by A. J. Norris
He grabbed my arm and swung me around so fast my breath caught. My palms landed on his shoulders and my gaze on his broad chest. “I’m a tease? Who put their hand down my pants? Oh, that’s right, you did, sweetheart.”
I’d never wanted to slap and be under someone so badly at the same time in my entire life. “You had something I wanted.”
“Yeah, and now I have something else you want, don’t I?”
“You act like I’m the only one. You’re hard, if you haven’t noticed.”
I felt him staring down at me. His chest heaved with every breath. “So what if I am? It’s still a bad idea.”
I should have been asking myself why this was a bad idea, too. But I didn’t care. Pushing back from him, I ripped the shirt off over my head and unclasped my bra, letting it fall to the floor. His pupils flared. Grasping my waist, he turned me around and pulled my back to his front. The length of his erection pressed into me. Oh, god, how I missed human contact. How much I craved being held. He wound my hair around his hand and tilted my head to the side. He kissed my neck, sending shivers up and down my spine. A moan escaped my lips.
Lincoln laid his wide palm between my hips. I felt the wetness between my legs. “Tell me what you want, Nora. I need to hear you say it.”
“Fuck...me,” I breathed.
“Say it again,” he said, sliding his hand down to the top of my sex.
Licks of pleasure surged through my body, boiling me from the inside out. “Fuck me.”
“Tell me how you want it, Nora,” he purred, his deep voice vibrating against my ear.
No one had ever asked me that before. Only two things came to mind: hard and fast.
His fingers massaged my clit. I gasped. “I—hard. I want it hard.” And deep.
“You. Hands and knees. Bed.”
His commanding voice made my nipples tingle. I climbed on the mattress, moving toward the middle. Hands on my uninjured hip and thigh, Lincoln yanked me back to the edge of the bed. Palms slid over my ass and rubbed in circles. His thumbs parted my cheeks and then his fingers penetrated me, gliding in and out. I lost my ability to think straight.
Breathing through my mouth, I leaned into his touch. Craving more. His fingers slipped out and found my clit. My arms lost their strength and I collapsed onto the mattress. On the brink of an orgasm, I whimpered and squirmed—
He removed his hands.
What the hell?
He was a tease. I turned my head to see why he’d stopped. Lincoln took something from the bedside table drawer. A square foil wrapper. Shit. I had lost my mind. At least he hadn’t forgotten about using protection. Lifting my torso, I smiled at him and watched him roll on the condom.
Standing behind me, he slapped my ass. I jolted from the unexpected contact, not from any real pain. My body wept for him. “Please,” I begged.
Leaning over me, he took ahold of a chunk of my hair, once again winding the thick tresses around his hand. He pulled my head back. With his other hand, he gripped my hip. He pushed inside me, thrusting deep, the sudden invasion making me cry out.
His driving force propelled me forward. His hold of my hair brought me back into place. I’d never yielded this much control to a man before. And in this moment, I realized this was exactly what had always been missing from my sex life.
Lincoln groaned and locked his hips. He rested for a moment then began moving slowly. He groaned again. “You feel so good, baby.”
His hand smoothed around my hip to my sex. My thighs shook while he fingered me. I writhed as my muscles spasmed. He released my hair and I fell on my face. Wrapping his free arm around my waist, he fucked me hard. Powerfully. Unrelentingly. My hands fisted the covers. I moaned as an orgasm blew through me.
The intensity of his thrusts increased. He gasped and groaned loudly, holding me tightly, pumping with quick jerks. Eventually, his body stilled, and he kissed my back.
“Bad ideas feel so good,” I said.
“Yeah, they do.”
* * *
Lincoln
I eased out of Nora and ran my hand over her gorgeous, silky smooth ass. With a smile, I headed for the bathroom and ditched the condom. Luckily, I’d bought the Trojans when I moved here in case I ever had sex again. As the toilet swallowed the rubber, my smile disappeared. I was a giant asshole. Not only did I smash a suspect I knew little if anything about, she had no idea who I was, either. I doubted Nora was her real name, given she refused going to the hospital twice.
Christ, I wasn’t even doing my job properly. And—fuck, I had a report due to the captain tomorrow morning. Where should I add the part about banging Nora? That detail will be in the IA’s report, for sure. I rubbed the back of my neck.
She knocked softly on the bathroom door. “Lincoln?”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve been in there a while. I have to—”
I swung the door open. “Sorr—” The blood in my head rushed south. My dick jumped, reminding me how badly I still wanted her. And why I’d crossed the line. Nora was standing in the nude with her perfect tits, curvaceous hips, and her hair all messy.
“Can I use the bathroom?”
“Yeah, no problem.” We exchanged places.
I laid on the bed atop the sheets and blanket and yawned. However, my dick was apparently ready to go another round. Ignoring my erect friend, I rolled to my side and closed my eyes. I must have fallen asleep because I awoke to the mattress depressing behind me.
Switching to my back, I looked up at my suspect as she kneeled on the bed. Her hair fell forward over her shoulders. Reaching up, I caressed her cheek. She leaned into my palm. “I’m going to kiss you,” I said, sitting up.
“Kind of personal, don’t you think?”
I chuckled quietly. “I’ll make an exception.” Pulling her closer, I kissed her, pressing my tongue into her mouth. She acquiesced, drawing her arms around me. With our mouths fused, I eased to my back, taking her with me, my hands getting lost in her brown waves.
Breaking our connection, Nora slid off me and kissed my neck. She stroked my cock and massaged the twins. “Uh-oh, you’re hard again.” Her hand went to her mouth in mock surprise.
“It’s your fault. You’re so damn sexy.” I put an arm behind my head.
“Don’t expect me to apologize.” Moving down my body, she took me into her mouth.
“Nev—” I sucked in a breath, “—er.”
CHAPTER 13
Melanie
In the dark with only the outside security lights offering a dim glow through the blind slats, Lincoln and I lay on his bed with my leg draped over him and his arm around me. My cheek rested on his chest. He rubbed lazy circles on my back. The sound of his beating heart brought me a sense of calm. Maybe if he was alive, I was, too. “We should probably do more scouting at J-Zen tomorrow,” I said.
“That’s the plan.”
“No freaking out this time, though.”
“I make no promises.”
“Seriously?” Propping myself up on my elbow, I swatted at his stomach.
He laughed and caught my hand. “I’m kidding. No need for violence.”
“Good. Because I’ll kick your ass if you have another panic attack.”
“I didn’t have a panic attack.” I heard the smile in his voice.
“You so totally did.”
“Fine,” he groaned. “But it was too crowded in there, anyway.”
“Uh-huh.” Sure. I couldn’t help being skeptical. I laid my head back down on his chest. “You know, you can talk about whatever, if you need to.”
“I appreciate that, but it’s something I try not to think about.”
I nodded. “I get that. So, what’s your tattoo say?” Even though I had seen him completely naked, I still wasn’t sure what it said. It was like whatever it said was in someone’s handwriting and not in an easily readable stylized script.
He took a deep breath before speaking. “Jennifer. My ex.”
A tightness str
etched across my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut. “What happened? Why is she an ex?” I asked, even though my mind reverted to my own past. Like him, I had something I wanted to forget, too. I wished someone would invent a time machine, even if the trip would be one-way.
His body tensed beneath me. “Things didn’t work out,” he said distantly.
In other words, none of my business. Again. God, I needed to stop prying into his personal life. But where had he gone in his head? “I’m sorry things didn’t work out. That sucks.”
“Yeah. Life can bite you in the ass.”
“Can’t argue with that.” One day, you’ll tell me your story. Wait...what? Did I want that? If he told me his, then I’d be compelled to do the same. My heart pulsed all over my entire body—the pounding in my chest shook me from the inside out. Could he tell I was about to vibrate out of my skin? Why was it so airless in here?
“You’re shaking. Are you cold?”
No, I’m having a panic attack. “Yes.” And how ironic I’d accused him of having a panic attack, yet I was actually having one.
Shifting, he reached for the blanket and covered us. His strong arms around me fulfilled my craving for human contact, trumping my need to get the hell out of there. After a few deep breaths, my anxiety ebbed. I’d also made up my mind that I wasn’t going to tell him what I had done. Even though the past seemed like a lifetime ago, it also felt like yesterday. I couldn’t outrun it, but that didn’t mean I wanted to talk about it, either.
* * *
Tap, tap, tap...
What was that noise? More importantly, had I fallen asleep because I didn’t remember Lincoln getting out of bed. I sat up and found him on the couch with his back leaning against the armrest. A bluish glow highlighted his face. Was he typing?
Tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap...
I got out of bed and padded to the couch. He closed the laptop halfway, shutting off my view of the screen. I leaned on the back of the couch.
“Did I wake you?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t matter. I don’t sleep that well. What time is it anyway?” I yawned.
“About three o’clock. I’ll be another minute—”
“You’re naked.”
He smiled sheepishly. “And so are you. Go back to bed. I’ll be there in a couple minutes.”
Okay, I wanted to ask him what he was working on. However, he made it clear that it wasn’t any of my business. Wandering back to the bed, I glanced over my shoulder. He was ogling me.
I lay on the bed and stretched. The cool air beaded my nipples. Would he want sex again? Did I? Yes, very much so. The clacking on the keyboard went on for a while. How much longer would he be at the computer? I sighed, making a soft noise, and flopped my arms and legs against the mattress.
He chuckled. “I’m almost done.”
“What’s so pressing at three o’clock in the morning?”
“Nothing that concerns you. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not.” Uh-huh, even I didn’t believe that lie. Why was I like this? I should be used to being denied information from Syndicate members. Flynn did that all the time. Why should Lincoln be any different? He was, though.
He clipped the laptop shut. A few moments later, the mattress dipped between my legs. Hovering above me, he pressed his lips to my collarbone. I put my hands on his biceps, the muscles hard and yummy. “How’s your hip?” he asked.
“I’ll live.”
“I’m glad it was just a flesh wound. When you screamed, I thou—”
“Why, what would you have done if I actually got shot?” I grinned.
“I wouldn’t’ve been happy about it. And I would have called 9-1-1.”
“Really? And jeopardized everything?”
“Do you honestly think that I would let you bleed out?”
“I dunno.”
“Gimme a break, Nora,” he growled. I sensed him rolling his eyes. God, I wished he knew my real name. Except, that would never be, wouldn’t it? “I don’t wish you dead.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“Goodnight, Nora,” he said, and lay next to me.
I stared at the ceiling and eventually pulled the covers over my body. He turned away from me, although his back stayed flush to my side. Clearly, he longed for human contact, like me.
CHAPTER 14
Melanie
I stepped over the lip of the tub onto the tile floor and snagged the towel from the vanity. After drying off and combing my hair, I wrapped the fluffy terrycloth around my torso.
“Hey,” Lincoln said through the door, “there’s a pair of sweat shorts on the bed you can put on.”
“Okay, thanks.” I couldn’t wait to get home and change into some of my own clothes. As soon as I left the bathroom, he snuck inside behind me. A twinge of awkwardness came over me, reddening my cheeks. Had we irreversibly made things weird between us?
Finding the shorts and my hoodie laid out on the bed, minus the Glock he loaned me, I got dressed. The toilet flushed and the shower turned on. My intention had been to sit on the couch and wait for him so he could take me to my car. However, his laptop was still on the couch and plugged in. What had he been so furiously typing at three o’clock in the morning? Clearly, it was important enough to get out of bed to work on. Cautiously, I lifted the screen and tapped the touch pad, waking up the laptop.
What looked like a blurred version of a mountain background greeted me, along with an avatar and a place to enter a password. I typed in his name in case the password was something lo-tech. A message came up stating I could enter an Apple ID or something if I didn’t know the password. Yeah, okay, as if I had any idea what that could be.
Shutting the MacBook, I went to the kitchen area and pulled open a few of the drawers and cabinets. They contained nothing but flatware and some cans of vegetables, soup, and pots and pans. There was nothing significant about the contents of the kitchen. No personal effects at all for that matter, either. Anywhere. Who didn’t have a knick-knack or two? How odd.
Okay. There must be something here that could provide some clues about his life. I went to the bedside table (there was only one) and slid the drawer open. The only item in it was an open box of condoms. I patted around in the back of the drawer. My fingers brushed over a piece of paper that turned out to be a receipt, from several months ago, for a six-pack of beer and the condoms.
Shoving the slip of paper back in, I closed the drawer and went to the fridge. Although not surprising for a bachelor, the inside was mostly barren except for a carton of milk, a few condiments, eggs, butter, and three beers from a six-pack still in their plastic rings.
Who was this man?
An uneasiness washed over me. Was this even his apartment?
The shower shut off and the curtain rings screeched over the rod.
Where was his wallet? Scanning the studio, my focus landed on the kitchen table. His truck keys lay atop a black leather wallet. I rushed to the table, determined to check his driver’s license or anything that would tell me something. A picture. A credit card. Proof of insurance.
I shoved the keys out of the way. They clinked louder than I expected. I froze and glanced at the bathroom door. Hearing the sink running, I grabbed the wallet and flipped open the—
“Find something interesting?”
I hid his wallet behind my back. A hot flash went through me. “What? No,” I said, swallowing hard.
Lincoln smirked. “You may as well go through my wallet. You’re already busted.”
And here I thought things had already gotten weird. I sagged my shoulders and handed over the billfold. “Sorry, I was checking your ID.”
“It’s cool.” Shrugging, he set the wallet back on the table. Over at the dresser, he pulled out a clean pair of jeans and T-shirt and finished getting dressed. “Ready?”
* * *
Lincoln
Heading for Flynn’s in my truck, Nora stared out the window. She hadn’t said a word since I caught her with my
wallet. Although I probably should have acted pissed or some shit as part of my cover, my fake credentials were airtight. If anyone ran my driver’s license number with the state of California, the search would come back as legit.
We pulled into the garage and she got out with her trashed jeans in hand. Her car was parked toward the bay exit door at the far end. “Thanks for the ride,” she said, before slamming the truck door.
I rolled down my window and called out, “Meet me at J-Zen in two hours.”
With her back to me, she waved in acknowledgment over her head. I waited until she unlocked her trunk with a key fob she fished out of the jeans she carried before backing out. She grabbed what looked like a purse and got into the driver’s side.
Back on the road, I groaned. “Fuck me.”
This is bad. Real bad. And as much as I told myself, what happened with Nora would never happen again, I knew it was a lie.
My cell rang and I glanced at the screen before answering. “Detective Waters.”
“I read your report. Standard bullshit. Where do you think those crates wound up?” Captain Miller said.
“Not sure, but I assume Flynn has them.”
“This Nora woman seems like a person you should keep a closer eye on.”
“She’s new to the Syndicate.” What the fuck led him to that conclusion? I tried to keep her involvement to a minimum in my report. I honestly didn’t know why she had gotten herself involved with the Syndicate at all. There had to be a reason behind it, but what? Somehow, I didn’t think it was about the money since she hadn’t stolen anything from my wallet.
“Yeah, but she managed to get herself a spot on the crew, didn’t she?”
“She’s small potatoes and doesn’t know shit.”
“Well, then she’ll go down with the rest of them, won’t she?”
“Maybe she can be my informant.”
“I’m confused. Didn’t you just say she doesn’t know shit? So, which is it?”
“I’m working on finding out all I can from her.”
“Good. Stick to her ass like glue, then.”