by Max Monroe
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she muttered and stood to her feet. “I’m sorry, Dane. You’re a good guy, and this is my fault. I shouldn’t have pulled you into the middle of this.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you for today. I really enjoyed it.”
“It’s okay.” He smiled down at her. “And it was my pleasure, Ivy.”
I clenched my fists at the familiarity between them, but before I could say or do anything else, she stalked away from us and toward my cruiser. The passenger door slammed shut behind her a moment later.
Dane’s now concerned eyes met mine. “You all right?”
“Fine.” Even though this woman might be the death of me.
“You sure?”
“Before I got here, Glen got a call over at the high school,” I said by way of changing the subject. The last thing I needed was the rookie’s scrutiny. “Apparently, a fistfight broke out between a few of the boys. Head over there and make sure he doesn’t need any help.”
“Roger that,” he responded, and since I was technically his superior, he didn’t question me further.
By the time I reached my driver’s-side door, the rookie’s wheels were already rolling toward Cold High.
Without even glancing in Ivy’s direction, I got into my cruiser and started the engine. We were back on the road a moment later, and my ears started to buzz from the deafening, tension-filled silence that stretched between us.
It only took five minutes of driving for her to be the first one to break the ice.
“What is your fucking problem?” Her fiery words cut into my skin like a blade.
“You,” I spat back. “You are my problem.” I gripped the leather of the steering wheel tightly, flexing my fingers around it a few times before taking a right back onto the main road.
“That’s hilarious and ironic,” she said sarcastically, and I bristled.
“And why is that?”
“Because you are my fucking problem too.”
“Wow. You’ve got a dirty fucking mouth, Ivy Stone. I would’ve thought a woman of Hollywood had more class than that.”
She laughed. It wasn’t the least bit amused, though. “That’s rich coming from the man who just made a scene back there in an elderly woman’s driveway.”
“I didn’t make a scene. I fixed a problem.”
“The only problem is that you won’t follow orders and refuse to give me any information about Grace Murphy.”
“Because Grace Murphy isn’t any of your business!”
“Yes, she is!” she exclaimed. “I’m well aware you don’t like that this movie is being made. I understand that. But it is out of your control. All you can do now is help make sure we do Grace justice.”
Do Grace justice. Fucking hell, this woman. She didn’t know jack shit about the justice that Grace Murphy deserved. It didn’t involve a Hollywood film, but it appeared I was the only one in this whole damn town who understood that.
I pulled my cruiser into the driveway of Grace’s house, and the brakes squealed to a stop. I didn’t say another word, just sat in silence, staring out toward the house and waiting for her to get out of my cruiser.
The less I said, the better.
But Ivy had other plans.
She slammed her fists down onto the dashboard. “Can’t you realize you are making this more difficult than it needs to be?”
I glared at her, but she didn’t stop.
“Avoiding me isn’t solving anything!” she shouted. Her voice jumped around the inside of the car like a bouncy ball. “The film will still happen. This town is behind it. The chief is behind it. Even Grace’s family is behind it.”
God, I wanted her to shut up.
But she just kept going.
“You are making this impossible, Levi!”
One moment, her shouts had my eardrums ringing like a bell, and the next, I was reaching across the center console of my cruiser and pulling her toward me. Our mouths crashed together, and I fucking kissed her. Hard.
It wasn’t premeditated. The kiss, the urge, the uncontrollable desire, it had come out of nowhere. One minute Ivy was on the other side of the cruiser, screaming at me with fury etching the normally soft lines of her lips, and the next, I was kissing her like a man starved for her perfect mouth with my hands clasped into the back of her silky red hair.
She didn’t hesitate. No. She kissed me right back.
I was completely unprepared. You would think after the first time she’d kissed me and all of the hours I’d spent with her—watching her talk, laugh, smile, scowl—that I would’ve known all there was to know about her lips. But God, they were warm and soft, and for a brief moment in time, they obliterated every thought inside my head.
Her small hands found my shoulders, gripping so hard they pinched the skin through the fabric of my uniform, but I barely noticed. In the end, it meant she was pulling me closer—that was what mattered.
God, she tastes so good.
Hard and rough at first, but eventually, deep and slow, our tempo changed, but our rhythm was always in sync. Our tongues danced, lips moved, and her soft moans echoed inside the tight confines of the cruiser.
Desire and hunger roared inside my veins. I drew my tongue over her teeth and swallowed her groan of pleasure as we slid even closer to each other, no visible gap between us now.
I was on overdrive. Fully committed, totally invested, and a whole litany of things other than numb.
I didn’t know how long we kissed.
All I knew was one moment, I’d felt like I was flying, my brain running wild with imagining what Ivy felt like beneath her clothes, and the next, I’d felt like I’d been doused with a bucket of ice water as she abruptly pulled away.
My heart pounded riotously inside of my chest as erratic breaths escaped my lungs in short pants.
“W-what was that for?” she asked on a breathless whisper, her eyes locked with mine.
I had no fucking idea. I could’ve made more sense out of an advanced calculus test than the reason for that kiss. I’d felt primal. Raw. Like I couldn’t have stopped myself if I’d tried.
Her big, mesmerizing green eyes stared deep into mine, and the instant her front teeth nervously bit into the soft flesh of her bottom lip, I had to look away.
She was too much. This, whatever the fuck it was, was too much.
Out the driver’s-side window I stared, swallowing hard against the sudden dryness in my throat.
“Levi?” Her voice was still a whisper. “What was that for?” she asked again.
Good and bad warred within me, but eventually, the bad won out and twisted and tainted my response. “To shut you up,” I said, and even though the words didn’t feel right leaving my mouth, I added, “Tit for tat, I guess.”
I didn’t even have to look at her, I felt her body stiffen up beside mine.
Seconds later and without any sort of response, Ivy was out of my cruiser and slamming the passenger door behind her. She stalked toward Grace’s house, the heels of her shoes swift and slightly unsteady as she moved up the front porch.
When the front door fell closed, I hated that I felt the insane urge to follow her inside.
But I didn’t.
What an asshole! I mentally screamed as I strode through the front door of my current home away from home and let the door slam shut behind me. Wood hit metal with a loud bang, and I cringed. It was one thing to be angry, but it was another to take that anger out on Grace’s house.
“I’m sorry, Grace,” I said quietly into the silent space of the living room. “I swear I’m not trying to tear down your adorable house. It’s just that your friend Levi is a bit of a bastard…”
Even though I’d never had the opportunity to meet her, I had the odd sensation she would’ve laughed at that, and most likely, understood.
I wasn’t sure if that was mere wishful thinking or the thoughts of a crazy person.
The engine of Levi’s cruiser revved to life, and I heard his loud retreat from
the driveway as he left the house like he’d just committed a crime and was hurrying away from the scene in a getaway car.
But kissing wasn’t a crime.
If it was, then he wasn’t the only guilty party in the equation.
I’d kissed him first. Then, he’d kissed me.
And both times, we’d gained no clarity, only more tension and confusion.
But good God, Levi had kissed me. It may have started out rash, impulsive, but once our lips had connected, it grew into something else. I had no idea what that something else was, but I knew we were both involved. The kiss took on an actual life as we both urged it further. The only reason I’d pulled away was because, as a rule, I forced myself to consider logic before taking off any clothing in any sexual encounter. I didn’t have illusions that I needed to be in love or married to have sex, but using judgment was a hard boundary. But I’d been a millisecond away from stripping down to the literal bare necessities, and I didn’t even like Levi. And I was pretty certain he didn’t like me. That one moment of pussy-to-brain consultation had been enough to slam on the brakes.
But why did kissing him feel so fucking good?
I strode into the bedroom and slid off my boots, letting them fall to the hardwood floor with an unceremonious clatter.
I stared at myself in the mirror of the small vanity above the wooden dresser. Denial wasn’t an option when the evidence was written all over my face.
Flushed skin.
Remnants of heat in my green eyes.
Swollen lips.
Pebbled nipples beneath my cream cashmere sweater.
Anger had left the building, and arousal had made its grand debut.
In my defense, it’d been a while since I’d had sex. My current dry spell had just reached the five-month mark. Sadly, the last time I’d had sex had been with my ex-boyfriend Marco who would forever go down as the reason why I stayed the fuck away from musicians, especially rock gods with wandering eyes.
And with work consuming my brain, it’d also been a while since I’d gotten myself off.
So, maybe this had nothing to do with Levi? Maybe I was just, like, generally horny?
Uh-huh…Keep telling yourself that…
I looked at myself in the mirror again and groaned in frustration. I was turned the fuck on, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had inspired it.
More like who had inspired it…
God, this was a mindfuck. I mean, of all the men on the planet, my body decided to be attracted to the biggest dick of all.
With my body aching and throbbing and making its needs known, before I could stop myself, I removed my clothes, climbed onto the bed, and slid under the covers.
It started off hesitant. Slow. My brain still filled with confusion and uncertainty as I gently touched myself, running the tips of my fingers through my arousal.
My body loved the idea of an orgasm, but my mind was at war with the fact that Levi Fox was the inspiration behind it.
Just forget about him. Focus on the orgasm, Ivy. You need this. Using reason is great, but you’re human and you have needs, for shit’s sake.
I closed my eyes as my hand found the perfect rhythm.
Thoughts swirled inside my head, and every single one revolved around him.
And before I could stop myself, I was imagining what it could’ve been like had I not pulled away from that kiss. I fantasized about Levi’s lips moving down my jaw, my neck, while his hands slid under my sweater.
Our kisses turn rough and erratic as we clumsily remove our clothes. My hands are shaking as I grab the hem of the sweater and pull it over my head, but the way he licks his lips steadies me.
I have no doubts he wants me and wants to fill his hands with the supple flesh of my breasts, but I want my hands on him more. I knock him out of the way and set to work, undoing the buckle of his belt, unclasping the button on his pants, and releasing all of the pressure on his bulge with a slide of the zipper.
I gasp as he unsheathes his hard cock from his pants and runs a hand from base to tip.
My body aches with anticipation, shaking nearly violently as I move toward him and straddle his hips with my thighs. He doesn’t waste a second, and he doesn’t go gentle, poising his cock at my entrance and thrusting inside. Heat pools in his eyes as he slides out and inside of me again, stretching me, filling me, making me feel so good.
His lips are at my breasts, suckling and sucking and flicking his tongue against my sensitive nipples.
Our urgency sets our rhythm. Pounding. Hard. Delicious. And my eyes roll back in my head every time he drives forward.
His cock is oh so deep inside of me, and God, it feels so good. And we are so close. Both of us, panting, shaking, hearts pounding, racing toward each other’s pleasure.
I moaned into the quiet bedroom. Like a glass of water being filled, pleasure built inside of me. The few seconds before the glass became too full, a switch flipped and I turned primal. Raw. I wasn’t focused on anything else except the rising, inexplicable wave coursing through my body.
The glass reached its limits and overflowed.
Stars danced behind my eyes as the aroused nerves of my body hit their peak. I was melting and exploding at the same time. I didn’t have any control, and I wasn’t worried or confused or angry in that moment.
I wasn’t anything but enjoying the ride, the complete release.
With every ounce of stress exorcised out of me, I lay in the bed, muscles relaxed and jellylike, heart still pounding and lungs slowly catching their breath.
It had all felt so right.
Until, it didn’t.
A true fucking buzzkill called realization had started to set in until it became a blaring trumpet inside my head. The only reason it’d felt so good was because I’d been lost in my fantasy.
About Levi Fox.
“Fox!” Chief called from his office. “Come in here for a minute!”
Dutifully, I grabbed the fresh cup of coffee I’d just poured for myself and walked past a few of my fellow officers as I headed his way.
“See you out there?” Glen asked as I strolled past him, and I lifted my coffee mug up in a friendly gesture.
“I’m making sure I’m fully caffeinated for the four feet of snow we’ll be working against.”
Glen chuckled and nodded. “Should be a busy day.”
It was a little after eight in the morning, and everyone was gearing up for the beginning of a new shift. Usually, four of us ran the morning shift, but today, we were blessed with five. In my opinion, more cops were always a good thing.
It sure as hell made backup calls much easier.
Not to mention we’d received a shit-ton of snow last night. Even though Cold natives were used to snowy conditions, excess snowfall still equated to more calls to the station.
Cars sliding off the road, Ms. Munn needing help getting out of her garage—you get the picture.
When I stepped into the chief’s office, he sat focused behind his desk, his gaze never faltering from the scattered papers before him. “You need to head over to town hall,” he said without lifting his gray eyes to meet mine.
“Town hall?”
“Yeah,” he responded gruffly. “Boyce Williams called, and they’re starting production on the movie today. They’ve set up shop in our town hall building, and they need you there as a consultant.”
The previously relaxed muscles of my shoulders grew tense and tight.
“I’m on duty today, Chief.”
“Not anymore.”
Was he fucking with me?
“What do you mean, not anymore?” I questioned. My smartass tone finally made him look up to meet my eyes with his own.
“Exactly what I said. You’re not on duty today.” Terse and to the point, his words should’ve provided a warning, but anger had already clouded my judgment.
I was fucking pissed.
“Wow,” I muttered, and a humorless laugh left my lips. “So, we’re not only le
tting Hollywood take over our fucking town, we’re also letting it get in the way of police work?”
Chief bristled. “Are you questioning my decisions?”
“Honestly, yes.” Not only yours but every-fucking-person’s around me. Lately, I’d felt like I was the only one using any goddamn sense.
“Let’s get this straight right now…” He stood up from his seat and pointed his index finger directly at me. “You might be like a son to me and the best damn cop in my department, but you’re not in charge here. While I respect any concerns my officers might have, I refuse to let your fucking demons get in the way of something important. And this film—it’s important to everyone in this town. You might not be able to pull your head out of your ass to see that, but it is.”
His words silenced me, but it didn’t matter. He still had more to say.
“This story deserves to be told because it is important to this community and the memory of our girls.”
Our girls. All five of them filled my head.
Carly Best. Only twenty-five at the time of her death. She had been quirky and sweet and could whip up the best blueberry pie in the state. She’d worked at her mother’s bakery, and every time I’d gone in there to grab some pastries, her smile had brightened up the room.
Victoria Carson. Twenty-seven years old. Beautiful. Talented. Everyone in town had loved to go to Ruby Jane’s just to hear her acoustic performances. Before she’d been murdered, our little community had been trying to get her to enter herself into the next American Idol contest.
Emily Morrow. Full of life, only twenty-five, and from what I’d learned, she’d been a strong pillar of the church community by teaching Bible study classes to the kids.
Bethany Johnson. She’d been like a sister to Grace…
I stopped myself before I headed down a familiar path that usually led to a bottle of Jack and oblivion. I wasn’t a daily drinker, but sometimes, when the pain grew too strong, felt too real, I had to numb it before it choked me to death.
“I’m not the type of man to entertain outlandish bullshit just for the hell of it,” Chief said. “If something ain’t right, I’ll stand my fucking ground and let it be known it ain’t right.” His eyes met mine. “And this movie is right, Levi.”