She was exquisite. Beautiful. Full of spice and fire.
“Are you just going to stand there, lingering in my doorway?” Her voice was low, husky, qualities he hadn’t heard in an age.
He swallowed and took a step closer. “I’m not lingering. I’m admiring. There’s a difference.”
What brought this erotic display on, he had no idea, but neither was he about to question it. They’d once had a very active sex life, but they hadn’t had any intimate moments in months. The few times they’d attempted were such utter failures it never went beyond foreplay. His brain didn’t know how to respond but his body did. Arousal coursed through his veins, hardening his cock. He clenched his hands, imagining them wrapped in her hair.
Jake put one foot in front of the other until he reached the dresser, a few feet away from the bed. He grasped the edge and bent, peeling off his boots while music filled the silence hanging between them. He kept his gaze on her, taking in the sight of her so bare and sexual. Time hadn’t changed his desire for his wife. There was no other woman who had ever captured his attention so fast. He’d known from the moment he saw her sashaying down a sidewalk downtown he wanted her.
Shoes and socks discarded, he approached the bed slowly, as if she were a timid creature. Not that he’d ever used the word to describe Nicole, but it had been long enough since they were intimate that he didn’t know how she would react. How he should touch her. His fingers felt awkward and clumsy as he picked apart the buttons on his shirt.
He briefly wondered if he was doing the right thing. If they shouldn’t talk first.
Nicole sat up and in a motion as smooth as a dancer’s swung her long legs over the bed and stood, facing him. He stilled and waited to see what she would do. She’d made the first move, and as much as he wanted to take her, he waited. Allowed her to lead in this dance. She grasped his belt buckle and, as if she’d practiced, slipped the catch and released it.
“You need to come to bed. Now.” The way she stared up at him through her lashes, all confidence, femininity and sexual prowess, who was he to argue?
He slid his fingers under the lapel of her silky robe and pushed the material off her shoulders. She shrugged the fabric to the floor and stood before him, a nude goddess clothed in freckles and wild red hair.
The words “Are you sure?” stuck in his throat. If she was this confident, he wouldn’t undermine her wishes.
Nicole tabbed open his jeans and lowered his zipper, gaze trained on his face. Her hands grasped his partially unbuttoned plaid shirt and dragged it up over his head. He tossed it across the room, somewhat in the direction of the hamper. Her hands flattened against his chest and they both stilled.
They’d been married for seven years, and suddenly it felt as if they hadn’t been together for a single day. As if her touch were new to him. As if this were the first time all over again. Considering how long it had been since they’d done more than sleep next to each other, the feel of her skin on his was new.
Nicole’s hands were soft, but then again she was always putting on some kind of lotion or getting her nails done. He loved the feel of her skin coasting over his. How she was soft where he was hard.
She slid her palms down his chest, over his abdominals and returned to his jeans, pushing them down his hips, taking his underwear with them. She eased the material to his knees before flattening her hands against his chest again and shoving him back on the bed. He obliged her, lying on the mattress and allowing her to continue stripping his clothing off.
The desire for his wife warred with the guilt in his gut that he’d left it to her to make this first move. With no encouragement from him. They’d ignored each other as of late, maybe because that was easier than dealing with the real issues.
She dropped the last of his clothing into a pile at the foot of the bed and stood back, her gaze roving over his naked body. He let her look her fill, taking the moment to greedily drink in the image she painted—wild and wanton.
Nicole moved first, climbing onto the bed, forcing him back onto his elbows while she straddled his thighs.
She’d waxed recently, he could tell by the little landing strip of fiery red hair on her mound. She took his cock in hand and stroked it, holding his gaze as she did so. Once she’d been shy about sex, but over the better years of their marriage he’d whittled away until she was a brazen beauty about pleasuring either him or herself.
Jake groaned as she stroked his length from root to tip, applying just the right pressure. He thrust into her grip, a helpless movement on his part. He was so hungry for her, and he’d missed this. The intimacy of sex. The connection.
Nicole scooted back until her knees were at the very edge of the bed, lowered her head, holding his gaze, and pressed a chaste kiss to the head of his cock.
“Shit,” he muttered.
Her hair spilled over his thighs, the silken strands tickling slightly. She took him into her mouth and his eyes rolled back up into his head. Her breasts brushed the tops of his legs as she bobbed up and down. Her tongue traced the underside of his cock, teasing him.
He lifted his hips, thrusting into her mouth, but she moved away from him, chuckling. She had a wicked streak when it came to drawing out the foreplay. He fisted the comforter and sucked in a deep breath.
She glanced up at him while her tongue traced the underside of his cock. The sight was straight out of a fucking dream. The full-length mirror behind her provided the companion view of her pussy, glistening with arousal. Ready for him.
It was too much. He could feel the edge, and as much as he liked coming in her mouth, this time he wanted to be in her. He wanted to feel her pussy hug him and brand her his.
Jake sat up, pushing Nicole off his dick. Her lips glistened and pink stained her cheeks. He crowded her back against the headboard and turned her onto her knees with less force than he once might have used. At the height of their passion, Nicole had grown to crave a rough touch. For now, he kept it as gentle as he could.
She grasped the spindles of the headboard with both hands and glanced over her shoulder through the tumble of hair. There was no hesitation in her gaze, just a bold dare he was ready to answer.
He thrust two fingers into her pussy. Her muscles gripped him tight while wetness coated him. He wasn’t the only one turned-on.
He could fuck her now, here, like this, but he wanted her to come first.
The bedside drawer on her side held a small fortune in sex toys. He jerked it open and reached for a blue cyber-skinned rabbit vibrator. A quick click of the button and it revved to life.
He pressed the head of the fake cock to her pussy and pushed it in a few inches. Carefully he eased the vibrator in deeper and turned it on the lowest setting. Nicole jolted but quickly relaxed, moaning as she pushed back on the vibe.
Jake applied pressure to the clitoral stimulator, ensuring it hit the bundle of nerves. With one hand he pumped her, thrusting the vibe as hard and fast as he dared go while stroking himself with the other.
Arousal slicked the fake cock, proof that this wasn’t just a show. She was turned-on just as much as he was.
He turned the intensity up a notch, then a little more. Nicole rocked her hips in time with his thrusts, making little grunting noises.
“Come on, babe,” he muttered and reached between her legs to tease her orgasm.
He barely brushed his fingers across her clit and Nicole’s body went taut, moaning her release. The moans turned to little whimpers and he eased the intensity down, bringing her with it until she slumped forward on the headboard. He turned it off and dropped the vibe on the bed.
This was just the beginning.
Jake forced her knees wider and positioned his cock at her entrance. It had been a while since they’d done this—make love or fuck, whatever its name was. Did he need to slow down?
Nicole pushed back and the first inch of his cock sank into her wet pussy. He groaned and thrust into her slick channel.
“Holy shit,” he m
uttered.
She’d always fit him like a glove, but now it was tighter despite the orgasm. He briefly wondered if she wasn’t too small now, but she pushed back, asking for more with her body. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head as his length sank all the way into her slick heat.
“So fucking good.” He coasted his hands up her thighs, over her hips and back. Her hair spread out over her shoulders and he grasped a handful of it with one hand. With the other, he gripped her hip and withdrew.
He thrust back into her and they both gasped.
The driving urge to touch her, to familiarize himself with her body again rivaled the need to climax. He rocked back and forth while coasting his hands over all the skin he could reach. She was so smooth everywhere.
He leaned forward, grasping the headboard with one hand, and reached around to cup her breast, rolling the tight peak between his fingers. She arched her back and for a moment her head rested on his shoulder. He switched hands, but this time his grip faltered as she moved against him, sliding up and down on his cock while he toyed with her breasts.
Nicole fucking herself on him, it was one of his favorite things.
“Jake,” she moaned, a thread of frustration in her voice.
He knew that sound, hungered for it.
Grasping her hips with both hands, he thrust hard and fast. She rocked forward, but her hold on the spindles was tight. Again he thrust deep and rough. Her foot kicked against the mattress, her toes curling. He continued the pace, letting his eyes close and losing himself in the feel of flesh on flesh, the way only she could hug his cock, her panting moans and the sound of their labored breathing.
Her foot kicked harder and she squealed, tossing her head back as her pussy pulsed around him. He fucked her through her climax, loving the uninhibited way she cried out.
His orgasm rolled up, as if from his very toes, in a sudden rush. He shouted and drove deep, freezing as months of frustration eased out into a glorious release.
The smell of the candles registered first, then the music still playing in the background.
Jake eased out of her, mind reeling and breath still coming in fast pants.
Nicole sagged forward, her head resting on the headboard as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.
“Here.” He scooped her up, mindful that this moment was so much more than just a simple act of sex. He laid her down, smoothing her hair away from her face and pulling a throw blanket over her while she returned to herself.
Nicole’s eyes were closed, lips parted as if she were some erotic Sleeping Beauty.
She was so precious to him. He loved her, but these last few months, they’d become strangers. Could they bridge the distance? Was this the beginning of a new chapter for them? He wanted it to be so.
From across the room his phone blared a siren bell.
Shit.
Nicole’s eyes flickered open, only to narrow once more. “Go.” She waved her hand at him.
“You sure?” He was torn between drawing this moment out and answering work’s call.
“Yes. Go.”
Jake grabbed the phone on his way into the bathroom to do a quick rinse. The job always came first, and while he loved his job, sometimes it was damn inconvenient. Tomorrow, though, maybe it was time Nicole and he had a little chat.
Chapter Two
Jake parked his SUV in line with nearly ten other vehicles already at the station. He knew every single one of them belonged to the rest of his SWAT team, and judging by the number, he was one of the last people to arrive.
He retrieved the rest of his gear from the back of his truck and hefted it into the garage, which they used as the initial prep location when they weren’t meeting at the scene of a crime or situation. The door was rolled up on one side and several team members had their gear spread out as they went through the final stages of preparing themselves.
Cole, the lone man in full gear, was standing near Aaron, who was sliding into his bulletproof vest and situating the tools of the trade. While all the members of their team could perform every position if need be, they each gravitated to a specialization. Aaron was their breacher, the point man when they had to break down a door or enter a place by force. Jake was often kept in reserve, as a sniper, though he also took over shooting nonlethal rounds, like gas or bean bags, when the need arose.
“Evening,” he drawled as he reached the two men.
“Glad you could join us, old man. Haven’t seen you in a while,” Aaron said with a grin. Jake had seen both Aaron and his fiancée Angel at Cole’s barbecue earlier that day. Chances were several of the guys had come straight from Cole’s house.
“Pleased you invited me,” Jake replied. To Cole, “Sarge, what’s the situation?”
“Got an anonymous tip about a meth lab. Narc just got the warrant an hour ago to raid the place, so here we are.” Cole looped his thumbs into his belt and glanced around.
“Huh.” Typically, the narc officers planned a raid well in advance, but every so often a hot tip came in they had to move on as fast as possible. Given the rise of meth addicts on the street and the increase in crime among the lower-income neighborhoods, any meth tips were getting first priority these days.
Cole glanced at his watch. “As soon as Becca gets here we’re rolling out. She should be here any second.”
“What kind of entry are we doing?” Aaron asked.
Cole cleared his throat. “We’ve got the unmarked van. Going to slap a plumber decal on the side and go in quiet, use the small ram to take the front door. The house only has one entry point. I’ll draw it on the whiteboard in the van. Looks like a small operation.”
“Do I bring the gas?” Jake asked. Since they were dealing with a meth lab, they couldn’t shoot gas into the actual house, but if a situation arose in a neighboring house they might need it.
“No, Eric’s on gas this time. I want you behind point,” Cole replied. Another pair of headlights illuminated the parking lot. “There’s Becca. Let’s load up.”
The other officers who had gathered around them turned as one toward a standard white van, the likes of which any number of service companies used. It had a single entry door on either side just behind the cab, and a pair of doors in back. Inside, it had benches running the length with poles and handholds in the ceiling. The benches served as storage for gear and equipment.
Jake took a seat near the double doors, leaving enough room for Cole at the very end. He wasn’t just their team leader, he also insisted being point on almost every entry, meaning he was the first person to step into danger on these missions.
“Thank you all for joining us tonight.” Cole stood at the front of the van, his back to the narrow entry to the cab. A whiteboard was mounted on the wall behind him, where he’d drawn a quick diagram of the house and surrounding streets.
“I’m not going to your parties anymore. Every time you throw one we get a call,” Becca groused as she dropped her helmet in place.
“I do apologize,” he said, though his grin spoke otherwise. He outlined the mission in greater detail than he had outside the garage.
The van rumbled out of the station and onto the highway. Eventually Cole finished explaining the mission and answering questions, and dropped into the space Jake had left him on the bench.
“How’s Nicole doing? Tanya said she wasn’t feeling well and left early,” Cole said.
Jake shifted. He’d been attempting to not think about his wife, the way she’d sighed and moaned, but all the sensations came roaring back to the point he even thought he could smell the candles on the air. That would be amazing, since most of the gear was permanently perfumed with sweat and body odor.
“She’s fine, just a little too much heat for her. Redheads.” He chuckled, though his mind went back to that fiery little strip of hair on her mound. Next time he would taste her.
“She was looking a little flushed.” Cole rested his head against the van wall.
“Things with Tanya see
m to be going better.” Jake remembered Cole’s stress all too well around the Olympics before the terrorist bombings derailed everything. He didn’t know if the strain of almost losing Tanya had changed their relationship or if it was something else. He just knew his sergeant seemed a lot happier the last few months.
“Yeah, yeah they are.” Cole smiled, warmth easing the tension in his face.
At least half the men and women on their team had gone through at least one divorce. It was never easy on a relationship when a cop was involved. The hours were shit, the pay was never enough and the risks high. And yet, every person in the van had made the commitment to serve. For many of them, it was just a part of who they were. Jake didn’t know how to be anything else.
For Nicole and him, things were tough right now, but he had faith they’d get through it. He didn’t know how or when they’d put the past to rest, but he knew he didn’t want to become another statistic. When he’d pledged to love Nicole until the day he died, he’d meant it. He was a one-woman-for-the-rest-of-his-life kind of man. And Nicole was it for him. He wanted to grow old with her, retire and annoy the shit out of her and when they died, he wanted to be buried next to her.
“ETA five minutes,” the driver called back to them.
“Look alive, everyone.” Cole stood and grabbed the bar running along the ceiling of the van. The shield he used for entering a house as point hung on the wall next to the doors.
Jake checked his handgun once more. All around him people began to shift, the growing restlessness communicated in fidgeting hands and bouncing knees.
An adrenaline rush came with the job. The thrill of chasing down a bad guy, the way the world became sharper, more vibrant in the height of a chase.
The van took a right followed by a left turn. Jake and Aaron stood as Cole settled the shield on his arm. Aaron hefted a twenty-pound door ram, his gaze glinting with a dangerous light in the dimness of the van. Behind him, Becca was a slight, dwarfed figure with her rifle in hand. While some of the team would enter the house, others like Becca would be covering them from outside.
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