by C. A. Szarek
She snaked her arms around his neck. Cole lifted her higher and Andi wrapped her legs around his waist.
Cole pushed her against the kitchen wall. She clung to him before pulling away to take a breath. They panted against each other.
“Sorry, that was rough,” Cole said, working his fingers under her shirt, brushing the soft skin of her stomach.
“Bedroom?” she gasped.
Nodding, he fused their mouths. If he could run as he carried her, he would have. Her hands were hot on his back, her lips on his throat, his cheeks, his neck. Nipping, kissing, driving him crazy.
He plopped her down at the centre of her bed without finesse. They both laughed. Cole paused, looking down into her gorgeous smiling face. When was the last time he’d had fun with a lover?
She lifted her hips and he helped her shimmy out of her jeans and panties, tossing them over his shoulder, no care for where they landed. Andi laughed again and reached for him.
Cole kissed her, shooting his hand between her legs. He groaned, moving his fingers over her slick folds, taking a moment to tease her clit. She was already ready for him and pushed up into his hand.
He parted their mouths. “Looks like I wasn’t the only one wet.” He grinned.
Andi turned scarlet, but didn’t look away. “Something’s wrong with this picture.”
“What’s that?”
“You have no top, I have no bottoms.”
Cole chuckled and stood at the edge of her bed.
“Lose the jeans, Agent Lucas,” she breathed, eyes devouring him.
He bit his lip to keep from making a sound. God, the look on her face made him burn. Something was wrong with him to have this much desire for her. Two beers screwed his head up more than normal.
Unzipping his fly, Cole did her bidding, banishing all thought. He needed to follow his own advice. Stop thinking, you idiot. She’s ripe and ready, in a bed. She wants you. So take her. Make her scream your name just like last night.
He forced a curt nod and stomped out of his jeans and boxer briefs. Turning back to the bed, he froze. Andi had lost the shirt, bra and ponytail. Her dark hair teased her shoulders. “God, you’re gorgeous,” he whispered, crawling up to her from the end of the bed. His cock pounded.
One look at her full nakedness and he was about to lose it like a teenager. He’d already seen her, had her, last night. Tonight should be no different. But lust thundered through his blood. He ignored it and focused on her.
Andi’s cheeks were pink again, freckles standing out, and a smile played at his lips. If he pointed out how hot the blush looked on her she’d throttle him, so Cole kept his thoughts in his head.
He leant down and placed a tender kiss to her mouth. Trailing his lips along her neck and collarbone, she buried her hands in his dark hair and let him taste her. Cole continued on, lavishing each nipple with attention until she writhed beneath him, whimpering like before. He could get used to the little sounds she made. He’d taste her all over, but he needed her kiss again, so he headed back up, pressing his lips to her cheek, her forehead and finally her lips. She opened for him from head to foot, her mouth, her arms, her thighs.
An unmanly shiver went down his spine, but Cole disregarded it and lowered himself over her. Their skin touched as Andi arched into him, breasts to chest, hips to hips. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer.
His heart pounded in his ears as her mouth seared his. Letting her lead the kiss, he mated his tongue to hers as she explored his mouth. Her heart echoed his, thumping hard against his chest.
Cole needed to be inside her.
As if she’d read his mind, Andi cupped and squeezed his ass, yanking him flush against her sex. He bit back a yelp as the tip of his cock parted her folds without guidance from his hand. Pleasure shot into him.
She pressed her pelvis to his—he was lost. He fell into her, kissing her harder. Andi was right there with him, meeting his first thrust.
He cried out, but the sound was lost in the heated kiss as they started to move together. Grabbing her hips, he propelled forward over and over, thrusting to the hilt. Andi arched into him, flattening her breasts against his chest and gripping his shoulders, nails digging in. Cole didn’t care. She could make him bleed.
Andi ran her hands all over the wide expanse of his back, but settled on his biceps as he moved even faster. She writhed under him. God, she was killing him, moving with him and clinging when his thrusts took him away.
Her inner muscles clutched him, her sudden orgasm making the pressure in his lower back too much to bear. He was close…so close.
Cole swallowed her scream of his name by taking her mouth desperately. He thrust hard once, twice and, devouring her in rhythm, he grunted as his cock jerked and he spilled himself inside her. Her core contracted against him in waves and he moaned into her mouth, struggling for control as the intensity clouded his brain.
Andi clung to him as Cole rocked against her. He wasn’t ready to pull out, to part himself from her luscious body.
Aftershocks of their shared pleasure rolled over him. He crushed her against his chest to stave off the tremble that threatened his legs…arms…everything.
What the hell had she done to him?
Cole lifted his head. Her skin glistened, lips kiss-swollen, chestnut locks mussed and whole body flushed pink. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Half-lidded blue eyes met his. “Cole?” she whispered.
They both panted hard, her breasts heaving against his chest.
He flashed a smile and took her mouth. The kiss he’d intended to be tender quickly became more, her fingers slipping down his back and cupping his ass again. He shifted against her, wishing his cock was ready for round two.
Ending the kiss, he tried to pull away, but she held him tight. He couldn’t think. His thoughts spun, chaos that made no sense. “Did you feel it, Andi? The magic between us?” The words tumbled from his lips, and he froze.
What did he just say? Out loud? Shit.
Cole held his breath and waited.
“Yes,” she whispered, holding his gaze.
His heart thumped. Damn, her answer…mattered. What the fuck was wrong with him?
“Let’s get cleaned up,” he croaked.
She nodded and loosened her hold. Cole had no desire to pull away from her. Loss hit him as his now flaccid cock slipped from her body.
Wait. His naked cock.
No condom. No protection? Shit.
Andi noticed where his gaze landed. She sat up and their eyes met.
“I’m sorry.”
She reached for his hand and entwined their fingers, pressing a kiss into his knuckles. “It…felt wonderful.” Her cheeks reddened, but she didn’t look away. “I’m not sorry.”
“But… I finished inside…”
“One time won’t matter,” Andi answered, leaning in to kiss him.
Cole cupped her face and nodded. What the hell else could he say? She had him so wadded up, he didn’t know if he was coming or going.
He slipped from the bed, needing a moment alone. He told her he’d get something to clean her up and closed the bathroom door. Cole sank his hand into his hair and dragged it down his face over the stubble on his cheek.
It took fifteen minutes to shut his head off and calm his racing heart. When he went back to her, Andi was curled on her side, looking magnificent as she slept.
Damn, he’d taken so long she’d passed out on him.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Cole kissed the crown of her head. Her breathing was a deep, even rhythm. She didn’t stir as he grabbed her comforter and sheet and covered them, pulling her into his arms.
Andi nestled close, as if she’d done it hundreds of times. He could hold her forever. Contentment settled over him and scared the shit out of him. He caressed her hair, running his fingers through the thick locks, brushing her shoulders, her back, as she nestled closer. She sighed in her sleep and Cole smiled as he pres
sed another kiss to her forehead.
One time won’t matter, she’d said. What would happen if it did matter?
A picture popped into his head, Andi caressing a tummy rounded with…his baby.
Cole jolted and he glanced down at the woman in his arms.
Never, ever had he planned on kids.
He’d never even had a relationship that’d lasted more than a month.
Ethan was great, but the little boy was hers. Not his. Would never be his, and that was fine. It was great. He’d didn’t want more. So why did that bother him?
What if he’d knocked her up tonight?
“Jesus, something’s wrong with you,” he whispered.
What happened to a few fucks then she was out of his system?
Andi was the same as all the others, right?
Right?
She shifted against him as if she could read his mind and didn’t like his thoughts. He was so full of shit she knew it in her sleep.
God, Cole was screwed.
“Well, Andi… I promise I’ll be there for you, if one time does matter,” Cole whispered against her temple, cursing the rightness of that statement. He crushed his eyes shut and ignored the pounding of his heart.
“Just go to sleep, asshole,” he told himself, shaking his head.
Andi sighed and smiled in her sleep. Cole pulled her closer.
He was so screwed.
Chapter Seventeen
Carlo watched the house for hours. Cars came and went. Mothers with baby carriages took strolls down the sidewalk. He sat unnoticed in the late model sedan he’d jacked from the mall parking lot. The grey Camry wasn’t too old, wasn’t too new. He was practically invisible. He’d chosen well, and the tinted windows were a Godsend.
It had taken the bastard two days to get back to him, and three more to finalise his plan, but Bruno would be in town soon. Until then, Carlo would handle this shit himself. He’d get the girl, Cole Lucas would come after her and he’d have his former boss’s attention.
It would be easy, too.
That stupid ass Lucas was so into his woman he hadn’t even seen Carlo once, as many times as he’d watched them go into that house. Fool. He never would have thought it possible the bastard would be cowed for a woman. No pussy was that good. No doubt Lucas was hittin’ that.
Finally a green Honda Civic pulled into the driveway next to Cole’s woman’s house. He knew from watching that the girl lived next door with only her mother.
“Dammit.”
Two teens got out of the car, a sandy-haired boy, seventeen or eighteen. The girl stood by, swinging a purple backpack to her shoulder while he opened the back passenger door. They chatted, but he couldn’t hear their conversation.
The kid helped Cole’s woman’s boy out of the back seat, and he hopped up and down in place as soon as his small feet hit the pavement. The girl laughed, taking the little boy’s hand. The elder male leaned in and kissed her.
“Oh, Jesus,” Carlo muttered.
Then the kid grabbed his own backpack from the car and waved. Both the girl and the little boy waved back as the teen jogged down the street.
“See you later,” the girl yelled. That Carlo heard, even with the window open only a crack. He threw another gesture over his shoulder and she flashed a starry-eyed grin before he disappeared around the corner.
Carlo shook his head. “Too bad she won’t be here when you get back, loverboy.”
He waited for them to get into the house. The little boy had to jump up each step. She was patient with him, holding his hand, but Carlo cursed each leap until they made it to the top. Why the hell did kids do those things? It was three fucking stairs. No need for it to take ten minutes to hit the porch.
The door closed and he took a deep breath. This was it. Nice and easy, like a smash and grab. He would get her to his car and tie her up, then he was in business. Caselli would give him money and a ride and get the traitor as a bonus.
Carlo crossed the street with minimal protest from his healing wounds—antibiotics and pain meds did wonders. His limp wasn’t even that pronounced.
The butt of his gun inside his jacket firmly grasped, he reached for the doorbell with the other.
Ding dong. He waited.
Just before he was going to press it again, she wrenched the door open.
“Matt, did you forg—” The grin on the girl’s face faded a bit when she saw him, but her expression was still pleasant. “Oh, sorry I thought you were someone else. Can I help you?”
The little redheaded kid was standing about ten feet away in the doorway of another room. Damn. Oh well, the kid was what—two? Not like he would be able to tell the cops anything. Carlo plastered a smile on his face and gripped his gun tighter.
She looked him up and down but said nothing. The girl was stunning up close. Not short, not tall—about five and a half feet, mahogany hair hanging loose about her shoulders, big, expressive brown eyes. High cheekbones, creamy olive skin. Italian. Exquisitely expensive.
Her age wouldn’t matter. Carlo would have no trouble selling her. Maybe he could sample the goods first. Quality control and all that. Unless she was a virgin—they always went for more. But he could still play a little.
Carlo cleared his throat. “Is the man of the house at home?”
Her brow furrowed and she shook her head, hair swishing with the movement. “No, um… Is there something you need?”
“You.”
He grabbed her arm and spun her, slamming her against his chest and sliding one arm around her waist, pressing his gun into her side.
The tiny boy stood frozen in the doorway, his blue eyes wide. “Bad man!” He pointed at Carlo. “Gun!”
How the fuck did he know what a gun was?
“Ethan, run! Run now,” the girl urged.
Carlo jarred her against his chest and she struggled. She stomped on his foot.
“Fuck! Stop fighting me right now, or I’ll pop the kid.”
The girl froze in his arms. “Ethan, please run!”
Carlo followed as the little boy’s eyes darted to a panel on the wall of the foyer, and the plush wingback chair underneath it. An alarm? No fucking way the kid knew how to— He rushed to the chair.
Raising his gun, he trained it on the toddler. The girl screamed and Carlo clamped his hand down on her mouth, cupping her jaw to prevent any biting ideas. Her sharp intake of breath gave him a little satisfaction.
* * * *
“MacLaren.”
Andi looked over her shoulder from the computer and rubbed her eyes.
Cole, who’d been bent over staring at the screen as well, straightened and they turned collectively.
Lieutenant Nick Wells had an odd expression on his face as he approached her cubicle. “Andi, you need to go home. Now.”
Cole shot her a look, jaw clenched. Something was wrong. He sensed it, too.
“Tell me.” She had to restrain herself from reaching for Cole’s hand. Dammit, she was a cop. She didn’t need comfort. Digging for professionalism, she stood and squared her shoulders.
Nick hedged, shifting back and forth on his feet. In full uniform, his navy tie swayed. Andi met his dark eyes.
“Just head home. Ricketts and Crowley are on their way.”
“Dammit, Nick. Tell me what I’m walking into.” Shit, her voice wavered. Cole took a step towards her, but didn’t touch her. Still, his closeness helped.
“Your alarm went off. Your son pressed the panic button. The company dispatcher couldn’t make much out, other than ‘gun’ and ‘bad man’. Dispatch got guys on the way in less than three min—”
Andi sprinted down the hall, away from Nick and Cole. It was either that or pass out. Ethan. Bella. Her heart dropped to her stomach.
“Andi, wait!”
She didn’t pause with Cole’s shout. She just headed around the corner and out of the building. Wrenching the door open to the Challenger didn’t get her far. Cole’s hand on her upper arm yanked her to a stop,
preventing her from climbing inside.
“Stop. Take a deep breath. It’s gonna be okay.”
Cole pulled her into his arms and she didn’t fight him, despite their very public location. The strength of his muscles, his body, his arms around her grounded her. He caressed her cheek, guiding her face up. “Take a breath,” he repeated, his steel eyes soft as he cupped her face. “I’ll drive.”
Andi nodded. She couldn’t manage a sentence. Worry burned her from the inside out, ate at her heart, her stomach. Cole pressed a quick kiss to her lips and helped her into the passenger seat before slipping behind the wheel in seconds.
When she didn’t belt up, he reached across her body to do it for her, but she grabbed his wrist. “I got it. Just get us home.”
He nodded, his full lips a hard line, and eyes narrowed as he faced forward. So, he was worried too. Andi swallowed hard.
The drive to her house was only nine minutes, but it felt more like an hour in her head. Two cruisers were in the driveway and one was in front of the house on the street. The siren of a fourth was cut off mid wail as it pulled up. Pete’s truck was there, too. He wasn’t allowed to come back to work for a few weeks, but still had his radio. No shocker he’d been listening.
There were cops everywhere, on her lawn, front porch and driveway. Her fellow detectives would likely show up next. Everyone must have answered when they’d heard the call go out.
Why had she left the handheld on her desk on minute volume?
She was out of the car before Cole had it fully stopped, and Andi ignored his shout to wait. Composure was gone. The strong police detective was gone. She was all mother, and nothing would keep her from her son.
Sprinting up the three steps to her front porch, she dashed into the open front door. Pete was talking to one of the uniformed officers, Nina Ricketts.
Why the hell wasn’t Pete with Ethan?
“Andi, wait.” Pete stepped towards her, hand up. As his grip landed on her upper arm, she yanked away from the worry in his green eyes.