Authors: Tessa Bailey
Tags: #police, #Romantic Suspense, #brazen, #line of duty, #erotic, #new york, #Contemporary Romance
her legs spread, she knew the dampness
he’d created was visible on her
underwear. Maybe after what had just
happened,
modesty
was
a
little
ridiculous, but she attempted to pull her
skirt down anyway.
“Don’t even think about it. It makes
me hot as fuck to see what I did to you.”
He smoothed his palms over her breasts,
then yanked her tank top and bra down in
one swift, almost angry motion, exposing
her to his eyes. She’d never shown a
man her naked breasts before, but had
always wondered what it would be like.
Her fantasies didn’t compare to the lust
on Bowen’s face. His eyelids dipped as
though he couldn’t hold them up, tongue
snaking out to wet his lips. “I can’t have
your pussy, but I’m going to make these
mine. Right now.” He gripped his
arousal and began to stroke. “Play with
your nipples, Sera. Tease me.”
Seeing how she affected him made her
feel so desirable in that moment. Their
surroundings had faded into nothingness,
leaving only Bowen and his deep,
hypnotic voice. She traced her fingers up
her
rib
cage
slowly,
excitement
blooming once more as she watched his
mouth fall open, letting out a groan. As
she’d only ever done by herself, she
pinched her nipples, tugging them a little
between her thumb and forefinger.
Between their bodies, the pace of his
stroking accelerated along with his harsh
breaths.
“Tell me you wish I’d fuck you,” he
demanded. “Tell me you want it bad.”
“I…”
“Say it, baby.” He sucked in a breath,
eyes beginning to look glassy. “We both
know it’s true.”
He was right. She
did
want him. In a
way that startled her. But once she said
it out loud she wouldn’t be able to take it
back. Still, the words climbed her throat,
wanting to escape. She desperately
wanted to see him climax. To be the
reason he lost control.
Let go, Sera. Just
once.
Keeping her gaze locked on him, she
squeezed her breasts tight, then let them
fall out of her hands and bounce. “I wish
you’d fuck me.” She leaned down,
bringing their mouths close. “I want it so
bad, Bowen.”
“
Oh, God
.” His body reared up, hips
pumping, a growl erupting from his
throat. He worked his length up and
down so fast his hand became a blur,
then she felt warmth between them,
coating her throat and breasts. It
shouldn’t have turned her on or filled her
with feminine pride, but it did. Seeing
the physical result of her touch, her
voice, it made her feel powerful. Sexy.
Two feelings she’d never experienced
until now. With Bowen.
When his body stopped shuddering, he
looked at her through hooded eyes that
coasted
down
her
body
with
appreciation. Then stopped. As if a
switch had been flipped inside him, he
jerked upright and began wiping her off
with his T-shirt.
“Dammit. You make me crazy, Sera.
You know that?” Color still high on his
cheekbones, he shot her a look, half
disbelief, half amusement. “By the way,
I didn’t think you’d actually say it.”
Heat crept up her neck. “It worked,
didn’t it?”
His lips tipped into a smile. “Yeah,
Ladybug. It worked.” He dropped his T-
shirt, then leaned forward to press a kiss
to her mouth. “What the hell am I going
to do with you?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
Just then, the door at the top of the
stairs began creaking open. In a split
second’s time, Bowen wrapped his arms
around her and jerked her into a
protective hold. With her face pressed
against his throat, she felt his neck turn
to see who’d interrupted them. When she
heard Connor’s familiar voice, she
sagged into Bowen.
“Jesus, Driscol. Control yourself,
huh?”
He only drew her closer. “What do
you want?”
“A couple of Hogan’s guys just
walked in. I don’t think it would be wise
if they saw you two coming out of here
together.” Bowen tensed at Connor’s
warning. After a moment, Connor added,
“They’re not going to care that you just
came down here to mess around.”
Keeping her blocked from Connor’s
view, he tried to fix her clothing, but she
slapped his hand away and did it herself.
After giving her a look, he relented and
pulled his own T-shirt back on,
seemingly
unconcerned
about
the
dampness at the hem. “Do you have a
suggestion or did you just come down
here hoping to get an eyeful?”
Connor snorted. “There’s another
staircase leading to the hatch we use for
deliveries. Down the hallway, past the
office. Use it.”
They were already on their feet,
moving down the stairs.
“Thank you, Connor,” she said,
pausing at the bottom, watching a silent
communication pass between him and
Bowen.
Connor nodded. “Listen, Driscol?”
“Yeah.”
“This is my last favor.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sera woke up staring at the scales of
justice painted on the guest room ceiling.
In another time or place, the irony of it
might even be funny. Right now, mere
hours after allowing one of New York
City’s most notable criminals access to
her body,
ehh
, not so much. To make
matters worse, she’d actually been
disappointed last night when they came
home and he didn’t try to touch her
again. He’d told her to make herself
something to eat, then closed himself in
his room without another word. She’d
stood at the kitchen counter and eaten a
bowl of Cheerios before reciting her
nightly ritual of Our Fathers before
heading to bed.
She should have been grateful for time
to think and regroup. Instead, she’d
found herself staring at the door, willing
it to open. This attraction she felt for
Bowen didn’t seem possible to control.
It was getting in the way of her
investigationçlouding her judgment,
distracting her. Last night, after finding
her brother’s name in Hogan’s ledger
book, she’d welcomed that distraction,
but in the light of day, hiding wasn’t an
option. Colin had to have had a solid
reason for taking payouts, and now her
job would include finding it. Otherwise,
bringing down Hogan could mean
incriminating her brother in the process.
Last night, she’d gone down to
Hogan’s office seeking answers, but
today she only had more questions.
Bowen’s easy acceptance of her cover
story still made no sense. Unless, of
course, her first theory still proved true.
Knowing they would dispose of her once
Hogan returned meant it didn’t matter
what she knew. It would follow her to
the bottom of the East River or wherever
they planned to dump her. But she
couldn’t reconcile that outcome with the
Bowen she’d spent even a short amount
of time with. He wasn’t a callous man, at
least when it came to her. On the
contrary. She thought back to the tender
kiss he’d given her after their encounter
on the steps. The penetrating way he’d
looked at her. Could he spend a week
with her, then hand her over to Hogan?
Just the idea of it hurt.
Not good, Sera.
Even more baffling than Bowen’s
behavior? Connor had assisted them last
night. Yes, they’d formed a fledgling
friendship while she’d been attending
his injury, but he was related to Hogan.
Why would he
help
them?
She pushed her hair out of her face
and sat up in bed. When she swung her
legs over the side, something caught her
eye. Just above her pillow, a white oval
had been painted. No, not an oval. A
halo. She couldn’t remember if it had
been there yesterday and she just hadn’t
noticed. How could she have missed it?
After a final curious glance, she left the
room and went to shower.
Twenty minutes later, she’d showered
and changed into leggings, an oversize
button-down shirt, and ballet flats. She
sat on the windowsill staring out toward
Manhattan, piling her hair into a bun,
when Bowen walked out of his
bedroom, wearing nothing but a pair of
partially unbuttoned jeans. Immediately,
she noticed his body had been marked in
several places. Fresh bruises, faded
scars, all layered over rough-cut muscle.
Powerful
. After she managed to drag her
gaze away from his distracting physique,
she
registered
immediately
how
exhausted he looked. Stubble darker than
his hair covered his jaw; dark circles
formed half moons under his eyes,
telling her he hadn’t slept well. Even
after the pep talk she’d just given herself
about holding herself back from him, lest
she forget why she came, Sera wanted to
go to him. Run her fingers through his
hair…and see if her touch could get him
to sleep.
Whoa, don’t get too racy with the
fantasies, Saint Sera.
She ignored the sarcastic voice in her
head and waved. “Morning.”
He walked toward her as if
compelled, not stopping until he stood so
close, she couldn’t inhale without taking
in the masculine scent emanating from
his skin. The way he looked at her
would have been unnerving if she hadn’t
already witnessed his intense nature. He
scanned her from head to toe, as if to
reassure himself she was in one piece. It
made her want to laugh and cry at the
same time, but she had no idea why.
“Hey,” he said softly. “How’d you
sleep?”
She answered honestly. “I dreamed I
was scuba diving.”
His quick laugh seemed to surprise
him. “Oh yeah? How’d that go?”
“Not good. They dropped me into the
water and tossed instructions at me.
Only, the instructions dissolved the
minute they touched the water. I tried to
tell them I didn’t know how to scuba
dive, but my words came out sounding
like Charlie Brown’s teacher.”
He shook his head at her. “What did
you eat before bed?”
“Cheerios.”
“That explains it.” He crossed his
arms over his broad chest. “Cheerios
made you think of life preservers. Life
preservers made you think of the ocean.”
“You’re good at this.” She tilted her
head. “How do you explain the Charlie
Brown voice?”
“Oh, that just means you’re weird.”
They shared a laugh, the sound intimate
in the stillness of the morning. “What
were you thinking about when I walked
out here?”
The gruff quality of his voice made
her shiver. Knowing she couldn’t tell
him the whole truth, she went with an
adjusted version. “I was thinking I
haven’t been anywhere in the last two
weeks. Apart from here and the club.”
She glanced back out the window. “I’m
officially an indoor kid.”
He ran a hand through his sleep-
mussed hair. “Well then, we need to get
you out of here, baby.”
Oh, God, until he’d agreed, she hadn’t
realized how badly she needed to get
some air. Bowen’s apartment was a
million miles from her tiny room above
Rush, but the possibility of getting
outside and stretching her legs sounded
like heaven. She stood, smiling so big it
hurt. “Really?”
For a moment, he just stared at her,
before visibly shaking himself. Stepping
away from her, he reached into his back
pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes,
lighting one. “Let me grab a shower. I’ll
take you anywhere you want to go,
Ladybug.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Anywhere?”
Cigarette clamped between his teeth,