LineofDuty (9 page)

The breeze stirred the roses, petals caressing her cheek as
the seed of hope grew. Cradling her precious chocolates to her chest, she
managed to unlock the door and step in. Though the house was empty, it didn’t
feel that way. Not anymore.

* * * * *

Jake stared at the dark windows, mentally kicking himself.
Why did he have to go and fall asleep for so long? Now Nicole was in bed. The
street was quiet, most of the houses dark save for a few night owls.

He clenched the steering wheel and briefly considered
driving home—to the other house—but no. If this were a tactical mission,
hitting when it was least expected would be optimal. He didn’t want to arrest
Nicole, just her heart. Handcuffs weren’t a bad idea, though, but the soft ones
were at the brick house and he wasn’t about to use real ones on her. That was a
line for him, one he’d never been comfortable crossing. Nicole had understood.
She got him. Most of the time.

Jake got out of the truck, shutting it quietly, and let
himself into the house by the front door. She hadn’t even bothered with the
deadbolt. When would she learn? He shoved the door shut and winced when it hit
the jamb with a loud thud. He’d forgotten how well-greased the new hinges were.

Standing in the entry, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was
as if he could feel Nicole’s presence, as if this were really home despite it
being a couple of walls and a roof like the brick house, except she was here.
Not there.

He didn’t creep through the house. The goal wasn’t to scare
her. He strode toward the bedroom. A light clicked on as he approached.

“Jake?” Her voice had the low, raspy quality she got
whenever she was tired or just woke.

“Hey.” He stepped through the door and leaned against the
wall, taking in the sight of her.

Her hair tumbled and poofed around her shoulders, brushing
the pillows as she lay propped up on her elbow, one hand rubbing her face. The
blankets were pushed down around her waist, enough for him to see that she’d
worn his gift to sleep.

Had she used the vibrator yet?

Simply looking at her, admiring the way the silk hugged her
breasts, hinting at the bounty within, relaxed him.

“How’d it go? Tanya said you guys were out all night and day.”

“Good. We got the bad guys. You’ll never believe it but one
of them was one of my old narc cases.” He pushed off the wall and walked slowly
to the side of the bed. Would she let him touch her? Stroke her hair?

“Yeah? Who was it?” She moved her legs, making room for him
on her side of the bed.

He breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the edge, twisting
to face her. He rested one hand on her thigh, grounding himself in her
presence. “This guy named David Alvarez.”

“Was he one of that group you were obsessed with?” Her eyes
drooped but she’d get pissed if he didn’t answer her questions. It was always
the same. She wanted facts, so he gave them to her.

“He was. Got him and another one off some tips. Looks like
someone is out to get those guys. I’d hate to be them.” He chuckled. They’d had
one of their worst fights when she accused him of being in more of a
relationship with the criminals than her. After that he’d promised to leave
narc. Shortly after that they’d got engaged.

“Did you arrest him?” She didn’t mean
him
as in Jake.
The meaning was there. He could pretend otherwise but she wanted to know.

“No,” he replied. But this death didn’t rest on his hands.
He hadn’t pulled the trigger.

Nicole nodded, accepting the ugly part of his job with a
silent grace and unwavering faith he’d missed.

She knew what the alternative was. Nicole wasn’t a delicate
flower, but death was one of the things about his job she tried to ignore. He
reached for her hand and threaded their fingers together against the blanket,
lapsing into silence as they studied each other. As much as he missed talking
to her, it was the quiet acceptance he missed. Her support.

“How was your day?” he asked in lieu of anything better to
say.

“Not the best.” She grimaced and glanced away.

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay.”

Usually when she didn’t want to talk about something, she
was trying to not be angry or avoid going off on a rant, but he got the feeling
there was something else going on. But he wasn’t exactly in a place to press
her for more information.

“Why’d you come by?” she asked, expression shuttered.

“To see you.”

“We’re separated.” Her tone didn’t seem certain enough for
him.

“Not right now.”

“Jake…” Her face creased as if she were in pain.

He leaned down and kissed her brow, smoothing the lines
away. He’d hurt her and he needed to make it right, however she needed.

Her nose bumped his chin and he felt her breath against his
throat. She grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him down. Not that he
gave her a fight. There was no way he was going to resist her, not when she
wanted him closer. Right where he wanted to be.

She sealed her lips over his and the tension he’d carried in
his shoulders eased. Blood rushed to his cock. He’d had a small taste of what
he’d once had regularly and he was starving for more.

Jake pushed the comforter away, revealing the rest of her
long, lean body. He ran his hands over her silk-clad chest. Her nipples were
hard points under the soft fabric, stabbing his palm. Back and forth he swiped
his thumb over the hard nub. She thrust her chest forward, seeking more
pressure, and dug her fingers into his hair. The desire hadn’t changed between
them. He was sure of that now. He’d felt the way she clenched and held him last
time. Now she reached for him, not the other way around.

He grabbed the hem of her nightie and pulled it up and off
her body, leaving her in the matching panties and nothing else. Her hair curled
around her breasts, wild and untamed, a lot like the way she looked at him.

Nicole relined back on the bed, one leg drawn up and her
hands across her ribs, watching him. She bit her lower lip and color rose on
her cheeks.

“Where’s the vibrator?” he asked. He could fuck her, quick
and fast, but he wanted to remind her of every reason why she’d first fell for
him. Involve her heart and body, reawakening their lust, then love would
follow. It wasn’t dead. Not yet.

She released her lip and pointed behind him. Her suitcase
was set up against the wall, something like a poor man’s dresser, it would
seem. He flipped it open. The gold-skinned vibrator was out of the packaging,
but when he clicked the button, it didn’t turn on.

“I didn’t use it yet.” Her husky voice stroked his ears.

He dug the batteries out from the bag lying on its side in
the suitcase and dropped them into the toy. Now it worked.

Jake turned toward the bed, holding the vibrator in his
fingers. The woman had said it had the widest range of strengths, from gentle
to fuck yeah. He preferred fuck yeah.

Nicole watched him, her expression still clouded. That was
okay. He’d strip away her reservations one orgasm at a time.

He climbed on the bed, straddling her knees, and touched the
vibrating penis to her mound.

“Why didn’t you use it already?” It was blatant curiosity.
Nicole of old would have already have used it six times and changed the
batteries. Nicole of the last year wouldn’t have touched it. So where did the
Nicole in the moment fit in?

She bit her lip harder and lay on her back as he slid the
vibrator higher, drawing patterns on her stomach. Her nipples were hard,
candy-colored peaks and her skin prickled with gooseflesh.

“Nicole, tell me,” Jake demanded.

“Because it was weird, okay?” Nicole squeezed her eyes shut.

“Because?” He rolled the length of the vibrator up over her
breast and she squirmed.

“Because.”

“Because why?”

Her eyes snapped open and she glared at him. “Because I
don’t know who to think about anymore.”

Jake had been the recipient of many a text while at work
containing details of her fantasies, tormenting him with her desires, but she
always finished those with the assurance that it was his cock she imagined
inside her when she orgasmed. He’d never thought to ask if she envisioned
anyone else besides him.

“Was it always me before?” He switched breasts and bent to
lick the sensitized nipple.

“Yes,” she hissed.

The honesty floored him. He was the only person she’d
fantasized about? It shocked and flattered him. He lifted his head but her face
was turned to the side, eyes squeezed shut.

“Hey.” He turned the vibrator off and covered her with his
body. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” Whatever it took to get her rocks off
was fine by him.

“But we’re separated,” she whispered.

“Not right now.” He pressed his face into the pillows until
he found her lips with his. Was she aware her body relaxed at the simple touch?
He didn’t think so.

If she needed his reassurance he’d give it to her.
Everything he was belonged to her. Too bad it took her leaving him for being
stupid to remind him these were still the ways of their life. With each kiss
she relaxed more until she clung to his shoulders, pulling him closer. That was
what he wanted. To remind her of all the reasons they were good together.

Her thigh wrapped around his waist and he settled into the
cradle of her body. Her hips ground against him and he groaned. The memory of
her body was fresh. He wanted it again. Now.

Jake sat up, blindly reaching for the vibrator.

Nicole stared up at him, her cheeks rosy and her eyes full
of lust.

Beautiful.

Jake pushed her legs apart, keeling between them. He pulled
the crotch of her panties to the side and rubbed his knuckles over her folds,
wet with arousal. He spread her labia and turned the vibrator on. Her legs
moved restlessly on the bed but she didn’t try to hide from him again.

The vibrator slid a few inches into her channel. He kept the
setting low as he eased it in and out, in and out. The gold-hued skin became
slick, gliding back and forth without resistance.

He clicked the power setting up and sucked in a breath.

“Feel good?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said on an exhale.

“How good?”

“Really good.”

He increased the power and rhythm. She drew her knees up and
her hips undulated. He shoved her down flat against the bed, keeping her
immobile and fucking her with the vibrator. Her gaze latched on his, the
all-consuming fire within the depths touching even his soul. Her cheeks grew
pinker and her jaw worked soundlessly.

Nicole fisted the sheets with one hand and grabbed his shirt
with the other. Her head tossed back and forth and she groaned, her body seeming
to roll from the top down. Her breath hitched and her nails scored his flesh.

He brought the power down, surprised she’d orgasmed so fast.
But then maybe she was more sensitive now. All the better he fuck her.

She flopped on the bed, watching him through her lashes as
he eased the vibrator from her. Didn’t she know how fucking hot she was? She
starred in all his fantasies because there wasn’t anything better than her. She
was it.

Jake stood and stripped out of his clothes in a rush. He
wanted to feel her skin on his.

He climbed back on the bed, straddling her legs and stroking
her skin from thigh to stomach, stomach to ribs and to her face. She was
totally precious to him, didn’t she know that? Didn’t she know that without her
keeping him together, he would have burned out long before?

He slid her panties down her legs, taking his time to kiss
and nibble as he went. She was already sensitized from the orgasm, so she
wiggled and gasped whenever he hit a tender spot. He tossed the panties in the
direction of the rest of the set, his focus totally on her.

Nicole reached for him then, wrapping her arms around his
neck. She strained toward his mouth, so he hauled her up until she straddled
his thighs, rising above him. The perfect position to worship her breasts. But
first he needed her mouth.

She kissed him, digging her hands into his hair and sucking
on his lower lip. Her teeth scored him. He loved how she got a little wild in
bed, how she liked him to throw her around.

He plumped her breasts and gently kissed the hard nipples,
once apiece.

“Jake, fuck me,” she whispered.

Gladly.

Nicole held on to his shoulders as he grasped his cock and
notched it against her pussy. She sank onto his length, her nails digging
tracks in his shoulders. He groaned as he slid deep. She moaned and rose, the
slow drag of flesh on flesh driving him crazy. He grabbed her hips and thrust
up into her.

“Oh yes.” She tightened her grip and leaned against his
chest until her nipples rubbed his as she rose and sank. Her hips moved even as
she pistoned up and down, adding a counteraction to her fucking.

This wildness, the way she lost herself, it was fucking hot.

He slid his hands down to slap her ass, startling a laugh
out of her. She grinned at him and swooped down for a kiss, thrusting her tongue
into his mouth.

Jake grabbed the vibrator that had rolled toward them and
clicked it on. He slid it between them lengthwise so whenever she had his cock
inside her, the vibrator hit her clit.

Nicole gasped, her muscles freezing at the first contact. Her
jaw dropped and her eyes went unfocused.

Oh yeah.

Jake began to thrust, rubbing his length along the vibrator.
It was different and not bad at all.

“Oh yes. Fuck. Do that again.”

He kept thrusting into her welcoming body. At this rate he
was going to look like a cat scratching post but he didn’t care. They were her
scratches, every damn one of them. And he’d wear them with pride.

“Jake. Oh fuck.” She panted, her eyes dilated and the
tendons on the side of her neck stood out. She was damn close.