by Ivy Nelson
“Tell me more about growing up in D.C. Did you go to college in the area?”
Darci tensed and her face fell.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. We can talk about something else.”
“No. It’s OK. I went to college in Maryland. It just wasn’t a great time in my life, and I would rather not talk about it right now.”
“I understand. I won’t pry.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Can we watch something silly on TV?”
“Of course, baby girl. You know I like snuggling on the couch with you.”
“You just want an excuse to fall asleep on me again.” She was smiling, and he relaxed.
“Hey, If I remember it was you that was snoring on me, little miss.”
“I do not snore!” They laughed, and the mood was once again light.
Bradley opened another bottle of wine and they settled onto the couch and began channel surfing. Darci snuggled close to him on the sofa. He said nothing, deciding to enjoy the moment. They settled on a stand-up comic and spent the next hour laughing. As the credits rolled, he pulled her closer to him and she sighed.
“Thanks for tonight Bradley.”
Looking down at her, he smiled.
“Of course.”
As she smiled up at him, he was once again struck by her angelic beauty. Her lips looked soft and kissable, and he couldn’t resist any longer.
He lowered his head to hers slowly, giving her time to adjust to the idea of him kissing her again. When she didn’t pull away, he continued until their lips met, and she moaned into his mouth. He took that opportunity to plunge his tongue between her lips and explore. She tasted of wine.
With a groan, he fisted his hands into her curls tilting her head back to give him better access. She broke the kiss a moment later, and he let her back away, not wanting to push her. Her face was flushed, and her breathing labored, but she was smiling. She snuggled back up to him and didn’t say anything.
Bradley pulled her close and found another show for them to watch. At the end of the show, Darci had fallen asleep on his shoulder again. He chuckled to himself. Silly precious girl. It was still storming outside when he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead and turned to leave.
“Hey,” she mumbled sleepily.
“Shhh, I’m sorry I was trying not to wake you.”
“It’s OK,” she murmured. “Would you lay down with me for a little while? I want to be close to someone right now.”
“Of course.” He switched the light off before crawling into bed with her. She immediately scooted closer to him, so he placed an arm around her protectively. Within minutes her breathing was once again even, and it wasn’t long before Bradley was fast asleep with her.
18
♥♥♥
The next morning, Darci woke before Bradley. His arm was still around her. Did I really ask him to lie down with me? The warmth of a blush combined with his body heat made her too hot.
Carefully she tried to lift his arm from around her and slip out of bed, thinking she would make them breakfast. He gripped her arm, stopping her from leaving the bed.
“Oh, phooey. You’re awake,” she said turning to face him.
“Well, it’s good to see you too.” He grinned when she frowned.
“That’s not what I meant. I was going to surprise you with breakfast before we have to go to work.”
“That’s very thoughtful. Did you sleep OK?”
“Very well. Thanks for laying with me. Storms make me uneasy.” He smiled and tugged her back down to his side and tucked her close.
“I’m enjoying our time together,” he whispered in her ear. A sigh left her at the sensation of his hot breath fluttering across her skin. “I hope you don’t mind,” he continued. “I’m going to repeat my favorite part of the night right now.” Then he was rolling, and she found herself pinned beneath him. Seconds later he was plundering her mouth with his. She instinctively fisted her hands in his hair as he stole her breath. “God, you taste good,” he said when he broke the kiss.
They had fallen asleep in their clothes, but now the urge to have him naked on top of her was overwhelming. As she squirmed against the erection pressing into her, she forgot her misgivings about this man. She fumbled with the buttons of his dark gray shirt, but her fingers seemed to have stopped working. He didn’t appear to notice because he was kissing her again. He possessed her mouth like no one ever had. She grazed her teeth across his lip and pulled away.
“Clothes,” she said, her voice gravelly, still fumbling with his buttons.
Laughter shook him and he gave her a hand with his shirt. After discarding it on the floor, he rolled them so she was on top. “Too many clothes,” she said with a pout.
“I agree. You’re wearing entirely too many.” He scooted them until he was sitting against the headboard. “You should stand up and strip for me.”
“I’m not great at that,” she said, a hint of anxiety building in her stomach.
“It’s not rocket science baby. Just take your clothes off for me.” Despite insecurities, the look in his eyes and the erection still pressing against her, combined with the growing need between her thighs made her want to strip for him. She planted a kiss on his forehead and crawled off the bed.
Once she was standing in front of him, she slowly lifted her blouse over her head revealing a pretty blue bra. He hummed in appreciation as her shirt hit the floor. While unhooking the button on her jeans, she took a step closer to him. “My jeans are awful tight. Maybe you could give me a hand.” It came out as a husky whisper, but a whisper was all that was necessary. He crawled to the end of the bed and sat. Grabbing her hands, he jerked her to him. He planted a kiss on her abdomen and slowly peeled her jeans down her thighs, taking her panties with them.
“Mmm. I’ve been having dreams about this moment,” he whispered, kissing her again—lower this time. Her head fell back, and she couldn’t help the moan that escaped. Dropping to his knees in front of the bed, he finished removing her jeans.
He kissed a trail of scorching kisses up her leg until he reached the apex of her thighs. That spot that had been aching since they left for Arlington yesterday. The kiss he planted sent shock waves of pleasure through her, causing her to buck against him. When he chuckled, the vibrations of his laugh made her shudder even more.
“Somebody’s got it just as bad as I do,” he said as he stood pulling her close. His nimble fingers made quick work of the clasp on her bra. Soon she was naked in his embrace.
“Stand back,” he said pushing her away from him. Shyness overtook her again and she crossed her arms in front of her breasts. “Uh uh.” He shook his head. “Don’t hide from me, baby girl.”
Closing the distance between them, he gently lifted her arms away from her body and placed them at her sides. “I want to see all of you, beautiful.” This time she didn’t hide, and he grinned.
“God, you’re so damn sexy.” He grabbed her and pushed her toward the bed. This was where she wanted to be.
“You’re still wearing pants,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow. “Eager, are you?” She nodded, and he chuckled, climbing on top of her. “If you’re a good girl, I might take them off for you.”
His expression changed to one of concern, and he searched her face. “Are you sure you want this?”
The eager nod she gave him was all the encouragement he needed. A wicked gleam flashed in his eyes. His hand drifted downward, and he grasped her pussy, causing her to gasp.
“Fuck, you’re wet. I like that.” He slipped two fingers slowly inside her, and she groaned.
“Bradley please.”
“Please what baby?” He placed a thumb on her clit but didn’t move his hand at all. “Tell me what you want Darci.”
“Fuck,” she cried out.
“You have to tell me, baby.” He slowly slid his fingers out of her tight pussy but left his thumb where it w
as, applying just a little pressure. She tried to squirm, but he had her pinned. “No, no, naughty girl. No escaping.” He increased the pressure. “Tell me. Don’t be shy. Don’t be stubborn. What do you want?”
“I want to come.” It came out louder than she intended.
“Good girl.” His mouth was on hers again, and he plunged his fingers deep inside her, curling and pushing in and out until her breathing changed.
“There. Right there,” she whimpered, letting him know he was hitting that sweet spot. The pressure on her clit increased as he stroked faster and harder. His mouth moved down her throat and captured a nipple between his teeth. “Come for me baby. I want to watch you lose it for me.”
His naughty words in her ear were enough to push her over the edge. She clenched around his fingers as waves of pleasure washed over her body. Unintelligible nonsense was all she could manage to cry out as he continued his assault on her sensitive clit. “Oh, good girl,” he whispered close to her ear. “I’m going to have fun with you.”
“Pants,” she said emphatically when she recovered from the intense orgasm. When she unfastened the button on his jeans, he rose up. Still straddling her, he slid the denim down his thighs along with his boxer briefs. Her eyes grew wide as his cock sprang free. It was hard, and thick, and begged for her touch. Holy fuck that’s big. She reached for his erection, but he grabbed her hand and pinned it above her head.
“I want to play,” she pouted.
He grinned and kissed her forehead. “All in good time sweet girl. If you touch me now, I don’t get to fuck you, and right now I am dying to be buried inside you.” Could her touch really unman him? That was a powerful thought, and she ached for the chance to find out.
“Can I fuck you, pet?” he asked intently. Words failed her, so she nodded. He released her hand from above her head and captured her mouth in another searing kiss.
Shifting and pushing her thighs apart, he slowly sank into her an inch at a time. He was so big. More than a year had passed since she’d felt a man inside her, but this was unlike anything she had felt before. And it was so. Fucking. Amazing.
He gave her time to adjust to him before he moved. Slow at first but then as she begged for more, he picked up speed.
“Fuck,” he hissed. “You feel so good wrapped around me.”
A moan of agreement was all she could manage as the sensation of him filling her overwhelmed her senses. His fingers found her clit once again as he continued to pump in and out of her. “Come with me, Darci.”
Hearing her name on his lips was her undoing. She cried out as another orgasm spiraled through her. As he found his own release, groans of pleasure came from deep in his chest. He collapsed on top of her, and she wrapped her arms around him panting.
“Jesus. That was hot,” she said breathlessly. He mumbled something unintelligible, but it sounded like he agreed with her.
“I think I could get used to this,” he said, rolling off her. “Say yes, Darci. Let’s explore something bigger.”
“Shh, don’t ruin the afterglow with complicated things. Besides,” she said, reaching down and wrapping her hands around his still hard cock. “I’m not sure I could handle anything bigger.” He laughed and tweaked a nipple causing her to squeal.
“Behave,” he growled in her ear.
Her giggles subsided and he sobered as she stared up at him. “OK, we don’t have to talk about anything complicated today. But we will talk about it, Darci.” He kissed her hard, hopped up off the bed and walked out of the room.
A moment later he was back with a damp cloth in hand, which he used to gently clean her up. When he finished, shyness overcame her again, so she grabbed the comforter and covered herself with it. A frown flitted across his features. He slipped into bed with her and pulled her close. She didn’t protest even though she was anxious about what had just transpired between them.
“Don’t over think this baby,” he whispered. It was like he could read her thoughts.
“I’ll try not to,” she said as her eyes drifted closed.
“Wasn’t that so much better than breakfast?” he whispered.
• • •
Darci’s eyes fluttered open. Shit. They must have fallen asleep again. She checked the time on her phone. Nearly nine o’clock. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of what they had done earlier that morning. She nudged Bradley. “Hey, wake up.” He mumbled incoherently and shoved her hands away, so she nudged him again.
“Shhh, sleeping here.” She giggled. He was cute when he was half asleep.
“It’s almost nine in the morning. We’re both late.” He sighed and rolled over trapping her under him.
“Fine. I guess we should get up. Are you OK?” he asked, his voice shifting from being sleepy and grumpy to tender and laced with concern.
A smile formed on her face. “I’m great, but I could use breakfast.”
He grinned. “I think we can figure something out.” When he rolled off the bed, the blanket went with him, leaving her exposed. Embarrassment and the cold air hitting her bare skin had her grabbing a pillow to cover herself. A dark look flashed across his face as he stalked back to the bed and plucked the pillow from her hands.
“What did I say about hiding yourself from me?” She flushed and fought the urge to cover her breasts.
“God, you're beautiful,” he said, his voice husky with desire.
Arousal saturated her as she stared up at the naked man towering over the bed. His cock had grown hard and was standing at full attention. The urge to take him in her mouth overwhelmed her, and she crawled toward the edge of the bed intent on doing just that. Instead, he slipped his hands into her hair and hauled her up to kiss him. “There’s time for all that later,” he whispered. “I need to feed you and get us both to work.”
19
♥♥♥
Darci had trouble concentrating at work. She spent most of the morning sorting through her box of files. So far, the only thing missing was a folder of her own personal records. It was a good thing that none of her clients appeared to have been compromised, but she was still disturbed by the items that were taken.
On top of that, she couldn’t get Bradley out of her head. It had been a mistake to let him make love to her, but it felt so good to just be loved by someone. They needed to talk about some things now. Set boundaries. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to bring BDSM into the relationship yet.
Relationship. She shook her head. That was just silly. They had sex one time. Sure, it was something she was eager to experience again, his hard body on top of hers. But enjoying him on a regular basis brought all kinds of complications with it, complications she wasn’t sure how to address. Maybe they could figure something out after things settled down.
Right now, though, it was time to reorganize her files. The contents of the two boxes were scattered everywhere. An hour later, little progress had been made. Files had been shuffled from pile to pile, but her mind was too scattered to really focus. It kept wandering to thoughts of a certain chief of staff.
Those thoughts had her so consumed, she didn’t hear her office door open. When she looked up, Bradley was standing in the doorway in a dark blue suit grinning at her. “Bradley! What are you doing here?”
He moved to the chairs in front of her desk and sat in one. “I thought I would see what you were doing for lunch today. I have a couple hours free because the senator is out of town and doesn’t need babysitting.”
The site of him had her heart racing and all she could offer him was a shy smile. Why did he make her so nervous? “Let me see what’s on my calendar this afternoon.” Clicking on the calendar app on her phone, she felt a twinge of disappointment. A lunch meeting was already scheduled. “I’m sorry, I’m supposed to be having lunch with my boss. I was supposed to go to New York next week but he’s going to take my place. Michael thinks it’s better if I stick close to home.”
“He’s probably right. An early dinner then?” he asked hopefully.
> “Sounds perfect.” She grinned, less nervous now.
“Good girl.” He smirked, and she shook her head. They had to talk about so much tonight.
“Go away, Bradley. I need to work.” With a laugh, he headed for the door.
“Bradley,” she said, stopping him. He turned around expectantly. “I had a good day yesterday… and this morning.”
“I had a good time too.” He winked and then he was gone. She sighed. This might be a tough day to get through. Not long after Bradley left, her phone rang. It was Michael. She answered cheerfully.
“Hey, Darci. Did you get everything you needed from your apartment yesterday?”
“I think so. I could use my laptop. That’s where I keep my file cabinet inventory. It will be the easiest way to tell if anything is missing.” She opted not to tell him just yet that her own personal file seemed to be gone. It was something he needed to know, but she wanted to wait until she did a full review of the boxes.
“I’ll get it back to you as soon as possible.”
“Do you know anything yet?”
“Not yet. We’re looking at the guest log at your apartment. You’ll need to look at it too. You’re sure you don’t remember seeing anyone at the munch? I’ve been going over it in my head and I didn’t see anything, which irritates me.”
Of course, it would irritate him. He had the training to spot surveillance, so it would hurt his ego to miss something. Especially considering it was probably the killer that snapped the photo.
“Don’t beat yourself up too hard. Based on this photo he wasn’t in the dining room with us. It would have been hard to spot him.”
The tall officer sighed. “I know. I just hate that whoever this prick is has his sight set on you. Be careful please. Stay away from your apartment unless someone is with you.”
“But I want to sleep in my own bed, Michael.” It was one thing she had planned to talk to Bradley about at dinner tonight.