“Nobody with you, baby girl?”
“You can’t be here.” She refused to confirm his suspicion. The heaviness in her stomach grew and the fear humming through her veins was betrayed by the shaking in her hands.
His grin widened as he obviously concluded she was here alone.
“You didn’t replace me yet, huh?”
What had she ever seen in him? Forget the fact that he was kind of scary looking—stocky, shaved head, intimidating scowl—he was a complete asshole.
Unfortunately for her, he’d just hid it so well at first. He’d duped her and damn well. She’d been quick to defend him, to tell people to see beyond the intimidating appearance and to find the sweet and supportive guy she’d thought she was dating. She’d told herself not to by a hypocrite and judge a book by its cover, but fuck she should’ve. Because this cover clearly screamed “run the hell away”.
She’d realized the truth when the shiny veneer he’d kept on to charm her began to chip. She’d seen the anger. The threats. Not always directed at her, though often enough to shock her into awareness. The growing possessiveness had made her way too uncomfortable. What had finally broken her was finding out all the shady people he was involved with. The illegal activity.
The vibe was all too close to her old life, so she’d ended it immediately.
Unfortunately, breaking up with Curt had only provoked his anger. He hadn’t left her alone, and the threats on what he’d do if she didn’t come back had escalated. So she’d finally sought help by filing for a restraining order.
She’d thought he’d moved on, had finally let her go—because it had been almost a half a year—but now here he was again.
“What is it you want?”
He turned around and ran a narrowed glance over her from head to toe.
“Oh, baby girl, I want lots of things.”
“Well if I’m one of them, cross me off the list.”
“Now I just don’t think I can do that. You almost look like you were expecting me tonight.” He took a step toward her, literally backing her into a wall. “Nice little robe with a convenient little belt.”
“Get out, Curt.”
He didn’t move. “I hear you’ve reconnected with some of the McLaughlins.”
“W-what?” She blinked. That was just about the last thing she’d expected him to say.
“You heard me. Are you friends with them?”
“Friends? What? No. I’ve just bumped into them a couple times.” Oh God, she just wanted him to leave.
Maybe it was worth being the talk of the neighborhood—having the rumors start again. If he didn’t get the hell out of here in a few minutes she was making a grab for her phone and calling the police.
And then what? You think he’ll react calmly?
Realization sank in. No, she had to diffuse the situation and get him to leave on his own accord. She couldn’t risk getting him angry while they were alone. Sure, maybe she’d have a chance to call 911, only what would happen between her dialing that number and the police arriving? She could wind up with some serious physical damage.
“You sure? I hear you and Colin spent some time together recently.” Curt leaned down, his cigarette breath feathering over her face. “You’re not fucking the nice little deputy?”
“No.” And Colin was hardly little.
“Good. Because I don’t think that’d make me very happy.”
“Curt.” She tried to keep her voice steady. Rational. “We’re not together anymore. You need to leave here or you’ll get in trouble.”
“Do me a favor. Keep making nice with the McLaughlins, Hailey.” He didn’t even acknowledge her words. “Your little friendship may be useful to me pretty soon.”
“Did you listen to anything I just said? We’re not friends and your ass needs to leave.”
Curt’s hand shot out so fast she didn’t even see it. He caught her jaw in a ruthless grip she knew would leave bruises.
“You watch how you talk to me, bitch.” He moved his head closer to hers. “Or maybe you need a little reminder on the definition of respect.”
Shit, this is exactly what she was afraid of. The violence inside him that could erupt so easily. She was seriously considering kneeing him in the balls when a sharp knock at the door had his grip easing.
“You expecting someone?”
“Tanesha.” And thank God for her perfectly timed arrival. “One of my coworkers.”
“Well. I guess I’ll just have to let you two visit then.” He released her and stepped away. “I’ll see you soon.”
She drew in a shaky breath and jerked her robe tighter around her. Anger, frustration and helplessness had her scrubbing tears from her eyes.
And of course Curt would pass Tanesha while leaving, and that was going to leave her flummoxed on how the hell to explain who he was.
He swung the door opened and her heart froze. Tanesha wasn’t standing on the other side of the door. Colin McLaughlin was.
Who in the hell was this wanker?
Colin held the surly stare of the man who’d answered Hailey’s door.
For a moment he was tempted to double-check the address and make sure he had the right house, until his gaze slid beyond the stocky man and landed on Hailey.
Her dark hair was wet and in waves around her shoulders. She wore her bathrobe. Clearly she’d just come out of the shower.
Now what had preceded that shower was the question circling in his head.
His stomach soured at the realization that this man had to be Hailey’s lover. The way the other man glared at him showed a proprietary warning that someone would have to be blind to ignore.
The man looked like the type of punk Colin dealt with often while patrolling on the job.
“Evening.” Colin gave a curt nod. “I was just dropping by to have a word with Hailey.”
“Really? I don’t see any tits on ya’, so I’m guessing your name’s not Tanesha.”
What the fuck kind of game was this guy playing? “No. It’s Colin.”
“I know who you are, McLaughlin.” The man gave an unfriendly smile and stepped past him. “Keep your hands off my girl.”
Well didn’t that just put them on uneven playing fields? Narrowing his eyes, Colin watched the man leave and just barely restrained himself from commenting further.
Only when the prick had climbed into the beat-up truck and driven away did Colin glance back at Hailey.
He was used to her meeting his gaze head on, but right now her eyes were downcast and her fingers were clenching around the lapels of her robe. Something was off, and whether he wanted to or not, it worried him a little.
“Nice boyfriend you’ve got there.” He stepped into the house and shut the door, not even waiting for her reply. “Might’ve been good to know you were off the market before our little hot and heavy session yesterday.”
Now her gaze jerked up, and he was glad to see the flash of anger in them.
“Hey, I didn’t ask you to put your tongue in my mouth, asshole.” She hesitated and then gave a hard shrug. “And he’s not my boyfriend.”
Why that relieved him, he couldn’t say. Only the idea of that pathetic waste of space touching Hailey didn’t sit well with him.
“Who is he?”
She didn’t answer right away, and seemed torn on how to reply. “He doesn’t matter. Want to explain what you’re doing here?”
Clearly he did matter if the man had referred to Hailey as his girl. Unless he was the same guy with a restraining order against him. Shite, was that possible?
There were faint red marks around her jaw, as if someone had just gripped it hard. Wishing he’d looked at that guy’s plates a little closer, he narrowed his eyes and struggled with the fury that began to simmer inside him.
“Who was he, Hailey?”
Her shoulders went stiff again and the amusement in her eyes snuffed out, leaving her expression once again guarded.
For a moment he didn’t think she’d
answer, then she gave a tiny shake of her head.
“He’s an ex-boyfriend who’s having a little trouble letting things go.”
“Curt MacGregor?”
Her eyes widened, a spark of anger in them now. “How do you know about him?”
“I ran your plates and saw you had a protection order.” Shite, his gut instinct had been right. That had been MacGregor strolling away as if he had every right to be here. “Did you not call the local police?”
“No.”
“Hailey—”
“Look, you had no business running my plates.” She jammed a finger against his chest. “And this is out of your jurisdiction anyway, so why don’t you just turn on your heel and get out of here, Deputy.”
Instead of leaving, he caught her finger and then moved his hand over it and downward to capture her wrist. His touch was light as he tugged her close.
“Did he hurt you?” He let his gaze fall on the marks on her jaw.
Her lashes swept down and the pink in her cheeks darkened. She was embarrassed.
“I can handle this.”
“Clearly. Which is why you’ve taken out a restraining order on the man and have no intention of using it.”
“Look, he left when I told him to.”
“Did he? Because I think it was likely my arrival that had him leaving.”
“Even if it was, this isn’t your concern.”
“I wear a badge that says it should be.”
She met his gaze again, and there was frustration in her eyes.
“So, what? You’re just going to set out to enforce every broken no-contact order out there? Because I’m pretty sure there are people a lot worse off than me.”
“Maybe. But it’s not personal with them.”
“It’s not personal with me!”
“Aye, unfortunately I think it is.” The admission was made as much to her as it was to himself. “Because I’ve not been able to stop thinking about you since the day you showed up at my family’s pub early this summer.”
Her mouth parted and for a moment she didn’t speak, then she gave a heavy sigh. “Well, if that’s the case, then it’s nothing but what I said yesterday. You wanting to get in my pants.”
“More than likely,” he agreed.
She gave a bitter laugh. “Right. Well, sorry I can’t help you there, buddy. But I’m on a leave of absence from sex.”
“Now that just sounds like a bad idea.”
“No. Getting involved with you would be a bad idea.” She tried to tug her wrist free, and he let it go, but didn’t move away.
Instead, he caught the belt on her robe and pulled her forward. He toyed with the knot there. Loosening it and then tightening it again.
“Maybe we should try and find out?” There was something so surprisingly sexy about Hailey—always so guarded and serious—in a fluffy robe.
What was she wearing underneath it? It would probably be quite wrong to hope she wore nothing, and that she’d be naked as the day she was born.
She didn’t reply. Didn’t protest the way he was one deft move away from unfastening her robe.
Hell, what was he doing? He’d come here today with the intent of apologizing. Of just clearing the air so they could at least be civil together.
And now here he was imagining what it would be like to remove the robe and touch her. Taste her. Pull her down onto the thick carpet and make love to her until neither could think straight.
Christ, he was being a bastard. She’d just had a run-in with her ex that had clearly left her upset, and he couldn’t for the life of him walk away right now. Couldn’t make himself let her go.
Beneath her robe, her chest rose and fell with the uneven breaths she drew in. But she didn’t seem panicked. If anything, he could swear she was growing just as aroused as he was.
If he slipped his fingers into the part of her robe, between her thighs, would he find her ready?
She gave a small shake of her head, drew in a ragged breath. “We shouldn’t.”
“But you want to.”
“I want to,” she admitted, her words barely audible as her heated gaze met his unflinchingly.
Triumph seared through him and he slipped a finger into the knot of her belt again, loosening it and then untying it completely.
The robe was still closed, and he waited again to see if she’d protest. There was nothing but silence, loaded with mutual anticipation.
He reached for the lapels of her robe and curled his fingers around each side, tugging them apart.
Just as he’d hoped, her body slid into view completely, without a stitch of clothing.
Her breasts were a nice handful, sloped upward and crowned with dark, berry-colored tips that were already hard. Her stomach was flat, slightly defined even, and below it her hips flared just enough to give her feminine curves. But the pink folds of her sex were bare, and her thighs were so tightly pressed together he could only guess how ready she was.
He stepped closer and lifted a hand to push the robe off her shoulders and then down her body.
“Feel free to tell me to stop at any point.” His words were husky with challenge and arousal.
They both knew if she hadn’t stopped him yet, she probably wouldn’t.
No matter how much they called to him, he avoided kissing her sweet lips. It was too intimate. Too romantic. And what was happening between them was lust. Pure and simple. He couldn’t afford to lose his head anymore than he already had over this woman.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck and was rewarded with her ragged breathing. He smiled slightly and inhaled the faint smell of soap on her clean, soft skin.
“I think I hate you, Colin.”
“Aye, I think you must.” He kissed her neck again, and moved a hand boldly between her closed thighs. Maneuvering his fingers slightly, he slid one inside her and was welcomed by her hot slickness. He didn’t bother to hide his own groan of arousal. “But you also want me.”
His words were a gamble, and they’d either anger her into pushing him away, or—
“All right then, what are you going to do about it?” She slid her hands up to his shoulders, her nails biting into the skin as she pressed down on them.
The realization of what she wanted—that she was urging him to his knees—upped his arousal about a hundred percent.
With a low growl, he sank down in front of her and cupped her hips, pulling her forward.
He breathed in the perfumed scent of her arousal, slid his tongue over the smooth flesh and then inside her.
One taste of her must be what it was like doing heroin for the first time. He was in heaven, and completely and thoroughly fucked.
Chapter Seven
She was out of her mind. And right now she couldn’t even begin to care. There were so few moments in life where she could find and even indulge in pleasure—dammit, she was going take this one.
Hailey fell back against the wall, glad it was there to help hold her up as Colin went down on her.
Colin McLaughlin—the man she wanted to kick in the balls half the time—had his face buried between her legs right now.
Oh God. What the hell was she doing? Reason tried to creep in, but there really wasn’t a place for it at the moment.
Not with the way Colin was pleasuring her into mindlessness.
She gripped his shoulders, riding his tongue as he did amazing things. When he found her clit and began to play with it, she became the mouse to the cat. Helpless. Trapped. But there was no terror, only complete pleasure and surrender.
The ache between her legs increased and the pressure of a much-needed release began to build. She felt him touch her—part her again—before he slid two fingers deep into her channel. His mouth never left her, just continued to suck and nibble. Tease.
“Colin.” His name was a babbling plea on her lips as she rose to her tiptoes as if to escape the intensity. But it was merciless as it slammed into her. She crested a wave of pleasur
e and began to come.
Her body trembled and her knees gave out, but he held her up. Continuing to caress her with his mouth as she fell back down from her climax.
She didn’t realize he’d moved until she felt the plush carpet on the floor beneath her back.
Her heart was still pounding, it was still impossible to think, but she was vaguely aware of him pulling something from his wallet.
The metallic slide of his zipper sounded, followed by the shuffle of clothing.
Condom.
Fast. This was happening so fast.
Reality was starting to intrude. It was rearing its ugly head. Maybe she should put a stop to this. Slow it down at least.
The weight of his body covered her, and one hard thigh nudged hers apart.
When she felt his thick erection probing the swollen flesh between her legs, her ability to think drifted away again. Her entire being simply anticipated that moment when he would enter her.
Then he did. One swift plunge, so hard, so deep that she cried out. She arched her back, parting her legs farther as she took him completely.
“Oh shite.” He stayed buried for a moment, not moving, as he used his mouth to place slow kisses over her neck. “You feel incredible, sweetheart.”
You do too. She stroked his back with her fingers, letting her inner muscles squeeze him and test his thickness and length.
He lifted himself up slightly so he could stare down at her. His green eyes had darkened to almost emerald with the desire in them. “You tasted pretty incredible too.”
His gaze fell to her lips, he cursed softly, before his mouth crushed down on hers.
Surprised at the intensity of the kiss, she could only cling to him and meet the fiery passion.
While his tongue lashed at hers, he began to move inside of her, his mouth and his penis almost in sync.
She met each thrust all too easily, and soon they had a pace that only seemed to be getting more frantic by the moment. Then, when she was so close to peaking again, he let out a strangled groan and buried himself deep.
While he found his orgasm, she teetered on the edge. Unfortunately, she didn’t quite fall over like last time. Her heart still beat like crazy as she drew in a ragged breath, shifting beneath him to ease the ache.
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