Dark Desire

by Dark Desire (lit)

  Ace fisted his hand in the front of her robe and carefully pulled her back onto his lap. “Your hard head has had about all it can take today.” His cell phone rang, interrupting him from saying anything further. Holding Hope still with one hand, he reached beside the chair to where he’d dropped his cell phone on top of the duffel bag.

  “Tyler.”

  “Ace, it’s Linc. I just got a phone call here that you might be interested in. A man called and said, ‘I didn’t mean to hit the girl,’ and hung up.”

  Ace met Hope’s eyes. “Is that all he said?”

  Linc’s anger came through loud and clear. “Yeah. The son of a bitch hung up before I could say anything. We’re trying to trace the call now, but on the caller ID it showed up like one of those prepaid phones. He probably ditched it already. There are so many prints in the truck that it’s going to take forever to sort them out, so I doubt if it’s going to be any help. A copy of the surveillance tape from the rental place is on its way. Let’s hope we can get something from that.”

  “I want this bastard. Let me know the second the tape gets there.”

  “Will do. How’s Hope?”

  “Sore and sassy.” At her grin, he tightened his hold to pull her closer against his chest, vowing to himself that he would do whatever he had to in order to be the kind of husband she needed. “I must be out of my mind to be marrying someone like her.”

  “No shit! Congratulations.”

  When Hope bunched her hand into a fist and hit his chest, he almost retaliated by pinching her bottom until he remembered. Instead, he cuddled her closer. “Thanks. Call me if you hear anything else.” He disconnected, absently listening to Hope and Charity talk about wedding plans.

  Christ, he loved her. “Come on, honey. Let me give you a massage and then you can talk all you want to.”

  * * * *

  Hope looked pointedly at the duffel bag and leaned close to whisper in his ear. “Are there any surprises for me in there?”

  Ace nodded. “As a matter of fact, there is.” He reached down to rummage for something and came back with a bottle. “Jesse sent this. She said that Clay and Rio used it to rub her down when she was sore.”

  Accepting the bottle of vanilla scented massage oil, Hope leaned close to whisper in his ear. “You know this stuff is flavored, too?”

  “Is it?”

  “Yep. Come on. I want my massage.”

  Once in her room, Ace closed and locked the door behind them. “Let me get a towel so I don’t get this stuff on the sheets.”

  Hope helped him smooth the towel over the sheet, undid her robe to let it puddle at her feet on the floor, and climbed up onto it, groaning as her muscles protested. “Are you any good at this?”

  Ace’s lips twitched. “I haven’t had any complaints. Lay still.”

  Stretched out on her belly, Hope closed her eyes, shivering when the oil drizzled over her back. The bed dipped, and she felt the denim of Ace’s jeans brush her leg only moments before his hands settled over her back and began to smooth the oil in.

  “Would you relax? You’re wound up tighter than a drum. I won’t hurt you.”

  Hope frowned and looked over her shoulder at him. “I’m not afraid you’ll hurt me. I’m naked, on a bed, and your hands are on me. I’m aroused, idiot, not scared.” Waiting for some sort of retaliation for calling him an idiot, Hope stilled when Ace kissed her shoulder.

  “My mistake. I’ll take care of you, baby. Just lay there and let me do all the work.”

  Melting under his hands, Hope moaned as he slowly, methodically loosened all of the muscles in her back. “That feels so good.” Unsurprised that she slurred her words, she smiled against the pillow, coming alert when he parted her thighs and drizzled more oil onto them.

  Ace kept his massage gentle as he slowly worked on the muscles, his slick fingers sliding easily over her skin.

  Hope tried to stay still but couldn’t. Her juices coated her thighs, blending with the fragrant oil. Her pussy clenched every time Ace’s fingers brushed against her slit, heightening her arousal while loosening her muscles so thoroughly she had trouble moving. When he brushed her slit again, Hope moaned.

  “Ace.”

  “Did I hurt you?” His touch gentled immediately.

  “No. I need to come. Every time you put your hands on me, you stir me up.”

  Ace chuckled softly. “I’m trying to make you feel better, not arouse you.”

  “You’re accomplishing both. Don’t you even think of stopping until you make me come. You took my vibrator.”

  “I brought it with me.”

  Hope turned to look over her shoulder. “You did?”

  Ace pressed against her back until she lay flat again. “I did. Now be still so I can finish with this side and turn you over.”

  “I hit my butt hard.”

  He bent to kiss her bottom. “I see that, and it’s black, blue, purple and some colors I’ve never seen before. Thank God it’s well padded.”

  Hope tried to turn again, but a hand on her back prevented it. “Are you trying to say I have a big ass?”

  Oil drizzled on her bottom. “No. Just a well padded one. It’s perfect. Now be quiet so I can finish. You’re supposed to go to sleep.”

  “I will, I promise, just as soon as you make me come.”

  “You are such a brat.”

  “Yeah, but you love me this way.”

  “God help me.”

  “Think of how bored you’d be with someone who didn’t fight back.” Hope said it playfully but meant it, worried sometimes that he wouldn’t understand her need to be overpowered.

  “With you, I don’t think boredom is a problem I’ll have.”

  “You bet your great ass it won’t. I’m going to keep you on your toes, Sheriff.”

  “Or talk me to death. Would you please be quiet? I want you to relax.”

  “Make me.”

  Ace slid a finger through her juices and circled her pussy opening. “If you’re still and quiet, I’ll use the vibrator on you when I turn you over and make you come really hard. If you keep fidgeting and talking, you’ll get no relief at all.”

  Hope moaned as her clit throbbed in response to his promise. “I’ll be good.”

  Ace gently massaged the cheeks of her bottom. “You’re always good, baby. Except when you’re bad.”

  “I like to be bad.”

  Ace sighed. “Yes, baby. I know.”

  His flat reply worried her, but she kept quiet except for her soft moans as he tenderly massaged every inch of her hips and bottom. His firm touch turned her bones to water as he massaged her thighs again before moving on to her calves and feet.

  She’d never before thought of her feet as erogenous zones, but in Ace’s hands they were.

  He stroked his thumbs up her arch, almost, but not quite, tickling her. Instead, his firm touch sent her pulse racing and created an answering pull at her clit.

  The sensation of having his fingers working the oil between each toe almost made her come. “Ace, oh, God. How the hell do you do that?”

  “Shh.” He finished with her feet before moving back up to her calves again. “Time to roll over, honey.”

  Hope felt as though she floated and was grateful for his strength as he lifted her and carefully turned her over. “I’m horny, but I can’t move. You’ve melted me again.” Her heart skipped a beat as she watched him uncap the oil.

  His indulgent smile drove her need higher. “If I’m not mistaken, darlin’, that’s just the way you like it. Now, shush. I’ve got work to do.”

  By the time he finished her legs, she trembled uncontrollably. “Aaace…do something.”

  Moving up between her thighs, he propped them on his own, spreading them, and smiled down at her as he poured a little more of the oil over her belly.

  “You are absolutely the most impatient woman I’ve ever met.”

  Hope frowned at him. “I don’t want to hear about any of your other women.” She hel
d up her left hand and tapped her ring with her thumb. “You belong to me now. It’s not my fault you’re so sexy. You’ve got me all riled up, and you’re not doing anything about it. I thought the men in Desire are supposed to keep their women satisfied.”

  Ace began to massage her breasts, paying particular attention to her sensitive nipples. “You’ll be plenty satisfied, brat. Does that feel good, honey? Do you hurt anywhere?”

  Hope gripped his forearms, thrilling at the play of muscle there as his hands moved over her breasts. “It feels wonderful.” The oil coating them made it easy for his hands to slide, the gentle caress tugging at her clit. Pushing against him with her thighs, she rocked but couldn’t ease the ache there. “My clit throbs. I think it needs a massage. I’m empty inside. Ace, please take me.”

  “No. The last thing you need is sex. Just relax. I’ll take care of you, baby.”

  Hope groaned in frustration when his hands left her breasts, only to grin with anticipation when she saw the vibrator in his hand. “That belongs to me, Sheriff.”

  Ace turned it on and smiled as he touched it against a nipple. “I use it better.”

  Hope closed her eyes on a moan, frustrated because Ace’s hand on her belly kept her from moving as he lightly moved the vibrator down her body. When he ran it ever so lightly over her folds, she cried out, squirming.

  “Relax, honey. I’ll give you what you need.”

  He turned the vibrator off and tossed it aside, crooning to her when she whimpered. “Shh, I’ll take care of you, baby.” He slid a slick finger into her, unerringly finding that magical spot inside her. His other hand pressed gently against her mound, the thumb sliding repeatedly over her clit sending her into orbit.

  Ace kept her legs parted, her thighs over his as he manipulated her clit, dragging out her orgasm and quickly throwing her into another.

  Trembling, she reached for him, breathing a sigh of relief when he took her hand in his. She shuddered when he bent to kiss her folds and worked his way up her body to her lips.

  “Ace…”

  “Shh.” He brushed his lips over hers, gently cradling her against him. “I love you, baby. Go to sleep.”

  Hope couldn’t even lift her arm to stop him when he got up and had to force her eyes open to grumble. “Ace, don’t go.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. I just want to cover you up before you get cold.” He pulled the sheet and blanket over her, settling in next to her and turning off the light. “When you go to sleep, I’m going into the other room for a bit. I want to check in with Rafe and Linc. Call out if you need me.”

  Snuggling against his warmth, Hope nodded drowsily. “Sleep with me tonight.”

  “I will, baby.”

  “Ace, don’t you want to make love?”

  “Not tonight, honey. Once you’re not so sore I’ll make love to you as much as you want.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise. Go to sleep.”

  She needed no further urging.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hope woke the next morning, disappointed to find the bed beside her empty. With a sigh, she snuggled into the pillow beside her that still carried a faint trace of Ace’s scent.

  Since she was in bed alone, she could think of no reason to stay there. She rolled and sat up, groaning when her muscles protested. Coming to her feet, she looked up as her bedroom door opened.

  Charity stood in the doorway, her expression full of concern as she looked over Hope’s nakedness. “Ouch. You’re awfully colorful, honey. You okay?”

  Hope straightened and reached for the robe draped at the foot of her bed. “I’m fine. As soon as I take a hot shower, I’m sure I’ll be even better. Do you know when Ace left?”

  Charity came into the room and started to make Hope’s bed. “Early.” Seeing the towel and oil-stained sheets, she efficiently stripped it instead. “He looked like hell, Hope. I don’t think he slept all that much. You, on the other hand, slept like the dead. I’ve been looking in on you since Ace left and you hadn’t even moved.”

  Hope pulled a bra and panties from a drawer, holding them away from her body so she didn’t get oil on them. “Ace kept waking me up to ask me questions. I think somewhere around dawn I told him that if he woke me up again I’d hit him.”

  Gathering the sheets. Charity started out of the room. “I’m sure that scared him.”

  Turning, she smiled at the empty doorway and shouted after her sister. “You know, you’re turning into a real smart ass. I must be rubbing off on you!”

  “God forbid.”

  Laughing, Hope hurried into the bathroom, anxious to see Ace again in his uniform.

  * * * *

  Dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to hide her bruises, Hope walked into the Sheriff’s Department, stopping to introduce herself to Ace’s new dispatcher before making her way to his office.

  Finding the door open, she went in, coming to a halt at the jolt to her heart. He sat behind his desk doing paperwork, his eyes lifting to hers, the flash of heat and emotion in them like a blast to her senses. When he quickly shuttered them, she smiled, deciding to play this light for the moment. “Sheriff, I’d like to report a missing person.”

  Ace dropped the pen he’d been using onto his desk, his chair creaking as he sat back. A faint smile tugged at his lips. “You would? Who’s missing?”

  Hope closed the door, locking it with a deliberate click. “My lover. He was in bed with me last night but when I woke up this morning, he was gone.”

  Lifting a brow, Ace laced his fingers over his flat stomach. “Maybe he had to go to work.”

  Moving into the room, she circled his desk, glancing at him often as she idly picked things up and put them back down again. “No, that can’t be it. He wouldn’t leave me without kissing me goodbye, would he?”

  Ace’s eyes twinkled, a thrill going through her that he enjoyed her teasing. “Perhaps your lover didn’t want to disturb you when you were sleeping so peacefully. Or, maybe he did kiss you goodbye and you slept through it.”

  Hope moved some papers aside to sit on the corner of his desk, her leg brushing against his thigh as she swung it back and forth. “Really? Do you think so? I wonder where he kissed me.”

  Ace reached out to take her hand in his, his lips twitching. “Probably your shoulder. How do you feel?”

  Running her fingers over the backs of his hands, she pouted. “Deserted. I woke up all soft and scented from the oil and there was nobody there to feel it.” Shaking her head, she blew out a breath. “A thing like that could give a woman a real inferiority complex.” She ran a fingertip over a ring he wore on his right hand, a ring she’d never seen him wear before.

  Ace’s eyes darkened. “I felt all that softness next to me all night long. I guess I should make it up to you for leaving you alone, though.”

  Intrigued, Hope grinned and lifted his hands to her breasts. “Really? How?”

  Ace turned his wrists to take her hands in his, smiling at her frown as he brushed his lips over her knuckles. “I have a present for you, one that I think you’ll like.”

  Still smiling, she leaned closer, running a hand over his chest. “You look like sin in your uniform, Sheriff. Does my present have anything to do with those handcuffs?”

  His eyes flashed, but he quickly averted his gaze. A muscle worked in his jaw as he opened one of his desk drawers and drew out a box. He handed it to her, his face devoid of all expression. “I think you’ll like wearing this more than handcuffs.”

  Hope accepted the box, not at all surprised to see that her hand shook. Something about Ace seemed a little off today, a distance she badly wanted to close. “I don’t know. This is gonna have to be really good to compete with being handcuffed by you.”

  She looked down and opened the box, her breath catching at the beautiful necklace inside. A gold chain held a square-cut ruby pendant, the stone almost exactly matching the ring he’d given her, and the ring he now wore.

  “Oh, Ac
e! It’s beautiful. This means I belong to you.”

  Tears blurred her vision as she reached for him. Elated to be marrying him, this added even more. Every Dom in Desire gave his sub a necklace to match the ring he wore. By giving her this, Ace proclaimed his desire to be her Dom as well as her husband.

  Ace looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable. “Yes, you do. But I didn’t get you a choker. I thought this suited you better.”

  Holding it out to him, Hope blinked back tears. “Will you put it on me?”

  Nodding, Ace took it from her, staring down at it and running his thumb over the stone. “If you’d like another stone, I can get it changed. I just wanted it to match your ring.”

  Hope plopped onto his lap, lifting her hair so he fasten the necklace around her neck. “I thought you said you picked a ruby because you liked my fire. Have you changed your mind?”

  Ace fastened the necklace and hugged her. “Of course not. Whatever you like is fine with me. How are you today, besides feeling deserted?”

  Hope wiggled on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and lifting her face for a kiss. “A little stiff, but then again, so are you.” She giggled, wiggling again, her panties becoming damp as his cock continued to harden beneath her bottom.

  Ace obliged her, kissing her deeply, his hands gentle on her waist.

  Threading her fingers through his hair, she met his kiss enthusiastically, pouring her need for him into it. She rubbed her breasts against his chest and tangled her tongue with his in an erotic dance that soon had both of them breathing heavily.

  His hands tightened briefly when she wiggled again. He broke off his kiss, his smile tender. “I’m always stiff when I’m around you. Why don’t you go home and rest today? I can tell by the way you move that you’re still sore.”

  A little seed of dread planted itself in her stomach. Ace kept looking away from her as though uncomfortable meeting her gaze. “Ace, is something wrong?”

  His expression hardened. “Other than the fact that women in Desire keep getting hurt on my watch? Or do you mean the fact that I’m the damned sheriff and can’t even keep my own woman safe?”