by Lesley Davis
“Are we going back out there tonight to make sure?” Rafe sent the text off and watched the screen darken.
“I’m going to want all eyes on that agency building. When she snatches Blythe’s baby, I want us following her every step she takes. Lailah protects children. This imposter doesn’t.”
Chapter Twenty
After the debriefing with Lake and the rest of her team, Blythe had cajoled Daryl into joining her at the gym. They’d signed up for regular sessions at the nearest one and had found it frequented by half the neighborhood. Usually that was something Blythe used to her advantage, chatting with the neighbors, learning what she could about the area they were investigating.
Today, Blythe just wanted to be left alone to work out. She was hyped up after their meeting with the adoption agency. It had gone exactly how they had wished. The adoption was finally in place; now they waited for the horrendous act of a child being snatched. Blythe was trying hard not to think of that eventuality. She could only hope that Rafe and Ashley fulfilled their side of the investigation and found the mother and the snatcher before the damage was done.
Just thinking of Rafe made Blythe hit the punching bag harder. She had enough on her plate with the whole stolen babies to order thing without adding the side dish of demons that Rafe had placed before her. She’d managed to text Rafe earlier with the details from the adoption meeting and had been surprised to get a text back telling her that they thought Lailah was the demon and she’d been spotted briefly at the agency building. Blythe honestly didn’t know what to do with such information. She desperately wanted to talk this over with Daryl but was mindful of Rafe’s request to keep it silent. Knowing that a baby was going to be taken for her supposed happiness and that there was some ungodly creature hiding at the Miller agency that was central to the snatching was more pressure than Blythe could process. She put all her energy into punching the bag.
“You got some inner demons you working out there, Blythe?” Mia Connelly asked as she cautiously edged into Blythe’s line of sight.
Blythe halted her furious pounding and hugged the bag. “Just imagining it’s the face of one of our clients who is a major pain in the ass.”
Mia laughed. “Well, I for one wouldn’t want to get on your bad side with a punch like that. I managed just one mile on the treadmill and I’m ready for a stiff drink.”
Blythe knew Mia was a new addition to the gym. She got a sneaking suspicion that most of their neighbors were there because of a certain blonde. She looked over to spy Daryl who was running on the treadmill as easily as if she was taking a gentle stroll.
“I couldn’t even begin to keep up with your wife. She’s got the stamina of a racehorse.” Mia eyed Daryl appreciatively. “And the legs to match.”
“Are you cruising my girl right in front of me, Mia?” Blythe asked.
“Hey, I’m not the only one it would seem.” Mia jerked her head toward a trio of women who were all pretending to be stretching and warming up but were all surreptitiously watching Daryl.
Blythe felt her temper start to rise. It shocked her, but the possessiveness didn’t. This was her Daryl they were ogling. “They can look all they like. She’s mine.”
Mia snorted. “Well, duh! You only have to see the way she looks at you to figure out that girl is taken and damned happy about it too.”
Blythe digested her comment greedily. She’d done enough watching herself as Daryl had worked her way around the room using all the equipment. Blythe was well aware of the strength in Daryl’s body, but viewed in her workout clothes she was a truly powerful sight. Blythe again wondered what it would be like to feel that body pressing into her own as Daryl lay upon her. She felt her heart race at the thought and hoped the blush she could feel building would be taken for the flush of exercise. She’d held Daryl close, but the need to be flesh on flesh was clawing at her insides like a hunger needing to be satisfied. Protocol dictated that she wait, that the case came first and foremost before her baser desires. But as Blythe watched Daryl move from the treadmill to pick up some free weights she couldn’t help but wish for the millionth time that they had met outside of this case.
Mia was dramatically fanning herself with her hand. “I swear, the way you look at her…”
Blythe grinned sheepishly. “She’s gorgeous, both inside and out.”
Mia chuckled. “Looks like someone has been drawn by the outside packaging and wants to check out the quality for herself.”
Blythe watched as a woman sauntered over to where Daryl sat lifting arm weights. She recognized her as Jenn from the welcoming party Mia had thrown for them. She stood by seething as Jenn sparked up a conversation with Daryl who continued in her routine. But it wasn’t until Jenn reached out and touched Daryl’s arm, wrapping a hand around her bicep, that broke Blythe’s patience. She pulled off her boxing gloves. Without even a backward glance at Mia, she strode across the room.
As if sensing her, Daryl looked up from her repetition and smiled at her. Blythe noticed, even in her red haze of jealousy, that Daryl’s eyes were trained solely on her. She vaguely registered Jenn looking up and hastily dropping her hand from Daryl’s arm.
“Hi, sweetheart. You all done?” Daryl asked, lowering the weight to the floor.
Blythe nodded and before she could stop herself, she reached out to cup the back of Daryl’s neck and tilted her head up. She kissed Daryl soundly, feeling Daryl’s gasp of surprise against her lips before her mouth opened under Blythe’s and she deepened the kiss. Blythe tugged the tie that kept Daryl’s hair back. She combed her fingers through it until it was loose to her touch. Their kiss continued until they finally had to pull apart to breathe. The look of undisguised desire colored Daryl’s eyes. They had darkened to an almost denim blue. The force of her stare hit Blythe like a fist to her chest.
Demons be damned.
“Take me home,” Blythe said. Daryl was on her feet quickly, her eyes never leaving Blythe’s face. Blythe slipped her hand into Daryl’s larger one and led her out past the fascinated throng.
She was done wanting, yearning, and waiting. Life was too short.
Protocol be damned too.
*
Blythe drove them home in a heavily charged silence. Daryl had spoken only once since they’d left the gym. After their separate showers and changing back into street clothes, Daryl had asked Blythe if she was sure. Blythe’s huskily delivered yes had sealed their fate.
Once Blythe had parked the car, they gathered up their gym bags and walked hand in hand to the front door. Blythe barely got through the door before their bags were tossed roughly aside and Daryl was reaching for her. She grasped Blythe around her waist and pulled her tight to her own body. Their eyes met, and Blythe knew there was no going back for either of them. Her hands were in Daryl’s hair pulling her down to kiss her. She dimly heard the door kicked shut behind them, then all she heard were the soft sounds of moans as they kissed each other like they were starving.
“Please don’t change your mind now,” Daryl muttered against Blythe’s lips as she slipped a teasing tongue over Blythe’s own, teasing her, tasting her.
“I want you,” Blythe said and began steering them down the hallway toward the stairs. Their lips were still locked together and they stole kisses from each other as they climbed the steps.
“Any second thoughts had better be voiced now,” Daryl said, “because I don’t think I could stop now if I tried. I want you so damn much.”
Daryl’s rough voice made Blythe tremble, and she captured Daryl’s mouth in a fierce kiss to show that she had no intention of stopping. “I want you too,” she said as her fingers dropped to start unfastening the buttons on her shirt. She saw Daryl’s eyes fix on what she was doing, and when Blythe deliberately spread open her shirt to reveal the lacy black bra beneath, Daryl’s groan of appreciation made Blythe’s skin tingle.
“Oh my God, you’re so beautiful.” Daryl’s voice cracked with emotion. She trailed one finger slowly along th
e lace covering Blythe’s breast. They stood at the threshold of the master bedroom where Blythe slept, neither moving, as if both realizing that last step would change everything.
Blythe couldn’t stand it any longer. “I need you, Daryl, please.”
Daryl roughly pulled her T-shirt from her jeans. They shed their clothing in a trail into the bedroom. Their eyes never left each other’s as they stripped. Naked first, Blythe hurried to help Daryl get rid of her underwear, and only when she stood nude before her did Blythe fully appreciate how truly beautiful Daryl was. Muscular and solid yet still essentially female, she captivated Blythe like no other woman she’d ever known.
“Do you like what you see?” Daryl asked hesitantly, watching Blythe with nervous eyes.
“I love what I see. I’m just trying to decide what part of you I want to touch first.” Her palms itched to cup Daryl’s small, firm breasts. She was about to lean forward to suck a tight pink nipple in her mouth when Daryl surprised her.
“How about all of me?” Daryl scooped Blythe up in her arms and carried her to the bed. Astounded by her show of strength, Blythe did what she’d seen Jenn do. She wrapped her hand about Daryl’s bicep and squeezed.
“You’ve got some major muscles there.” She smoothed her hand over Daryl’s arms that so easily cradled her then let her palm squeeze Daryl’s shoulder. “And here.”
“All the better to hold the weight of the world,” Daryl said with a wry twist to her lips.
Blythe wondered at her comment, but it was quickly forgotten when Daryl laid her down on the bed then swiftly covered her with her entire length. Blythe wrapped her arms about Daryl’s neck to keep her in place. “Lover, you feel so good.” Blythe caressed everywhere she could reach and accepted Daryl’s penetrating kiss. The swirl of Daryl’s warm tongue against her own made Blythe’s arousal soar. She eased her legs open to let Daryl slide between them and rub against her mound. Daryl gasped into their kiss and began to rock slightly, adjusting her position until their clits brushed, sparking off a rage of shudders in them both.
“Oh God!” Blythe moaned, clutching Daryl’s broad shoulders then moving down to grab Daryl’s hips to keep her firmly in place. She was rendered almost senseless as Daryl’s kisses stole her very breath away. Daryl’s lips moved down Blythe’s neck, allowing her to gasp for air, and she licked and sucked at Blythe’s pulse point making Blythe moan in pleasure. Then she kissed her way down until she reached the top of Blythe’s breasts. The pressure eased off Blythe’s clit and her eyes flew open in dismay. Daryl shifted so she could caress Blythe’s breasts. Her hands cupped the ample roundness and squeezed gently. Daryl’s fingers began tracing rough circles over the flesh, working her way around Blythe’s aureoles until they puckered and forced her already tight nipples to thicken more. Daryl’s tongue drew lazy patterns over and on one tight red bud while her fingers pulled and gently twisted Blythe’s other nipple. Every suck and tug sent lightning bolts straight to Blythe’s core. Daryl shifted her weight again and rubbed her thigh against Blythe’s wetness. They both groaned.
“You are so amazing,” Daryl said, sucking a nipple in deeper to her mouth and letting it pop back out. Her tongue licked over the distended flesh, and she laid a kiss on it before covering the other nipple with her mouth to mete out the same treatment.
Blythe was in constant motion beneath her. She arched her back to press more of her breast into Daryl’s hungry mouth, her hips jerked to rub desperately against Daryl’s firm thigh pinning her down.
Daryl taunted Blythe’s nipples a little more before laying a trail of kisses and soft bites down to her stomach where she nipped at the soft curve of Blythe’s belly. Blythe couldn’t keep still. She felt as if each kiss was a hundred volts and that Daryl was sending her into sensory overload. The roughness of Daryl’s hands only heightened Blythe’s desperate desire and the intense pleasure/pain of those sure fingers tugging at her sensitized nipples made Blythe widen her legs more. Daryl moved down further and just stopped. Blythe lifted her hips in the hopes Daryl would get the hint.
“For God’s sake, don’t stop now,” she pleaded, grasping desperately at Daryl’s shoulders to push her lower.
“You are beautiful.” Almost reverently, Daryl’s finger brushed over Blythe’s dripping folds, slowly, gently as she explored the swollen flesh. She lowered her head and ran her tongue the length of Blythe’s sex. Blythe’s body bowed, her eyes slammed shut at the eroticism of Daryl’s seeking tongue. Blythe’s hips bucked as she tried desperately to get Daryl’s mouth where she needed it the most. But Daryl obviously wasn’t going to be rushed.
“Suck me,” Blythe said, pressing at the top of Daryl’s head.
Daryl chuckled against her flesh. “All in good time. I want to taste you first.” She pressed a tender kiss to Blythe’s clit, causing her to gasp and shudder beneath her. Blythe felt Daryl’s fingers run over and around her lower lips, tugging at them, gathering the sticky moisture that coated them, exploring her with lips and tongue. Then, before Blythe could scream from the anticipation, Daryl eased a finger inside her and began thrusting deep. Blythe thought she’d go crazy as Daryl stopped then would continue, giving her no proper rhythm to follow but making her hips jerk as she tried to keep that teasing finger inside her.
“Please, please,” fell from Blythe’s lips while Daryl’s brushed against her thighs and soothed across her belly. Then her torturous mouth moved down once more to wrap around the hooded flesh that was hypersensitive to every touch. Daryl slipped in another finger and Blythe sighed at the added pressure, loving how it felt as Daryl filled her. She couldn’t stop her voice from rising as Daryl rubbed against the rough patch of flesh hidden. “Oh God, yes, just there.”
Daryl’s name spilled from Blythe’s lips in a litany. All she knew and felt was the strength of the body poised over her, the power of her fingers stretching and pumping against her soaked walls and the tug of firm lips sucking her clit. “Oh God, oh God, Daryl, please make me come.” With tender care, Daryl brushed her teeth over Blythe’s swollen clit, and Blythe exploded beneath her. Her body jerked and spasmed, racing through the orgasm and then shaking uncontrollably at the countless aftershocks that sucked Daryl’s fingers in deeper inside her. She dimly was aware of soft kisses being pressed against her soft tangle of curls below her belly and Blythe managed to lift her head off the pillows to peer down at Daryl. The indecently self-satisfied look Daryl wore made Blythe smile. “Oh my, Detective, you can find what turns me on as expertly as any case you lay your hands on!”
Daryl grinned at the compliment. She eased her fingers gently out of Blythe and wiped their stickiness on the bed sheet. She then captured Blythe’s face between her palms and kissed her thoroughly, leaving Blythe breathless and enraptured even more.
“That was amazing,” Daryl said as she lay down at Blythe’s side and cuddled in close. Her hand began wandering over Blythe’s chest and cupped around a breast. “You taste divine.” She ran her tongue over her lips and Blythe blushed at the sensuous act. She quickly regained her energy and shifted so she could lean over Daryl and kiss her. She wrinkled her nose a little at the very obvious evidence of her excitement still covering Daryl’s face.
“Are you blushing, Ms. Kent?” Daryl asked, obviously enjoying Blythe’s sudden attack of shyness.
“I’m surprised I have any blood left to heat my cheeks seeing as it all went south and was pounding through the same place where you had your fingers buried deep.” She smoothed a hand over Daryl’s handsome face and just stared at her for a moment. “You really do take my breath away, Daryl. I could seriously get in trouble over you for what you make me feel.”
“Then we’ll go down together,” Daryl replied and then, obviously realizing what she had said, blushed to the roots of her pale hair.
Blythe laughed and ran her fingers through Daryl’s soft hair, cradled her face, and kissed her warm cheek. “I love the sound of that,” she said breathlessly across the swollen softness of Daryl’
s lips and slipped her tongue inside to deepen her kiss. Daryl groaned into her mouth, pressing closer, clutching at her back, and pulling Blythe to her.
Blythe didn’t release Daryl’s lips; she poured all her passion into her kiss, and only when they needed air did she pull back. She gazed into Daryl’s eyes, loved the red flush that covered her upper chest and neck, and decided to lick her way down Daryl’s neck to explore further. Blythe palmed Daryl’s breast, loving that they were smaller than her own and obviously more sensitive. She watched as Daryl bit her lip to keep in a groan as Blythe brushed a fingertip over a straining pink nipple.
“No, don’t stifle what you feel. I want to hear you,” Blythe told her and she flicked her tongue out to roughly lave at the pale pink tip. She watched the flesh darken as it tightened, and she sucked it in greedily, making Daryl cry out. She sucked as much as she could into her mouth then did the same for the other nipple, leaving a wet trail of kisses along Daryl’s breastbone. She flicked a nail across a taut nipple, wondering if Daryl preferred soft touches or could get off on being treated a little more roughly. The spark that flared in Daryl’s eyes gave her the answer she needed. Blythe enjoyed letting her passionate side out to play; she had to be so buttoned up and controlled in her work. When it came to lovemaking, she wanted to play hard and wring the passion out of her encounters. She’d found few who would play, but looking into Daryl’s face she thought she saw something that matched her own passion. She pushed Daryl down into the bed and delighted in the fact that Daryl resisted for a moment.
“Let me have you,” Blythe whispered against Daryl’s ear. Daryl turned her head to capture Blythe’s lips. Blythe pulled away with a smile. “You’ve had your way with me, now it’s my turn. Are you going to let me take you or do I have to fight you for it?”
Daryl’s eyes darkened even further. Blythe’s elation made her chest tighten as she thrilled to finding someone who would be an equal to her finally.