by Brandy Ayers
He climbed to his feet, made short work of opening the package, and rolled the condom onto his achingly stiff cock.
Still recovering from the first of many highs he planned to take her to, she looked at him with a smirk on her face. “I always knew you had a smart mouth, but damn, I didn’t realize it had talent too.”
“That’s nothing, darling. Normally I would lap at you until you begged me to stop. But if I don’t get inside you right now, I think I might go insane.” He traced her opening with his cock, trying to fight the urge to plunge in, taking her fast and hard.
“We wouldn’t want that.” She propped herself on her hands, gazing at his dick perched at her entrance, a look of fascination falling over her face.
The memory of her expression as he sank himself deep into her would be burned into his brain for all of time. The moment his thick head breached her tight opening, she dropped her head back between her shoulders, moaning. He stilled, savored the feeling.
“Don’t stop.” Her eyes returned to their joined bodies. Inch by inch, he drove into her, taking in the pleasure she felt written all over her face.
He’d never been so in sync with a woman during sex. Almost as if their pleasure was shared instead of given. Gathering her into his arms, he found her mouth with his. She wrapped her legs around him and pushed her heels into his ass with every thrust, urging him to go faster, harder. Following her lead, he pummeled into her, the slap of their bodies as they met reverberating throughout the room.
Moans turned into screams. Sophie clung to his body as he gripped her hips and bounced her up and down along his cock. Guttural sounds he never knew he was capable of clawed their way from his throat. Every muscle in her core clamped down around his cock, and at the same time she bit his shoulder, releasing her ecstasy around him. With a final thrust, he let go.
Gently, he laid her limp body back onto the table and rested his head on her chest.
“Holy shit, that was amazing.” Her voice was hoarse from the screaming, and he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. He did that to her.
“No joke.” The soft stroke of her fingers through his hair lulled him into a post-sex stupor.
“Can we do it again?”
***
Six hours later, they finally made it to her bed, after christening every surface of her house on the way.
Sophie collapsed on top of him. They were both panting and covered in sweat.
“No laughing tomorrow at work when I can’t walk right.” She nuzzled her face into the crook of his shoulder. “But maybe you can find some time to kiss it and make it better.” Her giggles shook the bed.
Fuck.
Reality made an unwelcome appearance. This was Sophie. Sad, vulnerable Sophie. They worked together. Her uncle was his boss.
Panic swelled in his chest as the full weight of the situation bore down on him. She had no clue. No idea that he was not boyfriend material. One night stands were all he did.
As calmly as he could, he rolled her onto her back, freeing himself.
“Yeah, shit. Work.” He swung his feet onto the floor and sat up on the edge of the bed. “I gotta get home. Shower, get my uniform.”
“Okay, you want to have lunch? We haven’t hit up that new Mexican place yet.” The note of unease in her voice made him cringe.
Shit, he was an asshole.
“Depends on what’s going on. Let’s just wait and see.” Unable to look at her, he stood to throw the condom into the trash can next to the bed. “I gotta find my clothes and get going. You get some sleep.”
“I’ll drive you; your car’s still at the bar.”
“Nah, I’ll call a cab. Stay in bed.” He tried to tell himself this was for the best. Being with him would cause her nothing but heartache. It was better this way. Rip off the Band-Aid. It would hurt her today, but at least it would be over fast. “See ya.”
Padding across the room, he tried to resist the urge to look back at her. Once he reached the door, he gave in, turning for one last glance. She sat knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. There was no mistaking the sadness on her face, and it tore him up inside. But this was the way it had to be. He had made a promise to himself. One that no woman would make him break. No matter how amazing that woman might be.
“Thanks, Soph.” The way her face collapsed right before he turned away from her would be etched in his mind forever, right alongside her face as he’d entered her for the first time.
With every step he took away from her, he built a wall up around his feelings.
It was for the best.
Chapter Two
Two years later
Sophie
Deep, raucous laughter filled the lobby of the police station, sending spikes of pain straight into Sophie’s brain. Two men in fitted, navy blue police uniforms strode toward her.
“How’s my girl this afternoon?” Sergeant Luke McCracken stopped to lean against the partition separating her desk from the lobby. Laughing, Officer Wright slapped him on the back and continued past them to the inner office.
The cocky grin on McCracken’s face made her want to slap him. Hard.
“Perky and pleasant, I’m sure.” He tapped the bulletproof glass surrounding her work station, as if she were a fish he tried to lure closer.
“Fuck you, McCracken.” A glare capable of melting steel shot from her eyes. “And stop smudging my glass, or I’ll snap off those stubby fingers.”
Head thrown back, he howled in amusement. “Someone woke up cheery. Still not getting laid, sweetie?” His chocolate brown eyes sparked with mischief. “I told you I’d help you with that little problem anytime.” He leaned in close to the glass, blowing a hot stream of breath that fogged the surface. One finger traced a lopsided heart directly in her line of view.
The shrill ringing of the phone set her teeth on edge. The damn thing never stopped. She flipped him the bird as she answered the call.
“Middleburg Police, this is Sophie, how can I help you?” A reporter chattered rapid-fire in her ear, asking about the connection between the increase in armed robberies and heroin overdoses. Sophie pinched the bridge of her nose. It didn’t help to relieve the tension building behind her eyes.
“Ma’am if you will just hold on for one moment, I’ll see if someone is available to speak with you.” She punched the hold button harder than necessary. As the office manager for the station, the job of gatekeeper between the public and law enforcement fell on her. Under normal circumstances, she’d send the reporter a generic statement regarding the case, but the opportunity to mess with McCracken tempted too much. “You feel like talking to a reporter about the increase in crime and overdoses?”
He rubbed his ever-present five o’clock shadow. “Depends. Who’s the reporter? If it’s that leggy blonde thing from Channel Nine, I’ll consider it.”
She tried hard to ignore the jealousy that spiked through her. “I swear to God, the day they made you the media liaison was the third worst day of my life.” She took the call off hold, maintaining her hard stare with Luke. “Sergeant McCracken would be happy to do an interview with you. How about I just have him swing by your newsroom about four this afternoon?”
The amusement left his eyes, replaced by a pissed off scowl.
“Fantastic, he’ll see you then.”
He waited until she returned the receiver to the phone cradle before lighting into her. “What the fuck, Gallo? You couldn’t at least have her meet me here?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Is that not convenient for you?” The false innocence in her voice fooled no one. “By the way, it’s with Barbara. You know, the married veteran reporter who doesn’t pull any punches. Have fun.” Waving her fingers at him, she gave him her biggest doe eyes.
“Batting those baby blues at me will get you nowhere, woman. I’ll get you back for this.” With a shake of his head, he pushed away from the desk. “Always a pleasure, Sophie. Don’t go changing that charming personality.”
> Several words came to mind when she thought of McCracken, most starting with the letter A. Asshole. Arrogant. Annoying. Infuriatingly attractive. Amazing ass. Which she tried hard not to stare at as he stalked back into the office, and failed.
Sophie wrapped her anger around her like a blanket during a storm. As long as she clung to the anger, it helped suppress the sadness, loneliness, and desire that threatened to take over each time she saw Luke. She hated the effect the mere sight of him had on her. Panties dry only moments ago were now soaked.
Switching the phone lines to go to the county dispatch center, Sophie stood to stretch her limbs after hours spent in the same position at her desk. She rubbed her computer-screen-fatigued eyes.
Caffeine. That’s what she needed.
She spent most of the day cramped in what she laughingly called her office. It was a five-by-five box surrounded by plexiglass on three sides. A row of security monitors sat to one side of the room, filing cabinets on the other side. Squeezed at the front of the small space were her desk and computer.
She looked forward to the few times she could escape her little fishbowl in favor of the open floor plan of the rest of the station.
Weaving her way through the officers’ desks, the sight of Wright, feet propped up, and a smart-ass grin plastered on his face, made her slow her pace. “Hey Soph, you leave McCracken’s balls intact?”
Several fellow policemen surrounding them chuckled.
“Watch it, Wright, or I’ll tell your wife you’ve been getting take-out barbecue every day this week. Pretty sure she won’t be too happy you’ve been throwing out the salads she’s packing for you.” Even in her crappy mood, she couldn’t help the affectionate smile she gave the short man. “How’s she feeling, anyway?”
“Better, now that the morning sickness is gone. Have I shown you the latest ultrasound pictures?” At the shake of her head, he pulled out four small squares filled with images of their tiny baby.
“That’s so amazing! Tell her I’ll call her later this week so we can grab lunch.” She gave his shoulder a squeeze as she left him gazing at the pictures of his future son or daughter.
The break room was blissfully quiet. She filled her cup to the brim with coffee and took a sip of the strong brew, moaning in gratitude to the caffeine gods.
“Calm down, woman. I know I make you moan just by walking in the room, but try to contain your excitement.” McCracken crossed to the coffee pot to fill up his own mug. The writing on the damn thing said Stud Muffin.
“You wouldn’t know how to make a woman moan if she gave you step-by-step instructions.” Unmistakable venom dripped from her voice. She never could hold back her disdain for the man, despite what the sight of his body might do to her panties.
He placed his mug on the counter and sauntered over to where she leaned against the fridge. The tension in her shoulders grew the closer he came, until she was nothing but a tight ball of aggravation.
“As I recall, I made you moan for several hours with my only directions being ‘God yes, right there,’ and ‘harder, harder.’ ” A violent blush swept across her cheeks at his imitation of her voice in the throes of passion.
Her body shook with the effort of containing the intense desire she felt for him. No way would she let this walking dick know how much he affected her. “Aww, it’s kinda sweet. After all these years of disappointing women, you still can’t recognize the sound of a fake orgasm when you hear one. I was just trying to save your delicate ego.”
A primal growl ripped through his mouth. He gripped the edges of the silver refrigerator on either side of her head, trapping her between his arms.
“We both know there was nothing fake about your screams that night.” He pressed his body against hers, and every hard muscle from his chest to his knees melded against her soft curves.
Anger spiraled through her. “We agreed to never talk about that night. It was two years ago. Get over it.” She spat the words at him, trying to keep her voice low so no one would overhear them. Their coworkers were unaware of her and Luke’s brief indiscretion when she first got the job at the station. She had been an idiot, thinking he would stick around long enough for the condom to hit the bottom of the trash can.
“Nothing to get over, sweetheart. I just like seeing you squirm.” He ran the tip of his nose down her hairline until he buried it behind her ear, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. “Have I told you yet I like the new hair?” The whisper of his breath made her skin stand at attention. “Suits you more than that bleached crap you were trying to pull off.”
A ribbon of her dark brown hair fell over her face, and he brushed it back with one finger. No one else had commented on the switch back to her natural color.
“Don’t you have a job to do? Or do you want to stand here all day talking hair?” Narrowed eyes shot her patented bitch glare at him. It had very little effect.
“You’re right, there’s a reporter across town waiting for me.” He pushed away from her, a cold stream of air filling the space where his warm flesh had just been.
Sophie breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned at the door. “You going to the Chief’s birthday drinks tonight?”
Her responding nod was hesitant. Giving Luke McCracken information was never a good idea. Just ask the dozens of guys he had put behind bars.
“Good. Maybe I can buy you a shot of tequila tonight.”
Bastard.
Tequila was the reason she was in this mess with him.
Chapter Three
Luke
Luke couldn’t help but chuckle, as he stalked away from the break room. The temptation to tease Sophie was just too much to resist. Like a damn punk pulling the pretty girl’s pigtails on the playground. That was him.
Seeing her every day was the sweetest kind of torture he’d ever endured. But he got used to it, like having a dull pain constantly in the back of his chest for months on end. Pissing her off every day had become an addiction. The fire and passion crackling in those eyes as he needled her made him feel more alive than he had since the morning he’d left her alone in bed.
Driving into work the day after their roll in the sack, he’d sworn up and down to leave her alone. The whole situation was a big enough mess; from that moment on he would be nothing but professional.
That didn’t last long.
The hope that she’d act cool the next day and pretend like it hadn’t happened vanished when he walked into the station that morning to scathing anger rolling off her in waves. It didn’t take long until he was cornered and read the riot act. The anger made her eyes sparkle and her body shake. Her skin flushed the exact same shade of pink as when he brought her to orgasm. Even her finger poking into his chest couldn’t dampen his need for her; he’d almost taken her again right there against the copy machine. But he held back. Because that was the way it had to be.
Since that day, he found himself teasing her, just to see that spark again. Without fail, she rose to the occasion every time, giving him exactly what he was looking for. Getting told off by her had become the best damn part of his day.
The tension crept up his shoulders as he crossed the threshold into his office. Stacks of files neared their tipping point on almost every surface. The desire for an upgrade to their antiquated computer system surged through him once again. Too many fucking papers in this place. But try as he might to convince the chief it was necessary, he knew the city council would never approve it. Hell, they denied their request, year after year, for the money to hire a detective, despite the increase in serious crimes.
The stats for the first quarter this year had him worried already. Burglaries up fifteen percent, robberies involving assault eleven percent, and they already had twice as many drug overdoses in three months compared to all of last year.
It’s no wonder the media had gotten wind of it. Normally the news stations stuck close to Pittsburgh, but their little suburb wasn’t so far that they didn’t occasionally make it on the radar.<
br />
A sharp knock on his open door jolted him from his thoughts.
“Hey Sarge, I got the report for the incident last night. Wanna walk through it?” Officer Reilly stood in the doorway, another fucking folder in his hand.
Luke rubbed his hand over his buzzed hair, trying not to take out his aggravation on the good cop before him. “Yeah, Reilly, come on in and sit down.”
Reilly looked like a kid to him; that had to be a sign he was getting old. In reality, he was only five years older than Reilly.
One of their newest recruits, Reilly probably could’ve gone to a larger precinct in the city. But in his interview, he’d said that in the city he’d be writing tickets and directing traffic around crime scenes for the first five years of his career. At Middleburg, a smaller station with no dedicated detectives, he’d actually be able to do some investigating and get his hands dirty.
Kid wasn’t wrong.
He sat ramrod straight in the chair, all business. After another year, he’d start to loosen up around his commanding officers, but it took a while for the new guys to realize they were all in the same boat together.
“What’re we looking at?” Reaching across the desk, Luke took the thin file and leaned back in his chair, flipping through the various reports.
“Sir, this was the worst one yet.”
Glancing up, Luke saw the look of determination in the young cop’s eyes. Nodding, he encouraged him to go on.
“Shortly after midnight last night, Robert James was awoken by the sound of glass smashing in his home. He went downstairs to investigate. He described the intruder as a tall man, long dirty hair, pale. He wore plastic gloves, similar to dish cleaning gloves, but made no attempt to cover his face.” The man took in a deep breath before going on. “Upon confronting the intruder, Mr. James was attacked. The assailant beat the homeowner unconscious with a rolling pin he’d found sitting on the kitchen counter. James sustained multiple broken ribs and fingers, facial lacerations, and a concussion. After the beating, the suspect then continued to toss the house. We have a partial list of missing items from the victim’s daughter. Mostly jewelry, cash, and prescription medications. Same as the other houses.”
