His Strings to Pull (In the Line of Duty)

by Cathryn Fox

  “I never used to either.”

  Her heart raced, loving the way this guy made her feel, and loving more how honest and open he was about everything, including his feelings. God, was he for real?

  “Let’s go for a swim,” she said.

  Ving looked around. “Isn’t it closed?”

  She reached for the door handle. “Yeah, but I have a key.”

  “Ah, so the girl can be bad too.”

  “I never claimed to be an angel,” she said and hopped from the truck.

  Ving came around to meet her. Equal amounts of heat and desire raced through her blood as he put his hand on the small of her back. She made her way to the staff lounge and fished her key from her purse. She opened the door, stepped inside and turned to him.

  She sized up his body—and oh what a body it was—then pointed to the lost and found bin. “I’m sure I can find you a bathing suit that fits.”

  He frowned. “I’d rather go commando than let my guys hang out in someone else’s shorts.”

  Jenny laughed. “You can’t go commando, this is a public pool.”

  “But there’s no one here to see me.”

  “I’ll see you,” she rushed out. Before he could protest, she reached in to the bin and pulled out a pair of men’s shorts. “Here put these on.”

  “One condition.”

  She planted her hand on her hip. “What?”

  “I get to see you in a two-piece.” He reached in to the bin and pulled out the tiniest of tiny bikini bottoms.

  “Those are like a children’s size six.”

  He grinned. “I know.”

  “Nice try.” She grabbed them and tossed them back. “I have my own two piece, thank you very much.” His tortured moan reached her ears as she spun on her heels. She pulled out her string bikini from the locker in the lounge area and disappeared into the female changing room.

  She peeled off her dress, fully aware of how crazy this was, how fast this was moving as she slipped into her bikini. But the truth was she liked Ving and wasn’t ready for this night to be over.

  When she stepped back into the lounge area, Ving stood there in his sexy boxer briefs, and she didn’t miss the hard ridges straining against the cotton material.

  She sucked in a breath, and said, “You didn’t change.”

  “I think these work better.”

  Oh, so do I…so do I…

  She grabbed two towels from her locker. “Come on then.”

  Keeping the lights off, they quietly walked to the pool. She dipped her toe in to check the temperature, but the next thing she knew she was in Ving’s arms and he was jumping into the deep end with her.

  He dragged her under and when she surfaced her breath came in a ragged burst. He laughed, but then it dissolved, his eyes locking on her mouth.

  “Wait, did you take in water?” he asked.

  Her heart pounded against her ribcage, her entire body reacting to his closeness. “I…I think I did,” she said, knowing full well where he was going with this.

  He backed her up until she was pressed against the pool wall and when she felt his hard cock against her leg, her nipples tightened painfully. “I think a little mouth-to-mouth is in order.”

  “Actually, I believe it’s necessary,” she said, faking a cough.

  The second his mouth closed over hers desire twisted inside her. His hand reached around to hold the back of her neck, while his other one grabbed her leg and wrapped it around his hip.

  She circled her thighs around him, needing to touch him, to stroke his hard body. She ran her fingers over his shoulders, reveling in the feel of his muscles bunching beneath her fingers.

  “Jesus, Jenny. I want you so much,” he murmured into her mouth, his voice hoarse, labored. “But if this is going too fast for you, tell me to slow down and I will.”

  “I’ve never gone this fast before,” she said. “But I want this, Ving. I want you.”

  Her words seemed to unleash something in him. He deepened the kiss and pushed against her, his thick cock pressing against her pussy.

  They exchanged kisses for a long time, their moans of pleasure carrying in the quiet night. His mouth moved to her neck, and his lips burned her flesh as one hand toyed with the strings on her bikini top.

  He inched back and looked at her as he gave a little tug on the strings around her neck. “I like you in this suit. But I’d like you even better out of it.” He untied the bow and her top fell forward, exposing her breasts.

  His eyes left hers and slowly tracked down her body. The tortured look on his face as he took in her nakedness made her feel so special, so beautiful. “My God,” he whispered. “I’m the luckiest man in the world to be here with you.” Her heart swelled as he dipped his head and the second his hot mouth closed over her nipple, she writhed against him, her hand going around his head to hold him to her. He flicked her nipple with his tongue and she arched into him, overwhelmed with the things he made her feel.

  Her head fell back against the pool as he sucked and nipped her breasts. As she looked at the star-studded sky, it occurred to her that she was feeling things she’d never felt before.

  He released the remaining ties around her back and her top fell into the water. He growled, his hand moving down her side, tracing her contours, and when he removed her from his hips and stepped back, putting an inch between them, her legs straightened beneath her.

  His eyes met hers and her body trembled as they exchanged a long, heated look. He stared at her for a moment longer, then touched her thighs. Her sex fluttered in response. His fingers climbed higher, rubbing her through her tiny bikini bottoms. “I’m so happy to be here with you.” He pushed the fabric to the side and swiped his finger over her clit.

  “Oh, God,” she cried out.

  “I want to make you feel really good.”

  “You are,” she murmured, moving her hips as he continued to stroke her. “Believe me, you are.”

  His mouth found hers again, and he kissed her passionately as he swept the rough pad of his thumb over her clit. He groaned as she touched his body, her hands going to the huge bulge in his shorts.

  “Fuck,” he said when she massaged him through the material. Desperate to get him naked so she could stroke the length of him, she tugged on the band. “Jesus, Jenny,” he murmured, longing coloring his voice. “Keep that up and I’ll be done before I get started.”

  She pressed her mouth to his neck, tasting his skin as she breathed in his scent. He pushed a finger inside her and her body convulsed, a barrage of sensations rushing through her.

  She began breathing harder as he pumped into her, taking her higher and higher until nothing mattered but this moment and this man.

  “So good,” she cried out.

  “Yeah, baby,” he murmured. “I want you to feel good.”

  He swiped his finger over the sensitive bundle of nerves inside her, and just like that she climaxed. “Oh, God,” she said, her cries muffled as he pressed his lips to hers. Good Lord, she’d never orgasmed so fast before. But this man, and the way he made her feel, pushed her over the edge in record time. She gripped his arms and squeezed, riding out each glorious wave of pleasure.

  When her body stopped spasming, he put his hands around her waist and anchored her to him. He carried her to the stairs and set her on the top step. With her body out of the water, he kneeled before her and gripped her bottoms. A warm quiver moved through her as he slowly dragged them down her legs.

  “I want to be inside you,” he whispered, his fingers stroking her inner thighs, so gentle, so intimate…so arousing.

  Warmth spread over her skin as desire seared her insides. She touched his cheek, and the hard angles of his face softened when his gaze met hers. “I want that too,” she said.

  Just then the muscles along his jaw rippled, and he pressed his palm to his forehead. “Shit.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “I don’t have a condom.”

  “I’m on the pil
l, and I’m clean.”

  He threaded his fingers through her hair. “I’m clean too, Jenny.” His voice dropped to a whisper and there was so much emotion on his face when he said, “Trust me when I tell you that I don’t make a habit of sleeping around, and I’ve always used protection with the women I’ve been with.”

  “I trust you,” she said, realizing that she truly did.

  Her words seem to touch something in him. He ran his thumb over her cheek, then gripped her hips and gave a tug. As he spread her legs and put them around his hips, she went back on her elbows, so desperate to feel him inside her. He leaned over her and his crown breached her opening as his mouth found hers. She moved her hips, welcoming him to her body. He growled as she offered herself to him, then, in one quick thrust he pushed into her.

  “Yes,” she cried as he filled her completely.

  He stilled inside her and took a deep, gulping breath. “You feel so good, baby. So damn good.”

  Her heart picked up tempo as their bodies rocked together and soon she was lost in the sensations. He kissed her deep and drew her tongue into his mouth. She moaned and pressed her breasts to his chest, craving the feel of him against her skin. He continued to pump deep, unearthing things in her that left her wanting so much more from him.

  Her skin grew tight as he pounded harder, like he couldn’t get deep enough, like he was chasing more than just an orgasm. His hand stroked her cheek, his touch the most intimate thing she’d ever felt. God, how had things turned so intimate so quickly? She wasn’t sure, but she knew something was happening between them, something neither had any control over. She looked into his eyes and everything in the soft way he looked at her told her he felt the connection every bit as much as she did.

  “Baby, you got me right there,” Ving said, as he slipped a hand between their bodies to lightly stroke her clit. Soft quakes began at her core and rippled onward and outward. She drew a shaky breath as he kept her hovering on the edge.

  She felt a shudder move through him and knew he was barely hanging on as he applied more pressure to her clit, clearly wanting to take her over before he let go. Who was she to disappoint him? She thrust her pelvis forward, her blood pounding hard as she took every inch of him inside her.

  “That’s it, sweetheart. Come for me.”

  She gripped his biceps, holding on to him as she let go, all thoughts slipping away as heat flamed through her. A moment later her body splintered into a million tiny pieces, her muscles clenching so hard around his cock, the world around her fading in and out of existence. A cry escaped her lips, her hot release dripping down her legs. Oh, God, the pleasure was exquisite. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the waves of ecstasy, each gripping pulse of release.

  A growl ripped from Ving’s lungs and she flicked her lids open to see him. One hand crushed her hair as he threw his head back and stilled inside her. Her heart fluttered, loving the way he never held anything back. He swelled inside her and she squeezed her muscles, her body trembling as she held him in tight.

  They held on to each other as if their lives depended on it as they gasped for breath, both coming back down to earth slowly.

  Ving was the first to break the quiet. He inched back, his fingers playing through her hair. “That was… Baby, you’re amazing.”

  She smiled, loving the way he made her feel. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  They exchanged another long, heated look, then he kissed her deeply and whispered into her mouth, “I want you. All of you.”

  Her bikini top floated by and she grabbed it. “No strings?” she teased, twirling her bikini top around her fingers.

  “All strings,” he said. When she caught the seriousness in his eyes, she knew they weren’t talking about her string bikini, or a no-strings-attached affair.

  He drew her to him, his lips so soft, so tender as they moved over her mouth. Her heart missed a beat. The guy was all strength and muscle, yet he touched her with such tender, gentle hands.

  “I can’t get enough of you,” he murmured.

  Knowing they should probably get out of the pool, she said, “Should we go back to your place?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “It’s too far. I want you again, right now. But this time I’m want to go slower, so I can touch and taste you all over.” He scooped her up, along with their towels, and carried her inside the staff lounge. He laid her towel out on the sofa then nudged her until she fell backward. Once she was spread out on the cushions, he climbed over her, and once again she was lost in the magic of his touch. They made love well into the morning, and with the sun on the horizon, Ving touched her face.

  “I’d better get you home before we get caught.”

  She smiled. “I supposed that wouldn’t look good to management.”

  His gaze moved over her face. “I want to see you again.”

  “I want that too.”

  He furrowed his brow like he was in thought. “This afternoon I’ll be at the compound with the dogs, and tonight I promised the kids a sleepover.”

  “That’s okay, it’s my day off and I actually told my friend, Skylar, I’d help her out at her bar tonight.”

  “Skylar Redmond, the owner of the Sky Bar?”

  “You know her.”

  “Not well. I’ve been by there a few times, one of my best buds, Matt James, works there.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen him around.”

  “What about tomorrow?”

  “I work at eight in the morning.”

  “I’ll come by with the kids at seven thirty.”

  She laughed. “But I won’t be here until eight.”

  “We’ll wait.”

  She ran her nails over his flesh, and when he quivered, her heart squeezed. “You’re a crazy man, you know that?”

  “Nah, I’m just the guy who’s crazy about you.”

  * * *

  “Earth to Jenny.”

  Jenny spun around to face her friend, Sky. The tray Jenny was balancing in one hand nearly crashed to the floor with the quick movement. “What?” Jenny asked as Sky stared at her with curious eyes.

  Sky laughed. “You’re a million miles away, that’s what. Want to explain?”

  Jenny looked around at the patrons sitting near her, then lowered her voice, excited to tell her friend about Ving, simply because she wanted to talk, and think about him. “I’ve met someone.”

  Sky’s eyes widened as she grabbed Jenny’s hand to drag her behind the bar. “What? Who? When did this happen? Tell me everything.” Then her friend stopped speaking, understanding backlighting her eyes as her gaze moved over Jenny’s face. “Oh, my God. You had sex,” she blurted out.

  From the end of the table Matt James lifted his head, and Jenny put her finger over her lips to quiet her friend. “Shh,” she said, unable to hold in a chuckle. “Matt will hear you.”

  Sky waved a dismissive hand toward Matt. “Don’t worry about Matt. He’s trustworthy and won’t say anything.”

  Jenny took note of the way Matt was watching Sky, the way he always watched Sky. “Speaking of Matt, have you two ever…you know.”

  “No,” Sky said. “We’re just friends. We go way back. But never mind that, this is about you, not me and Matt.”

  She gave Sky a wry look. “Well, it’s kind of about Matt.”

  Sky’s eyes widened, her glance going from Jenny to Matt back to Jenny. “What, did you sleep with Matt? Why am I just finding out about this now?”

  “No, no. It’s not Matt.”

  Sky crinkled her nose and shook her head. “I don’t get it, then how is it about Matt?”

  She pitched her voice low, leaned in and whispered, “I slept with his best friend.”

  Sky opened her mouth, then closed it again, like she couldn’t get the words out. Then she finally asked, “You slept with Ving?”

  Jenny nodded eagerly. “Last night. I met him at the pool and we went out on a date. It all happened so fast I didn’t
even have time to tell you.” She grabbed Sky’s hand. “I’m sort of crazy about him, Sky.”

  The smile fell from Sky’s face. “Really?”

  “Yeah, why?” Jenny asked, a nervous sensation invading her gut.

  Sky twirled her apron strings around her fingers, a familiar habit when she had something on her mind. “Nothing, it’s just…”

  “Just what?”

  She brushed her bangs from her face, and rolled one shoulder. “He’s really good looking, and…”

  “And?” Jenny pressed.

  “And, well, he’s very popular with the girls, if you know what I mean.” Sky looked around the bar, taking note of all the pretty girls working the room. “He’s been in here a few times to see Matt since he’s been back from overseas, and the girls are all over him. He’s like nectar to the honey bee.”

  A knot tightened in Jenny’s stomach and she let go of Sky’s hand. “Yeah but that doesn’t mean he sleeps around,” she said, feeling very defensive. “He told me he didn’t.”

  Sky let loose a slow breath. “Guys will say anything to get what they want, Jenny.” She grabbed Jenny’s hand and squeezed. “Look, all I’m saying is I want you to be careful. You know I love you and want you to be happy, but sometimes you can be so trusting.”

  It was true. She could be very trusting. But still, Ving wasn’t like that, right?

  Dark lashes blinked over concerned eyes. “I love that you jump into things head first, and love your enthusiasm for life, but this time I think you should take it slow, okay?”

  Jenny swallowed, because slow didn’t even begin to describe what she was doing with Ving.

  “Okay,” she said, even though she knew it was too late for that. Sky gave her a hug and turned her attention to the patrons at the bar. Jenny glanced around the room and her heart pounded as she thought about her night with Ving. He was so sweet, so caring, so amazing. Everything in her gut told her she could trust him. That he wasn’t the kind of guy to say whatever it took to get a girl into bed.

  Then again, she’d been wrong before, and she couldn’t forget that he didn’t want to go back to his place last night, and tonight he said he couldn’t see her because he had to babysit the kids. Was it possible that he had something to hide and didn’t want her there? Maybe she should have called Garrett to ask about him. But she never felt the need to because Ving seemed so honest and open in everything he did and said. She thought about calling him now, but a part of her didn’t want to, because she wanted to believe in Ving.