by Desiree Holt
He lifted up his head to look at her, his mouth and chin coated with her cream.
“Ask me nicely,” he teased.
Oh, god!
“Please, please, please,” she chanted, breathless.
“Okay.”
He began to work her pussy in earnest with his fingers, in and out, in and out, faster, faster, faster. She fisted her hands in the comforter and lifted her feet to brace them on his shoulders. Then he bit down on her clit and she fell into the whirlpool, spinning and turning, head over heels, her body shaking with the spasms. Her inner walls pulsed and pulsed as her release swept over her and she pushed down as hard as she could.
Eventually the tremors slowed, replaced at last by softer aftershocks. Her breathing slowed and her muscles relaxed. Finally she went limp.
Noah rose from his kneeling position and loomed over her, grinning.
“I didn’t think it possible, but you taste even better.” He kissed her, a gentle meeting of their mouths, her taste all over him, her musk enveloping them both.
“Wow!” she managed at last. “Just wow!”
“I have more wow than that.”
Randi lifted up on her elbows and ran her gaze over him. “One of us is still overdressed.”
“I can fix that,” he assured her, and shucked his jeans and boxer brief, exposing what could only be described as a very impressive erection.
Immediately Randi was ready for him again.
Noah prayed silently that he wouldn’t embarrass himself. It had been so long since they had been together. Too long, but that was his fault. Thank god the heat and the passion were still there. He’d been so scared that what Randi felt for him had been ruined b his selfish stupidity. He’d tried so hard to forget her, to erase the bitter memories of that night. Yet no matter what he did, no matter who he slept with, the woman he dreamed about, the woman he wanted in his life, who lived in his heart, was sexy, smart, feisty, gorgeous Randi Alexander.
He figured it would take more than one night to make things up to her and convince her they belonged together. He was finally even willing to make changes, although he didn’t know how he was going to handle the ever-present fear of the danger she put herself in.
Not now, asshole.
Tonight was for reminding her how good their chemistry was. He’d deal with the rest later.
He allowed himself a long moment to study every inch of her body. He loved the way her skin flushed a gorgeous shade of pink after the intensity of an orgasm. The way her nipples, now glistening with his saliva, darkened and swelled. The way her delicious cunt clamped down on his fingers and that final bite on her clit sent her flying over the edge. He was going to send her there again, but this time he’d be right along with her. All the familiar things of her body were still etched in his brain as if someone had drawn them on glass.
She was Randi. Her body, her scent, her sound, everything about her were as familiar as her name yet just like every other time, new and fresh and exciting. The magic was still there.
Thank god!
He had deliberately left his jeans on before, knowing that if he didn’t restrain his dick n some fashion he might very likely come without even being inside her. That was how strongly she affected him. That was how good their chemistry was together.
He lifted her long enough to strip back the covers and place her on the bed carefully arranged for him. Reaching for his jeans he took out the condoms he’d hopefully laced there before he left his hotel room. Then, after tossing all but one of them onto the nightstand, he positioned himself between her legs. Before he could go any further, however, Randi lifted herself up and pushed him onto his back.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“What does it look like?”
Pressing on his shoulders she urged him to lay back. He saw the hunger in her eyes as her gaze swept over him. When it landed on his cock it felt as if she was actually touching him and he flexed in response.
“I see he’s still an eager beaver,” she teased.
“For you, Randi.” He deliberately made sure there was no teasing on his tone of voice. He had to get this message across to her. “Only for you.”
She stared at him for a very long time. The she reached her hand out and wrapped her fingers around his very swollen shaft. Squeezed. Squeezed again. He flexed in her hand, wishing he was inside her mouth or better yet, in the wet heat of her cunt. But her fingers were so gently, even as she grasped him firmly. He watched her through slitted eyes as she bent and closed her lips over the swollen head.
That was bad enough, the sizzling heat of her mouth scorching the sensitive flesh. But then she slipped one hand between his thighs to cup his balls and slid her mouth up and down his shaft. Once. Again. Again. It wasn’t just the act itself that was so incredible. It was the powerful connection between them that it symbolized. He’d never felt it with anyone else. And now, being here with her again, he knew he didn’t want to. There was —watch it, Cutler—something almost mystical about the two of them together. He didn’t want to lose it again.
He tucked her silky blonde hair back behind one ear so he had a clear view of what she was doing. He didn’t want to miss a moment of this. He still tasted her cream on his lips, still breathed in the familiar scent of her musk mixed with the lavender she always wore. He’d been inhaling the memory of that for six long, painful years, holding it close enough to kill any pleasure he might have had with any other woman.
Randi wrapped her tongue around the swollen head of his shaft and stroked her fingers up and down, squeezing his balls with the other and and all thought flew from his brain. He gave himself over to sensation, feeling her velvet soft lips, the silky wetness of her mouth, the pressure of her talented fingers. He wanted to lie here like this and let it go on forever, except he knew his staying power was seriously eroding.
He w anted to come in her mouth, feel those silky lips close around him, see her throat flex as she swallowed his come. But right here, right now, he wanted to be inside her more than anything. Six years was a very long time to go without something you badly wanted, even if you’d been the one stupid enough to throw it away. He dared to hope there would be more than this one time, because at this moment he craved the feel of her sweet, tight cunt around him more than anything else.
“Stop.” He almost didn’t recognize his own voice, as hoarse with need as it was.
Randi lifted her head and looked at him, startled.
“Am I doing something wrong? You always used to like the way I did this.”
“I loved the way you did this. And I want you to do it again.” He sat up abruptly and shifted her body until she was straddling. “Don’t move.”
“But—“
“Just wait. Please.”
He only hoped he could wait. Ripping open the condom wrapper, he rolled the latex sheath onto his throbbing, aching, engorged cock. Then, lifting Randi into position, he settled her straddling his thighs, her opening right over his cock. Using every bit of self-discipline he could dig up, he very slowly lowered her onto his shaft until he was fully seated inside her.
“Ohhhhh.” It was more a sigh than a word, drifting from her mouth on the soft breeze of her breath.
Noah held her in place with his fingers at her hips, staving off any movement for the moment. Randi leaned her head back, lifted her hair from her shoulders, and closed her eyes. He feasted on the slender column of her neck, the graceful line of her jaw, the lift of her breasts, the lush eyelashes resting demurely on her cheeks. She was an innocent and a hoyden all rolled into one. The sight was so erotic he had to grit his teeth to keep from coming without anything more than this.
God, he could just stare at her forever, the wild tumble of sun-streaked golden hair, the fullness of her breasts, the lushness of her body.
Admit it, asshole. You screwed up big time. Right here is the only woman you ever wanted or ever will.
Just then she clenched around him, testing the limits o
f his control. Okay. He couldn’t hold off any longer.
“Now,” he said through clenched teeth.
Hands still at her hips he began to urge her up and down. She caught the rhythm, slow at first, then faster and faster. Noah felt the clutch of her inner walls around him, squeezing him, and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. He found Randi’s clit and massaged it with his thumb exactly the way she liked it.
He kept his eyes focused on her as the ride grew hitter and harder and faster. Randi braced her hands on her thighs and pushed, again and again. He barely bung on until he felt the first tremors in her soft inner walls and then he let himself go.
It was cataclysmic, the only word he could think of afterwards. They shook like aspens in the wind, everything disappearing except their connection. It was hard to say where one of them left off and the other began. They simply throbbed as one, bodies shaking, hearts thundering, on a wild ride down the mountainside. He lost himself in her and in their shared orgasm, the experience so intense he wondered if he’d even survive.
Finally, when they tumbled down the mountainside, he pulled her down to him. Silently he urged her to rest her head on his chest, as shudders slowed to aftershocks and finally those aftershocks subsided. He could feel her heartbeat thudding against his chest, feel the warm breeze of her breath, and he thought that was just as erotic as anything they’d done tonight.
Noah had no idea how long they lay there like that, connected by more than the joining of their bodies. He brushed the damp stands of hair from her face and idly caressed her cheek, enjoying the satin feel of her skin. Finally he figured he’d better get up and take care of the condom before they did any damage to it. He eased Randi up and away from his body, settling her beside him before padding to the en suite bathroom.
He ditched the condom and used the facilities. As he stood at the sink washing his hands he caught sight of himself in the mirror. The hunger in his eyes still flared, but he knew it had to do with more than sex. He was hungry for the whole woman. He wanted another chance with her. That meant dealing with his own demons, as Jeff had so bluntly pointed out.
Right now he didn’t want to think about that. Right now he just wanted to climb back into bed with the warm, sexy woman who held his heart in he palm of her hand and hold her next to him all night long. Except, of course, when he woke her a time r two so they could make slow delicious love, savoring each moment and each other.
When he reached the bed he stood there, not sure what to do. Wow! Noah Cutler uncertain? Stop the presses.
Randi looked up at him standing there, the expression on her face unreadable. She was silent for so long he was ready to start picking up his clothes and getting out of there before he embarrassed himself by begging to stay. Finally she answered his unspoken question by pulling back the covers and patting the space next to her.
“It’s okay if you want to stay the night.” Her smile was half welcoming, half shy. “No need for you to go back to the hotel. But I warn you. I get up very early in the morning.”
“That’s okay. So do I.” He slid in beside her and pulled the covers over both of them. “But I give you fair warning. You may not get to sleep through the night.”
“Promises, promises.” She grinned. “If that’s the case we’d better fall asleep quickly. You’ll need your rest.”
He spooned her against him, wrapping one arm around her and cupping her breast in a palm. Tentatively he took the nipple between thumb and forefinger, waiting to see if she’d push his hand away, tell him he was bothering her. Instead she wriggled her ass tighter against him, waking up his dick that was begging for rest before Round Two.
As he drifted off to sleep, two things chased around in his mind. The first was if he could get Randi to give him another chance, more than just this one night together. The other was coming to terms with her chosen profession. She might not be on the line any more, but arson investigators still often found themselves in tough situations.
If you want her you’ll adjust. That’s what love is.
Yes, he loved her and yes her wanted her. He just had to get his head on straight.
Chapter 6
Noah pulled his car to the curb in front of the firehouse the next morning, put the gear into Park and turned toward Randi.
“I think your minder is waiting for you,” he joked, inclining his head toward the building.
Sure enough, Dan Kessler was waiting for her outside the firehouse, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. He stared at the car, his forehead creased in a scowl.
“I hope that look doesn’t mean he thinks revisiting the scenes is a dead end. We really need to do this.
“I think it’s more likely he doesn’t like your choice of companions.”
“That’s not his business,” she told him. “Anyway, we’re just work partners. Nothing more. He knows that.”
Noah shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Listen, Randi, do me a favor.”
“what?”
“Be very careful out there, will you, please? Just…be extra careful.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Is this another way you’re telling me my job is too dangerous? Because I thought we got past that.”
“I worry about you. Sue me. I just…Please be careful, okay?”
She scowled at him. “Is there something I should know here? And I missing something?”
“Only that I want you to be safe.”
Randi sat for a moment, trying to figure out what to say next before she got out of he car. I had a great night? Thanks for the terrific sex? Will you be in town long enough for a repeat performance? Their connection was still as hot and intense as ever but they hadn’t addressed any of the other questions. Noah might have told her he regretted the way he left thing and that he’d been a jerk, but so what? Had he changed how he felt or where he wanted to live?
He draped his arm across her shoulders and stroked the nape of her neck beneath the fall of her hair. There was that damn shiver again. While she was still trying to think of a good exit line, he pulled her to him and leaned over for a hot, deep kiss. A really deep kiss, that seemed to go on forever. They’d showered together when the got up and the memory of it still danced in her brain, especially when the scent of her soap n his skin reminded her of it. When he finally released her she was dizzy with desire.
“Better get to work,” he grinned. “Like I said, your minder is waiting for you.”
“Huh? What?” She blinked and tried to clear her brain.
“You have my cell number,” he reminded her. “I programmed it into your phone. Call me when you’re finished for the day. We’ll meet up.”
“Uh, okay. I will.”
“What? Did you think I was just going to say thanks for the great night? See you?” He sighed. “I’m really going to have to do something about your opinion of me.” He ran the pad of his thumb over her cheek. So call, right?”
She drew in a calming breath. “Just remember, it could be late.”
“I can keep myself busy. No worries.” Hand cupping her head, he pulled her in for one last deep kiss before letting her go.
Dan looked at her through narrowed eyes as she crossed the sidewalk. “That was some see-you-later clinch. I take it you had an overnight guest.”
Okay, she thought. Enough.
“I really think that’s my business, Dan. Good partners stay out of each other’s personal lives.”
He shrugged. “Have it your way. I just heard rumors about what happened when he left town.”
“Rumors?” She glared at him. “And where would you be hearing them?”
“We know a lot of the same people. They talk. Rumors fly.”
“Is that a fact. Well, you ought to know better than to pay attention to gossip.” She hitched the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder. Now. Let’s go inside and get down to business.”
The lab had texted her that new reports were waiting for them so she booted up her computer and opened the files. Dan pu
lled an empty chair over to sit next to her.
“That’s strange.” She frowned and nibbled on her lower lip.
“What?” Dan leaned forward, as if getting closer to the screen might give him answers.
“Tran, the lab tech working n these, says when he retested the latest samples he got totally different results. Look there.” She point to some text on the screen. “He said it almost looks as if samples from different scenes were mixed together.” She frowned. “How is that even possible? We were so careful with those samples.”
“Fuck.” Dan frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Fuck is right. It means either we weren’t careful enough when we took the most recent samples or someone in the lab sabotaged them.” She shook her head. “Our lab is very, very meticulous.”
“Yeah, but so are we,” Dan reminded her. “You are, even more than me. You’re meticulous. That’s what makes you such a good arson investigator.”
“Well, something’s screwed up here. I damn sure want to find out what it is before we get another one to investigate.” She glanced over at Dan. “I want to visit the sites again. Today.”
“More samples?” Dan asked. “What are you looking for now?”
“Some clue as to why the last samples I gave them were so hinky. Have you had any more luck and finding a connection between the four corporate owners?”
“No, damn it.” He rubbed his chin. “When I get back to my office today, though, I’m going to pull all the files and start at the very beginning. I want to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”
They drove to the four sites in Dan’s car and Randi did her thing while he watched. She was meticulous about using the portable sniffer, taking more photos so she could diagram the burn patterns and collecting yet more samples in the nylon bags she had with her. By the time they finished with all sites it was early afternoon and she realized she’d eaten nothing since the bagel she’d grabbed on the way out the door that morning.
“You’re driving,” she said as she climbed into the car after the final stop. “How about we drop these samples at the lab and I’ll spring for lunch. You’re choice.”
