by Virna DePaul
He knew it was ridiculous. As many times as they’d had sex in the past few hours, his dick should have been a wrinkled, cowering piece of flesh, ready for a year-long sleep. Instead, it was pounding its chest and giving a Tarzan yell, raring to go another round.
And Sarah appeared more than ready to do the same.
She was his perfect match. Strong of heart, pure in integrity, and kinkier than a box of springs.
Only she hadn’t returned his declarations of love.
He knew she loved him. But he still wanted to hear her say it. Mostly because that would mean she’d finally accepted that he wanted her. All of her—her past, her present, and her future, forever and always.
He didn’t want to coax it out of her, however. Not something that important.
He wanted her to give it to him all on her own.
Freely. Openly.
Lovingly.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A few hours later, Luke’s cell phone rang. When he looked at the screen, he cursed.
Sarah’s stomach churned. “What is it?” she called over her shoulder from the kitchen counter, where she’d been preparing to make them pancakes and hot chocolate.
“It’s Noah.”
“Oh. Well, maybe he just misses me,” she joked, trying to hide her anxiety. “I am pretty intoxicating, you know. You only have yourself to blame if …”
But for once, Luke ignored her. His expression was grim as he spoke to Noah. “Okay. Good. You know what to do. Yeah, we’re going to nail the bastard to the wall.”
The spoon she was holding slipped from her grasp and clattered onto the kitchen counter. Fear slithered through her, as slick and insidious as a serpent. “Luke …” she whispered.
He ended the call. “Richard’s here. He just parked his car down the street.”
Confusion mixed with fear. “But how—”
“Noah’s been posted outside with a couple of his men. He never left. We knew chances were good Richard would make his move today.”
She watched him as he went into the bedroom. When he came out, he tossed her some clothes. “You were expecting Richard to show up? Why didn’t you tell me?”
He frowned at the way she fumbled with her button-down shirt. Brushing her hands away, he did the buttons up himself, then helped her get into her jeans. He gave her a swift kiss. “It was just a hunch, not like I extended an invitation. I figured with us getting out of the house yesterday, he might hear about it. Besides, I wasn’t taking any chances. I knew we were going to be … distracted … and I wanted to make sure you were protected.”
“And Noah didn’t mind sitting out in the cold while we screwed inside?”
The edge to her voice was nasty, but she couldn’t help it. Just how many cops knew that Sure-Thing-Sarah had been blowing Luke when her ex arrived to … kidnap her? Hurt her? Make sure she never saw Luke again?
“Stop it,” he snapped. “I swear if you refer to yourself like that one more time, you won’t like what I do. I mean it, Sarah. You will not talk about the woman I love that way.”
Her eyes rounded in shock. She hadn’t realized she’d spoken her thoughts out loud. Her face flushed at the careless way she kept revealing her insecurities to him. She turned away. He gripped her arms firmly but gently, making her face him. “All they were told was to keep an eye out for that scumbag. That’s all, Sarah. I swear.”
Of course she believed him. Luke had never lied to her. She sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry. Old habits, I guess. What now?”
“Now I want you to lock yourself in the bathroom and stay there. Bring your cell phone with you so I can call you to let you know when it’s over.”
“No! I’m not hiding from him anymore. I’m not hiding from anything anymore, certainly not while you place yourself in danger for me.”
“I’m good at my job—”
“I don’t care!”
“Sarah—”
“No. I … I love you, Luke. I love you! I can’t lose you now.”
Obviously stunned, he stared at her, then pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tight and released a shaky laugh. “Good. I’m glad to hear that. So damn glad. But right now, I want you safe. I’m a cop, honey, plus I’ve got a vested interest in this. I’ll be fine. I’ve got major backup that Richard isn’t aware of. I need to know you’re safe while I bring down the bastard. Let me take care of this, Sarah. Listen to me. Please.”
“But—”
He shook her, his expression hardening. “Now, Sarah. Get in the bathroom.”
She glared at him, but she couldn’t keep arguing when Richard was outside. Noah and his men were expecting Luke’s help. She had to let him do his job, even if she couldn’t stand the possibility of losing him. She grabbed her cell phone and shook it at him. “Fine, I’ll go. But you’d better not get hurt. I mean it. And don’t think this means you can order me around all the time. This is an exception.”
When she turned toward the bathroom, he patted her ass. “When Richard’s taken care of, you can order me around all you want. And I promise to do exactly what you say, Monday through Sunday. So long as we’re in bed.”
As soon as Sarah locked herself in the bathroom, Luke retrieved the duffel bag from her front closet, which Noah had stashed there earlier—it contained a radio, a bulletproof vest, a flashlight, and a standard issue revolver. Of course, Luke bypassed the revolver for his own Glock. He strapped up, then activated his earpiece. “Sarah’s secure but I still want an officer on the house at all times. What’s the bastard doing, Noah?”
“He’s sitting in his car. His head’s back and his eyes are closed. From the way he was driving, he’s probably shit-faced and passed out.”
“Or he just wants us to think that.” And maybe when the opportunity was right, he’d open fire on the first person who tried approaching him. “From what Sarah told you, the guy’s not all there. We’ll do this right. No taking chances. I don’t want some overzealous union attorney claiming entrapment and I don’t want anyone getting hurt if we can avoid it. That includes Walters. He’s a bastard, but Sarah’s had enough to deal with.”
“I hear you,” Noah confirmed. “Come out. We’ll cover you.”
Taking Noah at his word, Luke stepped outside and moved toward Richard’s car, a pretentious Ford pickup, parked two blocks down the street. Luke kept his gun within easy reach. When he was about ten feet behind the pickup, he turned on the flashlight, and shined it on the driver’s side. “It’s Detective Luke Anderson, Richard. IA Detective Noah James and his men are nearby, just in case. Sarah told me what’s been going on. I’d like to talk to you.”
Luke practically choked on the civilized request, but he knew, as did Richard, that he had no legal authority to detain or arrest the man. Hell, he couldn’t even compel Richard to talk to him, but that didn’t mean the prick couldn’t do it voluntarily. The question was, would he?
The driver’s-side door opened and Luke tensed, ready to draw his weapon at any sign of aggressive movement. He needn’t have bothered.
Richard stumbled out, eyes glassy and red, reeking of alcohol and slurring his words. “Stupid bitch … Told her not to … to … talk to no one.” He glared at Luke. “Mother fucker … it wuj always you see—she wanted …”
Luke couldn’t rip Richard’s head off for calling Sarah a bitch—not if he wanted to do things by the book—but man, he really wanted to. Thankfully, however, they did have cause to arrest Richard—he’d obviously been driving drunk.
“Come and get him, Noah,” Luke gritted out.
But when Noah’s men came toward him, Richard screamed obscenities, not aware or just not caring that his own spit peppered his chin. Weaving, he punched and kicked, missing his targets by miles. They got him in a patrol car in under three minutes.
Luke called Sarah and told her Richard was in custody. “It’s over, baby,” he told her. “You’re safe.”
She sobbed, her relief apparent. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Come back.”<
br />
“I’ll be there as soon as the men finish searching his truck.”
As Luke watched, the officers inventoried the items they found: lock-picking tools, Richard’s service revolver, and a hunting knife.
It was the knife that compelled Luke to divert from his by-the-book intentions. While Noah and his men occupied themselves with other tasks, Luke strolled to the patrol car, opened the door, dragged Richard out, and slammed him against the side. Leaning down so the man got a good look at his face, Luke told him in graphic detail what he’d do if Richard ever thought about Sarah again, let alone came within fifty feet of her.
He meant every damn word.
He’d do anything to protect the woman he loved.
Richard knew it, too, which was why he pissed his pants as Luke shoved him back inside the patrol car.
By the time Noah and his men took Richard away, thirty minutes had passed since Luke had called Sarah. He rushed back to her place. She was waiting for him with the door open. As soon as she saw him, she threw her arms around him. “Thank God. Thank God you came back to me.”
He pulled back to gaze into her eyes. “I’ll always come back to you, Sarah. Don’t you know that by now? You’re my sure thing. Not in the way it was originally meant but because I’m sure … and I want you to be sure … that I will love you forever.”
She smiled. Kissed him tenderly. Then said, “I do believe it. Because you’re my sure thing, too. Always.”
Several days later, Luke used his key to Sarah’s apartment to let himself in. She’d texted him that she had a surprise waiting. Something she wanted to give him before he had to leave town for a few days. They hadn’t decided where they were going to live yet, in Palm Springs or up north, but he figured they had all the time in the world to decide.
“Sarah?” he called, frowning when she didn’t answer him. For a second, fear swept over him. Even though she was safe now, even though Richard was no longer a threat, he sometimes imagined how things might have gone if he hadn’t come back into her life. Thank God he’d had the good sense to track her down because he couldn’t imagine his life without her now.
“Sarah? Where are you, baby?” He opened the bedroom door and nearly came in his jeans at what he saw.
Sarah was reclining on the bed, propped up by pillows so she could look directly at him, but she didn’t stop moving the massive blue dildo she had shoved between her thighs and up into her. She shuddered as she circled the head of the toy against her clit.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Thinking of you. Of all the wonderful years we have to look forward to now. I—I wanted to give you something special. Tell you that—that this is the only way I was able to survive without you. I call it my ‘little Luke substitute.’ ”
Mesmerized, he moved forward while shedding his clothes so fast he was surprised they remained intact. “Jesus, Sarah, there’s nothing little about that thing. It’s huge.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, you’re pretty big yourself, mister.”
“Give that thing to me.”
“Why?” she pouted. She closed her eyes and flung back her head as she buried the toy fully inside her again. “Oh God, Luke, wait … I’m going to come.”
“Oh no, you don’t.” He rushed toward her and lightly gripped the wrist that held the toy. Slowly, he dragged the device out of her clenching pussy, smiling when he buried it inside her again and she moaned in surprise.
He worked the toy shallowly inside her, too shallowly for her to achieve release. Eventually, she began to fight. He forced her to take what he gave her for several minutes before withdrawing the toy completely. He licked it like a Popsicle, then threw it behind him. Folding her knees against her chest, he gripped his cock and positioned it at her entrance. “Don’t you want me to answer your question?” he breathed as he tortured both of them, barely rubbing himself against her tiny opening.
“What?” she muttered, clearly having lost track of their conversation.
She hissed in a breath when he moved to the side and penetrated her with a long, callused finger. Then two. “You asked why I wanted you to stop,” he clarified. When he added a third, her hips jerked, and she frantically tried to bump and grind her way to release. With a chuckle, he withdrew his fingers and pushed his cock into her core.
“Never, ever, send a toy to do a man’s job,” he gasped before burying himself inside her to the hilt.
She was still laughing when he pounded her over the edge, throwing her into an orgasm that had her muscles clenching and her arms embracing him and her mouth kissing him to his own release.
“I’m so happy,” she said eons later.
“Me, too, baby. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you’re even happier.”
“I just don’t see how that’s possible.”
He stirred inside her. “Them’s fighting words.”
With a purr, she wiggled under him. “Oh yeah? Well, how about these words? A few days ago, you promised it was my turn to order you around. You did say you’d do whatever I wanted, right?”
“Anything and everything, baby. For the rest of our lives. Starting now.”
COPPING ATTITUDE
As a former centerfold, Jenna Mills is a pro at deflecting male attention, and with good reason. A painful past has made her mistrustful of all men—and hell-bent on getting revenge on one in particular. But first she needs help overcoming her fear of physical intimacy. And honorable cop Noah James might just be the perfect place to start. Noah’s used to making a woman feel safe, in bed and out. But when Jenna makes him an indecent proposal, Noah’s willing to give her everything she’s asking for … and more.
CHAPTER ONE
When Internal Affairs Detective Noah James spotted Vice Detective Kate Spenser across the bar, his pulse instantly picked up and his dick shot to painful attention. Not because of the pretty redhead, but because lately, wherever Kate was, her former college roommate, Jenna Mills, was sure to follow. Since blowing into town over three weeks ago, she’d been everywhere—stopping by the station, meeting Kate at her local hangouts, even using the gym down the street that Noah belonged to. Sure enough, when Noah shifted his gaze to the right …
He nearly groaned as he spotted her. Jesus, she was gorgeous. A literal wet dream, straight off the pages of a men’s magazine. Pale blond hair, big blue eyes, and high cheekbones reminiscent of Grace Kelly: each was a stunning compliment to her lush hourglass figure. She’d gained weight since she’d modeled for Playboy magazine—hell, that had been over ten years ago and she’d only been twenty then—and he found her to be even more beautiful now. Soft and curvy, just the way a woman should be. Just the way he liked.
He couldn’t help but imagine how her pale skin and hair would look against his dark exterior, a proud announcement of his Hispanic heritage. They’d compliment each other perfectly. Soft and hard. Light and dark. His straight-and-honed compared to her curved-and-lush.
Maldito.
His mouth twisted ruefully. It was a damn shame she wasn’t interested. Twice already, she’d blown off his attempts to get to know her, but Noah didn’t take the rejection personally. Half the police department had hit on her, always with the same result. And although he’d been turned down a time or two before, he’d always moved on good-naturedly, never giving the woman another thought. There were, after all, so many women to enjoy, and variety was the spice of life.
Still, even though he hadn’t taken her rejections personally, he hadn’t been able to put Jenna Mills out of his mind as easily as he had those other women. When it came to her, the only variety he seemed interested in was an unending selection of sexual positions and fantasies. Lately, when he found himself attracted to someone else, it was because the woman somehow reminded him of Jenna. His obsession with her confused him, but he’d figured it would pass eventually.
Now, looking at her, he wasn’t so sure.
There was something about her that got to him. Something that made h
is dominant side rear its usually slumberous head. He liked a rough fuck-and-tumble now and again, just like any other guy, but more often he preferred to charm and pamper a woman rather than dominate her. With Jenna, he wanted to pamper her, but he also wanted to hold her down and shove himself inside her, not letting her go until he’d wrung countless screams of pleasure and at least three or four orgasms from her before finally surrendering to his own. He wanted to make her take his dick in her mouth and suck him off, but only because he knew it was exactly what she wanted. And then he wanted to take his time with her, caressing and kissing every part of her body until she felt cherished and mesmerized by the pleasure he could bring her.
Of course, none of that was going to happen. Fantasy was just that. In the real world, no meant no, and she’d been quite clear that she wasn’t interested. She didn’t appear to have changed her mind either.
He studied her as she spoke to a waitress. Jenna wore a golden cashmere sweater and jeans the way other women wore diamonds and a mink coat. Her hair was curled into big sexy waves and she had her requisite heavy makeup in place, transforming her delicate features into the same distant mask that always kept him tense and watchful. At least she was distant to any man who approached her. She seemed fine talking to other women, but if anything with balls came anywhere near her, her walls slammed into place. He’d wondered about that. Had spotted similar behavior in victims of crime. He’d told himself that selectivity and self-preservation rather than fear were probably the reasons for her chilly demeanor.
She was obviously skilled in fending off unwanted attention. With her looks and unique Playboy bunny credentials, she’d have to be. And for all he knew, she could be married or gay—Kate had never said. What she wasn’t, however, was cold or hard, despite how desperately she tried to appear that way.
As much as he preferred her body now, he’d like to see her face as it was depicted in that Playboy spread—free of makeup, freckles dusting her nose, her pouty lips bare and natural rather than painted. Whenever he tried telling himself to move on, he’d visualize that vintage magazine layout—the one he’d paid a pretty penny for online—and he’d be reminded that Jenna was more than she appeared to be. Sweetly complex. An intriguing mystery, which was intoxicating to a man who solved them for a living.
