by Layla Hagen
“Does that make me special?”
“Very much so.”
Chapter Thirteen
Will
I smiled against her neck, tilting her head to the opposite side so I could feast on her. I traced her clavicle with my tongue and pushed the strap of her dress off her shoulder so I could touch her bare skin. Then I went back to her mouth, savoring her lips before claiming her tongue. When I drew my thumbs over the peaks of her breasts, I felt her nipples respond. Christ, she wasn’t wearing a bra. I wanted to yank that dress down and suck on her nipples until she begged me to be inside her. I sucked on her tongue instead, until she pushed her hips against me. She was so on edge.
“God, Will. I need....”
I knew what she needed, and I was going to give it to her in spades.
“You need to come, Paige,” I whispered in her ear, and she gasped, rubbing herself against the bulge in my jeans. I needed to lay her down, so I looked around. There was a couch in the living room. Perfect. I kissed her while I walked her backward to her couch. My pulse was pounding at the tip of my cock. If I touched her pussy, if I made her come, would I be able to control myself? I had to.
I sat her on the couch, backing her into the armrest.
“You’re trapping me here,” she said huskily when I leaned over her, setting a knee on the couch between her thighs. She bent her knees, and the skirt of her dress fell in her lap. Then she spread her knees further apart, opening up for me.
Fuck, she was beautiful. Those toned legs, that smooth skin. I ran my fingers up the inside of a thigh, then moved to the other. All the while, I kissed her, because I couldn’t get enough of her mouth. I inched further up between her legs and touched her panties. I moved my middle finger up and down the fabric and felt Paige shudder. My control was hanging from a very, very thin thread. Then she slipped her hands under my shirt, and I stilled.
“You’re not allowed to touch me, Paige.”
She pouted. “Why not?”
“Because I’m very close to sinking into you as it is.”
“What’s holding you back?”
I kissed her temple, breathing in that sweet strawberry scent. “As I said, I don’t want to rush this.”
“Will—”
“So no touching me.”
She pouted again.
“If you don’t do as I say, I’ll stop touching you.”
She immediately took her hands away. I brought a hand to the back of her head, pulling her into a deep kiss while I stroked her one last time over her panties. Then I slipped my hand inside, rubbing a finger over her folds. Paige moaned. I felt the reverberations in my mouth. I worked up to her clit, flicking it between my fingers before drawing small circles around it. She wasn’t going to last long. I’d hoped to draw it out, but I’d give her seconds. In a brief break from kissing, she moved her mouth on my neck, suckling on my Adam’s apple, and I nearly burst in my jeans. Fuck, I hadn’t told her she couldn’t kiss me. I would have told her now, but I was so turned on that I wasn’t sure I’d be coherent. So I kissed her mouth instead.
As I moved my hand faster, Paige dug her heels in the couch, pressing herself against the armrest as if she couldn’t take what I was giving her. I didn’t relieve the pressure on her mouth or between her legs. I kissed and touched her until she exploded. Her hips arched beautifully, lifting off the couch, and she pressed her knees together, trapping my arm as I kissed the tip of her nose, listening to her ragged, heavy breaths. Her face and neck were flushed, but the tension still hadn’t left her body, so I moved on with my plan: seconds. Only now I didn’t want just my fingers on her. I wanted to taste her, to have my mouth on her when she surrendered her pleasure to me.
“Sit at the edge of the couch, Paige.”
She did what I said, watching me with wide eyes.
I knelt in front of her.
“Now take off your panties.”
She didn’t ask why. She just lifted her ass off the couch enough to move the panties to her thighs. I yanked them past her knees and ankles. She was ready for me. I spread her thighs wider, moving the tip of my nose up one thigh, then bringing it back to the apex.
“Will,” she muttered pleadingly.
“I’ll draw this out. Slowly.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ll come harder.”
She swallowed, and I teased her other thigh before lowering my mouth to her clit. I stroked it with my tongue until she gripped the backrest above her head for support with both hands and lifted her hips off the couch again, pressing herself against my mouth, crying out my name.
***
Paige
I felt as if I was floating. My body felt as light as a feather. I went to the bathroom to clean up, and when I returned to the living room, Will asked, “Let’s order food. What do you want to eat?”
“Hmmm... hot detective with a side of fries?”
Will laughed, shaking a finger. “Paige.”
Damn, I liked how he said my name. It sounded sexy and naughty and affectionate all at the same time.
“I want a chicken salad.”
Will tapped the screen of his phone a few times, and then shoved it in his back pocket. His shirt rode up a few inches, and I caught a glimpse of those hot-as-sin abs.
I sashayed to him, and I swear, the extra sway in my hips was not intentional... just my body’s reaction to Will’s scorching-hot gaze. I stopped right in front of him, rising on my tiptoes to plant a kiss straight on his lips. I smiled against his mouth when he gripped my hips and pulled me flush against him. I took that as a green light to touch him, but I was a good girl and kept my grabby hands just on his arms and shoulders.
“You’re a good guy,” I murmured.
“Why is that a surprise?”
“Because you’re hot as sin.”
“And those are mutually exclusive things?”
“Usually. And when I met you, I don’t know... you were so full of swagger that I sort of assumed you were...”
“A jerk?”
I shook my head. “You came to buy an alarm with me. Jerks don’t do that. I just didn’t know what to make of you.”
“Now you do?”
I lifted one shoulder, working as much sass into the gesture as possible. “You’re still on probation, but I like what I see.”
Will grinned. “On probation, huh? I’ll take the bait.”
The bait? What? I was just teasing him.
About half an hour later, our food delivery arrived. I made to go to the door, but Will got there first, so instead I went to the kitchen. My heart was thumping wildly, and I wasn’t sure why. Was it because I had this sexy guy here with me?
I took the food out of the carton and laid it on plates, and then we ate at the small table, like that evening when he installed the alarm. We started talking about my job again.
“So how many letters of intent do you need?” he asked after I’d explained the process.
“Until I’ve reached 50 percent of the budget.”
“But you said your boss only needs 25 percent.”
I was mildly surprised that Will was showing real interest, not just making small talk.
“I know how my boss and his bosses think. The project is risky enough that they won’t green light it with just 25 percent. With 50 percent, though, they won’t discard it as quickly. And if I burn the midnight oil on this, I might be able to kick-start it by the end of the year.”
“This project means a lot to you.”
“Each project does.”
“Do you always take on the most challenging ones?”
I considered this. “Lately, yes.”
After we finished dinner, we took our plates into the kitchen. We were side by side at the counter as I washed my hands, but then Will slipped behind me. For a brief moment, he wasn’t touching me at all, and then his hands were on my thighs, drawing small circles. At least he was only teasing my outer thighs. Whew.
Wait... I spoke too soon
. Daredevil that he was, he slipped one hand to my inner thigh. “You’re distracting me,” I muttered.
“You didn’t mind before.” He pushed my hair aside, kissing between my shoulder blades.
“Mmm... I didn’t. In fact, it was so worth it that I can’t wait to get upset again so you can distract me.”
He turned me around.
“I’d like for us to set some rules, Paige,” he whispered against my lips. “This thing we’re doing here... I don’t know what it is, but I’d like for us to be exclusive.”
My heart felt like it was about to burst. I rose on my tiptoes and bit his earlobe gently. When I faced him again, I realized he wanted me to say it out loud. He swallowed, his gaze hard, and... a little vulnerable. I’d only seen him this open and raw when he walked his sister to the altar.
“Of course I want us to be exclusive.”
His expression didn’t soften. “Are you sure? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it. I know some like to have open relationships and whatever they come up with to excuse cheating, but I’m old-fashioned that way.”
“I meant what I said,” I assured him. I placed my hands on his chest, rubbing soothingly with my thumbs. “I don’t want to see anyone else. I wouldn’t have let you.... I don’t do.... I’m old-fashioned too, I guess.”
Will relaxed, finally. I felt the tension leave his muscles, saw his eyes soften. He took both my hands in his, kissing my palms, then the backs of my hands. The chaste kisses touched me deeply. I wrestled with my thoughts, then decided to voice them. Will wouldn’t laugh or tell me I was overthinking things. I thought he’d appreciate it. Hoped, at least.
“Thank you for having this conversation out in the open and not leaving me guessing or doubting. I appreciate it.”
I had the strangest realization that I wouldn’t have to pretend with Will.
Will brought my hands back to his chest, then leaned in to capture my mouth. God, the man could kiss. He was an expert. Each kiss felt different, better... hotter. How could he turn me on just by kissing me? I had no clue, but I planned to enjoy it thoroughly. I wished he wasn’t keeping my wrists hostage though. I wanted to touch and explore. Oh, wait. I wasn’t supposed to, right? Hmm... that didn’t sit well with me.
He deepened the kiss, and my hips arched on pure instinct. I slammed right into Will’s hips, and discovered that he was hard. Will groaned, a delicious sound I ate up. I wanted to lure more sounds like that out of him. I was so greedy that it scared me. I’d always been the ten-dates-before-sex kind of girl, but with Will... I didn’t feel the need to be on the defensive.
He let go of my hands, instead putting his hands on the counter. Well... slamming them actually.
“Jesus, woman. You drive me crazy.”
“I love that I do.”
“How often will you be here?”
“A few times a week. My family and I are taking it in shifts to oversee the handyman.”
“When are you free this week?”
“Thursday. Why?”
“I want to take you out.”
My stomach cartwheeled. “Okay. What are we doing?”
“Dinner.”
“Dinner it is. So... we’ve talked about my day, but not yours. How was it?”
He stiffened a little, straightening.
“I don’t like to talk about my work.”
“Umm... then how will I know when you need to be distracted?”
He placed his hands on the counter at my sides, leaning in until he spoke against my lips. “I’ll tell you.”
He feathered his lips on my cheek, and I suspected he was using his exquisite seduction skills to avoid talking about work, keeping me at bay. My hunky detective was putting up a protective shell. He would be a tough nut to crack... but I was nothing if not persistent.
When we came up for air, I debated pushing the issue, but I let it slide instead, because... well, this was new, and my pushy tendencies tended to alienate people, and I really, really didn’t want to alienate Will.
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
I relished the compliment but felt compelled to point out something.
“I think my skimpy outfit may cloud your judgment.” I was wearing one of my high school dresses again. I had to bring some clothes here.
“Trust me, your outfit affects many body parts, but not my mind.”
I felt my cheeks heat up. Will grinned.
“I made you blush.”
“You do that a lot.”
“You look sexy in this dress. So sexy, in fact, that I just want to keep you here so no one else sees you.”
“Like I would walk out like this. Don’t worry. My brother was the only one who saw me.” On a whisper, I added, “I like that you’re possessive.”
“Why are you whispering?”
“Because I don’t know if I should admit it. It might enable you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Will
On Thursday, I was ready for the day to be over so I could pick up Paige for our date. Unfortunately, it simply refused to end. Elliot and I had made an arrest, and it had taken hours to fill in all the paperwork and bring everyone up to speed. I didn’t have time to go home and change, so I just hopped in the shower at the station. Luckily, I kept a spare change of clothes in my locker just for such occasions.
As I walked out of the locker room after changing, I rearranged the collar of my shirt and swore loudly. The arrest had involved a physical altercation and had earned me an ugly scratch on my neck, right at the base.
“What did that shirt do to you, Connor?”
I hadn’t heard my colleague Hensley come up to me.
“It’s not the shirt. I got a cut today on my neck, and it shows.”
“Wear your collar up.”
I grimaced. “I’d look like a nineteen-year-old schmuck trying hard to impress.”
Hensley folded her arms over her chest, sizing me up. “You are trying to impress, aren’t you?”
“I’m going on a date, yes.”
“Well, the scratch makes you look more of a badass, so where’s the harm?”
Usually I wouldn’t care, but I suspected it might make Paige uncomfortable.
“Or I can give you some foundation to put on it,” Hensley continued.
I drew the line at makeup. “No, thanks.”
I left the station, feeling energized despite the tiring shift. The prospect of seeing Paige excited me like nothing else. I revisited my plan on the drive to her office building, where I was picking her up: dinner and a stroll through the park.
I made mental notes of a few contingency plans in case she wasn’t too hot for a walk, because I wanted her to enjoy the evening. I wanted to please her. When I pulled the car in front of her office building, I realized I hadn’t given the case a single thought. Usually after making an arrest, I was consumed by it, playing out possible outcomes. Now, I only had Paige on my mind. I texted to let her know I was already here—twenty minutes early—assuring her she could take her time and I’d wait. After a few minutes, I got too restless to just sit, so I decided to wait inside.
The offices were on the ground floor, and when I walked in, I was surprised by the flurry of activity. One person worked the small reception, where several people were waiting in line. I leaned against the wall near the elevator until a petite blonde came up to me.
“You’re here to sign up for volunteering?”
“No, I’m here for Paige.”
The woman blinked at me, then smiled. “Detective Will Connor?”
I had no idea why the fact that she’d talked to a coworker about me made me so happy.
“Yes.”
“Come on, I’ll take you to Paige.” The blonde led me to the left of the reception, through a narrow corridor until we reached a half-open door. Paige was on the phone, but when she saw me, she motioned for me to come in, mouthing, “Sorry.”
I just shrugged and smiled, watching her. As far as I could tell, she was dis
cussing a financing deal. She was magnificent, standing tall and proud, wearing a little suit. It was the first time I’d seen her wearing one, and as she turned with her back to me, the sight of her perfect little ass made my mouth water.
The person on the other end wasn’t easy to deal with, but Paige wasn’t going to back off. She was a fighter, and that turned me on even more than her perky little ass.
When the call ended, she gave me her undivided attention. She was standing in front of her desk, and I walked to her until we were inches apart. She looked up at me with so much warmth that I lost my train of thought. Had she looked forward to this moment as much as I had?
“Hello, beautiful.”
“Mr. Handsome. Welcome to my office. How did you find me?”
“A helpful coworker showed me the way. She knew who I was.”
“Of course she did.”
“Have you been bragging about me?”
“Duuuh. Have you looked in the mirror? You’re super bragworthy.”
I kissed that lovely mouth, intending it to be nothing more than a quick peck, but I lost that battle as soon as our lips touched. She tasted too good, and the way she responded to me was too addictive. She parted her lips, allowing me access, and I took everything she gave me. Then I became hungry for more and fisted the edge of the desk to keep from lifting her skirt up to her waist and touching her bare skin.
“Will,” she admonished when I pulled back. “This... you can’t kiss me like this at the office.” She was blushing, which gave me immense satisfaction. “I’m just going to refresh my makeup, and then we can go.”
I still had her trapped between me and the desk, but I lifted one hand. As she made to move, I set my palm on her belly.
“Don’t wear lipstick.”
“Why not?” she whispered.
“It’ll be in the way.”
She squirmed a little, and I let her go. She returned a few minutes later.
“No lipstick,” I said with satisfaction as I offered my arm and she laced hers through it.
“Maybe it just didn’t go with the outfit.”
I’d expected the sass.