by Mazzy King
Wait a minute. I’ve never been here with another guy before. No other guy has ever made me feel this way.
It’s not just lust. It’s not just wanting to end a dry spell.
I care about Colin. And I know, deep in my heart, that he cares about me too. Really cares.
He kisses me again, and his lips are achingly slow now. His tongue is teasing and intentional. He tugs my bra off, pulling it away from my chest languidly. My rounded breasts are warm against his skin, my nipples standing out with sheer excitement every time his body brushes against mine.
“God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he breathes, running his lips down the side of my neck. He pulls me into his arms, then lays me down on my soft king-size bed. He plants slow, wet kisses all over my belly, murmuring softly into my skin. Every nerve-ending is tingling like crazy, and it’s like they’re all connected to the big collection of nerves right between my thighs. Every time I shift, I feel how wet I’m growing. This is a first too.
His mouth and tongue land on my nipples, roaming side to side as his large hands cup my breasts and squeeze lightly.
“That’s amazing,” I moan.
“Oh, but wait, there’s more,” he says in a soft TV-announcer voice. His fingers hook into the top of my lace bikinis. “May I take these off?”
I blink at him. I thought I’d always want a rip-your-panties-off type, but his solicitousness here, without any condescension, is so fucking hot. “Yes, please, take them off!”
He flashes me a slow grin as he slowly slides them down my hips, then draws them down my legs. His jeans are still up but unbuckled and unzipped, and even in the dim light I can make out the distinct bulge at his groin.
Colin trails his fingers up my thighs and gently pushes them apart, gazing down at me. “Yep—silky and gorgeous everywhere. You must be a goddess in disguise.”
I can’t even giggle as he lowers his mouth to mine, then trails a single line down the middle of my body until his reaches my soft mound. He kisses the spot where my thighs join my body, and it sends another cascade of sparks shooting through me. Colin’s touching all kinds of places I never knew could drive me absolutely insane.
Then, with his tongue, he touches another one.
“Oh shit!” I scream in a whisper, my hips lifting.
He takes his time running his tongue through my wet opening and then sucking my clit before lifting his head. “Hmm? Something wrong?”
“No,” I whimper. “Don’t stop. Don’t stop!”
“Oh.” He sounds surprised, but I can hear the laughter in the edges of his voice. “Okay, then. You just stop me if anything changes.”
Colin brings his mouth to me again. His tongue is slow and sliding, gliding through my slit, dipping inside me, running up to tease my clit, so smoothly like it’s on a track.
“Oh my—I’m gonna come,” I confess, winding my fingers through his hair. One of my legs slides up, and he pulls it over his shoulder, never taking his mouth from my soft, hot, wet flesh. He only utters a low grunt in reply, and his mouth and tongue speed up slightly, as if excited by my announcement.
“OhmygodColin!” I cry in a single breath, my upper body lifting off the bed as an orgasm like I’ve never had before rips through me. He suckles me until it’s too much, then lifts his head with a cocky half-smile.
“Oh, hello,” he says. “Didn’t see you there.” He slides up my body, and I immediately pull him down for a kiss.
“I— That—” A sudden flash of jealousy goes through me. How many girls has he done that on? “You’re really good at that. Had a lot of practice?”
His smile turns less cocky and more tender as he gently kisses me. “A little, yes. But I just wanted to taste you everywhere…all over. And do whatever you like. I’m out to please, not be the best you’ve ever had.”
“But you are,” I whisper. “And I technically haven’t had you yet.”
I use my toes to push his jeans off until he’s wearing only tight boxer briefs. He settles between my legs, pressing his hard erection against me.
“Please,” he murmurs, kissing my lips, my neck, my ears, “tell me you’re ready to have me. Please.”
There’s a note of urgency in his voice that makes me smile. I trail my toes up his sides again, slower this time, and hook them into the waistband of his boxer briefs. “Oh? Do you need something, Colin?”
“Yes,” he replies immediately. “You. I need you, Henny.”
His use of my nickname that only dear friends and family call me, the way it rolls off his tongue so easily, fills me with tenderness. I push his boxer briefs all the way down. His skin is smooth velvet, thick and hard and long, pressed against me and sliding against my wetness. It would take just a flick of our hips to bring him to my opening. The thought of him pushing into me with nothing between us makes my pussy clench.
“I want you,” I tell him. “I want to feel you. All of you. Only you.”
He understands what I mean, what I want. “Are you sure?”
I kiss him, slow and deep. “Yes. I’m sure.”
He reaches down between us to guide himself to my opening, slick and ready. With a slow push, he breaches me, and I can’t hold back a startled gasp. It’s been a few years since I was with anyone, and the last time wasn’t unimpressive. Sex hasn’t been something I’ve missed, and my body is tight. But the pleasure as he takes his time to seat himself within me is unlike anything I’ve felt before.
“Okay?” he asks softly, pausing.
“Uh-huh,” I respond. “Keep going.”
He continues his slow entry until he’s settled all the way inside me. “You…are so tight,” he says with difficulty in my ear. “And, God, do you feel amazing.” He withdraws a little then thrusts deep into me, and I gasp at the extreme pleasure that shoots through me. He’s filling every square inch inside me, and it’s better than I could’ve ever imagined.
“Is this okay?” he whispers against my lips. “Tell me what you want. What you need.” He’s still keeping up that slow, torturous, teasing pace.
“I need you to fuck me like it’s your last night on earth,” I tell him.
He pauses. “Oh, my, Ms. Whisler. Who knew you were such a bad girl?” The pace of his hips ascends smoothly until he’s reached a cruising altitude and putting a little exclamation point at the end of each thrust.
In no time at all, another burning climax explodes inside me, so powerful I can barely gasp.
Colin bites his full bottom lip, another cocky, sexy little smirk on his face. His hips don’t miss a beat, even though I’m still pulsing wildly around his dick. “That was beautiful. Come for me again, baby.”
And like magic, as if called by his command, my body tenses and pulls taut again, tighter and tighter, until I burst again. This time I find my voice, crying out. “Colin!”
He swallows the last syllable of his name with a searing kiss, then tilts his forehead against mine. Now he means business, fucking me harder and faster, our mouths hovering over each other as he drives us home.
“Hendrix,” he groans, his body shuddering violently as he pushes his hips forward hard. I feel his cock pulsing hard inside me, and the knowledge that he’s just made me his makes me wrap my arms around his shoulders.
For a long moment, we lay tangled in each other’s arms, catching our breath. His lips drop languid kisses all over my upper chest and neck. He peers down at me.
“I’m in love with you,” he says simply. “I know it’s only been two weeks, but I know what I know. And I know that.”
I bite my lip, surprised at the tears that spring to my eyes. “I’m in love with you too, Colin.”
He smiles tenderly. “So. What do we do about that?”
I take a deep breath. “Well. You can start by coming to the gala with me.”
Colin lifts his brows. “Really? You want me to go with you? I have the feeling your dad will be pretty righteously pissed off about that.”
“Well…he’ll get over it. I c
an date who I want. I can love who I want.”
He smiles sweetly. “Then I guess I’ll have to brush up on which is the salad fork, and which is the escargot fork, or whatever.”
I laugh. “It’s not that fancy.”
I haven’t given the event a thought since the incident in the locker room. Colin has done an incredible job of getting my mind off things, but here it is. Then I remember something I overheard in the lounge earlier, and sit up straight, bonking my forehead to his.
“Ow,” he complains, sitting up with me and rubbing his head.
“Sorry,” I say hurriedly, “but speaking of the gala, I just remembered something I heard in the ladies’ lounge earlier.”
“You mean in between snorts of the drugs?”
I stare at him. “That isn’t funny.”
He brushes a thumb down my cheek. “I know. I’m sorry. Humor—good or bad—is my default. Tell me what you heard.”
“One of the women asked the other one to buy her…whatever they had, since the one lady got some kind of repeat-customer pricing. And she said the dealer was going to be at the gala.” I shake my head. “Someone’s going to be dealing at the event.”
Colin’s face is expressionless. “Did you decide to tell your dad?”
“I was going to sleep on it,” I reply. “I know I should. I just…needed a moment to breathe and process it all. But I didn’t see who the women were or what they were doing. Hell, maybe they were spraying perfume. What if it was nothing?”
“Does your gut tell you it was nothing?”
“No,” I admit. “My gut tells me they were up to no good.”
“Trust yourself,” he says gently. “And, for what it’s worth, I think you need to speak to your dad.”
I nod. “I know.” I bite my lip. “So will you go with me? No matter what my father thinks?”
Colin takes my hand. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
7
Colin
I follow Hendrix into one of the club’s ballrooms Saturday night, adjusting my tie and trying to ignore the feelings of dread in my stomach. There’s so much riding on tonight.
Damn, I need a drink.
When I agreed to attend the gala with Hendrix, it wasn’t only because I wanted to. I knew what my dad and Dominic would be expecting. If there’s a chance the dealer will be here tonight, they’ve got a team on standby outside the club in unmarked cars, waiting for my signal. Dominic wanted to wire me, but I refused. It’s still a date with Hendrix, after all, and I don’t want to compromise her privacy, even if it is for a drug sting. We agreed I’d text Dominic to let him know if I see Judo here. And even if I do see Judo, I’d need to catch him in the act to prove he’s actually the dealer. They even gave me a stack of money—five hundred bucks. They’re special, marked bills, and they’re burning a hole in my pocket as we speak.
Luckily, I might get my chance, because I texted the number he gave me and told him it was Colin. He didn’t identify himself, but he told me to meet him here tonight. He probably intended for me to meet him out back, rather than actually attend.
And as a brand-new, valued member, my dad is actually here tonight, as if things couldn’t get any more awkward. We agreed we’d maintain our covers in public and act like perfect strangers. I saw him the second we walked in, and he saw me.
My stomach is in knots.
Hendrix, for as gorgeous as she looks, is as much on edge as I am. I know she told her dad about what she overheard because I also had a conversation with him yesterday. I told him she invited me to the gala as her date—and that there was going to be a sting set up too. As far as he knows, I’m going with Hendrix as part of my cover.
I decided the “I’m in love with your daughter” bit can probably wait for another, less panic-inducing day.
Mr. Whisler didn’t reveal to Hendrix what we have going on, which is another layer of complication that makes me want to find a dark corner and drink myself into a stupor.
But when I accepted this assignment, I accepted all the responsibility that came with it. Even if I didn’t know what that was at the time.
Hendrix introduces me to some of the more hoity-toity clientele—and maybe after tonight, I’ll be impressed that I shook hands with the governor and the mayor and some billionaire entrepreneurs, but for now, I can’t find it in me to care.
“And this,” she adds brightly, leading me to a very familiar-looking man in a nice suit, “is another of our distinguished members. Captain James Leary of the Ridge City Police Department.”
My stomach sinks, but I keep my face neutral. “It’s a pleasure, sir. Colin Smith.”
He nods, his face giving nothing away. “Colin, it’s very nice to meet you, indeed.”
“He’s our maintenance guy,” Hendrix goes on. I pray she doesn’t notice the strong resemblance between my father and me. “And he’s very good at what he does.”
“I’d expect nothing less of such a fine club,” my dad says, giving her a kind smile. “Oh—I see the mayor waving at me. If you’ll excuse me.”
“Sure,” she says, then releases a breath when he leaves. “It’s exhausting being on all the time.”
“How about a drink?” I ask, tipping my head toward one of the four bars set up in the room.
She nods gratefully. “White wine, please.”
I grab wine for her and water for me, then walk back to her and hand her the drink. She eyes my glass. “You’re not drinking?”
“Maybe later,” I tell her with an easy smile. I’ve been my usual relaxed self—on the outside. I feel like a liar, because I’m just as nervous as she is. “Pacing myself.”
“Well, I’m not.” She tips her head back and drains the wineglass, grimacing. “I’m going to get another.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to urge her to slow down, but I realize this could present a good chance to go look for Judo. “Okay. Hey, I left my phone in the car. I’m going to run out and get it.”
She arches a brow and taps my breast pocket. “You mean that phone?”
Fuck, Colin! “My work phone,” I hasten to say. “You know. On call.”
Hendrix looks at me strangely. “You don’t have to be on call outside of work, you know.”
Think fast, idiot. “Your dad asked me to yesterday,” I say. “Um. You know. In case something goes wrong. And since I’m breaking the rules by being here with you, I should at least do what he asks, you know?”
Her dark eyes narrow, but she shrugs. “Whatever. I’ll talk to him about that…later.”
“Just try to relax.” I kiss her on her cheek, way back near her ear, and can’t help a smile when she shivers. “You’re too beautiful to be all worked up.”
She throws me a semi-annoyed look, but now she’s smiling too. She does look amazing, in a strapless white dress that goes to her knees and hugs all those delicious curves. “We’re going to have to have a chat about sexism in the workplace, I see.”
“Sex in the workplace?” I wiggle my brows, backing away. “Goodie. I’ll be early to that meeting.”
She waves her hand in an exasperated manner, turning away, but not before I see her grin.
Then I stride out of the ballroom, losing all traces of my humor.
Out in the lobby, I pull my cell out and text the number Judo gave me again.
Me: I’m here.
???: Where’s here?
Me: Lobby outside Smithson Ballroom.
???: Meet me OUTSIDE. By east back door, close to the pool.
Me: On the way.
As I walk that direction, I text Dominic.
Me: On the move. Back east door by pool.
I don’t wait for a response, tucking my phone away and heading in the direction of the pool. I adopt a casual gait, hands in my pockets, nodding at people I pass and pretending like everything’s fine.
When I reach the back door, there’s no one there. No Judo, no other shady person, and certainly no Dom.
I check my phone. No r
esponse text, so I dial him.
He answers on the third ring. “Black.”
“Where the fuck are you?” I hiss. “Did you miss my text?”
“No,” he says calmly. “I didn’t. I’ve been in communication with the team. We don’t see anyone at the location you mentioned, so we’re not going to move in and potentially scare anyone away. There’s tactics to this, Colin.”
“All I know is I got five hundred bucks in my pocket and I’m ready to buy some drugs,” I say. “And that means I need you to be—”
Someone gasps behind me. “What?”
Oh, shit.
I lower the phone and turn, already knowing what I’ll see.
Hendrix stands behind me, her eyes wide with horror.
“It’s not what it sounds like,” I say quickly, stepping toward her.
She steps back. “You—you lied to me!”
“Well…yes, technically I have lied to you,” I admit, feeling like the world’s biggest asshole. “But not about what you think—”
“You said you loved me,” she goes on, and the hurt and betrayal in her voice and on her face twist my heart hard enough to really hurt. “I—I told you I loved you. You sat there with a straight face when I talked to you about…” She shakes her head, her mouth trembling.
I reach out toward her. “Henny, I swear to God, I’m not—”
“Don’t call me that!” she says, taking another step away from me. “You don’t get to call me that ever again.”
I snag her wrist and tug her close. “Listen to me,” I say rapidly as she squirms in my arms. “I’m a narc, Hendrix. That’s why I’m buying drugs. I’m a narc. A narc.”
She freezes, her mouth open in shock as she stares up at me.
I nod. “Your dad knows exactly why I’m here. I’m not really a maintenance guy. My last name isn’t Smith. It’s Leary.”
The name strikes a bell of recognition. “L-Leary? As in—as in—”
“That was my dad you introduced me to a bit ago,” I say. “Yes. My dad’s not a welder. He’s a police captain.”
“Wha— You—” Her face is equal parts angry and shocked.