Cuffed & Claimed

by Lori King

  “Oh yeah?” She batted her eyes and grinned. “I think I might be able to help with that.”

  The first touch of her lips set him aflame. It was always the same, just like spontaneous combustion, and it never ceased to surprise him that she didn’t realize how she affected him. No other woman had even come close. From the first time they’d kissed he knew she was special, and when they’d finally made love he knew there would never be another woman for him. His fate had been sealed.

  Her arms slid up and around his neck as he deepened the kiss and she melted into his embrace. Forgotten was dinner, the break-ins, everything but the amazing woman in his arms. He was about to lift her up and carry her to the bedroom and fuck dinner when she pulled back. He was sure his disappointment showed on his face.

  “I really am starving, and the food smells too good to waste. Then we can have dessert.” Her smile and wink softened the rejection he’d felt when she broke their kiss. She was right, they were adults, weren’t they? But a little spontaneity never hurt anyone. He just needed to teach her.

  Instead, he carried the food into the dining room where he’d already set the table. He’d stopped and bought a bouquet of lilacs and orange blossoms—her favorite flowers—and even found some candles in her cabinets. The wonder on her face was all he needed to know he’d nailed it. He could be romantic when he wanted, and it was obvious she appreciated it.

  “Oh man, Ethan, you really went for it. It’s beautiful, I can’t believe you even bought flowers. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Baby, this is just me showing you that you mean the world to me. You’re the first woman I’ve really cooked for besides my mother and grandmother. Hopefully, that tells you something.”

  “Thank you.” She came over and stood on tip toes and kissed him. It was soft, gentle, and over almost before it started. For the first time, there seemed to be promise in the kiss. Maybe her hard shell was finally cracking—at least a little.

  3

  “What do you want to do now?” Anna asked as they put the last of the leftover food in the refrigerator and finished cleaning up. Their usual Saturday night dates were dinner out and either a movie or a walk on the beach followed by coffee. Ethan had gone above and beyond for her, and it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her. Her heart had melted into a big puddle of goo when she’d seen the table set with flowers and candles, and not just any flowers but her favorites.

  She knew Ethan felt she was holding back, and she had been. She couldn’t help it. After being taught some hard life lessons, she’d decided it was easier to be alone and lonely than fall in love and go through another devastating loss. Did it mean she was a coward? Maybe, but Ryan’s death had been so devastating, and she’d really believed he was her soulmate. How did you recover from that?

  “How about a movie?”

  “What?”

  “Babe, you okay? Didn’t you just ask me what I wanted to do now?” Shit, she had. At that moment while she was thinking about Ryan she’d had an epiphany. It didn’t hurt anymore, for the first time, the thought of what they had and lost didn’t make her heart squeeze until she couldn’t catch her breath. There was nothing like that, just a kind of melancholy for what might have been. Was she healed? Had her heart been put back together by Ethan?

  “Yeah I did, sorry. I guess I was daydreaming, or maybe it was too much wine and excellent food. You really outdid yourself. I had no idea you could cook like that.”

  “I’m glad you liked it.” He stepped behind her and his large hands massaged the tight muscles of her shoulders.

  “Oh man, that feels good.”

  “You are looking a little tense. How about instead of the movie, I give you a massage?”

  “Is that code for let’s go to bed?” It had been a long day, and making love with Ethan all night long definitely sounded better than a movie. Then she remembered creepy dude. Shit, just thinking about him made her tense even more.

  His fingers stilled for a few seconds before continuing to coax the knots from her neck. “Not really, but I wouldn’t turn it down if you’re offering. But actually, you just tightened up like a violin string. Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “Nothing really.”

  “Anna…”

  Ugh, she hated when he used that tone. It reminded her of Tag when they were younger. He would catch her at something and use that same tone, followed quickly by the threat to tell their parents if she didn’t ‘fess up.’ “It was just a long day.” He didn’t believe her, he didn’t’ have to say it for her to know. They’d been dating for almost a year now and whether she wanted to admit it or not they knew each other a lot better than she’d ever known Ryan. Ethan was an open book, he’d even told her about his time in country and how it affected him. She hadn’t even known Ryan was really CIA until Tag told her afterward, and how he knew she had no idea. Secrets, they sucked. Lies were worse. But so far, Ethan had been nothing but up front.

  “Okay, so you won’t tell me. Do you think it will make me mad?”

  “No, I would rather not ruin our wonderful evening talking about it. We can discuss it later or tomorrow. Deal?”

  He turned her around so she was facing him and he searched her face for something. Whatever he was looking for he’d obviously found it, because he gave her one his sexiest smiles. “Deal. Hmmm, now where were we? Oh yeah, a massage.”

  Before she could say a word, the room tilted as he picked her up and headed for her bedroom. “I’m perfectly capable of walking.”

  “Mmmm hmmm.”

  “I’m too heavy to carry.”

  “Are you kidding me? You’re light as a feather.”

  “Excuse me, I’m five foot eight inches tall. I’m not a feather.”

  “You are to me.” Then he stopped, and his lips came down on hers. His tongue teasing until she let him in. He tasted like wine and sex and every other thought deserted her. All she wanted was his hands on her—everywhere—and right now. He deepened the kiss and a soft moan somehow escaped, and he chuckled.

  The urge to be snarky was quickly tamped down when he nipped at her lips as he pulled back. “Why are you stopping?”

  “Do you want to have sex in the hallway? I kinda thought you’d prefer the bed or at least the couch. But hell, woman, I’ll take you against the wall if that’s what you want.”

  Damn, one kiss and her brain turned to mush. “Bed, now. Chop, chop, detective. I need you.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  * * *

  This was a side of Anna he hadn’t seen before but he sure as hell wasn’t going to complain. Playful, sexy, demanding, hell yeah. It looked like the wall was coming down and he planned to bull doze it right the fuck out of there.

  He contemplated tossing her on the bed but changed his mind. Instead, he slid her down his body so she’d have no doubt he wanted her. His Goddamn pants were on the verge of busting open. If they got any tighter, he might be a soprano for a few days.

  “Is that for me?”

  “Do you really need to ask?”

  “No, but I want to hear you say it. I want you to tell me how much you want me.” If this is the reaction he was going to get after cooking dinner, he was going to start an Anna catering business.

  “Oh, I want you, woman, from the top of your head to the tip of your toes and everything in between. Touching you, kissing you, breathing in your scent, and I can’t think of anything but having you.”

  A spark of something like mischief gleamed in her eyes, and that was all the warning he had. She reached up and ripped open his shirt, buttons pinged across the room and he groaned as the zipper of jeans dug into his most sensitive skin. They needed to be naked. He pushed her backward on to the bed and shrugged out of what was left of his shirt, then opened his jeans, and kicked them across the room. Her urgency was contagious, and he needed to be buried deep inside her.

  Her eyes glided down his body, and she actually licked her lips when she got to th
e proof of his arousal. As he watched the pink tongue slide along the smooth skin of her lips and leave a trail of shiny wetness, he groaned. He’d waited long enough.

  “Up, woman, you need to get out of that dress, or I’m going to tear it off of you.”

  She hesitated for a moment, and he thought she was going to tell him to go ahead, but some of his old Anna was still in there. Scooting to the edge of the bed, she stood up and pulled the dress over her head. He’d expected a bra and panties, what he got was nothing. She was naked under her dress.

  “Damn. You were naked all through dinner?”

  “Not naked, I was wearing the dress.”

  “You might as well have been, and I wasted it.”

  “Nope, but you’re wasting it now,” she said and put her hands on her hips and posed. Yup, there was definitely going to be a lot more cooking in his future.

  Tossing the pillows and pushing the comforter to the floor, he picked her up, slid her onto the bed, and followed her down. The time for words was over.

  He’d really wanted to go slow, to show her how much he loved her. He hadn’t said the words yet, but he knew it was true. But he also didn’t want to scare her away. So instead he loved her with his body, hands, and mouth. Cherishing every inch until she begged him for release. But he pushed her further, confessing his love with every kiss, every lick, every thrust until they saw stars. Then he started all over again.

  * * *

  The sun peeking through the curtains woke him. He couldn’t believe he’d slept through the night, but having her tucked up against him after hours of making love soothed the nightmares for the first time in a year. He hadn’t woken up in a cold sweat, shaking, seeing the plane going down in flames. Then it dawned on him that not only didn’t he have any nightmares, but he was still in her bed. A first for them. She’d been a definitely no sleepover kind of girl. So what had changed since yesterday? Because something sure as shit did.

  Unable to resist her tousled appearance, he kissed her slightly-parted lips. So warm, soft, so beautiful. And he wanted her—again. Twice last night was not enough, hell it would never be enough. He was tempted to wake her, but the dark smudges under her eyes convinced him she needed more rest.

  It was time to make the coffee, and see what she had in the way of breakfast fixings. He wouldn’t wake her with his body, but he couldn’t be held responsible if the scent of fresh coffee and bacon woke her up, now could he?

  Carefully sliding out of her arms, he had to search for his jeans, but seeing the tattered remnants of his shirt decided to not bother with it. As quietly as possible he searched her bathroom for some toothpaste, wishing like hell he had a spare toothbrush. Eh, it wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last he’d had to use his finger instead. It was quick and dirty but better than nothing.

  Devoid of morning breath—at least he hoped—he went in search of her coffee pot and beans. He knew she was a coffee snob so he wasn’t surprised to find a French press and grinder tucked into the “appliance garage” in the corner of her countertop. He loved her kitchen, high-end everything. It was easy when your family was loaded, and now he knew she was wealthy on her own from running the business. From what he’d heard around town it had more than tripled in size since she’d taken over, with satellite offices all around town. Her father should be proud, but instead he was just a jerk.

  The bean grinder was sure to wake her, so he put that off until the water was ready. Then he searched for the leftover bacon he’d put in the fridge the night before, grabbed the eggs and some cheese. After going through what she had and what was left from the night before he whipped up a quiche and tossed it in the oven. He’d always object to the “real men don’t eat quiche” comment. They were stupid if they didn’t. Not for the first time he wondered if he’d missed his calling. Maybe he should have opened a restaurant when he got out of the Air Force, but then he loved helping people too. It looked like he’d reserve his cooking for his woman, especially after the way she’d responded last night.

  Grinding the beans, he set up the French press. Five minutes always felt like forever when you were waiting for the coffee, but he knew from experience it would be worth every second. He got out the half-and-half and sugar since he knew that’s how she liked her coffee, his would be black, as his soul Steele would tell him. The stronger, the better usually, but after getting a good night’s sleep, he wouldn’t need coffee sludge today.

  “Coffee. Is it ready yet?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Good morning, beautiful.” She looked good enough to eat, but he’d hold off until they both had their coffee. It was the gentlemanly thing to do. After all, it had been their first night together. “I hope you don’t mind that I made breakfast too.”

  “Mind? It smells delish. What did you make?”

  “Quiche.” As expected she giggled, and it was heaven to his ears. Sweet, light and totally Anna.

  “What? Real men do eat quiche, and you damn well know I’m right.”

  A hint of a blush graced her cheeks as she smiled. After their antics last night, he’d have been surprised if she hadn’t blushed. She’d been a wild woman.

  “Did you sleep okay? I know that sometimes in strange beds…”

  “No problem, your bed is wonderful, and perfect because I got to share it with you.”

  “About that…”

  Damn, when would he learn to keep his mouth shut. “What about it?” he said, and poured them each a cup of coffee, he slid hers across the counter toward her. Then he inhaled the scent before having his first taste.

  “I think the no sleepover rule is kind of stupid, how about you?” He sipped his coffee, but inside he was fist pumping and screaming, ‘wahoo.’ It hadn’t been wishful thinking; he was winning her over. Now he just needed to be careful and not push too hard too fast.

  “I’ve never been so happy to break a rule, and I vote for putting it down the garbage disposal.”

  “All right then. I guess I know where you stand.”

  “Baby, I never agreed with that rule to begin with. But I didn’t want to push you into something you weren’t ready for or push you away altogether. If you don’t know already, I’ve fallen in love with you.” Ugh there he did it, it was bound to slip out sooner or later. Cringing inside he waited for her response, half expecting her to tell him to get out and get over himself.

  Her eyes widened, the brown getting more hazel like it did when she was full of emotion. But what was she feeling? “You’re in love with me?”

  “Yes. Did you really not know?”

  “I guess, I don’t know. I think I was avoiding the entire subject. God knows you are persistent enough.”

  “Only when it’s something I want. And I want you. But I am trying really hard to take it slow. I’m not sure what changed yesterday, but I’m fucking ecstatic. So please don’t go backward.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s all good. And for the record, I loved sharing my bed with you.”

  “Does that mean I can move in?”

  “Don’t push it!” Before he could say anything else the buzzer dinged and it was time to eat, He hadn’t even checked his phone he’d been so distracted. But he’d need to do that soon if for no other reason than to make sure nothing else had come up with the case—the one he didn’t want to share with Anna, at least not yet.

  4

  Expecting to wake up and feel the mistake cringing in her stomach, Anna was surprised and happy when she opened her eyes, and the first thing she thought of wasn’t, “Oh my God, what did I do.” Instead, she stretched and enjoyed the slight soreness of her well-loved body. He’d kept his word and loved every inch of her and then did it again. What had he put in the food, because it had to have been drugged? All her reservations about their relationship were fading into the ether, probably where they had belonged anyway.

  It was Sunday, the one day she didn’t go into the office, but her staff did. There were lots of open houses and buyers who could only shop on the weekends. W
hen she took over the business, she’d tried opening one Sunday a month to see how it went. Now they were open every Sunday. Which reminded her that she needed to call in and check how things were going.

  After helping Ethan clean up after breakfasts, they settled on the couch in the living room. She flipped on the TV, and they both grabbed their phones. Although watching him sit there in only his jeans was wreaking havoc with her concentration. It took all of her willpower not to lean over and run her tongue across his chest. Just thinking about it and her body heated. Shaking her head, she caught sight of the TV.

  “Hey. That’s my office.” She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

  The reporter was outside of the Willow Haven Realty building. “…the house that was broken in to was 3232 Seashell Lane. I contacted the Willow Haven Police Department, and they had no comment. A person who didn’t want to be identified said this is one of a string of robberies that have happened lately. That’s all for now. Reporting live for KHTZ News this is Sam Watson.”

  Anna turned toward Ethan who was staring at the TV like it had grown a second head or something. “Do you know what she’s talking about? I can’t believe I was in that house yesterday. I wonder if it will affect the sale?”

  Ethan had a weird look on his face as he turned from the TV to Anna. At first, he didn’t say anything. A myriad of emotions crossed his face, the last looking a bit like guilt. What did he know?

  “The call I was on when you got home last night? It was the LT telling me about the break-in. Steele and I have been working this case.”

  “And you didn’t tell me about it? Don’t you think it might have been good for me to know about this?”

  “We were hoping to have this solved before it ever got this far.”

  “How long?” When he didn’t answer at first, irritation forced her to her feet. Frustration, followed by anger sent her into the kitchen. She needed time to think. It was his work, they rarely discussed his open cases, for that reason, they were open. She shouldn’t be pissed off at him for not sharing this, but irrational or not she was pissed. What if Adria had been there when they broke in?