I kiss my way down her jaw and neck to the swell of her breasts. When I can go no lower, I pull back and hook my fingers under her shirt. I wait for only a second, but it’s another second for her to change her mind. She doesn’t. Instead, she sits up with me to allow me to pull it over her head. As I pull her sports bra off, her breasts bounce, her nipples already hardened before I’ve even touched them.
I lower my mouth down to them, sucking one into my mouth as my tongue swirls around it. She lets out an approving moan and lies back to let me do my work. While I suck, flick, and nibble at one, my hand plays with the other, massaging and caressing. I give her breasts far more attention than I should, but I’ve been picturing them since the moment I met her.
“Bryce, please,” she whimpers, biting down on my shoulder.
Her hands find the button on my pants again, and she pops it open and lowers the zipper. I have to get us both naked before we can back out. I need her now, and there is no stopping me this time. I’m far past the point of no return. In the blink of an eye, my pants and boxers are lying on the floor next to her shorts and lace panties. She brings my mouth to hers as my aching dick rests and pulses against her center.
“Do you have a condom?” I ask against her lips.
Without breaking our kiss, she reaches over and pulls one out of the top drawer of her nightstand. I hear the foil package as she rips it open. The next thing I know, she’s sliding it over my length, making me quiver at her touch.
Nine
Nina
“Are you sure?” he asks me, and I want to laugh in his face. Am I sure? Of course I’m sure. I’ve been dreaming of this moment since he kissed me against the hood of my car weeks ago. After the awkwardness at work, I never in a million years thought this was how my day would go. Right now, all I can think about is flipping him over and sliding down his massive length, making him mine once and for all.
“Yes, please, Bryce,” I say against his lips as I lift my hips slightly, feeling his tip at my wet center.
He knows he’s already poised at the perfect spot, so without warning, he pushes deep into me. We both let out a gasp and a moan as he finds his place within me. He pauses, and I use the time to spread my legs further apart. He’s so big that it feels like he’s ripping me in two, and he isn’t even in all the way yet.
“Fuck, Nina. You’re so tight,” he says, placing a hand on my hip. He pulls me into his thrust, filling me completely. I let out a moan that’s a mix of pleasure and pain. When I put the condom on him, I couldn’t even close my fist around him. That’s how big he is, and that’s how much he’s stretching me. When I first saw his size, I almost freaked out, wondering how bad it would hurt, but it wasn’t enough for me to turn back, and I’m so glad I didn’t.
He slides back several inches before pushing into me again, this time harder and with more force. I can’t help but rock against him, grinding my clit against the dark hairs that surround his manhood.
His hands hold my hips as he pumps into me again and again. I feel my release rising, and it’s so close that it makes my entire body go numb. My toes curl, my nails dig into his back, and my lungs suddenly stop working. My heart, though, doubles its pace. With one last thrust, I shatter around him, moaning, whimpering, and whispering her name over and over until I float back down into my body. When I open my eyes, I’m surprised to find his green ones locked with mine.
“That was so fucking sexy, Nina,” he says, before covering my lips with his own and working his hips faster. Just as his release rises to the surface, mine fills me again, pushing me over the edge along with him. His hips sputter and jerk, finally coming to a stop as he rests on top of me. His heat sinks into me, and his weight feels perfect pressed against me. My heart and lungs are working overtime as I try to regain the use of my brain and limbs.
When we’ve both finally found our way back to our bodies, he rolls to my side and pulls the blanket up over both of us. He pulls me tightly to his chest and presses a kiss to my shoulder. “Don’t go quiet on me now. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I take a deep breath. “I’m thinking about how perfect that was,” I tell him, glancing over his shoulder. “Was it… I mean, was I good enough for you?” This man has seen every inch of my body now, but, somehow, asking that one question was enough to cause embarrassment to wash over me.
“That was perfect, Nina. As I knew it would be. There was a reason I wasn’t able to stop thinking about you.”
I smile at his words. “What do we do now? I mean, what we’ve done, there’s no taking it back.”
“I wouldn’t even if I could,” he replies, making my insides turn to mush.
“We broke the rules, Bryce.”
“And I’m more than happy to keep breaking them with you. We just have to keep things quiet. Can’t let anyone find out. Not for a while anyway. I’d hate to be fired.”
I roll in his arms so that I’m facing him. I cup his jaw and look into his green eyes that are sparkling but also hooded with lust. “So, you’re not backing out. And we’re going to keep this to ourselves?”
He offers up a breathtaking smile that makes my heart pound. “If I thought it was impossible to stay away from you before, there’s no way I’m going to be able to do it now.”
I grin as I lean in and press another kiss to his lips. He kisses me softly at first, but the kiss picks up urgency as our hands start to roam each other’s bodies. Before I know it, he’s on his back with me riding every single inch of him.
Several hours later, we finally part. He lies on his back while I rest my head on his chest. It’s only now that I see the raised, puckered scar on his chest. I raise my hand, running my fingers around the circular scar. “What’s this from?”
“I was shot.”
I inhale loudly, lifting my head to look up at his face.
“Shot? When?”
“In the bombing. I was shot and left there to die in the explosion.”
His body tensed during this turn in the conversation, so I want to let it drop. But before I do, I press my lips against the scar, kissing it, more than thankful that he survived the whole ordeal. An explosion couldn’t stop him. A bullet couldn’t kill him. He’s stronger than any man I know, and now he’s all mine.
Bryce and I spend our entire weekend locked up at my place. We’d make love, sleep, eat, shower, and end up right back in bed. I’ve never been so sore in my whole life. When Monday morning rolls around, I dress in a pair of pants with flats and a dress shirt that buttons all the way up. As sore as I am, I don’t need to give him any ammo today. My lady bits need a break after the weekend with him. I walk into the station and stop in the break room for my usual coffee. He must sense me because as soon as I walk out to go to my office, he steps out of his office with a file under his arm.
I shoot him a wink but turn for my office. I set my things down on my desk, and as I expected, a knock sounds at the door.
“It’s open,” I say as I move my bag under my desk. As I’m bending over, he steps up behind me, pressing his dick against my back. I blush as I turn around.
“Mr. Moore, inappropriate work behavior,” I say, teasing him.
He drops the file onto my desk with a loud smack, spins me around to face him, picks me up, and sets me down on my desk. He moves between my knees as his lips find mine. He kisses me fast and deep, making me forget my own name and the fact that he’s been between my legs all weekend. It was hard enough to walk without whimpering as it is.
He pulls back. “How’s this for inappropriate work behavior for you?” He offers up a sly grin.
I giggle. “I’d say we’d definitely be written up for this.”
“What can I say? I’m a rebel.” His hand brushes against my core, and it feels like my entire body lights on fire.
I put my hand against his chest and push him back a step. “We really need to get some work done. And to be honest, I already feel like I’m walking with a watermelon between my thighs because my lady b
its are sore as shit. She needs a break.”
He laughs. “Well, there are other ways I can make you scream my name, you know. In fact, I remember you coming completely undone just from my mouth on—”
His words stop when someone else knocks on the door.
I quickly jump up from my desk and hold the file he brought in to make it look like he just handed it over.
Claire pops her head in. “Hey, Nina,” she starts but stops when she sees Bryce in here with me.
“I’m sorry. I was just dropping this off for Nina. I’ll get out of your way so you can get back to work,” he says, taking a step back.
Her eyes follow him, specifically his ass, as he walks away. “Mmmm, that man doesn’t know what he does to me,” she says, making me laugh.
“What can I help you with?”
“Oh, um, my computer is on the fritz again. Would you mind coming up?”
I nod. “Let me get my things put away, and I’ll be right up.”
She turns and walks away, leaving me alone. I open the file in my hand. There’s only one sheet of paper in it, and it says, “My excuse to be alone with you.”
I laugh as I put the file into my desk and head out to help Claire.
Tuesday night comes, and I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been in my life. I have everything ready to go. I have my laptop with the website mock-up pulled up. I have my sketches, and I also have my numbers and statistics. I have everything I need. I’m more prepared for this than I was for my hook up with Bryce. So why am I so nervous?
Bryce shows up fully dressed in uniform, hoping it earns him the attention we’ll need for this presentation. I, however, decided to wear the tight pencil skirt that Bryce seems to love so much. I pair it with some black pumps and a crisp white dress shirt. I pull my hair back into a sleek bun and grab my things.
“Ready?” Bryce asks, looking me up.
I take a deep breath. “I think so.”
“I know one thing,” he says as we walk toward the door to make our way to town hall. “I’m not going to be able to focus with you in this skirt and these heels.”
I giggle. “Help me get the council’s approval. and I’ll let you rip it off of me later,” I tease, walking out while shaking my ass a little more than necessary.
We get to the town hall, and the parking lot is already crowded. We sign in and take our seats, waiting for our turn to get up and speak. We have to sit through an hour of the town complaining about various issues before we finally have a chance to get up and present our case. I take the podium while I hand over my computer with the website to the man in charge of audio and visuals.
He hooks it up but doesn’t turn the screen on. Not until I give him the signal. “My name is Nina Waters, and I work as an IT specialist here at the police department.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Nina. What have you brought for us today?” the gray-haired man in the center asks.
“I’m glad you asked. You see, working at the police department has brought some things to my attention. One, the youth in this town are getting into a lot of trouble. Two, the numbers of troubled teens in this town are on the rise. And three, an easy fix to both of these problems would be to give them what they need. I have here…” I pass over the file with my sketches. “The sketches of what I think the solution is. A youth center.” I motion for the man operating the screen to pull up the website.
“Kids today are getting bored, and with boredom comes trouble. I mean, if you think about it, there are only a handful of things for kids to do, and most of those things aren’t chaperoned in any way. This would be a way to keep the kids off the street. We’ll offer basketball courts, skate ramps, an indoor pool, classes, and tutoring sessions, in hopes this will keep them out of trouble and help them to prepare for college. I even plan on hiring some of the kids who need a little extra money. I also have with me the sheriff. He’s going to present on the climbing numbers of arrests of underage kids. Please welcome Sheriff Moore.” I gesture toward him, and he comes to stand at the podium while I step back.
I can’t help but watch him while he speaks to the council. His back is straight, and he looks sexy as hell in his police uniform. His looks alone will be enough to get people to sit up and pay attention, but what he’s saying is just as important. He gives the hard truth with proof. There’s no way the council won’t consider this.
I introduce the rest of the people I’ve asked to speak, mostly just townspeople who have suffered a loss due to troublemaking kids. Next, I walk them through the website to show just how much income this could generate for the town. I answer every question they have, most of them already planned for with answers thought out.
I watch as they look down at the information before them, excitement bubbling through me because I have a feeling that in the end, I’ll get exactly what I want—a youth center.
Ten
Bryce
I can’t help but stare in awe of Nina as she speaks about something she so obviously cares deeply about. She’s beautiful and fearless, and she doesn’t back down, even when they seem to throw more and more questions at her.
Then someone on the council asks, “And how do you expect to pay for all of this?”
She looks down at her papers, clears her throat, and says, “I have a backer. If approved, you won’t have to pay a cent. It won’t affect town taxes. Nothing will change other than that we’ll have a nice place to help the kids.”
“And what happens if this backer pulls out or runs out of money? How will you address that?”
I watch her move from foot to foot. This is the first time all night that she’s looked this nervous. “I have it on good standing that this youth center will be fully funded without the town’s or government’s help, sir.”
The man at the table doesn’t like this answer, though. “May I ask who in this town has the kind of money that something like this will require to pull off?”
“I do, sir,” she says, nearly knocking me off my seat. She does? She’s never been very forthcoming about how she plans on getting this thing paid for. I had no idea she had that kind of money. “I consider it an investment, not only to my bank account, but in myself, in the youth of this town, and the future generations to come.”
The whole crowd stands and starts cheering, clearly impressed that she’s willing to take money from her own pocket as a way to invest in the youth of this town.
The man at the table waits for everyone to quiet down. “What is it exactly you’re here to ask for today if you don’t need our help in building this place?”
“I need your support, sir. I need the proper permits.”
He looks at her from over his silver-framed glasses. “Everyone in favor of a youth center, say aye.”
One by one, each member of the board sitting at the table says, “Aye.”
“Request approved. You can pick up the necessary permits next Monday at the courthouse,” he says, and the room erupts again. Nina rushes to me and wraps me in a big hug. This would normally make me pull away, but I don’t. To everyone else, I’m just hugging the girl I helped by speaking at this meeting. I release her and help her gather her things, and we walk out, smiles on both our faces.
The second I climb behind the wheel, she moves to straddle me, her lips finding mine as her arms lock around my neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she says against my lips. I can’t even kiss her as I’m laughing so hard.
“You’re welcome. You did really well tonight. You did all the work. You deserve it, baby.” I cup her cheek and look deeply into her glassy eyes. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m just so happy. I never thought I’d actually be here, getting this approved. I’m one step closer to my dream.”
I kiss her one last time before starting the truck and taking us home. The question is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t force myself to say it. I mean, it’s none of my business, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about it. How did she get all that money? And if
she does this, opens the youth center, is she going to be broke? Will she be pouring every cent down the drain?
When we walk into her place, I unbutton my shirt and toss it onto the couch with my hat. “Nina, can I ask you something?”
“Yeah,” she says, removing her shoes as she sits on the couch.
“Why didn’t you tell me how you were planning funding the center yourself?”
She looks up at me with her big, blue eyes and shrugs. “I just didn’t think it was important. And when I talk about my money, it only reminds me of how I got it to begin with.”
I place my hand on hers and pull her onto my lap. “Your parents?”
She nods as tears start to form in her eyes.
I take in her appearance, how she should be beyond ecstatic right now, but how, instead, just the mention of her parents makes her lock up. Maybe now is the time to tell her.
“I need to tell you something about the bombing.”
She looks up, eyes locking on mine. “What about it? You didn’t cause it, did you?” she jokes.
I laugh. “No, but I… I did see your parents there.”
Her brows pull together. “You did? How did you know it was them?”
I swallow down all the anger, pain, and emotion that starts to make my throat grow thick. “I wasn’t there before it all went down. I rushed in once the silent alarm was triggered. We were ordered to stand down, but I managed to convince my superior to let me go in. I was known for talking people down. It was kind of my thing.
“So I went in. But this wasn’t just one guy trying to rob a bank. It was a whole team, and they were prepared. I tried every trick I could think of to talk down the leader, but he wasn’t having any of it. He raised his gun and shot me, point-blank. When my team outside heard the gunshot, and I was no longer in their line of sight, they fired back. All of the bank customers were already lying on the floor, so they knew or, rather, hoped that they were out of the way. I don’t remember everything because I was lying on the floor, fighting for my life, but the next thing I knew, everything went to hell. It was like one minute, everything was fine—other than being shot—and in the blink of an eye, there was shattered glass everywhere. People were crying and screaming. There was smoke, but I didn’t know where it was coming from. Hell, it could have just been the dust that was knocked around from all the gunfire. I wasn’t sure.
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