Imperfect Heart (Combat Hearts Book 4)

by Tarina Deaton

  He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her underwear and slid his hands to her ample backside. Pulling her close, he bent and scraped his teeth against the column of her throat, thrilling at her sharp inhalation.

  She grasped his shoulders and dropped her head back.

  “How do you say you’re so fucking sexy?”

  “Você é muito gostoso.”

  He dropped to his knees and sat on his heels. Putting his mouth on the juncture of her thighs, he tongued her through the thin material her panties. He could smell her desire and his dick throbbed in anticipation.

  “How do you say I can’t wait to taste you?”

  “Eu não posso esperar para sabor tu.” Her voice was breathless.

  Grasping the sides of her panties, he pulled them down her hips and thighs, running his hands down the backs of her calves to help her step out of them. He slid his hands up the front of her legs. When he reached her closely shaven pussy, he traced her seam with his thumbs and she pulsed against him.

  He replaced his thumbs with his tongue, delving into her hot, wet center.

  Zoe’s knees buckled and she fell back against the bed. That worked for Tim. He lifted her legs onto his shoulders and pushed her farther back on the bed. Her hips rose to meet his mouth, her hands clenching in his hair. He circled and flicked her clit with his tongue. Taking his cues from her response, he found the rhythm she liked, keeping a steady pace until her cries became frantic and her heels dug into his back. She shoved her hips at him and grasped the back of his head, holding him in an iron grip with her thighs until she came with a shout.

  Tim used the flat of his tongue to keep pressure on her clit as she rode out her orgasm. When the tension left her body and she relaxed her hold on him, he gave her one final, long lick that caused her entire body to shudder.

  He wiped his mouth and stood, staring at the gorgeous woman spread out before him. There was nothing more resplendent than a sexually satisfied woman.

  Zoe pushed up and sat at the edge of the bed. “You’re wearing entirely too many clothes.”

  It was his turn to lick his lips. He wanted to feel her mouth on him. Wanted to feel her wet tongue tease him and taste him. At the same time, he hoped she didn’t because when he lost himself in her, he wanted to do it in her hot, wet, tight pussy.

  She stood up and shoved her fingers between the elastic band and his skin at the back of his waist. Their height difference put her mouth almost level with his chest. She took advantage and flicked her tongue against one nipple.

  Tim hissed when she bit down on it. Not hard, but it surprised him. It felt good. Better than he expected.

  She pressed her tongue against the nipple then moved her head to the other one. She licked it but paused. “Yes or no?”

  He palmed her breasts, hefting their weight. “Definitely yes.”

  She gasped against his chest when he tweaked her nipples. Keeping her gaze on his, she opened her mouth wide and scraped her teeth against his chest. When she got to his nipple, she sucked hard instead of biting it.

  Fuck. He was going to come in his shorts if she kept her mouth on him.

  “On the bed, Zoe,” he demanded.

  The only thing that stopped him from picking her up and throwing her into the center was her look of confusion. Gone was the confident, satisfied woman. In her place was a woman unsure and quickly becoming bashful.

  He grasped the back of her head and kissed her. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth until she responded to him with equal heat.

  “I want to fuck you, Zoe. I want to bury my cock in your tight pussy and make you scream my name. If you keep teasing me with your mouth I’m not going to be able to do that because I’m going to come in my shorts like I’m a thirteen-year-old boy who got to touch his first pair of tits.”

  “Oh.”

  He smirked. “Oh. On the bed.”

  “One thing first.”

  Before he knew what she was doing, she’d shoved his briefs down his hips, dropped to her knees, and pulled him between her lips.

  “Fuck!” He gave in to the heady feel of her mouth as she sucked him but too soon he felt the tingle in balls that told him he was close to blowing his load.

  He grasped her jaw and pulled away until all she could do was lick the slit of his cock.

  “On the bed, naughty girl.”

  She stared at his dick jutting in her face and he almost gave in to the temptation.

  He stooped down, scooped her up in his arms, and tossed her onto the center of the bed. Making quick work of pushing his underwear down his legs, he grabbed the condom from the floor and ripped the package open. He crawled onto the bed while rolling it down his rock-hard dick.

  “Please tell me you’re ready. I may cry if you’re not.”

  “I’d hate to see you cry.” She grasped him, guiding him between her legs.

  The tip slipped into her hot, waiting core. Tim growled in ecstasy, pulled away and pushed forward, burying himself to the hilt in one powerful thrust.

  Zoe gasped and he stilled, holding his weight above her.

  “You okay?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  “God, yes.” She dug her fingers into his ass and wrapped her legs around his hips. “Fuck me, Tim.”

  “Gladly.”

  He dropped to his elbows and used them for leverage as he pulled out and pressed forward again. He set a brutal pace and Zoe matched him thrust for thrust. He’d imagined being gentle and romantic despite weeks of pent-up desire, but she wouldn’t let him.

  Her inner muscles clenched around him as if they were unwilling to let him go when he retreated. She dug her nails into his ass in time to his thrusts while she whispered words in his ear that he didn’t understand. His balls drew up close to his body and he tried to stave off his orgasm.

  That plan went to hell when he felt her bear down on him, followed quickly by rhythmic pulsing around his cock and her shout in his ear.

  He shoved a hand under her hips and tilted them, driving as deep as he could go, and shortened his strokes until his orgasm burst from him. He thrust hard into Zoe and matched her shout with one of his own.

  One by one his muscles failed him and he lowered all his weight down.

  A shudder ran through Zoe’s body and she clenched around him again. He groaned and his hips twitched.

  “Just a sec and I’ll go get a washcloth,” he said.

  “Not just yet,” she whispered. “You feel so good.”

  He felt her go lax under him and he lifted his head. Brushing the curls away from her face, he whispered her name. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. Staring down at her he knew two things—he wanted more and he was a goner.

  Chapter 18

  Zoe cracked open an eye and stared at the mass of curls obscuring her vision. Brushing her hair out of her face, she raised her head and looked around the bedroom. The pillow next to her was still indented from Tim’s head. She smiled a Cheshire cat smile and stretched, letting all the aches and twinges remind her exactly how she’d spent the night before.

  Wow. Last night had been…wow. She had nothing to compare it to. She’d been demanding and needy and Tim had given her what she wanted and more. He came across so straight-laced and proper. The forceful, sexy man under the starched police uniform was a really nice surprise.

  Where was he? Zoe glanced toward the master bath, but the light was off. The alarm clock next to her bed showed a little after eight—did he have to work that morning? She tried to remember whether he’d mentioned it or not, but her brain was still sex-fogged.

  She threw on a robe and went downstairs. Her clothes were folded and stacked on the bottom step.

  “Tim?”

  She found her small purse on the floor next to the entry table and pulled out her phone. The only notifications she had were the nine texts from Elba demanding to know if Tim had given it to her good. Zoe couldn’t even fight the smile that tugged at her lips. Hell yeah, he’d given it to her good
.

  Heading to the kitchen, a small kernel of doubt planted itself in her mind and her smile fell. Why wasn’t he there? Why’d he leave without waking her up? Had it been a wham-bam, thank you, ma’am? Was…?

  Fuck. She collapsed onto one of the dining room chairs and stared at her to-do list. This was why she hadn’t wanted to get involved with anyone. Doubt assailed her. She had no idea what they were doing or what he expected from her. There was no checklist for romance. No linear path she could follow from A to Z and make sure everything was done properly.

  A sharp knock at her front door sent hope swirling in her chest. Maybe he’d gone home to take care of some things and had gotten locked out. Trying not to skip to the door, she opened it without checking the peephole.

  She should have checked the peephole.

  “What are you doing here?” There was no hiding the bitterness and betrayal in her words.

  Mark, her no-good, cheating ex-husband, stood on the stoop wearing a hangdog look.

  “I haven’t seen you in almost a year, Zee. That’s how you say hi?”

  The corner of her eye twitched. “Shouldn’t you be in Florida by now?”

  “You wouldn’t answer my calls so I decided to stop on the way.”

  “North Carolina is not on the way from Phoenix to Tampa. How did you even know I was here?”

  “I called your mom when you wouldn’t answer any of my calls.”

  She pushed away from the door. “You did what?”

  Damn it! She was so tired of her family interfering in her life. Her mother had no right. She was lucky she was still on vacation in the middle of the Caribbean.

  “Why are you here?”

  “I want you back, Zoh.” He stepped closer and brushed his hands down her shoulders.

  Shrugging him off, she took the added measure of pushing him away from her. “Zoh-ee. Two syllables.”

  “I thought you liked when I called you Zoh.”

  “I’ve never liked it. In fact, I’m pretty sure I told you the first time I met you not to call me that.”

  He shrugged. “Sorry. It’s just a cute name.”

  “What do you want, Mark?”

  “I told you. I want you to come home. I want us to have a second chance.”

  “You want.”

  “Well, yeah. I mean, you just left. No email or phone call. You canceled your assignment and got out of the Air Force. That’s a little drastic, don’t you think?”

  She crossed her arms. Slapping her ex-husband across the face probably wasn’t a good idea. “Let me get this straight—you sent me divorce papers from Korea with a note that said you’d fallen in love with someone else and she was pregnant. Not only that, but you had your buddies move all your stuff out while I was at work and took your name off the lease, leaving me with an apartment you insisted we rent because you needed the extra room and I couldn’t afford on my own, but I should have informed you of my plans?

  “And now you’ve changed your mind so I should just drop what I’m doing and take you back. Is that about it?”

  “Zoe, you love me.”

  “What’s funny about that statement is you didn’t say you loved me.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tim approaching across the yard, dressed in gym shorts and a faded Haven Springs Police Department t-shirt. Glancing between him and Mark, there was no comparison. She couldn’t even remember what she’d ever seen in Mark to begin with.

  Tim pushed passed Mark and kissed Zoe. “Is everything all right?”

  “It’s perfect,” she said.

  Tim’s gaze searched her face. Satisfied with what he found, he gave her a short nod. “Holler if you need anything.”

  “I will.” She watched over her shoulder as Tim disappeared into the house.

  “Who the hell is that?” Mark demanded.

  “No one you need to worry about. Goodbye, Mark.”

  He pushed against the door, as she tried to close it. “Zoe, please! She left me. She’s going back to her husband, even though the baby is probably mine.”

  A small twinge of sympathy hit her. She wasn’t a monster. If it had been anyone else, she would have offered a shoulder to cry on, but she couldn’t do it with Mark. He was in this mess because of what he’d done—he could deal with it himself.

  “I’m sorry for that. I hope you work it out, but it’s not my problem.”

  She closed and locked the door, pressing her forehead it.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Tim asked from behind her.

  “Baby Jesus is punishing me.”

  “I don’t think baby Jesus is punishing you.”

  Zoe could hear the amusement in his voice. “How do you know?”

  Tim pulled her away from the door, turned her and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works.”

  He rubbed his hands up and down her back and the tension left her body as she relaxed against him.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

  Where to start? With her ex leaving her for another woman or her mother interfering in her life? Impotent anger built in her chest. Her mother.

  “What just happened? You got tense again.”

  “Just a minute.” Pulling out of his arms, she stalked to the dining room and picked up her phone from the table and called her mom.

  She answered on the second ring. “Querida. I’m so glad you called. How are you settling in?”

  “Did you tell Mark where I was?”

  “Yes. He called and said he wanted to apologize.”

  “You had no right.”

  “Don’t take that tone with me Zoe Mariana. I’m your mother, I have every right.”

  “I am not a child. You do not get to make my decisions for me anymore.”

  “When you abandon a career you’ve been building for thirteen years just because your marriage hit a snag, yes, I do get to help you make those decisions.”

  Zoe closed her eyes and clenched her fists. She could barely form thoughts, much less words. “A snag? He cheated on me with a married woman and got her pregnant, Mother.”

  “All marriages have their challenges.”

  She could hear the shrug in her mother’s voice. Challenges? As if having a cheating husband was the same as working too much or buying a luxury car without discussing it first.

  “I am done. Stay out of my life.”

  “Zoe—”

  She pressed the end call button and drew her arm back to throw her phone against the wall, but her wrist was grabbed from behind and the phone pulled from her hand.

  “Okay, let’s not do any anything drastic.”

  Tim’s calm voice pushed her further toward the edge. “Don’t tell me what to do!”

  He held up his hands in supplication. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “Quit placating me!”

  “Absolutely.”

  She screamed through clenched teeth and stormed to the kitchen. Slamming cabinets, she jammed a filter into the coffee pot and grabbed the carafe, filling it with water. She was going to regret not being more careful with the grounds, but at the moment she needed something to take her anger out on.

  Flipping the coffee pot one, she rounded on Tim. “Where did you go?”

  “I had to let the dog out,” he said calmly.

  “What dog?”

  “I’m fostering a dog for Denise’s rescue.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t have a response for that, but the thought of him fostering a dog dissipated her anger for some reason.

  “You ready to talk about it?”

  “You’re handling me, aren’t you? Using your police voodoo tactics to get me to calm down.”

  His dimples popped out when he grinned. “They don’t teach us voodoo at the academy.”

  “You know what I mean.” She took two cups down and pulled the creamer from the fridge.

  “I know sometimes it helps to talk about what’s making you so angry.”

  Zoe le
aned against the counter, folded her arms, and looked down at her feet.

  “Mark got a one-year assignment to Korea. He said it would be good for his career and make it easier for us to get an assignment to Florida since he would be coming off a short tour.”

  “Did it?”

  “Yes. He got a follow-on assignment to Florida and then my assignments manager worked my assignment.”

  “But you didn’t go to Florida.” He moved farther into the kitchen and mirrored her position next to her.

  The heat from his body permeated through her thin robe and she leaned against his shoulder. “My assignment notification arrived the same day the divorce papers did.”

  “You had no idea?”

  “None. We’d talked a couple of days before and I had no clue anything was wrong. We even talked about what part of Tampa we wanted to look for a house.”

  “What an asshole.”

  She huffed out a laugh. “Yeah.”

  He shifted and she raised her head from his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and tucked her close, resting his chin on her head.

  “What did you do?”

  “I seven-day opted.”

  “I don’t know what that means.”

  “When someone gets an assignment notification, they have seven days to either agree to take the assignment or to turn it down.”

  “And you turned it down. What happens then?”

  “I didn’t owe the Air Force any more time, so I was out in six months. While I was going through the transition assistance classes, I took the small business track and got the idea for the bookstore. When I was talking to Elba about it, she mentioned the store next to her was for rent and things went really fast from that point.”

  “Let me get this straight—you got divorced, got out of the military, and started a business all in six months?”

  “Yeah.” It did sound drastic when he laid it out like that. As if she was some bitter, spurned woman going off the deep end.

  His hand grasped the back of her head and he tilted it back to stare down at her. “You’re amazing.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Yes. You are. And I’m glad your husband is an asshole.”