by Kassanna
He stepped away and her lids opened. She cocked her head to the side and her brows came together as she pursed her lips. Without thought he caressed her cheek, sliding his palm around the back of her neck. He yanked her against him, crushing his mouth against hers. Her mouth formed a small O and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue past her teeth. Tangy sweetness exploded across his taste buds. He darted his tongue into the deeper recesses of her mouth, as her blunt tip fingers dug into his skin. He delved deeper, tangling his tongue with hers, swallowing the guttural moans escaping her.
Rick slid his hands between them and yanked her jeans button free. Beside their visceral grunts, the distinct sound of metal scraping metal was the only other noise in the room. Keeping his mouth glued to hers, he shoved his hands down her pants and splayed his palms across both cheeks to give them a squeeze. She threw her arms around his neck, combing her fingers through the hair at his nape.
He broke the kiss and peered down at her. “You have too many clothes on. Take them off. Show me how dirty you can get.” He took her hand and led her to the front of the chair before taking a seat.
She spun around, keeping her back to him. Rhythmic music filled the small space. Indiana rotated her hips in a slow, languid manner. She dipped, rose, and shimmied.
He glanced down and she’d stepped out of her shoes. Skimming her fingers along her waistband, she rolled her jeans over her hips and down her thighs. A lacy red thong glowed vibrantly against her toffee-colored skin. She stomped and her behind jiggled. Another stamp of her foot and the pants pooled around her feet. She stepped to the side and spun around, kicking up a leg. Heavy denim hit him in the chest.
He pulled her jeans off his body and dropped the clothing over the side of the chair. Rick leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, following every movement she made. The sway of her hips was hypnotic; his cock jerked. He was the snake and she was the charmer. She gripped the hem of her shirt and yanked it over her head as her braids dropped heavily against her back. She dropped the top and it landed on the jeans. When he glanced up, she winked.
Wearing nothing but the matching bra to her panties, she stepped up to him and clutched the arms of the chair. Her back arched as her lips brushed the center of his chest. He straightened in the seat, lining up his body with hers. She continued her downward inspection, tracing his stomach muscles with her tongue. The slight touches tickled and his belly quaked when he stifled his laughter. His rod stood at attention pressing against the inside seam of his jeans. He stuck a braid behind her ear.
She raised her head and shook it. “My house, my rules. You touch me when I tell you that you can.” Indiana held his gaze and didn’t move.
Frustration flitted through him. He pressed his lips together.
Indiana grinned, slow and wide. “You talk a good game, but you aren’t ready for me.” She straightened and eased back.
His feet hit the floor with a thud as he stood. He wrapped his hands around her waist and hefted her up, stalking forward. She grasped his wrists, looking down before peering up at him. Heat coursed through him, making his body burn. They hit the wall and he pinned her with his body. “If you’re scared, just say the word.”
“It would take more than you have to offer to make me afraid.” She held his gaze.
“Big talk for a little woman.” He slipped a denim-covered thigh between her legs. Rick looked down at her cleavage. Hugged by her bra, her breasts bulged in the cups. He gripped her wrists in one fist and held them above her head. “You still have time to say no.”
If she denied them the release, it might give him an epic case of blue balls, but he wasn’t the type to take and wasn’t about to start. He pressed his leg against her pussy. His shaft grazed her the inside of her thigh.
Fuck it.
He dipped his head and swept his lips over the exposed skin of her breasts. She pushed against his hold on her arms and he shoved her hands back. He dipped his head and sucked a rigid nipple into his mouth through the fabric. The material covering the nub was rough on his tongue. Rick nipped and lapped at the tight tip, playing with one before moving onto the other. She squirmed, flexing her pelvis and grinding on his thigh.
“Shit, shit, shit…” She spoke it like a mantra.
He grabbed at her thong, yanking it tight. The lace tore and he released her hands. “Help me out here, will you?”
She blinked several times and her brows came together. “Why are you talking?”
“Finish what you started.” He hefted her leg up to circle his hip.
“Huh?” She wrinkled her nose, and then widened her eyes. “Ohh,” She reached between them and unzipped his zipper, pulling the two flaps of his fly apart before slipping her hand under the elastic waistband and freeing his shaft.
Her cool fingers tempered his fevered skin. She closed a fist around his rod and slid her hand along his dick from base to tip.
No way he’d allow her to jack him off. He was primed. He wanted to be deep in her body, drown in her heat, and feel his balls slapping her pussy. His muscles tensed as pressure coalesced in the pit of his belly. Words escaped her that he couldn’t make out. The pleasure coursing through his body made it hard to focus. He watched her mouth as she spoke.
“Condom?”
“Sounds good.” He was reluctant to move.
“No,” She grumbled. “Do you have one?”
“Wallet maybe?” he groaned. “Bac-ck pocket.”
She let go of his cock and reached around him. His pants dropped over his hips as she dug for his wallet, raising it in triumph when she secured it. She tapped the corner against his torso. He hefted her other leg and angled his pelvis to hold her in place. Rick opened the leather and tucked between a few bills was a single gold packet. He silently sent up a prayer of thanks, pulled the foil free, and tossed the wallet to the side.
Indiana snatched it from his fingers and ripped it open with her teeth. She pulled it free. “No more fucking foreplay.” She placed the ribbed tip over the head of his dick.
Currents flowed from the point of her touch through him like a tsunami of feelings. If he didn’t get inside of her soon, he was going to explode all over her. The thin plastic didn’t quite make it to the base of his shaft. He gripped her ass and hiked her up his body, threading his fingers through her thong to shift it out of the way. She gripped his dick and slid it along her slit, positioning it against her channel.
Slowly he impaled her on his cock. Tight muscles undulated around his shaft. He stilled. Her thighs tightened around his hips. She nuzzled his neck and angled her pelvis, her ass flexed as she rose up and plunged down on his cock.
He went up on his toes and her ass cheeks splayed with every lunge, filling his palms. She clasped his shoulders, pushing up, moving faster. The thin bra she wore scoured his chest. His back spasmed and his calves burned. He locked an arm around her waist and slipped a hand down her thigh as she rode his dick. His pants fell around his knees, inhibiting his movements. He lapped at the hollow of her throat. She dropped her head and bowed her back.
His body tautened. Pleasure heightened his awareness. Her moans escalated. He slipped his hand between them and stroked her clit.
“Fuck!” she wailed. Her braids swept his arm. Indiana quivered, shaking uncontrollably. Her sheath contracted around his rod, sending him over the edge. All his energy drained and he briefly lost his sight.
Indiana’s legs dropped to his sides. She hung on to his shoulders, laying her head in the crook of his neck. “Damn.”
He rubbed his cheek against her hair. Gently, he released her to land on her feet. His flaccid cock hardened; in the space of a breath, he was ready again. She gazed down before lifting her head and grinning. The smile transformed her face, widening her eyes and defining her cheeks.
“We’re going to have to reschedule your body art.” She laughed.
The sound was joyous, tinkling…champagne flutes being tapped against each other came to mind. “I can’t think o
f a better reason to see you again.” He snapped his mouth shut— what the hell was he saying? He should be satisfied, but he wasn’t.
She stepped away and tried to adjust her ripped thong to stay up. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear. I have nothing to offer but pure, nostrings-attached sex. Indiana stopped fingering the fabric and sat in the chair. “I have to pick up the kids.”
“I think I told you already. I’m not looking for anything.” He was lying. Unsure of what he wanted, the one thing he knew for certain was that he wanted another taste of Dirty.
Chapter Four
The judge banged the gavel and chatter filled the room as he rose to leave with his dark robes sweeping behind him.
Indiana slumped into the chair. Her lawyer patted her shoulder and gazed down at her. “It could have been worse. At least Judge Mathews isn’t sentencing you until next week.”
“He found me guilty!” Her tone was strained. What was she going to do? Family court would take her niece and nephew away. She sucked in a breath and pain radiated through her chest.
“But he hasn’t sentenced you. Let’s look at the positive.” He picked up his briefcase. “Be in my office by nine tomorrow. We can talk strategy.”
“You’re getting paid for this whether I win or lose, and now you expect me have another meeting with you so you have more billable hours. You have lost your fucking mind.” Anger burned through her. She would need all her funds now to put away for the kids. Calista and Caivin needed stability. Maybe Marty and Brice would be willing to take them. “There is nothing left to plan.” Her tone wavered.
The attorney shook his head. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. He’s right, you are guilty, the prosecutor just marched three cops in here that gave blow-by-blow details of what they witnessed and I told you that would happen. We were never trying to prove your innocence.” He dragged the briefcase across the surface of the table. “We wanted to show why you did it and I believe we did. My office tomorrow, Indiana; we will talk about best-and worst-case scenarios.” He walked down the aisle and out of the room.
Tears blurred her vision as she watched him leave. Everything was falling apart. Next to Kevin, those children were the only family she had.
She’d watched her brother’s trial earlier in another courtroom. His court appearance took all of a half hour, and he was sentenced immediately. Twenty months for drug possession meant he would go to prison. When his judgment came down, Kevin gazed back at her with tears in his eyes. He hung back, screaming apologies and angling his body toward her as the correction officers yanked him toward the exit in chains. She couldn’t save him this time.
Her body shook and a sob escaped her. Indiana slapped her palms to her mouth, trying to contain her anguish.
Everything she did over the years—letting old men paw all over her, lying and stealing to get them through another day, all the shitty McJobs she had slaved at—was for nothing. Disappointment made her stomach knot. She hadn’t been able to save Kevin, and it looked like she might not save his children.
When her mother Sheila disappeared, she didn’t like it, but they still had George. Her family was fucked up, but at least they had each other. Then her father left, and she swore she would keep her and Kevin together, no matter what. She closed her eyes and rocked back and forth. Bile rose up in her throat.
“Don’t cry.” A familiar baritone cut through her distress.
She glanced up. Dick stood before her. He crouched, reaching out to brush the tears from her cheeks.
“What the hell do you want?” she hiccupped through the sobs.
“I keep asking myself that very same question.” He snorted. “How long are you going to sit here feeling sorry for yourself?”
“Fuck you.” She reached for the box of tissue at the center of the table.
“You did. Want to do it again?’ He waggled his brows.
She hadn’t seen the man in a week, after some of the hottest sex she’d had in a long time. They cleaned up, she left sticky notes everywhere about what needed to be done, and he waited as she locked up. Neither of them really spoke, they just worked in tandem with the occasional comment. Being with him was nice. He walked her to her Jeep, brushed his mouth against her temple, and told her to drive safe. As she drove off, she gazed at him through the rearview mirror until he became part of the shadows.
God, but she had enough to worry about. She huffed in frustration. He didn’t make any effort to seek her out, and he hadn’t bothered to reschedule his appointment to finish his tattoo. Did she really want him to?
She glanced at his shoulder. Only the feet of the Buddha could be seen just beneath the edge of the shirt sleeve. Reality was a bastard, but she’d never run from it. She was a booty call, and was okay with that. There was really nothing she could do about another person’s perception of her, and she didn’t exactly turn him away when he was offering her a ride on his joystick. What she didn’t like was him showing up when she was at her lowest.
“Go away, Dick.” She inhaled deeply. So many times she had no choice but to be strong. What was one more?
“You can’t sit here, Dirty. The judge adjourned for lunch. You need to step up, sweetheart, and handle this. It’s not the end of the world. Judge Mathews hasn’t sentenced you.” He gripped her knee.
“You don’t know shit about me.” She moved her leg and watched his hand drop. “I’m well aware of what I can and cannot do. A few hours of sex, and you think you know me? You are just a walking dick, Dick, who just happened to be available when I had an itch to scratch. Now run along, because I have bigger problems to solve.” Indiana held his gaze.
He rose. “Why do you have such a hard time accepting help?’ Dick pressed his lips together in a firm line.
She lifted her chin and peered up at him. “When I find someone offering it, I’ll let you know.” He needed to leave. All she wanted was a few minutes to feel sorry for herself and she couldn’t even have that.”
“Given your stubbornness you wouldn’t know when someone was trying.” He stepped back. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. A few things came up that couldn’t be avoided.”
Indiana rose. She slung her purse on her shoulder, and smoothed down the only skirt she owned. “Get over yourself. If I never saw you again, it wouldn’t make a difference to me. There are only two people who need my undivided attention now, and you’re not one of them.” She marched past him.
Dick grabbed her arm. “You have to let somebody in sometimes.”
She wrapped her attitude around her like armor. Indiana had always been the strong one, never had any support. Her family depended on it and she may have lost a member for a time but she could still try to keep the rest of them intact. She snatched her arm free. “Find another artist to finish your tat. Looks like I may be booked for several months.” She spun around to march out of the courtroom.
“There is only one woman I want. I’ll be seeing you around, Dirty,” he called after her.
Her steps faltered at the door as she shoved it open. “Kiss my ass!” She tossed the word over her shoulder as she exited the room.
“I would lo—” The thick wooden door slammed shut, muffling his laughter.
Across the hall, people sitting in chairs gazed up at her. She tried to smile, but from the way a few of the folks’ eyebrows went up, Indiana knew her belated attempt at humor fell flat. Instead she nodded, and turned away to stalk down the hall.
The sun’s rays warmed her skin as she trotted down the stairs of the courthouse. First thing she would do when she got home was slip on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. The pencil skirt and blouse she wore were strangling her. Then she would call Marty and ask him to cancel all her appointments. She would pick up the kids from daycare and school and make the day one of fun.
There was no telling what could happen within the next week but she could enjoy the moment and hope for the best.
***
Rick entered the outer office of the judge’s chambers. Denis
e, his judicial assistant, peered over the glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. A slow smile spread across her face, and her brown eyes sparkled with mischief. “Well, look what the dog dragged in. How are you, Rick?”
“Hey Denise, I’m good.” He grinned in response to her friendly welcome. “I was wondering if Judge Mathews might have a moment.”
Denise narrowed her eyes, “I can check. It’s been a while since you visited.” She tapped the keyboard a few times and stared at the screen before picking up the handset and pressing a button.
“It has, but you know I could never leave you for very long. You are a damn good-looking woman.” He claimed a chair against the wall. “Thanks for checking.”
He leaned back and waited. Since the night with Indiana at her shop he couldn’t get away from the image of her arched against his arms, her eyes closed and her braids flowing behind her. He hadn’t wanted to let her go. And that scared the hell out of him. He knew the woman all of three weeks—maybe—and he had met her during a domestic call. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with him?
That night, after discreetly following her to make sure she made it safely home, he went on to the poker game.
It was easier for him not to think about what he’d just done, or the fact that he wanted to do it several more times. He hadn’t been lying to Indiana when he told her he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
The next morning, instead of reaching for his cell and calling her, he threw himself into his job and closed two lingering cases in a week. His boss gave him the side eye during more than one meeting. He couldn’t get her out of his head, so when he pulled up her file and noted the court date, he’d made it a point to be there.
At first, he thought she might be late for her own hearing. Then she eased through the double doors in a skirt that hugged her hips like a second skin and whipped around her legs with every step. Her high-collared blouse framed her jaw and her braids had been pulled back into a tight bun.