake hooked his arm under her knee, forcing her back against his truck, her body open to him. She guided his cock to her pussy, sucking in a deep breath as he thrust. He stared her in the eye, her heels giving her the perfect boost to be face-to-face with him.
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