The thought of his mouth on her made her shudder. She’d explode.
She licked just the tip and he jolted, his eyes flying open to latch onto hers. “Whose cock is this?”
“Yours,” he replied without hesitation.
She stood, fighting back her own desire. She wanted to drag him down to the floor and ride him until he screamed. Turning away, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Another. They’d never have another first time together. She wanted to make it last as long as possible, to give him everything she could possibly give. After the way he’d nearly come just from smelling her pillow, he deserved better than the floor.
Still, it felt so strange to leave him standing against the wall. She’d put him there and hadn’t told him to follow or join her, so he waited. His entire body seemed tuned to her, listening with more than his ears, waiting, hoping, praying for her next command.
Jumpy and needy, her skin felt like it was going to crawl off her body. Making herself wait, though, seemed to help calm the ravenous beast down a little. She slipped out of the dress and carefully draped it over a chair. It’d wait a few hours to hang properly.
At the edge of her bed, she turned to face him and slowly removed her panties and hose. She’d gone all out and picked up some lace-edged thigh-highs. When she’d ordered them online, she’d pictured tormenting Elias, but the heat in Jesse’s eyes made her glad. Glad that she’d bought them, glad that he was here. She missed Elias and she didn’t want to lose him again, but Jesse deserved a night with her full, undivided attention. What they worked out long term would include both men. I hope.
Scooting back on the mattress, she fluffed up her pillow and reclined back against the headboard. Still braced against the wall, Jesse looked like he was ready to pounce, instead of melting into a steaming puddle on the floor. Letting a smile curve her lips, she trailed her fingers over her belly, watching him. His eyes flared and he licked his lips, but he didn’t leave his spot.
“Is there something here you want?”
He gave her a jerky nod.
“Something’s missing.” She trailed her fingers lower, teasing herself as much as him. God, she was sopping wet. “I need something right here.” She let her head tilt back and opened her legs wider, giving him a good view. “I need you.”
Before she could draw another breath, he was there, sliding up between her thighs, his mouth finding her fingers. He sucked them into his mouth and groaned, stroking with his tongue until she pulled her hand away and threaded her fingers in his hair. Watching his face, she tightened her grip until his eyelids fluttered. His pulse beat frantically in the side of his neck and his breath panted against her heated skin.
“I’m going to show you exactly where I want you.” She gave a firm tug, drawing another groan from his lips. “Nothing but your mouth can touch me right now. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
With a twist of her wrist, she jerked his head to the side. “Vicki.”
He shuddered. “Vicki, yes, please.”
When she’d first brought him here, she’d envisioned the slow, torturous glide of his tongue, but now, it was too late. Too much playing for them both, too much waiting, too much needing. Without another word, she dragged his head down and lifted her hips, grinding against his mouth, his chin, using the stubble on his cheeks to send herself spiraling. He still managed to sink his tongue into her and she cried out, pressing him harder against her.
The climax rocked through her, winding muscles tighter until her bones ached, her toes curled, and her heart thudded so hard she could hear the thunder of her pulse echoing in her head. Endless pleasure coursed through her, sending her higher, longer, until she couldn’t stand it. She tried to pull his mouth away, but he resisted, digging his tongue deeper into her until she screamed his name. Only then did he rise up and gasp for air. “That’s what I needed to hear.”
She dragged him up her body, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He slid inside effortlessly, without fumbling or hesitation, and she locked him against her heart. He simply lay against her, his only movement the slight shifting as he breathed and the tremor in his shoulders. Only when she felt the dampness on her cheeks did she realize he was crying.
“Jesse?” Horrified, she cupped his cheeks, lifting his face so she could search his eyes. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”
“I’m home,” he whispered, and the smile he gave her turned her heart inside out. “I’ve never had a home until you.”
“I don’t want you to leave. Ever.”
He smiled again, boyish and sweet but also sensual. The heat blazing in his eyes had nothing of innocence. “Is that an order, ma’am?”
“Yes.” She pulled him down so she could brush her mouth over his lips, nibbling softly. “And my next order…” She hesitated, loving the way his eyes sparked. His muscles tensed, ready and willing to do whatever she told him. She’d never known such power, nor felt such tenderness welling in her heart. “Make love to me.”
He braced his elbows on either side of her and shifted his weight. Not exactly a thrust, but he moved inside her, stroking ever so slightly, but it was enough to make her moan. He moved again, his mouth caressing hers. When he cried out her name, this time she was the one crying.
After seeing a body—in tonight’s case, three victims—lying in the street, Elias always thought about Donnie, his partner in justice for almost ten years. He’d always envied Donnie’s family. When the cases were horrible and the violence and antipathy bore down too hard, Donnie had gone home to his wife. She’d always known when he’d had an especially bad night. Without saying a word, she’d simply wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
Elias had imagined she’d guided her husband up to their bed and they’d simply lain there in the night, holding each other. In the months since he’d broken up with Vicki, he’d ached to come home to her and wrap her up in his arms. God, he’d ached to just hold her and feel her hold him back. To know that someone outside of the police force cared whether he came home or not.
He wasn’t surprised to find her apartment silent when he unlocked her door at six o’clock in the morning. She’d never been a morning person, and he figured she hadn’t gotten home until late after the gala anyway. At that thought, he winced. He’d meant to pick up some flowers or something to make up for having to leave before her show, but he’d totally forgotten. All he’d wanted to do was come home, slip into bed beside her…
Frozen, he stared at the rumpled sheets. Her bare thigh entwined with two muscular legs. Her hand cupped a buttock, holding another man close.
Another man. Jesse. She’d done it.
Dizzy, Elias listed to the side and half fell against the doorjamb. He propped himself up and tried to think. To calm down the predator side of him rearing up and showing those ugly teeth. He’d known this day would come. She’d warned him. He’d warned himself every time he saw the way she looked at the kid. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d decided to punish him for leaving early last night. It made perfect sense in a cold-hearted, vengeful sort of way. He’d bailed on her once again, and to pay him back, she’d come home and dragged her cabana boy into her bed.
Rage bubbled and sizzled in his mind, eating away at his control like acid. His right hand automatically reached for his weapon on his hip, like he’d just pulled over a known drug lord for speeding. His fingers itched to pull the trigger. On her. On Jesse. Hell, on himself. Thank God he’d already locked his gun in the safe from habit.
Payback’s a bitch.
His hand hurt, forcing him to shake out the fist aching to pound that handsome young face into a bloody pulp. He must have made a noise or maybe it was just her sense of self-preservation that woke her up. Sleepy-eyed, hair tousled, she looked so damned gorgeous he wanted to slam her flat on her back and fuck her senseless, even though she’d taken another man into her bed.
“Elias,” she whispered.
Her eyes went wide. She c
arefully untangled her limbs from the greedy little bastard lying beside her. Damned idiot should have been dead already. How had he’d ever survived the streets by sleeping through the worst few seconds of danger he could have ever faced?
A snarl twisted Elias’s face.
Hers crumpled. She looked like someone had just torn one of her beloved brothers limb from limb.
“How dare you look at me like that,” he retorted in a low, mean voice that he hated. God, he hated sounding like his mean father who’d thought nothing of beating his family into submission. “You’re the one fucking another man.”
“Not any man. Only Jesse. You know—”
The kid shot upright and grabbed at the blankets like some shy little virgin.
“Only Jesse,” he mocked. “Only the homeless druggie. Only a kid five years younger than you who’s fucked more men than women in the last ten years of his life. Is that what you want, Vik? You want to see me with a guy?”
“Shut up! Don’t you dare say things like that about him!”
She took a defensive position between him and the bed, like she’d take him down to protect Jesse. Again, she’s choosing him over me.
“He’s mine.” Tears pooled in her eyes, but she didn’t back down. She didn’t even reach out to him, like she knew he’d probably snap and bite like a rabid dog. “I love you, Elias, but I won’t let you hurt him. I love him too and he’s mine to protect now, even from you.”
“Damn it, don’t you dare cry.” Whirling, he tore through her house toward the front door. “Don’t stand there and expect me to pretend like I didn’t come home and find you in bed with another man. I’m not a fool, Vik. Hate me for leaving you last night, fine, but don’t punish me with another man.”
“Elias, just listen for a minute.” He paused in the door but didn’t turn around. He couldn’t bear to see the hurt and desperation in her eyes. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t sleep with him last night to punish you. It was just…time. I wanted him, not to punish you, but to love him. I’ve never lied to you about how I felt about him.”
“So you took him. I got it. I understand perfectly.”
“I still love you more than ever.”
He couldn’t help the derisive snort that escaped his mouth. “Yeah, babe, somehow I have a hard time believing that.”
The door slammed in her face. Elias was gone. Vicki stared after him, replaying his parting words over and over in her mind. The look on his face. Such rage, hatred, disgust. He looked at her like she was the most revolting excuse for human skin he’d ever seen in his life. How could he look at her like that after everything they’d been through?
They’d talked about this so many times. It’d been incredibly hot to call him up and whisper all the naughty things she’d done with Jesse. She’d never hidden anything from Elias, but the reality had been too much for him to deal with.
Behind her, the rustle of sheets told her Jesse had gotten up. She brushed the tears away and turned to face him. He stood beside the bed, tugging on his pants. His hair hung down in his eyes and his shoulders were slumped and small, like he was trying to make himself appear harmless and defenseless against the big bad cop.
“So you’re leaving me too?”
He straightened a bit and shook his head enough to get the hair out of his eyes. Even now the bright color of his eyes pierced her to the bone. Another flood of tears trickled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Vicki. I never meant for this to happen.”
“I know. Me neither.”
He hesitated, watching her like he might have to make a run for safety, one leg in his pants and the other still bare. He looked lost, already assuming that invisible persona of the streets, trying to blend in and hide.
She choked back a sob and swiped the tears off her cheeks with both hands. “You said I was your home.”
Finally, he was there, wrapping her tight against him. She sobbed into his chest while he murmured in her ear and rocked her gently back and forth. Just like that day in the park when she’d found out that Donnie was dead.
Now I’ve lost Elias too.
“Do you regret taking me last night?”
She breathed in Jesse’s sweet coconut scent. “No, never. I’m glad, Jesse, even if you decide to follow him out the door.”
“It might be for the best.”
She raised her head and searched his eyes, clutching him tighter. “Absolutely not. I’ve never been happier than these past weeks with you. You’ve helped my dreams come true. Those dreams will die without you.”
“It was never my intention to come between you and Elias.”
“I know, and I love you for it. Please don’t leave unless that’s really what you want.”
“That’s the last thing I want, Vicki.” He dropped his forehead against hers and wrapped his body around hers. More than a hug—he used his whole body and being to hold her. “I can’t breathe at the thought of leaving you. But if you ask me to leave, I will.”
She tightened her arms around his neck and hopped up to wrap her legs around his waist. He gathered her closer, shifting her higher in his arms. “Come to bed and hold me.”
Cuddled in his arms, she tried to relax. She tried to remember all the wonderful things that had happened to her in the past twenty-four hours. Her line had been a success. Her donation had sold for an incredible amount of money to benefit charity. She had an attentive, sexy lover in her bed.
Yet she couldn’t forget that her back was cold and Elias’s spot between her and the door was empty.
Chapter Eighteen
Cradling the phone with her shoulder, Vicki stirred chopped chocolate into the brownie batter. She’d probably gain ten pounds waiting and hoping that Elias would come back. The phone rang and rang until finally rolling to his voicemail. Dread choked her but she didn’t cry any more. She’d run out of tears while Jesse held her.
Even at his worst just after his partner had been killed, Elias had always answered her calls. Yeah, he’d been short with her. A few times he’d refused to talk to her, using the job as an excuse, but he’d always at least answered. Now he wouldn’t even take her calls.
Her fingers trembled but she dialed another number. She didn’t think about it for fear she’d just hang up. As soon as she heard the click she didn’t wait for anyone to speak. “Mama?”
“Vicki, honey, what’s wrong?”
Okay, so maybe she wasn’t out of tears after all. She swallowed hard, trying not to blubber like a little kid. She’d lost countless boyfriends over the years and she would’ve rather cut off her arm than discuss it with her mother, but Elias was different. Losing him made her feel like someone had cut out her heart.
“Are you hurt?” Mama’s voice sharpened, but she wasn’t one for hysterics. “Where are you?”
“Elias left.” Vicki finally made her voice work. “He came home and found me with Jesse.”
Several moments of silence made her stomach tighten. What had she been thinking to call Mama of all people? She’d probably been rehearsing a lecture since last week when she’d seen Vicki with both men. Hell, she’d been telling her “I told you so” for years.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. After what I saw the other day, I thought you had an understanding with him.”
Relief made her shoulders droop but unfortunately cranked up the waterworks even more. “So did I. He knew everything, Mama. I never lied or hid from him. But he came home and saw me….”
“And he walked out.”
“Yeah. Now he won’t return my calls.”
Mama sighed. “Come home, honey. We’ll make your favorite brownies. You can bring the young man too. I know you won’t want to leave him behind.”
Closing her burning eyes, Vicki couldn’t breathe for a minute. It meant the world to hear the acceptance in her mother’s voice. Yeah, she wouldn’t want to leave Jesse behind, even if that meant she lost Elias forever. Mama got that without even hearing the details of Jesse’s life before he came to her. “I’ve
got a batch of brownies already started.”
“Somehow I already knew that. It’s a good thing you didn’t take after your grandma. She would’ve poisoned your cop.”
She managed to smile and even laugh a little. “Yeah, Miss Belle could make a batch of brownies and wipe out the entire Dallas police force.” My cop. Her throat and head ached, and all she wanted to do was crawl back into bed. The business line had been ringing off the hook all day. This should have been one of the highest days of victory in her entire life. Her line had been a success. People were calling to place orders.
And all she wanted to do was drive home and let her mama spoil her with brownies.
“Give him time, honey,” Mama said in a gentle voice she’d only rarely ever heard. “No alpha wolf is going to welcome another male pissing in his territory, let alone sniffing around his mate. His pride is stinging. Give him enough time to let the pain in his heart override his hurt pride and he’ll come home. Who knows, if you play him right, you might even get him to grovel.”
Vicki shook her head. “Elias doesn’t grovel.”
“Oh, I imagine you and your young man might be able to come up with something that will make even your cop come begging.”
Her face burned like she’d just stuck her whole head in the hot oven. “Um, thanks, Mama. Really, I mean it. I was afraid you’d lecture me or tell me good riddance or something.”
“Just promise me one thing, honey. When your cop slinks back home and grovels enough to win an Academy Award, I want to see a ring on your finger the next time you come home to the ranch.”
“A ring? Oh, Mama, I don’t know…”
“Honey, any man who loves you enough to share you despite his pride is worth marrying and keeping forever.”
“I don’t think he wants to get married again. He had a rough time with his first wife. She hated that he was a cop and was constantly trying to get him to quit and find a safer job.” Besides, I don’t know that he loves me enough. He’s not here, is he?
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