by Kira Archer
She’d woken up with men before, but not often. And never with one she had feelings for. Because yes, she had feelings for Rick. Huge, complicated, unexpected feelings. And she didn’t know what the hell to do with them.
She moved a fraction of an inch toward the edge of the bed, but Rick’s arm snaked out and captured her around the waist. He hauled her back against him.
“You weren’t planning on leaving me here all alone, were you?” he asked, his voice still gruff from sleep.
“Noooo,” she said, glad her face was turned away from him so he couldn’t see her smile.
“Good.” He took a deep breath, nuzzling her neck and breathing her in like she was his oxygen.
She stretched back against him. Molded herself to him. She loved the feel of him wrapped around her. All strong arms and hard body and stiff…
“Well, good morning there,” she said over her shoulder.
Rick chuckled. “Sorry. Apparently I didn’t get enough last night.”
“I don’t know how that is remotely possible. If I can walk today it’ll be a miracle.”
“Honey, if you can walk today, I didn’t do my job.”
Gina laughed huskily and stretched up to wrap an arm around his neck. Before her lips could meet his, a loud growl echoed through the room, emanating from the vicinity of her stomach.
They both broke out in laughter.
“I guess I worked up a bit of an appetite,” she said, rolling over to give him a quick kiss.
“Maybe we should go find something to eat.” He nipped at her ear.
“Hmm, maybe.” But instead of climbing out of bed, she flung a leg over his hip, bringing a very warm and willing part of her body flush with his more-than-ready counterpart. “In a few minutes.”
Rick’s laugh of sheer masculine smugness got lost as their lips sealed together. He rolled her beneath him. One hand blindly reached out for the stash of condoms she’d dropped on the nightstand the night before. After a few seconds of fumbling he found one and broke away from her long enough to roll it on before he was back. He eased into her with an exquisite slowness that ignited every nerve ending she had. She threw her head back in a long, slow gasp as he began to move.
All thoughts of breakfast were gone as they moved together, totally in sync. After the night before, Gina thought they’d be able to draw it out forever. But within minutes she squirmed beneath him, trying to draw him in deeper, faster. She opened her eyes and gazed up at him as he plunged into her. He was the only person she’d ever been with she’d wanted a deep connection with. With the others, it had only been sex. Really good sex sometimes. But just sex.
But Rick…he was different. This wasn’t simply about their bodies finding pleasure. He rocked against her again, and she gasped. Unbelievable pleasure. She bit her lip and watched him watching her. Oh no. He wasn’t just rocking her world. He was unmaking it one sliver at a time and rebuilding it into something different. Something new. Something that wouldn’t work without him.
The realization of that terrified her. And thrilled her all at once. Because if they could make it work, if they could find a middle ground, then her life had been opened to possibilities she’d never dared dream of before.
The exquisite pressure building in her reached its peak and overflowed in wave after rippling wave of ecstasy. Rick was a few strokes behind her. He kept his gaze locked with hers as he came, thrusting into her as deeply as she could take him. She held on as the aftershocks rocked them, reaching up to cup his cheek and guide him down for a kiss.
His lips worshipped hers, moving slowly, exploring every angle, leaving her breathless and devastated. If there’d been any doubt in her mind, that kiss had erased it. She was his. Heart and soul. Forever.
She could only hope he wanted her, because there was no going back for her. Heaven help her if they couldn’t make it work.
He rolled them over so she snuggled against his chest and they lay together a moment, listening to the other breathe. She put her hand over his heart, smiling that it beat nearly in time with her own.
This time the stomach rumble came from Rick, and they burst out laughing again.
“Okay,” she said, “it’s breakfast time. Come on.”
She climbed out of the bed, pulling him with her. They took a few moments to clean up and then headed for the kitchen.
“What do you feel like?” she asked him, opening the fridge to take a look at what supplies she had.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. “You,” he growled into her ear.
She tilted her head to give him better access. “You’ve had me. If we don’t eat something you won’t have the strength to have me again.”
“Hmm, that would be a tragedy of epic proportions. Okay. Feed me.”
She laughed. “What do you want? Omelet? Oatmeal? Smoothie?”
“Pancakes?”
She grinned at him. “Totally what I’m in the mood for. Plain, blueberry, or chocolate chip?”
“With whipped cream?”
She pulled out a container of heavy cream. “I’ll whip some up, just for you.”
“Woman, you are perfection,” he said, hauling her to him and kissing her so soundly her head spun.
She laughingly pushed him away. “You keep that up, we’ll never eat.”
She grabbed a bowl and a few of the ingredients she’d need. She set Rick to beating the heavy cream into nice stiff peaks while she made up the pancake batter. They worked in comfortable silence for a moment, moving around the kitchen and each other like they did it every morning. It was so…domestic. It was a scenario that had never occurred to her that she’d want. But the morning was unexpectedly enjoyable. And from the happiness radiating off Rick, he seemed to feel the same.
They sat down at her small kitchen table to eat. Rick shoved a huge forkful of whipped cream–laden pancakes into his mouth and closed his eyes with a happy groan. “Oh my God, woman. Best pancakes ever.”
She smiled, ridiculously pleased he was enjoying her cooking. “Well, if it’s one thing I can do well, it’s sweet. The omelet might not have turned out so well.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m a pretty decent cook myself.”
“You are?”
“Oh yeah. Growing up with my parents it would be hard not to be.”
Gina laughed. “Good point.”
“So look, there’s this thing coming up for work that I need a date for.”
She froze. He wanted to take her to a work function? On the one hand, wow. Flattering. Thrilling really. But a work function for him meant a room full of police officers. Not her first choice of places to be.
“What kind of thing?” she asked, trying to keep her tone careful and even, not betray the turmoil going on inside. Though from the careful look Rick was giving her, she was pretty sure he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“I know it’s probably not your thing, but it’s the Policeman’s Ball.”
Gina blinked at him in surprise. “Wow. Isn’t that like a big deal?”
“Yeah.”
“And you want me to go with you? I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to ask me because of…last night. And this morning,” she couldn’t help adding.
Rick put his fork down and took her hands, placing a kiss on each one. “Last night, and this morning, were a huge deal for me. And I hope it was for you, too. I’m not going to walk out that door and never call you again. In fact, I’ll probably be calling you so much I’ll irritate the shit out of you.”
Relief flooded her. “Don’t worry. If you start to irritate me, I have no problem telling you to knock it the hell off.”
He chuckled and leaned forward to place a quick kiss on her lips. “I want to see you tonight. And tomorrow night. And the night after that. And I most certainly want you to accompany me to the ball.”
She squeezed the hand that still covered hers. She wanted to go with him. Well, she wasn’t thrilled about spending th
e night surrounded by cops. But it might be kind of fun to get all dressed up and spend the night dancing with the hottest man on the planet.
“I’d love to go with you. But…are you sure I’m the kind of girl you want to bring into a room full of cops?”
His forehead creased in a small frown. “I know it’s not your idea of the perfect night…”
She laughed a little. “No, it’s not that. Well, not only that. I mean…” She took a deep breath. She didn’t usually worry about what people might think of her. She was who she was, and if people didn’t like it she had no problem telling them what to do with themselves. But she wasn’t the only one to worry about for once.
She got up her nerve and spit it out. “I don’t want to embarrass you.”
Rick, bless his heart, looked genuinely surprised. “How would you embarrass me?”
“I’m probably not the type of…significant other the other cops have. I mean…” She ran a hand through her hair to show the galaxy-hued layers beneath the top layer of brunette hair. “And a formal gown won’t hide the tattoo on my shoulder.”
Rick tugged on her hands and pulled her onto his lap. He kissed the tribal phoenix that graced her shoulder. “The other wives and girlfriends will be beside themselves with envy because none of them could ever pull off hair like yours. And the men will all be jealous that I’m with the most beautiful woman in the room. I would be proud and honored to accompany you to the ball. Say yes.”
Gina leaned forward and took his face in her hands. “Yes,” she whispered. After that little speech, she leaned forward and kissed him like he deserved to be kissed.
She loved the way she looked and didn’t give a damn about what anyone else might think of her. But she had to admit, she’d be a bit anxious walking into a room of the kind of people she’d spent most of her life trying to avoid. Then again, she was currently sitting on the lap of one of those people, making out for all she was worth.
Life could throw some sick, twisted curveballs, that was for sure. She prayed this one wouldn’t blow up in her face.
She’d need to grab Nat and go dress shopping. Because she had absolutely nothing in her closet that was black-tie fancy and wouldn’t clash with her hair. But first things first…
She grabbed a fistful of Rick’s hair and dragged him closer with a little moan. He took the not-so-subtle hint and picked her up to carry her back to the bedroom. Cleanup would have to wait. They had more important matters to attend to.
Chapter Fifteen
Rick took Gina’s hand and threaded his fingers through hers. She glanced at him with surprise but didn’t pull away. Instead, she gripped him tighter and gave their hands a little swing. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d walked down the street holding hands with a woman. High school, maybe. If even then. But with Gina, it felt like such a natural thing to do. It didn’t matter that she walked right next to him. He still wanted to be touching her, too.
“So, did you have a particular destination in mind, or are we going to wander aimlessly?” she asked.
“I thought we could do with a little fresh air. It’s good for the lungs. Improves the stamina.”
She laughed, that sexy throaty sound that hit him low and deep in all the right places.
“I’m no expert, but I thought our stamina was pretty good. Are you saying there’s room for improvement?”
He stopped and pulled her to him. “I don’t think you can improve upon something that’s already spectacular. But we do need to keep our strength up.”
“Hmm, how long do you plan on keeping me handcuffed to your bed, Officer? Don’t you have a job to get to?”
“I’ve got some vacation days coming up. Thinking very seriously of using them all. Or hell, maybe I’ll retire and then we don’t ever have to get out of bed.” What really scared him was, he almost meant it.
Before she could say anything else, he cupped her face and drew her to him for a long, deep kiss that had him rethinking the whole fresh air thing.
Someone whistled and they broke apart with a laugh.
“Sorry for the PDA,” he said.
“I like PDA. Let them all be jealous.”
She pulled him in for another kiss, and this time when they pulled back it was with a groan. If she kept that up he’d have her up against a wall in an alley.
“You know, on second thought,” he said, “fresh air is totally overrated. Let’s head back.” He took her hand like he was going to tow her back to her apartment, not sure himself if he was joking or serious. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her.
She laughed and tugged on his hand. “Come on. Let’s go get a smoothie or something.”
His eyebrow rose. “A smoothie?”
“Well, I’d have suggested a drink, but it’s barely four o’clock so I know that won’t fly with you.”
“Oh? And how do you know that?”
“Seriously? You haven’t set one foot out of place since I met you. No way you’d sit in a bar drinking before the sun went down.”
He frowned slightly, bothered that she thought he was so straitlaced. Not that that was bad. But still…
“I can be spontaneous and have a good time. I’m not always a rigid hard-ass.”
“Hey. I have no complaints at all about your hard ass.” Her hands drifted down to demonstrate her fondness for that part of his anatomy. “And your rigid bits are fucking amazing, too.” One hand started creeping around the front and he laughed and moved out of the line of fire.
“Glad you approve,” he said, entwining their fingers again.
They walked up the street a little ways and then he spotted something that would be perfect to prove his point.
“Come on, let’s do something fun.”
“Like what?” she asked.
He nodded across the street at the tattoo shop, and her eyes grew so wide he thought they’d pop out of her head.
“The tattoo parlor? Seriously?”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “I can’t see you doing it, that’s all. Not that you wouldn’t look amazing with some body art.” She ran her hands over his chest and down his arms, biting her lip with a little shiver. He rested his hands on her hips and pulled her into him.
He’d suggested it half jokingly, but the more he thought about the idea, the more he liked it. He’d always wanted a tattoo. Just had never gotten around to getting one. And yes, one of those reasons might have been his mother’s certain disapproval. But something about being around Gina made him want to go a little crazy, live a little. And there was no time like the present.
“Well, then,” he said. “How about I let you pick the part that gets tattooed.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he said, dipping down for a quick kiss. “Only one part is off-limits. I plan on using it again in the very near future, and a healing tattoo would put it out of commission for a while.”
“Oh, no worries there. I’ll protect that particular appendage with my life.”
He chuckled and released her. “Good to know. Shall we?”
She watched him for a second and then shook her head. “I still don’t think you’ll do it.”
Which made him want to do it even more. Peer pressure at its finest. “Lead the way.”
“If you insist…”
She took his hand and headed toward the street. He yanked her back right before she stepped off the curb.
“What are you doing?”
She frowned at him, obviously confused. “Um, crossing the street.”
He sighed, exasperated amusement filling him. It probably didn’t even occur to her she was doing anything wrong. “Let’s cross up there,” he said, pointing to the corner.
“But the shop is right there,” she said, pointing to the small building directly across from them. “And the street is clear.”
“Yes, but the crosswalk is up there. And that way I don’t have to give you a ticket for jaywalking.”
Her mouth drop
ped open a little. “Please tell me you aren’t serious. You’ve never actually given someone a ticket for jaywalking, have you?”
He laughed. “Even I’m not that anal. I warn people when I catch them doing it. The crosswalk is there for a reason.”
She shook her head and pulled him toward the corner so they could cross legally.
Within twenty minutes he’d chosen something completely perfect. Something that would remind him of Gina forever. It wasn’t her name or anything completely insane. But still…he’d think of her every time he saw it. Permanently marking his body with something that would forever remind him of this woman was beyond reckless. And yet…he’d never forget her, anyway. She’d made her mark on him, on his heart, on his soul, whether he liked it or not. And the idea of having something on his body that bore her mark appealed to him on a level he’d never experienced before.
Gina stood at the other end of the shop getting something called a daith piercing. He’d never heard what it was called before, though of course he’d seen people with piercings in that fold of cartilage that curves into your ear. And like everything else about her, it seriously worked. The delicate piercing was actually a lot sexier on her than he’d have imagined.
Rick gritted his teeth against the initial sting of the tattoo gun, but after a moment had grown accustomed enough to it that he could ignore it. And just watch Gina. God, he could watch her all day and never tire of it.
Watch how often her lips turned up in a mischievous little smirk at whatever thought was passing through her head. Watch the way her body moved, strength and vitality visible with every motion. Watch the way the sun lit up all the colors in her hair. Watch the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled at him. At the way everyone in the room turned to look at her. And how she looked only at him.
His chest burned with sheer male pride. And another emotion he wasn’t quite ready to name yet. Though the fact that he was inking his body with her in mind pretty much said it for him.
