Shot in the Dark

by Jennifer Conner

  He stood over her, glistening with sweat and hard ridges. The black hair on his chest arrowed to disappear beneath the waistband of his swim trunks. She licked her lips.

  Luci flipped her glasses back over her eyes. “I’m going to have to take a look at that rehabilitation plan.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Devan limped to the far end, raised his arms above his head and executed a perfect dive into the deep end of the pool. The cool blue water engulfed him. He pushed forward, not breaking the surface until halfway down the length of the pool.

  He loved to swim, but never thought about it being good rehab for his leg. Luci had pegged his workout routine. When he was up to working out, he only lifted weights with his arms. But if he didn’t get his ass going in the right direction, his leg would never heal, and he’d never get back on active duty.

  Knowing not to push himself too much at first, Dev slowed the pace doing the backstroke. Stopping in front of Luci’s chaise, he pulled his shoulders up out of the water and shook the water from his hair.

  Crooking his index finger he motioned for her to come closer. Hesitating for a moment, she finally stood and came toward the edge.

  “I don’t want to be in the pool by myself. It would be more fun if you joined me.” Dev chuckled and grabbed for her ankle to pull her in.

  “Hey, stop!” she cried.

  Her leg stiffened as she yanked to free her leg. When he looked up there was fear on her face.

  He dropped his hand away, confused. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was playing around.” Pulling himself out of the water, he sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

  Luci stared out across the backyard before she finally spoke, “It’s the water. I don’t like it.”

  Dev pulled her against him, and rubbed a hand over her shoulder. “As I said, I’m sorry. I didn’t do it to scare you. You should have said something.”

  “I’ve been terrified of swimming pools ever since my stepfather pulled me into a community pool when I was young. He thought he was kidding around, but when he held my head under water, I couldn’t breathe. I’ve never been able to go in without being afraid.”

  His heart broke hearing her admission. “I know all about split seconds and how they can change your life. But that wasn’t what happened.” Dev traced gentle fingers over the scar on her hip. There were plenty of monsters in the world. Monsters that hurt beautiful people like Luci. It was one of the main reasons he’d decided to become a cop. He wanted to protect innocents.

  “We could help each other in this situation,” he said. “I’m supposed to exercise, and you don’t like the water. What if we worked together?”

  Her eyes watched him warily. “It would be better if I just stayed out here.”

  Stroking a thumb over her bottom lip, he asked, “Do you trust me?” He brushed his lips softly over hers.

  “I trust you. I hope you know that by now.” Luci swallowed deeply and shook her head. “They’re my issues… not yours.”

  “Why do I feel like they’re becoming my issues?”

  “I told you. I’m a big baby.”

  He smiled. “That’s one thing you’ll never be. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.” Struggling, he pulled himself up and reached for her hand. “Give me a chance. We’ll start in the shallow end. If you get scared, you can get out anytime.”

  Luci hesitated, but finally extended her hand for him to take. Steeling his bad leg, he levered his weight and drug her to her feet. After a few steps she tugged his hand, turning him toward her.

  Leaning forward, she wrapped her arm behind his neck and pulled him toward her. Dev felt the press of her breasts against the bare skin of his chest as she balanced on her toes. His fingers splayed over the small of her back and her skin which had been warmed by the sun.

  There was a sweetness about Luci that drove him mad. She deserved a nice guy, not him. She wouldn’t want a guy who let her down when he was called back to the station to deal with a robbery during their anniversary dinner. Or someone who walked around with lingering memories of a kid’s brain matter blown all over the counter in the convenience store.

  He watched the blue of the water reflect in the depths of her eyes. Her sweetness could be his downfall, because how could he ever hurt her? She’d been hurt so often in her life.

  Dev held perfectly still as her lips touched his, delicate and delicious. He had to hold back a groan as she sucked his tongue into her mouth then trailed kisses, hot and exciting down his chin and over his chest.

  “Are you trying to distract me from taking you into the water?” he said, in a shaky voice. Watching her blonde head bob lower, his erection stiffened. He imagined her lush pink lips wrapped around his shaft.

  “Drat. Guilty,” she said, looking up. Her sexy grin shot fire through him.

  He pulled her up, kissing her deeply. When he took a step back, she was out of breath and her eyes were glazed. “I’m taking your advice about kissing my woman’s socks off. You still aren’t wearing socks, but I’m trying my best.”

  He tugged her hand making her follow him toward the shallow end of the pool.

  Dev stepped down onto the first steps of the pool. “Rest your hands on my shoulders, and don’t look at the water.”

  She complied, stating, “I won’t put all of my weight on you.”

  He chuckled and wrapped his large hands around her waist. “I’m going to take a step down, follow me.” Luci nodded, but when her feet submerged under the water, her body stiffened. “Look at me,” he added. “Don’t look at the water.”

  Her fingers clenched into the skin of his upper arms. “You won’t let go?”

  “I’m here.” Right now… tomorrow… forever. With Luci he knew they could show each other the vulnerabilities they hid without fear of rejection, or misunderstanding. “One more step.” Dev held her tighter by the hips. “That’s all there is to it. See, you’re at the bottom.”

  She glanced down for a second, but then her eyes snapped back to his. “No splashing.” A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

  “I can barely walk. Do I look like I’m capable of splashing?” He cocked a grin. She trusted him fully. He could see it written on her face. Luci had no idea how much that meant to him. It was a simple gesture, slowly taking her into the water so she could overcome her fear. But she’d trusted him with that task. He wouldn’t let her down.

  “The water feels good… it’s hot today.” Luci loosened her death grip on his shoulders.

  He slowly turned her away from him and stepped close behind her. Wrapping his arms around her chest, he felt her heart thundering against him. “Close your eyes and walk backwards with me. I won’t let water get on your face.”

  She turned to look over her shoulder. “What if your leg goes out?”

  “It won’t. I won’t let it. Close your eyes.” Slowly his feet took one step, and then another, until they were both submerged to their shoulders. Dev wrapped his arms tighter, feeling her tense. “You’re doing great.”

  “Great…” she repeated slowly, looking more confident. “The water’s not that bad when I know I’m not going to get dunked under.” Swiveling in his arms she faced him. The fear left her eyes, replaced with something he was surprised to see. Lust?

  “Hang onto my neck, and let your legs float behind you. Use me as your anchor.” Gradually her feet left the pool floor, keeping her shoulders above the water line.

  With Luci’s arms wrapped around his neck, he would stand there until he dropped if that’s what she needed. His leg was weak, but Dev had to admit that after the chiropractic adjustment, the gnawing pain he usually felt had eased drastically.

  His gaze dropped. “How many bikinis do you own? Do you have certain ones for work, and others for the beach?”
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  She grinned, kicking her feet behind her. “I have lots of different ones. Mainly tops. They get messy every night with spilled milk and chocolate syrup at the espresso bar. I stop by secondhand shops in the off season, and scoop them up. Women in LA won’t be caught dead in the same swimsuit for two years in a row.”

  “You’re a smart woman.” He watched her blonde hair glimmer in the rays of the overhead sun.

  “I’ll let the rich women of LA spend hundreds of dollars, wear it twice, and then get rid of it. Then I’ll buy them. I bought this bikini for three dollars.”

  “It’s very nice.” Nice wasn’t a fitting word. Spectacular was closer to the truth. Dev was thinking that Luci could rival any Bond girl with the curves she had packed into that black and white number. His eyes looked across the polka dot top to the prefect mounds of her breasts.

  “It ties… and unties in the front.” In a second Luci turned their swim lesson into something hot enough to boil the pool’s water. Her eyes shimmered with seduction. “But only if you can figure out a way to untie it without getting water on my face.”

  “You told me you like challenges… so do I. Are you sure about this?” he asked. “We can get out of the water.”

  She shook her head, and took a breath. “I need to work on my fears. What better way than with you?”

  Dev’s fingers rose from the grasp on her waist and ran a finger over the curve of her breast. The cotton lace on the edge of her top was rough in comparison to the silk of her skin beneath. Slipping a finger under the cup, he stroked her nipple until it beaded into a stiff peak.

  His toes were still balanced on the pool’s floor as he tugged at the knot of her bikini until it loosened and slipped free. Dev flattened his hand under the fabric and slid the straps off her shoulders.

  Rolling the tight bud between his thumb and forefinger, Dev was pleased to hear her sigh. Dipping his head beneath the water, he pulled a nipple between his lips. There was a sharp contrast between the hot tip of her breast and the cool water in his mouth, as his tongue tormented the tips. He was going to make sure that he was the only thing she was thinking about. He bit her nipples sharply, but gently.

  When he bobbed to the surface, Luci’s breathing was shallow. “You can hold your breath a long time,” she stated.

  “In high school I played football, but I was also on the swim team. I can hold my breath for a long time.” He grinned and curled his fingers under the waistband of her bikini bottoms. His cock jumped with the feel of her so close.

  Kissing her, he walked her backwards toward the side of the pool. When her back touched the wall, her arms grasped the cement edge. Her upper body was out of the water but her lower body was still submerged. Raising one of her arms, he pulled her bikini top down, and then repeated the action with the other arm.

  He had to chuckle seeing she wasn’t going to let go of the pool’s edge for a second. This gave him an idea. He’d do his own strip tease. Reaching for the white tie on the waistband of his swim trunks, he wiggled the knot free. Running his hand through the water, he trailed a path from his waist, up over his chest. Grabbing the elastic, he balanced and pushed the pants down his legs.

  He loved the way Luci’s eyes darkened with lust when she saw his erection spring free. She made him feel confident about being a man. He let the pants float off toward the deep end, and swam the few feet, stopping in front of her.

  Her breasts bobbed, wet with water, and her skin sparkled like diamonds. It was silly for a guy to have his breath taken away, but that’s the way Dev felt whenever Luci was around him. He felt like he couldn’t breathe unless he was touching her.

  “If at any time you want me to stop, grab my shoulder. But now, I’m putting my breathing skills to the test.” He gulped in a lungful of air, and submerged under the water. Pushing her until he knew her back was securely against the pool’s wall, he lifted one of her legs over his shoulder.

  Running his tongue up the indented cleft in the cotton bikini bottoms, he could feel the bump of her clitoris through the fabric. He pushed a finger under the edge and into her hot channel.

  Opening his eyes, he looked up through the water at the shimmering image of Luci, seeing her head thrown back in ecstasy. Dev found the moment surreal, but at the same time, the most sexually exhilarating experience he’d ever had.

  Surfacing, careful not to splash water on her, he gasped in air. “Did I break a world record?” Dev asked, running a hand to clear his eyes.

  “Uh… huh…” she said, her chest rising and falling with unsteady breaths. “I’m afraid to ask what world record you were going for.”

  “Are you still all right in the water?” When she nodded, he asked, “Want to stay in a bit longer?

  Dev pulled his weight up by his arms, got out of the pool, and strode quickly to the pile of clothes next to the chairs. Pulling a condom from his wallet, he flicked his head her direction. “Come down here where the water’s shallow.”

  Luci climbed up the pool’s ladder and walked the short distance to meet him. His gaze dropped to her breasts.

  “God, you’re so damn beautiful,” he muttered, closing in and taking the pink tip of her nipple between his lips. Luci arched against him as he made quick work of the bikini ties over her hips, and tossed the bottoms free.

  He guided her to sit at the pool’s edge. Her eyes were half-hooded and sexy as she watched his every step. He dove in and swam until he stood waist deep before her.

  Leaning back on her elbows, Luci was by far the most amazing sight Dev had ever seen in his life. He widened her feet until he could see the blonde curls glisten at her apex of her legs.

  Dev slowly traced his fingers up her inner thigh, feeling a shudder through her body as he dipped his head. Sliding a finger inside her, he licked a slow swipe with his tongue.

  Luci’s body, now hot and dry from the afternoon heat, arched and attempted to move closer. He knew she was about to have an orgasm, and the strokes from his tongue were torture. But watching her was torture for him too. If it wasn’t for the cool water around his shaft, he would have already come.

  His breath feathered the curls between her legs as he broke contact and kissed a heated path up her stomach, breast and then to her mouth.

  Pulling her to the pool’s edge, Dev tore open the foil package and sheathed himself. The buoyancy of the water helped keep his balance despite his bad leg. His cock grew insistent between them, as her hands roved the skin of his shoulders and over his biceps. He wanted her so much his own legs trembled.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered, melting his heart. It was the only thing he wanted to do… now, and for the rest of his life.

  Chapter Twelve

  Luci looked at Devan standing between her legs. His thick hair shone like polished obsidian in the harsh sun. Water trailed in tiny rivulets down his chiseled chest.

  He eased the crown of his cock into her, his face tight. He swore quietly under his breath, she was sure from fighting the same overwhelming sensations she experienced now they were joined. She wanted it to last, but she was so close. Her inner muscles tightened as he drove the full length.

  Hypersensitive from his mouth and the hardness inside her, Luci felt her coiling climax teeter on the edge. Luci barely noticed the splash of water on her legs as he crushed against her, again and again.

  Devan dropped his mouth centimeters from hers. Each time he drove deeper, he drew a harsh breath. Moving her hips she wrapped her ankles in the dip of his spine, and forced him to make shorter, harder strokes. His erection was large; reaching hidden places deep inside her she didn’t know existed.

  Luci let herself be pulled under by the sensation, as he found the pace to push her over the edge. Coming so violently in a mindless pleasure, she cried out. White hot heat spiraled from the top of her head to her toes, as a deep shudder pu
lsed through her.

  His hands went to her thighs, holding her tightly as he drove home. A blur of sensation swamped Luci as she crested another peak, feeling Devan wedge against her core. With a long groan, he shuddered his own release.

  Sweat glistened on his forehead as he dropped, half sprawling over her body.

  He smiled against her shoulder. “That concludes our swim lesson for today. If you would please fill out the comment card regarding your instructor’s techniques on the way out, it would be appreciated.”

  Luci kissed him above the ear. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy. How had this adorable, silly man fallen her direction? All the nights he’d sat in his car at the espresso bar and they had deep discussions, she’d known he was smart, but from the glower he usually wore, she’d assumed he was sullen and moody. That wasn’t the real Devan.

  In the past she’d never had this kind of luck with men. But Devan had only been with her a few days. He’d never made a promise of anything more. Wrapping her arms around the expanse of his broad rib cage, Luci wished they could stay forever in each other’s arms, naked and happy. But she knew it wasn’t a good time for her to commit to a relationship.

  Devan peeled himself off her prone body, took a step back, and wiggled his foot. “Hey, I think you may have found a miracle cure. The muscles in my foot aren’t nearly as numb as they’ve been.”

  Pulling up on her elbows, she said, “I think it was probably the chiropractic adjustment, not having sex with me.”

  “Let’s find out.” He pulled himself out of the pool.

  Luci squealed and crab walked backwards, thinking he looked like a golden lion stalking his prey. Following her backwards, he moved onto the grass under the shade of a tree.