Cop's Passion (18 page)

She swallowed.
“Mike, you don’t really-”

“Yes, I do.”
His gaze was steady.

“It’s just the
heat of the moment, the situation we’re in. It-”

“It’s a great
situation.” His smile disappeared and he continued to study
her.

She felt like a
deer caught in the headlights. Her thoughts were swirling through
her mind, her body hot and heat pooling low, but a part of her
wasn’t so sure of this big bear of a man. It was too sudden, too
unexpected.

“Maddy,” he
said quietly. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Don’t you
know?” She managed a small, shaky laugh. “You seem to know
everything else about me.”

“There’s a lot
to learn about you yet,” he said. “Its something I look forward to
doing.”

“You could be
very disappointed.” Her heart skipped a beat when his thumbs
stroked slowly over the pulses in her wrists.

“I doubt it.”
Mike’s gaze wandered over her face. “You’re attracted to me, or you
wouldn’t have allowed me to make love to you.”

“That’s very
presumptuous of you,” she whispered.

“No. It’s
something I know about you.” His studied her closely. “You’re not
the kind of lady to sleep around. You’re loyal. You have a soft
heart, but you’re no fool.”

“I think I’ve
managed to smash that last illusion to pieces.” She glanced
away.

“Not at all.
There’s so much to learn about each other, Maddy.”

She looked back
at him, really studying him. He simply waited, watching her in
turn.

What did she
know of Mike Carson? He was a police officer, a man with patience,
kind and forgiving, and no-one’s fool. He certainly had hidden
depths, and he wasn’t put off by her over-generous curves. He was
an experienced lover and even when rough, when dominating, he was
still careful not to hurt her, ensuring both their pleasure.

Not that she
was that well experienced, there had only been that one time and it
was a time she’d tried to erase from her memory. Obviously it
hadn’t worked.

But now…could
she really build a relationship with this man?

Her gaze slid
over his face, taking in every detail. The heavy, dark brows, the
straight nose, the firm lips, the square jaw-line, and the blue
eyes that were so startling in their paleness. A lock of dark hair
fell over his brow, adding a roguishness to his otherwise dangerous
features.

He was all
strength and muscle, all hard lines and intimidating height, and
yet for a fleeting instance she thought she saw a flash of
uncertainty in his eyes, but when she blinked, he was simply
looking down at her, waiting patiently.

Yes, Mike
Carson was a man who would wait patiently for what he wanted, and
right now, if what he said was really true, he wanted her, Maddy
Lovett, plus-sized body, sharp tongue and all.

“I’m not sure
how I feel about this,” she finally said truthfully, for she could
do nothing but return his honesty.

“Okay.”

“I don’t really
know you. Not in the sense of…you know.” She swallowed.

“Not of the
flesh?” One of those dark brows arched and there was a twinkle in
his eyes.

“Yes.” A blush
crept into her cheeks.

“Okay.”

“I don’t know
if this will work.”

“It will.”

She should have
expected that confident answer. “What if it doesn’t?”

“You find me
attractive and you’re not afraid of me. Well, most times.”

“I’m not
frightened of you.”

His gaze was
direct. “When I say some things, your uncertainty is plain to
see.”

There was
nothing she could really say to that bit of truth.

“But for now
you only need to know two things for sure,” he added.

“What’s
that?”

“I’d never hurt
you.” It wasn’t a promise, but a statement of fact.

No, Mike could
never hurt anyone deliberately, she knew that. It wasn’t in his
nature. He was a tough man, but he’d never hurt the innocent or the
smaller.

“And I’ll never
lie to you,” he said.

And then he
leaned down and kissed her so tenderly, so passionately, that she
automatically arched up into him.

She could feel
his desire, the stiffening of his shaft, but he surprised her by
lifting his head and gazing down at her as he said quietly, “I
could make love to you all night, Maddy. I could make love all
night and a hundred different ways, but I’m not going to. Do you
know why?”

She could only
shake her head mutely.

“Because I want
you to go home and think about what I said with a clear mind. No
coercing.”

She cleared her
throat. “You were so sure of yourself a few minutes ago. Are you
doubting it all now?”

“Not at all. I
know what’s going to happen. I’m just waiting for you to accept it,
and that you need to do in your own time.”

“You think you
can appease me.” She frowned.

He just
smiled.

In a smooth
motion he pushed to his feet, wrapping his arm around her waist and
easily bringing her up with him, which made her gasp in surprise.
No man had ever been able to do that to her - or had wanted to, who
knew - but it sent a shiver through her. He made her feel so much
smaller and daintier, and how he managed it was a miracle.

Watching as he
bent and pulled on his boots, she couldn’t deny the pleasure it
gave her when he took her hand in his larger one and drew her to
his side. With a light kiss to the top of her head, he led her out
of the lounge room and down the hall. On the veranda he made sure
to lock his door before leading her down the pathway.

“I can walk
myself home,” she said.

He looked down
at her and even in the darkness she could sense his frown. “Don’t
even think it and don’t ever do it again.”

“Don’t tell me
what to do,” she returned tartly. “That hasn’t changed.”

“Not that fond
of sitting, are you?”

“Very fond of
threats, aren’t you?”

“Are you so
sure it’s just a threat?”

“You said you
wouldn’t hurt me.”

“I also said I
wouldn’t lie.”

Okay, that was
a bit confusing. “What exactly do you mean, then?”

He simply gave
her hand a light squeeze in reply. Sheesh, there went that slight
tingle of combined chill and thrill. Maybe she really did need to
see a shrink for her previously unknown masochistic tendencies.

They got to her
door and Mike didn’t say anything about her light being on, which
was lucky for him because she had a caustic reply all waiting in
reserve. However, she couldn’t resist staring blankly at him when
he held his hand out for the key.

“Tell me you
locked the door behind you,” he growled.

“Let me guess,
you won’t be happy if I didn’t?”

“Trust me,
you’ll be even less so.”

“For a man who
just moments ago declared his undying devotion to me, you have a
way of throwing threats around.”

“Just keep
pushing those buttons, lady.”

Amused, Maddy
pulled the keys from her skirt pocket and held them up.

Shaking his
head, Mike took it from her, unlocked the security screen and the
wooden door, and held them open for her.

She walked past
him, but just as she drew level he stopped her with his arm barring
the doorway, and when she looked up inquiringly he dropped a tender
kiss on her lips. Before she could return it, he lifted his head,
removed his arm and placing his hand in the small of her back, he
gave her a gentle push past him.

In the doorway,
she turned to look up at him. “Mike?”

“Yes?” With one
hand on the door and looming over her, he looked so dangerous in
the dark, a symbol of protection in his uniform, but with the
tenderness of a lover in his eyes and expression.

“I bought a
mobile phone today.”

He smiled.
“You’re giving me the number.”

“I’ll leave it
taped to your motorbike windshield tomorrow.”

“Oh, Maddy, not
the bike.” He shook his head. “You gotta respect the bike.”

“Maybe there’s
not enough room for me and the sound barrier breaker in this
relationship.”

“Trust me,
there’s room.” Reaching out, he flicked her nose gently. “I’ll
squeeze you in somewhere.”

“Thank you very
much.”

“My pleasure,
believe me. Now, it’s late. I’ll wait until you lock the door.” He
straightened. “Good night, Maddy.”

She looked up
at him for several seconds before she acted on instinct, reaching
up on tippy-toes. He bent down, meeting her, and she kissed him
quickly, lightly, before retreating back into the hallway.
“Goodnight, Mike.” And she shut and locked the door.

Staring down at
Chaz, who was peering up at her disapprovingly because it was so
late, she whispered, “What the heck happened tonight?”

Chaz twitched
his tail and disappeared down the hall towards the bedroom.

Maddy followed,
her steps lighter and a slightly dreamy smile on her face.

When she awoke
in the morning, she stared straight up at the ceiling and said,
“What the
heck
happened last night?” Rolling out of the bed,
she crossed to the bathroom and washed her face, trying to clear
her head and grapple with the happenings of the previous night.
Grabbing the towel, she dried her face and looked in the mirror,
only to gasp at the mark on the side of her neck.

Mike had given
her a love bite.

Thank God it
was her days off. She had to figure out how to hide that mark
before she went back to work.

And she had to
figure out why she had such a doofus smile on her face that
stretched from ear to ear.

And she had to
get another morning after pill.

In fact, she
had better make an appointment with her doctor and start on the
pill. Just in case. Just the thought sent a tingle through her, but
the cynical side of her whispered to be careful, very careful.

The big cop
next door had the power to break her heart and smash her confidence
to pieces.

Chapter
Six

He had to start
keeping condoms close at hand when it came to Maddy being near him
and them being alone. To be truthful, he had to start thinking
before he got carried away in the heat of the moment. Being
careless wasn’t something he did, period. Or at least, not before
he met Maddy and had a taste of her hot, lush body.

Frowning, he
took the box of condoms from the bathroom shelf and checked the
contents. Yep, there was half a box. He better get some more in
because as sure as God made green apples, he lusted after the
voluptuous Maddy. She was definitely his wet dream. His very
intense dream of her last night when he’d finally gotten to sleep
was proof of that.

Placing the box
of condoms back on the bathroom shelf, he took up the comb and ran
it through his hair. His thoughts remained on his sweet little
neighbour. Okay, he grinned to himself, not entirely sweet, but
then she wouldn’t be Maddy if she was all sweet and gooey. Nope,
his Maddy was a hot, spicy little thing, all curves and sassy
tongue and hot-blooded. Hoo boy, was she hot. And there was no
doubt that she liked to be dominated, that she liked him to take
control. In some ways, anyway, he wasn’t fool enough to think it
was in everything. She was determined lady.

But she pushed
a lot of buttons until she got her way. That brought the frown back
to Mike’s face. The memory of her tirade the previous night, the
hurtful things she’d said about herself. It didn’t seem right
coming from the confident lady he’d first met but the hurt in her
eyes, the vulnerability, it was very plain to his shrewd gaze.

Scowling, he
placed the comb back on the shelf. If he ever got his hands on the
bastard that had hurt her, he’d wring his bloody neck. No one
treated a lady thoughtlessly. Kindness was the key, understanding,
and she’d kill him for even thinking it, but firmness especially
when it came to his Maddy. She was a lady nevertheless, vulnerable
and wanting to be loved.

And he was just
the man to love her.

Yep, there was
no hiding from it. Maddy had caught his heart. Never a man to
linger or hesitate, Mike simply accepted it, grinned at his
reflection, and looked forward to the day when she finally accepted
that she belonged to him and she loved him back. He had no doubt
about it at all.

Meanwhile, he
had all those delightful days and nights ahead to convince the
stubborn chit. Talk about a task he grabbed gleefully with both
hands.

Going out to
the kitchen, he opened the back door and was met by the kitten
sitting just outside it and looking up at him. It meowed.

Mike looked
across to see a half empty bowl of kitten food and a fresh dish of
water on the veranda, proof that Maddy had been over early and fed
it.

“There.” He
pointed to the dish. “You’ve got food.”

Bright little
eyes looked hopefully up at him.

“Look.” Bending
down, he scooped the kitten up in one big hand and carried it over
to the dish. It struggled a little and he put it down beside the
dish. “Food. Water. My bloody armchair. What more do you want?”

He moved back
to the door but when he turned around to shut it, the little
mottled, grey ball of fur had followed him. Now he saw that it was
shivering. Glancing up, he noted the sun low in the sky. The
mornings were starting to get a little chillier. Obviously the
kitten was feeling the cold.

“No,” he said.
“Not bloody likely. You’re not coming in.” He shut the door in its
little face and strode back to the kitchen. Grabbing his keys, he
went to the front door and opened it, only to shiver himself when a
particularly chilly nip met him.

And he was big
and carrying his leather jacket in one hand. Lips tightening, he
stepped out and jerked the jacket on. He was not going to think
about the wretched fur ball. It could find another home. There was
no way - damn it all to hell and back.