by Geri Krotow
“Chemistry won’t prevent us from hurting each other. Or Becky.” Annie spoke succinctly and with a clarity that didn’t reflect how vulnerable she appeared to him in this moment. Vulnerable and totally trusting.
“No, it won’t.” He let go of her hair and turned to fully face her, knowing she could see how much she aroused him. How much he needed her. “Tell me something, sweet woman. Is there a chance we’re doing more here than enjoying the moment? More than showing off how much we’ve learned between the sheets since senior year?”
A single tear swelled in her eye and slid down her cheek. She swiped it away. “I want to think so, Josh, but I don’t trust myself.”
“What don’t you trust?”
“That I won’t bolt the moment this gets too intense between us.”
“Oh, babe, we’re way past that.”
* * *
Annie looked at him as relief and hope warred with a potent dose of fear in her gut. “I might stay in Silver Valley, Josh. But if I do, you can never think it’s because of you. If I stay, it’s because it’s where I want to live and work.”
He smiled, and she wanted to cry and laugh and bang her head on the sofa pillows.
“Really? You’re thinking of staying?”
“I told you, it has nothing to do with you.”
“Does this have anything to do with me?” He leaned over and kissed her, deeply. She stopped worrying about being embarrassed or how they’d work through the possibility of a relationship that was more than sex. Right now sex seemed the best option.
But it wasn’t going to be like anything he’d experienced before, not if she could help it.
“Stand up for a minute, Josh.” She tugged on his hands and unfolded her legs so that she could stand in front of him, still next to the sofa.
“Whoa—are you getting kinky on me here? You have a look in your eyes.” He teased, but she saw his chest quickly rise and fall, felt the heat coming off him.
“Shh. Don’t you know it’s impolite to turn down a gift?” She looked him straight in the eye as she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. His eyes widened, and a slow grin spread across his face as comprehension dawned.
“This is a surprise.”
“I told you, shh.” She kissed him firmly on the lips before devoting her entire attention to the rest of his body. She ran her hands over his shoulders, on his chest and allowed them to linger as she lowered herself to her knees. She shoved his pants and underwear down and then grasped his hard length with one hand, her other hand on his ass.
“Annie.” His throaty plea emboldened her, and she’d never wanted to please a man more. It was a wonderful way to break the heaviness of what she’d just shared, too.
“Sit down, Josh.” She gave him a second to sink back into the sofa before she bent her head and took him fully in her mouth.
Annie didn’t know who was more turned on, her or Josh, as she sucked and stroked until he found his release with one loud shout.
* * *
“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” She nestled up next to him on the couch as Josh rested, his head back, catching his breath.
“You’re going to be the death of me, babe.” He turned his head to make eye contact. “That was amazing. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. And yours.” She giggled.
“You don’t think that you’re getting away with this, do you?”
“What?” She batted her eyes at him.
Josh leaned forward and kissed her fully on the mouth, his tongue deep and searching. “Your turn, babe.”
“Oh.” Heat flared along with anticipation because this time she’d be enjoying her release.
Josh kissed, licked and tasted his way to her throat, lifting her shirt over her head and getting rid of her bra with practiced efficiency. Annie loved a man who knew how to get her naked with little effort. There was so much else to pay attention to.
“Oh!” He sucked on one nipple as he tweaked the other between his index finger and thumb, sending mini quakes through her pelvis, radiating over her hypersensitive skin.
“You like that?” He undid her pants. “Lay back and help me get these off, babe.”
She complied, arching her back to allow him to skim the cargo pants off her hips, along with her panties. It was an excruciatingly intimate moment, with her most private parts angled for his personal viewing, and she held her breath, as if a mere motion would make Josh change his mind.
His expression stilled, and after a long look at her, he raised his head and met her gaze. “Pure beauty. Annie.”
Molten heat pulsed through her, starting at the place between her legs and making her limbs heavy with lust. Josh wasted no more time on preliminaries and seemed in fact a starved man as he bent his head between her legs and made love to her in the most intimate, erotic manner she’d ever experienced.
Annie wanted to freeze this moment to savor over and over again for the rest of her life, but her body’s unabashed sexual response to Josh’s insistent tongue sent her over the edge and into a pulse-pounding orgasm. Her cries sounded separate from her, as all she could feel was the power of what Josh did to her.
But what was most powerful was that she had allowed herself to feel the full force of their connection. It wasn’t only about the sex, which was the best she’d ever had, or the emotional bond, the deepest she’d experienced. Josh was everything where there had been nothing—a partner, friend, colleague, lover. There weren’t enough words to describe what they shared. Except one. Annie wasn’t ready to go there yet, mentally, but she knew her heart had already leaped.
* * *
“I’m glad you were okay staying here.” Josh’s husky morning voice vibrated near her nape, as she was curled up spoon fashion with him. It had been a special night together, even though she was wired about the case.
“Some of us are still sleeping.” She’d checked her watch only five minutes before and saw that they had a half hour before the wake-up time they’d agreed on.
His chuckle made her aware of his arm, pressed against her breasts, and her nipples hardened. The rest of her body immediately followed, apparently not heeding the slow wake-up request.
“Babe, we are never going to be the kind that sleeps in.” He moved his pelvis against her buttocks, and she groaned from the desire his erection stoked in her.
“You’re shameless.” She turned in his arms to look at him but his eyes were closed, his mouth landing unerringly on her lips. She stared at his long lashes for a heartbeat before closing her eyes, too, and answering the unspoken invitation.
They turned toward one another, and Annie thought there could be no better morning that this one.
An insistent buzz pierced the languid haze of desire she wished she could stay in. “Whose is that?”
“Stay right here.” Josh rolled over and looked at his phone, which was on his nightstand. He sat up. “Crap.”
She sat up, as well, pulling the covers with her as he made a call.
“This is Joshua Avery.”
His back stiffened as he listened, and trepidation made Annie stay still and wait. When a cop was tense, it was real.
“She’s okay, though?” More listening. A long sigh. “Thanks for letting me know. I’m on my way.”
He stood up from the bed and walked straight to the bathroom, still naked. In what seemed an afterthought, he turned back and looked at her. “It’s Becky. She’s okay, but a thug tried to nab her from the group she was with this morning at the bus stop.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Be ready to leave by noon. I’ve got to get over to see Becky, and then meet with Claudia about our case.” His eyes were no longer on fire for her, and she didn’t fault him for that, as he was obviously concerned about Becky. She’d expect no les
s.
“Sure, of course. I’ll meet you as we’ve planned, unless you call me sooner.”
“Thanks, Annie. And feel free to use the guest bathroom.”
He gave her a quick, hard kiss before he disappeared into the master bath and she quickly dressed. Josh was the ultimate man, switching immediately into big-brother mode. His sister, who was in his guardianship, had been assaulted. Yet he remained calm and prepared to take care of it, no matter how upset or crazed he felt.
She was worried about Becky, too, but gave Josh his space. It was a family affair—and Annie wasn’t part of it. It bothered her, but she had to push it aside for now. Josh was going to need her to be focused 100 percent on their op, as was Kit.
Chapter 13
Josh couldn’t get his car to Becky’s apartment fast enough. He mentally went over the routine he knew she was to follow each day. A group of adults from her community walked to their condo association’s private bus stop each weekday morning to board the bus just for them. It took them directly to their respective jobs, Becky to the thrift store. Because the stop was inside the apartment complex, which was behind a fence guarded 24/7 at the property’s only entry and exit point, it was safer in many ways than having her walk out to the corner in their neighborhood.
But it hadn’t been safe enough.
When he drove in, he noticed that the guard gate was broken. He was waved over to an SVPD patrol car, where he recognized both officers who appeared to be comparing notes. He parked his car and got out, hating the delay in meeting Becky but needing the facts. Panic rose in his chest and he reminded himself that Becky was safe and the creep hadn’t harmed her.
“Morning, Joshua.” Nika greeted him, and her partner, Rachel, nodded. He’d worked with both of them and trusted their abilities.
“Nika. Rachel.”
“Becky’s okay. While a group of residents waited for their regular ride, a man dressed in a nice suit approached them, on the pretense of being a visitor looking for a friend in the apartments. He asked Becky to follow him to his car, and she refused. Another man showed up, and they both attempted to grab and drag her into their van, which is there.” He looked to where she pointed at a late-model standard family van. “One of the group immediately called 9-1-1, and we were dispatched. Since Rachel and I were just around the corner, we got here before the losers could drive away. We apprehended them, and our backup unit has taken them to County for booking.”
“How the hell did they get in the complex? And wasn’t there an Upward Homes assistant there?” His reasoning left him. Becky could have been kidnapped.
“The security guard had run to the restroom in the main building, and the assistant in charge of the morning routine had forgotten her phone and gone back in to get it. It was as if the perpetrator was waiting for the right opportunity. Usually they don’t get any traffic in here in the mornings save for work transport, so both employees thought it’d be fine.”
Josh let out a string of his best swear words. “And thus, the difference between civilians and us.”
Nika held back a grin as did her partner. They got it. And they knew him. They knew that nothing was more important to him than Becky’s safety.
“You can be proud of what you’ve taught Becky. She knew not to go with strangers and fought them off. Both men have bruises, and the main instigator is sporting a nice shiner.”
“No kidding?” Pride swelled at Becky’s evasion, but it wasn’t enough to douse the fear that had been roaring inside him since he received the notification. “I’ve got to go see her. Wait—what were the names of the apprehended?”
Nika’s grin turned into a grim line. “Tupolev and Andreyev. We haven’t done any further work on their histories yet, but Chief Todd was here for a few minutes, and he said he was certain they both had rap sheets at least a mile long. You already knew about one of them, right?”
“Yeah, I sure did. Thanks.” Guilt, frustration and regret churned in his empty stomach. He had no doubt these men were connected to Valensky and ROC. They hadn’t scared him off with bullets a few days ago, so they’d gone for his jugular. Becky. While he’d allowed himself to be distracted by a sexy woman, his sister had almost been taken out by mob henchmen. Thank God they were terrible at their jobs.
And he knew it had nothing to do with Annie, that he couldn’t blame his time with her. But the guilt over his sister’s ordeal wasn’t lessened.
He got to the main office and saw Becky talking to the program administrator, Jacqui. Relief rushed through him, so strong his knees felt wobbly. She appeared none the worse for wear. When she saw him she smiled her usual ray of sunshine and jumped up to come hug him.
“Becs.” He hugged her tight, needing her to know he had her, she was safe. And he needed to know she was okay, too.
“Why are you here, Josh? It’s not the weekend yet.” She walked back to where she’d sat with her mentor. Josh smiled at the woman, not wanting to say too much in front of Becky.
“I heard you had an interesting morning, and I needed a hug.”
“Becky was just telling me that she’s glad the bad guy came for her.”
“Is that so?” He struggled to keep his emotions in check. He was so damned relieved Becky was okay.
“Yeah, because I’m the strongest woman in our group.”
“Did you know the man, Becky?”
“I never saw him before, but he was a bad man.” Becky struck a self-defense pose she’d learned from watching an animated action movie and growled. “I can take down any thief, any day!”
“I’m so proud of you. But if anyone ever tries to lure you like that again, I want you to run away.” The realization of how lucky he was that she was okay, all in one piece, made his voice shake.
“I did run away! After I took him out!” Becky’s satisfaction at her actions made him smile, something he wouldn’t have believed he’d do so soon.
“Can I have a word with you, Josh?” He looked up from Becky’s beaming face to see Jacqui. He’d spent hours with her, from the initial inquiries through to the laborious intake process, before deciding to place Becky. He liked her and admired her professional savvy.
“Sure. I’ll be right back, Bec.” He gave his sister a kiss on her forehead and followed the woman into her office, where she shut the door behind him.
“Have a seat.”
“Why do I feel like I’m about to get chastised?”
Jacqui smiled. It was a warm, compassionate smile. “You are, but not for what you think. What happened at the bus stop this morning is inexcusable, because it was at least partly preventable. The guard would have kept the van out of the complex if he’d been doing his job. He’s been fired, by the way.” She picked up a pen and turned it over and over, concern stamped on her expression. “But we can’t keep all of the dangers out of here. It’s a testament to you and Becky that she handled it the way she did. One of the other residents phoned 9-1-1, and it was resolved as quickly as if more able-minded adults had been involved.”
“That’s a credit to you and Upward Homes, Jacqui. They all knew how to handle it.”
“Yes.” She put her pen down. “Which brings me to my other point. Crime happens, thefts the most common in our area, but unfortunately our residents aren’t any more protected than the average citizen from society’s ills. But they’re as safe as they can be, and today’s actions from Becky and her friends demonstrate that they are adults in more ways than we give them credit for. However, they run a higher risk of suffering longer-lasting effects like PTSD if we reinforce what’s happened.” She stared at him.
“I’m only here to support Becky and make sure she’s okay.”
“I know that, and it’s the least I’d expect from such a dedicated family member. But Becky’s okay. We’ll continue to monitor her and the rest of the group for any signs of PTSD symptoms. Many of them have forms o
f PTSD from dealing with their mental disabilities for so long. And each of them has their own mental health history, as well. We stay on top of it as best we can. I’m sure you know this.”
“I do.” He’d read everything he could get his hands on, talked to all the experts, since assuming full guardianship of Becky. It was a full-time job, and he was lucky to have Becky in such a solid place. “There’s something you’re not telling me, though, right?”
Jacqui regarded him. “You’re a people expert in your own way, Josh. You have to be, as a police officer. What you might not realize, since your job is law enforcement, is that reinforcing and overreacting to a traumatic event doesn’t serve Becky at all. There’s no secret that this happened, and we’ve validated that it was scary and made her angry. She reacted appropriately. We’ll continue to validate any expressions of grief that are a fallout from the event. But...” She looked at him expectantly.
“But you need me to back off, not overemphasize it, stop doing the helicopter routine.”
She nodded. “Yes. And I’m asking you to trust us that we’ll tighten the physical security here and that Becky will be as safe here as she would be at home. Don’t take her back home until she asks to go, Josh. She’s at a vulnerable place where her self-esteem at living independently is ready to blossom. This morning could make or break her. I for one would like to see it fortify her.”
“You realize that there’s a chance she was targeted because of my job, right?” Saying it out loud made it all the more real, and frightening to him.
“I do. And as long as you can convince me this will be a one-time incident, I think we’ll be okay here.”
“I can’t promise that, but since we have both parties in custody, I’m confident they won’t be back here anytime soon.” He mentally counted how much longer he expected the Valensky case to go on.
“You know how you expect the public to trust law enforcement, Josh? I need you to trust that I have a decent idea of what’s best for Becky’s mental and physical health. It’s what I do, day in and day out.”