by Jamie Hill
Brady locked the door and went to bed.
Chapter Four
Gina picked at a salad for dinner and kept one eye on her apartment door. She fully expected Brady to come after her, but each hour that passed caused her to become more depressed.
He just needs time. She realized it had been a bombshell of sorts. She'd lived with it for so long, it didn't seem that big of a deal anymore. Deep down, she knew it was. Why else had she insisted upon telling Brady before they slept together?
He was sweet but for a cop, strangely naïve. It was obvious he'd grown up in a sheltered, white bread world. He certainly looked like the clean-cut type. With his eighties feathered blond hair and clear blue eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled, he was quite a catch. His playboy reputation was probably well-earned but to his credit, he never paid attention to other women when he was with her. He'd always made her feel special.
She'd shattered the image he had of her. Now he knew the truth. She was no better than the hookers he arrested or the addicts he shooed away from street corners.
When the evening news ended, Gina flipped through the channels but there was nothing interesting on TV. It was unusual for her to be home on a Friday night, and she was at loose ends. She brushed her teeth, changed into a tank top and shorts, and crawled into bed.
An insistent knocking woke her. She opened her eyes and tried to get her bearings. She'd had a bad dream, and couldn't shake the nagging feelings it left her. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was two in the morning. The knocking on her front door continued.
"What the…" she mumbled and staggered out of bed. She checked the peep hole and saw Brady on the other side of the door. Suddenly, she remembered their conversation. It wasn't a dream. It had happened. But now, he was here. She opened the door slowly.
"I'm sorry to wake you. I couldn't sleep, and I couldn't stay home alone."
She stepped aside wordlessly and let him in, then closed the door. She looked at him, his appearance more disheveled than she ever seen before. His hair was a mess and he needed a shave. He looks absolutely fabulous.
He gazed into her eyes. "You said what you needed to say but I never got a chance to speak. I need to set you straight about something, Gina. Something you said earlier."
She shook her head. "I said a lot of things. Too many, probably."
Brady reached for her hand. "You said you wanted to tell me about your past before anything happened between us. You're too late. Something has already happened. I fell in love with you. I've spent the last few hours thinking about what you told me, and how I feel about it. I finally figured out, it doesn't matter how I feel about it. It's in the past, and whatever you did then, made you into the person you are today. I wouldn't change a thing about you now, so why worry about then?"
Gina struggled to keep her mouth from dropping open. "Are you serious?"
He smiled. "Of course, I'm serious. I love you, Gina Morris."
Tears filled her eyes, but she couldn't stop them if she'd tried. She flew into his arms and hugged his neck.
"Can I take that as a 'you forgive me' for acting like an idiot?"
She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "There's nothing to forgive. I shouldn't have left the way I did, but you needed time to think. Oh, Brady." She touched his cheek. "I love you, too."
He kissed her, a light gesture that deepened into something hungry and primal. Gina opened her mouth to him and their tongues batted against each other for dominance. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, she walked backwards, pulling him into the bedroom with her.
Gina paused long enough to chase the cat off the bed before dragging Brady down on top of her. She spread her legs and he nestled against her, one leg pressed between her thighs. When he pushed against her center a thrill tingled from her heart, straight to her core.
Long, passionate kisses lingered between them. She reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and dragged it up, careful to avoid his bandage. Their mouths parted just long enough for her to tug the shirt off and they kissed again.
Gina ran her hands over his smooth shoulders and caressed them. His muscles felt strong and firm under her touch. The idea of his body, firm and rigid, rising over her, sent shivers down her spine.
He tasted musky and minty, and she couldn't get enough. Her mouth sought out more, and his responded with enthusiasm. Her tongue traced the outline of his teeth, desperate as she was to be as close to him as possible.
One of his hands wedged between them and cupped her breast through the thin pajama tank top. He squeezed gently and manipulated the flesh until she squirmed.
His mouth left hers, trailing warm, wet kisses down her face and neck. When he reached her chest he reached inside her pajamas and pulled one breast out. He blew on it gently and the nipple puckered. Brady smiled.
Gina watched him play, her arousal increasing by the second.
He flicked her nipple with his tongue and then sucked the bud into his mouth.
She squirmed and arched her back, desiring more. "You make me feel good." Her voice sounded breathy to her own ear.
He ground his erection into her leg. "See how you make me feel?'
"I think we need to do something about that. And I mean right now."
Brady shifted to her other breast. He released it from her tank top and teased the nipple hard with his tongue. "Right now, huh?" he murmured, his mouth against her flesh.
Gina looked at the ceiling and groaned. It'd been damned hard the past few weeks waiting to be intimate. Now, with him on top of her, the prospect of waiting any longer seemed like pure torture. She grasped a handful of his thick hair and tugged his face up to look at hers. "Now."
Brady chuckled. He stood and kicked off his boots and socks. Removing his jeans and briefs, he held them long enough to retrieve a foil packet from his wallet.
She quickly tossed her own clothing aside and lay back on the bed. Gina eyed his gorgeous body hungrily. Smooth, lightly furred chest made way for his taut stomach, and the tiny trail of hair that led from his belly button south. She opened and closed her legs in impatience.
He laughed, his eyes roaming over her with the same lusty hunger. "Sorry, just checking you out. You have an amazing body. I was pretty sure that was the case, but now to see it…Jesus." He stroked his long shaft and rolled the condom into place.
"The feeling is mutual. Now get over here, and let's do more than look." She patted her stomach.
He crawled between her legs and rose over her, their faces mere inches apart. "In a hurry?" he teased.
"Yeah, well, I know what I want, and I want it right now. Any complaints?"
A permanent smile was plastered on his face. "Not from me."
Gina slid her arms around his neck and clung to him as he obliged . When he pulled out and slammed back into her, stars flashed behind her eyes, and her head flew back. "Yes!" She writhed with him as he continued the darkly delicious dance.
Each stroke made her heart beat faster; each warm breath he exhaled drove her closer to precious release. She squeezed her eyes shut and rocked her body to the rhythm he'd set. When he began to shudder, she was right there with him, and held on tight.
At that moment, she understood why he'd wanted to wait. Their coupling was perfect. Meaningful, because she could look at him and say without hesitation, "I love you."
"Damn, I love you, too." Brady leaned in for a kiss. He collapsed gently on her, his forehead planted on her pillow, attempting to catch his breath. She'd felt the heat of his release warm her core, and judging by his demeanor, he wasn't dissatisfied, either. She turned her head and kissed his cheek. "Feel good?"
"Christ. That's an understatement if I ever heard one."
Gina chuckled and ran her hands over his back. Warm and smooth, well-toned, now sporting a thin layer of perspiration that hadn't been there earlier. He worked up a sweat. She loved that about him. She knew Brady would give his all, no matter what he was doing.
He shifted, as if
to rise, and she held him. "Don't go."
"I'm crushing you. Hang on." He eased his body off hers, grasping the edge of the condom. "Let me take care of this. I'll be right back."
"Oh, all right." She settled into the mattress, so warm and comfortable she never wanted to move.
Brady disappeared into the bathroom for a minute then returned and flopped, in all his naked glory, onto his back next to her.
"Is your arm okay?" Gina grabbed the covers and raised them as she snuggled up to his body, one leg thrown over his.
"Yeah. Only hurts when I think about it." He slipped his good arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Gina. That was amazing. Definitely worth the wait."
"Don't thank me." She patted his chest and said teasingly, "Later on, when I'm demonstrating some of my other skills, a 'thank you' might be in order."
He yawned. "Can't wait. I just need to close my eyes for a minute."
"Go ahead." She nuzzled the soft fuzz on his chest. "I was thinking how right you were about waiting. I mean, I know it would have been amazing whenever we did it, but it's so perfect now, with the way we feel about each other."
His chest rose and fell softly with his breathing, but he didn't reply.
"Don't you think?" She gazed up at him.
A low snore rumbled and he sighed, a contented expression on his handsome face.
Gina smiled and burrowed in next to him, closing her eyes.
* * * *
Soft fur tickled her face, rousing Gina. She blinked and watched Pussy Galore rub against her before ambling around the mattress and batting Brady with her tail.
He brushed the soft fuzz away before opening his eyes and focusing. "Never been woken by a cat butt before."
"Sorry." Gina cuddled up to him. "There are better ways to wake up."
He wiggled the arm that was under her.
"Here." She leaned up so he could move. "It's probably numb. I don't think we moved all night."
His face reddened. "I'm really sorry about that. Yesterday was a long day. I don't usually fall asleep in the middle of sex."
"Wasn't exactly in the middle. We were both pretty happy, if I recall correctly."
"Yeah, but…" He kissed the tip of her nose. "I was going to see how much happier I could make you."
She smiled. "We're awake now."
"And I need to hit the other room. Hold that thought." He climbed out of bed and stretched, his morning erection waving.
"Mm, holding." She gazed at him appreciatively.
He stretched his bandaged arm a few times. "Ouch. I think it hurts more today."
"Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
Brady winked and strolled to the bathroom. "I might."
"I'll be right here." She watched him close the door, and then glanced at the clock by her bed. Eleven a.m. on a Saturday, and she didn't have to work. Hopefully he didn't, either. They'd have all weekend to spend together.
Brady stuck his head out of the bathroom and held up one finger. "I'm borrowing some toothpaste." He squirted a dab on his fingertip and used it in place of a toothbrush.
She waved a hand. "Whatever you need."
He ducked back into the bathroom.
He's so considerate. Which meant she had to get up and extend him the same courtesy. When he returned, she hopped up. "My turn. Be right back."
"Do you think you might…?" He hesitated.
"What?"
Brady looked at the bed, where the cat had settled into their spot. "Might be able to put the cat out?"
"Sure." Gina scooped up the ball of fur and set her down in the hall, shutting the door to keep her out. She turned back to Brady. "One pussy all you can handle?"
He raised his eyebrows and took a step toward her. "You really want me to answer that?"
She felt her face flush. "Aw, shit. No, I don't. Never mind." She hurried into the bathroom and smiled at him before closing the door. She used the toilet and cleaned up quickly, brushing her teeth and attempting to tame her wild morning hair.
Stepping back into the bedroom, she smiled again when she saw Brady on his side, spread across her bed like a nude model. "That's what I like to see," she murmured.
"You look like a little piece of heaven, yourself," he countered.
"Oh, yeah, my hair looks lovely, doesn't it? Sorry, but fixing it takes more time than I want to invest right now. Got something else on my mind."
He patted the bed in front of him. "Why fix it? It's just going to get messed up again."
She sat where he'd indicated. "You think?" Sounds good to me.
"I know." He reached for her and smiled.
* * * *
"I'm starving," Brady said later, as they climbed out of bed sometime after noon.
"I am, too. I'm afraid the cupboard is pretty bare. Since you're going to be staying over, we might need to stock up on supplies."
He nipped her neck. "Not worried that I just wanted into your pants, and now that the deed is done, I might take off?"
She ran a hand over his good arm and pinched the skin by his bicep. "Not worried at all."
"Hey!" he yowled, rubbing his arm.
"Wimp," she teased.
"I was shot yesterday, and this is how you treat me?"
"Shot at," she corrected, as he had done to her. "You didn't deserve that. The pinch you deserved."
"Women." He shook his head.
Gina smiled. "Woman. Singular. From here on out."
He cupped the back of her head and pulled her close for a kiss. "My woman."
"Oh, yeah." She sighed with pleasure, and kissed him back.
Gina discovered showering took a lot more work, but was much more fun, with two people involved. To her relief, there was none of the first-morning-after awkwardness. Since they'd taken the time to become friends before lovers, they responded to each other with ease. Maybe too much ease, she thought, amused, after a round of shower sex. It was two p.m. when she handed over the keys to her little red convertible and let Brady drive her out to lunch.
He adjusted his sunglasses and looked in the rearview mirror. "This is a cool car."
"A little cramped for you," she observed. He hadn't said anything, but his legs were bent awkwardly under the steering wheel. She reached her hand between them and fumbled with something.
He grinned at her. "Way too cramped to do that. But I'm game to give it a try, as soon as we've gotten some food."
Smiling, she swatted his knee and found the lever she'd been looking for. The seat sprang back, giving him more leg room.
"Oh, that's better." He adjusted his position and reached for the seatbelt.
"So you'll believe me next time, when I tell you I can always make things better." She leaned back and fastened her shoulder belt.
"Absolutely." He grinned again, and backed out of her driveway.
The sun was bright and the wind light. Gina stretched and patted down her hair, which had started to whip around.
"Put the top up?" Brady glanced sideways at her.
"No! I love this weather. In fact, why don't we just go to the drive in a couple blocks up? We won't even have to get out of the car. I'm feeling lazy today."
He checked out his rearview mirror. "You seemed to have plenty of energy earlier."
"Before you zapped it all out of me. Give me a little time, here. Some food and an hour's rest, I'll be good to go for the rest of the day."
He pulled into a drive-in restaurant and parked in one of the stalls by a menu with a speaker. "What time do you work today?"
"Didn't I tell you? I have the day off. The weekend off. I was hoping you could say the same."
Brady looked at her, a slow smile spreading across his face. "The whole weekend, huh? Me too. Damn. Let's eat and get our strength built back up."
She leaned across him to look at the pictures on the menu, her breasts brushing his arm. "I want some fries. And some of those cheddar pepper things. And that big, fat, gooey cheeseburger, with no onions and e
xtra cheese."
He ran a hand over her back. "Fine. I'll have the same. Then I'll have a coronary, and gain fifty pounds. You eat like that all the time?"
Gina smiled and nudged his chest with her arm. "Nah. Only when I'm gonna need to keep my strength up. We have no food in the house, remember? God knows when we'll come up for air long enough to eat again."
He moved a strand of long hair away from her face and kissed her temple. "How about this—we order in tonight, and tomorrow, we grocery shop together. Gotta have some food, if I'm going to be staying over."
She nodded. "You definitely are."
Brady chuckled and kissed her neck.
She was starting to regret her suggestion of the open top and the drive-in restaurant. If they were in his Explorer in some quiet parking lot just then, things might have gotten a lot more interesting. Gina sighed and moved back. "Let's eat and go home. Not sure I can keep my hands off you much longer."
"Ordering, right now." He pressed the button on the menu speaker and ordered their food and a couple soft drinks. When he was finished, something across the parking lot caught his eye.
"What is it?" She looked in the general vicinity but didn't notice anything amiss.
"Probably nothing." He shook his head, and looked at her. "So, any plans for the weekend other than the obvious?"
"Nope." She ran a finger over his arm. "I'm all yours."
He captured her hand and squeezed. "I need to do a couple of things at home. Won't take me long."
"Sure. Might as well grab a few clothes so you can spend the night." She noticed him staring across the parking lot again. "Brady, what are you looking at?"
An uncertain look crossed his face. "Like I said, it's probably nothing. You see that guy over there in the blue Chevy? Bald head, mustache? I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I noticed him the first night we went out. He was at Portelli's, and I remember thinking at the time that he was watching us."
"Really?" She swallowed nervously but tried to remain composed. "That was a month ago. We've been lots of places since then. You hadn't noticed him again until today?"