by Jessie Cooke
“I haven’t had any time to myself in weeks. I’m anxious to spend a few hours in my apartment…alone.”
“Alone? You’re not seeing Micah tonight?”
“When did my love life become such a concern for you?”
Kyle stood up and tossed a ten-dollar bill down on the table. “When you started acting like you might be ready to forget where you came from,” he said. Angel didn’t have the desire or the energy to argue with her brother. She turned and walked away. As she drove out of the parking lot in her car she saw him standing next to his, watching her. She hated feeling like a suspect. Even more, she hated wondering if she deserved it.
Angel spent the drive to Hartford trying to analyze her feelings for Dax. She wanted to convince herself that she didn’t feel anything for him other than lust. She admitted to herself that would be bad enough, if that were all that it was. But does lust make you worry about the other person’s safety? Does it make you crave hearing their voice or seeing their face? She more than doubted it. She was twenty-six years old and she’d experienced lust many times. She knew what it felt like, and although she had more lust for Dax than she’d ever had for any other man, there was more to it than that. Much more.
She parked in her stall at the apartment complex. She’d only stayed in the apartment twice since she moved in three weeks ago. It didn’t feel like a home to her because none of the stuff in it was really hers. The photographs were of her and other cops in plain clothes, supposedly of her and her parents. The art on the walls had been picked out by the technicians who handled the undercover operations, and even the scrapbooks and photo albums in the top of the hall closet held nothing dear to her. But…she understood the need for it all. Dax had already spent one of the two nights she stayed there with her. There was no way she could have had him in her real space, surrounded by photos and mementos of her life with her father and four brothers, or photo albums and scrapbooks filled with pictures of her graduation from the police academy or one of her brothers receiving a service award. She felt safe when she was with Dax…but only because he didn’t know who she really was.
She went inside the building and took the stairs up to the third floor. Her apartment was the last one on the end, and even before she reached it she saw that the lock had been jimmied with something that left deep cuts and scrapes in the paint and the door was sitting ajar about two inches. She reached back into her waistband and took out the 9mm she’d just tucked in there. Pressing her back against the wall she slowly made her way toward the door. It crossed her mind that she shouldn’t go in without backup, but if someone was in there, she didn’t want to give them time to get away.
When she got close enough she pushed open the door and took a wide stance with the gun drawn and held out in front of her. “Police! Who’s in there? Come out with your hands up.” She knew that she was risking blowing her cover by yelling it out like that, but she wasn’t about to give up protocol altogether. She waited a few beats and when there was no answer or noise, she slipped inside and once again kept her back to the wall. With her gun ready she did a sweep of each room. There was no one in the apartment…but someone had definitely been there.
Once she determined that no one was in the apartment she took stock of what the place looked like. She could tell that drawers had been opened because they weren’t completely closed. The desk in front of the window looked empty and after a few seconds she realized it was because the new little laptop the techs had given her was no longer there. She wasn’t worried that they’d gotten anything personal, since she had nothing personal there…but she was worried about who would be going through her home in the first place.
She fished her phone out of her pocket and pressed in her father’s number.
“Hi, Angel.”
“Hey, Dad. My apartment was broken into.”
“Ah, Jesus. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t here. I’m just worried about who was here and why.”
“I’ll send the crime scene techs over.”
“Okay…but Dax was supposed to come by tonight, so make sure that anyone you send knows this is an undercover operation.”
“You got it, Angel. Hey, baby girl…?”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Are you okay? I mean, overall, in general, with everything happening. Are you doing okay?”
“I am, Dad. Please don’t let Kyle and Micah convince you otherwise. I’m capable of doing my job, and I’m doing it.”
“Oh, I know that. But like the rest of us, you’re only human. Be careful with your heart, Angel, okay?”
“I will, Dad.”
“Good. I’ll call Hartford PD and have them send out some techs. I have a friend over there. I’ll make sure he knows the scoop.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I love you, Angel. Be safe.”
“Always.”
14
“Have you checked to see if anything is missing?” The cop was tall and thin. His face had a childlike look to it, and if Angel had seen him in street clothes instead of his uniform, she wouldn’t have ever guessed he was old enough to be a cop. He and his partner had shown up with two crime scene techs that were currently dusting the apartment for prints. None of them had shown any indication that they knew who she was or what she was doing in Hartford, which was a good thing.
“The laptop that I just bought is gone. Otherwise, nothing that I can tell.”
“Do you normally keep anything on the computer or in your apartment that you might think someone would want to steal?”
“Angel?” The door was still ajar and the partner of the young officer was standing just inside of it. He turned quickly when Dax stepped up behind him.
“Sorry, sir, this is a crime scene, you can’t come in here.”
Looking over his head and ignoring him completely, Dax said, “Angel, what happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, Dax. Someone broke into my apartment when I was gone.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” He started to push past the officer, who put himself directly in front of Dax. Dax finally looked down at him and the look on his face made Angel slightly nervous. He looked like he was on the verge of getting really pissed off, and Angel knew that wasn’t going to be a good thing for anyone.
“Sir…” the cop at the door began.
“He’s my boyfriend,” Angel said to the officer that she’d been talking to.
“Manny, let him through.”
“Manny” hesitated several long seconds before finally stepping back and letting Dax pass. Dax didn’t wait until he was completely out of the way. He brushed past the cop, almost knocking him back into the wall. The officer looked pissed and Angel knew they were in a potentially volatile situation. As soon as Dax was close enough, she took hold of his arm. She could feel how tense he was in his muscles. She wondered if it was the situation, or simply being in the presence of the cops.
“Dax, this is officer Walker. Officer Walker, this is Dax Marshall.”
“What happened here?” Dax asked, completely disregarding Walker’s outstretched hand.
“Looks like someone jimmied open the front door and took a little time going through things. Miss Gonzalez thinks her laptop is the only thing missing.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Dax asked her. He looked almost hurt that she hadn’t thought of that right away.
“I’m sorry. I was going to. I’ve just been busy with the police and…”
He took her by the arm and pulled her into the kitchen while the young cop stood there looking slightly stunned. “We don’t call the police,” he said.
“We don’t?”
“No. Once they’re involved in one part of your life they think the rest is free game. We don’t want them poking around the ranch or our business…”
“And what exactly is ‘our’ business?”
Dax looked over his shoulder at the cop and then back at Angel. “Never mind that. Just listen to me…”
“No.” He looked shocked but Angel went on. “I’m not sure what kind of women you’re used to dealing with…or maybe I am…but the point is, I’m not them. I’m not someone who needs to be told what to do and how to do it. I’d happily take suggestions if you’d like to offer them as such, and I’ll happily share with you if you share with me in return.”
“Miss Gonzalez?” the officer called out to her.
“Yes, officer, I’ll be right there—I’m sorry.” She looked at Dax, who looked like he had more to say and said, “We can talk about this later. Right now, I need to deal with my business.” She was shaking as she walked away from him. She’d hoped that his attraction to her was partially thanks to the fact that she did have a mind of her own, but she couldn’t help worrying that she’d just blown the whole thing. She finished with the cop while Dax sat in the kitchen, smoldering or sulking or whatever it was he was doing. A half an hour or so later the techs left, leaving behind clouds of black and silver dust. When they were alone at last she took a deep breath, and walked into the kitchen. Dax was holding a beer bottle between his hands and staring down at it. “Dax?”
He looked up at her with his eyes smoldering. She braced herself for a fight and when he stood up and came toward her she flinched. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her face. “You think I’m going to hurt you?”
“No,” she whispered. She stood still as he took another step toward her. He stopped when he was so close that there was barely room for air to pass between them, and he looked down at her face.
“Good,” he said. “Because I’m not going to hurt you, Angel…ever.” He grinned then and she was the one who was confused. “At least not unless you need a spanking. You’re perilously close to that tonight.”
She tried not to smile but as she looked up at his gorgeous face and sexy smile it was impossible not to. “You think so?”
He put his hand on the side of her face and brought his mouth down until it was just a fraction of an inch away from hers. “I think so,” he said before pressing his lips to hers and then grabbing her up and pressing her body into his. He kissed her passionately, hungrily, possessively. She was glad that he was holding onto her because her legs were shaking so hard that she was sure they wouldn’t hold her up. She felt him picking her up higher off the floor, and he held her tighter as he turned toward the granite countertop and then lifted her up and sat her down on it, never breaking the kiss. Angel’s hands came to the front of his shirt and she started clawing at the buttons on it. He broke the kiss and took a step back and she sat on the smooth, cold granite and watched as he stripped off his shirt. Her mouth was watering as all that hot, sexy muscle and tattoo was revealed a piece at a time. He didn’t stop there. He kicked off his boots one at a time and then his hands went to the button on his jeans. She licked her lips as he slowly peeled them down his muscular legs and then kicked them off too. The front of his shorts was tented, evidence of how badly he wanted her.
“Your turn,” he said in that deep, sexy voice. She pushed against the counter and started to get down. “Nope, do it up there. Stand up on that counter and strip for me, sexy.”
Angel hesitated, but only for a second. She kicked off her shoes and then pushed back on the counter far enough so that she could fold her legs underneath her and she pushed up to her knees. He pushed his shorts down as she unbuttoned her shirt. His huge erection was pulsating as he watched her, and she felt a rush of fluid between her legs as he reached down and grabbed it in his own hand. He began stroking it, slowly, as he watched her. She peeled off her shirt and then pushed up to her feet. He stroked himself a little faster as she unbuttoned her pants and pushed them down. She could see the little satiny bead of fluid on the fat head of his cock and she ran her tongue across her lips as she imagined licking it off. She tossed her jeans aside and then stood there in front of him on the kitchen counter in only her panties and bra. Micah would never do something like this. They rarely made love anywhere other than the bedroom and although it was never bad…it sure as hell didn’t excite her the way she was excited at that moment. Dax masturbated as she reached back and unhooked her bra, letting it slide down her arms and all the way to the floor. Then she went for her panties, and that was where he stopped her.
“Not yet,” he said in a hoarse voice. “Sit back down on the counter and spread those sexy thighs open.” She didn’t hesitate that time. She sat down and did as he asked. His grip on his throbbing cock tightened and he stroked faster as he told her, “Put your hand in your panties. Feel that wet pussy for me.”
She slid her hand down her stomach and slipped it the front of her panties. She found her clit and began to massage it. She was soaking wet. Her clit was swollen and hard as a rock. She reached down with the other hand and pulled the crotch of her panties to the side so that he could see the pink lips of her pussy as she masturbated. It was so fucking erotic…the most erotic thing she’d ever experienced…a memory she already looked forward to having. At that moment, in the midst of all that lust, a frightening thought popped into her head,
“I’m falling in love with him. God help me, I’m falling in love with a criminal…and I don’t want to stop.”
Dax watched her like a predator stalking his prey. She manipulated her clit as she leaned her head back and watched him jack himself off through slotted eyes. She could feel herself already racing toward an orgasm. Her body began to tighten and she brought her free hand up and grabbed one of her breasts and massaged it as she worked her own pussy into a frenzy. Dax suddenly stopped what he was doing and stepped toward her. His hands were on her waist and he dipped his head down and sucked one of her breasts into his mouth without warning. He put a lot of pressure on it with his mouth, holding it in place while he used his tongue to flick back and forth across her nipple, hardening it into a fine point that he then rolled around in his mouth. Her head fell back and her mouth fell open and she felt the rush of warm liquid as it soaked her fingers and the crotch of the panties she was still wearing. There was so much of it that she was sure the counter was even wet underneath her.
He let go of the breast he was sucking and nibbling on and stood up straight, grinning down at her. He rested his hands on her thighs and leaned in and kissed her lips before pushing her thighs open and dropping those sexy lips from her breast down to her lips…her soaking wet pussy lips. He let his tongue come out and lick her up and down and she shuddered as he passed over her clit and then did it again and again. Finally, he brought his tongue up and flattened it against her clit, putting pressure on it and wiggling it back and forth. Her hands were twisted up in his long hair, pushing his face in deeper. Her hips wiggled against the slick, granite countertop. He was driving her wild and right back toward another orgasm. He brought one hand up and as he sucked her clit into his mouth he slid a finger up inside of her to the knuckle and then crooked it in half and began moving it around while he sucked her engorged button. It only took seconds of that before she had another earth-shattering orgasm, one that took every ounce of energy and breath in her body.
Dax licked her softly until she stopped shaking and then he stood upright, put his hands behind her on her ass and pulled her to the edge of the counter so her soft body was against his hard one. He reached down and took his cock, which was as hard as the granite counter, into his hand. He let the head of it push against her panties and rub up and down between her thighs. He leaned down and with his face right next to hers he whispered, “Taste your pussy. Lick it off me.”
Like a hungry cat, Angel began licking his face. She licked all around the outside of his mouth while he rocked into her, still not putting more than the head of his cock into her pussy. Then she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and licked that. The taste of herself on those plump, sexy lips was driving her crazy and she lapped at them until they were clean. Then she shoved her tongue into his mouth and used it to clean his off. When they broke the kiss, he used his left hand to twist the thin fabric of her panties
around his hand and rip them off while almost simultaneously shoving his long, thick, raging-hard cock into her hot, wet pussy. He pushed himself all the way inside of her, filling her up to capacity and not stopping until he hit bottom. He growled out her name and then, gripping her ass tighter, he began to move back and forth, in and out, pounding her like a drum in a rhythm that was so beautiful it could have been choreographed. He was grunting and she was moaning and whimpering, and just about the time she felt the swell of his cock inside of her, she felt her third orgasm approaching. It hit her like a ton of cement bricks and she cried out almost at the same time he did. A flood of fluids raced out of them both as Dax lifted her off the counter and laid her down on the cold tile floor. He lay down next to her and with his back against the floor he pulled her up on top of him and she rested her head against his hard, warm chest and wondered…how could she ever give this up?
15
“The Royal Canadian mint is not missing any coins, at least nothing recent,” Kyle announced at their weekly meeting. “But David had an idea. Remember that heist in upstate New York about five years ago?”
“The armored truck?” Dad asked.
Sheriff Zandt sat up straighter. “That’s right, they were carrying platinum coins from a private collection. You think that’s where these coins are coming from?”
“We’re not even sure this isn’t someone hiring Dax and the guys to help transport a private collection of their own,” Angel said.
“That’s true—it’s why we need you to try and get us more information on this ‘Dan’ person,” Kyle said. Angel found it ironic how her brother was so against her spending so much time with Dax…until it suited his purposes. Kyle aspired to someday being chief of police. Breaking a case like this could propel his career forward faster than anything.
Angel glanced over at Micah. He hadn’t said a word so far and he’d barely even looked at her. Micah was one of those people who always thought long and hard before he said anything, but she knew him well enough to know he had a lot of questions, and tonight she’d probably have to come up with answers to at least some of them.