by Anne Conley
He owned her, she was his world, and he would do anything to take care of her. Her needs came first in the bedroom with Dex, and she had never imagined having a lover like that. It was amazing. Something that blew her mind. She didn’t think guys like that were real.
When Dex squinted one eye open at her, the arctic-blue of his lone eye was almost too bright in the dim room. It shone like a diamond, rare and exquisite.
“You have the most beautiful eyes,” Amber said without thinking. Embarrassment flooded her, and she was glad for the dim room. Fortunately, he rolled over and grasped her hips before rolling them both back so she was sprawled across his chest.
“And you have the most beautiful everything,” he said, and she didn’t doubt his sincerity. For some reason, his words seemed so heart-felt, so honest. She wanted to attribute it to the mind-blowing sex they’d shared, but there was something deeper between them. She felt it, and she thought he might be feeling it, too.
Reflexively, she straddled his lean hips, his morning wood notching itself between her thighs, and like a cat who couldn’t help herself, she started rubbing against it. His eyes slitted at her, peering out from under impossibly long lashes, while he reached to the bedside table and held a condom up with two fingers.
Grinning wildly, she grabbed it and slipped it on. Once more before the day started and they had to play grownup wouldn’t hurt anything.
So she thought nothing of raising herself up and slipping him inside her with a moan.
“Oh, Jesus, woman …” Dex’s eyes had darkened to that cobalt color that told Amber he was turned on, and she giggled a little as she gave a little twist of her pelvis.
Sitting up, she felt more beautiful as he hungrily watched her movements. One hand on her ass, another on her breast, he licked his lips as he pumped up into her while she raised and lowered her slick heat onto him.
“So perfect … so fucking perfect.” He said that a lot, and again, Amber didn’t doubt his sincerity, even if she were riding him into the sunset, so to speak.
Even as well-used as she was after last night, the stretch as his cock entered her was intense. It took a couple of times with her raising and lowering herself to get him fully seated in her, even as wet as she was. But when she was full of Dex, it felt amazing. The skin-on-skin contact was hot, dirty, and oh so good. She palmed his chest as she continued raising and lowering herself, rubbing her clit back and forth on his pubic bone, and giving the occasional gyration, watching his reaction to each move. Based on his eyes rolling back in his head on a number of occasions, he was enjoying it.
When Dex moved his hand from her ass to her clit, circling it with his thumb, Amber felt herself beginning to climb the apex and stopped toying with him. She became intent on her pleasure, her thighs burning as she raised herself up and then fell back down, slamming him against her inner walls. He pinched her nipple, twisting it slightly, and the jolt of pleasure that sent to her core had her falling apart with a wail of unintelligible words, something along the line of Dex was a sex god who needed worshiping for the rest of his life.
With a satisfied smile, he rolled her over and slipped out of her, kissing her throat down to her breasts.
Worshiping her.
What did she ever do to deserve this treatment?
He went lower, leaving his hands on her nipples as he ate her with abandon. Another thing she had learned last night. Dex Hollerman loved eating pussy. It was crass, but the man knew what he was doing and appeared to delight in it. As his tongue did its thing, Amber gave herself over to the dark pleasure his tongue provided.
It worked her clit at supersonic speeds, and he neglected one nipple to delve two fingers inside her to find her g-spot, another thing she hadn’t realized she had before Dex. He licked her from her clit to her asshole, and when his pinky rimmed the puckered hole, she came off the bed.
“Dex!”
“Just relax, doll face. Promise.” He went back to business as if he hadn’t just stuck his finger somewhere nobody else ever had, and Amber laid back down, trying to give herself over to the sensations.
The dark sensations. The erotic sensations. She focused on what he was doing with his tongue and fingers; instead of dirty, like it should have been, it was mind-blowing.
Dex was intent on her pleasure, as he was with everything he did—wholly focused. And when she finally relaxed enough to let go, the pleasure was immense. She shattered in blinding shards of light, clutching at whatever she could grab to tether herself to reality.
Floating on a hazy dream of sexual awareness, Amber allowed herself to tip over and fall.
And Dex was there to catch her. Wrapping his arms around her, he entered her again with one swift thrust that had him hissing his pleasure and murmuring words of encouragement in her ear as he licked and kissed the lobe.
“Perfect.”
This time, it was all for him. Amber tried to move with him to make whatever he was feeling better. Meeting his thrusts and clenching her muscles, everything she did seemed to please him. She raked her nails down his back and grabbed his ass, all to a cacophony of moans and hisses from Dex which sent shivers of pleasure up her spine. He stared at her, the restraint evident in his features adding to the aching beauty that was Dex. He was so dark and beautiful, it hurt her to watch him. Whatever shone from his eyes peppered her skin with delectable pinpricks of pleasure, each one ricocheting around under her skin to someplace deep within her, where she cherished the feelings and never wanted to let them go.
There was a magnificence in his restraint, his determination for her to have one more orgasm—his forehead furrowed, his eyebrows arched to a point on his brow, the strong set of his jaw, the intensity in his eyes.
With each stroke in and out, each piston of his lean hips, each convulsion of his muscles as he pummeled her, she came closer. When Dex buried his face in her neck and began pumping erratically, Amber knew he’d be disappointed if she didn’t get one more release, so she began chasing it.
Concentrating on the sensations, the feelings Dex evoked in her, it wasn’t hard. When he started pounding into her, as if it were a finale, each thrust hit her clit, hard, and the overwhelming sensations Dex wrung from her took over as she fell off the cliff into the abyss of her climax.
Amber shook with pent-up emotion, and Dex’s muscles trembled, probably with fatigue. As all the other times, he pulled her into his arms and caressed her, inhaling deeply, his breath ragged.
He’d pulled her into the spoon, for which she was grateful because he couldn’t see her face. Amber had fallen in love with him, and each time they did this, she fell a little bit harder. She didn’t want him to see it, though. And she wasn’t sure why.
Sign of weakness?
She didn’t know. But he didn’t need to know everything, did he? At any rate, it hadn’t been long enough to have fallen in love with him. This was about the sex. Nothing more.
Dex gave her a squeeze, kissed the top of her head, and rolled out of bed to use the restroom. The robotic buzzing of a cell phone stirred her from the strange complacency she’d been under and she reached for the phone. It was automatic. She didn’t realize it wasn’t her phone until she’d looked at the screen and saw the text message.
Why didn’t she think first? Her stomach plummeted into some far-reaching abyss as she read the words.
I need you, lover. It’s been too long.
From Eileen of all people. The simplest of text messages, and she was done. She’d given herself to this man, and he was already in some relationship with Eileen.
Amber heard a flush and slipped the phone back into place on the nightstand, sitting up and putting her back to the bathroom door. When it opened, she forced blandness into her voice.
“You got a text.”
She heard his footsteps near her, his muttered curse, and then stomping off to the other room. Yeah. Your other booty call needs you. Asshole.
Dex took deep breaths all the way to the living room while he
composed himself. After what was undoubtedly the best sex of his life with Amber, Eileen had brought his euphoric mood sinking to something like the tar pits of La Brea. It would be easiest to just text her back that he was in someone else’s bed, but he’d never been the best at breakups, and clearly, Eileen hadn’t gotten the picture before. So he called her.
“I knew you’d call.”
He took another deep breath, rubbing his hands down the back of his neck, gripping it, feeling the hairs snap as he tugged on them. “Look. I thought I told you we aren’t doing this anymore.” That was clear, wasn’t it?
“I’ve missed you. Seeing you the other day just woke something up inside me.” Her voice was breathy, and he knew the games she played. He could see her in her bed, dressed or not, in something scanty. He knew she’d be wearing makeup, she’d have her toes painted blood-red, and her hair would be rolled just so. He also knew she would be prepared for some dirty fucking. That knowledge did nothing for him.
“I’m seeing someone. And it’s serious. So please, for the love of all that is holy, find someone else and don’t call me anymore. Is that plain enough for you? Bury whatever it is inside you.” He tried to keep his voice low, so as not to disturb Amber, but it came out a menacing growl, which wasn’t exactly his intention with Eileen. But if it got the point across, so be it.
“I see.” Her voice was a whisper, choked, and he was afraid she was crying. He started to apologize but figured maybe this was for the best.
“Goodbye.”
He stalked back to the bedroom, where Amber was in the en suite shower. Had she read the text? God, he hoped not.
Chapter Fourteen
The rest of the morning was awkward for Amber at best.
Amber was terrified Dex would keep on with his amorous intentions, and she didn’t know what to say about any of it. Thanks for the fabulous sex, but it’s Eileen’s turn now?
No. She couldn’t say that.
And so what? They hadn’t made any declarations for exclusivity, and if they had, he was clearly a liar. She was grown. She’d get over this shit. But that didn’t mean she had to smile about it, either.
Amber was back in her room, buttoning a flannel shirt over her tank top when Dex came in, wrapped in a towel.
“Why the cold shoulder, doll face?”
She shrugged. “Things look different in the daylight.”
“What does that mean?” The hurt was there, and it could be founded and well-deserved, but she had been purposely vague. She didn’t have the energy for this conversation today. She wasn’t sure she ever would, but today, she had a bad guy to catch.
“It means I have to get home and get started on paperwork.” She brushed past him, grabbed her bag, and was out the door before she could hear his grumbled curses.
That afternoon, Dex was back in Austin after having followed Amber to the police station, and he was currently in Evan’s office waiting on a verdict.
“The zoo.”
“As in, the Austin Zoo? Where schools take field trips all the time? The same zoo that at any given moment is filled with families, small children, and people looking for peace in a hectic world? That zoo?”
Evan looked at him as if he’d grown another head. “Duh. What’s the guy’s motive for the explosions?”
It made sense. If he were an animal rights activist, this must be his big hoorah, the showdown, the statement of purpose, so to speak.
“I think he’s trying to stop construction on the Congress Bridge. Protect the bats,” Dex mused.
Dex fired off a text to Amber, telling her what he’d found out. He was pretty sure her standoffishness this morning had been because of the text from Eileen. He would address that tonight when he could kiss her senseless, or at the very least, look into her whiskey eyes so she could see his earnestness. He was finished with Eileen, had been for a very long time. She was a non-issue.
“By the way, just in case you’re interested, I pulled up some background on one Amber Banks. You want it?” Evan wasn’t looking at him, still clacking keys on his computer, but it looked like he was playing a video game or something.
That’s a violation of privacy.
Dex’s anger rose, even though he realized Evan was just trying to help; he probably pulled background on everyone. He struggled with the immediate impulse to say no, but some part of him wanted to know her secrets. Evan was handing him the easy way, here. But wouldn’t their relationship be better if he found out her secrets organically? Like, if she actually told him all the stuff she’d been avoiding?
Of course, after this morning, he questioned the relationship part.
“Yeah, no.”
Evan quirked an eyebrow at him. “What?”
“No. I want her to tell me about herself.”
“You must enjoy the torture of doing everything the hard way.”
“Yeah, I’m definitely a glutton for punishment.” Dex thought of how hard he had pursued Amber, realizing it had made all the time they’d spent together that much sweeter.
“I’ll put the stuff on a drive. If you want it, it’ll be here. Just let me know.” He told himself Evan was just trying to be helpful, so Dex pasted a smile on his face instead of bashing his friend’s nose in for sticking it where it didn’t belong.
“I won’t need it, but thanks, man.”
Dex needed to figure out when the next explosion would be. He didn’t need to be stalking his girlfriend. She would tell him about herself when the time was right. Wouldn’t she?
“Yo, Hollerman!” Simon hollered out his office door as Dex walked by. That was good. He needed to talk to him anyway.
“You were next. Perkins is the guy who’s been setting off explosives all over town. He’s been protesting the relocation of the bats when Congress Bridge goes under construction and his next target is the zoo.” Saying that last part out loud gave Dex chills. “I was just about to put it all in a report to email you.”
“Great. Do that, and give it to the cops, too. I’ll tell Ms. Perkins it’s officially a police matter and we can no longer get involved, and I can cash the retainer.” Simon wore a self-satisfied smile, one that spoke of all things gut-related. He’d been right in taking the case. Dex understood the sense of validation.
“They already have it. I’ve been in contact with one the last couple of days.”
Simon rubbed his temples. “Tell me she’s not female.”
Dex squared his shoulders. “She is. And I’m helping her with this case where I can.”
Simon looked at him squarely. “You know what you’re doing?”
Dex grinned at his friend. “Absolutely not, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.”
Simon threw a crumpled piece of paper at the wall. “For fuck’s sake. Get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Amber was at the station, and Eileen was giving her the side eye. She just avoided the woman and filled out the paperwork on her trip. It was complicated. There were travel reports, expense reports, and her justification for going outside jurisdiction was a complicated issue. Then there was the whole no local law enforcement thing. She couldn’t admit to having Dex with her, so she had essentially gone renegade on Dallas’s department. Not cool.
Eileen was probably going to go over this paperwork with a fine-toothed comb.
She wondered if the woman knew she’d slept with Dex. If she did, it would only make her look harder, if Amber’s gut were right. She seemed like the vengeful sort, and if she only knew Dex had been with her for her foray into a jurisdictional nightmare, she wouldn’t hold back with the investigation. If Amber were in her shoes, she sure as fuck wouldn’t. She’d be put on disciplinary leave, minimum.
And the gist of it was, Amber was pissed she’d been blindsided like that. It was a punch to the gut to smell the damn woman’s perfume and imagine her with Dex. She’d honestly believed he cared for her, at least a little bit. The way he’d touched her had insinuated something deeper than just sex, but clearly, she�
�d been wrong.
Her insides were so twisted right now, she couldn’t see any way to straighten them.
She rolled her eyes and sighed into her laptop, determined to put the image of them together out of her mind. But with every blank she filled on the forms, she realized she was leaving out something very important—Dex. She was trying to word things so questions wouldn’t be asked about him specifically. Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t lie and say he hadn’t given her leads because Perkins wouldn’t be a suspect at all without Dex’s help.
So she was getting more creative than she should, and knowing Eileen was practically looking over her shoulder wasn’t helping matters any.
What the hell was she doing with Dex, anyway? Sure, the sex was amazing, but now that she was back in her real world, with phones ringing, elevators dinging, and doors slamming, she realized that had all been a dream. It was like coming home from the perfect vacation, with real life slamming into her full-force and leaving her with an epic hangover.
Amber was certainly feeling let down. The fact she was supposed to meet him at his house after work so he could make her dinner wasn’t any help, either. She hadn’t had the guts to have any conversation with him, much less tell him she had no intentions of continuing this as long as he had Eileen on the side, too. Or was it Amber who was on the side?
It was like pulling out a tooth with a grapefruit spoon. She needed to just end this. She’d tried to not start it in the first place, but Dex had been irresistible. And Amber wasn’t going to focus on the aspects of Dex that were irresistible.
Nguyen knew she’d followed Dex to Dallas. She’d never said the words aloud, but Nguyen had put two and two together; he knew Dex was the one who’d given her Perkins’ name. She assumed he wouldn’t say anything at her omission of the complete truth in her report, but he was clearly watching to make sure she didn’t fuck up this investigation.