At Close Range (Ranger Ops Book 1)

by Em Petrova

  “You want to know how long I can last if you suck my cock?” he murmured between nibbles of her lips and sweeping passes with his tongue.

  Had she said that? Her mind was a blank to anything but what was going on this very moment. She whimpered, “Uhh.”

  “Let me tell you, darlin’, it isn’t very fucking long. These lips…” He kissed her hard. “Wrapped around my length…” He bit her lower lip, dragging her nearer. “Will be my undoing.”

  She worked her hands free of his grasp and set them on his chest. Looking into his eyes, she said, “Take me to bed. I want to see for myself.”

  With a grunt of amusement, he lifted her off her feet, her legs dangling over his brick-hard forearm as he stormed through his small house. The living room was a blur, but she could see it later—right now, she only had eyes for Nash.

  He kicked open the bedroom door and crossed to a bed. The scents of his musk and fresh laundry rose around her as he lowered her to the mattress. He followed her down, pressing her thighs apart to make room for his broad body.

  When his hard cock edged against her needy pussy, she moaned.

  “My question is how long can you last if I tongue your wet pussy?” he rumbled.

  “Seconds,” she responded, pulling him down.

  They tore at each other’s clothes, and he thrust a finger into her pussy. She clenched around him, breathing hard against the need to come from just one single touch.

  “Sixty-nine me,” she gritted out.

  He froze, and she felt him shudder against her. “Hell.”

  “I want to taste you and you want to taste me.” She pushed on his shoulders, and to her delight, he acquiesced, moving onto the mattress and placing her over him with her liquid heat centered over his lips. She moaned at the sight of his beautiful, rigid cock rising up to meet her lips.

  She opened her mouth, closed her eyes and swallowed him right to the root.

  * * * * *

  The exquisite heat and pressure of Nevaeh’s mouth around him had Nash shaking to hold back. To distract himself, he parted her folds with his thumbs and slipped his tongue into her soaking pussy.

  Juices wet his lips and brought a growl to his throat. She wiggled her gorgeous backside downward to get closer, and he took the chance to sink two fingers into her body even as he sucked her clit into his mouth.

  The soft pulls of his lips had her moaning in seconds, and her pussy walls tightened and released rhythmically around his fingers. He pushed them up higher, feeling the soft, spongy inner wall. In seconds, she was going wild, bucking into him as she sucked him harder.

  When she cupped his balls in one soft, warm hand, lashing them upward to stroke the sensitive spot beneath them, he just about unloaded in her mouth.

  Mentally biting back his need to blow, he doubled his efforts, curling his fingers to stroke her G-spot. Batting her clit with his tongue wasn’t enough—he tongued it hard and fast.

  She stiffened and shook in his hold. The instant she let go, he finger-fucked her hard, banging her until the final pulse of her orgasm had her cooing out his name.

  He flipped her into the mattress and hovered over her, staring into her eyes. The windows of stained glass showed him every bit of her soul, and there he saw the force of her love for him.

  “Christ, I love you, woman.” He gripped his dick at the base and guided it between her legs. When he plunged into her, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, riding with him.

  The bed shook with the strength of their movements. Her love words fell on his ears and her nails scored his back, the sting wiping away the memories of what he’d just done in Mexico. He hoped to hell his men were getting the same release from their ghosts too.

  Then Nevaeh started to thrash beneath him, and he felt how close she was.

  He was instantly on the border of his own release, edging between pain of holding back and pleasure so intense that he didn’t know if he’d survive it.

  When she slid her hand around his nape and yanked him in for a kiss, she came—and he let go.

  Tumbling over and over as jets of cum filled her pussy.

  Long seconds passed where all he heard was their breathing.

  She smoothed a hand down his spine, and he winced as she hit the place a bullet had grazed him. Woody had patched him up, and he wore a clean bandage.

  “Oh my God, you’re hurt!”

  He held his cock deep inside her, looking into her eyes. “Not bad.”

  “A knife wound?”

  “Bullet. Lucky I moved sideways and it only glanced over me.”

  Her mouth opened in a wide O. “Nash Sullivan! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why? Would you have kept me from giving you all those delicious orgasms?” He bent to nibble her lips again.

  “I… I… I don’t know!”

  He rolled off, drawing her with him. When she was in his arms, he could talk to her freely. “Darlin’, things happen. It’s part of the job.”

  “What if it was me coming home with a bullet wound?”

  “That’s different.”

  “How?”

  “Because it isn’t your job.” He kissed the crease between her brows gently. He had to ask the question he’d been fearing for days now, ever since he’d realized how tough his leaving constantly could be on her.

  “Nevaeh, can you handle it? Being with a man like me?”

  She was still in his hold for so long that he began to worry. When he was about to say more, to tell her that he understood and even though he didn’t want to contemplate it, he’d let her walk away, she spoke.

  “Nash, I can’t handle not being with you. It will take some getting used to, but… I can do it. For love.”

  Warmth spread over his heart, and he pulled her in to kiss her mouth. The tenderness between them was the thing that would continue to ground him again and again, no matter what the fuck happened in Ranger Ops.

  “Good, because I need you,” he grated out.

  She kissed him again and when she pulled back, her eyes were twinkling with mischief. “All those flowers you sent made up for a lot.”

  He barked a surprised laugh. “I see how you operate now. If that’s what it takes, then I’ll open an account at the florist’s.”

  She clutched him closer and hitched her thigh over his hip, grinding her wetness against him insinuatingly. “Just always promise you’ll come home to me.”

  “Always.” He sealed the deal by drawing her overtop him and sliding inside her in one slick glide.

  All her thick hair fell around him, and she began to move.

  Epilogue

  Crash after crash exploded in Nevaeh’s ears, and the big Ranger Ops men surrounding her high-fived all around.

  Nevaeh looked up at the scoreboard. X after X stood out on each of the lines of the bowling scorecard, while her name only boasted a single spare. Clearly, she needed to get much better at bowling if she was going to walk away with any dignity in the future.

  “Beers all around.” Woody returned carrying a six-pack and an extra wine spritzer for her. He handed it to her with a smile, and she returned it.

  None of the guys seemed remotely surprised when Nash had informed them he and Nevaeh were seeing each other, and they’d invited her to their weekly bowling parties with warm welcomes.

  “You remembered what I like,” Nevaeh said as she took the bottle with thanks.

  Woody tapped his temple with a fingertip. “My job to remember things.”

  Judging by the look of him lately, he was remembering—a bit too much. She’d mentioned it to Nash, but he’d only told her he’d talk to his buddy. Whatever he’d said, though, didn’t seem to be helping, and she’d caught each of the guys sending Woody worried looks now and then over the course of the past few months.

  Nash came over to get his beer. When he drew near to Nevaeh, he tugged on her long braid hanging down her spine and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “He’ll be all right.”

  She curled h
er hand up around his jaw. “You sure?”

  He nodded, rubbing his beard stubble against her cheek.

  Nevaeh believed him. After all, Nash had recognized the need for counseling for Antonio and his wife. And the pair was working through their adjustment into a new life together in a rental home not far away from where her parents lived. Which was good, because her parents had not taken her moving out very well.

  She and Nash made sure to visit as often as possible, bringing the whole family together.

  Woody straightened, staring past them. She and Nash pivoted to look and saw another Sullivan man sauntering their way, a shit-eating grin on his face.

  “Penn!” She jumped up, and Nash reached him in a few steps, pulling him into a bro-hug.

  The guys all added their greetings with similar thumps on the back or fist-bumps. Then Nash gave Penn his beer and went to get more in celebration.

  Penn looked at Nevaeh, a smile on his face. “I knew it. A well-loved woman.”

  She flushed hotly and slid her gaze to her man, standing at the counter making his purchase. Then Nash turned and caught her eye, giving her a wide grin that had her insides fluttering.

  She raised her bottle to Penn, and he clinked his against it. “Yes, a well-loved woman.”

  THE END

  Author’s Note: If you’ve enjoyed this book, please leave a review! They make authors happy!

  READ ON for a sneak peek at Within Range, book 2 of Ranger Ops series!

  Em Petrova

  Em Petrova was raised by hippies in the wilds of Pennsylvania but told her parents at the age of four she wanted to be a gypsy when she grew up. She has a soft spot for babies, puppies and 90s Grunge music and believes in Bigfoot and aliens. She started writing at the age of twelve and prides herself on making her characters larger than life and her sex scenes hotter than hot.

  She burst into the world of publishing in 2010 after having five beautiful bambinos and figuring they were old enough to get their own snacks while she pounds away at the keys. In her not-so-spare time, she is fur-mommy to a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff.

  Find More Books by Em Petrova on her Website

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  Other Titles by Em Petrova

  Ranger Ops

  AT CLOSE RANGE

  WITHIN RANGE

  POINT BLANK RANGE

  Knight Ops Series

  ALL KNIGHTER

  HEAT OF THE KNIGHT

  HOT LOUISIANA KNIGHT

  AFTER MIDKNIGHT

  KNIGHT SHIFT

  O’ CHRISTMAS KNIGHT

  ANGEL OF THE KNIGHT

  6-Pack Cowboys Series

  6-PACK RANCHER

  6-PACK WRANGLER

  Wild West Series

  SOMETHING ABOUT A LAWMAN

  SOMETHING ABOUT A SHERIFF

  SOMETHING ABOUT A BOUNTY HUNTER

  SOMETHING ABOUT A MOUNTAIN MAN

  Operation Cowboy Series

  KICKIN’ UP DUST

  SPURS & SURRENDER

  The Boot Knockers Ranch Series

  PUSHIN’ BUTTONS

  BODY LANGUAGE

  REINING MEN

  ROPIN’ HEARTS

  ROPE BURN

  COWBOY NOT INCLUDED

  CUPID COWBOYS

  The Boot Knockers Ranch Montana

  COWBOY BY CANDLELIGHT

  THE BOOT KNOCKER’S BABY

  ROPIN’ A ROMEO

  Country Fever Series

  HARD RIDIN’

  LIP LOCK

  UNBROKEN

  SOMETHIN’ DIRTY

  Rope ‘n Ride Series

  BUCK

  RYDER

  RIDGE

  WEST

  LANE

  WYNONNA

  Rope ‘n Ride On Series

  JINGLE BOOTS

  DOUBLE DIPPIN’

  LICKS AND PROMISES

  A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS

  LIPSTICK ‘N LEAD

  The Dalton Boys

  COWBOY CRAZY Hank’s story

  COWBOY BARGAIN Cash’s story

  COWBOY CRUSHIN’ Witt’s story

  COWBOY SECRET Beck’s story

  COWBOY RUSH Kade’s Story

  COWBOY MISTLETOE a Christmas novella

  COWBOY FLIRTATION Ford’s Story

  COWBOY TEMPTATION Easton’s Story

  COWBOY SURPRISE Justus’s Story

  Single Titles and Boxes

  STRANDED AND STRADDLED

  LASSO MY HEART

  SINFUL HEARTS

  BLOWN DOWN

  FALLEN

  FEVERED HEARTS

  WRONG SIDE OF LOVE

  Firehouse 5 Series

  ONE FIERY NIGHT

  CONTROLLED BURN

  SMOLDERING HEARTS

  Club Ties Series

  LOVE TIES

  HEART TIES

  MARKED AS HIS

  SOUL TIES

  ACE’S WILD

  The Quick and the Hot Series

  DALLAS NIGHTS

  SLICK RIDER

  SPURRED ON

  READ ON for a sneak peek of WITHIN RANGE!

  Two years ago

  “Are you gonna stand here and let this happen?”

  Shaw’s father gave him the sideways look that meant he’d better fix his disposition and do it fucking fast.

  He tugged at the collar of his dress shirt. It felt uncomfortably tighter with each second that counted down to the wedding ceremony.

  “What are you talking about?” Shaw shot back. But he knew—and playing stupid wasn’t going to fix the situation. The woman he loved was walking down that aisle, and it wasn’t to him.

  His father squared up with him. Lawdy, this situation was going downhill like a pig in a mudslide. His father looked him in the eyes, and his voice came out low and intense.

  “You love that woman. Why the hell are you letting this happen? You don’t get many chances at happiness in this life, son.”

  Shaw stared over his father’s shoulder toward the altar, where his buddy John stood alongside his brother as best man, suited up and waiting for the first strains of the wedding march.

  Without looking at his father, Shaw muttered, “I can’t just stop the wedding.”

  “So you’re going to stop your life instead?”

  The words struck Shaw like a hail of bullets, each finding its mark deep within him.

  Goddammit.

  He turned from his father.

  His black leather dress shoes tapped out a beat on the floor that mirrored his heart. Stained glass flashed by his vision and he stepped through a doorway into the bridal suite.

  A gasp sounded as Atalee’s female entourage saw him standing in the doorway, but he couldn’t see a fucking thing but the bride in white, her honey blonde hair piled in an extravagant updo with little fucking flowers tucked into the strands and a floor-length veil.

  Dammit.

  “I need to speak to Atalee alone,” he grated out.

  Her eyes found his, big and chocolate brown, the depths filled with surprise.

  He was about to surprise her even more, and with any luck, three hundred wedding guests when she cancelled her wedding and ran away with Shaw.

  The bride’s mother touched her arm, and she gave her a nod and smile. The women scuttled past Shaw, and he threw a glance over his shoulder to ensure they wouldn’t overhear what he was about to say.

  As he moved toward the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen in his life, his throat dried out. He swallowed hard and stepped up before her.

  “Atalee…”

  With her face tilted up to his and wearing all white, his heart threatened to give out from pounding so hard.

  Kiss your bride.

  She’s somebody else’s bride.

  Dammit to hell.

  “What is it, Shaw? Is something wrong?�
� Her soft-spoken manner took hold of him by the balls. This woman owned him, pure and simple.

  He grabbed her hands, hovering over her. Emotion threatened to close off his throat, but he wasn’t a quitter or a coward. He was a fucking Texas Ranger, and he wanted this woman with every cell of his being.

  “Atalee, you can’t marry Johnny.”

  She blinked up at him and paled slightly. “What happened? Did he back out?”

  “No, no, nothing like that,” he rushed to say before she lost more color from her face. His heart flexed hard, painfully. “Atalee, I’ve known you for years now.”

  Confusion creased her blonde brows. “Yes.”

  He was fucking this all up. Just say it, he ordered himself.

  “I can’t let you walk down that aisle and marry Johnny, because I’m in love with you.”

  A beat of silence followed, and her baby browns widened.

  “Baby doll, I can give you everything you ever wanted. I’m better for you than the man out there.” He gestured toward the main part of the church where all her guests were expecting her.

  She dropped her head and stared at the bouquet she held. The petals of the brightly-colored flowers trembled in her shaking hands.

  “Shaw, why are you saying these things to me?”

  “Because I can’t let you marry another man without telling you how I feel. I can’t watch you destroy your life with someone who won’t love you the way I do.”

  She took a step back and then another. His instinct was to grab her back, yank her flush to his body and kiss her with all the passion flowing inside him. Three long years he’d wanted her. Johnny had been his friend for much longer. They’d trained together as Texas State Troopers, but only Nash had gone on to be a Texas Ranger. All the while, Atalee had been achieving her psychiatry degree and had started on her master’s.