by Kate Stacy
His attention moves to my lower back and hips, his hands working all the tight muscles.
Rubbing. Kneading. Manipulating my body into a boneless mass.
I love his hands on me.
By the time he massages my entire back and starts working my shoulders, I can barely keep my eyes open. I can’t remember ever feeling this relaxed and calm.
With a press of his soft lips to the tender spot behind my ear, Ryan’s arm curls around my body. His hand rubbing gentle circles on my belly is the last thing I feel before I drift off to sleep.
I wake sometime later with Ryan’s hard body pressed against mine, our bare legs tangled together. My eyes flit to the window to see it’s still dark outside, leaving me with no desire to move from the bed. His body is warm, and I swear I can feel it everywhere. I shift my position slightly, biting back a moan when I feel the press of his hard cock against my still-bare ass.
Want.
I’m a mess of want and I’m tired of waiting. The massage he gave me was wonderful, something I didn’t even know I needed. But now, now I need more. I need him. All of him.
Moving my hips, I rub my backside over his length, smiling to myself when I hear a low groan from behind me.
He’s awake.
Ryan’s hand moves from its place on my belly to my breast. It’s my turn to groan when he cups it, tracing his thumb across my nipple. Back and forth, up and down, circling the tight bud until a whimper slips from between my lips.
Ryan chuckles.
A low, gravelly chuckle that sends a pulse of heat straight to my core.
“You need me, Gorgeous?” He asks, voice deep, raspy from sleep.
His warm breath blows across my ear and I shiver, making him chuckle again.
God, I love that fucking sound.
He nips my earlobe before kissing the sensitive spot behind it. His mouth blazes a trail down my neck and across my shoulder, teeth nipping my flesh along the way.
He moves his hand, flattening it against the space between my breasts. Pulling me tighter against him, he grinds against my ass and moves his mouth back to my ear.
“I asked you a question, Camille.”
Question? He expects me to answer a question? I can’t even think straight, let alone form words.
My breath hitches as his hand slides down my body, stopping at the top of my mound, fingers tracing through the trimmed patch of hair there.
So close. He’s so damn close to where I need him most.
His body shifts behind me and it’s not until I feel the heat of his bare skin against mine, his rigid cock pressed between my cheeks, that I realize he’s removed his underwear.
His fingertip drifts down, swirling around my clit just once before he stops again.
“Please, Ry.” I whine.
Before I can take my next breath, he slides into me from behind, stretching me fully and sheathing himself to the hilt. My breath stutters, then comes out in a whoosh as exquisite pleasure fills me as swiftly as he did.
We release matching groans as he pulls out, pressing into me again.
And again.
Slow, hard, steady thrusts.
His fingers work my clit at the same maddening pace, leaving me breathing raggedly and teetering on the edge. It’s been so long. My body is so primed, so ready, that it won’t take long.
Without pause, he lifts his torso from the mattress to lean over me. His lips meet the curve of my jaw, so I turn my head, allowing his mouth to cover mine over my shoulder. He takes my lips in an unrelenting kiss.
Ryan growls into my mouth, pulling back to tug on my bottom lip with his teeth. The sharp bite of pain sends me spiraling. My orgasm hits hard and fast, pulses of pleasure spreading through every inch of my body.
“Fuck, Gorgeous. Fuck!”
Ryan groans hoarsely as my muscles clamp down, tightening around his cock. His release immediately follows mine and he pulls his hand from between my thighs, moving it to my hip. His tight grip only enhances my pleasure as he carries us both through our orgasms.
Before my body has a chance to fully come down from the blissful high, Ryan slips out of me and rolls to his back. His hand remains on my hip, like he needs the contact between the two of us while he catches his breath.
Once again, I find myself in a completely relaxed state, but I sit up, knowing I need to clean up before I cuddle up to Ryan and go back to sleep.
As I move to stand, Ryan’s hand shifts quickly from my hip to grip my arm. I give him a questioning look, but he only tugs on my arm. Turning, I kneel beside him on the bed and lean down to kiss him, assuming it’s what he wants.
Ryan has other ideas.
He pulls me to straddle him, chuckling at my squeal of surprise, and not at all deterred by my huge belly. Holding onto my hips, he attempts to pull me forward, but I hold steady, trying to maintain my balance on top of him.
Staring into my eyes, he smirks at me and gives my ass a firm swat.
“Get that sexy ass up here and grab the headboard. It’s time I finally get a fuckin’ taste.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Ryan
Slamming the file down on the desk, I shove my hand through my hair and let out a long string of obscenities. I’m drawing the attention of everyone at the station, but I’m beyond giving a fuck.
Chad fucking Sullivan.
I can’t even stand his goddamn name.
I’ve pulled everything possible, searching deep into his past and present. I can’t find a single thing. He’s squeaky clean, not a single speck of dirt. On paper, he’s the perfect golden boy this town has made him out to be.
It pisses me the hell off.
I know it’s him.
I fucking know it, but I can’t prove it.
Without proof, I have nothing.
Morris and I haven’t brought him in for questioning yet. It needs to happen, but we’ve been holding off. We have our reasons. For one, I can’t promise I won’t punch him in his throat for coming after my girl. My temper and lack of control aside, we know he’s not going to admit to anything. No one with half a brain would, which means we have to worry about making things worse for Camille. Confronting him. Asking questions. There’s a strong chance it would piss him off. There’s no way to tell how he would react.
There’s already too much at risk for Camille and the babies.
The harassment and stalking are dangerous enough.
I won’t add to it by potentially pissing the guy off.
Dropping into the chair with a sigh, I hang my head back and close my eyes.
I rack my brain, trying to come up with a way we can get this guy. There has to be something. Some way to prove he’s the one behind the messages. It’s only a matter of figuring out exactly what it is.
Morris pops his head into the room.
“You okay, partner? Your attitude can be heard on the other end of the building.”
I growl at him. Literally fucking growl.
The asshole has the nerve to laugh until I open my eyes and pin him with a heavy glare.
“I know, man. I know. This shit has me irritated, too.”
“Irritated? That’s a serious fucking understatement.” I huff out a breath and cross my arms. “I’m worried about my family. No. It’s more than that. I’m fucking terrified. If anything happens to Camille or the babies…”
“We won’t let that happen.”
My brow pops and I give him an incredulous stare. “You can’t make that guarantee.”
Morris sighs, moving from his place by the door to take the seat across from me.
“You’re right. I can’t. But we’re being smart about this. We’re doing everything we can here. You’ve got her protected at home.” He leans back, crossing his ankle over his knee. “Has she told her family yet?”
“No,” I sigh, hanging my head.
He doesn’t respond.
We both know how vital it is for
Camille to tell her family. People being aware can have a significant impact on the situation. It’s one more layer of protection around Camille, but I haven’t been able to get her to budge.
Feeling Morris’s gaze burn into me, I look up and let out another heavy sigh.
“I know. You don’t need to tell me. I’m crazy about her, but she’s stubborn as hell.”
“Might need to take the choice away from her.”
I give him a tight nod.
I’ve thought about telling them myself more than once. I’m tempted but torn. Going behind Camille’s back isn’t fair to her. It would only cause problems between us and she doesn’t need any added stress right now. I want to avoid that, obviously. On the other hand, it really would help if they knew. As much as I’d love to, I can’t be with Camille twenty-four hours a day. I’d feel better knowing she has other people looking out for her when I’m not able.
“Her family would want to know what’s going on, Ryan. Especially her brother. It would kill him if something happened to her.” He scrubs his hand across his jaw. “His sisters are everything to him. After the shit with Madalyn and the asshole she married...hell. I’ve never seen a man so fuckin’ destroyed.”
He’s right. I know he’s right.
Holden is a man with my complete respect.
He loves his sisters fiercely.
Hell, I know for a fact he’d have no problem kicking my ass for keeping this from him. Badge or no badge. It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to him when one of his sisters is involved.
“I’ll try again to convin—”
“Ryan?”
Her quiet, quavering voice steals my attention, my head whips toward the door where she stands. Springing from my chair, I rush around the desk toward her when I see her red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
She sniffs, squeezing her eyes closed. I can physically see her swallow a lump in her throat as she shakes her head. I put my arm around her, rubbing smooth circles on her lower back. Tucking my fingers under her chin, I turn her face to mine and say her same softly. I’m about to ask her again what’s wrong, but Morris speaks before I do.
“Camille,” he says calmly, as if she were a frightened animal. “Can I take a look?”
My head jerks back.
Look at what?
I follow his line of sight and when my eyes land on the items Camille is clutching in a white-knuckled grip, my body floods with pure, unadulterated fury.
Another note accompanied by a rose.
Morris moves toward Camille and I flash him a look of warning. His head dips to acknowledging me, but he moves to stand in front of her.
Sensing his presence, she opens her eyes and they flit straight to him.
He nods toward her hand, his pleading eyes asking the question again.
Sucking in a ragged breath, she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and nods.
I move behind her, wrapping my arms around her body as Morris pulls a glove from his pocket and reaches out to take the offending items from her hands.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur, tucking my face into the curve of her neck.
Closing my eyes, I breathe in her strawberry scent. It calms me, easing the rage rolling through me.
She’s safe. She’s in my arms and she’s safe with me.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
The sadness in Morris’s voice draws my eyes to their hands, where Camille has finally loosened her grip. Her hand is trembling and smeared with blood.
I bite back a curse.
I lead Camille over to the chair and help her lower herself into it. She still hasn’t uttered a word other than my name when she arrived. It worries me.
Morris meets my gaze over Camille’s shoulder and tips his head on the way out the door. I know the evidence is in good hands. He’ll take care of bagging it and ensuring it gets checked thoroughly for prints.
There’s a split second where I wish I would have read the note before he left with it, but I can’t think about that now.
Camille is my priority.
Leaning over my desk, I snatch the small first aid kit from my drawer.
Forcing back all my anger, I crouch down in front of Camille, taking her hand gently to inspect the damage.
Wiping away the blood reveals five small punctures in different places on her hand. Her eyes follow my movements as I clean and disinfect the cuts, but she remains silent. I unwrap a roll of non-stick gauze from its packaging and carefully wrap it around her hand. Once I finish, I lift it to my mouth, placing a tender kiss on her wrapped palm.
My eyes trace over her face and the softest, sweetest smile steals across her lips.
My heart swells. My ego, too, if I’m honest.
She came in upset and likely afraid, and I’m still able to make her smile.
“Ready to talk about it?” I ask when her eyes meet mine.
“Not much to say,” she says quietly. “Found it in the same place on my car. No one was with me this time.”
“I would have come to you, baby.”
“I know. I know you said to call if it happened again, but...I just needed to get away from there. I had to get away.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she drops her eyes to her lap.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. Coming here was the right thing to do. I’m glad you came straight to me.” My eyes roam her face and I hesitate. “What...will you tell me what the note said? What was written that has you so shaken up.”
Tears begin to roll down her cheeks and she shakes her head rapidly.
“Shh. It’s okay. Shhhhh.”
I won’t force her to tell me. I’ll either look at it myself later or ask Morris.
Whatever it was…
A shiver rolls through me as I think about the infinite possibilities. It could be anything.
“Camille, look at me. Please.”
I wait patiently until she does. I need to know I have her full attention. Maybe now isn’t the time, but I have to try. One more time.
When her eyes meet mine, I search them, but I’m not sure what it is I’m looking for.
“I know you don’t want to, baby...but you need to tell your family.”
Her head starts shaking back and forth rapidly before I can even finish my sentence.
“Camille. Listen to me. Please.”
I brush her hair out of her face, leaving my palm to cup her jaw.
“I know you’re scared. I am too.” Those words get her attention. Her brows knit, but she doesn’t turn her gaze from mine. “I know you have your reasons for not wanting to tell them, I do. But Camille...they can help look out for you. Protect you. Make sure you and the babies stay safe until we can prove Chad is the one doing this. I promise you...your family won’t look at you differently. The past won’t change how they feel about you. I know them well enough to know that, and you know them better than I do. So you know what I’m saying is true. They’ll have your back, without question, but in order to do that, they need to know what’s going on.”
“You know he’s right, Camille.”
I’m not sure if Morris breaks the tension in the room, or creates more, but Camille looks at him and nods.
“You know I was one of the officers on your sister’s case. I saw how your family came together for her. I saw how it affected them to find out how much she was suffering in her silence.” He moves further into the room, stopping next to us. He mimics my position, crouching beside Camille. “Don’t let the past repeat itself, sweetheart. Let your family in. Let them give you the love and support you need right now.”
“Okay.”
The word comes out on a harsh sob that has Camille flinging herself at me, knocking us both to the floor. She lands on top of me and I wrap my arms around her, holding her to me tightly as sobs continue to rack her body.
Morris and I share a moment, much like the last time
the three of us were in this same office. He stands, watching as I comfort my girl.
Once again, I mouth a silent thank you to my partner.
Though the words don’t seem like enough.
TWENTY-NINE
Camille
A spike of anxiety accompanies the sinking feeling in my stomach as I scan the faces in the room.
Worry. Wariness. Uncertainty. Frustration. Fear. Dread.
There’s a wide range of emotions showing clearly on the faces of my loved ones—none of them positive. I haven’t even told them why we’re here, but they already know it’s nothing good.
Four months ago, my family listened while I explained my unique pregnancy. I can only hope for the same display of calm patience today, but I won’t hold my breath.
I have an even bigger bomb to drop.
Everyone is here.
Mom and Dad. Grams. Madalyn and Jaxson. Holden. Presley. Hailee and Drake. Macy. Even Adam is here.
Ryan insisted.
Since Adam lives with us, Ryan wants him in the loop. He wants his best friend on alert so he can look out for me at home when Ryan can’t be there.
I’m terrified to admit to my family what’s been happening. Not for the reasons one might think. Well, maybe some of them.
Mostly, it’s because I fucking hate feeling like a victim.
It’s not a label I want attached to me.
But I no longer have a choice.
My silence is no longer an option.
Not after the last note.
If you think he can protect you, you’re wrong. I can get to you any time, any place. I’m taking back what’s mine. No one will stand in my way.
The messages are getting worse.
His anger bleeds through his words.
I’m scared.
More for my babies than myself, but right now we’re one in the same. I’ll do anything to protect them.
I’ll spill my ugly truths.
My secrets that will undoubtedly hurt my family to know.