Dangerous Desires

by Dawn Altieri

  “Screw that,” Jake grumbled. “Get me the names of whoever’s doing the digging and I’ll ride their asses on it.”

  Mack stood to return to his desk. “You got it, boss.”

  “Oh, and Mack?”

  His partner turned back to him. Maybe it was the high Jake was still floating on from his night with Emma, maybe it was just the lack of sleep, but a flood of gratitude overwhelmed him. “I… Thanks, buddy.”

  Mack gave Jake a firm smack to the shoulder. “Shut up, Quinn. You’re makin’ me look soft.”

  Jake laughed. Mack had been there for him through plenty of dicey situations out in the field, but none quite as dicey as this one. Mack had no reason to cover for him, to keep his secret. But Jake knew he would. Mack had always been there when Jake needed him, and if he didn’t keep things with Emma under control, Jake might need him more than ever.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  If only every night could be as perfect as the first night Emma had shared Jake’s bed, she would be in heaven.

  Tonight, they’d cooked dinner together, and this time—their other appetites now somewhat sated—they’d actually managed to eat. Two rounds of earth-shattering sex followed, proving to her that the first night with him had not been a fluke. Two rounds that should’ve been enough to knock her out for at least a few hours. Yet here she lay, tossing and turning—as much as she could toss and turn with the lean muscles of his leg draped over her from behind, his hard body a blanket over her, his heavy arm around her waist, his chin pressing lightly against the top of her head.

  The last few weeks replayed in her mind, from the attack outside her apartment to the lilacs, the break-in, the murders. If only she could go back to the way things were less than a month ago, when she’d been alone and stuck in her boring but safe and uncomplicated life…

  But she didn’t want to go back. Despite all the chaos of the investigation and the attacks against her, Jake had opened her eyes to so many things she’d been missing out on. Things as simple as the excitement of being with someone new, even if the excitement was probably doomed to be short-lived. She’d make the most of it while she could, enjoy her time with him until he solved the case and they both moved on.

  Giving up on sleep for the time being, she considered heading downstairs to watch television or maybe find something to read. She tugged on the blankets in an attempt to sit up, slipping out from under Jake, but waking him in the process.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked sleepily.

  “I don’t know. Nothing. Everything. I can’t sleep.”

  He pulled himself up next to her, brushed her hair back over her shoulder. His eyes searched hers. “Wanna talk about it?”

  She shook her head the slightest bit. “Not really.”

  Emotions the likes of which she’d never experienced bubbled too close to the surface, and she was afraid to let them loose. She couldn’t tell him everything she’d been thinking, how much she wanted this—them—to work after the killer was caught, despite her fear of somehow losing him. He didn’t need to hear any of that. Knowing how she felt would surely only distract him and cause more stress he didn’t need. Besides, she wasn’t interested in anything long-term with a cop whose dangerous job could take him from her at any moment.

  “Come here.” He gently pulled her down to the mattress, and she settled in against him, her back snug against his bare torso and his arm wrapped around her waist. Her breathing calmed while the ache in her chest only deepened.

  They lay quietly for a while, with him sliding his fingers across her arm where it was folded in front of her. Soon, she felt him stir against her backside.

  “Now look what you’ve gone and done,” he said with a snicker.

  She rolled to face him. “You’re insatiable.”

  “I can’t take responsibility for my reaction when your beautiful, naked body is rubbing up against me like this.” He pressed his erection into her lower belly.

  She scooted herself up a bit and wrapped her leg over his hip. “You mean like this?” she teased, sliding his length between her thighs.

  He groaned and slid his hand to her ass, pumping his hips in time with her rhythm. “I’m insatiable, huh? I think you just might be the insatiable one.”

  Maybe she was. She couldn’t get enough of him, and she wanted to get every bit of him while she could. Lucky for her, he was just as ready. The man brought new meaning to the word virile.

  He fused their mouths together, his tongue exploring at a slow but maddening pace. His fingers roamed her body as if they were already right at home with every dip and curve. Newly confident, she used her hip to nudge him to his back, straddling him and reaching over to grab a condom from the bedside table. She took him in her hands and covered him with it, guiding him as she lowered herself onto his full, magnificent length. He intertwined his fingers with hers, and she dropped her head back with a soft moan, shuddering at the sensation of him buried so deep inside her body.

  She rode him shamelessly, knowing the city lights from the window downstairs illuminated her as she rocked above him, her eyes closed in lustful abandon. Her breath came hard and fast as his fingertips dug into the soft flesh of her hips. When she peered down at him, he was watching her intently, just as she knew he would be.

  “Christ, Emma,” he growled. “You are so fucking hot.”

  This was what Jake did for her. She wasn’t sure if he made her hot, or if he just let her be hot, but she was hot. Fucking hot. She’d been pretty, even beautiful at times, but hot? No one had ever accused her of that.

  He tugged her down with an arm around her waist, and her palms landed on the mattress on either side of him. He covered one breast with his mouth and reached for the other with his hand. He tipped his pelvis higher, sank farther into her even though there was hardly any room left for him to move. It didn’t take long for her movements to become erratic as she lost control.

  “That’s it, baby,” he whispered on a breath against her skin.

  With blinding insight, she realized she didn’t have to be a mousy pushover any longer. She didn’t have to wait for anyone to tell her what was good for her and what wasn’t. She could take what she wanted—what she needed—from Jake.

  It was an amazing, freeing feeling.

  Once the murderer was behind bars, she’d get over this infatuation for Jake, banish the idea of a future with him, and make herself happy without worrying about having a man in her life. Who needed one, anyway? She could be a strong, independent woman. She was a strong, independent woman.

  But for now…

  “Come for me, Emma,” he urged on a groan. “Let me feel you.”

  His words sent her over the edge. She pushed up with her palms on his shoulders to give herself just the right angle, grinding her hips relentlessly into his. Muscles deep within her pulsed violently, squeezing him until he exploded right along with her. She collapsed on top of him, a pile of thoroughly exhausted satisfaction, her limbs limp and completely useless.

  He nuzzled her neck, sending shivers through her overstimulated body as he held her against him. “God, Emma, what you do to me.”

  He withdrew from her and eased her back down to the mattress next to him, thrusting his fingers into her hair. He kissed her hard then rose from the bed and headed to the bathroom. When he returned, he climbed in behind her, wrapped his arms and legs around her, and buried his face in her hair in almost the same position in which they’d begun.

  Her breath slowed as her exhausted body relaxed into his embrace, and she couldn’t fight the question in her mind.

  What would it be like to have this man with her, just like this, for the rest of her life?

  Chapter Forty

  Sunlight teased Jake’s eyelids, daring him to leave the tranquility he’d found when Emma finally passed out in his arms just a few hours ago. He’d been awake half the
night, running different theories and scenarios through his head. Ways to trip Windsor up and somehow catch him. And even if he wasn’t guilty, regardless of where the investigation led, Jake would make it perfectly clear to Windsor that Emma belonged to him now.

  The proclamation came into his head with no thought, no warning. His. He’d never thought of a woman that way. What kind of an arrogant son-of-a-bitch was he to think Emma could be his? That she would even want to be, once she was no longer in danger and learned all about his baggage and his obsession with his job? What reason would she have to stay?

  Other than the amazing sex…

  He was on his side with his body still sprawled around hers. He squeezed his arm snug around her waist.

  “Mmm,” she purred contentedly as she stirred, the sound vibrating into his neck and sending shockwaves straight below his waist.

  “Mornin,’ baby,” he whispered near her ear.

  “Nuh-uh,” she grunted. “It can’t be morning yet. I’m not ready.”

  He pushed against her back, his early blast of hormones evident. “Oh, it’s definitely morning.”

  She twisted to peer over her shoulder at him. “You’re incorrigible,” she teased.

  “Insatiable, incorrigible, all these words starting with ‘in.’ You’re giving me ideas, babe.”

  “I’m pretty sure those ideas were already there before I said anything. If we keep this up, I’m not going to be able to walk.”

  “You don’t need to walk.” He covered her mouth in a slow, lazy kiss. “We’re not going anywhere. I’d be perfectly happy not to leave this apartment today.”

  “You’re not going to the precinct?”

  “There’s a department full of guys on the case. Let somebody else handle it for a few hours.”

  “Hmm,” she muttered with a sigh. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close until their bodies pressed together. “Walking is overrated anyway…”

  He laughed against her mouth. For now, he’d give in to the fantasy, stay right here wrapped around her, keeping her safe. No one would have to know. People could think they had disappeared together and wonder what happened to them. And all along, they’d be holed up in his apartment, safe and sound, madly in love.

  His train of thought came to a screeching halt.

  Love.

  That’s what this was, wasn’t it? What else could this sense of utter perfection be? The pull he felt toward her, her innocence, her quiet strength, her kindness. When he was with her, for the first time in years, he could relax and just let everything else go. The feelings that had grown in his heart and in his thick skull were so unfamiliar to him, it had to be love. Had to be everything he never thought he’d find and had been certain he didn’t deserve.

  She tried to move away from him, but he only gripped her more firmly.

  “Can I at least get up to pee?” she asked.

  His eyes narrowed, and he slowly released her. “I suppose that would be okay.” She grabbed his T-shirt off the floor and pulled it on before she scooted over to the bathroom. When she returned, he lifted the blanket and quickly tugged her under it, swallowing her laughter in a kiss.

  Whether he deserved this or not, he wasn’t ready to give her up just yet.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Jake: I miss you already.

  Emma hadn’t seen it right away, the text message Jake had sent almost as soon as she left his SUV that morning and stepped into her office. She’d been in a meeting with Stuart and upper management, where her bosses had asked her for an update on her case and assured her they were working with the police to do whatever needed to be done. By now, everyone knew the mystery man sitting outside the lobby all day was there because of her.

  The sudden onslaught of attention left her mortified. And she still hadn’t had a chance to send out her resume.

  She stared at the text message a moment longer. Jake hadn’t wanted her to return to work after her apartment was broken into, but she’d refused to let him dictate her actions. She needed to maintain some facade of independence, see to her responsibilities the way her mother had drilled into her since she was a young girl. Funny that, coming from the woman who’d shirked most of her own responsibilities.

  But now the reality of being out in the world without Jake at her side was proving harder than Emma had expected. Even with Adam hovering all the time, every unexpected noise, every not-quite-casual glance in her direction sent her nerves into overdrive. She longed to be back in Jake’s apartment, in his arms, in his bed. Despite everything going on, she’d found a peace with him she’d never known before. She might never be able to sleep alone again. Two nights with him and she was hooked—his warmth next to her, his skin on hers, his hands, his fingers, his mouth…

  She swiped across the phone to call him just as Stuart poked his head over the wall of her cubicle. “Everything okay?” he asked brightly.

  “Yup,” she answered with a nod, ending the call before it connected. She’d left Stuart in the conference room only a few minutes earlier. What could possibly have changed in that time? “All good.”

  “Great. Just remember, if you need anything, I’m happy to help.”

  The image of Stuart next to the police sketch on his computer screen flashed in her mind. She’d read about overzealous criminals getting involved in investigations, volunteering to help as a way to stay close to the action and make sure no one was on to them. Stuart had been awfully interested in this case all along, and he’d been checking on her constantly.

  She chased the idea away. Jake had already ruled him out, and the NYPD probably didn’t need her playing amateur detective.

  “Officer Markowitz has everything covered,” she assured him. “But thank you, Stuart.”

  He smiled and tapped the top of the cubicle divider before walking away.

  She dialed Jake’s number again, but the call went straight to voicemail. She tried twice more throughout the morning, but still no answer. When noon approached, she glanced at the text once more.

  Jake: I miss you already.

  She missed him, too, though she hadn’t expected him to be the first to admit it. Something had changed over the weekend between them, and if he hadn’t sent that text, she would have thought she was the only one who felt it. Maybe it was her lack of experience in the casual sex department, but nothing about their connection felt casual anymore. It was probably all in her head, but the need to see him right now overwhelmed her. Not the best way to prove she could handle his profession and the difficulties that would come with trying to maintain a relationship with a law enforcement officer. But it was becoming clearer in her mind that was exactly what she wanted.

  She gathered her things and stopped by Lauren’s desk on her way out. “Hey, Laur, I’m going to see if I can find Jake for lunch.”

  “Okay. You didn’t ask him first?”

  “He’s not answering his phone. Thought I’d surprise him.”

  “Oh,” Lauren said in a tone of surprise. “That almost sounds spontaneous.”

  The comment made Emma question herself. Maybe surprising Jake at work was a bad idea. Justin had trained her not to do that sort of thing—check up on him or question why he wasn’t answering his phone. All those times he’d acted as if he might have something to hide, all those times she let it go because she couldn’t stand having him angry with her.

  All those times she let him control what she did.

  Lauren stood and came around to the front of her desk. “Em, what’s wrong? You look nervous as shit.”

  Emma chuckled uneasily at her friend’s expression. She had no reason to be nervous, to think Jake would say she’d turned into a clingy pain in the ass. He’d never given her any reason to expect that reaction from him. Besides, this wasn’t a normal situation. His wasn’t a normal job. Surely, he could use a break. The man neede
d to eat.

  “I’m fine,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”

  She asked Adam to drive her to the precinct, and when they arrived, she shored up her resolve and entered the building with her bodyguard at her side. She approached the front desk in the crowded lobby, squeezing past people arguing and yelling and complaining all around her. The officer at the desk lifted his head. “Hey, Markowitz. What brings you here in the daylight?”

  “Looking for Quinn.”

  The officer jerked his thumb to his right. The large room next to the lobby buzzed with activity.

  Jake stood with his back to her, one hand holding a desk phone to his ear and the other holding a newspaper. “Maybe next time you’d like to print my fucking address, too!” He slammed the phone down, threw the newspaper on the desk, and raked his hands through his hair.

  She glanced at the newspaper where it fell and saw the front page headline.

  “BACK ALLEY STRANGLER STUMPS NYPD. INVESTIGATION STALLS.”

  A full-page photo showed a medical examiner’s van and two men standing next to it, deep in conversation and completely oblivious to the fact they were being photographed. Mack and Jake.

  Mack looked up from the desk adjacent to Jake’s and nodded in Emma’s direction. “Quinn.”

  Jake spun around. His expression was one she hadn’t seen on him before. Anger and confusion melded together, creasing his forehead and hardening his jaw. He took a few brisk steps and came to her.

  “Emma, what are you doing here? Where’s Adam?”

  “He’s right in the lobby.” Her stomach twisted in knots. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just shown up like this. But you weren’t answering your phone.”