by Jessica Ames
I find it endearing as hell.
I also oblige with her demand. I tug down the waistband of her yoga pants. She lifts her ass a little so I can drag the material down her legs. Greeted with a tiny scrap of lace covering her pussy, my mouth dries. I want to devour her, but I need to make this good for her, too, so I force myself not to rush.
With one finger, I trace the slit of her pussy through the material of her panties. Her back practically arches off the couch. I don’t stop. I rub back and forth, feeling the dampness growing. She lets out a little whimper as I get close to the bundle of nerves at the top of the slit.
When she’s nice and wet and squirming, I push the material aside and push one finger in her. She gasps and when I add a second, she lets out a moan that goes straight to my cock. I better make this good for her because honestly, I have no idea how long I’ll last once I’m in her.
I hook my finger up, trying to hit that spot inside her that is guaranteed to have her squirming again.
Her thighs shake as she comes hard, her pussy contracting around my fingers. The satisfaction I have seeing her writhing and moaning is worth every moment.
I don’t let her come down before my mouth latches on to her clit. She sucks in a breath, her body twitching as I lap her juices and lave around the bundle of nerves.
“Chris…”
I love hearing my name on her lips, so I pick up my pace.
“Oh, God! I’m going to… I’m gonna… I’m—OH!” She breaks off and lets out a moan that has my balls contracting. I need her, I want her, but I don’t want to presume either.
So, I sit back on my heels and stare at her lying on the couch, her yoga pants pushed down to her knees with her panties, her top half bare. She looks like an angel.
“Why’d you stop?”
“Because this may be moving too fast. I don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
She comes up on her elbows and glares at me. “Too fast? I’ve waited years for you.” Lying back down, she says, “I’m on the pill and I’m clean, if you don’t have a condom.”
I blink. “April, we don’t have to do this now.”
“If you don’t finish what you started, I may kill you. Get over here.”
I don’t argue. I unzip my jeans and pull my cock out. “I’m clean too,” I assure her as I rub the tip through her folds.
Then, I enter her. Her back arches and she moans as I fill her. I let her adjust for a moment before I pull back to the tip and push back in to the root, eliciting another whimper of pleasure from her. My dick scrapes over her insides, feeling the tightness of her enveloping me and my balls tighten. I’m not going to last long here.
I set my pace and hold her hips as I continue my rhythmic dance. My balls draw up as I get closer to my edge, but I try to hold on, wanting to push her over the precipice first.
She’s already worked up, so she doesn’t take long and as I bottom out in her, she comes hard, writhing beneath me. I hold her in place with one hand, the other pressed into the cushion beside her, and when I come, I see stars.
27
April
Lying in our post-sex daze, I let my thoughts empty. We’re still on the couch, which probably isn't the smartest idea, considering Bekah could potentially come home for any reason, and there’s a number of cops hanging around outside, waiting for something to happen, but I can’t bring myself to move or care. I’m lying half on top of Chris, my arms draped over his chest, my legs entwined with his and I can hear his heartbeat. It was racing, but now it’s slowed to a more relaxed pace, and the continual lub-dub in my ear reminds me that despite everything that is happening, we’re both still breathing—and that is all that matters.
I’d be a fool and a liar to say I’m not scared—I am. The fact that Bekah is concerned is enough to have my anxiety skyrocketing, and I’m sure she’s only being overly cautious because I’m her best friend, but I also suspect she’s being cautious because there’s reason to be.
This guy or woman—whoever the hell it is—that’s doing this didn’t exactly start off small. Breaking into my house and leaving the keys was a pretty risky thing. What if I woke up? What if Bekah came home? What if someone saw him? Still, he didn’t seem to care about getting caught, and that scares me. It shows a lack of self-preservation, which tells me this person will have no qualms about getting hurt himself.
The police are still leaning toward Milo as a suspect, but they’ve not acted on this. Bekah said they want to catch him in the act, as that will be easier to prosecute than just a confession. She seems to think whoever did this is infatuated with me. I think they loathe me, but what do I know?
Chris stayed last night after the letter incident, which I was grateful for, considering Bekah wasn’t here. I didn’t expect to have him on the couch, though, but I was tired of waiting for him and I knew he wouldn’t make a move—he’s far too much of a gentleman to have his way with me when he thinks I’m distressed.
The truth is while I’m scared, I refuse to put my life on hold. It’s only because my life is a disaster train at the moment that we haven’t gotten around to it.
I’m glad I pushed the issue, because sex with Christopher Bannerman was exactly how I imagined. In fact, it was better. He was amazing. He made sure I got mine before he got his—something Milo never cared about. As long as he was satisfied, that was all that mattered to him.
Chris is not a selfish lover, and he certainly knows what he’s doing in that department. I feel deliciously achy and trembly from our encounter, and I can’t wait for round two.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” he asks, stroking my hair.
“About how good sex with you is,” I admit.
He chuckles. “I get full marks, right?”
“More than full marks. You were amazing. I’m thoroughly sated.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Good.”
We lie together a little while longer before we have to clean up. I loved that we didn’t use anything and there was nothing between us, but my thighs are a sticky mess. We shower together, and he washes me with such care that it chokes me up a little. I’ve never had a man take care of me like this before and I don’t know how to handle it.
When we’re finished and dressed again, we head downstairs. Both of us took the day off work today, but tomorrow, we’ll need to resume our routines. I refuse to be away from my job, from my life, because of this ass.
Chris has agreed to stay with me tonight, as Bekah is working, but I would have asked him to stay anyway. After what we did, I need to be close to him. I want to be close to him.
We curl up and watch a movie after ordering food in. I have to text the officers watching the house to let them know, so they don’t take out the delivery guy.
“Are you okay?” Chris asks me as we watch the movie together.
I’m not really paying any attention to it, my mind wandering to who could be doing this. The only men I’m really close to are Milo, who I can’t stand, Nolan, who is not into me that way at all, and Chris, who I’m certain isn’t doing this.
I don’t understand at all. Could it be an irate relative from the care center? Maybe, but I doubt it.
Mr. Garner springs to mind, but I dismiss him quickly. The man was angry, but not infatuated with me. Whoever is doing this, Bekah says, is in love with me.
Which is fantastic… not.
“I’m just… worried, I guess. I don’t want anything to happen to you or Bekah because of my drama.”
He strokes a hand up my arm. “Sweetheart, you didn’t ask for this, nor did you cause it. And me and Bekah can take care of ourselves.”
This is probably true. Chris is former Army and Bekah is a serving police officer.
“Try not to worry about stuff. It’ll come right in the end, I promise. Me and Bekah are both looking into this.”
“I just feel terrible that everyone’s lives have been upended because of me.”
He leans down and
kisses me. “You don’t have anything to feel bad about. All you need to concentrate on is keeping yourself safe. Those police officers won’t be able to stay outside the house for long.”
He’s probably right about that. To be honest, I was surprised Bekah managed to swing it at all. I’m sure watching our house isn’t the best use of police resources.
“Everyone’s throwing themselves into the fire for me.”
He brushes his mouth over mine. “Because you’re worth it. If anything happens to you…” He shakes himself. “I’m going to fix this, April. I’m going to make you safe.”
“I’m lucky to have you.”
“No, it’s me that’s lucky to have you, and now that I’ve got you, I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
28
Chris
“Do you want to explain why we’re only just being brought in now?” J-Dog demands, looking a little put out.
“Would you quit bitching and listen to me?” I tell him around an eye roll. The guy—in fact all my former teammates—have been whining about the fact I’m only just involving them in my trouble now. It was kind of sweet at first. Now, it’s just annoying.
“By all means, Staff Sergeant.” Beanie gestures with his hand to indicate I have the floor. Sarcastic ass.
It feels good having the team all back together, but I’m not going to lie, it hurts that Luke isn’t with us. He should be. I push that down and focus on the rest of the guys from my team. The moment I called to say I was in trouble, they all hopped on the first plane out to Daytona. That made me feel warm and fuzzy in a way I didn’t expect.
“You don’t have to call me by rank,” I tell Beanie. “We’re not in the Army anymore.”
“Well, you know what they say,” Slider chips in. “You can take the soldier out of the army, but you can’t take the army out of the soldier. What do you need, brother?”
“I need around the clock protection for April.”
J cocks his head to the side. “She yours now?”
Last time he was here, I was unsure about taking the next step with her. My guilt over Luke kept me held back. It still does, but my need for her outweighs my guilt now.
I don’t pause to consider his question or my answer, I just nod. “Yeah, J, she’s mine.”
He bobs his head up and down several times, the movements slow but pronounced. “I’m glad you finally manned the fuck up, because I was serious when I said if you don’t ask her out, I damn well would. That woman is far too pretty to be left sitting on the shelf.
I resist the urge to growl a curse at him and manage—barely—to keep my temper.
“It’s still new, but please try not to fuck shit up for me with this woman. I like her.”
J holds up defensive hands. “I’ll be on my best behavior.” He considers me for a moment, then says, “It’s good to see you finally happy.”
Letting go of the past is what he really means, even though he doesn’t say this. He knows the trouble I’ve had trying to move on from what happened to Luke. I still haven’t managed it, but April makes things less chaotic in my head and she makes me hope I could be happy one day, that I could let go of my guilt. What I do know is my need for her supersedes any self-imposed punishment I might have given myself.
“Yeah, yeah, before this gets mushy, do you want to tell us what the hell is actually going on?” Slider asks.
“Well, I told you, I’m having a little trouble.”
Beanie snorts. “With you, a little trouble could range from a hangnail to a calamity. Which is it?”
I wince. “Somewhere between the two. April’s got an admirer she doesn’t want. This guy stole her keys then used them to let himself into her house while she was sleeping and leave them behind. He sent flowers that make it clear the guy is into her. Then there was the surveillance photographs. He’s watching her, watching me too. The fact my face is scratched out in the images tells me I’m not this guy’s favorite person.”
Slider whistles under his breath and rubs a hand through his huge beard. The guy looks like a bear.
“You’re on this guy’s shit list too? That’s worrying.”
“I’m more concerned about April. I can take care of myself.”
Slider pats my flat belly. “You could seven years ago. Now, who fucking knows what shape you’re in.”
“I keep in shape, asshole.”
I run daily and lift. I have to keep up the exercises otherwise my knee screws up.
“Do you have any idea who could be doing this?” J asks.
“At this juncture, I’m not assuming shit.” I drag my fingers through my hair. “I just want this asshole caught and for April to be safe.”
“So, if we set up a rota, then she’s always got someone with her.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Beanie confirms.
“Who’s watching you?” J asks.
“Did you not just hear me say I can take care of myself?”
J shrugs. “I heard it and ignored it. Man, you’re the target of this looney toon too. Let’s not take any chances, yeah?”
“Whatever. My main priority is April.”
“And ours is both of you.”
“Between you guys, the police and Curt, I think we’ve got it covered.”
Although my brother hasn’t managed to find anything out yet. Not that I’ve given him anything really to go on. He’s good, but he’s not a miracle worker. He has his old teammate, Brody, looking into things, and that guy is a computer and tech whizz. If it’s there, he’ll find it.
“Okay, let’s work out a plan.”
We sit and go through a rota that ensures all the guys get rest time between around the clock protection for April. In the end I manage to argue against them being on my ass and they relent, although I can tell no one is particularly happy about it. Too bad.
“Right, you guys know the drill. Stay out of sight. I don’t want this fuck to know we’re onto him.”
“Roger.”
I have an hour before April’s shift finishes, so I head across town to a training center I’d been looking at and pick up a twelve-month-old German Shepherd pup. Another of Curt’s old teammates, Boomer, asked his wife to pull some strings for me to get him. Kat Michaelson trains dogs for Trident Security, Blackhawk Security, and the Florida State Police, so she knows her stuff. I trust her judgement on this. The dog is cute as hell, but he’s also a trained guard dog, which is what I was most interested in. I’m not sure how April will react to me getting him, but I’d feel better knowing that when I’m not with her, she’s got extra protection in the house.
Then I drive over to meet her outside work. I’m in my SUV today. I don’t like to use it much, but there are some things that are not practical to do on a bike—like transport eighty pounds of dog.
I climb out of the car and leave the dog in the back, the windows cranked, so he doesn’t get too hot while I head inside to get April.
She’s standing, as usual, at the reception desk looking like a goddess in her scrubs. Her hair piled on top of her head like that does funny things to my belly. She looks beautiful.
When she sees me, she grins at me. “Hey.”
I lean over the desk and kiss her.
“Get a room you two,” the huge guy who works with her, Nolan, says as he approaches the desk. From the look of him, he just arrived to start his shift.
I don’t like the guy. He’s overly friendly with April and that’s not me being jealous (okay, maybe I am a little), but there’s something about him I don’t trust. If it wasn’t for the fact he has an alibi, he’d be my top suspect—behind the ex. I’m still not convinced Milo doesn’t have something to do with this shitstorm, even though he was seen in a public place at the time. The guy is a sleaze.
“Sorry,” April mutters, wiping her mouth and looking anything but contrite. “I’ll grab my stuff and then we can leave,” she tells me. Then she turns to Nolan. “I’ve already handed over to Maxine, so she’ll fill
you in on anything you need to know.”
Nolan grunts and makes a beeline for the employees’ lounge, April following and chatting with him. The tightness in his frame has my entire body wired as they enter the room. I should have gone with her. What the hell was I thinking standing here? I can’t wait to get my old team in place, so she’s properly protected at work too. Maybe this is overkill, but when it comes to her, I’m not taking any chances. Until this ass is caught, I want her looked after and the police won’t do half as much as the guys.
I’m considering going in the room after her when she finally emerges, her purse slung over her shoulder. Smiling, she walks toward me. I have no idea how she’s so chipper, considering everything that’s happening, but it shows her strength.
“Shall we get out of here?”
“Yeah, babe.”
As we head outside, I add, “I don’t want you to get mad at me, but I did something that might piss you off?”
She glances at me, her brows drawing together. “What could you have possibly done to piss me off, Christopher Bannerman?”
The dog barks from the back of the car and her head whips in that direction.
“Is that… a dog?”
I rub the back of my neck, seriously considering if this was a terrible idea. “It’s your dog…”
Her eyes snap to my face. “My dog?”
“Yeah. Uh… when I’m not around, I’d feel better knowing you had protection. The dog’s trained in security. The breeder is someone I know and trust.”
She’s not listening. Instead, she’s pulling open the car door and climbing onto the back seat, so she can see the dog through the grate. He’s sitting in the trunk compartment, calmly. When she puts her fingers though the bars, he gets up and comes to her, sniffing her.
“He’s freaking adorable. What’s his name?”
“Thor.”
Her brows arch. “The dog’s called Thor?”
“You can rename him if you want.”
She shakes her head. “God no. Thor’s his name.” She sighs. “He’s really cute, Chris, but I can’t accept him.”
