It doesn’t make sense that I would feel this much just from his touch, his clothes, his scent. I barely know the man.
He rests his hand against my lower back, and I easily follow him to the front of his car and get in on the passenger side. He leaves us for a moment, handing over my clothes to someone else, before he gets in.
The drive back to town is deathly silent, which I know must be usual for Green, but it’s unusual for Love. I keep trying to think of ways to break the silence, but each time I open my mouth, nothing comes out. In the end, Love beats me to it.
“Conner isn’t really a suspect, is he?”
“I can’t comment on that.”
“Rocky,” Love says gently. “This is crazy. I was with Conner all day.”
“You were at the brunch earlier today,” he points out.
“Yes, but Conner was sleeping. I checked in on him when I left, and then I woke him up around lunchtime after I came back.”
“Depending on when King was shot, there could be plenty of time for him to get to that mountain and shoot him.”
Love gasps while I feel like my lungs just deflated in my chest.
“Rocky! That is preposterous! One, he doesn’t even have a working car. Two, how the hell would he have even know about that trail? Three, Conner wouldn’t hurt a freaking fly!” Love comes to my defense.
“I know all that, and before you jump down my throat, of course I don’t believe Conner did this,” Greens retorts. “I’m just stating that Randy had a point back there. Conner is a suspect, even if he is one who can be crossed off the list almost immediately. And”—he chances a quick glance at me, and I see he looks uncomfortable—“our history does make this more complicated. I won’t be able to be on this case until you’ve been officially cleared.”
“You’re the flipping sheriff! You can do what you want!”
“I will do my job and not take liberties!” Green snaps at Love.
“I can’t believe you! You—”
“Guys!” I yell, my voice sounding more croaky than loud, no doubt from my earlier straining as I screamed my lungs out. “I appreciate what you’re doing here, Love.” I say, looking back and offering her the best smile I can manage right now, which is probably pretty sad looking, “but Sheriff Green is just doing his job. I don’t want you guys fighting.”
“Rocky. My name is Rocky,” Green corrects, though I don’t really get why the distinction is important right now.
There is a moment of silence before Love speaks up, her voice much gentler than before. “Conner, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. And I don’t mean to upset you now, but I don’t think Rocky and I can go five minutes without disagreeing about something. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s a bit of an ass.”
Green actually laughs at this, and even I find myself smiling.
When we stop at Love’s place behind The Last Resort, Green rests his hand over my arm. “Wait here.”
I nod then watch as he walks Love into her cottage. He returns a few minutes later, holding a small bag and something in his hands.
Once he’s in the car, he hands me both my phones. I hadn’t even noticed that I didn’t have them any longer.
“I’m going to need any footage you shot while you’ve been in Midsummer. Not only does it supply an alibi for the times you’re filming, which might be handy, but it also might have something important on there.”
I nod, and after imputing his email address into my phone, I send him everything I shot.
I don’t exactly recall what I shot today, or what I might have filmed with Love with the intention of cutting it out, but I hope there isn’t anything too embarrassing on there. Love did lay a lot of Green’s life on me today, though.
“Where are we going?” I ask when he takes back off onto the road.
“We have a date.”
A lump forms in my throat. I had been looking forward to this all day. But the last thing I feel like doing right now is fucking.
I guess this is something else I’m learning about myself.
Some people are faced with death, and they need to reaffirm life. I saw death, and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and wallow in self-pity. Not exactly a proud part of my psyche, but there you have it.
“Green, I’m not up for this. I just want to shower and sleep.”
“It’s Rocky, and I can manage that. I also want you to eat.”
Even just the thought of food makes my stomach churn. I wonder if I’ll ever feel hungry again.
When we make it back to the quiet street where Gr—Rocky lives, he leads me into his house, pushing me right upstairs and heading us both in the direction of his bedroom.
My eyes hit the bed and, for a second, I recall the passionate circumstances when I was here before. How can that feel like it was so long ago when it was actually only a couple of days?
“Strip.”
I shift my attention from his bed and over to him in confusion.
He nods to the side, and I follow the direction to see an open door leading to a bathroom. “Take a shower, and I’ll get you something you can sleep in.”
I eye the bathroom that Rocky steps into before I hear the sound of running water. Once happy with its temperature, he exits, running his fingers gently over the side of my face, a sympathetic smile on his lips before he leaves.
Working mostly on autopilot, I strip out of Rocky’s clothes then step into the shower, feeling the warm water trailing over my body.
I adjust the controls so that the water turns uncomfortably hot, but while my skin reddens, it soothes me to feel as though I’m getting clean.
Grabbing the bottle of soap resting on the floor of the shower, I apply the soapy gel and feel at ease when the aroma of citrus rushes up over me.
For whatever reason, the scent Rocky wears is easing my panic. I don’t get why, and I don’t particularly care. I just embrace it, rubbing the soap over my body, enjoying that I feel a little better with every second that passes.
When Rocky comes in some time later, he frowns at the steam surrounding me, as well as my no doubt wrinkled, pink-ass skin, and then he turns the water off and hands me a towel. “Dry off and put these clothes on,” he orders gruffly.
I do as he says, feeling better in the soft pajamas, and a small part of me even feels giddy that I’m wearing something so clearly well-worn and beloved of Rocky’s. This feels more personal than the gym sweats he lent me earlier.
When I make my way out of the bathroom, it’s to see Rocky sitting on the edge of his bed.
“I want you to try to eat as much of this as you can.” He offers me the plate with what looks like a toasted sandwich on it.
I immediately want to say no, still not feeling hungry, but seeing his concern is enough to make me want to try. So, I accept the plate from him and take a small bite, finding the buttery bread to still be warm and not as repulsive as I assumed any food would be.
“I’ll be back in a couple minutes.” He moves into the bathroom where he starts up the water again, leaving the door open, which I think is more about making sure he can hear me if I call out than him trying to tease me.
I nibble on the sandwich, glancing around his room, studying it, since I never had the chance last time.
Dirty clothes hang off a wash basket in the corner, as well as around it. The bed is unmade, and there are several empty glasses around the dresser. An alarm clock rests on the ground by the bed, a crack along its front, almost like it was thrown down there in some sort of anger. The room is painted a soft blue, but the furniture is all dark wood. It actually looks pretty cool. I’m not sure I would have given Rocky the credit that he would have a clue about matching color and styles. Not that this means he was the one to decorate this house. Maybe his ex-wife did.
I frown just thinking about her. What a total bitch. And given the way she just dumped him and their daughter, I suppose his standoffish behavior might make a little more sense, even if it doesn’t excuse
his rude sendoff the other night.
When I hear the water shut off, I glance down, only to discover that I finished the sandwich. When the hell did I eat it all?
Surprised that it’s gone, I place the empty plate on the bedside table then walk into the bathroom just in time to get a sneak peek of Rocky’s impressive cock before he covers it up under his sweats.
“Do you have a spare toothbrush?”
He nods, opening a few drawers before he pulls out one in a packet.
I open it, load it up with toothpaste, and feel weird at the total domestic feeling of brushing my teeth next to Rocky. It feels both normal and alarming.
When I’m done, I rest my toothbrush on the vanity and notice Rocky’s frown when he places his own toothbrush next to mine. I have no idea what thoughts are running through his head, but frankly, I’m too tired to even think about it.
I leave him to his staring contest with the inanimate objects and crawl into bed.
I never actually made it under the covers the other night. I shake my head as I snort.
I fantasied about coming back here last night after that kiss; saw all the ways I would have done things differently. None of the scenarios didn’t have us both coming hard, but they all did have an ending that didn’t leave me getting kicked out of bed. And now I’m getting to live out the end of the fantasy, without any of the enjoyment of the beginning.
“My side,” Rocky grumbles in my ear, moving behind me and lightly pushing me over to the other side.
I smile at his bossy tone but hold my breath when he wraps an arm around me from behind and pulls me back against him.
“I got you,” he whispers in my ear, leaning back so he can flick the switch to turn the lamp off before wrapping his body back around mine.
“Thank you,” I murmur, already feeling my eyelids grow heavy.
I don’t know if he responds; I just know that, when I begin to have a nightmare, the image of the dead body plaguing my thoughts, he’s there to wake me up and soothe me back to sleep.
Briefly, I wonder how I got so lucky to have him, even if I can never be lucky enough to keep him.
Chapter Eight
I wake up before Rocky, gazing blearily around the room. I realize he must have forgotten to close his curtains last night, or maybe he likes the morning sun waking him. Either way, the light hitting my eyes tells me it’s still early, and I instantly know I’m not ready to face the world just yet.
Last night begins to filter through, the way Rocky took care of me each time I woke up feeling freaked out, the way he held me all night, and the way he took control.
Before my thoughts can take a darker tone, taking me back to Love and our hike, I listen as a small moan vibrates against my back. Rocky is hard against me, his dick nestled against my crack, and his hips jolt him forward.
I turn my head to look back, seeing he’s still asleep, and realize he’s trying to fuck me in his sleep. I smile at this, knowing it isn’t something to feel flattered about, since he’s freaking asleep and could be thinking of anyone. All the same, I have something more fun in mind instead of going back to sleep.
I had been looking forward to last night, and while that got completely derailed, that doesn’t have to mean this morning can’t be more enjoyable.
Even though my emotions are still scattered and in disarray, the sleep and company has done me wonders. And, apparently, it’s been enough for the heat that was sizzling after our kiss Saturday night to reignite this morning.
I turn in his arms and feel them fall away from me. Then, pushing him lightly onto his back, I pull the covers away from us and glance down at the tented sweats that are already hanging low on him. He’s not wearing a shirt, and so I just enjoy staring at him for a moment.
The scattered hair over his chest grows darker as it lowers over his abs. I pull his pants down lower to see the hair smothering around his hard cock, cut and already with pre-come escaping the tip.
I lower myself over him to suck lightly on the tip, tonguing his slit while I use a hand to hold him up to where I want him.
He moans louder, his hips shifting, and I glance up to see him blinking slowly at me, his sleepy eyes shifting to heated as I take more of him in.
“Conner …” he sighs, and the word is so gentle that it feels like a caress over my body.
He shifts his hand into my hair as he begins to move me where he wants as I take him all the way to the back of my throat, holding him there while I move my other hand to toy with his balls. He then tugs at my hair, and I do as he wants, moving over him, licking the underside of his dick before I tongue his slit again.
“Fuck!” he groans while he sets a steady rhythm, holding me in place while he fucks my mouth.
I’ve never wanted to completely surrender in the bedroom. I’ve always liked to keep some control. With Rocky, however, it’s addictive letting him take the reins.
I’ve rarely met a person so in tune with what they want and their body. Rocky doesn’t do anything that he doesn’t want to, and every move is to enhance the experience.
I could easily get addicted to this cock, this body, this man.
“Conner, your mouth …” he groans again, but before I can enjoy feeling some level of control over him as he falls apart due to my mouth, he pulls me up and roughly shoves me to the side, looming over me before I can even catch my breath. Then he kisses me, wiping all thoughts from my mind.
He rubs his body against mine, making my cock become impossibly hard, and then he pulls back, his eyes searching mine.
“You sure about this?” he asks, concern lighting his eyes.
“Yes.”
He stares at me for a moment longer before leaning away. Then he turns me onto my front as if I weigh nothing and strips me of my pants. The cool air touching my heated skin sends goosebumps over my body, and that feeling only intensifies when he lifts my hips so I’m on my knees with him behind me. My breath catches in my throat from being placed at this angle, but when he spreads me open and begins tonguing my crease without any sort of warning, I cry out at the sensation of pleasure shooting through my body.
“Fuck!” I gasp as he shifts his tongue to penetrate me, leaving me panting and desperate.
Rocky holds me still while he tortures my ass. When he shoves in a wet finger, I can’t stop myself from riding it.
“Yes, yes!” I mumble, holding my breath when he inserts a second finger.
For torturous minutes, he works me over, stretching me and leaving me a jumbled mess.
When I’m stretched and teased enough that I’m begging for his cock, needing him to fill me, he removes his fingers and makes quick work of removing his own pants, leaving him deliciously naked.
He passes over a condom and packet of lube. “I want you to ride me. I want to see you,” he tells me, which is possibly the hottest thing I’ve ever heard from him.
I impatiently rip open the condom then take my time rolling it over him, enjoying the tortured moan I’m able to wrangle out of him. He’s big, which is why I likely still have sore lips from sucking him, but with a few strokes, I know he’s as on edge as I am.
“Either you hurry up, or I’m shoving inside you in ten seconds, ready or not,” he warns, which kicks me back into action.
Finishing with the condom, I slather lube over him then straddle his legs, resting my hands on his slick chest as I line myself up against his cock. He moves his hand from my hip, and I know he’s placing himself where he needs to be as I rock back on him, taking the tip of him into my ass and enjoying the erotic burn that pulses through me.
I expect him to be impatient. I expect him to charge into me, which wouldn’t exactly be unwelcome. However, he gradually moves his hips, letting my ass slowly swallow up his cock.
I breathe deeply as I feel him pushing in, and as soon as he’s completely seated inside me, I enjoy the sensation of feeling full.
“You’re so fucking hot like this,” he tells me, his voice a harsh whisper.<
br />
“You’re always fucking hot,” I admit, and then I use my knees as leverage to pull up then crash back down on him, my hard dick swinging.
We both groan, him gripping my hips tightly.
“Come here,” he grumbles.
Knowing what he wants, I lean down and kiss him reverently before it becomes all-consuming. I rock over his dick as his tongue mimics the same motion. He’s fucking me at both ends, and I can’t get enough.
When he slides one hand from my hip to my cock nestled between our bodies, I groan into his mouth, not sure how long I can hold on if he’s going to touch me like that.
He runs his hand up and down my cock, using my own pre-come to make the glide smooth. Then his cock hits that wondrous spot inside me that makes me blind from the pleasure, and I crash down on him, over and over, my lips breaking from his to gasp as I feel my orgasm ready to erupt.
He grazes his lips over my neck before he sucks hard, just as he gives one final stroke, and I lose it, exploding over his hand and chest.
He moves his hand back to my hips where he charges into me a few more times before he, too, lets go, coming inside me.
Through my orgasm haze, I watch him, mesmerized by the glazed look to his eyes, the way his mouth widens in a silent scream, and the veins pulsing over his neck. He looks so hot right now, so free and beautiful.
Falling into my own post-orgasmic haze, I collapse against him, my body pleasantly satisfied and tired. I’m breathing hard as my upper body moves along with Rocky’s erratic breathing. We’re both sweaty and sated.
Now that’s a damn fine way to wake up in the morning.
All too soon, he takes my hips and pulls me off him. I wince at the sudden emptiness once he’s left, and then I collapse to the side of him, still trying to catch my breath.
He takes care of the condom then comes back with a cloth to wipe over my waist where I rubbed against the come I shot over his chest.
“Good morning,” he says with a smirk on his lips.
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